Ponyville, USA

by Rox

Chapter 7: Raiders

"Sir, we have to make a decision."

"Hmm.... Has any suspicious activity been occurring at incident zone one?"

"Reports have not noted any changes, however we must still consider the possibility they're masking their true intentions."

"The way I see it, Mr. President, these Equestrians are one of three things: Telling the truth, overconfident, or masterminding something. We haven't observed any weapons, but they obviously have some power, as was showcased above our airspace. But with that, they gave up the element of surprise. The opportunity to strike at a critical point in our defense was totally lost. If they were indeed invading, maintaining secrecy would be a major asset. So if an invasion is indeed what is happening here, they are either stupid for underestimating us or, the worse case scenario, they're confident they can still win despite willfully showing themselves."

"But we don't understand much about them, other than their appearances and the fact they can speak our language. They may very well still have the upper hand in that regard."

"But that's where I'm inclined to think that ignorance is at play. Say they are telling the truth and this is some sort of cosmic accident then we would be risking war when it would have been totally unnecessary. Gathering information would be a very logical decision. Besides, even with the two zones by all observation there's no more than 1500 of them. I don't care who you are that's barely enough to occupy a single town let alone launch an invasion of a planet."

"I still think it may be a ruse, considering the latest development. Not to mention that more than a few of our intelligence officers believe the incident in Germany was connected. This could be a ploy to gather information as they wait for backup."

...

"What do we have on the kid? The one who they so wanted to advise them so badly?"

"Oh...um.....Here it is sir. Asher Harland Burgess, born December 1993, 20 years of age. Let's see, he's an Eagle Scout, played high school baseball and basketball, but nothing spectacular. Attended Utah State University, completed a two year associates in Political Science, by his grades an excellent student. Political affiliation unknown, owns a conceal carry permit, never got so much as a speeding ticket on his record. By all accounts an upstanding citizen."

"So you think he can be trusted?"

"Well sir, I...well with..."

"Can he be trusted?"

"On paper, yes. But sir we have evidence that he was instrumental in concealing their existence for several days. For all intents and purposes we have no idea what his intentions are."

"Perhaps he even may have Stockholm syndrome..."

"Your concerns are valid, but I see an opportunity. Here's what we're gonna do. Make no contact with the new incident zone in Washington, but put on a 24 hour covert surveillance. And don't let it get to Colorado, try to keep the first zone in the dark. Let's play along for a while and give this Twilight Sparkle the impression we are backing off. If they're telling the truth, we should know within just a few days. If it is indeed an invasion, then we'll be the ones to make the first strike."

"And what about Burgess?"

"Well, he's already in isn't he? Let's make use of our Boy Scout."

"The 'Equestrian Craze' is sweeping the nation one day after the short but earth shaking press release. The video went viral immediately and is well on its way to breaking the record for the most viewed video in Youtube history, passing the one billion mark within just hours."

"It's already reaching even crazier proportions on the streets. Yesterday I saw somebody getting a tattoo that had the same mark the rainbow one had on its backside -"

"So, was anyone else just a little bit disappointed when we finally get to learn the name of an alien and it turns out that Stephanie Meyer named them? I know you're purple but come on! However I will say this: If Rainbow Dash is not a superhero name....it should be."

'- I feel like we all owe some apologies. There are some of our fellow beings that have long told us of this day, and we responded by making memes of them. So I'm going to be the voice for all of us right now: Ancient Aliens guy, you were right. History Channel has credibility."

Candace hadn't been truly bored like this since that summer she sent all of her boys to camp. It was nearly a week now since this all started, and she hadn't left the house once. All she had done for the past hour was stare out the window at the sea of people overwhelming the public property across the street from their own.

The sight was something straight out of the movie "Contact." Tents of all colors were everywhere, the continuity only interrupted by RVs and the occasional body of demonstrators. Occasionally she could read the signs, though most of them were ridiculous. For example there was one particularly disheveled looking woman who carried a large sign saying, "Take me to Elvis!" then there was an unusually determined man that kept leaning over the news barricades with a sign reading, "The End is Near!" And of course there was the group that had practically dragged in a billboard that declared, "Prove it! Let us in!"

Thankfully the government had set up the barricade line far down the driveway, so the constant noise was bearable, but....

The darn barricades sort of stopped her from going out too. She had cleaned the house three times spotless, finished laundry for the next three weeks, and actually got around to finishing that book she had started back when she was pregnant with Anne.

She stood up and closed the blinds again and ambled into the kitchen. In the family room Jonathon and Patrick were playing on the Xbox, like they had done for the last three days straight. David was draped over the couch watching, though had spent most of his time outside throwing a baseball against the shed and occasionally running around the yard in a dead sprint. The poor kid was going even more stir crazy than she was.

Asher, however, was eating his Fruit Loops post haste. Her oldest son hadn't looked this alive in a while, and was likely planning to spend the entire day up at Ponyville again. Candace opened the refrigerator and scanned over the increasingly bare shelves. They were about out of milk, totally out of any fruits, and the only vegetable they had left was asparagus. They were even running low on peanut butter. PEANUT BUTTER! If that's not a sign of the apocalypse I don't know what is.

…You know what? That's it!

"Asher!" she said louder than she meant. Her son choked on a spoonful of cereal in surprise, snorting milk onto the table.

"Sorry hon, but do they have food up there?"

-----

"Why did I have to come?" Jonathan asked, trying to act like he wasn't excited to be walking up to the town. Patrick was doing his best to show the same facade, while David just looked passive as usual. Asher was hoofing a heavy backpack but was still more or less leading them on.

"Because we need a lot of groceries and I'm not sure our little wagon will even be able to carry it all," repeated Candace, answering for the third time.

"Oo-kay, so what's with the fabrics?" Patrick asked, adjusting his hold on a couple rolls he was carrying.

"Well, I'm assuming they don't take dollars," she answered, glancing over at Asher.

"Probably not," he confirmed.

"Well, maybe I can sell or trade these," she explained. "I think maybe Rarity, uh, the white one with the styled purple hair, might be able to help us with that."

"Not a bad idea, Mom," said Asher. "She might be interested in using earth materials."

They soon passed the soldiers standing sentry at the entrance to a hard packed path and apple orchards. Candace could hardly believe how nonchalantly her oldest son greeted the soldiers and sauntered right by them. She only could nod as she filed past, understandably not used to such an interaction.

"If we work this out you gotta buy some of these apples, Mom," Asher said. Candace noticed finally that they were already walking through the apple orchards. She hadn't walked this far out since it all began, so she hadn't seen any of it. She didn't know much about arboreal horticulture, but boy did these trees look healthy. With straight trunks and bright, green leaves adorned by big, bright apples, it sure did give a strong impression on the quality of the fruit.

The path was a lot longer than she had originally pictured, and she already winded by the time they passed the beautifully picturesque Apple family farm. She was beginning to think that maybe she should have used the four wheeler, which they had left behind for lack of room. And because she didn't want to have to endure another adolescent squabble over who got to drive.

She didn't complain. As a mother she apparently wasn't allowed to. Besides, her two youngest sons had plenty of their own complaining to more than make up for it.

"Oh will you two quit it!" she finally snapped after Jonathan had mumbled loudly about his feet hurt.

"We're here," Asher said. Candace looked up in relief as they crested a hill and started down. She had seen pictures of the town from above on the news, but all of them had failed to capture the wonder the town held. It was familiar but strange, with buildings of different shapes and colors all mixed together with manicured parks. There were many ponies visible already, some cantering on the streets and fields while others could be seen flying low over the rooftops.

Patrick and Jonathan had ceased all complaining and were stomping quickly down the hill, abandoning any pretense of disinterest.

"Hey! Ya'll don't even know where you're going!" Asher called out, running a few steps after them. The boys slowed, but never stopped moving forward.

Candace had to admit she didn't blame them for being eager. She had wanted to come up here and see this herself as well, but hadn't worked up the nerve until now.

"Hold on, I gotta find out where Rarity works," Asher said, jogging ahead. Oh yeah, hadn't thought of that.

Asher looked around before spotting a nearby pony, a pretty one with a yellow coat and a rasberry-red mane and tail. The pony had a basket of flowers held in one hoof while she prodded at the ground with the other. She didn't even notice Asher's approach until he was only a couple of feet from her.

"Hello. Sorry to bother you, but do you know Rarity by any chance?" he asked. The pony looked a little more than tentative at speaking, increasingly so as Patrick and Jonathon joined their brother. Candace was about to tell her children to give her some space when she answered.

"I- I- I...uh yes, she runs the Carousel Boutique on the east side of town," she stammered. "It's a round building down the street from t-the spa."

"Thanks! And your name is?" Asher asked brightly. His talent for instant friendships is really coming in handy here.

"Rose."

"Good to meet ya, Rose! Have a good day!" With that Asher ambled back to Candace and continued leading them into town. Candace and her younger sons had to be redirected several times as they took in the surroundings. When Asher stopped again to ask for directions it took him several minutes to get them focused and moving again.

"C'mon! This backpack's heavy and I have places to be!" he said impatiently, tapping her shoulder to get her attention.

They soon had found their intended destination, a beautiful and well adorned building that stood at least two stories tall. The front windows were brightly lit and showcased pony shaped mannequins wearing very formal dresses and hats. Asher didn't hesitate to move to the door, but the necessity to knock was superseded as it opened before he reached the porch.

"Oh!" Rarity said in surprise as she walked out the door. "Asher, I didn't expect to see you here. Oh, and Candace! How nice to see you again!"

The unicorn casually strolled right up to Candace, smiling warmly. "If I'd known you were coming I would have fixed up something for you."

"Sorry if we're imposing," Candace apologized.

"Oh, it's no trouble, really. Can I offer assistance with something?" Rarity looked curiously at the folds of cloth Candace and her sons were holding. Candace decided to get right to the matter.

"We haven't been able to go into town for shopping all week and our pantry is getting a little bare. I was hoping I could trade you these for some fresh vegetables."

"Darling, I can do better than that!" Rarity said. "I'll take you to the market and help you buy new ones. I'm assuming you don't have bits, so I can take care of that."

"That's very kind, you don't need to do that," Candace was taken aback. She liked the pony, but she barely knew her. Such an offer was not usually given so lightly.

"No, I insist. I will not allow one who has been such a generous host to get anything less than the best," Rarity pressed, raising her hoof in a way that said that she would not take no for an answer.

"You'll still let me give you these in trade, right?" Candace asked. She had never been good at just receiving gifts. They made her feel like she owed something.

"Of course. I think ponies would love to have authentic American cloth ensemble," Rarity said brightly.

"So can I put these down somewhere?" Patrick asked impatiently.

"Oh, I can take them," Rarity replied quickly. Before Candace could question her ability to carry all of them, each of the rolls was suddenly surrounded by a blue aura and lifted through the air. Rarity briskly walked back into her shop, fabric levitating in the air above here, and reappeared seconds later strapping on a white saddlebag decorated with her own flank mark.

"Okay, let's go to the market!" Rarity declared.

"Alright. Mom, I'm going over to the library," Asher said, jogging backwards.

"I'm going with him," David announced as he skipped into step behind his brother.

"Me too!" Patrick and Jonathon said in unison.

"No, you two stay with me," Candace said, grabbing them by the shoulders. "We're here for groceries."

Candace ignored their protests as she struck up another amiable conversation with the white pony on their way to the marketplace. A week ago this would have easily been the weirdest thing she had ever done. And she went to college in California.

"But that's impossible, isn't it?"

Twilight shook her head in a gesture of her own bewilderment. Comet Tail was by no means a stupid stallion, and while his magical skills were nowhere near Twilight's (that went without saying) she was still hoping he would have been able to help her. Comet Tail, before Twilight had officially moved into Ponyville, had held the little used position of Magical Inspector as a part time job in addition to his usual occupation as a magic kindergarten teacher. The post's only duty was to inspect and report unusual magical patterns.

"It should be," Twilight confirmed. "The magic field has a lot of self-generated power, but most scholars considered it to be finite. Frankly, it shouldn't have even followed us to this world let alone start expanding like it had a source. This world didn't have magic before we got here."

"It didn't?!" Comet Tail looked horror struck at the idea of living without magic. In high school science all ponies were taught that while ponies each generated their own personal magic, it would dramatically lose its strength without the magic field. Some even surmised it would eventually be fatal.

"But not only did it follow us, the field has decided to defy all our known physics," said Twilight, running the facts through her mind again. That morning she had even noticed a surge branch towards the northwest like a flare. "I can almost feel the increase even without casting a spell."

"Now that you mention it, I have felt a lot more energized lately," Comet conceded.

"And you're not the only one," said Twilight. "I can't find the source, but I've noticed that it keeps getting stronger."

"Should we be worried?" Comet Tail asked tentatively. He didn't look scared as much as concerned. .

"No, I don't think so," assured Twilight. "It won't have any negative effects on us. Thanks for coming, and I'm sorry to bother you."

"No worries, sorry I couldn't help you out," said Comet as he exited the library. Twilight smiled to show she wasn't unappreciative, though she was disappointed. She had no way to ask Princess Celestia or any of her teachers in Canterlot, so in her desperation to talk to somepony about the event, he looked up this pony. She had hoped there was maybe something she didn't know about Ponyville's part of the field, but all he was able to do was confirm her hypothesis that something had changed.

The change in power level was gradual, and the actual change in magical strength was still somewhat negligible. But by Twilight's calculation the rate at which it was spreading outwards was nothing short of astounding. She wasn't all that worried about the effect it would have on the ponies, but she had no idea how this world would react to magic, a foreign force of immense and apparently expanding power.

Asher and his family had thus far shown nothing to be alarmed about so Twilight kept these thoughts to herself. No sense getting dander up about something she was barely understanding, and about something they knew nothing about. Maybe if she could teach Asher more she could help him understand eventually.

"Morning, Twilight."

Rainbow Dash interrupted her thought process as she trotted into the library.

"I saw Asher and one of his brothers on the way over here," she remarked, sounding bored at just the thought. "More studying planned?"

"Maybe. I was thinking that I'd show him around town a bit, show him a bit of how our world works," Twilight said thoughtfully.

"This isn't going to be like that time you gave a tour of your home neighborhood is it?" Rainbow asked bluntly. Twilight gave her friend a sour look at the comment. Okay, so maybe she liked to ramble a little bit, but it hadn't been that boring, had it?

"No, it shouldn't," she replied tersely. Rainbow shrugged, went over to the bookcase containing the entire Daring Do series and pulled out one of them, starting to read as she reclined against the wall.

"I didn't peg you for a reader, Rainbow."

Twilight and Dash looked up to see Asher ducking into the library, a tightly packed bag on his back. "Watcha reading?"

"Just re-reading the first Daring Do book," Rainbow answered, turning her eyes back to it. "A new one's coming out later this year so I want to refresh on the story again."

Wait for it...

Rainbow Dash suddenly looked up, staring wide eyed at nothing in particular, and wailed a dramatic, "NOOOOOO!"

Unless we get back to Equestria, no new books from Daring Do. Twilight had to stop herself from laughing at the pegasi's despair. Sure she was a little disappointed herself at the prospect but Rainbow Dash took the term "fangirl" to an unhealthy level sometimes when it came to the series. Asher took a moment but then seemed to understand. He cracked a smile as well but offered something else.

"What kind of story is it?" he asked.

"Only the best adventure story EVER!" Rainbow Dash lamented. And the only series she ever bothered to read.

"It's about a treasure hunting pony who finds and protects ancient relics from evil forces," explained Twilight as Rainbow looked on the verge of tears. "It's a pretty popular series."

Asher raised his eyebrows at both of them as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"I thought you had fiction stories," remarked Twilight, confused exactly why he looked that way. Was the story really that far fetched?

"Oh, we do," answered Asher, but he could hardly keep going as he broke down into a laughing fit, barely managing to say, "In fact, I know just what kind of story you're talking about."

Rainbow Dash was now just watching him with a thoroughly unamused look, the book resting open on her hooves. Asher got his laughing under control and spun the bag off his back into one of his hands, setting it down on the floor near the center table.

"Sorry, Rainbow. I got something that'll cheer ya up," he said, unzipping it. He pulled out what looked to Twilight like a small, white version of his computer and a handful of what at first she thought were a bunch of thin books.

"I brought a pretty good chunk of our movie collection," he said, holding up a handful of them. Rainbow did brighten at that, setting the book almost lovingly to the side before shooting over to take them from Asher, hovering at his eye level.

As she took the three or so he was holding, he held up the little white computer, "This is a travel DVD player. It'll let you watch six hours worth or so anywhere you want to. It's not very big but this way you won't have to come down to our house to watch something."

"Is this all you brought?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, looking up from the three in her hooves.

"Nope," Asher replied. He reached into the bag and grabbed what Twilight recognized as a textbook before finishing. "Rest of the backpack's full of 'em."

Rainbow Dash wasted no time sticking her nose into the backpack before reaching in and pulling out two hooffuls of the shiny little cases and spreading them out on the floor. Twilight walked over to look at the spreading collection of movies. She hadn't had the opportunity to truly watch one yet, though she was assured by Rainbow, Pinkie, and Spike that they were very fun.

And varied. They were titled just like books, though all were adorned with pictures of every sort. Some looked like actual photographs, while yet others were drawn like the first one her friends had sat in on the second day. Though she was skeptical about how real some of the photographs were.

"So, what should we watch first?" Rainbow Dash was looking them over eagerly, picking out some that must have sounded cool to her. "Need for Speed? That sounds awesome! Or-or maybe this one: Madagascar? Fluttershy would like it, it's got animals! Whoa. 2012? What the hay is going on here?"

Twilight peeked over her shoulder to look and saw a rather disquieting picture showing a giant city falling into giant cracks in the earth.

"Don't worry, it's fiction," Asher reassured, leaning over both their shoulders. "Maybe you should wait for the evening. The screen is easier to see when it's dark out."

"Two minutes and you've already made a mess. Just short of your personal best."

Twilight looked up to see David ducking through the door. He was only a little bit shorter than his older brother, but still too tall for the door frame.

"Hope ya don't mind my surly brother coming along," said Asher in a teasing tone.

"Surly? Me? Says the guy who once stayed mad at me for a week because of a misplaced library book," retorted David in fake indignation, to which Asher just rolled his eyes.

Sibling rivalry is yet another thing that apparently spans dimensions.

Asher set the movie playing device on the center table and looked at Twilight expectantly. "So, what's the plan for today? Any more world wide press releases I should know about?"

"No, thank Celestia," said Twilight. "I don't think I could do that again."

"Really? You composed yourself pretty well," Asher complemented. "And considering everything that could have possibly gone wrong everyone is taking it pretty well."

"Just used a trick Princess Cadence taught me, but believe you me I felt like I was going to melt," Twilight said. Somehow, the fact she couldn't see her audience had made it even more terrifying. She had no way to see the reaction for herself, and would have much preferred it if she could have just talked to those distant crowds face to face.

"So I'm imagining that they already have some scientists working on finding out how to get you home, or at least on the way," said Asher thoughtfully. "With any luck it might turn out easier to get you back than we thought. You certainly have a better chance."

Privately Twilight was not so sure, considering the conversation she had not twenty minutes before. But she had to hold out hope that even if they couldn't figure out that perhaps more powerful magic users on the other side just might. She pushed away the thought that they were given up as lost, a fear she had entertained many times during the week. The thought that her parents, her brother, and her mentor might think her dead was torturous in its own right.

"Easy?" repeated David. "What part of reversing a phenomenon of dimensional metaphysics is easy?"

"Whoa, don't want to use your whole vocabulary at once," said Asher, shoving his brother lightly. "Besides, maybe they just need a little magic."

"Uh-huh. David Copperfield then?" David drawled back with skepticism.

"Hey, if he made the Statue of Liberty disappear a town full of talking ponies should be easy."

"Okay, just to be clear," Twilight interjected, a little confused. "Are you serious or is this just more sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm," both humans said without hesitation.

"Should I always expect this between you?"

They looked at each other, then harmonized, "Yep."

"Right," Twilight affirmed, mentally noting. It was not much different from how she and Shining Armor interacted in recent years so translating shouldn't be too difficult. "Well, anyways I was thinking I'd show you around the town today to show how everything works. Figure it would be an equal trade for all the information in these movies."

"Information?" David looked at his brother sideways, which Twilight summarily passed off.

"That sounds fun," responded Asher, similarly ignoring his sibling. He bent down to reach into his backpack and pulled out one of the movies that Rainbow had missed, tossing it lightly in front of the pegasus. "Lead the way."

Twilight nodded and led the way out, Asher and David falling into step as Rainbow Dash suddenly cried, "NO WAY!"

The wind buffeted her as Rainbow Dash zipped out the door by them and looped through the air before coming to a hover in front of them, holding a single movie in her outstretched hooves.

"They have a human Daring Do!" Rainbow Dash squealed excitedly. Twilight barely managed to read the title "Indiana Jones" before Rainbow pulled another loop or two of celebration.

"If she's flipping out that much, I just might have to borrow some of those books from ya," Asher remarked as he watched Rainbow's aerial display.

"Be my guest, it is a Library," said Twilight. "I was thinking we'd start by going this way."

"Sweet, I live over there!" said Rainbow Dash, descending to hover amongst them again. Actually, that's exactly what I wanted to show, thought Twilight. If they were going to understand magic, might as well start with a bang.

"Are you sure about this?"

Rapidfire looked over his shoulder at the two ponies flying behind him.

"Yes, Midnight, nopony ever gets anything done sitting on their rumps waiting for help," he replied a little gruffly. Midnight Strike was a comely mare that was entirely black except for a single yellow stripe in her mane and tail, and while she was brave for volunteering to come along she definitely erred on the side of caution. The other pony, a stallion with spiky light blue hair and a yellow coat named Cosmic, didn't say much of anything but his expression told a similar tale.

"We need to figure out what's going on, and whoever's in that town down there might have the answer," Rapidfire repeated. It was the same argument he had given to the town earlier in the day, which they had eventually agreed to. True, Rapidfire would have preferred other Wonderbolts like his sister Spitfire to have been there to come with him, but alas, he had been sent alone to check on the preparations for the upcoming Equestria Games qualifiers.

They flew low over the forest tree tops towards the little town they had spotted near the lake. Rapidfire had no idea what that lightning storm had done to them. It had happened so quickly and there had been no apparent damage that nopony had the slightest clue. But this mystery town was disconcerting, to say the least, even more so than the storm had been.

Ok, to call it a town was generous. It only had a few buildings mixed in with the trees and a few visible roads winding down and around the shore. There was an unusual clear-cut strip in the forest near the foot of the mountain and a few other buildings, but the best chance of finding help would most likely be found in a township, so Rapidfire had executively decided to go there.

There were several docks where several small boats were moored, though they couldn't see anypony around at all. Rapidfire set down on the end of one dock and his two wingponies followed suit. Cautiously, he walked the length of the dock and to the rocky shore. The ground was extremely tough beneath their hooves, so much so that Rapidfire jumped back into the air, hovering just above the earth to avoid hurting himself.

The road was also made of similarly hard material, though it was darker in hue. Lining the sides of this wide path were several huge and strangely shaped carriages. They shone in the sun giving the impression they were made of metal and had glass that encased the center. They looked much too big and heavy to be practical.

Midnight Strike vocalized his thoughts, "They must be crazy around here. Nopony in their right mind would try to pull something that big unless they had to. Speaking of which, where is everypony?"

It was starting to get downright spooky that they hadn't seen a single soul yet, and he felt his paranoia setting in. Here and there he thought he saw movement in windows but when he focused on them nothing reappeared.

In front of them stood a large building with wooden siding and pointy roof. It was set up on a rocky level of land with two wooden stair cases, one of which had a sign that read in big letters, "Welcome to Stehekin; Lake Chelan National Recreation Area" along with other signs that included one saying, "General Store" and "Information."

"Let's try in here," Rapidfire said, landing on the wooden steps lightly. Cosmic and Midnight followed him up the stairs to the building. It was easily as large as the town hall in Rainbow Falls, though the doors were far taller than they needed to be. This theme of being overly large was making Rapidfire wonder if this was a town for cows or something.

Without hesitation, he pushed open the door (the sign did say "Come in, We're Open.") and stepped inside. There were several rows of shelves that reminded him of a typical Barnyard Bargains, and also some tables towards the back. But there was something else that immediately grabbed his attention.

In the aisle directly in front of the three ponies was a small creature. It stood on two legs and was bedecked in clothes, had pale skin on a flat face and a long, messy, dark mane on its head. It's eyes were wide and blue, and the little creature had a growing smile showing little, white teeth.

"Mom! Ponies!" it cried happily in a filly's voice. Rapidfire had no idea how to react. He didn't even know what to call this diminutive creature with strange stubby talons instead of hooves on its forelegs. But he nearly jumped out of his feathers when a much longer apendage from a much taller creature suddenly reached from behind one of the shelves and grabbed the little one by the shoulder. The little one resisted a little, pulling the much larger one out enough to see that it was a similar creature, only much bigger.

The taller one, whom had longer, golden hair succeeded in pulling back what must have been it's child into hiding as another creature, seemingly as big as a bear, stepped forward. It was holding a long broom like a spear, and had a very fearful expression on it's stubbled face.

"Get out! We don't need no aliens around here!" it bellowed. Rapidfire was partially inclined to stand and fight back, but the other part of him ignored that part and screamed, "FLY!"

All three ponies tumbled somewhat ungracefully out of the door frame and took to the sky, making a beeline back to Rainbow Falls as fast as they could go.

After explaining what happened to the mayor and the rest of the gathered town, Rapidfire found himself trying to stop a panic. He cursed himself for not thinking to keep the event in confidence with the mayor and maybe the sheriff. They still needed to do something. He wished Spitfire was there, she was always better at getting ponies to sit down, shut up, and make a plan. That would be why she was already so high ranking in the Wonderbolts despite being nowhere near the oldest.

"HEY!" Rapidfire finally barked over the rising tide of worried conversations, bringing them to a silent halt.

"I know you're frightened," said Rapidfire. "But we need to get this information to Canterlot. We don't know what these creatures are here for, but I'm certain the Princesses will know what to do."

He paused to let it sink in for a moment. Ponies had a tendency to overreact to potential danger, but in his experience even the most common of pony was more than up to the task in even the most dire circumstances when it came down to it. All they needed was a little faith.

"Midnight Strike, Cosmic, are you willing to fly out with me again?" he addressed the two who had watched in silence. They both nodded with conviction, deciding to admirably hide any fear they had. Rapidfire made a note to commend them both to Celestia when he got the chance, and to inform his sister about Midnight, knowing that she had tried out at the Wonderbolt academy a few months before.

"Ok then! We're off!"

And without any more fanfare or delay, Rapidfire bolted into the sky, his contrail blazing behind him as his two companions showed off their own respective speeds to catch up.

"We're going to ride high and fast!" Rapidfire instructed. "Ride the high winds when you can so conserve yourself. It's gonna be several hours to Canterlot so don't burn yourself out!"

"Got it!" they both replied as all three ascended. At these altitudes, only the occasional cirrus cloud would appear in their flight path in the clear blue skies. The sunlight warmed them in the cool air as the flight dragged on, Rapidfire using only landmarks below to navigate. He had made this flight before so his checks were only cursory glances.

"Hey, what's that?" Midnight Strike said about an hour into their flight, pulling up beside him and pointing forwards. Rapidfire squinted into the distance and noticed a slowly growing speck coming towards them. Then it grew exponentially to the point that the Wonderbolt realized it was easily the size of a dragon.

"DIVE!" Rapidfire roared, but to his horror both pegasi were frozen in shock. Thinking fast, Rapidfire dropped back and shoved both of them hard in the back, forcing them sharply downwards. The flying object charged towards him, sporting a massive nose and wide wings carrying massive spinning pods, all attached on a long, barrel like body. Rapidfire acted on instinct and spun into a roll, using the massive air stream to propel him along the length. The back-draft sent him into a tailspin that took him several seconds to recover from.

"Holy son of Helga what was that?"

"That was the biggest bird I've ever seen!"

"Looks like we got lucky, instruments still reporting full function."

"HOLY HAY-BALES! WHAT WAS THAT?" Midnight exclaimed, flying to his side as they watched the behemoth fly off, leaving two white contrails in its wake.

"I have no idea," Cosmic said absentmindedly as he watched in awe. Rapidfire was speechless and a little out of breath himself, surprised at just how fast and how high something so big was flying. Something told him that this was no pony invention.

"We've got to get to Canterlot now!" he finally said, shaking his head to clear his mind. The others nodded and they sped off in the southeasterly direction at a quicker pace than before, watching the skies warily for any more of the flying giants, and all completely unaware of the two smaller but faster jets stalking them from a distance.

"So let me make sure I've got this straight," Asher began as they walked towards the market. "So only pegasi can walk on clouds so they're obviously in charge of the weather."

"Of course," said Rainbow Dash.

"Ok, go on," encouraged Twilight. Asher kind of felt like he was having a grade school pop quiz again.

"Earth ponies have magic that help them garden and farm, even though not all of them necessarily do that for a living."

"Righty doody!" answered Pinkie Pie, who had joined the little tour partway through.

"And Unicorns are the ones who can actually perform magic like levitation," Asher finished.

"Exactly," confirmed Twilight, nodding her approval to her improvised student. Asher, despite feeling like a kindergartner again, did feel pleased with himself. Mostly because he hadn't had a brain aneurysm when he saw Rainbow Dash's "house" and that he had maintained relative composure as he learned more about these ponies abilities. He was rather pleased with himself with how open to the possibilities he felt. His brother, however....

"Are you really seriously buying the 'magic' thing?" David stammered disbelievingly. He had been in absolute awe of the cloud home and had been doubly so when Rainbow Dash proved their claim of cloud-walking by folding her wings and sitting on a low tuft of cloud, but David hadn't quite begun to let go of his perception of how the world was supposed to work.

"Until I see something that tells me otherwise, I'm inclined to think so, Bro," Asher answered. David just shook his head as he returned the stares of a few ponies watching the little entourage. Personally, Asher was feeling like he was sort of getting used to it, though the more he had been learning the more he found himself feeling like a kid in a candy store. He was eager to learn more.

"Ash! David!" Their mother's voice rang down the market street. A couple stands away stood his Mom and two younger brothers, all laden with bags and hauling a wagon full of more, along with Rarity and Fluttershy. They appeared to be in the process of purchasing a bushel of apples from none other than Applejack

"Well, looks like you've already had a busy day," said Asher, peering into the bags.

"It's all thanks to Rarity and Fluttershy here," his Mom said, motioning to the smiling pony. "They have been more than helpful."

"I just had to," said Rarity. "Who knows how much I can do with the fabrics you gave me and you all have been so kind in our hour of need."

"I agree, and I'm glad we could help," added Fluttershy quietly.

"They got everything here!" said Jonathon enthusiastically. "Bread, watermelon, milk, even eggs!"

"Thinking with your stomach as usual," joked Patrick.

"Oh, leave your brother alone," his Mom chided. "I think this will hold us over for a while. Again, thank you so much Rarity and Fluttershy, you've been big helps!"

And with that, they turned and started hauling the groceries on the trek towards home, although not without first promising the complaining Patrick and Jonathon that they could come back after they dropped off the food.

"Thanks for helping out my mom," Asher said sincerely. "How do you buy things here?"

"Oh, well we use money called bits," said Twilight. Rarity, using her magic, opened her saddlebag and pulled out a couple gold-like coins and levitated them over to Asher. Actually, though he may not be a metallurgist he would say they actually were...

"Are these gold?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, actually," replied Rarity. "A beautiful metal won't you agree?"

"Uh...yeah," Asher said, mentally flummoxed for a second. "How much does one of these buy?"

Applejack, who had ambled over from her stand for the moment to join the conversation, answered. "Well, depends on the seller, but at my stand it's one fer an apple, five for a dozen, and twelve for a bushel. Best prices on this side of Equestria I'll tell ya."

One gold coin for a measly apple? he thought. Just how common is this to them?

"Although earlier today Dewdrop paid with an emerald," added Applejack. "Maybe a bit low but I decided it was ok this time. Poor guy looked a little bit stressed."

"An emerald?" blurted David. "Like a shiny, green gem, emerald?"

"Uh......yeah?" replied Applejack, apparently uncertain why the two brothers looked utterly stunned.

"Sorry," Asher apologized, realizing they were making her uncomfortable. "Is that a common thing, to spend gems? And are the bits the only coins you use?"

"Yes to both," answered Twilight. "Why?"

"In that case this town is in the running for richest city in America," answered David, turning one of the blank gold coins in his hand over and over.

"Both gold and gems are very valuable and somewhat rare," explained Asher. "We haven't used gold coins widespread for over a hundred years. There's just not enough of it."

Now it was the ponies turn to look surprised for a moment, before Rainbow Dash suddenly started laughing.

"Wow! Spike's going to be disappointed to hear that!" she snickered through her hooves.

"Rainbow, that's not very nice," scolded Rarity.

"Why would Spike be sad?" asked Asher, confused why the little reptile would care.

"A dragon's favorite snack is gems," said Twilight. "Who knows how many times I've had to hide his stash so he'd keep from getting a bellyache."

"He eats rocks?" David blurted again. Asher slugged him on the shoulder. His outbursts were starting to come off as rude, thought Asher had to admit the idea of any creature chewing, swallowing, and digesting precious stones was boggling. Especially something that reminded him of a miniature, scaly Barney. He also found himself wondering what they tasted like.

"Anyways, where to next?" asked Asher, deciding to change the subject in an effort to keep David from saying anything more that was potentially offensive. Rainbow Dash immediately stopped snickering and flew down to their eye levels again.

"Can we watch the movie now? she pleaded, flashing the DVD that she had been carrying around with her the entire time. She had asked the same question three or four times in the previous hour, always with the same disappointing response.

"Oh, like the ones you were talking about before?" asked Rarity, growing curious.

"I'd like to see that," chimed in Applejack.

Fluttershy seemed interested as well, and Pinkie Pie started bouncing up down and chanting "yes" over and over.

Asher deferred the decision to Twilight, seeing as she was generally in charge of everything. Not that she appeared to enjoy it, but still. The purple pony looked to her friends, all of whom where looking on with expectant eyes, so it didn't take long for Twilight to give an exasperated, "Okay."

Rainbow Dash didn't wait for the group, blasting off towards the library at breathtaking speed, while Applejack trotted back to her stand to inform Big Mac where she was going. They seem to have a different concept of a workday Asher thought to himself, deciding not to bring up the query.

"You'll watch it with us to answer questions, right?" asked Twilight as they trotted off as a group.

"Absolutely," answered Asher. "Besides, I gotta show you how to work the DVD player."

"Okay, first one: What does 'DVD' stand for?"

Wow. I have no idea.

Dash felt impatient but bit her lip to keep from saying anything as Asher went through the steps of how to turn on the player and get a movie going. She had watched Anne do it a couple times already with their big screen (which Dash was wishing they could watch more on instead of this much smaller one) and as far as she could tell it was mostly the same.

"How long does it take to make a movie?" asked Pinkie Pie as she, Fluttershy, Spike, and Applejack browsed over the mess of other movies on the library floor. "I think it would be really, really fun to make one. Could you imagine me as a cartoon?"

"Wouldn't be that far off," mumbled Asher so only Dash and Twilight could hear, both of them chuckling a little. "Well, Pinkie, the good movies often take a couple of years to make."

"A couple of years?" was the general surprised response. The only thing Rainbow Dash had worked on that long was trying to get into the Wonderbolts.

"Wow, talk 'bout dedication," said Applejack.

"I'll say. So is it ready?" Rainbow Dash asked as Asher pushed another button.

"Yep. If we can draw those curtains than it'll be easier to see," Asher said, pointing over.

"I got it," said Twilight as her horn glowed and promptly shut all the curtains, effectively darkening the library. The glow of the screen was now the brightest thing and everypony settled on the floor pillows Spike had dragged in. Even the rest of Asher's siblings had made their way up already and had found places on the floor. Funny how when sitting next to each other ponies seemed taller. Asher pushed one more button then twiddled a little wheel on the side, which turned the sound up in volume.

That's when the movie finally began. Just like the others, it started off with low music with a bunch of random names and logos popping up, apparently listing who helped make it. Then it opened on a creepy jungle scene. Oh this is going to be good.

"Run you fool! Run!"

"That would be so much easier if he could fly."

"He's afraid of snakes?"

"Aw, but snakes can be so nice."

"Not if they're crawling on you."

"Oh, so he's a professor. See, Rainbow? 'Eggheads' can be adventurous too!"

"So that's a gun?"

"Like the one ya saved Scootaloo with?"

"Doesn't seem all that scary to me. What would you even use it for?"

"Oh."

"Okay, that many snakes would be even too much for me."

"Once again: Wings."

"What's so important about that thing anyway?"

"You'll find out."

"Asher! Why are you covering my eyes?"

"This scene gave me nightmares for weeks."

"Oh C'mon, it couldn't be that bad."

"Okay, yeah. That was freaky."

"That image is never going to leave my head."

"Well, Rainbow Dash. Was it as good as you hoped?" Asher asked as they let the light back in and he shut off the player. Dash pondered that for a moment. Just a short one though.

"That was Awesome!" she exclaimed. "I mean, Daring Do is still awesome too but that was so cool! Applejack! Could you teach me to whip?"

"Not a chance," the farm pony replied.

Rainbow Dash didn't get the chance to reply as the door burst open, Meadowlark panting in the doorway.

"Princess Twilight! Come quick!" she cried.

Twilight, Rainbow, and the others wasted no time following the spectacled unicorn out.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked, already looking around for the danger. Rainbow put on her guard as well, scanning the skies but seeing nothing beyond a couple of aircraft. Did the humans do something?

"More ponies just arrived...." Meadowlark began, as the group, which included Asher and David, rushed off after her.

"There's Alicorn Peak, b-b-but there's no Canterlot!" Midnight Strike stammered in dismay. Rapidfire and his companions had finally arrived in the Canterlot Kingdom, only to find a strange city spreading out on the plains to the east and a blank mountain face. They had also become aware of their followers, though they had circled off to a great distance just within visible range.

"What do we do?" Cosmic asked Rapidfire directly and expectantly. Rapidfire couldn't answer right away. He hadn't quite considered the possibility that Canterlot wasn't there. Where the hay was everypony? For that matter, where were they? Rapidfire felt exhausted, feeling like he had flown a million miles instead of perhaps a thousand, and his mind was reeling.

Then something caught his eye, something that stood out more than ever before because of how starkly familiar it was in a foreign place.

"Ponyville," he said, not believing his eyes. "But that place was...."

And that was the moment it dawned on him. The lighting. It was a storm that took Ponyville, and now...

"Oh, sweet Celestia. C'mon! Let's go!" Rapidfire immediately began to descend, Midnight and Cosmic in close pursuit. The closer they got the more he realized it was indeed Ponyville, and the distant sight of ponies was a welcome one.

They made a straight flight for the town hall, where a yellow and gray mare that just had to be the Mayor was luckily walking by. He immediately grabbed her attention and asked, "Is Princess Twilight Sparkle here?"

He quickly explained what was happening to the Mayor, who then nodded at her assistant who ran off to find the Princess. She quickly returned, followed by the Princess, half a dozen other ponies, and two of them. Rapidfire snapped to alert, but didn't react figuring that the Princess would probably know what she was doing.

"That's Rapidfire of the Wonderbolts!" a rainbow-maned pegasus exclaimed as they drew close.

"How did you get here? Where'd you come from? Did Celestia send you?" the Princess asked urgently, obviously completely stunned that he and his companions were actually there.

"Well, no. We came looking for Canterlot. Something strange happened to Rainbow Falls," he explained.

"Rainbow Falls is here!?" she repeated with several gasps from her entourage following.

"Yes. Your Highness, what is happening?" Rapidfire asked, trying to curb his own rising worry with perhaps some answer. Unfortunately, the young Alicorn had none such comfort to give.

"I don't know, but if more of Equestria has come through..." she trailed off, and oddly made eye contact with one of the creatures, a tall one wearing a ball cap.

"...then it might get a little crazy."