Zecora

Zecora wandered through the Everfree, in search of herbs, as busy as could be. For poison joke's antidote, she'd seek with care, in hope to find it, as danger lurked everywhere. With gentle precision, she picked from the ground, a strand of poison joke, where it could be found. As she roamed the forest, with her bag of brew, a sound then caught her, something strange and new. From her hiding spot, she peered with a glance; a pony approached, as if caught in a trance. With a dark blue coat and mane of soft brown, and blue pegasus wings with red tips. Curiosity sparked as she watched this new face, In the depths of the Everfree. Who could this stranger be in the wild? Zecora felt drawn, like a curious child.

'What is a pony doing here, so deep in the Everfree?' Zecora watched with curious eyes, as the pony stood beneath the skies. From the tree, it rose with a slight sway, walking on hooves in a comical display.

Zecora watched the pony try to stand, Balancing on hooves, not quite as planned. Then down they went with a thud on the ground; a soft chuckle escaped her, a light-hearted sound. But when the pony lifted their head from the dirt, Zecora quickly dashed off, a bit alert. Not knowing if friend or foe she might see, she slipped through the bushes, as swift as could be. Focused anew on her brewing delight, she moved through the woods, keeping out of sight. Gathering herbs for her magical stew, with a hop in her step, and adventure anew.

Zecora picked some Petals of Wish flowers, some Flame Root, a hoof full of Peletra berries, a few Logntiàev, and a few extra blossoms of Slug Vine to add to the small amount of them she had left. By the time her venture was over, the night had risen as the princess of the moon, Luna, had risen her moon into the sky as the princess of the sun, Celestia, set her sun. Thirty minutes into her walk back home, Zecora felt a drop of water fall on her muzzle, then another through her cloak. Soon, the light of the moon is blocked out by a massive rain cloud coming in as it begins to slowly pour down.

"I was not aware a storm would arise, on this dark night beneath the starry skies."

As she gazed to the right, where her home should glow, a flash cut through the dark, then vanished like snow. The storm raged around, with thunder's fierce might, curiosity stirred to explore the strange light. She ventured outside, through the tempest's wild roar, and spotted the same pony as seen just before. Zecora sees two timber wolves approaching the seemingly helpless strangpony lying against a broken and splintered tree, not moving. Zecora knew she had to intervene.

Zecora swiftly searched her brew-filled sack and found a flask for moments of attack. She dashed to the spot where a pony lay in despair, tossing the flask without a moment to spare. The flask then shattered, and its contents spread, though rain obscured the scent overhead. Yet the whiff was strong enough to send the Timberwolves running, scared and tough.

Zecora spotted another, perhaps the chief of the two; whether true or not, it mattered not to the view. For there it lay on the ground, a sight so stark, Now just a heap of logs, turned to simple bark. She turned to the pony, caught in despair, a creature between a Stallion and a Mare. Claw marks adorned their once-graceful frame. This poor soul had surely faced much pain and shame. Zecora approached with cautious tread, unaware of this pony's past or dread. Yet life showed deep in their soul. Zecora saw a light that fought for their soul.

"We must hurry, don't delay; the Ursa Major's scent will not stay. Those Timberwolves will soon return; for safety now, we must discern."

The strange pony then falls unconscious, Zecora now left to drag them by mane. But not tugging to hard, as to not give them more pain. Her hut not being far, they must get there before the Timberwolves return. Tugging the best she could, hope in her heart that she be quick enough, for their lives and safety were at stake.

Opening her front door, she drug the pony inside. Dragging them across the floor, leaving marks of blood trailing from the nearby front door. With quite a lot of struggling, being the only one who could move the pony's body, Zecora pushed the pony's body onto her spare bed, which was carved from the tree she lived inside. The Zebra was left taking deep breaths to regain some strength after having to pull this pony all the way here without stopping. After Zecora regains her strength, she examines the pony, only now knowing it is a small Stallion from his lower region.

Zecora clears her throat with a slight blush. "I should tend to his wounds, make them right, so his spirit can shine, continuing bright," she tells herself, ignoring his lower region. She grabs some herbs and sprinkles them along the wounds with her wooden bowl. This should help halt the spread of infection, but it won't keep his wounds from bleeding." Zecora states walking over to where she holds her bandages. Opening the green-colored compartment, she reaches in and grabs ahold of the bandages within; walking back over to the pony who is unconscious, she begins wrapping his wounds with quite a struggle as the wounds cover his body quite a bit. Wrapping the Stallion's legs and chest, as well as across his face, with the Stallion bandaged and safe, Zecora now moves to clean the blood streak.

With a brush and bucket in hoof, she begins to scrub away the blood so it does not bring unwanted company here. After what felt like thirty minutes, Zecora finished scrubbing the floor clear of blood and, therefore, any scent that could bring any danger here. Seeing how late it is and her new guest tended to, Zecora decides to sleep for the night.

Stirring in his deep sleep, Eaven begins having a nightmare once more. He is tossing and turning, mumbling in this nightmare. "n-m... no-..." mumbling to himself in the nightmare that haunts him. Eaven struggles within what feels like his own body, red crystal-like pillars holding his fore-hooves and hind hooves and wings stretched out and held in place. Eaven looks up, seeing through what seems to be eye holes as they approach something that looks like a mirror. He struggles, trying to pull his fore-hoof out, only causing some bleeding from his fore-hoof as it begins to tear a bit.

'"BUCK!"' The young Stallion yelps out in pain, panting heavily from the amount of stress and pain his body is in. This action causes the red crystal-like pillar to grow more over the wound.

'"Hahamhm..."' A voice echos in the chamber of your own mind. '"Still trying to escape, are you?" the voice says as a pair of green eyes with red irises with a set of sharp teeth appears within the shadows. '"When will you learn that your body is mine now? There is no escape for you." The voice says with its toothy grin.

'"Buck... you..."' Eaven says in an aggressive tone as he pants heavily through the pain he feels.

The face in the dark only grins further as it shocks Eaven within his own mind, causing him immense pain throughout the body as if his very soul was being electrocuted. The ominous face only grins devilishly at its handy work as Eaven screams out in immense pain. The torture session only stops when it hears something land.

'"Heh... it sounds like we have company,"' the voice says as it begins to fade back into the darkness.

Soon whoever landed spoke up, '"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" a feminine voice says. '"Why?? Why are you doing this??!"' The feminine voice speaks up. Eaven recognizes the voice all too well.

'"n-no, NoNoNONO! YOU LEAVE HER OUT THIS, YOU HEAR ME?! LEAVE TWILIGHT OUT OF THIS!!!"' Eaven screamed, but his voice fell on deaf ears, then suddenly... darkness. Everything around him went darker than it already was, '"W-What? What's going on?"' Eaven asks, looking around the area as it feels like there is light but no light. Was he glowing? He looked down at his... arms?! He... he had his old body back, but... it was glowing?

'"Thou hath had the strongest of nightmares." a soft yet commanding feminine voice says as she lands behind you.

'ohh... Buck... Why'd it have to be her?' Eaven thinks to himself in his own mind. He slowly turns to face her. '"uhh... hi??"' Eaven says, trying to act ignorant of his situation.

'"Thou art the strange manner of creature..."' The mare looks him up and down suspiciously.

'"Well I can't really say that I've seen a talking pony around."' Eaven says, gesturing towards the surprisingly appropriately colored midnight blue mare. 'Though I can't say much after the stuff I have already been through,' thinking to himself.

'"And as I may asketh, what troubles has't thee been through?"' The midnight blue mare gives a questioning look at him.

'"Oh yeah... this is my mind, isn't it, so nothing is secret here when talking to myself."' he gives an exasperated sigh. '"Ok... yes, I've had a terrible first day here, getting mauled by massive creatures that look like wolves will do that to you."' continuing with a monotone voice.

'"Aye, timb'r wolves art v'ry nasty creatures,"' the midnight-colored mare sighs, '"Creatures madeth from logs and sticks. Still dang'rous nonetheless."' She continues with a look of pity on her face.

'"Ok, you're starting to lose me talking like that. Are you able to talk normally?"' asking as politely as he can without coming off as rude in any way.

She clears her throat, '"Sorry about that, we- I mean, I have been gone for a long time,"' the mare says in a more modern dialect. '"W-i-I am still working on my more recent dialect and customs of today."' she says with a stuter at trying not to say 'We'.

'"Hey, you're at least trying. Not a lot of others can say the same."' Telling the mare in front of him in his less monotoned voice. '"So what's your name so we get that out of the way?"' Eaven asks her, putting up a front of ignorance to her name.

'"Thank you, kind creature. I am Princess Luna,"' Luna says with a gentle smile. '"As is customary, may I have your name?" she asks, looking at him.

'"Yeah, uh... my name is... uh..."' Eaven begins to ponder it.

'"You do not have to if you wish no-"' Luna began saying before being interrupted.

'"No, no. I got it. It's on the tip of my tongue."' He says, snapping his finger while thinking. '"It was... was... uh... Anon, yeah, I remember now. My name is Anon."' finally remembering his ('name').

Everything begins shaking slightly as Luna begins to become transparent, and everything grows darker around Anon.

'"It seems our time to talk is over."' Luna states to Anon.

'"I guess so. I hope we can meet again, Luna. But don't let me keep you from doing any Princessly duties you have to do."' Anon tells the slowly fading Princess.

It all goes black, and Anon wakes up in the carved bed that Zecora had placed him on. Looking out the window, he can see it's still night, but sunlight is rising on the horizon, shredding the dark sky away. Anon then looks at his surroundings as sunlight gleams in slightly, spreading its light into the dark room. Shading his eyes from the sun, he looks to the inside of the place, noticing masks on the walls and a cauldron. 'Oh... I'm at Zecora's place. It could be better, could be worse.' Anon thinks to himself. Anon begins to turn his body when he feels a sharp bucking pain in his abdomen, but not as bad as it was last night, 'Oh yeah... broke a rib... guess I'm goin' nowhere soon, back to my nap I guess.' He thought to himself, turning over in pain as he scooted closer to the wall to help give off a sense of darkness to sleep to.

8:28

Zecora stirs in her cauldron of healing soup, it may not help the healing process for her injured occupant. But in her knowledge of the strange and unnatural plant life in the Everfree forest, this soup should help him sleep easier. Zecora drops some Lierishrooms to aid in the calming effect of the healing soup. The Lierishrooms boiled inside the cauldron, their color becoming pale from their original purple glow, adding flavor and a calming effect to the brew. Though the Lierishrooms did not only calm a pony but paralyzed them for a short time, this is only to help keep Zecora's new patient still in his sleep.

The Stallion begins stirring in his sleep, having the same nightmare he has been having on repeat, only changing ever so slightly every time. The pony twitches and grunts in his sleep, mumbling through his harsh grunts as he begins crying, tears streaming down his muzzle. Zecora quickly grabs her wooden bowl and ladle and pours some of her brew into the bowl, taking the bowl over to the pony on her patient bed and trying to keep him still as she opens his mouth to the best of her ability, pouring it into his mouth to force him to take the brew. Tipping the bowl over the brew pours into his mouth, Zecora quickly shuts his mouth and keeps it closed as he tries to cough it out, His body not knowing what to do swallows the brew to allow him to breathe again.

He slowed his breathing as his body stopped shaking and calmed, his tears drying up. Zecora sighed as he stabilized from the frantic nightmare he was having. Slowly, the strange pony's body twitched a bit in response to the brew but did not show signs of rejecting it. Zecora let out a breath she did not know she was holding in and turned to walk back to her cauldron when she heard the pony mumble something.

"tw-tw-Twi...light..." The stallion mumbled in his slumber.

Zecora looked at the stallion with a curious look. 'Perhaps Twilight and her crew will uncover the truth, which is overdue, about this stallion so strange and rare, with mysteries hidden, floating in the air, ' she thought to herself. Zecora walked over to her table, where she had different ground-up items in different bowls. She gently moved them to the sides and put a piece of parchment paper on the table. Taking a quill in her mouth and dipped it in ink, expertly waving the quill across the parchment as she wrote the words in the message for Twilight Sparkle.

'Dear Twilight and friends, the Elements bold,

I write to you now, a tale to be told.
In the Everfree woods, I stumbled one day,
A strange young stallion, lost in dismay.

He mumbles your name in his sleep, it seems,
Twilight Sparkle, you’re woven in his dreams.
I've taken him in, though he’s hurt and alone,
I hope you’ll come quickly, and help him feel at home.

So gather your strength, and don’t tarry or wait,
Together, we’ll solve this mysterious fate.
I await your arrival, with hope in my heart,
Let’s unlock this enigma, and play our part.'

Zecora then rolls up the paper and ties it with some cloth, holding it on her hoof she lifts it to a bird and says,

"Here my feathered friend, please take this to Twilight Sparkle and her friends."

The bird picks up the letter in its beak and takes off for the town near Everfree. Zecora watches the bird fly off into the deep branches and boroughs of the trees as it takes to the skies.

"Be quick, my feathered friend, for I can aid this soul but for a short night longer. The time is fleeting, and the hour draws near. Bring swift assistance, and let them not fear," Zecora says to herself. She turns back to her home, and walks inside, closing the door behind her.

Chapter 1 New Encounters - End

Author's Note

Sorry, this took so long. I've been off and on doing it, trying to get the energy to finish it. I planned to make it longer but don't think I could do that now. And sorry for stopping the rhyming at some point there, at the time it just got a little bit annoying, but I hope you enjoyed it at least.

As should be known always, I am open to criticism. I wanna make the story good, though do know my writing skills are a bit subpar for an actual story that is actually interesting.

See you peeps later!!!! :3