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// 59 - Leaving the Forest Behind// Story: Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone// by David Silver//------------------------------//

Fast woke with a start to discover she'd been used as a pillow. The newest pony of the group was curled against her, where it looked like she had been for some time. This confused Fast a little. Why would anyone find an armored pony a fine resting place? Despite this, there was Tabitha, happy to be snuggled up beside her. The sight faded from startling to endearing after a moment and Fast gently wrapped her hooves around the girl, holding her close as she looked over the slumbering sorcerer.

What terrible visions did Tabitha face, to come out so physically scarred? Not to say she was hideous... Well, maybe a little? Fast frowned at her own thoughts, trying to banish them. They weren't fair. Tabitha was still a good person, and not... disfigured? Surely this is what disfigured meant, the definition of the word. Still, her ears were nice and so much more expressive than human ones. Their light blue color was pleasant. 

Looking behind her, Fast snorted softly at the blond tail, trying to imagine the entire pony instead of the quasi one. Blue all over, blond mane and tail. What would her brand of destiny be? A new thought came to Fast suddenly. "Do you have one?" she asked out loud.

"Does who have what?" Maud rolled upright, gazing up at the brightening sky a moment before turning back to Fast Shadow. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Maud." Fast smiled a little. "I'd rise to greet you, but Tabitha looks too comfortable."

Tree sat up beside Maud, looking around a moment before she spotted Fast and Tabitha together and burst into a little giggle. "That's too adorable. Blessings, my friends and good morning. Want me to get some breakfast?" She rose to her hooves and stretched out. "Be right back."

Paul was the next to stir, but with the uneven pile of friends dispersing, he sat up and began to stretch out. "Mornin' everyone. No more visions, I hope?" The ponies all shook their heads quickly. He got to morning warming routines, and found Maud joining him without prompting. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah." She reached her left forehoof over to her right hind hoof in a stretch to match Paul's efforts. "You?"

"Yeah." It wasn't much, but it was more unprompted interaction than he usually had from her, and he smiled a little.

Fast gently wriggled, and it was enough to rouse Tabitha, who murmured softly as she sat up. "Oh! Sorry, Fast."

Fast pat her on the shoulder. "You're quite fine. How do you feel?"

"Unnatural." She crossed her legs and let out a huff. "What am I even?"

Fast sat herself up without the girl to hold her down. "You are clearly a pony satyr, though most I've seen had stronger pony aspects."

"Stronger?" Tabitha looked confused. "I'm not that weak, am I?"

"Not that kind of stronger." Fast waved it off. "As in more pony. Most were all pony from the hips down to their hooves, where as you're all human from the hips until suddenly, hooves. Then again, some had human ears, and you have pony ears, so it's a bit of a balancing act."

Paul whistled at them. "Hey, come join us for warmups. Whatever you are, you're gonna want to learn how to move."

"She's Tabitha," noted Maud with a little nod. "Join us."

Tree emerged from the tree line with a collection of berries balanced on her left forehoof. "Breakfast is served." Thoughts of morning routines were abandoned for a moment as each took their berry and chewed quietly a moment. Not the largest of meals by far, but it left each feeling satisfied and the tangy sweetness wasn't bad on the tongue. "I guess we'll be hoofing it today."

Fast snorted. "All but one of us literally, but I have another idea." She pointed to the southwest. "Do you see that?"

All heads turned to look where she pointed. Paul rubbed his chin. "That a glistenin' on the horizon?"

"Water," corrected Fast. "I think I know which water it may be, and it'll get us to the desert faster than hiking, and I don't feel like challenging another forest while we're on this journey."

Tree shook her head. "I don't want to worry about you all again. Let's not do that."

Maud looked down a moment. "I thought you were all dead."

Paul made a face at that. "My experience suddenly seems not as bad. Well, we're not dead, and we don't plan to be soon, so let's take Fast's idea and go with it." He looked to Fast. "How do we get to floating? You have a boat hiding?"

Fast shook her head. "I'm afraid not, but we have wood, and a full party of talented people." She slowly swept her gaze over them. "One of you might have the answer we seek?"

Tabitha raised a hand. "Who do you think built that house we left behind?"

"Your husband?" spoke Maud with a raised brow.

"No! Well, sure, they both helped in parts, but I'm the one that knows how to work wood and leather. I never made a boat before, but I know what one should look like, and I know how to coax the wood together if you get the parts." She snapped her fingers. "Wish I'd thought to bring the tools, but we'll have to work with what we got, eh?"

Fast clopped her forehooves together with the clang of metal on metal. "I knew one of you would be the hero of the day. Alright, let's get Tabitha what she needs, which is?"

Tabitha frowned with thought. "Well, wood, something to cut the wood, and something to bind the wood. A nice rough thing to sand it with would be nice. So let's get some trees, I'll be borrowing that big honkin' sword of yours, Paul, and start gathering vines and if you come across some nice goopy sap, collect that too." She clapped her hands. "Chop chop."

Tree smiled gently. "You're already becoming a princess."

Tabitha pouted at her a moment before a smile overtook her. "It's for a good cause, though maybe we should wait on this until we're closer to the water."

Fast nodded quickly. "Too right. Let's get hiking. I'm certain there will be more trees, less guarded by angry druids." She turned for the watery horizon and began hiking, and soon the others fell in line, though Tabitha kept stumbling, trying to get used to her new feet, or hooves as the case had become.

Tree looped back around to approach Tabitha. "What's harshing your vibe, little sister?"

Tabitha gathered herself back up from her latest stumble. "These hooves don't work like feet. They're not long enough I think to balance on and I kept falling over forward trying to walk. How do you manage with them?"

Tree looked down and raised each hoof in kind. "Well, I have four of them?"

"Right! So if you lean forward on your back, you have your fronts. You're already fallen over, so it's different." She took a slow step forward, then tried to form a stride, wobbling with every step. "I don't mean any offense, you ponies are lovely creatures, really, but I'm not a pony. I'm not a human anymore either." She sighed, but found Tree slipping under one of her balled hands. Tabitha took hold of her curls and supported herself with Tree Hugger, and they slowly caught up with the others.

Tree looked aside at Tabitha as they walked. "So, did the forest turn you into this? A magical transmutation against your will?"

"Well..." Tabitha rubbed behind her neck with her free hand. "The human that was there said it was in me the whole time."

Tree tilted her head. "We are the change we can become. That's a radical way of looking at it, but why?"

Tabitha started to look uncomfortable, but Tree gave a verbal prod. "If you know, share. We're here to help, little sister."

Maud slowed to be beside them. "Is she your little sister?"

Tree blinked at Maud's sudden appearance. "Oh, yeah, totally. She's like your little sister. All chipper and energetic. Even when things were totally bogus for her, she kept a smile on her face, and tried to get us to smile too. She's al--"

"I see." Maud looked up at Tabitha. "Will you be my little sister, for now? You're not Pinkie. Nopony can be Pinkie but Pinkie. You're Tabitha, but you can be my little sister while we're together."

Tabitha took ahold of Maud's mane, gently grasping it, and using both ponies as supports that made walking much easier. "I've seen you in action, Maud. It's no shame to be your little sister. If you'll accept me, then I'm happy to be both of your little sister."

Paul gestured back to them with a flick of his chin. "Listen to them, makin' family just like that."

"Mmhmm," replied Fast.

"Not like us."

"Mmhmm."

Paul fiddled with his fingers a moment. "I wouldn't be a bad brother..."

Fast looked up at him a moment, and a shadow of a smile spread over her snout. "Silly person." Her voice raised in volume. "The lot of you needs to know, we are all brothers and sisters, peers and friends. As adventurers we must stand together, ready to rally for one another against forces both physical and emotional. I said this before, but it bears repeating. I am honored to be your adventuring partner, all of you. I will accept with pride and respect any that would call me an adventuring sister, as I would call you." She held out a hoof towards Paul as the other three kept her walking. "So put 'er there, brother."

Paul met her hoof with a hand and they shook on the matter. "I never had a siblin' before."

"And now you have four, five if you count Bright Feathers." Fast looked back to the bird. "What say you, are you a part of our family?"

"Possibly."

Paul laughed, releasing Fast to use all four hooves. "That's as good an answer as we're likely to get. Welcome to the family, Bright."

They ventured forward with little opposition, but the water turned out to be farther than a day's travel, even two. They were drawing closer to it on the third day, and could see it was a vast body, with a forest tucked on the right side, north, as Fast pointed out. It went right to the edge, preventing anyone from slipping along the water and avoiding the trees.

Paul frowned at it as they hiked towards the water. "You'd think someone jus' went and did that on purpose like, to be right in the way."

"May have," agreed Fast with a nod. "Exactly why we'll go through the water and leave the trees to the birds. No offense, Bright."

