A New Generation, and an old mare

by Paradise Oasis

Pegasus Problems

The royal guards were looking for somepony.

Word had spread among all of the Pegasus villages, all the the communities of winged ponies that surrounded the mighty peaks of Zephyr heights. The armored military forces that served Queen Haven, who usually kept to the capital itself, had set up checkpoints along all of the major roadways and thoroughfares. Every saddlebag was searched, every cart was rifled through and picked over. Since most Equestrian Pegasus could not fly, the soldiers could easily stop ever merchant and traveler who came through Pegusai lands, and there were long lines going in and out of each town as the patient ponies waited to get through the roadblocks.

"Identification, please." One of the guards at the checkpoints asked the Pegasus stallion who was next in line. The complaint pony handed over his card, before two of the other guards inspected his wings and belongings. After the winged soldiers were satisfied the stallion did not have what they sought, they motioned him on through. "Next!" The lead guard called out, as the next pony in line trotted forward. Such was the procedure at all of the road blocks.

It was at one of these checkpoints, that a nervous Applejack waited, tapping her hoof nervously, and trying not to act suspicious. Few of the other Pegusai paid attention to the winged mare carrying two foals in her saddlebags, as they were busy preparing for their own goods to be searched. The troops of Captain Shadowbolt were carefully looking over every pony that passed through, checking for fake wings and hidden foals. As small trickle of sweat dripped down her brow, Applejack realized that this plan had a serious chance of not working. The two Ponyville mares, who had been accompanying Applejack and the two foals ever since they had met them out in the wilderness, were whispering to the earth pony mare to keep her calm.

'Come on AJ, try and keep it together." Star Flight muttered in the distressed mare's ear. "All of us are in disguises, there is very little chance they'll catch us, if you manage to keep it cool."

After Applejack had first encountered the duo, the pair of Ponyville craftsmares had manufactured two sets of artificial wings for AJ and the unicorn foal. So convincing and realistic were the fake feathers and fold-out wings, that nopony in the village or ion the roads they had traveled down took any notice of the small group making it's way through the communities that lie in the shadow of Canterlot mountain.

"No, no... they'll see through our disguises!" Applejack whinnied nervously, taking a step back, as the line slowly moved forward. "This was a bad idea, we'll never make it through the checkpoint!"

"AJ, no! You have to keep moving forward!" Heart Bright exclaimed, mushing the mare with the two foals forward. "If you back out and try to run away now, they'll notice, and discover the children!"

The farming pony tried her hardest to stay calm. But the sight of the armored Pegasus guards checking everyone's passports and identifications, of rifling through the bags of every Pegasus and carefully inspecting their wings, it all made Applejack want to drop the cart she was pulling, and gallop away at top speed. It was Star Light and Heart Bright keeping a strong hoof on either side of her, preventing AJ from running away in a panic.

"Identification, please." The stallion guard ordered, as Applejack stood there frozen. "I haven't got all day, miss."

"Oh, here you go." Heart Bright smiled, pulling the fake ID out of AJ's bag, and handing it over to the guard. "We're just a group of merchants, traveling from Rainbow Falls to Zephyr Heights, taking our fruit crop to market."

"Ah, then you fine mares are performing a noble service to Pegasus kind." The guard complimented them, looking over the I.D. carefully. "It is rare to find a Pegasus who is willing to lower themselves to agricultural work, usually the trade of a brutish earth pony. It is thanks to hard working farm mares like yourselves, that we Pegusai don't have to do business with those sardine-smelling dirt eaters!"

"Gee, thanks so much, y'all." Applejack snarled, trying to keep a fake smile through clenched teeth, as her fear morphed into anger. "We do try tah do our best for our pony tribe."

The guards quickly looked through their documents, and looked over the two foals in the saddlebags. One guard whispered to the other. "Both babies are PegUsai, these aren't the foals we are looking for." He looked back at three mares and two foals. "You can all go about your business, move along, move along!"

The three of them continued on through the gateway, disappearing into the crowd of ponies that surrounded them.

"Ha! I can't believe we made it through that checkpoint!" Star Light laughed smugly, as soon as they were far enough away from the guards. "I told you the wings we built were good enough to even fool the guards!"

"Yeah, nopony will ever find us out." Heart Bright agreed with a laugh. "Come on, lets have a look around at this town."

It wasn't very often Applejack got to look around a Pegasus town, so her curiosity was piqued by this rare opportunity. It was so different from an earth pony town. Instead of talking to one another or socializing, all of the Pegasus ponies were staring at screens, watching commercials and internet videos, swarming about and barely paying attention to the ponies around them. AJ watched in bewilderment, as a nearby stallion was so busy looking at his phone screen, he nearly fell into an open manhole.

"Good grief, these ponies are soooo distracted!" Star Flight exclaimed, looking around in disbelief. "One of them is going to get hurt if they don't watch where they are going."

"It's all that danged newfangled technology stuff!" AJ snorted, looking around at the Pegusai with contempt. "Ponykind woulda been better off if they never invented the stuff!"

"Now Applejack, there's nothing wrong with tech, if used properly," Heart Bright pointed out. "Think of all the medical advancements the three tribes have made, along with rescue and life saving stuff..."

"She's right, AJ. And it's tech and innovation that make the fake wings you're using as disguises possible." Star Flight agreed, while looking around at all of the distracted equines. "Though these ponies prove there is such a thing as taking it too far."

As they walked among the crowd, AJ noticed video screens everywhere in the town, in every storefront window, advertising every product imaginable. She saw Pegasus celebrities hawking their fame to sell merchandise and useless knickknacks, and was appalled at how these ponies ate it all up. On one TV however, was a news report that reminded the earth pony mare just how much danger they were in.

"..in other news today, many ponies have commented about how the royal guard seems to be out in force in many of the Pegasus towns and cities. Many believe this is due to the fact princess Zipp is out in many pony communities today, making public appearances, and-"

AJ's attention was pulled away from the news report, as she had the distinct feeling they were being watched. Looking across the bustling crown of Pegusai, Applejack could've sworn she saw a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane, and almost.... glass-like, twinkling eyes staring at them. But when she looked away for a second and looked back, the figure was gone.

"We should really get off the street, girls." Star Flight muttered nervously, looking around at the ponies who were starting to notice them. "I think these two little foals are starting to attract unwanted attention!"

The disguised mare's was proven right, as Applejack noticed everypony in this town started taking notice of the two foals, and immediately started to swarm around AJ.

"Awww, what cute little foals!" A mare exclaimed, taking a camera out to snap a selfie with the two and Applejack. "Aren't they just the cutest things?"

"What an adorable set of twins!" Another mare squeed, pulling out his own phone to snap a pic. "You don't see a matching set like that every day!"

As the Pegusai all crowded in; snapping pictures, cooing, and wanting to hold the foals. all wanted to melt into the ground.

"Oh no!" AJ exclaimed, rearing up and panicking. "There's too many of them, we're surrounded!"

"Girls, we gotta get outta here!" Star Flight agreed. "Somepony might check the internet, and recognize the foals from a social media photo!"

"We're trapped!" Heart Bright wailed. "What're we going to do now?"

"Hey ponies, look over there!" A voice called out from somewhere in the group, there's a doggie doing something cute over on main street!"

"What? Eeeeeeeeeee!" A mare cried out, a the whole herd of Pegusai turned and galloped away. "I gotta get over there, and livestream it!"

The three bewildered mares just stood there for several minutes, until they noticed a white Pegasus mare with a toothpaste-colored mane still standing there, staring at them.

"Hey." The mare greeted them, in the same voice that had spoke and lured the crowd away, " You three and the foals all right?"

"Yes... were you the one who saved us, weren't you?" AJ asked, her voice slowly slipping back to normal. "Thank y'all so much, we really-"

"No time to talk now, we gotta get you three outta here, pronto!" The white Pegasus motioned for them to follow. "You three and the foals are the ones the guards are looking for, right? That gaggle of social media mares will be back in a flash!"

Looking at each other for only a moment, the three disguised earth ponies nodded to each other, then followed the Pegasus mare out of the alleyway, and away from the town. And on the other side of the now-empty street, the yellow Pegasus mare with twinkling eyes watched them go, before talking into the enchanted communication medallion around her neck;

"This is royal agent Masquerade of Dream Valley, calling queen Sky Skimmer." The twinkle-eyed Pegasus whispered, as she flapped her wings, and took to the sky. "Your highness, the mares and foals have been found by Pegasus princess Zipp Storm, and are believed to be following her to Zephyr Heights. Please inform all agents of the Pony Unity underground resistance, including agent Argyle in Maretime Bay, of this development, and I will continue to follow and silently observe, unless I am needed."

With that, agent Masquerade silently flew off in the direction Applejack and the other mares had gone.

Comments

[Level Dasher]

Figures AJ wasn't the only one that was still alive. I have to ask, though... how did they disguise the unicorn foal's horn to get into the town? That'd kinda be a dead giveaway...

[FleetlordAvatar]

11020992
Maybe a new mane style? The horn might be small enough to hide under it.

[Paradise Oasis]

11020992
Wait, what other survivor was there in this chapter besides AJ? And yeah, it briefly mentions earlier the horn was hid by a mane styling.

[Level Dasher]

11021119
Oops, I forgot about the manestyle bit. My bad.

If you're asking me that then I guess it isn't the case, but from the way you were writing it sounded like Agent Masquerade was Fluttershy.

Oh, and I forgot to say the first time— aside from spelling ('pegusai' vs 'pegasi'), serious improvement on the writing. Great job.

[Paradise Oasis]

11021207
Thanks, I am trying to improve my writing presentation

Oh, I see, nah, The Masquerade pony agents are spies For Dream Valley kingdom, masters of disguise. The Fluttershy mane and coat colors were a disguise to blend it with the other pegasi.This is the Masquerades' default look;

static.wikia.nocookie.net/mylittleponyg1/images/c/c0/Unnamed-0.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20200911201520

[Bronzedragon]

these aren't the foals we are looking for." He looked back at three mares and two foals. "You can all go about your business, move along, move along!"

What's the name of the town Mos Eisley Star wars much?

[Paradise Oasis]

11021261
Nice, glad somebody caught that!

[Stet709]

So now that the G5 movie is out, will anything change from your original plan, or will the story adapt to the movie plot (unless it's set before the movie, which means it won't change much, I guess)

[Paradise Oasis]

11021976
Been awhile, but yes. If this story is to be saved, it needs some major reworking. But I doubt it will fully fit with the G5 canon as-is.