//------------------------------//
// Meet the Demomare 
// Story: Meet the Team: Pony Fortress 2 
// by The Usurper 
//------------------------------//

	"So," the Administrator began, "you really want your next interview to be scheduled at a time when no battles are ongoing?"

"Yes." Diana confirmed. "Such an arrangement would be more efficient, time saving and safer, for both the interviewee and I."

"I see." The Administrator leaned forward and rested his arms on the table in front of him, never taking his attention off of the numerous screens before him. "Still, I think that battles show the characters of the mercenaries more accurately than interviews ever will. There is always the possibility of lying when telling an interviewer - especially one that they hardly know, and who works for another being that they hardly know - about themselves. During a battle, their real selves shine through, whether for better or for worse."

"But Administrator," Diana persisted, "A battle would endanger their lives and mine. Besides-"

"Diana." The Administrator barked. He turned around and stared straight into the mare's eyes. "They risk their lives every day just by fighting those battles. And as for you, you know what you were getting yourself into when you volunteered for this."

"Well, there's also the issue of time to consider-"

"Are you questioning my judgement?"

The earth pony felt a chill run down her spine. "O-Of course not, Administrator."

"Good." The Administrator turned back to the collection of computer screens behind him. "Still, I see a certain logic to your argument. Perhaps I should at least test your idea before dismissing it."

Diana looked up, her eyes sparkling with hope. "Really?"

The Administrator nodded. "Yes, but keep in mind that this will only be a test. I will observe the results afterwards, and pass my judgement."

"Thank you, Administrator!" Diana grinned happily. "I guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

"I had better not be... for your sake."

Diana gulped.

"Now, while I'm afraid that an intermission between battles long enough for your interview does not exist, I think I can let you interview the RED..." The Administrator consulted one of the screens. "...Demomare tonight, somewhere far, far away from the conflict."

"That's still better than nothing." Diana breathed a sigh of relief. "At least I'm not going to have to dodge lethal projectiles just to get to my interview anymore."





"If it's not a battlefield..." Diana winced she narrowly dodged the manticore's swinging claws, "it's a dangerous jungle full of carnivorous predators that just want to see me dead."

The manticore roared as it lunged towards Diana, fangs glinting in the moonlight. The mare sidestepped, letting the beast crash onto the forest floor, before she retaliated with a powerful punch of her own that snapped its head backwards.

Now roaring in pain rather than fury, the manticore swung his paws wildly at Diana from its awkward position on the ground. One claw just brushed the edge of the earth pony's front leg before she moved out of the way, scraping part of it off and allowing tiny drops of blood to escape.

Diana, gritting her teeth as she endured the pain from her throbbing appendage, lashed out at the manticore's head again, this time knocking it unconscious. She eyed the monster for a moment, ensuring that it was incapacitated, before galloping away as fast as her legs - injured one included - could take her.

At least the battlefield back at Thunder Mountain didn't have potentially life-threatening poison. She glanced at her leg, which was now oozing black blood rather than the healthy red. I just hope there's somepony nearby who can help me.

"Hello?" Diana called. "Can anypony hear me?" Receiving nothing in response but an echo, she repeated her question, but to no avail.

I'm pretty sure that getting blasted into smithereens trying to push that payload is still better than being poisoned to death out here...

"I am quite sure I heard the voice of a mare." Another voice came. Diana paused. "Hello? Is there anypony there?"

Diana immediately adopted a fighting position, pondering whether the new arrival would be friendly or hostile. I suppose I have to risk it. She thought. This poison might just be life-threatening. I just hope whoever is out there can help me.

"I am here." Diana replied, still keeping her combat stance.

Some bushes behind her rustled, and Diana spun around just in time to see a zebra emerge from behind the leaves. "Indeed, I was right, there is somepony here." The zebra noticed Diana's aggressive posture. "Do not worry, young mare, there is nothing to fear."

"Uh huh." Diana said, unconvinced. "How do I know I can trust you?" I don't even know who she is. And why does she always rhyme when she talks?

"It would appear that you have no choice in the matter." The zebra glanced at Diana's infected leg. Damn, she noticed. "Either you die, or you trust me." She paused. "You should choose the latter."

"What is wrong with my leg, then?" Diana questioned. "Prove that you at least have the slightest idea of what caused this, and it would make it easier to trust you."

"It is a manticore's poison. Quite dangerous, in fact." The zebra shook her head. "It seems that speed is something you lacked."

Calm down, Diana. Look on the bright side. She knows what it is, she might know the cure. Maybe the poison is slow-acting. "Can you cure it?"

"If we just move at a slightly faster pace." The zebra told her. "we should get the cure, back at my place."

Diana swallowed. "How much time do I have, then?"

"I would say less than an hour, so we must be quick. Otherwise, you will get very sick." The zebra turned around and trotted in the direction of what was presumably her home. "Believe me when I say that you don't want to wait. Any longer and you will probably meet your fate."

"I don't need a reminder." Diana put her weight on her injured leg and winced.

The zebra looked at her. "If you say so." She moved deeper into the forest. "Let's go."

Diana did her best to keep up, tolerating the steadily increasing pain from her leg as she trudged through the dense jungle. Her guide occasionally checked to see if she was still there, and a look of surprise flashed across her face every time she saw that Diana was still hot on her heels, despite her injury.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity to Diana, the trees on either side of the duo disappeared as they emerged into a clearing. A small hut occupied the centre.

"Follow me, we are here." The zebra pushed the door of the hut open. "Don't give up now, respite is near."

"Thanks for the help." Diana limped through the entrance before collapsing on the wooden floor with an oof.

"This is far from over, young mare." The zebra trotted over to one of the many shelves that lined the edge of the hut. "What you are going to experience is pain nopony can bear."

Diana smirked. "In that case, you will soon discover that I am no ordinary pony."

"Heed my words, you will at least want to be mentally prepared." The zebra warned. "You don't understand if you aren't even a little bit scared."

"It can't possibly be that bad." Diana snorted.

"Don't underestimate the agony this will bring." She removed a transparent vial which was filled to the brim with a bubbling green liquid from the shelf. "This cannot be compared to anything."

"You don't know what pain is until the Medic decides to operate on you without anaesthetic." Diana cringed. "It hurts just thinking about it."

"That will seem like a walk in the park compared to what you will feel." The zebra held out the vial. "Still, this is your antidote, definitely the real deal."

"Thank you, then, for your help." Diana reached out to take it, but the zebra pulled her hoof back.

"I should do it, you will not be able to. I would do the same, if I were in your shoes."

"Well, despite what the cynical side of me is saying, I trust your judgement." Diana gestured to her leg, a large portion of which was now several hues darker than its surroundings. "You might want to hurry, though."

"Are you sure that you are ready?" Diana responded with a nod. "Very well. Don't panic, and be steady."

In the moment it took for a single drop of the green liquid to fall from the vial onto her wound, a thousand thoughts flashed through Diana's mind. The most predominant one was that of self-reassurance.

"Relax, Diana." She muttered to herself. "There's nothing so painful that you haven't felt it before."

The drop hit her skin.

"OH FU-" Diana heard somepony scream, and only when a black and white striped hoof clamped itself over her muzzle did she realise it was her.

"Please, try not to be too loud. In the night, predators are up and about." Diana nodded silently, trying in vain to keep the tears back as the bubbling liquid ate away at her infected flesh. Somehow, it seemed to make her nerve cells ten times more sensitive to the agony she was in.

"Do you require a distraction?" Tears were now flowing down Diana's face like small rivers. "That would be a logical choice of action."

"O-Okay..." At this point, it was only her willpower that kept Diana going. "B-By any c-chance, have  y-you seen the D-Demomare? I..." She stopped talking for a moment, her sentence interrupted by a fit of coughing that took half a minute to die down. "... I need t-to interview h-her..." If I didn't, I wouldn't be in this situation.

"It is the Demomare you seek?" The zebra laughed. "If I had known, I would have told you. It is to her that you speak."

Diana's right eye twitched, and it wasn't entirely out of pain. "All t-this time... the D-Demomare was right in f-front of m-me?"

The zebra held out a hoof. "Indeed. Zecora is my name, and destruction is my game."

I found her. Now that she knew she had to go no further, the pain became that much more bearable. She extended her hoof to shake Zecora's. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Diana."

"Ah. Not many would venture down this path, unless threatened by the Administrator's wrath." Zecora released Diana's hoof before she continued. "In that case, I suppose I should grant you your request, so that you may return home quickly and rest."

"Yes, thank you very much - for both the cure and the interview." Now that she was focused on the interview and what she would say, her mind hardly registered the fresh jolt of pain that rocketed through her system as Zecora applied a new dose of the green liquid to her wound. "Disappointing the Administrator has dire consequences."

"That is something I know... perhaps a little too well." For a split second, an expression of profound sadness crossed her face. "It was something I would rather not tell." As quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. "Please understand that I would rather not talk about that. It was a most unpleasant spat."

"I won't force you to tell me."

"For that, I thank you. Thoughtful ponies nowadays are few." Zecora paused. "So, shall we continue with the interview?"

"Of course." Diana chose a topic for a next question. "Forgive me if this is too personal a question, but why does everything you say rhyme?"

"It is the result of a terrible curse. Those are wounds that I still nurse."

"Ah, I see." Unimportant, then. It will not reflect her characteristics at all. "Well, it would be a tad impolite to inquire further, so..." Diana moved on to her next question. "Let me ask you this: Out of all the candidates Princess Celestia could have picked for the position of Demomare, she chose you. Now," Diana leaned forward, momentarily forgetting about her leg. "Why did she choose you?"

"In short, what makes you a good Demomare?"

Zecora stepped forward to apply another drop of liquid to Diana's leg before replying. "What makes me a good Demomare? Well, the others weren't too bad, to be fair. But in the end, I came out on top. Personally, I don't really know why." A mischievous sparkle appeared in her eyes. "But if I were a bad Demomare, I wouldn't be sitting here, discussing it with you now would I?"

"Good point." Diana agreed.

"Still, if I were to rank qualities' importance, I would place precision at the head. One wayward pinch of sulphur, one errant twitch, and we'd all be dead."

"So, you make your own grenades?" Diana asked.

"Yes, I do. It's not as hard as you may think. Though," Zecora rubbed her chin with her hoof, "the ingredients do sometimes give off a terrible stink."

"I can imagine." Diana nodded. "Oh yes, do you think I could have a few of those grenades? It would be most useful to have when traversing dangerous terrain."

"Of course you may take them, I have too many. Best to give it to somepony who doesn't have any." Zecora laughed. "Unless, of course, that pony is not my friend, in which case he or she will meet an untimely end."

"Thank you." Diana tried to get up, and winced when her leg reminded her that she was still undergoing treatment. "Um... do you mind if..."

"I will get them for you." Zecora trotted over to another shelf-covered wall in her hut and retrieved half a dozen grenades and a book. Trotting over to temporarily disabled Diana, she handed the grenades over. "Here, take this too." She then gave her the book.

Diana read the title of the book before raising her eyebrow. "'How to make your own Grenade Launcher'?"

"For potential Demomares. Who knows, one day we might need a spare." Zecora sat down next to Diana as she poured the last drop out of the now-empty vial onto the earth pony's leg. Strange, I didn't notice how little there was left in it until now. Diana thought.

"It's okay, I don't think I'll make a very good Demomare."

"We'll see." Zecora winked at her. "One day, you might even be as good as me."

"Well, thank you for the compliment." Diana stood up and trotted towards the zebra. The fact that she was cured didn't register in her head until a few seconds later. "And the treatment, too. Looks like I'm fine now."

"And thank you, too. You're not a bad guest. At least you're not one of those annoying pests."

"Right." Diana gave Zecora a smile. "Well, I think that's all I need for the interview. Thank you, and have a nice..." Her ears suddenly shot straight up into the air.

Zecora looked on in concern. "Is there something wrong?" She looked at the vial that once contained the cure. "I hope this wasn't too strong."

"Shh!" Diana put a hoof to her lips. "Listen."

Zecora shut up and pressed her ears to the wall of her hut. Diana could tell by the way Zecora's eyes widened in shock that she was now hearing what the earth pony had been the entire time.

"I know I heard something from here!" A mare's voice came from outside the hut, somewhere beyond the clearing.

"Eeyup." Another pony, this one a stallion, replied.

"I bet it's some RED team scum preparing to ambush us from behind!" The clinking of metal alerted Diana to the fact that they were armed.

"Eeyup."

"Come on, move faster! We've got to catch them while they're still unprepared!"

"Eeyup."

From then on, all Diana could hear was soft footsteps drawing nearer, and she knew that they had entered the clearing.

She turned to Zecora, only to see her holding a stickybomb launcher in her hooves. This time, it was the zebra who signalled to Diana to keep quiet. She obeyed.

Lifting her weapon so that it faced the closed front door to the hut, Zecora fired a volley of sticky bombs that stuck to the wall around the door.

Then, they waited.

Soon, just as Diana had expected, a BLU Scout and Heavy smashed the door down, their weapons aimed at Diana. When the Scout caught sight of her face, she relaxed a bit, though the anxiety was still clear on her face. "Oh, it's just-"

Zecora pulled the trigger.

Instantly, a deafening boom echoed throughout the area, and a large cloud of dense black smoke blocked the door, leaving Diana unable to confirm the kill.

"Now that didn't turn out so well." A familiar voice came from within the smoke cloud. It soon cleared, revealing Zecora staring down at the decapitated head of the Heavy. "They're going to have to glue you back together - IN HELL!"

Diana's right eye twitched again. That reminded her too much of a certain scene from the previous interview that she would rather have forgotten.

She coughed, drawing Zecora's attention. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hoof. "But I'm afraid that I have to take my leave now. Duty calls."

"Well, in that case, I wish you good night." Zecora lifted her hoof to shake Diana's. "Be careful - the Everfree Forest gives you no respite."

"I'll keep that in mind. Good night to you too."





"So, that was it, then?" The Administrator looked up from the script that he had been reading.

"Yes, Administrator. Are you not satisfied with the results?" Diana asked.

"Well, they are sufficient. Personally, I would attribute that with the fact that you tangled with a manticore and later the Scout and Heavy, but the fact remains that you did not fail to deliver." He paused. "But are you sure that was all?"

"I am absolutely certain." A confused expression appeared on Diana's face. "Were you expecting more?"

"Not really more, so much as something specific. Did she say anything about your last interviewee?"

"You mean the BLU Soldier?" She cocked her head. "No, she didn't. Why?"

"You don't need to know." The Administrator said. "That should be all for today. Thank you for your help, Diana. Don't forget about your interview tomorrow."

"I won't." She nodded. "Good night."

"Yes, good night." The Administrator replied, somewhat distracted as he turned back to face the computer screens. "Could it be that..." He shook his head. "No, impossible. I've broken their friendship up already. But just in case..."





"Hold on, wait."

Diana stopped, her hoof about to reach the doorknob. "Yes?" She turned her head in time to see Zecora offer her a comb.

"Why don't you comb your mane? It looked more... presentable when it was straight."

Diana looked up at her mane. "Thank you, but I'm fine as I am. I appreciate the thought, though. In actual fact, the Administrator doesn't care so much about how you look as much as how you perform."

"Well..." Zecora hesitated. "I didn't stop you just for that, see... I kind of need you to help me."

Diana tilted her head in curiosity. I wonder what this could be about. "I'll have to see if it is within my power to carry out your wishes."

"Could you deliver a message for me? If you want, I could pay you a fee."

"No, the payment is not necessary." Diana dismissed. "Who do you want me to deliver the message to?"

"Could you tell the BLU soldier... that I am sorry? What the Administrator said was just a made-up story. Spike treated me as his sister, and I treated him as my brother. But after what we were told... we betrayed each other."

Diana swallowed audibly. "What... what happened?"

"Please don't make me explain, just tell him I apologise." Zecora said quietly. "Tell him we both believed the Administrator's concerned guise. But when we both know that tale was rotten at the core... I want us to be friends once more."

"I will tell him as soon as I can. Rest assured, I will not let the Administrator get away with this. I'm going to confront him my-"

"No, don't!" Zecora shouted. Then, when she realised just how loud she had gotten, she lowered her volume to a mere whisper again. "He cannot know. Otherwise he won't let you or I go."

"Fine, then." Diana growled. "But I won't let him win. Not this time! He's gone too far." She smiled at Zecora apologetically. "I'm so sorry that our meeting had to end on such an unpleasant note, but I guarantee you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that your message is delivered."

"Thank you, I feel like a great load has been taken off my heart. Hopefully, this friendship can once again start." She watched as Diana stormed through the smoking remains of the front door of her hut, striding forward with a vigour that her injured leg had not afforded her before.

When her visitor was finally out of earshot, Zecora heaved a long sigh. "Spike, why did it have to be so tragic?"

"Isn't friendship supposed to be magic?"





"...so if my interviewer comes looking for you, don't believe a word she says." The Administrator sat back, a triumphant look on his face.

"I knew it!" Spike's voice came from a small speaker on the table. "Zecora really did betray me! And now she got somepony else to help her with her ruse!"

"Indeed." The Administrator's smirk grew wider.

"Thank you so much, Administrator. I won't forget that she is my enemy. Ever. She won't be able to trick me with her weak lies."

"Good, good."

"You know, for a moment there, I was hesitating, wondering she really did betray me, but after this talk with you, it's all crystal clear now."

"That's good to hear. Also, make sure to keep my interviewer as far away from you as possible. She can be quite... deadly in melee combat."

"Thanks for the tip. I knew that you were the only person I could trust."

"Yes, and you would do well to remember that in future." The Administrator thumbed a button on the speaker, and the connection was severed.

"Ah, Diana." He shook his head as he stared at one of the computer screens, this one depicting the earth pony galloping across the plains of Dustbowl. "It was foolish of you to think that you could trick me."

This will be a good lesson for you, though. I will let you travel across that battlefield and risk you life again. You can do whatever you want, but in the end, it will all be for naught.

Sometimes, friendship just isn't worth the cost.

"And..." He thought aloud. "She has to learn..."

"...that we do not condone friendship."