Chapter 18: Then They Reached the Capital
They didn’t have the train to themselves for long, as more ponies boarded the closer they came to Canterlot. As the car became more and more crowded with strangers, Theo and her companions moved to a single row, where they could sit in relative comfort and not disrupt anyone else.
Theo watched the countryside closely from one of the wide windows, sitting beside Sharp Edge on one side and Emerald on the other. The more time she spent with ponies, the more her fears that they would violently kill her for the way she looked began to fade. Whatever happened in Sleighsburg, it wasn’t happening to her again. She got an occasional odd look, and a few other passengers asked her how long she’d been visiting in Equestria. She told them each the truth and was relieved when they were left alone.
While she wasn’t attacked by any of the other passengers, she was free to watch as Canterlot approached above them. The train cut straight towards it across the valleys of a green lowland, chugging peacefully through large fields and modest towns. Theo thought they resembled American towns more than the European, with wide streets and much space between buildings, though it also looked more historical than anything else.
Canterlot itself was… something else. Whenever the train turned and she caught a glimpse of it through distant clouds, she thought that she must be hallucinating. It was more like a theme-park structure, built into impossible steep stone cliffs with a kind of forced perspective that many theme-parks used.
“That can’t be it,” she said, after Sharp pointed it out to her. “Why would you put a capital city so high in the mountains? It would be a nightmare to get anything up and down.”
“History,” Sharp answered, his tone deadly serious. “We’d been invaded a few times, and the last capital was burned. Princess Celestia wanted its replacement to be somewhere that would be easier to defend. They picked the steepest, tallest mountain they could, put her castle on the peak, and the rest of the city just grew up around it.”
“I heard that it used to be almost all pegasus ponies up there,” Emerald said. “Until they built the railway, uh… a while ago. Now anypony can go there, you don’t have to fly.”
“Doesn’t look like they’ve been around very long,” Theo answered. Though the engine had been safe enough, it also rumbled and shook and belched steam wherever it went. It had been switched out once and stopped for refueling twice more. She had the wrong mindset to care much about steam engines though, so she couldn’t have said how advanced it was.
“Not that long,” Sharp Edge agreed. “Three hundred years, maybe? That feels about right. I never paid much attention in history.”
“You mean more like… thirty,” Theo argued. The train was unmistakably traveling up now, turning along a sharp switchback. Unlike the old, rusty tracks leading to Agate, these were perfect and shiny. They barely bumped as they sped upward, along a perfect grade lined by fences on one side and a rock wall on the other. “That’s what this feels like. You’re using old-fashioned steam engines, with coal and boilers and everything.”
“It’s not thirty.” Sharp Edge laughed quietly, though he stopped as soon as it was clear other ponies were watching them. “It takes longer than that to cover a country with tracks. I think it can take that long just to make a new engine, but… that’s outside my field. I didn’t want to spend my life learning a craft when I would only make a dozen of something before I died, all the same. No thanks.”
They rode in silence for a few minutes more. Theo listened to the conversations elsewhere on the train, imagining the business of the adorable little horses that brought them to their Disneyland capital on the top of a mountain. But then they twisted along another bend, and she had a clear view of the city again.
This one wasn’t built from unknowable crystals, but familiar techniques. White stone colonnades, massive pillars and arches, flat platforms that supported thousands of structures seemingly suspended over the sky. The city seemed to be divided into tiers, with smaller dirtier buildings below and a few polished white ones further up, near the palace.
It wasn’t a theme park. Even from a distance Theo could see the many figures moving—figures that moved through the streets, true, and just as many in the air above it. Emerald wasn’t the only of her kind—there were thousands of them, all living here. As the city got closer, its scope finally dawned on her. The Crystal Empire had been strange, but this place was easily larger than Graz. Maybe bigger than Vienna as well.
Equestria wasn’t Europe, as much as this alpine construction would’ve felt at home there. “Emerald, could you…” But she was already taking a picture. They’re never gonna believe this.
The city kept getting bigger, right up until they slowed to a stop in the lower-city train station. Apparently the train kept going—but not for ponies who had tickets like theirs. If they wanted to climb to those heights, they would have to walk.
But Theo didn’t even care. As she followed Sharp Edge, she grinned up at the lower city district, a city of cramped buildings and happy voices. The streets were much too thin for any proper vehicles to pass, but there were plenty of “horse drawn” carts, along with carriages pulled by uniformed ponies.
Sharp Edge nudged her from one side, gesturing to the side of the road. She blushed, realizing she’d stopped right outside the train in the direct flow of traffic, with ponies staring at her on both sides. But where she might’ve been cursed at on Earth, here she only got a few concerned looks. From Sharp Edge most of all. “Is everything alright?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s just… it’s been a long time since I’ve been around so many people. The Observatory only has eight people over winter, and Barrow has… not very many I ever saw. When it’s that cold, you stay inside most of the time or you freeze.”
She looked up towards the distant palace, surrounded by massive walls of buildings getting closer and closer, not quite so large as skyscrapers, but there was just so many. “Do you know how many people live here?”
“A million?” Sharp answered, shrugging one shoulder. Did he look… pleased? Maybe this was the kind of reaction he expected. “The government buildings are all in the upper city. Getting in should be easy, looking like you do. We just have to get up there. We, uh…” He looked away, trailing off awkwardly. “It would be better if we walk. We’re running a little low on bits, and we might not have enough to stay the night if we catch a trolley.”
“We can walk,” Theo said, leaning over to give him a friendly hug. “Maybe they’ll help me. I’ve heard of consulates doing things to help their citizens who are stranded. Or… I’m not actually one of their citizens, though. I don’t suppose the EU have anything here?”
“I don’t know what that is,” Sharp Edge said. “So I’m guessing not.”
They walked. Theo didn’t mind, even though the city seemed enormous and the walk would probably take hours. She wanted to see the city for herself, and the best way to do that was on her feet.
They passed apartment blocks, wide public parks, and old-fashioned glass storefronts. Theo looked in several though one look from Sharp was the only reminder she needed that they wouldn’t be getting anything from them today.
They did stop for fried food from a makeshift stall, eating on an old stone bench beside an ancient mausoleum.
Ponies passed them on the street just past the fence, stealing an occasional glance at the ponies inside, but generally leaving them alone.
If Theo had one consolation, it was that Emerald was even more shocked and amazed by everything here than she was. She could barely eat, barely talk, and was constantly looking around her, as though she thought the world was going to melt back into snow and ice at any moment. “Didn’t you live here once, master?” she asked, picking at the oat-bun in small bites.
“Yes,” he answered. “The guild that trained me is on the next tier. I don’t think they’d be too pleased to see me back.”
“Why would you leave?” Emerald stopped in front of him, gesturing wildly with her wings. “This place is amazing! There’s so many… ponies. Statues and singing and food and…” She lifted up into the air as she spoke, at least until she stopped talking. Then she stopped flapping and landed on the path in front of them with a rough thump. “Sleighsburg is so… awful. So cold, the same ponies every day, the same ice, same sea.”
“You say that.” Sharp Edge gestured up above them, at the palace. The city was constructed so steeply that it was always visible looming overhead. “But it has disadvantages. So many old families, old ways of doing things… all entrenched here. What matters most when you grow up in Canterlot is your family name. What tier of the city do you live in, whose friends can you use to get you the best positions?”
He rose, tossing the empty wax-paper into a nearby bin. “I like Canterlot too, kid. But if you were stuck here, you might find you hated it just as much as where you were. A cage made of gold is still a cage.”
Emerald rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure I’d think so, master.” Then she turned to Theo. “What about you, Summer. Would you want to leave here?”
She nodded without thinking. “Big cities are okay to visit, but they wear on you after a while. You have to be built for it, and I never was. They never sleep, the noise never stops. And you don’t get to know your neighbors—they’re just faces.”
“Says the pony who hasn’t had to know the same ponies for her whole life,” Emerald muttered, pawing unhappily at the gravel path. “Maybe it’s great if you like them. But if you don’t, you’re stuck. Don’t fly in the street, Emerald! Shouldn’t you be helping your mother, Emerald? It’s not proper for you to be seen with outsiders, Emerald! I saw you out too late, Emerald. You should help me clean this fish, Emerald.” With each line she did another impression, dropping her voice or lifting her ears or puffing out her chin.
Sharp Edge laughed for a few seconds, before clearing his throat and looking away. “Yes, well. Canterlot is too expensive for us to stay in for long. I’ve got enough gold for a night in the lower city. With luck, we’ll have finished with the embassy by then.”
“They’ll take Summer back with them to their mountain, won’t they?” Emerald asked, grinning eagerly. “You think they’ll let us visit too? We helped her get this far, it’s only fair!”
“They might,” Sharp said. “But there’s no way to know. I don’t actually know very much about the embassy—I’ve never been with anyone who needed to speak with them before. We shouldn’t think we can guess how hippogriffs will behave just because we know Summer here. She’s really a Traveler.”
“A human,” she corrected. “We have a real name. I have one too. It’s Theo, if you forgot.”
“I didn’t,” Sharp said, frowning weakly. “It’s just… hard to say.”
It can’t be that hard. She didn’t argue with him all the same. They left the old building behind and were soon back on the road up through the city. They didn’t get very far before Theo realized they were being followed.
It was a pair of ponies, both sturdy looking stallions that were about her height, but as thick and muscular as bodybuilders. At first she hadn’t noticed—there were so many ponies here, and no two looked alike. But each time they crossed a street, each time they waited for a crosswalk, there they were just a block behind, sometimes less.
And we don’t have a gun. Theo slid up beside Sharp, whispering to him. “Don’t turn around, but I think we’re being followed.”
Ponies could act naive, but at least he had the sense not to turn around. “Who?”
It was hard for Theo to know, but it felt like they were about halfway up the city. Between the lower and middle sections there were no buildings, just suspended gondolas, and a single road that cut up and down through precarious switchbacks. They were mostly alone on the road now, aside from the occasional cart and carriage.
“Two stallions—both wearing white jackets and black hats.”
Sharp Edge tensed, his ears flattening. “You mean the ones… standing right behind you?”
How?
Theo spun around, in time to see the two ponies she’d been watching land just steps away from her. They were both pegasus ponies, both grizzled and strong. She took a single step back, eyes widening. “O-oh. Hi there.”
“Hello,” one of them said, reaching into his jacket and removing something from inside.
Theo froze, expecting a knife and the inevitable “give me your money” that would follow. Or something worse. That was the other dangerous part of living in a big city—there was always so much more crime.
She squealed and retreated as the pony’s wing emerged from within—but there was no blade balanced between those strong feathers, just a little white envelope.
Theo took it in one awkward claw, holding it up. It was a thick parchment envelope, with a feather embossed across the back. And when she turned it over, there was a name written across the top.
Her name, in English letters.
Theodor Pichler.
“That is for you,” the pony said, retreating. His companion took off into the air, hovering just above them. “Apologies if we made you uncomfortable. We had to make sure you were the right hippogriff.”
Theo slit the letter open, stupefied. “How did you… how did you know?” she asked, stunned.
“Enjoy your time in Canterlot,” the pony said, taking off and joining his companion. They flew for the lower city, and who knew where beyond. But Theo didn’t watch them go. She barely even realized her friends were there—she had to know what was in the letter.
She leaned on the railing, pulling out the thick stamped paper with one claw.
There was that Feather logo at the top of the page, a simple white outline.
Sharp leaned over her shoulder, squinting at the page. Then he froze, completely still as Theo read to herself. English text, in simple block text characters with the ink bleed suggesting a primitive typewriter.
You don’t know me, but I know of you, Theo.
I’ve been trying to get in contact with you since you arrived in Equestria several weeks ago. But as you probably realized by now, Sleighsburg is far from civilization and the ponies there are not friendly to us.
I know you’re confused. You don’t know Equestria, and maybe you don’t want to. I’m writing to tell you that you aren’t alone. You aren’t the first, though you’re probably the last. The bridge is destroyed. You saw the failure when you attempted to activate it—now you know why I am still here. It opens only one way; we cannot ever return.
There is another warning you need to hear: the species we have become, hippogriffs—they are terrified of us. Many years ago they traveled two worlds and lived in both. Then they met us, and they fled from Earth, destroying the door on our side.
You found your way here anyway, as I did. Welcome to your prison.
I have enclosed a voucher you should take to the nearest Feather store—they will give you anything you ask for, as much as you can carry. Take as much as you can, sell it, and use the proceeds to travel to Manehattan. Present this letter to my secretary, and we can meet.
We shouldn’t face Equestria alone. It is a strange place; with many dangers you are unprepared to face. But I’ve been here a decade. Let me share what I have gathered, and what I have learned.
Regards,
Kate Alasie
She turned it over, and indeed there was a smaller slip of paper inside, with Ponish writing on the side and more Feather symbols.
“What’s that?” Emerald lifted into the air, peeking over her shoulder at the letter. “Hey, I know those letters! Those are on the side of the camera!” She turned it over, exposing the printed plastic “POLAROID” symbol.
“They are,” Theo said. Her claw shook—she wasn’t sure if she would laugh or cry. She did both, tucking the letter back into the envelope and slipping it into her saddlebags. There was so much in there—secrets learned by another human, like her.
She’d been right about Feather. It seemed like a stolen Earth idea selling Earth inventions because that was exactly what it was. She still wasn’t sure how to face much of what it said. She needed to read over this somewhere quiet, where she could consider its messages. While it solved one problem with the voucher, Kate had also made her trip apparently irrelevant.
Welcome to your prison.
“Someone came through before me,” Theo whispered, looking back to Sharp. “That’s what it said. The letter written in my language, with my name on the front.” That she knew. How did she know? How did she know where to find me, or that someone else had gone through?
“Are you sure?” Sharp glanced once at the saddlebags, turning weakly away. “Summer, I know you… I know how much you want to see something familiar. But the chances of—”
She shoved a wing up into his face, silencing him. “That letter was written in English, Sharp. Perfect, grammatical English. I think a Traveler like me must’ve written it. Can you think of a better explanation?”
He opened his mouth to reply, then his ears flattened, and he looked away. “I suppose I can’t.”
What got into you? Theo almost questioned him, but she found she didn’t care right now. Apparently Kate Alasie thought that they were stuck in Equestria. Maybe alone they were, but what about together? Theo had equipment, experience, and there was a base on the other side. They’d already made radio contact once. If radio waves could make it back, why not people?
She’s just discouraged. She tried as hard as she could to go home and couldn’t figure it out. I’ll help her see. Besides, she had Sharp Edge’s help now. Maybe the way to get the door to open again was the help of a pony engineer. Or maybe they needed the hippogriffs’ magic, as Sharp had initially thought.
“We still have to get to the embassy,” Theo said, hurrying forward a few steps, hopping from stair to stair until the others were following again. She found she was no longer discouraged—money wouldn’t be a problem anymore. A pony with the wealth of such a huge corporation would surely never miss the money their group needed. She’d said she wanted to share.
“I…” Sharp Edge still sounded nervous, worried. “I know how exciting that seems. But I should warn you. Letters from strangers can be… dangerous.”
Emerald turned and glared at him. “I don’t know why you’re being so weird about it, master. Isn’t it good that Summer heard from her family?”
“Sure,” he answered, voice flat. “Or it would be if it were really them. But we don’t know—we can’t know, Emerald. I don’t want her to be hurt.”
Theo listened carefully, but Sharp had nothing more to say. Soon enough he’d fallen silent, and he was similarly quiet during the rest of the way up to the upper city. Theo wanted to tell him about the voucher, and the money they would soon be able to use. Maybe even enough to repair the airship! Her own silly plans about inventing new technology and building prototypes could go into the trash where they belonged.
But why stop there? We could buy train tickets and get the money we need directly. I’m sure she’d give it to us. There was no reason to work so hard to find them if not to be helpful.
Eventually they climbed to the top of the upper city. Theo found that the ponies here didn’t seem nearly as friendly. They might wear gold and fancy clothes, but they also looked at the three of them as though they were afraid they’d catch a deadly disease. Ponies parted around them as they walked up the wide boulevards near the palace.
There were lots of government buildings here, not just the pony capital. Theo was more interested in that, but today wouldn’t be the day. If I really am trapped, I’ll have plenty of time to see the sights. And if not, then I could always stop here again on the trip north.
The hippogriff embassy building wasn’t hard to find—it had two huge brass sculptures outside, a swimming creature that resembled a pony circling a large cliff, and an elegant bird perched atop it. Wrought iron gates surrounded the building, with supports polished with mother of pearl. And just inside, the guards gave Theo her first glimpse of other hippogriffs.
She’d seen herself in a mirror enough times not to be surprised. But one thing she’d never seen were hippogriff males. The guards were a full head taller than she was or looked it. It was harder to be sure if their armor was somehow making them larger.
The gatehouse had several of them, in the same wide variety of colors as ponies. But like Theo herself, they lacked cutie marks.
One, the one wearing a black dress and glasses instead of armor, walked calmly from the gate and over to them. “Citizen, is there anything we can do for you this fine afternoon?” She eyed Theo’s neck, apparently concerned, though she didn’t say what bothered her.
“Yes.” Theo smiled weakly at her, extending a claw. She took it awkwardly, shaking only briefly and then wiping her own covertly on the back of her dress. “I’m so glad we made it. This trip… I almost worried we wouldn’t. But then we did, and… I have a serious emergency. My friends and I need to talk to whoever is in charge right away.”
She looked up, eyeing Emerald and Sharp. “I’m afraid your friends will have to wait outside. I could get you an emergency visit with the Consul, but if ponies were in attendance, that would be an international matter, and we’d need approval from Canterlot Castle first. That usually takes a few days, possibly more if you don’t have the, uh… right impetus to encourage the right ponies.”
“It’s alright.” Sharp waved a hoof dismissively. “You know what you need to tell them, right Summer? Emerald and I can wait out here until you’re done.”
“Just don’t forget about us if you go!” Emerald added, though she was clearly disappointed. She kept glancing through the gates and up to the plain marble building inside. But she was mature enough not to argue. “I want to see the hippogriff city!”
Theo leaned down, giving her a brief hug. “I’ll remember,” she said, before nearly doing the same for Sharp. But then their eyes met, and he shuffled backward awkwardly. Theo did the same, then turned back to the hippogriff.
She offered a clipboard in one claw. “Just sign your name here with the purpose of your visit, and we can go inside.” She lowered her voice just a little, so that only Theo could hear. “Really cousin, in public? I think you’ve been living with these ponies too long if you start acting like them.”
She took the clipboard back with a claw, then spun crisply and led the way through the gates.
Theo followed, passing guards armed with crossbows on both sides. She had only one last look at her pony friends behind her as the marble doors shut.
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Well... either this Kate tried to help Theo dodge a bullet (which he might now be walking into) or she's setting a trap for him.
Our little gang will either be facing off against a powerful corporation with advanced technology or a sovereign state with magic that possibly surpasses the ponies. Best case scenario is if Kate is wrong about the Hippogriffs' fear of humans and still really wants to help Theo out. Worst case is if both sides are hostile to him.
Intriguing, although if what the letter said was true, walking into the Hippogriff embassy might not be such a good idea.
Um. I have questions. And concerns.
But wait! The incendiary that destroyed the airships engine similarly had the feather symbol on it. I smell a trap.
Why do I feel like the letter is telling the truth about the hippogryphs are lying about.... everything else.
ooooh boy....Theo Summers, good luck.
9707542
Indeed. How did they know that Theo came into Equestria, and that he/she was coming to Canterlot right about this time? How did they know Theo's full name, and what he/she looks like?
And Sharp is acting a little funny. Something smells here.
WHAT? HOW? WHEN? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS?!?!?!?!
https://youtu.be/NsEIu6-lciA
The plot thickens.......hmmmm, I certainly smell a trap, but I'm not certain who from. I'm willing to bet that Kate is from earth, or at least has had a significant amount of contact with them, no way that the letter would have perfectly grammatically correct english otherwise. The thing that concerns me is the fact that it had Theo's whole name on the front. Sure a spy might have heard him say his first name at some point, but when would Kate have ever heard his last name? Even if she picked up the initial radio signals I can't imagine his last name would have come up frequently. There's clearly more at work here than a fellow traveler being a good samaritan, but I can't imagine why she would be setting a trap for Theo? He doesn't have any incriminating information, and if she knows his name, she probably knows that he doesn't know enough to be a threat to her business, so theres no obvious motive for wanting to bomb him out of existence? Not sure what's really going on here, but I can't wait to find out!!!!
9707850
That's because you don't have your shipper glasses on. Here, borrow mine:
Well, there's something Theo can try to market: the assembly line.
In any case, that's one heck of a mysterious benefactor... assuming she can be trusted. And if she can, the Arisian hippogriffs can't. This just got very complicated, very quickly. No wonder the Canterlot native is nervous; he can smell the intrigue.
Yeah, this seems really strange to me. The letter is suspicious, but seems pretty explicit in warning about the Hippogriffs. I'd think that going into the middle of the Hippogriff embassy right after being warned that they won't like you is... strangely nonchalant at the very least. Surely they could at least contact some Equestrian authority first?
9709271
I'm thinking Theo won't be revealing that he was a human. It's a pretty foolish thing to do. Though I don't know how he could do that and expect help. Repairing that bridge would be the last thing the hippogriffs would want if the letter told the truth. Don't know if they could trust Equestria too. They are allies with the hippogriffs and it wouldn't take much for the ponies to be convinced Theo is a threat. Plus the saboteurs of the airship might have connections too even if they aren't the Hippogriffs or Feather. Taking it up with authority will only make Theo more visible. And a bigger target.
Three hundred years of train travel, but no mass production. I suppose technology wouldn't necessarily develop the same way with different people making the breakthroughs and inventions.
That's pretty sizable.
Oooo, Feather thugs.
Or maybe mailmen? Lawsuit service?
Freezing up like that is an odd reaction by Sharp.
Interesting revelations in that letter. Possible airship sabotage aside, I'm not sure that they shouldn't just go meet with this Kate Alasie instead of the hippogriffs who I suspect are probably going to be completely unhelpful.
Not just unhelpful, but also a bit xenophobic? Odd.
Wonder how long ago that was. It probably wasn't recent, or somebody would have noticed hippogriff tourists in North America. So more likely it was centuries or maybe millennia ago. That would also fit with the portal structure looking ancient.
But then, preindustrial humans shouldn't really pose a significant threat to a species of intelligent flying magic-users. Maybe there were some Ancient
AliensWizards on Earth too. Or the letter could be blatant lies.It’s too good to be true, Theo should know and realise this. A random letter gets given to you, with your exact name that only the people you’re currently with know, written in a language only you know, telling of someone who was in your exact situation, from the company whose logo was on something used to sabotage your transportation and almost killed you, saying that you shouldn’t go to the embassy which you were planning to go to, and telling you almost nothing except a cryptic series of instructions leading to meeting up with them.
There’s so many red flags that if it were me I’d be utterly terrified and be fearful for my life and the lives of my friends to the point I’d seek out an authority figure to help me immediately, or try to run and lay low if I thought said authority figures were a risk.
Certainly doesn’t help that the hippogriff embassy is giving me red flags too. The abundance of crossbow-wielding guards, the comment about pony mannerisms, the fact that the others can’t go with Theo...
Honestly, I’m fully expecting something bad to happen. Anything ranging from Theo getting kidnapped, to going on the run. I’m honestly disappointed Theo can’t see the red flags, they’re not exactly hidden.
Really? Hippogriffs? Being insulted by open affection? The single most heart on sleeve species on the planet? They make freaking ponies look stoic!
Okay, I've given this story enough of my time. If it was an AU I could maybe forgive it, but that's not a tag.
You'd think I'd have learned from 'Message in a Bottle'. There is nothing so upbeat and innocent that it can't be turned into a semi-grimdark slog through endless heaps of misery and broken dreams, with the only happy ending the sweet release of death. There is no character or race that can't be corrupted into something you want to hate. I have to stop being seduced by the sci-fi tag and look at the author.
I know there are people who like this sort of thing, and to them, good luck, but I'm not one of them. It's not that the story is bad, as a story, just it's not something I want to read.
Oh, she dead. She deeeeeeeeaaaaaaad.
9714400
Turns out there's more going on than initially meets the eye. The behaviour of the Embassy staff and the ambassador are an anomaly.
When the crew reaches Mt. Aris the Hippogriffs there behave exactly as we've come to expect, and Queen Novo is as shrewd and intelligent as ever. Ambassador Stratus sent no report at all to Queen Novo about Theo or what transpired in the embassy, and she finds that concerning.
I strongly suspect that Ambassador Stratus is being manipulated (by whom will become obvious enough in the coming chapters). And that Stratus has stacked his embassy staff with Hippogriffs who hold a similar temperament to himself.
Novo even says as much that she made Stratus the ambassador to Canterlot just to be rid of him, and that his reaction to Theo was uncalled for.
TLDR; There is a conspiracy going on here, but Queen Novo and the residents of Mt. Aris are not a part of it.
I am guessing 'Summer' wasn't paying attention, because Sharp just dropped that he could live around 350 years.
Wut.
"You should help me clean this fish, Emerald."
Why would ponies... Fish... When eating fish is equal to being Satan?
Few chapters back...
"They eat fish, I heard. The actually eat fish.”
The horror! Now help me murder this fish and clean out it's guts.
10397147
Pegasi eat fish, Earth and Unicorns do not. That's why they're discriminated. Its safe to assume that Emerald's mum was a Pegasi.
Something is fucky about that letter. Why try to murder them if you're going to try to come off as friendly later on? And what is with the mafia contract killer types suspiciously following them through the city? Something is seriously off about this whole thing.
Furthermore, isn't it a bit idiotic to just waltz right into a place filled with the very creatures the mysterious letter says are terrified of you and might wish to kill you and have the ability to do so with complete impunity since an embasy is soverign territory? Come on! Think before you act!