Three Days in Two Years

“WHAT THE SAM HILL ARE YOU?” Applejack screamed, dangling from several vines.

The zebra shouted strange tribal words. Applejack frowned.

“Well, if you don’t mind, could you get me down from here?”

The zebra stepped back. He took a machete out of his bag and sliced the vines. Applejack fell with a hard thump.

“Thanks,” she grumbled, “So… you’re a zebra! I knew a zebra back in Ponyville. Her name was Zecora. You know her?”

The zebra blinked and stared at her. Seemingly not knowing what she said.

“Right…” with a sigh, Applejack turned and walked through several branches.

For some reason, this caused the zebra to freak out. Pulling and tugging on her like a foal on their mother. Applejack growled at the zebra, shoving him off.

“What the hay’s gotten into you! You’re acting like-“ her eyes widened in fear once she noticed what was behind those branches.

Several large nests of single eyed birds with long legs scattered across the rocky terrain. They appeared to be sleeping. Slowly, and quietly, Applejack pulled the branches back to their original place. Taking a few steps back before bumping into the zebra.

The zebra grumbled some tribal profanity.

“Sorry,” Applejack whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”

The two slowly creeped away. Carefully, they tried to avoid any rocks and twigs that could make a sound. Occasionally stopping when the sound of those birds stirred.

They didn’t noticed the camouflaged lizard.

The lizard unleashed a bombastic screeched. It echoed throughout the jungle. The zebra’s heart skipped a few beats while Applejack paled to Rarity’s color. As the lizard scampered off, Applejack noticed the birds didn’t wake up.

She sighed with relief, “Them heavy sleepers eh?” she sarcastically asked the zebra with a hung jaw.

An ear splintering whistle pierced their ears.

Applejack looked back and saw the gigantic birds with red eyes run towards them.

Applejack and the zebra ran for their lives. The zebra cursed in his tribal language at Applejack.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it! Just run!”

They ran. They ran so fast and far they lost track of where they were. The birds kept chasing them. Panting, sweating, and thirsty, the two feared that they were going to end then and there. Miraculously, they found a stream they eagerly jumped into.

Not thinking the birds could swim. Lucky for them, they couldn’t.

“Yee-haw! Safe and Sound!” Applejack cheered.

A quiet hiss slithered across her. Her spine tingled with a chill.

“You’ve got to be joking,” she gazed at a serpent with orange eyes and a golden hood. Its fangs dripped with sickly green venom.

The zebra called to Applejack. She glanced over and saw him gesturing down before he dove underwater. Seeing no better options, she dived as soon as the serpent lunged for her.

Applejack was pulled by the zebra. She blindly allowed him to drag her wherever. In a short distance, they were on shore of a pebbled lagoon. They peeled several leeches off them.

“How can any pony live in a place like this?!”

The zebra glared at her.

“Don’t you give me any of that!”

He continued his glare.

“Ugh, fine, just… just point me to the nearest town, will you?”

The zebra muttered tribal nonsense. Applejack followed him up the hill, noticing a very familiar blue flower. She quickly pulled the zebra away from them.

“Whoa there, mister! You don’t want to go near that!”

The zebra noticed the Poison Joke with a confused expression. He pointed at the flowers and looked at Applejack with a question, “Zecora?”

Applejack nodded enthusiastically, “Yes! Yes! I learned about those flowers from Zecora! Oh please tell me there’s some pony like her nearby!”

The zebra quirked an eyebrow before continuing his walk.

“You know, Zecora spoke in rhymes. That a zebra thing or is Zecora weird like that?”

Monkeys chattered in the background. Making the awkward silence feel exotic.

“You don’t talk much… well, not much that I understand. Hehehe… hehe…”

The zebra found a clear path they could follow. A small village laid just ahead of them.

“Thank Celestia we made it!” Applejack noticed a tree with some interesting fruits, “A little snack sounds good right now.”

She reached for a ripe piece before the zebra swatted her away.

She was about to protest until the plant turned around to reveal a VERY pony like plant. Its eyes were yellow, moss hung from it to look like a mane, thick barked hooves creaked with each step, and the fruit Applejack grabbed for was in a most inappropriate area. Applejack blushed with her hat over her face.

After the embarrassing incident the two finally made it to town. The town was completely comprised of zebras. They all stared at Applejack. Some with suspicion, some with fear, and others with intrigue. Applejack couldn’t help but think this was how Zecora felt when she came to Ponyville. At least the zebras didn’t run into their homes.

The zebra she followed led her to an impressively stylized hut. The two masks found in Zecora’s old hut welcomed them inside. The grassy door swayed with ease as a chime notified the owner of this… shop? Home? Whatever this was.

The zebra called to the back. A familiar female voice called back in a rushed tone.

A zebra that looked a lot like Zecora walked up. Everything looked the same between the two. Same eyes, same stripes, same mane. Only difference was the cutie mark. While Zecora held a spiraling sun, this mare held three squiggly lines in a vertical pattern.

“You know my daughter? She writes to me everyday since she arrived in Equestria.”

“Eeyup, name’s Applejack.”

Zecora’s mother offered a hoof to shake, “Welcome to Zebrica. My daughter told me of you and your friends. You don’t intrude on her studies, do you?” she asked with accusing eyes.

“N-No mam! We didn’t even know she was studying anything in the Everfree!”

The zebra chuckled, “Well I guess she learned your language better than. She had to learn from poetry and got in the habit of rhyming all her sentences.”

“Yeah, she still does that,” Applejack giggled.

“Oh, it’s about time Zecora sent me a letter. Would you like to read it with me?”

“Sure.”

The two mares wandered to the back room. There, a cauldron bubbled. Zecora’s mother leaned forward. She motioned for Applejack to come closer. In the bubbling pot came letters in a strange language. Applejack couldn’t read any of it. She could, however read the zebra’s face. Whatever happened in Ponyville must’ve been horrible. Zecora’s mother gasped, then sighed, and finally hummed. She took a good look at Applejack with a confused look.

“So uh… what’d the letter say?”

“We’ll discuss it over tea,” Zecora’s mother said as she walked away, “You’re training will begin tomorrow.”

“Alright…” Applejack’s ear twitched, “Wait, WHAT?”