Chapter 3: Zebra Of The Forest

You can't quite figure out why you agreed to go into the Everfree forest with Fluttershy, but it doesn't matter, you're already here. From what you could piece together, Fluttershy thought of you as an expert on fighting timber wolves, there were timber wolves on her way to Zecora's place, and so she thought you could be her knight in shining armor. Only you can quite easily remember you trying to back out of it, but then she just stared at you and suddenly you were on your way into hell incarnate. Maybe the stories you heard about "The Stare Master" were true, and that it was Fluttershy...

Then you thought about something else. Who in their right mind would live in the Everfree forest? You come from the northern parts of Equestria, where you rarely get any news about the rest of Equestria, but even there the Everfree was a feared place, with many horror stories told about it around the campfire. Before you could remember the good times you had scaring the living hell out of your friends, you heard something in the bushes next to you, it sounded almost like a...

"TIMBER WOLF!" you quickly yelled out so Fluttershy knew that it was time for her to run.

Though she simply stood there, staring at you, completely terrified, and then you saw a timber wolf jump out of the bushes behind her and you immediately bolted over to her, sending the wolf flying in the process.

"RUN!" you ordered Fluttershy, but her wings were snapped back in fear, and her legs were so wobbly she would most likely collapse if she tried to walk, so you did the most logical thing you could think of.

You threw her towards the light you could see at one end of the path. Hopefully that's Zecora's place, you think before turning your attention to the pack of timber wolves that had formed behind you.

"Who wants to go first?"

                              ______________________________________________________

THUMP!

Zecora looked outside her hut and saw a yellow Pegasus that she knew well. "Hello dear Fluttershy, why are you in the dirt? Is it possible that you could be hurt?" Zecora said in her usual rhyming way.

"Zecora! Oh, I need your help! There was a stallion with me, on the way here we were attacked by timber wolves, and he threw me over here and stayed to fight them himself!" Fluttershy stammered out, tears welling up in her eyes.

"This is quite bad news, but thankfully you are without a bruise. Come into my hut, I will fix that cut" Zecora said while pointing to a fairly large cut Fluttershy had along her flank.

"No! Zecora we have to go help him now, he was only let out of the hospital just over a week ago, I don't know if he can hold off a pack of timber wolves!" Fluttershy protested, somehow forcing back a tear.

"Ah, but he is a strong stallion is he not? These must not be the first wolves he's fought?"

Before Zecora could try to talk Fluttershy into her home, the stare come out, and apparently it was one of the few ways to get Zecora to stop rhyming.

"Ok, my apologies, let us find your friend now"

                              ______________________________________________________

"Come here you big son of a bitch!"

That was the only part of the fight the two girls were able to see. When they got there all that was left was you, and what one could only guess was the alpha wolf. You used your speed to outsmart him, and then you hit him in the base of his skull, after you had flown fairly high up. You knew it would take a lot more than that to kill it, but you didn't care, seeing as it had toppled over unconscious anyways.

"Oh, hey Fluttershy, and You're Zecora I'm guessing?" you say after calmly landing in front of the two stunned girls.

"How did you manage to knock the alpha out?" Zecora asked, apparently extreme surprise was another way to stop her constant rhyming.

"I hit him really hard, using my wings to push me down to wards him made my speed increase, and by hitting him with the edge of my hoof, it cause the most damage to him, and knocked him out" you answer, not seeing what was so surprising, you did that all the time at home. Oh wait, you thought, they wouldn't know that, and I'm sure the wolves are feared down here...

"That was amazing" you hear Zecora mutter while examining the unconscious alpha.

"So, did you get the stuff you needed Fluttershy?" you ask the still flabbergasted Pegasus that had talked you into this.

"Ah no, she did not, but I have brought some," Zecora answered while passing Fluttershy a bottle, "I must head home now, perhaps you'd like to come?"

"No, I think I need to head back and take a nap, all the fighting tired me out fairly fast" you answer while prodding Fluttershy's side in an attempt to get her moving.

"No worried my friends, I hope for you, this day peacefully ends."

                              ______________________________________________________

"Does she always talk like that?" you ask Fluttershy as you exited the forest.

"Yes, it's her thing, though we can't really explain why" she answered honestly.

"Well, I think I'll try to help her break that habit, as it's no way to talk to people, seeing as it would only confuse them"

"Good luck" you hear Fluttershy say with a strong hint of sarcasm.

Great, so now I've decided to help some random Zebra out, and I have Fluttershy doubting me, how could my life get any better?

Apparently fate is one hell of a joker, as you hear Rainbow land next to you. "Hey! How's it going, I was wondering if you had time to go racing with me, since you're almost as fast as I am" Rainbow said while flying a circle around you. When you nodded she began to outline the details of the track. It seemed like it was going to be fairly dangerous, judging by what it said on her map.

Oh well, looks like relaxation will have to wait for another day...

Short chapter, but it was meant to introduce Zecora's role in the story.

Also she is very hard to write dialogue for :I