Friendship is Magic Issue 90

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #90, also titled Season 10 Episode 2 and The Farasian Shores - Part 2 and titled Zecora Returns Home - Part 2 in trade paperback, is the ninetieth issue of IDW Publishing's . It is the second installment of the comics' "Season 10", taking place after the series' season nine. In the issue, Zecora's past with her old friends is revealed just as an attack by a fearsome creature puts her home in danger.
==Summary==
The issue begins with a flashback to Zecora's childhood, when she first met Marini, Dust Devil, Cactus Rose, Medley Brook, and Crystal. The five invited the introverted and bookish Zecora to play with them, and they became friends, with Zecora using her knowledge of myths and legends to come up with new games. Zecora became fascinated with magic, even though zebras have no magical ability, and wanted to become the first zebra to learn how to use magic.
Zecora withdrew from her circle of friends to read magic books, adopted the quirk of speaking in rhyme, and discovered tales of the Earth pony healer Mage Meadowbrook. Her friends playfully teased her for her rhyming and interest in magic, and Marini tried to get her to curb her expectations. Zecora was offended by their mockery and lack of confidence in her and distanced herself from them further.
In present day, Zecora finishes telling Applejack her story, explaining why she ran away from them at the end of the previous issue. Applejack suggests that Zecora give her friends another chance, believing the years spent apart have matured them. Back in town, Rockhoof and Tempest Shadow have already acquainted themselves with Zecora's friends, and Marini reveals she is now the mayor of their village. As Marini gives Applejack and her friends the village tour, the circumstances of Zecora's departure years ago are brought up, and tensions arise. Marini, having felt abandoned when Zecora left, gives her side of the story.
Much like in Zecora's version of events, Marini invited Zecora to play with her and her friends since Zecora did not have any friends of her own and barely talked to anyone. When she became interested in magic, she stopped talking to or hanging out with them, instead focusing all of her time on reading. When Marini tried to get Zecora not to set her expectations too high, Zecora snapped at her in anger. Medley Brook admits she grew tired of Zecora always speaking in rhymes, and Crystal even admits to pulling meanspirited pranks on her.
During this arguing, the ground suddenly starts to shake, and Marini gives defense and evacuation orders to her friends. A giant serpent-like creature called the Grootslang bursts out of the ground and attacks the village, having been doing so regularly for some time. Zecora steps in to help protect her home, using potions to drive the Grootslang away with fire, and her friends are impressed. As the Grootslang moves toward the school and threatens Marini and the school students, Prince Abraxas appears to drive the Grootslang back underground with his flame-like mane.
Marini thanks Abraxas for the rescue, and Abraxas thanks Zecora for providing support, happy to see that she has returned home. Abraxas starts to leave to protect another town from another Grootslang attack, and Applejack offers the services of herself, Zecora, Tempest, and Rockhoof. Abraxas is unsure about accepting Applejack and her friends' help because it would involve pursuing the Grootslang far into the desert. Marini and the others offer to join forces with Applejack's group to stop the Grootslang once and for all.
==Quotes==
:Young Zecora: Ms. Alegre, is there no way a zebra can learn magic? Like, if they try really, really hard?
:Ms. Alegre: Zecora, sweet child. The only creatures who are rumored to be able to learn magic are unicorns. And according to legend, they only exist in the far-off, dark, monster-covered land of Equestria. They may just be a myth.
:Young Zecora: Earth ponies are mundane like us, they have not magic... and that's that, Gus?
:Young Crystal: Abraxas help us, you're rhyming on purpose.
:Young Zecora: You may be fine with being boring your whole life, Marini, but I'm not!
:Tempest Shadow: I could conquer and subjugate this place in an hour. Half an hour if I had help.
:Applejack: We're not here to conquer anyone, Tempest.
:Applejack: Y'all grew up right next to each other?
:Marini: We were like family for years, until she up and left.
:Zecora: Up and left is a mischaracterization! I won't stand for this indignation!
:Crystal: I hate to ruin the gravity of the moment, but is no one going to point out that that rhymed? This isn't contagious, is it? Because if I start bursting into song--
:Zecora and Marini: Be quiet, Crystal!
:Crystal: Oh, fine, take it out on me.
:Medley Brook: We had been friends with you for a while, but all of a sudden you were saying everything in rhyme and... do you remember that week that you decided to say everything backwards?
:Crystal: I may have caused a number of puddles to freeze just before Zecora stepped on them.
:Marini: Crystal! You never told me that!
:Crystal: We had a good thing going. We used to have so much fun together. She ruined that.
:Prince Abraxas: Be gone, foul worm! Trouble my people no more!
:Prince Abraxas: Is that... little Zecora?
:Zecora: That it is, just as you see, I have returned, your Majesty.
:Zecora: If there is a mystery that must be solved, my friends and I must be involved.
:Prince Abraxas: But it is a long travel, Zecora. I could not expect four who are not familiar with the desert to take on such a task alone.
:Marini: They won't have to. We'll go with them.
==References==
Category:Season 10