The Port City Ekaris

[Gabrielle]

"Don't know many young girls who wouldn't want a pony."
Then again, Zora weren't like most young girls. Most young girls didn't carry around sticks with magic light at the end or do most of the things that Zora was able to do.
"It isn't that bad, Zora. Trust me. You'll be glad to have her."

[Ayen]

"Don't know many young girls who wouldn't want a pony."

“Then you may kindly hand it over to one of them. I'm sure it would make them very happy.”

"It isn't that bad, Zora. Trust me. You'll be glad to have her."

“Gabrielle, seriously. I am putting my foot down.”

[Gabrielle]

Gabrielle stopped and turned around to face Zora with an amused smile on her face.
"Let me get this straight..."
Gabrielle started to move towards the witch.
"You are putting your foot down..."
And stopped directly in front of Zora and looked down towards the shorter girl.
"On me?"

[Ayen]

"Let me get this straight..."

Zora gulped and the color in her cheeks started to fade away the closer the Traveling Bard got to her.

"You are putting your foot down..."

The young witch started to back away from Gabrielle, looking more frightened by the second as her back was now pressed up against the nearby wall.

"On me?"

Zora was beginning to shake as she looked back up at Gabrielle. In the face of that fear was a tiny shimmer of bravery trying to leak through. The young witch pointed at Gabrielle again and opened her mouth to speak –

---

Zora sat on the straddle placed on the pony. An irritable expression ever so present on her facial features as they left the port city. She could feel her skin crawling while sat on top of the creature as they moved, but there were little she could do about it aside from whine. And whine she did.

“This sucks!”

[Gabrielle]

"You're going to be just fine."
Gabrielle turned her head to look over her shoulder at Zora and then turned away to conceal the amused smile on her face at the witch's reaction to the pony. The bag containing their stuff was tied to Gabrielle's horse while a smaller one was tied to Zora's. Steering her horse, Gabrielle began to lead them north on the path for Xanarnis.

[Ayen]

"You're going to be just fine."

“Where are you going?”

Asked Zora as she came to a stop on her pony.

“The direction of the school is this way.”

The young witch pointed east, obviously eager to follow the trail to the magic school sooner than later.

[Gabrielle]

Gabrielle turned her horse around slightly in order to address Zora.
"Zora, I promise we'll check out the school but first we need to get to Xanarnis. The school will always be there but Xena may not."

[Ayen]

"Zora, I promise we'll check out the school but first we need to get to Xanarnis. The school will always be there but Xena may not."

Logically Gabrielle was in the right, but Zora wasn't one to think logically. She was afraid that if Gabrielle reunited with Xena now then they would abandon her and she'd never see her school. She'd be all alone in Merlin only knows where.

“Gabrielle, please! I need to see that school now!”

[Gabrielle]

Gabrielle observed Zora more closely, the panicked expression and the sweat poured down her face. She was clearly worried about something but the Traveling Bard couldn't place what. Gabrielle jumped down from her horse and walked over to Zora's side on her place on the pony.
"What's the matter? What is it you aren't telling me?"

[Ayen]

"What's the matter? What is it you aren't telling me?"

Zora didn't know what to say. She was usually pretty good at lying to people but for once she was at a lost for words. The only thing she could think of doing was to make Gabrielle chase her to the magic school and hope she could stall her there long enough to make her forget about Xena.

“I'm sorry.”

Zora kicked her pony to get it to move and steered it in the direction she knew the school to be in as she hurried off.

[Gabrielle]

"Zora!"
Gabrielle watched Zora ran off on her pony and quickly made it back to her horse to give chase. The Traveling Bard had no idea what the girl was thinking but she wasn't about to leave the witch off on her own like this. Gabrielle smacked the back of her horse with her right hand as much as possible to make it go faster in order to catch up with the witch.

[Ayen]

"Zora!"

Zora rode her pony as fast as she could but regardless of how fast it could go it was no match for the much older horse with longer legs allowing Gabrielle to easily catch up to the young witch. She turned her head to see Gabrielle coming up to her side and desperately did her best to get this blasted pony moving faster regardless of how futile it was.

[Gabrielle]

What had gotten into this girl? It was no secret that Zora was the selfish sort but this wasn't her usual selfish behavior shinning through. She was afraid of something but what on earth did she have to be afraid of? Gabrielle came up to Zora's right and kept the speed of her horse down to stay at the same pace as the pony. She could easily cut Zora off but she didn't want to have to do that if she could help it.
"Zora! Pull over!"

[Ayen]

"Zora! Pull over!"

Zora shook her head. That stubbornness of hers shinning through like it always did in these situations, refusing to give up when there was no chance of a victory in sight. Not that the young witch saw much of a victory in this to begin with but like with everything else Zora would have to learn her lesson the hard way.

“No!”

[Gabrielle]

Gabrielle sped up her horse and moved on out ahead of Zora, turning slightly to the left and now blocking Zora's path on the road to force her to a sudden stop.