Rebirth of Magic: Law and Order

by The Blue EM2

Fight like a Cougar, Run like a Leopard

The next morning dawned upon Maretime Bay, and I checked all of my gear was in the correct order and shape. I was, after all, heading into the unknown. The maps were a big shaky on what bits of geography were mapped and which were not, and I had to admit I could see why. If any of the behaviour in the film was anything to go by, the earth ponies were too scared to travel into pegasus and unicorn territory to map it out correctly, hence why the map had vague observations such as 'forest probably here' and 'possibly a cliff there'. Not that either the pegasi or unicorns would probably let them in. The impression I got was that all three races were in a state of cold war, simply waiting for one of the others to push to proverbial button, so to speak.

I trotted through the streets of Maretime Bay, soaking it up for what would be the last time in a long while. It certainly did look different in the morning light, and getting to see all these places in a different light was quite an interesting experience for one such as me, who had only seen what the film makers had chosen to show me on screen.

I reached the end of town and was out into open countryside, and passed by the lighthouse standing tall on the cliffside. This sentinel had appeared in a lot of the town's marketing, I had noticed, and apparently it was one of the oldest structures in Maretime Bay. Hopefully Sprout wouldn't knock it over this time. The home at the bottom also seemed to have been hastily evacuated, as the door was sloppily locked and some curtains were still open. Clearly Sunny and Izzy had left in a hurry. I turned away from the lighthouse and back onto the road, well worn with traffic flowing back and forth through the older times between earth pony settlements.

Yes, I said 'settlements'. I can only assume the budget for the TV show didn't cover showing multiple towns and cities within it, so focusing on one settlement for each race was a good choice based on budget.

As I continued trotting, I passed by the Maretime Bay sign. YOU ARE NOW LEAVING MARETIME BAY, the sign said. WE HOPE YOU RETURN SOON.

"Talk about a clingy sign," I said to myself. I was also technically outside of my jurisdiction now, as my ability to arrest criminals was bound inside the city limits, but that didn't matter. I was ultimately more concerned for Sunny's safety than anything else. Bringing her back home would ensure she didn't get herself killed on this mission of hers. She may be idealistic, but she frequently lacks common sense and charges into problems without considering the consequences.

After looking back on the town for what would be the last time in a long while, I finally got on my way on my journey towards Zephyr Heights, as I assumed that was where they were going.

The only issue is that the road, well, ran out at one point. It just stopped abruptly in the middle of nowhere, and this left me confused. Why would a road just stop in the middle of nowhere? Did the builders run out of money? Was it cancelled owing to tensions with the other races?

I shook my head and continued on my way, trying to plot a course based on the map. My knowledge of the geography of this new Equestria was shaky, to say the least. It was quite hard to figure out where anything was in relation to anything else as this map probably wasn't in scale.

All I knew was that I was nowhere near the coastline, and I continued to make my way through open fields and green pastures. The emptiness of the place disturbed me a little. These would once have been places bustling with life, where ponies played and other creatures happily exchanged kind words and greetings. In theory. But now it was all empty.

To say it was eery would be an understatement. What in Equestria happened to them, and how did we end up where we are, going from a peaceful utopia to effectively a cold war scenario?

Many aspects of this didn't really make sense to me, but I suspected I was missing information somewhere down the line. That thought gave me an idea, actually, as I trotted along through the countryside.

What if I was dead?

This may seem like a crazy thought, but hear me out. Back in the human world, many years ago, there was a TV show called Ashes to Ashes, which focused on the exploits of policemen in 1980s London. However, the show had one crazy ending; it turned out all of the main characters were dead, and this setting was merely the afterlife, a sort of heaven if that's a concept to ponies.

Wait. ZBS had a similar show about the Palace Guard? I must give that a watch if EPBS is broadcasting it. Otherwise I can ask to borrow Pipp's streaming platform for a bit.

Anyway, this took me to thinking for a bit. Perhaps I didn't survive the car crash after all. Perhaps I truly was dead, and everything I was witnessing was either a dying dream or failing that Equestria was some sort of afterlife for the dearly departed of the human world. That would explain why so many aspects of Equestrian life echoed the human world, I guess.

However, I was uncomfortable with that theory, and so decided to try following a different line of reasoning as I trotted along the ground, sensing the world soaking up the light. For such a grim world it was bright. In the grim brightness of the far future there is only pony, I guess.

Props if you spot the reference, by the way.

Soon, the landscape I was travelling over began to change. The flat plains began to give way to trees and forest, and I plunged right in. I had seen no signage saying I had left the UEPS, so I had to still be in earth pony territory, right?

The forest went on for quite a while, and seemed barely tamed as I walked along, slowing my progress to avoid tripping on things. The distinct lake of crystals suggested this wasn't Bridlewood, and whomever lived in here probably persisted off logging or some similar industry.

Imagine my surprise at what came next. Instead of a small village, a fairly large town appeared, carved out of the forest. It was a settlement that largely consisted of brick buildings, and had a firm sense of permanence to it. The streets were laid out in perfect grid patterns. This was sensible, as it appealed to my sense of order and logic. Deeper into the town, the buildings became larger and more developed. The largest notable structure stemmed off to the left, as it towered over the skyline. It had large structures and a towering tower, with cables and wheels attached to it. Behind it was another, and beyond that were huge numbers of storage lines filled with wagons of some sort.

This looked to be some sort of mining settlement, and as I looked to my right I saw what looked like sort of machine shop. It was very large, and seemed to still be running even though the light was fading. My best guess was that the night shift in the mine was now at work, and the day shift had returned soundly to their beds.

Speaking of beds, I needed somewhere to rest my own head. I had been travelling now for an entire day, and this meant that I needed to find somewhere to sleep, as I didn't fancy my chances roughing it in the wilds of this forest.

Nearby was an inn, so I went to it. The structure seemed quite nicely kept, with a bar, several tables, and an interior which sent a sense of a home rather than just a place to sleep. I went over to the bar, and the bartender trotted over. "Good evening," she said. "How can I help you this evening?"

"I am but a traveller, in need of rest," I said. "Are there any rooms available?"

"Yes, and for reasonable rates too," she replied. "One night or two?"

I decided to stay for two, just in case. After all, you never know what might happen in a town like this. "Two, please."

She rang this up, and it was a good thing I had remembered to bring Earth Pony Dollars and Cents. That was interesting. I know one episode of Make your Mark implies each tribe has their own currency, but seeing it in action was interesting, to say the least.

After a refreshing meal, I made my way to the room, which was nice. I then laid down and decided to go to sleep, ready for whatever tomorrow might throw at me.

Author's Note:

Well, the first travel chapter is underway! The stunning beauty of this new Equestria is something that has always fascinated me, and I hope in the show we get to see more places for the gang to explore.

The forest that Hitch enters at the end is based on the Forest of Dean, a forest in Wiltshire known for, amongst other things, a surprising amount of heavy industry (hence the coal mine). The inn is based on my local pub, although the accomodation is inspired by a bed and breakfast I stayed at in Wales a long time ago.

On money: in the Make your Mark episode Portrait of a Princess, Pipp comments to Sunny that the portrait is put on 'our money', before showing paper money of some description. This one line of dialogue implies that each race has their own currency, which in turn would suggest that G5 Equestria is a loose union of states rather than being a single country (compare this to G4 Equestria, which had a singular currency-the bit). It nicely shows how very small details like that constitute surprisingly in-depth world building.

Comments

[The Blue EM2]

11608049

11608065

11608504
There's a new chapter here, folks. Jimmy has also updated his story if such a thing interests you. Link to the story is further back in the comment chain.

[Comickook]

Excellent job on this latest chapter. Definitely appreciated the mental reflections as well as the extra details in certain things. Most assuredly liked "Hitch's" reflections on things like the mapping system, the series "Ashes to Ashes" (as well as its Equestrian counterpart in this universe) and finding that inn.

Really looking forward to more of this.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

The only issue is that the road, well, ran out at one point. It just stopped abruptly in the middle of nowhere, and this left me confused. Why would a road just stop in the middle of nowhere? Did the builders run out of money? Was it cancelled owing to tensions with the other races?

I think they never finished the road so the tribes wouldn't cross paths because they were scared.

To say it was eery would be an understatement. What in Equestria happened to them, and how did we end up where we are, going from a peaceful utopia to effectively a cold war scenario?

Who knows if we'll ever learn the full story as to how it came to fruition.

This may seem like a crazy thought, but hear me out. Back in the human world, many years ago, there was a TV show called Ashes to Ashes , which focused on the exploits of policemen in 1980s London. However, the show had one crazy ending; it turned out all of the main characters were dead, and this setting was merely the afterlife, a sort of heaven if that's a concept to ponies.

I'm sorry what!?

Props if you spot the reference, by the way.

And the narrator broke the fourth wall.

[The Blue EM2]

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Seeing as these characters spend a fair amount of time in their own minds, it makes sense to spend a fair bit of time reflecting on things about the world and their own lives. Besides, there is a theory that the entirety of G5 is Sunny's dying dream.

[The Blue EM2]

11609807
1. That certainly seems plausible. That has happened IRL.

2. We may never know, indeed, but one can only wonder if things happened that were so horrific it would be better to be ignorant.

3. I'm serious. This was an actual TV series that aired in the late 2000s.

4. Indeed he did. It's an allusion to the tabletop wargaming series Warhammer 40,000, which incidentally is the franchise from which the word 'grimdark' originates.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

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uh huh...

[shining paladin]

cool chapter mate i remember in g4 you saw silver bits once and the rest of the time it was gold

[Comickook]

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Yeah. I could see those points.

[The Blue EM2]

11609833
Eeyup.

[The Blue EM2]

11609837
Suggesting coins with different values.

[The Blue EM2]

11609843
Indeed.