//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Arbitration 
// Story: Ponyville, USA 
// by Rox 
//------------------------------//


- NBC -


"That's right Bill, as far as I can tell there appears to be a town of some kind in what used to be uninhabited forest land."

"Do you think this could be some sort of camp?"

"It's hard to say. From our vantage I really can’t tell much but it really just looks like an everyday village up here.”


- FOX -


"The real question is, is this really contact with an alien race or an elaborate hoax?"

"As incredible as it is to think or say, I think this is the real deal. If we look at this image right here, a still frame from a camera that caught the second incident, the object in question appears to have feathered wings and four legs. Not to mention drones aren't typically rainbow striped."

"How could something organic cause such a spectacular explosion?"

"Perhaps it was some sort of elaborate flare or an unknown tech that we..."


- ABC -


"Sandy, has there been anything that you have been able to dig up for us?"

"Governor Looper has made no official statement yet, and officials have presently kept the media essentially in the dark, promising to properly address it tomorrow morning. However, I was able to find some information on the family whose land has become the center of attention. The home and property belong to an Andrew H. Burgess, a retired businessman who moved his wife and five children here just a little under a year ago..."


- Asher -


Asher was tired in more ways than one as he drove the four-wheeler up the hill towards Ponyville. The sun was beginning to disappear behind the mountains to the west, finally signaling the end of one heck of a long, rollercoaster day.

The whole family was tired. Not long after Twilight was introduced to the over-zealous Governor, a couple of sharply dressed agents had walked him back to his home. There, he and his family were put through a briefing instructing them on how to deal with this. They wouldn’t be allowed to use the internet for the time being. They also would be required to stay on their land until they were cleared of any foreign pathogens, which made sense although Asher didn't really feel like telling them that they had already driven nearly to Monument. They would be allowed to go between Ponyville and their home to accommodate Asher’s hasty appointment as "Equestrian-Human Advisor" that had pretty much been made up on the spot when somebody brought it up with Twilight, but only during the day.

I still can't believe they actually went along with even that. Rainbow Dash was either a genius or just lucky, and Asher was more inclined to think the latter had more to do with it.

Watching the news was far more amusing than Asher ever remembered it being before. The still unconfirmed reports about what these "aliens" looked like, complete with really bad drawings, and what they wanted were mixed in with heated debates on how the administration should react. Social media, before they shut it off, was even funnier. Right now the number one trend was #Helpthem, filled mostly by passive socialites, bleeding hearts, UFO wackos, and a handful of seemingly rational people. The second was #EarthInvaded, mostly being passed on by passive socialites, bleeding hearts, UFO wackos, and a handful of seemingly rational people.

And don't even get started on what was on Youtube.

As he passed Applejack's picturesque barn and homestead, the noise of the helicopters circling above was finally dying away. The spotlights that almost all of them carried showed that most of them were probably news choppers, though they really wouldn't be able to see anything too different from their altitude unless they got really lucky. Also, it seemed like they were sticking to an imaginary line in the sky, which unfortunately seemed to be right over their house.

It wasn't until Asher reached Ponyville that it occurred to him he didn't have the slightest idea where any of them lived. After briefly confirming to the Guardsmen at the edge of town who he was passing the homes, most of which also seemed to double as businesses, telling most of them apart in the fading light was difficult enough. The town had a rather random layout, with hard-pounded dirt paths that could only be generously called roads occupying the space between all of them.

While his experiences of the last three days had made him at least semi-comfortable around a few of the ponies,Asher wasn't quite feeling up to walking up to random ones and asking directions. Besides, the ponies he did see out and about seemed a bit overwhelmed by the human presence surrounding them in the skies. Not to mention the National Guardsmen who were sure to be patrolling the perimeter of the town.

Asher considered turning back and seeing if he could find Applejack at the farm, but then he spotted one very flamboyant,ginderbread house-like structure that stirred a memory from two days before. Sugar-something, the store where Pinkie worked, and if the rest of the town was any indication, the hyperactive pony probably lived there too. He pulled his vehicle to stop and cut the motor, hopping off and jogging to the door.

Asher knocked on the door, which he noticed was split to make two doors and also that neither had a doorknob on it. Either they don't lock their doors or they can only open on the inside. At any rate, opening a closed door would have to be a challenge with hooves. Unless you got the telekinesis, or magic. Whatever they call it.

Both doors swung open slowly after a moment. A blue pony with a tall, swirled, pink mane answered, looking incredibly nervous. Her flank tattoo sported three cupcakes, and she was wearing what looked like a sort of frilly apron. She kind of looks like my aunt.

"Sorry to bother you," Asher said politely. "But I was looking for Pinkie Pie. She around?"

Before the pony could answer, a loud gasp erupted from inside, and a split second afterwards Pinkie had flung the door wide open exclaiming, "Ashie!"

The next thing Asher saw was a pink blur blasting out the door and tackling/hugging him. The force knocked him straight off the steps and sent him stumbling backwards as he tried to balance the top heavy weight. His effort was in vain as his back foot stumbled into the wheel of the Yamaha and both he and the clinging pony tumbled to the ground.

"Pinkie!" he gasped, surprised out how muscular she felt. He had noticed what could only be athletic builds on Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but Pinkie hadn't shown any particular signs of strength before now.

"Good to see you! You gotta come in! Come in!" Pinkie Pie grabbed him with both of her hooves and pulled him inside before he had a chance to say anything more. He had to duck to avoid taking a door frame to the head as she did so. The door was not even six feet tall, which made sense considering their size.

As decorative as the outside was, the inside of the shop looked more like a postcard of a candy shop in the forties. It had a very homely feel and the air smelled heavily of frosting and pastries. In fact it smelled a lot like that doughnut shop in Round Rock, Texas his family visited when he was younger.

"You gotta try some of these! Mrs. Cake made 'em fresh today!" Pinkie Pie swung in carrying a tray of very colorful cookies. Asher hesitated for a second. Part of him was saying it was a bad idea. Sure the apple had been fine, but who knows what goes in their baked goods? Though the other half really wanted to try that cookie, and frankly that voice was louder. Still a little winded from their spill, He picked out a blue one and took out a bite. It was pretty good, and even more remarkably tasted pretty much exactly like sugar cookies he's had before. The more of these parallels he found the spookier it got.

"It's very good Pinkie. I'll have to get you some of my Mom's homemade chocolate chip ones," said Asher through a mouthful as he finished if off. "I actually came wondering if you could help me find Twilight."

"Sure!" the pony said. "C'mon, she lives in the library!"

She zipped out the door without any hesitation, throwing it open as she went. Wow, she's energetic. Anne would really like her. Asher thanked the blue pony that had let him in, who was still watching warily from the other side of the room and ducked out the door after Pinkie Pie. Luckily he didn't have to look far for her; she was contentedly sitting on his red Yamaha with both hooves placed on the handlebars..

"Ooooh!" she awed. "Can it go fast?"

"Not too much but it's faster than I can run," he said, sliding onto it. As he did so Pinkie Pie immediately perched behind him, leaning over his shoulders to watch. He turned the start key and twisted the handle to get the engine going, to which the pony let out another "oooooooh."

She then clapped her hooves excitedly and asked, "Can I ride with you, please? It looks like so much fun!"

"Don't see why not," he replied. "Hold on tight."

The pony responded by wrapping her front hooves tightly around his midsection, robbing him of some breath as she cried out excitedly.

"Not...that tight...Pinkie," he wheezed.

"Oops, sorry," she said as she loosened her anaconda squeeze, letting Asher take a full breath in again. He shook his head to refocus and twisted the gas, the four wheels spinning before jolting them forwards.

"Alright, where to?"

"Just go that way! And go fast!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing with a hoof towards the center of the town. "Wheeeeee!"


- Twilight -


Not even Canterlot had been this loud during the middle of the day. The spinning blades of the helicopters outside made for a constant and incredibly annoying noise that could be only barely muffled by closing all the windows. It was amazing how much sound becomes so aggravating after a long day. Asher had never said just how talkative some of them could be.

The last several hours had been spent talking with humans who wore expressions ranging from shell shock to suspicion, though most of the uniformed ones seemed to be experts at the poker face. Twilight had never received much practice at being a delegate of any kind, but had been plunged into a trial by fire. It had been tricky to say the least. Human faces may be different, but at least their emotions read the same, and Twilight paid close attention to every word she spoke.

She reaffirmed Rainbow Dash's display was a call for help that was misunderstood, playing along with the pegasi's explanation, but tried very carefully to make sure they didn't sound totally helpless. She still wasn't confident that she could trust their intentions, especially with how the Governor’s fast talk had reminded her so much of Flim and Flam. She didn’t think that he was trying to take advantage of them, but he did seem to have an ulterior motive. So she played the politics game with him, grabbing at every detail and skill she could remember from her social studies at the Academy.

When the last human finally left the common room of the library which had served as the conference locale, Twilight had reached what she thought a satisfactory agreement with them.

Their soldiers would provide "protection," as the humans put it, but for the most part they would stay out of the town. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the protection went both ways. Asher’s brother had made it abundantly clear that the nearby city was important to the defense of their land, and Twilight didn’t blame them for being cautious. Honestly, Celestia probably would have done the same thing. Human scientists would soon arrive to assist her in understanding the way for them to return but for the most part contact would be regulated, again in the name of security. However, as per Dash's request, Asher would be allowed to enter at will.

Explaining her reasoning had been especially difficult, trying to sound as if they had been the ones who pleaded for both his help and secrecy and that the family had graciously gone along with it. The simple fact was, for now, that family was the only humans she really trusted, and that's who she wanted around. The human negotiators agreed, although more than one of them had seemed uncomfortable about it, particularly one sour looking woman, whom had briefly introduced herself as the Secretary of something or other, but didn't say much after that.

"Twilight, you okay?" Applejack prodded her as she slumped over the table. Her friends had stuck close beside her all day, even Fluttershy. For that matter, the Mayor was still present as well, with Meadowlark by her side taking notes faithfully. Only Pinkie had burst out of the room, apparently on a mission to learn every single human's name and invite them to a welcome party of sorts. Twilight had her doubts about how much success she was having.

"I'm fine," Twilight answered, though she kept resting her head on her hooves.

"I think you need to get some rest, darling," added Rarity.

"I'll say, she's hardly slept at all since we got here," said Spike. Twilight gave the little dragon a hard stare for revealing that, however true it was. Both previous nights had been quite restless, her mind refusing to go to sleep, and frankly she was probably in for another one despite how tired she was.

The door flinging open derailed her thoughts as Pinkie Pie bounded in.

"Come on! They're all in here!" she said, stopping in the middle of the room. Eyes as wide as a filly, Asher ducked inside the door looking around in awe at the humble library.

"Well, hiya Asher," Applejack welcomed. "What brings you up here this late?"

"Uh....just, uh, couple of questions," the human was barely acknowledging them.

"What? You never seen a library before?" Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to the ceiling to get his attention.

"Not one built inside a tree," he replied, shaking his head as he did so. "Is this thing still alive?"

"Well, the leaves still grow and get knocked off in the fall, so I guess it is," said Twilight. She hadn't really thought about it before, seeing as tree-houses like this weren't all that uncommon in old rural towns like Ponyville. It wasn't even the only one in Ponyville, Fluttershy's cottage coming to mind.

"Weird," Asher shook his head again and finally looked to all the ponies in the room. When he saw the Mayor and her assistant he stopped and introduced himself to them.

"So you're the one Princess Twilight has placed so much trust in, I am Mayor Mare. Pleased to meet you," the mayor said enthusiastically. Where does she get the energy to keep up the smile? thought Twilight as she watched her introduce Meadowlark. Twilight had a feeling she would continue to need the Mayor's help the longer they were here.

"So," said Asher, turning to Twilight. "Today was....eventful."

"You can say that again," said Twilight, standing up and striding to the center of the room. They simultaneously glanced at Rainbow Dash for only a second. Twilight could tell that he was sharing the same feelings of not knowing whether to still be angry or rather be grateful for what the pegasus did.

"So...I was wondering if you could answer something for me," said Asher, pausing as he adjusted his hat. "Just how in the heck do you shatter the light spectrum?"

Asher looked directly at Rainbow Dash as he asked that, who was still lazily hovering as usual. When Dash noticed, she started laughing.

"Don't tell me you've never seen a Rainbow before either?" she snickered.

"In my experience, rainbows don't explode, they're just light refractions," defended Asher.

"Yeah, the wimpy ones," Rainbow laughed, landing and rolling on the floor now. Fluttershy was also trying to conceal her own quiet laugh. It would be funny to the pegasi. Asher looked to Twilight, looking a bit put out at being laughed at for his question.

"Sorry Asher, Rainbow and Fluttershy grew up in Cloudsdale. Both of them probably learned how to make rainbows while in school. They're very important in the weather control process." explained Twilight. Asher looked unconvinced as he grimaced at the ponies.

"However, the Sonic Rainboom, as far as I understand it, is a rare physical manifestation of pegasus magic. It was just a legend until Rainbow Dash did it."

"So they have magic too, huh?" Asher looked at the ponies in turn with a studious expression. "That might explain the wingspan."

Rainbow Dash stopped laughing immediately and looked up at that. "Now waddya mean by that?"

Asher ignored the pegasus, instead asking another question, "So why did you make me an advisor? I don't think they were all that happy about having a civilian be given so much slack."

"Well, your family are the only ones we know here," said Twilight. "It makes sense to keep your allies close, don't you think?"

Asher was quiet for a few moments, appearing lost in thought. "Well....thanks."

"So, Mr. Advisor, I have a question for you," said Twilight. "What does Ponyville do now?"

A look of mild surprise spread on his face when she asked, followed by a smile.

"Remember all that keeping secret and hidden stuff?" Asher straightened his hat again. "Forget all of it."

Twilight saw Rainbow Dash brighten up at that, and Asher noticed.

"Except for that, Rainbow Dash," he said. "As cool as it was, don't do that again. Please."

"Don't worry, she won't," said Twilight, giving a meaningful glance at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus sank to the floor, looking a little crestfallen. As far as Twilight was concerned, Rainbow wasn't out of the woods yet.

Applejack asked next, "Does that mean we should take all the leaves off the roofs now?"

"Yep," answered Asher. "I think you should live how you're used to. Just like you belong here."

"So I can throw a party!?" Pinkie Pie bounced up with excitement.

"Only if I can come," joked Asher as Pinkie literally jumped for joy. "Also, if I am remembering right the pegasi usually manage your weather, right?"

"Yep. I still can't see how you have managed to live without it," answered Rainbow, with a few of the others nodding in agreement. Twilight also wondered how they managed to grow crops effectively when they didn't know when rain would come or if winter was unpredictable. Maybe that was why they were at least partially carnivorous.

"Okay. Do that too. Basically, anything you consider normal just keep doing," explained Asher. "And be a little patient with us, some things are gonna take time for us to get used to.”

"Like magic?" asked Twilight. Asher looked a little sheepish again, signaling to Twilight that this was a sort of self admission of belief.

"Um, well...yeah. Still, live like you normally do but warn everyone that humans might react a little strangely to it," said Asher sheepishly.

"I think we can handle that," said the Mayor, Meadowlark still faithfully taking notes of the entire conversation like it was a court case. Twilight said their parting pleasantries as the Mayor and assistant walked out into the darkening evening.

"Time to party!" Pinkie Pie yelled suddenly, pulling out her party cannon and discharging it. Twilight braced as the confetti onrush blew past her. Asher, who was standing somewhat downrange of it, jumped out of the way like a frightened cat, ending up leaning against the bookcase with an intense alertness.

"Believe it or not, that's normal," Twilight said, snickering a little. Asher looked from her, to Pinkie, and to the suddenly decorated side of the library as Rainbow Dash collapsed into another fit of laughter along with Applejack while Rarity and Fluttershy politely tried to stifle their own.

"Warn me next time!" he finally blurted, starting to laugh along as he relinquished his grip on the bookcase. "And I wouldn't do that around a soldier before warning them."

Twilight nodded as Pinkie Pie bounced around happily, mentally noting to remind the pony in case she didn't quite hear it. Twilight yawned as her fatigue caught up with her once again, an odd interruption in the giddy energy of the room. To say she was feeling completely calm would be lying, but she was beginning to feel a lot more at ease. Ultimately, she still had her friends around her even if she didn't have Celestia to rely on.

I just need to take it one day at a time, and learn as much about this world as I can in the meantime she thought as she watched Pinkie try to coerce a protesting Asher into dancing. And we were lucky enough to have found somepony willing to help us.

"Asher," Twilight called for the human's attention. He looked at her for a moment before walking over, looking grateful to be rescued from Pinkie Pie's pleas. "Do you have any books about your world I could borrow?"

"Hmm..." Asher trailed off as he thought about it.

"I just want to get some context," Twilight explained. "You know, history, science, things like that."

"I think we might have some old textbooks that might be useful, but I'm not sure if we sold them or not," said Asher. Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Books were her go to, and without the chance to learn more her old vice of falling into frustration at a lack of knowledge was creeping back up. If only she could use....

"I know what you’re thinking, but sorry they cut off the internet," said Asher forelornly. “But I think I can find something.”

“That would be really helpful,” Twilight said. She supposed she couldn't ask for more, considering going down to the Burgess home would probably prove more aggravating to the human leaders than what it was worth.

"No problem," said Asher. "But I still get to ask you questions right?"

"Of course," replied Twilight with a nod. Her mind had already been kick started about how to explain magic to a being with little concept of it, and it would be a entertaining challenge.

"Hey! If you're bringing up that egg-head stuff, can you bring up some movies too?" Rainbow Dash cut in to the conversation, her question affirmed by Pinkie Pie from the other side of the room.

"Um..." Asher mumbled as he thought. Twilight didn't let him answer.

"Just a minute, Rainbow, we need to talk to you," said Twilight in an authoritative way. "I thought of your punishment."

"What!?" she protested loudly. "C'mon, even after -"

"Yep," Twilight cut off. "Dash, it was both brave and good of you to fix it like you did -"

"I'll say," remarked Asher lowly.

"But the fact is we only got a mess to fix because you didn't think carefully the first time, and both of your big ideas today were very reckless and foolish," Twilight lectured. Rainbow Dash sighed and slowly sank to the floor, folding her wings.

"Not to mention you managed to scare the bejeebers out of those stunt pilots," added Asher. "And pretty much the rest of the country."

"So, until further notice...." Twilight paused, almost entirely for the dramatic effect that Dash seemed to live for. "You have to be my personal attendant."

Pinkie Pie let out a loud gasp followed by a poignant silence.

"What?" she asked as everypony stared at her.

"Ooo-kay, so what does that mean?" asked Rainbow Dash, turning back to Twilight.

"You have to go where I go at all times, carry my stuff, go with me to any meetings, stuff like that," said Twilight with a mischievous smile.

"Oh come on! That stuff is way too boring!" Rainbow complained.

"Exactly," affirmed Twilight. "You still need to do the weather but when you're not, you're following me."

"What are you laughing at?" Rainbow Dash snapped at Applejack, who was having a really hard time concealing her snickering. Finally the dam burst and she started cackling loudly.

"Can you imagine?" she laughed, laying on the ground and pounding the floor with one hoof as she did. "Rainbow Dash a secretary?"

"Hmm. I could make you a blouse collar," Rarity said, both laughing and sounding deadly serious at the same time. Rainbow Dash recoiled at the thought of such a horrifying fate as having to wear one. She threw a desperate look at Twilight, who decided to be merciful and shook her head slightly to show that she wouldn't have to.

"I'll bring some movies up, and if there's time we can watch it on the laptop," said Asher, who was also taking a little mercy on the pegasus. Twilight didn't intend to drag Rainbow Dash with her for too long, but she needed to do something. But knowing Rainbow, she'd really already learned her lesson and they probably had at least a few weeks before she tried something over the top again. Such is the cycle of life in Ponyville.

"I'll say this Rainbow Dash," Asher said. "What you did today was crazy, reckless, and should have never, ever worked."

"Thanks. That was pretty cool," he finished. "I'm just glad the hard part's over."


- Swiss Alps, Near the German Border -


Firetail rose to his feet, completely bewildered as he looked around at the barely familiar landscape. The mountains were there, but they didn't look the same, even in the dim moonlight. Was that storm really so bad that it could change the land itself? He started backing up out of fear. Getting nervous was not his thing, and it was a rare feeling that was only serving to make him mad.

He turned around as he scanned his surroundings. A cold wind brought strange smells along with it. And one smell that was conspicuously absent.

In a panic he turned and entered the cave behind him. The storm didn't take those too did it? The cave was smaller than before, but it was also dark, damp, and empty. Furious he stomped back outside and spread his wings in all their glory.

And he roared. A pillar of flame erupted into the sky as he did so, lighting up the night sky.

"WHERE ARE MY GEMS!??"


- Asher -


Asher walked up the hill towards Ponyville as the morning sun began to bathe the landscape in its soothing light. Not wanting to take any chance at disturbing any of the ponies that would still be sleeping, Asher had parked his transportation with the Guardsmen standing just outside the apple orchards. Besides, he probably needed the exercise, and his backpack wasn't any heavier than it had been at school.

As he passed the Apple homestead he wasn't all that surprised to see that Applejack was already up and about, as were a couple of others. Deciding that he didn't have to rush, he decided to stop by.

"Mornin' Asher!" the pony greeted him brightly. "It's lookin' like a beautiful day."

"Sure is," he replied, trying hard not to let her accent become contagious. "Colorado is usually pretty good about that."

As they talked the smallest of the ponies strode over next to Applejack. She was yellowish in color with a soft red mane and tail, but the things that stood out the most were her red-auburn eyes and the huge, pink bow she wore on her head. He also noticed that she, like Scootaloo, didn't have a tattoo yet. Applejack put one hoof around the little one in a sort of side hug once she stopped beside her.

"This here's Applebloom, she's my little sis," she said. Welp. She's adorable. Better make sure I'm around if Anne ever sees her because she might hug the little thing to death.

"Pleas'd to meet ya!" Applebloom's accent was even thicker than her sister's. This led Asher to wonder if they were originally from Ponyville, seeing as how none of the others shared their drawl.

"And that there's Big Macintosh, though we just call him Big Mac," Applejack continued, pointing a hoof to Asher's left.

"He's our big brother," chimed in Applebloom.

"Eeyup."

Big was an understatement. Asher involuntarily blinked in surprise at just how huge this pony really was. He was nearly a foot taller from hoof to head than the other ponies (though still a few inches below chin level on Asher), and his red body both larger and more muscular than any Asher had seen yet. His mane was cut shorter in a more masculine style, and, keeping with the theme of being huge, his massive, green apple tattoo covered almost all of his hind flank.

"And this is Granny Smith," Applejack finished, pointing at another smaller pony walking towards the little gathering. Well, more like limping. The light green pony was obviously very old, her skin sagging and her face wrinkled. She had the exact same eyes as Applebloom, showing that they were most certainly related. Her mane was also white and tied in a short bun, completing an aged grandma look that couldn't be missed no matter the species. Her tattoo was still surprisingly clear, a pie of some sort, so either they renewed them or the inks they used were truly impressive.

"Good to meet you, er, Granny Smith," Asher wasn't sure if that was her name or just an endearing title, but he went with it.

"So yer the one causin' all of the hullabaloo in town," she said, giving him a very scrutinizing stare. Asher, not knowing how to respond, ended up just standing there as she looked him over. Her gaze finally lingered on his hands.

"Betcha could pick up a tool mighty easily with them arms a yers," she said. "Maybe we'll have ta hire ya fer harvest."

And with that the old pony, whom Asher was beginning to think was a little senile, then promptly turned and walked crookedly back towards a small vegetable patch. Oh, I like her.

"Granny Smith was just a filly when Ponyville was founded," said Applejack, as she fondly watched the old mare start pulling weeds with her teeth. "She's seen an awful lot and knows just about everythin' about everythin'."

"Really?" Asher looked at her with a new-found interest. That could be really interesting to hear.

"Eeyup," said Big Mac proudly.

"Well, we gotta lot a chores to do and I'm sure Twilight'll be waitin' for ya," said Applejack, though not at all dismissively. Asher nodded and said goodbye to the four ponies as he continued up the hill again. He periodically turned back to watch as the little family went about their work. He thought he actually saw Applejack kicking a tree, though he wasn't entirely sure he could trust what he saw as he was already a good distance away.

It was the first pony family Asher had run into since this had all started, and they seemed to put as much emphasis on family as humans did, even with similar structure. Although, Asher found himself wondering where the second generation was and made a mental note to go back so he could meet their parents if they were around.

Walking into town for just the fourth time, it looked like a totally different place. All of the roofs and streets had been cleared so the town was back to its original look, but what made the difference was the ponies were out and about. Oh, and the helicopters in the distance as well.

The town practically felt alive, defying his previous impression of Ponyville being a sleepy, small town. They had really taken his advice to heart, it seemed, and Asher felt like a kid in a candy store as he watched them. There, an orange one with a curly mane was watering a garden, her hoof wrapped tightly around a water pail in a way Asher wouldn't have thought possible. A white unicorn farther down caught his attention, not just because she was wearing sunglasses but was rhythmically nodding her head like she was listening to music. Her eighth-note tattoo only added to his curiosity as to what that one did for a living.

By the time he reached the library, he had a mental catalog of several ponies that had piqued his curiosity, which, in all reality, was nearly all the ones he saw. So much so that Asher was beginning to wonder if maybe the town had a registry so he could learn their names at least. He'd never had much of a memory for names, but he had a feeling it would be a lot easier among this colorful species.

Twilight greeted him enthusiastically and invited him in, her energy level returned to its vigorous normality after the long day before.

"I take it you slept pretty good," Asher said candidly.

"Surprisingly, yes!" Twilight reported brightly as she pulled out her writing supplies. With her magic. He still was not quite used to it, no matter how much he wanted to accept it and get over it.

Asher swung his backpack off his shoulders and set it at the foot of the table. Ponies didn't appear to use chairs or stools too often, choosing instead to sit flat on the ground. This of course made the tables fairly short, coming up to just above his knees when standing. It kind of reminded him of kindergarten, or at least, what it was like when he would pick up his sister when he was in high school.

"I've been curious, do you have a map of your world?" Asher asked as he unzipped the pack and pulled out his laptop. “I’ve always wanted to see an alien world.”

"Be careful what you wish for. Spike! Could you find the atlas please?" Twilight called out. The little dragon, who was wearing a laced apron, complied right away and sped off to another room of the library.

As Asher pulled out his own writing materials he asked. "So, how did you end up with Spike?"

"Well, for my entrance exam I was supposed to hatch a dragon egg," began Twilight. "So when I did, Princess Celestia gave him to me to raise. He's been my assistant ever since."

Right on cue, Spike waddled over carrying a book almost as big as he was over his head. "Here you go! And the pancakes will be done in a jiffy! You want some?"

“No thanks, I already ate breakfast,” waved off Asher.

"Thank you Spike, couldn't ask for better," praised Twilight. The purple dragon looked very pleased with himself and made his way back up a small staircase. “I thought you couldn’t get the internet.”

She pointed at the laptop as he typed in the log in password.

“I don’t. But I can still use it to type and store information,” said Asher. “Plus it plays movies should the need arise.”

Asher had more or less randomly selected a few DVD’s, though he did exchange one of them before he did so. After the random grab he decided that Spirit would be just a little bit awkward and exchanged it for the Sandlot. Baseball would be far easier to explain.

Behind them, the front door opened, and Asher turned to see Rainbow Dash fly low and slow through the opening followed by a bouncing Pinkie Pie and Anne. Wait...

"Anne! What are you doing up here?!" Asher blurted. It wasn't anger, more just surprise.

"I walked up here, duh," his sister replied sarcastically. At eleven she was already a master at being a smart alec.

"Does Mom know?" he asked automatically, never minding the other obstacles like National Guardsmen and potential hazards like mountain lions in the mile or so between the house and Ponyville.

"Duh," Anne said again, busy bundling her blonde hair into a ponytail as if nothing was amiss. "C'mon! Pinkie Pie promised to show me everything!"

“I – eh – how did – did the soldiers just let you through?” Asher stammered.

“Told ‘em I was just going to give you a message and that I’d be right back,” she replied impatiently. Oh, great. Lying to a federal officer; that’s just fantastic.

Asher just plain didn't know how to respond. His sister was far more impulsive than he was and didn't seem to be scared of anything, though that always made Asher nervous she would do something stupid one day. Sorta like Rainbow Dash actually.

"O-Ok, just don't.....do anything dumb," he ended up stammering. Why do I get the feeling Mom's gonna kill me later?

"Great!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Let's go! We're gonna go stop by the Cakes, then maybe we'll go to Fluttershy and see all the cute bunnies...."

Pinkie's to do list faded as she bounded out the door with Anne quickly following her out. She's standing in a town from another world which is surrounded and she doesn't even seem remotely fazed.

"Your sister's pretty cute," remarked Twilight. "She kind of reminds me of the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"The what now?"

"Oh, just a little club that Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom have," said Twilight, simultaneously rolling her eyes in a sort of exasperation and chuckling a little. "They're always running around doing all sorts of crazy things."

"You know, maybe I should go with them," interjected Rainbow Dash from the side of the room. Twilight gave her a look, to which the pegasus responded, "Hey, if you think Pinkie Pie won't get her into anything too crazy, then it's fine by me."

"And you're gonna be the voice of reason?" Twilight said skeptically, voicing exactly what Asher was thinking.

"Just sayin' it's Pinkie Piiiie," Dash said, singing the last word to give emphasis. Rainbow Dash then promptly laid on her back and crossed her legs like she just didn't care either way. A classic tactic, but all too effective. Twilight and Asher both sighed at the same time.

"Ok, but bring them back soon," said Twilight.

"Got it!" Rainbow Dash shot up a foot or so in the air, saluted, and streaked out the door practically before she was done talking. The wind shear from her wings whipped up some of Twilight's papers, spreading them all over their side of the library.

"And in one piece!" Asher yelled after her. "She never slows down, does she?"

"Only for an afternoon nap or two," said Twilight, laughing a little as she said it.

"Anyways, let's look at that map," said Asher, changing the subject. He reached over to the comically oversized book. It was a beautiful hardbound book that was just as heavy as it looked, and the cover was ornately decorated with gold leaf. He flipped it open and was rewarded right away with a map labeled "Modern Equestria."

"You have a map for me?" Twilight inquired, looking on expectantly.

"Oh yeah," Asher reached into the backpack and pulled out an atlas of his own, which he had found under the couch of all places, and set it in front of the pony. She eagerly flipped it open with her hoof and leaned over it, prepared to siphon all the information out of it.

Equestria was a large nation that much was apparent. It was easily the size of greater North America judging by the scale. But then, that was the really crazy thing. For as to its shape, the map was as if someone asked a 3rd Grader to draw what they thought North America looked like. Not exactly like it, but just enough that it was somewhat recognizable.

Then there were the cities. A lot of them were more or less original to him, including the capital Canterlot and a huge city in the north called the Crystal Empire. But many of the rest were just downright scary. Manehatten, Baltimare, Seaddle? Are you kidding me? Winnyapolis, San Flanksisco, even an island chain to the west had a city named Horsolulu. Practically all of their major cities were essentially horse puns on their own. He was beginning to wonder if it was a joke.

"How are all your cities named after ours?" Twilight asked. That caused Asher to burst out laughing. Of course she would think that! She started laughing as well as she realized he had come to the same question, and they both returned to their reading as it died down. As Asher flipped the pages to more maps, he tried to look objectively but it was all too easy to look at their world through the lens of his own.

That's because the rest of the landmass was similar to Equestria, in that they mostly looked like a roughly drawn sketch of Earth. The only thing that was really different was the countries, and some of them engendered more curiosity than others. It was all too easy to reference his own geography. One continent, which was divided informally, took Africa's place and was named Zebrica, which led Asher to believe that perhaps at least some of the wildlife was the same.

The Iberian Peninsula was labeled "The Griffon Kingdom," which Asher was surprisingly unsurprised at the idea that there might be griffons in their world as well. Hey, they had dragons, so why not?

Speaking of which, there were huge swaths of the map that were simply labeled "Dragon Lands. Do not enter." The largest was in the middle of the largest continent, right where the Urals would be, but there were other sizable sections on the continent to the south of Equestria and another small section on Equestria's extreme northeast.

A nation that rivaled Equestria in size was just to the south of the largest Dragon zone, called Saddle Arabia. Another large one called Ghizou was to the east of the zone, with a long island running parallel its shore called Neighpon.

To the west was a smattering of nations sandwiched between the Griffon Kingdom and the Dragon Land. None of the names really jumped out to him: Cheval, Hackney, Cavallo (which was a long peninsula extending out just like Italy, except looking less like a boot and more like a horse's leg. Of course), though there was one called Neighway. Guess where that one was.

But perhaps most mysterious of all was a stretch of land nestled between Cavallo and Saddle Arabia, to the southwest of the Dragon lands. It was labeled "Land of the Tribes" and had a little note in parenthesis that said, "(Abandoned)." He wondered what the story behind that piece of land was, but thus far the only mention of tribes was in a brief history of Equestria. Turns out the ponies have had their share of troubles in the past.

Asher became absorbed into the reading, his thirst for knowledge finally finding somewhere to quench. The same could be said for Twilight, who was absolutely engrossed in a map of the United States, and was scratching notes at a mile a minute.

"By the way, they mentioned something about wanting me to 'appear before the media,'" remarked Twilight offhandedly.

"Sure, why not," replied Asher.

It would be several minutes before his mind actually processed what she said