//------------------------------// // Deception // Story: Dawn of the Vanguard // by Mystic Song //------------------------------// Fluttershy carefully shifted her saddle bags on her back before continuing into the forest. She, Rarity and Pinkie Pie had just walked through the damaged clearing and were going into the direction she had saw the human leave in. Of course she didn't know if he stayed on the same path, but she had to try. He was hurt, and she was going to help him even if he didn't want her to. Even if Twilight thought that she was wasting her time. Fluttershy knew that Twilight was getting desperate and that her methods were getting more and more ridiculous. Seriously, the bait Twilight is using is now old and beyond rancid. No sane creature would go after it, and yet Twilight insisted on using it. There was no way that Fluttershy was going to let the human deal with Twilight again, not if she had anything to say about it. "He went this way, so keep an eye out. The poor dear, I hope his isn't scared." Fluttershy worried as she carefully walked through the undergrowth. "Are we talking about the same scared dear that took out Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash?" Rarity interrupted. "He only did that to protect himself." Fluttershy retorted. "I don't disagree Fluttershy, but you must know you can't treat him like one of your animal friends. Even if you can 'communicate' with him like you can with them." Rarity said walking around a plant that looked just a little too safe. Fluttershy visibly winched, and at Rarity and Pinkie Pie's worried looks she continued, "Um I don't want to alarm you, but I don't think I could do that again. He wasn't really thinking when we communicated and was more, and I hate to say it, animalistic. If he's calmer now it won't work." "Oh dear, that is a problem." Rarity muttered, slightly anxious about approaching a potentially dangerous creature they couldn't speak with. "Don't worry about that!" Pinkie Pie said walking past them with a small, almost weak, bounce to her step, "We don't need words to tell him that we want to help. All we have to do is be nice and not beat him bloody." Rarity shivered at her last memory of the human, there was just so much blood, "Pinkie Pie's right, even if a tad too graphic. As long as we make our elements proud we should be fine. So," she said trying to smile, "how long shall we search for today?" "Until we find the human, or if it gets too dark." Fluttershy tried hide her shutter, "I don't want to be here at night." Rarity nodded, "That is something we all can agree on, this forest is...unpleasant at night." Silence befell them. They knew all too well that sometimes the most horrifying screams they heard at night came from outside their tents. "Okay!" Pinkie Pie shouted breaking the uneasiness that had fallen on the group, "Let's find the human! Generosity, Kindness and Laughter go!" "I don't think the human is here." Pinkie Pie said as she slunk back to Rarity and Fluttershy. "I think you're right Pinkie, we've been out here for hours and I haven't seen hide or hair of the human." Rarity sighed, after hours of searching they were yet to find anything, "Maybe we should take a break, I think there was a nice place a little ways back. Coming Fluttershy?" "Okay." Fluttershy whispered, pawing the ground sadly. She was so sure that they would have found him by now. "Don't worry dear," Rarity said putting a foreleg over Fluttershy's shoulder, "once we are rested we will start again. We can't do much if we're tired can we?" "You're right, and we have been searching since morning." Fluttershy said sullenly. "Ooo! We can have a picnic!" Pinkie Pie said jumping in place tying her hardest to break the thickening tension around them, "Come on it will be fun." Pinkie Pie said with an absolutely dazzling smile. Rarity instantly caught what Pinkie Pie was doing and smiled, "Pinkie dear, that sounds lovely." In the small glade that Rarity had found earlier they sat around a blanket and picnic basket, both items mysterious provided by Pinkie Pie. "See now isn't this nice?" Rarity said wiping her mouth with a dainty air, "Sitting with friends and relaxing, my, I haven't done this in so long isn't it just wonderful?" "Oh yes it is," Fluttershy said a small smile gracing her lips, "you were right we should take breaks more often. Don't you agree Pinkie Pie?" Both Fluttershy and Rarity stiffened at the unexpected silence that broke their conversation. "Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked again, watching her unusually still friend. "Um Fluttershy, if we see the human what should we do?" Pinkie Pie said, voice unusually small, wide blue eyes staring at what seemed to be nothing. Both Fluttershy and Rarity froze, and in their silence they notice how disturbingly quiet the gale had become. As if every small creature waited in anticipation. "How far?" Fluttershy whispered eyes wide. Her heart, how could be so deafening in her ears? "It the trees behind you, he's just watching us." Pinkie Pie said as she continuing to stare. Rarity's ears lowered, "This is dangerous, really, really, really dangerous. Fluttershy what do we do?" "Um, Rarity?" Pinkie Pie said pointing pass Rarity. Rarity spun around to see Fluttershy slowly walking towards the tree line. The sole unicorn risked following the path of Fluttershy's upward gaze and gasped in terror. Sitting in a low crouch on thick branch was the human. He wasn't like the last time she saw him. When she had first saw his dirty tangled mane she had pitied him. The way he slumped in Twilight sphere had filled her with the utmost rage. 'How could Twilight injure such a helpless creature', was what she thought as he curled away from their voices. But now. His mane was an endless void that blended in with the natural darkness of the forest that surrounded them. His skin was the shocking opposite, nothing more then a ghostly pale covering that greatly detailed the lean muscle on his body. He wasn't the sickly figure that she remembered, the way he easily crouched and balanced on the branch reminded her of Opal. Just before she pounced on some poor unfortunate bug, smiling all the way. And those eyes. Those terrible, terrible eyes. A dangerous piercing blue that stood out and whose brightness was enhanced by the inky black hair that fell loosely around them. Those eyes watched them relentlessly. Watching. Watching. Watching. Waiting, as Fluttershy slowly got into striking range. Panicked, Rarity galloped forward Pinkie Pie hot on her heals and she screamed, "Fluttershy watch out!" "Rarity stop!" Fluttershy said voice snapped out barely touching a shout, "You're going to scare him away!" Rarity skidded to a stop and to her shock she saw that the human was slowly inching away. And just like a horrific picture slowly being lit on display, she realized that she had almost done the exact same thing that Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had done. "You can follow me, but go slow." Fluttershy said slowly inching forward, oblivious to the horror of what could have happened dawning on the faces behind her, "We have to show him that we mean no harm." "Fluttershy dear you must know that not everypony has your affiliation with creatures," Rarity said tightly trying to squash the irrational terror within her. She wasn't like them, she wasn't, "what do we do?" "The complete opposite of what Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash did." Fluttershy said sincerely. "That's not helpful at all!" Rarity whined, then winched as the human shifted his gaze to look at her. Fluttershy ignore her and slowly approached the tree stopping a modest fifteen hoof lengths away from the base. She smiled and carefully lifted her hoof and gave the human a gentle wave, "Hello mister human," Fluttershy said her voice a melodic tenor, "I'm Fluttershy and this," she pointed at Rarity and Pinkie Pie, "are my two friends Rarity and Pinkie Pie." The human tilted his head at the greeting and replied with a what sounded like short low growl. "Oh dear, did you make him angry?" Rarity said balking and yet holding her ground at the harsh sound. "If he was angry I think I would be able to understand him. Let me try something else, um if you don't mind I want you girls to follow my lead." Fluttershy said then pointed at herself, she made eye contact with the human and slowly said, "Flut-ter-shy." "Rar-ity." Rarity said trying not to shiver under the humans stare. Pinkie Pie enthusiastic as ever pointed to herself and almost shouted, "Pink-ie Pie." From his perch the human stared at them blankly. "I don't think he understands." Fluttershy whispered, trying to not collapse at another failure. "Pinkie Pie!" This time Pinkie Pie shouted, roughly pointing to herself. "Pinkie dear he doesn't understand." Rarity said, and to her dismay Pinkie Pie just shouted her name louder. Fluttershy snapped out of her melancholy, "Um Pinkie I don't think..." A short buzz, a sharp bark followed closely by a drawn out growl. The three ponies whipped their heads back to the tree. The human had a fore paw pointing to himself as he repeated the foreign sounding pattern to them. For the first time in entirely too long, Fluttershy squealed with joy, "His name! That's his name!" Quickly she tried to repeat the sounds, only to have the human winch at her pronunciation. "Sorry." Fluttershy said weakly hiding behind her hair. "I didn’t mean to offend you." His response was to attempt her name. Now it was Fluttershy's turn to winch, "Oh um that's not too bad." "It sounded like a Manticore in mid gag." Rarity said dryly, feeling less apprehension at the human's complete butchering of Fluttershy's name. The human eyes narrowed and he pointed roughly at Fluttershy making her squeak. "F-fllaaat-ttterrr-shie." The human tried again, his face in pure concentration as he forced the completely unfamiliar pronunciation out. "Oh, that was very good!" Fluttershy said smiling widely, "I knew he was smart no matter what Applejack thinks. With a little bit of kindness we can be friends. Isn't that right Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy turned her joyful smile to the empty space beside her. "Hooray for not giving up on saying Fluttershy's name and trying to be our friends!!" The world horribly slowed for Fluttershy and Rarity as the scene played out. Pinkie Pie was hanging off the human's back giggling face the purest expression of joy. The human's face however, was purest expression of shock. His mouth hanging open just long enough for Pinkie Pie to shove a pastry into it. The human lost his balance and tumbled out of the tree, his momentum flung Pinkie Pie into Fluttershy and Rarity, and himself into a straight drop face first into the ground. The horrified silence that fell over the clearing was broken by Pinkie Pie's quiet, "Ow." Fluttershy untangled herself their improvised dog pile and shook Pinkie Pie hard, "What. Were. You Thinking?" She snapped. "Well my Pinkie Sense went off, it told me that somepony I just meet needed hug and cheering up." The Pink earth pony said smiling into the storm that was Fluttershy's anger, "My Pinkie Sense is never wrong." "Um, g-girls?" Rarity stuttered staring at the occupied space in front of them, her eyes hopelessly large. "Just because your Pinkie Sense is never wrong doesn't mean you should always act on it!" Fluttershy retorted stomping on the ground, oblivious to Rarity's fear. Pinkie Pie responded with a loud gasp before giving Fluttershy a slight glare, "That's blasphemy! One must always act on the sense." "Girls." Rarity said one hoof roughly poking Fluttershy while the other pointed up. Fluttershy tore her glare away from Pinkie Pie, "What is it Rarity..." ...Never had Fluttershy ever seen a creature so mad. The human towered over them his eyes a terrible glowing blue, pupils nothing but slits. Large insect like wings buzzed sporadically with his anger. His blank face was a mask of rage as black and green magic rolled off of him. The fact that his cheeks were bulged out with the offending pastry did little to lessen the feeling of danger that leaked from him. "Nopony, move." Fluttershy whispered carefully watching as the human's now clawed black arms clenched and un-clenched. "What do we do?" Rarity said beside a now still Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy whispered, "I don't know." "What a tragic way to go," Rarity sniffed as the human staggered closer, "I hope you're happy with yourself Pinkie Pie." To their combined irritation, Pinkie Pie only grinned, "Pinkie Sense never lies." The human went to snarled at them but found that he had to chew to allow itself to make the sounds. In that moment of realization he chewed down and motioned to spit out the offend pastry, and then he stop. He blinked and chewed again, slowly tasting the treat giving himself a comical appearance before swallowing. Pinkie Pie smiled widely, "He ate it!" The human rubbed his mouth cleaning it of the excess sugar then looked down to the three ponies cowering before him. They stared back. He sat down, eyes no longer harsh slits and arms no longer glassy black claws. They could see as the human expressive eyes observed their situation, and surprising them all he pointed to his opened mouth. "He wants more." Fluttershy said marveling at the humans quick change in temperament. "Pinkie Pie, for the love of Celestia. Tell me that you have more of whatever you gave just him." Rarity whispered, trying not to flinch at the sharpness of the teeth lining the humans maw. "Pfff what do you take me for? Of course I have more." Pinkie Pie said taking out a tray overflowing with danishs and presenting it to the human. Pinkie Pie grinned wider, "You can't make somecreature like cupcakes but you can still offer them sweets. Go ahead try one." Carefully the human reached out and grabbed once and after a quick visual inspection he bit into it. Pinkie Pie's grinned widened to almost painful proportions as the humans demeanor changed again. The harshness and stiffness that seemed to be his natural state melted away. He quickly ate the danish before reaching for another one. Fluttershy snapped out of her shock of seeing Pinkie Pie feed the human like a over grown foal and said, "Pinkie Pie keep him distracted I'm going to look at his injuries." "Okaie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie Pie said giving off a mock salute before turning back to the gorging human and asking about his knowledge of parties. Fluttershy picked up her first aid kit and circled around the human, slowly approaching his unguarded back. "Don't worry," she said gently when he tensed, "I just want to make you feel all better. First let's take a look at those poor wings of your's..." Fluttershy trailed off. Worried at Fluttershy's silence Rarity asked, "Fluttershy dear what is it?" "He's not injured." Fluttershy said in shock. Where she knew should be have been torn or at least bent green scraps, where two healthy identically perfect wings. In her shock Fluttershy gently prodded a bright green wing with a hoof. The human stiffened and turned to look at Fluttershy, eyes back into thin slits as he growled around the danish hanging from his mouth. Unfazed Fluttershy pointed to her first aid kit then to his back, concern gracing her face. The human's eyes went from splintered ice to a softer blue before he swallowing and lifting his wings. They buzzed in place before rotating and stretching to their extant. He relaxed them and the corners of his lips barely raised in a smile before he turned back to the plate of danishs. "They heal on their own," Fluttershy exclaimed excitedly, before directly addressing the human, "does that mean that all your injuries are healed?" The human blinked slowly at her, face pointedly blank. "Right you can't understand me." Fluttershy deflated a little before stating with new found confidence, "Well I can't leave you alone just yet, um please excuse me as I check for injuries." Fluttershy began poking the sitting human around what she thought were problem areas, earning a annoyed snort from him. "Fluttershy should you really be doing that?" Rarity asked as Fluttershy got more bold and was now actively poking at the human's face. "Oh Rarity you worry too much," Pinkie Pie bubbled, "Mr. Human doesn't want to hurt us, anyways he knows that I'll take these away if he bites us," Pinkie Pie made a mock serious face at the sitting human, "isn't that right." He responded by taking another danish. Pinkie Pie grinned at Rarity as it to say 'see I told you so'. Rarity bit her lip and said, "Well I always wanted to look over his outfit, I wonder were he got it?" "What are you waiting for he doesn't bite, or I don't think he bites." Pinkie Pie said, as she started to hoof feed the human. Rarity watched Pinkie Pie's what could only be described as foolhardy bravery as she paid little attention to how close the humans teeth where to her hoof. "Well then nothing ventured nothing gained." Rarity said reaching out and carefully poking at the fabric of the humans vest. Her eyes lit up at the complexity of the design, "Why it's just like silk but feels much more durable, were did you get this?" The human raised a questioning eyebrow at her. Rarity blushed in embarrassment, "Right, no communication, drat I would love to replicate this. Maybe if we get Twilight..." "No!" Fluttershy yelled causing them all to jump, she shrunk at the light glare the human gave her and the crushed pastry in his hand, "Um, I mean we shouldn't tell her just yet. She would try to trap him again and that wouldn't end well." "So we're going to keep this a secret?" Rarity asked, "Well it's not very lady like to hide this kind of information from friends. However, what kind of friend would I be if I let harm come to our new friend here." Rarity said cooing as she started to play with the disgruntled humans hair. Pinkie Pie squealed, "Oh, oh! Let's Pinkie Promise not to tell Twilight and everypony else that we found the human. That way we can be extra sure that nothing goes wrong." Rarity and Fluttershy agreed going through the motions of the promise, much to the blatant confusion of the human. His confusion only earned him a round of giggles and his following pout full blown laughter. They left when the sun began to set, Fluttershy only had to point to the sun for the human to get the message, and in the next moment he disappeared into the surrounding forest. Their happy mood had quickly gone sour when they came back to camp. "So I guess you didn't find the human, or is he just invisible?" Twilight taunted, refusing to look at them as she put away the rancid untouched bait for the night. Rarity glared at Twilight and looked away, "Come Fluttershy, Pinkie let's turn in. Maybe we will have better luck tomorrow." "Ya maybe then ya'll will understand that you can't talk with a creature like dat." Applejack said eyes hard as she striked the ground. "We can try!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she somehow slammed the tent door shut behind her. Unknown to the ponies outside the three inside the tent shared a quiet laugh at their hidden victory. Alec panted hard as his cold sweat dampen his clothes. The walls around him creaked and stuttered, while his almost claustrophobic world bobbed and tilted mercilessly under the crushing waves of his own personal hell. Sea Sickness. An illness that Alec never thought he would have to face. "Geez man you look like death." Normally he would ignore Kim's pokes at his appearance. However, right now the walls of the submarine seemed to be closing in, everything spun wildly and through it all she was kindly holding a very dirty bucket in close range of him. "Do you want me to go to medical? I can get more of that medicine." Kim asked rubbing his back. Alec winched, that damned medicine had cause him to begin vomiting in the first place, "No." He said weakly. "Well maybe I could get some sedatives. Who knows how long this trip will be. I don't even think the people from Pelagia know and they made this thing." Kim said Dizzy, Alec thought about the absolute monster of a sub they were on. At over a hundred meters long and four stories high it was the largest functioning sub ever built. They had to take a smaller sub to it because it was to big to even dock. It was a true show of human strength and ingenuity something he would be basking in on another day. The sub was tugged by a rather large underwater current and Alec's face turned green. Kim helpfully handed him the bucket as he began retching again. Of course the mechanics from Pelagia wouldn't take into the fact that people can be sea sick. When your city is that isolated and everyone and their grandmother can breath underwater and deal with the rise and fall of the ocean, who would think about getting sick? "You're really showing that bucket who's boss aren't ya?" Both he and Kim looked up at the newcomer who was starting at them with fully glassy black eyes. A trade mark of every sailor and submariner from Pelagia. "Yah know we have something for that?" He said as he leaned against their cabin's doorway. "Tried it. As you can see it didn't exactly work." Kim snorted. "Well, at least let me get something to knock him out." The submariner said gesturing to him, "To get to Equestria we have to take the long way around the Griffin Lands, and that could take weeks depending how fast we go. That's a long time to spend hunched over a bucket don't ya think?" Alec shuddered, its only been half a day and he already felt like death. To continue like this for an unknown amount of weeks... "Give me the pills." He grunted as his stomach did another traitorous flip. Apologetic the submariner smiled, "Wise. You think this is bad? You should see how this baby shakes when we hit the strong currents." the submariner paused at seeing the uncertain look that he and Kim shared, "Don't worry about it. The Leviathan can take anything the sea can throw at her, as long as it's not an active underwater volcano. At that point we are rightfully fucked." Alec felt his headache get worse as the submariner left laughing all the way. "I don't care that everyone from Pelagia are supposedly masters of the sea, all those idiots are soaked. What kind of idiot decides to build a city on the Eastern Sea's floor anyway?" Kim said glaring at the empty doorway. "The same kind of idiot that builds their first major city hundreds of meters underground and the second on a mountain range a fewthousands of meters above ground?" Alec deadpanned resting his pounding head against the cool metal skeleton of the bunk bed he and Kim had to share. Apparently they brought everyone in on this mission, "I know you don't trust this floating coffin, but you and I both know the only way we're getting into Equestria is on this submarine." Kim sighed keeping the bucket in her grasp at arms length, "I know, I know be patient, but thinking about how we're here helpless while who knows what is happening to Zachary..." "That kind of thinking will get us nowhere" he cut her off, "and it won't help Zachary, assuming anything can help Zachary now. However," He continued ignoring the hurt look Kim gave him, "completing this mission will help us and every generation after us. Even if those generations are plagued with war." Kim's glare withered and fell away, "As always your right, no matter how pissed off it makes me. Well at least if war does break out we'll get to see what kind of damage the torpedoes on this thing can do. Don't you agree?" Alec's response was to quickly take the bucket from Kim's hands and violently release in it. Zachary laid on his stomach beside Pink and Yellow while White tried and failed to get his hair under control. He had shortened their names weeks ago, and had long ago came to the conclusion that they were keeping him a secret from the Alicorn, Blue and Orange. He was momentarily distracted as Pink tried to shove another cupcake into his mouth only to be stopped by Yellow. The pegasus had taken it unto herself to regulate his sugar intake after he had eaten a tray of cupcakes in one sitting. Truth be told he thought that first treat that Pink had given he was poisoned, it took everything he had to remember that he was supposed to be taken and to act like an over eager child. However what she gave him wasn't poisoned, and the only thing he felt afterwards was drowsy due to a sugar overload. On the fourth day he didn't have to pretend that he was eager to try whatever Pink wanted to give him. If this was the only high point before whatever horrible thing that will happen to him happens to him, he was going to milk it for all its worth. Yellow drew a picture of what looked like a horn-less Jackalope on a piece of paper and gave it to him. Zachary quite lazily drew a smiley face next to it and gave it back to her. She frowned and put it on a ever growing pile. They had started to categorize what he did and didn't eat after he had choked on some sort of stick sandwich. Now there were four separate piles each held down by a different stone. One with things he could eat, one with things he couldn't, one with things that he had never saw before in his life and one with things that were sentient. Zachary had wanted to cast the language spell weeks ago, as it would have helped him to avoid the many awkward situations that their miscommunications had caused. Such as the realization that, no, he did not prey on sentient creatures and the collective understanding of a need for a fourth pile. He wanted to show them what he could do to help, but he needed an opening. Just giving off a black haze wouldn't work, they had seen the destruction that he could cause and he didn't want them to run off to the Alicorn on a misunderstanding. While he was thinking Yellow had drawn a picture of a griffin, dutifully she had displayed it to him before placing it on the sentient pile with much exaggeration and eye contact. Zachary restrained from rolling his eyes and nodded causing her to pat him on the head. He really appreciate what Yellow was trying to do, he really did, but her attitude which had started off as amusing was steady becoming grating. Don't get him wrong, if all the ponies were like Yellow... well then they would have five ponies plus an Alicorn trying to make everyone eat healthier and swear off sweets for a week. He blinked. From wherever he came from, would that make everything better or worse? His musings were interrupted when Pink stopped trying to sneak him cupcakes and looked up at the noon day sky. Reluctantly she said something to Yellow and White. ...should he be worried that whatever Pink said had caused Yellow's ears to lower and White to stop battling with his hair? Yellow looked at him sadly before taking new sheet of paper and drawing on it. Zachary's face went blanked when he saw what she created. Truly, he shouldn't have been surprised. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Yellow, Pink and White needed to lead him to the Alicorn, Blue and Orange. That, after all, was the purpose of his mission. So why did it still hurt? He really must have gotten too attached if he actually felt distress. He must have had one heck of a look on his his face because Yellow quickly took the paper back and began fretfully writing something else down. This time when Pink offered him a cupcake, he himself turned it down. Before Pink's hair could deflate anymore Yellow forcefully shoved the paper back into his face. After peeling the sheet from his skin he sat up causing White to roll off his back. It was a picture of the Alicorn casting a spell on him followed by all seven of them smiling widely with some archaic looking words written above them. His eyes widened with understanding. The Alicorn had a translation spell and they wanted to use it on him. He smirked. There was his opportunity. Zachary quickly picked up a fresh sheet of paper and began drawing. Then with a wide disarming smile he gave the picture to Yellow, Pink and White. Of course he just read-drew the picture only this time he was casting the spell and the Alicorn, Blue and Orange were nowhere to be found. Hey did not expect their argument to breakout that quickly. Zachary schooled his face to resemble worry and hurt, but internally he grinned like a madman as the argument escalated then tapered off. He knew that they would try his spell before going to the Alicorn, it didn't take someone like Alec to see that they were still fighting within their group. They always waited to just before sunset to end their little get together's before reluctantly leaving. Always with the same sour look on their faces. Zachary smiled softly when White hesitantly approached him, just like how he illustrated to them. He needed a unicorn for this seeing that he really didn't know how or where pegasi and earth ponies channeled and stored their magic. He kept the easy smile on his face as he put both hands over the unicorn's head and allowed a soft pulse of magic escaped his from hands. 'Ok, just follow the instructions placed in your head. Pull, gently. Collect, don't squeeze! Transfer slowly and repeat. You will know when you're done.' He mentally couched himself as his visual world disappeared in a black haze. His vision pulsed and warped with black and blue tinted magic. It would have been absolutely beautiful if the wasn't spell wasn't so exhausting. After what felt like entirely too long a part of his mind whispered the spells completion, and carefully he let his hands fall and his magic fade. White blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes, "Well that was a dreadful experience, and no way to treat a lady." Zachary smirked, "Well it was my first time trying that and wasn't exactly easy on me either, so how about we call it even?" Of all the things that Zachary thought was going to happen being tackled was not one of them.    "Your spell worked! Well I knew that it would would work, cause my Pinkie Sense told me it would and it's never wrong. Now we can introduce ourselves and we can friends and have parties and sleepovers or sleepover parties with friends! And their will be balloons and streamers and cake and did your ever had cake before? It's like a cupcake but bigger and cakeyer and...!" Quickly he covered her mouth with a hand, marveling as she somehow continued to speak. "Is she always like this?" He asked a thoroughly shocked Yellow and White. White was the first to recover, "Pinkie's just excited and," she faltered, "how did you know how to do that?" "Many different people speak many different languages, everyone can do this." He replied. At least everyone did before the invention of translation amulets. "Oh, does that mean there are other humans near here?" Yellow asked timidly. And Zachary forced himself to not grin. They really shouldn't set themselves up like this. "How did you know that I'm a human?" Zachary said face a perfect mask of innocent confusion as the ponies visibly fliched. He kept up his innocent appearance as the ponies shuffled under his gaze. Although morally grating, he needed to figure out the extant of their training. And what better way then to see how and what they lied about, and by the way they were shuffling, any second now they would start denying... "Twilight found a book on humans and we went to different places trying to find out more information on humans because they were a lost race that almost nopony knew nothing about!" Yellow blurted. What. "We went to Canterlot, which was just beautiful and there we talked to the princess, Princess Celestia that is. I must not forget there are four other princesses in Equestia, that would be quite rude. Celestia showed us this place where ponies that were studying your species hundreds of years ago put their research. It was just dreadful, both the swap and the secret underground base in the swap." White said rubbing her back as if she was cleansing it from some horrible memory. Wait. "At the base we found out the humans left Equestria and the meany jerky ponies there that wanted to keep the human as slaves. Then we went through the Griffin Lands and found a griffin named Ashen who agreed to bring us halfway to the Forsaken Islands where Twilight thought the humans were. But Twilight and Applejack and Rainbow Dash started to act like meany jerky ponies and Twilight made these shackles that are supposed to neutralize a humans power. We were trying to stop them but they didn't listen and then we saw you and they attack you!" Pink, no Pinkie, finished her tirade on her backhoves wildly gesturing in the air. What the hell? Yellow then walked up to him and gently placed a hoof on his knee, "After you escape we knew that we couldn't talk to Twilight, Applejack or Rainbow Dash. So we decided to split up and find you before them, so that you could choose whether you wanted to come with us to Equestria or stay here on the Forsaken Islands. You shouldn't have to go anywhere that you don't want to." She said with the most heartwarming of smiles. What the everlasting fuck!? His face went blank as he felt a part of his mind shut down. What the kind of soldier just says that! Isn't that information classified! Blood soaked everything! That's almost too much information for him to handle. There's a book on humans? There is a secret base filled with research on humans and it's located in a swap? You're unable to get to and by extension leave the islands by yourself? He blinked and for once didn't have to fake the dumbfounded expression on his face. Wait. Those shackles that the Alicorn threw at him could neutralize a human's magic? Okay. That was important, but how could get back into control here? He needed to throw them off balance so he could regain some sort of foothold and move the conversation in a direction that suited him, but how could he do that if they keep on throwing names and places at him that he has no idea...! ...With the restraint that only years of training could bring, Zachary stopped himself from banging his head against a tree. Idiot. He was an idiot. The answer was so simple and yet so devastating. Zachary looked into Yellow's worried face and said with the utmost sincerity, "What's Equestria?" Morbidly, Pinkie's, Yellow's and White's faces had to be the best thing about his day so far. This he could work with, this he could mold to fit his mission. Give the ponies, or at least the Alicorn, exactly what they want. A ignorant and isolated race. "What's Equestria?" White asked, uncertainty pooling into her voice, "Why, it's where we are from. Where do you think we're from?" Zachary shrugged and said almost nonchalantly, "One of the islands. That's why I ran when I first saw you, unknown creatures are dangerous, everyone knows that." Both of Pinkie's ears were flat against her head, "Unknown creature...but, we're ponies." His eyebrow raised, "I thought you were Pinkie." Pinkie's eyes bulged out and she shared a shocked expression with White and Yellow. Shakily she pointed to herself, "I'm Pinkie Pie," she then pointed to White, "She's Rarity," then to Yellow, "and she's Fluttershy. Those are our names and we're ponies." Zachary nodded then pointed to himself, "I'm Zachary and I'm a human." He smiled through the sudden stab of guilt he felt. The ponies in front of him didn't deserve what he was about to do to them, but he already spent to much time lounging around. No matter how enjoyable it was. Some part of him, deep in his subconscious, was urgently whispering that time was running out, "Well I now know how you know what I am, but in still don't know why you're here. Equestria sounds like it's very far away so why the trip?" And wasn't this silence interesting, Zachary thought as they seemed to be looking in every direction but the one in which he sat. "Zachary you must understand." Rarity started looking at what had to be the most interesting rock in the world, "The ponies long ago were not good by any stretch of the imagination. A-and it's the duty of the descendant to fix their ancestors mistakes especially if those mistakes are as...horrendous as our ancestors are.' Rarity breathed in to steady herself and on the exhale she said, "We are sorry that our ancestors enslaved your ancestors and did horrible things to them, that caused them to do horrible things right back. Please, forgive us." "Okay, I forgive you," Zachary said, a large sugary sweet smile plastered on his face, he waited for their relief to really sink in before saying with the innocent cruelty of a child, "but, what does enslave mean?" The next couple of hours were incredibly tense, for Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie at least. Zachary played the innocent fool as they tried and failed to describe slavery to him. The best, or perhaps was it the worst, part was that he wasn't completely lying about not knowing what slavery was. If he was really a product of the Great Mixing he wouldn't have known what it was. Everyone moved around to the point that creating any businesses that would need a surplus of workers was unnecessary and stupid. Also, any information from King Conquering Wind's time was heavily guarded by a few and very closed mouth historians. A traveler like him would have spent most of his time migrating from place to place, only stopping to trade for small but important items. It would have been impossible for him to know what slavery was. It wasn't until the creation of larger permanent villages, were everyone had the mostly the same access to information, did people truly knew what their escaped ancestors tried desperately to forget. But of course the ponies in front of him didn't know that. "So slavery is when someone is owned by someone else and is forced to do what they say?" He said, and poor Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie looked like they were about to start crying. Well he shouldn't be surprised, he could pull of a very convincing helpless look when he really wanted to. A wide eyed look, that left him with just the right kind of innocence do no harm kind of impression. Messy hair going in every direction to make him look just like that street kid that went through so much but could still somehow trust people... Zachary took in their pained expressions and scrunched up faces that were just about to twist in the way that his training desired. Time to push them over the edge. "That makes no sense how can anyone tell me what to do when I could just fly away." He disbelieving scoffed, fluttering green insect wings for emphasis. And there were the tears. Really he knew that doing this would just bite him in the ass later, but he needed to speed things along. The faster they left the island the quicker his family and friends would be safe. And by the way they looked their departure would be soon at least. All he had to do was seal the deal. Zachary quickly held Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie as they cried and spoke to them, apologizing to them, for making them sad and for whatever he did to cause them to cry. Truthfully he was sorry. A large part of him shriveled in disgust for doing this. They had been nothing but nice to him. However, the mission always came first and emotions second, well at least that was what he was always told since he joined... his mind blanked out, an organized something at thirteen. He let them cry it out, only releasing them when they finally pushed away from him. "Look at me, I learn to speak to you and the first thing I do is make you cry." Zachary chuckled ruefully. "No dear its not your fault. Why we're crying has nothing to do with you." Rarity sniffed rubbing her eyes. 'Yes it does, and there's a tiny part of me that feels a sick sense of pride for pulling it off so easily.' He thought still carrying the outward air of gentleness that they fullheartedly believe, because they knew that he would never hurt them. He never did so why would he start now? "Rarity's right, it's just it's just..." Pinkie Pie had to stop to rub away fresh tears, and dutifully Zachary scratched her behind her ears inviting her to cry on him again. Fluttershy had left their little circle of tears, and was keeping herself busy by picking up all the notes and communication pictures that they had made over the past three weeks. She stopped at a random hog pile of pictures, and instantly Zachary knew what she was looking at. A couple of days ago Pinkie Pie had drew a picture of her family and gave it to him, and on a whim he had done the same with his own family and gave it to her. What had followed was what he could only describe as a 'draw you family and friends party', there were hats and the strangest music he had ever heard. To this day he didn't know were that music had came from. Fluttershy carefully picked up the pictures which he knew had the likeness of his mother, sister and friends on them and put them in her saddle bags. "Um, Zachary if you don't mind I think I want to go back to camp." Fluttershy said refusing to look him in the eye. "Fluttershy if it's anything I've done..." He trailed off and thought bitterly, 'Other then betraying your trust.' "No. It's nothing that you have done." When Fluttershy finally looked at him he swore that his heart stopped. How in all the hells could she look so scary? "Fluttershy what are you planning to do?" Pinkie Pie asked around her completely deflated mane. "I think it's time for Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash to know the truth." Fluttershy said determination mixing frighteningly with the anger on her face. "Don't you think we should give it more time, Zachary has only just started talking." Rarity suggested for once ignoring the streaks her mascara was leaving on her white coat. "All the more reason that we should tell them about him now, this way they can't say that we told him what to say or that he knows enough to manipulate us." Fluttershy interjected, the utmost trust for him evident through her body language. How Zachary didn't flinch at that would forever be a mystery to him. Fluttershy took her eyes off Rarity and Pinkie Pie and looked to Zachary, "You don't have to worry about us just go back home and sleep. Tomorrow you will meet the rest of our friends and they will be nice and we all will be good friends, right?" Zachary suddenly felt like he went a little to far with the helpless act, "Um..." "Right?" Fluttershy said staring him down, her teal eyes pulsing in a way that greatly unnerved him. "Right!" Damn, he had almost saluted to that, what is up with that look of her's? "Good. We have to work together if we want to make them see that the way they are acting is really rude, inconsiderate, stupid and not to mention just down right mean!" Fluttershy finished her outburst breathing heavily. Wisely, Pinkie Pie change the subject, "Fluttershy I think we should be going now." She said pointing at the darkening sky. Fluttershy looked at the sinking sun. Sunset, this soon? "Oh dear it is starting to get dark. Oh and Zachary after this is all done and we're friends you could find another hot spring for us, if you don't mind that is." "Oh that sounds lovely, as long as we don't see anymore of those absolutely dreadful vampire cockatrice's on the way." Rarity said flexing her neck from the sudden stiffness she felt. Zachary laughed happily, ignoring the guilt he felt curling around his stomach, "Don't worry I promise to make sure that there are no chicken-snakes on the way." 'and I still can't call those creatures by their proper names.' he sulked. He waved them off as they left the gale and silently hoped that the inevitable backfire of his plans wouldn't be too damaging. For him or them. Tomorrow had stretched into three days later. He was just about to go to their camp when Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie had bounded out of the forest happy smiles spread across their faces. They had went on about how they had won the argument and got Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash to see the truth about humans and how they now wanted to be friends. He was dragged into their excitement and enjoyed the private party that they had spontaneously started. Afterwards they had agreed that he would meet Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash a few days later in the glade that they had became friends in. So now he sat cross-legged in the middle of the clearing his black feathered wings warming up in the rays of the morning sun. Such a gorgeous day shouldn't be wasted and he was going to take full advantage of the warmth. Even if he couldn't stop twitching. It was just nerves he reasoned, the last time he was face to face with Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash wasn't exactly pleasant. Just nerves. Just nerves. Just nerves tensing at nothing. His reflection was broken by the arrival of Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. He could hear as his heart sped up and pump loud hot blood through his tense limbs, causing them to slightly tremble in agitation. Where were Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie? "I don't know if you can really understand us, but Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie told us to come here before them. Something about not startling you." Twilight smiled apologetic at him, and he looked back at her the confusion on his face pure as the goosebumps on his arms, "They said that you like sweets right? Well Applejack here makes the best apple fritters in Equestia, so please take this as our apology and try one. I promise they are great." Her smile was absolutely dazzling. White perfect teeth sparkling perfectly in the early morning sun. Applejack took that as her cue to approach him. She held out a basket filled with small sweet smelling pancake-like treats. "Try some," Applejack said smiling proudly, "its a family recipe." Zachary reached out and took a couple from the basket, and with a careful sniff he popped one into his mouth. Sweet with the right amount of tangyness so as not to overwhelm the senses. He ate a couple more as Twilight voice created a background noise of sorts. "We're sorry that we attacked you. If we knew that there was an easier way to go about things we would have done so. Can you ever forgive us?" Zachary looked up, and for the first time since they had entered the glade he really looked into their eyes. Like the smile of a theater mask, impossibly large and yet empty on a mockery of a face. Their smiles did not reach their eyes. The feeling of unease he had felt earlier came back in full agonizing force, and he realized much, much too late that it didn't come from nerves. His instincts had been telling him to fight or flight since they approached him, and he had done neither. He quickly jumped away from them and with desperation that only the fear of imprisonment could bring, he took to the sky. If he could only get to the forest...! His wings violently began to spasm before he could fully get above the tree line causing him to awkwardly crashed into the ground. He tried to get up only to have his arms buckled and collapsed under him. He couldn't lifted a finger as Twilight began poking at his prone unresponsive form. The world blurred frighteningly in and out as Zachary desperately tried to stay awake. They tricked him. Of course they had tricked him, why would they? How else would they bring him back to Equestria? They could have asked. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What the hell was he thinking? He should be glad about this, he completed his mission didn't he? Why should he care if Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie planned this all along and didn’t care enough to watch him be taken down? Why did that hurt so much? Officially, they meant nothing to him. He shuttered, why did it felt like he just stabbed himself with a shard of ice? With the greatest of ease Twilight flipped him onto his back. His dulled eyes glared defiantly at her even as he felt thin tear lines leak from his eyes. Just a reaction to the drug, cold sweat, and nothing more. Rainbow Dash looked at him and spoke, "Twilight you said that he would have been knocked out by now." Twilight shook her head in shock, "He should be, he could only be awake by shear will power. To think that Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were playing around with such a dangerous creature. What were they thinking?" "What they were thinking ain't important right now. We have tah get the human out of here before they see us. They would try to stop us if they see us taking their human 'friend'." Applejack urged looking at the direction they had came from. They didn't betray him, which means they could eventually help him. Of course this revelation would have been much sweeter if his body didn't feel like lead and his mouth dry and cotton like. Twilight lifted his limp body with her magic and carried him away from the glade. He had stopped struggling as his body involuntarily shuttered and his world once again threatened to fog out. As his kidnapping envoy left the bright familiarity of the glade into the darkness of the forest Zachary only thought was a strong and definite, 'Well shit.' Soon after that Zachary's world completely blurred away as the drug took hold and he knew nothing but darkness.