//------------------------------//
// Chapter8: The Squeeze 
// Story: The Border 
// by Cabal 
//------------------------------//

With disturbed and angry RoH boarder guards not too far behind him, Gentle Moss galloped quickly, weaving in and around the brush and around old artillery-made craters. He was running out of breath, and one of his horse-shoes was coming loose. He wanted desperately wanted to stop and use magic to fix it, but he couldn't. He wanted to stop and cry, but he could not. He had to keep running. No matter what happened, he could not afford to die before his true adventure began. Heaven or Heck, he would persevere and prove to the University-- and Equestria, that his field of knowledge was worth more then anything else anypony thought otherwise.

In the dim distance, a chicken-wired fence appeared with damage to its lower wire (by smugglers coming and going, no doubt). Gentle Moss came to a skidding stop, chucked off his saddlebags using his teeth and threw it under the fence. He then flattened himself against the ground as far as his could and squeezed his way under, his coat occassionally snagging painfully against the wire until he was clear. With human voices nearby, and no time to restrap, he picked up his saddlebags with his teeth again and did a an awkward hop-gallop away from the scene.

Little did he know, the fence was the DMZ end. Our little pony, the first in many years, made it inside the Republic of Humanity.

=+=+=+=

Research entry 1 (note on personal health and beginning statement)

Dr. Gentle Moss

Summer 62, 22XX 

I'm beginning this entry in hopes that if I die, somepony will know the story. Tonight I have done something very brave and very stupid in hindsight. I have illegally crossed the boarder from Equestria into the RoH. I'm doing this because I was at my wits-end with the university council on the lack of funding for humanology and the lack of any interest of anypony to learn. They our part of our history, just as reluctantly as much as we are to them. It is vital we learn from each other.

I'm currently holed up under a bush I was able to a small fox hole under. Tomorrow I will attempt to get a bearing  on the landscape. I did see what appeared to be a village ahead, and that is where I will get to the leaf of the matter. For now, I'm very scratched up and need rest...

=+=+=+=

ENCODED TELEWIRE AND PIDGEON DISPATCH

FM BG TCH BMA VICTOR.

TO BG MA BM SARAH R.

MSG AS FOL:

ALL STOP ALL STOP ALL STOP BORDER CANON CHKPNT MID 8 RPTS  INCURSION STOP

INCURSRION BY PONYS / SMUG / CRIM UNKN STOP

MAGIC DETEC FLARE CONFM BY EMY DEBRIS VIA WATCH STOP

SKIRM RESP ARTILY STOP

NO CUSLTY STOP

REQ. REINFORCEMENTS FOR SOD STOP END

=+=+=+=

Boarder Master Sarah spat out her 2am coffee over the dispatch she just read. “Incursion?! And they have found no causalities?”

“Yes, Master Rafaeli,” said a rather uncomfortable assistant. “We are requesting more information now, and I have ordered reinforcements there now in anticipation of said order.”

“Yes, of course, authorized.” said Sarah, slumping in her seat. “This is... what, the third incident since I've arrived here? Kremlin would strip me of rank if this continues. Those poor ponies and the coffee traders are biting off more then they can chew each time we catch them, and its harder and harder each time to justify letting them go.”

There was sharp knock at the door, and the assistance excused himself to answer it. He opened the door to a young boarder guard who sharply saluted him, and handed him another message. He closed the door and read the message, and gasped.

“What is it?” asked Sarah. “Tell me now Comrade.”

“They've found hoof tracks exiting the RoH beginning of the DMZ!”