//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Further Introductions and Answers 
// Story: Elements of Independence 
// by Paintbrush235 
//------------------------------//

	Rainbow Dash's POV

"......ink he's....ing....up. Rai.......ow......Rain...ow...Rainbow!"

"Ahh! Wha what!?!" Rainbow Dash jolted awake. Looking up he saw that Twilight stood over him with Big Mac standing beside him. Sitting down right next to him was his friend Pinkie Pie. Taking a further look around, Rainbow could see that he was lying on a cot in a tent of some kind.

"Where are we?" He asked, groaning. His head felt like someone had taken a hammer to it.

"We were told by some of the officers that we are in a place called Pennsylvania." Twilight answered. Rainbow paused at hearing the name and looked up and his friend, who simply shrugged. She obviously had no idea where or even what this place called "Pennsylvania" was. Rainbow Dash then looked back at Big Mac and was surprised if not shocked to see that he still had the musket that had been given to them.

"Big Mac." He said. "Why do you still have that?" He pointed at the weapon. Big Mac glanced at the musket in his hand and was about to answer when Rainbow continued. "Don't you know what that thing does?" he asked in fear.

Big Mac, to Rainbow's surprise, simply nodded. "Ah do know Rainbow."

"Then why do you still have it?!?" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Simple, to protect y'all and myself." Big Mac explained. He then looked down at his shoes as he continued. "Ahm not to proud of what ah did two days ago. Ah didn't enjoy it at all." His face then contorted into one of determination as he looked back at his friend. "But ahm not about to  let anyone harm me or mah friends or family, which is what these folks is fightin' fer." He gestured to outside the tent.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. He then decided to see for himself where exactly they were and get up. Immediately his friends approached him to help him up but he waved them off. "I can handle it." He said, and rose up off the cot and stepped towards the tent flap.

Rainbow Dash looked on in awe when he opened the flap. Stretching for what seemed like miles were rows and rows of canvas tents. Bluecoated men were roaming all over the campsite, pitching further tents or standing in lines with their muskets.

"How long was I out?" Rainbow asked.

"About a day or so. We were so worried Dashie." Pinkie Pie replied.

"If you are alright Rainbow." Rainbow Dash looked back to see Twilight was now standing behind him. "You ought to get your coat and the rest of your things on. General Washington wants us to meet him at his headquarters over the hill."

Rainbow looked around for the items he had been wearing when he blacked out, and found them piled under the cot and began to put them all on. He found the musket that he had been given from Glover's men, and he hesitated to pick it up. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of it's deadly capabilities. But then he remembered Big Mac's reasons and decided that he should at least hold onto it. He wasn't about to let anyone harm his friends either, and those humans in red coats certainly were trying to do just that. He therefore grabbed the musket and followed his friends out of the tent.

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Twilight's POV

Twilight grimaced as she and her friends walked through the camp. Everywhere she looked, she saw soldiers that looked like they had just marched on the gates of Tartarus. Many soldiers had only rags to wrap around their feet. Twilight saw a pair of soldiers having their feet wrapped in bandages by a woman. The soldiers feet were black with frostbite. Twilight had to look away to prevent herself from vomiting. She had heard of the effects of frostbite from what she had read in the Canterlot Library during a temporary interest in medical history, but she had never seen them for herself until now. 

It wasn't just the soldiers with frostbite that nearly turned Twilight's stomach. Many other women were tending to other soldiers whose limbs were wrapped in bandages and many had the same bandages wrapped around their heads, except theirs were stained red with blood. Overall, all the soldiers were covered in dirt and grime of every kind and degree. Their uniforms were near ragged and missing buttons here and had a patch there. The whole scene would've made Rarity cringe, Twilight thought to herself.

Twilight sighed when she started to think of her fashionista friend. She had no idea where Rarity was, or even if she had ended up in the same world as Twilight had ended up in. Heck, she didn't know that about any of the others who had come with her into the portal. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Shining Armor, and Spike. Oh Spike. She thought to herself. I hope that you are safe wherever you are. She knew her friends and brother had their own ways of looking after themselves, but Spike was just a child. She could only hope that Spike had not ended up alone in wherever he landed.

"Miss Twilight?" Big Macintosh's voice snapped Twilight out of her own personal thoughts. She looked back at her friend who wore an expression of worry upon his face. "Y'all alright?"

"Oh, um yes I am. Thank you Big Mac." She replied. Big Mac simply nodded, then he gestured ahead of him. "Well, we're here now." 

Twilight looked in the direction he gestured to and saw that they had indeed arrived at the house that she had been told housed General Washington. The house was made of stone and looked very simple and modest in it's design and size. The main entrance was guarded by two soldiers who wore blue uniforms with white facings. Their wore helmets with black plumes on the top that ran from the front to back. As Twilight and her friends approached, they nodded to them and the one on the left of the door opened it for them.

"Thank you." Twilight said in reply. The soldier simply nodded and returned back to his post as the group entered the house. Once inside, Twilight and her friends found themselves in a long hallway that ran to the back of the house. All along the passageway were entrances to various rooms and climbing up the left wall was a wooden staircase. The hallway and rooms were also crowded with blue coated officers conversing in groups of two or three with individual officers walking from room to room or entering with packets papers in hand or leaving without them.

"Ah you're friend is awake." Twilight and her friend looked up the staircase and saw another officer descending towards them. Twilight smiled when she recognized that it was Captain Hamilton, the young officer who had looked after her and Pinkie Pie back on the river. The man had a slight smile on his face as he approached to welcome the group, but Twilight could see that behind the smile she could see that Captain Hamilton was distressed and fatigued.

The captain stopped at the bottom of the staircase and bowed to Twilight and Pinkie Pie in greeting. "I trust that you are all well?" he inquired.  Twilight simply nodded. "Yes we are okay." Meanwhile Pinkie Pie smiled one of her wider smiles. "We are absolutely great now that Dashie is awake!" She exclaimed. Behind her Rainbow Dash blushed with embarrassment at the nickname. Captain Hamilton chuckled to himself and his smile grew bigger. He then turned his attention to the two males of the group. "You two did well at the river a day ago." he said. He then extended his arm and opened his hand for a handshake, which Big Mac and Rainbow, who were used to hoof bumps or hoof shakes, slowly brought their own hands up. They were relieved when Captain Hamilton grasped each of their hands and shook them a few times. "Very well done for your first time." He said in a congratulating manner. He then turned his attention to all four of them. "The General is waiting for you all upstairs in his office. Please follow me if you will." He then turned and began to walk back up the staircase. Twilight and her friends followed behind him, with Big Mac by Twilight's side and Rainbow Dash next to Pinkie Pie.

When they reached the top, to their left was the upper hallway that led to two other rooms with a railing along the edge. Captain Hamilton led the group to the door that was closest to the top of the stairs. He stepped up to the door and knocked on it three times.

"Yes?" Came the reply.

"It's Captain Hamilton sir." Hamilton spoke into the door. "The four civilians are here to see you."

"The door is open. Send them in." 

Captain clicked to latch on the wooden door and opened it up. He gestured for Twilight and her companions to enter. Twilight slowly moved up to the door and stepped into the room. Walking in she saw that pushed up against the far wall was a large bed with a canopy. The room had three glass windows that allowed light to enter in. In the center of the room was a small wooden desk that was piled high with maps and other papers and packages. Sitting at the desk, was the man called General Washington.

He looked up from his desk and stood from his chair. He bowed as Twilight and her friends entered. "Welcome." He said. Please do come in." He walked around his desk and over to the group and bowed slightly again, which Twilight and her friends returned.

Looking up, Washington saw that Big Mac and Rainbow Dash were carrying their muskets with them. "Why did you bring those good sirs?" He asked.

Big Mac looked at his musket and blushed with embarrassment at the idea that he wasn't supposed to bring it with him. "Sorry sir." He said rubbing his neck. "Ah just didn't think it was right to leave it around where it could hurt or stolen."

Washington smiled and nodded. "Well said young man. A good soldier always looks after his weapon." He said patting Big Mac on the shoulder. 

Washington turned back to Twilight, who was able to get a good look at the General for the first time. She could see that his hair was a slight shade of brown, but she could also see that their were tinges of gray on the edge of his hair. His eyes had slight bags underneath them, as if he hadn't slept in days. Twilight could only guess what kind of stress the man must have been going through.

"Ma'am?" Twilight's observations were cut short when Washington's voice cut into her thoughts. She saw that the man was looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Oh yes I am fine Mister Washington." Twilight replied. "Just got a little distracted. Sorry for worrying you."

Washington smiled. "It is perfectly fine Miss Sparkle." He reassured her. He gestured to a small green sofa next to the bed. "Would you two ladies like to rest yourselves?"

"Yes we would. Thank you." Twilight answered and she and Pinkie Pie took their seats on the sofa. Big Mac and Rainbow Dash grabbed a couple of wooden chairs in the corner and brought them closer to the sofa to stay close to their friends. Once everyone had sat down, Washington grabbed his own chair from behind his desk and took a seat in front of the four.

"So, you said that you are all from a nation called 'Equestria'?" He asked.

The group nodded. "Yes sir." Twilight spoke. They had decided earlier that she would be the primary voice during the interview.

Washington nodded his head and continued. "And where is this land located? I can not find it on any map we have in our possession."

"Well sir. It's actually not part of this world." Twilight answered shyly.

Washington raised and eyebrow and sat up at this. "You mean to say that you all are from another world?" He asked.

"Yes sir. It was my intention to travel to this world to observe human culture and learn more from them as I have visited before." She looked to her friends sitting next to her. "My friends insisted that they come along. They were worried about me and wouldn't take no for an answer. I tried to talk them out of it because I didn't want them to get hurt."

Her friends all smiled and gave the princess a reassuring look as if to say that they didn't blame her for what had happened so far and that it was their own choice.

"Excuse me but.." Washington interjected. "What did you mean by 'observe human culture'? You are humans yourselves. Are you not?"

Twilight looked down at the floor in nervousness. "No sir. We were not originally humans before we arrived. On our world, we are a sapient species called Ponies."

"Ponies?" Washington asked almost disbelievingly. Twilight nodded. "Yes sir." She then went into detail, describing the different species of ponies, which species she and her friends had been before they had come to the human world, and other pieces of information that she felt were important. When she told Washington that she was a princess in Equestria, the general straightened up suddenly. 

"And that's about it sir." She finished. Twilight then cleared her throat. "Now if I may ask sir who exactly you are, where we are, and what is going on?"

Washington sighed. "I suppose it is only fair that I tell you. However it is not all happy what I tell you. You are now sitting in the camp of the Continental Army. We are made up of men from all thirteen colonies of a land called North America. We have been fighting for our independence from our original rulers, England, for about two years now."

"Why are you fighting your rulers?" Twilight asked.

"I can understand your confusion as from what you've told me about your government. Your rulers sound like generous individuals." Washington paused to clear his throat. "But the ministry in England has constantly turned a blind eye to the rights of us colonists. They have imposed taxes on us without our consent or representation. And just three years ago, when some colonists in Boston Massachusetts, the city where three years before British soldiers were reported to have fired upon a crowd of unarmed protestors, destroyed some tea in protest, they responded by closing it up and nearly starving the population."

Twilight and her friends all gasped upon hearing this information.

Washington sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "It all came to a head when British soldiers were sent to disarm the militias of Massachusetts in April of last year. They met a group of militia at a place called Lexington. There the British soldiers fired upon the militia. Eight of our fellow patriots were killed. Ever since we have been at war with the British. I have the unenviable task of leading this army against one of the mightiest armies in the world."

Washington now stood up and walked over to the window, a look of despair on his face. "Earlier this year we held the city of New York with 20,000 men and 200 pieces of artillery. Now after being chased out by the British having at last arrived here, I have less than 2,000 men fit for duty and 18 guns. And soon many of my men will be going home." 

Twilight and her friends all sat in silence listening to the General. Twilight could not believe that any government would be willing to do such things to it's own people. For Big Macintosh, it sounded as if the families of the colonies just wanted to be left alone. He knew that the Apple family wouldn't stand for any this. Rainbow Dash's blood was boiling. This sounded similar to when Tirek came to Equestria to steal their magical essence that made them who they were. In this case, this King was coming over here to take away what belonged to these colonists. It was these thoughts in both Big Mac and Rainbow's heads that caused them both to stand up and face Washington, who looked at them when they approached.

"Genral." Big Mac said with confidence and his head held high. "I'll help y'all sir."

"So will I." Rainbow Dash said with equal tenacity. "Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."

Twilight and Pinkie Pie both smiled at their friends' bravery. Soon they too, both stood up and faced the General. "We'll help in any way we can as well sir."

Washington smiled slightly at the volunteers. "Your offer is highly appreciated during this time good sirs and misses. Very well, I accept your help." He looked to Rainbow Dash and Big Mac. "I will see to it that you are added to the ranks in one of our regiments. When I can find a commanding officer for you, you shall be notified." The two men nodded. Washington then turned to Twilight and Pinkie Pie. "There are a few jobs around here that may require your assistance. The quartermaster needs help in repairing the uniforms and the wounded need to be tended to."

"As you wish sir." Twilight said. "We are only guests in your camp." 

"Thank you Miss Sparkle." Washington said. "I bid you a safe return to your tent. Your orders shall reach you soon. I bid you all a good morning."

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Meanwhile

Shining Armor felt like he had been smashed in the head by a metal pot. He slowly opened his eyes to see where he was and where his sister was. If he was hurting this much, he figured Twily was as well and wanted to check on her. Only when he opened his eyes, he didn't see Twilight, or anypony that had followed her into the portal. All he saw when he opened his eyes were trees, endless amounts of trees and brush. It wasn't like the Everfree Forest though. It wasn't as dark or gloomy. A light fog floated just above the the ground, which was covered with the brown decaying leaves of winter. That was one thing that Shining Armor knew for sure about wherever he was; it was winter. And it was cold. It was then that a slight breeze hit him and caused him to look at himself in a nearby puddle for the first time since stepping into the portal.

He was definitely a human now, from what he knew from Twilight's descriptions. His white fur was all gone as was his tail. Only his hair remained, though it was now ties in a ponytail in the back with a black ribbon. He could feel that he wore a light cotton shirt that was underneath a green waistcoat that was underneath a reddish brown coat that fell to just above his knees. His pants were light brown and they connected with stockings that were halfway covered up by brown gaiter that were worn over black leather boots. His hat was black and was shaped like a triangle. He also was carrying on him a cloth bag and a metal canteen that hung on a rope.

Shining Armor was stunned. He had expected to be a little surprised when he turned into a human, but Twilight had never described any humans looking like this. Quickly he shook off the shock and began to take stock of his situation. Looking around he saw that he was alone, which again confused him. He had entered the portal with Twilight and her friends, but they were nowhere to be found. Fear started to take hold in his mind. Not fear for himself, but fear for his sister and her friends.

"Twilight!" He shouted. "Are you out there!"

He was met with only silence. 

"Twilight!" He tried again. "Applejack! Rarity! Big Mac!"

Only the chattering of birds met his words.

Shining was now growing more anxious by the second. He was spinning in circles looking for anyone. "SPIKE! ANYBODY!"

"Shining Armor!"

Shining Armor stopped and quickly turned to look behind him. The voice had come from a thick set of brush and bushes and it had sounded young and male.

"Spike?!" He called. "Is that you?!"

"Yeah its me!" Came the reply. "I'm over here!" 

Shining Armor began making his way through the trees and brush over to where he had heard Spike's voice coming from. When he finally reached it, he was greeted to a great surprise. Twilight had said that on the previous trips to the human world, Spike had become a dog of some kind. However the creature standing before Shining Armor seemed to be much more human than dog.

The individual before him was male and young, at least 14 years old. He had pale skin and light green shaggy hair. He wore a small grey waistcoat and a small brown coat over it. His hat was wide brimmed and floppy. He pants were blue grey and he had dirty white stockings and black shoes with buckles on the top of them.

"Spike?" Shining Armor questioned. "Is that really you?"

"Yes it is Shining Armor." Spike replied. "And I know what you're thinking and let me just say that I am as confused as you are as to why I am not a dog."

"Well we can worry about that later Spike." Shining Armor said looking around the woods. "In the meantime we need to figure out where we are and where the rest of the group is." 

Spike suddenly looked up with worry. "Wait, Twilights not here?" He looked around frantically for his friend and saw that she was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly tears began to form in the young boy's eyes as he started to panic. "What are we gonna do? We gotta find Twilight! Sh-she could be h-hurt or trapped o-or or...." 

"Hey hey hey Spike." Shining Armor knelt down in front of Spike and grabbed his arms. Spike looked at him with tears beginning to stream down his face. "Hey listen buddy. It's going to be okay. I promise it will." Shining Armor tried to reassure Spike. "I know that Twilight will be just fine and we will find her alright?"

Spike sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Okay." He whispered. Shining Armor patted him on the back and smiled.

"Alright then." He said. "Now we need to get moving so that we can start looking for the others. There was a road back there and we're going to follow it. I need you to be brave and follow me okay? Can you be brave like a royal guard?"

Spike nodded.

"Ok then, follow me." 

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Shining Armor was tired. He had been tired for a while now. As far as he could estimate it he and Spike had been walking down the dirt road for about two hours now. Despite the three layers of clothing that he and Spike were wearing, the winter chill was starting to get to them. The wind had picked up and now stung his face with each blast. 

He could also see that Spike was starting to shake with the cold. This caused Shining Armor to shift his focus from finding the others to getting him and more importantly, Spike, somewhere warm.

"Sh-shining Arm-mor." Spike shivered. "H-how m-much f-f-f-f-f....." He never was able to finish his sentence as he collapsed onto the road. 

"SPIKE!" Shining Armor shouted as he dropped down and cradled the limp unconscious body of Spike in his arms. He slapped at Spike's cheeks in an attempt to wake him up. "Nonononononono! Don't do this to me Spike! I need you to wake up!" He was near hysterics. "Wake up! WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!" He was about to shout some more when he began to feel light headed. He also began to hear what sounded like hooves approaching him and looked up woozily. In front of him were five brown horses, who snorted their hot breath into the winter air. Sitting on top of the horses were five human males dressed in brown fringed coats and triangular hats similar to Shining Armor's. They all carried strange long sticks and had various pouches hanging from them.

One human got off his horse and quickly approached Shining Armor. This was the last thing Shining Armor saw before he slipped into unconsciousness. As he did, there was one phrase that he continued to mumble as he fell over.

"Help him please. H-help him ple......"