AUTHOR'S NOTES: You know, as much as I really love the character of Zecora she is NOT the easiest one to write, especially with the constant rhyming thing. But hopefully I did my best.
Also, short chapters will be the norm for know since my creativity is coming in waves so I'll write when I have an idea and post then instead of waiting until I have a longer chapter. Hope y'all don't mind.
Chapter 3
As Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle headed down the street after their visit to the library, Twilight voiced a question she'd been pondering for a while. "Have either of you talked to Zecora about what's been happening?" Seeing her two friends puzzled looks, a sneaking suspicion crept up. Remembering way back to when the group of friends first encountered the enchantress, Twilight recalled everyone's fear and prejudice of the zebra. Obviously the same held true for Zecora's human form. "Let me guess," Twilight said, eying Pinkie and Rainbow. "No, you haven't because you're afraid of her."
"Who said anything about being afraid?" Pinkie Pie replied, defensively, her signing becoming sharper as she spoke. "She's just a weird, kooky person!"
Rainbow Dash agreed as she eyed Twilight. "Pinkie's right. I mean do you have any idea of the creepy stuff she's got in that shop of hers? Besides, how could she possibly know what's been going on?"
But Twilight said nothing as she led her friends down the street, remembering the signs she'd seen for the herbalist shop. After a couple blocks, she smiled as she saw a sign for Everfree Herbals. Going up to the shop and knocking on the door, Twilight waited until Zecora opened the door, smiling brightly at the three teenagers.
"Well, isn't this a delight? Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Princess Twilight," Zecora said in her usual rhyming style. "Please come in and have some tea," she went on, standing aside to let the others inside. "And then you can say why you have visited me."
'How did she know you were a princess?' Pinkie signed to the others, looking confused. I mean, sure there was the whole thing with the Fall Formal but that had been more than a year ago. And Zecora hadn't even been present.
'How does Zecora know anything?' Twilight replied, whispering as softly as possible as she signed. She was rather starting to like using sign language, honestly. 'I always thought she was an alicorn in disguise back home.'
Zecora laughed as she poured tea for her guests who took seats around a table near the back of the shop. "Alicorn magic I do not possess. Otherwise my shop would not be such a mess." Seeing the teenagers' astonished looks, she sat down as well. "I understand you are in a fix. What enemy, may I ask, threatens the six?"
Between the three of them, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Twilight explained the situation while sipping the tea offered by the herbalist. When the tale had concluded, Twilight looked expectant as she asked, "So what do you think, Zecora? What should we do now?"
The ever-knowledgeable enchantress leaned back in her own chair, lacing her hands together and looking thoughtful. "Princess Twilight, the wrong question you ask. Finding out what motivates Discord should be your task. I will give you a clue to help you along. He has help from the siren's song."
"You mean the mythical creatures from Greek mythology that lured sailors to their deaths?" Rainbow asked, slightly puzzled. When she caught Pinkie and Twilight's stares, she shrugged as she reached a hand down to rub her leg just above the prosthetic which was starting to ache sharply. "I like Greek mythology, alright? Doesn't mean I'm an egghead."
Zecora could see the hidden pain on Rainbow Dash's face and held out her hands. "Give me your hand, my dear, and I will tell you what you wish to hear." Taking the rainbow-haired teen's hand, she studied the lines carefully. "There is much you try to hide. The pain and anger you hold inside. But this is easy to mend by relying on trusted friends."
At first Rainbow Dash didn't understand what anger she was supposed to have, but the more she thought about Discord and what he had somehow done to her friends, she did feel it bubbling up inside her, like a pot of water on a hard boil. She wanted to find Discord and beat him down and get him to confess his hand in everything. But the funny part was that the more Rainbow thought of Zecora's words, the more she wondered if Discord was truly the mastermind.
Turning to Pinkie Pie, Zecora gave a single nod to Rainbow Dash as an indicator that she wished the teenager to act as interpreter for her deaf friend. "Your deafness prohibits you from hearing a thing. But in truth it's the silence that is most deafening."
"What does that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, completely confused.
Twilight, however understood almost immediately. "Think about it, Rainbow Dash—Pinkie's energy, thoughts, and randomness…. That's all she can hear in her head right now."
Rainbow looked at her friend as she thought about that. To be honest, she hadn't really thought about what it was like for Pinkie Pie. "I'm sorry, Pinkie," she said, sincerely. "I guess I never really thought about what it's like just being stuck with your own thoughts all the time."
"Don't worry about it," Pinkie Pie insisted, signing as she spoke. "I think I'm starting to get used to it, but sometimes it's just really hard and sometimes I can't even sleep at night because it's just so noisy in my head which means I'm drinking more caffeine during the day and—" Seeing the others laughing, Pinkie felt something stirring inside her and she realized that this was what she missed the most being deaf—the sounds of laughter. The guffaws, the chuckles, the snickers and snorts… it seemed to be something she lived for and without the sounds of laughter, she felt like there was something absent from her life.
Finally it was Twilight's turn and she was more than eager to hear what Zecora had to say. Back in Equestria, the enchantress was a friend, confidant, advisor, and mentor and Twilight couldn't even count the ways she'd helped her and her friends. Holding out her hand to Zecora, however, she was surprised when the herbalist didn't take it.
"Princess Twilight, understand," Zecora explained, kindly. "With you, I do not need your hand. I know quite well your quandary—you seem to lack the Elements of Harmony."
So many times Twilight Sparkle had been curious how Zecora could possible know everything she did. "Back in Equestria," she explained. "—my friends and I used the Elements of Harmony to turn Discord to stone. But we had to give up the Elements in order to save the Tree of Harmony."
Zecora smiled knowingly and she took Twilight's hand in hers as she spoke. "The pendants you no longer have, but the Elements of Harmony still guide your path."
"Just because our necklaces are gone doesn't mean that the Elements themselves are gone," Twilight translated, nodding in understanding. Still, there had to be a way to use the power of the Elements here in this world. True, Twilight and her friends were able to defeat Sunset Shimmer last time but that was because they were able to come back together after being driven apart. This time they were already together but still lacked… something. Maybe in this world they really did need the Elements themselves.
But Zecora seemed to sense this and as she picked up the empty tea cups to refill them. "In finding your Elements, there may be a glimmer. You should talk to your friends Rarity and Sunset Shimmer." Studying the three friends for a while longer, she sensed there was something more that Twilight Sparkle wanted to talk about. "There is something you are holding back," she noted. "Something about your friend, Applejack?"
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash spoke up, sounding annoyed. "Discord is trying to steal Sweet Apple Acres! He's told Applejack's family he wants to buy the orchard!"
Nodding in understanding, Zecora replied, "You are worried he means the Apple Family harm and he is covering this by buying the farm." Leaning back in her chair she thought about everything she knew and what she had learned. Twilight was right in that Zecora had… connections with the land of Equestria but the details could wait for another time. For now, though, the enchantress had a few more questions. "Tell me, Twilight, in your home—is Discord free or turned to stone?"
"He's free," Twilight replied. "And before I came here he did prove that he truly wanted to be good. He helped me and my friends defeat someone who wanted to destroy all of Equestria." But the more she thought about the Discord in Equestria, the more she understood something she'd been puzzling over. "But back home he was different. He learned the power and magic of friendship and how much he really cared about all of us. Here, it's almost as if he's trying to split everyone up by preying on their weaknesses."
The three looked hopefully at Zecora who remained silent for a while before speaking. "I know you were hoping I'd have a quick fix to stop Discord and his tricks. To fight him back you must be strong and used the magic you've had all along."
Something Zecora mentioned before was pinging around in Pinkie Pie's head and she asked, "What were you saying before about Sunset Shimmer and Rarity? What do they have to do with these Elements of Harmony?"
Zecora had been wondering when one of them would ask the question. She remembered being out in the nearby woods looking for supplies for her shop and finding a set of small gems, almost as if they had been left there by someone… someone who had tried to keep them hidden. Taking the gems into town, she'd found Rarity who had been delighted and had instantly talked about how perfect they would be for her friends. "To be short, in answer to your question, Miss Rarity unknowingly has the Elements in her possession." Seeing the teenagers about to hurry out of the shop, she stopped them with a warning. "But the Elements will not be enough on their own. Only when their true essence is shown."
While Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie looked confused by Zecora's statement, Twilight understood exactly what she meant. Like when the six friends first discovered the Elements of Harmony in the Everfree Forest back in Equestria, they would first have to prove that they possessed the Element they represented.
But as Twilight, Rainbow, and Pinkie left Zecora's shop, one more question nagged: What Element of Harmony did Sunset Shipper represent?
