Once I got on the train, it was a relatively smooth ride. But I couldn’t help but wonder just why Moondancer had also been there. Was I being a bit overly concerned? Probably. She was probably on some small errand for Princess Sparkle.
But rather unexpectedly, she approached me instead. Who would’ve thought. Hoofsteps gained more audibility as they came nearer and nearer towards my seat, until her dull yellow mug popped into view.
“Flash Drive, correct?” she questioned me right out of the gate. “Half unicorn, half zebra?”
Well now that was certainly unexpected. You’d have to be off your nut to kick off an introduction with such words. However, as she was a tad older than I, it would have been rude to ignore or deny the claims when they were painfully obvious. Admittedly, I did stick out like a sore hoof. I was a jet-black pony. Such a dark color scheme was natively impossible among regular Equestrian ponies. Combine that with my silver mane, it was impossible to hide in plain sight.
Second, my build was a tad more muscular than the average unicorn. Sure from the outside, I looked normal. But I was a tad taller than most. The only relatively normal thing about me was my horn size and shape. However, even then, I wasn’t exactly adept in casting. Zebra magic was more focused on the external and how their bodies interacted with the ether--okay it was better to show off in practice rather than explain.
For the moment, I simply responded. “Yes. That’s me. What would you like to know, madam?”
“I was simply curious, that’s all. I remember Tempest Shadow telling me a bit about you.”
Oh dear. Here came the assumptions. “Oh really?” I asked as I leaned forward in my seat to give her my full attention, “And just what has she said exactly.”
“That you might make for a decent research partner, but I’ll have to see about that for myself,” she responded and took a look at the seat next to me. “Do you mind?”
Joy. I wasn’t much for conversation when it came to...intrapersonal things. But if I had no other option, then I could at least indulge her until it came time for my stop. As I stated before, it was important to show respect to those older than yourself. “Not at all, go ahead.”
And so, she sat in the aisle seat next to me. “Appreciated. Now I have a few more questions.”
“Fire away,” I said.
“Your research...what does it normally encompass?”
“Various things,” I replied as I looked out of the window, “For starters, my partner and I have an inherent knack for finding all sorts of information on strange creatures. In particular, we’ve been studying the Umbrums.”
Something must have clicked in Moondancer’s mind. Because she started to recall something we discussed previously. “...Oh that stuff. Listen...no offense to you or anything, but you should leave that sort of dangerous stuff to the professionals. You know. The ones who have studied magic their whole lives? Equestrian magic?”
Eh, wot? Was she insinuating that I wasn’t qualified enough to handle magical affairs due to how I was raised? If so, it wasn’t the first time. Not really much to say in response other than a general deflection.
“I was hired for this position for a reason. I’m not sure exactly what you might have learned from Ms. Shadow, but you’ll see what I can do in the near future.” I didn’t want to allude to my true intentions too much. Moondancer was certain to fly off the proverbial handle if I made a poor judgement of her or anypony closely affiliated with her.
“Well, I’ve been keenly observing your entire little team,” she went on, and levitated some notes out of her saddlebag which she began to sort through. “You and your friends are quite...resilient, to say the least. But you in particular--I’ve yet to see you accomplish anything of note in relation to the current case.” She tilted her head to look at me from around her notepad, “Is that what you’re on your way to do right now?”
Damn. She had me by the knackers on this one. No point in hiding it I suppose. “Maybe. I’ve been around loads of places for quite a while, madam. Trust me, I’m more experienced than I appear.” The mare may have been older than I was, but it was only a few years above. Not nearly enough time for her to pass judgement upon me. “I’m unable to disclose the entirety of my operation parameters. You’ll find out once things are done.”
She let out a backhoofed sort of chuckle. “Ah...haha. Playing hard, I see. Meh, doesn’t matter. I’ll have the information I need for my own research soon enough.” She put away the notes, and leaned back into her seat.
I didn’t know whether I should have felt annoyed or suspicious.
Anyhow, the train finally stopped near the Badlands. From there, I was off to take a ship towards the other side of the world. The journey was going to take me at least a day to arrive at the Zebra continent, and another day to take their train to South Zebrica specifically. It was going to be a long journey to my father’s homeland, but I was prepared for whatever came my way.
However, before I got off that train, Moondancer hit me with some interesting parting words. “Flash Drive.”
I stopped mid-trot, and turned back to glance at her. “Hm?”
“Don’t disappoint out there.”