Tasukete
Fantasma
Chapter Four:
Tasukete
Danny’s brain was refusing to function, and Sam and Tucker were having very similar problems. The young boy stared distantly at the sight in front of him, his mouth agape in pure stupor. Of all the possible things to open the door, why this? Danny’s brain wracked with confusion. He turned to look at Tucker, who’s left eye was profusely twitching.
Standing in front of the door was some kind of ring-clad zebra. She had various rings around her right foreleg, as well as much larger ones surrounding her neck. They were golden, glimmering like sun rays. She also bore aureate earrings that hung down heavily. Her coat was white, save for the very frequent black strips that accompanied her body. She had a tall mohawk that matched the color of her body. What Danny found extensively odd was the weird drawing on her posterior, which resembled a crudely drawn, swirling sun. She somewhat reminds Danny of one of those National Geographic specials that he saw in school, depicting various African tribes.
The zebra cocked her head, unsure of how to reply as three different sets of eyes stared disbelievingly at her. “You three seem lost, and truly mislaid. Is it that you just need some aid?” the zebra said. To be honest, she was a little confused at the fact that three hairless monkey’s just appeared at her doorstep. She began to wonder if she may have misconducted a potion recently.
Tucker looked over in Sam and Danny’s direction, pointing a scrawny finger at the zebra in question. “Did that zebra just talk?” he asked, his voice stammering uncontrollably.
Danny shook his head. “No… technically it rhymed.”
The zebra ignored the fact that they were talking about her and chose to change the subject of their rather awkward conversation. “Excuse me, please, but you look a little feeble. This forest in known to be quite lethal,” the zebra said, looking past them to inspect the forest momentarily.
Danny almost felt like passing out. Where they really speaking to a walking, talking, rhyming zebra? “Uhm, well, we’ve been wandering the woods for a few hours now…” Danny said. Actually, he really was not sure on how long it has been. He had simply guessed and was hoping that the zebra would feel enough pity to actually help them out.
Tucker grabbed Danny and Sam and pulled them to the side, away from the zebra. Said creature furrowed her brow, before letting out a toothy smile. “Do you really think this is a good idea? We’re talking to a zebra! How is she possibly going to help us? We should just get away while we can…” Obviously, Tucker was not thinking straight. Even Danny knew how ridiculous that sounded.
“Uh, Tucker? Did you hit your head or something? She’s obviously an intelligent species. She must live here, so surely she can help us.” Sam said, speaking slowly and calmly towards him.
“Yeah, it’s better than wandering around the woods for hours on end, and possibly dying in the process. Maybe she’ll actually give us some food or water,” Danny added in his two cents. Tucker sighed and looked at the ground, knowing that no matter what he said, he was still outvoted.
“Fine…”
All three of them turned back to the strange zebra, who continued to amusedly grin at their small group. “We are really sorry to bother you, but we could really use your help.” Sam said. The zebra raised up a single hoof, before opening up the door a little more.
“Do not say any more, you are welcome through my door.” said the zebra as she gingerly wandered back inside the depths of her own hut. Tucker, Sam and Danny all exchanged side-glances before walking inside the zebra’s home in a single-file manner.
Danny sure was surprised upon viewing the interior of the actual hut. Inside, hanging from the walls and the ceiling, were many more tribal masks and strange bottles. The temptation to grab one was hard to resist. He could not help but wonder if they were actually magic. However, he did not dwell on it, for he knew there was no such thing. Strangely enough, the entire home was just one single room. Was there even a bathroom? Danny thought.
There was a small, bunker like area in the corner of the home where a large, cheetah spotted bed resided. Danny came to the conclusion that this zebra lived alone. Sam had already come to this conclusion moments earlier, and not only that, it raised a few questions. However, she ended up keeping them to herself.
In the middle of the room was a massive cauldron, reminding Danny of something a witch would use for spells. Danny put the pieces of the puzzle together: the bottles, the tribal masks, and the cauldron, and realized that they have stumbled upon crazy.
The zebra strode over to some kind of sink. It was made almost entirely out of wood, and did not even include any sort of faucet. Using three wooden cups, she scooped water into them. Danny was going to ask if she would like help carrying them, seeing as she had hooves. He realized how rude he would have been had he actually asked soon after. The zebra had no problem bringing them water by placing one cup on the top of her mohawk, one in her hoof, and by biting down on the edge of the third cup. She handed out the water, with Tucker being the one to get the cup that the zebra held in her mouth. He grimaced when it entered his hand. Danny delighted in the taste of the water as it slithered down his throat. The zebra smiled as she watched two of the three hairless monkey’s drink their water. Tucker, when the zebra was not looking, dumped his out in the cauldron. He was not very thirsty anyways.
“I am glad I can be of assistance. You all have walked quite the distance,” the zebra spoke calmly. It was fairly obvious to Danny that the zebra was a female, not that it mattered or anything. Her voice was low for her gender, but it still rung like church bells in his ears, in a good way. “I go by many names, mainly a plethora. But you may call me the zebra, Zecora.” she said. Zecora? What an odd name, Danny thought. But then again, there were much weirder things he had come across in his life, this being one of them. Danny downed the rest of his water, seeing that Sam was a little too occupied with hers.
“My name is Danny,” he held a hand up to his chest, before pointing at Tucker. “These are my friends, Tucker,” he pointing to the dark skinned boy in the middle of the room, swatting at one of the bottles like he was a cat. Upon seeing three eyes gaze at him, he placed his hands behind his back and gave them a large, embarrassed smile. “uh, and that’s Sam.” Danny finished, motioning towards the girl who was just finishing the rest of her drink.
“It is nice to meet you, Danny, Sam and Tucker, but by the looks of you, I have seen no other.” Danny raised an eyebrow. Zecora’s rhymes were a little hard to understand sometimes, so it took Danny a moment until he could actually reply. She must mean she hasn’t seen humans before.
“Right...uh, yeah. We’re not really from here. You see-” Sam started, but Danny interjected. He wanted to make sure what was said was worded extremely carefully.
“I don’t think we’re from this world, back in ours we had this machine called the Ghost Portal. It would take us to the world of the dead, basically. Unfortunately, instead of taking us there this time, it brought us here.” Danny had a feeling that Sam was going to say that anyways, but he did not wish for his powers to get brought up. Zecora may deem him as dangerous, and they everybody is in trouble. He still was not exactly thinking straight, much like Tucker.
Upon hearing Danny’s explanation, Zecora cocked her head to the side. “World of the Dead, is that what you speak? I must say, Danny, that sounds rather unique.” Danny was seriously wondering if Zecora spoke in rhymes because it was just something she does, or if she had no choice but to. Either way, it took Danny another moment to decipher her words. He really should have paid more attention in English class.
Sam deliberately cut in. “In some sort of way, yes, it is. Especially since we’re the only ones who technically know about it that aren’t part of the dead.” she said, staring at Tucker as he made his way over to the rest of the group, finally. He scratched the back of his head and mumbled under his breath.
“Well, if we stay here any longer-” Either Tucker was speaking way too loud, or Danny was standing way too close. Either way, Danny socked Tucker in the shoulder as his way of saying ‘shut up’. Tucker groaned in pain, but said nothing before taking a seat on the wooden floor, directly next to the cauldron.
“That reminds me, Zecora, uhm, where are we?” Danny asked, right as Sam felt the exact same question on the tip of her tongue. Zecora beamed.
“Surely, you have an eye for notice, but you have stepped into the Everfree Forest.” An eye for notice? Everfree Forest? Danny was more confused than ever, however Sam was having a little more luck with catching on.
“Wait, Everfree Forest? That’s where we are?” Instead of coming up with another rhyme, Zecora just nodded.
“Are we even on Earth!?” Tucker suddenly shouted, tugging on his beret in anticipation.
Zecora uttered a sigh. “Young child there is no need for hysteria, but you are in the land of Equestria.” Danny, Tucker, and Sam all shared the same, jarred glance. Danny thought to himself, but was unable to put the pieces together.
“J...Just what the heck is Equestria?” Danny asked.
Zecora ignored his question completely, pretending not to have heard as she went to fetch another cup full of water for the light skinned boy. Danny disregarded his question in general.
“Uhm, so are there other zebra’s that live around here?” Tucker asked, slightly curious himself in the zebra more than their situation after calming down a little bit.
“I’m sorry, no, but I am the only. Being here can sometimes get lonely.” Zecora replied. For a such a grim comment that had been made, she had a kind smile spread across her face. Danny was somewhat wondering what Zecora was being so blunt with them, but it must be hard to be subtle as well as rhyme at the same time. All this brand new information was very difficult to take in, but he needed to learn to accept it. If this was some sort of elaborate prank, surely it would not go on for this long.
“You’re the only one that lives in the forest?” Tucker repeated. Zecora glared at Tucker, for she had answered the question just moments ago. Tucker got the hint and continued. “So, what’s beyond the forest?”
“The land outside, even I do not know much. I only leave rarely, it’s expected as such. Everything I need mainly resides in this forest, although there is a town way in the northwest…” Zecora tapped her chin a few times as she stared at the ceiling. “The ponies are kind-”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Tucker rudely cut the zebra off, and she was not very happy about it. “Ponies? We’re in a world full of talking animals?”
Zecora, once again, sighed at Tucker. “Ponies, by them this land is populous, at least, that is my hypothesis.” Danny raised an eyebrow. She does not know the main species of this land? Well, she did say that she barely ever leaves the forest. If the only things she ever speaks to are ponies, then it would make sense as to why she thinks this way. Besides, it is not like she had the internet or anything. But still, not only walking, talking zebras, but walking, talking ponies too? Danny’s head started to hurt a little bit.
“Welp, we’re in trouble…” said Tucker, throwing his hands in the air.
“So, now what do we do?” Danny asked nobody in particular, hanging his head low. “We have no way to get home…” Zecora noticed the distress in Danny’s voice, and frowned ever so slightly.
“Please, you three, do not worry. You may stay here, if you are not in a hurry. I have just enough room, so be my guest. I’ll give you a place to give your body’s good rest.” Zecora spoke, eloquently. Danny, Sam and Tucker all simultaneously poked up their heads, almost surprised as to what she had just said.
“Really? Wow, uhm, thanks Zecora.” Sam said, somewhat happy that they actually have found some sort of salvation. For a moment, she feared that death would have been just around the corner.
“The pleasure, no, it is all mine. Having guests around will most truly be divine.”
Danny smiled at the zebra, while Tucker was not quite sure how to feel. He had multiple bad feelings even upon entering the strange zebra’s hut. There were still many questions swirling around in his head that he did not ask for fear of angering Zecora, or his friends, more importantly. He knew what the zebra was offering was excessively kind, so he best not do anything to make her change her mind.
The zebra’s light blue eyes stared out the window, and she hesitantly debated on the next course of action. “The sun has fallen, it is very late. The moon is in a vigorous state. I shall go grab you some comfortable sheets, maybe as you sleep your troubles will be beat.” Danny sincerely doubted that, but he wondered if maybe it would help clear his head a little bit. Upon saying those words, Zecora toddled off.
When she returned, she held three large, soft blankets in her hoofs. With almost a motherly smile, she passed the blankets around to Sam, then Tucker, and then Danny. The latter let out a sharp yawn and they all graciously thanked the zebra for everything that she was doing for them. Danny was lucky. They were all lucky, actually, that they managed to stumbled upon such a caring and concerned creature. It was in the nick of time, also. Danny remembers that Zecora originally said that the forest was ‘lethal’. He practically owes Zecora his, as well as his friends, their lives.
Zecora shut off the lights and blew out the candles that kept the hut illuminated as she climbed into her own cheetah spotted bed, sighing contently as her body hit the pillows. Danny could hear the distinct sound of something clanging together, and assumed that it must be Zecora’s rings as she was taking them off. Little did Danny know, but as much as the rings were a part of her culture, she did not wish to wear them during sleep. To be frank, it was fairly uncomfortable.
Danny slept in the middle of the room, nearest the cauldron, while Sam had a different idea. She slept on the other side of the room right next to the window, letting the moon rays hit her face as she slept at a clever attempt to have the sun wake her up in the morning. Tucker had a grand idea of his own, and that was to sleep closest to the door just incase his strange suspicions were correct.
Danny tried to close his eyes and fall asleep that night, but his brain had failed to calm itself.
No one got any sleep that night.
Not even Zecora.
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And, queue Skulker. Somehow, I just know this is going to happen.
You shoukd know, you're the author.
Some parts were a little redundant, but it was an overall decent chapter.
It begins.
I fear for their safety—the ponies may be hysteric indeed.
And the Everfree is no playground for humans and ponies alike.
Awaiting further releases.
You need to be careful with your tenses. You switched from past-tense to present-tense a few times, and vice-versa.
To speak in rhyme, 'tis not so hard.
even my meaning, it has not marred.
Now you must work, and bring the next chapter,
Or I will rage with the wrath of a raptor.
Are we clear, Author dear?
No one got any sleep.....hmm, could they all sense some kind of danger and not even know it.
I'm probably just over thinking it.
Next chapter Pleeeeeaase?
If ryming takes forever, you should make sure you write all the chapters that have Zecora in it. Not my favorite chapter, but it's okay. Sucks that you left us with another cliffhanger.
I also hope the next chapter comes out a bit sooner, and it's a little longer.
"Praise the hairless monkeys, for they are our gods!
With this fact, I am sure of the odds!"
Shitty rhyme explanation of why Zecora is so hospitable. I dunno wat im doin
Nice
We need moar, MOAR MOAR!
*Coughts* If thats alright with you
And we really need an expanded smilies.
who’s left eye was profusely twitching
Upon seeing three eyes gaze at him
1. Whose.
2. Three pairs of eyes.
That could have been formulated this way, too:
3248407 Really, Samaru? It was filled with a lot of personal bias, easy ways out, and it wasn't generally true to the show. It is a crossover, and a fanfic, but that doesn't mean people don't expect quality writing from it. Disbelief in magic, seasonal stupidity, and the characters go along far to easily with the narrative. There is no evidence of actual thought. It's as if I'm reading robots speaking dialogue with no inflection. It's boring and shows no personality. Personally, the previous edition was better, and more believable to boot, even with an OoC Samantha. Now there is more to fix, and less reason to do so.
This is half fanfic and half actual story now. I'd lean more towards the side of a story if I were the author, but of course, leaning towards a terrible fanfic is fine too.
...I see what you did there... Cheeky bastard...
I just realized that the chapters are in gratuitous Japanese.
Should I point out that the ... rings on her body can't be taken off? They are forged onto her body if she would ever take them of her neck wouldn't be able to support her head and she would break her neck
No one got any sleep that night.
Not even Zecora.
I love it! It's making me want more!
it should be "This forest is known to be quite lethal.
normally i'd think a few months is too long for a chapter, but this is a normal sized chapter filled with Zecora's dialogue. So this chapter is reasonably late.
5658404
This is mlp, logic shouldn't be applied. "feeling Pinkie Keen" is proof of that.