The Derpy I Know And Love 4 or And The Children Shall Lead

CHAPTER SEVEN

Echoes Of The Past And Present

It was several months later and life in Ponyville went on like normal.

Apple Bloom continued her immersion studies with Zecora, who was greatly impressed with the level of her mastery.

Scootaloo worked hard to impress her hero turned mother at mastering the weather.  And she proved to be an excellent flyer which gave her mother no end of pride.  She was also showing promise with the magic that her other mother and Twilight were teaching her.

Silver Spoon was a joy to her students whenever she would student-teach.  She was loving to her students, patient and giving.  Students could not wait to go to class when Silver was doing her student-teaching.  She was also there for all her friends.  She was the touchstone that kept the little group linked with them all going about in different directions with their lives.  Silver Spoon made sure that all their friends stayed in touch.

Dinky continued to handle the library efficiently enough to free up Twilight to do more advanced studies and research.  Also her mastery of magic impressed her mother to the point that she wished that Dinky would have been identified earlier so to go to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.  But Celestia was still satisfied with Twilight’s tutelage and would reassure her that the extra schooling was not necessary.

Sweetie Bell and Diamond Tiara continued to be an inspiration to all their friends and all ponies that knew them.  They worked hard at their jobs.  And while out in public, it was obvious how deep their relationship was and how great their love was.

Then there was Dawn.

She was not yet ten years old and she was as tall as her eighteen year old sister Dinky.  Her horn was noticeably longer, her wings were larger than that of the normal pegasi of Dinky’s age as well.  It was obvious that because of her being an alicorn her body form and growth was slightly different than the normal Unicorn/Pegasus/Earth Pony.

As to her magic abilities, her training at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, was more for control of her growing talents although she was being taught advanced skills.

Her flying abilities were impressive as well.

However, she did have a mischievous streak.  Twilight had blamed this on Bubbles who could be quite the imp, once while Rainbow was giving some advanced flying lessons to Scootaloo, Dawn streaked by and performed a sonic rainboom which nearly knocked the two pegasi out of the sky.

She had thought it extremely funny to have Rainbow and Scootaloo Dash chase her, but not quite catch her.  She would land and the Dash’s would tackle her and tickle her unmercifully.

They were a little jealous of her abilities but they also loved her greatly being that she was the child of their very good friends (and Rainbow’s secret lovers) Twilight and Bubbles.  Rainbow had taken time at an early age to help train her flying abilities, but Bubbles was training her as well, Rainbow had discovered at an earlier time that Bubbles was an amazing flyer herself.

Apple Bloom was getting use to the regimented day.  Chores in the morning and evening, meals, meditation (which she found to be more enjoyable than she first thought) and lessons, practice and reading throughout the day.  She also assisted her mistress when anypony visited for cures, healing or just to pick up some herbal tea blend.

Zecora was just as gentle and patient as before.  However she was slightly more demanding of Apple Bloom but only because she knew that she could deliver more.

She was getting comfortable with the routine.  Nothing out of the norm happened until one morning.

Apple Bloom sat up straight on her cot, a scream escaped from her mouth.  No slow awakening from the sound sleep from honest hard work.  This was an awakening from a dream so real it was hard to believe that it was a dream.

She saw her mother as a little filly.  She was being abused by a stallion.  Defenseless, threatened and scared beyond anything she had ever felt.  As the stallion forced her to her knees, Apple Bloom’s perspective changed, she was now in her mother’s body.  She felt the pain from the blows that the monster had inflicted.  Then came the penetration from the monster’s ‘thing’.  It was the pain of a virgin’s violation in a marehood too small for sex as of yet.  She whimpered, afraid to cry out because of the threat of death.  Although death might have been preferable to the pain and shame she was feeling now.

Then the perspective changed again, the stallion was the same but looked older, the pony changed as well.  It was her friend Diamond Tiara, she was being slapped around by the stallion too large for her to adequately defend herself against.  Diamond spun around and with her hind legs delivered a kick to the monster’s face.  It only stunned the stallion for a moment.  Diamond tried to run away but the brute was too fast.  He leapt to Diamond’s back, she fell flat on the stomach.  The monster then took both of his front hooves and hit her at the base of the scull.  There was a sickening snap!  Diamond went limp, the light in her eyes went out.  Apple Bloom could tell that she was dead.  The monster only laughed and proceeded to rape her dead friend.

“No!” screamed Apple Bloom, the stallion turned and looked at her and smiled.  It was the first time she had got a look at his face, but the face she saw was shocked her, it looked strangely like her face.

Apple Bloom’s tears were pouring and she was suddenly awake.

Zecora appeared in the doorway of the anteroom that Apple Bloom was using as her living space at Zecora’s hut.  Zecora saw Apple Bloom sitting up on the cot, there was the look of pure fear on her face.

“Apple Bloom my student, I am right here;

It was only a dream, there is nothing to fear.”

Apple Bloom looked like she was trying hard to figure what to say and how to say it.  Zecora was impressed that even with the stress of the situation, Apple Bloom was trying to meet the expectations she had placed on her.  Zecora walked over to her student, sat beside her and gently stroked her mane.

“It is alright to speak plainly this time.” Said Zecora, reassuringly.

“Zecora, it was horrible!  I saw the monster that raped my mother when she was little.  I felt it and experienced the whole thing, the pain, the shame, the fear!  Then everything changed, I saw the same stallion, older.  He was attacking Diamond Tiara.” Said Apple Bloom starting to cry harder.

“She tried to fight back.  But, but, but…….. HE KILLED HER!  Then he raped her anyway and just laughed.  He laughed just like he did when he raped my mother!  I could only think of how devastated Sweetie Belle was going to be!  He turned to look at me but it was my face I saw!”

Apple Bloom grabbed Zecora and buried her face in her chest and cried uncontrollably.  Zecora held Apple Bloom close.  She started to chant a comforting song, the words were only half recognizable to Apple Bloom.  But it had its effect, a forgetful drowsiness moved over Apple Bloom.  Zecora lay her student back on her cot, by the time her head was on the pillow, she was in a dreamless sleep.

Zecora went out to meditate.  As she was expecting, her spirit guide appeared to her.  They spoke to each other in her mind.

‘It has begun, Zecora,’ said Dahood, ‘your apprentice has great potential.  It is good that she is the first of her race to learn your people’s ways.  This dream is her ‘vision’ awakening.  It will be her first and perhaps greatest trial.’

‘So what she has seen is real, the past and future?’ thought Zecora.

‘Yes,’ replied the spirit guide, ‘the memories of her mother come through her connection with her mother, she is a product of her body and so the memories were passed on at a very deep level.  But she is starting to be able to tap into the flow of time.’

‘So she really did experience her mother’s violation?’

‘Yes.’

‘What of her friend’s attack and murder?’

‘Time is like bread,’ said Dahood.  ‘The loaf of bread is the shape it is because it has been formed and baked, the shape was chosen by the baker.  That is the past, unchangeable.

But the future is like the dough unbaked.  It is still bread, but it has yet to be shaped and will not be shaped until the baker is ready to bake it.  At that time they will choose the shape based on what has happened up to then.  Everything is there that can happen.  But the slightest thing can change the future.’

‘Do you always speak in metaphor?’ thought Zecora with a smile.

‘Yes,’ said Dahood, Zecora could feel his smile, ‘it makes me sound wise.’

Then his tone changed;

‘She will be faced with a situation that will test her dedication to the teachings.  She must be reminded that she has dedicated herself to helping others.  Force and violence is only in self-defense and as a last resort.  Killing is to be avoided, except perhaps in the defense of ones in you care.

Vengeance is not to be tolerated ever.  Not only because it is counter to the teachings, but more than that, it is a path to self-destruction.  In my time there was a saying;

When seeking vengeance, you must first dig two graves.

Make sure that when she is confronted, and confronted she will be, she acts in the shaman way.  The sin of patricide must not be committed!’

‘You can’t be a healer and yet harm others,’ thought Zecora.

“Exactly,’ returned Dahood.

Zecora felt her guide fade away, she remained in meditation until the sun came up and was time for she and her apprentice to start the day.

Apple Bloom was already preparing the morning meal for her mistress and herself.  Zecora was happy that Apple Bloom, like all the Apples, was such a good cook.  Zecora could put together potions and brews to do just about anything.  Her herbal tea blends were to die for.  But when it came to food,  her cooking could sometimes turn a vulture’s stomach.