Truly Evil?

Dusk took into account that others were trying to sleep, and kept his voice down as he said, "No, I don't really need a bedroll. I've slept on the ground before. I've had to sleep in some miserable circumstances while in the Guard, most of that during the final tests in training. Anyway, to answer your first question, I don't care much for Canterlot either. I don't like most of the noble houses. Many of those ponies are snooty, stuck up, and only looking to satisfy their greed and pride. I have no respect for them."

As the words 'satisfy their greed and pride' left Dusk's mouth, Diamond felt his anger begin to boil up. He knew that he was two different and very negative things: A half-breed and a noble, but Dusk's ignorance of the differing noble houses that Diamond had to memorize, coupled with his lack of respect for the Myalo family, which was actually trying to help the Royal Guard by creating an immediate response force for Canterlot so that the Guard can be in the areas they're actually needed in, and the fact that Myalo himself had heard the comment and was screaming at him to kill Dusk, pushed Diamond over the edge. He stood up and reverted to his true form, a strange being that seemed to have a changeling sensory frill right through its mane, massive fangs, legs covered in holes, two massive parallel scars where the wings would have been, deep blue eyes with yellow centers, and a strange mixture of black chitin and a white fur coat covering its entire body. It was hideous, and it was the true form of a halfling.

He flash-stepped over to Dusk. "HEY, Choose your words until you've actually lived it, commonpony! You have it far easier than me! Do you have to know the names of ever CELESTIA-FORSAKEN NOBLE in CANTERLOT? Do you have to know the current events of EACH HOUSE? Which SPOON you have to USE FIRST for your DAMN SOUP? DO YOU HAVE TO ATTEND EVERY SOULLESS PARTY THEY THROW, ARRANGED WEDDING THEY HAVE, EVERY SPA VISIT THEY GIVE YOU AN INVITATION TO, AND RESIST RIPPING THEIR HEADS OFF AND EATING THEIR INNARDS BECAUSE ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS THE CURRENT GOSSIP, RATHER THAN MAKING EQUESTRIA A BETTER PLACE? DO YOU HAVE TO WEAR A SKIN AND A FACE THAT ISN'T YOU EVERY TIME YOU GO OUTSIDE? DO YOU REPRESENT 200 ODD INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL LOSE FACE IF YOU SO MUCH AS BE YOURSELF? DO YOU HAVE A MINIMUM OF FOUR GUARDS FOLLOWING YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO, DESPITE THE FACT THEY SHOULD BE ELSEWHERE AND SHOULDN'T WEARING PARADE ARMOR THAT COSTS ENOUGH TO FEED A FAMILY FOR A MONTH? ARE YOU FORCED INTO THE ROLE OF AN AMBASSADOR BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY IS FAMOUS AND YOU'RE HALF CHANGELING? WELL? ANSWER ME!" Diamond was radiating hatred, malice, and most importantly, bloodlust. He was beyond fuming and angry. No one needed to even be a changeling to feel those emotions.

Dusk was very startled by Diamond's sudden outburst, and to say the air felt tense would be an understatement.

However, he managed to compose himself, and after clearing his throat, he said, "It was simply an observation I made while in Canterlot for most of the nobles I've come across, and heard petitions for whenever I was on the rotation to guard the throne room. I don't know every noble house in Canterlot, but I do in Trottingham. My family may not be nobility, but they were close, upper middle class to be exact. We were invited to parties with nobles, because they wanted to meet me, the noble son of two musicians, despite the fact I was a lowly blacksmith's apprentice. Those that had daughters had on a number of occasions attempted to court me, even before I was of age. Had I accepted, I, and my family, would've become nobility. I traded that for the life of a soldier, and that only made me more popular. However, I am trailing off course. As I said, it was a generalization of most nobles based on my experiences. I in no way meant to offend you, or your family, and I apologize for implying that."

While Dusk's reaction was calm and measured, June was hit with a powerful wave of empathetic anger coming off Diamond, and her face contorted into an uncharacteristic display of rage.  Although she could usually supress the empathy, the sheer bloodlust coming off the halfling had caught her off guard, especially since she thought Diamond was asleep.

Abandoning the "magic bag" trick in her anger, June carefully passed her left hoof behind her right foreleg, obscuring it from the view of anypony looking, and used the hidden hoof to break the rules of what wasn't there, grabbing what she needed from her enormous extradimensional stash.  When she moved her hoof back into view, it had a faint trail of silvery mist, and a small red dart held in it.  She sprang at the halfling, grabbing him around the neck and jabbing the tranquilizer dart into a spot without chitin, all while shouting in a voice that didn't quite sound like June.  "DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO MY DUSK LIKE THAT!"

The sudden loud outburst had another effect as well, and that was the trashpony waking up in a start, and letting out something that could only have been a very stallion like shriek that only sounded like a little fillies because of how late and tired everypony must have been, at the sight of the Halfling. In the moment of panic, the pony started to turn to run but didn't make more than three steps before he collapsed on the ground again. Red spots began to form under the bandages as the freshly shut wounds tore open.

"Argh, dangit," the pony called out as he continued to struggle away. "I don't get paid enough for this!"

Ician watched everything around him unfold. He did agree with Dusk about the greed of many of the noble houses - something he wanted to change one day, if he managed to get into the upper stratus of government - but when Diamond all but attacked Dusk Ician couldn't help but feel irritated. That reaction was unjustified, as far as he was concerned. As far as he and probably Dusk was concerned that greed part didn't necessarily involve Diamond.

Ician stood up, hefting his sword in preparation for an inter-party fight to possibly erupt again, when June decided to go ahead and confirm his fears by leaping at Diamond and attacking him. And then, as if to only prove that there was no such thing as something worse, the pony he had been guarding earlier tried to run, fell, and broke his stitches.

"ENOUGH!" He shouted to June and Diamond. "You two can argue if you want, but do not try to injure each other! We are supposed to be a team, and killing each other is not going to get us any closer to the objective!" He hurried to the side of the injured pony and pulled out his surgical instruments again. He prepared new bandages and slowly began removing the old ones, cleaning the wounds as best he could and trying to restitch them.

"Oh, I di-" Diamond had just cooled down when June attacked him, causing him to let out a shriek. The coat of fur covering his chitin began to harden and turn to diamonds, making him heavier and freezing him in place. It was fast enough that if June didn't move her hoof, she'd be stuck in his natural defense. It would still leave him enough room to breathe, but he would be stuck for a little while. "June! Get back!" Diamond tried to feebly shove her back, but the weight of the forming armor made it little more than a light tap.

Dusk was perhaps more startled by June's reaction than anything else he could recall, her voice being the most startling. His first thought was to break up the fight, and to do that he came up to June and started pulling her off of Diamond. "Calm down June, it's okay," he said.

June relaxed into Dusk, allowing herself to be pulled off of Diamond.  But as Diamond's rage faded from her system, her eyes widened.  She had just tranq'd the halfling, and had pulled the dart from seemingly nowhere.  Bad.  This was bad.  Were her empathetic defenses getting that weak?  A bit of unexpected rage, and she herself flew into one. And she had attacked Diamond. With a tranquilizer, of course, but still. She slowly lay down, her eyes wide, unable to think properly. Finally, she forced out a few words. "I-" That was Jon's voice. Wrong. She switched back to June's softer tones. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I just- I'm sorry."

As Ician re-dressed the trashpony's wounds, he continued to struggle and shake lightly. "Wah-what the hell was that!" he called out when enough coherence returned for him to think and act again.

Dusk felt now was not the time to reprimand June for her unwarranted attack on Diamond, since she already seemed to regret doing it. He noticed her voice was different for a bit, but then went back to normal. Again, he personally felt it wasn't important right now.

"It's okay. Just relax. That goes for everypony," Dusk said, aiming the last part at the trashpony.

June's ears perked up at the sound of the trashpony.  She had forgotten that she had a patient. A quick glance over at Ician confirmed that her efforts weren't needed. It was just a bit of bleeding.  She might just scare the trashpony more, especially with what had just happened.  So she stayed still, relaxed, taking deep breaths.  After a few seconds of this, she decided she had gotten the anger comoletely out of her system, and was now able to recognize and suppress the fear leaking from the injured pony into her.  Her mind was clear.

Taking a moment to mentally rewind, June figured out what she and Dusk had been talking about. Bedrolls. She looked back up at him, a small, slightly faked smile on her muzzle. A face of denial. The face said she wanted to move on from what had just happened. "We were talking about sleep before, right? Your day's been rough. Just because you can sleep on the ground, doesn't mean you should. Or have to." She moved away from him, to her bedroll, and unfolded it one more time, doubling its size, so it could fit two average ponies comfortably. "It's better than ground, at least, right? And I have a blanket." The smile held. "Just accept my hospitality. Doctor's orders."

Diamond fell into a laying position as the armor finished forming. He would be stuck in his 'ultimate defense' for a while, at least until the tranquilizer wore off. He had resigned to being unable to speak or move. June attacked him out of the blue, or were his emotions able to affect her? No matter, he was stuck unless he wanted to move at a snails pace. He started to sob uncontrollably, the stress had finally broke him, and June, who he felt a closer bond with than most ponies close to him, just attacked him. It was the straw that broke the halfling's back.

Dusk found himself blushing in a bit of a stupor when June offered him a spot on her large bedroll. Though it could fit two average sized ponies comfortably, he was definitely larger than average. It would be a little... cozy. However, Diamond's sobbing shook him out of his stupor, and for the first time he noticed just how bad of a position Diamond was in, being almost fully encased in diamond.

"Um... perhaps you should apologize to Diamond first. He appears to be taking... what happened rather hard. We can get some sleep afterwards," Dusk said to June.

June's ears had folded down in an expression of guilt at Diamond's first sob.  She'd have to explain herself, even if it did mean revealing one of her potential weaknesses.  It wouldn't be the first time her empathy had gotten the better of her.  She cast her gaze down.  "Right.  I did tranq him. It's just, er... right, I'll get on with it."  She slowly moved over to where Diamond lay, and lay down next to him, looking at his face.  She shut her eyes a moment, planning out what she was going to say.  She didn't want to give any further hints to her... condition, to Dusk or Ician. She figured it out, and opened her eyes again, looking Diamond in the eyes.

"Diamond, first and foremost, I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I tend to get angry if anypony else is. My... family, is rather sensitive to emotions around us. Very empathetic. It's not your fault, you were just upset. And... then I got upset, and I didn't think, and I hurt you, and I am so so sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me." A brief pause. "Now, I can't make an antidote for the tranquilizer right now, but it's going to wear off in just a couple hours. I don't know how your armor works, but until it goes away, there's not much I can do." June slowly rolled onto her stomach, stood up, and went to her backpack. She pulled out a medium-sized blanket, and moved to drape it over Diamond. The blanket in place, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Get some sleep. Pleasant dreams, Diamond."

June went back over to her and Dusk's bedroll, pulled an extra pillow from her backpack, gave it to Dusk, curled up on one side of the bedroll, and went to sleep. As small as she was, she didn't take up too much space, but it would be close. She hoped Dusk didn't have too many personal space issues. Hers, of course, had pretty much dissolved after enough time spent trekking through the cold. Body heat and all. But that was unimportant, and she knew it, and she focused on her breathing, clearing her mind to prepare for sleep.

The trashpony was still stammering somewhat as everypony seemed to be going to bed, leaving him to look around with something of a shocked expression. "Wah, what happened? Ach! How late is it?" he stammered finally noticing how dark it was and the sliver of moon that was visible in the sky.

With Diamond taken care of, at least to the best of everypony's efforts, he thought it was a good time to get some sleep. However, the thought of sharing the bedroll with June made him blush again. He first thought of refusing the offer, saying that he hadn't actually accepted it, but he decided against that.

He laid himself down on his side of the bedroll, quickly learning that no matter what position he was in, he'd have some physical contact with June, causing him to blush even more. He soon settled for lying on his side with his back facing June. It wasn't as intimate as other positions might be. Sleep was probably the last thing on his mind though, as trying not to die from embarrassment and nervousness topped his list.

"Relax, only a few hours have passed." Ician said to the trashpony in a soothing tone. "That was just a little incident. You have my full assurances that I will allow no harm to befall you." For now. "Just calm down at try not to move; you've broken your stitches once already, and it won't be any good for you if you break them again. Once you get a little better, we can begin to talk a little more seriously."

"Talk? I've got to get home or a few broken stitches will be the least of my worries," the trashpony said as he began to move towards standing again, although a little more calmly this time. "The missus will have my head as is, and the rest of me if I'm not back soon," he continued.

As sleepy as she was, June couldn't completely fall asleep, not with all the nervousness that Dusk was putting off.  She supposed he was rather uncomfortable sharing a bedroll with a strange mare.  Hm.  He would get over it eventually.

She shivered, the motion large enough that Dusk would be able to feel it.  It was a bit cold for her tastes.  What was it, February, March?  Somewhere there.  Whichever it was, June wanted it warmer.  She sat up for a moment, and figured out where the blanket had ended up. She pulled it over herself and Dusk, laying back down.

Ten minutes passed, and there was another shiver. Still a bit chilly. Maybe more blankets? No, the backpack was far enough away that that would require getting up. No. Instead, June rolled over and snuggled up closer to the nearest source of heat, which just so happened to be Dusk.

Diamond lay there, he was stuck until the tranquilizer wore off, and he couldn't sleep with the armor on, so he was in a catch 22 situation. As he looked over the armor, he found one of the many weak points on it. He got up and began to move towards Ican, making muffled noises and highlighting the shatterpoint on his armor.

"Back soon?" Ician asked the trashpony, intrigued. "Where do you have to go? We could help take you there, if you want." He looked around at the others sleeping. "Or perhaps I could. We'll see if the others are awake enough to tend to it."

Then a series of muffled noises caught Ician's attention, and he turned to see Diamond there, encased in his armour and watching him indicate, to the extent of his limited ability, one of the small seams. It was a weak point, Ician surmised, and if his guesses were correct Diamond wanted to get out of there pronto. Ician raised his sword and channelled a fraction of his full strength into it as he rammed the back of the hilt into the weak point, testing to see how easily it would fracture or be damaged, if at all.

The trashpony cast another look about the group of ponies that were around him. "Nah, that's okay. I can probably make it back just fine," he said with a bit of nervous grin. "And I'm just headed home, don't get paid extra for overtime after all, and it won't save me from the wrath of the missus."

Diamond's armor shattered off of his body, then disappeared. Diamond was in his disguise rather than his true form, as to not scare the trashpony. "Thank you Ic-" Diamond collapsed in a heap. "Ican...Damn those tranquilizers are stro-" and with that, Diamond was asleep. He wouldn't be able to dream, but the stress would finally go away as he processed it all.

Dusk appreciated the blanket when June pulled it up over them. When she snuggled closer to him though, it was a wonder he didn't have a heart attack right there. Despite the nervousness and sudden urge to turn his coat to a red much like that of a ripe tomato, he had to admit he was warmer, and it did feel nice. He never doubted it would, but he just didn't really want to, especially with someone who wasn't a marefriend.

Since he figured he wasn't going ot get out of this, he managed to get himself to relax enough where he could sleep.