Moments before meteor…

It was almost noon. Zecora leaned against the doorframe, looking up at the bit of sky she could see through the treetops of the Everfree Forest. The only clouds visible were a part of Cloudsdale, the floating city glowed in the bright sunlight.

“Such a beautiful day we have today, I’m sure the celebration is already underway,” the zebra smiled. She had been invited to the celebration but declined. Pony magic and their way of life had always made Zecora feel a little out of place. Though she’d spent more time with the townsponies in recent months, being stuck under a dome of magic, the top of which she could just make out from her hut, just didn’t sit well with her.

High above, she spotted the meteor. They said it was an anomaly that baffled meteorologists. Zecora had also thought it strange that a meteor so far away had suddenly turned for Equestria. Princess Celestia however, saw it as an opportunity to bring her subjects together in honor of herself. Even at that moment, Zecora could see the tiny outline of Celestia flying up towards the fireball.

The zebra sighed. “There is little use for flaunting such power; it is not as if she has enemies to-”

And then the meteor exploded.

A wave of magical energy pulsed out from the rapidly expanding fireball. It washed over the world below it but merely shook the trees. Any feelings of safety were destroyed by a massive wave of fire expanding outwards from where the meteor had once been. Cloudsdale evaporated in seconds as flames consumed it, and the dome of magic over Ponyville winked out beneath a blanket of fire.

Instantly Zecora heard pony screams of shock and terror. They lasted only for a moment, before being cut short as the flames reached them.

Zecora’s mind reacted faster than her legs. My home is protected, the flames will be deflected! She turned into her home and tried to get the door closed behind her. An instant before the door sealed, fire forced itself through. The door shut and Zecora slumped down against it. One side of her face felt strange and her vision blurred. She brought a hoof up to touch it. It came away bloody.

“Wha-”

That’s when the pain shot through her like a lightning bolt. Zecora screamed and forced herself not to touch the burn further, though her hooves shook inches from it. Aloe… ointment… poppy… she ran through the ingredients and potions she had on hand. Stumbling, the zebra made her way to the shelves closest to her. She attempted to lift herself using the lowest one. It broke away from the wall, glass shattering all around her. Several shards sliced into her side and front legs.

Get up… GET UP!

She stood again on shaky legs. Spilled ingredients were all around her. A few naturally square leaves of a plant sizzled on the dirt floor. Zecora gingerly lifted one of the leaves with her front hooves and applied it to the burn. It soothed some of the pain. The zebra applied the remaining leaves, all of which stuck to her face with a gentle press.

When she could think clearly again, Zecora took several breaths to calm herself. The burn will heal with some care, though the scar may give Ponyville a scare. An image of the magic dome vanishing popped into her mind. Surely…

Zecora gathered her will and walked to the door. Her front hooves pulled on the latch but the frame didn’t budge. “Come on... ” her words cut short by a wince. Talking, moving the muscles on her face at all, stung. She needed to see a doctor. There was no way she would be able to completely treat herself. Focusing again, the zebra pulled on the latch harder.

The sound of seared together wood ripping apart rewarded her for her efforts. Intense heat washed over her. It was enough to force her good eye shut as well as making the leaves over her burns sizzle loudly. Zecora fought against the urge to shut the door. I need to know… She opened her eye.

As a child, Zecora would sit in rapt attention as her grandmother told her tales of Tartarus. Guarded by giant beasts were seas of flame housing demons far worse than their jailors. Trapped for eternity, the souls of the damned were their only amusement in that hell, burning forever in agony.

In that moment, staring out at the burning forest before her, the only thing stopping her mind from seeing Tartarus was the silence. There were no screams, no agony, no amused demons. Nothing but flames consuming everything they could. But Ponyville is alright…

Silence.

There was something mystical about how the hours passed by. Zecora was trapped by the fire all around her, forced to sit and watch as they slowly dwindled with the day. It hurt to breathe. It hurt more to think. To remain still and silent and watchful in case something stirred. In case something called for aid. She couldn’t even cry lest her sobbing drown out the calls of another.

But no cries ever came.

Night quietly settled in without a fuss. The fires around her were nothing but heated embers. They were the only light in the world of encroaching darkness.

Her stomach growled. I have not eaten… In her home was enough food to last her a few days. There was never enough for much longer, always just enough to force her to visit Ponyville and see all her-

Like a falling tree, Zecora toppled over. The tears finally came, each one’s touch stinging the burns on her face. Warmth from the ground heated the other side of her face as she lay in her sorrow.

Her life of solitude afforded her many moments of weakness where she could understand herself without prying eyes. What I wouldn’t give to be seen now…

Everything hurt.

There was so much pain within and without her that she thought she was imagining the yelling. She shot to her hooves. There, in the direction of Ponyville, somepony was yelling. Zecora shot off towards it. Her stiff body screamed at her but she ignored it. They’re fine! Everything is-

The zebra rounded a bend and nearly ran headfirst into a stallion. He wore the garbs of a guard of Canterlot. Zecora didn’t take the time to question it. “Oh, thank Celestia!” she said between gasps.

The guard looked her over a moment. He looked behind him, “We got a zebra over here!”

“Wha-”

Magic enveloped her. On any other day, in any other setting, Zecora would have been able to break the levitation. But pain and confusion had dulled her. In one quick motion she was lifted and slammed down onto an open carriage. It hurt, and that pain combined with the pain of seeing her entire life shatter before her eyes finally did her in.

Sleep claimed her.

“…please…”

“Quiet down in there!” Something loud banged next to Zecora’s head. She opened her eye slowly, the other still covered in the sticky leaves.

Morning light revealed a new hell. The open carriage had been stuffed with ponies and stallions. Unicorns had large magical locks around their horn. Pegasi had ropes wrapped around their bodies to keep their wings down. The press of them forced the zebra against the wooden side. Bumps in the road jostled the bunch, ensuring only those whose bodies couldn’t take it anymore could sleep.

Zecora wiggled enough to look over the side of the carriage. Canterlot guards walked beside it, guarding a line of them in front and behind the one the zebra rode. When a guard noticed her, he levitated up a spear and slapped her across the face with the shaft. “GET BACK DOWN!”

She quickly retreated to nurse her newest injury. What is happening… has Equestria gone mad?

From within the carriage, Zecora could see the trees beside the path they traveled on. They were much less burnt than the ones in Everfree. The ponies around her all looked scared and tired. Most wore fine clothing that was being rubbed to tatters. Canterlot… but far from Canterlot…

A ripple of commotion ran from the guards in front down the line. They started making sure everypony in the carriages were awake by banging on the sides. It felt like the world was closing in on the zebra.

And then the trees came to a sudden end. The banging on the sides stopped. All sounds stopped. Zecora stared at the wood in front of her, her heart banging in her ears.

A shadow turned her world dark a moment before passing on.

Her head shot up. Dozens of massive forms flew overhead. Their wings extended far to the sides. Their scales reflected the sun.

It hurt to say it, but Zecora couldn’t stop herself as she stared in awe. “Dragons… ”

Ponies in the carriages panicked. They tried to escape over the sides. There to stop them were the guards with magic and weapon. Zecora used the moment to stand up and inspect her surroundings for some way out.

They had stopped in a clearing. A mountain rose up on one side of the carriages. The words “Applewood” stood in giant letters on the mountainside, but several letters were ablaze and others had toppled over. A massive city sprawled away from the mountain. Waterfalls poured down from clouds high over the tall buildings. Though the zebra had never been, she recognized the place from stories. Los Pegasus.

The ground began to shake violently as dragon after dragon landed in a circle around the carriages. Some were as large as the town hall in Ponyville, but the ones that came close were only a few heads taller than a stallion. And the one leading them stood a head shorter than those.

His scales were black as the night. His red eyes held single black dots that made anypony who met them shrink away. Even the guard in front who conversed with the dragon couldn’t keep eye contact with the intimidating beast. They were three carriages away but the dragon’s deep, booming voice reached every pony there.

“These are the ponies I was promised?”

Shock hit Zecora like a train. The ponies in the carriage with her started to wail. No…

“…we’ll take it from here. Back to your queen you go.”

All of the guards looked relieved and started to leave. Reality set in on everypony. Some tried to jump over the side of the carriage. Some curled up to escape the truth.

Those that ran were met with roaring dragons.

“Enough! Quiet!” boomed the dragon. The carriages shook from his voice. Everypony stilled.

He walked slowly down the line of carriages, examining the ponies still within. The other dragons shoved the now scared stiff ponies who had run back towards the carriages, but the black dragon paid them no attention. His eyes glanced over the ponies curled into balls and lingered on the ones still with defiance in their eyes.

When he got to Zecora’s carriage he stopped. Red eyes locked with hers. The zebra felt her legs growing weak. “A zebra?” he asked no one in particular. “How unusual… I’ll be taking this one.”

Before Zecora could register his words, a single massive claw grabbed her around her body from behind and lifted her up. The ponies in the carriage stared with eyes filled with fear. Zecora could hear some calling out for Celestia to save them.

Why…

Two months after meteor…

The squealing of the prison door opening woke Zecora. There was no bed under her and no hut around her. She blinked until she remembered being tossed into the cell. Even after what felt like weeks it was still difficult for her to accept the truth of it all.

Light from the magically burning torches bathed the drab prison in blue. The one thing Zecora realized from her stay was that dragons loved blue fire. Why any of this was happening was still beyond her.

A black scaled dragon approached the barred door of her cell. In spite of her situation, in spite of her entire life being ripped away from her, Zecora got to her hooves and stared the dragon in the face. “Atramentous,” she spat the dragon’s name at him.

There was mirth in the dragon’s red eyes. “What a thing you are, Zecora.” He spoke in a voice that seemed too quiet for a dragon. “All I want is for us to get along, and yet you force me to imprison you.”

“You want from me that which I shall not give,” the zebra said through gritted teeth, unconsciously bringing her legs closer together. “I would rather die than choose that way to live.”

Atramentous sighed in defeat. “Ponies or zebras, you lesser creatures are all the same. I will take the choice away from you if I must.” He moved away from the door and took out a device Zecora recognized: an alchemist’s inhaler. It looked miniscule in the dragon’s claws. With ease he packed the inhaler with something foul smelling.

“What are you doing? What is that?” Zecora moved closer to the bars.

“This?” He motioned with the inhaler. “I’m not a very patient dragon, you see.” A puff of fire from his lips heated the contents of the device he held. The smell began to fill the room. The dragon brought his mouth to one end and sucked in the smoke.

Understanding dawned on Zecora. She rushed to the back of her cell.

In a long exhale, Atramentous filled her cell with the drug’s smoke. The overpowering aroma brought the zebra to her knees. They scraped the floor as she coughed uncontrollably. So thick was the smoke that she couldn’t see outside her cell.

“See you in the morning, Zecora,” Atramentous said, the fading sound of his footfalls the only way Zecora could know he was leaving. The way he said her name made her skin crawl.

The scrapes on her knees suddenly didn’t hurt at all. Her thinking felt strangely sluggish. “What… what did you do to me?!” Zecora screamed.

Atramentous’ laugh echoed through the prison.

Four months after meteor…

The small green dragon gestured grandly. “And this, my lord, is your new throne room.” Beyond him was a large hall carved out of the mountain. A throne made from the skulls of ponies stood in front of a wall decorated with fine tapestries depicting dragons subjugating other smaller species. To either side of the throne were deep grooves cut into the stone. Moss covered the three remaining walls in patches, away from the blue burning torches.

Atramentous stood in the entryway to the throne room and surveyed it. Standing beside him, leash running from a collar to the dragon’s belt, was Zecora. She swayed slightly. Half her face was covered by messy hair. Her good eye seemed to look at nothing.

The black dragon reached down and cupped the zebra’s head. “What do you think, Zecora?”

She smiled at being acknowledged. Acknowledgment usually meant more pellucid. “It’s wonderful.”

Atramentous laughed. He released her and motioned behind him. Dragons carrying large sacks rushed into the hall. They ran to the grooves in the floor and began pouring out treasure. Gems and gold overflowed from them in moments. The sight of it made Atramentous lick his lips. “Everyone out!” he ordered.

Every dragon within the hall filtered out, shutting the stone doors behind them. The black dragon walked into the hall. Zecora stumbled forward as her leash went taut. Atramentous ran his claw through the pile of treasure. “Have you ever seen so much treasure, Zecora?” The zebra shook her head. “Not even Celestia had such riches… ”

Celestia’s name made Zecora stiffen.

Atramentous turned his gaze to her. “What do we say about Celestia?”

Zecora shook. “Celestia is dead.”

In a quick motion the dragon scooped the zebra up and laid her on her back on top of the treasure. It would have been uncomfortable for her had she not been so high on pellucid.

“Say it again,” Atramentous said, his breath hot on her face.

Zecora knew what was coming and a small part of her mind cried out. But the voice was so far away, and it was so hard to hear, and it was so much easier to just…

“Celestia is dead… AH!” The dragon fell upon her. The voice was drowned out completely by a tidal wave of sensation. She clung to him as best she could. The process was difficult because of their difference in size, but Zecora tried to move with him.

More pellucid if it’s better…

The next days turned to weeks and then months. Time lost all meaning as Zecora found escape in the pellucid. Some days she would lay in Atramentous’ bed unmoving as the drug overcame all her sense. Some days the dragon’s mood was darker than his scales and she found herself locked in closets or chained in dark holes, crying out for the drug’s embrace.

And some days she was tossed out into the city to fend for herself. Dragons slowly converted pony homes into more accommodating ones. The ponies that had once lived in the city were slaves to the larger creatures. Slaves or meat.

Those days in the city were the worst for the zebra. As a rarity, she was known by the pony slaves as the king’s property and avoided. The dragons, not wishing to upset their lord, also avoided her. She would wander through the city until hunger and exhaustion overwhelmed her. A royal guard watching her would then collect and return her to the mountain castle.

Zecora had no friends. The only ‘love’ she received was from Atramentous, and only when he was in the mood for it. There was no one for her to hold onto, she had nothing...

There was only the pellucid.

Two years, five months after meteor…

The bubble rose gently into the air. It reflected the world upside down and multicolor. Zecora looked into her upside down self. She imagined herself floating away with the bubbles.

“… Zecora?”

The zebra turned to the blue pegasus pony in the bath with her. Her wings had undergone pinioning, removing her ability to fly. A sponge was held between her front hooves. Zecora nodded and the pony began scrubbing her.

Gold adorned nearly everything in the lavish bath around them. Gems studded the high walls and distant ceiling. They would have instilled awe in anypony, but to Zecora they were no more than rocks. She leaned out of the bath to take a breath from her inhaler.

The pony washing her gently pulled her back into the water. Confused, Zecora resisted but forgot what she was doing a moment later. She kneeled in the water, letting it come up to her chin.

“Zecora,” the pony said gently as she washed the zebra’s back, “you don’t need that drug, you know… ”

“What?!” Zecora exclaimed. “Did I do something wrong? Are you taking it from me?”

“No! No… just relax… ” the pony looked over her shoulder at the closed door. When no one entered she let out her breath. She stroked the zebra’s mane. “I’m just… you can live without it… ”

But Zecora wasn’t paying her any attention as she again went for her inhaler. The pegasus was quick to pull her back into the bath again. “Zecora… I need to talk to Atramentous.”

“The king doesn’t talk to ponies,” the zebra parroted the black dragon’s own words. She struggled to get closer to her drugs.

“He needs to talk to me.” Splashing the water, the pegasus positioned herself between Zecora and the inhaler. The zebra started to whine. “Listen to me, curse it! It’s about the Red Queen!”

Zecora froze. She put her hooves on the pony’s cheeks, her mind suddenly snapping to attention. “Do not speak about the queen, the king will give you more than a pinon.”

The pony spoke fast while she had the zebra’s full attention. “Atramentous needs to know about this. Los Pegasus is in danger. You will take me to him.”

“I… Menny’s in danger?” Emotions churned inside Zecora. If Atramentous dies… I can have all the pellucid… The pony was saying something about the Red Queen again. If he doesn’t know…

Zecora wrapped her front legs around the pegasus’ neck and pulled her head under the water. The pony struggled, lashing out at the zebra. “It’ll be mine, it’ll be mine!” Zecora said again and again. Water splashed everywhere.

Soundlessly the door to the bath opened. “What in Tartarus is going on in here?!” yelled a dragon guard. Claws grabbed pony and zebra. Muzzles were snapped onto both of them. “The king isn’t going to like this, Zecora!”

Half the torches in the throne room were put out, giving the room an even more foreboding feeling. Atramentous lounged in his throne of bones looking bored as Zecora and the pegasus were carried in. They dripped soapy water from their manes and fur.

The black dragon motioned for the guards to leave. They deposited the two muzzled creatures in front of the throne before exiting. Yawning, Atramentous asked, “What have you done now?”

Zecora, knowing a misstep here would mean no pellucid for hours, carefully removed her muzzle without breaking eye contact with Atramentous. The pegasus beat her to speaking, however. “My lord, Los Pegasus is in danger from the Red Queen.” The black dragon’s eyes narrowed but the pony continued. “She is planning an invasion aimed at the city’s destruction.”

Atramentous laughed. “The Red Queen gifted me with Los Pegasus and its ponies so that I would not oppose her when she became ruler of Equestria. Why would she risk her own destruction now?”

The pony raised her chin higher. “Basalt.”

All mirth disappeared from the dragon. “What about him?”

“There is a rumor spreading that the Red Queen attempted to execute him-”

A black claw shot out and grabbed the pony around the throat. “She would never defy me in such a way!” He brought the pony to his mouth. “It’s been some time since I’ve had live flesh… ”

The doors to the throne room burst open. A juvenile red dragon trailed by two green dragon guards entered. “My lord! I have news from Baltimare!”

Atramentous casually dropped the pegasus to floor. “Basalt? What are you doing back here?”

Basalt took a knee before the black dragon. “The Red Queen has put a bounty on my head. I was forced to flee.”

“What?!” Atramentous shot to his feet. He scowled. “Zecora, leave us!” The zebra was quick to scurry away. “You,” the black dragon pointed at the pegasus, “you stay.”

Zecora was all but ignored in the days that followed. Dragon councilors rushed in and out of the throne room with ancient documents. These were soon replaced with dragons versed in military matters. The castle was purged of anyone nonessential, including the zebra.

She and the score of pony servants were relocated to a dwelling not far from the castle. The pegasus, who Zecora learned was named Lilac Sky, was given a room bigger than her. It irked the zebra whenever she thought about it, but those thoughts quickly drifted away like all the others.

Two years, nine months after meteor…

Time again slipped away from Zecora. She was brought back to reality by Lilac visiting her. Without anypony to watch over her, the zebra’s hygiene had degraded. The smell from her was enough to make Lilac grimace.

“Zecora, come. It’s time to clean you up.” The pegasus gingerly wrapped her front legs around the zebra’s and pulled. Zecora clung to the inhaler, making no motion to get up from her bed. Sighing, Lilac motioned behind her. Several ponies entered.

“Hey! Let me go!” Zecora cried out as they grabbed her. She screamed when her inhaler fell to the bed. “LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Lilac Sky yelled over her. “I don’t care how far you’ve fallen or how much you’re going to hate us, I’m not leaving anypony behind if I can help it!”

Two years, ten months after meteor…

A feeling of suspense had settled over Los Pegasus, and for the first time in years, Zecora was able to notice it. Over the last month, Lilac Sky and the other ponies living with her had weaned her off pellucid as best they could. Urges still struck Zecora and she would become violent at the drop of a hat, but those episodes were becoming less frequent.

The zebra stood on the rooftop of her home and looked out onto the city. Situated on the mountain, she could see all the way to the ocean. Dark clouds had brought rain that never seemed to end. Few dragons soared through the air anymore. Even fewer ponies navigated the streets. The city seemed to be holding its breath.

“It’s refreshing, isn’t it?” Lilac said. Zecora turned her head to watch the pegasus walk from the doorway to the edge. “They used to flaunt their strength like they owned the world and now they cower in their homes.”

Zecora looked worried. “You shouldn’t talk so, they will come to take you.”

“Look around, Zecora!” The pegasus stood on her hind legs and spread her front legs wide. “They’re too busy worrying about the Red Queen’s army to care about us!” She smiled from ear to ear. “It’s perfect.”

Zecora still felt worried. She did a 360 just to make sure no one was around. The pegasus laughed. “How do you know so much?” the zebra asked. “How do you know the Red Queen and her army is coming?”

Lilac’s smile faltered. She looked around for herself for any curious dragons. “I have a brother in Baltimare: Master Sky. He’s been sending me information about the Red Queen.” Again, she looked around. “That’s all you need to know.” The pegasus turned for the door.

A fit of anger welled up inside Zecora. “What do you get out of this? If the Red Queen and the dragons fight, we’re all going to die!”

Everything got darker as the clouds overhead got thicker. Lilac stared at Zecora, rain dripping down her mane. “Do you want to stay a slave forever? Fucked, beaten, debased because your master feels like it? Will you run to the bomb shelters like a good dog when the magic starts flying?”

“It’s better than dying!” Zecora screamed.

“’I would rather die than choose that way to live.’ You said that!” Lilac pointed with her hoof at the zebra. “I heard you! Did you think you were alone in those cells?” Zecora looked shocked. “You’re the reason I kept searching for a way out!” She marched up to the zebra till they were nose to nose. “I’m going to get you, and everypony else, out of here, and then no one will have to die! We’ll be free!”

Zecora’s breaths came in gasps. “I said that… ” It hurts… where is it? “I… ” Make the pain go away… The zebra dropped to her knees and wailed. “Stop it! I’m not her anymore! I can’t!”

Lilac Sky wrapped Zecora in her front legs and hugged her to her chest. The zebra sobbed, her tears mixing with the rain.

A dragon roared in the distance. Both pony and zebra shivered in the warm rain.

Two years, eleven months after meteor…

Like Lilac Sky said it would, the magic started flying. It was dawn but the clouds were so thick that day it might as well have been midnight. The earth shaking woke Zecora.

Lilac burst into her room. “It’s time!”

In the chaos that followed, Zecora saw more death than she’d ever thought possible. Dragons fell from the sky in droves. Magic lit up the clouds, revealing red zeppelins outfitted for war.

Within a few hours she and a flood of ponies were on the trail out of Los Pegasus and towards Ponyville. Knowing it to be destroyed, they turned for Appleloosa.

Days later, the refugees arrived.

Three years, ten months after meteor…

Zecora woke with a start. An enormous black shadow towered over her. She stifled her scream and sparked on the lantern beside her bed. The shadow disappeared back into her imagination.

She took a few moments to catch her breath. No matter how long…

Appleloosa had grown substantially from the influx of ponies. What had once been a town barely hanging on was turning into a bustling city.

Zecora walked a partially paved road in the rainy afternoon. Not many ponies meandered the streets due to the constant rain. Every happy pony she saw was a small comfort and reminder that her days of darkness were behind her.

Her doctor visit that day stole that comfort away.

He gestured halfheartedly to an x-ray. “We’ve found a tumor in your brain. I’ve seen this in patients who’ve taken pellucid for many years.”

“… can you remove it?” Zecora asked, knowing the answer already.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have anypony here who can perform that kind of procedure.”

“… how long do I have… ?”

“We’re not certain. It could be days, months, even years, if ever. We have a support group that meets every… ”

The doctor’s words slowly faded away.

Dying. I’m dying.

She started to laugh, tears streaming down her face.

I never really escaped at all.

Four years after meteor…

The journey to the only place she had ever felt home had taken her months. Zecora stood in front of her burnt hut with two dwindling saddlebags on her back. The trees around her were barren. Only the rain could be heard.

I’ll join the others, like I should have that day…

She opened the door to her hut and peered inside. It was exactly as she had left it, mess and all. Without a word she pushed her saddlebags inside and closed the door again.

The warm rain felt nice as Zecora walked toward Ponyville. She had never really stopped to enjoy it. Maybe I’ll find some stored food at Pony Joe’s. Then I-

The park between Everfree Forest and Ponyville was filled with the skeletons of ponies propped up, their hair glued to their skulls and their bones strung together.

“That’s… not real… ” the zebra walked over to one. “No… no pony would… ” She reached out and touched it.

It fell to the mud with a splash.

Zecora wanted to scream. She wanted to cry and wail and lash out. But she couldn’t find it in her. Everything in my life has been defiled…

A voice from Everfree Forest made her jump. She rushed behind a tree and watched. A yellow pony with pink hair skipped into view. “Fluttershy… ?”

The pony turned at the voice. Their eyes met. The world came to a screeching halt.

And then Fluttershy kept on skipping into town.

That was Zecora’s breaking point. Her strong façade shattered.

Without a sound she slunk back to her hut to await death.

For Zecora, however, death would not come.

Every day a small package of food sat outside her door. Zecora was worried at first about the food’s origin and Fluttershy’s sanity. At the end of the day, though, the zebra didn’t care what game the pony was playing. She ate the food willingly while staying within her messy hut.

One day, however, Zecora was peeking out her door at the rain when Fluttershy came into view. The pony was clearly walking towards the hut with a determined look on her face. Nervous, Zecora stumbled away from the door, hitting it so it opened slightly. The zebra rushed to her room and crouched down in the darkness just as Fluttershy opened the door.

“Hello?” Fluttershy called softly. “Zecora? It’s me, Fluttershy.”

Zecora kept quiet. Something seemed off about the pony, but Zecora wanted to believe she was wrong. Maybe she’s alright…

“Ah…um…” The pony gulped. “Um… Zecora, if you’re here, is this what the Mayor wanted?” Fluttershy was looking at an empty glass bottle.

What?

“Uh… ” coughing once, Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof, “The bottles there are what she desired, take but one before they are expired. Thanks!” The pony took the bottle and put it in her pack. As she turned to leave she said, “Come again with light, and you will not have a fright.” She froze before saying over her shoulder, “I’ll, um… bring some light next time… ” She ran out of the house.

Zecora sat in the darkness for a few moments before curling into a ball and crying herself to sleep.

The next time Fluttershy arrived Zecora brought her hooves to her ears to block out the sound. She could still hear the pony talking both to her and for her. The zebra rocked back and forth slightly. Finally, she removed her hooves to tell the pony to go away.

“… I’ll be back in a couple of days with some bandages-”

“NO!”

Fluttershy nearly fell from shock. She stared at where Zecora lay.

“Ah…” Zecora said shakily, “I am perfectly healthy, fine and dandy.”

Though she looked like she’d seen a ghost, Fluttershy said, “Alright… well, see you, then.” She walked out of the house without another word.

Zecora sobbed softly.

Zecora ate little in the following month. She wanted to stop altogether, to let death embrace her, but she couldn’t. I am a coward.

“… help… ”

A tiny voice startled her. She lay perfectly still in the dark hut.

“… help… Zecora… ”

“… Fluttershy?” the zebra got to her hooves. Something strange occurred to her: the rain was letting up outside. She walked to her door and peeked out.

“… Ponyville… help… ”

The voice seemed to come from the rain itself. It vibrated all around her but was as soft as a whisper. “I… please, just leave me alone… ” Zecora said softly.

“… I need you… Zecora… help… ”

Those words struck Zecora. To be needed, to be wanted, again, stirred up emotions in her she had thought long dead. Before she realized what she was doing she was running towards Ponyville.

The loud rain suddenly turned to quiet snow. Confused, Zecora slowed to a walk. Ponyville was strangely empty of all the skeletons she had seen before. What’s going on?

A scream turned her head towards the hospital on a hill overlooking Ponyville. The sight she saw nearly made her piss herself in terror: an enormous snow creature holding a screaming Fluttershy. The creature's face looked strangely familiar to her.

The voice she heard from the rain was barely audible. “Zecora! The heaters!”

Shaking, the zebra looked all around until she saw them: large space heaters positioned inside several homes around her.

“The red house!”

Zecora ran to the heater in the house painted red. The snow creature was getting closer. Nearly hyperventilating, the zebra searched for some kind of controls on the outside but found none. She ran inside and found the ‘on’ button. Her hoof smashed into it.

Outside she heard the creature roar in pain as heat shot up at it. Her courage spent, Zecora ran out of the house and all the way back to her hut. She never once looked behind her.

A few days later Zecora woke to find more food than she thought one pony could carry piled high outside her door. Snow was starting to fall. Fluttershy must know something I don’t…

After a few days she was snowed in, trapped in her hut. She spent the time cleaning. A feeling told her that her relationship with Fluttershy would be very different when the snow stopped.

Five years, six months after meteor...

After what seemed like an eternity, Zecora opened her door and took a breath of fresh air. She could hear a voice in the distance and smiled. Fluttershy…

A common game she had used to pass the time was imagining spending time with the yellow pony. She still seemed sweet and caring, and Zecora imagined all kinds of scenarios. The zebra blushed as she thought about some of them.

Running, Zecora caught sight of Fluttershy as she was entering the park but stopped. The pony was holding something lovingly: Pinkie Pie’s corpse. Feelings battled rationality inside Zecora.

Slowly, she turned back for home.

Some weeks passed. The food she had been given for the winter was almost gone and no new food had arrived. Zecora stood in the open doorway to her hut. Her eyes stared at nothing.

I was a fool… she doesn’t want me… she-

“ZECORA!”

The voice she had previously heard from the rain came from the snow instead. It drilled into her mind. The vision of an alley in Ponyville appeared in front of her clear as day.

She ran.

Days later…

“… Dodge City was vital for trade between Ponyville and cities past the Badlands,” the zebra explained. “The meteor destroyed Ponyville and set fire to half of Dodge City. They had no choice but to migrate to Appleloosa.”

“Which is also abandoned,” said the shocked pony.

Zecora walked over and sat beside Shy. She drew a line with her hoof across the map. “When Appleloosa became too crowded, everyone went west to Los Pegasus.” The zebra became morose a moment. “Many ponies died during the journey…”

“You were there? In Appleloosa?” Shy pressed.

Zecora looked into Shy’s eyes. Not the truth.

Slowly, Zecora nodded. “After I had seen what happened to Ponyville I fled south to Dodge City, and then to Appleloosa, and then on to Los Pegasus.” The zebra remembered everything that actually happened: being captured and enslaved. The memories rushed in.

“What happened in Los Pegasus?” asked Shy impatiently. “Zecora!”

The zebra jumped in fright and fell backwards away from Shy. She started gasping, holding her chest as if her heart was trying to burst from it. Gradually she realized where she was and relaxed. “I… I don’t want to talk about Los Pegasus… ”

Five years, ten months after meteor...

“I love you!” Zecora blurted out. Shy froze. The zebra began to sob. “I love you. Please don’t leave me alone.”

Shy stayed perfectly still for a full minute. When she spoke, she did not turn to the zebra. “I hate you,” was all she said before walking out of the hut.

Zecora wailed, tears streaming down her face. Again… it’s all happening again… why does this keep happening to me…

“… Zecora… ” Zecora gasped. The voice from the rain called out again. “Zecora… ”

“Yes! I’m here, Fluttershy!” The zebra ran out into the rain but the pony wasn’t in sight.

Still, the voice was clear. “Shy needs you still… watch over her… please… ”

Zecora nodded over and over. “I will… ” She sniffled. “I’ll protect you…

“… I love you, Fluttershy… ”