Chapter Eleven: Struggles
~BlackRoseRaven

Datura and Sally found a pleasant little grove to wait in for Whisper and Splinthoof. They took turns between resting and watching the road: the only thing either pony knew was that it would likely be a while before the others joined them. And they were right, too: it was evening before the earth pony Avatar and the Trueborn unicorn finally came trotting down the highway to meet them.

Thankfully, they had gotten through the checkpoint unscathed: they had arrived roughly half an hour after the riot that Datura had started, and Canon Camp had been too busy trying to reestablish their checkpoint to pay much attention to the ponies passing through. They hadn't been subjected to more than a cursory search and evaluation before being sent on their way.

Sally was glad to see them both, and Datura was at least cordial with Splinthoof, and he seemed relieved to have Whisper back. Together, they decided to set up camp for the night in the little grove, and for once, the night passed without any argument or incident.

In the morning, the four gathered their belongings together and quickly disassembled their little camp, everyone still feeling positive, only bickering a little between themselves. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they were apparently on the home stretch now for Canterlot, or maybe they had finally gotten used to each other, but no matter what the reason, Sally was relieved by it. And she felt... good, for once. For the first time since she'd arrived here in Equestria, she actually felt like... Sally O'Connor, not Sally the Talking Flying Horse.

The day was good, the weather was brisk, and they could see for miles ahead down the dirt highway: as a matter of fact, Sally thought she could see the tips of the mountains that surrounded Canterlot. She had admittedly doubted both Splinthoof and Datura when they'd said that they should reach Canterlot before the evening, but now... she had hope.

And yet she was a little sad, too. Canterlot meant... a lot of things now. It meant parting ways with Datura, and it meant... that maybe she had a hoof in ruining what had been paradise and escape for a lot of people. She still didn't know how she felt about all that, but at the same time, she looked around at this world, and she saw what the Avatars had done to it, and she thought of things like Canon Camp, and well...

Sally's ears flicked, and then she frowned a little, her eyes narrowing as she caught... something. Datura and Splinthoof both seemed unaware of it, and Whisper was only striding between them, soaking up the not-quite-conversation, not-quite-arguing between the two stallions as music faintly played from her headphones, but when Sally swiveled her ears backwards and tuned them out...

Thuds. And a sound like... soft thunder? Yes, it was a steady pounding noise that was low and ominous but came down from the air instead of radiating against the earth, and... there was a smell, too...

Sally's nostrils flared, raising her head as she looked over her shoulder, upper lip curling as she inhaled and her eyes darted back and forth, scanning the area as her ears swiveled... before her eyes widened in shock as she saw something impossible. A gleam like her eye had caught some sparkle in the air, but her every instinct told her that it wasn't just a trick of the light: it was something very real. It was something dangerous to her and to her herd.

The Pegasus Avatar spun around as the horse-mind took over, whinnying loudly and stomping her hooves wildly to get the attention of the others. All three ponies looked back in dumb surprise at her, eyes widening, and Sally struggled for a moment as her wings spread and flapped before she leaned forwards and blurted: “Bad thing! Bad thing!”

Splinthoof stepped forwards, wincing and holding up a hoof as Datura's eyes narrowed before he reached up and shoved back his eyepatch. And then his corrupted eye widened before he shoved Whisper roughly to the side as he opened his mouth-

Something smashed into Datura with a sound like thunder, knocking him staggering backwards before his eyes bulged in shock as he floated helplessly into the air, flailing his limbs helplessly. Sally had reared with a whinny of fear at the sound alone, and seeing the stallion float into the air made her horse-mind go into overdrive, heart thudding before she leapt around to bolt, accidentally knocking Splinthoof over as her wings flapped wildly before she jumped into the air-

One of her wings refused to work, stiffening up, and the mare instead stumbled over the ground before there was a second blast like thunder behind her. She was caught by the edge of an explosion of force that slammed into Datura, knocked flopping over as Splinthoof skidded backwards and barely caught his balance, while the green, emaciated stallion hurtled down towards the ground... but half-caught by Whisper, who cried out under the force of his body striking hers, but all the same managed to cushion his fall.

The scarred stallion wheezed loudly, then snarled before he clawed his way up to his hooves as Splinthoof stepped forwards, while Sally skittered backwards, her eyes bulging, her instincts torn between fleeing and staying with her herd. But even Whisper was standing and facing the danger that was approaching... the second herd. The herd of predators.

Five ponies wearing the colors of Canon Camp approached: four of them were in uniform, while the stallion in the lead was dressed in futuristic-looking white armor. He glared at them from beneath his tinted visor, then reached up a hoof and touched it to the side of his head, saying coldly into the communicator in front of his muzzle: “We have engaged the target. Prep a retrieval team, this won't take very long.”

Datura snorted in disgust as he leaned forwards, his eyes flicking over the white-armored stallion and his companions: the commander's gear stood out the most, but the soldiers were all carrying strange and varied weapons of their own, and at least one, he noted, had both wings and a horn. “So has Canon Camp gotten so desperate that they need to hire Crossworlders to do their dirty work for them?”

“Oh no, this is magitech of our own design. The ideas might be borrowed, but the equipment is made of one-hundred percent Equestrian material.” replied the commander coolly, as he calmly adjusted a heavy bracer on one foreleg that was inset with several large, crystalline rods: Datura and Splinthoof could both feel the malicious magic that emanated from it, likely enhancing whatever powers this armored Avatar already had. “I have to ask you four to come with me.”

“I am a Royal Guard from Canterlot. I am under direct orders from Princess Celestia to escort these ponies to her. You have no authority here.” Splinthoof said shortly, stepping forwards, and the Canon Camp commander eyed him moodily.

Then the armored stallion smiled thinly before answering coldly: “We have every right to defend ourselves against threats to our operations. Furthermore, we were contacted by Canterlot and warned of an imminent terror attack. I will recommend, one final time, that you submit to questioning. Otherwise, we will not hesitate to use lethal force.”

“Good. Neither will we.” Datura replied coldly, stepping forwards, his twisted eye glowing with malice and his other narrowing dangerously as the four uniformed Canon Camp troops all quickly spread out, readying themselves for battle. “I'd call you hypocrites, but I'm aware it's a lot simpler than even that. You're just interested in power.”

“Then let's see what power can do.” growled the commander, and then he shoved a hoof towards Datura as there was that sound like thunder again, and the scarred stallion winced before a blast of force pounded into him, making his body freeze up even as he was launched weightlessly into the air.

One of the Canon Camp soldiers slung his rifle off his back and took aim as another soldier stepped forwards with a snarl, flinging what looked like a sword blade attached to a chain: but both blade and bullet only ricocheted uselessly off a wall of energy that appeared in front of Datura, Splinthoof's horn glowing brightly before the Royal Guard shouted: “Whisper, get Sally out of here!”

“Don't let anyone escape!” snapped the commander, and the alicorn trooper quickly leapt to the side and took to the air, streaking around in a wide curve. Splinthoof snarled, but before he could turn, there was a blast like thunder, and the unicorn's reflexes were barely enough to save him as he narrowly hurled himself out of the way of a shot from the commander's strange force-weapon.

Datura swore as he felt himself finally regaining control over his body, and then he snarled as a soldier attempted to run by below, either attempting to get past the magic shield still protecting him or going to try and attack Sally and Whisper. Immediately, Datura spun around, snapping his horn out, and one of his satchels exploded open, chains twisting and lashing out of it and streaking down to catch the stallion around the body and hind legs.

The soldier screamed in shock, getting the attention of the other ponies, including the alicorn, who made the stupid mistake of looking over his shoulder just as he started to close in on the fleeing mare Avatars. And on some suddenly-vicious instinct, Sally suddenly skidded to a halt before she slammed both rear hooves backwards as hard as she could, her hooves smashing up under the stallion's jaw and knocking him staggering with a gurgle as his eyes bulged.

The winged unicorn stumbled drunkenly, and Sally spun around before leaping forwards and slamming her head into his face with a viciousness she didn't know she had, knocking the Canon Camp trooper sprawling with a gargle before he swore and covered his face as Sally leapt on top of him and began to stomp furiously up and down. And Whisper could only stare in shock as Sally snarled in desperate fear and fury, her mind filled only with the thought of protecting herself and her herd.

Then she looked up, eyes widening, as there was a cry of pain from Splinthoof; the unicorn staggered backwards, swearing and snarling in pain as he clutched at a deep cut in his foreleg from the soldier wielding the blade on chains, the Canon Camp trooper grinning coldly as he stepped forwards and lashed the sword out on a vicious cut again-

Splinthoof twisted his head to the side, gritting his teeth as the blade narrowly tore past his face, digging a thin scratch against his neck and sending up a puff of torn mane before he snapped his horn forwards and hit the blade with a telekinetic hammer before the soldier could snap it back. The weapon went flying wide, dragging the trooper's foreleg out to the side as he staggered with a curse, and Splinthoof pressed the advantage, running forwards even as the commander took aim at him with his weapon-

The white-armored stallion was knocked staggering by something heavy and wet that cannonballed into him, the commander swearing and shoving the mass backwards... before staring in horror at the sight of one of his own soldiers, who was now... red, was the gentlest word for it. His eyes looked up in shock at Datura, who grinned coldly as he approached slowly, three, bladed large chains floating ominously in the air around him, clicking and clinking and twisting like they were alive. “Do you prefer to be crushed or peeled?”

“Get him!” snapped the commander, and the Canon Camp soldier beside him swore and hurriedly took aim with his rifle and fired off a shot that went wild as Datura broke into a sudden, zigzagging sprint.

But the armored commander only swore under his breath before he launched himself backwards as he shoved his hoof forwards at the same time, a massive shockwave erupting through the air in front of him and hammering into Datura, knocking the stallion skidding away as his chains were nearly torn from his psychic grip. He caught himself against the ground with his claws, digging gouges through the earth as the Canon Camp commander snapped: “Goddammit, aim and shoot!”

The soldier adjusted his aim, opening fire again on Datura: this time, the bullet managed to tear through the scarred stallion's shoulder, knocking him staggering to the side before he leapt nimbly out of the way of another shot. But his leg buckled when he landed, and a bullet smashed into his breast, knocking him backwards with a burst of black blood as he hissed in pain, before he arched his back with a shout of frustration as a blast of force hammered into him and knocked him helplessly into the air, leaving him suspended and defenseless.

Splinthoof swore as he slammed a hoof across the face of the Canon Camp soldier he was fighting, knocking the trooper into a sprawl before he turned to summon up what magic he could... but then the unicorn's eyes bulged as the soldier leapt onto his back and pulled the chain around his throat, choking him with it as he staggered back and forth. He clutched at the chain, wheezing loudly for breath, before he swore angrily when he heard a gunshot and a sound of pain, bucking suddenly forwards and sharply yanking of the chain at the same time to fling the Canon Camp trooper off his back and slam the soldier face-first into the ground in front of him and leaving the uniformed stallion in a broken, unconscious heap.

And then he looked up... and stared in shock as he saw Sally was hovering in the air, one of her hind legs twitching and a bloody scrape torn along the side of it, but Datura was gone. No, not gone: he realized what had happened a moment later.

Sally had kicked Datura out of the air and right into the rifle soldier, who was now gargling and spasming beneath him, his eyes staring helplessly up into Datura's hellish gaze. Foam ran from the soldier's mouth as he gibbered and jittered, before Datura suddenly grinned... and the Canon Camp trooper arched his back, screaming wildly as his head yanked wildly back and forth before he suddenly went very, very still.

Datura simply dropped the broken pony as he looked slowly up, and the soldier barely twitched as he hit the ground before he curled slowly into the fetal position. The scarred unicorn was breathing hard, a bit of drool falling from his jaws, his broken eye swirling and maleficent energies streaming up out of it as his horn pulsed with erratic light, his chains clanking as they swirled above his head like a cyclone of metal and psychic wrath.

He licked his lips slowly, then began in an eager voice: “It looks like-”

The armored stallion punched one hoof into the ground, and there was a tremendous shockwave of sound and static, Sally crying out as she was battered out of the air and Splinthoof swearing in surprise, staggering backwards as he felt a burst of pain through his horn. But Datura howled in misery as he stumbled backwards, his chains flying away as if they were string caught in a sudden wind before the Canon Camp commander thrusted his other hoof forwards, smashing Datura with a follow-up blast of force and knocking him up into the air again.

But this time, he immediately followed up with a blast of electricity that hammered into Datura and made him howl, arcs of lightning twisting wildly out of his body in all directions as he was turned into a glowing star for a moment. He spasmed in the air as Whisper ran forwards, shouting his name, and then he simply dropped limply to the ground, left in a smoking heap as the commander said sharply into his headset: “I need immediate reinforcement!”

Splinthoof swore, then snapped his horn forwards... and there was only a blast of pain through his own skull, the stallion groaning and grabbing at his static-filled head. His horn was thrumming with magic power, but it felt like his telekinetic hammer had just rebounded into his own brain...

And before he could react, the armored stallion turned and shoved a hoof out at him, blasting him into the air and leaving him suspended and helpless. Splinthoof swore... then shouted in anger as the commander turned his attention completely away from him, the officer roaring: “Get away from that Avatar or suffer the consequences!”

Electricity crackled over the armored stallion's foreleg before he began to thrust it forwards as Whisper only clenched her eyes shut and threw herself over the stallion's body, as if she was going to try and shield him from the magic... and in desperation, Splinthoof snapped his horn down in a desperate gamble.

A barrier of energy burst into being, and the armored stallion swore as his spell hammered uselessly into this before he snarled and lashed his hoof to the side, turning the ray of lightning into a whip of electricity that slashed across Splinthoof and knocked him flipping backwards, howling in agony before he dropped like a rock and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Sally cried out, running towards the stallion as his magic barrier dissolved, while Datura's eyes opened... and he gritted his teeth before seizing Whisper and shoving her roughly out of the way, clawing up to his hooves as he felt the sting of psychic static ripping through his own mind, making it impossible for him to focus any of his powers. But pure magic, it seemed, was still working... and all that pain, echoing through his brain and his body, was giving him more than enough energy to finish off this fight. “Crushed, or peeled? You never answered.”

The commander responded by thrusting his hoof forwards, but this time Datura leapt to the side before his horn began to thrum with dark light. Immediately, the white-armored stallion followed up by leaping forwards and slamming both hooves into the ground, sending a blast of lighting streaking across the grasses towards the scarred unicorn.

But Datura leapt high over the snaking thunder, and he crashed down in the trail of flame and ashes left in the wake of the lightning, grinning coldly as he strode calmly down the path of charred earth as he mocked: “All that enhancement, and you're still nothing but a one-trick pony.”

The commander swore, then began to lean forwards... but Datura's horn pulsed as their eyes met, and the white-armored soldier staggered instead of unleashing another blast of magic. For a moment, the two glared at each other, eyes locked... and then the Canon Camp commander snarled, one eye twitching, his mouth falling open before he roared: “Shut the hell up!”

He charged blindly forwards, his eyes almost glowing with rage, and Datura smiled grimly as he dug his hooves into the ground... then snapped his horn suddenly, sharply upwards when the stallion leapt at him. And the last thing the white-armored soldier saw was black smoke and metal jaws before he crashed into painful darkness that bit savagely closed around him.

He screamed in agony... and his voice echoed uselessly out of the iron maiden that Datura had summoned from thin air, the stallion laughing loudly even as blood ran from one ear and his nose, his corrupt eye glowing with cruel pleasure. The iron casket bucked and rumbled on its base, smoldering with black energies as the commander screamed again inside it, even as the sound of his metal armor banging uselessly against the inside of the torture box made it sound almost as if the crushing prison was giggling...

“It's been a long time since I've called the maiden out to play. Brings back good memories.” Datura said almost tenderly, then he reached up and grasped the metal casket by the shoulder before yanking backwards as he stepped past it, and the heavy casket toppled onto its back with a tremendous bang and a single choked shriek from inside its belly, the grin on the face of the skeletal mare etched over the doors of the casket seeming to stretch wider.

Sally only trembled, and Splinthoof shivered as he straightened slowly, breathing hard as the psychic static steadily faded from the air. Whisper looked uncomfortable as well as she bit silently into one hoof, staring at the stallion's back.

But then Datura took a slow breath before knocking calmly twice against the surface of the iron maiden, and a moment later, it simply dissolved into inky tendrils of smoke that faded quickly into the air, armored stallion and all. The scarred stallion turned slowly around in a circle, smiling calmly even as he swayed awkwardly on the spot, the light fading from his eyes as he murmured: “We should get out of here. There's bound to be... more...”

And then Datura's eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he simply collapsed face-first into the ground, a strange smile spreading over his face as the pain faded and left only peaceful darkness in its wake.

Datura came to several hours later, blinking lethargically before he frowned a bit as he realized that he was in some kind of cart. The rest of their gear was packed into the cart as well, and the stallion sat up and rubbed slowly at his face before he looked silently down at the sheet that had been thrown over him, quietly grabbing at this with a hoof... not that he could actually grasp it like this. His hooves were useless.

He smiled briefly, then simply let the sheet drop before he turned his eyes forwards, and he was somehow unsurprised to see that Sally was the one pulling the cart, while Splinthoof was in the lead and Whisper was walking at the side of the wagon. The earth pony Avatar looked up at him silently, smiling faintly, and Datura reached up and touched his own horn before he murmured: “It's been a long time since I've done any real magic. I suppose I should have started with something a little... smaller.”

“You've always been an idiot. Thankfully, Splinthoof was able to commandeer a cart for you.” Sally said grumpily without looking back... although it was hard for her to hide the relief in her voice, and she could admit that she was... much more upset than she was angry right now. “You're a stupid ass, though. But... we're almost at Canterlot.”

Datura looked up... and he nodded briefly after a moment as he realized they were just heading into the mountains now. Maybe three hours, he guessed, at this rate... and the stallion shifted a little before he murmured: “I'll walk the rest of the way. Let me pull the cart.”

“No.” Whisper said with surprising firmness, and the stallion looked down at her with surprise... and Sally admittedly felt a little shocked herself, but her hooves kept her moving forwards. Well, that and the fact that Splinthoof was just scowling horribly and clearly had no intent of so much as sparing Datura even a glance. “You're hurt. You might honestly enjoy pain. You might even want the pain, but... your body will still give out if you push it too hard, and... you have a job to do. We have a job to do.”

Datura glanced away awkwardly, and there was silence for a few moments apart from the thudding of hooves and the creaking of the wagon. And then, finally, Datura gave a dry laugh before he looked down and murmured: “When the hell did we change places?”

Whisper smiled faintly and shrugged a bit, and there was silence for a few moments before the scarred unicorn closed his eyes, leaning back in the wagon and lowering his head as he mentally checked himself over. He felt numbness, mostly, although there were a few aches here and there, and the more unpleasant feeling where he'd torn or overstretched something important. His foreleg, for example, didn't want to move very well.

The scarred unicorn flexed absently as he rolled his shoulders and shifted back and forth, stretching out as much of his body as he could to test the state he was in. Not terrible, he thought, and if he actually did rest a little more, he would heal the worst of the damage quickly. Everything apart from his horn, anyway, where he could feel a faint, agonizing thrumming still: he wasn't going to be able to do much magic for the next few days. Not that he usually did a lot to begin with: his psychic powers were usually more than sufficient.

But that made him think of the Canon Camp troops they'd dealt with, and the stallion frowned a little as he settled back into the wagon before saying slowly: “They must have followed you and Splinthoof.”

“Oh, screw you!” Splinthoof snapped, skidding to a halt and turning around with a furious look at the wagon, and Sally stumbled stupidly to a halt as both she and Whisper stared with surprise at the unicorn, but Datura only scowled and let his head roll back so he could moodily survey the stallion over the front wall of the cart. “Listen, asshole, enough! This whole time, you've done nothing but blame us and mock us, and here you are now, and I don't even know anymore why Celestia would want the help of an egotistical prick like you, or why the hell we're even still dragging your sorry carcass around with us, when you clearly don't give a crowbait's flank about anyone apart from yourself!”

“Crowbait's flank.” Datura murmured, smiling briefly, and then he shook his head quickly before he slowly straightened in the cart, looking moodily down at Splinthoof. “So you think it's unfair that I hold you accountable for when you mess up?”

“No. I get that you eat up pain like some kind of psychic vampire, but I'm sick of you screwing with us just so you can feed off of us.” Splinthoof retorted, stepping forwards and glaring up at the scarred stallion. “I'm sick of you acting like you're some king or savior, when you're a monster. I'm sick of you acting like the tragic hero and that we have to suffer for all the mistakes you make.”

“Great timing to talk about that and all. You know. Now that we're just about back to Canterlot and all, and you'll never have to deal with me again.” Datura said dryly, gesturing outwards with one hoof, but Splinthoof only continued to glare at him furiously before the scarred stallion rolled his eyes. “Fine. What do you want?”

“I want you to apologize. I want you to carry your weight. And God, I want you to show me you can do something other than kill people!” Splinthoof retorted angrily, shaking his head shortly. “The one thing I can't stand are... are Avatars like you, self-righteous bastards who think that they've got every right to-”

“Oh, we get it!” Datura shouted suddenly, rolling his eyes and groaning loudly before he leapt down from the cart, landing in a stumble but quickly catching himself as he glared across at Splinthoof. “Newsflash, but I don't want to be here! I don't want to do any of this, and I really don't like the fact that my special talent happens to be destruction, not creation. But I've always been fantastic at screwing up everything I sink my claws into.”

Datura strode towards Splinthoof, standing almost nose-to-nose with him before he took a slow breath, then suddenly dropped his eyes and muttered: “And I am sorry. I have bad habits. I'm a little feral, and like any feral stallion, I have to challenge and annoy every other stallion around me.

“I don't get along well with people like you.” Datura said blandly, straightening a bit. “I am... eccentric. I am damaged. I mock, deride, and insult. I push boundaries. And I am a stubborn ass, obsessed with pain and my own personal code of etiquette.”

Datura stopped, then said quietly: “But I honestly am sorry, and you shouldn't let me get to you. For one thing, I'm not worth it and you're supposed to be better than a monster like me. For another thing, I really could care less about whether or not you screwed up. What I want to know is how they tracked us, if they actually did follow you or they had something else giving them directions. Otherwise, all I remember from the fight is that you saved my life and protected these mares.”

Splinthoof shifted awkwardly, pawing a hoof at the ground lamely... and then he winced when Datura grabbed him by the face and shoved him rudely out of the way, the scarred stallion striding moodily away up the path as he added dryly: “Now come on, time's wasting. I'm going to walk for a little while and stretch out. Try and keep up, idiots.”

“I hate him so much.” Sally mumbled, dropping her head with a tired sigh, and Whisper gave a wry smile in agreement as Splinthoof only rubbed moodily at his face, then grumbled under his breath and turned around to follow grudgingly after the stallion.

The three ponies quickly caught up to Datura, who was shambling more than he was walking: it still took a good fifteen minutes of lecturing from Whisper before he finally relented and allowed himself to be helped back into the wagon, however. He really was stubborn and annoying... but he seemed to also at least realize that at the rate he'd been going, it would've been morning before they reached Canterlot.

He seemed... strangely peaceful now, too, as he rode back in the cart. And Sally didn't really want to admit it, but she kind of enjoyed pulling the wagon, strange as that was. It was simple, menial labor, and it helped her focus on just putting one hoof in front of the other, the steady and gentle sound of hoofbeats over the worn road a soothing music in her ears.

She was well aware that maybe the fact she was getting such enjoyment out of pulling a loaded-down cart up a mountain was possibly a bad thing: after all, this could easily be another symptom of the whole feral thing. But at the moment, she honestly just... couldn't be bothered to care. She just wanted to enjoy this walk, and focus on the fact that the end of this long journey was getting closer and closer. There was no point in worrying about anything else.

But as they began to near Canterlot, she started to feel... funny, looking up at that massive white castle in the distance. She couldn't help but study the ponies they passed going in either direction, how... normal many of them seemed, and yet for all the friendliness in this part of Equestria, she felt a weird sort of tenseness, too. She wondered if that had always been there... but instead of asking about it, she questioned: “So when we get to Canterlot...”

“We'll probably be given a few hours to rest. We might be asked to stay in a certain area until we can be debriefed: less to keep us on lockdown and more to keep other ponies from pestering us.” Splinthoof explained, giving a brief smile before he looked awkwardly at Whisper. “Ma'am, uh... not to be rude or anything, but I'm not sure if you're going to be invited in with us or not, or...”

“She journeyed with us. She can come in if she wants.” Datura interrupted, and Splinthoof gave him a sour look... but no more grumpy than usual, at least, Sally was glad to see. She really hoped the bad blood between them had settled, one way or another. She didn't want to see her herd divided.

Oh, great. There was another horse thought... but at least this time, she was lucid enough to catch it. Sally scowled a little as they walked onwards, and then she shook herself briefly out before Splinthoof asked in a quieter voice: “Are you okay? You've been a little... distant.”

Sally was silent, chewing on her lip for a few moments before she finally gave a brief smile over to Splinthoof, nodding and murmuring: “Yeah. I am, I'm just... I guess I was just thinking too much, that's all. Thinking about this world, and about going home, and about...”

“Being a horse?” Datura asked dryly, and Sally scowled over her shoulder at him before the stallion said mildly, as he propped himself up over the carriage wall: “You know, if you go feral, you're going to have to join a herd or join a farm. Or hope that some nice pony buys you and doesn't just abuse you horribly as a breeding tool.”

“Thanks.” Sally said sourly, looking grumpily over at him, and then she shook her head quickly as she added grouchily: “But I don't plan on being in this world for much longer, anyway. I promised to stay here until you solved the problem Celestia wants you to, and that's it.”

“Well, I guess you have a point there.” Datura said softly, looking thoughtfully up towards Canterlot, and then he bit his lip for a moment before asking quietly: “But if you had a choice, Sally... would you want to go home, or stay in this world and be free?”

There was silence for a few moments as Sally digested this, and then she looked down before saying finally: “I want to stay here. But I need to go home: I feel that... I feel that if I spend too long here, I might...”

She stopped, then shook her head quickly, almost blurting out: “I just don't see how you could live here for years, then wake up, like nothing's changed, like... like nothing happened! If I spent even a few weeks here, living like a wild horse, or... or convincing myself that life didn't matter, that killing was a game without punishment... what would happen to me back in the real world? What would I wake up as, even if I thought all of this was just some crazy dream... would I still carry those experiences with me? Would I... what would I become?”

She fell quiet, looking down and trembling a little, and Datura lowered his gaze before he murmured: “That's both the very reason I'm so afraid of going back home... and why I know that we have to end this fantasy, one way or another.”

There was silence for a little while, and then Sally nodded a little before she glanced up at Canterlot, saying quietly: “I think that's why Celestia wants you there, Datura. Maybe because you helped start this... you're the only person with a right to finish this.”

“No. I'm no... judge.” Datura laughed quietly, looking away and shaking his head briefly. “But all I'm interested in, at the end of the day, is... fixing things. I might have helped build this, but it's only because I was too cowardly to say it was a bad idea. And the first of us... we weren't creative minds, Sally. We were... we were all sad, lonely people who had precious little to attach us to the real world... and we all spent most of our time embedded deep in the fantasies of our own minds...”

Datura flexed his claw slowly, and there was silence for a little while as they continued onward and upwards, until they finally reached the gates of Canterlot. They were greeted with little fanfare, but at least the soldiers immediately opened the doors for them, and there was some sense of... relief, Sally thought. But she didn't know if that was good or bad, as they stopped only long enough for Datura to clamber out of the wagon while the Pegasus Avatar unharnessed herself.

They didn't get very far through the busy halls of the castle before they were greeted by a soldier in purple armor. Splinthoof saluted him sharply and stood at attention, but the officer or commander or whatever he was smiled briefly and saluted back. “At ease, soldier. And I mean at complete ease. This entire operation is off the record and right now, the only ponies with any right to give you any kind of orders are the princesses themselves.”

Splinthoof smiled lamely, looking oddly embarrassed by this before the purple-armored pony turned and said quickly: “This way. The Princess wants to see Datura immediately and debrief all of you. Furthermore, we've received intelligence that someone is stirring up trouble with all the factions.”

“Someone must be trying to stop us from-” And then Sally winced as Splinthoof quickly reached up and covered her mouth, stopping her.

“Need to know information, Sally. We should keep everything to ourselves until we meet the princess.” Splinthoof looked awkwardly over at the commanding officer even as he spoke with confidence, but the purple-armored pony only smiled briefly and nodded in agreement.

Whisper shifted nervously, rubbing a hoof against one leg as Datura scowled, but he had his head down and was sulking, visibly twitching as ponies every so often bumped carelessly against him in the crowded hallway. So Sally only gave a quick nod, grimacing a bit and looking nervously around, hating how crowded and stuffy and enclosed it was in here and just wanting to get his all over with as soon as possible...

The group began to move onward in silence, following closely after the commander, and Splinthoof bit his lip before he smiled briefly as he leaned over and nudged one of the Pegasus Avatar's wings lightly, making her blush a bit as she flicked it automatically. “Look. Your wings are all full of dirt still. You need to wash your feathers out.”

“I... I guess I just keep forgetting.” Sally said finally, nodding awkwardly and spreading her wings... and admittedly, they did look like a mess. But she just... “Am I supposed to... I dunno, use my mouth? That seems gross.”

Her real fear was encouraging that feral side of her that kept popping up, but Splinthoof only smiled briefly before he replied quietly: “We'll get you a brush.”

Sally smiled over at the unicorn, blushing a little as she nodded again to him more firmly, and Datura rolled his eyes before he said loudly: “If you're going to get down and dirty with each other, you'd better do it tonight. Otherwise...”

“Oh shut up.” Sally grumbled over her shoulder, glaring at him. “Can you focus on something else, just for once?”

“How about cutting you? Can I cut you a little? Or eat one of your less-important organs?” Datura asked flatly, and Whisper sighed before the stallion added mildly, cocking his head towards her. “Don't worry, I'll save plenty of slaps for you, too.”

“I'd say go ahead, Datura, but every time you claim you want to hit me, you end up bent over my knee, getting spanked. You really don't have to put on this tough guy routine, it's perfectly okay that you like it when girls treat you like a little boy.” Sally retorted, and Datura only smiled at her indulgently.

“That shtick is getting a little old. Why don't you try again, darlin'?” Datura asked mockingly, and Sally glared over her shoulder at him.

“You're... gay!” Sally said finally, glaring over at him, and Datura smiled amusedly at her before she snapped: “Shut up, I'm... I've got a lot on my mind, I can't think of anything!'

Datura only shrugged complacently, and Sally snorted at him before she leaned over and simply bit the stallion in the face, making him yell in surprise more than pain as he reared back from her in shock. And then Sally snorted at him again before she turned forwards with a huff, trotting quickly after Splinthoof and the dumbfounded commander.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Datura finally said in a surly voice, as he absently rubbed his face into his shoulder: “I'm not gay. I'm bisexual. I like being on stallion butts, not stallions on my butt.”

Sally huffed at this, and then Whisper said awkwardly: “Usually it's better just to ignore him when he gets like this. Really.”

Datura only gave the earth pony Avatar a flat look, and the commander sighed as he looked ahead, saying wryly to Splinthoof: “I think I might recommend you for a promotion myself, sergeant, seeing what you've had to deal with. I assume it was like this all the way here?”

“Much worse, sir.” Splinthoof said tiredly, and the purple-armored pony smiled briefly before Splinthoof glanced over his shoulder, asking Sally gently: “You alright?”

“I'm... I'm fine.” Sally mumbled, now only feeling embarrassed that she'd let that horse mind part of her take over again. Then she shivered a little as they turned a corner and started up a flight of steps, hating how narrow the curling staircase was even more than the sensation of ponies – not-herd – all around her. “Is... are we almost there?”

The commander looked over his shoulder curiously, asking: “Do you need to rest? We can stop for a few minutes on the next floor if you want...”

“No, we all... we're tired, but I think most of us are alright.” Splinthoof answered quickly, looking over his shoulder and studying Datura, who was lagging behind with Whisper. “But it's been a long journey and uh... I think we're all just eager to get this over and done with.”

“Alright. I'm sure Princess Celestia will be brief.” reassured the commander, and Splinthoof nodded before smiling supportively over his shoulder at Sally, who only laughed a little and dropped her head, eyes silently flicking away.

It took them about ten minutes to reach the meeting room, and thankfully, the area was large and open, with comfortable cushions for them to sit on in place of chairs around the low table. The purple-armored stallion excused himself outside of the room, letting the others pass in so they could be alone with Princess Celestia.

The ivory mare was already standing, gazing over them warmly before she strode quickly around the table when Datura entered. They looked at each other in silence as the door closed, and then Princess Celestia rose a hoof, starting: “It's good to see you.”

She started to say more, but Datura quickly leaned backwards to avoid her hoof, grimacing slightly, and Celestia halted before she sighed a little, saying softly: “I'm not going to hurt you.”

“Only because pain is my antidote.” Datura replied moodily, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before he sighed tiredly, then closed his eyes and muttered as he tilted his head slightly to the side: “Alright. I'll behave... yes, I mean that. For you.”

Sally frowned uneasily over at the stallion, but when he opened his eyes, he seemed lucid... but then who had he been talking to?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Celestia gesturing gently towards the table, however, the ivory mare saying softly: “Please, everyone. Sit down. I won't keep you for long... I can see you're all very tired. If you need anything at all, I'm more than happy to provide.”

The ponies arranged themselves on one side of the table, while Celestia sat herself back in her place on the other side, gazing slowly over the four before she said gently: “I'm glad to see you all made it here in one piece.”

“We didn't.” Datura said shortly, and Sally and Whisper both lowered their heads as Splinthoof awkwardly rubbed at the back of his own. Celestia frowned a bit, but Datura quickly rose a hoof, saying moodily: “Forget it. Don't want to talk about it. Why did you drag me here, Celestia? The world isn't ending, and this doesn't seem like you.”

Celestia sighed a little, and then she said finally: “Datura, I need your help. I'm sure you know what I want: to shut down the rift machine. To stop Avatars from coming to this world, and to gently start sending them back home. The world is in chaos, and too many people are being hurt. This experiment has to end, and the Avatars have to be sent back to where they belong, so my people can heal, too. We all need to set things right. Then, and only then, can we... try again.”

Datura laughed shortly at this, leaning over the table before he said moodily: “Great idea. Except the Avatars aren't going to go quietly, Celestia.”

He stopped, then closed his eyes, saying moodily: “But you're half-right: this world belongs to you to the Trueborn, and we have to leave. We, the Avatars, are nothing but invaders and parasites that have been feeding off your world and screwing it up: we brought war, disbelief, and hatred into your world. For every marvel and miracle, we also brought ignorance and malice. And the worst part is that even I can see... we never meant to.”

Datura's eyes flicked away, and Celestia frowned, leaning forwards intently before Datura lowered his head and murmured: “You never should have tried so hard to accommodate us: this is your world, not ours. And maybe... none of us realized that until too late. I mean, look out there: you have Avatars telling Trueborn, even you, that you're being 'out of character' and 'non-canon.' You have Avatars telling each other that they couldn't exist, and trying to make each other not exist, all because... this pony has a few extra sparkles, this earth pony can pull a rabbit out of a hat, this one happens to have wings and a horn. Because even if this is a fantasy world, we all keep thinking it's our personal fantasy world, and that we have some godforsaken right to be offended by someone else's dreams and ideas and to murder and kill and destroy them for daring to not fit with our vision of paradise.

“And then we created the Figments, and the Factions. And for all the potential we had... we ruined it. We could have been gods, and instead, we chose to be selfish, bratty... no. We don't deserve to be called monsters. We deserve to be called children, because that's what we acted like. And that's what you should have treated us as: children.”

Datura looked up at Celestia steadily, and then he said quietly: “Now, all you can do is take our toys away. But this is where I disagree, Celestia: even if you somehow manage to peacefully send the Avatars all away, if and when they come back... they'll do the same goddamn thing all over again to this world. So don't just shut the rift machine down for a little while. Don't just destroy it. Reverse it: send us all home by force, and shut the rift, hopefully for good.”

“No.” Celestia said quietly but firmly, and she straightened... and Sally couldn't help but quail as the mare looked down at Datura calmly and intently, with such focus and determination that even the scarred stallion seemed to drop his head a little in respect. “The Avatars are not evil. Not even you, Datura, are evil, or a monster. Yes, we all have a share of fault in what has happened, but I will not punish the innocent alongside the guilty for mistakes that are in part my own. And if there is a way to bring all the Avatars back after the balance has been restored to this world, I will; and this time, I will protect them even from themselves.”

Datura looked down quietly, and then he sighed softly before saying grudgingly: “I don't like you. You creep me out. You're too... nice. Too genuine.”

Celestia smiled briefly, and then she said softly: “Justice is not for just us, Datura. If we ask for justice, we must give it to all: if we ask for mercy, we must give that to everyone as well.”

“You already made your point.” Datura grumbled, and then he bit his lip before nodding slowly and looking down, muttering: “I'll... help you shut it down. But I don't know how you're going to get all the Avatars to leave.”

“I'm going to try asking them politely.” Celestia said softly, and Datura gave her a dry look, but Celestia smiled with such openness, such honesty, that Sally was amazed to see that was precisely what the Princess of Equestria intended to do... and furthermore, she seemed to fully expect it to work. “I think most of the Avatars will listen. I'm not sending them away forever, after all.”

“You can't possibly know that, though.” Datura said in an exasperated voice, gesturing sharply at the mare. “You don't even know-”

“Again, Datura, sometimes you just need a little faith. That's all.” Celestia interrupted gently, and Datura scowled horribly, which made Sally smile. But then the Pegasus Avatar looked up in surprise as the princess turned her attention towards her, Celestia adding softly: “And Sally, I haven't forgotten about you, or my promise. You have done... exceptionally well. I would be more than happy to send you back home.”

Sally bit her lip, shifting a bit as Splinthoof softened and glanced away... and then she blinked in surprise when Datura reached up and squeezed her shoulder, saying quietly: “Go home.”

For a few moments, the Pegasus Avatar studied Datura as he looked silently back at her... and then she gave a brief smile before murmuring: “I promised I wouldn't. Besides, anything that you want me to do... I know it has to be a stupid idea. And besides, now... I'm pretty curious about how this is all going to turn out.”

Sally halted, then cleared her throat and looked up at Princess Celestia. “If... if it's all the same to you, I think that I would actually prefer to stay here, at least until... all of this is over.”

Celestia smiled softly and nodded at this, and Whisper hesitated before she added quietly: “I... know that you didn't ask for my help...”

“We need every hoof we can get.” Celestia replied with a nod, and then she said softly: “For now, though, the best thing all of you can do is get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll go down to the rift machine and see about unsealing it. With you here to help us deal with the last of the seals, it should be an easy process: the difficult part will be deciding... what to do from there.”

Datura grunted, moodily looking away before he muttered: “I could have sworn I hadn't made the riddles on my section that difficult, though... but hey. Maybe I'm smarter than I thought, or you ponies are just dumber.”

“It's more a matter of not understanding your culture than it is intelligence, as I'm sure you understand yourself.” Celestia said pointedly, and Datura only shrugged before the ivory mare said in a softer voice: “Splinthoof can take you to the guest rooms on this floor: you can choose any room you want. And Splinthoof, please ensure you get some rest yourself as well.”

Splinthoof saluted briefly, and Datura studied Celestia for a few moments before he gave a slow nod, pushing himself up from the table. “Thanks.”

Celestia only smiled, then said softly: “I would like to speak to you later, privately, Datura. Would that be alright? I'm very interested in hearing about your journey.”

“I... suppose.” Datura said moodily, nodding briefly before he glanced over at Sally, adding: “But... thank her, not me. I really don't care about any of this. Sally's the one who dragged me here and did all your dirty work for you.”

Celestia only laughed quietly at this, then she turned a tender look towards the Pegasus Avatar. “And I would like to say thank you to you somehow. If I can ever do anything for you, please, let me know. In fact, I insist.”

Sally blushed a bit and lowered her head humbly, but she only managed to mumble out a 'thank you' for now before she turned quickly around. The four headed to the door, Whisper trailing with a smile and Datura only looking back once as they pushed through the doors and into the hall beyond.

Splinthoof cleared his throat as the doors closed behind them, then he smiled, looking far more cheerful than he had even a few minutes ago as he declared: “Well, uh, the guest quarters are-”

“Hello, Datura.” said a moody voice, and Datura scowled as he looked past Splinthoof, who turned with a frown towards an earth pony. Sally felt her ears lay back a bit as she studied this newcomer warily: he was an Avatar, wearing some kind of fancy tan suit, his expression contemptible and his beady black eyes glaring at the scarred stallion.

The two stepped towards each other, mirroring each other in spite of the fact they were complete opposites: Datura was bruised and beaten and natural, scarred and dirty, and the newcomer was pristine in his expensive suit and slicked red mane. His body was a smooth white, and he had a cutie mark of what looked like a megaphone on his hip, and Sally felt both... drawn to him and reviled by his presence.

“Hello, Terrance.” Datura finally said in a cordial tone, even as he bared his fangs at the Avatar across from him. “How's your face? Looks like your muzzle's still a little off-center.”

“Well, between the two of us, I'm afraid you're still the one who takes the prize when it comes to being... unbalanced.” replied Terrance, somehow keeping a civil tone despite the fact his voice dripped with hatred. “It's good to see you here, though. I suppose you'll be helping us with disabling the portal? Or are you just here to cause more trouble? And my, who are your new... 'friends?'”

Datura smiled thinly, retorting: “I'm here to fix the problem that apparently you couldn't, Terry. But sure, let me introduce you. Terry, these are my new friends. New friends, this is Terry: he used to be a very unpopular person because his writing was always far too intelligent, cultured, and refined for anyone else to understand it, and he felt the deep-seated desire to criticize the thematic and stylistic elements of every other writer's work in long-winded reviews that all basically amounted to 'I don't like it because you're stupid.'”

“Things change. Now I'm a well-respected public speaker and mogul. I have many followers and I design and reverse engineer magic-based technologies for Princess Celestia.” Terrance reached up and adjusted his tie, smiling thinly. “Furthermore, I've learned my lesson. You may still think of me as a pedant, Datura, but no one holds a grudge like you do. And you've always taken words far too seriously. They can't hurt a big strong stallion like you, Datura. Why don't you stop trying to suppress everyone who disagrees with you and just learn to ignore all those mean little things people say if you're still so sensitive?”

“I believe firmly that actions matter more than words, but that doesn't negate the fact that words can be actions: you can cut someone deeper with the right words than you ever can with a blade.” Datura smiled thinly, leaning forwards and adding quietly: “And some of us here need to learn that freedom of speech doesn't mean 'you have to listen to me.' It means you get to say your piece, and then I get to tell you to shut up if I don't like what you're saying. It also doesn't stop me from telling you to get the hell out of my face if you start to provoke and annoy me.”

Datura stepped forwards, glaring down at Terrance as the earth pony looked hatefully back up at him. “Here's a more important freedom for you than freedom of speech. It's called 'freedom to shut up.' Why don't you try exercising that freedom a little, kiddo?”

The two glared at each other for a few moments, and then Terrance said coldly: “Fine. One last thing, though: you know as well as I do that the rift machine can't be shut down without severe consequences. Yes, I've already unlocked everything I could for Celestia, and yes, I know that I can't stop you from opening the last of the seals. But here's a little advice: maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you should just let things play out in this world. Equestria isn't falling into chaos, it's evolving: if you want to go back home, then run away with your tail between your legs, but don't drag everyone down with you. The Avatars deserve better than that. And don't forget that you'll be ripping families, if not entire societies apart.”

“We don't always get what we deserve, and just because you think you deserve something, doesn't mean you really do, anyway. It's like how you just said you're a stand-up guy now, Terry. You can say that all you want. You can even believe that you are. But just because I believe I'm Superman doesn't mean I'm not going to go splat when I jump off a building.” Datura retorted. “Besides, what are you really worried about? The Trueborn, or your own ass? The ponies will survive and endure without us... and even if they don't, this is still their world, and their responsibility. What happens after we go home is up to them.”

There was a tense silence for a few moments, and then Terrance finally smiled thinly before leaning back and saying quietly: “Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you though, Datura. And just remember one little thing: whatever happens, the fault is on your head. Don't ever forget that you're the one pushing the ponies into this situation. Don't think I don't know what this is really about: not a favor for Princess Celestia, but because you just love to play god.”

Datura only glared as Terrance turned and strode away, and Sally shifted uneasily as he looked nervously after the stallion, biting her lip as Whisper reached up and silently touched Datura's shoulder. And even Splinthoof looked apprehensive as he turned his eyes towards the scarred unicorn... but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder which of the Avatars was right.