//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Battalion Wars: Equestria 
// by mathwiz617 
//------------------------------//

	8:00 PM, January 15; Downtown Baltimare

Sitting at a table that Pinkie had provided, Twilight pulled out a large scroll, a quill, and some ink. “I normally have my assistant Spike write stuff down for me, but he’s asleep,” she explained.

“Spike?” Betty asked. “That’s a strange name for a pony, isn’t it?

“Why, yes, it would be. However, Spike is a dragon. A baby, at that.”

“There are dragons here? Really?”

“Well, not many anymore, I think. When Equestria reentered this world, I believe everything else was left behind. Therefore, only those in Equestria at the time would have come here.”

“That makes sense. You said this nation is called Equestria?”

“Yes. We’re ruled by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, two sisters that have lived thousands of years. They’re alicorns, which means that they have both a horn and wings. There was an… incident between the two about a thousand years ago, but it has been resolved. I’m not going to go into detail about it, though. You said your home is called ‘the Western Frontier’? How is it ruled?”

“You were right about the name. We have a much different government structure than you do, however. We elect our rulers, and after a time, we have another election. We do this to ensure that nobody becomes corrupt with power. However, I’m sure our current leader will be in office a long time, after the wars we won. There are a few other nations around, including the Tundran Territories, the Solar Empire, and a few others, but I think they all follow a monarch.”

“I think I’ve heard of the Solar Empire before, in a book of legends. Just so you know, we have democracy too, but we only practice it on a local level. It’s hard to beat thousands of years of experience when it comes to leading a nation.”

“Fair enough. Just asking, what’s with the horn? I can understand that wings would allow you to fly, but what does a horn do? And what about ponies with neither?”

“Haven’t you been watching my quill? Horns allow unicorns to perform magic. Most unicorns can only levitate things and do something related to their special talent, but some unicorns, like myself, have generalized magic as a special talent. Not to brag, but we can do pretty much anything if we have enough power. For example, watch this.” Twilight stood up and teleported to the end of the street and back.

“Wow. That’s impressive.”

“Thanks. Now, like you saw, pegasi can fly, though some faster than others. Rainbow Dash is the fastest of them all. They can also control the weather, make rainbows, and some other things. Earth ponies, like Applejack and Pinkie Pie, are stronger and have increased stamina, though I think Pinkie’s stamina simply comes from the incredible amount of sugar she eats.” Both of them looked at Pinkie, who shoved a whole cupcake in her mouth and smiled. “Pinkie also has some kind of sixth sense. Don’t ask me how it works; it just does. You probably also noticed the mark on my flank. That’s a cutie mark, which signifies my special talent. I doubt humans have anything like that, though.”

“We don’t. Now, I know this may be a sensitive subject, seeing as we just met, but do you have a military of any sort?”

“There is a unit of royal guards stationed in every large town, and a good amount of guards in the capital, but it’s really just a token force against outside threats. We rely more on the fact that Princess Celestia can control the sun, Princess Luna can control the moon, and Discord… well, Discord can do pretty much anything. What about you?”

“Every nation in this world has a substantial military. However, we don’t have anyone that can control the forces of nature and whatnot.  Tell me more about this ‘Discord’.

“Well, there’s not much to tell. He’s a draqueonus, and pretty much the living embodiment of chaos. I think he was also the one to activate the portal that brought us here. He’s been reformed, so he knows to control his powers, but really, he’s still pretty scary sometimes.”

“Well, that’s something I have to tell high command.” Betty underlined and circled what she had just written: “DO NOT INVADE EQUESTRIA”. “Umm… is there any way you can convince your princesses that we mean no harm?”

“I’m sure Princess Celestia can accept that, as long as nopony is hurt. That is, as long as you have no affiliation with this “Iron Legion” she mentioned.”

Betty breathed a sigh of relief. “The Western Frontier destroyed the Iron Legion a few months ago. The only nation that might claim any affiliation with them would be Xylvania, and they’re out of commission for a while.”

“Good.” Twilight looked at her notes. “I don’t have anymore questions, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Alright then, let’s enjoy the party. I’m sure you’ve never experienced anything like a Pinkie Pie party.”