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// 29 - Window Home// Story: Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone// by David Silver//------------------------------//

They withdrew to the secret room with the Sun Queen's altar and took a breather. Sore, worn, and drained of rather vital substances, they quietly chewed on their rations and tried to rest it off.

Flint leaned back on a wall. "I wonder how old this place is, ya know? Maybe it's from before that there empire of yers. Did your old empress wear this crown?"

Fast shook her head at Flint. "No, she was in the right place at the right time, and her special nature shone through. She was a hybrid, right when we needed to bring our quarreling tribes together. I couldn't tell you much more than that, but I don't remember a crown being involved." A brow raised lightly. "She was a Queen, by the way, not an empress."

"She ruled an empire, makes her a bloody empress." He shrugged. "Didn't like the title? Guess that's one of the perks ah being in charge and all."

Paul nudged his friend. "She can call herself whatever she wants. If I was in charge, I could be the empress if I wanted to."

He snorted at the proposition. "Oh, always dreamed of bein' a lady now have ya?"

Tree put up a hoof at them. "Please. Our friends need their rest." She suddenly perked up and pulled one of the incenses she had taken before out. "Now's a good time for one of these. Let's mellow out with some soothing aromas." She set the stick down and nodded as she quickly got it to burning with a soft pearly smoke.

Tree Hugger took a slow breath and felt herself go limp in all the right ways. "Righteous... This is some prime herbs." She pulled her hindlegs under herself as she got into a cross-legged stance and was soon lost to meditation. The scent seemed inoffensive to the others.

Maud tilted her head at the peaceful Tree before looking towards Fast. "What does she like about it?"

Fast shrugged. "Your guess is as good as any. Your friend has a fondness for smells that please her, just as you are drawn to rocks. Neither is wrong, it is simply who you are, and how you are different. Plants draw to her." She gestured at the burning incense. "Would you not like a scent formed of minerals, I wonder?"

Maud looked thoughtful a moment. "Charcoal or sulfur can be used as incense."

Paul sat forward. "Ah, the smell of charcoal, especially under properly preparin' meat? Now that's something worth thinkin' about!"

There was no charcoal, or meat to prepare, and the thought faded from the group as they sank closed to sleep. Only Tree Hugger remained semi-awake in her thoughts, and time passed peacefully until her eyes fluttered open, green swirling around her hooves. Bright Feathers landed before her and gave a soft caw. She reached for him and the green flowed powerfully through him on contact, vanishing from sight. "Good morning, little dude. I understand now..."

With a yawn, Flint was the first other to stir. "What's that yer understandin'?"

Tree rose to her hooves, and Bright quickly flapped up onto her back. "So many things. The song of the trees has opened to me, like I can see another bar in the sheet of music they play. How many bars are there? That's so trippy to even think about..." She smiled placidly. "Does it still hurt?"

He snorted. "A proper archer shouldn't be hurtin', or things done gone wrong. You put that attention ta Fast and Maud. They were the ones tanglin' with the beast."

"Good call." Tree approached her equine friends who were stirring, likely from their conversation. "Good morning. Where does it sting? I'm here to make it all better."

Fast smiled as she sat up on her haunches. "Having someone capable of the healing arts is a blessing in any party. Where the damn thing bit me is still sore and open. Whatever it did to our insides has left us feeling tired, but it's already better than when we went to sleep, right Maud?"

Maud nodded as she hopped up to her feet. "I feel better."

Tree set a hoof against Fast's wound. "Song of the trees, a little healing if you please." The normal soft pulse of green was replaced with a bright burst.

Fast's eyes widened and her leg twitched softly as the bite mark on it faded quickly. "Your magic's gotten stronger. Did something happen overnight?"

Tree tilted her head. "That didn't feel like it was all me, you know?" She tapped her chin. "The only difference..." She drew out her incense and set it down, staring at it a moment. "Maybe they did it. I did hear the treesong so well last night."

"Whatever it is, thank you for it." Fast tested each leg in turn. "I feel much better, now see to Maud. She won't admit it, but she was torn nearly in half trying to keep that beast in check."

Maud shook her head. "I'm fine."

Despite her words, Tree looked over her friend, spotting no small amount of vicious looking and barely scabbed over wounds. "Maud... Sister of stone, you have to tell me when it hurts, even if you think it isn't so bad." She put a hoof on Maud's shoulder. "For me, please? Like, I really care about you, and I'd be really sad if you got sick or hurt even more trying to be brave for us." With a quickly intoned spell, she banished the worst of Maud's injuries. "It's like I'm singing the tree song in perfect pitch today..."

Fast suddenly perked up. "I know what those are! Under Score, an associate of mine, once paid a small fortune for two of those. They make your magic run at maximum power for a day. Each one's worth a king's ransom." She walked over to the pile and peered at them. "You have six more! Six! Sun Queen be praised! Even one of these could pay for my lost equipment." Despite her efforts, a grin wouldn't leave her face. "Half of our problems just went away. The Sun Queen truly provides!" She suddenly hesitated. "Uh, Tree, are you alright parting with these? These are yours... I won't steal from a companion."

Tree Hugger gave a slow grin. "Radical... If it can help you, then yes, please. Singing the song better for a day is nothing compared to giving a needed hoof to a friend trying to get such righteous work done."

Fast tossed herself at Tree, hugging her tightly. "Bless you!" She turned back to Paul and Flint. "Don't think I've forgotten about you! With the money we can secure with this, you two will be outfitted properly." She focused on Paul. "You will be not only an official adventurer, but you'll look the part, and be prepared."

Tree accepted the hug and even reached to return it, squeezing Fast gently and silencing her. "We won't need it when we go back. Now that we have the crown, we have to look for a way back."

Fast blinked, her bout of cheer leaking from her. "Oh... of course, my friends... Come, let's see if we can find the passage back to your own realm." She nudged the door to their safe haven open and walked through, eyes downcast.

Tree quickly gathered the incense back up before chasing after Fast, with the others following after her. "You knew we had to go, Fast Shadow. We got your totally radical crown back. Please don't be mad and things."

Fast twitched an ear back at Tree. "I'm not angry. You've been nothing but kind, loyal, and good friends. Who wouldn't be a little sad to see such a boon companion go, let alone two, perhaps never to return?" She shook herself out. "But forget that. You deserve to get home."

Maud moved up beside Fast as they trotted. "I'll find a rock that looks like you."

Fast quirked a smile at that. "That sounds perfectly like you. I will seek a rock that reminds me of your indomitable spirit."

Flint shrugged softly. "Let's not rush to say our farewells until we even know yer goin'. Now where'd ya both come in from?"

They found the original room they came into Everglow from and began poking around, but it wasn't a very large room, nor did it have much in it. Paul kept trying to recover the few books there, but they fell to bits of ash and soot on contact. He picked them up anyway, and shook them out, eventually finding one that still had a lone page remaining in it. "Here we go!"

"Well, what's it say?" asked Flint.

Paul closed the book. "Well, uh, ah never learned how to read... Not much use fer a farmer."

Tree approached with a little smile. "It's cool, man. Lay that down here." She pointed at the floor before herself. "Let me see." When Paul set the book open for her, she began sweeping her purple eyes over it. "Woah man. It isn't just you. I can't grok this at all."

Fast hurried over. "Hmm? Sylvan. I thought all ponies knew sylvan." She caught herself and put a hoof to her face. "All ponies from Everglow, of course, sorry." She pulled the book over and read quickly. "It's an old fable about dragons from a far away land coming to help a pony princess to save her town from a spreading fire before they went home."

Tree clopped her hooves. "I get it."

Flint raised a brow. "That makes one of us. Care ta share?"

Tree pointed at Maud. "We are the dragons. Not literally, but symbolically. We're here to help the princess." She pointed at Fast. "Then we get to go home."

Fast blinked softly. "I don't like being called a princess, but if helping me gets you home, I'd be delighted and honored to have you a little longer." She chuckled softly. "I'm reminded of Under Score again. Fellow always said his god would speak to him through books, and here we are.

Paul smiled. "Whatever the reason, ah'm glad you're staying with us, Maud and Tree. You're a part of our group. I don't really know what Ah'd do without ya two."

Fast moved to lead the way out, but found Maud had beaten her to the hallway. She looked back at Fast and nodded. "Let's go." No argument or support was offered, just a quiet show to the crumbled stairs heading to the surface. They climbed slowly and carefully and emerged to find their horses absent. The ropes that had secured them were gone. There was no sign of their steeds.

With a sigh, Fast began to hike back towards the city of wizards. "We're hoofing it."

Paul hiked beside Flint. "Can we do that? We don't got no hooves."

"Paul, sometimes you crack me up. Tell me that was a joke."

Paul had the sense to go with it. "'Course it was." They shared a laugh, though one of them might have been forcing the motion a little.