I can't believe it's only been seventeen days since this started, just under three weeks. I made it back to the farm finally after a long day flying. I think I can do those hundred wing ups now. This little bit of time has really shown how strong I am. But then again, the majority of the power for flight as a pegasus comes from our magic, our wings are too small to lift a two hundred pound body, much less exceed the speed of sound with it. And my magic has taken its time, but it's pretty much back, I think. Though I've not figured out the temporal displacement bolts as of yet. I glide to a landing in front of the farmhouse, those damned semi-trailers are still there, along with another trailer that carries the generator.
My barracks are complete, and there are now nearly thirty vehicles here. And the population of ponies is nearing a hundred. I smile at that. Ponies everywhere. I look in the sky, a dozen pegasi are moving clouds around, some are bringing them closer to the ground, the snow has finally left the ground, and the planned garden is starting to go in. The tractors are out in the fields, disks turning up the ground, I guess planting will be going on soon. I stop and watch the earth ponies in the garden, every single one of them has a cutie mark that is a plant. Seedlings look like they are several days old, and yet I'm watching them sow the seeds, and as they move on, the plants are growing. A pegasus brings a cloud down, and hops on it, creating a gentle shower for the newborn plants. I trot over to the FBI agents watching.
"Pretty wonderful, isn't it?"
One of them turns and looks at me, tears in his eyes. "That is amazing. I've never seen magic. And this…this…"
He points to the plants. "This morning, this was just disturbed dirt from the equipment building the barracks. And now…" he trails off. The ponies are singing. It's not even a song with words, just voices lifted in joy. I see a pony pull out a guitar, and in moments, more instruments are added to the general sound of joy. I look at the humans, they are very obviously moved by the experience.
I tap one with a wing. "And these are just the refugees. Imagine Equestria, with millions of us."
I leave the awed humans and head to the house. Having to stop for a moment as a large unicorn levitates a pallet of seeds as he trots to the shed with the seeder attachment for the tractors. I smile, pony society, with the addition of human ingenuity. I finally get into the house, where Irony and Mindy bowl me over.
Irony laughs. "Can you believe it? Their special talents are coming through, we've got over a dozen ponies that can control the weather, and we've tamed the clouds around us very well. We've got five sections that are actual farmland, and not grazing land. We'll have them seeded and starting to grow in a matter of days." She looks out the window. "These ponies are amazing!"
"And you should see their work in the kitchen!" Mindy chirps excitedly. "We have five or six ponies that can really cook. Though you might want to build a larger kitchen, we have a lot of mouths to feed."
I facehoof. "Oh no, I forgot! I thought we would be eating… well, you know… plants. No need for cooking."
I get a bop upside the head from Mindy. "Every pony house in Equestria has a kitchen, do ya wonder why now?"
I sigh. "I'll make a few calls."
Irony smiles. "Soarin already made the calls. It will take a week or two to get it done. He's waiting for your approval on the appliances. And a larger propane tank for fuel."
I look at them, my ears falling. "Are we going to make this permanent?"
Irony's ears fall as well. "We have no idea how to get back home, so we need to plan for long term. And your office manager called. You have work to do at the shop. I told her I'd let you know, but plan for a busy day tomorrow."
"Did ya get my text?"
"Yeah, you crossed the Atlantic Ocean on wing power, in under three hours, we weren't even over Ireland at that point. You won."
"So, how was your visit with your parents?" Mindy asked,.
I sigh. "It was good to see my parents, and I was glad to see my wife and kids. But I'm tired."
"No kidding," Irony murmurs. "Gonna head up to bed? Moon Shadow is taking a nap right now, she's been working on her magic the whole time we were gone." I get a hoof to the shoulder. "And she's kinda miffed at you for not bringing her along. She said she could have gotten that unicorn to come with us."
"I know, but we aren't doing any more of those missions."
"I don't know about that, the FBI agent that met us at the airport seems to think we will."
"Miss Dust?"
Agent Walker walked up to us, I turn around. "No humans with the exception of family inside the farmhouse without express permission."
He looks down for a moment. "I really need to speak to you, Miss Dust."
I look back at Irony and Mindy. Then I sigh. "Alright, I'll meet you in your office trailer in a few minutes. I've been gone a few days and want to talk to my family for a minute. Understood?"
He nods and I head to Soarin's office. A quick knock at the door gains me entry.
"Why did you leave all this in my lap?" Soarin asks me irritably.
I smile at him. "Because you stayed when you could have gone on those exciting missions with us."
He snorts. "And then these ponies wouldn't be found. But every day, I get ponies asking me if we have this, can we get that. And I tell them where Walmart is, and where the farm supply company is. And not a single one of them wants to go."
I smile, a trip to Walmart, better bring a panel van. Gonna stock up.
"We'll go. After I finish talking to Agent Walker."
He looks at me. "Really? I have an absolutely monster list. Everything from coco puffs, to angle grinders, and dozens of other things."
I hop up in the chair. "How are things on the financial side going?"
"I had to dip into some of your savings for some of the bills. But the good news is some of the ponies that are showing up have resources of their own, and are helping as they can. On the whole, the farm is going to be turning a profit shortly."
"Really? How?"
"You know your idea of contracting out our abilities to farmers in the area?"
I nod.
"Well, we've brought farmers from all over the county to take a look at the pegasi controlling the weather, and some of the abilities of some of our farm ponies around here. And we've come up with a fee schedule. We get about eighty percent of the farmers in the county, we are good financially. And anything else is pure profit. It's a lot of work, and we will end up having to pay the ponies beyond their room and board, but we've been working on that."
He slides a folder to me. "With the fee schedules, plus the payment to the ponies doing the actual work. We can turn a profit by winter, if more farmers come in and are as wowed as the ones that left this morning. We are also having some employers from town coming out soon, to see if they can hire some ponies for their abilities. Any pony wanting to has signed up, and nearly half of them don't want to be stuck working on a farm, they want jobs, and many of them have talents that would be helpful. We've discussed if they work outside the farm, they will have to pay rent to live here. And pretty much all have agreed to that. We ponies really like being with other ponies. I've talked to the mayor, and as far as the town is concerned, we are citizens just like every human. So we free to work and live, and get paid."
"What about our friends outside?"
"What about them?"
"Are they going to make our lives miserable?"
Soarin shakes his head. "I don't think so. They've pretty much left us alone. They got most of the scientific data they say they needed. And we had no battle mages or any advanced magic users show up. They know we can defend ourselves, but we are not warriors for the most part. Though agent Walker did say that they are working with allied nations to bring ponies to the US. And you are going to be really proud of me."
I perk my ears up.
"I got them to admit they have been holding captured ponies. And I've secured promises that they are going to be released to our custody."
Really? Soarin has been busy. "And what do they want out of that?"
"Not really much." He smiles. "As much information on Equestria as we can provide, and an open line of communications between us and them. I drew the line at permanent residence here."
I smiled at him. "Awesome job, Soarin. If we get to be able to go to Equestria, I'm guessing we'll have permanent diplomatic communications with the humans. Do you think some of the ponies are going to want to stay here?"
He nods. "In fact, I'm pretty sure roughly half of the ponies here are going to want to stay. We are making a life here. And since they won't be the only ponies, they won't have to take on this world alone, they want to spread the magic around our world."
I furrow my brow. "That's the TV show."
He hops out of his chair and uses a wing to draw back the curtain.
"Dust, look out there. They are harmony. They are the magic. We are the magic. Those gems are baubles compared to the magic of harmony that encompasses Equestria. It's not imposed by some outside force, we are free, and we choose to be what we are. And while we aren't perfect, we are certainly far more harmonious than humans. But…" He trails off, looking at the ponies working, and amazingly, I'm seeing some humans out there too. They are working, smiling, laughing, and singing with the ponies. Most of the humans are relatives or friends of the humans the ponies were before. But I can even see some in slacks, their jackets and ties taken off, their sleeves rolled up. They are joining in as well, with as many smiles and laughter as the others. "We are the source of the magic."
"Soarin, that was a television show."
He whirls on me. "I know it was. But whatever was the inspiration for that show had to be a real Equestrian pony. They just had to be. I've been here, I've seen these ponies interact." He looks back out the window. "They have conflicts, they have fights. They aren't anywhere near perfect. But in the end, they work together, and the magic within them comes out. It shines from them, everywhere I look." He turns back to me, tears in his eyes, "And the crazy thing, I'm starting to see that magic come from the humans here. I don't think I would have been able to get the concessions I did without that magic. We are an infection for the humans. And I hope that some darker elements of their society either never find out about our magic, or when they do, it's too late."
"What are you saying Soarin?"
The tears are freely falling, but he's smiling. Tears of joy? Really? "You want to know the answer to what ails humanity? To world hunger? To all the fighting, and killing?"
"You are not seriously suggesting…"
"Oh, but I am. Lightning Dust. I am. We are the spark, as Twilight said in the pilot episode. The spark that brings out the final element. The element of magic. Humanity has magic too. Otherwise our entire history wouldn't be replete with magical elements. But somewhere, we lost that. Fear, hatred, oppression took hold. It wasn't any one religion, it wasn't any one thing, but humanity lost harmony. And when that happened, the dark ages are still happening. And we are bringing back what humanity has lost. And what it took was one mad chaos god to bring back humanity to the magic born inside them."
"Are you serious?" I whisper.
"Dust, in the show I was a goofy character. But they had me wrong, Soarin in real life was a thinker, so is the Soarin that used to be Maddie Shaw. And do you know what started this all? The bronies."
Well, that surprised me, I shake my head.
"Oh, Dust, it's true. The show came out, and some humans picked up on it. They found quality, they found acceptance. They found friends. Even people who had never met were instantly friends before they ever met, because they had our world to bond over. That show brought out the first inklings of the magic. And now, with humans turning to ponies all over the world. We might just be able to help all of humanity."
"I've been keeping track of the news, humanity is closer to worldwide war than they have been in eighty years."
Soarin smiles. "That is because the forces are like the windigoes from Hearths Warming Eve. They are reacting to the harmony that they feel, but cannot explain. But this is a crucial time. This magic must spread. There are likely enclaves of ponies all over the world, all of them discovering in their own way, the magic that resides inside them. That magic is fragile right now, it's a child. It must be protected and allowed to grow."
I finally understand. "The Royal Guard, and the Wonderbolts."
He nods, "Exactly. You, Irony, Flash, myself, and a good number of guards were banished here because we represented a threat to Discord, but I don't think Discord realized that the harmony that our job is to protect is best served by us being here. He would have done far better to simply kill us. But he doesn't work that way, he hates death far worse than anything else, what he prizes is his namesake, discord. And harmony is the opposite of discord. So the protectors of harmony had to go, and those that generate harmony in their magic had to go. That is why he chose the ponies he chose when it came to attacking us twenty-five years ago."
I join him looking out the window, I even see Agent Walker shedding his jacket and picking up a shovel, a huge grin on his face.
"He wanted us out of the way, but he sent what we are to protect as well. We can protect them here, and hopefully bring them back home."
Soarin nods. "And that is up to the mane six, and those that join them going home, if we can find a way home. But until then, we spread harmony here. And the Earth will be the better for it. Humanity will regain its magic back."
I turn to my former sister, and hug him. "Thank you Soarin."
"You need to do what you do best, Dust. Kick some flank."
"Soarin, I killed a man."
"Who would have killed you."
I sit and contemplate for a while. "I'm not killing anymore."
He suddenly looks sad. "What if it's your life or the life of somepony you love?"
I open my mouth to answer, but no words emerge.
***
Agent Walker brushes some dirt off of his white button down shirt as he hangs his jacket up in his office, he finally sits down and gestures for me to sit in the guest chair.
"There is a big reason I needed to talk to you Lightning Dust."
I look at him expectantly.
"We are having a big guest tomorrow, he'll be staying the night, and leaving sometime around noon the following day. His daughter is turning into a pony."
Two plus two turn into four in my head. "The President is showing up? Here?"
He nods. "The advance team is scouting out the area, and he will be arriving by helicopter. I have asked Soarin and received permission for him to stay here. He will be using one of the bedrooms. No press, this trip is strictly off the books. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, he's taking some time at Camp David. Secret service has been checking things out all day." He looks out the window for a moment. "And apparently helping your ponies with planting as well."
I nod. "Soarin explained it to me. Our magic is affecting everyone, including the humans."
He nods right back. "I hate to say it, Miss Dust, but my entire team has been nothing but smiles and laughter for the last couple of days. We are intensely curious about you. But you ponies are affecting us more than I think anyone here realizes. Are you going to go back to Equestria?"
My ears fall. "I don't know. I know a good percentage of the ponies here would love to find a way home."
"Will some stay?"
"I have a feeling that quite a few will stay. And I have a job as well."
"So, you are staying even if a way is found to go home?"
"I haven't decided that, Mr. Walker. I have a family I would be leaving behind. Two children. A business I've worked my ass off to build."
"Well, all that can be discussed with the President when he arrives."
"Are you going to keep suppressing ponies online?"
"My orders are the official denials are to continue, so my answer would probably have to be yes."
"You know we refuse to hide."
"What about humans that would do you harm?"
"From what I've been told, the city and most of the county are on our side. We've been talking with the mayor and the sheriff about our lives here. And as far as they are concerned, we are the same as every human. And will be treated equally."
"I hope something like that can be worked out nationally."
I look at him. "Something like that needs to be worked out worldwide. We were humans, we are not beasts of burden, we are not horses. Though we are equines, we are sapient, just like you, or any other human on this farm."
"We cannot force other nations to accept ponies as equals. And we have to consider our own survival."
That causes me to flinch. "How can a few thousand or maybe tens of thousands of ponies be a threat to humanity in general, or even to this nation?"
"I don't believe you are a threat at all, Miss Dust. But there will be some who do feel you are a threat."
"That is what I'm here for, Mr. Walker."
"It's Todd."
"Huh?"
"My name, it's Todd."
"You can call me Dust, most ponies do."
"Fine, Dust. But what do you mean? That's what you are here for?"
"As I told you before, I was a Wonderbolt. We are the defense of Equestria. Us and the Royal guard. Of which a few have shown up, and hopefully more show up in the future."
He looks at me quizzically.
"Our job is to protect the ponies. And we have an isolated place, one that is defensible. We will handle internal security, but we will also handle any threats to our lands. I'm not going to try to say we are establishing an independent nation within the borders of the United States, not at all. But what we are doing is setting up a home for the ponies. We will help, but until our rights are guaranteed, we will be somewhat isolated."
"What is your goal?"
"Acceptance by humanity. Recognition of our God given rights."
"Huh?"
"I would love to see ponies integrated into this society, so you can see a pony at the local bar, or at the grocery store, or somewhere else. Being treated like any other intelligent creature."
He sighs. "I would like to see that too."
***
I wasn't kidding, I'm in the panel van I usually use for large deliveries to jobsites. We bounce down the highway. My tablet is sitting on the dash, with a long list of necessities and luxuries for the ponies. I've looked at the list. It's going to take a while. I think this is going to be fun. Mindy is driving the van, I snooze for the nearly two hour trip to Walmart. As we finally arrive, my tablet is picked up in Mindy's magic. And she hops out of the truck, and she bounces to the door. Another truck pulls up into the space next to the panel van, and a half dozen ponies pile out. I tried to get more to come with us. But these are the ones who wanted to venture out with humanity.
As a group we trot through the doors of the large building. I laugh internally as I see humans either completely stop what they are doing upon spotting the ponies, or shrink back from the mass of equines invading the store. Though I have to smile when a few small children break away from parents and go up to ponies. Every pony is nice to the children. Several even consent to let small hands caress them. With the children accepting of the ponies, more of the humans come forward. After the initial uproar slows down, I gather the ponies together.
I point to a group of ponies. "You need to go get the groceries, we are likely to nearly buy out the store. Have somepony come get me when you are ready to check out." I look at Mindy and the rest. "Lets do some shopping."
All the ponies laugh as we scatter all over. The associates all over the store stop and stare as ponies walk along the aisles. The pegasi picking things up and flying over to the carts being pushed by unicorns and earth ponies. I think the biggest reaction is when a unicorn lights their horn, and items float into the carts.
I look around. "Where's Mindy?" One of the earth ponies with us shrugs his shoulders.
I trot up and down a few aisles. Occasionally calling out her name. Finally I hear her bouncing and singing. She hops up to me. "OhguesswhatDustieIfoundthecoolestcandyinexistence." She drops a nearly empty bag, I pick it up in my teeth and place it on the cart. Smoothing it out I read the label. Then I turn to Mindy, my eyes are pinpricks right now.
"Chocolate covered espresso beans? Mindy!"
She giggles. "I can see sound," she says as she moves her hooves in front of her face.
Oh Fuck.
***
About an hour later, I'm climbing into the van, Mindy hops in the driver's seat.
"Mindy," I slowly lower my head to where my forehead is touching the dash. I close my eyes.
"Yes Dustie?"
"Did you have fun?"
A huge giggle. "Oh yes, the most fun I've had in a long time."
I shake my head, no kidding."How did you get all those humans to get in a high kick line like the Rockettes?"
She smiles at me. "It's called the music of harmony."
I groan. "How is that possible?"
"I dunno, Dustie, but you were feeling it too. Almost everypony was in the line too."
"Don't remind me, I just felt something wash over me, and I had to join in." There was a line of humans and ponies all down the main front aisle of the store, high kicking and singing while Mindy was singing and bouncing. I just groan.
"And the high stepping out of the store?"
"Oh Dustie, we needed to leave the store on a high note, didn't we?"
"Oh for Christ's sake. If I didn't know better I would say it was some stupid flash mob, but this wasn't. This was completely spur of the moment."
"Of course it was spur of the moment. It wouldn't work otherwise Dustie. You are a silly pony," she says as she starts the engine of the van and puts it in reverse to back out.
"I don't understand."
"You weren't a brony. So you don't know about the music of harmony."
Huh? I look at her sharply.
She smiles at me. "Dust, it's a fan theory, the reason those ponies can do those numbers you see, like a true true friend in the season three finale, it's magic taking control of them and letting them do those numbers." She stops and giggles. "I think I've had my own magic of harmony moment today."
She pulls out of the parking lot and heads towards the highway. "That was fun." I look at the truck with the rest of the ponies on board, I can hear them singing as they pull ahead of us and out to the highway.