//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Encounter // Story: Ponyville, USA // by Rox //------------------------------// - FOX - "We open the hour with breaking news out of Colorado Springs, where a mysterious explosion occurred in the skies during the Air Force graduation ceremony. No damage has yet been reported but officials are saying -" - CNN - "- and I have to say I have never seen anything like it before." "I agree, it almost looks like the northern lights, except for the fact that it is daytime, and it exploded from a single -" - CBS - "- we have no official report as to the streaking object that is said to have caused the blast, already being dubbed on the internet as 'the RainBomb,' but we can see from this exclusive amateur footage -" - BBC - "- so far, American officials seem to be just as baffled as the public as to the origin of the event. As you can see in this footage, the object first makes a display of incredible agility and speed in front of the stunt pilots before -" - MSNBC - "- the questions we should be asking are: was this just an elaborate stunt, a natural phenomenon, or perhaps even a failed attack?" "We are not in a position to make that judgement. Glancing on social media, there are guesses ranging from a rogue drone to an extraterrestrial showing off, and at this point, it could be any one of them." - Rarity - 20 Minutes Earlier - Rarity trotted briskly down the makeshift path towards the back door. Rarity loved the gorgeous simplicity of the home, and she guessed that its size was even big for the average human dwelling. She knocked lightly on the door. "Are you sure it's ok? Maybe they don't want anymore visitors." Fluttershy was worrisome and as considerate as always. Rarity loved that about her, and it was something that helped bring them together very soon after Fluttershy had moved to Ponyville. "Don't worry, darling. We won't stay long, and know you've been curious," assured Rarity. "You were just telling me last night how you wished you could see the inside." "I know, but, that was then! And the door is so much... bigger up close." squeaked the yellow mare, recoiling a little bit. "Oh, come now," persisted Rarity, knocking lightly again. "You know you'll regret it if you don't." Fluttershy didn't get the chance to reply, but she did "eep" when the door opened. In the doorway stood the mother of the family, looking very timidly at the ponies. Actually, her expression was a lot like Fluttershy's usual gaze. "Hello, Mrs. Burgess, I'm Rarity and this is Fluttershy. We just came to see how the others are doing," said Rarity cheerily. The human didn't say anything right away, but seemed to shake out of it. "Oh, well, I'm the only one home. My husband took the kids to see the airshow, and my son took all your friends along with him too," she said apologetically. "Oh?" Rarity was surprised. She didn't think that Twilight would risk a trip with the current plan they had, and she had to suppress a spike of jealousy at not being able to go along and see a new part of this human world. "I'm sorry to impose." "No, it's alright. I was just doing some light cleaning while the boys were out," replied Mrs. Burgess. "By the way, I'm Candace Burgess. It was nice to meet you Rarity and...Flutter...shy?" "Oh, well if you're cleaning we would love to lend a hoof," offered Rarity. Though they were still self-sustained in Ponyville and really took nothing from the human family, Rarity had still felt like a burden to them, especially with how they were being so thoughtful as to their safety. She really wanted to feel like she was doing something, and here was an opportunity. Candace looked thoughtful for a moment before saying,"Well, I guess I could use a little help. Thank you." "Don't mention it!" said Rarity happily. Candace beckoned inside, and Fluttershy nervously followed Rarity into the home. Rarity had only seen the living area before this point as she continued into the kitchen after Candace. The kitchen seemed fantastic to Rarity, and not just for its size. For a dwelling with five children, that is if human children were anything like foals, it was well kept and appeared organized. The only mess was a load of dished piled in the sink. It seems like some things don't change no matter what world you're in. she thought introspectively. "We can take care of the dishes for you!" Rarity proposed, and without really waiting for an answer she trotted towards the sink. Of course, when she got there the counter was up to her eye-level, making it difficult to access the sink. Candace disappeared through another door for a moment, but then returned with a small, but broad, white stool. The human still seemed a little awkward as she thanked them again. Rarity stepped up onto the stool, which put her up high enough that her shoulders were now over the edge, allowing her to reach into the sink. She flipped the faucet switch on, correctly assuming that the red-ringed handle meant hot water as it was in Ponyville, and levitated a plate under its flow. "Candace, do you have a towel that we could use to dry?" The human had been lingering not far from the sink as she watched entranced at the unicorn's work, but then shook herself out of it at the question, "Actually, all you need to do is to place them in the dishwasher," said Candace, walking over to what Rarity had assumed was a windowless oven. Upon opening, it revealed two white racks full of grooves. Candace reached into the dirty sink and pulled out a dish, and set it neatly upright on one of the racks. "If you arrange the dishes neatly in here, then I can run it and it will wash and dry them for us," explained Candace. "Fascinating!" Rarity exclaimed. "I wish I had one, especially when my parents come for a visit." "Oh yeah? Do you have any siblings or children?" Candace asked conversationally. "Well, I'm not married yet, but I do have a younger sister named Sweetie Belle. She was actually the little, white filly that had come over earlier, so I guess she went with the others." Rarity let herself worry for a moment. Sweetie Belle was generally sensible, but sometimes, even without the help of her crusader friends, she could not think through things before doing them. "Oh, how sweet. And you, Fluttershy?" Candace asked in a careful tone. Rarity felt like she could become really good friends with Candace. She seemed to have such a wonderful disposition, and was obviously very considerate herself. "Oh, I...I don't have any family in Ponyville," answered Fluttershy timidly. Candace nodded with a smile, but seeing the discomfort brought the conversation back to Rarity as the ponies began placing dishes in the very convenient dishwashing machine, and Candace moved about cleaning the surfaces. The conversation was a wandering one, but Rarity thoroughly enjoyed it. Rarity finally learned why humans wore clothes all the time and, while she didn't know what kind of stitching pattern she'd need, she already found herself thinking about designs for humans. Candace started asking things about like how their schooling works and a little about where they learn how to use magic. Even Fluttershy started getting warmed up to Candace when the conversation turned to animals. "So, people adopt pets too?" Fluttershy was getting that excited glitter in her eye. The mare always got excited when the possibility of finding homes for the creatures she cared for came about. "Oh yes. We had a dog not too long ago but the old guy finally died a few months back. We're thinking of adopting another one," said Candace. "Really? If Ponyville is still around when you're looking, I take care of lots of animals looking for a good home!" "I'll remember that," said Candace brightly, looking thrilled that she had gotten the shy pony to open up to her. A distant rumbling grabbed Rarity's attention, and recognition flashed through her mind as it was followed by a familiar sound. She shared a surprised glance with Fluttershy, who had heard it as well, and they both shot to the door. They flung it open and looked skyward. To the north, beyond the huge peak, an unmistakable ring of rainbow light was spreading across the sky. "A Sonic Rainboom?" said Fluttershy. "But, why would Rainbow Dash do that?" wondered Rarity. "You don't think they're in trouble do you?" gasped Fluttershy. "I don't know," answered Rarity. She wished she could just talk to them and find out, but for now all she knew that things had suddenly taken a big turn. - Asher - Asher had wondered what it was like to be in total shock, to be so numb that you could hardly do anything. In hindsight, driving while under this condition may not have been his smartest idea. He was very fortunate that I-25 was mostly straight with only slight curves. Meanwhile, one of the angriest lectures of all time was in progress in the captain's seats, going strong for five minutes now. "Four days! FOUR DAYS!" Twilight ranted. "That's all you had to wait, and you couldn't do two more?" "But-" Rainbow Dash started to speak, but was immediately cut off. "You've done it before for ponies-sake! What in the name of Celestia would possess you to go and do... THAT!?" Twilight was leaning across the aisle so far that Rainbow's head was brushing against the window as she stared her down nose to nose. In his rear-view mirror he could see that the Dash was looking far more contrite, and possibly scared, than Asher had thought possible from the assertive pony. "Three hundred thousand humans saw that!" she continued angrily. "Where does that fit in with lay low?" "More," said Asher off-handedly, more talking to himself than anything But they all heard, so when Twilight cast him a questioning glance, he said, "I'm sure somebody caught that on camera, and by now it'll be all over the world." "Fantastic!" cried Twilight sarcastically, covering her eyes with her hooves in frustration. Rainbow Dash sank low into her seat, doing her best to hide behind the seat belt she had clumsily strapped around herself. Wow, I haven't seen someone that down since Patrick was grounded from going to Junior Prom. "What's gonna happen now?" Little Applebloom had spoken up from the back, the question directed at her big sister sitting next to her. Asher had almost forgotten the five others sitting in the back seat. It wasn't too tight of a fit, the three little fillies being small enough to squeeze together in the middle between Pinkie Pie and Applejack. And since the adult ponies took up not much more space than a pre-teen, they actually had ample room. "It'll be alright, I'm sure of it," said Applejack, flicking her eyes side to side as she feigned confidence. Twilight seemed to realize how her tirade was frightening the three little fillies, and sat back into her own seat, though she crossed her front hooves just like a human would if they were upset. Asher normally would have mused at the strange scene taking place in his family's van, but his own fear was taking up most of his thought. This whole thing was one eventuality he had not ever even thought of. One of the pegasi being spotted flying? Sure. A pony just walking up to another human without thinking? Possibly. One of them pulling a biologically impossible and extremely loud and flashy stunt over a major city while everyone was looking up? REALLY? "Asher?" He actually turned around for a second, looking at the downcast pegasus who had called his attention. Twilight narrowed her eyes but said nothing, which Rainbow took as the okay to keep talking. "Did I.....really, er...do something that bad? I mean, I meant it to show how cool we were. To impress them." Asher didn't know how to reply to that. He was stuck in that odd zone somewhere between livid anger and empathetic pity. Rainbow's reckless decision was downright endangering to not just them but his family, and no matter what you are you just don't do that. But kicking someone while they're down had never been part of his nature, especially when they looked the part. So, Asher ended up saying nothing. The silence that hung heavy in the car was more than answer enough. Dash didn't say anything more, but instead stared out the window as the city flashed by. Asher noticed police everywhere, his heart skipping every time one with its lights on came close. His anxiety was threatening to take over his good judgement, and at the very least kept him from thinking clearly about his next move at all. He just had to get home, and that's all he could focus on. And on how he just lost the biggest gamble of his life. - Schriever Air Force Base - Colorado Springs, CO "Sir, you might want to take a look at this." "Is it the anomaly?" "No, sir, however the primary satellite sweep found an inconsistency." "Where?" "Here, not far from Cripple Creek." "It's probably just a development project." "But sir, it wasn't there four days ago." "You'd be surprised how fast they can get things up nowadays. Although we probably should alert the State to make sure they're following building codes. Okay, I'll get someone to check it out. You keep searching for that bogey." "Yes sir." - Twilight - Twilight hadn't been this angry at one of her friends since Discord had reversed their personalities. She was folding her hooves tightly just to avoid punching something in her frustration. To this point Ponyville had been very lucky. Though they had been tossed into another dimension, they had managed to land secluded, and the only life near them was not only friendly but willing to help them. Not to mention a plan of action that Twilight didn't have to ask Asher to know had been completely ruined by one, single, stupid, shortsighted, reckless, impulsive moment. She was getting madder just thinking about it. Rainbow Dash at least had the decency to look sorry, but right now Twilight felt like she would never be able to let Rainbow Dash off the hook for this. Especially if the fear that was practically radiating from Asher's countenance was any indication of just how bad it really was. "Pst. Twilight, whadda we do now?" Applejack had leaned from the back and whispered into her ear. "I don't know," she whispered back. Twilight forced herself to ignore her angry frustration so that she could think of what to do, though as they turned off the largest road and onto the roads leading into the mountains the only thing that she kept thinking of was running. But that would be foolish in every sense, not to mention nearly impossible with so many ponies. But Ponyville needed to disappear, and there was no way Twilight could pull an invisibility spell or a camouflage spell of that magnitude, even with her newly acquired alicorn magic. The best option for both Ponyville and the Burgess family would be to get the town back to Equestria, but Twilight still had little idea what kind of magic had even been at work, let alone worked out a counter spell. It wasn't until they had finally stopped in front of the Burgess home that a plausible idea finally entered her mind. She stumbled her way out of the van after Asher opened the doors for them, a task that would have proved difficult with hooves, and was quickly met by Rarity and Fluttershy. "Twilight! What has happened?" the unicorn asked curiously. "Somepony did something she'll regret," seethed Twilight, shooting a sideways glare towards Rainbow Dash. The pegasus looked up at Twilight's words, and without waiting to hear more flapped her wings hard and flew low and fast towards Ponyville. "Why did she do a Rainboom?" Fluttershy asked softly. "She wanted to impress our human friends." said Twilight, clearly annoyed. "Over three hundred thousand humans saw it. We've been discovered." "Oh, dear, so it is bad," remarked Rarity, watching Rainbow fly off. "So what do we do next?" "Sorry. I have a plan to try to return to Equestria," said Twilight. "I don't have any idea if it'll work but I don't think we have much time and it might be our only option. I think if we use the Elements of Harmony I might be able to reverse the transportation spell." The ponies all perked up at the plan. In retrospect, it seemed an obvious course of action, though nothing about her own plan made Twilight confident. Even with all that power, if she couldn't point it in the right direction it would be essentially useless or even dangerous. One worry she had was possibly ending up in another dimension altogether. "Elements of Harmony?" Twilight looked at Asher, expecting to see the skeptical expression he had worn so often the day before. She had begun to take it as a tell for when something she said was considered improbable. However, this time his expression was a lot more neutral. "Six powerful gems that dramatically amplify magical strength, which only my friends and I can use," summarized Twilight. "Hmm," was all Asher replied before stepping towards his house. Twilight felt a twinge of guilt as he did so. The vehicle his dad and siblings had taken was already there so his whole family was home, and she couldn't imagine the conversation they were about to have would be pleasant for their young ally. "C'mon, girls. Let's go get the Elements and gather the town. The sooner we get out of here the better chance their family will not get into any trouble." Twilight almost ran the whole way, not wanting to waste a single moment. She gave instructions as they went "Applejack and Fluttershy, you go gather what you need from your homes. Bring all the animals. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, I want you to circle the town and tell everypony to meet at the town hall. I want to have everypony close together when we cast the spell, just in case we can't get the whole town." Twilight made a beeline for the Library and burst through the door. Her sudden entrance startled Spike so much he fell over the bucket of water he was using to mop the floor, spilling it everywhere. "Hurry Spike, get the Elements of Harmony for me!" she said. Twilight ran around her home, gathering a hoofful of personal items and writing materials, stuffing them in her saddlebag. When Twilight reemerged from the Library, Spike riding on her back and Elements in tow, the town was already buzzing with Ponies shuffling towards the town center. Several heads turned to look at her as she made her way, most of them curious ones. The Mayor looked most curious of all once she reached the town hall. Twilight explained briefly what had happened, first with Rainbow Dash and then the hasty plan she had. Twilight had always been impressed with how quickly things could get done in Ponyville. True, it was a much smaller town than Canterlot, but gathering the entire town in just ten minutes would not normally be so easy. Then again, other towns didn't have Pinkie Pie. "I told everypony in town!" Pinkie reported happily. "Good, thank you Pinkie. Can you help count everypony to make sure they're all here? Oh, and here's your element." Twilight levitated the balloon shaped gem and latched it around her neck before the earth pony bounced over to Meadowlark and set to spotting faces in the crowd. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all sauntered up together, the latter with a passel of critters following her. The cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens that lived around Sweet Apple Acres stayed at the edge of the crowd, effectively walling off the entire street. "I think that's everypony," said Applejack, grabbing her orange-colored Element and putting it on. Rarity levitated her own and Fluttershy's and fastened them both as Twilight put on her crown. Pinkie bounced over to join them while the Mayor explained to the crowd what was happening. Twilight noticed how she rather mercifully left out Rainbow Dash, though she figured many would guess. A Sonic Rainboom is visible from a long way off. "Well, I counted everypony, so with the five of us we're good," said Pinkie, smiling broadly. "Pinkie, their's six of us," said Twilight, laughing a little. Wait.... "WHERE'S RAINBOW DASH!?" All five of them asked at the same time, while the red, lightning shaped Element glistening from the box. - North American Air Defense - Cheyenne Mountain - "IT'S BACK! Traveling at high speed bearing North North East!" "Wow, that thing is fast!" "No time for gawking! Order Peterson to scramble two jets to establish visual contact!" "Yes sir!" "And order them to standby to engage!" - Rainbow Dash - Ever since roughly halfway through Twilight's angry tirade, Dash knew that if anypony was going to fix this, it had to be her. So she had been turning over a plan of her own, and true to form it was absolutely crazy. So here she was flying just a couple hundred feet above the city, much lower than before, swerving side to side to make sure she got all the attention to herself. She needed them to be looking up for this to work. She scanned the sky above for what she needed for the next phase, and found it floating high and lazily from the east: A big, white cloud. What she was about to do she hadn't even tried since she was a filly in Cloudsdale....and in the only class Fluttershy actually had to help her with. Hope it works! she thought, she took a deep breath, yelled her battle cry, and dove in, tugging with all her might on a corner of the cloud. - Gov. Kyle Looper - Falcon Stadium - "Sir, I have to insist you go inside." A member of the security detail tugged on the Governor's sleeve. Looper laughed when he noticed the young guard was also riveted on the sky, looking incredibly nervous. Nobody had expected any of this when he had made this trip from Denver to attend the graduation, and the poor guys in charge of his safety had no idea what to do. So when the first spectacular blast had happened they ended up staying in the stadium with only a portion of the newly graduated kadets, the armed guards, and his hapless secretary left behind. The Governor shook him off but decided to appease him by at least heading back under the stands, though he stayed in a place where he could see the object as it soared through the baby-blue sky. He lost track of the rainbow-streaked blur as it flew near a cloud. He expected it to emerge on the other side, considering how fast it had been moving, but was stymied when it didn't. Looper started looking all over the sky for it, not sure where it could have gone, and started to feel a little worried about what would happen next. Movement in the corner of his eye drew his attention back to the cloud. The cloud was changing shape rapidly and totally unnaturally. Part of it was stretching long and straight before it was separated and another one was made parallel to it. The streak reappeared briefly as it crossed straight across both of the lines. The cloud seemed to drag with it, drawing a line of cloud that connected them. Governor Looper blinked in surprise. It was an unmistakable 'H,' a little rough but written in block letter better than any skywriter could. It didn't stop, the huge cloud was being carved in a way that he hadn't even thought possible. Even more impossibly, the sky letters were holding. H....E....L....P......U....S. Holy Crap he thought, completely stunned at the message and wondering who, or what, could possibly write it. Looper was so fixated that he nearly fell over in surprise when two jets roared overhead. Two F-22's streaked in the air towards the cloud message, and even the most pedestrian of viewer would be able to tell that they were armed. "Son, I think it's time we go," he said to the anxious guards, new possibilities dancing in his head. Such fantastic possibilities that he couldn't stop smiling. - Rainbow Dash - Dash heard the flying machines a long time before they were even close to where she rested, lying on the bend of the 'U.' Cloud writing was as challenging as ever. Not because it required effort, but because if anypony had ever seen her writing both on paper and in the sky they could testify that it was terrible, so getting it as legible as she did was a workout in its own right. She also had thought about a better phrase, but she didn't want to push her luck for time, or for having enough cloud. She slipped off the cloud, letting gravity give her a boost as she plummeted towards earth but otherwise coasting. She didn't want to outrun them. Just the opposite in fact. Rainbow had hoped they would send the jets up to meet her and, though these ones looked different with a lot more fins, it was just like she hoped. She pulled up well before the ground, going fast enough that her contrail was easily visible. As she leveled out she was disappointed when they hung back from her instead of coming closer. It clicked in her mind that she realized they were scared that she would "explode" again. She laughed out loud just thinking about it. She had never once ever thought about the Rainboom as a weapon before. Rainbow Dash flared her wings as an air break, stopping almost instantly. The jets blasted by on each side of her, their air displacement blowing her forward and then even more violently backward, nearly causing her to spin out though she had been stopped. She recovered quickly though, and shot forward, and just as she was about to slip right between them when she got an even better idea. Well, it was good in her head. - Lt. Katie Sanders - "Where'd it go?" "We lost visual, say again, we lost visual." Lt. Sanders couldn't believe it. Not only was this thing fast, it could practically stop on a dime, not to mention could apparently deliver a high-speed shock wave. She looked wildly around as they banked right, trying to find it again but the sensors were proving useless. According to them she and her co-pilot were the only two things in the sky. A tap on her cockpit window made her heart skip a beat with how tense she was. She almost got whiplash looking up, and nearly a brain seizure when she saw what was sitting, smiling and waving at her, on her plane. - Rainbow Dash - Oh, I wish I could see his face she thought with glee. She kicked off the back, rolling into position right between them and matching their speed. She could tell both the fliers were staring at her, so she glanced at each of them turn and gave them the same "well, let's go" look. They either didn't get it or under those masks they were both stuck with the same dumb face that the Burgesses had when Twilight showed up on the back doorstep. So, the pulled the paper that she had tied around her back ankle off and unrolled it, edging closer to the jet that she had landed it on. Before she had taken off from Ponyville, she had drawn in big, black letters a single sentence. She had taken it word for word from the only book with aliens she had ever read, which was also the only Daring Do book she didn't like. "Take me to your leader." She glided back to the middle of the formation and waited for them to react. Finally they seemed to get the message, and slowly turned to the south. Dash stayed right with them as they approached a huge area with massive strips of land that looked cut out and oddly arranged. The jets descended towards the strips and began to slow down. So this is where they land. Must be one of those bases they were talking about. Dash followed the jet that continued on to landing as the other one peeled off. Seeing a group of people not far from the long strip near a tall building with a tower, she turned and landed with finality on the grass about 50 paces from them. A few wore shirts that reminded Rainbow Dash of the dress uniforms the Wonderbolts wore, while the rest were dressed in camouflage green armor and carrying long, black objects that didn't take an egg-head to know were weapons. Rainbow Dash felt her nerves get tense as she began to slowly approach the group. This was going to be the tricky part of her whole plan. She had considered asking Twilight about exact words, but had decided that her friend would probably tie her down to a rock if she had even suggested this plan. Or maybe banish her to the deepest, darkest cave she could find. A tall human, who had very brown skin and was wearing one of the dress uniforms, stepped forward to meet her, some of the green-clad soldiers flanking him and watching her with caution. Out of her peripherals she could see dozens more coming around behind her and pointing those black weapons at her. "What are you?" he said. The human stood very tall, and had a very hard expression on his face. Rainbow Dash kept a stony expression of her own, her brain officially in self-protection mode with all the soldiers around slowly creeping up. She had a serious urge to fly again and it wouldn't take much to kick off again. "You have invaded sovereign American airspace, so I will ask again: What are you and where have you come from?" he demanded. Dash wasn't sure she liked this guy. "So, I signal for help and this is how you respond? Wow, even griffons aren't that touchy," she spat. The soldiers all crouched at the ready when she sounded that forceful. She had to be more careful, so she sat down. She still kept her wings open though, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Rainbow Dash had to believe that, bluff or not, there had to be some truth behind the fears that David had a couple days before. "Your 'signal' nearly knocked five planes out of the sky and caused national panic," the human responded, raising one hand to signal his troops. Dash noticed that they relaxed just a little but were very much at the ready. "Where I come from, a Sonic Rainboom is something I do to celebrate," she said evenly. "I was trying to get your attention, not spin out your planes." The human regarded her skeptically, and Dash couldn't help but wonder if the guy ever smiled for how natural his scowl looked. He didn't speak for what felt like several minutes. The sun was starting to feel really hot just sitting there with no cover, and the humidity kept dropping which only seemed to make things hotter. "Why are you here?" he finally said. "I already said," she stated, pointing a hoof up at the fading letters. "We need help." "Who is 'we?'" "Me and my...friends. We ended up in this world by accident and we have no idea how to get home," she explained. Rainbow Dash held back the word "town" for now. She won't start trusting them until they trust her, and she could tell that the human understood that. "Look, can you help us or not? The humans we talked to seemed to think so," Rainbow Dash said impatiently. While not exactly true, she did know they had planned to reveal Ponyville eventually, so there had to be some good reason. The human looked a little taken aback at her words. She had struck a nerve somewhere. Another human came striding up, carrying a small, black, boxy object and handing it to the first human. He put it up to his ear and stood there staring at her and saying short replies seemingly at random. And they say I'm crazy. The human finally gave the little box back to the other one and took a step forward before saying, "I've been ordered to escort you to the main installation. Are you willing to comply?" "What for?" "It appears that our...leader...wishes to speak with you," he explained. Rainbow Dash started to breathe easier. That was exactly what she had been looking for. "Of course, lead the way," she said with cavalier enthusiasm. The humans with weapons took a loose formation around her as she made to follow. Each and every one of them had either the same nervous or stunned expressions, and looked a little jittery standing so close to her. This is going to be way too easy she thought as she walked, and she slowly constructed what she would say to their leader. Twilight was going to be very surprised. - Asher - Asher sat completely lost in thought in the front yard, his back up against an old, lone pine tree. He wondered about a lot of things, the first being what was taking so long for the government to figure out an entire town of aliens was practically at their front door. He also wondered if those "Elements of Harmony" had worked out for Ponyville, but was too put out to go look. Besides, there hadn't been any noises like thunder or anything of that nature so far as he could see, so that likeliness was low. Another was his own future. What will they charge me with, I wonder? Would treason be plausible to them? Harboring illegals? Asher had a very loud and very disheartening discussion with his family, with them doing most of the yelling. Well, he did deserve it. He had taken a bad situation and let it become a horrible situation. So he ended the discussion by saying, "I'll take all the blame. Pretend you know nothing," and walked out the front door. That had been an hour ago. Once or twice a sibling came out, trying to get him to come inside urgently, but he yelled at them without letting them talk to force them back into the house. And the last thing that wondered through his mind was, crazy as it sounded, the most interesting of them all. He solid wall in his mind that had been there ever since he was in Elementary school had begun to crack. He found himself believing, just a little bit, in magic. It was more like his mind had finally given up on trying to explain these ponies. The telekinesis, mentions of things like teleportation, use of "powerful gems," and finally the straw that broke the camel's back in two: the Sonic Rainboom. Magic just simply made more sense than science right now, and Asher had spent most of the last hour having a one man debate about it. The distinctive sound of a helicopter snapped him out of his thoughts. He searched the sky and finally found the source, which actually turned out to be several helicopters. From this vantage point he could also see the road, where a long train of large vehicles was slowing down before turning into the family's driveway. Well, here they come. Asher was surprised that he felt so nonchalant. Perhaps worrying about it for the last two hours had knocked it all out of his system. He stood up and leaned against the tree, adjusting his ball cap as per his habit, and watched as the choppers zoomed low overhead and as the vehicles approached. His entire countenance of self-imposed calm was almost shattered when he realized who was leading the vehicles up the road, instead staring in open disbelief. There, flying at windshield height and looking pleased as punch, was Rainbow Dash smiling broadly. The rainbow-maned pegasus flew quickly and landed next to him as the humvees and trucks pulled to a stop. "Act cool, I basically told them we were lost aliens trying to send a signal for help because we got sucked into another dimension and they sent me representing the Princess Twilight Sparkle when we saw that we scared them, and oh yeah, I told them you helped us out a lot and that we are super grateful and so we made you an advisor," she said at motormouth pace comparable to Pinkie Pie before the soldiers had even gotten out. "Wait, what?" Three people walked directly up to them while several of the soldiers spread out. Two of the people he didn't recognize: One a black man in a well decorated officer's uniform, and the other a woman with sharp eyes and glasses wearing a very formal skirt and blouse. The third one, a tall, balding, and slight man, Asher recognized from many a news report: Governor Looper. "You must be Asher Burgess," the Governor said, extending his hand. Asher hesitated for a second but kicked his brain into gear, grabbing the outreached hand. "On behalf of the people of Colorado and the United States, I thank you for your strong and upstanding representative action towards the people of Equestria." Wait, WHAT? Asher was still trying to catch up. He wasn't going to jail yet. He was being praised by the Governor of Colorado. The freaking Governor! A new spark lit up inside and started everything up again: the game was so on. A Texas-sized grin spread on his face as Asher gave his best handshake. "It was nothing," he said, new confidence surging. His original plan had involved politicians, and here was one that had landed on their lap willingly. "You should be proud, according to Rainbow Dash here you were the first to make contact, and you did so saving one of their young," the Governor continued. Well played Dash, well played. Asher stole a little glance at the pegasus, who had a satisfied smile that bordered on a smirk. "I also understand they appointed you their adviser for the duration they are here. I look forward to working with you," Governor Looper added. Okay, this is starting to make sense. he thought with another cursory glance at the pegasus. "So what happens now?" asked Asher. Another helicopter in the sky grabbed his attention for a moment, and at a glance he could tell it was a news chopper. Down the driveway, the unmistakable cables and dishes of a news van had dozens of people milling around it. They weren't going to keep it a secret? Interesting move. Looks like the Governor knows that it's an election year. "We have been asked for asylum by our esteemed visitors and their displaced town, and for assistance in returning home," it was the General who explained. "We will also be providing protection." Asher nodded in grateful approval, though he couldn't help but notice the woman was throwing daggers with her eyes. Whoever she was she didn't like him one bit. He could also tell the general was suspicious as well. Asher would have to step carefully. "Well, her Highness will be waiting," said Rainbow Dash in a very regal voice. It sounded downright unnatural coming from her, but hey, whatever works. As the men stepped back and started moving towards the house Asher whispered, "What exactly did you say to them?" "Oh, a few truths, a couple lies, ya know," she whispered back. The pegasus took off again and started flying slowly around the house and to the north. Asher made to follow them after the General and Governor did, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the woman glaring him. "Yes, ma'am?" asked Asher innocently. "I don't care if that self-righteous, idiot of a governor thinks you did a good thing," she snarled in a whisper. "In my book you are a traitor for hiding this, and you should be in Leavenworth for a long time! I got my eye on you, Asher K. Burgess, and if you so much as toe the line again, I can make some very powerful people question your loyalty to your nation." "Thank you for your concern, ma'am," said Asher through clenched, but smiling, teeth. He turned and decided to duck into the house to explain to his family what was happening. To his surprise they weren't too surprised at all, pointing him to the news and the internet where Rainbow Dash's newest exploit was documented. On screen a live shot of Ponyville from above by the news chopper was playing, with the banner "Town From Another Dimension: Governor makes contact with friendly race" running below while an excited reporter babbled on about, "The greatest story since the wheel." His head spinning with his new chance, Asher ran to the back door to follow the soldiers to Ponyville, yelling as he did so, "By the way, I think I just got a new job." He practically ran to Ponyville, far too interested to miss anything. - Twilight - The loud sound of the helicopters circling around the town was almost enough to make Twilight lose her cool again. They had searched all over town for Rainbow Dash and no one had even seen her since they got back. And now, the humans had found them and they were totally unprepared. She started giving instructions for all the ponies to gather in the middle of town again, to get ready to defend themselves if they had to. She started to worry about Rainbow Dash as well. Maybe she had tried something crazy and had been captured, or perhaps just run away? Either case felt like it would be her fault, considering how much she had raged at her. "Princess Twilight! I can see a bunch of them coming this way!" that was Thunderlane, who was still looking to the south from this vantage point. "Okay, everypony. Just keep calm and we'll take care of this," said Twilight. Her stomach was doing somersaults as she contemplated all the worst case scenarios. Some of them were ridiculous and she knew it, but it was amazing what the imagination can convince you of in a potential crisis. The next couple of minutes seemed to last an eternity. The helicopters above didn't get too close but there were now at least four circling around them. Twilight stood at the front of the ponies, her friends on either side of her, as they faced the south street. All around she could sense that there was a lot of movement, which she assumed was humans surrounding them. From the rise a large group of humans appeared. Twilight gasped out loud, along with half the ponies around her, when she realized Rainbow Dash was at the front, leading them on. The pegasus flew ahead of the group and pulled up, hovering just above Twilight. She then started talking in a false accent that previously Twilight had only ever heard her use to make fun of ponies with, particularly Rarity. "Presenting her Royal Highness: Princess Twilight Sparkle," said Rainbow Dash, sneaking a wink in her direction. Two humans, one with dark colored skin and both dressed very officially, stepped forward and bowed a little. A third, who looked like a female, didn't look so thrilled, but rather looked at her with suspicion. "Greetings your Highness," the lighter one said. "I am Kyle Looper, the Governor of the State of Colorado, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the United States of America." Twilight didn't say anything, too overwhelmed by this new turn of events. Rainbow Dash, who was flying just above the humans, signaled her urgently to talk. She took in the human before her. He was tall and thin, and his head hair was balding. And his entire countenance just screamed "politician." "T- Thank you, Governor Looper," she stammered, suddenly glad she was still wearing her Element to look the part. "We have been informed that you require assistance, and I am pleased to inform you that you will have all that you need," said the Governor. "Just tell us how we can help." Twilight looked around, her mind still spinning, and she found Asher who had just walked up behind the other humans. He smiled, though he was out of breath, and made a hand gesture with his thumb close to his chest, a symbol that Twilight took to mean, "Good." "I gratefully accept your offer, Governor Looper," she said with confidence. "Welcome to Ponyville." BONUS - FAN ART Should any of you get really really bored and should ever feel inclined to make fan art for some part of this story, I would absolutely love to see it. And if it's good, I'll put it up at the end of the chapters just like this. The following is one of my own creation. Nothing much, but I hope ya see why I wanted it to go this way.