//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 - Public Disturbance 
// Story: Pandemic: Aftermath 
// by ASGeek2012 
//------------------------------//

Monday dawned bright and crisp in Village Center, the main tech hub of Greenwood Village. Office buildings towered over the semi-circular streets, their otherwise drab colors offset by both the explosion of autumn splendor among the trees, and the brighter shades gathering in an empty lot that had been converted into a fairground.

Even during pre-ETS prosperity, this particular lot had gone unclaimed. Soon after the ETS crisis was over, Connie had directed the city to purchase the lot so it could be used to host events like this. Over the summer, it had played host to farmers' markets, both from humans and ponies. Now Connie watched as preparations began for the Magiccraft Fair.

The police were setting up barricades to restrict how patrons could come and go and make it easier to monitor the flow of people. A special checkpoint had been set up for those involved in managing the fair, the volunteer staff issued badges they wore around their necks.

Connie watched as several more people arrived. One was a human, and a human cop swept him with a metal detector. The ponies accompanying him were subjected to scrutiny by a unicorn wearing an abbreviated version of a police uniform. While the unicorn may not be able to detect everything, he could at least sense if someone carried illegal magical artifacts. Twilight had suggested that check herself after discussing matters with Agent Heller.

Connie looked around for anyone who might be an FBI agent. Not until her eyes fell on a brown-furred unicorn stallion with a wire trailing from one ear did she suspect ponies were on the force. The pony was speaking with another unicorn, one wearing a cloak and hood over his orange fur, his face mostly obscured.

The brown one looked towards Connie, pointed a hoof towards her, and both approached.

Connie started towards them. As she neared, she saw the orange unicorn had a short beard matching his red mane and wore glasses, both of which she had rarely seen on a pony.

"Mrs. Morgan, I presume?" said the brown stallion.

"Yes, that's me," said Connie.

He levitated a badge before her. "Agent Jason Madsen. I'm Agent Heller's partner."

"Thank you for coming, Agent Madsen. Is your cohort here also from the Bureau?"

The other unicorn chuckled. "Oh, my no. I'm not even from this--"

Jason cut him off with a slash of his fore-hoof. "Not here. Let's get some distance from the others, since you're supposed to be incognito."

"Ah, yes, of course."

They headed to a far corner of the lot. Jason turned to Connie and gestured to the orange-red unicorn. "This is Sunburst. He's from Equestria."

Connie's eyes widened slightly. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"Starlight Glimmer sent me, ma'am," said Sunburst. "I'm to observe and warn if I sense any magic that shouldn't be present."

"According to Starlight, Sunburst here has a wealth of magic knowledge," said Jason. "He should be able to pick up on anything amiss, magically speaking. We'd use our own unicorns, but there's going to be so much ambient magic at the Fair that we needed someone who has more experience."

Connie had heard the name Sunburst, but she didn't recall ever seeing him share the same limelight as other Equestrian ponies. "As much as I appreciate the additional magical help, I do have to ask why you suspect trouble may come from a magical source."

Jason stepped closer. "Please keep this in strict confidence. My partner and I strongly suspect Ryan may be a rehumanized pony with an undocumented magical ability."

"Ryan? The same fellow Agent Heller asked me about?"

"Yes," said Jason. "With as much of a police presence as we have, he likely would think twice about simply walking in here, but we have no idea what the range of his power is."

"And from what I've been told, there's a chance he could put pressure on people to gain access," said Sunburst as he adjusted his glasses. "I'm hoping to sense that before he gets too far."

"We're trying to keep a low profile," said Jason. "Sunburst is not as well-known, so we can avoid any implication of Equestrian involvement in this investigation."

Sunburst smiled. "Though I do hope I can mingle a bit. I'm most fascinated by the magical development of ponies on this world! Perhaps it can help me in my other endeavors, such as sorting out the lingering magic in the rehumanized."

Connie smiled. "It's too bad you have to remain under cover, so to speak. My daughter would love to talk to you."

Sunburst tilted his head. "Really?"

"She's a unicorn filly."

"Ah, I see!" Sunburst said. "The dynamic of a mixed human-pony family would be most interesting to study as well."

Connie chuckled, but Jason was more sanguine. "No offense, Sunburst, but we have a specific job to do, and--" Jason cut himself off and turned his head slightly as he spoke into a microphone strapped to a shoulder. "Madsen here. Yes, I'll be right there." He looked at Connie. "I'll be back later. People from Humanity First have started to arrive." He looked at Sunburst. "Stick to the plan, please."

"Yes, of course," said Sunburst. After Jason was away, Sunburst added in a softer voice, "My apologies for being a bit presumptuous."

"It's perfectly fine," said Connie.

"I'm something of a scholar back home, and there's simply so much to be learned here."

Connie looked past Sunburst towards a small park across the street. Several workmen were setting up a wooden stage under the watchful eye of police officers. Others were carrying large speakers. She watched as Jason stepped up to some of the officers and started to confer with them.

Sunburst noticed Connie's gaze and turned his head. "Oh, is that were the other event is taking place?"

"Yes, and you might want to keep an eye on them as well."

"I'll do my best, Mayor Morgan," said Sunburst. "I've been exposed to enough magical emanations of rehumanized people that I should pick up on it no matter where it manifests."

Connie certainly hoped so. The safety of her daughter might depend on it.





Jason glanced at the rapidly gathering crowd for the Humanity First rally. "So what's your take on this, Hank?"

Police Officer Hank Davis tipped back his cap slightly. "Seems like a run-of-the-mill rally so far. We generally haven't had any trouble with these guys."

"Nothing violent?"

"Some people get a little rowdy, but that tends to happen at things like this."

Jason was fortunate to have discovered a former colleague on the Denver police force. Hank had tried out for the FBI and found it not to his liking. He had left in favor of police work instead, but not before the two had established a friendship. Jason much preferred to have personal working relationships like this with local law enforcement.

He looked over to the unicorn cop who had been scanning arriving ponies earlier. "How's Ben been working out for you?"

"Pretty well, actually, though his name's Sureshot now," said Hank.

Jason snorted. "You're joking."

Hank smirked. "'fraid not, but he earned that name all right. And his mark."

Jason peered again. The unicorn had a gun sight as a cutie mark.

"He's wicked-accurate with a gun," said Hank. "Took down a knife-wielding perp by literally shooting the weapon out of his hand, and only a grazing shot at that. No permanent damage."

"He couldn't just yank the knife out of the guy's hand with magic?"

"Too far away at the time. He's got range as well as accuracy."

"Still, he could've kept his old name," said Jason.

"We do tease him a bit, but he's a good sport about it," Hank said with a grin. "I take it you're not in the market for a new name?"

"No," Jason declared. "I just don't get the fetish some ponies have with taking on new names. I know that's how they do it in Equestria, but ponies of Earth don't share a whole lot with Equestrian ponies."

"Don't be too hard on Sureshot," said Hank. "He's happy his old skills carried over into his new form. Not many ponies can claim that, at least the ones who care about it."

Jason supposed he could understand that. He was certainly happy when he found he had a chance to go back to his original career.

His cell phone chimed. He levitated it out of his saddlebag. "I've got to take this, it's my partner," said Jason as he turned away. "I'll touch base once both shindigs get off the ground."

"Gotcha," said Hank. "Good seeing you again, Jason."

"Likewise." Jason plucked the stylus out of his saddlebag and answered the phone as he trotted away from Hank. "What's up?"

"Sorry to take you away from your assignment, but I thought you might like to hear this," said Anthony.

"Oh? You got a lead on Ryan's info from the rehumanization database?"

"Not quite. Still trying to find someone who can gain access without raising eyebrows. But I found out something else about our suspect. He was in Washington DC at one point."

Jason stopped trotting. "How sure of this are you?"

"The colleague I spoke with recognized the suspect's description and alias."

"Anything else?"

"He mentioned that Ryan, quote, 'creeped me out' unquote," said Anthony.

Jason frowned. "He was in the nation's capital using his magical ability. I sure as hell don't like that. Do you have an exact date?"

"Unfortunately, he wasn't able to pin it down any better than the month."

"And when was that?"

"Late July to early August. Two months ago."

Jason's mind raced. "Wasn't that around the same time period Fuller was appointed to head MIDROC?"

"Could be coincidence," said Anthony.

"Coincidence my furry ass," Jason said with a flick of his tail.

"Realize the implications, though."

"Realize? I'll spell it out for you. I always thought from the start that Fuller played on fears over pony magic and separatism to climb the ranks. What if he used Ryan to help him with that?"

"If it's true, that's a rather staggering crime," said Anthony in a grave voice. "Worse than if he had bribed his way into the job."

"Yeah, I know, and we'll need staggering evidence." Jason glanced around before adding in a lower voice, "I think you should relay this to you-know-who."

"I may have to wait, as the Princess is at MIDROC by now to meet with the Pony Council. I can't risk tipping off Fuller."

"Shit, yeah, I forgot she was going to be there today." Jason considered. "I just realized something. Trying to use Ryan to further his career would be tough to do alone. He had to have help."

"An accomplice you mean?" Anthony asked.

"Yes, especially if it meant covering up Ryan's rehumanization records. That points to someone in the Department of Rehumanization. I'd check to see what other government officials were shuffled about during that time period."

"Will do," said Anthony.

Before Jason could speak, a pony's magically amplified voice suddenly called out. "Welcome, everybeing, to the First Annual Greenwood Village Magiccraft Fair!"

The announcement was met with the cheering of humans and the hoof-stomps of ponies.

"Fair is going down, I've got to go," said Jason.

"Keep me posted," said Anthony. "Meanwhile, I'll keep poking around as much as I can."

"Roger that." Jason hung up and put the phone and stylus back in his saddlebag. He glanced towards the park in time to see a limo pull up. Several Secret Service agents emerged, followed by the slightly portly form of Senator John Maxton. He approached the stage to the wild cheers of the still-growing crowd.

"Humans rule!" a young man in the crowd shouted at the top of his lungs, followed by a raucous cheer and similar shouts.

Jason managed not to roll his eyes and trotted over towards the Fair. He activated his comm link and broadcast a message to the other agents. "Stay sharp, everyone, this is going to get loud and boisterous soon. Let's make sure it stops at that."





Senator John Maxton smiled as he conferred with his associates, standing off to one side of the stage while technicians did a final check on the microphone at the podium. He had timed his arrival well, allowing him to take in the cheers from the crowd. While the next election cycle where he would have defend his seat was not until next year, the polls showed a high approval rating, and the opposing party was scrambling to find a viable candidate to pit against him who would not appear as a pony sympathizer.

His assistant leaned forward and had to raise his voice to be heard over the crowd, "Good luck with your speech, Senator!"

"Luck has nothing to do with it," said John. "We've gotten this far with a lot of hard work. Non-magical hard work I might add!"

John was in his element. He thrived on the attention and the accolades. Here he could ignore the fact that somewhere in the vicinity, a man with powers he shouldn't have was waiting to give him what his organization needed.

The irony that he was using magic for an anti-magic crusade was not lost on him; he looked forward to the day he could cast off such tainted associations.

He shook hands with his associates and took to the podium, the voices of the crowd rising once more. "Thank you, everyone!" John's voice boomed over the speakers and echoed through Village Center. "Thank you!"

The crowd settled, the cheers ending with a few last whistles and calls.

"My fellow humans," said John. "We have gathered here as a show of solidarity for not only our species, or our great nation, but our planet as well. No matter what your take is on the origins of us and this world -- whether you believe we came to being via the hand of God, or that we climbed up the long ladder of evolution on a little planet born from the maelstrom of a primordial gas cloud -- that we are all united in the one inescapable fact, that this is a world shaped and adapted by human beings for human beings."

A loud cheer arose, with a few more shouts of "Humans rule!" from among the more raucous.

John smiled and let it continue for a few moments before raising his hands in a bid for quiet. "Some would accuse us of hating ponies. This is not about hate! One only needs to look at our organization to see an unprecedented level of inclusion. Men and women from all walks of life, all colors and creeds, even different political associations. My own party affiliation matters not, for our concerns and our pride reaches beyond those. We are here to show the world that humanity has defined this world and must continue to define it into the future!"

Another loud cheer arose halfway through his last statement, and he had to raise his voice to allow the rest to be heard.

"And what defines humanity?" John continued as the cheering settled. "I'll tell you what does not define it! Magic does not define it! We have lived on this world for thousands, if not millions of years without the need for magic. Yet we are now told that we must accept it when it is thrust upon us. Over a quarter of our own American brothers and sisters have been made to believe they want it, that they must have it. But at what cost?"

"They've lost their humanity!" someone in the crowd shouted as if on cue, and the rest rose in a deafening and wild agreement.

John raised his hands again to call for quiet. "Yes, while that is indeed true, it is not my point. My point is, we have no idea what sort of havoc their power can wreak upon a world that is not suited for it. How many times have our own scientists pointed to the catastrophic damage done by invasive species? Are we not inviting the same catastrophe by allowing them to expand their magic, to ply it upon the rest of the world outside their pony communes? They point to Equestria as an example of a world that successfully operates with magic. But that magic originated from Equestria, and I say, let it stay in Equestria where it belongs!"

The loudest cheer yet greeted his proclamation, and John took a half step back from the podium to let it continue. He needed the crowd fired up.

At the same time, he had to be careful not to let it escalate too far. He was not an advocate of violence. A few rallies in the past had come close, and they didn't have a pony event going on next door. If anything was going to happen, it had to come from the pony side. The world had to wake up to the danger posed by magic, and the only way that could happen was if ponies stopped being treated like the downtrodden.

He stepped forward when the cheering began to abate. "And let's talk about Equestria! I call upon them to fulfill their obligations to our world. They told us -- promised us -- that they would seek to rehumanize as many of the ponies as possible. Yet what have we gotten for that effort? We have partially transformed still yearning to become ponies, we have some humans who want to be ponies, and we have rehumanized who are still infected with magic. We must make it very clear to them that this is unacceptable!"

Another cheer rose, but the senator spoke through it.

"We take them at their word when they tell us that this is a difficult challenge! But perhaps they've relied on their magic for so long that they have not had to face such challenges with honest hard work. Perhaps they need to take a page from human history. Perhaps they need to see what human drive, human ingenuity, and human technology has accomplished. Let them take inspiration from us and strive for the same advances that humanity has achieved. Let us show them that we are proud to be human, and that no magic will be allowed to take that from us!"

A deafening cheer rose, and several of the assembled began a chant that was quickly taken up by the rest until it rose to a loud crescendo.

"Humans rule! Humans rule! Humans rule! ..."

The crowd was properly primed. John could step aside and let other speakers keep them going.





Connie was grateful for the sight of the pony-drawn carriage which heralded the arrival of Peach Blossom's class, if for no other reason than it moved her out of earshot of Senator Maxton's opening bombast. She hoped that would be the loudest of the speeches, as he could be heard clearly by anyone who stopped to listen. It gave her the odd urge to look over her shoulder as if afraid she were being stalked. She told herself it was just worry over how the Fair would turn out in light of the "counter-protest."

She smiled when she saw Christina among the little ponies who scampered out of the carriage, even more so when she pointed a hoof at her mother while speaking excitedly with her friends. Connie stepped towards them and heard Peach's voice as she grew closer. "--and stay together until I say it's okay for you to go on your own. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Miss Blossom," the pony children chorused as one.

Connie's gaze swept over the colorful group of about two dozen little ponies. Off to the side hovered one of Peach's teaching assistants, his watchful eyes alternating between looking over the foals and glancing around them. A human police officer flanked the group on the other side.

Peach turned towards Connie and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Morgan. Class?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Morgan!" the class repeated.

Connie managed not to chuckle. She didn't recall Christina's pre-ETS human class being this disciplined.

"Class, this is the mayor of Greenwood Village."

"That's my Mom!" Christina "whispered" to a friend.

"We have her to thank for not only making this fair possible, but promoting it as well," said Peach. "And what do we say when we want to appreciate something nice that somepony has done for us?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Morgan!" the class chimed.

"Can we go see the fair now?" one of the unicorn foals said to the laughter of his friends.

"Yeah, Mom, can we?" Christina called out.

Connie smiled. "I may be the mayor, but Miss Blossom is still your teacher, and you need to listen to her. She's only thinking of your safety."

Peach stepped closer to Connie and said in a lower voice, "How are matters in that regard?"

"Everything seems okay so far," said Connie. "We have a lot of police here, and nothing has happened so far."

Peach nodded and glanced about. "Let me take the foals on a tour of the fairgrounds, and then they can--"

"Hey, what's that?" an earth pony colt suddenly said, his ears swiveling.

Soon the ears of many of the other pony children were pricking. "Is somepony shouting?" another asked.

"More like chanting," said Christina.

"What are they saying?"

"Class," Peach said in a firm voice. "Let's all be quiet for a moment."

The class fell silent, and some of the noise from the Fair had quieted as well, allowing the words to rise faintly above the background noise. "Humans rule! Humans rule! Humans rule!"

"Huh?" the earth pony colt said in bewilderment.

"Why would somepony be chanting that?" asked another.

Peach sighed. "I had hoped they wouldn't be loud enough to hear."

"I'm sure that will die down in a bit," said Connie. "I've heard it at other rallies."

A little pegasus frowned. "Are we gonna have to hear that all the time?"

"If you're focused on the Fair, you'll be able to ignore it," said Connie.

The pegasus fluttered his wings. "Can't we just tell them to go away?"

"Yeah!" chimed the earth pony colt. "We don't want to hear that!"

Other children began to chime their agreement until Peach called out, "Class, settle down!"

Connie stepped forward. "May I address them, please?"

"Certainly, Mrs. Morgan."

Connie looked over the little ponies, their wide eyes fixed on her. Christina was especially eager and smiled her encouragement. She already knew what her mother was going to say, as they had this conversation the night before when Connie had warned her what to expect.

"An important institution among both humans and ponies is free speech," said Connie. "I'm sure this is something you've been taught."

A few heads nodded.

"That's what's going on here," Connie continued. "An unavoidable side-effect of free speech means hearing speech you might not like. As much as they have the freedom to speak, you have the freedom not to listen if you so choose. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mrs. Morgan," the class chorused.

Peach smiled. "Thank you. I did try to prepare them for what they might encounter today, but many of them are too excited."

"Quite all right, I understand," said Connie.

Peach turned to the class. "Now, pair up with a friend like I explained at the schoolhouse, then follow me."

Connie stepped aside. Christina waved a hoof as she passed, and Connie waved back. She repressed the urge to walk alongside the class just to keep her daughter in sight. She had to do her duty as mayor and trust others with her daughter's care.

She heard hooves approach from behind her and turned to see Jason trotting towards her. "Nice bit about free speech, Mrs. Morgan."

Connie smiled faintly. "Thank you." She paused and listened. The chanting had stopped, and a cheer arose, likely to greet the next speaker. "I don't care for Humanity First's message, but I don't want those young ponies to be too sheltered, either."

"I hear you," said Jason. "I think that was the right thing to do. I'm never one for sugar-coating the real world to kids."

"Do you have any children?" Connie asked. "Foals, I mean?"

Jason grinned. "Right the first time. Got a son in college. Had the flu late, so he never ponified. He jokes that he would've made a great earth pony since he wants to be a geologist."

"Can I ask you something? It might be personal, so I'll understand if you don't want to answer it."

"Lay it on me anyway."

"What made you decide not to rehumanize?" Connie asked.

"Hard question to answer," said Jason. "Not because it's too personal, but more because it's kinda complicated. Being a good agent means getting into the heads of both victims and perpetrators of crimes. When I saw what the post-ETS world was going to be like, I had a feeling there was opportunity for both among ponies. I thought maybe I'd be better able to help as one of them."

"That's an interesting take on it," said Connie.

"I also found out I had a knack for getting ponies to talk to me." He pointed a hoof at his cutie mark. "Then this appeared and pretty much decided it. What about your daughter, if I may ask?"

Connie chuckled. "With as excited as she is that her magic is starting to work, I doubt she'll consider rehumanizing. I'll support her no matter what she decides to do."

"More kids need parents like you," said Jason. "Anyway, I came here to tell you that we've escalated security a bit."

Connie felt her stomach twist. "Is something wrong?"

"That loudmouthed senator stirred up a few ponies," said Jason. "May be just a normal reaction, as my foreign colleague is not detecting anything overt yet."

"Overt? Is he sensing anything at all?"

"To be honest, I don't know. He talks way over my head most of the time. He's excited about something but--" Jason stopped and turned his head slightly. "Hold on. Yes, this is Agent Madsen, what's up?" He frowned. "Tell him to cool his hooves if he knows what's good for him. I'll be right there." He looked up. "Gotta go."

"Is something wrong?" Connie asked.

"Got a gate-crasher at the organizers' entrance," said Jason as he started away. "A night pony who insists on talking to someone in charge."

"Should I come along?"

"Not yet, just in case this is some sort of distraction," said Jason. "I'll contact you as soon as I know more."





Midnight Star folded and unfolded his wings like a human might tap his foot, three human cops watching his every move. The surge of adrenaline that had helped fuel his flight here was wearing off, and he was struggling to stay awake. This would be the third time he had stayed up past his bedtime in a bid to help his Dreamwarden track down more information on Ryan. That morning, Ted had awoken him begging that he go to the Fair and make sure nothing happens.

Midnight nudged his sunglasses down slightly with a hoof and peered over them. "You know, not all of you have to stand there staring at little old me."

This garnered no response, other than one cop folding his arms, his eyes never leaving the night pony.

"Shouldn't you all be, you know, looking out for threats?" Midnight asked.

"We are," said the arm-folder.

"Oh, I get it now." Midnight flipped his sunglasses back down. "I'm the greatest threat right now."

"We've already pulled your police record."

Midnight spread his fore-hooves. "For crying out loud, that was a year ago! All has been forgiven! I've been a good pony since then. Just ask ... well, actually you can't because ... I mean, if I could tell you, you'd certainly, uh ..." Midnight gritted his teeth and grumbled, "I hate all this fucking secrecy."

"That makes two of us," came a new voice. Two of the human cops parted to allow a unicorn to pass.

Midnight frowned. "I said I wanted somepony in charge."

"That would be me." He levitated a badge. "Agent Jason Madsen."

Midnight stared. "Wow, you didn't buy that in a novelty store, did you? Well, fuck me with a boulder, there are pony feds now."

Jason put his badge away. "I thought you would've already known about me, as much as Wildflower Springs likely spouts off."

"I take what she says with a huge grain of salt," Midnight said in a softer voice. "Let's say she's got some serious emotional issues and leave it at that."

"Just what are you doing here?" Jason demanded.

"Trying to prevent a night pony-turned-human from causing shit to go down."

"Really, now."

"Hey, this is the same guy I'm told the feds were asking about," said Midnight. "Consider this me doing my civic duty."

Jason exchanged a look with the cops. "You'll forgive my skepticism, but I've encountered far too many aggressive night ponies spoiling for a fight."

"The only one I want to fight is that Ryan asshole!"

"By whose authority?"

Midnight frowned. "Look, this guy has mind-altering powers--"

"Which some night ponies have in abundance," Jason deadpanned.

"So maybe some of us might take exception to them being abused!"

"I ask again," said Jason. "By whose authority?"

Midnight clenched his teeth. "Does it matter? What's with all this suspicion? I'm one of the good guys!"

Jason stepped up to him. "One of my first assignments after being reinstated to the Bureau was investigating the matter of a night pony accused of mentally torturing other ponies. He turned up one day staring blankly at nothing."

Midnight's tail flicked, and he managed not to shudder. That was the ultimate justice of the Dreamwardens; they would rather break the mind of an unrepentant night pony who abused his powers rather than risk letting him run rampant. Midnight could have become like that had his spree been delayed by a month.

"His mind was gone," Jason continued. "He couldn't even eat on his own. I knew the other night ponies had something to do with it, but they all clammed up. Every time I ever ask about how night ponies are restrained from abusing their abilities, I get the same wall of silence or vague mentions of 'controls' in place."

"Isn't the end result all that matters?" Midnight muttered.

"Not when it means there's a shadow law enforcement agency running about," Jason said. "Maybe the official stance of the US government is not to question it too closely, but--"

"Fuck all this!" Midnight cried. "Debate it with me later! What matters is--" His ears pricked. "Wait a minute."

"My point is, I'm naturally suspicious when a night pony I've never seen before decides to just fly over here and insinuate himself into the situation," said Jason.

Midnight snapped open his wings, causing the cops to step back, at least one with his hand on his holster. "And you're going to have more of a situation than you can handle if you don't let me help."

"We already have quite a bit of security here," said Jason. "Why should I accept your supposed help?"

"Because I'm sensing night pony mind magic right now!"

Jason paused. "What kind?"

"The same I sensed when I first met that asshole," said Midnight. "And it's building up. It may have already been going on, and I just started to detect it now. I'm not exactly running at a hundred percent right now."

"Hang on." Jason spoke into his comm link. "This is Agent Madsen. Where's our foreign guest right now?"

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Foreign guest?"

"And exactly what is it he said he's gone off to measure?" Jason frowned. "I won't even pretend to understand that. When did it start?" His frown deepened. "Dammit. All right, all agents, get with the police and keep a close eye on the Fair. Report any odd behavior of either the ponies or humans." He looked at Midnight. "I have to go."

"Wait!" Midnight surged forward, but one of the cops started to draw his gun. He immediately backed off and raised his fore-hooves. "Don't shoot, all right? Jesus."

"I have enough to deal with right now," said Jason.

"And I can help!" Midnight cried. "Come on, I might be able to home in on where the guy is."

Jason considered. He looked up at the police officers. "I want you three to come along. Keep a close eye on this night pony."

"Name's Midnight Star."

"If he puts so much as a wingtip out of line, subdue him." Jason turned away. "Let's go."

"About time we're doing something," Midnight muttered.





Connie managed a smile despite the bombast from the park trickling into her perception like an annoying insect buzzing by her ear. The children enjoying what had been dubbed the "magic animation booth" managed better as they giggled and laughed in delight. Connie had been curious herself, especially since it had been announced before the Fair that children should bring their favorite stuffed toy along with them.

The unicorn stallion in the booth manipulated two stuffed toys that a human child had provided, a dog with floppy ears and a cat with a bushy tail. He used his magic to have them act out a little play, his levitation spell refined to the point where he could bend the limbs of the stuffed animals in ways that their design had never intended, but without tearing a single thread. Both human and pony children alike clutched their own stuffed toys, eagerly waiting their turn to have the stallion grace them with temporary life.

Next to the stallion, a pegasus mare provided narration and voices for the two stuffed toy characters. She dropped into a low-pitched voice as she gave a line for the dog. "Ruff! Ruff! I want to go and play! Come on, kitty, let's play!" She reverted to a high pitched voice to give the reply, all the while the unicorn varying the cat's position to reflect the implied emotions. "Meow! Oh, leave me be, I'm too tiiired and want to nap!" She did an exaggerated yawn to the giggles of the audience.

Connie managed a more natural smile as the play continued with the two arguing about whether it was better to play or nap. She had a feeling this would end in some sort of friendship lesson, as many pony children's stories often did. Yet the continued speeches from the park lambasting the presence of magic on Earth impinged further on her senses, as if competing for her attention.

The pegasus mare briefly stumbled in her narration, flicking her annoyed gaze towards the park for a moment. The unicorn kept his magic going more smoothly, but his smile had faded some, and Connie could see the same upset in his eyes.

As Connie struggled to remain focused, she heard a pony trot past behind her and mutter, "Somepony ought to tell them to shut the hell up."

"God, yes," said his mare companion. "It's getting really old now, and, frankly, it's deeply insulting."

Connie had to agree with that assessment. Free speech was one thing, but enough was enough. They had already stated their case multiple times, and every speaker regurgitated what they had swallowed from the previous. She wondered if she should have ever granted permission for the rally in the first place.

"Mom!" came a cry which jolted her out of her reverie.

Connie turned away from the booth as Christina galloped towards her with some friends in tow. None looked at all pleased. "What is it, honey? Is something wrong?"

Christina stopped and jabbed a hoof towards the park. "Can you make them stop? We're getting sick of hearing them!"

"Yeah, this isn't fair!" cried an earth pony colt.

"They're just going on and on and on," said a pegasus filly.

"I'm really sorry about this," said Connie. "I want them to stop, too."

"Then make then stop!" Christina called out. "You can, can't you?"

Connie sighed. "That's not something I can do."

"Then who can?"

"The police, and only if things go past making speeches." After a pause, Connie added, "If it helps any, I don't like it either. I'm angry that they keep going on when their point has been made already."

"I hate what they're saying!" Christina cried. "And I hate them!"

"Christina, don't say that."

"But it's true! Don't you hate them, too?"

Connie was about to reply when the speaker's voice rose to another crescendo: "We have no business accepting that which can disrupt our planet and our lives! It has done us no good! They cannot claim we can reap the benefits of something whose long term effects could doom us to extinction!"

Connie clenched her teeth as anger flared. What right did they have to keep going on like this? Her daughter had a right to be this upset.

She glanced around. Other ponies wore expressions ranging from distaste to outright contempt. The play had stopped, and the children were being taken away by upset and angry parents. The unicorn and pegasus running the stall murmured to one another, occasionally casting increasingly vile looks towards the park.

"No, wait," Connie said in a quavering voice. "Something's going on here. We--"

She was interrupted when a night pony suddenly thundered into their midst, landing with an impact of his hooves that made the ground shake. "Everypony -- everyone, listen to me!" he shouted. "You all need to chill the fu -- er ..." He glanced at the children. "You need to chill the heck out! Calm down! This is not your doing!"

"No, of course not, it's those horrible people over at that rally!" cried a pony, and other ponies chorused agreement.

The night pony face-hoofed. "That's not what I mean. Somepony is manipulating you!"

Connie's heart skipped a beat. "Christina, come close. The rest of you, find your parents or Peach Blossom right now."

"Yes, Mrs. Morgan!" the colt said as he and his companions left.

The night pony turned to her. "Wait, you're Mayor Morgan?"

"Yes, I am."

"Midnight Star, pleezedtameecha."

"You said someone was manipulating us," said Connie. "Are you referring to Ryan?"

"Know 'im, huh? Yeah, same creep. I--"

He was interrupted by running hooves. "Don't you ever fly off like that again!" said Jason in an exasperated voice as he approached. Accompanying him was Sunburst, who was feverishly writing with a quill across a scroll even as he moved. "You're supposed to be looking for our suspect!"

"I was trying to, but things were already starting to get out of hoof," said Midnight.

"We need to stop that rally!" cried a pony.

"No!" Connie shouted over the cries of agreement. "That goes for all of you. I share your anger right now, but we can't act like a mob!"

"We've got to stop this right now," Jason said. "My agents and the police are not being affected quite as much, but enough that they might slip and fail to contain this. Midnight, how on Earth does this guy have this much power? We've already searched the nearby area!"

"I don't have a clue," said Midnight.

"Wait, I may know!" Sunburst cried as he set aside the quill and adjusted his glasses. "I just finished doing my calculations. This is extraordinary! This may hold the key as to what's been happening with the leftover magic in rehumanized people. I've never seen such a variance in the power frequency of the thaumic field. It could only be that--"

"Can the dissertation right now, professor!" Midnight declared. "Can any of this actually help right now?"

Connie felt Christina's forelegs clutch her calf. She reached down and drew the filly into her arms.

"I'm getting a little scared, Mom," said Christina in a quavering voice.

From just a glance at her daughter's eyes and the way Christina clung to her, Connie knew a "little" was a code-word for a "lot". She hugged her daughter and struggled to sort out her own thoughts.

"I-I would think after studying these equations, a spell could be crafted to counteract the effect," said Sunburst.

"And are you working on that now?" Jason demanded.

"Well, um, to be perfectly honest, I'm more the scholar than a spellcaster."

"Come on everypony!" A unicorn cried, picking up a board in his magical grip. "Let's show these pony-haters what for!"

Other unicorns began to levitate rocks and sticks. Some pegasi zoomed over and flexed their forehooves like a human might crack their knuckles.

"All units, prepare for riot control!" Jason yelled into his comm link over the growing noise of the angry mob.

"Great, now you tell us!" Midnight said to Sunburst. "Then what the hell are we supposed to do? If you can't stop this, then who--"

The Fair was briefly illuminated by a flash of teleportation magic.

"--can?" Midnight blinked, stared, and his pupils shrank to pinpricks. "Holy shit."

Connie whirled around, and her breath caught in her throat.

Until then, she had seen the midnight blue alicorn only on TV. It was nothing like seeing her in real life. Even high def did little justice to her ethereal mane flowing with stars, nor could it convey the sheer sense of raw power that Connie felt in her presence. Christina noticed her as well and gasped, her eyes wide.

Princess Luna flared her wings, and her horn blazed. She spoke with a voice that shook the ground and reverberated through Village Center, "THIS ENDS NOW!"

A brilliant hemisphere of light that reminded Connie very much of the counterspell blasted from Luna's horn and raced over the fairgrounds in seconds. As soon as it had passed over Connie, her anger and rage melted away. Around her, confused unicorns glanced at one another, dropping their improvised weapons.

"Wh-what's going on?" Christina said in a distressed voice.

"It's okay now, honey," Connie whispered.

Christina trembled and Connie felt something drip on her arm. "Wh-why did I say I hated them? I don't hate anypony! Please believe me, Mom!"

Connie squeezed her eyes shut when her own tears threatened to join those of her daughter. "I do believe you, Chrissie. It's okay."

"Riot threat has passed, but stay on alert," said Jason in a more relieved voice. "And be prepared for a lockdown and a hell of a lot more federal government people to show up. What started as a Fair just became an interportal incident."





Midnight hung around at the fairgrounds only because the FBI insisted that he do, otherwise he would have taken off as fast as his wings would carry him. It had little to do with being dead tired and everything to do with a certain midnight blue alicorn. This was the first time he had seen her since she had left him a cowering, broken mess in the dreamscape after venting her anger.

His hopes to have escaped her notice were dashed with Luna approached him. He tried his best not to cringe, but his ears drew back. He swallowed hard as she stepped up to him, his heart skipping a beat when her horn flashed and formed a glowing shield around them.

"Uh, what did I do?" Midnight said in a quavering voice.

"This is merely to prevent other ears from hearing our conversation," said Luna. "It is indeed good to see you again."

Midnight's ears rose slowly. "Um, it is?"

"I have spoken with Dreamwarden Psychic Calm. He is impressed with your progress concerning how effectively you deal with even the worst nightmares, as well as your attitude towards those who would abuse their powers."

Midnight managed to relax somewhat. "It's one of the reasons I came here to help, Princess. I wanted to see Ryan nailed to the wall."

"Quite literally, I understand."

Midnight's stomach twisted. "Um, if you mean that little incident with Moon Racer and Ted, I wouldn't really have killed him."

"I certainly hope not, as it is not your place," Luna said in a firm voice. "There is a reason I entrusted enforcing the rules of dreamwalking and night pony magic to a small number of ponies. I need not inform you that you are not one of them."

"Uh, yeah, Moony reminded me of that."

"But it is not what I speak of," said Luna.

Midnight tensed. "Uh ..."

"I speak of your assault upon him when he was harassing other ponies," said Luna.

Midnight's eyes widened. "How did ...??"

"A nightmare your acquaintance Ted Miller had," said Luna. "He was concerned about your aggressiveness. He willingly told his dreamwalker of the incident under the condition that the information not be given to the police. This was relayed to Psychic Calm and eventually me."

"Oh," Midnight said, his ears falling. "But he's abusing his powers, and they're a lot stronger than anypony--"

"Silence."

The word was spoken in her normal tone, but it might as well have been thundered down like the word of God from the mountaintop. Midnight immediately quieted.

"I do not normally involve myself in these affairs." Luna sighed. "But I have been pulled into them despite wanting to remain at a distance ever since I instituted the Warden system, and I feel personally responsible for you."

Midnight blinked. That was news to him.

"You assaulted that human before you knew he had night pony powers," said Luna. "You cannot justify the action in retrospect. I suspect this is not the first incidence of aggression towards humans on your part."

Midnight was unable to look up into those teal eyes and say anything but the truth. "No, it wasn't, Princess."

"When I chose to see if you could be rehabilitated, it was not just your dreamwalking, but your waking behavior as well. I doubt Psychic Calm would have had praised you as much as he did had he known."

"I guess he knows now, huh?"

"Yes, and he's most disappointed in you."

Midnight ran a hoof through his mane. "I guess I can expect a visit from him soon."

"You will indeed," said Luna. "He feels this cannot go unpunished."

Midnight's wings quivered, and he looked away.

Luna dropped into a softer tone. "Do not despair. It will not be as severe a punishment as it would be for hurting others with dreamwalking." After a pause, she added, "This time."

"I'll try to make it the last time," said Midnight in a small voice.

"There is a reason I chose rehabilitation with you rather than severe punishment. You struck me as a basically good pony who has either a lot of anger or a lot of pain to move past."

Midnight hesitated before responding in a low voice, "A little of both. I didn't have a super-terrific life as a human growing up in a slum. Becoming a pony was like a freaking godsend to me. I thought I could leave all that shit behind. Guess I was wrong."

"You still can, Midnight Star."

Midnight looked up, and was surprised to see Luna smiling.

"Let's just say I understand where anger and pain can lead a pony," said Luna. "Perhaps I saw a little of that in you. Make no mistake, you need to work harder, and you need to be more honest with your actions -- even your failures."

"I'll try, Princess." Midnight managed a small smile. "Thank you."

Luna nodded. "Before I dispel the privacy shield, is there anything you wished to ask me?"

"Uh, yeah," said Midnight. "What about Ryan? What will be done with him?"

Luna's smile vanished. "I was unable to track him down, as he made his escape the moment I arrived, and I was too focused on preventing a riot. I intend to leave it up to human authorities to deal with him effectively, if they can."

"And if they don't?"

"Then an effort will be made to find him in the dreamscape," said Luna in a cold voice. "And leave him at the mercy of the Dreamwardens."





Senator John Maxton looked on from his limo at the unfolding scene. The police had shut down the rally, but where the edge of Princess Luna's spell had brushed the crowd, it had dampened their fervor anyway. He let out a sigh through his nose and frowned slightly despite the results.

His cell phone chimed. He glanced at the number before taking the call. "Hello, Matt," he said in a flat voice.

"How did it go?" said Matthew Fuller on the other end of the call.

"You should be hearing about it by now," said John in a stiff voice. "Seeing one of the Equestrian diarchs appear out of nowhere is not something that can be easily ignored, now can it?"

"It's breaking news only just now. I want details."

John let out another strained sigh. "It couldn't have gone any better. Princess Luna's appearance was wholly unexpected, but it still worked."

"How?"

"I've already been interviewed," said John. "I spun it to the press as Luna being forced to control the aggressiveness of the ponies the Equestrian government repeatedly told us were no threat." He glanced out the window. "Even better, she didn't pull her punch enough. Some of the pacification spell hit the crowd at the rally. I was able to suggest she was quelling the opposition."

"This should help open the eyes to America as to the danger separatist ponies represent," said Matthew. "This should spark Congress into putting pressure on renegotiating the treaty with Equestria."

"I suppose it will," said John in a neutral voice.

"I sense something is on your mind," said Matthew.

John frowned. "You lied to me."

"About what?"

"Ryan's abilities," said John. "When I heard afterward just how strongly he was affecting the ponies at the fair, I thought for sure he would be caught. That he wasn't even after Luna showed up means he has far more power than you let on."

"I did not lie to you," said Matthew. "You never asked me for his exact PREQUES rating, and I saw no reason to give it."

"Stop mincing words," John snapped. "It's something you should've told me. I don't mind using small amounts of magic in the pursuit of our ultimate goal, but this is wielding the very thing I'm crusading against!"

"It served a purpose. That's all that matters."

"And what else just 'serves a purpose' with you? Frankly, I'm a little worried about your motivations now."

"The end result is what matters," said Matthew.

"Unless it comes to light what really happened," John muttered. "I'm still worried about that investigation into my organization's activities. Any collusion with the FRD will be peanuts compared to this."

Matthew paused. "I will see to bringing an end to it as soon as I can. Once I wield the proper amount of influence at the right levels of government, I'll have that ability to do so without repercussion."

"I hope so," said John. "In the meantime, I'm out when it comes to Ryan."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm not associating myself with him anymore," said John. "You want him to do your dirty work, you work with him yourself. I'll not be associated with a dangerous human magic user."

"Your anger is misplaced," said Matthew.

"The hell it is. The fact that Princess Luna herself tried to stop him shows how serious even they think this is. Say what you want about Equestria, but their government is not stupid. They're not going to risk an incident like this unless they thought it was necessary."

"John--"

"I'm not finished. There's going to be an investigation into this."

"Which will most likely be tasked to my office," said Matthew.

"On both sides," John said. "Equestria will conduct their own investigation if they haven't already started. You're playing with fire if you think you can hide magic from beings who invented it."

"You once expressed a desire to know how pony magic worked."

"Only so we could potentially defend against it."

"And if we had our own magic?"

John frowned. "Magic is still magic."

"Not if it is by humans for humans," said Matthew. "That's all I can say on it now."

John clenched his teeth against a retort. Trying to get Matthew to reveal his secrets was a lost cause. He suspected Matthew was on to something big. If it did involve magic, perhaps the less he knew, the better.

John glanced out the window. "I need to end this call, they're going to start clearing the area of anyone nonessential to the investigation."

"Very well," said Matthew. "I'll talk to you again if I need anything from you."

John hung up. He could at least be content with one outcome: this assuredly would discredit the Pony Council.





Starlight sighed as she surveyed the fairgrounds, now choked with more police and FBI agents than civilians. Reporters buzzed about the periphery beyond the police tape, attempting to snag interviews with anyone leaving the area.

"Starlight?"

Starlight turned at the familiar voice and managed a faint smile, "Long time, no see, Anthony."

Anthony Heller smiled as he stepped up to her, offering his palm. "Good to see you again as well."

Starlight touched her hoof to it. She glanced to the side as Sunburst trotted up. "So, this became something of a mess, didn't it?"

"You could say that," said Anthony.

"Starlight, I'm terribly sorry," said Sunburst.

Starlight gave him a confused look. "Uh, for what?"

"For contacting Princess Luna first instead of you."

"I have to admit, I did wonder about that."

"I wasn't quite sure you could teleport that distance," said Sunburst. "Also, when you mentioned about the nature of this human, I told the Princess about him when she asked for a progress report on my work. She seemed very concerned and wanted to be kept abreast of matters."

Starlight supposed she could see why. Like Twilight, she had been rather surprised and a little shocked at the program Luna had set up for the night ponies of Earth. She thought Luna had pretty much taken a hooves-off approach after that, but now she wondered if this night pony turned human had touched a nerve somehow.

"I wanted to consult with you, Starlight," said Anthony. "While Princess Luna appears to have nullified the mind magic affecting the people here, she deferred to you as the expert for a final analysis."

Starlight thought it ironic that her "expertise" in mind magic came from mind-controlling her own friends in a twisted "solution" to a friendship problem. She regretted that so much of her reformation had to be hidden from Earth authorities lest they look upon her with suspicion. "I did a full sweep of the area and didn't detect anything. Whoever did this is long gone."

"We still strongly suspect Ryan Halter," said Anthony. "At least that's his alias."

"Alias?"

"We believe it's an assumed identity. We're still trying to track down who he really is."

"Starlight, I must talk to you as soon as you're free," said Sunburst. "I believe I may have an answer concerning the magic the rehumanized are experiencing!"

"You do??" said Starlight.

"Yes, and it's most extraordinary!" Sunburst gushed.

"Is it anything like Twilight suspected?" asked Starlight. "Latent human magic interfering with pony magic?"

"It's part of the puzzle, yes, but the explanation is larger than that," Sunburst explained. "I still need to refine the theory, and at some point I simply must speak with a human physicist well-versed in quantum mechanics and dark energy."

Starlight stared. The last time Twilight tried to explain what she had learned from human physicists, it made Starlight's head spin. At one point, she was sure Twilight was pulling her leg. Why would anyone give names like "charm" and "strange" to basic building blocks of the universe? Humans were sometimes as odd as they were ingenious.

"What about the erratic magic exhibited by Partials?" Anthony asked.

"I believe it may indeed explain them as well," said Sunburst. "What I really need to prove it is to find a Partial or rehumanized person who can affect technology. That would indeed cinch it."

"Affect technology?" Starlight asked in a puzzled voice. "But I thought magic can't interact with technology directly."

Sunburst smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Ah, pony magic cannot, but human magic can! That's the crux of my theory, that human magic is fundamentally different from pony magic."

"Whoa, wait!" Starlight said. "Magic is magic, isn't it?"

"Not quite. You see, there are fundamental constants that govern--"

"Sorry to interrupt," said Anthony. "But you might want to know that my office was recently tasked with bringing a fugitive Partial into custody, though my attention was usurped by this. The report on her indicated that she interfered with their diagnostic equipment."

Sunburst gasped. "I must see her! She could hold the key to all of this!"

"Was this the same Partial that the FBI recently tried and failed to capture?" Starlight asked.

"I'm not sure," said Anthony. "I haven't been following it closely. All my attention has been focused on anti-terrorism."

"If you could find out for me, I would most appreciate it," said Sunburst.

"I'll do what I can," said Anthony. "I have to go for now. I'll be in touch."

"Thank you," said Starlight as Anthony headed away. She turned to Sunburst. "Can I see that Farhearing Stone of yours for a moment?"

"Oh, of course," said Sunburst as he levitated the green gem from his saddlebags. "Is there a problem?"

"You were a little garbled when you contacted me, so I wanted to check the spell on this thing." Starlight grabbed it in her magic. "Sometimes the Canterlot mages get in a rush and ..." She trailed off as she narrowed her eyes at the gem. "Hmm."

"Something the matter?"

Starlight turned the gem over in her magic as she cast a thaumic measuring spell at it. "When did you come through the portal?"

"Ah, let's see, that would be yesterday afternoon by Earth reckoning," said Sunburst.

"And did you remember to register this Farhearing Stone with the mages running the portal?"

"I did indeed," said Sunburst. "It's hard not to, with as thorough as they are. Why do you ask?"

"The mages ran an audit earlier today and it came up with a discrepancy." Starlight held up the gem. "And it just about equals the magic from this artifact."

"Perhaps a clerical error on their part?" Sunburst suggested. "I did indeed present it for inspection."

Starlight returned the gem. "Check on it, please. Hopefully that will be another mystery solved."