The Epsilon Pegasus

by Sparky Brony

Chapter 8. Rounding the Bases

“Kendra, it’s time to wake up.” I hear Sunset say.

I open an eye, looking at Sunset, “C’mon, let her sleep.”

Sunset giggles, “Oh no, she agreed to have me train her. I’m going to get her to where the standard training is like a breeze. She has a lot of potential, and I want her to use it.”

I snuggle forward and nuzzle Kendra, who tries to push me away, provoking an extra nuzzle from me. “Kendra, wake up, don’t want Sunset to bring out the puzzle first thing, do you?”

Her eyes pop open. “No, I’m not ready for the big puzzle yet!” she moans.

Sunset nuzzles her too, “It’s okay, Kendra. When you are ready, you will be able to do it.”

Kendra rotates and puts her feet on the floor. Sunset looks at me, “What are you planning on doing today?”

I shrug my wings, “I dunno, look for a job.”

Sunset smiles, “Loopy, I know this may sound odd, but don’t look for a job. Look for something you want to do for a long time. In other words, look for a career.”

I look at her, puzzled. She tilts her head a bit, “Before the change, Dust was an electrician. She had found a career. She started out as an apprentice, earned a journeyman’s license, then a masters license. She owned her own company by the time she was thirty-three. Then, the curse lifted on her thirty-fifth birthday. She became Lightning Dust.”

I hold out a hoof, “Wait a moment, thirty-five? I thought the curse was twenty five years.”

Sunset sighs, “Lightning Dust was able to use time magic. She was using it against Discord on the night she was banished, and his magic merged with hers and then hit her. It sent her back ten years in time and made the curse last ten years longer.”

I furrow my brow, “Time magic? She’s a pegasus.”

Sunset moves towards the door, “Dust was a very special pony: she was one of very few magic user pegasi.” She puts a hoof on the door lever and her voice lowers a lot, but I can still hear her, “She gave up a lot to save us.” She murmurs as she exits the room.

I look at Kendra, “I think we had better go down to breakfast.” I say, flaring my nose at the smells wafting up.

Kendra rotates out of bed as I hop off the bed, I head to the door, Kendra pipes up, “Aren’t you going to get dressed? You didn’t pick up some new clothes.”

I look back at my flank, and at my pair of panties for sleeping. I look at Kendra, “Most of the ponies go naked… I might give it a try.” I flick my tail, “Of course, my tail covers up the important bits.”

Kendra giggles, “Maybe I should walk around without clothes.”

I look at her in horror as she starts to lift her night shirt. First it shows her panties, then her midriff, and just as it’s about to expose her breasts, she drops it, looking at me with a smile.

I poke her with a hoof and smile as I head to the bathroom to start my day.

***

I push the button next to the door to open it. After a moment, I walk in.

“Um, hello?”

An Earth pony stallion is sitting in the reception area. “Can I help you?” he asks sweetly, getting a blush out of me.

“Um, I don’t know.” I pull out the card I got a few days earlier and show it to him.

He looks at it for a moment, “Ahh, Night Wing. I know she’s in. Hold on a second.” He fits a headset over his head and dials a number as I find a pillow and sit.

A few minutes later, the bat pony comes out and looks around, blinking. She trots over to me, “Can I help you?”

I smile, “I look a lot different than you saw me last.”

Her eyes narrow for a moment, then she smiles hugely, “Oh, you were the young woman going through the change!”

I nod, “I’m Loop de Loop.”

She moves forward and hugs me, “I’m glad to see you here. And not just in a professional role! I always like to meet new ponies.” She pulls away and starts walking, “Come along to my office; we can see if the EUP can do anything for you.”

I sit down in her office as she takes the pillow in front of the low desk. She smiles, “So, have you gotten the hang of flying yet?”

I nod, “Lightning Dust and Mischief helped me, so did Sunset Shimmer.”

Her eyes widen, “Some of the founders of New Beginnings. Wow.”

I look down, “Dust helped me in Equestria, as a foal. I was at junior speedsters and was trained by her, Spitfire, and Rainbow Dash.”

She smiles, “That is awesome.” She looks thoughtful for a minute. “You don’t have any training in military matters in Equestria. For your whole life, the EUP was destroyed.” She sighs. “You don’t have any idea what it means to be an EUP member.”

I shake my head.

She smiles, “Well, let’s fix that.” She stands up, “I’ll take you over myself. You can see what we do, training with the humans, deployments, everything as a member of the US Armed Forces.”

I smile as she leads me from the room. We head outside and she takes off, I spread my wings and join her, getting even with her in the air, “So, where is Fort Inkwell?”

She chuckles, “We are flying northwest, so I would guess…”

I laugh as we start angling down towards the base. She continues talking, “This is a military base, so non-military pegasi are not allowed to fly over it. We have wards all around the base to warn ponies to keep out. We are a couple of miles away from New Beginnings.” She points down, “After some humans attacked the farm that was eventually to become New Beginnings, the U.S. President, whose daughter turned into a pony, had a National Guard post set up here. That post was eventually christened Fort Inkwell.”

“Inkwell? I’ve heard it referred to a couple of times. Who was Inkwell?”

Night Wing looks at me, “Inkwell was an advisor to Princess Celestia, and a teacher at Celestia’s School. She taught Twilight Velvet, who helped christen the base. It was named in her honor.”

“Twilight Velvet?”

Night Wing giggles, “Before Discord, we knew her as the mother to Twilight Sparkle. But when Discord’s curse fell, she was a U.S. Army Ranger. She continued to serve, and was eventually stationed at Fort Inkwell before she eventually retired. She trained U.S. military unicorns that changed to control their magic. She had a couple of foals with her husband, Rainbow Blaze.”

I look ahead, “Where are we going first, if I’m not allowed to fly over the base?”

She points, “See that area there? Looks like a helicopter landing pad?”

I nod, “That is the reception area. It’s for anyone and anypony to stop and sign in. They get escorts if needed.”

I look around, “How big is this base?”

“Over a hundred square miles, Loop De Loop. It’s a large combined forces training area. We have an EUP guard post in town directly, but primary training has been moved here as of 2030.”

Looking around, I can see an obvious US Air Force section with long runways and hangars for aircraft. There’s a section that looks like it’s for the Army and other ground forces. The area where we are heading has barracks and office buildings everywhere, and Night Wing brings us down to land in the reception area.

I fold my wings after landing and follow the batpony mare. We get inside and are met by a pegasus mare poking her head up, “Hey Night Wing! What brings you out to Inkwell?”

She smiles, “We might have a new recruit here, if she wants to join.”

The cyan pegasus with a brown and purple mane hops over the cubicle dividers with a wing assisted jump and lands in front of me, “Nice to meet ya!” She offers a hoof. I extend my hoof and get it shaken like there’s no tomorrow. I’m still vibrating as I pull my hoof away. “I’m Butterscotch Apple!” she chirps, “1st Lieutenant Butterscotch Apple, that is.”

“I’m Loopy. It’s a pleasure.” I say, looking at my hoof, is it all there?

She looks over at Night Wing, “Are you going to give her the tour? Or do you want me to?”

Night Wing smiles gently, “I’d love for you to do that, Butters.”

I look at Night Wing, a little concerned. She comes up to me, “Loopy, I’m a recruiter. I don’t know as much about this base as a pony that’s stationed here like Butterscotch does. If you do decide to join up, I’ll be happy to help, but this pony here knows everything about the base, it’s history, and what’s going on.”

Butterscotch nods vigorously, “And you’re in luck, Loopy. We are in the middle of a stand down… maintaining tools and equipment before a big exercise.” She smiles brightly, “In other words, it’s a training day!”

I look back at my wings, “Including the pegasi?”

She flares hers, “Oh, I can see what I’m saving for last.” She turns, beckoning me to follow as Night Wing turns and leaves the way we came in.

We get outside the office building and she takes to the air. I follow her quickly as she calls back to me, “We are going to start with the Army side.”

We land near a large open area where tanks are lined up. She leans over to me, speaking over the noise, “Armored Calvary. We not only have ponies operating some of the large equipment, like the retrofitted Abrams and Bradleys, but we also have ponies in the infantry platoons. We even have several Army Rangers that are ponies. Follow me.”

We end up landing on a tower, with a good view of a course laid out. Ponies and humans are moving through the faux buildings carrying paintball guns. I watch them clear a room, shooting several humans and ponies posed as defenders.

Butterscotch leans over, “They are training in the hardest type of warfare: urban combat. As you can see, the earth ponies have modified weapons that they can fire despite having four hooves.”

I watch as an earth pony lines up to buck down a door. With a massive kick, the steel door flies across the room as two unicorns and a pegasus join the eight humans working through the rooms.

“Earth ponies are great for a lot of urban combat. They aren’t as tall as humans, so typically opposing fire will go right over them. Add in the strength they get from their connection to the earth, and they can bull in and take care of belligerents that would be more dangerous to humans. With the newly designed body armor we have for them, an earth pony is a miniature tank at times. We have unicorns that specifically enchant armor for both humans and ponies… you would be surprised how well the armor fits. A pony can take hits that would disable us in the old armor when we were in Equestria. Human ingenuity along with pony abilities make a wonderful combination. Unicorns are typically good with shields and telekinesis, so they can hold unmodified weapons, though that’s not guaranteed. It’s all dependent on the unicorn’s strength and telekinetic abilities.”

I look at all the training going on. I see ponies and humans milling around the tanks and other equipment, which Butterscotch notices, gesturing for me to fly with her. We land near the tanks. A unicorn notices and trots up, smiling at us and saluting Butterscotch, “Hi there, I’m Bugle.”

I notice the rank insignia on his shoulder: two stripes. Butterscotch returns the salute, “This is Loopy. I’m bringing her around to see if she wants to join the EUP.”

He smiles, “We always are looking for ponies to join up. The US military has set a goal for two percent of the force to be ponies by 2050. We aren’t there yet, but we are trying. Recruiting is always going on.” He looks at me, “Loopy, right?”

I smile and nod. He chuckles, “You’re a shy one, aren’t you?”

I look down, and again, he chuckles, “Ah, I get it. I hope you choose to join up. The pay isn’t great, but the job is fun.”

I finally find my voice, “What do you do?”

“I’m a bugler.” He chuckles, “And I also am battalion clerk here.”

“Sound fun.”

He nods, “I love it. Service is very rewarding, I think.”

Butterscotch leans over and whispers in my ear, “Watch your tail.”

I look back. Behind me, my tail is fanning from side to side. I make it stop, wondering why it’s doing that. I look at Bugler, “Thanks for talking to me.” I say as Butterscotch draws me away.

She giggles, “You’re like a puppy right now, that tail won’t behave.”

I look back, it’s once again waving back and forth. I still it, and once my focus leaves my tail, it’s waving again. I shrug my wings, “I guess I’m happy then.”

She narrows her eyes and looks at me for a moment, then shrugs her wings in return, “Well, we can fly to San Francisco to look at the Navy and Marines, but I think you’d rather see what’s going on with the Air Force.”

“What’s going on with the Navy?”

“Pegasi have been invaluable to the Navy since we changed.” she says. “We perform search and rescue. Quite a few ponies have endured hell week and become Navy SEAL’s. We are now well integrated.”

I look at her as she continues, “Imagine this. On a covert insertion, a half dozen pegasi streaking ahead of the rotary aircraft, getting to their destination before the choppers are even heard. They can take out sentries or secure valuable real estate. Ponies are helpful there.”

I nod as we take flight, ears swiveled toward her as she keeps up a constant stream of chatter. “The earth ponies, we have quite a few that are able to do Rolling Earth. They can really bring down the house in a fight. The pegasi, we have the speed advantage, and the unicorns have magic. Well… you know, all ponies have magic, but the unicorns really can do amazing things. Bugle, back there, has some spells he’s amazing at. He can even do the Royal Canterlot Voice with a spell he knows!”

I grin at her, “That’s amazing.”

She giggles back at me, “I know!”

Soon we are near the hangars on base. Several ponies are in flight uniforms, and not all of them have wings, either. I point that out.

Butterscotch giggles, “Well of course we have ponies who can fly without wings. It doesn’t take much modification for an earth pony to fly a plane. A unicorn can fly a plane unmodified, though the seats in a fighter jet aren’t all that comfortable for a pony for long periods of time. I’ll tell you, though, not many earth or unicorn types really desire to fly. Most of the wingless ponies around here are ground crew. And they know their stuff, I’ll tell you .”

I smile, then stop dead. A trio of Wonderbolts are walking up to a trio of humans in flight suits, helmets in hand. The humans kneel down, and it looks like they are talking. I look over at Butterscotch, who checks her phone and smiles. “Perfect timing. The Wonderbolts and the Thunderbirds are going to be doing some flying today.”

“Really?”

She nods as the ponies move away and the humans head towards F-35 fighter jets. They are painted the distinctive red, white, and blue motif of the Air Force Thunderbirds. I find my ears flattening back as the engines whine to life, nd in a matter of minutes, the pegasi take to the air and hover interspersed with the jets as they taxi down towards the runway. The jets are soon powering down the runway, the pegasi keeping in form with them as their wheels leave the ground. In unison, ponies and planes burst out in different directions, though always up. I get a whap to my ear and I look over at Butterscotch.

“Fold your wings; they are training.”

I look back. I’m crouched down, my wings extended and ready to fly. I fold my wings and stand up, my face glowing, “Sorry.”

She smiles, “It’s okay, I’m not a speedster, so I don’t have those instincts the way they do, but they are training. You need to stay out of it. Wouldn’t want you causing a spinout, or a crash.”

Two pegasi along with a F-35 cross each other’s flight path with all of them flying at nearly seven hundred miles per hour. The roar of the jets is deafening as they pass by. I turn to look at Butterscotch and smile. She’s watching the planes and pegasi in the air with a faint smile on her face. Her wings are slightly extended as she rocks back and forth, following the feeling of the wind.

I smile, “Like watching them?”

She blinks a few times, “Yeah.” She smiles sheepishly, “C’mon. Let’s keep looking.”

We walk through more of the complex, “You know, New Beginnings has contracts with NASA.”

I look at her, “Huh?”

She nods, “Some of the pegasi special abilities may be adapted to space travel.”

“Cool.”

She hip checks me, “And our big project, it’s a couple of years away from completion, but if the propulsion system works as planned… Earth to Mars in twenty-four days, depending on where they are in their orbits.”

“Amazing. How would somepony get involved with that?”

She shrugs her wings, “The project isn’t really hush hush. Hell, they are publishing papers on the drive and some of the other systems involved in the ship, but I’m not certain how to get in on it.”

“Maybe I should show up in Houston and ask to join.” I giggle.

She hip checks me again, “It’s being built in Florida, near Cape Canaveral. Once it’s complete, it will be sent to orbit, and final assembly will be done there. But we’ve got a couple of years for that. The ion engines are still being built. And it takes pegasi to run them.”

“Wow.”

She nods, “And finally, we have the Royal Guard.”

Ponies are training with other ponies. Not really many humans are in evidence here. I get a good look at the armor the ponies are wearing. Not the golden armor that you would see in the old show, but Kevlar and carbon fiber armor, conformal, strong. The unicorns have holstered side arms, and the earth ponies are carrying weapons as well. I watch as several earth ponies spar with each other. “Unarmed combat drills. For the Guard.” She murmurs to me as ponies are grappling and throwing each other. One or two, with officer’s ranks visible on their armor, are watching the other ponies work. Though one thing gets me: all of the ponies are pure white, with blue manes and tails. I mention that to Butterscotch.

She giggles, “No, they aren’t clones or anything like that. They are just as diverse as the rest of the ponies, but their armor is enchanted. The enchantment makes them all look the same.”

“Why?”

“They have a very special duty. They are the visible guards of the pony cities. Do you know anything about the Vatican and their protection?”

I frown for a moment, I remember reading something about that a long time ago. Finally, I shake my head slightly.

She smiles, “The Swiss Guards are the protectors of the Vatican. What you see is a group of soldiers that are very visible, extremely well trained, and ready for anything. Yet they are seriously backed up by regular units with heavy weapons. The Royal Guard does something similar… while they do walk the streets in their armor, and they are more than just a pretty face, they are well trained. When the princesses visit, they are the royal guard force. But most of the time, they are among the ponies. They are the public face of the Crown.”

I frown, “But we follow the same laws at the humans, right?”

She nods, “Yes, but the Royal Sisters still exist. They do visit from time to time. Legally, they don’t really have much power here on this world, but the ponies still remember them and do still look up to them. And the Royal Guard is still there as a symbol.” She giggles, “Any one of those ponies is as well trained as any of the other ponies in the integrated units, but remember, the Army has ceremonial duties as well, like at the tomb of the unknowns. The ponies’ job, walking among the population, is just as important. Ponies are very peaceful, they don’t really have to do anything. But they are ready for anything, it’s their job.”

I smile, “That’s pretty cool.”

***

Looking around the apartment, I smile at the earth pony mare, “I’ll take it!”

“Wonderful! I’ve got a lease drawn up. How long do you want it to be?”

I think for a few moments, “Can I pay by year?”

She blinks several times, “You want to pay for an entire year at a time?”

I nod.

After a few moments, her smile comes back, “I don’t think that’s a problem. Though it’s a bit unusual.”

I smile, “I like to take care of things in advance where I can.”

A little more than half an hour later, I’ve got a new set of keys sitting in my small day bag. Most ponies have one; it holds cash, credit cards, ID, and various little things, replacing the pockets that we had as humans. I take to the air. It’s a short flight back to Dust’s house. After spending some time in New Beginnings, while pretty much all the houses are what I would have considered upscale before my change, Dust’s is in a league of its own. Her nearest neighbor is a good block away from the house, and all around her house is a large lawn. And of course, behind the house is the massive Lake Luna. As I’m coming in to land, I see something that I haven’t before. A brand spanking new Dodge Ram. As my hooves touch the grass, I see it’s a three-quarter ton, with a topper on the back.

“Wonder who owns that.” I murmur to myself as I open the door. In the entryway is a human, and it’s not Kendra. My wings spread in surprise as she looks at me. She has brilliant purple eyes and blonde hair, pulled back in a ponytail. After a moment, I see Dust is there as well.

“Hi there, Loopy!” Dust crows. She bounces over to me, “I want you to meet my oldest daughter, Hannah.”

The woman walks over to me, extending a hand. I fold my wings and offer her a hoof.

She grasps my hoof and shakes it gently, “Hi there. Dad has told me a bit about you… the last of the five score ponies, right?”

I shrug my wings, “I guess.”

She smiles and looks back at Dust, “She’s pretty.”

I feel myself flushing.

She turns back to Dust, “Dad! I can’t wait to tell you, I think I’ve gotten a line on another cache.”

Dust frowns, “Like the one in the UK, and that one you found in France?”

Hannah nods, “But the Bolivian and Peruvian governments are not really pony friendly. They would not look kindly on a sky chariot landing.”

Dust sighs, “I know. The US has tried to put some pressure on them to recognize pony rights, but it’s been an uphill battle. Most countries recognize ponies as people, the way the US does, but there are still holdouts.”

Hannah giggles , “You turn into a pony in some of those countries and you are given a one way ticket out.”

Dust snorts, “It’s better than when we first emerged. Ponies were being used as beasts of burden… common animals.” She sniffs a bit, “Quite a few ponies blanked out during that time.”

I look at Hannah and then at Dust, “I’m glad things are better now.”

Both of them nod.

Dust checks her phone, “Moon Shadow should almost be done making lunch. Wanna join us, Hannah?”

She smiles, “Of course.”

We move into the kitchen and sit around the large kitchen table. Moon Shadow’s magic brings a plate full of sandwiches and several bowls of soup onto the table.

I smile, “Grilled cheese and tomato soup! Yum.”

Moon Shadow giggles, “I like them too, but the request was from Dust.”

I look at Dust, who blushes. “A favorite of mine growing up.”

We all dig in. Two sandwiches are levitated over to my plate along with a bowl full of soup. I fit the strap over my hoof so I can wield my spoon.

After a few minutes, Hannah pipes up, “When did you buy a plane, Dad?”

Dust shakes her head, then looks at me, “It actually belongs to Loopy here.” She takes a sip of some iced tea, “Speaking of…” She smiles, “Any luck on apartment hunting?”

I nod, “I signed a lease. I got a two bedroom. It’s nice too.”

Dust’s smile freezes on her face for a moment, then it widens, “Good for you. I hope you like it there.”

I smile, “I found a place that Kendra can spend as much time as she wants at.”

“Still looking for what you want to do?”

I sigh, “It’s only been a couple of weeks since I changed. I don’t know what I want to do.”

Hannah looks at me, “You own your own airplane?”

I nod.

She jumps up and down, “Oh, it’s perfect!”

I furrow my brow, “Huh?”

“Getting to Peru! We can fly there.”

I shake my head, “What?”

In a flash of light, both of us are standing on the dock next to the Widgeon. “I need to get to Peru. I’m certain there is a way I could persuade you to fly me there!”

I shake my head, trying to clear it from the sudden teleportation, then I look up at Hannah, “You can do magic?”

She giggles and kneels down to be eye level with me, “Yes, didn’t Dad tell you?”

I again shake my head, “No.”

Hannah rolls her eyes, “I swear with that mare.”

I look at the Widgeon as Hannah walks up and down the dock, looking at the plane, “Oh, this is perfect. Can we go for a flight?”

I frown, “To Peru?”

She shakes her head, “Oh, no. I’ve got classes coming up. I’m a professor at Cornell.” She puffs out her chest a bit, “Director of Magical Studies and Artifacts.” Then her smile turns sheepish, “That means I’ve got a fancy title and teach a few unicorns that are going there. But for the most part, I’ve got a small office and no staff.”

I shake my head, “Well, we can go for a flight, if you want.”

She jumps up and down, clapping her hands, then stops, “Hold on, I’m going to go get my truck.” She turns and runs off.

“Wait, that truck won’t fit on my plane!” I shout as I gallop after her. For a human, she’s fast. I catch up to her at the driveway. She’s standing in front of her truck.

“It’ll just be a moment.” she murmurs, and a magical chime starts in the air. Her hands glow and the glow surrounds the truck. Before my eyes, the truck shrinks down to the side of a Hot Wheels car. When it gets to that size, she smiles and her magic subsides, “There.”

I move up to the tiny truck, looking at it.

“Don’t touch it, when shrunk it’s extremely fragile.” She calls out. She comes over and crouches down, again enveloping the truck in magic. She brings out a small case, then opens it and floats the truck into it. Closing the case, she secures the latches and puts it in her purse. She looks at me, “Okay. Let’s go!”

I look at her for a long moment, “You are amazing.”

The woman actually blushes heavily. “Thank you.” she says as she stands up, “About that flight?”

I smile, “I think we can have fun with that.”

***

The ponies are standing in the waiting room. Blueberry Muffin looks at her friends, then at the door to the immigration office. She takes a deep breath and opens the door.

The ministry official looks at her, then down at his list, “The minister will see you now.”

The group of ponies slowly follow Blueberry Muffin through the door into the office. The minister stands up and walks over to the ponies. Bowing slightly, he starts to speak, “I am sorry about the delay, I have been talking with my superiors about you ponies. They still don’t know what they want to do with you.”

Blueberry is the only one able to speak enough Japanese, “I don’t understand the delay. Japan has thousands of ponies already living here.”

He shakes his head, “It’s not about you being ponies, I’m afraid. It’s about where you came from. Some are Thai, some are Chinese, some are even from Vietnam. You are claiming political asylum, but there has to be a case. I have been unable to build one.”

Blueberry translates for the other ponies, and Crafty Crate steps forward, “Those countries have forced us to leave. They don’t want ponies.”

The minister sighs, “Once again, I am sorry, but there has to be a compelling case to grant asylum from such countries. While our relations with them have been cordial, us granting asylum to their citizens might be considered an unfriendly act, so my superiors are hesitant.”

Sunshower snorts and slams a hoof into the floor, “Don’t be cowards! They banished us! We need a home.”

The minister glowers at Sunshower, who refuses to back down. He looks around at all the ponies, “I’m sorry, but you must remain patient. I am doing what I can. Perhaps in a week or two.”

Sunshower growls and turns towards the door. “Thanks for nothing.” she grumbles as the rest of the ponies exit the office.

Helia comes over and nuzzles the jasmine-colored pegasus, “We are trying. Maybe if they say no, we can go to America. They have lots of ponies there.”

Sunshower grumbles for a long moment, “They do have a pony colony in Hawaii.”

Caboose shudders, “That will mean days in the air, right?”

The pegasi all nod sadly, and Caboose shudders again, “I hope we can find a home here then. I’m tired of being off the ground.”

Mint Leaf comes over and rubs up against Caboose. “Don’t worry. We will be with you.” she says, getting a smile from the stallion.

“Thank you, friends.” he murmurs as they leave the office building.

Comments

[Alkarasu]

Hannah is what, 37? Still likes to ride ponies.

[harts fire]

I like it a good chapter.
Hannah rocks.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

The feels in this chapter...

[SunlightSwift]

I got real excited seeing Hannah again! I really love seeing all these foals all grown up!

[tsaukpaetra]

Oof, didn't catch the timeskip.
A month and still no good career bites? Guess she needs practice following her mark.
Poor Dust getting empty nest syndrome all over again.