Magnificent trees with trunks like ivory spread the crown of their branches through the canopy of the forest. A flying squirrel leaped from one hole of the ivory tree down to the canopy, its glider catching a warm breeze in the air.
Cricket chirps, bird tweets, and distant monkey chatter sounded. Butterflies threaded their wings of maroon and topaz. Light from the settings sun pierced the pinholes in the dense jungle canopy, casting a kaleidoscope of fierce Autumn colors onto an ancient, overgrown path running through the forest. In the jungle mud below, besides the hoof tracks of an alicorn (and tracks three times that size left behind a growing dragon), a small army of leaf-cutter ants forged a river of emerald leaves.
“We’re almost there Spike,” Twilight called. "The map says Timbucktu should be less than a mile off now."
“Thank goodness,” Spike replied breathlessly, his voice much deeper than it had once been. “I feel like my legs could fall off!”
"Tsk tsk Spike," Twilight said with a smile. "You're bigger and stronger than me now -- shouldn't I be the one who's tired?"
The mud path began sloping upwards, and the pinholes in the canopy started expanding until the entire sky came into view. In the distance, Twilight spotted a clearing.
“Almost there!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Whew,” Spike breathed. “Is this the end?”
“Indeed,” Twilight said. "Zebrica, here we come."
As Twilight approached the clearing, the damp smell and vibrant buzz of the rainforest made way for a vista of lush grassland. A warm breeze swept across the rolling landscape and rippled through Twilight’s mane and tail. The landscape ahead was treeless, with the exception of one immense tree towering above the landscape. Its majesty bespoke age, and just by the looks of it Twilight knew it was older than even Princess Celestia. Its branches extended through the mist and clouds into the heavens above.
Twilight stood back in wonder as her eyes drank in the sight of the ancient tree. “Yggdrasil,” she muttered. “The Tree of Life. I’ve only read about it in books before; I never thought it would be this...this…”
“-big?” Spike suggested. "That tree has to be at least a mountain high. There's no way it could be any smaller."
Twilight nodded. “So if this is Yggdrasil, that means the village of Timbucktu should be somewhere at its base...”
Sure enough, there it was at the foot of the mighty world tree. The tree’s roots seemed to form the village's foundation, cutting through the landscape and village like mighty rivers of earth.
“Sorry Spike,” Twilight said, “but you’ll have to stay back for now. Celestia told me that the zebras would be wary of dragons.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes. At least for now. I'll come back and set up camp out here later tonight.”
Spike grunted. The teenager in him was coming out.
“Fine.”
Twilight walked down the gentle slope on the dirt path leading into the village, past thatched roofs of dried palm fronds and bare wooden frames of village shacks came into view. The thwacks of stone tools, the clanging of pots and pans, and the voices of village sounded around her. As she approached the village center, smoky scent of plantains from a cooking fire wafted into Twilight’s nose. After being away from any touch of civilization for so long, Twilight felt a warm sense of being at-home with the alien surroundings around her.
Two little zebras laughed as they chased each other on the grass past the fraying paint of a small wooden shack. They stopped as they saw the purple alicorn in her brown traveling cloak. The younger one’s dark eyes widened at the sight of the horn, and her face lit up into a smile.
“Yobo! Yobo!” the small zebra clicked happily in her native tongue. The colt she was playing with flashed an innocent white smile, and waved at Twilight with both his front hooves. Twilight smiled back tentatively and waved back. The two zebras then scampered off, and the sounds of “Yobo!” echoed through the village.
A few moments later, a familiar-looking zebra with golden earrings and rings around her front leg and neck emerged from a palm-roofed shack. She wore a brown cloak, much as Twilight remembered her.
“Zecora!” Twilight exclaimed, her voice rising above the sound of the clanging pots and village commerce. “It’s good to see you again! I haven't seen you since you left the Everfree so many years ago!”
“Same to you, good Twilight dear. It’s been so many turns of years, since we last met, my loyal friend. I'm glad to see you once again.
On Zecora’s left, came an eldery zebra who wore rings of gentle aquamarine around her neck and forelegs. She carried about her a natural dignity, and Twilight guessed she was the matriarch of their tribe. On Zecora’s right, came a lean and muscular zebra stallion, youthful and not much more than Twilight’s age. The rings he wore flashed like the sunset fire, with Autumn hues of orange and crimson.
“This is Nana,” Zecora continued, gesturing at the matriarchal female zebra to her left with deference. “This is San,” she said, pointing at the youthful and muscular male.
“Welcome to our people’s land,” Nana finished. Her voice was deep and rich, echoing through a cavernous belly she did not have.
“Nice to meet you two,” Twilight said with a smile, extending a hoof. “I’m Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville.”
“Our tribal leaders, these two are,” Zecora explained. “Their wisdom’s deep, their travels, far.
“So, Twilight Sparkle, what far off land do you hail from?” San said energetically.
Twilight waited for him to finish, but he gave no indication of another verse. Nana and Zecora seemed slightly offended.
“I’m from Ponyville," Twilight said. "It's near Canterlot, the capital of Equestria."
San’s jade-green eyes widened. “Canterlot? The city of the Sun Goddess?”
“You mean Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “Yeah, she is the ruler there. Zecora has met her before.”
Nana spoke. “The road to Timbucktu is far, and many leagues you must have crossed. Which path brought you here to us? The burning wastes, or deathly frosts? As not in turns of centuries, have ponies from across the sea, dared to journey to our lands; through icy storms and burning sands.
"We’re honored to receive you here. And welcome here you surely are. What great quest makes you draw near? What is it that you desire?"
“I’ll tell you soon,” Twilight smiled, “but its getting dark. It’s a long story and I’d like to go inside before telling it in full.”
“Sure,” San laughed. Then a clever grin flashed across his face, and his eyes shone. ”And what should we do with your accompanying purple dragon, twice the size of one of our own?”
Twilight flinched, and Nana glowered just slightly at the chieftain. San's eyes remained amused.
“He can stay here, if he likes.” Nana said, giving Twilight a reassuring smile. “What’s his name?”
“His name is Spike," said Twilight.
****************************************
Croaking toads, chirping cicadas, and screeching squirrel-like tree harriers echoed through the dark starry night. Inside a dwelling built at the base of Yggdrasil, candles lit up the darkness, casting their soft light on glittering ornaments of beautiful gold and long native masks on the walls. Sparks from a larger fire crackled merrily, as refreshing breaths of pepperminty steam rose from the turquoise liquid on a green cauldron over the heat, filling the hut with its refreshing aroma. Spike curled up in sleep near that fire as Twilight began her story.
“There was a cry,” she said, her face illuminated in the warm firelight. “A disturbance in the rhythms of harmony, from far beyond the world. I first encountered it my laboratory, inside my castle in Ponyville.
"At first, the disturbance seemed subtle yet dissonant; like a quiet note a half-step off in a symphony of music. Yet as I delved further, the disturbance in the music seemed to become plaintive, anguished even; like a cry of pain from beyond the seas. The note had a rhythm and majesty in its own, one of breathtaking sorrow. It's... it's kind of hard to explain the magic, but this is what it felt like.\
Twilight continued. “I told Celestia about this, and she told me that the cry had a physical source beyond the gates of Equestria. I sought her leave, which she granted, with a warning.
________________
The Princess appeared slightly shrunken then, no longer regal but still radiant. She dropped her head.
“I’m afraid,” Celestia had said sadly, “that what you see will break you.”
"I asked her for more details, but here she refused. It was uncharacteristic of the Princess to be so closed, and for years I sought the source in the libraries -- but nothing I found, about the great civilizations cradled at Timbucktu, Whinnyhoek, Buckswanna, or anything, could explain the disturbances in Harmony that I detected! And I was moved by Celestia’s gentleness, but I was determined.
"'This is pretty big,' I said. 'If there are ponies -- or zebras -- to be helped, I must go to their aid.'
"Noble you are, Twilight dear," Zecora said. "That would explain why you are here."
"Celestia gave me leave, but requested I take Spike -- my dragon here -- with me, and warned me little I’ve read would prepare me to venture outside harmony. I told her that I'd dealt with Tirek, Sombra, Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Starlight Glimmer- - they weren't so bad, and I knew they had hope of being reformed. But Celestia shook her head; they had all spent time inside the influence of harmony, something that Zebrica never had. It would be different out here, she said. Nonetheless, I took Celestia's leave and went off with Spike to seek the source of the cry.
"Which of the many paths took you here?" San asked. Again, a cross look from Nana, who seemed slightly annoyed by the chieftain's breaking of rhyme.
“I chose to cross the Foreverwinter Peaks,” Twilight said softly. “I entered the mountains through the Starhorn pass near a few outlying trading posts in the South of the Griffon Kingdoms."
Silence. San let out a low whistle. "Impressive."
“Dangerous is the mountain path," Nana said. "Chilling is its frozen wrath. Few who go have crossed those hills, and lived to tell about its chills.” Nana said.
San laughed.
"What?" Nana said. "We have a guest San, don't be rude? Why do you laugh at what's she's been through?"
"If you spoke plainly, Nana, she would understand you much better," San said. "The ponies of Canterlot don't speak in the tongues we do. We should try and speak her language, since she is our guest."
"Don't try and pin this on our guest!" Zecora laughed. "You never cared much for the rhymes. You know it is our Kingdom's best, and oldest tradition in our line.
"Anyways, Twilight, do carry on," Zecora said. "And please feel free to ignore San. He always interrupts like this, though still, he is not without wits."
"Sure," Twilight said, eager to continue her story. "Celestia was right -- those frozen mountains made Sombra's kingdom feel sunny. Not the travails of Discord, nor the darkness of the Everfree, nor the icy lands outside the Crystal Empire prepared me for what I faced there. Celestia warned me that Windigoes were rumored to roam the Foreverwinter Peaks, having dwelt there since their expulsion from Equestria by Clover the Clever; but it was even worse than I imagined.
"It was as if the Sun could never shine there, and the mountains were far too wide to even teleport across. Icy crystals shot from the sky and days would pass without any light. Even the snows outside the legendary Crystal Empire was warm in comparison. sOn the seventh day of the travels, stalactites of ice rained from the sky and the wild winds roared in the worst blizzard I ever hope to see. Yet together, Spike and I made it through, somehow.”
“And how did you cross the vast sea beyond the peaks?" San asked. "Even the wings of an alicorn cannot take you through the storms of lightning over the vast ocean.”
“The mighty sails of a Dhow took me here,” Twilight explained. “Celestia had asked the ponies on the other side to reconstruct the HMS Malfeasance.”
"The old ship of Daring Do," Nana said. "She re-built the ship for you?"
Twilight nodded.
“Your path’s been long and dark it seems. Have you been shocked by what you’ve seen? Not beautiful, like Equestria, nor kindhearted as Celestia” Zecora said.
Twilight paused for a moment. “Yes. This is one of the few times I’ve traveled beyond Celestia’s influence. The Griffons granted me passage through their kingdoms grudgingly, and only then for twenty bits, and a veiled threat from Spike. A few raiders waylaid us as we stayed in an inn in the kingdom, but Spike and I had fended them off. Still, the gleam of their long knives and glint in their golden eyes unnerved me. I’ve never seen such deliberate malice, such intent to hurt before, outside a few evil folk in the past.
“But the magic cry kept calling me onwards, as if there was more, far more pain than what I’d already seen. Yet it seems like your village is one of peace and harmony. Do you know anything about what the cry’s source may be?”
For the first time, San's face was not a grin. He looked with deference to Nana.
"Shall we tell her?"
"In due time, and in due rhyme," Nana said, with a subtle inflection. "Come to the Council of Elders tomorrow. There, you will learn all you need to know."
"But for now," Zecora said, "we must seek rest. At the council, you will find your test. A house we have prepared for you, so San will show you where to go to."
San chuckled. “Welcome to Timbucktu, Twilight Sparkle. Follow me”
*********************
Later that evening, after Twilight and Spike had gone to bed, the two tribal leaders called council with Zecora.
“She’s powerful,” San argued. “If she crossed the Foreverwinter Peaks in this season, she must have tremendous magical ability. Why don’t we just tell her the story? She could be a strong ally in war.”
“Indeed, Twilight is capable,” Zecora agreed, “perhaps more strong-hearted than Princess Luna was in the days past. And yet, her spells aren’t those of war. She may not prove to be a reliable soldier, nor would such a life suit her. As someone who lives inside Harmony's Influence, she has never had to fight in a real war before.”
San sighed deeply. “This is Celestia’s mistake. Few who come out of the gates of Equestria can help us in our struggle. The Sun Princess won’t help us either, nor can her sister. How can we win the struggle if no one can help?”
“She sent Twilight,” Nana said. “I’m sure the young alicorn can help somehow.”
“And how, if not in battle? We don’t just sit here and study books all day. There’s no use for that here at life’s edge.”
“Perhaps Celestia sent her to learn the art of war," Nana said. "And deliver us from the great evil. But somehow, I don’t think that was her design.”
San grinned.
"What?" Nana asked.
"It's always so unusual to hear you when you aren't rhyming," San said with a grin. "It's as if I'm seeing you in a whole new light!"
"Oh come on," Nana replied. "You know we only use the rhymes for traditional occasions -- like being in a foreign land, or greeting a guest from afar. You should have done better, San. We needed to present a united front to the newcomers, so that they'll trust in our strength and unity."
"Anyways," San said, as Nana rolled her eyes. "Disputes about tribal ritual can happen later. For now, we must decide what is to be done about Twilight Sparkle. She can come to the Council of Elders yes, but how much do we tell her? How much do you think she can take? We don't want a repeat of the last time an alicorn from Equestria came to our lands.... surely we all agree on that point."
"You know her best, Zecora," Nana said. "What say you?"
Zecora paused. On one hand, she knew Twilight was tough and had a number of trials back in Ponyville. On the other hand, nothing could prepare her for what she was about to see.
"I say we wait," Zecora said. "We have to test her. See how she reacts to living among us, and the conditions that she sees here. We slowly trickle her information, send her on a few quests. Then, if she handles them well, we tell her what is going on."
"We defer to you, Zecora," San said. "Both Nana and I".
The zbra matriarch nodded. "It is decided then."
