Zecora and the Parasite

Under the pale light of the full moon, the snow shimmered and twinkled like many frozen stars. And though the light of both the moon and the snow fully illuminated his surroundings, Reek still kept an anxious eyestalk on the sky. The sky was still as dark as ever, bespeckled with many small glowing stars, and he didn't like the idea of something hiding between them in the darkness of the night, waiting to strike from above.

Zecora, meanwhile, trotted along at a carefree pace. Though her eyes were shut, she continued on, as if guided by some unseen force that Reek couldn't comprehend. Nor did he want to, for as far as he was concerned, the frigid cold that gnawed at him from all sides was much more worth his attention.

"Boiuna almighty, are we walking to the end of the world? We've been wandering around this frozen wasteland for hours. I can feel the mucus on my skin freezing over."

"This journey is nearly finished, Reek,
we should soon see the plants we seek."

"Right, these Sepulcher Sages. What do they do, exactly?" Reek slithered up next to the zebra, less interested in making conversation than he was in distracting himself from the cold.

" They're an herb of mint with pale glow
that like to live in graves down low,
few have plucked it, fewer tried
because it mimics those who've died."

It took a moment for Reek to unravel Zecora's roundabout poem, and when he did, all he could muster was a confused chuckle. "What? What do you mean it mimics those who died? Is this some more weird pony magic?"

"Magic, yes, but not equine
but maybe once it blurred the lines.
Amongst the full moon's subtle grace,
its bloom will quicken up its pace,
and with its petals smooth as lace
It copies a long dead pony's face."

Reek's slithering stuttered for a second, then continued as he caught up with Zecora. "Ok... uh... huh. So... why would we ever want that?"

Zecora chuckled. "It's quite the morbid little flower
and yet it holds an intriguing power
for those who knew the flower's host
they'll see its glow, yet still can't boast
for those who never knew the dead
can never see their flowerbed."

"Oh my god I know it's, like, your thing but could you please talk normal? At least make it somewhat sensible," Reek groaned.

Zecora rolled her eyes but obliged nonetheless.
"If you know the host, the flowers remain
if not, you'll never see either again.
And just to make sure you know what I mean,
they cannot be tracked, scented or seen."

Zecora stopped, as did Reek. She eyed him, waiting for a response. In the silence, the cold wind whistled, kicking up small clouds of white frost from amongst the half-covered treetops.

"Ok, I think I get it," Reek finally spoke up. "So what, if we put it in the potion it'll make me invisible?"

"Not quite, I've got something better in mind,
a way to be lost by all of your kind
if mixed just right, then any old threat
will think of your name, and simply forget."

Reek perked up. Though the cold wind continued to rip through the air around him, his teeth chittered restlessly. He stared down at Zecora, his eyes wide open. "So I'll be forgotten, by everyone? Like, actually everyone?"

"A brand new start, with no reason to hide
what you do with it next is for you to decide."

Reek chuckled, but quickly transitioned to a worrisome cackle. He began to absentmindedly circle around Zecora, focused on nothing in particular. "Well what are we waiting for then? Point me to where these Sages are. Hell, I'll help you pick 'em!"

"That's the problem I fear I face,
amongst this snow, they're hard to trace."

In addition to his circling, Reek's eyestalks twirled and twisted about above his head, as if hoping they could be seen from a distance. "Huh, alright. Do they look like anything? You said they glow, right? Do they have a color? Are they bright? How big are they?"

"If I recall, they're a pale blue,
but I doubt that they'd be seen by you."

"Right, right. The whole 'only see them if you know the dead guy' thing. Hmm..." Reek slowed his slithering. Slouching over and closing his eyes, he allowed himself a moment to think. "Ok, well you know where they should be, right?"

"I do, it's true."

"Well why don't we just keep heading in that direction and see if maybe we can find something. We came all this way anyhow."

"Yes, I suppose that you are right
But if we do, we must stay the night."

"Oh... Uh... Really?" Reek asked aloud, but the hours of walking it took to get them here had already answered his question for him. If they headed back even now, The sun would be likely to rise by the time they made it back.

But Reek was not deterred. "It's fine. We'll figure it out when we get there. Better to suffer through one night than sit around for another month, eh?"

Zecora nodded, a slight smile painting her face. "I'm glad to see you in good mirth
Perhaps this trip will surpass its worth."

"Uh... Sure, yeah. Whatever that means. Totally."

Zecora laughed, a low, smooth sound that was joined by the scratch of Reek's cackles. In the gloom of the night, surrounded by the tops of buried trees and above feet of snow, the whipping wind was overcome with the sounds of hope.

"Alright, let's be on our way,
we shouldn't waste the night away."

"Alright, yeah. Lead the way." Reek slithered behind Zecora. She looked around for a second, then down at the snow. Reek waited for a moment, and yet Zecora remained still. It was only until he looked over her, down at where her gaze was locked, that he noticed she was staring at a trail of slime.

"Reek, If might ask real quick,
how many slugs lived in Natslyk?"

"More than just me... that's for sure," Reek mumbled.

The trail wasn't his. He knew it, and by the looks of it, Zecora knew it as well. It was wide, much wider than Reek's. All across the trail, small, thin wisps of smoke writhed and flickered. The pale blue glow of the smoke was barely noticeable against the ground, lit pale blue by the moon, and yet, as it rode upon the billowing wind, it made the snow appear almost magical.

"Do you know who'd leave this here,
and is it someone we should fear?"

Reek's eyestalks curled slightly, his best imitation of a squint, while he racked his mind for an answer. "I Don't know... I can't... I can't remember,"

Zecora sighed, tapped her chin with her hoof. "Then let us try to stay its wrath,
because we need to follow its path."

Reek's eyes bolted upright. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The slug has followed the path to the grave,
another danger that we'll have to brave."

Reek sighed. "Of course... Of course, Boiuna forbid anything go right for once!"

"All will be fine, we'll stay alert."

"Oh yeah, sure, 'stay alert', and you think that's gonna save us from whatever nightmare monster's currently holed up in this graveyard of yours?"

Zecora shrugged. "It's our only choice, it couldn't hurt."

Reek was still, his expression unchanging, but the muffled, rough chattering of his teeth gave enough away. And yet, after a moment, he exhaled. "Yeah, alright. Let's just go."

Zecora nodded and, with Reek in tow, followed the lightly glowing trail of the mystery slug. For a while, the two were silent. Zecora stared straight ahead, every once in a while looking down at the trail as if hoping the slug might have changed its course and went somewhere else. It was in vain, but she remained vigilant. Reek, meanwhile, continued his habit of keeping one eye on the sky above while the other swiveled every which way. It was a constant watch for danger which, despite the snail trail, was worryingly lacking.

Reek was so invested in his watch that he was the first to notice the slight blue glow on the horizon. At first, he mistook it for the morning sun, and a twinge of fear pricked his heart. When he realized it was the wrong direction to be the sun, another spasm of fear shook him as he feared it might be a monster. It was only when Zecora gasped and quickened her pace that he realized it might've been what they were looking for.

"What is it, do you see it? What's going on?" Reek snapped out of his watch to look at Zecora. Her pace quickened, she had been renewed by a surge of energy that only came from the knowledge that the worst of the journey was over, that they were nearly finished.

"Reek, it's here, we've finally arrived,
Despite the danger, we both survived!"

"Yeah I guess we-... wait, did you expect one of us to die?"

Reek received no answer as Zecora's trot turned into a sprint. He struggled to catch up with her. She was surprisingly quick, even with a set of saddlebags. For a moment, he wondered if maybe the Sages had really excited her that much. His focus on Zecora had prevented him from truly noticing the Sage in front of him until he looked up.

And saw, intertwined within several giant, thorny vines, the ghostly figure of a Nuckelavee.