Never Meant to Be Ch 4

Chapter 4
I Am a Student

                Zeil sat silently with his hind legs crossed and his front hooves together as he tried to clear his mind. Though there were no sounds coming from the calm meadow that he and Zecora sat in, Zeil still found it difficult to keep his focus and clear his thoughts. Seeing if Zecora was still meditating next to him, Zeil slowly opened one eye and looked beside him as he saw Zecora still sitting silently beside him. With a simple sigh, Zecora spoke, “Though difficult it is, and hard as it may be, you will never clear your thoughts, if those thoughts are on me.”

                Wondering how she could know he was watching her while both her eyes were closed, Zeil replied, “Can I ask you something? exactly how will meditation help me with magic?”
Zecora continued holding her meditative appearance as she replied, “Magic is all around, in all that we see, but you must clear your mind, to find its quality. Everything that crawls, grows, and breaths, have their own form of magic, even the plants that wreath.”
Zeil turned to look at Zecora, “You’re saying everything has magic in it?”

                Zecora replied still holding her stance, “We all hold magic, though special in its own way. To discover that magic, is your goal for the day. But to discover that magic, you must first suppress your own, or you will distort the magic, and never hone.”
Feeling a little nervous, Zeil replied, “M-magic?... what magic? Isn’t that what I'm here to learn from you?”
Zecora smiled as she stood up from her meditative position and trotted to a nearby bush, “What gives a flower, its color that’s seen? Why are its petals red, but its stem green?”
Zeil stood up as he followed her to the bush, “Doesn’t that have something to do with its texture or something inside the flower?”

                Zecora replied as she lifted the branch of the bush to reveal a small red flower beneath it, “Correct, but that texture holds magic you see, and bears truth to the flowers harmony. When you learn to master what lies within, then that magic can be controlled, to almost any end. How else could a magic, cruel as a poison joke, bear happiness and heir to simple bald folk.”
Zecora reached for the flower and cradled its blooming pedals, “When you understand magic and all that it brings, then you can mix and match to create many things.”

                While Zecora cradled the flower with her hoof, she smiled peacefully as Zeil stared at her with an amazed expression. There was nothing he could say to disagree with her words however, if he were to find a means to disable what he knew to be his true magic, then not only would he reveal his true form, but he would put himself in a dangerous situation. Never the less, Zeil trotted back to the small grassy patch that he was meditating on, sat down with his hind hooves crossed and his front hooves against each other as he continued trying to meditate.

               With Zeil trying a second time to concentrate, Zecora trotted away from the flower and sat back down beside him. However, from the expressions that Zeil showed on his face, she could tell that not only was he trying too hard to clear his thoughts, but he wasn’t even close to what he needed to set his mind at ease. When she saw the determination that Zeil placed in trying to meditate, Zecora smiled as she spoke, “I guess for a beginner, it’s much too hard to see, so I will teach you, just as experience taught me. Let us depart, to a place that few see. One of the most dangerous, here in the Everfree.”

                A little disappointed that he didn’t have time to get meditation right, Zeil stood up and followed Zecora to another part of the forest until they came across a thin river and a massive waterfall. Zecora then led him down stream towards the cliffs where the riverbank began to rise high above the water. Then just before reaching the falls, Zeil could see a number of thin bamboo posts sticking out of the water that reached the ten-foot bank and connected both sides of the riverbank like metal bars on the entrance of a dungeon.

                As Zeil looked at the thin staffs in confusion, Zecora smiled as she casually began trotting across them with no concern for the rushing waters below, or the massive falls that sat just a few feet away from where the pole bridge stood. Zeil could only stare in shock, as the enchantress continued stepping on each staff that was thinner than her petit hooves with no worry or even attempts of balance as she crossed. As soon as Zecora reached the other side, she turned around and spoke, “With balance in body comes balance in mind, and with this balance, your magic you will find. So cross the stream, but fear not the fall, for fear breaks balance, and balance controls all.”

               When Zecora explained what he had to do, Zeil slowly approached the edge of the riverbank and looked into the water that sat almost ten feet below. As he looked into the water, he became even more nervous. the rushing water that ran through the staffs made foam appear on its surface so it was impossible to predict just how deep it was, and if that didn’t make it nerve wracking enough, the thick spray, the massive waterfall, and the thin staffs which were about a quarter of his hoof’s size, made him even more nervous.

               With a cautious step, Zeil reached out and placed his hoof on the first staff, but as soon as he applied pressure, his hoof sporadically began rocking back and forth with no signs of proper balance. Out of fear, Zeil quickly jumped back onto the riverbank and backed up as he spoke, “Are you crazy? This can’t be possible! My hooves are much thicker than yours; if I step out there I'm a goner.”
Zecora tried to reassure him, “Zine stay calm, for your fear will create walls. Do not worry about the balance, the water, or the falls. Just clear your mind, or focus on something you feel, whether it be your dream, your goal, or something less real. With a calming thought, true balance will be gained, and your journey across will be easily attained.”

               Still feeling a little doubt, Zeil approached the riverbank as he once again tried to look into the water to see just how deep it was. But like before, the foam on the surface made the bottom of the stream impossible to predict, so he looked at the thickness of the first bamboo staff that he had to step on, as he mumbled to himself, “Alright… what to think about… the queen… no too troubling. Maybe the fact that I'm alive?... No, I'm not out of danger just yet… darn… I wish this could be easier to do.”
Still hesitating, Zeil focused on the first staff as he reached out, stepped onto it, and tried his hardest to keep the thin staff centered under his hoof. Like before, when Zeil applied pressure to his step, his hoof began rocking back and forth, but this time, Zeil managed to gain his center of gravity as he attained control over his balance and stopped his hoof’s rocking.

                When Zeil felt confident enough to start taking his second step from the riverbank, he looked at the next staff and slowly started reaching his other front hoof for the next staff. When he planted his second front hoof on the next staff, Zeil looked up to see a confident smile on Zecora’s face, as she nodded her head in support of his actions. Seeing that his teacher had confidence in him made Zeil fell a little better, so while focusing on her expression, Zeil slowly continued moving forward. Very carefully, Zeil stepped his hind hooves onto the staff closest to him, first the right, then the left until he was completely off the riverbank and using the bamboo in the center of the river to support his entire body. Though Zeil knew he was now at the mercy of the bamboo that he was standing on, he tried all he could to pay it no mind as he continued focusing on only two thing, Zecora and her expression of confidence, and of course the next staff he needed to step on to continue across the river.

               Zecora could only stand there and smile as she watched her student cross the river with careful yet determined steps. With the disguised changeling’s full focus on Zecora, Zeil continued trotting across the bamboo staffs until he finally took his first step onto the stable riverbank that sat on the other side. As Zeil took his rear hooved off the final pole, Zeil turned stopped and looked back at the river in surprise, “I… I did it… but… how was it possible?”
Zecora smiled as she placed her hoof on his shoulder, “With full focus you attained your poise, all you had to do, was ignore all the noise. You did exceptional, much better then I knew, now with this simple lesson, you can start challenges anew, and figure your goal and what next you must do.”

               Zeil thought to himself as he asked, “But… did I really need to learn balance to gain this lesson? Couldn’t you just show me what I need to learn and explain it to me without this task?”
Zecora shook her head as she turned her back to him and looked into the forest, “With balance in mind, and a peace in your heart, you can remove certain events as soon as they start. But enough on balance, for the next you must know, is respect for nature, and what it will show. So follow closely Zine, for dangerous trails… we must go.”
With a serious expression on her face, Zecora began trotting through the forest away from the waterfall. As Zeil couldn’t help but question the meaning of her most recent rhyme.

               With the two venturing deeper and deeper into the forest, Zeil couldn’t help but feel something in the air. Trying not to act alarmed, Zeil began looking around as he followed closely behind Zecora as he tried to spot what it was that made him feel uneasy. Though he wasn’t certain, Zeil couldn’t help but feel like both he and Zecora were in great danger. Wondering if Zecora felt the same feeling, Zeil caught up to her as he saw the serious expression on her face which proved his theory about them being in danger, but also showed that she knew exactly what she was doing. With him being close enough for her to hear, Zeil whispered to his guide as he continued following, “Zecora?... what’s wrong?... why are we feeling this… nervous?”

               Zecora held her serious face as she replied, “So you sense the danger? Great attention you must pay. And from this point on, do exactly as I say. Every gesture, every action, everything that I do. If you mimic it wisely, then a safe passage… we’ll be led through. For if we show respect, then respect we’ll be shown too.”
Zeil couldn’t help but look at the serious mare in confusion as he asked, “A safe passage? But through wha…”
All of a sudden, Zecora stopped trotting as she held her ground and stared into the brush that lied just ahead of the two. Following his teachers guidance, Zeil stopped trotting as he looked into the brush and tried to see what she was looking at.

               As Zeil tried to identify whatever was in the brush, his attempts were interrupted when he heard sound of movement in the brush all around him. Nervous as to what it could be, Zeil looked in every angle that the sounds came from, but all he could see where shadows of whatever was surrounding them. When Zeil saw these shadows, he not only felt nervous, he started to feel scared. The shadows where too concealed to identify, but what he could tell was that whatever it was, it was too big to be a temberwolf and much more ferocious. With an almost overwhelming fear, Zeil looked back at Zecora as he spoke, “Z-Zecora?... what is?...”
“Shhh…”
When Zecora shushed him, Zeil couldn’t help but feel confused as Zecora continued standing in her place with nothing more than an expression of seriousness and no hint of fear on her entire body.

               Just then, a large number of monstrous Manticore slowly trotted out of the trees brush that surrounded the two as Zeil now knew where they were. They were smack dab in the middle of Manticore territory, a place so dangerous, that entire squads of Royal guards have been lost to this forbidden ground. Knowing that they were in danger, Zeil tried keeping calm as he looked around for an escape route, but no matter where he looked, he knew it was hopeless. First off, they were surrounded, so even if he tried, there was no getting passed them. Second, there numbers where too great, even if he changed into the strongest creature he could think of, they would easily tear him apart without even trying. Third, this was their territory, and manticores where known to be the most ferocious hunters that Equestria had to offer, so for a zebra and a flightless changeling, there was no escape.

               Still trying to think of a way out, Zeil looked at Zecora as she continued holding both her stance, and her expression. Before Zeil could say anything, one more manticore, one that towered above even the rest slowly emerged from the brush that Zecora was staring into as it slowly made its way towards them. Seeing the larger manticore approach, Zeil tried to speak, “Zecora?...”
“Shhh…”
Hearing her shush him a second time, Zeil nervously stood beside Zecora as the massive manticore stopped about five feet away from the two as it began snarling in anger.

               With the alpha manticore growling at the intruders, the surrounding manticore began doing the same as Zeil looked around and tried all he could to prevent himself from fleeing in fear. With the surrounding creatures growling at their pray, Zecora held her expression as she raised her head as high as she could causing all the Manticore to silence themselves in curiosity. When this happened, Zeil also looked at Zecora in curiosity as she slowly bowed her head down as if she were standing before a king. When she did this, the alpha manticore raised its held high and nodded his head in reply; before looking at Zeil and snarled as it did before. Remembering Zecora’s warning, Zeil did exactly as she did as he raised his head up high with a serious expression, then bringing it back down in a respectful bow.

               When the alpha manticore saw this, he nodded a second time as he took a step back and bowed in response to the visiting zebra and changeling. Therefore, as the Alpha manticore rose from his bow, he turned and began walking back to the forest as the surrounding Manticore did the same. As soon as the creatures disappeared into the surrounding brush, Zecora rose from her bow as she spoke, “The gesture is done, and we have permission to move, now onto the cave, of the reflective truth.”
As they continued Zeil asked, “Reflective truth? What’s that? Some kind of sacred ground?”
Zecora nodded her head as she smiled, “Sacred…. Maybe, but it’s the water that is seen, it will show what clouds you, or what your fate will truly mean.”

               Zeil gave Zecora a confused look, “Clouded? You mean it will show me what thoughts are preventing me from meditating properly?”
Zecora nodded her head, but before she could say anything, the two emerged into a vast clearing in the forest that revealed a large number of Manticore, but not just the hunters, but the females and cubs as well. As Zeil looked into the large herd of what he always viewed as ferocious beasts, Zecora continued trotting casually as she entered the herd with no hesitation in her steps. Trying to keep up with his guide, Zeil followed closely as he and Zecora began trotting through the vast heard of what seemed to be a hundred manticore.

               As the two continued, the males in the herd looked at the two and watched them as they passed by, however they only watched for that brief time before turning back to their families and continuing with little concern in their company. When Zeil saw this, he could only assume that they all knew that he and Zecora where given permission to pass, however it didn’t ease his mind any since he still knew the extent of danger that they could be in if something were to go wrong. As they trotted on, Zeil stopped suddenly when a manticore cub chassed a butterfly as fast as it could before colliding with Zeil and knocking him to the ground by accident.

               Quickly reacting as if he were attacked by the playful cub, Zeil shuffled to his hooves and braced his stance as the cub picked himself up from the ground, shook the dust from his body, and looked at Zeil with a curious and cute tilt to his head. When Zeil realized that the cub hit him by accident, he quickly removed his stance of defense as he stood up and chuckled at the slight misunderstanding. However shortly after that, Zeil froze in fear, as the cub’s mother walked up behind the cub as she growled in an anger-filled warning to the small disguised changeling. As Zeil stood frozen in fear, the cub mother continued growling as she started sneering at him leaving him to believe that no matter what he did, she was going to rip him apart with her next action.

               Feeling nervous, Zeil stood frozen as he started shifting his eyes to look around him. Witnessing the event, all the manticore males in the area where staring straight at him with expressions of anger as Zecora stopped and turned to her surrounded student. With no manticore paying attention to Zecora, Zeil looked at her as she smiled and nodded her head with an expression that said, “You know what to do next.” Remembering what happened prior to their arrival; Zeil decided what he should do as he straitened his stance and held his head up high. Then with every manticore looking at him, Zeil slowly bowed in respect to the mother manticore. After seeing his action, the female manticore stopped growling as she raised her head up high, nodded her head in acceptance, then bowed to him sealing his forgiveness as every manticore in the area that was watching went back to their own business.

               Shortly after bowing, the mother manticore rose from her bow as she sat down where she was and continued watching Zeil with no more sighs of anger or warning towards him. When he saw this, Zeil smiled as he mumbled to himself from his bowing position, “Wow… that’s cool… I di…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the young cub who was completely oblivious to the wholes scene, jumped into the air as he wrapped his paws around Zeil’s head and pulled him to the ground like a kitten playing with its siblings. With the playful cub griping him tightly, Zeil struggled all he could to free himself from the powerful cub’s paws. When he finally did, Zeil picked himself up and looked around in confusion, as Zecora couldn’t help but giggle at the mess his mane was left in after the struggle with the baby beast.

               Zeil looked at the cubs mother who watched over him like any concerned mother would, then he looked back at Zecora as he blushed and began fixing his mane, “Playful little scamp ain’t he?”
When the playful cub noticed Zecora’s giggling, it approached her and sat down as she reached out and pet it, “A creature too innocent, too young to understand. He does not know yet of dangers in this land. To him in this time, all he knows is to play, and the protective parents, who watch over him each day.”
With that said, the mother manticore turned away from the group as she began walking to another part of the meadow. When the cub noticed its mother’s actions, it quickly turned away from Zecora as it rushed to catch up with her.

               As Zeil watched the manticore mother and cub walking away he could only mumble to himself, “She’s right… these beasts are so feared by all creatures that nopony has ever seen a cub up close before. Especially with its mother right beside it.”
Hearing his words Zecora replied, “When you respect the creatures that live in this land, then you respect their ideals and all that they demand. To strengthen your magic, you must form a strong hem, to understand nature and magic’s bond with them.”
Zeil looked back at Zecora as she smiled peacefully, he knew she was wise when it came to magic, but hearing her talk like this made her seem beautiful. It was as if she had connected with nature in a way that nopony ever could; a way that only a zebra can.

               Then before anything else could be said, Zecora turned back to their path as she continued leading him to their destination. Feeling a little like a cub himself, Zeil rushed to Zecora as he began following her back to their quest. Before long, the zebra and her zebra disguised companion reached a cave that sat at the very end of the meadow. As Zecora entered the cave with no signs of hesitation, Zeil paused for a second as he looked at the entrance with distrust. It was one thing to wonder into Manticore territory, but to enter a cave that sat at the end of said territory seemed like a bad idea. Never the less, Zeil continued inside as he trotted fast to catch up with his teacher.

               After entering the cave, Zeil became more and more curious as he looked around at the caves appearance. There were no markings, drawings, or decoration of any kind that made this cave seem any different from others. However, as the daylight from the mouth of the cave started to fade in the distance, a new light could be seen as it lit the tunnel ahead and made their destination seem more obvious. It wasn’t long before Zecora lead Zeil into a massive chamber as he stopped at the entrance to observe his surroundings. The chamber seemed to be about one hundred feet in diameter, with a series of stalagmites and stalactite on both the ceiling and the ground, but what caught his eye the most was the mystical glowing pond that sat in the center with a tall stalagmite towering over the center. As Zeil looked around, Zecora approached the water and sat down as she looked into it with a peace-filled smile as if she was oddly admiring her own reflection.

                When Zeil looked at her from where he was standing, he could only pause at the beauty of her smile. He had seen her smile peacefully before, but for some reason he had never seen her smile like this, it was as if she was seeing something in the water that entranced her. Luckily, he came to his senses before her as he cleared his throat and approached, “Zecora?”
When he approached, Zecora snapped out of it as she looked at him and blushed, “Oh… I'm sorry; I was in a slight trance. Twas a good reflection that crossed my glance.”
Out of curiosity, Zeil looked into the water at what she was talking about, but when he did, he could only pause in concern. He couldn’t understand it, but Zecora’s reflection was nowhere to be seen.

                Zeil felt a little confused as he sat down and looked at his reflection, but when he looked at himself, he could only pause in fear. His reflection was there, but it wasn’t his zebra form that he saw, but his changeling form. As Zeil looked closer at his reflection, Zecora could see the concern on his face, but rather than asking if he was all right, Zecora continue to observe him as he continue watching. Soon Zeil’s fear began to skyrocket as he saw another reflection enter his view, only this time, it was Queen Chrysalises as she trotted in from the side.

                Out of fear, Zeil jumped back from the water and quickly looked at both himself and his surrounding as he spoke, “W-what? What is?....”
Seeing his fear Zecora approached, “Zine calm down, for what you saw was not real. That was merely your troubles, or worries you feel.”
When Zeil saw that he and Zecora were alone and he was in his zebra form, he sighed in relief as he replied, “That… that wasn’t real… then I… wait… did you see that too?”
Zecora shook her head, “I did not, this basin will only show, to the observer its visions below. It looks into your heart, and copies its thought, showing true hope, or visions of raught.”

                Zeil thought to himself, he wasn’t entirely sure what Zecora meant when she said the pond showed visions of the heart, but he did understand that everything he saw was only seen by him, which made him feel somewhat relieved. As he thought about that, Zecora turned back to the stream and spoke, “This is your task, for true piece you must find. You must break yourself of the trouble, and the vision on your mind. This pond has revealed what troubles you deeply, but you must now conquer it, and conquer completely. Then and only then will you attain true peace, and with that, you can learn magic, to say the least.”

                Zeil couldn’t quite understand it, he knew what he had to do was to forget about his worries of being a changeling, but what confused him was the fact that he already assumed that all his worries weren’t bothering him. A little nervous Zeil approached the water a second time, only this time, his reflection revealed his changeling form, Queen Chrysalises, and the rest of his swarm behind him as each and every one of his changeling brethren stared at him in anger.

                Trying to clear his mind, Zeil closed his eyes and shook his head as he mumbled to himself, “It’s not real… this is not here, it’s just a vision.”
When he opened his eyes again, he found that the vision did change, however what he was now looking at was the attack on Canterlot that he observed a few days ago. Seeing the proud smile on his face during the attack made Zeil mumble again, “No… it’s not real… this isn’t what my heart holds… not anymore…”
as Zecora witnessed the distress on his face, she spoke softly, “The visions are false, and your heart won’t remove. But it can be replaced, with a vision that sooths. Focus Zine, and its place you can fill, but you must prove it false, and prove it at will.”

                When he heard Zecora’s advice, Zeil closed his eyes as he tried to focus, “Replace it… ok… something clear? Something soothing? or maybe…”
with a curious thought, Zeil slowly opened his eyes and looked into the water, but when he did, the vision was gone. Instead, Zeil could only see an endless black abyss in the water as if he were looking into a bottomless pit. With a now confused expression, Zeil started to speak, “What the?... did you do something Ze…”
Before he could finish his question, a small light appeared in the darkness that the water revealed. Out of curiosity, Zeil watched the small light as it moved back and forth inside the darkness that was shown. Soon the small light was accompanied by a second, then a third, then a forth. Zeil couldn’t help but feel memorized by the number of lights that where in the water, until finally the brightness of the lights began to reveal a hidden shadow standing in the darkness of the image.

                Trying to identify the shadow, Zeil watched closely as the lights hovering around the shadowy silhouette started to get brighter. It wasn’t long before the dark and shady character in the water was lit enough to know that what he was looking at was a Male Zebra standing too far in the darkness to identify. As Zeil watched the zebra with only his stripes and expression visible, the unknown zebra looked into the lights as a peaceful smile slowly appeared on his still shady face. Zeil tried all he could to see the hidden stallion’s face but before he could Zecora also appeared amongst the lights as she approached the zebra and sat down next to him with a smile.

                Feeling somewhat curious, Zeil watched the two as Zecora slowly leaned against the zebra as she looked at him with a pleasant stare. But when the stallion looked back with the same expression Zeil could see his face clearly as he stared in shock, “It’s… it’s me… me and Zec…”
as Zeil started to remember that only he could see the illusion, he slowly turned his head to Zecora as he blushed slightly, “I… I mean… what does it mean if… the image changes?”
Zecora looked into the water as she replied, “If the image changed, then one of two took place, either your peace overcame, or your troubles changed face. Was the new vision pleasant, even unusually so, then you bypassed your troubles, your fears, and woe.”

                Zeil looked back at the image as he blushed slightly, “Well… I admit I'd enjoy what I'm seeing… at least… a little.”
Though she could see him blushing Zecora ignored it as she replied, “Then you changed your thoughts, that your heart did fear, though we aren’t finished, you can’t leave here. Before we go you first must face, one final task before leaving this place.”
Zeil gave Zecora a curious look, “One more?”
Zecora looked at the stalagmite that sat in the center of the pool as she replied, “Climb atop the center stack, I know you can with no strength you lack. Use your lessons that you learned, and meditate there without concern. Balance there, and with little fuss, you can clear your mind, and truly focus.”

                Feeling a little worried, Zeil began trotting around the pond as he observed the tall stalactite that towered almost seven feet over the water’s surface. Its peak was a little under half a foot in diameter making it seem more like a plateau then a cone, while its steep walls seemed to create an illusion that it’s much taller than it actually is. As Zeil circled his task, he noticed a number of naturally formed ripples that were embedded in the side as he nodded his head, “There… if I get a running start, I can make it… but the water…”
With curiosity, Zeil looked at the water and ignored the sight of Zecora and him as he tried to see how deep it was. While looking through the water Zeil was relieved to see that even though the water revealed deep holes under its surface there was still a faint trail of shallow spots that if timed correctly, would allow him enough momentum to sprint up the side of the stalactite.

                As Zeil took a good look at his needed footing, he turned and trotted a number of feet away as he turned back and started sprinting towards the tower as fast as he could. However, when his first step hit the water, it was in a hole as the water resistance immediately overpowered him and caused him to flip forward into the water before even getting close to the stalactite. When Zeil picked himself up, the expression of annoyance and his soaked mane made Zecora giggle as he shook himself off and trotted back to his start point to try again. On his second attempt, Zeil managed to miss the holes on his first step; however, his second still caught the edge of a hole as it slid inside, and caused the water to repeat the first attempts results. Frustrated, Zeil picked himself out of the water and returned to the star point as he took a deep breath and tried to focus. However, on his third attempt, Zeil managed to rush past the first second and third steps into the shallow spots of the water, but on his forth, he hesitated and mist the shallow spot as he stepped into a hole and was tossed forward, this time hitting his back against the side of the stalactite.

                 Cringing at the sight of his impact, Zecora watched with a concerned expression as Zeil picked himself up from the water and made his way back to his starting point. It was now clear that his frustration was starting to overpower his focus as Zecora spoke, “Be patient Zine, and you will be fine. Do not let this towered stack, break your spirit… or your back. Use what you know, to beat this foe.”
Zeil sat down as he started mumbling to himself, “Use what I know… ok today I learned balance, respecting nature and clearing bad thoughts… well balance will be used at the peak, and clearing bad thoughts will allow me to focus better… but what about the other thing? How will respecting nature help me?...”
As Zeil sat there thinking about the second lesson he learned, a strange thought crossed his mind as he mumbled to himself, “… it… it can’t be as easy as that?... can it?...”

                 With a curious and awkward expression on his face, Zeil looked at Zecora as he asked, “Um… Zecora?... Could you help me get up there?... I don’t know… maybe give me a boost or something?”
Zecora smiled as she nodded her head, “Since you respectfully asked, I'll gladly assist, for your simple curtesy won’t go unmissed.”
Zeil couldn’t help but put his hoof on his head in amazement, “I can’t believe it was that easy… you mean all I had to do was ask for help?”
Zecora giggle as she trotted through the shallow water towards the stalactite, “A respecting friend is just like creature, we’ll help in return, it’s just our nature. Sometimes to complete a complex task, one must see a friend and simply ask”
After she arrived at the stalactite, Zecora turned towards Zeil, held both her front hooves out and nodded her head saying she was ready. Seeing the action, Zeil approached Zecora as he placed his front hooves on the stalactite, and one of his rear hooves in her front hooves. With a preparatory nod, Zecora threw her hooves up as Zeil was boosted into the air.

                 Using the ripples on the stalactite’s sides, Zeil pulled himself up high enough to plant both his front hooves on the peak of the miniature plateau before lifting himself high enough to climb onto the top. However, with the edges of the stalactite being too small for him to stand with all four hooves, Zeil was only able to stand with three hooves on the dais. Now that Zeil was atop the stalactite, he knew that the next thing that could help him was his lesson on balance, so using only one of his hind hooves to stand; Zeil reared himself up as he placed both his front hooves together and attained his perfect balance on the pedestal.

                 Now, all he had left to do was begin his meditation, so with a readying sigh, Zeil closed his eyes and began to concentrate. However, it wasn’t long before his mind became cluttered with troubling thoughts as he cringed his face in irritation. As Zecora watched his troubled expression she called to him, “A troubled mind you do not need. Your lesson and teaching you should heed. From here I can’t say where to go, but you passed your teachings so you should know.”
Hearing Zecora’s words reminded Zeil about changing the thoughts in his heart, so with a relaxing sigh; Zeil began concentrating on changing his hearts vision as his troubled thoughts subsided as his mind started to focus.

                 Seconds later, Zeil’s troubled expression vanished from his face as Zecora watched with a pleased smile. Meanwhile, Zeil lost all touch with everything around him as he started to slip into a deep meditative trance. From here, Zeil started to feel as if the world around him had vanished into thin air, and with it, all the troubles that followed. Then, he began to hear the most unusual sound that he had ever heard before. He could hear a drop of water falling from a stalagmite as it fell from the ceiling and hit the ground a number of feet from where he was positioned. And with that sound, a vision appeared in his mind as everything around him began to appear as if it were a wave spreading from the very sound of the single drop of water.

                 With his eyes closed, Zeil could see everything in the cave around him as more sounds began to appear. The faint whistle of the wind that entered and exited the cave, The small screeching and flapping of bats that flew further into the cavern, even the faint sound of Zecora’s actions as she sat down and watched her student achieve his goal. It was as if the world had given him the ability to see more than his eyes ever could. Then, something else appeared in his vision of the cave. He didn’t understand it, but Zeil could see a proud Zebra warrior standing right behind Zecora as he stood wearing green armor and wielding a tall spear.

                 Still seeing everything around him, Zeil watched as the unknown zebra stood behind Zecora as if he were protecting her. As the warrior stood saying nothing, his expression clearly said that he needed to warn Zeil of something. With his mind started to wonder if the vision was real or not, Zeil opened his eyes as he completely broke his trance, and lost his balance. With almost no time at all, Zeil looked behind Zecora for the warrior, but saw nothing as he fell from the stalactite and into the water below.

                 With a little concern, Zecora rushed to Zeil’s side as she helped him up and spoke, “My student Zine, you did better than fine. You found the focus to clear your mind.”
Zeil rubbed his head as he replied, “I… I did… Didn’t I?... But… what was that? I… I could see everything… how?”
Zecora replied, “When you clear your thought, you can truly see, the appearance of magic, here in the Everfree. With proper sight, and magic of all, you can seek any spell, no matter how small.”
Zeil could only smile at Zecora as he replied, “Its true… I could see everything… and not just in front of me… but all around me. Although… I thought I saw…”

                 Worried, Zeil looked around in all directions for the Zebra Warrior as Zecora asked, “What is it zine? Your expression seems less than benign.”
Seeing that they were completely alone, Zeil turned back to Zecora as he replied, “I'm fine… I just… thought I heard something is all… well… shall we get back?”
Zecora nodded her head as she replied, “Of course we shall, since this day is done. Your training for day was most certainly outdone.”
As the two started to leave the massive chamber, Zeil couldn’t help but look back at the pond as he started to wonder about the vision he saw. Who was that stallion, and if he was truly giving a warning, then what was it, and who was it too?...