//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: Cinnamon // Story: All-American Girl // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// “Are these foals well-cared for?” Fluttershy asked, looking around. Today was her first day inspecting the National Orphanage System, and truth be told, she’d rather be anywhere else at the moment. The first stop had been the Comfy Clouds Foals’ Home, just south of Cloudsdale. While originally in the cloud city itself, relatively recent admissions such as earth ponies and unicorns necessitated a new ground-based facility in the town of South Cloudsdale. “Of course, your grace,” the caregiver, a sweet earth pony mare known as Dreamy Heart, nodded. “We do everything we can to ensure that the foals are well-cared for and live in a manner that allows them to be as normal as they can throughout their lives.” “‘Throughout their lives’?” the yellow pegasus asked, her attention now suddenly caught. The earth pony nodded. “I’m afraid so, your grace. You see, adoptions are all too rare in Equestria. With the birthrate being what it is, there are too few families to adopt, and even amongst same-gender couples, where the stigma is that adoption is only for them, not too many are interested in the responsibilities of having a foal. As a result, many orphans grow up knowing nothing but the system, and enter life unprepared. That’s why the National Orphanage System is mostly run by adult orphans who have been through the process, such as myself.” Fluttershy turned her head away in shame. She hadn’t wanted to do this; it was three years ago today that she’d given birth to a son who’d been stillborn. Every day she cried over that pain, though she’d forced herself to move on. But now, here in the adoption center, she saw something worse: foals without parents, without knowing the love that they deserved to have. And this had been going on since before she was born, and unless she used her office to fix things, it would continue long after she was gone. I wonder if humans have the same problem with their foals, she mused to herself. She knew that in other species on Alter-Earth, orphans were rare, as an adult always stepped in to care for the orphan. DJ had been lucky: a foundling in a world that didn’t know of her species, and she’d found two parents that loved her. Humans could love ponies, care for them and raise them as their own. As the Minister for Health and Family Services, she couldn’t do anything less. She’d always taken in strays when it was just her in the cottage outside of Ponyville so long ago. Now she had more power to do more, she needed to do more…and not just for animals. “Can you do anything to help these foals, your grace?” Dreamy Heart asked. It was at that point a tiny foal barely still in diapers crawled up to her. A pegasus filly with cinnamon-brown coat and saffron-yellow mane and tail went up to the yellow pegasus and hugged Fluttershy’s leg, nuzzling it and cooing before falling asleep on said leg, comfy as could be. The heart of the yellow pegasus melted as she watched the tiny filly choose her. “Can you help some poor filly like her?” Dreamy Heart asked. “Can you help them all?” Fluttershy looked down tenderly at the sleeping filly, then turned to look at her caretaker. “Yes,” Fluttershy insisted. “Starting with her.” Elusive slumped down on a chair in Princess Luna’s office; he looked as though he hadn’t had much sleep in a couple of days. “How much longer will they be quarantined?” he asked. “I’m wearing myself to the bone trying to run my businesses and mother’s fashion house. I guess my investments are similar to running the corporate side of her label, but…other than personal taste, I don’t have my hoof on the pulse of fashion, and though Mother and I share the same cutie marks, they mean different things. I don’t have her talent, and I never really will.” “An’ Ah can’t rightly help ‘im on that. Ah’m jest a country gal, not some high-falootin’ fashion mod’l,” Butter, laying down on the couch replied as well. Like Elusive, she too looked exhausted, but for different reasons. She was very close to the delivery window and that in itself was a significant concern. “The doctors haven’t been able to tell me much about their condition,” Luna told Elusive, “but I know evasiveness when I see it. The fact is, this curse, or disease, or whatever it is, is slowly eating them alive. Twilight’s been using her magic to see what she can do to ward it off, but….” The night princess sighed; even as the crown princess of the most important nation on Alter-Earth, there was little she could do other than to sit and wait. “I just fear the doctor telling us to let their last days be ones of peace.” A thought then crossed her cyan eyes as she added, “And speaking of which, what do you think about your mother’s request?” “Truthfully, I don’t know what to think. They have spent the last twenty years either denying that we have an older sister or ranting about the ‘two-bit tail-lifter’ who isn’t supposed to exist. Small wonder that Father’s pretty much ignored both their histrionics.” A thought crossed the stallion’s mind. “Is there a possibility that she could be under mind control of some kind, a possible side effect of the attack?” “We’d considered that and Cadance cast a spell to check for it – as the Avatar of Love, she has a natural gift for manipulation, not that she’d ever misuse it – but we found nothing amiss. We’d have run more spells, but just about any magic user of any species we send in there is being stomped by the curse. They’re being killed within minutes.” Elusive nodded; he’d heard the bad news about the curse. “But I have to wonder why now? It’s been two decades now, and from what I’ve been told, she has a life there, a family of her own, and no interest in Equestria. Plus, she was less than kind with you, Aunt Luna.” “It wasn’t all her fault; I deserve some of the blame. I’m not the most hospitable of ponies, I have to admit, and I may have caught her at a bad time – and cornering her like that may have made it seem like an ambush,” the night alicorn murmured. “Perhaps we should have let Cadance handle that meeting instead. But now, legally, it’s your choice, Elusive. Do you want us to continue to make the effort to bring her back to Equestria?” His mind wandered, thinking of the quarantine room, in a basement underneath the Royal Infirmary. There, barricaded in by seven barriers the colors of the rainbow were four ponies, lying in beds, three of them unconscious and hooked to machines monitoring their slowly flagging health. As for the fourth, her horn glowed like a star, her eyes closed in meditation but a strain on her face as if the lives of the others depended on her focus. And the reason was clear: lesions appeared on all four ponies, and weren’t going away. The quartet were being kept alive by Twilight, but even she couldn’t hold out forever, and if she gave out, it was all over. His mind then wandered to two different but non-quarantined beds in the infirmary. In each, a middle-aged earth pony stallion and an adult pegasus mare lay, both comatose and hooked up to similar machines as the four. Unlike the previous quartet, they were in no immediate sign of death, but also no immediate sign of coming back to consciousness anytime soon, either. This had all been the result of the incident the media was calling the Return of Nightmare Moon. For the truth was now out: the demonic alicorn now possessed a new host and having returned for revenge, had allied with the changelings to conquer the city of Fillydelphia and lay waste to military forces attempting to take it back. Questions about why the Bearers had not been sent out to deal with the crisis was on the lips of every pony in Equestria, and rumors abounded that the Knights had been the first to fall. The Office of the Princess Regnal of course could not confirm such nasty rumors, but the longer that Twilight and the others remained out of public view, the more it was becoming obvious as to what had happened, and what doom could be next for Equestria and possibly all of Alter-Earth. And then there was Minty. Despite all her anger and resentment towards their older sister, the mint earth pony had always been there for Elusive when he needed it. And now, at best she was trapped in Fillydelphia, buried under the rubble of a collapsed city – if she was still alive. And what of her husband and filly? Toffee was softspoken, but Elusive got along well with his brother-in-law, and little Gumdrop was nothing but an exuberant ball of joyful fur. If their older sister’s repudiation of her pony ancestry had hurt his mother, the loss of Minty and her family would outright destroy the pale gray unicorn. Lastly, he turned to look at his wife, Apple Butter, dozing on the couch, exhausted from her near-term pregnancy. One of the Apples from Applebama, she’d grown up in a small country town, though her cutie mark made her a talented baker rather than an apple farmer like so many of her family. They’d met when she’d been apprenticed to Elusive’s Aunt Pinkie alongside Minty; the mint mare thought the two would get along great and the romance that had blossomed kept them happy. Butter, up until recently, was one of Pinkie’s executive bakers for the business, but the pregnancy had sidelined that. If Nightmare Moon won, there would be no end to the suffering and hate. And that, worst of all, brought the conversation around to Sandalwood, his estranged older sister. Something at the back of his mind said that the older earth pony was somehow responsible for all this, though how that was possible he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. She wanted nothing to do with Equestria, preferring to live the life of a human, the only one she’d known for the majority of her life. Plus, just a couple of weeks ago, he’d met a friend of hers, and found that Sandalwood – or DJ, as she called herself – was happy, content and at peace with her life in a way that she might not have been as an Equestriani pony. But it all, in the end came down to the fact that his mother – their mother – had cut Sandalwood out of their lives. It left a bad taste in his mouth, but even still, he’d made a Pinkie Promise that day, and if there was one thing that the extended family took seriously, it was Pinkie Promises. But there were Pinkie Promises…and there were things more important than Pinkie Promises. Even his frizzy-maned aunt would tell him as such, and thus wouldn’t be too angry with him for breaking a Pinkie Promise. But there were Pinkie Promises, and then there was this. Clearing his throat, he finally spoke. “Please. Please bring her. I’d like to see her again, if for no other reason than to let her know that someone in our family has nothing against her. And as for Mother, whether my sister likes it or not, she owes our mother another visit. If Mother doesn’t make it, she should go at least having seen her oldest foal once more. So please, Aunt Luna. Please go get Sandalwood.” She nodded. “But I think someone better suited than me, perhaps. I think I’ve worn my welcome out with her, and Nightmare Moon needs to be stopped; as much as I hate to admit it, I’m better suited for that than another round of arguing with your sister.” At this point Luna’s secretary poked her head in and informed the princess she had another visitor. A second later, another pony walked in, just having caught the tail end of the discussion. “Aunt Luna? Elusive? Maybe I can do it,” the pony suggested. “She doesn’t know me, so it’s a good way to start, right?” Elusive and Luna looked at the newcomer, then at each other before breaking into a pair of knowing smiles. “Actually, if anyone should have done it, it’s you,” Elusive said with a smile. Now a month after her interview had shown up on stateside television, AFRTS picked it up and showed it locally, so for a few days DJ was even more of a minor celebrity than usual on the base. But eventually as the memory of that interview faded into the past, it let her sink back into her semi-normal life. And now as the days folded into normal and life at the Hengst household was back the way it was, it let DJ get back to her career as a novelist, ostensibly working on her latest one – ostensibly, because after three days she was still trying to draft the outline for the novel she was co-writing with her father. Dad, not really sure why you want to write a fantasy, the pony thought to herself. Just about everything mythical really isn’t anymore. Since the confirmation of parallel realities two decades ago and the entrance of Alter-Earth species into Human-Earth life, both humankind and the other sapient species were finding out exactly how little myth was and contrarywise, how truly real reality was. One casualty of the whole blending of the two worlds was that a lot of fantasy, which for years had relied on fantastic depictions of unicorns, pegasi, dragons and minotaurs now had to contend with not-so-fantastic images of unicorn doctors, pegasi police officers, dragon CEOs and minotaur self-help coaches. It made things far different than she’d expected when she was a teen finding out that she wasn’t so much an extraterrestrial as an extradimensional, originally from that formerly mythical world herself. Needless to say, it made creating fantasy in modern contexts that much harder. So here she was, for the third hour now, sitting and staring at the blank screen that was Microsoft Word 2046. She tapped something generic on her keyboard – “It was a dark and stormy night” – glad that physical keyboards still worked with modern computers. Yes, holographic keyboards were the latest rage and far better on human hands than physical ones were, but they did absolutely not work on hoofspace whatsoever. But as DJ knew well, even the best of keyboards couldn’t help a writer get past the creation of an idea starting sentence. Finally about to wash her hands of the whole deal, she was about to log on and play a few rounds of the Street Fighter Universe MMO when the dashboard popped a notification of a new email: TO: “D.J. Martinez” FROM: “Lyra Phillips” CC: “Blossomforth” “Apple Cobbler” “US Government Affairs Desk” “Hengst, Michael LCDR” SUBJ: Your Assistance is Requested Ms. Martinez, We are contacting you regarding an urgent issue within Equestria. Please contact the Tokyo embassy at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time, Lyra Phillips Ambassador Equestria Embassy in the United States 1821 J St NW Washington DC 20241 (202) 555-7669 Ext. 5872 PS: DJ, please? - Lyra Lyra, what are you up to? DJ wondered about that for a couple of minutes before she realized that her friend and sometimes mentor had contacted her via her official email, which meant this was Equestria business. So then, why is the Equestriani government contacting me? was the humanized pony’s next question. Maybe she was serious. DJ sat in her chair for a couple of minutes, her novel and random surfing on the web long forgotten. After a few minutes, she decided to respond to Lyra. TO: “Lyra Heartstrings” FROM: “DJ Martinez” < yes_THAT_daisyjo@mailinator.com> CC: “Hengst, Michael LCDR” SUBJ: RE: Your Assistance is Requested Lyra, NO. FFS, NO! Sincerely, - DJ Once the SEND button had been pressed, DJ suddenly felt more than a bit guilty; if there was one person on the planet who could understand how she felt, it was Lyra. The unicorn spent a lifetime being labeled as a freak and a crockpot, the only pony in Equestria pre-Contact who believed that humans were not only real, but that they were far from the monstrosities that the legends made them out to be. When First Contact was finally made, the celeste unicorn was finally vindicated, and for her valiant efforts she was appointed as the first ambassador to humanity. But Lyra meant more than just that to the humanized pony. When it came to the custody battle, Lyra had been one of the ones who had seen DJ’s plight and joined forces with Twilight. During the trial, the celeste mare had stood in DJ’s corner, even as it had put the first of the nails in the coffin with Lyra’s then-longtime spouse, Bon-Bon. In the years since, Lyra and Bon-Bon had rekindled their friendship even as they were now married to other individuals, but it was something that DJ had always blamed Rarity for…and Lyra’s sacrifice was something that had always meant everything to DJ. To her, Lyra was a mentor, someone as special to her as her aunts. And she deserves better than my smartass comments, DJ mused as she queued up another email: TO: “Lyra” FROM: “DJ Martinez” < yes_THAT_daisyjo@mailinator.com> BCC: “Hengst, M. LCDR” SUBJ: Sorry Lyra, Sorry about that; you deserve better than my snarkiness. But you know I don’t want anything to do with her again. I know she’s a close friend of Bonnie’s, and I can never repay you for sacrificing everything for my happiness. Words fail me – yes, it does happen on occasion – about I appreciate your friendship and your counsel over the years. But what you’re asking, I can’t do – I just can’t. I’m sorry. I wish I could help you there, but I consider it to be a part of my life that’s in the past, and no desire to resurrect it, end of story. Give my regards to Paul, and if you’re ever in Japan, swing by! Love always, - DJ After sending that email, she felt cathartic, spent; she needed to get out of the house if she was going to do any work. Fortunately for her, both her children were in school, so that wasn’t necessarily a problem. Grabbing her laptop bag, she left her house, headed next door to her neighbor, Karen. Karen was another one of those people who could understand a life of being different: as a kid, she’d been abused by her father to the point that she ended up in a wheelchair for life; though modern medicine had changed much, her lower extremities had atrophied too much to help. Fortunately, she’d moved beyond that and was now a much sought-after webdesigner; in fact, DJ had commissioned her to build the newest version of her website. Mike and Karen’s husband Henri were both officers on the same ship, so it was another thing to bond over. After a few seconds of knocking, Karen came to the door. “Heya, DJ. What’s up?” “Sorry to bother you, Karen, but I’ve got some research to do for my novel, so I’m headed to Yokohama. Can you do me a solid and pick up the kids for me?” “Absolutely. You swinging by Chinatown by any chance?” The humanized pony grinned. “When do I not?” “Mind picking me up a dozen of those massively oversized bao they sell there?” “No problem at all. I’ll grab you some shumai as well, if they’ve got it. See you when I get back!” Waving as she departed, DJ headed off to the taxi stand down the street. If she managed to flag a taxi in the next five minutes, she could get to Shiori station in time to catch the 10:27. “So, care for a drink, Ms. Moon?” a man said, sitting at a table overlooking a field of wine grapes just outside the city of Vicenza, Italy. The man poured himself a glass, then poured one for his counterpart. He looked to be in his early forties, though his completely gray hair and neatly-trimmed beard gave him a distinguished look. Well-built for someone of his years, he was in better shape than those half his age or younger. Depending on who you asked, he was either of Italian, Spanish or Arabic descent, but no one was completely sure; it probably didn’t help that he spoke English with an Italian accent, Spanish with a German accent, Italian with a British accent, and Arabic with a southern American accent to obscure things further. Nobody who worked for him knew his name; they merely called him by his nom du guerre, Ghino di Tacco; or rather, Commandant Di Tacco, the leader of the organization known as La Republica dei Pirati. Nightmare Moon reached over and took a drink from the glass, bringing it to her lips. She’d assumed a human form while here, forcibly twisting the form of her host to fit the outward appearance of a human. It was excruciatingly painful, and a lesser pony would have tried to rebel, tried being the operative word. But her host accepted it, burned through the pain and continued on. It gave new dimensions of power to the demonic alicorn and new avenues to explore. “Aren’t you worried about being caught here in the open?” Di Tacco laughed. “The vineyard is owned by a sympathizer, an immigrant from Mogadishu who agreed to help fund our operations in return for exclusive contracts in the rebuilt Somalia once my group takes over.” He leaned back, finishing the glass. “A decent chianti. With some time, he’ll see some excellent vintages.” “I came to discuss troops, not sit here and taste grape cider,” the Nightmare said, taking a drink. It was a fruity yet acidic experience on her tongue, different than from what she expected. “So tell me why I should sit here and bandy the idea of support troops from a man stupid enough to name his organization the Republic of Pirates?” “You would think that,” di Tacco said, pouring himself another glass, then looking at the vineyards and the city just beyond it. “You would also think why a man who seems to be from everywhere and nowhere would bother in perpetual petty wars and skirmishes that make up Africa. Well, the simple answer is: I don’t care. There was a phrase from an American movie from when I was younger: ‘some men just want to watch the world burn.’ Whether you wonder if I’m there to watch is your opinion, but regardless, I should be the one holding the matches. “I named my group such because no one will take us seriously. And as we’ve killed off opposition, or bribed government officials in other countries for materiel, people will continue to not take us seriously. And by the time we’re in charge, we will then shock the world. Why? Because no one will have taken us seriously. It is in the nature of humans to ignore or shun what they cannot take seriously. And who will the CIA, Interpol, MI6 and others take as an imminent threat: the organization named Islamic Jihad, the latter word of which means struggle or war, or an organization with a name that sounds something like out of a Disney film?” The demonic alicorn looked at him with surprise. “I do not know what ‘Disney’ means, but from your tone, I take it to mean something foolish.” “No less foolish than names like The Shining Path. The Weathermen. The Base. The World Youth Gathering. All of which were fanciful, frivolous names that none took seriously – until they carved a bloody path for themselves and brought fear to the faces of mankind. So it has always been and so it shall continue to be. The path of humanity is to hide from the obvious monsters, never noticing the little girl behind you with the mad gleam in her eyes and the butcher’s knife in her hand.” Nightmare Moon contemplated this. The man was possibly mad or madly brilliant. Either way, he was a chaosbringer and exactly the kind of person who they wanted as allies on this world. At the very least, even if they lost spectacularly, his group would keep the military and intelligence forces of the world focused on minor, pointless threats, never seeing the true one until it was too late. “I am willing to supply 50,000 troops and enough gems to fund you quite well. The troops, for obvious reasons, you will need to keep on a tight leash. Likewise, unless your aim is to destabilize the global economy, I recommend you ration out the gems as well.” “I would much rather that you gave us rare earth elements. Gems are too obvious and can be traced – and if they’re carrying a small ambient charge of magic, as all gems from Alter-Earth do, we will be caught in a moment. But rare earth elements aren’t easily as traced, and are so desired on this world that anyone will pay a fortune for them and won’t even bother to consider the source.” “You do know that such minerals are scarcer on our world than yours, do you not?” Nightmare Moon inquired. “I do. I also know that if you want us to succeed, sacrifices must be made or all will be lost.” As if to punctuate his statement, di Tacco dropped his glass, letting it fall onto the granite-and-wood table below. The delicate crystal shattered in an instant, sending blood-red spatters of wine everywhere. The point was not lost on Nightmare Moon. “Then we have a bargain,” she said, nodding at him. “And now,” she said, rising from her seat, “I must go. My allies in Fillydelphia expect a second attack to come soon, and if our plan is to succeed, then we must perform as per the plan.” Di Tacco nodded. “A shame. A lady of your…considerable beauty…would be welcome company for dinner. And the morning after, as well.” “You do know I’m not human, correct?” “No human I know has dark blue hair or cyan eyes with cat’s irises. The question you should be asking is: does that matter to me?” She laughed, an oddly warm sound. “Stepping into danger for no reason other than to test the waters. I like that in a male. In any case, in addition to the troops I promised, I think I may have a present for you in the near future.” A few minutes later, DJ was on the train, headed off on the Keikyū line towards Yokohama. The train was busy, much busier than the last time she’d rode the trains and that brought up uncomfortable thoughts; the last time, she’d been ambushed by Princess Luna. She took a particular glee in pushing the alicorn’s buttons; the very fact that she was pissing off the Crown Princess of another land definitely counted as a feather in her cap. DJ considered mentioning it to Mike, but she figured she’d wait until he returned from his deployment – all it would take was for someone aboard ship to misunderstand or worse, for someone at Seventh Fleet to misunderstand, and he’d be in deep shit for her actions. So for the moment, she wisely zipped her fuzzy lips. At the moment, she sat in her seat, ignoring the very young kid pointing at her and chirping, “Umajin desu!” He was young, after all, and probably hadn’t seen many of her kind in his life; trying to explain that she counted herself more amongst his kind than hers would probably be too much for his age. So instead she just waved at the kid and went back to looking at her tablet, catching up on her email, and looking at Deviant Art for potential new artists – if her publisher chose one more craptacular picture for her next book, she was going to have to get Marcus to administer a beatdown and then hire someone with braincells. “Excuse me, miss?” She looked up and, to her surprise, found herself looking right into the eyes of a gryphon. “Excuse me…I don’t mean to pry, but…are you DJ Martinez?” He was dressed in human-style clothing, in his case a business suit; he had a briefcase with him and a nervous look on his face that set the back of the hairs on DJ’s neck reaching for the sky. Great. Another Equestriani government official. Well, at least he didn’t call me “Sandalwood.” Yet. “Yes, that’s me,” she responded, somewhat wary. At the confirmation of her identity, he seemed to get even more flustered. “I…uh…well….” Finally, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a book. “I’m a huge fan of yours! Can you sign this? Please?” Oh. She let herself relax at the sudden pleasant surprise; while she wasn’t as famous as Steve Umstead, Mat Nastos, Monty Fowler or many other top fantasy authors, it was still nice to meet a fan on occasion. Taking the book – a hardcover version; he was really a fan! – she smiled as she noticed which one he had: her first book, The Rimefrost Sword. She’d written it when she was a teen just to see if she had the talent; her father read the story and recommended she expand it into a full novel. While she wasn’t anywhere as famous as either of her parents, the books did well enough to give her more meaning in her life than just the first pony to live amongst humans. Besides, the royalties paid for the family vacation to Hong Kong for Christmas last year, so she could hardly complain. “It’s one of my favorite books, Ms. Martinez,” the gryphon said, gushing. The earnest look on his face was clearly one of a fanboy. She grinned, moving over and patting the seat next to her. “Call me DJ. So who should I make this out to?” “Oh! Sorry, I’m probably acting like a complete fool,” he said, blushing. “Name’s Gilchrist Glidewing, but I just go by Gil.” She reached into her bag, pulling out a gold-ink marker she used for signatures. Opening the book to the title page, she wrote, TO GIL, JUST HAVING FUN ON THE KEIKYŪ! ~DJ. Finishing off her signature with a flourish, she put away her marker and handed the book to him. “Here you go. So what brings you here from Equestria?” He shook his head. “Actually, I’m from Canada. My parents immigrated to Vancouver back in ’34; I was about ten or so at the time. As for what I’m doing here in Japan, I’m an investment banker for Nomura Securities. I specialized in the Alter-Earth currencies – you know: Equestria bits, Gryphonica ovas, Draconia lanxes, Zebrababwe rand, that sort of thing. Probably not anywhere near as glamorous a lifestyle as yours but it pays the bills. So what are you doing here in Japan?” “Oh, my husband’s in the Navy – USN, not JMSDF. But in the immediate sense, I’m headed to Yokohama. Do some shopping in Chinatown, sit at Yamashita Park and do some work on my next novel, then maybe waste some time at the Joypolis before I head back to Yokosuka. In other words, the usual.” “Wow, already? But doesn’t your new book come out in August?” She nodded. “The completed one, sure. But as a writer, I always have to think one book ahead or else that evil villain known as my publisher will start knocking on my door expecting another one or else.” Gil grinned. “Well, I promise I’ll be the first in line to buy it! After the one coming out, that is.” “Actually….” She rooted around in her bag for a bit, quickly producing a book with a dull-gray cover. “Here, have a copy of The Stars Shine Brighter. It’s just an advance proof copy, but it’s the whole novel.” Gil looked as if he’d been presented with a gift from the bookstore gods. “Oooh…I’m going to just dive into this soonest. Thanks!” At this point, the train began to slow down as an electronic voice announced their arrival at Kanazawa-Bunko Station. “Well, my stop’s here; meeting with a client. Thanks again for everything and if I see you again, DJ, lunch is on me!” Grabbing his briefcase and books, he barely made it out before the train doors slid shut on his tail. Outside, he waved again, and she waved back, happy to have pleased one of her fans. Soon, the train started up again, headed towards the next stop. Gil stood on the platform for a few before departing the station. As he reached the entrance, he found a pony sitting on a bench outside, reading from a tablet. “Well, got what you wanted: she’s going to Chinatown and Yamashita.” “Thanks, Gil. I hope you didn’t get yourself in trouble for that.” “Naah,” he said, with a smile. “I got her autograph, which was worth it – I really like her stuff, reminds me of David Eddings’ work. And it’s not like I work for the Equestriani government, so I didn’t lie to her.” “Good. I’d rather you not get in trouble because you stuck your neck out for me,” the pony said. “Thanks for the info.” “Any friend of Rainbow Dash is a friend of mine,” he said, departing the station before turning around and adding, “Oh, and don’t forget what I told you! My mother would appreciate hearing from her old friend when she gets a chance.” “Yeah, I know: have Aunt Rainbow call your mom…Gilda, right? Yup, I’ll pass the message on. Thanks again!” “I’m sorry, your majesty, but for your safety, I cannot let you enter the Quarantine Zone.” “Move out of the way!” Celestia thundered. “I order you!” “I am sorry, but I’ve been told to disregard those orders for your safety – yours and our other two princesses. I fully apologize for such a breach, but our duties are to protect you three above all, and the—” “Nevermind, soldier, I’ll take it from here.” Soarin’ walked out of the Quarantine barrier, heading straight towards the princess. “And ensure her majesty and I are due some privacy.” The soldier saluted and walked back, giving the two time to talk. “Celestia,” Soarin’ said, “You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe for you.” She rolled her eyes. “Soarin’, I have been hearing that for the past few weeks now and it’s not going to get any worse. I need to see them.” “And I’m here to tell you that you don’t.” He sighed. “Look, if you think this is hard for you...my wife is in there. With an unborn foal that I don’t know if she’ll survive or what will happen if she does. Big Mac’s a wreck worrying about his sister. Noteworthy’s cancelled a concert tour in Europe to spend time here. And Elusive…at this rate, all that’s left of his family is his wife and unborn foals. So no, this isn’t easy for you. But it’s hell for the rest of us.” The day alicorn nodded. “I see. I’m sorry for not considering your position, Soarin’.” “And I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you, Celestia. I know how close you and Twi are. She often told me about it.” He grinned. “And I also heard about what Nightmare Moon said. Honestly, the reason Twi and I didn’t really work out is that our lifestyles were too different. And we never got beyond a few kisses and such – and even if so, I would never cheat on Rainbow. We’ve had some rough spots, but…she’s my wife. Loyalty means everything to her, and not just because of her Element. She’s been there for me through thick and thin, and I’ll always be at her wings in life.” Celestia smile slightly. “I’m glad to hear that. But perhaps you can skip the pleasantries and tell me how they’re doing?” “If I could, I’d swap places with Rainbow and sacrifice my life in a heartbeat – I’d do it for any of them,” he said, his eyes hard. “But I don’t get to be that lucky. And so instead I get to see my wife and those closest to her rot in that room. And then I get to go over to Silversteel’s room, where he’s been in a coma with no chance of coming out. And then over to Scootaloo’s, and see her in a coma and traction. And that hurts most of all. Scoots…she’s like Rainbow’s kid sister, and walking that mare down the aisle when she married Featherweight was one of the greatest things of my life. And to see….” He turned away, blinking aside tears. “I get the message. I will head back to the castle, then. But, if you would, ple—” “They already know, Celestia. It’s one of the only reasons why they’re still alive: because for their duty, they’d go through Tartarus and back. For their princess, they’d do it a second time. But for you, they’d break it down to ashes if you asked.” Getting off the train, DJ walked through the Paifang Gate that marked the northern entrance into the Chinatown district. Nestled in the shadow of Yokohama Stadium (a guilty pleasure, Mike loved baseball and when in port, he and several guys from his ship occasionally went on to cheer the Yokohama BayStars), the traditional Chinese enclave was a thing of beauty, from the four ancient paifangs that stood in the cardinal entrances to the area, to the panoply of shops and restaurants. But time rolled on, having changed the culture of the place: when her father had been stationed in Yoko back in the mid- to late-90s, Chinatown already boasted a Jamaican clothing store, a Russian bar and an Ethiopian restaurant. Now while still predominantly Chinese, there was a clear global influence at work here, an international feel that made her feel very much at ease here, very…hunky dory. She smiled inwardly at that; her father had once told her the origin of the phrase, the memory coming to mind even as she walked down the phrase’s namesake. Honcho Street, or dori in Japanese, was infamous for its Girlie Bars during the 1950s and ‘60s. Inexplicably tied together with the old Dutch world hunky, meaning something good, the phrase became Sailor’s slang for a land of forbidden delights and green doors aplenty for the lonely on liberty; eventually it evolved into the harmless term it was today. As for Honcho-dori itself, her father had told her that by the time he’d walked down the street in the late ‘90s, it was nothing more than clothing stores and traditional Chinese medicine shops. Now, fifty years past that time, it had changed even further: most of the façade on the west side of the street was now part of the Chinatown Historical Museum, while the other side was a giftshop that sold trinkets and bric-a-brac from Chinatowns all over the world; the local office of the China-Japan Appreciation society; a traditional medicine shop that somehow survived all the changes; and a Zhongguosity, that bizarre Chinese-restaurant-meets-Hard Rock Café hybrid that seemed to be all the rage lately. It was popular with the tourists for the cute girls working in the Suzie Wongs, but she preferred the traditional places. As always, she spent some time running around the shops. There had been this beautiful tang she’d picked up a few weeks ago just in her size; the tailor, happy to take DJ’s measurements for more was all-too-willing to work with the humanized pony, but there was something decidedly disturbing about her obsession with fashion, something that reminded her all too much of a domineering unicorn with measuring tape and a penchant for bigotry. She went over to the music store and got some of the latest free downloads bumped over to her phone; while the store mostly dealt in antique CDs and specialty music formats like vinyl, getting her hands on some of the J-pop indie artists on FLAC was pretty cool. Lastly, as she turned the corner, she swore she saw Tsubasa walking down the street – if she’s playing hooky from school, I’m going to tear her a new one! – but by the time DJ got there, the pony (if it was her) was gone. Nothing else to be done, DJ decided to just let it lie and go get food. Finally she got to her destination, a non-descript shop on the corner of Nihon-dori and some tiny road DJ had never quite gotten the name of. The store had a stand outside and sold lots of dim sum, including their signature monster nikuman – pork buns, commonly known around the world by their Chinese name, bao. Roughly 4 ¾ inches in diameter and two inches in height, the buns were utter behemoths in comparison to the traditional size. As promised, DJ got a dozen for Karen plus a bunch of shumai, stuffing the box in her backpack, followed by a single one for herself, since it was lunchtime. With it all wrapped up and placed in her bag, she then went down the street, looking for a particul…ah, there it is. One of the more unique sea stories that she’d heard from her father was about a vending machine in Chinatown just across the street from Yamashita Park that carried a particular variety of bubblegum-flavored soda. It was the only one in the country as far as he knew; he’d never seen it anywhere else and no one had ever heard of the company. When her family arrived in Japan, she’d asked him about it and he gave the general location. Sure enough, although a newer vending machine, there the soda was, still in the same white cans with the colorful smiling bubblegum balls (she’d confirmed this with him via an emailed photo) after fifty years. Again, no one could confirm the company, and it seemed as if the sodas came out of nowhere, just…magical. Of course, this was human-Earth, where magic was nearly non-existent, so there was probably a mundane reason but DJ never bothered to investigate, lest it ruin the specialness of the whole thing. Instead, the first time she’d seen the machine, she and Mike, with others staring at the strange foreigners, emptied the machine so she could mail several dozen cans to her parents’ place. This time, though, she merely bought one for herself to go with lunch. At last, she arrived in the park, where she plopped herself down on the first stone table she could find, one with a gorgeous view of Yokohama Harbor. Unearthing the treasure troves of soda, laptop and pork burn, she waited for the bun to cool while enjoying the clear skies and for her laptop to kick in – even in the mid-21st century no one had ever been able to create an “instant on” computer. After a few more seconds, an idea formed in her head and, firing up the browser, she went over to Wikipedia to look up some of the research done on human-Earth’s “thaumaturgic drought”, as it was termed. What a team of researchers from Royal Canterlot University had concluded back in 2043 was that there was still magic on human-Earth, the leylines were now so weak only those with innate magic could access it. Of course it meant that the stories of Atlantis, Camelot and the like may have been more than just myth, but for all intents and purposes the team had concluded that human-Earth had become magic-barren circa the seventh century. Maybe I can do something with that, she mused. Let’s see…winter rime, an Earth losing magic, if I take some elements from my Rimefrost series and Dad’s Covenworld universe, I bet I could spin a whole new story out of this. Actually, that doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all! Cracking open Word, she was certain this time she could move on beyond the dreaded starting sentence. Placing her hands on the keyboard, she began typing, the keys underneath her hooves clacking away. To anyone looking casually, it seemed like nothing more than a pony casually gliding her forehooves over a laptop keyboard; only upon closer inspection would anyone see the vibrating, undulating motion of the bottom of her hooves as the musculature making up hoofspace did its job. She wasn’t the fastest typer in the world; the average person did about 57 words per minute, while she could only muster a paltry 33 wpm in comparison, and she was utterly jealous of her father’s typing speed of 82 wpm – especially since it declined from his prime speed of 127 wpm when he was her age. But then again, she was using human keyboards; there had been some tests with a new type of keyboard for ponies based on DVORAK and it supposedly let them match the average speed of humans. In any case, she had no interest in those; they looked goofy, when installed on a laptop it brought the price of the unit up 30%, and she was a die-hard QWERTY-or-Die type. She managed to knock out a few pages before someone sat down at the table. “Do you mind if I join you?” She looked up and found a pegasus mare, sitting there, trying not to look nervous. Her coat was cinnamon brown, with brilliant green eyes and a mane the color of a yellow crayon done up in a very familiar style DJ had seen before but couldn’t quite put her mind on. Strangely enough, she was dressed very casually, almost humanly: she wore a black T-shirt with the word HUFSTOMPR on it and what looked to be a jeans skirt. She looked very young, maybe 20 or so. DJ sighed. “Okay, what the fuck do you guys want now.” The pegasus looked at her, somewhat surprised. “Excuse me?” “Listen – don’t give me that shit, okay? I’m tired of it, and unless I can find a way to sue your government for harassment without running into the diplomatic immunity wall, I just want to be left in peace!” She angrily shoved her laptop into her bag, and rising from the stone stool, she pointed at the mare. “You can tell Princess Luna this for me: if I hear from anyone who uses the word ‘official’ again, I swear I will steal the launch codes from my husband, get some CMXRs and go on a fucking rampage in downtown Ponyville. Do I make myself clear?” Not waiting for an answer, she turned to leave, pausing only to grab her lunch. Unfortunately, in the commotion she’d accidentally knocked it off the table, and now the spilled soda and bun lay on the grass. She was in just enough control of herself to pick them up and toss them in the nearby trashcan before she stomped off. As she left, the pegasus shouted out. “Please, DJ! I’m not a government employee – I’m just a college student! Please, you have to listen to me!” “NO. I. DON’T!” DJ screamed, catching the attention of several people walking by. She threw her arms up in the air in frustration, looking at the sky as if saying, Why the fuck me? As she turned to give the pony another piece of her mind, she suddenly saw the pegasus crying. “Mom said you were the one pony who could understand me, the one I could always turn to if I needed to,” she sobbed. “I guess she was wrong. I guess you’re really just another human who doesn’t care, aren’t you?” “Mom”? “Who are you?” “No. Don’t bother.” That last word was filled with a heart-wrenching sorrow. “I’ll leave you be, then. It was nice meeting you. I hoped we could be friends, but….” The pegasus seemed as though she was going to say something, but left it off; whether out of courtesy or hurt, it wasn’t clear. If she was trying to make DJ feel guilty…it worked. “Look, I, uh…who are you?” the humanized pony asked, her tone softer now. The pegasus wiped the tears from her eyes. “My name’s Cinnamon Star. I’m a college student, poli-sci major at Stanford. I’m just 19.” “Okay, first off, you’re not making any sense – if you’re just a college student, why did you come looking for me? Second, who the fu…who are you? You don’t look like anyone I know, not that I keep track of whichever ponies live on Earth – this Earth.” She looked down at the ground. “You promise not to be mad at me?” “Should I be?” She sighed. “I’m the daughter of Fluttershy and Macintosh. I’m your younger cousin. I was born a little bit after your…um….” “My problems in Equestria,” DJ finished, still not sure what to make of the girl’s confession. She’s Fluttershy’s daughter? Fluttershy was pregnant? She looked again at Cinnamon and it suddenly clicked: the mane, though shorter, was a near-copy of the yellow mare’s style. It would also explain a lot why Fluttershy was desperate to stay out of the conflict. Cinnamon had a small bag with her and dug something out. “You probably don’t believe me, so here’s a picture of Mom, Dad and I.” Sure enough, it was a family picture, the trio smiling and one of Fluttershy’s wings wrapped lovingly around the small, cheerful little filly. She handed the picture back. “So you’re one of the Apples, then. You don’t sound like one.” “It’s a long story,” she admitted, a slight catch in her throat. “Look, I’m sorry I yelled at you, but if you’re Fluttershy’s daughter, then you know I don’t exactly get along well with your government.” “Mom’s told me,” Cinnamon responded, still looking nervous. “I’m not here for that.” “Well, there just went my lunch, you seem a bit rotated and radiated, and…you hungry?” The pegasus nodded. “There’s a place around here where we can go and talk.” Cinnamon favored DJ with a smile that definitely reminded the older pony of Fluttershy. “I’d like that,” the pegasus said. An hour later, they were in the local Hard Rock Café. The pair sat at the table, lunch having been demolished; the remains of a Caesar salad sat before Cinnamon, and what was left of a cheeseburger and fries in front of DJ. As she drank the rest of her Hurricane, she hoped the alcohol would kick in soon; she figured she was going to need it. “So, tell me about yourself.” “Well, like I mentioned earlier, I was born after you left. Unlike our other cousins, I was taught by Aunt Twilight, maybe because I drive teachers in normal Equestriani schools up the wall.” “Rambunctious?” “Uh, no, not really. My first day in school, Miss Cheerilee called my parents and said that I was a lot smarter than my peers. Mom called Aunt Twilight and she found out that I’m….” The conversation slipped into mumbling. “What was that again?” “Uh…I’ve been described as, uh, a genius,” she said, blushing furiously. “I’ve had membership in MENSA since I was twelve, and Aunt Twilight ended up being my personal teacher. Anyway, once my normal schooling was over, she recommended to my parents that I go to school at a human university rather than RCU. I applied to a few schools and got accepted at Stanford.” “That still doesn’t explain why you’re supposed to come looking for me, though – that I’d understand you like no one else.” “I thought I explained that already. I guess I didn’t then. Sorry – sometimes I get ahead of myself. You see, I’m like you: I was adopted, and I love my adoptive parents very much. But unlike you, I’ll never get a chance to see my birth parents ever again.” “You make that sound as if that’s a blessing in my case – and I assure you, it’s not. But we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you. So go on – what happened to your birth parents?” Just in case, DJ waved over a waiter and ordered a second Hurricane. “When I was three, my birth parents were murdered by humans outside of Dodge Junction – they claimed to be big-game hunters going after the ultimate prey: ponies. From what little I know about them, my father was a bank manager and my mother was the local mailmare – ‘ultimate prey’, my flank. Uncle Soarin’ says they were just too cowardly to go after something that could actually hurt them, like dragons; and Aunt Rainbow was even nastier about it, but I won’t repeat what she said. But anyway, since I didn’t have any other family members, I went to the orphanage in Cloudsdale. Fortunately, I arrived on the day that a certain kind-hearted pegasus was touring the nation’s orphanages on behalf of the Crown, she said she took one look at me, and that was all it took. The following week, she was back with her husband and after several more visits, they filled out the paperwork to adopt me. “As for the killers, I found out about them later – they were convicted, and because Equestria doesn’t have the death penalty, as Aunt AJ says, ‘they got exiled and then thrown into a dungeon in the place they were exiled to.’ As for my birth parents, I just remember vague memories, faint impressions. Most of what I know about them I got from the newspapers.” “I’m sorry to hear about your parents.” Cinnamon nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate that. But I got something out of it: Mom, Dad and the rest. I was constantly doted upon, the youngest of the bunch, at least until the twins were born and then Apple Bushel after that. But that’s stuff you already know about, I’m sure.” DJ smiled pleasantly before taking a drink of her new glass. She wondered why no one had told her about any of the new generation being born (or adopted, in Cinnamon’s case). Did they think she didn’t care? But a second later the truth hit her: she loved them all, but she’d made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with Equestria, so as a result, they exchanged brief hellos and the like. Now that I think about it, when Sweetie Belle came to visit us in San Diego a few years back, she didn’t say much about her home, DJ remembered. Maybe she thought I’d react to Cinnamon the same way I did to Rarity’s family. “But in any case, hearing about what those humans did and why made me wonder. Then that horror film came out: The Converters. Aunt Twilight and Aunt Sweetie were so angry they nearly sued the filmmakers, but the producers issued an apology when they found out. Mom said it was disgusting that they used you to make a point about ‘evil humans’ and just stir up all the bad feelings and that it was unfair to you since you were one of the nicest humans ever, though you’re not really one.” “Oh really.” She was going to have to call Carlos and see if he could recommend a good attorney specializing in libel. “Why didn’t I hear about that before?” “I wouldn’t worry about it – the movie didn’t make many bits and after the controversy and low earnings, they skipped making a sequel,” Cinnamon explained, “though I think having two highly-placed government officials keeping an eye on them probably dissuaded them as well. In any case, after that, I just kept studying and to be honest, Aunt Twilight said it was a shame that I wasn’t born a unicorn, because I would have made a great magic user. But she said that I was unusual, that I had a lot of minor talents but nothing major – and I didn’t have my cutie mark.” “Do you have one now?” She nodded. “Two stars in a cinnamon swirl – please don’t ask me what it’s supposed to stand for, because other than my name, I’m really not sure.” She didn’t offer to show the mark, as dropping skirt in public would obviously be rude. “Sorry I interrupted. Please, go on.” “So in any case, Aunt Twilight suggested that maybe I should attend a human school, since it was about time I got a college level education and she didn’t have the time to cover that deep of one. Mom and Dad agreed, and after some applications with some schools, Stanford accepted me. I was hoping to go to USC like you, but they said that Equestriani Home Schooling wasn’t yet accredited by the US Department of Education, so they couldn’t accept me. Stanford, however, was willing to take a chance and so I went. “And you know what? I like it – humans really are amazing. Yeah, I’ve met some bad ones, and ugh – I swear, there was this one creep who I think asked me out for my wings, if you catch my drift. But I’ve met some amazing people, like my roommate, Imani. Her parents are from this one country called Somalia, and oh, I thought some of Aunt Rarity’s stories about the Diamond Dog badlands were bad….” “Well, that’s nice that you adjusted and it’s nice that you came looking for me, but why did you come looking for me?” “You promise not to get mad?” “You say that a lot, you know – you really need to work on your self-confidence.” “I know, my Mom says I’m just as bad as she was when she was my age. But anyway, the reason I’m here is because Mom thought it would be best if you heard it from family instead of just some form letter from the embassy. Aunt Luna tried to tell you last month, but it seems she really must have pissed you off, because she says you almost made her lose her temper in public.” “Ms. Personality she’s not.” Another drink from the Hurricane; this time, much slower. She still had to get home, and it really wouldn’t do to show up back on base completely bombed out of her skull. “Well, apparently it’s important, so spill the beans.” “First, please realize that Mom would never ask you to do this unless it was urgent.” So now the gloves were off. DJ took yet another sip from her glass; this was obviously where the fun – and by fun she meant anything but – would begin. “Go on.” “Do you know about the attack on Fillydelphia?” “There was something about it in the news, if I recall. Unfortunately other than the angle of ‘look, something bad happened on a world we still don’t give much of two shits about’ it was gone from the news by the end of the week.” “I know. But about six weeks ago, something happened in Fillydelphia. I’m not sure of the details other than our aunts went out to solve the problem, and something bad happened. Now several of our aunts are dying of some kind of curse. Aunt Twilight’s trying to fix it, but the curse is killing her as well, and we don’t know how much time they have left. Plus, Uncle Silversteel and Aunt Scootaloo went in with a military attack afterwards, and they were hit as well.” There was a shatter of glass on the floor, and a part of DJ suddenly just went blank. Twilight? AJ? The rest? Dying? The fact that she’d suddenly dropped her drink barely registered in her mind. The pegasus broke down crying, and DJ did the only thing she could do, the human thing to do: she went and embraced the younger pony, enveloping her in a comforting hug even as the tears flowed. DJ felt disconsolate at the moment herself, but clearly Cinnamon needed the comforting more than she did. “Mom wants you to come back to Equestria – she says she and Aunt Pinkie, Aunt Sweetie and the rest need you. Will you come?” DJ went back to her chair, avoiding the waiter who came to clean up the spilled drink. Her mind, fueled by the alcohol, just became a blurry mess of thoughts. Equestria was a faraway land in another reality, roughly concurrent on its world with North America on hers (and part of the reason why it was a NATO member, as well as other things) but to DJ, it may as well have been Narnia or Gondor or any of the lands in her novels. It was a place of dreams…and not altogether pleasant ones, either. She had family there, but they knew she was reluctant to return, and while she was more than welcome there, there were so many things left unsaid and undone, she was better off avoiding it altogether. And yet, here was this young pegasus, a cousin she’d never known before, carrying a message from Fluttershy that everyone was dying. They were her true family in Equestria. For them, she’d do anything. But travel to Equestria? I don’t know if I can. “They’d be the only reason I’d ever go back” DJ answered, with some hesitation. “So you’ll go?” “I can’t say I will, because I have to talk to my husband about it – I’d like to know what he thinks as well – that ‘being married’ part and all that. Plus, if what you’re telling me is true, Equestria’s starting to sound more and more like a war zone, so I’m sure I’d want to go.” DJ’s sarcasm was thick enough to be used as armor plating. After a few seconds, she realized her cousin was sarcasm impaired, and muttered under her breath, “But I will consider it.” “Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to my Mom,” Cinnamon said, a soft smile coming to her face. “C’mon, let’s get out of here,” she said, leaving several thousand yen on the table – tipping was taboo in the Land of the Rising Sun, so she made sure to leave just enough. The pair left the restaurant, and then the Hotel Pacifica, where it was located. It was a nice afternoon, and in the distance, you could hear the sounds of the stadium as a baseball game got underway. “Well, I guess I should get going back to the Farm,” she said. “The Farm?” “Yeah. It’s a nickname for Stanford.” DJ looked at her oddly. “You’re going to fly back?” Granted, she didn’t know a single thing about pegasus biology, but there should be no way to be able to fly across the entire Pacific. “No, of course not. I’ve got a portal authorization from my mother. I just go to the embassy, use the portal to go to Washington, then use another one to get to the consulate in San Francisco. I can fly south from there or get someone to give me a ride to my dorm.” “I see. As for me, I’ve got to get back to my kids, and—” “You have kids? I know you’re married to a human, but...wow,” she said. “Mom didn’t say anything about that.” “Would you like to meet them? We’re cousins, we probably should get to know each other a little better,” DJ admitted. For some reason, she was feeling comfortable now with Cinnamon, and she had to wonder if she’d have responded more favorably if Cinnamon had been sent to deliver the message last month instead of Luna. Then she realized that she should have listened to Luna, regardless. “God, I’m such a retard,” she said as both headed towards the train. “Hm?” “I should have listened to Luna, but – I felt like I was stalked. Plus, she got the Japanese government to lend her NP and Metro Police as bodyguards, which meant she was hiding.” Since Cinnamon had no yen on her, DJ bought the pegasus a ticket for the train, then used the e-pass on her phone for herself. “Actually, knowing Aunt Luna, she was trying to do it for your sake; she probably figured that a full complement of guards would just cause an unnecessary crowd. She tries to be considerate, but it doesn’t always work out that way. But once you actually get to know her, she’s just one big cuddly Smarty Pants doll. She really does love us all. You too, even if she’s a little peeved with you.” “I’ll take your word for it,” DJ replied, not really knowing what to say at that, so instead she just said nothing more. The two chatted on the train about a bunch of things not really germane to their family, and about an hour later, DJ and Cinnamon arrived at the base. After picking up the kids and dropping off the box of buns to a very happy Karen, DJ introduced the pegasus to her children. Cinnamon just adored the two and fell in love with them on the spot. Much later on, after a quick dinner of DJ’s spinach lasagna (a recipe she picked up from her mother), they spent the rest of the night playing videogames until the kids got tired and fell asleep on the couch, having victoriously defeated both adults at several rounds of their favorite game. As they both carried the boys up to their bed, DJ said, “Thanks. I’d have to carry the boys individually, and usually one of them wakes up in the process.” “Glad to be of help. You have a pair of wonderful colts…I mean, boys. Even if they play pretty mercilessly at Pokémon Rainbow Battle Stadium.” “Mea culpa,” DJ said sheepishly. “Mike and I are gamers, and the boys seemed to have picked that up. Personally, I prefer MMOs – my hands just aren’t built for smaller control pads – but Stuart and Tyler like the motion-sensing games a lot, so I try to indulge them on that. Plus, it wears them out at night, which makes it easier for them to go to bed so I can get some writing done.” As soon as the boys were tucked safely in their bed, the two went downstairs and talked again. DJ started with her usual panache. “So let me see if I get this: Fluttershy had you contact me because my husband is the weapons officer on the USS Konetzni? Sorry, it doesn’t quite work that way.” “No, that’s being taken care of through the proper channels. This is a personal issue. Mom’s request has nothing to do with that.” Cinnamon Star’s eyes started to water and DJ reached over for the box of tissues, handing them to the teary pegasus. She wiped her eyes and continued. “When the Bearers first went in to stop the problem, they were ambushed by Nightmare Moon.” “Who?” “Nightmare Moon – she’s an immortal demon, a monster. She once possessed Aunt Luna and the Bearers were just barely able to rescue her that time, from what I understand. In any case, they went in to stop the Nightmare, but she somehow managed to hit them all with something stronger than they’d ever dealt with before. Aunt Twilight tried to block the magic and then tried to absorb it, but it was too much. And now our aunts are dying of some kind of curse, and Aunt Twilight is practically killing herself trying to ward off the curse and solve the problem.” Tears flowed on Cinnamon’s face, the fur near her eyes soaked. For a moment, DJ wondered if for a moment if Cinnamon’s cutie mark talent was crying, since she’d been doing it for roughly half the day. “It gets worse. Part of the military force that got decimated included Uncle Silversteel and Aunt Scootaloo – they’re on life support right now and they may go at any minute. Add to that the fact that Minty and her family have been missing since this all began and the city they live in, Fillydelphia, has been under military isolation since, so we can’t go find them!” After a few moments, Cinnamon was able to recompose herself. “I know…I know you and Aunt Rarity and Uncle Silversteel aren’t close. I know Minty hates you – Elusive told me everything. But he said he’d like to see you again and that it would be good for your…his mother if you came. And even if that wasn’t the case, you should go if for no other reason than that Aunt Twilight and the others really need you right now.” With this extra info at hand, DJ sat there for a while, thinking. While it was probably very much a sin on her part, she didn’t care if her biological parents or sister died; a part of her own conscience admonished her for thinking it even if it was true. But Elusive? She didn’t know him, not at all; and as for Twilight and the rest? She couldn’t let them down. “I’ll be honest: I couldn’t care less about Rarity and Silversteel, I don’t give a damn about Minty, and I really don’t know Elusive. But the rest of them? They’re my family.” “Aunt Twilight and Aunt Sweetie talk about you all the time. Both of them think of you as the daughter neither of them ever had. They’re both so proud of you,” Cinnamon said. “Mom and the others are as well.” DJ nodded, Cinnamon’s words a spear in her heart. For them being my loved ones, I haven’t paid really much attention. She knew all of her cousins, aunts and uncles on her human side; she even shared an apartment with her cousin Lily during the last two years both attended college. But she’d just met a cousin she never knew she had, and there were others. I haven’t treated them very well, she thought glumly. “Look, get some sleep,” she said. “You’re still running on Pacific Time and that’s gotta be playing hell with your body.” “I am a bit sleepy,” Cinnamon admitted. “I’ll get you some sheets and a pillow. Tomorrow I’ll drive you to the embassy. That okay for you?” “Like you wouldn’t believe,” she yawned. That night, after a couple of hours of tossing and turning, she finally gave up on sleep. Switching on the lamp by her bed, she blinked away the sudden stabbing feeling caused by the light before looking at the clock. As Mike would say, it’s O-Fucking-Get-To-Bed-Hundred-Hours. Knowing it was going to be one of those sleepless nights, she got up, yawned, and decided to make a few calls; hopefully with that she’d be able to clear up a few things. Besides, what was a ridiculous hour for her was prime time on the other side of the world. The first call had been to her parents. She explained everything that had gone on in the past month, as well as Fluttershy’s request via her daughter; that to them, DJ was in some ways obligated to return to Equestria. She admitted that while it bothered her, she did care about her family there and wanted to help if she could. She also wondered what she would do with the children, as they were still in school and should she decide to go she had no idea how long she’d be gone. Her parents in turn reminded her that while they supported whatever decision she made, they’d back her as always. But then they made a suggestion DJ was less than happy to hear: that her children should see the place she truly came from, to see their Equestriani heritage. “Dad, you do remember this is the place that I only escaped from because Princess Celestia decided to be magnanimous and told me to leave,” she said. “While they can’t do anything to me now, I’d rather not expose Stuart and Tyler to that sort of prejudice.” “DJ, if you’re that worried, your mother and I can come with you,” her father said. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen Twilight anyway, and I’m sure she could use the support.” “I agree,” her mother said, listening in on another phone. “It sounds like she could really use some friends right now, and I’d never let a friend down if I can help it. So we’ll go with you.” She suddenly felt a massive weight float off her shoulders. “That’d be really great. I’ll ask Cinnamon to get word to Fluttershy and see if they can have someone at the embassy take you through the portal,” she said, adding, “And you’re right, I think Twilight could use all the moral support she can get – I’m getting the feeling I’m gonna need it, and I know Cinnamon will.” “You’ll be fine, furball,” her mother said lovingly. “We’ll see you in Canterlot then.” “Absolutely.” “Give the kids our love.” “What, and spoil them further?” she laughed. “Love you both. Bye.” Clicking the end button on the phone, she then dialed the second number, one in the 338 area code, which was assigned to Canterlot – amongst other things, Equestria had joined the North American Numbering Plan, so it had the familiar interconnectable three-digit starting codes she was familiar with. The phone rang and rang on the other end, and she hoped someone would pick it up. She hoped one pony in particular would be answering the phone. “Sparkle residence, Spike speaking.” “Spike!” DJ adored the dragon. One of the members of her Equestriani family closest to herself in age, he often related to all her issues as he had many of them himself. Her younger brother was also his lifeline for new videogames, so they kept in touch often. “Is everything okay?” “DJ, good to hear from you – thanks for the Street Fighter Anthology gift for my birthday. Now I just have to get the Playstation 9 so I can use the download codes,” he said with a slight chuckle. But that humor disappeared when he said, “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s bad. Only reason I’m here right now is because Celestia insisted I get some sleep, and it’s easier than flying to my cave.” A pause. “Did Cinnamon get a hold of you?” “She’s asleep on my couch right now. Cute kid, but she seems more easily flustered than Fluttershy.” “No kidding; Fluttershy was hoping Cinnamon wouldn’t pick up those habits, but it’s kinda ironic that motherhood caused her to drop them even as her daughter picked them up.” Another pause. “Are you coming?” “I’m seriously considering it” she said. “If…if it gets bad, how else am I—” “Don’t finish that thought. They’ll get better. She’ll get better. She always does,” the dragon on the other end said, sounding as though he was forcing himself to remain calm. “But I hope you’ll come. When will you arrive if you do?” “I’m going to see if I can get word to Mike’s ship so he can go on Emergency Leave. Either way, you should see us in a few days.” “Us?” “Yup – bringing my kids. You’ll love them. My parents will also be arriving as well.” “That’s good to hear, and I’m looking forward to seeing everypony…sorry, everyone. Listen, I hate to break this short, but I’m falling asleep here. I’ll see you in a couple of days, okay?” “Sure thing, Spike. See you then.” She disconnected the line, then put the phone back in the charging cradle. Looking at the time, she threw herself back in bed. She had to get some sleep somehow, since it would be a long, long day ahead. Making a stop at the FFSC would be her first order of business, followed by a quick trip to the NEX to get some new luggage. “Mike, what do you….” She turned as always to ask the love of her life, her soulmate and the father of her children, the only person who had ever seen beneath the fur to the heart that beat beneath. But he wasn’t there. He was somewhere out there in the Indian Ocean, maybe, “doing boxes”. But he’s not here. He’s not where I need him. And she knew that wasn’t his fault; she’d never hold that against him, and as the old saying went, those who stayed behind and waited also served – the unofficial motto of the Navy wife. But a bed made for two made it that much lonelier when only one lay there. Suddenly, the phone rang. She didn’t even have to wonder who would call at this time of night; only one person would. “Mike?” “Heya, hon! I know it’s late as hell over there, but I…well, I finally got a chance to get the POTS and give you a call. Can’t stay long, though: we’ll be going to GQ at any minute, though.” Despite the tiredness, she broke into a big grin as she heard his voice. A second later, what he said finally registered through the cobwebs of her mind. “GQ? Something wrong?” “Routine training, nothing major. We’re doing some wargames with the HMS Prince of Wales since her refit and just having a fun time. It’s interesting being slotted into a British battlegroup, but training and all that. She’s supposed to relieve the Ford battlegroup, after which we’ll be detached back to independent steaming before we head back home.” He sighed and she wished at that moment she could just be in his arms. “I wish I could be there, love. I missed your birthday. Again.” “I know. I knew what I was getting into when I married you.” “Saw the interview, by the way, and everyone in the wardroom agrees – I look like shit on camera. You, however, are totally mediagenic, hon. Frank – he’s the new CHENG, took over for Max when he PCS’ed to the Falluja – was even asking if you had a sister. I told him it’s kinda complicated.” “You’re such a flatterer, you know that?” she laughed. “But I could really use you here right now.” She then went into an abbreviated explanation of what was going on, meeting Cinnamon, and Fluttershy’s request. “Are you thinking about going?” “I don’t know, honestly. Mom and Dad think I should, and if something happens to Twilight or AJ and I never see them again, I’m going to hate myself – they’ve done so much for me, for us. But I know if I go, someone’s going to try to pester me into making nice with Rarity.” “And I’m guessing you want to know what I think. Well, if you want the truth, and as much as you’re not going to want to hear this, I think you should make up with Rarity.” “Yeah, thanks for being on my side. I mean, after all, I’m just your wife and the mother of your children,” she seethed. “DJ, knock it off. Yes, you’re never going to recognize them as family, and they probably know that by now – you made that pretty clear to an international audience on this Earth and whoever watches that show on the other one. But what about our kids? They deserve to know. And don’t give me the ‘tell them when they’re older’ crap. If you don’t let them see her, if you don’t let her know she has grandchildren, it might be something you’ll regret for the rest of your days.” “I think I can live with that. Unfortunately for me, Mom and Dad think I should bring the kids.” “Well, I can’t live with it, and your parents are right. I bet if you called my parents, they’d agree as well.” There was a bit of muffled speech on the other end as he quickly spoke to someone in the background, followed by him saying, “Thanks, Senior Chief. Listen, love, I’ve got to wrap this call up. For what it’s worth, I think you’re worrying a little too much. Our kids should know about their heritage; and if you’re worried about something happening to our kids, you know everyone there would never let them come to harm – Spike would take on whole armies himself before that ever happened, and that’s just him alone.” “I know,” she said quietly. “But I’d feel a lot better if you were coming with us.” “I can’t promise that, DJ. Unless it’s emergency leave – and usually they don’t grant it for the reasons you’re saying – it’s hard to take leave during a deployment.” There was some whispering in the background, and he then said, “I’ll ask the skipper, though, and explain everything I can. If she can spare me, then…we’ll see. But you’ll probably need to go to the FFSC and have them send an AMCROSS.” “Already planned to do that. I hope she lets you go. The bed’s cold when you’re not here.” He laughed. “DJ, sweetie, you know the rules: no going into heat while I’m not there.” It was an old joke; in terms of cycle DJ’s reproductive biology was closer to humans than equines, but the first doctor they saw when she was first pregnant kept insisting on using horse terminology, even going so far to refer to her estrous cycle as going into heat, nevermind the fact that technically human women went into heat as well. “Wow. Not even back yet and you’ve already earned your first couchable offense.” “Anything for you, love.” Klaxons suddenly sounded in the background, and he said, “I love you, DJ, you and the kids. Never forget that. I’ll talk to you later.” He then quickly hung up, as he had to get to his battle station. She set the phone back in the cradle once more, feeling the isolation again. And with that, she crawled into the sheets, a furry ship alone on a sea of 400-threadcount satin. After getting the kids fed and off to school, she came back to find Cinnamon just waking up. “Oh, I feel like a wreck,” she mumbled. “Sorry. I’ve been trying to get Mike to replace it with a sleeper sofa. Up for huevos con chorizo?” “What’s that?” “Wait – you live in California and you don’t eat Mexican food? You sure you’re not messing with me?” “Sorry, just not a fan. I like Thai food, though.” “Sorry, don’t even know what they have for breakfast in Bangkok.” She shrugged. “Well, pancakes it is, then.” The pair ate in silence, DJ figuring she could put off the preferred dish for the morning; it would also help to prevent having to explain why she as a pony was actually eating meat. As Cinnamon ate the last bite, she smiled. “Thanks for everything, DJ. When I first met you, I was afraid you wouldn’t like me because I reminded you too much of Equestria.” “Well, you’re Fluttershy’s daughter, so you get a pass,” she said with a grin. “Plus, to be honest, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were from localworld, like me. You kinda remind me of me when I was your age, though I really never looked good in jean skirts. You pull them off somehow.” “No, I mean it. Mom said it was fine, but as you can see, I’m…well, I don’t really have her courage, and I’m certainly not as outgoing as she is. So I worry a lot.” “Okay, I really can’t wrap my mind around the words ‘Fluttershy’ and ‘outgoing’.” “Uncle Spike says that a lot too. Was she really that bad?” “Well, I really didn’t meet her until I was 15, so I don’t have any memories of my baby days,” DJ commented. “But from the few times I’ve run into her, she’s been softspoken and rather quiet.” Cinnamon laughed. “Oh, that’s so not my mother! She’s constantly lecturing me about one thing or another; about taking care of Diablo, my pet bunny; reminding me to do my homework; help Dad on the farm whenever I’m home; etc. etc. etc.” “Well, if you’re ready, we can get going.” “If you want, you can just drop me off at the train station. I don’t want to be a bother. That is, um, if it’s okay with you.” “Yeah, you are Fluttershy’s kid. Look, you don’t have any yen on you and I’m betting you didn’t get your passport stamped when you entered the country via the portal, right?” She looked suddenly horrified, as if she’d committed a grievous error. “Japan’s got some of the strictest travel and immigration laws in the world – and you just inadvertently entered the country illegally.” Cinnamon had that horrified look on her face. “Oh, Cadance is going to kill me, and then Mom’s going to….” DJ laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. So let’s get going, and you’ll be safer if I drive you.” The pegasus did not argue, looking as though she was going to be in serious trouble if anyone found out…and by that she didn’t mean the Japanese government. “Ugh.” After a long drive from Yokosuka to Tokyo, getting into the embassy, using the portal to Washington and then the local network to San Francisco, Cinnamon was sick to her stomach. She never really enjoyed portal travel, and repeated exposures didn’t help at all; it was odd, since more beings reported motion sickness from teleportation than portals, but she was the rare exception. In any case, by the time she’d arrived at the San Francisco consulate, she was feeling so bleh that she asked the consul general to have a driver take her back to Palo Alto. As she got in, she saw her dorm mate. “Heya, Imani.” “Hi. So how was Japan?” “Really nice. And DJ’s totally awesome. Wish I had a big sister like her, but then again, I think Mom and Dad had enough headaches with me, which is why I’m an only child. Besides, Elusive and Blitz try to fill the older sibling role for me.” “That’s nice. Oh, Jason came by looking for you yesterday – that guy’s a real creep, so stay away from him. Also, your mother came by ten minutes ago.” “Yeah, I know, I keep telling him I’m not interested, but he just k—WHAT?” On cue, there was a knock on the door. Imani went and answered it, and there, standing there in a sundress, was Fluttershy. “Welcome back, Mrs. Apple. Please, come in.” Fluttershy walked in, nodding pleasantly to her daughter’s dormmate. “Thank you, Imani.” Then she looked at her daughter. “Hello, Cinnamon.” “Um, hi, Mom.” Cinnamon was nervous. “Wh-what brings you here?” Fluttershy gave her daughter a sweet smile. “I came to see you, dear heart.” She looked at Imani. “I hate to impose, but would you mind giving us a moment of privacy?” The Arabic girl nodded. “No problem; I was going to be leaving for the store anyway. I’ll be back in a couple of hours, Cinnamon. See you two later.” The young woman grabbed her purse and headed out the door. “Mom, I think I blew it,” Cinnamon said as her friend left. “You and everyone were counting on me to bring her, but I couldn’t. I promised Elusive I would, and I screwed up.” The yellow pegasus gently ran a hoof over her daughter’s cheek. “You did fine, sweetheart. DJ’s a grown mare and she has her own life; I think she has kids as well, if I remember.” Cinnamon nodded. “They’re so adorable. They remind me of the twins back when…well, back when they were still cute and adorable instead of annoying.” “Sweetie, that’s no way to talk about your cousins.” “Sorry, mom, but they are. I know they’re just teenagers – I’m still just a teenager, technically – but they’re two of the most obnoxious ponies ever! And I know they’re just rambunctious just like Aunt Pinkie, and I know they’re not trying to be intentionally irritating, but….” Fluttershy grinned. “Unfortunately for Thunderlane, both of them clearly take after their mother. And speaking of their mother, I needed to talk to you, which is why I’m here.” Cinnamon gasped. “Did something happen to Aunt Pinkie?” “No, she’s fine. But she, Luna and I are going out into the quarantine zone tomorrow to look for survivors. Especially Minty and her family.” If Cinnamon’s gasp earlier was a note of concern, the look on her face now was really worried. “Mom, no – don’t, please don’t.” “I have to, sweetie. It’s part of my duty to the Crown.” “What did Dad say?” “He was against it, to be honest,” she replied. “But he knows this must be done; after all, his sister is a Bearer like me. And I’d rather not go, if you want me to admit it, but Pinkie, Luna and I are the only ones who have any chance to stop Nightmare Moon, and we have to check Fillydelphia for survivors. We’ll be fine. We’re taking some mages with us for protection and the United Kingdom is sending some soldiers to assist us – for some reason, the disease isn’t affecting anyone from this Earth.” “You mean humans,” Cinnamon said. “Does anypony think humans are behind this?” “There’s a concern that they might. Twenty years of contact between our two worlds won’t just erase the thousands of years of legends about humans on our world – the myths are even older than Celestia and Luna. But what I’m going to say next is probably not going to make things easier for you, dear heart.” She steeled herself. “Go ahead.” “There’s only a hoofful of ponies of Equestriani citizenship and not affiliated with our government that live on this Earth: you, Trixie, Harper, Lovestruck, Guiding Light, and perhaps a few others. We’re getting word to them to help us counter any negative news that may come out of our world. But I need you to tell DJ when she comes to Canterlot, because she’s hesitant to trust anyone.” “I kinda got that vibe from her,” Cinnamon said. “What happened between her and Aunt Rarity?” “It’s a long story, and it’s such a mess, no one knows the full story, not even DJ and Rarity themselves. Twilight might know everything, but….” Fluttershy blinked away tears of concern for her old friend; now was not the time to give in to weakness. “When Twilight’s better, I think we’re all going to all have to sit down and work this out. Rarity needs to respect DJ’s wishes, and DJ needs to at least acknowledge her birth mother.” “I hope she does. I wish I could have known my birth parents better. Um, no offense.” “I know. I’m sure they were wonderful ponies, and everything we did find out about them says just that. But I need you to be strong, Cinnamon. There will be a lot of hard things going on, and Cadance and the rest will need your support while the three of us are gone.” “I’ll try.” “That’s all I ask. Now, let’s spend some time together, okay? I don’t get to see you as much as I’d like, and you’re growing up so fast.” “Mooooom,” she moaned, embarrassed by the sudden shift in topic, but relented. The next few days were a blur. The Navy Exchange didn’t have what DJ needed in the way of luggage, so she had to make a trip out to Yokota Air Base to raid the AAFES. She then had to tell the kids’ teachers as to what was going on; thanks to her mother being an accredited substitute teacher, she got enough material for three weeks of missed school lessons. She also told her editor that she’d be out of pocket for a few weeks; when she told him where she was going, it nearly gave him an aneurysm. “DJ, if you said that you wanted to spend the next three weeks in downtown Mogadishu, I’d have believed that. But Canterlot? I thought you hated the place!” “Marc, if I ignored everything I hated, I’d have a very boring life,” she giggled. “Yeah, no kidding. Anyway, you take care, DJ – I remember you telling me about all the shit you went through and you don’t need to go through that crap again. And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me or Alexis, ‘kay?” “Will do. Anyways, I’ll let you go, since it’s getting late on this side of the mudball. Talk to you later.” After hanging up, she then dialed another number, waiting for it to be answered. “Hiya, DJ! So…you ready?” “Yeah, I guess. Just thought I’d let you know. I’m going to call the embassy tomorrow and ask for a lift.” “Actually…don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. Mom asked me to go with you when you traveled, so you’d have someone you trust.” “I appreciate that. And it’s not that I don’t trust anyone, it’s just that—” “—you don’t trust anypony,” Cinnamon interjected with a laugh. “It’s late. You should get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” “Sure. So I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” “Absolutely. Tomorrow it is. Seeya!” The following day, she tried to relax and finish up some emails while she waited. After that, she gave up and switched on a different program, to take her mind off the nervousness. Roughly about noon, she was still sitting at the keyboard when there was a knock at the door. “Mom! Someone’s at the door!” DJ took a breath to try to relax before calling back, “Stuart, can you answer it?” “Sure thing, Mom!” A minute or so passed before young Stuart popped into the room his mother used as an office. “Mom, there’s a pegasus at the door!” “Stuart…are you sure?” The smiling seven-year-old nodded. “She’s like you, but with wings. That’s a pegasus, right? Anyway, she’s at the door and wants to speak to you.” A pause. “Oh, it’s Cinnamon!” “Okay. Go up to your room and get your jacket and Tyler’s.” While Stuart scrambled upstairs, DJ shut down the program on her computer; clearly she was not going to become a level 37 Jedi Knight this day. Trying to calm down, she went straight to the door. Opening it, she found a pegasus mare standing there in a business suit, unsteadily wobbling on her hindlegs and using her wings for balance. “Um…hello,” she said before nearly falling over; a quick flap of her wings saved her from an untimely fate. “Did I mention how much I hate wearing business suits? The skirts are always so restrictive on my tail.” DJ huffed, a very equine sound that was a part of her biology. “You make me soooooo jelly, you know that?” “Huh? How so?” “You manage to look incredible in anything, don’t you? How do you do it?” Cinnamon blushed. “Mom was a model at one point in her life, and I guess that part rubbed off on me, even if we’re not related by blood. Besides, you’ve seen her – she just has this way about her. Personally, I’m a little envious that she’s so naturally easygoing.” “I still can’t believe we’re talking about the same Fluttershy.” “Cinnamon!” The two kids nearly tackled the younger pegasus as she scooped them into a hug. “Hiya, guys! Ready to go to Equestria?” They both nodded eagerly; they had no idea what Equestria was, but they were getting to go so yay! “Well, I’d better go get the luggage. It’s gonna be a long trip.” A couple of hours later, she was in the portal room of the Equestriani embassy in Tokyo, nestled in Meguro. The building was nice, done in the early 1920s period style, and had previously been the embassy of another country before they moved to the Akasaka district. It was across the street from a park, and oftentimes in Tokyo it was the spot where most ponies in Japan were seen, often due to the regular public displays and events the embassy held there. A limousine had been dispatched to the base by the Equestriani government, and when it arrived at her home, DJ had to explain to several of her friends what was going on, and that she was going back to her birthworld via the embassy portal, hence the limo. Having heard all her stories about the last time she was in Equestria, her friends had been worried initially, but she explained all was well and that she hoped to be back in a week or three. As for the chauffeur himself, he was a pleasant elderly Japanese man who left his job as a taxi driver when he found out the embassy needed chauffeurs; he’d said it was the chance of a lifetime and he was more than honored to do so. The two breezily chatted along in Japanese, much to the driver’s relief; for reasons that were never really clear, English was the most widely spoken language on Alter-Earth and the driver wasn’t comfortable with speaking it. Once they arrived on the premises, they saw a compliment of guardsponies, dressed in their barding. The presence of submachine guns instead of spears or swords was the only admission that this world was not the one they were familiar with, and standing next to them, a pegasus dressed in a uniform styled after human militaries was giving a lecture on Equestria; a human translator next to him translated from English to Japanese. As the limousine arrived, a human employee and a unicorn attaché met them. “My name is Pokey Pierce,” the deep blue stallion said. “I’m the Director of the Personal Affairs section. Ambassador Blossomforth would have met you personally, but she’s in a meeting with some officials from the Japanese Ministry of Tourism.” “I’ll take it from here,” a voice behind the stallion said. At the top of the steps was a regal alicorn, standing there as if calmly waiting for them. She was a light pink, with a mane in magenta, gold and purple. She had a beatific smile on her face and wore a business suit that was clearly tailored to accent her form. However, unlike Celestia or Luna, she seemed more relaxed and informal, more…human? “Your highness,” the unicorn said, bowing; just about every other person – human and pony alike – bowed as well, leaving only DJ, Cinnamon and her children standing. “Please, everyone, on your feet. I’m not really one for ceremony,” she said, looking somewhat embarrassed. Turning to DJ, she said, “And I haven’t seen you since you were a foal, DJ. You probably don’t remember me. My name’s Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though people just call me Cadance.” Cadance extended a hoof. “It’s nice seeing you again, though you’re a bit bigger.” “Yay, another relative, I’m guessing. This keeps up, I’m going to end up needing a private server over at MyFamilyTree.com.” The alicorn smiled. “You’re just popular that way.” “I think I can do without that, since I’d like to avoid paparazzi,” she drawled, gathering up her kids. She also went for the luggage, but a group of embassy employees made that moot. “Well, you’ll have to forgive me for not reacting, Princess. Not used to being treated as a dignitary.” “You can drop the title. I don’t usually use it,” Cadance said. “As for the reaction, well, Spike warned me about it, said that you’re not as starry-eyed about the royal treatment as other ponies, but then again, you don’t really consider yourself one of us, do you? I know Twilight mentioned something about that, but….” The alicorn shrugged her shoulders. “I should probably take my kid sister more seriously, you know?” A confused look crossed a tan face. “You’re her older sister? But you look so young!” “Flattery will get you anywhere with me,” the alicorn said, flashing another smile. “But I’m probably the same age as your parents.” “But my parents are in their mid-seventies!” “I hit 74 back in February,” Cadance admitted. “Comes with the territory of being an alicorn; you know, immortal and eternal and all that jazz.” There was an undercurrent of something in that statement, but DJ wasn’t sure what it was. “Twilight’s really just my sister-in-law, but I’ve known her since she was four and I have no siblings, so she’s like one to me.” “You don’t act like a princess,” DJ observed. “Well, let’s just say I’ve spent my free time learning about human culture and such. You’d be surprised how little difference there is between your culture and ours. Since I’m in charge of the diplomatic corps, I needed to learn anyway.” “You’re in charge of the diplomatic corps?” “Yes. Officially, I’m Equestria’s Foreign Minister, but only because Celestia won’t let me use Professional Meddler as an official title,” she joked. As they entered the building, they ran into Cinnamon Star. “So, all ready?” The pegasus nodded. “Of course. I’ll get them safely to Canterlot, I promise.” Turning to DJ, she said, “I’ll take care of them as if they were my own.” DJ looked at her cousin, then back at Cadance. “Um…would somebody care to explain?” “Your parents are already at the mansion,” Cadance answered. “Cinnamon will be escorting your children there. I need to talk to you privately about what’s occurred, and I think it’s best if it’s not mentioned around the children.” There was a look in the alicorn’s eyes, one she’d seen a lifetime of: worrying about something else. DJ met it with a nod, and Cadance relaxed somewhat. Bending down to her haunches, she looked at her kids. “Stuart, Tyler, Cinnamon’s going to take you to Canterlot to meet up with your Grandma and Grandpa, so you two be on your best behavior, okay?” Stuart looked up at Cinnamon. “Do we get to fly?” “Well, no, the portal leads to the mansion,” she answered, “but I’m sure if you ask politely, Uncle Spike will be more than happy to take you. That is, if your mother allows it.” “Mom, can we?” “Yah, Mom, canwe?” Tyler asked, not really sure of what was going on but definitely interested in it if his brother was. She sighed playfully. “Well…only if Spike says okay, and if your grandparents are fine with it, because they’ll be watching you while you’re there.” “You’re not coming?” For such a young child, Stuart was far more astute than most adults realized. “We have to go to Singapore for something,” Cadance replied breezily, as if she’d been expecting that. “But we’ll be in Canterlot soon enough.” Singapore? “Yup. So you two stay with Cinnamon until you get there, okay?” She then looked at the pegasus. “I’m trusting you with the most important treasures in my life.” “They’re family. I’ll take care of them, I promise,” Cinnamon said. DJ quickly hugged her children, and then with another group of ponies carrying their bags, the larger group walked off towards the portal room. As soon as they were out of earshot, Cadance commented, “You have lovely children, DJ. I’m envious.” Her voice suddenly sounded sad and wistful as if a memory were brought up that she’d spent forever suppressing. “Are you okay?” DJ asked. Considering the only news that she had that Twilight was in trouble, Cadance’s sudden sorrow might make sense. “Do you love your husband?” the princess suddenly asked, certainly an unusual question. Before DJ could say anything, however, Cadance added, “Love him with every iota of your being. Love him from the tips of your ears to the end of your tail. Hold him tight and never let go. You and your husband share a magical, special moment that will last your lives if you let it.” She wiped a tear from her eye, and continued. “Sorry if I seem maudlin. Today’s fifteen years ago to the day that my Shiny passed away – Twilight’s older brother, Shining Armor, my husband. I really haven’t quite gotten over it.” She sighed. “In fact, for the first couple of years, I let myself waste away and just wanted to die; at one point, I was even looking to see if I could commit suicide, to see if an immortal can actually die. But Twilight wouldn’t let me. She moved me into her home and rebuilt the mansion so that Spike could come often as well. She spent years doing everything she could to make sure I didn’t sink into despair. She did just about everything she could to bring a smile to my face. At one point, she even forced me to go on vacation with her to Las Vegas, where we got to see a special performance from one of her friends – a celebrity stage magician, The Great and Powerful Trixie. Twilight said she couldn’t give up, that she refused to let me go like that.” The alicorn dropped any façade at this point. “If I lose Twily as well, I don’t know what I’ll do,” she whispered. DJ walked with Cadance in silence for a bit, gaining a new appreciation for her aunt – she already knew that Twilight Sparkle was one of the most important ponies in Equestria, but she truly was a hero. “So, will you tell me what Cinnamon won’t? I already get she wasn’t telling me the whole truth.” “That’s because she doesn’t know the whole truth,” Cadance said, her voice barely audible. “We’ve been hiding it from the younger ones. Cinnamon is somewhat fragile, as you already know; and the twins take things very personally – Surprise especially. Apple Bushel’s too young to understand, and Blitz is rather volatile when he’s worried – and he’s got good reason to be.” “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?” DJ asked as they walked towards another portal. “You won’t…but I’d rather not talk about that now. We’ve got Singapore to deal with first,” she said, as she reached the portal. Without ceremony, the alicorn strode through, and, a second later, so did DJ. “Di Tacco, I have my first assignment for you.” The two opted to meet in Venezia, at a café just outside the Piazza di San Marco. Ghino was already there to meet with some potential recruits for the cause, and the place made for a lovely scene to discuss business. “I am always available for you, dearest Selina.” He’d chosen that nickname for her in order to have her blend in more conspicuously. She didn’t like it one bit and took pains to tell him so; he didn’t care and gave her a pair of sunglasses to cover her eyes; now that they were officially linked in a partnership, the chances of being caught were that much more dangerous. “How can I be of service?” “A little bird told me that the government of Equestria will be having a dinner plan sometime in the next couple of days in Singapore to celebrate their political alliance. My source ensured me that all three princesses will be there for the dinner. Now, if someone were to…interrupt the celebration, it would be much appreciated. But if someone—” “—were to interrupt the princesses’ lives, that’d be a different matter?” di Tacco asked. “But my understanding is that they’re immortal.” “Hardly. They’re ageless, but that’s not the same thing. I nearly took Celestia’s life during our last battle and the history books said it took her nearly three years to recover from her wounds. And I know that human weapons are far more deadly than, say, arrows and swords?” “Indeed they are. Fortunately, I have a team in the area who can…perform…as per your specifications. Three of them are from the contingent of troops you sent the other day and they’re working well with my men.” He leaned forward and asked, “So what do you plan to offer me for the work? I would say…perhaps several tons of rare earth elements, but for you,” he said, reaching out to caress her face, “I’m sure we could come to a more…personal…arrangement?” “We could,” she said, “if I weren’t needed elsewhere. But as agreed, I’ll have the minerals sent to the previously agreed location. And as for your…other concern, Chrysalis has sent a gift.” The demonic alicorn snapped her finger and the toy poodle standing next to her flashed and became a pony of a kind di Tacco had never seen before. “Chrysalis’ words were, and I quote, ‘she is here for protection, counsel on changeling drone control…or warming your flank at night.’” “I see,” di Tacco said as he gazed at the pepsis. She looked like a unicorn, save for the dark magenta wings and saddle carapace vice Chrysalis’ teal ones; the pepsis also had a purple mane and tail with pink and orange highlights. “And you are?” “I am Twilight,” she answered him, looking at the human with an unreadable glance in her alien eyes. “Twilight what?” he asked. “That’s a fairly common name on your world, is it not?” Nightmare Moon looked at the man and wondered if his earlier show of surprise was as false as his modesty. How much did he know about Chrysalis’ prized hybrid warrior children? That question also included if he knew the identities of Twilight’s likely namesake biological aunt and grandmother as well. “Twilight Sunburn, if you would prefer the full,” she responded. “What do you prefer to be called?” “I usually do not need such terms, as my people talk through the hivemind. But if you prefer to call me something, Twilight will suffice.” “Human form, if you please – and fully dressed, as well. I prefer my advisers to be human for disguise purposes, as we are in public even a perfect human girl will cause questions.” “As you wish, my lord.” There was a flash of light, and suddenly a woman dressed similarly to “Selina” appeared. She looked of European descent now, though she retained the unusual hair and eye colors. “Will this suffice?” “I’ll leave you and your girl Friday to sort things out,” Nightmare Moon said, walking off. “Until the success of your operation, di Tacco. We shall meet again.” For a few minutes di Tacco looked at his newest charge. “So,” he asked her, “at what point are you supposed to betray and kill me in Chrysalis’ name?” “My orders are to do no such thing,” she replied, though she admitted, “However I am to notify one of the four assassins you have in your ranks to do so. My orders are to obey you to my utmost, save for what I mentioned before.” “Utmost?” “Yes. That includes mating, since I’m told humans do it for pleasure and reproduction. But I am not a changeling princess; I cannot use genetic drift if you wish to father a child on me.” “That’s quite alright, Twilight,” di Tacco assured her. “We’ve other things to do now,” he said, finishing his coffee and rising from his seat, “and plans to make. But we’ll get to the mating part sure enough, I promise.” “Understood, sir,” the pepsis said, nodding slightly and falling into position behind them as the departed the square.