Chapter Eight: White Doves
~BlackRoseRaven

Sock and Dirk were annoying, but Sally quickly learned to tune them out, just like she always had her three idiot brothers who insisted on doing nothing but talking – or more precisely, lying – about their macho man antics, all trying to outdo each other until Daddy came into the room and glared at them, and they all turned into little lambs.

Now there was a thought: were ponies the only magical hoofers in this world? What about lambs, sheep... cows? Oh God, she hoped she didn't meet a magical, talking cow. That would ruin hamburgers for her forever.

She shivered a little, grimacing a bit at the ground: as it was, she didn't think she was ever going to be able to look at a horse the same way again... but the mare forced herself to take a slow breath before she shook herself briefly and rose her head, keeping herself moving slowly forwards, step-by-step down a road that had become surprisingly busy.

They had only been walking for an hour or so after finding Sock and Dirk, but it was like they had wandered into an entirely different world: the forest path branched wildly here and there in every direction now, and the flora and fauna had both become almost completely alien, with massive trees growing next to mushrooms the size of boulders. There were singing birds and monkey-like things that leapt happily around in the trees and lumbering but docile beasts that were peering here and there out of the trees... and what looked like normal cats and dogs, meowing and barking happily away as they either ran wild or peered out of windows in the strangely-shaped cabins that lined the road.

And there were plenty of ponies, too: a lot of them had ridiculous manes that were styled in impossible, gravity-defying ways, and there were a lot of leather trenchcoats and belts and spikes and really garishly-colored clothing. And pantaloons. Sally honestly could not understand why there were so many ponies in pantaloons.

She also got her first eyeful of ponies she guessed were Cloppers, considering the makeup, the provocative clothing, and the fact that one of them offered her fifty bucks for a 'hoofjob.' Sally did not want to imagine what precisely that meant, because she didn't think it was as obvious as it sounded, which only bothered her even more.

It was very strange, passing through a crowd of Avatars and Figments who were all so... so weird, made of things taken from different worlds and pasted all together in some weird and often nearly-ugly amalgamations. A lot of them had weapons proudly on display that they likely couldn't even use with hooves and four-legged bodies, and others had showy armor that protected everything except for their vital areas.

Here and there, ponies were proudly showing off powers that no pony should have: there one was grinning as he made electricity arc back and forth between his hooves, while an earth pony was yawning and floating in the air, pretending to look bored... but even Sally could see that it was taking all kinds of concentration. And what the hell was the point of being an earth pony that could fly, anyway, especially if it made you so exhausted? Why not just be one of these winged ponies and spare yourself all that trouble?

But from what she saw, most of this odd little community was interested either in looking cool or being part of a group of cool people. Still, plenty of them seemed friendly enough, and Sally would prefer the arrogant jerks to spend their time showing off their ultra-cool powers by juggling fireballs instead of chucking said flames at her face.

Then she sighed as Sock and Dirk tried to squeeze themselves between her and Whisper, Sally looking grouchily at the two as Whisper leaned uncomfortably away with a wince. “So are either of you from the moons of Iego?”

“I swear to God, if you're trying to flirt with me again, I will slap you.” Sally grumbled, and then she sighed before gesturing around them as they entered what seemed like some kind of market area, with vendors hocking their wares from stalls that lined either side of the dirt road. “Look, isn't this where you wanted to go?”

“No, uh... no.” Sock stuttered out, shaking his head hurriedly as Dirk nodded wildly... then winced when Sock elbowed him before quickly shaking his own head. “It's not safe here! Sure, Wall Market looks great and really cool and all, but it's run by the mafia!”

“Yeah, better watch out for Don Corneo.” grumbled Datura, and then he rolled his eyes before striding moodily away, Sally wincing and shouting after him as he plowed through the crowd.

Angel only smiled reassuringly, however, bowing her head and saying politely: “He'll return in a moment, darling, don't you fret now. And I hope this is not too rude, but... you do not have to be afraid of me, dear. I have no intent or reason to harm you.”

Sally shifted uneasily at this wording, swallowing a bit before she cleared her throat and forced herself to look back ahead, focusing her attention back on Sock and Dirk, who looked... nervous, she thought. But they weren't afraid of the crowd, that was for sure: all their attention was focused on them... “What do you two want? What are you really after?”

The two traded looks, and Whisper frowned as Splinthoof narrowed his own eyes before he gestured suddenly at the device on Sock's belt, asking sharply: “What is that?”

“Oh, it's a tricorder, mint condition, super expensive. It's the pride and joy of my collection!” Sock said hurriedly, nodding vehemently as he reached back and covered it with one hoof, giving a cheesy grin... and something about that all struck Sally as being... off.

“Can I see it?” she asked slowly, and Sock stared up at her as Dirk audibly whimpered, and the Pegasus Avatar narrowed her eyes slightly before she ordered: “Let me see it now.”

Sock bit his lip... and then he howled something to his friend before turning and bolting. He tripped almost immediately, nearly knocking over some Crossworlder in a leather jacket before he leapt back to his hooves and scurried away, while Dirk shouted after his friend and ran a moment later, as Sally watched with disbelief and Splinthoof swore and shouted angrily after them.

Whisper began to lean forwards... and then she blinked dumbly when Datura all-but-appeared at her side, plunking a set of cat ears down on the earth pony Avatar's head. “Don't bother. They were just flunkies, that's all. Canon Camp probably promised to let them live as long as they helped them track us.”

Whisper reached up and adjusted the cat ears on her head, looking pointedly up at Datura, but the scarred stallion turned his eyes away from her, becoming more serious as he said quietly: “Looks like here's your first real test, Sally. Are we going to keep marching forwards, or do we cut back and try to stay out of their way?”

Splinthoof frowned at this, then he leaned up and asked angrily: “Wait, did you know those two were spies? Why didn't you say anything? You put all of us in danger!”

“I didn't know until Sally figured it out, and you can't prove otherwise. I'm just seizing on an opportunity here that we should all be able to appreciate.” retorted Datura, leaning forwards moodily and narrowing his eyes at Splinthoof. “Things are under control. It's a little rude when you imply that they are not.”

“Well, I'm sorry I offended you.” Splinthoof retorted, glaring at the stallion before he grimaced at the crowd around them: a few of the ponies here were now staring at them curiously, and they were drawing more looks the longer they just stood here... “Look, it's too crowded here. Let's push through to somewhere safer before we make any decisions.”

Datura grunted, and Sally shifted uneasily before she nodded nervously... and she admittedly hated how even if Splinthoof was the one who had just come up with the idea and made the decision, they still all looked at her as if she was the leader. Splinthoof apparently expected her to somehow find a way out of these crowded stalls, before she frowned a little over at Whisper, and more, as she realized... “What the hell, Datura.”

“If you're jealous I can go get the rest of the cat for you. Just don't expect it to look so pretty.” Datura said dryly, and Sally glared at him.

“Please tell me you didn't steal those.” Sally grumbled, and Datura glared at her, clearly offended, which just made the Pegasus frown at him. “You have money on you?”

“Yes. I have a nice supply of bits, as they call their currency. Which is stupid, by the way. Bits has nothing to do with anything.” Datura paused, then muttered: “Well, no, that's not entirely true. It's both a stupid horse pun regarding a part of the bridle as well as a coin of small value. But that's a horrible way to frame it, if you're going for another stupid horse pun.”

“Do you know what I think is stupid? All the crap you Avatars drag into our world. Why are so many of you intent on wearing saddles instead of normal clothing?” Splinthoof retorted, but Sally ignored them for now as she looked back and forth at the vendors. “Why do you think it's fun to be dressed up in tack, or to have something shoved in your mouth so someone else can get on your back and jerk on it really hard?”

Datura started to open his mouth, and then Sally said suddenly: “Datura, I want you to buy clothes for all of us. We're going to go through in disguise.”

The scarred stallion stared stupidly over at the mare as Whisper winced, starting to hold up a hoof, but she was cut off as the scarred unicorn stepped towards Sally and glared balefully down at her, asking sharply: “Why should I waste all my money on you?”

“Because I'm...” Sally swallowed a bit, then gritted her teeth and stepped forwards, saying clearly: “Because I'm in charge, and as a Figment, you have to listen to me. Right?”

Datura narrowed his eye, studying her intently... and then he gave a slow smile before he bowed his head slowly to her in deference. Sally felt ridiculously proud of herself – and more than a little relieved that he hadn't just torn her to ribbons – before the stallion looked up and said pleasantly: “Then I'll go and get clothes suitable for everyone. Excuse me.”

“Datura!” Whisper called, and the stallion glanced over his shoulder at her before the earth pony hurried towards him, smiling awkwardly. She said something to him that was lost in the mull of the crowd, but a moment later the unicorn grunted before shrugging and walking away, allowing the other Avatar to walk with him.

Angel watched them go, smiling after them tenderly before her eyes flicked towards Sally, studying her as Splinthoof gazed with surprise at the Pegasus Avatar... and maybe a little admiration. It made Sally feel awkward to be under the eyes of both ponies at once, but then the unicorn reached up and rubbed a hoof along her back, saying softly: “I guess you really can keep him under control.”

“No, she can't control him... but she has earned his respect. And that is far more important.” Angel corrected gently, smiling and nodding to the two ponies. “But I can see why... you are a very interesting mare, Sally. You have a wild heart.”

Sally only laughed awkwardly, blushing and glancing away, and then she cleared her throat before gesturing in the direction Datura had gone, saying awkwardly: “Come on. Let's make sure he doesn't buy us anything too embarrassing.”

Unfortunately for Sally, Datura was apparently as cruel and conniving as she expected: while he had dressed himself in a simple, heavy cloak, and somehow heckled Whisper into a red, hooded cape with a black corset and matching leggings, he had spared no expense in making the other outfits as stupid as possible. Angel had a bonnet and a long, flowing dress with a high, old-fashioned collar and puffy sleeves, her face covered in makeup that made her look a lot more like the 'vampire' that she had been mistaken for by Sock and Dirk, while Sally was utterly disgusted by the fact that Datura had found a set of lanky overalls and a giant straw hat for her. And the worst part was that the straw hat was festooned with wax grapes and paper flowers and looked utterly monstrous.

And of course, Splinthoof was not wearing a white turtleneck, blue pants, and an ugly blonde wig that sat like a bird's nest on top of his mane. He had been the happiest of them until he'd been informed that he'd just been given clothes that matched his cravat.

“Why are you such an ass?” Sally grumbled as she adjusted the hat for the billionth time while walking, feeling her neck creaking under the weight of the horrid thing as they pushed through the crowd in their new clothing.

Datura only shrugged cheerfully beneath his heavy cloak, then he replied mildly: “It's not my fault he wouldn't accept returns or trade-ins. And hey, you're a farmer, right? I just wanted you to feel nice and comfortable. Anyway, you did have a good idea.”

Sally looked over her shoulder suspiciously at the unicorn, but he only smiled, and she realized after a moment that he really was complimenting her. He was actually, honestly complimenting her... and the mare couldn't help but lean back suspiciously before she asked slowly: “You really mean it?”

Datura only shrugged, then gestured calmly with his muzzle from beneath the cloak, and Sally turned her eyes forwards before they widened slightly as she saw several strange ponies pass... and she shivered a little as she realized after a moment who they had to be.

Canon Camp: they all wore plain green uniforms and bands around their forelegs with a strange, three-layered symbol on it. They looked... militant, in a word, but nothing like actual military: they were too cold, too focused, too mechanical. Sally had grown up in a family made mostly of farmers and soldiers, and she didn't see any of sense of brotherhood or camaraderie: they weren't being 'professional,' they were just... cold.

They shoved their way carelessly through the crowd, scanning the ponies around them as they kept in a tight square formation: the pony in the center of the group, Sally noted, had some kind of extra equipment on his back that beeped every now and then. She wasn't able to get a good look through the wall of ponies, though... and before she could turn to follow them, Splinthoof nudged her firmly, muttering: “Keep going. Don't give them a reason to turn around.”

Sally nodded, biting her lip as she did her best to keep her gaze focused, pushing their way carefully through a crowd of Crossworlders that was now roiling with apprehension. And then Sally flinched when a voice shouted: “What are we doing? Come on! Let's get those bastards and-”

The Pegasus Avatar trembled, fighting the instinct to bolt as she heard a sizzling sound and a scream before the voice was silenced, forcing herself not to look in the direction the sound had come from as Splinthoof muttered to her: “Keep walking, just keep walking... don't run, don't panic...”

But it was so hard not to: her legs trembled and she felt like she was almost stumbling into every second step, her eyes darting back and forth fearfully as she breathed hard in and out. She snorted a little and shook her head out, and then she felt both relief and inexplicable terror as she finally pushed out of the crowd and stumbled onto an open stretch of road, away from the safety of the herd-

What the hell, the herd? What the hell was she thinking? But there was no time to think as she tossed a worried look back over her shoulder, reassuring herself with the sight of the other ponies following behind her before she looked back ahead, gritting her teeth as she hurried along the stretch as fast as she dared.

After ten minutes or so, she finally slowed, wheezing a little and shaking herself briskly out before she dropped her head, muttering: “Christ. What... I thought that Canon Camp... I thought these guys all stayed in their own territories or something, w-why...”

“I don't know, and I don't think we want to stick around long enough to find out, either.” Datura muttered. He glanced back and forth, checking on Angel, then Whisper: but the Figment was as fine as always, and the earth pony Avatar only seemed a little winded, although she kept looking nervously behind them as she scraped one painted hoof against the ground uneasily.

Splinthoof laughed shortly at this as he looked over their shoulder: Wall Market was still faintly visible in the distance, and they could hear yelling and arguing, which likely meant they had escaped just before tensions had boiled over... “For once we agree on something. Look, we... we can't even be entirely sure they were looking for us-”

“We can't assume otherwise, either. They had a Scanner with them... which is stupid, because most of us are Avatars, but if they isolate our energy frequencies they'll be able to find us anywhere with that equipment.” Datura argued, and Sally looked blankly over her shoulder at the scarred unicorn.

The stallion groaned, but then he nodded moodily and explained: “Look, short version. Canon Camp wants to remain strictly 'canonical,' but that doesn't stop them from seizing things from other clans and reverse engineering them as their own. Which, again, they justify by saying it was taken from inter-dimensional visitors and is part of a sub-canon that will be discarded once they've brought everyone around to their way of thinking.

“Scanners are bad. Because some Avatars have very weird powers...” Datura looked pointedly at Whisper, who gave him a bit of a blush and huff in response, although Sally was too nervous to analyze what this meant too deeply for the moment. “Some of the clans took it on themselves to develop magic-powered technologies that would let them track other Avatars and sort of take an 'imprint' of them. We all have a unique energy signature, our biorhythms and... look, think of it this way. You're a finger, and that's a giant fingerprint machine.”

“That's very helpful.” Splinthoof said dourly, and Datura replied by allowing one of his hooves to snap apart into a claw so he could make a rude gesture at the stallion. But the unicorn only rolled his eyes, asking distastefully: “Let me guess. Giving a demonstration?”

“More like couching it in a way you can understand.” Datura answered with mock kindness, and then he dropped his claw and closed it back into a hoof, scowling a little before he turned his eyes back towards Sally, saying in a more serious voice: “Canon Camp has a lot of fanatics. People with very, very strict sets of beliefs and rules, people who need things to work a certain way, or they feel out of control. People who can be manipulated easily by those in charge. They scare me a lot more than even Crossworlders with post-apocalypse weapons and crazy mechanical upgrades do.”

Sally grimaced a bit, then she asked uncertainly: “What should we do, then? And why would they be looking for us? Is it because of...”

“Me?” Datura asked dryly, and then he sighed and shook his head, gesturing moodily over at Angel. “Maybe, or maybe her, or maybe even Whisper here. Although Whisper has to be nice to everyone. She's too much of a wimp to get into an argument with anyone.”

Whisper glared at him, then punched Datura in the side, but the scarred stallion only swayed a little before he grinned over at her even as she grumbled: “You don't have to constantly be such a jerk, you ass.”

“Yes I do.” Datura replied blandly, and then he returned his eyes to Sally, continuing: “Canon Camp wants everyone to come around to their way of thinking, by whatever means necessary, or to eliminate... 'problem ponies.' I doubt they'd go through all this trouble just for little old me, but... if they heard that there was a pony here who doesn't belong in any way, shape or form...”

Sally stared disbelievingly up at Datura, and Splinthoof grimaced before he said quickly: “We shouldn't assume anything. Besides, I'm sure that no one-”

“Yeah, right. Ponies and Avatars are great at keeping secrets.” Datura retorted, and then he turned his eyes towards Sally, saying in a colder voice: “Assume the worst, and get ready to deal with it. That's the only way you're going to survive these next few days. And don't help every pony you see: I hope dealing with those two idiots taught you that much, at least.”

Sally glared at Datura, opening her mouth to argue... and then a voice shouted with malicious cheer from just down the road: “Look at these buggers, will you? These little colts and fillies all look so lost and confused!”

The Pegasus Avatar looked up as Splinthoof stepped forwards, his horn already starting to glow as he shouted at the approaching ponies: “Stay back! We're on a mission for-”

“Princess Celestia, right?” asked the armored Pegasus in front, the stallion grinning coldly: His breastplate was lined with thick fur around the collar, and he wore a shield over one foreleg, with some kind of nasty, bladed bracer on the other. He had a dark russet coat and baleful, evil eyes that glared out from beneath his black bangs: Sally could tell, just from looking at him, that this stallion was a lot more serious than the thugs they had already run into on the way here.

His cronies were a lot nastier looking than the bullies that had accompanied the alicorn bandit as well: one was a unicorn wearing heavy plate mail that covered his body almost completely, with a heavy casque that shielded his face, while the other was a second Pegasus in lighter leather armor, several knives sheathed along his front limbs in easy access as his wings flapped eagerly, twitching as if he was fighting the urge to take to the air as he looked at them almost hungrily.

“Gosh, it's funny how many ponies think they can just drop the name of the princess, and treat it like a free pass! But this is a toll road, my friends, and you have a choice. You can pay the toll in money... or in blood.” The lead Pegasus said pleasantly, grinding a hoof against the ground slowly as he smiled and leaned forwards... but his eyes were cold and sharp, rapidly sizing them all up as he licked his lips slowly. “I think we'd all prefer to make this quick and pleasant, though. If things get ugly, Canon Camp might show up, and we all know how they like to butt into other ponies' affairs.”

Splinthoof stepped forwards, raising his head slightly as his horn glowed brighter before he said quietly: “Then maybe you should just let us pass, because if you don't, I'll send up a distress flare that will attract the attention of every pony for miles around. Canon Camp isn't fond of Crossworlders, but they're even less fond of... 'criminal elements' like yourselves.”

The bandit leader clucked his tongue at this, scowling a little across at Splinthoof... and then he snorted in disgust before saying contemptibly: “Now that is a truly low blow, my friend. I don't know if I should be ashamed or outraged. What do you think, Phage?”

The heavily-armored unicorn grunted... then suddenly snapped his own horn outwards, lightning arcing from the spire and slamming into Splinthoof's, making him rear back in shock before Phage snarled and snapped his horn down. The leash of energy cracked like a whip and drove Splinthoof face-first into the ground, but the soldier shoved himself back up to his hooves a moment later, swearing as he yanked savagely back on the chain of energy.

Phage cursed, but he was strong and the heavy armor added more than enough weight to make it impossible for Splinthoof to yank him off his hooves when he anchored himself: it left the two unicorns in stalemate, tied together by magic as Splinthoof's horn pulsed erratically, and sparks of energy and lightning sizzled over Phage's masking helm.

The bandit leader laughed after a moment at this, then he said cheerfully: “Well, look at that! Phage, that's just embarrassing... you're being put off by a silly little pony dressed up like a Crossworlder! And here I had such high hopes for you!”

Phage only growled in response, and the bandit leader grinned before his eyes gleamed as Datura stepped forwards, the Pegasus asking with interest: “And who are you then? Did one of these little girls dream you up, Figment?”

Datura shrugged off his cloak, tossing it aside as Sally looked at him nervously: sure, he had dealt with the other thugs easily enough, but these ponies... they struck her as being on a completely different level than the ones they had dealt with before. And Splinthoof was already incapacitated, and she didn't think she'd be any use in a fight...

Whisper was trembling as well, but Sally couldn't honestly tell if that was fear or anger, or a mix of both: her hooves were digging into the ground and she was leaning forwards slightly, looking like she was ready for a fight, either way. And Angel was only smiling and coy as always... but Sally knew by now not to trust that mask, to not let herself be fooled by the Figment's eternal calm.

“I live for the fight. Violence, pain and pleasure... all the emotion in the air.” Datura said softly as he reached up and pulled off his eyepatch... and to Sally's surprise, he shrugged off his satchels as well, smiling coldly as he tossed both the bags and his patch down on top of his cloak. “Tell me you dance. I love to dance.”

“Sure. I'll dance with you.” the bandit leader said indulgently, and then he grinned over his shoulder as the other Pegasus thug glared at him. “Knock it off, Scud. Maybe I'll let you have one of the mares if you behave yourself.”

Scud grunted as Phage snorted, but the bandit boss ignored them both as he turned his eyes towards Datura, studying him with interest. “Do I know you? Maybe we met somewhere, like say... the bounty list?”

Datura only licked his lips, ignoring Boss' comment as he set himself and grinned slowly, baring his sharp fangs as Boss frowned slightly, before the Pegasus said in a colder voice: “Alright, be that way, scarface. Let's see just how tough a nut you are.”

The scarred unicorn replied by loping suddenly forwards, zigzagging before he lunged at the Pegasus as his hooves snapped apart into claws... and then Sally's eyes widened in horror as Boss simply slammed his shield into Datura's face with a sickening crunch, knocking the scarred unicorn staggering backwards with a gargle before he roared and stumbled backwards when Boss slashed viciously across his shoulder with his bladed limb, sending up a burst of black blood.

“Well, we've struck oil!” Boss jeered as Datura staggered backwards, clutching at his shoulder, and the scarred unicorn snarled before leaping forwards... only to be savagely smashed backwards again by another blow from the stallion's shield, before a hoof slammed cruelly across Datura's face, knocking him staggering. And before he could recover, another jab slammed into the side of his head before Boss used his wings to launch himself forwards and smash shield-first into Datura's bad leg, knocking the scarred stallion crashing down on his side.

Whisper shouted as Sally gaped in horror at how easily Datura was being taken apart: he had been so fast, so cruel before... what was going on? And he was only laying there on the ground, bleeding and panting quietly as the Pegasus thug loomed over him, then slammed a cruel kick into his throat with one hoof, mocking: “What's wrong, tough guy? I thought you wanted to fight, but it looks like you're more interested in letting yourself get a spanking!”

Boss kicked the stallion savagely again, and Datura curled up slightly, gasping once before the Pegasus thug reached down and seized into Datura's mane with both hooves, forcefully yanking the stallion up to his feet. Sally couldn't repress a shout of wordless frustration and fear at the fact that Datura was just... was just letting himself get dragged around as he rose his head... only for Boss to slam a hoof into his face, then punch him again and again until there was a sickening crack as the bandit leader slammed Datura backwards with a haymaker.

The scarred, bloodied stallion landed awkwardly on his rump, barely catching himself with one claw as he wheezed weakly in and out, blood dripping from his face as Boss strode slowly forwards, saying coldly: “You know what I hate? I hate ponies like you. The ones who are all show, all talk... but I guess that's not entirely your fault, is it? I thought for a moment you might be an Avatar, but I'm guessing you're just a Figment after all. Guess one of those Crossworlders made you to look all mean and tough, but since I'm sure neither of them know jack about real fighting, you were just programmed to growl and snarl, right? You're all bark. You don't got teeth to bite with.”

Boss slapped Datura mockingly across the face, and the scarred stallion let his head drop, his eyes clenching shut as his horn sparked before the Pegasus thug grinned and reached up to seize Datura by this, yanking him up to his hooves again. Datura's eyes snapped open the moment he was standing, trying to slash a claw in from the side... but it was sloppy and slow, and the bandit leader easily blocked it with his shield as their eyes met.

They glared at each other, and the bandit leader grinned wider as he fearlessly met the scarred stallion's gaze, laughing at the way his broken eye swirled as his horn sparked weakly, light pulsing through the cracks in the unicorn's horn. “Look at you! So weak you can't even focus up magic... and look at all this gunk coming out of your corpse, it's like your body knows you're dead already even if you're too thick-headed to accept it and stay goddamn down!”

Boss slashed his bladed bracer down, hacking through Datura's chest and sending him stumbling backwards... but this time, the Pegasus saw more than a spray of thick black blood as Datura staggered drunkenly, then caught himself suddenly, standing stock still.

And Boss frowned uneasily as he leaned forwards, studying the white and gray dots that had come out with the black ooze, the... strings that were... squirming, twitching, before he looked down stupidly as he felt something on his hoof...

The Pegasus' eyes widened as he saw his black-stained blade was... was crawling with maggots. He shouted in shock, staggering backwards and trying desperately to snap his foreleg to the side, but they clung on tenaciously, wiggling over metal plates, burrowing through the cracks in his armor, biting in the soft flesh exposed between hoof and bracer.

The Pegasus' head snapped up as Datura gurgled, the stallion staring in horror as the scarred stallion rose his head and grinned crookedly, his head tilted to the side, his broken eye glowing hellishly as insects spilled out of his wounds, as... as his tight hide writhed and rippled with bugs, insects, maggots, hideous things moving beneath his skin. His jaws gaped open, and more, more vermin, more disease-riddled, flesh-eating, vile and terrible life spilled from his jaws as he said almost tenderly: “Thank you for the pain. Let me return your generosity.”

Datura snapped his head forwards, vomiting out a stream of black ichors and countless insects that splattered over the Pegasus as he screamed in terror, then shrieked in agony as he staggered backwards, flailing wildly in all directions, flapping his wings madly, his eyes rolling in his head as earwigs and flesh-eating maggots and countless monstrous bugs swarmed over his body, biting into him, ignoring his armor as they burrowed into his flesh, his mind going haywire with fear as he threw himself to the ground and began to roll back and forth.

And all eyes could only stare in horror as Datura simply smiled coldly: he was badly beaten and bruised, but his eyes were glowing with hellish light as the bandit leader simply... seemed to go insane. He was gibbering and screaming, flinging himself wildly back and forth, clawing and slapping at himself so fiercely he was denting his armor. One moment, he had been dominating the fight... the next, Datura had just looked at him, and the thug had started panicking like he'd lost his mind, screaming like something was eating him alive...

Then Datura suddenly leaned forwards and made an easy tossing motion... and the bandit leader's shrieks intensified as he began to grab wildly at his face; the shocked and horrified ponies only saw him uselessly hammering his own hooves against his muzzle, but Datura saw a panicking stallion trying uselessly to pull off a massive spider as countless other bugs swarmed over his body and devoured his flesh...

“Fiddlebacks leave rotting bites, you know. And one that size... would easily be lethal.” Datura said conversationally as his eyes glowed with psychic malice, making his words hammer through Boss' mind in spite of his panic. And the Pegasus' screams heightened as he threw himself back and forth, before the scarred, bloody stallion suddenly grinned and suggested mockingly: “You better kill it before it can kill you!”

Boss felt the giant fiddleback bite savagely into his features, and he screamed in agony as overwhelming pain tore through his body before he snarled in desperation, slamming his bladed bracer as viciously as he could up into the arachnid...

Datura only smiled as Sally stared in horror, feeling like she was going to vomit as she watched Boss begin to slam his own bladed bracer over and over again into his own face, hacking wildly away at his own features before he finally managed to bury the blade through the front of his skull with a sickening thunk. His whole body went rigid as he gurgled weakly, staring blankly past his own foreleg as his body quaked with agony... and then he simply collapsed backwards in a broken, dead heap, staring blankly at nothing as foam and blood leaked from his broken muzzle and crimson ran from his shattered, decimated features.

Phage and Scud both stared in horror at the corpse of their leader before the Avatar's body slowly began to dissolve, leaving only blood-smeared armor behind. And Datura smiled calmly before his eyes flicked towards Phage, saying mockingly: “Boo.”

Phage snarled, beginning to stand... and then his vision went black before something hideous tore out of the darkness, all screams and fangs. He yelled in shock, losing concentration on his spell and snapping the tether between himself and Splinthoof before he covered his face, shouting: “Illusionist!”

Scud swore before grabbing one of his knives and flinging it in a liquid motion, the weapon burying deep into Datura's chest... but to Sally's horror, the stallion only laughed and simply slapped it free, his eyes blazing with hellish light as he asked mockingly: “Is that the best you can do?”

Scud swore, then launched himself at Datura as Phage stepped forwards, preparing a spell... but then he was blasted off his hooves by a powerful telekinetic hammer from Splinthoof, who gritted his teeth before charging at the heavily-armored mage. Phage rolled sharply to his hooves, however, conjuring a whip of lightning from his horn that he snapped out the moment he leapt to his feet, but Splinthoof dodged to the side before he lashed his own horn out.

Phage cursed as a blast of force washed over him, before grinning and lashing his horn to the side... and blinking in surprise as he realized too late that Splinthoof had dispelled his magic... and that turning his head had only exposed-

One of Splinthoof's hooves slammed directly into the side of Phage's neck, the mage's eyes bulging beneath his casque as he stumbled to the side with a groan of pain as his whole body froze up. And before he could recover, both of Splinthoof's hooves slammed down on top of his helmeted head, driving him face-first into the ground with a tremendous bang in an unconscious heap.

Splinthoof turned towards Datura, who was laughing in spite of the fact that Scud was top of him, grappling uselessly with the scarred stallion as he glared hatefully down at him. But before Splinthoof could move to help or Scud could finally drive a knife into Datura's face, both of Whisper's rear hooves slammed viciously into Scud's head and knocked him crashing backwards.

The Pegasus twitched weakly on the ground as Datura sat up, then glared over at Whisper, snapping: “Hey!”

Whisper glared for a moment at Datura over her shoulder, then she kicked both rear hooves up again, hitting the scarred stallion squarely in the face and knocking him flopping backwards. He managed to catch himself before he hit the ground, however, glowering in spite of the black blood now dripping from his nose and muzzle.

Sally stared in disbelief at the... the battlefield, her body trembling as she looked back and forth over the ponies, stomping her hooves nervously as she felt a distinct... a tightness in her upper back, a flexing in her wings, and palpable fear running through her entire body as she breathed hard in and out. She couldn't even process what these ponies were saying anymore: she could only stare back and forth, at the blood, at the bodies, at the stained dirt where the bandit leader had fallen and dissolved...

And then Angel grasped her shoulder, and Sally twitched to the side, ears pinning back, eyes going wide before the Figment said kindly: “Don't be afraid, darling. We all die.”

Sally trembled... then leapt away from Angel, kicking up dirt as she bolted fearfully away from the ponies, whinnying and shaking her head wildly as she shot down the path. She heard voices shouting after her, but it only made her feel all the more panicked, her heart thudding in her chest, her mind telling her to run, run, run...

So Sally did the only thing she could do, and ran.

Her friends caught up to her some forty minutes later, on the outskirts of a small village. Sally had exhausted herself bolting here, and they found her leaning heavily on an old fence, rasping hard for breath and shivering weakly, her clothing torn and her stupid oversized hat missing.

She looked up with a mix of embarrassment and wariness as the other ponies approached: for a pony who had just been beaten to hell, Datura seemed oddly chipper... maybe even more lucid than usual. As a matter of fact, he walked right up to her, then reached up and rubbed the back of her neck in a gesture that was only uncomfortable because it was so soothing, Sally lowering her head quietly and closing her eyes as he said gently: “It's alright now. It's alright.”

She responded with a brief nod to the simple reassurances, then shook herself quickly out before Splinthoof asked worriedly: “Are you okay, Sally? Are you hurt?”

The concern in his voice touched her, and the Pegasus Avatar gave a hesitant smile before she nodded hesitantly, then dropped her head and murmured: “S-Sorry. I didn't mean to... do that. I guess I just sort of... forgot myself for a minute and uh... I ran. I just... ran.”

She laughed weakly, then shook herself out and stepped back, taking a slow breath. She saw that Datura had his sidepacks back on, his cloak stuffed in one, and Splinthoof was missing his wig... but they were still dressed in their silly outfits. Then again, those had almost worked, except... “Would... they have attacked us if...”

“They didn't attack us because they thought we were Crossworlders. They attacked us because they thought we were easy pickings.” Datura said dryly, and then he licked slowly at his split lip, making Sally shiver. “But sometimes the best way to win is by appearing to lose.”

“Christ. I don't know about that. Look what they did to you.” muttered Sally, shivering a little as she studied the scarred stallion... and god, his wounds were... creepy. His too-tight hide had peeled back slightly around the cuts like leather, and his blood hadn't just dried, but... hardened, it looked like.

But the worst part was the way that Datura didn't seem to be precisely slowed down by his wounds. Sure, the injury to his shoulder had obviously clipped a muscle and left him with a bit of a limp, but he kept shifting his weight onto it as if he couldn't feel the pain... or... maybe...

She leaned away from him, and Datura simply smiled at her before he tipped her a slow wink, reaching up and touching his own breast. “Let's just say that a bit of pain every now and then helps keep the psychosis away. We all have our... needs.”

Whisper smiled faintly up at Datura as Sally shifted uneasily and Splinthoof frowned. But then the Pegasus Avatar couldn't help but give a short laugh before her eyes roved towards Angel, asking quietly: “So are you imitating her, or does she imitate you?”

“A little of both. It should be obvious by now that she and I are very similar.” replied Datura evenly, and then he said in a quieter voice: “I think you could do with learning to be a little more like us freaks, though, Sally. I think you're turning feral.”

“Shut up!” snapped Splinthoof, and Sally was surprised by how angry he sounded as the Royal Guard glared up at Datura and leaned aggressively towards him. “Listen to me, there is nothing wrong with her, and the last thing she needs is-”

“What do you mean, 'feral?' Like... wild?” Sally asked disbelievingly, and Splinthoof winced over his shoulder as Whisper bit her lip and Datura only looked evenly back at the mare... and as always, Angel smiled her calm little smile. “Guys, please, what... what's going on?”

“You're not acting like a pony. You're acting more and more like a horse. A horse with wings, sure, but a horse nonetheless.” Datura said calmly, and then he gestured at Whisper, adding: “Ask her if you don't believe me. She knows all about horses.”

Sally frowned uneasily, and Whisper shook her head before she said hesitantly: “It's... I don't think I've ever seen it happen to an Avatar like this before, but I mean... you do see it now and then. It just usually takes a lot longer to set in, and happens after people start... forgetting themselves, I guess you could say.”

Sally's worries only increased, the mare frowning uneasily as she leaned towards the earth pony Avatar, and Whisper shifted a little before saying quietly: “Hey, look, it'll be okay, so long as you don't... give in to the wild part of you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?”

“This is fascinating.” Datura said positively, and Sally gave him a horrified, furious look as Whisper winced and Splinthoof visibly twitched with anger. “I wonder if Celestia knew this was going to happen: you're not accustomed to this world; to you, these are all just magical talking horses... and so that's what you're becoming, what your spirit is driving you to become. A magical talking horse, with all a horse's instincts.”

Sally's eyes widened slightly at this, her anger plummeting into the abyss that suddenly opened up in her stomach. Her breath caught in her throat as her mouth went dry, eyes flicking back and forth in disbelief before she whispered: “N-No. No, no, no no no. That can't be possible, that... that just can't be! It doesn't even make any sense!”

But the problem was it made too much sense, from what she'd learned of this world: that was why she didn't have a mark on her rump, that was why she moved so naturally in this body, it explained... everything. And Sally trembled violently as her eyes flicked back and forth, feeling that fear welling up again inside of her and that instinct to run even though she was here, with her herd-

Oh Christ. She clenched her eyes shut, grinding her teeth together before blurting out: “You're not my herd!”

Splinthoof halted stupidly in mid-argument with Datura, and even Angel cocked her head in surprise at what the mare had just said. And for a few long moments, there was an uncomfortable silence before Sally swallowed thickly, then clenched her eyes and asked weakly: “Am... what happens if I... if this takes over my mind? If I go home, will I... will I be...”

She opened her eyes, trembling and looking up at the stallion in front of her... and to her surprise, Datura was looking back at her with surprising softness in his mismatched eyes, the stallion studying her quietly before he leaned down and slowly licked up the trail of tears that had fallen, unnoticed, down one of her cheeks.

Sally winced a bit, flushing and lowering her head, and the scarred stallion shifted a little before he said grudgingly: “Look, if you end up dead or insane before we reach Canterlot, they'll blame it on me and I'll end up being executed. So we'll... find a way to keep you sane until we get there. Then... everyone will go home, and you'll be back with your precious family.”

Sally smiled faintly, glancing up and hating how the bitterness that seeped through Datura's voice actually made all of that easier to believe, the mare studying him silently for a few moments before she nodded briefly and lowered her head, murmuring: “Okay. I... trust you.”

Datura looked dumbly down at Sally, and Whisper gave a small smile, glancing up at him and saying quietly: “It's not hopeless, see?”

“You're... hopeless. Shush.” Datura mumbled, and then he cleared his throat before sighing and looking ahead at the village in the distance. “Let's try and get a bit of distance between us and any settlements, unless you want to risk bedding down in a hotel for the night. But if Canon Camp comes back through here, they're going to sweep every inn they come across.”

“Great.” Sally muttered, and then she frowned as her ears twitched and swiveled, the mare raising her head and looking back and forth uncertainly.

She had... sensed something. Not quite heard, not quite smelled, not quite seen... but there was definitely something out there that she was picking up on, all the same. She shivered a little as she looked back and forth again as the others looked at her, before Sally's eyes widened slightly as she looked sharply to the side, whispering: “There's someone watching us.”

Datura frowned , and Splinthoof turned towards the forest, peering back and forth through the ferns and trees before Datura snorted and said moodily: “Alright, look, now you're starting to just get paranoid, because-”

“I am very impressed that you have sensed my presence, young one!” called a patronizing voice, and the group of ponies immediately clustered together, looking back and forth as the voice seemed to echo all around them, derisive and contemptible: “Yes, I have been following you for some time... and I have studied you well, and seen what you are capable of! It is in your best interests to surrender to me now.”

Sally looked back and forth wildly before her ears swiveled sharply as she detected a rustling, and her eyes snapped upwards, leaving her staring in shock at the sight of a palomino earth pony standing calmly across the branch of a tree above. He was dressed in a long, flowing orange robe, and he had a long gray beard and mane that were both braided tightly back and secured by beaded ties, his expression cold and contemptible as he looked down at them.

And weirdest of all was the fact he was standing on his hind hooves, with one front hoof pressed tightly into the tree, the other curled behind his back. He glared down at them with sharp green eyes as they all turned their eyes up to stare at him, one after the other.

And then the pony suddenly leapt forwards and flipped once before dropping to the ground, landing smoothly on all fours. The palomino pony straightened in one sharp movement, then pointed a hoof at them, his expression cold and serious as he said softly: “You are all far below my level. I will not ask you again to submit yourselves to me, for it is an unnecessary kindness. I have been paid handsomely to retrieve you, after all, and the contract did not specify that you had to be alive.”

“Great, a bounty hunter.” muttered Datura, glaring at the pony before he stepped forwards aggressively, his body flexing as he asked in a disgusted voice: “So are you working for one of the factions, or were you hired by someone I pissed off?”

“I am not stupid enough to betray my client to you, Datura. But I was warned of your abilities, and I have studied you well: it is not out of respect that I keep my eyes down.” replied the bounty hunter fearlessly, and Datura gritted his teeth before he dropped himself to a ready position, narrowing his eyes at the palomino pony as his horn began to glow. “But I will tell you my name: Hidzume no Isshasenri, master of the punishing hoof technique!”

“Could you be any cornier?” Datura asked dryly, and Isshasenri snapped his head towards him... but his glare never went higher than Datura's hooves, and the scarred unicorn gritted his teeth. Smart. “Fine, Ishy. If you want to play that way, I'll play seriously. I've got plenty of pain to share if you're so eager for some of your own.”

Datura snapped his horn up, one of his sidepacks opening and his deadly, barbed chains rising high out of the satchel, twisting ominously back and forth in the air above his head as he grinned viciously. His body flexed, his eyes glowing with growing battlelust as Splinthoof winced and pulled Sally quickly backwards and away from the duel, shielding her with his body.

Isshasenri looked completely unperturbed, however, only giving a disdainful sniff before he said fearlessly: “Your silly magic tricks will have little effect on me, and you are a crude animal, fighting like a savage beast. Do your worst, but I shall end this with but a single blow.”

Datura snarled at this, then he stepped forwards and snapped his horn sharply forwards, one of chains cracking like a whip before it launched itself straight at Isshasenri with frightening speed.

But the earth pony simply leaned to the side, easily avoiding the chain as it thrust past before he seemed to all-but-vanish when Datura attempted to lash the chain to the side, the unicorn's eyes widening in shock and barely able to follow the palomino pony as he shot forwards, then leapt upwards and neatly flipped over Datura's head, landing behind him and swinging one hoof back to firmly pound down into the junction between shoulder and neck.

Datura began to turn... and then his fractured horn sparked once before both he and his chains collapsed to the ground, his chains twitching once like dying snakes as the magic rapidly faded from them and Datura groaning weakly, his body spasming uselessly.

Whisper shouted a denial as Angel's smile vanished into an expression of fear, while Sally could only stare stupidly. And then she flinched when Isshasenri suddenly straightened, standing tall on his hind hooves again as he swept his robes sharply back behind him with one front hoof, the other raising in front of him in a ready position.

Splinthoof stepped forwards, his horn glowing, but he was trembling a little as Isshasenri only smiled coldly and said fearlessly: “Please. With a single blow, I have interrupted the flow of the nightmare pony's chi. Do you really think that your simple magic stands a chance against my Shaolin skill? It would be better for you to give up this fight now. You are as harmless to me as an apple... and I am as sharp as the sword of the samurai.”

“Samurai originate from Japan. Shaolin originate from China. Great work mixing up your cultures, douchebag...” Datura said tiredly from the ground, and Isshasenri finally lost some of his arrogant calm, looking down in dumb surprise. “Or should I say, baka.”

Isshasenri snarled, then stomped savagely on Datura's face, the unicorn twitching once on the ground as his horn sparked before he growled: “I don't know how you're not paralyzed, but you can-”

Splinthoof snapped his horn forwards, and Isshasenri was blasted off his hind hooves with a gasp of shock, flying backwards as he flailed his forelimbs madly before he landed in a bellyflop on his face a short distance away.

Whisper leapt up to Datura's side, grabbing him and trying to pull him to his hooves, but the scarred stallion only groaned loudly. And then his eyes flicked back over his shoulder as Isshasenri suddenly rolled forwards and landed smoothly back on his hooves, shouting: “This outrage will not go unavenged! I will-”

“Angel!” barked Datura, and the Figment instantly launched herself at Isshasenri, without question or fear. She smashed into him like a cannonball, then drove both her hind hooves into his stomach as he reared back-

Isshasenri caught her by the legs and half-spun to throw her away, Angel landing on her back: but in a moment, she had rolled back to her hooves, her eyes cold and her face expressionless as she charged straight at the stallion again. At the same time, Splinthoof ran at the bounty hunter's back to try and catch him by surprise, but the palomino pony's eyes flicked over his shoulder before he reached out and snatched Angel out of the air when she tried to tackle him, spinning around and flinging her into Splinthoof like a cannonball.

They were both knocked sprawling before the earth pony shot forwards and then leapt up into a vicious double kick, but Angel quickly spun around and threw herself forwards, grunting as she took the brunt of the blow fearlessly. It knocked her crashing back into Splinthoof again, but she managed to twist herself to the side, only knocking him stumbling instead of plowing him over, and the unicorn was able to quickly slash his horn down and blast Isshasenri away again with another telekinetic hammer.

The earth pony hit the ground and rolled several times before swearing and flinging himself up to his feet, shouting angrily: “Fight with your hooves, you coward!”

But Splinthoof only grinned, straightening and catching himself as Angel picked herself up, then slowly strode forwards, her chest visibly bruised beneath her torn dress and one of her wings twisted slightly at her side... but the mare smiling all the same, saying softly: “I'm sure he would... if you would give him a reason to, darling. But you're rather... sloppy.”

Isshasenri snarled in fury, one of his eyes twitching before he roared and ran straight at Angel, slamming a hoof cruelly into her face... but she barely stumbled from the blow, smiling calmly as she let herself be knocked back and forth until Isshasenri foolishly tried to drive his hooves into her stomach... and she immediately seized him by the face, grinding her hooves painfully into his eyes and making him howl in pain until he finally shoved her away.

He stumbled backwards, blinking and half-covering his eyes... and Splinthoof tackled him, shoving him down onto his back before he drove a hoof down into the bounty hunter's face, bloodying his nose and muzzle. Isshasenri was quick and slippery, however, rolling to get his rear hooves up under Splinthoof's body and kicking savagely into his stomach to knock him in a sprawl with a gasp.

But the earth pony was starting to falter and weaken, swearing under his breath, his eyes swollen and bruised, bleeding from the mouth and nose. He was angry, too, and it was throwing him more and more off balance as he charged for Splinthoof... only for the unicorn to quickly create a magical barrier that the earth pony smacked almost comically into.

As the two continued to distract him, Sally and Whisper tried to drag Datura to his hooves: the scarred stallion was only shivering, however, unable to move his limbs, his body still paralyzed by the precise blow. They dropped him for at least the third time and Datura twitched before he gritted his teeth, then hissed: “Hurt me.”

Sally stared down at him in disbelief, but Whisper shook her head vehemently, retorting: “No, I know what you're thinking and we can't!”

“Yeah, because I'm sure Angel and Splinty can deal with an assassin on their own. Just wait until Angel lets him beat on her until he dies of tiredness, that'll be real great. And Splinthoof won't kill an Avatar. But that Avatar needs to be killed.” Datura said coldly, gritting his teeth. “Hurt me!”

Whisper trembled, then she rose a hoof and hesitated as Sally stepped backwards, her eyes wide, fear thudding through her chest before Datura's eyes rolled towards her, the stallion saying in a whisper: “Sometimes, if you want to save the people you care about... you have to be willing to endure a little bit of pain for it. Hurt me. Give me strength.”

Sally trembled, then flinched when Whisper drove a hoof down into Datura's face, the stallion twitching before his horn lit up and he grinned, closing his eyes. Whisper hit him again, gritting her teeth as she drove her hoof down into his wounded shoulder, and the stallion twitched as the glow around his horn grew stronger.

But before the earth pony Avatar could hit him again, Splinthoof gave a shout, distracting them all... and then Datura's eyes widened in horror as he saw Isshasenri had seized Angel around the neck, and was choking her. The Figment struggled, shaking herself back and forth, her eyes wide with fear as the earth pony snarled and kept her on her her rear hooves, tightly pulled back against his body as he shielded himself with her at the same time.

“No! Angel!” Datura shouted, the stallion staring in horror as the Figment looked towards him, reached a hoof out towards her master as if he could save her, as if pleading for help... and then Isshasenri cruelly twisted to the side, snapping the Figment's neck before he threw her limp body aside.

Isshasenri smiled contemptibly as he spat a bit of blood to the side, and then his eyes flicked towards Splinthoof as the unicorn charged pointlessly at him, roaring in fury. But with ease, the bounty hunter stepped forwards and savagely drove his elbow down into Splinthoof's skull, knocking him to the ground in a limp heap.

Then Isshasenri frowned in surprise, eyes flicking towards Angel's corpse as it glowed brightly before starting to dissolve, and the stallion smiled in disgust again after a moment, saying contemptibly: “Of course. A Figment bodyguard. I should have known as much... you coward, hiding behind a worthless mare. I did you a favor.”

Datura's eyes blazed as he glared furiously at Isshasenri, but the earth pony simply sniffed disdainfuly before his eyes flicked towards Whisper and Sally, saying softly: “And now, two last mares to remove from this world... or should I take care of this gelding first?”

His eyes flicked down towards Splinthoof before he stepped forwards, slowly crushing the pony's head beneath one hoof, Splinthoof moaning weakly... and Sally felt something inside her snap before she screamed and charged straight at Isshasenri with tears in her eyes. “Get off him, you bastard!”

The bounty hunter smiled coldly, arrogantly, watching as the mare charged before he slipped out of the way when she tried to pounce on him, seizing her mane as she passed before flinging her down into the ground. Then he stomped cruelly onto her stomach, turning his full attention towards her as she coughed blood... and completely missing Whisper jumping forwards and seizing one of Datura's chains before she snapped it savagely upwards.

The spiked chain hammered into the side of the bounty hunter's neck, the sharp links wrapping tightly around his throat as his eyes bulged in shock before he gargled as Whisper yanked to the side, tears in her eyes and a snarl on her face. Isshasenri stumbled stupidly, and Sally didn't even realize what she was doing before she did it, leaping forwards and tackling the assassin backwards as Whisper yanked on the chain with all her strength.

There was sickening snap and a horrible ripping sound as Isshasenri screamed, blood bursting from his jaws and his throat as the chains ripped viciously against his neck as it whiplashed at the same time. And the next thing Sally knew, all she could smell was copper, and all she could feel was a wet, slick heat running down her face, and there was a dead weight crushing down on top of her body.

And then, there was only darkness.