A Striped Past

Part 2-A: The Zebra Village

The zebra village was far to the west; isolated in a region where few ponies willingly traveled. Based on Twilight’s estimations of the map, it would take almost 2 days to make the trip back to Zecora’s village by way of her balloon; and that was if conditions were favorable. With promises to return as soon as possible, they hurried back to the castle to inform Starlight and Spike of the situation. Starlight headed for Sweet Apple Acres while Spike promised to keep an eye on things in Ponyville. With not a second to waste, they packed up and headed into the skies. Twilight set their course and decided to ride the southern coastline to take advantage of the heavier winds off of the ocean. The trip was as quiet as it was long, with each of them contending not only with the unknown ahead of them but fear for their friends back home. The familiar plains and forests slowly turned more and more untamed as they passed into the mountain range. The valleys of the western inland were home to a massive, central river that branched off into a complex network of channels. Twilight guided the balloon down towards a clearing along the main body of the river. As they climbed out and surveyed the area, Twilight rolled the map up and returned it to her pack.

“Okay, according to the map, Zecora’s village is located near the base of that peak over there.” Twilight pointed to a jagged crest northwest of them. “From here it should be about another thirty miles.”

“Everypony keep your eyes peeled.” Applejack said as she gave Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy their packs. “No telling what kind of varmints are running around.”

“You certainly don’t have to tell me twice.” Fluttershy panned her gaze around them as they began to walk.

As they hiked they began to move away from the river bank. After a number of miles the group came across a vast, open area dotted with outcroppings of granite. Crossing the oddly quiet breadth of land, Applejack crinkled her nose in disgust as something foul wafted into it.

“Y’all smell that?” Applejack asked as she put her hoof to her nose.

“Wasn’t me.” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Smells like sulfur.” Twilight took note of the odor as well.

Fluttershy covered her nose as well and glanced around, in the distance she saw one of the outcroppings sink into the ground. With a shill ‘eep’ she quickly ran over to Rainbow Dash. “Did you see that?” She asked.

“See what?” Rainbow Dash pried Fluttershy off of her.

“The rocks are moving.” She pointed out to where she had seen the event.

“That smell is just messing with your head.” Dash insisted.

As if in response to her dismissal, the ground beneath them began to shudder and a deep, guttural noise rose from the ground.

“Look out!” Twilight shouted as the earth beneath her ruptured. A fleshy maw rose from the ground and bit at the spot where she was walking; quickly diving back under after missing its target.

“Watch it, Shy!” Rainbow Dash sped to her friend and pushed her back as another creature rose from beneath her hooves.

“Get in the air!” Twilight instructed as she flew to Applejack and hooked their hooves together; she rose into the sky and was joined by the two pegasi.

“What are these things?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I’ve never seen any animal like them.” Fluttershy noted.

“They’re called Earth Lurkers.” Twilight explained. “Their skin secretes a sticky mucus that causes the rock and soil they burrow through the stick to them. They use it as camouflage to hide from their prey and that smell is what they use to disorient anything that wanders into their territory."

“Super.” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“They hunt by sound; we should be safe up here.” Twilight added.

The ground again burst and one of the Lurkers rose into the air at them, mouth agape with jagged rows of teeth.

“Guess their ears are better than you thought!” Applejack curled her legs up as high as they could go.

“Catch Applejack!” Twilight ordered as she released her hold.

“On it!” Rainbow Dash dove after her and caught her.

Twilight reared back and fired an intense shot of magic directly into the thing's mouth. It let out a pained roar and ceased its attack. With its full, wormlike body exposed it landed on the surface and began moving its head around in search of its attacker.

“Dash, drop me on its back.” Applejack requested as they circled the area.

“You got it.” Rainbow Dash went into a dive and aimed Applejack carefully, releasing her at just the right moment to deposit her between a set of the rocky protrusions on its back.

Applejack pulled out her lasso and galloped up the creature, her earth pony strength the only thing keeping her hooves from sticking to its skin. As she neared the front end she tossed out her rope and it circled the pointed tip of its head. She yanked for all she was worth and the Lurker reeled back in response. Scaling the last dozen feet of its length she jumped up and drove her forelegs down onto its skull; the Lurker’s head returned to the ground hard and it fell unconscious. Applejack coiled her lasso and stood proudly on the fallen beast. “That’ll teach ya; you sneaky, overgrown earthworm.

“That was amazing.” Fluttershy commended as she flew down.

The ground began to quake again as the foursome watched all the rocks in the area lower into the soil.

“I don’t think they’re as impressed.” Twilight said as she picked Applejack up again. “Let’s get moving.”

“Good idea.” Rainbow Dash concurred as they flew high and away from the area.

Landing again once they were well away from the clearing, they began entering the forested area below the mountains. Fortunately, the rest of the journey was without incident. The quiet of the excursion was halted however, when as they neared the resting place of the zebra village the sounds of constant working began to drift through the still air. Keeping low as the tree line began to thin, they were soon overlooking the ruins of Zecora’s home. The collection of dilapidated wooden and stone abodes sat silent in the shade of the mountain.

“Look.” Fluttershy whispered as she pointed to the source of the sounds they had been hearing. Armored stallions were watching over the area while workers were coming in and out of a shaft that led into the mountain. The ruins themselves were being patrolled by similar soldiers and large carts of ore were lined up in preparation to be moved.

“The mine.” Twilight recalled Zecora’s story.

“Then they must be from the same group that attacked her village in the first place.” Rainbow Dash concluded.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “There are so many of them.”

“We need to find Zecora’s house.” Applejack looked to Twilight. “Any idea which one is hers?”

Twilight looked over the village in silence for several moments. “Zecora said her father was chief of the village.” She began. “In most tribal settlements, the chief’s home is usually located near the center; it’s the most protected and defensible spot.”

“So that big building there would be it, right?” Fluttershy pointed to the largest remaining structure.

“No, it’s probably the second largest.” Twilight informed. “That building there is most likely a communal area, where meetings and gatherings were held.” She scanned the area around it. “There.” She pointed to a semi-crumbled home that had detailed paintings and markings on its face. “I’ll bet that it.”

“Then all we need to do is get you inside.” Applejack let out a harsh sigh. “Easier said than done though.”

“I have an idea.” Rainbow Dash cut in. “If Twilight can blast the entrance to the mine and seal it off; that will trap half of them inside. After that; Shy, AJ and I can draw the rest away from the village while she sneaks in and finds what we need.”

The others sat silent at her strategy. “Wow, that’s actually a really good plan.” Twilight praised.

“Thanks.” Dash smiled sheepishly. “That’s basically what Daring Do did when she battled the griffon warriors in the ruby mines of Mozambeak.”

“Alright then; go get into position Twilight.” Applejack stood and looked down the hill on which they sat atop. “As soon as you blow the door to the mine and they go to have a look see, we’ll move down and pull them out yonder.” She pointed to the northern edge of the village. “Then y’all can double back around and head into the village from the south end.”

“Alright.” Twilight nodded. “Just be careful.”

“We will.” Fluttershy promised. “When you find what you’re looking for, fire your magic in the air to let us know.”

“Will do.” Twilight nodded again and headed off into the trees to work her way towards the mine.

The remaining three watched the mine entrance intently as they waited. Within fifteen minutes; a wide, purple blast struck the face above the entrance and heavy rock cascaded down to block the way in. They waited a few moments, watching the patrolling soldiers scramble to investigate the noise. Once the village was clear, they headed down the steep hill and began moving around to the north side of the village. The headed into plain view of the nine stallions and Rainbow Dash whistled loudly.

“Hey!” She shouted. “Have a little accident!?”

The soldiers looked to each in confusion before eight of them began to attack while the ninth began to work on the collapsed tunnel. The trio ran further north, out of the village and into the woods with the soldiers close behind. They split up and further divided them; with three apiece going after Applejack and Rainbow Dash and the final two chasing after Fluttershy. With flight on their side, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy easily weaved through the trees. Fluttershy rose into the treetops and landed on a thick branch, finding herself surrounded by long tailed monkeys.

“Oh my.” She gasped. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to disturb you.” The monkeys tilted their heads as they looked her over curiously. “I know you’re probably busy with monkey business at the moment… but I could really use your help.” The monkey’s chattered back at her. “You will?” She smiled brightly. “Thank you. Here’s what I need you to do.”

The soldiers passed through the spot where they last saw the foreign, yellow pegaus and began checking the area. As they searched, a hail of woodland debris began raining down on them from the high treetops. While shielded by their armor, the onslaught was enough to occupy them as Fluttershy descended from the greenery and looped a length of vine around one of their rear legs. She flew back up and pulled the length of vine over a sturdy branch and with some assistance from her new friends she pulled the soldier off his hooves and into the air. The monkeys quickly secured the vine around the trunk, removing the stallion from the battle. After a quick round of high fives, Fluttershy took another vine and prepared to repeat the process.

Rainbow Dash was far too fast for the soldiers but stayed in their sights just enough to give them hope and not abandon the chase. “C’mon guys!” She called as she began flying backwards, effortless avoiding the tree trunks. “You can do better than that!” Spurred by her taunts the soldiers galloped harder and began to gain some ground. “That’s the spirit.” Rainbow Dash laughed as she flew up into the treetops. She ripped off a decent sized branch and dove back down, this time heading right for the charging stallions. She flew low and let the branch collide with the front soldier’s forelegs; he immediately flipped head over hoof and crashed into the dirt as Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt. Pulling down her left eyelid and sticking her tongue out, she began heading back in the opposite direction with the other two giving chase once again.

Not being able to fly, Applejack had a harder time out maneuvering her pursuers. Running out of options she spied a smaller tree and spun around, bucking her back legs into it as hard as she could. The trunk cracked and the tree began to topple back towards her. With a strong jumped she evaded the falling timber and it caused the soldiers to scatter. Turning back she found herself face to face with one of them. “Alright now.” She challenged. “Let’s see just how tough y’all are.” She ran in and kicked at him, he blocked her hoof with his but was sent sliding back through the soil a good ten feet from the force of the impact. He looked at his hoof in shock at her power but Applejack offered him an impressed laugh. “Still standing huh? Guess you ain’t all show after all.” The soldier’s eyes widened as she ran at him again.

Back at the village, Twilight had managed to sneak her way into Zecora’s house. The air was stale inside the long abandoned dwelling and she could feel the weight of what had happened here all those years ago. While her inquisitive side was fascinated by what she saw, she knew she didn’t have time to dally. She quickly roamed the home, coming across a large bedroom that surely must have belonged to Zecora’s parents. The simple décor had rotted but she began to rifle through what remained in search of anything of note. Once the bedroom was clear she returned to main living area and began to scour the room. “There has to be something here.” Twilight muttered as her search yielded no results. She looked over the walls and noticed a spot that was slightly lighter in color. She hurried over and pressed her hoof against it, finding it to be a door that had been painted to match the stone wall almost flawlessly. Not seeing a handle, she used her magic to pull it from its hidden hinges and let it fall to the floor. Inside was a small antechamber with some form of totemic fixture against the rear wall. Below it was a small book shelf with several volumes on it and a chest against the side wall. She knelt down and pulled the books out with her magic, opening them all at once and scanning her eyes over the pages. One book seemed to be a personal encyclopedia of the plant and animal life in the area along with the medicinal properties of each. Another contained what looked like stories, legends and tales that were recorded. The third appeared to be Zecora’s mother’s journal; checking the last dozen or so pages Twilight saw mention of the things that Zecora had told them. There were also drawings and depictions of the events that led up to the village’s destruction. Most importantly though she found detailed accounts of the process and incantations used to summon and bind the being that was believed to be a guardian spirit. “This is it!” She slammed the books shut and put them in her pack. Even though she had found what she was looking for, her eyes were drawn to the chest. She quickly opened it and found a collection of items inside. Seeing something of particular interest, she added it to her pack before hurrying back outside. Twilight ran a few feet from the home and fired her magic as high in the air as it would reach. She waited an anxious ten minutes before she heard Applejack call to her. Her three friends came speeding back over to her and gathered at her side.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, Zecora’s mother kept a journal that talks about everything she did.” Twilight answered triumphantly.

“Great, let’s get out of here.” Rainbow Dash eagerly suggested.

They began running back through the village toward the forest but were halted by another twenty or so soldiers and several dozen workers.

“Oh no.” Twilight said breathlessly as she beheld the front. “I didn’t think they’d dig themselves out that quickly.”

One of the soldiers stepped forward and pointed his hoof at them. “I don’t know who you are, but you will regret the trouble you have caused.”

They began to back away as the mob approached them. Fluttershy quickly grabbed Twilight’s shoulder and leaned into her ear. “Stick your horn in the ground and release as big a blast as you can.”

“What?” Twilight looked to her with uncertainty.

“Just do it.” Fluttershy demanded.

“Okay.” Twilight stiffened her neck and jammed her horn into the ground. The soil swelled and rolled as she fired her magic, the reverberations echoing throughout the silent village. The soldiers readied themselves but nothing resulted from the action.

“Capture them!” The soldier shouted as they ran in.

“Get close!” Twilight raised a barrier around the four of them. The soldiers began to beat in it furiously; each blow rocking Twilight's concentration as she began to strain to maintain the shield.

“Now what?” Applejack asked in concern.

“Wait for it.” Fluttershy said firmly.

After a stressful few minutes the soldiers halted their offensive as a massive rumbling began to shake the entire area. Several holes opened up beneath the battle as Lurkers began to explode from the ground and attack everything in the immediate vicinity. The soldiers and workers began to flee in terror, doing what they could to avoid over a dozen of the subterranean creatures. Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash immediately took to the sky, with Applejack taking hold of Dash’s legs.

“Great thinking, Shy.” Rainbow Dash said as they watched the chaotic scene from the safety of the air.

“Yeah, you sure saved our hides.” Applejack agreed.

“Let’s get back to the balloon; we need to return to Sweet Apple Acres as soon as possible.” Twilight started out over the woods and the others quickly followed after. With no more need for cautious subterfuge, they flew back over the landscape and back to the balloon. As Twilight got back in the basket and prepared for takeoff, Rainbow Dash swiped Applejack's lasso and lashed herself to the balloon. “What are you doing?” Twilight asked.

“We’re done here. I don’t have to hold back anymore.” Dash said surely. “I’ll get us home in no time.”

“Are you sure?” Applejack asked as she entered the basket. “Your wings will be wet noodles by the time we get back.”

“Hah, Spitfire’s drills are more challenging than this.” Rainbow Dash said with a confident smile.

“Count me in.” Fluttershy tied herself up much the same and stood at her side.

“Thanks you two.” Twilight smiled as she fired up the burner and they began lifting into the air. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy started to pull the balloon along and the once slow moving dirigible soon became a chariot in the sky.

Author's Note

Part 2 will be broken into two separate parts that take place during the same span of time. Part 2-A is the story of what happens to Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack during their journey to the zebra village. Part 2-B will be the story of what happens at Sweet Apple Acres while they are away.