The Countess and her party now fully understood just how desperately the evil Baron wanted to acquire the cursed peasant girl. Did he already know the nature of her arcane abilities, something which remained a mystery to the girl herself? After all, the Baron's minions once had her in their clutches and had plenty of time to learn her secrets.
The stalwart band were forced to disguise themselves as simple stable hands in an attempt to elude interception. It was all the indignity the Countess could take, and she was already reaching the boiling point considering they had to abandon their carriage when--
"Jenny!"
Jenny blinked rapidly as the narrative dissolved. She sat with one foot thrust into a work boot, her hands still holding the top edge. Her eyes were still staring at the boot, but only after another few seconds did it appear without the trappings of fantasy.
She looked up at a concerned Eileen. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I've been calling you for the past minute," Eileen said in a voice of both concern and annoyance. "When you didn't respond, I came to see what was wrong. You looked like you were frozen or something."
"I'm fine," Jenny said in a terse voice. She shoved her other foot into the remaining boot and winced as it pinched her toes. "Just having a hard time with these. They're a size too small."
"I don't like this either," Eileen grumbled. "None of us are going to be making any fashion statements today."
Eileen was dressed in a billowy plaid shirt and faded jeans that had been patched in a few places. Her hair was tied with some string and stuffed under the shirt.
"So, do I look like a guy?" Eileen asked.
Eileen did have a somewhat haggard face. "Uh, from a distance, yeah, I guess," said Jenny.
Eileen frowned. "This was Fire's idea. Bad enough we have to travel across rough scrub country with no sense of direction other than pony magic."
Jenny tried to focus on securing the remaining boot, but the Narrative was surging into her mind again.
"I draw the line here. If he tells me to wear a fucking binder, I'll tell him what he can do with it."
To compound the insult, the Countess was told to hide her femininity as much as possible. This was the last indignity she would allow herself to suffer. While she never claimed to be a beautiful woman, she was a proud and strong woman, and to suggest anything less was intolerable.
It was necessary, however, if they had any chance of leading the peasant girl to safety. So far, it appeared the Baron had been thrown off their trail. Yet the daughter of the Countess remained uneasy. Something told her that the Baron could not be so easily fooled. He had something up his sleeve, some means of tracking them that they had yet to--
"Are you even listening to me?" Eileen said.
Jenny fought to banish the fantastic setting from her mind, but it crept into her view at the corners of her vision. The pony domicile appeared as such only when she looked at her surroundings directly; otherwise, it was the quaint cottage from her Narrative.
"I'm sorry, I guess I have some things on my mind." With some effort, Jenny managed to banish the remaining vestiges of the fantastic setting. It got harder each time, just as its instantiation became easier.
"Jenny, I need you absolutely focused, okay?" Eileen said. "This is serious shit we're dealing with."
Jenny stood up. "I know. You don't have to tell me twice."
"I do when I see you go woolgathering as many times as I have today," said Eileen. "I could understand last night, you were all excited about the party and you were dead tired afterward, but--"
"I get it already," Jenny snapped.
"I hope you do. I don't mean to be harsh, but the last thing we need is to screw up because one of us wasn't paying attention." Eileen ran a hand over her hair. "Of course, now I'm picturing what your mother would say if she knew I was doing this. She'd probably ream me for involving you in the first place."
Jenny heard a clop of hooves. She glanced towards the door to see Beverly standing there.
"I wanted to be involved," Jenny said before turning her attention back to Eileen.
"That's not the point. Maybe I should've found a way for you to stay in Colorado Springs."
"I had to come along."
Eileen raised an eyebrow. "Had to?"
Jenny hesitated before replying, "We don't have any other family in Colorado Springs. Where would I have stayed?"
Though Eileen likely knew perfectly well that any number of pony communities west of the city would have been delighted to host her niece indefinitely, she didn't raise the point. Instead, she appeared to accept Jenny's assessment. "I guess there's no point in debating it." Eileen turned towards Beverly. "You doing okay?"
Beverly nodded. She was dressed in clothing similar to Eileen, except her jeans were more baggy so they could better hide her tail. A large straw hat covered her head, concealing most of her ears, and her rose-red hair was covered in a scarf, at least the part that had not been stuffed down her shirt. Nothing could be done to hide her hooves, as covering them would make it hard for her to walk, but they would be more or less concealed by the brush.
"I'd like to talk to Jenny," she said. "Um, alone, if you don't mind?"
"All right, but don't take too long," said Eileen. "Fire says we need to head out as soon as the pegasus patrol is in."
Jenny watched her aunt leave before saying, "You sure you're doing okay?"
Beverly gave her a wan smile. "It's rather uncomfortable with my tail stuffed into these pants, but I'll be all right." She stepped forward slowly. "I've been having to learn to walk without my tail. I didn't realize how much it was helping my balance."
Jenny almost muttered the first cynical reply that came to mind, that Sunset Shimmer had thought of everything. Except she hadn't, as she had never expected her plans to be stopped and some of her precious transformed ponies changed back to human.
Or something resembling it.
"I'm more concerned about you," Beverly said.
"I'm fine," Jenny said in a flat voice.
"I've been feeling your magic surging more."
Jenny frowned. "I told you, I don't have ..." She trailed off.
"You don't really believe that anymore, do you?"
Jenny covered her eyes with her hand. "Bev, I can't afford to have something screw us up. If this is even remotely based on my fantasy stuff, and it gets us into trouble, I'll be no better a help than I was when I was a stupid, self-centered brat!"
Without realizing it, Jenny had let her voice rise to a near shout. Bev's hat went askew when her ears flattened.
"I'm sorry," Jenny muttered. "I know you don't like hearing people yelling."
Bev adjusted her hat. "I know you're not mad at me. Loud noises just don't settle with me well."
Jenny had not wanted to get into this, but she had no one else to turn to. "I'm just frustrated. Something is happening to me, and I don't understand it. It's not supposed to be happening, not after I rehumanized."
"You never explained to me fully what's going on," said Beverly. "Only bits and pieces. Something about how you're gaining insights based on a fantasy setting in your head."
"It's more than that," said Jenny in a hollow voice. "I feel like I can't tell the difference between it and reality. Like the Narration is trying to take on a life of its own."
"Has this happened to you before?"
Jenny had not shared the incident with anyone since it had happened. She had managed to convince her audience -- a mix of human children and foals -- that she had a unicorn friend casting spells in the trees.
"Once," Jenny said in a lower voice. "I was telling one of my fantasy story ideas to some kids around a campfire. I thought it would be more fun for them if I did it like they were characters in it. It got to the point where I was starting to see everyone as if they were dressed like in the story."
"And you're sure that wasn't just your own vivid imagination but augmented by magic?"
"Not when I could tell that the kids were starting to see it as well!" Jenny said. "And some started saying lines of dialog right out of my head. It was enough to make me stop. I haven't indulged in it since."
Bev paused. "Until now."
"No, not until now. This feels like it's imposing itself on me, not the other way around." Jenny wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "You wanted to know why I'm scared of this magic. That's why."
Beverly looked thoughtful. "I've learned a lot about ponies and their magic from living with them for the past few weeks. Foals always have magic surges when they're young."
"I know all about that," Jenny snapped. "But I'm no foal."
"But you are coming into some sort of new magic," said Beverly. "If your body is not used to it, it could be something similar."
Jenny clenched her hands into fists and paused until the urge to yell had passed. She couldn't make Beverly understand that this was not something she wanted. She had not rehumanized just to exchange one form of magic for another. She had wanted to go back to being normal again.
In the space of a few seconds, Jenny went from anger to near tears. She realized only then what she had refused to admit ever since learning the truth about her past: the moment Sunset Shimmer had interfered with her life, long before that alien pony started the ETS pandemic, Jenny had ceased to be normal. She was pining for something that she would never have.
Beverly gave her a concerned look. "Are you all right?"
Jenny would never be all right, but she kept that sentiment to herself. She let out a ragged sigh and struggled for words that were not just more lamentation. Fortunately, Eileen's distant voice saved her from the awkward moment. "Jenny! Bev! The pegasus patrol is back, it's now or never!"
"Let's go," Jenny said, avoiding Beverly's gaze as she headed out of the room.
Ted emerged from what he had dubbed his "office," but was really just a spare pony-built domicile which had all the amenities of a typical office. He often thought he would be better off to work out of his regular home, but ponies had become used to finding him here whenever they needed him in his official capacity as their city council representative.
Normally he was not at his office on a Saturday, but that morning it was the gathering place for what he ruefully referred to in his head as his partners in crime: those who were to help in the effort to see the Partial safely into the pony sector. Wildy was there, as well as a collection of other unicorns, a few earth ponies, and some hovering pegasi.
"All right, what's our status?" Ted asked.
"The main pegasus wing is on their way to Highlands Ranch," said Wildy. "They're going to be our spotters for when our guests are close."
"Have we actually heard from Beverly or her escorting humans?"
"We got word that they're moving out this morning. They should have left by now."
"No sign of the feds yet," one of pegasi said. "They're still mostly concentrated over by Parker, where we hoped they would be."
Ted raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?"
"A contingent or two did leave, but we figured they were just fanning out."
"We should track them," said Wildy. "We can't take any chances."
"We tried, but we lost sight of them," said the pegasus.
Wildy frowned. "I already don't like this."
"Settle down," said Ted. "Let's not panic until we have need to." He turned to the pegasi. "Send word that the rest of us will be joining them shortly."
"You got it," said the lead pegasus before he and his cohorts took to the sky.
"I still say we should've done this at night," Wildy grumbled. "Then we could've had a full compliment of night ponies to help us."
"We've had that debate already," said Ted. "If we do encounter any law enforcement, the last thing I want is a violent confrontation."
"Our night ponies are not that aggressive."
"It's perception that matters. I'm more concerned about the FBI getting itchy trigger fingers, especially if the--" Ted cut himself off when his ears swiveled. "Did you hear that?"
Wildy frowned, her own ears pricked. "Yeah, I did."
"It sounded like a firework of some sort," said one of the other unicorns. "Like a cherry bomb maybe."
Wildy turned her gaze towards the southeast. "It came from the edge of the city." Another distant pop sounded. "And again!"
"Who would be setting them off today?" asked a pony in a perplexed voice.
"With as many pegasi as there are in the air, some human asshole is likely getting his jollies taking pot-shots at them," Wildy grunted.
"Regardless of the reason, we can't let it distract us," Ted said. "We need to go soon if we want to get to Highlands Ranch in time to greet our guests."
As he spoke, his ears were already tracking a new sound, this time the approach of galloping hooves. "Please, somepony, I need help!" came a mare's cry.
Ted turned around in time to see Peach Blossom race up to them. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
Peach skidded to a stop, panting slightly. "It's that human who was visiting the market the other day, the one who was talking to Mayor Morgan."
"You mean Ryan?"
Peach frowned. "I don't care what his name is, all I know is that he's at it again. He's in one of the common areas harassing everypony. I wouldn't be so upset about it, but he was specifically targeting the foals and was scaring them something terrible before their parents took them inside."
"Did you contact the sheriff?" Ted asked.
"Fuck the sheriff, wake up some night ponies!" Wildy cried.
"It's too early in the day, they would likely be groggy as hell."
"I sent word to Sheriff Dave, but he's busy with something on the other side of the district," Peach said.
Ted ran a hoof through his mane and uttered an exasperated sigh. He had been the one to suggest that the sheriff might want to "look the other way" so he could honestly claim that he did not witness any aiding or abetting a fugitive. "What about the Greenwood Police?"
"Are you insane?!" Wildy cried before Peach could reply. "With what we're doing today, you really want human police all over the place?"
"They have some pony officers."
"And just how lucky would we have to be to get them to come over? If they're not traitors to their own kind like Jason."
"All right, enough," Ted said. "Peach, is he physically threatening anypony?"
"No, but the verbal threats are horrible," Peach replied.
"Threats of violence?"
"No, but they're just as chilling." Peach shivered. "I don't know what it is about him, but he gives me the creeps. I've never felt so wary around a human before."
Ted ditched his second plan, which was to summon the military police. They were charged with preventing violence against ponies, but they could act only on a clear threat. Also, to Wildy's point, the military was even less desirable than the police.
He had another option, but he dared not mention it with Wildy about. Late in the afternoon the day before, Connie had texted him the number the FBI agent had given her, supposedly a partner of Jason. Yet if he did notify the agent, would Jason come and be focused on Ryan, or would they use it as an excuse to maintain a presence in the district and cut off an avenue of escape for Beverly? Would they even have enough of a case against Ryan to arrest him?
Ted sighed. "Wildy, go wake up Midnight Star, but only him."
"On it!" Wildy said before galloping off.
"The rest of you, stick to the plan," Ted said. "We'll catch up with you later."
"We really could use your strength if something goes wrong, Ted," said one of the earth ponies. "You're stronger than the best of us."
Ted had no idea how he had managed to be blessed with such tremendous strength as a pony when he had never been particularly athletic as a human. He had yet to know what to really do with it, likely one of the reasons his haunches were still bare. "Yes, and that means I can gallop really fast as well," Ted said. "When I say I'll catch up, I meant it. Now, go!"
The others nodded and headed off.
Ted turned to Peach. "Can you lead me to Ryan? Maybe I can talk some sense into him."
Thin brown stalks of dead wild grasses dried out by the arid autumn climate waved in the stiff breeze as the ragged band trekked through the undulating and dusty scrub lands. Eileen coughed as the wind rose and seeded the air with more dust to add to what was already caked on their clothing and hair.
"We had to pick the one windy day to do this," Eileen muttered.
Up ahead, Fire dropped back from the earth ponies leading the way. Other earth ponies and a few unicorns trotted alongside the human contingent in a rough circle. "It's on purpose," said Fire. "Some pegasi are stirring up the wind so the dust will give us more cover.
Eileen paused until a coughing fit passed. "If we don't cough up our lungs before then." She brushed off her clothing when the worst of the wind gust had died down. In the distance came a distinct popping sound. "There's that damn noise again."
"The pegasus patrol checked it out," said Fire. "It's just fireworks."
"Who the hell would be setting them off now? It's not even close to a holiday."
"Does it matter? At least it wasn't gunfire like you feared it was."
Eileen glanced off to the side where the wind whipped up a broad and slowly rotating dust devil some distance away. "This can't be making the ranchers happy."
"To be blunt, they'll get over it," said Fire. "It's only one day they have to put up with it. It seems to be working, if the report from the latest patrol was right."
"Yeah, if they were right." Eileen jerked her head around when a boom echoed over them. "And that one was closer."
"Again, it's only fireworks." Fire glanced around. "We should be more worried about the local wildlife."
"Is that why we have so many earth ponies as escorts?"
"Yes. Some of these ranches are abandoned, and coyotes and other wild canines have moved in. Maybe they tend to stay away from humans, but not ponies."
Eileen grunted. "Yeah, Jenny told me about some of the problems the town had with them out west. Wolves, even."
Fire shuddered. "I did some predator patrol duty before I decided to move closer to humans. Wolves are bad, but not the worst. At least they're pack animals. Give the leader a bloody muzzle and the rest will retreat. Mountain lions are worse, as they're solitary hunters. They tend to be nocturnal, and stealthy as hell. Even the night ponies sometimes have trouble detecting them."
Eileen wanted to point out that this was another reason being a pony was not all it was cracked up to be, but she didn't want to get into another argument. She wondered if the ponies of Equestria did not have quite as many predators to deal with.
She glanced at their escort. "And what about the unicorns?"
"They're some of the best at levitation," said Fire. "They can lift as much as a large dog and move it a fair distance away. It's preferable to actually hurting the creature."
"And how are they against humans?"
"I see where this is going. I'm not sure I would want to put that to the test."
"Oh, yeah?" Eileen said. "I've heard some unicorns can actually use that spell to squeeze or even crush--"
"No sane pony would ever do that!" Fire cried. "And you are not suggesting that we do that against any law enforcement--"
"Calm down, all right? I wasn't suggesting any such thing."
"Then why even bring it up?" Fire snapped.
"Because you've gone on and on many times about how humans shouldn't fear ponies," said Eileen. "I'm just pointing out that there may be some legitimate reasons behind the fear."
"I'm not seeing it," Fire muttered.
"For all your talk about ponies and humans getting along together, you seem to be looking at it from only one perspective," said Eileen. "I don't doubt your intentions in the least, but I think you need to see the bigger picture."
"I'm the one who said ponies should reintegrate into human society," Fire explained. "I don't like the idea that a lot of us don't have electricity, no matter how comfortable a life they appear to have made for themselves. Why do you think I live in Fort Collins despite the strong pro-humanization sentiment up there? What harm am I to the humans in my neighborhood?"
"Says mister I-can-summon-up-a-geyser-with-a-stomp-of-my-hooves."
Fire frowned. "It's not as easy as that, and I know how to practice self-restraint."
"I don't doubt that either," said Eileen, her intentions of avoiding an argument tossed to the wayside. "But it's your potential that frightens humans. There's a reason we have laws to keep dangerous things out of the hands of psychos. With magic, we can't do that. All we can do is tell you: don't do that."
Fire raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you're in such denial about Jenny's magic?"
Eileen frowned. "Don't go there, Fire."
"Why the hell not? You just claimed that magic frightens you."
"I did not say that," Eileen glanced behind her, where Jenny and Beverly were walking together. Jenny showed no sign of having heard their conversation, but Beverly had tipped her hat back to expose her ears more. Eileen couldn't tell if the hat had simply become uncomfortable or she was trying to eavesdrop.
Eileen lowered her voice anyway. "But since you brought it up, I'll tell you what I am afraid of. I don't want that fear of magic to be directed at her. She's had enough shit go down to last her a lifetime. You do remember what I told you about how that bitch Sunset fucked with her life long before ETS, right?"
"Yes, you have," Fire said in a resigned voice.
"She rehumanized as a means to get past all that. She wants to be normal, and I want her to have that chance. Instead, they fucking botched the rehumanization spell that--"
"Nopony botched anything. Even Princess Twilight has gone on record stating they have no idea why some rehumanizations are turning out this way."
"Maybe that was a little harsh, I'm sorry," said Eileen in a more contrite voice. "But do you see my point?"
Fire hesitated a long moment before murmuring, "Maybe."
"It's not that I think humans should fear magic," said Eileen. "I'm just trying to point out the reality of the situation."
"But reintegrating ponies with humans is the solution!"
"No, it's only part of the solution. For all the talk about how ponies left some nasty human stuff behind, you're still falling into the same trap that many humans do: thinking that every problem has a single, silver bullet solution."
Fire sighed. "Okay, maybe that's not all there is to it. But having humans and ponies in the same communities together would certainly help and be better than what we have now."
"I don't deny that, but--"
The air suddenly resounded with a loud boom like that of an artillery shell. Bev gasped and flinched, her hat flying off her head.
"Somepony, get her hat back on!" Fire cried.
One of the unicorns ran up. He snatched the hat in his magic and jammed it atop Beverly's head. She grabbed it as if it were a life preserver, breathing hard.
"Are you all right?" Jenny asked, though her voice quavered as well.
"Y-yes, just a little spooked," Beverly said, trembling slightly.
Eileen started forward and was about to say something when her cell phone vibrated. She yanked it out and frowned. "The fuck?"
"It's all right, everypony!" one of the pegasi cried out from above. "It was another firework. I saw it rising just before it blew."
Eileen barely registered what the pegasus said as she stared at her phone going through its boot-up sequence. "And this just after Jenny's phone went to shit."
"Jenny?" Beverly said in a concerned voice. "Is something wrong?"
Eileen's gaze snapped up, and her eyes widened. Jenny stood rock still, her eyes staring blankly straight ahead.
Eileen raced up to her and placed her hands on Jenny's shoulders. "Jenny?"
Jenny continued to stare, oblivious.
"Jenny, this isn't funny!" Eileen cried, more in fear than admonishment. She lightly shook the girl, but this garnered no response. "Shit. Shitshitshit. What--"
"She's surging!" the unicorn cried.
"I can feel it, too!" called out another.
"And that's another reason I brought the unicorns along," Fire said.
Eileen whirled around to face them. "Then tell me just what in the flying fuck that means!"
A split-second later, another firework exploded overhead.
"He was right here!" Peach said, panting lightly as she galloped alongside Ted down the deserted street.
Ted was nowhere near as winded, and he had to slow down to avoid out-pacing Peach. "Maybe he left when nopony would listen to him."
Peach looked around and slowed to a canter. "He couldn't have been gone for long, he's driven everypony from the streets."
Several large apartment buildings towered over them. Many units had been extensively modified, patios overflowing with gardens and flowers nurtured by earth pony magic. Some units on the upper floors had their windows and patio doors removed to allow their pegasus residents to come and go directly from the sky. A few studio apartments suited the unicorns best, offering few distractions from practicing their spells. Basements converted into living space served the night ponies well, as it helped limit the amount of sunlight while they slept during the day.
As Ted and Peach's slowing hooves echoed against the remaining asphalt, a few ponies poked their heads warily from their apartments. Peach looked over to one and called out, "Anypony see where the human went?"
"He headed that way," said an earth pony, jabbing his hoof down a side street.
Ted's ears pricked. "Wait, I think I hear him. Let's go!"
He took off down the side street, paying little heed to whether Peach could keep up. The voice he had heard only as a vague noise in the distance now resolved itself into unsettling clarity. "--are all unnatural and alien to this world, a world shaped by and adapted to human beings. You do not and cannot belong here, your very presence in this form is a threat to the balance and stability of this planet."
Ted frowned and refrained from pointing out the irony in that last statement, wondering if the man had ever heard the phrase "climate change." He could at least be content that this was different from the Bible-thumpers they usually got.
Yet different didn't imply better, as he saw when he turned a corner and came to a stop, a panting Peach Blossom stopping alongside him a few moments later. Ryan was walking amongst a tight collection of relatively new pony-built homes, all constructed around a shared common area. This was where ponies of the neighborhood would gather, and where their foals played.
Most had withdrawn into their homes, though some stood or hovered in wary guard outside, but this had not deterred the man. If anything, he seemed to revel in the effect he was having. "You have reason to be frightened, little ponies. How can you possibly think that humanity, with its long history of fighting for what is rightfully its own, would let you settle anywhere you please with little regard to the laws that keep our society civilized?"
Peach shuddered beside him, and Ted took a deep breath to keep his own emotions steady. "Peach, stay back here and wait for the sheriff," Ted said in a low voice before he started towards Ryan.
Ryan approached a pegasus and pointed at him. "How can you claim you only wish to work for the betterment of this world when you are in a position to utterly destroy it with your dangerous powers of weather control? Do you have any idea of the kind of havoc you could wreak by plying your magic on an otherwise balanced system?"
"If we were allowed to have the proper training--!" the pegasus protested in a quavering voice.
"And do you seriously believe humans will acquiesce to your desires? Or is it more likely they will resist the very existence of magic itself -- with force, if necessary -- to protect this planet from disaster?"
"We could do so much good if--"
"You have fallen prey to the false promises of the Equestrians," said Ryan with deep contempt in his voice. "Humans have not forgotten this fact, and they will act, it is only a matter of time."
Ted stepped up to him. "Excuse me, sir--"
"But you can save yourself from retribution," Ryan continued as if Ted had not spoken. "You are unmarked. You can turn your back upon the false promises. You can save yourself from the eventual reckoning that must befall all of you if humanity is to remain safe from your unnatural abilities."
"Sir!" Ted yelled. "I must have a word with you!"
Ryan lowered his arm and turned towards Ted, scrutinizing him through narrowed eyes without saying a word.
Wariness crept over Ted, but he pushed through it and retained his authoritative voice. "Sir, I'm afraid I must protest what you're doing. I understand how strong your beliefs are, but--"
"It is not a mere belief, little pony," Ryan sneered. "It is the way of things. It is the truth. Humans have no capacity to accept you among them. Why should they? You are effectively aliens."
"Sir, I must ask that you leave," said Ted.
"And why should I?" Ryan declared. "This is American soil. I am an American practicing a constitutional right, a right called free sp--"
A set of deep blue hooves slammed into Ryan's chest and toppled him to the ground. Ted stumbled back in shock just as the perpetrator landed next to the fallen human with a loud clop and tossed a wild mane of purplish-black out of his magenta eyes.
"It's called 'harassment', you jackass," said the night pony.
The intrepid band thought they had accounted for everything. They were sure they had taken every precaution. They believed the Baron's men had lost track of their prey. Yet the Countess had her doubts, and she gave voice to them despite all attempts to assuage her. They were not helped by the fact that the machinery they had so relied on had begun exhibiting mysterious malfunctions.
Could the Baron have somehow laid a curse upon them, one designed to impede them? Yet that would mean he had been tracking them all along. Why sneak a mage loyal to the Baron among them to cast a curse when he could just have easily captured them instead?
Unless ...
... they already carried the curse with them!
Of course! It was the very peasant girl they were escorting. The Baron had no need to impede them, for he already knew this effect would manifest. The poor girl had little control over her surges of magic; all it would take was a sudden loud noise for the nervous girl to lose control just enough for her magic to surge and disrupt their devices.
The Baron knew this because the girl had disrupted his own devices while she was his captive. He would have had time to measure the effect, to connive of a way to use it to his advantage were the girl ever to escape ...
"So just how long are we supposed to wait until she comes out of this?!"
Jenny blinked rapidly and stared at her Aunt Eileen/the Countess, the fog of the Narrative still clouding her ability to discern fantasy from reality.
"For however long it takes her surge to end!"
She switched her gaze to Fire/the Countess' lieutenant. His words gave a sense of both clarity and confusion, a juxtaposition of illogic that made her want to retreat back into the Narrative, where things made more sense.
"Wait, I think she's coming out of it."
She turned her head and looked at Beverly/the cursed peasant girl. Slowly her environs were coming into focus, yet she did not feel like the instigator. The Narrative was pushing her away; it had served its purpose for now, and she had to return to the real world.
Eileen loomed before her, the trappings of fantasy melting away rapidly. "Are you all right?"
"I ... um ..." Jenny murmured. "I'm sorry, I was just--"
"Jenny, take it easy," Fire said. "You just had a rather strong magic surge. Foals who experience them feel a little disoriented and tired afterward." He turned to Eileen. "Maybe we should find someplace for her to take a short nap."
"And just where the hell can we do that in the middle of nowhere?" Eileen snapped.
Beverly stepped closer. "Was it what you told me before?"
Jenny stared. "Huh?"
"The immersive fantasy. The Narration you talked about. The--" A loud boom sounded overhead, and Beverly flinched. "God, I wish they'd stop that!"
"I'm starting to think there's something to it," Eileen muttered.
"What purpose would there be in shooting off random fireworks?" Fire asked. "Granted, it's unusual when there's no special occasion. Are you sure some local sports team didn't win some championship or--"
"The FBI is tracking Beverly!" Jenny shouted.
Fire's pupils shrank. "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive," said Jenny, though she didn't want to be. She wanted all of this to be a bad dream. "Our cell phones keep rebooting because--"
"I had thought of that," Eileen said. "First thing that came to mind was that the feds had hacked them, but even they wouldn't be so obvious about it."
"No, listen to me!" Jenny cried. "It's not that. It's Beverly herself."
Beverly's ears drew back. "Wh-what?"
"Our phones rebooting, all the electronic problems with the car, it's all from Beverly's magic."
"But pony magic doesn't affect technology," Fire said.
Jenny frowned. "Well, hers does. Every time she gets spooked, she's letting off something that messed with all the electronics around her. It's been happening ever since she's been with us. It happened in the car a few times, and it happened at the stream when the metal bucket landed near us, and it's happening with all these fireworks."
One of the unicorns stepped forward. "I did notice that she was giving off bursts of magical energy, but it wasn't any different from what I was told other unicorns had detected, so I didn't think to note it."
Eileen frowned. "Shit."
"Whoa, wait!" Fire said. "How does that even remotely help the FBI?"
"For crying out loud, you're the one who's supposed to be still using human tech," Eileen said. "Electrical interference can be detected any number of ways. Maybe some of it becomes radio noise."
"Or magnetic fields induced by electrical flow," said Beverly in a hollow voice. "At the camp, they told me their devices would malfunction around me, but when I tried to ask them about it later, they refused to discuss it with me."
"The exact mechanism doesn't matter," Jenny said. "What matters is, they've been using those fireworks to induce those bursts so they could locate her. That's why they've been getting closer."
Eileen looked up. "And now they've stopped."
An awkward silence fell, broken only by the whistling of the breeze through the tall grasses and the sound of Jenny's pounding heart roaring in her ears. Suddenly a shout rose from above. "Activity to the northeast! A whole bunch of dark-colored vans approaching on the county road!"
"And that would be the feds," Eileen muttered. "Wonderful."
Several pegasi dove from the sky as the ground-based escort gathered in close. "Those vans are headed towards a point just north of here along the trail," said one of the pegasi. "They look like they're intending to cut you off."
"Can you stall them?" Fire asked.
"We've already got some pegasi trying to whip up a dust storm to make it harder for them to see."
"That's not going to work if they're using GPS," said Eileen.
A pegasus smirked. "GPS can't track every single rock and boulder. We can send some unicorns to try to put obstacles in their path."
Another pegasus raced towards them. "We need everypony back in the sky! We just had two pegasi tasered out of the air!"
"They can't do that!" Fire cried.
"You seriously think they're going to fall for the same tactics you used back when we took Bev out of that town?" Eileen said.
"I don't mean that. I mean a pegasus could get severely injured from a fall. It's excessive force, and that's against the terms of the treaty with Equestria."
"Fine, I'll make a note to mention that to Princess Celestia next time I see her."
"For once, will you two stop arguing?!" Jenny screamed. "We need to do something!"
The nearby pegasi lifted off. "We'll keep that dust storm going as long as we can! You might have to retreat for now."
"We'll head back to town," Fire said. "They didn't start in with the fireworks until we were long gone from there. It might be safe."
"If they can get Bev to keep giving off those magic bursts, I don't think any place will be safe," Eileen said. "But we don't have a whole lot of choice. Fine, we'll backtrack."
Fire turned towards the pony escort. "Let's start back the way we came, and we need to hurry!"
Beverly stepped alongside Jenny. "Maybe you should have refused to help me. I'm just going to get everypony into trouble."
Jenny had no answer, as she was too wrapped up trying to sort out her own head. The Narration had felt like a tangible force, similar to her massive strength when she was an earth pony. She could sense it lurking somewhere in her psyche, like a furnace waiting for the strike of the igniter upon the gas, but one that would fire on its own when the time was right. She doubted she could clamp down on it like she had that night at the campfire.
She turned her gaze towards Beverly, who looked at her with worried, glistening eyes. "No point in might-have-beens," Jenny finally said in a strained voice.
"I'm afraid for you," said Beverly. "They want me because they think my magic might be dangerous. I can only imagine what they might think of you."
Jenny doubted it would be half as bad as what she was thinking about herself.
"Midnight!" Ted cried. "I was trying to resolve this matter."
Midnight Star smirked. "I just did."
"I meant peacefully!"
"The only thing that's gonna restore the peace is kicking this guy's ass out of the district." Midnight squinted as the sun came out from behind a cloud. He shaded his eyes with a wing. "Ugh, fine time to get a pony out of bed. Why can't fuckwads like this come around at night instead?"
Ted looked down at the stricken man, who clutched his chest as he wheezed, one of his eyes closed. The human didn't seem quite as intimidating as he had a moment ago. Other curious ponies began emerging from their homes to peer at the spectacle.
Midnight trotted around Ryan, occasionally poking him with a hoof or the tip of a wing. "No weapons at least. Well, except all his hot air. Hopefully the pegasi can clean it up." He turned to Ted. "Gotta admit, he's better than most. Last dude I dealt with who set himself up as a pro-human preacher complained about being touched by the devil's minion. Can you imagine that? Lovable, snuggly me in league with Satan?"
Ted frowned. He should have realized having Wildy fetch Midnight was a bad idea, as she had likely inflated the threat. "You're not helping."
"Hey, not my fault the sheriff can't haul his ass over here to deal with the problem himself." Midnight glanced down at Ryan. "Whatsamatter? Something in your eye? Don't think you're gonna distract us and whip out some hidden weapon. It won't see the light of day before I break it. Or your hand holding it."
Ted looked down. Ryan had sat up and turned his head away, and something shiny glistened on a fingertip before he raised it back to his eye. "He's just adjusting a contact. You gave him such a blow I'm surprised they didn't just pop right out. You could've cracked his sternum."
"Hey, I know how to pull my punches," said Midnight. "I got a lot of practice with the criminals in my old neighborhood when the assholes thought the breakdown of law and order during ETS was a looter's paradise. Guess who helped teach them otherwise."
That was the deepest insight Ted had ever had about Midnight's human history. Like many ponies from troubled backgrounds, they chose to keep their past to themselves. All Ted really knew of the pony was his recent history, like his failed attempts to become one of the sheriff's deputies or a Denver police officer.
Midnight looked around. "Hey, I got a question for you, Ted. Did Wildy summon anypony else? Dream Striker or Moon Racer perhaps?"
Ted tilted his head at the odd question. "Wildy didn't tell me she was going to summon anypony but you."
"Hmm, okay."
"Why?"
Midnight drew closer to Ted and said in a lower voice, "Well, just before I got here, I coulda sworn I felt another night pony was nearby using his magic."
Ted knew night ponies had dreamwalking ability. He suspected it went beyond that, but many were reticent to talk about it. "I'm not sure I follow."
Midnight gave Ted a skeptical look and appeared to consider for a moment, at least until Ryan stirred. "I'll tell you later. Uh, maybe."
Ted raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?"
"Long story. Anyway, looks like our boy here is getting up." Midnight turned towards Ryan, splaying his legs into a battle stance and unfolding his wings. "So you got two options. You can leave the easy way, which is under your own power. Or you could leave the hard way -- and admittedly, the more fun way -- by me bucking you out of here. Your choice."
As Midnight spoke, Ted heard several more sets of hooves. Peach approached them, accompanied by a large earth pony stallion. A sheriff's star lay against the rust-red fur of his chest, hanging from a neck almost obscured by a thick dark brown mane. He was flanked by another earth pony stallion on his left and a night pony mare on his right.
"There will be no bucking of humans today, Midnight," the starred stallion said in a deep voice with a distinct western drawl.
Midnight blew a raspberry at him. "Killjoy."
"You were always too quick on the trigger, Midnight," said the night pony mare.
Midnight rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Look, you gonna run this guy outta town or what?"
Ted turned back to Ryan as the man rose to his former intimidating height. Except now, he wasn't. He seemed almost frail, his thin frame and sallow face more pronounced. Ted wondered why Ryan had seemed so larger than life earlier. Perhaps it had all hinged on his oration.
Ted turned to the rust-red stallion. "Sheriff Dave, this man was causing a disturbance. As much as we don't want to run humans out of here--"
"I understand," said the sheriff. He turned to Ryan. "Sir, we don't take kindly to being browbeat. If you want to have a proper discussion with ponies about their decision to remain ponies, you must keep it civilized."
"Yes, and do let us know ahead of time so we can prepare the tea and crumpets," said Midnight.
"As it is, I must ask you to leave. Perhaps you can return at some future date if you are willing to act in a less hostile fashion."
"Or you could just, you know, never come back. That works, too."
"Midnight," Dave deadpanned.
"Oh, spare the friendship and rainbows for once," said Midnight. "People like this don't respond to it."
"I will take my leave," said Ryan, his voice slightly raspy.
"Best news I've heard all day," said Midnight.
"I will escort you," said Dave. "Peach, please check to make sure there are no lost foals wandering about."
"Of course," said Peach before she headed away.
Dave turned to the night pony mare. "Moon Racer, do you feel alert enough to get more information about the incident?"
Ted thought it odd that he would leave the night pony behind instead of the other earth pony, but as he looked at Midnight's irritated expression, he wondered if the selection had been made with the aggressive night pony stallion in mind.
Moon Racer gave Midnight an evaluating look before the black-furred, silver-maned mare said, "Yes, I can handle that."
"Thank you." Dave and his earth pony deputy took up position on either side of Ryan. "Come along with us, sir, and I would advise keeping your arms at your sides at all times."
Ryan glared at them, but said nothing as he marched forward, the sheriff and his deputy trotting alongside and keeping their eyes on him.
Moon approached Ted, but before she could speak, Midnight stepped between them. "Okay, Moony, fess up," he said with a smirk.
Moon gave him a confused look. "About what? And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't like that nickname?"
"That little bit of you-know-what you did just as I arrived."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Midnight sighed. "Look, you can trust Ted, okay? Out with it."
"Midnight, I have absolutely no clue what you're referring to," said Moon. "I came here with the sheriff, not a moment sooner."
Midnight frowned. "You're serious, aren't you?"
Moon glanced at Ted and said in a lower voice. "When am I not serious when it comes to using that sort of magic? If I'm guessing right as to what you mean."
"Excuse me," said Ted, some irritation creeping into his voice. "Can somepony please explain to me what you're talking about?"
Midnight glanced about. "Okay, so, uh, some night ponies can do some additional magic outside of ass-kicking and dreamwalking."
Ted's tail swished. "What kind of magic?"
"Well--"
"Be careful what you tell him," Moon admonished.
"Oh, stuff a sock in it, Moony," Midnight snapped. "Anyway, yeah, some night ponies can affect other ponies mentally."
Ted's pupils shrank.
"I mean, not all of us. I can't do it, for instance, but Moony here can. Most of us can sense when other night ponies do it."
"Affect mentally how?" Ted demanded.
"Like what I sensed just before I knocked that asshole down. Making others wary and fearful. Thought maybe it was Moony--"
Moon Racer growled and bared her teeth.
Midnight raised his fore-hooves. "Sorry! I thought Moon here was trying to soften him up and make him easier to take out if he got violent."
"I did nothing of the sort," said Moon.
Ted stepped up to Midnight. "What you just described was exactly how all of us felt in Ryan's presence."
Midnight's eyes widened.
"He affected Connie, too. The FBI agent was even asking about it."
Midnight ground his teeth. His eyes blazed, and he snapped his wings open. "I knew I shoulda bucked that bastard when I had the chance!"
Moon gasped and threw herself at Midnight when he tried to lift off. "Midnight, no!"
"Leggo of me!" Midnight shouted, his wings flapping hard and dragging Moon forward.
"It's not for you to do this!"
"Like hell it's not!"
Moon gave Ted a desperate look. "Ted, please, help me!"
Ted had never seen a being, either human or pony, so enraged. He threw his forelegs around Midnight's barrel and summoned his magic, rooting his rear hooves to the ground as if they been planted there like a tree.
"LET GO!" Midnight bellowed.
"I'm not going to have you kill him!" Moon said.
"I don't wanna kill him, I just wanna bash his skull against the ground a few dozen times!"
Ted felt nauseous to hear another pony speak with such horrible violence. "Midnight, calm down!" Ted said in a quavering voice. "You need to tell me what has you so upset!"
"Fine, I'll tell you!" Midnight thundered, snapping his wings to his sides. After Ted and Moon let go, Midnight rounded on Ted. "I'll bet you anything that asshole who just walked away is a rehumanized night pony."
Moon gasped. Ted just stared, too stunned to respond.
"Those contacts he was fiddling with probably hide his eye color," said Midnight. "That's one trait rehumanization seems almost never to reverse with night ponies. It would've given him away in an instant."
"But if he's rehumanized, he's not supposed to have ..." Ted trailed off as he remembered what Wildy had told him about the rehumanized girl accompanying Beverly.
"Not only does he still have some of that magic, he's abusing it."
Those last two words were spoken with such utter disgust that Ted nearly flinched. Even Moon Racer wore an expression like something rancid had passed under her muzzle.
"A-are you sure?" Ted asked in a shaky voice.
"Believe me, I know about abuse of power," Midnight said more contritely. After a pause, he added, "I used to do it myself."
Ted stared. "But I thought you said you didn't have--"
"I don't, but I can still dreamwalk. My name was not always Midnight Star. It used to be Midnight Terror. I had a knack for instilling the most horrible and twisted nightmares in other ponies' dreams."
Ted swallowed hard.
"I only used it against ponies I thought were bad," said Midnight. "But that didn't make it right."
"What stopped you?"
"Princess Luna." Midnight shuddered. "She appeared to me in the dreamscape one night and showed me just how terrifying she could be when she's angry."
"That's why Sheriff Dave left me here," said Moon. "Midnight is still technically on probation."
"From Luna?" Ted asked.
Midnight and Moon exchanged a look. Finally, Midnight said. "Uh, not quite. Let's just say there are controls in place to prevent what I had done and leave it at that."
"And you're not one of those controls," Moon declared. "You have no authority to punish Ryan for this. I'm not sure anypony does, not when he's human now."
"I don't give a rat's ass that he's human. He's abusing night pony power and needs to be stopped."
Ted's head was spinning. He had learned far more about night ponies than he had ever known, and it made them all the more intimidating. "The FBI is actively investigating a terrorist threat, and Ryan is a person of interest. You should tell them what you just told me."
"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Midnight yelled. "Yeah, that's just what the feds want to hear, that they have even more reason to fear night ponies. Brilliant."
Ted frowned. "Connie told me that the security of this city is more important, and I'm starting to understand her perspective better."
Moon stepped up. "Midnight, maybe he's right. We don't have the authority to--"
"Humans don't either," Midnight snapped.
"But he is human now!"
"And what did I just say about not caring about that?" Midnight turned away from them.
Moon unfolded her wings and started after him. "Midnight, I'm warning you, don't--!"
"I'm not going to do anything myself, but I'm going to find somepony who can."
"How are you going to do that?" Ted asked.
Midnight glanced back at them. "By going back to bed." He opened his wings and took off like a missile.
Ted turned towards Moon. "What did he mean by that?"
Moon sighed. "He's probably going to contact somepony via the dreamscape that he thinks can help. But none of them have dealt with a human wielding those sorts of powers."
"Who's 'them?'"
Moon was silent for a long moment. "It's not something we discuss with the other tribes."
"Nevertheless, if there's a threat to either the ponies or humans of this city, I need to know about--"
Before he could finish, several pegasi shot out of the sky and hovered nearby. "Ted, come on! We need every available pony! What are you doing back here?"
Ted turned towards them, his heart dropping into his hooves when he saw their distressed faces and singed fur. "Something came up unexpectedly. What is it?"
"All hell's breaking loose!" the pegasus in the lead exclaimed. "The feds are on to us!"
"And we're running out of options!" said another.
"And they were almost here, we had them in sight."
"We need to figure out a way to buy them more time."
Ted's mind raced. He had no idea how he could help. All he had was his strength, and that could only make matters worse if he applied it like Midnight had applied his. "All right, let's go. Moon Racer, we'll have to talk later."
Ted bolted into a gallop as fast as his legs would take him.
"Faster!" Fire cried. "We need to move faster!"
"I can go only so fast without my tail balancing me!" Beverly cried in a distressed voice as Jenny held onto her arm to keep her steady.
"Take your tail out. Disguising it doesn't matter now. Anything to get us moving!"
The forces of the evil Baron were closing in on the heels of the intrepid band as they retreated. They were slowed by the very disguises they had hoped would allow them safe passage.
"Jenny, please, help me," Beverly pleaded.
Jenny immediately moved into action as the Narrative played out in her head, but only because reality and fantasy were now coincident. When she reached for Beverly's jeans to help pull her tail out, they instead appeared to her as a peasant's dress.
"They're still closing!" a pegasus cried. "We don't have many viable fliers left!"
The ground became littered with the prone bodies of the creatures whose magic was no match for the Baron's weapons of war. They could only be content that the Baron was wary of using lethal force. It still meant their living shield was being eroded away at a steady and inescapable rate.
Yet would the Baron be content with running them down like dogs and exhaust his men, or would be have been more clever, and come at them from another side?
Jenny stopped dead in her tracks, nearly pulling Beverly off her hooves.
"Jenny, what the hell?!" Eileen cried out when she almost collided with them.
"We can't go this way!" Jenny cried.
"How the hell would you--"
"She starting to surge again!" cried one of the unicorns.
"She's right!" a pegasus called out. "More vans approaching from the southeast!"
"Shit," Eileen muttered,
"This way!" Fire cried, jabbing a hoof to the west.
"That will lead us right into a town," Eileen said.
"We don't have any choice, they've covered all the other places we can go."
The Baron needed merely to close the trap. His knights were almost upon them. Their only recourse was to head into a nearby town and hope the citizens would be sympathetic to their plight.
Jenny's fingers tightened around Beverly's arm.
Beverly glanced down. "J-Jenny?"
Yet that was not to be, as the tendrils of the Baron's power had reached even there to prevent their escape.
Jenny was only barely aware of Eileen grasping her shoulders and shouting, "You need to move!"
"Jenny, you're hurting my arm!" Beverly cried as she tried to wriggle free from Jenny's grip.
"No good!" a pegasus said. "There are police cars everywhere in the town to the west."
"What do we do?!" Fire exclaimed.
A tingle crawled up Jenny's spine.
But the Countess realized there was only one thing to do.
"We stand here, that's what," Eileen said in a low voice.
"But we've come all this way, we can't just--"
They had to make their stand against the Baron's forces.
Jenny forced her fingers to loosen. Beverly whimpered and yanked her arm free. Several unicorns gave her nervous looks. The tingle grew worse, spreading over her entire body. The Narrative swelled in her mind ...
"There's nothing else for us to do!" Eileen yelled. "We have to--"
... and spilled out into the world.
"--make our stand here against these knaves!" declared the Countess as she drew herself up to her full, regal height.
The Baron's knights arrived in their dark carriages, pulling hard on the reins and drawing them to a halt. At once, the knights leapt to the ground brandishing their weapons. The one in the lead cried out, "You will all surrender quietly! You are now under the protective custody of the Baron."
The Countess stepped forward. "And on what authority does he claim this so-called custody over us?" her voice rang out, as haughty as it would be when speaking to a disobedient underling.
"By the authority granted to us by the Crown," the knight replied.
The Countess made a disgusted noise. "Oh, yes, of course, the Crown," she said in a mocking tone. "The very same into whose coffers I pour my gold to little end."
"Now see here--!"
"No, it is you who must open your eyes," the Countess declared. "You who are working for a corrupt lord who only wishes to use this poor peasant girl to his own ends."
"We do not set the Baron's agenda, we merely carry it out," said the knight.
"Yes, and if that agenda is foul and corrupt, does that not make your own actions foul and corrupt as well?"
The knight exchanged an uncertain glance with his cohorts, who now muttered amongst themselves. He turned back to the Countess. "It is not for us to judge the actions or desires of our betters."
"Your betters," the Countess spat as if saying a dirty word. "You, noble knight, have no better than your dedication to the general good. Nothing good can come out of spiriting off a girl who has done no one any harm."
"But we are protecting the general good!"
"From whom? And for what? Name a single law this girl has broken save for whatever infractions the Baron has conjured in his head?"
The knight hesitated. More muttering broke out behind him. "She has escaped from incarceration--"
The Countess' lieutenant surged forward. "An incarceration she had neither earned nor desired! And one that cannot be considered even remotely legal even by the very laws of the Crown itself!"
"Easy, good sir," the Countess said in a lower voice. "Allow me to handle this."
The lead knight frowned. "We are wasting time."
"Indeed we are," declared the Countess. She stepped alongside her lieutenant. "If you desire the girl that badly, if you wish to fly in the face of both logic and your own integrity, then you will need to come through us."
The knight glared at her. "Do not force my hand, Countess."
"Good! You recognize my title at last. Perhaps this bodes well."
"If you do not move out of the way--"
"What will you do? Attack a lady? Oh, yes, that is exactly what a noble knight would do. But you are not corrupt, oh no."
Behind him, the knight's men became uneasy.
"You cannot have it both ways. You cannot claim justice but seek to usurp it."
Before the knight could respond, a cry rose from among the ranks of the Countess' own guards. "Reinforcements to the north!"
Suddenly, the sky was once more thick with the winged creatures who had served them so faithfully. A few of the knights shouted and lifted their weapons, but their leader raised his arm. "Hold! Hold! There are too many, and we have strict orders not to incur excessive harm!"
"Ah, so the Baron has some redeeming qualities after all," rang out a new voice as it approached. "As My Lady has said, this bodes well."
All eyes turned to the newcomers, a stallion of the magical kingdom of the north, standing strong and firm, his consort by his side. The Countess turned to him and said, "Our noble benefactor, I presume?"
"Indeed," said the stallion. "I came as soon as I realized things were amiss, but it appears you have dealt with these gentlemen well in my absence."
His consort spat on the ground. "Do not dignify these curs by such generous titles. They deserve to be treated as nothing more than the mongrels they are!"
"Easy, my dear," said the stallion in a firm voice. "Now is not the time."
The Countess turned to the knights. "We will take our leave and make passage into the kingdom. Expect me to lodge a formal protest with the Crown over this."
"The Baron will not like this," the knight muttered.
"To hell with what your Baron thinks," proclaimed the mare.
The leader gestured to the other knights, and they began climbing back into the carriages. "We will let you go because we have little choice. I cannot predict what the Baron will do now. He is not a man to let what he wants slip through his fingers."
"A worry for another time," said the stallion as his consort continued to glare at them. "Come, all, let us make haste to our court. There you will ... um ... uh ..."
The fantasy abruptly ended, the illusion dissolving with it. The departing carriages wavered like heat rising from hot asphalt and became vans, leaving a trail of dust in their wake as they retreated across the dry scrub.
Jenny blinked rapidly into the ensuing awkward silence broken only by the wind and the sound of the departing vans. Overhead, pegasi gave each other confused looks. At the edge of the gathering, a large earth pony stallion and unicorn mare looked on in astonishment.
Eileen stared at the departing vans before turning around. "Someone tell me ... what the FUCK just happened?!"
All eyes turned to Jenny, but her own had started to roll back in her head as she collapsed to the ground.