Chapter Three:
The Miles We Travel, The Places We See

“Perhaps one of the only positive pieces of advice that I was ever given was that supplied by an old courtier who observed: Only two rules really count. Never miss an opportunity to relieve yourself; never miss a chance to sit down and rest your feet.”

-King Edward VII of Great Britain and Ireland

A ramshackle cart, made of bits and bobs from other smashed, destroyed, and rotten wagons and carts, rolled down the hill, nudging the slow, world weary owner in front of it. The mare behind the cart shafts looked down the road, eyes bleary with days of hunger and sleep deprivation. A wisp of silver hair fell from her mane, which she tucked back into the work-mares bun it had been tied in for quite some time. Sighing, she glanced about, hoping for some sign of civilization. She'd been on the road from Detrot for about five days, having only stopped in the small hamlet of Trotters Dell where she'd had to clean dishes for the towns watering hole to get a somewhat clean bed and a meal, and that had been on her second day out. Now, three days later, she was somewhere familiar, but not entirely sure of where she was.

Her blue coat was dirty, and she felt in need of a proper bath, not waving her hooves and legs through a small waterfall that could barely be called that at all. She noticed a fence line to her left, with a large orchard of apple trees growing inside. Though sparks in her mind were telling her that apples were familiar, and possibly involved in some former fiasco from her life, she trudged along. Apple orchards and fences meant some kind of civilization, right? She continued along, looking for a gate or something. Maybe if she talked to the owners, she could do some work in return for a bath and some food. She didn't know how to do farm work, but at this point she wasn't too proud to learn.

Finally, she saw a gate. After careful maneuvering, she managed to get herself and the ramshackle cart through it in one piece. Trotting through the early morning light, the first rays of the sun just barely peeking over the horizon, she wandered down one of several dirt paths running through the seemingly never-ending forest of apple trees. Finally, she noticed a clearing ahead where the orchard seemed to stop. Slowing to a halt, she glanced at the wide open space. Nearby burnt the remains of several campfires, dying down to cinders. Shapes sat huddled in the still dark morning, or lying down on the ground, wrapped in blankets. Wearily, she stopped, and unhitched herself.

A nearby shuffling sound made her heart run cold for a second. No pony could make that kind of noise, where was the clop of hooves on the ground. To her growing horror, amplified by her weariness, a tall gaunt shape walked out of the darkness, its long arms and legs swinging in a fashion she was unfamiliar with. It stopped, noticing the new, if ugly cart. Then it spoke in a low guttural sound, like no language she had heard either.

"Gdzie do cholery, że część z kałem krów pochodzi? Wygląda jak ślepej borsuk wykonana go w wichury."
("Where the hell did that piece of cow excrement come from? It looks like a blind badger made it in a windstorm.")

She whimpered for a second, covering her eyes in fear. The sound and the movement seemed to attract its gaze in her direction. Sounds like hoof falls, only different came in her direction, the voice angrier and more guttural now.

"Kto tam? Czy to ty George? Przysięgam będę kopać, że tłuszcz szyję same w dupę, jeśli jesteś osobą, która przeciągać to na mojej pościeli."
(“Whose there? Is that you George? I swear I'll kick that fat neck of yours up your ass if you're the one who dragged this over my bedding.")

The thing leaned down, noticing the blue coated, silver-maned pony lying prostrate on the ground, quivering in terror. Suddenly, he was startled as she let out a scream of terror, and fled off into the night, heading towards the Everfree forest by cutting through the orchard. Already, several men were jolted awake by the scream, and glanced at the upset Nowak, who was carrying his rifle in one hand and holding onto his hat with another, chasing after the fleeing figure.

""Czekaj, ja nie chciałem cię przestraszyć. Wróć mały niebieski kucyka! Woods nie są bezpieczne dla takich jak ty!"
("Wait, I didn't mean to startle you. Come back little blue pony! Woods are not safe for such as you!")

Nowak groaned. Great, he'd startled some traveling pony looking for a spot to rest, and now she was fleeing for the woods outside of Sweet Apple Acres. He mentally kicked himself for speaking in Polish in such a harsh tone. Of course the pony wouldn't have understood him, not when they spoke English. Nowak himself spoke it the best out of his family, being one of three who had been sent to the city schools at the age of twenty to learn it. But he slipped into the mother tongue of his family out of habit, due to the bilingual nature that his home had. Now he was chasing a frightened creature into still dark woods.

Ahead he saw her clear the fence, just barely brushing it, before rushing on in her terror, looking back to his huge form galumphing after. In her tired state she wouldn't be able to run much faster or further, but for now the adrenaline rush had kicked in. Onward she ran, outpacing the ill-exercised soldier. Groaning even more, he leaped over the fence, hat nearly flying off, and rifle nearly tripping him painfully. Behind him, he could hear more shouts, and more cries of soldiers following them. She was crossing a roadway ahead, and a good sixty-yards away from the treeline. He put on a short burst of speed, hollering at her in English to stop.

Behind her, the blue mare heard shouting, this time in accented Equestrian. The figure behind her was gaining, and she was slowly running out of steam. Yelling, she kept running, blindly and without heed to the dangers of the forest. She made a final leap, only to slam into the side of a furry backside. Reeling, she barely noticed the sharp teeth bare inches away from her face at first. When she did, her scream was stifled by her own throat, coming out a hoarse whisper.

It was a large, wolf-like creature, and indeed, it was a wolf. Its face was bare inches from hers, mouth taut in a hungry snarl. Around her she heard more growls, and noticed she was in the midst of the pack. Slowly, she closed her eyes, hoping the end would come swiftly. As the wolfs hot breath washed over here, and her eyes screwed shut for the inevitable final end, a large crack, like an overly large firecracker sounded, and hot blood smacked her in the face. Fearing it her own, she opened her eyes, only to find the body of the wolf in front of her slowly swaying, a hole blown through its head, messy and bloody. Topping over to one side, she noticed the rest of the pack was concentrating on something other than her. Turning, she saw the figure from before pointing a long, thin object at the pack, working some mechanism on it. A second wolf jumped at him, but it too was put down, bleeding from the heart. Now the pack was in confusion, for rarely had they come upon predators or creatures that stood up to them, aside from Timber Wolves or the occasional manticore. This thing with its stick of flame and death was new and unnerving. Finally a third wolf tried to attack, but was put down with two quick shots into its torso, bleeding profusely. The pack, bewildered, turned and ran off into the nearby woods, barely looking back over their shoulders at the strange creature. The blue mare turned to look up at the thing that had saved her, but her over-exertion caused her to faint into a deep, black, sleep....

Nowak looked down at the pony. This was going to be fun. Slinging the rifle on its shoulder band over his shoulder, he knelt down, and carefully picked her up. These ponies were damned heavier than he thought they would be. Struggling to carry her surprising heaviness, he put one foot awkwardly in front of the other, and managed to get a slow pace going, as headed back to camp. Off in the distance he could see the other who had been following behind slouching towards him, their gaits showing that they were tuckered out already from their sudden morning run.

“Alright. I've got her picked up. Now its only...half a mile back to camp. Damn...”

Shifting his weight, he started to slowly make his way back with the unconscious blue mare limp in his arms at a better clip, her silver mane drifting in the wind and her unicorn horn poking him somewhat in the arm, eliciting a spate cursing in Polish all the way back. Never again would he chase after a pony this early in the morning.

Rainbow Dash woke up sleepily, her gaze watery from the loud, and slightly impolite yawn that she gave. Fluttershy did not stir, her own delicate breathing barely making it across the room, but Twilight turned in her hospital bed, and gave a moan. The click of a door knob turning the tumblers in a lock woke up the cyan blue pegasus more to the world than a few seconds ago. In came Nurse Redheart and Doctor Tox, his glasses perched on his nose in an almost perpetually annoyed look.

“Ah, Miss Rainbow Dash, I see you're up. Good. Miss Sparkle is going to be run through some final tests, to make sure everything is fit and above board with her health. If things come in positive, she can go home with you in a couple of hours.”

“Alright, good to know you understand. Now, some of these tests are ones that are a bit personal, so if you and Miss Fluttershy would be kind enough to find something else to occupy your time with during those sessions...”

“Oh...of course, heh, patient confi-, confidentally, err, privacy and all that.”

“However, I doubt we shall find anything too wrong with her. At most Miss Sparkle will simple need a large amount of nutrient intake over the next couple of days to make up for all that she burned through last night. I'm sure as her friend you'll ensure she eats enough to make up for that.”
“Sure doc, its what friends do.”

“Of course. I'll be back in a bit to start the testing, but I wanted to come in and notify you of the information, and check on Miss Sparkle's immediate condition. All's in order on that issue, so need to worry.”

Rainbow Dash noticed that Twilight was sitting up now, apparently having gotten up during the conversation. She trotted over, her rainbow tail flicking in concern.

“Better than last night, but not as much as I wish. Ugh, there's this horrible pounding in my head like someone gave Pinkie Pie a pair of bongo drums.”

“I suppose it could be worse. It could be Pinkie with maraca's and a calliope.”

That was a mental and sound image that Rainbow Dash could do without. It wasn't that Pinkie was a bad pony per se...just that letting her have musical instruments tended to involve an over excessive amount of energy being put behind and into them, meaning she could be going at four in the morning whilst one was jamming a pillow on their head. And Rainbow Dash did consider Pinkie a good friend. She was also a useful interrogatory device, which they had used to try to coerce Applejack into spilling the beans over the Canterlot Rodeo about a month back. Of course, it hadn't worked out exactly as planned, but nonetheless, she was a warm pony most of the time who just took her normal look on life to some extremes.

“Same place as Rarity? Last I remember, they were going to Sugarcube Corner then your library to get some things for you. Haven't seen them since last night.”

“Thats odd. Usually Pinkie and Rarity are pretty good about keeping track of time. Pinkie almost scarily so it seems. I wonder what happened to them?”

“Doctor Tox said that you were going to have some private tests later, right?”

“So, why don't Fluttershy and I go take a look around for them then? I'm sure that we'll get back before they release you from the hospital.”

Rarity awoke to find herself in a guest room of the Apple families, usually used when distant relations came over from far away. Gently yawning, she turned over to find the deep blue eyes of Pinkie Pie staring her straight in the face. After a few long seconds of doubly trying to catch her breath and stave off a sudden chest pain curiously close to being a heart attack, she managed to wheeze out a question.

“Hiya Rarity, gee your such a sound sleeper, I've been up since six, and you won't believe all I've talked about and seen and heard, and touched, which is kinda odd sounding isn't it, and anyways there's the party to plan for....”

“Well see, the Princess needed somewhere to sleep once the sun came up, and I volunteered my room for her to use, so then I decided to come down to my bestest friend Rarity's room and spend some time with her for a while, and then things just got so tiring that I kinda fell asleep in your bed, but thats okay, because we are friends, aren't we Rarity?”

The big, sad eyes came out, and Rarity couldn't not help feel somewhat sorry for her friend.

“Alright Pinkie, alright, enough with the puppy dog eyes. Just please, ask a lady next time if it is okay.”

“Yay! Oh, I knew you were a good friend Rarity, and thats why I like spending so much time with you because you're so under...”

At this point, to stop the tidal wave of information gushing forth, Rarity plugged Pinkies mouth with a hoof, which only made her mumble incomprehensibly behind it.

“Pinkie, when I take the hoof away, I want you to answer in a complete, coherent, and normal paced speed, the answer to the following question. Have you seen Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy at all?”

Taking the hoof away, she waited. The pink pony seemed deep in concentration, rubbing both her head and chin in a thoughtful manner, before taking a deep breath.

Rarity mulled over that. For Pinkie, such a short answer was unusual. Just as she was about to ask another question, three small voices and giggles sounded outside her door.

She quietly walked over, and opened it, sending three fillies to the floor. Before her was Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and her own sister, Sweetie Belle.

“We had a Cutie Mark Crusader meeting today, and it was Apple Bloom's turn to host, since the clubhouse is in her families orchard.”

Rarity looked nervous for a second. She didn't want them to hang around these...soldiers, too much. It wasn't that she thought they were monsters, but Rarity knew how rough in language and tumble in action they could be. Though she had to admit, the leader of the group outside was certainly more of a gentlemen than a certain blond haired, thick skulled, unicorn dope she had the unfortunate history of being acquainted with.

“Sweetie Belle, I want you to promise me that you won't spend too much time near those...err, men, I think they're called, outside.”

Crossing her legs, she sat on the floor, a pout on her face, while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared a look.

“Sweetie Belle, those, men, as they're called are fighters, they're not the sort of people its safe to associate with. And I never said you couldn't talk to them....”

“But I want you and the others to be careful, and if they tell you to do something for your safety, I want you to listen and not ignore it. Do you understand?”

Reaching down, Rarity gave Sweetie Belle a big hug, getting a wink from Apple Bloom, and a look of pure gagging from Scootaloo, whose face was contorted like she had sucked on pure lemon juice.

The three dashed out of the room, the calls of “oh gee, lets go see if they can help us with our cutie marks!”

Pinkie, who had in the meanwhile had been bawling at the emotional hug, was now rolling on the floor.

“Oh, just waiting till you were done. Rolling is fun see, whoo, whoo, whoo....”

Sighing, Rarity decided to go downstairs and get something to drink, as she hadn't eaten in dogs years it seemed. Pinkie kept rolling on the floor, laughing and talking about planning the biggest, bestest party she could think of for the new arrivals.

Downstairs, Rarity found a tired Big Macintosh and the man called Mays sitting at the table, playing a game of what looked like chess. Currently, Big Mac was winning. Mays was holding a mug in his right hand, and was pointing one of his fingers at Big Mac with a comical scowl on his face.

“One of these days I'll see if I can get more than those monosyllabic answers you seem to be fond of.”

Sighing, and sipping his tea, Mays shoved a piece across the board and slapped the small counter.

Big Macintosh merely stared at the board with the concentration he seemed to give everything in life, and an expression of passive acceptance always seemed to be plastered on his face. Mays looked at their new arrival. She saw the gleam of the white canines for a second as he gave her a grin.

“Err, everything is fine. I was wondering if I could help with anything involving those clothes you're wearing. You don't look like you have much else and they...probably...are a bit, how you say...”

“Yes, that's the word. Slightly like Spikey...I mean Spike after he's helped me with my garbage can.”

She gave a nervous grin. Rarity was a bit afraid of this tall, gangly creature, though she kept mentally telling herself that calling them creatures was rude. She also expected him to take offense at the comment on his and his mens odor. He surprised her.
“I'll admit, we haven't had a good bath in about three days, been in the field that long. Probably could do with a clean and a wash to the old khaki. And I'll probably have to shove some of the men into a nearby lake to get them to wash up. I'll see if I can't get a few men to help you, help pay off the price of quartering us here it's going to take on the Apples and the princess.”

He sipped his coffee, and went nearly bug-eyed when Big Mac finally made his move, putting Mays in checkmate.

“Goll durned equine chess master! You sneaky, orange maned, green-apple marked...marked...pony!”

The finger went up again, wavering like unicorns horn in battle at the cinnamon red pony across the table.

“When you have time, and I get back from escorting Miss Rarity about, I'm going to make you wipe that smug look off your face mister.”

Scowling, Mays drained the rest of his coffee, almost instantly regretting it when the still very hot liquid swirled down his throat.

“Gahkh... hot, hot...all right, I've got to go, but I'll see you later,”with a pointed finger once again emphasizing his words.

Nodding, Big Mac trotted off, most likely to supervise some of the chores around the farm. Mays, rubbing his tingling throat, stared after the receding figure of Big Mac, as did Rarity.

Rarity looked at the swishing tail of Big Macintosh and took a second to come up with a reply.

Private Lionel Brooks glanced up the book he was reading, being one of the few given a short break of rest, before being made to patch the fences surrounding the property. Those three were staring at him still.

“No, its not a toy. Guns are not for little children...or fillies, to play with. They're dangerous. Plus, your brother would use me as his plow-puller if I did something as insane as letting you play with a firearm.”

“Not that bad, you say. When something resembling a Clydesdale, but with the intelligence that a human normally has, and possibly smaller temper, butts a gun in two, you don't argue whether he's nice. You argue whether you're going to have teeth in the morning if he gets upset because his young sister asked a very stupid man to let her touch, fire, and get injured by a gun. So the answer is no.”

He glared at her for a minute, and her glaring back. Her friends gave looks of sadness, anger, and a whole mixture of emotions that young people made. Rolling his eyes, he put the book away.

“Fine, I will teach you something. But not anything involving guns or firearms. Does that alleviate your distress and disappointment?”

They nodded. Ruffling in his bag, he got out a penny box of matches, and a pack of cards.

The three of them turned to one another, their eyes wide as saucer plates, and he could sense a yell coming on.

Sergeant Freiheart was overseeing the burial detail of the dead wolves from Nowak's morning adventure. Currently, six very grumpy, and very tired soldiers were using borrowed shovels to make deep graves, the deeper to better ensure that other wild creatures didn't dig them up and try to eat the corpses. Nothing worse than having bloated animal carcasses sitting in the sun, and not a vulture to be found. Thankfully, the men were only grumbling a little, which meant he didn't have to verbally encourage them as he usually did.

After about an hour, they had dug a fair sized hole, big enough for the three dead wolves to be dropped in and buried in.

“Alright lads, get that first big fellow in there. Nice and gentle, we don't want it exploding on you now due to buildup of gases inside them.

The men all gave him a look as if to say, thank you for the image sergeant. Ignoring it, he turned to look at Sweet Apple Acres. It was a nice orchard, orderly, and pleasant on the eyes. However, his mind wandered to the inhabitants of this world. Talking ponies were...odd. No, they were strange. Perhaps bizarre? Whatever they were, it was still a shock talking to them and acting as if they were normal...people. He'd been raised in a very Lutheran fashion, and though he had as yet to describe the beings as evil, or spawn of the devil, which he might not couch in those exact terms, it was certainly frightening in a way.

The men had by this point carefully lowered the final body into the ground. They'd now begin the process of covering them with lots, and lots of dirt, which the already tired soldiers were starting to get sick of looking at. The sergeant trusted his commanding officer to a degree. Certainly, the man had a way with words and such, but he was acting somewhat unprofessional around the men, acting more laid back and casual to some degree. Indeed, the men themselves seemed more inclined to look at the sky then do their assigned tasks, which encouraged them to be given a proper tongue lashing. Perhaps it was something in the air, for even Freiheart felt that he was loosing his touch.

Shaking his head, he watched as the men quickly shoved the dirt in over the bodies, hoping to be given some less disgusting task, like slopping the pigs or whitewashing a wall, anything that didn't involve dead bodies. Maybe he should take it slow for awhile. He hadn't had a proper holiday in years, the last time being when he'd gone to Cedar Point with his wife six years ago, and that'd only been for three days. Indeed, he felt his cares and pains somewhat slip away the longer he stayed here. As his thoughts again brought him back to reality, he saw they were pretty much done with the burial.

Sighing, the men hitched up their trousers, slung shovels over their shoulders, and lined up to head back. Nodding that they at least knew enough to get in line, he blew his whistle, and they began the march back to the farm. Nearing the entrance to the gates of the farm, he noticed the white and purple unicorn walking with Mays. Mays noticed him and returned Freihearts salute when it had been given.

“Good, sergeant. Now then, I want you to get the men to demob down to their...undergarments.”

“Oh, don't act so teutonic and stoic. You're going to march most of these men to nearby lake, which Big Macintosh has agreed to show you to, and make the men take a bath. Partly because we all smell, and partly because its hygienic. You have your orders, carry them out.”

Lyra was bored. Bored, bored, bored...bored. Usually she spent most of her days practicing her musical compositions, writing new ones, then playing them out on the various instruments she kept in the basement she shared with her two roommates, Bon Bon and Golden Harvest. It was also where she kept her more eclectic reading materials. Now she was out, looking for something to do to get away from the cramped basement.

The mint-green unicorn trotted along, barely making eye contact with anyone. Normally, she spent her time writing, composing and reading, but for once she felt an all consuming boredom with everything, and her writers block struck like a snake, slowly causing her to lose all interest in her normal activities. Even reading the arcana she stored in a special box didn't interest her.

Some, especially those close to her, might call her obsessed about pony lore and legend. She put it that she was academically interested, which just happened to fill a large void of her normally easy life. For Lyra, the arcane and mystical were forgotten parts of pony history that needed to be appreciated. As she trotted down the street, she noticed that a lot of ponies were slowly stopping and parting. Wondering what was going on, she kept going on till she bonked her head into a pair of legs. A deep throated “oof” was the response from the injured party, and as she fell backwards onto her hinder, she noticed a tall, gaunt figure standing next to the unicorn known as Rarity, who was one of the Elements of Harmony.

The figure wobbled for a second, before righting itself. A wide brimmed hat, folded up on one side sat on its head. It reached down what could only be a...hand.

Inside Lyra's boredom popped, replaced by her innate curiosity. A real, live human. So the legends were true that such a race had existed on this planet before. She gave in to the curiosity over the fear she should have felt, and reached her hoof up, which he grabbed. Pulling her up back to her four footed stance, he tipped his hat. She noticed that like some local stallions that he had a large, bushy, wax-styled mustache growing on his upper lip, its ends curled at the points, an interesting affectation.

He shook her hoof, his five fingers gripping her appendage in a firm, but not crushing hold. The human gave a smile that showed pearly white teeth, though one

“Well Miss Lyra. I didn't appear to be looking where I was going, and I knocked you down.”

“Actually, it was my fault. But I'm so excited to meet you. I've never met a really live human before. I thought you all were just part of Equestrian legend and ancient history.”

As she was about to continue, she noticed a look of confusion flash over his face. Lyra didn't know what to say.

“Well, Miss Lyra, it seems since I'm the first human you've met, I might as well make a good impression. Care to come with me and Miss Rarity here to her boutique for a bit? She's been kind enough to offer her services for assisting my men and I with our rather small clothing problem.”

Rarity nodded at this, and glanced at the mint-green unicorn who had briefly stopped their progress. The two unicorns knew each other informally as being different ends of society, Lyra being a daughter in a prominent Canterlot unicorn family, who had escaped to Ponyville to get away from the hustle and bustle of the capital. Which meant that the Canterlot fashion obsessed designer unicorn had asked Lyra during her first weeks living in Ponyville about the fashions, which Lyra had been at a loss to describe. Strangely, to Rarity's own bemused inner fashion critic, Lyra didn't wear dresses nearly as much as she wore more stallion oriented wear at formal occasions.

Lyra nearly attached herself to May's leg in her excitement, which his sudden panic nearly made him try to shake her off before she could cut off circulation down there.

A shudder passed through his form, at the thought of the sight of those large blue eyes, just before a cupcake lodged itself in his throat earlier that morning. The soldiers in the platoon already were trading war stories of being assaulted by the speedy pink pony. Many claimed she could do things physically impossible, such as be somewhere before a man got there, or hide inside incredibly cramped spaces smaller than her own body. Mays thought that if she could be put into an enemies headquarters, they'd surrender within a day. Then he shuddered again. Some things were cruelty beyond compare. It wasn't that he hated her. She was nice enough, for a pony, but her exuberance and skill with baked goods (especially ensuring that people ate her baked goods) had put the fear of God in him.

“..I've been hugged more times than my mother ever did to me. Than again, mother was a strong believer in hardship makes you stronger, and enhances your faith. Ah, I remember the time my cousin Roark and I made the dumb mistake of falling into a beehive with a glue pot and burnt toast. Good times...good times.”

“I'll take that as a yes. You can close that smile. I believe your head will fall off if it gets wider.

Stepping carefully, he made a small space in the crowd for Lyra to stand on the other side of him. Meanwhile the unicorn looked up to the sky and thanked Celestia and Luna.

Governor George K. Nash glanced at the desk that sat in his office. On it sat a pile of letters, telegrams, and important files that he needed to review. Sighing, he looked out the window at yet another day of horrible weather. His assistant had organized them at least, which meant he wasn't forced to gaze through a pile of junk and trash. Sitting in the chair behind the desk, he stroked his mustache.

After about ten minutes, he's read a singular report on what the state senate was currently debating, and was currently reading messages involving political appointments that needed to be addressed. Then there was pile of telegrams he had to read. Slitting up the letter from one, noticed it was from the headquarters of the state militia.

“Wonder what cash allowance they're asking me to suggest to the Senate this month...”

He slit open the packet, and tipped out the message inside. It was marked important. Deciding it would meant he wouldn't have to read financial reports for another seven minutes, he began to read. His eyebrow raised in credulity. A mysterious orb, or bubble, appearing outside Xenia? Impossible, the soldier who reported this must have made a prank of the situation.

But he tapped his mustache with a pen. However, this report did sound too detailed to be fabricated on the cuff. If it was a hoax, a whole platoon had decided to walk off the face of the Earth, for Militia HQ reported that a second platoon in the area had lost all trace except for the soldier who had sent the report of the enemy platoon they had been wargaming with. In a way, it made a sick sense that there was a mysterious bubble men walked into and seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth.

He tapped the desk with his fingers, and thought deeply. This was a problem. He couldn't go off high-hauling to the Congress in Washington about this. Sure, as governor it was his prerogative to involve the federal government as he saw fit. And if this “bubble” really was something new, why, it was only fair that Ohioans benefit from its discovery, in a reasonable, well-thought manner. True, it could be the biggest hoax in recent state history, but if it was true...well, he believed that it bore investigating. And with the unfortunate things in New York state and Washington going on with the President's recovery, well...it made sense didn't it to have the state investigate first. However, it might be a good idea to inform Washington anyway. They were getting bees in their bonnets all the more sometimes when states ignored them and did their own things.

Taking out a pen and paper, he wrote a quick cable letter, and using his recently installed phone, called his secretary to have it delivered to the nearest telegraph office, and wired to Washington quickly. Sure, things would be weird, and they probably wouldn't believe the tale of a possibly drunken platoon, but their were too many odd ends not connecting. Firstly, why would a lone soldier concoct such a tale? Secondly, how could a whole platoon seem to vanish off the face of existence?

Twilight had been finally allowed to be discharged from the hospital under the care of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and now Twilight sat on her bed, the cool darkness of the upper part of the library washing over her. She felt better than she had at the hospital, and had managed to keep down a daisy and watercress sandwich that Spike had made (not that there was anything wrong with his cooking, but solid food staying down was easier said than done). Now, she was just sitting, staring out the window at Ponyville. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had agreed to help Spike tidy up, and she could hear them muttering downstairs.

Sighing, she turned to look out the window. She noticed that a veritable flood of ponies was heading out towards the town hall off in the distance. Curious, she leaned forward, suddenly realizing her wooziness was still there, and loosing balance, toppled off the bed, along with a pillow and some of the sheets. As she griped at herself about getting tangled in them, she heard Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike quickly coming to her aid.

The exasperated look she gave the wall from her position on the floor completely missed her three friends.

“Yeah, I'm just a little woozy after all those tests. How much blood did they draw again?”

“It was a single hypo Twilight, not Spike's private tub you were ranting about on the way here.”

Shaking her head as Rainbow Dash shoved a paw underneath her back, Twilight was slowly lifted back to her hooves, intact, if somewhat dizzy. Rainbow trotted to the window, and put her hooves on the sill.

“I'm sure she is. But wouldn't she have come to check on Twilight? I mean, she promised to get some books last night with Pinkie at about forty after seven you said, but Luna disappeared at about the same time that Rarity would have arrived...”

“Look, in all the excitement, I forgot that Princess Luna disappeared last night. One minute she was here, the next she and her guards were gone. I thought she might have gone off to Canterlot or maybe to stretch her wings or something...”

“It's only about a six minute walk from the hospital at a good pace, and Rarity and Pinkie left at about four-thirty-nine, which if they made it over here by four-forty-five or so, would have seen Princess Luna and her guards leave. Perhaps she caught them and they went with her?”

“Are you gonna be okay going out? If you can't sit up in bed without falling on the floor, I'd hate to see you walk outside.”

Twilight wobbled down the stairs, catching herself on the bannister, and giving a glare at the others that if they said anything, she'd make a stink about it. Making it to the door without injury or serious property destruction, they opened it to find the throng of ponies tight near the door.

“Excuse me, coming through...hey, watch that hoof. I've got a direct line to the Princesses, and I'm not afraid to use it.”

As the other ponies grouched about Twilight and her friends aggressive crowd control skills, they managed to slowly make their way to Rarity's Carousel Boutique, which was surrounded by ponies, including Mayor Mare. On spotting Twilight, she slowly trotted over.

“Twilight, you need to do something. Rarity has brought...well, I don't know what it is, but she's brought it to town, and now she, it and Lyra are inside. Half the townsfolk are getting worried about it.”

Mayor Mare nodded. Feeling an unfortunate feeling in her gut, Twilight merely glanced back at Spike, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

“Of course we'll check Mayor Mare. You can be assured that if there's a threat, we'll take care of it.”

Showing a nervous appreciative smile, Mayor Mare stepped back from the door, which Twilight opened, and followed by her friends stepped into the boutique. From the private design rooms in back they could hear the familiar humming Rarity, while in the dressing room next door, Lyra's voice was speaking at an excited pace.

The humming stopped, and the purple coif of mane peaked out from the private designing rooms.

“Twilight, is that you darling? Oh, its good to see you're okay. Look, I'm working on something at the moment, but I'm sure Lyra and Mr. Mays would love to have you and Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, and Spike have a little chat with them, hmmm?”

“Never better, darling. I'm in the zone right now, but I'll be right with you in a few minutes.”

And with that, the door to her design studio went shut. Twilight glanced at the others, who gave shrugs of might as well back, though Fluttershy was the most reserved, and hung back a bit from the others. Slowly trotting to the dressing room door, they opened it to find Lyra sitting on a chair, legs dangling over the side, and talking to somepony blocked by the door. The four trotted in, as Lyra spied them, she stopped. As the four transferred their gaze from the mint-green unicorn to the pony behind the door, they realized that what was behind the door wasn't a pony. The tall gaunt figure looked like a cross between some of the greater apes found near zebra lands, and dragons, only without being covered in fur or scales, and certainly didn't have a tail.

Applejack woke up, her muscles sore, and her head pounding with a sleep-deprived headache. She found herself in her room, hat tucked neatly on a special hatstand nearby, and her mane still tied up in its ponytail. Stretching her legs, she swung out and onto the cool hardwood floor, and trotted over to the hatstand and grabbed her hat from its hook. Twirling it on her hoof, she managed to launch it into the air and onto her head with ease that showed years of practice at doing the trick.

Stepping out into the hallway, she noticed it was fairly quiet inside the house. Trotting down to Granny Smith's room, she noticed that her grandmother was asleep in bed, snoring peacefully under the covers.

Trotting downstairs, she smelled tea and toast being cooked in the kitchen. Deciding that getting some grub was the best idea, having not eaten anything much since the breakfast of the previous day, she headed on in. Peeking in, she saw sitting there at the table was Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. And another one of them tall hairless things from the night before, holding a pack of playing cards, whilst setting it down on the table.

“Look, I've taught you blackjack, I've taught you poker, heck, I've taught you find the lady. I don't know much more than that. Heck, I barely even know Whist. That's what I've got left.”

The big pairs of eyes of all three fillies of them unleashed themselves on his already weakened conscience towards upsetting small, pastel colored animals, especially horse like creatures .

“Alright, alright. Stop with the eyes. After this, if at the end of this game none of you are branded...”

“..well, whatever you call those things on your flanks, I'm done with playing cards with you three. You'll just have to drag me into something else. Because let me tell you, I'm not losing like that again.”

“The two of you aren't reincarnated card sharps from the old Mississippi river boats are you? Because I've never seen anyone win quite that much before.”

Both grinned ear to ear, as they shoved their little piles of matches out, having taken most of his box in their playing of various hands of cards.

“Oh God, what sort of world have you opened to ours, where coffee is taken by officers? Is it some sort of divine judgement for last April, because I have reason for that...”

“I'm only drinking this for the caffeine jolt, or what little I'll get from it.”

Applejack decided it was best for now to go check on Big Macintosh, so she quietly walked to the front door, and heading out, noticed even more of them about. Spotting Big Mac chewing some of his hay a distance off, she broke into a trot, and soon was next to him. His forelegs were hitched over the top of a fence, and he was observing more of them marching about, fixing fences, and

She saw that he was paying particular attention to the ones repainting the barn, who were arguing over spacing between one another

Applejack felt a stare at the back of her neck, and turned to see the Princess up, and looking at her.

Noticing the sudden silence following the princess addressing her, Applejack stood silently for a second, waiting to see if the dark alicorn would speak to her any more or if she was for something else.

“Applejack, you're considered the element of honesty, and one of the most dependable ponies in Ponyville...when you choose to ensure that honor before reason is put aside for the greater good.”

Tilting her head, it took the orange farm pony a moment to figure out what exactly the princess was saying. As far as she could translate, basically she was being told that her honor sometimes could impede better judgement. While somewhat riled at that, her memories pushed that back down with the memory of the infamous solo-applebucking incident two years ago.

Knowing that it was both a request, and a sort of royal command of sorts, Applejack slowly walked alongside Luna, who was concentrating on some space in the middle distance. Finally, after they'd left the farm proper, and were deep among the orchards, she again spoke to the confused farmer.

“I know you have not had a proper time to acclimate yourself to the new arrivals, Applejack, but I must ask, what is your honest opinion?”

“As you said princess, I can't rightly say, partly because I have yet to actually talk to em'. A pony can't make judgements without good evidence of character.”

“Evidence of character, seems our sisters most faithful student has seen fit to rub off on you, Applejack.”

“I suppose, though I might attribute it to good ol' Apple family sense. Granny Smith says that appearances can be deceiving, its what's their true nature is that you have to base things off of.”

“Yes, your words do have a traditional oral generational wisdom, which has a basis in past conflicts, but which has a strong basis in modern day social interactions.”

“Oh. Sorry, its just that Twilight sometimes gets all wordy and fancy in her lingo.”

Luna nodded. However, her face turned back to one of contemplative concern as they continued on.

“The reason I ask, is because my sister will be returning shortly, and so far you are the only one of the Elements I have had time to talk about this with in any informal setting. Miss Rarity left to go back to town a while ago, and Miss Pinkie seems to be using her baked goods as a means of interrogation involving party planning.”

“Yeah, she gets like that. Wait, did you say Rarity went back to Ponyville? Did she go alone?”

“No, Second Lieutenant Mays went with her, though he's willing to be called mister at times. He said it had to do with helping her with making clothes for humans, and carrying back materials she might need to patch up their more...worn items.”

“I hope not too. But I believe they'll be in good hands soon. I heard from one of the guards that came back that Twilight Sparkle will be soon gracing Ponyville with her presence again, after being released sometime this morning.”

“I fear it was mainly exhaustion from shoving that much magic through a single individual unicorn, even one so gifted as Twilight. However, I doubt that even a depraved individual as Discord would have killed her then.”

“Because it wouldn't have been funny. To see that she was used, how she may have, in some form or fashion, been used as something to bring about the end of Equestria? We know that Twilight Sparkle has...issues with responsibility and acceptance. To Discord, the more horrible thing to do would be to let her live to see how her magic, one of the most important things to her self, destroyed everything. It goes into a cruelty that I remember from the first time.”

“However, our issue now is not what happened, but what may happen and our recourse on planning for the future. The future of Equestria and its citizens depends on acknowledging that what has happened is done. What we must do is see what lies before, lest we head to self-destruction. I ask only that you try to make a good impression on them. Perhaps, if we can win a victory here, we can win something larger in the future.”

Applejack looked at her fields. She saw how teams of them were helping prepare for the final harvest of the season, and saw how they were working hard, honestly, under the gaze of her brother.

“I suppose I'll try. Besides, Apple Bloom seems to have taken a shine to spending time near them, they can't be all that bad.”

“No. But I doubt ponies and their kind will ever have a full, peaceful accord. Our worlds are two different. And now that they are permanently joined, we must strive forward anyway.”

“On a second matter, this morning, they tell of a pony who they saved from wolves following her panicked flight from the farm. While they have been keeping her in the barn for now, they state she has made mention of you before, and others of the Elements. They feel if perhaps a familiar face were to speak to her, they might be able to help her. Currently, she has yet to fully stay awake for more than a few seconds.”

“Good. I must meet my sister soon. However, I hope to hear how your day went, young Applejack.”

Luna unfolded her wings, and beating them with a gentle, yet powerful stroke, flew off to the part of the fields she had agreed to meet her sister in. Stretching her neck, Applejack headed back to the barn. A sick pony was a pony in need, and no matter the circumstances, an Apple always helped those in need. Outside stood two of the humans, their “guns” as she had overhead them being called earlier in their hands.

“Yes ma'm. Our medical orderly Elijah tried helping her, but he's a human doc, not an equine doc. You hear to help, ma'm?”

“Be careful ma'm. She's had flashes of magic from that horn of hers. Walt here spent ten minutes with a horrible morass of slimey, green hair.”

Standing at attention as she entered, Applejack had to remark to herself that at least they knew enough not to question a lady about her farm and where she could and couldn't go. Turning herself around for a second, she saw one of them leaning over a figure lying in a pile of hay.

“Not as much as some of the doctors in town, but I know enough about basic care. Whose the injured one?”

He stood up, his body no longer blocking the view of the tired and emaciated party. Applejack took only a few seconds to recognize the face. The blue fur, the silver mane, both were familiar. The only part that wasn't familiar was the weak, pained expression on the formerly haughty face that had been in town over a year ago. Stepping back for a second, she leaned in.

Vice-President Roosevelt looked out at the large lawn that was part of the property of Sagamore, from the large wooden veranda in the back. Sagamore was his home away from Washington D.C., and the capital cities politics and squabbling. Here...here, he could get away from it all and enjoy some down time from what little the Vice-President did. Since the Senate usually had a President pro-tempore overseeing things half the time, and given the President's rather, cool relationship with his Vice-President acting on matter in the senate, Roosevelt had a lot of time to either visit and stump speech across the country, or relax.

Right now he was preparing for a trip to Mount Marcy, in North-Eastern New York State, where his family was already heading. His personal love of nature often meant he took the opportunity to visit and experience it first-hand as much as he could. It sometimes disappointed him when people ignored the resources that pure, unaltered nature could give, and saw nothing more than a cheap thing to be burned and built over. It disappointed, and in a way, angered him that nature could be treated like that.

He leaned on the railing, breathing in the somewhat cool autumn air slowly, and staring at the green, cool grass spreading off into the distance. It was magical in a sense, how connecting with nature could be. Sometimes he did wonder if preservation of animals included shooting them, but that thought didn't always occur. To him, conservation sometimes had to occur in some forms more than others, and while he knew that it might be a long time before anyone thought of large scale conservation seriously in government circles, the thought did come to him from time to time.

Leaning back and stretching, the bristly mustache on his face scratching his nose for a second as his mouth scrunched up in a yawn, he kept thinking of nature. Of politics, of the President's health, of things to do, and things that could be done. In all, he thought of the now and the future. What he didn't think of was exactly how his immediate future would play out beyond his trip. Certainly, one wouldn't imagine oneself as not only the first president to travel abroad while in office, but to travel to another world? Who would think of something as strange and patently ridiculous as that?

Luna had sent a message about twenty minutes ago, thanking her sister for responding so quickly to her last one. Celestia herself had been still worried about what exactly was going on at Sweet Apple Acres, and as promised, would arrive shortly. However, her sisters last letter had stated that it would be best if she didn't arrive directly at the farmstead, but at a secluded grove in one of the distant fields of the orchard, where they could talk in private. Sending one last letter with her acquiescence to the request, Celestia pondered the situation. Though Luna was still very much the behind the scenes political player she had been before...before the incident so long ago, she was still very much a youth in some ways, still at what could be called adolescence at times, prone to exuberant actions and secrecy of the youthful sort.

Smiling at happier days in recent months, where her sister had broken out of the self-imposed shell she had surrounded herself with following her being freed of the Nightmare, Celestia was still worried. That youthful naivety had been...well, partly part of the reason that she had fallen to the jealous rage and depression that had set off the events which had broken both sisters in a way so many years ago. The rather unfortunate belief that nopony had ever appreciated her nights, when she only had to look to the ponies who worked by night. Those that sought her moon in the safety of nightly travel, and others who could have told her, but were never asked. Celestia wanted to ensure that never again would the two sisters have such a thing to come between them. Indeed, Celestia had been delegating a lot more responsibility to the night court of Luna to show that she trusted her, that she was not simply Princess of the Night and Moon, Sovereign of the Stars, but that she was an equal and co-ruler of Equestria.

However, a deep part of her own mind constantly seemed to shout that this was more obvious than simply trying to communicate with her younger sister on a personal level. Indeed, the voice sometimes asked her in its unfortunately biting commentary, that the two had not had a good sister to sister talk in over three months, with the longest being over a span of two minutes and thirty-five seconds at a hurried breakfast one morning, and most of it involved hurried explanations, greetings, and goodbyes. Its further, and sometimes annoying commentary, continued on that she was again pushing her sister away, by not simply being her friend, rather than her co-ruler. Sighing, Celestia sipped at a cup of water she had forgotten she'd been holding telekinetically for the past two minutes.

Saluting, the guard turned and headed back to where he had come from. Celestia finished the water, and magicked over the royal day vestments of state. However much she wished she could just wear normal clothes when she felt the inclination to do so, the fact remained that for many ponies, the princesses must look the part in public. And thus, Celestia and Luna tried to live up to that expectation, not only as a professional need, but perhaps, a personal one, for they both wondered how much their thousands of years of life were wrapped in being the rulers of Equestria, and not their own selves. Were they merely extensions of the crown, symbols of power and awe to those who needed something such as that to look up to? Was there actual character behind those masks of royalty, prestige, and so on? These were questions Celestia often wondered about, and sometimes made her think hard on. How much of herself was Celestia, and how much was Equestria?

Shaking her head, clearing them of those painful thoughts, she trotted out, where two guards near the door swung in step, one to each side of her, as she headed for a carriage yet again. Back to Ponyville, and to discover what it was that her sister had found from this portal of Discord's.

For a minute, Twilight and the three others behind her had simply stood in shock staring at the figure before them, who seemed nonchalant for whatever it was. Then they'd looked at the mint-green unicorn sitting across from it, and had seen how excited, nee, overjoyed she was being in the same room as it. Then they'd looked back at it, who was currently nervously rolling a white stick between what could only be talons or fingers, though they were not sharp like Spikes or a griffons, but rounded and somewhat thinner and longer.

“Well, this little social gathering has gotten off to a good start. I suppose I must start the introductions. My name is Daniel Mays, from Dayton, Ohio. I'm sure you fine ladies (upon noticing the rather masculine features of what could only be a small dragon hidden behind the body of the blue pony glaring at him) and gentleman know Miss Lyra.”

“I'm afraid I don't know your names though. Rather rude, since I can't call you pony A, pony B, and so forth, can I?”

The four were startled still, and merely nodded. Finally, Lyra, deciding it was best to make introductions before the four in front of them forgot their own names, did it for them.

“Mr. Mays, these are some of Ponyville's more distinguished residents. The pegasus currently glaring at you is Rainbow Dash, the shy, reserved pegasus in back is Fluttershy, and the purple unicorn in front of you is Twilight Sparkle, along with her assistant Spike. Everyone in Ponyville knows them, being the Elements of Harmony and all..well, the first three anyway.”

He mused on that. The Elements of Harmony had been something Luna had glossed over, barely remarking on them other than that they had freed her from a prison of sorts, and they were considered a means of combating grave threats to the land, being the end of the line in terms of power. Which was worrying. While he wouldn't have said anything out loud, privately in his mind, he considered the implications. If two Princesses, both basically near-gods in physical form, could not overcome a great threat, but six fairly ordinary ponies to his eyes were the last hope...well, what sort of weapon could it be used as? Certainly, the power they wielded would cause many diplomats and leaders back home nervous.

Currently, he was dealing with three new ponies, one of whom had been responsi...no, Princess Luna had told him enough after the Applejack incident the night before about what had happened, that the one unicorn standing before him had been used. It was unfair to blame her, since so far nothing of any real damage had been done (other than possibly having him and his men considered deserters, but that thought was shunted carefully into a mental side yard of storage) so far. Best ensure to put the right foot forward. While Rarity and Pinkie had accepted him to a degree (the pink one more so than the elegant unicorn, who he felt had some reservations, but was trying to be polite and a good...something. Host wasn't the right word. Neighbor either. Certainly not friend.

Whatever Rarity's current relationship was, it was at least headway. But now these three were here, without Princess Luna to ease some things. Sure, he'd made what could be called a friend of sorts in Lyra, but currently she was examining the exact grain of the carpeting on the floor, trying to allow the conversation to pass over her. Finally, the purple unicorn indicated earlier as being named Twilight Sparkle broke the long silence.

“Right, well, this is getting kinda awkward. Yes, as Lyra said, I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and my ward slash assistant Spike. As you've already introduced your name, Mr. Mays, I have to ask, what are you?”

“Would you believe me if I said I came here through a glowing, weird bubble from another world?”

Twilight nodded, her friends doing so as well.
“But what are you exactly? I mean, we've never seen anything like you before. Sorry if thats a little rude.”

“Eh, we're all rude at some point in our lives, might as well not get too badly hung up on it. Of course, I'm still trying make sure that I'm not going through a Nebuchadnezzar Phase myself.”

In Ponyville, alcohol was a very controlled substance, due to some past incidents involving Berry Punch and the town flagpole and sunflower garden. No one dared give any to Pinkie Pie, for fear of what would happen if her high sugar buzz and alcohol were mixed in her mental cauldron of unpredictability. Indeed, the most alcoholic beverage recently created had been when the Apple Family left a few barrels accidentally sitting in the back of their barn over the last winter. The incident with Big Macintosh earlier in the spring still had not left the minds of many who had seen the sight of the normally quiet Big Mac stumbling down the street, singing about griffons and Twilight for a good five hours, before sprawling in a gutter outside Twilight's library, and mumbling about toys, Twilight and Smarty Pants. The lyrics of the griffon song were especially memorable....

“See the little griffon
See her little talons
Look at her little beaky-weaky
Isn't the griffon sweet?
....Yes!
See her preen her tail,
See her soar up high,
Look at her spread her wingy-wingies
Isn't the griffon sweet?
...Yes!”

Indeed, for several weeks the stallion had been quieter than usual afterward, and had been in an embarrassed self imposed exile from Ponyville by staying at Sweet Apple Acres. It had taken Fluttershy's coaxing and the fact that Applejack needed him to haul the large wagon into town for an important supply run, that he'd been able to leave the farm without a panic attack of nerves. However, they didn't need to worry about the incident being repeated, because Applejack and Apple Bloom had burned the remaining stuff in secret. And Twilight herself had remained politely silent on the issue, not mentioning the display that had occurred outside her home and which had featured her name sung drunkenly in the late afternoon by the large, red stallion.

Twilight looked up at the figure called Mays. His face seemed fairly kind, though she noticed the hard lines of a soldier, from all her days in Canterlot near the Royal Guards.

“If I must be precise, I am a Homo sapien, or “wise or learned man” in Latin. Other shorter words are man or human. Does that answer your question, or do I need to go deeper into the proposed lineage of my entire species according to Darwin's followers?”

“Yeah, I think that answers enough for now on that front. But what are you doing here, in Rarity's shop?”

“She offered to help patch up and clean some of my mens clothes, and I came to town to help her carry them back.”

“Of course, darling, but Mr. Mays wanted to be such a gentle..man, that I felt that it was impolite to refuse his offer. Besides, he offered to give me a basic pattern for humans anyway. They're anatomy is...so, well, different, that I needed a challenge. I've been bored for weeks, since I haven't had a single original idea for dresses or suits at all.”

“What was I to do, when someone who could give me inspiration offers to help me? And I've gotten all sorts of new ideas.”

The unicorn tossed her mane to one side, her work glasses settling on her nose a bit more firmly.

“Well, fine...that makes sense. But walking into the middle of Ponyville in broad daylight, with, with, him...sorry, what were you thinking? Half the town is in a state, and the Mayor asked for us to look in on this personally.”

“Twilight, perhaps we could, maybe, ask a bit more, before judging them to harshly, I mean, we want to oh, give a good report to the Mayor, right? That is, if you want to...”

“Yeah, Fluttershy's got a point Twilight. We can't jump to conclusions before we know more, isn't that part of your whole egghead creed or something, Twilight?”

Glaring at Rainbow Dash, Twilight glanced back at Mays. Unusually for Rainbow Dash, who unusually wanted to buck first, ask questions later, had come up with a fairly logical idea.

“Alright, but we've still got a crowd of nervous ponies outside, and the Mayor can't wait on our answer forever. I suppose we'll just have to introduce him.”

“Lyra, I know someponies have made assumptions about you because of your...interest in humans...”

The mint-green unicorn seemed to go moody at the memories of that sort of thing.

“...but, I need you to talk to Mr. Mays here and get as much information down in thirty minutes as possible. If we can get Mayor Mare to calm down enough, then perhaps the rest of Ponyville will as well. Rarity, you keep doing what you offered to help Mr. Mays with. We might be in a tight spot, but I suppose a promise is a promise.”

“Alright, darling. Mr. Mays, Lyra, if you'll please step into the next room for a second, I need to take some measurements. Lyra, there's pen and paper in the oak desk out in the main room, you can ask Mr. Mays all the questions you want while I'm measuring him.”

“Rainbow, I need you and Fluttershy to stall the ponies outside from storming inside or fleeing Ponyville. Make sure to keep their attention as long as possible.”

“Oh yeah, I can show them my new routine I've been trying to get down to show to the Wonderbolts.”

“Okay...uhm, do I have to do anything loud? I don't think I can do..uh, loud.”

However, her slightly plaintive despair was lost as Rainbow Dash shoved her out the door, wings beating furiously for a second at the weight of the older, but extremely reserved Fluttershy held her back.

“C'mon Fluttershy, lets just do as Twilight says. Besides, I wanna show them my Demolition special.”
“Oh my...”

Twilight sat down, Spike at her side. Her composure broke down, as she listened from next door a three way conversation between Lyra asking question, Mays responding, and Rarity giving minor orders while taking measurements. Twilight fell onto her back, hooves spread akimbo, and a look of tiredness washed over her.

“Tell her what? That you're managing the situation as you normally do, but organizing the best response available at the time? You've done this before, I don't think Princess Celestia is going to start ignoring you for trying to prevent a situation.”

“But Spike, what will she do when she discovers that Rarity brought something possibly dangerous to Ponyville, without writing her?”

“Snap out of it Twilight! She's not going to banish you or anything like that. She'll just probably want to discuss the decision with you, or something like that. Heck, she might even thank you for trying to make a tense situation less tense.”

Twilight rolled over for a second, before sitting up. She smacked one hoof into another.

“You're right Spike, I can't let my fears get the best of me. But I'm still kinda nervous.”

“Well don't be. You're Twilight Sparkle, the only pony in town to peacefully halt an Ursa Minor, who stopped Nightmare Moon, and believed in her friends enough in the end to defeat Discord. Whats a single human compared to that?”

A hint of a smile broke out across her face. Suddenly, she reached out and hugged her assistant in the biggest hug possible.

Falling to the floor, and out of breath, Spike gave her a thumbs up weakly, before gasping for breath some more.

“Never..uhgh, better.”
“You just lie there for a bit, I'll have that letter ready soon.”

Celestia glanced at the carriage that was waiting for her. Inside sat two nervous ponies from the diplomatic corps, usually used to dealing with the burro's across the sea, or the zebra's to the south-west. While they knew not what they were going to be doing, they knew it had to be important for the Princess to command that two of the best diplomats in the corps were to accompany her on a personal mission. Odd that they were being kept in the dark, but they had learned sometimes the state had secrets it needed kept secret.

The captain of the guard, a protege of Iron Gait, by the name of Long Shanks, nodded, his trim beard marking him off as an officer in the royal guard.

“Yes your majesty. We can be at the scene within forty minutes, with the tailwinds that Canterlots weather control has managed to direct today.”

It was said with the military precision she had expected from captains of the guard. To the point, with little embellishment or half-truth's. It was something she admired about them, being able to tell her things without trying to overly please her all the time. Unlike many of the unicorn aristocracy in Canterlot, who wined and dined at the official gatherings with each other to try to get in her good graces. Most she found to be stuffy, arrogant, and boring, and the few she could stand and actually want to talk to too busy doing important things such as managing businesses or ensuring a smooth running of government beyond her immediate control. Those sorts might actually have had something worth saying at times, had not more, cloud-headed ponies, believing their natural superiority interjected themselves between the Princess and those they considered lower down the totem pole.

She nodded in a regal matter at both of them, and then as she entered the carriage, did so at the attentive captain of the guards. At her nod, he gave the order, and the carriage took off into the sky. Thankfully the pegasus weather control station in Canterlot had ensured the least amount of clouds between Canterlot and Sweet Apple Acres, thus ensuring no chances of rainstorms or the like. Deciding that breaking the ice so to speak with the two nervous diplomatic ponies would make the trip less tense, she turned to the male earth pony sitting right next to her.

“I'm afraid I haven't met the two of you before. There are so many ministers and employees, that it becomes hectic at times trying to remember my own name.”

The nervous grin he gave didn't give her much hope for a trip a bit looser of the tense air.

“I'm Straight Quill, and this,” he gestured to his female unicorn partner, “is Stiff Parchment, your majesty.”

“No, your majesty, it is just that we were dragged off our last assignment without warning, and thus have no knowledge on what we are to be dealing with. Is it the griffons, or the burro's?”

She paused. What could she say, when her sister had sent barely enough to puzzle out herself on who or what they were dealing with?

“At this time, I can only say that it is a new party to the world political scene, and that you prepare yourself for the unpredictable.”

Both of the diplomatic ponies looked at each other, and gave a worried look. Sighing internally, she did wish that diplomatic ponies could learn to adjust to the unexplainable. It seemed like it would be a long ride to Ponyville now.

Princess Celestia was the first in the carriage who saw her sister sitting quietly in the clearing of apple trees, chewing on an apple with little care. If she had heard or seen the carriage arriving, she didn't seem to register it at all, merely continuing to eat the apple. As Celestia stepped out, followed by the two clerks from the diplomatic corps, her sister finally seemed to give notice of events occurring around her.

The elder alicorn sister trotted closer, as did Luna.
“Of course. Would I be standing here if I was incommoded or incapacitated dear sister? No, only my mind is working more than it has since I have been given a new lease on life, as some would say. The situation is bigger than thought before, Tia.”

Celestia quietly listened to Luna as she spoke. Sometimes it was better to be a listener than a questioner, because ponies would be more willing to speak if they felt they were free to speak without interruption or interrogation.

“Good, otherwise I was afraid we'd have to fly back to it to show it to you. All is well on that front, though how much wellness this situation can be given with those portals across the planet and Equestria is frightening enough to contemplate.”

“Tia, I do not know how to explain all that has happened in just a few words. All I ask is that you come with me to the main part of the farm. Then I think, the visual will explain more than the verbal.

Celestia nodded. This was part of the trust not only between two rules, but friends and sisters, even if she was worried about what she might find. Seeing the look of satisfaction slip across her younger sisters face, which then slid back to one of measured calm and study, she suppressed a internal giggle and an external smile from escaping at the quick change over her sister face. Turning, she beckoned the diplomatic corps ponies to follow behind the them.

“Your letters did not give me much to go on, Luna. Even if the visual might explain more than just words, I am still willing to hear anything you think might be valuable to preface what comes next with.”

“Tia, the situation is rather delicate, so I believe that a light hoof is needed to ensure the best face of the Equestrian nation. Which is what I have been trying to do. The world they come from is certainly is different from out own, and some of the views they hold may seem very, very dangerous in some cases. But I feel that if we can show how peaceful we can be, we might be able to ford very troubled rivers with a bit more...ease than else wise we could.”

The look on Luna's face was one of firm conviction. Celestia tried to think of how hard it must be for Luna to have to get back into the diplomatic resolution mind frame of modern times. Deciding a more light-hearted question might help calm things down for a bit.

“Only a few times. Mainly when assuring that our pitch in baseball was not considered foul.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. Baseball? What in Equestria could Luna have been up to? However, they were approaching the main part of the farm. From it, Celestia could hear the sound of several voices, arguing over something, among them Applejack's. As they entered the main part of the farm, it took even the Princess of the Sun and Day a second to realized what was different. And it took those on the farm a minute to realize that there was a large, white, rainbow-maned alicorn standing nearby, and watching them. Even Celestia herself paused, and her own composure briefly slipped. From legends even before the arrival of the alicorn sisters, stood what she knew from the old books and oral tales, the creatures known as humans. Luna gestured with a wing to them.

Rarity was annoyed. For one thing, she was used to ponies, who, while varying in body structure in various ways such as height, they were normally on the horizontal plane of design, not the vertical. Which wasn't difficult when dealing with someone short, like Spikey...er, Spike, she mentally corrected herself, it wasn't difficult when dealing with him at his current height. But humans must really drive whoever on their world made clothing to dismay and possibly some hint of insanity as well. It wasn't that she couldn't do the work. It was the fact that unlike ponies, they were harder to keep still. And apparently, needed to use their arms and hands to enunciate the finer points of their verbal communications. She'd had to stick Mays in the rear of the leg a couple of times to enunciate her own needs.

“Yep. Mules, donkey's, horses, ponies, zebra's, they're all there in some shapely fashion or fashioned form.”

“No. Most of the time they glare at you and attempt to throw you into a rose bush or some other painful object. They're smart, but they have yet to understand the concept of fire, let alone any language that doesn't involve snickering and neighing all the time.”

Lyra was speed writing as fast as her mental telekinesis could move her pen. Already, they'd filled up six pages out of a total twenty on hand, mainly ranging on yes or no questions, with extra details on what animals or beasts were similar or different between worlds. However, now they'd gotten onto the topic of technology.
“So, you don't have magic?”

“Not unless you count vaudeville and theater acts as magic. No, its pretty much steam and to some degree with newer technology, petroleum distillates that power our machinery.”

Rarity jabbed another pin into the back, eliciting a groan of pain from the owner of said leg.

“You did, right when I was taking an important measurement. Now, hold still.”

“Geez, you could just smack my hand next time. The back of my leg now feels sticky with some of that blood you've drawn with that thing.”

Rarity meanwhile kept on measuring. So thin, what did they not eat enough, or what?

“Sorry Lyra, little miss Vlad of Wallachia, or should I say, Ponyville, keeps trying to impale me. GAH. What now!”

Lyra rolled her eyes. She had learned in the past hour or so that not only were humans mysterious, but they also used crude language and snide asides more than anypony she knew.

Lyra sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon. She sat back, and decided to take a nap as the human and Rarity went at it full tilt, each describing the other in terms that would make most of the Canterlot society types faint in surprise and shock.

Sharp Talons and Eagle Nose were brothers, and they enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. Considered by their peers to be the best hunters in all of the Kurfürstentum des Hochwaldes, they were known for their prowess and skill, their ability to lead the hunted animal on, before closing in for the kill in a sudden strike. No other hunters had ever won more trophies, of both the pelt and metal kind. They'd even been awarded by the Emperor for their skills during the great Imperial Hunt of 1890. Now, they were soaring over the lands owned by their father, one of the many electorate princes of the Bundesvereinigung der Griffon Kurfürstentümer, looking for something new.

It was true the brother had hunted many things. They'd killed everything from rabbits to vultures, deer to even the occasional pony that had become “lost“ amongst their vast estates. They did not entirely believe that the practice of the higher court that since ponies and griffons were at peace, they did not need to kill an equally sentient being. But for the two, they believed in the superiority of the griffonic race. That the years of peace made those in court weak from not having tasted the flesh of one of their kinds oldest enemies.

And not much else was safe from them. Both showed the scars of intense battles, for they fought and hunted hard. Sharp Talon's left foot was still gnarled to a degree from their experiences hunting down an Ursa Minor, which had left eighteen of their best beaters dead before the two had struck the killing blow. They made deals with the local magistrate of justice that they would met their own brand of punishment on the criminals caught by the local constables. Many times villagers would see a wagon of prisoners escorted out of the local holding houses, and trundle up to the villa on the Himmel Berg where the two lived most of the year, only to return an hour later empty.

Now, they soared high above the clouds, heading to the west, to the little hunting cottage the two used for some of their more exciting and dangerous hunts.

Sharp Talon cast his right eye in a curious answer to see what his older brother would answer with.

“I'm sure as always that we will find much to hunt. Certainly, after that last pathetic batch of prisoners the magistrate hauled out of the cells, we could do with something more suitable for nobility such as ourselves?“

His younger brother nodded in agreement. There had only been one prisoner worthy of the hunt, who had nearly slipped away after evading them in the forest for several hours, but had been caught when he had made the mistake of trying to use the river as an escape route and to cover his tracks. In repayment for a worthy hunt, he'd been given a quick, painless death, and his body placed in a cremation they gave all their worthy foes. Very few had their ashes in the special pots that decorated the brothers trophy room marking a worthy mark of honor.

Suddenly, the elder brother spotted something new. His thick, Himmel Berg accent cut through the High Old Griffonic tongue the two used to style themselves as the princes of old, compared to that abomination called Equestrian.

The younger brother looked. There was a giant bubble of writhing energy sitting in the midst of the forest, and big enough to fly through.

“I'm not sure elder brother, but whatever it is, bears investigation. Do you not agree?“

The two turned majestically in the sky, at a turn that would have made a Wonderbolt jealous with its grace. They headed towards the bubble, not sure of what they'd find. Hopefully, there might be something worth hunting.

Constable Dietrich Bernhardt of the Hof Police, glanced at his pocket watch and silently swore. Half-past four and it was yet another boring Saturday afternoon. He shielded his eyes against the fairly bright sun hanging overhead, and groused that there wasn't anything to cover the sun. Tsking, he pulled down the policemans shako he wore and continued on his beat. Hof was fairly vibrant city on the German border, sitting on the river Saale, and a fairly decent place to live, even if it wasn't up to the modern cities of Berlin or Düsseldorf.

Currently his route took him to some of the more remote areas outside the city, and for that he needed his bicycle. Hitching one leg over the seat, he leant over the handle bars and began to pedal. His route was one of the longer ones, sometimes extending out into the countryside proper surrounding Hof. Humming a tune he'd heard recently being played by a wandering musician, he was oblivious to the world for some time. As he neared the end of his route, he heard a scream of terror, and as he looked around to find the source, a little girl came running from behind a house.

Her eyes showed terror in them, and she could only blurt out a few things in her panic.

"Die Klauen .... riesigen Adlern .... Mutter, Vater ... Monster"
("The claws....giant eagles....mother, father...monsters")

Dietrich didn't know what she was talking about, but he could tell her terror was real. He unholstered the revolver he had at his hip. Perhaps someone had attacked her family and her mind did not know how to effectively say what had happened. If so, it was best to have a firearm at hand should he encounter some violent brigands. He approached the rear of the house. A rank, familiar odor came to his nose. It was almost like the smell of the slaughterhouses he had worked in years earlier.

As turned the corner, he noticed two things. One was the odor was much stronger now. The second was the creature leaning over a body. Stepping forward, his mind raced as it recognized exactly what it was. A griffon for sure, with the leonine lower body, and the raptor upper body were familiar as being part of some of the Christian lore of the Catholic church and being part of Germanic legends. He also saw that the things beak was stained red. He thumbed the hammer on his revolver, which drew its attention. Its pupils shrank as it regarded him. It made a move as if to come at him, but he noticed it glance over his shoulder, and heard the light flapping of wings. Dietrich darted for a nearby tree, with a second griffon close behind. Ducking under a branch just barely, he heard it smack into it. Had to get somewhere where his back wasn't exposed. The first one from before was charging now, but he fired off a shot from his gun, hitting it in the middle of one of its wings.

"In der Kaiser-Namen, das tut weh wie die infernoes der Unterwelt!"
("In the emperors name, that hurts like the infernoes of the underworld!")

While it stopped, he snapped off two more shots, hoping to hit it somewhere. Apparently he hadn't, as it scurried off, while its twin continued to hunt him. The injured one he could see hiding behind a overturned wheelbarrow, and it shouted to its twin.

“Bruder, hast du die unverschämten Affen gefunden?"
("Brother, have you found the impertinent ape?")

"Nein Sharp Talon, ist er unter dem Baum."
("No Sharp Talon, he's under the tree.")

Great, thought Dietrich, they're smart. And angry. I've got smart and angry bird-lions hunting me. Daring to look up, he could see the shape of the other one glide overhead. Glancing back at the one behind the barrow, he saw it peek its head over the top. He had three shots left. Hand wobbling, he aimed from behind the tree at its head, and pulled the trigger. It only took a second for the result to become clear. The scream of pain and rage from the one overhead told him he must have succeeded, and looking back, saw the form of the griffon behind the barrow, sprawled dead in the dirt.

A furious beating of wings grabbed his attention again. It seemed to be heading to the south-west, away from town and the scene of the fight. Waiting a second, he came out. The second griffon was gone. Dietrich thought of the little girl and headed back to the street out front. Already a crowd was gathering nearby, and he saw the little girl clutching the dress of a nearby neighbor. A nearby businessman in suit and tie, who seemed to represent the crowd, came forward.

“Offizier, was ist denn los? Wir hörten Schüsse und Geschrei. "
(“Officer what is the matter? We heard gunfire and screaming.“)

Dietrich holstered his gun. How to explain. From nearby, he heard the shouts of a couple more of his fellow officers. Up came Sgt. Krup and Officer Bilderbeck.

"Officer Bernhardt, was ist los? Wir haben gerade von einer Frau sagen, dass geflügelte Ungeheuer angegriffen hatte jemand angesprochen worden, und dass es Schüsse auch. Pflege zu beantworten?"
("Officer Bernhardt, what is going on? We've just been accosted by a woman saying that winged monsters had attacked someone, and that there was gunfire as well. Care to answer?")

Dietrich rubbed the back of his neck, then scratched his hair, pushing his short shako forward. He was still trying to understand all what had transpired himself. Sgt. Krup meanwhile was getting impatient.

"Sergeant, ich glaube es. Besten, wenn Sie mir folgen aus dem allein zurück, und ich denke, es wäre klug, diese Menschen zurückhalten."
("Sergeant, I think it best if you follow me out to the back. Alone, and I think it would be wise to keep these people back." )

Glaring, but agreeing, Krup ordered officer Bilderbeck to stand on duty, and wait till more officers arrived. Grimly, he followed Dietrich out back, his own nose wrinkling at the smell. However, he soon understood why Dietrich had wanted to keep people back. There were not only the bodies of the girls young parents, certainly not a pretty sight now...but also the remains of a large, and undeniably real griffon, part of its head taken by a bullet.

"Mutter Gottes. Was zum Teufel ist das für ein Ding?"
("Mother of God. What the hell is that thing?")

Dietrich didn't say anything. He could already here more police officers out front, keeping the crowd back. Whatever this thing was, it had a brother according to the dialect those things had shared between them. And if it had a brother, and they were smart...well, that was not a good thing to dwell on right now. However, one thing that he didn't think about at the moment was where it had come from....

The Changing of the Guard: An Alternate History of Earth and Equestria (1901-1914)

by LordVetinari

Chapter Three: The Miles We Travel, The Places We See