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// 48 - To Awaken 
// Story: Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone 
// by David Silver 
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The next morning, Fast was the first to rouse, and what she discovered brought a light frown to her face. "Tabitha? I'm sorry to bother you." She knocked lightly on her host's door. "I've found something you likely need to see." She led the sleepy looking Tabitha back downstairs. "This isn't a clean sight, but I think you said there was more than one person here? Is this him?" She pointed into a door, closed at the moment. "You don't have to look if you don't want to, but he didn't make it."

Tabitha went rigid, but didn't flee. "I... see..." She licked over her lips. "Did it look fast?"

Fast frowned. "With orcs? If you're lucky. Capturing a lone human, no reason to..." She noticed Tabitha's increasing trembling and caught herself. "Yes. He's at peace now."

Tabitha waved a hand. "I'm not that blind... Can... Can I ask you all a favor? He deserves a burial, a real burial, not like these thugs." She sank against a wall. "He was a good man. He provided for me, treated me fairly. I..."

Tree descended the stairs with a light clip-clop. "The energy here is all tainted, man. What's going on? What's the word? Did somepony die?"

"Possibly."

Tabitha forced a smile. "Sorry about that. Good morning." She wiped her eyes and let out a little breath. "Everything's alright, sorry again."

Tree tilted her head at Tabitha. Fast frowned. "Even adventurers know what sorrow is, Tabitha. We'll help bury your friend."

"He wasn't a friend..." She looked down, her facade shattered. "He was the latest man with the misfortune of trying to protect me." She punched a wall, achieving little but making her knuckles sore. "I'm sorry!" She went for the door and threw it open. "I'm sorry!" It was only then that she saw the shape her late husband's body was in and she recoiled, falling over herself and bursting into true tears. "None of you deserved this..."

Tree set a hoof on Tabitha's shoulder in quiet support before her eyes wandered over the grisly sight and she almost fell over. "Oh man... I didn't need that downer." She turned her head away from it. "I'm way sorry, little sister."

Fast snorted loudly as she advanced. "It won't get better gawking at it. I'll take him outside where we'll put him to rest properly."

"No!" Tabitha scrambled up. "No... It stops right here. I'll help." She approached Fast with trembling legs, but determination in her eyes. "It's the least I can offer him, to not be put down by a stranger he never got to meet."

Her help was quite useful, undoing the bindings that held his body. With Fast's help, they carried him outside to a grassy area where the ground felt soft. "I'll get our shovel." Tabitha went back inside and returned with the tool before getting to work, slowly working out some dirt.

Maud arrived, watching Tabitha work so hard to expand the hole at the slow rate. "May I help?"

Tabitha looked aside at Maud with uncertainty. Tree rolled a hoof. "She is my sister of stone. She knows how to do it."

"Alright..." She backed away and offered the shovel. Maud shook her head.

"It runs in the family." She put her hooves to the hole and began to dig as eagerly as any dog burying a bone, throwing dirt aside and expanding the hole rapidly. Soon it was large enough to hold the body securely in the grasp of the earth, low enough to be undisturbed by others.

Tabitha worked off a ring and kissed it gently. "Take my love with you. I hope your next life is better than this one turned out." She gently worked the ring onto one of his fingers. "Goodbye, George, Son of Timult and Patricia." She turned away. "I'm sorry..."

The body was lowered into the hole and the others gazed on it a moment. Fast shook her head. "There aren't many words I can offer. George, I didn't know you in life, and I barely knew you in death. I do wish you a peaceful journey, to your soul's destination, be that a new life or some paradise. Maud, if you would?"

Maud nodded, and began shoving the dirt back in place, patting it down firmly.

Tree Hugger put a hoof to her chest. "From death to life. From life, death. It all continues in the greatest cycle of all." She set a hoof down on the bare patch, which became vibrantly green as new grass swept in to claim it, and flowers blossomed across the grave.

Fast glanced at the still rotting corpses of the orcs. "Should we do anything with them?"

"They don't deserve anything!" Tabitha stormed back to the house, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

Maud looked to the others. "She's coming with us."

Fast raised a brow. "Oh? You sound powerfully certain of that. Speaking of which, where's Paul?"

Tree pointed to the house. "Still sleeping I think. Let the man chill."

Maud nodded. "She showed me her magic."

Tree looked to Maud. "Magic? What magic?"

Maud pointed to the house. "Ask her to show you."

Tree tilted her head. "Maybe I'll do that."

"Possibly."

Fast shook her head. "Now is not the time to be coy, Maud. Does she have magic?"

Maud nodded. "I saw it. It's small." She looked to Tree a moment.

Tree got it, and smiled gently. "She's a little sprout. If we water her, and care for her, she may become a tree for us."

Fast smiled a little. "Our sprout needs some space right now."

Maud shook her head. "Not too much." She raised to her hooves and trotted back for the house. She found Tabitha working in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. In silence, she watched Tabitha work a moment. "You were brave."

Tabitha looked over, her face a mask of sullen misery. "How do you figure that? I ran away and left him to die..."

Maud tilted her head. "Instead of staying? I don't understand people sometimes... But I don't think he wanted you to die." She went quiet a moment before she reared up. "If you can be happy, I think he would want that, even if he can't say it."

She quirked a smile. "Even running off away from the farm, to go live with the ponies?"

"Even then."

She set the food aside and went to Maud, hugging her gently around the middle as she knelt before her. "You are a very gentle rock. Thank you." She sniffed softly. "You smell like smoke, blood, and pain. That isn't right for a fey, at least, not your kind of fey." She rose up to her hands and took a slow breath. "By the power of princesshood, I command this dirt to begone!" The universe apparently listened to her, and Maud became clean and smelling softly of pine. Her frock was straight and pressed, as if it hadn't been dragged through the exhaustive battle the day before. Her body still ached, but her fur was groomed and straightened.

Maud stood in silence a moment, looking herself over. "You're getting better."

Tabitha smiled, a true smile. "I am. I really am! I have you to thank for this as well. I went my entire life with nothing but what I could put my hands on, and here I am, a spell flinger. I mean, sure, they're pretty little spells, but just to have any at all!" She turned back to breakfast. "Tell the others breakfast will be ready soon, alright?"

Maud trotted out of the kitchen to find Paul descending the stairs. "Hey, good mornin' Maud. I miss anythin'?"

Maud waved a hoof. "Nothing you had to be there for. Breakfast will be served soon." She tilted her head. "Tabitha is coming with us."

"No she ain't! By the gods." He threw an arm aside. "I won't have her blood all over my hands. She ain't no adventurer."

"Neither were you." Maud tapped at her frock lightly. "She has magic and she's learning. She's coming with us."

Fast returned with Tree at her side. "Ah, Paul, good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?"

Paul got caught off guard. "Huh? Oh! A night's rest and Tree's help yesterday put me in mostly one piece. Nothing I can complain too loudly about." He rolled a shoulder, a hand on it as if feeling for things out of place. "I'm ready to go when you all are."

Fast pointed eastwards. "Good, fetch the horses then, and feed them. Poor things are probably starving by now."

Paul's expression soured, but he went off to it. "We gotta talk about Tabitha when I get back though."

Tree looked Maud over curiously. "Something changed..."

Maud nodded. "Her magic made it all clean. I even smell different."

Tree came quickly to inspect that. "Far out! You smell like pine trees."

Fast shook her head. "She really does have magic then..." She sighed softly. "We're going to have to keep a very close watch on her. Our 'sprout' may be trampled before she can grow if we don't."

Tree spun on Fast. "So she is coming?"

Fast nodded. "Of course she is." She put a fetlock over her face. "I had a feeling we were stuck with her the first time she mentioned interest. At least she may learn to be useful. Tree, can you see to our wounds? I'm still hurting in places I didn't even know could hurt."

Tree reared up and clopped her forehooves, glowing dull green with her intent. "Everypony settle down around the table here, and I'll do what I can to totally chill you out."

Though her magic was miraculous, It was only through force of will that they had kept going this long, and even with all she could put out, there were some pains that refused to abate easily. "Know the power of rest." She gently brushed along Fast's mane, and Fast felt the powerful urge to just lay there beside the table, her insides slowly putting themselves back together, though quite rapid compared to nature's usual path.

"You're an angel in the form of a pony, Tree Hugger." Fast smiled as she let her eyes close and relaxed under the soothing sensation of the restorative energies.

Maud nodded, her own savage wounds less pressing after her turn with Tree Hugger. "Thanks."

"I hope you brought your appetites." Tabitha appeared, wearing her smile that rang a little closer to true than before. She set down a collection of oat cakes and vegetables that had been grilled. "The orcs weren't interested in the plants, so that's what's on the menu today. Eat up. We can't really take it with us, now can we?"