First Contact. It was all over the news, how could it not be? A station could be heard, if one tuned into the right AM station. It played on repeat. It came from outside this world. Was it in peace? What did it mean?
First Contact. It was all over the news, how could it not be? A station could be heard, if one tuned into the right AM station. It played on repeat. It came from outside this world. Was it in peace? What did it mean?
Done entirely on whimsy, though I can blame the folks in #writing-chat on the Fimfic Discord.
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Cindy drove down the highway at a fair clip, just around the speed limit, as she could confirm as a sign sped past. Her sunglasses were on, shielding her eyes from the sun that was still climbing into the sky. In the passenger seat was an assortment of things she needed to take with her for the trip; clothes, personal computer, chargers, and most importantly, her art supplies. The radio was playing a strange tune.
It wasn't human in origin. They all knew that. It was hauntingly beautiful, but just as undecipherable. She was fairly sure there were words in there, but in a melodic song like that, words were bent and warped even in English, let alone whatever language that was. It was the song of aliens, sent countless lightyears. An enigma wrapped in a puzzle. She blinked away thoughts of what she could never understand.
Ahead on the left side of the highway, the forest parted at the edge of the road, creating a view that made her car feel small and insignificant. She smiled despite it. "I am an ant," she reminded herself as she turned off smoothly into the park the forest created. "And I'm alright with that." Sure, the aliens had come. They may smash everything, or just be coming to say hello. She had already decided she was alright either way. "Be a friendly ant." She pulled up to the booth where a person greeted her after pulling down the window on their side.
"Welcome to Jellyfish State Park, ma'am!" He said, smiling in his brown ranger uniform. "Just passing through, or do you need a site?"
She fished out her pass and offered it up. "I know the usual routine. I won't feed the bears, and I'll only leave footprints." She winked at him for good measure.
He chuckled. "That's right. Have a nice day, ma'am." The ranger waved her through before returning to the booth.
She continued along the dirt road for another minute or so before parking next to the camping grounds. Climbing out of her car, she made sure she had all her things. "Let's greet the evening." She felt sure and safe with herself. It was a shame not all of humanity felt the same way.
"My cherished community." Robert clasped his hands together with a gentle smile, folded at the front of his priestly attire. "These are new times, changing times. With change comes confusion, but you will always find comfort and community here." Soft noises rose as others agreed. "Whether the station comes from the devil himself, or something perhaps far worse, we will stand strong, and together."
The church audience clapped with solidarity with shouts of Robert's name. "Some have asked, what if they come in peace? To that I ask, what manner of peace can this be? We will ask them of their relationship to God. We will pray to him and ask his counsel! If they are all heathens, that—" He took a slow breath. "That would be worrying." Soft hushed gasps spread through the crowd.
"But this is Our world!" Robert thumped his podium with an open hand, making some jump in their seats. "This land is filled with the holy spirits of God, with his power coursing through our very veins!" He opened his arms. "How could a more powerful entity want to come between us?" He leaned forward towards the crowd. "We won't let them."
He held up a hand. "As we say to Satan, we deny ye. Not one step. Not one step on our sacred world. This is a land of God's children." The crowd roared with appreciation for his words, finding purpose in them, and comfort.
Twilight sat back on her haunches with a smile. "Confirmation."
Celestia perked her ears. "What are you confirming, dear student?"
Twilight looked over her shoulder. "Princess, one of the worlds we broadcasted to has received our message, and has for moons. All scans place the odds of compatible life at 75%. That's one of the highest readings we've had!" She stood up on four legs, her hoofs clapping the ground rhythmically as she bounced with excitement. "I'm sending a ship down to scout the world for possible first contact."
Celestia trotted forward with a smile on her face, spreading her wings halfway out. "That sounds wonderful, Twilight! But isn't it dangerous?"
Twilight shook her head. "Most likely, we'll find the bare starts of life. We'll scan the world first, from orbit." She waved up at the hovering image of that lonely distant planet. "Only if we detect advanced life will we attempt more direct contact. If it's still incubating, we'll leave it well alone."
Celestia nodded gently, turning her attention back to the viewport as it zoomed out. "I trust your judgment, my faithful student."
Applejack turned a hoof against the control. She could hear it clicking and beeping, every little movement causing things to react. "We are coming out of hyperspace," she announced to the others in the small ship. "Buckle in if ya ain't already." There were soft clicks and quiet whooshing noises as her companions did so. It was a short journey.
On the screen ahead, space folded apart again. Applejack steered her ship through, as if the hole were a ring hanging in the sky, waiting to be passed through. It was only an instant, traveling so quickly they slipped right through, into regular space. A strange sensation rippled through them, still present despite their technology. Ahead was their destination, a lush green world, beautiful to behold. "Alright everypony, here we are!" Her eyes turned to the gauges, blinking softly. "Strange."
Pinkie Pie was strapped in close behind her with wide eyes and a smiling maw. "What's strange, captain?"
"Hmm." Applejack scrunched her muzzle in thought. "Almost 85%." She inclined her head. "Even higher than Head Engineer Starlight done thought." She reached for a new button to smash it. "Let's get scannin'. That'll tell us if we're actually landin' or if we're jus' headin' right home."
Pinkie pouted at the idea. "I hope not! I wanna meet aliens! Imagine the crazy parties they throw."
Applejack cocked a brow at that. "Pinkie, they're aliens. What parties they prefer ain't the first thing I'd wanna be askin' 'em!"
Pinkie unbuckled herself, floating free of her chair. "And that's why they sent more than just you, silly. We need different views!"
Applejack watched Pinkie float back away into the rest of the ship. Rainbow Dash's voice came up to her from a small speaker on her console. "All set down here, cap. Everything is locked and loaded."
She clicked her hooves on the controls a couple times. "Yeah, all the same up here. We're good to go. Send it out!"
"Roger." Rainbow pressed a button on her end, ejecting a small orb at high speeds towards the planet below them. "Here we come!"
He pressed rapidly at the keyboard. "Sir." He inclined his head at the console he was fixed on. "We have a high speed object coming from orbit."
The commanding officer leaned in to have a view of the tiny dot. "That's too small to be anything. It could be a mistake. Put in a call for where it should land, send local forces to check it out. Maybe it's a lucky meteor. Not our problem."
"On it." The soldier grabbed a phone to loyally make that call.
Cindy drew in slow motions, eyeing the horizon as she went, adjusting to ensure everything lined up with what she could see around her. She worked a pencil across the page, taking care not to press down too hard. In the distance, a large, blue lake rested, waves lapping against its shores. She smiled as she labored. "I love this place."
In her peripheral vision, she could make out someone moving, approaching her on the wooden path, but she wasn't going to be distracted, nor deterred from the task at hand. Her art was more important at that moment. At least until it clicked audibly. She jumped in surprise and turned to face it far in the sky above her, clicking rapidly like a camera working in fast forward. There, a football sized thing hovered, emitting an odd noise besides the clicking that almost sounded like wind chimes being hit by a gust.
"You're joking." She dropped the pencil she had been holding, gaping at what hovered over her. "You're joking!" Her words seemed to capture its attention, and it was looking at her, directing its clicking camera at her. Her heart pounded in her chest. It descended slowly, stopping some fifteen feet away, the clicking winding down.
From the bottom of it, a long needle protruded. She staggered back as it approached, drawing its sharp tip towards her. It stopped in midair, then swapped ends and pointed down instead. It twirled in place, then rapidly withdrew into the strange object.
"Hello?" Cindy dared try, taking an unsure step. "I come in peace?" She felt silly saying it. The strange object was the one coming, and was it peaceful? She had no idea. "Please don't evaporate me."
She couldn't know, but the probe was sampling and scanning busily. It sampled all the air she emitted and the noises she made. It made a full catalog of what it thought was important to know about a possible life form, then zipped off to scan a squirrel, finding it just as fascinating, and thus continued doing the same to everything it could find on the ground.
When it got to a bird, however, it was quite a rude awakening for the creature. It was far heavier and faster than most of the others, and it attacked the strange probe instead of tolerating its presence. Cindy squeaked and tried waving the angry bird off. Was it a falcon or an eagle? She didn't have time to check. "Shoo! Shoo! You'll start an interplanetary war or something! Go eat a rabbit!" It squawked at her angrily, which she returned with equal defiance.
The machine hovered there, taking note of the exchange and filing it away, before zipping off again, this time to the lake. Cindy slumped back with a heavy sigh. "Okay. Okay." She sank to the ground heavily. "Come to Jellyfish, see the friendly aliens. Almost start a war while you're at it." She laughed tensely at her own humor. "Christ."
Distantly, she heard an engine rumbling and glanced up to the road, seeing a car heading away from the campground. She chuckled once to herself as the car disappeared from sight.
Rainbow whistled over the com system. "Probe has returned, aw yeah! That was quick." She flopped back in her chair. "Hey Cap, you might want to come take a look at this."
Applejack pushed herself out of the seat and kicked off the floor to the back of the ship. Floating through the lack of gravity, she propelled off of every surface that came close to her, accelerating until she drew close enough to warrant slowing down much the same way. "What're ya seein'?"
Rainbow pushed her hoof into the hologram on the desk. "First of all, this is just a composite. This is all the scans." Her eyes narrowed. "Is that what I think it is?"
Applejack settled in front of the projected image, standing at the ready to give her orders. "Well, shoot." She cleared her throat. "Computer?" A soft chime played. "Can ya play the video, right here?" She pointed. Nothing happened. "Ah swear, dan' thin' can't understand me none!"
Rainbow snickered at Applejack's trouble, reaching with wings and hooves to deftly control the panel. "I'll get it." The alien noises played, and they could see the strange being waving wildly at the probe. "Well, think they saw us, cap!"
Applejack leaned in, trying to hear what she could, but most of what she was able to pick out was what sounded like nonsense to her. "Uh." She frowned. "Computer, can ya translate the audio?" A negative buzz played.
Rainbow snorted. "Automatically? We're advanced, we aren't that advanced, AJ. You really should know what you're flying, Cap." she poked AJ with a wry smirk. "Get that A/V over to Fluttershy. She may make heads or tails of it." Her eyes darted back to the image of the alien speaking strange words and making such odd motions. "But we did find our aliens. Guess saying hi will be coming soon."
Cindy stood in silence, alone, waiting in a wide grassy field, surrounded by tall trees. It was a warm, clear day. She knew she wouldn't be alone for long, but her nerves were shot. She took in slow breaths, held them, and let them out in steady streams, doing all she could to reach that stillness of mind she was searching for. She had no idea how busy a lot of the rest of the world was becoming.
She had told not a single soul what she had seen. Who would she tell? Her five followers on TwixBook? Nah, that was a special moment she could keep to herself. So far, the only proof was her memory. They had surely arrived though, and she was eager to see them for real. Would they be giant? Smaller? Round like puffy marshmallows? What color? Did they have arms or tentacles? She giggled as her imagination ran wild with possibilities. "I don't think they're mean." Would mean ones just peek like that? And not respond to the angry bird attack? No, probably alright as aliens went, even if they preferred a nice lunch of two rocks and a poem to finish it off.
Cindy snorted at her thoughts, but her stomach churned with unease all the same, especially when she looked up and could see a plane soaring past, a military one raising higher and higher into the sky on engines that screamed out of sync with the actual image of it. "Life is changing."
"This is the picture." The soldier waved to an image on the wall of the spacecraft leisurely floating there with stars for a background. "Since the first satellite caught a picture of it, entirely by accident, we've been monitoring it. It has been hovering steadily. Readings say it's keeping itself there intentionally, though what uses for propulsion, unknown. We've ruled out radiation, chemical propellants, and light."
The higher-ranked officer raised a brow. "Light?"
"Only feasible for light craft, Sir, but light is usable as a propulsion, especially away from large gravity sources." He tapped at the spaceship with his ruler. "We couldn't immediately rule out a ship of alien origin may be using it better than we would."
The ranking commander steepled his fingers. "How can we be sure this isn't something from China, or Russia? Both have been making noises about increasing their space game. I'd hate to think they've raced this far ahead of us."
"Sir, every telescope, radio array, radar and satellite is pointing at it, and it hasn't moved a single inch." The soldier pulled out some papers, laying them out on the table so both men could see them. "Every reading implies whatever it is, it's not made using any technique we have on this good green planet." He sighed gently. "I hate to say this, Sir, but, for once, it is aliens."
The commander turned his head and regarded the photo with a stoic eye. "Goddamn it. Aliens." He blinked a few times and turned to the other man. "This is already out of my hands. I'm putting it into your hands to get that ship, whatever it is, landed and contained. This is a hell of a first real mission, but we've been paying for you to be prepared. Are you ready?"
The third man saluted sharply. "The USSF is ready, Sir. I'll get this briefing to the CO immediately." He stood sharply. "Thank you for the briefing, Sir." He marched from the room with purpose.
Fluttershy cleared her throat softly. "My name is Fluttershy, and I am very happy to meet you, um. Can we be friends?" She paused a moment, and a voice repeated back to her. It wasn't hers, and it wasn't in Ponish either. She nodded along with each word and clapped her hooves at the final syllable. "Perfect!" She slapped a hoof down, getting the terminal glowing and humming.
With her ear folded back, she concentrated on her work, typing and adjusting with the touchpad and various switches as needed, one hoof on the microphone, ready to repeat her lines to the device. Each time she spoke, the recording picked up on her voice patterns and adjusted itself, making her job easier. Soon enough, she had it parsing English to the alien language.
An hour passed before she had it working to her satisfaction. She pressed the intercom button. "Captain, Sir. I think we're ready."
"Wooey!" Applejack could be heard moving around. "That's the best news ah heard all week! Any idea how bulky it'll be to carry 'round? We'll look kinda funny if we have to lug a big ole' thin' around."
Fluttershy had a blush on her face as she shifted in place. "Oh, it should only be an implant, Captain."
Rainbow chuckled at her captain. "Can I get mine as an earring, 'Shy?"
Fluttershy inclined her head. "That would be fine." A chorus chimed up with other ponies also opting for the earring, which seemed to be all of them. "Well, alright. I'll, um, give me a moment and I'll get it ready."
Applejack smiled gently as she pushed from the control panel to let Fluttershy do her work, calling into the intercom, "Alright y'all, let's be civilized 'bout this. Flutters needs her space ta work, so let's stay clear till she tells us we can come back. But now's a fine time to be ready! We're gonna be the first Equestrians these aliens will be layin' their peepers on! They may be scared, or excited, or both! Ah know ah'm feelin' some of each. Be strong for them. Don't be pushin'. Don't be yellin', but we are the representatives of Equestria! Show 'em a good pony welcome."
"Ya got me? When that hatch opens, it's all on us. Now's a good time to be meditatin'." With that, she settled with a small smile and did just that, reaching to turn off the intercom on her side. Her peaceful thoughts were interrupted with the ship jostled, sending her drifting out into the hallway as if it were empty, the door swinging shut behind her. "Whoops. Looks like Pinkie was payin' attention too."
Pinkie shrugged, apparently also casually tossed into the hallway. "Wasn't me!" She swam to a button. "Anypony know what happened?"
Fluttershy called out a shaky response, "There is a small vessel attached to the port side. I think we were, um, boarded?"
Rainbow called out. "We weren't expecting company this fast, so be careful everypony! If it's dangerous, they don't know we're friendly yet and they probably aren't visiting for the fun of it."
Fortunately, the astronauts climbing aboard the ship were a mix of civilian and military purposes. The civilians were gawking in amazement at every little blinking light they could see. "Sir, this is—This is amazing! Please put away your gun, Sir."
"I'll put this away when we know it's safe, which we do not." The ranking officer glared around, cut off by his thick spacesuit with only his rifle to feel comfort with.
A hand settled on his shoulder. "Sir." Another soldier. "We don't know how thick or tough these walls are. Putting a hole in them could end up throwing us into the void, Sir."
The commanding officer weighed his options and slowly lowered his gun, instead reaching for his combat knife, so rarely used in any real battle. "Stay frosty. We don't know what's in there."
"We don't know what's in there," repeated a civilian with far more enthusiasm. "We should be friendly, and hope they are in return."
Another civilian nodded. "If they came to pick a fight, we're probably already dead. Forcing a dock with them has them storming here, ready to do terrible things." Despite their dark words, they pushed against the walls, floating down the hallway. "Let's meet them."
The armed soldier scowled to himself in his helmet, glancing over to another as they went. "Don't let them out of your sight. If one moves suspiciously, stop them. They may get us all killed, the way they're acting. Keep to the plan." His partner nodded silently, turning her body towards the way they were moving instead of just turning her head as the others had been.
He was glad to have one he trusted so close. The others were clearly enjoying themselves.
A strange note, alien words spoken in alien ways reached them from around a corner. There was a moment of quiet, then a faintly artificial human voice, if lyrical in tone, "Hello, we are just as scared as you probably are. We would like to be friends."
One of the military burst into laughter when he heard the call for peace, his tension defeated by the musical plea for harmony. "I'd like that too."
As if she heard that and was responding, Fluttershy peeked out from around the corner, her equine ears quivering at the strange aliens before her. "Hello," she muttered in Ponish, just for that artificial voice to repeat it in English. "You understand me?"
"I don't," said one of the humans, but they quickly threw up their hands and gave an awkward smile as if apologizing.
Fluttershy understood the meaning and smiled at the playful banter. "You don't appear like any of the creatures we scanned. Um, no offense. I'm sure you're all wonderful examples of your species."
The head military man pushed to the front. "You will tell us why you're here, floating over us. What are your intentions?"
"I'm just here to talk to the new neighbors and see if we can be friendly," replied Fluttershy with a pleasant tone and a warm, almost dreamy expression. "We've come from very far away in the hopes of not being alone anymore." She offered a hoof towards all the humans. "Did we, um, succeed?"
The soldier's commanding officer opened his mouth to reply, but found he had no answer to that, because Fluttershy had left him without words. Her eyes were so captivating, so intense that he could only stare into them. Not to mention what she was offering was an end of an age, and a start of a new one.
A civilian brushed past him, gently grasping the offered hoof between his gloved hands and shaking gently. "It is a delight to meet you. What is your name?" From that angle, he could see that Fluttershy had wings, a clear surprise by how he jumped. "Are you an avian? Silly question, I bet your world has wildly different taxonomies."
Fluttershy froze a moment, nodding her head along to words she could hear. "I'm sorry, but I didn't understand all of that. Um." She spread her wings out. "I can fly, if that's what you were asking."
Applejack's voice whispered in Fluttershy's ear, "You okay over there? Want us to come help? We're here for ya!"
"I'm doing very well, Captain," Fluttershy said with a smile, stepping out and away from the corner she was hiding behind. "The others are very nice, but I, uh, I think we should all talk together. Maybe in the lounge? I'll bring them to the lounge. They want to be friends too. Oh! I was supposed to ask." She cleared her throat, a strange noise. "Would you like to meet all of us in the lounge, for a friendly, um, breakfast? I can't promise our diets are entirely compatible, but please accept in the good will it is offered."
The commanding officer finally remembered his duty. "Hold on, that sounds like a bad idea. We need to get answers." He held up a hand for patience and being still. "You spend countless billions of dollars zooming through space, just to say hello?" He stared hard at her with a firm grimace. "What are you going to do? Land and say hello? Pick apples? Ride horses? Have some tea and biscuits and giggle about our similarities? Do you really have nothing else in your ship but aliens who want to be nice?"
Fluttershy inclined her head at the nervous human in a spacesuit. "Most of those sound lovely. Ride what?" She rubbed her ear with a hoof, as if to get her translator to work better. "We really are here to be nice. Hopefully, our people can exchange cultural and scientific advancements to help one another. That would be, um, wonderful." She clapped her hooves together with a smile, taking care not to show off her teeth, flat as most of them were. "So, do you want to go to the lounge for breakfast?"
The commanding officer made an annoyed growl deep in his chest, only held back by the suit he had on. "Alright, I'm coming in and you're going to start talking." He waved for the others to proceed, though he need only cease his attempts to slow them down as they swarmed ahead to marvel at the friendly alien that was inviting them further inside the vessel.
One of them, a civilian, was gently petting along her leg, which Fluttershy was allowing. "We are not, naturally, this bulbous. We're wearing suits to protect us from unknown and hostile environments. We don't know if your air is safe. We don't know what sorts of microbes you may be carrying. Even if you don't mean to hurt us, being careless could get us both seriously hurt, or killed."
"Oh my." Flutteshy backed a step, wings flapping. "Am I in danger?" She gasped quietly as a small screen on her wrist lit up. "Ah! Um, please, wait just a moment while I fetch my suit. I'm sorry, but I should have realized. I'm so thoughtless." She turned to hurry away.
"Wait." Another one, a military one, was shaking his head. "Not much point now. You're already past the danger point. The suits are as clean as we can get them until we put them on. You're probably okay?" He didn't sound sure, but how could he be? "Tell your friends to suit up though."
"Good idea." Fluttershy flicked an ear, turning it on. "Applejack, everypony, you should get into your suits. We don't know if our friends have any nasty bugs that could hurt them, or us. For everycreature's safety, please, suits." She turned back to the group with an uneasy smile. "Please excuse the delay." She pointed. "I'll be right back!"
She turned to walk, and promptly smacked into a wall and fell onto her haunches with a quiet cry, rubbing her head with a wince. "I miss gravity." She pushed off the wall, soaring down the hallway properly that time.
"Good evening, Citizens of America." He placed his hands on either side of his podium, his eyes locked on the cameras and the millions behind them, watching. "We face a new day. As most of you know, we have established communication with an intelligence not of this world. Before I continue, I wish to make it clear."
He raised a finger at America as a whole, behind that camera. "These beings are not of Earth." He pointed a finger to the ground for emphasis. "They have made no attempt to threaten us in any capacity. They have been curious, yes. They have asked questions, about our world, even some about ourselves. They have come with peace. We have no reason, at this time to doubt this."
He took a slow breath. "But know that we are prepared. I announced shortly ago to military advisors, after thorough consultation, that the armed forces are now at Defcon 2. We hope this will be for nothing, but we are prepared. America will not be undefended as we step through this door for the first time. I am in contact with our allies and other global powers. This is a matter for all of humanity, not any one nation."
Not that he had a choice. Many were battering his door, asking about it long before he got the media prepared. "We will face it, together."
Robert slammed his fist on his podium. "It has begun! They come for us! They are here! Our time is at hand!" He held his hand out towards the sky in his sermon. "Have you ever felt a greater sense of awe? Have you ever felt more alive in this very moment?" He paused a moment, heaving with the power of the event. "They are upon us. No gentle rapture, but a fiery test of our resolve to serve God and to prove we are worthy! And we will!"
He threw up his arms as he thundered through his pulpit. "The president, a false prophet, is already bowing his head to these demons! He kneels before them, and tells us all to prepare to receive them, as if it is an honor, but I know it for what it is, brothers and sisters!" He leaned forward, pressing a hand into the wooden pulpit, scowling hard at the crowd gathered. "Brothers. Sisters." His voice lowered, only audible thanks to the microphone he wore. "I know you."
"I love you. I will stand by you and I will die by you if that's what it takes! You are strong. You are brave. You are not afraid, no. Not even the devil himself will take this world from us, because you. Are. Unbroken! Unbowed! UNBENT!" He boomed at the top of his lungs. "They call me a preacher, well, it's time to stop preaching. It's time to act!" He stepped back with a smile and his hand outstretched to the crowd. "Do you know what time it is?"
He lifted his other hand up, clicking his fingers for the choir that was waiting patiently. "Hallelujah! The good lord has given us a chance to prove ourselves to Him. In this dark and muddled world, finally, we have a chance to prove ourselves clean and ready for the glory of Heaven!"
The choir burst into song behind him, praising their god. "Behold!" Robert strode across the stage, smiling all the way, arms outstretched. "Behold! We are in the presence of the devil himself, and we will prevail!"
"This is Barbara Smith, reporting in. Ponies have arrived." A window popped in to her upper right as she faced the camera. In that window, an outline of a horse in profile as just a big outline with nothing inside. "Only a handful of people have actually seen them, but they've hit the entire planet like a shockwave." She gestured to the image next to her, a panorama of several cities in a row, all showing varying stages of chaos and outcry as the public reacted.
She turned back to the camera. "Military authorities have remained tight lipped, but in an earlier address to the nation, President Wilson explained the situation was under control, and we would see an update within the next twenty four hours. Some people have reacted positively to these new developments." Another window popped up beside her, showing an image of a circle of smiling people with fake horse ears and tails. They held signs with slogans encouraging the aliens with messages of friendship and love.
She motioned to it again. "But for many, the appearance of alien life has raised concerns with government handling of the issue, and even the morality of it all. The idea that humanity is not alone is not sitting well. To speak about that, we've brought some experts in the field, from Harvard, Dr. Theodore Peterson, who will explain just what the arrival of aliens may mean to the future of our species. Thank you for coming on short notice."
"No trouble at all." He chuckled politely to the host. "Thank you for having me. The president, and all members of his branch we've been able to get any words out of, seem to agree that the aliens aren't here to kill us, or take our world. If you were worried about that, cross that off your doomsday list." He made a slashing motion with a finger. "But that doesn't mean humanity doesn't face some existential questions."
He adjusted his tie. "From the start, enlightened man has gazed on the stars as being his. The universe was a large sandbox with only one resident, and we imagined ourselves playing in it as we pleased. The arrival of a new child, even if they've come with a smile, throws those preconceptions of who we are into disarray, as you've seen with the disquiet gripping the globe."
He waved a hand broadly. "We are not alone. In some ways, if they had arrived with weapons bared, that would have made things simpler. We would know, to the last man, what we need to do. To fight is easy. To live in peace? We haven't even mastered that trick amongst ourselves."
He tilted his head from side to side, squinting at the camera. "So, they may come with guns, or they may come with an embrace, but this new development means we all need to decide how to see it. It's happened, not in a theory, but right in front of us. First, the song."
The song played, that alien melody with its undecipherable singing produced by throats that were not human in design. "They sent this, quite on purpose. They said hello, then came to actually shake our hands. As potential aliens go, we couldn't have asked for a more polite one. Perhaps their first gesture is a sign that their intentions are pure, but that's just the opening move."
He tapped at a watch on his wrist idly. "They say hello, and then we say hello. Only once that exchange is made will we be able to tell if it was genuine or not." He took a slow breath. "Can we even speak with them? The president insists they've made no hostile moves, but not hostile and friendly interaction are quite a gulf apart."
Barbara returned to the screen, at her desk. "That's a question many have been asking. Will the aliens be giving their own announcements? When will they be spoken to, if that's even possible?" She tapped a stack of papers on the desk. "The questions are piling up, and answers are slow in coming. We live in interesting times. Next on the news."
"Sir." The ranking soldier was listening intently to his headset. "Sir, you're certain? Right." He turned to the assembled scientists and engineers and soldiers. "We have permission to proceed."
The scientists looked thrilled, the engineers leapt into action, checking things and inspecting machinery from the top to the bottom. It was the soldiers who went tense. One of them sighed. "We're playing host to an actual alien?" He shook his head at the idea. "I can't believe we're doing this. This is stupid."
One of the scientists glared at the soldier. "This is a chance of a lifetime. We'll get a chance to study a lifeform that underwent an entirely divorced evolution. So many of our notions were built with a sample size of just one. We may prove, or disprove, so many things I can't even count them." He marched off, scribbling on his clipboard. "This will be a moment for history."
The soldier huffed through his nose, looking to the engineer at his side. "I'll bet they've done tests and everything, but I think they're forgetting a pretty big thing."
The engineer didn't look away from the machine in front of her. "Which would be?" She adjusted one of the bolts on the metal housing.
The soldier waved a hand in a sweeping gesture, taking in the whole laboratory that was busying itself for the visit. "It's the classic question, Docs. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. How do you plan to make sure this doesn't explode in our face?" He scoffed at the room that was moving in front of his eyes. "None of this is ready for actual contact with an alien."
She frowned, still looking at her machine, though she had stopped working. "We're working on that. We will bring the alien here, and put them in isolation. Fortunately for everyone involved, they are carbon based, and their oxygen requirements are not too different from ours. The air won't kill them, if they don't die from a random disease."
She grabbed the next bolt, loosening it and applying new lubricant before screwing it back into place. "But it will keep us all safe. If something happens, the worst that can happen is we lose a specimen of unknown value." She sighed gently. "I hate calling them that. Each of them has a name, even if I can't pronounce it. They're people."
The soldier arched a brow, "And, what? If they break out and slaughter us all, that's okay? Because they're people? Listen to yourself. You sound crazy. This isn't a movie." He adjusted the grip on his rifle. "Fine, whatever. You focus on your science, that's your job. We'll make sure you don't die doing it."
The scientist watched him go, shrugging to herself before returning to her work, "It's a shame we can't know where they're from." She shook her head. "Imagine getting to see what their world." She looked up to one of her peers. "We should ask them, when we get them in here. They may have some stories to share, if they're willing."
"They're being friendly so far, right? I don't see why they wouldn't. It's been a lot of questions, some photos, and more media attention than I've ever seen on one thing since the Ukraine war." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I feel like a damn baby. Here we are, still squabbling with each other when they've traveled the stars just to greet us." He laughed sardonically. "It's like having a friend over and your place is still a mess, you know?"
The woman next to him nodded with a tiny smile. "Yeah, I get that. Still, I think we'll manage to do a good enough job hosting for our guests." She shook her head. "I don't get why we couldn't have a proper reception set up for them, though."
Her peer shrugged, still leaning on the table in front of him. "Some people think it's too much of a risk, and, well, there is a lot we don't know. Even if they can handle breathing our air, maybe they'll die. I don't like bringing that up, but we have an entirely alien immune system." She hiked a thumb at the big metal container they were working on. "This will be kept sterile, but they still have to make it inside. At best I still imagine them getting an alien flu for a few days. If they survive that, good, they're on the way to getting used to Earth life."
She tapped her pen to her chin. "At worst? We make them sick. They die. Not only is it tragic, we'd also have to explain to their friends why they're gone, which wouldn't end well. So, I'm fine with waiting in the labs to see our guests." Her eyes rose up to the clock on the wall. "In fact, it should be happening any time now."
"Our faithful have asked." The pope looked across at the camera that broadcast him. "They have asked how these new creatures fit into the Good Book. They weren't written in there, were they? We cannot assume that, but also we cannot assume that the Good Lord didn't work through them. We are all his creations. Their relationship with him may be quite different than ours, but he looks down over each of us. And they are no exception."
He gently clasped his hands. "Let us not repeat mistakes of the past. We are meeting a new people, and they come with their hands spread wide. They ask for nothing, but offer everything. They are good Samaritans from lightyears away. It is the decision, a papal decree, that these alien people be given the chance to show their kindness."
He raised a lone finger. "We will not cast the first stone on these kind neighbors. If they wish to embrace us, and do not all our teachers insist we return the favor?" He took a slow breath. "Many of you are scared and confused, but God works in mysterious ways. Let's not turn Him away, instead we should celebrate that He acts in such a bold fashion, to send us such a clear message of favor, to all of us."
Rainbow leaned closer to her monitor as it crackled in her ear, the humans were finally setting up the communications array, and Applejack was safely with them in a controlled environment, in a suit for protection just in case the world was a bit nastier than the scientists promised.
She clapped as a hazy image appeared, slowly sharpening as the ship's computer learned to cope with what the Earth computers were generating. "AJ!"
"Howdy." AJ waved, wearing her suit. Unlike the human suits, the pony ones were closer to form fitting, not hindering her mobility much at all. "They got me in a right small place." She turned in place. "Real small. They said ah gotta hang out here fer a bit, make sure ah don't get sick, and they don't. Then they gotta see how sick anycreature gets." She rolled her eyes softly. "If they let Flutters look 'em over, it'd be fine."
Rainbow made a face. "Woowee, you look real uncomfortable, AJ. But you're gonna get to meet the bigwigs, huh? That's exciting, right? You'll be the first to get to say hi."
AJ flashed a bright smile at that. "There is that. Right lookin' forward to it. Knowin' such important things are comin' up keeps me goin'. Who woulda thought? We just met, and already, I'm gonna get to sit at the grownup's table with the world leaders?" She tipped her hat, the brim just poking into the bottom of the screen. "Makes me right proud."
Rainbow could just see her friend's blush through the helmet, and she chuckled, shaking her head. "Lucky." She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to the monitor, filling the camera. "Just, you know, be careful, okay?" Her voice dropped to a gentle concern, before bouncing back to her usual timbre. "Can they understand us yet?"
"Not even close." She reached up and tapped the side of her helmet, causing her words to be repeated in English. "Without Flutters' translators, we'd be stuck with wavin' at each other and hopin' the other picked it up. That'd be a mess! Tell her ah said thanks."
"Excuse me," asked a voice on Applejack's side. "Can we ask you a few questions?" They were, of course, speaking English, translated by the devices both Applejack and Rainbow were wearing.
AJ waved at the camera, the one she had been speaking to Rainbow through. "Talk to ya later." The conversation ended, just for the image of Rainbow to be replaced by a human. This one wasn't dressed the same way. She didn't seem to have a uniform at all. AJ blinked at the strange human. "Right nice to meetcha."
"Hey." Cindy smiled sheepishly. "First time I said hello to a space alien. You're prettier than I'd been scared of."
Applejack adjusted her hat with confusion. "Well, um, nice to hear that. Better than the alternative. Name's Applejack. Yours?"
"Cindy." Cindy hiked a thumb at herself. "I don't work here. They dragged me here, said I was 'already in contact with you', and insisted I come say hello."
Applejack considered the human curiously. "Why would they—" But it hit her. It was that creature she saw waving wildly at the probe. "It's you! Howdy there. Hope the probe wasn't too alarmin'. It was jus' gettin' a lay of the land, as it were."
Cindy relaxed at the recognition. "It surprised me, and almost got eaten by an angry bird." She considered Applejack in her suit. "Awkward question, but is that your skin, or something you're wearing? I'm not sure."
Applejack laughed gently at that. "If it makes ya feel any better, we thought the same thin'! We were mighty surprised when we got a look at one-of-ya without that whole gettup in the way." She stretched her long legs. "The real me's hidin' under the protection here. They said I'm safer with it on. I think I'm gonna get a rash." She pawed at the material, the motion blurred slightly by the distance between them, the way she moved and the thickness of her hoof-gloves. "Well, since yer here, howdy. I present warm tidin's from Equestria to you an' the rest of ya human-folk."
It was a curious thing. Cindy could hear Applejack singing her strange alien language, hauntingly mesmerizing when it wasn't interrupted by the artificial English words of translation. "Applejack, may I ask? What does the song mean?" She dug out her phone, stuck in Airplane mode, but still capable of playing the file it already had loaded. Soon, the pony song played out. "What does it mean? It isn't 'how to serve man,' I hope?"
"Ya shouldn't be worried about that." Applejack missed the reference entirely, but pushed past it all the same. "Ain't nothin' scary. What'd be the point of that? It's us celebrating the Summer Sun. We sing a real nice song, celebratin' the sun comin' up nice an' high, and that it comes up that way every day, like clockwork. 'Specially the pony responsible fer it" She snickered to herself, "Princess Celestia likes ta complain it's a load of work, but she doesn't fool anybody, least of all us."
"She controls the sun?" Cindy blinked in surprise. "What about the moon?"
Applejack looked confused, as if the question was just silly, but then it hit her. "Oh! Right. Silly me." She shook her head. "Our plannet an' yours ain't havin' the same situation. Ours needs a helpin' hand to keep thin's flowin' just right. Two ponies help with that, Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna." Applejack nodded with each name. "Nicest ponies you'll ever meet. They ain't here though. Would be rude to send them off to another world when they're needed right there. More surprisin' to me how some places work without 'em!"
"You say 'princess', but are they your queens?" She scooted closer, looking the pony over closely on the monitor on her side, peering through the glass as if it wasn't even there. "Are they in charge?"
Applejack turned an ear back. "They're in charge of the ponies. The, uh, not ponies don't always listen to her"
Cindy perked at that. "Your world has more than one thing on it, that can talk?"
"Yours don't?" It was hard to tell if Applejack was surprised, but the words gave enough context. "Shoot. We're the first other creature you done ever saw? Ah thought we were jus' the first one from another world."
Cindy shrugged easily, as if they weren't in the middle of discussing that they'd never met another alien species. "That's why it's so shocking you're here. If we knew it was possible, then there might be no surprises." Cindy glanced at the camera that faced her. There were many. Did one go to Applejack? She could not tell which went the other way. Most went to other humans, watching and listening to her conversation. "Do you think the princess will come see us? Do you think the other aliens will too? Will they be okay on Earth?"
"Probably not." AJ shrugged again, ears twitching in the helmet. "Like ah said, we need Princess Celestia and Luna right there on Equestria. Ain't nothin' mean meant in it, just need'em. Now, well, if we get along, other ponies could happen. Ain't no law 'gainst that." She raised a hoof at the camera. "You want to press hand to hoof with an alien?"
Cindy couldn't resist her smile. "Actually, yes. Yes, I would like that very much."
In another room, notes were taken furiously by two monitoring scientists. One looked to the other, speaking in a quiet murmur, "We know she can understand us, but can she really comprehend what we're saying?" He took a slow breath. "Is the AI that smart?"
"She is interpreting human concepts, which the AIs can't. The software is translating complex ideas into alien languages." The second scientist leaned in close. "I'd kill for that technology." He glanced at the other. "Figuratively speaking, of course." He set down his pen. "She is awfully relaxed, isn't she?"
The first nodded along, "They may have incredibly advanced technology, and they have come a very long way just to talk, but they have no reason to see us as a threat, right?" He closed his notebook, holding it in his lap. He started. "Wait, do you mean the alien?"
"I don't know what gender the alien has, if it even has genders we recognize. Could be like a mushroom with more than anyone wants to count." He pointed to Cindy. "Her." He tapped the pad he was making notes on. "She doesn't seem at all concerned to be in there chatting away." He scoffed at that. "We haven't even heard her talk before this. She just stumbled on a probe that was designed for interplanetary communication, and got to talking with the aliens."
The other scribbled something new. "She was in the right place, at the right time. We're just as lucky. They aren't hiring many for our position, you know that."
"True." He folded his hands together. "Damn true. Wish I could go in there. I have so many questions."
"They only sent her in there hoping she'd get them to drop their guard, and it's working. She's already got them spilling information everywhere."
"She isn't exactly hiding, so far I've seen." He reached out, turning up the volume on Cindy and Applejack. "They haven't been hiding anything we've been able to see."
"Which is why we keep looking." They resumed their notes. "That's our job."
Cindy was joyfully unaware of that conversation. "May I ask, your voice, the English one, it sounds like a woman, a female. Are you that? Do you know what that is?"
Applejack blinked softly, almost hidden by her visor. "Oh, um. Well, shoot. If yer askin' if I can, you know, incubate a little me, um." She reached back, rubbing her lower back end gently. "Ah could, if I found a fittin' other pony to do that with. Um, how 'bout you? You a lady?"
"Lady." Cindy waved over herself. "Picking out ladies with humans is easy, hirrah sexual dimorphism. Females tend to have more fat up here." She gestured up towards her chest, then down around her hips. "Usually rounder around here. Our voices are higher, relatively, and we're smaller, usually. Again, all averages. There are big ladies and small guys, happens. Luck of the draw. Now you can try to tell us apart."
Applejack reached up towards the camera Cindy could see her through. "Thanks fer sharin'. Seriously, you don't seem so nervous like most of ya. Hope they let me outta here soon, so we can meet proper-like."
"I am, but I'm excited too." She pressed a hand to her chest. "I've been reading books my whole life. Meeting a real alien was something I could only dream of, but it was like a joke, because no one could figure out how to get here in my lifetime." She pointed up at the imagined stars. "To the cosmos, other worlds. We've only just confirmed there are infinite of them. We like to imagine there's life up there, but we haven't found a hint, until you all started singing at us."
President Wilson drummed his pointer finger against his desk with a thoughtful frown, considering the options laid before him. The alien was ending their mandatory stay in the isolation room. Every report said she was most likely safe. It was time to take that gamble and bring them up to the White House, and treat them as the foreign dignitary they were, though none were more aware of the consequences that may come of it.
Just releasing her was a big step. She'd be an alien, an illegal alien. He snorted at that. "We can fix that." He reached for the desk phone on his desk. "Hello, I need USCIS, get me their director on the line. Thank you." He set the phone back on its cradle, just for it to ring a moment later. "Perfect timing. Thank you for picking up so fast."
The voice on the other side spoke with a kind professionalism. "Mister President. How can I assist you?"
"We have an immigrant, and they're a special case." He sucked in air through his teeth. "They're as foreign as it gets. An alien."
"A what?"
"A talking horse from another planet."
There was a pause, but the man on the other end only hummed thoughtfully. "We've already dealt with immigrants from Mars. How is this any different?" That he was joking was clear between them, their shared chuckle making that quite clear. "You want to get her a visa?"
"I don't think she plans to stay. A Visa would be fine, and she can apply for something longer term if she's up for it. The only trick—"
"Is the country of origin, got it. She isn't the first immigrant we got without one of those, and she won't be the last one."
"No, she isn't." The president lifted his finger to the desk. "The only oddball in this equation is that she's from another planet, which puts this outside the normal bounds of legal procedure."
"The paperwork's clear enough." Distant typing could be heard, clacking at the keys busily. "No country, at least here on Earth, and that's all this paperwork cares about. She'll be cleared to stay. I'll send a fax your way with questions for her. Name, gender, the usual. We'll need a picture taken. I bet you have a supply of them already."
"We do. She's wearing a suit, for safety precautions, but I bet you can guess. Horses are equine, just like you can see on TV. There is one extra thing about our guest I wanted to mention." The president sighed gently, reaching out and toying with a paper clip he had left on his desk. "She has a, shall we say, distinct accent."
The man on the other side of the phone laughed. "That's just being polite. That we can understand her at all is a damned miracle. An accent is the least of our words. I'll get the paperwork to you, Mister President. Get it filled and send it back. We'll get our space horse ready to visit the US of A. Oh, and thank you. You gave my day a little something special to laugh about. I needed that."
President Wilson smiled as he set the phone down. "One less problem." He turned to the window, looking up to the sky. "Now, we need to prepare for your arrival."
"Please stay right there." The soldier held up a hand at Cindy. "We'll be opening it shortly, but you, here." He pointed to a striped line.
"I don't think she'll bite my head off." Cindy rolled her shoulders. "She played the long game if she wanted a snack. I brought some carrots anyway." She held them up for inspection, the green stems hanging in a cluster, just the orange ends showing. "She eats those, right? Or is it an alien thing?"
The soldier frowned at the bundle of vegetation. "You brought food." He waved over one of the scientists.
The scientist hurried over, eyes widening as he saw the carrots, then at the woman holding them. "Are those— You actually brought carrots. They eat carrots? How do you know that? Have you actually fed her?" He looked to the soldier, eyes bulging with an alarm that was rising inside him.
Cindy tucked the carrots away. "I have no idea. I was just going to offer them and if she likes them, great."
The scientist put a hand to his head. "Start with the smallest bit. We don't know what her digestive system is expecting, and we don't want to upset it." He peered at the carrots. "Those are just a guess?"
Cindy shrugged with upheld hands. "Yeah."
The scientist turned to the soldier, pointing to Cindy. "If those are in the air, or the atmosphere, and she likes them, then it's a fair bet. If the alien doesn't want them, remove them, immediately."
"You got it." The soldier nodded at the scientist and turned to face the isolation booth. "Get your head in the game." He focused on the door ahead of him, hand resting on the pistol at his side, but he didn't draw it. The device on his wrist buzzed a low tone, an indicator that it was primed for use.
With a soft hiss, the chamber began to slide open, the air inside flowing freely into the main area of the facility. The door opened slowly, and with it came the strange, but familiar music of a pony voice. It sounded just like the recordings, but with an oddly musical lilt that seemed to carry the emotion.
Cindy cocked her head as she listened to it, unable to understand it, but with a feeling it was all rather pleasant, all the same.
Applejack trotted out. She was equine, but she was no horse. She wasn't a pony either. She was an alien, her limbs not quite connecting properly. They were perfectly right, for one of her, but she wasn't from Earth. "Howdy," echoed the artificial human voice. "Sure is good to get out of there." She looked around curiously, exposed for the first time, her suit removed. She wore no clothing save some fashion of hat on her head. "They say the air is fine in here."
The humans looked at the pony, examining the details they couldn't from the isolated chamber. Her body was thick, muscular, with a long tail and a lean head with big eyes that swiveled to take in the room. She saw something and accelerated towards it, or her. "Cindy!" She moved quickly, her legs working fluidly to close the gap in moments. That one word so strange, because she sang it out, almost getting the word write in her alien tongue, just for it to be repeated in English.
Applejack held her foreleg up in front of Cindy. "Howdy." Her mane bobbed as her head bowed in respect. "Good to meet ya."
Cindy was smiling, almost dumbstruck. "It's so nice to be sharing air." She offered a hand. "How do you say hello? We like shaking hands, but you don't have those." She glanced at Applejack's hooves. They were split down the center, cloven hooved, four of them. "Can you?"
"Shake hands?" Applejack shifted one of her hooves over, pressing it to Cindy's hand. She was warm, and soft to the touch. "It's nicer than ah expected."
Cindy squeezed Applejack's hoof in her hand, marveling at the texture. It was no hoof, at least no Earth hoof. It was like holding a closed hand, soft and warm to her exploring fingers. "Please tell me if I bother you. I don't want to do that."
"Nah." Applejack took her hoof back to the ground. "Ah'll tell ya, promise. Ain't gonna be sore 'cause somecreature that ain't know me gets somethin' wrong. Just don't go tuggin' anythin'. That's rude."
Cindy lifted her hands innocently. "I wouldn't dream of it." She pulled the carrots back out and showed them to Applejack. "You should probably learn my name. It's Cindy." She smiled at that.
Applejack examined the strange things Cindy was offering. She delicately sniffed at them in the same way an Earth creature might, that much not too dissimilar. "Izzat food?" She licked her lips. "Smells fresh." She bit into one with a crunch and chewed it a moment. She swallowed with a happy sigh. "Nice an' sweet. You got any more of those?"
The soldiers behind them were standing ramrod straight, stiff as a board as they watched the creature interact with the one civilian that they all thought was crazy to go on interacting like it was no big deal.
Cindy laughed it off. "I'm only allowed to give you a taste, until we're sure you can handle it. We don't want our alien getting any belly-aches." She paused. "Do you have a belly?"
Applejack recoiled at the question. "'Course ah do! Pretty sure we eat the same." She pointed up at her snout. "Food goes in one way." She pointed at her midsection. "An' it comes back out."
Cindy blinked at that exit point. "Almost the same." In and out, that much felt similar. "I think they're wanting me to point you that way." She redirected Applejack towards some officious sorts.
They began the process of giving her a visa and explaining what it allowed and didn't allow. "We don't imagine you plan on it, but you are not permitted to seek employment. You'll need a more permanent visa for that. This does identify you, and gives you permission to be here."
She flipped it over in her hooves, squinting at it, as if she were struggling to read the words in human. She gave up with a shrug. "Ah'll trust ya." She pressed it against the front of her chest, where it stuck as if it were a magnet. "Right there?"
"That works." He offered a smile. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some questions myself."
Cindy tilted her head to the side. "Just questions, not tests? Are we good there?"
The official raised his hands. "I'm with immigration, ma'am. We don't do many tests if you do your paperwork properly. Now, Applejack, we wanted to know if you had a last name, or if that was a full name? Apple Jack?" He nodded to himself. "That makes sense to me."
Applejack seemed confused a moment. "If yer askin' what family ah'm from, they're the Apples. Applejack of the Apples." She nodded along with the words, sung as they were. "What's yer family name?" She was looking towards Cindy.
Cindy froze in place a moment, then thawed with a sheepish smile. "My name is Cindy Miller. I'm just plain old Cindy, I don't have any fancy titles." She reached out to Applejack. "That's good to know, though. It makes me feel like I can call you something."
"Yer fine, Cin." Applejack lowered her head. "Just as fine as anyother."
With her identification taken care of, other agents stepped forward, whisking Applejack away from Cindy and leaving her there alone. Cindy blinked at the space that once held her new alien friend. "Where'd they go?"
A soldier shrugged. "That is an alien. Their schedule is booked, ma'am. I doubt you'll get to see her for a while." He turned on his heel, walking away briskly to join his peers, who were all gathering by a vehicle. One waved for her to follow.
Cindy scurried to catch up. "She's coming to Washington, right?"
One of the soldiers raised a hand. "That's Need to Know, and you don't Need to Know. We'll give you a lift, and we have your number if you're needed. You need to head home."
"Home." She nodded idly and hopped into the back of the vehicle, buckling herself in before it even started moving, looking back at the building she had spent a lot of time in. They had let her sit in with Applejack, asking simple questions and talking at length, but now Applejack was gone. "Is it odd I already miss her?"
"A little." Another soldier shrugged. "But not that odd." They all laughed, rushing her back to her home as they had been ordered.
She was everywhere. Eclipsing the human stars of the moment, Applejack appeared on television broadcasts, they talked about her on the radio, and rare were the Youtube channels not gabbing about her. Companies swift to leap on the bubble were offering limited time merchandise that had her, or similarities to her, available to hawk their wares.
Social media was not immune, with people posting their love, or hate, for Applejack with equal fervor. Some extremes launching offers to marry and/or murder the alien creature if ever the opportunity were to arise. The latter made the news, but not the former.
The alien was being shown in public, and to a handful of people. The majority were politicians, who wanted to be able to brag they were the first to welcome the alien to the country. She was considered such a prized asset that those that voiced credible threats towards her were not treated kindly. They didn't bring it up to Applejack, simply taking action while keeping her insulated from such things.
Allies of America pressed their favors to get their own representatives a chance to say hello to the alien, but America decided to give them all what they wanted. They would place Applejack before the United Nations. Was she not a representative of a whole-human consideration?
They coached her as best they could. Fortunately, Applejack didn't seem to be a stranger to the idea of speaking in front of an audience. "Shoot." She made a soft ticking that they'd learned was a chuckle. "Ah figured we'd be talkin' to the whole world of ya! A big room? Pretty sure ah can handle that."
But she wasn't prepared. The cars with her in one, rolled through New York, giving her a chance to peek out at the city. "You have right pretty cities, look at 'em stretch up like that." She clapped her hooves, which made sounds far closer to hands clapping. "Do you really have enough humans to fit in—"
She didn't get to finish the question, the whole car lifting in a powerful lurch. She slammed her head against the window she'd been looking through with a pained noise that needed no translation as the whole thing rolled over. She was crushed under the weight of the world. She was buried in metal and fire.
Police and Secret Service were already on the scene, the chaos only raising as angry shouts and panicked screams filled the air. In it all, a single hand gently touched Applejack's shoulder. "Ma'am, are you alright? Can you move?" It was the Secret Service agent that had been riding with her.
Applejack shook her head slowly, trying to get her head on straight. "Ow." She reached out a hoof to grab the agent. "What's goin' on?!"
"We're under attack." He seemed relieved. She was moving, and aware. "You're safest right here. This car might have been knocked over, but they're unlikely to breach it." And safer places to spirit her didn't feel close enough to risk it. "I'm glad you're alright."
"Mostly." She rubbed where she'd been bashed by the side of the car. "Now why would anyone go doin' that? Ah ain't done nothin' wrong to 'em."
Outside, it was a small war. Guns fired and small explosives detonated as a desperate attempt was made to keep the alien from reaching the UN. People shouted in firm battle cries, sure that their side was the correct one. "This one." Robert waved co-conspirators over towards the car the held Applejack, flipped over as it was. "Get this car open!"
Zealots from far more than his one congregation charged at the vehicle even as gunfire cut some down before they could reach it, the others acting as meatshields to protect their friends as they rushed forward in a desperate push to crack the armored doors. They broke bottles of fuel, throwing the liquid in before lighting them ablaze, the smoke curling into the air and bringing the scent of burning rubber and a twisted form of incense into the air.
Inside, the agent drew his gun to the ready. "The interior is airtight. We have inches of metal and protection anyone would have to get through." That didn't stop his grip from tightening around the pistol, ready to use it. "I'll protect you."
Applejack began to shiver at the wild noises of all those people prying and trying to open the door. The fear of the situation began to settle on her. "Did ah say somethin'? Ah'm sorry! Make 'em stop!" She reached out, clutching the agent close in a hug as her world turned into one of fear. "Ya gotta get me outta here!"
He paled. "I can't." His eyes turned up at the sound of an axe slamming into the vehicle.
"You are to disperse immediately," came a booming voice as tear gas cannisters landed around the assaulted car. They hissed as they dispersed the gas into the air, carried along the wind.
One attacker took a deep breath, covering his eyes with his sleeve as he launched into another swing with his axe, rocking the heavy weapon into the side of the flipped over SUV.
Heavy boots approached through the smog as officers closed in, starting to violently arrest anyone they could get their hands on, beating them with their batons. They shoved their captives onto the ground, slapping restraints around their wrists behind their backs, zip ties to keep them immobilized.
In the car, Applejack was huddled up tightly, holding onto the agent, "Is it over?" The sounds were quieting down outside. "Are we safe?"
The agent reached up, pressing on his walkie talkie. Applejack could hear human voices speaking back and forth, but only faintly. "Situation under control." He pressed the button once more. "I have the alien, she's secure and healthy. What should I do with her?"
"Nearest hospital, for safety." He looked up at Applejack. "They'll put you with medical personnel until the crisis is over. Then we'll go to the UN building as planned. Okay?"
She just nodded at him. "R-right." She followed after him as they slipped out the side of the car. There, she could see the scores of humans forcibly restrained. "They okay?" She stayed at the agent's side. "That looks kinda painful. Ain't no expert on human anatomy, but, look at 'em."
Then she saw bodies. There were no few of them to pick from. "Oh." She made a noise, a new one that none of them had heard before, and that the translator didn't pick up on. She sang for them, for the dead. They didn't know the words, and the translator wasn't following along, but it had a sad tilt to it, a mourning dirge for so much life lost.
The agent with her pushed against her though. "No time for that, ma'am. We have to keep moving."
So she did, crying in her alien way. That humans didn't have time for that was quietly remembered as she hurried to stay at his side, pushing through the smoke and chaos. Police blocked their path, but they were there to help, not harm.
They passed by the bloodied corpses of the ones that hadn't seen victory, the ones that failed to pry her open for their cause, their fallen bleeding into the cracked asphalt. The police were waving the agent and Applejack forward, paying little mind to the gruesome marks of the battle they had just survived.
She'd never been near that much blood before, and that the smell of it was a mixture of iron and copper wasn't helping. She could see a bit of white in the red, bones. It was nauseating to be so close. So many humans, living so close together. They also died together, for reasons Applejack struggled to understand.
The smells faded as they pressed into the hospital, replaced with the sterilized scents of a proper facility, cleansers and disinfectants meant to keep things free of disease. It wasn't anything new for Applejack, the pony doctor's office back in Ponyville used all the same substances, at least to the same effect.
The nurse behind the counter gasped as she saw Applejack come in. Applejack tried her best toothless smile. "Howdy."
The nurse recovered with a little nod. "Hello." She looked from Applejack to the Secret Service agent. "Can I help?"
The agent sighed gently. "We must just need to relax. She's been lightly injured, but I don't think we want anyone not trained about her, hm, unique anatomy to try to do anything about it."
The nurse's eyes went up to Applejack's bump, easily visible. "You poor thing. Let me do some basic first aid. It doesn't matter what you are, a little band aid won't hurt."
Applejack laughed gently as the woman headed for a first aid kit, the nurses and doctors working together to figure out the most likely tools they'd need for first aid on a pony. Applejack settled down to be treated. She felt comfortable, as comfortable as someone could be when they just almost died. And after seeing so many others that hadn't been so lucky.
Erring on the side of safety, they didn't use much, just gentle gauze. They jumped when she hissed in pain, but she stayed still and let them finish the bandaging. "Ah'm right grateful. This should mend on its own."
The agent motioned her forward and they continued on their way.
A little domestic terrorism wasn't going to make them late for their scheduled arrival.
They rolled into the UN building slowly, scanning everything around them carefully, on high alert from the incident they had experienced on the way there. "What do we do with her?"
"That's a question for them." The agent nodded towards the top officials that were waiting for them at the entrance. "We deliver her, and keep her safe."
"Thanks kindly?" Applejack walked along with her escorts up to the officious looking human that radiated all the pomp and circumstance of someone in some kind of official capacity. "Right nice to meetcha." She sang, her words translated to English.
"Nice to meet you as well, Miss Apple." He extended a hand, and it was met with that odd fleshy hoof. They shook, Applejack getting better about how human handshakes worked. "I just work here, but I've been assigned to get you to the right place. Let's head inside." He waved her in and they all began the trip into the UN building proper.
They didn't have far to go, meeting another set of guards as they came inside, these ones with serious faces and alert eyes, watching every direction. There were many locked doors ahead of them, and they expected she'd see more. She was passed from one guard to the next, though the new detachment also claimed to work for the Secret Service. It was just fresher faces that hadn't just survived an attack.
They went to a room that was a little larger than all the people, and alien, filling it. The man that had welcomed them waved gently. "Relax where you wish. We'll be called when it's your turn to go on stage. Do you wish to watch them talk while we wait?"
"Watching, yeah." Applejack found a couch and settled down onto it, spreading her limbs out as she stretched her aching muscles. She glanced at the large screen mounted on the wall. She could see humans in a big hall, and others standing up to speak at them, yelling, almost. They were arguing about something, but most of the Proper Nouns were lost on her.
Still, there were plenty of normal words she could pick up on. Climate change, impoverished people, money. Damage, death, money. Applejack nodded as her translator picked up fragments of each spoken sentence, trying her best to keep up with things. "Oh, right." She bobbed her head in understanding as a word floated into place that put all the other bits of conversation together. She seemed to be learning new things about human politics all the time, which was entertaining to someone who didn't understand why the humans cared so much about the things they chose to, while seeming to brush off the more obviously important things. At least, from Applejack's perspective.
Still, it wasn't her world, nor her people. Chastising them for not being ponies felt silly. She took a slow breath, calming herself from the excitement. "Ah'll get through this," she said to herself and nobody else. "It's jus' talkin', 'n lettin' folks know the things they need to."
As they watched the big meeting, everyone waiting, Applejack reached out towards one of the Secret Service agents. "So, what are we waiting for?"
"It's on a vote." The agent frowned at the screen. "Once it's over, we can go on stage." He glanced at her, looking away from the large monitor in the corner. "They'll let us know. That part's not a secret." He chuckled softly. "We humans love our schedules, and you're on it."
Applejack poked her tongue out past her teeth with a tittering laugh, that odd clicking they'd learned. "I knew that." She put a hoof to her face. "Jus' a bit anxious. Sorry." She watched the humans watching each other speak, shout and yell, argue about things they seemed passionate about.
But the vote happened, hands raising and untranslated words sailing past her. She grasped the vote was happening, and she heard Yeahs and neahs. A few abstentions. A result. There were some claps, and some scowls, but the vote was completed. Applejack looked up at the agents around her. "What now?"
"It's our turn." One reached down to take her foreleg and lift her back to her feet. "You'll have to go up on stage now. Can you handle that?"
"Ah think so." She sucked in a deep breath. "Once ah start, ah can keep talkin'. I ain't shy when it comes to speakin' the truth." She walked with that first person that had led her into the building, emerging into that room. Seeing it from the bottom, she was hit by how large a space it was, filled with countless eyes, and they were rapidly turning towards her. She cringed, trying to focus on her escorts instead of all those people staring at her. They lead her up to a podium, waving her forward. "We'll be right here, ma'am."
She was left alone on the stage as the first human began to speak, then, was that music? The soft sounds of a whale's song played from somewhere all around her, and Applejack smiled. She also let her teeth be shown for the first time, swept away in the wondrous notes of that song. She joined it, pony and whale song harmonizing, neither exactly the same, but two puzzle pieces that slotted together perfectly.
The room went quiet save the playing sound and the alien singing. They were witnessing something entirely new to them. For once, the video wouldn't capture what was happening, and that wouldn't matter. As it finished, the UN president started to clap, and the others followed his example. A standing ovation for an alien that had just sung a song to them all.
Applejack lowered her ears as their applause rolled over her. "T-thank y'all." She noticed the microphone and reached out, pulling it closer. "Ah'm right pleased to be here. Ah'm told this is a way to talk to a whole lotta y'all at once. Um, if I can ask though, what was that? Ah didn't know humans sang!" Her normal dialect clashed with her English one, singing her questions just as excitedly.
The president held up a hand for silence, restoring order to the room and his own seat, "Miss Applejack, why have you come to Earth?" He had so many questions, but he tried to keep himself focused.
Applejack started. "Oh, right. That's a fair question. We've been listenin'! And yer powerful noisy. Not sayin' that in any bad way, but we could hear you clear 'cross the sky." She pointed upwards into the void. "We heard ya, and we came to say 'howdy!' Ya said all kindsa thin's. Kept us guessin' fer years! So we sent a hello back." She paused for a moment. "Y'all are right spooked, aren't ya?"
The president looked across the room. "That would be an understatement." He leaned in on his podium. "Miss Applejack, what brings you here?"
Applejack rewound the conversation in her mind, realizing she never really technically answered that. "Well, we knew our hello reached you. So we figured, once we said hi, the next step, as a good neighbor, was to actually stop by. We're here to offer open hooves." She spread her forelimbs wide. "We're all in this universe together. We're hopin' we can be good friends 'bout it."
The president straightened himself back up. "That's a wonderful sentiment, but surely there is more. You're more than welcome to be friends with us, but what do you want? Our space?"
Applejack raised a hoof to her head. "Yer space? Um—" She looked that human over, taking Cindy's advice in mind. They didn't have those fat deposits. They were probably—"Sir, this universe has a lot of space. So much of it we can't rightly count it. Why would we want your space in particular? It ain't special as space goes. Just another rock. No, what's special are the people livin' on it!"
The room filled with murmurs, most likely saying some variation of 'fair enough.' Applejack smiled at that thought. "That's what we're here to do, find new friends 'n talk about it all! That's why we came here. Yer welcome to keep yer world. Interestin' place. If ya don't mind, we could visit? But it's yers. Oh!" She perked up. "Ah'm bein' rude. You could stop by our little world. We wouldn't mind a few happy guests."
A woman from Europe stood up, looking at the president with an upturned chin, her face set in a dignified scowl. "This is all very nice, but we have seen no proof of what you're saying."
Applejack gave a strange new click. "Well, um, not sure what more evidence ah can give." She stood and did a slow circle, displaying her strange form to the assembly. "Ah gotta ship, up there. Y'all have seen it, haven't ya? We can start goin' over body specifics. Done learned how humans work, broadly, so ah know what parts ah mine sure do work different." She began pointing out all the odd details, or ones she knew were different from what they were used to seeing, describing the little quirks of being a pony that set them apart from the humans, some subtly and others quite broadly indeed.
The president gently waved for her quiet. "That's quite enough. You don't need to explain to all of us these likely taboo topics." Even if they weren't taboo for the alien, they sure were for many members in the audience. "We have seen you ship, at least some of us. America had been slow to share that information.
America's diplomat stood at that. "Giving the precise coordinates is useless for those that have no visual line towards it because the earth's in the way. We're not playing favorites." He pointed across the room. "As Miss Applejack has explained, she is an alien, from a far off world. How can we be sure they all look like that? What if they're not friendly? What if she is just the scout?"
Applejack walked over towards him, looking him up and down. "Well, yer partially right. Ah am a scout. Ah am Applejack, Captain of the Distant Friendship. We're the first in line to see if there's any land on this place worth talkin' bout, and if there is, if they wanna be friends, or if we shouldn't bother with 'em. Now, since we're bein' all truthful, mah world ain't just got one thinkin' race on it. Ponies are just one." She poked a hoof towards him, the others quietly listening as she spoke. "Yer another."
That got them talking. America seemed surprised at her words. "What?"
Applejack bobbed her head. "Humans, just another one, but we got plenty back home. Dragons, griffons, changelings." Many of her words were loose approximations at best. "They all got somethin' unique to share, and a different perspective on things. Ah'm here as a pony, offering a friendly hoof." She extended one towards them all. "Will ya take it?"
The president's hands lowered towards his podium, gently tapping against it as he thought that through. "Miss Applejack, can you excuse us? I think we need to talk amongst ourselves."
Applejack looked around the room. There were hundreds of people there, and they were talking quietly. Part of her wanted to say more, to sway them, but they were talking, at least. "'Course. Take yer time." She nodded to her escort and they left the way she came, to the same waiting room. That screen was mounted on the wall, providing the live feed from the UN in progress as Applejack took a seat, relaxing as best she could on the sofa, not daring to try squeezing onto a chair. "Ah don't think it's going so bad?"
Her escort sank onto a seat proper. "You have given them much to consider. They may be arguing for days, weeks. We'll see if they call you out again."
An image of Applejack sprung onto the screen, caught as she was singing, mouth open wide, and her many teeth on display. They were separated, proving she had more than one jaw to her name, all quite exposed in that still shot of one frame. "Our guest can sing, and people are worried. This is Barbara Smith, and we're covering The Alien, friend, or foe? With us—"
Another woman appeared on the screen. She had long black hair that flowed over her shoulders. She wore a deep purple sweater with white spots along the hem. "I'm Monica Glott, a cultural expert. Now, we have to remember that Applejack isn't human." She cleared her throat softly. "But, even among humans, displaying teeth, especially mid-song, is hardly unusual. We do it often, but in a way to attract others, to show them we're interested in what they're doing."
Barbara seemed doubtful, looking down at the papers in her hands. "It sure looks aggressive. In our Rapid Poll™️ result, 60% found her mandibles to be 'creepy'." She made quotes with that word in the air. "30% were scared, and 20% were curious."
Monica pointed up at the image of Applejack. "That is a still image, a single moment. You can't get the meaning of anyone, alien or not, from a single instant."
"To give a countering opinion, we've also brought on—" A second man appeared on the screen. He had long dark hair and was wearing a cream sweater vest over a collared shirt. "Dr. Agatha Deux, from the local chapter of MUFON."
Barbara smiled at the camera, putting on her best warm, inviting expression. "Welcome to the broadcast, Doctor. What do you think of The Alien?" She gestured up at the still image of Applejack.
Agatha adjusted her glasses as she peered up at the alien in question. "That's no horse. They've given us another angle. Her teeth are separate jaws." She pointed out each tooth as it came into frame. "Those are not the flattened jaws dedicating to masticating rough fibers. If I had to guess, which I must, I'd say it belongs to at least an omnivorous, if not carnivorous, species. This alien is much more dangerous than we've been led to believe."
Barbara nodded, keeping the expression on her face. "Carnivorous. That sounds a little scary."
Monica shook her head. "Now, it doesn't matter if it's an omnivore or not, that shouldn't scare us. She has gone out of her way—"
Agatha cut in with a scowl. "Of course she's put a harmless first step forward. I didn't accuse her of being stupid, just dangerous."
Barbara and Monica looked at each other, then Barbara turned to the camera. "We'll be back after these messages."
The show changed to a series of commercials.
The representative of the UN assigned to Applejack sighed gently. "They will be discussing this for some time. They've told me you're free to go. I hope you're not too disappointed."
Applejack wagged her head from side to side, thinking it through as best she could. "Ah'm fine. We have to do things right. Ain't gonna push them into makin' the wrong choice." She laughed softly as she extended a foreleg for a shake. "It's good to know you ain't afraid of us. You've been good to me. If yer not too busy, ah'd like to have another chat."
The representative accepted the shake as he directed to the door with his other hand. "I think these good gentlemen have a place in mind for you."
True to his word, the Secret Service escorted Applejack out to a new vehicle and ferried her away from the UN smoothly before too many people could notice it happened. They deposited her in front of a hotel, looking up at the strange construction of the building.
"We've already secured your room, ma'am. Do you want help bringing anything up?"
Applejack looked around the vicinity for a moment before pointing towards a bag that had been set in the seat next to her. "'Bout all ah got." She turned and grabbed the bag in her teeth. "Jus' mah suit. Probably won't need it, but don't wanna lose it." She trotted alongside the others towards the front desk, where she got to sit while they chatted, giving her time to watch the other people coming and going.
The average human looked just like her friend Cindy. Some were males, and others were female, and Applejack was getting better at telling the two apart. They all smelled different too, though some of those smells were worn on purpose, confusing things a little. She was still learning to tease them apart.
One young man wore a nice cologne that seemed to float around him, while another man seemed to smell of sweat. A woman came out of an elevator and had the scent of baking bread to her, and it took Applejack a moment to sniff out her natural scent hiding under it. But she smiled when she picked it out, pleased that she could now pick the smells apart without needing time to figure them out.
Once the details were handled, Applejack headed up to her room, trying not to look as awkward as she felt.
"Excuse me." A little boy was looking up at her in amazement. "What are you?"
The guards around her looked ready to act, but Applejack gentle knelt before the child. "Howdy there. Name's Applejack. Right nice to meet you." She sang, her words flowing forth in a strange symphony.
The little boy stared up at her as he tried to grasp those words. "You talk funny. What are you?" He repeated the question as if that would get him the answer he wanted faster.
Applejack held a hoof out towards him. "Ah'm a pony. And yer a human, las' ah know. Nice to meetcha." She didn't get to shake hands, the boy's mother scooping him up with muttered apologies to Applejack for the interruption.
Once they were gone, she looked back to the humans that had been escorting her. "They're all so excitable."
One of them laughed at that. "Are your young any different? That's a steady point everywhere. This way." He waved for her to follow and they resumed their trip to her room. "I don't mean to pry, but how do you speak English?"
Applejack reached up a hind hoof to tap at her ear like a dog might scratch an itch. "Wearin' a special earrin' that ah friend cooked up. Translates fer us. Ah can still hear yer words, but ah don't understand 'em 'till it repeats it proper." She grinned at him. "Can ya tell what ah'm sayin'?"
The man grinned back. "Nope. Your voice sounds weird when you talk in your own language." He pointed at the device in her ear. "Can she make more of those?"
Applejack twitched her ears at that, hooves on the ground, propelling her towards her room. "Ah'd have to ask, but ah do know it'd have to be two languages she knows enough to do the translatin' of. We had a lot of English talk from yer broadcastin'." She nodded slowly, thinking it through as they approached her room and one of the agents used a keycard to unlock it for her.
Inside was a little place of heaven. Applejack spotted a window and rushed towards it, gasping in delight at the city below her. "A right nice view! Still amazed at how tall y'all make your towns. Feel like I could see ferever from here."
The agent took the keycard back as she poked her nose against the glass, getting a good look at everything before her. The people, the buildings, the vehicles moving along the streets. She couldn't reach any of them, but even there, from that high point, just watching them held a certain magic. "How many of ya are there? There's so many."
One agent flipped his phone towards Applejack, showing the staggeringly huge number. Her eyes flickered in a uniquely shocked way her people had. "Are ya kiddin'?! How do ya take care of so many creatures?!" She blinked up at him, those long lashes giving her an almost child-like innocence as she struggled to process what she was seeing. "How do ya feed 'em all?"
The man shrugged softly. "We don't always succeed, but we're pretty good at growing food."
The conversation shifted to how food was made, from fishing to farming, with Applejack eagerly listening along with questions aplenty to go with.
For the second time, Applejack's every word, song and soul were on display for the world to see, secreted out as the first was. It was sent to anyone who knew how to browse such videos online, it brought a different view for all watching her as she sat there on their screen, able to see her closely as she sang the entirety of her alien song with the whale.
They watched as she gently leaned forward, whispering something that couldn't be heard, just watching her mouth move with no translator present. She paused and began to sing again, calling out, waiting for a response. There was none. She sagged a little at that, lifting a hoof up to press against her chest, singing what she felt fit with the whale's enchanting calls. Neither could hear the other, so the song couldn't be completed, but their melodies seemed to slot into one another regardless.
Only when it was done did a rough man take up the video. "You just saw The Alien, Applejack, singing with a whale. Can you even believe it?! A real life alien!" He shouted to the sky in his excitement. "Her words were indecipherable, and we don't know what she was trying to do, but we saw it all! She was singing with a whale. What were they saying? For that matter."
He grabbed the camera, forcing the view far too close to his face as he started at it, shouting, as if raising his volume would help make the point more clearly, "WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?!" He pushed the camera back, sending the shot of his red face into the stratosphere before spinning it around, showing a painting of Applejack that had been set on an easel. "If she can talk to whales, are whales from out there too? Are they the ones really calling the shots around here? Is she waiting for her chance to go talk to them and discuss the real business they have? Are we even in charge of our own destiny anymore?!"
His eyes blazed with a wild fervor as he stared at the picture of Applejack, fear gripping him as his lips drew into a deep frown. "I'm not the only one asking these questions." He took a breath, trying to compose himself. "Are these our saviors, our doom, or our new overlords? Maybe a combination? How can we tell? What do we do?"
He spun the camera back to face him, still wearing a frown. "We don't know! It's impossible to tell. We have no clue what she wants. We just have to wait and watch. Be sure to comment with your ideas below, and click that thumbs up and subscribe." He shot a half-hearted thumbs up. "Until next time, keep your eyes on the sky."
Cindy stood behind Applejack, fingers kneading the alien's flesh as she worked at a knotted muscle, her own muscles relaxing as she tried to work the tension out of the body she was rubbing. Applejack was the one relaxed in that moment, making soft contented sounds as Cindy continued the impromptu physical therapy.
Applejack looked over her shoulder. "You are remarkably, mmm, good at this, considerin' neither of us knows the other's body all that well."
Cindy traced the contour of Applejack's spine as she looked at the equine back with a critical eye. "I've had plenty of practice. And I've always liked this sort of thing. You have a few knots, and it'll take a bit to get you properly straightened out, but you seem to be in good health, I think?"
Sure, she was working on an alien, but they were alive, and they made noises of delight or discomfort as she went, guiding her towards the better spots as she went. "I'm glad they let me say hi to you again. I was worried they'd keep you away forever."
"Forever's a long time. Specially when ah ain't done nothin' wrong here. Jus' here to be friends." She stretched out as Cindy pushed on one of the tight muscles, coaxing it to relax under her hand. She flopped to the side, stretching out her legs with a gentle whickering sigh. "Watch it though, getting close to a sensitive spot."
Cindy wrenched her hand away as if she had been touching a hot stove. She had been on Applejack's rump, a perfectly fine spot on a normal horse, but Applejack wasn't a horse. What made it any more or less sensitive, she could only guess, but she went back up to Applejack's spine and worked along it. "Sorry. Say, do you have any books on this? A diagram of what's where?"
Applejack nodded with a groan. "They made me draw one out fer them. Humans and ponies ain't exactly the same on a lotta levels." She shifted herself into a better position. "Poke right there, that knot's driving me nuts." She groaned with a few clicks as Cindy began working out the tension, leaving her a delighted puddle of alien. "Yer the best. Um, but yeah, drew one out fer 'em. Ask 'em for a copy?"
Cindy wasn't sure about her odds of getting alien anatomy charts from the government was. It felt like a very impossib- She stopped herself mid-thought, chastising herself with a reminder that it was indeed possible now, as she had an alien sitting right in front of her. "Sure. I'll try my luck." Aliens weren't secret. They were all over the news! Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal to ask about. "Maybe I can get even better for next time."
"Ah wanna turn." Applejack sat up, shuffling to face Cindy. "Ain't fair if only you get to do it. 'Sides! Ah like the idea of makin' a friend feel nice." She flicked her tail, looking at Cindy with those wide, innocent eyes. "Ponies don't just take, ya know?"
Cindy relented to those big green eyes staring back at her, just melting into a puddle of agreement to let Applejack do as she wished. "Okay, fine." She flopped onto her stomach. "I'm in your hooves."
Applejack seemed surprised at that as she moved herself into position to return the favor, sitting down next to Cindy. "Thanks fer the trust." She set her soft, almost fleshy hooves on Cindy and proved they could become quite firm when she wanted them to be. It was like her hooves were entirely under her control. She could harden and shift those, what, bones? around as she pleased. They looked clumsy, but they proved to be quite adept in pressing in even the smallest point or over wide areas as she explored Cindy just as eagerly as she had been explored.
"I can't believe how much we don't know about you. Oh!" She pressed her hoof into a knot in Cindy's back, carefully releasing it as she felt the flesh give way under the pressure. "We really don't have a clue. Still, this is sure a fun way to find out." She gently tapped at Cindy a moment before moving along, her hooves working whole areas at the same time. "Ah can feel you enjoyin' it. Am ah gettin' it right?"
Cindy groaned happily as her muscles were turned into mush by the alien's magical hooves. "You are." Her words slurred with delight. "Never knew I could feel so relaxed." She adjusted herself a little as she was worked over. Without thinking about it, she flopped over onto her back to get her other side done. She realized her error swiftly. She had a lot more bumps and worrisome spots on her front.
But Applejack just tilted her head, giving Cindy a curious look. "Is that right? Eh, close enough." She lowered herself and shifted her body, those curious green eyes sweeping along Cindy's skin. She moved one hoof to explore along the woman's leg, starting at her calf. The legs were fine to work on, but as Applejack drew closer to more dangerous areas, Cindy gently swatted her away. "No?" Applejack skipped along. "Mind if ah ask why?"
"It's complicated." She seemed to shrink as she answered, like the idea of explaining something that intimate was overwhelming. It didn't help that she couldn't know for sure how much Applejack understood of human bodies, but it was easy to make the guesses as to what was meant by 'complicated.' "Gross living stuff."
Applejack laughed at that. "Well, pardner, we're both livin', so don't feel so shy, sugarcube. Was ah gettin' close to where somethin' goes in, or comes out maybe?" She was continuing her massage, not seeming bothered by the redirection, but clearly curious.
Cindy blushed a deep red as she processed that. "W-well." She took a slow breath to calm herself. "It's just personal, private. Embarrassing?" She considered the options Applejack had given her. "Technically, both? You're close to both." She swallowed slowly, feeling like her mouth had turned into a desert. "M-maybe it'll be easier to show you."
Applejack set a hoof on Cindy's hand before it could start doing things. "Now ah rightly 'ppreciate you bein' willin', but ah know y'all have a thin' 'bout bein' seen, 'specially by strangers." She inclined her head. "We're bein' watched. Don't think you wanna show them."
Cindy inhaled sharply as she realized she had been about to make that mistake. "Y-yeah. You're right. That'd be a dumb move. Thanks for the save."
Applejack shook her head with a laugh. "What are friends fer?" She swatted at Cindy gently. "All done, how ya feelin'?"
Cindy pressed both her hands into her stomach with a pleased moan. "Like I'm gonna melt. Is that a pony thing? Or did you have training back home?"
Applejack let out a single whistle. "Actually." She extended her arm, displaying her cloven hoof. "This, right here? This ain't natural."
Cindy sat up with wide eyes, blinking. "What?" She reached out to take Applejack's foreleg, stroking it gently. "But it looks so perfect." She traced the pink edge where hoof met skin. It was a very clean line. There was nothing implying there had been surgery, or that it was inorganic somehow. "How's it not natural?"
Applejack brushed the hoof against Cindy's face, petting gently. "They adjusted me, fer space travel. On the ground, flat hooves were fine enough, but in space, havin' a real good grip's a powerful advantage." She snickered gently. "Ah had the option of a grabbin' tentacle, but ah opted out of that." She set her hooves on the ground. "They changed a lotta me, to make sure ah'd make it here safe and whole."
Cindy hugged the pony at that, burying her face into Applejack's side, pressing in close to feel the warmth of the creature as she nuzzled up against it. "They did all that for you?" She smiled at that. "That's amazing, that your people can do that! And that you went through with it, just to come say hello to us." She sat back with a huff. "Did it hurt?"
Applejack waved that concern away with a soft click. "'Course it did, but they give ya all sorts of special medicine for it. They train ya how to move 'round proper again too. Gave me hoof-plated shoes fer goin' out 'n 'bout 'til ah got used to it." She clopped her hooves together. "Feels silly now, all used to 'em. Shoot, wouldn't even wanna go back to the classic models."
Cindy sighed happily at that, thinking about it for a moment as she let her gaze sweep over Applejack's body. The alien had come so far, to do something so great, and they were just willing to welcome her with open arms. "You worked very hard, just to get here." She hugged Applejack gently, amazed she could hug an alien without issues. "Welcome to Earth."
"Mighty happy to be here." She leaned against Cindy, the two sharing warmth in an unspoken token of fondness that didn't need any languages at all. Both were comfortable with the other in their personal space, and they just relaxed for a time, their soft breaths the only sound in the room.
A soft knocking broke the silence. An agent stepped into the room a moment later. "Sorry to intrude, but I need to have a word with Miss Applejack." He made no mention of the position they were in, not reacting to them being pressed together, wrapped in each other's arms. "Please, come along."
Cindy kissed Applejack's cheek before she started to get up, stretching out her still-loose muscles. "I'll be back later. Can't keep a good friend waiting." She went off to handle her own affairs.
Applejack looked at the agent, confused. "What is it? Somethin' break?"
"You have appointments." He held a clipboard full of such things. "I'm to get you to your next one. Are you ready to go?"
Applejack straightened herself and smoothed down her mane. "Ah am now. Who am ah meetin'?" She let the agent lead her away from the room and she followed him to the exit.
He pulled open the door to the outside world, stepping out to head towards the black SUV waiting for them.
Rainbow stretched her legs in all directions, slowly rotating in the gravity-free confines of the ship. "I am dying." She slapped a button. "Flutters! For the love of everything, tell me we have an update from AJ."
Fluttershy glanced up from her monitoring, flicking through her feed for anything related to Applejack. "Um, it's in your queue. And I think she's still talking to that, um, human, um, Cindy."
Rainbow used her wings to manipulate several monitors at once. "I am so jealous right now. The humans haven't killed AJ or nothin'. I wanna be down there! I want to be in gravity. I want to have special friends." She folded her arms over her chest. "Why's AJ get to have one?"
Fluttershy stared at the back of Rainbow's head as the other mare whined and complained about things, bringing up all sorts of good points to moan about. "Um, we're all special friends?" She drifted in place, looking over the ever-so-slightly swaying cables that connected her to the ship itself. The navigation feed, the power feeds, a multitude of options, each needed for the safety of their crew.
Rainbow drifted up next to Fluttershy, spinning upside down and tilting her head back to see what she was doing. "What's that?"
Fluttershy leaned over and touched her snout to Rainbow's as her fellow pony drifted past. "Humans have a multitude of languages. While most of our database is that of 'English', we have some of other dialects. I'm working on improving the translator. With a little magic, I think I can home in on the core source of their words, so it can work on all their languages at once."
"Is that why you're plugged into the ship?" Rainbow propped herself against the other mare's frame, taking a look at what Fluttershy was doing with her eyes. There was a whole lot of text that meant nothing to her, and most of it was flying by too fast to even begin to grasp, but she watched it anyway, appreciating the complexity. "You are a miracle-worker, you know that." She thrust a hoof towards the front of the ship. "Ugh, stuck in orbit, I can't fly!"
Fluttershy stirred softly, pressing back into Rainbow gently. "You just want to play games, or visit their world." She gently smacked her tail against Rainbow's back. "We're supposed to be here for support."
Rainbow poked her in the cheek, stopping the process of receiving data. "Come on! We need to go check this place out. Have you seen all the sights down there?"
Fluttershy grinned down at Rainbow, but gently pressed her away. "I'll let Applejack know how you're feeling. In the meanwhile, why not play with Pinkie Pie? She loves playing. And you can always see about making some games from our world to show off to them."
Rainbow pumped her foreleg as she twisted in the air. "Sweet! You are the best, Flutters!" She blew a kiss towards her, fluttering her lashes as she moved towards the back of the ship where Pinkie had commandeered a sizable room all to herself. "Pinkie!"
The hyperactive pony floated in place, legs waving about with a carefree smile on her face, a single tooth showing as she opened her mouth in an excited cry of delight. "Rainbow Dash! I have so many ideas for games to play!"
Rainbow blinked. "Woah, I didn't even mention that yet."
Pinkie tapped at her head. "One of many improvements I signed up for when we got on this mission."
Rainbow squinted at Pinkie, gently crashing into her as momentum carried them together. "You're joking." She poked at Pinkie's forehead with a hoof. "You do not have some sort of—" She tried to think of a good name for it. "PSI powers! You'd be shouting about it."
Pinkie giggled as she grabbed Rainbow's head, holding it in her hooves as she stared into Rainbow's eyes. "Rainbow Dash. When we started, I became the ultimate pony for an ultimate mission." She spun them around, giggling all the while.
Rainbow laughed, shaking her head. "I swear, Pinks. I'm never sure exactly where your jokes end or not. Alright, so, game. You said you had one in mind?"
"Foals!" Pinkie threw apart her forelegs, streamers exploding from her in all directions.
Rainbow blinked with confusion. "Foals? What about them? We don't have any. Can you imagine them being okay with dragging foals lightyears away!" She slowly waved a hoof about the ship. "Can you imagine having five of us being trapped on this tiny thing?!"
Pinkie gently pulled Rainbow into her side, crushing her against her barrel. "Silly, I meant making some."
Rainbow hiked a brow at that. "Uh, Pinks? Hate to break this to you, but the whole crew, all of us? We're girls, mares. It's gonna be hard to get with foals with only ladies around." She rolled a hoof with a snort. "Besides, zero gravity foals? Not how I'd want to raise any kiddo of mine if I was gonna have one."
Pinkie poked at Rainbow's side, teasing her gently. "Heeey! Maybe there's ways we could figure it out! Have fun at the same time!" She leaned in close, whispering something to Rainbow as she glanced up towards the camera mounted near them.
Those unheard words made Rainbow tremble powerfully. "What? No way."
"Yes way," sang Pinkie, bouncing off a wall with a grin. "If we turned around right now and went home, we'd be super dead before we got there. That'd be sad. Princes Celestia gave me a secret super duper secret order. Shhh!" She pressed a hoof to her muzzle with a wink and a click of her tongue. "She told me to enjoy the mission to the best of my ability, and even if it takes a little while, the world below us has everything we need to make some more ponies! Well, she hoped it would, and it does!" She hopped from wall to wall as she spoke, flipping around in an unending loop of energy as she jumped between topics without warning. "I read everything about them. They're cute. And they want friends too!"
She excitedly clapped her hooves. "So! When we go down there, and we will all go down there, we get to play the foal game, and ponies and humans get to be friends forever." She snorted into renewed laughter. "Won't that be fun?!"
Rainbow grinned, pushing away from Pinkie as she spread her wings, floating around the hyperactive mare. "Yeah! And I'll get to race! It'll be great! But how are you going to make some foals? Again, all mares. Usually, you know, you need a mare and a stallion. We didn't bring any stallions with us, so, you know, no foals?"
Pinkie clicked her tongue, shaking her head from side to side. "Not true! We can do it!" She patted her belly with a smile. "I'll just need a few special things to make some! Princess Celestia is fine with it. Twilight had the secret." She grabbed at Rainbow, pulling them together snout to snout. "Remember what she likes to say, Friendship is Magic. In this case, Friendship is Foals." She spread her hooves wide, spinning through the air, watching the lines of streamers explode from her form, dancing along in the endless twirl as they cascaded down and off to vanish against the walls around them, wrapping the two ponies in their own colorful cocoon, safe and happy inside the ship, ignoring the vast cold emptiness beyond their hull, along with the dangerous journey behind them and ahead of them.
Rainbow relaxed in her Pinkie-hug of streamers. "Well, you haven't changed. Seriously though, we've been friends forever, Pinkie. I don't have any foals. Neither do you. How do you plan to change that?"
Pinkie exploded free of her wrapping. "Oh, that's easy!" She floated to a window and pointed through, to the planet below. "Twilight figured, if we were alone, it'd just be too sad to bring foals into things, so she set it up so we needed not-ponies. Not-ponies and friendship! Those are the two things. Get a friend and hug them tight!" She hugged herself with a squeak. "Love them very much, and if they love you back, then we get foals."
Rainbow's brow drew in, trying to parse what she was hearing. "Uh. So you're saying that Twilight made a spell for humans that will make them able to have foals? That's, um, wow."
Pinkie pushed off a wall to grab Rainbow in a hug. "Humans, ponies, any two of us that are for-real friends. Won't matter if we're mares, of if they're a mare." She inclined her head. "I mean, we mighta made friends with aliens that didn't have mares! What would we do then? Nope! Her spell doesn't care. Two bosom buddies, one's not a pony. Foals. Easy as that." She pulled away from Rainbow with a giggle, pinching at her cheek. "All you have to do is find a human that you really like. I can't wait to start looking, but we have to get down there." She waved a hoof at Earth so far away. "Just don't be too surprised if someone wants to make foals with me first!" She poked Rainbow's chest with a laugh and spun away. "Gotta check my stuff."
Rainbow grabbed Pinkie's tail to stop her fleeing. "So, uh, who have you told about this?"
"Just you, so far." Pinkie inclined her head left and right. "I figured I'd let everypony in on it once we were all on the ground."
Rainbow booped Pinkie on the nose. "Applejack made a friend, Pinkie." She rolled her eyes. "A human friend. I hear they're getting along pretty well."
Pinkie straightened in place, going stiff as she seemed to process that, and she very slowly turned her head towards Rainbow, a strange smile forming on her face as she stared at the other mare with wide eyes. "Well now. Hopefully nothing happens before we get down there?"
Rainbow pressed a hoof to her face, pinching the bridge of her snout. "Pinkie! She, or the human, or maybe both? They could be doing the foal thing, right now! And neither of them know it's coming! This is bad. We need to tell her, right now!"
Pinkie reached out to stop Rainbow from running off to do something so rash. "Don't." She patted at Rainbow's shoulders gently, letting her streamers dissipate, setting them adrift in the small room. "We need to have faith in her, and the human."
"Faith?! This isn't a faith thing, Pinks." Rainbow set her hooves on her hips. "Even if we assume they are super friends, it's just rude to not tell somepony there's a foal on the way."
Pinkie rolled one shoulder gently as she moved over to a crate, giving it a nudge to open it. Inside were all sorts of wrapped up sweets and other things. "If they are, then they'll figure it out, won't they?"
Rainbow massaged at her temples, unable to grasp the way Pinkie thought things through. At least that hadn't changed.
Cindy woke to a soft furry presence nuzzling her face. When did she get a dog? Or a cat? No, she didn't have either of those. What she had was an alien sitting on her chest, poking at her cheek with a soft hooffinger, or whatever the right term for it was. "Applejack?"
"Ya fell asleep on me. Ya seem tired."
"Fell asleep on you!?" Cindy tried to sit up, but there was a pony on her. "This is my house, which you weren't in. Not sad to see you, but why are you here? And in my room? Also, if I'm wearing pajamas, I should have been in bed." She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to sift through what she could remember and the spots in her memory.
"You asked me over to visit." Applejack looked so sure, in her alien way, of her words.
"Some time." Cindy gently brushed Applejack off and managed to right herself. "As in we should make plans. Not that I should wake up to a face full of Applejack." She was half-laughing as she said it. "Not the worst thing, but I wasn't expecting it." She didn't seem upset by it though.
Applejack chuckled softly, watching her new friend get herself up and about. "Fair enough. How much did you sleep?"
"Some." She headed towards her bathroom. "Gotta make myself presentable." She hopped to her feet and stretched for the sky. "Not that you ever seem to?"
Applejack raised her hooves to her mane. "Part of the space package. They can't have us sheddin', or spendin' time fussin', so the hair stays where it's put instead of gettin' in everythin'." She stroked down her mane slowly. "Sure makes makin' a good impression easier. Never need to clean up. Gives me more time to play."
"That must be nice." Cindy glanced at herself in the mirror as she ran her fingers through her messy hair, trying to get it to behave in any sort of way that looked good. She gave up after a moment, feeling silly for trying. "Humans don't have that trick."
"Ponies don't neither." Applejack directed a hoof at herself. "Like ah said, space package. Normal ponies gotta brush out their manes and their coats. 'Least you humans only gotta worry 'bout yer manes."
Cindy's words tumbled out with a gentle snort of amusement. "Pony and mane and coat. Got it." She closed her eyes as she finished brushing her teeth. "How do you keep your tail looking so good?"
Applejack peeked back at that long tail with a ribbon on it. "Still hair, space package covers that. Without that, ah'd have to brush it." She watched Cindy brush her teeth curiously. "Been quite a bit since ah last had to do that." She thought back on all the old routines and rules of being a pony. How she had to bathe regularly, groom herself in a specific way, eat specific foods, and things like that. "Humans got a lotta ways to deal with that sorta thing, huh?"
It was at that point, it hit Cindy. She turned to Applejack curiously. "How much of you am I looking at a pony, and how much the designed-for-space model?"
Applejack scratched at her cheek and shook out. "Well, hm." She considered the question for a moment, her eyes twitching back and forth as she did some mental math in her head. "Everythin' is 'bout the same size it used to be. Maybe a little bigger in spots." She was getting the feeling that wasn't the answer Cindy was looking for. "Horses already got powerful legs, but the modifications gave me even more. Ah could carry three ponies on my back and still not be pushed over." She lifted her hooves. "Already told you 'bout these. Good fer holdin' things and such."
She shifted her weight onto her hind legs and flicked her tail. "Feel different but still work the same." She turned about to show off her flank to Cindy. "Ain't got a saddle."
Cindy laughed at that. "Why would a pony wear a saddle? There weren't humans to give ride to, right?"
"Hey now, saddles got other uses." Applejack crossed her arms, sitting on her haunches. "Like holdin' bags, fer one." She patted at her rump. "An' on the real special ponies, they get wings or magical horns." She reached up to tap at her chest with a hoof. "Stirrups too. If ya wanna help with the plowin', or anythin' else, stirrups are useful."
Cindy reached to pat Applejack on the head. "Feel like you got a little sidetracked, but some ponies have wings or horns? Any with you, um, on your ship?"
Applejack considered that. "Only flyin' with a pegasus, an' we got a unicorn in deep freeze, waitin' fer the all clear to thaw her out. Speakin' ah that! Any idea what the UN's thinkin'? Reckon they're the last people ah need to a—" She paused to twirl at a swirling mote of magical light. "What in tarnation?!"
Cindy casually hid behind Applejack, awkward shield as she was. "You didn't make that?"
"Do ah look like a unicorn to you?" Applejack drew herself up, eyeing the slowly spiraling light that seemed to hang in the air without actually emitting any sort of glow, nor was there any light reflecting off of it.
The glow settled to the ground and faded away, leaving something behind. A form, curled on the ground. Its tail lightly twitched.
Cindy gaped at it. "Is that, a little pony?" It was smaller than Applejack, a little foal created from nothing. The faint light played over the edges of its new form as it stirred. She was struck by how curious and innocent it looked, its mouth twitching as it slowly began to move, making soft sounds that spoke of discomfort as it rolled onto its back and kicked out in a stretch, kicking softly at the air as it lay on its back, hooves in the air. It's fur was soft white, and its mane a gentle yellow, each strand glimmering with an otherworldly shine that betrayed its origin, in a way. A magical thing had no business looking so normal, but it was a perfect pony, if tiny, even as it struggled to open its eyes.
Applejack went in to nuzzle the little foal. "Well, howdy there. Not sure how ya got here, but, um, welcome."
The foal grabbed Applejack's snout as best as it could, babbling at her as any young child might with a clear lack of understanding of any language. Some of its babbles were curious whistles, and other more earthen child, as if it were expecting either. The pair stared at each other, while Cindy continued to gape at the miracle that had just unfolded before her eyes, frozen in place as she tried to make sense of what she had just seen, both with her eyes and in her heart.
That child felt like it, somehow, belonged to her. She dropped to a knee and softly felt over the foal's sides. "How?" She gently set a hand on its soft head, feeling the heat of the foal as it began to exist in a cold world, as if she could warm the foal herself. "You were magic."
Applejack tapped Cindy's nose with her hoof. "We were magic." She stood up proudly. "And we're parents. Ah think?" She inclined her head at the foal. "Not sure what else could be their parent. We're the only two around."
Cindy thought about that, very hard. "But how? Neither of us are male."
"Well, ah wasn't payin' much attention ta how, but there's a foal right here." Applejack gently stroked over the happily burbling foal. "We can't say it can't happen. It already done did."
Cindy studied the little colt with a careful eye, moving along to poke at his little legs, then down his back and up his sides. She could feel the heat of him under her hand, just barely at first, but as she explored the little foal, she felt the warmth spread to fill him. The little foal was adjusting to the world, its world. "We need a lawyer."
Even as she dug out her phone, Applejack looked on with confusion. "Whatcha need one ah those fer?"
Cindy pressed a kiss to the little foal's head. "This is our son."
Applejack wobbled, nearly falling over from shock. "Son?" Her eyes flicked. "Oh, yes, son." She nodded, that question easily answered. "But what's that got to do with a lawyer?"
"Hello?" Cindy turned away from AJ and her child. "I need representation, now. I have a child, native born, but missing any birth certificate or other documents. Was literally just born. I need to be guided through the steps to get this right. They are a special case, but they were born in the US of A."
Applejack strained to hear as the other person on the phone responded, the two of them speaking rapidly. Hearing only half of it, and her translator missing some of it, she had no hope of keeping up with what they were going on about. She decided to gather up the colt instead, nuzzling at him gently as he kicked out at the world, seeming to be confused by the gravity he found himself in. "Don't you worry now. Mama's gotcha. They're gonna help us figure things out."
The colt let out a soft whinny, very short and shrill as he leaned against his mother, happily accepting her affection and doing his best to return it. "Are ya hungry?" She paused, ears flipping back.
Cindy hung up the phone with a sigh. "Alright, they're on the way." She dusted herself off and turned back to see a distressed Applejack. "Something wrong? It's going to be fine."
"I don't know what I'm doing!" She clung to the child as she paced around Cindy's room, tail flicking wildly. "We didn't think of anythin' about this." She looked over her shoulder at Cindy. "Ah don't know how to mother none. And, uh." She fidgeted. "I can't feed him. Ah'm a space pony! Ah was built specific fer one thin'." She turned to face Cindy, the two mother's having a bit of a stare-off with their foal. "It'd be dumb ta not eat, right? That'd be dumb. I can eat just fine, but ah can't give him what he needs."
Cindy hissed gently as she reached out, taking the colt. "Will formula work?" Applejack looked clueless. "We'll have to try. He also need a name. We can't keep calling him 'him', can we?"
Applejack glanced about at the lack of anything that would clearly indicate what they should call the foal, not having any objects on hand for that sort of thing. "Sure he got one. Um, hm. Ponies tend to be named fer things. He's an Earth pony. Name him fer some earth things!"
Cindy considered that with a thoughtful humming sound, rolling it around in her head as she looked down at the foal, which seemed to look back at her expectantly. "He looks like an angel."
"Angel," murmured Applejack, tasting the word and finding it very pleasant indeed, even if it had that somewhat odd feeling of translation that came with many words shared between them. "It's good." She giggled as she saw the colt fuss, trying to find a way to escape Cindy's grip to go explore the world. "Calm down, there. We gotta get you fed, and I'm sure your other mama needs some breakfast too."
Cindy paused in the act of gathering things up for her little one. "Right! Right." She had completely forgotten that she hasn't eaten, day occupied with alien equines. "Becoming a mother means skipping meals sometimes." She headed for the fridge to at least address herself even as she plugged at her phone with one hand, ordering baby supplies.
The lawyer faced the judge. There were no jurors, nobody had been accused of a crime. Yet, the lawyer was entirely required, as was the judge, looking at him sternly. "Your honor." He held out a card that the bailiff snatched up and ferried towards the judge. "This has been proven entirely valid. It was issued by the United States government, by all proper bodies."
The judge looked over it, huffing slightly as she looked at the document, showing off the image of an alien standing proudly. "Is this mare here with you?"
The lawyer stood aside to allow the aforementioned mare to step into view, followed by her human companion, both of them holding their young child. The judge nodded at the family. "That does seem to match." She held up the ID, spotting the listed gender. "Her. May I ask why you showed this to me? Her Visa status is not in question."
He nodded slowly. "That it isn't. Half of America is aware of her immigration status. She has a visa. To have a visa, one must be a someone. We do not issue visas to dogs, cats, or especially friendly cacti." He waved his hand at the three people in front of him. "These people are clearly here today to set into motion a complicated series of events that will forever change their lives. They need my services, as well as your confirmation to properly navigate a very difficult path."
The judge folded her arms ahead of herself. "You are making a move against the actions of the same immigration that granted this visa."
The lawyer paused for effect. "Her son, Angel, was denied a birth certificate, and with it, a social security number." He directed to the colt being held up by the two parents. "Child of one native American, and one visa-holding guest. On American soil. They said, as you have likely read, that the intended recipient did not meet their requirements." He plucked at his lapel. "That is their prerogative, and I respect them for standing by their values and ethics, but they cannot simply do whatever they please without consequences."
The judge took a slow breath. "While that pony is adorable, are they—" She struggled for the right word. "Will they learn how to talk? Are they sapient?"
Applejack rumbled with a soft cough, clearing her throat before she spoke up, careful with her words. "My son is, for sure, one of us." She patted the boy's side with her free hoof, careful not to poke him with her dangerous modification. "Ponies were invited here for friendship." She looked ready to say more, but their lawyer held up a hand for quiet.
The judge's view went to the parents. "Do you have proof of when and where this child was born?"
Applejack shifted a little. "I do." She paused a moment, then nodded firmly. "He was born in the United States of America."
"You are a legal alien, you understand?"
"Ah am. Not very alien though." She whistled softly. "Most people know me at this point."
Cindy snickered, but did her best to be quiet.
Their lawyer coughed gently. "Ma'am." He looked to Cindy specifically. "She called me at a specific time. With her consent, we were able to locate where she was at the time, including a timestamp." He offered a paper to the bailiff to carry towards the judge. "This will satisfy any reasonable person's inquiry into the origin of this foal."
The judge read the form over carefully, even going so far as to check it against another document she had in front of her, double-checking their numbers. "Well, if they are a person, and they were born in the United States, the laws are clear." She raised her gavel. "If there are no objections." She looked to the representative of the group that had denied the application in the first place.
"This sets a dangerous precedent, your honor." The other lawyer frowned with meaning. "Think of where this could lead."
"A person was born on the soil of the United States." The judge clapped her gavel down. "They are a citizen of this country. Until and unless that law is changed, this is the law of the land. This case is found in favor of the plaintiff." She nodded slowly as she set down her gavel, content with her decision.
Applejack bowed politely to the judge, thanking her before they left the courtroom, leaving with their paperwork in hand. Once outside, Applejack looked to the two of them. "Well, I'll be. That's all that? Got a son!" She leaned into Cindy with a giggle. "Never thought ah'd get ta be a mother. AJ's got a kiddo now. Well, and he's got two mothers. We're gonna do fine."
Cindy squeezed their son gently. "You had a son before today, but now he's an American, like me." She ruffled the top of the filly. "Now we have to finish getting his documents. At least we can do that now. Now you can use the right name for our son." She looked over at Applejack with a soft smile. "Should I be looking at titles, to call you 'mom' too?"
Applejack cuddled up close to Cindy and her child. "We're both moms. Ah'm okay with—" A bright flash made her eyes contract sharply, and more followed as they were swarmed by cameras and loud questions. The press were upon them, and they had so many questions about what had just happened in court.
Cindy laughed as she buried herself into Applejack's side, leaning into the soft furry presence to use it as a shield against the attention they were receiving, as well as an anchor to keep herself steady in the world, giving her something to hold on to amidst the chaos around them. She was surrounded by voices demanding her attention, calling out to her for anything she could give, people desperate to find out what had just happened.
Her lawyer did his best to ward them away. "Angel is a citizen of the United States of America," he did announce, which brought about a whole new wave of flashes as Cindy held Angel close. Thankfully, they made it into the Secret Service car awaiting them. The moment they were in, they took off down the road, away from the gathered reporters, speeding down the streets with their destination set in stone and their course laid out clearly.
They'd be getting their son's documents.
An image of Angel appeared, smiling and bright eyed. "Welcome our newest citizen. There were approximately nine thousand and nine hundred ninety nine others competing for the spot, but exactly one of them has hooves." The image shifted, showing Angel dangling from Cindy's arms, hooves clearly visible. "Child of a native American human woman and an alien female, scientists are clamoring for a chance to study him."
The picture shifted to show Applejack staring at a cupcake on a plate. "We hope they won't interfere with his daily life, especially since his mothers seem determined to make sure he is raised to be the best boy he can be." The image flipped to the United Nations. "The UN is still deliberating their response to Applejack's visit, and the arrival of her child complicates things. Some want to force the issue and expel the pony from the country, while others are urging that they make peace with her before more severe events come to pass."
The screen flickered to show a montage of the pair taking care of Angel, playing with him, cuddling him, feeding him, and other gentle, wholesome images of his life. "Others are bringing up the concerning nature of this union. Even if they were both humans, which they are not, two mothers is still a dividing line, with some for and others against. Adding in the alien component has some people saying they are setting their son up for a difficult life, while others point out he could be the bridge between worlds."
Cindy appeared, moving. "I named him Angel. At the time, it was spontaneous, but I checked myself, and the name was no mistake. Angel is a messenger. Angel is that, and he will carry a message of peace and unity that bridges two species together, even if one of them hasn't even—" Her video ended, swapping to a reporter at the United Nations.
"All sides are bickering over the legal ramifications of the case. If Applejack is allowed to stay, and a child born to her becomes a citizen of this country, what does that mean for other nations? Should we have been sending invitations out to space? Will the Japanese embassy be sending out invitations to all their cute little mascots? Is this a good thing? Can we trust them? The arguments rage on, but no side seems willing to give ground, and we may have a long night ahead of us."
The view swapped back to the primary reporter. "The event rages on, and we'll be keeping an eye on it. Next on the news—"
"So." Applejack had a hoof by her ear. "Much as ah'm lovin' this little ball of innocent pony, ah'd still like to know where in tarnation it came from!" She was singing, her translation disabled. Her words were meant for those who already understood it. "'Cause neither Cindy or I did nothin' that shoulda had a foal! An' yet, there it is. 'Gain, love 'em, but ah need to know what happened."
Rainbow Dash sighed gently. "Look, um, I just heard about it myself. Fluttershy has no idea, so don't be mad at her."
Applejack shifted closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Spill."
Rainbow chewed her lip. "Look, you're one of my best friends. I can't just leave you in the dark. So. See, Twilight, you know she has big ideas, right?"
"Uh huh?" Applejack cocked a brow. "What kinda crazy idea did she come up wit' this time?" She smiled gently, recalling that a good deal of Twilight's plans and ideas were just fine. That was the whole reason they were out there.
Rainbow fidgeted. "Um. Well, she sorta—" She tugged at her mane with her hoof. "Twilight knew there wouldn't be stallions around." She tucked her head down with a wince. "Not all of us were real happy with that. Me included, really, but she wasn't wrong, and so, well." She bounced in place, floating. "Look, it was her idea, okay?"
Applejack snorted gently, rubbing at her lower jaw where one jaw met the next. "Twilight's like that. Now tell me what happened! Ahm ah just gonna start popping out little ponies all over? That'll get a bit crazy real fast." She kicked her hooves softly against the ground as she stared down at the soft grass around her. "Don't mind that they exist, but ah need to know how this works, you get me?"
"It's magic!" Rainbow waved a hoof with a pout, but she lowered it again, knowing that answer was unsatisfactory. "She said, and I quote, 'Sincere friendship with a not-pony.' I don't know how often, or how easy." She put her hooves at her hips. "Speaking of that! You're all snug as a bug. When do I get to come down? What am I waiting for?!"
Applejack pulled back from the camera, waving her hoof about as she calmed Rainbow down. "Ya gotta wait for the UN to finish their fiddlin'. Once they say it's okay, ya can come down. They'll be expectin' ya, and once they see ya ain't out to invade, that'll make it a lot less—"
"Hold on." Rainbow dash swatted with a wing. "Hello?" The response came in English, making her blush. "Oops!" She tapped at her earring to get its translation going. "Hello, Rainbow Dash speaking. How can I help?"
A voice spoke up that Rainbow didn't recognize, "Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am a representative of the country of Canada. We are good friends with the nation of America, and we would like to spread out arms wide in welcome to you. We are sending some coordinates, we hope they make sense to your computer. If you'd like, please visit. You will be given a visitor's visa with no set time limit. We welcome our neighbors from another star."
Rainbow spun in place, thinking fast as she answered, her words carefully chosen. "I can't go without orders. Until the UN says it's fine, we have to stay in orbit. It's going to be a long while before I can get down there." She sighed softly. "Sounds fun, not gonna lie!"
"The UN can't tell Canada not to welcome you." The voice, male, was quite friendly. "Us coming to you would be quite expensive, but we assume you have a way of coming down here. It is entirely your choice." She could hear papers rustling. "I am permitted to offer you a stipend."
"Stipend?" Rainbow inclined her head. "Stipend of what?"
"Money. You'll get paid just for being here, so you can have a fun time, enjoying the wonders of Canada, both natural and man-made, and we have plenty!" He sounded eager, as if he was really hoping she would say yes.
Rainbow's wings fluttered with excitement. "I'd love to come down and see what's what, but, like I said, I don't want to get in trouble." She squirmed in place even as she slowly span in place, gravity having little say over her. "Are you sure it won't make other humans super mad? I'm not trying to make them mad."
"There are few things that upset our Americans more than a lack of decisiveness." He laughed at that, his tone warm and friendly. "The States have allowed you into their country. You were treated well, and now the UN is simply taking too long. Now, like I said, Canada and the States are friends, close chums! Why, you could even visit your friend down there without too much trouble."
"Yes!" Rainbow bounced in place with excitement. "If I can, I'd like to get down there as soon as possible. As I said, we're being forced to stay up here." She thought about her options for a moment. "Um, let me go talk to someone really quick. Can you hold on?"
"I'm afraid I really can't. You have our information though." He snapped his fingers. "So come on down if you like. No hard feelings if you don't, but it'd be a shame to miss out. Ask around, We Canadians are known for being a polite and welcoming bunch."
Vibrating with excitement, Rainbow propelled herself with strong grabs of things on the way and flaps of her wings. "Fluttershy!"
The soft-mannered pegasus lifted her head up from a box she had been examining, letting out a faint, adorable squeak as she nearly fell over from surprise at Rainbow's sudden appearance. "R-Rainbow? Did something happen? Do we have more visitors?"
"Nothing like that." Rainbow waved it off. "A human just sent us a message. They want us to come down. They're ready to throw parties and give us bits just for being awesome. Please say I can go, please!"
Fluttershy rolled her eyes fondly. "That sounds like fun." She dug around in the box to come out with a single earring. She got her translator into place. "You know, if we leave, the ship has to come with us. It'll never be a ship again. Are you sure?"
"Hey now, what about Twilight?" Rainbow settled on her haunches and put her hooves at her hips. "Tell me how many hours left before she thaws out."
Fluttershy scooted away from the computer so she could get it to project the answer for them both. "I, um, might have lied a little." She laughed nervously. "I can wake her up at any time, but I was told not to, until we were sure this was a world we wanted to, um, be on. If we're landing, I should wake her up."
"Alright." Rainbow folded her hooves behind her head, laying back to kick at the air. "Wake her up. Let's make this real."
"This is real," giggled Fluttershy as she set things into motion. "She should wake up soon. If she agrees with our reports, we'll all be landing." She swallowed thickly. "This world will become our home."
Rainbow rolled about in the air, getting her energy out while she waited for Twilight to wake up, excited to share the news with her friend, that their journey was nearly at an end. It'd been a long time since they left the comfort of Equestria, and the only things they had to do now were bring down the rest of their friends. "Oh, wait." She rubbed behind her head. "What about Pinkie?"
"What about Pinkie?" Fluttershy inclined her head. "She's a program, not a person. We could just turn her off."
Rainbow paled near her snout. "What?! No way! She's been a true friend! I don't wanna just turn her off 'cause we're here." She stomped a hoof in a firm declaration of her feelings on the matter, sending her sailing away from the wall she struck. "She deserves to be one of us."
Fluttershy boggled at that, ears drooping and eyes going wide as she took in that idea. "I see. Hm." She held out a hoof. "Give me your translator."
Rainbow pulled the earring out carefully and set it in Fluttershy's hoof.
Fluttershy pressed a button on it and kept it held down until it began to flash different colors. "Step one." She put it down on a tray that swallowed it up into the wall. "Computer." It chimed gently. "I'd like to transfer Pinkie Executable." She worked her hooves busily, wings helping as she worked. "No, the other one."
Rainbow hovered close, leaning in to watch everything Fluttershy was doing with interest. "Are you sure that's okay?"
"I'm transferring Pinkie into your translator." She flexed her hooves out with a heavy exhale as she finished. "It's ready. Give me your hoof."
Rainbow held out her front left hoof, and Fluttershy placed it carefully into the tray. "Now, this much information won't fit so easily. I know you preferred it as just an earring before, but that isn't—" She was interrupted by a sharp pain that lanced up through Rainbow's leg. "possible this time. You will be Pinkie's host. But you won't leave her behind."
Rainbow wanted to make a snappy comeback, but the pain went up through her leg and to her heart, and she jerked back with a scream, tumbling away as her body refused to work right, limbs going everywhere as she writhed about in the air in pure agony. Fortunately, the discomforted faded quickly, leaving her heaving for breath, looking at her hoof which appeared no different than it ever had. "Pinkie?" She rose up from where she had been laying, one eye wide with surprise.
"Yep!" A yellow earring slipped into Rainbow's ear, glowing for a moment. "Totally me! This is new. I'm in your head!"
Rainbow laughed at her internal Pinkie. "You were always in my head, Pinkie. We just made it official. We may be landing soon. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" She twirled in place, which translated to Rainbow's body twisting in the air. "It's been so long since we last met, and even longer since I've had a body! Well, more than a temporary one."
Rainbow snorted gently. "Hey, my body. You get your own."
"Fine!" Pinkie appeared, a translucent hologram. "There." She booped Rainbow with a giggle. "I'm so excited! I wanna explore this new world with you." She gazed around with her bright blue eyes, smiling at everything she saw as she stretched out, shaking out her hooves as she pulled herself to full height. "Ooh, I can't wait."
Rainbow swatted playfully at the transparent Pinkie. "I'm just glad we're not turning you off, that'd be way too sad. We have a whole new world to explore." She hugged Pinkie as best she could, not that Pinkie had any physical mass. "Come on, let's go plan." The two darted off to get their things together and plot their exploration of Earth.
Fluttershy smiled as the two fled. "Now, Twilight." She pulled up the image of the peacefully sleeping pony. "We'll be needing you soon." She started the sequence that would stir their magic pony to consciousness. "I hope the captain won't be mad at me." She sighed gently, but thought of little to turn things around. "I hope."
Above them, a creature opened her eyes, both glimmering with power. She made a faint gesture with a hoof, but it was her magic that threw open the pod door, letting the fluids splash out in a great spreading wave in the gravityless room. The glowing purple and white of her mane and tail flowed like thick liquid, spilling into a fantastic array of colors as she woke up for the first time in years. She gasped in surprise, sucking down fresh air, which made her chest ache and her head pound, but she recovered quickly.
"Status report," were the first words from her snout. "Have we arrived, or is this an emergency?" The fluid freed with her crashed against the walls, falling into vents that were built to catch it. She stood, only to begin floating, drifting with a yawn, eyes closed as she stretched, long and slow. "Ugh." Her whole body felt sore, her muscles and joints stiff from the extended period of disuse. She forced herself to swim through the air, wiggling her way back towards the doorway and beyond it, heading deeper into the ship.
A window sprang open in front of her, showing the translated media of the world below. "Fascinating." She rubbed her chin, considering the deluge of content. "They've found a world worth the stop then." Twilight nodded to herself, growing more alert by the moment. "I should find out what they did with me while I was gone." She didn't appear to be particularly worried about that, or her coma-like state, as she simply laughed softly to herself and vanished into the hallways.
Fluttershy squeaked when Twilight almost floated past her room. "T-Twilight!" she whistled out with a stutter. "It's good to see you, ma'am. Welcome back to the world of the awake."
Twilight giggled and swooped in, almost crashing into the walls, but she slowed enough to keep from doing any damage as she pulled herself to a stop and shifted to an upright position, putting her hooves at her hips with confidence and authority in her tone. "You don't need to call me ma'am. I was promoted, but we are still friends." She spread her wings wide. "I should use these more often. The computer has been bombarding me with everything about the world. We've reached it, I assume?"
"Yes." Fluttershy put a hoof at her chin. "Do you want me to start on the descent? Rainbow is ready to go."
Twilight considered that, as she seemed to be considering many things at once, all from different angles. "No, not yet. We can take a little longer. It's fine if we descend later." She hummed as the media continued. "This is a species deep in its infancy. It doesn't know where to move its limbs. It is lost, but its eyes shine with potential."
She turned to Fluttershy. "Have you had contact with them?"
Fluttershy squeaked as she was addressed. "Oh, um, very little, ma—Twilight! I've been working on things, here." She showed off her systems, the forest of plastic walls and virtual plants she had arranged around herself, setting the room into a lush environment filled with the sound of birdsong and animals going about their lives, all digital illusions, but so perfect in form and motion that it was impossible to tell without careful examination. "I'm almost done with the universal translator. It should work on all human languages."
"Perfect." Twilight flapped her wings once, sending her to a window that overlooked the earth. "Finish that, and let me know. I have a message for them. They may not like it, but it will be for their good." She crossed her hooves behind her back as she stared down at the white and blue marble of the planet, taking in its beautiful form and endless oceans, and all the mysteries they were soon to find hidden in its depths. "A brave new world awaits us, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy swallowed nervously. "Um. Applejack is down there, ma'am. She's made a close friend, and they have a foal."
Twilight spun in place, spinning on a heel with precision as she set both her hooves at her hips in a regal pose of authority and confidence. "Oh? We'll have to give our well wishes, but the task is simple. We must do what we came here to do. All of us." She relaxed her pose. "Still, if she found a friend, that's good. It means the kindness in their eyes wasn't just hopeful dreaming on my part."
"No," whispered Fluttershy gently. "They are a species worth saving."
Twilight nodded firmly. "They're welcome for it. With luck, they'll learn how to swim soon."
Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at that.
Twilight left with a powerful flap, muttering soft plans under her breath in breathless whistles as she went. "If we do this, we can't go back, but, if we don't..." She paused in thought as she continued, mulling over the possibilities as she considered the last great task ahead of her. "I have to be ready."
She landed on a console, coming to a smooth halt as she pressed at buttons with hooves and her magic. Her hooves were not split, nor had the other adjustments the others had. She was confident that her magic would serve her well enough for this mission, as it always had before. There was no reason to do things differently now.
"Captain's log, supplemental." She chuckled softly at the idea of Star Trek coming true. That show had reached them ages ago. "We have reached Earth, and its humans. They are in worse shape than we first saw them, but that brightness is still there. They are a sick, young, species. They need our help. The only problem is getting them to accept it. They need a push." She typed some things in. "We'll give them one. Gentle, but firm. If they don't come out the other side better for it, we failed, and they deserve their end."
She deflated, wings sagging. "A pity this is such an all or nothing mission. The ship can't make it home." She pressed another few buttons with a thoughtful scrunch to her snout. "We make friends, we take the world, or we die peacefully, accepting our mistakes. I don't like that last option." She whistled with a sharp click of her tongue on her teeth. "I don't plan to take it."
Twilight Sparkle made her way through the ship, moving between its many hallways, checking things out and adjusting others. "The human mind is unique. It's full of strange contradictions. They are one with their technology, and yet afraid of it." She glanced up as the media continued, playing quietly. "What wonders, or nightmares, await them on the other side, if we were to just leave them to their own devices?"
Down below, several men glared at one another. "Energy, the heat." He waved at a report. "It's heating up. The alien vessel is doing something and I don't know what. None of us do. Staring at is isn't getting us any answers."
One of the men, in a wheelchair, ground his teeth with a rough growl. "None of that matters. They're not going anywhere. We can wait until they're done doing whatever they're doing." He rested his chin on his fist, deep in thought. "We need a strategy."
"Sir." A new soldier arrived, setting a paper down on their table. "Just arrived."
They glanced over it, scowling darkly at what they read there. "Nukes?" He shoved the paper back towards the soldier. "Nukes! It's like I'm working with toddlers." He looked to one of his companions. "This is an advanced species that had the technology and will to make it through lightyears of hostile nothing to reach us. A nuclear explosion? You think that will just stop them? Or make them even more determined?"
"We don't have any other weapons that could touch them." He sighed as he held up a hand to try and stall his superior officer's reply, already knowing what he would say. "I'm aware. I asked for all means available to us be presented. This is just one option, and it's one I dislike with every fiber of my being." He paused to cough roughly into his hand, wincing as he swallowed against the pain in his chest. "But, sir, we have nothing else. No matter what we do, they will land, or they won't."
"One already did." He drummed his fingers on his armrest. "And another just got a sweetheart deal from Canada. They're opening their arms wide for them." He grumbled at that. "And that other country is eating it up like chocolate cake." He was even less pleased by that. "Why? What are we missing?"
The room fell quiet a moment, each looking at one another. Nobody knew the answer to that question.
"Sir." The soldier standing there fidgeted. "Speaking personally, sir, this is my home, too. If they come here and kill us all, that's one thing, but I won't just stand here and let you blow us up." He squared his shoulders, not trembling in fear as he faced down the man in charge.
The general smiled at that. "Why aren't you sitting here?" Despite his words, he waved for the soldier to leave. "Still, he has a point. If we press that big red button, we'll be the one raining nuclear waste down on our head, and it probably won't work. No, we can't go with that." He shifted in his chair to look over at a nearby screen that had been tuned to the news, watching footage of Applejack and Cindy from earlier that day as they went about their lives. "These creatures are in love, with each other, and with us. We can't just put that aside. Our American stubbornness isn't going to save us here."
The others nodded, taking their leader's word for what it was.
Applejack stepped up along the line, dropping her bag of groceries down. "Thank ya kindly."
The cash clerk smiled as she began swiping the goods through into a more durable bag. "I hope you found everything you needed today."
"It's all 'rranged nicely enough." Applejack glanced over her shoulder at the other shoppers waiting their turn. "Ah done found what ah needed. Some fruit fer mah lil' boy." She directed a hoof to where Cindy had her son in a carrier, lifting him up so he could look around the store, interested in everything and waving happily to people as they went by. "It's amazin' he's already ready fer fruit, but if he wants it, he's gettin' it!"
"You're going to spoil him," giggled the cashier as she finished packing things up. "There we go. You two have a nice day now, alright?"
Applejack hefted up the bag in her jaws and made her way out of the store, thanking the worker as she left. She turned about to face Cindy. "We get—"
She didn't get to finish her question. Instead, a group of armed men burst out from around a corner, each of them wearing tactical gear and guns on their backs, holding devices that were pointed at Applejack. Several more joined them as they fanned out, surrounding Applejack with an expert efficiency that startled her into action. She dropped the bag and leaped back away from the soldiers, snorting loudly in alarm. Cindy screamed, ducking and curling around her child defensively.
Others in the area did much the same, most fleeing away if the option was at all available. The scene transformed in an instant into chaos and confusion as people yelled for help and others screamed in terror. In the middle of it all, the soldiers only moved in to surround Applejack more closely, making sure to give her nowhere to run.
"Don't need no guards to do a store run," Applejack muttered to herself. "It'll just be a second." She felt one of them press a gun to her rump and she snapped, lashing a hoof back him with all the power her equine hindlegs had stored in them. It smashed into his chest and sent him flying back with a scream.
That seemed to startle the others into action, and they opened fire, letting out a cacophony of bullets that ripped into Applejack's coat with equal parts sound and fury, but the moment the guns opened up, so did she, twisting about on her back legs and spinning to kick at the nearest ones with her front hooves, crashing into them with an angry and shrill whistle unlike any she had made before.
The bullets weren't tearing her to shreds, only seeming to make her more furious with each impact. She twisted in place, keeping her legs at all times between her and the people trying to harm her. When one landed a blow on her flank, she kicked them in the face hard enough to break their neck with a sickening crunch that echoed in the chaos.
In the end, the attempt to assault Applejack failed, but it ended up in the news all the same. The Secret Service swore that she was not allowed to go without them, for any period of time, no matter how short it might be.
"Missus Apple." President Wilson brought his hands together on his desk, in his little oval office. "I'm glad you could fit us into your schedule." He put on a smile that would have been perfectly charming in another circumstance, but now felt out of place and all the more dangerous for it. "Your people have caused some alarm."
Applejack huffed a soft breath through her nose, only half translating. "Sir, we ain't here to harm nobody. You should know that by now. We just want to settle down with friends and family." She raised a hoof to her chin. "Ah was just pickin' up some groceries when ah was attacked. Is that how Americans say howdy?"
Wilson pressed his fingers together more tightly as he leaned back in his chair. "Miss Apple, please believe me when I say this is not how we wanted this to go." He turned to look out the window of his office, at the capital outside. "But you and yours are a cause of great concern to my people. It's hard for us to trust what we don't understand." He met her eyes. "And we don't understand you. I wanted to apologize, you did nothing to deserve that attack, however ineffective it turned out being."
The fact that she had been so completely unharmed was another reason that conversation had to happen. "When you came to us, you were wearing a protective suit. With how resilient you were, what was that suit actually protecting you from?" He cocked his head to the side with interest. "Is the air not safe for you, or something else?"
"Nothin' in this air will hurt us." Applejack placed her hooves on the desk, taking a breath of that air as if to prove the point. "But we didn't know that fer sure when ah got here. The suit does two thin's. Air, and radiation. This close to a sun, out in the void, there's a lot of it. Ain't healthy for no livin' thin' to be soakin' all that in." She set her jaw in determination as she looked the president of the country she lived in right in the eye, holding his gaze. "Mister President, sir, we want ta be yer friends."
The president took a moment to absorb that information, lifting his hands from where they were pressed together as he tilted his head to the side in thought. "We find ourselves in a difficult situation, Miss Apple. As I said before, we don't understand you. And it's a great deal more than just not knowing how you work. It's that you come here and seem so normal, in your eyes, and kind, by most any's, but you are alien. You are the first species other than our own to say hello back to us."
He met her gaze again with confidence. "That makes you very important. Likely the most important creature to ever exist." He laughed softly at the absurdity of that idea. "And we don't know what to do with you."
Applejack set a hoof down on the desk, facing the president. "Ah don't bite. Look." She glanced around. "May ah ask somethin'? This may sound silly, but is Canada a place yer friendly wit'?"
"We are." President Wilson met her eyes firmly, saying nothing more as he tried to parse out the point of the question, already knowing it was a rhetorical one.
But it wasn't, and Applejack nodded firmly. "Ah, that's good. They said they were, and just thought ah'd be sure they weren't fibbin' at us. We may be nice sorts, but we know what a lie is. Shoot, can't say ah never spun a yarn afore, but ah don't make it no habit. A bad one to get into." She snorted softly, keeping her ears straight as she went on. "Would it be so bad if we just made Canada our home?"
The president tensed at the idea. "You aren't enjoying your home? Your wife, um, partner?" He stalled there. "I am uncertain of your relationship with Miss Miller. She's an American."
Applejack looked baffled at the idea. "But she can move if she wants ta, can't she?" She moved a hoof to her chin in thought. "Ain't yer folks always welcome somewhere? Humans gotta have that too, right?" She squinted at the president in suspicion. "Ah don't like where this is goin'."
The president held up his hands. "I'm not trying to play any tricks on you. While Cindy could visit Canada without issue, moving there, permanently, requires significantly more effort. While we are friends, we are two different nations."
Applejack rubbed behind her head. "So? If somepony wanted to move out of—" Her next words were untranslated, just whistles. "—to —" More whistles, no translation available for it. "—there'd be no big deal, they'd just do it."
"Your world sounds very idealistic." The president chuckled softly as he considered it. "It would be nice if the world was so perfect. But it's not." He leaned in close. "While our nations are allies, our borders are only so open. It's not even up to us. Canada has the right to decide who can move into her or not. We'd insist on the same privilege, if someone wanted to move here. May I turn the conversation to a new topic?"
Applejack nodded lightly. "Sure?"
Wilson pointed upwards. "Your ship, your vessel. It hovers over us, and it's grown more active. Could you share what it might be doing? I'll admit, it's concerning a great deal of people." He looked Applejack in the eye. "And we'd like to know if it's going to be a problem, for the safety of our people."
Applejack held up her hooves with a small shrug. "They didn't tell me. Ah could ask, but that's all ah could even offer, really. Ah'm down here, not up there." She pointed at her back. "And ah ain't got wings to try to fix that, last ah checked."
"This brings me to another question, a sort of continuation of the first one, perhaps." He smiled in a manner that was meant to be charming, though Applejack wasn't certain what the charm was supposed to be about, and why he was using it in the first place. "The other ponies, they did have wings. Can they actually fly, assuming earth's air density and gravity?"
"It ain't 'xactly the wings what lettum fly." Applejack hummed gently. "How do ah 'xplain it? We got some energy, in here." She tapped at her own chest. "Each kinda pony uses it a different kinda way. Pegasi, the kind with wings, use it to fly 'round and kick a cloud if that cloud's in need of a good kick. Earth ponies, that's me, we're tough and strong. We get 'long with critters and trees too."
She raised a hoof at him in thought. "Alicorns, well, they got some different bits. They're, hm." She considered what Twilight was capable of. "They're experts. Everythin' and everypony does their bit, and alicorns can do most alla them together. Oh, plum forgot to mention the unicorns." She pointed up at where she had no horn. "They can take that energy and throw it out there, to do thin's in the world around 'em."
Wilson perked an eyebrow at that. "Interesting." He turned to a man at his side, whispering softly into his ear before returning his attention to Applejack. "Can all of you use these abilities?"
Applejack kicked her hooves at the ground as she sat there, going deep into thought about the answer to that question. "Yes an' no. As ah said, we all got our kind. Ah can't do no pegasi magic or unicorn magic. Ah ain't either ah those! Now, you got a field in need of some love, ah can get the plants perkin' up with a little work." She touched a hoof to her own chin, brows furrowed in concentration. "Couple my kin are able to do the other kinda stuff. Rainbow can fly, and Fluttershy too."
She swatted at the air as she tried to explain. "But, back home, there were lots of us, of all kinda different varities. Shoot, plenty of us ain't even ponies, but we all have that energy. Magic's the closest words ya got fer it." She glanced around, sniffing at the air and listening to the voices of the people outside the building as they spoke to one another, gushing over what was happening, if only to each other.
"Do you think they'd be willing to come down and discuss some things?" President Wilson spread his hands. "That ship was just to get you here, wasn't it? Perhaps it's time to land." He smiled a little too wide. "Wouldn't that be a great way to show the world we're willing to welcome them, and make peace with them?"
Applejack frowned a little deeper. "It's about more than jus' showin' folks how it's done." She flopped backwards in her seat. "Asides! Ah still gotta check in with 'em afore ah could go makin' any promises on their behalf. Ah may be their captain, but ah ain't there, so my rank don't mean much right now."
The president stared Applejack down as he tried to sort through that information. "Captain? I didn't realize you were military. We would welcome your friends down regardless of their occupations." He stood up, offering his hand. "In fact, it's vital that we do."
Applejack rose to her hooves and shook the offered hand, pressing her hoof into his hand for him to do the actual holding. "We're not here to hurt nobody." She huffed softly as she withdrew her hoof. "Can't promise none'll get hurt if ya keep pickin' fights."
"I am fully aware that is a danger." He sat back down in his chair. "Thank you for your time, Miss Apple."
"Applejack'll do quite fine." Applejack turned for the door. "Right nice meetin' ya today, President, sir." She let herself out, to the gathered cameras of people who were eager to see her leaving the white house.
The president watched her go with great interest, fingers twitching in thought. "Pardon me." He looked up at the camera set up for him to speak into. "I would like a moment to myself." Not that his request was assured to mean anything. Regardless, he reached for the phone. There were plenty of calls to make.
"The European Union has passed a measure, allocating funds to convince the aliens that Europe is where they should call home." An image of Europe on a map floated to the upper right. "And they aren't alone. China has been confirmed to have established contact, and experts doubt they'll skip the chance to try to influence the aliens before they make their decision. It seems the whole world wants to have the ponies playing in their yard."
A new figure came into view, a male, one hand turning. "It's not hard to imagine why. Wielding technology centuries ahead of our own, whatever country secures them is likely to see a technological revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since the industrial revolution and the invention of the microchip, possibly combined. Ponies have proven, so far, to be friendly and tolerant."
The image changed again, showing several news clips from when Applejack had been out with her family, or visiting different parts of the country, flicking from one image to the next in rapid succession. "While their appearances have startled some people, they've demonstrated they are no danger to us."
The image swapped again, this time showing a long shot of their ship over earth, orbiting silently, shining against the darkness of space. "Meanwhile, their vessel is showing more signs of life. An international coalition is being established to await their arrival and whatever they may have to say."
A new clip, an artist's rendering of what a pony might look like if they were a human. It looked very close to Applejack, aside from the simple fact that she was blue and on two legs with proper hands. "Still, despite the images shared by their friends in the Americas, most of the world has yet to actually see a pony for themselves, but it's likely only a matter of time."
"If you have your own drawings of Applejack, or the other aliens, send it to the email shown below and it may appear on a later broadcast." She smiled at the camera. "Now, thank you for coming on the show."
"Thank you for having me on." The window folded shut on the man, his bit over.
"Others see the coming aliens as a more spiritual sign, a positive one." A new window appeared, showing people gathered in a circle, a picture of Applejack in the center. "Some believe that the aliens will take them to a better place." Another picture showed people holding hands in a similar way, all wearing clothes in white or silver. "For others, it's about spreading good, not only within their own countries, but in all the world."
The images continued, shifting from one to another, displaying the varying human gatherings as they did their best to somehow please the ponies far above them. One image made the news anchor frown gently. "And there are those who believe this is the end of times." She pointed at the image, which was one of a long line of men in black robes and pointy hats. "Reports of occultic practices have been on the rise, though no proof has arisen of their various rituals having any success with moving the ponies to action."
"Lower your heads." All the others gathered around the table did so in unison. "Clear your minds, leaving only room for them to reach it. Know that our True Lords await us above, not in some distant heaven, but directly above us. Great and powerful ponies, heed our calls and our feverish prayers. Hear it, and respond! Make yourself known to us!" The crowd echoed those last words, voices rising together in a call of unity and reverence.
Answering them was another sound, deep and melodious. It filled the air with energy and power. A song began to play around them, voiced by entities of alien mind and history. They looked around with wonder as it grew louder.
In the center of the room, the center of that table, a pony appeared. They were larger than Applejack, with wings and a serene smile. They also had none of the adjustments that Applejack had, so their snout was whole and hooves without bumps. "I have heard you." She looked them over with her bright eyes that seemed to see through them. "What would you ask of me?"
One man lifted his head with an expression of awe on his face, reaching for her with one hand. "Great and powerful pony, please share your magic with us, that we might stand with you in the coming age of enlightenment."
She smirked with one side of her mouth, cocking her head to the side as she considered that request. "Human, you have so many toys already, and you do not play with them well. While many enrich your life, others end it or make it full of suffering." She angled her ears around the room slowly. "And you would have more? No, humans. What you need is understanding first. I have studied you, dear humans. You must shed your clothing, before you can step into this hall, and receive enlightenment."
Some of the humans gasped, in horror or pleasure, it was hard to tell which. They knew they were all seen by her, as she was inside their minds. Some had robes that fell away at a mere thought. Others scrambled to pull them off, and yet others balked at the idea. Twilight raised a hoof. "I meant that metaphorically, but I do appreciate your eagerness. I will contact those in power, soon. Until then, think of us, and know that we are watching, kindly." She vanished with a single flap of her wings, leaving behind nothing but silence and empty space where she had stood moments before.
The man who had made the request covered his mouth with his hands, face going bright red as he stared at the floor in horror. "It, it actually worked!" He curled up on himself with a whimper. "Oh god, what have we done? What will they do to us?"
His fellow gathered around him, comforting him with their presence, speaking soft words that soothed his anxiety. One reached for his shoulder. "She came with a smile, brother. She has promised us what we asked for. Today is a day to rejoice!"
Another held his hand, lifting it gently. "Be at peace, brother."
A restaurant fell silent, a TV in the corner showing Twilight's speech to the human cultists, turned up to be heard over the din of people speaking to one another. One of the 'faithful' had recorded the whole thing on their phone and uploaded it for the world to see in record time, and it was spreading like wildfire.
All eyes turned to Applejack, who just finished a drink before returning it to the table, oblivious to what was going on around her. She turned to look at the nearest person, the waitress, who had the TV behind her, so she couldn't see what was happening on screen. "What's everyone gettin' all tense 'bout?"
Cindy, who had seen it, reached to grab Applejack's closer arm. "I think we should be heading out."
"Huh? Wha—" Applejack noticed where everyone was looking, and slowly turned around to see what they were seeing, just in time to watch as the footage of Twilight speaking played, without audio, but she could still read their lips and understand exactly what was being said, and who it was saying it.
Twilight, making promises to humans she didn't know, that she would actively change their life in some way.
Secret Service agents closed in on Applejack and Cindy, their presence alone more than enough to make it clear what they wanted. Applejack gathered up Angel and started for the door. "Twilight," she huffed on the way. "What rotten timin'." She didn't blame Twilight, not directly, but there was a hint of frustration in her voice as she made her way out into the parking lot and waited there with her family for their escort home.
Applejack didn't like the feeling of eyes watching her every move. She gently bounced her colt instead of looking back at them. "Did you like dinner? Yes you did." She rubbed noses with the giggling foal, happy they seemed to be blissfully unaware of any issues.
The car arrived for them, and Applejack got in with a long sigh of relief as she set her son down in the back seat and sat beside him. Cindy joined them as the doors closed behind them, locking them away from the public, but not from their guards. One of those agents was looking to Applejack. "Ma'am, do you have any information about that broadcast?"
"Hay no!" Applejack huffed softly. "Not even all sure how she did it. Twilight's a clever girl, ain't too surprisin' she'd—" Applejack trailed off, noticing how intently the other was watching her. "Ah'm gonna be interrogated, ain't ah?"
Cindy rested a hand on Applejack's side. "He's a bodyguard. It's not his job to do that. If they want, they'll send someone else around to ask questions." She glared at the guard. "If you want them to."
The Secret Service agent didn't confirm nor deny Cindy's words, simply riding silently. Applejack grumbled softly under her breath and said nothing more, putting a hoof down between herself and her son, but she wasn't letting him out of her sight as they rode on through the streets towards their home, a long and silent drive back to their little piece of paradise that waited for them beyond the white picket fence, a little place in the woods, secluded from any who might bother them.
And there were plenty who would.
Twilight brought a wing down on Fluttershy's back, stroking gently. "Your next generation translator is performing admirably. That it doesn't have that echo? You've really outdone yourself." Alone, they were whistling gently at one another. "Things are proceeding delightfully. We'll make this universe a better place, for us, and for them."
Fluttershy hid her face in Twilight's mane, with a soft moan of embarrassment at being praised so openly. "I still can't believe how easy it is to understand them. The words are just there, and the voices are right!" She drew her face out, colored as it was. "Have you tested it with other languages, ma'am?"
"I have! Several, in fact. Some were more eager to hear what I had to say than others, but they could all understand me." She hummed gently. "Language is no barrier between ponies and humans. How difficult will it be to construct more of those?"
"It's difficult." Fluttershy rested a hoof on her desk, watching it fill with plastic walls as she lifted the nearest object, which was her lunch, setting it down so that it was sitting within the fake confines of the little bubble she had created around herself. "We have most of the materials, but not all. At least, in an amount I'd need to make many. We don't have the energy to synthesize it. The solar collectors will require a week for each. For now, it's just the one you have."
Twilight turned about in the room, observing the way Fluttershy had changed it up, adding even more digital vegetation, until the walls were covered in green grass and flowers, dotted with trees of plastic, with birds flying overhead, rendered as 3D models that interacted with the world around them. "I love what you've done with your room. It's like a little slice of Equestrian wilderness. It's so calming every time I come in." She let out a soft whistle of amusement as she noticed a deer lumbering past, flicking an ear as the animal did the same to her.
"Oh, that." Fluttershy blushed as she picked up a small remote, pointing it at the deer, and then the trees, making them fade away until the walls were just bare metal again. "I couldn't sleep well. The sound of the ship bothered me, so I decided to get some proper rest."
Twilight buried her larger snout into Fluttershy's neck. "I wasn't asking you to turn it off. You room is a delightfully relaxing place to visit." She fluttered her wings once as she pulled her head back out, pressing a hoof to the wall, right beside the panel where Fluttershy's instruments were displayed. "The noise of the ship bothers me, too. I still find myself annoyed by the thumps and hums of a ship that was built by the best minds in all Equestria."
She raised a hoof in a slow wave. "So the little sounds of nature you surround yourself with? I'm thankful every chance I have for it. Thank you." She gave her fellow pony a peck on the cheek, delighting in the way Fluttershy flushed in response to her. "And don't be afraid to let me know when you're running low on anything. As soon as we land, we'll be able to sort things out."
"And when is that?" Rainbow arrived with a powerful flap of her wings. "We were moments away from doing that until you called it all off, Twi!" She jerked a hoof towards the nearest window. "You had me pull back at the last second! We were so close to landing!"
Twilight didn't budge an inch as she met Rainbow's gaze firmly. "Your words say you're annoyed, but I can hear the concern in your voice." She sighed gently. "We want the world we land on to be ready to receive us. It isn't. Have you been monitoring their broadcasts?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "No. They send out so much stuff, and half of it is so boring! Why would I listen to people babble on about weather patterns, or who's the best at hitting a little white ball?" She flapped her wings, only for them to strike against Twilight's face with a smack, the sudden air current striking Fluttershy moments later, nearly bowling her over in a great gust of wind. "It's time to do things! I've been waiting on this ship for too long already."
"Have you?" Twilight smirked lightly, brushing off the blow from Rainbow's wing as if it was nothing more than a gentle breeze. "We came here in only a month, after thousands of years. Waiting one or two more is nothing in comparison." She gestured and a hologram of earth sprang into being before her as she curled her arms around it. "A captivating blue marble. Its people yearn for peace, but all the conflict is also of their making. They hope for a miracle, but fear sudden changes."
She spread her wings to encompass it all. "A dangerous, little world. One that needs a firm grasp to guide it in the right direction, and they have no leader to offer one. Each nation is their own, with different ways and values. I suppose I can't fault them. Ponies had their moments when they fractured and forgot they were all ponies, in the end. Still, we'll mend them and make them strong, together."
Fluttershy raised a hoof shyly. "Uhm, maybe we should just focus on the North Americans for now? They're our friends, and if we help them, they'll be able to help us in return." She fluttered her wings gently, frowning as she did so, and an image of the planet was summoned before her.
She reached out, painting Canada and America with her touches. "We've already spoken to these two, and they seem to have considerable weight, um, politically speaking?" She squinted at the world map before her, studying it closely. "That said, there's the European Union, which is a gathering of a lot of countries together."
Twilight dipped her head as she pulled away from the larger Earth projection, sending it over to Fluttershy instead. "If you'd be willing, I'd like to hear your thoughts on how we should move forward. The humans speak more languages than I care to count this moment. Many of them come with a nation of their own."
Rainbow tossed up both her forehooves. "How does this get us down there any faster?!" She kicked the floor and moved to sit at the back of the room, not looking at Twilight as she pouted about what was going on around her, sitting by herself in the corner as Fluttershy pointed at one map after another, growing more animated with each one as she considered all the different paths they could take.
Twilight ran her hooves through her mane and over her face, straightening herself out before the mirror as she practiced smiling again, happy with the way it looked. "Alright, let's do this." She took a deep breath, stepping out into the main area of the ship to where the controls were, where Rainbow Dash sat on her rump, kicking her hooves at the console. "Excited?"
Rainbow Dash glanced over her shoulder at Twilight. "Just a little. Finally, something interesting!" She pulled herself up with a great flap of her wings, following Twilight back into the room where the rest of the communication equipment was. "At least we're talking to someone new today!" She began pressing buttons with rapid touches of her wing tips and agile hoof motions. "Let's connect. Oh yeah."
Twilight smirked at Rainbow's words, allowing herself a moment of happiness as the communication system came alive around her, including a view of earth below them. The world span a moment before zooming in on one of its many continents. Ponish words formed over it, "China," being the largest, but others appeared over nearby other nations.
She nodded firmly. "Let's speak with the second most populous humans. Ready?" Rainbow thrust a hoof up. "Then let's begin." With a crackle, Twilight knew it had begun. Humans could see her. She spoke in Mandarin, Fluttershy's translator converting her words seamlessly. She flicked her ears at the sound of the words. They were closer to the melodic whistling of her own people. Perhaps they should have started there? But they didn't know before. "Greetings and well-met. I am informed that you are the leader of your people."
She allowed the human a moment to gather his response. "Yes, I am." He straightened up with a stern expression, just the way the other leaders had done, when she first contacted them. It was funny how many different ways they expressed themselves, but she still loved their subtle little nuances that often times felt very similar. "What are your intentions?"
Twilight perked at that. "So direct. My intentions are simple. I want to live here. To do that, I require neighbors that are not making a mess, of themselves or the area around themselves. To see that—"
The man signaled Twilight for quiet. "We are managing our own affairs. You speak with the Americans? Their crime is ten times ours! Our people are well-behaved, and understand the importance of the greater good over little personal needs."
Twilight nodded along with his facts, smirking all the while as she glanced towards Rainbow Dash, who rolled her eyes and mimed falling asleep, only to catch herself at the last moment and pay attention again. "China is a great nation, and you have done very well in making it what it is today. By population, yours is the largest." She paused. "Second-largest nation. I apologize that it took so long to reach you. You're on the other side of the world from us."
She tapped at her throat. "We have also gotten past the language barrier. We have created a device that will translate our words into human languages, as we speak them." She flicked her ears as her translator translated her speech for the man as she went on. "Though you speak for all of your people, I find it only fair that I also speak with some of them, to learn from them, and see what they believe should happen next."
"Of course! I will pick some to speak with you." The man made some gesture. Of parting, perhaps? The call ended.
Twilight wrinkled her snout. "I have no need to speak to any ruler's cronies. Rainbow, prepare to contact some of their people. Make it as scattershot as possible. I want a wide net."
Rainbow saluted, giving the closest she could come to a serious nod of her head. "Will do." She took over the controls, still grumbling under her breath about how long this was taking, but there was a smile on her lips all the same.
"The president of China has announced that America's monopoly on ponies has been shattered." An image appeared, showing Applejack falling to pieces. "Exactly how, they haven't elaborated. Experts say it's likely the President just means he spoke with them too."
"It seems strange that this is even news." A different anchor showed up, addressing the camera directly as she spoke. "A few weeks ago, they were speculating about when China would finally speak to the ponies. It's only natural that the ponies would reach out to other large countries. I'd be surprised if they haven't already spoken with India or tried their hands, er, hooves in Africa."
A new window appeared on the screen, one of a Chinese family sitting around a table, speaking to the camera in Mandarin. It took a moment for the translation to catch up, but the words flowed over it with a mild delay that faded into the background quickly enough.
"If Yaoguai from space want to come and visit us, what's so strange about that? Set a place at the table, and don't offend them. That's all you need to do to be nice to a guest." The man straightened up as he folded his hands on the table, speaking more slowly as he went on. "It's their choice if they take your hand in friendship. When it comes to such beings, you have very little say in it, other than your own actions."
"In other news, Angel Miller, the native-born pony, is off to pre-school." Images of Angel holding Applejack's hoof and following her closely filled the screen, set to an accompaniment of soft music. "The normally shy foal isn't afraid to head out for his first day, knowing his parents are nearby to support him."
Despite her words, Angel was left to meet other little children closer to their age. Of course, all the others were humans, and Angel was a pony. "How well he gets along is a matter of curiosity for many. We'll bring you news as it develops."
"Angel's growth has been a matter of curiosity for many around him, his parents of course included." A window popped open. "With us to discuss this, and other questions, we have two experts in psychology and developmental behavior, to speak about how the little foal might be growing up, and what is being learned from it."
One of the experts, a woman with a small beard and wire-rimmed glasses, spoke first, "They are not a pony, neither are they human. They have a parent of either, and they are growing in that shared environment. Even linguistically, Angel seems to be learning both English and Ponish eagerly. He's picking up the sounds and words of each and practicing with them regularly."
The other expert was a man, whose hair had gone entirely white, despite the lack of wrinkles on his face. "There's very little about how this foal is developing that we could have predicted. He's maturing quite rapidly. Credit where it's due, his parents are responding to his actual developmental progress and getting him into schooling as he matures into readiness, rather than adhering to strict timetables that work more often on standard human children."
"So, by setting aside their preconceptions, the parents are making the most out of the child's growth." The anchor looked off-camera a moment. "Speaking of which, the little foal has been seen heading home with a friend."
The image switched to Angel in a nearby park, sitting in the grass with a young girl beside him. He held out a piece of grass to her. She giggled and accepted the grass, saying something that couldn't be picked up from that distance.
"Aw." The anchorwoman smiled at the frozen last frame. "Looks like Angel's already found a good friend. I hope this is a sign for how well we'll get along with ponies in general."
Applejack caught Cindy as she crashed forward and the two became a pile of gently entwined limbs, the two nuzzling one another gently. "Hard day?"
Cindy buried herself in the soft fur of her partner. "Yeah, but I made it. I'd rather have spent it doing almost anything else, but that's bills for you."
Applejack sat up slowly, carrying Cindy with the motion. "'Bout that! What all do you have to pay bills on 'xactly? The movies on the television?"
"To start." She waved off at the television. "I'm still paying that TV itself off. The movies, I'm doing two different streaming services, so that's two more bills." She rested her head against Applejack's shoulder as she looked off into the distance in thought. "And my laptop. Aaaand all the programs and things that go with it. That's a lot more than what you'd think!"
Applejack inclined an ear. "Huh. Thin's work differently, back where ah'm from. Most ponies ain't trottin' just to keep in place." She nuzzled the top of Cindy's head a moment. "Don't it get tirin'?"
"Ugh!" Cindy laughed even as she cuddled into Applejack. "I'm tired, yes. But that's the world I have, and I'm not giving up. Also, I get an Applejack to cuddle, which makes it worth it."
Applejack burst into giggles, eagerly returning the hugs and nestling. "Speakin' ah that. Had someone come up an' ask me about us. You know, our relationship. They thought we were, you know, more than roomies." She waggled her brows for meaning. "But ah told 'em we're just good friends."
"Good friends." Cindy sat back a little. "Not sure I'd say good friends covers it, seeing as we have a kid."
"Well, sure, there is that... but we ain't married." Applejack turned her head away as she huffed softly, the colors on her cheeks starting to deepen a little. "Wouldn't that be the biggest mess of wires?" She gave her partner a gentle nuzzle.
Cindy drew back a little at the words, thinking them over with furrowed brows. "Mm, true. That would make things confusing. We don't even have laws that'd let us do that."
"What?" Applejack twitched her ears. "Is it 'bout us both bein' mares?"
"Not that." Cindy waved it away. "At least, not recently, but not that. No, actually." She frowned with thought. "Since you are a person, it may not be a big deal." She took out her phone and made a quick call, nodding along with what she was hearing before hanging up and turning back to Applejack. "Did you know you need a birth certificate to get married? It's true."
Applejack stared at Cindy. "A what now?"
Cindy pressed a hand to one side of her face. "A paper that says when and where you were born and who your parents are. Everyone in America gets one. I have one. You don't."
Applejack blinked at that. "Oh right! We hadda do that whole ordeal to get Angel one of—" She jumped as someone closed the door. "Who is that?" She hopped to her hooves and trotted out. "Angel!"
"Momma!" Angel waddled up to Applejack and hugged her leg. "I made a friend today!" He dragged Applejack over to a little girl with freckles and pigtails, standing on the other side of the fence.
The girl shrank a little as Applejack drew up, but she didn't run. "This is your momma?"
Angel bobbed his head. "One of." A door opening made him glance. "There's the other."
"You get two mommas?!" The girl looked amazed at the idea. "Cool!" She turned to the new arrival, Cindy, who had stepped out to see what was going on. "Hello, miss."
Cindy waved back gently. "Hello, yourself. What's your name, little girl? Make a new friend today?"
"Yes!" blurted out Angel, even if he hadn't been asked. "Her name's Sam! And she's the best."
Applejack wandered over to the fence to speak with Sam's mother, who seemed all too happy to talk to her, which was something of a novelty in and of itself. Angel took the opportunity to climb up onto his own fence to peer over at Sam, the two children gushing over one another.
Cindy kept an eye on them out the window of her kitchen, preparing some dinner for them all. "Ask Sam if she wants to stay over for dinner or not. She's welcome either way."
Applejack nodded along as she listened to Sam's mother explaining about their upcoming family vacation, something about the beach, which sounded interesting to Applejack, who hadn't been to one yet in this world. The word 'ham' got her attention though, so she perked up a little as she made a quiet mental note to check what that was. "As Cindy said though, Sam's welcome whenever they wanna play. Ain't no problem from either of us 'bout it!"
"Citizens of the planet Earth." Twilight occupied every and all screens. No matter what channel one switched to, or what webpage one might try browsing to, she was there, in all her equine glory, wings spread wide to drive home her alien majesty. "I come bearing news. I apologize that some of you are not seeing this. Your technology is far too fractured and scattered to be sure you see it, but you can be certain that those who do will share it with you soon enough."
Twilight folded her wings to her sides as she looked around at the humans watching her with bated breath, delighting in their eagerness as she began to speak again. "Some of you see a brighter future for yourselves, in your own hands, or in the hooves or wings or some other being. I do not claim to be your angel." She ruffled her wings lightly. "Consider me more of a judge. I will begin addressing the imbalances that I see. My help comes with a cost. Not a monetary one, but one that asks you to ask yourselves how you ended up here, and how you can comport yourself moving forward."
She leaned in. "Let us begin."
Cindy flopped back in her seat. "AJ?"
"Yeah?" Applejack looked almost as surprised. "Ah wasn't expectin' that neither!"
"Glad to hear that." Cindy sat up, turning off the television. "You know who she was then?"
Applejack grinned as she fanned her hoof over the tabletop. "That there was Princess Twilight Sparkle. She's the smartest pony of all of 'em. She's also, technically, higher rank than ah am. Ah was captain of the ship." She pointed upwards. "Twilight's a princess of ponies, which includes that ship."
"Huh." Cindy dug out her phone. "Going to make a call before they call us. " Her phone began chiming before she could hit the call button. "Never mind."
President Wilson rubbed the sides of his head as a broadcast of Twilight's message played in a corner for all to see as it repeated. "This is not a situation that has come up before. Aliens have come from untold distances away, just to tell us how to live."
One of the many people crowded into the Oval Office rolled a hand. "But, she has more power than a random person on the corner. Can we afford to try to shrug her off? People are already flooding our inboxes with concerns about what she's said and what we're going to do."
"And what can we do?" The President stared at them all in turn. "The one thing we have going for us is that we're free to think and act as we like. We can fire missiles at her, hope to knock that spaceship out of the air. I don't think our chances are good. I'm increasingly certain it would just annoy them." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he groaned. "Our entire understanding of physics and astronomy have been challenged. What was supposed to be beyond us is right here, speaking to us through a translator so flawless it's like she was born here!"
A woman raised a hand. "It's worse. She broadcast globally, and our allies are all reporting she was speaking their language. Every person that witnessed her saw her speaking their native tongue. Even the North Koreans."
"Right." President Wilson turned his head up to the ceiling. "Any more good news for us?"
"How about this? People seem to be listening to her. We can stand against her, or we can be leaders." The man stood up, bringing fist against palm. "This is old enough to be a tired joke, but I, for one, welcome our equine overlords. Let them see America as an ally to be worked with and through, and we may survive this."
The President studied him closely. "Just like that? Give up the pretense of being a free country?" He smiled without humor. "I'd rather try and fight them first." He gave his head a quick shake. "Still, you may have a point." He sank, head caught between his hands. "We are facing an opponent that outclasses us in every means, other than manpower, and I don't think they care."
A different man stood up. "Sir, that's my biggest concern right now. She said she was going to help some people, but she didn't specify who. The question on everyone's mind is, how much force can we use to stop her?"
Wilson fixed that man with a look. "If she wants the human experiment to end, I have little doubt she has a toolbox of means available that don't have to risk any of her forces. Her technological level has already been shown to lap ours several times, and this little ship we call Earth is not well protected. A few timely meteors or a bath of radiation would do the job nicely."
The man frowned at that, but he had no counter to offer as he sat down again, brooding on his President's words.
"More, that is a worst-case scenario." The president pointed at the screen where Twilight was talking. "She didn't declare herself ruler of the world. That'd be ridiculous. If they wanted an Earth-like planet, the galaxy has plenty to pick from. She's an adult looking over the fence, seeing the children playing next door, and has decided to act." He sat up. "And we are those children."
President Wilson lowered his head. "We must get ahead of this before she causes too much damage to us." He looked at one of his secret service agents. "Prepare for a live broadcast. We're doing this."
"My fellow Americans." Wilson's grip on his podium tightened. "If you're seeing this, you saw the message sent to us literally from on high. The question many of you are asking yourselves right now is 'how will our government respond?'" He breathed deeply, letting it out slowly as he got a second wind. "In the short term, I will not be calling for any strikes against our visitors, nor any attempts to block them from entering our airspace."
He took a soft breath. "Now is the time to come together as one people, humans all, and ask ourselves how we are doing, how we have done, and what we can do in the future." He held up a hand to the screen. "As you know, one of the aliens has already been born here, on American soil, from an American woman, with an immigrant, one of the aliens no less, bringing with them a new member to our ever-expanding family."
His gaze fell on the screen. "Many have seen them as an angel, descended from above, their hoof the instrument of the lord, touching our very hearts with the peace and goodwill that only an angel can bring." He paused there, knowing his exact next words would shape the future for decades to come. "But this angel is more than that, she is our judge."
The president closed his eyes a moment. "She has pointed out to us what she believes we are doing wrong. As our judge, I have no doubt she will sentence us as she sees fit. Will that sentence be harsh, or fair? We can only hope for the latter." He looked up at the camera with a thin smile. "But we are in a dire straight, with little other option. The time for human differences has fled us. I will be visiting the United Nations, personally, to put forward a plea that was unthinkable a month ago, that all humans come together under one banner."
He tightened his hands on the podium. "We are many nations and peoples, but we are still human. If our planet is to have a voice, it must be unified. She spoke of her hoof helping, but I have no doubt she can also use the sharp edge of that hoof if she feels it needed." He stood up tall. "America will be the face, if it has to, of a united people. Our differences are vast and ancient, but their time is coming to an end. We can orchestrate that ourselves, or let someone else do it for us. I would rather seize the future than let it be seized from me."
"There will be many questions to ask yourself in the days to come, but this I know for certain. Today, we enter a new age for mankind, one where we are not alone, and whether we are found wanting by our heavenly neighbor, that will be for us all to decide." President Wilson stepped back from the podium and departed the stage without another word, the cameras lingering on his image as he vanished into the depths of the White House.
Elsewhere, Applejack whistled gently as she looked up from the tablet with Cindy. "That was a mighty speech." She poked at it again, enlarging it with a single hoof swipe. "Fer all yer faults, ya got some powerful speakers. Not many 'sides Celestia ah 'xpect to come out and belt one like that out. Hm, maybe Twilight too, come to think."
Cindy sighed gently as she slipped a hand around Applejack's side to hold her partner in place, leaning her head on her shoulder. "You might have forgotten this, but our kind isn't exactly immortal. While Twilight is really hard to kill, we still die from old age."
Applejack perked an ear at that. "What? Ya thought ah was immortal or somethin'? We got some fancy medicines, sure, but eventually, yer gonna get it. They can't undo an accident bad enough, and the universe's got plenty of 'em waitin' fer anyone."
"Right, right." Cindy squinted at the screen in front of her. "So how old is Twilight?"
Applejack waggled a hoof at her. "You know I can't rightly say." She hopped from the couch to her own hooves. "Angel?"
"Yeah momma?" Angel looked up from the table where he was drawing.
Applejack smiled gently at him. "Do you know how old Twilight is?"
"Yeah!" Angel was all smiles. "She's really old!"
Applejack snorted at that with a smile. "Probably the best answer we're gettin'." She went to nuzzle and hug Angel from behind. "Whatcha drawin' there?"
"This!" Angel held up a drawing of his family, depicted in crayon. "And this!" The second drawing was more stylized, with his parents looking like they did in the media, surrounded by lines and shapes. "What does it look like to you?"
Applejack turned her head aside, tail swishing lightly. "Looks like a drawin' mah colt made, so ah'm a bit biased." She nuzzled the back of his head. "But tell me what yer thinkin'. Love to hear."
Angel tapped the piece of paper with a hoof as he drew his other hoof along it, leaving little rainbow streaks on the paper, guided by hoof. "This one is you! See, you've got a bow tie around your neck, and there's apples!"
Applejack rubbed a hoof along Angel's back as she studied the picture. "Aw, rather interestin' there. Why'd you put the ribbon 'round mah neck?" She lifted her tail. "Ain't it back there?"
"Because you have something there that needs a ribbon." Angel nuzzled up into Applejack's side. "I don't know what it is, but it has to be special." He held his hoof out over the crayon figure of himself.
Applejack snorted softly at that. "Ya got a right powerful 'magination. Love it." She trotted towards the kitchen. "Now lemme see 'bout how dinner's comin' 'long. World may be changin', but we need food either way."
Twilight made sure every hair was in place, magic glowing as she groomed herself.
Rainbow huffed gently at the sight. "When do we actually land?"
Twilight grinned lightly. "That is a good question." She nodded as a panel came to life. "First, I must address a matter of some delicacy." The display switched to an overhead view of the largest city on the planet, centered on a towering structure that dominated the area around it with its sheer size. "Can you see that?"
"Tower?" Rainbow looked it over. "Yeah, looks pretty tall." She folded her arms. "How does that help us land?"
"It helps us make a point. This is in China, their second most populated nation. It is thick with the problems most their nations suffer from. Ecological collapse, financial disparities, all of it. I couldn't find a nation that escaped this that was large enough to consider. Each individual human, however." She turned a hoof as the display focused on a lone man walking down the city street. "They would like a fair world."
Rainbow blinked slowly at that. "Yeah, sure they would, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Twilight held out a hoof towards the image, feeding a small pulse of magic into it. The man jerked, reaching for his pockets to search frantically and drawing out great wads of local currency as he laughed with delirious confusion. "We are going to make a few people who need it rich, so long as they think fondly of ponies. This is not a long-term strategy, but in the short term, I think it will sway things."
She rose up tall on her hind hooves, eyes narrowing as she studied the image before her. "I also suspect we can bring in some funding from other places. That said, we are here to help, but our primary focus is to find out what has led humanity down this path. That may well be a question only they can answer for themselves, but I can correct it." She fixed Rainbow with a wicked smile, floating as she was. "That money has to come from somewhere. We can't go making things from nothing."
"Whoa." Rainbow spread her hooves out. "That sounds like you're going to be stealing from someone. Can't you just like, make the materials you need?"
Twilight fell to her hooves and shrugged her wings. "The material is easy, but humans love tracking things. Every bit of that money is tracked. If we just make more, they'll notice. No, no. It has to come from somewhere. And I know a few wealthy individuals who could stand to lose some." She flicked her hoof at the display and it switched to a broad panorama of a crowded city street. "Observe."
A human walking by slowed, holding a phone up to take a picture of the floating figures on their television. Rainbow's hoof went through the screen as she attempted to tap at it. "Come on! This is cool and all, but we could be doing this down there. I'm tired of being without any Gs, Twi."
Twilight's horn glowed as she laughed in a deep rumble, drawing strange lines of magic from some of the people walking past. "The system remains broken. Those people will make their money back swiftly. I am, at best, applying bandages to a patient that remains bleeding, rapidly. Still, better than doing nothing at all."
She made a firm wave, sending the energy back, scattering money in forceful wealth distribution. "Rainbow, I don't think you understand. If I land, then they will take their frustration out on me directly. We are not as sturdy as the ship we're in, Rainbow. There are risks if we land."
Rainbow puffed her chest out at that, pounding a hoof against her chest. "But I'll be there to protect you!" She pointed at the screen again. "If I'm with you, they won't dare touch you!"
Twilight pushed off a wall, crashing into Rainbow in a firm hug. "I know you'd try your best. I'm glad you're here, but we're still far safer, up here. They can't do anything to us as long as we stay up here."
"Da. This is being only way." The overworked Russian tech hammmered at his keyboard, entering the coordinates of the alien vessel, far above the planet. "We have not long." He let out a hard breath. "Others will want to be firing on this target."
He was at the last part. The missile couldn't be fired without the firing codes, and precious few people had those. His eyes ran over the screen, barely able to make sense of the words in the low light of his room. Everything was lit with reds and yellows, alarms warning him about what he was about to do. Actually firing a nuclear weapon was not something done lightly.
Yet, it must be done. This was the final chance. This alien ship would not leave. He was sure of it. If they did not strike now, who knew what would happen? Would the aliens keep coming back with ever increasing demands? He grabbed the phone and called it in. "Firing is read. Final codes." He gripped the receiver firmly as he typed them in one last time, "Tungsten", for the largest of the missiles in their arsenal. He pressed the last buttons and slammed his fist down on the last firing button. The room roared with the sound of destiny.
It was out of his hands now, but that was fine. He stood up, arms held loosely at his side as he walked towards the nearest wall. "No matter what happens next, I did all I could."
"Twilight." Fluttershy inclined her head at a reading. "Incoming. Odds of a projectile, um, 79% Detecting propellant, likely the drive. Detecting radioactive material, hazardous. Um, what should we do?"
Twilight turned her head aside, attention drawn to the screen before her, depicting earth with its many nations and places, where humans and ponies interacted in great diversity. "They wish to have us struck from the skies, with force equal to that of stars?" She snorted softly. "Is it even a fusion weapon?"
"I don't have time to examine it, um, Twilight. What should we do?" Fluttershy trembled, but didn't sweat. Space modifications had made that much harder for them to do. They did perspire in certain conditions, but she didn't seem close to it at the moment, being perfectly composed for what was about to happen. "Please? We need to move."
Twilight locked hooves together as she studied the situation, tapping hoof to hoof as she considered her options. "If they wish to throw themselves against our door with fire, I am sure we can return the favor. What have we to lose?" She took a moment to brush her mane back, tucking the longest strands into place. "I'm leaving."
Fluttershy blinked. "Leaving?"
"Leaving." Twilight vanished with a pop. She appeared just outside the ship, holding her breath. A bubble of force glimmered around her, keeping away the solar radiation that shone upon her. She could see the missile in the distance, streaking towards them. It was quite fast, on its scale. At the distance it had to go, it was practically crawling. She extended a hoof, purple light enveloping it. She tugged it towards herself.
The missile span end over end with the sudden yank. It tried to right itself, but Twilight's grip was unyielding. "Let's take this," she thought to herself as she wrenched the warhead free of the missile and tucked it safely to the side. "And the rest of you can do as you please." She vanished back inside.
A second missile was heading towards them. Twilight wasn't there to stop it. Instead, it encountered a sudden storm in space. Rainbow Dash made sure to hoot and holler for all to hear, laughing all the while as she danced through the missile's path. It exploded brilliantly, but was nowhere near the alien vessel.
Twilight settled back in her seat. "Fluttershy, you caught all that, I presume? Send a video of it down to the humans. Let them know this was their best, last, chance. If they want to send more at us, they're welcome to waste their time. The days of assured destruction are at an end." She rubbed hoof to head as she grinned gently. "Still, let's not get cocky. We have many, many things we must still do here."
She had a hoof under her chin as she thought aloud. "What they are saying and what they are doing can be quite different. We have given ourselves quite a task."
"On it." Fluttershy was rapidly assembling the video and sending it along to any computer system waiting for it. "Should I track where the weapons were fired from?"
"It doesn't really matter." Twilight huffed gently. "The attempt was made, and they'll all see how effective it was. Hm, maybe I should have allowed one to hit, but why risk it? Their weapons are not sufficient, especially while we're up here." She looked to Rainbow Dash, just returning from her own space jaunt. "This is why we're staying up here."
Rainbow blinked and rolled a hoof in the air as she spoke. "Ah, sure. No big deal. Still think we should land, but it's your call, princess."
Twilight brought up the human leader's message again. "Fluttershy, one question; did that missile come from America?"
"It did not come from North or South America, ma'am!" Fluttershy tapped and twisted her hooves. "Asia."
Twilight blinked. "China?"
"No, north." She leaned in at a map of the planet and its many nations. "Russia."
"We haven't talked with them much. Perhaps that's why they thought they had a chance of just swatting us out of the air." Twilight folded her hooves together, humming as she pondered what to do next. "Interesting. If we want to land anywhere, we have to take care of that first."
Fluttershy inclined an ear. "Ma'am?"
"Humans must have the fight driven from them." Twilight leaned back, starting to rotate in the free-float. "Speaking of that, can you contact Applejack? We should make sure she's safe."
Down below, Applejack buzzed. Cindy raised a brow. "Um, hon?"
Applejack fanned her hoof for a moment, attempting to catch the errant sound. She gave up on it, returning to what she was doing, which was cleaning up after dinner.
Cindy elbowed at Applejack gently. "It's still going. It's from, I think." She trailed along Applejack's side towards her throat. She tapped there and a window popped open in front of Applejack.
Applejack yelped in surprise, hopping back from the image of Fluttershy. "Oh, never had a call incomin' afore. Caught me in the middle of dishes!" She turned to Cindy. "The fine mare's named Fluttershy, by the way. We've been friends fer years!"
"Sorry about that!" Fluttershy pushed her hooves together. "I wasn't expecting you to be doing something else." She chewed on her lower lip a moment, before continuing with what she was saying, "Twilight wants to know if you're safe and unharmed."
Applejack pressed hoof to forehead a moment, mussing up her mane in the process. "Relatively? Shoot, they don't let me go nowhere without guards. Gov'mint seems real set on makin' sure ah don't get hurt." She turned her head aside as Angel showed up with a small handheld television, held in hoof. "Hang on a second, there's somethin' Angel wants to show me."
She turned to smile at her child. "Whatcha got there?" She looked over the picture on the screen, taking it in at a glance. "Oh, they got some big meteors, don't they? Too bad for that rocket!"
Angel cocked his head. "Why'd they blow it up?"
Applejack quirked an ear. "Um, ain't got no idea. What is it 'xactly?"
Cindy moved in for a better view, reading the tickers running on the screen. "Look like, um, Russia went and tried to shoot at your friends, AJ. They failed, and the news is talking about how it went." She read some more. "Probably not a great sign for any other countries that might want to try it, though. Sounds like we're pretty much told we can't hit them."
"Well." Applejack stomped hoof to ground. "Why'd they go 'n do somethin' like that? Ain't like my friends are doin' anythin' bad to anyone!"
Cindy gently stroked down her partner's back. "Your friends are a big existential threat to a lot of powerful people right now. That's not even mentioning all the little people that are scared." She tapped her own head. "In here, the idea that something's looking over our shoulder is scary. There's plenty of people that think this is an alien invasion, and we're doomed to have the worst things happen to us."
"Huh." Applejack turned back to Fluttershy's image on the floating window. "Well, ya heard that, ah assume. Ah'm fine, but sounds like things'll get patchy for a while."
Fluttershy smiled at that. "Good! I'll let Twilight know. I'm glad you're safe, even if you're worried about something happening to you."
Applejack beamed. "Aw, thank ya kindly! Keep an eye out fer yourselves too."
"Oh, don't worry about us." Fluttershy twirled in her seat, unable to stay still as she chuckled into a hoof. "We have everything taken care of."
It was chaos. People already had plenty of reason to be riled, but the images of mankind's greatest weapons being reduced to nothing long before they could even threaten the aliens? It was too much, and riots were breaking out across the globe. This would not stand.
In America, nonlethal munitions and teargas filled cities as property damage rose around them. Other countries were not spared the assault as humanity, as a whole, bucked against the firm hoof pressing against its back.
The hoof held steady, despite the loud wailings of many. The smiling alien angel showed no sign of changing her mind.
"We could launch more." The man steepled his fingers, leaning forward towards the others. "Only two isn't much. We could light up the sky, and the proklyatiye aliens. They can't outrun every missile."
A woman rolled her hand at that, dismissing the thought with a single gesture. "Our largest missiles have already proven insufficient to even reach the aliens, let alone threaten them. Besides, I doubt it would help our case, at this point." She waved her hand towards the rest of the assembled group, most of whom were visibly displeased. "They disarmed our attack when it was but a speck in their eyes. They did it with purpose, not because they had to do it slowly, but to show us what they could do."
"Or that is what we are meant to think." A third person rubbed their face as they groaned softly. "What if they don't actually have a perfect lock on us? We've made assumptions based on scant evidence, and in doing so, we may have turned ourselves into sitting ducks. Have we shown them our vulnerable underbelly already?"
A different man huffed. "It doesn't matter. The moment the news broke of our failed attempt, we knew we were going to be dealt with. There is no way to pretend it was anything other than an attack. What is done is done." He raised his hand in a fist. "Our time is running out. Our weapons are nothing, and that is clear now. They have the skies, the spaceship that brought them here, the angels that protect them, and whatever weapons they might want to bring to bear against us."
"So why did they land in America? Is there a reason?" The first woman blinked slowly. "There is, isn't there?"
Their leader sighed, hands to either side of his head. "There are thousands of maybe reasons, but it matters not. They have come, and now we will be looked at anew, with fresh scowls. We attacked them. We can't pretend to be on any other side."
"The side of humanity." One man thrust a fist into the air.
Wilson stood before the assembled representatives of all the nations of the UN. "I stand before you today not as a president." Soft murmurs spread. "But as a human. That is all we are at this delicate time." He paced, hands behind his back, chin held high as he turned a gaze over the various faces looking up at him. "We have been given an opportunity. Our choices going forward will determine how that plays out. We have already attacked, and failed. What do we do next?"
"Are we supposed to know?" He brought his hands together. "They come with a forceful peace on their lips. Chastising adults come to clean up a child's mess for them. The question that stands is how we react to this. Do we meet them as children, crying about how it wasn't our fault? Or do we stand as adults and own our actions, presenting our actions in a positive light?"
The first woman raised her hand. "Where is the US position on this?"
"I'm getting to that." Wilson allowed a faint smile. "As you are well aware, America has more ponies in its borders than anyone else at the moment. They are good neighbors. If that was the end of things, I don't think we'd be here." Some shuffling rippled, as those who had been assigned to consider that very point were called out. "They are friendly, compassionate, and have earned the affection of much of our populace. More, they represent a powerful military that we cannot stop, along with a culture that promises great rewards for cooperation."
Wilson slammed his hands together, capturing their attention as he spread them apart. "I propose we do not turn these strange aliens away, but neither do we roll over and display our bellies. We ask that she address us as adults. We may have made mistakes. We may have left errors behind us and around us, but we deserve to keep our hands on our destinies! If we make mistakes, it should be our mistakes."
He held his hand up, towards the distant ceiling. "We must, instead, present a vision of ourselves as humans, doing what we can to better our situation and that of others. Instead of allowing the aliens to reshape our world in their vision, we will ask them instead to direct us away from the mistakes we've made, and it will be by our own feet that we will walk that path, of our own volition. We deserve to make our own future."
There was no applause. It was not the place for such. Yet, one and all, those watching him were nodding along with his words. One by one, they stood, rising to their feet as one, representing dozens of nations, speaking a thousand different languages, coming together as one voice.
They did not all stand with President Wilson's motion, but many did, more than enough to force the issue to the forefront, giving it a solidity that could not be ignored by the world at large. The news spread fast, and soon the entire world knew of this first step into a new age of humanity.
Twilight inclined her head. "I didn't think they'd manage that." She was smiling despite the startle.
Rainbow cocked a brow. "What are you so surprised about? Does it mean we can land already?"
Twilight tossed her hoof with a laugh, ears flapping as she turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "That wasn't even close to what I was expecting!" She burst into giggles, bouncing, and rotating, in place. "They shine even brighter than I imagined. We have come to a wonderful planet, Rainbow."
Rainbow Dash blinked softly. "Cool? Does that mean we're landing now?"
"Patience." With a flap, Twilight closed with her impatient pegasus friend, pressing a hoof to her snout. "But they've come together and stood up. They want to be seen as adult creatures. I couldn't be happier! Maybe I can get them to unify faster than I thought I'd be able to. One nation instead of all those they have now. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"Sure, nice. Are we going down or not?" Rainbow rolled a hoof impatiently. "It's so quiet up here!"
Twilight smiled gently. "That's exactly the point. The universe is the most beautiful thing imaginable, and up here, we are safe."
She pushed off a wall back towards her station. "But things are going well. The humans are adaptable." She clapped her hooves together. "Troublesome, perhaps, but they are such a fascinating species. They want to be the ones taking the steps? Not an unreasonable request." She wagged a hoof at Rainbow. "But every foal makes that request. Not every foal can actually do it."
"Why not?" Rainbow followed along, catching up with Twilight as she landed at her seat. "It sounds easy enough."
Twilight nudged a display and frowned at it. "Momentum. They've been doing things a certain way. They're used to it. Even ponies don't like the idea of sudden changes, but a sharp pivot is required." She stamped her hoof once on the floor. "Do you know why they like being called adults?"
Rainbow blinked and sat down heavily. "I'm not actually sure. Isn't it because we keep saying they're not?"
Twilight huffed, but reconsidered her words and statements. "I have, haven't I." She sagged in place. "Sorry." Not that any humans were around to hear it. "If they want to show me their adultness, I'm more than happy to witness it. Mmm, which aspect do I approach first?" She tugged a map up before herself, humming as she considered her options, musing over the nations of Earth.
Angel stared at the screen, hoof holding a bowl of cereal, forgotten in the moment. He looked away only to take a few bites before staring at it again. The camera pulled back and focused on the colorful walls, followed by a view from outside, revealing the wider cartoon world that had Angel held captive.
Applejack walked past, glancing at the cartoon. "After that show ends, we're gonna go play outside." She nodded to herself, confident in her goal to raise her child with healthy amounts of screen time. A bit of television now and then was not going to hurt her son, after all. "So don't spend too long watchin' it, ya hear?"
Angel blinked at his mother, nodding to indicate he'd heard what she was saying, then turned back to the television. His eyes widened at a particular sound effect, and he started tapping the bowl in anticipation, standing up on his hooves to get a better look.
A chorus of 'friendship' echoed from the screen and Angel shot off with a shout, echoing the battlecry as the pastel colored figures did battle in the name of harmony.
Cindy opened the front door. "I'm home!"
Applejack closed to hug her gently. "Welcome back. How'd it go?"
Cindy smiled, enjoying the warmth of her partner. "I'm not the only person who was forced into protective custody, but I am the only one with a pony in it." She released Applejack with a gentle nuzzle and turned to walk down the hall, shrugging out of her jacket as she went. "One job's just straight out. I cleaned up as well as I could, but that's over." She shrugged. "They're not even mad at me. In fact, they've offered to cover some stuff while I get settled in."
Applejack padded along behind Cindy. "How very generous of them." She slipped into step next to her partner. "But ah know yer job was important to you. Yer feelin' things." She nudged gently against Cindy. "Yer welcome to share. Ah'm open to listenin', an' helpin' where ah can. Just tell me."
Cindy nodded and leaned into Applejack, breathing in her scent as she squeezed the farmpony's arm. "I wish I could. It's hard to put into words. What happened with me is scary, AJ. But it's also amazing." She glanced at where Angel was still locked to his screen. "It's hard to imagine part of me is in there. That's a cute little pony. I love him forever and a day, but am I really in that?"
Applejack nudged gently at Cindy. "Of course ya are. He's a cute little foal, but he's gonna be strong, independent, and oh so precious when he grows up." She pulled Cindy into a hug, pulling the woman in tight, hoof under her head to gently stroke her cheek. "It's okay to be scared. But you are Angel's mom. Ah promise, he thinks so too."
Angel quirked an ear, hearing a little of that. "Is Mom sad?" That got him to turn away from the show. "Did I do something?"
Cindy felt tears rushing to her eyes. "No! No... Come here." She spread her arms as she dropped to a knee, accepting the pouncing colt into her tight hug. "You've done not a thing wrong, and mom loves you so very much. In fact, the love is overflowing a little, so let her clean herself up a little."
Angel glanced at Applejack. "Mom? You can go ahead. I'll look after Mom for a while."
Applejack perked up at that. "Oh, um, okay?" She wandered past Angel, peeking at the little colt curiously with a faint smirk. "You take care of her real good."
Angel squirmed, struggling against the grip of his mother, until he was able to break free, landing on his hooves and then skipping back to allow a few breaths between them. "Did I do something bad? Did I make you sad?"
Cindy swallowed a laugh and sniffed instead. "You did not! You're a very good boy."
Angel pointed at Cindy. "Then you did a bad!"
Cindy recoiled, fighting a little laugh. "I did? What did I do?"
Angel swung his hoof in an arc over the ceiling. "You didn't do anything, which is bad!" He lunged at her with a grunt, catching her around the neck and hugging her. "Don't be sad!"
Cindy moved her arms to properly support her child as she stood up. "I will do my best. Why don't we go outside and play, hm? It's a sunny day."
"Alright!" Angel bounded out of Cindy's arms and scampered to the front door, slipping into his special set of shoes before bounding outside with a laugh and a shout.
Cindy hurried after him, shaking her head. Applejack was left behind, but she was smiling brightly the whole way. "Couldn't ask fer a much better family." She frowned a little. "Still gotta ask Twilight 'bout how that works." She closed the front door then reached for her throat, tapping at it. "Ship, ya in there?"
"This is Fluttershy." A hoof waved on screen. "We're here."
Applejack beamed at the sight. "How's the mission goin'? Do ya know when yer landin'?"
Fluttershy sank at the question. "We don't. Twilight says it's getting closer, but hasn't set a date, unfortunately." She pricked up with a smile. "How can I help today, or was that the question?"
Applejack nodded slowly. "Ya helped plenty already. Ah wanted to ask if ah could see Twilight for a minute."
Fluttershy shifted and lifted her head from the camera, obscuring Applejack's view as she got up. After a moment, Twilight was in view, turning the monitor to look at Applejack with a pleasant smile.
"There ya are." Applejack waved at her distant leader. "Gotta question for ya. Angel! That's mah foal, but ah gotta know some specifics. He's healthy an' happy, proud to say. But there's somethin' botherin' his mother."
Twilight settled into a more relaxed pose as she tilted her head aside, pausing before she spoke. "I suspected this might happen." She lifted a hoof and made a pushing motion at Applejack. "Angel is a product of magic. My magic. You could say I am also his mother, but let's not complicate an already stable, if complex, family dynamic. The magic I used bridged two willing targets of different species. It encoded their genetic information and then decoded it, to figure out what codes for each specific bodypart and mechanism. It combined them together into a working single genome, which allowed—"
Applejack was swaying under the load of scientific words far beyond her. "Um, could ya simple it down a little?"
Twilight turned her hoof up with a huff. "Your child has two parents. You and Cindy are his mothers, yes, but there is another, magical, one." She touched her chest with a hoof. "But I barely count. I was the glue that held it together just long enough for one cell to become two, to become four. At about that point, the magic wasn't needed, and Angel is holding himself together quite nicely. He is a pony, with human instructions dispersed through his instructions. I could make a spell that would produce a human, but I haven't studied their genome nearly enough to do that confidently."
Applejack took a moment to consider Twilight's words, repeating them back in her own terms to understand them better. "Ya made a bridge between 'em, then stepped aside and let them take over. They're the parents?"
"You and Cindy, yes." Twilight bobbed her head. "Does that answer your question?"
Applejack snorted once. "Well, now ah'm curious how yer magic knew to put up the right targets to choose from. Ah mean, ah assume ya made it take from each of us, but ah'm just wonderin' if that was the only part ah had to do with it."
"You had to want it." Twilight leaned in. "She had to as well. Some part of you wanted to make a family with her, and she returned the desire, and here you are, with a family." She clapped gently. "Congratulations to you both."
"Huh." Applejack inclined her head. "But ah still got that magic, right? So, uh, should ah be worried 'bout a second foal just poppin' out of nowhere?"
Twilight blinked softly at that, thinking carefully about how to answer it. "No, not like that." She slipped from her seat and tapped the wall with a hoof, finding what she was looking for, and connecting the cables to the proper outlets with a little flare of magic. "I told you, it's connected to will. When you both want a second foal, then you can have one. I imagine, right now, this desire is not felt by you two, as there isn't a second foal bouncing around."
Applejack accepted the explanation with a simple nod. "Fair enough." She cast her gaze aside. "Wait, wait! Why ya pluggin' a screen in? Where are ya at?"
Twilight gestured a hoof about her, making the camera shift with her motions. "I'm on the ship, in Fluttershy's area. I'm preparing the ship. If things keep going this way." She paused for a giggle. "We may be landing soon. Wouldn't that be nice? I've missed you."
"Oh, thank goodness!" Applejack pranced a little in place, rising up on her hooves to hold a hoof to her head. "Ah'm sure Cindy'll be mighty pleased to hear that!" She waved with her free hoof, keeping her other to her forehead as she sunk back to the floor. "Um, ah think." She pondered on how Cindy would actually react.
Twilight settled in to listen, humming to herself as she waited for Applejack to gather her thoughts and say something else.
"How're the others? Rainbow and Pinkie?" Applejack paced, taking long steps. "Ya gonna go over to them soon?"
Twilight cocked her head. "Pinkie remains a program, but Rainbow couldn't handle the idea of abandoning her, so Pinkie is hosted within Rainbow now. It's adorable, if not entirely healthy. I have attempted to reach out to her, but my efforts are being deflected by the conflict between Rainbow's need to interact with Pinkie and her inability to face the truth of the situation." She twitched an ear. "We could attempt more invasive solutions, but that seems like it would be breaking the trust of the situation." She shook her head. "I need to let that go. They're both happy, as happy as any program can be."
Applejack swiveled an ear to the side. "Huh, mighty funny. Ah'll still be glad to see 'em both when ya get down here."
