“The forest is so beautiful like this…” Flitter smiled lightly as she trotted next to Jack; who carried most of the bags from the market. In response he rolled his eyes and readjusted his grip in the bags. Near-fresh powder crunched and squished under their hooves and feet, and those few remaining forest creatures that hadn’t gone into hibernation scampered and flitted about as they squeaked and chirped. They’d taken a different trail in, in hopes of avoiding the manticore corpse. Chancing a second glance up at Jack and away from the trail, Flitter found him looking around slowly; the faintest hint at a serene smile tugging at the edges of his bearded features. Suppressing a welling feeling inside her chest, Flitter returned her gaze to the trail and kept it locked forward until they reached his abode.

Placing the bags down on the stone floor, Jack rolled his wrists and rubbed at them to regain feeling. Without much pause, Flitter stretched out next to him, and started putting away what she could. Her ears flicked at the sound of his PDA ticking away as he typed.

“So, what did you get me?” He plopped down on the smooth log next to her and peered over her shoulder.

Glancing back over at him, she smiled lightly and showed him. “Well, I got you some produce, some bottled water, some ‘human’ vitamins…” She placed the items aside and stared at the next two items. “I um… got you a new hat, I’ll um….. heh, I’ll understand if you don’t like it. I saw it and I thought it was really cute and I kind of bought it on impulse, so I’ll understand if you don’t-” She winced as he reached over and grabbed the gaudy orange and yellow knit hat by the tassels and held it up. To her complete surprise, he grinned broadly and laughed happily as he tugged it on and pulled it tight. Flitter grinned and squee’d as she looked over at him. “You like it?”

He batted one of the orange tassels over his shoulder and nodded. “How's it sit? Pretty cunning, don't you think?” He ruffled her mane lightly, before scratching between her ears. “What’s the second thing?”

Ripping open the packaging with her hooves, Flitter whipped out a skinny length of dried pseudo-meat. “Treats!” She grinned broadly and looked back toward him; her smile faded slightly when she did. Jack sat on the edge of the log, hands on his knees and his eyes wide. He sat stock still, not a single muscle did so much as twitch as his eyes remained locked onto the treat. “Jack?” Flitter furrowed her brow a bit, but kept up her smile. “Is-” She paused, and peered forward at him. The mist of magic swirled inside his eyes; little hearts within a swirling pink and green. Flitters mouth fell open in shock; she jerked the package out of the bag and scrutinized the wrapper. “Want it Need it Treats! Oh… DAMMIT!!” She slapped her forehead and groaned. “Flitter you dummy! Crap!” She cursed herself out, before glancing back at Jack. He cocked his head like a puppy; his eyes remained locked on the prize. Perking a brow, Flitter lifted the treat up, only to have him follow it. A small smile crossed her features for a moment as she held the treat up. “Sit.” She giggled as he plopped down onto his haunches as ordered. “Umm… Roll over!” Her giggle became an enthused laugh as he slowly rolled over as per her order. “Speak!”

Jack immediately made the attempt; all that came out was what looked and sounded to be horribly painful hacking and coughing. He continued to try and speak, only to sound as if his throat were being ripped out. Waving her hooves about, Flitter winced at the sound. “Stop! Stop, it’s okay, you don’t have to…” She winced at her own stupidity, before turning away from him to look at the package again. “Enchanted to ensure complete obedience in stubborn humans and instill loyalty. Please use caution when using Want it Need it Treats, as humans are often unpredictable, and sometimes react adversely to magic. Huh…” A blast of hot breath on her neck suddenly reminded her that she wasn’t alone, and that she’d been waving the treat around. Jack was almost on top of her; his body radiated warmth all around Flitter. Feeling something press against the small of her back, a burning blush spread across her entire face and her wings grew stiff as she recited the words in her head. Enchanted to ensure complete obedience in stubborn humans. They’re… sex treats… Flitter giggled nervously, before whimpering quietly as her stiff wings ached for attention. Now his body was pressed fully against hers; the warmth, musk, and pressure between them created a very real, stiff problem. Swallowing thickly, Flitter failed to hold back a full body shiver as his hands slowly pushed over her back and across her barrel; the calloused fingers digging electric furrows across her coat. Oh… oh wow… She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment to revel in the feeling. This is amazing… No, nonono, this, this is wrong… he doesn’t have a choice, I can’t do this… only a coward would force something like this with magic. Prying herself away from Jack’s heated form, she all but jammed the meaty treat into his mouth.

Now suddenly off balance, Jack fell over the log onto his back and let out a grunt-squawk of surprise. He sat up immediately, a look of utter shock and complete confusion was etched into his features;the treat hung halfway out of his slack-jawed mouth like a square tongue. His eyes flicked up from his own body to Flitter; his brows arched in worry and confusion.

Cringing inwardly, Flitter offered him a hoof up. “I’m… I’m really sorry Jack, I thought they were normal treats but they’re not and I’m so stupid!” She pressed her hooves against her temples and squeezed.

“What happened? I don’t remember.” Jack set down the PDA and chewed idly on the treat, but his brows remained knitted in confusion. One of his hands drifted to his throat, which he rubbed gently; a look of squashed pain crossed his features for a scant moment.

“You… don’t?” A wave of relief washed over Flitter as he shook his head. Stuffing the package into her hoodie pocket, Flitter forced a broad smile. “Well, um… let’s just pretend that nothing happened, alright?”

“Okay.” Flitter had the feeling that his real answer was more drawn out and distrusting, but the appearance of his smile did wonders to dispel her worries. “So was the jerky the second thing? I think I missed that part. Thanks.” He pulled idly at his orange hat tassels and chewed as Flitter nodded in response. She watched as his eyes drifted down for a moment; he shifted uncomfortably and reached down to readjust the crotch of his fatigues. He coughed lightly, before clapping his hands together, startling Flitter out of her short daydream. He shucked out of his upper fatigues and started swinging his arms about to get them stretched. Sighing in realization, Flitter joined Jack for his morning fitness routine.

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Stationed high up in the tree tops, Field Note prepared himself mentally for the task that lay ahead of him. “Okay Fieldy… Okay okay… you can do this! This may be the biggest break of your entire career…” He swallowed nervously and shuffled in agitation. “All you have to do is talk to a mare. And… possibly come face to face with an intelligent human, who has proven a propensity for extreme violence… Oh sweet Goddesses, please give me strength!” He groaned in self-pity as his gaze fell onto his notes. “It’s alright, I can do this.”

As if to test his own self-assurance, the very mare he was looking for popped into view. She trotted forward for a moment, before casting what appeared to be a longing look over her shoulder at the spot in the brush she’d appeared from. Lifting his note pad up, Field Note spoke quietly. “It appears that the anomaly has an established territory. I am loath to believe that I missed something so obvious. Upon close inspection, there is very obviously a well defined perimeter that circles this particular area. To an untrained eye it would be practically invisible, but one can see the faint outlines of what appears to be a patrol path, and possibly boundary markers. This theory can be given weight by the humans mare, who seems to hesitate at the border.” He took a deep, calming breath before placing his notepad back into his little knapsack. His talisman granted wings flexed, and sent him off ahead of the mare. Dropping down onto the snow covered trail, he had just enough time to dispel the wings as the mare rounded the bend and spotted him.

Stopping almost immediately, she eyed him up and down; suspicion blatantly apparent on her soft features. Field Note swallowed and started trotting toward her. He cleared his throat, and spoke. “Excuse me, miss? Can I talk with you for a minute or two?”

To his chagrin, she shook her head and tried to skirt around him. “Sorry, I have to get to work soon. Excuse me.”

Having successfully skirted around him, Field Note watched as the mare started to trot away a bit faster. He bit his cheek and spoke the exact words that Flitter didn’t want to hear. “I know about your human.”

____________________________________________________________

About ten minutes after Flitter had left his cozy hovel, Jack was up and about; a mission on his mind. Tugging his new hat over his ears, Jack shouldered his light pack and set off out the door. Taking the path that he and Flitter had taken earlier that morning; he kept his ears pricked and his eyes peeled. His heavy mechanical boots sent tufts of snow flicking out before each step; his exo-skeleton clicked and whirred quietly as it mirrored his movements perfectly.

Within a few minutes, he reached a spot where the trail was heavily disturbed; the place where the manticore had ambushed them. His eyes scanned over the spattered blood and bits of blown out grey matter. The body was nowhere to be found, save for the severed scorpion tail, which sat in the bushes where it had fallen. Quirking a brow in curiosity, Jack moved forward on the trail; a blatant path was marked where the feline corpse had been dragged off to places unknown. He crouched down, and peered closely at the marks in the snow; within were barely noticeable human footprints under the drag marks. Jack smiled to himself as he adjusted his bag and flexed his fingers as he started to follow the newly created path.

Droplets of coagulating blood flecked the path; the crushed snow was marred with small pools of it, marking where the scavengers had stopped for a breather. The butt stock of his rifle found its way into the familiar nook of his shoulder; the weapon held at a low ready in case of trouble.

He came across the remains near the edge of his territory.

The manticore had been stripped, literally. Fur and flesh had been flensed away, leaving the starch contrast of ivory bones and glimmering blood against the snowy forest. He slowly circled the remains, noting how the guts had been dragged off to the side so as to not spoil the meat or fur during harvesting.

Smart.

Resting on his haunches, he pulled out his PDA and cross-referenced his location to the marked point of the ‘nomad’ encampment. With a small frown, he stuffed the device back into his chest rig and pulled out a small tin in its stead. Opening it revealed the earth-tones of camouflage face paint and a small mirror. Jack quickly covered up his pale, gaunt features with a smattering of forest colours set in no particular pattern. Picking up where he’d left off, Jack carried on through the brush and snow; his movements smooth and sure. Like a wolf, he stalked up upon the human encampment. Calling it an encampment was a serious exaggeration. Several nude people could be seen huddling underneath a massive fur pelt; not as many as he’d originally seen, but still a good portion of the group. Going prone within the cover of the bushes and snow, Jack scanned the group with bated interest. Spotting the youngest child, he narrowed his eyes and looked for his caretaker. Yeah, there she is. Can’t be more than twenty six, kid looks to be about fourteen-ish? They all look pretty young, come to think of it. He furrowed his brow lightly in thought as he tried to recall every equestrian human he’d seen so far. His brow furrowed even further in curiosity and worry as all the pieces clicked into place. They’re all young. Late twenties at the most. God, am I the oldest human in this place? I haven’t seen a single one with grey hair. Wait, shit, do I have grey hairs? I fucking better not.

His eyes fell back onto the young woman from earlier that day. She was a slight thing, with what would be considered a slim pear body type. Her black hair was long and matted into tangled dreadlocks; not unlike the other humans that were in the group. She had a more sickly, whippet-esque girl seated in front of her. The older woman picked at the smaller girls hair, seemingly picking out twigs and thorns. Jack shifted in place, and let out a muted breath as his eyes flicked over the group. His eyes immediately flicked back when the dark haired woman perked up, and sniffed at the air like a hound. She quirked her features oddly, before getting up to her feet. The younger girl chirped quietly, as if to question the older woman. A short click silenced the questions; her nose going up again to sample the air once again. It was at that point that Jack realized that a slight wind was blowing at his back; almost at the same moment that the dark haired woman’s eyes locked onto the very bush he was using as cover.

A smarmy smirk spread across Jack’s features as he slowly rose. That’s it, you caught me. He rose to his full height, causing nearly the entire group to recoil in primal suspicion of the newcomer. Letting his rifle rest in its sling, he raised both hands in a placating manner as he stepped to the edge of the tiny clearing. All save for the dark haired woman pulled back. She approached slowly; a quiet, questioning chirp escaping her thin lips as she drew near. Lowering his hands, Jack in turn looked over the short woman; he felt the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The woman leaned in and chirped curiously; her bright eyes searching his features for something. This works on Flitter, so maybe…? Jack slowly lifted his hand up, causing the woman to flinch a bit and eye the hand with open curiosity. Seeing as how his exo-skeleton plugged into it, there was little wonder why. Once the woman was calmed toward the presence of his hand, he moved it forward, and rested it on top of her head. The woman squawked in alarm, and went to pull away, before his fingers started to move. Working deep into the dirty scalp, Jack slowly scritched the woman as he would Flitter. The woman cooed softly, and thumped her head against his chest. She started rubbing her face against the coarse fabric of his sweater; the tandem feeling of the fabric and his fingers causing her to mewl quietly in pleasure. The rest of the group edged forward, ever curious as to what was going on.

The stance of the group immediately shifted from one of curiosity, to one of fear; a split second later something massive and muscular slammed into Jack’s back. Pitching forward; he propelled himself into a rough roll and a snap turn that saw the muzzle of his rifle pointed between the pecs of Mr. Universe. The Alpha chuffed and snarled at him, flecks of foam and spittle spattering out from his lips. The curious woman backpedaled from the center of the conflict; she made sharp chirps and snaps at the snarling Alpha, but they went unheeded.

You want a piece of me, punk? Okay.

Unslinging his rifle and pack, Jack set them down gently on the snow, before rising to his full height and bringing his curled fists up for a defensive stance. His strike plates disengaged, leaving his knuckles open to the air. The alpha stamped hotly and snarled at him once more, before charging. The Equestrian human easily outweighed him; had the height advantage, and the home ground advantage, but it lacked where it mattered most. The alpha closed the distance, it’s arms spreading wide to catch him in a tackle. With cybernetic assistance, Jack easily bounced out of the way, letting the alpha crash into the snow. Without pause, the alpha lept up and roared; It’s roar was cut short when Jack’s arm wrapped around his neck, and his left arm was snatched up roughly. Using his right leg as a pivot, he used the other man's weight and brought him hurtling down to the ground with a powerful hip toss. The arm popped from its socket from the sudden, violent change in momentum; its owner had enough time to widen his eyes in fear before he hit the ground. In the blink of an eye, Jack had scrambled on top of his startled opponent and slid into high mount to pin his burly arms down. The first hammer-fist strike smashed into the orbital bone, causing a hairline fracture, even as skin split and bright crimson gushed forward. The second impacted his temple; the third spread the orbitals hairline fracture and impacted the soft tissue of the eye. A savage exo-skeleton driven hook dislocated the alpha’s jaw so badly that his mouth was forced open into a permanent lopsided blood filled ‘O’. Jack barred his teeth and grinned ear to ear as he brought his augmented fists down again and again and again onto the alpha’s head. Finally, once his opponent flopped limply with every strike, Jack grabbed him by both sides of the head and lifted his battered skull off the ground. He then roared into the alpha’s bloody face; the man's one semi-good eye widened in instinctual fear as Jack’s canines were barred and a bestial roar sounded out mere inches from his ruined face.

All the anger, all the hatred, all the feelings of betrayal bubbled up in a split moment; Jack saw nothing but red and a poor facsimile of the face that belonged to the man Elissa was sleeping with. Boiling fury overcame him, seeing his enraged bellow turn into a skin crawling blood raged howl. His lungs burned, and his entire body flushed red as he vibrated. He sneered down at the whimpering excuse he held in his hands, before slamming his forehead down onto the bridge of the other man's nose. The result was a vicious crunch as nasal cartilage gave way and the alphas head snapped back like a speed bag. It didn’t come back up.

Releasing the bloody mess of a man, Jack wiped under his nose with a bloody hand, before standing up. His eyes snapped up at the sight of movement, and his fists tensed as if aching for something else to break. They began to pulse sharply; he wasn’t entirely sure where the alphas blood stopped and his own began. Through the brilliant scarlet, he could see the ivory of three of his knuckles poking through ruined skin. The rest of the group stared back at him; it seemed that several other large men had rejoined, but they made no move to approach. Jack’s eyes flicked over each face, scanning for something, anything.

Anybody else?

_______________________________________________________________

Ice water flooded through Flitters veins as she stared at the strange stallion who stood before her. His words echoed inside her skull, causing her breath to catch in her throat. The cold stone in her stomach turned hot, and her features twisted in anger. Flitter narrowed her eyes and glared at the stallion, who had the decency to cringe. “And… what do you know about him?” Flitter licked her teeth and felt her muscles tensing.

The stallion swallowed, and took a tentative few steps forward, effectively closing the distance between them. “I know he’s intelligent. Please, I don’t mean any ill-will towards your or your human. I’m a researcher from Canterlot.” He tried to smile confidently, but it felt and appeared wooden.

Flitter frowned heavily, and looked the stallion over. “Who are you?”

The smile became more relaxed, and the stallion let out a quiet sigh. “I’m Researcher Field Note, from Dynamic Research and Medical Sciences International, Canterlot branch.” He beamed with pride. “DRMSI for short.”

“Okay Researcher Field Note from DRMSI…” Flitter slipped the mono-edged ka-bar from its sheath and twirled the blade with her feathers; Field Note spotted it immediately and froze in place, his slitted eyes flaring wide in shock and terror. Closing the distance, Flitter set her jaw and tightened the grip her wing had on the knifes handle. “What do you want with Jack?”

Backpedaling rapidly until his flanks impacted wood, Field Note brought his forehooves up to shield his face. “P-please! Please don’t… don’t hurt me, I’m just a scientist!” He shivered in fear and shrank away as Flitter towered over him.

Frowning heavily, Flitter leaned forward and spoke quietly and evenly. “What. Do. You. Want. With. JACK.” Her anger washed over, spilling into the conversation and turning her demeanor mean in a moment. The stallion cringed away, and emitted a tiny bat-like squeak before answering.

“I-I-I… I j-just want to study him, I promise! I promise, I promise that I won’t tell a soul! It’s just… he’s… he’s important, I know it! I just… Please, miss…?” He looked up at Flitter with wide, terrified eyes that snapped from her face to the knife.

“Flitter.” She said as she slid the knife back into its sheath. “I’m… going to take your word Field Note. Jack’s… He’s… He’s very, very important to me. Do you understand?” She reached forward, and pulled the stallion to his hooves. “I’ll try and talk to Jack about speaking with you. I can tell you right now that he won’t be happy.”

Nodding, he brushed off snow from his flanks and straightened up. “I understand, Miss Flitter. You have no idea how much this means to me, let alone my career, and the scientific community. From what I’ve observed, this… Jack, as you call him, is incredibly unique.” He laughed, and ran a hoof through the frock of mane that fell down before his skewed glasses. “This, added with the observations of increasing nomad human intelligence, could mean many great and wonderful things for Equestria, and possibly the treatment of humans everywhere.” The stallion tittered excitedly. “This is my life’s work that I’m watching come to fruition Miss Flitter. You have no idea how much this means to me!”

Flitter smiled softly and cast a long look back the way she had come from. “Humans are pretty important to you, I take it?” She eased up, and shifted in her hoodie as the stallion nodded rapidly and excitedly.

“Oh yes! There is so much potential within them, I can just-” He closed his eyes and licked his lips before sighing. “I can feel it. The field of anthropology is unfortunately a very difficult one to succeed in. I…” He sighed quietly and fixed his skewed glasses with his magic. “Mother always said I’d have better luck herding cats than making a life learning about humans.” He muttered quietly, before shaking his head. “Apologies, when will you speak with Jack the Human, on my behalf?

“Probably when I get off work. I always come back after work.” She fluttered her wings to try and stave off the biting cold that surrounded them, invading through every weakness it could find.

Field Note shook his head and pawed at the snow. “No, nono, that simply won’t do. I need to speak with him soon rather than later!” He pulled over his knapsack and started rooting through it. “Is it money that’s the problem? I’m given field acquisition bits every month. I can pay you, if you help me with Jack.” He pulled up a sack full of bits, and practically shoved it into Flitters hooves. “Take it! Take it, I barely use even a quarter of the bits they send me, please, just help me with this.” He edged forward and bowed his head a bit as he begged.

With her mouth working slowly, like a fish out of water; Flitter opened the sack and peered inside. True to his word, the sack was filled with shiny Canterlot Mint bits. That’s more than I make in three days. Flitter abruptly pulled the drawstring tight and crammed it into her hoodie pouch. “Well Mr. Note, I’ll be happy to help.” She smiled at him, and almost meant it.

___________________________________________________________________

Author's Notes:

Okay, half chapter here, but I have an opportunity for you, the reader!

Given the chance, what would you ask Jack? (OR Flitter) PM me your questions, if it pleases you. Hopefully all of the questions can be used, but keep in mind that if the question is unrealistically silly (IE Average air speed of an unladen European Swallow.)(It's 24 miles an hour, FYI) they won't be put in.

I promise I'm not doing this because I don't know what to ask, I just don't want to rehash known crap! D:

Thanks everyone for posting questions!