The Everfree forest, as always, was filled with eerie sounds and wind howls. This did not affect the Zebra walking through its woods though. The Black and white striped Zebra, with mohawk hair that matched his ruffled tail and color scheme walked through the forest unfazed by the sounds and in fact found a soothing pleasure in them. This was normal for him and with his knapsack of ingredients for his wife, he was sure that it would only get better. Little did he know that when he got home his life would be shattered to pieces and break him beyond repair.
Zecora's Hut could be seen in the distance in all of it's natural glory, the straw roof that dared the elements to try and destroy it, and the wooden hut itself that braved any element that was foolish enough to try and knock it down. Once the zebra got closer however he noticed the door was wide open which made his eyes widen in fear. He ran inside and found a small puddle of blood around where the cauldron was overturned and saw a small bloody path go outside, almost as if whatever it was got dragged out. Fearing the worst he ran outside and followed the blood path until it stopped at a disturbed area of dirt. To his horror he saw his wife half-buried beneath it.
"Zecora!" He rushed to the half-buried zebra and quickly shoveled away whatever dirt was there. After only a few seconds Zell was now holding the bloody and broken body of his wife. Tears welled up in his face as he saw Zecora's eyes slowly open painfully. Zecora moved her mouth as if trying to say something but no sounds came out. "What is it my dear? Say it to my ear." At that point Zecora tried harder to speak up despite her obvious injuries.
"Zell my dear... do not fret... I am not... a dead zebra yet." Zell could already feel his heart aching at how much pain he saw Zecora was in. Out of instinct he asked who it was that did this but Zecora did not reply, instead she told him something else. "In my heart... I love you so, my love is more... than you'll ever... know..." At this point Zell was completely in tears and crying over what was happening. "Twilight Sparkle... she did the attack...but her mentality... is not in tact..." The male zebra sniffled a bit before asking what he should do. "She is... in denial that's... for sure...just promise me you... won't..." At this point Zecora's eyes closed and any life that was inside Zecora had left causing Zell to scream out in agony and pain. The whole Everfree forest shook with his mixture of sadness and rage as his yell could be heard for miles.
After sobbing for what seemed like forever Zell had finally managed to get himself under control. He took Zecora's bracelet and separated the rings to put two on each of his upper legs as remembrance and respect. He then slowly placed Zecora's body back in the spot where it was half-buried before and gave her a proper burial, tombstone and all. "May the entities up above, watch over your soul as you fly like a dove..." He looked down at her grave and once again broke into sobs before eventually standing up. "Your death this day shall be avenged, I'll track that pony til the end..." He then walked inside the hut and started to clean the place up, if he wanted to avenge Zecora's death then he would have to come up with a plan to find Twilight's whereabouts.
-Two Days Earlier-
Zell woke up in a bed made of wood and feathers while yawning quite loudly. Zecora merely chuckled at her husband's tired behavior. She then decided to walk inside and put a tray of haycakes and a vanilla milkshake on his lap. "Here's breakfast in bed for my lover, when you're ready remove the cover." Zell gave her a light kiss on the lips and thanked her for the breakfast in bed before he started to eat. It had been a week since he proposed and she said yes, the wedding preparations for Zecora's village had already been in place and the ceremony was scheduled to happen in the next four days. Zell smiled happily to himself at how lucky he was to be marrying Zecora.
Once he finished eating his food he went over to the sink in the bathroom and used a special mouthwash Zecora made to clean his mouth and teeth. He looked at the mirror and marveled at the magnificent flank that wiggled lightly in front of a cauldron. "Leaving on this trip is a shame, but the Hibiscus flower will look great in her mane." Once he finished gathering his things, he went over to Zecora and kissed her goodbye. Zecora then shot out a hoof and stopped him from leaving. Zell looked at his wife with a raised eyebrow. "Why did you stop me from going out, is there something you want to talk about?"
Zecora nodded her head but looked away with a slight blush. Zell only raised an eyebrow at his wife's sudden embarrassment. "What I will say is not a joke, this very news might make you choke." She then told him to sit down as she took a deep breath. "Last night while we were being silly, gave us a colt or a filly." Zecora was right when she said this news might make Zell choke because that is exactly what happened to him. "Zell my love do not fret, theres another option we didn't discuss yet." Zell just shook his head as he hugged her. He told her that there was no need and that he was happy it happened making Zecora smile and hug him in return.
Once the love fest of hugs and kisses had finished, Zell once again picked up his saddle bags with a smile. "Once I return from my trip, let's go to the spa for a dip." Zecora smiled as she nuzzled her husband's neck and gave a final kiss goodbye. Zell walked out the door and looked around the Everfree forest. "We've been blessed with a foal that's pure, what happens this week shall be good for sure." After saying this, Zell walked out the back of the Everfree forest and on his way to their homeland. The trip would take exactly two days, one day going and one day coming.
-Present Day-
Shaking his head from the dream-like trance he was in, Zell looked around at the now empty hut. Without Zecora it felt alone, barren even, and he would make sure that this Twilight Sparkle will feel the same. He got up from the bed and put Zecora's cloak on his back, tying it in front with the same knot his dead wife used. "Ponyville is where I should be, maybe then she will come to me." Once he walked out the hut he used his back hoof to kick the door shut and walk over to his wife's grave. He kneeled down and gave one final prayer before he set off on his journey. "Zecora my love watch me this day, for this will be the time of Twilight's dismay." After he said this, Zell stood up and walked away from what used to be a place of happy peace.
