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// 36 - Back to the Wilds// Story: Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone// by David Silver//------------------------------//

Properly outfitted, Paul and Fast discovered landing telling blows on one another more of a challenge, especially once Fast began drilling Paul in how to properly deflect and turn away or into blows when appropriate to maximize what he wore to his advantage.

Maud had her final day with San, crossing hoof to hand. San bowed to her during one of their breaks. "I will miss your company."

She tilted her head at him. "Really?"

"You have an elegance often missing."

Maud settled on her haunches. "I'm not elegant."

"I disagree." He took the fighting stance. "Your every swing speaks volumes."

"Swings don't talk." Maud frowned a little at him with confusion.

"They do, in your case. You can express yourself through battle. You train to protect. You train to learn more of yourself, even if you aren't aware of that yet." He took a swing at her that she ducked around and brought up a hoof towards his extended arm. He dodged as nimbly as she, and their dance resumed. "You may not understand people, and they may not understand you at times, but there is no mistaking the intent behind your actions."

Maud caught his next swing and pulled him off balance, but he kicked up in a sudden flip and landed on her shoulders, tapping her on the head before bouncing off. He was still far better than she. "You're getting angry." She looked up to him as he spoke and realized he was right. She let the anger go with a little breath. "That's right. Even if you don't show it, you still have emotions, friend. There's nothing wrong with that, even if we must set it aside in the heat of the moment."

He landed before her. "I have a gift for you."

Maud blinked and tilted her head curiously. The gesture seemed to amuse him as he smiled. "Something to protect you in your travels, and to replace that tattered frock of yours." With a flip of his hand, a new garment appeared in it as if by magic, or at least deft movement. "Try it on."

Maud settled on her haunches and reached for it, unfolding the cloth and looking it over. It was cut to be similar to her usual frock, but blended in the style of the monk. It reminded her of him, and she felt herself smile a moment. "Thank you. We're leaving, San Wei."

"I know. May you find peace and understanding." He bowed low before her, and quietly walked away.

Quietly, she shucked off her frock, torn and ragged from her time in Everglow, and pulled the new one over her form before threading her tail through the slot provided. She looked herself over a moment before trotting towards Tree Hugger. "How does it look?"

Tree smiled brightly a moment. "Where did you get that, sister? It's totally out of this world! It really suits you."

Her excited comment drew over the others, who all agreed that Maud's new outfit was nice. Fast tilted her head, then looked to Tree. "Is it magic?"

Tree blinked. "It was a gift. There's like no way he'd..." Her eyes went unfocused a moment. "No way! That was totally radical!"

"What is it?" Fast tilted her head. "What magic is it?"

"I have no idea, but it is magic. Its aura is vibrant and bright."

Maud looked around slowly, but saw no hint of her friend. "Thank you." Though her words might never reach him, she felt better for repeating them. "We should go."

Paul swung his blade around and hung it on his back. "Ready when you all are. We're picking up horses, right?"

Fast tapped at her chin. "Spending the rest of the day making sure everyone's actually comfortable on their horse sounds like a great idea. Let's get moving."

Finding horses, and paying for them, was simple enough. Learning to ride, not something that could be done in a day, for most of them. Even Fast, who had ridden them previously, proved awkward in her new metal shell.

Paul, on the other hand, seemed to pick it up well. "Tree, why don't you ride with me?"

Tree gave a relieved smile. "Can I? Thanks, dude." She hopped up behind him, thankful to not have to guide the great beast on her own.

Fast tapped her chin. "Perhaps it'd be best if I doubled up as well. Are you alright with this, Maud?"

Maud shrugged lightly. "If it's easier. Can the horse hold us both?"

Fast brought up a hoof to clang on the shoulder of her suit. "We'd best trade in for heavy war horses. We'll need stronger horses over the fastest, much as I'd prefer the speed." They guided the horses back to their previous owner and swapped out for two of the strongest horses he had.

"You take care of them, they'll take care of you. They're both bred to keep calm in the thick of a fight, so they'll listen if you keep a firm hand, or hoof I guess." He waved them off as they set off in two pairs on their new mounts.

They gathered supplies for themselves and their mounts. Carrying the feed seemed far more feasible when the horses would be carrying them instead of Tree Hugger in the form of a raven. "Let's try to feed them with the gift of the trees when we can, to make it stretch."

Fast nodded to the idea. "Excellent thinking. Feed's heavy and not free, the longer we can make it last, the better off we'll be. Paul, anything else you want before we head out tomorrow morning?"

Paul considered it a moment. "Can ya take down a litter fer me? Ah know Flint can read just fine."

So Paul wrote him a letter, with Fast's help.

Hey Flint,

	I hope that noble lady's treating you right. We're setting out tomorrow. Can you believe it? I'm headed to the pony country. A whole country, filled with little horses! I'll try not to make a right arse of myself while I'm there, and help Fast Shadow do what she came all the way here to do.

	I haven't forgotten what you said. Is she writing what I say? Hey, s--The page became a splatter of ink about here--

Looking forward ta seein' ya,
Paul

Fast set the quill down with a roll of her eyes. "I was trying to fix your grammar as I wrote."

"I didn't want my grammar fixed none, just written down." He crossed his arms. "They're words between men. He knows what I sound like. No reason t'try and hide that or nothing."

Fast directed a clad hoof at him. "Learn to write then, then you can write in whatever words you like. Until then, my senses are offended trying to write it that way, so deal with it." She rose up with the soft clanks of her armor. "Now, if you want advice on how to write, I'll be happy to share, but otherwise, don't complain."

Tree looked between the two. "It's all cool, dudes. We all want to express ourselves in our special way."

"No... she's right." Paul threw up his hands. "I can't go and ask her fer help writin' and complain how she does it when I ain't even payin' her fer it."

They sent the letter out on their way out of town the next morning. Fed, stocked, mounted, and as prepared as they felt they were going to be with the funds they had left, they set out of the city of Greegate, leaving its heavy floating walls and alien runes behind. The way seemed clear, riding out into clear plains that allowed them to see for what felt like forever. Unlike the forest, few things would be able to surprise them there.

Paul chuckled softly at some private thought that he shared quickly enough, "Flint would hate this. Reckon he'd prefer to stay in the forest, given the choice. Ah kinda like it though." He guided his horse along a faint trail that showed through the tall grass. "Where are we headed first?"

Tree tilted her head from behind Paul. "I think Fast said something about carnies?"

"Caerney." Fast glanced over at them from where she rode behind Maud, her forelegs draped over Maud's shoulders. "That will be our next big stop. Where Greegate stands a gleaming jewel of wizardry, Caerney, by all reports, is much more standardly metropolitan. The people spread out more, don't have fancy runes. Ruled by a king, as most human cities are."

Maud peeked over her shoulder. "How long until we get there?"

"Oh, maybe two weeks, assuming nothing goes wrong." Fast shrugged a little.

Tree paled lightly. "That's a long time to be riding, dude."

"If you know a better way..." Fast leaned to the side slightly, almost tipping off the horse before she caught herself. "Travelling has a lot of waiting involved. If the gods are smiling, boredom will be the most vicious beast we run into on the way. My luck hasn't run that thick since starting, so I don't expect it."

The first few days were just that. Eight hours of riding, the rest recovering or eating.

Fast noticed Tree and Paul sitting together frequently and became curious. Stealth seemed impossible, clanking as she was with each step, so she simply approached them.

Tree noticed her first, perking an ear. "Hey there." She flipped the page of something. "Now let's see you do the letters. Just lay them out all natural like."

Paul frowned with concentration and began writing for her, getting about ten shaking letters in before he let the quill fall to the paper. "I can't go rememberin' them all!"

"Don't let it stress you out, man. You're doing great. Just let it come to you and you'll get it." She put a hoof on his shoulder. "Don't hurry it."

"I don't even remember what they are..." he grumbled as he picked up the quill and began writing almost angrily, apparently rote memorizing the letters for Tree Hugger.

Fast nodded at them. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you. Good on you, taking this into your own hands."

Paul looked over his shoulders as Fast trotted up. "Yer not jus' sayin' that? You learned how to write ages ago ah bet, when you were a little thing."

Fast tilted her head. "Younger than now, surely, but not as young as you are led to think. I am no noble birthed lady." She offered a hoof to him. "I was just like you, decided I wanted to, and the Seekers helped me do it, just like Tree hugger's doing."

Tree waved off Fast's words. "It was his choice. Say, why are you still wearing that? We're relaxing now. Shouldn't you take it off and stretch out?"

Fast chuckled softly. "Tempting, but no. I need to get used to it, and it's surprisingly comfortable despite wearing it basically without pause for days on end. They'll have to peel me out of it after I'm dead, or to get some wizard to double down on the magic in it."

Tree frowned. "Gnarly. I can't even imagine wearing a shell of metal all the time."

"You get used to it." She pointed to a parcel over the top of one of the horses. "That one's yours, try it on."

Tree rose on uncertain legs. "There's no way you're going to get me to live in one."

"You can take it off when you're relaxing. I just want to be sure it fits."

Approaching, she nosed off the covering to reveal the plated armor and blinked in amazement. "Woah. It's like I'm wearing a giant beetle."

With Paul's help, she got suited up and tromped around in it a little. "It definitely slows me down."

Fast knocked on the side with a hoof, clopping loudly. "But you might not die with it on. Living beats out comfort when you're adventuring."