//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: A Period of Growth // Story: The Survival Of The Species // by Borderline Valley //------------------------------// Herbert Senthson It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, there’s not a cloud in the sky, the grass is green and the paint is a little less wet than yesterday. Oh yes. One of my brand new duties is watching paint dry, while on patrol. I never knew you could combine two boring tasks into one and end up with something more mind-numbing than either of them alone. Now I know better. Of course, keeping an eye on the paint-border also involves heading into the Everfree Forest, which is something I used to loathe. It’s the strangest thing… whatever had been making us afraid of the forest just up and stopped one day. At least, so long as we remain within our borders. When I walk up to the red paint and peer through the trees to the other side of the southern border, I can feel the old fear again. The more I think about it, the more I like it. If this keeps up, it will mean that we’ll be able to tell how deep into the forest we are by whether or not the fear is present. It’s certainly made hunting duty more enjoyable. Sure, there are still dangerous creatures in the forest, but that constant nagging fear had caused more than a few slip-ups in the past. At least nowadays, after my shift is over, I have the option to return home to my family again, rather than constantly bunking in the barracks. It used to be that members of the guard could only really visit their families during the regularly scheduled meal-times, no matter if they were married or single. It was the price we paid for the amount of control we had. Well, the control the Captain had. He’s the one who made all the decisions. I don’t have a sweetheart to call my own, but I missed spending time with my brothers and sisters. It’s certainly an interesting dynamic now that I’m a guard though. I mean, ever since I started hunting wolves, such a long time ago, my older brothers started actually giving me respect as a full man, but as a member of the guard, one that’s tasted combat no less, it’s slightly… different. Not to mention that after the amount of time and effort the Sergeants put into adding this ‘Focus Magic’ to our training, I’ve had the unrivaled pleasure of tutoring my older brothers in how to use it. Speaking of which, underneath my gloves lies one of the images that every member of the guard has grown very familiar with: A single eye, shaped like that of an eagle, set against a background of an arrow crossed with a hollow horn. Combining so many different things in a single Mark took some effort and training, but after a couple days of practicing the same mark over and over, one gets used to it. The Captain even mandated that all members of the guard needed to learn how to do specific Marks, and be capable of producing them on command. This particular one enhances my eyes, letting me see farther, sharper, and notice more about my surroundings. It also improves my accuracy with my bow, and I can now blow my warning horn with all the lung-power of a trained professional. It’s the perfect mark for watch-duty, and works well with patrols like this one. I also know how to produce marks that appear exactly like three different sets of our armor and equipment, the more specific the image, the better I get with them. That’s in addition to individual marks that enhance strength, speed, skill with certain weapon groups, and memory recall. There’s actually been a bit of debate as to what exactly we should focus on learning, spawning a mark devoted to skill in debate. It looks like a small brown scale set against a background of grey speed lines. Some of the marks are more symbolic than others, but all of them are rather potent. The sparring sessions we’ve been doing to keep in shape have gotten a lot more intense as a result, let me tell you. Imagine that, with just a little bit of focus, you could call to your mind and body all the knowledge and reflexes of a master swordsman. When I focus solely on my pressing desire to be good with a sword – not just any sword, but this sword – it’s amazing, how I can suddenly just know exactly what I’m doing. But then, that knowledge, those reflexes, they don’t exactly go away. So long as I wear this Scouting Mark, as we’ve come to call it, I will feel the urge to actually use the abilities I am granted. How I put them to use doesn’t matter as much as you might think; I feel most content when actually out in the field, using these enhanced eyes to study the landscape, comparing it to how it all looked yesterday… and the day before that… and the one before that… but as long as I’m counting the number of bricks in a wall, or keeping track of the relative distances between members of a crowd as I patrol our little market-place, I’m content. Actively refusing to use the abilities granted by a Focus Mark while wearing one can be… stressful. Imagine trying to ignore a voice in your head showing you dozens of ways to beat someone, anyone, into submission, and then your least-favorite nephew offers you an insult in passing. There have been a few incidents as we worked out how and when it’s best to use these Marks, but I digress. The odd thing is that, boring as border patrol is, it’s fulfilling, in a way, so long as I use a Scouting Mark while I do it. Rodin keeps warning us that we still didn’t know all that much about how Focus Magic really works and next to nothing about what side-effects it might have, but I’m not really worried about it. Discord was right about one thing: if I so much as ponder on the idea of removing a Focus Mark too hard, it vanishes from my skin. … Whoops. Case in point. The mental gymnastics to forming these marks is difficult, but straightforward. All I have to do is focus on what I desired the mark to accomplish, to the exclusion of all else, for a few brief moments. It’s actually harder than it sounds. Naming and classifying the marks is actually helping though, I admit. It’s so much easier to focus on the idea of ‘I really, really want to manifest the Scouting Mark again’ than it was to focus on ‘I really, really want to see farther and with more detail, noticing what’s happening in my environment, and improving my skill with this bow and also with this warning horn…’ With my Mark back in place, I resume my patrol of this section of the border, my path finally taking me outside of the forest and back among the rolling hills of our new home. I can’t see it from here, but our little village is starting to do more than just survive. With an unending supply of wood at our backs, the public structures went up smoothly. We lost quite a bit of workers when martial law was lifted, but we guards weren’t left to do it ourselves; several families who had members in the guard, and a few that simply specialized in construction, kept on helping us, which I was thankful for. We actually only finished a few days ago, but even then everyone has been rather busy ever since. My family, for one, staked out a swath of land far to the north; I’ve spent my off-duty hours dragging up lumber and helping them build a homestead out there, where father says the soil is perfect for growing wheat. Quite a few families are doing similar things; most of us were farmers for most of our lives and are eager to return to the cycle of the seasons, out of sight of the main town. Those whose livelihoods don’t involve great plots of land have constructed their own homes and shops around the public buildings, forming our own little town. We’ve also had one more council since the last one, but the biggest issue raised there was whether or not we should start building a wall around the town. Turns out that, no, we won’t be doing that. It’s when I’m on patrol like this, seeing our new home first-hand, with a mark on my hand, that I’m the most content with my new lot in life. Sure, our old world ended in fire, and I will never forget that, but this is a new land, filled with new opportunities, and I get to help protect it. My constantly searching eyes finally land on something colorful. Something colorful that isn’t red! I notice it almost the instant that it enters my line of sight, as I crest a small hill. There’s a pony by the paint-border, a couple hundred paces ahead. As my patrol continues to take me closer to it, I start to notice more details about it. Her coat is blue, she has wings, and her mane is every color of the rainbow. ‘Loyalty!’ I realize. Ever since her image was passed around to be memorized by the guard, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. This ‘Loyalty’ was the one who was grabbed by Rodin’s summoning spell all that time ago. We were very lucky that hadn’t spawned an incident. ‘Actually, do we know that it didn’t?’ But I’m not paid to think about that. My patrol is taking me right by her, and policy requires that I assess the threat posed by anything strange… This unfortunately qualifies. “Halt!” I call out to the unmoving pegasus, “State your name and your business here.” Her head whips from staring at the paint to staring at me with wide eyes and perked ears. After recovering from her surprise, she starts shifting nervously. Even hearing through the grapevine that the language barrier somehow isn’t an issue anymore, hearing her speak is still a shock. “O-Oh, uh… Hi there. Is Sophia around?” Sophia? Isn’t that Everblaze’s daughter? My mouth is running on autopilot though; let it never be said that I abandoned policy at the wrong moment. “External inquiries regarding citizens must be relayed through the governor, and inquiries regarding minors must be vetted through the appropriate guardian.” “What? Look, can you just pass it on that I was looking for her? I wanted to apologize for leaving like I did.” Her casual request taking the conversation firmly outside the realm of protocol, I raise an eyebrow at her; having a conversation with a solid fifteen feet of still-wet red paint separating us striking me as odd. That and all our first pony visitor wanted was to apologize to a kid? This is a strange world, but it seems more and more that my best option is just to roll with the punches to my world-view. “… I’ll make sure she gets the message,” I eventually replied. “… Thanks, I guess.” With that, the pegasus takes off like an arrow, her flight path arcing backwards and taking her east, her form rapidly dwindling into the distance. ‘She’s really fast, I’m impressed.’ As I continue my patrol, I can’t help but wonder how this… news is going to be received. James Mender “Okay, try it again,” Rodin says distractedly. Finding a measure of inner peace through a moment’s meditation, I bend my will towards the magic Discord has given us, and it responds eagerly. I feel the slight tingle on my hands that accompanies the transition, and when I open my eyes, the image of a bright mote of light adorns the backs of my hands. My mind is flooded with the raw feeling of iron strength, and I open the eyes of my spirit to better observe the change in me. The changes are not readily apparent. My spirit looks the same as it ever did, but as I cautiously manipulate my own emotions, I am awed by how easy it has become. Turning my eyes to Rodin, I behold his own spirit. Most spirits tend towards formlessness, loosely arranging around the general shape of the body they are connected to. Spirit Weaver’s spirits, like my own, more closely mirror our bodies in form and detail. The more powerful one grows, the more exact the replica, up to a point. Rodin, I only ever trained to the second rank. He did not meet the necessary requirements to progress any further, sadly. My own apprentices are currently third rank. Though Haley may yet be ready for her next test soon. Still, given the time we merged minds, and also that he hasn’t displayed any of the warning signs, much of the danger with Rodin and third rank may have been averted. There would obviously need to be a great deal of lecturing first, but I might yet change my mind about how far to take him. It would be a gamble; given his Rune Calling, I’m not entirely sure I could kill him if he succumbs and goes rogue. What troubles me is that his spirit appears to be developing pronounced fingers. They are not yet separate, but he is certainly straddling the line between second and third rank. I am going to either need to train him further, or make him regress… “Well that’s a bust,” Rodin snaps me out of my thoughts, his eyes ceasing their red glow. “I can see all the Focus Magic localizing in your hands, but it doesn’t look any different than it does for every other mark. Runic sight simply can’t detect Spirit Weaving energy, not even through the common link of Focus Magic.” “It is good to know, though,” I assure him. “Another piece in the puzzle, as it were.” “Oh sure, but it’s a little disappointing, isn’t it? I was hoping to-” “Rodin! Glad I found you, there’s been contact with ponies!” A rather harried looking Governor makes his arrival in my hospital known. For his part, Rodin looks surprised. “What do you need me for, Governor? I’m sure-” “It’s about Sophia!” “Tell me what happened!” Rodin is on his feet in almost no time at all. With the eyes of my spirit still open, I get to watch as his surprise and curiosity is overwhelmed by a surge of fear for his daughter. In this moment, he would kill to protect her, I can see that clearly. It is a mark both for and against him, oddly enough. “A patrol met that ‘Loyalty’ character, who you summoned before, remember? Called herself ‘Rainbow Dash’ if I remember correctly. Your daughter was the only one who could speak to her at the time. The report from the guard that just ran into her reads that she wanted to pass a message on to Sophia, and that needs both your and my approval.” I decide to ask my own question, trying to speed this along. “So what has you all flustered, Alexander?” I could help him calm himself down, but I do not. Minimal use of such power is safest, after all. He calms himself down easily enough anyway, using the ancient technique called ‘taking a number of deep breaths’. “I’m sorry, but you would not believe the day I’ve been having, and this just about the last nail in my coffin! I haven’t had a moment’s rest since breakfast and-” As he keeps on rambling, Rodin looks like he’s slowly recovering from a small heart attack. A quick once over scan tells me he’s perfectly fine, though the quantity of adrenaline in his system is somewhat telling. Potential incident passed, Rodin takes the message the guard had transcribed, and gives it a once over himself. When he finishes, he begins to collect his things. “If you’ll excuse me, Mender, I need to go find Sophia.” “By all means,” I assure him, “this is clearly something important.” Flashing me a weak grin, he vanishes out the door, on the heels of a much more collected Governor. It would seem that all the stress was really getting to the Governor, now that the people were free to stir up mischief again. The daily squabbles of life have certainly returned, and not in a way that left the Governor much free time for much else. Working slowly and deliberately, I made myself a cup of tea before settling myself in my hospital’s small office. It takes me several minutes to work up the courage, but eventually I say the words. “Discord, I want to cash in a favor.” “Well that’s just wonderful! I’m so happy for you Mender!” The god just strolls through the wall as if he had been hiding behind the woodwork the entire time, as he very well might have, with a massive grin on his face. He holds a checklist, and crosses off a second of five boxes with a quill. “So, what will it be?” I sip my tea slowly, forcing my emotions to stabilize as I collect myself. Fear and apprehension wouldn’t help here. I need to carefully phrase this, or it might come back to bite me, ‘friendly bet’ or no. “I want you to find out and tell me exactly how far I can train Rodin, Haley, and Devin, before the chances that they would go rogue become unacceptably significant.” Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, While I share your concerns, Discord has managed to convince Luna that his plan has a payoff high enough to be worth any potential side effects, and has volunteered to take full responsibility for any harm those side-effects cause to ponies. The salient point in their argument, however, seems to be that any damage to the land matters most to the ponies who occupy it and it would seem that the humans are the only ones in the affected area. As far as the law is concerned, the land was granted to Discord two weeks ago for use in housing non-pony refugees as he sees fit. His decision to make use of chaos magic in such a pursuit is technically within the bounds of the law, as he is technically its steward for the time being, much as you are the steward of Ponyville and the surrounding lands. As you no doubt are aware, the use of magic to alter the landscape is part of his rights, and as the type of magic involved is not restricted, we don’t have a legal basis for reprimanding him. As he has pointed out. Several times. Also, Luna’s night guards report that the airspace above the red border you mentioned is both impervious to any attempts at crossing, (including teleportation,) and covers those who attempt it in a very offensive odor that discouraged further attempts. It took Luna the better part of an hour to get the smell off of her guards. That Discord has been enforcing the privacy of these humans for so long is somewhat concerning, but he has yet to give us reason to truly doubt his choices, and he assures us it is only a temporary measure. Discord has also asked us to pass along a request from the humans’ leadership. They apparently will be calling for an ambassador to negotiate the terms of their presence in Equestria, and Discord requested that the initial true contact be with you specifically. He believes it would set the humans at ease, thinking that they would be dealing with the least experienced of the Princesses. Should you agree to meet the humans as our ambassador, you will have Luna’s support and my own in making whatever concessions you think is necessary, as well as the authority to impose whatever restrictions you believe prudent. I implore you to treat this as the delicate situation it is. After all, with Discord taking such a strong interest in them, the humans are sure to become a major part of life in Equestria, one way or another. With regards to your other concern, I can tell you that there is nothing to worry about, though I’m afraid that any further discussion on this matter cannot be trusted to the written word. We will have to wait until we can discuss it further in person. See you soon, Princess Celestia.