Chapter 10: Fireworks
- NBC -
"Good morning and happy birthday America!"
"What a day for a holiday. Out here in New York the sun is shining and the skies are clear-"
- FOX -
"- a day of celebrations country wide. Get out the flags, warm up the grill, sneak in those fireworks, and as always: stay safe."
"We have a great day of programming for you. First, a special about the immigrants who founded and built this country with a bonus section on our newest arrivals. After that we have Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs will be taking on the-"
- Fayetteville, Arkansas -
Gerry Ryland had seen a lot of things in his time, including a World War and Woodstock. He had long passed the age of where he thought he could be surprised, so he usually felt pretty content with the world sitting on his porch and drinking his morning coffee.
But lampposts were doing the Rockettes' routine in the middle of the street.
"Rita! Just what didja put in my coffee!?"
- ABC -
"Wait, I thought someone had just made it up and photoshopped something."
"Nope! Here's some of the images from Colorado Springs that has been burning up instagram since late last night..."
- Asher -
Well, it's not as elaborate as Pinkie Pie's, but...
Asher considered this little party a success. And though the number of human participants in this year's 4th of July party was dramatically lower than the previous, the number of total participants was actually similar. About 30 or so, including Twilight and her friends, the Mayor of Ponyville, and half of the main street booth sellers. Another notable guest was also a government official, but for Asher's country.
Governor Looper, plus a security detail watching just about every angle stoically (despite a certain pink pony's best efforts to include them) and one photographer snapping away from the sidelines, was sitting at the park-style picnic table that had been dragged to the center of the yard with Princess Twilight, Rarity, Mayor Mare, and Asher's parents all present. Asher had decided to notify the government of their planned get together and about an hour later the governor had suddenly requested if he could join. It's an election year isn't it...
Several card tables held essentially every vegetarian dish his mother could come up with. It was less surprising that most of these dishes had never quite been Asher's favorite. Even though they had far from stopped eating meat during their home meals and Twilight definitely knew of their omnivorous habits, they had unanimously decided that it would have just been awkward to eat it with the ponies around, especially in a party setting.
Their TV had been dragged outside for the time being as well for a family tradition of watching the baseball game. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and a several other ponies were seated in front of it mingled with Patrick and Jonathon. They were happily munching on potato chips and talking about the different players and plays. It had been a bit of a surprise to find out that they didn't have to explain the rules to the Equestrians, as it turned out they had a version of the game themselves. Asher wasn't sure how exactly anyone besides the unicorns could pull that off with their decided lack of fingers. He did hear Rainbow Dash making fun of how humans pitched the ball, saying it made them look like floundering ducks hitting a windmill. That was kinda funny. The only damper was that their team was currently being absolutely destroyed by the visitors in gray, though everybody also found it amusing that the home team's left fielder had the nickname "Little Pony."
On the far part of the yard David was talking with Big Macintosh and a few other ponies just listening in, all the while keeping a cautious eye on the box of fireworks they were saving. The two oldest Burgess boys had both not liked the look their younger sister and the three younger sisters of their pony friends had gotten when they were told of the pyrotechnic contents.
Speaking of which, Anne was actually inside at the moment, introducing those three to the Wii. Frankly, Asher was half surprised something hadn't crashed yet. Crazy stuff like that happened even with Anne's human friends, and not one of them had ever made a freaking soapbox car and ridden it down a hill. Fluttershy had followed them in per the request of Rarity, so that probably had something to do with it despite the pegasus' shy demeanor.
Several other social circles were around the lawn, most eating on picnic blankets that had been hastily spread. He recognized a few of them though there were a couple new faces here and there.
"So, what intrigues you the most about our world Your Highness?"
Governor Looper's carefully phrased question brought Asher back to the present. Their table was by far the most awkward locale in the entire place, a face plain on everybody's face, even the Governor's. It didn't help that whether he meant it or not the inflection he used suggested that he was trying to get information.
"Ummm," Twilight hummed, searching for an answer. She had actually been asked this same question the day before by Anne, though it had been phrased differently. It was curious that she had the exact same response before answering. Either that or Asher's analytical side of his mind was bored.
"...I think the political structure. Could you explain how it works?"
That, however, was not the same response as before (she had said self-driving nature patterns). And it was in direct response to the question. Governor Looper backtracked, as a small flutter of realization crossed his expression, and recovered gracefully and quickly. Bold move, Twilight.
"It's complicated. I'm just a simple elected official so I might not be the best person to explain it all," he said. Yeah, and the governor of a state who had previously even run for the senate and lost. He knew very well but he wasn't willing to risk saying anything that he wasn't supposed to. Smart guy. Twilight definitely knew something to this effect, because she just nodded and smiled politely with a quick glance right at Asher, who couldn't help but smirk back. He had given a very basic rundown of the government system that even a fifth grader knew. It wasn't that complicated. Twilight's claims of being relatively new to the political realm were belied by her intelligence and wit. Just a week ago, the Asher who hadn't come to trust her yet would have been put higher on his guard by this side of the alicorn.
Luckily, at least in the realm of the short but uncomfortable exchange, they were rescued by the very tactful Mayor Mare, who added a comment about her own status as an elected official, a topic that surprisingly would lead the two leaders to have an extended conversation about the subject. It was a thankful distraction, one that showed off the Mayor's experience as well.
"Well he's a pleasure," Twilight whispered sideways with a grin.
"He's probably stressed, though he did bring this on himself," responded Asher. "And I might be stressed too after last night."
"That big of a deal, huh?"
"The government aren't the only ones who get a little edgy when things don't go according to plan," said Asher, before laughing. "You should have seen the news. 'A major breach of security.' 'Public assured nobody is in danger.""
"I thought you said that everybody there had loved it," said Rarity, who had been listening in.
"Oh, they did. But they hadn't been in charge of watching this whole area. It kind of scared the powers that be that two of ya got past them," said Asher, still light-hearted in tone. He wasn't worried about it at all. Any concern about "extra-terrestrial disease" seemed to had been all but forgotten after just 8 days, and it was fairly obvious with the dramatic display that was now tearing up the internet was not an act of espionage. All other ponies were still accounted for, and those other two were on a fast track to being celebrities. The likeliness of something bad happening to them was relatively low at the moment.
But it was still dang near the oddest thing he had ever seen, and he watched SciFi Channel.
The sun was finally going down, dipping behind the mountains. It was the middle of summer, so the cool air that accompanied the sunset was a welcome exchange, and was quite comfortable. And for once it wasn't raining on the 4th of July, though Asher suspected that the abilities of the pegasi had something to do with that since the poor weatherman had predicted there would be. The guy hadn't had anything go right for him in a week.
"Twilight! The big surprise is reeeeaadyyyy!" Pinkie Pie sang, bouncing right by the picnic table. Governor Looper laughed as he watched the deer-like gait the pony took, which appeared to please Pinkie Pie immensely.
"If you'll excuse us for a moment," Twilight said with a bright smile, clambering down from the bench with Rarity and following the pony. "Rainbow Dash! Applejack! It's time!"
"I'll get Fluttershy!" Applejack offered as she went into the house, reemerging a few seconds later with said pegasus in tow.
A few of his family members, and the Governor, looked at him a little quizzically. But all Asher could do was shake his head, because this time he had no idea what this surprise was. But as long as it didn't involve completely blowing up the light spectrum or other forms of breaking physics, he would be fine.
Twilight and the others gathered on a side of the yard, garnering everyone's attention as they divvied up unseen items in a circle. Then the two pegasi flew into the air, carrying what sort of looked like a rolled up rug up into the air and then stopping about 20 feet off the ground, waiting patiently as Twilight stepped forward with the others spreading out behind her.
"I want to begin by thanking our hosts, both the Burgess family and the representatives of the United States of America. We have been treated with utmost care and concern for our situation, which was perhaps more than could have been expected. We probably can't repay you, but we wanted to show our appreciation with this little presentation we put together."
And with that, she stepped back and Pinkie Pie came from behind her adorned with no less than 10 different instruments. What the...
And she could freaking play them all at once. That kind of thing should only be possible in cartoons and youtube videos, but there was a creature who didn't even have fingers that was doing it right before their eyes. Asher was so distracted by this feat that he barely noticed what tune she was playing. The Star Spangled Banner sounded strange with a harmonica and accordion included but it was the anthem nonetheless. She had it down pat. A quick glance around told Asher that all the humans were as stunned as he was.
At the song's climax, Applejack and Rarity pushed in what Asher recognized as their party cannons, but before he could warn anyone both discharged confetti loudly all over the yard, right on cue where the lyric "the rocket's red glare" would have been. Pinkie Pie continued her one-pony concert with gusto as she raced towards the song's conclusion. It was actually pretty rousing, and Asher found himself singing the familiar words under his breath.
As she reached "o'er the land of the free" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy suddenly swung their front hooves forward, and their bundle unfurled to reveal a massive American flag. Well, with one difference, but Asher had no time to dwell as all five ponies not playing the instruments suddenly burst out in harmony.
"And the hoooooome of the braaaaaaave!"
They had good voices.
Then Twilight leaped into the middle, her horn glowing a purple aura, and then proceeded to break more physics. Several bursts of light streaked skyward and burst into colorful fireworks for a few seconds as Pinkie rounded out her crescendo and everything was quiet. There was silence for about two seconds before the Burgess family began clapping and cheering with the Governor following suit, and the other ponies in attendance adding their own cheers and stomping their hooves on the ground. It was probably the strangest applause in world history, and Asher cursed that he hadn't thought to at least get out his phone and record it.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy moved to fold the large flag as the other four went forward to greet their audience. Twilight made directly for their picnic table, followed closely by Rarity and Pinkie Pie, whom had already shed her instruments. Somewhere.
"When did you guys put all that together?" Asher asked as the applause finally died and the conversations resumed.
"Well, we practiced the song yesterday," started Twilight.
"I got Anne to get me the music sheets!" Pinkie Pie interjected, smiling broadly at them for just a second before spotting Anne near the door and rushing over. That explains that.
"But Rarity has been working on that flag for several days now," beamed Twilight, motioning to a very pleased Rarity. "It wasn't easy, she had to copy the design from a picture Big Shot had managed to take of your flag in the front yard.
"Oh, it wasn't that difficult," said Rarity humbly, though her eyes were practically glowing.
"I kind of like the addition to it," said Asher. "That's on your flag, right? What does it mean?"
In the middle of the blue box of stars, a sillouetted image of two ponies and a red heart had been superimposed. The ponies had gone all out with this display, which they were extra fortunate that a major government official had witnessed (even if Asher had a feeling that he would have to try and explain how Twilight just shot explosive energy out of her head with what appeared to be minimal effort), to show their willingness to exist harmoniously with this world. Speaking of which...
"It means harmony."
- Twilight -
"SPIKE! Come on! We have no time to waste!"
"I don't understand! I thought we had two hours before we even have to be down there!" the dragon complained as he zipped to and fro the library gathering their luggage and materials.
"We do, but you know as well as I that getting everypony to follow a schedule can be like pulling teeth!" Twilight retorted, busy herself gathering her notes. The dragon flinched at the notion. He had recently lost a tooth and he hadn't enjoyed the experience one bit, particularly since the diamond-strength dragon teeth immediately grow right back in an apparently painful fashion.
Just to double check, Twilight went over her checklist, and then her guest list, and then her talking points list, and then the list of lists to be sure she had covered all of them. Then, magically transporting her bags in the air above her and Spike aboard her back, Twilight strode out the door to begin the process of gathering her friends. Might as well start with Rarity, as the prissy pony often took the longest to prepare herself for the day. Having such a beautifully styled mane didn't just happen on its own.
A few minutes later Twilight had arrived at the Carousel Boutique and rapped on the door with a hoof. She hadn't even put her foot down before the door swung open to reveal Rarity, who's mind was obviously in high gear.
"Twilight! Why aren't you dressed!?" she shrieked. Rarity was apparently in the process of dressing herself, her head mane wrapped carefully in a towel.
"Rarity, what do you mean?" Twilight asked, confused by the unicorn's distress. Instead of answering, Rarity grabbed her and whipped her inside. The other four, to Twilight's surprise, were already there. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were already fully dressed in outfits fit for a gala, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash had bits and pieces adorned on them. Neither of the latter two seemed all that pleased about it.
"What's going on?" Twilight finally asked as Rarity ran every which way between Twilight and her ensemble collection.
"Rarity thinks..." Rainbow began.
"We are about to appear before the leader of an entire country! It's practically the same as if we were gaining an audience with Princess Celestia!" Rarity prattled, stopping for a moment to wrap a sash around Rainbow Dash's midsection, tightening the dress.
"But Rarity, we see Princess Celestia all the time," defended Twilight. It was hardly an event getting preened for every time.
"But we are representing all of Equestria! No, our entire world!" Rarity responded. "I simply must demand we make the best impression possible."
She had a point there. In fact, she had ripped open one of Twilight's fears that she had just barely managed to control going to be the night before. The other one, well, she hadn't talked with anypony about yet. Rarity took Twilight's silence to mean agreement and continued her rapid fire preparation. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both protested, but ultimately both allowed themselves to be spruced up. Amazingly, Rarity managed to prepare all six of them within an hour and a half. The dresses were essentially what they had worn to Twilight's coronation, though Twilight resisted Rarity's insistence that she put on her crown. She would don it only when it was time, but not for travel.
The party trooped carefully down Main Street to meet the Mayor, who would be among those accompanying them. Out front of the Town Hall, Mayor Mare and her assistant Meadowlark were both waiting patiently, we were two others. Comet Tail and Caramel were both there upon Twilight's request. A third would be joining them at the human capital, but he would be going on another transportation. Realizing that all of her "escorts" were mares, Twilight had decided it would be a good idea to invite stallions along as well. Via the Governor, she was able to request they ask Rapidfire at Rainbow Falls to come along as well.
The Mayor wasn't quite as well dressed as Twilight's posse, but she and the others had definitely put some effort into their appearance. Seeing this Twilight felt silly not thinking about it earlier, seeing as almost everypony else had already.
It was fortunate that it had not rained the previous night as a muddy path would have surely thrown Rarity into conniptions, and they soon arrived at the end of the trail near the Burgess' backyard. A human stood waiting for them.
"Wow, you guys are looking snazzy," he said.
"Snazzy! That's a fun word!" Pinkie Pie
"Asher!?" Twilight hadn't even recognized him. For one, he wasn't wearing his baseball hat, revealing a slightly messy and short, but still groomed, brown mane. Secondly, he was dressed in a suit and tie and looked sharper than she had ever seen him.
"Don't look so surprised," Asher joked. "I can clean up good when I want to. I do have a girlfriend, ya know."
"So, are we taking your cars?" Twilight asked, changing the subject to avoid any further embarrassment as her friends snickered.
"Oh, good gravy, no," Asher said. "That would truly suck to drive all that way. We'll be driving to the base and they're gonna fly us there. Whole trip will only take 'bout six hours."
"Ooh! We're going to fly? That sounds fun! Is it a balloon?" Pinkie Pie asked as Asher motioned them inside and led them to the front of the house.
"Something much faster than a balloon," laughed Asher as he got his family's attention. Glancing at Rainbow Dash, Twilight noticed a flash of excitement pass through her eyes. Seeing as Rainbow was the only one who had gotten close (too close) to human flying machines, Twilight couldn't decide if she should be worried or excited about that.
The Burgess family was assembled near several black colored vehicles while many other humans stood watch. The whole family was dressed similarly to their oldest, though Candace and Anne were wearing beautiful dresses of their own. Anne looked straight adorable, her hair drawn back into a clean pony tail. It was now even more apparent that Rarity's instincts on the matter had been spot on.
There were three vehicles, and it took a few minutes to get everypony organized and into their seats, but soon they were on their way. Twilight was comfortably perched on a seat in the second row, between Asher on her right and Applejack on her left. David sat in the front seat while a human she didn't know was driving, and Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were squeezed in a row in the back. Pinkie Pie had jumped into another car with Anne giggling behind her, with most of the rest of the Burgess family and Spike piling in too. The last car had the Mayor, Meadlowlark, Caramel, and Comet Tail along with the suddenly adventurous Patrick.
The three packed vehicles left in procession and where soon joined by several others, obviously acting as guards. They approached the crowds that up to this point had just been visible distantly and from the air, and Twilight shared the mixed emotions of her friends. Rainbow Dash had her face pressed up against the window to get a better view as they passed by slowly, while Fluttershy was doing her best to hide behind Rarity, even though the windows had been darkened to keep those outside from peering in. A rather ingenious invention.
But soon, they were speeding along the road, a reminder of their inventive capabilities despite their lack of magic. Thinking about that, the worry coming back to Twilight's mind of what they would soon face, and for some reason she still didn't just tell everypony about it. She fretted inwardly even as the others chattered excitedly about their newest adventure, catching only bits and pieces like how Asher had never been to this "DC" before either. Her worry made the short trip even shorter as before she knew it Applejack was nudging her to take a look outside.
She looked to see several buildings and a tall tower, the function of which Twilight had no idea, which they quickly bypassed and onto what looked like extremely wide streets paved just like the Burgess' front path. Just a few moments later the procession came to a halt, and everypony scrambled out the doors with Rarity pleading that they be careful with their dresses.
Stepping carefully out with some assistance from their driver, Twilight was immediately impressed with the machine before them. Suddenly Rapidfire's description of a giant metal whale with wings made a lot more sense. It was just like the plane in that movie they had watched, including the navy blue color, but it was most incredible that something so big could actually fly. It was bigger than most dragons!
Their drivers plus some soldiers politely directed them towards a staircase leading up to a door on the massive craft, which an excited Pinkie Pie lead the way up as Dash flew in right behind her. She followed Asher and his brother up the steep stairway and entered. It was just as roomy as it looked on the outside. In fact, it looked almost like somepony had stuffed a house inside of it, complete with nice furnishings.
"This is a million times better than any plane I've ever been on," remarked Patrick behind her. It must be good if even the humans were impressed. Several humans dressed in matching clothing directed them to a section that she assumed was the middle of the aircraft, where several seats were arranged facing forward. Each was easily the size of a LazyColt.
There were enough seats for all the travelers to find a spot. Asher took a seat right next to a small window, so Twilight carefully clambered up into the seat across the narrow walkway as her traveling companions all found places to sit. The seat was soft but firm, making it quiet comfortable. This was definitely going to be more comfortable than a balloon ride, and a heck of a lot easier than flying herself.
Some of the building excitement was beginning to eclipse some of Twilight's nervousness, but not her careful analysis. She was still watching the magic field carefully, ready to watch everypony like a hawk. Incredibly they were still inside the bubble, which led Twilight to wonder just how far it had expanded. Maybe they would get lucky, and somehow it was already covering the whole country. What am I thinking? That's even more impossible than the fact it's expanding at all!
"Don't worry, they say flying is the safest way to travel."
Twilight swiveled her head forward to see Jonathon, who was leaning around the seat in front of her with a sympathetic look. Twilight realized that she must have looked awfully nervous for who knows how long. She quickly smiled and straightened up.
"Thanks Jonathon," she said sincerely. "I think I'll be fine."
The young boy nodded with a smile and sat back into his seat, quickly striking up a conversation with Caramel, whom had set next to him. Fluttershy had taken up the seat to Twilight's left and had watched the little exchange, giving Twilight a friendly nudge. The pegasus had never really enjoyed flying in general, whether under her own power or in a balloon, so it was especially meaningful that she was offering her comfort, even if it was misplaced.
A voice announced that they were getting ready for takeoff and for all passengers to remain in their seats until he gave the go ahead, and soon after Twilight felt a little lurch as the behemoth moved. She looked over to the window and confirmed that they were indeed moving, though it soon came to an abrupt stop. For a moment, she wondered if maybe something was wrong, but that was immediately disproved when they lurched forward again. This time, they were gaining speed as a dull roar that could be felt even in the floor gained strength. Twilight felt herself being pushed back into the seat by the force of the movement, and then a familiar drop in her stomach as they pushed off the earth. A glance out the window showed they were gaining altitude quickly, more so than a common pegasus typically would.
"It's not quite the same when you can't feel the wind in your mane," said a disappointed Rainbow Dash, who had taken the seat behind Asher so that she could see out another window.
"Well I say thank goodness for that," said Rarity. "Going this fast it would surely ruin all of our outfits."
"You doin' alright Ash?" David said, more in a joking tone than concerned one.
"Shut up," was the terse reply. Now that Twilight was looking at him she noticed he was gripping the seat rather tightly and was staring rigidly out the window. David and his other brothers laughed at their older brother who just gave each of them short glares in turn before looking back out the window.
"Aw, what's wrong, Ashie?" Pinkie Pie asked, disobeying the pilot's voice and already standing next to their adviser's chair.
"He's scared of flying!" answered Patrick with a laugh.
"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash was flat shocked, leaping into a low hover so she could see over the chair back at the offending party. That made Twilight laugh, which made her feel a little bad as more voices chuckled at the situation, driving Asher farther into his seat just like Fluttershy tended to do.
"It's just the takeoff," muttered Asher in self defense.
"And the landing!" added Patrick, definitely seizing the opportunity to antagonize his sibling.
"Alright! That's enough boys!" Their mother said, ending the issue.
"You're really scared of flying?" Rainbow Dash whispered over the armrest.
"It's irrational, but yeah," admitted Asher quietly, still gripping the seat tightly. Rainbow Dash could clearly not even imagine that. In fact she gave an involuntary shudder.
"Brr. Twilight, do you think we can maybe turn up the temperature?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight barely heard her though as the sensation of being dumped on by a bucket of ice water shot through her system. She shivered at the shock, and was about to oblige the mare's request by asking Asher about it when the feeling passed, almost as fast as it came.
"Um, never mind," Fluttershy whispered. That was weird.
Then it clicked in her mind. Twilight concentrated on her surroundings once more, closing her eyes in focus. She let her spell search everywhere, but what she suspected was confirmed. They were completely out of the magic field now. Her eyes flew open anxiously, darting from pony to pony, and even to her own body. She casually disguised measuring her heart rate by leaning on her hoof as she watched Pinkie Pie show off a party trick to Asher in a successful attempt to cheer him up.
Rainbow Dash was still hovering a little off the ground, chatting animatedly with Applejack across the way about how it didn't even feel like they were moving fast, though Asher explained that they were traveling at hundreds of miles per hour. Rarity was up front, easily levitating a book in front of her as Candace peeked over to read it as well. Mayor Mare and Meadowlark were in conversation with Comet Tail listening in, the second also levitating a pen and paper. Her own heart rate was slightly faster than normal, but that could easily be chalked up to nervousness.
In fact, everything seemed normal, but Twilight kept watching carefully for any signs of danger, all the while trying to appear as un-worried as she could possibly be. 30 minutes in Pinkie Pie broke out into song, which was answered by a fun capella harmony from the Burgess children of a song asking "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" An hour and twenty minutes in a small hoof/arm wrestling tournament started, despite Rarity's protests. It inevitably lead to Applejack and Rainbow Dash duking it out for two muscle-straining minutes while David rubbed his sore arm after Applejack had accidentally slammed it down pretty hard the minute before. Three hours in Twilight showed off a magic trick of her own on Spike, growing him a mustache in an instant (that had drawn quite the reaction from all humans present, and with several quite insistent that it had to be some sort of sleight of hoof instead of real magic). Four hours in, Asher thought it would be a good idea for Twilight and the Mayor to go over what they might talk about, during which herself and Meadowlark used levitation continuously.
Twilight recorded everything on secret notes. Every use of magic, whether it was Alicorn, Unicorn, Pegasi, or Earth, was carefully noted. After five hours, apparently about an hour from their destination, Twilight scanned her notes as a new fascination with the view of the ground sent most everypony to the windows to get a better look. And one thing was clear.
There was absolutely no visible effect. Their inner magic was, at the present, sustaining them all on it's own. Twilight had just debunked hundreds of years of magic theory in the space of a few hours. She decided to save any final conclusions for after a more substantial piece of time, but for the moment she could only marvel at this newest discovery. She took a deep breath and relaxed for the first time all day, walking over to peer at the ground far below.
Her last use of magic on the trip was to keep Pinkie Pie back from strangling Asher in a hug as they descended towards a bumpy landing.
- Asher -
An escorted motorcade met and began transporting them towards their first destination: Capital Hill. The pegasus Rapidfire had managed to arrive before them and was now seated in the stretch limo along with Asher, Twilight, Mayor Mare, Meadowlark, Rarity, and Comet Tail. The rest of the ponies were in the other limo with the rest of his family.
"Okay, so this first meeting is all for show," Asher said. "Pretty much just a photo op on the steps. You won't have to say much if anything at all, so just smile and wave. After that, they're going to move everyone to a back room where they'll have you answer questions for a bunch of reporters. Don't answer anything you don't know, and never say 'I don't know.' And don’t be afraid to say ‘no comment if you don’t know.’"
Of course, being careful with that phrase was also important too.
"After that, then you, Mayor Mare, and Rapidfire will be given an opportunity to speak with the President in a closed setting. Some guards will there to watch and maybe a photographer but other than that not even I will be in there. Just give him your concerns and do your best to answer his."
All of this was a reiteration of what they had discussed a couple times before, though this time he didn't bother going over the talking points.
"After that, they'll get us back to the hotel they have set up, and we can spend the next couple days doing some sight seeing. Easy peesy," finished Asher. "Then we go home."
"Sounds simple enough," said Rapidfire succinctly.
- FOX -
"Well, it would be an understatement of the century to say that this is a day that will go down in history. The procession is lead by Princess Twilight Sparkle, the apparent monarch of the Equestrians, and I believe, yes, there are ten others following her. They are dressed quite fashionably in what we can easily assume is formal attire, and they seem as awe struck as we are. According to the note Jim just handed me, we have the names of most of them. After the Princess we have Rarity, then-"
- NBC -
"- there to greet the visitors of a new world is the leader of the Free World. This image of President White shaking the hoof of the Equestrian just might be the most influential picture of this still young century. Ok, now the president will say a few words. We'll switch the mike over to him."
- BBC -
"- is my honor to welcome Princess Twilight Sparkle and the residents of Ponyville and Rainbow Falls to the United States of America, and officially accept your request for asylum. As long as your situation finds you stranded on our humble planet, I want to assure you that the people of this country will ensure your safety and welcoming. As we saw two nights ago, Americans are ready and anxious to get to know our esteemed guests. It is my pleasure to announce a special task force is already at work in California to study the anomaly that has allowed our meeting, and they are confident in their abilities to find the way back to your home."
[Applause]
"And there you have it. I'm sure I speak for many when I say that the people of Britain would like to extend the same greeting of goodwill-"
- Asher -
I'm so glad that first part's over thought Asher. Who knew just a photo opportunity could be so aggravating? But, everyone was cheering quite loudly to give their welcome to the ponies. There was a massive crowd all jostling to get a good look, and there were cell phones and cameras held up high trying to get the next best vine to post on the internet. Ponies were officially dominating the internet.
Soon a practical army of Secret Service spirited away the pony envoy up the steps of the Capital Building, which was grand though somewhat smaller in person than Asher had imagined. After being led down several hallways they finally came to a large room that could easily double as a banquet hall, where a long table with short legs was on the stage lined with a row of microphones. Much of the large media section was already bustling and filling up fast. Upon the ponies entrance many were already crowding up to the single file asking questions.
Some gave answers willingly even as security ushered them along, particularly Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Though Asher took a couple of extra steps forward to put himself between the reporters and Fluttershy, who looked like she was going to jump out of her skin, and the pegasi smiled weakly up at him in gratitude.
A small section of chairs was set up for the ponies not going on the stand, and that's where Asher parted with Fluttershy as she trotted carefully off with Rarity to that part of the room. Asher took an awkward seat at the short table. It was at perfect height for pony seated on the floor to talk directly into the microphones, but not so much for humans. A small chair had been provided but after feeling just too weird he finally set it back and sat criss-cross on the floor. In this position he was just barely shorter than the ponies who were seated with their rumps on the floor but front legs still straight up, much like a cat.
Only Twilight, the Mayor, and Rapidfire were seated on the stand, which made sense though it appeared to disappoint Rainbow Dash and even Rarity to an extent. Rainbow certainly loved the spotlight, and it sort of made sense that the flashy unicorn would too. Twilight, on the other hand, would of most likely traded places with them in an instant. This was something of a pattern with the alicorn. She had great skills and was undeniably intelligent, but she definitely doubted her abilities. When she glanced at him he made sure to give her a big smile as he suppressed his own nervousness. He had long pictured himself being in an important setting like this one day, having to present himself to the media. True, those fantasies hadn't involved technicolor talking ponies from another world, but all the same. It was a start.
The questions began in rapid succession, and a mediator standing on the other end of the stage pointed to the first reporter to keep order.
"How long do you intend to stay?"
"Well," Twilight began slowly, methodically concocting an answer. "We have been treated well ever since we arrived here. The very first day one of our fillies was saved by a human from a Timberwolf. We are grateful and amazed by this world, but we hope to be able to return where we belong as soon as we are able."
"Has this happened before in your world?"
"No. I didn't even know such things were possible," Twilight admitted. On that stance both worlds were agreed.
"Princess Twilight, does Equestria have a military?"
Are you serious? What are trying to do? Asher rubbed his hands involuntarily as he waited for Twilight's response. It was actually a question he had never asked directly himself, deciding it would appear to threatening a question. Asher wondered if she would just ‘No Comment’ on this one, but at the same time he realized how bad of an idea that was. He hoped that she realized that. Twilight thought carefully for several seconds, with the Mayor looking on nervously while Rapidfire wore a curious expression. Clearly he wanted to see how she would answer as well.
"Equestria has the Royal Guard which serves to protect it from dangers both natural and external, and Rapidfire is a member of the Wonderbolts who are Equestria's top flyers and essentially our Air Force. We sometimes face danger from powerful dark forces or wild creatures, and when that happens we pull together to defend our home. But to answer your question more thoroughly, we have not had a war with another pony people in over 800 years, and Equestria has never been the aggressor. Harmony and Friendship have managed to preserve our world's peace for many centuries."
Good answer. Twilight now brimmed with confidence as she stared out into the sea of reporters and cameras, projecting exactly the image they needed. A leader with no desires for power. Asher remembered back to the informative atlas that told a little of their past and as far as that book was concerned Twilight had told the truth. Their beginnings may have been marked by war and hardship, and Asher had picked up enough to realized their world was filled with dangerous creatures, but their recent history was shimmering with equine peace. By comparison the only human nation who hadn't fought a war in that kind of length of time was Switzerland, and that's just because their geography allowed them to do so.
More questions came, some directed specifically at one of the other ponies, but now there was no tension. The media members audibly scoffed whenever things like 'magic' where mentioned, but the atmosphere was still lively. Twilight didn't shake at all as she answered carefully and politely, and only said no comment once when a reporter had asked stupid and very privacy-invasive type question. Asher was asked just one question about how he first encountered the Equestrians, and was pleased that they found his story so thrilling, though he left out how the wolf had literally been made of timber. One reporter then turned a question specifically towards Rainbow Dash in the corner.
"What was that light explosion caused by over Colorado?"
"That was my Sonic Rainboom!" Rainbow Dash answered enthusiastically, jumping into the air on habit so that everyone could see her better. "And I'm the only one in all of Equestria who can pull it off."
Another flood of questions came rushing over them before Rainbow Dash could even say more and the mediator suddenly stood up and announced that that was all for questions. And though the deluge continued the security proceeded to direct and usher the ponies out the door and all the way back to the motorcade. The next stop would be the most important one of them all. Pennsylvania Avenue.
Asher distracted himself by pointing out some of the monuments they were able to see. Twilight seemed genuinely impressed by the Washington Monument for it's sheer size, though Rainbow Dash voiced, "Really, that's it? Just a big pole?"
"Maybe it's a rocket!" suggested Pinkie Pie with a giggle.
The Capital was not that far from the White House, where the meeting would take place. In contrast to the Capital, the White House looked a little bigger in person than on TV. Applejack and Caramel both commented on well manicured the lawn and gardens looked while Rarity offered praise for the architecture. Rainbow Dash said it was pretty cool but also added how she thought it would be castle like back at their home.
As they exited the vehicles on the White House lawn, Asher wandered over to his family to share the moment with them. The three ponies that would take part in the discussion would be the only ones actually going in, for security concerns no doubt. So the other 8 stood together and chatted excitedly/nervously, taking in their scenic surrounds as the media hounds lined the white house fence broadcasting the story. To avoid them the Secret Service escorted all of them to a more sheltered part of the grounds, where a vegetarian spread had been prepared. They actually brought some burgers for Asher and his brothers, which he scarfed down quickly. He was hungry.
He also wondered with butterflies what was going on behind the doors of the Oval Office.
- Twilight -
President White showed signs of somewhat advanced age on his face, with deepening wrinkles underneath his eyes and a head that was nearly bare of hair. His brown skin appeared a little bit worn from years of work, but yet not one bit of him projected a bit of weakness. He held a stately, commanding presence, his eyes showing many years of experience and knowledge. He was much like Princess Luna in that respect, though a little less intimidating. He was seated very attentively in a simple but ornate chair facing the three ponies where they sat comfortably shoulder to shoulder on a single couch of similar design. Thus far there conversation had been cordial but to the point, which was just fine for Twilight.
"So you're concerned about food supplies?"
"Yes, Mr. President," Twilight affirmed, remembering the title she was supposed to use. "Sweet Apple Acres supplies us with plenty of apples and some other vegetables and there are other small gardens in Ponyville and Rainbow Falls, but we have no way to make flour, salt, or sugar. Our gardens can only go so far."
"Do you use currency in any form?" asked the President.
"Gold Bits and gems," answered Twilight. This was one of the talking points.
"In that case I think it would be easy to arrange the shipment of needed materials. I'll contact suppliers and have them contact you to arrange a deal."
"Thank you, Mr. President," all three ponies said in unison.
"In the meantime, I have another question for you. In light of recent events, do you see the need for troops to secure your town limits?"
Twilight had thought about this too. It had been a nice security blanket, and both she and Asher had shared feelings of some doubt. But with a nod from the Mayor, they had agreed.
"We do not believe we are in danger from your people, though we do request that we be able to control how many people come in at a time. Both towns are quite small and it wouldn't be pleasant to be suddenly crowded."
"I believe that's fair," answered the President. "I have just one more question."
"Yes, sir?"
"Do you believe the event that brought your towns here could pose a threat to the safety of my people?"
- Andrew -
Andrew couldn't help but be proud of his son. He had handled himself very well and for all appearances made it seem like he really was the best person for his job, however young he was or how hasty the position given. For now Asher was passed out in an arm chair of the hotel room he was sharing with his brother, his tie on the floor with his jacket and his hat comfortably placed on his head once more as he slept.
The ponies had been set up in the six or so rooms down the hall, two to a room except in the case of the yellow stallion from Rainbow Falls, who had one to himself. His daughter would be sleeping in the same room as himself and his wife while his sons split two rooms. Honestly that was the most room they had for any family vacation. Sometimes they'd stuff all seven into one hotel room, with the children who drew the short straw sleeping on pillows on the floor.
It had been a long day for all of them, but the exhaustion on Asher's face showed that his was among the longest. Even as he sat in the room, talking with David about potential plans for the next day, a couple of the ponies knocked gently and walked in the room.
"Sorry, but just wanted to tell Asher what we had decided to visit tomorrow," said Rainbow Dash in a high whisper, seeing that he was asleep. The Pink one had a piece of paper clenched in her teeth, which she put into one hoof.
"There's so much to see!" she whispered excitedly.
"Where's Twilight?" asked Andrew. So far he hadn't personally seen any of them without the purple pony having been with them.
"Taking a leaf out of Asher's book," answered Applejack. "Sawin' logs."
"Hmm. Let me see the list," asked Andrew, extending his hand. Pinkie obliged and gave him the paper. On it was a list of pretty much all of the tourist attractions in D.C., and several were either circled or scribbled or both. He guessed that they had worked out some sort of balance by what they all wanted to see. The Museum, the Mall, the Aerospace Museum, Nationals Park. That last one had a note scribbled by it, "If there's a game!"
"Looks like you'll have a full day tomorrow," Andrew commented quietly. "Should be fun."
"Yeah, well I just hope we don't spend too much time in the museums," said Rainbow Dash. "That's for egg-heads."
"I'm just glad we won't have to wear anythin' fru fru tomorrow," said Applejack, to which Rainbow Dash agreed whole heartedly. They had both shed their dresses as quickly as soon as they arrived at the hotel, tossing them aside in the hallway. For a second Andrew hadn't been sure whether he was supposed to look away or not, and he ended up doing nothing as the white one chastised them. Not for undressing in front of everyone, but for just tossing them on the floor. That had been a strange six or seven seconds that eventually left Andrew laughing in spite of weariness. The ponies didn't even really notice.
The sun had fully set behind the horizon, bringing on the night. The city lights glowed brightly but far away enough that it wouldn't be enough to interrupt their sleep. Andrew said good night to David and to the ponies as they split off to their rooms for the night as he went back to his own. After some ESPN, because most of the other channels were recapping the days activity that he had just lived in person, he turned it off and soon was drifting off to sleep.
- Twilight -
Twilight woke up groggily, her mind slow to remember that she was in a human hotel with comically oversized beds. On the other bed Pinkie Pie was still snoring loudly even as the morning's light spilled into the spacious room. Not sure how to begin the day being out of her element, she shifted carefully in bed so as not to disturb Spike sleeping curled at the end of the bed. Using her magic she picked up the remote to the TV set and managed to find the right buttons to turn it on. I could probably figure out a spell that allows me to turn it one without this thing she thought idly as it flickered to life.
"- we can expect clear skies across the country, except for those in the pacific northwest where rain showers are expected from Seattle to Portland and even all the way to Boise."
"Thanks Dan, when we come back we'll get a sports update from Shayla, and then special guest Glenn Beck will be calling in with his insights on yesterday's events."
A logo of the station replaced the smiling humans which was soon followed by an energetic man running across a track in some sort of promotion for an orange-colored drink. Not really caring to try and change the channel, Twilight laid back with her head propped up by a pillow. Stress had really taken it out of her the day before, so she was uncharacteristically willing to start the day slow.
More strange promotions for random items started playing in succession as Twilight felt herself zone out. She slipped back to sleep, blissfully unaware she would be rudely awoken a few minutes later by a loud announcement of breaking news from the TV. She didn't know it as she slept peacefully, but elsewhere there was a room of humans in a full panic mode that would make Discord giddy should he have seen it.
And that the most perplexing adventure was about to begin.
- Pasadena, California -
Dr. Mira Gonzalez was trying really hard to be calm. With the help of NASA they had been watching the atmosphere for any more anomalies like what they had seen in Colorado and Washington, ready to study and if necessary warn anyone of an impending rift. Since the event in Washington state there had been three more events of note and a smattering of small ones, though the only one that had been near any populated areas had been in North Korea. But since no news had come out of there they had no idea what to expect from that.
But the screens that had previously showed the same images for hours on end were now lit up like a Christmas tree.
"We're tracking, six, no, seven, make that...Dang it! They just keep coming!"
"Ten. Twelve. Somebody check for any metro zones!"
"What the heck is going on!?"
"Doctor!"
"We're seeing major events from Australia to Spain. No less than seven in North America alone! Ohio, Alberta, Missouri, Maryland, Nebraska..."
"Doctor!"
"Someone get the Pentagon!"
"MIRA!"
Mira looked at the reedy intern who had been trying to get her attention. Before she could reprimand him he wordlessly he pointed to one part of the screen. Her mind took a second to process what the deal was, when she realized it wasn't what but where.
She burst out of the doors and rushed down two flights of stairs until she finally reached the main entrance. She threw open the doors, a few other team members trickled out behind her. There in the sky to the southwest was the darkest cloud she had ever seen in California, or anywhere else for that matter. She could see lightning was crackling within it loudly, though nothing was touching the ground-
CRACK!
A bolt struck down, the thunder reverberating through the valley.
There was a lightning anomaly right before her eyes, a rift between worlds in the early morning air.
Right. Over. Los Angeles.
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Now we know where Cloudsdale went.
HEEYYYYY is it los pegagasis? probably.
IT'S CAPITOL!
You mean they weren't already?
Well, this should be interesting.
mrwgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/I-Like-It-Another-Thor-Reaction-Gif.gif
Damn! Los Pegasus is not Pony Sin City, that would've been funny to watch!
God damn, Discord was taken wasn't he? That's just something he would do.
Haha! Tremble before the power of the mustache, puny mortals!
Huh, so leaving the field has no effect on ponies. It's gotta have some effect though, so I'm now more inclined to my inFAMOUS-powers theory.
Great use of the news channels to skip by the first part.
Ponioes?
You should spell out numbers. Eight instead of 8.
L-L-Loaded Question! Though it is one that, technically, is his job to ask.
Oh. Yay.
OH FUCK! ← Perhaps the greatest understatement of history!
Calling it now, it's Cloudsdale popping up over Los Angeles. That would cause a helluva scare, but not be inherently dangerous — I think. Extraneously, though, I imagine a lot of damage can come from the resulting panic from both sides.
[Edit]
5157146
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RD: "Museums are for eggheads!"
Asher: "How 'bout we visit the National Air and Space Museum? I think it will interest you."
later...
RD: OHMYGOSH! You guys have SPACESHIPS!?!
If you haven't already decided, I think they should visit the National Air and Space Museum (for RD), Museum of Natural History (for Twilight and Fluttershy), and maybe an additional museum for the others. It would be awesome if you could write these in detail, and, having been to DC a couple years ago and visited both museums, I could give you some tips.
I think that the dinosaurs, Apollo through modern day NASA, Arlington, and perhaps the Museum of American History would all be points that the ponies would be interested in.
Excellent - one note - 'technicolor talking ponioes'
I found something you may want to edit.
If Twilight's in between them, how are they both on her left?
5157146 Yet Discord's not showing himself to anyone or anypony... suspicious...
Awesome update!
Ha if discords been transported I think he would be entertained with just watching until someone introduced him to the internet. That could end in a few different ways.
It doesn't sound off. You made a good showing.
But now it gets real.
What fell in North Korea? If it was one of the pony towns, I feel sorry for those ponies. They're going to be massacred by the North Korean troops, their government & military quite paranoid & intolerant.
Rox, you sure had us waiting. You usually post 3 stories per month, then suddenly you posted 2 on September. Then finally the next one this month.
You had us waiting. Oh well.
Keep them coming.
Its the battle of Los Angeles all over again, although I thought that it would hit New York first.
Do you have a proofreader? I'm seeing plenty of easily-avoidable spelling mistakes, including some that I have pointed out to you multiple times in the past. It wouldn't take long for someone to go through and fix everything.
Evil cliffhanger, you know that? XD
5157337 You've seen her dancing. She's got four left hooves.
5157337
I saw that, too. I think Twilight's just callously using magic to defy physics.
quickmeme.com/img/8f/8f99783c1b3c84e02f97c136080d95de0509f619c985f9090f014f6df0a1d7a1.jpg
Oh boy, Kim Jong-Un gonna try to take over the world using pony magic.
Well, dang, things are about to get hectic in more ways than one. I imagine that's Cloudsdale making an appearance - so far the cities have been arriving safely, and I have a feeling that's unlikely to change - I very much doubt we are about to witness Manehattan or something dropping out of the sky and falling down on top of LA - that would be a disaster with millions of casualties, and the translocation seems to have accounted for altitude - or the geography between the two worlds is actually the same.
Still, Ponyville and Rainbow Falls are small stuff - Cloudsdale is probably the first major pony city to come through, which is bound to cause all sorts of panic on all sides (not to mention humans getting their first real glimpse at the scale of pony weather manipulation). They better get Twilight over ASAP before things get to escalate out of control.
On another note, these whole appearances across the globe got me thinking - USA has it pretty good. Freakiness about inter-dimensional portals on global scale aside, if you have to have an alien country drop on top of your front yard, Equestria is probably as good as it gets (though the Everfree may well cause some major issues once it pops up, if the location is bad).
There are other nations and species on the pony world though, many of whom would likely make for much poorer neighbors than ponies - I mean, the Gryphon kingdom(?), the dragon lands (secular individuals aside, we know there are probably millions of them, if their migration over Equestria lasted for a few days), the changelings and who knows what else.
It will be all bad sorts of chaotic when other creatures besides ponies start coming through en masse ... (hopefully it was changelings that landed in North Korea, heh).
5158205 I got three volunteers, but they're all on different schedules. I haven't been able to contact one at all for months, so though I usually like to run a story by multiple editors nowadays I usually just get one. Does anyone else want to volunteer? I'll be happy to take more
Dis gon be good.
Hopefully we can see the other princesses getting in on this. It'd be nice for Twilight to not stress out over the political angle.
I feel REALLY sorry for the poor sods who got stuck in North Korea.
Unless they're changelings, in which case, LOL. 
Finally, full world merge. NOW LET US BUILD A TECHNO-MAGICAL SOCIETY TO CONQUER THE STARS.
Ponies' abilities and innate harmonious nature, human ingenuity and drive; an unstoppable pairing that will dominate the galaxy and beyond.
Juuuuust gotta get past the whole integration thing first.
I loved the little 4th scene there; nice touch.
And now, TO GLORY!
5157515 He's probably having too much fun just watching the chaos unfold
I feel bad for whichever city that ended up in North Korea.
Technical griping:
"Another notable guest was also a government official, but for Asher's country."
I'd replace "for" with "from".
"... a face plain on everybody's face..."
Perhaps you meant "fact"?
"... Pinkie Pie, whom had already shed her instruments. Somewhere."
I'd use "who'd already shed her instruments.... somewhere."
"... were both waiting patiently, we were two others."
I think you meant "as".
"... Asher on her left and Applejack on her left."
Please put someone on her right.
"... an excited Pinkie Pie lead the way up as Dash flew in right behind her. She followed Asher and his brother up the steep stairway..."
I know it's a section written from Twilight's point of view, yet when dealing with multiple female characters, you have to delineate or your readers lose focus.
"She decided to save any final conclusions for after a more substantial piece of time,..."
Time is measured in amounts, not pieces as it's non-physical.
‘no comment if you don’t know.’"
Came in a little late with the punctuation, no?
"Some guards will there to watch..."
I think you forgot "be" there.
"It was at perfect height for pony seated on the floor to..."
I'd either say "The height was perfect for a pony seated on the floor..." OR "It was as THE perfect height..."
"Twilight, on the other hand, would of most likely traded..."
I always thought it was "would have" or "would've", yet I could be wrong.
"... technicolor talking ponioes..."
Yeah, I don't need to say it. (Just don't use "equines", that's speciest.)
"... it would appear to threatening a question."
All right class, there's three homophones that sound like this word, yet they have very different meanings. Does anyone know what they are?
"... and only said no comment once when a reporter had asked stupid and very privacy-invasive type question."
A) I'd have said 'no comment' as you did before, OR actually shown the question and it's recipient's disdain. B) "asked A stupid", C) I'd use "and invasive" since the rest is implied.
"... both commented on well manicured the lawn and gardens looked while Rarity..."
I think you mean "on HOW well...".
"... she thought it would be castle like back at their home."
Missing a hyphen I think, though the whole sentence doesn't work so well. Perhaps you meant Rainbow Dash would have said the white house could be mistaken for a castle back in Equestria or just Ponyville. It needs clearing up.
"Sorry, but just wanted to tell Asher what we had decided to visit tomorrow,"
I think you forgot to add "we".
"And that the most perplexing adventure was about to begin."
Look, I like a good single-sentence cliff-hanger as much as the next writer, yet this time you have to suck it up and have it as an extension of the prior sentence. The up-side is the impact isn't lost, and you don't begin a sentence with the word "and".
Personal note:
Don't worry about how politics works. Word is that when you join the US State Department you get a crash course on "How the world really works." It's a tangled web of factions and self-interest. Most people think that heads of state make policy calls. Truth is that they decide how to implement it, not choose it's direction.
The international power-players are people like: The World Bank, International Bank of Settlements, their nephew The International Monetary Fund, OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), The United Nations security council, countries like China, The United States of America, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, mass media interests, any number of sleazy non-governmental organisations, and private citizens who're worth so much money you would be sick or looking at it if you had to count it all.
What I'd like to know: What's Equestria's Comprehensive Financial Report look like? Sure there's a budget for things, and I don't doubt that a lot of it got chewed up by the events of "It's about time", yet I'll bet there's all sorts of trade deals with the griffons to the East, Diamond Dogs and dragons in some cases that aren't denied so much as buried in the details where most people don't notice. Trust me about one thing in politics: Where a state spends it's money, it's concerns and vulnerabilities lay.
A.G.
Item 1 I think that the Aerospace museum would really make Twilight's head explode :) is it the one in the Smithsonian?
Item 2 O.O oh no...NO! if Los Angeles gets teleported to Equestria or smashed by an equestrian city Twilight and the others are going to be in trouble! :s
Awesome chapter btw :) really worth the waiting :D
I always found it odd how ponies could digest eggs and milk, but not meat, since eggs and milk contain the same kinds of protein chains that exist in muscle tissue. Then again, maybe they can digest meat, but find it distasteful, similar to how humans can digest insects, but we typically find them to be distasteful.
5159012 Actually, it stands for digital versatile disc.
5157668 discord reads the cross and arrow fanfic...
*10 secons later*
WHY ARE WE COLTS!!!
5158920 Why you know use the AMAZING faces that Fimfiction provides?!
5159198 hem what do you mean?
5158205 I'm sorry, reading through this one now, I'm now feel very guilty for not being able to edit it. Darn you parents for grounding me!
/
Why does Asher keep saying that pony magic "breaks physics"? The laws of physics permit for pretty much anything and everything as long as you have a sufficient amount of energy. So far, the only thing that seems to be breaking physics is the magical field's expansion, and the pony's lack of adverse effects being outside of the magical field, although Asher doesn't know that yet.
Oh crap! A rift over LA, this is NOT going to end well, at least not at first. Also, I really hope who- or whatever appeared from the rift in North Korea's okay, the North's not exactly a friendly place.
5159228 Some of their spells do seem to create matter, but as a whole Equestrian magic (with the possible exception of Discord's chaos magic) do seem to abide by the laws of physics as we know them.
5159228 Well, think from a 20 year old's perspective. At this point he's had 14 years of schooling that has taught him how the world is supposed to work. Particularly bits about how matter cannot be created or destroyed out of nothing, how light itself is not physical, things like that. A lot of Equestrian magic does just that. Expect him to be at least a little surprised for a while for anything that can't at least be attempted to be explained by our science, because while he's accepted the fact they use a magic his mind is not quite yet willing to make the change yet.
5159442
Well, as for all the spells that appear to create matter out of nothing, we don't know what's happening behind the scenes, since in the show, the only law of magic is the law of plot progression. For all we know, the matter "created" could have been summoned from someplace else, or transmuted from existing nearby matter.
Right. This isn't physically possible. At the point in this story the plane is already moving, in order for Rainbow to stay in place, she'd have to be flying forward to still be in the same area, not hovering, otherwise she'd end up in the back of the plane.
You're doing physics wrong, sir.
5159823
No, actually. She isn't moving with relation to the airplane, but the airplane is moving with relation to the air. So it would be easy to hover off the ground in a moving aircraft, as long as that aircraft is not accelerating, but moving at a constant speed. For example, if you're riding in a car speeding down the highway at 60mph, you can toss a ball straight up, and catch it inside the car without the ball flying to the back of the car.
5159483
Maybe he should watch a documentary like this one, to get a better feel for the real way the world works.
5158530 I'd consider it myself, but I'm having keyboad-related technical difficulties right now.
5159685 Tis true. It will be explained later, but I'll guess I'll just have to ask you to bare with me on this one. The world I constructed in my head for this isn't perfected yet.
5157668 wrote : "Ha if discords been transported I think he would be entertained with just watching until someone introduced him to the internet. That could end in a few different ways."
Discord : (looking at internet) Look at all the porn!
No one saw Discord again for many months until...
Twilight : (looking at internet) (blinks) (stares) Is that Discord?! On a porn site?! With human women?! (faints)
"Do you believe the event that brought your towns here could pose a threat to the safety of my people?"
Twilight : (nervous) Well, if two cities like Manehatten and Manhatten try to occupy the same space and time they will both most likely explode then.
5160268 humanity fuck yeah
B-b-b-but, the shipping I wanted to happen.
5159211
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/etc. We have these faces, and MORE! 