With a shout, his hoof lashed out. The deer warrior dodged to the side—just as Wanderer anticipated he would—and he shifted his momentum to turn and level a buck at the skittering deer. Feeling his hind hooves hitting only air, Wanderer turned to pursue the warrior as he kept out of his reach.

“You strike where I have been! Strike where I will be!” the warrior shouted as he danced ahead of Wanderer’s attacks.

Gritting his teeth, Wanderer dashed in. Rather than go for another punch, he pivoted with the warrior as he dodged and leveled a kick at him. The deer’s eyes widened and he threw up a foreleg to block. Wanderer smiled to himself as he saw the deer grimace under the heavy blow.

“Spoke too sooOOO—” His startled yelp preceded his meeting with the ground as the warrior grabbed his leg and kicked out his other hind leg out from under him.

The deer grinned as he let him go. “You’re learning, earth-tamer. Show me what you can really do.”

As Wanderer spat the dirt from his mouth, he glowered at Tormod as his friend barely held back from outright laughing at him. “You know, you could always give this a try, Tormod. You’ll put on the pounds if all you do is watch.”

Tormod snorted, his grin never fading. “Even with my leg, I’d put you in the dirt.”

Wanderer grumbled as he got back to his hooves. “Cheeky little—”

“Come at me again, earth-tamer!”

Wanderer turned to face the warrior and lowered his head, taking his wide stance. “This time, I’m making you eat dirt.”

He concluded a minute later that his sense of taste was getting far to used to the texture of the ground as he found himself prone once more. The fact that Tormod was all but rolling on the ground laughing certainly didn’t improve his opinion.

“You know, earth-tamer, I think you are actually getting better,” the buck said as he offered him a hoof up. “I am actually having to block more of your attacks lately than I ever had before.”

“Well, I’ll call that a win,” he said as he took that offered hoof, pulling himself upright again. “Maybe I’ll actually be able to beat you before the Solstice gets here.”

The deer smirked. “The Great Mother willing, I hope so. Your strength is amazing. I did not know the earth-tamers were so strong of body, thus it is a learning experience for me as well.”

“The only thing I’ve learned recently is how much I hate the taste of dirt.” He glowered as Tormod erupted into another fit of guffaws. “Go ahead and laugh, Tormod, I’m remembering them all. My old friend.”

If Tormod was threatened by his tone, he didn’t show it. “You’ll forget anyway,” the unicorn said as he stood up to approach. “Between you and Tourmaline, I haven’t had this much fun in a while.”

Wanderer looked across the practice field, where he saw Tourmaline and Faith having another spar with a set of blunted spears. A frown formed on his face as he saw her duck under Faith’s swing and leapt out with a stab, nearly catching the doe before she spun and used her own weapon to knock Tourmaline’s hooves out from under her.

“Both you and your mate have improved since you have both took to training with earnest, earth-tamer,” he heard the voice of the Elder say as the larger buck approached. “When I see the two of you train together, your teamwork astounds me.”

Wanderer felt his cheeks grow hot at the Elder’s words. “Yeah, if you say so.” He gave the larger buck a bemused frown even as his instructor gave the Elder a nod before departing. “And do you really have to call her my mate? It seems… odd, hearing someone say it like that.”

The buck tilted his head. “Is she not? Surely you are not embarrassed of the fact?”

His blush grew hotter as Tormod did his best to hide his snickers—failing horribly at that. “No, not embarrassed just…” A snort blew past his nose. “We just don’t call each other that.”

A pensive frown pulled at the Elder’s lips. “Then what do you refer to when two lovers are so bound among the ponies?”

“Well, she’s my marefriend. I’d be her coltfriend,” he answered, glancing back at Tourmaline as she and Faith sparred once again.

“Matrimony still exists within pony culture, yes?”

Wanderer squinted his eyes shut and was never happier for Tormod to come to his rescue when the unicorn said, “It does, yes. Though I’m sure Wanderer hasn’t forgotten that.”

His cheeks still burning, he glowered at his friend. “We gotta survive this whole ordeal first.” With another huff, he eased himself on his haunches, his tail flicking. “Stopping Harbinger and the Gorgon has to come first.”

“We are in agreement, earth-tamer,” the Elder said as he also turned to watch Faith and Tourmaline spar.

Wanderer watched as the two clashed spears, striking and parrying the other’s blows and repositioning themselves for another go. The longer he watched, the wider he felt his frown grow.

Tormod glanced at him before speaking. “You’re thinking, Wanderer, that means it's something serious. What’s bothering you?”

He looked away from the two as Tourmaline managed to land a strike on Faith. “I’m not really sure I understand it,” he admitted after a moment’s silence. “Just when I see Tourmaline fighting with that weapon, I get this chill in my gut. Maybe it’s because I hate seeing her use it, or the idea that it’s a weapon used for killing, or… something. I can’t explain it.”

Tormod looked back at his sister as she and Faith finished sparing—the two walking off. “You know, if there is one thing I respect about you, Wanderer, is the fact you have such a soft heart.”

Before he could protest, Tormod held up a hoof to stop him. “I mean that in a good way. You’ve always been the one who hated seeing animals suffering—even those times we fought with monsters. You’ve always been that way. I remember so many times your mother wanted to rip her mane out with every stray you brought home to care for.”

A snort escaped his nose as Wanderer smirked. “Yeah, I remember that.” He sighed as he glanced at the Elder as he stood by, listening to them. “Still, even with the monsters, I never enjoyed fighting or killing them. We fought them because we had to.”

“I’m not arguing that,” Tormod said, flexing his braced leg a few times. “Even so, you have to realize that sometimes we have to go that extra step to protect ourselves and each other.” The unicorn gave him a pointed look. “Right? Even when we were cornered as foals by that bandit, you were willing to stand up to him despite the fact he was going to hurt you and us. How is this any different?”

Wanderer looked away, his mind scrambling to find the answer before a sigh escaped him. “I guess I don’t really know. I just don’t like the idea that we’re killing things now. Protecting ourselves in one thing, but killing the bugs or even Harbinger just seems wrong somehow. It’s not like they asked to be this way. If anything, it’s all the Gorgon’s fault.”

The Elder tilted his head. “And what would you do with the Gorgon’s Harbinger if you had him at your mercy now, earth-tamer?”

Wanderer scowled. “I’d beat him to a pulp.”

“And then?”

Wanderer turned to regard the buck, who only sat there watching him with unjudging eyes. “I’d… guess tie him up and make sure Princess Celestia punishes him for everything he’s done.”

“And if the situation turns to the point that ending his life is the only way to save your mate, or your dearest friends? What of your choice then?”

Wanderer gritted his teeth, his tail swishing. “It won’t—”

“Wanderer,” Tormod said, giving him a pointed glance.

Growling, he looked away. “I don’t know!”

They sat there for a time, letting Wanderer try to settle his mind that stubbornly refused to calm. As the thoughts rolled through his mind, he tried to focus on what was really bothering him. Was it the weapon? Was it the thought they were all going to have to kill to keep themselves and Equestria safe? Or was it something else that just wouldn’t come to his mind no matter how much he tried to force it?

The Elder glanced to a stack of nearby weapons that the deer kept for training before looking back at him. “Perhaps, earth-tamer, I can help you find clarity to your turmoil.”

A snort escaped him, ears pinning back. “I don’t think a lecture will help.”

“You would be surprised,” the Elder said as he floated over one of the hoofblades and set it in front of him. “What comes to mind when you consider this weapon?”

As his gaze fell on the weapon, a flash of an image came to mind He saw again a hoofblade like it, the falling rain, the shouts of battle, and Tourmaline’s choking gasps.

Gritting his teeth, he looked away. “I remember things I’d rather not.”

The Elder nodded. “The scars of battle, earth-tamer, but for this instance, I want you to tell me what you think when you consider this weapon. What does it mean to you?”

Wanderer shot a quizzical look at Tormod but found his friend watching and waiting for his answer. “I guess, I just see it as a weapon. Something used to kill.”

“And the idea that it is used to kill is what troubles you?”

He nodded. “I don’t like killing.”

“As you should, earth-tamer,” the Elder said as he levitated the hoofblade. “That is what separates us from the monsters and those like the Gorgon. However, it is not the weapon that is what kills—”

“Look,” Wanderer said, interrupting the Elder. “If you’re gonna tell me it’s the one wielding the weapon that kills and not the weapon, you don’t have to. I know that already. I just don’t like the idea of using it.”

The Elder nodded again, floating the weapon over to Wanderer for him to take. “Then that is one lesson I do not need to repeat. However, I want you to consider this not as a weapon to take lives, but instead as a tool to defend yourself and those dear to you.”

Wanderer took the hoofblade, feeling the cloth wraps and binding twine used for straps—as well as eyeing the wicked edge of the carved timberwolf’s claw.

“You see, earth-tamer, you can use this weapon to take lives, or you can use it to protect them.” The Elder stood tall, the wind ruffling their fur as he spoke. “The use of these tools is always a matter of choice. You can choose to use it, ending the threats to yourself in a much faster manner, or do not use it and risk injury or death to yourself and those around you against foes who are too powerful or too skilled for you without the aid.”

Wanderer glared up at him. “Are you saying I have no choice?”

“You always have a choice, earth-tamer,” the buck said, not skipping a beat. “That is what life is about, the choices we make and how we deal with the consequences of those choices. Every choice we make has some impact on our lives and the lives around us. Those choices can lead to great acts of good and kindness,” his tone dropped. “Or acts of evil and cruelty.”

A thoughtful frown pulled at his lips as his gaze fell on the hoofblade again.

“Think back to that night at the grove with the full moon berries and of the battle that took place. I want you to tell me if there was something you could have done differently—”

“I wouldn’t have ever let Tourmaline get hurt,” he said before he could really think.

Even as Tormod smiled, the Elder continued. “Other than for your mate, or the Bringer that was killed. Is there something that might have been avoided, a life saved, if you had chosen to use a weapon instead of remaining true to your dedication to not kill.”

Wanderer’s gaze half lidded, his gaze shifting to the Mother Oak. As the breeze ruffled his mane, he closed his eyes as he thought back on that night. Memories of Tourmaline held down and being choked to death came first, causing him to frown and his brow to furrow. He then remembered when the red haze of his rage had vanished and the body of the Bringer—whose name he still didn’t know—hovering over him and his last words of gratitude before he passed. All of which had impressed themselves into his memory so deeply that he still saw and heard them when he slept.

“Wand—” Tormod started before the Elder rested a hoof on his shoulder gently. Shaking his head when the unicorn looked at him.

“Think back, earth-tamer, what else can you remember?” the buck said before resting his hoof back to the ground.

It was then another memory returned. The image of a doe warrior in his arms, choking out the blood from her lungs as she uttered a final word before going still.

“There was… a doe,” he said, his tone barely above a whisper. “She died after the beetles stabbed her. I tried to rescue her, to get the beetles off of her, but they had her before I could really do anything.” He opened his eyes to stare at the base of the Mother Oak. “I hit the beetles as hard as I could but they just wouldn’t go down.” His ears pinned back and his tone dropped. “She said vicqaz before she died. There wasn’t anything I could’ve done to help her.”

“Spring Blossom,” the Elder said, his own town dropping. “She was the youngest to have fallen that day. Her passing has saddened us all, as have all who have returned to the Great Mother’s embrace—even the Bringer. This conflict was not of any our choosing, but it is a battle we must now fight.” He shook his head before looking back at Wanderer. “But tell me, do you think her death might not have happened had you chosen to use the weapon that night?”

Wanderer glared at him. “Look, it wasn’t my fault!”

“No, it is not your fault, earth-tamer,” the Elder said, his tone tightening. “The fault rests firmly on the Gorgon. All of the deaths that have occurred has been of her design and she will pay for them by remaining sealed away until time ends.” His brow unfurrowed as his tone softened. “But I want you to think, if you had armed yourself that night, do you think you could have defeated the beetles faster?”

He rubbed at his forehoof as he remembered the sprain he had earned from that fight. “It would have taken less punches, yeah.”

The Elder nodded. “And as such, you might have been able to have saved Spring Blossom, Risen Hart, and possibly more. While even I know that how events turned could have gone in many different ways, the choices we make is what influences them.” His antlers glowed and the brace opened up. “All I ask, earth-tamer, is that you consider carrying it. The choice to use it is entirely your own, but for the sake of yourself, your friends, and my granddaughter, please take it with you.”

Wanderer stared at the weapon for a moment before lowering his muzzle and tightening the weapon around his foreleg. Holding it up, the tip of the blade extended a bit more than a hoof’s width past the end of his own hoof.

A wan smirk crossed his face. “It’ll make walking a pain.”

Tormod facehooved even as the Elder chuckled. “You can release the binding twine and slide the blade back along the brace; allowing you to walk with it strapped to your leg.”

Biting down on the twine and pulling, he’d have been a liar if he said he didn’t feel a bit of giddiness as the blade shifted down. Letting go of the twine, the blade held in the brace. Resting his leg on the ground again, a pleased sigh escaped him as the blade remained in place.

“I suppose I can learn to use it,” he said before looking back at them. “Better to have and not need than to need and not have, right? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Tormod snorted. “That sounded like one of your mother’s sayings.”

The Elder nodded. “A wise mare then.”

A wide smile spread across Wanderer’s face. “There’s no point in me not using it, right?”

The two stood there for a moment before Tormod groaned, massaging the sides of his head. “Oh, sweet Celestia, you did not just make a pun!”

Wanderer turned a near-evil smirk his way. “Don’t get edgy with me, Tormod.”

Tormod turned a suffering look the Elder’s way, who Wanderer could tell was trying hard to keep a passive expression on his face. “Please, reconsider giving him that thing. I don’t think I could survive the puns.”

A smile tugged at the Elder’s lips. “I hear that many aura-weavers know a spell that can place an area of silence around them. Perhaps you know it?”

“Teach me,” Tormod all but begged, sending Wanderer into fit of helpless cackles.

The fur along her spine stood on end as she plunged her head underneath the water. Swishing her head around in the stream, Faith pulled her face back out of the water with a gasp.

“A quick wash after training is always so refreshing,” she said as she turned to regard Tourmaline as the mare also washed herself in one of the nearby streams that ran around Maederhallow. “And you have really begun to challenge me, Tourmaline, you are a natural with the spear.”

Tourmaline shook the water from her coat, snapping her wings out to the side—spraying the water from her pinions. “You think so?”

Faith nodded eagerly, shaking the water from her coat as well. “Indeed! I am more than certain you will be a match for any of the deer warriors by the Solstice.”

A smile tugged at her face as Tourmaline made sure her necklace was still in place. “If it means we stop Harbinger, then all the bruises will be worth it.” Her smile took a slight vicious edge. “I owe that guy a few kicks.”

Frowning at the memory, Faith nodded. “He will pay for what he has done, yes.” A huff escaped her. “In a way, I wish the Solstice was sooner so that we can finally end the threat and we can all go back to our lives, but in another,” she looked off towards the tree line. “I really don’t.”

Tourmaline frowned, her visage softening. “I’m sorry, Faith.”

She turned a confused frown her way. “For what?”

A tinge of a blush crept on her face as she rubbed at the back of her neck. “Just, thought I brought up bad memories.”

A smaller, if not sadder, smile touched her face as she said, “Good or bad, Tourmaline, the memories will always come, yes?” Closing her eyes, she felt a cold feeling in her chest as an image of a smiling Risen Hart came to mind. “And I will always cherish and grow from them.”

“I suppose,” Tourmaline allowed as she shook her coat out again. Her gaze traced to the tree line and the two sat there watching the fog move through the upper reaches of the tall oaks.

Faith sat there, breathing in the cool autumn air, and enjoyed the feeling of peace and accomplishment that came when she finished training. Between Wanderer and Tourmaline’s sparing, magic lessons with her grandfather—alongside Tormod and Trixie—and her various duties around Maederhallow itself, Faith revealed in the moments she got to sit and relax. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to connect with the earth beneath her hooves. She felt the warm and inviting feeling from the Great Mother, a sensation that had always been there as far back as she could remember. Turning a warm smile to the massive tree, it imparted her with a sense of comfort that she and all of her people enjoyed every day of their lives.

“You know, I honestly thought we’d have more trouble than this,” Tourmaline said, breaking Faith out of her inner thoughts. “We’ve only encountered small groups of the Bringers tearing up parts of the woods, but none of them have gotten anywhere near Maederhallow.” She turned to regard Faith again. “Why is that? Harbinger knows where the village is, why hasn’t he tried anything?”

Frowning, Faith tilted her head as she considered the question she had asked herself before. “I find it odd as well. Maybe he is keeping most of his Bringers and monsters close by to protect the key from us.”

“That makes sense, I guess,” Tourmaline said, a pensive frown crossing her features before her eyes widened as her stomach gave off an audible growl. “Why don’t we head back and get something to eat? I’m starving.”

Faith chuckled before her own stomach voiced its protest at the lack of sustenance. Blushing, it was her turn to rub at the back of her head. “I agree,” she said before a wide, excited smile spread across her face. “I know! There is a family within the village that often makes a lot of food for others to share. It is about time for them to start cooking, maybe we can see if they have enough for us to enjoy.”

Tilting her head, Tourmaline frowned before saying, “I hope they won’t mind me being there. There’s still some who don’t like us.”

A frown pulled at Faith’s lips. “Yes, but they are trying.”

Tourmaline held a hoof up. “I know. I don’t expect centuries of mistrust to go away just like that.” She smiled. “Worst they can do is tell me to go away, right?”

“I hope they would not,” Faith said as the two started away—Tourmaline flying next to her as she walked. “Ever since Trixie had her show, many have been in better spirits.” She returned a wave as they passed by a group of villagers. “Are there more like Trixie in Equestria? Those who travel around entertaining villages?”

A dismissive snort escaped the pegasus. “Trust me, there aren't any others like Trixie. She’s… definitely one of a kind, and I’m sure many are happy about that.”

Faith’s brow furrow as she turned to regard Tourmaline. While there was still an edge of hardness at the corners of her eyes, Faith could tell there wasn’t near the hostility as before. “Are you and Trixie still at odds then? I thought her apology during her show was heartfelt.”

Glancing away, Tourmaline said, “It’s more complicated than that, Faith.” She batted a leaf from her face as it landed on her snout. “I understand things better now, but some things are hard to let go.”

“But you are trying, yes?”

Tourmaline nodded. “I am. I just… haven’t figured it all out yet.”

Faith hummed and the two continued on. Many of the villagers gave the two smiles or waves as they walked past, though Faith did see more than a few frowns or lingering looks on Tourmaline. While Faith admitted that she understood their hesitancy with the ponies, after coming to know them, she believed more than ever that the ponies were not like they were portrayed to be in the lessons. They weren’t heartless, cold, and condescending, as they were taught. Rather, they weren’t all that different from her people. They laughed, they wept, they enjoyed life to the fullest; they even worried about their futures—just like she did. Thinking on it, she wondered just how much different the whole of Equestria was compared to the lessons the Elders had taught them.

Her ears flattened as the thought crossed her mind. Sighing to herself, she spoke in a softer tone. “Tourmaline, can I ask you a question?”

“Hmm?” Tourmaline tilted her head at her. “Sure you can. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, I just…” another sigh escaped her. “What do you have planned for the future?”

Tourmaline blinked a few times at the question before a thoughtful frown pulled at her lips. “Hmm, I don’t really know.” She flicked a stray lock of mane from her face. “If everything works out in the end, and we all get to go home. I’m hoping me, Wanderer, and my brother can go adventuring again—after we spend some time at home.” A smile spread across her face. “I’ll admit that travelling is so much fun; even with all of the trouble we get ourselves into, I love every moment of it.”

“What about you and Wanderer? Do you two have any plans?”

A fleeting smile pulled at Tourmaline’s lips before she responded. “We haven’t talked, but I hope we do.” She smiled wider, looking ahead. “One day.”

“It sounds so nice,” Faith said, her tone dropping some.

Tourmaline turned to regard her again, her ears pinning back. “What about you, Faith, what do you have planned?”

Faith stood straighter, taking in a breath before she spoke. “My path was chosen for me before I was born. I will succeed my Elder as his days reach their twilight. And I will become the next Elder to lead the people of Maederhallow as my ancestors have done for centuries.”

Looking at her for a second, Tourmaline asked, “Is that what you want though? Surely, they don’t expect you to remain here the entire time before that happens. There’s so much to see out there.”

Faith slumped, her ears laying back on her head. “Truthfully, Tourmaline, I pray by the Great Mother that I could. See all the things you have seen in your travels, experience all you have experienced, and to see more of this world that we share outside of my home, but…”

“Faith?”

“I wish I could be like Trixie. Going from town to town, showing off my skills to the enjoyment of everyone.” She looked ahead as they turned down a lane, walking past the numerous conical tents of the village. “I would give anything to be like her. I am not saying I don’t want to assume my role as Elder, I just...”

“Then why don’t you?”

“I have responsibilities,” she said, turning again. “My desires mean nothing for the greater good of my people. It is my destiny. I cannot change that.”

Tourmaline looked away, an angry scowl on her face. “It isn’t right.”

“It is what it is.” Faith sighed but her frowned turned to a smile as the smell of cooking food reached her nose. Her stomach gave another growl as she took in that first inhale of acorn stew. “Come on. There is a wonderful meal ahead of us!”

With a content sigh, Tourmaline set aside her bowl. “Sweet Celestia, that was good.” Wiping her mouth on a foreleg, she said, “I’ve never had stew made of ground acorn before. I’m surprised it was so good.”

Faith covered her muzzle as a belch escaped her and also set aside her bowl. “It is a meal my people often make. The Great Mother’s children give us so much that we’ve learned many dishes to include acorns.” She smiled a bit. “I saw the old pony and the family trading recipes the other day, so maybe a few of our dishes will soon make their way to your home?”

Tourmaline laughed. “Leave it to Ol’Nut to find new ways to cook acorns. The old geezer has been crazy about them since before I was born.”

Tilting her head, Faith turned a curious look her way. “Geezer? I am unfamiliar with that Equestrian word, what does it mean?”

Tourmaline looked away, biting at her lip. “It’s...ah, a term of endearment for the elderly.”

Faith pursed her lips nodding. “So, I should call my Elder this term then?”

Images of how that scenario would play out caused Tourmaline’s blood to run cold. “Ah, just… forget the term, Faith. Probably better that way.” Her tone lowered as she added, “For all of us.”

“All right, then,” Faith said after an odd look her way.

The two settled to let their food digest and Tourmaline turned her gaze skyward, watching the mist swirl around the upper branches of the Mother Oak. A wispy smile played at her lips as she watched the clouds above. Having been stuck in the forest for a few months now, she realized it had been way too long since she last spent some time in the air. Her wings twitched as a sense of longing to take flight filled her.

A soft sigh escaped past her nose. ‘I wish I could take Wanderer to the sky with me. He would love it up there.’

“Tourmaline?”

She blinked as she was pulled out of her daydream and turned to regard Faith. “What?”

“Is everything all right?” the doe asked. “You looked like you had something on your mind.”

“I’m fine, just daydreaming,” she said as images of her and Wanderer holding each other on a cloud still tickled at her mind.

“I was wondering,” Faith said, a small smile on her muzzle. “Your wing brushed against me and I did not know what it was for.”

With a near-audible ‘eep’, Tourmaline snapped her wings back to her sides, a fierce blush turning her blue-green cheeks to a hot red. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to.”

Faith blinked before tilting her head. “Why are you blushing?”

Wanting nothing more than to hide her face in the dirt, Tourmaline said, “Nothing! Nothing I’m going to share!”

As a humored smile inched across her friend’s face and Tourmaline realized that she was only making this worse. “You’ve been around Tormod too much,” she grumbled.

The two shared a laugh and turned as a small group of young fawns came bounding over towards them. The younglings laughed and talked as they jostled each other around; one young doe carried one of those painted gourds on her back. When the group laid eyes on the pair, they stopped to stare at Tourmaline for a moment before talking with each other again.

Tourmaline kept the frown from forming on her face before turning to whisper at Faith. “What're they saying?”

Faith flicked an ear at the group before looking back at her. “They are wondering if they should try talking with us. One of them said something I didn’t hear and now they are talking in a jumble.”

Finally, two of the group approached them. One was the fawn with the painted gourd while the other was a young male who was a bit taller than his fellows.

When the two got closer, Faith smiled at them and greeted them in their own language.

The two smiled at her and spoke a bit more, the fawn with the gourd bouncing it on her back and nodding to the open field.

“They’re wanting you to play with them?” Tourmaline asked, turning to the other fawns as they still whispered to each other, watching her.

She nodded, a wispy smile on her face. “They are, but they wanted to ask you something first.”

“Oh?” Tourmaline looked at the pair, tilting her head at them.

When the two ducked back a bit, nervousness easy to see in their expressions, Faith said something to them. The female fawn spoke so softly, it reminded Tourmaline of how Fluttershy spoke to her when they had met.

“H-Hello…” the young doe said.

A surprised, yet pleased, smile spread across Tourmaline’s face. “You speak Equestrian?”

The fawn looked at Faith, who translated for her, before speaking again. “N-No good.”

Nodding, Tourmaline motioned for her to continue. “Did you want to ask me something?”

After Faith translated, the fawn gulped but turned a quick look at the male beside her. When he nudged he, he gave her an encouraging nod before she looked back at her. “You… fly?”

Smiling, Tourmaline stretched her wings out to their full wingspan. “I can fly, yes. And I’m pretty good at it.”

The fawn smiled at Faith’s translation before she tried to form her next question, but when she tried to speak, it didn’t come out as anything Tourmaline understood. “Try again, only this time, take your time.”

The fawn took in a breath and she stood up taller. “You fly…” she said as she bit at her lip again.

“Fly?” Tourmaline circled a hoof, hoping to encourage the fawn to speak.

A frustrated frown crossed the fawn’s face before she repeated, “You fly—” She lifted a hoof to pat her chest.

Tourmaline blinked before realization set in. “You want me to fly you around?”

When Faith translated, the fawn’s eyes widened and she nodded eagerly and repeated her motion. “You fly?”

Seeing the small group of fawns and their hopeful, wide-eyed looks caused a warm smile to spread across Tourmaline’s face. “If Faith says it’s okay, I will.”

“You do not mind?” Faith asked her.

She shook her head, getting to her hooves. “I don’t mind. It’ll give me a chance to stretch my wings and work off my lunch.”

The small group of fawns rushed as Faith spoke, each one asking in their own way to be first. Seeing them like this, it brought back many memories of her and her friends when they were young. She knew if she was in their hooves, she would have been right there along with them asking to be flown around too.

She knelt and looked at the young fawn who had been brave enough to ask first. “All right, hop on my back and hang on tight.”

The fawn climbed on and she could feel the poor thing shaking. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”

When Faith translated, the fawn stopped shaking as much but didn’t really let loose on her near stranglehold around her neck.

Tourmaline flapped her wings a few times, warming them up before looking at her passenger. “Ready?”

“Mm-hmm,” the fawn said before she squeaked as Tourmaline hopped into the air.

Beating her wings to catch an updraft, Tourmaline all but smiled as the fawn pressed her face into her mane. As she climbed higher into the air, Tourmaline looked over her shoulder. “Don’t be scared, I won’t drop you. Look.”

The fawn hugged her tighter but lifted her face out of her mane. Once she looked around, her gasp of wonder had Tourmaline smiling wider. “Isn’t it amazing to be up here? Do you see your house—er, tent, from up here?”

“N-o g-good,” the fawn said.

Tourmaline conked herself. “Right, can’t understand me well.” Despite it, a firm smile spread across her face. “Hold on, we’ll circle around a bit more then do some loops.”

Later on that evening, as Tourmaline rested her aching wings from flying a group of fawns around, she admitted that hearing their happy laughs and excited chatter was the best part of her day.

Tell me that your work is completed, Harbinger.

A shudder ran down his spine as he could almost feel her tone weigh down on him. Harbinger pressed his nose to the floor as he kneeled. “It is near completed, my Mistress. I need only a few days more and he will be ready for your final blessing,” he said as he knelt on the tiled floor before the massive stone door.

Good. And how badly have the Bringers disrupted the White Tail from their preparations?

His jaw clenched at the expected question, but he knew that any attempt at deception would likely lead to punishment. “It hasn’t gone as I had hoped, Mistress. The savages have proven adept in capturing the Bringers and curing them of your blessings. I have reserved only the mercenaries and the more able-bodied to remain as guards here, as you instructed me.”

He gritted his teeth as he felt the red-hot rage of his Mistress sear through his mind, but when her outburst didn’t come, he lifted his gaze to the stone slab again.

“Mistress?” Even with the few Bringers in the room, Harbinger truly felt like he was a lone mouse waiting to be pounced upon.

We cannot risk more of the beetles, we will need them when the White Tail and their allies come on the solstice, but neither will I allow them to think I will let them prepare unhindered.

“There was a night not long ago where our scouts said they saw bright flashes of magical light coming from their village—”

Celestial and Selena’s wretches.

“—But we don’t know what it was about.”

...From what little I can sense, I can feel their uplifted spirits. Like a warm smothering that should not exist in the cold hearts of the White Tail. Their moral is higher than it has ever been since I awoke.

He took in a slow breath and let it out—a bit of poison slipping past his gritted teeth. “I can finish his conversion and make him guard the key while the Bringers and beetles destroy them?”

At her continued silence, he looked back up at the stone slab. “Mistress, if you let me take the remainder of the beetles—all of the hive—I can wipe out the savages and make sure no one stands in our way.”

Yes… Yes, I believe I have been thinking too defensively. The White Tail and Celestial’s pets cannot stop me if they have succumbed to my touch. Very well, my Harbinger, you have my blessing. Wipe. Them. Out.

A nasty sneer erupted across his face, his pointed canines glistening. “There will be no one left to defy you, I swear.”

Do not make promises you cannot keep, Harbinger. Finish his conversion then take him with you. You will need him to deal with their Elder.

“I will deal with him myself, Mistress.”

No, I have another task for you. One our forces will ensure you are not interrupted from.

A wider, gleeful smile tugged at his lips as she relayed her plan to him. “Their screams will welcome you back, my Mistress.”