Homeby lunabronyChapters1 - Seeing Spots2 - An Unexpected Meeting3 - First Encounter4 - Exit: Stage Left5 - Homeward Bound7 - Endgame6 - No Place Like Home1 - Seeing SpotsThe summer sun was shining brightly down upon the streets of Ponyville, heating both buildings and residents alike. It was middle of the season, and the town was alive with activity. Trees were filled with full displays of leaves, birds flittered across the sky and animals ran in every direction near their respective homes. There had been no notable occasion of remarkably unusual activity in recent weeks, nor anything even remotely noteworthy. Routines had gone on as usual, shopping trips had been completed without any villain suddenly announcing diabolical intentions, and everything had run smoothly. In other words, everything was perfectly fine. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were standing in front of Carousel Boutique, talking in excited tones. Twilight had come to Rarity with the intention of changing out the curtains in the Library, completely unaware that a few months from now she wouldn't even have a place to hang curtains at all. But that was neither here nor there right now, and Rarity was more than excited to help out a friend. "I have Ocean Breeze, Cerulean, Periwinkle, Sky, Cyan, Teal, Navy, Light, Dark, and of course, Royal," Rarity was going on, gesturing with her hoof in a circular motion as she went down the list. "What color did you want again?" Twilight narrowed her eyes in exasperation. "Blue," she repeated, for the third time. "Just blue is fine. Really." Rarity shook her head. "I don't have Just Blue, and there's so many shades, I need to know which one will go best with your decorum," she said. "Maybe I should go through the list again..." Twilight groaned. She hadn't anticipated this turning into such an elaborate activity. All she wanted was new curtains. Further argument was delayed, thankfully, by Pinkie rushing past them so quickly that Twilight had to double take to make sure her friend wasn't actually on fire. "Pinkie?" Twilight blinked, having not been prepared for her appearance. Although, when it came down to it, who was ever prepared for Pinkie's appearances? Her friend must have heard, as the pink mare skidded to a halt in a cloud of dust. Twilight took the opportunity to satisfy her confusion. "Where on earth are you going so quickly?" "And without saying hello to your friends," Rarity added. "How uncouth!" "My right leg went numb!" Pinkie said, cheerfully. "That means a new pony is about to arrive in Ponyville, and I need to be there to welcome him. Or her." She paused for only a second. "Or it," she added. "I don't judge." "I thought right leg going numb meant a tornado was coming," Rarity said with worry. "That's back right leg," Pinkie said. "Front right leg means new pony!" And then she took off again, racing towards the end of the road. Twilight and Rarity exchanged a glance, then followed. The debate of the new curtains was temporarily forgotten as they trailed after their friend, wanting to see exactly how his ended. After all, it was the most interesting thing to happen in a long time, which only proved how boring it had been around here lately. Pinkie, it seemed, was not the only one who'd gotten the memo. The streets were littered with dozens of ponies, all whispering in hushed tones of excitement, several of the younger ones climbing over the adults to get a better look at the street in front of them. The street was crowded and lit up, and would not have been out of place during a major holiday. "Was there a parade scheduled?" Rarity asked, confused. Twilight's horn lit up, and she summoned a thick black book that appeared to have more pages and colored tabs sticking out of it than an unabridged dictionary. "What in the world is that?" Rarity asked. "Equestria's phone book?" "Of course not," Twilight said. "This is my organizer. Everything is categorized by date, participants, and distance. If there's a parade, I'll know about it, and it'll be in here." "Not alphabetically?" Rarity deadpanned. Twilight gasped. "I forgot to organize alphabetically!" She sounded horrified. "I'm going to have to redo the entire thing!" "How terrible for you," Rarity said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But first, you might want to look up, darling. There's something you need to see." Twilight did look up, and her jaw dropped open. With another flash of her horn, her organizer disappeared from sight and reappeared back home on her shelf. She saw what everyone else had already seen, and quickly understood why word had spread so quickly, as well as why the streets were so packed with ponies wanting to see the newcomer. The creature coming up the road was unlike anything any of the ponies had ever seen. It was yellow and brown, spotted like a leopard; of which that alone appeared to be a bold design choice. Rarity felt herself twitching with anxiety as the creature approached. Spots were SO last year, and she made a mental note to inform the stranger of that as soon as possible, before any embarrassment could be incurred. What Twilight was most impressed with was the height. Twice the size of Princess Celestia, the majority of its height focused in its spindled legs and ridiculously long neck. It breached the town limit on solid, cloven hooves, and recoiled with a loud grunt as Pinkie launched herself out of a cannon, breaking into her traditional 'Welcome, Welcome, Welcome' song. "Already off to a fantastic start," Twilight muttered. When the song had finished, kneeling on her back legs with her forelegs thrown up in the air as if she'd just finished a forward slide, Pinkie grinned expectantly. The long necked creature looked down at her, dark eye blinking slowly. "I am quite surprised. I've never had a welcome... Quite like that before," the animal said. There was a hushed gasp of approval at the creature's deep and soothing voice, and even scattered applause. Twilight pushed herself to the front, excusing herself. "Pardon me," Twilight called, recoiling just slightly when it turned its dark eyes on her. She felt like she was being looked down on, and couldn't help her heart from racing abnormally fast. "What . . . I mean . . . who are you, if I may ask? You are more than welcome in our town, of course, and all its doors are open to you. But we've never seen anything quite like you... may I take notes?" She asked. "Princess Celestia will want to hear about this!" "I am a giraffe," it said, as if this explained everything. "I come from far overseas. Near the southern coast." "A giraffe," Twilight repeated in awe. "I have traveled far. From lands of cats and zebras. Do you know of it?" "Zebras, did you say zebras?" Rarity asked, and the giraffe nodded. "That's great!" Twilight exclaimed. "Pinkie, do you realize what this means?" "Cake frosting on bagels is a terrible idea?" Pinkie asked, hopefully. "No! I'll bet Zecora would love to meet her!" "Oh! That makes much more sense. But seriously, don't ever try frosting on bagels. It's awful. You're better off eating it out of the can, like I do." She made a disgusted face, then her features contorted into a grin again with an audible twang like a rubber band. Twilight beamed with delight. "Let's get you situated with some food and a place to stay," she said kindly, turning her attention to the giraffe again. "Then as soon you're ready, there's someone you need to meet." Author's Note What have I gotten myself into? o.o 2 - An Unexpected MeetingTwilight, Pinkie and Rarity went above and beyond expectations, ensuring that the giraffe was well tended to and had a place to stay. This was easier said than done, however, as the overwhelming majority of buildings in Ponyville were built up to code for equine dimensions, and would not allow someone with the giraffe's unique vertical situation to enter through any of their doors. "You don't have to fret," the giraffe said. I'm used to this sort of thing. I don't mind at all." His tone sounded genuine, but Twilight wasn't having it. "I promised you accommodations, and I always come through on my promises," Twilight said. The giraffe looked touched, but before he could thank her, she continued. "By the way, I don't believe we've caught your name, and I do believe you know all of ours by now?" "That is quite alright. In my native tongue, hear this. I am Mzungu." Pinkie giggle snorted at this. "Mzungu? That's an awfully silly-" she was cut off as a marshmallow hoof was shoved into her mouth. "An awfully interesting name, is what she meant to say," Rarity finished. "Sincere apologies, darling, sometimes Pinkie speaks a little too quickly without thinking. Don't you?" She asked, giving Pinkie a look. "Mmmhmm!" came the muffled reply, and Rarity pulled her hoof out of the party pony's mouth. Twilight had been thinking the entire time during this exchange, and suddenly lit up with enlightenment. "I've got a great idea!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Mzungu, come with me, I know exactly where you can stay!" The giraffe looked pleased at this, and followed her without question. The small group turned the corner, and Twilight gestured straight ahead, down the center of the road. In the middle of multiple intersections stood the grandest, proudest, most importantly; tallest building in Ponyville, seconded only by Rarity's own Carousel Boutique. "Town Hall!" Twilight announced. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, it's perfect for visiting dignitaries, which means they'll have at least some empty rooms, and it's right in the middle of town, so you can get to everything else no problem!" Mzungu looked excited at this idea, and although he had to duck his neck quite severely, he managed to follow the other three into the elaborately decorated building. "Good evening!" The receptionist called. "May I help yoooouuuuuu..." Her voice rose higher and higher like a trombone, her neck stretching further up as she got a look at the visitor. "Oh, my..." "We need a room for our friend Mzungu," Rarity said. "No other building will fit him." "I imagine not!" The receptionist said. "Let me just page the Mayor, she'll be quite thrilled to have such an unusual guest and I'm sure will want to meet you," she chimed. She pushed her hoof down on a button on her desk, assuming a formal tone of voice. "Mayor Mare, to front reception, please. Mayor Mare, to front reception." Mzungu, instead of being embarrassed by all the attention, looked rather flattered by it. "I am beyond pleased. You try so hard for my sake. Thank you. All of you." "Any time!" Pinkie bounced up and down, giving off occasional bursts of streamers that littered the floor. "Welcoming new friends is what we do! Well, it's what -I- do, but I'm happy to share the fun!" Mayor Mare emerged from an upstairs room onto the upper balcony, looked down, and gasped with surprise and delight. She looked a lot older than she actually was, and her speed as she descended the spiral staircase. Twilight stepped back to allow introductions to proceed, which eventually turned into wild stories about a place Mzungu called Zebrabwe. When an hour had passed, Rarity politely cleared her throat. "I do beg your pardon, Mayor, but we really must be moving on. The sun will be going down soon, and we'd really like to get to the Everfree and back before the dark brings out the ghoulies." Mayor blinked. "Whatever are you going to the Everfree for?" She asked, her tone dripping with disapproval. "We're off to see Zecora!" Twilight said. "Just because," Rarity added. "Because of the wonderful things she does!" Pinkie sang, musically. Rarity and Twilight both facehoofed. With good time, however, and the promise that they would be safe, the trio of ponies left Town Hall once more, followed by Mzungu, who ducked his neck through the doors as he would every time he wanted to enter the building. "You really must stay close to us, Mzungu," Twilight warned. "The Everfree is dark and unforgiving. We may never find you again." "I do understand," he said. I will stay close at all times. Lest danger find us." They seemed satisfied with this, and ten minutes later were leaving the border of Ponyville and entering the dark woods. At once the dim light and muffled sounds interrupted the peaceful ambiance of the previous environment, replacing their calm with dread and anxiety. Mzungu had a bit less headroom, having to duck under low branches quite frequently, but did not complain. The path was dark and winding, though the trio of equines in front of him seemed to know where they were going. In the distance there were cries of various animals and occasional howls, sending chills down the spines of all four of them. "I don't like it here. Can't you just use your friendship To keep us all safe?" "It doesn't always work like that," Rarity said. "Between a hug and a beast with claws and teeth, the claws and teeth would win." Mzungu said nothing, but drifted a bit closer to his new friends. In the near distance, a small hut loomed, lit by a burning torch in a holder on either side of the door. "Someone lives out here? Who would live here all alone? In this place of death?" His question was answered almost automatically as they approached, as the door swung open. A very tribal looking zebra exited onto the front porch, and lit up with joy as she saw who it was. "My heart fills with joy and surprise, as the sight of friends beholds my eyes!" She said. Then her gaze drifted upwards, her jaw dropping open slightly as she stared at the giraffe bringing up the rear of the party. 3 - First EncounterZecora temporarily forgot her pony friends were even there, so overcome as she was by the sudden appearance of a species she never in her life thought she'd ever see again. She stepped slowly off her porch into the dirt, progressing slowly towards the giraffe with such caution that one might have thought it was irradiated with dangerous chemicals. "Forgive me if I seem aghast," Zecora said. "The giraffes I heard were long since passed." Indeed, she had heard rumors of their extinction quite some time ago, and had never seen one since. But that also may be due in part to her native land being so far away, and it had been so long since she'd even thought of it. Even the name of the lands she once called home had almost eluded her, but it came back to her now as easily as the potion for dispelling bad dreams. Zebrabwe. "I apologize if I've come across apalled, may I ask what you are called?" Zecora asked. She was slightly worried she didn't have enough tea for everyone, but would figure something out. The giraffe just smiled at her, softspoken as he always was. "I am Mzungu. I came from very far away. As I think you know." He continued speaking, most likely in more haikus, but Zecora had paled and gone blank, hearing none of it. Twilight was waving her hoof in front of her face, the ponies speaking distantly, but she was lost to them. Now, faced with the giraffe as she was, memories of her youth and origins came flooding back, hitting her in the stomach like a sack of bricks. She didn't used to rhyme all the time when she was little, she only took that up when she became a shaman. Zecora was on the move, running as fast as her little legs could carry her over the plains of Zebrabwe. She could run fast, but not as fast as the adults in her herd. It didn't matter, though. No matter how old you were, when you were being chased by lions, your top speed was never fast enough. Her herd was small, consisting of only a dozen or so zebras, a diminishing, weak number by any count. The herds used to number in the hundreds, but many had since answered the call of civilization, and gone to more populated, urban areas. They had been chased across the plains of the continent all day by a sizeable group of female lions numbering no less than fifteen, and the cats were stronger and faster. They also had more energy, and the zebra herd was beginning to tire after hours of running. "Mama, I'm scared," Zecora whined, looking up at the female zebra who was never far away from her. The adult said nothing, but leaned down and gave her a comforting nuzzle across the top of her head; all the while looking plenty scared herself. The lions had them penned in against a rocky ledge now, beyond which was a terrifying drop that would surely end unpleasantly for any creature who attempted it, or lost their footing. Down below, waves crashed violently against jagged rocks sticking up to pierce the sky, serving as a barrier at the very edge of the continent of Zebrabwe. It was fortunate, though, that zebras had hooves, and possessed quite stable footing in situations like this. Some of the zebras even claimed to be part goat, but had no proof to substantiate this. "You've put up a good fight, but it's time to end this," the lioness in front growled. "We're hungry. That's just the way things are. Don't worry, we'll make it qui-" she was interrupted by a frantic paw on her shoulder, shaking her so violently that her entire body rattled. Judging by the look of contempt on her face, interrupting her was a highly dangerous idea. "What?! I'm in the middle of my speech! Can't it wait?" It didn't appear so, as the shaking resumed, and the lioness gave a wildly annoyed groan as she looked behind her. An enormous cloud of dust was being raised as something barreled towards them over the dusty, barren plains, littered only with the occasional tree and even less occasional watering hole. "What is that?" She demanded. "Someone go out there and find out what that is! Report back to me at once!" A few lions broke off from the rear of the hunting party and ran towards the cloud to investigate, but had hardly gotten far at all when they turned around and booked it back towards the group. "It's giraffes! A whole lot of them! They're coming this way!" "I can see they're coming this way, you idiot!" Zecora raised her head at this in wonder and excitement. She'd heard tales, of course, but never actually seen a giraffe before. It was a few minutes yet before they came into view, all the while the lions and zebras were in a standoff. When they did come close enough to be seen properly, Zecora gasped. They were enormous creatures with spotted, patchy pelts, ridiculous necks that Zecora absolutely refused to believe at first were natural, and fierce hooves. "Stand your ground!" The head lioness called. "They won't dare-" But she was cut off again, and the giraffes did dare. They charged sideways into the lions with such force that the cats were forced to scatter, allowing the zebra herd to slip away from the rocky ledge onto flat and open ground. The giraffes were under fire almost instantly, and several of them soon featured dark red gashes down their hides, and at least one had a lion hanging by its claws from its neck. Still they refused to give up, however, and it only took a brief nod amongst the zebras for the herd to decide to join the fun, and the lions sound found themelves outnumbered, being swung about like pinatas and kicked with flurries of hooves. "That's enough!" The head lioness shouted. "Abort, abort!" The lions began to try to slink away to recover from their embarrassing loss, but not before Zecora spotted a young lioness, not quite full grown, trying her hardest to sink her teeth into leg of a young giraffe, not all that older than she was. "Hey!" Zecora shouted, and and ran towards them. The young lion turned towards the source of the noise, just in time to recieve a powerful black hoof to the face. The lion recoiled, screeching, streams of blood running down his face. The lion roared at her angrily, and made a hasty retreat back towards the rest of the hunting party. She turned back to the giraffe, who was gazing at her with awe. "How'd you do that?" the giraffe asked. "Do what?" Zecora tilted her head. The giraffe gestured with his hoof, and Zecora craned her neck, seeing an elaborately decorative spiral pattern on her flank that she was certain hadn't been there in the morning. "I... don't know," she said, but something tugged at her. The new mark had almost seemed like magic, and she was suddenly wildly interested in knowing if there were other kinds of magic. She knew she couldn't cast any herself, zebras could not, but wondered if she might be able to pull something off in the art of apothecary. She cast the thought aside for now, though seeds of interest had been planted, and turned back to the giraffe. "Are you alright? What's your name?" "Yeah... I think so," the giraffe said. "I'm Mzungu. That's my dad right over there, the tall one." "They're ALL tall!" Zecora exclaimed, and Mzungu laughed. Zecora peered up at him, pointing her hoof at the bony growths coming out of his skull. "What are those for?" she asked. "These?" He lowered his neck so she could see. "They're for hanging cloaks on, when company comes over." Zecora stared at him, and this time they both laughed together. "I think she's broken," Twilight was saying, and sounded intensely worried. Pinkie was making silly faces, trying to get her attention, and nothing was working. "Do not fright, I'm alright," Zecora said finally, releasing herself from her own thoughts, and all four of the others gave a sigh of relief. "Come inside," the zebra said. "We have much to talk about." Zecora went back in the house, and all three ponies exchanged a glance of surprise. Had she just... more importantly, had she NOT just... no, couldn't be. Without further hesitation, they followed her into the hut. 4 - Exit: Stage LeftSafe from the dangers of Everfree Forest in Zecora's hut, the quintet held palaver until the early hours of the morning. It was mostly the giraffe who did the talking, all in his strange manner of speaking, and Zecora listened as attentively as if Princess Luna herself were speaking. Luna was her ideal choice between the two, since she lived in a dark section of the forest and preferred the goings on of the night in most cases, but that was a story for another time. Dawn would be breaking soon far over the canopy of the dense wooded area, and Mzungu was describing the colors of the Giraffican sunset with such excruciating, lengthy detail that even George R. R. Maretin would have said it was too much, before impatiently encouraging the giraffe to get to the point already. Zecora, however, was completely enthralled. It had been so long since she'd heard any tales of her homelands, and now, when faced with them, the stories made her heart ache for her native plains. "As memories return, your words speak true. I wish I could see my home again, too," Zecora sighed, her voice distant and nostalgic. It had been ages since she'd thought of her home in such detail, and now that it was presented to her... she missed it. "I will return soon. To the plains of Zebrabwe. Will you come with me?" Rarity gasped. "Back home? Leave us? Darling, you can't! Whatever would we do without you?" Twilight only smiled in a ghostly, faint grin of understanding. "I myself come from Canterlot, and I always miss it, even though I visit fairly regularly. Zecora comes from so much farther away, and hasn't seen her home in at least ten years. Just as it was healthy for Spike to journey with the dragons, I think Zecora could benefit from a vacation." The giraffe nodded. "Your words do ring true. It is good you understand. The heart is fragile." Zecora placed her teacup on the table, and gazed around the small room at her friends. "You speak truth, for home I yearn. But if I go, I may not return." Pinkie gasped this time. "What?! Wait, hold on." She sipped her tea elegantly, then promptly not so elegantly spat it out in a wide spray. "What?!" Mzungu seemed pleased by this, and politely excused himself, having been up all night and having traveled far, he wanted to return back to Town Hall for a few hours, and catch some desperately needed sleep. "You are all good friends. I am glad to have met you. May you find much peace." He traveled back up out of the forest they way they had come the previous evening. And Zecora politely encouraged the remaining three ponies to the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have much to pack, if I'm truly serious about going back." The three were ushered outside, and the door closed. "What just happened?!" Pinkie exclaimed, her hair giving off a very rude balloon noise and promptly deflating. "I think... we just lost Zecora," Twilight said. "What?!" Pinkie exclaimed again, clearly worked up and turned back around. "Pinkie, what are you..." Rarity began but Pinkie was already throwing open Zecora's front door. "You can't just break into her house!" Twilight scolded. "She's gone!" Pinkie exclaimed with such surprise that both Twilight and Rarity peered past her into the hut. "Oh, wait, there she is," the party pony sighed with relief, pointing towards the zebra trying to sneak out the back door. "Zecora, wait!" she ran into the hut, and after exchanging a glance, Twilight and Rarity followed her. 5 - Homeward BoundAlthough Zecora had been trying to make a clean and sneaky exit, the trio of mares behind here weren't having it. Pinkie, Twilight and Rarity took the shortcut through the zebra's hut in order to follow her out the back door and catch up with her, afraid that their friend might be making an impulsive mistake. "Zecora, listen to us!" Twilight insisted. "I understand it must be hard for you, since Mzungu is from your homeland and all, he's just a giraffe. A giraffe who showed up out of nowhere, and asked you to uproot everything to go thousands of miles away to a place you haven't seen in ten years. Doesn't that strike you as a little bit crazy? And believe me, I know crazy. I've done it." The zebra sighed. "I am not trying to abandon you, it just feels like something I have to do." She gave them a knowing but firm look, as if her mind had been completely made up already. "But it's just so out of nowhere," Rarity added. "I know you want to see your home, but moving back to Zebrabwe just like that?" Zecora held up a hoof. "I never said anything about moving there," she protested. Her rhyming, however temporarily, had taken a backseat. It made long conversations easier, especially when she wanted to explain herself without sounding forced. "I just want to see it for a few weeks. Twilight sees her home in Canterlot all the time, am I not allowed the same luxury?" Twilight shifted her gaze to the ground at this. Zecora had a point, although Canterlot was much closer than Zebrabwe was. But by that logic, Twilight saw her home so frequently that she had never really built up any feeling of homesickness. Canterlot was just there, free to be visited whenever she wanted. "I suppose," she said. "But still, you don't even know this giraffe. You've met him before, sure, but it's not like you guys ever went out." A lame argument, for sure, but the only one she could come up with. Zecora just gave one of her mysterious grins. If she was insulted by Twilight's attempt, she certainly didn't show it. Quite the opposite, she seemed amused by it. Pinkie gasped. "Oh. My. Gosh. You totally went out with him!" she exclaimed. Zecora shrugged. "For a little while. It was never serious. Now please," she said. "Will you let me see my home again? I will return after a few weeks, I promise you that. I could never leave here forever. Not when I have so many friends here." "Just a moment!" Rarity said. "You can't just drop juicy information like that and then not elaborate on it!" "I can, because there's nothing to elaborate on. Now is not the time or the place. Besides, as I said, I will come back." "Well, alright," Twilight said. "If you promise." She was still uncomfortable with it, but was also mature enough to understand that it was Zecora's decision. Zecora gave a wink. "I Pinkie promise, if that's what it takes. I'll come back, no matter the stakes." "Well that settles it, then!" Pinkie chirped. "She has to come back now." Zecora continued onwards towards the town square, while the trio of mares just stood watching her go until she was lost to sight. Shortly afterwards, the three closed the zebra's door, as it was still hanging open, then began to make their own journey back to town. None of them were in particularly high spirits, but they all felt better knowing that Zecora wasn't trying to leave them. Back in Ponyville proper, Mzungu had returned to the Town Hall building, ducked inside, and laid down for a nap in one of the empty guest rooms primarily reserved for visiting ambassadors or dignitaries. He'd checked with Mayor Mare first, of course, and she was happy to allow him to stay there for a few days. Of course, she pointed out, if a higher ranking official happened to make an unannounced visit, he'd need to move. He had napped for only a couple hours when Zecora found him, the zebra standing patiently in the doorway as the giraffe raised his head. "I hoped you'd come back. Have you made a decision? You would be welcome." Zecora nodded. "I will come with you. To see my homeland again. It's been a long time." She grinned at him. Mzungu looked absolutely delighted. "Wonderful! That's great. I can return us there now, If you'd like to see." Now, Zecora had expected a great variety of strange things, and seen an even greater variety of stranger things, but this she had not been expecting. If Mzungu had such power the whole time, why had he been wandering all the time that he had? More importantly, why had he not returned home in the first place? Mzungu seemed to sense at least some degree of her confusion by the look on her face, and broke into laughter. "As I expected. You wonder why I travel When I can go home?" Speechless, Zecora just nodded. Mzungu laughed again, and rummaged through his belongings. He pulled out a drawstring pouch, sprinkling blue dust in a perfect circle around the pair of ungulates. Zecora watched him with timid fascination while he worked, being reminded of seeing his apothecaric talent for the first time all those years prior. The giraffe threw down the skull of a small animal in the center of the circle, and both of them were suddenly consumed by a huge tornado of bright red smoke. When the smoke cleared, the room was empty except for a lingering scent of pepper. 7 - EndgameZecora had been back for several days now, following the miniature adventure with Mzungu. He would likely keep in touch with her in some fashion, at least she hoped he would, but thus far there had been no scrolls or postcards of any kind. She had become more withdrawn than usual and hardly left her hut at all. After exactly one week of this, during which time Rarity, Twilight and Pinkie had become increasingly worried about their zebra friend, they had hatched an elaborate plan. Construction of said plan had taken place over the last few days, during which time they doubted if Zecora ever left her house even once. Zecora was not typically one to wallow in self pity (do zebras wallow? she wondered), but had been struck unusually hard by both the urbanization of her home and the sudden departure of Mzungu. As such, it took several minutes of pounding on her door before she was willing to open it, and she was not at all surprised to see Pinkie standing on the other side. Pinkie was, after all, the most expected unexpected visitor. "I thank you for your visit, but I'm not quite in the mood. Perhaps come call another time, when I shall appear less rude?" Zecora asked. "Nonsense! You're coming with me!" Pinkie said, taking the zebra by the foreleg and hauling her forward. It was a surprisingly aggressive mood for the party planner, and Zecora once more had the idea that Pinkie would absolutely not take no for an answer, and would not be satisfied until the zebra agreed with her demands. Celestia help them all if Pinkie ever became a military negotiator. Zecora blinked several times, the energy of her refusal draining out of her before she could even manage to fully voice it. There was no point. "I really don't feel like-" "Yes you do! Come on! Don't make me start juggling!" Not sure what that had to do with anything, Zecora sighed. She knew Pinkie well enough to know that she wasn't ever going to give up, and reluctantly relented. Might as well get this over with, then she could return home. She followed the pink horse around the corner of the forest, where Pinkie suddenly stopped her and held up a blindfold. "You have to wear this now," Pinkie said, and slipped it over Zecora's eyes. "Come on!" Zecora's frown deepened, but she followed the voice of the party pony, much slower and more gingerly now, as she couldn't see where she was going. She followed Pinkie for what felt like hours, but was really more like ten minutes. "I do not like not knowing where I am or where I'm going," Zecora said disapprovingly. "That's okay, we're here!" Pinkie said. "You can take it off now!" Sweeping the blindfold off, Zecora blinked in the sudden burst of light. "What are you-" she began. Then stopped. Standing a few feet in front of her, off to the side, were Pinkie and Twilight. But her attention was diverted entirely by what they were standing next to. Enormous amounts of sand had been dumped in a large area, approximately ten feet by ten feet. Thin, reedy plants poked up out of the drifts. The area which had been erected was fenced off by black cloth, and contained two extremely tall trees that seemed to grow straight up before branching out into an unusually wide canopy. An enormous sunset was painted across the horizon of an expansive backdrop, which stretched the entire length of the secluded area. Zecora stared at it, an impressively passable replica of her own childhood memories. She took a few steps forward, and was immediately hit by unbearable heat, which confused her for only a moment until she looked up and saw heat lamps hidden in the brush of the trees. She had only taken a few steps when a loud voice blasted out across the replica savannah, scaring her so badly she jumped almost a foot in the air. "NAAAAAAAAAAAANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHA BABA" The zebra yelped, heart racing, head snapping upwards just in time to see Sweetie Belle with a megaphone vanish once more into the thick canopy of the trees. Off to the side, Scootaloo stood wearing a fabric, frilly lion's mane and looking as if she'd absolutely be anywhere else. The amount of Nope on the young filly's face was off the charts. "How..." Zecora began. "You were so sad you couldn't see your home, we brought your home to you!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Rarity did all the painting, Twilight researched local plants and had them imported, and I used my sand collection!" "They're Mareula Trees," Twilight said proudly. "I pulled some strings with Celestia and had them imported. They're authentic!" "You have a sand collection?" Zecora raised an eyebrow, turning her attention back to Pinkie. "Uh-huh! For sand emergencies and beach parties. I wanted to use my zebra costumes too, but Twilight said that was too much." Zecora cracked a smile at the thought of Pinkie in a zebra costume. She couldn't even be mad at that. "Yes, perhaps," she said. Rarity and Apple Bloom were coming around from the back of the sunset backdrop where they'd presumably been hiding, both splattered with orange paint from the magnificent sunset. The zebra looked concerned. "Your coat..." She knew how Rarity was. Especially since orange wasn't in season until Trotober. "It'll wash out," Rarity said, sounding unconcerned. "A trivial annoyance is nothing when it's for the good of a friend." "You didn't have to do all this..." Zecora said slowly. "But... I'm overwhelmed that you did. Thank you." She looked over the replica, feeling the ache in her heart slowly lifting. Zebrabwe was far away, yes, and perhaps it wasn't anywhere close to how she remembered it. But that didn't matter. Her friends... Her home... Was here. 6 - No Place Like HomeZecora could not remember the last time she'd been this excited. She was not typically an excitable zebra, but the idea of going home after such a long time away from it absolutely thrilled her. The magic smoke filled her vision and nostrils, and she inhaled deeply of it. Being of the apothecaric arts herself, she could actually identify by scent most of the ingredients that went into the travel spell. Nearly quivering with excitement, Zecora burst out of the smoke before it had cleared properly, and as such was immediately nearly run over by a carriage being pulled by a pair of Wildebeests. "Get outta the way, crazy dame!" One on the left yelled, never bothering to look back to see if she'd been run over or not. Zecora narrowly avoided a very unpleasant situation as she leaped backwards, becoming enveloped in the cloud of dust the carriage raised. Coughing, she blinked several times to clear her eyes, and finally got her first look at Zebrabwe in ten years. Under her hooves, a dark paved road ran smoothly in front and behind her, parting every so often into seemingly random intersections. Carriages carrying passengers were being hauled down the road by powerfully muscled pairs of wildebeests, going one direction on one side and the opposite direction on the other. Pedestrians were everywhere, appearing equal parts pony and zebra. On other side of the road, towering buildings stretched up towards the sky in all shapes and sizes and colors, heavily obstructing her view of the horizon, upon which rose and set the sacred sunrises and sunsets of childhood memory; the enormous sun tinging the sky with its vibrant colors. But here, here the sun was nowhere to be seen. Where Zecora and Mzungu had moments before left the late evening of Ponyville, here it was well past midnight. "I don't recall Zebrabwe beng so civilized... or having such a prominent night life," Zecora said slowly, her voice still heavy with shock. "Where is the savannah? The watering holes? The herds of animals?" She asked. She'd been looking forward to seeing such things, to comparing the current state of the continent with the precious memories of her childhood. But here... here there was nothing even to compare it to. "This is your home now," the giraffe said, sounding a bit regretful. "I wanted you to see it. Everything has changed." "Yeah... I see that," Zecora said, shaking her head slowly. "I understand now why you have not come back." "It's not my nature. For my name is Mzungu... Which means Wanderer." He looked down at her, not with anger but with sadness, then looked back up across the paved roads towards the buildings. "Explore if you like. Zecora, I will wait here. For when you come back." Zecora nodded faintly, and took several steps down the road. She had anticipated the soft crunch of sand and grit under her hooves, not the hard clacking of urbanized pavement. It threw her off in a way she didn't like at all. Her head swung from side to side as she took in what sights there were to see, gazing upon each shop as she passed them. Clothing stores, restaurants, dozens of tacky trinket shops selling items she had absolutely no interest in. It was at one of these shops that she stopped, staring into the reflective class past her own mirrored image. Displayed on a large peg in the front window was a nearly exact replica of the golden bangles she wore around her own leg, a precious gift from years before that was the only thing she had left of her mother. The sight of it advertised in the window... 5 bits for 5 rings... made tears begin falling from the eyes of the normally composed zebra before she even knew she was doing it. She tried the door out of anger, wanting to give the shopkeeper a piece of her mind, but it was past midnight and the store was closed. Probably for the best. Zecora turned away from it with disgust, stopping only to let a carriage pass, and returned to where Mzungu was waiting. "There is nothing here for me to learn. Send us back, let us return." Mzungu shook his head slowly, with the regretful confidence of one who had already made a decision. "You, of course, can go. I will not be going back. Ponyville is far. I think that perhaps, I will go in the other direction this time." He gestured to the far south with his nose and a swing of his neck. "A wanderer?" Zecora asked, and Mzungu nodded. He was simply not the type to stay in one place for very long, always on the move. "I will not forget you, nor the things that you do," Zecora said, slowly stepping back into the travel circle in which they had first appeared. She felt like a hypocrite. Ten years yearning to see her home again, and she couldn't even stand the sight of it for more than an hour. She paused in her own thoughts, though, rearranging the way she looked at things. Perhaps... though... this was not her home. She had been born here, raised here, yes, but perhaps there was nothing more for her here. The place which she thought of most fondly, the place where her friends resided and her hut had been built, was over a thousand miles away just south of a major Equestrian city. Mzungu was already preparing the travel spell, and Zecora realized her heart still felt empty. Perhaps she might not ever get a chance to tell him how she felt, and looked up at him with reluctant eagerness as the smoke began to fill her vision for the second time in as many hours. "Mzungu!" She shouted, feeling herself losing her normally calm and composed nature. "Mzungu, I-" The smoke began to clear, and through it, she could see her hut, the one she had built with her own hooves in the middle of a dangerously unforgiving forest. Her hut, and no sign of the giraffe. "I still love you," she finished in a dead whisper. But there was nobody around to hear it. Author's Note To be concluded... And this is what happens when I start binge watching Doctor Who again
1 - Seeing SpotsThe summer sun was shining brightly down upon the streets of Ponyville, heating both buildings and residents alike. It was middle of the season, and the town was alive with activity. Trees were filled with full displays of leaves, birds flittered across the sky and animals ran in every direction near their respective homes. There had been no notable occasion of remarkably unusual activity in recent weeks, nor anything even remotely noteworthy. Routines had gone on as usual, shopping trips had been completed without any villain suddenly announcing diabolical intentions, and everything had run smoothly. In other words, everything was perfectly fine. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were standing in front of Carousel Boutique, talking in excited tones. Twilight had come to Rarity with the intention of changing out the curtains in the Library, completely unaware that a few months from now she wouldn't even have a place to hang curtains at all. But that was neither here nor there right now, and Rarity was more than excited to help out a friend. "I have Ocean Breeze, Cerulean, Periwinkle, Sky, Cyan, Teal, Navy, Light, Dark, and of course, Royal," Rarity was going on, gesturing with her hoof in a circular motion as she went down the list. "What color did you want again?" Twilight narrowed her eyes in exasperation. "Blue," she repeated, for the third time. "Just blue is fine. Really." Rarity shook her head. "I don't have Just Blue, and there's so many shades, I need to know which one will go best with your decorum," she said. "Maybe I should go through the list again..." Twilight groaned. She hadn't anticipated this turning into such an elaborate activity. All she wanted was new curtains. Further argument was delayed, thankfully, by Pinkie rushing past them so quickly that Twilight had to double take to make sure her friend wasn't actually on fire. "Pinkie?" Twilight blinked, having not been prepared for her appearance. Although, when it came down to it, who was ever prepared for Pinkie's appearances? Her friend must have heard, as the pink mare skidded to a halt in a cloud of dust. Twilight took the opportunity to satisfy her confusion. "Where on earth are you going so quickly?" "And without saying hello to your friends," Rarity added. "How uncouth!" "My right leg went numb!" Pinkie said, cheerfully. "That means a new pony is about to arrive in Ponyville, and I need to be there to welcome him. Or her." She paused for only a second. "Or it," she added. "I don't judge." "I thought right leg going numb meant a tornado was coming," Rarity said with worry. "That's back right leg," Pinkie said. "Front right leg means new pony!" And then she took off again, racing towards the end of the road. Twilight and Rarity exchanged a glance, then followed. The debate of the new curtains was temporarily forgotten as they trailed after their friend, wanting to see exactly how his ended. After all, it was the most interesting thing to happen in a long time, which only proved how boring it had been around here lately. Pinkie, it seemed, was not the only one who'd gotten the memo. The streets were littered with dozens of ponies, all whispering in hushed tones of excitement, several of the younger ones climbing over the adults to get a better look at the street in front of them. The street was crowded and lit up, and would not have been out of place during a major holiday. "Was there a parade scheduled?" Rarity asked, confused. Twilight's horn lit up, and she summoned a thick black book that appeared to have more pages and colored tabs sticking out of it than an unabridged dictionary. "What in the world is that?" Rarity asked. "Equestria's phone book?" "Of course not," Twilight said. "This is my organizer. Everything is categorized by date, participants, and distance. If there's a parade, I'll know about it, and it'll be in here." "Not alphabetically?" Rarity deadpanned. Twilight gasped. "I forgot to organize alphabetically!" She sounded horrified. "I'm going to have to redo the entire thing!" "How terrible for you," Rarity said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But first, you might want to look up, darling. There's something you need to see." Twilight did look up, and her jaw dropped open. With another flash of her horn, her organizer disappeared from sight and reappeared back home on her shelf. She saw what everyone else had already seen, and quickly understood why word had spread so quickly, as well as why the streets were so packed with ponies wanting to see the newcomer. The creature coming up the road was unlike anything any of the ponies had ever seen. It was yellow and brown, spotted like a leopard; of which that alone appeared to be a bold design choice. Rarity felt herself twitching with anxiety as the creature approached. Spots were SO last year, and she made a mental note to inform the stranger of that as soon as possible, before any embarrassment could be incurred. What Twilight was most impressed with was the height. Twice the size of Princess Celestia, the majority of its height focused in its spindled legs and ridiculously long neck. It breached the town limit on solid, cloven hooves, and recoiled with a loud grunt as Pinkie launched herself out of a cannon, breaking into her traditional 'Welcome, Welcome, Welcome' song. "Already off to a fantastic start," Twilight muttered. When the song had finished, kneeling on her back legs with her forelegs thrown up in the air as if she'd just finished a forward slide, Pinkie grinned expectantly. The long necked creature looked down at her, dark eye blinking slowly. "I am quite surprised. I've never had a welcome... Quite like that before," the animal said. There was a hushed gasp of approval at the creature's deep and soothing voice, and even scattered applause. Twilight pushed herself to the front, excusing herself. "Pardon me," Twilight called, recoiling just slightly when it turned its dark eyes on her. She felt like she was being looked down on, and couldn't help her heart from racing abnormally fast. "What . . . I mean . . . who are you, if I may ask? You are more than welcome in our town, of course, and all its doors are open to you. But we've never seen anything quite like you... may I take notes?" She asked. "Princess Celestia will want to hear about this!" "I am a giraffe," it said, as if this explained everything. "I come from far overseas. Near the southern coast." "A giraffe," Twilight repeated in awe. "I have traveled far. From lands of cats and zebras. Do you know of it?" "Zebras, did you say zebras?" Rarity asked, and the giraffe nodded. "That's great!" Twilight exclaimed. "Pinkie, do you realize what this means?" "Cake frosting on bagels is a terrible idea?" Pinkie asked, hopefully. "No! I'll bet Zecora would love to meet her!" "Oh! That makes much more sense. But seriously, don't ever try frosting on bagels. It's awful. You're better off eating it out of the can, like I do." She made a disgusted face, then her features contorted into a grin again with an audible twang like a rubber band. Twilight beamed with delight. "Let's get you situated with some food and a place to stay," she said kindly, turning her attention to the giraffe again. "Then as soon you're ready, there's someone you need to meet." Author's Note What have I gotten myself into? o.o
2 - An Unexpected MeetingTwilight, Pinkie and Rarity went above and beyond expectations, ensuring that the giraffe was well tended to and had a place to stay. This was easier said than done, however, as the overwhelming majority of buildings in Ponyville were built up to code for equine dimensions, and would not allow someone with the giraffe's unique vertical situation to enter through any of their doors. "You don't have to fret," the giraffe said. I'm used to this sort of thing. I don't mind at all." His tone sounded genuine, but Twilight wasn't having it. "I promised you accommodations, and I always come through on my promises," Twilight said. The giraffe looked touched, but before he could thank her, she continued. "By the way, I don't believe we've caught your name, and I do believe you know all of ours by now?" "That is quite alright. In my native tongue, hear this. I am Mzungu." Pinkie giggle snorted at this. "Mzungu? That's an awfully silly-" she was cut off as a marshmallow hoof was shoved into her mouth. "An awfully interesting name, is what she meant to say," Rarity finished. "Sincere apologies, darling, sometimes Pinkie speaks a little too quickly without thinking. Don't you?" She asked, giving Pinkie a look. "Mmmhmm!" came the muffled reply, and Rarity pulled her hoof out of the party pony's mouth. Twilight had been thinking the entire time during this exchange, and suddenly lit up with enlightenment. "I've got a great idea!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Mzungu, come with me, I know exactly where you can stay!" The giraffe looked pleased at this, and followed her without question. The small group turned the corner, and Twilight gestured straight ahead, down the center of the road. In the middle of multiple intersections stood the grandest, proudest, most importantly; tallest building in Ponyville, seconded only by Rarity's own Carousel Boutique. "Town Hall!" Twilight announced. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, it's perfect for visiting dignitaries, which means they'll have at least some empty rooms, and it's right in the middle of town, so you can get to everything else no problem!" Mzungu looked excited at this idea, and although he had to duck his neck quite severely, he managed to follow the other three into the elaborately decorated building. "Good evening!" The receptionist called. "May I help yoooouuuuuu..." Her voice rose higher and higher like a trombone, her neck stretching further up as she got a look at the visitor. "Oh, my..." "We need a room for our friend Mzungu," Rarity said. "No other building will fit him." "I imagine not!" The receptionist said. "Let me just page the Mayor, she'll be quite thrilled to have such an unusual guest and I'm sure will want to meet you," she chimed. She pushed her hoof down on a button on her desk, assuming a formal tone of voice. "Mayor Mare, to front reception, please. Mayor Mare, to front reception." Mzungu, instead of being embarrassed by all the attention, looked rather flattered by it. "I am beyond pleased. You try so hard for my sake. Thank you. All of you." "Any time!" Pinkie bounced up and down, giving off occasional bursts of streamers that littered the floor. "Welcoming new friends is what we do! Well, it's what -I- do, but I'm happy to share the fun!" Mayor Mare emerged from an upstairs room onto the upper balcony, looked down, and gasped with surprise and delight. She looked a lot older than she actually was, and her speed as she descended the spiral staircase. Twilight stepped back to allow introductions to proceed, which eventually turned into wild stories about a place Mzungu called Zebrabwe. When an hour had passed, Rarity politely cleared her throat. "I do beg your pardon, Mayor, but we really must be moving on. The sun will be going down soon, and we'd really like to get to the Everfree and back before the dark brings out the ghoulies." Mayor blinked. "Whatever are you going to the Everfree for?" She asked, her tone dripping with disapproval. "We're off to see Zecora!" Twilight said. "Just because," Rarity added. "Because of the wonderful things she does!" Pinkie sang, musically. Rarity and Twilight both facehoofed. With good time, however, and the promise that they would be safe, the trio of ponies left Town Hall once more, followed by Mzungu, who ducked his neck through the doors as he would every time he wanted to enter the building. "You really must stay close to us, Mzungu," Twilight warned. "The Everfree is dark and unforgiving. We may never find you again." "I do understand," he said. I will stay close at all times. Lest danger find us." They seemed satisfied with this, and ten minutes later were leaving the border of Ponyville and entering the dark woods. At once the dim light and muffled sounds interrupted the peaceful ambiance of the previous environment, replacing their calm with dread and anxiety. Mzungu had a bit less headroom, having to duck under low branches quite frequently, but did not complain. The path was dark and winding, though the trio of equines in front of him seemed to know where they were going. In the distance there were cries of various animals and occasional howls, sending chills down the spines of all four of them. "I don't like it here. Can't you just use your friendship To keep us all safe?" "It doesn't always work like that," Rarity said. "Between a hug and a beast with claws and teeth, the claws and teeth would win." Mzungu said nothing, but drifted a bit closer to his new friends. In the near distance, a small hut loomed, lit by a burning torch in a holder on either side of the door. "Someone lives out here? Who would live here all alone? In this place of death?" His question was answered almost automatically as they approached, as the door swung open. A very tribal looking zebra exited onto the front porch, and lit up with joy as she saw who it was. "My heart fills with joy and surprise, as the sight of friends beholds my eyes!" She said. Then her gaze drifted upwards, her jaw dropping open slightly as she stared at the giraffe bringing up the rear of the party.
3 - First EncounterZecora temporarily forgot her pony friends were even there, so overcome as she was by the sudden appearance of a species she never in her life thought she'd ever see again. She stepped slowly off her porch into the dirt, progressing slowly towards the giraffe with such caution that one might have thought it was irradiated with dangerous chemicals. "Forgive me if I seem aghast," Zecora said. "The giraffes I heard were long since passed." Indeed, she had heard rumors of their extinction quite some time ago, and had never seen one since. But that also may be due in part to her native land being so far away, and it had been so long since she'd even thought of it. Even the name of the lands she once called home had almost eluded her, but it came back to her now as easily as the potion for dispelling bad dreams. Zebrabwe. "I apologize if I've come across apalled, may I ask what you are called?" Zecora asked. She was slightly worried she didn't have enough tea for everyone, but would figure something out. The giraffe just smiled at her, softspoken as he always was. "I am Mzungu. I came from very far away. As I think you know." He continued speaking, most likely in more haikus, but Zecora had paled and gone blank, hearing none of it. Twilight was waving her hoof in front of her face, the ponies speaking distantly, but she was lost to them. Now, faced with the giraffe as she was, memories of her youth and origins came flooding back, hitting her in the stomach like a sack of bricks. She didn't used to rhyme all the time when she was little, she only took that up when she became a shaman. Zecora was on the move, running as fast as her little legs could carry her over the plains of Zebrabwe. She could run fast, but not as fast as the adults in her herd. It didn't matter, though. No matter how old you were, when you were being chased by lions, your top speed was never fast enough. Her herd was small, consisting of only a dozen or so zebras, a diminishing, weak number by any count. The herds used to number in the hundreds, but many had since answered the call of civilization, and gone to more populated, urban areas. They had been chased across the plains of the continent all day by a sizeable group of female lions numbering no less than fifteen, and the cats were stronger and faster. They also had more energy, and the zebra herd was beginning to tire after hours of running. "Mama, I'm scared," Zecora whined, looking up at the female zebra who was never far away from her. The adult said nothing, but leaned down and gave her a comforting nuzzle across the top of her head; all the while looking plenty scared herself. The lions had them penned in against a rocky ledge now, beyond which was a terrifying drop that would surely end unpleasantly for any creature who attempted it, or lost their footing. Down below, waves crashed violently against jagged rocks sticking up to pierce the sky, serving as a barrier at the very edge of the continent of Zebrabwe. It was fortunate, though, that zebras had hooves, and possessed quite stable footing in situations like this. Some of the zebras even claimed to be part goat, but had no proof to substantiate this. "You've put up a good fight, but it's time to end this," the lioness in front growled. "We're hungry. That's just the way things are. Don't worry, we'll make it qui-" she was interrupted by a frantic paw on her shoulder, shaking her so violently that her entire body rattled. Judging by the look of contempt on her face, interrupting her was a highly dangerous idea. "What?! I'm in the middle of my speech! Can't it wait?" It didn't appear so, as the shaking resumed, and the lioness gave a wildly annoyed groan as she looked behind her. An enormous cloud of dust was being raised as something barreled towards them over the dusty, barren plains, littered only with the occasional tree and even less occasional watering hole. "What is that?" She demanded. "Someone go out there and find out what that is! Report back to me at once!" A few lions broke off from the rear of the hunting party and ran towards the cloud to investigate, but had hardly gotten far at all when they turned around and booked it back towards the group. "It's giraffes! A whole lot of them! They're coming this way!" "I can see they're coming this way, you idiot!" Zecora raised her head at this in wonder and excitement. She'd heard tales, of course, but never actually seen a giraffe before. It was a few minutes yet before they came into view, all the while the lions and zebras were in a standoff. When they did come close enough to be seen properly, Zecora gasped. They were enormous creatures with spotted, patchy pelts, ridiculous necks that Zecora absolutely refused to believe at first were natural, and fierce hooves. "Stand your ground!" The head lioness called. "They won't dare-" But she was cut off again, and the giraffes did dare. They charged sideways into the lions with such force that the cats were forced to scatter, allowing the zebra herd to slip away from the rocky ledge onto flat and open ground. The giraffes were under fire almost instantly, and several of them soon featured dark red gashes down their hides, and at least one had a lion hanging by its claws from its neck. Still they refused to give up, however, and it only took a brief nod amongst the zebras for the herd to decide to join the fun, and the lions sound found themelves outnumbered, being swung about like pinatas and kicked with flurries of hooves. "That's enough!" The head lioness shouted. "Abort, abort!" The lions began to try to slink away to recover from their embarrassing loss, but not before Zecora spotted a young lioness, not quite full grown, trying her hardest to sink her teeth into leg of a young giraffe, not all that older than she was. "Hey!" Zecora shouted, and and ran towards them. The young lion turned towards the source of the noise, just in time to recieve a powerful black hoof to the face. The lion recoiled, screeching, streams of blood running down his face. The lion roared at her angrily, and made a hasty retreat back towards the rest of the hunting party. She turned back to the giraffe, who was gazing at her with awe. "How'd you do that?" the giraffe asked. "Do what?" Zecora tilted her head. The giraffe gestured with his hoof, and Zecora craned her neck, seeing an elaborately decorative spiral pattern on her flank that she was certain hadn't been there in the morning. "I... don't know," she said, but something tugged at her. The new mark had almost seemed like magic, and she was suddenly wildly interested in knowing if there were other kinds of magic. She knew she couldn't cast any herself, zebras could not, but wondered if she might be able to pull something off in the art of apothecary. She cast the thought aside for now, though seeds of interest had been planted, and turned back to the giraffe. "Are you alright? What's your name?" "Yeah... I think so," the giraffe said. "I'm Mzungu. That's my dad right over there, the tall one." "They're ALL tall!" Zecora exclaimed, and Mzungu laughed. Zecora peered up at him, pointing her hoof at the bony growths coming out of his skull. "What are those for?" she asked. "These?" He lowered his neck so she could see. "They're for hanging cloaks on, when company comes over." Zecora stared at him, and this time they both laughed together. "I think she's broken," Twilight was saying, and sounded intensely worried. Pinkie was making silly faces, trying to get her attention, and nothing was working. "Do not fright, I'm alright," Zecora said finally, releasing herself from her own thoughts, and all four of the others gave a sigh of relief. "Come inside," the zebra said. "We have much to talk about." Zecora went back in the house, and all three ponies exchanged a glance of surprise. Had she just... more importantly, had she NOT just... no, couldn't be. Without further hesitation, they followed her into the hut.
4 - Exit: Stage LeftSafe from the dangers of Everfree Forest in Zecora's hut, the quintet held palaver until the early hours of the morning. It was mostly the giraffe who did the talking, all in his strange manner of speaking, and Zecora listened as attentively as if Princess Luna herself were speaking. Luna was her ideal choice between the two, since she lived in a dark section of the forest and preferred the goings on of the night in most cases, but that was a story for another time. Dawn would be breaking soon far over the canopy of the dense wooded area, and Mzungu was describing the colors of the Giraffican sunset with such excruciating, lengthy detail that even George R. R. Maretin would have said it was too much, before impatiently encouraging the giraffe to get to the point already. Zecora, however, was completely enthralled. It had been so long since she'd heard any tales of her homelands, and now, when faced with them, the stories made her heart ache for her native plains. "As memories return, your words speak true. I wish I could see my home again, too," Zecora sighed, her voice distant and nostalgic. It had been ages since she'd thought of her home in such detail, and now that it was presented to her... she missed it. "I will return soon. To the plains of Zebrabwe. Will you come with me?" Rarity gasped. "Back home? Leave us? Darling, you can't! Whatever would we do without you?" Twilight only smiled in a ghostly, faint grin of understanding. "I myself come from Canterlot, and I always miss it, even though I visit fairly regularly. Zecora comes from so much farther away, and hasn't seen her home in at least ten years. Just as it was healthy for Spike to journey with the dragons, I think Zecora could benefit from a vacation." The giraffe nodded. "Your words do ring true. It is good you understand. The heart is fragile." Zecora placed her teacup on the table, and gazed around the small room at her friends. "You speak truth, for home I yearn. But if I go, I may not return." Pinkie gasped this time. "What?! Wait, hold on." She sipped her tea elegantly, then promptly not so elegantly spat it out in a wide spray. "What?!" Mzungu seemed pleased by this, and politely excused himself, having been up all night and having traveled far, he wanted to return back to Town Hall for a few hours, and catch some desperately needed sleep. "You are all good friends. I am glad to have met you. May you find much peace." He traveled back up out of the forest they way they had come the previous evening. And Zecora politely encouraged the remaining three ponies to the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have much to pack, if I'm truly serious about going back." The three were ushered outside, and the door closed. "What just happened?!" Pinkie exclaimed, her hair giving off a very rude balloon noise and promptly deflating. "I think... we just lost Zecora," Twilight said. "What?!" Pinkie exclaimed again, clearly worked up and turned back around. "Pinkie, what are you..." Rarity began but Pinkie was already throwing open Zecora's front door. "You can't just break into her house!" Twilight scolded. "She's gone!" Pinkie exclaimed with such surprise that both Twilight and Rarity peered past her into the hut. "Oh, wait, there she is," the party pony sighed with relief, pointing towards the zebra trying to sneak out the back door. "Zecora, wait!" she ran into the hut, and after exchanging a glance, Twilight and Rarity followed her.
5 - Homeward BoundAlthough Zecora had been trying to make a clean and sneaky exit, the trio of mares behind here weren't having it. Pinkie, Twilight and Rarity took the shortcut through the zebra's hut in order to follow her out the back door and catch up with her, afraid that their friend might be making an impulsive mistake. "Zecora, listen to us!" Twilight insisted. "I understand it must be hard for you, since Mzungu is from your homeland and all, he's just a giraffe. A giraffe who showed up out of nowhere, and asked you to uproot everything to go thousands of miles away to a place you haven't seen in ten years. Doesn't that strike you as a little bit crazy? And believe me, I know crazy. I've done it." The zebra sighed. "I am not trying to abandon you, it just feels like something I have to do." She gave them a knowing but firm look, as if her mind had been completely made up already. "But it's just so out of nowhere," Rarity added. "I know you want to see your home, but moving back to Zebrabwe just like that?" Zecora held up a hoof. "I never said anything about moving there," she protested. Her rhyming, however temporarily, had taken a backseat. It made long conversations easier, especially when she wanted to explain herself without sounding forced. "I just want to see it for a few weeks. Twilight sees her home in Canterlot all the time, am I not allowed the same luxury?" Twilight shifted her gaze to the ground at this. Zecora had a point, although Canterlot was much closer than Zebrabwe was. But by that logic, Twilight saw her home so frequently that she had never really built up any feeling of homesickness. Canterlot was just there, free to be visited whenever she wanted. "I suppose," she said. "But still, you don't even know this giraffe. You've met him before, sure, but it's not like you guys ever went out." A lame argument, for sure, but the only one she could come up with. Zecora just gave one of her mysterious grins. If she was insulted by Twilight's attempt, she certainly didn't show it. Quite the opposite, she seemed amused by it. Pinkie gasped. "Oh. My. Gosh. You totally went out with him!" she exclaimed. Zecora shrugged. "For a little while. It was never serious. Now please," she said. "Will you let me see my home again? I will return after a few weeks, I promise you that. I could never leave here forever. Not when I have so many friends here." "Just a moment!" Rarity said. "You can't just drop juicy information like that and then not elaborate on it!" "I can, because there's nothing to elaborate on. Now is not the time or the place. Besides, as I said, I will come back." "Well, alright," Twilight said. "If you promise." She was still uncomfortable with it, but was also mature enough to understand that it was Zecora's decision. Zecora gave a wink. "I Pinkie promise, if that's what it takes. I'll come back, no matter the stakes." "Well that settles it, then!" Pinkie chirped. "She has to come back now." Zecora continued onwards towards the town square, while the trio of mares just stood watching her go until she was lost to sight. Shortly afterwards, the three closed the zebra's door, as it was still hanging open, then began to make their own journey back to town. None of them were in particularly high spirits, but they all felt better knowing that Zecora wasn't trying to leave them. Back in Ponyville proper, Mzungu had returned to the Town Hall building, ducked inside, and laid down for a nap in one of the empty guest rooms primarily reserved for visiting ambassadors or dignitaries. He'd checked with Mayor Mare first, of course, and she was happy to allow him to stay there for a few days. Of course, she pointed out, if a higher ranking official happened to make an unannounced visit, he'd need to move. He had napped for only a couple hours when Zecora found him, the zebra standing patiently in the doorway as the giraffe raised his head. "I hoped you'd come back. Have you made a decision? You would be welcome." Zecora nodded. "I will come with you. To see my homeland again. It's been a long time." She grinned at him. Mzungu looked absolutely delighted. "Wonderful! That's great. I can return us there now, If you'd like to see." Now, Zecora had expected a great variety of strange things, and seen an even greater variety of stranger things, but this she had not been expecting. If Mzungu had such power the whole time, why had he been wandering all the time that he had? More importantly, why had he not returned home in the first place? Mzungu seemed to sense at least some degree of her confusion by the look on her face, and broke into laughter. "As I expected. You wonder why I travel When I can go home?" Speechless, Zecora just nodded. Mzungu laughed again, and rummaged through his belongings. He pulled out a drawstring pouch, sprinkling blue dust in a perfect circle around the pair of ungulates. Zecora watched him with timid fascination while he worked, being reminded of seeing his apothecaric talent for the first time all those years prior. The giraffe threw down the skull of a small animal in the center of the circle, and both of them were suddenly consumed by a huge tornado of bright red smoke. When the smoke cleared, the room was empty except for a lingering scent of pepper.
7 - EndgameZecora had been back for several days now, following the miniature adventure with Mzungu. He would likely keep in touch with her in some fashion, at least she hoped he would, but thus far there had been no scrolls or postcards of any kind. She had become more withdrawn than usual and hardly left her hut at all. After exactly one week of this, during which time Rarity, Twilight and Pinkie had become increasingly worried about their zebra friend, they had hatched an elaborate plan. Construction of said plan had taken place over the last few days, during which time they doubted if Zecora ever left her house even once. Zecora was not typically one to wallow in self pity (do zebras wallow? she wondered), but had been struck unusually hard by both the urbanization of her home and the sudden departure of Mzungu. As such, it took several minutes of pounding on her door before she was willing to open it, and she was not at all surprised to see Pinkie standing on the other side. Pinkie was, after all, the most expected unexpected visitor. "I thank you for your visit, but I'm not quite in the mood. Perhaps come call another time, when I shall appear less rude?" Zecora asked. "Nonsense! You're coming with me!" Pinkie said, taking the zebra by the foreleg and hauling her forward. It was a surprisingly aggressive mood for the party planner, and Zecora once more had the idea that Pinkie would absolutely not take no for an answer, and would not be satisfied until the zebra agreed with her demands. Celestia help them all if Pinkie ever became a military negotiator. Zecora blinked several times, the energy of her refusal draining out of her before she could even manage to fully voice it. There was no point. "I really don't feel like-" "Yes you do! Come on! Don't make me start juggling!" Not sure what that had to do with anything, Zecora sighed. She knew Pinkie well enough to know that she wasn't ever going to give up, and reluctantly relented. Might as well get this over with, then she could return home. She followed the pink horse around the corner of the forest, where Pinkie suddenly stopped her and held up a blindfold. "You have to wear this now," Pinkie said, and slipped it over Zecora's eyes. "Come on!" Zecora's frown deepened, but she followed the voice of the party pony, much slower and more gingerly now, as she couldn't see where she was going. She followed Pinkie for what felt like hours, but was really more like ten minutes. "I do not like not knowing where I am or where I'm going," Zecora said disapprovingly. "That's okay, we're here!" Pinkie said. "You can take it off now!" Sweeping the blindfold off, Zecora blinked in the sudden burst of light. "What are you-" she began. Then stopped. Standing a few feet in front of her, off to the side, were Pinkie and Twilight. But her attention was diverted entirely by what they were standing next to. Enormous amounts of sand had been dumped in a large area, approximately ten feet by ten feet. Thin, reedy plants poked up out of the drifts. The area which had been erected was fenced off by black cloth, and contained two extremely tall trees that seemed to grow straight up before branching out into an unusually wide canopy. An enormous sunset was painted across the horizon of an expansive backdrop, which stretched the entire length of the secluded area. Zecora stared at it, an impressively passable replica of her own childhood memories. She took a few steps forward, and was immediately hit by unbearable heat, which confused her for only a moment until she looked up and saw heat lamps hidden in the brush of the trees. She had only taken a few steps when a loud voice blasted out across the replica savannah, scaring her so badly she jumped almost a foot in the air. "NAAAAAAAAAAAANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHA BABA" The zebra yelped, heart racing, head snapping upwards just in time to see Sweetie Belle with a megaphone vanish once more into the thick canopy of the trees. Off to the side, Scootaloo stood wearing a fabric, frilly lion's mane and looking as if she'd absolutely be anywhere else. The amount of Nope on the young filly's face was off the charts. "How..." Zecora began. "You were so sad you couldn't see your home, we brought your home to you!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Rarity did all the painting, Twilight researched local plants and had them imported, and I used my sand collection!" "They're Mareula Trees," Twilight said proudly. "I pulled some strings with Celestia and had them imported. They're authentic!" "You have a sand collection?" Zecora raised an eyebrow, turning her attention back to Pinkie. "Uh-huh! For sand emergencies and beach parties. I wanted to use my zebra costumes too, but Twilight said that was too much." Zecora cracked a smile at the thought of Pinkie in a zebra costume. She couldn't even be mad at that. "Yes, perhaps," she said. Rarity and Apple Bloom were coming around from the back of the sunset backdrop where they'd presumably been hiding, both splattered with orange paint from the magnificent sunset. The zebra looked concerned. "Your coat..." She knew how Rarity was. Especially since orange wasn't in season until Trotober. "It'll wash out," Rarity said, sounding unconcerned. "A trivial annoyance is nothing when it's for the good of a friend." "You didn't have to do all this..." Zecora said slowly. "But... I'm overwhelmed that you did. Thank you." She looked over the replica, feeling the ache in her heart slowly lifting. Zebrabwe was far away, yes, and perhaps it wasn't anywhere close to how she remembered it. But that didn't matter. Her friends... Her home... Was here.
6 - No Place Like HomeZecora could not remember the last time she'd been this excited. She was not typically an excitable zebra, but the idea of going home after such a long time away from it absolutely thrilled her. The magic smoke filled her vision and nostrils, and she inhaled deeply of it. Being of the apothecaric arts herself, she could actually identify by scent most of the ingredients that went into the travel spell. Nearly quivering with excitement, Zecora burst out of the smoke before it had cleared properly, and as such was immediately nearly run over by a carriage being pulled by a pair of Wildebeests. "Get outta the way, crazy dame!" One on the left yelled, never bothering to look back to see if she'd been run over or not. Zecora narrowly avoided a very unpleasant situation as she leaped backwards, becoming enveloped in the cloud of dust the carriage raised. Coughing, she blinked several times to clear her eyes, and finally got her first look at Zebrabwe in ten years. Under her hooves, a dark paved road ran smoothly in front and behind her, parting every so often into seemingly random intersections. Carriages carrying passengers were being hauled down the road by powerfully muscled pairs of wildebeests, going one direction on one side and the opposite direction on the other. Pedestrians were everywhere, appearing equal parts pony and zebra. On other side of the road, towering buildings stretched up towards the sky in all shapes and sizes and colors, heavily obstructing her view of the horizon, upon which rose and set the sacred sunrises and sunsets of childhood memory; the enormous sun tinging the sky with its vibrant colors. But here, here the sun was nowhere to be seen. Where Zecora and Mzungu had moments before left the late evening of Ponyville, here it was well past midnight. "I don't recall Zebrabwe beng so civilized... or having such a prominent night life," Zecora said slowly, her voice still heavy with shock. "Where is the savannah? The watering holes? The herds of animals?" She asked. She'd been looking forward to seeing such things, to comparing the current state of the continent with the precious memories of her childhood. But here... here there was nothing even to compare it to. "This is your home now," the giraffe said, sounding a bit regretful. "I wanted you to see it. Everything has changed." "Yeah... I see that," Zecora said, shaking her head slowly. "I understand now why you have not come back." "It's not my nature. For my name is Mzungu... Which means Wanderer." He looked down at her, not with anger but with sadness, then looked back up across the paved roads towards the buildings. "Explore if you like. Zecora, I will wait here. For when you come back." Zecora nodded faintly, and took several steps down the road. She had anticipated the soft crunch of sand and grit under her hooves, not the hard clacking of urbanized pavement. It threw her off in a way she didn't like at all. Her head swung from side to side as she took in what sights there were to see, gazing upon each shop as she passed them. Clothing stores, restaurants, dozens of tacky trinket shops selling items she had absolutely no interest in. It was at one of these shops that she stopped, staring into the reflective class past her own mirrored image. Displayed on a large peg in the front window was a nearly exact replica of the golden bangles she wore around her own leg, a precious gift from years before that was the only thing she had left of her mother. The sight of it advertised in the window... 5 bits for 5 rings... made tears begin falling from the eyes of the normally composed zebra before she even knew she was doing it. She tried the door out of anger, wanting to give the shopkeeper a piece of her mind, but it was past midnight and the store was closed. Probably for the best. Zecora turned away from it with disgust, stopping only to let a carriage pass, and returned to where Mzungu was waiting. "There is nothing here for me to learn. Send us back, let us return." Mzungu shook his head slowly, with the regretful confidence of one who had already made a decision. "You, of course, can go. I will not be going back. Ponyville is far. I think that perhaps, I will go in the other direction this time." He gestured to the far south with his nose and a swing of his neck. "A wanderer?" Zecora asked, and Mzungu nodded. He was simply not the type to stay in one place for very long, always on the move. "I will not forget you, nor the things that you do," Zecora said, slowly stepping back into the travel circle in which they had first appeared. She felt like a hypocrite. Ten years yearning to see her home again, and she couldn't even stand the sight of it for more than an hour. She paused in her own thoughts, though, rearranging the way she looked at things. Perhaps... though... this was not her home. She had been born here, raised here, yes, but perhaps there was nothing more for her here. The place which she thought of most fondly, the place where her friends resided and her hut had been built, was over a thousand miles away just south of a major Equestrian city. Mzungu was already preparing the travel spell, and Zecora realized her heart still felt empty. Perhaps she might not ever get a chance to tell him how she felt, and looked up at him with reluctant eagerness as the smoke began to fill her vision for the second time in as many hours. "Mzungu!" She shouted, feeling herself losing her normally calm and composed nature. "Mzungu, I-" The smoke began to clear, and through it, she could see her hut, the one she had built with her own hooves in the middle of a dangerously unforgiving forest. Her hut, and no sign of the giraffe. "I still love you," she finished in a dead whisper. But there was nobody around to hear it. Author's Note To be concluded... And this is what happens when I start binge watching Doctor Who again
