Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone

by David Silver

60 - The Shore Beckons

Tabitha claimed a space to build near the shore, but off the beach itself and its small pebbles. She claimed Paul's sword, as she had threatened, but he had a rapier to fall back on at least. "I knew keepin' this was a good idea."

"It swings differently," cautioned Fast. "We didn't get much a chance to spar with it."

"Right right, don't go cleavin' with it like a damn axe or nothin'. I know that." Paul waved it off as he headed for the trees. "Let's get ourselves some lumber."

Tree raised a hoof. "Let me come with you. I'll find the trees that are ready to go."

Maud inclined her head back at Tabitha. "I'll stay here and guard her. We shouldn't leave our little sister alone."

Tree burst into giggles. "That's too sweet, but yeah, for sure. You keep an eye on little sis. I feel safe with these brave warriors looking over me."

The party split, with Maud watching over Tabitha and the others going off to fetch lumber. Maud watched Tabitha sit for a moment before shaking her head. "You should walk more. You won't get used to it sitting down."

Tabitha frowned at the idea. "What if I'm tired of falling over?"

Maud approached. "You can lean on me if you want, but you should walk."

Tabitha wanted to argue the fact, but let out a little sigh. "I don't have to like it."

"You don't."

"But I'll do it." She took ahold of Maud's mane gently and let the grey pony guide her around, getting used to her new hooves. "It's funny, you know. Before I sort of asked for this, and now here it is, and I'm complaining."

Maud glanced aside at Tabitha. "Was it what you expected?"

"Sort of... some of it?" She looked back over her shoulder and, with some effort, got her tail to flick about. "I think it's the hooves that bother me the most." She tapped a hoof on a rock before bouncing off of it, almost collapsing for her attempt, but recovering quickly. "I'll get used to it." She smiled at Maud. "Thank you."

"We're not doing anything until they come back, let's keep working." Maud nudged her along, and their walking continued in wide circles. As they went, and Tabitha's steps slowly become more sure, Maud picked up the pace with her, encouraging her to dare to go faster and faster. "Do you have dreams of being a pony?"

"I used to," she huffed as she labored to keep up with Maud. Balanced or not, Maud was faster than she was, and was forced into a clopping sprint to keep up with her. "That vision though, it didn't make me a pony."

"What did it make you?"

"I was a donkey... A big, smelly, ugly donkey."

Maud tilted her head a little. "I've met a donkey before. He was nice."

Tabitha came to a sudden halt, tipped over, and fell on her front with a soft squeak of surprise and pain. "What? Really?"

Maud slowed and turned around to return to Tabitha. "He was married, to another donkey. Crankey and Matilda. They both seemed happy."

Tabitha sat up, bringing her hooves together, knees spread far apart. "Even a donkey had better luck with romance than I seem to. No more of that." She clenched a fist. "I won't let it!"

Her energetic defiance of fate brought a little smile to Maud's stoic face. "Will you look for a human husband, or a pony one?"

The question caught Tabitha off guard. "Oh... I didn't think of that. If I go after a human guy, he's going to think my extra parts are wierd, but if I go for a pony, well, I'll think it's kind of weird, and he'll have to deal with a human wife looming over him all the time the way a pony wife wouldn't."

She patted Maud across her neck. "Why can't I just stay with you guys forever? We get along great."

Maud raised a leg and gently hugged Tabitha. "We're family, but family isn't that kind of love."

"We're not really family. I mean, if we wanted to..."

Maud raised a brow. "No."

A flat denial. Tabitha let out a little sigh. "Sorry. I didn't mean to creep you out or anything."

"You didn't." Maud settled and put her head in Tabitha's lap. "You need family, the real kind. Worry about a husband later."

Tabitha gently played over Maud's ears. "What kind of pony will you go after?"

Maud shrugged a little, but stayed where she was, accepting the petting. "I'll let the choosing rock decide, probably. It worked for my parents. They've been together for a very long time."

"Choosing rock?" Tabitha cocked a brow. "Can I use that?"

Maud tilted her head. "Only if you want to come to Equestria and leave this world behind. You'd get a pony for sure."

"No humans in Equestria? Where is that anyway?"

Maud shrugged slowly. "I don't know. Another world. No humans. Paul and Flint were the first humans I saw."

"Would they even want me?"

"Why not?" Maud spoke with her flat tone. "You're a princess."

Tabitha snorted a little, her ears going upright. "Damn right. I am!" She squirmed to her hooves and began walking away, still wobbling, but upright. "Help me look for some small sharp rocks for things I don't feel like using that huge sword for." Tabitha looked over her shoulder. "One thing though, do you ponies already have one, a princess that is?

Maud nodded. "We do. Her name is Celestia." She paused a moment. "And Luna, Cadance, and Twilight."

Tabitha's eyes widened. "Are those all her name, or do you have that many princesses?"

Maud followed after Tabitha on quiet hooves. "That many. You'd make five."

Tabitha shook her head. "I guess I wouldn't be that odd then, but are they all ponies?"

"They're larger, but yes." Maud nodded slowly. "You don't have to. This is your world. You could be the first pony princess here."

Tabitha knelt down, selecting a rock that seemed to find favor with her. "Maybe that'd be best. Your world already has four to keep it going. It wouldn't be fair to hog them all, would it?"

They would be prepared for the return of the party, and passed the time with tales of their worlds, for better or worse. Tabitha even listened to some rock poetry as if she liked it, which made Maud happy. She could tell good people from the fakers by how they reacted to her songs. Even Fast Shadow couldn't hide how much she forced herself to endure it. Only a few ponies would smile like they meant it, and most of them were family. Maybe Tabitha really was her little sister...

Author's Note:

Tabitha and Maud share a quality bonding afternoon together.

I'm sure the other three will do just as well!

I mean, who hides typos among the trees? Wait...

Comments

[Vadelent]

Just as well? Doubtful. They just split the party () and wandered into a grove of trees... They will either be attacked by goblins, bandits, wolves, or some other forest nasty. Maybe a troll.

[albedoequals1]

Paul waved it off as he headed for the trees. "Let's get ourselves some lumber."

How, exactly, are they going to get lumber with a rapier and a lance? Knocking down a tree by stabbing it would take weeks.

"What if I'm tired falling over?"

tired of

Maud nudged her along, and their walks continued in wide circles.

walking

Maud tilted her head a little. "I've met a donkey before. He was nice."

Maud probably has a deeper appreciation for the quiet types than her sister does.

She came to a sudden half,

Tabitha came to a sudden halt ("She" would mean Maud)

She pat Maud across her neck.

patted

Tabitha snorted a little, her ears going upright. "Damn right. I am!" She squirmed to her hooves and began walking away, still wobbling, but upright. "Help me look for some small sharp rocks for things I don't feel like using that huge sword for."

"One thing though." Tabitha looked over her shoulder. "Do you ponies already have one, a princess that is?

This is all Tabitha, so it can be one paragraph:

Tabitha snorted a little, her ears going upright. "Damn right. I am!" She squirmed to her hooves and began walking away, still wobbling, but upright. "Help me look for some small sharp rocks for things I don't feel like using that huge sword for." Tabitha looked over her shoulder. "One thing though, do you ponies already have one, a princess that is?

"Large, but yes."

They're larger

I'm sure the other three will do just as well!

Jinx. Now they're more likely to be ambushed by ogres and put in cages while they heat water to boil them in. Tabitha and Maud will have to go rescue them and it'll take them forever to get the boat built.

Speaking of the boat, it sounds like they're going to be going upstream, since they're in the the south. That donut-shaped lake in the middle of Everglow (what is that lake called by the way) has rivers going to the ocean both north and south, but you were talking about following the river to the desert, which would make it the south one (if they're even on the map yet). Going upstream in a tied-together raft is going to be a struggle.

[David Silver]

6782690 Typos thrown into the water where they can drown in peace. What do you mean by that? I'm completely nice to my characters in my stories! They always do well. Pfft, it's like you never read my stuff!

[Booster Spice]

Wonder if theres any branch shedding trees in the forest that Tree can talk too? She said she would look for those whose time had come.

For going upstream, they can pole, slowly, or have Maud tow them up from the bank?

[RadicalDishonesty]

... Nope. Still don't really like Tabitha. The whole attitude towards husbands is... just so repellent, for a person who's seen three die, at least one for her.

More like a teenager talking about who she plans on having a crush on next year.

Or, like... the line where she resolves to "not let donkeys be more successful to her" would be a lot more appropriate for a single twenty-something who's been broken up with many times. Or turned down a bunch. Not a multi-widower.

[albedoequals1]

6782782 She does seem kind of heartless, but she may not mean it the way she says it. She might be deliberately flippant in an attempt to make the best of a bad situation. We won't really know until she gets another man and we see how she treats him.

[RadicalDishonesty]

6783126
I don't get that sense... the forest spirits even mentioned that she did this with one of her previous husbands, too. Just... moved on immediately. No sense of loss, no sense that this person that was her family is now gone forever. Instead "Now onto the next thing!"

It's the same thing with her talking about how she's a princess all the time. It's this kind of escapism coping mechanism... but while I can sympathize with the princess thing, and her talking about that, the attitude towards her dead husbands, in order to be the same thing, includes that heartlessness and ungratefulness.

Whether this is something she felt beforehand, or if this is something she's making herself do now, she is, at the moment in the story, basically discarding the memory and feelings for her dead husband in favor of thoughts for how quickly she's gonna move on.

But, really, I just don't like it. I do hope that part of her characterization, moving forward, is at least getting to a healthy place with that. Hopefully even regarding the actual past, and not just her actions regarding any future husbands (she could not get over this, but still treat future husbands "well" and just... y'know... immediately walk away when they die).

[Daremo]

Seems as though all the typos have been lanced, rapiered (is that even a word) and or hugged to death. Good.

A nice quiet chapter and it makes me smile inside to see Maud opening up a little to her adoptive family. Tabitha is going to adjust to her new situation just fine with so many supportive friends and family members to lend a hand or a hoof (or a wing, I suppose) when needed.

[David Silver]

6784428 I doubt Bright Feathers will be the source of timely mental or social advice.

"Did you try preening her? That works sometimes!"

[Chrome Masquerade]

Tabitha knelt down, selecting a rock that seemed to find favor with her. "Maybe that'd be best. Your world already has four to keep it going. It wouldn't be fair to hog them all, would it?"

Er, to be fair, there is the Moon Princess, and Princess Luminace... But they're gods, so I suppose they don't count.