Chapter 1
Just Another Day
It was just another day on the Savannah. The sun was hot, the grass was tall, and the mothers were preparing food. The pleasant smell of bread wafted through the village and into a young mare's nose. She took a deep breath and smiled contentedly. She rolled out of bed and walked through the mud brick hut to the door. Her eyes had not adjusted yet, so when the sun hit her face, she winced and backed inside again. A few moments later, she walked back out towards the general direction of the smell.
"Hey, Zecora!" a voice called from not too far away, "Over here!" Zecora looked over to her right and saw a colt galloping full speed straight at her. She braced herself for impact, for the young zebra couldn't control his braking as well as the others. He hit Zecora with a loud "OOMPH!", and they both fell to the ground in a cloud of dust.
"How was that one?" the colt asked, shaking himself clear of any dust that got on his coat, "It didn't hurt as bad as it usually does, so I think I'm getting better!" He hopped up to let Zecora get back on her hooves..
"Yes, it was a lot softer than usual," Zecora said, smiling as she brushed the dust off of herself with her tail, "but you still have a lot to work on, Eusipe." Zecora nuzzled him playfully. "You will soon enough be able to play like the other foals, but for now, we must eat! The smell of that bread is almost overwhelming."
The young zebra chuckled. "You can say that again! Mpishi makes the best bread in all of the land! I even heard she found some new spices yesterday and we night be the first to test them out!" Eusipe practically buzzed with excitement. "Come on! It'll be all gone by the time we get there at the rate we're going!"
Nzuri Mpishi was the best bread maker on the plains. She was able to find and mix and bake the ingredients so perfectly that zebras would travel for miles to buy some. After her mate had died and her sons and daughters moved away, she started taking in orphan foals who had nowhere else to live. Zecora and Eusipe were two of the many that Mpishi had nursed back to health, but they were also arguably her favorites. Both Zecora and Eusipe's fathers had died in the Plains War when they were both foals. Zecora's mother died of a poisonous snakebite, and Eusipe's mother died due to labor complications when delivering Eusipe's still-born brother. Mpishi took them in and cleaned them up, gave them a place to sleep and food to eat. She became a kind of mother to them, teaching them what they needed to know, how to read, how to cook, and how to do basic accounting. She loved them like they were her own. As such, when Zecora grew old enough to move out, she insisted that Zecora stay in the village and visit often. Zecora was not opposed to the idea at all.
∞
"Mpishi, we're here!" Eusipe called out. The sound of rustling and cookware knocking together came from behind the partition where Mpishi's kitchen was located. A few seconds later, a tall, slender zebra trotted through the beaded curtain hanging above the door to the kitchen. Mpishi's eyes lit up when she saw the pair at the door. She cantered over to them and gave them each a big hug.
"My children! It is so nice to see you!" She gave a light laugh. "It has been a fortnight since you last came to visit. Where were you all that time?" Zecora slumped her bag off of her shoulders and deposited it on the floor beside them. The old mare hadn't aged a bit. She still retained her youthful complexion into her elder years and the other mares were quite jealous. She never shared her secret with anyone, no matter how close she was to them.
"As you know, I have started my potion studies. I have spent many a night studying and brewing." Zecora over-dramatically yawned and stretched. "I have been very tired as of late and could find no time for others in between my studies."
Mpishi rolled her eyes and cocked an eyebrow. She knew she was lying. "Oh really? Then what were you doing with Kumpiga Ngoma the other day?" Zecora stiffened and blushed. She'd been caught. Mpishi smiled and laughed. "It is quite fine my child. I am surprised that you are getting along so well without me! It seems like yesterday that you were helping me make bread and were too small to reach." Mpishi let out a contented sigh. "Anyway, you have come to sample my new recipe, have you not?"
It was Eusipe that spoke up this time. "Yes! We heard that you got new ingredients and we wanted to be the first to try it!" Mpishi chuckled and nodded her head at the door to the kitchen. They followed her into the room where they were met with the overpoweringly warm and thick smell of freshly baked bread. The two young zebras inhaled deeply and let out a satisfied sigh. Mpishi took off the cheesecloth that was covering the bread and broke a loaf into halves. They ended up eating two entire loaves of bread in silence broken only by content "Mmmm"s at every bite.
After they were through, Mpishi gathered the crumbs and threw them out the window for the birds.. "So should I throw this recipe away?" Zecora and Eusipe's eyes both widened in horror and they loudly detested the idea. "I thought not," Mpishi laughed, "How many loaves would you like?"
∞
Zecora looked at the plant curiously. She had never seen anything like it before. She pulled her notebook and a pencil out of her pack and began to sketch it and mark where she found it. She made a point to check her reference books when she got back. She replaced her notebook and pencil and continued on her hike. She figured she had at least a couple of hours before dark.
She stopped and turned back when she saw that the brush of the forest started to make her trek more difficult. She reached the village at sundown to find a large group of zebras huddled around something. She pushed her way to the front of the group and froze when she saw what it was. Kumpiga Ngoma lay on the ground in the center, his mother weeping beside him.
Zecora noticed one of her medicine bottles next to the body, and was very confused. No one had access to her bottles but her. As was the unspoken code, she kept her medicine bottles safe and away from prying eyes. She did so to prevent somepony framing her for putting poison in her potions. She also took the liberty of having her bottles specially made so that they can be enchanted easily to only hold one kind of potion.
A zebra to her right gasped and yelled "That's her!" Zecora jumped out of her trance and looked around confusedly.
"What? Who is her? What is going on? What are you t-" She was interrupted by two large zebras who restrained her. One of them apologized and pulled out a bottle and opened it up. The smell of ether flooded her nostrils and she saw blackness slowly covering her vision until she completely blacked out. The last thing she saw was the zebra who alerted everypony of her presence. She mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' before walking off.
Chapter 2
I'm Sorry
Zecora woke up in a small room by herself. Her head was still throbbing after the night before, or she thought it was the night before. She remembered that ether's effects only last for a few hours when used properly, but judging by how strong the ether smelled, she guessed that she was out for at least the entire night. She saw light filtering in through the doorway which confirmed her suspicions.
She tried to sit up on the bed. Her muscles ached from staying in the same place for hours, but she finally managed to pull herself up to a comfortable position. She took a look around the room, but there was nothing to see. The only things that stood out were the bars lining the doorway. Zecora studied the bars closely. They seemed familiar.
Bars... she thought. She inhaled deeply and detected the faint odor of bread and other foods. I am definitely still in the village. Her mind wandered to the events that led her to this point in time. She remembered Kumpiga Ngoma laying on the ground with her bottle and his mother beside him. She remembered the mare that yelled "That's her!" which resulted in her reprimand with the ether.
Wait.
The realization hit Zecora like a tidal wave.
Bars, still in the village, Kumpiga Ngoma, ether; she was in the jail cell next to the elder's house!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! she mentally screamed. She hopped off the bed and walked purposefully towards the barred doorway. She put her face to the bars and looked out into the open courtyard.
"Excuse me!" she called. No one heard her. She called again. This time, a large, muscular zebra trotted up to her from talking to another zebra. She presumed it was her guard.
"Yes?" he answered.
"Could you please tell me what is going on? Why am I here?" Zecora started to sweat. She had been nothing but a perfect citizen of the village. She was renowned as one of the nicest zebras in the Savannah, and so she could not fathom as to why she was being held in the village prison.
"You are being held on the charges of the murder of Kumpiga Ngoma," the guard spoke up, sounding official. "Since you are up, I will go ahead and allow visitors, but they will have to stay outside the cell. Visitors will have thirty minutes to talk and then will have to go home for the day." He turned around and walked slowly away.
Zecora laid back down on the bed and took a moment to assess the situation. She replayed the guard's words over and over in her head, but she always got stuck on one word: murder. How could she have murdered Ngoma when she had been gone the entire day and no one but her could access her potions?
There was a noise at the door that broke Zecora's concentration. She looked up to see Mpishi and Eusipe standing at the barred opening. Mpishi had tears in her eyes and a look on her face that mixed confusion and concern. Zecora felt a twinge of pain run through her, seeing Mpishi like that. Zecora rushed up to the doorway. She opened her mouth to apologize, but was cut short when Mpishi raised a hoof to Zecora's mouth.
"I know you did not kill Kumpiga," Mpishi said. "I have known you long enough to know that you would never do such a thing. However, there is nothing that I can do to help you. The other villagers have already decided that you are guilty and do not sound like they are going to change their minds."
Mpishi drew a shuddering breath and continued. "I just wanted you to know that no matter what, you will always be my child. I will protect you until the end. And if my end comes before yours, I vow to protect you in every way possible in the afterlife as your guardian spirit." A single tear rolled down her cheek and Zecora could feel her own emotions welling up inside of her. Eusipe stepped up next.
"Zecora, whatever they do to you, I'm going to be right beside you." The young zebra took a deep breath and stood up as straight as he could. "Besides Mpishi, you're the only family I have, and I can't imagine having to live without you. If they're going to kill you, they'll have to kill me as well. If they're going to banish you, I'm going too. Mpishi is strong and she is needed in the village, but the village doesn't need me for anything. I'm better off going with you anyway." Zecora wanted to object, but arguing with him wouldn't change anything. Once Eusipe set his mind on something, it was nearly impossible to change his decision, even if it meant him sacrificing his life.
"Alright, your time is up," the guard said, "Finish up any last words and then you have to leave. You will get time to speak after the trial tomorrow." Zecora was overwhelmed. She could only utter a weak "Thank you" before they left. She slunk back to her bed and lad down only to hear a small voice come from the door.
"E-excuse me..."
Zecora looked up to see the mare who had pointed her out to the crowd. The mare looked around nervously and muttered something again.
"Excuse me, but I need to speak to you. It is quite urgent."
Zecora stood up and walked toward the mare. It was obvious that what she wanted to say was making her extremely uncomfortable and anxious, so Zecora didn't object.
"Are you not th-..."
"Yes, yes I am," the mare interrupted, "but you have to listen to me. There is a great evil coming. She has already started eliminating all potential adversaries, and you are one of them. I had to protect you by any means necessary because you are one of the only ones who can defeat her."
Zecora adopted a defensive stance. "Wait, by protecting me by any means necessary, do you mean that you were the one who killed Kumpiga and got me in this mess?"
"Yes and no. Kumpiga is in hiding at the moment. He and I had a conversation long ago pertaining to this. He agreed to fall under a deep trance in order to protect you. His family knows about this as well. To complete the act, his family shall act like he really died, and he is coming with me to join my resistance. I am trying to save as many of her potential opponents as I can before her plan is put into action."
"Wait, who is 'she', exactly?"
"Her name is Mabaya. She is an evil sorceress that has broken free from her prison. There is only one thing on her mind, and that is world domination. A thousand years ago, four heroes banished her to an eternal prison after she tried to enslave the world. If my sources are correct, you are the direct descendant of one of the four heroes. Therefore, it is your destiny, along with three others whom you will meet on your journey, to stop Mabaya at all costs.
Zecora took a second to collect her bearings and took a deep breath. "But why me?"
"I already said that you are a direct descendant of one of the original four heroes. It is your destiny to stop Mabaya from enslaving the world."
"Well, even if you are right about my lineage, how will I know where the other three are, or even who they are?"
"You will know who they are. Either by their actions, or their words, you will know. You will not know where they may be, but I leave you with one piece of advice: some are not always what they appear."
The mare looked around quickly. "I am afraid my time here has run out. We will meet again soon."
With that, she walked shadily away. Zecora turned to walk back to her bed, but something caught her eye. It was a small note with some writing on it laying on the ground just inside her door. Zecora picked it up and read it. The note said, in scrawled writing:
Your fate has been sealed. You shall live, but tell no one of what we spoke.
Zecora crumpled the note and threw it out one of the small windows above her bed. She sat down and mulled over what the mare said.
How am I a part of this? she thought. I do not have any useful skills that I could use in a fight. I am just a simple potion maker! Zecora laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. She did not expect any more visitors to come and there was nothing she could do in the meantime other than sleep.
Besides, right now, sleep was the only definite thing she could count on to go as planned.