Post by starlight on May 23, 2013 1:30:06 GMT -5
[Far Everfree Forest]
Starlight has not noticed Zecora. The little filly is alone out here, WAY away from anything you could call 'safe' with a straight face, and is apparently very scared. But not, it seems of the forest. She keeps looking back towards Ponyville as though something might chase her from there.
Starlight starts digging under a twisted, arched root. In the distance, a timber wolf howls his wolfish timbre.
The shadows of the Everfree hide a great many things, both terrible and wonderful. There is a history here, a sense of incompleteness and mystery and sheer lack of control. It is through these shifting shadows Zecora walks every day, living among the mysteries, unravelling some, knowing few. Zecora's hooded and cloaked form glides between the trees, her nose in the air. She stops nearby Starlight's hiding spot, one hoof raised as the gourds and charms looped around her withers jangle and clink. Who knows how she came to be right here just as Starlight might need help? It is part of the magic of the forest and the zebra. "So tender are the hooves that I have heard," she says cautiously, "but for a pony to be this far out is absurd! Will you come out little one and see there is nothing to fear at all from me?"
Starlight squeaks and wriggles backwards, hiding where the trees keep their secrets. Several disturbed spiders race up the tree as the little pony starts whispering to herself... total nonsense? "Oh no oh no, did she see me? no no please don't burn me, i'm so sorry i tried to fix it but i couldn't get it back together..." Starlight is tiny, sad, and soft. This is no place to be lost.
Zecora's gaze twists and turns through the wood. Her ears swivel like radar atop her head. She can plainly hear the little filly and the sounds of the creatures she disturbs, and turns in her direction. "Do not fear," she calls, but not too loud, "or the forest will hear. I am nopony to flee - please, come out and be friends with me." She takes another cautious step forward, her hoof making barely a sound on the thick carpet of grass and moss below, mindful of the /other/ noises all around. "This place is not safe. Please don't run and make my conscience chafe."
Starlight peeks out from under the root, her big yellow eyes shining in the gloaming dimness, and as soon as she catches sight of Zecora... she slowly, cautiously crawls forward. An owl a few trees away hoots its displeasure and the little filly yelps - but she doesn't pull back in. After a few moments, scraped and dirty, Starlight stands in front of her, shy and nervous. "Wow. You're stripy. Please don't take me to the library. I'm sorry!"
Starlight says "Are... are you a pony? You're not... the... dragon... are you?"
Zecora cannot help but chuckle, her mirth a far cry from the howls and chirps and buzzes in the forest. "Am I a dragon? A dragon once burned my wagon! No pony or a lizard be, merely a humble resident of the Everfree." She steps completely out of the gaping shadows, drawing back her hood and bowing. To a filly! "From lands afar and miles many, I have taken hoofsteps aplenty. Zebra is the name of my kind, and I hope you pay the strips no mind."
Starlight nervously steps from hoof to hoof. "I don't... mind them? I... it's cold out here. I'm sorry. Can you help me? My mama was so busy 'cause there were lotsa ponies hurt when the... uh... the place blowed up. I was hiding from the princess, and... do you know the Library Princess? She's gonna burn me!" So saying, Starlight flops onto her butt right there on a bed of redweed moss and starts crying! "I TRIED to fix it! I did! She doesn't care! She's gonna venge me!"
In a moment the cloak is off Zecora's back and draping around Starlight's shoulders. The residual warmth and enveloping rugged grip of the material contrasts sharply with the chill of the wood. "Now child, let no tears fall from such pretty eyes. I can tell by your tone that you tell no lies. The Princess of the Library I know well, for it was I who taught her some of her spells! But come, let's away to my hut before the jaws of the Forest snap shut."
Starlight stares at Zecora in terror and looks like she's about to bolt... until the cloak settles around her. Maybe she's just too trusting, but this seems to relax her somewhat. "You taught her? You know MAGIC? Wowwww...." The tiny pony climbs back to her feet and follows Zecora, the way-too-large cloak getting snagged and stained with the flora (and occasional too-slow fauna) of the wild forest floor... not for the first time. "Th... the forest has jaws??"
<OOC> Starlight will follow you home.
Zecora heads off into the gloomy forest.
Zecora walks along, with you following her.
[Zecora's Home]
Zecora enters, with Starlight walking along next to her.
Zecora opens the door to her hut and ushers Starlight in with a little bump of her nose, letting her keep the cloak. The inside of the tree home is lit by a large fire, still burning even though nopony was there to start or tend it. It is warm and comfortable and dry, and Zecora points Starlight to the bed. "Go and rest little one, recover from your wild run." She bustles about, opening and closing dozens of little drawers and hidden cupboards with uncanny precision. She comes back to Starlight with a cup of hot tea and a plate of freshly gathered fruits. "Tea to drink and food to eat; with these things friendship is an easy feat. I was unhappy to find a filly so pale. When you are ready, just tell Zecora your tale."
Starlight does as directed, climbing onto Zecora's bed with the cloak still - nope, got caught on the edge of a stool! Starlight yelps - "Eeep!" - and is flipped onto her back! She struggles for a moment, four tiny hooves flailing in the air, before struggling free of the garment and climbing onto the bed. She finally takes a good look around. "Whoooaa... this place is all kindsa neat..." She sips the tea and nibbles a berry, and stares at Zecora again... but this time, slowly smiles. "I... sorry, thank you, Miss... Oh wait. I forgot." Starlight hops off the bed and curtseys awkwardly to the zebra. "Hello I Am Pleased To Meet You My Name Is Starlight Eclipse" - then she clambers back onto the bed and swiftly devours the plate of fruits.
Zecora's bemusement is clear, but she hides her chuckle behind her hoof. "A very proper filly, which some might call silly. This forest is wild, but it could do with the touch of a civilized child. Zecora is my name, and helping the ponyfolk is my game. Here you will find a cure for many an ailment, but you seem to have a unique lament."
Starlight hesitates for a few moments, tears rimming her eyes (not unlike how berry stains are rimming her lips), then she takes a deep breath... "Somepony told me there was a library and there was a princess in the library which sounded SO COOL because she was a PRINCESS and had BOOKS and she could MAGIC and I wanna learn about magic 'cause I'm a unicorn but I can't do magic very good so we were gonna see her and maybe she would be nice but she's NOT nice or she's nice but she wouldn't be to me because I once accidentally tore the last page in a story I was reading and I tried to fix it but the tape got everywhere and ripped the page EVEN MORE and it all wound up being a big mess and I had to hide it back on the bookshelf and Shutterbug told me she's the books' guardian and if anypony hurts a book even by accident she's gonna find them and she's got a dragon and SHE'S GONNA BURN ME ALL UP!!" So saying, Starlight bursts into tears, terrified... of Twilight Sparkle!?
Starlight manages to say, through the sobs: "And... after the 'splosion... mama was so busy... I went and hid... but the trees got all big... and... I got lost..."
Zecora tilts her head, thoroughly confused by the little pony's hurried explanation. But by the end she has the gist of it, and she is smiling that calm, wise smile once again. "You are afraid of Princess Twilight? Child, she is no reason to give you fright! A little focused on her books, perhaps, but she often drools on them for all her naps. But of an explosion I have not heard." Zecora's face grows somber once again as she scoots just a bit closer. "Starlight, if Ponyville is in danger, please relate to me every word."
Starlight blinks and calms down a little.... "I... I dunno, mama said there was an accident, and one of the places went all BOOM and FIRE and now there are ponies in the hospital and they're kinda burnt and stuff. I wanted to go see 'cause I think nice Mister Skyheart mighta gotten hurt but mama said to stay home so's I didn't bother anypony. I dunno what happened... wait... what? The Library Princess drools on her books? But... but... but... what about the dragon? Wouldn't he burn her too? Or maybe he's not allowed 'cause they're in the Library and the books would burn?" The little pony squirms and looks confused. She doesn't know WHAT to believe now. "Is... is she... big?"
Zecora rubs her chin and glances away for just a moment, but then she merely shrugs and crosses her forelegs as she lays on the ground in front of the bed. Come to think of it, explosions aren't all *that* strange for Ponyville, and if nopony is dead there is likely no problem. Back to Twilight matters. "Oh Starlight, Twilight Sparkle is no giant. If anything, she can be *too* compliant. The size of a pony no larger than me, and her dragon is even shorter, you see. Still a baby in dragon years little Spike may be, but just as much a friend to you and me." Zecora grins, exposing shockingly white teeth for such a rustic vagrant as her. "A cure I see for your sickness of spirit: go back to Twilight with a sincere apology and she will hear it."
Starlight squirms. "Are... are you sure, Miz Zecora? I dunno... Shutterbug and Pipsqueak told me she... she... she punishes anypony ANYWHERE if they hurt a book... and, and... it was a long time ago, and it was mama's book, but... they said... she would KNOW." Starlight finishes this pronouncement and stares at Zecora with huge, scared, but no longer certain eyes. "Is it true? Does she use her magic to venge for the books? And... and... if NOT... why'd they tell me that?"
Zecora clears her throat and closes her eyes, preparing her very best 'wisdom of the day' voice to give the little filly. "Starlight, stories are made to be told. But tall tales are every day bought and sold. To frighten and entertain ponies will make a wild claim. Around Twilight Sparkle rumors abound, but only with the wisdom of friendship is the truth found. Twilight Sparkle would *never* use her magic for harm; indeed, she would much rather use it for goodness and charm. A torn book is a bitter pill, but dearer to her is friendship and mercy still."
You say "So... she might not hate me after all? And Shutterbug and Pipsqueak were lying? That's great! Maybe I can meet her and she'll be all awesome and..." Suddenly she stops talking and her eyes well up again. "But why did Shutterbug and Pipsqueak lie to me? Do THEY hate me?" Starlight looks away, studying what appears to be an incredibly interesting knot in the tree's inner wall for a few moments. "Miz Zecora, will you please help me find my way back to Ponyville? I got losted, and I wanna go home now."
"In their hearts Shutterbug and little Pip cannot hold hate; I know both colts and am certain that is not their fate. Little colts like to get the willies, and it is a game they play to get the same out of pretty fillies," Zecora says with a warm smile. "Or, perhaps they do not know Twilight like I do; so now when you speak to her, you can show them the real her too!" She stands up and nods to the door. "I know every path back to Ponyville. Stay close to me child, and I will keep away the walk's chill."
Starlight looks at Zecora uncertainly but says nothing. Looks like she's decided to take the zebra's word for all this, at least for now. She hops off the bed and shakes out, depositing a few bits of twig and bramble on the floor, then picks up the dropped cloak and brings it to Zecora. "Thank you, Miz Zecora. I dunno. I'm new. I barely know anypony yet, and if ponies are lying, I don't know what to think." She pauses at the door. "You... don't think I'm dumb for believing them, do you?"
"Knowledge is fickle and wisdom grand. To gain both requires experience and a feel for the land." Zecora leads her out, letting her keep the cloak, at least until they make it back to Ponyville city limits. She lets her hooves and tail drag over this and that leaf or plant. Some react in strange and exotic ways, glowing or changing color or even *moving.* They leave a strange trail of bioluminescence and altered leaves as they go, but soon it fades away like a shadow in daylight and evidence of their passing is utterly lost. "You are not dumb, Starlight, for believing stories so trite. Experience is not given but earned - it takes /time/ to learn what should be spurned. Keep an open mind and question daily, and soon the world will not seem so scary. Move through life like a squirrel in the brush: alert, watchful, and often hushed. It is up to /you/ to gather truthful news, so try not to let others mold your views."
Starlight follows along, watching with increasing fascination as every little change and every motion in the brush tickles her interest now instead of fear... she had barely noticed any of these things when coming out here, afraid for her very life at the infernal unforgiving hooves of the dread Library Princess! By the time they reach the outer edges of Ponyville, Starlight is trotting along next to Zecora wearing an expression one does not often see on a pony barely out of foalhood: thoughtful bemusement. "Yeah. I hope my mama wasn't looking for me. She gets real worried sometimes... because of what happened to my brother, I guess." Starlight begins to trot away toards Maple Street Medicines, then turns and runs back! She hugs Zecora as hard as her little hooves can manage. "Thank you, Miz Zecora, for the fruit and the... uh... telling me what I should do. Can I come back to visit some time? I wanna hear about your magic, 'specially what you taught the Libr... Princess Whylight."
<OOC> Starlight is not good with names, and has been telling other ponies about her encounters with Shutterfly and Rainbow Blast already...
<OOC> Zecora says, "That is adorable."
Zecora is there to receive the hug, almost like she knew the filly would come back with one. She smiles and wraps a hoof gently around the filly's back for a moment. "Let your mother know and ask Twilight to show you the way, and you may visit any time and stay." She takes a step back, and as a little show of her magic, the cloak somehow has transported from Starlight's back to Zecora's without any clue how, and it's even neatly folded. "Fare thee well, filly of light, and may the Princesses' blessings keep you from fear this night." Then all it takes is a blink, a yawn, or a short look away... and Zecora is gone.
Starlight steps back. "Whoa." Then she darts back home. Anypony nearby in the street would have had time to hear her say "Mama! Guess who I met!" followed by Lunar's voice saying "Who, dear? Goodness, what happened to your coat?!" before the door clicked shut.
Starlight has not noticed Zecora. The little filly is alone out here, WAY away from anything you could call 'safe' with a straight face, and is apparently very scared. But not, it seems of the forest. She keeps looking back towards Ponyville as though something might chase her from there.
Starlight starts digging under a twisted, arched root. In the distance, a timber wolf howls his wolfish timbre.
The shadows of the Everfree hide a great many things, both terrible and wonderful. There is a history here, a sense of incompleteness and mystery and sheer lack of control. It is through these shifting shadows Zecora walks every day, living among the mysteries, unravelling some, knowing few. Zecora's hooded and cloaked form glides between the trees, her nose in the air. She stops nearby Starlight's hiding spot, one hoof raised as the gourds and charms looped around her withers jangle and clink. Who knows how she came to be right here just as Starlight might need help? It is part of the magic of the forest and the zebra. "So tender are the hooves that I have heard," she says cautiously, "but for a pony to be this far out is absurd! Will you come out little one and see there is nothing to fear at all from me?"
Starlight squeaks and wriggles backwards, hiding where the trees keep their secrets. Several disturbed spiders race up the tree as the little pony starts whispering to herself... total nonsense? "Oh no oh no, did she see me? no no please don't burn me, i'm so sorry i tried to fix it but i couldn't get it back together..." Starlight is tiny, sad, and soft. This is no place to be lost.
Zecora's gaze twists and turns through the wood. Her ears swivel like radar atop her head. She can plainly hear the little filly and the sounds of the creatures she disturbs, and turns in her direction. "Do not fear," she calls, but not too loud, "or the forest will hear. I am nopony to flee - please, come out and be friends with me." She takes another cautious step forward, her hoof making barely a sound on the thick carpet of grass and moss below, mindful of the /other/ noises all around. "This place is not safe. Please don't run and make my conscience chafe."
Starlight peeks out from under the root, her big yellow eyes shining in the gloaming dimness, and as soon as she catches sight of Zecora... she slowly, cautiously crawls forward. An owl a few trees away hoots its displeasure and the little filly yelps - but she doesn't pull back in. After a few moments, scraped and dirty, Starlight stands in front of her, shy and nervous. "Wow. You're stripy. Please don't take me to the library. I'm sorry!"
Starlight says "Are... are you a pony? You're not... the... dragon... are you?"
Zecora cannot help but chuckle, her mirth a far cry from the howls and chirps and buzzes in the forest. "Am I a dragon? A dragon once burned my wagon! No pony or a lizard be, merely a humble resident of the Everfree." She steps completely out of the gaping shadows, drawing back her hood and bowing. To a filly! "From lands afar and miles many, I have taken hoofsteps aplenty. Zebra is the name of my kind, and I hope you pay the strips no mind."
Starlight nervously steps from hoof to hoof. "I don't... mind them? I... it's cold out here. I'm sorry. Can you help me? My mama was so busy 'cause there were lotsa ponies hurt when the... uh... the place blowed up. I was hiding from the princess, and... do you know the Library Princess? She's gonna burn me!" So saying, Starlight flops onto her butt right there on a bed of redweed moss and starts crying! "I TRIED to fix it! I did! She doesn't care! She's gonna venge me!"
In a moment the cloak is off Zecora's back and draping around Starlight's shoulders. The residual warmth and enveloping rugged grip of the material contrasts sharply with the chill of the wood. "Now child, let no tears fall from such pretty eyes. I can tell by your tone that you tell no lies. The Princess of the Library I know well, for it was I who taught her some of her spells! But come, let's away to my hut before the jaws of the Forest snap shut."
Starlight stares at Zecora in terror and looks like she's about to bolt... until the cloak settles around her. Maybe she's just too trusting, but this seems to relax her somewhat. "You taught her? You know MAGIC? Wowwww...." The tiny pony climbs back to her feet and follows Zecora, the way-too-large cloak getting snagged and stained with the flora (and occasional too-slow fauna) of the wild forest floor... not for the first time. "Th... the forest has jaws??"
<OOC> Starlight will follow you home.
Zecora heads off into the gloomy forest.
Zecora walks along, with you following her.
[Zecora's Home]
Zecora enters, with Starlight walking along next to her.
Zecora opens the door to her hut and ushers Starlight in with a little bump of her nose, letting her keep the cloak. The inside of the tree home is lit by a large fire, still burning even though nopony was there to start or tend it. It is warm and comfortable and dry, and Zecora points Starlight to the bed. "Go and rest little one, recover from your wild run." She bustles about, opening and closing dozens of little drawers and hidden cupboards with uncanny precision. She comes back to Starlight with a cup of hot tea and a plate of freshly gathered fruits. "Tea to drink and food to eat; with these things friendship is an easy feat. I was unhappy to find a filly so pale. When you are ready, just tell Zecora your tale."
Starlight does as directed, climbing onto Zecora's bed with the cloak still - nope, got caught on the edge of a stool! Starlight yelps - "Eeep!" - and is flipped onto her back! She struggles for a moment, four tiny hooves flailing in the air, before struggling free of the garment and climbing onto the bed. She finally takes a good look around. "Whoooaa... this place is all kindsa neat..." She sips the tea and nibbles a berry, and stares at Zecora again... but this time, slowly smiles. "I... sorry, thank you, Miss... Oh wait. I forgot." Starlight hops off the bed and curtseys awkwardly to the zebra. "Hello I Am Pleased To Meet You My Name Is Starlight Eclipse" - then she clambers back onto the bed and swiftly devours the plate of fruits.
Zecora's bemusement is clear, but she hides her chuckle behind her hoof. "A very proper filly, which some might call silly. This forest is wild, but it could do with the touch of a civilized child. Zecora is my name, and helping the ponyfolk is my game. Here you will find a cure for many an ailment, but you seem to have a unique lament."
Starlight hesitates for a few moments, tears rimming her eyes (not unlike how berry stains are rimming her lips), then she takes a deep breath... "Somepony told me there was a library and there was a princess in the library which sounded SO COOL because she was a PRINCESS and had BOOKS and she could MAGIC and I wanna learn about magic 'cause I'm a unicorn but I can't do magic very good so we were gonna see her and maybe she would be nice but she's NOT nice or she's nice but she wouldn't be to me because I once accidentally tore the last page in a story I was reading and I tried to fix it but the tape got everywhere and ripped the page EVEN MORE and it all wound up being a big mess and I had to hide it back on the bookshelf and Shutterbug told me she's the books' guardian and if anypony hurts a book even by accident she's gonna find them and she's got a dragon and SHE'S GONNA BURN ME ALL UP!!" So saying, Starlight bursts into tears, terrified... of Twilight Sparkle!?
Starlight manages to say, through the sobs: "And... after the 'splosion... mama was so busy... I went and hid... but the trees got all big... and... I got lost..."
Zecora tilts her head, thoroughly confused by the little pony's hurried explanation. But by the end she has the gist of it, and she is smiling that calm, wise smile once again. "You are afraid of Princess Twilight? Child, she is no reason to give you fright! A little focused on her books, perhaps, but she often drools on them for all her naps. But of an explosion I have not heard." Zecora's face grows somber once again as she scoots just a bit closer. "Starlight, if Ponyville is in danger, please relate to me every word."
Starlight blinks and calms down a little.... "I... I dunno, mama said there was an accident, and one of the places went all BOOM and FIRE and now there are ponies in the hospital and they're kinda burnt and stuff. I wanted to go see 'cause I think nice Mister Skyheart mighta gotten hurt but mama said to stay home so's I didn't bother anypony. I dunno what happened... wait... what? The Library Princess drools on her books? But... but... but... what about the dragon? Wouldn't he burn her too? Or maybe he's not allowed 'cause they're in the Library and the books would burn?" The little pony squirms and looks confused. She doesn't know WHAT to believe now. "Is... is she... big?"
Zecora rubs her chin and glances away for just a moment, but then she merely shrugs and crosses her forelegs as she lays on the ground in front of the bed. Come to think of it, explosions aren't all *that* strange for Ponyville, and if nopony is dead there is likely no problem. Back to Twilight matters. "Oh Starlight, Twilight Sparkle is no giant. If anything, she can be *too* compliant. The size of a pony no larger than me, and her dragon is even shorter, you see. Still a baby in dragon years little Spike may be, but just as much a friend to you and me." Zecora grins, exposing shockingly white teeth for such a rustic vagrant as her. "A cure I see for your sickness of spirit: go back to Twilight with a sincere apology and she will hear it."
Starlight squirms. "Are... are you sure, Miz Zecora? I dunno... Shutterbug and Pipsqueak told me she... she... she punishes anypony ANYWHERE if they hurt a book... and, and... it was a long time ago, and it was mama's book, but... they said... she would KNOW." Starlight finishes this pronouncement and stares at Zecora with huge, scared, but no longer certain eyes. "Is it true? Does she use her magic to venge for the books? And... and... if NOT... why'd they tell me that?"
Zecora clears her throat and closes her eyes, preparing her very best 'wisdom of the day' voice to give the little filly. "Starlight, stories are made to be told. But tall tales are every day bought and sold. To frighten and entertain ponies will make a wild claim. Around Twilight Sparkle rumors abound, but only with the wisdom of friendship is the truth found. Twilight Sparkle would *never* use her magic for harm; indeed, she would much rather use it for goodness and charm. A torn book is a bitter pill, but dearer to her is friendship and mercy still."
You say "So... she might not hate me after all? And Shutterbug and Pipsqueak were lying? That's great! Maybe I can meet her and she'll be all awesome and..." Suddenly she stops talking and her eyes well up again. "But why did Shutterbug and Pipsqueak lie to me? Do THEY hate me?" Starlight looks away, studying what appears to be an incredibly interesting knot in the tree's inner wall for a few moments. "Miz Zecora, will you please help me find my way back to Ponyville? I got losted, and I wanna go home now."
"In their hearts Shutterbug and little Pip cannot hold hate; I know both colts and am certain that is not their fate. Little colts like to get the willies, and it is a game they play to get the same out of pretty fillies," Zecora says with a warm smile. "Or, perhaps they do not know Twilight like I do; so now when you speak to her, you can show them the real her too!" She stands up and nods to the door. "I know every path back to Ponyville. Stay close to me child, and I will keep away the walk's chill."
Starlight looks at Zecora uncertainly but says nothing. Looks like she's decided to take the zebra's word for all this, at least for now. She hops off the bed and shakes out, depositing a few bits of twig and bramble on the floor, then picks up the dropped cloak and brings it to Zecora. "Thank you, Miz Zecora. I dunno. I'm new. I barely know anypony yet, and if ponies are lying, I don't know what to think." She pauses at the door. "You... don't think I'm dumb for believing them, do you?"
"Knowledge is fickle and wisdom grand. To gain both requires experience and a feel for the land." Zecora leads her out, letting her keep the cloak, at least until they make it back to Ponyville city limits. She lets her hooves and tail drag over this and that leaf or plant. Some react in strange and exotic ways, glowing or changing color or even *moving.* They leave a strange trail of bioluminescence and altered leaves as they go, but soon it fades away like a shadow in daylight and evidence of their passing is utterly lost. "You are not dumb, Starlight, for believing stories so trite. Experience is not given but earned - it takes /time/ to learn what should be spurned. Keep an open mind and question daily, and soon the world will not seem so scary. Move through life like a squirrel in the brush: alert, watchful, and often hushed. It is up to /you/ to gather truthful news, so try not to let others mold your views."
Starlight follows along, watching with increasing fascination as every little change and every motion in the brush tickles her interest now instead of fear... she had barely noticed any of these things when coming out here, afraid for her very life at the infernal unforgiving hooves of the dread Library Princess! By the time they reach the outer edges of Ponyville, Starlight is trotting along next to Zecora wearing an expression one does not often see on a pony barely out of foalhood: thoughtful bemusement. "Yeah. I hope my mama wasn't looking for me. She gets real worried sometimes... because of what happened to my brother, I guess." Starlight begins to trot away toards Maple Street Medicines, then turns and runs back! She hugs Zecora as hard as her little hooves can manage. "Thank you, Miz Zecora, for the fruit and the... uh... telling me what I should do. Can I come back to visit some time? I wanna hear about your magic, 'specially what you taught the Libr... Princess Whylight."
<OOC> Starlight is not good with names, and has been telling other ponies about her encounters with Shutterfly and Rainbow Blast already...
<OOC> Zecora says, "That is adorable."
Zecora is there to receive the hug, almost like she knew the filly would come back with one. She smiles and wraps a hoof gently around the filly's back for a moment. "Let your mother know and ask Twilight to show you the way, and you may visit any time and stay." She takes a step back, and as a little show of her magic, the cloak somehow has transported from Starlight's back to Zecora's without any clue how, and it's even neatly folded. "Fare thee well, filly of light, and may the Princesses' blessings keep you from fear this night." Then all it takes is a blink, a yawn, or a short look away... and Zecora is gone.
Starlight steps back. "Whoa." Then she darts back home. Anypony nearby in the street would have had time to hear her say "Mama! Guess who I met!" followed by Lunar's voice saying "Who, dear? Goodness, what happened to your coat?!" before the door clicked shut.
