Author's Note

For those of you who are about to read the 2nd chapter, please listen. The idea of the OC ending up in the Storm King's territory was all NineTailBeastBall's idea and I owe it to him for coming up with such an amazing backstory for the character, so please be sure that you follow him.

Now, here is the second chapter, and I hope you enjoy

A Rewarding Rescue

You’ve long given up your goal of engineering. Your skills with vehicles were not only becoming rusty, but there weren’t any kind of cars or trucks of any sort in this land for you to practice working on. While there were indeed airships back in Klugetown, it was way too risky for even a thief with your skill to try and steal one. Anyone in the vicinity would notice an airship of immense size sailing out into the skies.

You’ve decided from the moment you saw Ponyville that there would be no more need to steal anything anymore. You’ve been living in Equestria for 3 days and already you were adjusting to a nice, peaceful life. Seeing Zecora as the one you trusted the most, you accepted her invitation to stay with her in her hut. In exchange, you were to come with her into town and help her sell her mixtures. Not at all a bad deal.

So far, Zecora is the only one who knew of what you did to survive in the Storm King’s territory. You honestly felt very guilty that you thought she would’ve thrown you out for coming clean, she did nothing of the sort. Once back at the hut, you got curious and asked Zecora about it.

“Zecora, I don’t get it. You knew what I had done over the past 7 years, but instead of throwing me out and didn’t want to see me again, you allowed me to stay here in your hut. No one’s ever shown me that kind of compassion before,” you said.

“While there were mistakes that you have made, I am kind enough to be your aid. Those eyes of yours when I stare, tell me a good heart is still present in there. 7 years of living in the badlands is pretty bold, but not enough to turn your heart completely cold,” the zebra mare replied.

“T-Thank you...” you said quietly. However you shook your head to rid yourself of your embarrassment before returning your attention to the task at hand. Today, Zecora once again needed to stock up on her supplies. You could only imagine what creative experimenters she’ll be coming up with after she gets what she needs.

“Danger is the last thing we want to bring, so please stay close to me and alert my sweet thing,” she warned with a smile. You quickly quirked an eyebrow the moment she referred to you as “her sweet thing.” You turned your head away blushing at the sudden term of endearment.

‘Am I going cuckoo-kachoo or did she just give me a pet name?’ you thought to yourself. “Understood,” you said, heeding her advice while at the same time hiding your confusion.

Going to the list you were given before this little hunt began, three poison joke plants were necessary for the mixture. From what Zecora had told you, these cruel plants have different funny effects on anyone that touches them. She was very clear on telling you to avoid touching the flower’s blue petals and pick them by the stem instead.

Evidently even if she wanted to, Zecora couldn’t forget how to find the poison joke as they’ve caused a lot of trouble for a couple of friends of hers in the past. After just a short walk, you came across a small field of poison joke waiting for their next victim.

“Hey, Zecora, how many of the poison joke do you need for your potion?” you asked.

“Three is all we need to take, but remember not to make a mistake. Pick it by the stem like I said before, to avoid whatever joke they have in store,” Zecora reminded.

“Okay, got it,” you nodded. With that, you carefully put your hand underneath the petals, trying to avoid any sort of contact. You pulled the first poison joke out slowly so you wouldn’t touch any of its neighbors’ petals. Breathing a sigh of relief as you held the flower, you put it in a basket before moving to the next one.

Not once in your entire life in the lands beyond Equestria did you imagine yourself doing favors for others. Being shown gratitude was even more of a reason why you were glad to give up on your robbing spree. A life working with Zecora was a whole lot nicer than anything you experienced so far.

“It’s so nice to have you here to assist, now for the next thing on our list,” Zecora said taking ahold of the list. “Getting the rest of our material won’t be much a threat, I just hope you don’t mind getting a bit wet,” she said with a chuckle.

You raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly your zebra friend here meant by that.

Zecora’s comment about getting wet made sense, as by the time you were getting the last thing on the list, the sky had begun to darken. Making sure the basket was nice and closed, you and Zecora both put the hoods of your cloaks on the avoid the imminent rain. It started off with a light drizzle, then slowly starts becoming a real downpour. While it is normally pegasi who control the weather, around the Everfree, weather happens on its own.

“Now you know what I mean of course. Come we must flee before the weather gets worse!” Zecora shouted.

Keeping a tight grip on the basket containing your ingredients, the two of you began to sprint back to the hut. Even though it couldn’t be helped, it was so unfortunate that you had to come such a long way in order to get what you needed.

At the rate the rain is coming down, there could be a slight chance of lightning with a hint of a little flood to boot. As she had explained earlier, the forest becomes a lot more dangerous during the night time. The evidence speaks for itself.

“How much farther until we’ve reached the hut?!” you asked.

“Please have patience we’re almost there, but we won’t make progress if we stop and stare!” Zecora said. You didn’t question her anymore and kept up with her, making your way back to the hut as quickly as you can. That is until you were forced to stop when a bolt of lightning struck from above and hit a tree that was much too close. It slowly started to lean in Zecora’s general direction, about to crush her.

“ZECORA, WATCH OUT!!!” you shouted before jumping in and grabbing her, pulling her out of the way before the tree had a chance to pin her underneath. You both laid on the cold, muddy ground, quite dirty, but very much alive.

You spat out some of the mud that had gotten into your mouth before looking over at Zecora who was out cold. The good news is you managed to save her life, bad news, the shock of almost being crushed had rendered her unconscious. Which meant you would have to carry her back to the hut in the dark.

Because of the good deal of muscle you’ve built during your training, carrying Zecora wasn’t much of a problem. You secured the unconscious zebra on your back by wrapping her arms around your neck, while your own arms supported her by the legs.

The lights coming from Zecora’s hut soon came into view. You sighed in relief and walked to the hut a little faster. Letting go of one of her legs, you reached to open the door and stepped inside. Zecora would probably scold you later for forgetting to wipe your feet, but that wasn’t important right now.

With your good friend still out like a light, you took the initiative to set her down on her bed. Once again, the thought of being reprimanded by Zecora came to mind as she was still muddy when you put her on the bed. Though if she does complain, you’d simply cut her off by reminding her you saved her life.

Taking the responsibility of taking care of you both, you made it warmer inside the hut by starting a fire below Zecora’s empty cauldron. Rubbing your hands a few times as you kneeled beside the fire, you then stood up and went over to her shelf to set down the basket containing your ingredients. By some miracle, the basket remained shut despite all that running.

Around the hut, when it came to cleaning up, you and Zecora would take turns bathing in one of her larger cauldrons. However you weren’t going to risk her waking up and finding you naked, so you settled with simply wetting a towel and wiping as much mud off as you could. Once you were more or less clean, you made your way over to Zecora to clean her in the same way.

Slowly and gently you brought the warm, wet towel up to her face and started to wipe off the mud from her face. Washing out the towel every few scrubs, you would repeat the process and noticed how her fur was returning to its original grey colors. You decided to just focus on her face for now, as touching anywhere below would probably make her lose all respect for you.

Now that you got a good look at your companion, you had to say Zecora was very beautiful. Seeing how her face was all clean again, you couldn’t explain the sudden urge to want to lean in a little closer. Your lips were just a few inches away from connecting before you stopped and got some sense knocked into you.

You quickly pulled yourself away from her just let her rest a little while longer. ‘What the hell am I even thinking? I’m not the kind of guy who takes advantage of others like that!’ you mentally scolded yourself. You made the right choice to as you heard Zecora begin to stir from her sleep. No doubt if you went through with the kiss, she would have woken up and caught you.

“Obviously we made it back to my hut... but what exactly happened after my eyes fell shut?” Zecora asked.

“You almost got crushed by a tree when it got hit by a bolt of lightning. I jumped in and got you out of the way, but you ended up falling unconscious. I guess you were so shocked about being crushed that you fainted. Naturally, I had no choice but to carry you the rest of the way here and even cleaned some of the mud off of you with a towel for good measure,” you explained.

“I see then, well I must thank you. It’s only with your persistence that we made it through,” Zecora said giving you a warm smile. “Not that I’m ungrateful in anyway, but are all of our ingredients still okay?” she asked. You responded by pointing to the basket, which you set on the shelf.

“We got lucky, not a single thing fell out,” you assured her, causing her happy expression to stay the same.

To accelerate the process of warming up, Zecora decided to take advantage of the fire that you started to cook up the soup you loved so much. While she was cooking, a memory from a few days ago popped into your head. The look of that man you saw in town when you told him about the plane crash still haunts you. Thinking back on it, you felt like a real jerk for leaving him in the dark and just running off.

“Hey, Zecora, do you think tomorrow we can head back to Ponyville?” you asked.

“For what reason could it be, that you wish to visit Ponyville so suddenly?” Zecora asked.

“I... said some things to someone that I’m not really proud of. I wasn’t trying to insult him them or anything, but I think I might have spooked them when I said that I saw them before. I stopped explaining things to them and just ran off without another word, not looking back. I owe this guy an explanation, so what do you say?” you asked.

“You don’t need permission from me, to make things the way that they should be. If one wants to make things right, they should take the chance when it comes within sight,” Zecora said.

“Alright, thanks, Zecora,” you said.

“Tomorrow we shall have a talk with the group, but for now, have a seat and enjoy some soup,” she said, giving you a bowl with the delicious liquid. From the moment the smell of her homemade soup hit your nostrils, you were in heaven.

You scooped up a spoonful of the soup and blew on it a few times before slurping it. Zecora’s cooking was the absolute best. You could feel your entire body warming up as you helped yourself to the soup. You of course weren’t the only one eating, as Zecora fixed her own bowl and looked at her work with satisfaction.

Once you were both done eating, you replaced the muddy sheets on Zecora’s bed with some fresh ones. The zebra was indeed frustrated that you got mud into her house, but just as you planned, she stopped complaining when you reminded her that she’s only alive because of you. You were relieved that the argument ended before it could get bad, as you were fond of Zecora and couldn’t bare the thought of fighting with her.

Once clean sheets were on the bed, you could feel yourself getting tired and finally decided to call it a night and climbed into the bed. Zecora had the same idea and joined your side before you placed the covers over you both. It wasn’t long before you both were sound asleep.

Sticking to the plan, Zecora accompanied to help you find the man you reunited with during your first visit to Ponyville. Fortunately, even though you didn’t have the luck of learning the man’s name, Zecora appeared to know him too well. All all you had to do was describe his appearance and she was able to lead you to where he lived.

The establishment looked very shiny and presentable on the outside. It was almost like a miniature mansion from where you were standing. You can also see a few dresses being put on display through the mirrors. In your honest opinion, it seemed a little strange for a man to be living in a place that looked like it had a woman’s touch to it, but you kept that to yourself. The place probably belonged to one of his friends or so. At least, that’s the only logical conclusion you could come up with.

“Well, time to face the music,” you said with a sigh. You walked up and knocked on the door a few times. You waited a few seconds and then heard a female voice call out from the other side. Needless to say, this is the exact opposite of what you expected.

“Just a minute, I’ll be right there,” she called out. When the door opened, you were greeted by a pure white unicorn mare with a beautiful curly purple mane and sparkling sapphire eyes. “Oh, Zecora, so nice to see you. And who is this man?”

You answered the question for Zecora, after all, coming here was your idea. “I’m actually here to speak with the man who lives here. I wanted to clear things up with him. Is he around?” you asked, looking around.

“Oh, you mean my husband, Silver? Yes, I believe he’s drawing some designs for some ensembles I need to have delivered. Please hold on one second,” she replied before going back inside and then called out to someone. “Crystal, darling, would you mind getting your father out here, please?”

“Okay, mommy,” a little voice responded.

“She’s married to a human?” you asked Zecora quietly, surprised.

“Not just her, but so are her friends. But you can ask her after tying up loose ends,” Zecora whispered back.

The one called Crystal did what she was told quite quickly, as the man you now know as Silver, walked next to the doorway.

“Okay, I’m here, Rarity honey. So who is it that wants to-” he stops from the moment his eyes lock dead center on you. Things became so much more awkward as Silver was left speechless.

“Silver, honey, what’s the matter?” Rarity asked.

“Daddy, is something wrong?” Crystal asked, tugging on the hem of her dad’s shirt. Silver snapped out of his little trance and regained his focus.

“Y-Yeah, daddy’s fine now. Listen, Crystal, daddy’s gonna step out and have a talk with this man for a little while, okay? This won’t take too long, I promise,” he said, kneeling down and petting his daughter’s head.

“Okay, then,” Crystal replied leaning in to hug her father before going back inside with Rarity. The moment they were out of sight, Silver turned back to you.

“I was wondering when we’d see each other again...” he replied softly.

“You’re not mad at me?” you asked.

“I don’t see any point in holding a grudge. After all, it doesn’t help much if there’s unnecessary conflict between two people who don’t even know each other,” Silver shrugged.

“Well, I guess that makes sense,” you agreed.

“So, I take it you wanted to talk to me about the plane crash?” he asked.

“You hit it dead center. But first, I wanted to apologize for running off on you like that. Mentioning how I survived out there was something that just slipped out and wanted to avoid talking about. However, that needs to change...”

You thoroughly explained to Silver of how you woke up in the corrupt wastelands ruled by the Storm King. He remained silent the entire time, even as you mentioned you kept yourself alive by stealing from the impoverished residents, mainly slave traders.

By that time, you were living in this run-down place called Klugetown, where a lot of the creatures there weren’t exactly that bright when you stole from them. They didn’t even notice they were robbed and it disgusted you knowing they were easy pickins. Silver did smile for a moment when you mentioned you beat up Verko, who almost captured and enslaved Rarity and her friends.

You finally concluded your explanation saying you gained interest in ditching Klugetown and coming to this kingdom the moment you learned about how the Storm King was defeated a couple of years ago. On the journey, you wound up almost dying of thirst in the desert and then almost died of hunger when you snuck on the back of a train that was approaching here.

“I’m quite embarrassed that I actually ran away from you despite having experienced much scarier things. Again, I apologize for such behavior,” you finished.

“I appreciate both your apology and your explanation. Though I must say it’s quite a surprise to learn one of this world’s first humans was living outside Equestria and we didn’t even know,” Silver said. “We may still barely know each other but I have a feeling we’ll become close friends soon enough.”

“I look forward to it. Glad we could clear things up,” you said.,” you said and watched as Silver extended his hand for you to shake. Smiling, you accepted his handshake before allowing him to go back inside and continue with his work.

“I don’t see much reason to stay, shall we be on our way?” Zecora asked.

“Yeah, I think it’s time it head on back to the hut. Maybe one of these days we can meet Silver’s other friends,” you said before realizing something. “Now that I think about it, I didn’t even know it was possible for humans and ponies to cross-breed. This world is full of surprises.”

“Yes surprises will indeed be brought forward, an example is your upcoming reward. I never properly thanked you for saving me... so please enjoy what your reward is going to be...” Without much warning, Zecora leaned up and pressed her lips against your cheek. The kiss affected you as quickly as one of her potions, as you could feel your face heating up and your eyes widen with shock.

Zecora kept those soft lips of hers locked against your cheek for at least 20 seconds before she pulled away. Chuckling at your reaction, she can tell that you definitely enjoyed your reward. All you could do was place a hand on your cheek while putting on a goofy smile and blab out two simple words.

“Aww shucks...”

2 weeks have gone by and Zecora has clearly learned her lesson as she was no longer leading the two of you out for ingredients unless positive weather was guaranteed. This just shows how mistakes are to learn from. However even now, you still couldn’t wrap your head around the way the zebra has been acting ever since she kissed you.

Of course she didn’t admit it, but Zecora has been showing plenty of signs that told you she had a crush on you. For example, anytime you two went out scouting for ingredients for her special brew, she’d always walk extremely close to you, pressing her body onto yours. Another sign was that you noticed her cheeks would turn red when you complimented her amazing work.

Now you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find the shaman to be beautiful. Though you never thought of anyone in a romantic sense before in your life. Even in high school, you had preferred to keep to yourself rather than ask anyone out on a date. Furthermore, you thought most of the girls were too shallow and immature for your taste. However Zecora wasn’t some teenager, but rather a full grown, wise zebra.

“You seem to be quite deep in thought, are you thinking of a memory you long forgot?” Zecora’s caring voice brought you back to your senses.

“You could say that,” you responded before finding yourself disarmed by her charms. Whether she realized it or not, Zecora was once again giving you that look filled with adoration. You backed against the wall as she approached you. A hint of blush formed on your face. She leans herself onto you and is about to lock her lips with yours. You were so surprised that she did what you did during the rainstorm and backed off when her lips were just inches away from yours.

“I-I apologize for my lack of pride... please excuse me, for I need to step outside...” You grabbed her arm before she could leave and then held her by her shoulders with a far more gentle grip.

“Zecora how do you feel about me?” you asked, using a calm tone to let her know you weren’t upset with her. You expected her to start blushing, but instead, the question made Zecora smile.

“Though you’ve lived seven long years life of sin, I can see your true, kind nature from within. Your heart may have first been stone cold, but deep down, there is a heart of pure gold. That’s the kind of man I have been dreaming of, the kind of man in you that I now love,” Zecora explained before her smile disappeared. “Though I’m aware that it’s not my choice to make, after all this must be a lot for you to take. I’m sure plenty of other mares will come to you if you wait, are you satisfied with having me as your mate?”

Indeed Zecora’s confession was a lot to think about, so you might as well start. The zebra before you was the first one you’ve ever thought of as your friend. But in the past 2 weeks you’ve lived with her, you’ve grown a certain fondness for the lovely shaman. The evidence lies in that time after you rescued her from certain death where you found the sleeping beauty quite attractive and almost jumped at the chance to kiss her. You’d be a hypocrite to stay freaked out that she tried to do the same.

“Honestly... I thought I was going to have to live a sad life out on my own. The moment you showed up in my life, a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. You gave me a sense of hope and a chance to turn my life around. I highly doubt any other mare will provide me the same sense of security so... I say you’re the only mare who’s won a spot in my heart,” you confessed, bringing her in for a nice, warm hug.

You could tell a sudden jolt of happiness coursed through Zecora’s mind the moment you wrapped her in your big strong arms. It wasn’t long before tears began to fall down her cheeks. Though they were actually tears of joy and for a good reason. Zecora hasn’t had a chance to find anypony to call her own in these past years and for you to return her affections like that was like being struck by a bolt of lightning. Quite ironic.

“Now that we’ve gotten close like this... would you like a different kind of kiss?” she asked.

Words didn’t need to be said as you reached under to cup her chin. You and Zecora stare at each other and lean in close, finally locking your lips together for the first time. Just like that time she kissed your cheek, you were taken away by how soft and warm her lips felt. It was like you were giving her your vow to be by her side. You couldn’t deny it: you loved Zecora.