Sweat poured off of Tarnish in great, fat droplets. Maud was holding his head, she had her forelegs tight around his neck, and Vinyl was holding all of his legs. There had been a few attempts to push the arrow through so far and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to try again. He was fine with living out the rest of his life with the arrow just left there.

“We need to angle it up and then push through,” Minori said in a low voice that sounded exhausted. She reached out with one bloodied paw and stroked Tarnish’s lower back, trying to comfort him.

“Maybe a hospital might be better?” Octavia suggested.

“Let’s face it, the doctors would do the same,” Maud replied, “although it would be in better conditions.”

“Maybe we should get him to Baltimare.” Octavia’s face was pinched with worry. “I once read that ponies hardly ever died from the arrow, but they died from the infections or bleeding out when one tried to pull the arrow free.” As she spoke, she heard Tarnish whimper, and she cringed from saying such a dreadful thing while he was suffering.

Snatching up a stick with a burnt end, Vinyl began to scratch out words on the dirty stone floor. She poked Octavia as she wrote, and then waited for Octavia to read the message aloud to the others.

It said, “I could try conjuring the arrow out, but it’s going to pull flesh out with it. I don’t know how much. Conjuration forms a bubble of magic around the object.”

Maud considered the option for a moment, then nodded. “Do it.”

“I agree, ‘twould be best.” Minori bowed her head.

“Okay, Vinyl… I know you’ll do your best. You are the most amazing wizard I know.” Octavia turned and looked at her soulmate. “Save our little family, Vinyl. Try to think of holidays together and the pleasant times we could be having.”

The albino mare closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Her breathing slowed and her horn pulsed in time with her inhalations and exhalations, going from light to dark. Her barrel rose and fell with rhythmic regularity.

“What… what if she magics... away a big chunk... out of my withers?” Tarnish’s question came out in pants.

“We’re hoping for a little chunk,” Octavia said as she reached out and stroked Tarnish’s face. “Just think about how lovely it would be to spend Hearth's Warming together. We could drink egg nog… I could perform holiday music. We could be happy and put all of this behind us.”

“That… sounds… nice.” Tarnish closed his eyes and buried his face against Maud, anticipating that things were about to get worse. “I’m going… to spend… the rest of my life… doing this… it will never… be… behind me.”

“Oh how dreadful.” Octavia’s unharmed ear drooped against her face, while the swollen ear was unable to sag. She turned and looked at Vinyl, who was lost in concentration. She turned again, and met Maud’s eyes. The two mares stared at one another, and she saw Maud give a little nod as her body tensed. She heard Tarnish whimper as Maud tightened her grip. Octavia felt her throat go dry, but she managed to choke out a few words anyway. “Well then, I do believe our holidays shall involve a lot of drinking and the sort of dancing they frown upon in high society.”

Vinyl’s horn flared with brilliant light and an arrow poofed into existence near her head. The arrow was bloodied, both with old dried blood and fresh gleaming blood. There was very little flesh on the arrow, no flaps of skin, no chunks of muscle, for the most part, it was just a bloodied arrow. A thin trickle of blood dribbled out of Vinyl’s nostril, and her breathing became heavy.

Two things happened at once.

Tarnish, in a groggy voice asked, “Is it over?”

While he asked his question, Octavia gasped, “Vinyl!” as she rushed to hold her mate.

“That one has done too much magic this day,” Minori said as Octavia grabbed the pale mare. “As for you, very little harm was done. I can patch this up and you’ll be fine. You are lucky to have such skilled friends. Now hold still, this is going to sting a little…”

In his haze of pain, everything felt jumbled and confused. His withers ached and the muscles along his shoulders burned with inner fire, but he could deal with it. He was more worried about Vinyl, who was in severe need of rest. He thought about the stone striking Vinyl’s shield and what it had done to her. He did not understand the full intricacies of magic, but he knew that the strain had caused some physical harm to her.

A cup was set down in front of him and he sniffed. He recognised the cup and realised it must have been pulled from his saddlebags. He probably needed his tea, his medicine, the delightful brew that kept his magic in check.

It took him a few moments, but he noticed that Maud was nowhere to be seen. Confused, and just a little bit alarmed, he lifted his head and asked, “Where’s Maud?”

“She returned to our camp to fetch Burrows Under Truffles,” Octavia replied.

“How’s Vinyl?” Tarnish was surprised by how scratchy his voice sounded.

“She insists that she’ll be fine, that she just needs some rest. She’s overextended herself today. I think she’ll need some time being spoiled.” Octavia blinked, her eyes darted over to the left to look at Vinyl, and then she returned her gaze to Tarnish. “Drink your tea. The bushwoolies were quite taken by it. They love alchemy and I permitted them to study a small sample. Now that they are free to come and go, I suspect they will be bringing you the reagents you need to make more tea, even though you have plenty.”

“Where is Minori?” he asked as he lifted up his teacup.

“She’s restoring order and making things right. She’s declared herself chieftess. None have challenged her. Right now, she is draining the infection from one of her fellow dogs.” Octavia paused for a moment, chewed on her lip, and then shook her head. “The things that took place here, Tarnish… I fear they shall haunt my dreams. As awful as it sounds, it has inspired me… I can already hear the music forming. It will be sad and terrible, I fear.”

Closing his eyes, he took a sip of his tea. The hot liquid was soothing. He swished some around inside of his mouth, then swallowed. His injured withers burned and ached, but he did his best to ignore them. There were others who had suffered far worse.

Eyes now open, Tarnish saw a curious sight. A little diamond dog pup holding a wooden sword stood near. When Tarnish looked at him, he bowed his head, then bowed at the waist. The pup was small, lean, and long of limb for his size. His long ears were pulled back and tied behind his head with a tattered ribbon.

“My name is Long Ears,” the pup said as he rose from his bow. “Minori sent me to guard you and be your servant.” The little pup’s face fell into a wrinkled frown. “I suspect she did so to keep me from being under paw.”

Glancing over to Octavia, Tarnish noticed that there was a sweet smile upon her face.

“I am now the clan’s protector,” Long Ears said in a voice far too serious for his age. “Minori was raising me to challenge Dig Dag, but now he is dead. I shall find other foes more worthy of my wrath. I shall be a paragon of the eight great virtues.”

Taking another sip of tea, Tarnish looked at the clan’s protector. The pup might come all the way up to his knee, yet there was something about the little fella that told Tarnish that he was a scrapper. He didn’t dare smile, because the pup seemed to be taking all of this in such a serious way.

“One day, I shall be a great and powerful samurai, and Minori will be my beloved chieftess. I will have purpose and do good. I will be honourable and just. I will defend the weak and offer protection to all good souls who ask.”

“That sounds very noble of you, Long Ears,” Octavia said to the pup as she fought to hold back laughter.

Looking up, Long Ears pointed at Flamingo, who hovered overhead. “Might I hold your sword?” The pup turned his excruciatingly adorable eyes upon Tarnish and gave him a soul crushing, pleading stare.

Tarnish almost dropped his teacup. “Uh, Flamingo is really, really sharp, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“I will be careful.” Long Ears’ eyes became terrible weapons, and he used his ruthless advantage against Tarnish.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what… you tell me what those eight virtues are, and I will let you hold—”

“Uh, boss, that’s a terrible idea,” Flamingo interjected.

“Flamingo, you’ll let him hold you and you won’t move.” Tarnish looked up at the sword hovering overhead.

“Boss, I’m bigger than he is by quite a bit.” Flamingo swooped down and hovered near Tarnish’s right ear. “I’ve eaten meals bigger than he is—”

“Not another word, Flamingo.”

“Right, no more words, shutting up now. I know when to shut up and be quiet, yes I do.”

Squinting at Flamingo, Tarnish grumbled something and then returned his attention to the pup. “So, tell me, what are those eight virtues?” He was curious, and wondered if perhaps they would be like the Elements of Harmony.

“The first is righteousness,” Long Ears replied as he bowed his head. “I strive to be righteous. Dig Dag was not righteous, he was craven.” The little pup raised his head. “The second is self control. I withhold my desires and I maintain self control. Through deprivation, I gain enlightenment.”

“He’s so serious.” Octavia mouthed the words at Tarnish but did not make a sound.

“Benevolence is my favourite virtue, and I try to be kind and fair in all of my dealings. Wars can be ended with steel and blood, but they can also be undone with kind words and gentle acts. I want to be known for my kindness.” Long Ears reached up and smoothed back his long, floppy ears.

“Respect, honour, and sincerity are the threefold virtues, you cannot have one of these without also having the other two. They are connected and difficult to maintain. If you lose one, you lose all three and become a disgrace.”

Nodding, Tarnish considered the pup’s words.

“Courage is the virtue that I have in abundance. I might be small, but I am fearless. I never shrank back from Dig Dag, even when he beat me or cuffed me for being insolent.” The pup gripped his sword. “I kept a memory of every indignity that he visited upon me and the others. I did this out of loyalty, the last virtue. I am loyal to Minori. She is my teacher, and now my chieftess.”

True to his word, Tarnish reached out with his telekinesis, grabbed Flamingo, and pulled her down. The pup slid his wooden sword into a crude, tattered belt around his middle, and reached out, eager. Tarnish placed Flamingo in his paws, and he got a good grip on her. He held her, but did not move. He didn’t wave or slash her around, he did nothing that might be dangerous.

“This is an amazing weapon, but I do believe a kind word can do more,” Long Ears said in a near silent whisper. “One day, I hope I am worthy of a blade like this one. The name Long Ears will cause terror to those who do evil.” The little pup closed his eyes and his lips began moving as he recited something under his breath.

Even though he struggled to make it out, Tarnish could not understand what the pup was saying. As he sat there listening, he saw the pup’s eyes open, and he saw a fiery intensity in the pup’s eyes.

“You have honoured me, and I shall not forget it.” Long Ears let go of Flamingo, who remained in place, and kneeled down by Tarnish. “I am indebted to you, and I shall strive to follow your example—oomph!”

The pup’s last words were cut off as Vinyl grabbed him and began snuggling him. Long Ears struggled, he kicked and wiggled, his eyes wide, but Vinyl was much larger than he was. Octavia began giggling, but also tried to hold it back, which made it come out in giggle-snorts. Flamingo floated up and away, mindful of her own sharp blade.

“Madam, if you require assistance or comfort, you only had to ask!” Long Ears shouted in a squeaky voice. “My sister, Kabuki, she is the snuggly one… leggo!”

Lifting his teacup, Tarnish continued drinking and ignored Long Ears’ pleas for help.

Author's Notes:

And I am done with this for a while. All the available material has been used up. Other stories will now be updated.