“Bandits? You mean the cohort of ponies you call a tribe began life as brigands?” Luna questioned.

“I mean, I guess. But if it makes you feel any better they paid their due to society, and are really bad at stealing stuff,” I paused. “Or were really bad at it as I knocked some sense into them and now they are great thieves.”

“Do go into greater detail. I would very much like to hear how this came about,” Twilight encouraged.

I cleared my throat and leaned back in the chair. “Right, well it all began when-”

I was walking back from Zecora’s, arms laden with supplies, and newly acquired goods. The rare ingredients I had sought out for her were evidently worth a fair amount as I had a few choice items with me. The most important of which was the several glass containers full of dried food that had been prepared in advance for me.

Canned goods like that were perfect as although I was capable of eating pretty much anything I still had a sense of taste. Thus I was not interested in eating bark, droppings, rotten meat, or long-forgotten bones. The bone thing isn't as bad as you might think though. Boil off the meat, and rinse it off a bit and it's a bit like a really hard candy.

Anyway, the rest of the stuff was less tasty though no less interesting. Starting with a backpack (sized for a gnoll), some candles, a rope, a grappling hook, some hunting traps, and a magnifying glass. She had also thrown in a knife that was apparently designed for harvesting mushrooms though I didn't end up getting much use out of it. Cool little hooked blade and grip though, so it was at least aesthetically pleasing. Oh and I almost forgot, there was a small hatchet that promised to finally end the absolute pain that was harvesting wood without an axe.

After stuffing it all into a bag, I headed in the direction of home. With my spear now doubling as a walking stick, and my knowledge of the forest considerable, I made the trek in only an hour. Once there, I looked around and couldn't help but frown.

My home was little more than a small cave that was just barely visible due to all the large bushes that grew on either side of the entrance. Yes, there was fresh water nearby, but it wasn't a protected space, nor was there much room to expand. I would need to locate a more defensible area somewhere else before I could with pride in my voice declare it my domicile.

I was about to head inside and begin unpacking when I noticed strange tracks, ones that I had never seen before. They were large, but also chaotic for lack of a better word, resembling a twisted mass of appendages rather than distinct feet or hooves. Following them back to their source I noticed that a nearby tree had uprooted itself, and seemingly walked off.

There were no other prints around save for the ones I had left hours earlier so I surmised that this was either a weird timberwolf or a tree had come to life and wandered off. I can see that look on your face Twilight, and we’ll get to the creature in question when we get to it, don't ruin the flow of the story.

Right, where was I? Oh yes, so with my curiosity piqued, I followed after the weird prints, heading deeper into the woods than I was used to. Soon the evening sky was swallowed by the canopy, and the underbrush closed in all around me. Or at least it tried to, as the thing I was following had carved a swath through the greenery with little care to subtlety.

I continued to track it for well over an hour before I started to get bored and considered abandoning the chase. Thankfully for this story, and the ponies I was about to meet, I heard rustling from up ahead, rustling followed by a shout. My interest spiked, and I headed off at a quicker pace, picking up my spear as I moved.

Rounding the bend I saw what looked to be a primitive camp set up deep into the woods. Though little more than a couple tents around a fire, it was still an impressive sight but that was mostly due to the location itself. Set within a small valley surrounded on three sides by steep ridges that went up nearly a hundred feet, it was very defensible. There were even a few caves in the walls and a stream that trickled down the side and pooled in a shallow pond on the right-hand side of the area.

It was perfect. The only problem was the half dozen ponies fighting an animated tree in the middle. That threw off the whole feng shui of the place, so I had to figure that out before I started moving in.

Before I leaped in to help them I took stock of the ponies and their general appearance. My first thought was that they were explorers, or perhaps lost hikers but they were too well-armed for that. They had swords, hammers, or other weapons as well as some clothes or armor, though it was mostly pretty primitive looking.

Starting from right to left, there was a pony whom I would later come to know as simply Tiny. For the record he was anything but, easily being the largest pony I had seen up until that point in my life. Though not nearly as big as me, he seemed to know how to use a quarterstaff with remarkable skill despite the fact that he was an earth pony and used only his hooves.

He wore nothing save for a leather cap atop his head as well as a set of what looked to be hiking boots. This left his brown fur, shortly cropped black mane, and tail visible to all, as well as his cutie mark. Which, rather unsurprisingly, had a quarterstaff on it, though it was sticking out of a river for some reason. The symbolism was lost on me, though I could tell that he was clearly adept with the weapon as he was the main focus of the angry tree creature.

Next to him was a lass so young I thought she was a child, though she had a cutie mark at least. One that depicted a mill stone set up like the kind you would use to grind wheat or the like. Her name was Ivory Mill, which was fitting as she had white fur, a purple mane, and tail, as well as bright teal eyes. The pegasus had a hammer in each hoof and wore studded leather armor a size too big for her over the front half of her form.

Next to her, was what I assumed at first to be a mare, though it turned out they were a he, but that's a story for later. What was most important was the fact that he wore a shiny breastplate, and wielded a pair of longswords in his magical grasp. Though he danced around the wooden creature with grace and skill, he didn't seem to have the power to really damage the thing. He wasn't hard on the eyes though, as his red fur contrasted well with his white mane and tail, as well as his orange eyes.

The male next to him was doing a little bit of a better job, as he had an axe with him, though he was quickly knocked a good distance by a branch to the face. As he lay on the ground, dazed and confused I noticed that he was clearly the eldest of the bunch. Older than his fellows by a good few years he seemed to me to be about in his fifties. That didn't slow him down though, as he quickly stumbled into a stand, shook the soot-colored mop of hair atop his head and got back to it. As he charged back in I noted that he had grey fur, dark almost black eyes, and a cutie mark of a bear trap. He also wore the only suit of studded leather armor that was actually sized properly.

Oh, and his name is Bronze Back, forgot to mention that, but you should just call him B.B. He hates that.

Anyway, there were two others, with the most notable of whom was the fully armored metal mare I would soon know to be Steel Shod. For the moment the only thing visible on her was her bright purple eyes, as well as a bit of grey fur that could be seen through the grille of her helmet. Equipped in heavy metal armor that didn't seem to slow her down, she kicked, punched, and otherwise tackled the tree. She had no weapon and didn't desire to use one either as she just kept attacking the thing with her hooves.

The last and only pony not currently involved in the scrap was a mare by the name of Merry Mead. Wearing a brown cloak, and holding a wooden spoon, she stood off to the side, yelling encouragement but not entering the fray herself. She was large, and though muscled, her body was mostly fat by the look of it. Eventually, I would discover that she had a cutie mark of a drop of honey falling into a frothy glass mug. I would also find out that she made the best mead I had ever tasted, in this life or the previous one but that would come later.

After giving them a quick visual inspection I deduced that they were likely vagabonds or some other brand of troublemaker. This didn't concern me much, as they all kinda sucked at fighting, as evidenced by the fact that they were losing, and badly. They didn't have any kind of coordination, and frequently got in one another's way, resulting in them racking up a few injuries.

Nothing serious mind you, but it was clear that they weren't about to win unless they changed tactics or got help. I was going to grant said assistance, but I couldn't help but wonder what I would do with them after I rendered aid. Things had worked out with Zecora, but these six might be a completely different story compared to the kindhearted zebra. They also had the means to fight back should they think my intentions were foul, but I was less than intimidated. As by then I had a rather large knife, a hatchet, fairly complete if still patchwork, armor, and far more combat ability than they evidently had.

My weighing of the pros and cons was interrupted when I noticed that the willow tree they had been fighting had gained an advantage. Driving relentlessly towards the quarterstaff-wielding stallion, it had cornered him against the wall and was really laying into him. The many, long whip-like appendages were cutting into his flesh and forcing him to desperately defend himself against the many attacks.

His allies were moving to help him, but none were capable of doing enough to really distract the tree. Which made sense as it was fairly large, though not quite full size, it wasn't a sapling either. Regardless, it was intent on slaying the stallion, and I couldn't in good conscious watch the poor bugger get whipped to death while I could help matters.

So I strode forward, dropping my bag, as well as my spear, and hefting the hatchet that I had acquired only an hour or so earlier. I added a second weapon to my arsenal when I plucked it out of the stunned hooves of the eldest of their group. He was the first to notice me, though it didn't seem as though he believed his eyes as he just stood there, mid-swing, staring at me.

After grabbing his weapon he seemed to realize the situation he was in and backed up. He seemed ready to run, but when I moved directly toward the tree and not toward either him or his allies he seemed to think twice. Clearly, I had confused him enough that he was at least open to the possibility of me assisting his associate as he remained close by despite being unarmed.

The rest of his allies gave me a wide berth while still trying to help their friend. An effort made easier when I stepped into the fray, and swung both axes, and struck the tree monster on either side of its body. The sudden sensation of having about eight inches of steel buried in it was enough to make the tree pause. Which in turn was just enough of a distraction that the plate mail armored mare was able to step in front of her injured ally, allowing him to slip away.

The tree didn't care about them though, as I was easily the largest threat currently present. As it turned on me, I wrenched the axes out and struck the same spots a second time, then a third. I was about to go for a fourth when it faced me fully and attempted to strike me with its many whip-like limbs.

I was made of sterner stuff then the ponies though, with a hide thicker then the armor half the ponies wore, and made even tougher with a few added layers. Though a few struck parts of me not armored, I just shrugged it off and kept on hitting it with my axes. For a few seconds we simply stood there, trading blows with neither making an attempt to dodge or avoid the other’s attacks.

Then it seemed to realize that I was tougher than it, as though I had managed to hack a good few inches into its body it had done nothing to me. Sure I had a few new bruises, and scratches, but it was nothing that I couldn't simply shake off or ignore. This was in contrast to the tree which had two deep chunks cut out of its body.

It was outmatched, though it had just barely enough sense to switch its tactics at least. It did so by attempting to grapple me, using its larger, thicker limbs to grab at my midsection. This was about as predictable as you could get though, so I had more than enough time to step back out of its reach.

While the dumb plant thing was still coming to grips with the fact that it had failed, I brought both axes down on its side. Striking at the same already injured section, I was able to chop out a small section of wood that fell to the ground. The exposed interior bled a sort of black tar that smelled like rotting meat, a strange turn but one that didn't concern me.

What did concern me was the fact that it was still trying to kill me by grabbing me and presumably crushing the life out of me. Its body was large, its limbs heavy, and its attacks incredibly predictable, thus easy to avoid. Dodging and weaving from right to left, to back, and then low, I continually stayed one step ahead of the strange creature. All while hacking away at one side or the other, cutting deeper and deeper, black, brackish blood pooling about my feet.

It was at about this point the creature began to make a strange screaming noise though I couldn't tell from where the sound was coming. It had no visible mouth or other orifice slash appendages for that matter just branches for arms and tangled roots for legs. Still, it made a whistling cry that was unpleasant on the ears, though still not awful enough to make me stop. It left the ponies damn near crippled though, as I could see them rolling around on the ground covering their ears out of the corner of my eye.

I decided to help them by ending this abomination’s existence by chopping it clear in half and that's exactly what I did. Before that happened though it launched a desperate assault, using half of its limbs to whip me, while the other tried to grab at me. It made wide, sweeping, and obvious attacks in an attempt to make me dodge into its larger limbs which would be able to hold me.

Like everything it did, this was obvious and instead of taking the bait I simply let it hit me, taking its strikes without flinching. It had one last trick in its arsenal, however, namely running away, or at least trying to do so anyway. The thing was surprisingly quick, but there were few creatures that could outrun me, and a tree sure wasn't one of them.

As it trundled awkwardly in the direction of the forest, I continued to harry it with continued attacks. Deeper and deeper my axes went, until at long last it seemed to understand that its final tactic had failed. With that realization seemingly in mind, it turned on me and attacked one final time though this time it had no fury, only desperation.

By then I had nearly cut completely through the creature damaging it to the point that it could barely muster the effort to strike me. Sure it tried, but its weak attacks barely even hurt me. While on the other hand, my attacks landed with thunderous thumps, hacking off a new section with each impact.

The final strike cut the thing completely in half, its top section falling backward while its bottom stumbled around like a chicken with its head cut off. The two halves seemed to struggle to understand their situation, though, after a few seconds, they fell still. The limp hunks of formerly animated wood lay there, black ooze slowly gushing out of the enormous wound I had cut in it.

After several moments of staring at it, and expecting one final trick, I realized it was indeed dead. I also realized that I was deaf, if only temporarily, as the only thing I could hear was a loud ringing sound. I knew it was unlikely that I would permanently lose my hearing so I didn't stress this fact too much.

While digging earwax out of my one ear, I walked back over to where I had left the ponies. Who all stared up, wide-eyed at me when I appeared from the bush both alive and seemingly unhurt. Sure I had a bunch of new cuts and bruises, some of which looked worse than they were, but I was much better off than my former foe.

While they were still stunned, I chucked the axe at the hooves of its owner before sitting down on a large rock. Plunking down, I stuck my own hatchet into the mud, the handle sticking up still in easy reach. I then started to clean my injuries, picking the bits of dirt and whatnot that had gotten into them while I had been fighting.

A few feet away, the ponies were talking away, or at least I assumed so as I couldn't hear anything. Their mouths were moving, and they were making animated motions at one another so it was easy enough to figure out what was going on. Two camps quickly formed, each evidently arguing against the other on some issue that I was not privy to.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the singular non-combatant was approaching me, a wooden spoon still clutched before her. Her dark green eyes contained a deep terror that was only held back by a bravery that I couldn't help but find commendable. She made words at me, but obviously, I couldn't tell what she said for multiple reasons which should be obvious to you all.

I put a hand to my right ear and made a confused expression.

The pony seemed confused before her eyes lit up and she pointed back to the woody area where I had slain the creature. She then asked a question, as she made an exaggerated face to help drive home the point she was making.

I shrugged and made the same motion before remembering my lessons from Zecora. I wasn't sure if any of them understood horse sign language, but I tried anyway. To start with I apologized for not understanding her and informed her that I was indeed temporarily deafened.

She didn't know what I was saying, but one of her buddies did, thankfully.

The oldest one, who I had stolen the axe from earlier, perked up and stepped forward.

“You speak silent?” he asked, obviously not using his voice but rather his hooves.

I nodded and replied by asking if they were all okay.

After he translated our conversation, the argument that had begun earlier, ended. Evidently, the group that had been arguing to give me a chance won, though it left the armored pony a little annoyed. Ticked off or not, she remained nearby, watching me like a hawk while her friends stepped a little closer to me.

“Thank you for taking care of the Wraithroot,” he offered.

“Oh? So that's what its called?” I replied.

“You… didn't know?” he asked, seemingly baffled.

I shrugged. “It's not like it matters. You guys were in trouble and needed a hand. Simple as.”

That seemed to confuse him even more, and after a brief huddle, they seemed to figure out a plan of attack. What continued after that was nearly an hour of grilling me on a variety of topics before finally giving up and allowing me to hang out with them. In time I would go from someone they just barely tolerated to the leader of their little group but that would be much later.

“And yeah,” I remarked. “That is pretty much the long and short of that particular adventure. I saved some ex-bandits, directed them towards a more peaceful existence, and eventually became their leader.”

“Twilight, do you know anything of these highwaymen?” Luna inquired.

“I remember reading in the paper how a gang of ponies were hassling travelers outside of Appaloosa a few years ago but they got caught pretty quick,” Twilight exclaimed.

“It's actually a bit of a sad tale,” I began. “They were all really poor, and the road was at one point quite dangerous so they worked as guards for travelers. When the town grew, and a militia formed, they found themselves without any paying gigs. They knew the rich landowners by then and targeted them exclusively, avoiding the poor ponies.”

“Theft is still theft,” Twilight stated.

“Yeah but come on. It's a lot less bad when you’re stealing from ponies who aren't struggling and not hurting anyone in the process,” I retorted.

Twilight frowned, the expression turning into a wince of pain.

“Be that as it may,” Luna intruded. “I would like to hear more about your allies. They certainly sound like an eclectic bunch, each with their own story to tell.”

“I’d love to tell you more but it looks like Twilight's about to explode,” I replied, pointing across the table to Twilight.

“I uh, may require a break,” Twilight murmured before her eyes suddenly went wide. “In fact, I think I need one right now.”

Before either Luna or I could say anything, Twilight dispelled the truth sphere, the recording spell, and then teleported away.

“So uh, what now?” I asked.

“I am not sure. We had assigned the next hour for further questions,” Luna answered, pausing to think for a moment. “Would you like to join us for some tea? Perhaps we could discuss your associates in a more relaxed manner.”

“That's cool with me, so long as you got something fruity and sweet,” I replied.

“I believe Twilight has many such fruity, and sweet teas in her cupboards,” Luna stated.

The alicorn then stood and walked up the stairs. I followed behind her, barely even paying attention to my surroundings. Upon talking about my tribe members I couldn't help but worry about them.

It had been a while since I had left them for so long, and no doubt they were going to worry about me. Still, they were all adults and had been whipped into shape by yours truly so the worry was probably unfounded. Yet no matter how much logic, and reason I weighed against that concern, I couldn't help but imagine the worst.

“Bit for your thoughts,” Luna offered.

I blinked and looked around, only now realizing that I was sitting in the library, a cup of something warm in my hands.

“I was just thinking about my friends,” I admitted. “Kinda worried they burned the camp down.”

“Have faith. I’m sure they have not done anything quite so terrible,” Luna offered.

I just grunted and was about to go back to staring off into space, worrying like crazy, when the door to the library opened. A guard then stepped inside, followed by a familiar pink pony wearing a basket strapped to the top of her head. The moment her gaze fell upon me, she was on me, bouncing across the library and landing right in front of me.

“Oh goodie, you aren't busy!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed. “That means I get to give you this.”

I looked down at her outstretched hoof and the envelope she was so earnestly presenting to me.

“Let me guess,” I began, taking the slip of paper. “You're inviting me to a party.”

“Yupper doodle!” Pinkie Pie declared. “You’re welcome to Ponyville party!”

“Huh,” I muttered.

Dear Fareeah.

You are invited to your welcome to Ponyville party! If Luna, and or Twilight would allow, I would have you join us at Sugarcube Corner this very evening at seven P.M. Please do RSVP as soon as possible, but if you can't come, no biggie! There’s always next time.

Pinkie Pie.

There were then several boxes with writing next to them. The first was labeled, ‘I would like to come, but am not allowed’ and then there was a sad face next to it. The rest followed a similar style, though I didn't bother to read them all and just glanced expectantly at Luna.

“I assumed you would have waited until after the investigation was complete,” Luna offered.

“Nah, that could take like, forever,” Pinkie Pie dismissed. “Besides, I already waited a whole entire day.”

“That is quite a long time,” I added.

“I know, right?” Pinkie Pie agreed.

Luna chuckled. “Well, I don't foresee any reason why you could not go, though we would need to establish some kind of security. Not only to ensure you are not able to depart but also to ensure that Shining Armor does not do something foolish.”

“I agree with half of that statement,” I murmured.

“Great, I’ll take that as an ‘I will attend unless Twilight says otherwise’!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” I agreed, handing back the piece of paper.

“Okay dokay lokie, see you tonight artichokey!” Pinkie Pie stated.

“In a while crocodile,” I replied.

“See you later alligator!” Pinkie Pie shot back before bouncing out of the room.

I chuckled. “I like that one.”

Luna smiled. “It's hard not to.”

Author's Note

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