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// 49 - To the Future// Story: Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone// by David Silver//------------------------------//

Tree and Tabitha spent time together through much of the day. Though their magic came from different sources, they could speak of what it felt like to hold and channel, and practice together.

Tree nodded softly at Tabitha. "Isn't it totally cosmic? I listen to the song of the trees, then sing what I want them to do, and they do it." She tilted her head. "I'm getting better at phrasing it. If it's way too big, the words get tangled, and they don't listen to me. If I sing too much in a day, my throat gets sore, and they stop listening." She pointed a thoof at Tabitha. "What's it like for you?"

Tabitha seemed to consider this a moment before she struck an imperious pose. "By the power of princesshood, let there be light!" She lifted her hands and several motes appeared around them as she went, circling and orbiting around her in various colors. She giggled with delight and waved at Tree, silently willing them to orbit her, and they did. "I just imagine what a princess should do and act, and if I do it right, it works."

Tree's eyes followed one of the motes a moment. "Righteous... But you can't do anything, can you? Do princesses normally have a lot of magic?"

Tabitha suddenly looked a little lost. "Well, I'm not really sure. I confess, I never met a princess before I ran into you ponies."

Tree blinked slowly. "We don't have any princesses."

Tabitha waved the denial off. "Come off of that. Fast is totally your princess. She even has a crown! You listen to what she says, and she takes charge. She's like a perfect princess!"

Tree clopped her forehooves together lightly. "If that makes your wave, Tabitha. Are you a princess now?"

Tabitha tapped a foot on the ground. "I'm learning to be one. I'm like a little princess, just a bit older than I should be. A real princess would be this far as a toddler and be a matron of magic by the time she was my age." She smiled. "Or so I think. I have to play catchup." A slightly hysterical giggle escaped from her. "But I get to try! I can't believe this." She threw her arms up in the air. "Show me how to do magic better."

"My magic isn't your magic," confessed Tree. "I want to help. Do you even know the language of the earth?" She suddenly began speaking the language of sliding stones, of tectonic shifts, of the worm burrowing through soil. It was a slow language, deep and methodic.

Tabitha frowned at it. "A princess should know any language that comes before her." She clasped her hands together. "Powers of royalty be true, let me understand it." Unbidden and unasked, a few strange words of the language of pure magic bubbled free from her lips, and the slow language started to become clear to her. She grinned with unrestrained joy, and tried to reply, but the understanding was only one way. Speaking it was nothing more than random grumblings. She didn't know how to form the words or the sentences.

Tree stopped and perked her ears at Tabitha. "You could understand it?"

"I could! Try another, please."

Tree tapped her chin. "The language of water, like rain falling to feed a thirsty tree, and a river full of fish." She switched languages to a flowing one that almost felt wet. Every word flowing from one to the next in a slippery fashion as she spoke. It was, in some ways, a primitive language, but graceful as water could be.

And Tabitha could understand it. She couldn't hope to repeat it without all the boring work of anyone learning a language, but she could hear it and understand Tree's little rain song. "It's pretty. You have a nice singing voice."

With a smile, Tree bowed lightly. "Thanks, but I'm no real singer, not like that. You should hear Fluttershy. Now that's a voice that could tame a wild bear." She leaned forward a little. "I could listen to her all day."

Tabitha suddenly leaned forward. "Do you like her?"

"Of course, she's a friend."

"No, like like her." Grinning widely, Tab set her hands on her hips. "You do!"

Tree went dark in her cheeks as she looked away. "Stop that! We're friends and peers. I respect her, dude. She's totally awesome at what she does. We're both, hmm, druids, by this world's logic. She watches the animals, and I the plants." She placed a hoof on her chest. "See?"

"I see you're smitten with her." Tabitha crouched down to Tree's level. "And that's alright. Fey creatures can be like that if they want to be."

Tree's look went from indignation to confusion quickly. "Be like what?"

Tabitha rolled a hand. "You know, that. A woman liking a woman, or a man liking a man."

Tree tilted her head slowly. "What's a man, man?"

Tabitha blinked at that. "You just used the word. Paul is a man. I am a woman. Male, female."

"Ohh." Tree's eyes widened before they relaxed to their usual half-mast. "Dude, why would that matter?"

Tabitha rolled her shoulders. "To the fey? Not at all, I guess."

Tree pointed a hoof at Tabitha. "But for you?"

Tabitha took her turn to darken a little, pink hints in her cheek. "I was raised to look for a strong and good man." She flopped back from her crouch, seated in the grass. "And look where it's gotten me so far, and them." She hugged her knees. "It wasn't right for either of us."

The door to the house opened and Fast emerged with Paul at her side. She spotted the two of them and smiled. "Ah, Tabitha, Tree, working on something?"

Tree waved at Fast lightly. "Comparing our magic, and talking, you know, mare stuff."

Tabitha burst into giggles. "I'm not a mare."

Paul shrugged at the antics. "I thought you wanted to be."

Tabitha flashed a bright smile at him. "Then I accept. We were discussing important mare things."

Fast snorted with a touch of a smile on her snout. "I'm glad you're getting along. We're going to be together for a while, and if we want to survive to see the pony lands, we need to be united." She turned to Paul. "That includes you."

Paul put up his hands. "What? I'm doing my part."

"You are." Fast raised a brow. "But set aside your objections of Tabitha. She's one of us, help her rise to the challenge, and she'll help us survive. We are a single unit, and we'll thrive as a harmonious whole or die alone."

"Right, right." He gestured towards Tabitha while giving her a hard look. "So what can you do?"

She frowned with thought before she did a slow turn. "I shouldn't zap new friends, even if they are being loud."

He frowned at that. "Hey, I can take whatever you can dish out, pony princess."

"Just remember he said that," half sung Tabitha before she twirled around with the motion of hurling a ball at Paul. 

It slammed into his chest, making him grunt softly. "Huh, like a magic rock." He rubbed over the armor that did nothing to prevent the arcane bolt. "I don't think yer gonna be stoppin' any chargin' orcs with that, still, better than nothin', I reckon."

Fast clanged her metal-clad hooves together. "Quite good for a spellcaster only a day emerged. Still, no more targeting our friends unless we are specifically sparring." She flashed a smile. "And you'll get your turn with that eventually."

Paul burst into laughter. "You'll subject her to that? You must hate her."

Fast raised a brow. "I should think not. Everyone gets a turn. Speaking of which, today's a fine day for Tree Hugger. On your hooves and get dressed in your armor. Let's get you moving properly."

Tree paled lightly as she rose up. "M-me? I don't want to fight, man. You'll kill me on the first strike."

"Possibly."

"Not helping, Bright."

He didn't look at all sorry for his word.

Fast nudged Tree along back into the house to get her armor on, leaving Paul and Tabitha alone.

Paul approached, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets. "So, a wizard huh?"

"Something like that." She smiled. "I prefer 'princess'."

"Princess of ponies?"

Her smile turned into an outright grin. "Yes, especially that!" She wriggled her fingers and the dancing motes of lights came to dance around those digits. "I'm still learning right now, but you can't do this."

He tapped the hilt of the great sword on his back. "And you couldn't swing this without falling over."

Tabitha circled him to look at the blade. "I bet I could pick it up, but I don't know the first thing about using a sword, let alone one that big. You were cutting quite a figure, slicing that about yesterday."

Her compliment earned her a blush from his cheeks. "Oh, really?"

She suddenly reached for his right arm, resting a hand on it. "Look, I know I'm kinda barging in here, but I'll be trying my best, honest. You can keep the shiny things we find if you want, I just want a chance."

His blush deepened at her contact and he drew away from her. "Yeah, sure. If Fast says you could have what it takes, fine." He turned on her. "Just don't expect us to take it easy on you. Adventurin's tough work. You were there, you saw us almost die. You want to be part of that?"

She clasped her hands together in front of herself, arms lowered. "If it means facing towards the danger, and doing something about it, instead of running." She tapped her cheek lightly. "Being able to be with the ponies doesn't hurt at all either."

Paul rolled his eyes. "Did ya used to raise horses or somethin'? This don't look like no ranch."

Before she could answer, Fast emerged with a nervous-looking Tree Hugger alongside her, wearing her plated armor. "Do we have to do this? You know I don't like getting close."

Fast looked aside at Tree as she led her towards a clear plot of land. "Good, then keep me away from you. Monsters won't obey your requests, no matter how polite, to leave you be. Make them."

Paul leaned towards Tabitha. "You wanna see somethin' worth seeing? Let's watch this."

Tabitha raised a brow as her eyes settled on the two. Fast was speaking something, advice from the sound of it, then suddenly poked Tree with her lance, getting a yelp of pain.

"Uncool! That really hurt!"

Fast rolled a hoof. "Good, then you should avoid that. You can strike me back for it, or just keep avoiding it. Your choice. Neither is entirely wrong, but avoiding is hoping one of us is nearby and will save you."

Tree gained many fresh cuts and prods that day, but perhaps something was learned.