The day was just like any other for Kalfu, he was simply exploring the forest, expanding his knowledge of his new world. He was taking a leisurely walk through the more heavily wooded area rather than the swampy part of the forest when something caught his eyes. A wooden mask on a nearby tree. He stopped in mid stride before turning on his heel and placed his hands behind his back as he made his way over to the mask, looking over the details and admiring its craftsmanship. As he looked upon it, he noticed strangely familiar markings upon it. He didn’t remember placing masks up and around the forest…

Now looking around more keenly, he sees a path now sat up by these similar masks on different trees. This reminded him of the more traditional accessories of the Haitian people that he came from. Perhaps…there was a fellow voodoo and hoodoo practitioner in this world? Now having to find out for himself, Kalfu followed the trail of masks. Who he would find at the end of this trail however, would certainly reoccur in his life from here on out.

Once he made his way to where the masks had ended, he came upon a small hut in the middle of an opening that had white smoke coming from the top of it. He took a whiff of the oddly familiar smell coming from the building and smiled lightly “That is definitely some witch doctor cooking up in there…” he said before coming out from behind the tree he was peeking from behind before making his way closer to the hut.

Once he was at the door, he gave it a polite few knocks as waited. It took a minute or two, but the door opened to reveal a zebra dressed in golden bands and rather revealing leather clothing. The first thing that Kalfu took notice of was her curved yet muscular form. She had abs for days and her leg and arm muscles were very defined. Most likely from ehr constant pole balancing exercises. And then there were her beautiful blue eyes. This really stood out to Kalfu as they gazed down at him in slight confusion.”Bon aprèmidi. Kisa mwen kapab fè pou ou? “ (Good afternoon. Can I help you?). Kalfu raised his brow in surprise as he could understand the language she spoke. It was clearly haitian creole.

“Ah, mwen regrèt anmède ou, mask ou kenbe atansyon mwen epi pote m 'isit la.” (Ah, I'm sorry to bother you, your mask caught my attention and brought me here.) he said as he responded back to her in the language as if it was second nature. The zebra;s brows raised in return before a smile of excitement formed across her muzzle “Aaah, you speak my home’s language, young one! Do you come from across the sea from our homeland..?”she asked with a hopeful haze. Kalfu shook his head lightly in response to this “I am afraid not, madam. I am not really from anywhere in this world. But I am surprised that we speak a similar language. And apparently, you and I share a similar culture.” he said as he leaned in and looked into the bubbling cauldron before coming back to her.

“That would happen to be..let me see if I remember..brew of good health, would it?” He asked. She looked between him and the cauldron before nodding with an impressed smile “Ah, what a keen sense of smell. You have learned well~.” she said as she did her signature rhyme before lightly placing a hand over her muzzle “Pardon me. I tend to rhyme when I am happy.”. Kalfu felt a light flutter in his stomach after she had said that to him. That, along with the way she covered her muzzle made him feel rather warm and tingle-y inside. Did he find this…find her…cute?

“It..was just a lucky guess is all, madam. It is a similar scent from the same kind of concoction that is made from where I am from. We have what we call witch doctors who make these types of things.” he said as he lowered his head slightly while pulling the brim of his hat down, feeling his cheeks warm slightly before he looked back up at her. It was clear that this mare made Kalfu’s soul stir quite a bit. And in a good way.

“Please, come inside and make yourself at home~.” she said as she opened up her door to allow him in. As soon as Kalfu made his way into the hut, a sudden hit of a rather familiar and calming scent hit his nose. It reminded him of..home. Not the home he had now, but the comforting feeling and scent of family and warmth that gives you that fuzzy feeling when you enter into a beloved grandparent’s house.

The zebra closed the door behind him before turning around to see that Kalfu was a little out of it at the moment as he looked around her home. Concerned, she walked up behind him before placing a gentle touch upon his shoulder “Is something on your mind, young one? You seem like you have traveled back into a time given your gaze…” she said as she leaned around him to look his face over.

He blinks a few times as he hears her voice muffled for a moment before it starts to clear up. He blinks a few times before he feels a single tear stream down his face before quickly whipping it away with his empty hand, the other squeezing the diamond piece of his walking cane “Oh..sorry…” he said with a sniffle “The smell of this place. It reminded me of happier times.” He wipes at his cheek again with a sleeve before stepping away from the mare, taking a spot at the stone table before leaning his cane next to him before clearing his throat.

“THank you for inviting me in, madam. You have quite the lovely home.” he said as he regained his composure. She gave a slight nod before making her way to the kitchen, the sound of shuffling glasses could be heard from the main room as she began to prepare some drinks for her and her guest “What are you called then? My name is Zecora.” she said as she made her way back into the main room with a couple glasses of herbal tea, placing Kalfu’s cup in front of him carefully “Be very careful it is still hot.”.

“My name is Kalfu. Though, I have been given the title Voodoo King. But, you may call me Kalfu.” he answered as he took a small sip of the tea which strongly hinted at something that reminded him of blood orange monk tea. He takes another sip before watching Zecora sit across from him with a glint of curiosity in her eyes “So, if you are not from here, and you aren’t from my homeland. Where do you come from, Kalfu? You look like no pony I have seen before.”.

Kalfu lifted his hat to reveal that he had no ears atop his head “YOu would be right. I am not a pony at all, in fact. Like I told someone else before you, I am more of a living ghost. It's rather hard to put into words really. And I come from a land very far, far away. One that no one in this world knows about.” he said as he tried to be as cryptic as possible with his explanation without sounding like he was saying he was from another world entirely. She didn’t want him to think he was mad out of his mind as he wasn’t sure that traveling to other worlds was possible in this realm of existence.

Sensing that he wasn’t wanting ehr to push any further in where he was from, she took another sip of her tea before resting her chin on one of her hands “And your name…Kalfu. I can’t understand why. But, that name just sounds so filled with mystique and shadow. It suits you quite nicely given your appearance.” she said as she took a good long look at him now. Feeling those big blue eyes upon him made him shift his own gaze a little bit.

“Well, let's just say it is one of the names of someone important from where I am from. And they manage the crossroads and magic at night time along with someone named Legba who does those things during the day. Though, Kalfu isn’t as kind as Legba. So, it is best to stay away from him. He tends to be a bit grumpy…”. The last part made Zecora giggle rather adorably which made Kalfu’s heart flutter slightly. If he stayed much longer, this mare was going to cause him some trouble. Well, not literal trouble anyway.

However, the two continued their conversation. They shared info on each other's cultures and ways of life. Of course, Kalfu was careful to word his former life to her so that it made it sound like he was just from a super remote land that no one had ever found on the world of Equis. And that he in fact wasn’t a future god who was building up his powers little by little. At this point, he was more like a deity.

What felt like only an hour of conversation that had gone by was really four. Kalfu looked outside of the window before he noticed the position of the sun through the leaves before he turned his attention back to Zecora who also looked outside to see the time as well “My my, but look at the time. It seems that we have really enjoyed this conversation to lose track of so much.” she said as she reached forward and placed a hand upon his :"I enjoyed getting to know what you have shared with me, kalfu.” she said as she gave his hand a comforting squeeze “Don’t be a strange, yes?” she added before releasing her grip on him.

Kalfu was quiet for a moment before standing up. He placed his hat on his head and grabbed his cane before tipping his hat to her before turning to face her as he headed to the door “IGThe feeling is mutual, my dear. If you wish to come visit me next time, look for the new branching path and the sign at the main entrance to the forest. I wil welcome you with the best hospitality I can offer.” he said before he suddenly disappeared in a puff of green fire. This leaving Zecora in a bit of a shocked state before she rubbed her eyes in disbelief as he just…vanished.

Kalfu walked his way back to his home now. His mind swimming with thoughts of Zecora and the short but enjoyable time that he had spent with her that afternoon. He placed a hand atop of his chest as he could feel the fluttering of his heart and the stir of his soul in sync with one another. The last time he felt this way was when he was just a regular human who had just met the girl of his dreams when he was in high school. “This is not good…” he said to himself before continuing on his way home.

As he walked along the deck, he noticed someone was actually standing at his front door. She was a lavender colored unicorn with a two toned purple mane and tail and amethyst eyes that tried to peek in through the window as she tried to see if anyone was home. Kalfu tilted his head slightly before lifting up off the ground and levitating himself towards to peeking young mare before landing back down and clearing his throat.

The unicorn in question nearly jumps out of her fur as she swings around and lays eyes upon Kalfu who stared at her with an arched brow “Can I help you madam? Given that you are here. You have either come for a visit, or you are here for business.”. The unicorn shifted on her hooves before clearing her throat to speak “W-Well, I am actually here because I am curious of the owner of this home. Would that happen to be you, by any chance?” she asked as she adjusted her glasses slightly.

Kalfu nodded before answering “That would be me. I am Kalfu, the Voodoo King. And now that I get a good look at you, I see that you are the one known as Twilight Sparkle. You are the student of the princess who’s cake she traded for my services.”. WIth those words, Twilight let out a huge gasp before pointing a finger at him accusingly “So YOU are the one who tricked the princess out of her favorite cake slice! Have you no shame or proprietary?!”.

Kalfu stood there for a moment with his brows raised in shock. Was the girl really accusing him of swindling Celestia out of her prized cake slice when the deal was accepted on both sides..begrudgingly yes. But, accepted nonetheless. ”Oh boy, this one is gonna be an absolute gem to be around….” he thought to himself as a long breeze blew between the both of them as she still stood there pointing at him.

There we go, get the ball rolling on these two.

May the darkness grant you peace.