Ponyville, USA

by Rox

Chapter 16: Start

"...the so called "Alien Bill" that is rumored to be making its way to the House floor?"

"I don't know. There are just so many intangibles, not to mention the impact it might have on immigration in general."

"Frankly I'm just surprised it didn't take a year just to make a committee to make a proposal. Maybe that Princess is kicking them into gear..."

"- a decline in drug arrests on the border has lead some officials to believe there may actually be some sort of stock shortage as incredible as that sounds. However this had led to a rise in violence as those same officials claim that some dealers are now fighting for the limited supply..."

"More protests throughout Madrid today, protesting the crown's commitment to abide the presence of the Griffon settlement now overlooking Barcelona, intensifying on the heels of an incident near the city with an alleged attack by one of the creatures on a young boy. Tear gas was deployed as the protests escalated to--"

"Let's goon to international news: Japan announced today an 'Open Border' policy, offering full asylum to the pony 'refugees' and to any others should they be displaced. Some are calling for the US to do the same."

"And North Korean representatives, in a surprising announcement this morning, requested to organize a meeting with world leaders at a UN summit..."

"UUUUGGGHHH!"

The exasperated sigh of the purple alicorn was loud enough to be heard by passersby outside the library as she flopped down on her bed, flinging the book she was reading onto the floor. It was official, she had read through every book that was possibly relevant in any way, and she had gotten absolutely nowhere. As she lay on her back, staring at nothing in particular on the ceiling, she wished for the umpteenth time that she could access the Canterlot archives or at least the Castle of the Two Sisters.

Then she rolled over on her side to stare at nothing in particular on the wall, and with another grunt she reminded herself, for the umpteenth time, that while she didn't have access, Princess Celestia did. And if she hadn't found an answer from her side, then it probably wasn't there. The researcher in her was fully exhausted, and that had...

Well, that had never happened before. Usually she found an answer within at least a couple of days, or at the very worst a couple of sleepless nights. Three solid weeks now, or was it four? Twilight took a moment to count in her head. Okay, so about three and one half.

Asher was even more stumped than she was. He wasn't an idiot, but human science simply didn't have any more of an answer to how they could get back home. Every once in a while he would come back saying he'd been called by their government with news as to what their scientists were doing.

As Asher would say, it was usually another "strikeout."

Twilight rolled over and sat up, stretching her neck and shoulders as she did so. Outside, the sun had set. No, wait, it was rising. The sudden realization that she hadn't even gone to sleep all night served to deluge her with even more fatigue than before, sleep deprivation now beginning to weigh heavily on her eyes. And seeing how she was already on her bed, there was nothing keeping her from surrendering to the drowsiness. She lay her head down, resting her chin on her hooves and closing her eyes to the increasing morning light.

As she began to drift off, her tired mind wandered over everything she had done, wondering what more she could do short of running all over the land. Now that would be exactly...

Precisely 46 seconds passed with the only sound being her soft breathing.

Twilight sprung up all the way to her hooves, planting them into the bedsheets, eyes wide and a big gasp escaping her.

"Well what's stopping me?" Twilight said aloud.

"Huh? Wha-?" Spike poked his head out from under his blanket, spilling a small stack of comic books onto the floor. "Stopping you from doing what?"

"Spike, get up and get ready. We're going on a trip," Twilight said, striding off the bed and down the stairway as the dragon mumbled and pulled the blankets back over his head.

"You wanna what now?"

Asher stood leaning on the threshold of his family's back door, still dressed in pajamas and not quite looking awake yet. Even as he spoke he wiped his bleary eyes with his arm and stretched his back with the other.

"We wanna visit all the Equestrian cities we can, and investigate first-hoof," Twilight repeated, bright eyed and alert as she did so. Applejack stood beside her and nodded, but the farm pony was the only other one of the bunch who wasn't in the same boat as Asher. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were close-eyed and leaning against one another, while Fluttershy's head dipped up and down like a bobblehead and Pinkie Pie was blinking furiously to try and banish the sleep.

The sun was not much more than a couple of degrees above the horizon, which in the summertime meant that she had shown up early. Again. Twilight probably would have felt more guilty if she hadn't had just done the same thing to all of her friends just minutes before. Asher blinked as he processed what she had said once more, squinting into the low sunlight.

"Uh... J-just come on in, the sun's hurtin' my eyes," Asher yawned, turning back into the quiet house. Twilight strode in after him as Applejack nudged those sleeping on their hooves so that they'd follow. The house was quite cave like that morning, the blinds staunching the dawn, and with the lights off and television silent it added to the strange stillness. Asher walked slowly, dragging his feet in a way that gave him an odd shuffle on the carpeted floor.

"So you, uh, wanna travel the country? Just like that, huh?" Asher asked sleepily as he led them into the kitchen. "You been planning to do this for a while?"

"Nope, just decided this morning," Twilight said brightly.

"It's not that weird," Applejack added. "Me n' Rarity once went on one wild trip all o'er the place. We were goin' to Applewood but we ended up gettin' lost and seein' just 'bout everythin'. Right Rarity?"

"Mm-hmm," Rarity mumbled, starting awake for a moment and then blinking rapidly in an attempt to stay that way. She's probably going to freak out when she realizes she's got morning bed head, Twilight thought.

Asher grunted in acknowledgement as he sat down at the kitchen table, leaning over and pulling a laptop closer to him. He stopped for a moment, opening his eyes and staring into nothing as he started his train of thought. Twilight pulled out one of the chairs with her magic and clambered up onto it. It was kinda funny to be at eye level with the human who usually towered over all of them, putting his face in a perspective she rarely saw.

"So.... why?" he finally asked.

"I think if we saw each site for ourselves and took careful observation at each one we could discover a pattern," Twilight explained.

"I would be willing to bet that there are human researchers doing that right now," Asher argued with a yawn

Twilight had figured the same. But she also had a rebuttal: "I doubt that their researchers have had 12 years of magical education and have any ability to accurately measure and study magic fields," Twilight countered.

Asher thought about that for a moment, opening his mouth like he was gonna say something before closing it again and shrugging in defeat. "Okay then, I'm guess you want me to figure out how to get around," Asher finally said. "Perhaps we can look at flights...."

"That would be best," said Twilight brightly, peering over his shoulder as he opened his computer. She blinked involuntarily, along with anypony else on that side of the table, as the blue tinted glow illuminated the room at a much higher intensity than her eyes had expected.

"Seems like it would be a whole lot faster than taking the train like we had to in Equestria," Applejack noted.

"Definitely," Asher affirmed, "but I would also bet it's a lot more expensive."

Twilight nodded knowingly but unconcerned. The money situation that was taking up so much of Princess Luna's time was still unresolved, but the advantage in that was that their bits were worth hay of a lot. From what she understood, she could roughly use the same amount of bits she bought her Daring Do books with to buy an entire car of their own.

"And a lot more relaxing," Rarity said, as she focused on the messy hair hanging in front of her eyes. "In fact it was quite a luxurious way of travel."

Asher suddenly snorted a laugh and descended into a short giggle fit that he tried to stifle. "Sorry, sorry..."

"What?" Rarity looked confused.

"I know you don't like flying but it was still nice," added Twilight, also a little bit miffed.

"No, no, it's not that," he laughed, calming down enough to offer an explanation. "That was a special, government envoy flight. Normal planes are a bit more crowded and a lot more miserable. Imagine the plane we went on, take out all the extra rooms, and then stuff into it 300 seats that are about half the size of the ones on that plane."

"Oh my," Rarity said.

"That's what we trade for cutting a trip that would normally take a day or two into just a few hours," Asher shrugged.

"I suppose that makes sense," said Twilight. It did make sense that such a speedy transport would need to be able to carry as many passengers as it could. The larger trains between the big cities in Equestria often practiced frugality in their use of space as well, though not quite to that extent. For a moment her imagination ran through a picture of 200 people stacked like firewood.

"What's goin' on?"

Twilight looked up to see Andrew. The family patriarch, already fully dressed and smelling like he had already been working on his car hobby in the barn, was looking upon the kitchen scene curiously.

"Nothin' too much," Asher replied. "We're just trying to figure out how to get them around the country."

"Oh, alright. What were ya thinking?" Mr. Burgess asked as he moved to look over Asher's shoulder.

"Maybe we can find a good gold exchange rate and then buy them some airplane tickets," Asher said. Twilight watched as he brought up the Internet and started to type away.

"You're not going?" Mr. Burgess asked with a raised eyebrow. Asher paused for a moment.

"I'm still a student Dad. I don't have that kind of money," Asher said, starting to type again and bringing up a different page.

"So? I do," Mr. Burgess said.

"What? Dad, I don't..."

"You should anyway," his Dad cut him off. "Also, I think you're crazy if you think you can just fly where ya want right now."

"What else can we do?"

"You can drive."

"Around the entire country!? Are you--"

"It'll be easier for certain."

"And about twice as long, not to mention I'll still have to pay for it."

"I said I'd help with that. Remember the news the other day? Airports near those towns are flooded with people wanting to go see the pony towns. Just getting a flight would be difficult. Look."

Asher assumed an expression that said, “Fine. I will!" and started typing away at his computer. This exchange between father and son was really making Twilight want to laugh. It almost reminded her of similar conversations she saw between Shining Armor and her own father. Asher, for once, seemed completely outmatched, though Twilight couldn't help but sympathize with his apprehension. Driving was convenient for sure, but it would be far more confined and, by the sound of it, slower. But the argument that they didn't have much of an option was only solidified when Asher's jaw dropped.

"$500 just for a flight to Salt Lake!!" he exclaimed.

"Then multiply that by seven--and other flights will certainly cost more--and you find yourself out thousands of dollars," Mr. Burgess said. "Now check availability."

Asher clicked once and read down a calendar that popped up. "Practically sold out til mid-August," he mumbled. "Great..."

"Uh-huh. Driving is your only option whether or not you could pay for it."

Asher leaned back in his chair, balancing it on the back legs and rocking himself back and forth with one foot as he thought.

Asher sighed again resignedly, closed the computer, and stood up stretching his back with both hands as he did so.

"I really don't like it when you treat me like a rich kid Dad," he said.

"You are a rich kid, and I'm only paying for a simple trip, not for your schooling like you were goin' on about," Mr. Burgess said. "You can pay me back when you're successful if you want."

Asher slid a sarcastic sideways look towards his Dad. This was obviously a discussion they had had before.

"Whatever happened to 'teaching responsibility?'" Asher challenged.

"You learned responsibility a long time ago. Now I'm gonna teach you how to seize the moment," his Dad replied. "I'll deposit funds into your bank account to pay for the gas."

Asher raised his arms and rested his hands on top of his head, closed his eyes, and smiled a little. This combination was a habit that Twilight had come know meant that he was finally giving up. "Alright, alright, fine. Thanks Dad. Then I'll need to borrow the van."

"Ash, if flights are sold out then hotels will be too."

Asher gave his Dad yet another long look. Twilight was stifling giggles now. It was exactly like her Dad and Brother. Especially the part when a realization dawned on Asher, changing his expression from thoughtful to disbelieving.

"Dad, are you saying we should drive--"

"The RV? Yes."

"B-but--"

"It'll save you money and a big headache, and it's more than big enough to take all of you," Mr. Burgess said calmly, just like it was the closing argument in a debate that he knew he had just won. Asher stared at his father silently for a moment, then sighed and sat back.

"Ya know, sometimes I really hate it when you're right," Asher said. "Fine. We'll take the RV."

"Great. Tell you what, I'll make sure the engine's in running order," Mr. Burgess said, and without waiting for any thank you/sarcastic reply from his son, he exited just about as quickly as he came. There was a short silence before Applejack asked the very question that Twilight was about to ask.

"Sooo, what's an RV?"

"Wow, use it much?" Rainbow Dash deadpanned as the camper pulled out of the garage, literal layers of dust falling off as his Dad brought it to a stop.

"We used it last summer, we just don't uh... wash the outside too much," Asher defended as the engine shut off. The door opened loudly and closed even louder as his Dad disembarked and went around towards the back to check on some mechanical issue. Asher pulled it back open, already inwardly wondering how the ponies who didn't have the benefit of telekinetic magic would get in and out, and ran up the three steps. It smelled a little of dust and old cheerios but looked just the same as he remembered.

"A house on wheels. You weren't kidding," Twilight mused as she followed him through the vehicle.

"Oh cool! There's a TV in here!" Rainbow Dash said, pointing out the 15 year old unit mounted in the ceiling just behind the driver.

"And a kitchen! We could make cookies even while we're gone!" Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically, opening the oven and inspecting it for herself.

"It drives like a tank, but it's the cushiest way to take a road trip," Asher said, sitting down in the driver's chair.

Two white swivel chairs occupied the front for the driver and a single passenger. Down the left side of the body were latch-shut cupboards, the fridge, sink, and cooking appliances, which fortunately all still worked. The RV was of the larger variety, which allowed for a relatively wide "living area" with a couch and table booth. There was a small sleeping space above the cupboards with a ladder leading to it, which would certainly be needed, and then a narrow hallway where the bathroom and shower were located. A peek inside revealed that his mom's compulsive cleaning nature had been at work. The main bedroom was pristine, too; it was a room that Asher himself had never used, as his parents had always reserved the right to child-free room on vacation.

"Wow that's a big bed," Twilight observed.

"Though the blankets smell like they could use a good wash," said Rarity from behind, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah, we can send it through a washer tonight. I figure we could fit a couple of you on here when we stop at night though," Asher suggested.

"I think we could probably fit all of us if we wanted to," Twilight said.

"No need for that, we got a few beds hidden 'round here, but we can figure that out later." Asher walked back into the living room, where Pinkie and Fluttershy were testing out just how comfortable the couch was and Rainbow Dash was practicing trying to open the latch on the fridge while Applejack looked on.

"I reckon they didn't think a pony would be ever using it," she said as Rainbow struggled to bend her hoof around the latch.

"We'll figure out something. Maybe we can hook in a coat hanger or something that you guys could pull, and we'll probably need it on the front door too."

On cue, the door opened and David, looking far more ready to tackle the day than Asher, who in contrast was still wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"It still smells like cheerios," he said, eliciting a guffaw from Asher. "Got room for one more?"

"Huh?" That got everyone's attention.

"I don't have school anyway until September and I've always wanted to drive around the country in an old RV. True, I thought it'd be with 5 or 6 human girls, but... eh, still get to travel at least."

Asher raised an eyebrow at him, partially because he had to show at least some disdain and partially because he really didn't want to laugh at what he had just said.

"Hey, I know for a fact you don't like driving for too long. I can spell ya some miles," he said. "And don't worry, I can sleep in the chair."

Dang it, that's all my arguments and I didn't even say anything. That's the third debate I've lost this morning. I must be losing my edge.

"I don't care!"

"Look, er... Ms. Dust. There's simply a major risk not just for you but for the pilots. Our radar can barely pick you up and would have no way of warning you even if we did notice a problem."

Lightning Dust stood glaring at the sharply dressed human. He wore wing badges above one pocket, signaling he was probably himself a pilot of one of those human flying machines. He had just come walking into Cincineighti like he did it every other Sunday and had been asking around town if any of them knew a light blue pegasus with gold hair. And since that particular set of phenotypes belonged to the Dust family, it hadn't taken him long to be directed to her. Apparently a nearby airport had seen her practicing her flying and freaking out several pilots. She didn't know what the big deal was. All she did was fly by them, comparing their agility and speed to her own. They're probably just jealous I was at least twice as fast as their metal clunkers.

"I'm the best flier in Equestria," she reiterated irritably. "Believe me, I could avoid any collision. It's hard to miss those flying cows."

Now he looked offended. Good, you're annoying, Lightning thought with satisfaction.

"I don't care what it was like on your world, but here we have rules!" he said angrily. "Rules that keeps everyone safe and everything in order. Please notify us when you go for a flight in our airspace next time, or the next time I visit it will be with the Air Force."

Oooh Scary, thought Lightning Dust.

"Oooh Scary," said Lightning Dust. "See ya."

And with that dismissal, human's facial blood vessels looked like they would burst before he spun around and stormed off. Maybe it was the way his two legs made his body shimmy as he walked that fast, or maybe it was just in the way he seemed to be muttering under his breath like a crazy pony, but Lightning Dust was nearly beside herself with laughter.

"That could have been handled better," Sand Hill said. He had sat in silence, watching the entire exchange with an unreadable, passive, slightly infuriating expression.

"You could have backed me up," she jabbed as she finally stopped guffawing.

"You didn't need it. If anyone needed help it was that poor sap," Sand Hill said coolly. "Perhaps we should move your training sessions to somewhere else for a while, just to let you both cool down a bit."

"Now don't you start. The wind patterns over that way are perfect," objected Lightning Dust. "I'm the one that was born with wings! Who are they to say who or what can be in the sky?"

"Stop it now with the superiority complex," Sand Hill said sternly. "It was that kind of thinking that got you run from the Academy."

Lightning Dust shot him a glare that would have boiled a cockatrice's eggs, daring him to say more. The earth pony wasn't so dumb as to say anything more on that subject, but still didn't flinch at all from her stare.

"We have to play by their rules for now," Sand continued, quickly guzzling down the rest of the cider he was holding in his hoof. "Hopefully Princess Luna and Twilight can figure this out and get us back to Equestria soon enough. Then the only rules you have to worry about are the ones at the derbies."

He was right as usual, which did calm Lightning Dust even if it annoyed her all the same.

"So now if you're done pouting, we'll get back to conditioning. One hundred wing ups! Go!"

Lightning Dust obeyed immediately, not even bothering to catch herself with her hooves but instead going straight to her wing tips and right into the exercise, all the while picturing herself showing up those human "pilots," the Wonderbolts, and anypony else who thought themselves better than her.

The explorer's eyes fluttered open as sleep finally broke its spell on her. A glance up told her it was already close to midday, meaning she had slept in. She shifted her front hooves out from under her chin and pushed herself up, balancing carefully on the high tree branch she had made her bed. Her supplies were tied to the tree trunk behind her to keep it all from tumbling down.

She had taken to sleeping in the canopy of the jungle for a couple reasons. One was a rather nasty bunch of predators had come awfully close to sneaking up on her a few days before, and another was that those bipedal creatures, “Soy humano" as one she had subdued had said, for some reason never thought to look above them. You're in a jungle for Celestia's sake. Predators will always attack from above if they get the chance.

It made them rather easy to spot or even surprise attack if necessary. Frankly, she hadn't ever been this on edge before, even though she'd been tangling with Ahuizotl's posse for years. Sure, Ahuizotl had left her to die many times, but at least he always gave a sporting chance (which was usually his downfall, but she wasn't complaining). These creatures turned their weapons on anything that moved.

She could also tell, by the way they looked around and by how carefully they guarded their cargo, that they were doing something illegal. Therefore Daring didn't have any qualms about whooping their flanks and burying their foul smelling powders when they crossed her path--and that had been increasingly often.

It was getting on her nerves. She still wasn't sure where she was, and as an experienced explorer with a talent for navigation and the cutie mark to prove it, that was frustrating to no end. Her map was useless, and all the trails were either useless or being used, and on top of that, she was running low on supplies.

Living off the land would be possible but both annoying and a distraction from her goal. She figured it wouldn't be possible to gain supplies from those creatures, even if she found a village. Every indication she had seen so far was that they had never seen anything like her, and the last thing she wanted to risk was being captured and turned into a science project or a sideshow freak. That wasn't the only reason though. She was convinced that she had to be close to the temple, for only some powerful, ancient magic could possibly be messing with everything to the extent of bringing in new creatures and changing the landscape.

Daring balanced her way back down the branch to the trunk and untied her gear, swinging it with her mouth onto her back. She felt the balance suddenly shift as a heavy weight swung around her shoulder and threw her momentum to the right. She quickly corrected, flapping her wings to get a little help. She didn't even need to look to know what it was.

She had taken one of the long, metal weapons that the humanos had carried, figuring that it might become useful at some point. She had already learned that it functioned by spewing small, metal projectiles at high speed, basically acting like faster, nearly invisible arrowheads, though she was still unsure exactly how it did so. She had also figured out how it was operated, but the fact that it simply hadn't been designed for use by a hoofed, four legged Equestrian was painfully obvious. It would take some tinkering, that's for sure, but lacking the time or tools to do so, for now she had fashioned an impromptu sling to carry it with her.

After checking from her perch that the coast was clear, Daring lept from branch to branch like it was a set of large stairs, using her wings to slow her the descent, until she finally landed with all four hooves on the jungle floor. Glancing at the morning sun to make sure of her bearings, she turned a few degrees to the left and started briskly trotting down the trail.

She had a temple to find, and if the trend that was her life continued, the fate of Equestria or even the world probably rested on her finding it quickly. Or maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be a nice, quiet, dead ruin. Yeah right.

"And I thought yesterday was early," Rainbow yawned as she flapped along. Her pack was on her back, stuffed with some basics for traveling. In her hooves she held a bushel of apples.

"Oh stop complainin’," Applejack chuckled. "You know you're just gonna be nappin' half the time anyway."

Applejack walked just ahead, balancing her own pack and another bushel on her back.

"Yeah, well, mornings still stink," Rainbow Dash said.

"They ain't so bad," Applejack said cheerfully, a little more cheerfully than Rainbow preferred at such an early time. "At least it's still summer. If it were winter it'd be mighty cold right now. And this time nobody flipped yer bed upside down."

Rainbow Dash spared a frown for her friend but didn't say anything as the house came into view. She had to admit, though: the sky did look pretty awesome with it's orange-ish glow reflecting on the clouds, and the air felt pleasant without the sun's rays beating down on them. Rainbow hadn't quite put her hoof on why yet, but it almost felt like the sun here was even more intense than in Equestria. She figured it didn't matter either way; that was egg-head stuff anyway and they'd be back home soon enough.

Applejack led the way around the house through the yard. About 100 yards off, Rainbow could see that there was already a line of new tourists ready to prance around their little hamlet, taking pictures and asking dumb questions like it was Manehattan or something--or a zoo. Rainbow Dash mostly avoided the visitors, usually staying airborne and doing a lot more cloud busting than usual. It was one of the rare times she was actually happy the clouds here were so massive.

"Rainbow Dash! Applejack!" Twilight waved as she called to them. The big block of a vehicle was already in the driveway with the door ajar waiting to board the travelers.

"Mornin', Twi," Applejack said. "Brought along the apples ya asked for."

"Excellent," Twilight said, checking off a box on her list. "And it looks like you have your packs as well, so check and check!"

"Put 'em in here," Asher's voice called from within. Rainbow flew through the narrow opening and back into the... “Camper" as Asher would often call it. Since that name was the easiest to say out of the three or four she had heard already, Rainbow had decided that's the name she'd use too.

Fluttershy and Rarity were busy helping Asher and his mom organize the food into the shelves.

"Sweet, just put those down right there and we'll take care of it," Asher said with a glance. "We're almost ready to go so you're just in time."

"Cool," Rainbow Dash responded as she lowered the bushel to the floor, and then swung her pack off and onto a chair where a collection of packs with her friend's cutie marks sat. Not seeing anything she'd be particularly helpful with, she brushed past Applejack and back out into the open air. Outside David was talking with their Dad, scrolling through something on his little "phone" device.

"-- then we'll take this way down to LA, and from there we can either head home if we don't think we're getting anything, or we can keep going on to Texas. After that we'd head up through St. Louis, through Indiana into Ohio. Then through to Connecticut, then down to Maryland, and finally all the way through to Florida. Then we'll turn around and drive all the way back home. Like a big, old figure 8." Rainbow Dash listened in. Most of the names were unfamiliar to her. She had paid some attention to one of the times that Asher explained their country's set up, and she still didn't quite get the whole states idea when in the end they were still one kingdom. She decided it was probably a bit like how the Crystal Empire ran itself but was still part of Equestria. That made the most sense.

"Seems like a plan," Mr. Burgess nodded. "And there should be plenty of parking lots and camping spots you can use along the way. Make sure you and your brother keep a watch out for signs so you don't end up pulling over and sleeping on the shoulder. That's a good way to get hit."

"I know, I know," David said. "Hey Rainbow Dash."

"Hi," she said, returning the greeting.

"Okay, I think we're just about good," Asher announced, stepping out into the morning daylight closely followed by his Mom, Fluttershy, and Rarity. "We should get going. Our goal's Salt Lake and that's a nine hour drive with no stops."

"Checklist is all done!" said Twilight brightly, rolling up the scroll and placing it into her own pack. Asher extended one of his thumbs, a gesture that apparently meant "Good," and without saying much first hugged his mom, and then ambled over and hugged his Dad and the two brothers that were staying behind. It appeared that Anne was still probably asleep, much to Rainbow's jealousy.

Then with that, Asher ran up and into the camper, followed immediately by his brother.

"Let's go girls!" Twilight beckoned as she clambered up. Rainbow followed her friends on board. Asher already sat in the driver's seat, and the engine growled like a manticore as he turned the key. Twilight jumped into the vacant passenger seat when David chose instead to sit at the kitchen table. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity joined him, leaving the couch for Rainbow and Pinkie Pie. Again, Rainbow Dash wasn't complaining. Completely unfazed by Pinkie's energetic bouncing on one side, Rainbow Dash laid back, head on one of the hoof (or arm?) rests, and was ready to make up for lost sleep.

The lurching and uneasy movement of the camper stopped that idea. Perhaps it was just a bump in the road or maybe they had run over an elephant but in any case Rainbow Dash was lifted off the couch and dropped ungracefully onto the floor. The contents of the cupboards could be heard getting tossed up and down

"Sorry! Hit a pothole!" Asher called back.

"Warn me next time!" Rainbow called from the floor.

"Sorry, never driven this thing before," Asher said.

"What!?"

"Hey, give me a break. Mom and Dad were always the drivers when we took this thing. It's kind of like trying to- to-"

"Drive a house?" Twilight suggested.

"Exactly! Wait..." Asher looked blank for a moment before joining in with the gale of laughter. Rainbow Dash picked herself up and seated herself on the couch, getting a pretty good view out the side window behind the couch and through the absolutely massive front window. The going was pretty slow, but it was no slower than a train. Dash settled in and joined the small talk conversation as they began passing through the human city.

They had a good laugh when they passed the place they had visited many weeks before to watch the Thunderbirds (though Rainbow Dash did throw in a sorry just in case, even as everyone joked about it). Soon they were in new territory. Dash had flown at high altitude above this all when she had visited her family in Cloudsdale the day after it showed up, but it was a lot more interesting up close.

The towns were sprawling and the forests even more so, with tall pines dominating much of the rocky landscape. They passed through the shadows of sheer hills and were passed by speeding cars (accompanied by Asher swearing at them to slow down). Denver was a new experience altogether.

"Holy Cupcakes those buildings are tall!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as they drove through downtown, pressing her face against the window.

"Hey, what's that big building over there with the statue?" Rainbow asked, pointing towards a huge carving of a horse rearing back that was overlooking a massive structure.

"A football stadium. The team here's called the Broncos," David answered with a smile.

"That's a stadium? Wow, it makes Cloudsdale Coliseum look small," Rainbow Dash awed, choosing to ignore his expectant look. It wasn't the only massive sports structure the city had. The two brothers pointed out a dome and another open-air stadium almost as big as the first, all nestled near the foot of towering skyscrapers, where they played just about every other sport she could think of short of racing, and when she asked about that she was informed of a drag strip to the west.

"You guys have everything!"

Denver was soon left behind and replaced with sprawling farmers’ fields and intermittent towns, and, somewhat disappointingly, there wasn't much else to see. Most of the towns looked a lot alike, and the mountains grew steadily less impressive and the land flatter and thereby less interesting. The conversation turned to everyday small talk, and soon the gentle rumble of the camper combined with the monotony pulled Rainbow Dash where she wanted to be in the first place.

Sound asleep.

Asher had made this drive several times before, usually going to school or occasionally for a vacation to visit family. The landmarks were familiar and he no longer needed a map to follow the right roads, the towns serving as checkpoints that let him know he was still going the right way. He even knew where most of the gas stations were, though finding the ones that could fit the RV was slightly more challenging.

Laramie was their first stop before taking the jaunt south to their first destination, Cloudsdale. But it was no wonder that this patch of middle-of-nowhere Wyoming was now one of the busiest junctions west of the Mississippi. Laramie, usually a relative quiet, low density town, had been overrun. The gas stations all had lines, the hotels looked like they were at total capacity, and the residents looked completely overwhelmed to have so many people around. Fortunately, they were able to eventually find a spot to refuel.

It was from this station that they first spotted it. It wasn't just one giant cloud as some reports would have you believe, but rather a complex network of clouds held together by forces that would make a meteorologist's head spin. Even from so far away he could make out the columns and structures that glowed bright white from the sun's rays.

Asher had seen the pictures and videos of Cloudsdale, its very existence being the most mind-boggling thing for the world to understand or accept. In fact, judging by the comments that typically accompanied these postings, there was still a sizable number of people who believed it was fake and some elaborate hoax. Actually, there were still some who seemed convinced the ponies were too, but most people had moved beyond that. The events of July 6th had taken care of that.

"Holy Hera that place looks incredible," Asher said, staring in awe as he stood by the pump. Twilight stepped down from the steps and walked over, crinkling her nose at the pungent aromas. Asher didn't blame her. He hated the smell of gas too.

"It's one of the oldest cities in our world," Twilight said. "The pegasus clans built it before our founding, and it's been making Equestria's weather ever since."

"So.... those clouds are, what, a thousand years old?" Asher asked, raising an eyebrow and half expecting an explanation that they actually had to rebuild it every so often.

"Closer to fifteen hundred," Twilight remarked, like it was totally normal for a single cloud to last longer than the average nation. "The cloud-smithing is truly remarkable."

"Hey, is that a pony?"

Asher heard the voice not far behind him. Right on cue, the gas pump clicked loudly, announcing the full tank, and prompting Asher to unhook and re-embark the RV, with Twilight being just ahead of him. Asher glanced over his shoulder to see somebody approaching at a brisk pace, but he wasn't about to deal with it this time. Without any hesitation he slammed the door shut and turned the key even as he sat down. The engine alive and the tank full, he pulled the behemoth carefully out of the station and made his way to the road to take him south, hopefully quick enough to prevent any followers. The road was a bit smaller than the freeway, but at least it was well-kept. Dead ahead lay an encampment that put the average army campsite to shame, and made the one outside his own home look small by comparison.

"Somepony better wake Rainbow Dash," Twilight suggested.

"Got it," Applejack volunteered, sliding off her perch at the table and ambling back. Asher heard her ruffle more than a few feathers as she woke the sleeping pony. Asher searched for a suitable place to park, and deciding to attract as little attention as possible, stopped about a mile before they reached the encampment of tourists, pulling as far off the road as he could and being very grateful the road edge was relatively flat.

The engine off, David was the first out the door to get a good look. Asher waited for everyone else to get off before bringing up the rear. The city was indeed even more impressive this close, like someone had meticulously molded the buildings out of clay.

"Are you sure you don't want to go up there as well?" Twilight asked again. "I know a cloud walking spell and I'm sure finding a balloon wouldn't be difficult."

"No, nope, I'm good," Asher stammered, shaking his head. David looked like he was about to say he wanted to, but Asher slid him a glare that told him not too. They didn't need to waste the time going up, finding the balloon, bringing it down, then going back up. But it was also because Asher knew if they did that there was at least a 60% chance either he or maybe Rainbow would push him into it. And the idea of going up in a balloon to a place where the only thing between himself and a two mile plunge to the ground were clouds was way too much for him to handle.

"Okay then, just fliers this time," Twilight said, looking to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. And with that, all three spread their wings and immediately started ascending quickly towards the city to look for clues. Asher watched them for a while, half nervous some num-nut would take a potshot at them or something.

"There's not much out here, is there?" Rarity remarked, glancing at the landscape. There wasn't much to be sure, mostly shrubs in fields of tan, tall grass. Not much would live in a place like this. Rabbits, prairie dogs, perhaps some antelope and coyotes but nothing bigger than that until you reached the Rocky Mountains again.

"'Fraid not, but it should get a lot more interesting the farther west we go," Asher said. "I hear Washington is really green."

"Green's a good color," Pinkie said, producing two or three green balloons and letting them loose by accident. "It's the color of mint! Hmmmmmm. Mints."

Pinkie Pie set to chasing them for a moment.

"Do you guys know where she gets..." David started.

"It's best not to think 'bout it," Applejack cautioned. "Girl makes my head hurt sometimes."

"Huh," Asher and David said in tandem. Cars whipped by, stirring up some of the dust and causing them to drift more towards a barb wire fence as they stood waiting. Nobody stopped for them, the RV serving as a blind to those driving by. It was a typical Wyoming day: a hot and dry breeze keeping it just barely cool enough to be livable. Pinkie Pie made herself busy counting these small, yellow flowers growing among the grass, though she stopped pressing her muzzle so close to them when she discovered they had little prickly thorns.

"Perhaps we should take the opportunity to make some lunch for everypony," Rarity suggested after a few minutes of idle chat.

"Sounds good to me," Asher agreed, pushing off the fence post he was leaning on. They made their way back into the shelter from the elements, Asher making a beeline for the fridge. "Sandwiches sound good?"

"That'd be perfect! I know everypony’s favorite sandwich!" Pinkie offered her assistance. "I know everypony’s favorite everything. Favorite candy, favorite cake, favorite kind of hay...."

Pinkie started getting on a roll as Asher looked in the fridge. It looked quite the mess, like the trip had been a little rougher on the contents then he had hoped. Heck, a few of the items were open, and he swore they had brought along more grapes than he was seeing.

"David! What happened to all the grapes?"

"I dunno. I only ate a few," David said with a shrug as he pulled down the bread from the top shelves. Pinkie and Rarity shook their heads and Applejack muttered something about not really liking grapes.

"Weird. Okay, Pinkie, you're up first. Waddya like?"

The door suddenly opened as Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight returned and climbed back inside.

"Hey, you're back. We made you lunch!" Pinkie Pie greeted enthusiastically.

"Sweet! I'm starving!" Rainbow Dash responded. Pinkie Pie leaped, more gracefully than a deer, from her seated position to just in front of the counter, where their friends’ sandwiches sat waiting, and began divvying them out.

"So, what'd you find?" Asher asked through a mouthful of his own lunch.

"Not too much I'm afraid," Twilight admitted as she bit into her daisy sandwich (Asher had been quite surprised when Pinkie had produced those out of the supplies they had brought). She levitated a scroll out of her saddlebag and over to Asher, who unfurled the notes to get a look. Twilight had been meticulous as always.

"The condition of the city itself is just as fine as Ponyville, and the story we gathered from around town was the same as our own. A black cloud flashing lightning at an incredible rate overtook the city and next thing they knew they were here," Twilight explained, the other ponies nodding knowingly. Asher listened quietly, but tried to imagine what it looked like for one cloud to take over another.

"I measured the magic field and it appears that Cloudsdale is also leaking magic into this world," Twilight said. "But the only thing unusual I could find is that most of it was flowing in one direction, to the the north."

"North mean anything significant to you in magic terms?" Asher asked.

"No, not that I've ever heard of," Twilight said, taking another large bite of her sandwich. She was kind of a messy eater, crumbs spilling onto the floor.

"What 'bout here?" Applejack posed the question. David and Asher exchanged a glance as they both turned it over in their minds. East and West had religious attachments in some religions, but north. North was just cold.

"Beyond ancient navigation, I got nothing special about north," Asher finally said.

"Me neither," David shrugged.

"Hmm. Maybe it has something to do with the Crystal Empire..." Twilight wondered aloud. "I supposed we'll just have to continue on and see what other data we can gather."

Asher agreed, and seeing as they had a schedule to keep, Asher slid back into the driver's seat and started it up. Soon he had found a place to wheel around and head back towards the highway that would take them west.

"Hey, Ash, do you think I could learn to drive?" Rainbow Dash asked not long after they had passed back through Laramie. Asher looked at her to judge her level of seriousness, and found it to be eagerly wanting, like a 15 year old waiting to get her license.

"I think you'd find it difficult Dash. No offense, but by our standards you're a bit short," Asher laughed. "Can't use your wings to work the pedals."

"Aw man!" Rainbow Dash conceded quickly as she realized her size would indeed be quite the hindrance to driving a vehicle built for humans. The highway turned lonely once more as they got farther away from the tourist-besieged town. A little ways out, Asher's cell phone rang out.

He slipped it out of his pocket to see that his Mom was calling. Probably just to check up on how it was going. He may be 20 but she still sometimes acted as though he were 12. Nothing wrong with that really.

"Hey, mom, WHOA!"

A large deer had lept out onto the highway out of nowhere. Asher dropped the phone and grabbed the wheel with both hands, slamming on the brakes. Behind him everybody yelped as they were suddenly thrown forward by the momentum, cupboards shaking like maracas as the food supply was messed up yet again. The deer scurried out of the way, and as it did Asher immediately started speeding back up, hoping that nobody was speeding towards their rear. A glance in the mirrors showed that they had gotten lucky. There was no one that he could see for miles.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Oh hello, where have you been?"

Asher picked up the phone and put it back to his ear as he glanced back to assess the "damage."

"Sorry Mom, this deer jumped in the--" Asher stopped short.

Lying on the floor, looking very surprised and with the exact expression of a person who just got caught jailbreaking, was Anne. And on her back and lying about were three equally surprised, equally sheepish fillies.

"Mom," Asher put the phone back to his ear. "You wouldn't happen to be calling about the whereabouts of your youngest child, now would you?"

"Are. You. Crazy!?" her older brother David stood over her, his expression looking a lot like Mom’s did when she was angry. Anne could tell he was also completely stunned that she was there. Behind him stood all six of the others. Twilight and Fluttershy just looked surprised, and Pinkie Pie was staring at them with a conflicted look. Rainbow Dash looked impressed, nodding her head slowly and earning a hopeful look out of Scootaloo. Rarity and Applejack, however, looked about as livid as her own siblings. This was not how she pictured this going.

"What in tarnation were ya thinkin'?" Applejack demanded, glancing at each of them but giving the hardest stare to Apple Bloom.

"We wanted to go with you!" Sweetie Belle answered.

"Well that much is obvious!" Rarity retorted angrily.

"What happens if we get in an accident?" David snapped. "We wouldn't have even known you were back there! Where were you even hiding?"

"The closet, but you guys never went back there anyway," Anne said quietly.

"We were plannin' to come out and show ya once we got to You-Taw," Apple Bloom added.

"That way it would be too far to turn back to bring us home," Scootaloo finished. Rainbow Dash looked even more impressed; however, the others not so much. David was looking at Anne in a way that let her know that he knew she was the one who had probably come up with that bit of the plan.

"Well, we don't have much choice," Twilight said, starting to sound a little cross herself.

"No, luckily we do," Asher said as he walked over to them, after getting off the phone with their parents. Oooh I am so grounded.

"Dad said he's gonna get plane tickets for them in Salt Lake," her oldest brother continued, sounding supremely annoyed.

"We're gonna send these four on a plane alone?" David asked incredulously.

"Actually that sounds like fun!" Scootaloo piped up.

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle cheered.

Anne was getting excited at the prospect too. "Maybe they'll let us look around the cockpit!"

"They'll let us do that!?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah! They did when we went to Disneyworld! They even let me sit in the pilot's seat!" Anne said, recalling the event from when she was, like, six. Remembering they were still in trouble, Anne sobered up and looked back to her brothers and friends. All of them looked absolutely horrified.

"And you're goin' with them," Asher said quickly to David.

"Good idea," they all responded at once.

The atmosphere of the trip had changed dramatically for David. Thanks to the escapades of his younger sister and her friends, his trip had now been given a detour in Salt Lake. He'd probably fly out to meet them again along the way somewhere, but they wouldn't be able to figure that out until he actually got back. All in all, he was definitely going to miss at least most of California.

Also he was trying to figure out how he was going to get three really little ponies through a crowded airport without anybody dying.

The immediate sensationalism of the stowaways had begun to wear off after a couple hours, at least enough that Anne and the others felt brave enough to pipe into conversations and ask for food.

"Wait! Was it you who ate all the grapes?" asked Asher with dismay.

"Sorry. When you stopped we got hungry," Anne said.

"Ate the Pringles too. Sorry," Scootaloo apologized.

"Told you we should have brought more than one can," David said.

Asher ignored him and instead flipped on the radio, turning the scanner looking for anything that could possibly reach this far out. Most of the stations whizzed by, a couple times stopping on sites so static infested you couldn't even tell what they were playing. So when a station finally came up that was clear, Asher stopped it immediately.

It was just some radio host talking news.

"Is that that guy's job? To just talk over the- the-" Rainbow Dash stopped trying to remember the name.

"Radio?" Twilight suggested.

"Yep, that's it! Radio."

"Yeah. There's even guys who have their shows played over the whole country," Asher said. "Though most of the time they're just giving cool tidbits between songs. I think they'll put on something we can listen to pretty soon."

He was right, for not long after he said so, the announcer segwayed to the music. Turns out they had landed on a mix station of some sort, because that was the only reason David could think of why they'd even think of playing "Allstar."

Asher started laughing at first, "Ha! I haven't heard this song in ages!" before picking up with the lyrics and singing along. He wasn't a great singer, but you didn't need to be to sing with this song. And Asher had been a big fan of Smash Mouth ever since he saw the movie Shrek as a kid.

"This song doesn't make too much sense," Twilight noted just barely loud enough to be heard. But certain stowaways didn't seem to care. Anne joined in with him where she could, her memory for the song not quite as good as his. Then, to David's surprise, Sweetie Belle started trying as well along with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. They went all but quiet during the verses, but they picked up the chorus very quickly. By the time it rolled around for the third time, Sweetie Belle was belting it. She was owning it.

"Holy crap," David mumbled. That girl could sing! Heck, she was making Smash Mouth sound like it was being sung by an angel. As the song winded down, ending with it's final line, Sweetie Belle put on the finishing touch with a vocal flourish that would have made Taylor Swift jealous.

"Wow!" Asher said, smacking the edge of the wheel with one hand over and over in lieu of clapping, the radio going back to the host. "I think I know what she should pick as her little mark."

"Girls! I think I have an idea!" Sweetie Belle said, the others nodding. In the second before she answered, David couldn't help but noticed that all six ponies got the exact same expression. Some sort of expectant, excited, anxious look, like either something wonderful was going to happen or the world was about to face impending doom

"Cutie Mark Crusader RADIO HOSTS!" they said in unison. And with that, Rainbow and Twilight face-hoofed, Applejack smiled and rolled her eyes, Pinkie Pie just laughed, and Rarity gave the most exasperated sigh David had ever heard.

"That wasn't what I was thinking at all," he heard Anne whisper to Asher. "But that sounds fun!"

"At least it ain't Pilots," Asher said with a wink to David.

The intermittent playing of the radio swallowed the rest of the day as they pulled into Salt Lake City,the sun finally starting to disappear behind the mountains. The pony town in question was to the south a little ways, which had been similarly named Salt Lick City. Upon the suggestion that they inspect it in the morning when they have light to work with, they decided to find a spot to park.

Which, as every traveling American knows, means a Walmart parking lot. Finding one wasn't difficult, and soon he had stopped in the back corner of a lot in a suburb called West Valley City. Finding sleeping places was a bit more of a chore with the four extra bodies, but soon they had figured it out. Anne and the Crusaders slept on the bed converted where the table usually was. Asher flopped onto the couch, with Rainbow Dash claiming the couch armrests, saying it was just like sleeping on a tree branch, but softer. Fluttershy curled up on the upper bunk, leaving the other three to take the massive bed in the back, which gave them ample room. David picked the passenger's seat, leaning it back until it was nearly flat.

As he dozed off, he tried not to think about the strenuous task he had before him the next day off.

Applejack had no idea where she was, sure she had never seen it before, but feeling quite at home. She was standing in an orchard. It was nothing like Sweet Apple Acres. There were apples, yes, but there were also so many other fruits and crops around. She was on her own, but distantly she could make out other figures working the spacious fields.

Thick forests surrounded the fields, and behind her she could see that there were buildings rising out of the trees behind her. These were like none she had ever seen before either. Above, a few pegasi zipped about moving the clouds in an otherwise clear blue sky. It was hot, and very, very humid, but that would be good for the crop.

Shrugging, she went back to the task of taking care of the trees. They were strong, healthy, and she could tell they were growing quickly. They would probably double their fruit within a couple of seasons.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting crash sent Applejack sprawling on instinct, her ears ringing. Before she could catch her breath and look around, a force like a hurricane slammed into her side and tossed her up, missing a tree trunk by inches. She dug in her hooves and straightened up by muscle strength alone.

In the direction of the city, a huge plume of flame and smoke was rising and raging like a storm of its own. The sky was beginning to turn red and she could feel the heat from where she stood. Flames shot like missiles into the fields around her. They were everywhere, and there was nowhere to--"

She awoke with a little start. The camper was completely dark, only the sound of 11 unique snores harmonizing. Applejack blinked once or twice, shrugged it off, rolled over, and was back asleep without a second thought.