Morning

The pastures were swinging with the soft breeze that blew from the northern world. Vlaktes carried his shield on his back, like he had done all the morning, and his knife on his sheath, feeling the reassuring weight of the blade strapped to his side. Aside from that there was his luggage, where he'd kept his rations, and other things that he'd dragged along the way. The long, long way he had walked.

"You don't mean that seriously, do you?" asked the unicorn mare.

     Vlaktes stopped for a moment. The road ahead hadn't been the same as it was before, but at least the trip was almost done.

"Completely" he said, not turning back. "You should try to dig deep, and rid of the corpses. There are many scavengers around."

"Hey! Wait up!" a voice called behind him. Way back in the road, Lyra was almost cantering just to get into pace. "You've been moving all morning!"

"And how are you suggesting we do that?" asked the earth mare.

"I never asked you to come along" he answered, nonchalantly.

"I don't know" he shrugged. "Thats not my problem."

"Yeah, we know how much of a douchebag you are" followed Bon Bon. "Why don't we skip the act and go to the moment where you excuse yourself, huh?"

Lyra cut his path.

"Well you can't possibly be serious! You made a promise!"

     Vlaktes stopped.

"Fine, you wanna know why I did it?"

"I made a promise to a valiant guardscolt, not to his corpse. That's your business."

"It would be a relief, yes" said Lyra. "Aside from your indifference toward any kind of honor, how are you planning to explain your actions?"

"So you rescue us from certain death and you don't even care to show any other kind of appreciation? What kind of stallion… Zebra are you!?"

     Vlaktes kept silent for a moment. It may be worth a moment of self contemplation, but it seems that he didn't had anything to answer aside from being a douschebag within him… Oh well, who said anything had to be so complex in this life? After all, who was he to question the moments that'd left him to make the wrong choices?

Vlaktes looked at her with a steel gaze.

"One too lived for this… Thats who."

"Well? We're waiting" pressed Lyra nonetheless. "Why did you did it? Huh? WHY!?"

But that didn't set back Lyra.

"Still you saved us. Why?"

Now, surprisingly, it was Vlaktes the one that hadn't anything to say.

"Yeah, why did you took the bother if you didn't care anyway?" interjected the other one. "Why?"

"I'm too tired for this!" he exclaimed.

Vlaktes stood where he was for a moment. A fair question, yes? The two mares stood where they were, looking at him with questioning eyes. It was almost as if they were reinforcing the question with their disapproving looks.

     Impressive. Not that he could at least answered something that he didn't meant, but that it may be, as somepony had told him long ago, the most sincere answer he could give to himself.

Half of Vlaktes just wanted to leave them stranded where they were, wait for the rest of the anubite pack, which surely would wonder what happened to their companions, came here to finish what they started, and the other… Well, the other didn't knew what to do or how to feel. Just to stay here and do something good for once. At least once in a while.

A battle to the death inside him… Who'd win?

"I'm tired…" he continued. "Of everything… I just… Wanna go home."

"Fine!" he growled as he let his shield down, and, not waiting for anyone to say anything else, started to dig. "Wanawake wamelaaniwa…" he cursed. "Maadili wamelaaniwa…"

Day proceeded over their heads until the heat of the sun began to rise to the point where shade became a relief from the scourging rays above. For Vlaktes it wasn't that bad though. He was from there after all. He could even remember the days when he'd run freely through the plains once in a while, and life was easier. Under that light it even felt reassuring to be under that lovingly annoying heat… But his company apparently wasn't of the same opinion.

"So hot…" panted the voice of Bon Bon behind him, shuffling her hooves. "It's… so hot out here… I could use a hay shake about now!"

"I hear you" said Lyra, more calmly. "Who'd say the savannah would be such an unfriendly place for my coat."

     Vlaktes rolled his eyes. It wasn't the complaining, he could take an amazing lot of that, but the mere fact of the acacia branch that was floating over her head and had been doing it since the last half hour.

"Yeah, and don't get me started on this road" continued Bon Bon. "I don't know you but I'm gonna need a hooficure when I'm done with this!"

     Another roll of the eyes. Like if you'd never walked before…

"Indeed, I just had mine done" she noted sadly. "But aside from that, there's something that I've been wondering."

"And what is it?"

"Where are we going?"

     Bon Bon kept silent for a second.

"That is a… Very good question" Vlaktes in that second felt both her eyes in his hindhead. "Hey, dude, Blacks, where are we heading?"

     Ah, if he could just leave them stranded…

"It's Vlaktes" he said, calmly. "And you are heading for the nearest Royal Guard outpost."

"And you are guiding us there?" asked Lyra.

"No" he answered. "I'm heading for my town. It just happens to be in the same general direction."

     Bon Bon snorted.

"Talk about being a gentlecolt…"

     Vlaktes straightly ignored it. It wasn't of his business, and they weren't of his concern. They were just a couple of idle tourist he'd found on his way. Nothing more. Well, at least it would be over when they part ways…

"So, you were a royal guard?" suddenly asked Lyra.

     Vlaktes stopped.

"what?" he asked, surprised.

"Hey, if we're going to be around, the least we could do is get to know each other" she catch up with him. "So, were you a Royal Guard before this?"

     Vlaktes stared back at her. For some reason, he felt tempted to tell…

"Yes" was the only thing he said before keep moving.

"And what happened?"

"What do you care?"

"Oh come on!" she walked beside him. "It couldn't be that bad…"

     Vlaktes could have told her what he thought, but he could figure that the sword gaze that he was striking could speak for him better than words.

"Oh…" Lyra backed away a little bit.

"Too-tough-guy-stuff to let us know, huh?" interjected Bon Bon. "But anyway, that's not what I've been wondering about you. The way you speak is not like any zebra we know. Why don't you speak in rhymes?"

     No Vlaktes snorted.

"Why don't you sing all the time?"

"Touché" smiled Lyra sideways. "...But that doesn't explain why do you speak like us ponies do though."

     Oh bother, what the heck…

"Because I was raised in Zebrican Equestria, and thus I have as much education as you ponies… Supposedly."

"Zebrican Equestria?"

"Haven't you wondered why it seems you're not welcomed here?"

     Bon Bon took a second of reflection.

"Yes."

"That's why. You may not believe it, but ponies are not very well received in these parts of the world."

"Figures you have something to do with it" said Lyra. "Why did you become a Royal Guard?" Vlaktes felt the necessity to punch her, but it just should have to do with the return of his sword-threatening gaze. "Hey, I'm not asking about why you left, just why you entered, it's a totally different question!" she excused.

     But that didn't made him any easier.

"My reasons are mine. Both for entering and for leaving, and are not of your interest. The only thing you need to know is that the Zebrican Equestrian Royal Guard is one of the reasons why we folk don't like your kind very much."

"Hum… Talk about bad blood between us" sighed Bon Bon. "…Our kinds, I mean."

"But still I don't get it" continued Lyra. "We know a zebra, back in our home, and she is… so… friendly. Weird, but friendly."

"And you know her from…"

"Okay, she never said where is she from, but everypony's figured out, obviously."

     This time Vlaktes smiled sideways.

"You'd be surprised…"

"Anyway, I thought zebras were less… Diverse as they truly are."

"And you know a lot of different peoples?"

"I've been around" she cynically shrugged. "Yet I'm still curious, how come she speaks in rhymes and you don't?"

"Rhymes are because they are translated from Tambarare, our original tongue. Only elders and Nuzzlers speak it."

"Ahm… She doesn't seem to be older than us" she turned to Bon Bon. "How old do you think she is?"

"Zecora? I dunno…" she shrugged as well. "Maybe like the mayor. She gives that outlook of wise and old, you know what I'm saying?"

     But Vlaktes had just lost himself in his thoughts. Zecora… Now it wasn't just a coincidence. Oh dear, that pushy mare had a way to stick her muzzle into everything around him. Even if he had pushed her and the others away not so long ago. Damn you, crazy zebra!

"Laanifu abamare…" he groaned.

"What?" questioned Bon Bon.

"Nothing" he hissed. "Just an old… Friend" Witch, hag, the list was long.

"But I heard you speak that language again!" intervened Lyra. "How do you know it if you're from Zebrican Equestria?"

     Okay, now they were messing with his patience.

"Because I'm a Zebra" he tried to no growl. "And wether I like it or not, its how I grew" and wether he liked it or not, now his gaze was that of a spear, pointed at the heart of Lyra's soul.

"Okay, okay I get it, its your business, don't blow your steam so hard!" she backed away. "Sheesh…"

"Thank you" he snorted. "And how come you ended here anyway?"

"Excuse me?" asked Bon Bon surprised. "Are you questioning us now? After how you'd answered all of our questions?"

     Vlaktes was a bout to speak, but Lyra took over.

"We came here on vacation!"

"Lyra!" whined Bon Bon.

"What? It's the first question he's ever asked. Besides, we're not going anywhere soon, so…" she turned to him. Vlaktes just nodded, there wasn't any point in giving the negative. "Well, the story of how we got here is quite interesting. You see…"

     And Lyra proceeded to tell him a long, particularly disperse story about how they'd gotten a small fortune from an unwilling adventure with goblins, ogres, and a screaming minotaur named Iron Will who plunged them into everything, apparently… And something about a pink mare and a mule playing chess or something like that.

"…And that is how we got our money" she concluded. "We couldn't spend it in anything, since it was cursed and all, but we figured that we could trade it for something, and we got a timeshare!"

"Yes… A time share that has gotten us nothing but trouble" put in Bon Bon. "And we didn't even get to see a Tunderrhino!"

"Excuse me?" Vlaktes immediately rose his eyebrows, amused. You gotta be kidding me! "Did you just say that you were looking for a Tunderrhino?" he tried in vain to contain his mocking smile.

"Um… Yes?" she said, unsure. "Is there something wrong?"

"N… No-" but the laughter within him couldn't be restrained. "Oh holy…!" he kept laughing. "And how much did you say you paid him?"

"Hmm…" Lyra stood thoughtful for a second. "I don't know exactly, but it was quite mu-"

"Don't you say another word, Lyra!" interrupted Bon Bon, then turned to a still laughing Vlaktes. "And You… What is so damn funny about our misadventure if you may?"

     And despite his intentions Vlaktes still had to calm himself down to answer.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry" he wiped a tear from his face. "Its just that… I'd hate to brake it to you, ladies, but you've been miserably conned!" he laughed again.

"Conned? What do you mean?" asked Lyra.

"I'm meaning that there are no Tunderrhinos" he said, more collected. "There's never been. Those creatures haven't been seen in ages, even by our elders! They disappeared when the first ponies arrived to Zebrica, a hundred years ago, and haven't been seen since. That guy you paid for this should be the most dumb of all the hustlers there are in Rising Sun port, and you bought it completely! That's what makes it so funny!"

"Joke's not funny when you actually explain it" muttered Bon Bon under the zebra's laughter. "…Jerk."

"No Bon Bon, that actually explains a lot" said Lyra. "Even if we didn't pay him. We just trade our cursed money for his vacational package, that's all."

"And how is that different from spending it?" asked Vlaktes, still with that mocking look in his face.

     Lyra tried to refute this, but just opening her mouth she shut it again.

"Oh…" was the only thing that came out her breath. Beside her, Bon Bon was making a bemused face that overstated that even her didn't know what to do. The only thing that could be heard was the hysterical laughter of Vlaktes, that was making a comparable fuss in the plains to that of her screams, hours earlier.

Half an hour later the road still continued through the yellow grasslands, opening path in the infinity of the landscape as winds had started to fly low in order to fight the heat of the day. Vlaktes's pace was more light, even with the luggage he was carrying, and his face wasn't annoyed anymore. In fact, now what would be the hint of a smile could be adverted in the corner of his lips. Suddenly, he did not know how, the trip had turned merrier than expected.

"I can't believe it!" pouted Lyra. "All this effort and we couldn't still get rid of our curse!"

"No wonder why we were assaulted by those jackal creatures in the middle of nowhere" said Bon Bon. "I don't even know why aren't we dead yet!"

"Ahem…" now it was Vlaktes who cynically cleared his throat.

     Bon Bon glared at him with the same stare as before.

"…But now that I think about it I'd rather be dead now."

"Ah you're just grumpy because we're stranded with a douchebag" grinned Lyra. "…With all due respect."

"It's okay" Vlaktes shrugged. "The feeling is mutual."

"Well, at least we came to an understatement" sighed Bon Bon. "Where did you say were the crossroads again?"

"Ahead" he answered, nodding. "You'll be there before you know it."

"We better…" she hissed.

"Anyway, putting rivalries aside…" interjected Lyra. "You said you were heading for your town?"

"…My old town" his smile grew even wither. "Its a few miles away yet, at the end of the plain, but I'm sure I can make it there for midday."

"Looks like you still have a tough day ahead. Wandering alone out there…" Bon Bon gazed into the horizon. "Not that you can't take care of yourself, though."

     Vlaktes shrugged.

"Perhaps, but its my home, and as long as I can get there it'll all be worth the trouble."

"Sounds like it's a nice place to go" Lyra rose an eyebrow.

"It is" he declared. "My family, and all of the other families I grew with had been there for five generations. It's where my father was born, and my mother's orchard stands. My sister's there too, and by now she should have been married…"

"Well congratulations, great uncle!"

"Thank you" he fondly stared into nowhere. "I'm eager to know who she was paired with. I just hope that's a good stallion, and would be more than happy to know my siblings…"

"But?"

"But what?" but Lyra's expression only emphasized how Vlaktes's face had changed from joy to worry. "I don't know… I've been gone for too long. I'm not the same colt that left it a while ago, and perhaps the Royal Guard had communicated them that I'm dead or missing. I've already been in a fuss for all my life, striving and fighting… I just wouldn't like to make another out of my return."

"But its your home after all" she shrugged. "And no matter how much we leave, we're always bound to return there. Heck if I know what'd happen if we leave Ponyville for good, but in the end I know that there would be people who'd miss us, and that no matter how long, we'll always be welcomed" she beamed at him. "That's why it's our special place, the only one where we belong."

"But wait a minute…" muttered Bon Bon. "You said you signed up for the war with the Diamond Dogs, but that was over thirty years ago. Damn, we weren't even born! …How old are you again?"

     And suddenly all the memories to that point flashed within his conscience. Even that about why he didn't like ponies anymore.

     Vlaktes's expression changed again.

"Old Enough" he declared, before moving ahead. "…And I didn't volunteered, I was conscripted."

     No more words were spoken. At least, not that would initiate another conversation. Vlaktes had reassumed his past disposition towards it, and even though his face'd still have a shadow of joy in it, he wouldn't accept that it was because of their cause. Not anymore, he thought. You've had too much of this. Its time to give it a rest.

     The trip continued without much of a chat. Not long after that the crossroads appeared in the distance, cutting their way through like arrows pointed in every general direction of the compass. Vlaktes pressed a little bit again his pace, and at his back he could hear how the two mares exchanged a word of relief and happiness. At last, the place where they'd part ways, and the point where Vlaktes could be back at where he started: alone and serene.

"Okay, here we are" he sighed in relief too as they reached the place, then turned to the others. "You must take the one at our left. It'll take you to the nearest Royal Guard outpost. You should be there at sunset."

"Thank you!" Lyra smiled, then turned to her friend.

     Bon Bon was staring sourly at him, but a few nudges from her friend put her in a decent enough mood.

"Yeah, thank you" she whispered grudgingly.

"Don't mention it" he said, as serious as before. "Just get there before sundown. Trust me, you won't like this place at night." …And seeing how you handle problems, neither you'll last.

"We'll bear that in mind, thanks" Lyra set her way with Bon Bon. "And good luck with your town!"

"Good luck with not being eaten" he waved goodbye.

     And with that little gesture Bon Bon and Lyra went on their way, and Vlaktes was left again on his own. The way ahead was open to him, and at his back the sound of hooves as they moved through the ground was slowly fading, marking the pace at which the subjects of his nuisance were walking away. It's for eh best, he thought. They'd be better off without knowing me anyway.

     …But what were the odds? Perhaps they'd run into something war worse this time. What if he couldn't be there in time? Would it be his fault for leaving them on their own?

     No. They had made their choice. Nopony had told them to come here in the first place, and nopony had directed them straight to the claws of a fibber who'd obviously would only want their money… And yet, nopony was there to guide them in the first place. They couldn't be blamed for not knowing how to behave or what to do now that they weren't in Equestria anymore… Just as him when he left Zebrica.

     Vlaktes wouldn't dare to accept it, but he had stopped his pace, and was looking at his back with a little bit of worry. The mares were already out of sight, lost in the pastures that engulfed the roadsides, and perhaps on their way. For a moment… Just a moment he considered going with them and make sure they'd reach their destination safely. But it was just a moment.

"No…" he whispered as he reassumed his path. "They should have never come here."