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// 44 - Moving Through Opposition// Story: Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone// by David Silver//------------------------------//

They rose the next morning. Fast inspected everyone's gear to make sure it was ready for the impending conflict, tugging at straps and  and adjusting plates as needed. Even Tree was forced to armor up despite her protests.

"It stifles my chakras, man."

Fast patted her on the shoulder. "You'll at least still have chakras at the end of the day for it."

Maud had no special gear, and stood quietly at the ready. Tree pointed at her. "You're not making her do this at all. It's discrimination."

Fast nodded. "That's true, and it is, but not without reason. Any armor I gave her would slow her down. She'll roll with a strike better than your armor could ever hope to work. That's a damned impressive skill, and not one I can have her teach you in the time we have. Besides, it's not much your style."

She turned towards their guest. "Tabitha, your entire job of the day is to survive. We want to get you home. This means staying back. I'd send you off to hide, but this damnable plain has precious few places to do that in."

Tree nodded. "I'm ready for this trippy fight, so my energies are not even balanced for the camp hiding spell, sorry, new girl."

Tabitha waved it off. "With a bunch of heroes at my side? I'm ready to see the looks of fear on their faces as you send them running for whatever hole they crawled out of!" Placing her fists at her hips, she looked them all over. "You are adventurers, right?"

Paul chuckled softly. "I think yer confusin' adventuring fer heroin'. Ain't the same thin' at all, miss."

She waggled a finger at him. "There is, but you done crossed that line when you decided to do what's right instead of just what gets treasure."

Fast let out a little sigh. "Right. I suppose you've caught me there. As it turns, doing you a favor is right along our path, so let's be efficient about this, hmm?" She turned to Tree. "Go as a bird and survey the situation. If one of them starts pointing an arrow at you, get out and don't look back. Take Bright with you." She regarded the bird. "You two can speak when you're like that, I think?"

Tree nodded quickly. "We can. It'll be nice to catch up with him." She extended a hoof that he hopped out onto, then gently set him on the ground before she began to shrink rapidly, becoming a second black bird before the first.

Tabitha giggled with a growing smile. "I've never seen so much magic since... ever, I suppose."

Tree cawed at her, the words of birds lost on the human, but clear enough to her ally. She ascended into the air with Bright following behind, flying off into the distant west quickly.

Fast nodded. "Right, this'll be our chance to show we've put our practice to real use and internalized it."

"Time for another spar?" Paul put a hand on his large blade.

"Neigh." Fast shook her head slowly before she flipped up the visor of her helmet. "We need to be fresh and ready. Sparring's for when the fighting's over, not just before it when we're dealing with deadly weapons."

Bright flew a small distance beyond Tree. "Why don't you be a bird more?"

Tree was quiet a moment. "Well, for first, I can't. For second, who would carry you around and feed you?"

Bright nodded a little. "Two excellent points. You're smaller than me now."

Tree veered a little to the right, seeing the farmhouse ahead with some crops still growing around it. "Where did you learn that word, by the way?"

"What word?"

"Possibly."

"I learned it from listening. I am very good at two-leg words, yes?"

"Very. If you could learn more words, we could talk more often." Sweeping her eyes over the field, she counted about six of the orcs wandering around. Patrolling perhaps? The inside of the house was impossible to see from that angle, so she flew in to land on the roof of the house with Bright beside her. 

The orcs were talking to one another, but it was the strange language they had, not the common tongue that everyone else shared, at least all the bipeds Tree had found so far. She suddenly felt grateful that Equestrian seemed to match up with it and shuddered to imagine being lost in this world without being able to talk at all.

Another orc emerged, dressed in long flowing skins from at least a dozen different species, with teeth and tusks all protruding at odd angles. He bellowed something at them and clapped his hands together, growling more than talking as he seemed to boss the other orcs around, then stomped angrily back into the house.

"They like their new nest." Bright tilted his head down at them.

Tree nodded slowly. "But it doesn't belong to them."

"They took it. It is theirs now." Bright sounded confused at the idea that it would be otherwise.

Tree tilted her head at Bright. "We'll take it back."

"Then it will be ours." He gave his wings a little flutter. "Keep it?"

"No, not keep it." Tree looked back down. "Give it to Tabitha."

"New one? Why give her such a big gift?"

Tree smiled, which was more a posture than an actual facial expression as a bird. "You gave me a nice gift when we first met."

"I was hoping to find new lady friend, maybe make chicks?" He leaned forward. "Nothing is free."

Tree reached a wing towards Bright. "And you found a lady friend, who gives food and company. That wasn't bad, was it?"

"No." He nodded. "We help her, she give us food and shelter?"

Tree gave a raven-like fit of laughter, but that drew unwanted attention. One of them drew a bow with alarming speed and let the arrow loose. Bright jumped in the way and the arrow barely grazed him, unable to pierce his enhanced hide. "We go!"

No arguments were had and they took off as one, ascending as they flew away as quickly as they could, lest another arrow find a more sure mark. "Thanks, dude. That was a most excellent save. Let's tell the others what we saw."

Bright cawed in a loud noise of no particular meaning. "You tell. They don't understand bird words. Their loss."

As the camp came back into view, Tree edged a bit closer to Bright. "I don't understand bird words too, most of the time. I hope you learn our silly words. You're worth talking to."

They landed as one, though one quickly became a pony again, and the other landed on her head without asking.

Fast smiled. "You look like you made it without catching arrows."

"Just one." Tree nodded softly. "Bright took care of it. There are about a dozen of them, I think. Their leader's dressed in totally gnarly animal hides all over, teeth and horns and stuff." She tapped her chin lightly. "He didn't look as big and powerful as the others."

Tabitha leaned forward. "What about my house? They didn't burn it or anything, right?"

"Nah dude." She waved a hoof. "They're totally copping out and bumming around your house. We'll get it back for you."

Fast turned to the west. "Good. How were they armed?"

"Some bows, lots of sharp swords."

"Can you be more specific?"

Tree frowned faintly. "Swords are swords, man..."

"Right..." Fast sighed softly. "Alright, their leader has a strength that isn't physical. If he didn't have a strength, the orcs would probably tear him apart. Likely a spellcaster, at a guess." She looked back at Tree with a raised brow. "Did he make any preaching motions, wave a holy symbol around, or, you know, priest things?"

Tree shook her head. "Nothing like that."

"Damn. We're flying blinder than I'd like." She frowned a little then lowered her visor. "Alright. If you see him, he's the priority. Maybe seeing their leader cut down will drive the rest away, that'd suit me just fine." She suddenly clopped her metal shoes together. "Ah! Tree, tell me you can make some powerful light."

She nodded. "Sure can. Why?"

"Simple." She turned to the others. "If we're thrown into darkness, don't panic." She turned back to Tree. "How long will it go?"

"Maybe an hour?" She tilted her head. "You haven't laid it on me. I don't grok."

Fast plucked a small rock from the ground. "Cast it on this, tuck it under your armor, and pull it out if things get dark. You may save our hides. I'm no orc expert, but they like dark, and we can't see in it. I'm not wearing my crown into battle."

"You have a crown?!" Tabitha gawked at Fast with new fascination. "Are you a princess? Oh my gosh! Your highness." She bowed properly to Fast, making her blush terribly.

"Stop that! I'm no princess, and our goal is a queen, no princess." Fast half turned away, shuffling as anxiety built.

"You are too." Tabitha crossed her arms. "It's your crown. Why would you have a crown if you weren't royalty?"

"It's not my crown."

"You just said it was." She raised a brow and leaned all the further in, looking smug in her victory.

Fast grunted. "Look, we'll settle that later. Right now, your home is in danger, and these orcs are still in our way. How about we focus on that first, then get back to crowns and queens and things?"

Tabitha turned to Paul. "You heard what I did, didn't you? She's obviously a princess of the fey, on the run in these dangerous lands." She gasped dramatically. "But she took time out of her busy and dramatic life, for me?" She span on Fast. "I'm so grateful! You are the kindest, gentlest fey I've ever heard of."

Paul reached for her hesitantly, hand approaching her shoulder. "Maybe you should ease up on her, eh? You're goin' to get her all riled up if ya keep callin' her what she isn't like that."

Fast cleared her throat. "Besides, it was Tree Hugger that mended your wounds and cleaned you when you were scared and harried from your desperate fleeing journey."

Tabitha frowned a little. "I'm being such a dunderhead." She dropped to a knee in front of Tree Hugger, reaching for one of her forehooves. "Thank you, priest of the horse people."

Tree edged backwards, but her hoof was grabbed and held fondly. "It's... cool, man. Blessings on you, but please, personal space."

Maud stepped closely, moving between Tree and Tabitha, locking her with her intense, yet indifferent, gaze. "It's time for a new game."

"Huh? What kind?"

"The first to speak, loses. The winner will receive..." She pulled out a bar of soap and dropped it into a hoof. "This."

Despite it being fairly normal looking soap, it seemed to catch her attention. "Alright, you're on. Starting... now." She made a motion of locking her lips and stood still.

Their attack could begin.