//-------------------------------------------------------// Zecoras' tale -by Lunalicorn- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Proluge //-------------------------------------------------------// Proluge Proluge Time Period:The great zebra war   ZEBRA Kayernas stared up into the sky. Her white star cutiemark seemed to shine, longing for the stars above it. She knew how it felt. Except for Zecora, she was the ony zebra here. It didn't matter that much anyway, as long as there weren't any ponies. "Please, spirits, show me a way." she muttered. The stars shimmered brightly, but nothing else happened. Luna was going to bright her stars back down soon, and her ansectors would be gone. Sighing, sje turned back to her offspring. The yound pony was small, even for her age. She was wrapped in a blanket, a smile on her face. "Foals." Kayernas mumbled, her eyes shining. She walked over to the female foal, snuggling with it. They shared warmth,and it was so great, Kayernas didn't hear hoofsteps approaching the rocky shelter. She fell asleep, Zecora with her.   PONY General Starhorn crept up slowly on the cave. A couple of his best fighters were behind them. They were all pegusas, but there was one earthpony.   "Hello?" Flaphoof, a white stallion pegusas poked his head inside the cave. Dawn was braking, and Starhorn could make out two figures. A foal and its' mother.   "Great Celestia! They must've been captured by zebras." Fallenstar, the earthpony, muttered. Flaphoof landed onto the ground, and tried his best to sneak stelthily into the cave.   "FLAPHOOF! I never told you to-" Starhorn shouted. He clamped his mouth shut just a bit too late. The foal started crying, and as the mother grunted, standing, the troop saw in the first dawn light her pattern. These weren't ponies at all.   "Zebra!" Fallenstar shouted. She grabbed her sword and charged at the mother.   "Fallenstar, wait!" Thunderchaser, a gray pegisi called. But he was to late. Fallenstar had killed the zebra. Its' blood spattered acroos the floor, and the foal was crying louder.   "Well, as long as blood is on your hooves, kill the baby." Starhorn commanded. Fallenstar walked up to the baby. She pulled the sword up into the air, holding it with her mouth, but it stayed there.   "Fallenstar." Butterfly hovered impatiantley infront of the cave. Fallenstar turned her head to stare at her teammates and commander.   Without dropping the blade, she blankly replied "I can't."   "Well, then, Butterfly can." Starhorn turned his head. The yellow pegusas sheathed her blade and flew toward the small foal, full speed.   "NO!" Fallenstar shouted. Without thinking, she stabbed the incoming pegusas in the neck. Butterfly fel to the ground, and died before Thunderchaser could run up.   Starhorn stared at the earthpony. "Attack." he neighed. The pegisi sheathed their blades and charged for the earthpony.   "This is the end..." Fallenstar muttered "...but I'll go fighting." she looked up and started killing he incoming ponies, one by one, wincing as their blood spilled onto the floor of the cave.   The young zebra wasn't cryng by the time Starhorn was dead. She was staring in awe at Fallenstar. "It's okay, little one. Do you know your name?" Fallenstar asked. The zebra didn't reply. "She can't talk." Fallenstar siad to herself. Walking over to the foal, she picked it up. ZECORA was painted onto the blanket with assorted mud and fruits. "Zecora." she whispered. Looking around, making sure nopony was there, she ran away, deep into a Forest. //-------------------------------------------------------// Cutiemark //-------------------------------------------------------// Cutiemark Chapter 1-Cutiemark Time period:A few moons after the mane six earned their cutiemarks   ZEBRA Zecora walked outside casually, breathing in the fresh morning air. "Zecora! Time for school!" her mom shouted, walking into the room.   "But... what if they make fun of my coat?" Zecora asked.   "It's okay. I found out how to fix that." her mom smiled.   "Why are we up so early, anyway? I want to go back to sleep. School is later." Zecora yawned.   "Because we have to get up early to fix your problem."   "What?"   "You'll see." her mom promised. she walked outside, and Zecora did the smae after throwing on her saddlebag.   PONY Rarity yawned as someone knocked at the door. "Just a minute!" she called. Brushing her mane slightly, she ran to the door. "Don't loose your hooves." she muttered.   "Hello." Fallenstar stood at the door, a striped filly beside her.   "Hello, Fallenstar! What would you like today?" Rarity asked.   "Zecora. I want her sky blue, like me." Fallenstar replied. Rarity nodded, and after studying the filly slightly she galloped over to her study table.   " I can't wait!" Zecora muttered.   "You'll love it." Fallenstar promised.   "Bad news." Rarity walked over to where the other ponies were standing.   "What?" Fallenstar looked shocked, and Zecoras' eyes showed she was heartbroken.   "I don't have any dye. But I could give you this cape!" Rarity pulled a light brown, extra-simple, hooded cloak out of a saddlebag.   "It's.. uh..." Fallenstar looked puzzled.   "Its not a peice of art. But I don't have time, school's today, and-" rarity began explaining.   "I LOVE IT!" Zecora exclaimed. She grabbed it and threw it on.   "It's a bit big, but it'll do." Fallenstar chuckled. "thanks Rarity." she added as they turned to go.   "Don't think of it. I always like to help friends!" Rarity replied. Then Fallenstar trotted outside with her "daughter".   ZEBRA Zecora was loving school 100%. She had made friends with Rarity, who luckily kept 'the secret', Applejack, Cherrille and Little Mac. Now, it was time for a potion class.   "Okay, class, we'll start out with a simple one. It's called colorchange. IT works on anything except ponies." Pencil Sketcher announced. Zecora sighed at the last part. "You have a fruit on your desk. See hwt you can so with that. To make the potion, just blahblahblahblah*" Pencil Sketcher explained. Zecoa started mixing up potions, looking for the perfect white. As she mixed, Applejack tabbed her shoulder.   "What?" Zecora asked, dipping the bananna into the mix of potions.   "Your flank. I saw eht' glow." Applejack whispered.   "Through the cloak?" Zecora looked suspecious.   "Eh think you earned your cutiemark. Why else would you flank glow randomly?"   "Uh... okay..." Zecora flipped up her shrt and looed at her flank. A white, line-like sun on her striped coat. "Awsome!" she shouted.   "What's wrong with your coat?" a filly behind her asked.   "Nothing. That's just how it looks like." Zecora replied. Rarity was staring at her with wide eyes, trying to look shocked like everyone else.   "Wow. That's amazin'!" Applejack exclaimed.The others didn't have such a cheerfull response.   "Zecora, I will have to ask you... out. The other students are interrupted by your appearence." Pencil Sketch neighed.   "But-" Zecora began.   "No. Zecora, get out. Now." Pencil Sketch replied.   "Y-yes Miss Pecil." Zecora stammered. She grabbed her saddlebad and ran outside, cloak on. This was the worst day ever, cutiemark or not.   "Zecora? Is that you?" Fallenstar poked her head out of the flower shop she worked in. Zecora didn't reply. She just continued running, until she found a forest where nopony would ever see her stripes again. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Forever-free-forest //-------------------------------------------------------// The Forever-free-forest Chapter III   ZEBRA Zucora ran through the forst, not looking back.tears streamed out of her blueish eyes, and her towering mane was full of twigs, branches, berries, and nuts. Eventually, she decided to calm down and find out what to do. She looked at the options. Go back to Ponyville? Give up and die? Go to Canterlot and ask the princesses for guidece? Live in the forest.   The last one was what suited her fine. She named it the Everfree, symbolizing she would be free forever. She came across some plants. Instivtivly, she avoided them. She'd find more about them later. "I need matireals." she told herself after awhile. Throwing on the cloak, she went west, where she knew Ponyville was.   PONY Fallenstar stared int othe starry sky as she sang the lullyby she used to sing, for her little striped Zucora. "Come little child, I'll take you away, into a land of enchantment... come little child, the times come to play, into my garden of shadows...  come now sweet child, I'll show you the way, through all the pain and the sorrow... wake up, poor child, your life is this way, see all the beuty and passion. Hush now, dear child, it must be this way, weary to life, and its options... come now, my child, you'll soon see the way, into the calm and the quiet. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...  come little child, I'll take you away, into a land, of enchantment, come little child, the times come to play, into my garden of shaaadows. .... ..... .... ... ... ...... .... ... Come."she finished, her eyes brimming with tears. "Please, hear me, little one. I may have killed your real mother... but I'll always love you." she sighed. Something banged on her door. "Coming!" she yelled. She opened it. Two royal gaurds. "Hello..." she stammered.   "Fallen Star?" a gray gaurd asked. Fallen Star nodded.   "You have been found guilty of murder and lieing to public authourities. Death is your punishment." a white guard said. He reached for his sword and stabbed her. They both ran off, leaving the door wide open.   "I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO IT!" Celestia yelled. Rust was about three yards away from the comversation between her princess and the leader of the royal gaurd. But even the gaurd fliched at that tone.   "Did Celestia switch back to the royal canterlot voice?" Dusty asked, picking up her mop. Rust shrugged.   "But princess... she killed Star horn!" the gaurd stammered.   "Firemint, I belive you were faking all of your loyalty to me. Shining Armor chose you to lead as a reason. Isn't thsty true?" Celestia said. Her pink eyes flared and she was sweating. It wasn't hard to belive she was fighting back the erge to storm away and teach Twilight something. That would be nice. But it wasn't happening soon.   "She was-" Firemint began. His white coat was shivering.   "TRYING TO PROTECT AN INICENT FILLY!!!" Celestia yelled. Firemint opened his mnouth and no words came out. "This converstaion is over."Celestia said. She turned and exited the room, marching towards Twqilight's "study".   ZEBRA   It was a nice house. In filly terms. But the inside was something to look at. Zecora had bought evey single potion, magic-info book, and magical plant she could find. And she loved it, too. She sat down on a couch she had bought. She had really bought some fabric-or, in more accurate terms, Rarity gave it too her-and put it all over a couch design she had made. It wasn'treally nice, but itw as comfterble.   "Why do I have stripes?" she asked no one in particular.   "Your stripey apperence may be a shame, but you will be happy if you play my game!" a small voice said. Zecora turned her head. A small bug was sitting in her window. It flew onto her nose, and poked her snout then marched down her body onto the floor.   "Who are you?" Zecora asked. She then giggled as she noticed the bug's rhyme.   "I am a ryhmebug, and we have no names. But, to all ponies, our tounges are a game." the bug said. Zecora smiled.   "I'm Zecora." the zebra said. And that was the begining of a friendship.