“See those mountains out there?” Hector pointed with his axe into the distance. “Remi is just beyond there.”
Everyone looked to where he was pointing, spying a pair of snow-covered peaks about a mile or two from their current position, between which rested a narrow, sparsely vegetated valley. The morning sun was hidden behind an overcast sky filled with snow clouds and Fluttershy thought she could even see a light flurry in the distance near their destination.
The faint scent of salt filled her nostrils. This made sense, as Hector had said Remi was located next to the ocean. Their journey was almost over— a sense of relief washed over her upon that realization. Where there was a village, there was safety. They wouldn’t have to deal with surprise bandit attacks anymore, which meant they could avoid any further bloodshed.
“Finally!” Rainbow exclaimed with no small amount of relief herself. “We can finally get this ball rolling!”
“It’ll be nice to finally have a bed regularly, that’s for sure,” Applejack said.
Twilight sidled up to Florina, catching her attention. “So, your sister is waiting for us there?” she asked.
Florina nodded. “That’s right. Along with the mercenaries under her command. Possibly more, depending on what her superiors in Edessa have decided upon.”
“How easily do you think she’ll accept help from me and my friends, despite the fact that we’re essentially aliens in this world?”
“I can’t imagine Miss Fiora will be at all hard to convince,” Oswin spoke up. “Like everyone else who was a part of Eliwood’s army, she is aware of the existence of the Dragon’s Gate on the Dread Isle. As such, the existence of the Window shouldn’t be too hard a concept for her to accept.”
Canas stepped forward. “Indeed. But the same cannot be said for those under her command as well as the citizens of Remi. They are unaware of the Dragon’s Gate, and as such, aren’t used to the idea of travel between worlds.”
“Right, so we’ll have to be careful about how we reveal you girls,” Hector said plainly, yet with a slight hint of worry in his tone.
“Yeah yeah, sure, that makes sense,” Rainbow said, casually waving her hoof. “But still, no way in heck they won’t be awestruck when they see my awesome flying maneuvers and perfect mastery of weathercraft.”
“Only if they can get past your over-inflated ego first,” Applejack said with a smirk.
“Oh, they totally will,” Rainbow said without any hint of annoyance, casually bumping a hoof against her chest.
Applejack rolled her eyes, her mouth set into a wry smile. Twilight’s reaction was much the same while the humans reacted with expressions ranging from annoyance, deadpan, and interest. Fluttershy was excited for Rainbow as she would soon be able to fly freely after being grounded for so long.
The group took off down the trail again, excitement building in Fluttershy with every step. A couple of times along the way, Rusty decided to hop off of her back and chase down a field mouse for breakfast. The little fox had grown very attached to her, to the point he’d even asked if he could come under her care. She agreed, though, she couldn’t help but wonder if the kind of fox food she had back home would be edible for a fox hailing from a completely different world. She also wondered how Rusty would get along with the rest of her animal friends; she hoped they wouldn’t be put off by his alien origin.
Thoughts of her animal friends brought to mind thoughts of what kinds of new friends she might make in Remi, human or animal, in addition to Rusty. If Florina’s sister was anything like her, then Fluttershy could see herself and Fiora getting along very well. Hearing about the potential response she and her friends might get from Remi’s citizens, however, made her worry a little. She couldn’t bear to have so much attention thrust upon her, but she hoped things would be calm enough so that making new friends would be easy.
The group traversed the snowy landscape in good time, stopping only once along the way for a short water and rest break. None of them could tell what time it was without a watch on hoof, but Fluttershy guessed it was around ten o’clock when they entered the valley. A light grumble in her belly reminded her how they’d all gone nearly two weeks eating mostly light meals. It was an unusual experience for Fluttershy, having to eat rationed meals— she might’ve been used to it if she went camping more often. It would probably be asking too much of the citizens of Remi for a more substantial meal, especially considering the whole reason she and her friends were coming was to grow more food for them in light of their shortage. She supposed she would just have to wait until later on when Applejack had worked her magic aplenty.
As they exited the valley, a sense of nervous excitement filled Fluttershy over knowing their journey — the first half, at least — was coming to an end. Looking around, her friends appeared to be feeling similarly. The humans were more stoic than anything, but that was probably because they were more used to distant travels.
Finally, they came out into a small, snowy clearing, gathering together in a straight line with Huey behind everyone. Situated about a half mile away from the mountains, at the end of the trail down an incline, was a small village, similar in appearance and aesthetics to the one back in Ostia, but with a wall of wooden pikes surrounding the perimeter. A small bay sat next to the village with a couple of islands in the center, leading out to the vast ocean beyond. A castle stood upon a hill on the opposite side of the bay, its outward appearance sporting a little more visual flair than Castle Ostia, but still visually drab for the most part.
Silhouettes of people could be seen moving to and fro within the village, going about their daily business. Far to one side, the flying form of a pegasus soared above a militaristic formation of people. That must’ve been Fiora.
“Oh man, it feels so good to finally be almost done walking,” Rainbow said with a huge sigh of relief.
“I hear ya, Dash,” Applejack agreed with a nod.
Hector stepped forward before turning around to face everyone. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” he began. Everyone focused their attention onto him, listening intently as he spelled out the plan moving forward.
“We’re not going to reveal the ponies’ existence right away. Instead, we’re going to gradually plant the idea into their heads before stating it plainly. The first thing Florina and I need to do is reconnect with her sister and reassure her that the four of you—” he looked between Fluttershy and her friends, “—are capable of solving their food predicament based solely on our word. We’ll work from there, but I need everyone to keep quiet until I give you permission to speak. Am I clear?”
Everyone gave a collective nod of affirmation.
“That’s actually some very considerate planning,” Twilight remarked.
“You have Oswin to thank for the bulk of it,” Hector admitted without a shred of embarrassment. “But don’t think for a second that I would’ve ever been upfront with your identities. The last thing I want is to cause a panic.”
“Do you truly believe we can avoid that, Hector?” Canas asked. “People can be rather fickle, as we all know.”
“Oh, have faith, Canas,” Serra spoke up. “Some people might be fickle, but surely Florina’s own sister would be welcoming of help regardless of where they’re from. What reason could she possibly have not to trust her sister’s word?”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Canas replied. “But even Fiora can only do so much to quell the confusion and panic her squadron and the citizens of Remi are likely to have upon learning of the ponies’ true identities.”
“Like I said, we’re not going to rush into this,” Hector said. “We’re first going to tell everyone about the ponies’ origin and magic. Then we’re going to continually assure them we’re telling the truth if they don’t believe us. Once we have them convinced, that’s when we’ll drop the illusion and you all will properly introduce yourselves.”
“And how long is that going to take?” Rainbow asked. “I wanna be able to fly ASAP.”
“My sister isn’t a difficult person,” Florina insisted. Her voice was higher than usual and had resolute confidence that Fluttershy had yet to hear from her, but that she admired greatly. “Maybe she won’t believe us right away, but she has an open mind. We can do this.”
“Well, we ain’t gonna find out by lollygaggin’,” Applejack said. “Let’s get on over there an’ give ‘em a proper greeting, huh?”
“Right,” Hector said.
The group descended the incline in single file, Hector in front and Huey bringing up the rear as usual. They didn’t talk much the entire way— Fluttershy assumed everyone was thinking too much about their possible welcome to the village. That was the only thing permeating her own mind, at least.
They were about halfway toward the village when Hector stopped the entire company. Looking ahead, they saw a lone horse rider sprinting along the trail towards them; the people in the village must have seen the group descending the incline. The man’s armor indicated that he, like the messenger from the other day, was a soldier.
The rider stopped a short distance away, kicking up a spray of snow. Fluttershy took note how every single soldier they’d seen thus far, regardless of their country of origin, wore perfectly identical armor sets with the sole exception of the crests. What that could mean, she didn’t know, nor did she decide to let it concern her.
The soldier hopped off his steed and rushed up to the group. “You are Lord Hector of Ostia, correct?” he asked, addressing Hector.
Hector nodded. “I am. We are here to aid the people of Ilia in their time of need. Do you belong to Fiora’s mercenary squadron?”
The soldier nodded. “I am. The Commander awaits your group’s arrival; I will inform her you are coming.”
He returned to his steed and took off back toward the village. The group set off again, now with a palpable air of excitement between them. Fluttershy’s heart hammered in her chest, intensifying the closer they got to the village and what could either be a great welcoming of new, potential friends, or a terrifying invasion of her personal space and privacy.
The sight of several dozen armored soldiers, casually-dressed villagers, and mounted knights could be seen gathered by the gates as the group approached. A single pegasus knight stood in front of the whole group, projecting an air of authority despite wearing a kind, welcoming smile. It was a girl with long, turquoise hair, wearing an armor set and light clothing similar to Florina’s own, minus the full-torso chestplate. But what stood out to Fluttershy was the girl’s facial structure; it bore a strong resemblance to Florina’s own. Her eyes were soft and gentle, also like Florina’s, but with an additional layer of confidence. She radiated a warm strength that Fluttershy found herself captivated by; it was as if she was looking into a mirror reflection of the kind of person she wished she could be.
There was no doubt in Fluttershy’s mind that this was Fiora. She certainly looked like someone Fluttershy could easily get along with judging purely by her outward appearance, but she wouldn’t know until she actually got to know her.
The group made their way through the gates and approached the gathering of Remi’s citizens, spreading before them with Hector and Florina standing in front. Fiora approached the royal couple, her eyes centering on Florina and her smile growing wider as she got closer.
“It’s good to see you made it here safely, Florina,” she said.
Florina nodded. “I did. We had a few skirmishes with brigands, but we all made it here safe and sound.” She stepped forward to close the distance between them, enveloping her sister in a hug and pressing her head firmly into Fiora’s shoulder. “It’s so good to see you again, Sister.”
Fiora lightly stroked her sister’s mane. “I concur. Not a day has gone by for the past two years where I haven’t thought of you.” Fluttershy thought she saw a tear run down Fiora’s face. Her eyes closed. “You’ve really grown up in such a short amount of time. I’m so proud of you.”
Fluttershy heard a few sniffles coming from the crowd behind Fiora. She, too, struggled to keep a straight face in light of such sisterly affection. Warmth spread through her at the sight, and a brief glance to her friends indicated they were feeling similar— Rainbow was trying to look tough, but a glimmer of softness managed to shine through her features all the same. Oswin and Canas looked composed while Serra appeared to be holding back her own tears.
After a few moments, Florina and Fiora broke their hug and Fiora turned to Hector. “Well met, Marquess Ostia. Or, should I still refer to you as simply ‘Hector’?”
“Call me however you wish,” Hector replied simply.
“Very well.” Fiora turned her attention once again to Florina. “Has married life been treating you well?”
Florina nodded. “It’s been nice.”
“That’s good to hear.” Fiora turned back to Hector. “So, shall we get to business, then?”
“Fine by me.” Hector turned to face Fluttershy and her friends and gestured for them to step forward.
Fluttershy felt a small knot form in her stomach as she and her friends complied. This was it, the moment of truth. Things could either go smoothly, or they could go south. Talks could either be controlled and calm, or she and her friends could be staring down several dozen torches and pitchforks.
Fluttershy’s worries stood on the fence when Fiora turned her attention to her and her friends, her expression turning confused as she examined them. The villagers followed suit, mimicking her uncertainty. Fluttershy wilted under all their scrutiny, partly due to her typical shyness, but also as a result of her mounting anxiety. The knot in her stomach twisted a few times. She struggled, yet failed, to keep her legs from trembling.
Finally, after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Hector spoke up again.
“I imagine you’re confused, Fiora, so allow me to introduce to you and the citizens of Remi your saviors in your time of crisis.” He swept his hand over Fluttershy and her friends, a bold smile crossing his face. “These girls are the ‘unconventional help’ that I mentioned in my reply. They may not look like much at a glance, but they possess great power. Power to grow food swiftly and banish unfavorable weather. With them alone, Ilia’s food shortage can be solved.”
There was another moment of silence as Hector’s claim hung in the air. The crowd seemed doubtful to believe him while Fiora herself appeared to have cast aside her confusion and was more closely examining the ponies from top to bottom. Hector’s claim would sound unbelievable, Fluttershy knew; nothing about her and her friends would look particularly remarkable when Twilight’s illusion spell made them appear as ordinary humans. Knowing this helped put her slightly at ease.
Finally, Fiora broke the silence. “Why are they wearing the official uniform for the Union’s pegasus knights? They don’t look familiar.”
“Fiora, what I’m about to tell you must never escape beyond yourself and the people of this village,” Hector said, putting immense weight behind his words. “Can you promise me you all will keep a secret not just for my sake, but for that of both our countries? Possibly the entire world?”
Fiora’s mind appeared to go somewhere else for a short while before she said, “Yes, I can. Of course.”
“Very well.” Hector gestured to Fluttershy and her friends again. “These four girls are not human. They only appear to be wearing pegasus knight attire so as to properly disguise themselves.”
Fiora’s and all the villager’s reactions were about what Fluttershy expected; their eyes went wide and they began whispering to one another. Fluttershy thought she picked up ‘Is he serious?’ and ‘What could he mean?’ more than a few times. Fiora stared deadpan at Hector for a few moments, then turned her attention back to the ponies. Contemplation shined in her eyes as she once again studied them as if she were unraveling a great big puzzle.
After a few moments, panic spread across her face. She closed the distance to Hector and leaned to whisper in his ear. Fluttershy just barely managed to pick up what she said.
“They’re not dragons in disguise, are they? Wasn’t the Dragon’s Gate sealed forever by Nils?”
Hector let out a soft laugh before whispering his reply. “No, they’re not dragons, but they do share similarities in regards to their origin.”
Fiora’s face relaxed a little, but not entirely as a result of Hector’s last tidbit. She returned to the front of the crowd just as Hector resumed speaking.
“These girls are not human but rest assured, they are friends. They have agreed to lend their aid to Ilia and its peoples out of the goodness of their hearts. For those of you wondering why Lycia itself cannot provide food— I would have been more than happy to send you all the food in the world if my position as head of the Lycian League didn’t stand on shaky ground.
“Regardless, these girls have agreed to use their power to grow as much food as quickly as possible to get the people of Ilia through this winter. You might be asking yourselves what kind of power they employ to make such a feat possible for just four girls. We will be more than happy to tell assuming you believe my claims. But take all the time you need to digest all of what I’ve just said.”
Silence once again permeated the air between everyone following Hector’s speech. The crowd did indeed seem to be mulling over his claims, but not without more than a little disbelief plainly evident among everyone. Fiora looked especially torn, evidenced by her biting her lower lip and holding a finger under her chin.
Fluttershy took a moment to gauge the expressions of her friends: Twilight was frowning with concern; Applejack was patiently awaiting a response from the llians; Rainbow Dash was twitching with anticipation, and the other humans appeared to mirror Applejack’s expression, though, Serra had a glimmer of intrigue in her eyes.
Fiora spared a glance to Florina, who simply nodded as if responding to an unspoken question. Almost instantly, Fiora’s hesitance melted away, replaced by resolution. She strode forward past Hector and Florina, right up to Fluttershy and her friends. Her anxiety threatened to break her countenance, but she did her best to stay calm and composed, reminding herself that everything was going exactly as planned.
Fiora glanced between each of the ponies, her face judgmental in the same way as a military officer scrutinizing their subordinates. Which, considering her occupation, was probably exactly how she was viewing them.
“Can you truly really provide my home with enough food to feed us through the winter?” she asked.
“We can,” Twilight said with a nod. “Although, it’s mostly Applejack and Rainbow Dash—” she gestured to each pony, respectively, “—who’ll do the work. The rest of us are here mostly for support, but we’ll help whenever we can.”
“Those are strange names.” Fiora’s lips curled into a smile and her face softened. She breathed a small sigh. “So you’re not human, huh? Then what are you?”
“So ya believe Hector?” Applejack asked.
“I was skeptical at first, but I know for a fact that Florina’s got an honest head on her shoulders. I would never have believed she was getting married if anyone else had told me, so as farfetched as Hector’s claim is, I’ll believe him if Florina vouches for it.”
Florina noticeably blushed upon hearing that. Hector wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and flashing her a genuine, yet slightly cocky smile.
“So does that mean I can finally fly freely now?” Rainbow asked, ravenously.
“Looks like it, Sugarcube,” Applejack said.
“Oh, thank Celestia!”
Rainbow launched into the air and began flapping her wings. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. “This feels soooo good.”
The crowd filled with startled shouts in response to the illusion being broken. Their eyes filled with alarm and surprise, some of them pointing at Rainbow while others looked to be on the verge of booking it in the opposite direction. There were no screams of terror, at least, which Fluttershy took to mean this would all work out.
Fiora’s reaction was just as surprised, but her actions were more subdued. Her gaze fixated on Rainbow, her mouth hanging open slightly, eyes filled with wonder and awe.
“Whoa whoa whoa, chillax everyone.” Rainbow hovered closer to the crowd, prompting many of them to reflexively take a few steps back. “I mean, yeah, I’m sure I look a little weird to you all but don’t believe for a second that I’m not the hero you all need. Be back in five seconds.”
With that, she took off into the sky in a rainbow blur, kicking up a spray of dirt and snow in her wake. The Ilians tracked her with their mouths hung agape; a few incoherent mumblings sounded between them. Fiora managed to break from her stupor to stare incredulously at the rest of the ponies. Fluttershy instinctively hid her face behind her mane in response, mentally chastising herself for doing so when she’d managed to keep composed just a minute ago.
Just as fast as she’d gone up, Rainbow came down, holding a puff of snow cloudstuff in her hooves. She presented it to Fiora with a cocky grin stretched across her muzzle.
“Snow clouds are giving you a lotta trouble, huh? Well, you can count on me to keep them outta the sky for as long as I’m here.” She released the cloudstuff, letting it float between her and Fiora.
Fiora blinked. She slowly raised her hand toward the cloudstuff, inching closer with each passing second. Just as she was about to touch it, she hesitated.
“Go on and put your hand through it,” Rainbow urged. “You won’t be able to actually touch it without pegasus magic, though.”
Fiora hesitated for another second before she reeled her hand back and shot it into the cloud and out the other side— it was completely intangible to her. She quickly retracted her hand and stared at it for a few seconds, like it was suddenly an enigma she couldn’t figure out.
Silence filled the air following the exchange. Fluttershy’s entire body tensed. Everything was going fine so far; all that was left was to demonstrate the full extent of Rainbow and Applejack’s magic to the Ilians. Seeing Fiora’s reaction to Rainbow’s pegasus magic drove home the point that she and her friends were completely, utterly alien. Enigmas. A small part of her took pleasure in the surprised reactions of the humans, but she hoped they were more curious than afraid of her and her friends.
Finally, Fiora asked, “So you can clear the skies?”
Rainbow waved a dismissive hoof. “I could do it in my sleep.”
“... Okay.” Fiora turned to address the whole group with a plain expression. “Well, I imagine you all are tired from your long journey. If you wish to rest, the local innkeeper has agreed to provide guest rooms for you all free of charge. Meals will still cost coin, as I’m sure you can guess and will hopefully understand.”
“Sounds good ta me,” Applejack said, stretching her legs. “I’m plum tuckered out from all the walking we had ta do to get here. I could use a good rest ‘fore we get to work.”
“I will join you two as well,” Serra proclaimed, a haughty air to her tone. “One with noble blood such as myself requires much beauty sleep to remain alert and helpful.”
Fiora turned to face the crowd, clearing her throat before speaking. As she talked, expressions throughout the crowd visibly relaxed and turned more optimistic.
“Fellow Ilians, our call for aid has yielded fruit! These equines may not hail from our world, but if what we’ve just seen means anything, our fears can be laid to rest. They will bring us from the brink of starvation out of the goodness of their hearts. But they are currently tired from traveling all the way from Lycia, so for the time being, they will need to rest. We will gather at the crop fields in three hours’ time to witness their magic firsthand.”
A round of cheers followed her speech as everyone in the crowd clapped their hands. It wasn’t wild and raucous, as there was still a small degree of uncertainty present among them, but it was obvious they were willing to give the ponies a chance to prove themselves.
Twilight turned to face her friends. “I guess I can dispel the illusion, then.” She lit up her horn.
Fluttershy felt her body tingle as Twilight’s magic cut off. A new round of gasps came from the crowd as the spell was broken, revealing the ponies’ true selves. Fiora didn’t bat an eye in response this time— perhaps her prior knowledge of interdimensional travel had sufficiently desensitized her.
“I’ll get us all set up at the inn,” Hector announced.
“You girls go on ahead,” Twilight said to her friends. “I think I’m gonna explore a little.”
“Mind if I join you?” Canas asked her.
“Not at all.”
The two of them set off deeper into the town. Hector led Applejack. Rainbow Dash, and Serra to the inn, with Oswin guiding Huey and the supply wagon behind them. The crowd watched them all go, dispersing once they were all out of sight and returning to their daily business, but with a palpable aura of optimism surrounding them.
A few moments of silence passed between Fluttershy, Florina, and Fiora before the two sisters embraced each other in another hug.
Seeing such action of sibling affection salvaged long forgotten memories from Fluttershy’s subconscious. Memories of her younger years, when she and her brother were still close. She remembered many instances where Zephyr would give her a comforting hug whenever she was feeling down, which was a lot.
A pang of longing shot through Fluttershy. She cast her gaze down, her view of the pegasus knight sisters obscured as her mane fell over her eyes.
“Can we talk some more?” she heard Fiora say.
“Of course, sister,” Florina replied. “It’s been so long since our last meeting.”
Fluttershy heard them leave by their footsteps. Looking up, she saw them heading toward a break in the wall surrounding the village, beyond which she saw the blue of the ocean.
She took a step forward, intending to follow them, but hesitated when she realized the two sisters likely just wanted some time alone together. She and her friends had made such a good first impression— being rude now could potentially sully it.
She glanced around the village. All of her friends had left, leaving only a hoofful of villagers left working near the village gate. They spared curious glances her way every second as they went about their business which only served to push Fluttershy away from talking with them. The thought of joining up with her friends crossed her mind, but she’d feel left out joining with Twilight and Canas, and the last thing she wanted to do was disturb Applejack and Rainbow while they tried to rest.
No matter what she tried to tell herself, the only two people she could comfortably interact with were now walking away, heading for the beach. Fluttershy’s desire and morality warred with each other before eventually settling on a compromise: follow them, but keep her distance until she had the right opportunity to join them.