Resparked

A few days earlier, the cart was manageable for two ponies to pull. They took turns, with Rarity and Fluttershy pulling together, then Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and finally Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They found themselves in a jungle, less dense and foreboding than the Everfree Forest. The trees soared to dizzying heights, their leaves taking their sweet time to fall. Time itself seemed to drag on at the same slow pace as the foliage.

“By Celestia! How much further are we supposed to go?” Rarity shouted in exhaustion, even though she wasn't pulling. They didn't know whether they should just leave the wagon to go faster.

“Until we reach paradise, what else!” said Pinkie.

“Do you have any idea what it will look like?” asked Rarity. “I’m imagining a big castle with ponies wearing the best of clothes!” Pinkie and Fluttershy were not impressed.

“I hope it's a world of sweets and endless parties!” said Pinkie.

“Well, I'd like a big garden with lots of little animals. Oh, I miss Angel,” Fluttershy said softly, thinking of her little rabbit.

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something. “Oh! Speaking of food, I'm starving!” Just then, her stomach growled loudly, as if in agreement. Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged a sympathetic glance, understanding her predicament.

“We only have a few provisions left!” said Rarity, lifting a dried carrot. A disappointed murmur was the answer. Rarity looked at them, then divided up the carrot and gave her two friends a piece each.

“But Rarity! What about you?” asked Fluttershy.

“It’s all right! Don’t worry about me. When we take a break in the evening, we'll collect new food.”

“I’d love a big, delicious pie right about now!” Pinkie Pie sighed wistfully. A half-carrot just wasn’t cutting it for her enormous appetite.

In the afternoon, they took a much-needed break. Everypony’s hooves were sore from the trek. Fluttershy stayed by the wagon while the others went off to forage for food. As she sat alone, she kept hearing a faint thumping sound, like something moving around in the forest. Pinkie Pie had brushed it off as just the wind, but Fluttershy wasn’t so sure. Her ears perked up, trying to detect any other sounds. She felt a pang of unease, her thoughts drifting to the animals that seemed to be watching her from the shadows. She regretted staying behind and hoped her friends would return soon.

Rarity searched the foliage with a stick, which she controlled with her telekinesis. The sky-blue glow of her horn reflected off the bark of the trees, which were teeming with insects. Rarity tapped against the trunks. She already knew some of the bushes and leaves from Equestria and they were edible. She put everything she found into a bag she had sewn herself. Pinke searched the ground, but her growling stomach distracted her. “If only there was some fruit here. I'd like some apples or chimicherries or cherrycho...”

“It's all right, Pinkie! I got it!” muttered Rarity and continued to look around. After a while, Pinkie came across something. It was a couple of mushrooms growing on the root of a rather diseased tree. Their caps were dark green and their stems were a delicate light green.

“They look delicious!” said Pinkie Pie. Rarity came over with the now full bag and looked at the mushrooms.

“I don't know them! We'd best leave them.” She turned around again. Pinkie, however, was sure that these mushrooms were a delicacy that Rarity was missing out on. She smelled them twice and, as expected, they smelled wonderful. “Mmmmh! They remind me of wild berry cake!”

“Pinkie Pie? Are you coming?” she heard Rarity call from afar. But Pinkie didn’t want to just leave these good-smelling mushrooms standing there, so she picked them.

Rarity had already set out the sparse food they had managed to find. It looked more like a diet meal than a satisfying meal. Pinkie Pie trotted up with a big grin, mushrooms clamped in her mouth.

“Now you've picked them after all...,” said Rarity. “Seriously, Pinkie!”

“But they smell good! Then why shouldn't they taste good?” said Pinkie as an excuse and put the mushrooms on the floor.

“Look at that color! I have always despised green!”

Fluttershy took a careful sniff of the mushrooms. “They actually don’t smell bad at all!”

Rarity groaned and flopped down; her frustration evident as she struggled to light a fire with her magic. Pinkie Pie, impatient with the wait, took a bold step and popped one of the mushrooms into her mouth. Fluttershy sniffed at the remaining mushrooms cautiously before finally taking a bite herself. Pinkie, not one for hesitation, tossed the smaller mushroom into the air and devoured it in a single gulp.

Rarity and Fluttershy watched with bated breath as Pinkie Pie chewed, their eyes wide with curiosity.

“And how is it?” Fluttershy asked nervously, her gaze fixed on Pinkie. For a moment, there was only silence as they waited for any reaction.

“Oh! It wasn’t so bad!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. Then she collapsed onto her stomach. The last mushroom rolled away, coming to rest in front of her disheveled head.

Rarity’s eyes widened in horror, and she quickly rushed over, grabbing Pinkie by the shoulders, and gently turning her over. Pinkie was unconscious, and a dark green liquid oozed from the corner of her mouth.

“Pinkie!!!” Rarity shook her in panic. She put her ear on her unconscious friend's chest. Her heart was still beating, but her breathing was barely perceptible.

“What should we do, for Celestia's sake?” Fluttershy held her breath, seeing only this situation. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Swallowing, she looked at the mushrooms, which Rarity was now looking at as well, then they looked at each other again.

The carriage rattled. They pulled for Pinkie's life, who wiggled around in the carriage like a piece of meat. More green saliva ran from her mouth. Rarity and Fluttershy breathed loudly. Their thundering hooves had already taken them quite a distance, but in the darkness, they could see next to nothing, except this dilapidated path.

“I told her, but she didn't listen! She just didn't listen!” Rarity gasped desperately. In her distress, she growled out her great frustration. Fluttershy stumbled twice and gasped as well. Finally, they slowed down when they saw something by the road.

“Does the path end here?” Fluttershy asked. Inwardly, she prayed that it didn't.

“I don't know!” said Rarity and pulled the wagon a little further. Rarity saw the strangest statue she had ever seen. “What a hideous thing! What was the artist thinking? Those yellow teeth and that tongue! Just disgusting!”

Fluttershy had trouble even looking at the old statue and tilted her head to the side. “Let's move on quickly!”

Suddenly, they heard Pinkie Pie wheezing and coughing in the cart. The green stuff had stained the entire cart. They just wanted to keep moving and get out of this jungle. Fluttershy squinted to avoid even looking at the base of the structure as they passed. Rarity, however, studied it critically.

“Why are you rushing through the forest like this? And what have you brought with you?” a voice asked.

Fluttershy jumped, her wings fluttering and making the whole cart clatter. Behind them, right next to the statue, stood a tall figure with a mohawk mane. The native stepped out of the shadows, revealing a large zebra with two brown sacks balanced on a stick across its back. As Rarity and Fluttershy stared in speechless surprise, the zebra introduced itself with a warm smile. “My name is Ambra. I’m a zebra from the southern coastal village.”

“Rarity!” the unicorn mumbled. Ambra hadn't quite understood her. But then he noticed the pink bangs in the seats. He looked at her green-smeared face, then his eyes became very serious. “That doesn't look good, I'm sure that's why you were running like that. But I only know someone who can help you.”

“She has...” Fluttershy wanted to explain everything, but the native zebra already knew. “The little nightmare! We use this mushroom only for our rituals, you should never eat it plain! How much did she eat?”

“A whole one!” replied Rarity.

Ambra looked at them and organized his pockets. “Then we should hurry!”

Ambra led the ponies out of the jungle to a stony path. The salty air greeted their damp nostrils. A soft rustling could be heard in the distance. Pinkie Pie's condition was getting worse and worse, with green fluid now oozing out of her nose and ears.

“She needs to breathe the salty air; it’ll clear her nose!” Ambra said.

Rarity carefully propped Pinkie up, so she was sitting upright on the bench in the cart. Pinkie’s eyes fluttered open for a moment, catching a glimpse of the evening light. With a faint smile, she murmured in her dazed state, “Paradise! We made it!”

The path stretched straight ahead, growing increasingly sandy and steep. Bits of wood shavings and small stones littered the way, causing Rarity to frequently shake her hooves to rid them of the bothersome, damp sand. The persistent wind blew sand into her mane, adding to her irritation. But as they pressed on, the sight of thatched roofs gradually came into view. With each step, the outline of a small village nestled against the dyke became clearer. "This is my home!" Ambra proudly announced.

Rarity realized that this zebra didn't rhyme like her friend Zacora did in Equestria. Maybe it was a quirk of hers. In any case, it became clear that not all zebras rhymed.

The conical thatched roofs were decorated with spooky masks that looked familiar to Rarity and Fluttershy. The old wooden walkways were connected to the round houses. The hammering of work could be heard everywhere. Zebras spoke to each other in a foreign language and foals played in open spaces.

When the villagers noticed Rarity and Fluttershy with the carriage, they fell silent. Some looked pityingly at the sick Pinkie Pie, who looked like the abstract performance of an eerie parade. The pulling ponies felt uncomfortable with all these onlooking zebras.

Ambra didn't let on and led them over the wide footbridges to a hut. The young foals, some spindly, followed the cart curiously. Rarity and Fluttershy quickly unbuckled themselves to help Pinkie out. Ambra lent a hand. Silence continued to reign in the village. The news that ponies had entered the village spread quickly. Some had never seen a pony before.

Fluttershy and Ambra carried Pinkie into the hut and laid her on a soft blanket in front of the reddish fire. In the glow of the light, the village elder looked at the sick pony for a long time. Then she silently asked two black-haired zebra guards to leave the hut. Ambra bowed to the old zebra mare. Her eyes were huge and she wore a lot of jewelry. When she blinked, the jewelry clinked softly.

“The little nightmare,” she said and set to work without hesitation.

She piled up various herbs, including plants like Poison Joke, which also grew in Equestria. Pinkie Pie groaned in pain and writhed. The older zebra worked quickly, her movements practiced and precise. After diluting her mixture with water, the potion was finally ready. The village elder poured the contents into an ornate bowl.

Finally, she asked Fluttershy and Rarity to step closer to hold Pinkie. Then she emptied the red potion into her green mouth.

Pinkie Pie's head glowed, and she wriggled her hooves uncontrollably, but Rarity and Fluttershy had anticipated this. As Pinkie’s eyes fluttered open, gasping for breath, the first thing she saw was the old zebra mare’s face. “Zecora?” she asked, her voice filled with both relief and confusion.

The zebra smiled as a mother could only smile. “I am Umma, the village elder! I am pleased to meet friends from Zacora!”

Rarity's eyes grew wide. “You know Zacora?”

Umma's grin widened and she looked at the two of them. “She is my granddaughter.”

“Zacora's grandma? Can I have some more?” asked Pinkie Pie with a tired smile.

“Despite all the stress we're under right now, Pinkie Pie hasn’t lost her sense of humor,” said Rarity, who just felt something heavy fall off her back. Fluttershy felt the same and almost toppled over. She trotted out quickly, tears streaming down her face. Rarity turned around; she had seen it.

The sunset outside was more picturesque than any other. Fluttershy's mane blew in the fresh sea air, which also dried her moist eyes. Rarity joined them a little later. “I've never seen such a beautiful sunset!” she said.

Fluttershy nodded. Conflicting feelings fought within her and she didn't know which one to express. Expressing happiness was usually hard for her. When Rarity looked at her, the pegasus spoke softly, “We would have lost Pinkie Pie if we hadn't come across the zebras. Losing one friend is already too much... Rainbow Dash and Applejack, I miss them, I hope they're well. I don't want anything to happen to them.”

Rarity stroked her friend's pink mane. “Applejack is a capable pony and Rainbow Dash is a fighter who stands by her friends. They're both strong, so I'm sure we'll meet them in paradise.”

“And paradise?” asked Fluttershy anxiously, “will we really die if we enter it?”

Rarity remained silent. She saw a little zebra foal writing on a roll of parchment on the beach. The zebra's clever look and distinctive writing posture made Rarity smile. “And if nothing else, at least we're with her...”

Pinkie Pie was slowly getting better. Umma took very good care of her and always gave her medicine.

One morning, Rarity went to Ambra's house to ask a few questions. The interior of his hut resembled that of Zacora's house in the Everfree Forest. “Hello, Ambra!”

“Good morning! Make yourself at home!” said the zebra stallion and offered Rarity a seat.

“We’ve been here for a week and now I’d like to ask you a few questions. Do you know the place that everyone calls paradise?”

Ambra pressed her lips together, deep in thought. “The paradise where all souls are said to return? Umma would know more about it. Many of us believe it lies beyond the horizon.”

They made their way to Umma's home, where Fluttershy was already waiting by Pinkie Pie’s bedside. Pinkie lay there, sleeping soundly, her ears twitching occasionally as a small fly buzzed around her.

Umma unrolled a parchment scroll on the table, revealing a vividly painted scene. At the center was the symbol of Celestia’s sun, radiating golden rays over a serene sea. Where the sunlight touched the water, a bright, open gate gleamed.

“My mother told me,” Umma began, her voice soft and reverent, "that when life ends, our souls embark on a long journey. For countless eons, we have set our dead adrift at sunset, their bodies drifting towards this sacred point where the sun meets the sea.”

Her hoof pointed to the gate. “The gate of eternity! It always opens when the sun goes down and closes again when a green glow burns out over the horizon. Once you've passed through, you're in paradise.”

Rarity, who knew a lot about art, was immediately struck by the beauty of the painting. But the center had a different effect on her, and so did Fluttershy. Both had a great desire to cross this gate, to break through the border.

“Yes!! That’s our destination! Hooray!” shouted Rarity with excitement as she leapt into the air, her voice ringing with enthusiasm.

“Weee! Let's go then!” said Pinkie Pie on the mat. She seemed to have been woken up by Rarity's cheering. There were lots of empty bowls next to her.

Rarity eagerly reached out her hooves, and Pinkie Pie, despite a twinge in her tummy, leapt up beside her. The three friends clasped each other tightly by the shoulders, their faces alight with joy. “I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am!” Pinkie's excitement was palpable, her voice bubbling over with unrestrained happiness. “We're almost there!!!”

“And we'll see Twilight again!” said Fluttershy.

“That’s right! Let’s take a moment to remember Twilight,” Rarity said softly, closing her eyes in reverence. The others followed suit, each lost in their thoughts. They thought of Rainbow Dash, wondering how she was faring and hoping she hadn’t succumbed to the madness of her fragmented soul. Their journey had transformed them in so many ways, and they knew more changes were yet to come. After a brief silence, Pinkie opened one eye, then shut it again with a small, wistful smile. Then they stamped their hooves, united in their resolve.

Umma arranged the details for their journey. Rarity handed the cart over to a group of zebra foals, who were thrilled to have a new plaything. The day of departure finally arrived, and the sun began its descent towards the horizon. Ambra crafted a traditional raft, typically used for ceremonial burials, but this time without a coffin. The other zebras looked on with curiosity, wondering if someone had passed away. The raft was adorned with a white veil flag, and Umma meticulously decorated the beach with white flowers. As the raft was set afloat, she performed a blessing, sending it gently drifting into the water.

Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy just had room on the board when they put their hooves close together. Now it was time to say goodbye to the zebras. Pinkie Pie chattered excitedly. “Thank you so much for helping us, thank you so much for showing us the way, thank you so much for being our best friends, thank you so much for...”

Ambra gave Pinkie Pie a nudge on the nose and set the raft in motion. Now Pinkie had become even pinker. Rarity waved goodbye until the coast had become a yellow line. The open sea offered a magnificent view of the continent where Equestria lay. The forests, mountains and meadows were all a fascinating home to small horses.

“Oh! Ambra is such a wonderful stallion!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a sigh.

Rarity raised an eyebrow and teased, “Pinkie, you’re not falling for a zebra, are you?”

The raft drifted further and further; a strong wind enlivened the foaming water. In the silence, the ponies moved closer together and dreamed of their destination. During the long sea crossing, the sun came considerably closer and the water became calmer. The ponies were sweating and each of them nodded off slowly, but their thoughts were very close to Twilight. After many hours, Fluttershy looked to the horizon again, but there was no one there. All she saw was a deep evening glow. Even the wind was no longer blowing. It was dead quiet on the water. Too quiet.

“Girls?” Her friends didn't move. They lay huddled together with their eyes closed.

“Girls? What...” She got no further.

Suddenly, something bright and round appeared in front of her. It grew bigger and bigger until it was simply indescribable. Spellbound, she saw an open eye coming towards her.

“Girls!” Her knees trembled and her pupils became smaller. The brightness became unbearable, it burned in her eyes. Then the raft swallowed the brightness. Fluttershy left one last squeal to the world before they all disappeared at once.

Ambra stood on the beach, watching the sun dip below the horizon. As he closed his eyes, he felt the profound stillness of the moment when the gate of eternity was sealed. A brief green flash illuminated his face, marking the end of the day. He opened his eyes, a serene smile spreading across his lips.