Chapters The Ponyville weather team had an extraordinarily bad habit of scheduling rain storms at the most inconvenient of times. This is exactly what an orange earth pony mare was thinking as she trotted through Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack had just finished her last tree of the day when a huge clap of thunder roared in her ears. She looked up and saw dark storm clouds had enveloped the sky. It began to drizzle lightly, so Applejack started to slowly make her way back to the farmhouse that she lived in with her family. As the rain started to fall a little harder, Applejack increased her speed so she was now traveling at slight jog. She made it a good distance at that pace before another bolt of lightning shook the ground. Applejack fell to the ground and into a puddle of mud. Unamused, she stood up and let the rain wash the mud off of her body.
Suddenly, the rain picked up again and now was at a full downpour. Applejack needed to get back to the farmhouse as quickly as possible, so she began a full on sprint out of the fields. The clouds had blocked out the son, making the orchards pitch black, but every so soften a lightning bolt would eliminate them. Applejack continued her mad dash when another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. The light only lasted for a split second, but in that time Applejack swore she could see a pony lying against a tree. She stopped her running and looked around. When the next bolt of lightning hit, she clearly saw the body of a pony lying against a nearby tree. She trotted over to the pony and looked down. Applejack could see that the pony was a blue unicorn colt. He had multiple gashes and bruises all over his body, including a fairly deep cut on his forehead. Applejack didn't know if it was the weird lighting, but he appeared to have weird markings on his body.
"Hey there, little fella. You look pretty beat up. Need some help?" When the colt didn't answer, Applejack lowered herself so they were face to face. Only then could she see that he was unconscious and the gash on his head was bleeding very badly. Quickly, she lifted him up and placed him on her back. Applejack resumed her run back to the farmhouse, making sure the colt stayed on her back. Eventually, she made it out of the fields and the house was in her sights. Immediately she rushed to it and opened the door. Three pairs of eyes looked at her as she closed the door. A little filly quickly rushed to her sister and embraced her in a hug.
"Applejack, where were ya? We were all worried sick."
"Sorry, AB, but I had to pick some pony up first. Listen, I need you to go get some blankets. Big Mac, go get the first-aid kit."
"What's wrong, Applejack? Are ya hurt." After Apple Bloom's question, Applejack turned to show them the colt that was lying on her back. His injuries looked even worse now that she could see him clearly. Immediately, Apple Bloom rushed to get a blanket and Big Mac had already returned with the first-aid kit. Applejack set the colt on the couch and the other three members of the Apple family came to join them. Big Mac handed Applejack the fist-aid kit and she popped it open. For the next two hours, the Apple family cared for the colt, who now Applejack could see was dark blue with a light blue mane. He did, in fact, have strange turquoise markings on his face, legs, and flank. After all of the bandages had been placed, cuts had been disinfected, and wounds had been stitched up, there was nothing left for them to do.
"We've done all we can. We'll just have ta see how he's doin in the mornin." Just then, the colt's eyes fluttered open and he suddenly gasped. The four apples looked over at him and saw he had big purple eyes that were now wide with shock. "Hey, little guy. How ya feelin?" Before he could answer, a loud clap of thunder shook the house and the colt sparing into the air. He instantly yelped in pain and curled up into a ball. "Ya need to take it easy fer now. Yer hurt pretty badly." The colt didn't answer and Applejack realized that he had passed out.
"Applejack?" began Apple Bloom. "What are we gonna do with him?"
"I don't know, Bloom. First we're gonna see if he's got any family and why he was in our orchards. Then we'll decide what to do." Applejack had Big Mac take the colt up to Apple Bloom's room. He laid the colt on her bed and draped a blanket over him.
"Where am I gonna sleep? On the floor?"
"Eeyuup."
"What!?"
"Eeyuup."
By the next day, the storm had already passed and the skies were crystal clear. Apple Bloom had waken up and immediately wondered why she was on the floor. She quickly remembered how Applejack had brought the odd looking colt home and put him in her bed. Apple Bloom stood up and looked over the bed frame and at the colt.
"Who is he?" she thought. "I wonder why he was all alone?" She continued to stare at his sleeping form. "He looks pretty weird with all those marks on him, but other than that he's pretty cute." Apple Bloom blushed at her thoughts. "Did I really just think that!?" Just then, Applejack entered the room and noticed Apple Bloom wasn't asleep.
"You're awake I see."
"Mornin, Applejack. Are Mac and Granny up yet?"
"Sure are. How's are little friend doin?"
"Still asleep."
"Well, when he wakes up, we'll talk to him. Anyway, breakfast is ready and I could eat a horse."
"Applejack!"
"Oh yeah, forgot we're ponies. Oh well." Applejack then left the room and headed down the stairs. Once she was gone, Apple Bloom continued to stare at the colt.
"I hope he's gonna be ok."
The Truth Comes In Pieces
In Big Macintosh's opinion, last night had been an emotional roller coaster. At first, he had been worried for Applejack when the lightning storm hit Ponyville. Then, he was relieved when he saw Applejack made it back to the farmhouse without injury. Finally, Big Mac didn't know what to feel when he saw the odd looking colt his sister had brought back with her. After they had treated to his wounds, Big Mac brought the colt upstairs to sleep in Apple Bloom's bed. He went to sleep himself right after that and had been wondering what to make of the whole situation.
The large stallion sighed to himself as he began to make his way to the orchards. The storm had blown down a lot of the branches off of the trees and he had to pick them all up. He was about to enter the first patch of trees when he spotted a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. Big Mac stopped and turned around, but was quite shocked at what he saw. He spotted the mysterious colt climbing out of Apple Bloom's bedroom window. He was hanging out onto the window frame by his fore legs. The colt eventually dropped down. Big Mac gasped when he saw him fall to the ground, but sighed in relief when the colt landed on a hay bail.
Before the colt could get a step further, Big Mac moved to intercept him. As he climbed off the hay bail, the colt began to run away, but slammed into Big Macintosh. The colt looked upend Big Mac could see he was clearly disoriented by the collision. He used the opportunity to hoist the colt onto his back and take him back to the farmhouse. As he opened the door, he saw his sisters and grandmother chowing down on pancakes and apples. They stopped eating and looked at him as he put the colt down in a chair. Big Macintosh then made his way back out the door, but not before giving a quick warning.
"Keep an eye on him, will ya. Found him climbin out the window." As Big Mac exited the house, the three mares looked awkwardly at each other, not knowing what to do. Finally, Applejack decided to break the silence and speak to the colt.
"So,uh...mind tellin us why you were climbin out the window." The colt looked at Applejack curiously, but refused to say a word.
"Will you at least tell us your name, youngin?" Granny Smith asked. The colt seemed to consider her words before slowly shaking his head.
"Can you talk?" Apple Bloom asked. The question clearly surprised the colt, but he ended up nodding his head.
"Look, sugarcube, we just want to know what's goin on with ya. I found ya alone in the orchards and ya were hurt pretty badly. We want ta help ya. We really do, but to do that we got ta know a little bit about ya. So tell me, what's yer name?" A long time passed as the three ponies sat in silence.
"Nero." the colt said, surprising the Apples.
"What'd ya say, sugarcube?"
"Nero. My name's Nero, but that's all you need to know."
"It's a start, but if we're really gonna help ya, we need to know a little more. Can ya tell us how ya got hurt and why you were on our farm." The colt was hesitant, but eventually answered her.
"I was walking in the forrest by your farm when a group of timberwolves started chasing me. I tried to get away, but one of them caught me and you see what happened."
"Well, that was the Everfree forest! It's one of the most dangerous places in all of Equestria! What in tarnation were ya doin there?" This time, the colt decided against responding to Applejack and only shook is head once more.
"Ya don't want to tell us, huh? Oh well, ya know what they say. The truth comes in pieces." The room was silent once more until loud noise filled every pony's ears. Nero blushed when he realized that it was his stomach growling. Applejack noticed this and chuckled to herself. "No need to be embarrassed, sugarcube, every pony get's hungry."
After every pony had finished their breakfast, Applejack went to the fields for her daily apple bucking. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom would have started their daily chores, but they needed to watch Nero instead. The three sat in awkward silence until Granny Smith decided to speak up.
"So, Nero. How old are ya?
"Nine."
"Really? That's only one year older than Apple Bloom." Another period of silence passed through the room. Nero noticed Apple Bloom appeared to be deciding whether or not to say something.
"You can ask." Nero said, startling the Apples.
"What?"
"I can see you want to ask me something. Just ask."
"Oh, ok. Do you have any family?" Nero had clearly not been expecting that question, for he almost fell out of his seat when Apple Bloom asked it. Once he had regained his composure, Nero stared intensely at Apple Bloom, making her blush. After a while, Nero looked at floor and shook his head. "Oh. I'm sorry." Without thinking, Apple Bloom got out of her seat and joined Nero on the couch. She quickly leaned over and embraced the colt in a hug. By now, Apple Bloom and Nero both had enormous blushes on their faces and Granny Smith was in complete shock.
"Gettin a little comfortable there, are we?" Apple Bloom heard the familiar voice and let go of Nero. She turned her head and saw that Applejack was staring in the doorway and had on an amused expression.
"It's not what it looks like, Applejack. Granny and I were askin him some questions when..."
"Ya were asking him questions! Did her answer em?"
"Well, yes."
"What did he tell ya!?"
"Nero said he was nine and then he said he didn't have any family. I felt bad for him and that's why I went to hug him." Applejack looked at Nero curiously before speaking again.
"No family, huh? That is pretty depressin. I couldn't image my life without my family." Apple Bloom and Granny Smith smiled at Applejack's words, but Nero only frowned and stared at the floor.
The hours of the day passed quickly as nightfall soon graced Ponyville with its presence. In the Apples' farm house, four family members were in the kitchen, discussing the days events.
"At least we got him to talk, Granny. That's a pretty good start if ya ask me."
"I'm tellin ya, Applejack. That colt can't be trusted. He has those markings all over him and did ya notice he flinched a little whenever we said the word pony."
"You're just bein paranoid. Nero's just a little scared, right Apple Bloom."
"Actually, sis, Granny may have a point. He was pretty stubborn when it came ta not tellin us about why he was in the Everfree. And he did flinch at the word pony."
"Not you too! What about you, Mac. Ya think he's suspicious."
"Eeyuup."
"I can't be the only one that trusts him.
"I'm afraid ya are, AJ. There are just to many reasons not to."
"What about you, Apple Bloom? You were huggin him earlier."
"I felt bad for him, but that doesn't mean I trust him." she replied, blushing.
"How about this. We ask Nero straight up tomorrow who he is and why he's here. If he refuses to do so, I'll kick him out. If he does, you'll all see there's nothin suspicious about him." Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith considered her words. Finally, Granny Smith relaxed and spoke up.
"Allright, AJ. We'll give the colt one last chance to prove himself. Tommorow we'll ask him who he is and what he is."
Unknown to the Apples, Nero had been outside the kitchen door the entire time. He had been listening to every word that had spoken up to that point. Suddenly, he heard hoof steps approaching him and realized some pony was leaving the kitchen. He quickly dashed upstairs and into Apple Bloom's room. He leaped into bed and threw himself under the covers. After a while, the door opened and a sleepy filly entered the room. She trotted up to the edge of the bed and glanced at Nero, who preceded to be asleep.
"Ya know," she said to herself. "Those stripes make him look a lot like Zecora." Instantly, Nero's eyes shot open in surprise. He quickly shot out from under the covers and tackled Apple Bloom.
"Did you say Zecora?" Apple Bloom, who was pinned under Nero, struggle to answer.
"Ya, I did. Now will you please get off me now!"
"That's a common name for a zebra! How did you know her?" Just then, Applejack, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh burst into the room. Big Mac immediately grabbed Nero with one hoof and threw him off Apple Bloom. He landed on the other side of the room with a thud.
"Apple Bloom, are ya okay?" Applejack asked.
"I'm fine, but I think I found out something interesting about Nero."
"What?"
"I said he looked a little like Zecora because of his stripes. He seemed to know the name and went crazy." Every pony in the room was now looking at Nero, who was just getting off the floor.
"Alright, Nero. We ned to know who ya are and what ya are, now! After that, you'll be tellin us about why you were in the Everfee and how you now Zecora." The Apples were taken back when Nero looked up at them with tears in his eyes.
"You want to know my story. Fine, here's how it goes."
"I overheard all of you taking in the kitchen earlier and noticed that some of you think I'm not really a pony. Well, you're half right. I an part pony, but I"m also part..."
"Zebra!" interrupted Apple Bloom.
"Exactly. My father was a unicorn and my mother was a zebra, but I never really knew either of them They loved each other a lot, but when I was born, she died. My father tried really hard to raise me on his own, but he just couldn't go it, so he killed himself and left me at an orphanage. No pony wanted to adopt me because I was part Zebra. After a while, the orphanage got too crowded and some of the ponies needed to be adopted or sent away. Every other pony got a home, but I was just left on my own. I had been homeless and was traveling all over Ponyville, looking for a family to take me in. One day, I heard a rumor that a zebra named Zecora lived in the forest outside of Ponyville. I went there to look for her, but was attacked by timberwolves. I managed to get away and ended up on your farm. I think you know the rest."
"So, you're here to look for Zecora?" Applejack asked.
"Does that mean that a zebra really does live around here!?"
"You bet it does. I'm sure she would be willin to help ya out. We'll take ya there first thing tomorrow."
"Thank you." Neon then turned to Apple Bloom and spoke to her. "I'm sorry for jumping on you earlier. I heard the name Zecora and just kind of reacted."
"It's okay. Now that you've told us your story, everything kinda makes sense."
"Hold on there, youngins. I still don't believe Nero here is tellin us the truth?"
"What do ya mean, Granny?" began Applejack. "What reason does he have for lyin."
"I don't know, but I've been around long enough to know that a part of his story is untrue." Every pony looked at Nero and eventually he nodded.
"She's right, I made up a part of my story."
"And what part would that be?"
"Well, everything was true except for the part about my father and the orphanage. After my mother died, he blamed me for it and tried to kill me. Before he could, a group of ponies found us and stopped him. For all I know, he's still in jail."
"And what about the orphanage?"
"The group of ponies that saved me were scientists. They were astounded to find out I was half zebra. They did tests on me for years. Most of them were painful and they kept me locked in a cage like an animal. One day I escaped and made my way to Manehatten. That's where I heard the rumors about Zecora." Every pony looked at Granny Smith for her approval.
"He's wasn't lyin that time. Everything he just said was true."
"Well don't worry, Nero." Apple Bloom chimed in. "Tomorrow we'll take you to Zecora and you'll finally have a home." The Apples all looked at Nero and were shocked to find him crying. However, they quickly learned they were tears of joy.
"Thank You."
Some ponies may say that it is a bad idea to walk into the Everfree forrest in the middle of the night. Others would say that it wasn't just a bad idea, it was the worst idea in the history of bad ideas! However, this didn't matter to a young unicorn colt as he made his way through the dangerous jungle. Nero was, in fact, scared, but determined as well to keep pressing on. Sure, it would have been easier to have the Apple family escort him in the morning, but Nero just couldn't wait. The prospect of finally finding someone that would consider him family was just too tempting. Nero continued to silently trot through the forrest until he came upon a large clearing. To Nero, it was absolutely beautiful. The area was clear of tress and a pony could get a clear view of the night sky. Stars sparkled in the sky and the moon washed light over the clearing. Nero was in a trance as he gazed upon the spectacle, but was snapped out of it when he heard a noise to his left. He quickly turned his head, but saw nothing but trees and grass.
"Calm down, Nero." He told himself. "It's just the wind or something. No need to be afraid." With that, he pressed on, walking into the clearing to reach the other side. However, just before he could exit the large space, he felt a blinding pain in hind leg and turned around. Nero was horrified to find that a timber wolf had clamped their jaw down on the limb. "Let me go!" Nero screamed, as tried to shake the timber wolf off. Unfortunately, the movement only helped the wolf dig its teeth deeper into Nero's flesh. Nero yelped in pain as he felt the jaws of the timber wolf continue to bite down harder and harder. After a while, he couldn't stand up and collapsed onto the ground. Pain consumed all of Nero's thoughts as the timber wolf began to try and tear his hind leg off his body. Just when he thought he would lose the limb, he heard the timber wolf streak and fall to the ground. He looked over and through teary eyes, saw that the predator was unconscious. Nero turned around again and saw a cloaked figure walking towards him. "Please, help me!" Nero called. "M...my...leg. It hurts!"
"Don't worry. I will help you, child. But will you please tell me why you are here in the wild?" replied the figure. Nero struggled to answer as he began to pass out from the pain.
"I'm...here...to...find...Zecora."
"Well you're in luck, you see. Zecora just happens to be me. The figure took off her cloak, revealing that she was the zebra Nero had been searching for. All Nero could do was smile once, before passing out from the pain in his hind leg.
Nero woke up in a cold sweat. He had just had the most awful nightmare as he slept. He dreamed that he went to find Zecora in the middle of the night and succeeded, but not before almost begin killed by a timber wolf. He sighed in relief at the realization that event had been just a dream. To comfort himself, he took a peek at his unharmed hind leg. Only, he assumed it was unharmed. When he looked at it, he saw that it was bandaged and blood was starting to seep through. When Nero tried to move the limb, he felt a blinding pain and instantly stopped. Looking around what he thought would have been Apple Bloom's room, Nero found himself in a completely different place. It looked like he was in a small hut with masks and potions lining the walls. In the center there was a small cauldron with a brew bubbling inside of it.
"Good morning, young colt. I must say you woke up with quite a jolt." Nero turned his head and saw that Zecora was beside the bed, holding a glass of red liquid in her hoof.
"So it was all real?" Nero asked her. "The clearing? The timber wolf? You? It was all real!?"
"Yes, I am afraid this is true. That timber wolf indeed did a number on you." Nero once again looked at his bandaged leg. "But please, do not fret. This potion will make you better, I bet." Zecora held out the glass she had in her hoof to Nero. Hesitantly, he took it in his front hoofs and took a sip. It didn't taste horrible, so he pressed on and gulped the whole thing down. Once he was done, Nero handed the glass back to Zecora, who gently set it on the floor.
"So..." He began. "What does that drink actually do?" Zecor smirked as she answered Nero's question.
"Of everything you will become aware, if you simply look over there."
Zecora pointed her foreleg at the cauldron at the center of the hut. Nero turned his head to look at the cauldron, and was surprised when it started bubbling more than before. The liquid in the cauldron went from red to blue and it fizzed until it overflowed and poured out the sides. Steam began to rise from the brew, but that steam quickly became more dense and turned into smoke. Nero was confused by the whole thing until he looked into the smoke and saw an image flash in it. He looked again and saw more images flash through the smoke. The images getting slower and slower until Nero could clearly make out what they were. Nero was dumfounded as the smoke showed his mother's death, his father's attempted murder of him, his rescue by the scientist ponies, some of the horrible tests they ran on him, his escape, him making his way to the Everfee from Manehatten, the first timber wolf attack and him ending up on Sweet Apple Acres, his interaction with Applejack and her family, and him getting attacked by a timber wolf a second time. The images soon stopped playing and the smoke quickly dispersed.
"That potion I gave you allowed me to see your life. I understand that you have suffered much strife." Zecora then went over to the colt and embraced him in a hug. "Nero, if you want me as your family, that is something I'll happily be." Nero was overcome with emotion at Zecora's words. He began to cry into her shoulder as he returned the hug.
"Thank you."
