He hissed and winced as his hoof caught the edge of another stone. Glancing down, he saw that a small chip had broke off from his hoof and he shook his head.

'That's going to be sore tomorrow.'

Sighing, Wanderer paused a moment to take in the surroundings. Closer towards Greensborough, the land had been relatively flat, but here, the trees grew upon tall cliffs and in deep depressions. The Elder hadn't lied when he said it was rough going, and Wanderer groaned as his legs were beginning to ache from all of the climbing. Every time he managed to climb one cliff, he was only greeted by another—and his hooves hated him for it.

A quick look at Trixie and he could see she was worse off than he was. The showmare was obviously used to walking long distances, but usually on flat roads. With as often as she paused to rub at her legs, he knew this was hard on her.

Ahead of him, Faithful leapt up the hill with ease. The doe was no doubt used to the terrain of the forest and Wanderer privately admitted with a mutter that she was a much better jumper than he. A part of him wondered if the deer weren’t part mountain goat.

The only one to show no real weariness from the climb hovered above them. Tourmaline kept watch as her ground-bound friends struggled with the climb up the cliff.

'Ugh, this is one of those times I wish I was born a pegasus. Wings would have made this a breeze.’

He snickered to himself at his own joke.

“Trixie demands that we stop for a moment!” he heard the unicorn shout behind him. “Trixie does not want to end up lame because we’re in a hurry!”

Wanderer’s ears flicked as he heard Tourmaline mutter, “You’re already lame…” She then turned her glare down at the unicorn. "You’re almost to the top, so quit complaining already!”

The unicorn shot her a scathing glare and Wanderer felt it was a safe bet she heard Tourmaline as well. “Trixie doesn’t have wings like you! She—” She gasped as her hooves slipped and she slapped at the rocks in an effort to stop herself.

Not even thinking, Wanderer jumped down and grabbed hold of her hoof—his other wrapping around an old, thin tree. “I got you.” His eyes widened a second before the tree pulled from its roots. “Oh, cr—”

Before he or the unicorn could fall further, he felt a painful tug on his mane and back legs. Tourmaline beat her wings furiously, trying to pull him back up by his mane while Faithful had grabbed him by his legs.

He hissed as the pegasus pulled harder. “Don’t rip my mane out, Tourmaline!”

“Would you rather I drop you?” she asked archly, gritting her teeth.

“Just pull us up! I want to keep part of my mane.”

“While you two are arguing, Trixie is losing her grip!” the unicorn shouted, holding onto Wanderer’s hoof for dear life.

With a grunt, the two hauled Wanderer up to solid ground; then helped him pull Trixie to safety. They sat panting for breath as Wanderer retrieve his dropped hat. “Well, that was fun.”

Trixie scowled at him. “The Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t find any fun about almost falling to her demise!”

He smirked at her as he plopped his hat back on his head. “It got the blood pumping, didn’t it?”

Faithful peered over the cliff edge for a moment, her muzzle scrunching up. “I do not think you would have died from the fall from here, Trixie. It is not that far down, and we would be there to help you.”

Trixie sighed as she flopped on her belly, massaging her aching legs. “Trixie justs wants to rest a bit. These rocks are killing her hooves.”

The doe blinked and tilted her head. “Are pony hooves so fragile that a rock can actually kill them? Do ponies injure themselves when they stub their hooves on things?”

The three stared at her for a moment before Wanderer and Tourmaline burst into laughter. Trixie cracked a smile and shook her head.

Faithful blinked and looked at them with wider eyes. “I do not understand. This is funny somehow?”

Wanderer brushed the tears of mirth from his eyes, getting his laughter under control. “No, Faith, it’s an expression. It means that her hooves hurt so much that it feels like they’re going to kill her.”

“It’s an exaggeration,” Trixie said.

Faith’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh…”

Tourmaline snorted and rolled her eyes at Trixie. “The ground levels out at the top. We can rest once we get there. I even saw a stone outcropping where we can take shelter in.”

Wanderer hauled himself to his hooves with a grunt. “Let's rest up there then. Some nice grass would be preferable to rest on than jagged stone, if you ask me.”

Trixie groaned but grudgingly got to her hooves.

With only a minor bit of complaining—and another slip later—the group of four finally crested the cliff. Wanderer helped Trixie make the last bit and paused to look back across the tree canopy. From his vantage point, he could see over the tops of the trees. The Mother Oak still stood tall above all other trees of the forest, and try as he might, he couldn’t make out Maederhallow.

As the wind blew past his face, he took in a deep breath. Being able to see the forest from the view of a pegasus was something he always dreamed of. The way the trees swayed in the wind reminded him of the waves of the sea.

“It is beautiful, is it not?” Faithful asked as a slow smile crossed his face.

“Yeah, it is.” He removed his hat to allow the stiff breeze to flow through his mane. “I’ve—we’ve—seen so much in our travels, but knowing something like this was so close to home—and never knowing about it—is funny in a way.”

Her tail flicked as she watched the trees, a faraway look in her soft brown eyes. “What is it like, to travel the land? To pull up your roots and stop wherever you find yourself to put them down again?”

He glanced at her. “It’s not anything I can really describe.” A pensive frown tugged at his lips. “Free would be the word I would use, I guess.”

“Free…” she echoed, her tone wistful.

Frowning, he turned a look her way. “Haven’t you ever wanted to travel, Faith? There is a whole lot more to the world than this forest. Large seas, hot deserts, many different towns, Canterlot is really worth visiting.” His frown turned into a wry smirk. “Yeah, the forest is a nice place—if one ignores the monsters—but there is so much to see out there.”

Her ears leveled as she stared out, a touch of sadness creeping into her tone. “I have. I just…” She stood straighter and her expression became firm. “I have duties and responsibilities to my tribe, and I cannot forsake them for my own desires.”

“...You sounded a lot like your grandpa there,” he said, his smile slipping somewhat. “Is that what he tells you?”

She averted her gaze. “We should hurry for the outcropping. We can rest in safety there.”

He shared a look with Tourmaline as she hovered close by before following after the doe. Faith hadn’t answered him, but she didn’t have to.

As they walked towards the moss-covered stones, Wanderer turned to Tourmaline. “Did you see anything when you flew over?”

Her mane swished as she shook her head. “No. It seemed clear to me.” She absently tucked a stray lock of mane from her face behind an ear.

He smirked at her. “That’s a good thing, right?”

She nodded absently and flew above them, looking around as they walked. Wanderer stared after her, frowning. Why was she being so difficult? Couldn’t she see he was trying his best?

A sigh escaped him as he caught up with the trudging Trixie.

When they made it to the outcropping, Wanderer couldn’t help but nod at how well they were laid out. The ring of stones were set up in a way to where there was only one entrance—easily defensible if they had to fight.

“This is a good place,” Wanderer said as he slid his saddlebags off. “If it wasn’t midday, I’d almost say we could set camp here.”

“We can still have a meal at least,” Faith said as she levitated some nuts and berries from her satchel. “Would any of you like some fresh blackberries?”

Trixie’s eyes sparkled. “Trixie loves blackberries! She thanks you, Faith.”

“You are most welcome.” The doe levitated the berries to her and Trixie took the berries in her own magic and settled on a stone to enjoy.

As the others sat down to enjoy their own meals, a movement caused Trixie to lose her focus and drop her berries.

Tourmaline’s eyebrow inched up at her. “Now what’s wrong?”

Trixie looked around for a moment, trying to find what had disturbed her. “Trixie felt something mo—”

She screamed and fumbled away as the boulder she was sitting on shook from underneath her. The four huddled together as the entire stone circle began to shake—bits of stone and moss falling around them. With a sound like an avalanche, the stones lifted from the ground and the boulder Trixie had sat on turned to regard them.

“W-What is that!” came Trixie’s terrified scream.

“Bazpawc im bciwa!” Faith shouted as she stepped back from the creature.

“Rock Python!” Wanderer yelled, his eyes wide as the creature turned its gaze to him. Its tongue flickered into the air above them and it gave an odd clicking sound.

Tourmaline flapped away from the darting tongue. “What do we do, Wanderer? That’s a lot bigger than any rock python we’ve seen before.”

He grimaced, tugging his hat down. “We’ll have to distract it. You go high, I’ll—”

“Wait!”

The two turned as Faithful shouted at them. “Please, friends, do not do anything rash. He will not hurt us.”

The three looked at her as if she were mad. “Faith, it’s a rock python. They’re pony killers. We have to get away while we can.”

“No! My friends, please remain calm.” She stepped between them and the python—the latter of which turned its reptilian gaze to her.

The two adventurers made strangled sounds as the doe calmly approached the dangerous monster. “Faith, get back!”

She ignored Wanderer and stepped closer. Lifting her muzzle, she emitted a few click-like sounds. The python lowered its head and made similar noises. Faithful responded again and the snake brought its head back as if to strike.

“No!” Wanderer shouted but stopped as the snake rubbed its head against the doe’s cheek. Faith gave a happy little giggle and returned the nuzzle.

If it were possible, the jaws of the ponies would have hit the ground.

Tourmaline landed next to the sputtering Wanderer as she watched Faithful. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t it attack? All of the rock pythons we’ve seen before tried to kill us.”

Faith looked over her shoulder. “Was it you who struck first?”

The two adventurers shared a look before Wanderer rubbed at the back of his head. “Well…”

Faith nodded. “The serpents of stone are passive creatures. They will only strike if they feel threatened.”

Wanderer rested his hoof back to the ground and stared up at the towering serpent. “I can’t believe this.”

They froze as the python tasted the air above them. They held still as the stone the snake was made of, careful not to startle the creature.

The python settled back as Faith made a few more clicking sounds and it responded in kind. Once it was finished, it began to slither away—leaving a trail of torn earth in its wake.

“W-Where is it going?” Trixie asked as her voice finally returned.

“To find another place to sun itself,” Faith said in a chipper tone. “We are too noisy for him.”

Tourmaline blinked and looked at her. “You actually spoke with it?”

“Well…” she looked away a moment. “Not speaking as we are now, but a basic sort of speech. He said he had never seen ponies before and that you taste funny.”

Again, they just stared at her.

“So… he pretty much said we stink?” Wanderer asked.

The doe gave a faint, humored smile. “We have not run across a stream in some days.”

He glowered at her and dusted off his hat. “It’s not my fault I sweat…”

Trixie shuddered a sigh and slumped to her haunches. “At least we got some good news from the python.”

“What do you mean?” Tourmaline asked as toyed with her necklace.

“He said he hadn’t seen ponies before. That means we’re the firsts it’s seen, and it means the Bringers haven’t been here yet.”

The others wore pensive frowns before Faith spoke again. “This is good, yes?”

Wanderer nodded as he collected his bags. “That means we’re still ahead. We should keep moving so we stay that way.”

They quickly finished their meals and were soon on their way. As they walked, Wanderer snickered to himself.

Tourmaline raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. “What is it?”

He turned his wide grin at her. “With the cliffs and now the rock python, I’d say our trip is off to a rocky start.”

She groaned and shook her head, flapping her wings to get ahead of him.

“Admit it was funny!” he shouted at her.

“Never!”

It was later that night when Trixie startled awake. Another nightmare, another night of restless sleep. She moaned to herself as she rubbed at her tired eyes. Wanderer hadn’t come to wake her yet, but between the scare with the rock python, her growing worry about finding the key, and her nightmare, she was surprised she even knew what sleep was.

After trying, and failing, to fall asleep again, she kicked her blankets off. With a tired sigh, she collected her cap and stood—if she couldn’t sleep, may as well let Wanderer get his.

When she stepped outside of her tent, she shuddered as the cool night air caused her fur to stand on end. Privately, she wished she still had her cape, only to remember it had been left at Maederhallow—still stained with Tormod’s blood.

As she approached the the campfire to warm herself, she was surprised to find Wanderer already there. She remembered he usually sat away from the camp so the fire wouldn’t hurt his night vision—or so he said. Her brow furrowed when she saw the distant look in his eyes, as if he were seeing something far away only he saw.

He didn’t react when she sat next to the fire. For a moment she thought to leave him be, but as the minutes ticked away, she cleared her throat.

“Good morning, Wanderer.”

His head snapped back and his gaze returned to their clarity. “Oh, Trixie, sorry. I didn’t see you there.” He rubbed at his eyes and looked at the moon as is peeked through the forest canopy. “What time is it? It’s not time for your watch yet.”

“Trixie couldn’t sleep,” she said as she levitated another branch to the fire—the wood popping and snapping as the flames bit at it. “She thought to relieve you early so you could sleep.”

His lips turned upward in a wistful smile but didn’t move from his spot. “Thanks. Though I don’t feel like sleeping right now.” His gaze settled on the flames again.

Trixie sighed as she held her hooves towards the fire, rubbing them together. She knew the reason for his brooding. She was sure even the most socially inept could tell what was going through the stallion’s mind.

Was it really her place to pry? She was no means the expert on relationships. The few stallions she remembered who had tried to court her never made any lasting impression. She herself never sought the company of another, preferring to be alone. Having long ago learned the only one who truly understood Trixie was Trixie, she didn’t need companionship. She knew there was little she could offer him that would get him through his troubles.

They sat there in silence, the sounds of the flames consuming the wood and the sound of the forest around them were the only things that broke the quiet.

“...I miss it.”

Her ear flicked and she turned her gaze to him. “Hmm?”

“Her laugh,” he said, his glassy gaze still on the fire. “Tourmaline’s laugh.”

She bit at her lip as she watched him, squirming where she sat.

“I miss her smile,” he said as he tossed a twig into the fire. “All the time, when we were little, I could make her laugh or crack a smile with the silliest of jokes.” A slight smile spread across his face. “Sometimes I would deliberately act like a goof just so I could get her to smile.”

“Wanderer, I—”

“Every time I did, I felt great… I felt like I could be happy for the rest of my life by making Tourmaline smile. But now…”

She again tried to stop him, but he continued. As if he was speaking his thoughts and she was the ear that listened rather she wanted to or not.

His eyes half lidded and his tone dropped to be barely above a whisper. “But now, I don’t know anymore. Everytime I try, it only seems to make her angry. I’m trying so hard but I’m only making things worse. I…” His gaze drifted to the trees above. “I don’t like this feeling. I don’t like it at all.”

He finally turned to regard her, and she saw the plea in his expression. “Trixie, what am I doing wrong? You’re a mare, tell me what I’m doing wrong. What have I done to make Tourmaline so angry at me?”

She squirmed again. What could she possibly tell him?

“Wanderer, I—Trixie is not the mare to ask that question. She can’t tell you what another mare is thinking. You have to ask Tourmaline that.”

He returned his stare to the campfire. “That won’t work. It’ll only make her mader.”

Running a hoof through her mane, a frown formed on her face. “Trixie is not the one to ask such questions, but all she can say is this: just do what you think is right. If you think it is right, then do it. That is what Trixie believes.”

He didn’t move from his spot, only his eyes half lidding again. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

They sat there for a while longer before Trixie felt warm enough to go keep watch over the camp.

“Trixie thinks you should sleep, Wanderer. We still have a day or two more before we’re supposed to arrive.” She stood and stretched a stiff hind leg. “Trixie will keep watch.”

He gave her an absent nod. “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna stay up for a bit longer.”

She watched him for a moment before nodding. She saw his eyes water before he blinked the tears away. The moisture running down the sides of his muzzle before dripping off his jaw.

With a sympathetic sigh, she turned to walk around the camp’s perimeter.

Author's Notes:

What's that? I managed to put out an update in just over week for once? When did the stars align?

Anyway, things are working out well so far, folks. The next chapter will be a dosey. Shout out to my friend, Lab who is still currently unable to help, but I like to think her lessons have really helped.

And shout out to all my readers for sticking to this story, you're all the best.