Chapters Cora rapped on the door of Evin's hut. Evin's deep voice bid her inside, and she stepped in. Cora had never been in Evin's hut before. The walls were richly decorated with tribal masks and other ornaments. Two bamboo lanterns flanked the entryway.
Cora took a deep breath and stepped between them. There she saw Evin sitting in a bamboo chair. He nodded for her to sit opposite him.
“Welcome to my home. I take it you have never been in here before?” Evin looked a little intimidating sitting down, and it took a good deal of Cora's courage not to cringe.
Cora was startled. “No, Evin. I haven't been here until now. I thought I could only come in by your invitation.”
“You are correct, however,” Evin stated, “Do you really expect me to remember every zebra who has ever come into my hut? And how am I to know you have not sneaked in before? Many zebras have done that, though I would not recommend telling me.”
The near-grave expression in Evin's eyes lightened.
Cora bit her lip. She couldn't appear fearful. In truth her heart was pounding, waiting for Evin to say something else.
I can stay calm, she thought, I can be brave. Please say something, Evin.
To her relief, he did speak again. “Cora, you are here to make an important life decision as to what your craft and trade is to be. You may choose one that is open to all, but I have a different offer. You could be a quill crafter, as Ian is growing old. You could be a foal caretaker, although I think that job requires more patience than you possess. Or you could be my apprentice. Your knowledge of magic is superb. But in the end it is your choice.”
Cora's heart stopped. This was the chance she'd been waiting for her whole life. But then again... Her thoughts flicked to her little sister. Her mother was dead. Her father had no time for either of his foals. She could never choose between the family and tribe she loved and following her true desire, while still being happy. Anyway, she wouldn't be gone forever. Lea could come with her. Lea wasn't that young anymore. She was fourteen years old, while Cora was eighteen.
“I've made my decision,” Cora told Evin.
“And it is,” Evin prompted.
“I'm going to travel. I'm going to look for the other ponies, not just zebras. I want to see the pegasi, the ponies that fly. I want to meet the unicorns I have learned so much about. I want to teach all of them the magic of zebras.”
“Cora,” Evin reasoned, “Zebras are solitary creatures. We live in our tribes, but we do not meddle in the doings of other ponies. Zebra magic has been held secret within our communities for centuries. You are not to say a word of it to these other ponies.”
“But then my mission is forfeit,” Cora sighed, “I'm going to bring the zebras out of their hiding. I want to bridge the kinds together.”
“But what about your sister? Lea has no other pony to go to.”
“She's coming with me. She always wanted to leave, if I left.”
Evin gave a heavy sigh of acceptance, and handed Cora a palm leaf book.
“Record your travels, so I can see them when you return.” He glared towards Cora. “Go.”
Cora left without another word.
Cora picked a small cloth sack from the ground and slung it across her back. No zebra had spoken to her all day. She didn't exactly blame them. They viewed her as a traitor, gone to tell their secrets to enemy ponies. Still, she held her head up and her heart strong. She could bridge the rift.
“And I will be known as the ambassador of ponykind,” She thought aloud. “Then everyone will wonder why nopony thought of this before.”
She repositioned the sack across her shoulders. It was light, as it contained just her journal, a blanket, and the first and only mask she'd ever created. Outside, water still dripped off the trees from yesterday's rain. She slid three bracelets onto her left hoof, a parting gift from Evin. Not that he really cared about her. She opened her front door, stepping out onto the muddy ground. The clearing where she used to study was deserted. She took a deep breath. With a last glance towards her village, no, their village, she ventured off into the trees.
Journal:
I left my village for good today. I've only been gone an hour, but I still feel heartbroken.
I don't see why I am so lonely. I made my decision. I will never return, never. Because I've been rejected. Lea, I will miss you forever.
Cora
Cora closed her journal and put it away, staring out of the cave door. A small pile of berries she had gathered sat in front of her. A soft woven blanket lay on the cave floor behind her. Outside the rain hammered on the ground, leaving little pockmarks in the dirt where the drops fell.
Cora was a fast traveler. In only one hour she had reached the divide of mountains that secluded the zebras from other ponies. The climb upwards, she reasoned, would take longer. The more incline and rocks would make it harder to move quickly, and she would be leaving her familiar jungle terrain far behind her. She could move quickly and silently through the rain forest. Mountains, however...
Cora pulled her journal out again. Evin had said to record her travels, but she wasn't adding this for him. She was writing for Lea.
Journal:
I think I've been rejected by my tribe. My sister, Lea, refused to come with me on my travels.
I will miss all of them, Lea especially. I will go alone. But I will continue on.
I will heal the rift and find the unicorns.
Journal:
I left my village for good today. I've only been gone an hour, but I still feel heartbroken.
I don't see why I am so lonely. I made my decision. I will never return, never. Because I've been rejected. Lea, I will miss you forever.
Cora
Dear Lea:
I miss you already. You have a knack for breaking hearts, you know that? Of course you wouldn't. If no one ever told you, that is. You broke Mother's heart when you were born. She knew she was sick before you were born. Her heart broke because she would never see you grow up. You broke Daddy's heart too. He never spoke to you after Mother died. He blamed you, saying the birth weakened her and made her vulnerable to more sickness. And now you've broken mine. If this letter reaches you, someday, I want you to apologize for breaking so many apart.
I will miss you always.
Cora
Cora sat up, blinking in the bright sun that flooded the cave. A small hill of uneaten berries sat beside her. The sun was so hot you could almost see them shriveling. Cora looked around at the empty cave. She had never woken up alone before.
Happy memories trickled back into her head, making her smile. She remembered how, when she was about five, Lea had knocked Cora out of bed on her birthday. She remembered a game of Finders-Hiders, when Lea hid in a tree, and she walked all around trying to find her, and then Lea dropped on top of her. She remembered the thrill she had felt when Evin said she could learn the magic of unicorns. But first and foremost, Cora remembered the way tears stung her eyes, when Lea said she wouldn't come on Cora's travels.
Lea's words flooded back to Cora.
“No. I'm not coming.”
“Lea, please. You're my only family left. I'm your only family left. We'll stay together. We promised!”
“Cora, you aren't my only family anymore. The whole tribe is my family. But soon I'll have one of my own.”
Those had been Lea's last words to her, besides a halfhearted 'goodbye, Cora'.
Cora's eyes were as wet as the ground outside. Sullenly she packed her bag with the berries, blanket, mask, and journal. She slid it over her neck and ventured out onto the muddy trail. Cora stared up the mountain. She had a long journey and steep climb ahead of her.
Starting out wasn't so bad. The incline was fairly small, and rocky steps were many. As she ventured farther up, however, the trees became thicker, as did the underbrush. The trees were thick oaks, much unlike the smooth barked jungle trees she was used to.
What she could see of the sky was dark and gray. It was probably going to rain again. Back in the village she loved rain. Now she didn't enjoy it at all, simply because it made traveling harder.
Cora heard a soft whooshing from above. It sounded a bit like a bird taking off, and a bit like the wind in the trees. She looked up, staring at the sky with all her might for a glimpse of the noisemaker.
Suddenly, dipping to just brush the topmost branches of the trees, she saw a flash of blue. A pegasus! As the blue pegasus came to rest on a cloud, Cora got a clearer view. The pegasus was not at all like she had envisioned. What sat on the cloud was not a zebra with grand wings like a giant bird, but a stripeless one with small, apparently unfeathered wings. Her mane and tail were streaked with all the many colors of tropical flowers, and across her flank was emblazoned a storm cloud and a rainbow lightning bolt.
Cora stared, transfixed. She had seen a first glimpse of what the other land was like.
Journal:
Today I saw a pegasus for the first time. I know it was one because of the wings. Unicorns can make things fly with their magic, but no other pony but a pegasus has natural flight. I wish I could fly like that. The picture on the flank of this pegasus intrigued me. Why do the other ponies wear such markings? Perhaps it is a symbol of rank, or race. I could never have one, but I don't know what it would mean to me if I did.
Cora
Journal:
I think I've been rejected by my tribe. My sister, Lea, refused to come with me on my travels.
I will miss all of them, Lea especially. I will go alone. But I will continue on.
I will heal the rift and find the unicorns.
Journal:
I left my village for good today. I've only been gone an hour, but I still feel heartbroken.
I don't see why I am so lonely. I made my decision. I will never return, never. Because I've been rejected. Lea, I will miss you forever.
Cora
Dear Lea:
I miss you already. You have a knack for breaking hearts, you know that? Of course you wouldn't. If no one ever told you, that is. You broke Mother's heart when you were born. She knew she was sick before you were born. Her heart broke because she would never see you grow up. You broke Daddy's heart too. He never spoke to you after Mother died. He blamed you, saying the birth weakened her and made her vulnerable to more sickness. And now you've broken mine. If this letter reaches you, someday, I want you to apologize for breaking so many apart.
I will miss you always.
Cora
Ice. That was all Cora could see for miles. She had heard many stories about snow and the frozen time called winter, but she had never truly known cold.
Cora glanced over at the meager pile of roots and berries she had gathered the night before. She would never be able to gather more in this weather. All food would be buried much too deep to dig out. Cora had stepped out into the snow earlier that morning, and sank in up to her knees.
The sky was gray, promising more snow later. Cora shivered. It was so cold outside. It hadn't been this bad yesterday, but how the weather could go from chilly to over a foot of snow, Cora didn't know.
She had been traveling for almost a month now. Her journal entries had become no more than “Today I kept climbing the mountain. Weather is getting colder.”
She missed her tropical world. She missed Lea, running to hug her when she returned from studying. She missed Arren and Palm, her twin nephews. And now, stuck in a cave with no warmth and nothing to eat, her doubts about this mission were real.
Warm tears began to leak from Cora's eyes. She wiped them away quickly so their trails wouldn't chill her further.
For the first time speaking aloud in many days, Cora said softly to herself “One night.” Cora's voice echoed throughout the cave. “Just tonight. Tomorrow I turn back. For good. Forever.”
As she settled under her blanket, she whispered to the invisible stars above her “I'll come back for you Lea. I promise.” The zebra closed her eyes and let herself slip into dreams.
When Cora woke the next morning, she packed what little she had quickly. Using some vine, she tied the blanket around her middle to keep in her body heat. With a brave face and a weary heart, she stepped out into the storm.
She soon grew used to the wind fighting her every step, and snow so thick she could hardly see. Her nose was numb, her hooves no better. She had forgotten what her tail and ears felt like hours ago. Hoofprint after hoofprint laid in the snow behind her. Her mane and blanket were covered in frost so deep that Cora doubted if it was doing any good.
She had been walking for hours, maybe days, even. She should have been at the base of the mountain, at least. The storm must let up somewhere. Anywhere.
As she trudged wearily further, a tiny lace of doubt began to creep across Cora's mind. Within seconds, she had become certain it was true. Entirely certain.
“I-” Cora stammered against the wind. “I've gone the wrong way. I'll never see Lea again!”
Her tears froze as they left her eyes, doing nothing but worse for her vision. She couldn't see anything. There was no light. Only snow.
But then- there was.
The sun! thought Cora, It had to be!
It was true, there was something. On the very edge of the dawning horizon sat two golden-lit windows with silhouettes of small creatures dancing in them.(*)
As she grew closer, it became part of a small hut, snow covered and as welcoming as home. She was almost there. Just a little closer.
“Farther. Just a little farther to go,” Cora panted, the wind almost taking her voice with it. Taking a determined step, her hoof slipped. Exhausted, she fell into a snowdrift against a tree, dropping into empty blackness.
“My- My goodness!” A light, frightened voice floated through Cora's empty dream. “You'll need more than blankets! You need a doctor!”
Wrapping Cora gently in the several thick quilts the pony had brought with it, the pony marked the spot with a flag and ran back towards her home.
A purple and white zebra filly sat at a table, scratching on a paper with a palm stem quill. She set down her quill, folded the paper, and set it onto an ever-tottering pile beside her. Magic studies.
“Please, Cora? Please?” A pink and white zebra filly, younger than Cora, pulled on Cora's tail.
“Not now Lea. I've got my studies. I don't have ti-”
“You always have studies, but you never have time.” Lea pouted. “I don't see why you can't come play for a few minutes.”
Cora took a deep breath. “Lea, Evin sees my talent. He is the leader of this tribe. He offered to give me lessons in magic. Unicorn magic.” Cora's face shone. “I have to comply if I am to succeed.”
Lea made a pout-y face. “Unicorns are stuck-up snobs who don't care what happens so long as they stay at the top.” She glared at Cora. “I don't want to ever learn unicorn magic. Zebras have all kinds of magic they never even dream of.” Lea tugged Cora's tail again. “But please will you come play? I'm the only one who doesn't have a partner for Hiders-Finders.”
“I told you, I don't have time!”
“YOU NEVER HAVE TIME!” Lea screamed. “NOT EVEN FOR YOUR OWN SISTER!” Lea's eyes were blotchy and red.
“No Lea. If I come play, then I won't get these read by next week.” Cora nodded to a stack of five books that must have weighed twenty pounds each. Bookmarks stuck out of them in various places.
“You're just making excuses. I know you don't have to read all those. Look!” Lea pointed with a hoof to the book on top, scowling at Cora. “This isn't even a magic book! It's 'Learned Unicorns of the Twelfth Century'. Why do you even need to learn about unicorns?” She raised her eyebrows. “And this one: 'Eight Simple Ways To Begin Quill Crafting.' Why should you have to craft quills? I thought that was Ian's job.”
“It's part of my studies, Lea. Do you want me to tell Evin you're pestering me? Because I will.”
Lea started crying again. “I'm the only one who can't play. I don't have a partner, and nobody else will go with me.” She rubbed her eyes. “Please Cora? Just this once?” she begged.
Cora sighed. “Okay, fine, I'll go. We'll have to make it quick. I really do need to read all of those books.” Cora glanced regretfully at the pile. “Are you a hider or finder?” she asked, clearly uninterested.
“Finders. So you'd better hide good.”
“Oh I will. My magic studies papers will cover me.”
“Hey!” Lea pouted.
“Just kidding.”
Cora took her sister's hoof and trotted off towards the deep jungle, where many sibling pairs were already waiting.
Cora smiled at Lea. “I'm glad I had time for you.” she said, forgetting her earlier irritation.
Lea smiled back. “Me too.”
