Chapter Seven: Fallen From Grace
~BlackRoseRaven

Splinthoof apparently had an impeccable sense of direction, easily finding the quickest route back to Canterlot and leading the way... which was good, because Datura really didn't seem all that interested in doing any guiding.

Angel was her strange, quiet self, and Whisper was friendly, if a little anxious. But she was pleasant and helpful, and her presence seemed to soothe Datura and made him a lot easier to deal with. He wasn't exactly being open or helpful still, no, but he wasn't being argumentative or silent, either, and during the walk, Sally was able to pry a little bit of information out of him.

For the first few hours, Sally was lulled into thinking that maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all: the Cirque du Noir had been full of friendly ponies, and the few they'd passed on the trek along the dusty, wide highway Splinthoof had led them to had been just as nice.

Plus it was beautiful out: what could go wrong in a lush forest filled with changing leaves, on a warm and radiant day like today? The sun was shining, the clouds were white and fluffy and all shaped like cute animals, and god, did it ever feel good to just... be walking. Maybe it was a horse thing, but she had never enjoyed just walking down a big dirt road through a big pretty forest as much as she did right now, and where she came from, there was no shortage of dirt or forests.

So maybe that was why it ended up being such a surprise when they ended up walking right into a group of ponies who were far, far different from the ones she had seen so far. Maybe not in their builds and bodies, no, but they emanated a completely-different feeling: anger and malice and something distinctly... childish; they were filled with petulant, self-obsessed wrath.

“Well, look what we got here.” mocked a stallion who was quick to shove himself to the front of the gang of four: he had both wings and a horn, making him one of those alicorn thingies, and he was mostly red with black stripes and an onyx mane, wearing crappily-maintained armor, a heavy jacket, and... a whole lot of eyeliner, I'm guessing. “I'm only seeing two Avatars, some pretty ladies... and while that one Figment is fine, god-damn, could you have come up with something uglier than him? Or you just into monsters, huh?”

“Hey, that's enough.” barked Splinthoof, even as Sally frowned over her shoulder curiously at Datura, who was only smiling coldly: jackass or not, why wasn't he able to recognize that Datura was an Avatar? “I am a member of the Royal Guard, and-”

The alicorn yawned loudly and pointedly as the three dumbbells behind him snickered stupidly amongst themselves, and then the apparent leader of the gang said crudely: “Why don't you go on home and kiss Celestia's butt then, huh? But leave these nice pieces of meat and whatever you've got on you all here. You can take the big faggot, though.”

The other bandits laughed again even as they spread themselves out across the path, grinning and intent on a fight. Sally shivered a little, stepping uncertainly backwards even as Splinthoof gritted his teeth, his eyes flicking worriedly back and forth... but he wasn't backing down, either, as he muttered: “Sally, I want you to take Whisper and leave, right now. I'll... I'll catch up when-”

And then the unicorn blinked in surprise as Datura strolled calmly past and halted only a few feet away from the alicorn thug. The red-and-black pony looked up in surprise before Datura leaned forwards and said calmly: “I don't usually try and be 'nice,' but as you can see, I have company today. So please leave. Or I'll be unpleasant.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the alicorn slowly sneered as he flicked his horn to the side, a switchblade flying out of the pocket of his jacket before this popped open and he thrusted it threateningly up under Datura's throat, asking mockingly: “Or what?”

Datura only grimaced and looked moodily at the alicorn, and the red and black stallion grinned darkly before he poked the scarred stallion several times in the chest, saying mockingly: “What's wrong, Figgy? You too scared now to do anything? Look at these heroes, boys!”

Sally began to lean forwards, opening her mouth, but then she frowned as Whisper caught her by the shoulder and stopped her. The Pegasus Avatar looked uncertainly at her fellow exemplar, but Whisper only continued to look ahead, an unexpected coldness in her eyes as she said quietly: “Just let Datura handle this.”

The other gangbangers laughed loudly as the alicorn punk let his knife float to the side, and then he leaned up and slapped Datura's cheeks mockingly with his front hooves, looking up at him and asking teasingly: “What's wrong, huh? You forget? You scared?”

“Have you ever seen Sherlock Holmes?” Datura asked inquisitively, calmly raising his eye and seeming to stare out into the distance as the alicorn frowned. “Because I'm doing that thing in my mind right now. You know, the thing. The planning thing.”

The alicorn snorted and rolled his eyes, then he reached up and slapped his cheeks again, asking distastefully: “Oh, really, Figgy? I guess one of those Avatars must be dumber than I thought. You ain't never going to predict what I do, after all, you douchebag.”

Datura only smiled calmly... and then a moment later, he lunged suddenly forwards, seizing the alicorn by the shoulders. And to his credit, the alicorn only seemed a little surprised, swearing as he began to bring his knife forwards to drive it into Datura's side... except there was no way he could have been ready for what happened next.

Datura's jaws bit savagely down into the side of the stallion's face with a rending crunch, and the alicorn went from brave little pissant to screaming like a rat caught in a trap, trying desperately to yank away as Datura only grinned coldly, his eye gleaming as he bit deeper into the stallion's face, and Sally's stomach wrenched at not the sickening crack she heard, but the squelch, as the alicorn's knife was flung wide by his panic, barely nicking the unicorn's side.

And then Datura tore back with his jaws as he reached a hoof up, catching the alicorn by the side of his neck as he stumbled before the scarred unicorn shoved him down and pinned him by the throat. By now, his thugs were reacting even though it was too late, one of them rushing forwards... but Datura was already moving himself, half-flinging one of his ominous satchels forwards as his horn glowed with malevolent light...

Sally didn't know whether to be horrified or amazed as there was a flash of silver, and a singing of metal... and then screaming, as seemingly-endless coils of spiked and bladed chains wrapped violently several times around the thug that had been stupid enough to charge straight at Datura. They hefted him up into the air as they sawed through both armor and flesh with ease, glowing with malice as Datura only grinned wider, then clicked his tongue as the thug writhed and shrieked in the grip of the spiked chains slowly twisting around his body. “The more you struggle, the more it's going to hurt.”

Datura calmly looked down, then he stepped off the shivering, whimpering alicorn before kicking him hard in the ribs, the punk gasping as Sally winced. Then Datura seized him by the mane with one claw and slowly forced him up to his hooves, even as the punk whimpered and pleaded in a slurry voice for mercy... and Sally and Splinthoof both stared in horror as they realized that Datura hadn't just taken a chunk out of his face with the bite, but one of his eyes as well.

He shrank away the moment Datura let go of him, trembling violently, whimpering and trying to choke back his sobs as the scarred unicorn said softly: “Tell your friends to get out of here. And tell them to take this with them.”

Datura's chains crushed around the thug suspended in them, blood bursting from his jagged wounds before he was lashed cruelly downwards into the ground with a meaty, thick thud. The alicorn stumbled backwards, gasping weakly in and out as his whole body shook with terror, staring fearfully at the stallion before the scarred unicorn leaned forwards and said mockingly: “If you want me to give you your eye back, you're going to have to reach down into my stomach somehow. But I'm afraid you're only going to fit down there if I put you down in pieces.”

The alicorn stumbled backwards, shaking his head and whimpering before he suddenly snarled and snapped his horn forwards, a blast of magic lashing suddenly out and striking Datura across the face, knocking his head to the side as it seared his features. But then the thug's eyes widened as Datura's eye gleamed and he only grinned cruelly, madness dancing in his gaze as he hissed: “Yes. Hurt me as much as you can.”

His chains whickered and gleamed through the air, floating over him like scorpion tails and dripping with blood as he advanced slowly; with ever step he took, his emaciated body flexed as the world around him seemed to darken, and the alicorn fell backwards with a whimper as he scampered away until he hit the body of his friend, his eyes widening before he screamed in terror as the thug tried to weakly reach a hoof up, gurgling brokenly, his eyes rolling in his head as his flayed and filleted body twitched helplessly in the dirt.

The alicorn flung himself to his hooves, scampering around in a circle and bolting as his remaining thugs did the same, and Datura bared his fangs with an animal hiss before he lunged greedily- “Don't!”

The scarred unicorn stumbled to a halt, then he scowled darkly over his shoulder at Whisper as she leaned forwards, eyes pleading before she repeated in a quieter voice: “Don't.”

After a few moments, Datura nodded and dropped his head, closing his eyes before he took a slow breath. His horn thrummed, and his floating chains responded, clinking as they shivered together before slowly twining themselves back into his saddlebag, the stallion shaking himself briefly before he muttered: “Not worth my time, anyway.”

Datura halted, then looked moodily down at the wheezing, broken thug in front of him before he stepped forwards and grasped his head with one claw. He began to twist to the side, leaning calmly down, and then his eyes flickered moodily over his shoulder when Splinthoof stepped forwards and said sharply: “You're not killing him!”

“Even though he and his friends would have killed us?” Datura asked moodily, but the unicorn only glared at him until Datura rolled his eyes and stepped away, gesturing with one claw grouchily at the bloody, broken thug. “Fine. Let's see your idea of mercy, then. Angel, why don't you take a look at him and-”

“I have medical training. I'll take a look myself.” Splinthoof said curtly, glaring at Datura, who only glowered darkly back. And Datura snorted before raising his head and walking calmly back towards Sally and Whisper with a roll of his eyes.

Angel all the same strode over to help Splinthoof, but Sally was staring with something between amazement and utter horror at Datura, trembling a little before she blurted: “What was that?”

“That was a winged unicorn and a small band of wannabe marauders. Three Avatars, one impressionable idiot Trueborn pony.” Datura said with a horrifying casualness, waving a claw absently. “I hate that everyone calls them alicorns. I mean, I really do. It just bothers me. I don't even care if it's correct or not, it's anathema to me.”

Whisper sighed as Sally stared at the stallion, then she leaned forwards and shouted in a strangled voice: “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You've asked me this question quite a few times now. Do you really think the answer is about to change?” asked Datura mildly... and then Sally punched him across the jaw, knocking his head to the side as his eyes bulged with surprise.

He blinked a few times, then slowly smiled before his eyes flicked back towards her as Sally breathed hard in and out before she looked dumbly down at her hoof. Then she flinched when Datura reached up and snagged this before he pulled upwards... but gently guided it to his own face, holding it against his magic-scalded cheek as he said softly: “Do you feel that? That's a magic burn. First degree, skin damage. No worse than a sunburn... but that, of course, is because it's very hard for most ponies to concentrate while in pain.

“I know, I know. I attacked him, but let's not forget he had a knife, and he was threatening all of us. Even though he knew I was stronger, more dangerous, better than him, he still attacked me like a stupid animal. Not because of bravery, but because he was an angry little colt, lashing uselessly out at the big bad monster from under the bed.” Datura continued calmly, and then he let Sally yank away before he leaned down, glaring at her as poisonous light glimmered out from beneath the eyepatch he was wearing. “And you seem to forget that-”

“Datura. Hey. Calm down.” Whisper reached up and gently grasped his shoulder, and Datura grumbled but then slumped and nodded briefly, lowering his head with a mumble even as he gave her a sour look.

Sally looked uneasily between the two, suddenly all the more glad that Whisper was here... but maybe that was partly because she was afraid of the uncomfortable sense that Datura was making. Sure, she could reason and rationalize it away, but at the same time... “Look, I... I just don't think violence is the way to solve our problems.”

“I do.” Datura said mildly, holding up a hoof before he tilted his head backwards as Splinthoof swore angrily in their direction, the scarred unicorn asking dryly: “Did you realize that-”

“How could you maim him like this?” Splinthoof shouted with disgust, shoving away from the trembling body of the pony before he turned and stormed over to Datura, glaring up at him furiously. “Look at him! You flayed half his skin off, you... you tore him apart!”

Datura smiled thinly, leaning down and saying moodily: “Be glad I aimed to incapacitate him to make a point, not outright kill. Mostly because I don't think you could handle what real death looks like, little tin soldier.”

The smaller unicorn's eyes widened before he bared his teeth angrily up at Datura, opening his mouth... but this time it was Sally who stepped in, shaking her head vehemently as she snapped: “Look, there's no point in arguing over this! What happened, happened: Splinthoof, what can we do for him?”

The stallions glared at each other for a moment longer, and then the Trueborn unicorn grimaced a little and dropped his gaze with a sigh. “I... I don't know. Not much, I don't think: if we wanted to help him we would have to carry him to town or a waystation or... something like that.”

Sally shifted uneasily, and then Datura said distastefully: “He forfeited his right to this world when he attacked other people. I will admit that perhaps I'm a little... vicious and unorthodox, but I live by one simple rule: do unto others. He wanted to kick us out of this world? He should have brought a bigger stick.”

Splinthoof snarled at this, leaning forwards and growling: “You Avatars are disgusting. Murdering good ponies and good people and not just justifying it, but taking pleasure in it! Life matters, goddammit!”

“Not to everyone, and you should learn to accept that.” Datura replied icily, looking down at the stallion with contempt. “If they aren't going to respect my right to live, then there's no reason for me to respect theirs.”

“That's ridiculous!” Splinthoof glared furiously back at the scarred unicorn, shaking his head vehemently. “I get that you and your kind seem to love killing, and I'm starting to understand very clearly that even if we need your help, you're also murderous psychopath, but-”

Datura only scoffed at this, however, retorting: “You don't need my help, don't worry about that. Celestia and Luna could easily select another Avatar and train him as a Dream Weaver in about four months, tops... and what's four more months in this world, really? But I'm sure Celestia feels guilty... or even worse, like she has to make some great big stupid gesture because her own pride won't ever let her just once, just once, be wrong.”

Splinthoof opened his mouth, but Sally quickly held a hoof up between them and interrupted: “This isn't getting us anywhere! Look, if... if we can't do anything for him, we don't... have a choice but to make him comfortable here and to leave him behind.”

God, that sounded so cold, especially to her. It scared her, as a matter of fact, that she was making that decision, as Splinthoof grimaced over at her and almost looked betrayed... while Datura only measured her with his cold eye, studying her intently before Sally took a breath and looked up at him, adding quietly: “But I don't want you... doing this in the future. I don't care if they do want to hurt us or not. That's... that's not how I want to do things.”

Whisper smiled briefly over at the Pegasus Avatar, then turned her own gaze to Datura: Sally didn't think she was asking for Datura not to kill as much as she was asking him to try and get along with them, here and now. And after a moment, Datura dropped his head with a sigh before he muttered: “Fine. I'll try and be... 'gentler.'”

Splinthoof only scowled, then he gestured back towards the body of the fallen pony, saying darkly: “Then maybe you can help and... hey! Hey! What are you doing?”

All eyes turned with surprise to Angel, who was only calmly standing over the weakly-spasming body of the pony, one of her hooves pressed firmly down on the thug's neck. Datura spat some command in a sharp voice, but Angel only looked up at him and smiled kindly before she said softly: “I apologize, Master Datura, but it's too late. I was merely... giving him peace. I thought that was what you wanted.”

Sally trembled in disbelief as Splinthoof's eyes widened in horror before he stumble-ran to the pony... but even before he could reach the thug, the corpse of the pony began to dissolve before Sally's amazed and horrified eyes, the mare watching as it became glowing motes that floated listlessly up into the air before vanishing from sight.

“No, Angel! This is not the abbey or our territory, and you have to respect the decisions of everyone here, not just me.” snapped Datura, and Sally looked in surprise towards the scarred unicorn, trying to process what he'd just said even as some deep, fearful instinct in her body kept screaming at her to just run, run, run away-

Then Splinthoof laughed sharply before he spun around, shouting angrily: “And now you're suddenly going to be the good guy here, as if you... you haven't trained that Figment into being as murderous as you are?”

“What do you want from him, from us?” Whisper burst out, looking both hurt and more than a little angry now. “He attacked us! Those Avatars wanted to kill us, or do you not get that or something?”

Splinthoof shouted something back, and in moments, everything devolved into not arguing but just insults and threats, Sally unable to keep track of the yelling, the shouting, the swearing. All she could do was stare back and forth in disbelief, trembling weakly before she dropped her head into her hooves, covering her face as her wings spasmed at her sides.

She ground her head into her hooves, clenching her eyes shut, her whole body shaking as she felt malice and hate and anger and despair and pain and- “Stop it!”

Her scream was loud enough to drive several birds out of their roosts above, and all eyes immediately turned towards the mare, staring disbelievingly at her before Sally slumped miserably. She pressed her hooves to the ground, tears in her eyes as she hiccuped once, then looked up and whispered: “Let's... let's just get moving. It's done, I'm... I'm done. Let's just go to Canterlot so I can go home.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Datura grunted and shrugged moodily, turning away as Angel strode over to him with a nod. Whisper sighed, then mumbled something apologetically to the Pegasus Avatar, half-stepping forwards and reaching a hoof up before she clenched it, then gave a faint smile as she turned around to follow as well.

Splinthoof looked for a few moments at Whisper, then he dropped his own head as if ashamed. He politely turned away, clearing his throat as he sat with his back to her before murmuring: “I'll uh... I'll bring up the rear.”

Sally nodded silently, then she rubbed at her face for a moment with the back of her wrist, doing her best to swallow down her... her everything. All that pain and frustration and hating how she couldn't keep the group together, hating that she had been given this stupid mission in the first place, hating the promises she'd made and the fact she still felt compelled to honor them even though everyone was so stupid and selfish and hateful and this whole world was so... screwed up...

She didn't know what to think or feel: those ponies had attacked them, but Datura had been cruel in his response. Splinthoof had hounded and provoked Datura, but Angel had... had killed that Avatar while they'd all had their backs turned. Whisper had frightened her a little, but Whisper had also said both that it was a mercy... and pointed out they hadn't had a lot of choice.

This world of magical horses had been so sweet at first: even the freaks at Cirque du Noir had been so kind, and the carnival and circus had been so... so wonderful. Celestia had been so nice to her, Splinthoof had been like a brother, and Datura had been frightening, but not like she had seen. She realized now that she had no idea what he was really capable of... what any of these ponies or Avatars were really capable of, as a matter of fact...

She shivered and clenched her eyes shut. God, she wasn't prepared for this! She wasn't ready for this in the slightest, and everything felt like... like it was all going to come crashing down on her, at any given moment. She'd imagined at worst they were going to run into schoolyard bullies... for Christ's sake, this world was based around a cartoon meant for little girls! Why the hell was someone like Datura watching a cartoon for little girls? Or did he just get off on the thought of corrupting, of hurting the sweetness and the innocence and... and...

Sally shook herself violently out, then she looked uneasily up before stumbling to her hooves, her heart thudding painfully in her chest as she scampered past Splinthoof towards the trio waiting on the path ahead... but the moment Datura looked at her, she froze up, staring back at him fearfully.

Angel was smiling, and Whisper looked worried and uneasy, but Sally quickly closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe, fighting back against these... these weird, roiling feelings inside of her. This insane desire to just cut and run, this need to just... just...

“Let's go. To Canterlot. Let's get this done.” Sally whispered, and there was silence for a few moments before she hesitantly opened an eye as she heard a quiet crunching along the path.

Datura had turned around, and was striding moodily ahead with Angel, while Whisper lingered for a moment. The earth pony Avatar smiled briefly at her after a few seconds, biting her lip before she said softly: “Hey uh, it's... I know it's hard at first. Getting used to this world, getting used to Datura, and... everything else. But you will.”

She smiled a little again, then turned around and strode quickly onward as Sally bit her lip and dropped her head silently, not knowing how to reply. But after a few moments, she forced herself to take a slow breath before she whispered: “Okay. I... okay.”

Feeling like she had no other choice, Sally steadied herself as she rose her head, swallowing down her fear as much as she could as she followed these three strange ponies. It wasn't like she had a choice in the matter, after all: if she wanted to get home, she had to get Datura to Canterlot.

She just hoped that all of this wasn't a terrible mistake.

After a few hours of walking and uncomfortable silence punctuated here and there by even-more uncomfortable bits of conversation, Datura came to a halt, frowning down the highway. Angel simply stood by, smiling pleasantly, but Whisper shifted worriedly before she looked up at the stallion and asked him something quietly.

Datura didn't reply right away, shifting on his hooves as Sally nervously approached the three, feeling more and more anxious as that cushion of safe space between them vanished steadily. And with Splinthoof coming up behind her, she felt almost claustrophobic in spite of the open fields all around them, the Pegasus Avatar biting her lip as she looked uncomfortably over her shoulder for a moment: the last thing she wanted was another argument to start.

The unicorn was surprisingly civil, however, when he asked calmly: “Is there something we should know about ahead?”

Datura grunted, then winced when Whisper elbowed him before he sighed and glowered at her. But then he nodded briefly before muttering: “I'm not going to be a jerk. I said I'd behave for now.”

The scarred stallion turned around, shaking himself briefly before he said moodily: “We have a problem, yes. Up ahead is a patch of Crossworlder territory. If our luck holds, we should be able to get through without any trouble. But it's also very possible that we're going to run into trouble here. And Crossworlders are... how shall I put this...”

“They can be frustrating.” Whisper said, and Datura didn't look entirely enthusiastic about this descriptor, but he nodded briefly all the same. “They like to argue.”

“They like to do a lot more than that.” Datura grumbled, and then he shook his head quickly before he sighed a little and said finally: “We may be challenged, and... a lot of these Crossworlders like very specific narratives and act as if the world is just like one of their favorite animes or manga or video games or whatever the hell you please. It can be a bit of a culture shock when you walk in and see all these bug-eyed freaks and lolitas and little colts and fillies with horrific superpowers. And all the goddamn desu desu, kawaii!”

Datura grabbed his own cheeks, making smooching noises as he tilted his head back and forth with a vapid expression, and Whisper sighed as Sally only stared disbelievingly at the scarred unicorn. But after a moment, Datura suddenly became serious again, looking moodily at Splinthoof as he dropped his cloven hooves to the ground and asked distastefully: “If I have to... 'chastise' any of the ponies that get in our way, are you going to whine about it?”

“I'll ask you to try and avoid killing Avatars and ponies. Use discretion, not excessive force.” replied Splinthoof equably, looking fearlessly up at Datura. Sally admired that... and thought that even Datura respected it. “But... let's do what's necessary.”

The scarred unicorn grunted moodily, his eye studying the stallion for a few moments before he simply nodded. Then he turned back around before scowling grouchily up at the sky, muttering: “At least we'll be in the shade soon. All this sunlight is bad for me.”

He halted for a moment, and then his eyes flicked over his shoulder, studying Sally as she shifted nervously, her ears pinning back, looking fearfully back at him for a few moments before the scarred stallion said in a surprisingly-gentle voice: “I'm not going to hurt you, Sally. I might cut you a little, I might frighten you a little, I might make you think bad thoughts... but I don't hurt people unless they try and hurt me first. And you're not going to try and hurt me, are you?”

That sounded almost threatening to Sally, but all the same she forced herself to look up, to... to overcome this rampant fear eating its way through her body before she replied as steadily as she could: “I'll... I'll do what I have to do, Datura. We... I just want to go home. I'll do whatever it takes to get out of this world.”

“You don't like it here anymore, huh?” Datura smiled ironically, shaking his head slowly before he turned around and muttered: “Just don't forget one thing, Sally. Monsters aren't born. They're made.”

Sally looked uneasily after the scarred stallion as he walked on ahead with Angel, but Whisper hesitated before striding over to Sally, saying softly: “Look, it was... it was really hard for me at first here, too, and I ended up... I guess I can't complain, really.”

Whisper smiled briefly over her shoulder at Datura's back, and then she encouraged quietly: “You can do this. You're still you, and uh... I think it's really brave of you to be out here in the first place, considering you... don't even know anything about Equestria. I mean, I... I sometimes find it pretty tough out here, too, and at least I have a lot of friends who are really into ponies and stuff.”

Sally nodded briefly, looking silently over at Whisper: the Pegasus Avatar didn't speak, but she did seem to relax a little as the walked on in silence, the two studying each other for a few moments.

Sally didn't know quite what to make of this Avatar: she was bright and positive, but a little... reserved, at the same time. And there was something weird about her and Datura: not like they were lovers or anything, but there was obviously something else going on there, and Datura seemed to both... care about her deeply, but also acted like he resented her. Well, no, that wasn't quite the right word for what she was feeling between them...

“What's going on between you and him? Why... why are you friends with him?” asked Sally after a moment, and Whisper looked surprised by the sudden question: considering they had been walking for at least ten minutes in silence... “I... sorry. I just... I keep looking at you two, and... you're the only person Datura seems to actually listen to. Maybe even like. Well, except for... Angel...”

Sally looked apprehensively at the Figment: the ivory Pegasus scared her a little now, maybe even more than Datura did. The Figment just kept smiling, nodding every now and then to Datura as he muttered to her... muttered what? Was he scolding her, or was he encouraging her? Was he maybe...

“Don't be hard on her. Figments... bond to people. They tend to act in extremes, though.” Whisper explained, smiling briefly before she softened as she looked ahead. “Datura is... it might be hard to believe, but he's a good person. And... he never breaks a promise.”

Sally studied the earth pony quietly for a few moments, and then she nodded a little before turning her eyes back ahead. She could hear Splinthoof striding slowly behind them, but he was keeping a respectful distance... and Sally trusted that either way, he wouldn't try and listen in on their conversation. She felt a little... uncomfortable around him right now, considering how he kept arguing with Datura and stirring up more conflict, but at the same time... she trusted him, too.

The Pegasus Avatar watched the way that Angel kept deferring to Datura, and she thought she read... frustration, and maybe even a bit of concern in Datura's movements... but that could very well just be her imagination, too. Honestly, she had no idea what to think right now, and the fact they were approaching what looked like some kind of enormous forest, with two massive trees forming a natural archway over the path, as if they were walking towards a gateway into another world...

Datura came to a halt with a sigh, and he turned around to face Sally, who looked up at him anxiously. She felt her ears pinning back again even as she fought off the fear that wormed its way through her stomach, asking as calmly as she could: “What is it?”

“Since you're kind of the leader of this expedition, why don't you take point? It's better if any ponies we pass think I'm a Figment.” Datura replied with a shrug, and Sally gave a short laugh.

“I'm not much of a leader. And I don't even know where to go.” Sally murmured, dropping her gaze... but Whisper reached up and gently touched her shoulder with a reassuring smile as Datura only shook his head, looking at her with distinct entertainment.

“Just follow the main road. I'm sure that one of us will bother to tell you if we start going the wrong way: we're all sick of each other by now.” Datura replied dryly, and Whisper sighed, but didn't seem to have much of an argument against this, either.

Sally smiled briefly, looking up at the stallion for a few moments before she bit her lip. A new worry surfaced in her mind, as she looked past Datura towards the forest, her stomach clenching, her body wanting to quail away from the unknown danger... but then Datura grabbed her by the shoulder and firmly pulled her forwards, almost throwing her past as he said pointedly: “We'll be right there with you. If something goes wrong, just shout.”

Sally grimaced as she caught herself, glaring over her shoulder for a moment at Datura... but honestly, being angry at him instead of scared of him was a welcome change. And when he gestured at her pointedly, she sighed and dropped her head... then frowned after a moment, looking up at him uncertainly and wondering why he didn't want to guide them himself.

It was pretty obvious Datura was kind of a control freak, after all: he seemed to take great pleasure in treating them all like idiots and bossing them around. Even when he'd told her to go ahead so that he could follow, there was something very... commanding about it. Like he planned to follow behind her and judge her the whole time...

She grimaced at this thought, and Datura scowled at her and gestured moodily at the Pegasus Avatar... and then Sally blurted, not even knowing why: “How do you make other people think that you're a Figment, not an Avatar?”

Datura snorted in amusement at this, and then he shook his head and replied in a voice that managed to be both annoyed and vainglorious at the same time: “Not that it's any of your business, but it's because I've been here so long and I've... changed so much, in that time.” He halted, then became quieter, looking down at one of his hooves before he muttered: “Or maybe I should say it's because I've changed back...”

Before anyone could speak, Datura shook his head and cleared his throat, then he glowered down at Sally and added waspishly: “Besides, you're the one who wants to prove herself, right? Well, what better way than leading the big bad wolf right to the lumberjack, little miss red riding hood?”

“I'll lead, if you want.” Splinthoof said shortly, stepping forwards... and then he winced as he walked right into one of Datura's hooves, which shoved firmly into his face and held him in place.

There was silence for a moment, and then Splinthoof slowly bared his teeth before he growled: “Get your filthy, godless claws off of me, you monster.”

“Sure, bring religion into it.” Datura retorted, and then his hoof snapped apart into a claw that seized into Splinthoof's muzzle, making him wince. “And now it's a claw. Before, it was a hoof. There's a structural difference, you-”

“Stop it.” Sally said shortly: she was afraid of Datura, and she was afraid of pissing off Splinthoof... but she was much more afraid of what was going to happen if she didn't step in, which loaned her the strength she needed for the first push. And once she had the attention of both ponies and they only stared at her, she felt a bit more of her confidence returning, leaning up and saying clearer: “I'll lead, but that means you both have to listen. And no fighting! Datura, keep your claws to yourself, and Splinthoof, don't antagonize him.”

Both stallions grumbled, but then sulkily drew away as Whisper smiled over at the Pegasus Avatar, and Angel chuckled softly, lowering her head and saying softly: “You certainly seem to be developing well, Sally. I think in time you will be as strong a leader as my master is.”

Sally sighed a little, but then she gave Angel a hesitant nod, looking nervously at the Figment but trying... not to hold what the mare had done against her. Although maybe the fact that she had acted out of some unconscious need to please the stallion she was bonded to just made what she had done all the more frightening...

She shivered a little, then quickly pushed past all of the ponies, taking a slow breath as she focused on the forest ahead. She bit her lip, but forced herself not to look back as she said steadily: “Whisper, Splinthoof, maybe you should both walk up front with me, then. Datura, try and keep your head down with Angel.”

“I know what I'm doing. This isn't the first time I've been captured and marched across the country.” Datura replied dryly, and then he added moodily: “Just don't make me save you if something happens. Don't wait for them to kill you to start fighting back.”

Sally sighed tiredly and shook her head slowly, before she grimaced as Splinthoof opened his mouth to reply: thankfully, however, the unicorn seemed to catch himself before he could spit anything rude, instead clearing his throat before he said moodily: “You take care of yourself, and we'll take care of ourselves. Deal?”

Datura grunted in what was hopefully agreement, and then Splinthoof turned a brief smile to the Pegasus Avatar, adding quietly: “And maybe it doesn't mean much, but I think you're going to do a fine job. Just keep yourself moving and... we'll all follow.”

“Mostly. I'm not a lemming.” Datura remarked moodily... and then he swore when Whisper huffed and kicked at him, the stallion rearing and then stomping crankily back at her.

But it was easy for Sally to put her back to the bickering when she realized they were following her, even if Datura was provoking ponies in what mostly seemed like childish bids for attention, and Splinthoof kept grumbling under his breath, spitting short, cranky remarks every now and then.

It was better than it had been before, though: maybe they were just getting used to each other, after the shock of... what had happened. Sally grimaced a little as she peeked over her shoulder at Angel, who was creepily just floating along in the background like she always did, smiling and kind and dedicated and capable of things Sally had never imagined...

And she couldn't help but wonder: was Angel like that because of Datura? Or was Datura's control over her all that kept Angel from doing worse things... if she was a Figment born from lust, supposed to enjoy pain... what really lurked behind that always-smiling face?

Sally didn't think she really wanted the answer to that: so for now, she did her best not to think, instead just keeping herself moving forwards. She focused on the forest ahead as much as she could, looking up uneasily as they passed beneath the natural arch formed by the massive trees and biting her tongue for a moment; it really did feel like they were passing into a whole different world now.

Her eyes roved down, traveling back and forth, and she thought the plants and flowers sprouting here and there along the path all looked different from what they had seen so far. It was something in their shape that made them seem all the more... exotic. They had harder edges to them somehow, and a texture that seemed... alien compared to the rest of this world.

The Pegasus Avatar shifted a little, wondering uneasily to herself how she even knew that: how did she know this grass was too dark green, or these ferns had too many larger frills and leaves? How could she tell that these flowers were too bright in coloration, their petals going against the natural patterns of Equestria's wilds... when she didn't know a damn thing about Equestria.

She snorted a little as she shook herself briefly, and then she scowled a bit and narrowed her eyes as she muttered: “Guys. I can feel you all staring at me. Please stop.”

“Damn your horse senses.” Datura said dryly, and Sally felt an odd urge to try and kick him in the face. He really does make me feel violent. “I swear, give you one little bit of power and-”

Sally's ears swiveled forwards as she heard a distinct crackling in the bushes ahead, and she instantly froze up, her head raising high, her hooves anchoring firmly in the ground. The other ponies all immediately looked ahead, reacting to her instinctive freeze as the bushes rustled louder... and then a pony dressed in a blue uniform shirt fell out of it with a yelp and a thump.

Sally stared blankly as a second pony awkwardly wiggled out of the bushes to pull the first one back to his hooves, and then they both scurried quickly into the middle of the path. They were dressed in similar uniforms, the only difference being that one was blue and the other was tan: blue uniform had his mane styled into a horrible-looking bowl cut, while tan's was just a short, rough jumble that clearly told Sally neither of these ponies were part of any actual organization.

They were both earth ponies, at least, which made Sally feel a little more confident: sure, they were still amazing magical talking horses, but at least they couldn't shoot lasers at her or fly around or anything...

Then she shifted worriedly as the smaller, chubbier one produced some kind of rectangular object from his belt, flipping it open like it was a large cell phone before he began to look around, exaggerating his movements as he declared: “Captain, it seems that we have landed on a completely alien world... look, sir, they appear to be equine in nature...”

Datura groaned and dropped his face in a hoof as the taller, ganglier pony jerkily turned towards them, before his eyes widened and he thrust a hoof out, declaring: “You there! I am... Captain Dirk of the Federation! We have... come to your planet to... do... stuff!”

“Dude, come on, we just practiced these lines!” hissed the other pony, and the two earth ponies slapped at each other like children for a few moments before the phone-thing fell out of the one pony's hoof, and he groaned and hurriedly snatched it up, wiping it quickly off as he mumbled: “Come on, man, this thing is sensitive...”

Sally's eyes narrowed as her beleaguered mind finally processed what the hell was going on in front of her. She stared for a few moments, then looked over her shoulder at Datura... but he only grumbled and shrugged before looking down, muttering: “Takes all kinds to make the world go 'round, I suppose. Even people like... them.”

“We are... on a super-important mission for the.. United Federation of Planets!” blurted out Captain Dirk, nodding wildly before he gestured spastically at his friend. “I and my secret life mate, Mr. Sock-”

“That's not how he talks at all! Come on, dude, at least try and remember what we went over!” complained Sock, and the two glared at each other before they started to argue again... just as Sally finally managed to snap herself out of stupefaction.

“Seriously? Just... seriously?” she asked disbelievingly, and then she shook her head violently before she ground her teeth together, then snapped: “Hey! Spock and Kirk! We're kind of in a rush here!”

“We're not Spock and Kirk! We're unique fan characters, Dirk and Sock!” shouted back the self-proclaimed captain immediately, angrily shaking his hoof at her. “We're clearly our own interpretations and awesome and fit in the canon perfectly thanks to the fact we are actually descendents of Spock and Kirk who were transferred to the Equestrian branch of the Federation and underwent integration with pony society because it's become a rising power in the-”

“Can I kill them? Please?” Datura asked loudly, leaning forwards, and Sally sighed a little before kicking a bit of dirt back at the scarred stallion, who huffed at his and glowered at her pointedly: something she could feel very distinctly on the back of her neck. “I'm just saying what everyone's thinking. Even you.”

“I don't want to kill them.” Sally grumbled, although this was definitely not a distraction she appreciated right now as she slowly approached the two. Both earth ponies stared at her as she approached, and then Sally took a slow breath before asking calmly: “Is this the way to Canterlot?”

“We don't know any Canterlot. We are intergalactic space travelers on a mission of... of...” And slowly, the stallion paled as the other ponies approached, his eyes roving nervously between unamused Splinthoof and Datura. “Uh...”

Sock cleared his throat, then he lamely gestured over his shoulder, thankfully dropping the act as he explained: “We have a sci-fi convention to go to, but uh... there's a big Canon Camp checkpoint on the road past Anime Forest. All the Crossworlders are getting all riled up.”

“Oh, so much for never ever dropping character while we're in uniform.” said Dirk grumpily, and Sock glared at him before the tall pony grinned over at Sally, adding quickly: “I can get you in for half-price though, if you want to come with us! Or what about you?”

Whisper grimaced and leaned a little away as Dirk reached up as if to try and touch her, but Sally only sighed and reached out, firmly slapping the stallion's hoof away and making him whimper. “Keep your hands... er, hooves to yourself. So what's this about Canon Camp? Do we have to get past them?” She stopped, then looked over her shoulder nervously. “How are we going to get past them?”

Splinthoof grimaced a bit, then he looked hesitantly over his shoulder at Datura before saying slowly: “I suppose... we could use cloaking magic of some kind, or do it the old-fashioned way and go around...”

“Unless you're willing to spend a few hours blindly trying to push through wilderness and rough terrain where we'll be an easy spot for any Pegasus, I don't think so.” Datura said distastefully, shaking his head briefly. “I guarantee they'll have set up at a bottleneck. Don't underestimate how smart they are just because they're crazy fanatics.”

Sally shivered a little as both Dirk and Sock looked uneasily at Datura, and then Splinthoof said moodily: “Cloak and sneak it is, then. Have any infiltrated the forest?”

Sock and Dirk traded looks, and then Sock said finally: “I dunno... we uh... sort of thought you were Crossworlders, though. I mean, these two are clearly vampires...” Datura and Angel looked at each other. “And this earth pony is like a Pocahontas or something...” Whisper scowled. “And uh... he's Fred, from Scooby Doo.”

“I'm not even an Avatar! I'm Trueborn!” snapped Splinthoof, glaring at the pair of ponies, and they both winced backwards in surprise.

“Then why are you dressed like Fred? I mean, seriously, who else could you be with that necktie thing? Man, those are for nerds.” Dirk said flatly, and Spock gave a giggle-snort, both of them apparently completely missing the irony of that particular statement.

Splinthoof scowled as he reached up and self-consciously touched his neckerchief, and Sally sighed tiredly, dropping her head and wondering moodily if the whole walk was going to be like this. Weird people making weird assumptions about them...

But thankfully, after a moment Sock rose a hoof and changed the subject, asking: “Hey, can we walk with you guys? Just uh... you know. Just until we get to a camp or a village or something, anime forest is full of little communities, but out... these outskirts really aren't very safe. There's all sorts of weird Figments and ponies wandering around.”

Sally looked moodily at the two ponies, but then she bit her lip before glancing back over the rest of the group. No one really seemed to object, although none of them seemed exactly happy with the idea, either... so after a moment, Sally sighed before nodding briefly, saying finally: “Sure. The more the merrier, I guess.”

Sock and Dirk both grinned widely, and Sally sighed a little, only hoping that she wasn't going to regret this decision. Still, it didn't seem right to leave them alone out here, even if they were both annoying her already...

Splinthoof scowled a little, and Whisper shrugged as Sock and Dirk both started to ramble away about the forest and where they were hoping to go... but Datura only studied Sally inquisitively, a slight smile on his face.

The Pegasus Avatar interested him, whether he liked it or not: he was seeing more and more why Celestia had pounced on the chance to send her to get him. And what he hated even more was the fact that he was starting to actually enjoy himself: he hated his usual schedule being interfered with, but apart from a few little speedbumps... this was all proving quite enjoyable so far.

He knew the fun would end sooner or later, but for now, he was determined to try and enjoy himself... and he just hoped that Sally was smart enough to do the same, since he thought that when things started going downhill... she was going to find the spiral into chaos a whole lot less amusing than he would.