The Origin's of Zecora

Training the protege

Applebloom sped into the Everfree forest like a large yellow ball of fury, in two hours she had finished all the farm chores much to the surprise of her siblings. The night hadn't been easy either, Applebloom tossed and turned for hours on end wishing for Celestia to raise the sun earlier than usual. If Luna had heard that, the next Nightmare Night would be awkward.

"Alright Applebloom this may be yer big break." She hummed the CMC theme song under her breath as she dashed deeper and deeper into the forest.

Zecora had been awake for the past hour. Preparing all that was needed to train an apprentice Witch doctor was not an easy task. But she was not about to let her enthusiastic student down. Right on schedule she could see a small dust cloud slowly moving towards her.

Applebloom could make out the hut in the distance. Already waiting for her was her new mentor, she stopped inches away from crashing into the small hut with a big smile plastered on her face. "Alrighty Zecora lets get movin." She pulled a mock salute and waited in attention.

Zecora smiled. "The training will be hard, so listen well and do not get off-guard." She placed items in front of Applebloom. It was a strange husk from a fruit that Applebloom had never seen before. Along with it was vines and tree branches neatly bundled onto a pack " What are we usin the vines fer?"

Zecora shook her head. "All in due time. For now let us go. There is far to climb."

The two equines equipped their respective packs and headed into the depths of the Everfree forest.

Deeper into the forest Applebloom could feel the dank and humid air stick to her mane, Zecora undaunted carried on using her tail to flick away insects and an occasional parasprite. They had been trekking for only a few hours and Applebloom could feel the hill get steeper and steeper.

"Now Applebloom, we must make haste. More sunlight we must not waste." Applebloom sucked up her remaining strength and trudged up the hill. "This is nuthin compared to carrying apples on, the, farm." She assured herself with a soft whisper under her breath.

Zecora had saw her new student struggle and slowed down. She could not help her, if she was to learn she would do it traditionally.

Eventually the hill reached its peak. As the got closer to the top Applebloom could see strange flowers and plants of all shapes and colors growing on the hill top. "Woah" upon seeing the vibrant colors painted on the hill, all her fatigue was gone. Zecora simply smiled under her breath and placed her pack down.

"Today my pupil we must learn of flowers. pay some heed for they hold many powers." She daintily picked up a blue flower carefully by the stalk.

"This as you know is the poison joke. The stalk is the only thing you must stroke." She pulled out a strange contraption. It resembled a claw but with a small vial attached to the bottom.

"You must use this to extract the sap. Be careful, we do not want a mishap." Applebloom searched her own pack and Zecora taught her the many tools that were used by Ecologists and Witch doctors alike. Applebloom ate up the information with both theory and practice. By the end of the day she was able to test which plants were poisonous how deep she had to deep in order for her to safely extract a root from the ground without destroying it.

As the sun started to set Zecora pulled out a small smooth stone that faintly glowed a light cerulean hue. "This a moonstar. When under the night it will glow very far. " Zecora threw the stone deep into the dark forest. Sure enough the stone grew brighter and brighter as the surroundings got darker and darker. "Cool" Applebloom muttered under her breath as she walked along side Zecora with her new moonstar necklace hanging around her neck.

Applebloom's trip into the forest brought forth new experiences that she would treasure for ever. Princess Luna's night sky lit up with tiny stars or bio-luminescent insects in the trees. Zecora gave a small smile looking at her new student marvel at the night sky with such enthusiasm.

The walk back to the hut was uneventful, Applebloom unpacked and cleaned her kit and waved goodbye to her mentor before leaving for the farm. Zecora looked on as the bundle of yellow disappeared into the horizon.

"For one so smallshe wishes to learn so much, carry on my apprentice pray you don't fall." She carried on smiling until Applebloom disappeared completely. The striped Zebra closed her doors and went inside the small hut in the forest.

"Where have yer been missy." Applejack was not pleased that her little sister had been coming home at extremely late times.

"Ah was in the forest wit Zecora silly. Ah thought ah told yer."

"Well the forest is dangerous, I don't want yer to be mauled by wolves or worse." Applejack paced back and forth in thought.

"Sis its alright Zecora's been teachin me how to survive in the forest, I'll be fine." The moment those words left her lips she saw Applejack flinch at the word teach.

"Don't tell me yer still afraid of her?" Applebloom felt sadness well up in her heart. "After all she has done fer yer you still don't trust her do you." She felt her head go dizzy from anger.

"Now look here Applebloom I ain't afraid of no pony." Applejack's words fell on deaf ears as her sister ran out of the house with tears showing her trail.

Ah dang nabit

It wasn't too hard to find Applebloom, easily her sobs could be heard inside the family barn and so Applejack entered with caution.

"Lil' sis?" Applejack called out into the darkness.

"Go away" Came the reply

"C'mon now ahm sorry fer not trustin her but." Applejack searched the darkness until she found the small filly bundled up in a haystack. "I just don't want anythin bad ter happen."

She reached out and hugged her little sister. "Git off me I ain't no baby." But despite her struggles the orange pony with legs of iron held her grip.

"Look sis, I just don't want you to leave until you're ready." The struggling stopped and Applebloom gave up with a huff.

"When I left the farm big Mac and Granny were terribly sad and I don't want yer to leave before you should." Applejack gave a soft smile and Applebloom wiped her tears. "Alright alright ah promise not ter leave until I get mah cutie mark ok?"

"Thats fine by me." The two sisters held their hug for another ten seconds before leaving for bed.

The air in the hut was not musty or smelly due to its amazing architecture of forcing air to constantly flow out through the top. The young tribe zebra sat opposite a small shriveled old Zebra who was busy chanting strange phrases into a fire.

"You are the one I can trust, tell me how to defeat Zecora, I will grind her to dust."

"For one so young you are filled with so much hate, if you kill her, you will change your fate."

"Then die she must not, very well in prison she must rot."

The old witch doctor frowned into the fire before adding more wood to it.

"She will be chosen as a witch doctor, you must be the one to be her proctor."

He paused to gather her breath.

"Should she be chosen wrong, in this tribe she does not belong."

The young prince zebra smiled to himself as the fire crackled and spat as if to join along in the fiendish scheme.

"Today be the day that our young Zecora be the shaman, ." The crowd applauded with both praise and awe, It was the first time a shaman was a mare instead of a stallion.

"Let us rejoice, for our new shaman was nature's choice." The celebrations lasted for several days before Zecora was allowed to take up her job in her new hut.

The day of a witch doctor was simple, nothing Zecora hadn't trained for or was unsure of. It was to simply heal or to exorcise possessed tribeponies should it be needed. The problem would be the end of week soothsaying in which she simply had to predict something. It was risky and dangerous, the drugs she would have to take would cause her to have delusions and she would be closely watched by others to see what the future holds. Although it hadn't happened yet Zecora felt that something was going to go wrong.

Neesa Neesa Neesa

Giley Ho

Zecora chanted and muttered as her tent was emptied for her to focus

Neesa Neesa Neesa

Giley Ho

She closed her eyes as her supervisor stood in his heavy mask watching for signs of trouble. "Outside you go, for I this ritual I cannot show." The supervisor nodded and left outside.

In the shadows the prince hid with a small flask of strange syrupy liquid. It was a type of hallucinogen and an aphrodisiac. He waited until the guard left the tent before pulling out his weaponry. One simple poison dart was all it took for the supervisor to fall into a slumber lasting many hours. Making quick work of hiding the body he was quickly summoned back into the tent wearing the kit of a guard.

"I require the potion." She paused to take a good look at her guard. "Why are you wearing a hoeschen?" Realizing he hadn't taken off his camo suit he hurriedly gave her the potion and left. Zecora didn't have time to worry about why her proctor was wearing leggings, she calmed herself and went back to meditating.

Immediately the potion took effect. Zecora fell into a slumber and her supposed guard stepped inside and closed the tarp. A witch doctor would not be disturbed until she was done so that mean all the time in the world

"Zecora the mare so bold. You seem rather cold." He smiled and licked her face. She shook in reaction but did not stir. He smiled. She was all his now.

"Now now do not fret, I dont like my ponies to be done just yet." He removed a burning stake from the fire and gently pressed it against her face leaving three deep scars that would live with her forever. He smiled at her twist of agony and dumped the wood away.

"Now then Zecora do not fret, I like to have my ponies wet." Her muffled screams were to only the ears of the sleeping guard outside who was too deep in the world of rest to reply.

"Now then listen to my voice, attack the neighboring tribes will be your choice." Being too drugged to disagree Zecora simply bowed her head in pain.

"Listen when I speak." He prodded her once more with the hot stake in her cutie mark. I didnt think you had such weak physique." Zecora moaned silently through her gag as her captor smiled. His worst adversary was in his hands and crying. She had taken the title of Shaman from him and it was time to take what was his.

Zecora was still unable to properly register anything. The drug simply clouded her vision and motor skills and she believed that all that was happening was simply a delusion.

"You will send the tribes into war." He smiled. "And the name Zecora will be lost forever more."

Zecora awoke with a start. It was daybreak and her head and body was filled to the brim with sores and bruises. She was told before hand that being in that state could cause self harm unintentionally. She walked out of her tent and headed for the main hall.

"Why must we go to war. The other tribes never harmed us before."

The council was in a buzz of conversations and debate. Their soothsayer spoke of pain and fire. What was worse was that the visions included the other tribes fighting.

"The visions are never wrong before. Very well we will go to war."

Over the next few years, the sound of darts and metal clashed in the deep forests of Marefrica.