Broken Shell woke up and got out of bed quickly. He walked over to his mirror and swiftly brushed his mane before pulling on his clothes and walking down the stairs to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of orange juice. He poured some into a cup then put the bottle back. "I don't think much will happen today. I should find a place to relax." He muttered to himself. He finished the glass and rinsed it out before putting it in the dishwasher and walking out of the house. He walked down the road ignoring all the looks he was getting. He got to the edge of the everfree forest and shrugged. Starting to walk down the road he stopped when he saw a treehouse that looked very familiar. “Is that a zebra house?” He started to walk towards it and looked at the runes along the doorframe. “I wonder how often ponies have walked past those just thinking they were simple decorations.”

He knocked on the door knowing that if who he thought lived here did, he would not be disrupting anything this early in the morning. The door opened showing an older zebra mare. "Ah who might this be, he looks like he has something in common with me."

Broken Shell rolled his eyes and sighed. "Really, are you doing that?"

Zecora sighed. "Oh. Yes, sorry. I suppose I can use my normal speech with you can't I? Please come in. I am sure you have as many questions for me as I have for you."

Broken Shell nodded and walked in looking around. "You know I have heard of the tree houses of great mage's of zebra clans." He looked over and saw the mark on her cheek. "Of course you do not truly have a clan, I have heard legends of the Zecora of the forest. I was not however expecting her to be from the Black Sun Clan." He sat down in a wooden chair. "So how does one with your power come to live in this forest?" He took in a breath feeling the ancient magics of his family's homeland surrounding him.

Zecora pulled a teapot off her shelf and started to fill it. "Well, l as I am sure you know my clan was persecuted for standing with yours. Of course we were not hunted down to the extent yours was, in fact I hear talk of a large group of my clan living in the desert of Saddle Arabia. I however like it here in this land of peace and friendship." She sets the teapot on the coals of last night's fire. "Now, I am wondering how a Shadow Dancer come to be in Equestria."

Broken Shell sighed. "Well then that will take us back to when I was only six years old."

** 13 years ago**

Broken Shell looked out the window of his family's small shack as the other kids in his small village in Saddle Arabia about three days from the border with the Zebra lands. He knew his father and him were not supposed to draw attention to themselves though he didn't know why. He turned when he heard the door open and his mother and father walk in. His mother was a earth pony with a dark brown coat and pink mane and tail and a cutie mark of a red cross and a dove in the center of it. His father was a large zebra with no clan mark.

His father Black Shell looked at him and smiled taking the large knife he kept on his side off and put it on a table. "Hello son." He walked over and pulled Broken into a hug. "How was your day today?"

Broken smiled and hugged back. "It was good but something weird happened when I was reading. The lights flickered and my shadow acted weird."

Black Shell looked down as he let go of his son. "Don't worry my son it is a part of you that it will happen like that. It means you are growing into your power."

Broken's mother Huge Heart walked over and hugged her son quickly. "I will go start dinner why don't you and your father talk for a while." She walked to the small kitchen.

Black Shell sat on a cushion and motioned for his son to do the same. "As you know our clan was once so powerful the rulers of the zebra land where scared of us and decided to get rid of us..." A few tears formed in the corners his eyes. "Our main powers are the ability to utilize our shadows as fighting abilities." He wiped his eyes. "What happened today means your powers are coming into effect. You must keep them under control because there are those that can sense our powers and wish to bring us harm."

Broken nodded. "Of course father." He got up from the seat. "We should go and get dinner now." He winced as he heard a loud knocking followed by a door being kicked in and three zebra with robes on walked in.

The leader looked at broken and his father. "Shadow dancers." He pulled out a large curved knife that split into two. "We will wipe you out you demons." He started to run towards the two and Broken's father got up running towards them grabbing the leader and hitting him hard. "Run Broken I will find you!"

Broken froze for a second before running towards the kitchen to get out that way. Before he could move to that window one of the Zebras ran up and grabbed him.

Broken's mother ran at the zebra hitting him trying to stop it from hurting her son. The zebra turned and grabbed her by the neck snapping it with one hand. As he did this his grip loosened on Broken.

Broken ran jumping through the window stopping for a second as he heard the death cry of his father. He started to run not wasting time to cry as he ran he could cry later. He continued to run for three days stopping in the large capital city. He started to walk down the street hoping to blend into the crowed. He walked past a building when he heard someone yell out. "Hey boy!"

***Back in the present.***

Zecora nodded nod offering the normal condolences that often follow the story. "It seems you have lived a hard life started with a hard memory." She poured two cups of tea giving one to Broken.

Broken nodded and sipped his tea. "Thank you. So I hear you are friends with the locals."

Zecora nodded and sipped her tea. "Yes it took a long time for them to get to know and accept me, it will probably take longer for you."

Broken shrugged. "I don't really care either way. I am here for this job and once it is done I shall go back to my room in Canterlot and stay there until I am needed again."

Zecora shook her head. "You are hiding from something. I can tell you from experience hiding will not help, it did not help when you were six and it will not help you now."

Broken looked at her trying to be mad but knew everything she said was true. "It is just so hard you know, I mean one minute he was with me sitting with me, I was in love with him and then he was gone it was my fault the hunters were there because I was there." Tears started to develop in his eyes. "It was my fault."

Zecora looked at him. "It will be hard but you must let it go did you know they would be there did you know he would die when you went there?"

Broken shook his head. "No I had no clue any of that would happen." He finished his tea. "But still they were in Equestria for me, they sensed my power and came for me." He let a few tears fall.

Zecora sighed. "Please just let go of it. Trust me it does get better."

Broken sighed again and sighed. "You remind me of somepony I once knew." He stood up. "I should go now I am sure you have things to prepare after all the moon is full and the magic will be strong tonight."

Zecora chuckled. "Yes I am planing on making a potion tonight." She walked over and grabbed a small vile off a shelf. "Here take this, I am not sure how much use it will be but I am sure you can think of something to do with it.

Broken took the vile and looked at it smiling. "I am sure I can find something to do with this." He slipped it into his pocket and walked out the door. He looked up at the sky. "I guess I should let it go."

***

Twilight looked over the letter she had gotten then looked up at her friends. "Well it seems we are going to be heading to Saddle Arabia."

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait guys it has been a long few months and I hit a creative slump. Don't worry I have already started on the next chapter and have a better idea of where it and the next few chapters will go.

Huge thanks to my editor CrystalWaters798 for editing and keeping on me to get this done.