Equinox

Later that day, Mittens and Mariel returned before dark, just as expected, and took the three of them to their new campsite. The march took them the rest of the day, though the place wasn't too far away and Chilly Breezes could regain her ability to stand. Either way she had to be assisted with equilibrium during most of the trip, since the terrain wasn't very leveled. In the end, their destination appeared before them as the form of what seemed to be an old tower.

     When Breezes looked at it at first she thought that there wasn't anything special, save for the fact that it looked like a giant pile of rocks in the border of a cliff, but when she came closer the entrance in its base and the uniformity of the structure revealed themselves to her.

"What is this place?" asked Jingle.

"A broch" said Mariel without turning. "It's the safest place we could find in such short time."

"Right, and you would't believe how it was when we got here" whispered Mittens in fatigue.

     Breezes noted that perhaps it wasn't the better to ask, but Takai had already taken his own decision.

"How was it?" he questioned.

     Mittens stared back at him like a filly that has asked an embarrassing question.

"Well… It was… It was a…"

"It was a goblin hideout" said Mariel over her shoulder. "But I'm happy that we got to clear the place before we came back. If those things were still there they would've hurt someone one of these days."

"What?" Breezes stopped in shock. "Are you saying that we're spending the night in a goblin lair!?"

"What's the problem?" asked Mittens, looking back at her. "Don't you want to sleep tonight?"

"Well… Yeah, but not in a dirty goblin hole!"

"A hideout" corrected Mariel. "Goblins wouldn't be clever enough to build one of these, specially with the threat of someone like us discovering them" she stared at the tower for a moment. "Broches are older than them. Older than Ponyland…"

     Mittens frowned at this, and Jingle looked confused at Takai, who just shrugged. Breezes wasn't the best listener, but even her could tell. Mariel's voice had turned off in that last sentence.

"Is everything alright?" asked the kitsune.

     Mariel seemed like she didn't listened, but after a second she snapped.

"No-nothing" she shook her head. "Come on, let's get inside."

     Takai immediately obeyed, and Jingle followed him closely. Mittens friendly pocked Breezes to advance, but the mare took another moment to start moving. Somehow, seeing how she'd been kidnapped by lava demons and had previous issues with orcs, she had the feeling that whatever lied inside that place wouldn't be a pleasing surprise… And oh was she right.

     Inside the structure the goblin occupation had left it's clear mark around in the floor, the walls, and even what seemed to be the remains of a rudimentary roof. Spread on the lower walls, inside niches, barbaric artifacts and other miscellany was kept in disarray. Breezes didn't expect less of goblins. They were, after all, barbaric creatures in nature. But what really caught her attention and awe was the horrifying fact that, even if the structure stood more than thirty feet tall, its past occupants had found a way to stain everything with their filth, and now it was stuck in every inch of the place.

"So, what do you think?" asked Mittens when they entered.

     But Breezes was already dumbstruck.

"So… This is what you managed to take away from them?" she asked in disbelief, looking around. "Are you sure they didn't build this thing at all?"

"Eww, this place stinks!" snorted Jingle while covering her nose. "I wouldn't be able to sleep here, not now, not ever!"

"I've had nightmares… That are pretty similar to this" muttered Takai while staring at the black muck stains on the walls.

"It may not be perfect, but it's what we got" sentenced Mittens. "You should be thankful that we got something firm to begin with! Even if we had to take it away from the goblins."

     Speaking of which…

"And what if they return?" asked Breezes. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mean any disregard to your efforts. I only happen to know that those creatures become more feral during the night. What if they remember that they have guts and decide to take their lai-broch back?"

"Then we will put up a fight" answered Takai, unsheathing his sword and looking at it.

"Actually, what Breezes says makes sense" spoke Mariel from the other side of the room. "We should take guards."

"Shotgun!" shouted Takai, seating where he was.

"And there we have it" giggled Mittens. "Our valiant volunteer!"

"What?" he puzzled. "Wait, no! Isn't that what you hosu say when you don't want to do things?"

"Dear, I believe you want to check you vocabulary again" Breezes smiled amusingly too. "Because you've just said 'Me' in hosu..."

     Nobody could help but laughing. Even Mariel chuckled at it for a moment before reassuming her serious semblance.

     The night fell quickly, as it always did in those mountains, and in no time covered the land in darkness, only signaled by the glittery shine of the stars. Since their arrive there, Breezes had always considered that odd. In the rest of Ponyland day and night were pretty stable, with transitions as to when they began and ended. Even in the Frozen North, where they had entire months of night, there was a clear period of transition, but here it was different. One moment it was broad afternoon daylight, and the other the stars shone in the sky. There wasn't any indicator that the night would fall other than the fact that the land was suddenly covered in shadows.

     Well… They could be definitely worse. At least, different from the other nights they had to dig a refuge or enter a cave for shelter, this time there were walls around them, and that was more than she could ask for in those circumstances.

     With the help of Mariel and Mittens, they started a bonfire, and after some discussion Takai accepted and reluctantly stood on the entrance, but still as close to the fire as it was possible. The rest of them sat around the bright light of the wood and lied there as the shadows around their hideout became more and more thick.

     As Breezes lied on her side to stretch her broken leg she took another chance to look around. At first sight the signs of the goblin occupation were everywhere, but with a detailed inspection she could ascertain that even with her experience in huts it was clear that those brute beasts couldn't have possibly done something with the style and genius as this. The walls, despite their deplorable state looked still firm and strong, and the stone by which it was made didn't had any mortar between them that she could detect. That was the most impressive, though she wasn't any architect. That a structure so tall that were just literally a pile of rocks stocked over each other could have lasted more than a couple of months, lest to say a year exposed to nature… Perhaps she had misjudged this place after all.

"How was this built?" she muttered, though not low enough to escape the rest of her party.

"Nobody knows" answered Mariel as she sat down beside the fire. "But they've been here ever since the early years of ponykind… Or so I've heard."

"Looks pretty rough to be that ingenious" added Mittens, staring at the walls as well.

"That is because things before were obviously tougher" said Takai, giving the stone a friendly kick. "My people say that in the old times strength used to prevail over cunningness, because of its usefulness, but even after intelligence began to gain control, simplicity still means a great deal of power" he gave another kick to the stone, even though it didn't move. "I think my ancestors should look at this place and rejoice, for this would mean that their sayings are right after all."

"Where are you from?" asked Jingle Jangle. "I've never seen your people before."

"Yes, why haven't we heard of your kind?" continued Mittens. "I didn't know you were inhabiting Ponyland."

"That is because we aren't" he scratched the back of his head. "Well, at least not officially…"

     He looked at Mariel, with something that unmistakably was nervousness, shining behind his mask. The mare was seating at the other side of the room and rose an eyebrow questioningly, but when she picked up on the kitsune's question she seemed to understand.

"It's okay" she nodded. "Explain yourself."

"Okay then…" he sighed, taking seat in the entrance. "We kitsune are not from Ponyland, as you hosu, but came here from Indar, from the other side of the Great Sea."

"Indar?"

"Great Sea?"

"What's a kitsune?"

     Asked Mittens, Chilly Breezes and Jingle Jangle consecutively

"Yes, all that and more" he rolled his eyes. "But it's not always been like this. When we came here, two hundred years ago, we were just farmers and peasants, but our settlements grew over time, and we were able to create a large colony. It was only a matter of time before we were fully established again."

"And your community is where?" asked Mittens.

"Really?" Takai almost jumped. "You think I'm going to reveal where my whole people lie?"

"He's right" added Mariel, before Mittens could reply. "I don't think most kingdoms here are ready to accept kitsunes, let alone discover them."

"And leave something like them unknown to ponykind?" Breezes questioned bitterly. "All this time they've been living under our nuzzles! What kind of mare are you to take his side?"

"No one's taking sides" she sentenced. "I'm just saying that they pose no threat to our race… Yet. And besides Ponyland has enough problems as it is."

     Takai laughed, a curious sound, almost like distorted bark, to this.

"Have you heard of anything that has happened related to us?" he looked as if he were rising his eyebrows. There wasn't response. "I thought so. We would never interfere with your daily life, hosu. You got each other to do that. We would just like to be left alone to our own business, that is all."

"Well, we've come out of the Grogar Wars. If you haven't done anything since then I sincerely don't see how would you become a threat to our kind in the future" said Mittens as she shrugged. "…But I'd still like to visit your home sometime, though."

"Everything I'll say is that they are somewhere in the northwest coast of the continent" commented Mariel. "You're free to look for them whenever you wish."

"And I too hardly doubt that we pose a threat to you anyway" continued Takai. "The only big thing that we have accomplished in our two-century stay is reestablishing our old society almost to its fullest… As well as to learn some things about you hosu."

"Really?" Breezes rose an eyebrow, unbelieving. "And what have you learned?"

"Few things" he shrugged, obviously pouting at her. "We haven't come in contact with your kind because most of my people believe that you are belligerent savages, so we have tended to grow to the inside, if you know what I mean…"

"My hoof is going to grow inside your face-mask!" Breezes snapped. "And then I'll show you a belligerent savage, if you know what I mean…"

"Breezes…" Mittens glared at her. "Let's set aside hostilities for once. We're all sharing the same place here."

     What's up with Mittens and sympathy for these strangers? Breezes asked herself. Anyway…

"Okay… I'll do my best" she sighed.

"Takai?" questioned Mariel.

     The kitsune didn't spoke, as if he were foal doing a tantrum, but a moment later he sighed too.

"Yes, I believe it works for me too."

"Good. At least that's over" Mariel stood up. "Now I don't know you, but I want to sleep."

"Yes" Mittens nodded. "We better go to rest before we make Jingle yell at us again, right? …Jingle?"

     Mittens looked for her with her gaze, but didn't have to worry that much. The little filly had already fallen asleep beside the fire.

"Looks like she's the most prudent of us five" asserted Mariel with a light smirk. Next she took off her cloak and lied it over the filly, as a blanket. "Many fillies of her age would be playing, or doing silly things. Yet she's here… Stuck with us."

"Looks like you got a thing for fillies" inquired Breezes.

"I know my way around" she shrugged. "It's something I learned over time. How was it called? Motherly instinct?"

"Do you have children, Mariel?" asked Mittens.

     Mariel immediately stopped, her ears risen in tension. Breezes was about to follow up, but then the mare turned to show the two of them a death glare, just as if what Mittens had said were an insult. Every trace of her tiredness banished, and even Takai in the entrance had stood up and looked at her, as if he could smell her apparent state. Chilly Breezes didn't fell back on this. In an instant she could see a million different emotions cross her eyelids before they were repressed by her more rational part.

"No…" she said at last, something between an sentence and a lament, as her face lost its tension. "I don't."

     She stood like that for a second, then turned and walked away to a corner.

"I'm sorry to hear that" muttered Mittens at her back. "You could make a great mother."

     Mariel stopped again, but this time she didn't turn. Only the notion that something, like a muscle, had been shattered and constricted at the same time came out from her like an imperceptible perfume. Mariel again stood frozen like this but didn't do anything else. Again, her body after a while recovered its mobility and let itself lie down on the floor, her head facing the other way from them. Nothing came from the mare other than the deep breathing after that.

"I believe this conversation is over" commented Mittens with spoiled mood. "Good night, Breezes."

"Night, Mittens" she answered as the other one went away and lied beside an already snoring Jingle Jangle.

"Yeah you hosu sleep: I will wake up Mariel when I'm done" Takai assumed his post. "I just hope she is in a better mood by then…"

     Takai went away, and Breezes had the chance to lie her head down, even though the broken leg still made her position uncomfortable. The night around them, even with Takai awake, soon became a mantle of silence and peace that was maintained by the broch's thick walls.

     While everything went more and more quiet, Breezes stood awake for a while. Her leg didn't allow her to sleep. She turned and turned again, watching for her limb so it wouldn't be turned or twisted, but nothing seemed to fully appease her. She was willing to give up on peaceful sleeping when a noise broke through her ears.

     At first it was futile, not loud enough to be understandable, but after it repeated a second time Breezes was able to ascertain it. It was Mariel.

     The mare was having somewhat of a restless sleep, moving and mumbling in her dreams. The only problem was that her words, at least that which she said, weren't just in her dreams, and incoherent segments of her rant could be heard from time to time. Chilly Breezes quickly dismissed it as something normal, but when she was about to return to her struggle, something reached her that made her stop and rise her head again. The three words that were clearly whispered by Mariel's lips, soft like a plea, and fervent like a prayer, with a cadence that denoted the only thing that only her was able to hear:

"Mittens… Thank you…"