Where We Don't Belong

Chapters

Prologue: Young, And Foolish
Wrong Side Of The Tracks
Speak Softly, But...
Scars
Welcome To The Freakshow
The Cirque Du Noir
Misfits Fit Together
Fallen From Grace
White Doves
We're All Mad Here
Canon Camp
Struggles
To Endure And Sacrifice, Part I
To Endure And Sacrifice, Part II
Epilogue: Here We Are
Of Gods And Monsters

Prologue: Young, And Foolish

Prologue: Young, And Foolish
~BlackRoseRaven

“Welcome to Equestria, traveler. I know you must be confused right now, but rest assured that you are in no danger. Many like you have come to us in recent years, and we are all too happy to welcome new friends, from even the most distant worlds. My name is Princess Celestia, and it is my honor to be able to greet you like this.”

The stallion's purple eyes gleamed with hope and happiness as he looked up at Princess Celestia: the regal, proud mare stood with a warm and friendly smile on her face. She emanated maternal love, dreams, rapture... with her flowing rainbow mane and the way her ivory body shone, she was a goddess, right out of a fairy tale, standing here before him. She was salvation, given form and life. “This... this is amazing! I'm... I'm a pony!”

Celestia laughed quietly, nodding warmly and replying kindly: “Yes. You are an Avatar: the body you have taken on is a representation of who you truly wish to be.”

The stallion laughed, looking down at one of his dark hooves, then over his foreleg: it was incredible. From what he could tell, he was a dark, rich green, and... hooves, he really had hooves! He looked back with awe over his body, and saw that he even had a cutie mark now on his flank, like... like he was a real pony!

He looked wonderingly upwards as Celestia smiled softly at him, continuing gently: “Many of the travelers who arrive here want to take on a new name. They find it helps with acclimating to this strange new world, and human names sometimes sound a little strange to Equestrians. Why don't you take a minute to think about what you would like to be called?”

The Avatar nodded awkwardly, and then he dropped his head forwards, thinking hard even as Celestia explained: “This world is very different from your own. In Equestria, magic is real, and the weakening of the border between our worlds has not only allowed Avatars to cross into our reality and assume the shapes of ponies, but brought mythical creatures to life and revealed new and glorious places to explore.

“As a unicorn, you will be able to use magic...” Celestia stopped and smiled slightly as the stallion blinked, then reached up in surprise to touch his own horn with a stupefied look on his face. “And I already sense that you are a creative, determined soul. As with all Avatars, nothing would please me more than finding a place to help you fit in, here in Equestria, until you feel that you should return to your own world.”

“I don't think I'm ever going back.” the stallion murmured, and then he blushed a bit as Celestia stepped forwards and reached up to tenderly touch his shoulder.

“You might be surprised what you miss, once it's gone.” the ivory mare replied kindly, and then she smiled again. “I would like for you to stay here in Canterlot, where you can be trained as a Dream Weaver. I will personally ensure that your every need is taken care of: in return, once you finish your training, you will be able to use your magic to share memories of your world with me. What I am tasking you with is difficult, but I have faith in you.”

The stallion blushed as he looked up, then he nodded firmly before saying warmly: “Yes, Princess Celestia! It... it would be an honor!”

He stopped, then laughed before looking up and adding with a blush: “And... I think I've chosen a name for myself. It's... well...”

The Avatar looked up with a smile before he spoke the word, and Celestia smiled back, even as she tilted her head inquisitively. What a strange name for such a seemingly-happy pony to choose...

Wrong Side Of The Tracks

Chapter One: Wrong Side Of The Tracks
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally O'Connor groaned loudly as she slowly picked herself up, her head ringing with pain. She looked blearily back and forth as she reached up and rubbed at her forehead... then flinched and hurriedly drew her hand away. Except it didn't feel quite like a hand anymore, it felt...

She tried to flex her fingers: there was some... weird sensation of something shifting, but not a whole lot of actual moving. And it was dark, wherever the hell she'd... “Oh great, I fell into the stupid well again, didn't I? Oh man, Daddy's going to kill me...”

Sally dropped her head forwards with a loud sigh... then scowled as her hair fell in her eyes, reaching up and trying to brush it aside as she dropped back on her rump. Hadn't she just gotten a haircut? How the hell had her hair gotten so long again already, and why hadn't she noticed it before?

She brushed her bangs quickly back, then looked up... and frowned uneasily as she saw only darkness. Thick, all-encompassing darkness: she shivered at the sight of it, biting her lip and feeling a twist of fear run through her gut as she called weakly: “D-Dad? Dad, hey, is... is this some kind of joke? Dad... Dad! Dad!”

She trembled as she stared helplessly up into the solid darkness: the last things he could remember was that it had been the middle of the day, and she had been eating more berries than she'd been harvesting, and... and...

And why wasn't it wet if she was supposed to be in the well? She shifted suddenly, trying to stand up as she realized the floor beneath her was dry as a bone... except when she tried to get to her feet, her legs gave a twinge of pain and she dropped down on all fours again, cursing in pain as she ground her hands against the ground and... why the hell did they feel so weird still?

But before Sally could even try and pick herself up, there was a tremendous bang before a bright light washed over her, blinding her and driving her back a few steps as he cried out and tried to shield her eyes. Stark disbelief washed over her before she looked past her arms as she heard something clomping towards her...

Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the thing: it looked like some kind of... of pastel-colored horse, except it was wearing some kind of golden armor and was glaring at her with an expression that was all too human and... and was that a horn sticking out of its head?

It stopped in front of her, Sally staring and trembling at his apparition, mouthing wordlessly before the horse suddenly leaned forwards and snapped: “What the hell are you staring at?”

Sally screamed in terror before flinging herself backwards, kicking her legs wildly as she attempted to scramble away... before her eyes widened further as she rose her front... h-h-h-hooves?

She stared for a few moments at the sight of not hands, but hooves at the end of... of front legs, not arms. She whimpered and mouthed wordlessly for a few moments, then curled herself forwards, raising her legs and seeing not her own, but horse's legs, with a horse's tail streaming out past a big horse rump...

And then the talking horse with the horn stepped up in front of her, looking down at her with distaste very visible in his eyes before he said flatly: “Lady, we really don't have time for this.”

Sally looked at him, then she flung herself backwards, gibbering wildly as she hit a smooth stone wall, panicking as she kicked her legs – four legs! Four legs bad! Two legs good, four legs bad! – before trying to spin around and scrabble up the smooth wall for the ceiling, yelling in fear.

The unicorn's jaw dropped as he stared in disbelief at the sight before him: sure, when an Avatar showed up, they weren't always all that calm about it, but usually once they put together what had happened, they all decided this was either some amazing dream or they immediately got all creepy and started celebrating... usually in the most unusual and uncomfortable ways possible.

But this mare was still screaming and gibbering and rolling around, and the unicorn looked at her uncomfortably for a few long moments before he sighed tiredly and turned around: of course this just had to happen on his shift. “Hey uh, guys? Going to need a little bit of help here, she's kind of freaking out.”

Two more armored stallions in the hall beyond looked up, and then one shrugged nervously as the other sighed; unlike the other two, he had a set of large, strong wings that were furled at his sides instead of a horn. “Not our problem. Let her choke, for all I care. It'll be one less freak to worry about.”

“And what about Princess Celestia? If she hears you talking like that, she's sure as Tartarus going to make this our problem.” retorted the first unicorn, and the other two winced a bit. “And... come on. I may hate Avatars, but... while she's here, she's a pony, and a citizen of Equestria. Like it or not, our duty is to protect... all citizens of Equestria. Even them.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the other guards traded looks before the Pegasus sighed at an extra loud yell that echoed out of the arrival chamber, and then he grumbled: “I still think we should just leave her locked up in there, Splinthoof. For her own good, of course.”

The other guard nodded lamely, and Splinthoof looked at them for a few moments before he dropped a face in a hoof and muttered; “You guys both suck. Fine. I'll go and deal with this myself. But you two are buying at the bar for the rest of the week, got it?”

The unicorn nodded lamely again, and then Pegasus simply groaned before giving his own grudging mumble of agreement. Splinthoof grunted at them, then he turned around and strode back into the cell... before sighing tiredly at the sight of the mare now shivering in the corner, whimpering and clutching herself as she looked wildly back and forth.

Even terrified, with her mane mussed up and tears running down her face and snot falling from her nose, she was still pretty... in a... country-mare kind of way. Her mane and tail were both messy and straw-colored, and her coat was a pretty auburn. Her big amber eyes were staring at him less with fear now, though, and more with simple, utter disbelief at where she was, and Splinthoof sighed a little before he felt himself starting to soften in spite of everything.

He noted that she had wings, and she had already messed all her feathers up in her panic. As a matter of fact, he didn't think that she was even aware of the appendages sticking out of the sides of her body, flapping and twitching now and then on instinct. And Splinthoof hesitated only a moment before he carefully and quietly crept forwards, keeping himself slow and gentle, lowering his head to try and show that he wasn't a threat as he said quietly: “Miss, I need you to come with me, okay? You're in Equestria now, and Princess Celestia is waiting for you. Isn't that exciting?”

“Equestria...” The mare looked up at him, and Splinthoof felt a little encouraged by this response... before his jaw dropped as she asked weakly: “What's Equestria? Who... what are you? And... and why...”

She trembled violently, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks again as she rose her hooves in front of her eyes, breathing hard in and out before she whimpered again... then flinched backwards in terror when she realized how close Splinthoof was to her, the mare covering her face and shying backwards from him.

Splinthoof only did his best to smile at her, in spite of how uncomfortable he felt. He studied her silently, then sighed a little before saying softly: “The Princess can do a much better job of explaining things than I can, especially if you don't know what Equestria is. I've never met an Avatar who didn't, though...”

“P-Princess? Why is there a princess? And what's an avatar? And why am I here?” Sally almost shouted the last, but when Splinthoof reared back, that sudden movement alone was enough to make her shriek and throw herself backwards, trembling in terror as she fell heavily onto her side.

Splinthoof only looked at her, wincing and half-raising one hoof as he licked his lips lowly, while Sally shivered violently and did her best to repress a sob. But after a moment, she managed to look up through her raised forelegs at him.

He looked back at her, then hesitantly extended his hoof to her: Sally shivered, but then carefully, slowly reached forwards and settled her own against his. She felt the strangest sensation of grasping into him, like invisible fingers were touching his foreleg, while a feeling of being gripped spread along her limb despite the fact his hoof was really just resting against her.

He gently hauled her up to her hooves, and she stood shakily as the stallion smiled awkwardly, saying carefully: “The... Princess Celestia is the best pony to ask about all that, okay? But uh... hey, a... a whole lot of Avatars don't understand how hoofgrip works right away. That's... that's a good sign.”

The mare looked at him blankly, only trembling and whimpering, and Splinthoof cleared his throat before he reached up and touched his own chest, deciding to try a different tactic: “My name is Splinthoof. I am a sergeant in the Royal Guard of Canterlot, assigned to the welcome committee. What is your name?”

He spoke slowly, carefully, enunciating each word... but unsure of how much actually got through to her as she only stared at him with that same fearful, whimpery expression. But just as he was about to give up and go get his friends to help him carry this mare to the throne room so they could find out what the hell was going on, she whispered: “S-Sally. Sally O'Connor. M-my name is Sally O'Connor. I'm... I'm supposed to be h-h-human, but I'm... I'm a... I'm a horse!”

“You're a Pegasus, actually.” Splinthoof said gently, and the mare looked at him blankly before he carefully leaned forwards and reached up to touch one of her wings.

She flinched and hurriedly snapped the wing away from him... then gaped in shock, staring over her shoulder in amazement. Her body shuddered as she slowly spread her wings back open, looking back and forth in awe before she whispered: “I... I have... wings?”

Splinthoof looked at her with surprise as she easily flapped the appendages, then flexed them and spread them, her fear vanishing rapidly. But it wasn't the fact she had so quickly gone from terrified to looking like a foal who had just been given the run of the candy store that had amazed him: it was the fact that she was so easily manipulating her wings, when usually it took at least a few days for Avatars to get used to moving them.

He hesitated, then smiled a bit after a moment as she flapped them almost wildly and hopped a little, as if she was trying to take off: whether she could move them or not, she clearly had no idea that she had to do a little more than just stick them out of her body. “Here, miss.”

Splinthoof stepped forwards, reaching up and gently straightening out one of her wings, and Sally blinked and winced a bit... then stared in amazement as he first brushed carefully along the edge of one of the appendages before some sort of... of aura washed out over her wing, neatening and straightening the feathers as he said quietly: “You can't just spread your wings and hope to fly away, Sally. They need to be maintained: dirty feathers don't fly is an old pony saying.”

Sally's gaze roved slowly upwards as she realized that the same colored aura was surrounding the stallion's horn... and after a moment she put two and two together, whispering: “Y-You're a unicorn! And that's... magic! You're a magical unicorn!”

“Yes, I am a magical unicorn. Almost every unicorn in Equestria is, though, so there's nothing really special about that.” Splinthoof said dryly as he finished neatening her wing, then he looked at her curiously as he walked around to the other side of her, asking: “How do you know about unicorns when you don't know what Equestria is?”

“Oh, come on, everybody knows what a unicorn is! That... and that's why you can talk, too, right? Because you're magic? Am I in some kind of magic kingdom?” Sally asked, her eyes widening as she looked back and forth. Some of her courage was coming back now as she looked at the stallion, feeling like an idiot for not realizing it before. And all unicorns were supposed to be valorous, good-hearted creatures, right? Right? But then why... “Why am I a horse too, then? Shouldn't I... shouldn't I at least be an elf?”

Splinthoof looked at the mare for a few moments as he carefully tended to her wing, and then he decided that trying to explain any of this was utterly pointless, sighing as he said tiredly: “Come on. Let's just go and see Princess Celestia. She'll explain everything, alright miss?”

Sally looked uncertainly at the stallion for a few moments, and then she finally gave a hesitant nod, deciding that... well, if he was a unicorn, she could hopefully trust him. Maybe it was stupid to believe so much in old stories and legends, but well... she was a talking horse, talking to another talking horse who had just nicely fixed her wings for her. What the hell else could she do? “I... okay. Is... is she a nice princess?”

“Too nice.” Splinthoof said quietly, lowering his head for a moment, and Sally looked at him curiously before the stallion shook his head, saying finally: “Come on. My friends are waiting for us outside. Please don't scream when you see them.”

“I'm... I'm not going to scream or panic. I'm... I was just startled. That's all.” Sally mumbled, reaching up and rubbing hurriedly at her face. But now that she was settling down... “I... how would you react if you woke up somewhere else? I mean, even unicorns must get scared sometimes.”

“Yeah. Even we amazing unicorns do.” Splinthoof said tiredly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he led the mare out of the enclosed room and into the plain stone hall. “Alright, get off your flanks, you two. Rune, fall in on her other side. Pigeonface, you take the lead.”

“My name is Hawkhead. Ignore Splinty. He's a dick.” Pigeonface said mildly, and then he shrugged before turning around and reciting carelessly: “Welcome to Equestria, we're all good friends here, we're excited to have you join us and Princess Celestia will explain everything you need to know please come right this way.”

Sally couldn't help but stare in amazement at the other armored horses, barely able to believe the sight of them: one unicorn was incredible enough, but here was another horse with wings, and there was another unicorn, who smiled at her lamely and shifted shyly away, giving her plenty of space. On her other side, Splinthoof walked much closer to her, gently herding her forwards as the stallion he had called Pigeonface led the way down what looked like a long, smooth stone hall... “Are... where are we? It looks like... does the princess have a castle? Who are the king and queen? Are they elves?”

Splinthoof only looked at her mildly as Pigeonface rolled his eyes in amusement, then said wryly: “Well, I guess she's feeling better, huh? Great work, Splinty. She's gone from the screamingest mare I ever met to the most annoying in one amazing leap for ponykind.”

“Yeah, well, she's probably the only screaming mare you'll ever meet. Unless they're running away from you, that is.” Splinthoof replied dryly before he could stop himself, and then he looked awkwardly over at Sally as he rose her head in surprise, clearing his throat as he added lamely: “Uh. Sorry, ma'am. Excuse us stallions.”

The mare looked over at him for a moment, and then Pigeonface said dryly: “Do you always have to be such a wet blanket, Splinty? Lady, I apologize for my friend here, and how boring he is. I don't want you think that all of us stallions are. Right, Rune?”

Rune nodded wildly in agreement even as he blushed deeply, and Splinthoof sighed before staring in horror as Pigeonface added: “And I wouldn't have left you alone and terrified in there with him if I'd known you were hot, by the way. I would have swept you off your hooves. In fact, I'm tempted to sweep you off your hooves right now.”

Splinthoof twitched, opening his mouth... and then he gaped when Sally replied with ease, in spite of the fact that literally minutes ago she had been panicking and crying: “Sounds like you do a lot of sweeping, but I think my feet are fine. If you want to go brush someone's feet, looks like you got four of your own to play with, and one tiny little extra toe between your legs.”

Pigeonface and Splinthoof both stumbled to a halt, the winged stallion almost falling on his face as the unicorn gaped in shock, while Rune simply giggled giddily and hopped excitedly at the mare's side, clearly approving of her as she strode past Pigeonface without so much as a glance in his direction, an odd smile of relief on her face.

When the sense finally returned to him, Splinthoof ran forwards and skidded to a stop in front of Sally near the end of the hall, the mare stumbling to a halt and blinking in surprise before the unicorn asked disbelievingly: “What the Tartarus was that? Where did that come from?”

Sally only blushed a little, shifting a little before she smiled a bit as she looked over her shoulder at Pigeonface, who was still staring at her blankly. “Oh, well, you know... I have seven brothers. Two of them are in service, like you, sort of... soldiers, I mean. We all grew up in close quarters on the farm, wrassling and cussing each other out and... hearing a little talk like that is...”

She looked down, blushing a bit. It had just brought on a sudden feeling of familiarity, and made her look at these magical horses not just as well... magical horses, but instead...

She studied Splinthoof for a moment, then looked down at herself as she rose a hoof, gazing at it silently for the longest time before she hesitantly looked up and asked: “I... this isn't permanent, right? This is... is this like a dream?”

Splinthoof shifted a little... but when Rune nodded encouragingly behind the mare, he finally gave a small smile and said quietly: “Kind of, I guess. Look, for the hundredth time, the princess can tell you more, okay? But if it'll get you to her... yeah. Think of this like a dream. You can go home any time you want, I promise. Does that help?”

Sally bit her lip, then smiled back after a moment as she nodded, feeling a surge of relief run through her. These guys weren't so bad, right? And they sounded just like the people she knew back home, and if this was just some... crazy Narnia or Oz she could leave any time she wanted, or maybe some psychedelic dream... “Yeah... yeah, it really does. I... let's go meet your princess. Cequestria, right?”

Splinthoof sighed at this as Rune slapped a hoof against his forehead, but Splinty admittedly had to work hard to repress a smile as he reminded her dryly: “Princess Celestia, of Equestria. She's just a short walk ahead, in the greeting room. We do our best to try and make sure that everypony who arrives here gets to meet her right away: saves a lot of... trouble.”

“Everypony.” Sally said musingly, smiling a little in spite of herself. “Now that's cute.”

Splinty smiled wryly back with a shrug, and then he winced when Pigeonface suddenly ran up and shouldered him roughly to the side, the stallion glaring at the mare and snapping: “Hey, it's a hell of a lot bigger than that!”

“I guess at least it must be a lot bigger than your brain, considering how long it took you to figure out what I was talking about.” Sally retorted smartly, and Pigeonface's jaw dropped again. He spluttered for a response, but then Sally smiled sweetly at him before she reached up and gently pushed him aside by the face with one hoof, asking Splinthoof: “Are we going?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we're going.” the unicorn replied with a wide grin, looking at the mare with entertainment before he turned and flicked his horn, opening the large, plain double doors with telekinesis to reveal another wider passage, and the mare's eyes widened: thankfully not with fear now, but with amazement as they strode out of a bottleneck and into a gorgeous lobby of sorts.

Magical horses – and a few other mythical creatures, to her further awe – were walking back and forth between what looked almost like... offices. Others were waiting patiently in large chairs that were arranged in paired rows to one side of the room, although most of these looked empty...

“What is this place?” Sally couldn't help but ask, gazing around as they walked slowly across the tiled lobby, before her eyes widened in amazement as she saw... “T-That's a dragon! Oh, wow! He's huge!”

Splinthoof followed her gaze, then he smiled despite himself as he saw she was pointing out a juvenile red dragon who had only recently been transferred here. “No, that's just a kid. He might be about three times as big as Pigeonface, but you haven't seen big until you've seen Ol' Volcano. Now that's a big dragon.”

Pigeonface only grumbled from where he was now hurrying to bring up the rear, scowling at the mare as he complained: “Why am I the butt of every joke? And speaking of butts, I... I think hers is too big. Avatars always have big butts, even the stallions. They make us all look like sex objects.”

“Well, if no one had told me you were a horse, I would have mistaken you for a jackass who drank too many Red Bulls.” Sally replied without looking around, and Pigeonface looked completely stumped as Rune chortled. “And I was going to tell you to keep your eyes away from my butt, but if all you've got on the mind is boy butts, then I guess it doesn't matter how much you look at me.”

Pigeonface opened his mouth... then simply closed it, scowling horrendously at the mare before he looked over at Splinthoof and snapped: “I thought you hated all Avatars. Let me guess, it's all because she's hot, right?”

“I do not. Anyway, how can I hate a mare who puts you in your place so well?” Splinthoof replied with a wry smile, and Pigeonface huffed loudly. “Anyway, if more Avatars were like her, we probably wouldn't have half the problems we do now.”

“Wait, more? There are more like...” Sally broke off as she looked back and forth around the reception area, her eyes widening as she wondered how many of these magical horses must actually be humans... humans, just like her!

She began to step away, then winced when Splinthoof grasped her shoulder, the stallion saying gently: “Hey, don't go wandering off yet, okay? You still have to see Princess Celestia first. And like I keep telling you, she'll be able to answer all your questions for you. Okay?”

Sally bit her lip, then she gave a hesitant look over her shoulder through the crowd before she sighed a little, reaching up and silently touching Splinthoof's hoof for a moment. She felt that strange feeling again, like grasping fingers instead of just solid nail or bone or whatever the heck hooves were made of, and she studied their hooves quietly before she murmured: “Okay.”

She gently brushed his hoof back, but nodded and smiled to him, ready to follow and feeling... a lot more confident now. Okay, so her entrance here hadn't been spectacular. She had a full on fit of hysterics that would have made her father ashamed of her. But she was... she could do this. Nothing here was going to hurt her and whether this was a dream or some weird fantasy world, it seemed like these weird magical horses at least had a lot of experience dealing with... well... this. Whatever this really was.

God, it was reassuring to know that she wasn't the only person to have shown up out of the blue like this, and she wasn't apparently some... prophesied hero or something. It made this whole surreal experience feel that much more bearable, connected her that much more to reality, to something she could... could stand to interact with, actually have some control over.

Of course, part of her was slowly but surely starting to believe that she had likely fallen down, whacked her head off something, and now she was just having the strangest dream... but hey, things could be worse, right? She figured that if she really could leave any time she wanted, then that would be the equivalent of waking up... or at least, that was what she hoped.

For now, she was just trying to... to roll with the punches and deal with things. She had learned from an early age that you couldn't just sit back and cry and let life push you around. You had to stand up for yourself, and you had to do whatever it took to get yourself through the day.

And at least... she wasn't alone here. It honestly wasn't just the fact that there were apparently other people like her – Avatars, she kept hearing them called, she thought – but it was because these ponies she had met so far were so much like the people back home. Pigeonface was just like that mouthy, rude, and somehow lovable ass Spencer, who ran the bar most of her brothers liked, and Rune was silent and shy, just like Brook, the farmhand... and Splinthoof, well. Splinthoof reminded her of her big brother, Jericho. The brother who had always taken care of her...

They reached the doors, and Splinthoof shoved through one before holding it for her as Pigeonface said wryly: “Oh, Splinty. You never hold the door for me.”

“Well, you've never been much of a lady.” the stallion replied dryly, and Sally couldn't help but giggle a little, Splinty looking at her with a small smile and a little bit of continuing surprise at how... reversed her mood had become. Maybe it really had just been the initial shock, but... still...

He realized he was staring as they walked down a carpeted hallway, and then he cleared his throat when Sally looked at him curiously before the stallion gestured calmly towards a set of double doors just past a four-way intersection ahead, saying in a brisker voice: “Through there is the receiving room. That's where you're going to meet Princess Celestia. Please don't be alarmed, but there are very specific protocols in place, because...”

Sally cocked her head curiously, and Pigeonface grimaced as Rune bit his lip... but when Splinthoof came to a halt in front of the doors and looked over at his friends, the Pegasus grumbled and dropped his head, and Rune nodded hesitantly.

Splinthoof looked at the Avatar with a small smile, considering what to tell her... weighing the difference between what she had to know, and what she should know. After all, he didn't want her freaking out again on him: she seemed happy enough right now, sure, but he got the sense that was because she had convinced herself this was some kind of dream or fantasy, as much as anything else. More than a few Avatars had done that, and he had seen all too many times what happened when their pleasant little bubble of belief was rudely popped...

“Look uh... you're the first Avatar to show up here in a long time, okay? Almost six months, I think, and uh... lately... we've been having a lot of problems with... Avatars, and Figments, and... other things I think it's much better that the Princess explains.” Splinthoof said finally, gesturing towards the doors as he gave a small smile. “Just don't freak out, okay?”

“I won't, I promise.” Sally said after a moment, frowning a little, and Splinthoof nodded before the mare looked uneasily up as the stallion pushed open the door... and then she stared a little, her eyes widening as she looked into a wide, open hall beyond that had perhaps once been gorgeous... but now, it looked careworn, and almost... sterile.

More than that, there were two rows of soldiers in heavy steel armor, forming a corridor straight towards what looked like some kind of... glass half-dome. She bit her lip nervously as Splinthoof gave her a gentle push, and then she strode forwards and slowly down the corridor between the armored, expressionless soldiers, as the three Royal Guard at her back escorted her calmly down the line.

She shivered a little as she stepped nervously onto a raised dais, inside the glass half-dome, looking through the smudged, blurry surface of the window towards what looked almost like a stage, heavy mesh curtains draped across it. There was something about it that... didn't mesh very well with the scenery around her, like it had been added long after this hall had been built. Likewise, looking around, she also couldn't help but notice that there were large, discolored spaces here and there on the wall: from the shapes, she guessed that there had once been furniture, or perhaps some other kinds of decorations attached here and there over the walls.

Then her attention was drawn to the stage as the curtains slowly drew back, revealing... it was hard to see: the domed window-wall she was trapped behind was blurry enough as it was, but there was another protective barrier on the stage, too, that... well, she supposed this was the princess who was standing behind it.

She looked like an enormous horse, but something was different about her. Sally shifted uneasily, not knowing if she should bow or greet her or... what the hell was the proper protocol in this situation, as she only looked up with confusion through the blurred glass... and then the princess gave a soft sigh before she recited in a voice that was... that was so sad, under the cordiality that was being audibly forced into it: “Welcome to Equestria... traveler. I know that.. you may be confused right now, but you are in no danger. Many others like you have arrived since almost a century ago now, but... we are still happy to welcome new... friends. My name is Princess Celestia, and it is my... honor... to be able to greet you.”

Sally looked uncomfortably up at the princess, licking her lips slowly before she attempted to bow low: while walking came pretty naturally to her – probably from all her time crawling around in the garden picking weeds – bowing was a little more difficult to figure out with her weird legs and weird back. “Uh... I... thank you, Princess Celestia, ma'am. My name is Sally O'Connor, and... and I don't... precisely know how I got here or what's going on, ma'am. But Mister Splinthoof said you could... that I should ask you what Avatars are and... what Equestria is and... who all you magical horses are.”

There seemed to be a sudden change in the air, the shape behind the glass looking more attentive before the Princess asked in a surprised voice: “What do you mean? You don't know about Equestria, or about ponykind?”

“You're ponies? But you're all so big, and...” Sally stopped, then looked over her shoulder in surprise before she blushed a bit. “Wait... I'm the same size as you, because I'm this... winged horse, and... but unicorns are horses, right? I... I mean, I apologize, your highness, I um... I don't know... am I allowed to ask you questions?”

Sally blushed deeper as she realized that in and of itself was a question... and then she blinked in surprise when there was a loud clicking sound before the blurry half-dome suddenly slid into the ground on a hidden track as the barrier wall descended into the stage with a whir of machinery.

The Avatar was left looking up in amazement: the Princess was gorgeous, a pure-white mare who had a unicorn's horn but also a set of wings... and a beautiful, flowing mane that shone with a multitude of colors, like it was made of rainbows. She had a little tiara on her head and a matching peytral around her neck, both inset with amethysts the same color as her gorgeous eyes...

Sally thought that if she had been even a year younger, she would have erupted into a squealing fit at the sight of this beautiful mare. But she was able to maintain some vestige of control over herself... even though she realized after a second she was opening gaping at the... the princess-horse. “You're so beautiful!”

The comment just leapt out of her mouth, and Celestia's muzzle wrinkled up a little, making Sally mentally hit herself: okay, so that had maybe been a little creepy. The Avatar hurriedly dropped her head forwards, blushing deeply and mumbling: “I... I apologize, Princess Celestia, I didn't mean to be rude. I just... I've never seen a unicorn like you before. I mean, a unicorn princess like you.”

Celestia studied Sally intently, stepping slowly to the edge of the stage: how was this possible? She had thought at first that this Avatar was just playing another stupid game with her, that this Avatar had been pretending she didn't know anything about this world so she could follow some... make-believe storyline where she was either a heroine or some kind of chosen one.

But no. She had given her human name, she didn't know anything about Equestria... she hadn't even realized they were ponies. And now she was shifting back and forth, humble and nervous, a stranger in a strange world who had no idea why she was here...

Everything happened for a reason, though: Celestia believed firmly in that. She studied this Avatar intently for a few more moments before her eyes flicked towards Splinthoof, gesturing at the soldier to step forwards.

He saluted her, then hurried up to the edge of the stage, leaning up as the princess leaned down and asked in a whisper: “What do you know about this Avatar?”

“Not much, apart from the fact that... she seems to be telling the truth.” Splinthoof replied quietly, looking up respectfully at the princess. “She had a fit of hysterics when she first arrived, but she had no idea who or what any of us are. She calmed right down when she realized we didn't mean to hurt her, though, and she's...”

Splinthoof shifted for a moment, struggling to find a way to say what he thought, but then Celestia reached down and gently touched his shoulder, murmuring: “Speak freely, Splinthoof. Don't censor yourself.”

Splinthoof nodded and blushed a bit, looking up at the Princess of the Sun with an awkward smile before he said finally: “She wasn't afraid of shooting down Pige... uh, Corporal Hawkhead. Stood up for herself, and she just struck me as... different from a lot of Avatars. She has no idea where she is or what's happened to her, and the only thing special about her so far is that she managed to flap her wings a few times, but she still... had confidence.”

“Confidence...” Celestia murmured, looking down and nodding slowly: yes. True confidence, that was something rare. Many Avatars, especially in recent years, depended on ego to get by... “Does she have a cutie mark yet?”

The stallion shook his head quickly, replying quietly: “Not that I noticed. I know sometimes it takes a little while before it sort of... merges in and all, but...”

“Unlike the other Avatars, she doesn't know anything about our world. We've already seen Avatars without cutie marks, for any number of reasons...” Celestia murmured meditatively, studying the mare intently before another thought entered her mind. “Sergeant Splinthoof, I would like for you to go and ask the Worldcrafters to send someone here with one of their Figments. I have a strange feeling about this mare.”

Splinthoof saluted sharply, replying crisply: “Yes ma'am! I'll have somepony here within ten.”

Celestia smiled as Splinthoof turned and hurried off on his duties, and then she rose her head, studying Sally for a few moments. The Avatar was looking up at her uneasily, and the princess softened after a moment before she spread her wings and calmly stepped off the stage, letting herself almost float to the ground to land soundlessly in front of the Pegasus.

Sally looked up at the enormous horse before her with awe... and a little bit of trepidation. As soft and gentle as she seemed, there was also a lingering sadness about her, and a strength and nobility that emanated from her like warmth... but she was also a princess, and apparently highly respected in this country or kingdom or whatever it was. She couldn't help but wonder, though... where were the king and queen if this was the princess? What must they be like?

Then she blushed when Celestia touched her shoulder gently, the ivory mare saying softly: “If you would like, I am happy to explain to you not only the things I tell all Avatars... but precisely where you are, and who we are. Maybe it will help you get a better sense of your surroundings. But there's no need to be afraid: you're safe here.”

Sally smiled hesitantly, lowering her head and mumbling: “It's... it's not that. I just... I mean, this is all a dream, really, isn't it? A fantasy, I mean and...”

Celestia smiled a little, studying the Avatar for a few moments: that would explain some of her confidence. It often happened to the Avatars: first was the surge of amazement or hysteria, even anger, when they woke up in a world that wasn't their own... and then next, they were suddenly placid, telling themselves it was all just fantasy, or a dream they could control. Purposefully misinterpreting anything they were told to better twist it to their own version of reality, a reality that still made sense because it was just supposed to be some kind of dreamscape...

But there was an easy solution to that, and Celestia simply rose a hoof before she gently bopped Sally on the head with it, the Avatar yelping in shock and grabbing her skull. “Hey!”

“Does that feel like a dream?” Celestia asked gently, and Sally bit her lip, looking uncomfortable before Celestia softened and leaned down, saying quietly: “I need to impress something upon you, Sally O'Connor. You are safe here, in Canterlot... but that doesn't mean you are safe everywhere. You can still feel pain, and your body is only as strong as any other pony's. You can still die... and if you die in this world, it will have... very unpleasant effects in your own.”

There was silence for a few moments, before Sally looked up, swallowing a little before she asked in a weaker voice: “B-But... I can go home any time I want, right?”

“Yes, you can.” Celestia said gently, except Sally understood just from her tone alone that it was going to be a little more complicated than just making a wish. “But when you choose to leave, we don't think that you can come back. Your spirit abandons your physical body, which dissolves.”

Sally nodded, but then looked up and almost blurted: “But I don't even know where I am, and I don't want to be here, anyway! I want to go home and... and Daddy's gonna be so mad at me...”

That wasn't true at all, of course: her father was the most understanding man in the whole wide world, and as the only daughter in a litter of boys, even though she was twenty years old he still spoiled her like she was five. What she was much more worried about now was... “I can't stay here, I... I have to go home. I don't want my dad worrying about me.”

Celestia only smiled reassuringly, however, leaning down and saying quietly: “One of the few things we do know about the differences between our worlds is that time runs very differently between them. Time moves much faster here, almost like a dream: some of our oldest Avatars have lived here for almost a century, but it's only been an hour in their world... your world, I should say.”

Sally bit her lip, frowning a little and not feeling exactly reassured by this before she asked nervously: “But how do you know that if you... if no one of these... Avatar people ever come back? Unless... can uh, 'horsepeople' go to the other side, too?”

“Ponies. You can just say ponies. In fact, most of our citizens prefer to be called that over 'horses.'” Celestia said softly, and then she smiled again. “Call it a... cultural preference.

“But that's very observant of you: no, no ponies have ever been to your world. I don't think it's possible for our ponies to, as a matter of fact...” She paused, then said softly: “But we have both ponies and Avatars who have dedicated themselves to researching the way our worlds interact, and through the use of magic and technology, they have made some... interesting discoveries.

“That isn't something you should worry about right now, though, Sally: there are other things that you should know first.” Celestia continued quietly, gently trying to guide the conversation towards things that would probably be easier for the Avatar to process right now. Things that were closer to her immediate concerns. “I know that you want to go home. And it is well within your right to, if you truly want to. But if you leave so soon after just arriving, I can't guarantee your safety. Right now, I imagine you must be very confused, and your mind must be in a jumble, trying to process everything. Trying to just believe that all of this is real. Trying to make the jump now will leave you with regrets.”

Sally only shook her head hurriedly, then she replied uneasily: “But... I... I don't want to be here at all! I just want to go home, and... no offense to you or... or anyone else, I'm just...”

The Avatar looked back and forth, stomping her hooves a little in a fearful gesture. Celestia couldn't help but frown a bit at this in surprise, studying Sally intently: she certainly didn't seem happy to be here, but her body was translating her movements and nervous gestures very smoothly... if she didn't know better, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between this Avatar and one of her own subjects.

Most Avatars – even the ones who had spent decades in Equestria – never completely mastered their new bodies. A quadrupedal equine form was simply too different from a bipedal body for them to entirely get used to, while it seemed like habits from their human life remained as ingrained in them as from the day they had formed.

But this Avatar strode around with ease, moved and fluttered her wings, and somehow, it looked like even her nervous gestures had translated into her new body: most Avatars stumbled around as if they were drunk for the first few weeks, or continually tried to stand up on their hind hooves and toddle around like that. A few had actually managed to teach themselves to walk on their rear legs, ridiculously enough...

Sally was acting as naturally as a pony, though: Celestia saw it not just in the way that Sally moved consciously, but how she didn't seem aware of the fact she was now stepping back and forth as if she was doing her best not to pace, the ivory mare unable to repress a small smile even as the Avatar continued worriedly: “I... I don't want to offend you or anything, but I don't belong here, and... please, I would... please just like to go home.”

She was scared. She was afraid now, but Celestia only continued to study her silently for a few moments before she leaned down and said quietly: “In time, you will. I will teach you myself how to go home, with as little pain as possible, but for the moment I would like you to just... try and calm down. You're not in danger.”

Sally shifted nervously, but it wasn't that she was afraid of them hurting her now: it was thinking about home, about her father, about... being away from her family, in a world of strangers. And worse was the thought that if she tried to get home, she might hurt herself: how long did she have to wait before it would be 'safe?' And were they completely sure that time wasn't still moving in her world?

The Avatar bit her lip, looking up pleadingly at the princess... but this majestic unicorn was implacable, looking back down at her with a gaze that was somehow both kind and unrelenting all at once. She already knew that any begging or wheedling wouldn't get her anywhere, no matter how badly she wanted to get home, no matter what reasons she gave...

And yet all the same, she couldn't help but lean forwards, blurting: “I need to go home! You don't understand, I need... I have responsibilities!”

“We all have responsibilities, Sally O'Connor.” Celestia reached up and gently stroked a hoof across the Avatar's face, and Sally blushed a bit as she felt a sensation like fingers brushing across her cheek before Celestia said softly: “One of my responsibilities is to keep all Avatars as safe as possible, and I can't let you leave if there's a chance you... might not return to your world intact. I'm only asking a few days, days that I know will pass very fast for you...”

Celestia stopped, then looked past Sally with a smile as the doors at the end of the hall opened, Splinthoof walking in with a youthful, serious-looking unicorn in robes beside him who had a large, blue bird perched on one shoulder. She recognized the newcomer and his pet immediately, nodding to him and greeting: “Archibald and Persephone. Welcome, and thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Anything to help, Princess Celestia.” Worldcrafter Archibald said politely, nodding calmly to the princess before he frowned a little as he turned curious eyes towards Sally, who looked over her shoulder at the stallion... and somehow, just by looking at him, she knew that he was an Avatar, like her.

No, more than that: she looked at him, and she saw... an older man, surprisingly. Someone wise, but who had a shining inner child: someone who liked to teach, but who also liked having an excuse to have milk and cookies, who could be serious, but who loved to laugh, and to see others smile...

Sally stared at him, and Archibald looked uncomfortably back at the mare for a moment before he cleared his throat and asked gently: “Miss? What's your name?”

“Oh! Uh, hi, sorry.” Sally blushed deeply, shaking her head before she replied quickly: “I'm... my name is Sally, Mister Archibald, and uh... it's nice to meet you, sir. You... how did your end up here, if I can ask, sir?”

Archibald frowned slightly at this, reaching up and absently rubbing at his face as Splinthoof seemed confused: sure, the unicorn was a Worldcrafter, but unless Celestia had managed to fit an entire day's worth of lecturing into ten minutes...

Sally shifted nervously, wings fluttering a little, tossing her mane absently, rolling her weight on her hooves as she made her muscles jump, fidgeting on the spot. All tiny little things that normally wouldn't go noticed... but Archibald immediately caught on to these signs, studying her intently before he looked up at Celestia, asking quickly: “With no disrespect... are you sure she isn't a Figment, or perhaps a pony who... well... hit her head?”

“What? Hey, what's that supposed to mean?” Sally blurted, and then she blushed a bit even as she shook her head vehemently. “I'm... I'm from Arizona! We grow lots of lettuce and we have cows and the O'Connor farm is the only place for miles around where you can pick fresh raspberries!”

Sally stopped, then blushed even deeper and hurriedly dropped her head, mumbling: “Sorry. But I'm not... I just want to go home.”

She stopped, then looked awkwardly up at the blue bird, frowning uncertainly at it as something about the animal caught her eye, made her feel... a sizzle. It peered back at her, very much alive, intelligent... and yet at the same time, it seemed like it was... connected to the stallion. “Your uh... your pet, he seems... this is going to sound weird, but... is he real?”

It was such a dumb question that Sally couldn't even explain why she'd felt so compelled to ask it... but Archibald looked strangely pleased by it, the stallion smiling slightly before he turned his eyes towards Celestia. “I think I see why she interests you so much, princess.”

Sally only looked confused at this, giving an awkward laugh as she nervously looked back and forth before Celestia smiled a little, saying quietly: “I apologize, Sally. But you seem very perceptive, especially for an Avatar who's just arrived here.”

Archibald nodded thoughtfully, studying her intently before he turned his eyes to Celestia, bowing her head politely. “With your permission, Princess Celestia, I'd like to take young Sally to the Observatory. Don't worry, young miss. We'll make you very comfortable and you won't have to put up with more than a minimum of poking and prodding. Mostly just questions, nothing complicated or painful, and I'll be more than happy to explain everything you need to know about Equestria while you're there.”

“I... I just want to go home. You all seem really nice but... I want to go home.” Sally said weakly, trembling a bit and biting her lip as she looked back and forth between the ponies almost as if she was afraid.

Archibald smiled reassuringly, and then he said gently: “And we'll get you there, Sally, I promise. It's very easy to go home, once you know how, but it requires... some patience to learn the right way, to prepare yourself mentally for the journey. I like to think we all end up here for a reason.”

Sally didn't feel precisely reassured by this, lowering her head a little as she looked uncomfortably at the stallion, before Splinthoof said quietly: “Uh, miss, not to step on any hooves or anything, but... I'd listen to them if I were you. I've seen some Avatars rush going home, and... it's never very pretty. And you... you don't strike me as the cowardly type. Even if you do keep... panicking a little.”

“I'm... I'm not panicking.” Sally argued, blushing a bit before she shifted lamely, and her eyes automatically roved past Splinthoof to look at Pigeonface and Rune, who traded looks before Rune smiled lamely and Pigeonface nodded firmly a few times.

Sally blushed a bit at his, lowering her head a little before she sighed quietly as she glanced away: okay, maybe... maybe she was panicking just a little. Letting herself get hysterical again, when she'd already promised herself she wouldn't... what was she doing? Why was she being so... so...

The mare bit her lip, then she took a slow breath before hesitantly turning towards Celestia, looking up at the princess and reminding herself... this magical horse was royalty. More than that, this big unicorn with wings seemed to pride herself as someone who took care of others, and she radiated not just strength, but warmth, and honesty...

“I...” Sally gathered herself, steadying her mind as she fidgeted on the spot before she took a slow breath and said finally: “I... I would like to at least... hear what you have to teach me, I guess. I'll... try and wait.”

“Thank you, Sally. I have... a good feeling about you.” Celestia smiled a little, and then she instructed gently: “Archibald. Please take her and make her comfortable for the rest of the day and tonight. Answer any question she might have.”

Archibald nodded and bowed, and Celestia turned her gentle expression to Sally, the Pegasus looking up at her nervously before Celestia said softly: “I promise to get you home as soon as possible. You have my word that I will do absolutely everything in my power for you, Sally.”

Sally nodded uneasily, and then she turned when Archibald gestured to her politely. She hesitated, looking at this strange man for a moment – because that was what he was, really, whether he was in the shape of a pony or not – but then felt a funny relief when Splinthoof volunteered: “I'll go with you two. I mean, if that's alright, Princess Celestia.”

“I think it's a good idea.” Celestia said softly, studying the way Sally immediately nodded, how relieved she seemed. Her gaze remained measuring even as Sally turned, letting herself be guided away... but the princess did her best to smile reassuringly when the Avatar looked back at her uneasily before the three vanished through the doors.

The moment Sally was gone, the princess bit her lip and lowered her head a little, closing her eyes and wondering silently how she was going to convince Sally to stay... because that nondescript but natural mare might be her only chance to understand how the rift between the worlds truly worked... and how it could finally be closed.

Speak Softly, But...

Chapter Two: Speak Softly, But...
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally was laying in bed, her hooves silently resting on her chest, the soft mattress comfortable against her back. Now there was something she was sure glad for: these magic horses had furniture that could actually support their weight, and weird, kind of cartoony bodies seemed to have a lot of... human characteristics, really.

They had big eyes and made distinct facial expressions. They had smaller barrels and flexible limbs that seemed to have elbows and ball joints, letting them use their forelegs just like arms. And there was that whole... invisible fingers thing with their hooves that let them touch and interact with each other and grasp objects. She had no idea how that worked, still, but apparently it was just second nature to most ponies to use it, although they had apparently been surprised she'd caught on so fast.

But why wouldn't she? It was her body, after all. It seemed silly to think that she wouldn't be able to control her own body properly... but then again, maybe she had always just been good at... adapting to things.

Yeah. That was really showing, with all the times she'd gone into a panic attack or hysterics now... Daddy would be so disappointed with her. And Momma...

She rolled silently to the side, biting her lip and staring at the wall before she shook herself quickly, then sighed softly. What was she doing? These ponies were trying to help her, and all she could think about was how she could get back home. Arguing with them, complaining, whining... being hysterical. Both of her parents would have hated to see her like this...

No, she was going to do better than this, because she was better than this. She wasn't the kind of girl to just give in at the first sign of trouble... even if so far, well, most of what she'd managed was a whole lot of whining. But nothing bad had happened, right? And a lot of the Avatars she'd met so far here in the castle seemed pretty smart, and they said it was all perfectly natural to be a little bit anxious until you managed to catch your balance.

The mare fidgeted on the bed, then sighed and dropped her head, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself down before the worried feelings could surface again. She just... she just didn't want to be here, stuck like this, in a world that apparently was some silly kid's cartoon in her own or something. My Little Pony, really? God, it made it even creepier that so many of the Avatars she saw were men. Older men, at that.

Okay, maybe that was a little mean, but still... it was weird as hell that they were all here. That there was some... magical connection between their worlds or something. From what she'd learned so far, this was essentially a kind of dream world, where time spiraled in on itself constantly: people here changed, but never aged, just like the world never seemed to run out of natural resources, landmarks never dulled, and ponies had the power to change not just the weather, but the shape of the world itself. To sculpt it to their liking, making the impossible possible.

Avatars were apparently very common: there were entire communities of them here in Equestria, self-sufficient little societies based around some subset of this pony culture. And apparently the Avatars had the power to affect this magical world as well: they couldn't create or shape as the ponies had been taught to, but instead their cumulative belief – and in some cases, a powerful enough will or imagination – could create Figments: magical creatures literally imagined into reality.

Figments could take on any shape or form and had spread far and wide throughout Equestria, but because they were brought to life by belief and willpower, apparently it was mostly popular characters that had been 'canonized,' so to speak. It kind of weirded Sally out to think that apparently a bunch of these Avatars enjoyed someone's fanfiction enough that they had actually brought creatures and characters out of the stories and to actual, sentient life.

Some Avatars apparently even specialized in creating Figments, although these had some other special technical name Sally couldn't remember. She just knew that these Figments were usually much shorter lived: Figments that had appeared because of the belief of the masses of Avatars were almost as real as the rest of this magical world, and behaved as if they were actually alive.

She had also learned this wasn't exactly a perfect world: the Avatars didn't all get along. As a matter of fact, there were large fractions between the many different groups, and over the century or so since they had first appeared, their presence had brought a lot of chaos and violence to what had once been a very peaceful world. Many of the Avatars thought that they could live out every fantasy they'd ever had once they arrived in this world, and didn't take well to when their fantasies didn't exactly mesh well together with the reality of this weird place.

Apparently Princess Celestia had been forced to actually create a training course for Avatars that most of them were forced to go through when they arrived, to teach them about the world and all the things they were not to do. It was something Sally was being spared only because she still had no idea what the hell was going on: she had no idea who any of these ponies were, and some of the other Avatars she had met had already scoffed at her, like she was lying for attention or trying to make up a story for sympathy or something like that.

She really couldn't care less about the main six, whoever they were, and Princess Celestia was very nice, but she was more amazed by the fact that she was a giant talking magical horse than anything else. To her, it was cooler that there were real dragons out there than magic horses, and she didn't think unicorns were amazing because of some really awkward 'superior race with magic' thing, but because they were so pretty and they were supposed to be pure and noble.

She guessed that myth probably was exactly that, though... a myth, since apparently unicorns were just one of the three races of ponies that lived in this world. The other two were earth ponies – she didn't know why they were 'earth ponies,' she thought they were just 'talking horses' – and Pegasi. And everyone called Celestia an alicorn, but that struck her as kind of funny. Still, hey, if it was what they wanted to call her, that was fine by her. They could call Celestia a bugaboo for all she cared. To her, Celestia was just going to continue to be the big nice magical talking unicorn princess.

Sally sighed, then finally rolled out of bed and landed easily on her hooves, cracking her back and flapping her wings once at her side before she grimaced a little. She looked at the door for a moment, biting her lip, then glanced around the mostly-empty guest room they had put her in: she really wanted to get up. Her body was used to getting up at five every morning, and... well, why lie? No matter how much she wanted to go home, she also couldn't stand just sitting around here doing nothing and... it would be neat to explore.

The Avatar approached the door, then she pushed it easily open before striding out, keeping one foreleg up over her eyes and moving as smoothly on three legs as she had on all four as she peered around childishly for a few moments. Sally didn't even notice her own odd control over her pony body, though, looking back and forth before she smiled: it seemed even in Equestria, ponies must like to sleep in.

She made her way quietly through the empty halls, looking curiously back and forth: she wasn't precisely sure if she was supposed to be doing this or not, or everyone was supposed to stay in their rooms until some kind of bell or signal. But she could always claim ignorance, and hey. She wanted to go home as soon as possible, anyway... might as well give them a little more reason to not want her hanging around here.

Sally smiled despite herself, studying the architecture, the paintings and décor... okay, maybe it was kind of cool here. And that Archibald guy had been a little bossy but okay, and she liked Splinthoof quite a bit, and his friends Pigeonface and Rune seemed really nice to hang out with.

The Avatar lost herself in thought as she wandered the halls, until she found her way into a private gallery. She studied the pictures without seeing most of them... that was, until she came to a massive painting that depicted Celestia, another unicorn with wings who was a deep blue, and a whole bunch of different ponies all standing together in front of what looked like some kind of... tower?

She studied this huge painting curiously: it was at the very back of the room, kept safe under a heavy pane of glass, and stretched from the floor to the ceiling. It was intricately detailed, but... not photographic. No, the artist had been very careful to make something about it... not cartoony, no, but also not fully realistic. Exaggerated, maybe that was the best word for it...

Sally studied it intently: the art just... spoke to her. And those ponies with Celestia and the blue pony, she could tell somehow that they were all Avatars, and... wait.

She frowned a little, eyes narrowing a bit as she studied one of the ponies intently, who was... yes. He had been painted over, replaced by a unicorn that looked almost generic, featureless. She frowned a little at this... then yelped when a hoof touched her back, staggering around in a circle and staring in shock up at Princess Celestia.

But the princess only smiled in amusement down at her, seeming much more relaxed than she had been yesterday before the ivory mare said softly: “I see you've found the Renaissance. This painting symbolizes one of our most important treaties ponykind made with the Avatars.”

Sally looked curiously at Celestia as the princess fell silent for a moment, studying the painting... and the Avatar could see her eyes lingering on that painted over spot, even as she explained quietly: “Shortly after the Avatars began to arrive here in Equestria, their knowledge and ours was combined to create a... a machine. A rift generator, that would stretch the rift between our worlds wider, to allow more of your people to come here and experience the happiness and harmony of Equestria. It only seemed fair, because the Avatars brought with them a wealth of knowledge...”

Celestia stopped, then shook her head slowly as she looked down, saying softly: “We all had... only the best intentions. They thought our world was... was paradise, and they were so kind. So good-natured, and taught us so much. And... I won't lie, Sally. Everypony, myself included, was awed by the fact that we were something loved and adored in your world, that had such a vast following...”

She smiled briefly, then chuckled quietly... but there was such sadness in her eyes as she gazed silently at the reflection of herself in the painting. “We made such a mistake, Sally. So many Avatars came through, and brought with them... so many Figments. I... I want to give my love, my compassion, my empathy to each and every one of them, and yet... I can't. It's all just gone terribly wrong.”

She quieted, looking down, and Sally shifted uncomfortably before she looked quietly ahead herself. She liked people, she thought people were great... but she'd been around enough girls to know how rabid they could be in defense of their make-believe TV boyfriends. And some of the grown men she'd met reminded her a whole lot of some of those girls...

Sally looked at the painting again, and then she hesitated before looking up at Celestia, asking quietly: “That uh... that one... spot on the painting, is that... I mean, was he the one who...”

Celestia smiled briefly, her eyes flicking towards Sally and studying her quietly before she said softly: “That painted-over spot is something I am incredibly ashamed of, Sally. I made a mistake long ago, and that Avatar took the blame for it.

“I actually wanted to speak to you about him.” Celestia continued, and Sally looked up in surprise before the rainbow-maned mare turned her full attention towards the Avatar. When she spoke next, though, it seemed to be on a completely different subject... although her father had done this same thing to her enough times she had a creeping sensation in her stomach that she wasn't going to like what was coming next. “I heard from Archibald that you have a natural skill for seeing the connections between Figments and Avatars, and for seeing behind an Avatar's mask. Usually, Avatars take years to develop those skills: they're necessary for jobs concerning pony-Avatar relations.”

Sally looked uncomfortably up at Celestia, and then she gave a hesitant nod before saying awkwardly: “I... I don't want a job, though. And I don't want to spend years here, either.”

Celestia laughed quietly at this, shaking her head slowly before she replied gently: “I don't want you spending years here, either, but... I was hoping that you would run an errand for me. I know this is a lot to ask. I know that you want to go home. But all of Equestria would owe you a debt for this one, simple task, and... this is something I don't think anyone else can do.”

“What? Why not?” Sally asked nervously, looking uneasily up at the princess... and oh, god, did it have to be a princess asking her to do this? Because she was kind of scared of what was going to happen if she said no, no matter how gentle and kind and compassionate she seemed...

And no. She didn't want to go off on some stupid, whirlwind adventure, did she? She wanted to go home, and as soon as possible! Adventuring, exploring this world, that was... that was just dumb. Especially because she was a horse and there were all kinds of crazy people out there, from what she'd learned.

But Celestia only smiled at her gently, then she said softly: “Because you are not a... 'brony' or a 'pegasister,' as some of the Avatars still call themselves. Because your biggest interest is honestly in leaving this world. And because you can see through Figments and the masks that Avatars wear. Sally, I... I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I believe you were brought here for a reason, and...”

Celestia looked down, and then she closed her eyes and silently lowered herself in front of the mare, Sally staring in shock as the princess humbled himself before her and asked in a whisper: “Please help me fix my mistake. I love the Avatars, but I need to take care of Equestria, first and foremost. I have to close the rift... but I can't do that without the help of the Avatars who helped build it in the first place. Please, Sally O'Connor. Please, at least hear me out.”

The mare looked up at her, trembling, and Sally felt her heart breaking before she sighed quietly, unable to tear her gaze away as she bit her lip and then nodded hesitantly. What other choice did she have, after all?

Celestia smiled faintly, then stood slowly before she said quietly: “Thank you.” She halted, then closed her eyes and took a breath, steadying herself. Sally didn't rush her... she was in no rush herself, after all. She didn't even want to do this, but... well... she couldn't turn her back on them, could she? And she hadn't promised anything yet, just... just decided to hear what the princess had to say. She was a princess, after all: upsetting her would probably not be a good idea.

Sally shifted uncomfortably, and then she looked up attentively as Celestia explained: “My sister and myself worked with ten Avatars to build the rift machine, each with a different specialty. They not only built the machine, but protected it and warded it. Many of these security measures I am capable of dispelling myself, but... not all.

“Only three of these Avatars are left now. One is a Worldcrafter, and one is a Designer; these two still live here in Canterlot. Between them, they have been able to disable most of the physical barriers and wards, and I can disable any of the magical protection that remains.” Celestia halted, then shook her head slowly, closing her eyes. “But the third is a Dream Weaver, and he is the pony who was banished. We need him to decipher and remove the last of the barriers around the machine.”

Sally frowned uneasily at this, then she asked finally: “Why do you need me, then? I mean... you... you can just unbanish him, can't you? I mean... no disrespect intended...”

“I've asked him to come back to Canterlot many times. But he's...” Celestia smiled briefly. “He's very good at holding a grudge. I've sent others in the past as well, but none of them have ever succeeded. He's always been... difficult.”

“Then why do you think I can...” The Avatar grimaced a bit, flapping her wings uneasily before furling them tight to her sides, looking nervously up at the princess. “I... I hate to tell you this, but I've never really been all that good with people, and a lot of these other Avatars... I really... don't get along with at all...”

Celestia only smiled again, reaching up to gently touch Sally on the shoulder as she said quietly: “I don't expect you two to get along. But I do think that unlike most others, he'll hear you out. And you won't be going alone: I'll send you with an escort of Royal Guard to meet with another Avatar, who can take you to where he lives and tell you how to deal with him. All I'm asking is that you try, Sally. The rift generator has to be shut down one way or the other: this would be the safest way. If we don't shut it down... more Avatars and innocent victims like you are going to end up pulled into this world, and I'm worried about what that will mean for Equestria.”

She stopped, then lowered her head and murmured: “I've been worried for a long time, as a matter of fact... but... I never had someone like you here in Equestria before. I never had the proof I needed to act, and I don't want to have to bring Datura here by force. He probably hates Equestria enough as it is.”

“Datura?” Sally looked curiously at the painted-over Avatar, and then she returned her eyes to Celestia, who smiled briefly and nodded to her slowly. “Wait, and he hates it here? But if he hates it, why doesn't he just leave? Anyone can, right?”

“Because of the other reason I'm sure that he'll come here if you contact him, Sally. Datura is... troubled, but he's also loyal, and he has a strict code of honor. Before he left here, he made a promise that I... mistook for a threat at the time. He promised that when there was proof everything had gone wrong, he would come back to Canterlot and help me fix it, if I asked.” Celestia lowered her head, closing her eyes. “You are that proof. That is why I need you to do this, and why I know that he won't hurt you.”

There was silence for a few moments as Sally digested this, and then she shifted nervously backwards before asking uneasily: “Datura... he's hurt people in the past though, hasn't he?”

Celestia sighed softly, opening her eyes and saying quietly: “Datura was trained as a Dream Weaver: that means he was trained to create dreams and fantasies for ponies. He was very good at it, but... I never realized that he was... unstable to begin with.

“When you spend all your time crafting dreams, writing stories for others to experience, mixing and matching emotions... it can become very addicting, and very dangerous. Sometimes you lose touch with reality.” Celestia looked away silently, and Sally frowned uneasily. That wasn't fear or anger in her eyes... that was shame again, even more bitter now that it had been before. “Certain people are more vulnerable to this than others. Those with fragile minds, those who have experienced trauma or who have fragmented part of their personality, whether because they are trying to suppress some part of themselves or because of some other unpleasant event in their life.

“Datura started crafting... nightmares, which he would then experience every detail of himself. He would monitor them, study their effects. He experimented on a few willing subjects and on his own mind.” Celestia shook her head slowly, as Sally leaned backwards with a shiver. “I don't understand why to this day. It wasn't for power... at least, not for power over others.

“He became... fascinated with pain and suffering. It took over his mind like a drug: he became addicted to it. He began to make more intense and diabolical nightmares, torturing others, and himself... although I suppose by that point, Datura was enjoying the experience.” Celestia bit her lip, looking down and shaking her head quietly again. “He was finally expelled from the Dream Weavers by Luna herself because... because they were afraid of him. Because I was afraid of him, Sally.”

She stopped, then sighed softly and murmured: “And when the first opportunity to get rid of him came, we all pounced on it and he was banished from Canterlot by unanimous decision. No one came forwards to defend him. Datura didn't even defend himself. But he said that he'd be back, when everything fell apart. Now, everything is falling apart, and... we need him back.”

Sally shifted worriedly, looking uneasily up at Celestia before she asked in a weak voice: “What... what was he exiled for?”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Celestia sighed softly before she lowered her head and murmured: “He and an Avatar had an... altercation. I don't honestly know who started the fight or how it began: I do know that while Datura broke one of his hooves, but his aggressor was left with much worse than physical injuries.”

Sally looked uncomfortably at the mare, and then she shook her head hurriedly, saying finally: “I... I can't do this, I'm sorry. I just can't.”

Celestia sighed a little, studying Sally silently for a few moments before she asked quietly: “And what are you going to do if in the future, one of your brothers ends up trapped in Equestria?”

Sally froze up a little at this, and then she gritted her teeth and shook her head quickly, saying sharply: “No, that's not going to happen and... even if it does, there's the time difference, right? They'll wake up, right as rain and-”

“And what if something does happen, Sally?” Celestia asked, her voice remaining calm and even... but her eyes were terribly sad, and somehow the gentility of her words make them hit so much harder than if she had been trying to threaten her. “What if one of your brothers came here and was hurt? And what would your family think of you, if they found out that you'd turned your back on us?”

Sally looked down, biting her lip uneasily and shifting from hoof-to-hoof. Celestia looked at her steadily even as she lowered her head in silent apology, but now the Avatar was lost in her own thoughts, feeling the deeply ingrained sense of responsibility and family pushing back against common sense and the desire to simply abandon this all and leave...

She had no place here. She didn't belong here, didn't want to help, didn't think this was even her problem. And yet at the same time... she was a part of this, whether she wanted to be or not. And she had fallen into this snare... so what was to stop it from happening to other people she knew? What if she turned her back on this, here and now, ran away and didn't help these magical horses... and when she came to, she found out her brother had vanished and... and...

No, this was stupid. She was being guilt tripped and shamed by a stupid talking horse, and she had just learned that even princess unicorns weren't so pure of heart after all, it seemed. Hitting her right where it hurt, right where she knew that... no matter how slim the chances were that her own family could get hurt...

She looked up, and it wasn't anger or even frustration she felt: more like resignation, and a faint, tingling shame of her own, because that same part that had been so ashamed of her freaking out was now ashamed of her for trying to convince herself it was okay to turn her back on these magic horses. Sure, she was scared, but... Daddy always said... “I'll help. It's... it's the right thing to do, I guess.”

Celestia gave a relieved, brilliant smile even as she blushed a little, saying softly: “I'm sorry that it had to come to that, Sally, that I had to... be a little unpleasant. But our worlds are tied together, and the fact that you're here means that it's possible that... something could happen.”

Sally grimaced a bit, not wanting to think about that anymore as she only nodded uncomfortably a few times before she sighed a little. “How... how am I supposed to do this, Princess Celestia? Everything else aside, I'm just a girl stuck in a flying horse's body.”

“None of the Avatars that arrived here are anything more or less than humans, from your world. And as I have learned, they are all capable of very great things.” Celestia encouraged, and the Avatar nodded awkwardly a few times before the princess said in a softer voice: “I would like you to leave as soon as possible. It won't take long to have a sky chariot readied for you, although my soldiers can only escort you one way.”

“Then how do I get back?” asked Sally incredulously, not exactly keen on the thought of... wait, wait, wait. “And Datura doesn't exactly sound like the most friendly guy around: you want me to what, to just walk back with him, alone?”

Celestia studied her for a few moments, and then she nodded briefly: for one horrible moment, Sally thought it was confirmation of her worst fears before the princess said hesitantly: “I can have Splinthoof assigned to escort you, if you would like that. I can't spare any other soldiers, though: there's... too much up in the air at the moment.”

Sally smiled, though, looking up with relief at Celestia and nodding a few times before she replied with honest gratitude: “I... I would really appreciate that, really. And I mean... it's not that far away, right?”

“You should arrive at your destination in a few hours by sky chariot. But Datura only consistently accepts the company of one Avatar, named Whisper. She lives with a Figment near the Black Forest... you'll have to convince her you need Datura's help, but I'll send an official order with you. She's always respected it in the past.” Celestia replied reassuringly, and Sally looked up at her with a grimace, trying to get this all straight in her head. “Whisper will guide you to Datura's home in the Black Forest, and you will have to speak to him alone. I cannot emphasize that enough. I know that thought must scare you, but he won't hurt you as long as you're polite and cautious.”

Sally shifted slowly at this, making a face as her wings fluttered: she'd heard that same thing said about bulls and bears... “Ma'am, I... how can you be so sure about that? I hate to say it, but he sounds like he's... a little crazy. How do you know that all those years alone...”

Celestia only shook her head, replying softly: “Because no matter what else he is, Datura has always clung to a code of honor, a set of rules that he bases his entire life around. And if you can get him to give his word on something, he'll maintain it, no matter what. That was always his best quality.”

“So he's an honest psychopath, is basically what you're telling me.” Sally blurted before she could stop herself, and Celestia frowned at her before the Avatar gave a weak grin. “Sorry, ma'am... I just... I'm just scared.”

“I know. But don't let fear of the unknown make you hate something before you've even looked at it.” Celestia responded gently but firmly, shaking her head briefly before she gave a faint smile. “I know I'm asking a lot of you, Sally. I just don't want to see you approaching this from the worst possible standpoint, because if you expect Datura to hurt you and bully you, he will hurt you and bully you. But if you treat him with respect and kindness, then he'll treat you with the same.”

Sally shifted on her hooves, and then she asked hesitantly: “Please don't take this the wrong way, Princess Celestia, but... if he's... this important to you, then why haven't you gone to get him yourself? I mean... he'd listen to you, right?”

“No, he won't.” Celestia shook her head briefly, looking down and closing her eyes. “I have tried, Sally. I have, and even Princess Luna has, in spite of the fact that they were... never on very good terms. Even Twilight Sparkle, my faithful protege, has tried her hoof at getting him to cooperate. But he won't listen to us. He doesn't care about what we want, Sally, but he will come if you give him proof that we need him.”

Sally shifted uncomfortably, and then she asked uneasily: “Aren't there other ways around the machine's protection, though? I mean, can't you just... you're unicorns, you're magical. You must be able to magic through if you really wanted to.”

“We want to shut the rift machine down and then take it apart gently, not simply destroy it. If we were to just overcharge the machine or smash through the protective barriers, we risk a pulse that will either destroy the rift, or rip a physical wound in reality itself.” replied Celestia, shaking her head briefly. “Either we would trap the Avatars here, or we risk not having just Avatars, but actual inhabitants of other worlds wandering into ours...”

Celestia grimaced a bit, and Sally bit her lip, studying the princess silently. She saw the problem there, certainly... she didn't know much about this world, but she did know one thing: you didn't let the fangirls run the show. If you did, things got... messy.

Just like this world had gotten messy... and she was supposed to help fix it? Sally sighed at this thought, but then bit her lip before she looked up and said quietly: “I'll do my best. But... I guess... I should try and learn some more about this Datura guy.”

Celestia smiled and visibly brightened a little at this, and Sally looked curiously at the ivory mare before the princess said finally: “I'm just happy to see you taking the initiative, that's all. But... come with me. He wrote, often, while he was here: I think you can learn a lot from his journals and his other works.”

Sally nodded hesitantly after a moment, and then she gave a hesitant smile in return before nodding slowly. At least that would give her some idea of the kind of person she was dealing with...

Five hours later found Sally sitting in the Canterlot library with stacks of journals and sheafs of badly-collated paper piled high on the desk in front of her, the mare's head aching as she read page after page of rambling journal entries and poetry that she either didn't understand or made her feel horribly depressed. Very little of what Datura wrote made sense: it was all a mishmash of madness and thoughts and emotions... and there was precious little actual personal information.

Sure, these journals told her a little about him, gave her sort of a feel for him, but a lot of what she was reading were half-finished stories, manuscripts, and random complaining and whining about this or that. And the poetry. Oh, there was so much poetry and she didn't get even half of it and it was just annoying the hell out of her.

Sally slumped at the table... then blinked and looked up in surprise as a unicorn touched her shoulder, the mare opening her mouth... then doing a double take as she realized she was looking up at Splinthoof. But he was out of his armor, wearing a large leather jacket – wait, would a horse wear leather or is that weird? – and with a...

She stared for a moment, then looked up and asked awkwardly: “Why are you wearing a bib?”

“It's a cravat.” Splinthoof said testily, reaching up and touching the red piece of cloth hanging around his neck, which had the emblem of the sun sewn on the rather-gaudy material.

“I hate to tell you this, but that just makes it even worse.” Sally said teasingly, smiling despite herself as she leaned back a little and gazed with entertainment over the unicorn, who glowered at her grumpily. “A cravat though, really? I just mean... really?”

“Really. And here I was, actually worried about you.” Splinthoof grumbled, and Sally blushed a little before the unicorn glanced at the piles and piles of journals and books, poking absently at them before he asked mildly: “So you want to stay here and read your books, or do you want to get going on this journey? Sky chariot's ready.”

The mare hated that she actually felt relief at this, nodding quickly and shoving herself away from the table as she mumbled: “Please. Putting my life in danger sounds like a little slice of heaven right now. Anything to get away from all this.”

“You might be craving this after we start on the journey, Sally.” Splinthoof said dryly, picking up one of the journals before he cocked his head curiously as the Avatar picked up a satchel and tossed several of the journals into this. “Uh. Think you should save that for more important supplies.”

“These are important. I need to figure out as much as I can about him. I put these books aside because they've got the most information out of everything else I've found so far.” the mare responded with a shake of her head. “Besides, you're a soldier, right? You've had survival training, and I know a thing or two about living off the land. After we get Datura, I can give him these books and we can resupply on the road. Easy-peasy.”

“Easy. Peasy.” repeated Splinthoof, and when Sally gave him a look, the unicorn huffed, then reached out and snatched the satchel away from her as she began to close it, flicking his horn to tighten the straps with magic before he threw it easily over one shoulder, even as the Avatar glared at him. “What? Oh, don't worry, I'm not doing it because you're a mare, miss. I'm doing it because if I don't take this bag away from you, you're going to try and put that whole table in there.”

“I was done!” Sally complained, and then she huffed before pushing herself away from the table and following quickly as Splinthoof only turned away, the two trotting in step with each other as she grumbled: “You know, you're not doing a very good job of protecting me so far. You and your... cravat. What are you going to do when he attacks me, huh?”

Splinthoof only grimaced a little at this, and Sally softened a bit as she glanced up at him before the stallion smiled at her briefly, shaking his head quickly. “Hey, let's uh... let's just not think about that too much, okay? My job is to protect you, but if you tick the crazy pony off, I might have to let him slap you around a little.”

Sally couldn't help but smile in amusement despite herself, replying wryly: “Oh, what, is that what you big tough men do in this world? Let the womenfolk get put in their proper place?”

“I'm a stallion, not a man. And I'll have you know we stallions take excellent care of our mares.” Splinthoof replied in a falsely-outraged voice, and then he rose his head and added primly: “It's just that you aren't much of one.”

Sally laughed, and it was an honest, happy laugh as she shook her head slowly, then smiled at him radiantly, blushing a little before she said finally: “You're a lot more relaxed, Splinty. And uh... hey... thanks for agreeing to come with me.”

“It... well, it's not being on official duty, for one thing. For another, it's...” Splinthoof blushed a bit, looking away and saying awkwardly: “Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I guess I forget sometimes you're an Avatar. It makes it a lot easier to be natural with you. And hey... thanks for... thanks for asking for me to come along. It means a lot.”

Sally smiled a little: from Splinthoof, being thought of as just another pony felt... strangely complementary. So she only nodded shyly, still blushing a bit before she cleared her throat and looked ahead, asking finally: “Hey uh, then if you're not on duty... maybe you can tell me, off the record, what you think about this whole mission. Not to be rude or anything, but Princess Celestia seems to have a lot of faith in him, but... I'm just kind of worried that... you know...”

Splinthoof bit his lip, hesitating a moment before he said quietly: “Princess Celestia puts a lot of faith in her ponies, but... she'd never willingly put us into danger. If she honestly believes that so long as we're careful, he won't hurt us... I'm inclined to believe her.”

The Avatar looked curiously at Splinthoof, but he only smiled briefly over at her before shrugging a little. “Hey, she's never led us wrong before, and I've been serving her for at least seventy years. Always dreamed of maybe one day working my way up to Dervish, since I was a foal.”

“Seventy years?” Sure, Sally had learned a little about how time was strange here, and the ponies were all essentially immortal, but all the same... “I never realized how old you were... but... that means, well, new ponies can be born?”

“Yeah.” Splinthoof looked at the mare with amusement, then he shrugged a bit and patted himself on the chest. “And I'm not that old, you know. A lot of us were alive before you Avatars showed up. But I guess time's gotten a bit funnier since you all started coming here... the Avatars have forced a lot of progress that I think Equestria would have been perfectly happy without, and now things don't... change back as quickly as they used to in the old days.”

Sally looked curiously at the stallion for a few moments, and then she looked down thoughtfully before asking quietly: “I wonder what that means for all of you magical horses...”

“Just... ponies, please.” Splinthoof said mildly, and Sally gave him an amused look before the stallion said wryly: “Hey, just trying to give you some helpful advice here, that's all. You saying stuff like that isn't going to help you make any friends, that's all.”

Sally shrugged a bit at this, and then she turned her eyes forwards as they continued down the hall together, the mare studying the world around them with fascination and maybe... a little more appreciation now. The longer she stayed here, the more she realized that... these ponies were really doing their best to accommodate her and everyone else, and she had no reason not to trust them anymore. Even if Celestia was asking her for something that felt enormous...

She bit her lip, but remained quiet until they left the palace and headed into a field, where a large chariot was waiting for them, with an escort of Pegasus soldiers already standing at attention around it. They all saluted as the two approached, and Sally blushed as Splinthoof smiled before saying wryly: “I think this is the first time I've ever gotten any respect from the troops.”

“Don't worry sir, we don't respect you at all.” came Pigeonface's voice, and Sally looked up in surprise to see the familiar stallion was actually one of the soldiers harnessed to the front of the chariot, as several other Royal Guard laughed and Splinthoof only replied with what Sally guessed was a vulgar gesture. “Yeah, well at least I'm not trying to butter up the Avatar, Splinty!”

“Oh, right, yes. I was the one who kept getting shot down by her after she arrived.” Splinthoof replied with amusement, and then he smiled over at Sally, gesturing easily to her. “Come on. These things are pretty steady. All you have to do is hold on, and let these guys do the rest. You can handle that at least, right?”

“You're a jerk.” Sally flicked him lightly with one wing as she passed, and the unicorn wrinkled up his muzzle before sneezing loudly. He huffed and wiped quickly at his nose as Sally stepped into the chariot, then hopped quickly up beside her, absently reaching out to correct the position of her hooves on the handlebar... is it still called a handlebar when we don't have hands?

But she was distracted from her silly thoughts by that... tingling sensation, that weird and inexplicable sense of invisible fingers guiding her own. She didn't fight it, smiling awkwardly as Splinthoof explained: “It's nice and stable, don't worry, but better safe than sorry, especially when you're a beginner. That feeling of weightlessness can confuse you.”

Sally only nodded awkwardly, then she cleared her throat before she looked back and forth at all the ponies in golden armor with wings... then cocked her head curiously as she noted one or two had horns as well. But she immediately recognized they were also Avatars... “Hey, uh... so are there other ponies like the princesses in Equestria?”

“You mean the alicorns, as they call them? No ponies, only Avatars.” replied Splinthoof absently, and Sally could swear that he was trying to suppress a scowl. “They aren't... they aren't the worst people, not all of them... you can't judge a book and all that...”

“Yet you kind of want to.” Sally said mildly, and Splinthoof winced before glaring at her pointedly, but the mare was undeterred as she asked curiously: “What's wrong with them? They're just ponies with wings and horns. I mean, I kind of wish that I could do magic, too, as well as fly.”

“It's just... it's not... it's just not...” fumbled the stallion, and then he sighed before looking grumpily ahead, saying crankily: “Let's go, guys!”

Pigeonface laughed, then flapped his wings hard before looking back and forth, whistling loudly to get the attention of the rest of the Royal Guard. “Alright, colts and fillies! All of you, get yourselves together and get ready, we've got a special escort duty today and I don't want to have to carry all of you by myself, you hear?”

“They're gonna be the ones carrying you, Pigeonface.” Splinthoof said mildly, and the Pegasus glared over his shoulder at the unicorn as the others laughed. But Splinthoof straightened after a moment, smiling before he shouted clearly: “Okay, you heard Pigeonface! Forwards flight!”

The Pegasi all gave a shout of agreement before the escorting ponies ran forwards first, making sure the path was clear as Pigeonface and the other Pegasi pulling the heavy carriage followed quickly in their wake: they started slow, but accelerated rapidly, Sally's eyes widening before she gasped as the Pegasi leapt upwards and flapped their wings hard, and the entire carriage took off the ground as if it was lighter than air, the Avatar flinching in shock as her head swam and she clung with all her might to the handlebar...

And then they were in the air, actually flying. Her mouth worked slowly as her eyes widened to the size of plates, and she felt her own wings spreading naturally, tasting the wind and the open sky for the first time from the safety of the chariot. She laughed weakly, looking back and forth with awe as her whole body trembled, and then she whispered: “Oh wow...”

Splinthoof couldn't help but smile over at the Avatar, watching how she reacted so... so naturally. And he honestly enjoyed how much she seemed to be thriving in this experience, studying her intently before he asked softly: “What do you think?”

“Wow...” was all that Sally managed to repeat, as she stared in awe out over the front of the chariot, watching as the city below whipped past them. They were rising steadily higher and higher as they moved faster, and the mare laughed in disbelief before she looked up with shining eyes at Splinthoof, saying excitedly: “W-We're flying! We're really flying!”

The unicorn only gave her an amused smile before he nodded, replying softly: “Yeah. We're really flying. And hey, if you stay here long enough, you know... you could learn to fly, too.”

“I... I could, couldn't I?” The mare looked back at her wings, flexing them slowly and marveling at this thought before she smiled warmly, turning her eyes back towards Splinthoof. “Then I... I hope I can learn fast. I... I really don't want to be here for longer than I have to, I mean, I... I'm just...”

She blushed a little, but Splinthoof only smiled again before he reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently, saying quietly: “Maybe you should just concentrate on the job at hoof for now, and enjoy the flight. We'll get you home, Sally, one way or another. But nothing says you can't enjoy this experience along the way.”

Sally felt a strange gratitude well through her body as she looked at the stallion... and then she bit her lip before nodding firmly once, saying quietly: “You're right. Thanks, Splinty. Sometimes, I think, I just... I just need to hear things out loud.”

Splinthoof only smiled and shrugged in response, then he turned his eyes back forwards. For a few moments, the Avatar studied the stallion with something like fascination... and then she blushed a little before turning her own eyes forwards, and gazing down to watch as the ground below whipped by and they shot through low-hanging clouds...

God, it was freeing. It was wonderful, the greatest experience she had ever had, being up here. And she had never felt as happy as she had right now, either: being here, in the air, even if it was under the power of the others and she knew she was heading somewhere wild and dangerous... all the same, it filled her with warmth and joy and utter... amazement. Happiness. This was true happiness.

The flight was far too short, hours of quick, hard travel passing in what felt like minutes to her before the flight team went into a steep, low dive. To their credit, though, the sky chariot only bounced a little before they slowed to a halt on a dusty road, and Sally felt her legs trembling with exhilaration as she stepped down and out of the sky chariot and shook herself briskly out, breathing slowly before she flapped her wings a few times and murmured: “Amazing.”

Splinthoof smiled despite himself as he gestured at the other soldiers, then he strode over to the mare, leaning down and saying quietly: “The others have to take off. I think they'd appreciate it if you said goodbye to them, though, Sally. I'm normally not much for minding manners, but...”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely! They have to leave already?” Sally was surprised... and a little disappointed, admittedly, as she blushed a bit and turned quickly towards the platoon of soldiers that had escorted them here.

The unicorn only nodded calmly, saying softly: “This is a lot of troops, even for a big escort mission like this. It's going to draw attention to the area as it is: it's best they don't stick around and attract the attention of anything further. Some groups of … of bandits get pretty brave when they're on the ground.”

Sally frowned for a moment... and then her eyes widened slightly before she whispered: “You mean Avatars. But why would Avatars attack you ponies? You're all so nice, and... and some of them are Avatars, too!”

Splinthoof only gave a brief smile, and then he shook his head before he was spared answering by Pigeonface calling easily: “Hey, Sally! You watch out for that guy, okay? Don't let him out of your sight, I know what he likes to think about doing to young pretty mares.”

“Well, he never did a thing to you, Pigeonface, and I haven't seen a younger, prettier mare since I arrived.” Sally retorted before she could stop himself, and the gathered soldiers laughed loudly as Pigeonface groaned and threw his front hooves up in disgust. But then, before he could pull away, the mare strode quickly past the sky chariot and leaned in to give him a firm peck on the cheek, the Pegasus' eyes widening dumbly before she said softly: “Take care of yourself. Thank you.”

Pigeonface grinned, then he only cleared his throat and waved a hoof absently, replying easily: “Hey, no big thing! I uh... just doin' my duty, that's all!”

Pigeonface attempted to lean backwards against something, likely meaning to try and look cool... and instead, all he did was flop over on his back in the dirt, earning more laughter from his audience. Sally only smiled in amusement herself at this, shaking her head slowly before she waved to the other soldiers, calling out 'thank you's' and 'good luck' to them as they turned and began to march away down the road.

She dropped her hoof after a moment, then smiled awkwardly over at Splinthoof as he nodded to her, before the Pegasus asked finally: “So how do we find this... Whisper, right?”

“I think she found us.” Splinthoof replied softly, pointing down the road, and the Avatar looked up in surprise before her eyes widened a little as she saw a figure watching them apprehensively from a short distance away.

It was definitely an Avatar: she was an earth pony with a pale gray coat, her eyes big and dark and nervous. She was a little bruised, and a little dirty, and a lot distracted: Sally was willing to bet that all these things had to do with each other... although she also noted the headphones hanging around the mare's neck, the quill in her mane, and the cutie mark of musical notes on her flank.

She shifted a little on hooves that had been painted purple, but the paint had long since started to flake; from pacing and fidgeting, Sally guessed, from the way that Whisper moved, clicking her hooves against the ground and rubbing them against her own legs.

Sally smiled as wide as she could, almost creeping towards this mare as Splinthoof cleared his throat, following along beside the Pegasus Avatar and studying her before deciding to just follow her lead. This was definitely their contact, but she did seem... jumpy...

“Hi... you're Whisper, right? I'm Sally, and this is Splinthoof. You can take us to Datura, right?” the mare asked quietly, and Whisper looked at them, her eyes betraying unease even as she did her best to smile at them and nod.

“I can, yeah. I... I just got the letter from Princess Celestia.” Whisper said softly after a moment, and she bit her lip for a bare second before smiling again, a little wider now... although it still didn't quite reach her eyes, Sally noted. “You must have come straight from Canterlot, yeah? I haven't been there in a long time, I used to... go a lot.”

She stopped, then gestured over her shoulder, asking finally: “Do you want to come back to my place? I have a nice little house... I live there with uh... with my brother. I mean, he's a Figment, but he's my brother. We could rest before going to see... Datura.”

A pause before she spoke her name. Sally shifted uneasily before replying candidly: “Splinthoof and I were cramped in that sky chariot thing for a few hours, and we're on a pretty tight schedule... why don't you show us the way? Maybe we can all stop in on the way back.”

Whisper gave a hesitant nod, biting her lip and looking a little uncomfortable before Sally added: “And maybe you could tell us about him on the way?”

“Yeah, I could. A little.” Whisper replied after a moment, looking between the two before she said softly, almost more to herself than them: “He's not a bad guy. He just gets treated badly.”

“I just want to talk to him. See if we can convince him to help... I don't want to hurt him.” promised Sally, raising a hoof... and Whisper studied her silently for a few moments before she gave a small smile, and the Pegasus Avatar felt some small relief at this: maybe the earth pony Avatar didn't entirely trust them, but at the same time... she was willing to help them. “Thank you.”

Whisper only shrugged a bit, then she turned and said in her murmuring voice: “Come on. We'll cut through the forest, it's a little faster. I'll show you the way.”

Whisper turned, and Sally and Splinthoof traded looks and nods before the Pegasus Avatar smiled uncomfortably and followed in the wake of her fellow pony-shaped woman, taking solace in the fact that at least Splinthoof was beside her, and at least so far, everything seemed to be going according to plan.

Scars

Chapter Three: Scars
~BlackRoseRaven

Whisper led them deep into the forest: the mare didn't talk much, and when she did, it came in nervous little bursts. She seemed friendly enough, just... anxious. About them or about Datura, Sally was having trouble telling...

She wondered briefly what the Avatar's real name was, but it seemed rude to ask: most of the Avatars so far had acted like the name they chose was their real name, after all, and Sally guessed it was kind of prejudiced to treat them otherwise. Even if she also thought that naming yourself Lordking Godface was a little bit... silly.

Whisper was a pretty name, though, and Archibald had been nice – even if she'd never, ever met an Archibald in her entire life – and Datura... well, she didn't know what a Datura was, but it sounded like it was more than some random collection of letters.

A bit of nervousness was beginning to sink in now, which reared its head when the mare thought too much about Datura: it was starting to get dark now, and they were deep in the woods, and if he really lived here and really wanted to hurt them, well...

And then the Pegasus Avatar looked up quickly as Whisper pulled a curtain of fronds aside and said awkwardly: “Well, uh, we're... we're here. He lives in there.”

Sally slipped forwards, frowning uneasily as she and Splinthoof stepped into a weed-riddled meadow that surrounded a mangled, broken stone ruin. Sally licked her lips nervously as she looked over the building uneasily: it wasn't very large, and most of it was wrecked and badly-damaged, but just the shape of it, and the feeling that came from it...

She strode slowly around the side of the ruin, and her eyes caught on a mossy, rotten sign: it was just legible enough for her to read the name of this place: “'Stonehollow Abbey...' and he... he lives inside here?”

Splinthoof frowned uneasily at this as well as he followed after her, glancing over his shoulder at Whisper, and the earth pony Avatar nodded as she approached before pointing quickly. “The way in is on the other side, Datura... lives down in the tunnels. He... uh... I think it would be better if only one of you went in, though. He's uh, touchy about his privacy.”

Sally nodded slowly, and then she smiled awkwardly over at Whisper, rubbing at the back of her head before she said finally: “Well uh... Splinthoof, you uh. Be nice to her, and stuff.”

Splinthoof smiled lamely before he sighed and took off the satchel of journals and papers, passing this quickly to the Pegasus Avatar. She slipped it quickly on, making sure it was comfortable as the unicorn shifted a little before saying lamely: “Watch out for yourself, okay? And... good luck.”

Sally blushed a bit, then sighed and smiled despite herself as the unicorn looked awkwardly over at Whisper, who smiled back even as she rubbed uncomfortably at one of her forelegs. The unicorn waved to her awkwardly, then he turned quickly towards Sally, whispering through grit teeth: “Please be quick.”

“Stallions and men. Exact same.” Sally said dryly, and then she shook her head before she strode slowly to the other side of the fallen ruin. She found the passage leading down into the earth easily enough, but she hesitated at the entrance, studying the gaping maw in the earth and its broken board teeth for a few moments as she shifted from hoof-to-hoof, before she finally licked her lips and asked awkwardly over her shoulder: “Any... hints?”

Whisper only gave her a small smile, then she shrugged a little before saying quietly: “Just don't lie to him. He hates that.”

Sally nodded slowly, then she sighed a little before looking ahead and carefully striding down through the maw of the tunnel, grimacing a bit as she ducked under the edge before she looked uncomfortably back and forth as her hooves touched down on uneven stone.

There were a few torches burning here and there along the walls of what she quickly realized was some kind of catacomb, the mare studying the broken stone shelves and cracked stone walls before she shuddered a little: she had an awful feeling that the white dust and those narrow, broken yellow branches had once been...

She shook her head quickly, then hurried onward down the passage, but quickly caught herself and slowed her pace, taking a slow breath. The sound of her hooves clicking over stone echoed down the passage, her eyes nervously flicking back and forth as she carefully made her way through the decrepit halls.

She looked uneasily back and forth, biting her lip nervously: she could smell something unpleasant, and she kept passing niches and offshoots and rusted metal doors... and there was a strange presence here that filled her with a sense of dread. It reminded her of when she'd just been a little girl, and she'd sworn up and down that she'd seen ghost lights in the marsh...

She stopped for a moment as she reached the end of the hall: there was a large set of curling stairs here, the mare examining these quietly before looking uncomfortably up. She opened her mouth, trying to call out... but she was too frightened to. There was just something wrong with this place, and... an Avatar was actually supposed to live here? This Datura, he was supposed to help them?

Every part of her wanted her to just turn back. To escape this place before something terrible happened. But at the same time, she knew she couldn't, that she was here for a reason... and more than that, she felt something... calling to her. Even if her skin was crawling with terror, she felt...

The mare bit her lip, shivering a little before she slowly stepped forwards and made her way carefully down the steps. She felt that sense of malice intensifying... but under it, there was something else, so clear, so distinct: there was a thrum, like a beating heart, like...

She reached the lower hall, and her eyes immediately locked on an open metal door at the end of the passage. She couldn't see very well into the room beyond, but it was clearly where she had to go... and the mare took a slow breath before she rose her head and called out, in as brave a voice as she could: “Excuse me, Mister Datura? I'm... I'm here to talk to you about... something...”

Her voice wavered, becoming reedy and weak even as she forced herself to step forwards. But after the first step, it grew easier to push back against the fear twisting through her body, the mare's wings fluttering nervously at her sides as she made herself concentrate on just putting one hoof in front of the other...

She stepped into what had likely once been a shrine, but most of the decorations had been torn down and the edges of the room were a clutter of broken stone and shelving and old, rotting furniture. Several lanterns hung from the ceiling, and their dim light was augmented by the candles that sat all around the edges of the room, most of them half melted, their waxen frames bleeding over stone and dusty, uncared-for wood.

But what drew her attention was the stallion seated in the old, blanket-covered chair in the center of the room, like a forgotten king upon his hollow throne. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him, unable to hide her fear as he looked at her through a straggly purple mane that was streaked with black. His gaze was piercing... and frightening, because while one violet eye was normal, the sclera of the other had turned dead black, motes of red floating through it, and the iris looked as if it had shattered, thick white lines coursing – almost pulsing – over purple eye.

His coat was a mottled green, too tight against his thin frame, and all manner of bruises and scars covered his body, most of them a jarring, ugly white. He was a unicorn... but even his curved horn had fractures running through it, and unlike the rest of the ponies she had seen, there was almost no sign of care for his own body: he had shaggy fetlocks hanging around his hooves, his mane and coat were dirty, his body was thin, ribs visible with how emaciated he was, and yet she saw cords of muscle flexing through his coat, and even slumped he seemed to loom over her...

“Hello, Clarice.” the unicorn who could only be Datura intoned ironically, and Sally winced a bit at this before the stallion leaned towards her, gesturing at her with a hoof that looked... cloven. “You're an Avatar, right? But you're here on business for Celestia. Trying to indulge a fetish for the princess, are we?”

“N-No!” blurted Sally, and then she glared balefully at him... or at least with as little fear as possible as she did her best to repress the trembles running through her body. “I'm... I'm here because... that's none of your business! Look, Celestia-”

“Actually, it kind of is my business why you're here, considering it involves me and all.” retorted Datura, looking back at her icily as he turned his head slightly so he could focus his distorted eye on her, and it made Sally shiver and wince away: she didn't think he had sight in that eye... but something told her it wasn't as blind as she hoped, either. “If you're here because you're just trying to impress Celestia, then I really have no reason to help you. Unless you're here for either a game or a lecture on nightmares, that is.”

He grinned, and Sally stepped back from the stallion before shaking her head hurriedly, forcing herself to take a breath before she said in a trembling voice: “L-Look. All I really want is to go home. I'm surrounded by magical talking horses and men who apparently like watching a show for little girls. B-But I promised to help Celestia get you and... I was taught not to break a promise.”

Datura frowned, turning his gaze towards her, his eyes sharpening as he studied her silently before he leaned forwards. Something briefly flashed over his features: was it interest? Some mutant form of empathy, or maybe even some whisper of concern?

But then it was gone, the stallion studying her almost clinically before he gave a bitter smile and leaned back, crossing his forelegs as he said moodily: “So you're 'proof,' is that it?”

Sally didn't know what else to do but nod, and Datura looked at her coldly for a few moments before he snorted and rolled his eyes, muttering: “You're not much proof. So what, one person slipped through who isn't fascinated with the show and fanbase. You're the exception that proves the rule, that's all. Go home.”

Sally only shook her head at this, almost glaring at the strange, unicorn-like creature across from her before she said in a sharper voice: “I can't! Look, I.. I promised to bring you back, and then Celestia is going to teach me how to get home and I can forget about all this-”

“Thank you.” Datura said almost kindly, and the Pegasus Avatar blinked before Datura's mismatched eyes darkened as he said in a colder voice: “You just revealed a favorite truth of mine. There's no such thing as actual 'altruism.' You're not helping because of your promise, or because it's the right thing to do. You're helping because it ultimately serves your own interests.”

“N-No!” Sally snapped, shaking her head vehemently before she bit her cheek... but the stallion was riling her up, and fear was quickly being outweighed by anger at his... stupid, patronizing, stupid self-centered... “I... I want to help them because it's the right thing to do, okay? Because-”

“Because they probably told you that if you don't help them, this same thing could happen to your friends or family, yes?” Datura interrupted, and the mare's eyes widened in surprise before the unicorn smiled indulgently at her, like she was a stupid little girl. “That would be cute if you weren't trying to pretend there was something more noble about it than herd instinct. Which is ironic, considering that now you're a magical little horse.”

Datura flicked one hoof at her in a dismissive gesture, and the Pegasus Avatar felt one of her eyes twitch before she slowly ground her teeth together, trying to get her temper under control. She breathed slowly in and out, glaring at him, but Datura only continued to smile mockingly at her as he turned his head to study her with his damaged eye. “Here's the kicker, though: if I'm right and you appearing here is just a freak accident, then your family was never in any danger and you've been lied to. Yet you want to believe that I'm the liar, don't you? Because I'm the freak, and if you've been played for an idiot... then you're not a noble idiot anymore, you're just an idiot.”

“What is wrong with you?” shouted Sally, and she almost leapt forwards, glaring at him as her wings snapped open, raising her head high as she glared into the stallion before snapping: “I'd rather be an idiot than a coward like you, and...”

She shook herself back and forth, then finally tossed off the satchel, the unicorn's eyes widening in surprise as it popped open and several of his old journals spilled out. “I expected a lot of things from you, but I didn't expect you to end up being such a... a...”

Datura had stood up, glaring at her, and the mare quailed a little: when he stood at his full height, he easily had more than a head on her. She bit her lip... and then her eyes widened when he rose a hoof and she saw the cloven material flex-

His hoof snapped apart into five distinct pieces that shifted like flesh, even though they maintained a strange, almost metallic texture. She stared in disbelief at what was now a claw instead of a hoof before she shied back when he gave her a dark look, fearing for a moment what he was going to do...

But all the stallion did was reach down and pick up one of the books with his claw, studying it intently before he shook his head slowly and muttered: “These are from the old days. These are the old me, not who I am now...”

He stopped, then looked coldly up at Sally before he tossed the journal carelessly aside. And Sally trembled a little as his other hoof snapped apart into a claw as well before he took a step towards her, narrowing his eyes. “I think you should leave. I don't get along very well with other Avatars.”

“I'm... I'm not leaving without you.” Sally whispered, trembling as she looked up at him before she took a slow breath, then straightened, furling her wings tight to her side as she nervously plucked at the ground with a hoof. “Just... please. Look, it doesn't matter why I'm here, it matters... that I'm here, and... they need your help.”

Datura didn't look at all convinced by this, only scowling a little before he leaned slowly forwards and smiled... and the Pegasus Avatar winced away as he revealed large fangs and sharpened teeth. A carnivore's teeth, in the jaws of a pony... “And again, I already told you, I'm not going to come with you. Not unless you give me a real reason. Is Equestria burning? Has the machine ripped reality open? Are there actual humans wandering around?”

He snorted in disgust, then shook his head and turned away, pulling himself back into his blanketed throne before his claws snapped loudly back together into hooves as he settled himself down, muttering: “They don't need my help, and I'm no hero. Besides, any Dream Weaver should be able to resolve the barriers. Except, oh, right, Dream Weavers usually go insane after they reach a certain level of proficiency, and then Celestia has them locked away in either a cell or a monastery!”

Datura reached up and firmly shoved a hoof against his own temple, looking contemptible before he said moodily: “They're all as crazy as I am now. Some are even crazier. So they watered down the Dream Weaver training to quietly hide the existence of us freaks from the rest of the world, pretend we all just went mad as hatters for our own personal reasons. No, no, there could never be an oversight on the part of the pretty preening princesses...”

Sally shifted uneasily, looking at him silently before she said quietly: “That's no reason not to help. It still means we need you, Datura. You... this is their world, and you've been here for a long time, right? And you said... you made a promise. You can't break a promise.”

Datura narrowed his eyes at this, and then he suddenly smiled before leaning back in his throne and whistling sharply. Sally frowned at this... and then her eyes widened slightly as heard hoofsteps, turning with surprise to watch as another mare calmly pushed in through a side curtain.

She was a beautiful white Pegasus, with a long, flowing blonde mane and radiant blue eyes. She was short, with a lithe build, and at first, Sally thought she was flawless with how she almost shone as she approached... before her eyes widened slightly as the mare passed by her, and she saw that countless scars were hidden all over her body by her pure-white coat: claw marks, faded bites, signs of... of...

She shivered a little as the mare calmly approached Datura with a smile, and the Avatar reached up and stroked gently through her blonde mane before he said pleasantly: “This is Angel. She and I have a certain understanding between us... you see, she's very fond of pain, and I'm very fond of causing pain.”

Datura drew a claw back before he slapped the mare roughly, Sally flinching slightly at the way Angel staggered... but then the Pegasus mare only giggled and lowered her head, blushing slightly as Datura remarked softly: “Isn't she a good little girl? Doesn't speak out, isn't rude. Like you. Why don't you leave, Avatar? I have a better mare to amuse myself with. One who knows her proper place.”

Sally was silent for a moment, studying Datura... before she rose her eyes bravely and said quietly: “You're a coward.”

Datura smiled at her mockingly... and then he frowned slightly as Sally smiled herself, daring quietly: “Why don't you hit her again?”

The stallion narrowed his eyes as Angel frowned a little, and Sally reached up and calmly touched her own cheek, saying softly: “I grew up in a farm town in the middle of nowhere. Daddy took good care of me, but there was always one or two old country boys who liked to get drunk and hit their wives or girlfriends. You hit her, but you didn't hit her. Just like you're just trying to make me angry or upset by going right for what you think is going to make me give a big gut reaction.

“She's a Figment, isn't she?” asked the Pegasus Avatar, and Angel frowned at this as Datura scowled a little as well, and Sally forced herself to be cool, forced herself to be careless as she said: “Why should I care what happens to her anyway, then? It's not like she's real.”

“Angel is my friend.” Datura said icily, reaching up to squeeze the Figment's shoulder as Angel smiled up at him gratefully... and then the stallion frowned slowly before he allowed his eyes to moodily slip closed, muttering: “Crap.”

Sally felt a faint, weird feeling of victory... and then Datura calmly pushed Angel aside before he glared at Sally as his horn lit up with dark, malicious light, and Sally was unable to look away before Datura's eyes flashed, and she felt a sense of vertigo rip through her...

The Pegasus Avatar groaned and shook her head, clenching her eyes shut and grabbing at her face before she gritted her teeth and looked up... and then she looked back and forth in shock as she saw the room was empty now. No chair, no ponies, just candles all around her... and the doors were all shut, and the light was dying...

The world trembled, and dust hailed down from the ceiling as Datura's voice echoed quietly around her: “I think you should leave now. You're annoying me.”

Sally looked up at the ceiling... then shrieked and covered her head as it suddenly dropped, immediately spinning around before she cried out in terror as the walls began to close in all around her, dust and grime splashing down over her body as she looked back and forth in horror as Datura's voice remarked calmly: “Or you could stay here forever, trapped inside this tiny little box...”

Sally shoved wildly at the walls around her, and then her eyes widened as she felt one of the enclosing walls shift before she threw against it, the bricks collapsing out of the way and letting her leap through the hole, wings spreading as she felt thin, open, blessed air around her...

And yet all the same she fell, spiraling down through darkness before her eyes widened in horror as she saw a casket waiting for her below, the tiny box gaping open and waiting for her as she screamed in terror before she smashed into it, the wooden walls seeming to clutch her as the heavy door of the coffin shut with a clank, sealing her inside a crushing hell as she screamed again in fear, her mind going haywire, unable to process that this was all just a terrible nightmare...

In reality, Sally gurgled as she twitched on the ground, her body stock stiff and her eyes staring sightlessly as she writhed in terror, Datura looking down at the Avatar moodily as he silently stroked through Angel's mane. Then he frowned a little as Angel reached up and quietly touched one of his legs, looking up at him compassionately before she said softly: “This seems wrong, darling.”

Datura shifted a little, looking grumpily away, but then the Figment leaned up and hugged him around the waist, dropping her head against his stomach as she closed her eyes and said in a murmur: “Maybe she's right. Maybe we should help... she seems honest.”

“I... I don't want to.” Datura said moodily, pushing awkwardly at Angel, and then he sighed a little when she refused to let go, only looking up at him silently with those... big, pleading eyes of hers. “I thought I was supposed to be the master and you were supposed to be my pet or servant or... whatever you want to call yourself these days.”

“Yes, darling. I am. But... it would be remiss of me not to point out... when you're being a little silly.” replied Angel quietly, and Datura sighed again as he shifted uncomfortably before the Pegasus reached up and silently touched his shoulder. “Don't be like this. I know you're scared. I know you just want to be left alone. But what's the right thing to do?”

“I don't want to do the right thing. I don't want to... try anymore. It's too hard, it's...” Datura quieted as Angel reached up and touched his lips, and then he closed his eyes before sighing softly once more as he reached up to silently take her hoof away, and then he touched her face gently. “What do you want me to do? Why should I give the world another chance?”

“I don't think you should, darling. Maybe none of them deserve another chance. Maybe you're right about all of it, that we're all nothing but ego, and puppets to our desires.” Angel replied tenderly, looking up at the stallion with a quiet smile. “But who says you have to do this for the sake of the world? Why don't you do this for yourself, darling? Or do you really think you don't deserve even a single chance yourself?”

Datura bit his lip, looking moodily away for a moment before he swore under his breath and flicked his horn grumpily, and Angel smiled and nestled herself against him as Sally gasped and writhed on the ground, then flung herself up to her hooves, flapping her wings wildly and stomping around in a circle, almost whinnying as the unicorn stared at her with surprise.

She was more pony-like than any other Avatar he had ever seen: sure, after a century, he had certainly adjusted to his body well enough to the point where he even thought of himself naturally as a stallion these days. But this stranger, whoever else she was, claimed to know nothing about the world they were in and acted as if she hadn't been here for more than a day or two at most, and yet...

He studied her intently as she turned towards him, glaring at him... but he could see that she was scared, too. Sure, she had called him out, but he had just shown her that he had plenty of better ways than hitting someone to retaliate with if he was pushed... and he hoped that she knew he was not a stallion who would sit back and let her push him around, whether her intentions were good or bad.

They looked at each other for a few long moments, and then Datura finally asked the Pegasus Avatar grudgingly: “What's your name?”

“Sally. Sally O'Connor.” the Pegasus Avatar answered, and then she asked impulsively: “What's your name? Your real name, I mean?”

“Datura.” the stallion replied sourly, and the mare gave him a dour look before he sighed a little and rolled his eyes, sitting moodily back in his covered seat to glower at her darkly, turning his head slightly so he could see her better through his distorted eye.

Sally winced a bit at this as the pupiless, broken iris glared out of the bloody darkness of his socket at her, and then she swallowed a little before asking nervously: “Can... can you actually see things out of... I mean, you...”

She stopped, then studied him silently for a few long moments before asking the question she had really wanted to, since she'd first set her eyes on him: “What happened to you?”

Datura snorted at this, but he finally lowered his gaze, closing his eyes before he muttered: “When we come into this world, as Avatars, we take the form of precisely what we've always wanted to be. But it seems that once you spend too long in this world... who you really are bleeds through, one way or another.”

The unicorn looked moodily down at his hoof before he grouchily pushed Angel away, but the scarred Figment only smiled at him tenderly as Sally backed up a step automatically, leaning away from him nervously but trying not to give up too much ground as the stallion approached her, then leaned down, studying her.

He smelled faintly of earth, and copper; Sally shivered as she almost tasted that bloody scent, as Datura loomed in and said contemptibly: “I'm not interested in helping you, Sally. At this point, I hate this place. I really, really do. I hate everyone and everything. I hate you, too, just so you know.”

Sally wanted to shrink away, but instead she forced herself not to back down, to try and hide how much he intimidated her... and to her credit, her voice only quavered a little when she said: “But?”

Datura's eyes narrowed slowly at her... and then he gave a thin smile, shaking his head slowly before he said in a resigned voice: “But... there are some things I hate more than others, and you and I agree on one point, at least. You don't break a promise.” He snorted, turning away and muttering: “No matter how many people have broken their promises to you.”

Sally shifted uneasily, watching the stallion stride moodily back to his blanket-covered chair to stroke silently along it... and then he sighed a little, dropping his head as he asked suddenly: “Can you fly, Sally?”

“I... I don't know. I haven't really had a chance to try yet... I only arrived yesterday and...” Sally shifted a little, rubbing slowly at one shoulder as she looked uncomfortably across at the stallion, trying to summon up the little bravery she had left. “So are you going to help or not?”

Datura frowned over his shoulder at her, and then he looked at her thoughtfully before a smile curled across his lips, turning towards her and saying casually: “I'll help... but on two conditions, Sally. They're both simple enough, though, I promise you won't have to do a lot more than give me your time, not any effort.”

Sally didn't like the sound of that, frowning uneasily before she asked in a slow, suspicious voice: “What do you want? Because I don't think there's a whole lot I can offer you...”

Datura gave a mocking smile as he looked across at her, and then he said softly: “First of all, it's autumn. This is a very important time of year for me, and I have one little social obligation that I have to take care of. You're going to help me deal with that before we head for Canterlot. You might have to work an odd job or two, but I promise you won't have to get your hooves too dirty.”

“Hooves too dirty. I've done more hard work in a single day than you likely have in your entire life, you... you ass!” snapped Sally before she could stop herself, and then she winced a bit, gritting her teeth and leaning back a little as her eyes automatically dropped.

But Datura only looked at her with that same mean-spirited smile on his face, which just made her all the more worried before he said calmly: “Second condition: you promise not to leave until I do. In other words, you can putter around Canterlot with all the other Avatars or whatever you want while I do whatever job Celestia has for me, and then you make sure I get back to my home here nice and safe and sound before you go back to your own home. Fair?”

Sally gritted her teeth at this, leaning forwards and opening her mouth... but she caught herself, her eyes widening as she realized what he was doing. Testing her again, as she saw past that self-satisfied smile and that cold shell and saw all that squirming bitterness behind his mask...

“Fine.” she agreed, before she even realized what she was saying, and the stallion's eyes widened in surprise before Sally rose her head gamely. It was hard to say... it was hard to promise this, with how eager she was to be home, but... if he wanted to play this game, then she would show him she played hard and didn't back down easily.

There was silence for a few moments as he studied her moodily, and then he nodded shortly before saying finally: “We'll see.”

Datura grumbled under his breath as he reached down and shoved the journals back into the bag still on the ground, then he threw the satchel over his back before turning and shoving his way through another door as Sally looked uncomfortably after him. After only a few moments, though, Angel spoke up in a gentle voice from where she was leaning against the throne: “Don't worry, darling. Datura is just getting a few things, and then he'll be right out. I think this is going to be good for him, though.”

Sally looked at Angel, biting her lip before she asked hesitantly: “I... I hope this isn't too rude to ask, but Datura... he didn't... create you, did he?”

The Figment only smiled softly, shaking her head and replying quietly: “No. Do you know much about us, darling? How entire races of Figments have come into being, become very intertwined with Equestria... but not all of us are monsters or animals, darling, and you don't have to feel rude asking about it.”

Sally only smiled lamely before Angel reached up and calmly brushed her own mane back, saying softly: “There are many Figments like me, hidden here and there among your pony-folk and Avatars. We are simulacrum: more real than many Figments, of flesh and body and blood, but still... created. In my case, I am a product of... fantasies of pain and pleasure, my dear. Datura adopted me, and I am his servant, and he is my master.”

“You're... you're saying that you were basically created from bondage fantasies.” said Sally disbelievingly, and Angel shrugged and smiled tenderly again before the Avatar shivered and turned away, muttering: “Oh God.”

“Figments like myself come into existence because nothing like us has ever existed before in this Equestria. Before the Avatars came, it was a place of innocence, of... purity. Child-like.” Angel continued to smile as she explained: “The ponies have a natural need to form friendships and protect each other. They are simple folk, with simple desires. But the Avatars... had to make them all complicated. Had to give them depth. Had to take away their childishness and force them to adapt, to grow. 'Be better!' they said. 'Be stronger!' they ordered. 'It's for your own good!' they promised. But really, all the Avatars wanted... was to see their visions enacted as reality.”

She stopped, then shook her head slowly and said softly: “That is what Datura has taught me. But he thinks too little of his own kind. He forgets, too easily, that many of the Avatars have done great things... and feels too much guilt over things that were never his fault.”

Sally frowned uneasily at this, leaning forwards, but then Angel simply smiled once more before she complimented: “You're very pretty, darling. You should indulge yourself while you're here. Nothing you do here will carry over to the world you come from, after all. This place could be paradise, and you could enjoy every forbidden pleasure you ever wanted. The worst that happens is you die, after all, and then... you just go home, that's all.”

“I... I wouldn't feel right about that.” Sally muttered, looking down before she shook her head slowly, feeling disgust and terror at Angel's words... and worst of all, a terrible twisting sensation in her stomach, and a hiss of temptation... “No, it would make me... spiritually sick. I... I don't want to imagine that maybe my grandparents are lookin' down at me from Heaven and seeing me...”

She grimaced a little, shivering a bit, and then she glanced up as Datura returned... before the mare flinched in shock as she saw that now he was wearing a cracked skull over his own face, one of the sockets covered by a cloth patch. If she had to guess where the skull had come from, from the broken horns it had once been a dragon... and she had the unwelcome sensation that Datura had likely hunted it down himself. One way or another, that mask was a... a trophy.

He had a large, leather satchel on either side of his body as well, and then the Pegasus Avatar frowned as Datura asked curiously: “Are you religious, then?”

“I... not really? Easter and Christmas, mostly... but I pray sometimes. I believe in... God, and Heaven, and uh... angels...” Sally couldn't help but feel her eyes flick towards the Figment, who only looked back at her with a smile.

“I'm an atheist.” Datura said mildly, and Sally only looked at him uncomfortably for a few moments, waiting uneasily to see where this conversation was going to go... and then she frowned in surprise when the stallion simply strode past, saying moodily: “Let's go. We're keeping Whisper waiting. I don't like to be rude.”

“I never would have guessed.” mumbled Sally, and Datura gave her a sour look over his shoulder as the Pegasus Avatar fell in step behind the stallion, the Figment following them last at a leisurely pace.

Sally studied Datura as he walked, trying to repress her shivers of fear and... not quite revulsion, but close. She could see his spine, flexing through his coat with every step, and his ribs, and even the picture on his hip was all... thorns and a poisonous-looking flower against a splotch of bitter night sky. Every last thing about him was just... she didn't want to say 'evil...'

“How... how do you know Whisper?” Sally finally asked, unable to think of any other decent topic of conversation... and admittedly, more than a little curious how such a nice pony could know something like... like this.

Datura only smiled moodily over his shoulder, looking distastefully at the Pegasus Avatar for a moment before he muttered: “Some people you just naturally end up being pulled towards. It's like magnetism... or a disease. You can't help the draw. You can't do anything about it, but ride through it, until one day...”

He quieted, lowering his head before he sighed and shook himself briefly as Sally frowned at his back, before Datura added distastefully as he looked over his shoulder at her, single visible eye glaring at her through the socket in the skull: “But maybe you can try and keep your questions to yourself for now. Talk to Angel. Angel likes to talk.”

“I do, darling.” Angel agreed with a smile, striding up beside Sally, and the Pegasus Avatar gave a lame smile in return to the Figment before the white mare leaned in and whispered softly: “Give him time to come to you. Don't push him, my dear, or he'll push you back, and much harder. Haven't you learned anything about stallions yet, darling?”

“I guess not.” Sally said moodily, and then she looked uneasily at Angel... but apart from the scars mostly-hidden by her pristine white coat an the faint sense of creepiness Sally felt when she looked at her, the Figment at least seemed... well, more sociable than Datura. Although that wasn't saying much.

Still, Sally didn't try and press either of them for any conversation until they emerged from the hole in the ruins. And Sally only watched as Datura strode calmly over to Whisper, who looked up at him with a small smile as he looked back at her, then glanced nervously over at the other ponies... but then, to Sally's surprise, he stepped forwards and silently hugged the earth pony Avatar tightly against his chest.

He leaned down, whispering something to her, and Whisper frowned at him before muttering something in return, and then they seemed to trade looks, speaking with their eyes. Finally, Datura reached up with one hoof and shoved it against the earth pony's head, and Whisper grumbled and slapped at him until she finally managed to shove his hoof away.

The two looked at each other again for a little while as Splinthoof nervously crept his way around towards Sally, staring with something like horror at Datura, until Whisper finally nodded before she looked over at the unicorn and the Pegasus Avatar. She smiled a little after a moment, then said quietly: “So uh, I'm going to head back home. It was nice meeting you guys.”

Sally smiled and gave the mare a wave, calling a 'thank you' before firmly elbowing Splinthoof, and he lamely rose a hoof and gave a weak chortle before swallowing thickly, his eyes flicking fearfully back towards Datura. Not that Sally could entirely blame him for being a little scared: she guessed that with that skull-mask on, Datura probably looked like a pony version of the grim reaper, and he emanated such... nastiness.

The only reason she was able to stay steady on her hooves was because she had realized that sinister presence wasn't precisely malice. And so far, Celestia had been right about the stallion: so long as she was cautious with him, he seemed to appreciate even when she was bold. He wouldn't hurt her, so long as she handled him with care. Whatever the hell he was.

Datura looked at her coldly, and Sally made herself stay calm as she looked back at him. And eventually, Datura looked away... then smiled thinly under the edge of the skull mask as Splinthoof immediately grimaced and stepped backwards, looking uneasily at the scarecrow-thin Avatar. “Let me guess. One of Celestia's Royal Guard, here to escort the little girl to me and safely back home.” He stopped, then remarked ironically: “I like your neckerchief, Fred.”

Splinthoof's eyes flicked down as he shifted nervously, biting his lip before he stared in shock as Sally looked up and asked evenly: “Does that make you Shaggy or Scooby-Doo?”

Datura looked at her for a moment, and then the slightest of smiles quirked at his mouth before he said quietly: “Don't be silly. I'm the monster. The only difference is that I'm not just some guy in a costume, Sally.”

There was silence for a few moments as the two glared at each other, and then Sally forced herself to take a breath before she rose her head and asked quietly: “Can we work with each other?”

Datura began to open his mouth... then sighed tiredly when Angel walked up to his side and gently touched his shoulder, the scarred stallion looking moodily at the Figment before he nodded briefly to her.

Angel smiled at him tenderly, and Datura grumbled under his breath before his eyes flicked towards Sally. “I'll cooperate. But remember our deal.”

Sally nodded, then she looked uneasily up at the sky: night was well on the way to setting in, now, and she didn't think it would be very long before it would be too dark to see in the forest, even if stars were already shimmering in the sky above. “How far is this place that you wanted us to go first?”

“Wait, uh... wait a minute, I'm sorry. We have to head back to Canterlot, and as it is, we'll be lucky if we get out of this forest while there's still a bit of light left in the sky. And there are dangerous things that come out here at night. Even for... Avatars and Figments.” Splinthoof interrupted, frowning and looking distrustfully over at Datura and Angel.

The Figment only gave one of her eternal smiles, however, while Datura took this with much less grace, glaring at him through his mask as he asked moodily: “You afraid of the dark, little tin soldier? Or do you just want to try and impress miss sunbeam?”

Splinthoof glared over at Datura, opening his mouth, but Sally quickly stepped between the two stallions, gritting her teeth and holding up her hooves... but admittedly, she was feeling much more anxious than confident as she almost pleaded: “We can't start fighting between ourselves already! We're together in this, okay? Okay, guys?”

Splinthoof looked unsure, and Datura grumbled and rolled his eyes... but Angel, at least, seemed to be in agreement, nodding as she strode up beside Datura and encouraged gently: “You know she's right, Datura. You are my master, and I will do as you say, but... you have always told me to study the wisdom of others as well. To... speak out when I feel something strongly enough. And I feel, strongly, that we should work together, darling.”

Datura looked less than pleased... but at the same time, he also seemed to be considering Angel's stance. At least, until Splinthoof muttered: “'Master,' oh boy. That's not going to get old fast or anything.”

Sally winced and smacked her unicorn friend as Datura gave them both an ill look, before the Pegasus Avatar implored: “Please, just... let's just take tonight to get to know each other, work things out. Splinthoof, I made a promise to Datura, and... Datura, right after this, we're going to Canterlot and you're going to help. Okay?”

Both stallions grumbled under their breath... but then the tall, emaciated creature gave a slow nod before he muttered: “Fine. Maybe your friend can cast a light spell for us, and Angel and I will show you the safest route through the forest. We can make camp in a nice little place I know, close to our destination. Give ourselves plenty of time to... 'talk.'”

Splinthoof looked less than thrilled with this idea, but he nodded moodily after a moment when Sally smiled at him encouragingly, the unicorn muttering: “Yeah. Talk. I'm looking forwards to it.”

Without another word, the Royal Guard flicked his horn and created a sphere of light that floated eerily above their heads, and Datura grunted as he turned around. Angel lingered only a moment longer, smiling encouragingly at the two ponies before the Figment turned calmly around to follow in the wake of her so-called 'master...' and Sally only hoped that this whole mess was all going to be worth it at the end of the day.

Welcome To The Freakshow

Chapter Four: Welcome To The Freakshow
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally sighed softly as she splashed a bit of water over her face, then she looked moodily down into the little creek that was burbling happily away here, at one side of the glade they had set up camp in: there was just enough light from the campfire in the distance to tinge her reflection faintly red, while the ghostly glow of the stars and moon above left everything else painted a solemn blue.

Solemn. She'd kill for solemnity right now: it would be a hell of a lot better than this tenseness. She felt like she was sitting on a powderkeg, just waiting for it to rupture and explode and ruin any chance of this weird little group ever working properly together.

It certainly wouldn't take much at this point, after all: they hadn't really talked so much as sworn at and insulted each other, and while Datura seemed to have some vague smidgen of respect for her, he and Splinthoof already hated each other. Angel was pleasant to everyone, but as a Figment, her emotions seemed... different, more muted, more controlled than theirs, and Sally thought it was pretty clear that no matter what happened, she was going to end up doing whatever her 'master' told her to. Which was creepy in a different way, but Sally felt like so many creepy and weird things had already happened she was really starting to move past the point of caring.

They had at least worked out their plan: Datura had some obligation with some friends, he said, although he wasn't telling them precisely what it was. Sally was pretty sure he was keeping it secret not to build dramatic tension or because he was embarrassed or anything like that, but purely because he seemed to know how much it pissed her and Splinthoof off.

Well, fine, let him act like a child. And Splinty could go off and sulk in the woods, and Angel could... do whatever it was she did. Sally honestly didn't want to think about it. And she would... she would continue to fight to live up to the promise she had made Princess Celestia, and do what would make Daddy and Momma proud of her, and... and...

Sally sighed softly, shaking her head and trying not to think about that. They were both... too fresh, for different reasons, and the Pegasus Avatar bit her lip before she closed her eyes and reached up to silently touch her breast, murmuring: “Okay. Just... one thing at a time, Sally. And for now, you can just go and get some sleep and put all your troubles away until tomorrow.”

She shook herself out, then turned and headed back towards their little campsite. Splinthoof had set up a tent, but Angel was simply curled up in the grasses, a musty blanket over her and a smile on her face, while Datura had taken his bags and skull mask off and put them aside, the unicorn scowling moodily into the flames before he looked up as Sally hesitantly approached.

She sat down beside him, and they looked at each other for a few moments before the mare asked quietly: “If you didn't create Angel... why are you her 'master?' And you know, for a slave... she seems to pull your strings a lot.”

“The submissive controls the agenda. That's basic psychology right there.” muttered Datura, and Sally only gave him an amused look before the scarred pony shrugged and looked into the flames grumpily. “Why do you have to keep asking me questions, when you know I'm not going to give you any answers?”

“I can hope that one day you will. And sometimes you say things that are pretty damn close.” Sally shrugged a bit, following his gaze into the flames before she bit her lip, then sighed and lowered her head. “Look. You scare me. You scare Splinthoof, too. But I know there's more than one reason why the princess sent us to find you and I want to believe that there's something more to you then... who you present yourself as.”

Datura looked moodily over at the mare, and then he gave her a distasteful smile, asking wryly: “Is this the part where I break down and cry and expose my feelings and I turn back into the prince from the beast that I am?”

“No, this is the part where you stop acting like such an asshole and give me a straight answer for once.” Sally retorted, and Datura blinked at her... then laughed.

It was a short, sharp sound, but it was still a laugh, and Sally was surprised by it... and by how much it lifted her spirits as the unicorn muttered: “Amazing. But at least you have a bit of backbone.”

Sally shrugged a bit, and then the two looked at each other for a few moments before Sally gave a brief smile, reaching up and rubbing her stomach as she said finally: “So... there's going to be food where we're going, right?”

“Lots of food. None of it healthy.” Datura shrugged, and Sally smiled a little wider before the unicorn looked into the fire and asked: “If God exists...”

Sally scowled, not liking where this was going and expecting the usual question she always heard from argumentative atheists... and thus found herself very surprised when the unicorn asked quietly: “If God exists, does He love us all equally?”

“I... I think so.” Sally stopped, then looked down, biting her lip before she said quietly: “It's... it hurts sometimes, believing in something bigger than you, only to see people you love snatched away. It's hard to believe in Heaven all the time when our world... bad people get rewarded, good people get hurt, stuff... stuff just doesn't seem right or fair, for anyone. People either get too much or too little.

“But we can't blame Him for giving us all a chance, right? He's trying to love us all, and if Heaven exists, then... good people have to be rewarded, right?”

“Then what about Hell? Does Hell exist?” Datura asked, and Sally looked at him uncomfortably before the unicorn looked away, saying softly: “I hope Hell exists. And I hope that your god is as loving as you believe he is.”

Sally shifted nervously, asking uneasily: “Because... what? You think that otherwise, we're just... the playthings of some kind of... kid on a power trip?”

“You said it, not me.” Datura said dryly... and then, to her surprise, he shook his head before replying quietly: “Because if Hell exists, but God is loving, then Hell cannot be a place of eternal torment. Hell instead has to be... a place where broken people, bad people... are made better. Fixed.”

Datura looked silently down at one of his own hooves, flexing it slowly before he murmured softly: “Otherwise, Hell is a place to throw everyone who doesn't agree with you... and Heaven is nothing but another clubhouse for the self-proclaimed elite...”

Sally was quiet as Datura simply looked into the flames for the longest time, and then the mare bit her lip and looked down, shifting back and forth silently before she asked awkwardly: “So you were... uh... you were a big fan of My Little Pony, huh?”

“Yes, that's a great conversation starter.” Datura said sourly, and then he sighed a little before sitting back... but he seemed to study her for a few moments before asking: “And you honestly had never heard of the show, the fanbase, even the toys before this?”

“Well, yeah, I mean... I probably had a few of the old toys. It's been around for a while, hasn't it? All this stuff is based around the new generation or something, right?”

Datura nodded, giving a brief smile before he looked into the flames, then his eyes flicked towards her and studied her before he said softly: “You react very naturally. I imagine that you would react to pain, and pleasure, with the same naturalness as any normal pony... other Avatars tend to move like they did in life, when their bodies are shocked. They try to stand up tall, they try to bring up what are no longer arms and end up falling on their faces, they forget they're supposed to be... prey animals. And when they try to run, it's always a little too late.”

He smiled at her, his teeth glinting as he studied her for a few moments, and Sally shivered a bit: there was a fascination in his eyes, and more than a hint of madness. There was a sense that she was speaking both to Datura... and to Datura, the palpable, almost sentient malice she could feel emanating from the Avatar.

She did her best not to show fear, keeping her head high, staring him down like she'd stare down an animal... and to her great relief, it actually seemed to work. Datura calmed, looking back towards the flames as if he didn't even realize what had just transpired... and she was left wondering silently if there had been other reasons for this stallion to choose a place so far away from civilization, apart from the fact that he claimed he liked being alone.

There was silence between them as the mare shifted uneasily back and forth, and then she asked quietly: “What does your name mean? Datura...”

The unicorn looked over at her for a moment, and then he glanced away before saying gruffly: “It's a poisonous plant.”

She had the feeling that definitely wasn't the entire story, but she didn't press. Instead, she simply sat and waited, feeling like if she was patient enough... “Are you going to choose a name for yourself? Or are you just going to stick with 'Sally?'”

“Sally's my name. It's a nice enough name, I think.” the Pegasus Avatar replied with a shrug, and Datura looked at her with entertainment before he turned his eyes back to the fire.

She wanted to ask him more questions, to find out more about him, to see if she could goad him into another actual conversation... but instead, she forced herself to just take a breath before she said quietly: “I don't think you have to stay up all night and keep watch or anything. I know Splinthoof was worried but... these woods seem pretty safe.”

“Considering the fact I've lived here for around eighty, ninety years, I think you probably shouldn't be lecturing me about my forest.” Datura said dryly, and Sally gave him a flat look before the unicorn shook his head. “And it's not the woods or the beasts I'm worried about, anyway. This might come as a surprise to you, but not all Avatars are very nice.”

“I never would have guessed.” Sally muttered, but all the same she shifted uneasily as she sat beside the unicorn, asking hesitantly: “But... if this is like paradise to a lot of them, then why...”

“Because for some people, you can't have paradise without a little bloodshed.” Datura said moodily, and then the unicorn shook his head before he muttered: “You get your narcissists, and your egotists, and your stupid kids all together in one pot, and then you tell them all: 'you can do anything you want here without consequence: if anyone dies, they just get thrown out of this magical dream world.' So what do you think is going to happen?”

Sally shivered, leaning back and hating that the first thing that came to mind was... “They kill for fun. They kill for sport. They kill ponies because the ponies will eventually be reborn, and they kill Figments because the Figments 'aren't real,' and they kill each other because it's just a game to them, and there's no consequences for their actions. Too many Avatars came in, too fast, with widely-varied powers. They couldn't be policed efficiently, and they set up their own... worlds, really. As faith and belief and desire compounded, parts of this once-great nation warped: if you keep heading west, you'll eventually hit an apocalyptic waste-zone that's all desert and monsters and technology, for example. There's other pockets and miniature worlds all over Equestria... not to mention all the brothels, dungeons, weapon shops and everything else.

“We are a poison.” Datura said calmly, sitting back and smiling bitterly down into the flames. “In our defense, I don't think all of the Avatars ever meant to be... I don't even think most of them meant to hurt this world. And it's not entirely our fault: Celestia asked for too much, too fast. She thought she could control what was going on, but... she slipped. We all slipped...”

He fell silent, then shook his head slowly before murmuring: “This world was powered by friendship, once. It was harmonious: now most of Equestria is in chaos. For the last ninety years, it's all been peeling apart, little-by-little...”

He shook his head moodily, then his eyes flicked up as he said quietly: “Once this was an innocent world, Sally. Now, in our brave new world, if you see an Avatar out here in the wild, I dearly hope you're prepared to kill them. Because I'm certain they'll be more than happy to kill you... if you're lucky, that is.”

Sally stared disbelievingly at the stallion, and then she shook her head quickly before whispering: “N-No. There's... there's more solutions than violence, and people... people aren't bad, Datura. Why would you think...”

“I didn't say that people were bad. I used to think people were bad, but it's not that: it's that people are selfish, and childish.” Datura replied moodily, and then he stood up and strode over to her, the mare looking nervously up before her eyes bulged in shock as he slammed a hoof into her stomach.

She whimpered weakly, gasping for air and clutching at his shoulder with one hoof, the scarred stallion saying coldly: “Why should I feel bad when this isn't your real body? Why should I keep my hooves to myself? Why shouldn't I just throw you down and do whatever I want to you? There's no rules here. God isn't watching here. I don't have to live with the guilt of having taken someone's life away when everyone knows this is just a dream, a game. There's no 'real' consequences... it's just like an internet forum. And not even trolls, but little power-hungry children who have just discovered the magical world of porn are the ones running it.”

Datura shoved her backwards to the ground, and Sally gasped as she hugged herself, wiggling away from him as she stared up at him with shock and betrayal. Datura only grinned at her, his eyes gleaming dangerously as he stepped forwards... then looked up at a shout.

A moment later, Splinthoof leapt into the campsite and landed at Sally's side, snarling at the stallion as his horn glowed. “Stop right there! Back off, you monster!”

“Monster? You haven't seen me be a monster yet.” Datura said distastefully, and then he smiled thinly. “I didn't hurt her, kiddo. I just... gave her something to think about.”

Sally shivered, still gasping for air as she clutched her stomach, and then she gritted her teeth and slowly forced herself to sit up. He had hit her hard, but precisely: there was little pain, but her head was swimming with nausea and he'd knocked the wind out of her.

It made her angry as hell, though, the mare shivering and steadying herself with a last, whooping breath before she glared across at the mocking, scarred unicorn. “You... you asshole!”

Datura simply shrugged, looking at her mildly... and then Sally stepped forwards and slammed a hoof into his chest, and the scarred stallion stumbled backwards in surprise, before swearing and raising his forelegs to protect himself as Sally flailed at him angrily with her small, sharp hooves, hailing surprisingly strong blows against the emaciated stallion as she shouted: “Look, you say whatever the hell you want, but you keep your damn hooves to your own damn self! You think you're so hot, so smart, but you're nothin' but an asshole child like... like everyone you claim to hate! Maybe the problem isn't us, Datura, it's you!”

Splinthoof was simply staring, and Angel had woken up to watch with a strange fascination as Sally pounded away at Datura before the scarred unicorn swore and finally grabbed the flailing Avatar's forelegs. She yanked herself back and forth, and he cursed in surprise at how strong she was before Sally suddenly flung herself to the side, likely meaning to tear free... and instead dragging both herself and Datura down to the ground with a loud flump.

She kicked at him several times with her rear hooves, and Datura growled as he shoved her away and tried to roll backwards... only for Sally to leap onto his back, grabbing the back of his head and pinning him face-first into the ground as his eyes bulged in surprise. He flailed a bit beneath her, but she had all her weight on the center of his back and his skull and he wasn't able to buck her off.

“One of my brothers taught me this. What do you think?” asked Sally grouchily, and Datura growled uselessly up at her as he kicked his hind legs out.

Finally, the scarred unicorn slumped moodily, glowering off into the distance before Sally climbed off him and glared down at him, saying shortly: “I don't believe that everyone is me, Datura. Maybe you should try and look at the world around you instead of just the one that's inside your own damn head, huh?”

“Bossy, bossy, bossy.” Datura muttered as he climbed up to his hooves, and then he looked moodily for a few moments at the mare before he shook his head in distaste, saying icily: “I hope for your sake that you're right, Sally. But I'm a product of this world, don't forget: you're the stranger here. And I'm sure your good friend here knows precisely what I'm talking about when I say that Avatars can be dangerous.”

He tilted his head, his broken eye glaring balefully at Splinthoof, and the Royal Guard grimaced and looked away as Sally frowned. But before things could break down any further, Angel sat up and said softly: “Datura, please. If you need an outlet, that is why I exist.”

Datura grumbled under his breath, and then he nodded shortly, sighing a little as he looked over at the Figment grouchily. “Not in front of Sally, dear. She finds us disgusting.”

“She does not. If she is afraid, it is because she does not understand; if she does not understand, it is because we have not explained.” Angel replied pleasantly, smiling softly before she shook her head and looked kindly between Sally and Splinthoof. “Perhaps we should all stop provoking one-another. Perhaps, instead, let us try and find a way to work together.”

“Enough, Angel.” Datura said moodily, and the Figment lowered her head politely before the scarred stallion sighed tiredly, one of his hooves clicking apart into claws so he could rub grouchily at his face. “I suggest you two sleep for a few hours. You're going to want to wake up nice and early, because otherwise I'll leave you here to find your own way to where Angel and I have gone.”

Splinthoof glared at the scarred stallion, and then he growled: “And why shouldn't I just take you into custody and drag you back to Canterlot?”

“Would you like to try it?” Datura asked in a low voice, his eyes gleaming dangerously as his broken iris seemed to pulse and twist.

“Maybe I will. You don't even seem to do that well against the mares you sucker punch, after all.” growled Splinthoof, stepping forwards aggressively and glaring angrily up at the scarred unicorn.

Sally bit her lip, a tremble of both anger and a strange feeling of insult running through her... then suddenly rose her head and said shortly: “I don't need you fighting my battles for me, Splinthoof. And Datura, I don't need you provoking everyone. Back off.”

Datura looked at her moodily, and then he rolled his eyes but thankfully stepped back, while the other unicorn seemed a little hurt as he looked at her uncomfortably. “I... Sally, hey. This Avatar, he's a psychopath. I just want to protect you.”

“I can protect myself.” Sally quieted a little, then repeated in a softer voice: “I appreciate it, but I can protect myself. And Datura is...”

She looked up, but Datura was already walking away, Angel following in his wake with a dreamy smile on her face, and Sally sighed as she realized this was... useless for now. Instead, she only shook her head before muttering: “I'm just going to go to bed, I guess. Do you mind if I stay in the tent with you, Splinthoof?”

“What? Of course not.” Splinthoof smiled at her, blushing maybe the smallest bit before he cleared his throat and gestured at it. “Bedrolls are already in there, anyway, I... wasn't sure if you wanted privacy or not, Sally. I'm going to... I'm going to stay up for a little while longer, though, out here by the fire.”

“Okay. Just... be ready in the morning.” Sally hesitated, then she reached up and gently grasped his shoulder, smiling at him faintly. “And I really do appreciate it, but I'm a big girl, and like it or not... Datura... he has a point.”

Sally didn't entirely know what point that was, but Datura had shaken her... and made it very clear that even if what happened to this body 'didn't matter,' she could still certainly feel pain and discomfort as much as anything else. And she wondered silently if Avatars maintained their memories when they returned to their world... because if they did, she didn't want to think of how many of them must be hurting and terrified right now, suffering very real consequences for the actions they had taken in this dream world... and more, the actions that had been taken against them...

She shivered and shook her head quickly, then turned with a sigh towards the tent. No, for now, she was just going to sleep, and forget everything that had happened today. In the morning, hopefully everything would be easier.

Sally awoke after a dreamless sleep, but she felt... better. Rested, at least. And Splinthoof was snoring quietly into his pillow on the other side of the tent, one of his hind legs kicking lightly and making her smile in amusement.

The mare let herself out of the tent... and was somehow unsurprised to see Datura was by dying fire, poking at it with a stick held in one claw. She looked uneasily at him, then took a breath before approaching, sitting herself beside him and studying him silently.

He looked over at her, then gestured towards Angel, who was wrapped in a blanket... but now, there were several large, gleaming red marks over her body, and Sally shivered a little before Datura asked softly: “Here's a shade of gray for you: if someone asks to be beaten, if they truly take pleasure in that pain... is it wrong to give it to them?”

Sally looked silently at Angel, then her eyes flicked towards Datura, saying quietly: “I don't understand you, and I sure as hell don't understand her. But even if you won't admit it... you care about her. I think you're dangerous, and I don't agree with... pretty much anything you've done so far. But you care about her. So I'm going to... to wait, and reserve judgment.”

Datura smiled briefly, and then he looked quietly down into the flames, poking through them before he murmured: “We all say that we would leap to the aid of some poor girl being beaten by her boyfriend. But how many of us really would? We're all scared of being hurt. We forget, easily, that the kinds of people who beat their loved ones are often cowards, and it's not the physical power they hold that's a real threat: it's the mental power.

“You hear a man, yelling at his wife or his kids. Drunk, or crazy, threatening them ruthlessly. You hear a woman, throwing things and screaming profanity. You hear the sounds of crying and the sounds of hard smacks through the wall. What do you do?” Datura looked bitterly down into the flames, before he whispered: “The answer is nothing. Because you don't want to get involved. Because... someone else will take care of it. Because, hey, you can't help. Because you still have to live with them as your neighbors. When the rent agreement is up, then hey, maybe you'll do something. Because of a thousand reasons that all come down to cowardice, and fear for yourself. Self-preservation is the strongest emotion.”

Sally studied Datura quietly, and then she asked him softly: “What kind of world did you grow up in, to believe all that? My Daddy... he taught me to always stand up for myself and for others. That's... that's why I'm here.”

Datura looked at her moodily, and Sally smiled faintly, shrugging slowly. “Maybe, yeah, there's some selfishness, some worries for my... for the people I care about driving me, too. But every time I've done something stupid or selfish, I keep thinking back of Daddy... and Momma. They taught me right from wrong and... the world is only a bad place if you let it be a bad place. If you help other people... if you give 'em a reason to believe in good... then they're gonna believe in good.”

Datura chuckled quietly at this, and then he shook his head slowly before murmuring: “I hate people who have good families.”

Sally shrugged a bit at this, and the two studied each other silently before Datura closed his normal eye to study her with his broken one. It still made Sally shiver a bit, but it didn't bother her quite as much as before, as she asked hesitantly: “You never told me...”

“This eye is the result of a spell backfire. It sees... colors, blurs, and auras now, and ghosts.” Datura replied casually, and Sally's eyes widened slightly at this.

“Ghosts?” She looked nervously back and forth, reaching up and touching her own chest as her heart thudded fearfully. “What do you mean, ghosts?”

“I mean ghosts. Both in the literal sense, as well as... emotional imprints.” Datura said softly, and then he smiled dryly as he gestured calmly outwards. “Is it so hard to believe in a world like this one that spirits and the undead exist? I think they were here even before we Avatars were, Sally. I think... ghosts exist everywhere, one way or another. I've met more than my share of haunted people, after all... haven't you?”

“We all have our demons, I guess...” muttered Sally, and then she looked uncertainly up at the stallion and into that scar-white, spiderwebbing iris, biting her lip before she asked in spite of herself: “What do you see when you look at me?”

Datura was only silent, and then he shrugged before turning his attention back to the fire, saying calmly: “I'm glad you're awake. We have an hour or so, and I would recommend making sure you're ready for the day. We're going to see a lot of strange things, and I would like you to do your best to keep your little guard dog at bay.”

“He's not a guard dog. He's just trying to make sure we all get back to Canterlot in one piece.” Sally replied grumpily, and then she looked uneasily over the stallion before asking moodily: “What could be worse than you, anyway?”

Datura smiled slightly, leaning down and replying easily: “I didn't say they'd be worse than me, little Sally. I'm just saying that you're about to step into a very different world than you might be used to. Really, I should thank you for dragging me out of that dark little hovel I live in: I'll be able to surprise my friends with a visit now.”

“I thought you didn't have any friends.” Sally said dryly, and Datura gave her a cranky look before the mare said pointedly: “You can't have it both ways.”

“In this world, you can.” Datura grumbled in response, and then he shook his head shortly before he sighed and tossed the stick he had been using to poke the fire with into the dying embers, his claw closing tightly into a hoof-like shape.

Sally looked uncomfortably at this, studying it a little too obviously, and Datura looked at her mildly for a moment before he reached his claw up to easily grasp her by the end of the muzzle as it clicked back apart, saying distastefully: “Just ask.”

The Pegasus Avatar wrinkled up her snout, then she sneezed in reflex, Datura scowling and drawing his claw away as he flicked it distastefully several times, glowering at the mare as she rubbed at her snout before asking sourly: “And will you give me an actual answer?”

Datura shrugged, and Sally sighed and decided it was probably better not to get sucked into this game again, instead drawing her eyes over the emaciated unicorn: he was so... different from every Avatar she'd seen so far. But then again, that was her acting like she'd actually met more than a few Avatars, when in reality...

She bit her lip, then looked back at her own hip: still blank. And that was starting to feel weird, considering the fact that every other pony had that weird 'cutie mark' thing going on, even Datura... “So you... you said something about how Avatars...”

Datura wasn't paying attention to her, though, and at first Sally scowled... before her frown became more uneasy as she realized his attention seemed to have focused elsewhere, and he was muttering under his breath, as if he was arguing with someone else. Someone who wasn't there...

Sally shifted nervously backwards, watching silently as Datura absently began to flex and loosen his claw, sealing the digits together before popping them apart as he muttered: “No, I... that's not true, I am...”

His eyes closed... and then Datura shook himself quickly out before he looked suddenly back at Sally, asking waspishly: “What?”

“Nothing, I... nothing.” Sally said uncomfortably, leaning back and looking nervously up at the stallion before she looked awkwardly up towards the sky: the sun was just starting to rise, and color was slowly spilling through the air above, the mare mumbling: “Well, at least it seems like it'll be a nice day...”

“It's always a nice day in Equestria. Pegasi control the weather.” Datura replied moodily, and the mare blinked in surprise at this, the unicorn looking at her distastefully for a few moments... but then he only gave a dry smile as he said wryly: “Right. I keep forgetting. You don't know a thing about Equestria. Well, at least you're still cute.”

“Ha ha.” Sally grumbled, looking crankily at the stallion before she looked up at the sky, asking slowly: “Why do they control the weather? I mean... it seems like this world is... I don't know, almost like it needs someone to constantly take care of it...”

“I think nature always finds a way, even in a world like this. I think the problem is these ponies like being in charge, like having everything their way.” Datura replied with a shrug, looking meditatively at the mare before he calmly gestured up at the sun. “Celestia raises the sun, and Luna moves the moon. They both supposedly affect this entire world on a cosmic scale. And yet for all their power, they're naive. Helpless to control the Avatars. Victims of their own weakness and hubris.”

Sally frowned a little at the stallion, studying him intently before she asked disbelievingly: “How can... how can they be powerful enough to do things like that and yet... and how many princesses are there?”

“Luna, Celestia, Cadence... sometimes Twilight, depending on the cycle. The princesses are very popular; so are the mane six, so to speak, and I hope you can hear the pun in that name.” Datura said dryly, then he reached up and absently flicked Sally's mane a few times, making her grimace before she slapped his hoof away grumpily. “Get it?”

“I got it.” she grumbled, and then she shook her head before biting her lip, looking up at the sky again before she shook her head and muttered: “Next you're going to tell me the ponies change the seasons, too. But I guess even that isn't as crazy as... choosing when day begins and ends.”

Datura only smiled wryly, and then he shook his head before returning his eyes to the fire, saying calmly: “Ponies are a lot of things, Sally. Just because Avatars are dangerous and unpredictable, don't be fooled into thinking all the ponies are nice and pleasant, too. The Avatars haven't just changed their world... our presence has changed the ponies themselves, too.”

Sally looked uncomfortably at Datura, then watched as he turned away, striding over to Angel. He gently grasped the Figment's shoulder and shook her awake, and the ivory mare shifted before yawning and opening her eyes, looking up at the stallion with warmth as Datura looked down at her with affection... and sadness.

The Pegasus Avatar couldn't help but study the two in silence, even if she knew it wasn't exactly the most polite thing in the world to do. But there was something both... both wonderful and sad about the way the two interacted: she questioned a lot of things about Datura, but she did believe he had a deep affection for this Figment, whether or not she was really... real.

Angel glanced towards her, then smiled knowingly, and Sally blushed a bit before hurriedly turning her eyes away. Thankfully, only a few minutes later Splinthoof woke up, and they went through the process of quickly pulling down the campsite, working in two clear pairs: Datura and Angel on one side of the camp, Splinthoof and Sally the other.

It only took them ten minutes to clean camp, although Datura had thrown on his mask and satchels and was impatiently tapping a hoof after only five, clearly wanting to be on their way. Sally sensed a kind of nervous energy about the stallion: she wondered curiously exactly why he was so excited, but decided it would probably be better just to wait and see for herself.

Datura led them quickly through the woods, Splinthoof scowling and Sally feeling more and more curious. The scarred unicorn almost had a bounce in his step now as they pushed their way through trees and forest, the stallion's visible eye gleaming and an eager grin on his face. He seemed to be moving almost completely on autopilot, pushing through bushes and branches instead of walking around them as he headed straight for... well, Sally didn't know, although she was starting to get a little bit excited herself.

Sure, she was following a rather-monstrous, possibly-psychopathic not-quite-pony to some unknown destination he clearly enjoyed. But all the same, she couldn't help but feel like she was going to like what was coming, somehow. But she had always loved the unexpected, and surprises, and-

And Sally's eyes widened in amazement as they suddenly pushed through a wall of bushes to emerge into a field, and she found herself staring at what could only be one thing: “A circus!”

Datura laughed at this, shaking his head before he grinned over at her, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Well, yes and no, although that is what we freaks call it. Come on, it looks like they're already setting up. I'll introduce you to everyone.”

Sally's eyes gleamed with warmth and amazement as she nodded rapidly to Datura, before turning her eyes towards the carriages being pushed and pulled into rows, the stalls being quickly set up, the enormous, dirty red and white tents that were slowly rising high into the air. Of all the things she'd imagined, she had never pictured this...

Splinthoof was only frowning, following at a slower pace as his eyes narrowed: Sally was all-but-hopping after Datura as he trotted past a large pile of bags and several carriages, but a poster pasted on the side of one of the large, somehow-ominous carriages caught his eye, the stallion approaching hesitantly... before his eyes widened in shock, going pale before he swore loudly and immediately shot towards Sally-

His legs tangled in one of the bags, and he tripped and rolled painfully, the plasticky bag tearing open as the stallion rolled several times... then gasped in horror and flung himself backwards as heads, pony heads, fell out of the sack, one of them landing with a sick squelch on its face. He tried to call out in terror as he scrambled backwards, kicking the straps and torn bag loose from his body, and then he threw himself to his hooves before charging straight for Sally, terror surging through his system as his heart pounded in his chest and he saw that oh no, oh no, that bastard Datura was leading her right into a trap, right towards a cluster of these fairytale freaks, these monsters he'd only ever heard rumors of...

“Sally! Look out!” Splinthoof shouted, and Sally looked over his shoulder at him in surprise. Datura began to turn as well, his eye gleaming darkly beneath his skull mask, and the monsters Sally was unwittingly walking right towards all shifted...

Splinthoof plowed straight into Datura, slamming into him as hard as he dared before slinging a fierce punch into the side of the monster's neck, knocking the psychopathic unicorn rolling backwards to flop on his belly with a grunt of surprise more than pain. Then Splinthoof turned, seizing Sally even as the Pegasus Avatar cried out in shock before the soldier spun around, only able to think about getting out of there as fast as possible-

Then he halted dead as he found himself face-to-face with a horrific apparition: the monster stood fearless in the sunlight, mouth sewn shut, black, empty sockets staring pitilessly up at Splinthoof, scraggly hair falling around the hideous thing's face. Splinthoof staggered with a shout, and then he spun around... only to find another monster snarling at him, shaggy and animal, sharp teeth jutting from the creature's mouth as its hackles rose and it stomped towards him.

They were everywhere, all around them, and Splinthoof looked back and forth in terror before he said sharply: “Sally, Sally, you've got to fly out of here! Forget about me, I'll hold them off for as long as I can but fly, fly all the way back to Canterlot and don't you dare look back! Don't-”

“Hey, asshole! It's five bits per candy head, and you just ruined a whole batch of them!” shouted a furious voice, and Splinthoof's face went blank as he slowly turned to see a dull-pink pony storming towards him, her blue eyes glowing furiously, her long, straight mane half-covering her face. She looked almost normal... apart from the piercings that gleamed across her face and the countless tattoos that covered her body, that was.

“Well, he's still making a better first impression than Datura did.” remarked another pony: one who almost looked perfectly normal with his fine chestnut coat and short, spiky black mane... except for the fact that halfway down his body, there was a gruesome series of grafts and thick stitching and stapling that connected his body to another pony's upper half. A much-less pleasant-looking pony, who was scowling horribly and had his head low, his coat a sallow blue and his own black mane long and hanging over his eyes.

“That's not saying a whole lot.” he grumbled, looking moodily over at Datura as the scarred stallion calmly picked himself up, and then he added crankily: “Bet he thinks we're going to eat him or something stupid like that.”

“Little pony is too little for eating. He has no meat on bones. He is like twig.” remarked a truly-massive mare in a thickly-accented voice, her richly-evergreen body enormous and muscular and dressed in a tiny little leotard that clung to her gargantuan frame. Only a bit of her russet mane peeked out from beneath the ushanka on her head, and her beady red eyes studied the shocked stallion with an indulgent, amused smile before she glanced over at Datura and said cheerfully: “Is nice to see you here, Little Kafka and Angel, with little friend pony.”

“Yes, well, I'm sorry they haven't made the best impression so far.” Datura replied, giving a sour glare towards the stunned-looking Splinthoof and the stupefied Sally, before the scarred stallion sighed tiredly and quickly began to point out the different 'monsters' all around them. “The big mare is Vodka. The brothers are Arsu and Azizos. You've met Rose, and Harmony would like you to please be quiet. She has very sensitive ears.”

Datura turned, then pointed out several more ponies, continuing mildly as he gestured to each monster and freak in turn, each of whom bowed their head politely or waved when they were indicated: “The zebra here is Raindance, and the werewolf, of course, is named Wolf Colt. Very original. Uh... these are Tshilaba, Ironmade, De la Couer, and last but not least, our humble leader, Dead Ringer.”

“Charmed.” rasped the last stallion, grinning and showing off too-white teeth in pale, thin features. He had black rings around his yellow eyes and an expensive, old-fashioned suit with a long set of tails: his own tail was cropped short, and when he calmly pulled off his top hat, Sally was surprised to see he was bald: as a matter of fact, he didn't have a single hair on his rubbery, whitish body... “Sergeant Splinthoof, miss Sally O'Connor... allow me to welcome you both to the Cirque du Noir, the finest freakshow in Equestria.”

Sally's eyes widened as Splinthoof simply mouthed wordlessly, and then she finally pushed herself off of the unicorn's back, stumbling a little before she reached up and said in surprise: “Wait, I didn't give you my name!”

Dead Ringer only smiled pleasantly, the earth pony calmly raising the cane he held in one hoof and tapping the skull-shaped handle easily against his own head. “We all have our talents, miss. And when you're leading the troupe, it's important that you're able to properly know the crowd.”

He smiled again, and then the dappled mare named Tshilaba held up hoof, adding brightly from beneath her purple shawl: “And while we may not all be the prettiest ponies in Equestria, we certainly know our work well.”

Sally looked at the mare, and blushed a bit: with her flowing, curly black locks, her gorgeous blue dress adorned with bells and charms, and the golden hoops that adorned her ears, she was eccentric, but she was also... she was utterly beautiful. “I... I don't know about that.”

Sally looked slowly back and forth at these... these freaks. Except, no: here, all these ponies, from mighty Vodka to blind and stitched Harmony, they were the normal ones. Even Datura fit in here, with this strange mix of... of actual ponies, and Avatars, and one or two Figments. Here, she and Splinthoof... they were the freaks.

And then Sally winced when Rose reached out and firmly seized Splinty by the shoulder, shaking him roughly before jerking the unicorn towards her as she growled: “I'm still waiting for my money. For one thing, those things aren't cheap. For another, they take up a lot of my time to bake, and my time is very valuable, you got it?”

“He's a Royal Guard. We'll send the bill to Celestia, she'll pay.” Datura said dryly, and Rose grumbled at this as she looked moodily over at the stallion, but then gave a brief nod after a moment. “Alright, good. Splinthoof, do me a favor and don't attack anyone else while you're here. Sally... I'm rather surprised and almost a little disappointed to see you taking this all so well.”

Sally blushed a bit, shuffling a hoof awkwardly at the ground as her wings flapped lightly, and then the sourer of the sewn-together stallions said dryly: “Bet she's sorry for us. Bet she thinks she can fix us, hug us all better.”

“Oh, now come on, Azizos.” Arsu said cheerfully, smiling warmly over at Sally, who gazed back at these two... and found herself unable to tell if she was looking at a Figment or an Avatar. “There's no need to be so suspicious! Besides, I think it's very nice to see such a pretty Pegasus who isn't treating us like a bunch of monsters.”

“Yes, is nice.” Vodka agreed, stomping a hoof and seeming to make the earth shake with that alone, before she added in a teasing voice with a wink to Splinthoof. “She is not little filly like her friend with bib.”

“It's... it's a cravat.” Splinthoof argued weakly, reaching up and lamely touching the strip of cloth around his neck before he swallowed a little, then looked weakly back and forth, shivering in fear as his mind refused to process what was going on. Refused to believe that these.. that these monsters were anything but that.

This was the Cirque du Noir: he'd always thought this was a fairytale, a... a myth. He'd never imagined that a place so frightening and terrible could actually exist, even if the Avatars had brought other horrible things to Equestria.

He looked back and forth weakly... then flinched and stared in shock when Dead Ringer said pleasantly: “Now now, young colt, you should know better than to believe everything you hear. Sure, we're not 'normal ponies,' whatever that might mean... but we aren't quite as dangerous as you seem to think we are, either. Not unless we are... pushed.”

Rose grunted, slamming her hooves together as she said coldly: “But if you push us, you son of a bitch, you'll be lucky if we don't turn you into hot dogs for the kids.”

Splinthoof winced and leaned away, and then Datura clapped his hooves loudly together before saying mildly: “Well, before Rose kills our guests, I just wanted to let everyone know that I've been called away to Canterlot on business. So I thought I would come here early and help with setup, and I can at least do opening day with you.”

Dead Ringer smiled warmly, before Arsu rose his head and said brightly: “I know! If Datura is going to be in Canterlot, we should make a surprise trip there, too! Or at least to the Everfree Forest!”

Rose immediately snorted at this even as several other ponies looked thoughtful, before the dull-pink mare grumbled: “That sounds about as smart as going to Ponyville. Christ.”

Sally looked quickly over at Rose, studying her intently: if there was ever a tell she was likely an Avatar, it was that... except... well... something about her...

Rose scowled over at her, then made a gesture that was clearly not friendly, in spite of Sally not entirely understanding what it meant. But Datura only sighed and rolled his eyes... then looked up in disbelief as Dead Ringer said meditatively, rubbing slowly under his chin: “Canterlot would be a fine crowd. And Datura, if you're there working for Celestia, you could put in a good word for us. Better yet, Nightmare Night is just around the corner, and I have a feeling...”

“Oh come on, Dead Ringer, don't do this to me.” Datura complained, and there was something so... so normal, so natural about him now. The psychopathy had vanished: even with the scars and emaciation, even in this den of freaks and monsters, Datura was just another pony, pleading with another pony about a job he obviously didn't want to do. “Fifty years ago, the Cirque du Noir was formed to give the freaks like us a chance, not to one day march us right back into hell!”

But Dead Ringer only smiled in amusement, shaking his head before he replied calmly: “The Cirque could also use some updates, better carriages, and of course we have to feed and clothe and look after our players. Originally, we started with a crew of only a dozen ponies, as I'm sure you recall, but now we have a full traveling troupe of sixty good ponies. We draw in quite a few curious wanderers and gawkers everywhere we go, but like it or not, we need to earn more profit.”

Datura grunted, looking moodily at the stallion for a few moments before he sighed a little and lowered his head, scowling but muttering: “Well... as much as I would love to argue with you, I know you have a point. Fine, if you really have to come to Canterlot, then come to Canterlot. Just don't blame me when everything goes to hell.”

Vodka only snorted in amusement, then walked over and firmly slapped Datura on the back, making his spine crack as the stallion visibly flinched. “You are very silly, zvezda. Is good to see that you have not changed.”

Datura only smiled wryly, and then he turned his eyes towards Dead Ringer, asking: “What work still needs to be done?”

“Good point, Datura. Everyone, back to work.” Dead Ringer said calmly as he tapped his cane firmly against the ground, and there were a few grumbles before most of the strange ponies turned to leave, as the ringmaster smiled and turned his eyes back to the stallion. “But there's quite a bit, actually, that we still have to take care of. Most of the tents are up, but the seats must still be arranged, the rings set up, the stalls filled and the games all designed. And yes, Sally, your help would be greatly appreciated, if you are going to be so insistent about offering.”

Sally blushed at the way Dead Ringer didn't even have to look at her to answer the question she had yet to even form, and Datura only gave a dry smile before he looked in amusement over his shoulder as Rose seized Splinthoof by the collar, saying moodily: “And this guy is going to come with me and help make up for all the product he ruined.”

“Fine, but leave him in one piece. Celestia doesn't like it when I hurt her little guard babies. She still sends letters scolding me about what I did to Royce.” Datura said dryly, and Rose grinned before turning and half-dragging Splinthoof away as Sally winced a little.

But before she could say anything, Angel held up a hoof, saying gently: “I would also like to help. Will you allow me to hand out flyers with Tshilaba?”

She seemed to be asking Datura more than Dead Ringer, and Sally couldn't help but note the way the ringmaster deferred to the scarred stallion, at least in this. Datura didn't seem to notice... or at least he pretended not to, as he shrugged a little. “If Dead Ringer is fine with it. Just make sure you get back soon.”

Angel smiled kindly and nodded to him politely, and Sally shifted lamely before Dead Ringer turned his eyes to her. He looked frightening, and he had such a raspy, gravelly voice... but he sounded so... so kind, all the same, as he asked gently: “Why don't you go and help Harmony? She would never admit it, but she has a little bit of trouble with the higher shelves. But don't remind her that she's short.”

Sally smiled briefly, thinking of the mare for a moment and how 'short' wasn't the first thing that would have popped to mind in describing her... but Dead Ringer only smiled knowingly at her, then he reached up and tapped his own temple with the end of his cane, saying softly: “Everything, dear, is just a matter of perspective.”

Coming from him, and standing here, in the middle of this... Cirque du Noir, whatever it was... it made Sally realize just how true that really was. That it was a lot more than some meaningless bit of wisdom or platitude, and she smiled briefly before she shook her head and murmured: “You're right.”

She quieted, then cleared her throat before looking over at Datura. Datura frowned at her from under his mask, but Dead Ringer only chuckled before he poked the emaciated pony in the chest with his cane. “Just be a gentlecolt for once in your life and help her. It won't kill you, Datura.”

Datura sighed and rolled his eyes, then he grunted at Sally before gesturing moodily at her. “Come on, then. Harmony runs the toss games when she's not doing a show. Let's give her a hoof.”

“It's weird how naturally you say that. Hoof, horse, pony.” Sally said before she could stop herself, and Datura only looked at her until she blushed a bit, then argued lamely: “Well, it is.”

Datura just continued to study her, and then he gave a brief smile beneath his mask before shrugging and turning away. And after a few moments, the mare sighed before following in the wake of the stallion, shaking her head slowly and wondering what the hell kinds of things went on in the strange unicorn-creature's mind... and how he could both fit in so well here in this world of freaks and monsters hidden out of sight of the rest of the nation, and yet at the same time, seem so very much alone.

The Cirque Du Noir

Chapter Five: The Cirque Du Noir
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally spent the entire morning afraid of making some horrible blunder while working at the Cirque du Noir that would make all these strange but wonderful ponies hate her. But by mid-afternoon, she felt comfortable enough with most of the ponies she'd met to even join in their friendly teasing of each other, feeling terribly... in place.

Sure, maybe she didn't look like she belonged in a Tim Burton movie. But even if she wasn't much of a freak outside, she was sure as hell one inside: she was an outsider to this fantasy world of ponies, just like many of these strangely-wonderful, grotesquely-beautiful ponies and people were.

She was amazed to find she liked it here. And she loved how open and friendly everyone was, once they got to know her a little. Sure, Splinthoof wasn't having a great time, but Sally thought that was partly his own fault: he kept treating even innocent little Harmony like she was going to sprout fangs and gobble him up, and he and Datura kept getting into arguments... or more accurately, Splinthoof would snap threats and insults, and Datura would just continuously provoke him until Dead Ringer or Vodka or Sally herself pulled the two apart.

There was another unexpected benefit to their little stay here too, though: Sally was actually able to learn about Datura. As a matter of fact, many of the Cirque's members were more than happy to tell her all about the strange unicorn and his affiliation with them... and from bits and pieces of information she gleaned here and there during their stories, she was starting to put together what had happened to Datura, and his fall from grace.

As she'd suspected, Datura had once been a fairly normal unicorn: that fit everything that Celestia had told her, too. But then the story got a bit different: in Celestia's version, Datura had started to experiment on himself after developing a fascination with pain and pleasure, obsessing over nightmares and fantasy worlds, but many of the members of the Cirque du Noir claimed that Datura hadn't been trying to do anything but numb a pain that was already there. He hadn't been trying to create a perfect nightmare, but escape the darkness that was haunting him.

She also was surprised to learn that Datura hadn't simply abandoned pony society after being dismissed from his duties as a Dream Weaver: instead, he had actually been sent to some kind of special asylum for Avatars. Whatever he had gone through there had only made him worse, however, and separated him further from pony society instead of helping him get over whatever had happened to him in the first place.

She wasn't able to put together too much of his past beyond that: either the members of the Cirque du Noir didn't know, or respected Datura enough that they weren't going to reveal any of his secrets behind his back. Sally thought it was a combination of both, though: Datura was plenty secretive, but he had apparently been helping out the Cirque even before they'd officially become a traveling circus of sorts. Freaks had to stick together, as Datura himself had said.

Sally had always felt that working beside someone, watching their habits, could teach you a lot about them, though. And as she and Datura worked side-by-side, she was surprised by his efficiency: he tended to take over and he was bossy and a little patronizing, but he worked fast and refused to take any breaks. She also couldn't help but notice that he was a little obsessive-compulsive: he wasn't just stacking toys willy-nilly in the prizes rack, but arranging them by color and size.

Datura was also a lot more pleasant while he was busy: he still ignored most of her questions, but he seemed to treat her with a little more respect, the more she worked. And he seemed to actually take honest enjoyment in the simple, menial task, which had made her smile and think that maybe she and this strange creature had more in common than she had thought.

She was amazed at how productive all these ponies were, though: by early afternoon, all the stalls and tents had been set up and were ready to go. Ponies of every shape and size stood at the ready, and less than twenty minutes after the last touches had been done on the final stall, the first visitors had wandered their way into the Cirque du Noir, gasping and staring at the sights the fairground alone offered with the eerie carnival ponies.

Sally herself had gotten lost in watching from the sidelines, and she only realized Datura had slipped away when she woke up from the mix of happy memories of carnivals past and amazement at this one. So, with no work left to do, she let herself be drawn through the tents and stalls, gazing back and forth in awe as she simply took in the atmosphere.

The Cirque du Noir was almost... majestic, she thought. There, Vodka was laughing loudly as she hefted a massive set of weights above her head with one hoof... along with the two stallions who were now clinging desperately to either end of the bar to avoid falling off, as a small crowd of ponies laughed. And there, ponies were already playing games, Harmony smiling from behind a pair of wraparound sunglasses as she silently passed out toys and rewards, her sharp ears apparently perfectly capable of telling her what prizes each player earned.

In the distance, she could hear the rough but carrying voice of Dead Ringer... and the gasps of ponies he was presumably reading the minds of. But Sally felt herself being drawn towards one of the smaller tents, cocking her head curiously as she ducked inside... and then she laughed and strode quickly forwards to lean over the short wall that separated the standing area from the simple dirt arena.

Inside, the Wolf Colt was currently walking slowly around on his front hooves, yipping now and then as Raindance grinned out at the crowd. The zebra priestess was regaled in bones and primitive-looking paints and clothes, her mane a rumpled mess, carrying what looked like a charred branch tipped with a skull. She shook this out at the crowd as she declared with an overemphasized accent: “You see what my voodoo can do? It turn this little colt into my animal servant! Oh yes, once he was nothin' but a wicked little boy, stealin' and lyin', and now, now he an obedient little puppy!”

Raindance made a spinning gestures with her staff, and the shaggy wolf colt yelped before he leapt backwards, flipping once before landing back on his front hooves to the gasps and cheers of the crowd. Raindance laughed loudly, then grasped her staff in both front hooves and swung it hard to the side, and the Wolf Colt flung himself through the air as if he was being magically yanked along by the staff's movements.

Sally laughed as she watched the show with fascination: the two played well off each other, and they entertained the audience for a good half hour before Raindance and Wolf Colt ended the show by vanishing in a burst of smoke. Sally was impressed beyond words, smiling into the ring and just relaxing there as the small audience began to filter away.

Sally remained, then smiled again in spite of herself as Raindance wandered back out from the narrow backstage with Wolf Colt walking quite normally beside her. The zebra glanced over at Sally, then smiled warmly and beckoned to her, and the Pegasus Avatar easily hopped the small wall, boosting herself naturally with a flap of her wings as she said asked: “Do you need help raking the dirt?”

“You pretty sharp, girl. But nah, don't you fret. Wolf Colt will take care of that.” Raindance gestured easily to the shaggy stallion, who barked cheerfully. But Raindance only rolled her eyes in amusement and shoved at the stallion's head, saying wryly: “Save it for the stage, hon.”

“Fine, fine. Would you like me to go fetch you a spot of tea then, milady?” asked Wolf Colt ironically with the barest trace of a British accent, and Sally blinked in surprise before Wolf Colt gave her an amused smile, asking mildly: “What's wrong, mum? By now you must know quite a few of us oddballs are Avatars.”

“I guess your favorite movie must be American Werewolf in London, huh?” Sally asked mildly after a moment, and Wolf Colt blinked... then laughed and rolled his eyes, grinning across at her.

“Americans! All you ever think about are yourselves and your own silly pop culture references!” Wolf Colt teased, and then he easily pushed himself up onto his front hooves, standing on them for a moment before cheerfully beginning to pace back and forth on them, continuing: “Oh, it's not like Britain ever came up with anything good, right? It's not like any famous bands or characters or writers or anything else ever came out of jolly old England...”

Raindance rolled her eyes, then she said mildly: “Ignore the boy. He gets like this now and then with you Avatars. You humans must be prouder of your countries than these ponies are of Equestria... amazing, how all of you seem to think a few imaginary lines on a map can make anything yours.”

“Oh shush, Raindance. As if you don't have all kinds of hexes and witch's charms over that tent of yours.” Wolf Colt retorted, continuing to easily walk back and forth on his hooves before he shoved himself off the ground, flipping neatly and landing back on all four hooves as he grinned and winked over at Sally. “Say, you're a pretty mare! Want to go get a pint with me down at the pub? It ain't much of a pub, and there's little better than water, but we can still pretend to be drunk so we don't have to remember the morning after, just in case you're really a man under all that mare!”

Sally rolled her eyes, then she leaned forwards and studied the Avatar intently, focusing in on him. And now that she knew Wolf Colt was an Avatar... “That's very nice of you to ask, sweetie, but I don't think you'll be old enough to buy me a drink for at least another three years.”

Wolf Colt stared at her, then he blushed deeply, shaking his head before he burst out: “Two and a half!”

Raindance laughed loudly, shaking her head slowly as Wolf Colt glared at Sally, and Sally grinned in response... until finally, Wolf Colt's mouth quirked into a smile, and he remarked mildly: “Bloody hell. What are you, a Dream Weaver like Datura was? Or do you just have eyes like his?”

“No, I... I guess I'm just good at... seeing things.” Sally confessed after a moment, smiling awkwardly and shrugging slowly. “I have no idea still why I'm even here, how I even got here, or... what I should even be doing with myself.”

Wolf Colt chuckled at this, and Raindance smiled kindly before she said gently: “Sally, I do not pretend to know the intricacies of the world: not all of my people are very fond of your kind, Avatars... but I believe that as with all things, some are good, and some are bad. There has been much bad in recent years, all over Equestria, reaching even down to my homeland... but you are good. And I believe you have a great purpose here.”

“Celestia said something like that too...” Sally murmured, looking down in embarrassment before she shook her head, blushing quietly. “But I don't... I don't think I'm here to save anyone or anything. I don't... I'm no hero. I just want to go home.”

Wolf Colt smiled and shrugged, and Raindance chuckled quietly before she said softly: “It does not matter whether or not you are a 'hero,' it only matters whether or not you strive to do good, and to do good for others. You are helping us, and you are helping our friend, and... perhaps, you will help Equestria, if things...”

She quieted, looking over at Wolf Colt, but the shaggy pony only gave a warm smile as he looked up and shrugged. “This dream has to end sometime, right? I... I want to be here, until the very end, to support all the friends I've made here... but I know that when we have to go... it'll be time to go, too. No point in lamenting about it or wishing otherwise.”

Sally nodded slowly in agreement with this, smiling a little, and then she said finally: “You seem pretty smart for a kid.”

Wolf Colt shrugged, replying: “Well, hey. I've been here for years now, and...” He shifted a little, scraping a hoof against the sand before raising it silently in front of himself. “And to be honest, I used to be part of Canon Camp. Used to try so hard to conform, to fit in, to be just like the 'real ponies.' But... like Datura says, you start off in this world as what you want to be... but sooner or later, who you really are takes over.”

Wolf Colt blushed as he shook himself like a dog, and then he looked over at Raindance with a smile. “But things worked out great, really. No more Canon Camp, no more rules and regulations, and now I've got lots of friends and... it's certainly opened up a whole world for me!”

Sally looked at him curiously, and then she asked: “What's Canon Camp? It sounds kind of... unpleasant, for some reason.”

“Oh, right, I keep forgetting. You're a little...” Wolf Colt gestured at her awkwardly, and Sally only looked at him dryly. “Sorry, I mean, you're not in the loop yet. Not to worry, though! No one who's fresh to Equestria knows about Canon Camp and all the other factions, and-”

“And I think it would be better if you asked Datura about that, Miss Sally. Wolf Colt and I still have to clean this place up. Ponies seem to always think it's okay to just leave garbage where they please.” Raindance interrupted smoothly, and then the zebra winked over at Sally as she looked lamely at the mare. “You go on now, hear? And take my advice, and listen well: if you want Datura to trust you, you gotta trust him first.”

The Pegasus Avatar nodded hesitantly to Raindance, and then she asked after a moment: “Where do you think I could find him, then?”

“Check the main tent. I'm sure he's preparing for tonight's performance by now.” Raindance replied, and Sally nodded hesitantly before she smiled to the two, then turned and headed quickly towards the exit, leaping the wall and absently flapping her wings to boost herself over before she flitted out through the tent.

She didn't even realize she was flying until she absently touched down after traveling for a good fifty feet or so, and then she looked over her shoulder in shock, mouthing wordlessly to herself. She spread her wings and flapped them once, then kicked off the ground, and her wings caught the air with natural ease, the mare laughing loudly and staring with awe as she flapped her wings several times, then shot suddenly straight up into the air, forgetting everything else for a moment as she spiraled up into the sky.

Sally twisted and shot to the side, laughing again before she rolled smoothly around and flapped her wings firmly, streaking back and forth above the camp before a strong burst of wind suddenly buffeted into her, and the mare's eyes bulged in shock as she overreacted to the invisible shove, flailing wildly and rolling onto her back before yelping as her wings simply gave out on her.

She fell through the air, flailing wildly in all directions... and then she suddenly simply stopped, the mare blinking stupidly. The ground was still quite a few feet away from her, which made her wonder weakly if time had just frozen, if she'd somehow broken this dreamscape or maybe killed herself and now she was going to... to...

The Pegasus Avatar was gently pulled down through the air, the mare blinking stupidly before Vodka calmly set her down on the ground and smiled at her. The immense mare carefully swept her off, and Sally blushed deep red before Vodka said kindly: “Is good to see you, little mare. You have look on your face that says you are sorry, but I do not know for what. Did you enjoy first flight?”

“I... yeah, I guess I did.” Sally said embarrassedly, and then she only rubbed the back of her head when Vodka laughed loudly. But after a moment, Sally cleared her throat before looking awkwardly out over the crowd of gawking ponies currently staring at them, the mare mumbling: “Oh god. Where did all these people come from?”

“Dead Ringer is very good at finding right place and right time for right people. We always set up in strange and empty place, but always quickly become very busy. Is good this way: most problem pony too lazy or too stupid to make journey into unknown.” Vodka replied pleasantly, and then she patted Sally on the head several times, making her wince a bit. “You go now and find Datura, little mare. He in big top. You go around back, you find him.”

“Uh. Right.” Sally said lamely, and then she blushed before excusing herself quickly, leaping off the little stage Vodka was on. The Pegasus Avatar absently flapped her wings to launch herself backwards and neatly spin around, landing on her hooves past the crowd... and then she looked disbelievingly down at herself, wondering when the hell she'd gone from a klutz to an acrobat... and feeling a strange sense of unease at how natural it felt to move like this, as a Pegasus.

Sally stayed firmly on the ground as she made her way through the fairgrounds, for some reason feeling... a little afraid of herself, for reasons she couldn't put her hoof on. Maybe she was just overreacting out of fear, or...

The mare shook her head briefly, biting her lip as she found her way around to the rear entrance of the big top, where a few carnival workers were lounging on break, two of them smoking cigarettes. Sally found her eyes lingering on this, studying the workers and wondering if the Avatars had brought this, too, like they had brought so much else to Equestria that... didn't belong here.

She shook herself briefly, then walked into the tent, looking back and forth as she entered the backstage area: immense, muffling curtains blocked this zone from view, giving the performers plenty of privacy for last minute rehearsal and makeup amidst the crates and cages and piles of props.

Datura was off in one corner of the room with Angel, and Sally hesitantly approached the two before she blushed slightly at the sight of Angel: she was dressed in a sultry outfit, with a black lace corset over her body, stockings belted tightly to her legs, and a thick black collar with a large, oversized buckle around her neck.

She was smiling over at Datura, who had his skull mask over his face and seemed... shinier than usual. She realized after a moment that they had actually applied some kind of makeup or oil to his body that made both his musculature and his scars stand out: it made him look a lot more intimidating, although at the same time... “What did they do, laminate you?”

The scarred stallion slowly turned towards her, his single eye regarding her with surprise... and was that the slightest hint of embarrassment? “Shouldn't you be working?”

“No one seems to have anything for me to do.” Sally replied, shrugging a little and smiling a bit as he looked over the two, then asked curiously: “What are you doing?”

Datura only grunted at her, turning his head away, but Angel gave the Pegasus Avatar a tender look before she answered: “Datura and I always help with the grand opening, my dear. But today I have also talked him into doing a small performance now, as part of the warm-up before the real show begins tonight. Will you stay and watch, darling?”

Sally couldn't help but smile after a moment, nodding as she turned an amused look to Datura, who only sighed tiredly before he said moodily: “Alright, fine. Why not? Let's go invite Splinthoof or whatever his name is, too. They can both watch, then reassure Celestia how I've been trained like a little dog to do little tricks.”

“You are not the little dog, darling. I am your bitch.” Angel said in a matter-of-fact voice, and Datura snorted in amusement as Sally smiled in spite of herself, looking with entertainment at the white Pegasus. Angel was both serious and joking at the same time, but Sally thought she was starting to get used to the... the weirdness of the two.

Then Datura turned his eyes back to Angel, asking her quietly: “Are you ready, though? We haven't done this for a while.”

“I was made for this, darling.” the Figment replied with a kind smile, bowing her head towards the stallion with a soft laugh. “I love you, and I trust you, and I only wish you would not worry so much about this. Think of it as a game, darling.”

“Shush.” Datura grumbled, and Angel smiled and bowed her head respectfully... but Sally thought she saw something much more under the surface, now. Angel was still maintaining eye contact, her head humble but her eyes mischievous, and Datura wasn't being commanding as much as he seemed a little embarrassed.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Datura cleared his throat before looking over at Sally, saying suddenly: “Thank you, for... helping out, and for agreeing to do this.”

Sally stared at him, surprised by this sudden change in temperament before she nodded hesitantly, studying him quietly before Datura smiled briefly at her, then added: “But I'm still holding you to the other half of your promise, and all this will be less than meaningless if you give up halfway through. Do the job right, or don't do it at all.”

“Oh, good. I was worried for a minute there that you were actually being nice.” Sally said dryly, and then she shook her head slowly before saying softly: “Funny, though. You and me... maybe we're not so different after all.”

“You like to hurt people too?” Datura asked mildly, as he absently reached back and roughly slapped Angel with one hoof, hard enough to knock her head to the side. But the Figment only blushed at the treatment, looking with shining eyes up at Datura as Sally only glowered, refusing to allow the stallion to psych her out.

“I'd like to hurt you.” she retorted, leaning forwards and glaring at him, and Datura leaned down and glared back at the Pegasus Avatar.

“Is that a promise? Because it'd be nice to skip dinner and just get to dessert.” the unicorn snapped back, and then he paused before asking suddenly, in a voice that was curious and casual: “So you want to make out?”

Sally winced back, then she reached up and firmly smacked him, knocking the bone mask aslant on his face. Datura only grinned at her from under the askew skull, and Sally's eye twitched, her teeth grinding together as she looked at that stupid, troublemaking, complete asshole of a...

Before she knew it, she was smiling at him, the tension vanishing from her body, her frustration with him becoming... something else. And after a moment, she shook her head slowly before saying finally: “I want to learn about you.”

“I thought you were learning about me. That's why you've been going around, asking everyone questions.” Datura replied mildly, reaching up and adjusting his skull mask, and somehow Sally wasn't surprised. On the other hoof, it did prove one of two things: either these ponies really did respect Datura enough to let him know she'd been snooping around, or he was a lot more intuitive than he acted like. There might even be a brain in there, hidden under all the layers of insane jerk.

So Sally only shrugged, replying quietly: “I wouldn't have to ask everyone questions if you would just tell me about yourself.”

Datura only looked at her moodily, and then Sally bit her cheek before she touched her own chest, saying softly: “I'm from Arizona. I grew up on a farm, the only girl among seven brothers. I... Daddy rose me, mostly by himself. Momma... Momma was a good person, but when I was real young... she died. She was...”

Sally cleared her throat, looking down, and Datura studied her quietly for a few moments before he glanced away, saying with surprising gentility: “It sounds like she left a big impact on you, Sally. And if you're anything like her... then I know that she must have been a good person.”

The Pegasus Avatar smiled a little, feeling strangely touched by this before she nodded briefly, saying after a second of hesitation: “Thank you.”

There was an awkward silence for a few moments... and then a popping sound before the audience began to cheer, and Datura sighed a little before Sally looked up in surprise as a loud voice echoed through the tent, shouting cheerfully: “Welcome, one and all, to the Cirque du Noir! The fabulous freaks only show their heads when the sun falls and darkness begins to cover the land, but for now, we want to share with you one of the wonders of the world: one who hails from the blackest depths of Tartarus itself, and the another so pure and good she forswore herself from Elysium to tame this wicked beast!”

Sally looked with amusement at Datura, and the stallion only grunted before he rubbed moodily at one shoulder, muttering: “Hey, screw you. Dead Ringer likes to sell the crowd. Now get out of the way: you can watch from the curtains, but try not to draw too much attention to yourself.”

Datura brushed past her, scowling under his mask before he shook himself quickly, and Angel paused only a moment, reaching up to squeeze the Pegasus Avatar's shoulder as she whispered gently: “Don't fret, darling. He's just getting into character.”

“He's playing himself?” Sally asked dryly, and Datura shot her an ugly look over his shoulder, but the Pegasus Avatar only winked at him before calling teasingly: “Break a leg, Datura! One of your own, preferably.”

Instead of looking back at her, Datura held up a hoof as it clicked apart into a claw and flipped her off moodily, but Sally only smiled in entertainment at this, feeling a strange sense of victory. If there was ever a nervous gesture from the stallion, that was clearly it, and she liked seeing that even this monster could get anxious about something.

And it told her something else, too: he was more dedicated than she had expected. It showed in his every action... and how the moment his cue came from a blare of instruments and a shout from Dead Ringer, he and Angel quickly strode through the curtain, Sally hurrying up to where they had been and pulling it slightly aside so she could peer through and watch.

Other ponies clustered in with her almost immediately, and Sally whistled a little: there was a spotlight tracking Datura and Angel as they strode towards the center ring of the circus with heads raised high, the Figment's body moving with a natural, sultry rhythm as Datura stomped forwards, his movements stiff, his head high and proud. People shouted and cheered as the two strode to the center of the ring, and then Dead Ringer picked something up from a table, throwing it forwards...

Datura caught it with telekinesis and snapped it off to the side, the whip cracking like thunder before he caught a second heavy, long leather whip when it was tossed to him, snapping both of these forwards one after the other with sharp flicks of his horn. He moved with confidence as Angel almost danced away from him, turning her back for a moment on the stallion before she spun around and stood up on her hind hooves, keeping her wings tight to her sides as she spread her forelegs wide.

The unicorn turned suddenly, then stepped towards her, whips cracking down on either side of Angel... before Sally's eyes widened in shock as they both snapped powerfully upwards; yet Angel didn't so much as flinch even as she was tossed surprisingly high into the air, flipping neatly-

And her rear legs caught around the handle of a trapeze that seemed to appear out of nowhere, Angel swinging herself calmly up to sit across it as ponies cheered in awe, watching as Angel slowly swung herself back and forth with a smile across the ring. Her momentum built as the trapeze raised itself higher in the air at the same time, increasing the distance between her and the ground steadily before the mare suddenly threw herself backwards, wings still tightly furled to her sides, the crowd gasping-

And with ease, Datura snapped his whips upwards, and Angel was caught across their leathery bodies before Datura yanked backwards as Angel rolled herself, the Figment rotating rapidly through the air before she landed on one rear hoof, her other three limbs extended as she smiled coyly, with perfect poise and confidence.

The crowd roared, and Sally laughed in awe before Datura snapped his whips forwards, seizing Angel around the waist and limbs before he turned and roared as he hauled her through the air: but the Figment moved with incredible grace, seeming to flow through the sky before Datura's whips cracked upwards and Angel tore free from them, flying straight into thin air above as she flipped smoothly once... and then caught the trapeze as it swung by, immediately kicking her hind legs up over her head and straightening her body out like a board, performing an impossible feat of agility and strength with ease.

The show was incredible: Datura and Angel were a perfect team, and the unicorn controlled the whips with grace, lifting, stroking, grasping the mare with them, showing off a strength and discipline that Sally hadn't expected. And Angel performed flawlessly, never missing a beat, seeming lighter than air with how easily she moved.

By the end of it, Sally didn't know what to think: and when the two took their bow, Sally blushed and stepped backwards, fumbling for something to say until Angel and Datura stepped through the curtain, and she blurted: “That was awesome!”

Datura only smiled wryly as he pushed his skull mask up, looking at her with amusement, while Angel blushed and bowed her head: they were both sweaty and flushed, but the exercise had at least seemed to loosen up Datura, who shrugged a little before saying finally: “Thanks. But I have to go wash all this oil off and get something to eat before the last show.”

He halted, then sighed when Angel punched him gently in the shoulder, the stallion biting his lip before he asked in a mumble: “You um. You want to join me? Not for washing me off, for the food, I mean.”

Sally smiled a little after a moment, and then Datura added mildly, as he glanced up at her: “Although you can certainly join me for washing me off if you want, too. Angel just gets jealous sometimes, that's all.”

“I do not, darling. I would welcome the company.” Angel said kindly, smiling over at Sally, and Sally blushed a bit as she looked awkwardly at the mare, giving a lame smile in return. Although at the same time, she couldn't help but note with irony that now it was the Figment who was creeping her out instead of the large, scary unicorn.

She realized they were both looking at her still, and Sally blushed a little deeper before she cleared her throat and said hurriedly: “No, no... no. That's fine, but no. I wouldn't want to infringe on your... creepy... whatever the hell you two are. I'll... I'll meet you for food though, sure. Where?”

“Master and slave. But also good friends.” Angel said softly, bowing her head with a polite smile, and Datura... was he blushing a little? “Very well, though, my darling. We shall not insist beyond what is considered to be polite.”

“Yeah, but... uh, okay. There's a bunch of tables and benches set up next to the food vendors. We'll meet up there.” Datura said, gesturing absently off to the side with one hoof, and then he turned away, adding over his shoulder: “I think your Royal Guard friend is with Rose still. You might want to rescue him before she puts him through the cotton candy machine. I'd hate to see such an easily-provoked asshead go to waste.”

“You're so charming, Datura.” Sally said ironically, and then she shook her head with a slight smile, letting the two leave ahead of her. Part of her wondered uneasily what she was getting herself into, but... it was kind of nice getting to catch a different sort of side of Datura, to feel like maybe there was some thin possibility the two of them might actually make it back to Canterlot, and then...

She could leave. But the thought didn't fill her with happiness now, as she scraped a hoof slowly against the ground... then blushed as a pony half-shoved her out of the way, mumbling an awkward apology to the work crew hurrying to get the next performance ready before she headed quickly out of the tent, shaking herself briskly. “One thing at a time, Sally. Don't go overboard.”

The Pegasus Avatar concentrated for now on just making her way towards where all the food stalls were placed: while there were convenient little candy shacks just about everywhere, if you wanted actual food, you had to come here. Which wasn't actually a bad idea: the food court area was in the very center of the carnival, with the big top visible in the distance, the lights and music of the games to one side, the shops and sights to the other. Every path converged here, and the only straight aisles through the tents and stalls always seemed to lead further away from any possible escape...

Sally made her way first towards a large food stall that looked as if it was made out of gingerbread, twinkling with glitter and smelling of sweets. She smiled amusedly as she looked over the peppermint counter at Splinthoof, who looked sweaty and miserable beneath the stained apron he was wearing, his eyes widening at the sight of her before he begged: “You have to get me out of here!”

“Shut up, get back to work! We're low on cookies and if you don't get baking, I'm going to start cutting strips off you to sell as candied meat.” Rose growled, storming up to the stallion before slapping the back of his head roughly, and Sally winced in spite of herself before the mare glared out at him, eyeing her dangerously.

Sally couldn't tell if she was a Figment or an Avatar: somehow, she seemed like a little bit of both, as Rose looked steadily back at her before she grunted and reached down, then pulled out a large lollipop, almost thrusting this at Sally. “Here.”

Sally blushed, smiling a little as she reached out to take it, beginning: “I don't have any money, but I'm sure that-”

Rose caught her wrist before she could grasp the lollipop, the Pegasus Avatar wincing as Rose leaned slowly forwards and said in a low, threatening voice: “If you do anything to screw with us or with Datura, I will end you, Avatar. I will kill you. And I won't have to feel bad about it, because you want to go home anyway. Really, I'll just think of it as doing you a favor when I snap your neck.”

Sally stared, trembling a little before Rose let go of her, the Pegasus Avatar stumbling backwards as she gripped the lollipop tightly in her invisible clutch, her eyes and Rose's still locked before the dull-pink mare gave a thin smile, saying moodily: “Enjoy the candy. If you need anything else, just ask. Splinthoof, get back to work.”

The Pegasus Avatar stared for a moment longer, and then she bit shivered a little before shaking herself briskly and turning, heading away from the food stalls and towards the benches with one last nervous look over her shoulder at Splinthoof, who had gone back to working miserably away.

She sat down at one of the tables and looked at the lollipop for a moment, then shrugged before sticking it in her mouth: it was almost painfully sweet, and she realized that it was also the first thing she had really eaten in... quite a long time, now. She didn't know why, but she just hadn't seemed all that hungry or thirsty since she'd first arrived... maybe it was because this was all some weird dream world or something, that was why...

The Pegasus Avatar let her mind wander as she watched ponies come and go, thinking about how far she'd come since arriving here and... how much had changed. Thinking about all the interesting people she had met, and everything she had learned, and how even if sure, part of her was disappointed to see how human presence had corrupted this world... at the same time, she was proud to find how other Avatars had banded together and done great things here. And maybe, just maybe, that included that weirdo Datura, too.

She glanced up... and smiled as she saw the unicorn himself approaching. To her further surprise and pleasure, he actually looked clean for the first time since they'd met... and even if he was still a little hard on the eyes, at the same time, he wasn't utterly terrible to look at like this.

Angel was there too, by his side as always, still dressed in her stage gear. But as they approached, Datura said something to her, and the Figment smiled kindly before turning and heading off towards the food stalls.

“Must be nice to have your own personal servant and all that.” Sally said wryly as Datura approached, but her voice was amiable, and the unicorn only gave her an amused look, not falling for her baiting.

“You're the one who brought a hired bodyguard. Angel and I fulfill each other's needs.” Datura replied easily, and then he sat down across from her, the two studying each other for a moment before the scarred stallion gestured at her. “Where is he, anyway?”

Sally held up the lollipop, saying mildly: “Your friend Rose claims she still needs his help. I... decided it was probably best not to argue with her.”

“Good choice.” Datura smiled briefly, and there was an awkward quiet for a moment before the stallion asked finally: “You know about Avatars and Figments, but have you been told anything about the different factions?”

Sally shook her head, then she hesitated before saying: “Well... Wolf Colt mentioned something about how he used to be part of Canon Camp, whatever that is... that's actually why I came to find you in the first place.”

“That would be one of the factions.” Datura stopped, then he rubbed at his head before sighing and looking up at the sky, saying moodily: “I guess I might as well tell you about them. You need to be aware of the different clans of this world, so to speak.”

Sally nodded a few times, leaning forwards as she asked hesitantly: “They have their own little worlds or something, right? You mentioned that before...”

“More like tumors, if you want a better metaphor. They didn't change so much as... infect things.” muttered Datura, and then he chewed on his lip and shook his head before beginning: “The most important factions are Canon Camp, the Alicorn Alliance, the Cloppers, and the Crossworlders. I am now going to ask you a ridiculous and yet very important question: do you know anything at all about fanfiction?”

“I know that some people take it really seriously, while a lot of other people think it's stupid. And I know a lot of it is really bad.” Sally replied, and Datura smiled in amusement, nodding in agreement before he gave a soft sigh.

“I used to write a lot of fanfiction myself. A little bit was good... a lot of it was bad.” the stallion said softly, and then he shook his head briefly before he tapped a hoof slowly against the tabletop. “But in this world, a lot bad fanfiction comes true. People are able to live out their fantasies, and a lot of the most popular stories and ideas have already come to life. Any idea that resonates with a lot of people, that even gets a lot of people to say: 'hey, that's neat' or 'I have a strong emotion about that,' has the power to come to actual life, resulting in new Figments, new sections of Equestria, changes to the laws of reality itself here.”

Sally shivered a little at this thought, looking uneasily at the stallion before Datura continued softly: “The different factions started innocuously: like-minded Avatars who liked certain things. You know, clubs, really. But once they realized what the Figments were, and that they could actually alter the world around them to a point with enough concentration and effort from a large enough group, they became a lot more serious.

“Now, these factions each want something very specific, and have taken over different territories and tailored them to suit their desires. The Alicorn Alliance, for example, is made up mostly of winged unicorns and Avatars whom others would consider ridiculously overpowered, Mary Sues, etcetera etcetera.” Datura paused, then said wryly: “Thankfully, it seems there's a certain... balancing effect in play in this reality. No Avatar can exert a world-changing influence, and all of us have limited supplies of energy... and distinct weaknesses.”

Datura flexed one hoof slowly, looking down at this for a moment before she shook his head quickly, muttering: “The Alicorn Alliance can be dangerous, but they're more annoying because of their bark than their bite. The Cloppers, well. They're all ponies who basically want Equestria to become a sex-pit. Angel, for example, was created by the influence of the Cloppers.”

Sally's eyes widened in surprise at this, and then she tilted her head towards him before she asked dumbly: “Wait. I didn't think any of the ponies even had... well... I mean, I know you must but it's not like anything is... visible...”

Datura only smiled in amusement at this, gesturing outwards with one hoof at the ponies all around them, replying: “I think it's because no matter how you look at it, this world was originally designed with kids in mind. Little girls, to be precise. So unless you're specifically looking for crotches, your brain just kind of filters everything out. Think of when you're in the monkey house, how you get used to the smell after so long.”

Sally looked at him suspiciously, and Datura leaned forwards, saying seriously: “Just say to yourself, 'I'm going to look around and see what a pony's crotch really looks like,' and then you'll see exactly what I mean.”

“Oh, that's stupid. And gross.” Sally said flatly, leaning back with a huff... and yet mentally, she found herself questioning exactly whether or not there was some kind of crazy logic to what Datura had just said, and wondering, as she absently glanced away... “I mean, it's not like oh my god why is it just hanging out there and why does he have so many piercings?”

Sally gaped at a stallion who was standing across the field, happily chatting away with some other pony, and then she turned hurriedly back towards Datura with a deep flush on her face, glaring at him furiously as one of her eyes twitched. But Datura only looked innocently back at her before he said mildly: “You're the one who wanted to see all the pony penises, not me. Which means you've either seen too many horse penises or too few on your farm there.”

“We grew lettuce, not horses!” Sally snapped immediately, blushing and glaring at him, but Datura only grinned back at her, eyes glinting with mischief.

“Never knew you could grow a horse.” he replied amiably, crossing his forelegs, and the Pegasus Avatar felt her teeth grinding together: not at his smartass response, but his smartass tone.

And yet all she could manage in response was a strangled: “Shut up!”

Datura looked pleased with himself before he said pleasantly: “Just relax and it'll go away again. Just be glad we're all an evolved society here and most of us don't pee and poop wherever we please.” He paused, then said mildly: “Well, the Ferals do that, but... their faction is dedicated entirely to living like actual wild horses, so they're not exactly all that important. And the Cloppers aren't, either: they just want sex and debauchery. Most of them are relatively harmless... although a few of them are known to be... violent.”

Datura looked a bit moodier at this, slowly flexing one of his hooves, but then he shook his head briefly before continuing quietly: “The Crossworlders are unorganized, but more dangerous. They're often the kinds of ponies who have no problem with killing. Who treat this all like a game. Often younger, and concerned only with playing by their own set of rules. Quick to fanaticism.”

Sally shifted uneasily, leaning forwards worriedly before Datura continued: “They are also the faction that has transformed the largest amount of territory. They're responsible for a lot of the Figments you see and wield a lot of power, and they've brought a lot of technology into this world. Thankfully, technology that's Figment-based seems only to operate in a very specific area, one that's already been 'transformed:' in other words, some kind of... anime battle armor won't work outside of anime battle armor zone.

“But the Crossworld fanatics are very aggressive in expanding their territory. If you enter an area that looks like a post-apocalyptic warzone, then welcome to Crossworld territory.” Datura tapped the tabletop quietly, meeting Sally's eyes. “But Crossworlders can still be bargained with. They want escapism and adventure. They want excitement and action.

“Canon Camp can't be argued with, can't be bartered with. Canon Camp doesn't kill unless it has to, but it does much worse: it 'reeducates.' Canon Camp is made up of ponies who absolutely idolize the 'canon' of the show.” Datura grimaced a bit at this, shaking his head briefly before he said moodily: “As if anything we Avatars do is 'canon.' I hate that word.”

He halted, and Sally frowned uneasily before she said uneasily: “I don't know all that much about the show but... I mean... it doesn't seem like any of what I've seen so far would really fit with a little girl's cartoon...”

“Not just because the Avatars have changed things, but because the show is designed to be enjoyed by children. Children, who don't question continuity errors or plot holes, who don't have to get every single reference or joke to completely enjoy something, who don't need depth, or moral lessons, who just need to believe... that the world is a good place.” Datura quieted, looking down silently before he shook his head briefly. “Canon Camp has created an entire charter and guidebook that very specifically describes how all ponies should behave, and what should be expected of them. These are the kinds of people who walk right up to actual Trueborn ponies – real ponies – and tell them they aren't behaving right. Who will lecture 'canon characters' like Celestia herself about being 'out of character' or tell her 'she is using inappropriate dialogue.'

“Their territory and their base is far away from any location that's been indicated on the show, thankfully, so traveling to Canterlot should be safe enough: but they like to send out 'envoys' and 'instructors' every now and then. You know. Like recruiters for the Hitlerjugend.” Datura said dryly, gesturing with one hoof. “And also like the Nazis, if you don't indoctrinate, they eradicate.”

Sally grimaced, then leaned forwards and asked disbelievingly: “And... and these factions are all just allowed to exist? But... but why?”

“Because... like it or not, many ponies are... simple-minded. They look at the immediate, and they try to be tolerant, and understanding. They believe, really believe, when someone says: 'I'm not going to use this omnipotent power to hurt you.'” Datura said in an almost bitter voice, gesturing off to the side. “They're... wonderful and awful like that. They're prey creatures that have lost all prey instinct thanks to the kind of mollycoddled society they've been living in for a thousand years.”

He halted, then sighed softly, lowering his head and murmuring: “And honestly... what can Celestia do? The Avatars aren't just stupid kids or bloodthirsty brutes or guys looking for a quick lay, however it comes about. Some Avatars... are very dangerous. Some Avatars are extremely intelligent. And some of them are very, very determined to get their way... by whatever means necessary.”

Datura quieted, then sighed and shook his head slowly before he murmured: “And until now, it's worked: Equestria has suffered, the ponies have bared the brunt of our... our sins, our crimes, but Celestia maintains peace, somehow. Except now... you're here. And you've changed the equation, Sally. And... a lot of us long-timers have come to recognize that we honestly don't belong here... even if... it's so hard to bring ourselves to leave, even after our true forms start bleeding through...”

Datura looked silently down at one of his hooves, and there was silence between them for a few moments before Sally said quietly: “You're doing the right thing. This... I don't know how this world works, but I know... we don't belong here, and these ponies... deserve their own world.”

“They do. I just...” Datura looked silently up, and Sally frowned before looking to the side to see Angel was only standing nearby, the Figment smiling softly around the large paper bag hanging from her mouth before Datura whispered: “I don't want to lose my only friends... even... even though I know they're not real.”

Sally softened at this, and Angel calmly strode forwards and set down the paper bag on the table, before she turned soft eyes to the stallion and said quietly: “I may not be real, darling... but these ponies are. When the Avatars are gone, I and all the other Figments will vanish, but that burden is not upon you. And nor is it something I am sad for: I am only glad that I have had the time I did with you... and that you have always considered me to be as real as any other pony.”

Datura smiled faintly, glancing down and rubbing at his face awkwardly before Angel leaned in and kissed his cheek, and the stallion let his eyes slide closed before she murmured: “I will meet you at the big top in an hour, my darling. Until then... do play nice with Sally, will you? She means well.”

“Yes, mother.” Datura intoned wryly, and Angel only reached up and touched his face tenderly before she turned and strode away. Datura watched her for a moment, then he shook his head before grabbing the paper bag, opening it and fishing out a large box of what looked like onion rings.

He glanced into the bag, then shrugged and shoved it towards Sally, but she only smiled a little and rolled her lollipop between her teeth. So for a few moments there was silence, as Datura shoved handfuls – or hoof fulls, I guess – of onion rings into his maw at a time, chewing loudly.

“You're eating too fast.” Sally said finally, and Datura only grunted before the Pegasus Avatar hesitated, then asked uneasily: “When we... when we head back to Canterlot, what are the chances of running into any of these factions?”

Datura looked moody, rubbing at his face slowly before he replied finally: “Just be prepared to defend yourself. There might be Hunters as well... Avatars who specifically search for Figments like Angel, who are worth a lot of money to the right people, and who... well... try and eliminate people like me.” Datura gestured at himself distastefully. “Not that I've ever been good at making friends. I know that at least Canon Camp has me on their kill-on-sight list.”

Sally looked at him for a moment, then she blinked and leaned forwards, saying disbelievingly: “You're not kidding.”

“Look at me.” Datura flexed a hoof, which popped apart into a claw that he gestured at moodily, as his broken eye gleamed. “My very existence is an offense to ponies everywhere. Combine that with the fact that my old stories... deviated just slightly from the 'canon material,' well. You can understand rather quickly how they wouldn't be fond of me.”

Sally shifted a little, and then she asked finally: “Is that why you live out there in that abbey, instead of here? But I mean... the Cirque du Noir seems to respect you a lot, and you seem happy here, and since we've been here-”

“Stop assuming things about me.” Datura said icily, his eyes suddenly narrowing dangerously at her, and Sally leaned back in surprise before the unicorn took a slow breath, calmly locking his claw back into the shape of a hoof as he allowed his gaze to drop, muttering: “Some of us just have to be alone. That's all.”

“Yeah.” Sally murmured, not knowing what else to say, and then she shook her head slowly before she bit her lip and asked quietly: “What did you write about?”

“Things in the past.” Datura said shortly, and the mare felt like she'd just stumbled onto a bad topic as the unicorn grumpily began to shove onion rings into his muzzle, glowering grouchily at the tabletop.

It was so easy to piss him off. She didn't know if that was because he was just that moody, or if it was because of all his years in solitude, likely only with a servant... and well... the friends he wouldn't admit to having, for some reason.

She shifted uneasily, then, not knowing why, she said finally: “I... I managed to fly today. Before I came and saw you, I... I was just... flying naturally. But then I tried to go too high or the wind caught me and... I was just lucky that Vodka was there to catch me.”

Datura grunted at her, but he looked up curiously, much of his irritation vanishing almost immediately. And Sally bit her lip before she asked uncertainly: “Is that... weird?”

The stallion smiled a little at her and shrugged, and then he replied quietly: “Yes and no. There have been Avatars who have been able to fly the moment they arrived, but... it's rare. And in your case... well, it actually is pretty weird.”

Datura looked down meditatively, all his annoyance gone. And all she had to do was defer to him a little bit and give him a puzzle to occupy himself with, and suddenly he was happy again. Or at least as close to 'happy' as the stallion could get... his smiles never really seemed genuine, after all.

Then he looked up at her, studying her with his broken eye, and Sally winced a little before she half-rose a hoof between them, mumbling: “I really wish you wouldn't do that.”

“I'm differently-abled than you.” Datura retorted, continuing to look at her before he grimaced and reached up to rub grumpily at his eye. “Anyway, this has been out in the light for too long. I need to go find an eyepatch so the big top's lights don't kill me. And...”

He frowned at her, and Sally leaned back a bit before Datura said quietly: “You need to remember that I am not your friend. I'm doing a job here at the Cirque, and then I'm doing a job for Celestia, all because of old promises. And when these jobs are done, the fantasy ends for everyone, and we all go home, never to return here again, never to see each other again, likely without even memories of these events. We don't win, we don't learn anything, we don't end up as friends.”

Sally looked silently up at the stallion as he looked calmly back at her, and then he simply shoved himself away from the table, turning around and striding away... but the Pegasus Avatar was left wondering silently if Datura was really talking to her, or if he was just trying to convince himself that he didn't need anyone else in the world apart from his imaginary companion.

Misfits Fit Together

Chapter Six: Misfits Fit Together
~BlackRoseRaven

“Welcome, one and all, to the greatest and strangest show in Equestria!”

The crowd roared as Dead Ringer grinned, standing on his hind hooves with his forelegs extended to either side. And all around him were ponies, all already performing different feats, some incredible, some insane, some purely unbelievable even though it was being performed right before their very eyes.

Vodka was posing with a safe held easily over her head, upon which balanced several contortionists forming a twisted pyramid of balanced ponies, all supported by one pony who stood on a single hoof; there, Raindance was guiding barking Wolf Colt through rings of fire with waves of her staff; and there, Datura was manipulating a pair of whips smoothly, using them to toss Angel into the air as she flipped and rotated herself gracefully, dancing with the stallion.

Sally watched from backstage with awe, careful to stay off to little nook at the side where she could peek through a hole in the curtain, but was out of the way of the ponies busily prepping other performers, checking on the caged animals, and carrying props back and forth. The Pegasus Avatar's eyes roved upwards... and she couldn't help but smile in amusement as she caught sight of one particular unicorn miserably wading through the audience, selling peanuts and cotton candy. But to his credit, at least Splinthoof was helping out.

The big top was packed to the roof: Sally didn't want to imagine where all of these ponies had come from, as she returned her eyes slowly to the center ring as Dead Ringer declared: “Tonight, you will see feats of strength beyond strength, and bear witness to wonders thought to exist only in myth! Tonight, you will see things that can never be unseen, from great and terrible beasts that rule the night, to creatures so beautiful and ardent they outshine the sun!

“Tonight, each and every one of you will discover there is no such thing as a difference between dreams and reality, here at the Cirque du Noir!”

The crowd roared its approval, and Sally smiled in spite of herself as Dead Ringer snapped his cane to the side. And even though she had actually helped set his up herself, she was still amazed by the display of light and sound as flames burst into life in the massive braziers set up around the ring, burning with all multitude of colors as they stretched up towards the roof high above.

Then they settled, returning to their normal colors as Dead Ringer grinned, then gestured towards Vodka, declaring: “And for our opening act, I have the honor of presenting the strongest mare in all of Equestria, a maiden fair of the furthest and coldest northern reaches... Vodka!”

Vodka flexed, easily shifting the massive safe to one hoof and bowing deeply while keeping the safe above her head, and then she roared before tossing it upwards and backwards. And without missing a beat, the pyramid of ponies that had been perched atop the safe flung themselves upwards and backwards as Datura launched Angel high into the air...

In perfect time, Angel flipped herself and caught a trapeze as it swung by, with her hind legs, then she swung forwards and caught the forelegs of one of the mares as the others formed a chain with their bodies and limbs. This swung far off to the side before Angel released her grip from the trapeze, and the mares landed in a perfectly-balanced ladder, their heads all held high and bodies piled one upon the other in a somehow beautiful jumble.

It was amazing. Sally laughed loudly and clapped before Vodka turned towards Datura and roared at him, and Dead Ringer gestured quickly to the side, calling out: “And here, a special guest for tonight, and tonight only, is the one and only Datura! A stallion of secrets and nightmares, he can see into your very soul and fears nothing... for legend says he comes from the depths of Tartarus itself, bringing with him shadow and hellfire!”

Datura snapped his whips to either side as he posed with his forelegs spread, his head raised proudly and an eyepatch protecting his broken eye from the bright lights of the big top. He was fearless, even in the face of all these ponies, and yet... he clearly wasn't big on social interaction or even being around other people. But here, he looked as natural as ever standing in the center of the big top, as natural as any of these other marvelous performers...

Sally leaned forwards, watching with as much as excitement as the rest of the audience as Vodka shouted something to Datura in what sounded like Russian... and the Pegasus Avatar was somehow unsurprised when Datura gestured and shouted something back in the same language.

And then Vodka roared and charged straight towards the scarred stallion, who set himself with a grin before he suddenly leapt forwards and lashed both whips down. But Vodka simply caught both of these with a grin around her forelegs, even as Datura's hooves snapped apart into claws that caught the handles of the weapons and he visibly tensed.

Then Vodka stepped forwards with a roar and snapped her forelegs upwards, and Datura was flung high into the air, the stallion streaking upwards like a comet towards the roof of the big top. All eyes followed with ascension with awe before Datura snapped his whips out to either side, twisting his body to spin himself rapidly as his whips both glowed.

Sally stared in amazement, leaning forwards with shock as Datura left a glowing trail behind him from his whips as he fell while spinning... and then Vodka leapt up into the air and snatched the stallion out of the sky, the massive mare flipping slowly once before she crashed down on her hind hooves and flung Datura across the ring.

He hit the sandy earth on his back and rolled quickly, both whips flying free from his claws before he flipped to a halt, slamming both claws down and digging them deep into the sand to halt himself as he looked sharply up.

Vodka was already charging at him again, and Datura flexed for a moment, clearly counting the timing in his head before he suddenly dropped backwards and thrusted his claws up into the air above his head as he gritted his teeth and his cracked horn glowed. And Vodka's hooves slammed down on top of his claws a moment later before the mare kicked her legs upwards, standing on her front hooves with her rear legs stretching high above her head.

She looked down with a wink at Datura, then whispered as he strained to hold her up, supporting her through both muscle and magic: “You are doing very well, Little Kafka!”

“I've told you so many times not to call me that.” Datura wheezed, and then he gritted his teeth before shoving upwards with a grunt as the mare pushed herself firmly off his buckling forelimbs at the same time, the mare grinning widely as she did a half-somersault before landing with his rear hooves on his still-extended upper limbs, Datura swearing in exertion as he struggled to keep the enormous mare held above his head... but all the onlookers only stared and cheered as the large, scarred stallion seemed to easily keep a surprisingly-agile giantess posed above his head.

And then Vodka leapt forwards, smoothly flipping and landing with an earth-shaking bang on all four hooves: there was no time to slow, however, as Datura leapt quickly up onto Vodka's back, and the mare rolled him easily into her forelegs before throwing him high in the air: this, really, was the easiest part of the act, though. All he had to do was not scream and just let Vodka guide his body's movements, keeping his eyes closed as ponies on trapezes swung back and forth around him and instead mentally counting to thirty...

He thrusted his front legs suddenly out to either side, and he was caught by two ponies as they swung across on paired trapezes, the stallion gritting his teeth as he was carried up to one of the high trapeze pedestals, the stallion wheezing as he hopped quickly off to catch his breath.

The trapeze swung away, the other acrobats taking over for a moment as Datura turned around and mumbled: “I don't know how you all talk me into this every year.”

“Probably because you love a good thrill.” replied one of the lithe acrobats, and Datura huffed a bit before the pony added cheerfully: “Mark.”

“Great.” Datura muttered as the twin trapezes swung back towards them, and then the stallion gritted his teeth before leaping out and throwing both front hooves up, swearing under his breath as the acrobats caught him before swinging him down... and flinging him hard upwards at the nadir of their arc, the scarred stallion flipping slowly and lazily before he simply let himself drop into a freefall.

And Vodka caught him easily with a laugh before tossing him in the air, Datura willing himself to be weightless before he dropped... and stumbled only slightly as he landed on Vodka's back before striking a pose along with her as colored flames flared up from the enormous braziers that ran around the edge of the rings, the stallion breathing hard but grinning in spite of himself before he leapt off of Vodka's back... then laughed and stumbled when she slapped him on the back, congratulating him in cheery Russian before she turned with a wide grin, flexing her enormous body with a wink to the crowd as Datura hurried off to the side to prepare for his act.

Vodka, meanwhile, went smoothly right into her own: it was mostly a strength routine at first, as she lifted anvils, easily outperformed several large, muscular stallions, and invited guests down from the audience to challenge her. But as she moved into the second half of the act, it grew much more comedic: she picked up several of her stallion assistants and began to juggle them between her hooves for a little while, before a strange, seemingly self-propelled carriage rolled through the rings and the mare easily swept this up like it was a toy.

The enormous mare shook this firmly out, and clowns poured from the interior: at least a dozen of them landed in a sprawling pile together before Vodka began to chase them around. This was probably the one clown act Datura enjoyed, and less because of the clowns and more because of Vodka's overacting: she was honestly a terrible actress, but she was terrible in a way that was absolutely perfect for her role here, her overemphasized lines and emotions just making the routine all the more amusing.

Vodka's act ended with her standing on top of the carriage as the clowns and her assistants carried it out of the ring... and Datura quickly replaced her, physically sore, but energized by the atmosphere, his eyepatch removed so that he could better focus his powers. He hated being in a crowd, he got nervous and shy around people... but if you put him in front of an audience and gave him an act to perform...

Datura grinned, then his horn glowed brightly, sending thrills of pain through his body before he spread his forelegs wide and arched his back, closing his eyes as he sent out a powerful psychic pulse: he wasn't very good at magic, but many of the spells he was capable of and had modified from his Dream Weaver days functioned heavily not just on his own powers, but on the powers others gave him. In other words, so long as people had their minds open, their emotions were high, their attention focused on him...

And a moment later, the audience gasped as the world seemed to go dark, malevolent purple lightning sizzling through the air as Datura gritted his teeth before his eyes snapped open, his broken eye swirling as blackness steamed from it. But he only focused the pain of concentration upwards, adding it to the malicious maelstrom that was beginning to whirl quickly through the air.

The more people gasped and reacted to his illusion, the more it became tangible, the more his power grew: and with an entire audience before him, marveling over his power, Datura was able to seize into all that emotional and psychic resonance and forcefully twist and shape it into something more, something terrible...

And a great and hideous, draconic beast ripped itself free from the swirling clouds with a roar, twisting and serpentine, terrible jutting spikes of bone all along its back and its eyes blazing with hellfire, dragging huge chains that clanked and banged together around its snakelike body. The audience screamed and gasped, pointing and almost panicking as the dragon twisted back and forth over their heads, while Datura grinned coldly and gestured sharply, easily guiding the terrifying beast in a wide circle above...

Sally watched with amazement... and fear that pricked sharply along her neck as she shivered a bit. The air was heavy with malice: if it wasn't for the fact that this was all part of some horror-act for the Cirque du Noir, she would have sworn there was something... evil, in the stallion's actions and what was clearly... real magic. Magic that went far beyond the powers she had seen so far...

Some part of her reacted to it, though, felt that... this power, this was the same kind of power that formed Figments. But if this was a dreamworld, and Datura had been taught to shape dreams within dreams... was it possible that he could bring dreams and nightmares to life in the world around them as well, even as only brief and transient echoes?

Sally watched as the dragon suddenly dove and twisted down... and Datura leapt onto the back of the illusion-made-real, riding the magical beast around the room as the crowd gasped and pointed. It all but confirmed Sally's theory, too, as she stared with amazement... and then shivered a little, thinking of Datura's instability, and how he sometimes reacted violently when stressed...

Was this why he hid himself away? He had some weird moral code, Sally knew that, even if he hadn't hesitated to torture her when she'd annoyed him. But he lost control of himself sometimes, overreacted, seemed... sensitive to certain things. He tried to push people away, keep them at a distance, and she had the sense that he had always done that, armoring himself to protect himself from them... but as she watched him ride this dragon of nightmare-made-real through the circus, as she saw the grin on his face, the glow in his eyes, she wondered if maybe he was trying to keep the world safe from him, too.

Sally felt quiet as she watched the rest of Datura's terrifying act, as he called up monsters and drove the audience into an excited frenzy. And then, as suddenly as he'd begun, he blasted away the illusions into a great show of fireworks and lightning, startling and amazing the crowd before the big top returned to normal, and Datura took his bow.

The crowd cheered for him, but Datura barely seemed aware as he only turned away and stumbled lethargically out of the rings. He pushed into the back stage, and Sally's eyes widened as she saw black goop and blood was leaking from his broken eye, the stallion shivering a little as he breathed hard in and out, a twisted grin over his face as he shook with visible pain.

She hurried forwards... and then Datura reached up and caught her by the face as she drew close, the Pegasus Avatar wincing in shock as he turned towards her and growled. His eyes glowed dangerously as he leaned towards her, their eyes locking for a moment, the mare feeling that terrible, bloody eye ripping into her very soul... and then he shivered before shoving her backwards, muttering: “Get... stay away. I'm tired.”

“No.” Sally said quietly, and Datura scowled over his shoulder at her before the mare stepped up beside him, eyeing him silently before she said finally: “I'm going to help you. Whether you like it or not. Okay?”

Datura glared at her angrily... but there was a hint of embarrassment there too, she thought. Either way, she looked as resolutely at him as she could manage, until the stallion finally sighed and dropped his eyes, jerking his head at her as he headed towards the open flap leading out back, and Sally couldn't help but note that even the work crew was doing their best to avoid the stallion as he made his way out.

All the same, she followed, as closely as she dared, until they reached the food shacks. Sally was surprised at first by this choice, even if the entire carnival seemed empty now... that was, until Datura shoved his way into the food stalls, then emerged a moment later with a wet cloth in a stuttering magic grip.

They sat down at a table, and Sally took the cloth from him before starting to dab gently around his eye, cleaning the sludge and blood from it as the stallion tilted his head aside. He growled at her moodily, but she ignored him, asking quietly: “Those powers...”

“Psychic trick. Give them something to believe in, excite them... then use all that energy in the air to make something even bigger and scarier. Rinse and repeat until desired effect is achieved.” muttered the stallion, breathing slowly in and out as his horn sparked a little, the Pegasus Avatar wincing a bit at this before she nervously touched this with the wet cloth... and immediately Datura hissed through his teeth and pushed at her... even though that shiver didn't seem to be entirely from pain. “You shouldn't touch large, hard things sticking out of stallions.”

“Doesn't look all that large or hard to me.” Sally muttered before she could stop herself, and Datura looked at her in surprise for a moment... and then he actually laughed.

And again, she saw the way his whole mood changed: he lightened, throwing off that darkness that he seemed to wrap himself in constantly otherwise, raising his head and gazing at her with amusement for a few moments...

And then he scowled when she pushed the wet cloth into his face, shoving at her childishly, but she warded him off and continued to rub quickly at his cheek, cleaning the gunk off it as she asked quietly: “Does it really hurt you that much to do that?”

“To do that. You make it sound like it was just a parlor trick.” muttered Datura, and then he grimaced a bit and continued grouchily: “You don't even know anything about magic or what ponies are capable of. You have no measuring stick with which to measure me by. You don't have the first idea about-”

“Oh, stop that. You don't have to get all upset now, you know I'm just curious.” retorted Sally as she finished scrubbing his cheek, and then she sighed and carefully dabbed around his eye again, murmuring: “It's scary, that's all. You shouldn't hurt yourself.”

“Sometimes we all have to hurt ourselves.” grumbled Datura, and Sally couldn't help but smile a little before the stallion shook his head briefly and finally gently pushed her away, blinking his blurry eye several times before he looked up into the night sky and murmured: “The moon and the stars are the only sources of light I can look at anymore without this thing... hurting me.”

He quieted, and Sally studied him for a few moments before she asked softly: “Did you... are you afraid of people, or are you afraid of yourself?”

“Both.” Datura answered simply, continuing to look silently up into the night sky, and then his eyes slid closed before he murmured: “I'm not stupid, Sally. I'm a hundred year old Avatar who was trained as a Dream Weaver, and I have an intensely-strong... imagination.” For some reason, Datura smiled bitterly at this word, shaking his head slowly. “I've always lived more in a fantasy world, always been driven more by the voices in my head than reason and logic. But unfortunately, staying here has also made... the more unpleasant aspects of my personality surface. And...”

Datura held up his hooves, looking down at them quietly. “I know that I can't be trusted with power. I can admit my failings freely, and I'm comfortable enough with what I am to admit what I enjoy and what I don't, and damn the consequences and the fear and the hatred. But at the same time... I don't like it. The only thing in this world I truly fear is... myself.”

He halted, then looked down and added reflectively after a moment: “And centipedes. They're vicious, poisonous, and they have too many legs.”

Sally looked at him studying him silently before she shook her head slowly, murmuring: “Why do you have to try and turn everything into a joke?”

Datura only smiled briefly before he shrugged a little, and the two looked at each other quietly before the Pegasus Avatar hesitantly asked: “Is that... is that why you want to go home, Datura? Or is that why you've been staying... here? Who... are you?”

“I'm me.” Datura answered simply, looking up with a brief smile. “I'm hard to like. I'm equal parts depressing and exasperating. I'm a little scary, and I exaggerate. I'll whine for an hour about stubbing my toe but never complain once if I break my arm. My... leg, I mean. My front leg.” He gestured absently with this, then shook his head and looked down, saying softly: “And well, like many Avatars, I would prefer a fantasy existence greatly over facing the trials and tribulations of real life.”

Sally smiled a little at this, studying him before she asked: “Are you trying to derail the conversation, or are you acting pitiable because you know I'll scold you, and then you can act all angry at me and walk away?”

Datura looked moodily up at her, then he said pettishly: “You make me sound so childish and conniving. I'll have you know I really am this pathetic from time-to-time. Being evil doesn't automatically make me any less whiny.”

“Apparently it makes you hormonal, though, considering how fast your mood changes.” Sally retorted, and Datura glared at her before he seized the table and roared, flipping it over before he leapt to his hooves.

“I'm perfectly normal!” he shouted, raising his head high and imperiously... and Sally could only gape at the unicorn until his face finally twitched a little.

And a moment later, they were both laughing again, Sally shaking her head slowly and Datura looking down at her with amusement as he seemed to slowly be relaxing, until he finally sat back on the bench as he said wryly: “Alright. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch. But... still. Don't talk about my ovaries.”

“You don't talk about them, or anything else related to sex, for that matter. I'm still trying my best not to think about how all you ponies are... naked.” Sally grimaced and shook her head briefly, and then she grumbled and looked down at her hoof, muttering: “I guess the whole... invisible genitals thing makes more sense than the weird invisible fingers thing...”

“Think of it as localized telekinesis, or... well, invisible fingers kind of works too, I suppose, yes.” Datura agreed after a moment, and then he looked down at one of his own hooves, saying softly: “Mine never worked.”

Sally looked at him curiously, and Datura nodded as he flexed his hoof before holding it up, the mare watching as it clicked apart into a claw. “As Avatars, I think... we develop based upon necessity, as much as anything else. On need, and very powerful desire, because... we do change, over time. When I first came to this world, I had normal hooves, but... that's all they were, hooves. I used telekinesis for everything. I had weak magic back then, but with my Dream Weaver training, my telekinetic powers became very refined, even if I was no stronger than your average unicorn.

“But after... my hoof was broken, it began to... change.” Datura flexed his claw slowly, looking down at it and studying it quietly. “The broken parts didn't heal properly, but instead... started to separate further. It was very painful, and... for a while I felt that I was taking after one of my own characters, from a stupid story I wrote what feels like forever ago, now...”

He shook his head slowly, then scowled a little when Sally gently took his other hoof to study it, the stallion shifting uncertainly as she rubbed along its surface, touching the distinct, cloven cleft in it and feeling out the hidden lines in the material where digits locked together to mimic the shape of a pony's hoof.

She pressed against it, and the digits clicked apart into a claw before she looked up at him quietly, at the sharp teeth in his muzzle, the cracked but curved, almost bladed horn, and of course... his eyes. Strange, dark eyes, both shadowed and emotional. You could see everything on their surface... but at the same time, they had depth and darkness...

Sally bit her lip, then she pulled her gaze away and looked down at his extended claw, asking quietly: “Then if I spent long enough in Equestria, what do you think I would become? Does... does everyone change?”

“Everyone and everything changes, yeah. That's... one of the hardest truths of the world to accept. You don't get to just remain friends forever: some come, and others... go...” Datura murmured, turning his head away before he closed his eyes and shook himself briefly. “But... uh... what the hell were you asking me again?”

Sally only smiled a little, then she murmured: “Nothing.” A pause, and the mare bit her lip before her eyes studied him silently, before asking: “But if you're in the mood to finally answer a question or two, maybe you could... you could tell me how you ended up with all these scars.”

“You just want to know about my eye. Everyone always wants to know about my eye, but no one ever has the balls to actually just ask.” Datura replied dryly, pointing at his eye for a moment before he sat back and shrugged a little. “Besides, it's not like I got all these scars in the same place or anything. Every scar has its own story.”

“Then let's start with your eye. You mentioned it was a spell backfire before, right?” Sally said brazenly after a moment, raising her head slightly, and Datura studied her for a few moments before he gave a brief, wry smile.

“I don't think you're allowed to hear that story quite yet.” the stallion murmured, and then he shook his head briefly before looking down and rubbing slowly at his eye. “Let's just say it was one of many in a long series of mistakes. A long series of mistakes I... always end up repeating, because I don't seem capable of learning.”

He went quiet, then cleared his throat before looking up and saying pointedly: “The real fun probably hasn't started yet at the big top. Go on, you don't want to miss the freak show. It's the whole reason everyone comes to the Cirque du Noir.”

Sally looked at him for a moment, and then Datura leaned forwards and said bluntly: “I'm telling you politely to go away.”

“Not exactly polite when you rephrase it like that, Datura.” Sally replied dryly, giving the stallion a mild look, but he only glowered at her in response until she finally rolled her eyes, then reached out and firmly smacked him across the nose, making him flinch back in surprise.

He glared at her, but she only smiled at him before saying honestly: “I won't rush you if you want to stay here longer. I... I like it here. I'm sure Princess Celestia can wait a few days.”

The scarred stallion blinked in surprise at this, his hoof slowly dropping away from his nose as he studied her almost uncertainly, but the mare only gave a brief smile before she pushed away from the bench and calmly strode off. And Datura was left gazing after her with something between suspicion and fascination, as his claw fell from his muzzle to rest silently over his slowly but steadily beating heart.

Sally ended up bunking with Harmony and Tshilaba once the show at the big top was done: they were both very relaxed, and while the cots were a little musty and uncomfortable, all the same Sally was asleep after only a few minutes of tossing and turning and squirming around.

In the morning, she was surprised to find she was the last one awake: Harmony was already gone, and Tshilaba was just finishing putting on her ornate jewelry, humming to herself before she smiled over her shoulder at the Pegasus Avatar. “Good morning, hon! Glad to see you up: now you won't miss breakfast.”

Sally smiled briefly, rubbing tiredly at her eyes before she asked the first question that came to mind: “So where do you need help today?”

Tshilaba smiled in return, tilting her head towards her and tipping the Pegasus Avatar a wink before she said: “I don't have to be a psychic to tell you that you won't need to worry about us today, Sally. I think where you're going to be needed most is out on the trails, helping your friends find their way back to Canterlot.”

The Pegasus Avatar looked surprised by this, tilting her head before she asked curiously: “But wait, I thought Datura really liked it here...”

“Datura will always put his responsibilities, and other people, above what he enjoys.” Tshilaba softened a little, tilting her head towards the Pegasus Avatar as she said gently: “He's always been kinder to us ponies and his fellow freaks than he ever has to you Avatars. But don't think for a moment he doesn't want what's best for everyone. He's just... been badly-wired.”

“He's...” Sally hesitated, then she asked finally: “Do you have any advice on dealing with him? It feels like I met one person in the ruins of the abbey... and then here, he was an entirely different person. And I've caught glimpses now and then of...”

Tshilaba only smiled kindly, bowing her head forwards and replying gently: “Datura... worries us all at times. He's bad with people and he gets very sad sometimes, and he'll always do his best to conceal his real feelings from you. And I know you're not a freak, darling, so this is harder for you to understand than the rest of us, but... it's when he's mean to you that he's gonna need you most.”

Sally smiled a bit in return, and then she nodded slowly before the beautiful earth pony said easily: “But well, enough of all this! Come on, it's time for breakfast! The twins are great cooks... or well, at least one of 'em is. You ready?”

The Pegasus Avatar nodded firmly, and Tshilaba gave her a wink before she turned and headed out of the tent, leading Sally towards the food court. With the sun only just beginning to rise, the carnival grounds were devoid of guests and gawkers... but there was still a flurry of activity as tents and stalls were repaired, new prizes were stacked in, and delicious food was prepared.

And speaking of delicious food, plenty of it was already strewn over the table: there were patters of pancakes, stacks of biscuits and bagels, all manner of other breakfast goods. Sally even saw what looked like bacon and some other meats, which didn't strike her as strange until she sat down at the set of tables that had all been shoved together... and realized that pretty much everyone gathered here for breakfast was a pony.

But she noted that all the same, a lot of the Avatars had grabbed quite a bit of breakfast meat for themselves, whether that meant bacon or sausage or other things that horses wouldn't normally eat. Well, she supposed that was kind of redundant: it wasn't like horses normally ate bagels or pancakes or drank coffee or did pretty much anything these magical talking horses did.

Sally smiled a bit as she sat down beside Splinthoof, who blinked at the sight of her, then suddenly hugged her, the mare leaning back in surprise before he whispered anxiously: “We really, really have to get out of here. These ponies are... they're crazy!”

“They are not. They're fine.” replied Sally, feeling strangely defensive. But all the same, she couldn't help but sigh a little at the look on Splinthoof's face and reassure him after a moment: “Look, I think... I think we're leaving soon, anyway. I just want to see if they want any help with anything this morning.”

Harmony's ears perked up at this, and then she looked over at Datura and made some quick gestures with her hooves: some kind of Equestrian sign language, Sally guessed. Datura only glanced at Harmony as she continued to sign at him, and then he simply grunted and shrugged before saying finally: “Don't blame me. I didn't want to do this, they're the ones dragging me along on this stupid adventure garbage.”

Harmony scowled at him a little, and Datura huffed at her before he rubbed at his face, then looked grouchily over at Sally, saying finally: “Harmony wants to know if we can stay long enough for... one quick game. I guess you could say it's sort of a tradition.”

“What kind of game?” Sally asked curiously, and then she couldn't help but ask: “And is it just me, or do you seem to be able to speak every language ever?”

“You don't speak sign language. That's rude.” Datura said dryly, and then he winced when Harmony smacked him firmly, the stallion scowling and rubbing grumpily at his head.

Sally couldn't repress a smile of amusement: it seemed like Celestia had been wrong about one thing, anyway. Hitting Datura seemed like the only way to get him to cooperate sometimes: it just took knowing when the right time was. “I... I think that's pretty neat, actually.”

Datura cocked his head, and then he said dryly: “Do you know what they call someone who's good with tongues? A cunning linguist. Cunning linguists are very good for oral traditions.”

Vodka snorted laughter, then picked up a large bottle of something that did not at all look like breakfast material to Sally, toasting the stallion with a cheerful shout. There were a few other laughs, but Sally only gave the scarred stallion a mildly-amused look before she said wryly: “Very funny. Glad to hear your mouth is good for something, at least.”

Datura scowled horribly as there were more laughs at this, and then Sally turned her eyes to Harmony, asking curiously: “What game is this, though?”

Harmony signed something in response with a smile through her stitched lips, and Datura only needed to glance at a few of her movements before translating: “It's sort of like juggling. But with knives and music. You'll love it.”

“Don't worry, miss, Datura is just being whimsical. I want everyone in good shape for the show, so no knives.” Dead Ringer said from down the table, and Datura grumbled and rolled his eyes as Sally winced back a bit: it sounded kind of like that meant that usually... “We're all strange people here, Sally O'Connor. And a little pain now and then is good for the constitution.”

“Besides, they're just spikes. Even Harmony doesn't complain about a scratch from a spike now and then.” Datura said mildly, absently shoving at the mare, who smiled amusedly and shoved back at him. And Sally felt... strange, when she looked over at these two, before she frowned a bit as she realized...

“Where's Angel?” she asked, and Datura scowled... although for once it didn't actually seem directed at her, which was a nice change of pace. Although what was weird was that... “Are you... actually mad at Angel?”

“I'm not mad at Angel...” Datura muttered, although it sounded almost threatening. This just made Sally all the more curious, but before she could question him at all, the scarred stallion picked up a handful of bacon from his plate and shoved it grumpily into his muzzle, childishly but effectively ending the conversation.

Sally remained quiet as they ate, listening to the hubbub and conversation while everyone else ate. Beside her, Splinthoof was scowling horribly, looking distrustfully around at all these ponies whom, so far, had been very enjoyable company to her: she was really going to have to scold him later, or at least find out why this Cirque du Noir was so terrible.

Breakfast didn't take long: everyone ate ravenously while they were chatting, which gave Sally an eerie sense of homesickness. After all, this really was just like being back on the farm: early morning, everyone jostling and laughing – okay, never quite everyone – and coffee flowing freely as they all prepared for the day ahead.

And when breakfast was done and everyone had taken their fill, they all did another old, familiar ritual for the Pegasus Avatar: they all grabbed the tables and worked together to move them aside, pushing them back into place. Of course, they didn't go shoving them into the barn – if the weather had been nice enough to let them eat outside, that was – but instead arranged them back in the little food court.

It also apparently cleared enough room for their game, because Tshilaba produced several scarves and passed them out to several others, and De la Couer brought out several ropes. And to add to Sally's surprise, Rose produced two instruments: Harmony took the violin, while scowling Rose only lifted the trumpet in her hooves to her muzzle and quickly played a short scale

Datura sighed as he took one of the ropes in telekinesis, absently snapping it once before spinning it easily in a complex pattern through the air, the stallion muttering: “Well, here we go. Wolf Colt, Raindance?”

“Oh, we should too! I love to dance!” declared Arsu, but Azizos only groaned loudly, still clutching a mug of coffee in one hoof and scowling horribly around at everything, even as his 'better half' stomped his hooves childishly up and down. “Oh come on, come on!”

“No. Go to hell. And close the door behind you on the way down, maybe then we can finally go our separate ways.” grumbled Azizos, but Arsu only smiled indulgently at this, the sewn-together twins pulling back and forth on each other for a moment before they both looked up as Harmony began to play a slow, almost somber piece on the violin.

Sally watched curiously as Rose sighed, then picked up the tune after a moment, her trumpet adding a bit more bounce to the melody. And as the music began to pick up, Tshilaba began to dance, her eyes closed, a smile on her face as she swung the scarves she'd tied around her hooves back and forth, making them flutter beautifully around her.

Wolf Colt gave a yip, then he began to prance back and forth with a scarf in his mouth, looking much like a puppy trying to get attention, and Raindance laughed as she joined Tshilaba, her dance much different, and yet the way she made the scarves tied around her twist and dance just as gorgeous in its own way as how Tshilaba whirled about her own.

Little-by-little, the music warmed: and as it did so, more dancers joined. Sally watched with awe and fascination before she laughed as Datura was finally dragged into the melody, the stallion rolling his eyes... but enjoying himself clearly all the same as he manipulated a rope tied with several scarves smoothly, whirling it around and between the dancers like a great serpent as the others jumped and ducked away from him while continuing their whirling and twirling and laughing.

She realized a moment later that there was more than a rhythm to this dance: as Datura danced through the crowd with surprising grace, whirling and twisting the rope around him, the other dancers all hopped and twisted away from him to the beat of the music, laughing as they tried to stay inside an invisible perimeter. And as the beat picked up and the audience of ponies began to stomp and clap their hooves, Datura began to move faster, lashing the rope around, trying harder to tag other ponies and onlookers with the strand.

But the dancers moved quickly and gracefully, dodging and evading around the rope as it twisted back and forth. And Sally laughed as she found herself stomping naturally along with the others, even Splinthoof seeming to lose some of his wariness as he watched the spectacular little game with something like amazement.

Datura weaved back and forth, his own movements becoming more fluid as he got more into the dance, a grin spreading over his face as he leapt back and forth. He toyed with them, the rope snapping out like it had a life of its own, but never quite managing to strike any of the ponies that were leaping back and forth around them.

And then the scarred stallion leapt towards Raindance and Tshilaba, and the two easily spun to either side, dodging away... and Datura landed dumbly right in front of Whisper, who only stared at him as he stared back in surprise. And then the rope dropped out of the air, landing on Datura's head and spilling one of the colorful scarfs over his face, and Whisper smiled a little up at him before she said: “So uh... hey.”

“Hey.” Datura said after a moment, and then he scowled a little before reaching up and sweeping the rope off as the music died out. Sally felt a distinct awkwardness in the air, tilting her head as Splinthoof frowned moodily, and then Datura sighed before saying finally: “You have other things to do. Go do other things.”

Whisper only shook her head quickly, and then Datura blushed as she held up an eyepatch with a design stitched carefully over the front, the stallion's hoof clicking apart into a claw as he reached up to take this... and Whisper repeated, quiet but insistent: “I'm coming with you.”

“Screw you.” Datura mumbled, but his head and eyes dropped in acknowledgment before he sighed and took the eyepatch, calmly slipping it only and scowling horribly down at Whisper. But Whisper only smiled back up at him before the scarred stallion turned a sour look on Angel, adding grouchily: “And you. I'm going to spare the rod and let you spoil.”

Angel only smiled at him kindly, the Figment bowing her head and replying softly: “If that is your wish, then so be it.”

Datura sighed loudly, then he shook his head quickly... then scowled as Dead Ringer began to clap and the others followed, the dancers breaking into laughter and making mock bows as Datura grumbled: “Yes. Yes. Wonderful, everything is awesome. Everything is truly great today.”

Sally only smiled in amusement as the stallion turned around and strode towards her, looking grumpily down at the Pegasus Avatar as he said distastefully: “So did you want to leave? Because I'm ready to go any time that you are.”

The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Sally smiled a little at the rose that was embroidered in white string over the eyepatch. “That suits you, weirdly enough.”

Datura grunted moodily, and there was silence for a few moments before the Pegasus Avatar gave a hesitant nod, gesturing with one wing automatically as she said softly: “Yeah, if you're ready, well... maybe we can get everyone together for one last goodbye, and-”

“I'm leaving!” Datura called loudly over his shoulder, and then he turned his eyes grumpily back to Sally, who only sighed loudly as Angel gave a quiet giggle.

And then Rose calmly leaned in and blew a blaring note on her trumpet in Datura's ear, and the stallion threw himself sideways as his eye bulged, grabbing at his face and swearing angrily as he fell to the ground in a heap: but what Sally noticed most wasn't the way that he cursed angrily at the mare, but what his anger was badly attempting to cover up: how he was quaking on the ground, breathing roughly in and out, clutching his head and all but shivering.

“He's never liked loud noises. Some make him real angry. Some make him real scared. You can figure out on your own what does what.” Rose said mildly, gesturing with a thin smile towards Datura as Angel reached down to carefully help the stallion up. “If you need to keep him in line, it's pretty easy, really. You just have to know the right button to push.”

“I hate you, more than I hate anyone else.” Datura grumbled as he grumpily pushed Angel away, while Sally felt like she was torn between worry for him and amusement that maybe felt just a little bit malicious. “Let's just...”

Datura frowned and glanced away from her, and then he sighed tiredly as Harmony looked up at him with a smile, the scarred stallion grumbling and trying to look away before he finally sighed and reached up, ruffling her mane as he mumbled: “Fine. Okay.”

The scarred stallion slowly dragged himself around in a circle, glowering around at the crowd before Whisper walked up and nudged him gently, and he huffed at her and nudged her back with his shoulder. But all the same, whatever they shared in silence made the stallion draw his eyes towards Dead Ringer and the others, and say tiredly: “I'm... going to miss all you guys, really.”

His voice was flat and cranky, but there was something about the way he phrased the words, or maybe the steadiness of his eye, that made them actually mean something all the same. Sally smiled a little, studying the stallion silently as the various freaks and miracles of Cirque du Noir cheered and wished him well and waved, before Datura cleared his throat and turned around, glowering at Sally as he asked grumpily: “So are we ready to go or what?”

The mare smiled in amusement up at him, and then she turned curious eyes towards Whisper, looking at the earth pony avatar for a moment before she started: “You're welcome to join us, but-”

“I don't think that's such a good idea.” Splinthoof said testily, giving Whisper a suspicious look, and Sally couldn't help but feel amused by how he still almost seemed afraid of the earth pony avatar... at least, right up until one of Datura's claws shot up and grabbed Splinthoof by the throat, choking him and half-lifting him into the air.

Sally immediately turned a glare on Datura, but the scarred stallion was only smiling pleasantly, saying easily as Splinthoof flailed his front hooves uselessly at him. “I actually agree with you, but this is Whisper's decision. And whether either of us like it or not, she's very stubborn and this is the choice she's made. So instead of arguing about it, let's just make the best of this, shall we?”

Whisper punched Datura lightly in the side, looking at him pointedly, and the scarred stallion scowled before dropping the gasping guard... then yelling and swearing when Rose suddenly rose her horn and blared a note at him, the stallion stumbling to the side before he shouted something incoherent, then turned and stormed away as Whisper winced.

Angel nodded apologetically to Splinthoof before turning away to follow after Datura, and the unicorn mumbled something... then yelped when Rose seized him by one ear, his eyes watering before he stumbled hurriedly after her as the dull-pink pony growled: “Come on. If you're so concerned about everyone being useful, you can start by getting some rations for your friends to take with them.”

Sally smiled lamely, rubbing the back of her head as Whisper sighed a little, shaking her head before she glanced over at the Pegasus Avatar, saying softly: “Sorry. But... I know that uh, Datura, can be kind of a pain in the ass sometimes. And he and I... we go way back.”

The Pegasus Avatar turned an inquisitive look towards the mare, nodding and smiling again. “I was really curious, actually, about you and Datura...”

Whisper only fidgeted on the spot even as she smiled and nodded back, and Sally decided maybe it was better not to press the subject for now as she cleared her throat, then looked awkwardly away, saying finally: “But uh... maybe we should just focus on getting everything we need together. I... I don't even know the way to Canterlot from here...”

“You don't worry your pretty head about that. Canterlot ain't hard to find: just make sure you take care of yourselves on the way.” said Tshilaba as she approached with a smile, before the mare winked and reached up, removing one of her earrings before she offered it to Sally, saying kindly: “Here, darling. A token for good luck. You just remember one thing: whether you're against one or a hundred strong, as long as you all trust in one-another, you all gonna be just fine. You got lots of good ponies with you.”

Sally smiled after a moment at this: she really did. Sure, Datura scared her a little, and she didn't know much about Whisper... but Datura had his weird sense of honor, and Whisper had shown up just to support her friend, and she couldn't think of a better quality than that. And Angel was so kind and loyal, and Splinthoof felt like a brother to her. She really was lucky... especially for a country girl who still had no idea what the hell she was doing here in a world of magical talking horses.

She took the earring with a warm look to Tshilaba, saying softly: “Thank you. Thank all of you, for everything. This has really been... the best time of my life.”

“You thank us by doing what must be done. And we will help if we can.” Vodka said cheerfully, nodding firmly as she joined the group and looked kindly down at Sally. “You are good little girl, Sally O'Connor. You will help set things right.”

Arsu chuckled and nodded as Azizos grumbled under his breath, lowering his head. But they both seemed to study her with curious eyes before the sourer of the paired stallion brothers said grudgingly: “I hope... you find what you're looking for.”

They were all so kind, so good, and treating her so well... and yet as Sally looked around at these ponies, she felt a strange clenching in her chest, and wondered silently if they were really doing the right thing here. These wonderful Avatars and Figments, they were all going to be banished from this world, and... and the rest of these weird but wonderful ponies would be left alone... and...

“And all things must come to an end. Even the Cirque du Noir will have its final curtain one day.” Dead Ringer said quietly, and Sally looked up with a blush before the pale stallion gave a small but reassuring smile. “Besides... there's no guarantees with anything like this. And Celestia is wise and compassionate enough to know when... it's time.”

There was silence for a few moments as the ponies simply sat and lowered their heads in thought, until Splinthoof returned with two large satchels of food. A few moments later, Angel and Datura joined them as well, the Figment wearing a large backpack, and the unicorn heavy, ominous-looking leather packs.

This was it: Sally looked around, not knowing what to say... but Dead Ringer saved her the trouble by gesturing at her with his cane, saying pleasantly: “You will always be welcome at the Cirque du Noir, Sally. Consider yourself an honorary part of our little group.”

Sally blushed deeply, dropping her head with a warm smile, and then she laughed as the ponies of the Cirque all began to stomp and applaud. And maybe it was strange, but as she stood there with her new friends before this audience of freaks and miracle-workers as they said their goodbyes, she couldn't help but feel strangely like she was leaving home.

Fallen From Grace

Chapter Seven: Fallen From Grace
~BlackRoseRaven

Splinthoof apparently had an impeccable sense of direction, easily finding the quickest route back to Canterlot and leading the way... which was good, because Datura really didn't seem all that interested in doing any guiding.

Angel was her strange, quiet self, and Whisper was friendly, if a little anxious. But she was pleasant and helpful, and her presence seemed to soothe Datura and made him a lot easier to deal with. He wasn't exactly being open or helpful still, no, but he wasn't being argumentative or silent, either, and during the walk, Sally was able to pry a little bit of information out of him.

For the first few hours, Sally was lulled into thinking that maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all: the Cirque du Noir had been full of friendly ponies, and the few they'd passed on the trek along the dusty, wide highway Splinthoof had led them to had been just as nice.

Plus it was beautiful out: what could go wrong in a lush forest filled with changing leaves, on a warm and radiant day like today? The sun was shining, the clouds were white and fluffy and all shaped like cute animals, and god, did it ever feel good to just... be walking. Maybe it was a horse thing, but she had never enjoyed just walking down a big dirt road through a big pretty forest as much as she did right now, and where she came from, there was no shortage of dirt or forests.

So maybe that was why it ended up being such a surprise when they ended up walking right into a group of ponies who were far, far different from the ones she had seen so far. Maybe not in their builds and bodies, no, but they emanated a completely-different feeling: anger and malice and something distinctly... childish; they were filled with petulant, self-obsessed wrath.

“Well, look what we got here.” mocked a stallion who was quick to shove himself to the front of the gang of four: he had both wings and a horn, making him one of those alicorn thingies, and he was mostly red with black stripes and an onyx mane, wearing crappily-maintained armor, a heavy jacket, and... a whole lot of eyeliner, I'm guessing. “I'm only seeing two Avatars, some pretty ladies... and while that one Figment is fine, god-damn, could you have come up with something uglier than him? Or you just into monsters, huh?”

“Hey, that's enough.” barked Splinthoof, even as Sally frowned over her shoulder curiously at Datura, who was only smiling coldly: jackass or not, why wasn't he able to recognize that Datura was an Avatar? “I am a member of the Royal Guard, and-”

The alicorn yawned loudly and pointedly as the three dumbbells behind him snickered stupidly amongst themselves, and then the apparent leader of the gang said crudely: “Why don't you go on home and kiss Celestia's butt then, huh? But leave these nice pieces of meat and whatever you've got on you all here. You can take the big faggot, though.”

The other bandits laughed again even as they spread themselves out across the path, grinning and intent on a fight. Sally shivered a little, stepping uncertainly backwards even as Splinthoof gritted his teeth, his eyes flicking worriedly back and forth... but he wasn't backing down, either, as he muttered: “Sally, I want you to take Whisper and leave, right now. I'll... I'll catch up when-”

And then the unicorn blinked in surprise as Datura strolled calmly past and halted only a few feet away from the alicorn thug. The red-and-black pony looked up in surprise before Datura leaned forwards and said calmly: “I don't usually try and be 'nice,' but as you can see, I have company today. So please leave. Or I'll be unpleasant.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the alicorn slowly sneered as he flicked his horn to the side, a switchblade flying out of the pocket of his jacket before this popped open and he thrusted it threateningly up under Datura's throat, asking mockingly: “Or what?”

Datura only grimaced and looked moodily at the alicorn, and the red and black stallion grinned darkly before he poked the scarred stallion several times in the chest, saying mockingly: “What's wrong, Figgy? You too scared now to do anything? Look at these heroes, boys!”

Sally began to lean forwards, opening her mouth, but then she frowned as Whisper caught her by the shoulder and stopped her. The Pegasus Avatar looked uncertainly at her fellow exemplar, but Whisper only continued to look ahead, an unexpected coldness in her eyes as she said quietly: “Just let Datura handle this.”

The other gangbangers laughed loudly as the alicorn punk let his knife float to the side, and then he leaned up and slapped Datura's cheeks mockingly with his front hooves, looking up at him and asking teasingly: “What's wrong, huh? You forget? You scared?”

“Have you ever seen Sherlock Holmes?” Datura asked inquisitively, calmly raising his eye and seeming to stare out into the distance as the alicorn frowned. “Because I'm doing that thing in my mind right now. You know, the thing. The planning thing.”

The alicorn snorted and rolled his eyes, then he reached up and slapped his cheeks again, asking distastefully: “Oh, really, Figgy? I guess one of those Avatars must be dumber than I thought. You ain't never going to predict what I do, after all, you douchebag.”

Datura only smiled calmly... and then a moment later, he lunged suddenly forwards, seizing the alicorn by the shoulders. And to his credit, the alicorn only seemed a little surprised, swearing as he began to bring his knife forwards to drive it into Datura's side... except there was no way he could have been ready for what happened next.

Datura's jaws bit savagely down into the side of the stallion's face with a rending crunch, and the alicorn went from brave little pissant to screaming like a rat caught in a trap, trying desperately to yank away as Datura only grinned coldly, his eye gleaming as he bit deeper into the stallion's face, and Sally's stomach wrenched at not the sickening crack she heard, but the squelch, as the alicorn's knife was flung wide by his panic, barely nicking the unicorn's side.

And then Datura tore back with his jaws as he reached a hoof up, catching the alicorn by the side of his neck as he stumbled before the scarred unicorn shoved him down and pinned him by the throat. By now, his thugs were reacting even though it was too late, one of them rushing forwards... but Datura was already moving himself, half-flinging one of his ominous satchels forwards as his horn glowed with malevolent light...

Sally didn't know whether to be horrified or amazed as there was a flash of silver, and a singing of metal... and then screaming, as seemingly-endless coils of spiked and bladed chains wrapped violently several times around the thug that had been stupid enough to charge straight at Datura. They hefted him up into the air as they sawed through both armor and flesh with ease, glowing with malice as Datura only grinned wider, then clicked his tongue as the thug writhed and shrieked in the grip of the spiked chains slowly twisting around his body. “The more you struggle, the more it's going to hurt.”

Datura calmly looked down, then he stepped off the shivering, whimpering alicorn before kicking him hard in the ribs, the punk gasping as Sally winced. Then Datura seized him by the mane with one claw and slowly forced him up to his hooves, even as the punk whimpered and pleaded in a slurry voice for mercy... and Sally and Splinthoof both stared in horror as they realized that Datura hadn't just taken a chunk out of his face with the bite, but one of his eyes as well.

He shrank away the moment Datura let go of him, trembling violently, whimpering and trying to choke back his sobs as the scarred unicorn said softly: “Tell your friends to get out of here. And tell them to take this with them.”

Datura's chains crushed around the thug suspended in them, blood bursting from his jagged wounds before he was lashed cruelly downwards into the ground with a meaty, thick thud. The alicorn stumbled backwards, gasping weakly in and out as his whole body shook with terror, staring fearfully at the stallion before the scarred unicorn leaned forwards and said mockingly: “If you want me to give you your eye back, you're going to have to reach down into my stomach somehow. But I'm afraid you're only going to fit down there if I put you down in pieces.”

The alicorn stumbled backwards, shaking his head and whimpering before he suddenly snarled and snapped his horn forwards, a blast of magic lashing suddenly out and striking Datura across the face, knocking his head to the side as it seared his features. But then the thug's eyes widened as Datura's eye gleamed and he only grinned cruelly, madness dancing in his gaze as he hissed: “Yes. Hurt me as much as you can.”

His chains whickered and gleamed through the air, floating over him like scorpion tails and dripping with blood as he advanced slowly; with ever step he took, his emaciated body flexed as the world around him seemed to darken, and the alicorn fell backwards with a whimper as he scampered away until he hit the body of his friend, his eyes widening before he screamed in terror as the thug tried to weakly reach a hoof up, gurgling brokenly, his eyes rolling in his head as his flayed and filleted body twitched helplessly in the dirt.

The alicorn flung himself to his hooves, scampering around in a circle and bolting as his remaining thugs did the same, and Datura bared his fangs with an animal hiss before he lunged greedily- “Don't!”

The scarred unicorn stumbled to a halt, then he scowled darkly over his shoulder at Whisper as she leaned forwards, eyes pleading before she repeated in a quieter voice: “Don't.”

After a few moments, Datura nodded and dropped his head, closing his eyes before he took a slow breath. His horn thrummed, and his floating chains responded, clinking as they shivered together before slowly twining themselves back into his saddlebag, the stallion shaking himself briefly before he muttered: “Not worth my time, anyway.”

Datura halted, then looked moodily down at the wheezing, broken thug in front of him before he stepped forwards and grasped his head with one claw. He began to twist to the side, leaning calmly down, and then his eyes flickered moodily over his shoulder when Splinthoof stepped forwards and said sharply: “You're not killing him!”

“Even though he and his friends would have killed us?” Datura asked moodily, but the unicorn only glared at him until Datura rolled his eyes and stepped away, gesturing with one claw grouchily at the bloody, broken thug. “Fine. Let's see your idea of mercy, then. Angel, why don't you take a look at him and-”

“I have medical training. I'll take a look myself.” Splinthoof said curtly, glaring at Datura, who only glowered darkly back. And Datura snorted before raising his head and walking calmly back towards Sally and Whisper with a roll of his eyes.

Angel all the same strode over to help Splinthoof, but Sally was staring with something between amazement and utter horror at Datura, trembling a little before she blurted: “What was that?”

“That was a winged unicorn and a small band of wannabe marauders. Three Avatars, one impressionable idiot Trueborn pony.” Datura said with a horrifying casualness, waving a claw absently. “I hate that everyone calls them alicorns. I mean, I really do. It just bothers me. I don't even care if it's correct or not, it's anathema to me.”

Whisper sighed as Sally stared at the stallion, then she leaned forwards and shouted in a strangled voice: “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You've asked me this question quite a few times now. Do you really think the answer is about to change?” asked Datura mildly... and then Sally punched him across the jaw, knocking his head to the side as his eyes bulged with surprise.

He blinked a few times, then slowly smiled before his eyes flicked back towards her as Sally breathed hard in and out before she looked dumbly down at her hoof. Then she flinched when Datura reached up and snagged this before he pulled upwards... but gently guided it to his own face, holding it against his magic-scalded cheek as he said softly: “Do you feel that? That's a magic burn. First degree, skin damage. No worse than a sunburn... but that, of course, is because it's very hard for most ponies to concentrate while in pain.

“I know, I know. I attacked him, but let's not forget he had a knife, and he was threatening all of us. Even though he knew I was stronger, more dangerous, better than him, he still attacked me like a stupid animal. Not because of bravery, but because he was an angry little colt, lashing uselessly out at the big bad monster from under the bed.” Datura continued calmly, and then he let Sally yank away before he leaned down, glaring at her as poisonous light glimmered out from beneath the eyepatch he was wearing. “And you seem to forget that-”

“Datura. Hey. Calm down.” Whisper reached up and gently grasped his shoulder, and Datura grumbled but then slumped and nodded briefly, lowering his head with a mumble even as he gave her a sour look.

Sally looked uneasily between the two, suddenly all the more glad that Whisper was here... but maybe that was partly because she was afraid of the uncomfortable sense that Datura was making. Sure, she could reason and rationalize it away, but at the same time... “Look, I... I just don't think violence is the way to solve our problems.”

“I do.” Datura said mildly, holding up a hoof before he tilted his head backwards as Splinthoof swore angrily in their direction, the scarred unicorn asking dryly: “Did you realize that-”

“How could you maim him like this?” Splinthoof shouted with disgust, shoving away from the trembling body of the pony before he turned and stormed over to Datura, glaring up at him furiously. “Look at him! You flayed half his skin off, you... you tore him apart!”

Datura smiled thinly, leaning down and saying moodily: “Be glad I aimed to incapacitate him to make a point, not outright kill. Mostly because I don't think you could handle what real death looks like, little tin soldier.”

The smaller unicorn's eyes widened before he bared his teeth angrily up at Datura, opening his mouth... but this time it was Sally who stepped in, shaking her head vehemently as she snapped: “Look, there's no point in arguing over this! What happened, happened: Splinthoof, what can we do for him?”

The stallions glared at each other for a moment longer, and then the Trueborn unicorn grimaced a little and dropped his gaze with a sigh. “I... I don't know. Not much, I don't think: if we wanted to help him we would have to carry him to town or a waystation or... something like that.”

Sally shifted uneasily, and then Datura said distastefully: “He forfeited his right to this world when he attacked other people. I will admit that perhaps I'm a little... vicious and unorthodox, but I live by one simple rule: do unto others. He wanted to kick us out of this world? He should have brought a bigger stick.”

Splinthoof snarled at this, leaning forwards and growling: “You Avatars are disgusting. Murdering good ponies and good people and not just justifying it, but taking pleasure in it! Life matters, goddammit!”

“Not to everyone, and you should learn to accept that.” Datura replied icily, looking down at the stallion with contempt. “If they aren't going to respect my right to live, then there's no reason for me to respect theirs.”

“That's ridiculous!” Splinthoof glared furiously back at the scarred unicorn, shaking his head vehemently. “I get that you and your kind seem to love killing, and I'm starting to understand very clearly that even if we need your help, you're also murderous psychopath, but-”

Datura only scoffed at this, however, retorting: “You don't need my help, don't worry about that. Celestia and Luna could easily select another Avatar and train him as a Dream Weaver in about four months, tops... and what's four more months in this world, really? But I'm sure Celestia feels guilty... or even worse, like she has to make some great big stupid gesture because her own pride won't ever let her just once, just once, be wrong.”

Splinthoof opened his mouth, but Sally quickly held a hoof up between them and interrupted: “This isn't getting us anywhere! Look, if... if we can't do anything for him, we don't... have a choice but to make him comfortable here and to leave him behind.”

God, that sounded so cold, especially to her. It scared her, as a matter of fact, that she was making that decision, as Splinthoof grimaced over at her and almost looked betrayed... while Datura only measured her with his cold eye, studying her intently before Sally took a breath and looked up at him, adding quietly: “But I don't want you... doing this in the future. I don't care if they do want to hurt us or not. That's... that's not how I want to do things.”

Whisper smiled briefly over at the Pegasus Avatar, then turned her own gaze to Datura: Sally didn't think she was asking for Datura not to kill as much as she was asking him to try and get along with them, here and now. And after a moment, Datura dropped his head with a sigh before he muttered: “Fine. I'll try and be... 'gentler.'”

Splinthoof only scowled, then he gestured back towards the body of the fallen pony, saying darkly: “Then maybe you can help and... hey! Hey! What are you doing?”

All eyes turned with surprise to Angel, who was only calmly standing over the weakly-spasming body of the pony, one of her hooves pressed firmly down on the thug's neck. Datura spat some command in a sharp voice, but Angel only looked up at him and smiled kindly before she said softly: “I apologize, Master Datura, but it's too late. I was merely... giving him peace. I thought that was what you wanted.”

Sally trembled in disbelief as Splinthoof's eyes widened in horror before he stumble-ran to the pony... but even before he could reach the thug, the corpse of the pony began to dissolve before Sally's amazed and horrified eyes, the mare watching as it became glowing motes that floated listlessly up into the air before vanishing from sight.

“No, Angel! This is not the abbey or our territory, and you have to respect the decisions of everyone here, not just me.” snapped Datura, and Sally looked in surprise towards the scarred unicorn, trying to process what he'd just said even as some deep, fearful instinct in her body kept screaming at her to just run, run, run away-

Then Splinthoof laughed sharply before he spun around, shouting angrily: “And now you're suddenly going to be the good guy here, as if you... you haven't trained that Figment into being as murderous as you are?”

“What do you want from him, from us?” Whisper burst out, looking both hurt and more than a little angry now. “He attacked us! Those Avatars wanted to kill us, or do you not get that or something?”

Splinthoof shouted something back, and in moments, everything devolved into not arguing but just insults and threats, Sally unable to keep track of the yelling, the shouting, the swearing. All she could do was stare back and forth in disbelief, trembling weakly before she dropped her head into her hooves, covering her face as her wings spasmed at her sides.

She ground her head into her hooves, clenching her eyes shut, her whole body shaking as she felt malice and hate and anger and despair and pain and- “Stop it!”

Her scream was loud enough to drive several birds out of their roosts above, and all eyes immediately turned towards the mare, staring disbelievingly at her before Sally slumped miserably. She pressed her hooves to the ground, tears in her eyes as she hiccuped once, then looked up and whispered: “Let's... let's just get moving. It's done, I'm... I'm done. Let's just go to Canterlot so I can go home.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Datura grunted and shrugged moodily, turning away as Angel strode over to him with a nod. Whisper sighed, then mumbled something apologetically to the Pegasus Avatar, half-stepping forwards and reaching a hoof up before she clenched it, then gave a faint smile as she turned around to follow as well.

Splinthoof looked for a few moments at Whisper, then he dropped his own head as if ashamed. He politely turned away, clearing his throat as he sat with his back to her before murmuring: “I'll uh... I'll bring up the rear.”

Sally nodded silently, then she rubbed at her face for a moment with the back of her wrist, doing her best to swallow down her... her everything. All that pain and frustration and hating how she couldn't keep the group together, hating that she had been given this stupid mission in the first place, hating the promises she'd made and the fact she still felt compelled to honor them even though everyone was so stupid and selfish and hateful and this whole world was so... screwed up...

She didn't know what to think or feel: those ponies had attacked them, but Datura had been cruel in his response. Splinthoof had hounded and provoked Datura, but Angel had... had killed that Avatar while they'd all had their backs turned. Whisper had frightened her a little, but Whisper had also said both that it was a mercy... and pointed out they hadn't had a lot of choice.

This world of magical horses had been so sweet at first: even the freaks at Cirque du Noir had been so kind, and the carnival and circus had been so... so wonderful. Celestia had been so nice to her, Splinthoof had been like a brother, and Datura had been frightening, but not like she had seen. She realized now that she had no idea what he was really capable of... what any of these ponies or Avatars were really capable of, as a matter of fact...

She shivered and clenched her eyes shut. God, she wasn't prepared for this! She wasn't ready for this in the slightest, and everything felt like... like it was all going to come crashing down on her, at any given moment. She'd imagined at worst they were going to run into schoolyard bullies... for Christ's sake, this world was based around a cartoon meant for little girls! Why the hell was someone like Datura watching a cartoon for little girls? Or did he just get off on the thought of corrupting, of hurting the sweetness and the innocence and... and...

Sally shook herself violently out, then she looked uneasily up before stumbling to her hooves, her heart thudding painfully in her chest as she scampered past Splinthoof towards the trio waiting on the path ahead... but the moment Datura looked at her, she froze up, staring back at him fearfully.

Angel was smiling, and Whisper looked worried and uneasy, but Sally quickly closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe, fighting back against these... these weird, roiling feelings inside of her. This insane desire to just cut and run, this need to just... just...

“Let's go. To Canterlot. Let's get this done.” Sally whispered, and there was silence for a few moments before she hesitantly opened an eye as she heard a quiet crunching along the path.

Datura had turned around, and was striding moodily ahead with Angel, while Whisper lingered for a moment. The earth pony Avatar smiled briefly at her after a few seconds, biting her lip before she said softly: “Hey uh, it's... I know it's hard at first. Getting used to this world, getting used to Datura, and... everything else. But you will.”

She smiled a little again, then turned around and strode quickly onward as Sally bit her lip and dropped her head silently, not knowing how to reply. But after a few moments, she forced herself to take a slow breath before she whispered: “Okay. I... okay.”

Feeling like she had no other choice, Sally steadied herself as she rose her head, swallowing down her fear as much as she could as she followed these three strange ponies. It wasn't like she had a choice in the matter, after all: if she wanted to get home, she had to get Datura to Canterlot.

She just hoped that all of this wasn't a terrible mistake.

After a few hours of walking and uncomfortable silence punctuated here and there by even-more uncomfortable bits of conversation, Datura came to a halt, frowning down the highway. Angel simply stood by, smiling pleasantly, but Whisper shifted worriedly before she looked up at the stallion and asked him something quietly.

Datura didn't reply right away, shifting on his hooves as Sally nervously approached the three, feeling more and more anxious as that cushion of safe space between them vanished steadily. And with Splinthoof coming up behind her, she felt almost claustrophobic in spite of the open fields all around them, the Pegasus Avatar biting her lip as she looked uncomfortably over her shoulder for a moment: the last thing she wanted was another argument to start.

The unicorn was surprisingly civil, however, when he asked calmly: “Is there something we should know about ahead?”

Datura grunted, then winced when Whisper elbowed him before he sighed and glowered at her. But then he nodded briefly before muttering: “I'm not going to be a jerk. I said I'd behave for now.”

The scarred stallion turned around, shaking himself briefly before he said moodily: “We have a problem, yes. Up ahead is a patch of Crossworlder territory. If our luck holds, we should be able to get through without any trouble. But it's also very possible that we're going to run into trouble here. And Crossworlders are... how shall I put this...”

“They can be frustrating.” Whisper said, and Datura didn't look entirely enthusiastic about this descriptor, but he nodded briefly all the same. “They like to argue.”

“They like to do a lot more than that.” Datura grumbled, and then he shook his head quickly before he sighed a little and said finally: “We may be challenged, and... a lot of these Crossworlders like very specific narratives and act as if the world is just like one of their favorite animes or manga or video games or whatever the hell you please. It can be a bit of a culture shock when you walk in and see all these bug-eyed freaks and lolitas and little colts and fillies with horrific superpowers. And all the goddamn desu desu, kawaii!”

Datura grabbed his own cheeks, making smooching noises as he tilted his head back and forth with a vapid expression, and Whisper sighed as Sally only stared disbelievingly at the scarred unicorn. But after a moment, Datura suddenly became serious again, looking moodily at Splinthoof as he dropped his cloven hooves to the ground and asked distastefully: “If I have to... 'chastise' any of the ponies that get in our way, are you going to whine about it?”

“I'll ask you to try and avoid killing Avatars and ponies. Use discretion, not excessive force.” replied Splinthoof equably, looking fearlessly up at Datura. Sally admired that... and thought that even Datura respected it. “But... let's do what's necessary.”

The scarred unicorn grunted moodily, his eye studying the stallion for a few moments before he simply nodded. Then he turned back around before scowling grouchily up at the sky, muttering: “At least we'll be in the shade soon. All this sunlight is bad for me.”

He halted for a moment, and then his eyes flicked over his shoulder, studying Sally as she shifted nervously, her ears pinning back, looking fearfully back at him for a few moments before the scarred stallion said in a surprisingly-gentle voice: “I'm not going to hurt you, Sally. I might cut you a little, I might frighten you a little, I might make you think bad thoughts... but I don't hurt people unless they try and hurt me first. And you're not going to try and hurt me, are you?”

That sounded almost threatening to Sally, but all the same she forced herself to look up, to... to overcome this rampant fear eating its way through her body before she replied as steadily as she could: “I'll... I'll do what I have to do, Datura. We... I just want to go home. I'll do whatever it takes to get out of this world.”

“You don't like it here anymore, huh?” Datura smiled ironically, shaking his head slowly before he turned around and muttered: “Just don't forget one thing, Sally. Monsters aren't born. They're made.”

Sally looked uneasily after the scarred stallion as he walked on ahead with Angel, but Whisper hesitated before striding over to Sally, saying softly: “Look, it was... it was really hard for me at first here, too, and I ended up... I guess I can't complain, really.”

Whisper smiled briefly over her shoulder at Datura's back, and then she encouraged quietly: “You can do this. You're still you, and uh... I think it's really brave of you to be out here in the first place, considering you... don't even know anything about Equestria. I mean, I... I sometimes find it pretty tough out here, too, and at least I have a lot of friends who are really into ponies and stuff.”

Sally nodded briefly, looking silently over at Whisper: the Pegasus Avatar didn't speak, but she did seem to relax a little as the walked on in silence, the two studying each other for a few moments.

Sally didn't know quite what to make of this Avatar: she was bright and positive, but a little... reserved, at the same time. And there was something weird about her and Datura: not like they were lovers or anything, but there was obviously something else going on there, and Datura seemed to both... care about her deeply, but also acted like he resented her. Well, no, that wasn't quite the right word for what she was feeling between them...

“What's going on between you and him? Why... why are you friends with him?” asked Sally after a moment, and Whisper looked surprised by the sudden question: considering they had been walking for at least ten minutes in silence... “I... sorry. I just... I keep looking at you two, and... you're the only person Datura seems to actually listen to. Maybe even like. Well, except for... Angel...”

Sally looked apprehensively at the Figment: the ivory Pegasus scared her a little now, maybe even more than Datura did. The Figment just kept smiling, nodding every now and then to Datura as he muttered to her... muttered what? Was he scolding her, or was he encouraging her? Was he maybe...

“Don't be hard on her. Figments... bond to people. They tend to act in extremes, though.” Whisper explained, smiling briefly before she softened as she looked ahead. “Datura is... it might be hard to believe, but he's a good person. And... he never breaks a promise.”

Sally studied the earth pony quietly for a few moments, and then she nodded a little before turning her eyes back ahead. She could hear Splinthoof striding slowly behind them, but he was keeping a respectful distance... and Sally trusted that either way, he wouldn't try and listen in on their conversation. She felt a little... uncomfortable around him right now, considering how he kept arguing with Datura and stirring up more conflict, but at the same time... she trusted him, too.

The Pegasus Avatar watched the way that Angel kept deferring to Datura, and she thought she read... frustration, and maybe even a bit of concern in Datura's movements... but that could very well just be her imagination, too. Honestly, she had no idea what to think right now, and the fact they were approaching what looked like some kind of enormous forest, with two massive trees forming a natural archway over the path, as if they were walking towards a gateway into another world...

Datura came to a halt with a sigh, and he turned around to face Sally, who looked up at him anxiously. She felt her ears pinning back again even as she fought off the fear that wormed its way through her stomach, asking as calmly as she could: “What is it?”

“Since you're kind of the leader of this expedition, why don't you take point? It's better if any ponies we pass think I'm a Figment.” Datura replied with a shrug, and Sally gave a short laugh.

“I'm not much of a leader. And I don't even know where to go.” Sally murmured, dropping her gaze... but Whisper reached up and gently touched her shoulder with a reassuring smile as Datura only shook his head, looking at her with distinct entertainment.

“Just follow the main road. I'm sure that one of us will bother to tell you if we start going the wrong way: we're all sick of each other by now.” Datura replied dryly, and Whisper sighed, but didn't seem to have much of an argument against this, either.

Sally smiled briefly, looking up at the stallion for a few moments before she bit her lip. A new worry surfaced in her mind, as she looked past Datura towards the forest, her stomach clenching, her body wanting to quail away from the unknown danger... but then Datura grabbed her by the shoulder and firmly pulled her forwards, almost throwing her past as he said pointedly: “We'll be right there with you. If something goes wrong, just shout.”

Sally grimaced as she caught herself, glaring over her shoulder for a moment at Datura... but honestly, being angry at him instead of scared of him was a welcome change. And when he gestured at her pointedly, she sighed and dropped her head... then frowned after a moment, looking up at him uncertainly and wondering why he didn't want to guide them himself.

It was pretty obvious Datura was kind of a control freak, after all: he seemed to take great pleasure in treating them all like idiots and bossing them around. Even when he'd told her to go ahead so that he could follow, there was something very... commanding about it. Like he planned to follow behind her and judge her the whole time...

She grimaced at this thought, and Datura scowled at her and gestured moodily at the Pegasus Avatar... and then Sally blurted, not even knowing why: “How do you make other people think that you're a Figment, not an Avatar?”

Datura snorted in amusement at this, and then he shook his head and replied in a voice that managed to be both annoyed and vainglorious at the same time: “Not that it's any of your business, but it's because I've been here so long and I've... changed so much, in that time.” He halted, then became quieter, looking down at one of his hooves before he muttered: “Or maybe I should say it's because I've changed back...”

Before anyone could speak, Datura shook his head and cleared his throat, then he glowered down at Sally and added waspishly: “Besides, you're the one who wants to prove herself, right? Well, what better way than leading the big bad wolf right to the lumberjack, little miss red riding hood?”

“I'll lead, if you want.” Splinthoof said shortly, stepping forwards... and then he winced as he walked right into one of Datura's hooves, which shoved firmly into his face and held him in place.

There was silence for a moment, and then Splinthoof slowly bared his teeth before he growled: “Get your filthy, godless claws off of me, you monster.”

“Sure, bring religion into it.” Datura retorted, and then his hoof snapped apart into a claw that seized into Splinthoof's muzzle, making him wince. “And now it's a claw. Before, it was a hoof. There's a structural difference, you-”

“Stop it.” Sally said shortly: she was afraid of Datura, and she was afraid of pissing off Splinthoof... but she was much more afraid of what was going to happen if she didn't step in, which loaned her the strength she needed for the first push. And once she had the attention of both ponies and they only stared at her, she felt a bit more of her confidence returning, leaning up and saying clearer: “I'll lead, but that means you both have to listen. And no fighting! Datura, keep your claws to yourself, and Splinthoof, don't antagonize him.”

Both stallions grumbled, but then sulkily drew away as Whisper smiled over at the Pegasus Avatar, and Angel chuckled softly, lowering her head and saying softly: “You certainly seem to be developing well, Sally. I think in time you will be as strong a leader as my master is.”

Sally sighed a little, but then she gave Angel a hesitant nod, looking nervously at the Figment but trying... not to hold what the mare had done against her. Although maybe the fact that she had acted out of some unconscious need to please the stallion she was bonded to just made what she had done all the more frightening...

She shivered a little, then quickly pushed past all of the ponies, taking a slow breath as she focused on the forest ahead. She bit her lip, but forced herself not to look back as she said steadily: “Whisper, Splinthoof, maybe you should both walk up front with me, then. Datura, try and keep your head down with Angel.”

“I know what I'm doing. This isn't the first time I've been captured and marched across the country.” Datura replied dryly, and then he added moodily: “Just don't make me save you if something happens. Don't wait for them to kill you to start fighting back.”

Sally sighed tiredly and shook her head slowly, before she grimaced as Splinthoof opened his mouth to reply: thankfully, however, the unicorn seemed to catch himself before he could spit anything rude, instead clearing his throat before he said moodily: “You take care of yourself, and we'll take care of ourselves. Deal?”

Datura grunted in what was hopefully agreement, and then Splinthoof turned a brief smile to the Pegasus Avatar, adding quietly: “And maybe it doesn't mean much, but I think you're going to do a fine job. Just keep yourself moving and... we'll all follow.”

“Mostly. I'm not a lemming.” Datura remarked moodily... and then he swore when Whisper huffed and kicked at him, the stallion rearing and then stomping crankily back at her.

But it was easy for Sally to put her back to the bickering when she realized they were following her, even if Datura was provoking ponies in what mostly seemed like childish bids for attention, and Splinthoof kept grumbling under his breath, spitting short, cranky remarks every now and then.

It was better than it had been before, though: maybe they were just getting used to each other, after the shock of... what had happened. Sally grimaced a little as she peeked over her shoulder at Angel, who was creepily just floating along in the background like she always did, smiling and kind and dedicated and capable of things Sally had never imagined...

And she couldn't help but wonder: was Angel like that because of Datura? Or was Datura's control over her all that kept Angel from doing worse things... if she was a Figment born from lust, supposed to enjoy pain... what really lurked behind that always-smiling face?

Sally didn't think she really wanted the answer to that: so for now, she did her best not to think, instead just keeping herself moving forwards. She focused on the forest ahead as much as she could, looking up uneasily as they passed beneath the natural arch formed by the massive trees and biting her tongue for a moment; it really did feel like they were passing into a whole different world now.

Her eyes roved down, traveling back and forth, and she thought the plants and flowers sprouting here and there along the path all looked different from what they had seen so far. It was something in their shape that made them seem all the more... exotic. They had harder edges to them somehow, and a texture that seemed... alien compared to the rest of this world.

The Pegasus Avatar shifted a little, wondering uneasily to herself how she even knew that: how did she know this grass was too dark green, or these ferns had too many larger frills and leaves? How could she tell that these flowers were too bright in coloration, their petals going against the natural patterns of Equestria's wilds... when she didn't know a damn thing about Equestria.

She snorted a little as she shook herself briefly, and then she scowled a bit and narrowed her eyes as she muttered: “Guys. I can feel you all staring at me. Please stop.”

“Damn your horse senses.” Datura said dryly, and Sally felt an odd urge to try and kick him in the face. He really does make me feel violent. “I swear, give you one little bit of power and-”

Sally's ears swiveled forwards as she heard a distinct crackling in the bushes ahead, and she instantly froze up, her head raising high, her hooves anchoring firmly in the ground. The other ponies all immediately looked ahead, reacting to her instinctive freeze as the bushes rustled louder... and then a pony dressed in a blue uniform shirt fell out of it with a yelp and a thump.

Sally stared blankly as a second pony awkwardly wiggled out of the bushes to pull the first one back to his hooves, and then they both scurried quickly into the middle of the path. They were dressed in similar uniforms, the only difference being that one was blue and the other was tan: blue uniform had his mane styled into a horrible-looking bowl cut, while tan's was just a short, rough jumble that clearly told Sally neither of these ponies were part of any actual organization.

They were both earth ponies, at least, which made Sally feel a little more confident: sure, they were still amazing magical talking horses, but at least they couldn't shoot lasers at her or fly around or anything...

Then she shifted worriedly as the smaller, chubbier one produced some kind of rectangular object from his belt, flipping it open like it was a large cell phone before he began to look around, exaggerating his movements as he declared: “Captain, it seems that we have landed on a completely alien world... look, sir, they appear to be equine in nature...”

Datura groaned and dropped his face in a hoof as the taller, ganglier pony jerkily turned towards them, before his eyes widened and he thrust a hoof out, declaring: “You there! I am... Captain Dirk of the Federation! We have... come to your planet to... do... stuff!”

“Dude, come on, we just practiced these lines!” hissed the other pony, and the two earth ponies slapped at each other like children for a few moments before the phone-thing fell out of the one pony's hoof, and he groaned and hurriedly snatched it up, wiping it quickly off as he mumbled: “Come on, man, this thing is sensitive...”

Sally's eyes narrowed as her beleaguered mind finally processed what the hell was going on in front of her. She stared for a few moments, then looked over her shoulder at Datura... but he only grumbled and shrugged before looking down, muttering: “Takes all kinds to make the world go 'round, I suppose. Even people like... them.”

“We are... on a super-important mission for the.. United Federation of Planets!” blurted out Captain Dirk, nodding wildly before he gestured spastically at his friend. “I and my secret life mate, Mr. Sock-”

“That's not how he talks at all! Come on, dude, at least try and remember what we went over!” complained Sock, and the two glared at each other before they started to argue again... just as Sally finally managed to snap herself out of stupefaction.

“Seriously? Just... seriously?” she asked disbelievingly, and then she shook her head violently before she ground her teeth together, then snapped: “Hey! Spock and Kirk! We're kind of in a rush here!”

“We're not Spock and Kirk! We're unique fan characters, Dirk and Sock!” shouted back the self-proclaimed captain immediately, angrily shaking his hoof at her. “We're clearly our own interpretations and awesome and fit in the canon perfectly thanks to the fact we are actually descendents of Spock and Kirk who were transferred to the Equestrian branch of the Federation and underwent integration with pony society because it's become a rising power in the-”

“Can I kill them? Please?” Datura asked loudly, leaning forwards, and Sally sighed a little before kicking a bit of dirt back at the scarred stallion, who huffed at his and glowered at her pointedly: something she could feel very distinctly on the back of her neck. “I'm just saying what everyone's thinking. Even you.”

“I don't want to kill them.” Sally grumbled, although this was definitely not a distraction she appreciated right now as she slowly approached the two. Both earth ponies stared at her as she approached, and then Sally took a slow breath before asking calmly: “Is this the way to Canterlot?”

“We don't know any Canterlot. We are intergalactic space travelers on a mission of... of...” And slowly, the stallion paled as the other ponies approached, his eyes roving nervously between unamused Splinthoof and Datura. “Uh...”

Sock cleared his throat, then he lamely gestured over his shoulder, thankfully dropping the act as he explained: “We have a sci-fi convention to go to, but uh... there's a big Canon Camp checkpoint on the road past Anime Forest. All the Crossworlders are getting all riled up.”

“Oh, so much for never ever dropping character while we're in uniform.” said Dirk grumpily, and Sock glared at him before the tall pony grinned over at Sally, adding quickly: “I can get you in for half-price though, if you want to come with us! Or what about you?”

Whisper grimaced and leaned a little away as Dirk reached up as if to try and touch her, but Sally only sighed and reached out, firmly slapping the stallion's hoof away and making him whimper. “Keep your hands... er, hooves to yourself. So what's this about Canon Camp? Do we have to get past them?” She stopped, then looked over her shoulder nervously. “How are we going to get past them?”

Splinthoof grimaced a bit, then he looked hesitantly over his shoulder at Datura before saying slowly: “I suppose... we could use cloaking magic of some kind, or do it the old-fashioned way and go around...”

“Unless you're willing to spend a few hours blindly trying to push through wilderness and rough terrain where we'll be an easy spot for any Pegasus, I don't think so.” Datura said distastefully, shaking his head briefly. “I guarantee they'll have set up at a bottleneck. Don't underestimate how smart they are just because they're crazy fanatics.”

Sally shivered a little as both Dirk and Sock looked uneasily at Datura, and then Splinthoof said moodily: “Cloak and sneak it is, then. Have any infiltrated the forest?”

Sock and Dirk traded looks, and then Sock said finally: “I dunno... we uh... sort of thought you were Crossworlders, though. I mean, these two are clearly vampires...” Datura and Angel looked at each other. “And this earth pony is like a Pocahontas or something...” Whisper scowled. “And uh... he's Fred, from Scooby Doo.”

“I'm not even an Avatar! I'm Trueborn!” snapped Splinthoof, glaring at the pair of ponies, and they both winced backwards in surprise.

“Then why are you dressed like Fred? I mean, seriously, who else could you be with that necktie thing? Man, those are for nerds.” Dirk said flatly, and Spock gave a giggle-snort, both of them apparently completely missing the irony of that particular statement.

Splinthoof scowled as he reached up and self-consciously touched his neckerchief, and Sally sighed tiredly, dropping her head and wondering moodily if the whole walk was going to be like this. Weird people making weird assumptions about them...

But thankfully, after a moment Sock rose a hoof and changed the subject, asking: “Hey, can we walk with you guys? Just uh... you know. Just until we get to a camp or a village or something, anime forest is full of little communities, but out... these outskirts really aren't very safe. There's all sorts of weird Figments and ponies wandering around.”

Sally looked moodily at the two ponies, but then she bit her lip before glancing back over the rest of the group. No one really seemed to object, although none of them seemed exactly happy with the idea, either... so after a moment, Sally sighed before nodding briefly, saying finally: “Sure. The more the merrier, I guess.”

Sock and Dirk both grinned widely, and Sally sighed a little, only hoping that she wasn't going to regret this decision. Still, it didn't seem right to leave them alone out here, even if they were both annoying her already...

Splinthoof scowled a little, and Whisper shrugged as Sock and Dirk both started to ramble away about the forest and where they were hoping to go... but Datura only studied Sally inquisitively, a slight smile on his face.

The Pegasus Avatar interested him, whether he liked it or not: he was seeing more and more why Celestia had pounced on the chance to send her to get him. And what he hated even more was the fact that he was starting to actually enjoy himself: he hated his usual schedule being interfered with, but apart from a few little speedbumps... this was all proving quite enjoyable so far.

He knew the fun would end sooner or later, but for now, he was determined to try and enjoy himself... and he just hoped that Sally was smart enough to do the same, since he thought that when things started going downhill... she was going to find the spiral into chaos a whole lot less amusing than he would.

White Doves

Chapter Eight: White Doves
~BlackRoseRaven

Sock and Dirk were annoying, but Sally quickly learned to tune them out, just like she always had her three idiot brothers who insisted on doing nothing but talking – or more precisely, lying – about their macho man antics, all trying to outdo each other until Daddy came into the room and glared at them, and they all turned into little lambs.

Now there was a thought: were ponies the only magical hoofers in this world? What about lambs, sheep... cows? Oh God, she hoped she didn't meet a magical, talking cow. That would ruin hamburgers for her forever.

She shivered a little, grimacing a bit at the ground: as it was, she didn't think she was ever going to be able to look at a horse the same way again... but the mare forced herself to take a slow breath before she shook herself briefly and rose her head, keeping herself moving slowly forwards, step-by-step down a road that had become surprisingly busy.

They had only been walking for an hour or so after finding Sock and Dirk, but it was like they had wandered into an entirely different world: the forest path branched wildly here and there in every direction now, and the flora and fauna had both become almost completely alien, with massive trees growing next to mushrooms the size of boulders. There were singing birds and monkey-like things that leapt happily around in the trees and lumbering but docile beasts that were peering here and there out of the trees... and what looked like normal cats and dogs, meowing and barking happily away as they either ran wild or peered out of windows in the strangely-shaped cabins that lined the road.

And there were plenty of ponies, too: a lot of them had ridiculous manes that were styled in impossible, gravity-defying ways, and there were a lot of leather trenchcoats and belts and spikes and really garishly-colored clothing. And pantaloons. Sally honestly could not understand why there were so many ponies in pantaloons.

She also got her first eyeful of ponies she guessed were Cloppers, considering the makeup, the provocative clothing, and the fact that one of them offered her fifty bucks for a 'hoofjob.' Sally did not want to imagine what precisely that meant, because she didn't think it was as obvious as it sounded, which only bothered her even more.

It was very strange, passing through a crowd of Avatars and Figments who were all so... so weird, made of things taken from different worlds and pasted all together in some weird and often nearly-ugly amalgamations. A lot of them had weapons proudly on display that they likely couldn't even use with hooves and four-legged bodies, and others had showy armor that protected everything except for their vital areas.

Here and there, ponies were proudly showing off powers that no pony should have: there one was grinning as he made electricity arc back and forth between his hooves, while an earth pony was yawning and floating in the air, pretending to look bored... but even Sally could see that it was taking all kinds of concentration. And what the hell was the point of being an earth pony that could fly, anyway, especially if it made you so exhausted? Why not just be one of these winged ponies and spare yourself all that trouble?

But from what she saw, most of this odd little community was interested either in looking cool or being part of a group of cool people. Still, plenty of them seemed friendly enough, and Sally would prefer the arrogant jerks to spend their time showing off their ultra-cool powers by juggling fireballs instead of chucking said flames at her face.

Then she sighed as Sock and Dirk tried to squeeze themselves between her and Whisper, Sally looking grouchily at the two as Whisper leaned uncomfortably away with a wince. “So are either of you from the moons of Iego?”

“I swear to God, if you're trying to flirt with me again, I will slap you.” Sally grumbled, and then she sighed before gesturing around them as they entered what seemed like some kind of market area, with vendors hocking their wares from stalls that lined either side of the dirt road. “Look, isn't this where you wanted to go?”

“No, uh... no.” Sock stuttered out, shaking his head hurriedly as Dirk nodded wildly... then winced when Sock elbowed him before quickly shaking his own head. “It's not safe here! Sure, Wall Market looks great and really cool and all, but it's run by the mafia!”

“Yeah, better watch out for Don Corneo.” grumbled Datura, and then he rolled his eyes before striding moodily away, Sally wincing and shouting after him as he plowed through the crowd.

Angel only smiled reassuringly, however, bowing her head and saying politely: “He'll return in a moment, darling, don't you fret now. And I hope this is not too rude, but... you do not have to be afraid of me, dear. I have no intent or reason to harm you.”

Sally shifted uneasily at this wording, swallowing a bit before she cleared her throat and forced herself to look back ahead, focusing her attention back on Sock and Dirk, who looked... nervous, she thought. But they weren't afraid of the crowd, that was for sure: all their attention was focused on them... “What do you two want? What are you really after?”

The two traded looks, and Whisper frowned as Splinthoof narrowed his own eyes before he gestured suddenly at the device on Sock's belt, asking sharply: “What is that?”

“Oh, it's a tricorder, mint condition, super expensive. It's the pride and joy of my collection!” Sock said hurriedly, nodding vehemently as he reached back and covered it with one hoof, giving a cheesy grin... and something about that all struck Sally as being... off.

“Can I see it?” she asked slowly, and Sock stared up at her as Dirk audibly whimpered, and the Pegasus Avatar narrowed her eyes slightly before she ordered: “Let me see it now.”

Sock bit his lip... and then he howled something to his friend before turning and bolting. He tripped almost immediately, nearly knocking over some Crossworlder in a leather jacket before he leapt back to his hooves and scurried away, while Dirk shouted after his friend and ran a moment later, as Sally watched with disbelief and Splinthoof swore and shouted angrily after them.

Whisper began to lean forwards... and then she blinked dumbly when Datura all-but-appeared at her side, plunking a set of cat ears down on the earth pony Avatar's head. “Don't bother. They were just flunkies, that's all. Canon Camp probably promised to let them live as long as they helped them track us.”

Whisper reached up and adjusted the cat ears on her head, looking pointedly up at Datura, but the scarred stallion turned his eyes away from her, becoming more serious as he said quietly: “Looks like here's your first real test, Sally. Are we going to keep marching forwards, or do we cut back and try to stay out of their way?”

Splinthoof frowned at this, then he leaned up and asked angrily: “Wait, did you know those two were spies? Why didn't you say anything? You put all of us in danger!”

“I didn't know until Sally figured it out, and you can't prove otherwise. I'm just seizing on an opportunity here that we should all be able to appreciate.” retorted Datura, leaning forwards moodily and narrowing his eyes at Splinthoof. “Things are under control. It's a little rude when you imply that they are not.”

“Well, I'm sorry I offended you.” Splinthoof retorted, glaring at the stallion before he grimaced at the crowd around them: a few of the ponies here were now staring at them curiously, and they were drawing more looks the longer they just stood here... “Look, it's too crowded here. Let's push through to somewhere safer before we make any decisions.”

Datura grunted, and Sally shifted uneasily before she nodded nervously... and she admittedly hated how even if Splinthoof was the one who had just come up with the idea and made the decision, they still all looked at her as if she was the leader. Splinthoof apparently expected her to somehow find a way out of these crowded stalls, before she frowned a little over at Whisper, and more, as she realized... “What the hell, Datura.”

“If you're jealous I can go get the rest of the cat for you. Just don't expect it to look so pretty.” Datura said dryly, and Sally glared at him.

“Please tell me you didn't steal those.” Sally grumbled, and Datura glared at her, clearly offended, which just made the Pegasus frown at him. “You have money on you?”

“Yes. I have a nice supply of bits, as they call their currency. Which is stupid, by the way. Bits has nothing to do with anything.” Datura paused, then muttered: “Well, no, that's not entirely true. It's both a stupid horse pun regarding a part of the bridle as well as a coin of small value. But that's a horrible way to frame it, if you're going for another stupid horse pun.”

“Do you know what I think is stupid? All the crap you Avatars drag into our world. Why are so many of you intent on wearing saddles instead of normal clothing?” Splinthoof retorted, but Sally ignored them for now as she looked back and forth at the vendors. “Why do you think it's fun to be dressed up in tack, or to have something shoved in your mouth so someone else can get on your back and jerk on it really hard?”

Datura started to open his mouth, and then Sally said suddenly: “Datura, I want you to buy clothes for all of us. We're going to go through in disguise.”

The scarred stallion stared stupidly over at the mare as Whisper winced, starting to hold up a hoof, but she was cut off as the scarred unicorn stepped towards Sally and glared balefully down at her, asking sharply: “Why should I waste all my money on you?”

“Because I'm...” Sally swallowed a bit, then gritted her teeth and stepped forwards, saying clearly: “Because I'm in charge, and as a Figment, you have to listen to me. Right?”

Datura narrowed his eye, studying her intently... and then he gave a slow smile before he bowed his head slowly to her in deference. Sally felt ridiculously proud of herself – and more than a little relieved that he hadn't just torn her to ribbons – before the stallion looked up and said pleasantly: “Then I'll go and get clothes suitable for everyone. Excuse me.”

“Datura!” Whisper called, and the stallion glanced over his shoulder at her before the earth pony hurried towards him, smiling awkwardly. She said something to him that was lost in the mull of the crowd, but a moment later the unicorn grunted before shrugging and walking away, allowing the other Avatar to walk with him.

Angel watched them go, smiling after them tenderly before her eyes flicked towards Sally, studying her as Splinthoof gazed with surprise at the Pegasus Avatar... and maybe a little admiration. It made Sally feel awkward to be under the eyes of both ponies at once, but then the unicorn reached up and rubbed a hoof along her back, saying softly: “I guess you really can keep him under control.”

“No, she can't control him... but she has earned his respect. And that is far more important.” Angel corrected gently, smiling and nodding to the two ponies. “But I can see why... you are a very interesting mare, Sally. You have a wild heart.”

Sally only laughed awkwardly, blushing and glancing away, and then she cleared her throat before gesturing in the direction Datura had gone, saying awkwardly: “Come on. Let's make sure he doesn't buy us anything too embarrassing.”

Unfortunately for Sally, Datura was apparently as cruel and conniving as she expected: while he had dressed himself in a simple, heavy cloak, and somehow heckled Whisper into a red, hooded cape with a black corset and matching leggings, he had spared no expense in making the other outfits as stupid as possible. Angel had a bonnet and a long, flowing dress with a high, old-fashioned collar and puffy sleeves, her face covered in makeup that made her look a lot more like the 'vampire' that she had been mistaken for by Sock and Dirk, while Sally was utterly disgusted by the fact that Datura had found a set of lanky overalls and a giant straw hat for her. And the worst part was that the straw hat was festooned with wax grapes and paper flowers and looked utterly monstrous.

And of course, Splinthoof was not wearing a white turtleneck, blue pants, and an ugly blonde wig that sat like a bird's nest on top of his mane. He had been the happiest of them until he'd been informed that he'd just been given clothes that matched his cravat.

“Why are you such an ass?” Sally grumbled as she adjusted the hat for the billionth time while walking, feeling her neck creaking under the weight of the horrid thing as they pushed through the crowd in their new clothing.

Datura only shrugged cheerfully beneath his heavy cloak, then he replied mildly: “It's not my fault he wouldn't accept returns or trade-ins. And hey, you're a farmer, right? I just wanted you to feel nice and comfortable. Anyway, you did have a good idea.”

Sally looked over her shoulder suspiciously at the unicorn, but he only smiled, and she realized after a moment that he really was complimenting her. He was actually, honestly complimenting her... and the mare couldn't help but lean back suspiciously before she asked slowly: “You really mean it?”

Datura only shrugged, then gestured calmly with his muzzle from beneath the cloak, and Sally turned her eyes forwards before they widened slightly as she saw several strange ponies pass... and she shivered a little as she realized after a moment who they had to be.

Canon Camp: they all wore plain green uniforms and bands around their forelegs with a strange, three-layered symbol on it. They looked... militant, in a word, but nothing like actual military: they were too cold, too focused, too mechanical. Sally had grown up in a family made mostly of farmers and soldiers, and she didn't see any of sense of brotherhood or camaraderie: they weren't being 'professional,' they were just... cold.

They shoved their way carelessly through the crowd, scanning the ponies around them as they kept in a tight square formation: the pony in the center of the group, Sally noted, had some kind of extra equipment on his back that beeped every now and then. She wasn't able to get a good look through the wall of ponies, though... and before she could turn to follow them, Splinthoof nudged her firmly, muttering: “Keep going. Don't give them a reason to turn around.”

Sally nodded, biting her lip as she did her best to keep her gaze focused, pushing their way carefully through a crowd of Crossworlders that was now roiling with apprehension. And then Sally flinched when a voice shouted: “What are we doing? Come on! Let's get those bastards and-”

The Pegasus Avatar trembled, fighting the instinct to bolt as she heard a sizzling sound and a scream before the voice was silenced, forcing herself not to look in the direction the sound had come from as Splinthoof muttered to her: “Keep walking, just keep walking... don't run, don't panic...”

But it was so hard not to: her legs trembled and she felt like she was almost stumbling into every second step, her eyes darting back and forth fearfully as she breathed hard in and out. She snorted a little and shook her head out, and then she felt both relief and inexplicable terror as she finally pushed out of the crowd and stumbled onto an open stretch of road, away from the safety of the herd-

What the hell, the herd? What the hell was she thinking? But there was no time to think as she tossed a worried look back over her shoulder, reassuring herself with the sight of the other ponies following behind her before she looked back ahead, gritting her teeth as she hurried along the stretch as fast as she dared.

After ten minutes or so, she finally slowed, wheezing a little and shaking herself briskly out before she dropped her head, muttering: “Christ. What... I thought that Canon Camp... I thought these guys all stayed in their own territories or something, w-why...”

“I don't know, and I don't think we want to stick around long enough to find out, either.” Datura muttered. He glanced back and forth, checking on Angel, then Whisper: but the Figment was as fine as always, and the earth pony Avatar only seemed a little winded, although she kept looking nervously behind them as she scraped one painted hoof against the ground uneasily.

Splinthoof laughed shortly at this as he looked over their shoulder: Wall Market was still faintly visible in the distance, and they could hear yelling and arguing, which likely meant they had escaped just before tensions had boiled over... “For once we agree on something. Look, we... we can't even be entirely sure they were looking for us-”

“We can't assume otherwise, either. They had a Scanner with them... which is stupid, because most of us are Avatars, but if they isolate our energy frequencies they'll be able to find us anywhere with that equipment.” Datura argued, and Sally looked blankly over her shoulder at the scarred unicorn.

The stallion groaned, but then he nodded moodily and explained: “Look, short version. Canon Camp wants to remain strictly 'canonical,' but that doesn't stop them from seizing things from other clans and reverse engineering them as their own. Which, again, they justify by saying it was taken from inter-dimensional visitors and is part of a sub-canon that will be discarded once they've brought everyone around to their way of thinking.

“Scanners are bad. Because some Avatars have very weird powers...” Datura looked pointedly at Whisper, who gave him a bit of a blush and huff in response, although Sally was too nervous to analyze what this meant too deeply for the moment. “Some of the clans took it on themselves to develop magic-powered technologies that would let them track other Avatars and sort of take an 'imprint' of them. We all have a unique energy signature, our biorhythms and... look, think of it this way. You're a finger, and that's a giant fingerprint machine.”

“That's very helpful.” Splinthoof said dourly, and Datura replied by allowing one of his hooves to snap apart into a claw so he could make a rude gesture at the stallion. But the unicorn only rolled his eyes, asking distastefully: “Let me guess. Giving a demonstration?”

“More like couching it in a way you can understand.” Datura answered with mock kindness, and then he dropped his claw and closed it back into a hoof, scowling a little before he turned his eyes back towards Sally, saying in a more serious voice: “Canon Camp has a lot of fanatics. People with very, very strict sets of beliefs and rules, people who need things to work a certain way, or they feel out of control. People who can be manipulated easily by those in charge. They scare me a lot more than even Crossworlders with post-apocalypse weapons and crazy mechanical upgrades do.”

Sally grimaced a bit, then she asked uncertainly: “What should we do, then? And why would they be looking for us? Is it because of...”

“Me?” Datura asked dryly, and then he sighed and shook his head, gesturing moodily over at Angel. “Maybe, or maybe her, or maybe even Whisper here. Although Whisper has to be nice to everyone. She's too much of a wimp to get into an argument with anyone.”

Whisper glared at him, then punched Datura in the side, but the scarred stallion only swayed a little before he grinned over at her even as she grumbled: “You don't have to constantly be such a jerk, you ass.”

“Yes I do.” Datura replied blandly, and then he returned his eyes to Sally, continuing: “Canon Camp wants everyone to come around to their way of thinking, by whatever means necessary, or to eliminate... 'problem ponies.' I doubt they'd go through all this trouble just for little old me, but... if they heard that there was a pony here who doesn't belong in any way, shape or form...”

Sally stared disbelievingly up at Datura, and Splinthoof grimaced before he said quickly: “We shouldn't assume anything. Besides, I'm sure that no one-”

“Yeah, right. Ponies and Avatars are great at keeping secrets.” Datura retorted, and then he turned his eyes towards Sally, saying in a colder voice: “Assume the worst, and get ready to deal with it. That's the only way you're going to survive these next few days. And don't help every pony you see: I hope dealing with those two idiots taught you that much, at least.”

Sally glared at Datura, opening her mouth to argue... and then a voice shouted with malicious cheer from just down the road: “Look at these buggers, will you? These little colts and fillies all look so lost and confused!”

The Pegasus Avatar looked up as Splinthoof stepped forwards, his horn already starting to glow as he shouted at the approaching ponies: “Stay back! We're on a mission for-”

“Princess Celestia, right?” asked the armored Pegasus in front, the stallion grinning coldly: His breastplate was lined with thick fur around the collar, and he wore a shield over one foreleg, with some kind of nasty, bladed bracer on the other. He had a dark russet coat and baleful, evil eyes that glared out from beneath his black bangs: Sally could tell, just from looking at him, that this stallion was a lot more serious than the thugs they had already run into on the way here.

His cronies were a lot nastier looking than the bullies that had accompanied the alicorn bandit as well: one was a unicorn wearing heavy plate mail that covered his body almost completely, with a heavy casque that shielded his face, while the other was a second Pegasus in lighter leather armor, several knives sheathed along his front limbs in easy access as his wings flapped eagerly, twitching as if he was fighting the urge to take to the air as he looked at them almost hungrily.

“Gosh, it's funny how many ponies think they can just drop the name of the princess, and treat it like a free pass! But this is a toll road, my friends, and you have a choice. You can pay the toll in money... or in blood.” The lead Pegasus said pleasantly, grinding a hoof against the ground slowly as he smiled and leaned forwards... but his eyes were cold and sharp, rapidly sizing them all up as he licked his lips slowly. “I think we'd all prefer to make this quick and pleasant, though. If things get ugly, Canon Camp might show up, and we all know how they like to butt into other ponies' affairs.”

Splinthoof stepped forwards, raising his head slightly as his horn glowed brighter before he said quietly: “Then maybe you should just let us pass, because if you don't, I'll send up a distress flare that will attract the attention of every pony for miles around. Canon Camp isn't fond of Crossworlders, but they're even less fond of... 'criminal elements' like yourselves.”

The bandit leader clucked his tongue at this, scowling a little across at Splinthoof... and then he snorted in disgust before saying contemptibly: “Now that is a truly low blow, my friend. I don't know if I should be ashamed or outraged. What do you think, Phage?”

The heavily-armored unicorn grunted... then suddenly snapped his own horn outwards, lightning arcing from the spire and slamming into Splinthoof's, making him rear back in shock before Phage snarled and snapped his horn down. The leash of energy cracked like a whip and drove Splinthoof face-first into the ground, but the soldier shoved himself back up to his hooves a moment later, swearing as he yanked savagely back on the chain of energy.

Phage cursed, but he was strong and the heavy armor added more than enough weight to make it impossible for Splinthoof to yank him off his hooves when he anchored himself: it left the two unicorns in stalemate, tied together by magic as Splinthoof's horn pulsed erratically, and sparks of energy and lightning sizzled over Phage's masking helm.

The bandit leader laughed after a moment at this, then he said cheerfully: “Well, look at that! Phage, that's just embarrassing... you're being put off by a silly little pony dressed up like a Crossworlder! And here I had such high hopes for you!”

Phage only growled in response, and the bandit leader grinned before his eyes gleamed as Datura stepped forwards, the Pegasus asking with interest: “And who are you then? Did one of these little girls dream you up, Figment?”

Datura shrugged off his cloak, tossing it aside as Sally looked at him nervously: sure, he had dealt with the other thugs easily enough, but these ponies... they struck her as being on a completely different level than the ones they had dealt with before. And Splinthoof was already incapacitated, and she didn't think she'd be any use in a fight...

Whisper was trembling as well, but Sally couldn't honestly tell if that was fear or anger, or a mix of both: her hooves were digging into the ground and she was leaning forwards slightly, looking like she was ready for a fight, either way. And Angel was only smiling and coy as always... but Sally knew by now not to trust that mask, to not let herself be fooled by the Figment's eternal calm.

“I live for the fight. Violence, pain and pleasure... all the emotion in the air.” Datura said softly as he reached up and pulled off his eyepatch... and to Sally's surprise, he shrugged off his satchels as well, smiling coldly as he tossed both the bags and his patch down on top of his cloak. “Tell me you dance. I love to dance.”

“Sure. I'll dance with you.” the bandit leader said indulgently, and then he grinned over his shoulder as the other Pegasus thug glared at him. “Knock it off, Scud. Maybe I'll let you have one of the mares if you behave yourself.”

Scud grunted as Phage snorted, but the bandit boss ignored them both as he turned his eyes towards Datura, studying him with interest. “Do I know you? Maybe we met somewhere, like say... the bounty list?”

Datura only licked his lips, ignoring Boss' comment as he set himself and grinned slowly, baring his sharp fangs as Boss frowned slightly, before the Pegasus said in a colder voice: “Alright, be that way, scarface. Let's see just how tough a nut you are.”

The scarred unicorn replied by loping suddenly forwards, zigzagging before he lunged at the Pegasus as his hooves snapped apart into claws... and then Sally's eyes widened in horror as Boss simply slammed his shield into Datura's face with a sickening crunch, knocking the scarred unicorn staggering backwards with a gargle before he roared and stumbled backwards when Boss slashed viciously across his shoulder with his bladed limb, sending up a burst of black blood.

“Well, we've struck oil!” Boss jeered as Datura staggered backwards, clutching at his shoulder, and the scarred unicorn snarled before leaping forwards... only to be savagely smashed backwards again by another blow from the stallion's shield, before a hoof slammed cruelly across Datura's face, knocking him staggering. And before he could recover, another jab slammed into the side of his head before Boss used his wings to launch himself forwards and smash shield-first into Datura's bad leg, knocking the scarred stallion crashing down on his side.

Whisper shouted as Sally gaped in horror at how easily Datura was being taken apart: he had been so fast, so cruel before... what was going on? And he was only laying there on the ground, bleeding and panting quietly as the Pegasus thug loomed over him, then slammed a cruel kick into his throat with one hoof, mocking: “What's wrong, tough guy? I thought you wanted to fight, but it looks like you're more interested in letting yourself get a spanking!”

Boss kicked the stallion savagely again, and Datura curled up slightly, gasping once before the Pegasus thug reached down and seized into Datura's mane with both hooves, forcefully yanking the stallion up to his feet. Sally couldn't repress a shout of wordless frustration and fear at the fact that Datura was just... was just letting himself get dragged around as he rose his head... only for Boss to slam a hoof into his face, then punch him again and again until there was a sickening crack as the bandit leader slammed Datura backwards with a haymaker.

The scarred, bloodied stallion landed awkwardly on his rump, barely catching himself with one claw as he wheezed weakly in and out, blood dripping from his face as Boss strode slowly forwards, saying coldly: “You know what I hate? I hate ponies like you. The ones who are all show, all talk... but I guess that's not entirely your fault, is it? I thought for a moment you might be an Avatar, but I'm guessing you're just a Figment after all. Guess one of those Crossworlders made you to look all mean and tough, but since I'm sure neither of them know jack about real fighting, you were just programmed to growl and snarl, right? You're all bark. You don't got teeth to bite with.”

Boss slapped Datura mockingly across the face, and the scarred stallion let his head drop, his eyes clenching shut as his horn sparked before the Pegasus thug grinned and reached up to seize Datura by this, yanking him up to his hooves again. Datura's eyes snapped open the moment he was standing, trying to slash a claw in from the side... but it was sloppy and slow, and the bandit leader easily blocked it with his shield as their eyes met.

They glared at each other, and the bandit leader grinned wider as he fearlessly met the scarred stallion's gaze, laughing at the way his broken eye swirled as his horn sparked weakly, light pulsing through the cracks in the unicorn's horn. “Look at you! So weak you can't even focus up magic... and look at all this gunk coming out of your corpse, it's like your body knows you're dead already even if you're too thick-headed to accept it and stay goddamn down!”

Boss slashed his bladed bracer down, hacking through Datura's chest and sending him stumbling backwards... but this time, the Pegasus saw more than a spray of thick black blood as Datura staggered drunkenly, then caught himself suddenly, standing stock still.

And Boss frowned uneasily as he leaned forwards, studying the white and gray dots that had come out with the black ooze, the... strings that were... squirming, twitching, before he looked down stupidly as he felt something on his hoof...

The Pegasus' eyes widened as he saw his black-stained blade was... was crawling with maggots. He shouted in shock, staggering backwards and trying desperately to snap his foreleg to the side, but they clung on tenaciously, wiggling over metal plates, burrowing through the cracks in his armor, biting in the soft flesh exposed between hoof and bracer.

The Pegasus' head snapped up as Datura gurgled, the stallion staring in horror as the scarred stallion rose his head and grinned crookedly, his head tilted to the side, his broken eye glowing hellishly as insects spilled out of his wounds, as... as his tight hide writhed and rippled with bugs, insects, maggots, hideous things moving beneath his skin. His jaws gaped open, and more, more vermin, more disease-riddled, flesh-eating, vile and terrible life spilled from his jaws as he said almost tenderly: “Thank you for the pain. Let me return your generosity.”

Datura snapped his head forwards, vomiting out a stream of black ichors and countless insects that splattered over the Pegasus as he screamed in terror, then shrieked in agony as he staggered backwards, flailing wildly in all directions, flapping his wings madly, his eyes rolling in his head as earwigs and flesh-eating maggots and countless monstrous bugs swarmed over his body, biting into him, ignoring his armor as they burrowed into his flesh, his mind going haywire with fear as he threw himself to the ground and began to roll back and forth.

And all eyes could only stare in horror as Datura simply smiled coldly: he was badly beaten and bruised, but his eyes were glowing with hellish light as the bandit leader simply... seemed to go insane. He was gibbering and screaming, flinging himself wildly back and forth, clawing and slapping at himself so fiercely he was denting his armor. One moment, he had been dominating the fight... the next, Datura had just looked at him, and the thug had started panicking like he'd lost his mind, screaming like something was eating him alive...

Then Datura suddenly leaned forwards and made an easy tossing motion... and the bandit leader's shrieks intensified as he began to grab wildly at his face; the shocked and horrified ponies only saw him uselessly hammering his own hooves against his muzzle, but Datura saw a panicking stallion trying uselessly to pull off a massive spider as countless other bugs swarmed over his body and devoured his flesh...

“Fiddlebacks leave rotting bites, you know. And one that size... would easily be lethal.” Datura said conversationally as his eyes glowed with psychic malice, making his words hammer through Boss' mind in spite of his panic. And the Pegasus' screams heightened as he threw himself back and forth, before the scarred, bloody stallion suddenly grinned and suggested mockingly: “You better kill it before it can kill you!”

Boss felt the giant fiddleback bite savagely into his features, and he screamed in agony as overwhelming pain tore through his body before he snarled in desperation, slamming his bladed bracer as viciously as he could up into the arachnid...

Datura only smiled as Sally stared in horror, feeling like she was going to vomit as she watched Boss begin to slam his own bladed bracer over and over again into his own face, hacking wildly away at his own features before he finally managed to bury the blade through the front of his skull with a sickening thunk. His whole body went rigid as he gurgled weakly, staring blankly past his own foreleg as his body quaked with agony... and then he simply collapsed backwards in a broken, dead heap, staring blankly at nothing as foam and blood leaked from his broken muzzle and crimson ran from his shattered, decimated features.

Phage and Scud both stared in horror at the corpse of their leader before the Avatar's body slowly began to dissolve, leaving only blood-smeared armor behind. And Datura smiled calmly before his eyes flicked towards Phage, saying mockingly: “Boo.”

Phage snarled, beginning to stand... and then his vision went black before something hideous tore out of the darkness, all screams and fangs. He yelled in shock, losing concentration on his spell and snapping the tether between himself and Splinthoof before he covered his face, shouting: “Illusionist!”

Scud swore before grabbing one of his knives and flinging it in a liquid motion, the weapon burying deep into Datura's chest... but to Sally's horror, the stallion only laughed and simply slapped it free, his eyes blazing with hellish light as he asked mockingly: “Is that the best you can do?”

Scud swore, then launched himself at Datura as Phage stepped forwards, preparing a spell... but then he was blasted off his hooves by a powerful telekinetic hammer from Splinthoof, who gritted his teeth before charging at the heavily-armored mage. Phage rolled sharply to his hooves, however, conjuring a whip of lightning from his horn that he snapped out the moment he leapt to his feet, but Splinthoof dodged to the side before he lashed his own horn out.

Phage cursed as a blast of force washed over him, before grinning and lashing his horn to the side... and blinking in surprise as he realized too late that Splinthoof had dispelled his magic... and that turning his head had only exposed-

One of Splinthoof's hooves slammed directly into the side of Phage's neck, the mage's eyes bulging beneath his casque as he stumbled to the side with a groan of pain as his whole body froze up. And before he could recover, both of Splinthoof's hooves slammed down on top of his helmeted head, driving him face-first into the ground with a tremendous bang in an unconscious heap.

Splinthoof turned towards Datura, who was laughing in spite of the fact that Scud was top of him, grappling uselessly with the scarred stallion as he glared hatefully down at him. But before Splinthoof could move to help or Scud could finally drive a knife into Datura's face, both of Whisper's rear hooves slammed viciously into Scud's head and knocked him crashing backwards.

The Pegasus twitched weakly on the ground as Datura sat up, then glared over at Whisper, snapping: “Hey!”

Whisper glared for a moment at Datura over her shoulder, then she kicked both rear hooves up again, hitting the scarred stallion squarely in the face and knocking him flopping backwards. He managed to catch himself before he hit the ground, however, glowering in spite of the black blood now dripping from his nose and muzzle.

Sally stared in disbelief at the... the battlefield, her body trembling as she looked back and forth over the ponies, stomping her hooves nervously as she felt a distinct... a tightness in her upper back, a flexing in her wings, and palpable fear running through her entire body as she breathed hard in and out. She couldn't even process what these ponies were saying anymore: she could only stare back and forth, at the blood, at the bodies, at the stained dirt where the bandit leader had fallen and dissolved...

And then Angel grasped her shoulder, and Sally twitched to the side, ears pinning back, eyes going wide before the Figment said kindly: “Don't be afraid, darling. We all die.”

Sally trembled... then leapt away from Angel, kicking up dirt as she bolted fearfully away from the ponies, whinnying and shaking her head wildly as she shot down the path. She heard voices shouting after her, but it only made her feel all the more panicked, her heart thudding in her chest, her mind telling her to run, run, run...

So Sally did the only thing she could do, and ran.

Her friends caught up to her some forty minutes later, on the outskirts of a small village. Sally had exhausted herself bolting here, and they found her leaning heavily on an old fence, rasping hard for breath and shivering weakly, her clothing torn and her stupid oversized hat missing.

She looked up with a mix of embarrassment and wariness as the other ponies approached: for a pony who had just been beaten to hell, Datura seemed oddly chipper... maybe even more lucid than usual. As a matter of fact, he walked right up to her, then reached up and rubbed the back of her neck in a gesture that was only uncomfortable because it was so soothing, Sally lowering her head quietly and closing her eyes as he said gently: “It's alright now. It's alright.”

She responded with a brief nod to the simple reassurances, then shook herself quickly out before Splinthoof asked worriedly: “Are you okay, Sally? Are you hurt?”

The concern in his voice touched her, and the Pegasus Avatar gave a hesitant smile before she nodded hesitantly, then dropped her head and murmured: “S-Sorry. I didn't mean to... do that. I guess I just sort of... forgot myself for a minute and uh... I ran. I just... ran.”

She laughed weakly, then shook herself out and stepped back, taking a slow breath. She saw that Datura had his sidepacks back on, his cloak stuffed in one, and Splinthoof was missing his wig... but they were still dressed in their silly outfits. Then again, those had almost worked, except... “Would... they have attacked us if...”

“They didn't attack us because they thought we were Crossworlders. They attacked us because they thought we were easy pickings.” Datura said dryly, and then he licked slowly at his split lip, making Sally shiver. “But sometimes the best way to win is by appearing to lose.”

“Christ. I don't know about that. Look what they did to you.” muttered Sally, shivering a little as she studied the scarred stallion... and god, his wounds were... creepy. His too-tight hide had peeled back slightly around the cuts like leather, and his blood hadn't just dried, but... hardened, it looked like.

But the worst part was the way that Datura didn't seem to be precisely slowed down by his wounds. Sure, the injury to his shoulder had obviously clipped a muscle and left him with a bit of a limp, but he kept shifting his weight onto it as if he couldn't feel the pain... or... maybe...

She leaned away from him, and Datura simply smiled at her before he tipped her a slow wink, reaching up and touching his own breast. “Let's just say that a bit of pain every now and then helps keep the psychosis away. We all have our... needs.”

Whisper smiled faintly up at Datura as Sally shifted uneasily and Splinthoof frowned. But then the Pegasus Avatar couldn't help but give a short laugh before her eyes roved towards Angel, asking quietly: “So are you imitating her, or does she imitate you?”

“A little of both. It should be obvious by now that she and I are very similar.” replied Datura evenly, and then he said in a quieter voice: “I think you could do with learning to be a little more like us freaks, though, Sally. I think you're turning feral.”

“Shut up!” snapped Splinthoof, and Sally was surprised by how angry he sounded as the Royal Guard glared up at Datura and leaned aggressively towards him. “Listen to me, there is nothing wrong with her, and the last thing she needs is-”

“What do you mean, 'feral?' Like... wild?” Sally asked disbelievingly, and Splinthoof winced over his shoulder as Whisper bit her lip and Datura only looked evenly back at the mare... and as always, Angel smiled her calm little smile. “Guys, please, what... what's going on?”

“You're not acting like a pony. You're acting more and more like a horse. A horse with wings, sure, but a horse nonetheless.” Datura said calmly, and then he gestured at Whisper, adding: “Ask her if you don't believe me. She knows all about horses.”

Sally frowned uneasily, and Whisper shook her head before she said hesitantly: “It's... I don't think I've ever seen it happen to an Avatar like this before, but I mean... you do see it now and then. It just usually takes a lot longer to set in, and happens after people start... forgetting themselves, I guess you could say.”

Sally's worries only increased, the mare frowning uneasily as she leaned towards the earth pony Avatar, and Whisper shifted a little before saying quietly: “Hey, look, it'll be okay, so long as you don't... give in to the wild part of you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?”

“This is fascinating.” Datura said positively, and Sally gave him a horrified, furious look as Whisper winced and Splinthoof visibly twitched with anger. “I wonder if Celestia knew this was going to happen: you're not accustomed to this world; to you, these are all just magical talking horses... and so that's what you're becoming, what your spirit is driving you to become. A magical talking horse, with all a horse's instincts.”

Sally's eyes widened slightly at this, her anger plummeting into the abyss that suddenly opened up in her stomach. Her breath caught in her throat as her mouth went dry, eyes flicking back and forth in disbelief before she whispered: “N-No. No, no, no no no. That can't be possible, that... that just can't be! It doesn't even make any sense!”

But the problem was it made too much sense, from what she'd learned of this world: that was why she didn't have a mark on her rump, that was why she moved so naturally in this body, it explained... everything. And Sally trembled violently as her eyes flicked back and forth, feeling that fear welling up again inside of her and that instinct to run even though she was here, with her herd-

Oh Christ. She clenched her eyes shut, grinding her teeth together before blurting out: “You're not my herd!”

Splinthoof halted stupidly in mid-argument with Datura, and even Angel cocked her head in surprise at what the mare had just said. And for a few long moments, there was an uncomfortable silence before Sally swallowed thickly, then clenched her eyes and asked weakly: “Am... what happens if I... if this takes over my mind? If I go home, will I... will I be...”

She opened her eyes, trembling and looking up at the stallion in front of her... and to her surprise, Datura was looking back at her with surprising softness in his mismatched eyes, the stallion studying her quietly before he leaned down and slowly licked up the trail of tears that had fallen, unnoticed, down one of her cheeks.

Sally winced a bit, flushing and lowering her head, and the scarred stallion shifted a little before he said grudgingly: “Look, if you end up dead or insane before we reach Canterlot, they'll blame it on me and I'll end up being executed. So we'll... find a way to keep you sane until we get there. Then... everyone will go home, and you'll be back with your precious family.”

Sally smiled faintly, glancing up and hating how the bitterness that seeped through Datura's voice actually made all of that easier to believe, the mare studying him silently for a few moments before she nodded briefly and lowered her head, murmuring: “Okay. I... trust you.”

Datura looked dumbly down at Sally, and Whisper gave a small smile, glancing up at him and saying quietly: “It's not hopeless, see?”

“You're... hopeless. Shush.” Datura mumbled, and then he cleared his throat before sighing and looking ahead at the village in the distance. “Let's try and get a bit of distance between us and any settlements, unless you want to risk bedding down in a hotel for the night. But if Canon Camp comes back through here, they're going to sweep every inn they come across.”

“Great.” Sally muttered, and then she frowned as her ears twitched and swiveled, the mare raising her head and looking back and forth uncertainly.

She had... sensed something. Not quite heard, not quite smelled, not quite seen... but there was definitely something out there that she was picking up on, all the same. She shivered a little as she looked back and forth again as the others looked at her, before Sally's eyes widened slightly as she looked sharply to the side, whispering: “There's someone watching us.”

Datura frowned , and Splinthoof turned towards the forest, peering back and forth through the ferns and trees before Datura snorted and said moodily: “Alright, look, now you're starting to just get paranoid, because-”

“I am very impressed that you have sensed my presence, young one!” called a patronizing voice, and the group of ponies immediately clustered together, looking back and forth as the voice seemed to echo all around them, derisive and contemptible: “Yes, I have been following you for some time... and I have studied you well, and seen what you are capable of! It is in your best interests to surrender to me now.”

Sally looked back and forth wildly before her ears swiveled sharply as she detected a rustling, and her eyes snapped upwards, leaving her staring in shock at the sight of a palomino earth pony standing calmly across the branch of a tree above. He was dressed in a long, flowing orange robe, and he had a long gray beard and mane that were both braided tightly back and secured by beaded ties, his expression cold and contemptible as he looked down at them.

And weirdest of all was the fact he was standing on his hind hooves, with one front hoof pressed tightly into the tree, the other curled behind his back. He glared down at them with sharp green eyes as they all turned their eyes up to stare at him, one after the other.

And then the pony suddenly leapt forwards and flipped once before dropping to the ground, landing smoothly on all fours. The palomino pony straightened in one sharp movement, then pointed a hoof at them, his expression cold and serious as he said softly: “You are all far below my level. I will not ask you again to submit yourselves to me, for it is an unnecessary kindness. I have been paid handsomely to retrieve you, after all, and the contract did not specify that you had to be alive.”

“Great, a bounty hunter.” muttered Datura, glaring at the pony before he stepped forwards aggressively, his body flexing as he asked in a disgusted voice: “So are you working for one of the factions, or were you hired by someone I pissed off?”

“I am not stupid enough to betray my client to you, Datura. But I was warned of your abilities, and I have studied you well: it is not out of respect that I keep my eyes down.” replied the bounty hunter fearlessly, and Datura gritted his teeth before he dropped himself to a ready position, narrowing his eyes at the palomino pony as his horn began to glow. “But I will tell you my name: Hidzume no Isshasenri, master of the punishing hoof technique!”

“Could you be any cornier?” Datura asked dryly, and Isshasenri snapped his head towards him... but his glare never went higher than Datura's hooves, and the scarred unicorn gritted his teeth. Smart. “Fine, Ishy. If you want to play that way, I'll play seriously. I've got plenty of pain to share if you're so eager for some of your own.”

Datura snapped his horn up, one of his sidepacks opening and his deadly, barbed chains rising high out of the satchel, twisting ominously back and forth in the air above his head as he grinned viciously. His body flexed, his eyes glowing with growing battlelust as Splinthoof winced and pulled Sally quickly backwards and away from the duel, shielding her with his body.

Isshasenri looked completely unperturbed, however, only giving a disdainful sniff before he said fearlessly: “Your silly magic tricks will have little effect on me, and you are a crude animal, fighting like a savage beast. Do your worst, but I shall end this with but a single blow.”

Datura snarled at this, then he stepped forwards and snapped his horn sharply forwards, one of chains cracking like a whip before it launched itself straight at Isshasenri with frightening speed.

But the earth pony simply leaned to the side, easily avoiding the chain as it thrust past before he seemed to all-but-vanish when Datura attempted to lash the chain to the side, the unicorn's eyes widening in shock and barely able to follow the palomino pony as he shot forwards, then leapt upwards and neatly flipped over Datura's head, landing behind him and swinging one hoof back to firmly pound down into the junction between shoulder and neck.

Datura began to turn... and then his fractured horn sparked once before both he and his chains collapsed to the ground, his chains twitching once like dying snakes as the magic rapidly faded from them and Datura groaning weakly, his body spasming uselessly.

Whisper shouted a denial as Angel's smile vanished into an expression of fear, while Sally could only stare stupidly. And then she flinched when Isshasenri suddenly straightened, standing tall on his hind hooves again as he swept his robes sharply back behind him with one front hoof, the other raising in front of him in a ready position.

Splinthoof stepped forwards, his horn glowing, but he was trembling a little as Isshasenri only smiled coldly and said fearlessly: “Please. With a single blow, I have interrupted the flow of the nightmare pony's chi. Do you really think that your simple magic stands a chance against my Shaolin skill? It would be better for you to give up this fight now. You are as harmless to me as an apple... and I am as sharp as the sword of the samurai.”

“Samurai originate from Japan. Shaolin originate from China. Great work mixing up your cultures, douchebag...” Datura said tiredly from the ground, and Isshasenri finally lost some of his arrogant calm, looking down in dumb surprise. “Or should I say, baka.”

Isshasenri snarled, then stomped savagely on Datura's face, the unicorn twitching once on the ground as his horn sparked before he growled: “I don't know how you're not paralyzed, but you can-”

Splinthoof snapped his horn forwards, and Isshasenri was blasted off his hind hooves with a gasp of shock, flying backwards as he flailed his forelimbs madly before he landed in a bellyflop on his face a short distance away.

Whisper leapt up to Datura's side, grabbing him and trying to pull him to his hooves, but the scarred stallion only groaned loudly. And then his eyes flicked back over his shoulder as Isshasenri suddenly rolled forwards and landed smoothly back on his hooves, shouting: “This outrage will not go unavenged! I will-”

“Angel!” barked Datura, and the Figment instantly launched herself at Isshasenri, without question or fear. She smashed into him like a cannonball, then drove both her hind hooves into his stomach as he reared back-

Isshasenri caught her by the legs and half-spun to throw her away, Angel landing on her back: but in a moment, she had rolled back to her hooves, her eyes cold and her face expressionless as she charged straight at the stallion again. At the same time, Splinthoof ran at the bounty hunter's back to try and catch him by surprise, but the palomino pony's eyes flicked over his shoulder before he reached out and snatched Angel out of the air when she tried to tackle him, spinning around and flinging her into Splinthoof like a cannonball.

They were both knocked sprawling before the earth pony shot forwards and then leapt up into a vicious double kick, but Angel quickly spun around and threw herself forwards, grunting as she took the brunt of the blow fearlessly. It knocked her crashing back into Splinthoof again, but she managed to twist herself to the side, only knocking him stumbling instead of plowing him over, and the unicorn was able to quickly slash his horn down and blast Isshasenri away again with another telekinetic hammer.

The earth pony hit the ground and rolled several times before swearing and flinging himself up to his feet, shouting angrily: “Fight with your hooves, you coward!”

But Splinthoof only grinned, straightening and catching himself as Angel picked herself up, then slowly strode forwards, her chest visibly bruised beneath her torn dress and one of her wings twisted slightly at her side... but the mare smiling all the same, saying softly: “I'm sure he would... if you would give him a reason to, darling. But you're rather... sloppy.”

Isshasenri snarled in fury, one of his eyes twitching before he roared and ran straight at Angel, slamming a hoof cruelly into her face... but she barely stumbled from the blow, smiling calmly as she let herself be knocked back and forth until Isshasenri foolishly tried to drive his hooves into her stomach... and she immediately seized him by the face, grinding her hooves painfully into his eyes and making him howl in pain until he finally shoved her away.

He stumbled backwards, blinking and half-covering his eyes... and Splinthoof tackled him, shoving him down onto his back before he drove a hoof down into the bounty hunter's face, bloodying his nose and muzzle. Isshasenri was quick and slippery, however, rolling to get his rear hooves up under Splinthoof's body and kicking savagely into his stomach to knock him in a sprawl with a gasp.

But the earth pony was starting to falter and weaken, swearing under his breath, his eyes swollen and bruised, bleeding from the mouth and nose. He was angry, too, and it was throwing him more and more off balance as he charged for Splinthoof... only for the unicorn to quickly create a magical barrier that the earth pony smacked almost comically into.

As the two continued to distract him, Sally and Whisper tried to drag Datura to his hooves: the scarred stallion was only shivering, however, unable to move his limbs, his body still paralyzed by the precise blow. They dropped him for at least the third time and Datura twitched before he gritted his teeth, then hissed: “Hurt me.”

Sally stared down at him in disbelief, but Whisper shook her head vehemently, retorting: “No, I know what you're thinking and we can't!”

“Yeah, because I'm sure Angel and Splinty can deal with an assassin on their own. Just wait until Angel lets him beat on her until he dies of tiredness, that'll be real great. And Splinthoof won't kill an Avatar. But that Avatar needs to be killed.” Datura said coldly, gritting his teeth. “Hurt me!”

Whisper trembled, then she rose a hoof and hesitated as Sally stepped backwards, her eyes wide, fear thudding through her chest before Datura's eyes rolled towards her, the stallion saying in a whisper: “Sometimes, if you want to save the people you care about... you have to be willing to endure a little bit of pain for it. Hurt me. Give me strength.”

Sally trembled, then flinched when Whisper drove a hoof down into Datura's face, the stallion twitching before his horn lit up and he grinned, closing his eyes. Whisper hit him again, gritting her teeth as she drove her hoof down into his wounded shoulder, and the stallion twitched as the glow around his horn grew stronger.

But before the earth pony Avatar could hit him again, Splinthoof gave a shout, distracting them all... and then Datura's eyes widened in horror as he saw Isshasenri had seized Angel around the neck, and was choking her. The Figment struggled, shaking herself back and forth, her eyes wide with fear as the earth pony snarled and kept her on her her rear hooves, tightly pulled back against his body as he shielded himself with her at the same time.

“No! Angel!” Datura shouted, the stallion staring in horror as the Figment looked towards him, reached a hoof out towards her master as if he could save her, as if pleading for help... and then Isshasenri cruelly twisted to the side, snapping the Figment's neck before he threw her limp body aside.

Isshasenri smiled contemptibly as he spat a bit of blood to the side, and then his eyes flicked towards Splinthoof as the unicorn charged pointlessly at him, roaring in fury. But with ease, the bounty hunter stepped forwards and savagely drove his elbow down into Splinthoof's skull, knocking him to the ground in a limp heap.

Then Isshasenri frowned in surprise, eyes flicking towards Angel's corpse as it glowed brightly before starting to dissolve, and the stallion smiled in disgust again after a moment, saying contemptibly: “Of course. A Figment bodyguard. I should have known as much... you coward, hiding behind a worthless mare. I did you a favor.”

Datura's eyes blazed as he glared furiously at Isshasenri, but the earth pony simply sniffed disdainfuly before his eyes flicked towards Whisper and Sally, saying softly: “And now, two last mares to remove from this world... or should I take care of this gelding first?”

His eyes flicked down towards Splinthoof before he stepped forwards, slowly crushing the pony's head beneath one hoof, Splinthoof moaning weakly... and Sally felt something inside her snap before she screamed and charged straight at Isshasenri with tears in her eyes. “Get off him, you bastard!”

The bounty hunter smiled coldly, arrogantly, watching as the mare charged before he slipped out of the way when she tried to pounce on him, seizing her mane as she passed before flinging her down into the ground. Then he stomped cruelly onto her stomach, turning his full attention towards her as she coughed blood... and completely missing Whisper jumping forwards and seizing one of Datura's chains before she snapped it savagely upwards.

The spiked chain hammered into the side of the bounty hunter's neck, the sharp links wrapping tightly around his throat as his eyes bulged in shock before he gargled as Whisper yanked to the side, tears in her eyes and a snarl on her face. Isshasenri stumbled stupidly, and Sally didn't even realize what she was doing before she did it, leaping forwards and tackling the assassin backwards as Whisper yanked on the chain with all her strength.

There was sickening snap and a horrible ripping sound as Isshasenri screamed, blood bursting from his jaws and his throat as the chains ripped viciously against his neck as it whiplashed at the same time. And the next thing Sally knew, all she could smell was copper, and all she could feel was a wet, slick heat running down her face, and there was a dead weight crushing down on top of her body.

And then, there was only darkness.

We're All Mad Here

Chapter Nine: We're All Mad Here
~BlackRoseRaven

The group was quiet as they sat around the campfire, Whisper studying her bandaged hooves silently as she sat beside Datura, who had his head down and his eyes tightly closed. Splinthoof had fallen asleep – or maybe a better word was unconscious – next to Sally. The Pegasus Avatar, lastly, kept scrubbing convulsively at her face... but no matter how much she tried to brush it away, she could still feel the blood. She could still smell it. She could still... taste it.

Sally resisted the urge to gag, swallowing and hugging herself before she bit her lip and looked across the fire at Datura, who was just... sitting there. He wouldn't talk, wouldn't react, wouldn't do anything. No one could get through to him, and she wondered silently... just how much Angel had actually meant to him.

She had been a Figment, a pony that they all knew was... imagined, made-up. She had existed solely for pleasure... and for pain. But even if she had begun her not-life as some kind of living love doll... she had obviously meant a lot more to Datura. And yet she didn't even know...

“How... how did you and Angel meet?” she asked quietly, and Whisper winced as Datura slowly opened his eyes, looking up at her across the flames... but his expression was neutral, and in spite of her fear, Sally pressed: “I'd... I'd like to hear the story. If you want to tell it.”

Datura looked down and closed his eyes, and Sally thought for a few moments that he was just going to go silent again, shut them out and shut himself off... but then he murmured softly: “A Clopper brothel was attacked by psychotic Crossworlders. They burned it down then took the mares as sex slaves, to sell at auction.”

Datura cleared his throat, then he sat up a bit, nodding a little as he reached up silently and rested a hoof on Whisper's shoulder unconsciously. “I was trying to find a place... back then. I came across the auction market. They had all the slaves on display, and... I saw her. She saw me, and uh... she imprinted on me. Figments do that sometimes, when they come across someone who... matches them, so to speak. It's sort of a symbiosis: they become attached to the pony or Avatar they imprint on, but in return, they feed off the energy and emotional connection that person provides.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Datura looked down and rubbed at his throat silently, before he said softly: “We were perfect for each other. And I am... greedy.” He smiled briefly over at Whisper, then awkwardly dropped his hoof away from his shoulder, glancing lamely away from her before he continued: “Anyway, I... I didn't have any money. So I waited until the coast was clear, and I slipped in and freed her. And right away, she says to me... 'free the others.'”

Datura chuckled quietly, looking down and murmuring: “I don't know why I cared. Why I listened to her. But I did. It was fun, at least: chaotic, a great distraction. Whores everywhere, plenty of these little mares beating the crap out of big tough stallions twice their size.”

He shook his head slowly, then looked down and closed his eyes, whispering: “She's gone now. She's dead. It shouldn't matter. She was never real to begin with, like none of this is real. But it hurts me, and it's a hurt I don't like, and... and I don't like it.”

He clenched one hoof tightly, gritting his teeth and looking away, and Whisper silently leaned over and hugged him for a moment, bowing her head against him as she murmured: “It does matter. She was real. And you... you can't blame yourself for this.”

Whisper clutched to him, trembling a bit, and Sally looked silently away from the two, swallowing a bit and not knowing what to say. Datura remained silent, but one of his forelegs wrapped around Whisper, squeezing her protectively close even as he gazed off into the distance, breathing quietly in and out. And Whisper just held on to him, in spite of how pale she was, how she trembled, how she seemed... absurdly guilty, for some reason.

After half an hour, Whisper started to tire, exhausted from the day. Datura quietly picked her up and carried her off to a lean-to he had constructed at the edge of this little meadow they had found in the forest, a safe distance from the path. After a few minutes, he returned to the fire, looking over at Sally as he said softly: “Go and rest. I don't sleep... I never really have.”

“No, I... I think I'll stay up a little while longer. I...” Sally shivered a little, looking away as she whispered: “I keep feeling all that... blood and... Christ. How do you do it, Datura? I... I know you aren't the monster you keep saying you are, so how do you do it? How do you... kill?”

“Because it's not killing them, for one thing. It's just getting rid of a nuisance.” Datura said moodily, and Sally shivered as she looked uncomfortably over at Datura, but he simply shook his head shortly, stating contemptibly: “Destroying their body here is basically a much rougher version of kicking someone out of an internet forum. They're being an asshole, and I'm the one bringing the banhammer. That's all there is to it.”

“No! It's... we're killing them!” shouted Sally, stomping a hoof angrily as she sat up and glared at him, and Datura winced at the loud noise in the stillness of the night, gesturing at her violently.

Sally thankfully swallowed her anger after a moment, taking a slow breath before she said in a harsh but much-quieter voice: “We're killing them, whether you... whether you want to accept that or not. We're hurting them and making sure they can never come back to the world, we're... we're taking their lives away. Whether or not they have a life back home, we're... taking their lives away.”

“Fine, we're killing them. Then you're going to help with killing every single Avatar in this country when we destroy the rift machine.” Datura said, voice hardening. “And when the Avatars are all gone, the Figments will follow, along with all the things the Avatars created. Equestria will collapse back into nice little pony land... except we've already scarred the ponies themselves. What will they do without us? What's going to happen once we're gone? What is their world going to become?”

The Pegasus Avatar stared at him, trembling like a deer caught in headlights, and after a moment Datura softened before he leaned forwards and said in a gentler voice: “Did you never realize that, or did you just convince yourself somehow that... this was all going to have some magical, simple answer? Because it's not, and because... this world is broken. You can't... fix what's broken. You can only stop the damage from getting worse.”

Sally looked down silently, biting her lip before she looked up and whispered: “Isn't there any way just... just to make people listen? Just to make them not be stupid, to... get along with everyone else?”

“I don't know. But I do know that's precisely what Canon Camp wants, among other things. And look at what they're willing to do, what they feel they have to do, in order to achieve that peace.” Datura said quietly, lowering his head and closing his eyes. “Indoctrinate and kill. Those are your tools for 'peace.' Is that what you want?”

Sally shivered and looked away, swallowing thickly, and there was silence for a few moments before Datura sighed softly and murmured: “But say you could make everyone listen, just... with a flick of your hoof. Say you really could do that. You're a Christian girl, though: isn't there something in the Bible about how God has a plan, but part of that plan is free will?”

The Pegasus Avatar looked silently down, biting her lip and chewing on it slowly before Datura looked down into the flames, saying quietly: “If everyone listens to you because they have to, they aren't listening. They're just drones, obeying you. If you take away everyone's capacity to make mistakes, you take away the capacity for miracles and new experiences. And why do you think you're so smart? Does that mean you never make mistakes, you aren't an idiot in some way yourself? Because let me tell you, you are an idiot. You're stupid. You're arrogant. You just... stubbornly do whatever you please every single time I warn you that it's going to turn out badly, and then when everything goes to hell, you start crying and you fold up like a flower and you close yourself off... like a coward...”

Datura was staring at nothing, and Sally could tell that he wasn't speaking to her anymore: he was talking to someone else. She wondered silently if it was all in Datura's head, if he heard voices, or saw things that weren't there... or if he really was carrying on some conversation with some unseen phantasm...

He shifted a little, then sighed softly and closed his eyes, murmuring: “We just have to get to Canterlot, and then everything... I can fix this, I can... yes. Just that far...”

Datura shifted silently, and then he shook himself briefly out before he glanced curiously up as Sally looked at him uneasily. “What did you say?”

“I...” Sally shifted a little, then she said finally: “I was just curious how far Canterlot was from here. It wasn't that long a trip...”

“By flight, no. But you may have noticed we're not heading in a straight line. We have to keep following the road and enter the mountains through a distant pass.” Datura replied, gesturing distastefully outwards with one claw. “It'll take at least another day, and on the way, we'll likely have to pass through a Canon Camp checkpoint. They have all kinds of little 'waystations' set up, particularly in zones that are important in Equestrian lore, so to speak. Princess Celestia sends her guards out to 'peacefully disband them' every now and then, but she doesn't dare do more than give them a slap on the wrist.”

“They're really that dangerous?” Sally asked curiously, and Datura gave a thin smile. “But... I mean, there can't be that many Avatars who are so... fanatical...”

Datura only shook his head slowly at this, then replied with a shrug: “Of course not. But Canon Camp is about indoctrination as much as anything else, remember? And, not to beat a long-dead, overused horse... the Nazis weren't all bad guys, too, as hard as that is to believe. Plenty of them were just regular guys, doing their job. If you serve your country as a soldier, you don't get to pick and choose whether or not you fight in the war. And even if you could... the people on top usually have ways of making sure you do what they want.”

Sally looked silently over at the scarred stallion, and then she nodded briefly before looking down and murmuring: “I guess... I never thought of it that way. But the guys we saw... they seemed so... so scary. So mechanical.”

“They're trained hard... brainwashed, essentially.” Datura replied with a grimace, shaking his head briefly. “Many of the Avatars who join Canon Camp don't realize what they're getting into: Canon Camp is rigorous, disciplined, devoted and... a lot of other things that I ironically respect. They feel like they have the weight and honor of Equestria on their shoulders. They're brought in gently, told that they love and accept and tolerate all ponies, they just want to protect Equestria... and then those lessons are added to and evolved more and more, until eventually they're told that... in order to protect this proud nation, they have to erase everyone who disagrees with them. They become the... the 'gears in the machine' that 'keep Equestria running behind the scenes.'”

Datura laughed dryly, sitting back as he looked moodily down into the flames, and Sally smiled faintly before she said softly: “Get you talking about something you're interested in, and suddenly you just won't shut up.”

The scarred unicorn looked up at her with surprise... and then he gave a brief smile himself in response, nodding slowly before he lowered his head and murmured: “Funny. You're actually right about that.”

They both gazed into the fire for a few moments, and then Sally glanced up and said finally: “I'm... I'm sorry about Angel. She... saved us all.”

“Don't be sorry. Death isn't what's hard, Sally...” Datura flexed one hoof into a claw, studying it quietly. “It's the letting go that's the hard part. But... we all have to let go, sooner or later. We all deserve some kind of... release.”

He looked down with a brief shake of his head, breathing slowly in and out, and Sally nodded silently before she asked: “Is that what you think it'll be when... when we send the Avatars back home? A release, that...”

“Everyone will go back to where they belong. We all... have to.” Datura replied softly, lowering his head and closing his eyes. “It hurts to think about. I want to consider a thousand other options. I don't want to let go, but... we're like ghosts, clinging to a world that's moved on from us.”

His eyes flicked to the side quietly, and he chewed on his lip for a moment before shaking his head briefly. “Sometimes you just... have to let go. Sometimes it's time to move on and... I think it's long past that time now. Most of us here, Sally, are all cowards: people, hiding in this dreamworld to get away from a less-than-stellar reality, where we have... pain, and too many problems, and too much responsibility, and far too many other things to handle by ourselves...”

He looked down for a moment, studying the ground in front of the flames quietly before he steadied himself, then smiled briefly as his eyes flicked upwards. “We'll march hard tomorrow. Once we're past whatever checkpoint Canon Camp has set up, the going will be a lot smoother, one way or another. And once we reach Canterlot, we... all of us can go our separate ways.”

Sally studied him silently for a few moments, and then she simply nodded to him before she bowed her head and murmured: “I... I hope that we're doing the right thing here.”

“Me too.” Datura replied quietly, and then he returned his eyes to the fire with a sigh before he bowed his head and whispered: “Me too.”

In the morning, Sally found Datura seated by the dying embers of the campfire with Whisper, the mare smiling faintly up at him as she rested one bandaged hoof on his shoulder and murmured to him. Whatever had passed between them last night, that weird guilt, that moment of anger... it seemed to be gone and forgotten.

Sally studied Whisper for a few moments, feeling something strange, all the same. Some tickle. Some weird sensation from the earth pony Avatar that struck her as... odd. But after a few moments, it vanished as Datura poked Whisper's forehead and made her smile, and Sally couldn't stop herself from walking forwards and saying softly: “Well, aren't you in a good mood?”

Datura winced as he looked up, then glared at her balefully as Whisper only blushed a bit and said hesitantly: “I hope... I hope it doesn't seem disrespectful or anything, but...”

“No, no. Not at all.” Sally reassured with a quick shake of her head, giving a brief smile as her eyes flicked towards Datura: even if Whisper seemed to be pushing him a little towards trying to be happy, at the same time, she could see... it wasn't a lack of confidence in his movements, as much as it was just a... slowness. A jerkiness, like he was responding mostly without thinking, trying to keep up appearances.

She studied him silently for a few moments, reflecting on how Datura always had to have some kind of mask up, some kind of armor. Even when he seemed to be losing his mind, that itself he wore like a shield, to hide whatever was going on in his head. Because it wasn't his heart he seemed to mind wearing on his sleeve... it was what he was thinking that he seemed afraid of ever revealing.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and then Datura finally cleared his throat before he said brusquely: “Let's get ready to go. Wake up Splinter or whatever his name is, if we start moving now, we should be able to get to Canterlot by tomorrow, even with the delays we'll have trying to get past Canon Camp.”

“Why are you so convinced they're going to cause trouble for us?” Sally asked, but Datura only grunted and turned away to begin cleaning up the campsite, the mare sighing before she looked moodily over her shoulder, then simply slapped one of the poles supporting the tent loose.

The whole thing collapsed behind her, and Splinthoof swore as the fabric and poles collapsed on him, kicking and flailing wildly in every direction before he sat up, looking like a puddle of a ghost as Sally smiled slightly before she called: “Pack up the tent, okay? I'll get the food bags.”

Without even thinking about it, Sally hopped into the air and flapped her wings, easily taking to the air and not even realizing what she was doing until she was hovering by the high branches where Datura had slung their food bags last night. She blushed a bit, looking quickly down, but no one was paying attention to her: Splinthoof was trying to crawl out of the collapsed tent, Whisper was carefully cleaning the campsite, and Datura had vanished.

So after a few moments, she turned her eyes back to the bag, leaning forwards and carefully biting into the strap with her teeth before pulling it loose. She grimaced as it dropped free from the branch, but held gamely on, letting herself naturally drop to the ground before she lowered her head and dropped the bag with a sigh of relief.

She straightened and smiled... then winced when Datura seemed to materialize beside her, the stallion studying in her intently. Then he suddenly stepped forwards into her space, almost bodychecking her, and the mare winced backwards before automatically nipping at him before she could stop herself.

Datura easily avoided her teeth, but he was smiling to himself, looking strangely delighted even as the Pegasus Avatar blushed deeply and blurted: “Y-You startled me, that's all! Get out of here, what have I said about keeping your hands... hooves, whatever, keep them to yourself!”

But the scarred unicorn only laughed before shaking his head and leaning forwards, studying her intently. “Don't apologize. That was an instinctive, feral reaction... just like how you used your mouth instead of hoofgrip to bring that bag down from the trees.”

The mare's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she reached up and touched her lips, trembling a bit. And Datura looked both strangely disappointed and relieved at this, continuing to study her before he murmured: “Although you're still perform plenty of actions from your life as a human, too. You haven't lost who you are... even if part of you thinks it's a horse now. What will be really interesting, Sally, is how long it's going to take you to remember you're a human, beneath all the layers of equine...”

Sally gritted her teeth, then she reached up and shoved him backwards, snapping: “Will you leave me alone? Why the hell is this so fascinating to you, why... why the hell can't you just understand that I'm in afraid, that this is... awful, and... I don't want to be a horse!”

“Then don't be a horse.” Datura said reasonably, as if it was that simple, and Sally mouthed wordlessly before the scarred stallion leaned forwards and said quietly: “At some point in our lives, we all have to take responsibility for what we're becoming. If you don't like who you are... change it.”

Sally glared up at him, then she asked sharply: “Why don't you take some of your own advice, Datura?”

There was silence for a moment, and then Datura reached up and almost tenderly stroked her face, Sally blushing in surprise at how gentle the contact was before the scarred stallion murmured in a quiet voice: “I did.”

He halted, then dropped his hoof away from her face, adding with a shrug: “And look. It's your choice how you deal with it, even if it doesn't feel like it. You don't have to listen to your emotions. Sometimes you can't choose if you're going to be sad, or happy, but you do choose whether or not you give in to despair, or if you let anger take over, or if you let fear drive you away. Control yourself.”

The mare looked up at him silently, and Datura looked calmly back down at her before she laughed faintly and said finally: “You expect... way too much from people. You know that?”

Datura only shrugged, then replied quietly: “Maybe. Maybe not. I expect from other people what other people have always expected from me... and what I've started to expect from myself.”

The two looked at each other quietly, before Datura shrugged and added: “But if you want me to expect nothing from you, like you're just a child, I can do that, too. Would you like a lollipop, little filly? Or maybe I should offer you a cube of sugar... or a banana. Horses love bananas, did you know that? It's true.”

The Pegasus Avatar stared, and Datura simply shrugged again before he turned away, heading towards Whisper. Then Sally groaned in frustration before she picked up the food pack and flung it over her back, stomping after him. “Why do you have to spout all this random nonsense, all the time?”

“It stops me from going insane and killing you and Splinthoof. And maybe Whisper, but she's secretly into that sort of thing.” retorted Datura, but Sally only glowered at him as Whisper blushed and shook her head hurriedly, waving a hoof back and forth. “Oh, don't be so embarrassed. I bet Sally is, too. All mares are, right?”

Sally sighed tiredly, understanding that this was Datura's idea of 'playfulness:' trying his hardest to piss her off or annoy her. But hey, he wanted to play? She'd play. “Yeah, Datura, I really am. Gee, will you put me in my place later today? Or are you too afraid that I'm going to beat you up again to try and shove me back into the kitchen?”

“We don't have a kitchen. We're in the wilderness. Gosh, I guess that's just your ovaries acting up again, though.” Datura shot back, glaring at her before he added flatly: “And you sat on my head. You're already feral: you clearly went into estrus and tried to jump on my face in your wild abandon, but you landed badly.”

Sally snorted, then leaned forwards, meeting his eyes fearlessly as she ground her teeth together and snapped: “Oh yeah, that's right! I'm just wild about you, gee, I just need you! Except it's too bad that the poker between your legs is probably as broken as the one on your head!”

“It's not broken, it's a breaker.” Datura replied sharply, looking very proud of himself, but Sally only grinned widely, quick with her counterattack:

“By which you mean your circuit's always turned to the off position, right?”

Datura mouthed wordlessly at her, and then Sally sniffed loudly before straightening and adding primly: “Besides, I don't wrangle cattle, Datura. You can be as big, strong, scary as you want, it doesn't change the fact that what I notice about you ain't the size of your locomotive, it's how much of you is taken up by the fact you're a giant caboose.”

There was silence for a few moments as the two looked at each other steadily... and then, to Sally's surprise, Datura's lips spread in a smile before he pointed at her and declared almost childishly: “I like you!”

He laughed, he actually laughed, and Whisper looked relieved as Splinthoof stared over at the two from where he had folded up most of the tent before he asked disbelievingly: “What the hell is going on?”

“Shut up and finish up. We're done, you're lazy.” Datura said mildly, then he turned and headed over to his packed-up satchels, adding easily over his shoulder to Sally: “I keep forgetting you're actually an interesting mare beneath all the... everything else. Well, apart from the fact you're turning into a feral horse, I mean, which is plenty interesting on its own but also a little... weird.”

“Thanks for being so tactful about it.” Sally said dryly, and Datura only shrugged amiably before the Pegasus Avatar sighed a little, then turned her eyes towards Whisper as the mare fumbled at one of her bags, visibly favoring her front hooves. “Hey, you okay?”

“Y-Yes, thank you. It just... they just ache a little still, that's all.” Whisper answered after a moment, giving a brief smile before she blushed a bit when Sally took one of her hooves and studied it quietly.

The problem wasn't as much the damage to the hoof itself, which was a tough, nail-like material: it was where the chains had slipped upwards and ground against skin and the sensitive joint. She had bled through some of her bandages, but the Pegasus Avatar imagined that it was the irritation that was likely bothering her most right now: joints were awful enough when you were a person, and somehow these horse bodies seemed... more sensitive.

“I uh... hey, do you want me to carry your bags? Less weight, maybe it'll bother your hooves less.” Sally suggested, but Whisper blushed and shook her head quickly, even as she gave Sally a lame smile.

“N-No, no. Thank you, but no. I want to carry my own weight and... the pain isn't that bad.” Whisper murmured, bowing her head respectfully towards the Pegasus Avatar. “It's more that it's in an awkward area than anything else, but... I'm okay.”

She halted, then smiled faintly over at Sally before saying softly: “Look, uh... thank you for being here. And thank you for... pushing Datura. He needs it, and honestly, I can't do it by myself. He and I uh... we're friends, but we're also... bad for each other sometimes.”

Sally looked curiously at the mare, but the earth pony Avatar only smiled awkwardly again before throwing her packs on and hurrying over to where Datura was now lounging. So after a few moments, the Pegasus Avatar shrugged before she turned to head over to Splinthoof, who was still struggling with the tent.

Once they were ready and Datura and Splinthoof had argued a little, Sally felt herself awkwardly shoved into the position of leader again. But she'd half-expected it, so she just kept her eyes forwards and led them to the path, then let her hooves naturally guide her in the right direction.

Her sense of direction seemed improved, at least: in the past, well, she still sometimes managed to get lost getting from her bedroom to the kitchen, if it was a dark night. Sally smiled briefly, but at the same time wondered uneasily if all these blessings were really just... more pieces of whatever the hell was happening to her taking root.

She lowered her head and bit her lip, not wanting to think about it... but not thinking about that led her to thinking about Angel, as if the thoughts had just been lingering under the surface, waiting for the moment they could leap up and... punish her.

She had been so... wary of Angel, and it had been so hard to believe that she and Datura had shared more than just some... weird lust, some freaky fetish she didn't understand. But, little as she understood the why or how, she did recognize now that Angel and Datura were good for each other, that Datura had somehow been protecting Angel, and Angel gave Datura much needed way to vent his psychotic instincts... had been, she meant. Angel was... gone.

Sally glanced quietly over her shoulder, and saw Datura chatting away with Whisper, rambling and doing most of the talking... but he seemed almost... manic. He kept twitching, his eyes kept darting back and forth, he seemed like he was trying to cover up all his pain. It was like he seemed to think that if he refused to acknowledge what had happened, he'd never have to deal with it...

Or maybe he was just afraid of admitting he actually had a heart beneath all those scars and old wounds. Maybe he wanted to pretend that emotional pain was just like physical pain, and he could either ignore it or find some twisted pleasure in it. Or maybe, he just didn't want to appear... vulnerable.

Sally studied him quietly as they walked along, looking more over her shoulder than focusing ahead, just... watching Datura. She didn't know what to make of him, what to say to him, whether or not she should stop and try and get him to open up a little or if she should just... keep walking, and hope that one way or another...

She thought for a long while, about everything she had been through, everything they had seen. She thought about Datura, and Angel, and Splinthoof, and her family and friends back home and what was happening to her now, and what had happened to this world. She wondered silently if Celestia really had some plan that was going to help everyone, or if Datura was right and they were just going to... to essentially kill every single Avatar and Figment...

But she knew that sometimes, you just... had to have faith in people. Whether they deserved it or not, but... so far, Celestia deserved it, Sally thought, even if her world was... falling apart. But maybe that in fact was part of why Celestia deserved her faith: after all, she had somehow kept this perilous balance, protected her ponies as much as possible while acknowledging and giving to the Avatars...

How much was too much, though? Sally knew that until she actually saw a full-fledged pony city, she couldn't judge. And even then, how could she know the hearts and minds of a nation? Maybe there were only a few bad Avatars, or maybe the Avatars were careful to care about the ponies, even if they seemed eager to hurt each other. There were too many 'ifs...'

And then Sally winced as a hoof grasped into her shoulder and halted her, and the mare looked dumbly up to see Splinthoof beside her, the unicorn smiling at her briefly before he said quietly: “Hey, uh... we should slow down. It looks like we're nearing the edge of the forest.”

“We should actually pull off the path and adjust our disguises, little as I want to.” Datura added moodily, and Sally frowned over her shoulder at him before the stallion looked pointedly down at Whisper, who smiled hesitantly up at him. “You can do this, right?”

Whisper nodded quickly, smiling up at Datura, and the scarred unicorn looked both displeased and relieved at the same time... which just made Sally all the more curious about what precisely he had in mind. “What?”

“Oh, you'll see. I figure she'll want to do me first, because you two won't need more than touch-ups. But hopefully this will let us sneak right through the Canon Camp checkpoint ahead...” Datura halted, then he licked his lips slowly before muttering: “I can feel them in my stupid horn. Whenever they gather in one place, all that accumulated fanaticism creates a powerful psychic resonance...”

Datura shook himself briefly, and Sally looked uncertainly over her shoulder... but after a moment, the scarred stallion simply grumbled and turned, shoving his way through some bushes and vanishing into the trees. Sally sighed tiredly, but Whisper only shrugged and gave an apologetic smile before she turned and hurried after her friend.

Splinthoof sighed, but he followed Sally as the Pegasus Avatar strode after the two, the unicorn muttering: “I have a terrible feeling about this. But honestly, I have a terrible feeling about most of the things you Avatars do these days.”

“Us Avatars. Don't count me in with them, Splinthoof, I'm the one turning into some kind of crazy wild horse thing.” muttered Sally, grimacing a bit, and then she blinked in surprise when Splinthoof caught her by the shoulder and halted her, turning her towards him.

He met her eyes, then leaned forwards and said quietly: “Sally, out of all the Avatars I've met, you are unquestionably the best... and from what I've learned, you're the only person here who Datura will listen to you. Maybe even who he respects, considering how he treats Whisper and...”

Splinthoof quieted, and Sally glanced down before she shook her head and murmured: “He respected Angel. I know how funny that sounds, but... I think... I think he respected her more than any of us. I know it goes against everything you must believe, especially if you really are like my brother, but... everyone's different. Everyone has different needs, different... urges, desires. Maybe... maybe in small doses, pain is...”

Sally looked away for a moment, and then she blushed a bit before turning and trotting quickly through the brush until she found Datura. And she frowned a bit as she found him digging through one of his ominous sidepacks... before her curiosity only intensified when Datura produced what looked like several jars of paint, the stallion putting these out on the ground in front of Whisper as she chewed on one of her bandaged hooves. “Is it enough?”

“Uh... well, I think I can make it work, yeah.” Whisper said hesitantly after a moment, looking up at Datura and grimacing a bit. “But you're still going to be big and... you know they don't like ponies who aren't... 'standard.'”

“Yeah, I know. It'll be enough to let us get past the basic checks, though... and if they have a scanner set up, we'll punch our way through the rest.” Datura said moodily, and Sally gave a short laugh as she approached, the stallion looking up at her mildly. “Well, if you have any better suggestions, I'm all ears. Like a potato.”

“Those are eyes, not ears.” Sally said dryly, and then she winced when the scarred unicorn half-turned his head to focus his eerie, broken eye on her. “Stop that.”

Datura only smiled wryly, then he shrugged before sighing when Whisper began to nervously poke along his body, the stallion muttering: “Just splatter it on. You don't have to make it pretty or perfect. We just need to get through this.”

“It should look good.” Whisper murmured with a shake of her head, studying him for a moment before she smiled briefly, silently reaching up and touching his cheek beside his blackened eye. “You're going to have to wear the eyepatch, though. I can't do anything about this.”

“I know.” Datura grumbled, nodding briefly before he glanced up at Sally when she frowned at him. “Just shut up and watch. You'll probably get a kick out of this.”

Sally glared at him, but then simply sat back with a grunt, deciding there was no point in responding to Datura's baiting or arguing. Whisper gave her a small smile, while Datura only sulked and crossed his forelimbs... then sighed tiredly when Whisper reached up and awkwardly pushed his forelegs back down.

Still, he moved for her, and both Sally and Splinthoof watched as Whisper picked up a vial of paint before she poured a bit of it into one hoof. And the Pegasus Avatar's eyes widened in fascination as she smeared this over Datura's body... and where she touched, his coat instantly turned orange around her hoof, taking on the same color as the paint.

His scars vanished from sight under the orange coating... and within only a few minutes, Whisper had painted Datura orange from horn to hooves, the stallion looking moodily down at a now-smooth foreleg before he muttered: “I look a little bit like a giant Applejack.”

“You do not. You're brighter.” Whisper replied with a small smile, and then she glanced down at the jar. “Just about out. I'll... do your mane black, since you already have black in it.”

“I have purple in it, too. I think it's mostly purple, as a matter of fact, but... hey, who am I to judge? It's just my body.” Datura said dryly, and then he shook his head before sighing and gesturing grumpily towards his open satchel. “There should be some big scissors or a knife or something like that in there. Grab 'em and have at my mane and tail.”

Whisper sighed a little, but then she looked awkwardly over at Sally, saying quietly: “Would you mind doing that? I need to keep my focus and do a cutie mark for Datura first.”

Sally nodded, giving a supportive smile, and Whisper smiled back as she turned and wiped her hooves quickly on some grass, the paint seeming to flow off her bandaged hooves, spreading slowly over the flora and turning grasses and leaves different shades of orange. Sally did her best not to be distracted by this phenomenon as she strode over the large bag, but she was unable to stop herself from asking: “Is that... some kind of magic?”

“Sort of.” Whisper shrugged a bit and laughed a little, then she hesitated before explaining quietly, even as she poured a little bit of black paint onto one hoof: “Ponies don't really... have magic like this, but Avatars... we often have powers that normal ponies don't. It's either a sort of wish fulfillment or... I dunno...”

“The amplification of our natural talents.” Datura said mildly, smiling briefly as he glanced over his shoulder at Sally. “Who knows? Maybe your special talent was always being crazy and wild. And that's why you're turning into a wild horse.”

Sally shook her head slowly, but she smiled despite herself before she winced a bit as she felt something poke her leg before she awkwardly grasped it, muttering as she lifted the knife free: “Why the hell would you even... no, don't answer that. I don't want to know.”

“We all have our needs.” Datura replied all the same with a shrug, and Whisper shook her head briefly before she stepped carefully around him and started to work on his other side: she had sketched a cutie mark of what looked like a pen and paper, and it looked as real as any other pony's... “Oh, wait. Sally here needs a cutie mark herself.”

Sally blushed a bit, then she looked awkwardly over her shoulder at her blank flank, shifting before she looked almost lamely at Splinthoof. And the unicorn gave her a brief smile before he shrugged and nodded hesitantly, saying finally: “I hate to agree with him, but he's right. If you're missing a cutie mark, the Canon Campers will jump right on top of that.”

The Pegasus Avatar nodded hesitantly, then she looked down and murmured: “But I don't really... have any special talents. I mean, I'm a farm girl. I spend most of my time helping Daddy pick crops and tilling soil. I don't draw or write or... anything like that.”

She looked awkwardly away, thinking of how many cutie marks she'd seen that were all some kind of... artistic talent, or something else that was... well, far better than she imagined hers would be. What kind of special talent did she have, anyway? She wasn't social or good with people or anything special. She just loved her family, worked on the farm, and did her best. She... just had another reason why she didn't belong here in this world.

Then the Pegasus Avatar blushed a bit as Whisper smiled briefly, walking over to her and saying quietly: “I have an idea, okay? It'll just take a minute.”

Sally nodded awkwardly, and then she watched curiously as the earth pony Avatar stepped past her and pressed her hoof to her flank: it sent a strange heat through her, but Sally did her best not to tense up or fidget, keeping her eyes forwards as Datura clambered to his hooves and Splinthoof watched with interest.

Sally glared at Datura when he simply yanked the knife out of her hoof with telekinesis, but the stallion only sniffed before waving one hoof back and forth in front of her face. “I'm differently-abled, remember? My hoofgrip doesn't work properly. I have to use telekinesis and my claws for everything.”

With that, Datura's eyes flicked absently to the side, and he began to easily hack away at his mane with the knife, guiding both his hairs and the weapon back and forth with surprising ease even as Sally winced: she wondered if this was why Datura was missing at least one chunk of ear. “You know, if you wait two minutes...”

“I'm impatient when it comes to this sort of thing.” Datura said with a shrug, continuing to cut and slice away at his own mane: to his credit, it didn't look completely ragged, at least. “Now listen. When we get to the checkpoint, we're going to proceed through as casually as possible. Canon Camp is very mechanical... but they also have to play by Celestia's rules. They'll search us and they'll question us, but we should be able to slip through with the right excuses and enough loud talk about how Celestia is expecting us.”

Sally grimaced a bit, looking at the scarred stallion before she said dubiously: “It can't be that easy. Those guys we saw before were scary, and you've said yourself they're insanely disciplined. We're already carrying a whole bunch of weird stuff with us, and uh... no offense, Datura, but you still look like a scarecrow that decided one day to pick himself up off the pole and go walking around.”

Datura gave her a grumpy look, and then he gestured to the side and said dryly: “I hate to point this out... and, well, to be honest, it makes me a little annoyed myself, but compared to a lot of Avatars that are going to be passing through that checkpoint... we're actually going to look normal, weird as that might seem to you.”

Sally began to frown, and then she cocked her head as Whisper stepped away from her, gesturing at her side and saying awkwardly: “Uh... there you go. I just... went with what came to me off the top of my head.”

Sally looked curiously back at her side, then smiled after a moment as she studied the image on her hip, of a horn of plenty with several brightly-colored fruits spilling from it. She looked gratefully at Whisper, nodding her thanks as Datura said wryly: “Well, a cornucopia isn't the worst thing, although I do wonder if that means you're ripe for the harvesting yourself.”

Whisper sighed, and Sally gave Datura a flat look before saying crankily: “You know, you're a lot less annoying when you aren't flirting with me. Go back to being a jerk.”

“Actually, I'm being a jerk by... I wouldn't call it flirting with you. I have no romantic interest in you. I just want to have sex with you. You're a sock.” Datura said blandly, and Sally only gave him a moody look for a few moments before he said wryly: “In my defense, your emotions are delectable. Your annoyance tastes a little like sherbet. Have you ever had sherbet? I'm leaning towards... lime, right now. Lime is good.”

“I never knew you had a foot fetish, getting off on socks and all. Or should I say, 'in.'” Sally said dryly, and Datura scowled at her before the mare added moodily: “I can't help but picture you as more of a man's man, though. You talk a big talk, you act real macho... but my brother always said, any man that can't do nothing but talk about what he's got downstairs does nothin' but think about it all day, too.”

“Yes, because Angel is clearly a stallion.” Datura said dryly, and then he halted suddenly, and Sally blushed a bit and felt an unreasonable guilt surge through her. Whisper and Splinthoof both shifted uncomfortably, and there was silence for a few moments before the stallion cleared his throat and looked quickly away. “I'm uh...”

Datura halted, then he simply dropped his head silently, and Sally smiled briefly, not even sure if there was anything she could say. But when she noticed that Datura was simply standing there, knife floating beside him, she strode forwards and gently took it from his telekinetic grip before quietly and carefully pruning the rough ends out of his hacked-down hair.

When she shifted to his tail, Whisper came forwards to color his hair: Datura scowled as she smeared paint into his locks, but after a few moments, sticky paint lost its consistency and instead became more like dye, steadily turning his mane a rich black. And by the time Sally had finished trimming down the scarred stallion's tail, Whisper had finished with his mane and was studying him carefully, until she finally murmured: “I wish I could do something about your ear.”

“As long as the rest of my scars are covered up, no one's going to notice a missing piece of ear.” Datura grumbled, flicking the mentioned appendage self-consciously. Whisper only gave him a brief smile and a small shrug, and then she headed back to his tail as Sally stepped forwards, the two moving in unconscious rhythm.

Datura turned his attention to the Pegasus Avatar, and they studied each other in silence for a few moments before the scarred stallion said finally: “I'm bisexual, actually.”

“Why... why would you just blurt something like that out?” Sally asked after a moment, blushing slightly as she shifted awkwardly backwards from Datura, and he only scowled at her before she babbled hurriedly: “Not that there's anything wrong with it, I mean!”

“You asked.” Datura grumbled, and Sally stared at him: she distinctly remembered not asking. “I suppose I'm actually pansexual, but I hate that term.”

Fully knowing she was going to regret this, the Pegasus Avatar asked slowly: “Why?”

“Because it makes me think of satyrs or kitchenware. Neither of which I find attractive. I don't like the word.” Datura replied rationally, as if this was the most sane response in the world.

Sally only stared at him for a moment, then sighed before she began: “You know, that actually means-”

“I know what it means.” Datura said crankily. “Pan, from the Greek for 'all,' and sexual, for 'I like to use my genitalia on it.'”

Sally dropped her face in a hoof, but it was admittedly hard to repress a giggle: not just at Datura's response, but just... the horrible, grumpy look on his face. And after a moment, she lowered her hoof and smiled at him, shaking her head slowly before she said wryly: “I hate to say this, but I think I might actually be getting used to you.”

“Oh, the horror.” Datura said drolly, and then he looked at her for a few moments before he scowled over at Splinthoof, who was looking at him warily. “What? Are you going to start flirting with me too, now? Even more, I mean. Clearly your grouchiness is just your uppity little bottom way of begging for my attention.”

Splinthoof glowered, and then he said icily: “Actually, I was going to ask what the rest of us are supposed to do. If they're looking for us-”

“I doubt Canon Camp knows who Sally is yet. Even if they caught a scan of her, it'll take them at least a week to register her in their database. Sometimes professionalism is a curse.” Datura replied, shaking his head briefly. “You're a Royal Guard, correct? Then they won't bother you, either. You're Trueborn from Canterlot.”

Splinthoof frowned a little, but then he gave a hesitant nod before Whisper smiled and looked up. “And I just... happened to join up with you three on the way home from a carnival. Plus I have friends in Canterlot, so... it shouldn't be too hard for me to get past the checkpoint, either.”

Sally felt a little reassured by this, but all the same, she looked uneasily at Splinthoof, wondering if he thought something was wrong. The unicorn was only shifting on the spot, though, and Sally opened her mouth... before wincing when Datura asked flatly: “What? Spit it out.”

The two unicorns glared at each other for a moment, and then the smaller stallion finally grumbled under his breath before he gave a short nod and said moodily: “Fine. What about our equipment? And look, this kind of activity from Canon Camp is unusual. I don't think they're after just us... we need to be on guard. There might be something else going on.

“And what about that bounty hunter? I know you're convinced he was after you, but... I'm not so sure. Why didn't he just kill you and leave, if he was?” Splinthoof continued, although he looked a little less steady talking about this subject... and seemed to hesitate all the more when Datura cast his eyes down silently, and Whisper shifted silently. “I... look, no matter what kind of scum he was... why risk killing three Avatars and a Trueborn? And why disable you, but then leave you alone? He might have said alive or dead, but I get the feeling we were more valuable to him alive.”

Datura glared at Splinthoof for a few moments... but then he gave a grudging nod before muttering: “I don't like that you have a good point. I like even less that... you might be right.”

He looked away, still scowling as Sally shifted uneasily before Splinthoof said quietly: “I just know that if my bounty hunter failed, but I had some ponies I really wanted dealt with... my first priority would be turning the factions against them. Especially if one of them was apparently already on Canon Camp's hit list.”

“I don't think Canon Camp actually has a 'hit list.' I think they file 'pacification reports' or something like that for 'uncooperative subjects.'” Datura said dryly, and then he lowered his head and continued quietly: “And again, we're going to have to rely on the fact that Canon Camp isn't going to be able to check every group of Avatars and ponies wandering through the checkpoint they've set up, and that they have their own weird rules they tie themselves up in. Know your enemy, Splinthoof, that's a basic rule of war.”

“What do you know about war?” Splinthoof asked moodily, glaring at Datura, but the emaciated unicorn merely smiled and tilted his broken eye towards him, making the unicorn wince a bit as it glimmered with unnatural black light.

“Assume makes an ass out of you and me.” Datura replied pleasantly, and then he turned fully towards Splinthoof and leaned forwards, saying softly: “I don't like dick measuring contests. They're pointless, because size doesn't matter as much as how well you know how to use it, and how strong little sport is. Maybe you can claim yours is a mile long and just as wide: doesn't mean it's not anything but a big balloon I can stab a pin in and pop.”

Splinthoof shifted uneasily, and then Sally interrupted: “Look, if you boys are done, maybe you can put aside your differences for now and we can actually talk about this. Because we all seem to be in agreement we're in trouble here, so you two can stop acting like cats instead of horses.”

Datura laid his ears back and hissed loudly at Splinthoof, who winced in surprise before the emaciated stallion turned a dour look on Sally. “Fine. Let's behave like adults for a little while, then I'll pee in his bed once we get to Canterlot.”

“God, I hate you.” Splinthoof muttered, shaking his head moodily, and Sally sighed tiredly, lowering her head... but watching out of the corner of her eye with interest when Whisper reached up and silently touched Datura's shoulder.

The now-orange stallion flexed uncomfortably at the contact, but then he dropped his head before he looked up and said quietly, the swirling of his corrupted eye seeming to settle: “Fine. Let's... talk about this, then. But let's make it quick: we want to hit the checkpoint by the middle of the day, when it's most likely to be crowded and we'll find it easier to slip through.”

Splinthoof looked almost suspicious, but when Sally looked at him pleadingly, he sighed and nodded once before stepping hesitantly forwards. And the Pegasus Avatar gave a small, relieved smile as she stepped forwards herself as Whisper slipped up a little from Datura's side, closing the circle of four ponies as they put their differences aside for their common good.

Canon Camp

Chapter Ten: Canon Camp
~BlackRoseRaven

Datura had offered to go through the checkpoint first on his own, since he was convinced that Canon Camp was after him: even if it stemmed from paranoia, it was still a surprisingly nice gesture from the stallion. And Sally had almost let him, except Splinthoof had pointed out that if Datura wanted to pretend he was a Figment to try and slip past the checkpoint, he was going to need an Avatar with him.

Whisper had seemed like the natural choice, but instead, Datura had asked Sally if she wanted to walk with him. And as they strode down the wide dirt highway towards a mass of tents and ponies and chain-link fencing, the Pegasus Avatar finally asked the stallion striding on her left: “Why?”

Datura glanced at her quizzically with his one uncovered eye, then he shrugged before smiling as he gestured with his head towards the side of the road: now there were only a few scattered trees here and there decorating the pretty fields that spread for miles around. “Look at that. You're never far from civilization here in Equestria, but you're also never far from nature. I think it's wonderful.”

Sally looked at him irritably, then she asked in a slow, firm voice: “Why did you choose to walk with me?”

“Because I care less if you get caught than if Whisper does.” Datura said mildly, and Sally scowled at him, feeling a little stung... but also like that wasn't the whole story. Datura could certainly be cruel, but that answer was careless, even by his standards, which meant...

She continued to study him for a few moments, and Datura grimaced a bit at the intensity of her gaze before he rolled his eye and looked away, muttering: “Oh, fine. If it'll stop you from giving me those bedroom eyes, it's because Whisper lives with a Figment and Canon Camp's given her a warning more than once for 'propaganda' they said she spreads through her music and art. She's a beautiful singer... a gorgeous painter, a... a special person.”

Datura seemed to lose focus, looking away from her as she studied him silently, and for a few moments, the only sound came from the jingling of the chains and other equipment in the bags hanging off his sides. But finally, he murmured more to himself than her: “It's because I promised to protect her, no matter what. And you shouldn't ever break a promise.”

He halted, then suddenly looked back at her, saying abruptly: “Promises are important. The only thing more important is... what's right. Not morally right, but... right, what's just right. What your very soul tells you is...”

He stopped in his tracks, bit his lip and seemed to struggle for a moment to find the words, and Sally stopped and studied him intently before the stallion shook his head quickly, murmuring: “Sorry. I like you, Sally. I find you interesting and better yet, you can put up with my mouth and you fight back, fearlessly. You're sharp, but never rude. And yet you're compassionate, too: I think sometimes you must be a Figment.”

Sally smiled briefly at this, understanding it was a compliment coming from the orange-painted stallion, and she nodded awkwardly before she said finally: “You're... you're not such a bad guy. You're... completely crazy, and you're moody and cranky, and you're... intense... but I think you're not a bad guy. I understand you. You're just...”

“I make people feel weird, I know. I always have.” Datura replied with a brief smile, looking ahead before he said softly: “I can't blame them. Look at me, and what I am.”

“I do.” Sally smiled again, looking over at him and studying him silently before she reached a wing out and silently rested it against him, Datura looking surprised as the Pegasus Avatar said softly: “What you look like doesn't matter. It's what you do in spite of what you look like. What I see is a stallion who, even if he's... crazy, and looks like a monster, even if you're probably kind of evil... you want to save the world. You believe in magic. You keep... trying to help us, even if you have to be a complete asshole about it.”

Datura looked away awkwardly, and then he mumbled: “Leave me alone. I'm not your friend, Sally O'Connor. You're... literally an Irish brood mare.”

Sally couldn't help but grin: try as he might, Datura was blushing and shying away from her, and his words only made the victory she'd scored all the sweeter. “And you can say whatever you want, Datura, but it doesn't change the truth. And you know what? It doesn't even matter either way, because even if I'm not your friend... you're still mine.”

Datura looked over at her with surprise, and Sally smiled a little before she looked ahead and said finally: “It's weird, all these people talking about... friendship and stuff. But I guess that's one thing you couldn't take away from the ponies, but they taught you guys, huh?”

“That's what they have to teach all of us. The little things. The things we too easily forget.” Datura replied softly after a moment, and then he turned his eyes ahead, saying quietly: “Remember: I'm your Figment. My name is Harvest Moon. I'm a farm worker, like you. That's why I attached to you, because your talent is for farming.”

“I remember. Keep it simple, no big stories, nothing complicated. If they ask weird questions, just repeat the simple stuff and complain that I'm in a hurry.” Sally said mildly, furling her wing back at her side before she asked uncertainly: “Will they be able to tell that... I haven't been here for long?”

“No, there's no way to tell how long an Avatar's been in this world, apart from the changes. But at the same time, you'd never be able to tell unless you were actually there, monitoring them the whole time. We all... degenerate at different rates.” Datura replied, shaking his head briefly. “And most of us... the moment we start to... change... Equestria feels less welcoming and we start to hate what we're becoming. So we... usually leave.”

“Usually.” Sally said softly, studying the stallion silently for a few moments before she turned her eyes ahead, adding: “I have a lot of questions for you and... I think I'm going to start poking you until you answer me. But...”

“Yeah. Eyes forwards, head up, don't let them see your fear.” the orange-painted stallion replied with a short nod, and then he scowled a little and hunched his shoulders a little as they approached the back of the large, shuffling crowd that was gathered on the road. “I hate crowds.”

Sally only nodded a little as she looked uneasily through the mob, but at the same time, she felt relieved: there were all kinds of ponies milling here, of every shape and size. Some seemed to be waiting for something, some were holding colored tags, and plenty of others were all lined up in front of booths that guarded the gates leading into the... compound, Sally supposed it was.

“Alright. If you get handed a tag, that means they're going to want to do an 'interview.'” Datura muttered quietly to Sally as he half-led her carefully through the crowd, and Sally frowned uneasily over at him: his voice was just a whisper, and he was shivering a little, looking nervously back and forth through the crowd around them, and clearly trying his damnedest not to touch anyone. “I'll wait for you inside the checkpoint at a 'designated rest area' if you do. You try and do the same if I get held up. Otherwise, this is the easy part.”

“Really? Because I see a lot of ponies waiting here.” Sally said, grimacing a bit before she looked uneasily towards the gates again, watching as a pony went from one of the booths to one of the uniformed ponies standing at attention in front of the gate. But then her eyes were drawn back to Datura as he flinched at a sudden loud shout of frustration from another pony. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” he snapped, then he shook himself quickly and answered brusquely, even as he shivered a little, his eye nervously darting back and forth: “Getting in is never hard. It's getting out of the propaganda prison that takes time. Think roach hotel.”

Sally shivered again, wanting to ask why and how Celestia could allow these things to crop up through Equestria, but then Datura suddenly muttered: “We have to part ways here. Get in line and I'll go through another. They segregate us.”

The Pegasus Avatar grimaced... but when she looked up, she realized that each booth did in fact have a different sign above it: two for Avatars, one for Figments, one for Trueborn... and from the dismissive treatment she saw the Figments and Trueborn were getting, she thought that maybe 'segregate' wasn't such a bad word for the process after all.

She walked towards one of the Avatar lines, while Datura calmly stepped into the line for Figments: in spite of the number of ponies here, the lines were quickly and efficiently being dealt with. She noted, however, that while plenty of ponies were going in through the entrances... the exit gates were much more secure, and only one pony came out in the time it took Sally to get halfway up the line. Granted, that was only a few minutes, but considering how fast they were going in...

Sally couldn't help but watch as a uniformed pony strode slowly down the line, glaring out from under the stiff cap he was wearing, his uniform without a single wrinkle and even his hooves polished to a dustless shine. He was cold, and he seemed... generic, in a word: solid colors, a cutie mark of a medal, the exact same march and uniform as all the other patrolling soldiers...

She did her best not to let her eyes linger, turning her attention forwards as the line shuffled onwards. She could understand what Canon Camp wanted to do in this world, but the way they were going about it and the methods they employed... they were terrifying. Could they not see what they were doing to themselves, and to this world? What was so wrong with taking something you loved and playing with the rules a little?

Soon enough, the Pegasus Avatar found herself in front of the booth, and she cleared her throat as she stepped carefully up in front of it, gazing through reinforced, barred glass at another generic pony, who asked her curtly: “Reason for passage?”

“Headin' to Canterlot.” Sally had been told to keep her answers short, and having lived with a pack of gossipy brothers had sure as hell taught her how to do that.

The soldier didn't seem to notice or care about her curtness, questioning in an equally brisk tone: “Luggage? Associations?”

“I don't have any luggage. Harvest Moon is my Figment, he's waiting in line.” replied Sally equably, and the stallion in the booth made a few short notes before leaning away and pressing a button, muttering into what looked like some kind of radio system.

Sally only watched, doing her best not to fidget before the stallion straightened and looked at her moodily. His eyes narrowed as he half-reached for a stack of papers, but Sally only looked fearlessly back... and the Canon Camper dropped his eyes with a grumble before he grabbed a strip of some kind instead, sliding this through a slot in the window. “Put this on and proceed to the Avatar entrance.”

Sally nodded shortly as she picked up the plastic band, grimacing a bit: it was just like a hospital wristband, and it fit uncomfortably around her leg... again, just like a hospital wristband. And the last time she'd worn one of those was when...

She forced herself not to think about that as she headed to the gates, fearlessly striding up to the guard and thrusting her hoof out towards him. The uniformed soldier seemed a little surprised by her confidence, leaning back slightly... but he caught himself after only a moment, gesturing quickly at the gate and saying shortly: “Go.”

Sally strode towards the gates and pushed through: something clanked as she did so, and the Pegasus Avatar grimaced as she stepped into a narrow corridor formed by chainlink fencing on either side of her: she felt like a cow being herded towards the slaughterhouse.

At the end of the corridor, she stepped out into a lobby of sorts, and the mare's eyes widened in surprised as she looked back and forth: there were guards standing calmly at the only exit, and several uniformed mares all extolling the virtues of Canon Camp happily at one side of the room, to an audience of Avatars seated in benches that took up half the room. Sally looked at these for a moment, then she shivered a little before striding quickly past, ignoring the guards as she passed through the exit... and thankfully, they ignored her, too.

She stepped out into... god, it was hard to describe. It was a sea of tents and signs and uniformed ponies, and all of it seemed geared towards 'Keeping Equestria Pure.' And she felt almost entranced as she turned her eyes towards the nearest poster, which showed several smiling, saluting Canon Camp soldiers in front of a sun crest, the words: 'Purity Is Joy' emblazoned along the top border.

She shivered a little, then strode slowly down the road as she realized that this little road was filled with propaganda that was all geared towards Avatars. She figured that must mean the other entrances probably catered to Figments and Trueborn... and Sally couldn't help but stare as her eyes settled on another image, of a scowling pony leaning out of another poster that declared: 'If he doesn't CONFORM, show him SCORN! Good little ponies follow the NORM!'

“Hello there, miss!” said an enthusiastic voice, and Sally winced and looked in surprise to see a stallion smiling at her, wearing a dressier uniform and with a little more uniqueness to his body... except it was a very bland uniqueness, Sally thought. An extra touch of color to his mane, a bit of modification to his uniform... just enough to make him different, not enough to mean he didn't conform to the standards of the world around him. Living, breathing propaganda... carrying even more propaganda in the form of the flyers stuffed into the satchels hanging off his sides. “Can I interest you in a bit of literature? I'm sure a pretty mare like yourself would appreciate it: why, you clearly understand the concept of Simple Beauty!”

Sally laughed weakly, and then she shook her head quickly, turning and awkwardly hurrying onward... and hating that the stallion followed after her, even as she said quickly: “I'm sorry, I'm really not interested, just... passing through...”

“Oh, please, ma'am! It'll just take a moment!” the stallion pleaded, but his smile didn't reach his eyes even as he continued happily: “I know you might be saying to yourself right now, 'but Canon Camp isn't for me, because I enjoy art and writing involving unique fictional ponies!' Well, ma'am, don't be afraid, because Canon Camp takes a very progressive view towards the arts and encourages all ponies to express themselves however they want, as long as it's in a respectable manner in a private setting! Why, take one visit to our library and ask to see our fanfiction archive, and you might be surprised to see how many 'inventive' authors grace our shelves!”

Sally smiled weakly, then she winced and stumbled to a halt to avoid running into another pony, trying to step past... and ending up cornered by the propagandist against a tent, as he extolled: “No, Canon Camp merely wants to ensure that all living Avatars remember to respect the rules of this world, and to keep Equestria pure of any questionable influences! We aren't 'censoring' anyone, but we're instead making sure that this remains a fun and My Little Pony-centered environment, where we all respect and take care of one-another like ponies were meant to. We don't want to see Equestria become a wasteland or a reflection of the world we all come from, do we? Equestria always was and always will be meant to be Equestria, and we can all play a role in protecting this great nation and all she represents!”

Sally stared at the stallion blankly for a moment: holy hell, did he ever talk fast. And then the uniformed soldier grabbed a pamphlet out of a satchel before thrusting it towards her, and the mare winced as she took this, the Canon Camp stallion saying happily: “But why don't you see for yourself? Please feel free to take a look around this Safe Enlightenment Rest Station and explore the tents and all we have to offer! And when you're ready, just head to our headquarters, right smack dab in the middle of the camp, and tell them you're ready to join up, and they'll welcome you to the family with a big Pinkie Pie-style party and a brand new uniform, that I'm sure you'll look absolutely smashing in!”

And thankfully, with that, the propagandist turned and bolted off towards another Avatar to begin his spiel all over again. Sally stared for a moment after him, then she looked down at the flyer and shivered a bit: she wanted to just throw it away... but when she looked back and forth, she saw there were no garbage cans, but plenty of uniformed soldiers.

She decided to carry it for now as she made her way nervously down the road, looking uncomfortably back and forth until she reached an intersection. There was a large map here at least, and Sally studied this quietly for a few moments before she noted there was a rest station just up ahead... she figured that Datura would probably try and meet her there, so...

Sally made her way on through the camp, every now and then unable to stop herself from peering into a tent here or there. Some were just tents for soldiers or rest areas, but a few were filled with toys, and what looked like classrooms, and Canon Camp merchandise and posters...

These ponies were frightening, and this 'checkpoint' was massive. Even meandering, the fact it took her ten minutes to reach the rest area was frightening to her: she was barely a quarter of the way through the camp. And if this was the easy part, what was getting out going to be like?

The rest area was covered in propaganda, too: it was basically a corral filled with seats and benches, and the chain link walls were covered in posters and eye-catching pictures. She noted that there were a few illustrations of important ponies here as well, each with a motto under it: among these, Sally's eyes couldn't help but catch on one of Princess Celestia, who had been drawn with a warm, friendly smile, and with the words: 'I love FAITHFUL ponies most' beneath her.

There was another headshot of a purple mare, who was smiling proudly with her head high and the words 'SMART ponies are NORMAL ponies!' beneath her. And another, of a laughing pink mare, with: 'The BEST parties are with ponies JUST LIKE US.'

Christ, this place was terrifying.

Sally shook herself briefly, and then she uneasily looked down at the pamphlet in her hooves. She could see how it would be tantalizing, though: when you could be just like everyone else, and they all promised to treat you as brother or sister and you would all be fighting for a 'good cause...'

She opened the pamphlet, then grimaced a bit. So many happy, smiling ponies, all of them normal looking... and one of the first things her eyes caught on was 'How you can be Normal too!'

She laughed dryly at this, then shook her head slowly as she looked through the list, which was accompanied by art of some... sparkly unicorn thing with wings that somehow looked like a horribly racist caricature. But as it went down the list, it began to look more and more normal, until it was dressed as a proud member of Canon Camp, in a full uniform and looking as plain as any other pony, mane trimmed and neat and horn safely hidden under some kind of special hat made especially for 'alicorns,' or whatever they were called.

Sally flipped through the pamphlet with a mix of horror and fascination: they were so... zealous. And yet they were careful to make themselves sound so accepting, so tolerant, like they were truly going to welcome anyone and everyone into their ranks... so long as they agreed to follow the rules.

The Pegasus Avatar shook her head slowly, and then she frowned a bit as she turned a page and noted a... well, a picture of a horse. An actual picture of an actual horse, and she studied it silently before looking at the text beneath it: 'Ferals, and why we protect them.'

Except as she read further, it didn't sound very much like they were interested in protecting so-called 'feral' ponies: it sounded more like they wanted to cage them away and put them out of sight, or in special 'reserves.' God, that thought was horrible to her...

Sally shivered a bit, then her ears flicked before she frowned and looked quizzically up as she thought she caught something. And then she smiled briefly as she saw Datura trudging towards her, the Pegasus Avatar quickly standing up and waving to him.

She could swear that he looked relieved to see her underneath his scowl, the stallion nodding briefly once before he said pointedly: “Hello, Miss Sally.”

“Hello... Harvest Moon.” Sally replied with a slight smile, rolling her eyes before she asked softly: “Any trouble?”

“No, Miss Sally. I'm ready to leave whenever you are.” Datura replied calmly, and the mare nodded before reaching up and gently adjusting his eyepatch for him, which made Datura shift awkwardly and blush ever so slightly.

Then she strode past him and back onto the road, doing her best to recall the map... but either way, she knew they had to head towards the far side of the encampment, and she grimaced a bit as she realized that would mean likely passing through... “Everything leads to the recruitment center, right?”

“You're smarter than I thought.” Datura muttered, nodding as he leaned in close to her as they walked along, the stallion grimacing a little as he looked back and forth. “Everything ponies need – food, water, clothing, washrooms – all of those are around the recruitment center. Only ferals like to eat and poop in the wild, after all.”

“Yeah, not the most pleasant experience I've ever had. Not the worst, either, unfortunately. At least our butts are far away from our faces.” Sally said dryly, flicking her tail absently, and Datura snorted in amusement at this. “But I get what you're saying. No matter what you're here for... you have to go there eventually, right?”

“That's right. Let's just keep moving, though.” Datura looked back and forth, then gestured at Sally when he noted she still had the pamphlet tucked under her wing. “Here, you can put that in my pack.”

“Thanks.” Sally absently used her wing to flick the stallion's satchel open, then she tossed the pamphlet easily inside, and Datura studied her with an interest she had learned to associate with something that was about to annoy her. “What now?”

Datura only smiled wryly, shrugging before he replied: “You're just using your wings more than naturally, now. I don't know how many Pegasi you've seen using their wings to manipulate things, but you've caught on to it yourself. A little too well... but hey, maybe it's a good sign. That's not something a feral would do.”

Sally grumbled a little, but then she hesitantly looked towards him, biting her lip before she asked hesitantly: “You really... I mean, maybe I'm not...”

“I don't know, Sally. I do know that...” Datura bit his lip for a moment, and then he cleared his throat before looking ahead and saying softly: “I know that this isn't your world. I know you want to go home. But I think that when you let yourself sink into this world, when you look at us not just as magical talking horses but... people, purely, you seem... better.”

The Pegasus Avatar gave the stallion a small smile, then she nodded briefly before murmuring: “Yeah. I think I understand what you mean and... I think you're right. Everything here is more than just talking horses and I guess... I'm starting to adjust to that.”

She stopped, then quieted as she glanced at a poster with the word 'PERFECTION!' across it in bold red font, showing a family of four absolutely normal ponies standing together: mom, dad, son and daughter. “Even if sometimes I guess I wish you really were all nothing but... magical talking horses.”

“Sometimes I wish the same.” Datura said softly, smiling briefly before he looked to the side, continuing hesitantly: “I... I think Canon Camp scares me so much because I've often fallen on the opposite end of the spectrum. But unfortunately, that's the exact same as this: wanting everyone to be unique, wanting to indulge in everyone's darkest and wildest dreams, wanting to be absolutely free... it's just as destructive as this.”

Sally looked over at him curiously, but Datura had quieted again, and the mare studied him for a few moments before she asked finally: “Do you... really enjoy pain?”

“Yes.” Datura said simply, and they both fell into silence as they walked down the road... and yet for some reason, Sally found herself stepping a little closer to his side, wanting to comfort him as he kept his eyes forwards, expressionless and yet... melancholy. Not quite sad, not quite upset, but strangely... resigned.

After about ten minutes, Sally could smell food: delicious scents wafted through the air, like cotton candy and pies and other sugary treats that made her mouth water. She shivered a bit as she licked her lips slowly, but then squeaked when Datura leaned over and bit her shoulder before he said moodily: “Don't think about it.”

“What the hell!” Sally snapped, her ears laying back as she glared at him furiously, and then she leaned over and took a bite out of the stallion's shoulder, making him yelp in surprise as his eyes widened and he stumbled. His eye twitched, but Sally bared her teeth at him challengingly for a few moments before they both swore loudly at the other, then huffed and turned their attention forwards almost in synchronization, both ponies scowling horribly and refusing to look at each other even as they strode in nearly perfect time together.

Sally eventually snuck a look at Datura, and she couldn't help but smile a little when she saw the stallion was doing his best to repress his own grin. And all of a sudden, she laughed before blushing deeply and quickly turning her gaze away, clearing her throat violently when Datura looked over at her with amusement.

But soon, they both faded into seriousness as they passed the food stands and the little shops and began to circle around the massive recruitment center: it was surrounded by heavy iron fencing, which was broken up into sections by massive statues... although Sally realized after they had passed several of these statues that they were actually plaster, not stone, and likely supported by nothing but wire frames. They looked impressive, just like the huge tent-structure of the recruitment center did, but...

Sally laughed a little, and Datura glanced curiously over at her before she muttered: “I just realized that... this place reminds me of the Cirque du Noir.”

Datura scowled for a moment, opening his mouth... and then he frowned and looked around before giving a short laugh, muttering: “You're... actually right. Except Canon Camp has a few moving towns like this one... and one big, scary base somewhere far away from here. These checkpoints might be frightening, but they're really just the tip of what Canon Camp is capable of, with all their people and resources.”

“Everyone wants to be part of something.” Sally said softly, and Datura nodded with a grunt after a moment, lowering his head moodily.

“We all want to be heroes. But we also want the comfort of just being another face in the crowd at the same time, too.” Datura said quietly, smiling briefly. “We want to be unique, as long as we aren't unique in a bad way. But we also want to be able to hide away, and having nothing hinge on us...”

He looked away, and Sally nodded a little, studying him before she asked: “Is that why you keep refusing to take the lead?”

“This isn't my story, Sally, this is yours. You're clearly the hero of the tale: I might kill things – and often very creatively, if I may say so myself – but I'm nothing but the muscle, the brute. I'm a foil at times for you, but not even a romantic interest: you're clearly going to end up with Splinthoof.” Datura smiled again as Sally looked at him mildly. “And at the end of the day, Whisper will go home safe and sound, and I'll return to my own dark place, with... no one.”

He quieted, glancing away, and there was silence for a moment before Sally said impulsively: “We're all going back to our world after this is over, Datura. And I'll... I'll find you there.”

Datura laughed shortly at this, almost glaring at Sally, and she was surprised by how suddenly... angry he seemed as he snapped: “Don't make any promises you can't keep. It's one thing that you're here: you're doing a job, and you still might turn around and leave the first chance you get, I'm not stupid. It's another completely to think we're going to be nice and friendly back in reality.”

“Let me guess. You're not nearly as handsome in real life as you are here, right?” asked Sally dryly, and Datura gave her a sour look... although at the same time, he also seemed to relent a little, shifting backwards a bit before the mare said in a softer voice: “If I can put up with murderous Datura, your sick little inner self fantasy or whatever the hell you really are... what makes you think I can't put up with the real you? The real...”

She broke off, and Datura's eyes flicked away before he mumbled grudgingly: “Just... call me Johnny. It's not my actual name but... it's what everyone calls me.”

“Okay, Datura.” Sally said, and the stallion looked at her for a few moments... then he smiled briefly at her and gave a short nod.

“Alright, Sally.” Datura agreed, and then he hesitated before looking ahead and saying finally: “Sorry I'm... dumb.”

“You really are a little crazy in there, aren't you? I mean... I thought you were exaggerating a little at first but... you really are a little...” She studied him for a moment, then blushed a bit and turned her eyes back forwards as they finally began to curve past the recruitment center, the Pegasus Avatar mumbling: “Sorry. I don't mean to be rude, I just... want to understand you better.”

Datura grunted at her, shrugging a bit as he gazed ahead before he muttered: “Even I don't understand me most of the time, Sally. I think it's better that way, too. It's like there's three of me, all the time, trying to talk over all the pain...”

He halted, then cleared his throat and shook his head shortly when Sally looked at him uncertainly. “Let's just concentrate on getting through here. They're going to want to search both of us and they might run a scan. It'll be a very slow process. But once you get through, walk for... about an hour, straight down the highway, and then find a safe place to wait for us. Just stay patient and watch the road, and hope we don't take all night. Or that bandits don't find you. Among other things.”

“Great. Thank you.” Sally said dryly, glowering at Datura before she sighed and shook her head, muttering: “I hate you so much sometimes.”

Datura grunted and shrugged, and the two simply continued on down the path for a little while in silence, Sally looking uneasily back and forth and Datura doing his best to keep his eyes straight ahead. Sally noted as they passed into the upper half of the camp that the tents here formed even tighter rows, the road running between them even narrower and the propaganda much more obvious: more frustrating was the fact that the road often curved back on itself and branched out in directions that gave the illusion of leading forwards when in fact they led instead towards the recruitment center.

It was a maze designed to keep ponies trapped inside this checkpoint... but Sally and Datura navigated it patiently, using the enormous recruitment center as a landmark and always trying to keep their backs to it. With a bit of effort, they finally managed to step into a large, open dirt yard in front of a single set of gates leading out... and Sally grimaced as she noted there was only one booth here, but dozens of ponies waiting impatiently.

There were a whole lot of guards here, though... and Sally was surprised to see these ones were actually armed, many with crossbows and a few with guns. The rifles were lever action and designed to work with a pony's hooves, and the mare found herself staring for maybe a little longer than was appropriate before Datura muttered: “Eyes forwards. Let's concentrate on getting out of here before we end up stuck in here forever.”

Sally blushed and nodded quickly, turning her eyes back ahead as she mumbled: “Right. We're... going to be here for hours, though...”

Her eyes roved slowly through the courtyard, over all the gathered ponies... and then she uneasily looked towards a large tent as several uniformed soldiers marched another Avatar out of it, the pony looking humiliated and frightened as they escorted him towards the gate. But even there, the guards halted him to do one final check, sharp voices asking questions that the Pegasus Avatar couldn't quite make out but could tell all the same were clearly humiliating for the poor pony.

The two stopped at the end of the line, standing side-by-side as they studied their surroundings uneasily. Walking had at least helped distract her: the moment they stopped, Sally felt her ears swiveling back and forth automatically like radar dishes, and her whole body tensing up as she all-but- felt every little noise around them.

Datura seemed to grow more anxious himself as the seconds passed into minutes, the orange stallion looking around nervously, then starting to grind his teeth together as his frustrations visibly mounted. The Pegasus Avatar shifted closer to him, wanting to say something but unsure of what; as unsure she was of what instinct guided her to get closer even when Datura leaned away.

The stallion looked at her grumpily... but then he actually seemed to calm a little, nodding briefly before he muttered: “Every time I go through here, something goes wrong. I'm going to end up killing something.”

“You know, I get that you've convinced yourself these lives don't matter, but you don't have to sound so... casual about it.” Sally muttered, and Datura grunted, glowering at her... but at least arguing kept their concentration on each other.

The Pegasus Avatar hesitated, then asked suddenly: “When was... when was the first time you really hurt someone?”

Datura frowned at her, and then his eyes flicked to the side before he muttered: “Long before I came here. But I know what you're trying to ask, and... it's a little awkward to talk about right now. Let's just say it caused more trouble than it was worth, and it's a big part of why certain elements find me... disagreeable.”

Sally studied him silently, and Datura shook his head before he glanced away, saying quietly: “I... I understand why you don't like the thought of 'killing' the people who attack us. At first, it was hard for me to stomach, too. But being here... I've always considered it a special privilege. None of us have any right to be here: not you, not me, not anyone else. None of us know for sure what happens when we're forcibly kicked and sent back to our world, but... I do know that... we have to pay the price for our sins.”

“You're not a very good atheist. Or you're just too... metaphory.” Sally said softly, and Datura gave her a wry smile before the Pegasus Avatar studied him for a few moments, then nodded briefly to him. “I don't really agree with you about a lot of things. But I do... I do respect you, even if I argue with you all the time.”

“I know. It's because you argue with me that I like you. I like people who I can actually have a decent argument with. Me calling you stupid, you calling me stupid, but both of us still listening to the other, looking each other in the eye.” He smiled slightly, glancing over at her. “And you balance it with your nice little compliments and the way you constantly undress me with your eyes. You know, as much as you can undress a talking magical horse. You get what I mean: you're not just whining at me about what annoys you. You think. You rationalize and you empathize. I like that.”

Sally shrugged a bit, looking warmly over at Datura before she said finally: “Well... you're the only person I ever argue with like this, you know. Don't usually have a whole lot of murderers out on the family farm.”

“I could say something really offensive right now, but I won't.” Datura said mildly, and Sally gave him a dry look before the stallion frowned a bit, becoming serious as he muttered: “Look ahead.”

Sally followed his gaze... and then her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she saw two bruised and battered ponies being slowly escorted down the line. They were shivering and limping, surrounded by four impassive, uniformed stallions, and Sally recognized the two all too well: Dirk and Sock, the Crossworlders who had been trying to lead them into an ambush.

Datura swore under his breath, then he looked over his shoulder at Sally, muttering: “Stay beside me. Step backwards a bit so the first thing they see is your cutie mark, hide your face behind me. We might just get lucky.”

The Crossworlders were obviously being forced to inspect the lines... but they both looked exhausted and miserable, and neither was paying all that much attention to the ponies, looking more as if they were just running through the motions with no hope of escape. Every now and then they would stop and stare at some pony, but it seemed more so they could have an excuse to rest their obviously-aching bodies more than anything else.

Datura did his best to swallow his anxiety as Sock and Dirk moved down the line: part of him was stupidly worried about being caught himself, even with all the trouble they had gone through to hide him from sight. But he never worried – and rarely cared – about other people screwing up. When things happened, there was always that unreasonable monster guilt, clawing into him and telling him all the things he had done wrong and...

The stallion made himself look straight ahead even as Sock and Dirk started to pass, before the two Crossworlders halted, staring at them. Beside him, Sally stiffened up, her ears laying back as she pressed her head against the stallion's side, her flanks shivering a bit as she clenched her eyes shut... but then Dirk mumbled: “None of them are here. Can we please just sleep?”

“Yeah, this... this is pointless.” complained Sock... and then both Crossworlders yelped as they were seized by the back of the necks and forcefully yanked around in circles, swearing and cursing as they were half-pulled back up along the line by the Canon Camp troops.

Datura sighed in relief as Sally groaned and closed her eyes. She blushed after a moment as she realized she still had her head buried against the stallion's side, and then she quickly pulled her head back, clearing her throat and wiping absently at her face... before paling and staring in disbelief as she saw that she'd just accidentally rubbed off a large swathe of orange paint from the stallion's side.

Datura looked back at her... then his mouth fell agape as he saw that almost half of Sally's face had turned orange. And then his eyes widened further in horror as his eyes flicked towards his side before he hissed through his teeth, knowing that he only had a few seconds to act: any moment, somepony was going to point them out.

He closed his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth, visualizing the yard around them in his mind: it was a faded image, with blurs of shape and color, but the uniformed soldiers were all clearly marked by red swatches of color and the rest of the ponies listless grays... except for Sally, who was a gold dot in his mental calculation.

There were three soldiers to the left: in all likelihood, the middle Canon Camp trooper would notice them first, if he hadn't already. He would give a warning, and the soldiers would converge after only a few seconds, especially because he knew Sally's instinct would be to bolt. But she would be immediately cut off by the Canon Camp officers who were currently escorting Dirk and Sock: two of them would restrain the Crossworlders while the other two would make a rush.

At least sixteen soldiers posed an immediate threat to them. Datura knew he couldn't protect Sally and fight his way through the line at the same time. Logically, however, the best thing he could do was sacrifice Sally: he could drive her into insanity or frenzy with a single spell, with how much she trusted him, and then rush for the exit while terrorizing every pony on the way to start a riot that would keep Canon Camp busy. Sally would probably die, but then she'd just go home, precisely what she wanted.

But that felt... wrong. It felt like he would be betraying her, and he didn't want to do that. So after a moment, Datura's eyes snapped open as he realized grimly that left him with one unpleasant option that all the same felt like the best possible choice at the moment.

The stallion's foreleg reached sharply out and seized Sally around the neck before he yanked her up against his side, and the Pegasus Avatar yelped before gagging as the stallion started to choke her. She struggled, grinding her face against his side as she gave a frightened, gasping whinny, her wings flapping and her body uselessly shoving against his.

“Hey! Stop!” shouted a soldier, and Datura smiled grimly before he half-turned and flung Sally viciously at the Canon Camp trooper as he charged, adding a blast of telekinesis that made the Pegasus shriek before she smashed painfully into the soldier and knocked him sprawling with a gasp.

Then Datura half-spun as ponies began to panic and yell, a malicious miasma leaking out from behind his eyepatch as his horn glowed darkly before he snapped it forwards, and shock and fear and outrage became shrieking terror and violent frenzy as his magic ripped through their startled minds, twisting their vision, making their emotions go haywire... and their hysteria only drove the rest of the ponies around them into panic, even as Canon Camp troops stumbled and rushed towards Datura.

But as the crowd surged and stampeded in all directions, they almost formed a shield that Datura was able to rush behind, a twisted grin on his face as he zigzagged in the direction of the gates. As he'd expected, several soldiers had rushed to try and reinforce it, but there were too many ponies. And the moment some stupid unicorn sent up a wild flare of magic, Avatars began to lash out on instinct with their own wild powers.

A single Canon Camp soldier managed to push through the crowd, leaping towards Datura... before he screamed as he was impaled on the stallion's horn as the scarred unicorn refused to stop, the trooper flailing his limbs wildly before Datura unleashed an unfocused blast of telekinesis that launched the pony through the air in a bloody comet and made the raging and panicking ponies scream and shout and howl in abject terror.

Pegasi were zipping into the air, distracting the Canon Camp troops that had been stationed in hidden places on clouds above, their own Pegasi shooting down to try and force ponies back out of the sky... but some of the frenzied ponies turned on the soldiers, out of either desperation or rage. They grappled, grabbed at them in panic and howled for mercy or help, or outright tackled the troopers, punching and kicking at them viciously.

Blood-splattered Datura grinned as the panicking ponies slammed the guards back into the gates, which quaked and groaned before bending backwards as ponies began to scrabble up each other in panic to try and get over it. Bodies formed into a natural ramp that Datura was quick to take advantage of, his front hooves snapping apart into claws that grabbed carelessly into pony bodies, making them scream and shout as he leapt quickly up them before slinging himself forwards and diving over the fence.

He landed awkwardly, half-rolling and half-bouncing on his shoulder and face before he clawed his way back to his hooves, laughing loudly as he bolted away from the gate despite the bloody nose and bruises he had given himself. Canon Camp troops shouted after him, but only two Pegasi gave chase... but a moment later, the sound of the gate being forcibly battered down and the screams of ponies being trampled brought them hurrying back to try and help as much as they could.

In the panic, Sally had stumbled to her hooves and was charging back and forth on instinct, her heart thudding like a drum in her chest, her eyes rolling in wild fear. She tripped and rolled through the dirt, then leapt back up to her hooves and bolted in terror away from whatever she'd tripped over, frightened whinnies escaping her jaws as her ears pinned back and her eyes darted everywhere at once, before all her attention turned to the stampede of her fellow equines as they bolted out to the safety of the open road past the broken-down gate.

She didn't think, she only acted, charging forwards before her wings spread automatically, flapping hard several times before she leapt into the air, continuing to gallop through the sky as her wings flapped hard, the mare streaking over the heads of most of the panicked ponies before she dropped to the road near the head of the herd, muscling her way between the other ponies as she whinnied fearfully again, cramming herself into the place her instincts told her was safest.

For a few minutes, the stampede ran on before it started to thin slowly out, and Sally trembled as she felt herself becoming lucid, even if she was still terrified out of her mind. Her eyes darted back and forth as her whole body shook with adrenaline and fear, and then she suddenly yelped as she realized she was packed in with a whole group of strangers, leaping up to the air and flapping her wings wildly to shoot out of the crowd.

She zigzagged back and forth through the sky, zipping down the road before she dropped to the ground and gasped in pain, stumbling to the side of the road and clutching at her side as her wing spasmed painfully. She looked at the dirty, damaged feathers, and she grimaced a bit as she remembered Splinthoof's advice... before she bared her teeth and glared down the road as she thought about another stupid stallion who she had been stupid enough to trust.

But she was finally starting to calm down now, even as a few last terrified ponies bolted by: only the most anxious and frightened ponies were still running, though, and Sally couldn't see a single pursuer from Canon Camp when she looked uneasily down the road: just lots of ponies strewn along the dirt highway, catching their breath and gathering themselves and just walking, here and there. And after a moment, she couldn't help but laugh weakly in spite of the fact she was still feeling sore and frustrated and her body was jittery with fear: they had made it through the checkpoint, at least.

After a few minutes, Sally forced herself to turn her attention forwards, breathing quietly as she trudged slowly down the road. She walked with her head lowered, feeling herself gradually steadying as she just kept her attention on her front hooves, feeling every flex and shift of her body and taking a strange comfort in it.

It was almost twenty minutes before her ears twitched and her nostrils flared. She scowled a little at the ground even as her upper lip curled back and she inhaled again, confirming what she already knew: he smelled like metal and blood and soil, with a sprinkling of sweat for good measure. He always smelled like he needed a bath.

Sally's eyes moodily flicked towards the side of the road, where she saw Datura simply sitting, smiling pleasantly at her, a bit of dried blood still visible over his face and body. Most of the orange had been rubbed clean from his form, and purple was starting to show through in his mane and tail.

She glared at him, and he continued to look back at her with an uncomfortable amount of cheer before he said easily: “I don't think I even killed anyone. That's a new record for me.”

Sally looked at the stallion for a few moments, and then she strode up to him and simply punched him across the jaw with a firm right hook, Datura's head twisting to the side as spittle flew from his surprised muzzle. He swayed a little, then slowly fell on his side with a thump, and Sally groaned as she reached up and rubbed slowly at her face, shaking her other hoof out as the stallion settled himself on the ground and propped his head up with one hoof, smiling up at her pleasantly. “Foreplay?”

“God dang it.” Sally muttered, and then she sighed and reached down to shove a hoof against Datura's face, pinning him by the head into the ground as she glowered at him... and the worst part was that even if she was still pissed as hell at him... she was glad to see him, and she was... oh, she didn't know. Amused by him? Relieved? Comforted, in some weird, masochistic way?

She drew her hoof off his head, and the two looked at each other for a moment before Datura suddenly, impulsively reached up and grabbed her, then yanked her down and rolled with her, Sally yelping before she swore and automatically twisted her body with him, making him wince before she ended up on top of the scarred stallion, pinning him to the ground and glaring down at him as Datura looked up at her with surprise... and then he laughed.

Sally scowled at him, then huffed a bit, trying to pull away... but he caught her by one foreleg as his other claw remained on her side, looking up at her with a smile. They studied each other for a few moments, and then Sally sighed a little and blushed a bit, lowering her head and muttering: “You're an ass.”

“Yeah. I am.” Datura said softly, and they looked at each other for several seconds longer before the stallion pulled her gently down against his chest, embracing her tightly and mumbling: “I'm sorry I didn't warn you. But I didn't want to take the risk. I'm... I'm glad you're okay.”

Sally blushed a bit against the stallion, feeling surprised and... and safe. His claws dug a little into her back, his embrace was tight, their bodies pressed together in a way that was uncomfortable... and at the same time, she felt secure here, and she didn't want to move.

They stayed together for a few long moments, and then Sally finally shifted and Datura allowed her to slide away. They looked at each other curiously, and then Datura smiled briefly as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he mumbled: “Sorry.”

“Don't be. You're just... a jerk.” Sally said finally, studying him quietly for a few moments... and then she gave a small smile, reaching out to silently touch his claw. She looked at him, and he looked back before she asked hesitantly: “Friends?”

“Hell no.” Datura said sulkily, looking away, and Sally smiled amusedly at him as the scarred stallion quietly reached up and took her hoof, giving it a gentle squeeze for a moment. She felt her intangible fingers intertwine silently with his claws, and Datura glanced at her... then he sighed a little before dropping his head and murmuring: “Fine. We're... partial acquaintances. Friend... that word has a lot of meaning to me. If I call you a friend...”

He stopped, then cleared his throat before saying grumpily as he pulled his claw away: “And if you want to get laid, why don't you go annoy Splinthoof? He seems to have a thing for you.”

“Yeah, I'll put that right at the top of my to-do list. And that'd be... too weird, anyway. Besides, he reminds me too much of one of my brothers. And honestly, I... I don't want a quick romance. I want to find... real love, one day.” Sally shrugged a bit, then smiled a bit as she looked at Datura's claw, watching the way he flexed and opened it uncertainly. “Have you... well, have you ever been in love?”

Datura closed his claw into a hoof, flexing it slowly before he lowered his head. And there was silence for the longest time before he closed his eyes and answered simply: “Yes.”

“I... I didn't mean to bring up... I'm sorry.” Sally said quietly, realizing how thoughtless the question was, with Angel so recently gone and the fact that... Datura had been here a century, and she really didn't know how much of that time had been spent with Angel. But it had sounded like decades... decades. Whether she had been a Figment or not... “Angel is...”

“No, no. No... it's fine. And yes, I cared... very deeply for Angel. But I was thinking of... someone else.” Datura murmured, reaching up and touching his breast before he smiled faintly, glancing over at her, his eyes clouded... but at the same time, more lucid than she'd ever seen. There was no madness, no moodiness... just calm, and remembrance. “And not the angels in Heaven above, nor the demons down under the sea... could ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful... Annabel Lee.”

Sally tilted her head, and Datura chuckled before shaking his head, murmuring: “Old romance poet who everyone thinks is a horror poet. Annabel Lee is my favorite poem: it always makes me think of...” He stopped, then cleared his throat before saying finally: “I doubt I quoted it right, anyway. Look, help me get this crap off my body and we'll find something to do until Splinthoof gets here. But if you keep jumping on me, you know that-”

“Oh shut up.” Sally said crankily, and Datura gave her an entertained look... but she thought there was thankfulness in his eye, too. A gratitude that she felt herself, for this strange new friend in this strange new world she had become a part of...

She just hoped that they wouldn't have to part ways too soon.

Struggles

Chapter Eleven: Struggles
~BlackRoseRaven

Datura and Sally found a pleasant little grove to wait in for Whisper and Splinthoof. They took turns between resting and watching the road: the only thing either pony knew was that it would likely be a while before the others joined them. And they were right, too: it was evening before the earth pony Avatar and the Trueborn unicorn finally came trotting down the highway to meet them.

Thankfully, they had gotten through the checkpoint unscathed: they had arrived roughly half an hour after the riot that Datura had started, and Canon Camp had been too busy trying to reestablish their checkpoint to pay much attention to the ponies passing through. They hadn't been subjected to more than a cursory search and evaluation before being sent on their way.

Sally was glad to see them both, and Datura was at least cordial with Splinthoof, and he seemed relieved to have Whisper back. Together, they decided to set up camp for the night in the little grove, and for once, the night passed without any argument or incident.

In the morning, the four gathered their belongings together and quickly disassembled their little camp, everyone still feeling positive, only bickering a little between themselves. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they were apparently on the home stretch now for Canterlot, or maybe they had finally gotten used to each other, but no matter what the reason, Sally was relieved by it. And she felt... good, for once. For the first time since she'd arrived here in Equestria, she actually felt like... Sally O'Connor, not Sally the Talking Flying Horse.

The day was good, the weather was brisk, and they could see for miles ahead down the dirt highway: as a matter of fact, Sally thought she could see the tips of the mountains that surrounded Canterlot. She had admittedly doubted both Splinthoof and Datura when they'd said that they should reach Canterlot before the evening, but now... she had hope.

And yet she was a little sad, too. Canterlot meant... a lot of things now. It meant parting ways with Datura, and it meant... that maybe she had a hoof in ruining what had been paradise and escape for a lot of people. She still didn't know how she felt about all that, but at the same time, she looked around at this world, and she saw what the Avatars had done to it, and she thought of things like Canon Camp, and well...

Sally's ears flicked, and then she frowned a little, her eyes narrowing as she caught... something. Datura and Splinthoof both seemed unaware of it, and Whisper was only striding between them, soaking up the not-quite-conversation, not-quite-arguing between the two stallions as music faintly played from her headphones, but when Sally swiveled her ears backwards and tuned them out...

Thuds. And a sound like... soft thunder? Yes, it was a steady pounding noise that was low and ominous but came down from the air instead of radiating against the earth, and... there was a smell, too...

Sally's nostrils flared, raising her head as she looked over her shoulder, upper lip curling as she inhaled and her eyes darted back and forth, scanning the area as her ears swiveled... before her eyes widened in shock as she saw something impossible. A gleam like her eye had caught some sparkle in the air, but her every instinct told her that it wasn't just a trick of the light: it was something very real. It was something dangerous to her and to her herd.

The Pegasus Avatar spun around as the horse-mind took over, whinnying loudly and stomping her hooves wildly to get the attention of the others. All three ponies looked back in dumb surprise at her, eyes widening, and Sally struggled for a moment as her wings spread and flapped before she leaned forwards and blurted: “Bad thing! Bad thing!”

Splinthoof stepped forwards, wincing and holding up a hoof as Datura's eyes narrowed before he reached up and shoved back his eyepatch. And then his corrupted eye widened before he shoved Whisper roughly to the side as he opened his mouth-

Something smashed into Datura with a sound like thunder, knocking him staggering backwards before his eyes bulged in shock as he floated helplessly into the air, flailing his limbs helplessly. Sally had reared with a whinny of fear at the sound alone, and seeing the stallion float into the air made her horse-mind go into overdrive, heart thudding before she leapt around to bolt, accidentally knocking Splinthoof over as her wings flapped wildly before she jumped into the air-

One of her wings refused to work, stiffening up, and the mare instead stumbled over the ground before there was a second blast like thunder behind her. She was caught by the edge of an explosion of force that slammed into Datura, knocked flopping over as Splinthoof skidded backwards and barely caught his balance, while the green, emaciated stallion hurtled down towards the ground... but half-caught by Whisper, who cried out under the force of his body striking hers, but all the same managed to cushion his fall.

The scarred stallion wheezed loudly, then snarled before he clawed his way up to his hooves as Splinthoof stepped forwards, while Sally skittered backwards, her eyes bulging, her instincts torn between fleeing and staying with her herd. But even Whisper was standing and facing the danger that was approaching... the second herd. The herd of predators.

Five ponies wearing the colors of Canon Camp approached: four of them were in uniform, while the stallion in the lead was dressed in futuristic-looking white armor. He glared at them from beneath his tinted visor, then reached up a hoof and touched it to the side of his head, saying coldly into the communicator in front of his muzzle: “We have engaged the target. Prep a retrieval team, this won't take very long.”

Datura snorted in disgust as he leaned forwards, his eyes flicking over the white-armored stallion and his companions: the commander's gear stood out the most, but the soldiers were all carrying strange and varied weapons of their own, and at least one, he noted, had both wings and a horn. “So has Canon Camp gotten so desperate that they need to hire Crossworlders to do their dirty work for them?”

“Oh no, this is magitech of our own design. The ideas might be borrowed, but the equipment is made of one-hundred percent Equestrian material.” replied the commander coolly, as he calmly adjusted a heavy bracer on one foreleg that was inset with several large, crystalline rods: Datura and Splinthoof could both feel the malicious magic that emanated from it, likely enhancing whatever powers this armored Avatar already had. “I have to ask you four to come with me.”

“I am a Royal Guard from Canterlot. I am under direct orders from Princess Celestia to escort these ponies to her. You have no authority here.” Splinthoof said shortly, stepping forwards, and the Canon Camp commander eyed him moodily.

Then the armored stallion smiled thinly before answering coldly: “We have every right to defend ourselves against threats to our operations. Furthermore, we were contacted by Canterlot and warned of an imminent terror attack. I will recommend, one final time, that you submit to questioning. Otherwise, we will not hesitate to use lethal force.”

“Good. Neither will we.” Datura replied coldly, stepping forwards, his twisted eye glowing with malice and his other narrowing dangerously as the four uniformed Canon Camp troops all quickly spread out, readying themselves for battle. “I'd call you hypocrites, but I'm aware it's a lot simpler than even that. You're just interested in power.”

“Then let's see what power can do.” growled the commander, and then he shoved a hoof towards Datura as there was that sound like thunder again, and the scarred stallion winced before a blast of force pounded into him, making his body freeze up even as he was launched weightlessly into the air.

One of the Canon Camp soldiers slung his rifle off his back and took aim as another soldier stepped forwards with a snarl, flinging what looked like a sword blade attached to a chain: but both blade and bullet only ricocheted uselessly off a wall of energy that appeared in front of Datura, Splinthoof's horn glowing brightly before the Royal Guard shouted: “Whisper, get Sally out of here!”

“Don't let anyone escape!” snapped the commander, and the alicorn trooper quickly leapt to the side and took to the air, streaking around in a wide curve. Splinthoof snarled, but before he could turn, there was a blast like thunder, and the unicorn's reflexes were barely enough to save him as he narrowly hurled himself out of the way of a shot from the commander's strange force-weapon.

Datura swore as he felt himself finally regaining control over his body, and then he snarled as a soldier attempted to run by below, either attempting to get past the magic shield still protecting him or going to try and attack Sally and Whisper. Immediately, Datura spun around, snapping his horn out, and one of his satchels exploded open, chains twisting and lashing out of it and streaking down to catch the stallion around the body and hind legs.

The soldier screamed in shock, getting the attention of the other ponies, including the alicorn, who made the stupid mistake of looking over his shoulder just as he started to close in on the fleeing mare Avatars. And on some suddenly-vicious instinct, Sally suddenly skidded to a halt before she slammed both rear hooves backwards as hard as she could, her hooves smashing up under the stallion's jaw and knocking him staggering with a gurgle as his eyes bulged.

The winged unicorn stumbled drunkenly, and Sally spun around before leaping forwards and slamming her head into his face with a viciousness she didn't know she had, knocking the Canon Camp trooper sprawling with a gargle before he swore and covered his face as Sally leapt on top of him and began to stomp furiously up and down. And Whisper could only stare in shock as Sally snarled in desperate fear and fury, her mind filled only with the thought of protecting herself and her herd.

Then she looked up, eyes widening, as there was a cry of pain from Splinthoof; the unicorn staggered backwards, swearing and snarling in pain as he clutched at a deep cut in his foreleg from the soldier wielding the blade on chains, the Canon Camp trooper grinning coldly as he stepped forwards and lashed the sword out on a vicious cut again-

Splinthoof twisted his head to the side, gritting his teeth as the blade narrowly tore past his face, digging a thin scratch against his neck and sending up a puff of torn mane before he snapped his horn forwards and hit the blade with a telekinetic hammer before the soldier could snap it back. The weapon went flying wide, dragging the trooper's foreleg out to the side as he staggered with a curse, and Splinthoof pressed the advantage, running forwards even as the commander took aim at him with his weapon-

The white-armored stallion was knocked staggering by something heavy and wet that cannonballed into him, the commander swearing and shoving the mass backwards... before staring in horror at the sight of one of his own soldiers, who was now... red, was the gentlest word for it. His eyes looked up in shock at Datura, who grinned coldly as he approached slowly, three, bladed large chains floating ominously in the air around him, clicking and clinking and twisting like they were alive. “Do you prefer to be crushed or peeled?”

“Get him!” snapped the commander, and the Canon Camp soldier beside him swore and hurriedly took aim with his rifle and fired off a shot that went wild as Datura broke into a sudden, zigzagging sprint.

But the armored commander only swore under his breath before he launched himself backwards as he shoved his hoof forwards at the same time, a massive shockwave erupting through the air in front of him and hammering into Datura, knocking the stallion skidding away as his chains were nearly torn from his psychic grip. He caught himself against the ground with his claws, digging gouges through the earth as the Canon Camp commander snapped: “Goddammit, aim and shoot!”

The soldier adjusted his aim, opening fire again on Datura: this time, the bullet managed to tear through the scarred stallion's shoulder, knocking him staggering to the side before he leapt nimbly out of the way of another shot. But his leg buckled when he landed, and a bullet smashed into his breast, knocking him backwards with a burst of black blood as he hissed in pain, before he arched his back with a shout of frustration as a blast of force hammered into him and knocked him helplessly into the air, leaving him suspended and defenseless.

Splinthoof swore as he slammed a hoof across the face of the Canon Camp soldier he was fighting, knocking the trooper into a sprawl before he turned to summon up what magic he could... but then the unicorn's eyes bulged as the soldier leapt onto his back and pulled the chain around his throat, choking him with it as he staggered back and forth. He clutched at the chain, wheezing loudly for breath, before he swore angrily when he heard a gunshot and a sound of pain, bucking suddenly forwards and sharply yanking of the chain at the same time to fling the Canon Camp trooper off his back and slam the soldier face-first into the ground in front of him and leaving the uniformed stallion in a broken, unconscious heap.

And then he looked up... and stared in shock as he saw Sally was hovering in the air, one of her hind legs twitching and a bloody scrape torn along the side of it, but Datura was gone. No, not gone: he realized what had happened a moment later.

Sally had kicked Datura out of the air and right into the rifle soldier, who was now gargling and spasming beneath him, his eyes staring helplessly up into Datura's hellish gaze. Foam ran from the soldier's mouth as he gibbered and jittered, before Datura suddenly grinned... and the Canon Camp trooper arched his back, screaming wildly as his head yanked wildly back and forth before he suddenly went very, very still.

Datura simply dropped the broken pony as he looked slowly up, and the soldier barely twitched as he hit the ground before he curled slowly into the fetal position. The scarred unicorn was breathing hard, a bit of drool falling from his jaws, his broken eye swirling and maleficent energies streaming up out of it as his horn pulsed with erratic light, his chains clanking as they swirled above his head like a cyclone of metal and psychic wrath.

He licked his lips slowly, then began in an eager voice: “It looks like-”

The armored stallion punched one hoof into the ground, and there was a tremendous shockwave of sound and static, Sally crying out as she was battered out of the air and Splinthoof swearing in surprise, staggering backwards as he felt a burst of pain through his horn. But Datura howled in misery as he stumbled backwards, his chains flying away as if they were string caught in a sudden wind before the Canon Camp commander thrusted his other hoof forwards, smashing Datura with a follow-up blast of force and knocking him up into the air again.

But this time, he immediately followed up with a blast of electricity that hammered into Datura and made him howl, arcs of lightning twisting wildly out of his body in all directions as he was turned into a glowing star for a moment. He spasmed in the air as Whisper ran forwards, shouting his name, and then he simply dropped limply to the ground, left in a smoking heap as the commander said sharply into his headset: “I need immediate reinforcement!”

Splinthoof swore, then snapped his horn forwards... and there was only a blast of pain through his own skull, the stallion groaning and grabbing at his static-filled head. His horn was thrumming with magic power, but it felt like his telekinetic hammer had just rebounded into his own brain...

And before he could react, the armored stallion turned and shoved a hoof out at him, blasting him into the air and leaving him suspended and helpless. Splinthoof swore... then shouted in anger as the commander turned his attention completely away from him, the officer roaring: “Get away from that Avatar or suffer the consequences!”

Electricity crackled over the armored stallion's foreleg before he began to thrust it forwards as Whisper only clenched her eyes shut and threw herself over the stallion's body, as if she was going to try and shield him from the magic... and in desperation, Splinthoof snapped his horn down in a desperate gamble.

A barrier of energy burst into being, and the armored stallion swore as his spell hammered uselessly into this before he snarled and lashed his hoof to the side, turning the ray of lightning into a whip of electricity that slashed across Splinthoof and knocked him flipping backwards, howling in agony before he dropped like a rock and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Sally cried out, running towards the stallion as his magic barrier dissolved, while Datura's eyes opened... and he gritted his teeth before seizing Whisper and shoving her roughly out of the way, clawing up to his hooves as he felt the sting of psychic static ripping through his own mind, making it impossible for him to focus any of his powers. But pure magic, it seemed, was still working... and all that pain, echoing through his brain and his body, was giving him more than enough energy to finish off this fight. “Crushed, or peeled? You never answered.”

The commander responded by thrusting his hoof forwards, but this time Datura leapt to the side before his horn began to thrum with dark light. Immediately, the white-armored stallion followed up by leaping forwards and slamming both hooves into the ground, sending a blast of lighting streaking across the grasses towards the scarred unicorn.

But Datura leapt high over the snaking thunder, and he crashed down in the trail of flame and ashes left in the wake of the lightning, grinning coldly as he strode calmly down the path of charred earth as he mocked: “All that enhancement, and you're still nothing but a one-trick pony.”

The commander swore, then began to lean forwards... but Datura's horn pulsed as their eyes met, and the white-armored soldier staggered instead of unleashing another blast of magic. For a moment, the two glared at each other, eyes locked... and then the Canon Camp commander snarled, one eye twitching, his mouth falling open before he roared: “Shut the hell up!”

He charged blindly forwards, his eyes almost glowing with rage, and Datura smiled grimly as he dug his hooves into the ground... then snapped his horn suddenly, sharply upwards when the stallion leapt at him. And the last thing the white-armored soldier saw was black smoke and metal jaws before he crashed into painful darkness that bit savagely closed around him.

He screamed in agony... and his voice echoed uselessly out of the iron maiden that Datura had summoned from thin air, the stallion laughing loudly even as blood ran from one ear and his nose, his corrupt eye glowing with cruel pleasure. The iron casket bucked and rumbled on its base, smoldering with black energies as the commander screamed again inside it, even as the sound of his metal armor banging uselessly against the inside of the torture box made it sound almost as if the crushing prison was giggling...

“It's been a long time since I've called the maiden out to play. Brings back good memories.” Datura said almost tenderly, then he reached up and grasped the metal casket by the shoulder before yanking backwards as he stepped past it, and the heavy casket toppled onto its back with a tremendous bang and a single choked shriek from inside its belly, the grin on the face of the skeletal mare etched over the doors of the casket seeming to stretch wider.

Sally only trembled, and Splinthoof shivered as he straightened slowly, breathing hard as the psychic static steadily faded from the air. Whisper looked uncomfortable as well as she bit silently into one hoof, staring at the stallion's back.

But then Datura took a slow breath before knocking calmly twice against the surface of the iron maiden, and a moment later, it simply dissolved into inky tendrils of smoke that faded quickly into the air, armored stallion and all. The scarred stallion turned slowly around in a circle, smiling calmly even as he swayed awkwardly on the spot, the light fading from his eyes as he murmured: “We should get out of here. There's bound to be... more...”

And then Datura's eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he simply collapsed face-first into the ground, a strange smile spreading over his face as the pain faded and left only peaceful darkness in its wake.

Datura came to several hours later, blinking lethargically before he frowned a bit as he realized that he was in some kind of cart. The rest of their gear was packed into the cart as well, and the stallion sat up and rubbed slowly at his face before he looked silently down at the sheet that had been thrown over him, quietly grabbing at this with a hoof... not that he could actually grasp it like this. His hooves were useless.

He smiled briefly, then simply let the sheet drop before he turned his eyes forwards, and he was somehow unsurprised to see that Sally was the one pulling the cart, while Splinthoof was in the lead and Whisper was walking at the side of the wagon. The earth pony Avatar looked up at him silently, smiling faintly, and Datura reached up and touched his own horn before he murmured: “It's been a long time since I've done any real magic. I suppose I should have started with something a little... smaller.”

“You've always been an idiot. Thankfully, Splinthoof was able to commandeer a cart for you.” Sally said grumpily without looking back... although it was hard for her to hide the relief in her voice, and she could admit that she was... much more upset than she was angry right now. “You're a stupid ass, though. But... we're almost at Canterlot.”

Datura looked up... and he nodded briefly after a moment as he realized they were just heading into the mountains now. Maybe three hours, he guessed, at this rate... and the stallion shifted a little before he murmured: “I'll walk the rest of the way. Let me pull the cart.”

“No.” Whisper said with surprising firmness, and the stallion looked down at her with surprise... and Sally admittedly felt a little shocked herself, but her hooves kept her moving forwards. Well, that and the fact that Splinthoof was just scowling horribly and clearly had no intent of so much as sparing Datura even a glance. “You're hurt. You might honestly enjoy pain. You might even want the pain, but... your body will still give out if you push it too hard, and... you have a job to do. We have a job to do.”

Datura glanced away awkwardly, and there was silence for a few moments apart from the thudding of hooves and the creaking of the wagon. And then, finally, Datura gave a dry laugh before he looked down and murmured: “When the hell did we change places?”

Whisper smiled faintly and shrugged a bit, and there was silence for a few moments before the scarred unicorn closed his eyes, leaning back in the wagon and lowering his head as he mentally checked himself over. He felt numbness, mostly, although there were a few aches here and there, and the more unpleasant feeling where he'd torn or overstretched something important. His foreleg, for example, didn't want to move very well.

The scarred unicorn flexed absently as he rolled his shoulders and shifted back and forth, stretching out as much of his body as he could to test the state he was in. Not terrible, he thought, and if he actually did rest a little more, he would heal the worst of the damage quickly. Everything apart from his horn, anyway, where he could feel a faint, agonizing thrumming still: he wasn't going to be able to do much magic for the next few days. Not that he usually did a lot to begin with: his psychic powers were usually more than sufficient.

But that made him think of the Canon Camp troops they'd dealt with, and the stallion frowned a little as he settled back into the wagon before saying slowly: “They must have followed you and Splinthoof.”

“Oh, screw you!” Splinthoof snapped, skidding to a halt and turning around with a furious look at the wagon, and Sally stumbled stupidly to a halt as both she and Whisper stared with surprise at the unicorn, but Datura only scowled and let his head roll back so he could moodily survey the stallion over the front wall of the cart. “Listen, asshole, enough! This whole time, you've done nothing but blame us and mock us, and here you are now, and I don't even know anymore why Celestia would want the help of an egotistical prick like you, or why the hell we're even still dragging your sorry carcass around with us, when you clearly don't give a crowbait's flank about anyone apart from yourself!”

“Crowbait's flank.” Datura murmured, smiling briefly, and then he shook his head quickly before he slowly straightened in the cart, looking moodily down at Splinthoof. “So you think it's unfair that I hold you accountable for when you mess up?”

“No. I get that you eat up pain like some kind of psychic vampire, but I'm sick of you screwing with us just so you can feed off of us.” Splinthoof retorted, stepping forwards and glaring up at the scarred stallion. “I'm sick of you acting like you're some king or savior, when you're a monster. I'm sick of you acting like the tragic hero and that we have to suffer for all the mistakes you make.”

“Great timing to talk about that and all. You know. Now that we're just about back to Canterlot and all, and you'll never have to deal with me again.” Datura said dryly, gesturing outwards with one hoof, but Splinthoof only continued to glare at him furiously before the scarred stallion rolled his eyes. “Fine. What do you want?”

“I want you to apologize. I want you to carry your weight. And God, I want you to show me you can do something other than kill people!” Splinthoof retorted angrily, shaking his head shortly. “The one thing I can't stand are... are Avatars like you, self-righteous bastards who think that they've got every right to-”

“Oh, we get it!” Datura shouted suddenly, rolling his eyes and groaning loudly before he leapt down from the cart, landing in a stumble but quickly catching himself as he glared across at Splinthoof. “Newsflash, but I don't want to be here! I don't want to do any of this, and I really don't like the fact that my special talent happens to be destruction, not creation. But I've always been fantastic at screwing up everything I sink my claws into.”

Datura strode towards Splinthoof, standing almost nose-to-nose with him before he took a slow breath, then suddenly dropped his eyes and muttered: “And I am sorry. I have bad habits. I'm a little feral, and like any feral stallion, I have to challenge and annoy every other stallion around me.

“I don't get along well with people like you.” Datura said blandly, straightening a bit. “I am... eccentric. I am damaged. I mock, deride, and insult. I push boundaries. And I am a stubborn ass, obsessed with pain and my own personal code of etiquette.”

Datura stopped, then said quietly: “But I honestly am sorry, and you shouldn't let me get to you. For one thing, I'm not worth it and you're supposed to be better than a monster like me. For another thing, I really could care less about whether or not you screwed up. What I want to know is how they tracked us, if they actually did follow you or they had something else giving them directions. Otherwise, all I remember from the fight is that you saved my life and protected these mares.”

Splinthoof shifted awkwardly, pawing a hoof at the ground lamely... and then he winced when Datura grabbed him by the face and shoved him rudely out of the way, the scarred stallion striding moodily away up the path as he added dryly: “Now come on, time's wasting. I'm going to walk for a little while and stretch out. Try and keep up, idiots.”

“I hate him so much.” Sally mumbled, dropping her head with a tired sigh, and Whisper gave a wry smile in agreement as Splinthoof only rubbed moodily at his face, then grumbled under his breath and turned around to follow grudgingly after the stallion.

The three ponies quickly caught up to Datura, who was shambling more than he was walking: it still took a good fifteen minutes of lecturing from Whisper before he finally relented and allowed himself to be helped back into the wagon, however. He really was stubborn and annoying... but he seemed to also at least realize that at the rate he'd been going, it would've been morning before they reached Canterlot.

He seemed... strangely peaceful now, too, as he rode back in the cart. And Sally didn't really want to admit it, but she kind of enjoyed pulling the wagon, strange as that was. It was simple, menial labor, and it helped her focus on just putting one hoof in front of the other, the steady and gentle sound of hoofbeats over the worn road a soothing music in her ears.

She was well aware that maybe the fact she was getting such enjoyment out of pulling a loaded-down cart up a mountain was possibly a bad thing: after all, this could easily be another symptom of the whole feral thing. But at the moment, she honestly just... couldn't be bothered to care. She just wanted to enjoy this walk, and focus on the fact that the end of this long journey was getting closer and closer. There was no point in worrying about anything else.

But as they began to near Canterlot, she started to feel... funny, looking up at that massive white castle in the distance. She couldn't help but study the ponies they passed going in either direction, how... normal many of them seemed, and yet for all the friendliness in this part of Equestria, she felt a weird sort of tenseness, too. She wondered if that had always been there... but instead of asking about it, she questioned: “So when we get to Canterlot...”

“We'll probably be given a few hours to rest. We might be asked to stay in a certain area until we can be debriefed: less to keep us on lockdown and more to keep other ponies from pestering us.” Splinthoof explained, giving a brief smile before he looked awkwardly at Whisper. “Ma'am, uh... not to be rude or anything, but I'm not sure if you're going to be invited in with us or not, or...”

“She journeyed with us. She can come in if she wants.” Datura interrupted, and Splinthoof gave him a sour look... but no more grumpy than usual, at least, Sally was glad to see. She really hoped the bad blood between them had settled, one way or another. She didn't want to see her herd divided.

Oh, great. There was another horse thought... but at least this time, she was lucid enough to catch it. Sally scowled a little as they walked onwards, and then she shook herself briefly out before Splinthoof asked in a quieter voice: “Are you okay? You've been a little... distant.”

Sally was silent, chewing on her lip for a few moments before she finally gave a brief smile over to Splinthoof, nodding and murmuring: “Yeah. I am, I'm just... I guess I was just thinking too much, that's all. Thinking about this world, and about going home, and about...”

“Being a horse?” Datura asked dryly, and Sally scowled over her shoulder at him before the stallion said mildly, as he propped himself up over the carriage wall: “You know, if you go feral, you're going to have to join a herd or join a farm. Or hope that some nice pony buys you and doesn't just abuse you horribly as a breeding tool.”

“Thanks.” Sally said sourly, looking grumpily over at him, and then she shook her head quickly as she added grouchily: “But I don't plan on being in this world for much longer, anyway. I promised to stay here until you solved the problem Celestia wants you to, and that's it.”

“Well, I guess you have a point there.” Datura said softly, looking thoughtfully up towards Canterlot, and then he bit his lip for a moment before asking quietly: “But if you had a choice, Sally... would you want to go home, or stay in this world and be free?”

There was silence for a few moments as Sally digested this, and then she looked down before saying finally: “I want to stay here. But I need to go home: I feel that... I feel that if I spend too long here, I might...”

She stopped, then shook her head quickly, almost blurting out: “I just don't see how you could live here for years, then wake up, like nothing's changed, like... like nothing happened! If I spent even a few weeks here, living like a wild horse, or... or convincing myself that life didn't matter, that killing was a game without punishment... what would happen to me back in the real world? What would I wake up as, even if I thought all of this was just some crazy dream... would I still carry those experiences with me? Would I... what would I become?”

She fell quiet, looking down and trembling a little, and Datura lowered his gaze before he murmured: “That's both the very reason I'm so afraid of going back home... and why I know that we have to end this fantasy, one way or another.”

There was silence for a little while, and then Sally nodded a little before she glanced up at Canterlot, saying quietly: “I think that's why Celestia wants you there, Datura. Maybe because you helped start this... you're the only person with a right to finish this.”

“No. I'm no... judge.” Datura laughed quietly, looking away and shaking his head briefly. “But all I'm interested in, at the end of the day, is... fixing things. I might have helped build this, but it's only because I was too cowardly to say it was a bad idea. And the first of us... we weren't creative minds, Sally. We were... we were all sad, lonely people who had precious little to attach us to the real world... and we all spent most of our time embedded deep in the fantasies of our own minds...”

Datura flexed his claw slowly, and there was silence for a little while as they continued onward and upwards, until they finally reached the gates of Canterlot. They were greeted with little fanfare, but at least the soldiers immediately opened the doors for them, and there was some sense of... relief, Sally thought. But she didn't know if that was good or bad, as they stopped only long enough for Datura to clamber out of the wagon while the Pegasus Avatar unharnessed herself.

They didn't get very far through the busy halls of the castle before they were greeted by a soldier in purple armor. Splinthoof saluted him sharply and stood at attention, but the officer or commander or whatever he was smiled briefly and saluted back. “At ease, soldier. And I mean at complete ease. This entire operation is off the record and right now, the only ponies with any right to give you any kind of orders are the princesses themselves.”

Splinthoof smiled lamely, looking oddly embarrassed by this before the purple-armored pony turned and said quickly: “This way. The Princess wants to see Datura immediately and debrief all of you. Furthermore, we've received intelligence that someone is stirring up trouble with all the factions.”

“Someone must be trying to stop us from-” And then Sally winced as Splinthoof quickly reached up and covered her mouth, stopping her.

“Need to know information, Sally. We should keep everything to ourselves until we meet the princess.” Splinthoof looked awkwardly over at the commanding officer even as he spoke with confidence, but the purple-armored pony only smiled briefly and nodded in agreement.

Whisper shifted nervously, rubbing a hoof against one leg as Datura scowled, but he had his head down and was sulking, visibly twitching as ponies every so often bumped carelessly against him in the crowded hallway. So Sally only gave a quick nod, grimacing a bit and looking nervously around, hating how crowded and stuffy and enclosed it was in here and just wanting to get his all over with as soon as possible...

The group began to move onward in silence, following closely after the commander, and Splinthoof bit his lip before he smiled briefly as he leaned over and nudged one of the Pegasus Avatar's wings lightly, making her blush a bit as she flicked it automatically. “Look. Your wings are all full of dirt still. You need to wash your feathers out.”

“I... I guess I just keep forgetting.” Sally said finally, nodding awkwardly and spreading her wings... and admittedly, they did look like a mess. But she just... “Am I supposed to... I dunno, use my mouth? That seems gross.”

Her real fear was encouraging that feral side of her that kept popping up, but Splinthoof only smiled briefly before he replied quietly: “We'll get you a brush.”

Sally smiled over at the unicorn, blushing a little as she nodded again to him more firmly, and Datura rolled his eyes before he said loudly: “If you're going to get down and dirty with each other, you'd better do it tonight. Otherwise...”

“Oh shut up.” Sally grumbled over her shoulder, glaring at him. “Can you focus on something else, just for once?”

“How about cutting you? Can I cut you a little? Or eat one of your less-important organs?” Datura asked flatly, and Whisper sighed before the stallion added mildly, cocking his head towards her. “Don't worry, I'll save plenty of slaps for you, too.”

“I'd say go ahead, Datura, but every time you claim you want to hit me, you end up bent over my knee, getting spanked. You really don't have to put on this tough guy routine, it's perfectly okay that you like it when girls treat you like a little boy.” Sally retorted, and Datura only smiled at her indulgently.

“That shtick is getting a little old. Why don't you try again, darlin'?” Datura asked mockingly, and Sally glared over her shoulder at him.

“You're... gay!” Sally said finally, glaring over at him, and Datura smiled amusedly at her before she snapped: “Shut up, I'm... I've got a lot on my mind, I can't think of anything!'

Datura only shrugged complacently, and Sally snorted at him before she leaned over and simply bit the stallion in the face, making him yell in surprise more than pain as he reared back from her in shock. And then Sally snorted at him again before she turned forwards with a huff, trotting quickly after Splinthoof and the dumbfounded commander.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Datura finally said in a surly voice, as he absently rubbed his face into his shoulder: “I'm not gay. I'm bisexual. I like being on stallion butts, not stallions on my butt.”

Sally huffed at this, and then Whisper said awkwardly: “Usually it's better just to ignore him when he gets like this. Really.”

Datura only gave the earth pony Avatar a flat look, and the commander sighed as he looked ahead, saying wryly to Splinthoof: “I think I might recommend you for a promotion myself, sergeant, seeing what you've had to deal with. I assume it was like this all the way here?”

“Much worse, sir.” Splinthoof said tiredly, and the purple-armored pony smiled briefly before Splinthoof glanced over his shoulder, asking Sally gently: “You alright?”

“I'm... I'm fine.” Sally mumbled, now only feeling embarrassed that she'd let that horse mind part of her take over again. Then she shivered a little as they turned a corner and started up a flight of steps, hating how narrow the curling staircase was even more than the sensation of ponies – not-herd – all around her. “Is... are we almost there?”

The commander looked over his shoulder curiously, asking: “Do you need to rest? We can stop for a few minutes on the next floor if you want...”

“No, we all... we're tired, but I think most of us are alright.” Splinthoof answered quickly, looking over his shoulder and studying Datura, who was lagging behind with Whisper. “But it's been a long journey and uh... I think we're all just eager to get this over and done with.”

“Alright. I'm sure Princess Celestia will be brief.” reassured the commander, and Splinthoof nodded before smiling supportively over his shoulder at Sally, who only laughed a little and dropped her head, eyes silently flicking away.

It took them about ten minutes to reach the meeting room, and thankfully, the area was large and open, with comfortable cushions for them to sit on in place of chairs around the low table. The purple-armored stallion excused himself outside of the room, letting the others pass in so they could be alone with Princess Celestia.

The ivory mare was already standing, gazing over them warmly before she strode quickly around the table when Datura entered. They looked at each other in silence as the door closed, and then Princess Celestia rose a hoof, starting: “It's good to see you.”

She started to say more, but Datura quickly leaned backwards to avoid her hoof, grimacing slightly, and Celestia halted before she sighed a little, saying softly: “I'm not going to hurt you.”

“Only because pain is my antidote.” Datura replied moodily, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before he sighed tiredly, then closed his eyes and muttered as he tilted his head slightly to the side: “Alright. I'll behave... yes, I mean that. For you.”

Sally frowned uneasily over at the stallion, but when he opened his eyes, he seemed lucid... but then who had he been talking to?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Celestia gesturing gently towards the table, however, the ivory mare saying softly: “Please, everyone. Sit down. I won't keep you for long... I can see you're all very tired. If you need anything at all, I'm more than happy to provide.”

The ponies arranged themselves on one side of the table, while Celestia sat herself back in her place on the other side, gazing slowly over the four before she said gently: “I'm glad to see you all made it here in one piece.”

“We didn't.” Datura said shortly, and Sally and Whisper both lowered their heads as Splinthoof awkwardly rubbed at the back of his own. Celestia frowned a bit, but Datura quickly rose a hoof, saying moodily: “Forget it. Don't want to talk about it. Why did you drag me here, Celestia? The world isn't ending, and this doesn't seem like you.”

Celestia sighed a little, and then she said finally: “Datura, I need your help. I'm sure you know what I want: to shut down the rift machine. To stop Avatars from coming to this world, and to gently start sending them back home. The world is in chaos, and too many people are being hurt. This experiment has to end, and the Avatars have to be sent back to where they belong, so my people can heal, too. We all need to set things right. Then, and only then, can we... try again.”

Datura laughed shortly at this, leaning over the table before he said moodily: “Great idea. Except the Avatars aren't going to go quietly, Celestia.”

He stopped, then closed his eyes, saying moodily: “But you're half-right: this world belongs to you to the Trueborn, and we have to leave. We, the Avatars, are nothing but invaders and parasites that have been feeding off your world and screwing it up: we brought war, disbelief, and hatred into your world. For every marvel and miracle, we also brought ignorance and malice. And the worst part is that even I can see... we never meant to.”

Datura's eyes flicked away, and Celestia frowned, leaning forwards intently before Datura lowered his head and murmured: “You never should have tried so hard to accommodate us: this is your world, not ours. And maybe... none of us realized that until too late. I mean, look out there: you have Avatars telling Trueborn, even you, that you're being 'out of character' and 'non-canon.' You have Avatars telling each other that they couldn't exist, and trying to make each other not exist, all because... this pony has a few extra sparkles, this earth pony can pull a rabbit out of a hat, this one happens to have wings and a horn. Because even if this is a fantasy world, we all keep thinking it's our personal fantasy world, and that we have some godforsaken right to be offended by someone else's dreams and ideas and to murder and kill and destroy them for daring to not fit with our vision of paradise.

“And then we created the Figments, and the Factions. And for all the potential we had... we ruined it. We could have been gods, and instead, we chose to be selfish, bratty... no. We don't deserve to be called monsters. We deserve to be called children, because that's what we acted like. And that's what you should have treated us as: children.”

Datura looked up at Celestia steadily, and then he said quietly: “Now, all you can do is take our toys away. But this is where I disagree, Celestia: even if you somehow manage to peacefully send the Avatars all away, if and when they come back... they'll do the same goddamn thing all over again to this world. So don't just shut the rift machine down for a little while. Don't just destroy it. Reverse it: send us all home by force, and shut the rift, hopefully for good.”

“No.” Celestia said quietly but firmly, and she straightened... and Sally couldn't help but quail as the mare looked down at Datura calmly and intently, with such focus and determination that even the scarred stallion seemed to drop his head a little in respect. “The Avatars are not evil. Not even you, Datura, are evil, or a monster. Yes, we all have a share of fault in what has happened, but I will not punish the innocent alongside the guilty for mistakes that are in part my own. And if there is a way to bring all the Avatars back after the balance has been restored to this world, I will; and this time, I will protect them even from themselves.”

Datura looked down quietly, and then he sighed softly before saying grudgingly: “I don't like you. You creep me out. You're too... nice. Too genuine.”

Celestia smiled briefly, and then she said softly: “Justice is not for just us, Datura. If we ask for justice, we must give it to all: if we ask for mercy, we must give that to everyone as well.”

“You already made your point.” Datura grumbled, and then he bit his lip before nodding slowly and looking down, muttering: “I'll... help you shut it down. But I don't know how you're going to get all the Avatars to leave.”

“I'm going to try asking them politely.” Celestia said softly, and Datura gave her a dry look, but Celestia smiled with such openness, such honesty, that Sally was amazed to see that was precisely what the Princess of Equestria intended to do... and furthermore, she seemed to fully expect it to work. “I think most of the Avatars will listen. I'm not sending them away forever, after all.”

“You can't possibly know that, though.” Datura said in an exasperated voice, gesturing sharply at the mare. “You don't even know-”

“Again, Datura, sometimes you just need a little faith. That's all.” Celestia interrupted gently, and Datura scowled horribly, which made Sally smile. But then the Pegasus Avatar looked up in surprise as the princess turned her attention towards her, Celestia adding softly: “And Sally, I haven't forgotten about you, or my promise. You have done... exceptionally well. I would be more than happy to send you back home.”

Sally bit her lip, shifting a bit as Splinthoof softened and glanced away... and then she blinked in surprise when Datura reached up and squeezed her shoulder, saying quietly: “Go home.”

For a few moments, the Pegasus Avatar studied Datura as he looked silently back at her... and then she gave a brief smile before murmuring: “I promised I wouldn't. Besides, anything that you want me to do... I know it has to be a stupid idea. And besides, now... I'm pretty curious about how this is all going to turn out.”

Sally halted, then cleared her throat and looked up at Princess Celestia. “If... if it's all the same to you, I think that I would actually prefer to stay here, at least until... all of this is over.”

Celestia smiled softly and nodded at this, and Whisper hesitated before she added quietly: “I... know that you didn't ask for my help...”

“We need every hoof we can get.” Celestia replied with a nod, and then she said softly: “For now, though, the best thing all of you can do is get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll go down to the rift machine and see about unsealing it. With you here to help us deal with the last of the seals, it should be an easy process: the difficult part will be deciding... what to do from there.”

Datura grunted, moodily looking away before he muttered: “I could have sworn I hadn't made the riddles on my section that difficult, though... but hey. Maybe I'm smarter than I thought, or you ponies are just dumber.”

“It's more a matter of not understanding your culture than it is intelligence, as I'm sure you understand yourself.” Celestia said pointedly, and Datura only shrugged before the ivory mare said in a softer voice: “Splinthoof can take you to the guest rooms on this floor: you can choose any room you want. And Splinthoof, please ensure you get some rest yourself as well.”

Splinthoof saluted briefly, and Datura studied Celestia for a few moments before he gave a slow nod, pushing himself up from the table. “Thanks.”

Celestia only smiled, then said softly: “I would like to speak to you later, privately, Datura. Would that be alright? I'm very interested in hearing about your journey.”

“I... suppose.” Datura said moodily, nodding briefly before he glanced over at Sally, adding: “But... thank her, not me. I really don't care about any of this. Sally's the one who dragged me here and did all your dirty work for you.”

Celestia only laughed quietly at this, then she turned a tender look towards the Pegasus Avatar. “And I would like to say thank you to you somehow. If I can ever do anything for you, please, let me know. In fact, I insist.”

Sally blushed a bit and lowered her head humbly, but she only managed to mumble out a 'thank you' for now before she turned quickly around. The four headed to the door, Whisper trailing with a smile and Datura only looking back once as they pushed through the doors and into the hall beyond.

Splinthoof cleared his throat as the doors closed behind them, then he smiled, looking far more cheerful than he had even a few minutes ago as he declared: “Well, uh, the guest quarters are-”

“Hello, Datura.” said a moody voice, and Datura scowled as he looked past Splinthoof, who turned with a frown towards an earth pony. Sally felt her ears lay back a bit as she studied this newcomer warily: he was an Avatar, wearing some kind of fancy tan suit, his expression contemptible and his beady black eyes glaring at the scarred stallion.

The two stepped towards each other, mirroring each other in spite of the fact they were complete opposites: Datura was bruised and beaten and natural, scarred and dirty, and the newcomer was pristine in his expensive suit and slicked red mane. His body was a smooth white, and he had a cutie mark of what looked like a megaphone on his hip, and Sally felt both... drawn to him and reviled by his presence.

“Hello, Terrance.” Datura finally said in a cordial tone, even as he bared his fangs at the Avatar across from him. “How's your face? Looks like your muzzle's still a little off-center.”

“Well, between the two of us, I'm afraid you're still the one who takes the prize when it comes to being... unbalanced.” replied Terrance, somehow keeping a civil tone despite the fact his voice dripped with hatred. “It's good to see you here, though. I suppose you'll be helping us with disabling the portal? Or are you just here to cause more trouble? And my, who are your new... 'friends?'”

Datura smiled thinly, retorting: “I'm here to fix the problem that apparently you couldn't, Terry. But sure, let me introduce you. Terry, these are my new friends. New friends, this is Terry: he used to be a very unpopular person because his writing was always far too intelligent, cultured, and refined for anyone else to understand it, and he felt the deep-seated desire to criticize the thematic and stylistic elements of every other writer's work in long-winded reviews that all basically amounted to 'I don't like it because you're stupid.'”

“Things change. Now I'm a well-respected public speaker and mogul. I have many followers and I design and reverse engineer magic-based technologies for Princess Celestia.” Terrance reached up and adjusted his tie, smiling thinly. “Furthermore, I've learned my lesson. You may still think of me as a pedant, Datura, but no one holds a grudge like you do. And you've always taken words far too seriously. They can't hurt a big strong stallion like you, Datura. Why don't you stop trying to suppress everyone who disagrees with you and just learn to ignore all those mean little things people say if you're still so sensitive?”

“I believe firmly that actions matter more than words, but that doesn't negate the fact that words can be actions: you can cut someone deeper with the right words than you ever can with a blade.” Datura smiled thinly, leaning forwards and adding quietly: “And some of us here need to learn that freedom of speech doesn't mean 'you have to listen to me.' It means you get to say your piece, and then I get to tell you to shut up if I don't like what you're saying. It also doesn't stop me from telling you to get the hell out of my face if you start to provoke and annoy me.”

Datura stepped forwards, glaring down at Terrance as the earth pony looked hatefully back up at him. “Here's a more important freedom for you than freedom of speech. It's called 'freedom to shut up.' Why don't you try exercising that freedom a little, kiddo?”

The two glared at each other for a few moments, and then Terrance said coldly: “Fine. One last thing, though: you know as well as I do that the rift machine can't be shut down without severe consequences. Yes, I've already unlocked everything I could for Celestia, and yes, I know that I can't stop you from opening the last of the seals. But here's a little advice: maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you should just let things play out in this world. Equestria isn't falling into chaos, it's evolving: if you want to go back home, then run away with your tail between your legs, but don't drag everyone down with you. The Avatars deserve better than that. And don't forget that you'll be ripping families, if not entire societies apart.”

“We don't always get what we deserve, and just because you think you deserve something, doesn't mean you really do, anyway. It's like how you just said you're a stand-up guy now, Terry. You can say that all you want. You can even believe that you are. But just because I believe I'm Superman doesn't mean I'm not going to go splat when I jump off a building.” Datura retorted. “Besides, what are you really worried about? The Trueborn, or your own ass? The ponies will survive and endure without us... and even if they don't, this is still their world, and their responsibility. What happens after we go home is up to them.”

There was a tense silence for a few moments, and then Terrance finally smiled thinly before leaning back and saying quietly: “Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you though, Datura. And just remember one little thing: whatever happens, the fault is on your head. Don't ever forget that you're the one pushing the ponies into this situation. Don't think I don't know what this is really about: not a favor for Princess Celestia, but because you just love to play god.”

Datura only glared as Terrance turned and strode away, and Sally shifted uneasily as he looked nervously after the stallion, biting her lip as Whisper reached up and silently touched Datura's shoulder. And even Splinthoof looked apprehensive as he turned his eyes towards the scarred unicorn... but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder which of the Avatars was right.

To Endure And Sacrifice, Part I

Chapter Thirteen: To Endure And Sacrifice, Part I
~BlackRoseRaven

Celestia pushed upwards through the castle, refusing to fall behind, refusing to slow down. Splinthoof ran on one side of her, and Sally and Whisper the other, as an army of Royal Guard marched in their wake. Sally was terrified, but determined, and Whisper was bruised and hurt... but her eyes brimmed with both frustration and dedication. One way or another, she was going to help put a stop to this, whether Datura liked it or not.

Ponies stumbled out of their way, staring in shock as Celestia led her own army through her own castle. Her expression was grim, and her eyes were cold, and every step hurt... but that pain was a reminder of Terrance's betrayal, and her own foolishness. And every step was a warning of what Terrance was going to do if he somehow took control of the rift machine: somehow, she was sure that the invulnerable alicorn they had encountered was only a prelude of things to come.

Celestia flicked her horn sharply forwards as they reached the double doors leading into the research tower, nearly blowing them off their hinges before her eyes narrowed and she came to a halt in front of the archway, as a familiar stallion smiled contritely at her from inside, flanked on either side by Avatars with advanced weaponry and heavy black and red armor. “Hello, Celestia.”

“What is the meaning of this, Terrance? What are you trying to do?” Celestia asked sharply, leaning forwards and glaring at him. “You are threatening my nation, a nation that invited you in, gave you home and shelter and comfort! You put your own friend in danger, and Datura...”

“Sacrificed himself, did he? What a surprise. He's always had a martyr complex... it would have been nice if he could have just died when I sent those assassins after him, though, or if he'd gone and given himself up at Canon Camp, and saved us all this trouble.” Terrance said in a bored voice, polishing a hoof against a suit jacket, and then he smiled suddenly and added pleasantly: “And you're acting out of character, Celestia. I have on good authority that you should always be polite, with a faint refinement. Your voice isn't suited to anger. More... disapproval. You're a mother-figured, ultimately, with a faint hint of playfulness.”

Celestia looked for a few moments at Terrance, and then she slowly narrowed her eyes before she calmly straightened and said softly: “You're right, Terrance. Excuse me, for forgetting myself in front of all these Avatars. Allow me to rephrase my words.”

Celestia took a calm breath, then she smiled and said in a pleasant voice: “You seem to have mistaken me for someone incapable of anger, but what you fail to recognize is that I am not some static cartoon character. I am the ruler of a nation that has given generously to you for a century now, and I am a mare who has sat and watched – patiently, but tiredly – as you and yours continue to abuse every little gift I give you.

“So I'll phrase it so you and your little friends can understand, my little Avatar: pull your head out of your ass and get the fuck out of my way, or I will not hesitate to kill you.” Celestia became cold as she took a step forwards, saying icily: “I'm just an animal, after all, isn't that right? You Avatars are 'morally superior.' You brought us 'gifts' of technology, and taught us 'stupid ponies' how to harness them, 'evolved' our culture, and showed us all how to kill. But what you don't seem to understand is that unlike the sugary-sweet world you seem to imagine we live in, we have always been very good when it comes to dealing with scum that threatens us, inside or outside of our borders.”

Terrance was leaning back slightly, looking perturbed... but then he only clicked his tongue, even as the Avatar guards around him shifted nervously. “Oh, Celestia. That's so disappointing. Trying to talk all tough, to act like you're so strong and callous... that's not impressive at all, though. I think that's... very sad, as a matter of fact. Tut-tut.”

He paused, then added pleasantly as he rose a hoof: “And besides...” His hoof reached back, then pushed through his own body with only the faintest distortion, and Celestia cursed. “I'm not even really here. So my suggestion is this: we discuss this, civilly, and no one has to get hurt.”

“Avatars!” Celestia said sharply, and the guards on either side of the illusion both flinched visibly, looking uncertainly at the Princess of the Sun: “I order you to lay down arms and surrender immediately, or else I will have no choice but-”

“Oh, that was not wise, Celestia.” interrupted Terrance in a disapproving voice, and then the projection of the stallion held up a hoof... and Celestia's eyes widened in horror as snarling wolves that boiled and burned like they were made of liquid shadow appeared, growling furiously as their glowing red eyes glared hatefully into her. “My machine is still incomplete, but even at its base operating capacity... it's still more than powerful enough for me to create a few Figments. Are you willing to put your Trueborn at risk, against my armies of Avatars and imagined horrors? Or are we going to calmly discuss how you are going to become a figurehead, Celestia, and we're going to discuss how Canon Camp is going to take over all of Equestria... and you ponies and all these Avatars are going to learn to behave properly, in perpetual paradise? Doesn't that sound better, for everyone?”

Celestia trembled for a moment, and then Splinthoof stepped forwards and said fearlessly: “You give the order, ma'am, and we're all with you.”

“You're... you're insane!” Sally shouted, trembling as she stared with disbelief at Terrance, who only gave her a disinterested look. “This isn't our world!”

“It is now.” Terrance said calmly, brushing slowly at the lapel of his suit and making the illusion ripple. “I, for one, will not return quietly and willingly to that cesspit of a planet we came from. If you disagree with me so vehemently, though, you are more than free to leave my nation at any time. In fact, my soldiers will be more than happy to escort you out.”

Terrance held up a hoof, and then he said calmly: “Kill them all.”

The black wolves roared as the Avatar soldiers hesitated, and it gave Celestia the moment she needed to snap her horn forwards and irradiate the room beyond with golden light, sending up shouts and yells and howls from the creatures within before Celestia shouted, in a mix of desperation and fury: “Go, everyone! We have to stop Terrance!”

“How disappointing. I'll be waiting for you, Celestia, on the roof of the tower!” Terrance mocked over the roars of the Royal Guard and the surging of hooves. Then he faded out with a laugh, as Celestia plowed into the ranks of ponies she had once trusted, once given everything to, with anger and disappointment and sorrow in her eyes...

And Sally, Splinthoof, and Whisper followed, united under one cause for different reasons, but all ready to give everything they had to protect a nation that had given too much, too fast, to people who had taken more than they had perhaps ever deserved.

Datura sat in darkness, breathing quietly in and out. He wasn't quite alive, but he wasn't quite dead, either: he was caught in limbo. And limbo was dark, but beautiful, full of galaxies and stars that he was able to watch swirl by, from his comfortable seat here on the floor.

There was no pain and no pleasure: it was wonderful. He was just... calm, and quiet. He had lingering regrets, but he thought even those would fade in time, as he smiled briefly up into the stars... then frowned curiously as the sound of hoofsteps filled his ears.

He glanced over his shoulder... and then softened, watching silently as a mare approached. She looked precisely like Princess Luna, with sapphire coat and a mane that flowed like ephemeral starlight, unadorned with any scraps of pointless metal... but to him, she was someone completely different. He could see it in her eyes...

He looked back ahead as she sat beside him, the two resting in silence for a little while before the mare chuckled quietly, then reached up and touched her own breast, saying softly: “It's funny. Me, looking like this to you.”

“Well, I didn't realize I was writing her as you until... until I was too deep in the story. I never realized... I was just writing all the adventures we never got to have together.” Datura said softly, and then he smiled faintly and closed his eyes. “No, even simpler than that. I wrote her as the most amazing, heroic person I could think of... and it was stupid of me not to realize... that was you.”

The mare smiled at him, and he looked over at her silently before his eyes flicked downwards, and he whispered: “I'm sorry.”

“You don't have to be.” Not Luna reassured him quietly, reaching up and touching his shoulder gently, and the stallion reached up as his hoof snapped apart into a claw, covering her hoof tightly, his body trembling at the contact.

Again, the silence played out between them, until Datura relaxed, and the mare's hoof slipped gently upwards until it touched his face, Datura smiling faintly as he allowed his eyes to slip closed. “I wrote you a story, the other day. But every time I do, we always seem to die, side-by-side, together... and then we come back. We overcome death, you and I, every single time...”

“Just like we always have.” Not Luna said easily, and Datura laughed and shook his head, smiling again over at her as she smiled back; so radiant, so beautiful, so... brave. So much braver than him. “I'm still here, aren't I?”

“Yes...” Datura smiled faintly, then he glanced down before saying softly: “But I... I didn't die with you.”

“That's not what I see.” she replied quietly, reaching out and gently pushing his chin up, and the two looked at each other silently for a few moments before she gently punched him in the shoulder, saying in a firmer voice: “But come on. You don't get to give up just yet. It's time for you to live again, and I'll be right there beside you, every single step.”

“In my heart?” Datura asked dryly, and then he winced when she reached up and smacked him firmly, rubbing at his cheek... but relishing that contact. Whether it was madness or memory or... or something else... “I... need you. You're... you've always been my Valkyrie.”

Not Luna smiled at this, and then she said softly: “I like that nickname for me. But I don't like the one you went and gave yourself. You're not a monster. Monsters don't care about other people.”

Datura shifted a bit, and then the mare added, rubbing a hoof along his back slowly: “And hey. You treat those voices in your head as plenty real. You talk to them more than you talk to me. So why is it that you treat me like some second-class delusion while your lame hallucinations get all the respect?”

“Alright, alright.” Datura laughed a little despite himself, shaking his head briefly before he gave a faint smile to the mare, nodding to her slowly. “I... I do talk to you, though. Sometimes I even hear you talk back, or... maybe just talking to you is enough to remind me what you'd always say. How you'd always... push me, or remind me that things weren't so bad, or just...”

Not Luna slapped the back of his head, and Datura flinched a bit... then smiled a little again and dropped his head forwards, murmuring: “Yeah. Like that.”

She looked at him, and he gazed back at her silently before he lowered his head and whispered: “I don't want to live anymore. I don't want to live without you. It's too hard: there's so many voices in my head, and everything about me is upside down: I've spent so long trapped in a broken body that pain has become pleasure to me, or an illusion, or just fuel for... for all that anger and hate inside me. I don't want... this world to end. I want to live here forever. I don't have a home to return to, or people who love me. I don't have a family. I've ruined every friendship I've ever made. There's nothing for me, anywhere.”

“Stop it.” Not Luna said firmly, and Datura dropped his head before she reached up and took his face gently, tilting his head back and meeting his eyes. “You were never a coward. You'd complain about the stupidest, silliest things. You'd whine about... dying in a video game or act like it was the end of the world when you screwed up some presentation or stubbed your damn toe. But when you actually had real problems, when you were... thrown out on the streets, or when you started getting sick, you'd just smile and act like it didn't matter. You'd never tell a soul.

“You're not alone. You will never be alone, because I will always be with you, and you have at least one person waiting for you, whether you like it or not, you selfish son of a bitch.” Not Luna continued quietly, reaching up and shoving her hoof against his chest. “And it would disappoint me to see you live through everything else, then give up here. What about your new friends? Are you going to turn your back on them? Even more, are you going to let Terrance of all people beat you?”

Datura grimaced slightly at this, and Not Luna nodded firmly, saying softly: “I didn't think so. I want you to pick yourself up, to go out there, and to kick ass. You are the most creative, the most enduring, and the most sadistic person I've ever known. You really want to prove to people that darkness, that evil, is part of a balance, can be used to do the right thing? Then go out there, and prove it. You take all those broken parts of you, and you make them cooperate, and you bring that bastard to his knees. You save your friends, because you and I both know that whatever he's got planned is a whole lot worse than Celestia pressing the reset button. And I'll be with you, the whole time, until you get home.”

“And I'll come visit you. I promise.” Datura said quietly, breathing a little harder before he nodded quickly, then looked up into her eyes. He leaned forwards, but the mare smiled faintly, slipping a hoof between them and catching his lips, holding him back for a moment.

“Remember... you make your choice, and then you don't turn back. No giving up halfway through.” said the mare quietly, and Datura smiled briefly before he nodded quickly. Then her hoof slipped down to his shoulder, and she pulled him in as he leaned forwards, eyes closing and mouths meeting in a silent kiss as a black tear ran down Datura's cheek.

His forelegs reached up to embrace her, and for a moment, he pulled her close... and then his limbs squeezed through her, and she vanished with a soft, final breath, the stallion staggering forwards and barely catching himself on his claws as he looked back and forth, trembling. And as he gazed around, sound filled in, and pain filled his mind, and there were suddenly a thousand screaming voices that made him grind his teeth together and clench his eyes shut...

At least, until he realized that not all those voices were in his head.

Datura looked up in shock as he realized he was somehow standing in one of the upper halls of the castle now: he must have been hallucinating while his body dragged him towards his goal. It looked like one way or another, he was determined to finish this, even if he felt so sore, so weak...

But he had so much more than just pain powering him now, and the scarred stallion gritted his teeth before he started forwards... then twitched in surprise as a voice at his side said warmly: “That's right! For everyone else, never for ourselves, we must always do what is right!”

Datura looked to his right, blinking in surprise as he stared at another version of himself... but smaller, younger-looking, without a scar or blemish or claw. His mane was well-kept, his eyes were normal, he seemed so... innocent, and determined...

“Kill them all. Feast on them. So much pain... look at them suffering, it's wonderful!” said a voice to the left, and Datura gritted his teeth as he looked to the other side and saw a hideous, warped version of himself, his mane jagged and twisted, his body burning with a malicious, dark essence, his eyes nothing but hellish black spotlights with tiny, grim glints of white-hot hatred at their center. He had gnarled talons and horns instead of ears, grinning with vicious fangs as he said hungrily: “Destroy them! Destroy them all!”

“It doesn't matter what you do.” came a cold, empty voice from behind the scarred stallion, and this one, Datura didn't dare to look back at, dropping his head forwards as he clenched his eyes shut... but he could still hear the voice of the grim and callous follower. The stallion, he knew, who would look just like him, but with dead and hollow eyes... “They'll forget you. They'll all abandon you. Every single one of them, just like always. And if they don't, it'll be worse, because then you know you'll make a mistake. You'll drive them away. No mistake you ever make, is ever forgiven. You are weak. You are a failure. You are poison. You will craft your own destruction.”

“Forget everything else, don't turn back; our life may be worthless, but we can still help other people! We have to help everyone, to give our life meaning!” pleaded self-destructive good side: the giver, the ever-charitable, the part of him that had to give to everyone, that had to be there for others to feel like he had meaning, that had to protect and was naive and foolish and a Pariah...

“All that matters is power! Power and strength! Rape them, kill them, everything belongs to you, you only have to reach out and take it!” roared the dark part of him: the part that knew no boundaries, was animal and vicious and savage, was driven purely by hatred and his endless hungers and all those desires he strove to keep under lock and key, but his Id always fought to release in the most primal, cruelest form it could...

“Nothing matters. Not you, them, or anything else. So why bother? You're less than worthless... you are a weight. You ruin what you touch. If you've ever succeeded in making someone happy, it's only so you could make them even more miserable later on.” the nihilistic, empty part of him said, the part of him that was nothing more than a starving, broken Crow, here to feast on the carrion of his soul. “Dreams don't come true. Ambitions can never be achieved. Hope... is a lie that stems from weakness...”

Datura stumbled a bit as he looked ahead, breathing hard as his eyes darted back and forth. He could hear them, see them clearer than he could the rest of reality around him, and the scarred stallion gritted his teeth as he felt madness beginning to creep through his mind. The further it spread, the more his emotions went wild, the more the yelling and the screaming made him want to curl up in a corner or lash out like an animal at the blurry, faceless ponies darting by...

He couldn't drown them out, any more than he could focus through what they were demanding: sooner, rather than later, he knew he was going to lash out. He was going to grab whoever was unfortunate enough to stray too close to him and-

“Help them! You have to help them!”

“Kill them! Devour them!”

“Just abandon them... like they have abandoned you...”

Datura slammed his claws into the ground in front of him, clenching his eyes shut, but they wouldn't shut up, they wouldn't shut up, they wouldn't shut up! He grabbed at his face, snarling in fury, his whole body shaking-

“You're better than this.” said a soft but firm voice, and Datura felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing into him, and warmth flooded through his entire body before the voice, his Valkyrie, ordered sharply: “Now control it!”

“I am... not just one broken piece... I am the sum of all my broken parts...” Datura gritted his teeth as he forced himself to straighten, even as the voices continued to clamor, to plead, to shout, to whisper through his mind before the scarred stallion suddenly turned to look at Pariah, snapping: “Do you want to protect everyone?”

That good part of him stared for a moment in surprise, then it nodded quickly before Datura said quietly: “We can only help them... if we help us, first. If we go in weak, unprepared... we'll just get in the way.”

Pariah shifted uneasily, and Datura turned quickly towards Id, adding in a sharper voice: “You want to fight? You want to kill? There's a challenge waiting for us ahead, but like I just told him, we have to work together. And not just us: we have to protect the ponies who need protecting... but it'll make it even easier to pick out which ones we need to deal with. The best part about guarding a flock of sheep is that you always have more little wolves coming to try and steal away the meat.”

“But we'll get them to them first. They'll be our meal...” hissed Id eagerly, licking his lips hungrily. “I don't care, as long as I get to destroy!”

“And power. True power.” Datura promised, before he turned around and looked steadily at the last reflection of himself, as Crow only looked silently at the ground, before Datura said quietly: “We can't disappoint our Valkyrie.”

“Shut up. I'm not going to fall for that old trick.” murmured Crow, who shook his head bitterly before he whispered: “We turned her into a joke. Look at what we did... taking tragedy, and making... a mockery of it...”

“No. We remembered her, in the only and the best way we could. We shared her, with the entire world.” Datura replied quietly, bowing his head silently forwards and closing his eyes. “Even you know that. Even you couldn't convince yourself we ever did anything to dishonor her, to take away her value. We all love her... and that's more powerful than the pain, the hate, and everything else. For her, we'd throw away the world... just like for her... we'll protect it, too.”

Crow looked away for a moment, and then he whispered: “But it's hopeless. We can't do anything... we can't save anyone...”

“Maybe not. But we can still try.” Datura said softly, and then he took a step towards Crow before holding up one of his claws silently. “I need all of you with me. I need balance. I need lucidity. We need to work together... for power, for honor, for the right reasons. Help me.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Crow reached hesitantly up before taking Datura's claw in one of his own cracked, bloody hooves: and a moment later, Crow simply vanished as a cold blue aura glowed across Datura's body, wiping away his pain and tiredness and replacing it with a serious, unflinching fortitude.

Datura looked down at his claw, flexing it slowly before a hoof and talon settled on his shoulder from either side, Pariah saying hesitantly: “You... you have to save everyone you can.”

“And you have to destroy all those who would stand in your way.” Id added, then he grinned, licking his lips slowly. “But we can all agree on one thing: you don't have to kill. Killing... is far too easy. We hunger for challenge.”

“Protect Whisper. Protect Sally. You promised.” Pariah smiled, and then both he and Id vanished, and the scarred stallion gritted his teeth as he felt strength pulse through his body, muscles bulging as his mind filled with clarity and lucidity.

He rose his head, and he heard the voices... but inside his mind, there was perfect, ready silence. For the first time he could remember, there were no arguing voices, no moral debates, no screaming, no laughter, nothing but his own voice, his own thoughts, his own focus.

He looked ahead, through the surging crowd of ponies running in all directions, and then Datura flexed before he launched himself forwards. And as he ran, he could feel that he wasn't alone: he could feel her presence there beside him, urging him on, steadying him, keeping him strong even though his body felt almost alien and numb.

But nothing was going to get in his way now, as he ran through the corridors of Canterlot ever higher and higher, before gritting his teeth as he tore through the doors that led to where Terrance's research tower had always stood and found dead and wounded Royal Guard.

It looked like an entire army had moved through here... and suffered heavy losses doing so. And the stallion could hear fighting above, too, the stallion swearing under his breath before he hurried forwards, grimacing as he looked back and forth and felt the psychic residue of death and saw the broken piles of equipment and armor, the stains of blood and smears against the ground that had been caused by Avatars disintegrating. Knowing Terrance, he would have a whole army of them... but what the hell was he up to?

Whatever it was, it seemed like every soldier in Canterlot was up here: he was surprised to find it wasn't guarded, but then again, something had been happening in the castle below, too. Considering how his mental state had been, he had likely walked right past whatever had been going on below... although if Terrance had Avatars working for him, he could easily guess. Attacks, likely all over Canterlot, to distract the guards and sow panic...

Datura grimaced as he hurried towards the stairs and began to make his way up, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth at the sight of the dead bodies he passed. Avatars had killed some, but many of the wounds were from something else: something with big, sharp teeth, from the looks of those injuries... and something that liked to go for the throat and belly.

Halfway up the tower, a Royal Guard shouted at Datura almost desperately, and the scarred stallion simply gave him a sour look and then ignored him, continuing on his way up. He was frightened and trying to protect his friends: Datura could taste his fear, and the best thing he could do wasn't to reassure him, but to keep going so that the tense, terrified stallion didn't mistake him for an enemy and attack him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Datura heard more hoofsteps coming down a set of stairs, and he looked up with a grimace to see several soldiers running towards him... and one of them had a goddamn radio clipped to his side, of course. They immediately skidded to a halt on the narrow staircase, blocking his way as two of them rose crossbows and the unicorn in the center shouted: “Don't move! We will not hesitate to shoot!”

They were covered in blood, armor broken, bodies bruised, and Datura studied them intently before he straightened and said coldly: “I'm here to stop Terrance. I know Celestia is here with Splinthoof and an Avatar named Sally.”

The unicorn frowned at this, leaning forwards and studying Datura intently, and the scarred stallion looked unflinchingly back before the Royal Guard stepped backwards, gesturing at him curtly. “They need every hoof we can get up there. If you can fight, you're welcome. Celestia is trying to disable the rift machine, by any means necessary: somehow that bastard Terrance is using it to create Figments.”

“What?” Datura's eyes widened in disbelief before he gritted his teeth: there was no time to wonder how the hell Terrance had managed that, of all things. Instead, he only strode quickly forwards, asking quickly: “What about the other Avatars? I'm guessing Terrance has a lot of them.”

“They look like they're from every faction. Celestia tried to talk to them, but the Crossworlders set off a bomb somewhere in Canterlot, then attacked.” The unicorn soldier shook his head briefly, grimacing. “Soldiers have been trading in and out, but with Terrance summoning in Figments and monsters, it's a losing fight. Especially with attacks going on below as well...”

Datura nodded, then he bit his lip before asking a question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to: “How long has it been since the fighting started?”

“At least an hour. We can't hold out much longer. I don't know how the Princess is still going.” the Royal Guard answered, and Datura gritted his teeth: that really did go to say something about Celestia and her ponies, and how strong they were... especially if they were fighting a combined force of Avatar factions and whatever the hell Terrance had created.

With the Royal Guard escorting him, Datura made it quickly up to the top of the tower, where the Royal Guard had established a checkpoint of sorts: wounded were being treated, officers were trying to coordinate with each other over radio, damaged and broken equipment was being replaced and hurriedly patched.

Datura's eyes flicked sharply to a group of Royal Guard who had assembled at the ready in front of a broken set of doors and who were undergoing a last-minute equipment check, and the stallion muttered a quick 'thank you' aside to his escort before breaking away from the three and heading quickly to the back of the unit of soldiers.

The officer at the head of the line scowled before striding quickly around to the rear, opening his mouth... and then his eyes widened slightly before he leaned forwards, asking sharply: “Datura?”

Datura blinked, looking disbelievingly at the soldier before his eyes widened slightly and he said in a stunned voice: “Royce? But... you were...”

Royce laughed, the huge earth pony shaking his head as he replied with a grin: “Oh, I've changed, have I? Son of a bitch, look at you! I heard that you were being dragged back here but... I never actually expected...”

He quieted, studying Datura intently for a few moments before he shook his head slowly, and Datura smiled briefly before he said finally: “You were a unicorn the last time I saw you. Now you look and feel like an earth pony.”

“I stopped using my horn about thirty years ago. After about ten of getting no exercise apart from me occasionally using telekinesis to fling a book at my alarm clock, it just kind of... started to shrink. Until one day, poof, it vanished, and here I am.” The stallion paused meditatively. “Glad not every part of our body works like that.”

Datura sighed tiredly, shaking his head briefly before Royce stopped, then said quietly: “I still owe you one for breaking my leg, you know.”

“You didn't care about the fact I broke your leg as much as you did me biting you, as I recall.” Datura remarked dryly, and then he smiled briefly before looking ahead, saying quietly: “In my defense, you were the first pony that Celestia ever sent to try and retrieve me.”

“In my defense, I thought that meant by any means necessary. And I didn't expect your cheap-ass terror powers.” Royce halted, then he smiled briefly before looking up and shouting down the line: “Everypony, get ready to move in! Escort this asshole to the Princess by any means necessary!”

Royce firmly slapped Datura's back, and the scarred stallion glanced in surprise at the Royal Guard, who only smiled back at him. “Don't overthink it. One day I'm going to smash you in a fair fight. But until then, we can use your help.”

“I don't know if this is coincidence or dumb luck.” Datura said dryly, and then he smiled ironically. “You know, if this was a story, I'd say it was bad writing.”

“Life is full of bad writing. Look at how many crappy decisions people make on a daily basis.” Royce replied with a shrug, and then he gave a brief smile. “Unless you're trying to say you're afraid of going in, that is, and you need my boys to soften 'em up a bit more for you...”

“Stop stalling, Royce. I'm eager to bust Terrance's face.” Datura retorted, and Royce laughed before he suddenly became serious, leaning down and meeting Datura's eyes.

“Fine, but one warning: Terrance's machine is generating some kind of energy that interferes with magic. You might not feel it out here, but once you get close enough, it's going to make your brain sizzle. Don't go berserk, asshole.”

Datura only smiled wryly, then he looked forwards and said quietly: “It's a promise. Now come on. Let's move.”

Royce nodded firmly, then stepped back and pointed forwards, shouting at the Royal Guard on either side of the broken doors: “Go!”

The unicorn soldiers on either side of the doors both immediately snapped their horns to the side, gritting their teeth as they forced either damaged door to swing open, and the unit of Royal Guard charged quickly through, with Datura bringing up the rear and refusing to look back, even as Royce shouted 'good luck' after them.

They charged up a short set of stairs, then burst out of a shattered hatch and onto the enormous rooftop of the tower: the moment they stepped outside, Datura stumbled, his eyes bulging in pain as he felt an immense wave of psychic force rip through his mind. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stagger after the still-moving line of soldiers even as he looked hurriedly around, his eyes widening with horror at what he saw.

Ponies clashed on all sides, fighting each other, fighting Avatars, fighting monstrous Figments that looked like both beast and machine. Dozens of Trueborn lay dead, and Datura could only imagine how many Avatars had fallen as well... but more were climbing up the sides of the tower, while others dropped from enormous airships, and a few even portaled in using both magic and technology.

Datura gritted his teeth before his eyes locked on a flash of golden magic: there was Celestia, trying to fight her way towards some kind of barrel-shaped structure on the outer edge of the structure. His escort of soldiers was pushing straight for her, trampling any enemy in their way as the unicorns of the group created a wide magical barrier around them: weak, but easy to maintain and still powerful enough to deflect or slow any ranged attacks that came their way.

But then Datura's eyes flicked towards the center of the tower, and he gritted his teeth at what he saw there: Terrance, seated in a small tower occupied solely by him. It was surrounded by curving stairs that led up into the open, covered platform the pony was inside, but he was protected by some kind of forcefield that extended between the enormous columns supporting the domed roof above his head.

Without thinking, the scarred stallion broke away from the group: dealing with Terrance was more important. The stallion gritted his teeth as he ran forwards, his eyes glowing with hate as his mind sizzled with the energy in the air-

Terrance's eyes suddenly turned sharply towards him, and then he grinned before shouting: “Cease fighting!”

Waves of amplified mental force rolled through the air, and Datura flinched and stumbled to a halt as Figments, Avatars, and Trueborn all ceased fighting across the rooftop. There was only dead silence for a moment, and Datura gritted his teeth as Terrance sat back in his throne, smiling contritely as he clapped his hooves slowly before remarking: “Well, my my. It looks like you managed to get away from that child locked in the basement.”

“I guess you underestimated how good I am at killing things.” Datura said coldly, striding forwards and shoving his way through the ponies as he glared up at Terrance... and now that he was able to focus better on him, he could see that he was wearing some kind of strange... crown. And his corrupted eye saw such... energy flowing around him... “What have you done?”

“Oh, excellent, yes. You see, I was so rudely interrupted when I tried to explain the first time what I have here.” Terrance said pleasantly, reaching up and tapping his crown calmly. “But you've always been a curious sort, haven't you, Datura?”

Datura smiled grimly... and across the battlefield, Whisper whispered his name and Sally looked up in shock, trembling hard. But Celestia only smiled faintly, looking across the crowd of ponies before she closed her eyes tightly.

Her horn gave the faintest golden gleam, and Datura frowned a bit as he felt himself... nudged. A mental, magical nudge, and he cocked his head slightly, his own horn responding with a thrum as his mental powers stretched out, even as Terrance began to monologue away about his 'divine creation.'

Datura only paid attention to the broad strokes as Terrance rambled away, ever-so-proud of himself: the gist was simple enough. He'd easily been able to disable all the rift machine's security and move it upstairs to his private research tower, where he'd been experimenting with the technology for the last few years. He'd found a way to use it to override the laws of Equestria using special machinery: a miniaturized version of this machine had been hidden away where the rift machine had once been, and then keyed to Death Oppressor, giving him unlimited power in a zone Terrance had purposefully kept very small.

And then Terrance had built a much, much larger version of that same machine here, but modified it further: to make it even more effective, to allow him to alter reality on an even larger scale, Terrance had designed the machine so it absorbed the thoughts and beliefs of Avatars from across Equestria. It crystallized his very will, brought forth any thought he had into reality, allowed him to tamper with the lives and fates of anyone in Equestria...

Datura ignored the rest, turning more of his attention towards Celestia as Terrance blabbered on about how all this fighting was just releasing more energy into the air, making him stronger. The stallion could feel a mental message from her...

Terrance began to slow, perhaps realizing that Datura was no longer paying attention to him, but even as he began to narrow his eyes dangerously at Datura, he couldn't help but brag: “And of course, I decided to test if I could modify the rift through this machine as well, since it contains many of the same parts and principles... and what would you know? I actually pulled through an Avatar from my home town who had never even heard of My Little Pony...”

Sally looked up sharply in disbelief, and then she stepped forwards, asking disbelievingly: “You? You're the reason why I'm here?”

Terrance laughed loudly, turning his eyes towards Sally as he replied easily: “It was just an experiment, and you are nothing more than a result, a... calculation that exceeded my expectations. Now I just need to learn to control this, and imagine the power I can give myself! My talent has always been for diplomacy, for... figuring out the right thing to say. I speak, and others listen. Now imagine, with all this power, if I can drag a... a corporate mastermind, a country's president, a world leader into Equestria, into my Equestria! I could milk them of all their secrets... and then, when we return to reality, imagine how powerful I'll be, knowing every password, every code phrase, every secret of every important nation!”

Terrance laughed again, grinning as he looked down at his hooves before he whispered: “No one will ever treat me like I am a nothing ever again. Look at me, Datura! You might weave dreams, but I weave reality! My powers are now far, far beyond your comprehension!”

Datura ignored him, keeping his eyes closed for the moment as he breathed slowly in and out, and the stallion scowled darkly at him, pointing at him and saying sharply: “Listen to me!”

Datura flinched, stumbling backwards... and then he slowly looked up as he felt that mental nudge from Celestia again, the scarred stallion looking fearlessly up at Terrance as Terrance frowned back at him, before Datura said quietly: “No.”

Terrance stared, lowering his hoof in disbelief as whispers of shock ran through the crowd, and Datura cracked his neck before he straightened, looking coldly up at Terrance. He could feel the psychic force hitting his mind... but Terrance's powers were getting lost in the cracks in his fragmented personality and bouncing uselessly off his stubborn psyche... and even more than that, he could feel hands gripping his shoulders, and hear a whisper guiding him. Terrance boomed and thundered and had incredible power, but he had something more watching over him. He had more than just a reason to fight: he had a promise to fulfill, to a person whose courage and strength had always been his entire reason to be...

The two looked at each other, and then Datura leaned forwards and said coldly: “If we shut down your machinery, we shut down you. You've always been a moron, Terrance: you think you have the upper hoof here, but do you really?”

“Yes, Celestia and her little soldiers did destroy one of my Zealot Casks, but so what? Let them destroy all of them! My machine will still run, and I'll still have enough willpower, enough psychic strength, enough... whatever your puny mind wants to call it, to create anything I desire.” Terrance retorted, gesturing sharply outwards. “Watch, as so.”

Terrance smiled coldly as he thrusted a hoof into the air, and a shape began to form... then became a massive bird. And a moment later, the bird burst into red flames, shaping and altering itself rapidly as it screamed loudly, the phoenix flapping its wings powerfully as Terrance said quietly: “You see, an even better than my power source... is the belief of others. My machine is designed not just to draw power from the Casks, but to make what is seen reality. And oh, Celestia has already tried crafting illusions of her own, but you see, my machine inhibits magic, very specifically, as well. You're free to try yourself if you want, Datura, but no form of magic will work here.”

Datura felt Celestia's firm mental nudge to his mind as his instincts flared as well... and then he smiled slowly, licking his lips as he understood. He understood why he had been drawn upwards, why he had been so driven to unite his fragmented mind under one banner, why that energy in the air sizzled through his body.

“One problem, Terrance. I'm a Dream Weaver. And before Celestia watered down the Dream Weaver program, do you remember how we were trained?” Datura asked coldly, and his eyes glowed with psychic power as he rose his head high, before Terrance's eyes widened as reality trembled violently, the entire world starting to darken around them.

The firebird turned sharply towards Datura, screaming before it began to lunge forwards on instinct... and then it screamed in agony as a blast of lightning hammered down from the clouds above, spasming and quaking before simply exploding in midair into ashes and flames that were quickly scattered by a brutal blast of wind.

There was silence for a moment, and Terrance snarled, his eyes glowing with hatred as he leaned forwards, but Datura only laughed before he leaned forwards and shouted: “Let's have a battle of wills, Terrance! Because I'm willing to bet that I can kill anything you throw at me!”

“P-Protect the Zealot Casks! Don't let them destroy those casks!” shouted Terrance, looking back and forth before he gritted his teeth, his eyes glowing as he said coldly: “I'll deal with this weakling myself. This has been a long time coming, Datura.”

Datura only laughed again, his whole body thrumming with psychic malice as he leaned forwards, feeling darkness, and cold determination, and a need to stop this tyrant at any cost all flowing through him and further empowering him as he retorted: “I just hope you don't die too quickly, Terry!”

Terrance snarled in anger, and the Figments across the rooftop all vanished one after the other before a terrible, ominous energy began to gather rapidly, but Datura only grinned and rose his head high, malice leaking from his body as he whispered: “The Valkyries will guide my path, and Hel shall walk beside me.”

A titan of fire and golden armor burst free from the rift, hefting an enormous battle axe as it stomped quickly towards the scarred stallion, but Datura only laughed as he flicked his horn, a blast of mist erupting through the air around him before it transformed into terrible, skeletal death, a hooked scythe hanging from one skeletal hand and sockets glowing with hellish light.

Titan and Death clashed, and Datura grinned as he cracked his neck, saying hungrily: “Let's start with the bar low. Let's play. I want to enjoy this game!”

But even though his eyes glowed with malice, and a cruel grin masked his face, his thoughts were calm and lucid as he promised silently: I will buy them all the time I can. And I am going to finish this, one way or the other.

And as Figment and nightmare clashed together, Trueborn and Avatars surged against one another, one side determined to protect their home, their nation, their way of life... and the other desperate not to lose the paradise they had been promised, even if it meant following in the wake and ways of a tyrant.

To Endure And Sacrifice, Part II

Chapter Fourteen: To Endure And Sacrifice, Part II
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally flapped her wings hard, zigzagging sharply back and forth before she crashed with a whinny into the side of one of the Zealot Casks. Moving quickly, she leapt hurriedly towards the controls, seizing into one of the large valves and spinning it as fast as she could as Splinthoof maanged to skid in beside her, the stallion turning around and creating a magical barrier that deflected a shotgun blast from a panicking Crossworlder.

“Guys! We're under attack here, I need-” And then the Crossworlder howled as a Royal Guard tackled him and slammed a hoof fiercely straight down into his face with a loud, distinct crunch.

Splinthoof looked sharply back and forth, not letting the cracked magical barrier drop yet as Sally continued to turn the valve rapidly, snarling as the needle on the pressure valve rapidly rose into the red. The piping began to shake and tremble, and then she leapt backwards and flapped her wings hard, propelling herself quickly around to the other side of the cask to spin the valve there as well.

The cask began to rumble, steam hissing out of it in every direction as that sense of energy coming from it intensified, and Splinthoof looked over his shoulder before he shouted as he dropped his barrier: “Okay, this one's done! I need-”

And then a ray of golden light shot past him, and the stallion's eyes widened before he hurriedly bolted away from the cask as Sally zipped into the air with a wince. The casks couldn't be destroyed by turning up the pressure and heat alone, but when you pumped more energy into them on top of that...

The cask began to glow distinctly, and Celestia quickly stepped backwards before half-shielding herself with one wing, and a moment later there was a tremendous flash and boom of sound, the entire tower shaking with the force of the explosion as a geyser of raw magical energy shot high into the air.

And in the middle of the battlefield, the massive Titan Figment that Terrance had created arched its back as if in sudden agony, and the vision of Death summoned by Datura slammed its hooked scythe cruelly into the side of the Titan's neck before yanking viciously to the side, lopping its head off in one swift pull.

The Figment exploded in a blast of flame and metal, but the debris of its body vanished rapidly into motes and energy before it could hit the ground. And Datura only laughed loudly as the specter floated ominously above him, the scarred stallion leaning forwards and jeering: “What's wrong, Terrance? Are we playing too rough with your toys?”

Terrance shouted in anger, then he leaned forwards, roaring: “Why don't you try this on for size, Datura? I know how much you love them!”

There was a crackle of thunder, and then electricity hammered across the ground before it formed rapidly into a massive, hissing centipede. But Datura only grinned widely, his eyes gleaming: Terrance was pissed off, and it was affecting his concentration: the monster he'd created was lopsided and ugly, moving in a bizarre shuffle as it rushed towards his undead champion.

The vision of Death swept down fearlessly, and the centipede made a sloppy lunge... and was easily intercepted in midair by a swing of the hooked scythe, which tore completely through the bug-beast's face. Terrance yelled in frustration at this... and then he stumbled backwards and covered his face automatically when the reaper flung the corpse of the bug straight at him, making his tower rattle and the forcefield protecting him fizzle.

“Why don't you come out and fight me like a stallion, Terrance? I promise I won't even use my teeth!” Datura challenged, eyes glowing with malice as he spread his forelegs wide. He was fearless as he stood in a safe pocket of the battlefield, even as Avatars and Trueborn warred all around him... but none of them dared to approach him, let alone attack him. He didn't know if they were scared of him, or scared of what Terrance would do to them if they interfered... but either way, Datura thought it was the wisest choice any of them could make.

Datura really could care less right now about the fate of Equestria, or about whether or not he was doing good or evil. All he cared about was beating Terrance at his own game: this duel was personal.

Terrance shouted at him angrily, his cool completely lost, and Datura grinned even as Terrance shoved a hoof forwards and created several massive swords that shot through the air and slammed into the vision of Death. The reaper floated backwards before the huge swords exploded one after the other, tearing the nightmare-made-real apart and making Datura flinch slightly as his mind flexed and pain spread through his body... but then he only looked up and mocked: “You're cheating, Terry! I'm pretty sure we're just supposed to summon monsters. You know, like cards games! Card games on motorcycles!”

“Shut up!” Terrance shouted furiously, then he shoved a hoof towards Datura... but Datura simply grinned and leaned forwards, shielding himself with a bubble of psychic force that easily withstood the meteors that crashed viciously down into it in a savage hail. “I am-”

“You're weak, Terrance! You're weak and stupid, and there's no way you can win!” shouted Datura, and Terrance roared in fury before he leaned forwards, eyes blazing before he stomped his hooves into the ground... and Datura smiled grimly as two massive, mechanical monsters rapidly formed in front of Terrance's tower: one was shaped like some kind of terrible, mechanical dinosaur, with immense cannons sticking over its shoulders, while the other was some kind of bipedal war machine... but who doesn't love a good robot anime, right, Terry? Even when you're pissed as hell, you're still summoning up things that other people are going to half-recognize. It's like with Death Oppressor... except everyone who sees these things are helping shape it, make them more dangerous, give them more power.

And it was the same for him, too, Datura knew, as he flicked his horn sharply upwards, an immense tree ripping out of the tower floor in front of him, growing rapidly towards the sky. Its trunk split, becoming leg-like as roots slithered against the ground, and branches thickened into monstrous limbs as it leaned forwards, Datura saying calmly, knowing that Terrance would hear him: “One tree, Terrance. That's all I need to take down your technocrap.”

Terrance growled, then retorted sharply, Datura hearing his voice as if he was snarling right into his ear: “I know what you're doing, you cocky little bastard, and it's not going to work. But you are not a threat to me, do you understand me? You are just the biggest nuisance in my way right now. The wonderful thing about this machine is that I will be able to restore the Zealot Casks with my mind alone once I've squashed you. So okay, you have my attention. And if your friends somehow push back the factions, well... then they've done me the favor of sorting out the chaff from the grain, haven't they? If you think I actually care about any of these Avatars, then you're an idiot! But I am no idiot, Datura, I know the truth of this world! No friendships, only those who are used, and those who are users!”

“Terrance...” Datura halted, then he looked down for a moment before shaking his head briefly, saying softly: “No matter how much the world has hurt you, it never gives you the right to hurt the world in return. Just because some people are traitors, you can't treat everyone like they're going to betray you. Sure, it might keep you 'safe...' but in the long run, it will mean you will be alone, miserable, and broken for the rest of your life.”

Terrance reared back, caught off guard by this as he trembled for a moment... then he leaned forwards and hissed: “How dare you talk to me like that, you... you traitor! You turned on me!”

“I never meant to. I apologize for it. And even sick and insane, I know that I should have done better.” Datura said steadily, looking fearlessly up... and it was as if he could see through the monstrous illusions they had crafted to war with one another, to gaze directly into Terrance's eyes. “But all I can offer you is my forgiveness. I can't stop fighting you just because once upon a time we were friends, and I screwed that up. Me wronging you in the past doesn't make you any less in the wrong now. Wrong never justifies wrong.”

“There is no right or wrong. There is only power.” growled Terrance, steadying himself even as he breathed a little harder, even as his monsters swayed with his wavering convictions, before he suddenly leaned forwards and shouted: “No! This is another cheap trick! You have no feelings, Datura, you're a monster, a freak, a narcissist! You can't have a sudden change of heart, you're... trying to confuse me again!”

Datura only smiled briefly, and then he said softly: “No change of heart, Terrance. I only just now found the balls to say what I think, that's all.” He stopped, then smiled again, looking up as his eyes hardened. “Your move, Terrance. And if you know one thing about me, you know that no matter your decision is... I won't back down from what I have to do.”

Terrance's eyes flicked back and forth as he shifted indecisively for a moment... and then he swallowed thickly, looking out to the side and staring in disbelief as another Zealot Cask exploded in a tremendous blast of light and sound, and both of the Figments he'd created buckled and moaned in pain, shifting back and forth weakly as energy washed over them. They had figured out too quickly how to overload the machinery... had he really designed them that badly, or were the ponies really that smart? Had he made a mistake here?

There was only one Zealot Cask left... and then that would leave just the emergency reserves beneath his control tower, and his own will. But if he surrendered, then the factions he'd rallied to his side... they would all think he was weak. Even worse, they would all turn on him... and would Celestia treat him so kindly? She would force him to put the rift machine back together... she would force him to go home, to return to the hellish real world he had escaped from...

Terrance gritted his teeth, then he leaned forwards, shouting in desperation as much as anger: “All forces move to protect the last Zealot Cask! We must not lose it!”

“So that's your choice.” Datura muttered, and then he leaned forwards, squaring his shoulders as the Figments that Terrance had created both sprung to life, the mechanical tyrannosaur roaring as it charged forwards and the other machine gearing loudly up as rose an arm that ended in a large cannon.

Celestia's eyes narrowed as she heard Terrance's order, and then she rose her head and shouted: “All unicorns! Draw towards me, we'll overpower that machine from here!”

“Kill Celestia! Kill her before she can organize her soldiers!” roared another voice, and the Princess of the Sun looked up in shock she knew she shouldn't feel... but to hear these Avatars, these people she had welcomed, these people who even as she'd fought against them, she'd sworn she'd felt sadness and panic from more than anything else, now calling for her head...

She created a shield in front of herself, then stumbled backwards with a wince as bullets pounded savagely into the other side of the golden barrier, the mare swearing under her breath even as she felt her magic reinforced by the Royal Guard rushing to her side. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to hurt them, to kill them, to drive them out of her nation... but even as tears rolled down her cheeks from strain and pain, she knew she had no choice anymore. One way or another... this all had to come to an end.

Except all fire was being concentrated on her now, even as enemy Avatars clustered around the remaining Zealot Cask, shielding it with their bodies, with technology, with magic. With the rest of them all concentrating their attacks on her and her guards, it was impossible to direct the soldiers into what she knew had to happen...

Sally looked wildly back and forth, then stared in horror as a massive explosion ripped through the air, watching as Datura's tree-monster tore one of Terrance's Figments in half... but even as the beast dissolved, the other machine was slowly sawing the tree-beast in half, broken branches and chunks of limb crumbling down in a hail as Datura winced backwards, bleeding from one ear as he tried to maintain control over the devastated tree-beast...

All around her, ponies, Avatars, everything was dying. Everything was in chaos, and it felt like there was nothing she could do to help, and it was maddening. Splinthoof was yelling for her, and Whisper was shouting wordlessly as she tackled an enemy soldier, tears streaming down her face even as she pounded her bloody hooves down into him...

The horse mind screamed at her, and her human need to do something joined it, and before Sally even knew what she was doing, she turned and shot around towards the flank of the group of Avatars around the Zealot Cask, slamming directly into the thickly-packed Avatars and bowling them over like dominoes before she kicked her legs and flapped her wings wildly in panic, not even entirely aware of what she was doing as she streaked upwards into the air.

Bullets and blasts of magic tore through the air around her, but Sally didn't notice even as a few lucky rounds tore bloody gouges down her body, her eyes rolling in her head before she spun around and divebombed the group again. Faction Avatars yelled in shock, distracted, panicked, before Sally screamed as a blast of magic homed in on her and blasted her out of the air.

But her wild, kamikaze attack had given other soldiers an idea of what to do, Pegasus Guard leaping to the air with snarls of desperation as they circled in on either side of the clustered Avatars. And no matter how many of them there were, the Factions were incoherent: they couldn't work together beyond trying to fight the same enemy, and even then they jostled and shoved at each other.

And before Sally could hit the ground, she felt herself caught in a powerful foreleg, the mare blinking stupidly... then staring up in shock at the sight of a massive earth pony mare who said cheerfully: “Is fortunate that you are easy to see, little bird!”

“Vodka!” Sally gasped as she sat up, then she gaped as she saw Dead Ringer striding fearlessly towards her, as Wolf Colt's howls cut through the air and Royal Guard and Avatars both looked up in shock at the freaks and Figments that strode fearlessly into their ranks. “But... how-”

“Didn't I say we would try and join you in Canterlot?” Dead Ringer asked calmly, and then he reached up and tilted his hat back with a grin, even as his eyes remained serious. “Work this business as long as I have, and you learn to always keep your word.”

Sally laughed disbelievingly, and then she dropped to her hooves before beginning: “We need to destroy that-”

“You just rest, little lady. I already know. Fortunately, I've always been at my best on a high-pressure stage.” Dead Ringer said calmly, and then he gestured quickly upwards with his cane... and Sally gaped as a massive safe appeared above Vodka, the massive mare grinning as she reached up to easily catch this. “If you'd be a dear.”

“Do svidaniya i udachi!” Vodka roared cheerfully, and then she leaned forwards and slung the huge, rectangular box viciously at the clustered Avatars, and there were yells of panic and terror before it crashed into their ranks, slamming and bouncing through the group before vanishing in a burst of motes.

“Now! Focused ray!” roared Celestia, as the Avatars guarding the Zealot Cask machine broke completely into chaos for a moment, and the mare snapped her head forwards as the unicorns gathered in front of her all mimicked her movements, rays of magic all shooting outwards and coalescing into one massive, spinning beam.

It smashed through the Avatars, knocking a few of the luckier ones flying but disintegrating the others it hit before the beam pounded savagely into the Zealot Cask, making the drum-shaped machine grind backwards as it glowed brightly... and then a moment later, exploded in a thunderous, deafening blast that took the rooftop around it with it, Avatars flying in all directions with screams of agony as Pegasus Guard were buffeted backwards with gasps from the power of the shockwave.

Celestia clenched her eyes shut, stumbling backwards and breathing hard... but she knew they'd had no other choice. She swore under her breath, trembling, taking a moment all the same... then made herself turn away from the smoky, half-collapsed ruin of the tower edge where the Cask had been, shouting in a voice that quavered only slightly with pain: “Subdue all remaining enemies!”

“R-Retreat! Retreat!' screamed a terrified voice as Terrance and Datura's warring monsters both sparked out of existence, and Terrance turned with a cry of denial as he watched Pegasi take to the air and other Faction ponies scatter. Some of the airships overhead were already turning away... while Royal Guard had taken the initiative and flown up to others, attacking wings and balloons and rudders to disable the aerial transports.

Terrance turned with a snarl towards Datura, who glared back, before the desperate earth pony Avatar shouted angrily from behind his weakening forcefield: “The Zealot Casks boosted you even more than they did me! I still have more than enough power to destroy you, Datura, and you won't be able to-”

Datura snapped his head upwards, and massive vines ripped out of the ground on all sides of Terrance's tower, constricting the stone structure with enough force to crack the polished marble. Terrance staggered as his tower was almost torn out of the ground, before he shouted in fear as the vines smashed against the forcefield surrounding him, making it spark and ripple as Datura retorted: “Your machine is still running and all that energy is still burning in the air! This fight only ends when one of us gives out under the pressure!”

Terrance shouted in anger, then he lashed a hoof to the side, and the vines crushing his tower burst into flames, burning quickly away to ashes before he leaned forwards and snarled: “Then I relish the chance to put you in your place!”

Terrance leaned forwards, his crown sparking and the earth pony hissing through his teeth as a shockwave of force ripped over the tower, knocking ponies stumbling before they all stared in amazement as a massive, armored knight appeared, clad in white armor and carrying an immense golden sword. It rose its kingly head proudly, readying a heavy kite shield at its other side, and Datura grinned coldly before he leaned forwards and roared his challenge as he poured everything he had into summoning a creature of his own.

And oh, it hurt now: he could feel it draining away his life, he could feel pain tearing through his body: but it only drove him forwards, made him all the more determined to win this battle of terrors as a massive, skeletal dragon appeared overtop him, rotten flesh hanging off its yellowed bones, hellish light glowing out of its sockets as it leaned towards the glowing knight and roared. They were almost the same size, and yet his fierce and monstrous dragon seemed to tower over the valiant knight.

The knight charged, and Datura's dragon pounced, the two crashing together as the dragon bit and slashed, flaying armor into pieces as the knight stabbed his sword upwards again and again, smashing bone and flesh apart. And then the two shoved apart before the knight leapt forwards in spite of the light bleeding out of the massive rips all through his armor, slapping his shield across the dragon's face before he slashed downwards, decapitating the beast in one fell blow.

The undead dragon gargled, brackish blood bursting from the stump of neck as Datura hissed in pain and twitched to the side, blood bursting from one of his ears... before he suddenly bared his teeth in a grin, and then Terrance shouted in denial and shock as the headless dragon tackled his knight backwards, crashing into it and crushing it down beneath its weight as both claws crumpled the shining knight's chest in like tin.

Both Figment and nightmare burst apart into white and black motes that swirled wildly through the air, and then Terrance leaned forwards and shouted, in spite of his bloody nose: “You want a monster? I'll show you a monster!”

The white motes coalesced, thunder rumbling through the air before enormous metal plates and pieces of stone began to appear in midair, shivering before they started to slam and stack themselves together. And in less than a minute, a massive golem had assembled itself from steel and rock, with an emotionless, glaring face, boulders and sharp spikes of metal floating ominously all around the gangly-limbed beast.

It gestured sharply forwards, and a boulder shot down like a meteor, but Datura quickly leapt to the side before he snarled and lashed his horn out, and the massive rock was knocked flying to the side, ponies scattering away as the heavy stone smashed and bounced across the rooftop. Then the scarred stallion looked fearlessly up as he said mockingly: “Can't you come up with something more original?”

Terrance snarled, and the golem began to step forwards... then suddenly creaked loudly, and Terrance stared in disbelief before he shouted in horror as massive vines suddenly tore out of the golem's joints, ivy and hellish green life crawling rapidly over the stone beast as it staggered uselessly back and forth.

Rock and metal began to collapse from its stony frame as its head gaped back with an almost-alive wail, and then vines and ivy tore upwards through the sockets of its eyes, uprooting its stony mask from its steel skull, and the golem stumbled before falling forwards. But even before it hit the earth, it dissolved into dust, and Datura simply smiled coldly as the stone settled around him, even as his own vines rapidly burned away to ashes as well. “You can't win.”

“Enough! Enough games! There's one thing you can't beat, Datura, that every pony here believes in more than anyone has ever believed in you!” shouted Terrance furiously, and then he turned towards Celestia, pointing at her and snarling: “You want to rule your nation? Then fine, let me help you become a strong queen!”

Celestia stared, then she screamed in agony, her back arching, her eyes bulging as energy sizzled over her frame before she collapsed lifelessly forwards. Datura stared in shock... then looked up as light slowly coalesced in front of the tower, ponies and Avatars both crying out and staring in shock as the glowing motes formed steadily into the shape of an immense winged unicorn.

And a moment later, a golden-armored, titanic Celestia formed, her amethyst eyes cold, her mane glowing like fire, her head raised proud and high as she spread her wings wide. She burned like the sun, glowing with holy magic... and Datura could feel the faith, the worship, the thousand-and-more years of devotion of every pony in Equestria only making this goliath stronger by the second.

Terrance pointed forwards even as blood ran from one of his eyes, saying coldly: “This game is over! Sun Goddess, bring down your judgment!”

The Sun Goddess stomped forwards, and a blast of force hammered across the rooftop, knocking Datura flying and sending ponies stumbling and sprawling. And Celestia only spasmed uselessly on the ground, her essence stolen, warped, twisted into something brutal and ruthless...

The Sun Goddess leaned down, and a laser of light shot from her horn, streaking over the ground towards Datura, who barely managed to fling himself out of the way. The laser left a trail of char behind it, slicing in half anything it touched, whether it was armor, stone... or the flesh of those unlucky enough to fail to avoid it.

Datura gritted his teeth, hesitating... and then phantasmal hands grasped into his shoulders, and voices in his mind all cried out in chorus: Save! Kill! Overcome!

And so Datura did the only thing he could do, his mind working at a thousand miles a minute as the very world darkened around them as black energy sizzled through the air all around him, then leapt upwards and became a swirling, hellish vortex that made the Sun Goddess pause and rear back.

And a moment later, a grinning face pushed slowly out of the blackness, chains snapping out and seizing the edges of the portal like it was a physical thing before a monstrous, horrific black mare began to yank herself free from the portal. Her bladed horn gleamed as brightly as her ivory fangs as her jaws gaped open, toxic drool dripping from her jaws as the titanic Night Goddess slipped loose from the portal, demonic wings spreading in challenge to the Sun Goddess as the bloody chains extending out of her back twisted and lashed back and forth. Her body was skeletal, and yet strangely thick at the same time, like the frame of her bones pushed outwards too far, making her look all the more freakish, and yet at the same time like her body held some terrible secret...

Smoke and fog belched out of the portal behind her, wrapping like a cloak around the mare and half-concealing her as the black vortex swirled shut, and Datura gritted his teeth, hoping this would work as he felt blood running from his mouth and nose. He couldn't hold on much longer... but if he could shatter this Sun Goddess...

Terrance laughed in disbelief, then he snorted before saying disgustedly: “Sun Goddess, wash away this... insult! I'm not playing games, Datura!”

The Sun Goddess leaned forwards, unleashing a blast of holy light... and the cloak of smoke and shadow simply absorbed it, glowing brightly for a moment. Night Goddess laughed mockingly, and Sun Goddess narrowed her eyes before the black mare's living chains teasingly slid forwards, mockingly forming the shape of a heart for a moment before they beckoned challengingly.

Terrance gritted his teeth, and Datura leaned forwards, saying coldly: “Waste all the magic you want. I know you can't maintain this illusion forever. I know you'll weaken. You always do, Terrance.. you've always been the kind of guy to hide and throw rocks from a distance.”

“Kill her. Kill her!” Terrance snarled, then he gestured sharply forwards, and a massive, gleaming golden sword appeared beside the Sun Goddess, the emotionless mare catching this in her psychic grip before Terrance roared: “Kill them both!”

The Sun Goddess charged, and Night Goddess smiled mockingly and withdrew into her cloak of shadows and smoke, even as the Sun Goddess snapped her horn forwards, sending out a tremendous blast of light energy that smashed into the cloak, making it glow brightly before Terrance grinned widely as the cloak began to finally burn away, laughing in triumph as the Sun Goddess stabbed her sword fearlessly forwards...

And there was a tremendous clank as the sword hit something that sounded like solid steel before it was deflected off to the side, the Sun Goddess staggering before chains lashed out of the glowing cloud of smog, seizing violently around the mare. Terrance leaned forwards, eyes widening... and then he screamed a denial as the smoke cleared, Datura chuckling quietly even as black blood dripped from his jaws, his corrupt eye, his ears; but oh, the throbbing pain was all worth it as Terrance saw too late that he hadn't summoned a night maiden: he had summoned an iron one, instead.

The Sun Goddess flailed uselessly in the bloody chains as the too-large chest of the Night Goddess gaped open, a maw filled with countless hungry, sharpened teeth. It grinned down at her, the steel, grinning face of the living torture device made only all the more terrifying by the scar the Sun Goddess had scored in the metal, and hundreds of voices seemed to whisper eagerly from its maw as the chains almost lovingly placed the Sun Goddess into the body of the maiden...

“B-Burn it! Destroy it with your magic!” Terrance almost screamed... and even as the Sun Goddess' horn glowed brightly, the doors slammed cruelly shut around her with enough force to snap the iron maiden's own chains.

The massive, living torture device seemed to giggle even as it began to glow with gold and orange light, Terrance leaning forwards with a grin... then he twitched suddenly, before gasping and clutching at his head as Datura said softly: “Looks like we're going to find out the answer to an age old question... can a Sun Goddess burn?”

Steam and smoke began to hiss up from the iron maiden as it started to melt and crack, even as it jiggled and bounced. Plates popped loose, and color vanished from the abomination as Datura clenched his eyes shut, grinning widely as he rode out the pain, feeling his body alternating weakening, then surging with power before he looked up and laughed loudly. And Terrance could only stare in horror as the iron maiden's front shattered... but what stepped out was no longer a Sun Goddess.

A hideous, defiled skeleton staggered free from the maiden, chains fused into its smoldering form, body half-crushed and disfigured and with melted spikes of metal still sticking out of it here and there. It looked as if pieces of metal had actually fused into it here and there... then melted and burned further, distorting it, warping it, leaving it even more broken and monstrous than it had already been.

Its mane and tail were nothing but fire, its face nothing but a half-crushed skull out of which shone vengeful, hateful light as its jaws gasped open, belching smoke and fire as it began to stagger towards Terrance. And Datura grinned, leaning forwards, pouring the last of his strength into shoving this devastated and hellish thing onward as Terrance staggered backwards, screaming: “No! No! No!”

The former Sun Goddess flung itself forwards, and it smashed brokenly into Terrance's tower before erupting with a scream in a blast of hellfire and reeking smoke. The earth pony Avatar's tower quaked and shook, before tottering backwards as the roof shattered and most of the structure collapsed in a hail of burning rock, Datura smiling coldly even as he was knocked stumbling as shockwaves rippled through the cracked roof beneath him.

Slowly, the world began to settle... and then Datura dragged himself calmly forwards as ponies on all sides began to hesitantly close in. Datura breathed roughly in and out... then chuckled quietly and looked up as Terrance half-fell down the stairs, landing with a thud most of the way down the stone steps. “What did you expect, Terrance? I'm very good... at killing.”

Terrance snarled in fury, then he slowly began to pick himself up: he was bloody, bruised, and broken, and yet still he managed to get to his hooves. Datura would admire that... if so much of Terrance wasn't driven by hate and pride. “Y-You... ruined everything. You ruined everything!”

Terrance breathed hard in and out as he stumbled down to the bottom of the steps, knocking the remains of the melted, broken crown off his head before he snarled: “But I won't die alone.”

And Datura had a moment to cock his head almost curiously before Terrance yanked a revolver out of his suit jacket, pointing it at Datura and pulling the trigger twice.

One bullet, then a second tore into Datura's breast, shattering his ribs, ripping deep: he stumbled backwards, gurgling, as ponies only stared in shock. The scarred stallion wasn't aware of pain, only... weight, and surprise, and... a strange sense of betrayal, as he looked slowly up... and gazed down the blackness of the barrel of the revolver, as the hammer clicked back. And in that single moment, between the beginning and the end of the unstoppable reaction, Datura saw into Terrance, and Terrance looked back at Datura, and both of them saw regret as the scarred stallion's eyes flashed.

The final bullet slammed into Datura's head, his cracked horn shattering from the force along with his skull. His head whiplashed backwards as he staggered, then caught himself for a moment, staring blankly at the sky, before he simply collapsed on his side. And Terrance breathed hard in and out, trembling as he looked down at the corpse in front of him before he whispered weakly: “You were supposed to be my friend.”

Terrance looked at the revolver in his hoof as Datura's corpse began to dissolve into motes, then he simply shrugged before shoving the still-hot barrel of the weapon against his temple, closing his eyes tightly... but a moment later, his eyes snapped opened as something caught the weapon. He trembled for a moment, then stared weakly to the side as he saw a scarless Datura, smiling at him, holding the hammer back so the gun couldn't fire. “No.”

Something seized into his other shoulder, and a voice whispered silkily into his ear, from a monster with eyes that glowed like spotlights: “It's not going to be that easy.”

And Terrance trembled weakly as he looked straight ahead, staring into the eyes of Datura as the stallion leaned forwards and said in a quiet, cold voice: “I finish what I start, Terrance. You think a little thing like killing me is going to stop me?”

Terrance mouthed wordlessly... and all around him, all eyes could only stare as Terrance seemed to gaze brokenly off into nothing as his gun shook wildly beside his head, as if something was fighting him for control of it. Then he tossed it suddenly down before stumbling backwards, covering his eyes and screaming: “No! No! You're not there! You're dead!”

Terrance looked up... and now, he was in a lonely white room, trapped in a cell with the three Daturas crowding in around him before the buzz of an intercom filled the air, and Datura's voice echoed down calmly: “A last gift, from me to you, old friend. A taste of what it's like to be me. My friends here... are going to educate you. You are going to help Celestia send the Avatars away... and you are going to leave quietly, and never, ever return.”

“Screw you! You're dead! You can't control me!” Terrance shouted furiously, pointing up at the ceiling... and then the monstrous Datura slapped him roughly across the face, knocking him sprawling, and Terrance stared in horror as the terrible creature leaned down over him with a wide grin.

“The mind controls the body. What you believe, is real.” said the monster, then it reached up and slowly dug a claw along Terrance's chest, a cut forming in his flesh... in this world, and in reality, as ponies stared down at his weakly-spasming body with shock. “It's time to play.”

“We'll take care of you.” promised the scarred, innocent Datura.

“We'll make sure you learn.” said the cold, compassionless Datura.

And the monster only laughed as it reached down and seized Terrance by the throat, eyes blazing as it said gleefully: “We're going to have all sorts of fun!”

In reality, Terrance screamed... and Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head, sighing softly as she looked silently down at Terrance, her head still swimming with exhaustion from being drained so suddenly, but her strength returned enough to... make sure she saw an end to this.

And yet, for all her compassion and all her mercy, she only gazed at Terrance as he spasmed and cried out in terror and pain he had earned himself... and reflected silently that perhaps in the Equestria the Avatars had created, there would always be a need for ponies like Datura to keep the ponies like Terrance at bay.

Then she quietly turned her eyes towards Sally and Whisper, who were both crying, standing over the broken, stained rooftop where Datura had died... and Celestia quietly wished that this place really could be as simple and as pure as the Avatars had always believed it to be.

But no matter how pure and good the world was, there would always be shadow; and when you gave people free will, there would always be those who would will harm upon others. Maybe it was all hopeless, really: maybe harmony and peace were nothing but lies, no matter how long they lasted, between the eternal fate of war.

And then Celestia's ears pricked as Terrance blurted something, and she looked sharply to the side as the spasming Avatar threw his head back and shouted desperately: “Y-You win! I'll... I'll do it! I'll... I'll leave, I'll build her machine and leave and never come back, p-please!”

Celestia stared down at Terrance, and the Avatar gasped before he sat up, hugging himself and staring up at Celestia, pale and terrified and bleeding from the nose and ears... but all the same, he whispered: “I'm sorry. I'll... f-fix it all. I'll fix it all. Just please don't let him hurt me anymore.”

And Celestia smiled faintly, then she nodded once before saying quietly: “Guards, take Terrance into custody. Then divide yourself into three groups: one to gather the injured, one to disarm and escort captured enemies to the dungeon, and one to join the army below and help ensure that the Avatar Factions have retreated from Canterlot. We have a lot of work to do.”

The Princess of the Sun halted, then turned and silently surveyed Whisper and Sally, before her eyes roved up over the battlefield, taking in all the damage, the horror, the destruction that they had faced... and promising that she would learn from this, and in the future, do a better job of protecting her nation... and the Avatars from themselves.

Sally sat quietly in front of the memorial that had been constructed in the main hall of Canterlot Castle, gazing over the names of the ponies that had died during Terrance's siege. They all commemorated on a massive set of stone tablets that stood in front of a statue of several ponies standing together... and Sally smiled briefly as she reached up and silently stroked along the stone. She wished Datura's name could be included on there, but he was an Avatar... and Celestia had promised that every Avatar who fought and fallen in that battle would be welcomed back to Equestria with honor, once the machine was rebuilt.

Sally had been asked if she wanted to stay... but she was honestly more than ready to go home. She longed to see her family, and... it was getting tougher and tougher to keep the normal her on top, and the horse-her on bottom. But having the Cirque du Noir around had helped... and she had been honestly surprised by how many of them seemed excited to go home. Then again, she imagined that while that kind of life was an adventure... the familiarity and the comfort of having an actual home to return to would have a magic all its own.

She sighed a little: she would miss these people, though: like Whisper, like Splinthoof... like Datura. She glanced away for a moment, biting her lip, then she shook her head quickly before gazing at her reflection in the fallen stone and saying quietly: “But I'm going to remember this. And I'm going to find him, one way or another.”

Her reflection agreed with her, and Sally smiled briefly before she stepped backwards and turned away. And she was somehow unsurprised to find Splinthoof was waiting for her in dress uniform, the stallion saying softly: “Brave of you to be the first one to volunteer for this, Sally.”

“Second. But I guess Terrance didn't really volunteer.” Sally smiled briefly, then she shook her head quickly before murmuring: “I'm... I'm eager to be out of here, anyway. It's the waiting that hurts the most right now, and... well... let's not waste time.”

“I'm... going to miss you.” Splinthoof said quietly, and Sally smiled softly before she leaned forwards and kissed his cheek gently, and the unicorn chuckled and reached up to touch this, blushing slightly before he gave her a hesitant nod.

She nodded back, and they lingered for a moment before turning. Sally tried to memorize every detail as they walked through the halls of Canterlot, but by the time they reached the portal chambers, she had of course forgotten everything. Everything except the ponies, the people, who had taken over her mind and heart.

She smiled radiantly as she stepped into the beautiful, dome-shaped room. Yet she had no eye for the décor or the details: only for Princess Celestia, and Whisper, and Splinthoof, as he walked up beside the ivory mare and then saluted awkwardly, saying quietly: “Whenever you're ready.”

Sally nodded firmly, then she took a slow breath before looking at the portal: it was large, oval shaped, the frame a beautiful silver that contained an almost-liquid, glowing energy... and with a single step through it, this body would be released, and she would be back home. Terrance had been the first to step through, after swearing he would never return to Equestria: Datura might have been cruel to him, but Sally couldn't dredge up much compassion for the little bastard. If anything, she thought he had gotten off easy.

She strode towards this, gazing intently into it before she smiled briefly, then turned her eyes towards Princess Celestia, whispering: “Thank you. I learned a lot while here.”

“Thank you, Sally O'Connor. I know this isn't your world, but you will always, always be welcome here.” Celestia said softly, then she stepped forwards, and Sally blushed as the Princess hugged her for a moment.

Then the alicorn slid back, and Sally's eyes turned to Whisper. They smiled at each other, then traded a fierce hug before Whisper murmured: “Remember me, okay? But as long as you remember to look for me or Datura...”

“I'll find one of you, and that means I'll find both.” Sally promised, and then she reached up and gently punched her hoof against Whisper's. Then the Pegasus Avatar turned a smile towards Splinthoof, saying softly: “And you. You be good.”

Splinthoof saluted her, then smiled and traded his own tight hug with her, holding it for a few long moments before they pulled apart.

Sally smiled around at all these friends she had made, licking her lips slowly for a moment before she turned her eyes ahead... and then she took a slow breath before stepping forwards towards the portal and whispering: “I'm ready. Everyone... thank you, and... goodbye.”

Sally O'Connor leapt into the portal... and then, she was simply gone.

Epilogue: Here We Are

Epilogue: Here We Are
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally O'Connor had done her best to make herself look nice, but that basically amounted to braiding her hay-blonde hair and making sure her clothes weren't covered in grass stains or manure. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt... and a huge, fur-lined coat, shivering a little as she hugged herself tightly and glowered up at the gray, listless skies above.

She had a backpack on the ground beside her, and she wrinkled her nose as she glared up at the apparently-endless snow falling from the sky. It was just a light powder, but there was already plenty of it on the ground and she was freaking cold. Sure, she could go back inside the crappy excuse for an airport here, but... the place kind of creeped her out. And that jackass was supposed to meet her soon. At least, he had better, or she was getting back on the damned plane and leaving, because it was too cold here for people to live.

Then she scowled as a man sauntered towards her, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, big black stetson on his head, headphones covering his ears. His big boots were scuffed and his pants were torn and his hair was shaggy and he looked just like the jackass she had been waiting for, the woman scowling at him... or at least, doing her best to hide the smile that began to spread over her face. “Hey. Where were you?”

He only shrugged amiably, then reached up and pulled his headphones off. “Hey, I walked here. It's not my fault the planes arrived on time for the first time ever.”

Sally frowned at him, then asked slowly: “And how are we going to get back?”

“Walk?” he suggested, and she shot him a sour look. “What?”

“I am not walking through this.” Sally complained, and then she added grumpily: “And neither of us are horses anymore, anyway, so I would like a car. Go... walk back home and come back in a car.”

“Okay. I'll come back... tonight, at some point.” he said amiably, turning and beginning to walk away. Sally watched him, waiting for him to turn back at five... ten... fifteen feet away...

She swore angrily, then picked up her bag and charged after him before slinging her backpack at him, and he stumbled with a wince as it bounced off his back. “What the hell is wrong with you? You're already ruining this stupid vacation I took so we could actually hang out together!”

He spun around, glaring at her, and she glared back... and then he reached suddenly up and poked her in the cheek, saying seriously: “Smile.”

Sally stared at him... then smiled in spite of her best efforts not to before she said finally: “I hate you. I hate you so much.”

He replied by shrugging, then he stepped forwards, and the two hugged tightly for a few long moments before they pulled apart. Then the man smiled at her, reaching down to pick up her backpack and sling it on over one shoulder before he gestured ahead. “Come on. You'll enjoy the walk, trust me. And I thought it might be nice, considering how much we walked together in Equestria. You enjoyed that, right? Or am I mistaking 'pleasure' with 'intense hate' again?”

“Shut up, Datura.” Sally said mildly, and then she reached up and slapped him on the shoulder, and he smiled over at her before turning his eyes forwards, the two friends walking side-by-side together through the snow, weathering the storm together just as they had in another place and time... and ready to face the future, together.All you need for friendship,

Is the will to be someone's friend.

Author's Note

This was a childish and ridiculous story in a lot of ways. It needs an editing run quite badly - which I sadly don't know when I'll have time for - and there's a lot I wanted to explain I never got the chance to, and a lot I wanted to expand on that I didn't get to build up. But at the same time, writing this was very cathartic for me. And I've found that sometimes, that's a good enough reason to write a story.

Thank you everyone for sticking through this short journey with me. Soon I'll get back to my actual writing, don't worry, instead of bouncing along these silly paths. Your readership is always much appreciated and valued, though, especially when I meander down these weird little paths.

Of Gods And Monsters

Chapter Twelve: Of Gods And Monsters
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally didn't rest very well that night: she felt uncomfortable being alone, and she hated being stuck in the enclosed little room, as comfortable as it was. Something in her mind just kept railing against being trapped and on her own, craved the company of her friends. Her herd: Datura, the protector; Splinthoof, who had helped her clean and neaten her wings and she felt a sibling bond with; Whisper, who was quiet and anxious but good-hearted and fierce.

So after a few hours of sleep and a few more of tossing and turning, she had finally left the bedroom to pace through the corridors, if only to quell the awkward horse-thoughts running through her mind. And walking helped a lot: gave her a sense of going somewhere, down these big, open halls. Sure, the logical part of her knew she was just as trapped in here as she was in her room, but the feral part of her was soothed by the illusion of open space created by the wide corridor and high ceiling.

At some point, she'd heard a voice, and her ears had swiveled towards this. She had naturally found herself drawn by the sound, even if she'd tried to resist, knowing who it would be... but curiosity and that damned horse-brain got the better of her, until she found herself awkwardly peeking around a doorway and staring at the sight of Datura, sitting calmly in a den room... except he was alone.

He sipped slowly at a cup of tea in his hooves, eyes staring listlessly into a fireplace, a few bandages over some of his larger wounds... and then he suddenly laughed a little before shaking his head and saying quietly: “I know you're right. I know you are, it's... it's not that. It's... everything else. It's hard... how do I...”

He stopped, tilting his head as if he was listening to someone, and for a moment Sally thought he'd heard her... before the stallion sighed softly, then lowered his head as if he was ashamed, murmuring: “But I am a coward. Under everything else... I'm afraid. And I... I'm so tired. I'm so tired... why do I have to be the one to fix this? Do this, do that, keep your head high, smile smile smile, scare scare scare, don't ever let the bastards see you cry...”

Datura licked his lips, then he sipped at his tea and looked upwards before he scowled, muttering: “Easy for you to say.”

A pause, and Datura winced a bit before he twitched a little and rubbed absently at his face, mumbling: “You don't have to hit me.”

Another pause. “Alright. Alright, then I'll listen if you keep your damned hooves to yourself. But... maybe... maybe Terrance is right, much as I hate to say that. Look at me. I'm... I crave power, and Celestia knows that. Maybe this is why she needs me... I'm the only pony stupid and selfish enough to willingly help banish every other Avatar. Maybe I do just want to play god, I don't want to help...”

He quieted, then sighed softly before suddenly looking up, twitching and spilling a bit of his tea. He stared for a moment at the ceiling, then laughed weakly before looking down and whispering: “Don't tease me. But... but if... if Angel really is there with you, too, then tell her... I'm sorry.”

Datura quieted, then he sighed softly before closing his eyes, slumping back in his seat before he muttered: “I know. Yes, I know I'm not alone. Sally, stop being a jackass and get in here.”

Sally winced and flushed deep red, then she awkwardly strode forwards, stumbling a little over her own hooves and trying to figure out what to say before Datura tiredly held up a hoof, muttering: “Don't bother. My Valkyrie says hello, and that she likes you. Even if I think you're an ass.”

“Uh... hello?” Sally said uncomfortably, looking back and forth before she bit her lip as she looked back at Datura, asking quietly: “Where is she?”

“Right here.” Datura said softly, silently tapping his own breast, and there was silence for a few moments before Datura scowled and closed his eyes, muttering: “That was romantic drivel, not me admitting I'm insane and only responding to an auditory hallucination.”

“I'm sorry.” Sally said quietly: it felt like the only thing she could say. And Datura only shrugged slowly as he looked down, and there was silence for a few long moments before the Pegasus Avatar asked hesitantly: “Do you want to be alone?”

Datura looked up at her for a moment, and then he bit his lip before closing his eyes and shaking his head briefly. And Sally nodded as she sat quietly in a chair across from him, lowering her head and rubbing her front hooves together silently for a little while.

Finally, Datura simply... looked up, and he studied her moodily. His eyes were still full of pain, but he acted as if nothing had happened as he asked: “So you can't sleep?”

Sally shook her head briefly, and she studied him before questioning in return: “And what about you? Do you ever sleep?”

“A few hours, here and there. But otherwise... I try to avoid sleeping. Either I fall into emptiness, or I... have nightmares.” Datura looked down, grimacing a bit and muttering: “Funny. Me, afraid of my own nightmares. But I suppose we all have our demons, don't we?”

Sally smiled briefly, studying him silently for a few moments before she shook her head and replied quietly: “I think it's funny that you're running away from them. Every time we've been in a fight, you've run headlong into whoever was attacking us. And... I don't think I ever properly thanked you for that, by the way.”

Datura shrugged a bit, looking away and murmuring: “I have power in this world. I don't feel pain like you do. I get a thrill out of battle and I... enjoy the fighting, the killing. And at worst, they'll kill me, which... just sends me back home.”

Sally gazed at the stallion, at the way he shifted away, letting the messy bangs of his mane cover his eyes, and then she said softly: “You don't deserve to die.”

Datura smiled briefly, then he shrugged before putting his cup of tea aside, saying moodily: “You just missed Celestia, you know. A few minutes earlier and you would have had her to annoy instead of me. Are you sure you don't want to just go home before you go full horsetard?”

“I made a promise to you. Besides, the fact I'm going all... crazy, seems to give me a few advantages over you.” Sally said quietly, looking at him steadily: and she really could, too. She could read his body language, she could almost smell his emotions, she picked up on every little twitch and shift and the meanings behind the way his ears swiveled, the way his eyes moved... “You're going to do the right thing tomorrow.”

“I hope so.” Datura muttered, then he looked up at her moodily before saying distastefully: “You know, you've gotten a lot ballsier since we first met. But let's not forget I nearly made you pee yourself at that first meeting, too.”

Sally hesitated... then she suddenly leaned forwards, challenging: “Then do it to me again. But I'm not scared of you, Datura. I'm... I'm your friend, and I don't think you can hurt a friend.”

The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Datura smiled bitterly before his horn and corrupted eye both glowed, the stallion leaning forwards and seeming to glare into her very soul as he said coldly: “Then you don't know me at all.”

The room around her warped and distorted, bursting into black flames as chains and thorny vines tore out of the chair and seized around her. She could feel them, cutting into her, as the fires licked at her body, as Datura leaned forwards with a cold grin as his eyes glowed with hellish light and he became more monstrous by the moment, black drool leaking from his jaws. “Do you know what you are to me? Meat. And I thrive off of pain. The pain of others gives me strength, and strength is all that matters. You are weak. I am strong. That means you are my property. That means you are my prey.”

It hurt; oh god, did it hurt, and the Pegasus Avatar felt her whole body shaking with the pain... and yet she only continued to glare challengingly up at Datura as he leaned down in her face. His hot breath washed out over her, and she knew... she knew, without a doubt, that he wouldn't hesitate to rip her apart if she let him. She saw hellish knowledge in his eyes, and eagerness to act out his every desire on her, until she was broken, mutilated, left in a far worse state than merely 'dead...'

And yet, at the same time... she felt no fear of him, looking up into his eyes silently before she said quietly: “You won't hurt me. And you don't scare me anymore. Because I see you, and I see you.”

Datura looked down at her silently, and then Sally pulled against the chains and vines, hissing quietly in pain, but forcing herself to lean forwards all the same until her lips pressed gently to his cheek, and then she closed her eyes tightly and whispered: “Stop hiding behind this monster, you stupid son of a bitch, and get over yourself and whatever the hell the world did to you. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm not that world. And neither are you.”

There was silence for a few moments... and then suddenly, the pain was gone, and instead they were floating in a sea of stars. Sally looked back and forth in surprise as she held up her forelegs, then she looked over at Datura as he quietly sat beside her, no longer monstrous, but just... a scarred old stallion who smiled briefly at her before he looked ahead and said quietly: “I hate you.”

“Good. I hate you too.” Sally replied after a moment, and the two gazed silently out through the starry endlessness before the mare asked: “Is this... a dream?”

“Yes.” Datura shrugged a bit, then he gestured outwards and said quietly: “Tell me something you want to see, Sally, and... I'll make it come to life for you. Consider it a prize for... being the first person not to flinch when I pressed them into a corner. And a thank you, for... understanding me.”

Sally laughed a little at this, then she rubbed at her forelegs silently before she looked over at him, studying him quietly before she asked quietly: “Can you... can you show me my family?”

Datura looked over at her for a moment, and then he countered gently: “Do you trust me enough for me to reach into your mind? I have to extract a memory from you. But if you let me in... I might accidentally catch other glimpses of memories you associate with them. Or, you know, I might snoop through your brain to see your most private thoughts, like when you used to think about your teacher and touch yourself.”

But Sally only smiled wryly at this, replying candidly: “I never touched myself thinking about any of my teachers, they were all either old ladies or short, fat, and bald. I touched myself thinking about big handsome stallions all covered in scars.”

Datura snorted in amusement at this, then he pretended to look flattered as he bowed his head towards her. “Thank you for revealing that you're either a zoophile or a furry. And I don't know which is worse, really.”

“I'm not even going to point out the fact we're all talking horses right now, or the fact that I'm probably the only Avatar in all of Equestria who never thought about how horse sex would work.” Sally stopped, then frowned a bit, asking uncertainly: “How... would it even work in this world? I mean, can Avatars have...”

“Avatars have had foals before, even with Trueborn. I just... don't know what's going to happen to those children when...” Datura quieted, looking away for a moment before he cleared his throat and said finally: “Shut up and concentrate on your family.”

Sally nodded a bit, and Datura reached up to calmly touch her forehead with one hoof, the stallion closing his eyes and concentrating before he smiled briefly. And Sally felt a strange sense of vertigo, the mare closing her eyes for a moment and shivering a bit before she opened them...

And stared in awe at the sight of all her brothers, her father... and her mother, too. The Pegasus Avatar swallowed thickly before she stepped forwards... then stared down at herself in surprise as she stumbled and realized she was standing on two legs. Two legs, and two hands that she held up in front of her face...

She turned around, staring at Datura... but he only smiled at her amusedly, still in the shape of a horse as he said softly: “Sorry if I made things awkward at all, but... you said your family, and this is what I saw in your mind. And I figured... you'd want to be as you remember yourself, too.”

Sally looked silently down at her hands for a moment, then she swallowed thickly before nodding a few times and smiling faintly over at Datura. Then she spun around, laughing and taking a few steps towards her family...

But then she halted, standing in front of where open space met the beautiful fields where her family was waving at her, smiling to her, calling her home from... and Sally hesitated before she looked over her shoulder at the stallion, asking quietly: “Why... why do you still look like that, then?”

Datura shrugged a bit, then he replied softly: “Because no matter what my wrapper looks like, I'm the same candy bar beneath the foil.”

Sally studied Datura quietly for a few moments, and then she turned back ahead, gazing quietly at her family and biting her lip before she smiled faintly, then turned around and murmured: “I've uh... it might sound weird for a farm girl and all, but I've never ridden a horse before.”

Datura looked at her curiously, and then frowned as Sally approached. She stopped in front of him, studying him silently: he definitely wasn't any pony, but a big old horse, with how he had to crane his head down a fair bit to look her in the eye. They studied each other for a moment, and then Datura finally gave a hesitant nod before lowering himself and muttering: “Climb on.”

The woman reached up and grasped into his shoulder with one hand and his far side with the other, then hopped quickly up onto his back with a grunt, settling herself across him before tangling her fingers in his long, messy hair. She laughed a little at how real it felt, blushing a bit as she gazed down at the back of the stallion's head, but Datura only flicked his ears before he said moodily: “Move up a little. Keep your heels down, don't clutch with your lower legs. Back straight and arms low, and for the love of god, don't yank my mane.”

“Yes, boss.” Sally said softly, doing her best to shift into better position, and the stallion nodded his approval after a moment before he straightened fully and started to calmly walk forwards, Sally swaying a little and laughing a bit as she looked over her shoulder once... but the image of her family had faded, and yet... she thought that was for the best. She was happy she had seen them, she was happy Datura had given her this glimpse, this dream... but at the same time...

“I have to stay here.” Sally said quietly, and Datura looked back at her curiously as he continued to walk through the starry darkness, the farm girl smiling faintly as she shook her hay-colored hair out of her eyes. “I... have to finish this. Momma and Daddy would both want me to finish this, and... to keep my promise to you. That's all there is to it.”

Datura looked ahead, then he nodded briefly before murmuring: “I can respect that. And I'm...” Datura shifted in embarrassment, and then he looked away and muttered: “Thank you for being here. I appreciate it. A lot more than I can say.”

Sally only smiled briefly, looking down at him before she reached impulsively forwards and rubbed his neck, and Datura flinched before grumbling: “Don't do that.”

Sally rolled her eyes, then reached up to flick one of his ears... before yelping when the stallion bucked her, clutching wildly into his back before Datura said dryly: “We're in a dream state. And for now, I've... I've made sure you won't get hurt, even if you fall. So just... hold on, and I'll show you freedom.”

Sally looked dumbly down at the stallion for a moment... then yelped as Datura leapt suddenly forwards, breaking into a full out gallop. She clutched into him, staring down at the stallion and swearing furiously before she looked up... and instead found herself gazing into the wind with awe as they shot through starry dream-space.

And Sally understood for the first time in her life what freedom really was.

The Pegasus Avatar and the scarred unicorn strode side-by-side into the meeting room, both smiling. Immediately, Splinthoof looked suspicious and Whisper cocked her head curiously, but Celestia only chuckled quietly before she started: “It's good to see that you're making friends, Datura.”

“Well, you know me. I'm all about friendship.” Datura said wryly, and he turned a moody look towards the other stallion in the room, glowering at him a little. “But you know all about that, don't you, Terrance?”

Terrance scowled at Datura, but then he forced himself to smile thinly before turning his eyes towards Celestia. “Please reconsider this course of action, Princess Celestia. Everything has been going very well, and I just don't think that we're going to be able to handle the political fallout or the chaos that could result from this decision...”

“We have to believe in people, Terrance. And I know for a fact that there are Avatars out there who are unhappy, who probably want to go home, but are hesitant to leave if they think they can't come back. And I know that many of the Avatars still respect me enough that they'll listen to what I have to say, and I believe they'll make the right decision.” Celestia replied patiently, as if she'd had this conversation with Terrance many times before. “And everyone will be welcomed back. You assured me yourself that the machine you've been building for me will help with that.”

Datura narrowed his eyes, and Terrance shifted on his hooves, betraying the slightest bit of nervousness before he sighed and lowered his head respectfully, saying finally: “Yes, Princess Celestia. Still, until tested, we won't know if it actually works or not...”

“I have faith in you. And I know that when the rift is reopened, more Avatars will be given the chance to explore our Equestria, one way or another. With everything that I and my sister and Twilight Sparkle have studied, we believe that turning off the machine will allow the rift to... reset, so to speak. When the rift machine is activated again, it should be enough to 'invite' many of the old Avatars back into our world... your machine will hopefully only be an extra precaution.”

Terrance nodded grumpily, and then Datura asked testily: “So uh, what's this whole 'Terry machine' then? I don't remember discussing that.”

“Because it's none of your business.” Terrance replied sharply, baring his teeth at Datura. “But if you really have to know, some of us are more interested in creating than destroying. I have promised to lend my every assistance here to Princess Celestia, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to also try and ensure the Avatars are protected as possible, and we all have a way back into this world! I have changed, and put aside my ego; you've let yours warp you into a monster!”

“We all become what we truly are, Terrance, one way or another: fighting your darkness instead of embracing it only feeds your demons. But a pretty porcelain pony like you could never understand that, could you?” Datura retorted, corrupted eye blazing with hate.

The two glared at each other for a few moments as the other ponies shifted uncomfortably, and then Celestia held up a hoof, getting the attention of both stallions. “Datura, Terrance has been extremely helpful and you know that we can trust him. Likewise, Terrance, Datura is here and you know better than anypony that he does not break a promise. A long time ago, you two used to be friends: please, for the sake of that friendship and for Equestria's, put aside your anger. We all want the same thing here. There's no reason to fight.”

The two stallions grumbled moodily, but then they both nodded sulkily before Terrance muttered: “I have to go upstairs and check on the device, anyway. When you shut down the rift machine, it might cause problems. Don't worry, I already took my best men downstairs and had them clear the way so you can access the core chamber's remaining defenses.”

Terrance shifted, and Sally frowned uncertainly as she thought she caught some glimmer, but Datura only grunted and Celestia smiled... so the mare put it aside for now, as she instead looked at Splinthoof and Whisper, before turning her eyes back towards the princess. “So are we... are we going to come with you?”

“You three helped bring Datura here. I thought it might be good for the three of you to see this finished, as well.” Celestia said softly, and Sally smiled and nodded as Whisper blushed a bit and Splinthoof saluted. “Terrance, if you'd like to come, you're welcome as well... don't feel that you have to excuse yourself from the group.”

“No, no. I really should go ensure the machine is ready. For all we know, when you turn off the rift machine, Avatars and Figments might start vanishing.” Terrance sighed a little, and then he looked moodily at Datura before saying grudgingly: “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Datura said moodily, but he nodded briefly all the same to Terrance, and the earth pony Avatar excused himself after another moment, heading to the door in silence as Sally pawed a hoof nervously against the ground.

There was silence for a few more seconds, and then Datura cleared his throat before he looked over at Celestia, saying finally: “I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible, because I honestly don't know if I'm making the right decision or not, and I would rather just take a step forwards and not think about this anymore.”

Sally was a little surprised at Datura's candor, but Celestia only smiled and nodded, saying softly: “I've always liked your honesty, Datura. It's a little difficult to get used to, but... it's nice to have someone straightforward around.”

“I've never understood not being honest when someone asks you a question. Sure, I get social pulp and standards, but I'm not very good at... social things.” Datura said mildly, and then he and Celestia fell in step as they headed towards the door, Sally following nervously with Whisper and Splinthoof.

Celestia smiled at Datura, but Sally couldn't pay much attention to their conversation as they made their way down through Canterlot: something seemed... very strange to her today, but she couldn't quite place her hoof on it. The halls seemed emptier, and the world seemed... tenser around them, and she could swear there were fewer Avatars then there had been before and... what the hell was eating at her?

No, it wasn't just the thought that... she was going to help banish all these Avatars from Equestria. Celestia's plan actually sounded very reasonable... and if time really did move funny compared to the real world, maybe the Avatars would only be gone for a single night, then get to come back here the next time they slept or... whatever had happened to bring them all here. Sally, after all, didn't really remember falling asleep, but... her memories between picking berries and waking up here had gotten all funny and fuzzy.

She tried just to concentrate on the journey, but her mind kept trying to warn her about something, kept telling her something was wrong... but the other part of her kept scoffing at the horse-mind and her instincts, saying it was impossible, that the others would pick up if something was wrong, that someone else would say something... she wasn't really the leader anymore, after all. That was Celestia or Datura: she was just the mare who was safe here in the middle of her herd, following the regal Princess of the Sun and the scarred stallion.

She barely noticed when beautiful halls become harder, less-polished stone, or when they began to pass fewer civilians and more guards. She barely noticed the metal and steel supports and armored doors, or how conversation grew more hushed and almost nervous, even between Celestia and Datura. She didn't hear the hum of electricity running through the cables along the ceiling, or the hiss of water and steam through the large pipes that ran through roof and wall and under the grated floor.

Sally didn't look up or lock back into reality until they reached a massive vault door. She frowned uncertainly as she looked back and forth, then quickly glanced over her shoulder as she realized they were actually in some kind of airlock. The door behind them was slowly sealing shut, and the mare bit her lip before she looked up nervously, asking hesitantly: “Are... are we here?”

“We are.” Celestia confirmed gesturing calmly ahead at the massive, hermaphroditically-sealed door as machinery cycled loudly all around them. “This checkpoint is the first layer of defense, designed by Terrance. The other sealed doors and defenses have already all been unlocked or shut down: Once Datura disables the barrier he created, we'll be in the Core Chamber and I'll turn off the last of the defenses myself.”

Datura grunted, but Sally thought he looked uneasy... and not just because of the loud noises, even though that was clearly making him uncomfortable too. But then the valves over the vault door in front of them began to spin rapidly, and Splinthoof smiled as he reached up to grasp her shoulder in silent reassurance, keeping his eyes ahead and looking... proud, she thought.

The massive vault door groaned, then swung slowly open to reveal what looked like a long, wide bridge of steel beyond leading overtop a gaping abyss, out of which came the sounds of clanking machinery and gears. Celestia led the group almost eagerly onto the bridge, Datura lingering a little behind to let Whisper catch up to him, and Sally bit her lip and just stared until Splinthoof shook her gently and said softly: “Come on. We're just about done.”

Sally nodded briefly, then she nervously followed after the ponies, still feeling incredibly uncomfortable as they made their way slowly down the metal path between the low railing. She swallowed a bit, her eyes darting back and forth, staring at the walls of steel and the strange machinery as they passed through wide arch after wide arch, feeling a strange, sizzling static passing over her body as she saw runes and crystals and felt... magic, she thought. But it wasn't a good magic, either: it was a... a scary magic. “It... I don't like this. I don't like this.”

Celestia frowned over her shoulder curiously, and Datura scowled a little, his corrupted eye glowing as he muttered: “Neither do I... this feels different since the last time I was here. How much was the power of the rift machine increased?”

“It shouldn't be that different...” Celestia said slowly, shaking her head briefly before she gestured at towards the end of the bridge, saying quietly: “Maybe the rift machine is malfunctioning, and that's why Sally was pulled through... but that's all the more reason for us to shut it down.”

“Yeah.” Datura didn't sound convinced as they reached a massive, black gate at the end of the corridor: it was made of plain, dark metal inset into a curving wall of steel that stretched seemingly endlessly in all directions, with a set of runes engraved over the front that glowed with a hellish red light, and Datura scowled before he reached up and touched this as Celestia frowned at him uneasily. “What the hell is this...”

The others looked at him nervously, but all Datura did was turn and push Whisper back and away from him before he turned to face the gate, his fractured horn glowing as he studied the door. He closed his eyes after a moment, then scowled a bit as Celestia asked quietly: “What's wrong?”

“This isn't my magic... my magic was dispelled from this door a long time ago.” Datura muttered, his eyes remaining shut, and Celestia frowned at him as the stallion continued: “Someone's been screwing with you, Celestia. Someone tampered-”

“Terrance!” blurted Sally suddenly, and Datura started a bit, but he didn't look back, still managing to focus on the door as the Pegasus Avatar babbled, even as Splinthoof and Whisper stared: “It's Terrance! I know it has to be him, he's... he gave me this creepy vibe but I didn't want to say anything because it felt bad but I know it has to be him!”

“That's ridiculous. Terrance disagrees with what we're doing: if anything, he wants the rift machine protected the most out of all of us.” Celestia said uncertainly, but Datura only laughed shortly at this, smiling thinly.

“On the one hoof, I'd say it's impossible because Terrance doesn't have any magic... but on the other...” Datura scowled darkly, muttering: “We'll find out in a minute, anyway... this riddle was designed by an Avatar, it's giving me images of...”

Datura halted, then he snorted before saying contemptibly: “I should just override this and-”

“No. There are failsafes in place, you know that as well as I do.” Celestia said forcefully, and Datura scowled as Sally found herself naturally dropping her head in submission to the princess, even though Celestia wasn't even looking at her right now. “If any of these defenses are destroyed instead of disabled, it will trigger a destruction mechanism in the rift machine itself.”

Datura grumbled under his breath, then he took a slow breath before suddenly twisting his horn to the side, and there was a loud clanking as the door shivered before the runes whiffed out of existence. And a moment later, the door slowly began to grind up into the ceiling as Datura shook his head out briefly, muttering: “Doesn't seem to pick up on when I cheat, though.”

Celestia sighed and looked at him disapprovingly, but Datura only smiled wryly before looking forwards... and then his usual demeanor dropped completely as he stared in shock at the room beyond.

He leapt forwards, ducking under the gate as Celestia frowned, before her own eyes widened and she ran after him, giving a single shocked shout of: “No!”

Splinthoof, Whisper, and Sally traded looks of surprise, then hurried after the three into... what seemed to be some kind of enormous, dome-shaped chamber. There was a raised, circular platform in the center of the room, with some kind of large, pod-shaped construct in the exact middle: massive tubes and cables fed down into this from the ceiling, and Sally frowned as she realized what was wrong even before she asked the question: “That's... not the rift machine, is it?”

“It..” Datura looked back and forth disbelievingly, as shocked as Celestia as they both stumbled desperately around the room, as if the reality-altering machine was playing some insane game of hide and seek with them... but all they saw were shelves, and support pillars, and heavy machines and crates that were secured tightly to the floor by massive, hooked chains.

And then both ponies turned towards the pod-shaped structure in the center, Celestia striding quickly towards it. But the moment her hoof touched the short, wide dais, there was a blare of sound that sent her rearing back in shock, the mare stumbling hurriedly away as Sally whinnied in fear and shook herself wildly, her horse mind going frantic for a moment.

But Whisper and Splinthoof both froze at her sides, and Sally instinctively dropped to the ready beside them as Datura snarled and set himself... and then all eyes were drawn upwards as a familiar voice said distastefully from a speaker system above: “Don't bother to interrupt, because this is a prerecorded message... for Datura and Celestia, I'm guessing.”

“Terrance!” Datura shouted angrily, glaring up at the speaker, and there was a dry laugh from the machine above. “You stupid son of a bitch, why don't you-”

“I'm guessing Datura is yelling at me right now, having completely ignored my previous message. Like he ignores everything that doesn't mesh with his existence.” Terrance's voice drawled, before adding meditatively: “Or maybe he's just too far gone by this point to understand that I cannot hear him. That this isn't just another voice in his own head.

“But let's cut the chatter and the pleasantries, shall we?” Terrance's voice became brisker as the pod began to rumble loudly, and a hideous giggling echoed out of it. “I honestly didn't want to do this, but ever since Celestia proposed removing the rift machine... well, I couldn't let that happen. This world belongs to the Avatars now. They invited us in, and we made the lives of the Trueborn better. Besides, what are they really, but animals who talk? This world is ours now, and I, for one, am not willing to just hand it back over to these ignorant little ponies.

“Don't think I'm impressed that you opened my lock, Datura. In fact, I'm hoping you did: I know that, like your brain and what's between your legs, your magic reserve is very small.” Terrance said mockingly, and Datura snarled, grinding his teeth together even as his eyes widened in understanding. “That will prevent you from posing too much of a nuisance to my friend here. An alicorn by the name of Death Oppressor. He's very eager to make your acquaintance.”

The pod clanged loudly, and that laughter shook the air again before Terrance said calmly: “I'm truly sorry it had to come to this, Celestia, Datura. But I suppose it's time for a new regime anyway, isn't it? And Datura... as one last favor to you, I've asked Death Oppressor to ensure your death will be slow, and painful. Have fun.”

The stereo clicked loudly off... and then the world shook as the pod was smashed open, and an alicorn lunged out with a wild laugh. His white and red mane and tail spiked in every direction, and his body was a gleaming, bright black and almost leathery... apart from the skull-shaped white markings over his face.

His wings were huge and leathery, and his horn tall and curved and glowing red. His cutie mark was a a crowned skull, and the stallion's eyes were mismatched bright red and glowing blue, the stallion roaring: “I'm gonna eat your souls!”

“That's fattening.” Datura replied calmly, and the alicorn twitched before snarling furiously at him, but the scarred stallion continued to look unfettered... even though Sally could sense not just anger and hate, but... fear. Actual fear. “Why don't you go back to your cocoon, caterpillar? Looks like you haven't turned into a moth yet.”

Death Oppressor only laughed loudly... then he grinned widely as Celestia leaned forwards and said sharply: “Avatar! As Princess of Equestria, I order you to immediately surrender! No matter how strong you are-”

Death Oppressor simply flicked his horn, and Datura stared in shock as Princess Celestia was knocked off her hooves and thrown across the room, the ivory mare crashing into the wall and bouncing bonelessly off to crumple to the ground in a stunned heap. One of her wings twitched brokenly as blood ran from the cuts and scrapes that had been torn in her back on impact, and Splinthoof shouted in denial as he immediately rushed to the princess' side.

Sally trembled in terror, looking in fear from Princess Celestia to this alicorn... this alicorn who didn't smell right, who seemed purely evil, who had... so much terrible power. And Datura snarled as he focused on the stallion, his corrupted eye glowing as Death Oppressor said mockingly: “What's wrong, bitch? Oh yeah, that's right, you're weak! I am god!”

Datura looked suddenly up, gazing sharply back and forth as Sally stumbled backwards, whimpering as her eyes stared at the Avatar. And she saw not just... not just this vile alicorn, but a stupid, angry, miserable child. Some disturbed kid that had likely been tormented every day of his life, and now had found a place where he had ultimate power... but instead of using that for good, oh no, he was determined to make everyone else as miserable as he had been...

“Why are you doing this? We didn't hurt you!” Sally shouted, and the winged unicorn stared at her with surprise, his whole body twitching and his eyes widening. “We don't want to hurt you!”

“Stop it!” Whisper added forcefully, but she looked desperate even as she added sharply: “You... your pain never gives you the right to lash out and-”

“Shut up! Go to hell!” screamed Death Oppressor, shoving a hoof towards them, and telekinetic bands seized viciously around both of the mares, hefting them high into the air and slamming them cruelly together as they both shrieked in agony. And then Oppressor shoved his hoof out, and the two Avatars were sent hurtling across the room to nearly crash into Celestia, but Splinthoof barely managed to catch them in time with a shield of magic, the unicorn cursing in frustration. “I'm the most powerful alicorn in the world! No one can hurt me anymore, no one!”

Datura wanted to run forwards, lash out, leap to the aid of his... his friends. But he didn't let himself do any of that, as he instead kept all of his focus on Death Oppressor, his corrupted eye swirling in its socket before he watched as the alicorn lashed childishly out with his powers at the ponies who had attracted all of his attention, sending a massive blast of lightning at them... and there. There, he saw it: the tell.

There was no glow around the alicorn's horn, no sense of him gathering the magic himself: instead, Datura felt the energy in the room all around him. Death Oppressor wasn't overriding the rules of this world by being infinitely powerful, any more than he was the god he believed himself to be: no, there was something in this room that was feeding him power through a tether of magic. If he could snap that tether, he could render Death Oppressor vulnerable...

But then his friends screamed in agony, and Datura found himself looking sharply over his shoulder, trembling as he stared at the sight of... Sally, and Splinthoof, and Whisper and even Celestia all howling and crying out in torment as they bucked and convulsed under the blasts of black lightning from this... this godmoding son of a bitch.

Datura swore under his breath... and then he ran forwards and simply flung himself onto the alicorn's back, and Death Oppressor swore angrily before beginning to buck him forwards: but Datura moved with the stallion, seizing into his head and leaning sharply forwards to almost press their faces together as his eyes glowed and his horn flashed with hellish light.

Death Oppressor staggered, and Datura hurriedly leapt off of him and jumped away as the alicorn gurgled and looked back and forth. Then he began to shiver before screaming in fury, spinning to the side and shouting furiously: “You! I hate you! I hate you!”

He charged forwards, then tackled a metal shelf, knocking it crashing backwards with a scream of metal and a spray of loose parts before Oppressor began to laugh manically, slamming blow after blow savagely down into the steel frame to bend and rupture it. Datura didn't waste time watching, though: he had no magic left and a nasty feeling that once the illusion wore off, the rest of his powers weren't going to work very well against Oppressor. “Come on! We have to get out of here!”

Celestia swore as she forced herself up to her hooves, gritting her teeth, but Splinthoof nodded sharply in agreement, saying quickly as Sally whinnied fearfully and Whisper gasped as she shoved herself to her hooves: “He's right! Princess, your safety is number one priority, and we have to stop Terrance! Equestria is in danger!”

“Let's... let's go.” Princess Celestia agreed after a moment, and Datura nodded quickly, all-but-shoving the other ponies onward ahead of him before he looked over his shoulder and grimaced as Death Oppressor cackled, leaping gleefully towards a crate and destroying it with flashes of powerful, impossible magic and his bare hooves... and the scarred stallion couldn't help but wonder even as he turned whether or not his illusion was still working... or if Death Oppressor was just reveling in his own power and enjoying destruction for the sake of destruction.

Celestia and Splinthoof led the escape down the bridge, the stallion staying close to his princess' side before both ponies looked up in shock as an alarm blared, and a moment later a barred gate slammed loudly shut only a few feet in front of them, the ponies almost skidding into this as Celestia cursed. She examined the door quickly, ignoring the sizzle of static even as Splinthoof and the other ponies looked up when Terrance's voice explained calmly: “I can't have you leaving now, can I? And if you think you can escape Death Oppressor... think again.”

There was another beeping, and Celestia shouted in denial, leaning forwards and staring through the bars as the massive airlock slowly swung shut. “There. By now, the airlock should have cycled, and the security bridge beyond will have raised. And Death Oppressor is... very impatient. He won't let you live for one minute, let alone the ten it'll take to override everything.”

“We have to hold out as long as possible!” Celestia said sharply, flicking her horn quickly, and there was a clanking before something snapped loudly inside the archway, and the mare easily snapped her horn up to knock the portcullis sliding back open. She strode quickly through the gate as Splinthoof bolted ahead to try and activate the airlock, as Celestia continued, Whisper and Sally following after her and looking up at her fearfully as Datura dropped his gaze and ground his teeth together: “If we all work together-”

“We'll be sitting ducks on this bridge. Too much open space and a narrow corridor, where the five of us will be lined up like bowling pins.” Datura muttered, and then he gritted his teeth, looking over his shoulder and grinding his teeth together... and Sally's eyes widened as she realized what he wanted to do.

Whisper seemed to think the same thing, the mare stepping forwards and saying forcefully: “No. No, you can't! Even if you can't feel pain, he'll still kill you! He'll tear you apart, you're only one-”

“Where are you? Come on, I want to play some more! Don't you want to play with me?” jeered a voice from down the bridge, and it was followed by insane laughter... before Celestia's back arched, and she screamed in agony as black lightning sizzled and crackled over her body, the mare jittering before she fell to the ground. “How does that feel, princess whore? I don't need to see you to hurt you! I can do anything! Now come on, I want to see which one of you has the balls to face me... or are you just going to sit there and let me kill you?”

The alicorn laughed loudly, and Datura swore under his breath, looking down the corridor before Whisper said almost pleadingly: “Don't go. Don't... go alone. I won't let you go alone, so just let me come with you. Let me help you distract him!”

Datura softened at this, turning silently towards Whisper, and the two studied each other for a few moments before the stallion smiled faintly, reaching up and silently stroking her face. Then he leaned down and gently, tenderly kissed her forehead before lowering his head to hers, murmuring something soft to her as he breathed slowly in and out, and Whisper trembled before leaning up and hugging him tightly around the neck.

Datura reached up, silently embracing her in return... and then, in a sudden, sharp movement, he drew back and slammed Whisper savagely down into the floor with a resounding bang. Splinthoof looked up in shock as Sally cried out, Whisper's body going limp...

And Datura stood over her, staring down at her miserably. He didn't seem to hear the ponies as they yelled at him, while Celestia only stared blankly from where she was laying against the airlock door... before the scarred stallion carefully, tenderly reached down and picked Whisper's unconscious body up, cradling her like a child in one foreleg as he walked slowly past Sally to Splinthoof.

The unicorn went quiet as he looked disbelievingly up at Datura, while Datura smiled faintly down at him, his eyes bright with unshed tears as he said softly: “Please take care of her for me. Get her out of here. Keep her... and keep Sally... safe. I trust you.”

He gently passed Whisper to the stunned stallion, and then Datura calmly shook himself before turning and striding away. He glanced at Sally as he passed, giving her a brief smile before he faced ahead, striding back through the portcullis, and Sally stumbled after him, reaching up a hoof...

“No. Let him go.” Celestia whispered, and Sally looked over her shoulder at the ivory mare, trembling weakly. “Open... open the airlock. We need to stop Terrance.”

“Y-Yes, ma'am.” whispered Splinthoof, and he swallowed thickly before carefully laying Whisper down and turning to quickly stumble towards the airlock controls, as Sally bit her lip, then looked over her shoulder as screaming laughter echoed down the bridge, praying for her friend...

Datura grimaced at Death Oppressor's loudness as he strode alone into the Core Chamber, which Death Oppressor had transformed into a massive throne room. The pod was now an enormous seat made of skulls and gold, and huge torches lit the room instead of mechanical lights, even though Datura could still hear the click and whirr of gears, the sizzle of electrical cables and magical crystal under the floors and in the ceiling. Pillars lined the room as well, decorated with fearsome statues of monsters and massive metal chains: but it was all distorted, with no pattern, no sense of structure or reason. It was a child's idea of what an evil villain's lair should look like.

The alicorn smiled at him mockingly from his seat, picking up a goblet in one hoof and slurping loudly from it before he grinned and flung it at Datura: the stallion only flinched a bit when it bounced off his face, and that was more because of the sweet-tasting red juice that splashed over his face than anything else. “Well, glad you could make it! I just ran out of virgin's blood, and I see you have plenty to give me!”

“Once you get a little older, you start to realize that while bragging about sex is great fun, whether or not you've actually had it doesn't really do a whole lot to affect your ability to punch someone else in the face. Or, conversely, to take a punch to the face.” Datura said mildly, looking fearlessly up at the alicorn on his throne. “Also, not to be pedantic... but one guy drinking another guy's 'virgin blood' sounds pretty gay to me.”

The alicorn snarled at this, leaning forwards before he simply slapped a hoof out, and Datura was flung across the room to crash painfully into the wall, gasping... and then he was yanked back through the air, left floating helplessly in front of the alicorn's face as psychic bands crushed around his limbs and body, the stallion hissing up at him: “Shut up and respect your betters, scum. I'm a thousand times better than you, in every single way. You can't hurt me.”

Datura smiled pleasantly, and then he leaned forwards and spat in the Death Oppressor's face, the alicorn freezing up and staring in shock before Datura said calmly: “You're speaking to someone who specializes in causing pain and breaking pride.”

The alicorn snarled in fury, then screamed in rage and lashed his hoof out, slamming a punch into Datura that sent him flying into a pillar with enough force to crash through it in a spray of broken stone and shattered metal links. He hit the ground hard, bouncing bonelessly backwards before he landed in a painful bellyflop with a gasp, gritting his teeth as the breath was knocked from his body and his whole form pulsed with pain... but much worse than that, he felt bones fracturing and muscle spasming and tearing. Whisper was right: just because he could absorb the pain, that didn't mean he could just shrug off the physical damage so easily.

Datura crawled up to a standing position as his front hooves clicked apart into claws, and then he looked coldly up as the remains of the pillar exploded into dust and shrapnel, Death Oppressor striding through this cloud with a snarl before he shouted: “You don't understand, do you? I can do anything I want! I can be anything I want! I have every power in the universe and I am invincible!”

The alicorn strode up to Datura and simply slapped him, knocking him crashing and rolling across the floor to bang loudly into wall. The scarred unicorn swore under his breath, then picked himself slowly up as Oppressor grinned after him, mocking: “So who's the weakling now, huh? You are. You're worthless. You're weak.”

“Tell me something I don't know.” Datura muttered as he rolled his shoulders, grimacing and looking coldly up as he carefully pushed himself back to a standing position, trying to get the painful ringing out of his mind.

Death Oppressor grinned savagely as he suddenly leapt at the scarred stallion, but Datura dodged quickly to the side before he lashed his horn out, hitting the alicorn with a psychokinetic hammer... which bounced uselessly off and hammered back into Datura's face, sending him stumbling stupidly backwards as Death Oppressor laughed loudly and mocked: “What's wrong? Didn't you know I reflect all magic?”

“Psychic powers aren't magic.” Datura grimaced a bit, but at least that told him a little more about the alicorn and what he was faced with... and he didn't even bother to question why his powers had worked before, but now was being bounced back into his own face.

But Death Oppressor was gloating again, at least: he strutted forwards, grinning widely before he leaned in and mocked: “Aren't you going to try running away again? What about your friends, aren't they going to come and save you?”

“Stop talking.” Datura leapt forwards... and the alicorn simply caught him in a crushing psychic hold without so much as twitching, Oppressor grinning mockingly before he simply looked to the side, and Datura was thrown across the room and slammed cruelly into another pillar with enough force to shift the column out of place, before the stallion was then yanked backwards and flung sharply down into the ground.

He bounced once, and then Death Oppressor was instantly beside him, slamming a vicious kick into his side that sent him hurtling across the room to bounce off a wall and land with a crunch on the ground. Death Oppressor laughed loudly at this as Datura coughed blood and shivered weakly, clutching at his bruised, bloody side: that was a bad sign.

“You can't fight me! I know fifty styles of martial arts! I have infinite magic and I can't be hurt by anything, but I'm so strong I could destroy this whole planet with a single stomp if I wanted to!” the alicorn snarled, and Datura smiled grimly as he picked himself slowly up. “You're not cool! You're just weak and stupid for trying to continue to fight!”

“You can hurt me as much as you want. I'm going to keep getting back up.” Datura said quietly, slowly shoving his way to his hooves before he grimaced and reached up to touch his bruised side. He could feel... wetness, heaviness. A feeling somewhat like he was a water balloon that was slowly being stretched too far...

Death Oppressor laughed loudly, then he leaned forwards, mocking: “Yeah, I bet you will. That's cool, but you won't get up after I hit you with my death punch!”

The alicorn leaned back, his body tensing before he leapt forwards in a showy, vicious strike as his foreleg glowed with black energy... and Datura quickly slipped to the side before leaping forwards with an animal snarl as he slashed viciously and sharply down with a claw at the stallion's face.

The alicorn yelped in surprise as the claw slashed against his features, and Datura snarled even as he felt pain sizzle through his claws as they almost bent backwards and sent up an impossible spray of sparks, like he had just slashed metal against metal, not claw into flesh. And yet all the same, he couldn't stop: he pressed forwards, growling in fury as he slashed and slammed blow after blow into the alicorn, his whole body roaring with the instinct to tear into the enemy until one of them was dead.

Sparks flew as his claws cracked uselessly against the face of the alicorn, who flinched and staggered under the hail of blows before he suddenly roared, and Datura was blown through the air by a shockwave of power, seared and scalded by hellfire and energy. He crashed into the wall opposite, then flopped to the ground, landing in a thud on his stomach before he groaned quietly and wrapped a foreleg around himself, feeling... god, something inside him floating.

He had to buy time. He had to stall somehow, as he picked himself up, gritting his teeth as the alicorn shouted at him: “You can't hurt me! You're too weak! I barely even felt that!”

Datura licked his lips slowly, then he slowly, carefully shoved himself up to his hooves before looking up and replying calmly, as the alicorn began to step forwards: “But would a real god work for someone like Terrance?”

Death Oppressor halted, scowling at Datura, but listening all the same: Datura closed his eyes for a moment, taking as long as he dared before he continued in a quiet, rational voice: “You're being used. For all your... 'powers.' You're being used by Terrance.”

“No I'm not.” Death Oppressor sneered after a moment, raising his head and saying pompously: “This is going to be my kingdom, he said so! He made me a god! He said as long the rift machine is open, I will be invulnerable!”

“He lied to you.” Datura replied quietly, and Death Oppressor frowned before Datura gestured towards the throne now in the center of the room, asking: “Why were you locked away inside that pod?”

“It makes me more powerful!” Death Oppressor replied, glancing over at his throne... and with nothing but a grin, it transformed back into the large pod... except Datura thought it looked plusher now, in a word. Fancier, more like some kind of creepy cocoon... “It's my... it's like an egg!”

Datura's eyes widened slightly as the saw the pod transform slightly, the metal lightening slightly over its surface and the shape becoming distinctly more oval. The metaphor made no sense whatsoever, but even then, what the alicorn believed had just become reality... and Datura smiled grimly before he asked: “So you're so powerful, that you can do anything, right?”

Death Oppressor smiled mockingly, asking easily: “What are you trying to do? Some stupid trick? Because it's not going to work on me, asshole. What, you think you can make me hurt myself?”

Death Oppressor created a fireball above one hoof, then he grinned as he pushed it back against his own face, the flames only wreathing harmlessly around him. “I'm immune to my own powers. Duh. I've played Final Fantasy, I'm not about to let you reflect my own magic back at me.”

Datura smiled grimly, and then he lowered his head and said quietly: “You still haven't told me how you're not serving Terrance, though. Being a good little boy, sitting down here, letting him boss you around-”

“No one orders me around!” snapped the alicorn as he leapt forwards, but he only crashed down in front of Datura, snarling down into his face. “Terrance takes orders from me! Don't you ever forget that, do you understand?”

Datura only smiled again, retorting: “Then answer me, why the hell are you down here? Why aren't you upstairs? Why is Terrance the one pulling all the strings?”

The alicorn snarled and rose a hoof, and Datura quickly held up a claw, saying sharply: “Killing me is exactly what Terrance wants you to do, isn't it?”

“It's what I want to do, too!” shouted Death Oppressor angrily... but at the same time, he hesitated, his hoof wavering in the air before he reached forwards and seized Datura by the throat, then slammed the stallion down onto his back, Datura choking and grabbing uselessly at the alicorn's foreleg as he was pinned. “What the hell is your problem? Why are you trying to get in my head? You're nothing to me, absolutely nothing!”

“I'm trying to warn you!” gasped Datura, and the alicorn hesitated again before the scarred stallion hissed out: “He's... using you! Like he used me, and all of us!”

The alicorn gritted his teeth... and then his eyes widened and his body stiffened, raising his head high before he suddenly spun around and shouted angrily: “No! You're not allowed to leave!”

Magic pulsed through the air, and Datura snarled before he flung himself up to his hooves and leapt onto the alicorn's back, disrupting his thoughts. And down the bridge, in front of the now-open airlock, lightning and black fire exploded through the air, searing Sally as she leapt into the airlock last before Splinthoof hurriedly yanked the heavy door shut with a gasp.

The airlock began to whirr and cycle again, and Celestia trembled as she dropped her head as Splinthoof breathed roughly in and out, looking over his shoulder at the sealed airlock door as Whisper whimpered weakly on the ground, her eyes fluttering as if she struggled to consciousness for a moment... and then she faded back to darkness as Sally dropped her head, clenching her eyes shut and only hoping that Datura would somehow survive.

But when the other door opened, Celestia stumbled out and broke into a shambling gallop, gasping for breath as she rushed down the short security bridge with the other ponies following behind her. All they could do was send Datura their hopes and prayers... and honor the fact he had chosen to stay behind by putting a halt to Terrance's scheme.

In the core chamber, the alicorn yelled in fury before he bucked Datura off, then slapped him out of the air with a blast of magic force, Datura bouncing with a sickening crunch against the ground before Death Oppressor screamed: “I will not be mocked!”

He bolted forwards, then leapt up and slammed a fierce punch into Datura's body, sending the scarred stallion rocketing through the air to crash down onto the bridge and roll violently backwards. And still, Death Oppressor came on, smashing and kicking and blasting Datura in a helpless, broken heap down the bridge, making him bounce and roll and smash off pillars, vertigo ripping through his senses and his mind losing all coherency as limbs snapped and he felt his body giving out.

And then, finally, Death Oppressor leapt forwards and landed on Datura, pinning him down into the metal floor and slamming punch after punch after punch down into Datura's face, bloodying his jaw, crunching bone, sending up thick sprays of oily blood as the alicorn snarled down at him furiously. “You son of a bitch! You bastard! Wake up, wake up so I can kill you again!”

Datura gasped as he was hefted into the air, energy sizzling through his body as the alicorn lifted him above his head... before he gargled as he was slammed cruelly down onto his back, feeling bones breaking all over again, new, excruciating pain ripping through his body as what was restored was again destroyed. And the alicorn grinned insanely at this before he flung Datura backwards, shouting angrily: “So what, you saved your friends! I'll kill them, I'll kill this whole world later! For now, I'll just enjoy killing you...”

Massive, double edged black swords appeared in midair all around the alicorn, and Datura looked blankly up before the swords shot forwards one after the other, slamming through his chest and body with enough force to knock him staggering backwards before the last launched him down the bridge and pinned him back into the metal wall of the airlock. “Again...”

The swords exploded into dark fire that covered Datura's body, and the stallion screamed as he arched his back, his flesh melting like wax, blood bubbling out of his pores, his mane and tail becoming bright candles before he flopped forwards... “And again...”

Datura hit the ground hard, gurgling, his body twitching weakly as his eyes rolled in his head, but he was whole again. Whole, until the alicorn laughed and stomped forwards, and he was suddenly suspended on a bed of spikes. “And again!”

The spikes twisted, became massive screws, and Datura screamed... but then he snarled, even as black tears ran down his cheeks, leaning forwards even as the pain became too much even for his screwed-up psyche to be able to absorb it as pleasure: “Then come on! Hit me with everything you've got, you coward, you weakling! I'm not afraid of you!”

Black blood sprayed from Datura's mouth as he tried to lean forwards, and the alicorn stared at him with shock for a moment before he roared and leapt forwards, slamming a hoof into Datura with so much force it shattered the spikes he was impaled on like glass and sent the stallion rocketing back into the sealed, armored door with enough force to crunch the foot-thick metal in. But before he could so much as twitch, Death Oppressor tackled him viciously, slamming like a comet into the scarred stallion and smashing the entire armored door off its hinges, sending it toppling backwards into the airlock as Datura gargled, feeling a horrific ripping sensation...

And then he screamed in agony as the alicorn hefted him up in one hoof while slamming the other down into his face again and again, his body spasming, his eyes rolling in his head as he gargled helplessly and tried to kick legs that were no longer attached to his lower body as he felt himself weakening again as his features were battered and broken and crushed...

“You don't get to die!” Death Oppressor hissed, and then he half-flung the stallion into the air before slamming a hoof into his body, knocking what little remained of Datura shooting backwards to bounce off the open airlock door and knock it wide with a scream of metal as the broken remains of the pony spilled backwards... then screamed in agony as a blast of lightning hammered down into him, driving him face-first down into the ground in a tremendous surge of thunder and energy.

But then Datura's eyes flickered weakly on the ground, his whole body surging with unbelievable, hellish agony... except he could feel himself whole again. And yet all the pain, all the agony, all the hell of the endless seconds he had just endured was still rioting through his mind, and he could feel bloody wounds and scrapes and bruises over his body... but he could still stand, even with his broken bones. He was no longer dying and in pieces...

He looked up sluggishly as the alicorn landed in front of him, and then Death Oppressor reached forwards and seized him by the throat... except he didn't lift him quite as high, with quite as much ease this time. He seemed to wheeze a little, to struggle a bit as he held Datura over his head, and then his horn lit up with a sputtering, muddy color as he said angrily: “I'm never gonna let you die! I'm... I'm gonna keep killing you, over and over again, until you're... you're...”

Death Oppressor's forelegs trembled, and then he swore as he dropped the large, scarred unicorn, the aura around his horn sizzling out as he looked stupidly at his own hooves. He mouthed wordlessly, and then looked up as Datura focused in on the stallion before a low growl began to rise in the scarred unicorn's throat.

He couldn't feel the magic anymore, the presence, and Death Oppressor himself was looking weaker by the moment. He was breathing hard in and out, his eyes flicking back and forth as his whole body trembled, and Datura could smell his fear.

His growling rose as he didn't focus, but instead, let go: he let the pain, the hate, the agony, the despair and misery and all those other things he'd felt flow through his entire body. His horn pulsed with hellish black light and miasma began to leak out of his corrupted eye as his other iris turned solid, glowing with malice. His claws flexed and his muscles began to tremble, his fangs bared and twisted into a cruel, insane grin as the sane and logical mind faded, and the savage animal took over.

Death Oppressor took a trembling step backwards, shaking his head with a whimper, his whole body quivering with terror... and then he made his fatal mistake. He spun around, stumbling as he exposed his back.

The scarred stallion might have laughed, might have mocked him, might have even hesitated and let the self-proclaimed god who was nothing more than a scared, weak child flee, hide back in his artificial womb, out of some desire for compassion, mercy, maybe even justice instead of revenge.

But that part was gone. All that was left was Datura.

Datura leapt onto the alicorn's back like an animal and slammed him face first into the ground, claws ripping through his flesh like a cleaver through soft hamburger, and the alicorn screamed and wailed before Datura seized him by the base of either wing and half-spun, flinging him in the opposite direction, away from safety. Death Oppressor hit the ground on his back, and then screamed and shoved his hooves wildly upwards when Datura leapt on top of him, but his blows were useless as Datura roared and slung his claws down, and then all the alicorn could do was scream.

His face was flayed open before he tried to shield his face with his forelegs, but Datura shoved his forelegs open and slammed both claws down into his face before he seized him by the muzzle, jerking Death Oppressor's head up before slamming it with a sickening crunch back into the metal bridge. The alicorn spasmed and went limp, then gargled as blow after blow crashed down into his cheeks and eyes, Datura alternating between claws that ripped wide swathes through his face and punches that crushed bone and sent up splatters of blood.

The scarred unicorn grinned as he seized into the alicorn's face with one claw, then crushed his thumb into his eye: Death Oppressor screamed, and it raised to shrieks when Datura twisted, and there was a pop, and a bloody red-and-blackness and something wet. Beneath the scarred stallion, the alicorn bucked and shoved, and Datura let himself be driven backwards as he grinned darkly, the predictable, terrified, tormented alicorn scrabbling for his hooves, to try and flee, flee from this monster-

Datura pounced on his back, driving him face first into the ground again before his jaws bit down into the side of his neck, then ripped to the side, sending up a thick spray of crimson and gore as Death Oppressor screamed. His wings flapped wildly as he staggered forwards, but as he tried to stumble away, Datura seized one of his wings before twisting and ripping backwards, laughing through the blood spilling down his chin as he ripped the appendage off and tossed it to the side.

The alicorn shrieked again, falling forwards, and Datura seized him by the lower legs before slamming one claw down into his leg and yanking him down. The beaten winged unicorn screamed, then arched his back as Datura repeated the process with his other claw, repeating the process talon over talon as he hissed, drool leaking from his jaws as his eyes glowed with hellish delight.

“S-Stop! Please!” shrieked the helpless pony, but Datura didn't, couldn't listen as he grabbed the alicorn by the shoulders, then half-turned and flung him onto his back. He leapt on top of him, pinning him down as his eyes glared down into the stallion's, and the alicorn's eyes widened

nohopeendlesspunishmentherehereyoudieyoudeservethis

youarefailurehatedgoodbyegoodbyeallislostallisgonenohopenohope

athousandknivestokissyourskinandpeelitfromyourflesh

athousandnettlestomakeyoutendermaycrimsonflowsaltyourwoundswithyourtears

themaidengapesandyourbodyscreamsandthefangsarewaitingandyouaretooweak

as visions of pain and hell and suffering ripped through his mind, as his strength was sapped from his body, his will from his very soul, his heart thudding in his chest as he gargled and spasmed. He screamed, screamed so loudly and so hard that blood burst from his throat, as his eyes rolled in his head, and tears rolled down his cheeks...

There was rending, a ripping... and he looked up, gargling in fear, in terror, as he saw red, and flesh, and Datura grinning as he yanked up long, fleshy rope. Coils of his own intestines, the alicorn realized after a moment... and all he could do was twitch and gurgle and giggle even as his own screams echoed in his ears.

Datura's horn glowed darkly, strengthening the consistency of the coils of gut as his talented claws quickly formed a noose that he slung tightly around the pony's neck. And the alicorn only continued to laugh, foaming and bleeding from the maw, eyes rolling in his head even as he began to choke as Datura dragged him towards the side of the security bridge, the scarred stallion whispering: “Eight feet. Eight feet. Eight feet guarantees a broken neck, barring an act of God...”

Death Oppressor laughed, blood spilling from his numbing, torn-apart body, staring brokenly up at the darkness above as visions of pain and hell and torment danced through his broken mind, and he barely twitched even as Datura tore a length of innard free from the alicorn's disemboweled body, the scarred stallion tying this quickly around the rail before he looked down into the abyss, then grinned bitterly.

He turned, seizing Death Oppressor for a moment before yanking him into the air, looking into his eyes as the alicorn gargled and then giggled, weakly twitching in his grip, before Datura leaned forwards and said coldly: “But God isn't here.”

Datura half-spun, flinging the dying alicorn over the edge of the bridge, and Death Oppressor laughed and screamed all at once as he tried to spread his remaining wing and his forelegs, seeing both hell and heaven waiting for him-

Intestine puled tight, and there was a sickening crack, followed by the sound of something wet, and heavy, swinging slowly and brokenly back and forth. And for a few moments, there was only silence before Datura took a slow breath as he saw ashen motes slowly rising up from over the railing.

Slowly but steadily, the length of strengthened flesh dissolved... and then Datura slumped back with a quiet sigh as the light faded from his eyes and his horn. He shivered for a few moments on the security bridge... then silently held up a claw, studying the glowing steam that hissed up off his body before he smiled faintly, whispering: “Right. He killed me... then brought me back with his powers. But if I killed him and took him out of where his powers work...”

Datura laughed briefly: what a sick joke. But he supposed that was fitting, too, as he shivered weakly on the spot... then slowly, silently slumped down on his side as ashes and smoke burned off his dying form.