Three from the Forest

by Zodiacspear

Chapter Eight

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Chapter Eight

The foals and their parents gathered outside of the cave as the guards rounded up the last of the bandits. The stolen money was collected and set aside while Reaver was led away in chains. The guard captain demanded a full explanation from the foals of all that had transpired in the cave. Once they had finished, the guard nodded thoughtfully as he mulled over the news.

Finally he spoke. “As glad as I am to finally put these thugs behind bars, you three should have known that this is, well was, incredibly dangerous. These criminals could have hurt you, or worse, taken you hostage. If anything like this ever happens again—“ he gave them a stern glare. “— which it won’t, get an adult. I don’t want foals hurt on my watch.”

The three looked to the ground, heads and shoulders slumping low.

He continued, “That being said, good work, you three. I’ll make sure to let the mayor know who it was that found them.”

The foals looked up, beaming at the complement.

The captain looked at their parents. “I don’t have the men to escort you back. Do you remember the path to town?”

They nodded. “We remember the way. Thank you, Captain,” Wanderer’s mom said.

The captain nodded gruffly and began barking orders to have the prisoners gathered.

“Let’s go, you three,” his mother said to them, ushering them away from camp.

-0-

Morning light filtered through the forest, setting the foggy trees aglow with a warm luminescence. To Wanderer, the day was the brightest he had ever seen. A feeling of contentment washed over him as he walked beside his mother. He and his friends had not only found the bandits and the stolen money, but also their cutie marks. He looked quickly at Tormod and amended that thought. Despite the night’s adventure, the unicorn colt still had not earned his. Wanderer had privately hoped they would have found their marks together, but it seems it was not meant to be. Even though Wanderer had his own cutie mark, he promised he would still help Tormod find his.

“So, Wanderer,” his mother said, breaking him out of his musing. “Did you and Tourmaline find your cutie marks together?” Tourmaline’s dad looked at the older mare before he smiled knowingly.

Wanderer looked between them, his brow furrowing. “Well, not at the same time, but not more than an hour apart.”

“Why?” Tourmaline asked as she rested on her dad’s back.

A humored smile crossed the mare’s face. “Surely you both have heard the old tales of ponies finding their cutie marks together?”

“No,” they said in unison.

“There is a legend,” the pegasus stallion began. “That two foals who find their cutie marks in the same day are bound together by fate, and that the two are soulmates.”

It took them a moment to digest that. “So that means—“ Tourmaline started.

“—Tourmaline and me—“ Wanderer continued.

“—are soulmates?” Tourmaline finished. The two foals looked at each other for a moment.

They shared a simultaneous look of disgust. “Eww!”

The other three all shared a deep laugh at their expense.

Wanderer was about to deny it further when he spotted movement in the trees. “What’s that?”

The group stopped in their tracks and looked in the direction he was pointing. They could make out a large form standing in the fog. It was obscured, but the foals recognized it right away. The form stood on four legs, had two long arms, and had a large torso with many tines at its crown. The creature remained in the fog, quietly watching them.

“What is—“ Wanderer’s mom started.

“It’s him! We told you he was real!” Wanderer shouted in joy, a huge smile crossing his face.

For a minute, the creature stood there before vanishing into the fog. A low groan was heard as it departed deeper into the trees.

“Thank you!” Tourmaline shouted after it.

“That was your tree spider?” their dad asked, clearly taken aback by what he had just seen.

“Yes it was,” Tormod said. “He must have come to check on us.” The three foals began chatting with each other excitedly.

The adults shared a look. “Do you think it was that thing that pointed the way for us?” the mare asked.

The stallion just shook his head helplessly. “Let’s get you foals home. We all need a good night’s sleep.” He looked to the canopy as it continued to brighten. “Well... day’s sleep.”

For some reason, the mere mention of sleep made Wanderer drowsy. He found that his hooves were suddenly very heavy to lift and his eyelids drooped.

“Mom, can I… ride on your back?” he asked groggily.

Her smile turned wistful. “Of course.” She lifted her son onto her back with a quick charge of her horn.

“Come on, Tormod. You too,” the colt’s father said to him, kneeling low.

“I’m all right, Dad,” he protested.

“You’ve been up all night, trudging through the woods and fighting with bandits. It’s a surprise you’re still going. Come on, I’ll carry you.”

He didn’t argue further and climbed up on his father’s back to settle against his sister. The three foals were soon sound asleep, their parents walking silently for home.

-0-

As summer progressed, Wanderer and his friends found their recognition for their deeds to be everything they dreamed of. The town had honored them with a party in their honor, where the mayor presented them with medals to show for their bravery. Wanderer had to admit, all of the praise was more than a little embarrassing—but in a pleasant way. Tourmaline soaked up the praise and attention like a sponge, while Tormod was more humble.

Unfortunately for Tormod, his cutie mark hadn’t appeared. Wanderer was confident that his friend would have earned his mark after all they had done, yet it never showed. Tormod tried shrugging it away, but the other two knew better. Even if he never vocally expressed it, they knew he was frustrated. Being the only one in their class without a cutie mark had to have been disconcerting. The three still tried many different activities together to help him find his special talent, but it stubbornly refused to show itself.

One day at school, things came to a head.

“Still without your cutie mark, blank flank?” Rogue sneered. He and his cronies had found the unicorn by himself on the playground, reading a book. “Don’t think that book will help you find it either.”

“Are you still on that?” Tormod asked, not looking away from his book.

“You’ve been here for two years now, I doubt you’ll ever find it.” Rogue cast a quick smirk at his fiends before looking back. “Must be pretty embarrassing to know you’re so pathetic.”

“Mm…” Tormod flipped a page, not dignifying that in the least.

Rogue knocked the book out of Tormod’s hooves, glaring at the bored looking unicorn. “You pay attention to your betters,” he growled.

Tormod smirked. “I would, but I have yet to meet them.”

Stone Hoof and Scarlet Scroll winced at the remark while Rogue seethed.

“I’ve had just about enough from you!”

“Try me,” Tormod said firmly. “After Reaver, you don’t scare me.”

The earth pony looked like he was about to throw a punch, but a shout stopped him cold.

“That is enough!” Mr. Leaf trotted up to them, glaring sternly at Rogue. “Rogue, your father is here to pick you up. However, I think we all should have a chat about your attitude.”

Rogue cringed, his anger replaced by fear.

The teacher looked to the other two. “You two, find something else to do before I start assigning extra homework.” The two pegasi wasted no time in fleeing.

As Mr. Leaf escorted a dejected Rogue to the school house, Tormod sat back down by the tree with a sigh. He privately was sick of Rogue’s bullying. Since he was the only one in their class without a cutie mark, the bully was almost constantly picking on him. For a while, he had laughed him away, but lately, the lack of a cutie mark was bringing up questions he didn’t like asking. The lack of answers was beginning to frustrate him. He had worked so hard, just like everypony else around him, so why was his destiny still a mystery? He was a patient pony—priding himself on rarely losing his temper— but how much can one pony be expected to take? Why couldn’t he have found his mark too?

He sighed deeply and looked to the sky with a lost expression.

Wanderer and Tourmaline soon joined him by the tree, carrying their lunches. The two had expressions similar to a pony winning the Pony Lotto.

“Tormod, did you see Rogue? His father was giving him one doozy of a lecture. It was even worse than Dad’s.” Tourmaline smiled wide.

“Normally, I’d feel sorry for anypony getting yelled at like that, but for Rogue… nah!” Wanderer said, and the two shared a laugh.

Tourmaline dropped the bag lunch meant for Tormod on his lap. “What do you think, Tormod?”

“I don’t have anything to say.” He dug through his lunch and took a bite of his dandelion sandwich.

The other two shared a concerned look, before Wanderer spoke. “So what do you want to do after school today? Maybe we can try some of your ideas to find your cutie mark.”

Tormod shrugged noncommittally.

“Oh, come on, Tormod. What’s wrong with you?” Tourmaline asked her brother.

Again he shrugged and took a bite of his food.

Her ears pinned back. “You can’t be upset about your cutie mark.”

He glared at her. “And why can’t I?”

“You’ll get it. I know you will. You just have to keep looking.”

“I have been looking,” he snapped back. “I have been looking ever since I moved here. I keep trying, but it is not doing me any good.”

Wanderer gave his friend a sympathetic look and rested a hoof on his shoulder. “You can’t give up, Tormod. You shouldn’t ever give up.”

Tormod brushed the hoof off his shoulder. “Don’t spout your mom’s sayings at me, Wanderer. I’ve heard them so often I could recite them in my sleep.”

Wanderer looked at him with a hurt expression. Tourmaline stared at her brother in shock, having never seen him act like that before.

Tormod looked to the ground in shame. “I’m sorry.”

Wanderer waved it away. “It’s all right. I understand.”

“No, you don’t.” Tormod dropped his lunch to the ground and collected his book.

“Where are you going, Tormod?” Tourmaline asked him, her lip quivering slightly.

“I just want to be alone.” The unicorn walked off without looking back.

“Tormod…” She watched her brother go, tears rimming her eyes.

Wanderer ran a hoof through his mane. “He’s not handling it well.”

Tourmaline sniffed and nodded.

Wanderer gave her a determined look. “Don’t worry, Tourmaline. I won’t give up on him, just like I wouldn’t give up on you.”

She smiled softly, but wondered what she or Wanderer could do to help her brother overcome his depression.

-0-

As the siblings and their father sat around the table for dinner, Tormod poked at his food. Their father watched his son with cautious eyes, while Tourmaline ate her dinner with gusto.

As their father finished his meal, he turned to Tourmaline as she finished licking her plate clean. “Tourmaline, can you go outside for a bit? I have another trick I want to teach you.”

She smiled eagerly at the thought of learning another flying technique. “Alright!” She hopped away from the table and rushed out the door.

“Do your wing-ups! I’ll be out in a bit,” her father called after her.

He looked at his son with concern. “Do you have something you want to tell me, son?”

Tormod looked at him for a moment before looking away. “I was bullied at school again.”

The pegasus scowled. “Rogue?” He shook his head as Tormod nodded. “That colt needs a serious talking to.”

“Mr. Leaf caught him today, and he and Rogue had a long discussion with his father at school,” Tormod said, taking no joy in such a fact.

The stallion nodded firmly. “Good.”

Tormod looked at his dinner, showing no apparent emotion. His dad cleared his throat, which caused the colt to look back at him.

“What do you think of your school?”

Tormod frowned in confusion at the question. “I like it. Mr. Leaf is nice, and Wanderer and the others are my friends. It’s just Rogue and his friends I have problems with.”

“But do you feel you are learning all that you can there, Tormod? Do you feel like you are actually getting somewhere at your school?”

Tormod looked at his blank flank and sighed. “No.”

His dad smiled as he retrieved an envelope from the counter and passed it over. “Then you should perhaps see this.”

Intrigued, Tormod lifted the letter with his magic. The letter had already been opened, and Tormod was surprised to see the royal seal on the wax.

“What is this?”

“Read it,” his father said with a growing smile.

As Tormod read the letter, his eyes lost their placidness and sparkled with renewed life. “Dad… this is—“

“An acceptance letter to Princess Celestia’s School of Gifted Unicorns.” His father beamed with pride.

“I-how-when-huh?” the unicorn sputtered, his mind a chaotic jumble.

The stallion’s smile grew a bit more. “The mayor put in a good word for you when I sent in the application. Apparently, they want you at their school.” His smile faded some. “But now you have to choose. Do you want to go, or remain here? Tourmaline and I cannot move to Canterlot with you, since we can’t afford another move. You will have to move to their dorms.” His smile grew again. “But it is only a day’s train ride. We can visit you, and you can come back during summer break.”

Tormod’s elation was tempered at his father’s words. On one hoof, he would be a student at the most prestigious school in Equestria, but on the other he would have to leave his friends and family behind. He truly liked his life in Greensborough. He had his friends, his family, and a comfortable community that was grateful to him and his sister. Could he really leave all of that behind? However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he passed it up, he would have to live with the regret of wondering ‘what if.’

His father stood, his chair groaning, and collected the dirty dishes from dinner. “You don’t have to decide now, Tormod. Soon, but not now. I understand it is a big decision.”

Tormod looked at his flank yet again and came to a realization. He took a deep breath and did something he rarely ever did: he took a chance.

“No, Dad. I know what I want to do.”

His father looked at him expectantly.

His eyes shone with his resolve. “I want to go.”

His father smiled wide and crushed his son with a hug full of fatherly pride. “My boy, when did you get to be so grown up?”

Tormod seemed to melt under his father’s hug. He wanted to cry but was not sure what for.

-0-

A week later, Wanderer and his mother joined Tormod and his family at the train station to see them off. Wanderer kept the sadness from his expression, determined not cry in front of his friend. He knew that Tormod would come back on vacation and for summer break, but that really didn’t help matters. He was glad that Tourmaline would still be around at least, but without Tormod, their little group wouldn’t be the same.

On the other hoof, he knew that his sadness was selfish. Tormod was the brother he never had, and like any brother, he didn’t want to see him leave. This was an opportunity for the unicorn that he shouldn’t pass up. In fact, Wanderer was more than a little jealous—going to Canterlot was a dream of his. He would have to go visit his friend one summer and see what the capital of Equestria had to offer.

The train station was bustling with pony and train traffic during the afternoon hours. Travelers boarded and disembarked from the train, while workers loaded and unloaded baggage and commodities. The general chatter was a steady drone as the five gathered near the passenger carts.

Not for the first time, Tormod’s dad asked him, “You got all of your stuff?”

He nodded. “Everything, Dad. I triple-checked and made sure I have everything.”

“Even your stuffed bunny?” Tourmaline asked with an impish smile.

Tormod sputtered. “T-Tourmaline!” He was privately glad his dark coat hid most of his embarrassment.

The other four had a good laugh at him anyway.

Wanderer’s mother levitated a brown bag from her son’s saddlebag. “Here, Tormod. We got this for you.”

The unicorn colt took hold of the bag with his own magic and peered inside curiously. “A sketchbook and some colored pencils. Thank you both.” He smiled gratefully.

“Heh, I know you like to draw, so I figured you could use it,” Wanderer said.

“All aboard the train for Canterlot! The train leaves in five minutes!” the train conductor shouted.

Their father collected his son’s suitcase. “We better get on. Don’t want to miss our train.”

Wanderer shared a gruff hug with Tormod. “Don’t forget to have fun,” he said to him.

“Look after my sister for me.” He stepped back and glared at him. “Anything happens to her and you answer to me.”

Wanderer gave him his trademark lopsided grin. “Trust me.”

Tormod jabbed him in the sternum. “That’s why I warned you.”

The two laughed and Tormod climbed the steps to the passenger cart.

Wanderer then received a bone crushing hug from Tourmaline. “Don’t get into too much trouble without me.”

He hugged her back. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He let her go, somewhat reluctantly. “I’ll miss you, er-you guys. I’ll miss you guys.”

“Me and dad will be back. We’re just helping Tormod get settled in, then we’ll be back,” she assured him.

“Wish I could go.” He sighed with some dramatics. “Ah well, next time.” He smirked playfully.

“All aboard!” the conductor yelled.

“Tourmaline!” her father called.

“Gotta go.” She flew for the train and boarded. The conductor closed the door behind her, and soon the train started pulling away. The siblings stuck their heads out of the windows and waved.

“I’ll see you all soon!” Tormod called.

“We’ll be back, Wanderer!” Tourmaline yelled, waving a foreleg at him.

Wanderer waved and shouted after them. He watched the train until it disappeared into the trees, a final blow of the train’s horn blew back to him, as if it were also saying goodbye to him. He stood there for a time, a few tears gathered around his eyes as he looked down the train tracks.

His mother stood beside him. “Why are you sad, Wanderer?”

He shook his head. “I’m not, Mom.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” She pointed to his eyes.

He wiped away the moisture and sighed. “I just… don’t like seeing my friends leave.”

“Tourmaline will be back in a few days, and Tormod will be back for the summer. Are they really leaving you?”

He lowered his head. “N-No, it’s just…”

She smiled softly at him, knowing full well what her son was going through. “Not the same?”

He sniffed and sat down. “Yeah.”

She looked down the tracks with him. “You three have done a lot together, right?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re also your best friends, right?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes.”

She gave him an understanding look. “Do you really think that distance is going to put a dent in that friendship?”

He looked down at planks of the platform for a moment. “…No.”

She smiled softly at him. “It doesn’t matter how far apart you are. You are still friends. As long as you stay true to them, nothing can get between you three.”

He wiped at his face again and stood straighter. “I’ll still miss them.”

She nodded. “I am not arguing that. But as long as you stay true friends in your heart, that is all that matters.”

He sighed sadly and smiled to her. “Thanks, Mom.”

She gave him a warm hug, and the two turned for home.

Author's Note:

Sometimes the road in life takes a turn we'd rather it not take.

One more chapter to go!

Comments

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Aww, they're growing up. :( :) Nice to see Rogue finally getting some of what he deserves. And no cutie mark, but going to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is still pretty sweet. :D

[Zodiacspear]

5686737 I know, right? Tormod may not had gotten his mark, but he got accepted into the School at least. A pity that it takes him away from his family and friends.

And yes, it was about time Rogue got his.

[Fistfire]

“There is a legend,” the pegasus stallion began.  “That two foals who find their cutie marks in the same day are bound together by fate, and that the two are soulmates.”

thier talents seem to complement each other.