“So, it did not go so well?” Honeydew asked softly.
I let out a frustrated groan, shaking my head to get my low-hanging feelers out of my vision. All it did was make them bounce around, increasing the distraction-factor even more. I wasn’t sure on everything Carveshine had heatedly told Honeydew. I suspected a curse or two, the type of word Fluttershy would never think to teach me, but I definitely made out the words ‘clumsy’ and ‘unfocused’. More than once.
“Alright, maybe toolmaker was a bit ambitious.” he gave me an apologetic smile. “I just thought.. Because you look a little weak-”
“Thanks, you really know how to cheer a mare up.” I replied drily.
His eyes turned away, muttering an apology as I pondered. So he thought I looked weak. And here I’d assumed my spell would’ve given me at least an average breezie’s physiology. I couldn’t help but note that Honeydew was an inch or two taller… Well, whatever a breezie-inch would be. Still, being weak was bad, especially in a situation where most every job would be labor-intensive. Sighing, I wracked my brain on any sort of work I could do for the clan. I was too clumsy for craftsmanship. Too inexperienced for scouting. Gathering? Where would I go? How would I find my way back and how would I avoid being eaten myself? What other work was even needed, I had no idea! My eyes trailed to Honeydew. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know what I can do.”
“Do you have any talents?” he suggested. “You must have done something before you came here.”
Yes, I was a librarian, great skill set to have in an archaic village. Heck, I haven’t even seen a book around here! Even my snarky brain shuddered at that realization. “Nothing that would be applicable here.” I bet Applejack would’ve had no problem in this situation, she’d teach the breezies how to build and tear down barns in a day.
“That doesn’t make it easy for me, Twilight.” he puffed out his cheeks.
Tell me about it.
“Maybe I could… carry water?” I suggested half-heartedly.
“What for?” he raised his eyebrow. “Can’t wait to wash yourself? It’s gonna get cold very soon.” he added with a concerned look.
Right, water carrying not useful for creatures that can subsist entirely from morning dew. “Isn’t there anything I can do?”
He slowly rubbed his chin, eyes staring into the busy village. More breezies than ever were trotting around, exchanging food, chatting and generally taking a break. For some reason, several groups of breezies had been gathering foliage, carrying it to a small pile wedged between a root of a nearby tree, and the fallen stem of another forest giant. It didn’t seem like material, the breezies treated it too casually. Were we going to burn it for warmth? But leaves made poor fuel, burning up fast and producing a lot of smoke.
Suddenly, I had a mental picture of a mountain of leaves covering the entire village, shielding it from wind and snow, like a hedgehogs nest. That… sort of made sense, especially with the arcways, which would ensure that vital paths in the village would remain accessible. Point for Twilight, one mystery down, fifty million to go!
“I would have to talk to a few breezies.” Honeydew finally said. I’d been so deep in thought that I almost forgot we were in a conversation. “In the meantime, you could-” his voice trailed off as he looked out of the village into the dark, looming forest. “Yes, you see out there, the bush next to the birch? The white tree.” he clarified as he noticed my confused expression.
“Y-yes, I see it.” I muttered as my face heated up. So I’d always skimped out on outdoor studies while studying under Celestia, who would’ve thought it’d actually become important?!
“Under the bush should be a little hole in the ground. Sometime in summer, I’ve put a bunch of supplies there so I could eventually make myself a more permanent outpost in the wild when I got some time off, but Heistin decided it wasn’t the time... Either way,” he continued without giving me the chance to ask about that name. “There should be enough to eventually let you build your own home once winter comes. Just put it in the storage and wait at my house when you’re done, alright?”
“Sure…” I muttered, casting a nervous glance to said tree. I wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of going out there alone, even if it was just a twenty minute march. Honeydew’s hoof poked my shoulder, and I turned to see his apologetic smile.
“I know, it’s not fun work, but it’s just until I can find you something better, alright?”
I nodded, wishing I knew what to say to make him come with me as I trotted out of the village.
-------
When the sun began to touch the horizon, all thoughts of danger or unease had disappeared. My shoulders burned as bricks of sun-dried clay pressed down on my back just like… exactly what they were, bricks! It was fair, I told myself. The clan took me in despite that worsening what was apparently to be a bad year, they were right to give me the worst jobs they had, I could count myself lucky that Honeydew even put in the effort to find me something better.
None of that helped as every step seemed to pulverize everything between those bricks and my bones. The first haul at least had been easy, two bales of hay, strung up with a woven rope, so thin I could barely see it. Spiderweb? That would have been a huge risk to get. It had also given me a chance to get a better picture of the village’s surroundings. A venture point that was a low-hanging branch gave me a good view of a large swamp to the east. The other directions only led deeper into the endless sea of green that was the forest, though there seemed to be a mountain range on the northern horizon if the brief glimpses I caught through the tree canopy didn’t deceive me.
Gasping, I took another step, distracting thoughts falling away as I focused on the next step. And the next…
-----
Honeydew blinked in surprise as I finally, finally arrived at his house, feeling like I could just drop down on a pile of hay and never get up again. Luckily, there was a pair of helpful hooves to catch me.
“You look horrible!” Honeydew made his astute observation. “Did something happen, I expected you an hour ago!?”
A groan rose up from my hate-filled heart. So despite all my effort I’d still performed below expectations, which had probably been low to begin with? Riveting! At this rate I’d maybe survive for a week!
“So, about the work I was promising you,” he began as he pushed me back on my own four hooves, smiling in spite of the glare that should have set him ablaze. “Don’t give me that look, this is something easy, promise.”
I neither had the energy nor the will to hide my dissatisfaction. My back still felt like it had served as the dancefloor for a herd of elephants. Whatever sort of work he’d offer, it did not include me resting! Still, if his clan threw me out, I’d be a lot more uncomfortable, real quick. So I really had no choice but to trot behind him, occasionally stretching my sore muscles.
We arrived at the only building in the village that could rival the elder’s longhouse in size. Copious amounts of turf covered the top, the yellow of hay disrupted by splotches of green grass, as if a new lawn was being raised on the roof. Imagine my surprise then, when I saw the solid stone walls nearly hidden underneath the turf. Not even the elder’s longhouse had been made with stone, nor a single other building. Why? Why was every other breezie happy with a dirt-lump of a house if this was possible?!
“Who lives in here?” I attempted to ask, but I was cut off as the door opened, revealing an elderly breezie mare, blinking at me in surprise.
“Welcome,” she said brightly. “Who might you be- Honeydew!” Her voice rose into a scolding shout. “I was expecting you an hour ago. Poor Harpie has been waiting for you.”
He flinched back, muttering an apology, unable to meet the old mare’s eyes.
“H-he had to wait for me.” I exclaimed, stepping closer to the mare. “He gave me a job and I couldn’t do it in time. It’s not his fault.”
“Defending him?” The mare asked, one eyebrow slowly rising up. Suddenly, all her anger seemed to poof into nonexistence as she chuckled mischievously. “Oh, how fast the winds can turn.”
“W-what?” I asked, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden change in tone. Honeydew sputtered, glaring at the mare.
“Oh, I’m just saying, he’s been a lone harvest mouse for a while…”
I gave her a blank look. The elderly breezie’s grin shrunk.
“Oh dear, you’re a little slow, aren’t you?”
No! In my head, a little pony threw up her hooves in exasperation. I am not slow! You breezies just talk weird! Outwardly, I put on a sheepish grin. “M-maybe, but I could learn.”
“Ehem,” Honeydew cleared his throat. For some reason, his feelers emitted light in a soft, pinkish hue. I didn’t know they could change color! I wanted to do that, too!
“I actually hoped I could leave Twilight with you for now.” Oh right, Honeydew was talking. Reluctantly tearing my eyes from his bright antennae, I focused back on the conversation. “She’s in need of work.” He gave me a quick glance. “Simple work.”
I have degrees in magical theory, history of ponykind and applied sciences… I thought as the elderly breezie gave me an empathetic look.
“Of course, you can come with me” she offered, stepping out of the doorway. “Oh, and I didn’t even introduce myself, I am Echidna.”
“Twilight Sparkle.”
The inner walls of the house were covered in smooth clay, preventing any cold air from blowing through cracks in the stone. Wooden posts held up the ceiling, while the ground was covered in what looked like sand, but had the consistency of sawdust. Suddenly, the tiny form of a breezie child zipped past, nearly ramming into me if I hadn’t backed away.
“Autumn Mist!” Echidna said warningly, causing the child to freeze in place. “Watch where you’re running, you almost hit our newcomer.”
The child apologized, but a shrill squeak tuned him out. “Honeydew!” A tiny filly shouted, seemingly attempting to choke my friend by hugging his windpipe shut. “You’re here, is this Twilight, is she your friend, Charybdis said-”
“Shhh, you’re disrupting the lesson” Echidna warned, her hoof pointing at the far side of the longhouse, where the glow of two dozen children’s antennae surrounded the form of the strange mare Kalypso, her differently colored eyes fixated on us with an irritated look.
“D-don’t disrupt Kalypso.” Honeydew coughed as he freed himself from the filly’s grip.
“Sorry…” she muttered, eyes fixated on the ground.
“Just behave around her,” Honeydew said as he stroked her mane. “Will you be okay?” he asked me as he lowered himself, allowing the filly to clamber onto his back.
“We’ll be fine.” Echidna answered as Honeydew shouldered his filly.
“Thanks. Twilight?” he gave me a smile. “I believe in you.”
“Yeah.” I muttered. Thanks for believing that I will be able to do the simplest job you could find… I kept that thought locked in my brain as I waved him goodbye. On the other side of the longhouse, Kalypso had begun a tale she seemingly recited from memory alone. As much as I wanted to listen, I forced myself to turn away and sit beside Echidna.
“Have you ever woven before?” The old mare asked as she pulled out a mass of straw.
“A little, actually.” My expression brightened as I took the straw, mentally going through the steps needed to turn it into a basket. That may be the only object I could make, drilled into me by assisting Rarity on various winter wrap-ups, but it was something! A facet of breezie life I wasn’t utterly clueless about. “Do you need baskets by any chance?”
“Yes, actually.” Echidna nodded, a little surprised. “Our gatherers will need more for when they go out to pick up the raspberries. They always drench the straw, and then it rots- we always have use for more baskets.”
And so we went to work. Though I did make a few mistakes and my product wasn’t as pretty as Echidna’s, they would do their job. After a while, I began to pay more and more attention to Kalypso. The strange mare was surrounded by foals as she told her tales, sometimes drawing something into the ground, sometimes speaking with the kids. Occasionally, a small group of children would break away from the group to play tag, causing Kalypso to exasperatedly shout after them. On a closer look, she seemed tired, the way she held herself, how she sometimes halted on a word, having to recollect her thoughts before she could continue. And yet, though she made blunders that would have made any class in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns explode in chit-chat, the children mostly kept quiet, as if they were anxious to misbehave. Was that that just how breezie foals behaved, or was it a sign of Kalypso’s status?
“Who is she?” I muttered quietly.
“Are you speaking of Frindri Kalypso?” Echidna asked.
I nodded. “It’s something about her eyes, isn’t it?”
“Our Kalypso was born with the eyes of wisdom and foresight.” Echidnae breathed reverently. “The gods have marked her for a great fate. They may even speak to her from time to time.”
Foresight? I hadn’t paid too much mind to the vague prophecy Kalypso had spouted, but if seeing the future was a breezie thing- “Is the gift of foresight common around here?”
“Oh, no, it is incredibly rare.” The old breezie smiled as she shook her head. “Windchime hasn’t even had half a dozen visions in all his years. But Kalypso, she seems to have at least two every month.”
And one included me. What were her words again? Something about winter spreading over the land and a flash of purple by her side. Ugh, it was so- not specific! I let out a groan, fixating my eyes on the back of the seer. I wanted to ask more of her, of this vision she claimed to have had. But she was busy with her job, as was I. And so I focused back on my task at hoof.
“Be a dear and watch the time.” Echidna instructed. “We do not want to be late for the praying.”
“I don’t know when it is.” I looked up from the basket I’d been making. With all the lights emanating from everyone’s feelers, it was hard to tell what time it even was.
“Just tell me when Kalypso gets up.”
“She’s going too?”
“Everyone is going.” The breezie said with definitiveness. “Hence why we don’t want to be missing.”
-----
Night had fallen over the forest, the stars hidden by clouds or the ever-present canopy of leaves, I couldn’t tell. It was as if the darkness was pressing down on our circle of light, condensing it to tiny spheres around every breezie. Except me, who struggled to keep within said spheres of others, wishing desperately I knew how to make my own feelers glow. I exhaled on my hooves, rubbing the limbs to ward off the cold of the autumn night. If only I could just go back, roll up in Honeydew’s house where it was warm. I could relax my still aching shoulders, see if I could find a reflective surface to look at that cut in my lip. Except that would make me miss the praying. I was a bit surprised to hear the spirit of exploration urging me onward, I’d assumed it had been snuffed out by the dangers of this world. But here it was, berating me for even thinking about missing my introduction into breezie religion!
A cold breeze swept over the ground, carrying the noise of rustling leaves as it tore away my foggy breath. Oh, I hoped they had blankets there…
Like a herd of flickering candles, the breezies flocked to a fallen tree, gathering in the hole left behind when the roots had torn out large clumps of forest ground. The trunk was now covered in moss and mushrooms. A solitary light shone from between the free-hanging roots. Was it Windchime? At this distance, I could only see him as a glowing ball in the dark.
I stepped into the group, glancing around in the hopes of finding Honeydew somewhere. It struck me how odd it felt that I couldn’t recognize any of their faces. Growing up in Canterlot, it was the norm, but during my years in Ponyville I’d gotten to know the ponies of the town so well that I could easily pick out at least two familiar ponies from any crowd. Biting my lip, I continued my search. Even Carveshine would be better than no-one, a familiar face-
Then my eyes fell on Honeydew, sitting in between two mares of roughly his age, running his glowing feelers over Harpie’s body, heating up the filly. I felt a bit uneasy as I approached them. If they were family, was it really my place to break into their privacy? But Honeydew had now spotted me, wearing a big smile as he patted a spot next to him.
I still wasn’t sure whether I should sit with them, but turning down an invitation would’ve been rude.
“Hello, Twilight.” He smiled, poking my shoulder with his hoof before shivering. “Ugh, you’re freezing again… Skylla, this is Twilight,” he pointed at the mare of his age, who gave a brief nod. “And Charybdis.” The other mare got up to shake my hoof while I stammered my greetings. “And you’ve already met Harpie.” He grinned as he held up the small filly.
“Only briefly, Honeydew,” I said, returning his smile. “But from what I could tell, your daughter seems really nice.”
Harpie blinked. “I’m his what?”
“She’s not my daughter, Twilight!” Honeydew exclaimed, looking uncertain whether to look appalled or break out in laughter. “She’s my little sister.”
“You’re not old enough to have children, anyway.” Skylla said coldly.
“Yes, I am.” Honeydew shot back a glare. “I’m just out scouting a lot.”
“You tend to be.” Skylla hissed, but stopped as Charybdis poked her in the side, giving her a warning look. The older breezie heaved a sigh before she lied down, having dropped the subject.
“You’re a ray of sunshine again…” Honeydew muttered.
“So, uhm… you’re all siblings?” I asked, looking from one to the other. I didn’t see much resemblance, but then again, I wasn’t sure about their gender before hearing their voices, either.
“Of course.” Harpie snickered. “What did you think we were?”
My mouth opened, and then closed again. I was not going to tell them my first impression, that Skylla and Honeydew were married, nono. Into Tartarus with that mental image!
“So, we’re here to pray, right?”
Honeydew gave me another one of those Twilight-is-slow-looks. “Yes, it’s the last moon before snowfall.”
“How do you know?” I scratched my head. “Is it from a vision?”
Celestia, I’m getting tired of that look…
“Approximately.” Honeydew said, drawing out each syllable as if it was a word on its own.
Seriously, if I was going to live with these Pixies, I really had to make them realize that I wasn’t stupid. I just had a bad feeling that that wouldn’t be easy. Especially if I was going to ask more strange questions. Like what kind of gods or spirits we were going to pray to. Still... I had to know.
“Honeydew-”
“Shhh!” He put a hoof on my lips as he looked up at Windchime. The elderly breezie had stopped fluttering around the hanging roots and was pulling Kalypso into a mid-air dance. I had no idea what was going on, but I watched in amazement as the pair twirled in the air, lit up by their own feelers. I met Honeydew’s eyes, the breezie having watched my expression during the entire display. He chuckled, scooting a bit closer. After a moment of hesitation, I did the same, protecting at least one side from the frigid air as we sat shoulder to shoulder.
Windchime had now separated from Kalypso, landing on a thick root above our heads. “My dear clan,” he intoned loudly, somehow still sounding as smooth and comforting as ever, despite having to shout. “It is the darkening of days. The year has not been kind to us. One has left our clan. Another followed Frinjiòn’s eternal breeze.”
At the last sentence, a shiver went through Harpie, who was quickly embraced by her sister Charybdis. I gave them an anxious look. I’d just learned a breezie saying. And I wished I could forget about it.
“It will be a hard winter,” Windchime continued. “We have all felt Heistin’s breath at times, and soon she shall lay claim to our land until the seasons turn once more. But though she might grip harder this year, though she might yank and twist on it, breathe over the land until her lungs ache, it is not hers. It is Frinjiòn’s, and we are his. We are breezies, and we shall endure!” He raised his hoof high in the air, his shout joined by many others, though a sizeable portion of the clan could not muster his enthusiasm. I noted that while Honeydew was shouting quite loudly, he was also one of the first to stop.
“We also have a newcomer!” I froze as I was suddenly in the center of a dozen curious looks. “You may ask yourself why we share our precious resources with this strange mare of the forest. It’s because she helps us in return. Already, she has proven herself eager, if not particularly skilled in her assistance.” That drew a bit of laughter. I snapped around, just in time to give Honeydew a warning look. The grin on his face dampened a little as he rolled his eyes.
“Twilight Sparkle came from far away, through means unbeknownst to any of us. It may be the foolery of a tree spirit, the ramblings of a confused soul, OR, it might be a sign of the gods. And it takes a fool to ignore their advice.” Panting, he closed his monologue, nodding to Kalypso, who now took the stage. Unlike Windchime, who had worn a smile during his speech, she looked much more reserved, as if she didn’t want to be here at all. She opened her mouth and I had to peak my ears to even make out what she was saying.
“As you know, the dreams of snow and ice have haunted me since the last two moons, when we saw the first signs of Heistin’s early descent. I am afraid the winter will be long and difficult. However, I don’t want to see us turning our backs on those who need our help. Twilight was lost in our forest, unable to fend for herself. I like to believe that this was the reason we took her in, not because of a vision.” Her strange eyes swept over us all, centering on a point in the crowd I couldn’t make out. “Still, she is of importance. A swirl of purple, standing by our side. I do not know of her impact on the events, but she is meant to be here.” With that, she backed away, allowing Windchime to speak once again. I did not listen, my eyes were fixated on Kalypso as her antennae darkened while she quietly snuck away!
I shot a quick look to Honeydew. He seemed entirely focused on Windchime, not even turning as I got up.
Galloping away from the crowd, I tried to keep my eyes on Kalypso. She had reached the outer edge of the light-sphere the clan created, spanning her wings as she floated away to a low-hanging branch sticking out of the fallen tree’s trunk. Spreading my own wings, I used a combination of climbing, jumping and gliding to cross the foliage until I could start scaling the tree. On this scale, tree bark made for an excellent climbing wall. Kalypso sat on the branch, eyes narrowed as she stared into the night sky, at least what was actually visible of it.
“Kalypso?”
She shot up as if I’d struck her with lightning. “Who’s there?”
I gasped as I finally pulled myself onto the branch. “I-it’s me, Twilight.”
She gave me a sharp glare. “You should be back there, listening to Frindrò Windchime, Twilight.”
“And you shouldn’t?” I shot back, grinning as I saw her recoil. “Then we both shouldn’t be here.”
“What do you want?” she asked gruffly as she looked out into the forest.
“To thank you.” That got me a surprised look. “Without your intervention, the elder might have cast me out, where I would’ve starved, or frozen to death.”
“You were in my vision.” She muttered, not meeting my eyes. “You shouldn’t thank me, it was none of my doing.”
That didn’t make any sense. “But you just said-”
“I said ‘I’d like to believe’. But that’s what I want. It doesn’t matter what I want, the vision is the entire reason.” She let out a sigh. “Still… I appreciate your gratitude, Twilight. Even if I don’t deserve it.”
I could feel my brows furrowing as I tried to make sense of this mare. So, she wanted to help me, and did so, having had a vision that I would help. But she did not believe I should be gracious, because the vision wasn’t her doing. I supposed that made sense, nopony could control their dreams, except for maybe Princess Luna. But shouldn’t she then be happy the vision had given her a way to vouch for me,?
“You are staring at me.” Kalypso said, her eyes darting away from mine.
“S-sorry.” I flushed, giving her a sheepish grin. “It’s just, I have never seen-”
“Eyes like mine, I know.” Kalypso huffed. “Maybe you should go now, I would like to have some time for myself… please.”
I was going to say ‘interesting breezie’, I thought as I climbed off the branch, leaving Kalypso to do… whatever she was doing.