Race Swapper in the Deerlands

by Hexan Tronic

Chapter 10 - Objective located, and beginnings of Trust.

When I next came to, I awoke inside what appeared to be a circular hut made of wood. I was on a bed, with all the general beddings. Sitting up, I noticed that my hat was missing, which worried me, and my bags were by the door. Sitting up, I notice a splint on my wing, which reminds me of the chase, as well as my crash landing. <Guess my wing was worse off than I hoped.> I think to myself. Elsewhere in the room there was some chairs, a table and a chest, all made of wood, and appearing to be part of the floor, somehow.

Once I finish looking around, I slide out of the warm bed, getting to my hooves, which are a bit shaky, but I manage to walk to my bags and slide them on, making sure not to touch my wing, and prepare to step outside, before someone walks in, causing me to step back towards the bed.

“Don’t hurt me!” I say, flinching as I remember that I went unconscious with the hunters nearby, thinking it was them who held me.

“Whatever reason would I have for hurting a child like me?” A femanan voice asks, causing me to look over at them. To my shock, they are a deer. Looking them over, they appear to have a light brown coat, with their belly and top half of their ears being a light blue. Their mane a vibrant indigo color, which their tail matches. Their eyes appear to be a light red colour, and finally she has what I guess are medium sized horns, which are the same colour as her belly, which her hooves match. She appears to be only a little bit older than me.

“W...Who are you?” I ask, before finally noticing the absence of my siblings, but decide that isn’t important right now, while I barely notice my right hoof shivering.

“My name is Abigale Poppy, what is your name?” She asks, taking a seat on one of the chairs. Deciding it might help with my odd nervousness, I take a seat on a chair as well.

“I...I’m Hexan Tronic. Nice to meet you.” I reply, with a shaky smile.

“Are you alright? You seem a bit restless.” She asks, looking a little worried.

“I think so? I’m not sure why myself.” I say, my ears flicking, but not feeling my hat, which makes the nervous feeling worse.

“Okay… if you say so. What do you remember about before getting here?” She asks, looking a little serious.

“Um, I remember searching for you, or rather your people. But then I ran into some hunters, who I guess were doing less than legal things, which made them chase me. I tried to fly away, but clipped my wing, and while running I ran head first into a tree. But before the hunters could get me, some roots rose out of the ground, making a wall, and then I blacked out.” I reply. She nods, accepting my answer.

“Alright. Why were you looking for us?” She asks.

“Uh, do you mind if I keep that to myself, for now? I’m not feeling up for speaking about it just yet.” I say, worried about my wing.

“I guess that’s okay, you do look a fair bit uncomfortable.” She says, watching me. “Either way, I was the one who made the roots grow, I couldn’t bare to watch those cruel ponies do what they were going to.” She explains.

“T..Thank you, Abigale. How did you do it?” I ask, curious.

“By asking them to.” She explains, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world..

“What? What do you mean by that?” I ask.

“When I, or one of the others, want a plant to do something, we push our aura into them, and ask the plant to do it, and usually it does. The trees around you were happy to help you. They just needed the extra energy from my aura to do it.” She explains. “Even this house was made the same way, we are inside a tree crafted from a living tree, and deer aura.”

“Whoa....” I say, stunned. “A...Anyway, something has been bothering me, since I woke up.”

“And what would that be?” She asks.

“Do you know where my hat is?” I ask, looking around in case I missed it.

“One of the elders was looking after it. It made hier curious, because of it’s odd nature.” She explains.

“You mean how it’s not just a hat, but six different things?” I ask, which makes her appear to think for a moment.

“That would probably explain a bit of it, but no. The elder was curious because while it did hold a large portion of your aura, there were five other separate auras contained within, which is very uncommon with pony items.” She explains.

“That’s odd… wait, I have an aura?” I ask, confused.

“Of course, all living things, plant or animal, have an aura.” She explains.

“Wow… That is something I’ll keep in mind. Do you think I could get it back? I haven’t been able to sit still since I woke up and noticed it was gone.” I ask, hoping for a good answer.

“Sure! I’ll be right back, please stay here?” She asks, before heading out the door, closing it behind her. Once she is gone, I go back over and lay on the bed, closing my eyes. <Come on guys, you gotta wake up.> I think, before heading into my mindscape.

After a moment of thought, I head to Prissy’s house first, and head inside. Inside I find her asleep on her bed, giving me the chance to look around her room. Other than the closet and bed I noticed my first time here, which appear to be white, with a design of her ribbon painted like it’s wrapped around them. There is also a dresser, which has drawers, a mirror, and a box with copies of her mane bow. There is also a pure white chair in front of it. Her walls are painted a slightly darker pink than the rest of the house, while the floor is a carpet of matching colour. Finally a picture of herself is hung up beside a window which I can see the street from. Once I’m done looking around, I gently shake her.

“Hey sis, it’s time to wake up.” I say, as she begins to stir, opening an eye and looking at me.

“Hexy? What time is it?” She asks, confused.

“No idea, but we should probably wake the others up. I figure they are out cold like you were.” I say, as she sits up and stretches.

“Alright, I’ll get Burst and Distrac, you get Logic and Knockout.” She says, as we nod then head out. Once back outside, I head to Logic’s house, then go inside. When I get in, I quickly head up to his room, and like before, I look around. This room looks somewhat similar, in that it has a bed and a closet, but these are a dark blue, with lighter blue sparkles on it, like what is seen in magic when channeled by our horn. There is a desk and chair nearby, with books on it. The walls are a slightly lighter blue than the closet, the carpet matching that colour, and finally the picture of him by the window. When I’m done, I wake him up.

“Alright, what’s the problem Hex?” He asks.

“I don’t think there is one, but you all were out cold.” I say.

“Probably from the collision with that tree. It couldn’t be helped.” He theorizes.

“Alright, you meet Prissy and the others in the street, I’ll go get Knockout.” I say, heading out and over to his house. Up in his room, It looks a little different than the others. His room matches the rest of his house, which has a colosseum look, meaning it’s made of carved stone. His room, like the rest of his house, has stone walls, with markings carved into them, which are coloured orange, while the stone is a lighter brown colour. His room just has a rack for his gloves, his bed, which has a stone frame, but still a mattress like the rest of us, and some gear for morning stretches and exercises. The floor is square, stone tiles, with a weak, orange glow coming from the cracks, carpet perfectly cut to match the tiles but not cover the cracks. And finally there is a statue of Knockout, coloured correctly, by the glass window overlooking the street. I walk over and wake him up.

“Morning brother. What are we doing today?” He asks, waking up.

“Meeting the others in the street, let’s go.” I say, leading him outside. When we get outside, we see the other four standing together, so we walk over. “It’s good to see you all up and about.”

“Yeah, thanks for the wake up call bro.” Burst says.

“So, anything happen while we were out?” Logic asks.

“Not too much, you’ll see when she gets back.” I say.

“She?” Prissy asks, curious.

“You’ll see soo-” I begin to say, before being pulled out of the mindscape by my body being shaken. Opening my eyes, I see Abigale lightly shaking me. “Oh, hey.”

“Oh good, you’re awake.” She says, before I notice that she was shaking me awake, from on top of me.

“Why are you on me?” I ask.

“To wake you up of course, why else?” She asks.

“Good point.” I say.

“Anyway, I got your hat.” She says, getting off me and leading me back to the table. After a moment, I get up and walk over to the table, where I put my hat on, and suddenly the nervous feeling disappears.

“Huh, that’s odd…” I say, more to myself than anything else.

“I guess your hat is a part of you, and without it, you aren’t able to be comfortable.” Abigale suggests.

<She could be right you know.> Logic says.

<I guess so, and it’s good to hear you guys here again.> I say.

<So you found the deer, Hexy?> Prissy asks.

<More like she found me. She is the one who rescued us.> I reply.

<Well have you thanked her properly?> Distrac asks.

<Yeah, I think so.> I say, a bit unsure.

<Does she know about us yet?> Knockout asks.

<Not yet, I couldn’t reach you guys, so I never mentioned it.> I say, adjusting my injured wing.

<Damn, your wings not healed yet.> Burst notices.

<Yeah, but they did make sure it won’t get worse.> I say, before noticing that Abigale is looking at me.

“What are you doing?” She asks.

“Nothing, just thinking.” I reply back.

“If you say so. Either way, the elder that was examining you hat wants to talk to you.” She informs, looking to the door.

“Alright, let’s go see them.” I say, walking out the door, where I have several wooden spears pointed at me. “Meep.” I say, as Knockout quickly takes over.

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When I quickly take control, I immediately yank the nearest spear out of the deers hooves, before I use it to knock one of the others out of another's grip, where I stomp on it, breaking it. With two more spears getting thrusted in my direction, I quickly step out of the way, before jumping on them both, snapping them in half, before snapping the last one I held.

“Anything else you want to throw at me?” I ask, hoping for a challenge, before I’m wrapped in roots which burst from the ground. “Aww…” I say, disappointed that my fun is over, while I hear Abigale walk out behind me.

“Hexan?” She asks, looking at me.

“Half right there. I’m his brother. The threat the spears posed caused me to take control to defend him.” I explain.

“Huh, your aura is completely different to his, and the hat is gone too.” She says, her eyes glowing softly, the same colour as her mane.

“Can I get out now? This is kind of uncomfortable.” I ask, startling her.

“Oh! Right, sorry.” She says, letting me out. “ Can Hexan come back out please?” She asks, to which I nod and let him have control again. <Sorry about that bro.>

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<It’s alright, you did what you needed to.> I say, when I take control again.

“That was awkward.” I say, as Abigale releases me.

“Sorry about that, I should have gone first. Follow me.” She says, leading the way through her village, most of the buildings are made from living trees, which are still alive.

Our short walk came to an end when we reached an old looking tree, which Abigale walked inside of, so I followed her in.

Once inside, I look around the room. I can see that the part of the tree we are in has a table and some chairs, which has some sandwiches and water on it. There are also some paintings, and a couple of doors, leading to other rooms. And finally, sitting at the table appears to be an old deer.

She appears to have possessed an orange mane at some point, but it has since almost faded to grey. Their coat is a dark brown, while their belly and ears are white. Looking in their eyes, I can tell they must be pretty old, because their eyes are a dull blue. When I have finished my observation, I take a seat, Abigale taking the seat beside me.

“Good afternoon child. This is the young one you found?” She asks, looking at Abigale, who nods.

“Yes Elder, he is.” She confirms.

“Well, it is nice to meet you, young pony. I’m known as Elder Spruce. Could I enquire about your name?” She asks, giving me her attention.

“I go by Hexan Tronic. Thank you for having me looked after, Elder.” I reply, giving a slight nod.

“No thanks are necessary, but they are welcome. May I ask why you were in this forest, since I hear that the other ponies were after you.” Elder Spruce asks.

“To be honest, I was actually searching for your people. I have a personal goal of visiting and learning about any major race I can find, and I chose to pursue the Deer first.” I explain calmly, hoping they accept the answer. Abigale stays silent, while the Elder appears to be thinking, before coming to a decision.

“May I ask why you are seeking to meet with different races?” She calmly asks, after which I take a moment to think about how to explain.

“Well, for the most part, it has to do with a condition I appear to have.” I explain vaguely.

“And what does this condition entails?” She continues probing.

“Well, it mostly has to do with this.” I explain, before I shift into a unicorn, the wrappings and splint that was on my wing falling to the ground, before I shift into an earth pony, then once again back into a pegasus, the wing on my left side sagging to the ground, being the injured one, causing me to wince.

“This is certainly interesting, but I fail to see why that explains why you are seeking us out.” The Elder continues, looking at me curiously.

“Well, I’m seeking your people and others out, because I’m curious if I can also become one of your people. I’m not sure if, or how, it works, but I decided to try. I chose the deer first because out of the options I had info on, your people seemed the least likely to hurt me on the spot.” I explain in a bit more detail. “This particular situation came about because a friend of mine used a race change spell on me, but in the process, it became a part of my body allowing me to change if I focus hard enough.”

After that short information dump, the Elder goes silent, likely to sort out her thoughts. Once she appears satisfied with herself, she begins speaking again.

“Alright then. Can I ask what you plan to do, now you have located us?” She asks, watching me closely.

“Learn about your people, and gain permission to use a deer form, if I can.” I say calmly.

“I assume that is personal preference?” She asks, raising an eyebrow, to which I nod. “That settles it then. Abigale.” She begins, looking at the younger deer.

“Yes, Elder?” Abigale asks, having been silent for a while.

“I would like you to house this young pony with you for the duration of his stay. Help him learn what he can, and keep him out of trouble. I would also like to be kept informed of any developments concerning his situation.” The Elder explains.

“Of course. It won’t be a problem, Elder.” Abigale says, nodding. After which, Elder Spruce turns back to me.

“I trust this arrangement will be fine?” She asks, so I give a nod of affirmation. “Alright then. Please escort him to his new home. I’ll inform the other Elders, and the guards of his presence. Have a good day.” Elder Spruce finishes, before she walks outside, likely to do as she said. Then Abigale turns to me with a small smile.

“Alright! Follow me, Hexan!” She says, a bit excited, before heading out herself, causing me to follow her.

While we walk though the village, I get some looks from the other deer, who are going about their day, but no overly hostile looks. After a while, we reach a somewhat smaller home than Elder Spruce’s tree. While I look it over from the outside, to remember it’s look if I go exploring, Abigale speaks up.

“When a deer gets to a certain age, they are tasked with growing a new tree to serve as their home. The older the deer becomes, the older the tree gets, as well as the larger it gets. Currently, this is my home, even though it isn’t very big. It only has a small living room, two bedrooms, a small bathroom, and a small kitchen.” She explains readily. Looking proud of her home, but also a bit hesitant.

“It looks good to me. You did a good job of it. Shall we go in?” I ask, which results in her nodding and leading me in. Once inside, I see that the living room is just a small bookshelf, a medium sized couch, and a coffee table. There is a short hall that leads to three doors in the back, and another doorway that I guess leads to the kitchen.

“To be honest, I didn’t have much say in the amount of rooms my home has. I have no real idea why my tree decided on that second bedroom, but I guess it’s going to get some use now.” She explains, sitting on the couch.

“Really? So it just made it on it’s own?” I ask, curious about how the construction of these homes work.

“Yeah, although, the Elders have said before that all trees are connected to their own network of magic, and they speak to each other about things. Maybe the trees knew you were coming and decided that you would need a room when you got here.” She theorizes.

<That theory does make a bit of sense, considering where you were when you gained the ability to race swap.> Logic points out, before I shush him, wanting to focus.

“Well, I was surrounded by trees when my friend cast the spell on me, so maybe they did. Too bad we can’t ask. How old is your home, anyway?” I ask.

“About two weeks. The trees in our village help new ones grow, so they don’t take long. It seems to affect most of the forest as well, I think.” She replies, looking thoughtful, before shaking her head. “Anyway, your room will be the one on the left, mine is opposite it, on the right, and the door at the end is the bathroom.” She explains, before yawning.

“I guess it’s pretty late. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask, before she nods. I take that as the ‘okay’ to head to my new room. Once I walk down the hall and open the left door, I notice the room is pretty bare. Just the bed, a night stand, and a window. All, of course, grown out of the wood of the tree, still being attached to said tree. After taking off my bags, which I had grabbed before the incident earlier, I place my hat on the night stand and crawl into bed, laying on the side opposite of my injured wing, before falling asleep.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I had it mostly written out a while ago, but never got around to finishing it. Since I finally did, I wanted to apologise for taking so long. I hopfully won't take this long on the next one.