Second part of the Race Swapper storyline, finds our young colt in the deerlands, to learn their culture and ways.
After gaining some odd skills in a short amount of time, Hexan decides to explore the world, meeting new species as he goes, and his new siblings are along for the ride.
Burst: The easily angered one of the group. Channels anger from himself and his surroundings to empower himself.
Prissy: The negotiator of the group. Considered the sister to the five other colts, Prissy is much more feminine than them, but does have her moments that break that way of thinking.
Knockout: The fighter of the group. Is the strongest of the six, he possesses a love of battle, and will always chose it if it is an option. Has large knowledge of some forms of fighting, but is always looking to expand his abilities.
Logic: The strategist of the group. Has a much higher intellect than his siblings, he has a habit of looking at the facts, without considering how others feel towards a decision.
Distrac: The actor of the group. An actor may seem like an odd thing to be with this group, but Distrac makes it work. He makes a point of going all out whenever he acts, whether it is to be in disguise, or to spy on someone, he will do it to the best he can.
Hexan: The voice of the group. As the 'Original', he is the one creatures will often speak to first, and is the unspoken leader of the six. He possesses a need to help others, but doesn't know much about himself yet, maybe the deer can help him learn more about himself.
I would like any readers to know that, if and when I write any action scenes, that I have little experience. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
I left home early when I woke up this morning, following a map I picked up before leaving town. I decided to follow a road leading in the direction I need, but it won’t take me all the way there, since there aren’t any roads or train stations near the border to the deer lands.
After a couple hours of walking, I come to a river after having left the road some time ago. I look into the river, and see myself. I’m a teal earth pony with a blond mane with purple tips, along with purple eyes. My top hat is still on my head, keeping the sun off me, if only a little. I lean down and take a drink.
When I had finished my drink, I head off again, following the river downstream, until I reached a bridge, which I then crossed.Walking passed the bridge, I eventually came to a large tree, which I sat under and pulled out a sandwich for lunch. The food is a nice break, but can’t stop for too long, so I start walking again.
While walking along, I eventually reached another road, which lead to a tavern. Walking inside, I looked around. The barkeep looks towards the door, about to greet his newest customer, then his eyes widen when he sees a young colt.
“Hey now, what is a young colt like you doing around these parts?” He asks, pouring a glass of water, and setting it on the counter. I walk over and climb up onto a stool, and start drinking from the glass.
“I’m on a trek to the deer lands.” I reply with, finishing the glass and setting it down. His eyes go a bit wider.
“Now why would you be headed there lad? And a colt as young as you might I add.” He continues our conversation with. I stretch before replying.
“To learn about them, and the best way to do that is visit where the majority live.” He nods at my sound argument, but still looks concerned.
“Well, be that as it may, it’s getting late, so why not stay the night in one of my rooms upstairs?” He offers, obviously worried for my safety.
“I would gladly accept, but I don’t have many bits….” He looks a bit conflicted, but then decides on his reply.
“That’s fine, you would just have to help me at my bar tonight. Can you handle that?” He asks, waiting for my answer. I start conversing with my siblings.
<So, what do you think guys?> I ask them, looking like I’m thinking it over.
<It’s not a bad deal, and one or two nights couldn’t hurt> Logic states, thinking about the pros.
<We can handle it, and if any fights break out, I’ll put a stop to it.> Knockout tells us, making his choice clear.
<Would we be safe doing this, this place is pretty far from any towns…> Prissy says, sounding worried.
<We need the break, let’s stay here and rest, before I start losing focus.> Burst speaks his side of the argument.
<Sounds like it’s going towards staying, so I guess that’s our choice.> Distrac states, his opinion going either way.
<Alright then, guess we are in agreement.> I think, before turning my attention to the barkeep. “Alright, I’ll do it.” He gives a soft simile.
“Alright kid, at least you’ll have a roof over your head for a night or two. My name’s Frosty Cider if your wondering.” Frosty tells me, heading to the stairs to the left of the entrance.
“Mines Hexan, nice to meet you boss.” I follow him upstairs, where he stops at a door with a one on it. He chuckles softly at the boss comment.
“You can stay in here while your working here, want to drop your bags off and I’ll show you your jobs?” He asks, opening the door.
“Sure, I’ll be down in a moment.” I walk inside and slide my bags off, heading back downstairs after closing my door. “So what’s first boss?” I ask Frosty.
“Well first, you should learn some of the basics for tonight.” He says, cleaning some glasses. “First off, no serving drinks unless I'm here, because they might try to take advantage of you.” I nod, keeping it in mind.
“Next, greet ponies with a smile, a calm smile if you can manage. And finally, make sure we always have clean glasses” I nod again.
“Is there a uniform or something?” He shared his head.
“Not really, just wear whatever, as long as it's clean.” He replies, placing the glass mugs on the shelf behind him.
“Got it boss, say what time is it?” I ask, heading over and wiping down some tables.
“About seven I'd say, so we should be getting some customers soon, so be ready kid” I nod, focusing on my work. After some time, which I have finished on the tables and moved to the mugs, a pair of stallions walk in and sit at a table. One is a dark green pegasus with light brown mane/tail, and the other is a unicorn, with an orange coat and red mane/tail. The pegasus speaks first.
“Bartender, hard cider for me and my friend here!” He says, placing a bit bag on the table. Frosty pours them both a mug, then heads over, placing them on the table, and collecting his payment. I hear him start up an interesting conversation. “Did you hear, a large lumber company has decided to start deforesting the west. It hasn’t really been explored, so I guess they will have no problems, and it could be easy money.” This peaks my interest, because that’s where I’m headed.
“Yeah, I heard, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That large forest has a habit of defending itself when attacked, you know.” The unicorn replies, taking a large drink of his cider.
“That’s just a rumour, and you know it.” The pegasus rebuts, drinking half his mug.
“Even if it is, I’m not stepping a hoof near that place, not amount of bits is worth getting eaten by a tree.” The unicorn finished his statement and his mug. The pegasus finishes him mug and replies again.
“What, you can’t say your scared of a couple trees, are you?” The winged one jabs, looking a bit less coherent, probably because of the drink. “Because you know, if a couple a trees are enough to scare you, maybe you should just head to Canterlot and practice being noble, maybe then you’ll feels safe.” The unicorn looks to also be more loose, as well as angry at his friends words.
“I’m not scared of the bloody trees you twit, I’m scared of what live in that bloody forest. You can go and try to get yourself killed, I’m staying home.” With that, the unicorn gets up, ready to leave. It’s obvious that the pegasus doesn’t like being called stupid, and he then gets up, looking ready to tackle his friend into a table.
I look for Frosty, to see if he can defuse the situation, but he is in the back, working in the kitchen area. I hear a crash a look back, to see some overturned tables, as well as a pile of limbs, and grunts of pain and anger. I can think of three choices right now; Choice one, go let Frosty know. Choice two, try to break the fight up myself. Choice three, do nothing.
<I say let’s go get Frosty.>
<They dare to fight on our first day? Let’s show them why they shouldn’t have tried!>
<I agree with our brother. They are just a puny pegasus and unicorn anyway.>
<While I don’t agree with my two brothers thoughts and reasoning, I agree that they should know better than to fight in a place like this.>
<I think Prissy is right, let’s not cause a scene.>
<Hmm, I could go get Boss, but they could tear this room apart depending on their battle and spell knowledge in that time. On the other hand, showing our skills may scare them off, but it could also cause boss to kick us out. Well, he was bound to find out eventually I guess your up brother.>
<Alright Hex, I’ll go to work.> After this, I lose my vision, as we tag out.
Feels nice to be in control again. Now, where were we. Oh right, dealing with some nasty customers. Looking over, I see they are up, and trading blows, likely having ignored my arrival, which is good for me, since it means I can get a good blow on them both.
After checking that my gloves are on, I make my way over the counter, and make my way towards the fighting duo. Once I make it to a table just out of their area of attention, I again focus on the two fighters. The pegasus is hovering, if unstably, around their ‘arena’, keeping his distance as he looks for an opening.
While in the other ‘corner’ is the unicorn, with his horn lit and a chair floating nearby. The fact he can use his magic while either tipsy, or drunk if he is a lightweight, means he has maybe a little skill at magic.
With this in mind, I have to choose my opening carefully. If I move at the wrong moment, my cover will be blown and advantage lost, and I’ll need that advantage. Since even though I have skill, I’m still only a colt. If I fought them with them ready for me, I could get hurt or lose. So for now, I’ll keep an eye on them both, waiting for my moment.
Once I put my attention on them, the pegasus charges, his left fore hoof pulled back for a punch. The unicorn seems ready for this, as he smirks and moves a table between them, blocking the charge, then pushing the stunned pegasus back, while also throwing the chair at him.
I watch as the pegasus gets hit with the chair, then gets right up. Seems I was right to hold back for now. He can take a hit, so I should be careful. My moment should be soon anyway. The unicorn brings another chair over to him, as the pegasus seems to be preparing a different strategy this time.
I can see the exact moment I need, so I prepare myself. The pegasus hovers back and forth, trying to fake out his friend. It works, probably because of the alcohol in their systems, and the unicorn throws the chair and misses, leading to a charge by the pegasus.
At this moment, I charge in, and lead with a punch to the side of both their heads, knocking them both over. They both tumble to the ground, probably from the shock, since they didn’t know I was around. They shake their heads and they get up, as I get into position to dodge any attacks they throw at me, while also trying to look non-threatening.
“Where the tartarus did that colt come from?” The unicorn asks, a bit of anger in his voice.
“No idea, didn’t seem him around before any time I came here, so he isn’t the owners kid.” The pegasus replies, letting me know he is a regular.
“Are you two done now, because I’d like to limit the cleaning I have to do after closing as much as I can, and fixing and setting all these tables again will take a while.” I say, keeping calm, but also keeping my gaze on them.
“Yeah, I guess we may be done. Bit pissed I got punched out by some colt thought.” The unicorn replies, moving some of the tables with his magic, but not exactly in the right spot. The pegasus sighs.
“Alright, I don’t want to beat up a kid either, so I’ll give up too.” He joins his friend, moving some chairs back to their tables.
“Thank you. Just so you know, I may have to explain why the room looks a bit messy, so I can’t really cover for you guys. Please try to keep it civil for the rest of your time here.” After that, I head back to the counter, and start cleaning some mugs.
When they finish, the two leave a tip on the counter, of five bits, and head off. I slide one of my gloves off and slip the bits in. When the entrance closes, Frosty comes out of the kitchen, and notices the state of the room.
“What happened here? Looks like they fought again, but they cleaned it up this time. A bit strange but, no problem, just means less work for me and...” As he is speaking, he turns to me, a bit confused to see a different colt than the one he is allowing to stay behind the counter, cleaning mugs. “Um, uh, hey kid. Have you seen a colt around here, about your age, with a purple top hat?” He asks, looking at me.
“Your looking at ‘im Boss.” I say, putting the mug down. He looks me over.
“Pretty sure I’d remember a colt walking around with a pair of boxing gloves.” Frosty says, setting some cleaned mugs on the shelf behind the counter.
“Oh, right. Just give me a moment.” I say, thinking in my mind. <My times up, your back out Hex.> I state.
<Alright, give me a moment.> He says before taking back control.
Once I’m back in control, I feel for my hat, glad it’s there, before looking at Frosty.
“Hey boss. Sorry if my brother caused any trouble.” I say, getting back to work on the glasses Knockout didn’t finish. Frosty is just a bit confused.
“Have I been drinking on the job again?” He asks himself.
“Nope. I just have others in my mind, who I consider my siblings. We swap if one of the others is better for a situation, like calming down a fight between drinking buddies.” I explain, stacking some of the mugs nearby. He appears to be thinking to himself.
“I thought I heard a commotion, but without the mess, I thought it was my imagination. Guess your ‘brother’ helped with that?” He asks.
“Of course boss. Couldn’t let them destroy the place. Once he got them calmed down, or maybe just confused, he got them to help clean, then they left after giving a tip.” I say, sitting down. Frosty nods, taking this all in. He finally seems to make up his mind.
“It’s alright by the way, I won’t kick you out cause your a bit odd. Your just a kid after all.But try not to make trouble for my customers alright?” He asks, looking serious. I salute him.
“We got it boss!” I say for us.
“By there way, how many ‘siblings’ do you have.” He asks, putting the last of the days dishes away.
“Counting me is six. Five brothers and a sister.” I say, relaxing for a bit.
“One of them if a filly? Does your body change to match that?” He asks, sounding a bit worried. I nod in confirmation. “May want to keep her away while we are packed with a large number of stallions. Chances are some aren’t to held up on morals.” He explains. I nod in thought.
“Alright boss. It’s alright if it’s mostly mares though, right?” I ask for her. He nods.
“Yeah, if there is at least two full tables of mares, she should be fine.” He says. “Anyway, it’s getting late, so I’ll have to meet them later. Off to bed.” He says, as he prepares for his night shift.
“Night boss” I say before heading to my room, hanging up my hat, and hopping into bed.
<Night guys.>
<Good night Hex> They say, before I’m off to sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I rolled out of bed, and the landing woke me right up. After a short stretch, I plop on my hat, and head downstairs, not noticing my lack of wings.
When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I notice Frosty behind the counter.
“Morning kid, sleep well?” He asks, as he finishes opening up some cupboards behind the counter.
“Yeah, we slept well boss. So what's the plan for today?” I reply with, heading behind the counter.
“Well for starters, I think the best job for you lot is to wait tables. It's pretty simple, and needs little training.” He explains, while he attaches beer taps to some pipes. When his is done, he turns to me.
“Alright, here is some advice.” He turns to point at some tables, near the left back if looking from the counter. “Those tables are usually filled with travellers. They know how to recognise one another and group up there for small talk and warnings, as well as info for their homes, should they have one.” I know to show I understand. Next he points to a group of about four tables, while compared to the first group of eight, this seems to be a smaller group.
“These tables seem to always have a couple mares there once they come in, and it's rare that one is alone, they are usually in groups of three of more.” I look over the tables, noticing it's near the counter, probably front, middle right, on a four by four grid.
“Next is the contractors, usually lumberjacks or construction guys sit there. Easy to notice due to the dust they have on them, one of you will likely be sweeping that area after we close.” He says, pointing to centre middle left, a group of ten tables.
<Okay, this is getting a bit confusing, so I'll just number and keep track of where each is. Mares is G2, Construction is G7, and Travellers is G16.> Logic explains, making mental notes of their positions.
“After that is the hunters, they are commonly seen either before or after a hunt. You can tell the difference by their weapon and their packs. A clean weapon and empty packs is before, while dirty weapon and filled pack is returning.” He explains, pointing to what Logic says is G9, a group of 6 tables near one of the two fireplaces, which are between Gs 5 and 9, as well as 8 and 12.
“I'd recommend being a little careful near this group of tables. They usually have the heaviest drinkers, so they don't always think clearly. But they usually keep to themselves, which it think is because they know not to try much with so many others that could stop them” He explains, pointing to G4, another group of four tables.
“Next is where some, I guess you'd call them bandits, like to sit. I have an agreement with them. They leave my shipments alone, and I won't sell them out.” He tells me, pointing to G12, which has 5 tables.
“Up next is where ponies with recent breakups group together, usually with a couple friends of theirs.” He say, nodding over to G1, a group of 7 tables.
“The lightweights like to sit at this area.” He mentions while pointing to G10. A group of 5 tables.
“After that, we have the guard recruits.” Frosty says, pointing to the 6 tables that make up G5.
“A group of thieves sit at that group, but I have a rule to stop them and the new guards fighting. 'Keep all work stuff outside the pub.’” He says, pointing to G6, a group of 4 tables.
<Alright, G1-Breakups, G2-Mares, G4-Heavies, G5-Guards, G6-Thieves,G7- Construction, G9-Hunters, G10-Lightweights, G12-Bandits, G16-Travellers. That's all so far.> Logic explains.
“Is that all boss?” I ask, tilting my head.
“Yeah, the rest of the tables are usually filled with random groups or mixtures of the others.” He says, as he finishes setting up.
I look around the place, getting a feel for the set-up, before I head behind the counter.
"So, when do the first ponies start coming in?" I ask, making sure I look clean.
"Generally around seven or eight, so pretty soon." He replies, flipping the sign on his door to say open.
After a while, the first couple ponies come in, a couple mares at G2, and some ponies sitting at G16. Then while I'm serving the mares some breakfast, I hear the door open again, as well as the sound of a mare walking in, as well as a younger pony. That's when I hear an excited squeal, which makes me turn around, before I'm tackle hugged to the ground, furn in my face, as I hear a filly saying a muffled 'Thank you' over and over again.
I'm just sitting there stunned as the mares at the table behind me giggle away, while who I assume is her mother, walks over.
"Uh, hi?" I say, entirely confused. The Earth pony mare sighs and taps her daughter on the back with her hoof.
"Alright dear, I think you have hugged and thanked him enough now." At her voice, the filly stops, before getting off me, giggling embarrassedly.
"S..Sorry about that, but I just really wanted to thank you, but when I finally found your home, you were gone." The filly quickly says, blushing lightly. I just tilt my head.
"Thank me for what?" I ask, just now noticing my hats on the floor.
"For saving me that day! You know, from the balloon?" And it finally hits me, it's the same filly I saved. This is when the mare speaks up.
"Uh dear, how are you sure this is him" She asks, with a good question. This is when the filly picks up my hat.
"This is how! How could I forget something like this?" She asks, passing it back to me, and I put it back in place.
"Thank you. And your welcome again." I finally reply, getting off the floor.
"But didn't you say he was a pegasus?" Her mother asks, as I realise I'm in my Earth pony form, but luckily, Frosty comes to my rescue.
"Excuse me, is there a problem over there, he calls out, probably because of the crash of me falling, and all the mares and filly focus on him for a moment, giving me the chance to become a pegasus again.
"No problem here, just an overly thankful filly, boss!" I call out, giving him a thankful smile. He nods and goes back to work. The group turns back to me and notice my wings.
"Huh, guess the were just under him." The mother shrugs, before sitting down. "Anyway, thanks for saving my daughter. She was trying to look down over everything, before a strong wind pushed her out." She explains.
"It was no problem, I was glad to help." I reply. "Anyway, I'm guessing your both hungry?" I ask, pulling a notebook out of my hat, holding it with one with and a quill with the other. The mare nods.
"Yes, we are. I'd like a full salad, and my daughter wants some pancakes." She answers, as I write it down, and nod.
"Coming right up." I say, before walking off, not hearing the soft hoofsteps behind me. When I get to the counter, I slide the notebook up, and turn around, and the filly is right in front of me. She just smiles.
"What's your name?" She just asks. I blink, before answering her.
"Hexan Tronic, what's yours?" She nods before she answers.
"Swift Smiles, I'm as quick on my hooves as I am to smile." She replies, her smile just slightly bigger. Since she gave me her name, I decide to memorize her look too. She looks a tiny bit shorter than me, so maybe a year or a couple months younger. She has a light green coat, and light yellow and white mane and tail, both in small curls. Her cutie mark is a bright smile.
"Nice to meet you, I'm guessing you want to follow me and talk?" I ask, while she just nods, still smiling. "Alright, I'll be on a break soon, so would that be fine?" I ask her.
"Yes, that sounds great!" She says, before walking over and sitting with her mother.
<She is very hyper.> Logic finally says.
<I like her, and it was funny watching how stunned you all were by her hug.> Prissy chimes in.
<How were we supposed to prepare for a random friendly filly to come out of nowhere and knock us on our back?> Burst remarks.
<That's the best part, you can't.> Prissy replies, as I pick up their finished meals.
"So, what was that about kid?" Frosty asks before I walk off.
"Just a filly I saved after she fell from a hot air balloon. Got my mark in the process too." I reply.
"Wow, no wonder she was so happy to see you." He replies, serving some drinks to G16 as I walk over to G2.
"Here you go." I say, sliding their food in front of them.
"Thanks Hexan!" Swift exclaims, before digging in. Her mother replies with a quick thanks before I get back to work.
After sometime, during which more ponies pour in, I walk over and collect their dishes before taking them into the kitchen.
"Hey boss, it alright if I go on break?" I ask before heading back out.
"Sure kid, just don't take too long alright?" He says as I nod and head back out, finding Swift by the door.
"Your on break?" She asks. I nod and she squeals happily.
"Want to go talk upstairs?" I ask, since I'm a little uncomfortable since I can feel multiple groups of ponies watching me.
"Sure, my mom's just talking with those other mares." She says, as we head up, and to my room. "Alright, how did you do that?" She asks as soon as the door is closed, surprising me a little.
"Do what?" I ask, tilting my head.
"Get wings, I know you didn't have them before, since I hugged you. Now spill." She explains. I sigh and become and Earth pony again, and she smirks. "I knew it!" She exclaims. Then she pokes my nose with hers, getting close to my face. "How?" She asks, giving me what I heard some of the other colts at school call the adorable eyes.
"Magic." I reply, hoping it's enough of an answer.
"That's not good enough Hexan." She replies.
"A spell my friend used?" I answer again.
"What spell?" She asks.
"One that changes a pony's race." I explain.
"But your not a unicorn." She says. "And we are the only ponies in here, so how?"
<Wow, she's intense.> Knockout says.
<Any help here?> I ask, before getting a round of nopes from the guys, and giggling from Prissy.
"The spell latched onto my DNA, the stuff that makes me a pony, and is now a part of me, letting me change between all three races whenever I want." I finally explains. She backs away, looking excited.
"That's so cool!" She exclaims. "Even if I don't understand it all, it's cool! But why hide it from everypony?" She asks, tilting her head.
"So somepony doesn't try to study how and why I can do it." I reply.
"Alright, I'll keep your secret. But in return, you must keep in touch with me, got it?" She says, looking serious.
"Alright, I promise." I say, thinking that's the end of it.
"Pinkie promise!" She says, making me tilt my head in confusion. "A filly that turned up in our town one day and throws parties made it. She says it's an unbreakable promise, and she was very scary when someone did." She explains.
"How would she know?" I ask.
"She just does, and she will always appear nearby if she wants to." She explains.
<That makes no sense.> Logic says.
"How is that possible?" I ask again.
"The town saying with her is, 'It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it.', she does a lot of odd things, but throws amazing parties, so she sticks around." She explains, before getting serious. "Now, repeat after me. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She says before going through some odd motions, before I do what she does as I say it.
"Now, repeat after me. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. I'll keep in touch with you Swift Smile." I say, an odd feeling passing over me as she nods.
"Good, now, can you show me some magic?" She asks, so I turn into a unicorn, levitating my hat off, then make it do tricks.
After some time, and after I demonstrate a few spells, we decided to head back down, after a turned back into a pegasus, where her mother was waiting.
"There you are. I take it you had fun?" She asks.
"Yes Mom, Hexan was great!" Swift exclaims, looking happy. Her mother looks to me.
"Thanks for playing with her for a while. Feel free to drop by in Ponyville if you happen by there." She says, as I nod, keeping the name in mind. I walk them both to the door.
"Bye Hexan, see you later!" She says, giving me a tight hug, which I decide to return.
"See ya later Swift." I reply, as they leave. I walk back to the kitchen and walk in. "I'm off break boss." I say, getting my notebook.
"Good, we have work to do, a group as turned up at G5, while some ponies have arrived and are at G7, to rest before going to hunt." He says, as I head out and back to work.
Around nine at night, I head to be after having a hayburger and fries for dinner. I flop straight on my bed, my hat rolling to the floor.
<What a day. Some many ponies, then there was also meeting Swift Smile. Gotta remember to send her letters every couple weeks.> I say, hoping Logic keeps a note of that.
<You better Hex, that promise sounds serious.> Prissy says, as I slide under my blanket.
<Yeah, I wonder what that weird feeling when I finished it. It was like I was able to feel somepony watching me, or something like that.> I say, as I yawn.
<You don't think it was this, 'Pinkie Pie', right?> Burst asks.
<I doubt it, Swift said both she, and that other filly, live in Ponyville, and thats quite aways from here.> Logic replies.
<I guess your right. Anyway, whose up tomorrow?> I ask.
<That would be me. Wonder how tomorrow will go.> Logic says, as I go to sleep.
Chapter 3 - Magical Second day, Mane Styling third.
Once I'm in control, I adjust my glasses and walk downstairs, taking a place behind the counter. Looking around, I see we haven't opened yet, so I head into the kitchen.
"Morning Boss." I say, as I watch him prepare some food that will take a while to cook.
"Morning kid. Good rest last night?" He asks.
"Yeah, I'm ready for the day." I reply.
"Well, could you go out and set the sign to open?" He asks, as I nod and head on out. Walking to the main door, I flip the sign to open, and head behind the counter as some customers come in.
After some time there is about thirty ponies sitting around the different tables. Whenever an order comes out, I carry them over with magic, sometimes as much as five at once.
Around halfway through the day, I get an idea and head in to talk to Frosty.
"Hey Boss, mind if I try something as entertainment?" I ask, while he's cooking some burgers.
"Sure mate, as long as you don't burn the place down." He replies, as I head back out.
I start by setting up five pitchers of water, and look out towards the patrons, while I'm holding a lighter in my magic.
"Hello everypony! Today, as a special treat, I'm going to perform some magic for you all!" I say, hoping to hype some of them up, and it looks like it works, judging by the smiles on their faces.
"Let me start with something simple." I say, using my magic to take half the water from the pitchers, and create a flowing ring in the air above me.
"Now, while this looks simple, I'm not done yet!" I exclaim, lighting the lighter, and drawing the flame into a ring inside the water one, but at a different angle.
"For the next stage, I'll be doing a couple spells one after the other!" I say, creating a ball of air inside the flame ring, before turning the water ring into a ring of ice cubes, and the fire ring into a lightning ring, which earns the applause of the crowd.
"For the final part, I'll need something from the crowd, perhaps a sword?" I ask, which has one of the guards come over and lay his sword on the ground.
Once he backs away, I take a moment to focus, before using the lightning ring to shock the sword, which I then bring the air ball onto to cool during the bright flash the lightning created.
When the light dies down, the sword is still there, but there is lightning bolt engravings running down it. I send the ice ring to fill the pitchers and then bow.
"I hope you enjoyed my show." I say, before I bring the sword back to the guard. After which I head back behind the counter to continue my duties.
After my show, a couple ponies asked if I could do more, but I explain that the one show drained me too much. Once the day ends, I head to bed, and to sleep.
I stretch once I take control, before adjusting my mane bow. Once I'm happy with it's position, I head downstairs and set the sign to open.
Once some ponies come in, I walk them to their tables, as well as get their orders. While I'm bringing an order to the mares table, one asks me a question.
"Excuse me, might I ask you something?"
"Yes, what is it?" I ask.
"Well, I'm just a little curious, but why has the helper been changing every?" She asks, as a set the order.
"Well, the two over the past two days are my brothers, like the three after me. We decided to let each other have their own time to shine, so we each have a day, instead of working together and overshadowing one another." I reply, and take a breath.
"Oh. Well, that makes sense. So what are your plans for today, since both your brothers so far have made the days interesting." She says, taking a drink from her glass.
"I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure I'll find something." I explain, heading back to work.
After a while an earth pony mare walks in, her mane and tail a mess. While I walk her to a table, I decide to ask about it. "I'm, pardon me for asking, but why is your mane a mess?" She doesn't look offended, but tired as she replies.
"I got home late, last night, and got up late this morning, so u didn't have time to brush it." I nod, then get a thought.
"Would you mind if I fix it up for you?" I ask, as we reach the table.
"If you want to, go for it." She replies. "Oh, here's a picture of how I usually have it." She then pulls a picture out of her saddle bag, and give it to me.
Once I have studied it enough, I light my horn and get to work, using my magic to brush her mane, and tail. After a few minutes, I'm finished, and grab a mirror from behind the counter.
"How did I do?" I ask, a bit nervous.
"It looks good. Thanks for the help." She says, passing me a couple bits. "You know, maybe you could do this for a sma price, could get you more bits." She points out, which gets me thinking.
"That's not a bad idea, thanks for the advice." I say, as I pull out a small sign from behind the counter, and start writing. 'Mane styling - Wednesday Only. 5 bits.' Once I finish writing, I put the sign up on the counter.
Afterwards, I get back to work, while also helping mares and a couple stallions with their manes, earning 70 bits from just that. I also decided to look into a mane color spell for next time.
Once it reaches 8 pm, I say goodnight to Frosty, and head to bed.
<So Logic, know of the spell I need?> I ask him while in bed.
<I don't believe I do, sorry sis, but I'll look into it for you.> Logic replies, as I start getting sleepy.
<Alright, I'll let whoever is next tomorrow when I wake up.> I say, before going to sleep.
When I wake up, I notice that it looks cloudy outside.
"Huh, guess it might storm today." I say, before getting up.
<So, whose up today?> I ask, ready to swap out.
<I'd like to take my turn today, if that's alright?> Burst asks, as I straighten my bow.
<Sure thing. Have fun.> I say, before giving control over to him.
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Once I'm in control, I head down and notice Frosty behind the counter.
"Morning Boss." I say, walking over.
"Morning kid. What's the plan for today?" He greets and asks, while he stacks glasses behind him.
"I was thinking of working in the kitchen today, if that's alright with you Boss." I say, standing by the kitchen door.
"That sounds like a good idea. I say go for it, but make sure you follow the recipes." He say, while he walks over and sets the sign to open.
I nod and walk into the kitchen. Looking around, I notice a lot of the things used for cooking. Once I'm done looking, I look through the recipe book.
After a bit, my first order comes through, and I get to work. Once I get to boiling the water, because the order was for pasta, I notice it's taking too long.
So I pick it up, and place my hoof on the bottom and heat it up, burning a little bit of anger as I do.
Once it's hot enough, I place it back on the stove and start cooking. After a while, I start hearing a ruckus in the main area. I walk out and notice what appears to be a tight brewing between some of the guards and the thieves.
I walk over, past a couple tables, and look up at who I believe the main two are.
"Um, excuse me. What's going on here?" I ask, which causes them to look down at me.
"Beat it foal, this doesn't concern you." The guard says, which causes me to frown and close my eyes, trying to feel for their anger.
"Well, if you won't tell me what's going on, I'll just have to stop you from fighting." I say, before drawing in the anger of the surrounding ponies, causing them to slowly calm down, my eyes glowing softly.
"There, better?" I ask, looking up at them.
"Yeah, uh, thanks kid, I guess." The thief says, before the two groups go back to their tables.
Now that's over, I head back into the kitchen and get back to work. A couple hours later, I finish my last order for today, and look out from behind the counter.
"Good job today kid." Frosty says, as he cleans a glass.
"Thanks Boss. Anything else for today?" I ask, looking around at the ponies scattered around the different tables.
"Not that I can think of, I guess I can let you off early today." He says, noticing how there aren't too many ponies for him to handle.
I nod and head back up to our room, and pull out a scroll and some ink. Then once I pull out a quill, I start writing our letter to Swift, writing about everything that we have done since we saw her.
When I've written about my day, I leave the scroll on the desk, and crawl into bed.
<Hey Burst, mind if I have the next go?> Distract asks, while I get sleepy.
<Sure, I don't mind.> I reply, before going to sleep.
When I awoke the next morning, I brushed my mane, and wrapped my bandana around my neck, before contacting Distrac.
<Alright bro, you go to go?> I ask, while stretching a little.
<Sure, let’s shake things up a bit.> He says, before I give over control.
-------------------------
Once I was in control, I adjusted the watch on my forehoof, before heading downstairs, ready for work.
When I got downstairs, I changed the sign to open and got behind the counter, and waited for customers. Once some came in, I started the routine that we have been following, taking customers to their seats, getting their orders, and bringing them out when ready.
But while I’m doing this, I’m also just listening to each and every one of them. And every so often, like when I’d bring an order over, I’ll get their attention with a fairly good mimic of one of their voices. From what I can tell, most are a bit surprised, but some applaud my skill at it.
That is, until I get to someone who is a bit drunk about halfway through the day.
“Are you mocking me, kid?” The tipsy stallion ask, after I’ve places the order on the table. I decide to reply with my own voice.
“No. Sorry sir, I meant no offence.” I say, hoping to defuse the situation.
“It sounded like you were mocking me. You been doing it all day?” He asks, while I’m trying to remain calm.
“For the most part, yes, but I only use somepony’s voice while at their table, and nopony has had a problem with it so far.” I say, hoping it’s enough to calm him down, but it looks like he has an idea.
“So you can mimic a pony’s voice, but what else?” He asks, looking a little bit curious.
“Well, I can usually mimic their personality if I know enough about them, but that’s about it really.” I say, while noticing that I have another table waiting.
“What about skills?” He asks, looking more curious.
“Well, I haven’t really tried before, but maybe? Um, I have another table waiting, mind if we continue this some other time?” I say, hoping to get back to work.
“Sure thing, see ya kid.” He says, before getting to his food while I head to the waiting table.
After that, I just continued as I did before, waiting on tables, while using my talent for voices a bit more sparingly. And before I knew it, the day was over and I was back upstairs, ready for bed.
<So, you ready for your day, Knockout?> I ask, while laying in bed.
<Of course, I’ve been waiting all week for this.> He says, while I begin to get sleepy.
<Alright, you can have control in the morning.> I say, before falling asleep.
Once I woke up for the day, I put on my watch, and contacted Knockout.
<Ready to go?> I ask, doing some light stretches.
<Of course, let’s do this.> He says, as I give control to him.
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Once I have control, I take my boxing gloves off and place them on the bed, before heading downstairs.
Once downstairs, I wait for some customers to start coming in. After a couple come in, I look them over, and start waiting tables. After a while, the average amount of patrons are sitting at tables, and everypony has their food if they have ordered. Which gives me time to look around and notice that some guards, construction ponies, and hunters, have gathered around G8 and have started hoof-wrestling. Which leads me to walk over and watch.
After watching a couple rounds, I decide to ask if I can go for a round, and they decide to humour me. So I take a seat across from a hunter, an earth pony to be exact. Once we lock hooves, a guard who has taken the role of referee give the countdown, before we start our match.
Unfortunately, I don’t last more than two minutes, before I give out and lose. But they congratulate me on lasting that long, and offer a couple more rounds once I’m rested, which I accept, before getting back to work.
Over the next couple hours, I fill and deliver orders, and have a round of hoof-wrestling if there’s times, sometimes getting close but losing each round. I decide I’ve had enough after my 7th round and call it a night, before heading upstairs to bed.
Once I’m in my room, I continue our letter to Swift, adding in what’s happened since it was last updated, before going to sleep.
When I woke up, I realised I didn’t know what our plan was for today. So, I decided to ask.
<So, what’s the plan for today?> I ask, hoping we have one.
<After some thought, we have decided to spend the first half of today working, while the second half, we will spend heading to the deer’s forest.> Logic explains.
<Alright, that sounds good. So who will take charge today?> I ask, since I’m still a bit tired.
<That’ll be me!> Prissy says, sounding happy.
<Alright, your up sis.> I say, giving her control.
------------------------------
Once I take control, and brushed my mane, I head downstairs to get to work.
After a couple hours of working, I have helped a fair few of the mares who came in with their manes, getting some good tips in the process. In between I have also been waiting tables, getting some tips from there too.
I’m currently heading to the kitchen with another order, before I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head, letting out a short scream as I fall unconscious.
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Me and some of the other mares at the ‘Mare Table’ as us regulars call it, are admiring each others manes, impressed with that young filly’s talent with working with them, when we hear a short scream. Looking in the direction of the scream, we see what appears to be a drunk earth pony stallion, running off with the filly, who is knocked out.
“Shit. Quickly girls, we gotta go help her!” One of the mares, the sole unicorn at the table, says, before all five of us get up and rush out after them. When we get outside, one of the pegasi in our group spots the stallion turning a corner, so we rush after him.
After a bit of chasing, we lose sight of him.
“Damn it, we can’t let that filly down. You two, fly up and try to spot them.” The unicorn says, taking charge. After they both nod, the two pegasi flew up to search.
“You don’t think he’s going to do what I think he is, do you?” The other earth pony of our group asks us.
“I hope not, but it’s seeming pretty likely at this point.” I say, getting concerned.
“Damn, I hope we find them soon.” The unicorn says. Then one of the pegasi flew back down to us.
“We found them, a block over, Vapor is keeping him blocked in with a storm cloud.” She explains, then leads the way. After following for a little bit, we find the storm cloud, and the dark grey pegasus named Vapor sitting on it, glaring at the alleyway. Me, and the other two ground bound mares in our group walked into the alley, keeping on guard, while the pegasi float overhead.
In the alley, we can see the stallion, who is looking a bit unstable on his hooves, and the unconscious filly, on the ground a bit away from him. I quickly ran over to the filly, to check on her, while our unicorn and earth ponies guard me. I shook her, hoping to wake her.
“Hey, come on, wake up.” I shake her a bit more, before signaling Vapor over. “Could you rain the cloud on her?” I ask.
“Sure, I’ll try to make it cold, if that helps.” Vapor says, as she pushes the cloud over the filly, then punches it, making it rain on her, which quickly wakes her up.
“W..What? Where am I, what happened?” She asks, looking confused and a bit scared.
“It’s alright, you remember us, right? You helped us out earlier.” I explain, hoping she remembers. She takes a moment to look at us, before recognition shines across her face.
“Oh right, I worked on your manes earlier… But why am I in an alley?” She asks.
“You were knocked out, and foalnapped by that stallion.” I say, pointing at the drunk stallion with a hoof, who as been knocked out by the other pegasus.
“Oh, that explains the pain in my head.” She says, rubbing the back of her head. I pick her up and place her on my back.
“Come on, let’s get you back to the tavern.” I say, as I lead our group back to the tavern. She seems a bit cold on my back as we walk back.
Once we get back, I call out to the barkeep.
“Hey Frosty! We got something for you.” I say, as we sit back at our table, and I lay the filly on the table.
“This isn’t the time for games Juicy, I’m looking for my charge or employee, or whatever you want to call her.” He says, looking stressed and angry.
“Well, lucky for you, that’s who we have.” I say, letting him see her, to which he come over quick.
“There you are Prissy, thank Celestia you’re alright.” She looks a bit tired after all she’s been through.
“Well, she would be much less okay if we didn’t catch that drunk stallion that ran off with her.” I say.
“What!?” He asks, looking outraged.
“Lucky for her, we noticed him run off, and gave chase, cornering him in an alley, where he probably still lays.” I explain.
“Well, looks like he is banned now. And I’ll also need to add a new rule.” He says, heading over to the rules board behind the counter, where he added, ‘Hooves off the employes, or suffer a lifetime ban’.
“Well, now that’s over with, I think it’s time for bed, young one.” She sighs as I says that.
“Alright…” She says, and I take her up to bed.
“Now, you’re going to go straight to sleep, right?” I ask, hoping she will.
“Yes miss.” She says, sounding tired.
“Aright, goodnight.” I say, heading to the door.
“Goodnight!” She says, going to sleep.
----------------------------------
<Uh, my head’s killing me> I think to myself, laying in bed after almost being foalnapped and Celestia knows what else.
<Well, at least those mares were around to save you.> Knockout says, sounding appreciative.
<That stallion is lucky I can’t get my hooves on him!> Burst says, sounding pissed.
<Alright brother, settle down, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so we need our sleep.> Distrac says, trying to calm him down.
<Alright, I guess I’ll drink some calming tea.> Burst says, going silent.
<I think I’ll hoof control over to Hexan, I’m too tired.> I say, my eyelids feeling heavy.
<We’ll swap in the morning, just get your sleep sis.> He says, as I fall into a deep sleep.
I woke up the next morning, and got my bow in my name before contacting my brother.
<So Hexan, ready for control?> I ask him.
<Sure, go ahead sis.> He says so I trade places with him.
------------------------
Once I have control, I take a moment to adjust my hat, before heading downstairs, where I find Frosty wiping down the counter.
"Morning Boss." I say, walking over.
"Morning kid, how are you feeling since yesterday?" He asks, stopping what he is doing.
"I'm feeling better. Anyway, I think it's time I head out." I say, looking around.
"Are you sure kid? You could stay longer, you know." He points out.
"I know, and I think I'd like to. But we have somewhere we need to be, so we need to head off." I explain.
"Well… alright then. At least take some food with you." He says, heading into the kitchen. Once the doors close, I head back upstairs for my bags.
Once they are on, I head back down, and see a packed lunch on the counter, which I put into my bag.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye kid." He says, shaking my hoof.
"Only for now. I'll likely be back at some point. Until then, goodbye." I say before walking outside.
When I get outside, I head straight to the station and get a ticket for a train, heading right to the forest, or as close as I can get.
The train ride isn't anything special, and we arrive in about two hours.
Once there, I hop off the train and look around. From the station, I can see about fifteen wooden buildings, one of which is bigger, probably a town center or something. I can also see a portion of the forest between buildings, with a small amount chopped down.
I looks like the loggers aren't working today, so I head right towards the forest. Once I get between buildings, I look around, making sure that no-pony is around. Once I see that there is no one around, I rush strip to the tree line and disappear into the forest.
Once I'm far enough in, I slow down and start looking around. The trees appear to be both healthy and large. They provide plenty of shelter, but there is enough space to move around. No matter how you look at it, these trees aren't wild, they were planted.
After a while, I began to feel tired. That's when I hear a growl. Turning around, I see a large, dark grey bear, which growls louder, and I freeze.
<Quick, what do we do?!> I ask, becoming panicked.
<Better decide quick, because here it comes!> Distrac says, before I turn and start running through the trees, weaving around them. Unfortunately, the trees are wide enough apart for it to move easily, so it keeps up easily.
I keep running for as long as I can, dodging over and around roots and trunks, but eventually, I trip, and roll down a hill and into a river. Getting up, I see that luckily, my bags are still dry, so I get up, and notice my hat by the river bank. I quickly grab it and start running again, because I hear the bear’s roar nearby.
Eventually, I manage to lose it, by hiding inside a dead trees trunk, thankful that landing in the river muddled my scent. Once the bear gives up, I waited for about 20 minutes, before climbing out, and looking around. The trees seem much larger around here, but it is getting dark.
<So, what should we do, guys?> I ask, not really with any clues on our next action.
<Whatever we do, let’s try not to anger the deer. So no fires or chopping trees.> Logic suggests.
<How about a temporary shelter for the night?> Prissy suggests.
<Good idea sis, I’ll get to work.> I think, beginning to grab large branches that had fallen on the ground, and placing them in ways that the trees held them up. Once I have enough, I start collecting smaller branches and twigs, laying them on top, and last of all, a couple layers of leaves, creating a makeshift roof. Then I pull my sleeping bag out of my bag, and lay down.
<Goodnight guys.> I think.
<GoodnightHexan.> They think back, before I go to sleep.
When I awoke, I decided to have the last of the food I brought with me. It’s alright, but I’ll need to search for some more soon. Now that I’m up and about, I take down my shelter, and begin to wonder around the trees.
Over time, I begin to notice the trees get a bit denser, noticeably more around the tops. And it’s around that time I start smelling some food. Following the scent, I end up just outside some form of camp.
<Be careful brother, we have no idea what owns this camp.> Logic states.
<Alright, I’ll stick to the tree line for now.> I reply, hiding in some bushes. Looking around at what I can see of the camp, it appears to be a hunters camp. Further examination, reveal that the race is likely quadrupled. I’m about to walk into the camp and look for food, before I hear some movement in the somewhat large camp, causing me to stay hidden.
Keeping watch from my hiding spot, I see multiple ponies walking around and doing chores. After watching for a while, I notice that some of them are skinning something. A closer look reveals the creature to be a bear. Having seen enough, I go to sneak away, not feeling much trust for these ponies. As I step away, I hear something crunch underneath my hoof, which when I look down, appears to be a bone. Unfortunately, I can hear a ruckus behind me, some of the hunters likely having heard me, so I take to the air, and begin to fly through the trees, most of the ponies being earth, while I did see one or two unicorns, so they had a hard time catching me.
While flying through the trees, I don’t notice one of many ropes tied up in random ways through the trees, and one clips my wing near my body, which forces my wing back at a bad angle, as well as making me crash to the ground.
<Damn it! Come on Hex, run!> Knockout says, causing me to try to ignore the pain and keep running, while hearing the hunters start catching up. I manage to get back up and start running, but I can’t run as fast as I know I could, and they begin to close in.
Without the focus to change to an earth pony, I don’t have the land speed to outrun them, and I can’t become a unicorn because I’d be even slower then, so I keep running, deeper into the forest, where barely any light flows through the leaves.
Before long, the unicorns try throwing nets at me, but I just manage to avoid them, even with one of my wings dragging behind me. Some try to shoot beams of magic at me, but their aim isn’t too good, and it doesn’t help that I keep moving between trees.
I eventually make it to an area that I can barely see in, but I keep running. Because I can’t see too well in this area, I end up tripping on an overgrown root for a large tree, and run head first into a tree, which knocks my hat off. The collision dazes me, long enough for the hunters to catch up and surround me.
“I could see it too well before while we were chasin’ it, but it’s just a kid boss.” One of the unicorns say, as I look at them, too dazed to pick out any details.
“I don’t care if it’s just a kid, we don’t let anypony find out about us. We can’t risk him tellin’ nopony about us, so you know what we need to do.” A large earth pony says, as his pulls out something metal, that barely shines in the low light. “Sorry kid, but we never leave a witness.” He says, getting closer. Before he can get to close, I feel the ground shift under me, before something brown burst out of the ground between us, blocking him off.
While I hear the cries of shock from behind the wall, I feel the dazed feeling slowly leave me, allowing me to get up and notice that the wall is made of roots.
<So that was the shifting feeling.> I think to myself, before looking around trying to figure out where they came from, before exhaustion from the running and the collision with the tree overtake me, causing me to blackout.
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.
When I awaken the next morning, I just roll out of the unfamiliar bed, which shakes the ground enough to knock my hat off the nightstand, and onto my head. After I take a moment to straighten it, I get up and stretch a little, then head out to the living room, where I find Abigale relaxing on her sofa.
“Oh, morning Hexan! Had a good sleep?” She asks, after looking up at the sound of my hooves on the floor.
“Yeah, that was a pretty comfy bed.” I admit. “So, what’s the plan for today?” I ask.
“Well, I haven’t had much time to think about it, so how about breakfast, then just wander around the village, while I answer any questions?” She suggests.
“That sounds fine with me. What are we having for breakfast?” I ask, taking a seat near the sofa.
“I was thinking a nice fruit salad would be nice, if you like?” She asks, before getting up and heading to her kitchen, where I hear her start cutting up fruit, while I wait.
After a few minutes, she comes back with a pair of bowls on her back, which she skillfully sets on the nearby table. I walk over and have a look, seeing slices of apple, orange, pear, banana and peach.
“This looks good.” I compliment her, waiting for her reply before eating.
“Thanks. Well, dig in.” She says, before we start eating the fresh breakfast. After another few minutes, the bowls are empty. I decide to take them to the kitchen, and sit them by the sink, after which I return to the sitting room. “Alright, where are we heading first?”
“Well, first I think we should head to the training area.” Abigale suggests, getting up. As she heads out the door, I follow behind, closing the door as I leave.
“What is the training area?” I ask curiously. As we’re walking, she replies.
“It’s a place for younger deer to practice using their aura. It’s a pretty simple place, but it could be interesting.” She explains, leading the way through the village.
We soon arrive at an area that has smaller trees growing in a hedged in area. I say ‘hedged in’, because from what I can see, instead of fences, they use hedges.
“Here we are. Hopefully you can get a feel of your aura soon.” Abigale says with a smile, leading me in. As she does, some of the younger deer look at me curiously, but continue focusing on their own attempts. After leading me to a free area, she turns to look at me. “Alright. To start, I will help you ‘feel’ your aura, know where it is, before I begin teaching you HOW to use it, alright?”
“Got it, proceed.” I say with a nod, and Logic watching through my eyes, curious about this as much as I am. She then steps over, and places her hoof on my barrel, just under my neck, and I start feeling something flow into me.
“Feel that? That’s my aura. Everydeer’s feels different, although it takes a bit to be able to notice the differences.” She says, and after I feel her aura push deep, I feel it touch something. “Ah, here it is.” She says with a smile.
“That’s my aura?” I ask curiously, getting a feel for it, while I can.
“Yeah, this is it. Feels kind of like honey or syrup, right?” She asks with a giggle.
“Yeah, feels different to magic as a unicorn, for sure.” I agree with a nod.
“Alright, now you’ve got a feel of your aura, I’ll help you get a feel of pushing it out, so it can do stuff.” She explains, before I feel a sort of pulling sensation. “Don’t worry, I’m just pulling a bit of your aura into me, so you know how it feels.” I just nod and let her continue. After a moment, I feel the syrup-like aura flow out of me and into her hoof, causing me to shiver.
“It’s alright, it’s meant to feel like that. You get used to it. Now, try pushing it yourself.” She confirms, before I nod, and try ‘pushing’ it further in, managing to move it a good bit in. “Good job, now pull it back. After that, we’ll try growing a sapling.” I nod, and slowly pull my aura back in, feeling it leave Abigale and return to me.
“With practice, you can move your aura faster. The reason it’s so slow at the moment, is because it’s unused. With time, it will become easier to manipulate.” She says, before placing her hoof on the dirt ground, where I finally notice a mound, from which a single leaf is sticking out from. “Alright, next test. Place your hoof on the ground, near this mound, and feel out with your aura for the seed.”
I nod and do as she says, pushing my aura down my hoof, and into the ground feeling out for the seedling. I soon ‘feel’ the presence of another aura, and move mine towards it.
“I think I got it.” I confirm, and she nods.
“Alright, now as you push your aura against it’s aura, focus on what you want it to do, in this case, ‘GROW’.” She explains, and I do just that. <Grow, little seed.> I think, focusing on that while pushing my aura against it.
Soon, we begin to see the leaf move higher, as the stalk it’s attached to begins to grow. It’s at a slow pace, but it is growing. And soon, another leaf grows out of the stalk, and after a while, I have a mini tree by my hoof.
“Good job Hex!” Abigale exclaims happily. “You caught on really quick, although it was a little slow, you did good. A few more days of this, and you should be good to not need any training.” She explains.
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After that, I went through a few more exercises, like making certain parts grow faster or slower, bigger or smaller, things like that. After about three hours of this, I begin to feel tired.
“Hey Abigale, I’m feeling pretty tired, can we take a break?” I ask, panting a bit.
“Of course. You went a bit longer than beginners normally do, so it’s expected that your feeling the drain from it. Actually moving and using your aura is pretty exhausting early on, but eventually the drain lessens as your body gets used to it.” Abigale explains, before she begins to trot off. “C’mon, let’s get lunch.” She says. I nod and follow her back to her place for lunch.
Upon our arrival, she heads to her kitchen, and begins preparing a sandwich and salad for us. I decide to swap into a unicorn to eat, and when she gets in view, I use my magic to levitate the food onto the table.
“Thanks Hexan. Well, dig in!” She says, before happily eating. I begin with my sandwich, holding it in my magic while I eat. After we both finish our sandwiches, we each get some of the salad into bowls, and begin eating that too. Upon finishing our meal, I’m stuffed, but not tired anymore.
“Ah, that’s better. Thanks Abigale.” I say with a happy sigh.
“Your welcome Hexy! So, what do we do now?” She asks.
“Hmm, not really sure. Is there anything you would like to do?” I ask back.
“Umm, well I WOULD ask if you could take me on a fly for a bit, but your wing still hasn’t healed.” She says sadly, as I switch back to a pegasus, and she redoes the splint.
“Yeah, sorry we can’t do that yet…” I say, a bit disappointed.
“It’s okay! It wasn’t your fault.” She says quickly.”
“Either way, that leaves us with nothing to do still.” I point out.
“Well… how about we just relax for the rest of the day? That way you will be well rested for tomorrow, when we have more training.” She suggests, and I nod in agreement. So, we spend the rest of the day reading books, before heading to bed.