The sun was midway toward the horizon by the time the train rolled into the Ponyville station. Since they were at the very back of the carriage, Hector and Florina had to wait until all the ponies had exited before they could get off, which didn’t take very long, as the ponies were quick to rush out the door. Hector could understand where they were coming from, not being used to humans, but thought they should’ve realized he and Florina meant them no harm at some point during the ride.
Shrugging it off, he led Florina down the aisle and off the train. Stepping onto the platform, they heard a cheerful, “There you are!” from their left.
They turned to see a lavender unicorn with a dark purple mane and tail wading through the crowd of departing ponies, a beaming smile plastered across her face. Once she left the crowd, Hector noticed a symbol imprinted upon her flank; a six-pointed magenta star with several, smaller white stars surrounding it. Every pony he’d seen so far, aside from a couple of young ones, had their own symbol, but this was the first one that didn’t depict a solid object or symbol he recognized. He didn’t bother thinking any more about it as the unicorn approached them, figuring if it became relevant than someone would tell him what the pictures meant.
“Glad you made it here safe and sound!” the unicorn said, coming up to them.
Hector raised an eyebrow. “You were expecting us?”
The unicorn nodded. “Mhmm. Princess Celestia sent me a letter. Good thing, too; I’ve been spending the past few hours letting the whole town know that alien royalty is visiting. If I hadn’t the time, everyone would be giving you guys weird looks all while you’re here.”
Hector raised his other eyebrow. She’d received a letter from the Princess? His initial confusion gave way to the realization that, with the kind of magic Princess Celestia displayed, it wasn’t too hard to imagine she had a method of sending messages very quickly.
“I believe that,” he replied.
The unicorn lifted a hoof. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
Hector accepted her hoof and shook it. “I am Lord Hector, head of the Lycian League on the continent of Elibe.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Twilight said, then turned to Florina. “Hi there, Florina! How have you been since we last saw each other?”
Florina smiled softly. “I’ve been fine, thank you.”
“Did Celestia tell you why we’re here?” Hector asked.
“She told me the basics, but I haven’t explained everything to everypony else.” Twilight turned and bade them follow her. “How about I show you around town first?”
Hector and Florina fell into step behind Twilight as they left the train platform, coming out into Ponyville. Looking around, the contrast between this town and Canterlot was as stark as night and day. Thatched roofs and simple wooden walls dominated the majority of the town’s architecture, though Hector spotted some more fanciful-looking buildings in the distance. The ground wasn’t paved with cobblestone, or even had a dirt path cut through the grass dictating where to walk. This made everything seem significantly less cramped than Canterlot; the smaller buildings certainly helped with this, as well. A gentle breeze blew between the buildings, bringing with it the fresh smells of nature, creating a pleasant ambiance.
They ventured through the town. Twilight pointed out important landmarks as they went along, going into extended detail about their significance to the town, its history, and more than a few memorable events relating to them. Some of what she said managed to go over Hector’s head and looking at Florina indicated she was similarly confused, but for the most part, Hector understood what Twilight was saying. ‘Town Hall’, for example, was the working environment of this world’s equivalent of a village magistrate.
During their tour, however, Hector had the feeling that something was amiss. A town, even one this small, should’ve had a lot of citizens milling about, running errands or playing or chatting. By the time Twilight led them to an oddly-designed building she called ‘Sugarcube Corner’, he’d seen a total of twelve ponies loitering around town; even the marketplace had been strangely empty for such a beautiful day. While it was nice not having dozens of eyes constantly boring into him, the almost deathly quiet of the town was every bit as unnerving.
“Hey, Twilight?” he ventured to ask. She turned her head to face him. “Why is the town so empty? Surely, there’s more than just a few ponies living here, right?”
An unmistakable flash of surprise crossed Twilight’s face. Hector tensed, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Florina just looked between the two of them with a mask of uncertainty.
A couple of beads of sweat dripped down Twilight’s face and she gave a nervous chuckle. “Well, they’re, um…” She trailed off for a moment before opening the door to Sugarcube Corner. “How about we have a bite to eat? My treat.” She turned to start walking in but stopped when she noticed that neither Hector nor Florina were following her. With a sigh, she turned around, her face turning exasperated. “Ok, look, everyone’s inside,” she said in a whisper. “I had to lead you all around town so they could work on your surprise welcome party. Although, obviously, it’s not a surprise anymore. But can you still act surprised when you enter? Please?”
Hector and Florina blinked, unsure at first how to respond to that bit of news. Hector scratched his head. “Well, I guess we could try. But why would you go to such lengths just to surprise us with a welcoming celebration?”
Twilight sighed, a relieved smile crossing her face. “It’s my friend Pinkie Pie’s idea to always throw a new visitor to Ponyville a ‘Surprise Welcome to Ponyville’ party. She’s doubly excited to be throwing a party for visitors from another world, which is why it took so much longer to put together this one, hence why I had to stall before bringing you here.”
“Well, that’s nice of her,” Florina said, smiling gently.
“Yeah,” Hector agreed. He took Florina’s hand and made his way toward the door. “Alright, let’s go in.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said as they passed.
The building was complete and utterly dark. Hector’s and Florina’s shadows were swallowed by the darkness as they passed the door’s threshold. They heard soft whispers and giggles all around them. Sensing the big reveal was coming, they prepared themselves to look and act surprised when it happened.
A light came on.
“SURPRISE!” came a collective cheer from dozens of voices.
Hector’s and Florina’s eyes widened with genuine surprise.
The room was lavishly decorated with colorful streamers and strange, round objects that floated in midair with strings attached. Small, colorful pieces of paper littered the ground and tables set around the room, themselves carrying a varied plethora of colorful pastries. A large banner was stretched across the ceiling above a counter near the back that read ‘Welcome to Ponyville from Another World’. Ponies of various species and colors crowded the room, staring at the royal couple with beaming grins that threatened to eclipse their faces.
What really threw off Hector and Florina, however, were the various accessories many of the ponies were wearing. The most common was a giant yellow glove shaped like a human hand with its index finger pointed out. Other ponies had their ears folded back and covers shaped like human ears slipped over them. In addition to these, one mint green unicorn was even standing straight on her back hooves, wearing boots with human feet painted on.
Hector and Florina tried to make sense of the scene before them, their minds a scrambled mess of emotions and possible responses vying for dominance. The ponies kept their gazes fixed on them, eagerly anticipating their response.
Through the muddy waters of his mind, Hector managed to catch Twilight saying, “Go on, show some surprise” behind him.
Hector blinked a few times and slightly shook his head, managing to clear his thoughts. He put on a pensive smile, stepping forward to address the crowd. “Well, er, this is certainly unexpected. But, ah, thank you for the warm welcome.”
A loud cheer rose from the crowd as all the ponies waved their human glove hands and some even stomped their hooves against the ground repeatedly in what Hector assumed was their method of showing applause. He spared a glance next to him to see that Florina was actually holding up better than he thought she would. She wasn’t smiling, and her whole posture spoke to how tense she must’ve been feeling, but she wasn’t letting it show in her facial features. He considered that substantial progress in overcoming her shyness.
Once the cheering died down, the ponies all took to milling about the room, grabbing pastries and chatting. Surprisingly, no one’s gaze continued to linger on Hector and Florina. It was almost as if they suddenly didn’t exist anymore.
Such a sensation didn’t last for long, however, as a pink pony with a poofy mane and tail suddenly burst from the crowd and hopped right up in front of Hector and Florina. It stared up at them with wide, sparkling blue eyes, its mouth set into a grin of seemingly impossible proportions. Hector internally groaned, wondering what kind of hell he was in for now.
The pony began talking really, really fast. So fast that Hector had trouble keeping up, some words being lost amidst the avalanche pouring from the pony’s mouth. “Hiya, I’m Pinkie Pie. I organized this ‘Welcome to Ponyville from Another World’ party, and it turned out so so so so so good! It’s also the first and so far only ‘Welcome to Ponyville from Another World’ party I’ve ever put together, so I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to do it right but it looks like I did if you two were so surprised. So what’re your names? My name’s Pinkie Pie– oh wait I already told you that, didn’t I? So what’re your na–”
Twilight shoved her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth. Hector whispered a prayer of thanks for the reprieve.
“Okay, Pinkie, I think they get the point,” Twilight said.
Pinkie muffled something around Twilight’s hoof, to which she removed it. “I’ll be right back!”
Hector and Florina watched as Pinkie took off through the crowd, moving so fast she became a pink blur amidst the crowd. They blinked rapidly, startled by the sudden display of speed before Pinkie reappeared just as quickly in front of them with two pastries balanced on her back. “Go ahead, try them!” she said. “They’re the bestest cupcakes you’ll find this side of Equestria or my name isn’t Pinkamena Diane Pie!”
More blinking. Hector and Florina turned to Twilight, silently asking for her input.
“Go ahead, they’re okay to eat,” she replied with a smile. “Trust me, Pinkie’s cupcakes are amazing.”
Hesitantly, Hector and Florina each took a pastry. They were mushroom-shaped with dark brown bread and an unknown pink substance on top, adorned with multicolored toppings. They were certainly different from anything seen back on Elibe, but the ‘cupcakes’ didn’t look inedible by all outward appearances.
Florina brought the treat to her mouth and took a small bite off the top. Instantly, her eyes lit up and she gave a delightful hum before taking another, much larger bite. Hector followed suit, taking a small bite. An explosion of sweetness rolled over his tongue, sugary flavors the likes of which dwarfed anything he’d ever eaten before bombarding his taste buds with pleasure. Like Florina, he gave a delightful hum, savoring each bite as he continued eating.
“So you like it?” Pinkie asked, eyes wide.
Hector nodded, popping the last bite into his mouth. He finished chewing and swallowed. “Yeah, it’s delicious. Thanks.”
Florina nodded her agreeance.
“Alright, now let’s play some games!” Pinkie wrapped a forelock around Hector’s arm and began pulling him toward a corner of the room with surprising strength. “Let’s play some ‘Pin the Tail on the Pony’. Except I changed it to ‘Don’t Pin the Tail on the Human’ because humans don’t have tails, so all you have to do is pin the tail as far away from the human as possible in order to win! It’ll be fun!” She gestured to a picture of a crudely drawn human figure stuck to the wall.
Hector tried to break free of Pinkie’s grip, but couldn’t. “Listen, I don’t have time to play games. My wife and I are here seeking aid because we were told this was where we could find the best ponies for the job.”
Pinkie stopped and let go of his arm, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. “I understand, but just one game, please?”
Hector wanted so desperately to argue against the notion. Putting aside how strange this celebration was compared to the festivals held back in Elibe, partaking in merry games when official business was the driving force behind his visit here didn’t sit well with him. A good ruler prioritized the well-being of their subjects over his own merriment.
But thinking about it some, he realized that such conventional thinking couldn’t apply to his current situation. He was in a whole new world, populated by a whole new species of sapient creatures with their own culture and social behaviors. A big part of being a good ruler was establishing strong relations with foreign powers, which meant making good first impressions with their respective peoples.
With a sigh, he replied, “Fine, I’ll play.”
“Great!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Dashie! Fold him!”
Hector’s vision was suddenly obscured as a thin piece of cloth was wrapped over his eyes. “What the–!?”
He felt two hooves clutch his sides, followed by a brash, feminine voice saying, “Don’t throw up!” before his body was spun around faster than a swordmaster’s strike, his cape flying wildly around him. He only just barely managed to keep himself from toppling over by the time he came to a stop. His head swam and stomach churned and it took all his willpower to hold back the rising bile in his throat.
He groaned. “Why is this happening to me?” he muttered under his breath. He felt a small piece of metal attached to a piece of cloth put into his hand.
“Okay, big guy, now don’t pin the tail on the human!” the same voice said from behind him.
Hector grimaced, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance as a low growl escaped his mouth. He moved forward, holding the tail in front of him and extending his other arm further out to feel for the wall. He quickly found the wall and shifted his hand around until he touched the picture, sticking the tail into the edge once he did so.
“Hey, that’s cheating, using your other hand!” the mare called.
Hector snorted. “Don’t care.” He ripped the blindfold from his face and turned around to face her.
She was a rainbow-maned pegasus with a blue coat. Her magenta eyes were furrowed and her muzzle was set in a thin, disapproving line. She hovered in midair, her wings continuously beating while her forehooves were crossed in front of her chest. The way she was staring at Hector made it appear like she was scrutinizing him, judging his character. It was only fair, he supposed; he was doing much the same to her. She appeared to be the hardiest of all the ponies they’d met so far.
Finally, she fluttered over to him, her expression softening a little. “So, you’re a real-life human,” she stated with casual interest. “You know, you guys only exist as fiction here in Equestria.”
“And your kind is relegated to mounts for pegasus knights back in Elibe,” Hector responded. “So there you go.”
The mare’s eyes widened a bit before she burst out a hearty laugh. She reached out a hoof in greeting. “Name’s Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet ya.”
Hector accepted the hoofshake, mulling over her given name. “Rainbow Dash… you’re the most talented weather pegasus in Equestria, then?”
“Oh, you’ve heard of me?”
“I heard about you from Princess Celestia. The job my wife and I have could use your talents.”
A smirk crossed Rainbow’s muzzle and she casually bumped a hoof against her chest. “Well, I guess I am, but what I really take pride in is being the fastest, most awesomest pegasus in all of Equestria.”
“And you’d better believe she’s the fastest!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping over to join them. “Dashie is so fast, she can actually do a Sonic Rainboom! Not only does she break the sound barrier, but everything gets all colorful and flashy when she does it. It’s super duper awesome and loud and would probably shatter your eardrums if you were too close to it but it would still be amazing to see up close!”
Rainbow’s chest puffed with pride. “What she said.”
“... Sure.” Hector would still need a demonstration to know that she actually was a viable candidate for the job. “Anyway, I was also told there was a family of exceptional farmers living here called the Apple family. The job we have could benefit from them as well.”
“Sure are, and one of them’s my best friend.” Rainbow turned to the crowd of ponies. “Hey Applejack, come on over here!”
Out of the crowd came an orange mare with a blonde mane and wearing a strange, wide-brimmed hat. Her legs, unlike other ponies, had more pronounced muscles, particularly in her hind legs. She didn’t have wings or a horn; Hector still didn’t know what name those specific ponies were referred to as here.”
The mare, ‘Applejack’, came up to them, giving a curt nod to Hector while examining him with a curious eye. “Howdy there, Sugarcube. Y’all need me for somethin’?”
Hector blinked, taken aback by the mare’s strange accent. “Yeah, but first I have a question; what is your species of pony called?”
Applejack seemed equally taken aback by his question at first, but shrugged it off and answered in stride. “We’re called earth ponies. I reckon there’s a resemblance to ponies back in your world?”
Hector nodded. “Yeah, a little.” He had to admit, having multi-colored equines back home would make things interesting. Weird, and probably uncomfortable, but interesting nonetheless. “Anyway, my wife and I are here to recruit ponies specializing in weather control and agriculture.”
“That so, huh?” Applejack turned and took a seat at the closest table. “Well, why don’t ya tell us a bit more then?”
Hector and Rainbow Dash took seats as well. Pinkie left in search of more sweets to devour, thanking Hector for participating in her game of ‘Don’t Pin the Tail on the Human’. He still felt weirded out by the name but didn’t let it show.
He then proceeded to give the two mares a basic rundown of his duties as Marquess Ostia, as well as the food shortage that currently plagued Ilia, raising his voice to be heard over the din of chatter from the crowd around them. He explained how he and Florina reached the decision to seek out help in Equestria and what exactly would be needed from any ponies that offered their services. All the while, Rainbow Dash and Applejack listened intently, their faces betraying their interest and desire to answer his call for aid. All seemed to be going well for his plea.
That is until he mentioned the estimated total time it would take to complete the job.
Applejack grimaced. “I dunno; a whole month is a bit much to ask for.” She fidgeted. “I mean, I want to help, I really do, but I have my own work back at Sweet Apple Acres on my plate. I could probably find somepony to replace me, but still…”
“Yeah,” Rainbow spoke up. “I mean, managing the local weather isn’t an easy job. I could probably find somepony who can manage, but asking them to do it for a whole month? I’m not so sure.”
“I understand it’s a lot to ask of you, especially since you’re not mercenaries.” Hector folded his hands under his chin. “As head of the Lycian League, it is my responsibility to see to it that you two would receive compensation for your aid. The whole reason I’m coming to you is that my peoples' confidence in me is shaky at best, so I can’t freely provide consumable resources to even allied countries. Safety under my care, however, is something I can guarantee.”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared a look, biting their lips. “Well, the thing is,” Applejack began, “we don’t really need–”
“SWEETIE BELLE! RUN!”
The loud, ear-piercing shriek came from outside, rising above the chatter in the room and causing everyone to turn their heads toward the front door.
“That was Rarity!” Applejack said. She bolted for the door, Rainbow Dash following right behind.
Hector blinked for a moment before running after them.
Florina watched as the hyperactive pink pony dragged Hector toward a corner of the room. A small part of her found the sight of her husband being overpowered by something so cute and colorful funny, but mostly she hoped he’d be able to rein in his brusqueness enough to succeed in securing aid for Ilia. Every other pony in the room, surprisingly, seemed to instantaneously ignore her in favor of chatting amongst themselves.
Deciding to capitalize on her given room to breathe, Florina casually strolled over to one of the many tables holding sweets, taking a slice of cake for herself and taking a seat at a table off to the side of the room without any occupants. She took a bite out of the cake with her fork, savoring the near-divine sugary flavors it boasted. A part of her was a little jealous that such delectable sweets didn’t exist back in Elibe.
“Mind if I sit next to you, darling?”
Florina looked up to see an alabaster unicorn with a curled purple mane looking expectantly at her. She held a plate of her own cake in her magic. Florina blinked, then looked downcast.
“Is something the matter?”
“Um, no, y-you can sit here,” she replied. She wanted to enjoy the time to herself, but it wouldn’t do to be impolite to the ponies.
She heard the unicorn take a seat next to her. A white hoof came into her field of vision. “My name is Rarity.”
Florina hesitated for a second before she accepted the hoofshake. “Florina,” she said quietly.
“So you’re visiting royalty from another world?” Rarity said with excitement in her voice. Florina gave a small eep when she felt Rarity grip her dress. “Oh, this is such a beautifully-designed dress! I believe I feel inspiration striking!”
Florina stared wide-eyed with shock down at Rarity. It took a couple of seconds before the unicorn noticed her gaze and let go of her dress, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. Force of habit.”
Florina gave no reply, merely taking another bite of her cake. She chewed quietly, mulling to herself while watching the festivities with little more than casual interest. They ate in silence for a minute, all the while Florina could feel Rarity slipping glances her direction every other moment. The only consolation she had was knowing Rarity seemed to take more interest in her dress than she herself. It was a pretty dress, she had to admit; the royal seamstresses did amazing work.
Finally, she worked up the courage to ask something she’d been wondering. “Rarity, why is everyone so accepting of me and my husband’s origin?”
“You mean the fact that you’re from another world?”
Florina nodded.
Rarity took a moment to eat some more cake before answering. “Actually, most of the ponies here don’t really care about whether you’re really from another world. Mostly they’re just glad to have an excuse to attend another one of Pinkie Pie’s parties. I imagine some of them are a bit skeptical. I, of course, believe you two are, as do the rest of my friends. Twilight told us all about the Singularity and the story of how you two met, and she’s one of the most trustworthy ponies in Equestria.” She turned to look down at Florina’s dress again. “Anyway, that really is a lovely dress. I particularly love how the purple fabric compliments your mane.”
Florina murmured a half-hearted agreement, her mind elsewhere. The crowds’ chatter was starting to annoy her a little and, just as well, she didn’t want to have to speak up to be heard.
She picked up her plate. “I’m going outside.”
“Oh, mind if I come too?” Rarity picked up her own plate.
Florina nodded. Together, the two of them left Sugarcube Corner, coming out in front of the store. Florina was about to sit down on the front steps when she noticed something in her eye’s corner. Standing a little way to her right was a butter-yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane and tail. A hummingbird was fluttering in the air before her and, to Florina’s surprise, the pegasus actually seemed to be conversing with it.
“Now Dennis, you let me know if Angel sneaks food from the cupboard, okay?”
The bird twittered in reply.
“Thank you. Be safe on your way back home.”
The bird fluttered away, chirping happily.
“Oh hello, Fluttershy dear,” Rarity said.
The pegasus, ‘Fluttershy’, turned to face them. The instant her eyes landed on Florina she jumped into the air with an eep. Upon landing on the ground, eyes shrunk to pinpricks, she curled into a shivering little ball.
Florina blinked. She heard Rarity sigh next to her. “Fluttershy, you do remember the visiting royalty from another world? It’s only been a couple of hours since Twilight told us.”
Another small eep sounded from the pegasus.
“Oh, there’s no need to be so afraid, dear; Florina here is perfectly harmless. Why, quite ladylike, if I may be honest.”
Fluttershy gave no response.
Rarity sighed again and turned to Florina. “Please don’t take it the wrong way, darling. Really, Fluttershy acts this way around anyone strange and/or frightening. It’s just in her nature, really; please don’t take offense to it.”
Florina registered everything Rarity was saying but was only half-listening. Her attention was fixated entirely on Fluttershy. Seeing the poor little thing be so afraid of her tugged at her heartstrings. It was like looking into a mirror to the past. The need to console surged through her heart.
Smiling, she walked over to Fluttershy, the pegasus’ trembling growing more intense as she got closer. She knelt down and whispered, “Your mane is pretty.” It truly was; the way it was swept to one side and curled wasn’t bad to look at. Ponies’ manes were certainly better kept than humans’.
Fluttershy’s body relaxed a little. She peeked an eye through her mane. Florina’s smile broadened.
“Um, thank you,” Fluttershy whispered. “Yours is nice too.”
“Thank you too.” Florina’s eyes tracked in the direction the bird, Dennis, had flown. “Can you really talk to birds?” She spoke as gently as she could, which was as easy as blinking her eyes.
It seemed to work, as Fluttershy lifted her head out of her hooves. While she didn’t smile, her eyes betrayed a greater sense of calm. “Sort of,” she replied and gestured to her flank. “It’s part of my special talent.”
Florina cast her gaze to the trio of pink butterflies adorning Fluttershy’s flank— her ‘cutie mark’ if she remembered Twilight correctly from their time together during the Great Convergence. “What do you talk about with them?”
“Well, um, mostly how their families are doing. Sometimes they tell me important things going on around my cottage, or if one of my friends is in danger and needs help.” She uncurled herself a little more, eyes showing off greater calm. “I take care of lots of animals back at my cottage. Before I met the rest of my friends, they were the only real company I had in my life.”
Florina lifted a hand. “Can I pet your mane?” she asked.
Fluttershy blinked. “Um, sure, I guess?”
Florina reached her hand up to Fluttershy’s mane and lightly stroked it. She was amazed by how silky smooth it was, but otherwise, it felt no different from a horse’s mane back home. “I like animals too,” she said after a few moments. “My best friend is actually a riding pegasus named Huey that I’ve had ever since I was a little girl.” She paused briefly. “At least, he’s my best animal friend.”
Fluttershy arched a confused eyebrow. “Animal?”
“Oh, right.” Florina’s cheeks warmed a little and she mentally berated herself for forgetting who she was speaking to. “Only humans are sapient back in my world. Pegasi and other equines don’t speak.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened a little. For a second, Florina was afraid she’d somehow insulted her, or just as bad, made her uncomfortable again. But her fear melted away when Fluttershy’s muzzle lifted into a small smile and she giggled. “I’d love to meet him. Maybe I can translate what he says for you.”
Florina’s lips curled upward, her own giggle yearning to break through. She let it burst forth, holding a hand to her mouth to stifle it a little. “He’d probably just tell me to watch out for arrows and to give him more carrots.”
Another round of giggles escaped their throats. Fluttershy was fully uncurled by now, standing tall on all four legs. Florina felt a surge of pride swell in her chest knowing she’d gotten this shy little pegasus to open up. She imagined this was how her friend Serra probably felt by the end of her ‘training’ to boost Florina’s confidence during their time in Eliwood’s army. It was a good feeling, she had to admit.
“Well well well, you two sure have gotten off nicely,” Rarity said, joining them. She sat down on the ground, giving Fluttershy a sly wink. “I told you Florina was a proper lady, didn’t I?”
Fluttershy just blushed.
A minute of silence passed afterward in which the three of them just sat and, in Florina’s and Rarity’s case, finished off their cake.
“I’m going to go check on my husband,” Florina said, getting up. “Hector should have found the ponies Princess Celestia told us to seek out by now.”
“Oh, and who might those be?” Rarity asked.
“We’re looking for ponies who can control the weather and who can quickly grow crops. Princess Celestia told us we could find the best for the job here in Ponyville.”
“Why do you need ponies with those talents?” Fluttershy asked.
Florina proceeded to give them a brief rundown of the situation with Ilia, Hector’s own problems with ruling Lycia, and how they connected with each other. Rarity listened with interest the entire time while Fluttershy’s expression was unreadable.
“My, that certainly is an unfortunate predicament your dear husband is in. But it sounds like you both made the right call, coming here for aid.” Rarity’s mouth fell into a slight frown. “I’m not sure how easy it will be to convince our friends to lend their assistance, however. It sounds like this would be a lengthy job, and spare time isn’t something we typically have in great abundance.”
“I understand,” Florina replied. She turned and made her way back up the stairs.
“What’s that?” she heard Fluttershy say.
Florina turned around to see Rarity and Fluttershy staring off into the town. She tracked their gaze, spotting a few points of color off in the distance. As they got closer, details filled themselves in, eventually forming three little fillies wearing dark red capes galloping toward them, kicking up little clouds of dirt.
Then a fourth, much larger shape came from around a building, chasing them.
Florina heard Rarity squeal in terror beside her. Turning, she saw panic in the unicorn’s eyes.
“SWEETIE BELLE! RUN!” Rarity cried.
Florina watched as the larger figure became more clearly defined as it got closer. The shape it eventually took left her baffled. It was a large, vulpine creature, but made out of tree branches and leaves in place of flesh and fur. Yellow-green eyes stared down with predatory hunger at the three fillies it chased.
Florina registered a crowd of footsteps from behind her. There were a few quick short gasps, followed by shrill screams of panic and terror.
“Timberwolf!”
“Run girls, run!”
“Come on, make it”
“Everyone, get back inside!” she heard Twilight call.
The fillies were halfway to Sugarcube Corner now, but the ‘timberwolf’ was gradually gaining on them. Their eyes were filled with terror and their little legs pounded the ground with panicked abandon. She heard several sets of hooves retreat back inside the building. Hector, Twilight, and two more ponies — a blue pegasus and an orange earth pony — came out in front of Florina.
“I’ll get ‘em,” the blue pegasus said. She spread her wings, ready to take flight, only for Hector to put a hand up to stop her. “What’re you–?”
Hector quickly grabbed Florina’s and Rarity’s plates and took off running toward the timberwolf. As his armor was made for heavy defense rather than swiftness, his jog was noticeably labored, his armor clanking loudly with each step, but he pushed forward as fast as he could manage.
“Now what in tarnation is he up to?” the orange pony asked.
Florina smiled. “He’s going to save them.”
Everyone turned to regard her for a moment before returning their attention to the unfolding confrontation.
Hector stopped off to the right of the approaching fillies and timberwolf. He took one of the plates in his hand and, reeling back, tossed it at the timberwolf. The plate sailed through the air, smacking the timberwolf dead on the snout and shattering into many pieces. The timberwolf stopped dead in its tracks, recoiling from the blow. It appeared to look confused for a moment. Then the second plate smacked the right side of its head and it turned its vengeful gaze squarely onto Hector.
The three fillies made it safely to Sugarcube Corner, stopping in front of the group and taking deep, gasping breaths.
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity wrapped her hooves around the white filly. “Thank goodness you’re alright!”
“Apple Bloom.” The orange pony repeated the motion with the yellow filly.
“You’re okay, Scootaloo!” The blue pegasus followed with the orange filly.
None of the fillies returned their respective hugs, likely too tired from running to move their legs.
“Ohmygosh, Hector!” Twilight cried.
Everyone turned to see the timberwolf charging down Hector. It was then that Florina noticed the wooden vulpine appeared to be favoring its hind legs, judging by its irregular gait. As it got closer she saw why: one of the branches which made up its front right leg was snapped and limply dangling.
Hector quickly fetched his axe from its sheath. Florina heard a few sharp intakes of breath from some of the ponies and a small murmur of ‘woah’ from the blue pegasus. He stood patiently, axe firmly clutched in his hand. When the timberwolf was but a mere ten feet away it lunged through the air, claws outstretched and aimed straight for Hector’s throat.
In one swift motion, Hector side-stepped to the left, simultaneously swinging the axe into the creature’s side. The blade of the axe connected with a loud thwack, burying itself into the wood. A loud agonized howl escaped the timberwolf’s mouth as it continued flying through the air, landing on the ground with the axe still embedded into its side.
The ponies all watched with stupefied expressions adorning their muzzles while a simple, plain smile graced Florina’s lips.
Hector strode up to the writhing timberwolf, his own expression one of cold indifference. He gripped the axe tightly and, with a good wrench, pulled it free, eliciting a pained whimper from the downed beast. He then delivered a heavy kick to the creature, to which it got up and began scampering away, whimpering all the while. It rounded a corner out of sight just as Hector approached the group, looking down at the three fillies with concern.
“Are you three alright?” he asked them.
All the ponies simultaneously snapped from their collective shock. The three fillies managed to calm down from their sprint to safety, their breathing becoming regular.
“Yeah,” the yellow one, ‘Apple Bloom’, replied.
“Thanks for saving us, mister,” the white one, ‘Sweetie Belle’, said.
“That was so awesome!” the orange one, ‘Scootaloo’, gleefully cried. She ran over to Hector, her eyes sparkling and mouth running faster than a cavalier’s steed. “The way you smashed that axe down on him was so, like, ‘You’re not the boss of me, begone vile thing!’ and then kicking him while he was down was like ‘Bam!’” She smashed the ground with her hoof for emphasis. “That. Was. So. Awesome!” She pushed her cheeks inward with her hooves; it was a strange gesture.
“Totally!” Apple Bloom said, joining her friend. “Can you teach us how ta fight like that, mister?”
“Oh no!” The orange mare came forward and pulled the two fillies back. “No way you two are gonna ever even think about tryin’ something like that? Got it?”
She gave the two fillies a hard, stern glare, the kind a mother would give to misbehaving children. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom wilted under the gaze, shrinking in on themselves and nodding.
“Why was that timberwolf chasing you three anyway?” Twilight asked. “And while we’re at it, why weren’t you at the party?”
“We saw his cape–” Scootaloo gestured to Hector, “–and we wanted to show off ours to him.” She turned around, affording everyone a glimpse of the pattern on her cape: a stylized little pony against a blue backdrop, itself wearing a cape. “But we got attacked on our way back.”
“Now what have we all told ya ‘bout going through the Everfree unsupervised?” the orange mare admonished again.
“We didn’t go through the Everfree!” Apple Bloom protested.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “we were following the trail back to town when all of a sudden, Sweetie Belle stepped on a twig–”
“–that turned out to be part of a timberwolf, which reformed and chased us!” Sweetie Belle finished.
“Are you serious?” Twilight asked, disbelief in her voice.
The fillies all nodded.
A moment of uncomfortable silence descended on the group. Worry clouded all the ponies’ eyes. Apparently, something about the situation wasn’t normal to them.
“Alright then,” the orange mare broke the silence, turning her gaze back up to Hector. “Thanks for savin’ my sister, Hector.”
“I must give thanks as well,” Rarity spoke up, drawing Sweetie Belle close. “If anything happened to my dear, sweet Sweetie Belle…” She buried her muzzle into her sister’s mane, a couple of tears falling down her face.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle whined. “You’re embarrassing me!”
“Scoots’ isn’t my sister,” the blue pegasus said, ruffling the filly’s mane, “but uh, yeah, thanks for saving my number one fan.”
“Don’t expect anything less from me,” Hector said with a smile, swinging his axe over his shoulder with one hand. “It’s a lord’s duty to protect the common folk.”
Twilight giggled. “Well, you certainly did your job well, Hector.”
Fluttershy shuffled a hoof, her mane obscuring one eye. “It was, um, a little violent, though.”
Hector shrugged. “Either him or the little ones.”
“Well, still, thanks for savin’ our sisters,” the orange mare said. “Is there anythin’ we can do to repay ya?”
Hector raised an eyebrow. “I believe you know what you can do.”
A look of realization crossed the mare’s face. “Oh, right. Hey, wait a minute—!” She glared angrily up at Hector. “You didn’t jus’ do that ta guilt us into joinin’ you, did ya?”
“As I said, it is a lord’s duty to protect the common folk,” Hector repeated. He pointed in the direction the timberwolf retreated. “That was a demonstration of my promise to uphold that duty.”
“I could’ve taken it on all by myself, you know,” Rainbow spoke up.
“I don’t doubt that,” was all Hector said in response. “Whatever choice you end up making, I will respect.”
Another uncomfortable silence passed between everyone. The fillies looked between Hector and their sisters, confusion clear in their eyes. The adult ponies had expressions ranging from hesitance to contemplation to concern. Florina realized Hector must not have had the best of luck with recruiting them earlier.
Finally, Twilight broke the silence by clearing her throat. “Well, how about we all get properly acquainted before we discuss this further?”
Everyone nodded their affirmation before they all regrouped back inside Sugarcube Corner. Everyone inside was assured that everything was alright and the festivities resumed in earnest.
The humans and the ponies were all formally introduced to one another and Hector once again gave the full details of his call for aid. And once again, it was after mentioning the whole endeavor would take about a month that everyone’s hesitation showed clear as crystal in their eyes. It made sense, Florina supposed, seeing how these ponies clearly had their own lives to live here in Equestria. Asking them to put that aside for such an extended period of time was a little much to ask for.
By the time Hector finished talking, the ponies’ reactions were greatly assorted: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were sheepishly rubbing their heads while their sisters looked contemplative, hooves rubbing their chins. Fluttershy and Twilight seemed to be concerned for their friends, but there was a hint of intrigue in their eyes as well.
“I’m assuming you wouldn’t need my help, then?” Rarity asked. “Something having to do with sewing clothes, perhaps?”
Hector shook his head. “No, nothing like that; Ilia just needs food and warm weather.”
“I do feel the need to repay you for saving my sister.”
“If I ever have an issue with my wardrobe, I’ll come to you.”
Rarity nodded. “Very well, then.”
“Here’s the thing,” Applejack spoke up. “I want to help ya, Hector; I really do. But I meant what I said about not having a readily available replacement ta help on the farm. Harvest season is gettin’ close, and that’s when I’m needed the most.”
“Yeah, and the Ponyville weather team wouldn’t be half as efficient as it is without me,” Rainbow Dash said, a hint of pride in her voice. “Besides, how’re we even supposed to know that our magic will work in Eilee–Ealou–”
“Elibe,” Hector corrected.
“Yeah, how’re we supposed to know it’ll even work over there?”
“It actually should work very well,” Twilight spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to her, “at least, if we’re to trust the word of those Guides in the Singularity. When the Singularity was created, and all worlds linked together, their respective systems of physics started harmonizing with each other. Enough time has passed that I’m sure you’d be able to use your magic in Elibe without a problem.”
“Wow, Twilight, I actually understood everything you said for once,” Rainbow said with a smirk.
“Yeah, Twilight,” Applejack said with a laugh. “Glad to see you’re willin’ to tone down the science-speak for once.”
Twilight smiled, rolling her eyes.
“But that still leaves the problem of findin’ replacements for our jobs until we get back. Believe me, Sugarcube, I’m wrackin’ my brain trying to think of somepony, but I’m comin’ up empty.”
Rainbow rubbed her chin. “I could probably convince Thunderlane and Blossomforth to take over for me. I can’t imagine they’ll handle things as well as me, but I’m thinking they’ll at least keep Ponyville in one piece. But that’s if I can convince them.”
Applejack sighed. “Then I guess that just leaves me.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened to twice their size and she leaned forward to match Applejack’s gaze. “Hey, Sis…”
Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Apple Bloom…”
“Yeah, the three of us can chip in and help while you’re gone!” Scootaloo said, catching onto Apple Bloom’s intent.
“Yeah, we can totally help!” Sweetie Belle affirmed.
Florina smiled at the little fillies’ excitement. Hector smirked, shaking his head a little. The rest of the ponies followed suit, all except for Applejack, who continued giving them a hard glare.
“Listen, you three,” she said, looking between the fillies, “I appreciate y’all wanting ta help. I really do.” She sighed again. “But managing all of Sweet Apple Acres is a tall order. Even with the three of y’all workin’ together, I’m still hesitant, to put it mildly.”
“Ah, c’mon big sis,” Apple Bloom whined. “You’re always treatin’ me like a little filly! I already help out on the farm with you an’ Big Mac; havin’ the girls help me will make it a breeze!”
“Yeah, we can help, Applejack!” Sweetie Belle reaffirmed.
“It’s the least we can do to repay Hector for saving our lives,” Scootaloo added.
Applejack’s glare softened a little. As if sensing weakness, the fillies’ eyes grew bigger and shimmered while their mouths turned into cute little pouts. Florina even thought she heard a whimper come from one of them. The whole sight forced her to stifle a giggle.
Applejack’s expression softened even more at the fillies’ cute faces. Her lip trembled and eyebrows furrowed as if she was resisting a powerful spell. The battle wasn’t hers to win, though, as she finally let out a gasp and fell face first onto the table. Lifting her face up, she very begrudgingly said, “Fine. Y’all can help.”
“Yay!” the fillies all shouted in unison.
“But I’m tellin’ Big Mac ta keep a close eye on you three!”
“So, do we have an agreement?” Hector asked Applejack.
“I reckon so, right after I tell my family what’s happenin'.” She got up and trotted out the front door.
“I’d better go find Blossomforth and Thunderlane.” Rainbow got up out of her chair and took off up into the air. She turned to Fluttershy. “I’ll bring Tank over afterward.”
Fluttershy cast her gaze downward for a second and scuffed a hoof against the chair. “Actually, um… I kinda want to go too.”
Every single pony’s eyes bulged in response. Florina and Hector raised their eyebrows in interest.
“Wait wait wait,” Rainbow repeated, waving her hooves back and forth in a strange gesture. “You actually want to come? You, Fluttershy, want to come with us?”
Fluttershy softly nodded.
“Why?”
“I’m interested in seeing another world,” Fluttershy replied, but Florina thought she saw the pegasus’ eyes briefly glance in her direction. “I can get Zecora to look after my animals if that’s alright with you all.”
The ponies all shared surprised glances while Hector just shrugged. Florina’s surprise was only very brief before a spark of realization struck and she gave Fluttershy a soft, understanding smile.
“Well, if you’re sure…” Rainbow trailed off, rubbing the back of her head. “I’ll… see you guys in a bit.” She flew out the front door as well.
“You know what?” Twilight said, sitting up and putting her hooves on the table, a confident grin crossing her muzzle. “I’m going too.”
“And what might your reason be, dear?” Rarity asked.
“Isn’t it obvious!?” Twilight’s eyes glimmered with excited anticipation. She rubbed her hooves together, mouth splitting into a wide, almost manic grin. “A new world means so many new people to meet. Another whole culture! A different kind of magic to study, even! How could I pass up an opportunity like that? And Spike can handle running the library until I get back, so all should be good for me to go.”
“Indeed, how could you pass that up?” Rarity shot her a sly grin, one which Twilight responded to by waving a dismissive hoof.
“So that means we’ve got four ponies coming with us.” Hector got up from the table. “We should get a move on soon. It’ll be nighttime by the time we get back to Castle Ostia. We’ll need a good night’s rest before setting off for Ilia.”
Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “Looks like we’re bound for another adventure, huh?”
Fluttershy gave a soft, slightly nervous smile. “I-I guess so.”
The sun was just above the horizon by the time everyone was ready and gathered at the train station. Everyone who was going was gathered in front of the train while their friends and acquaintances were ready to bid them a fond farewell. Hector had assured the ponies they wouldn’t need to bring anything for their journey, and so had packed nothing, though, Twilight insisted she had her own special ways of bringing belongings; Hector didn’t bother asking for details. He’d also had Rainbow Dash give a demonstration of her weather magic and he had to admit, being able to put his hand through a cloud was an enlightening experience, one he could previously only take Florina’s word for.
Thunderlane, Blossomforth, the Apple family, Zecora, and Spike were brought up to speed on what was going on and all had agreed to keep things in order. Seeing the little dragon had shocked Hector and Florina enough that both of them lost awareness as bad memories rose from the suppressed depths of their minds. They’d eventually snapped from their trance and assured the ponies that they were alright.
“I’m counting on you and Owlowiscious to not burn down the library while I’m gone,” Twilight said to Spike. “Also, no rave parties, you hear?”
“You can count on me, Twilight,” Spike said. One hand was in front, holding a scroll, while the other was behind his back.
“Let me see both hands, Spike,” Twilight ordered.
Spike sighed and brought his other hand out in front. “You can count on me, Twilight.”
“That’s better,” Twilight said with a patronizing smile.
Spike then breathed a plume of fire onto the scroll. It vanished in a puff of sparkling smoke and flew off into the sky, all while Hector and Florina watched in awe.
“I’m counting on you both not to flood Ponyville, or destroy every building with lightning,” Rainbow told Blossomforth and Thunderlane.
“We’ll do our best,” Thunderlane said.
Blossomforth nodded her agreement.
“Promise me you fillies’ll all listen to Big Mac an’ Granny and only do what they tell you to do, exactly how they tell you to do it,” Applejack said to her sister and her friends.
“We promise!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders replied in unison.
“Don’t you worry ‘bout nothin’, girl,” the old lime-green mare, ‘Granny Smith’, said. “Me an’ Big Mac’ll keep these young whippersnappers in order or I’m not yer grandma!”
“Eeyup,” the big red stallion, ‘Big Mac’, followed up.
“All the food is in the cupboards left of the sink,” Fluttershy told the black and white-striped pony, ‘Zecora’. “And make sure Angel Bunny doesn’t pick the lock to the carrot cake stash.”
“Dear Fluttershy, do not fret; animal caretaking, I truly get,” Zecora rhymed. She looked at the departing group. “Be careful in the other world, please do; from one world to another, great unknowns await you.”
“Nothing will happen to them as long as I’m there to keep guard,” Hector promised.
The train blew its whistle and the doors opened. The departing group began filing onto the train while both groups waved goodbye to each other.
“Take care, girls!” Rarity called.
“Ooh ooh ooh!” Pinkie said, bouncing on her hooves. “Bring back a souvenir!”
“We’ll see, Pinkie!” Twilight called back.
The group of six gathered onto the train and took their seats. Once again, Florina sat next to Hector, this time taking the window seat herself. Soon enough, the train started up and the group was on their way back to Canterlot and eventually Elibe.
A surge of warmth enveloped Florina’s chest as she was excited by the success of their mission to gather aid for Ilia. Thoughts of her homeland eventually brought upon thoughts of Fiora and Farina and another surge of warmth spread through her at the prospect of meeting her sisters again. She’d grown so much in the past two years, she couldn’t wait to show it to them.