The Muneris Pony

The train screeched to a halt at the Ponyville station and the doors slid open. Traffic in and out of the train was small for this stop. Night and Cora seemed to be the only ones departing from the train at the moment. Both the Muneris and the griffon wore concerned looks on their faces as they stepped off the train.

"What do you think happened to Goldie?" Cora asked.

"I don't know," Night answered as she scratched the back of her head with her forehoof.

They decided to spend a few days in Fillydelphia after meeting Goldie in Griffonstone. After a day, they found out Goldie was in the hospital there. Goldie was completely drained and suffered mild amnesia. The only thing Goldie could remember was leaving Griffonstone before blacking out. The doctors said she managed to make it to the train station in the area and got off in Fillydelphia, where she passed out.

"I highly doubt griffons just pass out for no good reason," Cora observed as she scratched the chin of her beak with a claw. "They'd be too stubborn for that."

"They don't," a male voice caught their attention. They looked up to see Blazing walking up to them.

"Blazing?" Night asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I paid attention to the station schedule, and concluded you two would be returning from Fillydelphia today," Blasing explained. "What's this about a griffon passing out?"

"Well, we met a griffon in Griffonstone named Goldie," Night explained.

"We ended up in the hospital and found out she was checked in there," Cora added.

"You two okay?" Blazing asked as he checked the two girls out with a concerned look on his face.

"We're fine," Night assured. "We witnessed a bit of an accident and helped fly the ponies involved to the hospital."

"Okay, good," Blazing sighed before looking the girls in the eyes. "But, what about your friend?"

"We don't know," Night answered. "She was all drained and couldn't remember what happened. Doctors say she'll be okay."

"The doctors of Fillydelphia are some of the best out there," Blazing explained. "They even know quite a bit about griffon anatomy. But, if you'd like, I could go check on her."

"That's much appreciated, but we know she's in good hooves," Night replied.

"Well, if you're sure," Blazing began. "Let me treat you to lunch."

"Sounds great!" Cora chirped. "I'm starved!"

"Might help ease our minds to have a nice meal," Night added with a smile.

The trio left the station into town, where they noticed something odd. The streets were all empty. The air was quiet and still. No foals laughing. No ponies chatting. Nothing.

"Um, what's going on?" Night asked as she looked around.

"Some kinda Equestrian holiday?" Cora added.

"Not that I'm aware of," Blazing answered as he looked around before blinking. "Wait, ponies in Ponyville only clear the streets for one reason outside of holidays." He looked around the streets before his eyes found the source of the seemingly abandoned town. "Bingo!" He ducked behind a corned as he gestured for Night and Cora to do the same. "She's here."

"Who's here?" Cora asked as she scooted close to Night protectively.

"There's a zebra who comes to town once a month," Blazing explained as he pointed to a cloaked figure wandering the streets.

"A zebra?" Night asked. "I thought they lived far from Equestria. And, aren't they peaceful and welcoming?"

"I thought so too," Blazing answered as he watched the cloaked figure. "I've been keeping an eye on this one from the shadows for a long time to find out what the deal is."

"Why don't you just go talk to him?" Cora asked sarcastically.

"Zecora's a she," Blazing corrected her. Cora blinked and took a second look at the cloaked figure just as she removed her hood. Her coat was cloud-grey and she had a two-toned grey mohawk-style mane. "And every time I try, the others always stop me," he explained as he watched Zecora digging a hoof into the street.

"Well, we're by ourselves here," Night observed. "Why don't we go see her together?" Night smiled at Blazing.

"Trust me, all eyes are glued to that zebra as we speak," Blazing answered as he looked at Night. "If we go out there right now, everypony will go into a panic."

"So, why not follow her wherever she goes when nopony's watching?" Night asked again.

"Well, she seems to live in the forest," Blazing answered as he glanced at the ground, "and I'm not too eager to just casually trot in there just to say "hello" to a zebra."

"You worked for the princess, didn't you?" Night observed.

"Yes, but I left that job to live a peaceful life," Blazing countered. "You know, settle down. Find a mare. Have a few foals."

"Noble goals, but I would love to meet a zebra, and this may be my only chance," Night stated as she started to make her way onto the streets before getting stopped by Blazing holding his foreleg in front of her.

"I'm not opposed to talking to Zecora," Blazing stated, "but, I'm still not going to let you ruin any relationships you've built in this town by causing mass hysteria."

"I appreciate you being thoughtful, Blazing," Night smiled as she moved his foreleg down with a hoof, "but, I came to Equestria to learn everything I can about all the races who live here. Zecora lives here, so I want to meet her."

"Hey, feathered ponies," Cora interjected as she pointed to the forest in the distance, "the zebra left for the forest and a filly followed her." Both Night and Blazing blinked and looked to find a butter-yellow filly with an apple-red mane tied up in a large pink bow trotting into the Everyfree Forest.

"That's Applebloom!" Blazing observed. "What's she thinking?!" Blazing started to bolt after the little filly before they noticed Twilight Sparkle and five other mares give chase after her.

"You less worried about causing a panic now?" Cora asked as she spread her wings and took off after the seven ponies into the forest. Soon after, Night and Blazing followed after Cora.

The last time Night and Cora even got this close to the Everfree Forest was the first day they arrived in Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration just a little over a month before. While they did not get the chance to explore the inside of the forest then, circumstances forced their hooves this time. With a little Filly and six mares venturing into such a wild place, Night, Cora, and Blazing had to make sure the others got out alright.

Just as they entered the forest, Twilight, and her friends came rushing back with the little filly, Applebloom, on the back of an orange earth pony mare with a country hat on. Five of the six mares looked terrified while Twilight only looked a bit annoyed and concerned.

"Twilight!" Blazing called as he, Night, and Cora skitted to a halt. "What happened? Are you all okay?"

"Zecora put a curse on us, Stripes!" Rainbow Dash huffed as she hovered above the girls. Blazing glared at the technicolored pegasus.

"Don't call me "Stripes", Dash!" Blazing snarled.

"Oh, for pony's sake!" Twilight huffed. "There's no such thing as curses!" Twilight snorted.

"Twilight, darling," the white unicorn mare with a purple, stylized mane and tail piped up, "what about those things she said?"

"What did she say?" Night asked as she stepped forward. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie poked her head over Night's shoulder.

"Beware!" Pinkie said with a dramatic voice, "Beware, you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!" Cora snarled at Pinkie Pie. "She's an evil enchantress!"

"Get off Night, Pinkie Pie," Cora hissed.

"Calm down, Cora," Night said as Pinkie stepped away from her. Night glanced into the forest where the girls came from and caught sight of blue plants and hummed.

"Sounds like a warning to me," Night observed as she looked at the girls.

"Yeah!" Rainbow chirped. "Warning us to stay away so she can't curse us!"

"Again," Twilight huffed as she rolled her eyes, "she can't curse us because there's no such thing as curses."

"In any case, I'm going to go wash up," the white unicorn said as she trotted back to town. "All this running around in the forest most certainly uncouth."

Night watched the seven ponies trot back into town as Cora and Blazing stood on either side of her. Once they were all out of sight, Night looked toward the forest.

"Okay," Cora piped up, "First, I wanna know what the deal is with the name "Stipes", so give me some context." Cora looked at Blazing, who only glared into the distance.

"It's a stupid nickname Dash gave me because of my stripes," Blazing explained. Cora and Night took a second glance at Blacing to notice the orange stripes over his yellow coat. Blazing glared at Cora. "And, I'll thank you not to use that stupid name. It's bad enough that Dash never stops using it."

"No problem," Cora said as she held her claws up defensively before smirking, "Stripes."

"Cora!" Night huffed as Blazing groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"Just had to get it outa my system," Cora chuckled. "I promise, I won't use it anymore." Blazing snorted before Night turned and walked into the forest. "Hey, where ya goin'?" Cora asked as she watched Night examine the blue plants without touching them.

"Waoh!" Blazing blinked as he rushed up before Night held a hoof up to him. "Don't touch those! It's -"

"Biozim higu," Night interjected. "Muneris use them for very specific herbal remedies."

"Really?" Blazing asked with a raised brow.

"Don't bother, dude," Cora said as she walked up beside him. "It's only beneficial to Muneris."

"Interesting," Blazing observed as he glanced at the plants. "Poison Joke is not something I'd wanna swim in." He looked toward the town where the others left. "I hope they didn't get into it."

"I'm sure if anyone knows how to deal with poison joke, it's gonna be Twilight," Cora observed as she stood next to Night. Night stared into the overgrowth of the forest. "Whatcha thinkin', Night?"

"There's something about this forest," Night observed. "Almost like there's something in the air. It feels good."

"The Everfree Forest is unnatural," Blazing stated as he looked around. "Everything takes care of itself here. No pony intervention whatsoever. The clouds, the animals, everything."

"That zebra went into the forest," Cora observed. "You think she lives here?"

"I wanna say zebras live in the savanna, not the forests," Night observed, "but, I could be wrong." Night smiled at Cora. "Let's go find her."

"I'm in!" Cora chirped with a smile.

"Woah!" Blazing piped up as he stood in front of them. "I'm not opposed to going to meet Zecora, especially now that we're out of eyesight from town, but it's still the Everfree Forest. We don't know where she is in there and you could easily get lost."

"Dude, we have wings," Cora stated as she spread her wings. "If we lose our way, we can easily fly over the trees to get our bearings."

"And," Night began as she made a flat and circular object appear on her hoof. On the face of the object was a needle pointing directly toward Ponyville. "A Muneris compass. Conjurers like myself are taught very early how to conjure a compass for navigation in situations like this. They point to the closest settlement or where one can find food and drink."

"Wow!" Blazing chimed as he looked at the compass. "I wish I had something like that back in my service years." He sighed in defeat. "Alright, it's obvious I'm not talking you out of it. So, I'm coming with you. I've been meaning to meet Zecora anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Cora chirped. Night smiled as she made the compass vanish before turning into the forest.

Night, Cora, and Blazing began trotting through the forest together while taking great care to avoid the blue plants on the ground. The vines hung from the tree branches above as bushes and roots protruded from the ground. The occasional sound of animals scattering from their presence caught their attention. The small animals were nothing to worry about. It was the larger animals like manticores they needed to worry about; maybe a stray dragon lurking in a cave.

After fighting through the wiles for several minutes, the trio found a hut built into what used to be a large tree. Decorations from foreign lands covered almost every stump. Light shined through the windows, where the shadow of an equine could be seen passing back and forth.

"That must be where Zecora lives," Night observed as she stepped closer. Cora and Blazing followed the pegasus closely. Blazing could not help but take in every detail he could see before tripping over a root poking out of the ground. Cora caught him before his chin hit the dirt.

"Watch your step there, pal," Cora chuckled as she helped him back onto his hooves.

"Sorry," Blazing offered as he brushed some dust off his shoulders.

"You alright, Blaze?" Night asked as she watched him.

"Something about this place is familiar," Blazing observed as he looked around. "Almost like I've been here before."

"You haven't though, have you?" Cora asked with a raised brow.

"I couldn't have," Blazing answered. "I was raised in Ponyville before moving to Canterlot with my mother and started working for the princess. I've never explored the forest before I was a full-grown stallion." Night watched Blazing as he explained. She took note of his stripes and thought about Zecora. Could he be half zebra?

Night turned to the hut and trotted up to knock on the door with her hoof. "Someone here to see me?" a deep female voice could be heard from beyond the door, "who could that possibly be?" A few seconds later, the door creaked open to show the face of a zebra looking out in curiosity.

"Hi," Night offered with a wave of her hoof and a smile on her face. "I'm Night Wing and these are my friends, Cora," Night pointed a hoof to Cora, who waved with a friendly smile, "and Blazing Feathers," Night pointed at Blazing, who watched the zebra closely.

"A pegasus, a Muneris, and a griffon?" Zecora observed as she looked at all of them with a warm smile, especially Blazing. She stepped to the side, "Please, do come on in."

Night, Cora, and Blazing walked single-file into the hut. Everything was just as decorated as the outside. In addition to all the trinkets, shelves food of bottles, vials, bowls, cups, and more lined the walls. A large cauldron sat in the middle of the room with a spot just for fires right beneath it. The hut itself felt warm and inviting. Cora felt a bit uneasy about how calm and welcoming the place was. Night smiled at all the decorations and shelves. Blazing simply took in every detail.

"It is a pleasure to have guests, you see," Cora said as she closed the door. "No pony ever comes to see me." She smiled at the trio. "Never mind about me. Would any of you like some tea?"

"Do you always speak in rhyme?" Cora asked with a bit of an annoyed look on her face.

"Don't be rude, Cora," Night huffed.

"It's alright, Miss Night Wing," Zecora interjected with a warm smile. "For my rhyme can be a strange thing." Zecora grabbed four cups from a shelf and placed a kettle over a lit candle on the counter. After getting something started, she stopped to smile at Blazing, who blinked at her.

"What are you smiling at?" Blazing asked with red cheeks.

"After so many years of nothing," Zecora began as she looked him over, "You finally return to me, Blazing." Blazing gulped as Night and Cora watched closely.

"Um, we've never met before," Blazing observed.

"Oh, but we have when you had begun," Zecora countered, "for you are my one and only son." Night, Cora, and Blazing blinked at Zecora's words.

"No!" Blazing stuttered. "My mother is Autumn Leaves! She raised me since I was a little colt!" Night and Cora looked at each other for a few seconds before looking back at Zecora and Blazing. Zecora only smiled at Blazing.

"To raise a child, the forest is not the spot," Zecora began as she examined Blazing's cutie mark; a single feather engulfed in fire. "You were adopted, were you not?"

"I -" Blazing stuttered as he watched the zebra examining him, "I was. Autumn adopted me from the Ponyville orphanage."

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise!" Night exclaimed with a smile on her face. "A family reunion!"

"Hold on! Not so fast!" Blazing countered as he sat in place. "This isn't a family reunion! It's -"

"A reunion this need not be," Zecora piped up as she went to the kettle. "Now is the time for tea." Zecora took the kettle in her maw and poured the boiling water into the four cups before putting tea bags in each. After offering each of her guests a cup, Zecora turned to Night Wing. "It is truly rare to see a Muneris. Tell me, Night Wing. Why are you in this country?"

Night Wing and Cora explained the whole story of their trip in Equestria so far while Blazing scratched the back of his head at the thought of this zebra being his biological mother. The stripes on his coat matched hers exactly, but he was a pegasus. That would mean he is a hybrid of a zebra and a pegasus, or at the very least, a pony who had pegasi ancestors. Who could Blazing's father be? Did he even meet him without realizing it during his time under Princess Celestia?

"And that's the whole story so far," Night finished with a warm smile.

"That was a truly interesting story," Zecora smiled. "Thanks for telling me, young Muneris."

"Okay, now to address the elephant in the room," Cora piped up. "How do you know about the Muneris?"

"The zebras and Muneris knew each other long ago," Zecora began. "A friendship between the four before all had to go." Night watched Zecora intently as Cora raised an eyebrow before Blazing broke away from his trans. Zecora refilled her cup with her eyes closed. A perfect pour without spilling a single drop. "Not long after the Muneris came to be, they formed a union with the zebras, you see?" Zecora opened her eyes to look at Night. "Muneris, Erisumn, and Sirenum, lost and confused from magic's gloom."

"Magic's gloom?" Cora asked with a raised brow.

"Before the alicorns came to be," Zecora said after a sip of her tea, "the Munseris used to be like any pony."

"Legend has it that long ago a group of ponies sought power for some reason and after making a deal with a spirit, the Muneris were born," Night observed. Zecora inclined her head. "But, that's just a legend. I pony's tale Nuneris foals grow up with. There's no truth to it at all."

"And yet, the Muneris are as real as you and me," Zecora interjected.

"Well, yeah," Night countered, "All kinds of creatures exist. Ponies, Muneris, Dragons, Griffons, the list is almost endless."

"But, there was a time when none were born," Zecora interjected. "There even was a time before the alicorn."

"That's right," Blazing piped up. "There was a time when unicorns had to raise the sun and the moon, and it took at least five of them to do it. Alicorns didn't exist until Celestia and Luna appeared back then. Celestia and Luna are the first in recorded history to exist, and they appeared at least a thousand years ago."

"With the rise of Celestia and Luna came a new age," Zecora said. "Is it so hard to believe in a pre-Muneris stage?" Night hummed in thought as she stared at the table. She never thought about exploring anything beyond the known history of the Muneris.

"Night, I never thought the griffons could be as stuck-up as they are," Cora piped up as she placed a claw on Night's shoulder. Night looked at her old friend. "Maybe it's something worth looking into? If we can find lost knowledge of your kind and bring it back to the president, maybe things could be better for all of us?"

"The idea of finding our lost past is intriguing," Night softly said. "But, will we like what we find?"

"Why so timid at the thought?" Cora asked. "Usually you'd be up in the air with excitement at the challenge."

"Normally, yes," Night agreed. "But, this is the history of my kind. It could change everything we know about who we are."

"Hey, I found out the griffons are mostly jerks," Cora interjected. "Am I telling you to "buzz off" or acting like a jerk?" Night watched her friend with a growing smile. "Just because most griffons are stuck-up jerks, doesn't mean I have to be too. Even if we find out truths we don't like, that's not gonna change who we are!"

"And if, but some chance, you end up losing a place amongst the Muneris," Blazing piped up, "you'll always have a place here in Equestria." Blazing offered the girls a smile as Zecora watched with a warm smile of her own. Even if she did not get the chance to raise her own foal, he inherited her kindness. Night smiled at the other three as her wings spread open.

"Alright," Night said. "This is something worth looking into, no matter what comes of it." Night looked at Zecora. "Would you be willing to teach us all you know?"

"Share my knowledge with you, I will," Zecora inclined her head with a closed-eyed smile. "But, I think it's time for you to return to Ponyville."

"We have been here for a while," Blazing observed. "We don't want anyone to get worried."

"But -" Night began to protest before Zecora raised a hoof.

"There will be plenty of opportunity to speak," Zecora interjected. "But, for now, we have reached our peak." The zebra stood up with a warm smile to her guests, especially Blazing. "This company has been sublime. Please, return any time." Night, Cora, and Blazing stood up from the table and followed Zecora to the door. Zecora opened the door and stood to the side to let them out. Blazing stopped short to look at the zebra.

"I'm definitely coming back for answers," Blazing stated. Zecora inclined her head with a warm smile.

"There are things I am obliged to tell," Zecora said. "When next we meet, our time will be swell." Blazing offered a smile for the first time since they arrived at Zecora's hut. Night, Cora, and Blazing left the hut into the forest. "Just one thing to avoid the gloom," Zecora called out to them, getting them all to look back at her. Zecora looked directly into Night's eye with a serious look. "You must beware of the rogue Sirenum."

"Wait, what?" Night queried. Zecora only hummed as she closed the door to her hut. "Wait, what does that mean?!" Night's cries were in vain as there was no further reply from the zebra. Night looked through the window to find Zecora lighting a fire under the cauldron. A claw rested on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Come on, Night," Cora softly said. "Let's go back to Ponyville for now. We'll get answers later." Reluctantly, Night inclined her head and walked alongside her friends into the forest back to Ponyville. At this moment, a new door had opened and presented Night with a new mission for her time here in Equestria. She needed to find answers about her equine kind. But, she could not help but think about Zecora's last words.

"You must beware of the rogue Sirenum?"