Chapter 13 - Cracks In The Facade
Tonya looked over the three crystal ponies who stood before her early Monday morning. One -- a stallion with spring green fur named Ralph Danner -- had a temporary badge. Her gaze lingered on it for a moment, but it checked out. Ralph noticed her gaze and said, "I lost my badge just before I was transferred in, ma'am, and they had to issue me a new one. Paperwork hasn't caught up yet."
Tonya nodded. Her gaze swept the other two ponies, another stallion and a mare. The stallion's badge had a normal name. The mare -- whose blue fur was so bright Tonya swore she would need sunglasses were the mare ever to go full crystal -- had the name "Sparkling Sky" on her badge.
Tonya managed not to roll her eyes.
"This is your final briefing before the arrival of the Equestrian delegation," said Tonya as she paced before them. "Have you all reviewed Princess Twilight's magic profile?"
All three replied, "Yes, ma'am."
"Make sure you remember it. It's critical that you can separate some other pony's magic from that of the Princess. Do not assume the Princess can protect herself. Do not slacken in your duty just because she is so powerful. Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused.
"This is the first time I've worked with any of you, so I will repeat what I generally tell other ponies I work with." She glanced at Sparkling. "Don't ponify your language, period. It's someone, not somepony. It's anyone, not anypony."
Sparkling held up a fore-hoof. "Question, ma'am?"
Tonya turned to her. "Of course."
"May I ask why it matters?"
"Because clarity of language is very important when giving reports or orders," said Tonya. "You have no idea if the person at the other end of your comm link is human or pony. You mention the word 'pony,' and it may inadvertently set up an expectation in someone's mind to expect a pony specifically as a threat. Yes, agents are trained now to deal with both species, but you don't need to make it harder for them."
Sparkling nodded. "Thank you, ma'am, I appreciate the explanation."
"Had no one mentioned that to you before?"
"Most of the time I'm scolded for that sort of thing, it's by human superiors who just don't want to hear that language," said Sparkling. "At least that was what I was left to assume, as they never offered an explanation other than an order to be obeyed. Your explanation makes sense."
Tonya was content that Sparkling was not going to give her any trouble. She was wary of ponies who changed their name, as there was always the chance that they had drunk the Sunset kool-aide and would not work at their best. Such ponies should not get this far in the ranks, but Tonya didn't want to take any chances.
She wondered if she fell back on her police training too often. Drawing on it too much risked her pining for something she could never go back to.
"Are there any more questions?" asked Tonya.
No one replied.
She looked at the transfer's badge. "Mr. Danner, one moment. The rest of you, to your assigned positions."
Ralph stepped closer as the other two left. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Recent transfer, you said?"
"Yes, ma'am, I was rotated in from Denver."
"I'll see if I can expedite that paperwork. I'd much rather you have a regular badge."
"Thank you," said Ralph. "I've already had two agents stop me and verify my temp badge this morning."
Tonya smirked. "I take full blame. I tightened down some of those checks myself."
Ralph smiled. "No worries, ma'am, just part of the job. Is there anything else?"
Tonya thought back to her conversation with Fuller two days prior. He had said he would handle the investigation as to why there had been improper support for the capture of the Partial, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Were you assigned to Denver when the operation occurred this past Saturday?"
"Yes, ma'am," Ralph said in a stiff voice.
"Did anyone at all suggest you take part in the operation?"
"No, ma'am. In fact, I had offered to participate, but I heard nothing after that."
Tonya frowned.
"While I thought it was odd, I didn't think anything of it at the time," said Ralph. "I assumed either the threat of magical interference was low, or they already had support."
Tonya struggled not to let her suspicious nature get the best of her. Such an action struck of either extreme incompetence or purposeful sabotage. The former was hard to imagine where Matthew was very careful as to who worked for him and what roles they played. That left only the latter.
"I'm, ah, trying not to read too much into my rotation here after that," said Ralph in a delicate voice.
"Your record is exemplary," said Tonya. "If anything, being assigned to MIDROC is the equivalent of a promotion."
"Thank you, ma'am, your confidence in my abilities is appreciated. Is there anything else?"
"No, Mr. Danner," said Tonya. "Please report to your position."
"Yes, ma'am," said Ralph before he trotted away.
Tonya watched him go. Should she bring this to Matthew's attention? It was not Tonya's responsibility to pry into these matters. Neither she nor most of the crystal ponies who worked with the FBI were technically a part of that organization. They were an adjunct unit called FCPA -- the Federal Crystal Pony Authority -- and the lines of responsibility were clearly drawn. She really should not have questioned Ralph in the first place.
She set her thoughts aside for the moment as she had more immediate matters to attend to, such as preparing the Pony Council delegation for Princess Twilight's visit.
Sunny sighed and knocked the headset from her ears with the flick of a hoof, sweeping a wing forward to guide its fall onto the table next to the laptop. She pointed the pony wand at the machine and closed out of the app that allowed her to use the PC as a phone.
Goldy stepped up to her. "Still no answer?"
"No," Sunny said in a sullen and worried voice. "It just dumps me into Jenny's voice mail. She didn't respond to the message I left her last night."
Goldy gently placed a hoof against Sunny's shoulder. "I'm sure she's okay."
"And here I wanted to call her so she wouldn't worry about me! It's not like her to go without responding, even if it's just a text to tell me she's busy."
Though Sunny couldn't imagine how Jenny could be busy. As far as Sunny knew from the last time they had talked a few weeks ago, Jenny was still sorting out what she wanted to do. Sunny knew Aunt Eileen was considering a move to Denver, but she had not heard any more about it.
"Is there somepony else in your family you can contact to check on her?" Goldy asked.
"I tried Aunt Eileen, and I just get her voice mail, too," said Sunny.
"Your parents, perhaps?"
"I don't want to worry them. Mom managed to find some new funding recently for her research, so she's been deep into that and traveling around a lot."
Goldy smiled. "That's good to hear. You were worried about your mother being disappointed when government sources started to dry up. Did she mention who's funding her?"
"No, just that it was from the private sector," said Sunny. "She didn't go into any more detail." She gave her laptop another forlorn look.
"As much as you're concerned about your sister, you'll need to focus today," said Goldy.
Sunny turned her gaze back to her compatriot. "But it's just Twilight. I've met her before. We're practically friends."
"Yes, but it will be in the public spotlight. Our initial meeting with her will likely be recorded by the press."
Sunny sighed. "Just once, I wish we could do something without all the fanfare."
"Unfortunately, such fanfare is required to get our message across."
"I'm not used to being in the public spotlight like this."
"I understand," said Goldy. "But if it helps any, you're taking to it very well."
Sunny gave Goldy an earnest look. "You're going to do most of the talking today, right?"
"As much as I am able. You must expect that you will be participating in this dialog as well. Your words resonated with much of the public, and your actions are becoming more widely known."
"I never really intended all that," said Sunny. "I was supposed to be an assistant to you."
"Just as we cannot predict when a pony will acquire her cutie mark, we cannot predict the path diplomatic discourse will take," said Goldy. "And just as a talent that led to the cutie mark can be surprising to the pony, so, too, can our destinies. Perhaps it was meant all along for you to be the bigger voice than I."
Sunny never liked the idea of predestination. She had to reject it, otherwise she would fall into old patterns of thought that insisted her life's path had been dictated by Sunset Shimmer. Sunset had all but admitted that she had specifically made Sunny into a pegasus as a way of compensating for the trauma resulting from the storm she had accidentally conjured.
Before Sunny could respond to Goldy, a knock came at the door.
"Yes?" Goldy inquired.
The door opened, and Tonya stepped inside. "Good morning. Princess Twilight is scheduled to arrive withing the hour, and I wanted to prepare you for what to expect."
Sunny stepped over to her. "First Pony Sunshine was already giving me some idea. It sounds like another spectacle with the press."
"Except they won't be asking you questions this time," said Tonya. "They'll just be taking pictures and recording the initial meeting."
"It still means I need to watch what I say."
"Yes, but I can't really give you any advice on that."
Goldy stepped forward. "None will be needed. I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Anyway, it's just the initial meeting," Tonya explained. "After that, you'll go off in private to talk. That won't be recorded. Even the security detail will remain outside."
"Will there be any government official present?" asked Goldy.
"Not that I'm aware of," said Tonya. "But that could come later in the week. If so, I'll arrange another liaison for you."
"Oh?"
"I'm being temporarily reassigned to another security detail," said Tonya. "Unfortunately, I can't give you any more detail than that. I hope to be back at MIDROC by the end of the week. Anyway, I'll let you know when the Princess has arrived."
Tonya started to turn away. Sunny's gaze fell on the crystal pony's cutie mark, and finally it clicked in her head. She stepped forward and called out, "Wait, I just remembered something. I think I know you from before."
Tonya hesitated before she turned around. "And how's that?"
"You were the crystal pony who presided at my sister's rehumanization."
Tonya smiled faintly. "Small world. What was it that made your sister remember me? My coloration, I suppose."
"No, your cutie mark."
"Ah, I see," said Tonya in a stiff voice.
"I think it was the stars. It reminded her a little of Twilight's cutie mark." Sunny hesitated. "Is that why you were reluctant to talk about it before?"
"Not really, no."
"I've just never met a pony who didn't want to talk about their mark." Sunny drew back a step. "Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have pried in the first place."
Tonya waved a hoof. "It's fine, I really ought not to get hung up about things like that, especially to fellow ponies. My cutie mark represents my talent for absorbing magic. It's more powerful than the average crystal pony."
"Ah, I had wondered about that," said Goldy. "I had guessed it may have something to do with that, given your line of work."
"Nice observation," said Tonya. "Yeah, it represents that, but it also represents the end of a career."
"I'm sorry, I don't follow."
"Before I got this, I was seriously considering rehumanization," said Tonya. "The allure of being a magical pony sorta wore off when I was stuck with little to do after being a living vaccination tool. I figured if my improved health carried back into my human form, I'd go back to police work."
"I'm sorry it didn't work out," Goldy said in a solemn voice.
Sunny gave Tonya a sympathetic look, but remained silent. She didn't trust what she might say. If anypony understood about having a life radically altered, it would be her. She had made her peace with it and moved on; Tonya sounded like she still needed time to accomplish the same.
"In any case, it's the here and now that's important," said Tonya, her voice back to its business-like tone. "I'll return when the Princess arrives."
She turned and trotted out of the room.
Goldy closed the door with a glow from her horn as Sunny uttered a soft sigh. "I feel a little sorry for her," said Sunny. "I don't think she even wanted that cutie mark."
"Nothing in this universe is perfect," said Goldy in a low voice. "Not even magic."
"Now I'm wondering how many other ponies are like her."
Goldy turned towards Sunny. "I would imagine very few. All ponies I know cherish their marks."
"Cherish" was not quite the word Sunny would use concerning her own cutie mark. She accepted it, she lived up to it, but she didn't let it completely define her. Even taking a new name had not really changed her. She didn't mind if people called her "Laura," as she didn't want to get hung up on any one thing which identified her.
Little wonder why some humans had such a hard time understanding ponies. It made their task seem all the more daunting.
Twilight glanced out the window as her motorcade turned down the street which would lead them to the MIDROC facility. She lowered the microphone of her headset before her muzzle with a nudge of magic. "This will be the last time I can talk to you before I'm in the facility, Starlight. Did you find someone to assist our mutual friend?"
Twilight was careful not to mention Connie by name in any non-magical communication. While she had been assured no one would be tapping into her phone conversations, she didn't want to take a chance.
"I sent Sunburst," said Starlight. "He thinks he may be close to a breakthrough, and this will be some valuable research for him."
"As much as I want to see the mystery of rehumanized magic solved, he needs to put the safety of humans and ponies first."
"I told him that, but you know how he can get sometimes when you present him with a chance to further his knowledge."
"Who else is aware of Night One?" said Twilight, using a code phrase for Ryan.
"Likely Princess Luna by now," said Starlight. "Via the Dream Team."
"Dream Team" was yet more code-speak. Twilight and Starlight were the only ponies other than Celestia who knew of the Dreamwarden program that Luna had created. As much as Twilight would have loved to tout the program more publicly as a means of keeping night pony abilities reined in, she respected and understood Luna's desire for secrecy.
Twilight was not as keen as to how ruthless Dreamwardens could be, but Luna had explained that these night ponies were not like those of Equestria, who owed their complete fealty to Luna. She did not have the resources to act in that role across two worlds, especially one that at any moment had at least some of its pony population asleep at any given time.
Eventually, Luna had explained, there would be less need for such harsh discipline, as the current generation of night ponies drilled proper behavior into their offspring at an early age.
"They'll also help in monitoring events around our mutual friend," said Starlight.
"Keep on top of it, please," said Twilight.
"Will do."
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"Ah, not really," said Starlight in a vague voice.
Twilight sighed. "What now?"
"It may be nothing."
"I've heard that before, usually right before things are about to blow up in our faces."
"One of the mages overseeing the portal on this side reported a discrepancy during an audit this morning," Starlight explained.
Twilight's eyebrows rose. "How big?"
"Pretty sizable, or they wouldn't have alerted me," said Starlight.
The portal had the ability to record the amount of magic it was exposed to by beings or objects which traversed it. It was another means by which both Earth and Equestria ensured that only authorized personnel and material passed through it. The recorded magic was periodically compared against the official records and supply manifests. Most discrepancies were small and the result of clerical errors. The occasional unexplained differences were usually small enough to be written off as within the margin of error for the spell.
"Do we know yet if this was an actual security breach or just an honest mistake?" Twilight asked.
"Too early to tell," said Starlight. "They're investigating now. UNPOC was notified, but they've agreed to let us finish researching it before opening a formal inquiry."
UNPOC -- United Nations Portal Oversight Committee -- was the primary point of contact for anything concerning the portal. Any serious issues required them to inform the Security Council, but they were fortunately more flexible than protocol demanded, especially dealing with technicalities of magic that they had yet to fully understand.
"If we don't have enough things to worry about," Twilight muttered. "All right, once Sunburst is done with his current task, have him head to New York to assist in the investigation. I want this one locked down as quickly as possible." The motorcade slowed to a stop. "I have to go! I'll contact you soon."
She terminated the call and plucked the headset from her head, folding it and tucking it into her saddlebags. She uttered a long sigh.
"Do I even want to know?" Spike ventured from the seat next to her.
"Not really," said Twilight. "I'll brief you later."
Secret Service agents swarmed towards the car and around her and Spike once they had stepped out of the vehicle. They shepherded the two into the facility as pictures were taken, and Twilight was met by a middle-aged man whom she recognized from the research she had done the other day.
What really drew her attention was one of the two ponies who stood near him. When Twilight smiled, it was not in response to the human's overture, but in recognition of Laura Tanner -- Sunrise Storm, she reminded herself. She didn't know whether it was just a growth spurt or something less tangible, but Sunny seemed more mature than when Twilight had last seen the filly. Indeed, she had trouble thinking of Sunny as anything less than a full-grown mare.
The human offered his palm, and Twilight pressed her hoof to it. "Welcome to Midwest Recovery Sector Operational Command," said the human in a cordial voice. "I am Matthew Fuller, Regional Director." He withdrew his hand and swept it towards the two ponies. "This is the Pony Council delegation. The unicorn is First Pony Golden Sunshine."
Goldy stepped forward, a wide smile stretched across her muzzle. "This is indeed an honor, Princess."
"Thank you," said Twilight. "But, please, you can call me Twilight."
Goldy gestured towards Sunny. "And I'm sure this one needs no introduction."
Twilight's smile widened as Sunny stepped forward. The two looked at each other for a moment, then threw protocol to the winds as they embraced. "It really is good to see you again," Twilight said in a soft voice.
Sunny closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Twilight knew at once that Sunny was taking in her scent. It was a common practice among Equestrian ponies as well when greeting a friend they had not seen for some time. Even with the many differences between the ponies of both worlds, so much was startlingly similar. Twilight had to remind herself that they had been molded into this form against their will.
Light flashed as photographers took shameless advantage of the moment, and Twilight had the rueful thought that someone would likely spin it as showing favoritism towards the Pony Council. She would take that risk; even humans sometimes hugged each other when greeting a friend.
Sunny drew back from the embrace, smiling. "It's good to see you as well. Mom still talks about the times she's met you."
"How is Sarah doing?" asked Twilight. "I haven't been following her research as closely in recent months."
"She's doing well. Likely jealous that she's not getting a chance to meet you herself."
Twilight chuckled, but she could hear worry in Sunny's voice. Was her mother not doing quite as well as she said, or was it something else?
Twilight stepped back and resumed her role as a diplomat. "I'm happy to have this opportunity to meet with Miss Sunrise and Miss Storm. I hope this will be a true step forward in furthering better relations between humans and ponies."
"As do we, Twilight," said Goldy.
Twilight turned to Matthew. "Mr. Fuller, do we have any word yet from Washington as to the arrival of an official to meet with the Council?"
"Not as yet," said Matthew. "I am hoping to hear something by the end of the day. In the meantime, we have accommodations for you and your assistant."
"Thank you. Right now what I would like is some conference facilities for my initial consultation with the Council." Twilight had wanted to insert the word "private" but hoped that it had been inferred.
"Of course, Princess," said Matthew. "We've prepared for your arrival. Do any of you wish to make a further statement to the press?"
Twilight could think of any number of things she would like to say, but they would likely be spun in exactly the wrong way. She had to fall back on simply diplomacy. "Only to reiterate what I have said before, that my government wants to do all it can to help humanity exist in harmony with its pony population while adhering to the principle of non-interference. I realize it can be a delicate balancing act sometimes, which is why I'm hoping we can achieve something concrete here."
"I echo the Princess' statement," said Goldy. "We, too, do not seek to interfere in human affairs, but to live peacefully in their midst. I am happy to hear that Princess Twilight's thoughts are aligned with ours, that we can eventually become one unified people."
Twilight puzzled over that last statement until she realized her own slip: the use of the word "harmony." She had meant it in its dictionary definition sense, and not the way the Harmonists used it. She quelled the urge to correct Goldy and simply smiled in return. "I believe that's all I have to say."
"This way, then, Princess," said Matthew.
The photographers continued taking pictures until Twilight entered the corridor. She remained silent until they arrived at a large conference room. The agents guarding the room stepped aside, and members of Twilight's Secret Service detail replaced them.
"Feel free to make use of the room as long as you like," said Matthew. "I will have one of my agents on standby. Please notify him when you are ready, and you will be shown to your room."
"Thank you," said Twilight.
"Is there anything else before I take my leave, Princess?"
Twilight did have many questions for him based on what she had learned of his activities lately, but that would raise suspicion. She had to put her faith in humans like Connie to uncover more information. "Not at the moment. Thank you."
Twilight led the way into the room and glanced around, her horn glowing. She sensed no magical wards. Not that she was necessarily expecting them, but with nobles agitating back home and the possibility of a security breach with the portal, she was not taking any chances.
Which was also why her horn gave off a bright flash as she pushed a sphere of magic towards the walls of the conference room.
Both Sunny and Goldy had noticed it, giving each other a puzzled look. Spike waved a claw as he said, "Don't worry, it's just a privacy spell. She does them all the time."
"We've been assured by the facility's head of security that none of the rooms are monitored," said Goldy.
"Yes, but with matters as they are, it's better to be safe than sorry," said Twilight. "I do admit, I was surprised to hear you were with the delegation, Sunny."
"To be honest, it was more First Pony Sunshine's idea," said Sunny.
Goldy smiled. "I consider us among friends. You can all just call me Goldy. And, yes, I did ask for Sunny to come along on this venture, and I'm already glad she did."
Twilight smiled. "I saw the press conference. I thought you handled yourself well, Sunny."
Sunny blushed faintly and smiled, though it appeared a bit uneasy.
"I wish I could spend more time catching up with you, but I think it's important we get down to business. Spike, please take notes, if you would."
Spike produced a pad and a pen. "Got it."
"First off, I want to know how you've been treated since you've been here," Twilight said.
"We have been treated very well," said Goldy. "Save for the restrictions on our movements and magic."
"Magic?" Twilight asked.
"All part of the effort to ensure our security, we are told."
"It really hasn't been that bad," said Sunny. "Yes, I'm really itching to stretch my wings after being cooped up in here for a few days, but that's the worst of it."
"Mr. Fuller has been nothing but cordial towards us and has done nothing to restrict our communication with the outside world," said Goldy.
"But you have yet to meet with an American government official," said Twilight.
"We are still waiting patiently on that front, yes."
Twilight nodded as Spike's pen scratched across the page of his notepad. "So now a bigger question: how do the ponies of the western United States feel they are being treated?"
Goldy smiled. "Well, if everything was considered well, we wouldn't be here."
"I understand that, as well as what your grievances are," said Twilight. "I meant your everyday lives. Can you give me as objective an assessment as possible?"
"Is something wrong?" Sunny asked.
Despite Sunny's attempt to hide it, Twilight could hear the anxiety in her voice. "More like I want to head off something before it goes wrong. I'm sorry I have to be so vague."
"Understood," said Goldy. She turned to Sunny. "I believe my colleague can better answer your question."
Sunny appeared a bit surprised but stepped forward. "Our day to day lives are generally good. Most of us seem content, and our communities are doing well. A lot of us simply feel we could do so much more if we were allowed."
"So you're saying humans leave you in peace for the most part?"
"Sometimes we have some trouble, usually at the edges of the Homestead lands," Sunny explained. "But most ponies live pretty well. The night ponies seem much more organized in recent months, so we feel more protected. For the most part, we've created the sort of society that we want."
Twilight smiled. "That's very good to hear."
"I've tried to remind ponies that it's not all about Sunset Shimmer," Sunny continued in a more confident voice. "I remind them that they should do this because they want to and not because a dream told them to. I'm doing as I'm sure Fred still is, making sure ponies are thinking for themselves."
"Mind you, Twilight, simply living day to day is not enough for any species," said Goldy. "Sunny is correct in her statement that she's helping us take control of our destiny, and as such, we will stagnate if we aren't allowed to live up to our potential. Truly thinking beings cannot be content with an imposed status quo."
Twilight understood, but at the moment she needed ammunition that Celestia could fire back at the nobles. So far she was finding nothing to truly justify declaring a protectorate over these ponies.
"Twilight, did you think we were being mistreated somehow?" Sunny asked.
"Realize the rhetoric of some factions may tend to exaggerate the friction with humans," said Goldy. "Especially those who go out of their way to present themselves as an antagonist."
The more Twilight heard, the more she was convinced that Goldy had to have been a politician as a human; that had been the most roundabout way to refer to the Shimmerists she had ever heard. "I just want to understand the bigger picture. It's good to hear that the borders of the Homestead lands have been respected."
"We hope for a time where there won't be a need for borders," said Goldy.
"Yes, you did make it clear during the press conference that you're not seeking to be recognized as a separate nation."
"Of course not," said Sunny. "We have to share this world with humans. Becoming a separate nation won't help."
Goldy smiled, as if pleased by Sunny's words. "We want all beings to live in Harmony."
Twilight smiled. "It's our goal as well. Equestria is always trying to spread friendship where it can."
"It's even more imperative here on Earth. We do not have the luxury at the moment to be ruled by and united under an alicorn princess."
Twilight did note the phrase "at the moment," but decided not to belabor that point. She had made her assessment known concerning the very low possibility of seeing a pony of Earth Ascend in anyone's lifetime. "There is something I need to ask that I'm sure whatever official is sent to meet with you will as well. Do the ponies of the west still consider themselves citizens of this country?"
"That's not an easy one to answer," said Goldy.
"I know, but it's an important one."
"Realize that if we unequivocally say 'yes', it means submitting ourselves to a system of law that is holding us back."
"But the reality is that there are also human citizens who sometimes disagree with the way the law is written, but still consider themselves Americans," said Twilight.
"The problem is, many of us are so focused on establishing our identity and culture that the question simply doesn't come up," said Goldy. "Even the average American human citizen doesn't necessarily think about his or her citizenship in every decision they make during the day."
Twilight felt like Goldy was evading the question, but she likely had little choice if she was trying to act as a representative of the western ponies. That the factions had managed to come together at all was nothing short of amazing.
Goldy once again turned to Sunny, as if in an unspoken prompt.
"Um, there's something else complicating things, Twilight," said Sunny. "With all the immigration that's been going on, we have ponies from other countries. They wouldn't be considered citizens, and they're afraid of being deported if they draw too much attention to themselves."
Twilight had realized that problem herself, but she had not had a chance to determine how big of an issue it was.
"I've talked to some of them, at least the ones who speak English," said Sunny. "Most of them are identifying more with their pony tribe than their nationality."
"The point is that Harmony does not recognize citizenship," said Goldy. "It is open to all. We could claim to be Americans as a way to please the government, but I think that distracts from our goal."
Twilight supposed she could see it from their perspective. Even back home, Equestrians rarely thought about their citizenship, especially since Celestia and Luna took a very hooves-off approach to ruling their subjects. It helped that the country was, generally, prosperous and peaceful, something the western ponies likely could claim they had accomplished as well.
Unfortunately, it also played into the hooves of the nobles, who could claim that this had earned them the right of being ruled by someone who better understood their needs.
"All right, bottom line," said Twilight. "Do you have any desire to be ruled by the Equestrian Diarchy?"
Sunny's eyes widened slightly, and she swished her tail once but remained silent.
"You're referring to the idea oft floated by the Shimmerists," said Goldy in a neutral voice.
"I want to know if you even consider that an option."
"Is it one that's being considered by your government?"
"Not at the moment," said Twilight. "But I want to make clear that there is always the chance that your mission here will fail. If that's the case, are you considering other options?"
"That's not something I can decide unilaterally," said Goldy. "I would have to take it back to the Pony Council."
"But have you at least considered other possibilities?"
Goldy smiled. "I would prefer to think positively and hope for success rather than plan for failure. The last thing I want is for humans to see this as an ultimatum, such as 'give us what we want or we'll form our own nation.'" She turned to Sunny. "I believe my colleague has something to share that would be apropos here."
Sunny gave her a questioning look.
"What you mentioned to me yesterday about your mother and the reservation."
"Oh, yes!" said Sunny. She turned to Twilight. "A few months ago, my mother took me to meet some of the tribal leaders on a Native American reservation. She had a good relationship with them before ETS to ensure she respected their culture and beliefs while doing research in their ancestral lands. They were some of the most accepting of our transformation we had ever seen."
"Yes, I had heard about that," said Twilight. "Something about how animal forms were considered important to many of them, and how the earth ponies were so close to the land."
"It's more than that," said Sunny. "They sympathized with our desire to want to maintain a distinct culture and identity, something Native Americans have been struggling with for far longer than we have. And they even have some measure of sovereignty despite being within the borders of the United States."
"An excellent point," said Goldy. "Please, Sunny, continue."
"I mean, the situation is not exactly the same," Sunny said in a more confident voice. "The Native Americans were given terrible land and expected to make the best of it. But while there weren't as many transformations on the reservations, they do have a few earth ponies, and they're starting to improve the land. My mother thinks they may be close to a cultural revival."
"I hadn't heard about that," Twilight admitted.
"Can't there be some sort of similar accommodation with us? I know we're talking about a lot more land here, and I don't mean we should make it one big pony reservation."
"But I think that's the way humans will see it," said Twilight. "It's even been partially enshrined in law with the Limited Pony Homestead Act."
"Except we don't have sovereignty," said Sunny. "And we're not asking for it."
"The forced resettlement of ponies in the Homestead land suggests the government is trying to have it both ways," said Goldy. "Ponies a people apart but subject to their law."
"I'll be blunt," said Twilight. "The ponies of the west have largely driven the idea that you are a people apart."
"But we don't have to be. That's my point. We can show humans what it means to live as ponies."
"Uhh, you may want to rephrase that."
"Yes, I just realized that could give the wrong idea," said Goldy. "I made it clear we are not advocating more transformations. Humans don't have to transform to understand our lives, they just have to be willing to look and listen. We're hoping you can aid us in that effort."
"I have made it clear that I do want them to send a representative to speak with you," said Twilight. "But I have to be honest with you, I'm not sure words will be enough."
"What if humans could actually see how we live?" Sunny asked.
Goldy turned to her. "Isn't that what we are here for?"
"I don't mean here, I mean in our communities," Sunny explained. "We don't really have a lot of humans living among us at the moment."
Twilight looked at Goldy. "Are humans welcome in your communities, Goldy?"
"We certainly don't turn them away," said Goldy. "Except when they cause us grief."
"But we don't exactly invite them in, do we?" Sunny asked. "They may believe we would turn them away."
"And to be perfectly honest, there are those among you who would," said Twilight.
"This is unfortunately true," said Goldy in a low voice. "Sunny, what exactly are you proposing?"
Sunny glanced from Goldy to Twilight and back again, as if unsure of herself now. "I don't know how feasible it would be, but what if we invited representatives of the government into our communities?"
Goldy looked thoughtful.
"Wouldn't that show that we're serious about our ideals? That we have nothing to hide?"
Goldy looked towards Twilight. "May I confer with my colleague for a moment?"
"Of course," said Twilight. "Do you wish it to be private? I can cast another privacy spell around the two of you."
"Please."
Twilight stepped back. She dispelled the existing charm and conjured a new one, this time centered around the two ponies. Goldy nodded her appreciation and turned towards Sunny, their conversation now silent to Twilight's ears.
"So, what do you think of Sunny's idea?" Spike asked.
"It sounds like an excellent idea," Twilight said in a subdued voice.
"You, uh, don't sound so sure."
"Did you notice how Goldy was going about her discussion with me?" asked Twilight. "She deferred to Sunny quite a bit. It seemed a bit odd."
Spike shrugged. "Sunny speaks pretty well herself."
"Yes, but despite how much she's accomplished, she still a filly. I'm worried she's been given too much responsibility. I would like to have seen her had a chance to grow up more before her life was disrupted again."
"Is something wrong with my idea?" Sunny asked in a tentative voice as Goldy turned to her.
"Not at all," said Goldy. "It's an unusual one, however. I don't think anypony has suggested such a thing, not even the Lunites."
"We keep going on and on that we don't want our own nation, but all this land we live on has almost nothing but ponies."
Goldy considered. "Realize the further implications of your idea. We would need to open our lands up to all humans, not just some government officials."
"Eventually, yes," said Sunny. "I did some more research last night. I found out there are parts of the country where humans and ponies are interacting with each other more, and not just the communities of the south. There's a part of Denver where the human and pony communities have been mixing more."
"Ah, yes, I had heard something about that," said Goldy.
"That's more what I'm thinking of. Invite humans to come into our lands and meet with us, maybe even start trading with each other."
"But can we limit it to just that? What of the human desire to reclaim the land?"
Sunny had not wanted to think about that; assuming the status quo would continue was easier. Yet as part of her research, she had discovered that the human economy was starting to recover, and more industries were clamoring for access to the resources in the Homestead lands. People who still technically owned land in that area of the country were agitating to return to it or be fairly compensated for its loss.
"That's something that has to be sorted out eventually," said Sunny. "We're not exactly hurting for space. There's still lots of land we don't actually live on."
"True," said Goldy. "Though that will change in the future as we begin raising families. The next generation of foals who were not in utero during ETS will be born this coming spring."
"By the time we really will need the space, maybe we can start migrating into human lands."
"If they will have us."
"We can't expect them to welcome us if they think they're not welcome here," said Sunny.
Goldy considered. "This is a very bold plan."
"Well ... it's more of an idea than a plan. I haven't really thought of the details."
"How sure are you that this will work?"
"Well, I'm not, to be honest," said Sunny. "But I've been gaining a little more insight into the human perspective, and Twilight only confirmed what I've been thinking. We're not going to get humans to listen to us unless we take a completely different approach."
"Which is what we are doing," said Goldy.
"Yes, and I'm building on that." Sunny smiled faintly. "This is really just an extension of your own idea. You were the one who said we should show them how we live."
"But you came to an insight that apparently had escaped me," said Goldy. "You deserve the credit for it."
"I appreciate that, but--"
"In fact, I believe you should be the one to lead this effort."
Sunny's pupils shrank and her ears drew back. "Wait, I thought you're supposed to be in charge of this delegation."
"I am, but I'm quickly coming to realize that you have far more an ability to make an impression that I do," said Goldy.
"Just because I'm popular doesn't make me a good speaker."
"There's more to it than making mere speeches. If that was all there was, I could have done this myself."
Sunny almost wished Goldy had come herself. She could have lived with the illusion that her "fame" was more localized. Yet had she not come, she might not have realized just how isolated and sheltered her fellow ponies have been.
Goldy stepped closer to Sunny. "You're an inspiration to many ponies who have never heard you speak," she said in an almost reverent tone. "They look up to you for who and what you are, and not for what sound bites you can give them."
"I feel like their praise is overblown," said Sunny. "I haven't done much of anything."
"You lead by example," said Goldy. "It is little wonder why you agreed to help implement the idea of showing humans how we live, and that you wish to take a much bigger step forward."
"But I'm already thinking of how other ponies will resist the idea. It's easy for them to send us into human lands, but it's another thing entirely to bring humans into their midst. I doubt many of them will be looking up to me anymore after that."
"I feel you are truly underestimating yourself. You've inspired them before and you can inspire them again." Goldy smiled. "And now you have the chance to inspire humans as well."
"Inspire humans?"
"If we are to have humans visiting us, they will get the chance to see why so many ponies look up to you, and they will also."
Sunny hesitated before saying in a wary voice, "You sound awfully sure of yourself. I have to be honest, I don't want that kind of pressure. I already feel like too many ponies are relying on me as it is."
"Then don't think about it in those terms," said Goldy. "You are at your best when you're doing what your heart tells you is right. By your own words, you had never expected to see this sort of response."
Sunny had enough fame to last her a lifetime, and Goldy wanted to increase it. Yet how would it appear if she refused? She felt an obligation to be something more than just a strong pegasus pony so she could break out of the mold that Sunset had made for her.
"This is too much for me to take on alone," said Sunny.
"Understood," said Goldy. "Of course, I would be happy to help. I'm sure many of your friends would want to help as well."
"If I can convince them this is not going to become some sort of disaster."
"We can limit the scale at first, at least until enough humans come to realize that Harmony is good for them as well."
The more Sunny thought over her own idea, however, the more bad outcomes she could see. She had become too used to living in a largely peaceful and friendly society. Would bringing humans into the mix disrupt that?
Or was that just echoing the Shimmerist sentiment that humans simply could not be trusted not to live down to their "evil ways?" Now she could see just how popular an idea that could become. Pony Hope was largely a Harmonist enclave, but was that only because they had little day-to-day contact with humans?
"Let's limit our proposal right now to inviting government officials," said Sunny. "It will give me a chance to figure out some of the other details."
"Do you at least want to share your greater vision with Twilight?"
Sunny didn't think it qualified as a "vision," and that term was fraught with bad context in the mind of many humans. It reminded them of the shared vision so many freshly transformed ponies had, which was the basis for their claims of brainwashing. "Not just yet."
Goldy looked a bit skeptical at first but eventually nodded. "Very well." She turned towards Twilight and nodded. A flicker from Twilight's horn, and the shield around them vanished. "My apologies, we were just working out some of the details. I believe we will go with Sunny's excellent suggestion."
Twilight smiled. "I'll promote the idea as much as I can. We used a similar idea back in Equestria when we first hosted representatives from a then little-known nation of Yakyakistan."
"Uh, Twilight?" Spike said in a dubious voice. "That didn't go so well."
"Well, yes, it was a little rocky at first, but the end result is what mattered."
Spike nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Hey, they even rescinded the declaration of war, so that was good."
Sunny's ears drew back. "They rescinded what??"
"There were some minor setbacks!" Twilight cried. "Only because we failed to understand their culture at first. You won't have that problem. The yaks are now our friends. They feel welcome in Equestria and we feel welcome there."
Sunny knew many ponies among the Harmonists liked to imitate Equestrian customs, but she hoped they did not imitate their history too closely.
"Sunny will be our primary contact concerning this plan," said Goldy. "It's her idea, and she has the resources in terms of a large number of loyal friends who will assist her."
Twilight gave them a concerned look and stepped closer to Sunny. "Are you sure you're up to this?"
Sunny was surprised enough at the question that she did not respond immediately.
"I think you have the ability to become a very capable mare," Twilight continued. "But you're not quite an adult yet. Is this something you really want to take on?"
If she answered truthfully, the answer would be "no," but all the lamentations in the world would not make Goldy's assessment any less true: that Sunny was in a good position to influence many other ponies.
"I'm going to have help," Sunny said.
"Of course she will," said Goldy. "We understand her present limitations. We'll help her transcend them. When this is over, I firmly believe many more beings will appreciate what Sunny has done for them."
Sunny managed a small smile. Twilight smiled as well, but Sunny still saw concern in the princess' face. It mirrored her own. She had already felt like their shared task had been daunting enough, but she had not realized the true scale of the problem. Despite Goldy's faith in her, she still feared it was more than she could handle.
"Mr. Fuller will be with you in a moment," said Kelsey. "He's currently making some phone calls of a sensitive nature."
"Understood," said Tonya.
"How have things been going with the Princess?"
"She's been mostly holed up in conference with the delegation."
Kelsey smiled. "Has the Princess showed off any of her magic prowess?"
"From what my crystal ponies have told me, nothing more than simple spells," Tonya explained. "Other than that, all's quiet."
"I've heard of some of the things she did while trying to stop Sunset Shimmer," said Kelsey. "Good thing Equestria is pacifistic."
Tonya withheld her opinion. In her view, everyone had a breaking point. As a police officer, she had witnessed too many cases of supposedly calm and soft-spoken people committing horrendous crimes. She refused to assume that anyone was inherently pacifistic, especially aliens from another universe wielding strange powers. The irony was not lost on her that she could qualify for that definition herself.
Kelsey's intercom chimed. "I'm ready to see Ms. Jarris now," came Matthew's voice.
"Yes, sir," said Kelsey.
Tonya nodded and headed into her superior's office.
Matthew was at his desk with his hands folded before him. "Apologies for the delay. I'm monitoring a potential incident in southeast Denver."
"Anything serious?" Tonya asked.
"Nothing that will affect your task there. I plan to brief you on it later."
"Good, since I want to get out of here early tomorrow morning and don't want to be up too late."
"So what can I do for you?" asked Matthew. "I trust there are no security concerns or your request to see me would have carried more urgency."
"Things are fine at the moment," said Tonya. "No foreign magic detected other than from the Princess, and no mundane threats. I wanted to ask if you made any headway as to why the Denver operation on Saturday had inadequate support."
Matthew leaned back in his seat. "This has you quite concerned, I see."
"Yeah, it does," said Tonya. "Maybe Miss Tanner wouldn't have been shut down completely, but having just one crystal pony might have made it harder for her and reduced the range of the effect enough for someone to send for backup."
"I'm still in the process of investigating," said Matthew. "But an initial look has uncovered a breakdown in communication."
Tonya raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty big breakdown."
"Yes, and I made it very clear how displeased I was with it."
"Do you know what happened?" asked Tonya. "That way I can better alert other crystal ponies in case the situation arises again."
"I'm not sure this is something that they can fix," said Matthew. "Short of directly volunteering for the task, which they should not have to do."
"Well, yes," said Tonya in a wary voice. "But that would at least remind people of their strategic advantage. It may have even prevented this oversight."
Matthew considered. "You could be right about that. Perhaps if that had happened, we would be in a better position now." He smiled. "Unfortunately, while the Equestrian mages are rumored to have actual time travel spells, none are available to us."
"What if I told you that one of the crystal ponies assigned to Denver special operations office did volunteer and was rebuffed?"
Matthew paused, his smile fading slightly. "That's a pretty serious allegation," he said in a flat voice.
"Yeah, it is, but that's what I found out."
"I thought we agreed I was the one to investigate the matter."
Tonya had a feeling someone like Matthew would complain about jurisdiction, but frankly Tonya didn't care. "It wasn't intentional, just the result of a hallway conversation."
"With whom?"
"Ralph Danner, a recent transfer," said Tonya. "He's got a spotless record since joining the FCPA, so I don't think he would make something like that up. You might want to get the details from him. Could lead you right to the source of the so-called communications breakdown."
"So-called?" Matthew asked.
"Cop instincts are telling me that someone wanted to sabotage this operation," said Tonya. "I could be wrong, of course, but there's enough of a possibility that I wanted to bring this to your attention."
Matthew nodded. "A wise decision. I was not aware of this."
"Sorry if you feel like I stepped on your toes."
"Not at all, Ms. Jarris," said Matthew. "We're both trying to do an important job here, and everyone needs to contribute. I'll take this under advisement and see where it leads."
"That's all I ask," Tonya said as Matthew's intercom chimed.
Matthew answered it, and Kelsey's voice announced, "Princess Twilight is here to see you, sir."
"One moment." Matthew turned to Tonya. "Is there anything else?"
"Nothing that we can't discuss later," said Tonya. "I don't want you keeping the Princess waiting."
"Very well. Thank you for your efforts and keep up the good work."
Tonya smiled and exited the office. At once she was aware of the rather powerful aura of magic which surrounded Twilight as her gaze fell on the alicorn princess. Even Tonya's ability would be like trying to empty the Pacific Ocean with a thimble.
Tonya gave Twilight a respectful nod as she passed, and Twilight gave her a surprised but friendly look in return. Tonya was almost to the door, the Secret Service agents parting for her when she heard Twilight say, "Excuse me."
Tonya turned around. "Yes, Princess?"
"I feel like I should know you," said Twilight. "Have we met?"
"Perhaps indirectly. You helped teach several crystal ponies what to expect at rehumanization while I was doing that duty."
Twilight suddenly smiled. "You were there for Jenny Tanner's rehumanization."
"Well, yes, I was. How did you know, if I may ask?"
"I've kept in touch with the Tanner family on and off," said Twilight. "Jenny described you to me."
So Jenny was a friend of Twilight's? Small world indeed. She wished she was at liberty to tell the princess of Jenny's magic issue. Certainly Twilight would want to examine such a thing herself. If anyone could help the girl cope with her odd magic, it would be Twilight. She had to hope Matthew would realize that, too, and either let Twilight in on the operation or consult with her afterward.
Tonya bore no ill will towards Jenny. While she technically broke the law, it was from something she likely had little control over. She needed help rather than punishment. "Hopefully she had only good things to say about me," Tonya said.
"Yes, she did," said Twilight. "Sorry to delay you."
"Not at all," said Tonya before she took her leave.
"I'll get right to the point," said Twilight after she took the chair proffered by Matthew. "I need you to help advocate for a government official to come and speak with the delegation."
Matthew leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk. "I'll do all I can, of course. Realize things are at a sensitive junction at the moment."
"To be blunt, I don't care. The delegation has a proposal that I believe will meet with approval from Washington. All they need is the proper forum in which to announce it."
"I can arrange for another press conference if--"
Twilight already started shaking her head. "That will be like announcing it in a vacuum. They need to have official representation from your government."
"If I had to guess, I would say they're waiting for things to play out here first."
"Which they've already done as much as they're going to."
Matthew considered. "That soon?"
"They need to stop being treated as if they're a political party seeking to advance an agenda," said Twilight. "Perhaps that's the light they're being seen in right now, and I can understand why. But we need to move past that. Can you tell me who your primary contact in Washington is right now concerning the matter?"
"Ms. Wendy Rock," said Matthew.
Twilight's ears drooped slightly. "Is there any way we can contact someone else? She didn't strike me as being particularly helpful, to be perfectly blunt."
"I understand she can take a hard line sometimes," said Matthew. "But I have a good working relationship with her."
"Then maybe you can help me convince her to advance this further."
"I'll do what I can, Princess. At the moment, I'm monitoring a potential incident in Denver, and that needs my focus."
Twilight tilted her head. "Incident? What incident?"
"I'm not sure how much I'm at liberty to disclose."
Twilight wanted to demand more details, as she knew Connie was concerned about something happening at the Magiccraft Fair, but she didn't want to tip her hoof. "Do you know when this incident will be resolved?"
"Unknown at this time," said Matthew. "With luck, it will end without issue and my time will be freed up this afternoon. Until then--"
He was interrupted by the intercom. "Sir, priority call coming in. Line one."
"My apologies. Princess," said Matthew as he reached for the phone. "I need to take this,"
"Yes, of course, I--" Twilight's cell phone buzzed. "--understand. I suppose I'll take this as well." She levitated her headset and set it in place around her ears. "Caller?"
"Starlight Glimmer," the phone's synthesized voice replied. "Priority red."
Twilight's ears drew back, forcing her to adjust the headset. "Answer!"
"Twilight, we have an emergency!" Starlight's desperate voice cried.
"What is it?"
"I just heard from Sunburst via Farhearing Stone. Someone is using mind magic at the Fair!"
"What??" Twilight glanced at Matthew, who had leaned back in his chair, frowning. He was likely hearing about the same incident. Her horn flashed, and she threw up a privacy shield. "Can you get over there?"
"Well, I could, if I had a reference point for the teleport."
"Someone must have an HD camera over there!" Twilight said. "That and Google maps should be enough."
"Uh, I would, but someone else has already taken an interest in this."
"Huh? Who??"
"Princess Luna."
Twilight's pupils shrank.
"And she's pissed," said Starlight.
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Please let it be Ryan, ooooh please let it be Ryan, and please let it be in such a way it just fantastically blew up Matthew's plans.
You know, I think the Dreamwardens should have just dealt with Ryan themselves instead of going to Luna. They could have just killed him off quietly and no one would have been able to prove anything. Now there is going to be a major diplomatic incident with Equestria because Princess Luna lost her temper and had to go deal with things in the worst possible way.
9271988
The Dreamwardens would have taken care of this themselves had Ryan been linked to the dream realm. The fact that he isn't is the problem. Dreamwardens limit their activities to the dream realm in part to maintain their secrecy.
9271973
I hope so too
9271973
I'm more concerned about the incident will have on the foals there. Ryan is already making them fearful and suddenly you have a very angry Luna step in. Starlight's message and Twilight's reaction implied that things were bad all around. What kind of impact does this have on a pony like Christina-who is almost certainly in attendance? And Ryan is just monitoring the situation and isn't reacting to the fact that Luna is there. My guess is he wanted there to be an incident. Scare some foals into rehumanizing to satisfy his superiors and make Equestria look bad. They've been going out of their way to draw attention to Ryan with just having him go out in public making a nuisance of himself.
9272020 There are a number of good origin stories out there. Any one would be quite sensible because their narrative foundations are strong and they address many of the questions the presence of the changelings raise.
My own story "Metamorphosis" ties both Discord and the Changelings together with the Hearths Warming Tale AND Gen 1. It fills in about a half-dozen plot threads in a nice, tidy package. And that story would eventually lead into a larger plotline regarding the windigoes and the source of all the corrupting Dark Magic, were I so inclined and had the enormous amount of time required to write something novel-length.
9272141
Not really. I think it is actually very similar to how humans react to celebrities. We've seen ponies basically start idolizing any gifted members of the tribes. Sunrise Storm was the first they started idolizing but you see how unicorns react to Bob. Amanda over in the other story doesn't even like being an earth pony but still goes fangirl over Wild Growth. Even Heather with the crystal ponies gets some of this and you could argue the night ponies idolize the Wardens.
9272139
Well it's going to depend on who did what. Directly applied mind magic is usually easily reversed from what we've seen in MLP (even Discord's mind-warping spells were handled with a single counterspell) so if Ryan did something to the foals directly with his magic that should easily be reversed.
That being said, there are always several ways to a goal, and Ryan's rhetoric doesn't really need his powers. He just needs ponies to believe they are 'wrong.' If my suspicions that his rhetoric is the result of sessions with the rehumanization offices turns out to be true, he's likely to be one of the first victims of it.
Of course, this all assumes that it's Ryan who did something here, and not a night pony who jumped the gun.
O this is going to be so good.
O am hopping Princess Luna comes face to face with the government over this.
Can I get more information about that Anthology series? I would like to know where I can find out more. Typical story size, different things like that. It would be fun putting a story in it
No way it was Ryan he was in custody of someone last we heard. My thought is someone leaked Jenny's action and in her state maybe Luna might want to check her self before Jenny wrecks her.
The power display Jenny did to the Feds was stress triggered (Ryan intimidation and Feds Trap) and her power is not fully awakened or controlled. A lot of talk goes into Alicorn accention but none into nightmare. In Jenny gets threatened, especially directly; she could nightmare surge and suddenly become to much to handle even for an alicorn.
9272637
Story size varies. Submit to me a synopsis and I'll see what I can do. Or you can write it all out yourself and I'll post it in Anthology credited to you. Story has to exist in a single chapter, story length beyond that doesn't matter 3000-15000 words is what I'd give for range. There is a post in the Pandemic group forum as well. The story will go through an approval process and I'll be checking each story over with ASGeek before posted up just to make sure everything is kept canon and is up to minimum standards. If you write something and it needs work I'll help you with that. You are always free to self release a story as well. Anthology is so we don't oversaturate the site with one-shot Pandemic stories and get backlash and to encourage community to write and give their own ideas for the universe.
Realized after this chapter that adding acronyms to directory might be needed too. Lot of acronyms in universe. Eager to see what goes on with the magic fair. Wonder if Tonya is being deliberately naive about Matthew. Does she just trust too much in the government?
9272646
The last time we saw Ryan was in Chapter 9 when he was being escorted out of the Denver pony sector by the pony Sheriff Dave. However, Ryan wasn't under arrest.
I hope Sunny's plan (to being Humans to the Ponylands) works. Because the America in this story is really falling apart! Too many Ponies have forgotten that they're Americans. Worse, a good chunk of them have come to hate America!
There seems to be a three-way culture war here: Humans vs Ponies vs Americans. Unfortunately, America seems to be the weakest side in this three-way war (at least in the Western US). The only pro-American character seems to be the President. Even Sunny and Goldy are framing this plan more in terms of makeing Humans appreciate Ponies, rather then in terms of reuniting the Ponies and Humans as Americans.
9272959
Part of the problem is that the US government may have too much in common with that of Yakyakistan. I laughed when I got to this part:
Twilight smiled. "I'll promote the idea as much as I can. We used a similar idea back in Equestria when we first hosted representatives from a then little-known nation of Yakyakistan."
"Uh, Twilight?" Spike said in a dubious voice. "That didn't go so well."
"Well, yes, it was a little rocky at first, but the end result is what mattered."
Spike nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Hey, they even rescinded the declaration of war, so that was good."
But while he wouldn't use the exact same words, I suspect Colorado Senator John Maxton's rhetoric essentially boils down to US SMASH!!!
Meep. Angry Luna is scary Luna.
9273017
I'll agree that the US government is adding fuel to the flames. But government antics isn't the real reason (some) Ponies have forgotten they're American. Americans have had problems with their government for a long time (as Twilight pointed out). If this were really about government antics, they'd have stopped identifying as American long before anyone transformed into a Pony.
9272959
Yes that is the most disturbing thing that these ponies to easy disregard their citizenship and past
9273335
9273071
Except that as soon as millions of US citizens changed into ponies, the US government immediately started treating the new US ponies in ways which were far more oppressive than they had ever treated them back when they were still humans. In the other story, the US decided after only weeks to forcibly relocate hundreds of thousands of their citizens in 4 Southern states to three entirely new areas where only really small towns had been before. This meant that three almost completely new cities would have to be built, with almost all the costs and inconvenience of this forced move being ultimately paid for by the ponies.
The US has suddenly passed entirely new laws against magic forbidding unicorns from learning to use their own horns. Since using magic is as fundamental an act to unicorns as using one's hands are to humans, I can't imagine how these laws could do anything but alienate millions of US citizens who are now unicorns.
In some ways the way US pony citizens are being treated in these two stories is comparable to the way the US treated Japanese Americans during WW2. Asking why these ponies seem less enthusiastic about the US is almost like asking those Japanese American citizens why they seem less patriotic since the US government threw them into concentration camps
9273743
then they should have stopped it earlier for some had to have been politcians. but the simple fact is that they are too easily abandoning the american ideals. The Pony Council is admittedly american ans they are addressign greviances the issue is the so much talk of being seperate then you do see some actually tryign to live as they did before with adjustments. THe unicorns magic is a legit issue since all of this started with one high power unicorn with advance spells at her command. Months after her plans is partially stopped is not the best time to ask for advance spells. Hell the fact the Shimmerists are asking for the transform spells shows why that is something to fear.
The entire world is dealing with some portion of their popualtion now beign ponies. while some laws need adjsutign why should ponjies be seperate from the nation of their birth. Frankly their reactions make it more why rehumanization is encourage for there are clear signs that Sunset's message is still havign an affect. even o nthe non Shimmerists with only a handful out right rejecting it.
9273743
I've only read this story and the original Pandemic, so I can't comment on other stories. But I can't say I entirely disagree with you:
The government was holding Ponies in concentration camps (after they stopped being contagious), and separating the men from the women. Those are both red flags that the government is about to do something very nasty! And the Ponies were remarkably understanding. Perhaps too understanding: If they fought back, feeling that they had to assume the government intended to kill them, I wouldn't have blamed them. And the military probably would have been justified joining that Pony rebellion.
But that never happened. There was no genocide, no rebellion. The concentration camps are closed, that's in the past now. And the camps only lasted for weeks, not years (like the Japanese camps did).
And unlike the Ponies, the Japanese-Americans never abandoned their American identity! Despite facing much worse restrictions then the Ponies (being locked in camps for years), they were some of the most patriotic Americans during the war, and they were some of the best soldiers.
9273874
That's an excellent question, but one that we need to level at both parties here. As was pointed out over multiple chapters, the current political climate and lawmaking regarding transformed tries to have it both ways: It both claims they're Americans and need to follow American law, yet denies them rights and heavily discriminates against them because they're transformed.
The lawmaking on magic in particular is a can of worms about to burst. Denying ponies their magic is like making a law demanding all right hands be tied to the back. Sure, you can still live with your left hand and left handed people will not be as restricted, but it's still a law that is just a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, begging for people to break it.
9273789
I fixed the other problems, but I'm at a loss with this one. What word is missing?
9273995
Looks like a good sentence to me. I suppose you could add a 'the' at the beginning, but it's not really needed.
9273743
I'm not sure the idea of forced concentration camps is a good comparison for what went on with the ponies in GA, SC, NC, and TN. Ghettos certainly, but not concentration camps. It seemed like a variety of things came together. In the case of Riverview initially the ponies negotiated with the town into settling and a lot of the planning was done by a Shimmerist that the government was well aware was a Shimmerist and shrugged off that fact. The other towns it seems like S.B. also had a great deal of influence on how they were set up. They also make it clear they got a lot of government financing to get things done, even with the economy in shambles, and it has paid off. They've since gone on to be productive consumer centers if we can read between the lines in this story; they might be a major part of why the economy is even starting to recover since they seemed very focused on getting industry going and southern ponies engaged in the economy asap. The pony leadership there, not the government, were the ones who stamped out the ideas of the idealized society we see out west. There hasn't been much of a hint of a Harmonist in the south so far as a result just Shimmerists, Lunites, and unaffiliated ponies.
There was no question that the local area governments there were hostile to ponies, which is what prompted the moves, but it seems like the ponies worked in conjunction with the government to create those cities. It wasn't something completely dictated to them.
9273996
Agreed, it seems fine to me. Adding 'the' doesn't clarify or add anything to the sentence. You could add an 'even' before tighter as well, but that again feels unnecessary.
Welp, here comes the imminent explosion! This is about to get crazy and exciting
More please
9273947
To be fair, we only really see the Ponies denied rights when it comes to using magic and homesteading.
As for homesteading: It seems some of the Ponies were forced to form towns and all, because they couldn't go back home. That necessity needs to be taken into account. But it seems some Ponies went beyond that, and knowingly took other people's land when it wasn't necessary, and without offering compaction. That's a problem! You take someone's land without asking, you have to expect trouble.
As for magic: Well, maybe it would be a good idea for the government to let the Pegasi put our fires and irrigate farms in peace. Just create laws restricting weather-control as needed, rather then a semi-blanket "no weather-control". When decrees/laws are necessary, they should come mostly from local governments and property owners (e.g. a farmer asking the Pegasi for rain over his farm, a city government asking the Pegasi to remove the clouds over the city).
9274173
It's not just the homesteading though. Several times now we've seen ponies who want to get back to their old jobs be rebuffed because they're ponies. Basic employment rights just seem to be up to the whims of employers.
When it comes to magic, the pegasi have it easier than the unicorns. They seem to be getting away with using their talents, and at the very least are able to fly. Unicorns though are outright denied the chance to learn what is a core aspect of their physiology now. Putting aside the discrimination, that can't be healthy.
I'm not sure if I trust Goldy. I feel she is trying to manipulate Sunny, and has some ulterior motives.
9274248
Remember what Strong said about the Harmonists, they're really good at flying under the radar. I would not be surprised if Goldy is a Harmonist trying to push Sunny into ascendancy.
9273947
The magic I can get. again this is just months after Sunset Shi8mmer changed a good portion ofthe world's population to ponies and the fact the shimmerists want that spell shows that at least for now the ban is logical. after some time the Earth ponies can address this again.
9274186
again they are allow some magic but not advance stuff for good reason. One unicorn with alot of magic and advance spells did this whole thing and they don't want a repeat. is that fear talking? Yes but a justifiable one for now. In time things can change but right not a good idea. especially again that Shimmerists want that spell that transforms them.
9274276
Which again brings us back to ponies being discriminated against for being ponies rather than their actions. It may be fear talking, but fair it is not. It would be like ordering all people to tie their hands behind their back because someone used their hands to commit a global act of terror. The only reason it's even working is because ponies are a minority, if they weren't this ban would have been laughed out of the political halls.
It's also a danger, because many ponies will try to find ways around this law. Just as any human would try to find ways around a "tie your hands behind your back at all times" law. And there's a good chance that some of these ponies will come to resent humanity for it. Which means you risk getting ponies actively trying to dodge the laws while also fostering resentment against the government among those ponies. This kind of brute forcing such issues feeds the Shimmerists, particularly the more radical ones.
9274186
Ah. I was thinking of government, but you were thinking of discrimination by private individuals. Well, there are laws that ban employment discrimination by race or medical condition (Ponies are a race, or victims of Equine Transformation Virus, take your pick). Unless there's some reason being a Pony would keep you from doing the job, those employers are just begging for a lawsuit!
As for Unicorns: It's my understanding that they're not banned from using their horns. Just that it's illegal to import knowledge of advanced Equestrian magic. This sound less like "tie your hands behind your back", and more like "it's illegal to import devices that use zippers and buttons".
And I think I agree with the government there. The world is in enough trouble as it is, we shouldn't be dumping a bunch of advanced technology on a society that's not ready for it. I say: Let things settle down first, then start bringing in the advanced magical technology.
9274293
For example, Bob isn't exactly the type of person you would expect to become a dangerous criminal, but he's so deeply involved in "Illicit magic research" that he has undoubtedly committed a long list of "crimes" he could be charged with if law enforcement officers like Matthew Fuller had their way. He's probably responsible for that fire manipulation spell that Jenny and Eileen saw Minty using back in Chapter 2. How many hundreds or thousands of unicorns are regularly breaking the law by using that spell?
Sunrise hasn't realize it yet, but it's quite possible that the first thing those government officials she wants to invite to Pony Hope "to show ponies have nothing to hide" will do is arrest her own adopted brother.
9274379
Well the government does the same thing, given that some of these ponies were denied their federal jobs. We also haven't heard a peep from the transformed politicians mentioned in the tail end of Pandemic either, who would have vehemently opposed the massive curtailings of magic. Which are quite massive, since the only thing unicorns are allowed to do is levitate things. That helps with day to day use, but like I said, it's expecting a law that ties everyone's right hand behind their backs to be accepted because they still have their left hand. Every unicorn uses magic in their way of life. Even Rarity, who is by no means an academic, has a variety of spells that either directly aid her work or are simply a part of her way of life. Magic is central to every unicorn's life, and to forbid anything but levitation is inevitably going to feel stifling for unicorns. We saw this a few chapters back, where the general response to Starlight presenting yet another levitation variant was a room full of groans.
9274406
Right? And Bob is as straight laced as they come. It's just that magic is such a central part of being a unicorn as well as being a very intruiging subject to study in general. You're never going to stop unicorns from trying to experiment with magic, all you'll be doing is make sure that every experiment that does occur will be inherently more dangerous, as the unicorns that perform them lack the proper foundational knowledge.
Remember the Prohibition? And how it never really stopped alcohol, but merely encouraged many to homebrew? Sometimes with dangerously toxic results? This is that, but with the added caveat that magic is a physiological component of all unicorns.
9274293
discrimiantation sadly does happy but it seems only in varuious regions and we have addressed the magic issue. NO advance spells at this time again for VERY good reason. one mare ONE MARE with ONE SPELL casue this much damage to the world. Months just after she did this is NOT the time to advocate for high level spells. give it a few years.
I'm starting to really dislike Goldy. Her disregard of Sunny's wishes and trying to manipulate her into princesshood is super shitty of her.
9274590
A few years of forced hands tied behind backs? The Shimmerists are going to love the influx of unicorn recruits.
I'm not talking about releasing the transformation spell (which was among the highest level of spell complexity even in Equestria) but to give the unicorns access to just... magic. Right now, unicorns are limited to pretty much levitation and I believe some light spells. Trixie a few chapters back complained that they aren't even allowed to teach kindergarten level magic because it's forbidden. That's not 'limiting advanced magic' that's 'limiting everything but the barest basics any unicorn learns instinctively anyway.'
The current level of restriction isn't just stifling, it's actively encouraging even normally law abiding citizens to break the law, simply because any unicorn will learn more magic than just basic levitation. It's as much a part of who they are as hands are to humans, and trying to forbid it is just going to mean they'll experiment illegally. Any law that encourages people to do illegal acts is a fundamentally bad law that needs revisioning.
9274580
You're not going to stop Humans from using their hands to create tools either. But say Ape Transformation Virus (makes people Human) strikes a world, and bunch of people sprout hands. Would it be a good idea for that world to import an unlimited supply of handheld tools from Earth, for the new Humans? Screwdrivers, smartphones, handguns, rocket launchers, you name it?
I don't think so. And I don't think it does any great psychological harm to the new Humans, that they have to wait a little while before getting advanced tools from Earth. As long as the government leaves them free to use their hands (just without toys from Earth). If the government starts tying people's hands being their back, that's going to cause problems!
So here's the question: Is the government just restricting the import of Equestrian magical knowledge, but mostly leaving the Unicorns free to use their horns (just without Equestrian knowledge)? Or is the government going around arresting people, just for using their horns? Because even if you want Equestrian magical knowledge on Earth, I think there's a big difference between the two!
9274698
Yes, actually. It would be a good idea. Tools would be of vital importance to those new humans and their new human instincts and necessities. Especially if that world never used tools before, those new humans will need tools just to survive. And just like with the unicorns here, if those new humans won't get tools, they'll start making their own tools. By actually giving them tools you can regulate the kind of tools they have access to, and so can separate the cutlery from the rocket launchers and -not unimportantly- teach them how to use them safely and responsibly.
With the unicorns, if you actually teach them magic you control what kind of magic they learn, all the while the feeling of progression will ensure there will be far less unicorns experimenting illegally.
Right now from what we've seen, anything more than basic levitation and... I think light spells are deemed illegal. Any use of magic outside that is met with law enforcement. It's pretty much Tonya's job to police that sort of thing.
9274715
Why would they need hand-tools to survive. We're talking about a (hypothetical) world that didn't have hands, let alone hand-tools, until recently. As long as the new Humans can still use the technology and tools of their world, they shouldn't have any trouble surviving.
And the new Humans won't be makeing rocket launchers (unless someone from Earth tells them how). It took us thousands of years for us to just learn to forge steal! Those new Humans will be makeing sharpened sticks, not rocket launchers.
But back to the Pandemic world: If the Unicorns are arrested just for using their horns like you say, that alone would justify secession from the Union! As you said, you may as well ask Humans to tie their hands behind their back. That's a bit more serous then taxation without representation (or anything written in the Declaration of Independence).
9274626
some many but many not. again this is a reasonable thing for now since again ONE UNICORN MARE DID ALL THIS DAMAGE WITH ONE HIGH LEVEL SPELL
9274839
That depends. Are you saying it's reasonable to restrict knowledge of Equestrian magic? To not let the Equestrians teach the Eaarthers advanced magic? If so, I would tend to agree with you Q.
But are you saying that the government is right, to arrest any Unicorn who uses more then a simple levitation spell? Even if it's a spell the Unicorn made himself, not one that came from Equestria. If so, you may as well ban humans from using their hands to do anything other then scratching itches.
That's not going to work: Humans are going to pick up stuff with their hands, Unicorns are going to cast spells with their horns. If you don't want spells being cast on Earth, the only way to do that is to banish every Unicorn to Equestria.
9274839
Yes, yes, one unicorn mare. With access to the entirety of Equestria's magic, a genius mind that invented a completely new, near-irreversible spell, almost a decade to prepare and two decades to execute. Oh, and she also was one of the most powerful unicorns Equestria has produced. And the only reason her plan got as far as it did was because it was an out of context problem for earth at the time. If someone were to try ETS again now, it would be stopped before the first transformation could even begin to show effects.
That does not excuse handicapping a third of the transformed population. We already see more and more unicorns, even ordinary civilians, getting frustrated with the lack of magic they're allowed to do. It's only a matter of time before this comes to a boiling point.
9274786
Because they're humans now, with human instincts and human physiologies. If you want to make the comparison, then in this hypothetical scenario tools would be the equivalent of magic. Humans are tool users. Everything from hunting to farming to eating we do with tools. We need clothes not to freeze, we need homes to live in, food that needs to be cooked and tools to construct and do all of it. If you take away humanity's tools, the first thing any human would do would be to make new ones. Because without tools, we will die. Simple as that.
And yes, that is exactly my point: The current laws on magic are as restrictive as ordering humans to tie their right hands behind their back. So far, transformed are allowed little more than simple levitation and maybe light, any spell more complicated than that is stuff the transformed have scrounged from smuggled artefacts, the result of cutie mark magic, or painstakingly pieced together on their own. All of them illegal by earth's standards.
Laws like that can lead to only one result: Revolution.
9274922
Yes, this can only lead to revolution. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't be a patriotic Second American Revolution. It wouldn't fueled by American ideals, or follow in the footsteps of the Founding Fathers. It would probably be an Anti-American Revolution, fulled by hatred of America (and Humans), and a desire to be Equestrian.
Edit: If you're right about the government banning Unicorns from using their horns, that is.
9271988
Because this is the real takeaway, that the Night Ponies should assassinate people and ponies that they find issues with. Ugh, the Dreamwarden thing is still something I fully dislike in this story.