//------------------------------// // 37 -- Satisfaction // Story: Mente Materia // by Arad //------------------------------// “Revenge proves its own executioner.” --John Ford ------ 16:30, 12/17/2015, GRIFFON COMPOUND, CANTERLOT I may have to invite Major Renfeld to my meetings with Lieutenant Zhang in the future, Alvar thought as he took a seat on the outer edge of the fighting ring. His practiced eyes devoured and memorized the woman’s every movement with the practice sword as she took her position opposite to Captain Harris. It seems like she’s having a small amount of trouble with the blade’s weighting… but if she makes visits to the practice arena for training a regular occurrence then I’m certain that a practice sword can be made to her specifications. I can’t wait to see what I can learn from her. It wouldn’t do for the High Talon to show something as immature as excitement, so he did his best to mimic the mild and aloof interest that his father had always displayed in public. It certainly beat dwelling on the brief conversation he had with Zhang earlier in the afternoon. “Speak not of the Revenants to anyone. They are our shame to bear as a people and nobody else’s.” “What’s going on, Alvar?” Sweetie asked as she sat beside Alvar. She scooted just a little bit closer than usual as she looked around the room before finally settling on the two humans in the center ring. “Are those two going to practice sword fighting or something?” “It seems that way,” Alvar answered, and he gave a respectful nod to Princess Twilight as she sat on Sweetie’s opposite side and a glance toward the Myrmidon as it took its place standing behind the group. The princess seems rather flushed… was she perhaps running before we came across her? She must be sweating dreadfully under that cloak… The alicorn gave a startled yelp when Firefly wedged herself in the small gap between Sweetie and herself. She gave a strained smile to the young changeling and started to speak when one ear flicked towards the fighting arena. Her head whipped around to face the same direction a moment later, her eyes wide. Any further contemplation of Twilight’s behavior was pushed aside as a dash of movement from the ring immediately drew Alvar’s attention. Renfeld rushed forward, her weapon raised high for a two-handed crown strike, only for it to be stopped cold by a perfectly executed block. She threw her weight in the strike in an attempt to push Harris back, but his stance was wide and set. Not to be deterred, she withdrew the practice sword and went with a different angle of attack. Harris attempted to block that attack in the same manner but realised a moment too late where the blow was going to land. A meaty crack filled the practice hall as Renfeld’s weapon connected with the flesh and blood fingers holding his weapon, which was immediately followed by a strangled yell as Harris bit down on the pain. He retracted his right hand from the sword grip out of reflex just as a third crown strike landed. Renfeld’s last crown strike had nearly been enough to wrench the sword from her opponent’s hands, and she didn’t relent in her offensive as Harris staggered backward. She roared in what was likely her native language as she shoulder-checked her way clean through Harris’s left-handed defense. A wickedly fast strike scythed low to connect with the side of his left knee, which resulted in another choked scream. This can’t be how humans practice with bladed weapons, can it? Alvar asked himself as he shot a concerned glance to the hall master, and was surprised to see a confused look being cast back at him. Major Renfeld is clearly far more experienced with this form of combat than Captain Harris, but she isn’t doing anything to instruct him. She has demolished his defenses and punished him for it, but she hasn’t allowed him any chance to reestablish his stance. Alvar blinked when Renfeld again went out of her way to strike Harris’s right hand the moment he tried to fall back into a two-handed defense. This isn’t even a duel, since she’s had many times to go for a kill strike, but has chosen not to. So why is she-- Alvar’s pondering halted as he felt a gentle touch at his side. “Alvar,” Sweetie whispered as she gave a tear-filled look toward the High Talon. “Make her stop. Please…” Her ears fell back with a wince as Harris cried out again. Sweetie wasn’t the only one affected by the fight. Twilight had risen from her seated position, her hooves on the edge of the arena. Her expression hovered between horror and hesitation before she shot Alvar a pleading look. The final straw came from Firefly. The disguised changeling was the only one who appeared unaffected by the massacre going on in the ring, her face expressionless as she said, “It’s hate. She’s filled with it.” Those blank, unfocused eyes turned towards Alvar as she continued, “Renfeld hates everything, but it’s Matt she hates most of all right now.” Alvar’s beak opened to ask a question, but it immediately clamped shut when all of the pieces came together. A curious emotion took root in his mind as the truth of what he was seeing before him became apparent. A look and a sharp nod was sent to the hall master before Alvar rose from his seat. Harris’s left leg could no longer support his weight and he tumbled to the ground. Renfeld didn’t hesitate for a second before taking advantage of it. The practice sword rose high but was caught in the gnarled talon of the hall master. That seemed to snap the woman out of her frenzy, and she cast a hateful glance at her prey as he held his arms up to shield himself. “Princess Twilight, I believe Captain Harris is in need of medical attention. You may attend to him now,” Alvar said as he undid the buckle on the weapon belt that held his sword securely on his back. He removed the skysteel weapon from his person reverently and offered it to the Myrmidon with a bow, before turning towards the fighting mats. “You may wish to take Sweetie Belle and Firefly with you.” Twilight mumbled something, and those that Alvar had mentioned were gone in a flash of lavender light. Alvar waited patiently for Renfeld to retrieve her translator pendant before he spoke. “A most impressive display, Major,” he said, careful to keep none of what he was feeling from bleeding into his tone. “I must confess that seeing it has made me a bit anxious. I would very much enjoy the opportunity to practice with you, since you’re here.” “I’m afraid I must decline, sir,” she replied with a quick bow. “I’m afraid I have other duties--.” “You would deny an offer to spar with the High Talon?” Alvar hissed with as much disbelief as he could muster. Impatience was replaced with hesitation as Renfeld paused. “I apologize if I have offended you. Would a single match satisfy your curiosity for now?” “Oh, I’m certain it will. Hall master, two arming sabers for myself, please,” Alvar requested, and he was pleased to see the light of comprehension in the elder griffon’s eyes. Renfeld’s practice sword was returned to her before the hall master presented a pair of wooden short swords to the High Talon. He gave each weapon an experimental spin and slash as he spread his wings to hover in the air before locking his eyes on Renfeld. The human obligingly entered into a defensive stance before asking, “First blood or fatal blow?” “It will not matter,” Alvar answered... and then he launched forward like crossbow bolt. “You are allowed to feel anger, little talon,” his father had said, what felt like a long time ago. “However, you must be mindful of it. Anger born from personal offense is beneath you and not worth your effort. However, there will be times when your anger is roused by something so dishonorable that it demands wrath. And the wrath of the High Talon must always be three things: It must be precise. It must be implacable. It must be legendary.” It had been the only time that he had seen seen his father in his battle armor. It was the only time he had seen ten Myrmidons arrayed at his flank. For the first time in Alvar’s young life, he felt as though he finally understood just what his father had meant. I care not for Renfeld’s reasons. She made my best friend cry. Her actions hurt Twilight, whom I consider an ally and friend. Captain Harris challenged nearly a dozen Revenants to combat without falling back a step, and she lured him here to wound him so. She was able to do all of this by approaching me under false pretenses. I am not certain if what I'm planning will be ‘legendary,’ but I think I can do a good job on the others… Alvar descended from his hovering altitude not directly at Renfeld from above, but at the spot directly in front of her from below. The human’s instincts were good as she was already shifting from a high guard to a low one to protect her legs, but in that moment Alvar knew that the match had been decided. Rear paws touched the mat just long enough to launch him upwards and above the low guard. To Renfeld’s credit, she had begun to hop backwards and realign her guard, but her feet weren’t set. Neither was her grip on her weapon. Alvar’s launch from the training mats had been almost entirely from one leg, and his wings pumped to send him into a corkscrew roll with swords forward in front of him. The first blade connected with the tip of Renfeld’s sword while the second locked just above the hilt, and in the next moment it was flying free from her hands. The moment after that both of Alvar’s rear paws connected squarely with her chest, which sent her stumbling backwards. Alvar’s left blade swept behind Renfeld’s head to the nape of her neck as she fell backwards while the right scissored in below her jaw. With one flex of his wings, Renfeld’s backwards fall was halted with the help of the scissored practice swords locked around her neck. Total silence filled the practice hall before it was broken by the hall master. Renfeld’s practice sword fell easily into his outstretched talon and was replaced on its rack in one smooth move before the elder griffon clenched his talon into a fist and struck it to his leather chestplate. The sound repeated itself as other griffons mimicked the gesture, and it was amplified by the clash of metal on metal as the Myrmidon joined in. “Know this, Major Renfeld,” Alvar hissed, his voice nearly lost in the din of griffon applause. “Abuse my goodwill again and the next blades you will have on your neck will be steel.” With another flex of his wings he disengaged from the human. Both practice swords were tucked beneath his wings as he descended to the fighting mats. He cast a look towards one of the guards near the door. “See that Major Renfeld returns to the human compound, and send a message to Colonel Van Doorn. It seems I have reason to speak with him sooner than expected…” ------ 18:00, 12/17/2015, OFFICE OF COL. VAN DOORN, HUMAN COMPOUND, CANTERLOT Reading the surface emotions of those around her had always been something of a relaxing exercise for Firecracker since she had left the hives. Every individual had a different impression, a different flavor and texture to the emotions they expressed, to the point where the changeling could identify others with her more exotic senses just as easily as she could by hearing their voice or seeing their faces. Lana in particular-- That particular train of thought was aborted the moment it manifested, and Firecracker chose to distract herself from it by focusing on the bench’s other occupant: Lieutenant Zhang. The human did a commendable job of appearing calm and at peace, his posture ramrod straight and with his hands resting together on his lap. His eyes were closed and his breathing steady, apparently deep in some form of meditation if one were to ask someone passing by. It was a mask for a bleeding core of frustration and anger, likely as a result of the reason for him having to wait outside Van Doorn’s office. It was the same reason that Firecracker was also present. The integration of XCOM’s first wave of soldiers in Equestria had been relatively seamless. Every one of the humans that had come had been a veteran that had fought alongside the pony volunteers on Earth for more than a month. The iron-clad heart of that group had been the survivors of the near-disaster that had been the attack on XCOM’s original base of operations. Every single member of the first wave had earned the respect of the Equestrian volunteers, and said volunteers had earned the same from their counterparts from Earth. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of the majority of the reinforcements that had arrived earlier that day. The appearance of Peter Van Doorn at the lead of the second wave had been as much of a morale booster as the numbers of soldiers coming through Kaleidoscope, and everything had gone smoothly while the colonel and his subordinate had been supervising things. Once he and Major Renfeld had left to attend to other duties, an ugly problem made itself known. Given all of the time that had been spent with the humans of XCOM, it had been a very easy thing to forget that the majority of the second wave had not known about the existence of the Equestrians prior to two months ago, and their only exposure to their culture had been Shining Armor’s televised appearance in front of the Goleman committee. Seeing Canterlot for the first time, the bright colors and whimsy contrasting with the burgeoning refugee population, had left a certain impression on the reinforcements. One of the humans had given voice to that impression, rather loudly speculating on the quality and fortitude of the forces that served the Princesses prior to their contact with humanity. One of the ponies that had been within earshot of that comment had been one of the three survivors of the Wonderbolts after the massacre at Cloudsdale, and he had demanded an apology on the spot. What happened next wasn’t exactly surprising. It had taken both Lieutenant Zhang and Lieutenant Romalov to break up the ensuing brawl, which had led to another ugly problem within the human ranks. I had known that humans were far from united prior to the invasion, but I had thought that they would still respect the ranks of the XCOM officers, regardless of their backgrounds, Firecracker thought as she continued to study the human sitting beside her. The soldier said he wasn’t going to take orders from a ‘Triad’ when Zhang had bellowed for them to stop. I’ve heard more than one of the new soldiers expressing disdain for Captain Harris due to the apparent circumstances of how his career ended with his nation’s army. It’s frustrating that the humans are so tight about certain information, otherwise I can’t do much to fix whatever this is. The worry on her face morphed into something akin to amusement at the thought. Given Romalov’s performance in the brawl, I might not have to. Nothing says ‘respect my authority’ quite like flicking one of the main offenders in the forehead with one finger and fracturing his skull. The smallest of rattles from behind brought Firecracker back into the moment, and was its own subtle reminder of the other thing that had been distracting the changeling. Van Doorn’s office had been soundproofed as a courtesy to the commanding officer for the human forces in Canterlot, but it was a testament to the volume of the conversation going on inside that the windows vibrated enough to be noticed. To Firecracker’s senses, that subtle sign was completely dwarfed by the two hurricanes of rage originating from inside the office. The anger flowing from one person in the office raged like a firestorm, contained not by self control but by the simple fact that the focus of that emotion was not present in the room. The hate itself was a burning mix of disappointment, loss, resentment and outrage, all of which combined to eat at Firecracker’s mind like an acid. As much as the first source of anger had all the destruction and fury of a hurricane, the second source was the eye of the storm. Perfectly calm and placid on the surface, but bottomless in it’s depth. The last time Firecracker had felt anywhere near as much anger had been when she had informed Chrysalis of her intent to warn the Equestrians of her plan. Given that at least one source of anger within that room was Peter Van Doorn, it was perhaps a small miracle that whoever else was in the room hadn’t been ejected through one of the windows. The torrent of negative emotions did not abate when the door opened. Major Renfeld stalked out quickly, both hands clenched into fists and her mouth clamped tightly enough for the muscles along her jawline to be visible even from a distance. Her eyes were high and forward as she marched down the corridor and out of sight. “Ah, I didn’t know there were others waiting,” Van Doorn said before pausing to take a long draw from the glass of water on his desk. He motioned for Zhang and Firecracker to enter with his free hand. The officer gave both a long look before letting out a sigh, seemingly aging on the spot as he sagged in his chair. “I’m hoping you have good news for me, but something tells me you have the opposite.” “A physical altercation involving several soldiers and off-duty guards. Lieutenant Romalov and I had to intervene to break it up before the injuries became serious,” Zhang reported, his tone as even and level as it had always been. Van Doorn’s initial response was to cover his face with hands. “Unbelievable. Less than a day and these supposed adults are making my life difficult. How bad was it?” “The primary human instigator suffered three cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder, and is expected to be out of medical within a week,” Firecracker supplied. “The one who threw the first blow was a pegasus, and is also in medical with several fractures to his right wing. There was a secondary instigator who was also injured…” she paused before glancing toward Zhang, and Firecracker continued when the man remained silent. “The second instigator refused to disengage from the brawl and had to be subdued by Lieutenant Romalov.” Throughout the report, Van Doorn could do nothing but sigh. “‘You’ve got the experience’, they said. ‘Be the face of united humanity,’ they said. I really should have known it wouldn’t be that easy or glorious.” He gave his empty glass of water an offended look before making his way over to the pitcher of water on the far side of the room. “Field command is five percent excitement, and ninety-five percent keeping the monkey shitfights with the troops from spiraling out of control. And that isn’t even counting the malicious nepotism from on high that has undermined our forces here after less than one day.” “Sir?” “Lieutenant Zhang, you are to take command of the Mente Materia division starting immediately. It seems that Captain Harris was involved in a ‘minor training accident’ and is currently being treated in medical. I’m told he will not be free to leave for at least two days.” Van Doorn reported as he topped off his glass of water before draining most of it in one long draw. He set the glass down before turning towards both Firecracker and Zhang. “I suppose this is my first stroke of luck after everything else that has happened. From what I understand, both of you have some insight into griffon culture? I have an appointment with the High Talon tomorrow morning regarding the behavior of one of my subordinates, and I would very much like to put all of this behind us.” “I’m more than happy to help, sir,” Firecracker volunteered with a smile, which she hoped was enough to mask the impulse to cower on the spot. For all of Van Doorn’s appearance of understated frustration, it couldn’t hide the amount of anger that simmered beneath the surface. ------ 20:00, 12/17/2015, MEDICAL WINGS, CANTERLOT Twilight pulled in a breath with deliberate slowness before letting it out again as she kept her eyes straight forward. They’ve been in there for hours… no news is good news, right? The doctors said they would tell me if there were any problems, she thought, and she again resisted the temptation to look towards the doors. If her will faltered enough to look to the doors, she doubted that there was anything that could stop her from knocking them down and charging in. Of course, this might not have even happened if I hadn’t hesitated. I could argue that I didn’t want to potentially insult the High Talon or the griffons by interrupting a match that they were supervising… but that would just be a worthless excuse. The simple fact that she had hesitated, even after finding some small amount of closure from the horrible things that had happened to her, ate at her mind like acid. All of Twilight’s previous conflicts had been with something that was easily seen as the ‘other’. The aliens had never bothered to try any other path but violence and misery. Chryssalids weren’t even capable of comprehending the concept of friendship over their biological need to kill and reproduce. Even the two EXALT assassins that Twilight had faced found no sympathy with her, as they had chosen to side with genocidal invaders over their own kin. But the woman had explained exactly why she had attacked Matt. Her motivation wasn’t a part of some vast and evil scheme, or an implacable biological drive that could not be reasoned with. The woman’s motivation was as personal as it could possibly be; it was something that Twilight could understand (but not condone). And her hesitation had cost Matt dearly. Alvar’s words and clipped tone had shaken Twilight out of her paralyzing indecision when the fight ended, and she had wasted no time in teleporting their small group to the medical wings. After a brief grilling by the lead doctor on call, Matt had been whisked away to another room with a herd of doctors behind him. Despite her protests about her willingness to help and her familiarity with human physiology, the doctor on call had ordered her to sit and wait outside until they came for her. Sweetie Belle had done her best to try and talk with Twilight in the time afterward, but neither was in any shape to calm the other down. The unicorn filly was still upset by the viciousness of the beating that Matt had taken, and Twilight was all but consumed with guilt over not intervening alongside the shock of what that woman had been shouting. If Shiny died because of somepony else, I would probably not react very well either. Twilight thought, but her attempt to rationalise what she had seen crumbled in her mind’s eye. Shiny and I are nothing like that woman and her brother… but she said her brother hadn’t followed the family’s wishes, and she had to do what he was supposed to. If I had to give up being Celestia’s student because Shiny quit the guard, I would probably be angry at him. My parents too if it was their orders. Twilight continued to wrestle with the why of things before her guilt came creeping back. It doesn’t matter at all why she did it. She hurt one of my friends, and I shouldn’t have allowed it. “Silly Twilight, when will you ever learn that you can’t make everything your fault?” The question jolted Twilight out of her doubtful thoughts, and she threw a glance towards Sweetie, then Firefly, then Discord-- Twilight started to scream, but the word was cut off when one of the draconequus fingers tapped her snout. “You can’t yell in a hospital! There are people that are trying to rest here. Plus the doctors will come and give you a mean look,” Discord explained as he removed his finger from Twilight. Once it was clear that no further shouting would follow, he gave the alicorn a concerned look. “You’ve been through a lot since our first chat on that hill, Twilight. You’ve lived up to every expectation I’ve had for you, so part of the reason I’m here is to give you some peace of mind.” “I’m not sure I want peace of mind from you.” The concern melted into offense on Discord’s face, before finally settling on something approaching neutral for him. “Well, fine then! I came all the way down here to maybe share some wisdom and reassure you that your precious human was going to survive this. For one thing, he hasn’t upheld his end of the bargain.” The last sentence was immediately followed by a wide grin and a giggle. “So if you aren’t interested in talking to me, then I guess I’ll move on to the next thing on my agenda!” Without a word of warning, Discord’s serpentine body twisted and elongated away from Twilight and towards the two fillies sitting on the opposite side of the bench. Sweetie Belle let out a little squeak in alarm as the avatar of chaos passed over her to descend upon Firefly. His grin became nearly sharklike in its width and number of teeth as he closed within a foreleg’s length from the disguised changeling-- --just as Firefly reached out and booped him on the snout. “Hello! My name is Firefly! What’s your name?” she asked politely as she grinned back. Discord froze mid-shift, caught somewhere between ‘disturbing’ and ‘sanity eating’ by the gesture and the question. A long second passed before his features rearranged themselves into some semblance of his usual appearance before he asked, “You… you don’t know who I am? Didn’t your mother tell you?” When Firefly shook her head side to side vigorously, he brought one claw up to his chin. “I don’t suppose you could be a dear and connect her for me? I’d like to have a word with her, but I have this sneaking suspicion that she’s avoiding me.” It would have been a perfectly innocent request but for the dangerous tone in Discord’s voice. Firefly’s eyes unfocused and went blank for several seconds, before she blinked and tilted her head to the side. “She doesn’t seem to be answering now. Would you like to leave her a message?” the young changeling asked, either unaware or unphased by the threat that waited in front of her. Discord could only stare at the filly before shaking his fists in the air in frustration. “This isn’t fair at all! I can’t do anything fun to somepony like that!” He pointed one talon at Firefly in accusation before turning and grumbling some more. “Outmaneuvered by that annoying bug! Nay, I say! Tell your mother that this isn’t over yet!” With a snap of his fingers, and an offended huff, the avatar of chaos vanished in a flash. “What was that about?” Sweetie asked as she looked from the still grinning Firefly to Twilight. Any further conversation would have to wait as the door to the side of the bench opened. A unicorn mare in a doctor’s uniform closed the door behind her before making her way over to the bench where the others waited. “Princess, I am pleased to report that the worst has passed for Captain Harris. He’s stable but asleep at the moment. The other doctors and I will be doing a check-up in the morning to make sure the potions and spells have progressed correctly before going forward from there.” “Thank you for your hard work,” Twilight said as she rose from the bench. She gave a nervous look to the door before fixing the doctor with a pleading look. “Can I see him now?” “You may, but I must request that you not disturb his sleep. The healing process will take as much out of him as us until he’s back in fighting shape,” the doctor reported while favoring Twilight with a tired but sincere smile. Her gaze drifted to the two fillies on the bench, then back to the princess. “Go on in, I’ll make sure that these two find their way home.” Twilight nodded in response before opening the door and stepping inside. The room itself was almost identical to the private suites that now populated the medical wings, with soft light projecting from the globe in the ceiling. There were no personal effects that might have littered a hospital room under normal circumstances other than the folded (and to Twilight’s horror, bloody) uniform and boots on the table beside the bed. The bed itself was slightly elevated, with a small table to the side with a pitcher of water within easy reach for the room’s occupant. Matt was asleep on the bed just as the doctor had reported, the serenity of the scene smacking against the sheer number of bandages on the man. Bruises could also be seen radiating from the right side of his head near his temple and jaw, and all of the fingers on his right hand save the thumb and index finger were bracketed by splints. The only sound that entered the room was the gentle sounds of Matt’s breathing as Twilight remained paralyzed just past the doorway. Every timid hooffall was deafeningly loud to Twilight’s ears as she slowly approached the bedside. A stool had been left beside the bed, which she gingerly hopped up on before turning to inspect Matt’s injuries more closely. The doctors have done a good job, it seems. Matt was in far worse shape after the battle in Ponyville, and he more or less recovered from that. He’ll recover from this. He has to. Twilight leaned forward enough to rest her forelegs on the bed before resting her head on it as well. The least I can do is be here for him when he wakes up, she thought, her ears perked and listening for any change in Matt’s breathing. It wasn’t long before her breathing slowed to match his, and her eyes slowly closed as the stress of the day caught up with her. No dreams came to Twilight as she slept, or at least none that she could remember when a curious feeling of deja vu came over her. The vast majority of her willpower melted under the sensation, but a small part of her labored to make the connection with whatever distant memory that called to her. “Could you… scratch my ears, please?” Ah, that’s what it was, Twilight nodded mentally as she recalled her last memory from Earth. She barely remembered anything after she had been shot and before waking up in Canterlot, but that one moment was as clear as day for her. Our places are switched this time, but I still remember how nice it felt to have Matt scratching my ears. Twilight stirred in her half-awake state, and the sensation immediately left her ears and head. That was enough for her to lift her head and slowly open her eyes. The lights in the room had been dimmed, and the city outside of the window was falling under the first bits of sunlight coming across the horizon, which hinted that more than just a few minutes had passed since Twilight had dozed off. Another good indicator of the passage of time came when Matt said, “Good morning.” That was enough to get Twilight’s mind fully awake, though she couldn’t maintain eye contact for more than a hooffull of seconds. Matt’s left eye open and fixed on her but his right had mostly swollen shut from one of the blows he had taken during the fight, which only added to the guilt that she felt about not intervening sooner. All of this multiplied the embarrassment she felt given her realization about what she had done the night before. “How are you feeling?” she finally managed to ask as her eyes settled on Matt’s bandaged hand again. “Probably better than I look at the moment,” Matt answered, and his attempt at a chuckle broke down into a cough. His attempt at humor did nothing to lift the mood in the room as he sighed. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Twilight,” he said, his voice no more than a whisper. “You shouldn’t be apologizing!” Twilight blurted out as the dam burst. “I should have stopped her! I should have--” “Twily, stop,” Matt said as loudly as he could manage. “This isn’t your fault at all, alright? As painful as this is, it’s probably a good thing that you didn’t get involved.” The pain that Twilight saw in his eye was more than physical when she met his gaze. “Do you remember what she said just before the fight began?” “Yes,” came Twilight’s quiet response. Matt’s breath was shaky as he slowly nodded. “Back on Earth I told you about the kid that I shot, but that’s not the whole story. My friends and I were sent into the area to capture the man who was leading the revolt in the country, but it was a trap. That kid…” Matt paused before taking another breath to steady himself. “That kid wasn’t the only one in the town. Half of the armed enemies there were kids brought in from the surrounding areas and given rifles, while the other half were hard veterans. It was a bloodbath, and half of the guys sent in with me were killed. I was the most senior member of the squad by the time reinforcements had arrived. The enemies had all gone underground along with their weapons, which left the survivors and me in a ghost town filled with dead kids. The bastard that arranged the ambush told the media that we went in and started killing without any restraint, and everything went to hell.” “But that’s a lie! You must have told the truth, right? Telling the truth is the right thing to do!” Twilight nearly shouted. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, Twilight, but the truth isn’t what really happened. The truth is what the majority of people believe,” Matt explained, his somber tone in stark contrast to Twilight’s. “I was the most senior survivor left, and the army had to show the world that someone was being held accountable. They threw me out, but they could have done much worse. There’s a lot of people that think I got off easy, given that thousands of innocent people got caught in the civil war that followed.” Twilight couldn’t meet Matt’s gaze as she tried to comprehend the injustice of it all, and having no way to fix it. That isn’t fair at all! It’s not his fault that those things happened! The budding anger at what he had gone through fizzled out when Matt’s bandaged hand came to rest gently on top of of Twilight’s head. “If none of that had happened, Twily, I would probably still be in the Army,” Matt said, and his tone was enough to cause her to glance up at him. It was hard to tell by looking given the amount of bruising on his face and the painkillers in his system, but his tone did a better job of conveying his smile. “If I had still been in the Army, I wouldn’t have joined XCOM. I probably wouldn’t have met you, either. So I think that evens things out for me.” The logic blunted the majority of Twilight’s anger, though it did not completely dispel it. “It’s still not fair,” she muttered, though her determination to be offended on Matt’s behalf was gradually giving way to something else. Even with the bandages, his hand feels so nice right there… she thought, and just as she began to lean into it, it was gone. A glance toward Matt showed his happy expression was gone, and he refused to meet her eyes. “You know, you can keep doing that. If you want.” “Twilight. I think we need to talk,” Matt said, seeming to struggle more with those words than what they had just been talking about. “About… well, about us.” Talk about-- oh. OH! The realisation struck Twilight like a lightning bolt. He wants to talk about this now? But he’s still hurt, and he needs rest, and there must be a better time to talk about this and STOP LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT OF THIS, TWILIGHT. The mental image of Rarity and the conversation they had on the subject came to mind, and she forced herself to take a deep breath before letting it out again. “A-alright,” she managed to squeak, before repeating her breathing exercise as subtly as she could manage. It took Matt several attempts and false starts before he finally managed to actually pose a question. “I… well, I… I hope I don’t offend you by being blunt. But… well, what is it that you want from this?” He ended his inquiry by waving his left hand between himself and Twilight. That… that is a good question. I’ve been so caught up in everything that’s been happening and worrying about how HE feels, and his hand on my ears feels so goooooooo-- FOCUS TWILIGHT! She shook her head before organizing her thoughts. “I think… I think that I want to be happy, and I am when I’m with you. Well… when we aren’t in mortal danger, at least.” Twilight spread one of her wings and gave it a rueful look before folding it again. “Prior to all of this, I didn’t exactly think a lot about… well, male companionship, and prior to moving to Ponyville I didn’t really think about other ponies at all. Now that I’m a princess, everypony new I meet tends to treat me differently. They treat me like a title, not like somepony who wants to be friends or anything more. You’ve treated me like an equal, like a good friend. Plus… those ear scratches feel really good,” Twilight finished in a rush, and she had to quash the impulse to hide under the bed until she calmed down. “That’s actually something I had been meaning to ask you about,” Matt said, and he instantly looked away when Twilight glanced at him. “Twilight, is there any… significance to ears and touching them?” When no response was apparent, Matt drew in a long breath. “Any… any kind of inappropriate significance?” Comprehension struck like a brick to the face. “No, absolutely not!” Twilight blurted out, and she could feel her face overheating as her too-quick mind couldn’t help but explore just what Matt had no doubt been thinking. Celestia’s fiery flanks, if he was thinking that’s what it meant, then he thinks I’m some kind of pervert! Twilight realised, and then another thought struck her. Technically, you are, Twi. After what you did this mo-- NOT HELPFUL! The only thing that kept Twilight from screaming was her burying her face in the blankets on the bed. “That’s a relief. I was a little worried that I was doing something that got one or both of us in trouble,” Matt replied hastily, though his relief was replaced with a grumble. “Come to think of it, I might have already gotten into some for it already.” Matt’s gotten into trouble? What does he mean by that? Did Shiny or-- wait, I know what he’s referring to! “Ugh, was it that stupid guard? I heard everything that he had said to you in the ready room, and I very nearly gave him a piece of my mind!” Twilight huffed before her mind caught up with her mouth. “Uh, I also heard what you said to him. I suppose I should thank you for that…” she added before shooting a quick glance at Matt. Given the condition of his face, it was hard to tell but Twilight was surprised to see that Matt looked almost as embarrassed as her. “Well, I didn’t know you heard all of that. God, just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more awkward.” “Oh thank goodness, it’s not just me then,” Twilight let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head with a hoof. The tension that their shared moment relieved slowly built back up as silence fell between the two. You’ve laid it all out now! All you need to do is find out if he feels the same! “So, uh… can I ask you a question? Well, it isn’t so much a new question as simply restating the question you asked me to you, since it’s valid for both of us to share and get on the same page and I’m rambling so I’m going to be quiet now.” With her clumsy question finally out of the way, Twilight turned to Matt for his answer. Nearly a minute passed, filled with numerous false starts, before he finally found his answer. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had any reason to really think beyond the immediate. After the army I thought my life was over. Nobody wants to hire someone whose fifteen minutes of fame are framed with pictures of dead kids, a fact that my dear dad never let me forget.” Matt let out a bitter laugh at that, which broke down into another coughing fit. “Then XCOM scooped me up, and the invasion happened. I honestly didn’t think that I’d live long enough to have to worry about the future. That hadn’t really changed until recently, and I started trying to imagine where I’d be in a month or a year. To be honest, I still have no idea where I’ll be, but I’d like you to be there with me, Twilight.” Matt lifted his right hand towards Twilight, but he stopped just before he reached her. “I guess you give me hope, Twily. Hope for something more than ending up in a bed like this for the rest of my life, or in a pine box, and if I keep talking any more about hope I think Lana’s going to show up to say, ‘I told you so!’ just to spite me.” That last comment was enough to warrant a laugh from Twilight despite the painful memories it summoned. “I could really see her doing that, yeah. Did she tease you as mercilessly as she teased me about all of this?” Twilight asked. “Only at every opportunity that she could get away with, regardless of any attempt to punish her for it,” Matt grumbled, though he stopped when Twilight giggled again. With deliberate slowness, he reached out with his bandaged hand before asking, “Twilight, can I scratch your ears?” “You don’t have to ask,” Twilight replied, and she felt as though she was going to melt on the spot from the combination of his hand finding just the right spot and the giddy realization that what she felt wasn’t one sided. “So… uh, what happens now?” “I think I’m going to pass out for another few hours, to be honest,” Matt replied, his left eye already closing. “I’ve been up for the past four hours working out just what I was going to say for this conversation.” “So, what you’re saying is that you didn’t spend all night coming up with that? I’m impressed!” Twilight couldn’t help but jab. “Oh, well excuse me Princess Snarkle, for having to take some time to get my thoughts in order,” Matt sniped back, and his eye slowly opened again to give Twilight an odd look. “You know, that’s something else that’s been bothering me for a while. How exactly did you become a princess? I don’t mean the elevation to royalty, I mean the wings. How is that even possible? And if you tell me some silly story about having a strange dream only to wake up and have wings, I’m not going to believe you.” “Well… about that,” Twilight replied, and she offered a nervous laugh when Matt levelled the closest thing to a flat glare that he could manage. “Uh… a wizard did it?” ------ ???, 12/18/2015 Pinkie Pie couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, but she was fairly certain she was asleep and dreaming. Either that or Discord had finally given up on his more placid habits lately and decided to make everything craaaazy again. Everything about her surroundings changed based on her whims. The sky was purple, then green, then blue- no, purple again! The scenery changed as well, from Ponyville to Canterlot, to Cloudsdale to the lonely little rock farm that she had grown up on. The one constant, though, was the Rock. It had been there beside Pinkie for as long as she had been in this strange place, unmoving and reliable. Pinkie knew that the Rock tried to appear all hard and tough, but was soft and warm on the inside. It was something the Rock shared with her, when they were alone. Pinkie and the Rock weren’t alone, though. The Speedy Cloud had come to visit, along with the Dormouse and the Hat. None of them had gotten along with the Rock at first, but Pinkie didn’t blame them. The Rock had done things that nopony should have to for survival, and had done them without hesitation to save Pinkie. The others found it unsettling when they had first been introduced, but now they were acting just like old friends. After all, Speedy Cloud’s attempts at an argument had made the Rock talk more than she had in years. Which was fine with Pinkie. The Rock loved talking about rocks, and very few ponies ever wanted to talk about them with her. Even though the Rock’s voice rarely changed in tempo or tone, Pinkie could tell that she was really enjoying herself. The argument between the two ended abruptly when the Marshmallow appeared, positively bubbling with excitement. “Girls, girls! You’ll never guess what I just saw!” she said, her voice taking on the singsong quality that hinted at juicy gossip and rumors. “Let me guess, you were following your sister and that griffon friend of hers, and they did something unbearably adorable,” Hat guessed, doing her best to mimic Marshmallow’s tone. Marshmallow’s response was a huff. “It’s far too early for me to be following those two. My sister’s probably still in bed.” “So what you’re saying is that you saw your sister and her griffon friend in bed?” Speedy Cloud guessed next. “Gotta give her mad props for moving fast.” “What I saw had nothing to do with my little sister!” Marshmallow snapped, before she cleared her throat. “While I was trotting over to join you all, I heard familiar voices in one of the neighboring rooms.” Marshmallow leaned forward and smiled impishly. “Twilight’s finally mustered up the courage to have the talk with that human of hers. It was so horribly awkward and adorable and I wish I had some way of recording it.” Both Hat and Dormouse shared ‘Aah’s of comprehension, but Speedy Cloud didn’t. “Huh? What talk? And what do you mean, ‘her human’?” Marshmallow’s initial response of a giggle turned Cloud’s confusion into annoyance. “Oh, don’t worry about that, dear. We’ll tell you when you’re all grown up.” “I’m no foal, we’re the same age!” Cloud protested. “Um… aren’t you forgetting when we all sat down and talked to Twilight about Victor?” Dormouse asked, her voice barely audible. “Twilight got all embarrassed and stole Rarity's romance book when we brought the subject up.” “Oh, I think I remember now. I think I stopped listening in favor of planning on the best way to sneak into Marshmallow’s apartment and sprinkle flour on her coat while she slept.” “THAT WAS YOU!?” And so the conversation went in Pinkie’s dream, and even though she was still sound asleep, she couldn’t help but smile.