Chapter Two: A Brave New World
Chapter Two:
A Brave New World
“Let the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.”
-Nikola Tesla
o.O.o
Outside the Ohio Bubble,
8:09 A.M.
Sgt. Freiheart glanced at the line of militia privates and NCO's behind him. There were about fifty men in the platoon all told, including the ones who had gone through the “bubble”. To be precise, he didn't think it was a bubble. More like an overlarge dome or somewhat pigskin football that was becoming popular at some colleges. But what did he know? Born the son of a clock-maker in Saxony, he'd left Germany in 1890 after the policies of the new Kaiser showed that his ideas would not be kind to many in the new Germany he envisioned. Now, he lived in Columbus as a factory worker, among others from the old country, and had a good, Christian family. He didn't question orders too much, for such a thing a sergeant must be careful of. But interpreting and extrapolating orders was much easier to do.
He noted one face missing. Private Michelson, who he had sent to Xenia, twenty odd miles away in the rain, to telegraph state militia headquarters in Columbus on the situation. Damn hard convincing them that what was going on was not a joke or the ramblings of a drunken platoon. Counting the men in his head, he watched as they cleaned their rifles, polished the bayonets, and prepared for battle. If horrible things existed on the other side of that bubble, they'd make sure they paid dearly for each life they may have taken.
Noting the light rain fall through the woods canopy, he glanced at the watch in his hand. They marched in twelve minutes. Snapping shut the watches case, he stared at the pulsating field that was the bubble. Something about it both calmed and scared him, in a way he could not fathom. Wiping a drop of rain from his brow, he pulled his field cap lower down over his face, the wide brim protecting against the more errant drops.
The clock was ticking, and what it counted down to, he could not guess.
o.O.o
Sweet Apple Acres
8:11 P.M.
Luna was startled for a few minutes that the creatures before her could speak Equestrian. However, perhaps they came from a world where it was a common language. The tallest one, with a curled mustache filled with some sort of waxy substance, seemed nervous and somewhat stressed out, seemed to be the leader. The strange thing was that they all seemed garbed in a similar blue tunic, with brown pants, and off-white leggings. She then noticed their feet were also clothed in some sort of brownish covering. Finally, after several minutes of awkward silence, while trying to think of the best possible way to begin interspecies diplomatic relations, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“You speak passable Equestrian,” hoping it was a compliment.
“Equestrian? You speak pretty good English.”
She frowned at that.
“No, this is the Equestrian language. You must be mistaken.”
Their leader seemed to freeze up for a second, before his features relaxed.
“Look...your, highness, or majesty....”
“Princess Luna will do.”
He paused at that, then seemed to shake it off.
“You're in a land of talking equines, of course they have royal titles and names. Would be silly of them to go around saying “hey old friend, how are you pony number six...”
Luna arched an eyebrow at this. This certainly would need study on their species penchant for talking to themselves in a ridiculous fashion under stress. She cleared her mind of that. Best not tell them they might be required for study. She gave a small cough, which got his attention.
“Since it appears that we have introduced ourselves, perhaps the courtesy could be extended to ourselves?”
The leader seemed to pause to mull over her use of the royal, We, before he replied.
“I am Second Lt. Daniel Mays of the Ohio State Militia, formerly of the United States Occupation Force in Puerto Rico. These are my men.”
Ah, a short hand for their race. Men. Duly noted. Odd how he mentioned two locations, a Ohio, and a United States, plus this Puerto Rico as well. Another thing to enquire about later.
“Oh. Well, nice to meet you, Second Lt. Mays. Um, how are you finding Equestria so far?”
He glanced at the Apple family, eying Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom with apprehension. Clearing his throat, he answered her query.
“I'll admit to warmer receptions elsewhere. Though mainly at the time we didn't know about the fact that this orchard had such...staunch protectors of the crops. We'd have paid for the apple, but we didn't know much about this place when we through the bubble.”
Luna connected the basic meaning. One of his soldiers or militia men, as she guessed they were called, must have tried to take one of the apples from the trees, and unfortunately did not realize the protection the Apple Family afforded their trees and produce. However, it seemed of the three Apple family members in the kitchen, only one was holding a grudge, and it was more the concept that ponies, or whatever these beings were, would take an apple without asking or paying. Big Mac was simply sitting there, placid look on his face, and hay-straw gently switching from one side of his mouth to another.
“Dear me, what ever happened to your clothes?”
At this, both the “man” called Mays and Luna looked at Rarity. She was pouring over the mud covered Thomas, tsking at their muddied clothes, and out of sorts ways. Thomas for his part was trying not to giggle at the sight of the glasses which had somehow appeared on the bridge of the white unicorns nose. Fortunately, she was more preoccupied with the clothes than his hand over his mouth, body wracking silently with laughter at the sight of a equine with pair of glasses on its nose.
“And these stitches, who did them? They're positively horrid. They look they were done at one of those cheap Bittsburg stitching factories.”
A spurt of laughter came from the other privates mouths, though Rarity was too busy examining the rest of their stuff to care. This also meant that a certain pink pony was free to move about unhindered.
Luna turned to find Mays backed in a corner with the frizzy maned Pinkie excitedly questioning him about parties, what men liked to eat and drink, if they played pin the tale on the pony or what songs they liked to sing. A look of abject confusion and to some degree, terror as the blue-eyed gaze of Pinkie Pie filled his vision made Luna chortle. She stopped when he shot a look at her, which was quite good she had to admit. Slowly trying to inch his way up the wall, his eyes seemed to go wide as Pinkies gaze kept level with his, even though he was standing up at full height. Hurriedly he grabbed one of his men, who seemed to yell angrily in an unfamiliar language to Luna's ears, and was shoved unceremoniously into the legs of Pinkie. The man took off for a far corner of the room with a pink blur following behind, desperately seeking to get away from the exuberant and questioning pony, shouting in that strange language. The Lt. turned back to Princess Luna, an arched eyebrow questioning about the energetic pony terrorizing his men.
“Sorry...is that particular young lady always like that?”
“I've not met her enough to know fully...but from what my sister says, she is full of laughter and energy most of the time.”
“Oh sweet Jesus...”
She cocked her head at that. Some sort of stress word, like how many ponies used In Celestia's Name, as a stress relieving word. Curiouser and Curiouser. Luna considered what exactly else to ask. Contact with not only another world but, an entirely new race of creatures was something she was unfamiliar with. Dear, what would her sister do? She pondered this for a bit, as Mays drank his tea in silence, slowly looking at the assembled ponies and men. She was startled by his polite cough as he set his cup down.
“I have your name, your highness, but I'm afraid that I do not know the others assembled here.”
He indicated the Apples and the two of elements of harmony who had accompanied the Princess in.
“Oh..”
She bit her lip. How to explain things.
“The young unicorn examining your soldiers uniform is Miss Rarity, a local fashion designer and one of the elements of harmony.”
At this Rarity nodded her head, and clasped a hoof to her chest as if accepting applause, before continuing her appraisal of the sewing, tut-tutting and tsk-tsking at every flaw she found. Meanwhile, Nowak was still trying to keep the energetic Pinkie Pie from grasping his face and stuffing another baked good in it, cursing in Polish all the while.
“The other one is Pinkie Pie, another element of harmony. She's also one of Ponyville's party planners and baked goods enthusiast.”
“Thats why she's trying to choke to death one of my men?”
Gasping for breath, Nowak spat out the rest of a cupcake, cursing a storm in the tongue he'd brought over with his sisters and brothers from the old country seven years ago. However, Pinkie didn't notice, having turned her attention to the rest of the men she hadn't met yet. They were all looking nervously at one another, seeing who could be the sacrificial ram. It was almost like a vaudeville routine with each shoving the other in front and waving their hands frantically as the implacable pink pony moved towards them.
Luna turned to face Mays, giving for an equine what may have been a shrug of the shoulders.
"We did say she liked meeting new..friends?"
Mays turned to look at the chaos among the remaining three soldiers Pinkie was causing. Currently, Nowak was outside, doubled over and emptying his stomach from the sudden influx of sugar, while Thomas, Spencer, and McDonald were still wildly trying to run, while the supplications of pink pony behind them to try just one more cupcake and perhaps also play a game of pin the tail on the pony fell on terrified ears. The small pony that had kicked Spencer earlier in the shin was rolling on the floor, tears of laughter spreading down her face. Mays turned back to face Luna as the scene grew more chaotic.
“You don't say.”
o.O.o
Canterlot Castle
Royal Throne Room
8:14 P.M.
Celestia had felt the change in the ground of Equestria as well as her sister. Though they may not have looked it, the alicorn sisters had elements of all three types of pony co-mingling together in harmony. The magic of the unicorns, the flight and majesty of the pegasi, and the connection to the ground and land that only Earth ponies had. What had stepped onto Equestrian soil was foreign, new, and unusual. However, she was busy giving orders to all town leaders across Equestria to report anything unusual happening near their villages, towns, cities and hamlets. She couldn't let any of her subjects get hurt because of what the last prank of Discord had created. Whatever he had done to not only her most faithful student, but her country and her people, would not end with lives lost this day.
Already, messenger ponies were arriving in and out of the courtroom, carrying with them notices about the incident in its barest details, and stating to keep their community safe. Any local constabulary and royal guards stationed in the towns and cities were to assist in searching for any unfamiliar phenomenon. The Canterlot Castle guard, the largest force in Equestria numbering at over two-hundred guard ponies just for the enormous castle, had been mobilized to help search the nearby towns and countryside. A state of emergency had been declared, for Discord was considered a top level threat to all of ponydom.
She sat back on her dais, and went silent. Closing her eyes, her mind went out in search of her sister. It was not mind reading or mental telepathy, but something on a deeper level than that. Emotion empathy reading was a powerful thing, and as of now, only the royal sisters could do it. She finally found her, outside of Ponyville, at a familiar orchard. So, whatever had come through had come through at the Apple homestead. That much was something new. However, her younger sisters emotions varied from second to second, though the most common was one of curiosity, confusion, and currently, a rising well of anger. Apparently she was getting ready to let loose her temper again....
o.O.o
Sweet Apple Acres
8:17 A.M.
“We are not shouting, We are raising our voice.”
“You are, you are shouting. For you, shouting isn't just raising your voice, its damned well making it sound like Niagara Falls in a thunderstorm!”
Currently tensions between Equestrians and what Luna now knew as “humans or man” had reached an all time high. Mays and Luna were trying to dominate the conversation by what Equestrians called saddle shaking and what humans called saber rattling.
“We do not know of this “Niagara Falls” that you speak of.”
“Of course not, you've never to been to Canada or upstate New York.”
“We know that, neither have you been to Canterlot Falls, which are much more sonically resonate than our voice.”
This had all seemed to go so well earlier, thought Luna. They'd been making some inroads while Pinkie had conquered the remaining soldiers into playing a game of cards, though when they learned it was not going to be poker or blackjack, they had given an audible groan. However, on that front things had gotten quieter, and the men were slowly realizing that an animal with no real ability to pick up cards naturally, was now cleaning them out of the various matchsticks and penny candies they had secreted on themselves. Meanwhile, Luna and May's had managed to get into an air of informal discussion, talking basically about a few things, such as population and government. She had been both surprised, intrigued, and somewhat disturbed when he had told there was at last estimate over a billion humans back on Earth. Luna thought that Equestria could possibly hold less than three million perhaps, with its various settlements fluctuating and skewing the census results.
Then Rarity had enquired into what exactly was the material of the boots they were wearing. At that, Mays had seemed suddenly mindful of what and who he was talking to and had been rather recalcitrant on the issue. A mumbled word or two about leather, and the somewhat talkative officer had clammed up. Whatever the problem about the boots was, it had gotten worse when Luna had announced that they would have to be taken into royal custody as a precaution for the time. With that, things had gone downhill, with both sides stating that since they had no formal national recognition of the other they both did and did not have rights to do so.
Then the insults had started, and rather unkind things had been said about monarchies, dualarchies, republics, and democracies. In point of fact, both sides had been using it more to let out the stress they were both under, but things that had been said had hurt, which only caused more shouting and glaring. Finally, after about five minutes of heavy breathing, Mays and Luna turned to look at the stunned group to one side. Pinkie and the soldiers were frozen in mid-game, stunned looks on their faces directed at the two at the center of the argument. Rarity was nowhere to be seen, though the sound of stomachs being emptied no longer emanated from behind the house, so it was presumed she was helping tend to that fellows discomfort. Finally, the normally laid-back Big Mac, was covering his little sisters ears, his own perked up at some of the language that had been used.
Mays looked across the table and offered a hand in a conciliatory gesture.
“I'm sorry, your highness...I believe the stress and newness of this place got the better of me.”
“We...er, I apologize as well. I should have taken into account that you would also have family and friends who you cared for on the other side. My desire to ensure the safety of the citizens of Equestria from harm was probably overriding any logical line of thought in regards to visitors.”
He waved his hand.
“I understand. But this does present a problem nonetheless. As of right now, neither the United States of America nor the...what was the full name again?”
“Dualarchy of Equestria.”
“Dualarchy of Equestria have recognized each other as a legitimate authority as nations nor their citizens as being citizens of another nation. Which is a big doozy of a problem.”
He rubbed his mustache. Then a horrible thought dawned on him.
“And I think things might just get worse in a few seconds...”
o.O.o
Outside the Ohio Bubble
8:21 P.M.
Sgt. Freiheart blew his whistle. The double line of militiamen snapped to what could be called attention by a very lax and somewhat blind captain, and began to march forward into the bubble, rifles at the ready. The rescue mission had begun. As the last one to go through, he glanced at the darkening September morning. Shaking his head, he marched through...and as with others before him, into history through no fault of his own.
o.O.o
Sweet Apple Acres
8:23 P.M.
“What do you mean Equestria is about to be invaded?”
They were standing outside now, Mays having produced a pair of field glasses from a pouch on his belt. He trained them on the bubble. And from it he saw the middle of a column of familiar uniforms marching through, the advance guard spreading through the orchard, scouting ahead for anything unusual or threatening. Thankfully, the dimming sun and lights from the advancing men allowed them to be pinpointed a lot easier than it should have been.
“Your majesty, I do believe that Sweet Apple Acres as these fine ponies call it has been invaded by the rest of the platoon under my command. I don't know how good your guards are, but I'd advise them to stand down.”
“Why?”
“Can they take a .30-40 Krag round to the skull in that armor of theirs?”
The look of confusion and puzzlement on her face indicated that she had no concept of firearms or firearm specifications, such as round type. Not surprising, he doubted ponies could wield human designed firearms without extreme difficulty or would have the need to develop them. War might even be something anathema to them on a personal level, seeing as how they all seemed rather content. He cleared that thought from his mind and gave a quick explanation to the befuddled looking princess.
“Let us just say that our weapons shoot pieces of metal very, very fast into something or someone...”
Luna was only slightly enlightened on the subject of exactly what sort of weapons humans used. She did realize that those odd stick arrangements they had encountered earlier near the bubble must be the devices he spoke of that shot metal out of it. A new and terrible weapon that ponies had never met before. It also took her a second to realize he was speaking to her again.
“They'll be at the treeline in a minute, and I'd rather they not spot you and accidentally shoot you. Thats one diplomatic incident that no matter of paperwork could cover.”
“As a representative of the government of Equestria, it is my duty...”
“...not to get shot by some militia men from Columbus Ohio. You'll meet them in due time, but I wish to ensure they don't take a pot-shot at your rather imposing presence your majesty. So if you could head inside and send out Mr. Macintosh if its possible. He's a bit more normal looking...for a equine at least.”
Nodding, Luna realized that he was right. Pretty much everything about her could spook someone who saw didn't know any better. As she headed in, she saw Mays light a strange stick in his mouth and expel smoke, which was a bit a acrid to her nose. Heading in, she spoke quickly to Big Macintosh, who merely shifted the hay-stalk in his mouth, and walked out. Now, only time would tell if the invasion would end peacefully...or in flames.
o.O.o
Ponyville Hospital and Medical Care
8:34 P.M.
Applejack looked over the sleeping form of Twilight, resting in one of the hospitals many beds in the urgent care ward, then at the clock, showing it was after midnight. Fluttershy had stepped out for a drink of water and a breath of fresh air, and Rainbow Dash was lying on the floor, also trying to get some rest, her wings twitching and mouth moving as if in a response to some dream. Pinkie and Rarity had yet to return, though she knew that as the day grew later, it might have been hard to get around Ponyville with shops opening and more ponies on the streets. While Ponyville was no Manehattan, it could have its own traffic problems from the small size of streets and the fact it was a stop on the Equestrian railway, so there were more goods coming in and being delivered from across the country. Many were talking of the changes that might be coming from the big cities some day, such as large department stores and magical animated lights, that advertised wares day in and day out.
Putting her hooves on the bed, she watched as the light breathing of Twilight raised and lowered the bedsheets, her mouth slightly open as her body recuperated from the terrible energies drained and shoved through a single unicorn. Even Twilight, for all her talent with magic, was still a young mare when it came to it, and the event had been draining. Only rest and nutritional foods would help. Thankfully, she wasn't going to canter off the mortal coil just yet, but it wouldn't be a pretty recovery either.
Nurse Redheart entered the room, her nurse cap sitting perfectly centered on her head. Applejack looked up, eyes misty with tears of sorrow and tiredness.
“Is there anything I can get you Applejack? You should really have something to eat and drink.”
“I suppose I could have some water and any fruit you might have. I am kinda hungry...”
Nurse Redheart gave a smile.
“I think I can get that much for you. We've got some of your families apples that were delivered yesterday that are still fresh. I'll go get some for you.”
Applejack nodded in thanks.
“Thank you kindly Nurse Redheart. I guess I'm so gosh durn tired and tuckered out, I've been thinking only of watching over Twilight.”
Giving her a smile of assurance, Nurse Redheart nodded.
“Its a good friend that cares enough to spend their time with their friend in such a situation as this.”
Her own mouth twisting into a nervous smile, Applejack looked back down at Twilight, allowing Nurse Redheart to trot on out in search of sustenance for Applejack and to check on the other patients at the hospital. It would be a long day...
o.O.o
Five Miles From the Ohio Bubble
8: 46 A.M.
Second Lt. Sanderson glanced at the map in front of him. Unlike his fellow militia officer, Second Lt. Mays, he was in a fully functional, brand new tent out of the rain. And unlike the men under May's command, they too were warm and drier than they were. They'd spotted the other platoon camping in the woods several hours ago, and he'd made sure his scouts kept a close watch on them. The little war game they were playing was mainly a rivalry exercise than any actual tactical advantage over the other. The two groups were part of the few remaining militia units that had not been split up or demobbed after the last war. That, and the natural rivalry between the militia men from two of the largest cities in the state was a natural progression from the normal dislike between Columbians and Clevelanders about each others respective cities.
Now his scouts were reporting that they entire enemy platoon had packed up, and hoved off into the woods, except for a single man on a fast horse who had headed off to Xenia. He'd pondered the actions of the other side. Mays was a dullard at times, or at least appeared to be so from Lionel Sandersons own personal assessment. But the woods presented a decent place of ambush. It'd force his own men to have to fight their way through trees in the midst of September and the start of fall, which was even worse.
Sergeant Patrick McLehey glanced up from the map as well. He didn't have the same low opinion of Mays as Sanderson did, but only because he'd met him and didn't seem quite as much of a ...ass, as Sanderson was. Plus, he'd met his opposite number Freiheart before at a dinner of the Society of Cinncinatius in Dayton a few months back, and he'd seemed a decent sort. That, and Mays had been at least fairly cordial about the whole little war-gaming session, making it more into a contest of wits than a grudge match as some of the men wanted it to be, commanding officers included.
“Sir, we wouldn't have much chance in the woods if they're smart enough to dig in. One of the things I remember from San Juan and Kettle was that the Spanish had the high ground and were dug in. It was only because they had poor leaders and slightly worse equipment that the battles for the hills allowed us to capture Santiago de Cuba went as well as they did.”
He mentally waited for his CO to make up his mind on the matter. Really, the best thing to do was wait until the wargames were over and everyone went home for the next few months. Militia weren't used to following complex orders. It was mainly “see that hill, charge up it and capture the top”. Not some overly complicated maneuver created by an armchair general trying to command what basically amounted to clerks, farmers, and other men who needed to supplement their meager pay with the small stipend paid by the state government to the militia into grand battles. Their proud history ended with the Civil War, and became just mundane. Not bad, not great, just good.
“Yes, I suppose you are right sergeant. We'll wait them out for a bit. They're going to enjoy being eaten by all those disgusting insects. But to be on the safe side, we should send in a few scouts just to make sure they're not doubling out and around us.”
Sergeant McClerey nodded and saluted. Turning around he stifled a laugh. Double back and around? In this rain? You'd have to want your men grousing and getting drunk to shove them through the crap that was pouring down at an even steadier pace now. And sending in scouts at least let the other side now that they had been spotted.
What he didn't expect was that in an hour, his men would tell about new developments in enemy deployments.
o.O.o
Sweet Apple Acres
8:49 P.M.
Sgt. Freiheart didn't expect his commanding officer to be currently sitting on a water trough next to a big, cinnamon red draft horse, and smoking a cigarette, the red flare of which was what stopped him from yelling at the figure sitting in the darkness in front of them. He also didn't expect the horse to seem annoyed by the hand on its nose and the smell of the cigarette, lip curling in a manner like some of those prudes back in the German Village who thought public smoking was inappropriate. The horse seemed to shift in an agitated manner, head jerking somewhat as if trying to get away from the smell. The rest of the platoon caught up, though a few hung back near the tree-line.
“Sergeant, good to see you're punctual as usual.”
The rather matter of fact tone of Mays was slightly unnerving. Freiheart found the man to be a lot more nervy and jumpy at times than most men, but not usually this calm. Maybe it was the rather fine blend of a warm fall day, and the scent of apples on the trees that was making him feel calm. Certainly, it was affecting the others to a degree. Deciding the situation warranted his acting naturally in front of the men, he snapped off a quick salute, which was returned by the lieutenant.
“Sir, I wish to report we have the entire platoon currently at the ready and accounted for, excepting yourselves and the men that came with you.”
Mays looked up at the sky for a second, and hitched his hands into his uniform pockets.
“At ease men.”
Following orders, though somewhat confused, the platoon stood down, rifle butts smacking into the warm soil, and backs loosing some of their slack.
“You haven't met Big Macintosh here by the way have you? He don't say much, do you Big Macintosh?”
“Eeyup.”
It took several seconds for the men in the platoon to figure out that the horse had spoken. To be blunt, that a horse had spoken. Some of them shifted nervously, and many were still unnerved by the unnatural calm of their CO.
“Now then, Big Macintosh has some farm chores to do, don't you big guy. Odd at this time of night yes, but still, beggars can't be choosers.”
At this, the horse rolled its eyes, shifted the hay-stalk in its mouth, and once again uttered an “eeyup.” Then, turning around and swishing its cropped tail, wandered off to the water pump, where it began to pump water, carefully measuring out the amount needed with each working of the handle.
“Is that horse...”
“Pony, he's a pony...”
“Err...pony, pumping water?”
“Yes, and I'm sure you'll see some even stranger things in the next few minutes that are tame compared to that.”
Stubbing out the cigarette, and being mindful of the litter, Mays scooped it up and dumped it a nearby waste barrel. The look of what could be called thanks briefly flittered across the cinnamon stallions face for second, before he picked up the bucket of water and took to a nearby plow, which he began to wash and clean.
“There's another one for example. A pony cleaning a plow, not something you see back in Xenia or Toledo.”
Freiheart was still trying to regain his composure at this revelation, when at a call from Mays, an even larger...pony...came out from the house. She was tall, only slightly taller than a normal sized horse, and dark-blue in coloration, like midnight blue. The strange thing was she had wings like a pegasi, but a horn like a unicorn. On her head sat a silver tiara, as did silver shoes on her hooves. As she exited the house, her wings spread out for a second, and were certainly very large, and very strong.
“Men of the 12th Platoon, C Regiment of the Ohio State Militia, I, as your commanding officer, present for your introduction, Princess Luna of the Dualarchy of Equestria. You may hold you applause at this time.”
Nervously folding her wings back up, the Princess managed to shove a reply out of her mouth, nervous at speaking to so many at once.
“Err, hello, and welcome to Equestria gentlemen?”
o.O.o
Ponyville Hospital and Medical Care Center
8:54 P.M.
Twilight blearily opened her eyes and saw a tiled ceiling. Slowly twisting her head she saw Applejack quietly snoring nearby, her head lying on the head. The silent honk-shoo that came from the farm ponies mouth was somewhat calming to Twilight. Slowly sitting up, she saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash lying on the floor, Rainbows legs twitching and muttering in her sleep. Twilight tried to move her right front leg, and found a clear tube leading to a liquid nutrient bag, which was slowly dripping its contents down the tube. Sighing, she laid back on the bed. Strangely, she didn't remember much what happened, besides that she'd been locked into a deep trance, and then a sudden burst of energy had flowed in, then out of her, creating...something. Outside she noticed was totally dark, though the electrical lights of the hospital outside and inside ensured that darkness would not be a problem.
Her eyes blinked at the ceiling tiles, trying to count them, as she couldn't think of much else to do. It must have been some slight vibration she made in the bed, but she heard Applejack slowly yawning and smacking her mouth, clearing out the taste one usually gets after sleeping.
“Twilight, you awake?”
At that, both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash began to come around, the genteel yawn of Fluttershy overwhelmed by the louder and longer one of Rainbow Dash, who shook out her rainbow colored tail and slowly came over to the bed, a look of worry over her face.
Glancing up at her friends, Twilight sat up again.
“I guess yeah...one moment Princess Luna was reading my dreams, the next thing I remember is waking up here.”
The others crowded around her bed.
“You don't remember anything at all?”
Fluttershy looked at her with a mixture of confusion and shyness, normal for the yellow-pegasus.
“Er, no. As I said, one minute I felt her mind, the next I'm lying in a hospital bed with the three of you sleeping like logs.”
“Well, er, I don't know how to explain it, Twilight. You might want to relax a second, its a pretty complicated story....”
o.O.o
Sweet Apple Acres
9:04 A.M.
The platoon had been allowed by the Apples to set up camp in the main yard of Sweet Apple Acres, and were still trying to get used to the fact about the situation. Currently most were trying not to get the little filly, whose name they had learned was Apple Bloom, from trying to use them as martial arts practice targets. Currently, Sgt. Freiheart was bawling out the men and getting them back into a semblance of order. When Luna and the Apples had found out that most them hadn't eaten for over twelve hours, they'd managed to strike a temporary deal with the newcomers that Luna would pay for any and all goods consumed from her personal monetary fund, if the men promised to work some of that off in the future. The agreement was struck and currently some of the mens bags bulged with several round, apple shaped objects. Though it was hard to tell in the nights darkness, it seemed to get lighter as the large, round moon hung overhead, lighting up the farmyard bright enough for all to see more than six feet in front of their faces.
Mays glanced at the princess. She was different, none to say the least, from what he expected of royalty. For most of his life the longest living ruler of the British Empire had been on the throne, until a few months ago. Now her son was on the throne, and how different things were in their styles. She, a quiet, reserved woman after the death of Prince Albert. He, a much more lively and traveling King and Emperor. But this princess...well, something about her made him see a hidden sadness, and something resembling an age beyond her physical looking years buried beneath a regal exterior.
He was watching the parade of militiamen standing at attention as their names were checked off a list, Nowak visible to some degree still bent over to a degree reading the names. The rest were holding their rifles at attention, and desperately trying not to draw the attention of the sergeant, who seemed to be compensating for the sudden revelation that not only did intelligent life exist on other planets, but that it was in fact relations to creatures not too much unlike ones back home. Indeed, his bluster was wearing down quicker than usual, shown by his slipping back into English, rather than the thick German he normally used when overly angry.
“Does your second always speak in that strange tongue?”
Princess Luna was looking at him, her eyes merely curious about things. After the fallout from earlier, the two had managed to come to some sense of discussion. Somehow, Mays knew he should head back through to report to HQ, but somehow, felt that it was best to discuss things for now. Besides, leaving Freiheart and the other men alone with Pinkie Pie might cause an inter-planetary incident, namely “Pink Pony Accidentally Slaughters Thirty-Five Men Through Over-Feeding of Baked Goods”. That would be one for the newspapers back home.
“He does when he's angry. Says its how the reserve regiment sergeants back in the old country would discipline the men who'd forgotten to stuff their shirts into their trousers.”
He leaned back against a cart of hay, his face going curiously calm.
“Course, like Nowak, its just a excuse to curse without others catching on how much they can cuss. Especially since only about thirteen other men in the platoon understand German or Polish. But given they live in a place where a man who knows English is likelier to get a job then one who isn't, they hide it most of the time.”
She seemed puzzled at this. How to explain the different cultures, languages, and anti-immigrant feeling among a good portion of the population and workforce at times. Perhaps another time when he didn't have more immediate concerns.
“I'll explain later. Right now, thats a lesson in money and society I don't have time for.”
He stuck a cigarette in his mouth, but out of decorum and politeness towards his host, he merely kept it in there. Sometimes he wondered if it was good for him, but then he remembered huddling in a Cuban swamp before advancing towards Santiago de Cuba, with nothing but a cigarette and hurriedly made coffee to keep himself awake.
“Ah.”
She fell silent for a second. Now, the men were milling about, since the sergeant, having found only a few of them to be lacking in the proper graces of being proper soldiers, and having assigned such men to assist the Apples as best as possible, the rest were trying to create an impromptu game of baseball. Already, some were arguing about rotations, field size, and bats and balls. Luckily, since some of the men were part of their towns or cities amateur teams, a few had the balls, but not many had bats. Then, one found some discarded, slightly rotten wood planks, and after finding gloves to wear while holding them, had started a game. Of course in the growing dark, the balls often as not thudded into mens legs, shoulders, and other areas, which of course led to yelling and pained groans of dismay. Thankfully it was light enough that the underhand ball tosses allowed most of the rolling balls to be found again.
“Tell me, what is this..game, they are playing?”
“The national pastime, Baseball.”
“Base...ball? How does one play, this, baseball?”
“Not the way they are...”
Already, arguments had again broken out, with the pitching team arguing that batting team had cut past bases, and the other side stating that the other team kept moving their men from the previously delineated base areas, and thus were following up where the runners went. A few sitting on the sidelines jeered for them to get on with it. Indeed, it was only when the small, greenish face of Granny Smith poked her head out of a window and yelled about youngin's and their yelling that things quieted down. Many of the men feared one thing worse than their German sergeant, and that was their grandmothers. Toning it down verbally, but using facial and hand gestures that would get one thrown out of the Savoy, they continued to play their primitive game, with more groaned calls of pain and several more tamer insults.
“The goal is to score a full run around the bases, or have loaded bases, and a hit that allows all those on the bases to run them, without scoring three misses?”
“That is just the start, princess, but from just observing them and trying to make out the movements, not too shabby.”
She gave a bit of nod.
“But what is that symbol of the middle...finger, you call it, with the nail side pointing towards another player.”
Going silent for a second Mays struggled to find an answer.
“Think of it as...a, a, crude meaning for what happens when a male and female pony make a baby pony, and the step that occurs to make it.”
“Oh, you mean...”
Her face blushed deeply before she could finish. Relieved on not having to explain how deeply the two (or in some cases, one fingered salute was exactly insulting), Mays turned back to the game.
“What do you do for fun, Princess?”
“I go to the opera, listen to recitations, attend...parties.”
He noticed that she didn't seem all excited about that sort of thing.
“Is that fun, or royal duty that you're talking about?”
Her eyes shifted away, lip bitten for a second in nervous thought. Hanging her head, she nodded.
“So, what do you want to do for fun?”
She perked up at that.
“Perhaps, I could try a hand at this baseball of yours? I may be a princess, but I've had fun before. This does not seem as challenging as the spider-throw.”
Deciding it might be a good way to show she wasn't an all powerful princess with the power of imprisonment or war to be feared by the men, Mays nodded, confused though about spider throwing. Who picked up and threw spiders?
“Perhaps you'd like to take a pinch at being the pitcher?”
She nodded, and gave a smile. Perhaps things can work out between us after all, thought Mays.
o.O.o
Ponyville Hospital and Medical Care Center
9:17 P.M.
Twilight had managed to sit up for more than two minutes by this point, but the doctors said she'd have to stay until the morning, if only to make sure she didn't have a relapse or something. Thankfully, they did have a small library for long term patients to choose from, though the word small was accurate to a large degree. To her regret, they did not have any of her personal favorite fiction books, those of Daring Do, but they did have some of those science-romances as written by Herne, the renowned author of such stories. Speaking of stories, the one her friends had quickly told her seemed...impossible. But here she was, in a hospital, so something had happened that had led to her being here. But the whole concept of being puppeted by a intelligence after-image of Discord was too frightening to think about now.
Opening the book, she glanced at Applejack, who had fallen asleep again on a mat on the floor. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was grinning and twisting and turning in her sleep, making noises like flying. Apparently, she was dreaming of winning yet another race and becoming a Wonderbolt, because the few words that came out were self-congratulatory and also contained numerous references to blue-suits with lightning bolts, which sounded familiar to Twilight. Fluttershy was curled up in a ball underneath a hanging shelf, mainly because it was out of the way, but also because she could put a wall to her back. The canary yellow pegasus was gently snoring, if it could be called that, the gentle whisper of breath almost like the most delicate fine plateware in breathing form.
Twilight looked around. It was good to have friends like these, those who you could count on and love as friends, even in dire times. With a dozy sigh, she put the book down, and fell asleep once again. What portents the morning would bring, she did not know. But she had a sense, as the last glimmer of light peeked under her eyelids, that it would be exciting and new.
o.O.o
Sweet Apple Acres
9:30 P.M.
“THOU HAST BEFOULED THE BASELINE!”
Pinching his brow, Mays noticed how the men were arguing straight up with the Princess, in the blazing light of the campfires. Again. For the past ten minutes, the two sides had been locked in argument, one side coming to her side and arguing that indeed, the other team had befouled the baseline. Meanwhile the other side insinuated that yes, a princess she may be, but baselines were not something she was accustomed to, and therefore she was in the wrong. It didn't help that it had taken her five minutes to loosen the speed of the ball, as so far they'd gone from eight to three relatively quickly, the other hurtling over the horizon towards the nearby town that the princess said they had come from. After that, all the batters had started inching as far away from the catcher as much as possible, who was already hiding behind a upturned water-trough for safety from the princesses insanely fast-fastball.
“THY...I mean, you have clearly no idea of mathematical learning. Clearly one can see that the base-line is off by eight inches then before.”
The others surrounding her all took an appraising look at the line, and noticed indeed it had been scuffed anew. New shouting began, and this time more were on her side. With a look of smugness that made Mays almost fall on the ground laughing, she trotted over.
“Indeed, the game of base-ball is most fun. However, does it always devolve into such argumentation?”
Mays nodded.
“Though only when you let amateurs play. Professionals have to worry too much about being paid their smallish salaries to get too involved in arguing that much. Though they sometimes take it to an art form with their lingo, so to speak.”
She closed for a second, a smile escaping from her veneer of regality after foray into this new medium of fun, lost in a moment of personal accomplishment and bliss. Then her eyes opened wide as she noticed the final setting sun, oddly late for the season to be setting so late, even for a world such as this. A worried look came over her face, and she paced for a second.
“Tia!”
“Who?”
“My sister, Celestia, I've forgotten to send word of all this. Oh dear...”
She seemed to be getting herself into an anxious state.
“Can't you send one of your guards to her with a message?”
She paced nervously, snout snorting every now and then in anxiety.
“No, not even the fastest flier in Equestria could reach her before I have to take the reins of the night.”
“Reins of the night?”
Seemingly blocking out the question, she pondered what course of action to take, still deep in thought. Then she turned, her face suddenly close up in Mays own face. He backed off as she quickly blurted out what idea had come to her mind.
“Of course, Twilight Sparkle's assistant Spike, he can send a letter to Celestia about this. Why did we not think of it earlier?”
Cantering off to her guards, she gave quick orders to find and bring back Spike. As two of them flew off back to Ponyville, to the two most likely locations where the dragon could be, a sense of relief seemed to wash over the princess of the night. She un-regally sat her tail end on the ground and stared at the setting sun.
“It has been quite the day, has it not, Lt. Mays?”
“Indeed, princess. Though my actions will probably have most of the diplomatic corps of the United States in a twitter...”
His voice became posh and dignified, a parody of some East Coast dandy put into the state department.
“...You let a foreign head of state play baseball with your men, and didn't provide them with a red carpet or carriage? What were you thinking?”
Giggling somewhat, she too attempted it as well, her voice sinking into the upper-crust accent of a Canterlotian Diplomatic Officer.
“Princess, how could you degrade yourself by having fun with common folk such as soldiers. Royalty must have standards, as a means of giving the people a symbol of never-ending awe and fear. Please do not suppose yourself to be having the “fun” that is undignified for a magnificent member of Equestrian government as yourself.”
They both laughed at that one as well.
“Of course, they're right in some ways. I've probably broken every rule in the book when it comes to greeting heads of state. Course, I don't think there was anything ever written that mentioned pony heads of state. I suppose they'll have to write a whole new book.”
“Hmmm...yes, and I suppose that we shall have to rewrite our own books...should Tia be open to dialogs between your world and ours. That is a problem we shall come to when we pass over its waters.”
She seemed thoughtful now.
“Still, I must send the letter saying I cannot return tonight. It will help allay worry or fear. And then I must control the night a bit more closely than I have been for the past seven mintues.”
“Eh?”
She gave a smile. Perhaps it was time she told him what she really could do....
o.O.o
Canterlot Castle
9:45 P.M.
Princess Celestia had retired for a time to her private study, to take a breather from the state of emergency that Equestria had been put under for now. Lying down on a small sea of pillows near the window, she looked out at the falling sun in the sky, only four hours of light left. She hoped Luna could return soon and take care of her nighttime. Celestia had done it for over a thousand years, after Luna's banishment, but it was her sisters special affinity and talent that allowed the true beauty of the night to come out.
She was startled by the sudden appearance of a letter in her study. Twilight would be recovering, but doubtful she could have sent this letter so soon. Her mind racing, she finally decided it must have been sent on Luna's orders. Magicking it over, she opened it.
“Dearest Sister,
Due to recent developments, I will be delayed in the Ponyville area a while longer. However, do not fear that I am shirking in these duties that I am normally charged with. I shall raise the night and the moon as before, but not from Canterlot as usual. I am sorry if this is a disappointment, but fear not, I am in safe hooves. Iron Gait still does as he does best, and has made sure that no harm has come my way. However, I do request that you visit Sweet Apple Acres as soon as it is possible for you. The recent developments made by Discord have led to an even bigger event being thrust upon us. This requires our dual talents I fear.
Love, Luna.”
Celestia read it again, and wondered. What could have been the thing that was keeping Luna from returning? Unless she'd discovered one of the portals already.
Sitting upright, Princess Celestia mulled things over. She could stay in Canterlot a while longer, thus allowing Luna some extra time to access the situation, and giving her the responsibility she had been trying to regain since recovering from the Nightmare incident. Or she could leave now, and arrive and assist her younger sister. What to do? Thinking for a minute, she sighed. Perhaps it would be good to give Luna some space to do things her own way. To let her younger sibling feel that she could do things all the time with her bigger sister looking over shoulder all the time. Still, the message had asked for her assistance, and letting it slip too long would have the adverse of effect as well. Celestia thought, and thought, till her thinker was sore. Then, she magicked over a bottle of ink, a quill, and a few sheets of paper. Time to write her reply.
o.O.o
Road to Sweet Apple Acres
10:05 P.M.
After seeing that Twilight was in the safe hooves of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, Applejack had excused herself, mentioning that she had the rest of the Apple family to take care of, but that she'd be back first thing in the morning to check on Twilight and see if she needed anything. The road was lonely back to Sweet Apple Acres, but since the nearest strand of the Everfree forest was nearly half mile off, she didn't need to worry that much about things from the forest. They rarely ventured near the roads, and kept mainly to the dark, forbidding forest. However there were rumors of a large pack of Timber Wolves had moved in and were fighting a vicious war for territory against the normal wolves that inhabited the forest. However, deciding that speed might be a good idea, she picked up the pace. Off in the distance, she could see the fence line and the outer rows of apple trees of her families homestead. As she looked up, she saw what to her was a horrifying sight, the red and orange flickering of fire.
“Oh no...”
Now, she pushed herself into a full run, eyes glancing in terror at the sight of what could only in her mind be a fire in the fields. How long had it been going on? Where in the orchard was it? Was Apple Bloom and Granny Smith okay? She knew Big Mac could take care of himself, but her youngest and oldest relatives trapped in a blazing home filled her with fear more than the loss of the entire crop. You could rebuild a farm, but not a family.
Nearing the entrance to the farm, she leapt over the fence in a leap that had she been in a rodeo, would've won her a blue ribbon for excellence in dexterity and skill. Pushing her already tired legs onward, her body screaming that she stop before she hit a wall in terms of physical exertion, her face contorted in a mask of determination and horror, she rounded the last bend in the road that lead to the farmstead proper. However, instead of the terrifying sight of Apple Bloom and Granny Smith screaming in terror from a second floor window, only a single light could be seen from Apple Blooms room. Ignoring the light of the fires off to the side, her mind concentrating solely on her family, she charged inside, barreling up the stairs and streaking past Big Macintosh, arriving outside her younger sisters room. She peaked in the doors keyhole, as she heard voices conversing.
“Oooh, tell me nother' one.”
A male voice, one unfamiliar to her ears, laughed.
“Another one, I just told you how the Vice-President charged up San Juan hill with his Rough Riders, and how automobiles work.”
The familiar pleading voice of Apple Bloom returned.
“PLEEEAAASSSEE?”
The male voice coughed for a second, and finally broke down.
“Alright, but then you go to bed. Your brother will probably make me repaint the whole barn if I keep you up much longer. And don't point that sad, pleading face at me again, that could be considered a torture device in some countries.”
“Big Mac wouldn't do that. He'd just make you slop the pigs.”
“Oh, thats reassuring. Alright, I'll tell you about the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, and the White City that was built there. That sound good? Course I won't tell you about Dr. H.H. Holmes, because otherwise I think your brother would smack me for giving you nightmares.”
Applejack, deciding she couldn't bear not knowing who this stranger was telling stories to her youngest kin, burst in. At first, her eyes were concentrated on Apple Blooms bed, where the young filly was snuggled under the covers, glancing at the door in surprise. Next to her on one side was Princess...Luna? What was she doing here, thought Applejack, what do I say, what do I do?
It was after that she noticed that on the other side, leaning over in mid tousle of her sisters mane, was a strange, bipedal creature, wearing clothes all over, and a sickly pale-pink coloration. Its eyes seemed to go wide as the orange farm pony burst in the door, eyes open wider than its own and heavy breathing making an impression on it quickly.
“What the...”
“Applejack!”
Her little sister shot out from beneath her covers and zipped across the room, grappling her sister around her left leg, eyes full of tears of joy.
“Ah, but..whata, hay?”
Noticing her discomfort, Apple Bloom looked at Luna and the strange creature, who was now sitting quietly, hooves...no, the structure was all wrong. More like the talons Spike and other dragons had, or the ones griffons had. Though they appeared to be less pointy, and more rounded.
“Applejack, you interrupted story time....”
Her sisters eyes went into a cross between a pout and depression, slightly upset, slightly sad. Meanwhile, the double revelation of the Princess of the Night, Ruler of the Stars, and Maid-Mare of the Moon, was not only calmly sitting in her younger sisters bedroom, but also doing so calmly with an odd creature. Already, the Princess was standing, wings folded and eyes imploring Applejack to not be too hasty with her actions. The other thing stood, and she saw how tall it was, a grin passing over its face in a nervous manner. For a second, she saw four sharp, predatory teeth, shaped like the ones she saw in her dog Winona's mouth whenever she ate or drank water. Nervously, though with a look of conviction on her face, she glanced at the Princess, then her sister, then at the...thing.
“Would somepony please tell me what's going on around here?”
Luna looked as if she were about to speak, but Apple Bloom's own impetuous and excited nature beat the princess of the night to it. Her excited run through was so confusing that Applejack put up her hooves to slow her down. Apple Bloom, taking a few seconds to realize this, continued on, before stopping. Finding the torrent of information slowed, she reiterated her question, though her eyes for a second, blazed a dark emerald green at the figure that the audacity to rub her sisters head like some six month old foal.
“I would like mah question to be answered a little slower, please.”
The princess looked over at the figure, who shrugged back at her and seemed to suggest through its pose “you're the all powerful second and equal ruler of this land, you talk to her, oh Princess of the Night.”
“Miss Applejack, we are sorry if this may have seemed to be worrying to you...”
“Worrying? Worrying? Twilight's still in hospital, and I come back to what looks like my family and livelihood going up in smoke, and you think I'm worried?”
She began to pace, as Luna and the figure shared a glance. Then it looked out the window in case a fire had broken out. Raising an eyebrow, it turned back once it realized what must have been the alarm signs of a fire to the orange pony in front of it.
“Applejack, don't be sore. Princess Luna and Mr. May's here were only telling me some stories.”
“Telling you some stories? What stories?”
“Like about how the Rough Riders went up San Juan hill, or how ponyless carriages were built and made!”
“About who and what now?”
The figure coughed for a second, before speaking in a deep, somewhat guttural version of Equestrian.
“Miss...Applejack? Your sister is a fine young filly, and she wasn't afraid when we first came here.”
“We?”
Ignoring her puzzled question for a second, he (or so she guessed...most mares didn't wear facial hair, and this one had a large mustache for sure) he continued.
“She stood up to what she perceived a threat to her farm. Course, we'd been cowed a bit by your brother Big Macintosh, who told of our...first transgression against your farm.”
“What?”
For some reason, while her brain was firing off complicated questions to her mouth, some odd filter had gotten installed, and only simple and rather dumb sounding questions came out.
“Well, when she learned that private Spencer had tried to...liberate an apple from one of your trees, she was in quite a state for awhile. I'm afraid his leg will be sore for quite some time from the three kicks she gave him over the period of the night.”
At that, Apple Bloom's face broke into one of her wider, and smuggest smiles.
“However, since we're here, and your brother has agreed that for any of your produce we eat, that we'll help pay off the bill the Princess is footing for it, by working on your farm. While most of the boys don't know too much about apple orchard proper, though I think a few might have been raised on a few, most know more basic farm work, and we noticed your barn could be in need of fixing.”
“Err...okay.”
Applejacks mind raced. What was everypony going on about? What was this strange figure, who Apple Bloom called Mr. Mays? And why did he mention others as if they were in a large bunch.
“Alright, while I'm rather vague on the particular's, who are you and all that, if you don't mind me asking too much?”
The figure composed himself, and cleared his throat.
“I'm Second Lieutenant Daniel Mays, of the Ohio State militia. As for the others, well you can meet them if you want to, but you might want to get some sleep first. The princess hasn't given me all the details, but she mentioned you were among those that were involved in whatever it was my men and I walked through to get here.”
“I suppose that could be construed as being part of it...”
Applejack shook her head.
“You keep saying that there's more of you, whatever you are's...here at Sweet Apple Acres? Where?”
“Right outside, in the large clearing out there. About fifty or so...”
“Fifty!”
With that, Applejack's tiredness and all these new revelations began to overtake her. Slowly losing the energy in her legs to keep standing, she keeled over on the floor, fast asleep, and a familiar snoring sound soon came from her lips.
“Oh dear...did we break her?”
o.O.o
Xenia, Ohio
11:43 P.M.
Private Michelson glanced at the clock hanging on the outside of the town hall in Xenia. The town was modernizing quickly. He saw a trench where some workmen were preparing to begin installing the new water and sewage system links in this part of town. The town was only a few miles from Dayton, and only an hour or so's train ride to the capital. Compared to what else there was to look at, it was positively dripping with excitement.
He saw a sign for a nearby hotel, where he'd have to stay the night till the telegraph office opened up later in the morning. Hopefully he could get there before the crowds filled it with communiques to sisters in Sacramento and brothers in Boston. And hopefully, this delay wouldn't adversely affect the others. He sure hoped to hell that if command and the governor asked for proof, he could find that bubble again. But now, it was time to rest. He entered the hotels lobby, and as the silent rain fell with an even more hushed pitter patter than before. The world outside grew silent, as if the whole world was still holding its breath over some great event.
For had he read the newspaper board outside the main desk, he would have noticed a headline, and a horrifying one at that. Indeed the news would have been apparent in the noticeable depressed atmosphere from the people around him.
“President McKinley Shot-
America's Idol Struck Down by Bullet From An Anarchists Gun While Visiting Pan-American Exhibition.”
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Nice chapter! The only major problem that I noticed was that Luna, or at least the other equestirans, should know what a bullet is given how during "May the Best Pet Win!" episode they had the reference to "fast as a bullet" during the song, even if they don't really use guns.
This just my own thoughts but I'd suspect that the royal guard probably can be considered largely ceremonial in much the same way that Swiss Guard and elements of the British Queen's Guard are, with possibly some elements of the usual duties of the national guard might have. Given how when you have what amounts to one of the only three known physical gods ruling one's nation most other nations probably aren't going to be all that willing to start fights with said nation. Which also would help explain the references toward bullets and tanks, as well as how Rarity managed to get her hooves onto what seems to be fairly modern camouflage combat helmet.
Also any chance of seeing this posted on spacebattles? This seems like something that they'd be interested in.
193061
I thank you for your comment. I was going to reply to your previous one yesterday, but problems with my computer forced me to have to wait to do so.
Now, your comment on the knowledge of firearms in the MLP: FIM universe is of course correct on that they use lexicon terminology consistent with a knowledge of some of the elements of firearms. However, like many things, I will chalk things down to the following, is that they are like terms in our world when we describe things. There may be guns and tanks historically in MLP, but that might not mean they're in use anymore. Given as you said, Equestria is ruled by two-god like beings in physical form, they may have needed it earlier when civilization was developing, to ensure a strong pony civilization in opposition to other groups. Certainly, guns would be hard for any pony other than a unicorn to use, due to the processes needed for firing early firearms. Tanks as well could mean either something similar to OTL armored mechanical vehicles, or it could be a descriptive for something similar to the Bohemian War Wagons, which might be the "Tanks" of MLP: FIM.
Now, Luna would most likely be familiar with the basics of firearms than most regular ponies, given her age, knowledge, and probable history with said devices. However, she may be familiar with what our world had early on, with handcannons up to matchlocks most likely being the types ponies are able to use with some ease. However, she would not be familiar with a Krag-Jorgenson Bolt Action Rifle, American pattern? Doubtful, and she may not be familiar with rounds as well. Guns in Equestria would most likely be in a state between musket balls and possibly for Equestria, a minie' ball style bullet in terms of progress.
Of course, this does have some holes in it, but I think if firearms and tanks are canon, they're not going to be shown for the simple reason that such things wouldn't be appropriate for such a show. As for the guards, they most likely are like the British Royal Guard or the Swiss guard, mainly ceremonial, but actually trained and competent enough to protect the royals. They're for show and awe inspiring sight for impressing the gravitas of the appearance of the Princesses.
As for posting on spacebattles, I don't frequent that site, so I didn't have any plans. I've thought at some point maybe doing EQD, but thats probably further down the line. I've heard how exacting they are for quality stories, and I'm unsure if it fits into what they would want as a story.
Also, for readers of this story, I'm going to most likely update every other week after chapter three, since it takes about a week to write, edit, and send this to pre-readers for correction and re-editing, and college and real life bites into writing time.
I hope this helps explain to some degree why I've written things as they are. Thanks for commenting.
187333
Oh blast, I seem to have mixed up my dates of the actual shooting with McKinley's death. Still, interesting times ahead...
You have Princess Luna introduce Pinkie and Rarity as bearers of Elements of Harmony. I'd expect Mays would be curious to know what the elements are and ask Luna to elaborate, but they are not mentioned again.
I also noticed a few clunky sentences here and there, but nothing that couldn't be fixed easily:
he'd left Germany in 1890 after the policies of the new Kaiser showed that his policies would not be kind to many in the new Germany he envisioned. – repeating "polices" sounds redundant here.
Apparently, she was dreaming of winning yet another race and becoming a Wonderbolt, because
the few words that came out were self-congratulatory... – there's a paragraph space here that should be deleted.
Anyway, good chapter. Human-Pony relations seem to be off to a good start. Let's see how long it stays that way.
193434
Ah, I've been wondering when someone would ask about the Elements of Harmony. Its one of those "they talked about it between scenes" parts, that was left out. Mainly because I'm saving that for the temporary ambassador to get that explained to her. And yes, that is not a typo. The governor of Ohio is asked during the transition of power to choose a temporary ambassador to Equestria, and lets just say she's good with a gun. Given that the state department has to review the case pretty quickly....
Now, that those clunky sentences have been pointed out, I'll edit those in awhile to make them less clunky. Thanks on that front.
As for human-pony relations. Well, there's going to be some problems, and things won't go perfectly. To be more precise, by the end of chapter four, the first overtures of war between an Earth power and a MLP:FIM power is going to occur. As a clue, the Earth power is going to get a bigger place in the sun then they've had before now....
193131
Welcome and no problem; real life can often be a hassle.
To be fair Equestria probably isn't the only the nation in it's world, so it's always possible that such things get developed and used by the nations outside of it who simply don't have the luck to have a physical god or in the pre-Alicorn period several hundred unicorns used to working in concert. Equestria would basically be Switzerland or the Vatican of their world.
...Except that they possess all the worlds nukes.
Don't forget about Diamond Dogs and Gryphons. ;P
More seriously any development of guns and tanks is something that I'd see as being done by non-ponies simply because they wouldn't have been that useful for most ponies even before Celestia and Luna's appearance given how both the unicorn and pegasi tribes would've been a pretty big sticks against any potential aggressor. Even discounting the unicorns holding the sun hostage, the ability to work in concert to move it, could probably be used by a far smaller portion to simply drop a mountain or two on the armies or nation that had happened to anger them. And pegasi weather control and flight would make them perfect for both blitzkrieg and defensive operations.
Which brings up a rather interesting train of thought for how military tactics might have grown for both ponies and non-ponies but I'd prefer not to be too annoying.
Shouldn't that be Celestia?
Might be worth it if you want some good criticism and feedback, and FIM seems to be popular over there.
Yep it does, sorry for being overly nitpicky.
I'm guessing you're going to include WWI in this story?
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That will be in book two (I'm debating between a trilogy/quadrology) taking the story as far as 1929 for a trilogy, 1939 for a Quadrology. That is if this one does well enough, and I can keep the inspiration enough. Book One is planned to go to end with the outbreak of war in Europe, and Book Two will cover the war years (events will transpire that will prevent certain characters from forcefully ending the war through higher magics).
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Oh no, if you pick out flaws in a persons argument or their story, and help them to better it, I feel you help the experience of the story and the world that's being built. I believe constructive criticism always has a place, but it has to be there to say "wait, does this make sense in terms of story, or is it delving into weird, and frankly unreadable territory?" If its simply to put down, insult, or make fun of someone, its not criticism, but if you can make them understand how to better the story then thats constructive.
Now, as to your refutations to my explanations, I shall attempt to elaborate.
1. To be fair Equestria probably isn't the only the nation in it's world, so it's always possible that such things get developed and used by the nations outside of it who simply don't have the luck to have a physical god or in the pre-Alicorn period several hundred unicorns used to working in concert. Equestria would basically be Switzerland or the Vatican of their world.
...Except that they possess all the worlds nukes.
A. True, Equestria is guarded by two powerful entities capable of possibly wreaking massive destruction. The fact that they don't make a habit of it is mainly because of Celestia's (and reformed Luna's) belief that peace through peace is the best approach to preventing war and destruction. As for other nations, the most likely ones we would be able to extrapolate might be a. Dragon enclaves (though they're most likely to not form such things), b. Griffons (dependent on population size), c. Zebra's, and d. Diamond Dogs. However, there are plenty of other possible nations to create as well.
2.
Don't forget about Diamond Dogs and Gryphons. ;P
More seriously any development of guns and tanks is something that I'd see as being done by non-ponies simply because they wouldn't have been that useful for most ponies even before Celestia and Luna's appearance given how both the unicorn and pegasi tribes would've been a pretty big sticks against any potential aggressor. Even discounting the unicorns holding the sun hostage, the ability to work in concert to move it, could probably be used by a far smaller portion to simply drop a mountain or two on the armies or nation that had happened to anger them. And pegasi weather control and flight would make them perfect for both blitzkrieg and defensive operations.
Which brings up a rather interesting train of thought for how military tactics might have grown for both ponies and non-ponies but I'd prefer not to be too annoying.
A.
This makes sense in a lot of cases, but that depends if the story told in Hearth's Warming Eve is entirely factual. Given the nature of plays, and the fact that only someone like the alicorn sisters or Discord would be old enough to have heard or perhaps seen some of these events within a few generations, it could be a mix of known history and adapted myth. Certainly, I could see it being made as a way to promoting unity against outside forces, and may have some Richard III style historical licenses. Not saying that it is entirely propaganda , but the idea that part of it is could be is a possibility.
And the tactics are for when I have a longer time to type on the computer.....
3. Shouldn't that be Celestia?
A. Celestia would know as well, but I think that in her time back Luna would dig up old records not only to read for fun, but perhaps at the behest of her sister to know more about advances since she's been gone. Certainly, I think Celestia might have issued a declaration that prevented the spread of modern weapons in Equestria for internal security.