Chapters Voodoo That Zebras Do
by Stratocaster
Chapter 1: A Letter From Home
"Rrrrrrrrrgh!...Come ooooooooon!"
Rainbow Dash sat with her forehead pressed against her mailbox in desperation. She hoped deep down that somehow her subscription would arrive if she wished hard enough. But sadly, the newest issue was nowhere in sight, and she began to lose hope. Rainbow lied down in a slump on her yard made of cloud and gave a loud groan of disdain.
"Rainbow, stop torturing yourself." Twilight Sparkle flew up next to her. "The next Daring Do novel isn't going to come any faster just by moping around."
"But Twilight, it's been three months since the last issue!" griped Rainbow. "Daring's always been able to crank out those books like hotcakes, and she's never had a hiatus this long. If she doesn't release anything new, I'll fly myself into a fan!"
"Quit overreacting." Twilight roller her eyes. "You know how busy Daring is. If you're so anxious to get the next book, why don't you just write a letter to Daring herself and ask what's going on?"
"Me? Write something?" scoffed Rainbow. "Am I not already enough of an egghead by reading?"
"Then just dictate a letter to Spike, like you did with all your journals to Princess Celestia."
"Well alright." Rainbow sulked as she stood and flapped her wings. "But that just means I'll have more to wait from her. I don't know what I'll do if I hear that Daring Do won't be able to publish a new book."
"You should just do what I do when waiting for a new edition of a series," said Twilight. "Write a fan fiction!"
"Fan fiction?" sneered Rainbow as she began to leave. "What kind of loser do you take me for, Twilight?"
...
Rainbow flew over to Friendship Castle trying to think of the right words for Daring Do, trying hard not to sound insulting despite her enraged impatience. Before she could open the door as she landed, a frisbee flew out of the open window next to the entrance. Hesitant, Rainbow opened the door to see Spike ordering Twilight's pet owl.
"Fetch!" said Spike as he pointed out the window.
"Hoot?" Owlowiscious cocked his head.
"Come on, we've been doing this for hours!" urged Spike. "Every self-respecting pet should be able to fetch! Now fetch!"
"Hoot hoot!" the owl replied, still with a vacant look in is eyes.
"Oh you stupid bird!" grumbled Spike. "I thought you were supposed to be wise!"
"Ha! Are you seriously trying to teach Owlowiscious dog tricks?" chuckled Rainbow.
"Don't mock me, Rainbow!" the dragon crossed his arms. "I've been so bored lately! Twilight has been trying to find books that-"
"Stop, already bored." Rainbow interrupted rudely. "I need you to take a letter to Daring Do for me."
Spike glowered. "Oh joy! Taking ponies' letters! Like I never get enough of that in a day! You have a pair of perfectly working wings, why don't you just go talk to A.K. Yearling yourself?"
"First off, you are not worthy to call my hero by her real name; if you do again, I will throttle you." Rainbow replied. "Second, I'm not flying all the way out to that forest outside of Vanhouver. And third, there's no telling if she'll actually be home because she's always on the move. So will you just do this for me?"
Stubbornly, Spike turned away and extended his claw to her. "Pay up."
"What?!" she scoffed.
"You heard me, I'm charging for letters from now on!" he said. "I'm not your personal secretary."
"You have got to be joking."
"Five bits please, or no Daring Do for you."
Rainbow finally sighed. "Fine!" She placed five coins in the purple claw.
Spike nibbled on one of the bits to see that it was not fake, then procured a parchment and quill. "Alright, fire away."
"Ahem, 'Hiya Daring Do!'" she began. "No wait, um, 'What's up, Double D?' No not that. How about 'Hey Big Sis!' No wait, that sounds a little too desperate."
"Get on with it!"
"Okay okay! 'Dear Daring Do, it's me again, Rainbow Dash! I know you're a busy gal, but I haven't seen any new books from you yet. Or any news from you at all come to think of it. I was just wondering if you've still got a new story coming out soon, you know, not to sound too desperate. If you could let me know what you're up to and all, I would really appreciate that. And remember, you're still the most awesome writer ever! Your biggest fan, R.D. Dictated but not read.'"
With a flick of his quill, Spike finished the letter and rolled up the parchment. He took in a big inhale and let loose a breath of green fire across it, casting the spell to send the letter to the addressed recipient. "Well, that's my fun for today." He shrugged. "I guess I'll go get my frisbee back." Suddenly, Spike halted as he felt a rumble in his gut. Just as soon as he sent the letter to Daring Do, he belched a waft of green flame which spat out another rolled up letter into his hand.
Rainbow lit up with excitement. "Oh my gosh! She replied immediately!"
"I'll never know how ponies do that." Spike said as he recoiled from the indigestion. He then took a closer look at the scroll he had received. "Uh, Rainbow, I don't think this letter is from Daring Do." He held up the scroll which, instead of yellowish parchment, was a brown and coarse material of paper.
Rainbow took the message and read the address attached to the string. "This letter is only meant for the eyes of...Zecora?" she looked in surprise. "Since when do you get letters for Zecora?"
"I don't know!" shrugged Spike. "I've never even sent any letters for her."
"Well that was a tease." Rainbow's ears deflated.
As the two looked at the mysterious letter to Zecora together, Twilight entered the castle. "Hi Rainbow, did you send your letter off to Daring Do yet?"
"Yes, but I don't know how long until she replies." Rainbow said. "But Spike did get a letter for Zecora."
"Zecora?" Twilight looked curiously. "That's odd. Spike, do you know who could have sent that?"
"No idea, Twi," said Spike. "There's no return address."
"Well we can't just hold onto somepony else's mail," said Twilight as she turned back to the door. "Let's go deliver it to her."
"I'll come too," said Rainbow. "It'll probably beat waiting by the mailbox again." She paused for a moment to think. "Hang on. Spike, have you received anything from Daring Do from your fire breath?"
"Do you want my stomach to explode?" glowered Spike as he took an antacid.
...
Zecora sat in complete silence in the grass outside her hut as she relaxed her body and kept her eyes shut. An unseen energy seemed to stir in the Everfree Forest as she channeled her zebra magic in a meditative state. In front of her, a group of smoothed round stones slowly levitated and landed on top of each other in perfectly balanced stacks. Twilight, Rainbow and Spike watched the wise zebra in awe as they entered her property.
"Uh, what's going on?" asked Rainbow.
"Shhh," Twilight replied. "She's in zen mode."
"Zen mode?" Rainbow looked at Twilight. "What are you talking about? Let's just wake her and-"
"Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike my friends," spoke Zecora, appearing behind them. "Is there a reason for disturbing my zen?"
"Oh jeez! How'd she do that?!" startled Rainbow.
"Sorry about that, Zecora." Twilight showed her the crunchy brown scroll. "But Spike received a letter for you."
Zecora took the scroll and examined the rough material. "This brown paper is for me? From my foalhood home this could only be." She carefully unraveled the paper and only read a bit of the letter before gasping. "I recognize this hoofwriting right away. This letter is from my mother, it is clear as day!"
"Your mother? That's really sweet, Zecora!" smiled Twilight. "I didn't know you were still in touch with-"
Zecora quickly crumpled up the already wrinkled paper and tossed into the brush with an irritated look.
Twilight's mouth hung agape. "Zecora, what are you doing?!"
"I am sorry for all the confusion, my dear," said Zecora looking away. "But from my mother I never want to hear."
"I smell origins!" Rainbow said with intrigue.
"Really? I don't see any growing." Spike looked around.
"What could you possibly have against your mother, Zecora?" asked Twilight.
Zecora only wanted to retreat back into her hut and ignore the issue. But still she knew that confiding in her friends was the better option. She gave a low sigh and explained to them. "Zaria and I were very close long ago. It was her who taught me everything I know. She raised me near Port-au-Prance in a swampy town, and to me the ways of zebra magic she passed down. But things started to change when I became a young mare, and my mother's teachings became too much to bear. She taught me about voodoo and the sinister way of bringing the dead back to the light of day. She said she wished to protect me from the dark side of spells, but it was all just too frightening, and my trust in her fell. Ever since, I left my home to help the pony kind. But I still think about the life I left behind. My mother wishes me to return and I would gladly go. I always loved her very much but...now I just do not know."
Spike sniffed as he wiped a tear. "That was beautiful!"
"So you won't make peace with your mother because she wanted to teach you dark magic?" spoke Twilight. "Zecora that's just absurd! I would never have thought you would hold such a grudge."
"Young princess, you do not understand the dark zebra magic." Zecora replied. "Voodoo is a powerful curse, and its results are quite tragic. It involves manipulation and raising the dead. I refuse to go into detail, enough said."
"Won't you at least read what she wrote you?" asked Twilight.
Zecora sulked then turned away stubbornly. "If you wish to know, then read aloud. I'm afraid I am too proud."
Twilight retrieved the discarded letter and unfurled the old paper. "'My dearest daughter Zecora, I understand if you are still upset with me. It has been many years and I have not heard from you. But I can still sense your aura and I am happy to know that you are fine. But I am afraid that life back home has taken a dark turn. I sense that there is a zebra among our village who is practicing voodoo. Their aura is filled with malcontent. I must investigate before this cursed magic plunges our home into chaos. But I cannot fight this evil alone. My child, I am deeply sorry for losing your trust in me. But you must know that all I want is to give you the knowledge to survive and protect yourself when I no longer can. So please, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me and come home, we can protect many from harm. But if you still do not wish to hear from me, I still understand. I will love you always. Mother.'"
"Zecora's mom doesn't rhyme?" wondered Rainbow.
"What a rip-off!" pouted Spike.
Twilight approached her zebra friend who was still looking away in solemn defiance. "It sounds to me like your mother is still looking out for you." She said. "And she still feels bad about driving you out. Zecora, if you don't go to Port-au-Prance to help your mother, you might never get a chance to reconcile with her. Don't you get it? She needs you. And you need her."
Zecora stared at the ground a moment, reflecting back on the heartbreaking words of her mother. Inside she could still feel longing to see her face again, and to embrace the warmth of home. After another second of consideration, she turned. "Very well, Twilight Sparkle, I will got to Port-au-Prance." She said. "I suppose my mother deserves a second chance."
"Trust me, you'll feel much better." Twilight smiled.
Zecora grinned softly as well. "Even I have much to learn from you, when seeing matters of emotion through."
"It's what I do best, I guess." Twilight shrugged. "And don't worry, we'll come along to help!"
"We?!" Rainbow and Spike blurted.
Twilight gave them both a scolding glance.
"Uh, of course we will!" said Rainbow sheepishly.
"What are friends for?" Spike feigned a smile.
"I am thankful to have you all with me," said Zecora as she walked back to her hut. "Now why don't I boil up some tea?"
Twilight followed but Rainbow and Spike remained outside, comprehending the fact that they were about to embark on a dangerous quest involving dark lands and even darker magic. After a moment, Rainbow thumped Spike with her hoof.
"This is all your fault!" she sneered.
"I know it is." Spike sighed with disdain.
Chapter 2: Warm Welcome
Many years ago...
"Come on, Zecora! Do it again, do it again!" the young colt jumped excitedly.
"Oh okay, Zeru my friend," replied Zecora. "Now watch as I make this branch twist and bend!"
The filly added a dash of bitterroot to a small pot of dubious potion ingredients. The reaction caused the potion to churn and bubble as if it had suddenly become acidic, and it released a greenish plume of vapor into the air between the two zebra foals. Zecora then reached for a straight tree branch grabbing it in her mouth and held it over the bubbling pot. The magical scent caused the sturdy to bend and contort until it finally took on a recognizable shape. Zeru marveled at the branch that was now shaped like a bird.
"That is so amazing!" the colt beamed. "I wish I could make potions like that! You are so lucky, Zecora! You're going to be a master shaman someday!"
"It is really my mother who is the pro," shrugged Zecora. "But I am flattered that you think so."
"Hey Zecora!" called another filly amongst a group of foals walking by in the village. "We're all going to play down by the docks! Why don't you come with us?"
"I'll be right there!" replied Zecora. "Just let me clean up my wears! Zeru, will you come and join me at the docks? It is the perfect place to just throw rocks."
"Uh sorry, Zecora." Zeru frowned. "My father needs me home so I'm going to be busy." He scratched his mane anxiously. "But, um, can I still play with you tomorrow?"
Zecora reacted with surprise. Her friend had been asking her to play for the last four days. "I suppose I can spend another day with you." She said. "But why do you suddenly seem so blue?"
"Well, it's just that," said Zeru with a heavy sigh. "I've been meaning to tell you this. My father has been training me for a walkabout. It's when I have to go on this big journey around the world where I learn from different masters about fighting styles. It's a tradition for colts who are training to be village guardians, especially in my family. I'm supposed to leave in a few days."
"Is that what's wrong?" replied Zecora, concerned. "How long will you be gone?"
Zeru lowered his head sadly. "Probably several months. But my ancestors have done it for longer. It could even be a few years."
Zecora looked dejected. She almost couldn't bear the thought of her best friend being absent for years. "I do not want you to leave," she said, trying to act composed. "But family comes first. That's what I believe."
"I'm really sorry, Zecora." Zeru said. "I just wanted to spend as much time with you as possible before I leave. I don't know what will happen to me on this walkabout. I'm really scared. If I don't see you again then I-"
"No! We will see each other again!" said Zecora forcefully. "That is for sure, though I do not know when."
Zeru looked away. "It's just...I'm afraid you might not want to see me again. Like I said, this will probably take years. I'll understand if you'll have made new friends when I get back."
Despite the somber moment, Zecora clutched her friend in her hooves and hugged him tightly. "No matter where we both go, through and through," she said softly. "You will always be my friend, Zeru."
Zeru held her as well, holding back a tear. He then looked at her with a refreshed smile. "Will you be here when I get back?"
Zecora touched his cheek. "Without a doubt." She said. "I hope you have a good walkabout."
...
Present day...
"Uh welcome aboard, mares and gentlecolts. Uh this is your captain speaking, Captain Airscrew, yes that's my real name. Uh we're about to take off in a moment to our destination of Port-au-Prance. Uh we should experience some mild weather given the tropical climate. Uh feel free to ask for any refreshments. Keep your hooves to yourself, Flight Lieutenant. Uh we'll begin takeoff procedure so uh sit back and uh enjoy the flight."
Twilight, Rainbow, Zecora and Spike sat on the right side of the compact passenger airplane that sat ready on the Cloudsdale Airport tarmac. The engines of the old aircraft growled to life as the twin propellers on each wing spun with a mechanical sputter. As the plane vibrated from the engine noise, Twilight browsed the outdated travel magazine in the pocket of her seat, while behind her, Spike busied himself with a comic book and Rainbow fidgeted with her seatbelt. Zecora simply stared out of the window contemplatively next to Twilight.
"Urgh! Remind me again why we have to take this rickety bucket of bolts instead of a nice comfy zeppelin?" complained Rainbow.
"Because it's the only flight we can charter to Port-au-Prance." Twilight looked back. "Much of the country is still developing so not many ponies travel there. And as a result, not much is known about the zebra population there."
"I thought zebras came from Zebrafica." Spike scratched his head.
"That's true." Twilight happily explained. "But there were a number of zebra explorers who founded a small settlement in the islands of the Maribbean Sea. It was a bout three hundred years ago when-"
"Twilight please," grumbled Rainbow. "This is aggravating enough without a history lesson. Ugh, my stomach's already killing me just watching those propeller blades."
"Rainbow are you alright?" asked Twilight. "I thought you of all ponies wouldn't mind air travel."
"Yeah, when I'm the one doing the flying!" she glowered. "I hate airplanes! I haven't traveled on an aircraft since my parents took me to Discord World! I couldn't eat anything for a whole day!"
"They say that airsickness is all in the mind." Zecora said. "Try putting the thought of flying behind."
"Easy for you to say, Zecora." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Have you ever even flown before?"
"Not on a machine such as this, mind you," she shrugged nonchalantly. "But I am open to try anything new."
"Sir, I'll have to ask you to return to your seat," came the voice of one of the flight attendants. "We're about to take off."
Zecora glanced up toward the aisle. Looming near her row was a tall stallion with brownish tan fur dressed in a gray trench coat. Without a word, he passed the flight attendant, tilting his fedora forward to obscure much of his face. When he passed her row, Zecora could swear the pony gave her a knowing look from a narrowed eye with a noticeable scar running down across it. Zecora glanced away, pretending not to notice. As the stranger returned to his seat in the rear of the plane, Zecora became a bit tense as her thoughts returned to memories of her homeland and the mission facing her.
"I do hope that we land in Port-au-Prance soon." She spoke soberly. "The news of my mother's letter brings a sense of doom."
"It'll be alright, Zecora." Twilight looked at her reassuringly. "My friends and I have faced worse after all. And with your magic and your mother's combined, we'll be practically unstoppable."
"I trust you are correct, dear Twilight," sighed Zecora. "But let us just make it through this flight."
A sudden lurch in the fuselage indicated that the plane was beginning to roll down the runway. The engines picked up power as the aircraft's speed increased until it finally inclined and ascended toward the heavens.
"Oh jeez!" gagged Rainbow as she quickly grabbed a sick bag from her seat pocket and used it accordingly.
"Ah gross!" Spike reacted to her upchuck. "Twilight, switch with me!"
"Sorry, can't hear you!" Twilight replied as she donned a pair of earmuffs and settled down to sleep.
For the next couple hours, the airplane soared through the Equestrian skies on smooth winds, eventually crossing the southern coastline of the pony continent. All the while, Spike struggled to put up with Rainbow's airsickness. At one point he tried to treat her to an in-flight meal which only made her queasiness worse. Spike ended up holding her mane as she spewed in the plane's lavatory. Twilight remained asleep, having grown disinterested in the inaccuracy of the travel guides.
Meanwhile, Zecora stared out at the bright blue sky harking back to her foalhood in Port-au-Prance. Because her mother, Zaria, was a revered and beloved shaman in her home village, Zecora became the envy of many friends, whom she would often dazzle with exhibitions of the magic her mother taught her. Times were happy for her all those years ago.
Resting her head on the plane's wall, Zecora couldn't help feeling that if she had not been stung by the fear of Zaria practicing voodoo, she might have stayed in the mystical bayou her whole life. But now the thought of returning to those memories seemed impossible, and that of seeing her mother again seemed almost as frightening as the threat of voodoo itself. But Zecora knew that these thoughts would only be distracting, so she decided to put them aside as she grabbed the menacing hoof inches away from her neck.
"If you are going to kidnap me and do your worst," she said simply without looking directly at the assailant. "Then you should probably explain yourself first."
The scar-faced pony in the coat and fedora backed away from the seat as he procured a large knife, much to the gasping of some of the awake passengers. As the assassin stared a ghastly glare at her, Zecora leaped from her seat, careful not to disturb the still sleeping Princess of Friendship, and faced off against her foe in the cramped aisle. The scarred pony began to lunge repeatedly at her with his knife as the passengers screamed in terror. But Zecora utilized her heightened senses to swiftly dodge the crude attacks and plan a way of subduing the assailant. As always in dangerous situations like these, she relied on her cunning as destructive magic was beneath her.
Zecora reached for one of the pockets of her satchel. With a graceful flick, she threw a hoofful of magic green powder into the stallion's face that caused his vision to become blurry and wild. He stumbled where he stood as he forced his eyes to regain their composure. But as he faltered, Zecora spun the stallion around and prepared to pin him on his back in the hopes that somepony would help her incapacitate him soon. However he was not through yet.
The stallion exhibited greater physical strength and tossed Zecora off of his back, forcing her to leap away. With his vision returning, the assassin brought back his grizzly knife plus its twin in his other hoof. He gave a heave and tossed both knifes one at a time toward the zebra. Zecora knew she could catch one of the knives but that she would be endangering some of the passengers behind her if she dodged the other. In the split second as the stallion prepared his pitch, Zecora inhaled deeply as she prepared a handy spell.
As the twin knives came spinning towards her, she let loose a current of air infused with magic, powerful enough to blow the knives back away from her. The magical gust was also angled to cause the blades to spin upward and embed themselves in the luggage compartments up above. Thankfully no passengers were harmed, save for one disgruntled pony whose food was blown into his face. Zecora wobbled a bit in the aisle. Breath spells quickly drained a chunk of energy from the user and were often unpredictable.
"Looks like I underestimated you, witch doctor." The scarred stallion spoke with an intimidating grin. "But that's not to say you won't make it to Port-au-Prance alive!"
Zecora brought her breath back to regularity and responded. "How do you know me you cowardly fiend?!" she ordered. "Why attack somepony you've never seen?"
"It's best if you don't know, Zecora." With a throw of his hoof, the stallion opened the emergency door in the rear of the plane. Immediately air rushed out of the cabin and into the atmosphere. "I'll give your mother your regards!" With a wave, the stallion spread his wings and zoomed out of the hatch, but not before passing over the right wing of the plane.
The passengers screamed as the air was sucked out through the opened door, clinging onto their seats to keep themselves from hurdling away. Zecora stumbled to the floor as the plane was shaken by another harsh lurch. The noisy drone of the engines was suddenly diminished. Sure enough, the right propeller engine began to stall and stutter with one of its metal panels torn open. The entire aircraft suddenly listed slightly sideways, just as quickly as the emergency hatch was thrown open.
"Huh?! What?!" Twilight finally awoke and darted around. "What's happening?!"
The vacuum of air then pulled open the door to the lavatory, revealing Rainbow hanging by the toilet bowl and Spike grabbing onto her tail, in the gust. "I knew things would go bad quickly!" yelled Spike.
"Twilight! There has been damage done to the plane's wing!" Zecora shouted, stuck clinging to the leg of a seat. "You and Rainbow must do something!"
"Rainbow!" called Twilight. "Help me fix the engine outside!"
"Can't...move...too...sick...ulp!" Rainbow uttered, still dizzy from her nausea. The deprivation of oxygen did nothing to help her.
Twilight groaned at her incapacitated friend and took to the air herself. She could only fly long enough to exit the hatch and cling onto the wing, before she could be blown away by the aircraft's increasing velocity. The angle of the plane showed that it was already plummeting towards the ocean. With the wind battering her face, Twilight failed to clearly see the damaged engine with the sputtering propeller blade. But with a quick clairvoyance spell, she could see that the panel on top of the engine had been pried open. There was also a disconnected fuel line that was now waggling in the air. Carefully, Twilight summoned her magical aura to envelop the wounded engine. She used her telekinesis to bring the fuel line back into place and close the metal panel over it, sealing everything with a repair spell. Twilight hoped that her magic worked, along with what moderate knowledge she read about aircraft mechanics.
Miraculously, the engine roared back to life and the propeller sped up back to its spry blur. The plane immediately leveled out with the sight of ocean ripples just in view below. But the lurch back into place caused Twilight to slip off of her position hanging on the back of the wing. She yelped as she hurdled backwards toward a collision with the plane's tail wing. But before such a collision, Twilight was precisely caught by the hoof by Zecora standing in the hatchway. With a strained heave, she pulled Twilight back into the cabin and the young alicorn quickly closed the hatch with her magic. The two of them both lay on the cabin floor out of breath as the passengers cheered in relief.
"What the hay just happened?!" blurted Spike. "I leave for a minute and suddenly the plane is about to crash?! Why does this crap always happen to me?!"
"Zecora, that damage to the engine was caused by somepony, wasn't it?" Twilight asked as she sat up, shaking her head. "Did you see anypony on the wing?"
"It was caused by a pony with a scar on his eye." Zecora explained as she recovered as well. "And for some reason, he wanted me to die. He knew my name and possibly my mother too. He wanted to be rid of me, even by sacrificing all of you."
"Somepony attacked you and we haven't even reached Port-au-Prance yet?" replied Twilight. "This isn't good. It means that whoever is behind this voodoo scare obviously knows about us intervening. And they probably have others working for them."
"If my mother is in danger, then we must make haste." Zecora stood up. "We cannot let her warning go to waste."
"Agreed. The sooner we get to your village, the better." Twilight nodded.
"Oh man!" whined Rainbow, still kneeling to the porcelain shrine. "Now I feel sicker than ever! BLAGH!"
"Nice big help you were." Spike glowered at her.
"Uh we apologize for that, mares and gentlecolts. Uh we apparently just had a bit of turbulence back there. Uh we're about to make our descent into Port-au-Prance in about a half hour. Uh so please return your trays to their upright positions. Uh and sit back as we prepare to land. Lieutenant, I swear to Celestia, if you keep poking me I am going to crash this thing into the ocean."
...
After the long awaited landing, the airplane finally arrived in the alluring island country of Port-au-Prance. The flight took its passengers over miles of lush tropical jungle and flooded swampland, surrounded by a coast of pristine beaches with crystal blue waters. Near the center of the island, the plane landed in a small airfield that had been built in a forest clearing. Much of the passengers, who were mostly curious Equestrian tourists, exited the plane and went off on various safaris of the mystical zebra settlement. But four of them were there on more crucial business, to save said zebras from the spread of evil magic.
"Phew! Fresh air at last!" Rainbow breathed deep and stretched her wings as they stood by the tarmac. "Man all that puking really made me hungry. Please tell me your village has some good food, Zecora."
"The best, my dear Rainbow." Zecora smiled. "You have not lived until you try swamp fungus gumbo!"
"Uh, sounds...heavenly." Rainbow said hesitantly.
"How are we even gonna get to that village anyhow, Twi?" asked Spike.
"I contacted a guide while I was booking the plane tickets." Twilight explained. "He said he was a native of Zecora's village and that he knows his way around the swamps."
"It is best to be guided by a local face." Zecora added. "The Port-au-Prance wild can be a dangerous place."
"Well I hope he gets here soon." Rainbow said as she fanned herself with her hoof. "It's hotter than Celestia's sun in this place!"
"Maybe you'd like another plane ride home?" glowered Spike.
"No no, I'm good."
"He should be meeting us at the airfield." Twilight looked around. "I guess we'll know him when we see him."
"Are you Princess Twilight Sparkle?" came a low voice from behind her.
Twilight instantly got chills upon hearing the stranger. She turned around in surprise. "Oh! Hello!" she greeted awkwardly.
The voice came from a tall figure adorned in light black armor and a cloak that covered his back and head. "I received your letter. I will guide you through the swamps to my village."
"Oh! Uh, thank you very much!" smiled Twilight with relief as she extended her hoof. "It's a pleasure I'm sure."
Unknowingly ignoring Twilight's hoofshake, the cloaked zebra turned around and approached Zecora. The female zebra gazed up at the male one curiously, imagining the face beneath the dark hood. Before she could say anything, the guide unveiled himself and smiled pleasantly at her.
"I wanted to surprise you at the village," said Zeru. "But I just couldn't help myself."
An awkward silence continued as Zecora looked at the stallion questioningly. "I am sorry, have we met?" she asked, confused. "Forgive me for not introducing myself yet.
He chuckled. "No need. I guess my walkabout was longer than I thought."
Zecora's eyes suddenly bugged. She had been trying to make the connection to the strangers face, but she knew deep in her mind that it couldn't be. And yet, her heart knew that it definitely was. "Can it be true?" she gawked. "Is it you, Zeru?"
The stallion stared at his foalhood friend happily. Once a scrappy little colt, Zeru had grown into an impressive figure of a stallion. Years of training in multiple martial arts around the world had made him strong and muscular. His mane had been shaved with nothing left but a rattail, and the light armor of a village guardian proved that he had succeeded in his family's destiny. Zecora couldn't comprehend that this was the same playful colt she had befriended so many years ago, but she knew it indeed was. To her, he looked quite handsome.
"I missed you, Zecora." Zeru said warmly. "You look amazing."
Zecora stared in awe at her long lost friend a bit more. But she managed to shake off her gawk and return the welcoming smile. "You as well, my friend." She said simply, containing her giddiness. "It is great to see you again."
"I suppose we have some catching up to do." Zeru said as he turned away. "I'll take you all to the village now."
As the other three followed him, Zecora stayed where she stood for a moment. Deep down she was genuinely ecstatic to gaze upon her dear friend again after so long. And yet, she knew that it also brought her more heartache, remembering how she and Zeru parted ways. In a rare occasion, Zecora struggled to think of what to say.
Chapter 3: The Madame
The setting sun cast shadows from the drooping willow trees that stretched over the murky waters of the bayou. There was a serene level of silence that enveloped the wilderness, save for the symphony of frogs and bugs from the tangled bushes. All that broke the flat surface of the swampy river was the small wooden boat piloted by Zeru, as he transported Twilight, Rainbow, Spike and Zecora as his passengers. Normally, ponies would use electric fan boats to maneuver the winding streams of the Port-au-Prance thicket. But zebras had a deep respect for nature and avoided using such technology that would disturb their carefully preserved land.
Twilight marveled at the local flora and fauna seen and heard around her as the boat cruised down the river, while Spike gazed absentmindedly at the muddy water wondering what manner of wildlife lurked below. Rainbow simply lay on her back and stared up at the canopy, her mind still on food. Zecora couldn't help sneaking glances at Zeru, who was on the stern end of the boat pushing along with a rod against the shallow river's floor.
"Spike, quit sticking your claw in the water." Twilight warned her assistant. "These rivers are teeming with alligators."
"Ah come on," scoffed Spike. "How bad can they be? If anything I'm like a distant cousin to them."
"You can say that, little dragon," chuckled Zeru. "But these gators have been known to even attack their own."
"I'm about to attack somepony if I don't get some grub soon." Rainbow grumbled.
"Rainbow are you just going to lounge around this entire journey?" discerned Twilight. "You should really be more appreciative. Not many ponies get to see these parts of Port-au-Prance. Right, Zeru?"
"I suppose," he said. "But then again, that is also a good thing. With not many ponies arriving in this country, we zebras have been given a chance to flourish and preserve its nature."
"How come this place is so un-visited anyway?" asked Rainbow.
"Many outsiders are too afraid to travel here." Zeru answered. "It is mainly because of superstition about zebra magic and myths about voodoo. But from what I could tell, zebra magic is really quite wonderful." He said giving a knowing smirk at Zecora, who responded with a slight blush.
Suddenly, the boat began to rock as the sound of splashing came along with a low rumble.
"AAAAAHH!!!" Spike screamed as he sprang backward and into Rainbows hooves, cowering in fright. "It's bigger than I thought!"
Everypony looked to see the head of a large alligator poking up over the side of the boat, smacking its powerful jaws.
"Eep!" Twilight yelped as she joined Spike and Rainbow for a group cowering. "Spike what did I just tell you?!"
"I said I wanna eat, not be eaten!" griped Rainbow.
The boat shook violently as the gator attempted to crawl over inside, swiveling its thick, green head in lust for food. Zecora and Zeru remained strangely calm, the latter of whom approached the ravenous reptile with a stern expression. With one swift blow, he raised his long rafting rod and thwacked the gator on the head right between its glassy eyes. The strike apparently had hit precisely on the gator's head enough to make the beast instantly delirious. Soon it began to sway its head dizzily and loosen its grip on the boat. Finally, with an aggravated grumble, the gator plunged back into the river, slinking off to find prey elsewhere.
"No worries," said Zeru proudly. "That was just a pup compared to the other gators around here."
"Oh," replied Twilight with a bead of sweat. "What a relief."
Eventually, the still river carried their boat to a rickety dock built on the bank, the anticipation for more alligator attacks heightened. Nighttime approached, sheathing the swamp in a looming darkness. Zeru urged his visitors not to linger, lest they be hounded by nocturnal predators. But as Twilight, Rainbow and Spike exited the boat, Zecora hesitated. She had been stewing with a quiet guilt the entire cruise, and now she felt it hard to even look at Zeru despite the joy of which.
"Are you coming, Zecora?" asked Zeru, lending her his hoof to exit the boat. "It is getting dark soon."
Zecora sighed and looked at him. "Before we continue towards our home," she spoke. "There is something I must atone."
"Are you alright?"
"Zeru, your help and kindness I did not earn." She said. "I failed my promise and left before your return. For all these years I've felt weight on my heart, thinking we'd be forever apart. I feel ashamed for abandoning you and this land. So if you resent me...I understand." Zecora lowered her head in sorrow.
But Zeru quickly lifted her chin and looked at her with the same purple eyes she knew from foalhood. "I am not mad at you, Zecora." He said with a smile. "You said we would see each other again, and we have. That is all that matters to me."
Zecora looked into the stallion's soft eyes and smiled. She held her friend's hoof trying to hold back tears. Despite her previous doubts, she finally felt confident returning to her home.
The bayou finally fell into darkness as Zecora and her friends continued on the path to her village. Fortunately, the moist forest was illuminated by the dance of fireflies. The faint ripples of the water and the sound of crickets and songbirds filled the air with pleasant white noise. They were joined by a series of squeaks and creaks from the planks of the old boardwalk as their hooves, and dragon feet, trod over them. To the three Equestrian travelers, the path through the dark swamp felt like a tunnel to another world, with the boardwalk surrounded by walls of withered trees and hanging vines; the scattered fireflies provided a brilliant torch. After several minutes of admiring the stroll, the ponies were finally led by Zeru to an opening in the foliage.
To their amazement, the clearing opened into a hidden swamp oasis, the water from the river draining out into a large pond flanked by tall trees. On the far side of the pond was the long anticipated village, a network of wooden platforms extending from the boardwalk and standing above the dark water on stilts. The lights of many candles created a warm glow that enveloped the village, tinted green by the surrounding flora. Already Twilight's party could see several zebras bustling between the thatched bungalows. The alluring dark beauty of the secluded civilization left them standing in awe unknowingly.
"Welcome to my home!" said Zeru proudly as he continued on the boardwalk that stretched around the pond. "It may not be as big or advanced as the cities of Equestria, but it is still pretty all the same."
"It's absolutely beautiful!" gazed Twilight. "I've never seen an entire zebra civilization. You weren't kidding when you said how much you value the nature of this place."
"It is still exactly as I recall." Zecora looked at her home with nostalgia. "I am glad to have returned after all. Although I have been away so many years. What will happen when my friends see me here?"
"It'll be alright," said Zeru reassuringly. "I have been telling them all that your travels have been going well."
"That is no lie," said Zecora. "Still it may bring a tear to my eye."
As the group entered the stilted village, already the zebras began to take notice of them. Luckily, Twilight showed off her diplomacy skills as a princess with smiles and waves, even though she was not the one they were giving the most attention to. Still, the visitation did not distract the striped natives from their daily errands. There were stallions busy with various tasks such as mending boards, wheeling carts full of crops and fishing off the docks below. The mares were also hard at work fetching water from a well, vending food and washing and hanging laundry outdoors. Even a group of zebra foals were out playing in the open village center, in a game of what appeared to be a mix of soccer and freeze tag. All the while, a number of eyes were drawn towards the foreigners and the two zebras guiding them. Zecora looked around anxiously. She recognized some of the faces and hoped dearly that none of them resented her. She kept her head low just in case.
"Zecora!" called an excited female voice.
Zecora's ears perked up and she looked around. Trotting towards her was a zebra mare dressed in a red headscarf and a necklace of wooden trinkets. Following beside her were two young foals, one colt and one filly, and resting in a sling over the mare's back was a baby who looked at the ponyfolk curiously. The mother of three beamed when she approached Zecora.
"I do not believe my eyes!" she spoke. "Zecora it is really you!"
Zecora quickly realized who it was. "Zusa? I recognize you anywhere!" she smiled. "You have become quite a beautiful mare!"
"Oh please, and you as well!" said Zusa giddily. "When I heard from Zeru yesterday that you were coming home, oh I just could not contain my excitement!"
"Wait, so the whole village knew that Zecora was coming?" asked Spike.
"Of course." Zeru answered then turned to Zecora. "I told you they would be excited."
"I must say, Zusa, you have not changed a tad." Zecora said. "Except now you are a mother, I might add!"
"Oh yes." Zusa blushed. "And would you believe I have another one on the way? I suppose Zinon has been keeping me quite busy. We have been together for almost ten years!"
"You and Zinon have tied the knot?" gawked Zecora. "I really have missed quite a lot."
"Oh but we are just so glad to have you back, Zecora!" Zusa hugged her.
The little filly beside her looked up at Twilight shyly. "Are you...are you a pony?"
"Why yes I am!" smiled Twilight. "My name is Twilight Spa-"
"Why do you have a drill on your head?" the filly asked innocently.
"This one has a parrot mane!" the colt shouted as he poked Rainbow.
"Hey got offa me!" Rainbow grumbled, trying hard not to buck the colt off of her back.
"Children please, leave our guests alone." Zusa ordered, motherly. She then turned to Twilight and Rainbow. "I am sorry about that. We are not used to outsiders. By the way, Zecora, your mother is waiting in her cottage. I have a feeling you must be dying to see her again."
Zecora hesitated for a moment, having nearly forgotten why she was there. "I am indeed. Forgive me but I must proceed."
"Oh of course, do not let me get in the way." Zusa replied happily. "Are you all staying for long?"
"Well, we're here on a mission of great importance," said Twilight. "So we might be here for a few days."
"Days?" said Spike nervously.
"Wonderful!" said Zusa. "In that case, we welcome you to our village! Especially you, Zecora. We really must catch up later! Come along, little ones!"
"Aww, but I wanted to ride the parrot pony!" whined the colt as the family headed off.
"I'll show you a parrot, you little-" Rainbow muttered to herself.
"Well then, we should really get to your mother's hut." Zeru said to Zecora. "I know she wants to see you most of all."
"I can see how." Zecora said, feeling a bit troubled. "Let us go see her now."
"By the way, doesn't this village have a name?" asked Spike.
"Yes, its name comes from an ancient zebra language." Zeru answered. "It is called Ouganoosimbassakinambomiku'otashilusa."
"Why in the world would you name it that?!" replied Rainbow.
"You will laugh when you hear what it means." Zeru grinned.
"Well this is a sight for tired eyes!" came a male voice from docks on the lower level beside them. "Zecora! It is me!"
"Zinon! It is great to see you finally!" Zecora smiled. "And I must compliment you on your family!"
"Ah yes, Zusa was itching to greet you!" The stallion wearing a ragged vest and a round straw hat appeared from a gangplank to the docks. He carried a bundle of freshly caught fish over his shoulder. "This calls for a celebration! Let me know when you and your friends get hungry! I will have a big cookout waiting for you!"
"That will certainly put me in a good mood." Zecora said. "It has been a while since I had Port-au-Prance food."
"Did somepony say food?!" blurted Rainbow. "Hey, Mr. Zinon! When is this cookout gonna be?"
"Eventually, Miss Flying Pony." Zinon shrugged a reply. "But for now I must get back to work. Welcome back, Zecora!"
As they continued through the village, Spike leaned over to Twilight. "Hey Twi, doesn't it bother you at all that none of these other zebras rhyme? I mean, does Zecora even wonder that?"
"Yes, Spike, that's exactly what we came all the way out here to find out." Twilight glowered.
At last, the team arrived at a larger wooden bungalow close to the nearby forest. Around the thatched cottage, the walls were adorned with an array of trinkets, idols and various decorations possibly meant to keep out bad spirits when practicing magic. The front windows were shut hiding any sign that somepony was home. But the wisp of smoke pouring out from a chimney indicated that there was activity inside. This was the home Zecora grew up in, and where her mother still resided. Zecora gave a sullen look as more foalhood memories came flooding back.
"It will be alright, Zecora." Zeru said. "Your mother is a kind mare."
Zecora sighed and shook off her remaining hang-ups. "I will enter my home. But I won't do it alone."
"Of course not." Twilight encouraged.
Slowly but surely, Zecora stepped up to the front porch of the bungalow where images of herself playing as a filly reawakened in her mind. As the others followed suit, she opened the door. The inside of the bungalow was just as Zecora had remembered it. The door opened up to a sizable main area with a lounge on the left side and a simple kitchen on the right. The walls were heavily decorated with more magic items, including masks, amulets, rosaries, wind chimes, dream catchers and fragrant herbs. In front of the kitchen was a cauldron boiling above a low fire, the steam from which rose up through the chimney. In fact, much of these features were replicated in Zecora's hut outside Ponyville. There was a quiet serenity in the home that only a mother could maintain. That is until the peace was broken by-
"BLAH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
A large, ghastly, hideous face appeared from the darkness of the room. It stared down the visitors with glaring, beady eyes and a snarling mouth full of bloodied fangs. Twilight jumped into Rainbow's hooves while the effeminate scream from Spike caused him to faint from exhaustion. Only Zecora and Zeru remained calm at the sight of the grizzly mask, the latter of whom simply grinned with delight.
"My my, that never gets old!" came a warm voice with a chuckle.
"Really, Madame Zaria," said Zeru. "You have quite a sense of humor."
The mask was removed by the kindly face behind it. Madame Zaria, the wise shaman of the village, smiled at them all with heartfelt jade eyes. She was dressed in an elaborate violet robe with red trim, and a necklace of different talismans hung from her neck. Multiple rings pierced along her ears, with one on her nose and one on her lip. Her mane was styled into a bundle of dreadlocks that hung down the back of her head. Above all, her face barely showed any signs of aging; even Twilight could almost mistake her for Zecora. She was a mare of timeless beauty and alluring wisdom, which made her so revered in the village.
"Mother, I...I have gotten your letter." Zecora said awkwardly. "I hope that you-"
Zaria held a hoof up to Zecora's mouth, interrupting her speech, something that no pony had ever seen or done before. Still staring at her warmly, she then brushed her hoof through her daughter's mane. The last image she had of Zecora was her in her adolescence. Zaria took her time looking upon her only child now grown up.
"You still have that messy stallion's manecut." Zaria spoke in a deep female tone not unlike her daughter's. She then carefully touched Zecora's hoop earrings. "But at least you kept my jewelry I gave you."
The bluntness of Zaria's welcome was typical of the wise mare's abrasive wit. And it was one of the biggest things about her that Zecora missed the most. Unable to stop the tears welling up in her eyes, Zecora quickly wrapped her hooves around her mother. The velvet of her robe and the lingering scent of incense made her feel at home again, as if she were still that same filly. Zaria held her daughter tight, rubbing her back.
"Oh Mother, I have missed you so." Zecora trembled. "I am sorry for causing you such woe."
"My darling I have missed you too." Zaria said soothingly. "I knew you would come home someday."
Twilight admired the tender moment along with Rainbow. "Rainbow? Are you crying?" she asked.
"No!" she sniffed. "It's just...swamp...allergies."
Zecora parted from her mother and looked at her pleadingly. "Mother, I have been gone for so long. I was afraid that coming here would be wrong. When I left you and all those things I had said, I could not get them out of my head. It was selfish of me to walk out on you then. That is why I thought you would not want to see me again."
"Zecora," replied Zaria calmly. "You were already a young mare when I tried to teach you about voodoo. You were just about ready to be on your own anyway. I admit I was saddened that we had to part over such a matter. But in my heart I knew you would be better off. Every day I could sense your energy, and I would smile knowing that you still practice my teachings, especially to help your friends in dire need. Zecora, what happened that day matters not. To see you as a grown, beautiful mare, so wise and noble in the magic arts, makes me more proud as a mother than I have ever been."
Zebra wiped her eye as she smiled with relief at her mother's words. "I still use your spells from time to time." She said. "Even the one that turns juice into wine."
"Oh yes." Zaria smirked. "I should never have taught you that on your birthday."
Both zebra mares snickered together, recalling their days of pulling mischief with their magic.
"Um, excuse me, Madame Zaria," said Twilight. "My name is-"
"Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria." Zaria greeted her by rubbing her mane messily. "I read your letter with Zeru. My word, your magic aura is extraordinary. I sense that you have studied much in the ways of alteration."
"Wow!" Twilight blinked. "I actually majored in alteration at Canterlot Academy! How did you pick up on that?"
"It was an inspired guess." Zaria grinned. "And who might you be, whose mane resembles that of a macaw?"
Rainbow let the remark slide. "Uh, my name is Rainbow Dash." She replied sheepishly. "And I'm here with Twilight to...um..." Before she could think of something to end on, Rainbow's stomach gave off a loud growl.
"Child, I know exactly why you are here." Zaria said strongly. "That is why I have been boiling a gumbo in just enough time for you all to arrive."
"Food?" whimpered Rainbow.
"Are you sure, Madame Zaria?" asked Twilight. "We don't want to intrude."
"Miss Princess, please!" Zaria gave her another mane rub. "You are in a mother's home, so you will be fed by a mother. Come! In this house now! You as well, Zeru!" she beckoned cheerily.
"Ugh, what happened?" gurgled Spike as he awoke from his faint. "Are we in Port-au-Prance yet?"
Zaria took the opportunity to don the monster mask again and yell a deep "boo" at the young dragon, causing him to sprint off outside and hide under a crate.
"What a strange little iguana." Zaria commented to herself.
...
For the next hour, the zebras introduced the three foreigners to the down-home cooking of Port-au-Prance. As they gathered around the kitchen table, their bowls were filled to the brim with piping hot gumbo, which consisted of a red bean broth, cabbage, mushrooms, yams and ground spicy peppers. At first, Rainbow and Spike were hesitant to try the potpourri of earthy foods due to the unfamiliar smell. But upon the first spoonful, they quickly asked for seconds, then thirds, then sixths. Eventually they both lounged in their chairs with distended bellies, the home-cooked meal having subdued them.
"Oh man," said Rainbow with a belch. "I like this place already."
"Imagine how good that would be with a few sapphires." Spike grunted.
"It is not often I get to cook for newcomers." Zaria said gratefully. "I suppose I have a lot of time on my hooves."
"It was delicious, Madame Zaria." Twilight said. "But it I may, we still have some pressing matters to look to."
"Oh?" replied Zaria, clearing the table. "And what would that be?"
Twilight looked puzzled at Zecora who only returned a shrug. "Um, you mentioned in your letter that somepony in the village is practicing voodoo. Is this true?"
"Ah yes, voodoo." Zaria spoke as she moved some boxes into the room in the back, seemingly distracted. "A very dangerous form of magic. It is not for the faint of heart."
Twilight tried to keep her patience. "Yes, and we were wondering if you had any leads on-"
"Deadly magic found in voodoo." Zaria continued speaking, now in the other room. "Very life threatening."
Twilight looked over at Zecora again, still not getting a straight answer out of her mother.
"Please forgive my mother's goof." Zecora said. "She can often be very aloof."
Deciding to changer her tactic, Twilight approached Zaria more casually about the situation at hoof. "So, Madame Zaria," she called. "These masks are very intricate. Where did you get them?"
Zaria reappeared from the back room. "I fear that a dark curse is upon our village." She said soberly.
"Um, okay." Twilight blinked.
"It has been three months since I first saw the signs." Zaria continued. "Ever since, the lurking presence of voodoo has become increasingly noticeable. My divination never lies."
"How did you first know there was voodoo being practiced around the village?" asked Twilight.
Zaria wore a chilled look as she recalled what she saw three months ago. "The graveyard. I was visiting to pay my respects when I saw that one of the graves had been disturbed. There was a hole in front of the stone and there was nothing inside. The body had disappeared. At first I suspected grave robbers. But the ground was penetrated from underneath. It was not dug up."
"Oh jeez, you don't mean it was..." Spike gulped. "A zombie?!"
"I cannot say for sure." Zaria said. "But if a corpse had indeed been removed in such a way, it could only be the work of voodoo. Long ago, it was practiced by many zebra shamans, borrowing haunting rituals from Zebrafican tradition. Their ultimate goal was raising the dead and even achieving immortality. It is said that these shamans were able to control resurrected bodies, by sacrificing the blood of a living zebra. But as our society grew more civilized, the ways of voodoo were forbidden, and until recently it has been nothing more than folklore and ghost stories."
"I dread the thought of the dead being raised." Zecora added. "Have you found more evidence in recent days?"
"As I have said, my dear, the source of this magic must be coming from a zebra within the village." Zaria replied. "I have been carefully investigating each and every citizen, but none of them has sown any signs of dark magic potential. It is quite frustrating."
"Are you sure it might be a villager?" asked Twilight. "Because I have a hunch that there may be outside forces in play."
"Why do you say that, child?" Zaria looked at her.
"On our flight here, we were attacked by a strange pony." Twilight explained. "He tried to crash our plane before flying off."
"He wore a gray suit and had a scar over his face's length." Zecora added. "He attacked me with knives with surprising strength."
"Wait a minute," Zeru spoke. "I have met a pony like that around Port-au-Prance! I was awaiting your arrival at the airfield when he appeared and asked me for directions."
"That must've been him!" gasped Twilight. "Zecora said that he mentioned Madame Zaria's name before he sabotaged the plane. He must be here in Port-au-Prance because he's somehow involved with whoever is practicing voodoo, and he's probably plotting something against Madame Zaria!"
"Did this dastardly pony give you his name, Zeru?" asked Zaria.
"No, but we might be able to find him." Zeru said. "When I first laid eyes on him, I could tell that he was untrustworthy. He asked me for the quickest route to this village which only made me more suspicious. So I gave him false directions that would lead him to the fishing village on the far side of the island. If I am correct, he still must be lost somewhere near there."
"Well then it looks like we have a lead!" said Rainbow excitedly. "Let's go whoop this guy's flank and ask him what he knows!"
"Sorry Rainbow," said Twilight. "But this is going to take a more...indirect approach. I suggest you and Spike stay here and help Madame Zaria look for more evidence. Zeru and I will go search for our scar faced assassin."
"What?!" glowered Rainbow. "How come you and Muscles over here get to hunt down the bad guy while I gotta stay put?!"
"If it is excitement you are looking for, my winged filly," said Zaria slyly. "Then perhaps you would like to assist Zecora and me with some spells. There will be more food where that came from."
"In that case, home sweet home!" grinned Rainbow.
"Glad to hear it!" said Zaria. "And we can even use your lizard as a spell subject!"
"But I'm a dragon!" protested Spike. "I can talk!"
"Quiet, iguana!" murmured Rainbow.
"We could still catch this mystery pony if we take the route I gave him." Zeru said as he stood up. "We can leave now."
"Certainly not!" said Zaria motherly. "It is far too dark outside, young Zeru! My home will be open for our guests to stay for the night. We can begin investigation tomorrow."
"Are you sure, Madame Zaria?" asked Twilight. "The sooner we catch this pony the better."
"I am most grateful that you have come all this way to help an old mare in her endeavor." Zaria smiled. "But under my roof you will be treated like family! Besides, I have much confidence that we will find that pony and put an end to this curse before it begins."
"We thank you for your generosity, Madame Zaria." Twilight nodded.
"I'll say, I'm beat." Rainbow rubbed her face. "After today I gotta recharge my adventure mode."
"So that's what she calls it." Spike mumbled to himself.
"The three of you can find a spare room in the back where I have set up beds." Zaria stood up. "I hope you will sleep well."
Before joining Rainbow and Spike in turning in for the night, Twilight turned and spoke. "Seriously, Madame Zaria, I'm really fascinated by those masks. Do you use them for certain kinds of rituals?"
"Mostly I just use them to scare other silly!" grinned Zaria. "There are several masks in the guest room for you."
"Oh swell." Spike whimpered as the three of them exited.
"Well then, I should return home to get some rest myself." Zeru said. "Princess Twilight and I will set out for the swamp tomorrow morning." Before heading for the door, he looked back and winked at Zecora. "Welcome back again, Zecora."
Zecora smiled coyly at him as he exited the bungalow, leaving her alone with her mother.
"Ah, that look on your face." Zaria said knowingly. "A mother can tell when a mare is in love!"
"What?! Mother I am not-"
"Zecora, there is no reason to be embarrassed." Zaria interrupted her again. "Zeru has grown into quite an enticing stallion."
Zecora pinched her brow as she walked off. "Mother I appreciate the gesture, but about this I wish you would not pester!"
"Whatever you say, my child!" giggled Zaria. "Pleasant dreams!"
Chapter 4: Unrest in the Forest
As the calls of parrots sounded from far away, Twilight and Zeru trekked through the humid forests of Port-au-Prance. Zeru cleared a path through the dense foliage, careful not to leave a carbon hoofprint to upset the wildlife, as he relied on his tracking skills as a village guardian. Together with Twilight's magical clairvoyance, he searched thoroughly for any signs of the scar-faced pony that had already caused them trouble the day before. Their hopes were in finding the foe in the wharves on the edge of the island nation.
"We should be more than halfway there." Zeru said as he stood atop a log and gazed around. "I just hope that this pony hasn't realized I gave him false directions."
"Unbelievable!" Twilight exclaimed as Zeru turned toward her. She gleamed at the sight of a purple tree flower. "This species of hydrangea miraculus is not found in any other part of the world! Notice the stench it produces to ward off insects! Oh I must take a sample!"
"Um, Princess Sparkle?" Zeru cleared his throat.
"Right, sorry." Twilight smiled sheepishly and continued following the zebra native.
The two resumed their travel through the bayou for several more minutes before coming across a babbling brook beyond the thicket. But accompanying the sound of the trickling water was a more peculiar one. It was the twang of a banjo plucking a jaunty melody, and sure enough, Twilight and Zeru found its source. They cleared more vines and stopped at the end of a rickety bridge over the stream. Sitting with his hooves over the bridge's edge was a lone pony plucking away on the banjo. Alerted by the sight of a strange pony, Zeru tensed up and reached back for his weapon.
"No wait," whispered Twilight. "He doesn't look like the one we're searching for."
She and Zeru cautiously approached the lime green stallion perched on the bridge, wearing denim overalls and a straw hat. The stranger barely seemed to notice the two stepping onto the rotted planks. He simply continued plucking notes peacefully.
"Um, excuse me?" said Twilight after a moment. "Sorry to bother you but have you seen a gray pony come by, with a gray suit and scar down his face?"
The green pony paused his music and tipped his hat up to look at the pair with a grizzled face. "Naw. Ain't see nuttin' like dat 'round heya, ma cheri." He spoke with a rasp. "If'n ya need ta find a pony, check by da wharves, compre vous?"
"Is that a pony dialect?" Zeru whispered to Twilight.
"I'm not really sure." Twilight replied. To her the stallion's accent sounded like a bad impression of her friend Applejack attempting to speak Prench. "Thanks anyway. Also, if you don't mind me asking, do you live out here?"
"Shaw do, ma'am!" smiled the banjoist. "The name's LeCroix! Been livin' outcheya in the bayou fo 'bout twenty yeahs now. Been wranglin' up gatahs an'em. Big ol' monstahs dem gatahs. They eatcha up and spitcha out!"
Twilight blinked at the gruff pony for a moment. "Well thanks for the warning. We'll just be on our way then. You have a good day now, sir!"
"Bon voyage!" LeCroix bid them as they crossed the bridge. "Oh but one maw thing! Eithah ya happen ta know Madame Zaria?"
Both Twilight and Zeru stopped in their tracks and turned around suspiciously. "Yes?" answered Twilight. "How do you know her?"
"I don't." LeCroix stood up. "But now I know who you aw, ma cheri!"
The backwoods pony then procured a machete and lunged quickly in Twilight's direction, freezing her in surprise. But Zeru's trained reflexes allowed him to hold LeCroix off before he could reach the mare, blocking the machete with a traditional spear. LeCroix attempted to slash at the zebra persistently. But Zeru proved mightier and more agile, deflecting every clumsy swing. Quickly gaining the upper hoof, Zeru backed LeCroix across the bridge battering him with the blunt end of his spear, until giving him a finishing whack. LeCroix hurled over the bridge and landed with a thump on the riverbank Twilight and Zeru entered from. But he was far from beaten as he sat up and let out a sharp whistle.
Before Zeru could cross the bridge back the way he had come, the water in the stream below burst as a large creature rose up and pulled itself up onto the wood. Blocking the way was a bloated alligator, brandishing its teeth and letting out a hungry reptilian hiss. Zeru knelt as he held his spear at the ready.
"Nevah mess wit da bayou, mon frere!" cackled LeCroix. "Now y'all 'bout ta fee mah pet!"
As Zeru held his guard, the gator leaped forward a bit and snapped its powerful jaws, causing the zebra to step back. But the weight of the reptile proved too much for the rickety bridge which now wobbled and creaked madly. With another lunge, the gator drew closer to Zeru and sent a series of wooden planks plopping into the water. Instantly, the rest of the bridge crumbled with a loud crack, sending Zeru falling off his hooves and into the drink along with the gator.
"Zeru!" shouted Twilight as she watched her guide being carried away in the current, the alligator swimming close behind him.
"Au revoir, mainlandahs!" mocked LeCroix as he scurried off into the jungle.
Twilight glared and charged her magic as she prepared to pursue the assailant. But she quickly realized that saving Zeru from either a watery grave and a gator's jaws was a crucial matter and flew off downstream. As she readied her horn for a spell, Twilight found Zeru already a long distance from the crashed bridge. He surrendered himself to the flow of the stream, struggling to battle the gator; he had wedged his spear in the reptile's gaping maw as it thrashed and hissed.
"Princess Twilight! Be careful!" called Zeru between spitting out water. "This beast can snatch you out of the air!"
As she sailed over the river, Twilight considered his warning. Even if she tried to levitate Zeru out of the water the gator could simply breach and pull him back in. Her mind raced until she came up with a solution.
"Hang on, Zeru!"
Instead of using her magic on her ensnared ally, Twilight cast her aura on multiple vines draping from a low willow branch. With calculated attention, she used her magic to tie and twist the vines as she flew faster downstream ahead of Zeru. Quickly she manipulated her aura to tie both ends of her creation to trees on both sides of the river, revealing a large vine net with large holes in the mesh. As the net rested in the water, Twilight hovered and anxiously watched Zeru and the alligator approach.
Exactly as she planned, Zeru passed through one of the holes of the net, continuing his ride downstream. The gator on the other hoof was far too big to be filtered through and became caught in the net which stretched from the pressing weight. With the reptile now stuck, Twilight hurried to levitate Zeru out of the water at last, placing him on the riverside they had meant to cross to.
"That was amazing, Princess Twilight!" said Zeru, dripping wet. "I must thank you."
"Don't mention it." Twilight shrugged. "But I don't think we've seen the last of that gator wrangler. If he knew Madame Zaria and that we were after the scar pony, then I bet he must be in league with him."
"It appears that our enemies are growing." Zeru said somberly. "And that means Madame Zaria is closer to danger. Should we head back to the village?"
"No, we came too far to stop searching." She said. "Besides, if any trouble comes to the village, I'm sure Rainbow and Spike will be able to handle it."
...
"Please. Help me!" whimpered Spike.
"Sorry, buddy," shrugged Rainbow. "But I'm not letting this moment go to waste."
"Rainbow I hate this!" Spike glared as he stood on a barrel between Zecora and Zaria. His purple and green scales were now an orange and bright pink.
"These color potions create a wonderful hue." Zecora admired the effects of their testing on the dragon. "Do you think we can make him any shade of blue?"
"This is cruel and unusual!" grumbled Spike.
"Relax, my reptilian fellow." Zaria said to him with a chuckle. "These potions are perfectly harmless. And I will make you all the gumbo you can eat when we are done."
"But what's the point of a color potion anyway?" he replied.
"The possibilities are endless, Spike," said Zecora. "When you can change any color you like."
"Now be a good iguana and try the next one." Zaria said.
"Rainbow get me out of this!" quipped Spike.
"Nah, I think I'll go find me some shrimp around this village." Rainbow said as she exited the bungalow.
"Rainbow!!!"
As she left Spike to more magical experimentation, Rainbow trotted off in search of more local eats. The village was still abuzz with zebras going about their daily chores, some of whom stopped to give the blue pegasus a second look, either out of interest or suspicion. Rainbow simply smiled and waved at whoever made eye contact showing only friendliness for her fellow equines; she didn't quite mind standing out in a crowd. But as she strolled on, Rainbow was caught off guard by a zebra filly bumping into her side.
"Oh! Sorry, Miss Pony!" the filly said embarrassed. "I was not looking where I was going."
"Ah that's alright, short stuff." Rainbow smiled at the young zebra and noticed that she had dropped a doll in front of her when she collided. But it was only when the filly retrieved the doll when something about it caught her eye. "Hold on a second. Can I see that doll of yours?" asked Rainbow.
"Oh, yes!" the filly gladly held up the toy. "Isn't she pretty? I call her Princess Purple!"
Rainbow looked quizzically at the burlap rag doll, not paying any real attention to what the filly was saying. What intrigued her was the fact that it did not appear to be a zebra, but a pony. As the name suggested the doll was lavender purple with a darker purple mane and tail; there even seemed to be an indistinguishable cutie mark on the doll's flank. There was something about the doll's appearance that unsettled Rainbow and she hoped it was not the first reason that came to mind.
"Um, say kid," she said inquiringly. "Why don't you let me borrow that doll for a while?"
"No!" blurted the filly, sticking out her tongue. "She's mine! I found her first!"
Rainbow sneered at the foal's attitude but kept her cool. "I think I know somepony who would really like to play with her."
"Well, there were other dolls where I found Princess Purple!" said the filly.
"Found her?" replied Rainbow. "What do you mean? Where?"
"In the edge of the forest!" the filly answered. "Right near the graveyard! I do not know where they came from, but there is a lot of dolls right by there! And Princess Purple is my favorite!" she said as she hugged her companion. "Come on, Princess Purple, let's go braid your mane!" With that, she giddily trotted away.
A worrying feeling dropped in Rainbow's stomach as she stood pausing for a bit before cantering away towards the treeline behind the village. She hurried up the boardwalks, careful not to raise alarm from any passersby, until she set her hooves onto the muddy land. Slowing down, Rainbow darted her head around looking at the looming trees that shrouded her in near darkness. She followed a clearing that led deeper into the woods until she finally came upon a clearing.
Before her was a field of gravestones, illuminated only by whatever sunlight had managed to drip through the canopy. Rainbow found herself staring frozen at the eerie, haunting site, graveyards not being on her list of favored attractions. But when she finally snapped out of her gaze, she turned her head to the right and spotted something behind a rock. Approaching closer, Rainbow became dumbfounded. Just as the filly claimed, there indeed was a group of rag dolls, neatly placed sitting against the rock. And as if to send more chills down her spine, one of the dolls in the middle featured a light blue coat and a multicolored mane and tail, staring at nothing with magenta button eyes.
"Oh crap."
...
After a couple more hours of navigating the dense bayou, Twilight and Zeru finally reached an area near the coast where the foliage began to disperse. A different flowing brook led them towards a grassy clearing that melted into a sandy beach, where the ocean lapped gently against the shore about thirty yards away. A flock of seagulls called while flying overhead as the two adventurers embraced the serene coast which provided a pleasant change from the unknown of the dangerous forest.
"This is it." Zeru said, looking to the left. "The wharves should be less than half a mile that way."
"Are you sure our man will still be here?" asked Twilight. "There's a good chance that he might have caught on that you gave him bad directions. He could've left by now."
"Either way we must try." Zeru replied as he walked along. "Besides, I doubt he'll be able to traverse the jungles by himself."
"That's true." Twilight continued beside him. "He doesn't have the guidance of a knowledgeable village guardian."
"Trying to flatter me, Princess?" joked Zeru. "I hope this island heat is not getting to you."
"I guess I could use a drink." Twilight wiped her forehead.
"Then we shall drink to our health back in the village with cider!" he grinned.
"You have cider here too?"
"Of course. Banana cider is a favorite beverage of zebras."
"Hmm...I shall have to try some."
As the sun beat down, Twilight and Zeru circled the beach while trying not to let the peaceful scenery distract them from their hunt for danger. Soon they came upon a line of docks stretching out into the rising tide. Several sailing boats were moored beside them bobbing against the swell; their sails rippled from the breeze as the wood creaked from years of use. Before approaching the closest dock, Zeru knelt down and examined the sand.
"There are tracks here." He said. "Hoof prints. And they may be from yesterday since the tide does not reach this far."
"Maybe they're from a fisherman." Twilight shrugged.
"Not likely." Zeru pointed. "These are pony tracks, not those of a zebra."
"Seriously?" Twilight tried to make out the faint dents in the sand. "How can you tell?"
"When you become a village guardian you learn everything about tracking." He said proudly. "Zebra hoof prints would be smaller and more hollowed. Pony prints usually have a thicker appearance. No offense."
"Uh, none taken." Twilight blinked.
"But what confuses me is that the prints seem to begin in the middle of the sand." Zeru scratched his chin. "There is no sign of the pony starting tracks from the jungle. It is as if they began walking on the sand just here next to the dock."
Twilight snapped to attention. "It was a pegasus! They must have flown here and landed here beside the dock. And unless Rainbow has been snooping around the beach unbeknownst to us, it had to have been the assassin. Zecora said that he was a pegasus too."
"That is possible." Zeru replied. "I cannot imagine any other roaming these docks unheard of."
"Yeah, why isn't there anypony here for that matter?" asked Twilight.
"These vessels are only used for certain fishing seasons." Zeru answered. "Otherwise they are left alone. None are allowed to take the ships sailing outside of fishing season."
"Perfect hideaway for a criminal." Twilight said as moved forward. "Come on, let's see if we can find anypony."
The both of them stepped onto the sand end of the dock, treading lightly as the wood had taken on much wear and tear. They set their gaze on the boat tied to the other end, an old miniature caravel with a single mast, listing ever so gently with the rocking tide. Surprisingly, the deck was mostly clean of debris and the sail appeared properly tied up above.
"This boat has a boarding plank, unlike the rest of them." Twilight noticed.
Zeru insisted on boarding the vessel first, weary of any lurking traps or ambushes. He cautiously stepped on deck and darted his eyes from bow to stern. Before Twilight could follow, a noise suddenly came from within the ship. Zeru stood guard and laid a hoof on his spear, as he heard the banging of wood from beneath the deck. He slowly made his way to the hatch in the center.
"Stay behind me, Princess Twilight." He warned. "We are not alone."
Twilight nodded and tip-hoofed quietly behind him, charging her magic in preparation. Zeru carefully lifted open the hatch without causing a thud and began to creep down the steps to the hold below. The sound of thumping against wood grew louder as they entered and quickly found themselves in the presence of the source. Hearts pumping, the pair turned towards the stern end and crept more into the dimly lit cabin. At last, they finally approached a metal door, lined with bars.
Despite the darkness they could both barely see a shadow in what appeared to be a brig. The figure seemed to be kicking against the hull and trying to let out a voice, which only sounded muffled. Though the sight was difficult to make out, Twilight and Zeru mutually understood the situation. Fortunately, Twilight came armed with a lock-picking spell and immediately started to open the key lock on the door, as Zeru sheathed his spear. Opening the door, they both stepped in and approached the struggling prisoner. But as soon as Twilight illuminated her horn, she gasped loudly.
"What is it?" asked Zeru. "Do you know this pony?"
"Yes, I do! And it just means this whole voodoo scare goes much deeper!" Twilight quickly knelt down and removed the rope that tied around the mare, and the gag from her mouth. "Miss Yearling, it's me, Twilight Sparkle! What happened to you?!"
"A whole damn lot happened to me!" glowered Daring Do.
Author's Note
Sorry for going a day over a month! Just pretend it's a day behind since it's a leap year!
Chapter 5: Master and Apprentice
"What an extraordinary find," said Zecora, huddled with the others in Zaria's cottage. "It is almost too much for the mind."
"You're telling me!" blurted Rainbow as she held up the burlap doll that eerily resembled herself. "Zecora, you're saying you've never seen anything like this?"
"I had only heard stories when I was small," replied Zecora. "But I have never encountered a real voodoo doll."
"Voodoo dolls?" Spike quivered as he inspected one of the expressionless figures, holding it in his claw like he would an action figure. It was one of a zebra but not one that he recognized. "You mean these are the things used to make ponies float in the air and stuff?"
"They are far more powerful than that, reptile." Madame Zaria said sullenly. She took the doll away from Spike and gently placed it back on the lounge table. "Dark shamans and sorcerers have used them to invoke curses and pestilence on others who they felt deserved so. But this is a practice that has not been seen for centuries."
"If nopony's used these things for that long then why did I come across a buttload of them in the cemetery?" discerned Rainbow.
"What exactly were you doing in the cemetery, Miss Dash?" asked Zaria.
"I came across this filly who said there a bunch of dolls in there." Rainbow answered. "Call me crazy but...I think she was holding one that looked like Twilight."
"Come on, Rainbow," scoffed Spike. "You don't really think somepony here has a Twilight doll, do you?"
"If somepony can make a doll of me in a place half the world away then it's possible, Spike!" glowered Rainbow.
"Well who's to say this is even you? Besides, we don't know if these are real voodoo dolls or not, do we?" Spike recklessly grabbed the light blue, multicolored maned doll and began whirling it around. "Look at this! I'm making you fly against your will, Rainbow! Is it working? I don't think so! And look, now I'm making you dance!"
"Stop it, Spike!" huffed Rainbow.
"And now I'm making you kiss a guy!" Spike then swiped a zebra stallion doll and began mashing it against Rainbow's. "Whoa get a room, Rainbow, you're in public!"
Rainbow immediately smacked the blue doll out of his claw. "Do that again and I'll feed you to your cousins in the river!"
"Aha!" Spike jabbed a finger. "If you really believed that's a voodoo doll of you, you wouldn't have smacked it out of my hand! What do you think of that?!" he boasted before being smacked in the cheek in similar fashion by Rainbow.
"Voodoo dolls do not work like that; for now they just sit still." Zecora explained while inspecting some of the dolls to see if she could recognize a familiar face. "Only the one who enchanted them can control their victims' will."
Zaria gazed down at the pile of dolls strewn about on her table, pondering aloud. "Perhaps we are too quick to make conclusions." She said. "These toys may not be infused with voodoo after all."
"What?!" Rainbow interrupted. "Now you're downplaying this, Madame Zaria?"
"Miss Dash, the filly you met must have been Zenzi." Zaria said calmly. "She is a sweet child, but most of the time is a troublemaker. Not only does she scavenge the village looking for new toys and dolls to collect, but she also frequently wanders into the graveyard, I assume because her mother and father tell her not to."
"So this filly just found all of these dolls and gathered them up in the graveyard?" queried Spike.
"It is a common tradition for zebras to bury their dead with dolls and idols to watch over them as their spirits pass on." Zaria said. "Zenzi must be playing with burial dolls. Sometimes children seem to forget their sense of spirituality."
"But that doesn't explain the one that looks like me," rebutted Rainbow. "Or the purple one that looked like Twilight."
"Zenzi's mother is a well-known seamstress." Zaria told her. "As well, almost the entire village came out to see you two ponies arrive yesterday. It is possible that Zenzi was delighted by your appearance and asked her mother to sew her dolls of you and Princess Twilight. She is quite a demanding child."
"Mother, I am surprised by your accusation." Zecora chimed in. "You are saying Zenzi did this out of admiration?"
"I doubt the filly has any connections with voodoo, my dear." Zaria replied with a smirk. "This occurrence with the dolls seems to be a misunderstanding. Of course I will have a word with Zenzi's mother once I have finished my work today."
"Madame Zaria," spoke Rainbow. "You're really not worried about this?"
"I do not doubt that there is still a dark magic presence among us," replied Zaria, turning toward her back room. "But we must not let innocent lives become entangle in our search."
As the elder zebra mare exited, Rainbow continued to stare down at the pile of lifeless dolls, looking with disdain especially at the one that seemed to resemble her.
"You know, maybe there isn't really a voodoo curse here at all." Spike shrugged. "This could all just be a hoax or something."
"Oh please, Spike, I don't believe that for a second." Rainbow sneered. "These dolls have got creepiness written all over them and it's gotta be voodoo related. And I think we'll get some answers if we talk to Zenzi's mom first."
"I agree that the truth is still alluding." Zecora said. "But are you sure we will not be intruding?"
"All we have to do is ask her questions." Rainbow replied. "It'll be more of a relief if she and Zenzi are not tied to this curse. If it's not them, then somepony in this village is up to no good. And we'll be sure to find them!...I hope. Boy I really wish Twilight was here right now."
...
"Thank Celestia you found me!" panted the pony known as Daring Do. Twilight and Zeru had been spending the past few minutes tending to the novel-savvy archaeologist after finding her bound in one of the abandoned fishing vessels on the eastern Port-au-Prance shore. By the look of her matted mane and exhausted expression, Daring Do seemed to had been tied and gagged some time ago. After releasing her from the cell in the boat, Zeru offered her his canteen which she nearly guzzled down half of. He and Twilight then led Daring Do up out of the ship and onto the dock, the bright sunlight stinging her purple eyes.
"Miss Yearling," said Twilight, anxiously. "Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need any medicine at all?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." The treasure seeker replied as she rubbed her eyes. "Just give me a minute to explain."
"Princess Twilight, who is this woman?" asked Zeru.
"This is A.K. Yearling." Twilight said. "She's a famous writer from Equestria who write about her own exploits looking for treasure including ancient artifacts."
"Twilight, please," interrupted Daring Do, sticking her head up defiantly. "I'm only A.K. Yearling when I'm writing. Does it look like I'm writing right now?"
"...Okay. She's better known as Daring Do." Twilight shrugged. "But how did you end up in Port-au-Prance?"
"Now that I think about it, I should ask you that first, Princess." Daring Do said. "It's no surprise that I'm in a place like this, but seeing you here is certainly questionable." She turned to Zeru. "And with a handsome stud like this as well."
"I beg your pardon?" blinked Zeru.
"Zeru here is our local guide." Twilight explained. "I came here with Rainbow Dash and Spike to help our friend Zecora. Her mother says that there is a dark voodoo curse from a hidden source in her village. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"Voodoo?" said Daring Do skeptically as she tried to unwrinkle her vest. "All I know is that it was an ancient form of necromancy practiced by zebra shamans. But to me that stuff is just hokey superstition."
"That is not what Madame Zaria believes." Zeru said sullenly.
"Plus we have a hunch that this curse has some outside influence." Twilight continued. "On our flight here we were attacked by a pegasus stallion with a big scar over his eye. He disappeared before the place could crash and-"
"Did he wear a white suit and fedora?" asked Daring Do suddenly alert.
Twilight thought back for a moment. "Yes, he did! Do you know who he is?"
"Columbus." Daring Do said with venom. "He's the one behind this voodoo case of yours. And the guy who tied me up and kept me imprisoned here for three days!"
"My gosh!" gasped Twilight. "Who is this Columbus?"
"He was an old professor of mine from the University of Fillydelphia." Daring Do explained. "I studied in his archaeology class and even assisted him in retrieving artifacts on expeditions. He was a great mentor, but he was also...obsessed. Columbus kept going on about finding the Fountain of Youth whenever I'd work with him. I always thought he was just rambling, until he disappeared just before I graduated. It was then that I found out he had been charged with smuggling preserved artifacts out of underdeveloped countries, and so he evaded arrest. I spent part of my career tracking him down all over the world and I've been getting ever closer."
"And that's what led you to Port-au-Prance?" asked Twilight.
"Apparently." She shrugged. "I was actually following him on a flight over here three days ago. But he caught and incapacitated me, and next thing I know I wake up bound and gagged in this rickety boat. Columbus told me that he was so close to uncovering his fountain of youth and that he didn't want me interfering. But he also said he plans on keeping me around to witness when he does find whatever it is he's really looking for."
"I take it it's not a literal fountain." Twilight remarked.
"Nothing's ever literal in archaeology." Daring Do sighed. "But I'm positive Columbus's prize is buried somewhere in this voodoo mystery of yours. It sure is lucky you and I would find each other here."
"I'll say." Twilight smiled. "You can help us find the source of this curse and we can help you defeat Columbus! Plus Rainbow Dash will be dying to see you again!"
"Oh boy, working with her again. Lovely." Daring Do stifled a groan.
"We'll take you to the village we're staying in," said Twilight. "If you're well enough to travel that is."
"I always am, Princess Sparkle." Daring Do grinned smugly.
"Great. Lead the way, Zeru."
The male zebra paid no reply. For a silent moment he stared off up the side of the beach where the other docks stretched out. A quiver of worry appeared in his face. "Princess...do you remember how many ships were here when we arrived?" he asked.
"Um, five, I think?" shrugged Twilight.
"That is what I counted too." Zeru said as he stared out at the rest of the six ships bobbing in the shallow water.
"I must say you get around quick, Princess Sparkle." A voice came from the sand end of the dock. "You should have been an apprentice of mine."
"Columbus!" exclaimed Daring Do as the three turned around to see the enigmatic scar-faced stallion standing patiently on the dock, staring them down with a half smile and calm eyes.
Zeru instinctively drew his staff and readied himself in a battle stance, while Twilight charged magic into her horn. "I already have a teacher, thank you very much." Twilight said determinedly.
"You are an invader of a sacred land!" growled Zeru. "My people will see to your punishment!"
The pegasus named Columbus remained stoic as he brushed sand off of his white suit and spoke in a soothing yet icy tone. "I doubt that will be much of an issue for me."
Zeru could barely budge into an attack before the trap flew out from beside the dock and over him. A net weaved from vines was pulled him down, smacking his head onto the wood and causing him to drop his weapon. Now immobilized, Zeru peered his eyes up to see who had thrown the net, and horror struck over his face. Four zebra stallions stood over Zeru as they restrained him with the vine net. They wore the same light black armor and rattail manes as his, giving them away as village guardians.
"Brothers, what are you doing?!" grunted Zeru as he tried to break loose. He immediately recognized the zebras as his own comrades from his village, the same ones he had trained with since adolescence. But something in their shared expression he didn't recognize. Their eyes were listless and unresponsive, reacting only with strain from keeping their muscular fellow guardian under control. To Zeru, they were empty looks of betrayal.
"Stay away from him!" shouted Twilight as she prepared a repelling spell aimed at the zebra captors.
"My dear," said Columbus. "We can't have you wasting that precious alicorn magic of yours." Without a trace of worry in his face, the ex-archaeology professor reached his hoof inside the satchel strapped to his side. Without taking whatever he was holding out of the satchel, Columbus fidgeted his hoof around as if controlling some small device.
Before Twilight could cast her spell, her magic was suddenly interrupted. She gawked and felt as if all the energy in her body, physical and magical, suddenly came to a halt. "Wha...What's happening to me?!" she trembled. "I can't move at all!"
"It must be voodoo!" Zeru shouted as he struggled more. "This man truly is the one who brought the curse!"
"You're more perceptive than you look, warrior." Columbus mocked.
"Enough of this!" Daring Do glared as she charged after her former mentor. "You're gonna pay, Columbus!"
But all the middle-aged stallion had to do was step a few feet to the side to make her fall to the dock's surface as she lunged. Columbus pressed his other front hoof on her back. "I suppose I should have fed you something, my dear student. Then you would have stood a fighting chance."
Daring Do struggled in her weakened state after being imprisoned for three days. "Why are you here, Columbus?! At least have the dignity to tell me!"
"I've told you many times before, Miss Yearling," Columbus came face to face with her. "My ultimate quest is for the Fountain of Youth. And it's been waiting for me right here in Port-au-Prance. These naive zebras just have no idea."
"I am going to knock all the hot air out of your head!" seethed Daring Do.
"At least your grades were slightly better than your threats." Columbus scoffed. "I know you wish you could help me out on one more adventure, my lovely apprentice. But I'm afraid you are only an unnecessary distraction, or rather until I decide to conduct more experiments."
"What experiments?!" asked Twilight, still inanimate.
"That leads me to you, Princess Sparkle." Columbus approached her. "You'll find out soon enough." He then gave a sharp whistle and gestured one of the blank-faced zebra guards to apprehend the immobile alicorn and carry her away.
"Get off of me! Help!" shrieked Twilight.
"Princess Twilight!" yelled Zeru. He thrashed his body to and fro as the other three guards continued to tame him. One of them was then commanded by Columbus to knock him out, giving him a harsh wack on the head with his own staff. Zeru crumpled on the dock.
Daring Do gasped and stood up with a wobble. "You bastard!" she barked as she tried desperately to lunge at Columbus again. But she was easily tripped by the same zebra holding Zeru's staff.
"Fret not, Miss Yearling," said Columbus as he and his zebra lackeys prepared to depart. "My intention is not to kill you or the princess. Quite the opposite actually! Just be happy that I left you with a friend this time. When he wakes up, see if he'll help you off this primitive island and out of my mane. So nice to catch up with a former student. You were always my favorite, Miss Yearling. So much room for improvement." With that, Columbus exited the dock and joined his men aboard the sailing vessel that had just arrived.
Daring Do forced every fiber in her being to chase after her ex-professor. But she knew that the unconscious Zeru would be in danger if left alone. Plus the exhaustion from three days of starvation and confinement replaced all the energy she would need to even walk. Daring Do became delirious, her vision blurring and her legs stumbling. She quickly fell to the dock beside where Zeru lay, her last vision before loosing consciousness being Twilight screaming as she was taken captive by an educator turned criminal.
Author's Note
You thought I wouldn't be back, but guess what?!...Okay I'm really really really sorry for being four months late with this chapter. robot secretary! A sexy robot secretary! A sexy robot secretary who can make sushi! Anyway, enjoy some more voodoo!
Chapter Six: Daring Rescue
As life in the zebra village continued as normal, Rainbow, Spike and Zecora carried on their case of the ominous voodoo dolls. But the peace of the village was broken that day. Zecora backed nervously out of the home of the filly Zenzi's family as a mare inside shouted furiously in a native zebra dialect. As she exited, Rainbow clumsily stumbled out of the driftwood house and Spike was tossed out like a hoofball. The shouting continued as Rainbow raised her head.
"I said I was sorry!" she called as the door slammed on her.
"Your diplomacy, Rainbow, is really quite bad," said Zecora. "I have never seen Zenzi's mother so mad."
"Explain to me exactly what I said wrong!" rebutted Rainbow.
"Maybe implying to Zenzi's mother that she was somehow involved with voodoo?" glowered Spike. "You don't think that might tick somepony off a little?"
"It's not my fault she's overly sensitive, Spike!"
"Well now we are nowhere near finding a clue." Zecora said. "And we are still unnerved by the presence of voodoo."
"It doesn't look like any of the other villagers have anything to do with these dolls." Spike said, holding the collection of burlap effigies in a bag and playing around with the one resembling Rainbow. "You know these could make pretty neat collectibles!"
"Spike stop moving mine around like that!" Rainbow swiped the blue doll from him. "I'm not an airplane!"
"You just don't understand the novelty of collectible figurines!" argued Spike.
"Ugh, I'd vomit if I ever saw sweaty nerds like you playing around with dolls of myself." Rainbow gagged.
Zecora looked off in the direction of the woods for a moment. "I am growing quite concerned." She said. "By now Zeru and Twilight should have returned."
"You're right," replied Rainbow. "It'll get dark before they back. And neither of them could have gotten lost."
Spike gulped. "You don't think something bad happened to them, do you? I mean, maybe they just decided to make camp somewhere, right?"
"I don't want to take that chance." Rainbow said. "I say we head out and find them. If there's an outside presence on this island then Twilight and Zeru could very well be as in danger as this village."
"I agree we should go to their salvation," said Zecora. "But the three of us have no way of navigation."
"Why don't we ask Madame Zaria?" suggested Spike. "She ought to know her way through the jungle."
"Maybe." Rainbow nodded. "But we should also ask her if she knows anypony who can protect us like Zeru. Come on."
Before Zenzi's mother could chase them off her property, the three returned to Madame Zaria's bungalow, hoping Zecora's mother could further aid in their search. Upon entering, they found the hut empty and silent.
"Mother, are you home?" called Zecora. "We must find where our missing friends have roamed!" No reply came.
"She's not here?" Rainbow peered around. "Where else could she be?"
"Possibly in the market buying produce." Zecora answered. "But not this late in the day, I deduce."
The sound of a wooden object clunking on the floor came from the back room. "That must be her." Rainbow walked over. "Madame Zaria! Are you busy?"
Without knocking, Rainbow opened the door to Madame Zaria's bedroom, but not to find Madame Zaria. Instead, she gasped at an ornery green stallion rummaging through a chest of magic trinkets. The stallion paused his ransacking and darted up at Rainbow who clenched her teeth in anger.
"Aw scrimp!" the stallion blurted before making for the open window by the bed.
But Rainbow reacted swiftly and tackled the thief, pinning him down on the boardwalk outside the hut. "Where do you think you're going, dirtbag?!"
"I ain't got nuttin' witchu, pret gal, I ain't none nohow!" the panicked stallion said in a twangy accent.
"...What?!" replied Rainbow.
"Getchoff me ya craze'eyed cit' gal!"
"...What the heck are you saying?!"
Without replying, the gruff pony kicked Rainbow off his body and sprang back up to flee. Zecora then rounded her mother's home to catch up with the thief. She procured a hoofful of magic powder which blew in the stallion's direction. The dust enveloped the thief and immediately immobilized him, causing him to plummet to the board again. Zecora loomed over the crook with narrowed eyes.
"Who are you that are so bold," she interrogated. "As to steal from my mother's abode?"
The stallion calmed his breath to speak more clearly. "The name's LeCroix," he said with a spit. "And I ain't got nuttin' to tell ya, witchy woman!"
Zecora sneered at him and pulled a different magic powder from her saddlebag. "Trespassers like you make me sick. Why don't I show you a witchy trick?"
LeCroix gawked at the dubious substance. "Aright aright I'll talk, darn ya!" he sighed. "I work fow Columbus! He pay me ta stake aht dis heya village. Tol me ta keep a eye aht for some Madame Zaria at dis heya hut!"
"Who the heck is Columbus?" asked Rainbow.
"Jus' some fanceh citeh treasah huntah."
"Will you please speak Equestrian?! I can't understand a word you're saying!" bellowed Rainbow.
"This treasure hunter must be that pony in white," said Zecora. "Who nearly killed us in the middle of our flight."
"Hey yeah, and he must be the one after Madame Zaria!" Rainbow turned back to LeCroix. "Where is this guy now?"
"Don' know, I sweya!" answered the stallion. "Jus' that he wen' somewheya by da fishin' docks!"
"The docks?" Rainbow turned to Zecora. "That's where Twilight and Zeru were headed!"
"Heh heh, ya mean da big zebra an da purple alicone?" smirked LeCroix. "They gon' be dead soon if dey meet Columbus!"
Rainbow sneered down at him. "Not if you help us find them!"
"...Aw scrimp..."
...
After some serious convincing, Rainbow, Spike and Zecora managed to take on LeCroix as their temporary field guide, under threat of magical intoxication. He showed them to his electric-powered fan boat, hidden in the swampy overgrowth near the village. Rainbow and Spike were dazzled by the speedy watercraft, but Zecora was somewhat offended by such loud modern machinery finding its way into her hometown. Nevertheless, she convinced LeCroix to start up the windy vessel and he kindly piloted the group across the water into the thick bayou outside the village. The fan boat cruised along the same river that Zecora and her friends traveled on using Zeru's gondola. All the while Rainbow took the moment to enjoy the wind in her mane.
"Whoo! Now this is a river cruise!" she exclaimed.
"Ugh, not again!" Spike gurgled as he quickly vomited over the boat's side.
"Ey don' be pukin' up mah boat, lizid!" barked LeCroix.
"Jeez, Spike, first airsick, now you get seasick?" scoffed Rainbow. "We're not even on the sea!"
"Shut up, Rainbow, I can't help it!" Spike said, woozy. "I'm not used to fast motion!" He bent over for another hurl.
LeCroix gritted his crooked teeth as he steered the boat, begrudged by having to escort annoying city folk. Just then, he caught a glimpse of movement in the water to his right. He grinned to himself, knowing full well what was approaching the craft. As the swirling water got closer, LeCroix let out a loud whistle. The water burst as a swift alligator launched itself out of the river and grappled onto the side of the boat. Rainbow and Spike yelped in surprise.
"Das raht!" cackled LeCroix. "You in mah watahs nah! Git 'em mah pet!"
The gator slowly crawled toward the bow of the craft, setting hungry eyes on Spike cowering in the corner that wasn't currently weighed down. But as the terrifying reptile opened its maw, Zecora suddenly straddled its neck and grabbed the creature by its upper jaw. In a split second, she splashed a vile of potion into the gator's open mouth. The creature did not even clamp down on Zecora's hoof, instead beginning to slack and lose focus. Before anypony else knew, the gator slumped to the floor of the boat, lying in a completely relaxed daze. LeCroix stared in bewilderment.
"Wut didchu do ta mah pet?!" he yelled as he brought the boat to a halt.
"It is a ginseng elixir, nothing less." Zecora said as she gently stroked the gator's snout. "This gator will simply take a rest."
"Man, Zecora, you have a potion for everything!" Rainbow gleamed.
"Can we please just drop this thing off before he tries to go for more dragon chops?!" shuddered Spike, feeling even more queasy.
Zecora then glared at the baffled LeCroix. "You trap these innocent creatures and make them each your pet?" She suspected. "Why don't you keep moving this boat, before I do something I'll regret?"
LeCroix gulped. "Yes, ma'am." He started up the boat again.
...
After a couple hours of maneuvering through the perilous bayou, the fan boat finally reached the island's east coast, while the sun began to set in its last light of day. The trees dispersed as they approached a brackish delta where the fresh river water merged with the saltwater of the ocean. It was from here on that LeCroix picked up the speed of his boat and scaled up the sandy coast. The bobbing over the beach's tide made Spike's stomach practically launch into his throat, to the point where he began vomiting balls of fire.
Eventually, the rustic docks loomed in the distance with the old fishing vessels rocking with the tide. Rainbow took flight to get a better look for any activity ahead.
"Rainbow! Do you see Twilight?!" called Spike.
"No I don't!" she responded, then gasped. "But I see Zeru! He's on the beach!"
Sure enough, the strapping zebra was sitting now awake on the sand under the darkening sky. He sat by a small campfire burning from dry palm wood. His body was bruised and battered from the struggle that put him out of consciousness earlier, and the net he was ensnared in now lay nearby having been crudely gnawed through. Zeru looked out toward the water to see the loud fan boat approaching. He carefully stood up and tensed his body up ready to attack, despite having lost his guardian's staff. But his alertness turned into elation when he noticed Zecora standing in the rusty metal craft. Zeru trotted over to them as the boat ran aground on the wake.
"Zecora!" he smiled as he hugged his foalhood friend. "I am so relieved you are alright."
"Zeru thank goodness you're here!" said Zecora. "When you did not return I was stricken with fear."
"What happened, Zeru?" asked Rainbow, landing on the beach. "Where's Twilight?"
Zeru frowned, overcome with regret. He looked away from his acquaintance. "I am sorry. Princess Twilight was taken. We were ambushed and she was kidnapped by a dastardly pegasus named Columbus. It appeared he was the one who attacked you during your journey here days ago."
"Columbus took Twilight?!" grimaced Rainbow. "That bastard!"
"Heh heh heh, coulda sed he took dat preteh purple alicone!" LeCroix chuckled as he sat back in his boat. Rainbow responded to him by chucking a starfish in his face.
"But he was not alone." Zeru continued. "It was my horror to see that my brothers of the village guardians were under Columbus's control. They bound me and knocked me out before I could fight any of them off. They did not seem like themselves. Almost as if there was no life in their eyes."
"Zebras are working for this Columbus guy?" gawked Spike. "This island just keeps getting crazier!"
"But something tells me the guardians didn't do it voluntarily." Rainbow pondered.
"It is my fault." Zeru looked down in humiliation. "I failed to protect Princess Twilight. And now I do not know where she is. I have disgraced my duty as a guardian."
Zecora placed a calming hoof on his shoulder. "My dear Zeru, do not feel shame. There was nothing you could do, you are not to blame. Your brothers' betrayal was far too rough. But rest assured, with your help, we will find Twilight soon enough."
Zeru smiled softly and clasped his own hoof around hers. "I wish not to leave you again, Zecora." He said. "When I awoke just a few hours ago, I feared the worst for you."
"Do not worry for me, foolish man," Zecora gave him a wink. "For escaping danger I always have a plan."
"Au revoir, ya damn citeh folk an' chatteh zebras!" LeCroix cackled as he started up his boat and steered away from the beach.
Rainbow sulked. "Hang on." She then took off, swiftly gave LeCroix a beating and forced him to turn his boat back to shore all in just seconds. "Okay do we even want to keep this hillbilly with us? I'm pretty sure we can just take his boat and find our own way around the island."
"Wait, that is the man who attacked me and the Princess on the river!" Zeru stared daggers at LeCroix.
"Heh heh, um, no hawm dun ol' boy?" shrugged LeCroix, cowering under the zebra's might.
"Hey Zeru," said Rainbow. "Is somepony with you? Over there!" Beside Zeru's campfire, she trotted over to a blanket made of wide palm leaves. A pony's tail was sticking out from underneath.
"Oh yes," replied Zeru. "Princess Twilight and I found her under Columbus's capture. I am afraid we have an unconscious mare under our watch."
Rainbow immediately fainted upon lifting the leaf blanket.
Zeru stared blankly. "...Make that two."
"Holy crap! It's Daring Do!" Spike gawked as he rushed toward the conked out pony.
But Zeru quickly tripped him and sent him falling into the sand. "Please, do not disturb her. She has not eaten in days and has no energy to move. She was awake when we found her at the docks. But when I woke up, she was lying next to me. It seems her health is failing."
"No way," Spike looked down at the fading Daring Do. "What was she doing here anyway?"
"It is my understanding that she was a student of Columbus." Zeru said. "She must have come here to help vanquish the mysterious pony. I did not want to risk carrying her through the jungle. But if she does not get a doctor's help soon we will lose her to exhaustion."
Zecora approached and knelt down beside Daring Do. She carefully examined the treasure hunter's body and checked her vitals by hoof. Her still face was growing pale and cold. "She will survive, barely I'm sure." Zecora said. "With enough time I can prepare a cure. I will need help finding herbs for a special elixir. An awakening potion that will be enough to fix her."
"Of course." Zeru complied. "I do not think we will have to worry about our blue friend for now. She'll wake up soon, but hopefully not too soon."
"But what's the plan after we save Daring Do?" asked Spike.
"It is too dark to travel safely." Zeru said sullenly. "We will have to wait until morning."
"I can't wait that long!" Spike griped. "Who knows what that jerk Columbus took Twilight?! He's clearly able to be all over the place! And right now he could be doing something awful to Twilight! I don't want to rest until I know where she's...ugh, I'm gonna be sick again!" He began to drive heave.
"Damn lizid, everthin' make you puke!" scoffed LeCroix, lounging on the sand.
But it was not vomit that burst from Spike's gullet. Instead he belched a plume of green fire, and within it appeared a rolled up piece of parchment tied with a string. Spike held the scroll in his claw, baffled.
"...Did you just belch paper?" Zeru raised a brow at him.
"A message? Now?" Spike unrolled the chipped and torn paper. "What could Princess Celestia want at this time?" He started to read the message and gasped. "Hey! This one's from Twilight! She sent this to me!"
"You can receive messages from far away, little dragon?" asked Zeru.
"Usually it's from Princess Celestia." Spike said. "But I guess Twilight learned the spell too. I guess she never really needed it since we were always together."
"Well what does it say already?"
Spike read aloud. "'Dear Spike, I want you to know that I'm okay. But I have been kidnapped. You must gather Rainbow and Zecora, head to the beach with the fishing docks, and find Zeru and Daring Do. Yes that's right. Daring Do! She's in Port-au-Prance looking for the stallion who attacked us on the plane. His name is Columbus and he's the one behind the voodoo curse. It is absolutely...im...per...ra...tive...that you guys find him and take him down. I am currently imprisoned on his boat and I hear we are heading to an island off the coast of Port-au-Prance. Please be careful, Spike. Columbus has connections all over the place. If I can find anymore paper, I'll let you know more about my situation. Take care, all of you. I know you can do this.' She's alright!" Spike gleamed. "And now we know where to go!...Sort of. Do you know any islands around here, Zeru?"
"I have little knowledge of the sea." Zeru said. "But we can surely find a map in one of those fishing vessels."
"Then it is settled, once Daring Do is awake," said Zecora. "We shall set off to stop Columbus, for Twilight and Port-au-Prance's sake. Now help me find ingredients quickly, you two, if we have any hope of saving Miss Do."
"Yes, ma'am!" said LeCroix. "Y'all look ovah deya, an' I go in da jungle ta find sum!" He began to trot away before getting clocked on the head with a coconut.
"That was for getting me wet!" smirked Zeru.
"Mmm...Daring...Do..." stirred Rainbow, fast asleep at this point. "Of course I'll be your sidekick!...mmmph..."
Author's Note
Did ya miss me?!
Chapter 7: Darkened Seas
Twilight awoke with a moan, slow to rise as she felt the comfort of a down blanket under her. For a minute, she was convinced that she was lying in her own bed at home, having come out of a long and vivid nightmare about voodoo, alligators, and ornery kidnappers in gaudy white fedoras. After that minute, she quickly realized she was even farther from home than she already was.
"I apologize for keeping you cooped up on my boat, Princess." Columbus said from across the dark.
With a gasp, Twilight jerked herself up and sat on the bed, darting her head around an intimate room lit only by several candles. The entire structure appeared to be made of bamboo and let in the shroud of night from the one window across from the door. Aside from the bed, the only other furniture in the room was a simple desk, the chair to which held Columbus, facing the desk and admiring an ancient Roaman gold coin. He spoke to Twilight like a business pony to a potential partner.
"Please, don't fret." He said. "I have no reason to cause you harm. It seemed you fell faint on the way here. But I do hope you're feeling better now. And I hope the accommodations are to your liking."
Twilight took a few breaths to regain her courage. "I know what you're doing." She said firmly. "You're using me as bait so you can lure Daring Do here and eliminate her. You're going to desperate lengths just to be rid of a former student!"
"Don't flatter yourself, Princess." Columbus continued leaning back in his chair, yet to make eye contact. "I would never go for the old damsel-in-distress cliche. But I do have a better use for you."
"Right, your experiments, I presume?" Twilight got to her hooves. She felt a slight wobbling sensation in the creaking wooden floor. "And I suppose it wouldn't even matter if I tried to escape?"
"You have a good memory, Princess Twilight." Columbus then gently held up a purple alicorn doll, staring at it the same way he stared at the coin. "Can you imagine the surprise of the ancient zebras when they first employed voodoo dolls? To be able to control somepony's will from afar?"
"There's a difference between controlling a pony's will and controlling their body, you sociopath." Twilight confronted him. "I swear you will pay for what you've done to the guardians of that village. Even if I have to use every ounce of magic in my- Ahhh!"
Twilight gasped and froze. A sudden chilling sensation surged down her body from her wings. She looked in front of her as Columbus began lightly caressing the wings of the alicorn voodoo doll, rolling and bending them ever so slightly. Twilight could feel every pinch and stroke in her wings, even as they couldn't be moved, as if she were being handled by a masseuse. It was anything but therapeutic.
"You're far too tense, Princess." Columbus said, looking at Twilight and fondling her by magic proxy. "Please relax. You're on an island in the Maribbean Sea after all. My own personal little island that is. Think of it as a vacation. I told you no harm would come to you. Quite the opposite in fact. You'll be pampered as my star guest."
"You sick creep!" Twilight spat as she tried in vain to charge magic in my horn.
"Yes, yes, try as you may," said Columbus. "But you may have noticed that your magic is negated under the effects of voodoo...Curious...one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria is vexed by a simple toy. It's moments like these that remind me why I went into archaeology. Hmph, for unlimited power of course."
"Stop doing this to me!" Twilight demanded through gritted teeth. "If I already can't escape then what point is there in keeping me immobile?!"
"Quite right, Princess." Columbus stood and placed the doll back in his satchel. "But I'll hold onto this just in case you try anything foolish."
Twilight sat on the floor and wrapped her front hooves around herself, trying to shake off the creepy sensation.
Columbus leaned down to her. "Just know, my dear, that if any of your cohorts do come looking for you, they will expect no mercy from me. Not that they would be able to put up a fight. Not against the powers under my control."
"Pretty big talk for a stallion who gets his way playing with dolls." Twilight seethed.
Columbus then donned an irritated frown not seen on him by many. Without another word, he exited the small bamboo bedroom, locking the door behind him purely out of instinct. With another gaze around the dim space, Twilight stood up and went over to the window to get a view of Columbus's private island. But what she saw was not an island in the scientific sense.
There was no land beyond the window, only more ocean stretching out into infinity. Puzzled, Twilight looked out on both sides, still seeing only glassy water bathed in moonlight. Suddenly, it became apparent to Twilight why she was feeling a rocking sensation. The room she sat in was part of a large complex of interconnected floating docks made of bamboo. She then spotted other rooms, or rather huts, like the one she was in connected by narrow platforms. This island was in fact an elaborate floating village. And so Twilight's sense of desolation only grew.
...
As dawn broke over the Maribbean Sea, the fan boat whirred at high speed, bouncing on the mild swell of the ocean. Both Daring Do and Rainbow had come to a few hours before, the former thanks to Zecora's quick remedy. Zeru struggled to decipher one of the charts he had taken from the fishing vessels, even in the dim of the early morning. Spike sat up front, trying to control his seasickness and keeping his eyes peeled, anxious to find Twilight as soon as possible. Rainbow's mind however was elsewhere.
"Wow! You look better already, Daring Do!" she beamed giddily at her hero. "You're so cool and strong! But of course that's not the first time you had to face starvation! Like in The Search for the Jade Saddle when you were trapped in that abandoned mine shaft in Neighjing for three days by those gangsters! But then you got them back by-"
"By flooding their hideout after blowing up a dam." Daring Do finished her sentence. She examined some charts with Zeru. "Yeah yeah, I know. I wrote it. I lived it."
"Right!" replied Rainbow. "You are so awesome!"
"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction of this island?" asked Daring Do.
"I am not skilled in navigation," said Zeru. "But it is the only island off the coast of Port-au-Prance within a few hours' sailing. It should not be difficult to spot out."
"Sez you!" grumbled LeCroix. "Dis ain't no ocean boat! An' I ain't no ocean pony! We get sunk out heeya!"
"Just shut up and keep driving." Daring Do ordered him.
"Why dontcha make me, yella girl?!" sneered LeCroix.
Daring Do stood up. "I could just throw you off right now and steer this thing myself if I wanted!"
"You must not strain yourself, Daring Do." Zecora said. "Your body is still recovering after coming to."
"I appreciate it, Miss Zecora," replied Daring Do. "But I've been conked out more times than I've had book reprints. I'm sure I'll be okay to fight. Although my wings are still a little numb."
"Peeshaw!" LeCroix sputtered.
Rainbow swung her hoof across his cheek. "Don't ever badmouth the great Daring Do ya toothless hick!"
"Will you quit rocking the boat, Rainbow?!" Spike burst out.
"Spike, you okay?" asked Rainbow. "You've been quiet since we left. You haven't even tossed your cookies yet."
"I'm just worried about Twilight." He said, resting his head on the edge of the boat. "She's always able to get herself out of these jams. You don't think this Columbus guy could be too much of a match for her, do you?"
"Get real, Spike," scoffed Rainbow, sitting next to him. "This is our old alicorn princess pal we're talking about. It's gonna take more than some voodoo-junkie geezer to do any harm to Twi. Why I bet she's already busting her way off that island!"
"I like to think that." Spike sighed. "She really is my hero."
"Yeah well, real heroes don't always do things alone." Daring Do chimed in. "And that's why we'll be there to help the princess every way we can."
Zecora pondered for a moment, looking out at the crimson horizon and listening to the others' words. She had begun to realize that, even after her falling out, she was still able to look upon her mother as her hero. She remembered that everything she had been doing on this journey was for Zaria. Now Zecora had the urge to defeat Columbus herself.
"Over there!" exclaimed Zeru. He stood and pointed off to port bow.
Rainbow looked out to sea with the others. "Man! That is one huge boat out there!"
Zecora squinted her eyes at the large mass of wood floating dormant in the distance. "That is no boat, that is a hut!" she said. "Who would live out here? Some kind of nut?"
"There's a whole bunch of them!" added Daring Do. "They seem to be connected by a series of floating docks. I take it none of you guys saw that on the way here?"
"They look like bungalows built by zebras." Zeru said. "But we have no knowledge of any floating village in the middle of the sea. It is very strange."
"Well, why don't we check it out?" shrugged Spike. "Maybe that's where Columbus is keeping Twilight!"
"You really think so, Spike?" asked Rainbow, skeptically. "Twilight's message said she was being taken to Columbus's private island. And I don't know if that counts as an island."
"Rainbow, why do you think nopony knows about that crazy floating village?" replied Spike. "What about you, alligator guy?"
"Shoot, lizid, I told ya!" spat LeCroix. "I ain't no ocean pony!"
"But we can't risk wasting time barging into that place." Daring Do said. "It could be a group of fishermen. Or some off-the-grid parrot heads."
"Look, if Twilight is on that thing and we don't find out, then we'll be wasting even more time by going any farther!" Spike retorted.
"I agree, Spike my friend," said Zecora. "For now our quest must end. That floating village out there is a suspicious sign. And we cannot take risks while Twilight's life is on the line."
"I suppose it would not hurt to look," said Zeru. "Even if Columbus is not there."
"Ya want me ta turn dere or what?!" barked LeCroix.
Daring Do looked out at the floating structure again. She remembered the risk of overlooking any detail, especially in her line of work. "Alright then, hard to port."
"Yeah, do as the lady says!" chimed in Rainbow.
The fan boat slowed to a cruise as it altered course toward the floating anomaly to the left. As its passengers approached ever cautiously, the seaborne village appeared larger and more complex. It looked almost big enough to house every zebra in Zecora's home village and yet there were no apparent signs of life to be seen. An extended narrow dock harbored several small wooden boats that looked zebra-made, but even more rotten and dilapidated than the ones on the beach. This confirmed the presence of natives on this elaborate barge. The view only grew more ominous with the gray shade of clustering clouds up high.
LeCroix brought his vessel to a halt at the end of the dock, tying it off on a capstan, while the others carefully stepped out. The bamboo creaked under their hooves and claws with the sound of the water sloshing in the space underneath. They continued to look around in astonishment.
"Far out." Rainbow said. "Literally! What kind of a maniac would build all this?"
"Hopefully the maniac we're looking for." Daring Do replied bluntly. "The whole structure must be anchored in place to prevent drifting away. But why in such a random part of the ocean?"
"It is hard to believe such a place is real." Zecora added. "But there is a strong, dark energy that I cannot help but feel."
"I shall lead the way." Zeru said. "If Columbus has truly forced control over my guardian brothers, then we will surely face strong opposition."
"Come on, LeCroix!" ordered Rainbow.
"Nu uh! I ain't leavin' mah boat ungawded!" the alligator wrangler stayed put.
"Alright then, if you're so worried about that..." Daring Do proceeded to remove one of the spark plugs from the fan boat's engine, something its pilot would never have thought of.
"...Hmph, fair 'nuff." LeCroix grumbled and carried on.
The six wandered down the dock and into the open maze of docks and walkways. Soon the horizon became blocked by the numerous bamboo huts conjoined to the docks and by the various vessels floating beyond. The complex was suitable for a bustling community. But the walkways remained eerily empty.
"Hello!" called Rainbow. "Anypony home?! Fishermen?! Parrot heads?! Wait, what's a parrot head, anyway?"
"Rainbow will you keep it down?!" hushed Spike. "We might not want to draw attention to ourselves."
"Oh please, Spike," she replied. "If Columbus really is here, we can take on anything he dishes out. And if he's not what's the big deal? Wait a minute...what the heck is that?"
Up ahead, as they approached the center of the village, they came upon a space of water inside a circling walkway. Four mounted wooden cranes with manual cranks leaned over the water with ropes lowered down into the blue. It was unclear what they led down to under the large circle.
"Kind of a roundabout way to go fishing, huh?" said Rainbow.
"This isn't for fishing." Daring Do replied. "Whoever lives here, it looks like they're raising something from the bottom of the ocean. We might of just walked into some kind of elaborate salvage operation."
"But this does not explain this aura of dark disdain." Zecora added, gripping her satchel of potions.
"I don't like this." Spike shuddered. "I feel like we're walking into something a lot more dangerous." At that moment, Spike felt something wooden poke his back. "He cut it out!" he said without turning. The poke came again and he spun around this time with a glare. "What do you want, Zeru?! I'm not in the mood for..." Spike's eyes bugged. The male zebra standing over him was not Zeru.
"Spike! Stay back!" shouted Zeru as he quickly spun his staff at the ready.
The other zebra guardian stood on the walkway behind the six wielding a similar staff, mirroring Zeru's fighting stance. But unlike Zeru, this zebra carried no essence of life in him. His fur and mane were matted and unkempt, his hooves looked untrimmed, and his eyes were bloodshot with hollow pupils that gave off a greenish glow. This guardian looked more like a walking corpse.
"Okay, I don't think we can rule this place out anymore." Rainbow said meekly.
"Brother! Put down your weapon!" commanded Zeru, unnerved by the ghastly appearance of his comrade. "What has happened to you? Tell me!"
The decrepit guardian only responded with a lunge forward and a jab of his staff. Zeru effortlessly deflected the slight attack and continued to try and reason with him.
"Do you not see I am a guardian just like you?" he asked nervously. "Can you even understand me?!"
The zebra only continued to recklessly ward off Zeru, grunting with an angry rasp. Zeru was able to defend himself from the clumsy attacks, but refused to counter. Although he had never met this zebra, he would never bring himself to assault another guardian. The encounter had become more like a stalemate.
"It is no use, Zeru, it is out of your control!" said Zecora. "I am afraid this zebra has long lost his soul."
"Wait, you mean..." Spike gasped and grappled onto Rainbow's leg in fright. "ZOMBIE?!"
"Holy crap we're being attacked by the undead!" Rainbow exclaimed as she grappled around Daring Do's leg with Spike still attached to her.
"Oh come on," the archaeologist rolled her eyes skeptically. "I know I've seen a lot of supernatural crap, but there is no such thing as zombies." She immediately looked down as another guardian's staff extended in front of her neck.
Sure enough, a second guardian with ghoulish features stood behind Daring Do ready to attack. Just as suddenly, two more startled Rainbow and Spike from behind, with another two surprising Zecora and LeCroix. It was not long before an entire hoard of zombie zebras came lurking from behind the bamboo huts, some standing on the roofs, all ready to unleash an onslaught. As Zeru held his defensive stance, the others huddled close as they became surrounded by what seemed like a hundred undead guardians. The sky dimmed with a mass of dark clouds over the already dismal scene.
Daring Do gulped. "Uh, no such thing, right?"
"Really, my bright young pupil, I thought you would be more enthusiastic!"
The six turned to attention as Columbus made a path through the army of zombies and stood across the salvaging pool. He gave them a wry grin as usual.
"What have you done to these men, you snake?!" shouted Zeru.
"Mares and gentlecolts," said Columbus in a showman manner. "I give you eternal life! These zebra guardians were once fallen soldiers defending their homeland with all their strength. And now they live to fight again!"
"So wait," said Rainbow. "You dug through zebra graves to resurrect these guys to be your own personal thugs? That's messed up!"
"I admire your ability to make such quaint friends, Daring Do." Columbus mocked. "Ah! And Miss Zecora! I've heard so much about you. Your knowledge of potions is unsurpassed."
"Your knowledge of me may be disturbing," sneered Zecora, unwavering as she met her foe. "But we shall soon put an end to your reckless perturbing."
"Strong words, my rhyming friend," smirked Columbus. "But how exactly will you? Are any of you prepared to fight these forsaken guardians? Can you find yourself the vigor to sacrifice them?"
"He is right." Zeru said to his allies. "I cannot bring myself to harm my own fellow warriors. Even so, there are too many of them for all of us to defeat."
"Where's Twilight when you need her?" whimpered Rainbow.
"Ey! Citeh boy!" rasped LeCroix at Columbus. "I didn't sahn up fer no zombeh fights!"
"Oh dear Celestia," glowered Columbus. "I forgot about you."
"Ya done just tol me ta fight ponehs on land!" LeCroix shook his hoof at Columbus. "Now I wan mah moneh! An I wan outta heya, mon frere!"
"Then you should have asked for the money up front." Columbus replied, reaching into his satchel. "Although I wouldn't have been able to understand you anyway."
"GAAAH!" LeCroix suddenly screamed when his body bent backwards in a painful arc. His head jerked to the side, twisting his neck, as every joint in his body succumbed to massive pain. He was completely unable to control his movements.
"LeCroix what's wrong with you?!" exclaimed Rainbow.
At that moment, the gruff stallion was one-hundred percent sure he was going to die. "My name's not LeCroix! That accent was fake! I'm not even Creole! My name is Jerry!"
"This is what I have to put up with for leaving loose ends." Columbus sulked as he manipulated a green voodoo doll. "Now I think we understand each other. You're going to keep working for me in Port-au-Prance or else! Compre vous?!"
The pony formerly known as LeCroix was unable to speak, his mind too preoccupied by the pain shooting through his body, as he was stuck in a frozen, contorted position. But while Columbus was distracted with torturing his mercenary, Zecora discretely nudged Rainbow's shoulder. Rainbow looked down as the medicine woman placed a perfume bottle full of blue liquid in her hoof.
"Rainbow, this is a stun potion." Zecora whispered. "Inhale it and you will lose all motion. When you are ready, quickly take flight, and spray every guardian in your sight. There might not be enough, so conserve every squirt. It is the only way the guardians won't be hurt."
"You got it, Zecora." Rainbow grinned. "If I'm lucky I'll even spray Columbus in his fat face."
Columbus continued to make his lackey learn his place. "Don't make me break you in two, you gator-loving, half-witted, piece of...What?!"
To his surprise, Rainbow soared up high, out of range of the angry zombies swinging their staves. Relying on her speed, she flew over the shouting guardians and began spritzing them with blue vapor. Instantly, the undead zebras started dropping like flies to the bamboo docks, still awake, but paralyzed and even angrier. Columbus scowled in fury as Rainbow already incapacitated half of his guards like a crop duster.
"I love the smell of stun potion in the morning!" she yelled as she flew.
"Damn that brat!" growled Columbus as he too spread his wings. "I could have sworn I have a voodoo doll of her somewhere!"
But on sea level, the other half of the guardians prepared to attack the other five intruders. While cured by Zecora's awakening remedy, Daring Do still had not the energy to fly and brawl at the same time. She and Zeru stood defense in front of Zecora, Spike and the dazed LeCroix from the oncoming zombies. But Zecora had another plan in the works.
"Spike, now is your chance while we fight." She said. "Go and find our dear Twilight. I don't think Columbus has seen you yet, so you can slip by unnoticed I bet."
"But what if Twilight isn't even on this barge?" quivered Spike.
"Do not fret, my dear," smiled Zecora. "I can feel that she is near."
Spike trusted her words and put on a confident face, remembering his promise to rescue his beloved caretaker. Zecora turned to join Zeru and Daring Do and cast a hoofful of flash powder to scare off the zombies momentarily. At that moment, Spike jumped into the water beside the walkway, undetected by the hoard.
"Ha ha!" mocked Rainbow as Columbus gave her chase in the air. "You're too slow, old man!"
"You ignorant hooligan!" shouted Columbus. "You'll have to run out of that spray at some point!"
"Well then you can eat my dust instead!" she responded with a raspberry.
As the battle went on, Spike swam away under the surface until he reached an opening by another section of docks. He paddled and looked around for any sign of Twilight, but every hut he saw looked exactly the same and seemed void of inhabitants. Spike climbed up onto a walkway and continued searching, looking out for any straggling guards. For several minutes he wandered through the labyrinth of bamboo checking inside every hut through the window, still with no luck of finding his best friend.
"Agh, how am I supposed to know where Twilight's being held?!" he grumbled to himself. He then noticed a hut a few blocks down with a pair of zebra guards standing outside the door, the only building to have such. "...Okay, that's a safe bet."
Slipping into the water again, Spike swam under a few more docks until he reached the side of the guarded hut, careful not to alarm the clueless sentries. He slowly climbed up the bamboo wall outside and grabbed onto the open windowsill. Just as he was about to pull himself inside, a purple hoof grabbed him by the claw.
"HIIIIIYA!"
Spike was swiftly hurled across the inside of the hut and into the adjacent wall, sliding down like a splattered raw turkey. He hit the floor upside down and dizzy.
"Spike!" exclaimed Twilight as she ran and grabbed Spike, squeezing her beloved little companion in a spine-crushing hug. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I thought you were a guard! Oh I'm so happy you're okay! How did you get here?! Where are Rainbow and the others?! Did Columbus get to you?! Oh I can't believe you're here!"
"Good to too you see, Twi." Spike said in a daze.
Just then, a knocking came at the door followed by a series of grunts from one of the zombies.
"Uh nothing, sorry!" Twilight called at the door. "Just saw a bug! And uh, got a splinter! Everything's fine in here!"
Meanwhile, in the center of the village, Zecora, Zeru and Daring Do struggled to fend off the swarming guardians, careful not to critically hurt them.
"Rainbow!" called Daring Do as she took a dropped staff and deflected attacks. "Help us out before you use up all that stuff!"
"No problem, Daring Do!" Rainbow replied before squeezing nothing out of the empty perfume bottle. She looked blankly. "...Uh oh."
"You're mine, you brat!" barked Columbus.
Back in Twilight's hut, Spike explained to her everything that had happened while she was gone, from Rainbow finding the voodoo dolls in the village cemetery to battling the zombie zebras on Columbus's floating headquarters. Twilight had already gathered what Columbus was doing with voodoo and the zebra guardians, but was relieved to learn that Spike and the others were able to help Daring Do and find the floating village. All the while they were both quiet as not to alarm the guards.
"So that's what happened." Spike said, almost out of breath. "We're in kind of a jam. I don't think we can hold out much longer against Columbus's army."
"Tell me, Spike, what is Columbus doing right now?" asked Twilight.
"Well, last time I saw him, he was chasing Rainbow." Spike shrugged. "Kind of a lost cause on his part. Why do you ask?"
"If Columbus is distracted, that means he won't notice if I escape and use my voodoo doll on me!" she replied. "Now we just have to deal with those guards."
Spike took a moment to catch his breath. "Twilight, send me another letter. I have an idea."
Outside, the guards still stood motionless in front of the hut, a vacant look in their lifeless eyes. As they carried out their dull duty, one of them sniffed the air, detecting the smell of smoke. Both sentries looked behind and down at the foot of the door as green dragon fire came lapping through the crack. Immediately, the zombies gave guttural shrieks upon seeing the blaze and ran off down the bamboo walkways in a panic. As soon as they disappeared, Spike simply opened the door and stamped out his flame.
"How did you know they'd be afraid of fire?" asked Twilight.
"They're zombies, Twi." Spike scoffed. "And you said my comic books weren't educational. Now let's go kick that criminal's ugly flank!"
"Ooh wait! I've got just the thing for that!" smiled Twilight deviously, as she went back to fetch something from under her pillow.
...
Back in the village center, the two living zebras and the treasure hunter were losing energy fending off the zombie flood. Up above, Columbus grew more and more blindly enraged in his dogfight with Rainbow. At one point, he procured a knife from his satchel.
"I've had enough of you!" he shouted and threw the knife.
Rainbow looked back and rolled right to dodge the flung knife. But this caused her to slam into the roof of a hut and fall into the water below. After a moment of regaining her direction, she surfaced with a gasp for air. But she was immediately grabbed roughly by the hoof and held up by Columbus, wielding a second knife.
"You never should have left Equestria!" he bellowed and rose his hoof to strike. But as he did, his hoof didn't come down. "Huh?!...What's going on?! What's happening to me?!" he gasped as he suddenly lost control of his body, which was forced backward onto his rear. His grip on Rainbow was leased. "No! It can't be!" As he lay on his back, Columbus rolled his eyes to the side and looked across the dock. "It can't be!"
"You know, Columbus," said Twilight as she casually strolled down the walkway. "I may not be able to counter voodoo. But it turns out it doesn't take much to craft it." She then flipped her own voodoo doll of Columbus, causing the real stallion to flip over and slam onto his face. "Funny what you can make out of some bed cloth, pillow stuffing and string. Just add a little magic energy and presto!"
Columbus was then forced to punch his own face. At last, the zombies lost focus on fighting and turned to watch, in stale confusion, as their puppet master was fed a taste of his own medicine. The other living ponies and zebras watched in elation.
"Alright! Sock it to him, Twi!" cheered Rainbow.
Columbus coughed and sputtered as he tried in vain to get up. "You conniving little shrew! I'll make you suffer for this!"
"I don't think you're in any position to be making threats, Columbus." Twilight said, approaching him with the doll. "Your quest for eternal life is misguided and threatens the sanctity of the zebras. It's time you paid for your selfish goal."
To everypony's surprise, Columbus slowly began to chuckle. With the sound of distant thunder from the clouds, he then let out a loud genuine laugh, sending a chill up Twilight's spine. "You really think this was all only my idea?!" he cackled again. "Tell me, Princess, you and your friends all managed to uncover my plan. But answer me this. Have you figured out how I acquired the powers of voodoo in the first place?!"
"Princess Twilight, please...let him go."
All gasped and turned their attention to behind Twilight and Spike. On the walkway stood an elderly zebra mare, clad in an ornate red cloak and shamanistic jewelry. She looked at the shocked Twilight with a face of seriousness mixed with deep worry. Zecora stared in bafflement and dread, unwilling to believe that her mother was there.
"You all should never have come here." Madame Zaria said.
Chapter 8: Necromancer's Temptation
The floating docks were silent, aside from the falling rain from the darkened clouds, as the saviors of Port-au-Prance were now faced with yet another dilemma. Madame Zaria stood in front of the fallen Columbus, now clambering up out of the water, as if defending a close ally. To see the elder zebra on the corrupt archaeologist's floating headquarters was in itself a shock to Twilight, Rainbow, Spike and Zeru. But of course Zecora had the utmost trouble comprehending the situation.
"Mother? I don't understand." Zecora said with a stammer. "I thought you were somewhere back on land."
"I am sure you all have many questions." Zaria said sullenly.
"I'll say!" blurted Rainbow. "And just why shouldn't we beat the stuffing out of that crooked creep?!"
"Madame Zaria," said Twilight, anxiously. "Are you...working with Columbus in some way?"
Zaria looked away slightly, barely able to confront her unwitting compatriots. "I am the one responsible for his staying in Port-au-Prance." She gave a heavy sigh as she prepared to explain everything. "Columbus came to this island a month ago. He was in search of artifacts that contained voodoo power. He came to our village and demanded of me to offer him these trinkets, but I told him I had no such thing. Then, he threatened to destroy our village if I did not present any magical relics. And so, I decided to appease him."
"Don't speak another word about this, witch!" barked Columbus before suffering another mule kick from Rainbow.
Zaria continued. "I told him of the power to raise the dead through voodoo, and to control others through hexing dolls. Until then, none of the villagers even knew I possess these powers, because I forbid myself to practice such dark arts. But Columbus offered to help me bring my lost friends back from the grave, in exchange for lending him the secrets of voodoo. I could not help but to accept."
"So you and Columbus resurrected all these village guardians?" asked Twilight.
"It was I entirely," Zaria admitted. "He merely promised to 'look the other way'. I just thought every zebra in the village would be elated to see their fallen loved ones return to them. I was still obsessed with carrying on the gift of resurrection. And I was willing to trade anything. But it seems...the price was the safety of my own people. Now I have let a madman take control of them."
"If you were responsible for letting all this voodoo stuff loose," came Spike. "Then why did you ask Zecora to come help you out in the first place?"
"I did not expect my daughter to bring friends," said Zaria. "I was only hoping to request Zecora's help in secretly putting an end to Columbus's rampage. But then I saw just how powerful he has become. And after I saw all of you coming so close to death over your short time here, I realized that inviting Zecora home was a mistake, and that I had to come clean. I am sorry to you all for putting you through such danger."
"I never signed up for any of this." Daring Do sighed to herself.
Zaria then turned toward her staggered daughter. "Zecora, no apology I can offer is enough for you. But you must understand. I couldn't bare for you to know that I was really behind all this turmoil. Please, my darling! I didn't want to lose your respect again."
Zecora stared at her mother with a look of betrayed anguish, tears welling up in her eyes. She had no words for the mare she once called her mother, that day. She could only step back and turn away, hoping that it would be the last time she would do so.
Columbus chuckled menacingly. "And you think I'm the monster here!" he taunted the younger ones. "You all put your trust in a zebress who was willing to endanger her own daughter just so could be reunited with a bunch of stiffs? I must say, Madame Zaria, I underestimated you. Truly voodoo is the ultimate power. To manipulate, to defy death, the urge to sacrifice everything for the goal of- GAAAAGH!" His words were cut off as his spine began bending backward in a painful arc. In a split second, Columbus's whole body ceased up as he let out an agonizing scream and lost all control over himself.
"You are right, Columbus," said Zaria, with an air of vengeance in her breath, as she manipulated a Columbus voodoo doll. "It is quite handy. But you do not know about this magic as much as you think. There is still one aspect of voodoo I have yet to show you. The urge to sacrifice everything."
With that, Zaria unleashed her maximum power. A bright, green aura swelled over her eyes and encircled her body as she began to levitate from the sheer magical presence. She began focusing the vibrant aura into the voodoo doll within her grasp. Immediately, Columbus screamed even louder, being overcome with excruciating pain all throughout his body as he began to hover as well. The other ponies crowded to the other side of the dock area, all gazing at the spell in both wonderment and horror.
"Madame Zaria?" came Twilight, as she and the others peered around after shielding themselves from the blinding light.
Zecora let out a loud gasp. Across the planks, Zaria's body was no longer levitating, but was now lying in a lifeless slump. Immediately, Zecora ran over to her fallen mother and lifted her head up. The older zebra looked up at her daughter now with glassy eyes. Her face seemed to have aged, and her body had withered, in just several seconds.
"It was the life-draining hex." Zaria spoke weakly between breaths. "It cannot be cast without giving up your own life. Nor can it be reversed. But you must have known that."
"Mother..." Zecora stammered, trying to think of the right words while coming to grips with the situation. "Mother, I forgive you, you were only used as a tool! But I'm the one who left, so it was me who was the fool! Mother, I...I...I..."
Zaria's hoof rose to touch her child's tear-streamed faced. The elder zebra smiled with satisfaction. "Those rhymes are music to my ears." She spoke sincerely. "Zecora, the village, it is better under your care now. It is the least I can do for all I've done. But I know that you are your own zebra. You choose to live the life of your own desires. And for that, I have never been so proud." Her breath was wearing thin. "My...my beautiful Zecora...I love you...I will be with you..."
Zecora could not speak anymore. Her words were blocked by too much sorrow. Her friends surrounded her in condolence as they mourned the loss of a powerful matriarch. And as the rain clouds dispersed overhead, letting in the tropical rays, the band of resurrected zebra guardians knelt and bowed their heads, mourning as well. Within moments, the cursed magic held over them was lifted, and their hollow bodies silently disintegrated into dust that would somewhere nourish the earth. The curse of voodoo had been lifted. Zebras both living, and passed, could now remain in peace.
Epilogue
The following morning, peace settled throughout the zebra village deep in the wood. Now without the pall of voodoo lingering in their fears, the locals could carry out their daily routines knowing that the curse had been lifted. But this was not a day of rejoicing. The zebras grieved over the loss of their matriarch, having performed a ritualistic funeral the night before. Joined by the visitors from Equestria, they had wrapped Zaria's body in linen, laid her down in a canoe filled with flowers, and let her drift down the river that led from the village. It is believed that her soul would be carried away to a better place by the waters of life. Even a skeptic like Daring Do shared that belief.
"Zecora?" Twilight peered inside at the front door. "How are you feeling?"
Zecora paused, still staring at the doll. "Do you think she asked me to come so late," she finally spoke. "Because she knew that this was her fate?"
"It's possible with a spellcaster of her power." Twilight said. "Maybe she knew that you were her only hope in helping her. But I think, in the end, she just wanted to reunite with you."
Again Zecora paused to think, then looked up at her friend. "I should not have brought you with me, Twilight." She sighed. "This was my burden, mine alone, to fight."
"I would have followed you to the ends of the earth, Zecora." Twilight rested a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "And I would have followed her too."
Zecora smiled a calm smile and glanced out the window at the sunbeams through the treetops. "I think I shall honor her wish, and look after this place," she said. "But only when danger should again rear its face. My people can look after each other, their will is strong. So it remains in Ponyville where I belong."
Twilight gave her a hug before exiting. "We'll be outside when you're ready."
After a moment, Zeru entered, approaching Zecora rather sheepishly. "Do you still need to be alone?" he asked.
Zecora grinned at him. "Zeru, you can come in, my dear," she said. "I already feel better with you here."
"I know that I can offer no fitting consolation for your loss." Zeru said, dourly. "But I just want you to know that you being here has not been a waste of time."
"I never thought it was." Zecora replied. "Did you think I came here just because?"
"Zecora," continued Zeru. "These zebras honor you, more than any sorceress or guardian. You've put their minds at ease. I know your loyalties lie elsewhere, but I...I just wanted to tell you...that, uh...that I..."
The soldier's words were cut off as Zecora stood and pressed her lips against his. He could feel her leaning inward to feel his warmth. It was a sensation he had been dreaming of since the moment she had stepped off that airplane. After several seconds, Zecora pulled away and gazed deep into Zeru's eyes, relishing the moment.
"You brave warrior, I have you to thank," she said in an affectionate tone. "When I thought you were lost, my heart surely sank. Truly your loyalty knows no end. And I have always thought of you as more than a friend."
Zeru's heart jumped. He smiled and held her hoof on his chest. "I have only been this strong because of you, Zecora. After so many years."
"I will be back soon," said Zecora. "To make a new start. So until then, protect this village, with your warrior's heart."
"As you wish, Madame Zecora." Zeru replied, kissing her hoof.
At last, Zecora felt that she had made things right that went wrong when she last left her home country. She had dispelled a history of fear and darkness, and reopened her heart to her home and its people. But most importantly, she finally found that there was still a pure soul in her mother, even if she only realized too late. In fact, she already felt Zaria's presence, as if she were still there stroking her daughter's mane. All she needed was love to rekindle that feeling and banish any hint of darkness she felt years ago.
THE END
