//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Draconic Guardians of Equestria // by Defias //------------------------------// "Pinkie, what exactly did you two do?" Twilight asked, looking between her friend and the Changeling cowering on the floor, while also ignoring the 'I told you so' look Rainbow Dash was giving her. "We talked about neat shape shifting thingies, and parties, sang songs and talked about parties! Oh, ESPECIALLY the party I want to throw her!" Pinkie Pie shouted, causing the Changeling to step back against the wall behind her. "Well, I actually did most of the talking and singing. Now that I think about it, she didn't really talk much at all..." "That's okay Pinkie," Twilight said, looking over the Changeling who had composed herself a bit now. "I think she's willing to talk now, right miss...?" "My name is not important to you," the Changeling said in defiance. "We already know your name is Zora," Shining Armor stated, pausing briefly to let what he said sink in for the Changeling. "Along with an assortment of other details about you," he finished. "I am not her. Zora was another sent with me, a companion if you will. The Battle Tag you 'acquired' from me belonged to her," the Changeling answered, earning a confused and equally worrisome look from the group before continuing. "She is dead. Ended her own life to avoid capture, just as I would have were it not for your pet chaos spirit." Twilight and her friends recoiled at what the Changeling told them, while her brother looked at the Changeling with disgust. Before anyone could say anything, Shining Armor continued questioning the Changeling, as much as he could. "And why should any of us believe you? Hiding things and lying is in your nature, your special talent you could say," Shining Armor said. "You are correct. You should not trust me. For all you know now, an assassination attempt on the Princesses may be going on as we speak, or the Changeling Armies could be attacking your 'fortifications'. Maybe I'm just a distraction, intended to keep you and the Elements preoccupied while we summon ancient evils from Tartarus. Or maybe not," the Changeling said, grinning at the enraged look Shining Armor now wore at the very notion of an assassination attempt on the Princesses, let alone the rest of anything she said. "After all, I did say I'll tell you anything." ~~~ Vakarious made his way to the edge of the forest he had made himself accustomed to by now. Accepting his fate of being stuck on the world he was currently on, at least for the moment, he needed to know the current state of his world. For that, he needed to talk to his guardian, Praetorian. It didn't take him long to make it to his destination, and prepared himself for the spell he'd need to cast. After a moment, he was greeted with the satisfying sight of the visual portal that showed him his world. Another moment later, his 'sister' came into view, seemingly already expecting him. "There you are," Alestra stated, sounding as if he interrupted her. "You knew I was coming?" he asked, confused that she expected him. "Well, sort of. I kinda figured out a way to predict ahead of time when you'd be contacting me. Yaknow, to save time and all that. Anyway, what do you want?" she asked, sounding rather annoyed. "I'd ask what your problem is, but that would imply that I cared. Anyway, I need to talk to Praetorian," he stated, hiding his amusement at annoying his sister for once, rather than the opposite. Alestra rolled her eyes before beckoning his guardian over to her. His guardian, Praetorian, wore the same usual emotionless expression he always wore, seeming as if everything was a bore to him. "You live. This is good. And your new form is, 'interesting' to say the least," he stated matter of factually. Vakarious, expecting this response from him, smiled before answering. "I missed you too. Glad to see you care," Vakarious replied, ignoring his comment about his form, though still smiling as he saw a very brief glimmer of a grin on his guardian before continuing. "I think you know why I'm contacting you, though." "You are stranded on the Equine world for a year, possibly longer. Or you wish to know that there are still many Burning Legion demon holdouts after their retreat, essentially granting us victory. Or perhaps you'd like to know that those who follow you are beginning to question your word due to your sudden absence," Praetorian answered. Vakarious let a heavy sigh loose after hearing the last part, even if he did expect his dragons to question his leadership now that he was no longer on Earth. Still, he was relieved, somewhat at least, at the news of the Burning Legion's retreat from his world. "How long until they opt to remove my leadership completely?" he asked solemnly. "Never. You know firsthand that they respect the role of the Dragonlord too much to ever consider thinking about rebelling against you, let alone your vast number of human supporters still. That being said, respect alone does not ensure morale. Find solace in the fact that Alestra's earlier assumption of bringing you back to be impossible is false, however. Merely delayed, at worse," Praetorian answered, surprising Vakarious with his attempts of reassurance. Vakarious was relieved to hear that he would eventually be returned back to his world, though he decided not to ask how long he would have to potentially wait. "So, how bad are the Legion hold outs?" Vakarious asked, changing the subject. "They still hold some of the minor cities. Europe and Asia have been fully liberated. And any Legion remnants in the ruins of the African continent have either perished, or in the process of doing so. Nuclear radiation from the Human weapons have proven surprisingly effective against the demons," Praetorian stated. Vakarious shuddered at the memory of what happened to Africa. What made him shudder the most though, however, wasn't that he had allowed the Humans to completely obliterate the continent with nuclear weapons, but that it was the Human's idea in the first place. For him to say they were zealous in the defense of Earth was an understatement. "When can the rebuilding process begin, do you think?" Vakarious asked. "It will take eight months to fully eradicate the demons. Once that has been accomplished, rebuilding of the world's major cities will take ten to eleven years. With constant rituals and spells, the radiation in Africa will be fully cleansed and livable in one hundred years, give or take," Praetorian answered. "That's...actually impressive..." Vakarious commented. "Indeed. However, we must consider the fact that Humanity has the aid of the dragons now as well. On their own, they can still recover from near extinction events. The 'Black Death' is proof of this," Praetorian stated, appearing to remember a past he wanted to forget. "Well," Vakarious said, opting to avoid talking about events more than a thousand years in the past, "I should probably get going. Gotta get used to my new look and all that." "Very well. That your wings are not a dead give away as to what you are is nothing short of amazing, unless the other...'Equines' look as you do," Praetorian said, refusing to refer to the Ponies by their real name. "They don't. I just happened to learn today though that there's some kind of plant that can change the appearance of someone though, at least temporarily. I'll be going with that until I fit in fully, so to speak," Vakarious answered. "Understood. We will speak at some again at a later time then when I have more updates for you. In the mean time, do try not to get yourself killed, or make new enemies," Praetorian stated flatly. "I have work to attend to. Your sister will send you off," and with that, Praetorian turned away, allowing Alestra to enter Vakarious' view. "Well, that sounded fun," Alestra said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, hows your new life in Horsy Land?" "Boring. No conflicts or major wars, at least that I know. Then again, it's kinda nice not having to play 'Parent' and stop stupid wars over different beliefs that are essentially the same thing..." Vakarious said, still annoyed at every Human war he could recall. "I guess. Make any friends?" Alestra asked. "Why is that important?" Vakarious answered, wary as to why she was curious. "Ooh, you did! Let me guess, that hyperactive pink one? She's kinda my favorite, not gonna lie," Alestra said, all but shouting. "Oh definitely not. None of those six, really," Vakarious answered, much to Alestra's dissatisfaction. "They're too...how do I say this...'naïve'?" "Soo...Who is it then?" Alesta asked, pestering him more. Vakarious sighed before answering. "Blue mare named Trixie," Vakarious said. "That...is a terrible horsy name," Alestra said, rolling her eyes. "So, what's different about this one than the rest? I figured a race of sentient Ponies that had no war at all would all be, as you put it, 'naïve'?" "They are, for the most part. Even she is, for the most part. What makes her different from the rest though is that she's been corrupted by an outside force, and overcame it, like our race. Sort of," Vakarious answered. "And by 'overcame', she was beat by someone else and saw the error of her ways?" Alestra assumed, earning a nod from Vakarious. "Uh huh. And in what way is that even remotely similar to us?" "Just, kinda is. Besides, I said sort of," Vakarious defended. "Oh, right. Forgot that you saying 'sort of' negates any mistakes for false claims you make," Alestra retorted. Vakarious rolled his eyes in annoyance, before a thought occurred to him. "Oh! Before I forget, tell Praetorian that some entity made contact with me in my mind when I tried connecting with the elements here. Kind of had an 'Old God' vibe to it," Vakarious said, recalling his conversation with the one that called himself 'King Sombra'. "Um, why didn't you tell him when you were talking to him?" Alestra asked in a condescending tone. "Because I forgot. Just tell him, okay?" Vakarious said, ignoring her tone. "Whatever, I'll tell him if I remember," Alestra answered." Anyway, I've gotta go. You know, I've got a Ley Line to stabilize for some idiot that got transported to another world." Before Vakarious could respond, she closed the portal they they used to communicate with each other, effectively 'hanging up' on him. Instead of being angered though, Vakarious shook his head at his sister's antics. He would figure out a way to 'get her back' later anyway. For now though, he wanted to practice his abilities more in his Pegasus form outdoors, and so headed into the forest he was near. ~~~ Twilight Sparkle and her friends decided to wait outside the Changeling's cell, deciding to let her brother question her alone. While she didn't exactly buy her stories, or distractions rather, she did fully believe that there was another with her that had ended her own life. To Twilight, the very notion of doing such a thing, just to avoid capture, appalled her and her friends greatly. "You don't really think she meant anything she said, do you?" Rarity asked, breaking the silence that had befallen the group. "Ah don't know. Ah'd like ta think that the Royal Guards could protect the Princesses, and that we'd know by now if'n any towns were under attack by Changelings..." Applejack said. Before anyone else could comment, Shining Armor exited the cell with a very strange 'request' by the prisoner. "She hasn't really said much, but she has agreed to tell us some of the things we want to know. The only catch, is that she wants to talk to you Twily. Alone," Shining Armor said, clearly not liking the idea of sending his sister into the cell alone with a Changeling. "Did she say why she wants to talk to just me?" Twilight asked, more confused if anything. "Other than you being the only one who 'deserves her respect' as the Element of Magic, no," Shining Armor answered. Twilight closed her eyes and merely nodded, opening them at the sound of the cell door opening. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle. It's been quite some time since I've seen you, discounting our earlier meeting, of course," the Changeling said suddenly, as Twilight fully entered the cell. "We've met before?" Twilight asked, dumbfounded. "In a way, we have, though in no personal way. We merely exchanged magic with each other during our little, 'incursion'," the Changeling answered. "That doesn't make sense. You're very distinguishable as a female, no offense. I would have recognized you if I saw you," Twilight said, fully remember her and her friend's futile battle with the Changelings in an attempt to reach the Elements of Harmony. "Much like your Royal Guard's armor, our armor is enchanted in such a way to change our appearance to make us look identical. I suppose that's quite irrelevant, though. As I said, we only exchanged magic fire, not words," the Changeling said. "So why does me being the Element of Magic earn enough respect for you to talk to me alone?" Twilight asked, getting back on topic. "Simple. It was you who stopped Nightmare Moon and Discord--" "I didn't stop them alone! I never would have been able to stop them without the help of my friends!" Twilight interrupted, though the Changeling merely grinned before continuing. "Sure, your friends had some little role to play. But ultimately, it was because of you, and you alone that they were stopped in the first place. That being said, it is because of your actions, even if by chance, that you've endeared yourself to me enough for me to answer some non vital questions," the Changeling finished. Twilight Sparkle recomposed herself, not wanting to let the Changeling get to her emotionally. "Fine. Let's start by you telling me your name, if it isn't 'Zora'," Twilight asked, earning a quick glare from the Changeling before she answered. "Very well. I am known to my own, and now you as well, as Izh'mai," the Changeling, 'Izh'mai' answered. "As I said, Zora was another sent with me to ensure success of our mission. Seeing as she was forced to end her own life, and I was shamefully captured, it stands to reason that we failed." "I see. And what exactly was your 'mission'?" Twilight asked. "Simple; determine the state of Canterlot after our incursion, the Royal Guard as a whole, and if possible, return with sustenance for the Hive," Izh'mai answered. "Seeing as the damage in Canterlot was repaired in only a week, and the Royal Guard suffered no losses at all, our findings on those two objectives were...less than satisfactory. At least for the former." "And what about your 'third objective'?" Twilight asked, confused. "What exactly do you consider 'sustenance"' for your 'Hive'?" "My Queen gave a brief explanation as to what that was, which is 'love', though it's not as simple as that. I won't go into much detail, what I will say is that there are methods other than impersonating a loved one to acquire said love," Izh'mai stated. Twilight decided not to waste time on trying to press the issue, and decided to ask about the thing that bothered her the most. "You said your companion...ended her own life... and that you would have as well just to avoid capture...Why go to such lengths as that?" Twilight asked uneasily. For a split second, Izh'mai seemed somewhat saddened before resuming her neutral expression. "Being captured because our disguises failed is shameful, for one. The main reason though, is to avoid the risk of giving crucial information to the enemy. While it is doubtful that Equestrian's methods of interrogations is enough to break even the youngest of Changelings, we do have enemies that are...less than reluctant. As such, it is a custom...or rather, a requirement to do so," Izh'mai answered. "And it's as I said. That I am a captive now while my companion ended her own life to avoid capture is a disgrace to myself and very shameful." For the briefest of moments, Twilight Sparkle felt somewhat bad for Izh'mai, if for no other reason, than because she lost a friend of hers. However, Twilight also kept in mind that she was still an enemy, and that her intentions for all of Equestria were potentially very harmful. As such, she made sure that any such sympathy she did have was kept hidden from the prisoner. However, despite the pride Izh'mai held for her fellow Changelings, and how much she had boasted so far about the 'Changeling Army', Twilight had a feeling that the situation for the Changelings wasn't as upbeat as they seemed to be. With that thought, Twilight had a new array of questions for Izh'mai. "So, as big and powerful as the Changeling Armor is, why is it they didn't attack Canterlot in full force when they had the chance?" Twilight asked, hoping to invoke some emotional response from Izh'mai. "It wasn't needed. Had it not been for my Queen's arrogance and lack of steps to prevent the now Crystal Princess and Royal Captain, we would have taken Canterlot," Izh'mai answered, completely unaffected by Twilight's question. "You know this to be true; We had Celestia bound, the Elements of Harmony bound, and Luna was far away." Despite what she wanted to believe, Izh'mai was right. That Canterlot had not been fully taken over was due to nothing but luck that the Changeling queen didn't bind Shining Armor and Cadence as well. However, Twilight wasn't disheartened by the prisoner's answer in the slightest. "Maybe you're right," Twilight said, choosing not to let her own doubts known. "But still. How desperate must the Changelings be, to attack the capital of Equestria with such a weak incursion force?" This question had the desired effect on the Changeling that Twilight wanted; anger. "Desperate? Weak? You think us any of these? At any moment in within the past thousand years, the entire might of the Changeling Army could have descended upon Equestria, and your lands would have been helpless! And you know nothing of being desperate! Until your lands are raided every day by the fiercest Diamond Dog raiders, killing and abducting hundreds of your soldiers and civilians alike every week, you will never know the true definition of 'desperation'!" Izh'mai shouted, causing Twilight to reel back and Shining Armor to storm into the cell. It only took a few moments, however, for the Changeling to realized what had happened; how she had been played at her own game. Choosing not to give the Element of Magic the satisfaction of victory, however, Izh'mai calmed herself down. "I think I've said everything that is to be said. You may go now, Twilight Sparkle," Izh'mai said in a disconcertingly calm tone. Twilight looked over at Izh'mai, who had now turned away from her and stared blankly at the wall in front of her. As she went to follow her brother out of the cell, Twilight turned around again, feeling terrible for doing what she did to Izh'mai in the first place. "If it's of any consolation, Izh'mai...I'm sorry for what you go through..." Twilight said, leaving the cell before Izh'mai could answer, assuming she would. While she didn't show it, Izh'mai was surprised at Twilight Sparkle's uncalled apology, though she paid it no heed; deciding it was merely for self reassurance rather than any genuine sympathy for her Hive. ~~~ Twilight Sparkle joined her friends and brother outside the cell. Though she wanted nothing more than to get back to Ponyville as soon as possible, she decided to stay as long as needed to go over everything Izh'mai had told her. The guards, especially Shining Armor, while grateful, was surprised at how much Twilight had managed to get from the Changeling. Though Shining Armor was very speculative of the information Twilight had gotten, he trusted his sister's judgement enough to trust the info. After having gone over every detail she could think of, Twilight Sparkle finally let her friends know that it was time to go back to Ponyville. The group had spent the past few hours in the dungeons, and as such were indeed quite eager to leave the dark bleak dungeons.. While her friends, especially Rarity, wanted to stay in Canterlot for awhile longer, in truth, Twilight wanted to get back to her home in Ponyville. As such, she made her way to the exit of the dungeons as fast as possible. "Hey Twi, are you okay"? Rainbow Dash asked, catching up to Twilight and noticing her friend's downtrodden mood. "I'm fine, I just...There are some things the Changeling said..." Twilight said, recalling her conversation with Izh'mai. "Shoot Twi, whatever she said, ah'm sure it was just nasty things ta make ya feel bad. Whatever she said, just ignore it," Applejack said, trying to reassure her friend. "That's just it Applejack. Everything she said, was about her, or her home. And the way I got her to talk about her home...I don't think I can ever forgive myself for it..." Twilight stated, hanging her head down. Fluttershy trotted up next to Twilight and embraced her in a hug, with the rest of her friends joining soon after. While she didn't forget her interactions with Izh'mai by a long shot, the sudden gesture from her friends certainly helped ease her mood. By the time the six friends had made it out of the dungeons, the sun had begun its descent, with the moon beginning its own ascent. It only took them a few minutes to reach the train station, arriving just in time to make the train for Ponyville. As the girls took their seats, Twilight sat alone again briefly, though Rarity took her place next to her this time. Though Twilight's thoughts were empty at first, she suddenly remembered their other worldly guess. While not worried about him still, she wondered what she'd tell him, if she'd tell him anything at all. While she knew telling the ponies of Equestria about a capture Changeling would be a bad idea, Vakarious wasn't technically a pony from Equestria. On the other hoof, he was a dragon from another world, and while she didn't distrust him in the slightest, let alone as much as Applejack did, she still wasn't sure if telling someone else from another world that she had only known for a little less than a week was really a good idea. In the end, she'd write a letter to Princess Celestia on the matter, easing her thoughts. "Are you sure you're fine, darling?" Rarity asked, breaking the silence between the two. "I am. There's just a lot going on. From, you know, our visit in Canterlot, to our friend in Ponyville. I mean, we should all be in shock and awe at the fact that a dragon from another world is living in Ponyville, yet it's as if that's normal. Now there's a Changeling locked up in Canterlot, which after hearing what she had to say, makes me wonder if the Changelings are truly evil, or just need help," Twilight answered, sighing in defeat as she leaned her head against the train window. While Rarity could certainly understand her friend's stress, she nonetheless felt that Twilight was pressuring herself unnecessarily. "Twilight, if I may," Rarity began, gaining Twilight's attention. "Our...ahem, 'guest' in Ponyville being from a different erm, 'world' doesn't really seem that strange to us because he is still a being that is native to our world. That being said, while I am still quite wary of him myself, though not as much as Applejack, it is my firm belief that he is really no different than you or I, at least metaphorically," Rarity said, giving her opinion on Vakarious to Twilight. "As for the um, Changeling...Well, it stands to reason that our interaction with them was quite inevitable. That it happened in our favor this time should be seen as a good omen, rather than a misfortune. After all, what you learned from the few minutes you talked with her is quite a lot more than the many books that have been written on them over many years." Twilight, after hearing Rarity's words, allowed herself to relax a little bit. After all, everything she said about Vakarious was true, at least what she learned from him. As for Izh'mai, she was right about that situation as well. She truly did learn a lot more from her few minutes she spent with Izh'mai, than the hundreds, of not thousands of books on the Changelings that were all pure speculation. With this consideration, Twilight decided that she didn't need to burden herself so much. "Thank you Rarity for your help," Twilight said, smiling at her friend. "Oh, think nothing of it darling. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I let you trouble yourself with things that shan't be worried about, now would I?" Rarity stated, more than asked. Twilight nodded, then gazed back out the window. Surprisingly, they were only a couple of minutes away from Ponyville now, the small town in question getting bigger by the second. Twilight was grateful for this, as all she wanted by now was nothing more than to sleep in her comfy bed at home. ~~~ Vakarious had spent the entire day, until the beginning of sundown practicing various abilities in his Pegasus form. And this time, he was able to accomplish much more outside in the forest than inside of his home. He would have stayed well into the night, however he still remembered his invitation for his new friend. I honestly have no idea why she interests me enough for me to call her a 'friend', other than what I told Alestra. Chalk it up to this place, or at least Celestia getting to me, I guess. Vakarious continued to his home, which for some reason, he suddenly decided he disliked. It wasn't because it was too big or small, he just preferred either living underground, or in a mountain. Mainly a place where if he wanted, he could be his true form and not destroy his home, or send a small town into a panic. In that aspect of his preferred home, he was essentially a stereotypical dragon. He soon dropped those thoughts once he came into view of his house. And to his expectation, Trixie was standing in front of his door, apparently waiting for him to answer. "Not quite home yet," he answered, startling the blue mare. "Trixie sees that now," Trixie said, recomposing herself. "Trixie assumes your suicidal foray into the Everfree Forest was a success and that you found what you were looking for?" "Not really, but I'll manage. How long have you been waiting here?" Vakarious asked, changing the subject as to why he was near the forest. "Only just now," Trixie answered. "Well, that's good. Come on in, make yourself at home, all that. I've gotta find what I have for you first," Vakarious said as he opened his door, allowing Trixie to enter first. After Vakarious gave a cover story as to how he could afford his house, one which wasn't a complete lie, he went up to his room and looked for his Gala invitation. While he was sure he would know what Trixie's reaction would be like after giving it to her, in truth, it wouldn't be the first time he gave acquaintances, let alone 'friends' exclusive invitations to parties and events as such. He mostly did as such to either anger other people, or to gain their trust. His thoughts were interrupted once he found what he was looking for, however, and headed downstairs to his guest. "Well, I'm not sure if there's some custom for giving you one of these, but here ya go," he said as he handed her the guest invitation. Trixie stood in silence, staring at the ticket in question before completely surprising Vakarious with her response. "While Trixie is not ungrateful for the offer, quite the opposite in fact, Trixie thinks it would be best if Trixie did not attend the Grand Galloping Gala. Ever," she stated matter of factually. "Why...?" Vakraious asked, confused. "Trixie would prefer not to be made a fool at the biggest social gathering in all of Equestria due to the reasons I told you earlier. Just as well, Trixie does not have the bits for a dress required for the Grand Galloping Gala anyway," Trixie answered, sighing sadly. Vakarious was going to shrug and head back upstairs, until an idea struck him. "You said you were a traveling show mare, right?" Vakarious asked, earning a confused nod from Trixie. "You also said that you can't do that anymore because the ponies think you're a fraud, right?" "Yes, why?" Trixie asked, still surprised at his sudden change of topic. "What if...and bear with me for a moment, but what if your very recent act, was taming a very large dragon?" "Trixie thinks...No, Trixie knows that such an act would go about as well as Trixie telling how he she defeated an Ursa Major," Trixie replied, almost dumbfounded. "Like I said, bear with me. The problem with that one, is that it's not true. What if though, you taming a very large dragon, was true?" Vakarious asked. "You're...You're serious aren't you? What, do you know some spell that would allow Trixie to perform such a feat?" Trixie asked, confused. "Something like that, yeah. See, Celestia wants me to do something 'special' for the Gala this year, something you'll find out if you go. That being said, that 'something' may, or may not, have a lot to do with a very large dragon that would be willing to give the illusion of you taming it, as a gesture of friendship for you," Vakarious stated. "That's...What you're saying is crazy!" Trixie said. "I have a personal royal invitation to the Gala that gets me past the line, and a few letters from Celestia to prove what I'm saying is true. And if that's not enough, I can very well show you that what I'm saying is not crazy," Vakarious defended. Trixie just stared at him, as if he was the craziest pony she had ever ran into. For a very, very brief moment, Trixie considered leaving then and there. However, she felt that she should at least give him the benefit of the doubt, if nothing else than for the fact that he did so for her. "Fine. But first, who are you, really?" Trixie asked. "I told you who I am already. I just left some key things out, is all. That being said, I'm kind of a dragon that leads other dragons on another world to protect said world from outside bad guys," Vakarious stated matter of factually. He expected Trixie to completely doubt him, if not run off completely, but her actual response surprised. "Okay, I'll buy it. Why not tell Trixie earlier, though?" she asked. "We were in public, and both me and Celestia kind of don't want to cause a panic, at least right now. For some reason though, her genius self thinks it'd be a good idea to show the people, or ponies rather, attending the Gala one of my other forms," Vakarious said, promptly switching to said form, shocking Trixie in the process. "That's...I knew dragons were powerful, but I didn't know they could do that!" Trixie exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure dragons here can't do that. The reason I, and dragons like myself can, is because we're one with our world, connected basically. There's a lot more boring stuff to it than that, but that's the basic gist," Vakarious answered, sorting back to his Pegasus form. "Okay, but I have another question now. Why tell me? What about me, makes you trust me enough to tell me something like this without fear of me either being afraid of you, or telling anypony, or both?" Trixie asked. "That's easy. What you told me of your past and what you learned from it is something I respect. I don't think there exists a person from my world who could possess such an artifact, and be remorseful for what they did with it rather than attempt to get it back. I trust you with this because I truly would like to consider you my 'friend', something I've honestly not had in my entire existence, "Vakarious answered, reassuring Trixie. "Plus, even if you did end up screwing me over and telling everyone, it wouldn't do much since no one would believe you." "True," Trixie agreed, though she couldn't really see herself betraying someone's trust like that, even before she 'learned her lesson'. "That being said...Are you sure you don't wanna reconsider the invitation?" Vakarious asked. "I think...I think I would like that," Trixie said, smiling. "Cool deal. We've got about a week, and I think I can coax someone into getting you a dress," Vakarious said, noting one of Trixie's other reasons. Vakarious found himself liking the concept of 'friendship' with a random person, or pony that he had just met. That he never really explored friendship in such a way on Earth surprised him at first, though he decided Humans were just too different. While friendship wasn't exactly foreign to him, as he considered Alestra to be a friend, somewhat, the friendship on this new world was very different. Perhaps it was the 'kindness' factor, something he usually was not, or perhaps it was a strange sort of sympathy for Trixie, seeing as how Praetorian was in a somewhat similar situation, though he didn't know. What he did know, however, was that he might not mind so much a delayed wait to get back to his war torn world.