Deja Vu

CONNOR

The copper female seemed taken by surprise at the sound of his greeting, head jerking up from the river and turning bright, emerald eyes in his direction. Her alarm was apparent, given away by the widening of her eyes and the increase of her heartrate. Lips pursing, brows furrowing, Connor’s LED flickered to yellow for a brief moment before cycled once more to a calm, steady blue.

He held his tongue, allowing her to process his arrival. Naturally he kept his posture relaxed, artificial wings settled back calmly against his sides, mahogany eyes deep and honest. Ears forward, stance open, hooves and shoulders squared. Attempting to appear as unthreatening as possible. His design was, after all, meant for seamless integration among living creatures.

Eventually the copper coated woman seemed to deem him unthreatening, for the tension leaked from her slender shoulders and she visibly relaxed. Connor remained motionless, his expression just the same, but it shifted as he heard her words into a facsimile of apologetic.

“I’m sorry,” he started, his tone still earnest, yet rather monotonous due to his programming, “I didn’t mean to startle you.” The copper woman then glanced around them, as though searching for anyone else. The artificial bay did the same, head twisting and eyes observing, running scans through the vegetation around them. He picked up no other living heat signature in the immediate vicinity, and focused on the flaxen-haired mare ahead of him.

’I am Evangeline.’

Her name. Connor tilted his head slightly to the right, eyes squinting as he processed the information, LED flickering yellow, yellow, yellow, before once again settling on blue. He nodded.

“Hello, Evangeline. My name is Connor.” Then, to help put her mind at ease, the artificial Pegasus went on. “My scans have come back negative for any living heat signatures in the immediate area, aside from your own. You do not need to worry.”