//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: First Contact // Story: Secure Containment for Ponies // by epiccuttlefish //------------------------------// After passing through the portal, Saber and Josephine found themselves in a desert at the base of a mountain range. Josephine looks at her hoof. “Well, at least now we know that I can control my puppets in other realities.” Both explorers heard a voice over the radio. “Exploration Team, this is Command. Do you copy?” Before she could react, Josephine heard Saber’s voice over the radio. “Saber copies.” Josephine reached a hoof up to her earpiece. “This is Josephine. I copy. Where should we go?” “There are only two settlements close enough for our drones to find. One seems to be a farm of some sort, about a hundred klicks away at 68 degrees west of magnetic north.” Command said. “‘Seems like’ a farm? What do you mean?” Josephine interrupted. “It looks like a farm, but our drones have never observed the residents planting or harvesting crops. In fact, the only thing that the residents have been observed collecting is rocks,” Command answered. “Okay, that’s weird. But what is the other settlement?” Josephine asked. “A small town, a couple klicks farther away at 27 degrees east of magnetic north,” Command replied. “What is the name of this town?” Josephine inquired. “According to the translation software that I was provided, it is called Appleloosa,” Saber responded. Josephine snorted in amusement. “A pun. Of course it’s a pun. Anyways, we should get going.” “Yes. I suggest you head to Appleloosa, as it has a larger population and is not much farther. But be careful, the radio only has a range of fifty kilometers,” Command recommended. “Roger that. If we need anything, I can just use one of my other puppets to tell you,” Josephine said wearily. “Let’s move. The sooner we get to Appleloosa, the sooner we can get some answers,” Saber stated. “Agreed.” The next day… “Hey, Cousin Braeburn, d’ ya know those two ponies off in the distance there?” Applejack wondered. “Ah don’ see anypo-oh, them? Ah don’ recognize them, but they’re too far to be certain,” Braeburn responded, squinting. “Shouldn’t we go see if they need help?” Applejack asked. “Eeyup,” Braeburn replied, before the two ponies began walking towards the two mysterious figures. As they drew closer, they got their first good look at the new arrivals. One was a kind-looking unicorn mare with pinkish-beige fur and a long, straight, brown mane with thin streaks of gray. Her cutie mark was a weird triangle. The other mystery pony was a serious-looking pegasus stallion with dark red fur and a short, black mane. His cutie mark was a symbol that neither Applejack nor Braeburn recognized, comprised of an inner circle with three arrows pointing inward and an outer circle with three outward bumps, one over each arrow. “Hey, you two need any help?” Applejack called. The two new ponies, surprised, turned to face the earth pony. “Yes, though I am not sure how much help you could provide. We come from a far-off land, and were sent here to seek the aid of the rulers of this nation. Because we come from so far away, my companion here does not speak your language yet, and I am not sure how well I speak it,” the stallion stated. “Woah there, that’s a lot of information right there. Fortunately, Ah think Ah have a friend who can help ya,” Applejack said, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sudden burst of information. “Excellent. Where can we find this friend of yours?” the stallion asked. “Well, Ah’ll be headin’ back t’ Ponyville early tomorrow, so you two can come with me then,” Applejack offered. “Ah just realized, Ah never got your names.” “My name is Saber,” the stallion replied, “and my companion’s name is Josephine.” Braeburn, who had been standing a ways away in case the newcomers were not as friendly as they looked, came over. “You two could stay with us tonight if you want.” The two foreigners looked at each other and began talking to each other in a language that neither Applejack nor Braeburn could understand. After some of discussion, Saber turned back to the two Apples. “Josephine trusts you, and she is better at reading people than I am. We accept your offer.” As the four ponies trekked back to town, Braeburn whispered to Applejack. “The way that Saber responded to m’ offer seemed a bit... rude and untrusting.” Applejack thought about that for a moment. “Well, they come from far away, so it’s probably just cultural differences.” Braeburn seemed skeptical, but, before he could reply, they heard Josephine snickering. Applejack slowed down so she could talk to the two foreigners. “What’re you laughing about?” Saber spoke to Josephine in their language, and Josephine replied in the same. “Your hairstyle. Where we come from, it is called a ‘ponytail’, and you are a pony,” Saber explained to Applejack. Applejack wasn’t sure how to respond to that, and remained silent for the rest of the trip back to Appleloosa. The rest of the day and the following night passed without incident. The foreigners had dinner with the Apples, and slept in the guest room. The next day, Applejack got up early so that she could wake the visitors with enough time for them to get ready for the train ride to Ponyville. When she reached the door to the guest room, she found it sealed shut. Confused, she knocked on the door. There was a delay of several seconds, and then Saber opened the door. “Here to wake us up in time to make the train?” Saber stated. “Eeyup. But why did you seal the door? And how did you seal it so well?” Applejack asked. “Our culture values privacy more than yours seems to. Entering someone else’s room without at least knocking is considered rude. As for how, I asked Josephine to seal the door,” Saber replied. “Okay… Anyhow, we should leave for the train station soon,” Applejack said, slightly confused, before heading back to finish packing. The three ponies finished getting ready to leave, and made it to the train station just in time. The train was mostly empty this early in the morning, allowing Applejack and the two foreigners to have an entire car for just the three of them. “All Aboard for Ponyville!” the conductor called. Shortly afterwards, the train left the station.