Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 4:16 - Compassion

Author's Note:

Translations & Pronunciation

Chapter 4:16 – Compassion

The ponies of the Ponieville druid circle took their seats upon the ring of stones in their clearing, several whispering with each other while they waited for Hierophant Creeping Moss to call the gathering to order. Nopony knew why the hierophant had called them all here urgently, but they had their suspicions it wasn’t about the logging of the Everfree Forest. That had been a frequent topic of their meetings this year and many gatherings had been called at the start of the crisis, but the urgency had gradually abated. The Everfree had been one place that the druids had been certain could not be defiled by ponies, due to the dark powers and monsters that dwelt within, but that was no longer true; broad swaths of trees that had lived for centuries were now no more than stumps or holes. It was still a crisis for the druids, but while those who had the power to do something about it were deaf to their numerous entreaties, they had no choice but to live with it. Something else was going on.

“I bring the circle some good news for once,” Hierophant Creeping Moss said without preamble as he raised his staff, and the circle quieted down. “The augur has foreseen it. There will soon be a Breezie migration through these lands!”

Excited gasps and chatter went up throughout the group at this most fortunate news. The Breezies were a strange and mystical race of creatures that infrequently emerged from portals and flitted across the land before vanishing out of Equus again. Wherever they went, the land would be blessed with abundant life, as druids had observed for generations. They were quite small and fragile, though, and it was rare that they all made it from the start of their journey to its end, either through unfortunate accidents or due to malicious entities.

“In two days’ time, they will appear across the Equestry River and their migration will take them to the Everfree Forest,” Creeping Moss announced when he felt they’d chatted enough. “The migration path will take them through Ponieville.”

The few that had continued to talk fell silent at the mention of the town that grew larger by the day at the Everfree’s expense. Even the druids’ own little grove where they held these meetings had had the edges pilfered to build up Ponieville. The druids could protect (and admire) the Breezies through the countryside, but through a town they had far less of a chance.

“Fluttershy,” Creeping Moss said as he turned to face the druidess, “I am entrusting you with the Ponieville leg of the migration. As one of the Brave Companions, I am charging you, and the other five of your companions, to persuade Mayor Mare and the ponies of the town to let us do what we must to keep the Breezies safe. Are you up for the task?”

“I am,” Fluttershy said assertively. A few of the other members were still a bit shocked when the druidess abandoned her timid nature, though the occurrences were becoming more common the longer she spent with the Brave Companions. Even so, a chance to see the Breezies didn’t come very often, and Fluttershy was excited enough to overcome her natural shyness. She had confidence also in herself and her friends that they would be able to do exactly as the hierophant wished.

***

After speaking with the Brave Companions, everything seemed to be in place for the Breezies’ arrival. Twilight Sparkle had exerted enough pressure on Mayor Mare to make her begrudgingly agree to order ponies indoors when the Breezies came through. She’d also spoken with the Saddle Arabians, though it wasn’t difficult to convince them to stay within their tents or new homes as the temperature continued to drop. All five of the other Brave Companions insisted on being part of Fluttershy’s task during the migration itself; she was a bit uneasy about that but was grateful for the help. While they awaited the Breezies’ arrival, she told them all she knew about them and taught them how they were to act around them. (Spike recorded everything for Twilight’s benefit, and the sorceress herself made several impromptu trips to Cant’r Laht or the Crystal City for yet more books to add to the stacks that filled the chambers and hallways of Golden Oak’s laboratory.) They were timid creatures that did not cope well with anything intense or startling. They would have to keep their voices to a whisper and either remain in sight from a distance or out of sight entirely during the migration.

After much preparation and waiting, the day of the migration finally arrived. A small portal opened just when and where the augur had predicted and shortly thereafter the Breezies emerged through it, fluttering on the unnatural breeze that propelled them on a winding path. Other druids accompanied and protected the Breezies on the first part of their journey, but eventually they neared Ponieville and were passed off to Fluttershy’s care. From a distance, they were no more than an indistinct cloud, but as they flitted past the druidess, she could see them in detail. Their bodies were basically pony-shaped, but stretched and narrowed such that their limbs were no thicker than twigs and their manes were long and wispy like cobwebs. Large translucent wings sprouted from their backs at the same points as a pegasi, but they had many more, all membranous and fragile. The wings were not their only insectile features, either; thin, twitching antennae grew from their heads, just above their large, searching eyes. They were garbed in strange silken attire no more substantial than their wings, except on a few, who had lightweight chitinous armor. Tiny pouches were slung upon their backs like saddlebags, holding (as ponies knew from examining those who had not made it through their migrations) strange seeds of an ordinary size that refused to grow when planted. Just what they were for was a mystery, for nopony had ever been able to properly communicate with Breezies, and they did not live long in Equus after the portals to their world had closed.

Rainbow Dash stood at the base of Ponieville’s western wall and used her wingbeats to direct the magical breeze the Breezies rode upon well up and over the stone barrier. The Breezies glided easily over as Fluttershy accompanied them and descended into the streets of Ponieville. The other Brave Companions were scattered throughout Ponieville, making sure everypony stayed inside, but word of the Breezies’ coming had persuaded some to attempt to watch from within their homes, window shutters held open. At least they were being silent so far and didn’t disturb the Breezies as they hovered through the town. As they passed through a narrow gap between buildings, speeding up as the breeze pushed them through the tight space, Fluttershy left them for a moment to circle around. To her great relief, they all appeared to have made it through the passage and continued on through the town.

The breeze took them through the belfry of the town’s chapel before sending them down past the last buildings before the river. Over the churning Equestry River, the Breezies fluttered across to the less densely populated eastern shore. The breeze wended south now, bypassing the Saddle Arabian houses and few remaining tents and carrying them out past the steadily climbing eastern wall of Ponieville. Fluttershy had seen them through the town, but her leg of the journey wasn’t over quite yet; she continued to accompany them over the fields until the next druidess in line came into sight.

The Breezies had made it safely through Ponieville without incident, but just as she was preparing to pass them off to the next druidess, disaster occurred. Most of the trees in the area had dropped their leaves already, but there were a few who stubbornly held on, as if waiting for just this inopportune moment to release them. As the Breezies’ mystical wind blew through, some detached and fluttered toward the long column of tiny creatures. Panicked cries in an incomprehensible tongue went up as the leaf cut through the back ranks, knocking Breezies aside left and right. Gasping, Fluttershy watched as they tumbled before steeling herself and flying in to save them from nasty collisions with each other or the ground.

“¡Dáánuagrete èì mì`r! ¡Méízegu èì dii`ríí n`é pípìri!^[1]” one that had avoided a strike by the leaf, a Breezie wearing black chitinous armor, yelled to his fellows.

“Don’t worry,” Fluttershy tried to call ahead quietly to the next druidess, who was torn between escorting those flitting past her and coming back for those who were left behind, “I’ll get these home.”

Though it was unclear if she had actually understood Fluttershy’s words, she at least managed to figure out her intent and followed the bulk of the Breezies. Spreading her robes, Fluttershy caught a Breezie bound straight for a tree. Fluttering around, she managed to avert another from falling into a badger’s sett and then caught another with her tail before it crashed into a fencepost.

“¡Dáánuagrete èì mì`r!^[2]” the armored Breezie insisted, and the others gradually regained control and flocked to Fluttershy, anchoring themselves in the folds of her robes, her tail, or her mane.

Fluttershy descended gently to the ground and landed near an old stump, which she allowed the Breezies to dismount onto, though many seemed reluctant to leave the safety of the druidess’s body.

“Fluttershy, what happened?” Pinkamena asked loudly as she bounded up before seeing the Breezies and hastily covering her mouth and whispering still a bit too loudly, “Fluttershy, what happened?”

“Oh dear,” Rarity said as she approached with the rest of the Brave Companions as they caught up to the druidess, expecting her to have passed the Breezies on already, “Are they okay?”

“¡N`é pípìri!^[3]” the armored Breezie cried urgently to his fellows as he pointed his tiny hoof in the direction that the other Breezies had vanished in, but none of them seemed willing to heed him and some gave him hurt glares.

“I think they will be,” Fluttershy told her friends. “They just had a scare and need some time to recover.”

Though she had managed to save them from the worst, there had still been some collisions. Breezies were favoring bent wings or limbs and bruising was beginning to appear in some places their garb didn’t cover.

“How long do they need?” Twilight asked. “The portal will not stay open for long, will it?”

“Let’s just pick them up and fly them there, then,” Rainbow Dash said as she extended her wings.

“¡Ngííng! ¡Za vázen èì káénùà!” the armored Breezie said very agitatedly with much shaking of his head, flapping of his wings, and pointing at the pouches the others carried, having discerned Rainbow Dash’s intention somehow and objecting strongly. “¡Tínge n`é brìz, n`é pímuz dáániig waäo káénùà!^[4]”

“I think we shouldn’t,” Fluttershy told Rainbow Dash, and the armored Breezie appeared to calm down somewhat. “My home isn’t far from here. I can take them there until they’re well enough to fly again. The portal to their home will remain open for several more days, at least.”

Fluttershy bent down to the armored Breezie’s level, careful that her robes didn’t sweep any of the others off the stump as she did so. She perceived him to be the leader; convincing him of her intentions would likely do the same for the others, though it seemed difficult to even accomplish the former, given this Breezie’s attitude.

“Hello, can you understand me?” Fluttershy asked. She was in the odd position of not being able to automatically understand tiny creatures, but the Breezies were far more than animals and had their own language in the pony manner of things that she couldn’t comprehend. “I’m Fluttershy.”

The armored Breezie looked at her blankly before pointing to the east with his tiny foreleg, “¡B`áánuam vázen k`e méízegu dii`ríí n`é pípìri!^[5]”

This prompted shouts of objection from the other Breezies as they nursed their wounds, and the armored Breezie glared at them.

“I just want to bring you to my home for a bit, so you can rest and heal,” Fluttershy said as she pointed in the direction of her hole, which was nearly in the same direction the migration had gone. She carefully used a hoof to straighten one of the Breezies’ wings to try to demonstrate her intent.

The armored Breezie glowered, but the others shouted excitedly in words so fast and numerous that it was impossible to make anything out.

“Is that okay with you?” Fluttershy asked of him.

The Breezie glowered for a little longer before acquiescing and motioning for the others to come forward and climb onto Fluttershy, nestling this time among her feathers and on her back. She offered a spot for the armored Breezie, but he refused and stubbornly flapped under his own power. Fortunately, he didn’t stay behind and did accompany her as she began to trot cross-country to her home, bidding farewell for the moment to the Brave Companions.

“I’m Fluttershy, who are you?” she tried again to communicate with the armored Breezie.

He looked back and forth several times between Fluttershy’s face and the hoof pointed at him before seeming to comprehend.

“Zíbríz,” he declared as he pointed his miniscule hoof at himself.

“Seabreeze?” Fluttershy asked as she pointed at him again.

“¡Zíbríz!” he passionately corrected her.

“I’m sorry. Zeebreeze,” Fluttershy said, and Zíbríz rolled his tiny eyes.

“I’m Fluttershy,” the druidess tried again, before pointing at Zíbríz and then herself in turn. “Zeebreeze. Fluttershy.”

“Fl`úát ter sheïí,” Zíbríz tried, slowing his speech from its normal tempo, causing her name to be broken into multiple words.

“Close,” Fluttershy lied with a kind smile and Zíbríz narrowed his eyes, skeptical of the strange giant.

***

Fluttershy returned to her home with the Breezies and cared for them as best she could. Fortunately, she had no difficulty communicating with the animals that lived with her and in her home’s walls; some of the smaller ones were able to do the tasks she didn’t have the precision for, such as making splints for the Breezies that had injured limbs and soft casts for hurt wings. The Breezies settled in nicely to living with Fluttershy ... for the most part. Zíbríz alone seemed unhappy with the accommodations that the druidess provided. It wasn’t that he thought her care wasn’t good enough, but he didn’t want it at all, insistent that the Breezies move on despite their injuries.

The druidess continued to try to communicate with the Breezies, but it was mostly through pantomime that they managed to get anything across to each other. When Twilight Sparkle visited the day after the accident, curious about the Breezies, she’d asked her about the spell the Brave Companions had used when they’d traveled to Stygra in order to speak their language. The sorceress was hesitant to try, and after explaining how it worked to Fluttershy, the druidess agreed against it. Since the spell took knowledge of the language from the pony (or Breezie) that spoke it, one of the Breezies would be left unable to communicate at all—not something one should do to somepony without their consent, and a potentially dangerous thing to do, given that it could leave them in a vegetative state. So, Fluttershy and Zíbríz would continue to point and gesture while speaking to get things across. An imperfect system, but it was better than the alternative.

The Breezies had been in Fluttershy’s care for two days when Twilight Sparkle returned to her home, this time with Applejack.

“Hello? Is it okay for us t’ come in?” Applejack asked from the doorway.

“Yes, but be careful!” Fluttershy raised her tone as Applejack entered and nearly trod upon a Breezie.

Fluttershy swooped in and carried the little creature away to her kin. The Breezies were scattered throughout her home, mostly in high places, but Fluttershy had to be cautious where she sat, and her hearth was blocked off to keep them from falling into the fire. The Breezies had recovered quickly and looked in fine health. They were as well cared for as anyone could hope; some might even say “coddled”.

“Do you think the Breezies are ready to continue on their journey?” Twilight asked. “Their breeze is beginning to wane.”

“Already?” Fluttershy asked. “It should still last a few more days, according to the augur.”

“But it would be better not t’ leave it t’ chance, right?” Applejack asked.

“Of course,” Fluttershy said. “But with the scare they had, I don’t want to feel like I’m abandoning them too soon to a cruel world.”

“By all accounts, the Breezies’ world appears no more or less cruel than ours, and at least then they would be home,” Twilight pointed out.

“Oh, you’re right,” Fluttershy said with realization. “I suppose we could give it a try.”

“Excellent. I will go get the others,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy tried to communicate their intent to the Breezies while Twilight portalled or teleported around Ponieville, gathering the rest of the Brave Companions. The point finally got across when she tried gathering them up to take them outside, but the response was far from what she’d expected. The majority of the Breezies cried out with frightened voices and tried to hide, and Fluttershy was worried that they hadn’t yet recovered from their ordeal. She didn’t want to be harsh to them and so she backed off, and when the Brave Companions arrived, she sent them away. Zíbríz also voiced loud objections, but most of his berating was directed at his fellow Breezies. He wanted to be on his way, but for the moment Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to force them out. And so, the Breezies remained.

***

More days passed with the Breezies in Fluttershy’s care. Her friends and the druids of the circle came to see her and inquire when the Breezies would be moving on, but every time she thought they might be ready, something else came up that persuaded her otherwise. They were too frightened or too weak to go, and so they stayed. As Fluttershy indulged them, Zíbríz grew more and more irate. His angry outbursts became frequent, the words spoken colorful enough to make Fluttershy blush had she understood them. When Rainbow Dash stopped by to check on her, the Breezies’ leader was determined to get home no matter what.

“Hi Fluttershy, are the Breezies ready to get going yet?” Rainbow Dash asked from the doorway. “That breeze of theirs keeps shifting, and Twilight’s worried that it’s not going to hold up much longer.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said as she spotted the thin trail of magical wind shimmering slightly not far from her home, “Yes, I think they should be able to go now. Just a moment.”

“Okay, Breezies,” Fluttershy said as she trotted back inside, and they all gathered together to listen to her, even if they couldn’t understand her words. “It’s time for you to go home. If you don’t get going soon, you may never make it back.”

Most of the Breezies stared blankly at her, but a few had a spark of recognition in their eyes from hearing her speak similar words in the past. As the druidess moved to gather them up, one of them sneezed loudly. Soon he was joined by others coughing and sneezing.

“Oh no!” Fluttershy said with alarm. “Are you sick?!”

“¿Brídua gaaz mï`è aang? B`áánuam pìzuadazua mï`è è`nta. ¡Zá míde dég zípòn! ¡Aang vàzén k`e zà gràèkuad!^[6]” Zíbríz shouted, until Fluttershy swept past him and sent him tumbling.

“They’re all sick! It may be something I fed them! Go get Twilight!” Fluttershy urgently commanded Rainbow Dash before turning back to the Breezies. “Oh, Zeebreeze, what can I do? Zeebreeze?”

However, Zíbríz was nowhere to be seen among the Breezies, nor in the places he commonly went to be alone as Fluttershy searched. With a gasp, she ran to the door, which had been left ajar in her rushing back and forth. In the distance, she thought she spotted the Breezie swept along in the mystical breeze, intending to go home on his own. Careful to close the door this time, she rushed outside and followed the breeze.

All alone, Zíbríz didn’t have much of a chance. With a group of Breezies together, they could make adjustments and shelter each other, but on his own he was buffeted and bounced along, having close calls with the ground and trees, but still he soldiered on. He was convinced none of the others would go back to Breezehome, but he would at least try. He was of the warrior caste, and they were of sterner stuff than the laborers; even so, he couldn’t make it on his own. Unable to correct his trajectory one too many times, Zíbríz was thrown out of the breeze and spun through a copse. He’d barely recovered when an owl swooped down and snatched him in his claws. With a terrified voice, he demanded to be let go and pleaded for his life, but the owl was deaf to his cries.

“Excuse me,” Fluttershy said, catching up as the owl landed and prepared to eat its prey. “I know you’re hungry, but that’s my friend you have there. He’s a Breezie and from another world, so could you let him go so I can take him back to safety?”

The owl regarded Fluttershy with little interest before raising Zíbríz up toward his beak again, which sparked a new set of cries from the Breezie.

“Ahem, as I said, he’s from another world, so it would not be good for you to eat him. Please, let him go,” Fluttershy said, a little more forcefully.

The owl ignored her and continued to raise Zíbríz.

“Stop!” Fluttershy cried, “I’ve tried to be patient and kind with you, but it’s not working, so I’ll tell you straight out to let poor Zeebreeze go! You know he’s not your normal prey and I’ve told you it’s wrong and he’s my friend, so stop ignoring me and let him be!”

Cowed, the owl dropped Zíbríz onto a branch, which he clung to desperately, and flew away.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked urgently as she hovered near Zíbríz, who composed himself and climbed up onto the branch.

“Zá fudá k`e è`nta pìzuadazua, prï`ù zá vízo k`e káénùà^[7],” the Breezie said plaintively.

“Oh, I wish I could understand you,” Fluttershy said, not for the first time.

“Fl`úát ter sheïí. È`nta,^[8]” Zíbríz said as he pointed in the direction of Fluttershy’s home, where the rest of the Breezies were, before pointing in the direction the breeze was blowing, “Bríziz. È`nta.^[9]”

“Home. Yes,” Fluttershy said, understanding, “But it’s just too dangerous for you.”

“Mufedèrgenz. Éïua. B`úfede,<sup>[10]</sup>” Zíbríz said, gesturing around and pointing in the direction the owl had flown before pointing in the direction of the portal and holding his tiny hooves close together, “Mufedèrgenz. È`nta. Nide.^[11]”

“I see. I think,” Fluttershy said, “It’s safer for you in your own world, but the others …”

“¡B`áánuam vázen k`e pìzuadazua è`nta!^[12]” Zíbríz said plaintively.

As Fluttershy looked at the tiny Breezie, even in the night’s darkness a light seemed to shimmer through his translucent wings, and the druidess knew what she had to do.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, “I thought the compassionate thing to do was to keep caring for you until you all were ready to leave, but you weren’t just yelling at the others for nothing, were you? It’s dangerous here for you, and you don’t have much time left before you’re unable to get home. I wasn’t helping you at all—I was actually hurting you. Maybe it’s not nice to force the others to go on, but it’s the right thing, the truly compassionate thing to do.”

Zíbríz listened without understanding, but it seemed she might finally be seeing things his way and understand the need of the Breezies to return to their migration, so he let her speak.

“Come on,” Fluttershy drew close to let him climb onto her, “We need to get you home. All of you. È`nta!”

Zíbríz hesitantly climbed into Fluttershy’s mane, and she hurried back to her home. Standing outside were Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash, having returned during the druidess’s brief excursion.

“Fluttershy, what is going on?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “Rainbow Dash said the Breezies might be sick?”

“We need to get them back in the breeze and on their way home, sick or … not,” Fluttershy said she opened her door and slowed her speech as she saw what was within.

The Breezies didn’t look like they were ailing at all, until they noticed Fluttershy entering. A few of them began to cough and sneeze, and Zíbríz glared at them.

“Oh no, that’s not going to work. I never should have fallen for it in the first place,” Fluttershy berated them. “You need to get back in that breeze and get home. Come on.”

As she tried to gather them up, the Breezies voiced their complaints and tried to cling to her anxiously or hide, but Fluttershy was having none of it.

“I’ve tried to be kind, but that’s only delayed you in getting home. If you don’t leave now, you may never get home, so you have to leave. You’re not welcome in my home,” Fluttershy gave them an ultimatum, fighting to keep a strong face and not shed any tears while the Breezies were watching.

Zíbríz climbed out onto her outstretched foreleg and also pointed imperiously at the open door, where Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike were standing in surprise. Gradually, the Breezies complied and gathered together to make their way outside, slinging their seed pouches once more over their backs. Spike watched while the three Brave Companions protected and sheltered the Breezies on their way to their breeze and helped guide them up into it. For a bit, everything seemed fine, but they’d gone barely twenty paces before the breeze blew them apart and they scattered in a tumult of agitated cries. The ponies hurriedly caught them before any harm could be done, but their second and third attempts to ride the breeze fared no better.

“Oh my, I was worried about this,” Fluttershy said as the Breezies grouped up on the ground and looked sadly up at her. “I don’t think there are enough of them to hold together and ride the breeze.”

“So … are we back to carrying them to the portal, then?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“If there’s no other way,” Fluttershy sighed. “There’s something with the breeze that’s important for them, but if it’s between that and getting home, I think they’d take the latter.”

“Well … maybe I have another way,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully.

“Oh?” Fluttershy said hopefully.

“How many more Breezies do you think they need to ride the breeze?” the sorceress asked.

“Well, about ten to be sure, but they might be able to get by with as few as five more,” Fluttershy said. “Why do you ask?”

“Rainbow Dash, go wake up Pinkamena, Rarity, and Applejack and send them here. Fluttershy, I need you to get some hairs from the Breezies’ manes or tails. Spike, I need you to help me in Golden Oak’s laboratory,” Twilight issued orders before opening a portal to her home and stepping through, Spike steadying a stack of books from Yliiena’s tower that threatened to fall before following her.

By the time the Brave Companions were all gathered, Twilight and Spike had returned with all that was needed for the sorceress’s plan. During her research on the Breezies, she’d come across the writings of a sorcerer who had managed to find a way to temporarily polymorph ponies into the tiny creatures. If she duplicated the process, she and the others could fill out the group and help them ride their breeze. Fluttershy had succeeded in procuring some hair from their manes, which would be required for the spell to work. At Twilight’s direction, Spike drew a magical circle in the ground, placed a candle at the center, and laid the Breezies’ hairs at the points where lines crossed.

“Everypony ready?” Twilight asked as they took their positions around the edge of the circle.

After she’d gotten affirmations from the everyone, she closed her eyes and cast the spell. The lines upon the ground glowed faintly and then grew brighter as the Breezies’ hairs combusted, sending up small puffs of smoke and flame. The Breezies, not comprehending what was happening, murmured worriedly and backed away. With a great flash and implosion of air, the spell was complete, and the Brave Companions found themselves in very odd bodies. Everything around them was gigantic, including the candle at the center of the magical circle, which was now lit. Each of them had the form of a Breezie, with skinny limbs, membranous wings, and antennae upon their heads. Fortunately, the spell had also taken their clothing into account and shrunk it, though those who hadn’t had wings before would find unnecessary holes in their garb when the spell was reversed.

“¿Brídua kaazáém bëá? ¿Brídua gaaz bëá aang?^[13]” Zíbríz asked in confusion as he approached them, the only one brave enough to do so.

“We’re here to help you home,” Fluttershy said with a flutter of her wings, hoping she got through to him.

“Spike, take the candle and follow us,” Twilight Sparkle commanded, and the dragonling started at her voice, higher and tinnier than normal. “We have until the candle burns down before the spell wears off, and we need to get to the portal before then. Call out a warning when it is getting close.”

“Um, okay,” Spike said uncertainly as he lifted the candle, wax already running down the sides and pooling in the holder.

Through pantomime and lifting off into the air, the Brave Companions managed to communicate their plan with the Breezies, and soon they were up in the mystical breeze, propelled on their way toward the tiny creatures’ home. Those who already had wings got the hang of flying quickly, as did Rarity, remembering some of what she’d learned when she’d temporarily been flightworthy years earlier. Applejack and Pinkamena struggled at first, but they too were able to manage flight with some practice and fluttered along with the rest of the Breezies. Even with the added bodies, it was still difficult to stay together and not be blown apart by the breeze, and there was a lot of maneuvering that had to be done. While Zíbríz shouted orders in Breezespeech, Fluttershy called out in Low Equestrian to her fellows when and where they should move themselves to keep the formation together.

In this manner, with Spike following nearby, the Breezies and the Brave Companions glided through the night over the countryside outside Ponieville, the breeze pushing them on a winding track. They passed through woods and farms and over fields and fens, getting a perspective on the world (and how dangerous it was) that the Brave Companions had never seen before. Spike did his best at preventing disaster, scaring off hounds and providing a shield against trees, but he also defended the candle held in his claw that burned steadily lower. The wind eventually took them over the logging camps and into the Everfree Forest. The overwhelming gloom and sinisterness that had afflicted the place for many long centuries had dissipated with the destruction of the vines Discord had left, but there was still some lingering foreboding sensation. The trees blocked out the stars above, and were it not for the candle held by Spike, they would have proceeded entirely in darkness.

At last, the portal to Breezehome came into sight, much smaller than it had been when the rest of the Breezies on migration had arrived, but still wide enough for three Breezies to pass through abreast. The edges of the portal were torn and undulated wildly, like one cast by the White Procession’s wizard instead of a proper portal as Twilight would cast, but she sensed no hint of Judd Caradain magic here. Instead, it felt quite familiar, quite … Equusian. The Breezies’ world was different from Equus, which would explain why portals to it were so unstable, but it appeared that there was also some similarity in the magic, unless the portals’ source was in the world of ponies and not Breezehome as was believed. The breeze seemed to intensify slightly as they neared the portal, and all the Breezies, including the Brave Companions, were pushed through.

They emerged into a tiny village with buildings constructed from wood or bored into trees that towered high above. Luminous mushrooms sprouted between buildings and provided illumination as evening turned to twilight. In the distance, strange trees could be seen growing taller and straighter than any tree the ponies had ever seen, even when they were their usual size. There were few Breezies still out and about, but those that were gave cries of glee and relief as they spotted the return of those they had thought lost. That gleeful reaction was not unanimous, though, and a group of Breezies in chitinous armor who had been standing or sitting near the dwindling portal watching it grabbed spears and rushed forward to challenge the arrivals when they saw the strangers with them.

“¿Ùùnge míde k`e aang? “Brídua zipëiirí hírgen k`e?^[14]” demanded a Breezie in a helmet with horns made from a stag beetle’s mandibles.

“Merken míde k`e hùùmiz,^[15]” Zíbríz tried to explain as he placed himself between the warriors and the Brave Companions.

“¡Ààng vázen k`e pìzuadazua! ¡Ngóng öel`zipëiiríz éida mï`è m`é n`é darébedè lïizúá Zipëiirí Bráéki`úá!^[16]” the horned Breezie demanded.

“Írgetua. Merken míde k`e baëoranz úúnge zabádlí bëá déng midèl b`aànuam i`kràèkua. Tínge ááng, b`áánuam yáédòr bëá káénùà è`nta elòrél. Zö`ae èì ááng tíl b`ei píri vote,^[17]” Zíbríz explained.

The warrior considered for a moment, before lowering his spear and motioning for the others to do likewise.

“Zá paruakínderáé waäo za, Zíbríz,” the warrior said, saluting Zíbríz. “Ààng vízo k`e tíl n`é kuumpá`tiikí vote.^[18]”

“Shouldn’t we be getting’ out o’ here afore th’ portal closes or th’ spell wears off?” Applejack asked, unaware of Zíbríz’s negotiation to allow them to remain for the welcome feast.

“Oh, don’t we have any time?” Fluttershy asked as she looked around at all the Breezies now rushing from their homes to welcome kin.

“Well …” Twilight said, also reluctant to leave an opportunity to study another world in a way no sorceress ever had before, “Spike?”

“The candle’s half gone,” Spike called back through the portal, raising the candle to show them its progress.”

“We have a little time yet,” Twilight admitted. “We can stay for a bit.”

From their homes, the Breezies quickly trotted out tables and covered them with boards of food and barrels of drink. The Breezies who had been lost in another world were welcomed back with a grand feast, and the Brave Companions were invited to partake. Musicians were found and Breezies wearing long robes and tall caps gave authoritative speeches that occasionally got cheers from the others. There was much curiosity about the newcomers and examination of them, but eventually the novelty wore off or paled in comparison to welcoming back those presumed dead, and some of the Companions were able to slip away to examine this strange world.

Not every Breezie was involved in the festivities, as Applejack found as she wandered to the edge of the village. Some of the Breezies had taken the pouches delivered by the new arrivals and were emptying them out here. The seeds within appeared differently here than they had in Equus (besides being much larger to Applejack’s eyes), coated in faintly shimmering sheens of orange, pink, blue, purple, red, or violet. The Breezies here were busy sorting them into piles, and Applejack noted that they weren’t divided equally; the pink hued seeds seemed to be far more plentiful. Beyond where the Breezies sorted seeds, the village came to an end and the ground sloped downward, eventually reaching an escarpment over which hung cranes for lowering and raising goods. It looked out over a wide field of trees of varying heights, most of them still just sprouts poking up from the ground.

Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, explored in a different direction, pacing between the Breezies’ buildings and trying to commit every detail to memory so that she could dictate it to Spike later. She was witnessing something no pony eyes had ever seen up close, and she needed to absorb as much as possible. Who knew if an opportunity like this would ever present itself again? In her wandering, she found a corner of the village where the ground was thrust suddenly upwards by an earth-capped stone, upon the face of which had been painted a mural. She might not have had any hope of understanding the Breezies’ speech, but there was no need to comprehend their language in order to learn from this.

At the start of the mural was a large, leafy tree bearing seven succulent fruits of different colors. Standing about the tree and hovering in the air near it were a variety of crudely drawn creatures, including Breezies, ponies, gryphons, and satyrs, to name a few. The next scene portrayed was confusing, with what appeared to be a giant egg at the center, cracking into many pieces of different shapes and sizes. All around the egg were violently painted catastrophes, mostly shown afflicting Breezies. The scenes grew smaller and simpler as the mural went on. Ponies were shown next taking the fruits from the tree in the first scene. Those same ponies were then depicted stepping through a doorway, baskets upon their backs with the fruits within them, except one fruit fell from the basket and was left behind, surrounded by Breezies in the next scene. The fruit was then planted, and grew into a tall, narrow tree. Looking out from the village, Twilight thought she could make out its silhouette in the distance, but the sun had set, and the moons didn’t give enough illumination to make out if the trees were one and the same.

A bell chimed within the village, and shortly thereafter Spike called through the portal that there wasn’t much time left before the candle burned out. Reluctantly, Twilight Sparkle abandoned the mural and headed back to the portal. She was sure she’d be able to glean some important knowledge about the Breezies’ world were she able to stay and study it, but she didn’t have the time.

By the time all the Brave Companions were gathered again, the portal was narrow enough that only one Breezie at a time would be able to fit through without tucking in their wings. Zíbríz called after them to halt their departure and flew up to Fluttershy as they waited nervously.

“Múmpiití,” he said as he gave a stiff salute to the druidess. “Írgetua, ziipàre èì raëó b`àànuam nùnketaë`í.^[19]”

The Breezie presented Fluttershy with a pouch, within which was a large seed. It wasn’t like the seeds that they had carried with them on their migration through Equus, but it seemed for a moment to shimmer with color all the same, gleaming in rainbow hues.

“Thank you. I wish we could stay longer,” Fluttershy said remorsefully, and Zíbríz bowed respectfully.

Tucking their wings as they passed the threshold, the Brave Companions flew through the portal and returned to their own world. No sooner had they done so than the portal snapped closed, and the polymorph spell wore off at nearly the same time. The six of them reverted to their original forms, sending Spike reeling back. A fair bit of patting down was conducted to confirm that everything was back to normal before they prepared to return to Ponieville.

“So …” Rainbow Dash said to Twilight as they made their way back, “Any chance you’ve got any more polymorph spells? I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be a gryphon.”

“Not a chance,” Twilight shut her down.

“Come on. What about a dragon? No? Not even a young one? With wings, of course,” Rainbow asked, and Spike coughed indignantly.