//------------------------------// // Hawkeyes // Story: How to Disappear Completely // by shortskirtsandexplosions //------------------------------// "Ansssssswer us!" Rover insisted, pointing an angry claw. "You are poniesss and you are outsiderssss!" His fangs showed, providing a brief flash of sincere menace. "How do you know about our pack name?!" "Yeah!" Spot folded his forelimbs. "That's a High Paw secret!" Flash cleared his throat and boldly trotted closer. "We... overheard from your elders' speaker that the Council of High Paw only makes decisions if all the packs are unanimous. Apparently, the agreement over meeting with the pony representatives was called off at the last second because one pack backed out of the decision... specifically the Hawkeye Pack." "Well, we had good reassssson to!" Rover snarled. "You poniessss are a bunch of greedy creaturessss who'll take whatever you get a grimey hoof on!" Soarin' frowned. "That's not true!" "More importantly—!" Flash interrupted, glancing from Soarin' to the Hawkeyes. "It's not what was told to the Council." "Woof?" Rover raised an eyebrow. "I clearly remember the speaker paraphrasing what happened!" Flash exclaimed. "He said that the Hawkeye Pack claimed that ponies only want to eat diamond dogs for supper!" His fuzzy brow furrowed. "And that was the reason for your pack dragging its heels in contributing to a unanimous decision..." He nodded, waving his fetlock from side to side. "Or its paws... y'know... whatever." "Mrrmmmmmm..." Fido tapped his chin, throwing the other two a nervous glance. Rover's nostrils flared. "Look! We had to tell them sssssomething to convinccce them to throw off the meeting! Or else—" "What?" Soarin' blinked. "Ponies and diamond dogs might end up finding a way to live peacefully?" He gestured. "To exchange goods and culture in a way that would benefit both civilizations?" "Do you honestly think ponies like us would want to eat you?" Flash asked. "No!" Fido exclaimed. Upon receiving glares from Rover and Spot, he sheepishly murmured: "Well... I dunno. Maybe?" "So... lemme guess..." Flash waved. "You propagated a whole bunch of purposefully false fearmongering just to get your way in the politics of High Paw." He pointed at the catapult. "And then you took advantage of the trust that was already built between ponies and canines only to instigate an act of unprovoked war?" "Don't use big wordssss on ussss, pony!" Spot barked. "Keep it simple!" "You guys were dicks!" Flash blurted. Fido's and Spot's tails hung between their legs. "Well..." "We had to be!" Rover growled. "Nopony knowsss poniesss like we do! Telling the truth would only delay mattersss! Take too much time!" "But... like..." Flash shrugged. "...if all you ever do is tell lies, then how are you going to come to any sort of understanding at all?" He pointed vaguely west. "Even if you were successful with the catapult, how would you then guarantee it had the desired effect? Would you even be able to prove your point after such a mess gets started?" The three looked at one another. "Mrmmm..." Rover shook his head. "It'sssss all too complicated. The councccccil would never hear the Hawkeyessss out! Not sssssso long as they believe there'ssss opportunity to be had with the poniesssss..." Flash sighed long and hard. "Look... I know it's hard to rely on the truth at times. More often than not, what's true serves to hurt us just as much as it helps us. Truth isn't easy... but it's usually the right way to go in most cases." He threw Soarin' a glance, then looked at the mutts yet again. "So... I suppose it's only fair that I tell you the truth first." He pointed aside. "This pony here—Soarin'—is no mare. And he's not my wife." "Ehhhh?" Spot blinked. "And we're not on some honeymoon cruise," Flash further explained while Soarin' watched on. "Yes, we were riding on the airship that brought the ponies here... but Soarin' here is only wanting to protect them. And me? Heh... well..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Jury's still out on what I'm doing here. But I can assure you that I want everyone to be hunky-dory with one another." "Sooooooooo..." Fido turned his head sideways. "You're not married to a beautiful bride?" "No," Soarin' grunted. "He's not." "Idiot!" Spot jumped tall so he could punch Fido in the shoulder. "I knew her eyelasssshessss weren't long enough!" "Owwww!" Fido whimpered. "Stop hitting me!" "Never!" "Wait wait wait!" Rover waved his claws, then glared at the stallions. "If none of that wasssss true... then why did you sssssay it wassss when you firsssst ssssshowed up?" "From the look of things, you were preparing to commit long-range rockicide," Flash said, waving at the catapult. "We didn't know if that thing had a hair-pin trigger or not. I didn't want to freak anyone out." "Grfffff..." Rover folded his forelimbs. "Fair enough. I sssssuppossssse you poniessss can be clever... when it helpssss you." "When it helps you, dude," Flash said in a sincere tone. "Have you even begun thinking of the consequences for what you were planning to do? Never mind Equestria! How would High Paw punish the Hawkeye Pack? All your dog-mommies and dog-daddies back home?" "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Fido looked at the others. "We... uhhhhh..." Rover fidgeted. "We didn't exactly think of that," Spot wheezed. "I didn't think so. Well..." Flash exhaled through a smile, relaxing his limbs. "Perhaps now we can talk about it. I've already told you the truth about me and Soarin' here." He held a hoof out. "How about you try telling us the truth?" "What do you mean?" Spot asked. "Well... you could start by telling us the real reason for why the Hawkeye Pack doesn't want to join in on the Council of High Paw's unanimous decision." "Yeah..." Soarin' nodded. "Just what did ponies do to you that made you so angry and distrustful of us?" The others looked at Rover. Rover smirked bitterly at the stallions. "You want to know what the poniessss did to us? Fine!" His slitted eyes narrowed menacingly. "We'll tell you..."