It was a good thing Captain Magnus had arrived in Ponyville. Nancy hadn’t known what she was going to do that afternoon. Being in danger of boredom was always an issue in the military, at least up until the moment when things weren’t boring at all.
Nancy hadn’t encountered Captain Magnus outdoors before, but instinctively saluted as she approached him. Apparently that was a common trait between their worlds and he returned the salute, though she noticed he used the Commonwealth style.
“Welcome to Ponyville, sir.”
He glanced around. “How are things here?”
“There was a pig stampede last night. Today, I’ve been walking around to look at the security.”
Captain Magnus didn’t react to the news about the pigs. He nodded to the two guards who had pulled the chariot and they trotted away with it. Turning to Nancy, he said, “Why don’t you tell me what you think about the town?”
They walked and talked. Nancy wasn’t sure where they were going, but she told him what she had noticed. “I didn’t see any ways to close streets. That may have made a difference with the stampede, based on how often Starlight seemed to imply these things happen. For anything else, I guess closing the streets doesn’t make much difference with so many people who can fly. I don’t know if anyone actually has locks on their doors. I don’t know what kinds of natural disasters you have around here, but I don’t think any of these buildings could withstand them. Not to mention, everything seems like a fire risk.”
“Good point about the stampede,” he said. “Maybe something like gates could be installed, but that would require somepony to operate them. Did you happen to see any guards on patrol?”
Nancy thought about it. “No.”
He nodded, as if to himself. “As for everything else, Ponyville doesn’t have a lot of climate or geological events. Magic helps with that. There are quite a few monster and villain attacks, though. At this point, the residents have just decided to build their homes as cheaply as possible and rebuild as necessary.”
Nancy looked at him sharply. “You’re joking. Uh, sir.”
“I wish I was.”
They stopped in front of a building. The faded sign out front simply said “Guard.” Captain Magnus glanced around and then looked at her. “If you want jokes, watch this.”
There was nothing in his tone to suggest amusement, though. He pushed open the door.
Inside the building, a stallion in armor sat behind a desk with his hooves propped up. He looked up, then did a double-take and leaped upright. “Sir! How unexpected!”
“That’s the point of an unexpected inspection. Line up your ponies.”
The guard hurried to call the rest out of the back rooms and into the lobby. It took too long, and even Nancy could tell there were a few problems with uniforms. They all lined up reasonably, straight, though, once they saw who had arrived.
“Is this everypony?” Captain Magnus asked.
“Yes sir!”
“So there’s nopony currently on patrol?”
Silence.
“Write me a report on the condition of this post,” Captain Magnus said. He nodded in Nancy’s direction. “Be sure to note your procedures for foreign dignitary visits. Have it postmarked no later than tomorrow.”
He looked at Nancy. “Ms. Rodriguez, do you have anything to add?”
She wasn’t sure if she should take pity on the Ponyville guards or not. But since he was asking… “This building could use a coat of paint.”
“Agreed.” Captain Magnus turned back to the assembled guards. “Do you gentleponies have any comments or questions?”
“N-no sir.”
Captain Magnus left the building, Nancy following in his wake. Seeing this side of him generated both a healthy respect, but also some caution. Nancy appreciated how he had handled the situation, but also realized the same could happen to her. Not that a foreign officer could do anything, but it was the thought that counted and without any other option but to stay as a guest in Equestria, maintaining a good working relationship was key.
“Another reason I’m here today,” he said. “I’d like to request that you come with me on a short trip to meet with the hippogriff defense forces. They’re primarily a nautical-centric society.”
“No problem, sir.”
In the back of Nancy’s mind, any notion of her being in danger of boredom had melted away. Sure, it was work, but she’d also started to loosen up and had recognized that this was a limited time opportunity to see as much of this world as possible. Really, now that she had been cleared of murder charges and received a stipend, experiencing everything Equestria had to offer was kind of fun. Getting back to Earth was still a problem, but if there was nothing she personally could do to make it happen faster...embrace the suck and take amusement where possible.
“Though I do want to check in with Sunburst and see how he’s doing with the problem of dimensional travel.”
Captain Magnus nodded and the two of them headed back for the castle. Inside, they found Sunburst beneath the crystal table, muttering to himself as if he was a shade tree mechanic working under a car.
The sound of Nancy’s boots on the floor was pretty distinctive, so Sunburst was more surprised by Captain Magnus when he slid out and saw them. “Oh. Good afternoon.”
“How’s it going?” Nancy asked.
“I think I’m getting somewhere, but there’s no step-by-step guidebook to reprogramming a unique, one-of-one magic construct like this.” Sunburst glanced at the table. “I’m hoping to have it done by this evening and Starlight and I will work on powering it up. Probably by tomorrow, I’ll be able to start using it to examine potential other dimensions that you might have come from. If everything goes well and we get really lucky, I might zero in on your dimension sometime tomorrow. But I don’t want to get your hopes up - the odds of instant results are probably small. And once we do find where you belong, we would then have to work out a way of sending you back.”
Despite her earlier enthusiasm for exploring, Nancy’s mood now shifted back when reminded that she didn’t have anything else she could do. “Well, thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it.” She indicated Captain Magnus. “I’m going to be helping with some diplomatic stuff, so please let me know if you finish early.”
Sunburst said he would be in touch.
Back outside, the chariot was nearby. Nancy was just about to ask if she was going to ride in it, when a pink pony unearthed herself out of a potted plant near the front door of the castle. “Are you leaving already!?”
“Uh…”
The pony trotted over. “You didn’t even get a chance to have a proper Welcome to Ponyville Party!”
“Wait, have I seen you before?” said Nancy. “It was the Dragon Lands, wasn’t it?”
“Yep! Twilight told me you don’t like surprises, so I’ve been holding off waiting for the perfect moment while you were in town, but if you’re leaving so soon…” She started to pout.
“I’ll be back,” Nancy said, wondering why she felt so apologetic. “I mean, it might be just before Sunburst figures out how to send me home, but…”
“That’s great, then! We’ll have a welcome party combined with a farewell party.” She started to trot away. “See you then, bye!”
“That was Pinkie Pie, one of Princess Twilight’s oldest friends,” said Captain Magnus as he and Nancy boarded the chariot. “She does parties.”
He looked a little uncomfortable, as if he’d been on the business end of one of her parties before.
Nancy was going to ask about the flying chariot, but the ponies pulling it took off without delay. Apparently they didn’t find the weight too much, and the chariot rode smoothly behind them. If Nancy asked how it worked, the answer would invariably just be magic.
It was a nice trip. Perhaps a little breezy, but scenic. Smooth. The suspension was air-ride, after all. By Nancy's watch, they made the journey back to Canterlot faster than the train.
They came in for a landing in a back courtyard of the castle, near some sheds that looked like they housed chariots and other equipment. There was also a large airship there, hovering just a few feet above the ground and tethered to an anchor. Nancy stared at it as she disembarked the chariot.
“Like it?” said Captain Magnus. “That’s our ride.”