Vinyl Scratch sure did like her Lady Grey tea, Tarnish thought to himself as she made the most hysterical faces of bliss while drinking it. The dawn was warm and sunny today, but grey clouds were visible in the east. Breakfast was cornmeal mush and dehydrated fruit, along with all the tea one cared to drink. Octavia seemed quiet and reflective, or perhaps she was still sleepy and hiding it behind a well cultured mask.

He had a full stomach and he was happy. It was nice having Vinyl and Octavia here, even if the bed was now crowded. He set down his steaming teacup, filled with poison joke tea, and lifted up the index cards that Vinyl had created for him. He wasn’t sure when she had done it, but done it she had. Vinyl stayed on top of things and seemed remarkably well organised for being such a carefree spirit.

Today, our lesson will be all about telekinesis. Your telekinesis is better than you realise. Your problem is, when you focus on your telekinesis, it goes bad. When you try to concentrate upon a task, you mess it up. Your telekinesis works best when it is passive and you aren’t paying attention to what you are doing.

Tarnish looked up from the index card and glanced at Vinyl, who ignored him and continued to make orgasmic faces as she sipped her tea. One eyebrow arched and he returned his attention to the lesson at hoof.

Telekinesis is magic, but it isn’t like other magic. Magic magic, spells and such, are thaumakinetic. You draw upon the ambient magic all around you, channel it, focus it, and then direct it in a way that you desire. Telekinesis however, is psychokinetic. It comes from within. You only need to draw a tiny amount of magic from the world around you to power telekinesis. Being a psychokinetic power, telekinesis depends upon willpower, concentration, imagination, and inspired levels of creativity.

Looking up from the index cards he was holding in his telekinesis, Tarnish wondered where Vinyl had learned this stuff. His brow furrowed and he thought about what he had just read.

I like to think that there are no bad telekinetics, just ponies who haven’t yet explored their creative and imaginative potentials. Some ponies do get telekinesis as a talent and they can do amazing things, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t do amazing things either, with a little practice and hard work.

Tarnish flipped the front card to the back and began to read the second.

So, just what is telekinesis anyway? The answer is complex. In simplified terms, telekinesis is photon manipulation. A unicorn creates light with their horn and then through the wonders of magic, they add a bit of mass to the photons. These photons can be manipulated to hold things, push things, generate friction, create heat, start fires, add more weight to an object, all manner of things are possible. With training, these heavy photons can behave like water, moving like a liquid, or can become super solid, creating barriers of dense mass, such as a shielding spell.

Blinking, Tarnish realised that he was going to have to work to understand this. He tried to remember what a photon was from his school days. He didn’t have a working understanding of physics, having dropped out of school.

But there was a glimmer of understanding. There were times when his telekinesis behaved like water, it was soft, flowing, it wrapped around things and held them with surprising gentleness. There were also times when his telekinesis was as hard as a rock, like when he manifested his wall spell, which he knew was a simplified shield spell.

Mystified, Tarnish had to know the answer to a most pressing question. “Vinyl Scratch… how did you learn all of this stuff?”

There was no reply from Vinyl, who seemed too busy making orgasmic faces while she drank her tea. In the company of trusted friends, she held back nothing, and Tarnish had to struggle to not squirm when he looked at her.

“Vinyl Scratch graduated with top marks from Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and she did so with not one, but three degrees. Musical theory, magic theory, and photography. She was a real go getter, that one.” Octavia yawned, moaning as she did so, then shook her head. “I was up too late last night, thinking about musical flourishes.”

“What sort of degrees?” Maud asked.

Octavia shrugged. “She never talks about them.” After a moment’s pause, Octavia let out a demure giggle, then added, “Or writes about them, as the case may be.”

“So all of that, and somehow, Vinyl was still broke and struggling when you met?” Maud’s head turned to look at Vinyl, then back to Otavia.

“Music was her passion,” Octavia sighed in response as she rolled her eyes. “She could have been a wizard for hire, but she was determined to make a name for herself as a musician. It was her primary goal, you see, she believed that the struggle would make her a better musician. Musicians have to struggle, it helps them write soulful music.”

“Only now, you don’t struggle,” Maud said, making an observation.

“No.” Octavia blinked. “We don’t.” She blinked again, shook her head, and her ears stood up. “Which is part of the reason why we are here, with you, struggling in the wilderness. I’ve grown weary of success. Bored. So very bored. So very, very bored.” She let heave a sigh thick with ennui.

“So your creativity suffers,” Maud said.

“Yes.” Octavia nodded. “I’ve often thought about losing myself in drink. Taking a bit of a tumble in the public eye. Fall down a bit. Have a real tragic series of events take place. And then, once I hit bottom, I could struggle my way back up to the top and have a triumphant return. But then, after I think about it, I realise how stupid that is and then I slap myself.”

“So instead, you go off on wilderness expeditions and safaris, and put yourself into life and death situations.” Tarnish reached up and scratched his neck with his hoof. “This is better than drinking, I’ll give you that.”

“Tarnish, dearie, some of the best adventures can be had while you are drinking.” Octavia gave Tarnish a wink and then smiled a satisfied smile.

He didn’t know what to say or how to respond to that. He lifted up his teacup, not even thinking about it, and held his index cards filled with his lesson about telekinesis. He took a sip and thought about the meaning of life, and if perhaps, it was found in struggle. He settled in and continued reading, his thoughts heavy within his mind.

Four ponies moved about the camp, putting up the breakfast items so that everything stayed neat and orderly. Vinyl did the dishes, not so much washing them as making them clean with a spell. The cast iron gleamed with an almost mirror-like finish when she was done and everything looked as though it was brand new.

There was a lot to get done today, a long list of tasks. More surveying, more measuring, soil and stone samples, and if there was time, another attempted peek into the cave, this time, with help. Tarnish was certain that Vinyl would have a solution if they ran into ghastlies or tentacled giant slug monsters that dripped mucus covered parasites.

“We have a visitor,” Octavia said to everypony, alerting them.

Turning his head, Tarnish saw a small figure shambling through the grass towards them. He stared, trying to see what it was, and did his best to look friendly. When it was closer, he saw that it was a badger.

It stopped several yards away and sat up on its haunches, looking at them.

“Hi,” Tarnish said in the friendliest voice he could muster.

“Help me,” the badger replied.

The voice sounded feminine, but also gritty and Tarnish couldn’t be sure. The creature looked miserable and sick. Patches of her fur were falling out. Her eyes were sunken. Her ears were notched and tattered.

When she pitched forwards, losing her balance, Tarnish reached out and caught her with his telekinesis. He moved to her side, sat down, lifted her, and began to examine her. She was light, far too light, and nothing but bones. Holding her made his spine tingle and he felt queasy.

“I saw your fire,” the badger said to Tarnish, “and I came for help.”

“We’ll help you,” Tarnish replied as he levitated his canteen over. “I think she needs some food, somepony get her something.”

Hearing Tarnish’s command, Vinyl hurried to comply.

“Tell me what you need help with.” Tarnish wrapped a foreleg around the small, pitiful creature and tried to comfort her.

“The tall dogs keep us as slaves. They have our cubs and they keep them locked away. They make us dig.” The badger coughed and began to wring her front paws together. “They will probably kill my cubs because I escaped, but no one else was brave enough to go.”

As the badger lay in his embrace, Tarnish poured some water into a plastic cup and offered it to her. She drank, coughed, spluttered, and drank some more. Her eyes were cloudy and Tarnish knew by looking at her that she was very nearly starved to death.

“The tall dogs keep the bushwoolies too,” the badger added.

“What is your name?” Tarnish asked.

“My name is Burrows Under Truffles,” the badger replied.

As he sat there, holding the badger sow, Tarnish felt his jaw muscles clench. He thought of Buttons—she was a good diamond dog—and he thought about the diamond dogs he had met not long ago. He thought of his unknown tormentor and wondered what she might have to say about this. He thought of himself, and what he needed to do. What must be done. The list of tasks to do this day was due for a change. As he thought about doing what needed to be done, Tarnished Teapot grew solemn.

“Okay, Burrows Under Truffles, I’ll tell you what. Vinyl, my dear friend, she is fixing you some food. You’re going to eat and feel better and then, you’re going to tell me everything I need to know so that I can go and rescue your clan for you.”

The badger sow nodded and something that almost looked like a smile appeared upon her muzzle. She raised one front paw in a feeble gesture, reached out, and touched Tarnish’s snoot, resting her paw upon it.

“Dark Under Roots said that ponies would not help us,” she said in a weak, scratchy voice. “He was wrong. I am glad that he is wrong.”

“How is she?” Tarnish asked as Octavia exited the wagon. “Think the food will stay down? Think she’ll recover?”

“I think her chances are good, but I have no way of knowing for certain,” Octavia replied. “Eating and talking left her fatigued.” The earth pony drew closer to Tarnish and deep concern caused creases in her brow. “What are we getting into?”

Tarnish eyed Octavia and noted that her pelt colour was different than Maud’s. Maud had some blue notes in her pelt, while Octavia was a bit lighter. He didn’t know how to respond to her in a way that might ease her mind, so he was blunt and honest.

“She doesn’t know how to count very well. Many tens of tall dogs she said. So we’re facing unknown numbers.” Tarnish let out an almost despondent sigh. “I am going to attempt to reason with them, but if that fails…” His words trailed off and his expression grew grim.

“You are actually going to try and reason with them?” Octavia asked in a surprised voice.

“Yes.” Tarnish nodded. “Burrows Under Truffles said this group of tall dogs doesn’t keep pony slaves. They know that it will bring them trouble. So I am going to try and appeal to that. Perhaps they can be dealt with in a reasonable way.”

Octavia’s lower lip protruded. “I doubt that, but you are a good pony for trying, Tarnished Teapot.”

“Everything is locked away and secured,” Maud said as she approached. “Are we going to do this? Where are we going?”

“Eastward, towards a ridge that looks like sharp teeth,” Tarnish replied.

“That sounds like Bear Jaw Ridge. I’ve never been there, but I have a general idea of where it is.” Maud came to halt near Tarnish and Vinyl stood beside her. “There are four of us. Are we sure we want to do this?”

“It’s the spider cave all over again.” Tarnish closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Already, he was feeling jittery. His adrenaline was spiking. He could feel his muscles twitching and jerking. He opened his eyes and knew what needed to be done.

“Today, we are going to go off and give a good accounting of ourselves,” Octavia said before Tarnish had a chance to open his mouth. “Tarnish wants to see if he can resolve this peacefully. Let us hope that it is possible.”

“Otherwise, there’s going to be a fight.” Maud’s words echoed what everypony was thinking.

Tarnish stepped forwards. “Here’s to doing what is right.”

“And keeping a stiff upper lip,” Octavia added. As Octavia spoke, Vinyl adjusted her new horn ring. “Well then, let’s get cracking!”

Author's Notes:

Hang on...