Chapter Two: Speak Softly, But...
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally was laying in bed, her hooves silently resting on her chest, the soft mattress comfortable against her back. Now there was something she was sure glad for: these magic horses had furniture that could actually support their weight, and weird, kind of cartoony bodies seemed to have a lot of... human characteristics, really.

They had big eyes and made distinct facial expressions. They had smaller barrels and flexible limbs that seemed to have elbows and ball joints, letting them use their forelegs just like arms. And there was that whole... invisible fingers thing with their hooves that let them touch and interact with each other and grasp objects. She had no idea how that worked, still, but apparently it was just second nature to most ponies to use it, although they had apparently been surprised she'd caught on so fast.

But why wouldn't she? It was her body, after all. It seemed silly to think that she wouldn't be able to control her own body properly... but then again, maybe she had always just been good at... adapting to things.

Yeah. That was really showing, with all the times she'd gone into a panic attack or hysterics now... Daddy would be so disappointed with her. And Momma...

She rolled silently to the side, biting her lip and staring at the wall before she shook herself quickly, then sighed softly. What was she doing? These ponies were trying to help her, and all she could think about was how she could get back home. Arguing with them, complaining, whining... being hysterical. Both of her parents would have hated to see her like this...

No, she was going to do better than this, because she was better than this. She wasn't the kind of girl to just give in at the first sign of trouble... even if so far, well, most of what she'd managed was a whole lot of whining. But nothing bad had happened, right? And a lot of the Avatars she'd met so far here in the castle seemed pretty smart, and they said it was all perfectly natural to be a little bit anxious until you managed to catch your balance.

The mare fidgeted on the bed, then sighed and dropped her head, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself down before the worried feelings could surface again. She just... she just didn't want to be here, stuck like this, in a world that apparently was some silly kid's cartoon in her own or something. My Little Pony, really? God, it made it even creepier that so many of the Avatars she saw were men. Older men, at that.

Okay, maybe that was a little mean, but still... it was weird as hell that they were all here. That there was some... magical connection between their worlds or something. From what she'd learned so far, this was essentially a kind of dream world, where time spiraled in on itself constantly: people here changed, but never aged, just like the world never seemed to run out of natural resources, landmarks never dulled, and ponies had the power to change not just the weather, but the shape of the world itself. To sculpt it to their liking, making the impossible possible.

Avatars were apparently very common: there were entire communities of them here in Equestria, self-sufficient little societies based around some subset of this pony culture. And apparently the Avatars had the power to affect this magical world as well: they couldn't create or shape as the ponies had been taught to, but instead their cumulative belief – and in some cases, a powerful enough will or imagination – could create Figments: magical creatures literally imagined into reality.

Figments could take on any shape or form and had spread far and wide throughout Equestria, but because they were brought to life by belief and willpower, apparently it was mostly popular characters that had been 'canonized,' so to speak. It kind of weirded Sally out to think that apparently a bunch of these Avatars enjoyed someone's fanfiction enough that they had actually brought creatures and characters out of the stories and to actual, sentient life.

Some Avatars apparently even specialized in creating Figments, although these had some other special technical name Sally couldn't remember. She just knew that these Figments were usually much shorter lived: Figments that had appeared because of the belief of the masses of Avatars were almost as real as the rest of this magical world, and behaved as if they were actually alive.

She had also learned this wasn't exactly a perfect world: the Avatars didn't all get along. As a matter of fact, there were large fractions between the many different groups, and over the century or so since they had first appeared, their presence had brought a lot of chaos and violence to what had once been a very peaceful world. Many of the Avatars thought that they could live out every fantasy they'd ever had once they arrived in this world, and didn't take well to when their fantasies didn't exactly mesh well together with the reality of this weird place.

Apparently Princess Celestia had been forced to actually create a training course for Avatars that most of them were forced to go through when they arrived, to teach them about the world and all the things they were not to do. It was something Sally was being spared only because she still had no idea what the hell was going on: she had no idea who any of these ponies were, and some of the other Avatars she had met had already scoffed at her, like she was lying for attention or trying to make up a story for sympathy or something like that.

She really couldn't care less about the main six, whoever they were, and Princess Celestia was very nice, but she was more amazed by the fact that she was a giant talking magical horse than anything else. To her, it was cooler that there were real dragons out there than magic horses, and she didn't think unicorns were amazing because of some really awkward 'superior race with magic' thing, but because they were so pretty and they were supposed to be pure and noble.

She guessed that myth probably was exactly that, though... a myth, since apparently unicorns were just one of the three races of ponies that lived in this world. The other two were earth ponies – she didn't know why they were 'earth ponies,' she thought they were just 'talking horses' – and Pegasi. And everyone called Celestia an alicorn, but that struck her as kind of funny. Still, hey, if it was what they wanted to call her, that was fine by her. They could call Celestia a bugaboo for all she cared. To her, Celestia was just going to continue to be the big nice magical talking unicorn princess.

Sally sighed, then finally rolled out of bed and landed easily on her hooves, cracking her back and flapping her wings once at her side before she grimaced a little. She looked at the door for a moment, biting her lip, then glanced around the mostly-empty guest room they had put her in: she really wanted to get up. Her body was used to getting up at five every morning, and... well, why lie? No matter how much she wanted to go home, she also couldn't stand just sitting around here doing nothing and... it would be neat to explore.

The Avatar approached the door, then she pushed it easily open before striding out, keeping one foreleg up over her eyes and moving as smoothly on three legs as she had on all four as she peered around childishly for a few moments. Sally didn't even notice her own odd control over her pony body, though, looking back and forth before she smiled: it seemed even in Equestria, ponies must like to sleep in.

She made her way quietly through the empty halls, looking curiously back and forth: she wasn't precisely sure if she was supposed to be doing this or not, or everyone was supposed to stay in their rooms until some kind of bell or signal. But she could always claim ignorance, and hey. She wanted to go home as soon as possible, anyway... might as well give them a little more reason to not want her hanging around here.

Sally smiled despite herself, studying the architecture, the paintings and décor... okay, maybe it was kind of cool here. And that Archibald guy had been a little bossy but okay, and she liked Splinthoof quite a bit, and his friends Pigeonface and Rune seemed really nice to hang out with.

The Avatar lost herself in thought as she wandered the halls, until she found her way into a private gallery. She studied the pictures without seeing most of them... that was, until she came to a massive painting that depicted Celestia, another unicorn with wings who was a deep blue, and a whole bunch of different ponies all standing together in front of what looked like some kind of... tower?

She studied this huge painting curiously: it was at the very back of the room, kept safe under a heavy pane of glass, and stretched from the floor to the ceiling. It was intricately detailed, but... not photographic. No, the artist had been very careful to make something about it... not cartoony, no, but also not fully realistic. Exaggerated, maybe that was the best word for it...

Sally studied it intently: the art just... spoke to her. And those ponies with Celestia and the blue pony, she could tell somehow that they were all Avatars, and... wait.

She frowned a little, eyes narrowing a bit as she studied one of the ponies intently, who was... yes. He had been painted over, replaced by a unicorn that looked almost generic, featureless. She frowned a little at this... then yelped when a hoof touched her back, staggering around in a circle and staring in shock up at Princess Celestia.

But the princess only smiled in amusement down at her, seeming much more relaxed than she had been yesterday before the ivory mare said softly: “I see you've found the Renaissance. This painting symbolizes one of our most important treaties ponykind made with the Avatars.”

Sally looked curiously at Celestia as the princess fell silent for a moment, studying the painting... and the Avatar could see her eyes lingering on that painted over spot, even as she explained quietly: “Shortly after the Avatars began to arrive here in Equestria, their knowledge and ours was combined to create a... a machine. A rift generator, that would stretch the rift between our worlds wider, to allow more of your people to come here and experience the happiness and harmony of Equestria. It only seemed fair, because the Avatars brought with them a wealth of knowledge...”

Celestia stopped, then shook her head slowly as she looked down, saying softly: “We all had... only the best intentions. They thought our world was... was paradise, and they were so kind. So good-natured, and taught us so much. And... I won't lie, Sally. Everypony, myself included, was awed by the fact that we were something loved and adored in your world, that had such a vast following...”

She smiled briefly, then chuckled quietly... but there was such sadness in her eyes as she gazed silently at the reflection of herself in the painting. “We made such a mistake, Sally. So many Avatars came through, and brought with them... so many Figments. I... I want to give my love, my compassion, my empathy to each and every one of them, and yet... I can't. It's all just gone terribly wrong.”

She quieted, looking down, and Sally shifted uncomfortably before she looked quietly ahead herself. She liked people, she thought people were great... but she'd been around enough girls to know how rabid they could be in defense of their make-believe TV boyfriends. And some of the grown men she'd met reminded her a whole lot of some of those girls...

Sally looked at the painting again, and then she hesitated before looking up at Celestia, asking quietly: “That uh... that one... spot on the painting, is that... I mean, was he the one who...”

Celestia smiled briefly, her eyes flicking towards Sally and studying her quietly before she said softly: “That painted-over spot is something I am incredibly ashamed of, Sally. I made a mistake long ago, and that Avatar took the blame for it.

“I actually wanted to speak to you about him.” Celestia continued, and Sally looked up in surprise before the rainbow-maned mare turned her full attention towards the Avatar. When she spoke next, though, it seemed to be on a completely different subject... although her father had done this same thing to her enough times she had a creeping sensation in her stomach that she wasn't going to like what was coming next. “I heard from Archibald that you have a natural skill for seeing the connections between Figments and Avatars, and for seeing behind an Avatar's mask. Usually, Avatars take years to develop those skills: they're necessary for jobs concerning pony-Avatar relations.”

Sally looked uncomfortably up at Celestia, and then she gave a hesitant nod before saying awkwardly: “I... I don't want a job, though. And I don't want to spend years here, either.”

Celestia laughed quietly at this, shaking her head slowly before she replied gently: “I don't want you spending years here, either, but... I was hoping that you would run an errand for me. I know this is a lot to ask. I know that you want to go home. But all of Equestria would owe you a debt for this one, simple task, and... this is something I don't think anyone else can do.”

“What? Why not?” Sally asked nervously, looking uneasily up at the princess... and oh, god, did it have to be a princess asking her to do this? Because she was kind of scared of what was going to happen if she said no, no matter how gentle and kind and compassionate she seemed...

And no. She didn't want to go off on some stupid, whirlwind adventure, did she? She wanted to go home, and as soon as possible! Adventuring, exploring this world, that was... that was just dumb. Especially because she was a horse and there were all kinds of crazy people out there, from what she'd learned.

But Celestia only smiled at her gently, then she said softly: “Because you are not a... 'brony' or a 'pegasister,' as some of the Avatars still call themselves. Because your biggest interest is honestly in leaving this world. And because you can see through Figments and the masks that Avatars wear. Sally, I... I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I believe you were brought here for a reason, and...”

Celestia looked down, and then she closed her eyes and silently lowered herself in front of the mare, Sally staring in shock as the princess humbled himself before her and asked in a whisper: “Please help me fix my mistake. I love the Avatars, but I need to take care of Equestria, first and foremost. I have to close the rift... but I can't do that without the help of the Avatars who helped build it in the first place. Please, Sally O'Connor. Please, at least hear me out.”

The mare looked up at her, trembling, and Sally felt her heart breaking before she sighed quietly, unable to tear her gaze away as she bit her lip and then nodded hesitantly. What other choice did she have, after all?

Celestia smiled faintly, then stood slowly before she said quietly: “Thank you.” She halted, then closed her eyes and took a breath, steadying herself. Sally didn't rush her... she was in no rush herself, after all. She didn't even want to do this, but... well... she couldn't turn her back on them, could she? And she hadn't promised anything yet, just... just decided to hear what the princess had to say. She was a princess, after all: upsetting her would probably not be a good idea.

Sally shifted uncomfortably, and then she looked up attentively as Celestia explained: “My sister and myself worked with ten Avatars to build the rift machine, each with a different specialty. They not only built the machine, but protected it and warded it. Many of these security measures I am capable of dispelling myself, but... not all.

“Only three of these Avatars are left now. One is a Worldcrafter, and one is a Designer; these two still live here in Canterlot. Between them, they have been able to disable most of the physical barriers and wards, and I can disable any of the magical protection that remains.” Celestia halted, then shook her head slowly, closing her eyes. “But the third is a Dream Weaver, and he is the pony who was banished. We need him to decipher and remove the last of the barriers around the machine.”

Sally frowned uneasily at this, then she asked finally: “Why do you need me, then? I mean... you... you can just unbanish him, can't you? I mean... no disrespect intended...”

“I've asked him to come back to Canterlot many times. But he's...” Celestia smiled briefly. “He's very good at holding a grudge. I've sent others in the past as well, but none of them have ever succeeded. He's always been... difficult.”

“Then why do you think I can...” The Avatar grimaced a bit, flapping her wings uneasily before furling them tight to her sides, looking nervously up at the princess. “I... I hate to tell you this, but I've never really been all that good with people, and a lot of these other Avatars... I really... don't get along with at all...”

Celestia only smiled again, reaching up to gently touch Sally on the shoulder as she said quietly: “I don't expect you two to get along. But I do think that unlike most others, he'll hear you out. And you won't be going alone: I'll send you with an escort of Royal Guard to meet with another Avatar, who can take you to where he lives and tell you how to deal with him. All I'm asking is that you try, Sally. The rift generator has to be shut down one way or the other: this would be the safest way. If we don't shut it down... more Avatars and innocent victims like you are going to end up pulled into this world, and I'm worried about what that will mean for Equestria.”

She stopped, then lowered her head and murmured: “I've been worried for a long time, as a matter of fact... but... I never had someone like you here in Equestria before. I never had the proof I needed to act, and I don't want to have to bring Datura here by force. He probably hates Equestria enough as it is.”

“Datura?” Sally looked curiously at the painted-over Avatar, and then she returned her eyes to Celestia, who smiled briefly and nodded to her slowly. “Wait, and he hates it here? But if he hates it, why doesn't he just leave? Anyone can, right?”

“Because of the other reason I'm sure that he'll come here if you contact him, Sally. Datura is... troubled, but he's also loyal, and he has a strict code of honor. Before he left here, he made a promise that I... mistook for a threat at the time. He promised that when there was proof everything had gone wrong, he would come back to Canterlot and help me fix it, if I asked.” Celestia lowered her head, closing her eyes. “You are that proof. That is why I need you to do this, and why I know that he won't hurt you.”

There was silence for a few moments as Sally digested this, and then she shifted nervously backwards before asking uneasily: “Datura... he's hurt people in the past though, hasn't he?”

Celestia sighed softly, opening her eyes and saying quietly: “Datura was trained as a Dream Weaver: that means he was trained to create dreams and fantasies for ponies. He was very good at it, but... I never realized that he was... unstable to begin with.

“When you spend all your time crafting dreams, writing stories for others to experience, mixing and matching emotions... it can become very addicting, and very dangerous. Sometimes you lose touch with reality.” Celestia looked away silently, and Sally frowned uneasily. That wasn't fear or anger in her eyes... that was shame again, even more bitter now that it had been before. “Certain people are more vulnerable to this than others. Those with fragile minds, those who have experienced trauma or who have fragmented part of their personality, whether because they are trying to suppress some part of themselves or because of some other unpleasant event in their life.

“Datura started crafting... nightmares, which he would then experience every detail of himself. He would monitor them, study their effects. He experimented on a few willing subjects and on his own mind.” Celestia shook her head slowly, as Sally leaned backwards with a shiver. “I don't understand why to this day. It wasn't for power... at least, not for power over others.

“He became... fascinated with pain and suffering. It took over his mind like a drug: he became addicted to it. He began to make more intense and diabolical nightmares, torturing others, and himself... although I suppose by that point, Datura was enjoying the experience.” Celestia bit her lip, looking down and shaking her head quietly again. “He was finally expelled from the Dream Weavers by Luna herself because... because they were afraid of him. Because I was afraid of him, Sally.”

She stopped, then sighed softly and murmured: “And when the first opportunity to get rid of him came, we all pounced on it and he was banished from Canterlot by unanimous decision. No one came forwards to defend him. Datura didn't even defend himself. But he said that he'd be back, when everything fell apart. Now, everything is falling apart, and... we need him back.”

Sally shifted worriedly, looking uneasily up at Celestia before she asked in a weak voice: “What... what was he exiled for?”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Celestia sighed softly before she lowered her head and murmured: “He and an Avatar had an... altercation. I don't honestly know who started the fight or how it began: I do know that while Datura broke one of his hooves, but his aggressor was left with much worse than physical injuries.”

Sally looked uncomfortably at the mare, and then she shook her head hurriedly, saying finally: “I... I can't do this, I'm sorry. I just can't.”

Celestia sighed a little, studying Sally silently for a few moments before she asked quietly: “And what are you going to do if in the future, one of your brothers ends up trapped in Equestria?”

Sally froze up a little at this, and then she gritted her teeth and shook her head quickly, saying sharply: “No, that's not going to happen and... even if it does, there's the time difference, right? They'll wake up, right as rain and-”

“And what if something does happen, Sally?” Celestia asked, her voice remaining calm and even... but her eyes were terribly sad, and somehow the gentility of her words make them hit so much harder than if she had been trying to threaten her. “What if one of your brothers came here and was hurt? And what would your family think of you, if they found out that you'd turned your back on us?”

Sally looked down, biting her lip uneasily and shifting from hoof-to-hoof. Celestia looked at her steadily even as she lowered her head in silent apology, but now the Avatar was lost in her own thoughts, feeling the deeply ingrained sense of responsibility and family pushing back against common sense and the desire to simply abandon this all and leave...

She had no place here. She didn't belong here, didn't want to help, didn't think this was even her problem. And yet at the same time... she was a part of this, whether she wanted to be or not. And she had fallen into this snare... so what was to stop it from happening to other people she knew? What if she turned her back on this, here and now, ran away and didn't help these magical horses... and when she came to, she found out her brother had vanished and... and...

No, this was stupid. She was being guilt tripped and shamed by a stupid talking horse, and she had just learned that even princess unicorns weren't so pure of heart after all, it seemed. Hitting her right where it hurt, right where she knew that... no matter how slim the chances were that her own family could get hurt...

She looked up, and it wasn't anger or even frustration she felt: more like resignation, and a faint, tingling shame of her own, because that same part that had been so ashamed of her freaking out was now ashamed of her for trying to convince herself it was okay to turn her back on these magic horses. Sure, she was scared, but... Daddy always said... “I'll help. It's... it's the right thing to do, I guess.”

Celestia gave a relieved, brilliant smile even as she blushed a little, saying softly: “I'm sorry that it had to come to that, Sally, that I had to... be a little unpleasant. But our worlds are tied together, and the fact that you're here means that it's possible that... something could happen.”

Sally grimaced a bit, not wanting to think about that anymore as she only nodded uncomfortably a few times before she sighed a little. “How... how am I supposed to do this, Princess Celestia? Everything else aside, I'm just a girl stuck in a flying horse's body.”

“None of the Avatars that arrived here are anything more or less than humans, from your world. And as I have learned, they are all capable of very great things.” Celestia encouraged, and the Avatar nodded awkwardly a few times before the princess said in a softer voice: “I would like you to leave as soon as possible. It won't take long to have a sky chariot readied for you, although my soldiers can only escort you one way.”

“Then how do I get back?” asked Sally incredulously, not exactly keen on the thought of... wait, wait, wait. “And Datura doesn't exactly sound like the most friendly guy around: you want me to what, to just walk back with him, alone?”

Celestia studied her for a few moments, and then she nodded briefly: for one horrible moment, Sally thought it was confirmation of her worst fears before the princess said hesitantly: “I can have Splinthoof assigned to escort you, if you would like that. I can't spare any other soldiers, though: there's... too much up in the air at the moment.”

Sally smiled, though, looking up with relief at Celestia and nodding a few times before she replied with honest gratitude: “I... I would really appreciate that, really. And I mean... it's not that far away, right?”

“You should arrive at your destination in a few hours by sky chariot. But Datura only consistently accepts the company of one Avatar, named Whisper. She lives with a Figment near the Black Forest... you'll have to convince her you need Datura's help, but I'll send an official order with you. She's always respected it in the past.” Celestia replied reassuringly, and Sally looked up at her with a grimace, trying to get this all straight in her head. “Whisper will guide you to Datura's home in the Black Forest, and you will have to speak to him alone. I cannot emphasize that enough. I know that thought must scare you, but he won't hurt you as long as you're polite and cautious.”

Sally shifted slowly at this, making a face as her wings fluttered: she'd heard that same thing said about bulls and bears... “Ma'am, I... how can you be so sure about that? I hate to say it, but he sounds like he's... a little crazy. How do you know that all those years alone...”

Celestia only shook her head, replying softly: “Because no matter what else he is, Datura has always clung to a code of honor, a set of rules that he bases his entire life around. And if you can get him to give his word on something, he'll maintain it, no matter what. That was always his best quality.”

“So he's an honest psychopath, is basically what you're telling me.” Sally blurted before she could stop herself, and Celestia frowned at her before the Avatar gave a weak grin. “Sorry, ma'am... I just... I'm just scared.”

“I know. But don't let fear of the unknown make you hate something before you've even looked at it.” Celestia responded gently but firmly, shaking her head briefly before she gave a faint smile. “I know I'm asking a lot of you, Sally. I just don't want to see you approaching this from the worst possible standpoint, because if you expect Datura to hurt you and bully you, he will hurt you and bully you. But if you treat him with respect and kindness, then he'll treat you with the same.”

Sally shifted on her hooves, and then she asked hesitantly: “Please don't take this the wrong way, Princess Celestia, but... if he's... this important to you, then why haven't you gone to get him yourself? I mean... he'd listen to you, right?”

“No, he won't.” Celestia shook her head briefly, looking down and closing her eyes. “I have tried, Sally. I have, and even Princess Luna has, in spite of the fact that they were... never on very good terms. Even Twilight Sparkle, my faithful protege, has tried her hoof at getting him to cooperate. But he won't listen to us. He doesn't care about what we want, Sally, but he will come if you give him proof that we need him.”

Sally shifted uncomfortably, and then she asked uneasily: “Aren't there other ways around the machine's protection, though? I mean, can't you just... you're unicorns, you're magical. You must be able to magic through if you really wanted to.”

“We want to shut the rift machine down and then take it apart gently, not simply destroy it. If we were to just overcharge the machine or smash through the protective barriers, we risk a pulse that will either destroy the rift, or rip a physical wound in reality itself.” replied Celestia, shaking her head briefly. “Either we would trap the Avatars here, or we risk not having just Avatars, but actual inhabitants of other worlds wandering into ours...”

Celestia grimaced a bit, and Sally bit her lip, studying the princess silently. She saw the problem there, certainly... she didn't know much about this world, but she did know one thing: you didn't let the fangirls run the show. If you did, things got... messy.

Just like this world had gotten messy... and she was supposed to help fix it? Sally sighed at this thought, but then bit her lip before she looked up and said quietly: “I'll do my best. But... I guess... I should try and learn some more about this Datura guy.”

Celestia smiled and visibly brightened a little at this, and Sally looked curiously at the ivory mare before the princess said finally: “I'm just happy to see you taking the initiative, that's all. But... come with me. He wrote, often, while he was here: I think you can learn a lot from his journals and his other works.”

Sally nodded hesitantly after a moment, and then she gave a hesitant smile in return before nodding slowly. At least that would give her some idea of the kind of person she was dealing with...

Five hours later found Sally sitting in the Canterlot library with stacks of journals and sheafs of badly-collated paper piled high on the desk in front of her, the mare's head aching as she read page after page of rambling journal entries and poetry that she either didn't understand or made her feel horribly depressed. Very little of what Datura wrote made sense: it was all a mishmash of madness and thoughts and emotions... and there was precious little actual personal information.

Sure, these journals told her a little about him, gave her sort of a feel for him, but a lot of what she was reading were half-finished stories, manuscripts, and random complaining and whining about this or that. And the poetry. Oh, there was so much poetry and she didn't get even half of it and it was just annoying the hell out of her.

Sally slumped at the table... then blinked and looked up in surprise as a unicorn touched her shoulder, the mare opening her mouth... then doing a double take as she realized she was looking up at Splinthoof. But he was out of his armor, wearing a large leather jacket – wait, would a horse wear leather or is that weird? – and with a...

She stared for a moment, then looked up and asked awkwardly: “Why are you wearing a bib?”

“It's a cravat.” Splinthoof said testily, reaching up and touching the red piece of cloth hanging around his neck, which had the emblem of the sun sewn on the rather-gaudy material.

“I hate to tell you this, but that just makes it even worse.” Sally said teasingly, smiling despite herself as she leaned back a little and gazed with entertainment over the unicorn, who glowered at her grumpily. “A cravat though, really? I just mean... really?”

“Really. And here I was, actually worried about you.” Splinthoof grumbled, and Sally blushed a little before the unicorn glanced at the piles and piles of journals and books, poking absently at them before he asked mildly: “So you want to stay here and read your books, or do you want to get going on this journey? Sky chariot's ready.”

The mare hated that she actually felt relief at this, nodding quickly and shoving herself away from the table as she mumbled: “Please. Putting my life in danger sounds like a little slice of heaven right now. Anything to get away from all this.”

“You might be craving this after we start on the journey, Sally.” Splinthoof said dryly, picking up one of the journals before he cocked his head curiously as the Avatar picked up a satchel and tossed several of the journals into this. “Uh. Think you should save that for more important supplies.”

“These are important. I need to figure out as much as I can about him. I put these books aside because they've got the most information out of everything else I've found so far.” the mare responded with a shake of her head. “Besides, you're a soldier, right? You've had survival training, and I know a thing or two about living off the land. After we get Datura, I can give him these books and we can resupply on the road. Easy-peasy.”

“Easy. Peasy.” repeated Splinthoof, and when Sally gave him a look, the unicorn huffed, then reached out and snatched the satchel away from her as she began to close it, flicking his horn to tighten the straps with magic before he threw it easily over one shoulder, even as the Avatar glared at him. “What? Oh, don't worry, I'm not doing it because you're a mare, miss. I'm doing it because if I don't take this bag away from you, you're going to try and put that whole table in there.”

“I was done!” Sally complained, and then she huffed before pushing herself away from the table and following quickly as Splinthoof only turned away, the two trotting in step with each other as she grumbled: “You know, you're not doing a very good job of protecting me so far. You and your... cravat. What are you going to do when he attacks me, huh?”

Splinthoof only grimaced a little at this, and Sally softened a bit as she glanced up at him before the stallion smiled at her briefly, shaking his head quickly. “Hey, let's uh... let's just not think about that too much, okay? My job is to protect you, but if you tick the crazy pony off, I might have to let him slap you around a little.”

Sally couldn't help but smile in amusement despite herself, replying wryly: “Oh, what, is that what you big tough men do in this world? Let the womenfolk get put in their proper place?”

“I'm a stallion, not a man. And I'll have you know we stallions take excellent care of our mares.” Splinthoof replied in a falsely-outraged voice, and then he rose his head and added primly: “It's just that you aren't much of one.”

Sally laughed, and it was an honest, happy laugh as she shook her head slowly, then smiled at him radiantly, blushing a little before she said finally: “You're a lot more relaxed, Splinty. And uh... hey... thanks for agreeing to come with me.”

“It... well, it's not being on official duty, for one thing. For another, it's...” Splinthoof blushed a bit, looking away and saying awkwardly: “Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I guess I forget sometimes you're an Avatar. It makes it a lot easier to be natural with you. And hey... thanks for... thanks for asking for me to come along. It means a lot.”

Sally smiled a little: from Splinthoof, being thought of as just another pony felt... strangely complementary. So she only nodded shyly, still blushing a bit before she cleared her throat and looked ahead, asking finally: “Hey uh, then if you're not on duty... maybe you can tell me, off the record, what you think about this whole mission. Not to be rude or anything, but Princess Celestia seems to have a lot of faith in him, but... I'm just kind of worried that... you know...”

Splinthoof bit his lip, hesitating a moment before he said quietly: “Princess Celestia puts a lot of faith in her ponies, but... she'd never willingly put us into danger. If she honestly believes that so long as we're careful, he won't hurt us... I'm inclined to believe her.”

The Avatar looked curiously at Splinthoof, but he only smiled briefly over at her before shrugging a little. “Hey, she's never led us wrong before, and I've been serving her for at least seventy years. Always dreamed of maybe one day working my way up to Dervish, since I was a foal.”

“Seventy years?” Sure, Sally had learned a little about how time was strange here, and the ponies were all essentially immortal, but all the same... “I never realized how old you were... but... that means, well, new ponies can be born?”

“Yeah.” Splinthoof looked at the mare with amusement, then he shrugged a bit and patted himself on the chest. “And I'm not that old, you know. A lot of us were alive before you Avatars showed up. But I guess time's gotten a bit funnier since you all started coming here... the Avatars have forced a lot of progress that I think Equestria would have been perfectly happy without, and now things don't... change back as quickly as they used to in the old days.”

Sally looked curiously at the stallion for a few moments, and then she looked down thoughtfully before asking quietly: “I wonder what that means for all of you magical horses...”

“Just... ponies, please.” Splinthoof said mildly, and Sally gave him an amused look before the stallion said wryly: “Hey, just trying to give you some helpful advice here, that's all. You saying stuff like that isn't going to help you make any friends, that's all.”

Sally shrugged a bit at this, and then she turned her eyes forwards as they continued down the hall together, the mare studying the world around them with fascination and maybe... a little more appreciation now. The longer she stayed here, the more she realized that... these ponies were really doing their best to accommodate her and everyone else, and she had no reason not to trust them anymore. Even if Celestia was asking her for something that felt enormous...

She bit her lip, but remained quiet until they left the palace and headed into a field, where a large chariot was waiting for them, with an escort of Pegasus soldiers already standing at attention around it. They all saluted as the two approached, and Sally blushed as Splinthoof smiled before saying wryly: “I think this is the first time I've ever gotten any respect from the troops.”

“Don't worry sir, we don't respect you at all.” came Pigeonface's voice, and Sally looked up in surprise to see the familiar stallion was actually one of the soldiers harnessed to the front of the chariot, as several other Royal Guard laughed and Splinthoof only replied with what Sally guessed was a vulgar gesture. “Yeah, well at least I'm not trying to butter up the Avatar, Splinty!”

“Oh, right, yes. I was the one who kept getting shot down by her after she arrived.” Splinthoof replied with amusement, and then he smiled over at Sally, gesturing easily to her. “Come on. These things are pretty steady. All you have to do is hold on, and let these guys do the rest. You can handle that at least, right?”

“You're a jerk.” Sally flicked him lightly with one wing as she passed, and the unicorn wrinkled up his muzzle before sneezing loudly. He huffed and wiped quickly at his nose as Sally stepped into the chariot, then hopped quickly up beside her, absently reaching out to correct the position of her hooves on the handlebar... is it still called a handlebar when we don't have hands?

But she was distracted from her silly thoughts by that... tingling sensation, that weird and inexplicable sense of invisible fingers guiding her own. She didn't fight it, smiling awkwardly as Splinthoof explained: “It's nice and stable, don't worry, but better safe than sorry, especially when you're a beginner. That feeling of weightlessness can confuse you.”

Sally only nodded awkwardly, then she cleared her throat before she looked back and forth at all the ponies in golden armor with wings... then cocked her head curiously as she noted one or two had horns as well. But she immediately recognized they were also Avatars... “Hey, uh... so are there other ponies like the princesses in Equestria?”

“You mean the alicorns, as they call them? No ponies, only Avatars.” replied Splinthoof absently, and Sally could swear that he was trying to suppress a scowl. “They aren't... they aren't the worst people, not all of them... you can't judge a book and all that...”

“Yet you kind of want to.” Sally said mildly, and Splinthoof winced before glaring at her pointedly, but the mare was undeterred as she asked curiously: “What's wrong with them? They're just ponies with wings and horns. I mean, I kind of wish that I could do magic, too, as well as fly.”

“It's just... it's not... it's just not...” fumbled the stallion, and then he sighed before looking grumpily ahead, saying crankily: “Let's go, guys!”

Pigeonface laughed, then flapped his wings hard before looking back and forth, whistling loudly to get the attention of the rest of the Royal Guard. “Alright, colts and fillies! All of you, get yourselves together and get ready, we've got a special escort duty today and I don't want to have to carry all of you by myself, you hear?”

“They're gonna be the ones carrying you, Pigeonface.” Splinthoof said mildly, and the Pegasus glared over his shoulder at the unicorn as the others laughed. But Splinthoof straightened after a moment, smiling before he shouted clearly: “Okay, you heard Pigeonface! Forwards flight!”

The Pegasi all gave a shout of agreement before the escorting ponies ran forwards first, making sure the path was clear as Pigeonface and the other Pegasi pulling the heavy carriage followed quickly in their wake: they started slow, but accelerated rapidly, Sally's eyes widening before she gasped as the Pegasi leapt upwards and flapped their wings hard, and the entire carriage took off the ground as if it was lighter than air, the Avatar flinching in shock as her head swam and she clung with all her might to the handlebar...

And then they were in the air, actually flying. Her mouth worked slowly as her eyes widened to the size of plates, and she felt her own wings spreading naturally, tasting the wind and the open sky for the first time from the safety of the chariot. She laughed weakly, looking back and forth with awe as her whole body trembled, and then she whispered: “Oh wow...”

Splinthoof couldn't help but smile over at the Avatar, watching how she reacted so... so naturally. And he honestly enjoyed how much she seemed to be thriving in this experience, studying her intently before he asked softly: “What do you think?”

“Wow...” was all that Sally managed to repeat, as she stared in awe out over the front of the chariot, watching as the city below whipped past them. They were rising steadily higher and higher as they moved faster, and the mare laughed in disbelief before she looked up with shining eyes at Splinthoof, saying excitedly: “W-We're flying! We're really flying!”

The unicorn only gave her an amused smile before he nodded, replying softly: “Yeah. We're really flying. And hey, if you stay here long enough, you know... you could learn to fly, too.”

“I... I could, couldn't I?” The mare looked back at her wings, flexing them slowly and marveling at this thought before she smiled warmly, turning her eyes back towards Splinthoof. “Then I... I hope I can learn fast. I... I really don't want to be here for longer than I have to, I mean, I... I'm just...”

She blushed a little, but Splinthoof only smiled again before he reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently, saying quietly: “Maybe you should just concentrate on the job at hoof for now, and enjoy the flight. We'll get you home, Sally, one way or another. But nothing says you can't enjoy this experience along the way.”

Sally felt a strange gratitude well through her body as she looked at the stallion... and then she bit her lip before nodding firmly once, saying quietly: “You're right. Thanks, Splinty. Sometimes, I think, I just... I just need to hear things out loud.”

Splinthoof only smiled and shrugged in response, then he turned his eyes back forwards. For a few moments, the Avatar studied the stallion with something like fascination... and then she blushed a little before turning her own eyes forwards, and gazing down to watch as the ground below whipped by and they shot through low-hanging clouds...

God, it was freeing. It was wonderful, the greatest experience she had ever had, being up here. And she had never felt as happy as she had right now, either: being here, in the air, even if it was under the power of the others and she knew she was heading somewhere wild and dangerous... all the same, it filled her with warmth and joy and utter... amazement. Happiness. This was true happiness.

The flight was far too short, hours of quick, hard travel passing in what felt like minutes to her before the flight team went into a steep, low dive. To their credit, though, the sky chariot only bounced a little before they slowed to a halt on a dusty road, and Sally felt her legs trembling with exhilaration as she stepped down and out of the sky chariot and shook herself briskly out, breathing slowly before she flapped her wings a few times and murmured: “Amazing.”

Splinthoof smiled despite himself as he gestured at the other soldiers, then he strode over to the mare, leaning down and saying quietly: “The others have to take off. I think they'd appreciate it if you said goodbye to them, though, Sally. I'm normally not much for minding manners, but...”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely! They have to leave already?” Sally was surprised... and a little disappointed, admittedly, as she blushed a bit and turned quickly towards the platoon of soldiers that had escorted them here.

The unicorn only nodded calmly, saying softly: “This is a lot of troops, even for a big escort mission like this. It's going to draw attention to the area as it is: it's best they don't stick around and attract the attention of anything further. Some groups of … of bandits get pretty brave when they're on the ground.”

Sally frowned for a moment... and then her eyes widened slightly before she whispered: “You mean Avatars. But why would Avatars attack you ponies? You're all so nice, and... and some of them are Avatars, too!”

Splinthoof only gave a brief smile, and then he shook his head before he was spared answering by Pigeonface calling easily: “Hey, Sally! You watch out for that guy, okay? Don't let him out of your sight, I know what he likes to think about doing to young pretty mares.”

“Well, he never did a thing to you, Pigeonface, and I haven't seen a younger, prettier mare since I arrived.” Sally retorted before she could stop himself, and the gathered soldiers laughed loudly as Pigeonface groaned and threw his front hooves up in disgust. But then, before he could pull away, the mare strode quickly past the sky chariot and leaned in to give him a firm peck on the cheek, the Pegasus' eyes widening dumbly before she said softly: “Take care of yourself. Thank you.”

Pigeonface grinned, then he only cleared his throat and waved a hoof absently, replying easily: “Hey, no big thing! I uh... just doin' my duty, that's all!”

Pigeonface attempted to lean backwards against something, likely meaning to try and look cool... and instead, all he did was flop over on his back in the dirt, earning more laughter from his audience. Sally only smiled in amusement herself at this, shaking her head slowly before she waved to the other soldiers, calling out 'thank you's' and 'good luck' to them as they turned and began to march away down the road.

She dropped her hoof after a moment, then smiled awkwardly over at Splinthoof as he nodded to her, before the Pegasus asked finally: “So how do we find this... Whisper, right?”

“I think she found us.” Splinthoof replied softly, pointing down the road, and the Avatar looked up in surprise before her eyes widened a little as she saw a figure watching them apprehensively from a short distance away.

It was definitely an Avatar: she was an earth pony with a pale gray coat, her eyes big and dark and nervous. She was a little bruised, and a little dirty, and a lot distracted: Sally was willing to bet that all these things had to do with each other... although she also noted the headphones hanging around the mare's neck, the quill in her mane, and the cutie mark of musical notes on her flank.

She shifted a little on hooves that had been painted purple, but the paint had long since started to flake; from pacing and fidgeting, Sally guessed, from the way that Whisper moved, clicking her hooves against the ground and rubbing them against her own legs.

Sally smiled as wide as she could, almost creeping towards this mare as Splinthoof cleared his throat, following along beside the Pegasus Avatar and studying her before deciding to just follow her lead. This was definitely their contact, but she did seem... jumpy...

“Hi... you're Whisper, right? I'm Sally, and this is Splinthoof. You can take us to Datura, right?” the mare asked quietly, and Whisper looked at them, her eyes betraying unease even as she did her best to smile at them and nod.

“I can, yeah. I... I just got the letter from Princess Celestia.” Whisper said softly after a moment, and she bit her lip for a bare second before smiling again, a little wider now... although it still didn't quite reach her eyes, Sally noted. “You must have come straight from Canterlot, yeah? I haven't been there in a long time, I used to... go a lot.”

She stopped, then gestured over her shoulder, asking finally: “Do you want to come back to my place? I have a nice little house... I live there with uh... with my brother. I mean, he's a Figment, but he's my brother. We could rest before going to see... Datura.”

A pause before she spoke her name. Sally shifted uneasily before replying candidly: “Splinthoof and I were cramped in that sky chariot thing for a few hours, and we're on a pretty tight schedule... why don't you show us the way? Maybe we can all stop in on the way back.”

Whisper gave a hesitant nod, biting her lip and looking a little uncomfortable before Sally added: “And maybe you could tell us about him on the way?”

“Yeah, I could. A little.” Whisper replied after a moment, looking between the two before she said softly, almost more to herself than them: “He's not a bad guy. He just gets treated badly.”

“I just want to talk to him. See if we can convince him to help... I don't want to hurt him.” promised Sally, raising a hoof... and Whisper studied her silently for a few moments before she gave a small smile, and the Pegasus Avatar felt some small relief at this: maybe the earth pony Avatar didn't entirely trust them, but at the same time... she was willing to help them. “Thank you.”

Whisper only shrugged a bit, then she turned and said in her murmuring voice: “Come on. We'll cut through the forest, it's a little faster. I'll show you the way.”

Whisper turned, and Sally and Splinthoof traded looks and nods before the Pegasus Avatar smiled uncomfortably and followed in the wake of her fellow pony-shaped woman, taking solace in the fact that at least Splinthoof was beside her, and at least so far, everything seemed to be going according to plan.