The scent of fresh brewed bark and root tea filled Zecora’s cottage, a heady aroma accompanied by just a touch of sweetness. Perfect for the company that she entertained now. Dunking two mugs into her cauldron of tea, she provided one to her guest and kept the other for herself, taking a seat at her rough hewn wooden table.
Her guest, a short, oddly proportioned creature with a face wrinkled like beaten leather and colored a deep, swamp-like green rumbled as he took in a deep whiff of the tea’s aroma. “Aaah,” he said with satisfaction. “Always a perfect brew, that is what you make, Master Zecora.”
Zecora smiled at the acknowledgement of her title, a title she never shared with those who usually met her acquaintance. “Of course, Master Yoda, I only make the best for you. Nothing but the best for my teacher will do.”
Yoda took the mug in both of his fragile appearing little paws and knocked it back to take a single sip, savoring the taste. He smacked his lips a few times after tasting it, then gave her a wrinkly grin. “So, a report for me you have, yes? Hmm?”
Zecora nodded. “I do. Allow me to retrieve it for you.” Of course she had a report ready. She always did. Ever since she’d been rescued by Yoda from the slavers who’d taken her off planet, she’d been forever grateful to him. When he discovered her Force sensitivity, he trained her in the ways, and she became quite the Jedi. But, feeling a longing for home, she returned to her home planet, and offered to watch over it for the Jedi council. Usually she would send these via HoloNet, but every once in a while Master Yoda gave her the privilege and honor of visiting in person.
Placing a hoof gently under the table, she pressed a hidden button, which opened a hatch in the floor, revealing a stairwell of metal with blue lighting. With a quick bow to her master, she trotted down the stairwell and into a chamber more suited to Coruscant than the technology levels of the planet she called home. Computers lined the shelves, a squat, trash-can shaped droid stood on a charging platform in a nearby corner, and in the center of the room a small generator pulsed, providing the needed electricity. She stepped past it, over to her desk, and fetched a device with the information needed, using the Force to carry it beside her, as she usually did for such sensitive objects.
Returning upstairs, she closed the hatch and placed the device on the table. “My report is here. I hope it will be clear.”
“Hmm…” Yoda picked up the device and scrolled through it, humming a jaunty tune. “Ah, many new ponies with Force potential, I see, yes.”
“It is true, there are many to be seen,” Zecora nodded. “It would be easier to say that those who lack potential are few and far in-between.”
Yoda set the device down and slipped it back over to Zecora, who set it under the table for the moment so it would be out of sight, should an unexpected guest happen by. “In truth, the abilities used on this world match the Force in strength, they can. Mysterious, they are.”
Zecora pursed her muzzle, staring at her master with a quizzical expression. “Surely, you do not believe that. The Force is not about strength, but how you act.”
Yoda snickered under his breath, grabbed up his walking stick and pointed it at Zecora. “Yes! Get it, you do! Too often, the young ones think strength is what they need. But it is not.”
“Peace of mind is what they must crave, or else they’re sure to become Sith knaves.”
“Yes,” Yoda nodded. “Always, the Dark Side tempts them. Seduces them. Tries to use them, it does. But not here. This world, very little of the Dark Side do I sense here.”
Zecora stood up from the table, walked over to her window, and opened it up, allowing the fresh forest air to waft inside, bringing with it the odors of pine and maple. “In this world of equines, friendship is the glue that binds. Without the magic that it provides, our world would not survive.”
“Mmm, yes, yes, see that, I do.” Yoda grunted as he crawled off his seat, hunched over on his walking stick as he strode over to Zecora’s side. “Much you have told me, of Princess Twilight and her friends. Defeated evils, they have. Many times.”
With an enigmatic smile, Zecora replied, “From time to time, when they needed it, I gave them my advice. But usually, their own efforts were all that would suffice.”
“Staying out, it’s good you did. Solving their issues, your purpose here is not.”
In response, Zecora glanced towards one of her shelves, and called upon the Force. A metallic object covered in emitters and buttons floated its way out to her, hovering by her side. With a single mental press of a button, a shaft of light and energy hummed to life, forming into a blade colored in shades of gold. “And yet at times, it has been trying. To refuse to act, when others might be dying. I could solve their issues, defeat their foes. But… I would only bring them greater woes.”
“Easy, the Jedi way is not,” said Yoda, frowning in disapproval. “Never forget this, you must.”
Nodding in understanding, Zecora deactivated her lightsaber and set it down upon the table. “I always strive to do my best. I intend to never fail this test.”
“Hmph!” Yoda smacked his lips together then grinned at her. “So! More tea, shall we enjoy?”
“Of course, please sit. I will attend to it.”
Zecora went to fetch them more tea, and this time a few small cookies as well. Baked treats, brought to her by Pinkie Pie. The pink mare had given her the cookies earlier this morning, before Zecora even knew Yoda was coming, and told her to expect a special guest. And this had been far from the first time. Perhaps it was high time Zecora spoke about it.
Yoda bit into a cookie and made happy little rumbling noises over its taste, then eyed his student. “Hmm. Something troubles you, it seems. Speak your mind, please, Master Zecora.”
Zecora paused a moment before responding, chewing thoughtfully on a cookie of her own. “There is a pony I wish to speak about. She knew you were coming, of this I have no doubt.”
“Knew I was coming, you say?” Yoda inquired, his whole face wrinkling up like a prune as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Clarify, you must.”
“She is a party pony who loves to make ponies laugh. She is always energetic, and never does things by half.” Zecora shrugged. “But she also has a sense of precognition. I do not know how she came about this condition.”
Yoda nodded, and rubbed his wrinkled chin with one paw. “Tested her for Force sensitivity, you have?”
At this, Zecora’s face fell. “I have tried and I have failed, as my every effort she has curtailed.”
Yoda evaluated Zecora for a moment, then took another sip of tea. “Interesting, this pony seems. Would like to meet her, I would.”
“Okie dokie loki!”
Yoda and Zecora both whirled, each taken aback by the sudden appearance of the energetic living embodiment of sugar that was Pinkie Pie. Neither had sensed her with the Force, and to be surprised like this was not so much like a splash of cold water as being subjected to a firehose full of it. Zecora spotted Yoda’s hand slink ever so slightly towards the lightsaber at his hip, while she decided to inch her own closer with the force. Not because she expected to use it, but because it never hurt to be prepared when dealing with Pinkie.
Yoda spent a moment looking over the pink mare, who stood uncharacteristically silent after her initial outburst, bouncing in place and smiling happily. Then he nodded once, and relaxed. “Greetings to you I give, Miss Pinkie Pie. Master Yoda, I am.”
“I know!” Pinkie Pie said with laughter in her voice, her tail swishing like crazy. She stuck a hoof out to shake. “I’ve been waiting so long to meet you!”
Arching one eyebrow, Yoda glanced at Zecora for a moment before nodding again and taking Pinkie’s hoof in his paw, giving it a firm shake. “At a disadvantage, you have me. Ask how you know of me, I must.”
Pinkie Pie beamed and bounced about the room before settling on a chair at the table. “Aww, don’t worry silly, I don’t know a lot. I just heard Zecora mention your name a few times when I came to visit her! I think she didn’t realize I could hear her down in her little room.”
Zecora took in a sharp breath when she saw Pinkie Pie press the button to open up the chamber with her technology. “How did you find out about this, Pinkie Pie? Please speak the truth, do not lie.”
Pinkie’s muzzle wrinkled into a sad little frown. “Oh, was I not supposed to? I didn’t mean to invade your privacy, Zecora. I just happened to find out about it a while back, but you never brought it up so I figured it was something you were trying to keep secret. Though I dunno why. I saw you using that cool laser sword thingie once and it was like ‘swish, humm, zoom’ and then you sliced up an entire tree and I was like ‘wow, why hasn’t she told us about this?’”
Yoda burst out laughing as Zecora’s face filled with heat. “Ah, true innocence, this one shows. Like her, I do!” He sat back down at the table and happily picked up his tea mug. “Sit with us, I invite you, Pinkie. A lot to talk about, we have.”
Zecora trudged back over to the cupboard and brought out another tea mug, while internally she fought to maintain her calm. She liked Pinkie Pie a lot, she truly did, but sometimes the mare tried her patience. Like now. Taking the mug, she dunked it into her cauldron and gave it to Pinkie. “Here, for you. It is a fine brew.”
“Thanks! Your tea’s always really good, Zecora,” Pinkie said as she slurped at it happily. “Soooo… what’s this Force thingie you guys were talking about? It sounds really interesting!”
“The Force… all around us, it is,” Yoda answered. “Permeates all life, it does. Binds us together.” He demonstrated by using his control over the force to lift up the plate of cookies and float it about the cabin before bringing it back down upon the table. “Be used for great good, it can, but also great evil.”
“Oooh!” Pinkie cooed. “Just like magic, huh?” She glanced at the plate of cookies, and stuck her tongue out, her eyes going cross-eyed.
Zecora chuckled at that. “Pinkie, the Force is more than mere magic. Attempting to use it without knowing how will be tragic--”
And then the plate floated all around the room, just like it had under Yoda’s control, before plopping back down on the table. “Wow,” Pinkie said, breathing heavily. “That sure was something!”
Zecora slapped a hoof to her face as her Master broke out into a fit of gut-busting laughter. “Seems there is a lot for you to learn yet, there is, Zecora!” Yoda chortled. “A long day, this will become, but worth it, it will be.”
Author's Note
Blame the crossover thread for this; I don't even know okay. I never thought I'd write something between Zecora and Yoda. I'm not even a big Star Wars fan. 
Now excuse me while I go find a way to drown out the headaches trying to write this caused me. 
