//------------------------------// // Chapter I: Into the World // Story: Dreamer's Travels // by Lost_Kitten //------------------------------// "I'm telling you, Equestria's system of governance is horribly defunct! What with the way we lost Stalliongrad, that should've been apparent. We practically have no state apparatus beyond shifting celestial bodies and issuing currency, our military is a handful of royal guard detachments with no officer cadre to speak of, and our legal codes are nonexistent." Dreamer Glisten just kept belting out criticisms that, by his reckoning, an effective state would have him jailed for if only they weren't true. Professor Pleasance sighed. They were standing in her office, and she was quite disappointed. "More of this, really?" The unicorn mare shook her head and looked at the ground. "Dreamer, while you may live up to your name, you do really need to stop fantasizing about ruling the world." Here she goes again. Dreamer thought. Unicorns were just so uncompromising at times. He did not at all fantasize about ruling the world. Well, not since he was a filly anyway. He flipped his mane out of his face and gathered himself. Debating could make him heated, and it was important to remain calm. "When was the last time you heard of anypony living outside of the greater Canterlot area paying taxes? The rule of law just isn't enforced out there. Impromptu local governments, lone vigilantes, and ad hoc squads of adventurers have to deal with any problems that arise out in the country, or anywhere outside of Canterlot for that matter. National security threats have to be dealt with either directly by the Princess or by that de facto militia we call the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. We need a coherent state to secure the freedom of the nation and the ponies!" "If you like that so much, you may as well just move to Stalliongrad." The professor replied. "Stalliongrad is part of the problem! We should never have allowed them to secede, and now that they have, we need to have firm relations with them." He guffawed at her geopolitical ignorance. His passion boiled. "I'll tell you what. I'll travel Equestria and find out how local authorities deal with issues facing their communities and pen a treatise on how these solutions can be implemented on a national scale." Professor Pleasance was stunned at this outburst, but sighed again, and bade him good luck. As easy as it is to settle into a calm, peaceful life as a Canterlot academic, with a long, fulfilling career ahead of him, Dreamer Glisten had other plans. He had five doses of ponybalm, a dozen apples, a few treatises and tomes on the social sciences, and a blank manuscript that was to be the first edition of "Dreamer's Travels," a firsthand account of his own journeys across Equestria. All of it was crammed tightly into a colorful woolen bag he wore around his shoulder. "You forgot your scarf, pal!" Called Calico, his Earth Pony roommate, whose coat matched his name. "I'm gonna miss you when you're gone." Calico threw a pink and blue scarf around Dreamer's neck. Dreamer replied. "I won't be gone too long but thank you. I've paid my share of the rent ahead of time, so no need to worry about that." He was in truth glad to be leaving. When he had first arrived at the Canterlot University of History, Dreamer was still practically a filly, and the city and the campus had seemed so exciting to him, but now those same old streets almost taunted him with their familiarity. It was just impossible to get lost here anymore! Yes, stepping outside, Dreamer could feel his hollow bones crying out for adventure as the sun hit his glasses, making them glint, and warmed his fur from the chilly morning breeze. He took flight, soaring up from the courtyard of his apartment block, doing a swirl in the sky around the building, and making a few Earth Ponies and Unicorns jealous of his wings as he did. He flew south, heading to one of the smaller, yet more famous spots in Equestria: Ponyville. He threw back his mane and howled with delight! "Get ready, Equestria! I know I am!" The first few hours went quickly, dawn's chill fading into a warm summer morning. It was probably a good time to rest, and Dreamer could hardly keep himself in the air any longer. Extended flying is tough, and he had never really done any before. Dreamer let himself down with grace, banking into a wide meadow that opened up out of a forest and was nestled into a small but quickly flowing river. He landed softly in the glade, and let down his bag, before curling up beside it to sun himself in the grass. As an afterthought, he discarded his pink sandals, and began partaking in the tall, unkempt grass around him. It was delicious. All was well until it began to rain. What began as barely a sprinkle quickly picked up, becoming for all intents and purposes a downpour. The torrentiality of it threatened to flood the river, and spill it out over the field, not to mention the water was soaking his bag, so Dreamer took flight and swooped into the tree line. The pegasus found no reprieve under the canopy of the forest, as the rain was so heavy even the springtime leaves couldn't block it all out. He scanned his surroundings for shelter, his mane already soaking. There! A cave! He banked down into a ravine, and took a sharp turn sideways, nearly wiping out against the dark-gray rocks of the mouth of a cave. He pulled up just in time to avoid rolling down into its depths, and let out a sigh of relief. Realizing he had forgotten his sandals spurred him to action again, however, and he dropped his bag in the cave, and went to go get them. As he returned from the meadow, he saw someone, neigh, something picking through his bag! A diamond dog!