A Perfect Storm

"A much better day," Sunset mused happily to herself as she filed out of the school, the final bell having rang a few minutes ago. The many students around her were all in a mad rush, and couldn't get home fast enough to play video games, hang out with their friends and generally avoid doing the homework assignments they had been given until the very last minute. The girl with flowing hair that was a mix of red and yellow, however, was having none of it, just taking her time as she made her way down the front steps of the school building, soon taking a left and proceeding down the sidewalk.

Sunset glanced up at the sky as she went, noticing the grey clouds that were now blocking out the sun that had shone brightly all day up to this point. She stopped, slid her backpack off her shoulders, pulled out her dark grey hoodie and slid it on, pulling the hood up.

"Come on, today was great. Let's not put a damper on it," she pleaded to no one in particular. She then smirked. "Heh. Damper," she repeated with a soft chuckle as she slung her bag back over her shoulder and kept walking.

Thunder rumbled overhead, prompting Sunset to pick up the pace. She felt the first drop of rain on her shoulder and broke into a run, but it was in vain, for in a matter of seconds, an absolute downpour was upon her. Her boots splashing against the now soaked pavement, Sunset raced around a corner into a street lined with shops on either side of the road, running past an alleyway without glancing into it…

…Only to stop when she heard angry shouting. Even over the roar of the pounding raindrops, there was no mistaking it.

Almost soaked through, Sunset nonetheless crept back towards the alley, glad that the rain masked the sound of her approach. Peering into the gloomy alley, she could see a burly-looking guy in a burgundy hoodie holding someone up by the collar. Sunset's blue eyes widened. Was she witnessing a mugging?!

"Enough of your weird words, wacko! You gonna hand over your wallet or what?" the burly guy demanded.

Sunset didn't hear the reply the mugger's victim, a skinny someone whose face was hidden by a grey hood that looked old and tattered, gave to their attacker, but it obviously wasn't what the mugger wanted to hear, for he cast the victim into a puddle at the end of the alley. That was the moment Sunset decided to act.

"HEY!" she yelled, getting the mugger's attention. He turned. She couldn't see his face in the gloom, but her empathy powers allowed her to feel his anger even from a distance, it was so strong.

The mugger reached into his pocket and pulled out a swiss-army knife, starting to advance on her. Sunset swallowed and braced herself, developing a fighting stance. She hoped her Black Belt level of training wouldn't fail her now. Of course, she'd rather not attempt to fight a guy twice her size either way, but…

"So much anger…" Sunset muttered quietly, not taking her eyes off the mugger as he drew closer. She could see the sinister grin on his shadowy face now, the man no doubt seeing her as another target. "Wait, that's it!" she realised, her eyes widening. She knew what she had to do.

"You lost, kid?" the young man asked jeeringly. "Too bad. If I can't have the weirdo's wallet, maybe I'll take yours instead!" He raised the knife, but before he could swing his arm down to inflict damage, Sunset swiftly reached out and grabbed his wrist. The man gasped as both his and Sunset's eyes turned a glowing white, images flashing vividly in both their minds…

An old woman lay in a hospital bed before Sunset, smiling sadly up at her. Sunset reached out and gently took her hand, but the arm with which she did so was not her own.

It was the mugger's.

"I promise, Grandma, I'll get the money we need to make you well again, no matter what it takes," Sunset heard herself say in the mugger's voice.

The memory faded and Sunset was back in the alleyway, the mugger staggering away from her, looking aghast. The knife fell from his hand as he stared at her, his eyes wide.

"Wh-What did you do?" he stammered, confused and frightened.

Sunset only glared up at him, quickly piecing together what she had seen. "How d'you think she'd feel, huh?" she demanded, prodding the young man in the chest with a finger. "Knowing that her grandson is bullying innocent passerby for money, pulling a knife on them… How would she feel about that? About you?"

A sense of horror that had nothing to do with Sunset washed over the man, immediately followed by a sense of guilt, and Sunset could feel it loud and clear. "I… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" the man managed tearfully. He hastily brushed past her and ran away down the street, and Sunset thought she heard a small sob as he passed. She paid him no mind, however, instead hurrying to the far end of the alley, where the mugger's victim was now sitting up, shaking slightly. Whether that was from their unpleasant experience or because they were soaked through was up for debate. Regardless, Sunset helped them to their feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked earnestly.

The figure bit their lip, which was all Sunset could see of their face, which was still hidden by the shadow of the hood. "As okay as I can be in this storm. Come. I know of someplace warm," they said in a husky female voice.

Sunset was surprised by how calm the figure seemed after all that, but she followed the girl nonetheless, knowing that she ought to see her home safely.

The girl with the tattered hood led Sunset to a shop at the end of the rain-drenched street. Sunset was surprised. The last time she'd seen this place, it had been a vacant shop available for lease. The rainwater on the windows was too thick for her to tell what kind of business it was at a glance. The girl with the tattered hood produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, inviting Sunset inside with her free hand. Sunset noticed some sort of mark on the back of the girl's hand - a tattoo, perhaps. The hand, along with the rest of the girl, was out of sight before Sunset could make out exactly what the mark looked like. Deciding not to dwell on it, the red-and-yellow-haired girl stepped inside, the door swinging shut behind her.

An exotic aroma permeated throughout the shop, which made not only Sunset's nostrils tingle, but also the hairs on the back of her neck. There was an air of mystery and unfamiliarity about this shop, not least because of the merchandise on display. Tribal tiki masks lined the wall on one side of the room. Strange little fabric poultices hung from the ceiling on pieces of string. The shelves were lined with wax candles bearing exotic colours and patterns, clay pots with curious markings on them, and creepy little dolls made of straw. Sunset picked up one of the dolls, staring at it with a mix of intrigue and apprehension. She suspected that it was a voodoo doll of some variety, and it gave her the willies.

"Um, Miss?" she called warily as she placed the doll back on display, glancing around in search of the girl with the tattered hood. Right on cue, the girl emerged from a doorway leading to a back room, said opening lined with a curtain of beads. She was carrying a labelled box of tea leaves, her hood still up.

"Sorry for making you wait in silence, and thank you for helping me evade that violence," the girl said as she set the box down on the shop's main service desk, reaching up and pulling back her drenched hood. Sunset's eyes widened. The girl's skin was quite pale, with her hair styled into a rather elaborate striped mohawk of black and white. A large gold earring of an obtuse shape adorned her right ear, with multiple large gold rings worn around her neck. What really grabbed Sunset's attention, however, were the black stripes painted all along the girl's face, giving her an even more wild and tribal look than the nearby tiki masks, if that was even possible. Even with her calm blue eyes, the girl looked decidedly bizarre.

"What in the…?" Sunset murmured quietly, still trying to take in what she was seeing. The striped girl, on her part, chuckled knowingly at the red-and-yellow-haired girl's bewildered expression.

"Do not be frightened by my stripes. Rest assured, I do not bite," the striped girl said warmly. "Such markings are tied to superstition… and are something of a family tradition."

It was only now that Sunset realised that the girl was speaking in rhyme. Only in rhyme. It was… odd, to say the least. She was odd, this girl. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Sunset managed at last. "I mean, I… I don't believe I caught your name," she said rather awkwardly.

The striped girl smiled as she opened the box of tea leaves, the unmistakable sound of a cell phone beeping as she went. "Zecora is the name by which I am known. Please excuse me while I check my phone." She reached under the service counter and pulled out a cell phone in a black and white striped case. Monochrome stripes seemed to be a running theme with this girl.

While Zecora browsed the text message on her phone, Sunset suddenly sneezed. She realised that she was still drenched from the rain. It hadn't even occurred to her since stepping into Zecora's shop, but she was absolutely freezing! She wrapped her arms around herself in a feeble attempt to warm up. Zecora looked up at her and immediately slapped a palm to her pale forehead. Sunset could now clearly see the mark on the back of her hand. It was a counter-clockwise spiral. A hypnotic spiral, perhaps? Was it another superstitious thing for Zecora? It kind of reminded Sunset of a Cutie Mark, now that she thought about it...

"Goodness gracious, what am I thinking, worrying only about what we could be drinking?!" the striped girl exclaimed, sounding exasperated at herself. "Before we can warm our insides with tea, acquire some less drowned garments, should we!" On that note, she rushed into the back room and out of sight once more. Sunset took off her drenched hoodie, finding that her purple undershirt was no less soaked. Even her bra felt waterlogged. Zecora soon returned, now wearing a lime green hoodie and brown jeans. Unlike her tattered grey outfit from before, her new clothes looked freshly laundered and in prime condition. She held out an identical set of folded clothes to Sunset. "A gift from my family, and one I had almost forgotten," she elaborated. "I'm not keen on them myself, but they are made of warming cotton. By a lucky mistake, they sent me two sets. I hope they will suit you, Miss…"

"Sunset," Sunset finished for her, trying not to smirk at how she had managed to un-ironically finish Zecora's rhyme for her. Zecora walked over and made sure the shop's front door was locked, lest anyone should come barging in while Sunset was changing. Zecora busied herself with her back to Sunset, granting the latter her modesty as she changed. Sunset decided she could make do without a bra for now, just glad to be wearing an outfit that wasn't dripping onto the floor. She was about to gather up her soaked clothes and stuff them into her backpack (albeit reluctantly, given that doing so would likely lead to water getting into, among other things, the magic book that allowed her to communicate with Princess Twilight) when Zecora spoke up.

"Allow me to launder the garments at your feet. I'll be sure to return them when next we meet," she said as she turned to face Sunset, a pair of socks in hand, the garments patterned with the same symbol as that on the back of the striped girl's hands. "For now, feel free to warm your feet with these. No need to be shy. I aim to please."

"Thanks," Sunset said gratefully as she accepted the socks, taking a seat nearby and pulling them on. "I really appreciate this, Zecora."

"In truth, it is I who is grateful for you. In the face of that bully, you were admirably shrew."

"Shrew?"

"Assertive. Unshaken. Aggressively brave. It is not very often one endures a close shave, not for the benefit of someone like me…" Zecora trailed off for a moment, seeming to be looking crestfallen (which, given her hairstyle, was visually ironic). She then shook her head. "Enough about that. Let me get you some tea."

"'Not for your benefit'? What d'you mean?" Sunset enquired curiously as she got to her feet. "Why wouldn't someone like me help you at a time of need?"

Zecora gave a gloomy sigh as she mixed water and tea leaves in an old-fashioned teapot, again emblazoned with her spiral symbol. "Well, Sunset, my visage and background, you see, are often the subject of… controversy," she stated. "Many people are wary, in this great land, when they encounter someone who they don't understand."

Sunset didn't need her empathy powers to know what Zecora was getting at, why she suddenly seemed so gloomy. "You're taking about xenophobia," she summarised.

"Indeed, and not all merely shrink back in fear. Some would see it fit to chase me out of here, away from this town and off of the streets… or into a hole of a depth of six feet."

"That's horrible!" Sunset exclaimed. "Judging someone based on their heritage… Even I wouldn't do that, and I used to be a pretty nasty bully around here, I'll freely admit!"

Zecora smiled, moving the teapot onto a small stove in the corner. "Your words are heartfelt, Sunset, but you needn't prattle. I am no stranger to fighting this battle. It is true what they say, those in the knowing - when the going gets tough…"

"The tough get going," Sunset finished for her, familiar with the phrase. "Still, you shouldn't have to be afraid to walk these streets just because you've got a little culture in your blood! I haven't even seen you at school. Wait, how long have you been living here, exactly?"

"For just over a fortnight, my residence has lasted. Thanks to you, I've thus far avoided disaster. Today was the first attack on my person in this neighbourhood, but I fear things will worsen."

Sunset shook her head. "No. You shouldn't resign yourself to that kind of treatment, Zecora. I mean, yeah, I myself was a little taken aback by your, um… What was that word you used? Visage? I could've easily bolted from this shop, but I stayed. I stayed because I had to make sure you were alright. I felt that I had a responsibility to help out a fellow human being, to help… a friend," she concluded as she stepped up to the counter, holding out a hand and offering the warmest smile she could muster.

Zecora slowly, almost hesitantly, as though she were in disbelieving shock, brought her tattooed hand to meet Sunset's, grasping it in a shared grip that was firm yet gentle. There was no blinding flash, no glowing eyes triggered by Sunset's magic, but there didn't need to be. Even without her powers, there was no mistaking the sheer unbridled gratitude present on Zecora's face.

"Th-Thank you, Sunset, for your compassion," the striped girl managed to say, her voice a little shaky. She reached up and wiped a tear from her eye. "I… I…" It was no good. She couldn't finish her sentence, let alone her rhyme. Sunset took hold of Zecora's wrist with her other hand, her eyes gentle, as was her voice when she next spoke:

"It's okay," she said softly. "You don't have to say anything. Sometimes, you don't need words to get something across."

A loud clap of thunder made both girls jump, startled. Then they laughed. Nervous yet somewhat lighthearted laughter.

"I hope that tea is nice and hot," Sunset said as they settled down. "A pleasant storm…" She paused, intentionally waiting for Zecora to pick up the slack.

"This has been not!" Zecora finished for her in dramatic fashion, and on that note, the pair found themselves laughing once more.


I have been dying, just DYING to incorporate Zecora into one of my fanfics. She's such an underrated character, and giving her an Equestria Girls counterpart seemed like a great way for me to put her in the spotlight. To my knowledge, there is no official human version of her in the show, so I improvised, incorporating her witchdoctor and zebra traits into a human form. I hope you thought it was a good portrayal.

See you next chapter. (: