Rhythm

by Illya Leonov

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Zecora
Length: 5633

There is more to the Everfree than meets the eye.

Shortly before a ceremony honoring Ponyville, Celestia hints to Twilight that there is a hidden nature to the forest of the Everfree. Later both Celestia and Zecora will help her to discover the essence of that nature.

Edited by Present Perfect
Also many thanks to AShadowOfCygnus for his assistance and editing

Published 2019-05-20 16:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-05-20 16:50:01 UTC

To Everything A Rhythm

The sun settled down into the mist of the horizon, taking a last look at the world before coming to rest at the end of the day. Its rays caressed the purple hills far to the east before they too became memory. Celestia let her mind relax, bidding her charge to sleep, soon to be joined by the world it lit, until called forth to begin the next day. The sensation brought a tingling to her spine as it always did, as it had done hundreds of thousands of days before and would again, as far into the future as her mind could conceive. The days to her were as the tick of the clock, steady, regular, pulsing, dependable... eternal.

This was the way of the universe: regularity on a scale which changed with the age of the creature to whom it spoke. Celestia could see these tiny repeating intervals in the hum of insects all the way up to the slow changes in the flow of rivers and the rise and fall of mountains. Luna could see these things as well, from the flicker of fireflies to the slow rotation of galaxies. And Celestia could see it in the beating of her sister's heart, and the (somewhat) slower undulations of Luna's mercurial moods.

These changes, these regular eddies and shifts were a comfort to Celestia. They were things she could count on and measure her world by, cycles which told her that change meant sameness and the world she loved could be counted on to remain by her side always.

But now the cadence of the clock had changed; the ticking slowed, and quiet tiredness misted her eyes. Time to get some rest if it was to be an early morning. Just before dawn, she would travel down to Ponyville to meet with her most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. There was magic ahoof, and Celestia knew Twilight would be excited to be involved.

Celestia could perform the miracle of daybreak from anywhere she chose, but she liked her private balcony the best. She had performed the ritual there so many times that the place had an almost sacred quality to it. It was no secret that tomorrow, though, she and Twilight had planned a celebration for the citizens of Ponyville, the first part of which would involve Celestia raising the sun from Friendship Castle, where her student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, resided.

Ponyville had been the site of so many of Equestia's triumphs, to say nothing of its status as home to the Elements of Harmony -- it had richly earned the honors Celestia wished to bestow upon it.

For the trip to Ponyville, Celestia had elected to eschew the usual chariot ride and even teleportation in favor of a pre-dawn flight. The trip from Canterlot to Ponyville was almost completely downhill at any rate -- all she need do was spread her wings and glide down from the mountain to make the trip.

Truth be told, this was Celestia's favorite hour of the day. In part, it was the anticipation of the sunrise, which Celestia had never viewed as a chore. She had a deep and abiding relationship with the sun and was always grateful to be able to greet the object of her sigil at the start of every day.

It was also Celestia's first chance of the day to see her sister as she lowered the moon and sat down to the morning meal they habitually shared before she headed off to sleep. It was a wonderful time of day for many reasons: the cool dawn breezes; the magic of the sky at this time of morning; the stars glowing their brightest in those last moments, before they too sought the serenity of daylight rest.

Celestia closed her eyes as she glided on the breezes, taking in the heady scent of wildflowers mingled with that of the newly mown hay in the pastures below. Celestia breathed it all in -- smiled -- then she glanced at the brightly glowing stars one last time before touching down in front of Twilight's castle.

The scent of strong coffee, wafting past Celestia as she opened the doors and strode inside, told her that Spike was up and attending his duties.

"Hello Princess!" he chirped as he walked past her, coffee tray in hand, leading the way into the sitting room. It was a more relaxed setting than the huge staging area with the large strategic table. Here there was a true coffee table, along with sofas, cushions, and other fineries -- arranged by Rarity, naturally -- lending the room an air of informality and comfort. Celestia sat on one of the large cushions and relaxed, as Spike poured out a measure of Twilight’s preferred Saddle Arabica-Pona blend into a china cup and offered it to her

"Thank you, Spike," she said with a smile.

"You're welcome Princess. Uh, I'll go get Twilight." Spike shared that particular mix of emotions the general populace usually had: love for the princesses tempered with a sort of muted internal terror of the power they held, a nervous sort of happiness. One was simultaneously elated and horrified upon a surprise meeting with the upper extremes of royalty, though oddly that tapered off into some measure of disgust the further one moved from the throne. No one really feared a meeting with Prince Blueblood, for example. They avoided it for... other reasons.

Celestia was sipping her coffee as Twilight walked softly into the room, admiring the regality and sheer beauty of her Princess. Twilight, despite being royalty herself, held the extreme version of what the common pony felt upon meeting Celestia. On the one hoof she was the most devoted subject the Princess had ever had, loving Celestia more than anything or anypony in Equestria; she positively glowed in Celestia's presence. On the other, that very devotion made her fearful of even imagined criticisms by her beloved ruler. Usually though, the love and devotion won out, and she was simply bubbly.

"Oh Princess" Twilight bubbled, "I'm so excited! You choosing Ponyville for this ceremony is such an honor."

Celestia smiled warmly. "Well, Twilight there is hardly a more deserving setting. I think you would agree. Ponyville has been something of a front line against the various problems our nation has faced, and we have honored the Elements many times in Canterlot ceremonies. But I think the citizens of Ponyville deserve a special honor all to themselves." She leaned in conspiratorially. "And it might be a tad difficult to bring the town itself to the Castle for a ceremony." She let out a small giggle, which made Twilight smile.

Then Twilight's smile softened as she said, "I've always thought Ponyville's proximity to the Everfree Forest keeps us ready for any magical troubles. It seems to have an endless supply of craziness at the ready"

"No doubt," Celestia replied. "And that will continue to be the case for some time, I am sure."

Twilight had a puzzled, distant look on her face. " Why do you suppose it is Princess, that the boundary of the forest sits there, so well defined, and yet neither advances nor retreats from us?"

"From us?" Celestia asked. "Oh, Twilight... surely you have gleaned by now that we are part of it and it is part of us? Or rather we are all part of the same whole?"

"I'm part of the Everfree Forest?" Twilight asked, failing to disguise her sarcasm. "Which part is that, exactly?"

Celestia smiled sadly but benevolently. "Perhaps it is time, Twilight, that you were my student once more for a few hours at least. When we have completed the ceremony this morning, I think you and I should walk down to the Everfree and explore the matter together." Celestia saw that Twilight was deeply puzzled but decided not to say anything further about it for the time being. After all, it was nearly time for the ceremony.

Twilight peered down from the balcony where Celestia was to raise the sun. There was quite a throng of the local populace already assembled down below. Spike walked among them handing out candles. It was a ceremony, after all, and Twilight wanted the residents of Ponyville to be an active part of it.

With just a few minutes to go before the sun was to be raised, almost all of Ponyville was gathered below in anticipation, including the Element bearers. Everyone felt it was important that they be seen as a vital part of Ponyville, as in turn Ponyville was vital to the Elements and all of Equestria.

As Twilight walked out onto the balcony, the assembled ponies clutched their candles tightly and listened intently.

"Citizens of Ponyville, my friends, companions and Elements, welcome to Ponyville's first Ceremony of Light!" A roar of approval went up from the crowd. "It is so good to see you all gathered together, just as you have come together so many times during the crises we have all faced as citizens of both this town and Equestria as a whole.

"Equestria owes a great debt to Ponyville and its citizens for bearing the brunt of so many of the terrible catastrophes we have faced together. In recognition of that fact, Princess Celestia has elected to use our fair town as the site of today's raising of the sun, as a token of the esteem that she and all the peoples of Equestria feel for us. Please, let us all join in the celebration together!"

The crowd erupted again in cheers of approval.

"My beloved assistant Spike has distributed candles amongst you. He also holds one, which is now lit. I ask that one of you light your candle from his and then each of you light another and those light others, and in so doing share the light of friendship throughout the whole town."

With that, Twilight backed off the balcony and Princess Celestia strode out regally. Once again, the crowd exploded with a huge cheer.

"Beloved Ponyville," she began, "I am humbled by the graciousness which has been shown to me and my sister these past years. You have been a light to each other, to Equestria, and to the ends of our great land. The sacrifices you have made have allowed us not only to survive, but to flourish as a nation. It is a great privilege and a true joy to be able to raise the sun among such a wonderful loving and giving community. Citizens of Ponyville, lift your candles high!"

The roar this time was deafening. As the candles were raised suddenly a bright light shone upon the balcony, and Celestia's golden regailia glowed brilliantly. As she bowed her head the crowd went silent. A soft glow began on her horn, then slowly intensified until it shone more brightly than all the candles combined. In a sudden moment her horn flashed, flooding the whole countryside with light. The candles all were suddenly extinguished and the sun rose into the sky. The candles dropped from the ponies' hooves as they were suddenly forgotten in the incredible display of light.

The ponies all cheered loudly and stomped their hooves in joy. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky, and Celestia and Twilight beamed from the balcony.

Suddenly a band began pouring out music, and Pinkie Pie was rushing everywhere stuffing cupcakes into ponies' mouths, whooping and dancing. Balloons were released, all of them golden like the sun, and a party began, the likes of which Ponyville had not seen in some time. Celestia and Twilight retired back into the castle to relax and have another cup of coffee.

A bit later that morning, Celestia and Twilight found themselves beyond the outskirts of Ponyville, at the edge of the Everfree Forest. "We left pretty suddenly," Twilight said. "Won't we be missed?"

"Twilight," Celestia replied, a twinkle in her eye, "we are princesses. We are expected to be needed elsewhere. Besides, I think they will be quite happy without us. That appeared to be quite a party, and I know parties are not exactly your favorite functions."

"You have me there," Twilight admitted. "But what did you wish to discuss?"

"Well, that very thing actually," said Celestia "That we are both princesses, or rather that we are both alicorns." Twilight looked puzzled. Celestia continued. "There are many things peculiar to alicorns, Twilight. For one, we all share a particular kind of very powerful magic. How much do you know about the Everfree -- how it became the way it is?"

Twilight looked thoughtful."Well, I know it was somehow a result of the battle you had with Luna at The Castle of the Two Sisters."

A serene but somber look came into Celestia's eyes, almost pensive. "Yes that is true... but it is also the result of her banishment."

"What?" Twilight was incredulous.

"Indeed," Celestia continued. "The magic that you and I and Luna and Cadence share is a continuum of sorts. There is a specific amount of it that each of us controls. It is finely balanced. Only during times of extreme duress can that balance be shifted, as in our battle with the centaur Tirek."

"Oh how I remember that." Twilight stared at the ground beneath her hooves. "Seeing you powerless was one of the most horrible experiences of my life."

"Ah yes, Twilight," Celestia smiled. "But a special friendship saved us from that, did it not?" Celestia remembered how the ponies had resisted reforming Discord and how it had all paid off, not just with Tirek, but many times, as in the battle with the Changelings.

"It did," Twilight said, grinning up at her mentor. "But what has that to do with The Everfree?"

"It is the balance of alicorn magic that I refer to, Twilight. Each of us carries a very special part of that. When I banished my sister to the moon, all the magic that she was expending in her battle with me became suddenly lost to her. On the moon, she had no powers."

Twilight frowned. "But what happened to..."

And suddenly she understood. All of Luna's Magic, all of it, had escaped into the surrounding forest, where it had remained for a thousand years.

"Yes Twilight. All of it." It was as though she had read her student's mind. "That was why it was so important for you to have the final battle with Nightmare Moon in the Castle of the Two Sisters. When Nightmare Moon returned, she regained most of her power. But when she was transformed back into Luna, she had to be in a place where all of her lost power could be re-absorbed, so she could be whole, a true alicorn once more. Much of Nightmare Moon's power came from the fact that she was so evil. Evil is a dark power unto itself. Luna needed her true and good alicorn magic back."

"But," asked Twilight with a quizzical look, "if Luna has taken back her magic, why is the Everfree still... the Everfree?"

"Influence, Twilight. That much pure alicorn magic left behind its own magical residue. It was not Luna's magic which wrought all of these changes, but its pure unbounded power. Even after the magic was taken, the results of that power remain. You know that thaumic energy only has one quiescent state, when it resides in its host?"

"Well yes," Twilight replied. "That's fairly basic magical mechanics. Magic is only transformative or effective in a state of flow. That's why we have horns. To direct that flow."

"And what do you imagine happens to that flow when the pony producing it simply vanishes?"

"Well..." Twilight considered. "I guess it would extend to the boundary of its intensity and then return to the pony who..."

Celestia looked lovingly at her student. "Exactly, Twilight. It would have nowhere to go. It would return to the point of origin and then rebound back out, then back in again. It would form a never ending cycle of thaumic energy ebbing and flowing. It would not be directed at anything, so it would enact no changes of its own, but it would pulse forever in a magical rhythm, a rhythm which lasted in this case for a thousand years, until it was retaken by Luna the moment you set her free from the Nightmare."

Without warning, Celestia scooped up the smaller purple alicorn in a great bear hug and kissed her on the forehead. "Oh Twilight, I love you so much for giving my sister back to me. I can never ever repay you for that!"

Twilight was a quite startled and blushed pink as Celestia set her back down on her hooves. "You already have Princess, a thousand times over both before and after her return. Besides, Luna did not just return to you -- she returned to all of us. Equestria is rich indeed to have both of you."

"To have all of us Twilight, princesses and subjects alike." Celestia composed herself for a moment, then spoke again. "But again, the reason for our visit here. What do you know of thaumic resonance?"

"Well, as much as anypony, I suppose," Twilight replied. She was not being boastful. She truly did outclass any other pony on the subject of magic. Only the princesses with their eons of experience, or perhaps Starswirl the Bearded could equal her. "It has been studied fairly well. Magic originates as a direct flow, but it can be captured and reflected by certain crystals, allowing a certain resonance. But it requires incredible power to sustain, and no practical applications have been found for it."

"How about impractical ones?" inquired Celestia. "Have you studied thaumic inductance, for example?"

"Well, that really would be impractical," Twilight snorted, " I mean, just think of the energy requirements necessary to produce anything of val-- "She stopped dead in her tracks, considering the implications of what she had just been told. "You don't mean..."

"Precisely, Twilight. Luna's powerful magic created such a resonance, lasting a thousand years, that it induced a resonance within the forest itself, extending precisely to the boundaries of Luna's original projection. And that is what powers the Everfree."

Twilight was very very quiet as she considered all the ramifications of this. All of the strange magic of the Everfree Forest powered by an eternal oscillating spell begun a thousand years ago. All of the beasts, the vegetation, the shifting paths and corridors of magic, the weather, all of it powered by that resonance. "Wow." In that moment, the single, dull exclamation was all she could summon.

They walked in silence for several minutes. Then Celestia posed a question. "Twilight have you ever wondered how it is that I can walk in the Everfree without pause and very little concern for my surroundings?"

"Well, no," Twilight answered, "but you are the princess. I had just assumed there was some privilege to your existence."

Celestia's laughter was like a clear crystal bell. "Hahaha! My dear student, you give me far too much credit. No, that is by no means the answer. It is because I know the rhythm of the forest."

"The what?" asked Twilight.

"The forest has a rhythm, Twilight, or at least the innate magic of it does. And it is detectable. You can use a pulsed spell to counteract it. If you match your pulse directly to that of the forest, then you can render any magic produced by it ineffective. Now that you are an alicorn, I want to teach you that. You now share the magic necessary to make the corrections and counteract it."

"How, Princess?" Twilight was astonished and insanely curious.

"Do you trust me, Twilight?" Celestia asked with the slyest of smiles. It was a truly bizarre question, Twilight thought. Who could she possibly trust more?

"That is a silly question, Princess."

"And yet Twilight, I ask it. When we employ our minds, so many times we advance to the very edge of that which can be thought, which can be considered. Knowing that there is nothing further that we can even imagine, we know nevertheless that the truth has not run out, has not been exhausted.

"But there are other ways of crossing that boundary into the realm of the transcendent -- ways that do not involve simple thought. This is something you know, Twilight. It is something which goes without saying in friendships. It is something which you can look into the mind of a true friend and grasp, with surety. In looking metaphorically through their eyes, you can come to know more truly just who you are and discover hidden things about yourself. And so the transcendent is that which we know to exist without any direct knowledge of it.

"So Twilight, do you truly trust me with all of your heart?"

This time Twilight thought long and hard about what she had been asked.

She thought about every interaction she had ever had with Celestia which might beg the question.

She thought about times when she had had to rely solely on Celestia, when no other avenue was available to her.

She thought about Celestia's interactions with other ponies, with other beings of any sort.

She thought about whether she trusted all of Celestia's actions and words in all of those cases. In the end it was all far too much to consider, and so Twilight reduced it all to one single thought: she would gladly and without question give her own life for Celestia, unreservedly and without a second's thought.

And so she replied simply "Yes, Celestia, I do." She rarely ever used the Princess' name directly to her. She did now for emphasis.

Celestia nodded. "Stand here," she said and indicated a spot. Then she turned and walked a few steps into the forest, before turning back to face Twilight. "Now Twilight, touch your horn with mine."

Puzzled, Twilight did as Celestia asked. "Now I want you to concentrate with all of your might and transfer all of your magic into me. Do not stop until you are completely drained of it. Do this exactly as I have asked it."

Twilight had no idea why the princess was asking this of her, but it did not matter. She had already considered the issue. She trusted the princess completely. She did as she was asked, and immediately felt her magic beginning to drain away.

But the sensation lasted only a few seconds. It stopped, and began to flow back into her horn, reversing the process. Then it began to flow out again. Before long, it settled into a steady rhythm. And oddly, it was a rhythm she had known her entire life. She had no conscious memory of it, and yet it was as though it was a dear old friend who had never left her side. Celestia stepped back and smiled. "Welcome to the club, Twilight."

Suddenly, Twilight truly understood the magic she shared with the other alicorns. And she was completely aware of the rhythm of the forest. There was no fear here for her, only peace. Nothing in the forest could touch her unless she allowed it.

Celestia came over to Twilight and draped a wing around her precious student. "It could only work if you gave yourself to me completely and without reservation. The windows to the soul are very small -- only trust and love may pass."

Twilight smiled and took it all in. All of the thousands of years of magic: the void left and filled by Luna's passing and return; the tentacles reaching down into Tartarus itself; the magic of the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars. It was a lot to process. Celestia gave her the time she needed.

When she eventually saw Twilight relax into her new position, she spoke. "So Twilight, would you like to go and visit with Zecora a bit? I think there are some things she could add to the discussion."

Twilight shook her head a bit to release some of the magical fog which had gathered there. "So how does she manage to exist in here? Don't tell me she uses alicorn magic as well!"

Celestia chuckled. "No Twilight, but she does use a method which mirrors our own in some ways."

"Well certainly I would love to visit her. I haven't seen her in ages."

They walked together through the woods, in step with magical Rhythm.

After what was a fairly short walk, they arrived at Zecora's cottage. She did live within the boundaries of the Everfree, after all, but not too far inside them.

The abode of Zecora resembled Twilight's old library home in that it was nestled in the trunk of a huge tree. The resemblance ended there. There was a gloomy-chic atmosphere about the place. The general darkness of the forest was a large part of that. But there were also lanterns hanging about as well as strange looking vines and ceremonial masks. And the whole of the place resembled a giant unpleasant face.

Celestia knocked. The door opened to reveal a smiling Zecora.

"Ahh, the princess and her best student too!" she intoned in her sing-song voice. "It is always so nice and a joy to see you."

She ushered the both of them inside. Twilight beamed. There were few places more imbued with magic than Zecora's cottage. Racks of magical potions lined the walls. There were more masks, candles, other magical lights and smoking incense scattered about. In the center of the room was a large cauldron filled with a mysterious green liquid. A fire was below the cauldron heating the contents, but it magically produced no smoke of its own.

Zecora looked at her visitors quizzically. "It brings me much pleasure that you both come to visit, but it isn't just chance I implore you now is it?

"Not at all," Celestia replied. "We have a very special purpose for our visit. For I have just made Twilight aware of the rhythm of the forest."

Zecora's eyes widened and she looked at the purple pony with a new measure of respect. "Well then, this is indeed an auspicious event. It is not every day that such knowledge is lent. But then it is not just a loan, as I see. For a true alicorn is what stands before me" She looked Twilight up and down. "I sense in you now that imperial call of the rhythm of life, which does run through us all."

"You are very perceptive." Celestia laughed. "I wanted Twilight to truly understand the rhythm of the Everfree, and I can think of no better way than for you to explain your part in it."

Twilight was by now truly mystified by the conversation. "So... you aren't an alicorn and yet you are part of the rhythm? How is that possible?"

"Zecora accesses the rhythm in another way, Twilight," Celestia said. "Perhaps you have noticed that she always speaks in rhymes?"

"It is commonly known that my last words all rhyme," added Zecora, "but what ponyfolk miss is a sense of the time."

"The... time?" asked Twilight. "The time of day?"

"No, no, my student." Celestia laughed once more. "Zecora is seaking of timing. Most ponies think all Zebricans speak in rhyme. It is simply not so. Zecora does so to preserve her way of life here in the forest. But it is not the rhyming which is important. The rhymes merely serve the purpose of keeping the meter of the words correct. She could speak with rhythm alone, but it would be more difficult and a bit more dangerous for her. Some musical ponies do notice the precise rhythm of her speech but most only hear the rhyming words."

"I think I may be beginning to understand," said Twilight. "But only a little."

Celestia nodded. "Let us have Zecora explain it to us Twilight. And as she speaks, call upon the rhythm of the forest within you and note the peculiar sense of familiarity in her words."

Zecora began. "In the days of my youth, in a land far away, I had stood on a beach and looked out at the bay upon ships of the merchants who back then did trade, and I thought that with them could my fortune be made.

"I had no dreams of riches or fortunes of gold, but I did think myself, with my nature so bold, might then seek out a place in a world not yet seen, where the magics (I sensed had to be) would be keen.

"So I rode with those stallions, besotted with treasure. At each port that we visited, hard did I measure the magical might of the air that I breathed, and the further I went, ahh my hunger, it seethed.

"But just when I thought that my dream might fall dead, I got wind of a place toward which I was led. A magical wood of which I'd often dreamed, but which now loomed before me, and real, so it seemed.

"So I strode in quite boldly and entered my prize, with visions of magical gems in my eyes. Only then did I stop and look quickly around, and what I saw then all began to astound.

''There were horrors and haunts of impossible measure, not exactly the best sort of thing for my pleasure. I began to see quickly that path of despair that might just lay before me if I should stay there.

''But I wanted the magic that, ever so strong, lay at once in my grasp if I did tarry long. So then I resolved that this place would be home, after spending long years in my magical roam.

''But I needed a way to survive what was shown, to stay and to grow, make this forest my own. I wanted it all, what this forest had shown me. I had to own it, so that it would not own me.

''I had at my disposal the numerous things, the potions elixirs and magical rings, which I brought aboard all of the ships which had sailed me so far from my home, of my future availed me.

''Strong were these magics I'd brought from my home, and I'd learned everything from each grimoire and tome, which I'd read on my magical voyage at sea and which now I would use well and good to serve me.

''So I set myself up in this magical cottage, and lit up a fire with no smoke but great wattage, to set bubbling a great and quite magical brew, and into that pot all my potions did stew.

''I knew I had power enough to make good on my claim to a magical home in this wood, but there was yet a thread of which I had no pluck so it seemed I had stopped at my goal and was stuck.

"The evils without I felt grow and come near. I knew soon they would knock on my door and be here!"

At this moment Zecora knocked loudly on the floor with her stirring stick and Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin. Celestia and Zecora both laughed, and Twilight sheepishly grinned.

The cauldon bubbled quietly. Zecora continued unabated. "I had felt for some time that another thing lurked. A rhyme or a tune that had kept my ears perked. So I cast aside fear and went into a trance, an odd sort of thing with an upside-down stance."

''As I chanted my mantra and peered at the dark, I began to see then I had brightened a spark. Some thin thread of wisdom to me did appear. Of the beasts and the terrors, I now had no fear.''

''It had been my slow mantra which showed me the way, and it is that same rhythm which I use today. When combined right with bindings and potions of herbs, rhythm now keeps me safely with these nouns and verbs"

Zecora did a half-bow, half-curtsey to the princesses.

"I felt it, Princess!" Twilight exclaimed gleefully. "I felt the rhythm of the forest in Zecora's words!"

Celestia smiled at her student, a definite glint of admiration in her eyes. "I was certain you would, Twilight, beyond all doubt. For I have come to know myself through your eyes, just as you have done, and I am sure Zecora has done as well."

Zecora's expression was likewise joyful. "It is as she has said, my remarkable friend, that the rewards of friendship exist without end. You have taught me so much through the life that you live, and there is a great depth to the knowledge you give."

Celestia then smiled warmly at both Twilight and Zecora. "Yes, my beloved and faithful student, Zecora has managed to find the rhythm of the forest as well, and has accessed it in a way that probably no other creature would be able, having not disciplined themelves in the arts of potion magic and transcendence as Zecora has. This is what I meant when I spoke earlier of the transcendent parts of existence. There is wisdom beyond all knowledge. To some, it is love. To others, a dream. Now come, both of you. Let us share potions and stories deep into the night, for good friends are truly the treasure of this world."

And together they did precisely that.

Author's Note

This story originated as a rant about people getting Zecora's voice wrong. Certainly she does rhyme, but also Zecora has a well-timed sense of meter which I find lacking in a lot of her fan dialogue. So I got to thinking about what that rhythm might imply...