Trials of A Princess

by Rose Quill

5 What's a Heartmender?

They draw closer, the Dreamer and the Lover. It is almost as though their hoofbeats make the earth shudder with their passing. The creatures that attacked the other day have vanished without a trace, just like all the others, but this time it was different. No shadowy mare was seen.

It is as though they are aware of the winged avengers approaching.

I am uncertain if this is a good development or not. Casting the bones or the draw of cards give me little guidance in this anymore.

— Silverleaf, Cervyderian Shaman

***

“How far is it to your lands?” Twilight asked as the train thundered along the tracks.

Cersi looked out the window and replied in the same disinterested tone she had held all day. “We’ve just passed over the snow line. We’ll disembark at the next stop and continue the journey on hoof.” She glanced away. “Sadly. I’d give anything for a chance to stretch my wings. I hate trains.”

“And how long will that be?” I pressed, shifting so I could see the Peryton without having to turn my head. “So I know we packed enough provisions.”

“We’ll reach a village in two days,” Cersi said distractedly. “We’ll stay there for a day and then move on. Then we’ll meet a barge and continue along the Riba for four days to the Deep Glenn.”

“Eight days?” Twilight said. “If that’s all it takes, then why are you such a mystery to ponies?”

“In the past, our people suffered greatly at the claws of the centaurs and their warriors. We eventually found a way of protecting our borders, but it required us to take a firm stance against outsiders. Each of our outlying villages has a talisman that keeps them hidden from those not invited.”

“What kind of talisman?” Twilight asked.

“One of great power, made by ancient Shapers with the aid of Heartmenders to defend our people.” Pine stepped into the car and sat in an empty seat. “That is all there is to know. The method of their making has been lost to time.”

“What about the village that was attacked during the Celestial Civil War?” I flicked an ear in annoyance. “If your talismans are so powerful, what happened there?”

Pine growled. “According to legend, a sorceress snuck in and stole our talisman. A pony supposedly pursued her, but if she understood the power of the Stone then there was no hope of it returning.”

“What’s a Heartmender?” Twilight asked.

"Heartmenders have the ability to feel and ease the pain of others, " Cersi explained. "Often they feel those wounds as acutely as their own; sometimes even more so. They have to bleed it off into the Æther or else risk taking the wound onto themselves. They also assist Shapers with their tasks, bearing the strain of the commune so the Shapers can focus."

“And how do they do that?” Twilight pushed.

“It is…difficult to explain,” Pine breathed. “As a Shaper, I have had assistance from a Heartmender in my works. When the stone is difficult or the wood resistant, it can push against my magic. The feedback can be painful, but the feel of a Heartmender’s hoof can pull it from me. Sometimes there’s a moment when we’re only a single person. It’s not something you ponies could understand.”

I looked away. It sounded like my bond with Sunshine. Reflexively, I reached inside for the point of light that was my wife. It was faint, but I could still feel it and the tiny echo that I couldn’t explain. I touched my peytral, the crystal gained from Camp Everfree in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

“You’d be surprised,” I whispered.

I ignored their odd looks and turned to gaze out the window in the direction of Canterlot. I could see Twilight’s face faintly in the window and the touch of concern she showed.

“I’m sure we’ll be on our way home in no time, Sunset,” she said as she draped a wing over me. “You won’t have to miss her for long.”

“Sixteen days just in transit, Twilight,” I said, turning away from the window. “Plus however long this will take. It’ll be the longest we’ve been apart since I got my wings.”

“Such is the life of an Equestrian Princess,” Pine said. “And quite often Shapers or Wilders such as my companions and I as well. Duty often comes before family and friends.”

I directed my gaze back out the window.

“It doesn’t make it any easier to bear,” I whispered.

---

We’d gotten off the train when it stopped to refill its boiler.

Our guides sedately walked into a grove of trees with an ease that we found difficult to emulate. It was almost as if the brambles and undergrowth parted for them while we had to fight through it.

While the exterior was coated with the snow, the chilly wind seemed to disappear as we walked deeper into the woods. The trees also began to grow larger as we went, reaching sizes that were astonishing. We passed one that was easily wider than all of us had we stood nose to tail. The undergrowth also gave way to soft soil and a thin layer of grass.

Despite the warming air and ease of travel, I couldn’t help but keep looking inside to that point of light in my mind. A lot of what the Deer had said regarding Heartmenders, made me think back to my wife and the title Celestia had given me when I first ascended. So far I hadn’t exactly been a paragon of compassion.

But whatever melancholy that might’ve taken a grip on me faded as we stepped past a pair of sentries on either side of a large arch in one of the massive tree’s roots and into the first Ceryviderian village I had ever seen. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but from the way Pine talked, I had thought they’d be simple huts and small houses.

But I hadn’t expected for an entire grove of the massive trees with doors set into them, windows glowing with fireflies and phosphorescent moss. Their thick roots arced out, forming pavilions, gazebos, and benches. It was a thriving community and not a single artificial structure present aside from a fountain in the center of the square fed by a small stream. An ovoid rock sat atop the fountain, held in place by leafy vines. An intricate carving depicted an eye. Four guards stood by it, one for each of the cardinal directions. Like the trail we had taken to get here, there was no snarled undergrowth, just soft loam and grass.

We were instructed to remain at the gate while Pine secured lodgings for us. Cersi had promptly rushed off to chat with another Peryton but Ganymede had remained by our side.

A sniffle from my right brought my attention to Twilight, who had a few tears in her eyes.

“You ok?” I asked.

“Four of the best years of my life,” she whispered. “I loved that snug little room upstairs. I wish you could’ve seen it, Sunset.”

“Me too, Twilight,” I told her, giving her a quick hug.

“I take it you lived in one of our trees before,” Ganymede said gently.

Twilight nodded. “The Golden Oaks library in Ponyville. It had been a gift from your people to Princess Celestia. It was my home when I moved there, before it was destroyed by a centaur named Tirek.”

Ganymede growled lightly and spat to the side. “They have no appreciation for nature. If not for the memory stones, we would live in fear of them even now.”

“Memory stones?” I asked, rubbing Twilights shoulders as she gazed at the village, lost in memory.

Ganymede pointed at the stone above the fountain.

“Shamans, Shapers, and Heartmenders came together and created the stones to protect us. With them, you can manipulate a creature’s memory, making them forget entirely or replace it with another memory. With them we made the centaurs forget the locations of our villages and made their Diamond Dog soldiers forget who their enemies were. It didn’t take long for the cost to become too great for them.”

“And why do you still have them?”

She smiled. “Artifacts of this nature are not so casually cast aside.” She nodded at the stone. “What the magus’ of old created could not easily be unmade and we couldn’t dare take the risk of throwing them aside. We use them mainly as a defense against outsiders. You are the first this village has likely had in a decade or more.”

Pine returned, a wizened doe accompanying him. She lacked the wings of a Peryton and the crystal hooves of the Vitrung. I would have put her as a Nordeer, like Ganymede, but she was less stocky and built much lither.

“This is the matriarch of the village, Janess,” Pine said as the older doe dipped her head. “She’ll be seeing to your lodgings while we’re here.”

“If you need anything, dears,” she said in a deep alto. “Just ask, and I’ll see what I can do. Now, if you’ll follow me?”

A fluttering sound drew my attention upwards, as a flurry of orange and yellow landing between my wings before we had even taken a step.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep up with a train? Thea berated me after catching her breath.

I frowned. “You were supposed to stay with Sunshine, Thea. I recall the exact words of my instructions.”

Astra is watching the duchess, the young flarewing returned, giving her wings a stretch. She’s much more to her speed, anyways. They’re both overly cerebral. Are those cashews I smell roasting?

I rolled my eyes as Twilight giggled, finally broken from her reverie.

“It’s like having two of you,” she grinned.

“Oh, be quiet.”

I’m nothing like her! Thea squawked. She’s brash and impulsive and —

“I’m not the one that flew after a train for two days,” I said as we turned to follow Janess towards a squat oak with several tables out front.

Comments

[The Scarlett Mare]

So far I hadn’t exactly been a paragon of compassion.

Sunset darling... I'll pretend I didn't read that.

[The Scarlett Mare]

This is really well done
I love Thea as a character too

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Cersi looked out the window and replied in the same disinterested tone she had held all day. “We’ve just passed over the snow line. We’ll disembark at the next stop and continue the journey on hoof.” She glanced away. “Sadly. I’d give anything for a chance to stretch my wings. I hate trains.”

Hey! Trains are great as a matter of fact not to mention your talking to a big train lover as I am one!

“Such is the life of an Equestrian Princess,” Pine said. “And quite often Shapers or Wilders such as my companions and I as well. Duty often comes before family and friends.”

Yep, that's the life of a royalty for ya.

Twilight nodded. “The Golden Oaks library in Ponyville. It had been a gift from your people to Princess Celestia. It was my home when I moved there, before it was destroyed by a centaur named Tirek.”

Huh, that explains now why she's emotional. And I understand her how she feels. It always is sad to lose something that is special to us. Especially if it is home.

“Shamans, Shapers, and Heartmenders came together and created the stones to protect us. With them, you can manipulate a creature’s memory, making them forget entirely or replace it with another memory. With them we made the centaurs forget the locations of our villages and made their Diamond Dog soldiers forget who their enemies were. It didn’t take long for the cost to become too great for them.”

Not to mention this said equestrian artifact found its way to the human world and someone would use it on Sunset and it would make me hate that said villain and the special it was seen in. 😡

She smiled. “Artifacts of this nature are not so casually cast aside.” She nodded at the stone. “What the magus’ of old created could not easily be unmade and we couldn’t dare take the risk of throwing them aside. We use them mainly as a defense against outsiders. You are the first this village has likely had in a decade or more.”

Damn

Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep up with a train? Thea berated me after catching her breath.

I happen to know from what I've heard from friends of mine who do it a lot. And sometimes it ain't easy.

Astra is watching the duchess, the young flarewing returned, giving her wings a stretch. She’s much more to her speed, anyways. They’re both overly cerebral. Are those cashews I smell roasting?

At least sci twi is still alright thankfully.

I’m nothing like her! Thea squawked. She’s brash and impulsive and —

You kinda are ngl.

“I’m not the one that flew after a train for two days,” I said as we turned to follow Janess towards a squat oak with several tables out front.

She has a point. 😏