Prologue

'Storms. I love storms.' I thought idly to myself as I watched the roiling clouds pass turbulently overhead, 'At least I don't have to listen to the people across the street fighting.' It was true, the rising wind drowned out the sounds of arguing that were so prevalent from the houses across the street. One side of 38th St. was The Complex, while the other side was nothing but cheap rundown townhouses. It was the proverbial division between the 'classes' of people, 'As if such a thing mattered in the grand scheme of one's life.' I thought.

I was standing on a slightly raised concrete median between the entrance ramp and exit ramp of a parking garage. Said garage was five levels of resident only, decal controlled parking set onto one side of the road, the 'nicer' side of the road, some said, in the Downtown area of Norfolk Va.

This was The Complex, an Old Dominion College student-only apartment complex, hence the name. The Complex was divided into two buildings one on 38th St. and one on 39th St. The two halves were connected by a sky bridge on the 3rd floor which span across 39th St. Each of the buildings was made of red brick, stood four stories tall, and liberally dotted with windows, indicating each room in the apartments.

Building One was divided into two equally-sized halves with the parking garage nestled between them. Each half of the building was four stories tall and encircled a 200 foot wide courtyard. One of the courtyards held a huge swimming pool with a plethora of spaces to sunbathe, cook on the grill, or just sit in the sun sipping on a beer with one's friends. The pool area was connected to the rest of the building by way of The Clubhouse. The Clubhouse was a Common Area where any resident could go to play a game of Pool or lounge on one of the many couches and watch anything you wanted on one of the eight wall-mounted plasma televisions. The other courtyard was like a natural paradise. It had actual trees, they were sparse, young, and thin but they were trees. The rest of the courtyard was vibrant green complete with benches, walkways, real grass, and barbecue grills. The balconies of the apartments either overlooked the green courtyard or looked out to the grimy city beyond. The ones that overlooked the courtyard were in high demand and always sold first. Each half of Building One held sixty-five individual apartments and each apartment held three or four rooms, depending on how much rent the residents paid.

Building Two wasn't as lucky, it was newer. The one courtyard it had was only covered with grass and benches and pea gravel walkways. There was no shade from the sun in the summer unless one brought a parasol. The apartments in Building Two were not as expensive as the apartments in Building One, but the apartments in Building Two were always occupied.

As for the parking garage itself, it was made of solid blocks of grey, prefabricated, steel-rebar reinforced concrete. The entrance ramp sloped up from the street, which sat thirty feet away, and featured two speed bumps to deter drivers from speeding within. The entrance gate itself was made of bluish grey, square steel bars set apart by three inches of empty space and held in place by a more solid set of steel tresses in the same bluish grey. The gate was a noisy mechanical monster which squeaked and squealed every time it moved, which was often. It was one of the types that slid not on a horizontal track on the ground but on a horizontal track nestled up against the ceiling. The track was fifteen feet long and the gate went from vertical to horizontal as it was pulled forcefully back by the high-torque motor and chain it came equipped with. The entrance was set twenty feet back into the garage, surrounded by more of the bluish grey steel bars, it provided an overhang to shield incoming vehicles from inclement weather.

The exit gate on the other hand, came right up to the side of the garage. The exit gate, shared an identical construction as its counterpart at the entrance, opened in an identical manner also. The exit gate was automated and activated by highly attuned pressure sensors in the concrete. The pressure sensors were so highly attuned they often wouldn't activate for motor-scooters or motorcycles at all.

There I stood, between the entrance and exit, six days a week, from 3 p.m. till 11 p.m. I had to stay standing the whole time, it was in the contract. I was a subcontracted Security Officer assigned to ensure that only those who had the 50$ extra per month, were parked in the garage.

To say that my job was mind-numbingly boring would have been a gross understatement. I knew I could handle it though, having more than nine years of experience in Security work. The time was 8:21 p.m. I only had two hours and thirty-nine minutes left before my shift ended. It was very comfortable for early August. A gentle wind had kept me cool through the eighty-nine degree weather and ninety percent humidity. The gentle wind had given way to a billowing, gusting wind that had accompanied the incoming storm.

As a Security Officer, my uniform was a black, long-sleeved shirt with the company logo patch on the left shoulder and an American flag patch on the right. A golden colored thread badge-patch hung over my left breast pocket and my brass name tag hung over my right. My pants were long, with the bottom of each leg tucked into my black boots. It was the standard-issue uniform for all Security Officers who worked for the company.

The radio clipped to my right shoulder crackled to life, "Brinsin to El-Tee." the transmission ended.

A moment later, it crackled to life again, "Lieutenant Joyner here, go."

I recognized these two voices as my Lt. and one of my fellow Officers. Brinsin was one of the youngest Officer on the site at twenty-seven years old. He was a good soul though. Standing at 5' 3" his height was not particularly imposing, however he made up for it with his build. Brinsin was stocky but by no means overweight whatsoever. His arms, legs, chest, and stomach were well-toned without being excessively bulky. He might not have been the tallest African American friend I had, but he had sound judgement, carried himself with calm dignity, and I would sooner have him watch my back than many others. His hair was dark-brown instead of black, cut short, and his eyes were, unsurprisingly, dark brown.

Lt. Joyner, was only 28, but his rank was well earned. He stood 5' 10" with short-cut sandy blond hair, a surfer's tan, and blue eyes. A former NAVY enlisted man, he was probably one of, if not, the least intimidating person on the sight. His strength lay in his ability to convince anyone of anything if he put his mind to it. He was passable in a fight but he rarely needed to exercise that skill. Built with the boyish good looks and athletic build of a pro-surfer, many ladies loved him and many men envied him. He was the sort of person who never raised his voice or lost his temper because he didn't have to. Everyone around him simply obeyed him because he was the sort of person you wanted to obey.

Brinsin came over the radio again, "Lieutenant, the news is sayin' we're goin' to get hammered tonight. Got a powerful storm comin' in off the ocean near N.O.B. that's supposed to have been causin' lightnin', tornados, and hail."

"Is it the same one that was supposedly 'altered' by that solar-flare earlier today?" Lt. Joyner asked in return.

"Same one." Brinsin replied.

A new voice came over the radio, "Ooh, better watch out every body, it's 'radiation rain', ooh!" the voice chuckled, "Why do every body always get spooked out anytime radiation is mentioned? We got radiation all around us 24-7. What do you think a sun-burn is? It's mild epidermal radiation poisonin'."

That was a voice I knew well, Officer Calvin. Calvin was one of the largest men I had ever known. Everything about Calvin was simple, except his mind. He was simply black, simply 6' 7", simply 352 lbs., simply built like a brick shit-house, simply congenial, and simply terrifying if he was coming at you. His immense size belied a deeply philosophical mind and friendly, outgoing demeanor.

"Let's try to keep the chatter to a minimum gentlemen." Lt Joyner replied.

"Aye-aye El-Tee." Calvin responded with a chuckle.

"Joyner to all officers. Everyone get your coats and put them in the office for when we do our exterior patrols. Pering disregard."

Pering would be me. Daniel Pering legally, or 'Crash Course' to my friends. I stand 5' 11", caucasian male, 31 years old, receding hairline, brown hair, and hazel eyes. I was 309 lbs., rather pudgy, but deceptively flexible for a fat guy. I wasn't the oldest Officer on the site, that honor went to Jewel at forty-two.

There were eleven of us at The Complex that night. Everyone patrolled the two buildings that made up The Complex. Everyone except me. The entire roster was Lt. Joyner, Sgt. Ludwig, Jewel, Calvin, Brinsin, Richardson, Massonete, Spearman, Vacca, Hord, and I. Out of all of us, Richardson was the only female while Joyner, Ludwig, Jewel, Vacca, Hord, and I made up 'The Cracker Brigade'. Despite the title, all of us recognized each other as equals. Once in uniform, ethnic background and gender only made someone easier to identify.

'If only the residents thought that way.' I mentally groused to myself. Roughly 1/2 of the residents of The Complex were rich kids, most of whom were caucasian, with the other half being mostly lower class African American young people who had worked hard to obtain scholarships or found jobs to pay for their own education. Kissing the collective backsides of the rich kids was my responsibly. Some of the higher income kids, felt entitled to do and say whatever they pleased because their parents had money. I couldn't stand those types and the rest of the team couldn't have agreed more.

Of course the rich kids weren't the only ones to give us issues. Many of the students and residents from lower income families had been brought up with the mindset that anyone in a uniform, especially white people in uniform, could never be trusted. 'The Man' was always willing and more than happy to gun down poor people and especially black people because we were corrupted by power.

Honestly, in both cases, I had always thought the cause for the two different mentality was prejudice and racism just with different names since being openly racist was socially frowned upon. To say that either side was completely justified or unjustified in their beliefs or mentalities would be incorrect since the basis for all stereotypes tends to be at least a tiny grain of truth. In reality the rich kids could often get away with more because their parents could bribe most people into ignoring bad behavior. It was crooked and dishonest but that's the way the world worked. By the same token, poor people were frequently treated badly by Police and personally I couldn't blame folks for being cautious. It was simple. People needed something or someone to blame for their problems because very few people had enough character to realize the vast majority of their problems were their own fault.

The fun part of my job was alerting the rest of the team whenever the trouble kids were preparing to party. To us, it couldn't matter less, how much or how little money a resident had. A resident was a resident, end of story. Everyone bleed a human blood type so we didn't give the notion any undue consideration. We all had our jobs to do. My primary responsibility was using an electronic 'clicker' to raise and lower the parking garage doors for the residents.

A well-polished, black Chevy Colorado pulled up to the gate. Their parking decal easily visible in the front windshield. I clicked the button and the gate slowly began to rise. I watched the truck as the gate cycled. Music blasted out of the open windows while rich college students, both male and female cheered, yelled, hollered, screamed, and drank. 'There has to be eleven kids in that damn truck. Four in the cab, all slurping suds and seven in the bed, also drinking beer. Joy.' I paused my thoughts and rolled my eyes at the goings-on in the bed, 'Oh look, one of the girls just took her top off and she's not wearing a bra. Yes boys, those are her breasts . . . and now there's a guy's mouth attacked to each one. Fantastic. It's like they've never seen an attractive female topless before. Go figure, they're all white kids.'

I clicked the radio as the truck pulled past, "Pering to Joyner."

"Joyner here, go."

"Who has Building One, south side, third and fourth floor?" I asked.

"That would be Spearman." Joyner radioed back.

"10-4, Pering to Spearman."

"Spearman here, what's up Pering?"

"Apartment 407 just pulled in with guests. Guests are both sexes and already drunk, rowdy, and stripping."

"Boobs?" Spearman asked.

"Boobs." I replied.

"Spearman to Richardson and Calvin."

"Richardson here, go."

"Got a large number of intoxicated people heading to apartment 407, both sexes, rowdy and amorous."

"10-4 on my way."

"Calvin here, I copy. On my way."

"This is Masonete, I've got eyes on a black Colorado. Multiple people, all drunk. Looks like the beginnings of another orgy out here."

"Calvin here, I'm on it."

"Richardson here, I'll take care of it."

"Spearman here, on my way."

Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the entire garage like daylight, the accompanying sound of the thunder was almost deafening. I flinched back involuntarily as the lightning struck the street, less than forty feet from where I was standing.

*clink*

I scarcely heard the sound over the ringing in my ears. I looked down and saw a marble-sized piece of hail lying on the asphalt, just a few inches from the median on which I was perched. I peered at the diminutive shard of ice with puzzlement. Hail was rare in Virginia. I could count on one hand the number of time I had seen it.

*clack*

I winced and clutched my hands over the upper portion of my face, shielding my eyes and forehead while grunting in pain. Looking around, I spotted a golf-ball sized chunk of hail lying broken on the ground. I clicked the button on my fob and stepped under the overhang of the garage, rubbing my head ruefully.

*CLUNK*

'That one's the size of a baseball! I'm out of here!' I ducked under the overhang just as hail started pouring down in a torrent. The pieces ranged between the size of a marble and a grapefruit. I heard the first window break after only a few seconds. I could hear glass shattering from every direction as car alarms blared loudly up and down the roadway. Looking across the street at one of the many dozens of cars parked on the side of the road, I saw that all four windows were broken and the front and back windshields were cracked. Car alarms blared, their sirens all but drowned out by the cacophony of falling hail. Lightning flashed every few seconds and peals of thunder overlapped each other, sounding like a constant roar.

I watched with fear-inspired awe and only just barely heard the radio as reports began pouring in, "This is Jewel, I need an ambulance! I've got a resident in the hallway suffering from blunt trauma and glass cuts! I'm just outside of apartment 322!"

"Officer down!" I identified the alarmed voice as Richardson easily, "Masonete's been struck multiple times with large hail! Parking garage level 5!"

"This is Hord, have three residents in the courtyard of Building 2! Multiple injuries! Laceratioms and blunt trauma!"

"Vacca to all Officers, I've got two residents in the pool, both with injuries, one unconscious lying at the bottom, moving to retrieve and begin C.P.R.!"

I whipped my Galaxy S II cell phone out of my left hip pocket to call 911, "FUCKING DAMNIT!"

I clicked on my radio but had to shout over the sounds of hail, thunder, shattering glass, and car alarms, "Pering here, can't call E.M.S. no reception! Anyone have eyes on a land line?"

"Ludwig to Pering, hold tight I've got one." Ludwig was always calm, and by extension he calmed everyone else around him.

Relief flooded through me as I sighed heavily. Ludwig never let us down. He was always reliable like that. I touched my head, wincing at my hyper-sensitive skin. My fingers came away clean, thankfully, but I could feel a rising bump.

"Land line is a no-go. Anyone have a 1st aid kit handy?" I could scarcely hear Ludwig over the noise.

My previous feeling of relief was replaced with a sense of urgency as I clicked on the radio once more, "Pering here, I've got one and there should be one in the Leasing Office, one in Maintenance, and one in the Security Office. Permission to leave the gate L.T.?"

"Granted," Joyner came over the radio.

I bolted into a run. My 2005, royal blue Dodge Neon was parked on the second floor so I had to use the stairs.

I could hear Lt. Joyner calling out instructions as I went, "Calvin get to Richardson and Masonete, 5th level parking garage. Move Masonete to safety if at all possible. Pering grab your 1st aid kit and get to Jewel in front of 322. Ludwig and Brinsin grab the 1st aid kit from the Security Office and get to Hord. Vacca, what's the status on those residents in the pool area?"

"Residents are in the Clubhouse. One has a serious cranial laceration, but is conscious. The other is unconscious, but I managed to resuscitate her. She has a long laceration from the left side of her jaw to her temple. I'm close to the Leasing Office, but it's locked. Request emergency permission to break in and retrieve the 1st aid kit."

"Granted. We'll deal with repercussions later."

I fiddled with my keys as I approached my vehicle. It was always breaking down in one way or another and was costing my wife and I a small fortune to keep the damned thing running. I ignored the driver's side door and headed straight for the trunk, trying to fit the key into the lock. Lightning flashed, illuminating the entire garage, not a shadow to be seen. I raised my left arm to shield my eyes, expecting to hear thunder.

I heard nothing.

There was no sound, none at all. The light maintained its illumination and brightness for what had to have been more than 30 seconds. I stood in place in stunned silence, unable to move. The ground suddenly began to violently shake. I lost my balance and fell over. My head struck the concrete and I tried to yell. Only eerie silence met me. Then, the rumbling began.

It started out low but quickly increased in volume. The light intensified and I squinted my eyes as the rumbling became a deafening roar.

Suddenly the world went black.

Chapter 1: Awake

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Chapter 1: Awake

I felt comfortable but there was a slight draft. Gentle wind wafted over my exposed skin cool but not unpleasant. I reached out my hands to pull up my sheet and blanket but my searching fingers grasped nothing. I grunted in annoyance and turned from lying on my back onto my left side, placing my left arm under my head in my favored sleeping position.

Fine and thin strands tickled my nose so I reached my right hand out to snuggle my cat Max closer. My hand couldn't locate my best non-human friend and I cracked open my eyes in an attempt to spot him. My bleary eyes came to rest on healthy green grass, brightly colored flowers, and the cleft of a shapely pair of buttocks in front of my face.

Suddenly I didn't feel tired anymore.

I sat up with a start and examined the naked form of the woman in front of me, "It's not Danielle . . . OH GOD!" I began to panic.

Danielle had been my girlfriend off and on for ten years and had become my wife two years prior. She was the first and only woman I ever dated, kissed, or... had been with. I'd never cheated on her or been unfaithful in any way, apparently until right then.

I felt instantly nauseous, 'What have I done!' I mentally screamed at myself, 'Oh god, what the fuck did I do!?' I stood up completely and saw that I was likewise clad in my birthday suit. My brain decided that it needed to focus on something else and put my panic on the back-burner.

I raised my eyes to look around and my jaw dropped open in disbelief. I was standing in a huge field, filled with lush, verdant, green grass and wild flowers in a cornucopia of brilliant colors. Out in the distance in front of me was either woods or a forest but it was several hundred feet distant. I guessed the distance to be somewhere around four hundred feet. I looked to my left and discovered more trees roughly seven hundred feet away. I looked to my right and guess what, more trees. I put those around five hundred or so feet from me. I ventured a look behind me. The trees were substantially further away; I estimated a bit less than a quarter of a mile. I couldn't be certain but I guessed the trees were deciduous since evergreen trees tend to have a very specific shape.

What I saw beyond those trees certainly caught my attention. In Norfolk, where I work, the closest mountains are at least a four hour drive away. The lone mountain I was gazing at couldn't have been more than two miles distant.

Looking back down, my attention was once more drawn to the naked bodies in front of me, 'Wait! Bodies . . . plural?' I looked at the second naked person. The second person's skin was of a much darker complexion, athletically built, and male.

I could feel my eyes bulge as I recognized my co-worker, Spearman. Motion caught my right eye and I whipped my head the the same direction. I almost fainted when I saw more naked people stand up, just to my right, both women.

I took a long, slow look around the ground of the field and immediately felt light-headed, 'I'm standing... in a field... somewhere... with several hundred people lying on the ground around me... and we're all naked.'

One of the two, I will admit rather attractive, women to my right began screaming at the top of her lungs. I reflexively used my hands to cover my ears. The decibels of her screaming were enough to make my ears ring. The second woman almost instantly joined her friend in shrieking. The two of them combined had an effect which troubled me very deeply; many, many more people in the field began waking up. They quickly added their own voices to the screaming, drawing the collective noise into an absolutely deafening, chaotic crowd of fearful and confused voices.

I couldn't handle all the confusion and aural stimulation, it was completely overwhelming. My mind began to truly panic. I had to struggle against my fight-or-flight instinct. I screwed my eyes shut and clamped my hands over my ears all the more firmly, trying to gain a moment of clarity, no matter how brief it might be.

I remembered my Kung Fu meditation techniques and began taking slow, measured breaths as I tried to calm myself down enough to form a coherent thought. I'd be lying if I claimed I managed it immediately. It took what felt like hours to force myself to calm down. It was a sluggish, gradual process of slow, steady breathing. I withdrew my attention away from the world around me and focused on my own body as I closed off my senses from the chaos surrounding me.

I recited a movie mantra that I had, over the two years I practiced Kung Fu, modified. I had come to recognize it as a truth I could use when calming my mind. It would have sounded ridiculous to anyone else hearing it, but it was my mind and it worked, 'I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear distorts reality and makes wise men into bumbling fools. I will perceive the world as it is, untainted by bias or assumptions. I will act and react with poise, grace, and control for the benefit of those around me. Once I have mastered my fear I will remain... alive.'

I had no idea, even roughly, how long I stood there trying to force my mind to work past the constant bombardment of confusing, fear inducing stimulation, but at some point I reached a state of mental calm and began to think logically once more.

I opened my eyes and plotted out what I saw as the most useful course of action, 'Get to Spearman, then find the rest of the team and try to re-establish order. Telling panicky people to just calm down won't help. We need to distract them, even if it's with something stupid.'

I walked over toward Spearman. He was already crouched down in front of a woman. The woman had her hands covering her naked breasts while tears streamed down her face as she sat on the grass rocking back and forth. Spearman had her chin in his hands and had just made eye contact. I didn't know for sure what he was doing but his mouth was moving, even if his words were drowned out by the noise all around, I thought he was talking to her. Around the two of them eight other people were all sitting down with their hands in front of them. It honestly looked like they were counting the blades of grass in their line of sight.

I saw Spearman gesture to the grass between his feet and I put the pieces together easily, 'He's already found a distraction for them.'

The woman nodded tearfully and lowered her eyes then removed her right hand from her breasts, keeping her left arm covering them, and began pointing to each blade of grass as her mouth moved in sync with her hand motions.

Spearman looked around and our eyes locked. I could clearly see that he was calm. I stepped up to him and leaned in, next to his left ear.

"Have you seen the L. T. or anyome else from Security?" I had to shout to be heard.

Spearman shook his head then leaned over, putting his mouth next to my ear, "No. What makes you think they're here?"

"The people you've distracted are all from The Complex. You and I were at The Complex. Trust me, they're here." I had only just realized it myself but the logic was sound.

"If they're here, they're doing their best to calm folks down too. Let's keep going. We'll run into them eventually if they're here." he yelled into my ear.

I couldn't really argue with him, at least it was someplace to start.

As I pulled my head away from my friend's ear, I realized that the sounds of the crowd had changed. No sooner had I recognized and acknowledged that fact when Spearman tapped me on the shoulder and pointed toward a large crowd of people off to my right who had formed a circle several dozen yards away. I recognized the formation of people instantly: a fight had broken out. I'd like to say I was surprised but in truth the only thing that surprised me was that it hadn't happened earlier. As it was I was merely slightly disappointed.

It was certainly a distraction, but definitely not the kind we needed and certainly not the kind we wanted either. On the plus side it seemed that the fight was distracting nearly everyone in the field as the crowd watching the fight was colossal. I figured that if we could get in there and break it up, people would simmer down.

I blew out an exasperated breath and pulled Spearman's head over to my mouth, "I'll clear the way. You break it up."

Spearman nodded and stepped behind me as I bent my knees and bounced a few times to loosen up, 'This is going to suck.' I thought to myself.

I had to line myself up quickly, fortunately the fight nearby had piqued the attention between the ring or naked people and us.

I began running, trying to build up as much momentum and speed as I could. My feet crushed soft grass and wild flowers as I dug in my toes for extra grip. I poured as much effort as I could into my legs as I leaned my right shoulder out. Spearman and I both knew from experience that people NEVER step away from a fight unless forced to do so. In this case, unfortunately I had to be that force. I reached full speed and connected my shoulder with a young African-American man's back. I plowed him out of the way as I hit the next person. One of the very few useful things about being as fat as I was is that I could build up some significant kinetic energy once I managed to get my massive ass into gear.

I heard pained yelling, cursing, and a scream or two as I barreled through people, trying to step on as few of them as I could manage. I knocked people to the right, to the left, and sometimes into the person in front of them. I finally made it through to the inside of the circle just as I tripped over some poor soul and fell, bodily, onto him. I looked up just in time to see Spearman vault over my prone form and enter the ring of humanity.

Looking up, beyond Spearman, I easily identified the two combatants. One was a young black man who loved soccer. He was 22 years old, stood 5' 11" and had short cut curly hair and brown eyes. I had spoken with a couple of times, he was a respectable man. His name was D'shawn Rollins. He had obtained a partial scholarship and had worked hard to pay for his continued education. His Major was structural engineering and by all accounts, he was doing very well with a 3.6 G.P.A. I was personally disappointed that he was one of the two people fighting, 'I suppose this kind of stress brings out the worst in people.'

The other young man was one of the rich caucasian kids who lived in The Complex, specifically one of the more troublesome ones. His name was Kyle Sterling. He was 21 years old, stood 6' 3" and had had jet black hair and green eyes. Kyle had a bad habit of thinking that the parking space closest to his room was automatically his and woe to anyone who thought otherwise. His parents had paid the people in the Leasing Office at The Complex to move the folks who had an apartment close to the parking garage so their son could have the whole three bedroom apartment to himself.

Kyle had been a proverbial thorn in the side of the Security team since he had moved in. He felt entitled to say and do whatever he pleased to whomever he pleased, consequences be damned. I had overheard from a conversation between Kyle and his girlfriend of the week that he was majoring in business finance. I didn't know what his grades were since he deemed himself too good to associate with 'the working class' but the frequency with which he partied and drank indicated to me that he probably wasn't at the top of his classes.

At the moment, D'shawn had Kyle on his back as he strangled the idiot. Spearman reached the two young men and struck D'shawn's arms, near his biceps, with his fingers. D'shawn's arms went limp and Spearman hauled him off Kyle.

I scrambled off the person I had fallen onto and entered the ring. I took up a prepared stance between Dshawn and Kyle. The crowd was more quiet since the fight was over, but some people were still cheering.

I could hear Spearman yelling at the young man he was restraining, "Hey cool it man! You almost killed this guy! What's your beef with him?"

D'shawn struggled a bit before he yelled back, "This motha' fucka' was tryin' to get past me and pushed me ova' onto one o' my boys, then turns around and calls us faggot niggers! I ain't gonna let nobody talk to me like that!"

I wasn't surprised, Dshawn's story was perfectly believable since Kyle was involved. My eyes turned to Kyle. He was coughing and gasping as he shakily rose to his feet.

Kyle's eyes burned with embarrassed anger, "One piece of nigger trash to hold another one." I heard Kyle say, "What the hell took you fuckin' rent-a-cops so long?"

The crowd went silent almost immediately. More than half the surrounding crowd was African-American and with the way Kyle was talking, they'd be willing to murder him because of his mouth in very short order. I walked over to Kyle and without any preamble whatsoever, I slammed the heel of my right hand into his nose, followed by my left fist plunging into his gut as I knocked the wind out of him. He fell back as blood from his nose flew over his head. He landed on the ground with his hands covering his face as blood seeped out between his fingers. I dropped to my right knee which happened to be directly on Kyle's ribs. He grunted and cried out as I leaned over him and spoke directly into his ear.

"Listen to me shit brain!" I hissed, "Do you see any cops around? No, you don't because there aren't any. You keep using racial slurs and I can't hold every one back from killing you. So... SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP."

Kyle groaned but nodded his head so I took my knee off his ribs, "Good. Now get up."

I stood back up and looked around. People were quiet but murmuring angrily, especially the African-American folks in the crowd. Thankfully before anyone could work themselves up, their attention was drawn elsewhere as a loud, sharp, shrill whistle pierced the air.

The crowd quieted down and behind Spearman people parted, revealing Richardson and Calvin. They made their way through the press of people and into the circle. The two of them stopped and took in what had happened.

Richardson looked terrible. Her face, arms, and torso sported ugly bruises and cuts. She had dried blood caking her hair and crusted in at least eight different places.

Richardson shook her head and began clapping slowly, "Brilliant." she said sarcastically, "Let's hear it for humanity. We haven't been awake for an hour and we're already at each other's throats. How about we take off our 'stupid suits' and 'ignorant hats' before we all end up dead. Let's just sit down and think about this logically, hmm?"

No one moved to comply, "Have a seat." Richardson repeated loudly.

A few took the hint but most remained standing. Seeing the lack of capitulation, Richardson gestured to Calvin. Calvin grinned, took a deep breath, and I covered my ears knowing what was to come.

"SIT DOWN!" he bellowed.

I could suddenly see the tops of everyone's head. I stepped toward Richardson and Calvin. D'shawn had calmed down so Spearman let him go.

Richardson began addressing the gathered people, "First things first, everyone here is naked. You can't stop anyone from looking, besides every one of you should know what male and female 'bits' look like. There won't be any touching though. If you touch without permission, Calvin has no problem breaking an arm. Secondly, we're all in this together. I don't know if anyone has connected the dots yet but everyone here was also at The Complex. Everyone here was neighbors so we're gonna work together and help each other out. Third," she gestured with her arms, "Look around you!" her voice began to rise, "Where do you plan to sleep, huh? I don't see a McDonald's around here, what do you plan to eat?"

No body had a snappy comeback for her questions. Reality began to sink in as people craned their necks and began looking around.

The rest of the Security team walked up in single file, weaving between the people. They were too far away for me to make out very many details but I easily recognized their profiles.

"Calvin, motion everyone else over. There's a lot of people here." Richardson said.

They looked like hell. Every one of them except Joyner, Ludwig, and Brinsin were sporting cuts, bruises, and scabs, many crusted over with bits of blood. Allow me a moment to describe the rest of the team.

Cessely Richardson was a twenty-five year old mother of two who worked for two different Security companies. She was a rock of good sense with a no-nonsense attitude but an absolute heart of gold. She was an attractive dynamo of a black woman who carried enough force of will to routinely cowl much larger men into submission. Since she only stood 5' 3" that included most men. Her hair was shoulder length and straight, her eyes were deep brown, and her face was petite and pretty. Many men had assumed, erroneously, that because she had a pretty face she had no spine. They tended to figure it out once she planted a foot upside their heads for sexual assault.

Next would be Bobby Jewel. Jewel was the oldest of us at forty-two. He only stood 5' 8" but he carried himself like he was 10' tall. His build was this but covered in lean muscle that made his arteries and veins very pronounced. He had light brown hair and brown eyes, he kept his hair short and cropped in a military style. It was appropriate considering he was a former NAVY Hospital Corpsman. He had a healthy balance of professional conduct and goofiness. He endlessly flirted with the college women but in a respectful manner. Despite his somewhat carefree outward attitude, anyone who knew him, recognized his serious attitude in regard to his job. Personally, I envied him. He tanned very well for a white guy, whereas I just burn.

Masonete was one of those rather quiet, unassuming people that most folks tended to ignore. What most people failed to realize was that he literally saw and heard everything around him. Standing even with me at 5' 11" he could be intimidating when he needed to be, thankfully those instances were few and far between. His hair and eyes were jet black, his hair length very short. He was thirty-seven years old, had an average build, unlike my chunky butt, however he and I were close work place friends. I had once teased him saying that he could be invisible without even trying. He had playfully punched me in the arm when I added, 'as long as you don't smile'.

Mike Spearman was our youngest Officer at twenty-three. He exuded, nay oozed, mediocrity. He was of an average height at 5' 9", average build, average looks, drove an average car, and was of average intelligence. In truth he was anything but average. He was friendly and personable as well as serious and professional. He was the type that if you didn't know him really well, you would think we was a lax officer who was, 'your buddy'. He was the third newest of our team but he had already proven his worth. On his fifth night working at The Complex, there was a two-on-two fight in a hallway. Spearman, to everyone's amazement, jumped right in the middle of the brawl and as he put it, 'knocked some heads' which turned out to be four unconscious residents and one slightly winded young black man in uniform.

Raymond Ludwig was thirty-nine years old, white like me, and worked at a seafood restaurant full time as well as The Complex full time. Ludwig was 6' even and thin like a bean pole with dark blond hair cut nearly to his scalp and deep blue eyes that pierced the soul. Ludwig was always smiling and quick to laugh, he had to be. He was a single father who had endured a hard life and worked even harder to ensure his son didn't have to go through the same thing he had. He was always calm, a good trait since he carried a gun. He was, by far, the most organized of any of us. Simply put, he knew his job and he did his job, end of story.

Chris Vacca was my brother-in-law. Well, honestly he was my wife's sister's husband's brother, but it's close enough. He stood 5' 10" with a stout and sturdy build. He was twenty-eight years old and sported a goatee and full mustache. His almost black eyes peered out through his bushy eyebrows, giving him a naturally intimidating presence. He was freakishly smart however, a literal genius with electronics and mathematics. Despite his somewhat fearsome appearance all the residents of The Complex liked him immensely. He was warm, friendly, personable and had a quick wit combined with a disarming sense of humor. He was also doggedly persistent, often stubborn, and willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure the safety of others, even at his own expense.

Darryl Hord was a Marine through and through. He had been an aircraft firefighter in the Corps and sported a firefighter's build. He was twenty-six years old. He stood 5' 10" with deep green eyes and strawberry blond hair, trimmed to Marine Corps standard, 'high and tight'. He was generally a very pleasant person to be around however, when things got serious, so did he. I'd seen his demeanor go from, 'casually chatty' to, 'get the fuck out of the way so I can do my goddamn job' in half a second. He was an intense person once a task was set before him and he pursued it with a type of single-minded, unrelenting persistence and tenacity a pit-bull would envy. The reason for his intensity was that he actually, really, truly cared about people.

Once everyone had gathered around and sat down Joyner took over,
"Alright, just like Richardson said, we don't know where we are, we don't have shelter, we don't have food or water, and we don't have clothes or tools. First question, does anyone here have survival skills or better yet survival training? If you do, raise your hand."

I counted forty-three hands raised, Hord's and my own included. Joyner motioned for everyone to come forward into the circle. The people who raised their hands were all men. Joyner went from person to person inquiring about how much each individual knew. The process took quite a while. Fortunately Joyner already knew Hord's and my capabilities.

Within a few minutes, one young man stood out from all the rest of us. His name was Jason Campbell. He was an extreme camping enthusiast who was majoring in ecology with two minors, one in chemistry and one in zoology. Jason was a young caucasian man I already knew well. He was 19 years old and stood 5' 10" with shoulder length light brown hair, brown eyes and had an athletic build and angled face. He was friendly enough but rather shy.

Joyner singled him out and motioned for the rest of us to sit down, "You're the closest thing we have to an expert here so help us out. What would you suggest we do?"

Jason looked embarrassed but cleared his throat and spoke loudly, "We should use Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs. The main things we need to secure are water, food, shelter, and safety. We should divide up into eight groups and head in the directions of North, North-East, East, South-East, South, South-West, West, and North-West. We can use the sun as a compass. I don't know exactly what time it is here but there is no dew on the grass which means the sun has already evaporated it. The sun is not directly overhead so I'd say it's somewhere around two or three in the afternoon. Using the sun as a guide, West is that way." he pointed with his hand, "The things to look for are streams or rivers, preferably streams, any fruits, vegetables, nuts, tubers, or game animals like squirrels, rabbits, and so forth. Also keep a sharp eye out for natural caves or anywhere we could take shelter; be sure to collect leaves from different plants you find. Collect rocks that are fist-sized or smaller as well as small logs. Use long sticks to feel out any place that might not be safe to step. Above all else, be careful. There might well be predators in these woods and don't eat or drink anything until you've brought it to me and I make sure it's not poisonous. One last thing, watch your step. We don't have shoes and even a small cut can become infected quickly and for god's sake don't go to the bathroom in a river or stream. Dig a hole, do your business, wipe with leaves, and cover it up. Does anyone have any questions, if so please raise your hands."

Several hands went up, Joyner pointed to a young woman, "Yeah, what are we supposed to do if we're attacked by a bear or some shit?"

"Good question. If you see any predator yell it out, huddle together, use rocks and branches to make a lot of noise. Hopefully you can scare it off. Should you actually be attacked, go limp and play dead. Everyone else, close in. Yell, scream, wave your arms and try to get the injured person away. I'll admit it's not a perfect plan but it's all we can do for now." Jason explained.

The young woman's mouth hung open for a moment before she exploded into ranting, "No fuckin' way! Uh-uh, ain't happenin'! I ain't gonna get ate by no fuckin' bear! Fuck that shit! I'ma wait right here where it's safe!"

"Then you'll be alone and easy prey, plus you won't get any of what we may find. Simple rules, you don't do your part, you don't eat. You want to starve to death, it's your decision but everyone needs to do their part." Joyner said calmly but firmly, "We're going to be operating by the Code of Hammurabi. I'm not going to babysit lazy people, you can do what you want but the rest of us who want to eat are going to help."

The young woman was eerily quiet. The other hands that were formerly raised, were suddenly nowhere to be seen.

"Why should we follow you? Who put you in charge?" I couldn't identify the speaker, there were too many people, but I knew what was coming.

Joyner, though, was utterly unperturbed, "That's actually a good question. It means that you're thinking and in a situation like this, thinking minds are exactly what we need. Let me answer your question with a counter question. Do you have a better idea than what we've proposed?" he asked, spreading his arms, "If so then I welcome the additional input."

A second voice broke the silence, "How about we jus' stay put? Someone's bound to find us."

"How long do you think it'll take someone to locate us? We won't even register as a blip on most satellites. I mean you can stay here and hope for the best, but you're more likely to die from dehydration. Depending on where we are, even if someone deployed a rescue team now, it might take them several days to get here, wherever here is. Do you really want to risk dehydration and death on a hope when we could be doing things ourselves?"

A new voice spoke up, "Erebody don't gotta go walkin' around an' maybe gettin' hurt an' 'erething. How 'bout YOU go an' we'll stay 'ere."

"You heard 'im the first time. Be lazy and you don't get nothin'." Calvin bellowed, "What is it 'bout that sentence that ain't gettin' through yo heads? We all gotta provide a service for da group to survive. What are yall goin' do? Huh? Subsist on belly achin' and whinnin'? Get yo' shit togetha' an' man up'. Whatchu plan to do?"

"Nothin'. You can't make us do nothin'." a different voice said.

"Then you get nothing! Your call!" Masonete yelled with an exasperated expression.

I was surprised. Normally Masonete was quiet as a mouse, especially among large groups. Everyone on the Security team knew if he actually said something that wasn't answering a question, by god he felt very strongly about it.

No one said a single thing as rebuttal. None of us expected to hear one, but we all knew exactly what the silence meant. The dissenters seemed to thankfully be few, but there were undoubtedly many silent ones as well. We all shared a quick, concerned look. The look was brief, but we understood the undertones and subtleties of it: we're going to have big trouble very soon.

We all knew human nature well enough to understand the unspoken message from the dissenters: you can't make us do anything, anything you have, we can take.

Not only were we going to be fighting for our survival but we had a new enemy, greed and laziness, the oldest enemies of any society.

Chapter 2:Where Are We?

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As it turned out, not everyone had arrived as safely as most of us had. The young woman my brother in law, Chris Vacca pulled from the pool was comatose and we could do nothing to wake her. She passed just a few hours after we woke up. Of the three people Darryl pulled to safety, one died, we believed from swelling in his brain. The residents that Masonete and Richardson put themselves at risk to rescue from the black Chevy Colorado were in really bad shape. Four of them died from blood loss and one succumbed from shock and trauma from his injuries. There was nothing we could have done for them.

I ended up with the group that headed South, toward the lone mountain. Imagine my surprise when Joyner and Campbell determined that I was one of the top eight people most knowledgeable about survival. I loved hardcore camping and it came back to haunt me, in fact it landed me as the 'leader' of a group of people.

I was not happy. I wasn't any sort of leader and I had less than no patience for ignorance or stupidity. There were five other men with 'my group' who knew a bit about survival. Their names were Derek Jameson, Andrew Talbin, Joseph Winter, Kieth Dunmore, and Brian Boyd.

I was surprised that Kieth was one of the more knowledgeable ones. He was one of the wealthy kids but he didn't have the stereotypical 'I'm better than everyone else because I have money and you don't' attitude. He was an 18 year old student who was Majoring in Psychology. He and I had spoken a few times and I knew he often talked about camping but apparently I had badly misjudged him. He was a sharp kid, honestly most of the Security team liked him.

I kept Derek, Andrew, Joseph, Kieth, and Brian close to me as we walked.

Once we had moved away from the main group, about half way to the treeline, I turned and addressed 'my group',
"Listen up!" I said loudly, "You guys," I said gesturing to Derek, Andrew, Joseph, Kieth, and Brian, "All of you know how to navigate using the sun, right?"

Five voices spoke their collective affirmatives so I continued, "We'll cover more ground if we split into smaller, more manageable groups."

"Um," Andrew said, "I'm no leader. I wouldn't know what to do."

"The fact that you were the first one to speak up says otherwise." I said bluntly, "I don't like having people to babysit but we aren't in a situation where we have a lot of choices. I need you to do this. Will you at least try?"

Andrew nodded his head reluctantly, "I'll do my best."

"That's all anyone can ask." I said, "Thanks Andrew."

"Everyone else good with this?" I asked.

They gave their affirmatives, "Good," I assessed the numbers of 'my group', "I want sixteen people to form up around each of these five guys." I turned back to the five young men, "Guys, spread out so folks can form up around you."

Everyone did as I asked but the numbers were uneven, "Alright there's two people left over, I'll take them with me. You five, take your groups and head South but at different angles. You're in charge of these groups. Keep them safe." I raised my voice again and addressed everyone, "Listen up, follow your group's leader and do what he says. Group leaders, make a path for your group to follow, make sure they can walk safely. Groups, step only where your leader steps, mimic his footprints exactly. Meet back at the field by sundown and be careful."

Andrew and Brian took their groups and headed South by South-East while Joseph and Kieth headed South by South-West with theirs.

I took my group and headed due South. We moved at a fairly quick pace since we were only walking on grass and flowers. I had noticed a distinctive lack of the usual rocks one would normally find in a field, but I ignored the fact, simply thanking my lucky stars that it was a fact at all. There had been no stubbed toes or bruised heels and I wasn't about to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

It was only a few minutes later that we approached the treeline.

I held up my right hand, fist closed, "Hold up!" I yelled.

The people following me slowed down and came to a stop. We were not a tightly packed group. People had already moved outward, as such we were not moving in a straight line. That, I knew, had to change in very short order.

"I need everyone to follow behind me in a straight line. Step only where I step, nowhere else. You don't think about where to step when you have shoes on because your feet are covered. Right now, you need to think about that a lot. A single misstep can end up with you having an old fallen branch sticking out of the top of your toes. We don't have anything in the way of medical equipment or antibiotics right now so any cut and infection could kill you. I'm trying to make you aware of some of the dangers of just walking around here. Another thing, keep an eye out for snakes. Most snakes are not venomous but better safe than sorry. If you do see a snake, freeze in place and don't move. Snakes won't want to bite you unless they feel threatened. For the record, screaming, shrieking, yelling, stomping, flailing arms, throwing rocks, and swinging sticks all count as threatening behavior to a snake. When I say to 'freeze in place' I mean make like a statue and make it convincing." I stopped and took a breath, "Now, are there any questions?"

"What if we do freeze but we still get bit?" a young Asian man asked.

I didn't know the man's name but I had to nip the 'what ifs' in the bud, "We can stand around speculating about 'what if' scenarios all day and we won't get a damn thing done. Let me rephrase my question. Are there any topics that I didn't bring up that you have concerns about?"

No one spoke up, "Good. Now when we're in there," I said gesturing to the trees, "I'm going to start finding and handing out bits of trees and bushes and so forth. If I hand you something that has berries on it by chance, do not eat it. It might be poisonous and could kill you. Follow my footprints and step only where I step. Come on."

I had been hearing birdsong as we got closer to the edge of the field. I could see dozens of birds fluttering from tree to tree through branches and leaves. Their songs were both calming and invigorating at the same time. Even before we entered the forest I had already seen squirrels scurrying about, both in trees and on the ground. The forest was alive with creatures.

We entered the tree line and began making our way toward the mountain. The birds and squirrels fell silent the second we entered the forest, giving the whole environment a very unwelcoming feel. We were uninvited interlopers into their world and they recognized us as such. It made me feel terribly unwanted, like I was trespassing on some ancient sacred ground.

The trees grew close together and rotting, fallen leaves crunched under my feet with every step. I could identify lots of maple, beech, ash, yew, and oak. I did my best to steer away from oak trees since their acorns had sharp points on the bottoms. Bushes grew in abundance in between almost every tree. They were thick and lush. Some bushes only had leaves, others had thorns, while still others had different types of berries hanging off their small branches. Fallen sticks of various thickness liberally littered the forest floor, often partially or completely concealed by leaves on the ground.

I could tell right away that there were going to be problems. We had only just entered the trees when I looked back. I sighed in exasperation and kept going. I glanced back every few steps. Every time I looked behind me I saw people moving outward, not following my steps. I had already repeated myself several times about the dangers of foot injuries and I knew I'd just be wasting my breath if I said it all again, so I waited for the inevitable.

I only had to wait for a few minutes, "Aaahhh! My foot!" I heard a shrill, feminine voice cry out.

"Sheranda!" I heard another yell.

I held up my right hand and came to a stop, "Hold up!" I ordered.

I turned around and saw that I needn't have said anything. Everyone had already stopped and I counted at least fifteen out of my eighteen people not directly behind me. They were spread out all over the damn place. One young African-American woman was sitting down on the leaves clutching her left foot. She was only about fifteen feet behind me but there were people all around her already. I could hear them trying to tell her what to do. One told her to pull the stick out of her foot while another said to leave it alone. I couldn't see her foot clearly, there were too many people in the way.

"MAKE ROOM!" I bellowed as I started picking a safe path to her, "DON'T DO ANYTHING YET! LEAVE HER FOOT ALONE!"

People didn't listen, not that I really expected them to. I had to move a few gawkers aside so I could get to the injured young lady. I came up to four people crowding around her.

They were all arguing about how to help her and one voice was much louder than the others, "Just pull the shit out man, I'm tellin' you!"

"Don't do that." I said calmly.

He turned to face me, "Yo fuck off pig!" the speaker was a young African-American man I had never seen before.

He stood a good 6' 2" and had short black hair and brown eyes. His build was muscular, his face was clean-shaven, and his tone was aggressive. I couldn't spot any tattoos on him so I guessed his age to be under 18. I knew I needed to keep my cool. I had already figured that there would be trouble once the shock of our sudden displacement wore off so I was already prepared, "I need to help this young lady so I need you to get out of the way sir." I said flatly.

Predictably, he stuck out his chin postured like a strutting rooster, "You gonna make me?" he asked snidely, "I don't see no gun in yo' hands. Whatcha gonna do? Nothin, that's what."

"Leo!" the injured lady's friend yelled, "Leo, let him in!"

"So you're going to put this," I gestured to the injured young woman, "Young lady's life in jeopardy just because you have a problem with authority?"

"No! I'ma put yo' fat ass in yo' place cracka'! Who da fuck you think you is tellin' us where to step an' shit!" he spouted indignantly.

"Leo just stop! Sheranda's bleedin' real bad! What the hell are you doin'?" the young woman asked again.

"I was trying to make sure THIS," I gestured to the young woman again, "Didn't happen in the first place. So either get out of my way and let me help her or carry your butt and your attitude back to the field."

He raised his right hand and shoved me in the chest, pushing me back half a step, "Make me."

"Goddamn it Leo!" the young woman shrieked, "Shut the fuck up and let him help!"

"I don't have time for this stupidity and neither does she, so I'm going to tell you one last time to get out of my way." I wasn't about to back off, I couldn't afford to.

"Or what?" Leo said in a dangerous tone.

I heard a sound behind me, "Or I'll make you pendejo." the voice was a smooth, masculine baritone and had a Hispanic accent, "Let 'im trough."

Other voices joined the first one,
"Yeah, let him help!"
"What da fuck is yo problem niggah!"
"He knows what he's doin' man, let him help!"

Leo looked at the people behind me then back at me scowling with barely concealed rage, "This ain't ova'!" he said poking the index finger of his right hand into my chest.

I ignored him and moved around him to get to the injured young woman. There, sitting on the dead leaves, naked, with her hands clutched around her bleeding foot, and a small pool of blood underneath her injured instep was Sheranda. She was rocking back and forth with her eyes screwed shut, tears streaming down her face as her friend knelt next to her, holding her comfortingly. I was initially feeling quite angry that almost no one had listened to me, however after seeing the young woman in pain I found I couldn't stay angry. Instead I felt pity for her.

I knelt down and spoke softly, "Sheranda was it?" I asked.

She nodded, eyes cracking open, "Yeah."

"I need to take a look at your foot, O.K.? It may hurt to move but I need you to lay down slowly and try not to move your foot at all. I'm going to take your foot so I can see it better after you've laid back. I need you to try to keep as calm as you can and I need you to talk to me." I paused to take a breath and turned to her friend, "What's your name ma'am?"

"Shannon." the young African-American woman replied.

"Shannon, I need you to steady Sheranda as she lays back and try to keep her calm. Sweep your hands over the ground behind her and make sure she doesn't lay down on any more sticks. Talk to her and don't let her fall asleep, alright?"

Shannon nodded, "O.K."

I reached out and grasped Sheranda's ankle firmly with both hands, making sure to place my fingers firmly on any arteries or veins I could see, "Go ahead and lay down."

Sheranda reluctantly let go of her leg and Shannon helped her lay back. As Sheranda straightened out her leg I could see the broken tip of a half-inch thick stick poking out of her instep. I didn't know much about blood vessels in the human foot, but there was plenty of blood already.

"Alright Sheranda, I need to go find some specific leaves. Stay as still as you can. Shannon, stay with her and keep her calm."

I turned and looked around at the other people close by. I examined each one in turn and much to my displeasure, Leo had the best muscular build. Everyone had taken a seat in the leaves by that point and Leo had followed suit. He was sitting on the ground with his knees up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, while shooting me death looks. He resembled a sulking child.

I sighed and addressed the irritating young man, "Hey, Leo?"

Leo raised his chin, snarling, "Da fuck you talkin' to me for, pig?"

"Do you want to help Sheranda?" I asked, "That's what you were trying to do at first."

"Fuck her man! I don't give a shit 'bout some stupid bitch who's dumb ass done stepped on a stick." Leo spat back.

"I think you do." I said loudly, "You were trying to help, you just didn't know how. I don't care about what you think of me or anyone else, but if you want to help I could sure use a hand here."

He didn't move a muscle so I turned to the young Hispanic man who had been the first to support me, "What's your name sir?" I asked.

"Eduardo Ortega. Whatchu need amigo?" he said.

"I need someone to keep Sheranda's leg elevated while I go and try to find some herbs. Can you do that for me?" I asked gesturing to the ankle I was holding.

"Yeah, I got chu." he said as he rose to his feet.

I stepped to my left and held out Sheranda's ankle, "O.K. Put your fingers on any arteries or veins you see to help slow down the bleeding. Don't be afraid to use some pressure but if she tells you her foot is going numb, ease off your grip a bit but keep an eye on the wound to make sure it doesn't bleed too much. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. Where you gotta go anyway?" Eduardo asked.

"I need to find a specific plant called yarrow. It's not going to be pretty but it can be made into a poultice of sorts." I told him.

I turned to the gathering of young people, "Anyone who wants to learn something that could very well save someone's life, come with me. Everyone else stay here." I specifically faced Leo, "I don't like you, don't get me wrong, but you were one of only four people willing to try to help. That willingness means something to me, whether or not I think you're a jackass, so if you want to come you can. Hell I'd prefer it if you did."

"Why?" Leo asked spitefully, "So I don't cause YOU no trouble? Always gotta keep tabs on the niggas!"

I swallowed what I REALLY wanted to say, "If you're willing to learn, next time I'll ask you to do it and I'll have you show others how to as well. Asshole. You don't scare me but you've got some balls, we can work with that. You in, or not tough guy?" I'll admit some of my comments weren't strictly necessary but he was really plucking my nerves.

"Ai'it I'm commin'." Leo said sourly.

"Alright everyone, follow me and this time I want to see everyone step EXACTLY where I step. We clear?" I asked.

A small ocean of heads nodded silently, "Good. We're heading back to the field."

It didn't take us long to get back out of the forest, we hadn't gotten far anyway. I was pleased to note that everyone was following behind me in single file. We stepped back out into the sunlight and I immediately began looking for yarrow.

It was growing in abundance in the field, "Alright, everyone pay attention." I began, "What I'm going to show you is how to make an Emergency Spit Poultice. It's not pretty but it will get the job done."

I walked over to a knee high plant that had clusters of tiny white flowers growing on it, "Gather around everyone, I want everyone to be able to see." I held out my right hand gesturing to the plant, "This is yarrow. It's easy to identify by its height and the clusters of tiny white flowers growing on it. Does everyone remember what this plant looks like?"

"Yeah."
"Got it."
"I can remember that."
"No problem."
"My grandma used to boil that stuff."

I looked up sharply at the person who spoke last, it was Leo, "Your grandmother was a wise lady. Yarrow can be used for quite a number of things including poultices."

I reached out my right hand and grasped the base of a large cluster of flowers then used my left hand to pluck the stems while my right hand steadied it. I held up the bunch of stems to show everyone.

"Follow me back to Sheranda. Remember, step only where I step." I reminded them.

Retracing our steps was fairly simple and we reached Sheranda, Shannon, and Eduardo in almost no time. Eduardo was holding Sheranda's ankle exactly like he had been before. From what I could see, he hadn't moved a muscle. Sheranda seemed to be breathing easily enough and I could hear Shannon talking to her quietly about some kind of party they had attended in the past.

"Alright everyone, spread out so you can see her foot." as they did so I turned to Eduardo, "Has the bleeding stopped?"

"It ain't bled a drop since you left." he informed me.

I patted him on the shoulder, "Good observation." I looked at Sheranda's foot just to make sure, "Alright then, looks good."

I straightened back up and took a deep breath, "This is where things stop being so pretty everyone." I turned to Sheranda and knelt down next to her but spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "It looks like the stick missed all the arteries and veins in your foot," I wasn't absolutely certain but I was pretty sure, "I have the herbs I needed to get. This," I said holding up the yarrow flowers for her to see, "Will ease the pain and help keep the injury from becoming infected. I'll need you to chew up these flowers until they're mush. Try to dry your mouth and don't swallow any if you can help it."

I handed the flowers to her and she put them in her mouth and began chewing. After a few moments I held out my left hand next to her mouth. Taking the hint she spit the saliva slick flower mush into my open palm.

I stood back up and looked back down to her, "We're ready." I took another deep breath and steeled myself for an extremely unpleasant necessity, "Eduardo, Leo I need you guys to hold her foot tightly. Keep it immobile but don't hurt her."

I waited for them to get their grips, Leo didn't complain, much to my surprise, "Hold her tight. I need," I pointed to two young women, "You two. What are your names?"

The first young woman was Asian. She was only about 5' 5" but she was a little husky, which I needed. She had long straight black hair and dark brown eyes. I also noticed a nine inch tall and wide tattoo of a butterfly on her stomach.

"I'm Clarice." she said.

I couldn't help but to quirk an eyebrow at the French name on the Asian lady. The other one I had picked out was African-American. She had long, long black hair and brown eyes. She was quite shapely but she also had an athletic build. She stood roughly 5' 9" and had some of the largest eyes I had ever seen.

"Kaneesha Edwards." she said with a slight street accent.

I walked over to them and gestured for them to come closer, I lowered my voice and leaned toward them, "We have to get that stick out of her foot and she's going to struggle like crazy. I need you two to hold her still. She'll probably scream and maybe try to bite you. Clarice, I want you to hold her left arm. Kaneesha, I want you to hold her right arm. Can you do that for me?"

Kaneesha nodded her head without hesitation, "Yeah."

Clarice looked decidedly unsure, "I've never held anyone down before."

"Just grab her arm and use your hands to make sure she doesn't struggle and hurt herself or you. Can you do that?" I asked again.

"I'll try." she said, still unsure.

"Then get into position." I said standing back up.

Kaneesha and Clarice knelt down on either side of Sheranda, who was beginning to look worried as I knelt down next to Shannon,
"I need to pull out the stick."

"Uh uh! Don't touch that thing! I'm goi... " I interrupted Sheranda.

"It has to come out or you're likely to get an infection and die! We HAVE to do this! I'm sorry." I said over Sheranda's yelling.

I turned to Shannon, "Hold her head still. Put your hands on either side of her head and hold on tight. O.K.?"

Shannon looked nervous but nodded her head and got into position. I stood back up and walked over to Eduardo and Leo.

"Leo, I need you to pull her toes back so the stick is easier to reach. Eduardo, hold her foot tightly, she's going to struggle." I instructed as I got into position, "Pull her toes back Leo."

Leo did as instructed and pulled Sheranda's toes back exposing half an inch more of the stick. I saw Eduardo and Leo tense up as Sheranda shrieked and grunted at the extension of her foot. A full inch and a half of the stick was visible but covered with blood, which I knew would make it slick. I took one last deep breath and closed my left hand completely around the spit poultice, making a fist. I set my fist against the ball of her foot and wrapped my fight hand around as much of the stick as I could.

"Hold her tight now." I instructed Eduardo and Leo, "I'm sorry Sheranda but this is going to hurt. I'll make it as quick as I possibly can."

I spread my feet and tensed my arms then pulled.

Sheranda screamed and struggled frantically against the people holding her. Eduardo and Leo grunted with effort as she tried to pull her foot away from them. For the record, it is very difficult to pull an object out a person's body, especially when their muscles are holding it there. The stick moved a quarter of an inch before my grip slipped. I quickly grabbed the stick, tightening my grip as hard as I could, and pulled again. The stick slipped free of Sheranda's foot followed by a steady flow of blood. I dropped the stick and watched her wound for a moment.

To my immense relief, the blood only oozed out. There was no pressure behind it, no spurts of blood. The stick had missed all arteries and veins. I opened my left hand and scooped out some of the poultice with the fingers of my right hand. I pushed the mush into Sheranda's wound and packed it tightly. I scooped the remainder of the spit poultice goop and stuffed it into Sheranda's wound then held the heel of my left hand over the wound, applying steady pressure.

Sheranda continued to scream even after I had finished. I could hear Kaneesha, Clarice, Eduardo, and Leo grunt in exertion as I kept pressure on Sheranda's foot. It took several minutes for the poor young woman to calm down as the yarrow did its work. I felt absolutely terrible for having to hurt her as much as I had, but I knew it had to be done.

I looked at Sheranda's face and my heart wrenched. She had her eyes shut tightly as tears trickled down her cheeks. Her teeth were gritted and I could see her outstretched hands were clenched into fists. She was grinding her teeth so hard that the tendons in her neck were taut and stuck out under her skin. She was breathing heavily but she was slowing down.

Once she was calm again, I pulled my hand away from her foot and took a look, "Alright it's not bleeding. She should be fine as long as she doesn't walk too much. Set her down nice and easy gentlemen." I turned to the women, "Clarice, Kaneesha you can let go now."

The two women let go and stood up, backing away, their faces were stained with tears. Shannon's face had tear stains as well as she looked up at me.

Sheranda slowly opened her eyes and glared at me angrily, "You motha' fucka'!" she screamed, "I hate you! I hate you!"

I stood in place and let her scream at me. She needed to get her frustration out and I knew I deserved it. She cursed and screamed and yelled and spat and cried until she had run out of expletives and breath. She was panting heavily as she broke down and cried. Shannon held her head and rocked her back and forth whispering and mumbling soothing words to her friend.

"You can hate me all you want, but at least you're alive to do so." I said as evenly as I could.

I turned and looked at the rest of my group. Eduardo and Leo had their jaws clenched and looked ashamed. Clarice had nearly broken down in tears herself. Kaneesha on the other hand simply had her lips pursed as she averted her eyes.

"It's not as pretty or clean when you don't have modern medical supplies. If you want to help people, sometimes they'll hate you for it. It happens, deal with it or don't help at all." I paused and took a breath, "Eduardo, Leo grab one more guy and let's carry Sheranda back to the field. Eduardo take her hurt foot and be gentle with it. Let's get moving gentlemen."

* * *

Eduardo, Leo, another young African-American man named Rico, and I had carried Sheranda back to the field without incident. Shannon and Rico volunteered to stay with Sheranda while the rest of us continued on toward the mountain. Rico was a pretty large young man Eduardo had found a thick stick for him so we left the three of them there.

Progress was slow with a group of fifteen noobs. The forest was thick with bushes, brambles, and thickets as we headed deeper in. The first time we had come in, people had stumbled and complained and snapped at each other, the second time, everyone was silent. I instructed each person to grab a sample of each different bush, shrub, or tree we came across.

We trekked carefully as I lead them onward. We had just reached the base of the mountain when I called for a halt.

We had come to the base of the mountain. The trees thinned out and let a little direct sunlight through. There were very few fallen sticks or pine cones in the small twenty foot wide area we were in so people could rest their feet for a few minutes.

I raised my right hand, fist closed, "Hold up!" I turned and faced everyone, "Everyone take a seat and rest for a minute or two. I'm going to go around and take a look at everyone's feet. If you have any sore spots or anywhere that hurts let me know when I get to you, unless you want to end up as bad as or worse than Sheranda."

Everyone sat down gratefully. As I looked at them a thought occurred to me, 'It's strange. I would have thought that I'd be staring at women's breasts or trying to get a look at their pussies, but after a while I just didn't notice at all. Hmm. I didn't even think about it when I had Sheranda lying down.'

I ignored the thought and took a step toward the closest person. He was a thin young caucasian man with short blond hair, blue eyes, and a skull tattoo on his left shoulder. I didn't know his name but that wouldn't be an issue for long.

I sat down in front of him, "Hey," I began conversationally, "What's your name?"

"David Caplin." he said plainly.

"Alright David, stretch out your right leg toward me so I can take a look." I said.

He had been sitting cross-legged and he had to shift his weight to do so but he complied. His foot looked to be dirty but healthy.

I let go and motioned for his other foot, "Left leg now please."

He extended it and I took hold of his foot. There looked to have been the very beginnings of a small blister near the ball of his foot but it wasn't in any sort of bad condition.

I let go of his foot and stood up, "Overall your feet look pretty good. Are there any places that feel extra sensitive or tender?"

"Not really." David replied.

"Alright then. Be sure to let me know if that changes." I instructed.

David nodded his head and I moved on to the next person, "Hello Clarise," I addressed her pleasantly, "How do your feet feel?"

I took a look to make sure there were no sticks behind me then sat down in front of her and gestured to her for a leg.

She extended her left leg first, I took a look while she spoke, "They feel fine."

She was right, they looked healthy. I set down her left leg and gestured to her right. She lifted it to me and I took a look. It was just as healthy as the first.

I let go of her right foot and stood up, "Your feet look good. Let me know if that changes."

On and on it went. I checked the feet of every person who had been following me. There were some tiny scrapes but nothing that bled any and not a single blister. It took me several minutes to get through everyone but I finally came to the last person in line. He was a person I had kind of expected to be in the back of the line, Leo.

I looked around for sticks then plopped myself down in front of him, "May I see your feet Leo?"

He made an obvious effort to look anywhere but at me, however he did straighten out his legs so I could lift and look at his feet. I picked up his left one first and was pleased to find it healthy so I set it back down. I picked up his right foot and inspected it.

I was surprised to see a very distinctive pock mark in his instep, almost exactly where Sheranda's injury had been. I almost felt bad for what had happened earlier.

"That's why you said to pull the stick out wasn't it?" I asked. Leo didn't answer so I continued, "What was it?"

"It was a fuckin' rusty, old assed railroad spike O.K.?!" he spat angrily, "Someone fuckin' told me not to pull that shit out so I didn't and ended up almost dyin' from fuckin' tetnis or some shit cause that shit got into my fuckin' blood!"

"And you didn't want to see that happen to Sheranda, right?" I asked cautiously.

"The fuck do you care!?" Leo said venomously, "You jes' on some fuckin' power trip! Gettin' ereone to stick up for you and do shit for you! Man, get the fuck away from me!" he yelled trying to pull his foot back

I let his leg go but I stayed right where I was, "Leo, I didn't know . . . "

"Yeah, well your apology don't mean shit to me motha' fucka'!" he said.

I bit my tongue and decided not to vocalize what I wanted to say, "I wasn't apologizing you ass!" I hissed, "I'm giving you credit for trying to do the right thing! Get your head out of your sphincter for a second!" I took a deep breath to calm down a bit, "Look, I know it's not my business but I wanted to thank you for being back here."

Leo looked at me dangerously, "The fuck you talkin' about?"

"You're back here to make sure no one gets left behind or lost. You may think I'm an idiot Leo but I see what you're doing. I also know you'd just blow it off if I said anything in front of anyone else, so I'm saying it to your face. Thank you." I stood up quickly but turned my head back to him, "By the way, if anyone asks, you bitched me out for feeling up your feet."

I walked away from Leo without looking back, but I had to put some effort into hiding a smile. I quickly shook my head and turned my attention back to the strange mountain looming directly ahead of us.

The mountain confused me to no end. There were no foot-hills leading up to it and the base of the mountain was obvious and plain to see. The terrain went from flat and even, if tree covered, to a semi-steep slope that was thick with bushes, trees and unstable rocks. The mountain's very shape puzzled me as well. It was tall and thin near the summit, which I saw reached far above the clouds from the field before we departed, but by contrast the base was quite wide. The angle seemed to change from semi steep to very steep around a certain, uniform height. That was another odd thing about the mountain, it seemed way too symmetrical, at least from the angle and direction from which we were looking.

After our short rest, we began carefully climbing the incline up the side of the mountain. I led the way, trying not to think about how many pairs of eyes could probably see my asshole as I took each step. The climb was extremely tricky and slow. The trees and bushes gradually thinned out as we ascended but I continued instructing my group to only step where I had stepped, a proposition that I was certain became measurably more difficult as we progressed. Their complete and unquestioning compliance helped ensure our safe climb.

After what I guessed was an hour's worth of climbing, we came upon a wide plateau which was about two hundred feet wide from the slope we had ascended from to the continuance of the slope on the far side. I turned around and offered my hand to help the others climb up the final bit of the ledge onto the more flat ground, on which I was standing. Leo was the last person up. I offered my hand to him but he just batted it away. Shrugging, I turned and examined the area we had ascended to.

The area was almost completely clear of any sort of tree or bush. Situated almost exactly in the center of this miniature plateau was a gurgling stream which ran with crystal clear water. The stream was only about 8 feet wide and didn't appear to be particularly deep either. Small, round, pea-sized gravel stretched out on either side of the stream, making for easy footing and semi-soft places to sit, while much larger rocks, some looking rather sharp, interrupted the smooth flow of the water, thus giving it the gurgling sound which was so melodious. Fortune had smiled on us.

The find made me feel quite accomplished even if I didn't have any iodine tabs or canteens with me.

I stood there, staring at the stream and addressed my group, "This is what we needed to find." I said plainly, "Take a look around and collect a couple of fist sized rocks then bring them to me. Especially keep an eye out for jagged black rocks with sharp edges and for the love of god don't drink or piss in the stream."

As everyone moved away to collect samples, one young Latino man approached me, "What's up?" I asked.

"I'd like to volunteer to test the stream and see it it's drinkable." he said eagerly.

"The term you're looking for, Eduardo, is 'potable'." I said, "Well then, let me give you a full rundown of what to expect if you do decide to drink from the stream. If the water is potable, which while possible is also highly unlikely, you won't be thirsty anymore and we'll have a source of fresh water. If it's not potable, which is extremely likely, you'll likely get dysentery. Are you familiar with dysentery?"

"Not particularly." Eduardo said slowly.

"Then let me give you the gist of it. You drink the water and for a little while you feel fine. After an hour or two you begin to feel like you have indigestion, you feel queasy and you have to take a dump. Only problem is that your poop isn't just soft, it's liquid. You defecate diarrhea uncontrollably for hours while trying not to spew your guts out before you find yourself able to stop, but now you're dehydrated, running a fever, and still nauseous. You drink more water because you're dehydrated from pooping liquid and vomiting but it only makes the problem worse. You crap and throw up more and more. The cycle continues until you die in a puddle of liquid feces and vomit." Eduardo's face had taken on a rather pale shade but I continued, "Why did you die? Dehydration." I looked at him squarely, "Still feel like volunteering to play Guinea Pig?"

To my surprise, he swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah, someone got to drink it at some point or else we found this stream for nothing."

I hated to admit it but he had a point, "Fine." I sighed.

I noticed that my explanation had drawn every ear and most eyes to Eduardo and I, "Everyone come here."

It didn't take long for the group to converge on us, I addressed them collectively, "This young man," I said patting Eduardo on the shoulder, "Has decided to volunteer to test the water from the stream. I want every one of you to watch and pay attention, because if he gets sick from the water, he's going to die out here. I want every one of you to thank him for his bravery and I mean it. He's putting himself at risk for our benefit. If the water is potable, he'll be fine. If it isn't then within two hours he'll be shitting liquid and his fate will be sealed."

Everyone was silent as cold, hard reality sunk in. Eduardo stepped up to the stream, knelt down, lowered his head, and cupped his hands. His hands descended into the water and came back up with water trickling down his wrists. Eduardo looked pensive for a moment, then raised his hands to his mouth and drank. He repeated the process five more times before he stopped and stood up.

He stood stock still facing away from us, not saying a word. I walked up to him and placed my right hand onto his shoulder silently. He took a shuddering breath and let it out slowly.

"We'll know for sure in a few hours. You're a brave man Eduardo Ortega." he reached his right hand up and gripped mine firmly, "Thank you." I finished.

I turned back to the group and sat down on the gravel, "Did anyone find rocks?" I asked quietly, "We might as well have a look while we wait."

Kaneesha approached me with two rocks in her hands, "I found these on the other side of the stream." she held them out to me, "Is these the black rocks you was talking about?"

I looked the her offering with pride. The two 'rocks' were both pitch black, about 6" long, flat, and narrow with sharp edges.

"These are exactly what I was referring to Kaneesha."

"What's so important 'bout them?" she asked.

I held up the rocks as I spoke, "These are a type of rock known as obsidian. Ancient people used to use these for tools and weapons. You can make knives, arrowheads, and spearheads by 'knapping'." the group gathered around as I continued, "I need some more rocks, especially small, narrow ones. While we wait I can show you all how to make tools."

In short order I had a small pile of rocks for knapping and an ever growing pile of obsidian pieces. I demonstrated how to knap by first making a small knife then passing it around for the others to see. It was only six or so inches long and it was jagged but by god it was functional. After I knew I had their undivided attention, I began repeating the process slowly while verbally instructing them on how to duplicate the feat.

We worked away the hours with the group trying their hands at knapping. Some of them showed some ability with manual dexterity.

After a while I decided to take a look around, trying to see the position of the sun since there were no trees directly overhead. My eyes found it easily enough and I cursed inwardly, 'Shit! We should have headed back a while ago.' I looked over and saw Eduardo sitting down knapping a piece of obsidian, comfortable as anyone else. He had no signs of diarrhea or vomiting, 'Looks promising so far but better wait till tomorrow just to be safe.' I turned my gaze back to the sun and frowned, 'Huh, I thought it was higher than that... ' as I watched, the sun continued to slowly sink toward the horizon, just like my stomach sunk to my feet, 'That's impossible!' What I thought I saw, scared the hell out of me so I turned to the group for confirmation.

I turned back to the group, "Has anyone ever watched a sunset before?"

They all stopped and stared at me, puzzled, "I think everyone has at least once, why?" a young red haired man answered.

"Then could someone take a look at the sunset and tell me what's wrong with it?" I asked.

Eighteen pairs of eyes turned toward the setting sun and it only took about ten seconds before Kaneesha jumped to her feet,
"It's moving!"

"Of course it's moving." another young woman said.

"No yall ain't gettin' it!" Kaneesha said exasperated, "The sun moves too slow to see with your eyes! We shouldn't be able to tell it's moving at all! It's supposed to look like it's standing still!" she turned to me, "What's goin' on?"

I had to admit to being impressed, 'Kaneesha has a good mind and a great eye for detail.'

My ears caught a faint sound on the air, "Sssh! Please, everyone be quiet for a moment, I heard something!"

They shut their collective mouths and we all listened. It was a minor sound and somewhat distant but I knew singing when I heard it. I slowly rotated my head, trying to zero in on the sound. Eventually I settled on it's direction of origin being further up the mountain.

"Everyone stay here. I heard someone singing and unless a different group made it farther up the mountain than we did, we may be saved. I'm going to go check it out, Kaneesha and Eduardo are in charge until I return. Stay here and stay quiet."

No one argued.

I hopped across the stream and made my way up the slope on the far side as quickly and safely as I could. Being alone, I could afford to move much more quickly.

I ascended the slope grabbing branches, roots, and small rocks while hauling myself farther up as quickly as I could. I began perspiring but I was on a mission, people depended on me, hell LIVES could have depended on me. I pushed myself hard as I climbed and climbed, higher and higher. It was difficult and my feet slipped several times but the singing kept me moving forward and upward like I was a sailor answering a siren's call.

The light was fading fast, far faster than it had any right to but I ignored that fact as I continued pushing myself toward my auditory goal.

The singing suddenly stopped.

I froze like a statue, listening for anymore singing, anymore sound, anything that gave even the smallest hint of direction or guidance.

There was nothing.

I raised my head , eyes gazing up the slope to call out. Flickers of shadow farther up the slope caught me by surprise. As I peered into the quickly gathering darkness the flickering intensified, 'What's causing the shadows to dance like that?' the answer hit me like a ton of bricks, 'Shadows cast off by a fire! Someone is up here camping!'

My determination renewed, I began climbing up the slope once more. I moved more slowly, trying not to make any sound at all, 'If people are out here camping, they might have a gun for hunting or protection. Any sound might make them wary and end up with me having a perforated chest.'

I moved as quickly as I dared, climbing higher and higher. My focus came to a pinpoint when I heard two distinctive voices. I froze and listened, trying to make out what they were saying. They sounded close but I couldn't make out a single word. They were undoubtedly speaking with words but they were words that I just couldn't decipher.

I continued my slow, careful ascent as I puzzled over the unexpected development, 'O.K. So I probably won't be able to speak to them but the hand motions for cellphone are pretty universal, however a fat, naked, white guy walking into the middle of your camp at night... can we say, 'creepy'. If worse comes to worse I could always just tackle someone down and force them to lead me to civilization. It will guarantee me a jail cell but as long as we all get out of this mess ANYTHING is preferable to starvation and exposure.'

The flickering shadows of the campfire guided me to the campsite like a beacon in the quickly encroaching darkness. I reached the ledge of a second plateau and pulled myself up, making sure to stay concealed behind the thick bushes that separated me from the fire.

I listened and could still hear the two voices, furthermore, since I wasn't making any more noise, I could finally identify them as being feminine. I sighed heavily to myself, 'Terrific,' I thought morosely, 'Women. Hey, I'm a fat, naked guy cornering two women in the woods at night, what could possibly be misinterpreted in THAT scenario?' I was being pessimistic and I knew it, 'Come on Dan, just try talking to them first. Maybe they're really nice.' my half assed, self motivating pep talk was getting me nowhere fast so I just decided to bite the bullet.

"Pardon me ladies," I spoke loudly from the bush, "But do either of you happen to have a cellphone?"

The two of them ceased speaking immediately, so I tried again, "Do either of you ladies happen to speak American English?" on a rather desperate whim, I added, "Tu habla Espaniol?"

I could hear them speaking quietly to each other. The words were identifiable as words but the language was utterly unfamiliar to me, 'Not good.' I thought to myself, 'I can generally identify at least the region that a language comes from. They're not speaking any Asian languages. It's not Middle Eastern either, nor is it European and I'm pretty sure it's not any African language either. It's definitely no dialect of Spanish or South American. Shit! Where the hell are we?'

One of them responded, "Hetlulduin pestop? Hetlun uldin evanin? Uldin evanin quellya?"

'If I understand the inflection correctly, she asked a couple of questions.' I sighed inwardly, 'Great, it looks like words aren't going to be of any use here. Hand gestures it is then. The bush in front of me should keep my junk hidden.' I took a deep breath, 'Well here goes nothing.'

I rose to my feet smoothly, fortunately the bush did keep me covered. I raised my head, looking for the two women who had been talking. The only things standing in front of me were two, three-foot tall, brightly colored, quadrupedal . . . things.

Before Security, I had worked at a small animal hospital and a pig farm so I was at least familiar with the vast majority of basic types of animals in the world. My mind instantly began taking note of the features of the creatures in front of me. My eyes went straight to where their legs met the ground, 'Their legs end in an non-split hoof so that makes them perissodactyls.' I then examined their eyes, those gave me pause, 'They're huge!' Their eyes were much larger than they should have been in their heads, 'Normally only nocturnal creatures have large eyes since larger eyes normally catch a lot of light and allow the animal to see better in the dark.' The bright colors of their coats and manes, 'Manes? Wait a second, perissodactyl plus mane equals equine, and equine plus three foot height equals Shetland Pony but these don't have the long, shaggy coat.' I reexamined their eyes and nearly choked. Their eyes were neither side facing nor forward facing. Their eyes were angled and their muzzles jutted out below their eyes. Their muzzles were not only strangely shaped but short and narrow, 'Their eyes are huge, angled, and set above their muzzles which often means omnivore, but they are perissodactyls and perissodactyls are herbivores, now add to that the brilliant colors of their coats and manes, which often indicates a venomous capacity, and what do you have? ... ' I was stumped.

The entire analysis took perhaps two seconds, but I was completely lost, "What the fuck are you?"

They were almost exactly the same height, about thirty-six inches at the shoulder while the crowns of their heads ended a good foot above that. They were wearing what looked to be old fashioned saddlebags but had no saddles, bridles, or bits. They were standing side by side staring at me. The one on the left was neon orange and its mane was oxblood red. The other was cobalt blue with a mane that was as vibrantly green as new grass. Another thing that caught me off guard was the fact that they had discernibly expressive faces, 'No animal has the capability of being THAT expressive with their face.'

"Emooli," it almost sounded like a greeting, "Uldin evanin fenovie?" the carefully articulated words came out of the mouth of the orange one.

'It spoke . . . It fucking spoke.' I was frozen in place, I'm fairly certain, from shock. I think the other one spoke as well, but my brain had already registered a 404 error.

In my confusion I took a step toward them, completely forgetting the bush that was interposed between them and I. I fell right over the bush and face-planted on the soft dirt around their campsite. My movement must have caught them by surprise because once I had raised my head I noticed that the blue one had widened its stance, lowered its head, and unfurled a pair of wings I had apparently previously overlooked.

Suddenly the true reality of the situation dawned on me, 'There's no creatures like these things, there's no likely chance of finding fresh, potable water, and the sun doesn't set at visible speed... on Earth.'

Time seemed to stagnate briefly. My vision blurred, and I suddenly couldn't breathe. It was like I was somehow watching my body act as I casually observed from a backseat position. My body was gasping for air while trying to scream, at the same time tears were spilling down my face like a waterfall.

The last thing I remember thinking from the detached observatory in the back of my mind was, 'I'm lying on the ground, having a panic attack, and crying my eyes out in front of a pair of horse-like alien mutants. Way to go.'

Chapter 2.5: Interlude Of Sorrow

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Jason Campbell was trying not to have a mental breakdown. The group he had been leading was decidedly uncooperative. They had wandered around like lost sheep, there had already been eight people who had stepped on sticks, sharp rocks, and one snake. The snake bite victim was yet to show any signs of venom symptoms so he was grateful for that. The other seven people had badly injured their feet and had been carried back to the field.

The two former Security Officers with Jason's group were Brinsin and Jewel. They had been trying to keep people from being too stupid, but there were only two of them. Currently Brinsin, Jewel, and Jason were standing around one young caucasian man with bleach blond hair and blue eyes who stood around 5' 6". The young man, Eric Spencer, was acting defensive.

Jason's latest headache was from the young man standing in front of him, "What did the mushrooms look like, be very specific."

Eric had eaten some type of mushroom and the rest of the people nearby were convinced it was one of the psychotropic ones. The people who had seen him eat it had neglected to say anything, so Jason was trying to figure out what had happened.

"They had red caps with white spots. Chill out dude, I know my 'shrooms." the young man defended.

"How many did you eat? This is important." Jason asked, feeling his heart speed up dramatically.

"I don't know, about a dozen?" Eric said offhandedly.

Jason felt his stomach drop out, "A dozen?" he breathed.

Jason stepped back and covered his mouth with his hands. Brinsin and Jewel shared a concerned look before walking up to Jason slowly.

"What's up?" Jewel asked slowly.

"I recognized his description of the mushrooms." Jason groaned, "They're Amanita Muscaria."

Jewel's face went white as a sheet. He took a step back and turned his head to look at Eric.

Brinsin scratched his head, "Izat s'posed to mean somethin'?"

"You've heard of an antihistamine right R.J.?" Jewel asked.

"Yeah, it's what they give people who're having like, allergic reactions and stuff ain't it?" Brinsin said.

"Yeah, but a histamine by itself is not necessarily bad, now if you combine it with muscarine... bad things happen. The mushrooms Eric ate had trace amounts in them, but since he ate a dozen... " Jewel explained.

Brinsin looked pensive about his next question, "How bad exactly?" he asked slowly.

"How long does he have Jason?" Jewel asked.

"With the amount he claims to have ingested," Jason lapsed into contemplative silence, "An hour, maybe less."

R.J. leaned in close to Jason, "You mean he ain't long fo' this world." it wasn't a question, it was a request for confirmation, "He's gonna die. In an hour."

Jason nodded slowly, "Yeah. Even if we tried to induce vomiting, it wouldn't do any good."

Bobby leaned in close to R.J. and Jason,"We can't let them see this." Brinsin said soberly, "They've already seen enough with those people dyin' earlier."

Jason clenched his jaw in frustration. Was the situation not his fault? His face betrayed his internal thoughts, 'I'm the one who said we should divide up into groups. If I hadn't... '

His thoughts were interrupted by a firm hand on his shoulder, "Don't," Jewel's face was deadly serious but with a subtle undertone of compassion, "I've seen that look before when I was an F.M.F. Corpsman. Trust me, don't."

Jewel straightened up as he stood, "We should make sure his friends are with him when it happens. He's not going to take the news well and if he can't have his family here, he should at least have someone who knows him nearby for comfort."

"I'll make the announcement." Brinsin volunteered.

"No, I'll do it." Jason said firmly.

Brinsin stood up and cupped his hands over his mouth, "Yo! Gather round 'erebody!"

Jason stood up as people began forming a circle around them, "There's a reason I said not to eat anything." he gestured to Eric, "Who is friends with Eric here?"

Two young men and one young woman raised their hands, Jason continued, "Stay here with Jewel and Brinsin. Eric ate a type of mushroom commonly called 'Amanita Muscaria'. He has maybe an hour left and I think you guys should be with him for it."

"Dang dog!" a brown haired, brown eyed, young caucasian man said jokingly, "His dumb ass done ate a killer shroom! Awe man! Yo, we get to watch him keel?"

Brinsin moved like a striking snake. He took three quick steps and reached up. Before the young man could react, Brinsin reached his right hand upward and hooked three fingers into the man's collar bone, pulling him down. The young man squealed like a pig as he dropped to his knees in front of the shorter dark skinned gentleman. People backed away at the surprising display of aggression from the normally easy-going Brinsin, "What's your name?" Brinsin hissed dangerously.

"K-K-Kevin." he stuttered.

"Aiit Kevin. This' serious business." Kevin made to stand but Brinsin only ground his fingers deeper into the man's collar bone, "This dude's dyin' and he don't need nobody making jokes 'bout it. You want someone to be crakin' jokes when you dyin'? That shit's disrespectful as hell man. Now you gonna be quiet, you feel me? I don't wanna hear no more shit from you."

Kevin nodded his head emphatically and Brinsin let him go, then turned toward everyone, "This ain't no laughin' or jokin' matter! We's out here tryin' to survive! If someone gets hurt and killed, you don't fuckin' laugh! You ask what you can do to help! Since, Kevin over here thought it's so funny, he's gonna stay an' watch, then help bury Eric."

The proclamation was met with sharp gasps, "You can't make him do that!" another young man yelled.

Brinsin zeroed in on the speaker like a moth to a flame, "Aiit then, you joinin' him!" he then turned back to the crowd, "Anybody else got two cents to put in?"

Not a single person made a sound, "Good. Jason an' I'll go wit yall. Jewel, you got this bro?"

Jewel nodded solemnly, "Yeah."

Brinsin eyed Eric. Eric looked to be thinking it was all a big joke. He was laughing with his friends. Brinsin sighed and held up a hand to Jason. He spun his finger and motioned back to the North, the direction they had been heading before the 'Amanita Muscaria' debacle.

Jason held up his hand and motioned Jewel over, "The symptoms to look for are hallucinations, muscle spasms, sweating, feeling cold, drowsiness, euphoria, and difficulty breathing. In all likelihood he'll just fall asleep and not wake up, at least I hope so. Good luck. Find your way back to the field once he's been buried."

The group of young people, led by Jason, departed, heading North once more. Jewel looked around at the nearby trees, 'This ain't a bad place to go.' He turned his face back to the six, soon to be five, people near him. He turned back to Eric and his friends only to find the dying man kissing the young woman.

"Hey! Don't be doin' that!" he yelled loudly, "You wanna end up dead too?"

The young woman, a caucasian woman who stood about 5' 6" with blond hair and blue eyes let go of Eric and turned toward Jewel,
"Hey, fuck off! I'll kiss my boyfriend if I want! Eric's fine. We all know this is just a joke to make people think it's serious." she flipped her long hair with her left hand, "We all stay back here and everyone thinks it's something serious so they behave, but then a couple of hours later we all just walk back to the group like, 'Oh he's fine, it was just a close call, but it could have been bad so do what we say.'" she disrespectfully mimicked Jewel's voice in a mocking tone, "We'll play along and everything, just leave us alone."

"Wait until he starts havin' hallucinations and gets sleepy. We wanted you to be here so he wouldn't die alone. We were being serious." Jewel explained.

"Seriously bro," one of Eric's friends said, "You really need to chill out with the whole 'he's dying' thing." the speaker was a caucasian male who had dark brown hair and green eyes.

The other one, a caucasian male with bleach blond hair and brown eyes joined his friend, "Yeah, like Jeff said, take a 'chill pill' dude. I know you're like, a gnarly hard core dude, but you need to ease up."

Jewel shook his head sadly and turned to the two other boys who Brinsin had designated to stay, "O.K. you're Kevin." he said pointing to the named young man, "What's your name?" he asked pointing to the other one.

"Lucas." he said.

Lucas was an African-American young man who had long black hair in long, well kept dreadlocks, and brown eyes. He stood roughly 6' 2" tall but seemed extremely well spoken.

"Well Lucas, I applaud you for being willing to stick up for someone, but Brinsin was right. Kevin should have been more respectful." Jewel said evenly.

Kevin, who was standing nearby, widened his eyes, "Wait, you guys were serious?!" he ran his hands through his hair, voice quiet, "Holy shit!"

"Did it just get colder?" Eric asked suddenly, "It's like, freezing out here!" he turned to his girlfriend, "Amanda, aren't you cold?"

Eric wrapped his hands around himself as he began shivering. Jeff and Eric's other friend looked at each other oddly. Amanda cocked her head to one side then placed her right hand on Eric's forehead.

"Baby, you're burning up!" she turned to Jewel, "I think he's sick. We should go find the group."

"Nope, that's just one of the symptoms of the poisoning. Talk to him, try to keep him calm." Jewel instructed.

"Lay off the poisoning shit! This is serious!" Amanda said loudly.

Jeff interjected his thoughts, "Yeah, fun is fun, but Eric could really be sick!"

"I already told you." Jewel said pointedly, "He doesn't have long . . . "

"FUCK YOU HE'S FINE!" Amanda shrieked.

"Man, why does it feel like I've been up for days? I could just lay down here and sleep, jeeze." Eric said yawning.

"Eric!" Amanda yelled, "Why aren't you concerned? You could really be sick!"

"Don't worry about it babe. I feel like a million bucks, it's just that I'm cold and sleepy." Eric said as his left arm twitched sharply, "I think I'm just going to sit down for a minute or two."

"Don't sit down! We have to find everyone else," she slipped her right arm and shoulder under his armpit before he could sit down,

"Come on!" she grunted, trying to move him, "Come on! Jeff, George help me!"

The two young men in question looked at each other then back at Amanda, George spoke, "What if he's really dying after all? I don't want to touch him."

"He's not dying goddammit!" Amanda screeched, "He's going to be fine, he just has a temperature!"

Jewel could see the uncertainty and growing fear in her eyes, "Here," he said slipping his left arm and shoulder under Eric's other armpit, "Help me sit him down. He should be as comfortable as possible." he looked up at Jeff and George, "You're supposed to be his friends, how about helping? He ain't dead yet."

Jeff and George grasped Eric's hands and helped Jewel and Amanda lower him into a sitting position among the dead leaves on the ground. Amanda and Jewel eased out from under Eric's armpits and George and Jeff let go of his hands. Eric limply flopped backward limply. His head hit the soft dirt with a plopping sound.

Eric giggled, "Heheheheh. That sounded funny."

Amanda sat down next to him and laid his head on her lap, "Stay awake... "

"You're just too comfy babe. *yawn* I think I'm just going to take a little nap." Eric said.

Reality finally hit the young woman, she clenched her eyes shut, clutching his head tightly to her stomach, "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-ho-ho-ho!" she began frantically rubbing her hands over Eric's face, "You're gonna be fine baby. Just stay awake. O.K.?"

Jewel saw the full understanding dawn on Jeff and George, "Get down there and be with him." Jewel ordered softly, "Amanda's going to need you two after this is over."

Jewel took a couple of steps back, keeping his distance out of respect. Amanda cycled through shaking her head in denial, and wracking sobs while holding Eric as close as possible. Jeff was kneeling just a few inches from the top of Eric's head, weeping silently as he looked at his friend. George was sitting next to Eric's right shoulder holding his hand in a comforting gesture.
Kevin and Lucas didn't say a peep as Eric's eyes seemed to grow heavy,

"We're gonna be fine Amanda." he said with a lazy smile, "Look, just let me take a short nap and we can hit the beach." he gestured with his left hand vaguely, "I can hear the waves." he seemed to notice Jeff and George for the first time, "Oh dudes," he said excitedly, "Just wait till I wake up. *yawn* We're gonna snag some killer waves." he blinked owlishly, "I know this sounds weird, but I'm glad all you guys are all here. It's nice to have someone so close for once. Kinda feels like family. Jeff, dude, is this what a family feels like? I wouldn't know."

Jeff bit his lower lip briefly and closed his eyes, "Yeah, bro. This is what family feels like." he couldn't help the tears.

"Hey George," Eric addressed, "You remember that time we went to Hawaii and surfed those wicked waves?"

"Y-yeah," George said, "You almost got killed on the reef." his reminiscent laugh became silent sobs.

"Amanda, you're the hottest, most gnarly babe I've ever known. Even if we don't work out, *yawn* which I totally hope we do, but even if we don't, you're an awesome babe. You were always too good for me but you chose to hang out anyway. Even if we don't work out, don't let a guy treat you like anything but what you deserve."

Eric's speech was slowing significantly as he shivered uncontrollably, "Dudes, just wait till I wake up. *yawn* We're gonna ride the waves till sunset. *yawn* I just hope . . . it . . . warms . . . up . . . "

Amanda shook the head in her lap, "Eric?" she shook a second time, "Eric?!"

Jewel closed his eyes and turned away as the young woman's voice rang out through the trees, "ERIC!"

* * *

Just over half a mile away, Brinsin was bringing up the rear of the main group when he heard Amanda scream. It was only just audible over the sounds of crunching foot falls in front of him. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Opening his eyes, he gazed at the sunlight streaming through the foliage overhead.

Lowering his head back to the group in front of him, he whispered solemnly, "He giveth, an' he taketh away. Blessed be his name."

Chapter 3: Striking Out

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I must have lost consciousness at some point because the next thing I knew, I was waking up. I opened my eyes and immediately shut them again. The sun was directly overhead and the plateau I had been laying on was bare of trees. The light hurt my eyes so I rolled over and pulled up my blanket.

My mind slowly processed that thought and I snapped awake, 'Blanket!' I sat up and looked down at myself. Sure enough there was a small, brown blanket covering me. It wasn't particularly large, maybe five feet by four feet but it was there and it was warm. My hands inched toward it shakily. I was afraid to touch it, as if contact with my skin might frighten it away. My fingers touched the warm, brown fabric and I swept it into my arms. It felt sturdy but not particularly soft, 'Probably cotton.'

Suddenly recalling the previous night's encounter, I whipped my head left and right, trying to spot any signs of the two... creatures. My eyes wandered the clearing looking for them, but I couldn't catch sight of either one. The only indicators that they had ever been there were the cold fire pit, their tracks, and the blanket they had left me.

A voice echoed up from down the mountain, "Pering!" it sounded like Brinsin, "Pering where are you?"

I quickly stood up and hustled over the the same ledge I had climbed the night before, "Up here! Clearing 200 or so feet above the stream. Bring that ecologist kid and anyone who knows anything about horses." I yelled back.

I sat down to wait with the blanket on my lap. After what could only guess was the upper end of an hour I could finally hear them making their way up the slope of the mountain. Jason was in the lead with Spearman and Joyner was right behind him. There were more people but I couldn't clearly see them.

"Come on up guys, I'll help you up the last bit." I called to them.

I helped Jason Campbell over the edge easily. He was followed by Joyner, Spearman, Massonete, Brinsin, Vacca, Hord, and two young women I did not recognize.

I took a couple of steps back, picked up the blanket and positioned myself between them and the campsite, "Does anyone know how to identify animal tracks?" I asked, "Because there are tracks behind me, in this clearing and I want someone to identify the creatures who made them before I get into how I acquired this blanket." I said holding it out.

Everyone's eyes widened and Jason snatched it out of my hands, "Where did you get a bath sheet?"

"I'll explain after someone tells me what made these tracks behind me. Trust me, there's a very good reason." I said.

Jason and the two women, silently stepped past me and began examining the tracks and blanket.

I walked up to Joyner, "Hey L.T., did anyone report seeing anything strange yesterday?"

Mike Joyner looked at me flatly, "You mean besides the sun setting at a speed so quick you saw it with the naked eye? Or maybe the fact that five streams and one river were discovered and all, yes all the streams were found to be potable? Maybe the reports of strange animals from people? One lady swears up and down she saw a pegasus flying above the forest yesterday." he continued his flat look and added a slight smirk, "Depends on your definition of strange at this point."

"At the risk of sounding like an idiot, I doubt that lady wasn't lying." I said quietly.

"How long have you been without water, Pering?" Spearman asked.

"I wasn't hallucinating then and I'm not hallucinating now." I turned to Jason, "Toss me the blanket." I caught it in my hands and began looking for evidence.

After a few seconds I found what I wanted and plucked it out of the threads, "Is THIS a fucking hallucination?" I hissed, holding up several long bright green strands of mane.

Joyner's eyebrows knitted together in puzzlement, "May I see those?" he asked.

I carefully placed them into his hand while Masonete, Spearman, Brinsin, Vacca, and Hord gathered around to see, "I'm not crazy and I'm not joking. Put the pieces together guys. The water, the sun, the strange animals, these very hairs, they all paint a picture!"

"That's not new." Masonete said, "We've already figured it out. We're either in a colossal artificial environment or we're... someplace else."

"That's your and Chris's theory dude, I'm not ready to accept it yet." Hord said.

"Guys!" Chris said emphatically, "We're on a different. Fucking. World. It's the only possibility that makes any sense!" he began pacing back and forth, "Even in an artificial environment we wouldn't have strange animals and with the amount of water flowing through the streams... Where would someone even put an artificial environment THIS HUGE? Furthermore, who would fund it, hell who COULD fund it and why would they do it in the first place? Even if all that was feasible, how could anyone sedate everyone at The Complex and kidnap... however many people are here? It. Doesn't. Add. Up."

"There's 786 of us here. There were more but we lost one to poisonous mushrooms, someone bashed in Kyle's head last night, and we lost one person to a predator, a bear I think." Masonete chimed in.

"Yup and now we have a murderer among us." Brinsin said unhappily.

"Chris's point stands and I agree with him." I added.

"Alright then Pering, how did we get here?" Brinsin asked.

"I'm not certain about that part, but I think it had something to do with the storm that hit The Complex. I remember large hail, and a ton of lightning. Just before I blacked out there was a really bright light. Once the light started, there was no sound and the ground began to shake, then I blacked out and woke up in the field. Does anyone else remember anything like that?"

"Yeah, I do." Vacca said, "I had just broken the door to the Leasing Office when the light showed up. I remember wondering why the breaking glass didn't make any sound."

"Now there you're right." Hord admitted, "I was dragging those three residents under an overhang when it happened. Exact same thing."

"I can't explain why or how it happened, but it did. We're not on Earth anymore. Or if we are then it's a very different Earth than the one we're used to." I said, "Look, in any case we need food and so forth to survive. You have any ideas Chris?"

Vacca put his hand on his chin, "I've got a couple but none of them are pretty."

"I'm open to suggestions." Joyner said crossing his arms.

"Let's look at facts first. We've got a huge field of cabbage, awesome find by the way Darryl, but that will only last us a week at most. We have water and thanks to Pering showing his group how to knap, we have the materials to make some crude tools. The river we found has tons and tons of fish and some folks found flints so we can make fires. Basically, we have the bare necessities to survive, but it's only a matter of time before we run out of materials and food."

"He's right, though," Jason said walking back over, "My major is ecology and I can tell you that this environment isn't capable of supporting a group as large as ours without preparation. We'll be able to survive for a short while but it won't be long before we exhaust the resources. I'd say we have a week or two at most. There's just too many of us for this land to sustain. We don't have tools or seeds, hell we don't even have enough land in the field to feed all of us." Jason gestured down toward the field emphatically, "That field isn't large enough to sustain even a hundred people annually, even if it was already plowed, planted, and irrigated."

"So basically, unless we find new resources and fast, we're all... " I trailed off.

"Starving to death in very short order." Joyner finished the statement, "The problem is even worse than that. People aren't stupid, it won't be long before someone puts the pieces together. They have access to sharp objects and the cabbages aren't being guarded. People will start hording and stealing food then when others find out. They're going to start taking food by force. It's human nature. We'll be killing each other for food inside a week."

"He's right." Hord said, "It happens all over the world, hell I've seen it with my own eyes when I was on deployment."

A soft feminine voice addressed us, "I'd say these tracks were made by something about the size of a Shetland Pony." one of the two women said, "One set of tracks are deeper than the other so there were at least two of them. I'm Cara, by the way and this is Dena." she said offering her hand to me.

I took and shook her hand, "Pleasure to meet you ladies."

"So where did you get that blanket?" Dena asked.

"You might not believe me but one of the two equinoids must have draped it over me last night. I kind of... sort of... passed out when I heard them speak."

All eyes were on me instantly, "Look, I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous but it's true. They weren't just making animal noises, these were specifically enunciated and carefully articulated words. I couldn't understand any of it of course but it does give me an idea, if anyone is willing to hear me out."

"Any sort of plan is better than none at all." Joyner said.

"Before I passed out I saw that the two equinoids were each carrying a type of side mounted backpacks. That fact plus this blanket indicates civilization. They were empathetic enough to leave me a blanket, maybe we could convince them to help us. Their saddlebags couldn't have held more than one or two days worth of food so logically speaking their settlement should be, I'd guess, less than twenty miles away. I'm not happy to say this but the fat from my body can sustain me for at least a couple of weeks. I'm the only one who has had any sort of contact with them and I know how to follow tracks. My father used to take me hunting all the time. I grew up on that stuff."

Chris Vacca laughed, "That was actually one of my ideas. No offense Dan but it makes good sense and if nothing else it's one less mouth to feed."

"As of right now, I can't afford to be offended. We need to survive and that survival may depend on how well I beg for help." I admitted.

"There is another possibility but it's the least pleasant. If we get desperate, we could find one of their settlements and we do have weapons." Chris stopped and let everyone come to the same conclusion, "Even if we can't steal any food... I hate to say it but some countries eat horses."

"I'll starve before I eat a sentient creature." I said pointedly.

"It's a horrible thought but if it comes to that or starving to death," he shrugged, "The human will to live is very strong. People will eat anything to survive, even each other, it isn't much of a stretch to apply that mentality to beings that aren't even human." It was not a pleasant thought but Chris had a point.

"Let's keep that as a last resort for now," I began.

"Not like we have a lot of other options right now." Brinsin grumbled.

"No argument," I said somberly, "But we have to try at least. I'd like to try to ask them for help. I think I can make it if I have a cabbage, I can use it like a canteen, the blanket, and one obsidian knife. I know our supplies are scarce but it's the best I can do." I offered.

"Well for now, let's get back to the rest of the group." Spearman recommended.

"Yeah, I'm hungry as hell." I said.

"Well," Brinsin said with a smirk, "We got cabbage, cabbage, cabbage, or cabbage. I hear the cabbage is good."

We all shared a hearty chuckle as we began the treacherous descent down to the plateau below. It was very slow going. I slipped twice but thanks to Masonete's long arms, I didn't injure my feet. It took nearly until noon to descend safely. There were a great many slips and skids but there were thankfully no injuries.

We finally made it back down to the plateau where the stream my group and I had discovered the obsidian and fresh water. There were dozens of young people sitting around knapping obsidian and talking.

I stepped over to the stream and knelt down to drink. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was. My hands descended to the icy cold stream again and again until my thirst had been slaked.

Meanwhile Jason, Joyner and everyone else who had come up to where I woke up, waded across the stream and examined the work of the knappers. The knappers were sitting on the West side of the plateau with piles of untouched obsidian resting between their legs and smaller piles of knapped tools sitting beside them. There was a certain uniformity to their positioning.

I mentally kicked myself, 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! They're all in one place so the razor sharp pieces of obsidian don't fall and mix in with the rounded gravel of the stream bank! Damn, I should have considdered that!'

The knappers had been busy. Some of the obsidian was perfect for spear heads, some for knives, some for scrapers, and some could be used for arrow heads, hell some might have been good for crude axes.

I rose back to my feet and saw Joyner examining a small obsidian knife, "This is pretty good, Kaneesha. Remember the blade doesn't need to be particularly long, it just needs to be sharp and if you can manage to make the edge smooth-ish that would be a definite plus. May I take this one?"

Kaneesha nodded her head, "Sure. Long as I get fed I can do this all day."

I waded across the stream and looked the the knappers, "This looks good guys. Keep it up." I turned my attention to Jason, "Who thought to have them all stay in the same place?"

"That was Masonete. He stepped on an obsidian shard but it didn't cut him too badly, so he had the knappers all move to the West side of the plateau while he collected a bunch of pieces so no one else would step on one."

"Alright, everybody grab a knife and an arrowhead. The rest of the group is down in the field. We need to get going on making small spears to catch fish with. 786 people is a lot of mouths to feed."

I tapped him on the shoulder, "Shouldn't we worry about the killer among us?"

"What would you suggest Pering?" Joyner asked pointedly, "Round up everyone we think is suspicious? Even if we did, we have no way of imprisoning them and likely we'd be wrong in every case. Even if we did find the culprit, what would we do execute them? Who would do it? Exile them? They might come back and start murdering everyone." he ran his left hand through his hair, "The only thing we can do right now is watch, wait, and stay busy. If people are busy they won't think too much and with the pending food shortage the better they think they're doing, the better for all of us."

I nodded firmly, "I understand sir."

"We already have plenty to keep us busy." Hord said, "We've got bodies to bury, fish to catch, and predators to keep at bay."

"Are you still planning on sending Masonete to keep an eye on everything?" Spearman asked.

"Keep an eye on everything?" I parroted.

"I'll tell you on the way back to the field." Joyner said motioning to the knappers with his head.

We all caught his meaning. Jason walked over to the edge of the slope leading down to the forest and sat down, then turned over onto his stomach, draped his legs over the edge, and began a slow descent downward. We all followed him very carefully.

The descent was a dull and, aside from grunts of exertion, a silent affair. The small trees growing on the slope gradually thickened and the dirt and rocks under our feet became more and more sparse. Our footing became more sure the farther we went and I noticed with a hint of smug satisfaction that we were descending down the exact same path my group and I had ascended the day before.

The descent went much more quickly than I had anticipated and we reached the flat floor of the forest then began the trek through to the field.

"So," I began, "About having Masonete keep an eye on everything?"

"Yeah," Joyner sighed, "Vacca figured that the person who killed Kyle was probably a first timer and made a mistake somewhere so Masonete's going to watch everything and see if anyone does anything suspicious."

"Then what was that whole little speech you gave me back near the stream?" I asked.

"That was for the knappers to hear. See everyone knows Kyle was murdered last night and they're talking. We planted a rumor back there. It will spread and hopefully make the killer slip up so we can catch them."

"And if we do?" I asked.

Joyner answered so casually, he could have been discussing the weather, "We're abiding by the Code of Hammurabi remember. He who takes the life of another, so too shall his be taken."

"And who, among us would be designated the executioner?" I queried.

"Ludwig. He had to drop the hammer on a man once so he said he could do it." Joyner said.

I didn't want to mention I had done so several years before as well. I didn't want to be dubbed an executioner.

"Hey Dan," Hord said, "It's not like the situation's deteriorating or anything. Things happen and we have to respond to them. Everything's just a little more serious right now."

We weaved our way around a bramble bush and I almost stepped on a thorn because I wasn't paying attention.

"So how is Sheranda doing?" I asked.

Brinsin snickered, "You're group had the least injuries of anyone. Because you divided 'em up." he chuckled, "That weren't a bad idea."

"It was irresponsible." Joyner said, "The group of people Pering was given, he was responsible for. Instead of doing his job, he divided up the responsibility with other people who weren't as prepared as he was. At least one person from each of the divided up groups ended up with injuries. As of right now, we have five cases of Poison Ivy, thirty nine foot injuries and three deaths in addition to the ones we lost from the hail. We need to get on the ball and make sure these people, OUR PEOPLE, are safe and healthy, and we do that by being responsible and not taking the easy way out."

His words were spoken evenly and without any sort of raised voice or disappointed tone but somehow that made it worse.

"These are people's lives we're responsible for here. In some way every death is on our hands, even if it's not. People will want someone or something to blame their problems on and we have to ensure that they don't target other people. For right now, blame the environment. It gives them a venting point for their emotions and frustration. The longer we can keep the blame off each other, the longer we can continue without any more racial hate crimes. Human beings always rally together if we have an enemy, and that enemy is the environment. That's our enemy, that's our opposition, and it is against the environment that we will all join together. We can tell people about the creatures you saw Pering, but be sure to always emphasize that they were friendly and didn't harm you." Joyner paused for breath and I nodded. He was making good sense.

"They gave you a blanket, use it like a symbol. It's something solid that represents hope and hope is one of the strongest convictions a person can have. We have to use a combination of hope, unity, and fear or else people will turn on each other faster than we can blink." Joyner outlined our course of action, "Pering, wave that blanket around and get people's attention. Once everyone is gathered we'll give them a pep talk and stir them up, then we can set them to do different jobs to keep them busy. Wait until everyone has an assigned job then have Hord take you to select a cabbage. Be sure that people understand you're going to be leaving in the morning to try to find these horse things. We'll have a big send off first thing in the morning. It will reinforce the hope we're trying to foster and help motivate folks into working their hardest."

"Maybe that isn't such a good idea." Vacca said.

We all stopped and looked at him. The light from the field was only a few hundred feet ahead.

"I just had a thought. What if these horse creatures have a government?" he ventured.

"So what?" Brinsin asked, "Any civilized culture got a government."

Vacca nodded, "That's my point. What would our government do if they suddenly caught wind of aliens?"

"Woah, woah, he's right!" Masonete exclaimed, "If the United States government found out there were aliens stranded on Earth, they'd swoop in and stick 'em all in cells and run experiments on 'em."

The rest of the team was dumbfounded. Masonete rarely spoke more than a few words at a time. I'd had several conversations with the man and he was actually quite talkative, he was just extremely picky on who he spoke to. If he didn't trust you completely, he didn't say anything. He worked hard to maintain his mysterious persona though, and I wasn't about to betray his trust by saying anything to the contrary.

"Either that or they'd eradicate them or try to force them to give up secrets of how to make weapons." Hord added.

"You're forgettin'," Brinsin said, "They could be the opposite too. They could be kind an' carrin'. Right now we all speculatin' cause we don't know."

"I agree with Brinsin," Joyner said, "We need to stay hopeful and not make villains out of these beings before we've even met them, we could ruin our chances of getting them to help us."

"Yeah. Besides the last thing I need to be thinking about is some horse scientist dissecting me while I'm still alive." I added.

"Come on, let's give people hope." Joyner said striding toward the field.

* * *

I waved the blanket wildly over my head as people pressed in on all sides, held at bay by the rest of the Security team.

"Can I touch it?"
"Wow!"
"Where did you get it?"
"I want one too!"
"Did you find other people?"

"Settle down! Settle down everyone!" Joyner yelled.

"COOL IT!" Calvin bellowed.

It took several minutes but eventually everyone did quiet down.

"Can you give me a shoulder, Calvin?" Joyner asked.

"I can do one better L.T." Calvin lifted Joyner up so that each of his legs were dangling over each of the large man's shoulders.

"Alright! Listen! This is going to be very difficult to believe, but I need you all to listen. As you've all seen, the sun sets and rises much more quickly than normal. The streams are, thus far, pure and can be drank from. These things simply do not occur on Earth, which means... we aren't on Earth."

The silence was deafening, "The plants and animals, most of them anyway, are familiar and from what we have seen, effectively identical to the ones we already know. However that does not preclude the fact that Pering had an encounter with a pair of creatures he describes as being brightly colored short horses. The difference here is that they seem to be highly intelligent. According to what Pering said, these two creatures spoke in a strange language and owned manufactured equipment. Furthermore they gave him the blanket. That act of kindness leads us to believe they may be persuaded to help us. Tomorrow morning, Pering will set out in an attempt to make contact with them and ask for help... "

"You expect us to believe that bullshit!?" someone yelled, "Talking horses my ass! He found people, now where are they!?"

The single male voice began stirring up many more,
"Where are they!?"
"We have rights!"
"You motha' fuckas!"
"Tell us where they are!"

Joyner called out over the crowd, "Why would we hide that from you? What would it accomplish?"

Richardson's voice rose over the din, "You seriously think I'd be standing here with my pussy and titties hanging out if we knew where people were?!"

Richardson's statement set off every woman in the crowd,
"She's right!"
"Let them talk!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
"What are we supposed to do when our periods hit?"

Chaos reigned for a few minutes until the voices of the women drowned out the few dissenters.

Joyner continued, "I said it would be difficult to believe but it's the truth. Pering is leaving tomorrow morning to try to make contact with these horse creatures. He's going to try to get them to come to us and help. Now, it may take several days for them to get everything we need so in the mean time we need to help ourselves. We need to fish, harvest, and make tools and shelter until then. Anyone interested in catching fish," he pointed off to his left, "Stand over there. Anyone interested in harvesting," he pointed to his right, "Stand over there. Anyone interested in making tools get between us and the mountain." he said gesturing behind him, "And anyone interested in making shelters," he pointed to the far end of the field, "Go over there."

"And what if we're not interested in doing any of those things?" someone challenged.

"Then you starve. Anyone caught stealing will be dealt with harshly." Joyner said bluntly.

"Who died and made you the law?" that voice was getting annoying.

"What would you propose? We let people do whatever they want? Steal, rape, murder, cause chaos?" Joyner set his chin and spoke loudly, I recognized his speech giving voice, "We've been stranded here by unknown means with no way of knowing how we'll get home. We were stripped of our tools, our homes, even our clothes but we're not beaten. If you want to give in to despair, you go right ahead and do it. Not me! I'm going to survive! I'm not just going to survive, I'm going to thrive! This environment around us is out to get us! It poisons us with deadly mushrooms, it sends its bears to slaughter us! The horse creatures, the... equinoids have survived! They fought the environment and so shall we! We will survive and show our new neighbors that humans aren't weaklings! In turn they will help us and together we will thrive!" he took a deep breath, ready for his crescendo call, "We are not beaten and we will not be beaten! Humanity reigned supreme on Earth and we will do so here! We are HUMAN BEINGS and this world, which has set itself against us will shrink in fear at our accomplishments! Together we will grow! Together we will fight! TOGETHER WE WILL WIN! WHO IS WITH ME!?"

The field shook with the cries of hundreds of voices as they shouted out in unison. Fists were raised to the sky in insolence. Emotions flared, burning hope and zeal in their hearts. They shouted again and again. The sound was deafening.

Eventually the people calmed down, "Let's get to work. Tomorrow we can look back and admire what we've accomplished, but today we need to create those accomplishments." he gestured in each direction as he gave his orders again, "Fishing. Harvesting. Tool making. Shelter."

I watched as the crowd slowly began to disperse into four different directions. The division was uneven but having too many people fishing was better than having too few.

Joyner slid off Calvin's shoulders, "Alright everybody gather around, you too Jason."

We all formed a circle with Joyner in the middle, "I need to know from each of you. What do you know about fishing, harvesting, making tools, and erecting shelters. Ladies first, Richardson."

"I don't know any of that. I know security and how to raise my two boys, that's about it." she said humbly.

"You raised two boys?" Vacca asked, "Then you should know how to tend to cuts and scrapes, right? You could take care of the people who get hurt and the ones who are already hurt."

"That's not a bad idea, but I don't have any bandages or alcohol." she answered.

"You can make due with yarrow and piss." Jason said, "Yarrow is also known as Soldier's Woundwort. You can pick off the flowers, chew them up then stick them directly into the injury."

"I have someone who might be able to help you. He's an asshole but his heart is in the right place. His name is Leo. I'll introduce you to him, I think he'll make a good aide." I said.

"Is that acceptable Richardson?" Joyner asked.

"It's gonna have to be." she said resigned.

Spearman spoke up next, "I can work with the people fishing. I know how to make harpoons and other things. I used to make all kinds of stuff in Boy Scouts."

"I'm with him." Hord said, "Marines know how to use their environment."

"I'll supervise the people building shelters. I'm good with math and structures." Vacca said.

"I used to garden with my Mother when I was young."Ludwig said, "I'll go with the harvesters."

"I'm gonne go with my man 'V' over here." Calvin said, "I can lift more than most and I'm pretty solid at math too."

"I'm good with my hands. I'll work with the tool makers. I studied history from Israel, Babylon, Egypt, and Sumeria." Brinsin said.

"I'll work with Richardson." Jewel said.

"I'm watching." Masonete said simply.

"I'll work with the harvesters." Jason said.

"I'll help with the fishing." Joyner added.

"I'll work with the tool makers. It's something I know more than anything else." I said.

"We're all set then. Let's get going. We'll meet back here roughly a couple of hours before sundown. Ludwig, Jason bring as many dry sticks and logs as you can. We'll have a bonfire tonight and roast fish. I'm assuming you guys know how to clean fish right?"

"Yeah, and we can bury the guts and scales a long long way from the field. No one found anything to the North-East right?" Jason said.

"Masonete, Ludwig that was your direction. Did you find anything?" Joyner asked.

"Nah," Ludwig said, "Nothin' but lots of rocks and a deep valley filled with red clay and plenty of lose boulders."

"We can use the red clay later. For now we'll bury the remains that direction. Richardson, Jewel the injured will be put to use too. We'll carry them to different places and have them keep watch at night." Joyner said, "Come on, let's get to work."

I wrapped the blanket around my middle so the two ends overlapped then rolled it onto itself. It was a trick I used when getting out of the shower. It turned the towel into a makeshift kilt and the blanket worked the same way.

"Come on Richardson, Jewel, let's go meet Leo." I said.

I didn't know for sure where he was but I had an idea, "Where are the injured people?"

Richardson pointed to the North-Western part of the field and we made our way in that direction, "I already asked around and selected fifteen medical students to help with the injured yesterday evening. I suppose it's our job to bury the dead too huh?" Jewel asked.

"Probably so. Can you guys manage that?" I asked.

"Won't be a problem for me. I've handled plenty of dead bodies in my time. What about you Richardson?" Jewel asked.

"I'll do what I have to. Anything I should know?" she asked.

"Never put pressure on the abdomen. The muscles are relaxed and the bladder and bowels will evacuate." Jewel instructed.

"Oh happy day." Richardson said, her tone morose.

We made good time to the injured folks. They were sitting upright against trees right at the edge of the field.

"Why did someone have them put here?" I asked.

"There's a stream not forty feet into the trees so they're close to water and since we don't have any cups it makes things easier. I was up half the night helping people relieve themselves in holes. Don't worry, I know where that area is. Wiping someone's ass in the dark using only leaves is some shitty business, let me tell ya." Jewel chuckled at his pun.

I spotted Leo tending to a young man who had his foot elevated on a log. The young, cantankerous man was scraping the man's foot with a stick as we walked up.

"Hey Leo, buddy! How are you?!" I said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Leo looked up and frowned deeply, "The fuck you want? I didn't do nothin' wrong!"

I held up my hands in a placating gesture, "I never said you did, good sir. I did want to introduce you to two very good friends of mine." I gestured to Richardson and Jewel, "This is Cessily Richardson and Bobby Jewel. They're going to be taking care of the injured folks with you. Listen to what they say. Jewel used to be an F.M.F. Corpsman with the Marines and Richardson is a mother of two so don't piss her off."

I turned to Richardson and Jewel, "I want you to notice something. Leo didn't go with any of the other groups, he came here on his own even though no one else was here to help him. He's got a drive to help people if you can get past his asshole exterior and his massive problem with authority. He is teachable and I think he'll be invaluable to you guys." I clapped my hands together, "Now, I have to go find Brinsin. Good luck." I raised my voice, "Have fun Leo."

"Fuck you!" he yelled back.

* * *

I met up with Brinsin back where Joyner had us huddle. Together Brinsin and I strode over to the group that was waiting close to the forest in front of the mountain. They were talking loudly but no one seemed to be fighting yet.

Brinsin cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled over the people, "Aiit! Fall in, one straight line! Pering will lead and I'll bring up the rear!"

I cupped my hands over my mouth and spoke loudly, "Follow me and step exactly where I step. I went through this yesterday and one young lady was injured because she didn't follow my instructions. Trust me you don't want to step on something nasty. There was a lot of screaming and blood before it was all over. I want one straight line and keep the chatter down so Brinsin and I can hear when one of you guys injures yourselves."

I turned and slowly began retracing my steps from the day before. We entered the tree line after only fifteen steps and I chanced a look behind me. I was pleasantly surprised to see most of the, I estimated one hundred and fifty or so, people were actually in a semi straight line. I shrugged, turned back around, and continued. The walk was fairly peaceful but the birds still bugged me. It seemed like every time we entered the forest they fell silent. It was unnerving and it made me particularly uneasy.

Our progress was acceptable until someone near the rear end of the line cried out.

I held up my right fist and yelled as loudly as I could, "Hold up!"

I had to take another fifteen steps before people stopped moving forward. I turned and looked back but I couldn't see who had yelled. The trees grew too close together and there were just too many people in the way to see clearly.

I cupped my hands over my mouth again and called out, "What's the situation Brinsin?"

His response was faint but I could just make it out, "Just a scare, bro. Nothin' to worry about. One dude stepped on a stick but it didn't break skin or nothin'. We're good to go back here."

I cupped my hands over my mouth and yelled, "Do you guys ever listen? Follow me and step only where I step! Now come on, we're wasting time!"

I turned back around and began picking my way through the forest once more. I couldn't help but to shake my head at the ignorance and sheer idiocy all around me. It was honestly infuriating, 'Is it really so hard to follow simple instructions?' I pondered.

We made it to the base of the mountain but instead of calling for a break like I had the previous day, I continued on and began picking my way up the slope of the mountain. Half way up to the plateau where the stream was, I cursed my impatient nature when a sudden, powerful hunger pang hit me. I groaned at my empty gut and made a mental note not to skip dinner.

I continued climbing and soon found myself at the edge of the plateau again. I pulled myself up and saw Kaneesha and the rest of the knappers hard at work, still knapping but with slightly larger piles of knapped obsidian next to them. I turned around and began helping people up and over the edge.

"Stay close and don't go near the people already up here." I instructed each person as I hauled them up.

I counted one hundred and forty six before I gripped Brinsin's hand and pulled him up to join the rest of us. I turned back toward the group and saw four people had already gone over and were picking through the knappers' piles.

"Hey! Get back over here!" I bellowed irately, "I told you to leave them alone! Get your stupid asses back over here!"

The four people, an African-American man, two caucasian men, and one caucasian woman, looked up sheepishly and made their way back over to us.

Brinsin was more patient than I was, "Take it easy bro. You don't haveta' be on top of ere thing all the time."

I nodded silently and swallowed my aggravation as I addressed the crowd, "Thank you. I'm sorry I yelled, but there's a reason the knappers are all the way over there. Let me explain something about knapping. There are three ways to knap obsidian, flint, and chert: Hard Hammering, Soft Hammering, and Pressure Flaking." I pointed to the knappers, "What I showed them was Hard Hammering. When you Hard Hammer your stone, you chip away large flakes of it and obtain your basic shape. There is a down side to Hard Hammering though, it leaves sharp fragments of stone lying around on the ground. Any one want to imagine what would happen if you stepped on a razor sharp shard of rock when barefoot?" I asked.

No one said anything, "Yeah, nor do I. We already have enough people making basic shapes of tools. As of right now they are usable but crude. We need to refine the basic shapes for more fine edges and points. I'm going to take half of you and Brinsin is going to take the other half. We will show you how to perform one of the two other methods of knapping. Which one do you want?" I asked my friend.

"I'll do the pressure flakin' for the final products. Don't take too long Pering. We're wastin' daylight." Brinsin said.

"Alrighty then. Brinsin and I will go get several pieces of obsidian and give you all a demonstration of each method of knapping."

"Every one take a seat. You can do whatever you want but once we begin we need yall to be quiet. This is important." Brinsin said.

The two of us carefully made our way over to the knappers and began selecting pieces of obsidian. As I picked through the piles, I had to admit that I was proud of the knappers from my group. Many of their pieces were of the same quality I could get, granted I'd done it only as a child. They had really listened when I'd stressed the importance of unifacial and bifacial shards and blades. There was a wide variety of each and in all sorts of different sizes.

I selected two unifacial shards and two unifacial blades then two more bifacial shards and blades. I carried them over, passed them out for people to examine, then I went to see if I could find any good limestone or sandstone, though I wasn't holding out much hope of that. I searched through the exposed rocks near the ascending slope but as I had feared I couldn't find any of my preferred materials.

I headed back to the group, Brinsin was already there, "I couldn't find any limestone or sandstone. We're probably going to have to find oak, ash, yew, or something like that. You want to go look or should I?" I asked.

"I'll stay here an' keep every one out o' trouble. Good luck." he said.

I turned to leave and heard Brinsin address the people, "Listen up. Pering needs to go look for a few things so I'ma go ahead an' show yall how these blades and flakes can be utilized."

"I'd like to go with him." I heard a voice say.

I turned around and spotted a young African-American man standing up, "I'm a history major specializing in ancient manufacture and techniques. I know what to look for."

"I'll welcome the help." I said honestly.

The young man stood roughly 5' 10" and had a thin yet healthy look to him. His hair was short and trimmed and his eyes were brown. He had yet to sport a single bit of scruff so I pegged him at around eighteen years old. He was extremely well spoken as well.

I waited for him at the edge of the plateau, "Haven't had many folks actually want to help." I extended my right hand, "Dan Pering."

He shook my hand firmly, "Morris Almond."

"Well Morris, we need to climb back down to the forest floor and look for any fallen branches of oak, ash, yew . . . "

"Actually antlers and bones work better if we can find them." Morris said.

I had already begun to climb down the edge when Morris spoke, I stopped instantly and looked up at him, "That is a brilliant idea." I meant every word, "Morris, you're my new best friend."

* * *

By the end of the day Brinsin and I had a nice, if small, pile of refines flecks. We had each person bring prime examples of the group's work back to the field to show their progress. Some people had a bit of trouble descending from the plateau to the forest floor with one hand occupied, but every one made the trip without incident. To be perfectly honest, the entire time we spent on the plateau, there were no injuries or incidents to speak of. Some tempers did occasionally flare when someone accidentally knapped a piece of obsidian incorrectly, however Morris proved his worth when he designated himself the quality control supervisor and morale booster. That man knew all kinds of little tricks for knapping and his patient personality and jovial demeanor soothed every frustrated person like a balm. Brinsin knew almost as much about knapping as Morris did. It didn't take long before I was sitting down with the group and taking tips from the two of them.

Anyway, we reached the forest floor without incident and we brought all the knappers with us. They were hungry and stiff from sitting in one place for the whole day. We made our way through the forest and out into the field.

There was a large bonfire already burning merrily even though it wasn't even fully dark yet. I cast my eyes across the field and spotted a good thirty lean-to structures. They were chest high and looked to be made of branches and leaves. All around the bonfire were people putting fish on what looked like flat rocks. People seemed to be eating any fish they wanted and more and more were being put on sticks every minute. Other people were sitting down a few feet away from the bonfire cutting up cabbages with small obsidian knives. The whole field carried a feeling of merriment and that feeling was expressed on every person's face. They were all obviously tired from their work but each and every one seemed content, not happy, but content.

A single person broke away from the gathering of people and approached us in the encroaching darkness. I recognized Joyner easily.

He waved as he approached us, "We were wondering when you guys would show up. How did the tool making go?"

Morris stepped forward and held out his best piece of the day. It was a nine inch long teardrop shaped fleck of obsidian that was blunt on the fat end and sharp on the thin end. The best part was that its edges were almost flat. Morris had Pressure Flaked it from scratch and the edge was nearly surgical quality.

Joyner accepted the finely crafted tool and felt its weight and edge, "This is good. Really good. Who did this?"

Brinsin stepped up behind Morris and slapped him heartily on the shoulder, "That'd be the esteemed Mr. Almond here. This dude knows his stuff. He taught all of us a couple of things."

Joyner shifted the knife to his left hand and extended his right, "It's a pleasure to have you with us Mr. Almond."

Morris shook Joyner's hand firmly, "I'm just glad I could help. And I prefer just Morris."

"Can't argue with that. I'll call you whatever you want as long as you keep making tools of this quality." Joyner said.

"Give me a proper forge and I'll make you bronze, brass, iron and eventually steel. I'm no good with wood but I can forge like a true blacksmith, knapping is a hobby." Morris said.

"I'd like all of you to distribute your tools to the shelter construction group. They could have used them today. As of right now we have enough lean-tos for about one hundred and fifty people. We need a lot more of them. Good work today everyone. We appreciate your efforts. Everyone go get something to eat. Sleeping arrangements are the same as last night. Spoon up close to preserve body heat, no unnecessary touching and please no sex for now. None of us can afford to take care of a baby out here at the moment and with all the possible complications with a birth, it could kill someone. If you want to do other things, go for it, but please don't do anything that might end in a pregnancy."

Everyone dispersed and I was heading off to get something to eat when Joyner stopped me, "Pering, I want you to eat slowly and eat plenty. When you get up in the morning, eat some more and take a whole cabbage with you." he handed me the fine obsidian fleck Morris had crafted, "Take this with you. Find a stout stick and make a spear if you can. You're going to be out there on your own so be really careful. If you're not back and if we haven't seen any signs of aid in one week we're going to have to move on to a place where there's enough food. I'll see if I can get everyone to head to the North-West. That's farther down the river so maybe we can find a lake that it empties into. If we can, we should be able to sustain ourselves with fish for quite a while." he stopped and took a breath, "Everyone is going to want to see you off tomorrow so don't be surprised, but don't let it slow you down. Be sure to take some of that wonder weed with you in case you get hurt. Now go eat. You've earned it."

I headed over to the bonfire and plucked a fish off a rock, apparently it had been set there to cool. I had no idea where the fish were being cooked or where the flat rocks had come from but at that point, I didn't care. I then made my way away from the bonfire. I had to let the fish cool a bit before I ate it but honestly it smelled like heaven. The fish had to have been all of nine inches long and that was without its head. I could only imagine how large it had originally been.

I plopped myself down on the grass of the field and began picking at my fish. It was still hot and it was completely unseasoned but right then it was manna from heaven. I picked at it with my fingers, being careful of bones, when I heard someone walk up behind me.

"Hey Pering," Ludwig said as he sat down beside me, "I wanted to talk to you about your trip tomorrow. It was fairly warm last night and it looks like it's going to be pretty warm tonight too." he said looking up at the millions of stars in the sky, "When you're out there these next couple of days you're gonna need something other than cabbage to keep you goin'. When you're walking try to keep an eye out for oak trees. Pick a bunch of acorns and shell them as you walk then split them in half and wrap them in your blanket at night and dunk them in a stream, if you can find one, and let them seep overnight. The next morning they should be edible. They'll taste like hell but they'll be edible."

"How in the world do you know that?" I asked surprised, "You're not an extreme camping enthusiast."

"I lived under a bush in Seashore State Park for two months. One of the other homeless guys taught me how to do that. His name was Alan. He got beat to death by a bunch of kids after I left. It never made the news because he was homeless. He didn't matter to anyone."

I knew Ludwig had a hard life but I didn't know he had ever been that bad off, "How did you get back on your feet? Most people who end up homeless spend the rest of their lives in that state."

Ludwig leaned back on the grass and laced his fingers behind his head, "Did you ever see those people who stand on the side of the road with signs asking for help? Well I did that for a while. I got about fifty dollars each day. I didn't spend it though. I buried it and just ate out of a 7-11 dumpster. One of the employees always bagged the best sandwiches separately so I would know what to look for. Anyway, I saved and saved and eventually I had collected six thousand dollars. I rented the cheapest hotel room I could find, changed my address to the hotel, and hit a thrift store. The hotel was only two hundred a week. I dolled up and applied for the job at Security. The job paid more than my bills so I saved again. Eventually I had enough to buy a car. I bought it and paid the whole thing off in cash and got a post office box and lived in my car until I could afford an apartment. The rest was downhill from there. I've been in some tough places, Pering. I survived those and I'll survive here. I have to get back to my son. Fredrick is the most important thing in my life since my wife passed away. I swore to her that I'd always take care of him and now I can't. He has his grandmother but I'm his father. It's my responsibility to take care of him. He's my son and I'll be damned if he has to go through what I did." he sighed heavily, "You'll understand someday Pering." he lapsed into silence for several minutes while I sat eating my fish.

"There's more grilled cabbage here than I can eat." he said indicating the flat rock in front of him, "You want it?"

"Sure." I said quietly, "Thanks Ludwig."

"No problem Pering." he sighed, "No problem."

* * *

The following morning I woke up and ate a slow, filling breakfast. Everyone in the field was crowded around trying to give me things to help on the trek. I turned them down again and again, saying they probably needed it more than I did.

Joyner had me stand in front of the field of people and wave for a minute or two before he let me leave. The people cheered and yelled and hollered and carried on, like I was some sort of hero. Honestly it annoyed me more than anything.

Joyner finally let me get going at the same time the knappers headed up to the first plateau. Brinsin, Hord, and Vacca came too, leading people up to the plateau. The trip was exactly the same as it had been before, except this time no one strayed or hurt themselves. I led the climb up to the first plateau then helped everyone else up as they came.

The knappers bid me a second farewell as they went back to their knapping. It honestly surprised me that modern young people, used to all the convenience afforded by technology, would be so compliant when asked to use their bare hands to shape bits of rock all day. I took a moment and dunked my cabbage into the stream. I unwrapped the blanket from around my waist and tied it around my shoulder like a sling then knelt down and drank until I couldn't drink anymore. Brinsin stayed with the knappers and Vacca and Hord climbed up to the second plateau with me. The climb seemed to take freaking forever.

In all honesty, I did not want to go. I did not want to be alone for who knew how many days, maybe eaten by a bear, maybe starving or freezing or injuring myself or falling into a chasm and breaking my neck and slowly dehydrating to death. Suddenly, I REALLY didn't want to go, 'Suck it up milk toast.' I scolded myself mentally, 'People are depending on you so man up, suck it up, and stop sitting around on your pussy and do something to actually help them.' I didn't feel much better even with my internal pep talk.

We climbed over the edge of the second plateau and just stood there for several minutes. I didn't say anything. I was scared. I didn't know what I would find out there.

I suddenly found myself enveloped in a firm hug, "Stay safe out there Dan." Hord said, "If anything tries to eat you, return the favor." he finished by giving me hearty slaps on the back.

Vacca extended his right hand to me, I took it obviously, "Be careful man. You don't know what they're like, keep an eye out and watch everything."

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate it." I swear I was not misty eyed, "Well, these tracks won't follow themselves. I'll see you guys when I get back."

With my good bye complete, I turned and ambled off, following the still very visible tracks of the two equinoids. The tracks were easy to follow even after they left the plateau and entered the light underbrush. They seemed to follow the plateau partially around the mountain, so I followed as well.

After only about ten minutes or so of walking, I heard a twig snap lightly behind me. I hadn't been expecting to have anyone following me so I turned around quickly. I figured that if someone was following me I would try to get them to go back to the field but if they were set on joining me, I wouldn't complain.

I never expected to come face to face with Masonete, "Hey Pering." he said quietly, "I got you something."

He held out a long, thick, stout piece of oak. It was about five feet long and one and a half inches thick. The bark had been carefully peeled off of it revealing the rich texture of the wood underneath. The walking stick was heavy too. The thing had to weigh all of five pounds.

"Wow," I said appreciating the work he had obviously put into it, "Thanks Andrew."

"No problem. I saw everyone else offering you crap that would only slow you down and I'd made this for myself yesterday, so I thought you could use it. There's plenty more that came from so don't sweat it. You know I'm terrible at goodbyes so I'll just stand here till I can't see you anymore."

I smiled at my socially awkward buddy and patted him on the shoulder, "Just don't be staring at my ass. O.k.?"

He punched me in the arm, chuckling, "Man, get the heck out o' here, you nut."

"See you Andrew." I turned and walked away following the tracks.

I didn't look back.

Chapter 4: Trails And Errors

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The tracks headed off to the South-West, around the mountain and I followed them as quickly as I could. I tied the blanket around my shoulders and used it to carry the cabbage and knife. It made traveling much easier and the walking stick Masonete gave me helped even more.

The tracks followed a game trail and I followed that. The forest was thick and lush and there were plenty of times I had to crouch or push branches out of my way. I could tell that the trail wasn't too heavily traversed but it was easy to follow.

I had to stay alert though. The tracks from the two equinoids could veer away from the trail and I knew that. I kept my eyes mostly on the tracks and not the trail.

I walked until around noon then stopped and ate a lunch of cabbage. The raw cabbage was... cabbage-y. It filled me up though and helped me stay hydrated. I ate as little of it as I could so that my full stomach wouldn't make me lethargic.

My small meal finished, I continued my journey. Late in the afternoon I found the trail beginning to descend down the mountain. The footing was treacherous and much more rocky. I was making my way down the mountain, still following the game trail when I saw a clearing up ahead through the trees. I slowed down and double checked the tracks. They went straight through the center of the clearing.

The clearing was roughly six hundred feet in an approximate circle. The bright green grass was knee high and thickly grown. I would be effectively blind trying to make my way across. The thought of not being able to see where I was stepping did not sit well with me. I quickly contemplated venturing around the clearing and dismissed the idea just as quickly, 'It would waste time to do so and I might waste even more time trying to find the tracks again.' I squared my shoulders and began very slowly making my way across the field. I gently shuffled my feet and carefully shifted my weight as I inched my way through the grass. I utilized the walking stick to feel for any signs of rocks or roots and especially snakes.

I was about halfway through the clearing when I heard a distant yell and the sound of flapping wings overhead. I raised my eyes and saw a flight of winged equinoids pass above me. I counted ten of them and they looked to be wearing a type of bronze barding. They were flying in a 'V' formation so I decided against trying to signal them for fear of being attacked. It did give me hope though, 'I'm probably not too far from a settlement.' I thought.

I returned to my shuffling and before too long, I had reached the far side of the clearing. The tracks were thankfully easy to pick up, so I bent myself once more and focused on my task. As I walked, I kept an eye out for the oak trees Ludwig had told me about. I tried identifying every tree but eventually they all began to look the same. I ended up losing the tracks for a short time. I panicked for several long minutes until I found them again. I happened to also find a slew of acorns while I had been panicking. I planted my walking stick in the dirt near the tracks and went back to look for the acorns. The search took only a minute or two. I scooped up several hand fulls, as many as I could manage, and stuffed them into my impromptu haversack. I returned to my planted stick and found the trail again.

I continued my trek until the sun began to set but saw no other signs indicating any sort of settlement was close by. Lady luck smiled upon me. I found a tiny stream flowing in the midst of a stand of maple trees. The trees were very closely packed, so much so that I had to actually squeeze between several of them to reach a small flat space in the center of them. I could not have asked for a more ideal place to sleep. The mini-clearing was oblong, being no more than fifteen feet across and eight feet wide. The tiny stream flowed longways through the clearing and the leaves from the trees hid no dangers to my soft feet.

I tossed down my walking stick and unslung the blanket from my shoulder carefully. I made certain not to lose any of the acorns I had gathered earlier. I set the blanket down and sat myself beside it. It felt so good to sit down. My feet hurt. I was used to standing in one place for hours at a time, like I had at The Complex but I had boots with gel soles then. My three hundred plus pound mass walking for a whole day without shoes had put a significant strain on my feet. I rubbed at my feet while idly pondering why my feet hadn't hurt the day before. The only conclusion I could come to was that I occasionally sat down so it must have taken the pressure off my poor feet.

I quickly finished with my feet and began shelling acorns in the rapidly fading light. Most of them were fresh and milky white but there were some that had black spots. Those I threw away. I shelled until I could barely see anymore, then I wrapped the acorns into the blanket, weighed it down with small stones from the stream and set the whole thing in the water to soak overnight.

I used my bare hands to scrape away the lose leaves and piled them up for a basic pillow, complete with a few spiders. I kept the obsidian knife close at hand and my walking stick right next to me. I slowly drifted off to sleep wondering how my friends were doing.

* * *

The entire Fellowship of Leadership stood in front of an entire field of people that same night. The Security team had taken a vote of who else to include since some people were beginning to claim the Security team had too much control. Kaneesha Edwards, Eduardo Ortega, Leo Brock, Jason Campbell, and Morris Almond had been voted in. Leo was a close vote. Almost no one liked him, but they could agree that even assholes could have the best interest of the group at heart. With the new members, every one sat down and debated on what the leaders should be referred to. The decided on title was Fellowship of Leadership.

It had been an interesting day. Masonete had reported that one specific African-American man had been sneaking away from the group set to build shelters. He had followed him and found him examining a single thick stick lying in the forest that surrounded the field. He had waited until the man had gone, then snuck over and examined the stick for himself. It had been covered with blood. Masonete reported his finding to Joyner and the two of them had collected the branch then confronted the young man.

"This man, Mario LeBlanch, has been found guilty of the murder of Kyle Sterling. He has admitted his guilt but claims justification by way of 'group safety'. He claims he was doing something that needed to be done otherwise he believes Kyle would have eventually done the same thing to an innocent person. His guilt is not in question. He is guilty of premeditated, first degree murder of a man. The question set before all of you is the question of punishment. There are only a few possible forms of punishment: execution, marking, maiming, or absolution of his actions. This will be decided by show of hands and persons. First, is any one in favor of excusing a murderer for his crime? Show of hands please."

A few hands raised, but not many, Joyner continued, "Is any one in favor of execution?"

A great number of hands shot up, "All in favor of execution, walk over to the shelters to be counted." he turned to Ludwig, "Are you prepared to execute a man?"

Ludwig took a deep breath then slowly nodded, "I can be the monster so no one else has to." His expression was grim, but determined.

Joyner nodded solemnly then turned to two of his people, "Alright then. Brinsin, Spearman go count heads. Start separately and end separately then come back to me with final numbers."

He turned back to his team, "Jewel, what would be the least painful and most merciful way to execute a person given what we have available to us at the moment?"

Jewel put his hand to his chin in thought, "We could force the condemned to eat some of those poisonous mushrooms. Eric died pretty painlessly."

Hord reluctantly raised his hand, "If I may make an observation sir?"

Joyner nodded, "Go ahead."

"I REALLY hate to say this, but any public execution is to instill fear of consequences into the people, correct?" he asked.

"That's right." Joyner said, "Go on."

"Oh GOD I don't believe I'm saying this." Hord took a deep breath and continued his thought, "Wouldn't it be much more effective if the execution were as gruesome and horrifying as possible? It's inhumane and cruel as all fuck, but... it would probably be more effective."

"I hate to say it, but I was thinking the same thing." Vacca admitted quietly.

"Yeah, it would, but at what point do we draw the line? Should we prolong the suffering of a single human being by a tortuous death just to drive home a point? If I were in his position, I would want it to be painless and quick." Masonete said.

"I agree," Jewel said, "We can't just go and torture someone. We'd be no better than barbarians. I spent my time in the military saving people and doing my best to ease people's suffering. I am not going to change that now."

"Yo, we can't just go and ignore what he did an' if we go easy on one murderer or we'll be expected to do the same to any more that pop up. We got to make it terrible, it sucks to say, but we got to make an example o' him." Calvin argued.

"Ain't happenin'!" Richardson said, "We ain't gonna torture no one. What the hell are we Nazis? Civilized people don't do that shit."

"We adibin' by the Code o' Hammurabi. It says death meets death. If we bend on one ereone's gonna think we gonna do the same for them. We'll be overrun by killers." Kaneesha added.

"I don't give a shit what any o' you think!" Leo said passionately, "We got to make this shit consistent!" the Fellowship of Leadership fell to silence, "We got to make every execution consistent! They all got to be done the same fuckin' way! We don't change shit for any one. One crime, one penalty! We got to do that for each crime! Once we make that choice, we fuckin' stick to that shit! The consistency will mean more than brutalizin' one dude! that's what's wrong wit the U.S. erebody's punished different! One punishment for erebody no matter who they are!"

Silence reigned.

Brinsin and Spearman walked back over to the Fellowship of Leadership,
"I counted 461." Spearman said.

"I got 457." Brinsin said.

"Alright those numbers are pretty close and in either case it's a majority decision. He's going to be executed. Merciful or brutal, show of hands."

The Fellowship voted silently, Joyner nodded, "Merciful it is. We have two options: eating the mushrooms or cutting his throat. Show of hands for the mushrooms."

The Leadership voted a second time, Joyner announced the decision, "The punishment for every murder is death by exsanguination, via cut throat. Calvin, Brinsin, Spearman, and Hord hold him down. Ludwig, once he's held and I give the signal, administer the punishment. Understood?"

They all nodded as Joyner turned back to the crowd, "The sentence is death by exsanguination. Sentence to be witnessed by all and carried out immediately. Seize the Condemned and bring him to the middle of the field."

Mario LeBlanch looked up as the four men solemnly stepped toward his kneeling form, "So," he asked, "Yall assholes gonna kill me for doin' the right thing?"

The four former Security Officers nodded, "Do we need to drag you Mr. LeBlanch?" Hord asked.

Without a word, he rose to his feet calmly. Calvin, Brinsin, Spearman, and Hord thought he meant to go to his death quietly. They were wrong. In a blur of motion, Mario LeBlanch turned and ran toward the forest as quickly as he could.

The four men gave chase. Spearman and Hord quickly pulled ahead with Brinsin close behind and Calvin bringing up the rear. The forest was several hundred feet away but they knew they would be hard pressed to catch Mario if he made it that far. They pumped their legs hard as they ran behind the condemned man but Mario was faster. His fear drove him onward, his body moving with a speed he had never known before. He began to pull farther and farther away from his pursuers.

"Stop um!" Brinsin yelled, "If he gets away he might try to kill everyone!"

"I won't!" Mario yelled, "I swear, I'll never hurt anyone again! Just let me go an' I'll go die on my own!"

"We can't do that!" Spearman yelled.

"He's almost there!" Hord said loudly.

Mario reached the forest and disappeared into the shadows of the trees. His four pursuers halted at the treeline. They knew better than to run through the forest at night. They stood in place peering into the inky blackness for over a minute. None of them needed words, they were all thinking the same thing. They were catching their breath and listening for the telltale scream of pain that would indicate Mario had stepped on a stick.

That scream never came.

* * *

The night passed as peacefully as I could have possibly hoped for and it was pleasantly warm to boot. The morning sun pierced through the tree limbs above me and woke me from my slumber. I sat up, aching all over from the dirt I laid on. I already missed the simple pleasure of sleeping on soft grass. I yawned and stretched out my arms.

My cabbage was not the greatest breakfast in the world, but it was filling. I reached into the brisk stream and removed the blanket. It dripped water out in every direction as I set it down on the leaves I had used as a pillow. I untied it and peered at the acorns inside. They were swollen with water but were almost pure white. I picked one up and popped it into my mouth. As I chewed, I noticed a very distinctive nutty flavor, not surprising, but the sweet flavor that followed it was quite nice. I ate exactly twenty then dumped the rest in with my cabbage. I drank as much water as I could stand then collected my walking stick and knife. I tied the wet blanket around my shoulder again and water dripped steadily down my left thigh. I squeezed my way back through the trees and continued tracking.

The tracks were easy to find and follow. The same types of thick trees and brush I had been dealing with for the entirety of my trek continued trying to impede my progress. My walking stick kept THEM from succeeding. My path continued gently downward and eventually leveled out early in the afternoon. The level ground was much more thickly forested and the dirt was tightly packed. Because of the packed dirt, the tracks were nearly impossible to follow. I was forced to slow down significantly in order to keep on the trail. The forest continued in that manner until early evening.

The trees thinned out gradually and the dirt softened as I proceeded onward. I came to a small field just as the sun was beginning its abnormally quick descent toward the horizon. The field was rich with flowers of all colors and sizes. It wasn't a particularly large field, maybe fifty feet by eighty feet or so, but the grass was tall and the flowers were beautiful. In all honesty, after the stress of losing so much time following the tracks over hard dirt, the field felt like a little piece of heaven.

I let out a pent up sigh and stepped out into the field and right onto a jaggedly sharp rock hidden in the grass. I had been so relieved to find grass to sleep on that I had completely forgotten to step carefully and it cost me. It cost me dearly.

My right foot came down with my full weight behind it. I felt the rock pierce the soft flesh of my foot as my weight continued down. I reflexively tried to shift my balance but my left foot stumbled and I ended up putting even more pressure on my right. The rock shredded through skin and muscle and I cried out loudly in pain.

Red hot agony spiked through my foot and I instantly overbalanced and fell over. I sat up holding my bleeding foot and proceeded to apply pressure to my ankle to slow the flow of blood as tears of pain streamed down my face. After a good four minutes of bleeding and getting more and more lightheaded I realized it wasn't going to stop on its own.

I frantically cast my eyes about searching for any yarrow. I spotted some close by off to my left, within arm's reach. I also realized I would have to let go of my ankle to pick the flowers and I feared that doing so would cause me to black out from blood loss. In desperation and with swimming vision I pitched over onto my left side and inched my way toward the yarrow plant.

I reached the plant, hands still wrapped around my ankle and bit the stem of the plant with my teeth. I bit down hard and ground my teeth together, trying to sever the stem. I bent my head and pulled at the plant. It didn't budge. I yanked a second time. Still nothing. I pulled a third time to no effect. Grinding my teeth in frustration, I tilted my head and yanked as hard as I could.

The plant ripped free finally. I rocked myself from side to side and managed to get to a sitting position. I opened my mouth and let the yarrow fall onto my lap. I shifted and twisted at my waist and the yarrow slid with the base, where I bit it on the ground and the flowering end propped up against my left thigh. I leaned over and opened my mouth as wide as I could then bit off as many of the white flowers as I could manage.

As I chewed on the flowers I carefully shifted my hands so that my left hand would be free to pack the spit poultice into my wound. My whole body was shaking from pain, blood loss, and the anticipation of the terrible agony that would come when I forced the chewed flower mush into my injured foot. I pulled my leg as close to my lap as I could and tried to get a good look at my injury. The rock had sliced open the flesh all the way from the base of my instep to the ball of my foot. I could clearly see muscles and tendons through the blood, pulp, dirt, grass, and flaps of flayed skin.

I finished chewing on the yarrow and carefully pulled my left hand away from my ankle. Thanks to my careful movement and foresight, the increase of blood flow was minimal. I quickly spit the yarrow mush into my left hand. I took a steadying breath and clenched my teeth then jammed the spit poultice into my wound. Agony beyond description flared through my damaged foot. My clenched teeth shot open and I emitted a loud, long scream. I screamed and screamed as I moved the mush around inside my injury. My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. I could feel myself sweating and I felt dizzy and nauseous.

I pulled my hand away from my foot and gripped my ankle again waiting for the pain to stop. I rocked back and forth sobbing as the yarrow slowly went to work. By the time I could see straight again it was fully dark. The pain in my foot had eased off enough for me to form coherent thought.

I gingerly pulled my foot up and looked at the wound. The entire bottom of my foot was covered with drying blood, spit poultice, dirt, and strips of shredded flesh. It seemed likely that the yarrow I had applied would help but there was so much dirt that it was almost guaranteed to become infected quickly.

I untied the blanket and set the cabbage and acorns down in the grass. I took the obsidian knife and carefully cut an eight inch strip from it. The strip ran the entire length of the blanket and I figured it would be enough to wrap my foot in. I proceeded to wrap the impromptu bandage around my injured foot as tightly as I could manage. It hurt horribly, I was in tears by the time I was done. I finished by tying the ends of my makeshift bandage together right on the gash in my foot. Afterward, I was far too tired to continue on, so I decided to just sleep where I was.

I ate thirty acorns and almost half the cabbage I had left. I had no appetite to speak of but I knew my body needed time and food to replace the blood I had lost. I laid my walking stick down next to me and just slept with the blanket still tied around my shoulder.

The night passed far too quickly. I woke up and immediately wished I hadn't. My foot ached constantly and I could feel that it had swollen during the night. The bandage was stretched tightly over my foot and the entire thing looked lumpy and malformed. The gentle prodding of my left hand told me in no small, uncertain terms that my foot was extremely tender and that any sort of pressure on it would be agonizingly painful.

I pulled my cabbage out of the blanket and held it up for water. It was bone dry. I ate some of the cabbage and a few of the acorns. They were almost all dry too.

I dreaded the walk I had ahead of me that day, but I knew I had to do it, no matter how much it would hurt. I picked up my walking stick and gripped it tightly in my right hand. I planted one end on the ground to my right and pushed down on it to gain some leverage as I rose to my left knee.

I gritted my teeth and hauled myself upright using the walking stick for leverage. As soon as I stood up, blood began to circulate through my leg more freely. The nerve endings lit up my whole foot with white hot agony. I nearly fell over from the pain.

I couldn't put any significant amount of pressure on my foot, the pain had made me dizzy the first time I had tried it and I had no illusions about a different outcome if I tried a second time. Balancing carefully, I reached down and put the cabbage and acorns in the blanket then tied it around my shoulder again. I set out, hobbling along, following the tracks as best I could given my state.

The forest, which was still thick outside the small clearing, had been an annoyance at worst before. Suddenly every branch in my way, every bramble to be circumvented, every slight dip in the path was a nearly insurmountable obstacle. My progress was abysmally slow and I was constantly distracted by the jolts of pain from my injury which flared up with each clumsy step. Throughout the course of a day of agony, I ended up losing the trail several times due to my near perpetual state of distraction. My mind constantly wandered as random thoughts popped into my head, 'How good it will feel to lay in a bed again.' 'I'm going to eat the biggest peach cobbler in the world.' 'How wonderful it felt to lay in a nice hot bath for an hour, just soaking in the heat.' my brain kept jumping from one subject to another at random. I could hardly remember anything as I walked, I'm certain I covered several topics multiple times during the course of my self narrative. I noticed around noon that I was beginning to feel chilled.

I recognized the oncoming infection quickly but there was nothing more I could do to combat it. Midday came and went with me leaning against a blurry tree, nibbling on my cabbage. As the day wore on and on I became more and more thirsty I had not stumbled onto another stream and with the oncoming infection, I was feeling it.

By evening I was extremely thirsty, hell I think I might have been delirious. I decided to stop for the night and sat propped up against a tree that I only remember as 'smooth'. I couldn't remember the latter half of the day and I belatedly realized that I had no idea where I had last seen the trail. I sat in place, for how long I don't know, and bemoaned my distraction. Hours later I fell asleep with the same thought playing over and over in my head, 'I'm lost.'

I woke up at some point the next day. I don't remember when. I don't remember much about the whole day. I remember that my foot was horribly swollen. I remember it hurt all day. I remember walking for hours. I remember bumping into trees and scratching my face and chest on branches. I remember my burning thirst. I don't remember eating anything and I don't remember feeling hungry. I don't remember what direction I went because I kept forgetting to look at the sun. I remember falling over at some point when it was dark, though I don't recall why I was still walking.

At some point in the afternoon of what I could only guess was the following day, I awoke feeling queasy and dehydrated. I forced myself to finish off the cabbage for liquid since I wasn't near any fresh water sources. The acorns had mostly dried out and the cabbage had very little water left in it. It didn't help much but it was better than nothing. My head pounded like a drum, but at least I could gain some moments of lucid clarity, fleeting as they were. That morning my cabbage and acorns ran out. It was an agonizing and exhausting process to haul myself up to a standing position, but I persevered.

My perseverance was not without cost though. As I rose to a standing position I put pressure on my injured foot by mistake. It was alarming even in my delusional state that there was almost no pain accompanying the action. I knew it was a bad thing that my foot didn't hurt but I didn't remember why. My progress that day was pitiful. I could feel that I was sweating and not from exertion. My mind began to wander more and more as the day wore on and I lapsed into a routine of limping while lost in thought. I had no real concept of time. I was just making as much progress as I could with as little jarring as possible. The forest was an ever changing blur of colors as my bleary eyes refused to focus on anything specific. All my mind knew was, 'Step, step, step, step, step... '

My good foot suddenly being submerged in icy cold water brought me part way out of my stupor. It took several moments to register the word 'water' in my brain. For some reason, it seemed like a good idea to just collapse where I was standing, and I did so. I passively felt rocks dig into my hip and ribs, their blunt forms were sure to leave colorful bruises decorating my naked body. I remember thinking it was strange that I couldn't see anything around me. My mind cleared briefly and I looked around in surprise, 'When did the sun go down?'

Wobbled onto my hands and knees then sat down on the bank of the stream I had wandered into. Finding my muscles incapable of supporting my weight suddenly, I laid down on my left side to keep pressure off my right leg and dunked my head into the stream. I drank in huge gulps, as much water as I could stand. I came up for a breath then submerged my head once more. That process I repeated until I couldn't bear to drink anymore, then I laid back on the bank and fell into a dark, dreamless sleep.

I slowly returned to consciousness in daylight and felt slightly better than I had the day before. My head was more clear but I felt more lethargic and weak than I had before. I cast my gaze to the sky and noticed that it was still only mid morning. The realization reinvigorated me and I dunked my head into the stream again. I drank until I felt ready to burst then struggled to my foot and precariously crossed the stream. I pondered belatedly, why rising to an upright position was not as much of an ordeal as it had been before. It dawned on me that my foot wasn't hurting the way it had been before. That realization worried me greatly, but I dared not stop and look at it, 'The sooner I find help, the sooner I get helped.'

I looked around, once on the far side of the stream and realized I must have lost my path sometime during the previous days. The trees around me were much, much more sparse than they had been. The ground was nearly bare of leaves, soft dirt cushioned my foot as I hobbled forward, whichever direction forward was at that moment. I looked around and realized almost all the trees were birch and paper. The foliage overhead was nowhere near as thick as it had been before, but I couldn't tell just yet which direction was which. I was walking onward because the forest was so beautiful. The dust I stirred up floated in the air and on the invisible currents of a slight breeze. Sunlight filtering through the canopy above me caught the dust and bright motes shone out like fireflies. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Even with all the time I had spent in my ever-busy life doing various random things, I had never seen anything like it. The tranquility and simplicity of that place was enchanting, no other word would suffice. I stood in place for a long time and simply looked at the world around me. In that moment, I felt like I was in paradise.

My mind returned to itself eventually as my stomach made a common demand that I could not deny. I continued looking around as I hobbled onward searching for something to eat. An out of place series of burnt logs caught my attention and I made my way over to them. It was easy to tell that I was seeing an old fire pit. I lowered my left hand to the logs; they were still slightly warm.

A sudden sound snapped my attention back up, 'That sounded like children laughing.'

"Hello?" I called out, "Is anyone there?"

The laughing stopped instantly, "Emooli?" a little girl's voice answered back.

"If you can hear me, I need help." I called back.

I heard the sound of steps coming toward me, so I sat down against a nearby tree, 'Maybe I'll look less intimidating this way.'

I didn't have long to wait. Within a few moments a tiny gray equinoid with a pink, curly mane and tail came into view not thirty feet from me. A second one followed a few seconds later. The second one was mustard yellow and her mane and tail were dark brown.

They stopped and stared at me, "Lamine! Lamane! Ostarn visi!" it called over its shoulder.

I took the chance to examine them more closely. The first one had what appeared to be a little horn on its head, 'Correction, her head. Those voices sounded like little girls.' I shook my head to clear my thoughts as much as possible, 'I can't say that for certain. Maybe they all sound like that. Oh hell, I'll just call them female until I discover otherwise. Come on Dan, this is probably your best chance to plead your case. Get your head in the game.' I continued watching the two eighteen inch tall equinoids and set my mind in motion, 'Those first two words sounded very similar. I'd guess maybe the titles of both sexes of parents and those last two words, if I had to guess, probably mean something like, 'come look' or 'come see' or 'come quick' or something along those lines. The two little ones look young so I'll just think of them as 'foals'. I should probably pay attention to which adult they go to. That one is most likely to be the dominant or protective parent or at least the more authoritative one.'

I heard more approaching steps. I waited patiently for them to appear.

Two unicorns stepped into view, 'Crud, I'm not a virgin.'

I swallowed hard and carried on, 'Hmm these two look decidedly different. They both have horns but... ' and suddenly what I was seeing clicked, 'Both sexes! By god these equinoids are sexually dimorphous! The one on the left must be male. He's a few inches taller than the other one and every one of his features is more angled, hell he's practically chiseled. The other one is shorter and definitely has more rounded features and... is that unicorn wearing eyeliner?'

The male was gray and his mane and tail were dark brown while the female was bright yellow with a pink mane and tail. I could see what looked like tattoos emblazoned on their butts but I couldn't make them out clearly.

My internal documentary was cut short when the first foal I saw, 'I'll just call her Foal One until I get a name.' when Foal One scampered up to the... , 'I'm just going to use equinoid terms.' to the mare.

"Lamine! Lamine! Visi! Hetlar uldun vost?

I took an educated guess, 'Mother/Dam! Mother/Dam! Look/see/observe! What/who is that/this?' Foal Two seemed too engrossed in me to pay attention to the other equinoids.

The mare suddenly spoke as she pushed Foal One under her torso, "Vestu," she seemed to be addressing the stallion, "Entala nuvia pestop ivt visi hetlar hundirar fridath oom."

I caught one word 'visi' which I was fairly certain, by that point, meant 'look/see', it was pronounced 'vees-eye'. I'll admit it surprised me greatly to see the two adults acting so calmly. Most human parents would have been pitching a fit were they in a similar situation.

Meanwhile Foal Two was apparently feeling bold. My eyes lowered to her while she took one tentative step toward me, then another. My eyes flickered back up to the two adults, 'Now there's a more normal reaction.' I thought. The eyes of the two adults had widened significantly and the stallion's head was lowered aggressively.

Foal Two came closer but my eyes stayed glued to the stallion in particular. I felt a sharp pain in my leg and flinched violently, accidentally kneeing Foal Two in the chin, 'When did she get that close?' I looked down toward her.

She backed away from me whimpering as she spit and grimaced as if she had tasted something disgusting. I looked at my leg and saw a red mark in the shape of teeth, 'She bit me?'

A noise drew my attention back up and I instantly froze. The stallion's face was a hair's breadth from my own and he did not look happy. He made and held eye contact with me, 'A test of dominance? Well I'm in their world, in their woods, and I'm certain at least one of the foals are his considering the similar coloration. If I'm going to beg for help I can't do that from a dominant position.' I lowered my eyes from his and looked down.

The stallion withdrew several steps from me, suddenly all smiles, 'What the fuck?' It took me a moment to notice that the mare and two foals were smiling pleasantly as well, 'Don't tell me part of their language is body signals and actions.' I groaned inwardly.

Though still slightly wary, the mare slowly approached me, Foal One staying under her torso, 'Ah, close to Mother's teats. It's a position of security, comfort, and familiarity. That makes sense.' My muscles tensed as she came up next to my injured foot and sniffed the blanket bandage. She reeled back and shook her head from side to side, snorting loudly.

She stopped after a few moments and looked back at me, then walked along my right side until she was only about two feet from my face, "Emooli, int helunti oom Insabre Tunti. Hetlinar evanine?" She held up her right hoof toward me, like someone offering a hand shake.

'O.K. brain, not only do we have complex and sophisticated words formed by an equinoid mouth but also the possibility of body language. Her ears are erect and forward facing, that probably means she's wary or at least alert. Her neck is almost a perfect 90° angle from her body and her nostrils are flared. She's definitely alert and maybe looking for scent cues as well? Her stance is off balance and she's holding out her leg as if to shake. No equine's joints should be able to rotate like that. Back on track. A few of her words are familiar. The first equinoid I met used that one 'emooli' word too. I'm sure that it's a greeting of some kind like 'hello'. Hmm, I wonder if she was perhaps trying to introduce herself. The second sentence was, I'm fairly sure, a question. Could she have been asking my name? Only one way to find out.'

I moved slowly, reaching out my right hand. I grasped the end of her hoof like a doorknob but felt something odd. I looked down and nearly lost my mind. It was a struggle not to yank my hand back. Instead of hard, mobile fingernail-like hoof, my fingers sunk in and were held fast by a clay-like substance. It was soft and malleable at first then hardened into what I expected a hoof to feel like. It didn't hurt whatsoever but my fingers were held solidly in place. She shook my hand twice then let go.

Swallowing my utter confusion, I went with my gut and pointed to myself, "Daniel Pering." taking a wild stab in the dark I pointed at her and said, "Insabre Tunti?"

She smiled and nodded, "Heef."

There was little doubt that 'heef' meant right/yes/affirmative/correct/accurate.

She pointed to the stallion and said, "Vestu." then pointed to herself, "Insabre," she pointed back to the stallion, "Vestu."

I imitated her by pointing to the stallion and saying, "Vestu," then I pointed to her and said, "Insabre."

They both nodded, 'Progress!'

I gestured to my whole body and said, "Human." I then gestured to Insabre and Vestu.

Insabre's eyes brightened in understanding after only a brief moment. Vestu and the foals looked puzzled.

She gestured at me with her hoof and said, "Danyel Puring, Humon." she then gestured to herself and said, "Imsabre Tunti, Kavim."

At first I thought she had said 'cave in'. I slowly pronounced the word several times, rolling it around on my tongue. It was strange but then again, they probably thought the same thing, 'Now's my chance. Time to get to the reason I came all the way here.'

I reached my right hand out and swept away the leaves next to me then pulled out my obsidian knife and began to draw in the dirt. Insabre , Vestu, and the foals cautiously came over and watched me draw. First off I'm a terrible artist. I used stick figures to draw the four Kavim. Two little ones to represent the foals and two larger ones to represent Insabre and Vestu, then one more to represent me. I pointed to each and pronounced names and species, as many as I knew anyway. They seemed to understand easily enough. I then drew basic houses, hoping they knew what those were, then I drew a lot of Kavim. I had them carrying things, working hard, and eating.

I moved to another section of dirt and drew the mountain and several dozen humanoid stick figures. To continue the message I drew rain over the humans, then snow, then wild animals eating us. After that I drew two more human figures, one fat like me, and one thin. I also drew my best rendition of food items like apples, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. I crossed out the food items then drew a human figure lying on the ground with 'Xs' over its eyes, bugs flying around, and its tongue hanging out.

They were all contemplatively quiet for several long minutes before Vestu's eyes lit up and he began quickly, almost frantically chattering with Insabre.

I could tell the exact moment Insabre understood. In a perfect mimicry of human actions, her eyes widened, she gasped, and put her right hoof over her mouth. I waved my hands and snagged their attention again. I drew an arrow from the humans at the mountain to the Kavim village. I wiped out the Kavim and instead put humans and Kavim working and eating together.

Insabre and Vestu seemed to get the idea almost immediately but they quickly dissolved into some sort of debate. They weren't arguing per se but their voices were strained. Insabre gestured to the drawing emphatically with a pleading tone while Vestu gestured to me then off in a Southern direction with concern in his voice. I couldn't follow anything they were saying, it all sounded like 'baca baca baca baca' to me.

Seeing they weren't going to be able to make any progress any time soon, I turned my attention toward the foals. Foal Two was trying to talk to Insabre and Vestu while she gestured to Foal One. The adults ignored her completely.

Foal One, on the other hand, had taken up a standing position between my legs and had her eyes closed and her head lowered in the direction of my face.

Something about the situation felt off to me, "Uh guys?"

The two adults ignored me.

The gray and pink foal's little horn sparked briefly before going out again.

I had a bad feeling all of the sudden, "Guys?" I said a bit louder.

The air felt charged, like electrical static was building up all around.

The foal's horn lit up in a pink aura.

'What the fuck!' I thought, 'This is bad! This is very bad!' "Insabre! Vestu!" I bellowed.

The two unicorns fell silent. I could see them turn in my direction out of the corner of my eye. My focus was the foal in front of me.

Horn still lit, she lunged forward. I felt her tiny, glowing horn hit my forehead.

My mind instantly exploded with images. Every memory, every thought, every emotion; they all flashed through before my eyes and through my head violently, like the uncontrolled gale force winds of a hurricane. I felt terrible pressure build up behind my skull and it was growing quickly. Everything in my head was pure chaos. I felt nauseous and dizzy. Pressure began building up within my ears, making them ring loudly.

The pain was beyond description.

I cried out and pushed outward with my arms. I was only vaguely aware of feeling the foal's body against my hands. I pushed against her as hard as I could but she didn't budge. I heard yelling all around me, but I couldn't make out any of it. I strained against her with all my might but she stayed put like a thousand pound granite statue.

"Vestu xae!" Insabre's voice broke through my mental haze.

The pressure inside my brain evaporated with an intense jolt to the side of my head, which was accompanied by a sickening, juicy crunch.

My mind felt like it was floating away and I could hear a sound similar to ocean waves. My body felt weightless briefly before I hit a solid object which knocked the wind out of me.

The last thing I heard was Insabre and Foal One screaming.

Chapter 5: Interruptions

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"Now repeat after me Princess: varnotchk." instructed a tan unicorn mare.

"Vernoct." the word was utterly butchered by the tall white Alicorn seated in front of her.

The Alicorn mare was bright, shiny white with a mane and tail that flowed in soothing pastel colors, constantly rippling in a nonexistent breeze. Atop her head sat a golden crown with a huge purple gem set into the center. The crown was indicative of her royal status, the crown was not alone though, golden shoes shod her feet, while an extremely wide gleaming golden necklace stretched from her withers to the base of her chest.

"No," the young mare repeated patiently, "Varnotchk."

The two were seated in the Royal Palace in Canterlot, in Princess Celestia's personal chambers to be precise.

It was mid-afternoon and Princess Celestia had almost forgotten her language lesson. She was trying to learn several new slang terms in Draconic, but the words were being problematic, 'Why do they have to be so complex?' she idly wondered.

"Vernotch." she tried again, "Phphphbt!" she blew a royal raspberry at her instructor, "How can you pronounce it so fluently?"

The unicorn mare smiled and somewhat proudly fluffed her fuchsia mane with her left fore hoof, "Lots and lots and lots of practice. You wouldn't believe how many times I destroyed the pronunciation before I got it right. Now, let's try again: varnotchk."

Princess Celestia had her mouth open when a heavy pounding sounded against her door, "Enter." she commanded softly.

An armored, dark gray unicorn stallion opened the door and executed a deep bow, "Your majesty, there has been a violent incident."

"Rise Sargent," the Princess spoke calmly, "Violent incidents have occurred before and I'm sure they will again in the future. What led you to believe I needed to be involved? We have laws for dealing with violence."

"The incident involved a filly and an unidentified creature. Apparently the filly performed a spell on the creature and her father attacked it. The filly has been crying inconsolably and has been talking about memories of a strange place, memories that her parents say are not her own. The creature has sustained serious, possibly life-threatening injury. The most troubling part is that apparently it did not speak but was attempting to communicate. The filly's parents believe it was trying to ask for sanctuary for others of its kind."

The princess rose fluidly to her hooves, "I apologize, Razor Wit but it seems I am needed elsewhere."

The unicorn mare bit her lip briefly before speaking, "Your Majesty, I'm fluent in every language and dialect in the world. I may be able to lend some assistance."

The Princess quirked an eyebrow, "You may join me if you wish but I ask that you not speak of this event until I say otherwise."

Razor Wit bowed her head, "As you command."

"Sargent," the Princess addressed as she turned back to the stallion, "Take me to those involved."

* * *

Bright Spark gently stroked her daughter's mane. Rose Quartz, the filly, had been heavily sedated. She was lying on a bed in Canterlot General while her father, Stout, and her sister, Morning Glory, sat in the waiting room near the hospital's entrance, three floors down.

The room's door burst open revealing four more mares, all wearing anxious expressions. The first was an ice white pegasus mare who sported a burnt orange mane and tail. The second was another pegasus who had a veridian coat and gleaming silver mane and tail. The third was an earth pony. She was light blue and her mane and tail shone like spun gold. The final mare was a bright red unicorn mare whose light brown mane and tail were tied up in a bun.

"What happened?" asked the light blue earth pony mare.

"Stout and I decided to take Rose and Morning on a little hike when we came upon some kind of creature. It was injured and it couldn't speak. It seemed harmless at first but... "

She was cut off by the veridian pegasus mare, "Where is it?" she asked angrily, "I'll pound it into oblivion!"

"You don't have to, Storm Front." Bright Spark said quietly, "Stout already broke its skull."

"No surprise there!" Storm Front said, suddenly jovial, "He always was a bit rough."

"Enough." the command was quiet but cutting, "What caused Stout to attack the creature? He may be a bit... exuberant but I've never heard of him getting violent." the question came from the lone earth pony.

Bright Spark looked over to her and shrugged, "I'm not sure, Veneer. The creature was trying to communicate something about others of its kind. I think it was trying to ask for a place to stay. Stout and I got into an argument... "

The ice white pegasus mare face hoofed, "Again Sparky, really?" she asked in disbelief, "You like to argue more than a noble. None of us argue with him that much."

"Let her finish, Snowflake." said the red unicorn mare, "We've interrupted her enough as is."

Bright Spark nodded gratefully to the unicorn, "Thanks Crimson. Anyway we got to arguing and Rosy decided she really wanted to help the creature. She... she... I think she read its mind. She was crying about machines and wars and death."

The other mares were struck silent.

Crimson approached Bright Spark and laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder, "That still doesn't explain why Stout attacked the thing." she nuzzled the distraught yellow unicorn mare, "What happened?"

"Rose touched her horn to its head and the thing tried pushing her off. Rose started screaming and Stout bucked it in the head. He may have killed it."

"The creature is alive for the moment." said a smooth, regal voice from the doorway.

The five mares turned and bowed as two Royal Guards and Princess Celestia herself entered the room, "Your majesty," Crimson said, "We weren't expecting you."

The Alicorn Princess slowly stepped toward the filly on the bed, "One of my little ponies may have used a forbidden spell and another one nearly murdered the creature the spell was used on. How could I ignore such events? I would be a very poor leader indeed, had I chosen to do so."

She stopped next to the bed and gazed at the sleeping filly, "These circumstances are highly unusual, as such, I'm going to see if there has been any actual infraction by Rose Quartz."

Bright Spark instantly dissolved into hysterics, "She didn't know what she was doing! She never meant any harm... "

"Peace, my little pony." Celestia said calmly, "I never thought she did so intentionally. After all my years, do you really think I'm ignorant of young unicorn's magical surges? Rose Quartz will come to no harm from me. In fact she has likely already suffered far worse than any punishment I could ever render. I intend to repair the damage to her mind. This may take some time. Be patient."

The two Royal Guards closed the room's door then took up positions on either side of it. The five mares stood back as Princess Celestia lit her horn and lowered her head, touching her horn to that of Rose Quartz.

Time oozed by at a snail's pace for Bright Spark as she fretted over her daughter's well being. The presence of the four other mares brought her some measure of comfort as the hours performed their terrible dance.

Princess Celestia was as still as a statue during the entire process. Not one muscle or fiber, not a hair on her coat moved as much as a millionth of an inch.

After nine hours of mental anguish for Bright Spark, she heard a sound that could have been the voice of an angel, "Mommy?"

The yellow unicorn mare sprang up from her seated position on the floor and nearly tackled her daughter as she cried tears of relief, "Rosy!" she wept, "Oh I was so worried about you baby!"

"What happened Mommy? The last thing I remember was wanting to help that injured creature." the filly asked with the kind of innocent ignorance only a young child knows.

"You got hurt, little one, but you're all better now." Celestia said as she raised her head.

"PRINCESS!" Rose Quartz cried eyes wide with adoration, "Wow! How bad did I get hurt?"

Celestia smiled warmly, "You're all better now. Does it really matter?"

The little filly put her right hoof up to her mouth as she tilted her head upward, eyes to the ceiling in intense adolescent thought,
"Nope!"

The ancient Alicorn smiled at the adorable filly's antics, "All I ask is that you be more careful in the future." the Princess turned her attention to Bright Spark, "You may not want to wait too long on teaching her about the consequences of using forbidden magic. Fare you well Bright Spark. You needn't concern yourself with hospital fees but I do ask that this incident remains unspoken of to anypony until such a time as I chose to divulge it to all."

The family bowed as the Alicorn princess left the room and headed toward the stairs. She was quiet and contemplative, a fact that was not lost on her two escorts.

The elder of the Royal Guards voiced an observation, "The last time I saw you so troubled Your Majesty, was during the last incident with Princess Twilight."

Celestia smiled mildly, "As observant as always Sargent. Yes I am troubled. I took the memories from Rose Quartz' mind and put them in my own."

"If I may be so bold Princess, what did you see that's causing you so much turmoil?" the Guard asked quietly.

Celestia's expression hardened, "I saw several hundred years of the history of an entire species. Our creature admired the subject it seems. He made a study about their wars."

"Pardon me Princess, but what could be so bad about history?" the Guard queried.

"You would understand if you had seen it." she let out a heavy sigh, stopping in front of a North facing window, "We have some preparing to do Sargent. Rally the Guard."

The last time he heard those words was a couple of days before the Changelings had attacked, the situation was dire apparently,
"How many, your majesty?"

Celestia gazed out the window, looking past the mountain and toward the forest beyond. Her jaw clenched as she carefully considered her exact course of action. There were so many possibilities, so many ways the situation might spiral out of control, so many lives as stake. The decision rested on her shoulders and she was loathe to act before she was certain of the outcome. Her long years had taught her to think in directions and on scales her beloved subjects would never dream of. She schooled her face into her impassive expression as she calculated.

New pieces had been added to an already overflowing board and she would see to them personally. Some had already been permanently removed and some had yet to take the field. She knew she was but one more piece on the board, even if she oversaw a great multitude of others. She had just been gifted with a rare trump, a complete overview of a being's entire life. She was uncomfortable with the potential power she could exercise over the creature as it was not her way. Yet in accessing the creature's memory she found, to her horror, exactly what the species was capable of, if left to their own devices. The safety of her subjects was her single highest priority and she would ensure it, but at what cost? At what point did the importance of a single sentient species outweigh that of another? Difficult positions made for even more difficult choices. She had learned that long ago. She knew when a difficult choice was before her. Without a doubt there was one to be made in regard to the most recent developments. Suddenly, the most difficult and possibly far-reaching decision of her long life reared its ugly head and demanded immediate action. She knew she was not the only one who would have to live with her decision.

The choice was difficult, but in the end, it was the only one she could make, "All of them."

* * *

Masonete was not a man who was prone to flights of fancy or wild fits of imaginative panic. He was a calm man, a man who generally accepted the entirety of the world around him with more understanding than most. Andrew Masonete was worried. He was very worried.

The night had fallen on the fifth day since Pering had left. Mario LeBlanch had yet to be captured, a fact that grated on Masonete's nerves. He had much more pressing matters to see to though. The night was warm, much like every night had been since everyone had arrived. The sky was as cloudless as always and the moon shone brightly through the thick foliage above. Masonete made his way through the forest, silent as a thought. There had been a light breeze earlier in the evening.

It was on that breeze that Masonete smelled something potent enough to wake him from his sleep. He had risen from his place of peaceful slumber and followed his nose, which was where he found himself presently. His feet always seemed to locate exactly the right places to find purchase. He simply had a sense of where to safely step without making a single sound. Some of the people with the group had begun referring to him as 'Specter'. Masonete rolled his eyes, he knew he wasn't anything that special, he just knew how to go about the world, unseen. He had a lifetime of practice after all.

Everyone else had gone to sleep more than an hour ago by his estimation and the injured who were tasked with keeping an eye out never paid any attention to his movements.

It took him quite a lot of time to determine the exact location of the source of the smell. He had been trekking South-East for an hour, by his estimation, when he spotted a flicker of light ahead of him and slightly to his left. He instantly froze and crouched down in she shadows of the thick bushes, shrubs, and trees. His eyes darted left and right, trying to spot any possible sign of a raised alarm. He held perfectly still for many long minutes before venturing forward once more.

His dark chocolate skin merged with the thick shadows as he slunk, invisibly toward the source of the light. As he crept closer, he began seeing more and more of them, 'Fires.' he silently observed, 'Camp fires. Could this be the relief Pering went to ask for?' His heart leapt for joy at the thought, 'Man, what I wouldn't give for just one roll of toilet paper.' Elated at the thought of simple amenities or not, he decided to maintain his caution and crept ever closer to the fires.

He began seeing movement around the fires and halted and crouched down again. He simply observed. The movements around the fires were difficult to make out, there were trees and bushes in the way. Masonete silently crept to his left until he had a clear line of sight to the closest fire. Having achieved his desired angle, he crept forward and into a small bush. He settled down on his knees and pried the foliage apart to watch.

He saw dozens of four legged creatures walking around the fires. Tents had been pitched all over the place, brown, canvas looking tents. Each tent was fairly small maybe five feet tall and maybe six feet wide. The creatures were ladling what looked like a type of thick stew into small bowls. The sources of the stew were small, iron kettles which hung suspended over each fire. The stew smelled strongly of garlic. Masonete had finally found the source of the smell that had awoken him.

He silently watched the camp. It was full of activity, 'Equinoud creatures, just like Pering said. They're all wearing armor though. Why would a relief effort be clad in armor and what is with their coats? They're all the same color, heck they all look like clones.'

Masonete continued to watch, 'Armor looks to be either brass or bronze... ' a flash of white reflected light glanced into his eyes. He instantly zeroed in on the source. The reflection was from one of the creatures pulling out a short, wide bladed sword from a scabbard which was held by a baldric on the side of a creature's armor. The creature began polishing the blade with a grey cloth, 'Weapons? Why would they be armed? Well we are a new species, or probably are. I could see it, I guess. Still worrying though.'

Deciding he had seen as much as he could from the distance, Masonete decided to get closer. Worry was eating at the edge of his mind, 'Where are the supplies for us? Maybe they're keeping them at the center of their camp. There sure a lot of them though.' He crept closer and closer to the equinoids. They had set up camp in a wide, barren field. Fortunately they had placed their camp right up against the tree line. Masonete decided to stop about ten feet away from the edge of the forest. His vision of the camps inhabitants was as clear as he could hope for without actually being in the camp, but even that idea was not closed to him.

The equinoids puzzled him greatly, 'Granted, I don't know much about horses but I would have thought that at ten feet, they would be able to at least smell me if not see and hear me too. What is going on?'

A flicker of blue light began shining forth from the horn of one of the creatures. The creature was clad in armor just like the rest but it had an unstrung bow and quiver of arrows tied to its armor. It was lying down in front of one of the fires, 'Unicorns?' he wondered, 'Pering didn't say anything about any unicorns... ' his attention was violently yanked from him and his eyes bulged. The bow inside the quiver on the creature's side lit up with a blue glow and floated out of the quiver.

Masonete crossed himself, shaking, 'What the HELL are these things!?' The bow bent and strung itself. A small round wad of white matter floated out of a pair of brown bags next to where the equinoid was lying. The white mass was glowing the same blue as the unicorn's horn and the bow, 'The glows are all the same color? They must be linked! What kind of power is this?' The white mass began rubbing itself on the taut bowstring, 'It's waxing the string of the bow! I remember Pering talking about that. He said it was necessary for bowstrings to stay waxed or else they would fray and snap.'

Things began settling into place in Masonete's mind, 'These creature must be soldiers.' his roaming eyes found many, many more of them throughout the camp, 'Hundreds of soldiers, all armored and polishing weapons? What's going on? Where's the relief effort?' worry began to gnaw in earnest within Masonete's heart, 'Please don't let this be what it looks like.' he silently prayed, 'Please, let me be wrong.'

Shifting his focus, he shook his head and scoured the equinoid's camp once more, 'Armor and weapons look like something from Roman times. Swords, spears, bows, heck even the crests on their helmets. Still no sign of supplies though... Wait.' motion caught his eye.

One of the equinoids had pulled a large crate out of one of the tents. A second one approached the first and the two began speaking. Masonete couldn't understand anything either one was saying but the second one looked agitated. Both creatures sounded male. The first one pried the lid off a crate and pulled out a cord wrapped net and held it out to the second one with a hoof. The second one gestured to the net then to every other tent in sight. The first one placed the net back in the crate and nodded firmly.

'Nets?' Masonete's blood ran cold as pieces seemed to fall together, 'Lots of armor, weapons, and nets? Oh no.'

Masonete turned around and silently headed back toward the field where the group was, 'I have to warn them.'

* * *

The Fellowship of Leadership sat and listened to Masonete as he told of what he had seen. They had been roused from their sleep by an agitated, chattering Andrew Masonete. They knew something important had happened. They were all seated around the dying embers of the night's bonfire as Masonete walked in circles around it, gesturing as he spoke.

"And then I came back here." he finished.

Everyone was silent, to their surprise Masonete spoke up again, "Please," he said, voice strained, "Someone, anyone, PLEASE tell me that I'm misconstruing what seems to be going on here."

"I wish I could." Hord said quietly, "But I'd be lying if I did. It looks like they mean to either kill us or take us prisoner by force."

"What bugs me the most is that they have some kind o' telekinesis." Richardson said, "We ain't prepared to fight that."

"What kind of country sends armed soldiers to respond to a plea for help?" Morris asked.

"Our kind." Jewel said sourly, "That's the kind of response the U.S. government would send."

"And yall wonder why us black people don't trust em." Leo said pointedly, "We dealin' with the same shit we would if aliens ended up on our world."

"And that's our advantage." Joyner said, "If we have a good idea of their mentality we can predict what they're going to do."

"Well what good do that do us if we ain't got nothin' to survive with?" Calvin asked.

"He's right." Vacca said, "We can run for now but once winter hits we're screwed. We managed to make some shelters here but if we're on the run we have nothing."

"Speaking of the shelters," Spearman said, "We couldn't have painted a bigger target on ourselves, building out in the middle of a field. No offense Calvin and Vacca."

"Sall good." Calvin said.

"No biggie, but you do bring up a valid point. We're sitting ducks out here. We have no weapons of our own, no tools, nothing."

"I'll bet Masonete could sneak into their camp an' rob 'em blind." Brinsin said.

"That ain't a bad idea." Kaneesha said, "We know their intentions an' all that. Why not take they shit?"

"Because it would alert them to us." Ludwig said, "We can't fight them off with stone knives and sticks."

"They won't know nothin' if we kill 'em all." Kaneesha said.

Her comment drew many nasty looks, but she continued, "Look, we the good guys, they the bad guys. They got good shit an' we don't. They don't know Masonete got that close. We need they shit. I say a couple o' us go tent to tent an' use they own weapons against 'em. Bad guys get what's commin' to 'em an' we get shit we need an' get away."

"I'm no killer." Masonete said, "I'll defend myself if I got to but killing someone in their sleep?" he shook his head emphatically, "I won't do it."

"I don't much like to say it, but she's got a point." Jewel said, "Raiding them would get us supplies we dearly need. It might just be the thing to tip the scales in our favor."

"Jason," Joyner addressed, "You've been really quiet so far. Penny for your thoughts?"

Jason Campbell looked up, lips pressed into a thin line, "We could use those nets to catch fish. Our cabbage patch is already beginning to run low. We have to move on or risk starving and any tools or equipment they have could easily mean the difference between life and death to literally hundreds of people. As much as I hate to say it, a raid seems to be our best... shit, our ONLY option at this point. We're backed into a corner here and we need a way out. I vote yes to raiding the camp."

"Keep in mind, these are trained soldiers." Hord said, "If a bunch of unarmed civilians attacked a Marine outpost, they'd be wiped out. Even if we win, we're looking at losing a lot of lives on both sides."

"And besides whose to say that they all bad?" Calvin said.

"I agree. The ones that gave Pering the blanket were nice enough. They can't all be bad." Ludwig stated.

"If there's enough of them to mass produce anything and we show ourselves to be dangerous, they're going so see us as a threat and I think we all know how the U.S. government deals with threats. If we start down this path we'll be declaring ourselves to be their enemies. We're going to be committed to this course of action. We have to be willing to go all the way with this. Once we start down this path, there's no going back. We have to consider every possibility, we have to go into this with both eyes open. We have to ask ourselves if we're willing to face thousands maybe millions of them and maybe end up with a lot of blood on our hands." Joyner said.

"This choice is too big for just us. We got to wake ereone up and let 'em decide what they wanna do. It's they lives too." Brinsin added.

Joyner nodded,
"Let's wake them up. We have to decide this quickly."

Chapter 6: Decisions, Decisions

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The Pegasi Regiment of the Royal Guard flew in vast numbers around the Royal Carriage. Each Guard, save the ones pulling the carriage, was linked to a team of four, each team carrying a large, heavy wooden crate. The Unicorn and Earth Pony Regiments had already set out for the far side of the mountain and the Pegasi would link up with the main force in the large, open field the Princess had specified.

Princess Luna yawned hugely as she and her sister rode side by side in their Royal Carriage,
"What happened that was so vitally important that you woke me in the middle of the day sister?"

"I apologize sister, but the situation is completely unprecedented and I wanted you to be there. It actually started yesterday morning but I was so caught up making preparations that I completely forgot to tell you." Celestia informed her younger sister, "A new species has somehow come to our world and decided to make contact."

Princess Luna's head snapped toward her elder sister, ears erect and alert,
"New species?" she asked, unsure, "Are you certain?"

"Beyond any doubt." Celestia's tone was flat, "They sent an Emissary to request aid from us, but are prepared to steal, murder, and even eat us if they need to." Celestia drew silent for a moment, "They don't seem like they want to resort to theft or murder but they are already prepared to do so. They are not an invading army. They are mostly young adults who were trying to improve their education when they seem to have been pulled, by no choice or fault of their own, into our world. They do not SEEM to be of a hostile mindset but one of them has already murdered another. They have the potential to be extremely dangerous."

Luna's ears laid back,
"I take it this Emissary already informed you of this? It sounds . . . rather unusual to offer an ultimatum to the ones you are begging for help."

"He didn't say anything. I haven't had the chance to speak to him yet. I hold every one of his memories though . . . "

"You read his memories!?" Luna asked aghast, "That is unlike you sister, you made that law and I have never known you to arbitrarily break it. You despise using magic to solve every problem, what caused you to make such a decision?"

"A young, traumatized filly." Celestia answered, "When the Emissary made contact, he met not with myself or any representatives, but with a family taking a hike; two fillies and their parents. He tried to communicate by drawing in the dirt and managed to get his point across but the husband and wife began arguing. One of the fillies took it upon herself to try to help the Emissary communicate. She cast a mind-reading spell but ended up with every one of the Emissary's memories. The process was mentally traumatizing and the filly's father, thinking she was being hurt, kicked the Emissary in the head. I had to break the law to repair the damage to the filly's mind and so I saw everything she saw. I was not going to let one of my subjects continue suffering like that. Besides the law allows for the use of mind-reading spells if a life is in jeopardy or if a serious crime must be dealt with. That filly's life was in jeopardy and no mistake. I never meant to intrude on the Emissary's mind but it happened." Celestia sighed, "I am conflicted sister. I know what he knows and I don't feel right about using it against his people, but the things they have done are . . . monstrous beyond my wildest, most twisted nightmares. Yet, there are a few wholesome examples of what they can accomplish, deeds which would humble some of our greatest heroes and legends. They are a dichotomy of polar opposite extremes."

Luna watched her sister pensively,
"What do you plan to do sister?"

"I have called into action all of the Royal Guard. They will act as our support. The new species is omnivorous. They obviously can't be allowed to hunt animals but they can eat fish. The Pegasi Regiment is already burdened, so I sent fishing nets with the Unicorns and Earth Pony Regiments. I woke you up so you could aid me Luna. This situation is balanced on a razor's edge and could tip either way in the blink of an eye. These beings, these Humans they call themselves, are too different from Kavim for me to try to handle on my own. I've learned my lesson, two heads, especially ours, are better than one. Tell me, what would you do?"

"A difficult question." Luna said plainly, "An unbalanced one as well, for I do not share your knowledge of these beings. However after hearing what you've said about them, I would rally the entire Guard and have them in full battle raiment but also transporting necessary goods for this new species. I would be willing to meet with them and see if there could be some sort of understanding reached. If an understanding was reached, they would receive the supplies and we would begin attempting to learn about them. If an understanding was not reached however, they would still receive the supplies but be escorted to the border of our nation and told not to return on pain of imprisonment."

Celestia nodded solemnly, but grinned slightly,
"We think alike sister. I've already prepared everything for that exact scenario. I don't relish the thought of putting any species out like that but after the Changeling attack we have to be more strict and stern."

Luna nodded,
"Verily, it was a bitter lesson indeed." Princess Luna lapsed into silence for several seconds before speaking once more, "Do you think there is any hope for these Humans, sister?"

"There is hope for all sentient beings Luna. Discord is proof of that. There is hope for the Changelings and I believe there is hope for these Humans as well. It will be up to them, whatever happens. They will decide their own fate, we will only be the ones to follow through with their own decision." Celestia said gazing off toward the distant horizon.

"I am disappointed in you sister, and hurt as well." Princess Luna's face and posture showed open emotion, "I would have thought you would have come to me immediately for council instead if making the preparations yourself when they might not have been wise. We are supposed to rule together and I will have it be so."

Celestia laid her ears back and her posture slumped subtly,
"It was never my intention to exclude you Luna but old habits are difficult to break. I apologize for neglecting to have you in the decision making process."

"I forgive thee . . . you, Celestia but be more mindful in the future. I do not wish for us to quarrel, but I will not be overlooked for the sake of convenience or expediency."

"I understand." Princess Celestia said nuzzling her sister, "I was thinking that perhaps you might be better able to deal with the Humans."

Luna's ears turned toward her sister,
"Why?"

"I fear I have grown somewhat distant in my time ruling alone. You, though, are very much in touch with your feelings and might be able to sympathize with the Humans, they tend to be frequently at the mercy of their emotions. Also it would give you a chance to work with a group who have no knowledge of the Nightmare incident to taint their opinions. It is your decision of course."

"This has the feel of a ploy to misdirect my focus so you can rule as you have grown accustomed." Princess Luna said, her tone emotionless.

"Never!" Celestia whispered, deeply wounded, "I would never do such a thing!" she softly nuzzled her sister for several long minutes.

Luna's face remained impassive as Celestia looked at her,
"You're still hurt aren't you Luna." it was no question, "I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you feel that way."

"My bitterness is waning but some still remains. I apologize for my harsh accusation." Luna apologized.

"No, I should have thought of how you might interperate it." Princess Celestia said quietly.

"We are both at fault sister. We were likewise both at fault for the Nightmare incident. Let us focus on making the right decision, since it appears we have arrived."

Looking down, both Alicorns could see a wide field with several, what looked to be, grave sites of fresh dirt,
"This does not bode well Tia." Luna said turning to her sister, "It seems that either some of our Guards have slain several of the Humans, or they have done so to each other."

"No, all but a few of those are from Humans who were injured by large hail before they came here and died." Princess Celestia informed her younger sister, "Can you see them, Luna?"

* * * * * * * *

Standing on a plateau with a crystal clear stream running through it stood seven people,
"We gotta go Joyner!" Jewel hissed nervously, "Everyone else is already gone."

Jewel was wearing a blanket tied around his middle and had a set of straps hanging over each shoulder which joined to a saddlebag on his chest and back. There were two filled canteens hanging off hooks attached to the saddlebags.

"I don't like this." Joyner said sourly gazing out over the field below, "What we've done . . . I don't like it."

"It's the only thing we could do. No relief effort comes carrying armor, weapons, and nets. They meant to catch or kill us. It's the only explanation that makes sense." Vacca said sourly.

"Yeah, and I think our response was perfect." Hord said, "It will send the message we want without unnecessary bloodshed."

"I thought Marines were killers." Kaneesha said.

"We are capable of it and we're good at it, but that doesn't mean we're bloodthirsty barbarians. We kill when we have to, that's all." Hord said, slightly offended.

"Have the weapons, nets, and equipment we stole, been secured and distributed? I know the injured are secured, right Jewel?" Joyner asked.

"Done and done." Jewel said fingering the long dagger hanging on a baldric at his waist.

Joyner hefted the trident he had liberated. Its net counterpart hung on the bag on his chest
"Then let's just settle down and watch what happens." he turned his eyes to Kaneesha, "Are you certain you saw more of them on the wing?"

Kaneesha nodded,
"Yeah. They was flyin' a bunch of big crates."

"Crates large enough to be filled with captured humans?" Vacca asked.

"Easily." Kaneesha confirmed.

"If they're flying we should be making tracks. They'll be able to spot us from the air for sure." Masonete said calmly.

"I need to see their reaction to the message we left in the field." Joyner said peering down to the field.

* * * * * * * *

Princess Celestia stared at the armored earth pony standing in front of her with disbelief,
"You were robbed Barricade?" she asked, "How? How did anything get past your sentries? What was taken?"

"Almost everything. All weapons, many medical supplies, almost all the tools, and every scrap of food except for hay. It happened last night. None of the sentries we posted ever heard or saw anything unusual." Barricade answered angrily.

"Weapons?" Princess Luna asked, "Were any of your Guard injured?"

"No, Princess, none at all." Barricade said shifting his stance in agitation, "None killed either. The thieves left a large number of weapons right here in the field. They're taunting us."

"Thank you for the information Commander Barricade. I need to speak with my sister." Princess Celestia said.

The two Alicorns turned and strode away from the gathering of their embarrassed Royal Guard, heading toward the distant pile of weaponry, as they chatted quietly,
"It had to have been the Humans. There is no other explanation." Luna said evenly.

"I agree, they were sending a message." she raised her head toward Canterlot mountain, "It seems crystal clear to me, our Guards though, are allowing personal feelings to taint their vision. The Humans mean to send a very specific message."

"They're telling us they have the capability of getting in close and taking what they want. They could have murdered a great number of our ponies, they had the ability and opportunity. They left weapons here for all to see. They could have caused great mayhem but they did not." Luna said, "I wonder what it was that caused them to react in this fashion. To be willing to risk open conflict against a military force with superior numbers? It is puzzling."

A moment of clarity struck Celestia like a lightning bolt,
"The nets!" Celestia hissed angrily, scoring the ground deeply with her right fore hoof in frustration, "That must have been it. I should have consulted the Emissary's memories. We could have avoided this." her eyes roamed the field and forest, "They think we meant to do them harm." Celestia said out loud.

Luna narrowed her eyes,
"This makes the situation much more complex . . . and tenuous. We must tread carefully."

* * * * * * * *

"That's enough." Joyner said, "Let's make tracks."

"What did you see?" Hord asked.

"There were two of them and they were much larger, King and Queen maybe. They looked angry. The big one scuffed the ground several times. That's a sign of aggression. We need to go, now. They may well come after us. Spread the word. These creatures are to be avoided at all costs."

"Was Pering there?" Masonete asked concerned.

"No. He wasn't, not that I could see." Joyner said sadly, "He's lost to us now. If you encounter one of these creatures, run."

"What if we can't run?" Kaneesha asked.

"Fight." Joyner said darkly, "At that point it's either them or you. It's the law of nature, kill or be killed." he turned his eyes to Kaneesha, "Defend yourself . . . kill."

Chapter 7: The Chase Is On

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"We're stopping for a break. Gather at the stream ahead. Pass it down." Joyner ordered.

The group was walking single file through the forest. They had started off heading the same direction Pering had gone then, following against the current of a stream, they turned sharply North. Looking toward the rear as he stepped out from the line, he could see they had listened for once, and were walking in an almost perfectly straight line. They continued passing him for quite some time.

He thought about the equipment they had stolen, 'Stealing all this still doesn't sit well with me. We really did need it though.' he opened the half of the saddle bag that rested on his chest. The other half rested against his back with a strap over each shoulder. He removed a thick, long piece of black colored chalk. It was one of a set of ten, all in different colors.

Within the front bag sat a type of large, heavy medical kit, a compass, a fire starter kit, a small shovel, a block of salt, four long lengths of thick, white bandages, a very tightly folded and wrapped tarp of some sort, and a cloth sack with dried fruits and nuts. Hanging on the front bag, suspended from a buttoned cloth loop was a length of fifty feet of rope. In the bag on his back was a thick blanket, a whetstone, a coil of twine, some sort of personal grooming kit, a detailed map of a very large area, two lengths of wrapped charcoal, ten sheets of paper, a small hatchet, a mess kit of some sort, several pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, various spices, and two crystals. The use of the two crystals eluded him as yet, but he had kept them anyway.

Joyner had a brown blanket wrapped around his waist. The top part was rolled down on itself, forming a type of kilt for him. His feet finally had covering. He thanked his lucky stars for the lengths of cloth in the bags. Everyone had wrapped up their feet with the cloth for use as simple boots. Tracks were a problem no more. With thickly wrapped feet and even weight distribution, they left almost no trace of their passing whatsoever.

He absentmindedly fingered the shaft of the trident he had acquired, while its net counterpart rested on a length of twine which was tied with a slip-knot to the front bag. He had a tiny bit of experience with spear fishing and both items could be used in combat. The trident was only five feet long, quite short but it was well made and the three tines were razor sharp and barbed. The net was weighted with almost perfectly rounded stones, each weighing, he guessed, a full pound each. The net was five feet wide and equally long, made of thick, heavy weave and only half an inch between each hefty strand.

The second person in line was Richardson. Wrapped around her middle, from her breasts to her knees, was a large blanket. She had a five foot long spear in her right hand and was using it as a walking stick while a two foot long, short sword and shield rode on her front bag and rear bag respectively. The short sword had probably been a long sword for the equine creatures but on the taller Humam frame, the size was greatly diminished. Saddle bags were hung over her shoulders just like everyone else.

She nodded and continued on toward the stream. Jason had recommended traveling single file to minimize the size of any trail that could be followed. They might not leave footprints but moving seven hundred plus people was guaranteed to leave a trail of some kind. Progress was slow but thus far there had been no sign of pursuit.

Jason had suggested that the reasoning for the relative ease of success in their mass theft, which by all rights should have been a complete disaster, was because human sense of sight was likely much better than that of the equinoids. Not a single person had been spotted. Granted there were only fifty people in the equine's camp at any given time, but even so, performing the feat at night and with not a single mishap was about as likely as unearthing an ancient porcelain cup, in perfect condition, with a bundle of dynamite. Yet by some miracle, the dynamite had pulled it off.

People continued walking in single file while talking quietly. Jason and Morris had suggested the Fellowship place themselves, one every fifty people with Jason leading in the front and Masonete bringing up the rear.

The next person to walk past Joyner was Leo. The argumentative, cantankerous young man was one of the few to acquire a pair of saddle bags that were extra heavy. The extra heavy bags held, ironically enough, an extensive array of medical supplies in one bag and a hefty load of food in the other. Leo was covered with a blanket and his feet were wrapped, just like everyone else. The weapon hanging from a scabbard and baldric, he wore as a belt was a long sword. It had been a claymore to the smaller equinoids but to him it was just a long sword. He had also acquired a second sword, but he had left it back at the field saying he didn't want it, 'I'm sposed to be helpin' folks, not choppin 'em up.'

Leo passed Joyner with a disrespectful salute but a playful smile. Joyner resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Leo had been a pain in the ass but no one ever sincerely complained about him. He had taken to Jewel's instructions and directions very well. He had also been hounding all the former medical students for any knowledge they were willing to part with. Richardson and Jewel had somehow earned Leo's respect, but in regard to everyone else, he couldn't care less what they thought.

Joyner considered the dangers of people who suddenly found themselves carrying weapons they knew relatively nothing about. Brinsin, Hord, Morris, and Spearman knew how to use archaic weapons thanks to their studies or martial arts training and many of the ninety four military service men and women knew a little about close quarters fighting. Joyner knew that weapons training would soon be necessary.

The next person to pass him was Jewel. He had the standard apparel on both torso and feet. He had a bow and arrows in a quiver which hung suspended on the bag on his back. He also had a foot long dagger, probably a short sword to the equinoids, in a brown sheath on the front bag. He had said he wanted to keep his hands as free as possible so he could do what he needed to when seconds counted. He was one of the other lucky ones to have a heavy medical pack.

Joyner leaned his trident against a nearby tree and rotated his bags so that they reversed their positions. Reaching into the bag that was in front of him, he removed the map. He knew how to read maps but he couldn't find any meaning in the legend or the size ratio compared to real life. He knew which way was North though, and that would have to be enough. He carefully studied the map, searching for a possible safe haven. Their original location in the field was easy enough to identify. It was a tiny speck just to the North of the mountain, 'We would have to end up next to the only mountain with a fortress on the West side. That must be where they're keeping Pering. I wish we could do something for him, but we have to keep the best interest of the group in mind as our first priority.'

Joyner looked up as Morris Allmond walked past. His bags had apparently belonged to a crafter of some kind. They were filled with grease, simple hinges, small tubes, gears, hundreds of spare parts, and tools. Best of all, everything was made of metal. The contents of his bags were the heaviest of anyone else in the entire group. Morris hadn't initially wanted the bags but they had them and everyone needed to bring something and they didn't want anything to go to waste. Morris had been lucky in one regard though, he had obtained a crossbow and had a quiver with twenty quarrels inside. He also had a small dagger which was hanging on the front of the bag. The foodstuffs his bag had were puzzling. They resembled thick, heavy cubes of condensed wheat. They filled the rear bag from top to bottom. He had tried chewing on one but had only managed to bite off one corner of one. He said it tasted sweet but hard and grainy. He theorized that they were meant to be soaked in hot water and ladled out in bowls, perhaps as dried oatmeal or porridge. Morris waved as pleasantly as he could, considering the weight of his bags and continued onward.

Joyner went back to looking at the map. To the South-West of the mountain fortress was a small hamlet, to the West was what looked to be a floating city of some kind, as indicated by the formations of clouds all around it. The floating city puzzled Joyner but he didn't have time to worry about it. To the North-West of the mountain was a small city and just to the East of that city was a much smaller village. The village was almost directly in the direction they were headed but the forest ran far enough to the East that they could likely bypass the village without any of its inhabitants noticing them. At least that was what Joyner was hoping for. The forest ran all the way up to the Northern most portion of the map and likely beyond that. The forest also bordered on a very large lake to the North-East. The lake appeared to be fed from a wide river in the North and drained away into a slightly smaller tributary to the South.

The next person to walk by was Calvin. The mountainous man could have scarcely looked more happy. He carried two sets of bags on his shoulders, both loaded with food. He had tied the straps of four more pairs of bags and wore them like a bandioleer. These four sets of bags were filled with tools, blankets, and cookware.

In his massive hands he carried a small sized maul. The shaft was only two feet long and the head was perhaps ten pounds. Honestly it looked far too small for him. His bags bristled with small, sheathed, viking style swords, each sheath was tied to the straps of a bag. Calvin was a walking armory. With every step he clanked like a tank. His smile was as colossal as his array of gear. He could supply six people with what he carried. He had obtained his 'stack of yes' as he called it, from a supply wagon he had stumbled across. Joyner was amazed that he could even walk with so much weight and how he managed to get away from the equinoid's camp unseen and unheard was a puzzle for the ages.

Joyner meant to find that North-Eastern lake if possible and perhaps establish a more long term outpost or settlement there. In time he hoped to perhaps make contact with the village and just maybe gain the trust of the locals without the government finding out. He put chalk to map and began slowly tracing the route he wished to take.

"Got a second, L.T.?" Hord asked as he stepped out of line.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I was thinking, almost no one has any idea how to use these." he said tapping the small war hammer in his right hand against the small shield in his left, the war hammer looked more like a long carpenter's hammer, "I mean, some of us do, but most people are more likely to hurt themselves than an enemy. Now thankfully I haven't seen anyone playing with their weapons yet, but I did have to stop a guy from hacking through branches in his way with his sword. We can't just take the weapons away from them, but they should have the chance to learn how to use them properly. Obviously I don't know how to wield everything we have. Spearman though, he studied European and Asian weapons. I figure he should take the lead. I know we can't have mass practice sessions while we're traveling but after we find a place, we should get right on that. Divide everyone up by weapons and have a series of instructors who have a working knowledge of how to use them. It's going to absolutely pale in comparison to any sort of military training obviously, but it'll be better than nothing."

"Yeah, I've already been thinking about that. You've got an idea there, with dividing people up by weapons. We should be able to find a good place to stop soon." he held out the map, "This place looks pretty ideal for us. Huge lake, plenty of open grassland to the South. It'll be a bit of a hike but we can have people out there stay on a couple of days rotation. What we really need still is seeds, lots and lots and lots of seeds. We may be able to find something but we're going to have to be careful. We won't be too far from this tiny village here." he said indicating the village on the map, "I'm hoping that at some point in the future, maybe we can make contact and perhaps trade or something."

"That would be nice." Hord turned and looked at the moving line, "I'll see you later L.T."

Eduardo walked past next. He had a quiver of javelins strapped to the bag on his back and a foot long dagger, just like Jewel's strapped to the front. His bags held a nice assortment of tarps and food. The food was in the shape of cubes, just like Morris' bag. He smiled and casually waved a javelin in Joyner's direction. Everyone seemed to like Eduardo, there was plenty to like. He was open, honest, caring, and willing to do whatever he needed to do for the betterment of the group. He was easy to get along with and friendly. Joyner couldn't imagine him being a gang member, but Eduardo claimed he had been in a gang until recently. The admission troubled the entire Security team, but they were willing to give Eduardo the benefit of the doubt until he messed up.

Joyner looked back to his map. The lake appeared to be close to twenty times the size of the original field and had an even larger adjacent field. It seemed to be an ideal location for a settlement.

Vacca walked past next. He had a spear in his hands while his short sword and shield rested on his bags. His bags carried an assembly of gear that was identical to Joyner's except it lacked the map and crystals and had more food instead. Vacca had expressed an interest in Morris' bags and was keen to ask if the two of them could switch. Never the less, he plodded onward toward the stream with a friendly wave.

Joyner sighed, 'I didn't sign up to lead almost eight hundred people on an alien world. I'm just playing this by ear most of the time. I need to though, there's no one else qualified for it.' He looked back down at the map, 'And now we have to worry about being captured or killed by these horse things, who are probably out hunting us right now.'

Ludwig walked past with the small battle axe he had claimed held in both his hands. He wore a neutral expression but his eyes were always roving. His bags mimicked Vacca's and he carried them just as well. He hadn't seemed very keen on theft but he had done well and brought his group into and out of the equinoid camp without incident. His position as chosen executioner and his weapon had apparently been noticed and already some people were tossing the name 'Headsman' around. Ludwig, true to his nature, was utterly unphased by the development and simply took it in stride.

Joyner reflected on the nicknames being tossed around by the people, 'Masonete has been dubbed 'Specter' I suppose that's appropriate enough. Ludwig is now 'Headsman' that's rather gruesome. I'd rather not have people think of him like that, but I can't actually stop them. I've heard the occasional person call Jewel 'Stitch'. That doesn't make much sense to me, why not just 'Doc'? He hasn't stitched a single injury since we've been here. So far the most appropriate nickname name I've heard had been 'Path Finder' for Jason. Oi, why am I even thinking about this? I've got plans to make.'

He waved as Kaneesha padded past. Her bow was nestled in the quiver on her back but she had her dagger in her hand. She had been extremely useful. Her vision was five-five and her hearing was incredible. She wasn't on the same level with Masonete when it came to stealth, no one was, but she was working on it. She may have had a rough personality but she was quick on the uptake and took initiative when asked to perform a task. Her bags were filled with almost nothing but different types of ropes, twines, cords, and even some spools of thin metal wires. Jason had jumped for joy over seeing those, saying something about snares. In any case, Kaneesha had clearly specified that as long as she had food from somewhere, she would happily haul around the bags. She seemed impressed with her bow and arrows and Spearman had to remind her several times not to waste arrows practicing until everyone could participate.

Joyner knew the end of the line was coming up quickly and turned to the map once more to finalize the route, 'North for five days then angle East North-East for two. There's a small field, or at least it looks small on the map, out there. We can stop, find a stream, fish a bit, and refill our stores of yarrow and water. We need to save the medical supplies for real emergencies.'

Spearman walked past next, waving happily. Joyner chuckled slightly, Spearman was almost as happy as Calvin. Spearman had managed to snag a seven foot long pike with his bags. He had said he didn't need anything else to go with it and no one argued. Spearman's bags were an exact match for Joyner's, crystals and all, but with several scrolls and an entire box of crystals. The box held ten crystals, packed in sawdust.

Joyner finished with the map and rolled it back up just as Brinsin walked past with his spear, short sword and shield. Joyner carefully replaced the map and chalk and closed his bag just as the last few people strode past. Almost everyone had the spear, short sword, and shield combination. The Fellowship of Leadership agreed that the unusual weapons likely belonged to higher ranking officers or specialists. That didn't bode well, officers were much more likely to hold a grudge for the dishonor of having their things stolen, everyone with any military experience agreed.

Masonete brought up the rear with a large, leafy branch in his hands. He swept it back and forth over the path, stirring up the leaves that had been trampled flat by over seven hundred pairs of feet. Masonete had a quiver of javelins and a dagger and his bags were filled with powders and liquids in various jars. He had absolutely no idea what any of it was for but Jason seemed eager to have a look at them once the opportunity presented itself.

"Seen anything following us yet?" Joyner asked.

Masonete answered without looking up,
"Seen a couple of those pegasus things flying over the trees earlier in the day but nothing recently. There's nothing following us on the ground unless it's by scent alone. I'll know more by the end of the day. How's it looking up front?"

"We're stopping for a break at a stream up ahead. Go on, I'll take care of our tracks." Joyner offered.

"Thanks, but no thanks L.T. I got this, easy." Masonete said.

"Your choice. I'll have Calvin bring you some food." Joyner said as he turned and made for the stream.

* * *

"There's been no sign of them, your Majesties. It's like they just vanished." reported one of the Pegasus Guards.

The Pegasus Regiment had been running themselves ragged since the morning. There were many unhappy Unicorns and Earth Ponies. They felt the theft of their equipment was an insult directed at them personally. None were more upset than the Unicorn Communication Specialists. Of the three that were deployed with the Royal Guard, two of them had lost their entire batch of communication crystals, one of them had been carrying a total of twelve of the expensive, imported jewels. The Pegasus Regiments had been set upon by irate Royal Guards and told to attack the Humans on sight. Celestia had demoted nineteen officers that morning.

Princess Luna nodded,
"Thank you for the update Corporal. Go get some lunch." she turned to her sister as they sat in a large tent in the field, "Anything new sister?" she asked.

Celestia had been studying the devices and tools the Humans had left behind when they fled. She set down a flat rock that was covered with dried blood and shook her head.

"It is troublesome, little sister. One of the first tools they made were medical in nature, yet they stole so many weapons. I shudder to think what they could do now. We have to find them as quickly as possible. The situation is getting out of control. The Humans have stolen weapons, equipment, and food from us. Nopony in Equestria is prepared to defend themselves from enemies with weapons. If they decide to attack a town or village our ponies will be effectively helpless. The caches of weapons and armor in each settlement are only used for three days each year for the annual emergency preparedness program. Seeing how Ponyville has fared in the past, I do not have high hopes of any sort of solidified defense in case of an emergency." Celestia admitted.

Luna pursed her lips in contemplation,
"We could send out a proclamation to all local cities, towns, and villages to prepare for attack. However I see a problem with that course of action as well. If the Humans wish to establish any sort of peaceful contact with our ponies, they may end up being attacked by well-meaning but overzealous militia. Perhaps a messenger in each town to inform the populace of the potential of contact with new beings who may or may not be friendly?"

"It bears the same potential for misunderstandings as any other course of action. I dare not send any of the Royal Guard. News of the theft will spread like wildfire among them and the hard feelings will be equally spread as well. They would be looking for a reason to fight. Our Guards are good at what they do but there is a great deal of pride among them and more than a little bit of an elitist mentality. I should have snuffed that out ages ago." Celestia lamented quietly.

"We cannot undo what has been done sister. What thoughts have you, pertaining to our current predicament?" Luna asked.

"Waiting to see what happens is merely a reactionary course of action. An minutia of preparation is worth a kingdom's worth of reaction. We need to prepare. I've already thought of several possibilities. This course of action by the Humans was possible but I had deemed it unlikely. It seems I miscalculated."

"Possibly when you were neglecting to acquire the input of your tactically minded sibling?" Luna asked with a slightly smug tone.

"I'll not argue my oversight sister. You are here now though, so may I ask your input on some of my ideas?" Celestia asked.

"But of course." Luna responded eagerly.

Celestia nodded sitting upright,
"We could set up interspersed check points held by our Royal Guard throughout the surrounding forest, one of each breed for utility purposes."

Luna shook her head, "The Humans may see the Guards as a threat to be eliminated since they apparently think we mean them harm. Although even if the Humans attack, a Pegasus is likely to escape and we would know the Humans approximate location, but again we would look like the instigators, which is something we wish to avoid." Luna said sitting down on her flank in the grass.

"You know that lives may be lost if the Humans attack. Alright what if we have the Pegasus Regiments drop hundreds of weighted scrolls into the forest and hope the Humans find one. The scrolls would be written in their language and assure them that what happened was a misunderstanding."

Luna stared at her sister incredulously, "And how exactly do you plan to do so? Do you speak their language?"

Celestia nodded, "I do actually. When I removed the memories from the filly, I absorbed them into my own mind. The scrolls would be a more expedient resolution to the issue."

"I do not believe it would be a good idea. Let us give them some room to breathe. We should not push them too hard or else they might react poorly if they feel cornered." Luna shook out her mane, "From what you've said, Humans are distrustful by nature. They may well turn any meeting into an ambush. We could fly over the forest and scan it with magic to see where the Humans are. There would be no danger to us even if they see us." Luna hinted like a peal of thunder.

"No Luna, it's lazy. We don't just take the easy way out because we can. That is not our way. We work for our successes. We use magic for tasks we cannot perform on our own, but we work hard to find a solution that can be utilized by all breeds and species, otherwise Unicorns would rule, like they have in the past. What most Unicorns label as using a tool is actually closer to cheating. We grow as a species as we find solutions that are usable by all. Though it is sure to achieve results I do not think it is a good time to do so. We need to give them space." Celestia explained, "Besides if we intervene ourselves then everypony will expect it in the future. We will not always be present to solve problems for our subjects, they have to learn to do things on their own. It is one of the Human's greatest strengths." Celestia said with a sour expression.

"Then by that logic, Celestia, we should step back and allow our Royal Guard Officers to handle the situation." Luna said pointedly.

"No, the failure was my own for not correcting a small problem and allowing it to become a serious one. We will guide our ponies as we have in the past. Eventually they will have to be on their own but I wish to do all I can to see they are prepared for that day when it arrives. Do you have any more suggestions sister?"

Luna nodded,
"Verily, select lower ranking Guard ponies and interview them for the preferable mindsets then set them the task of commanding small groups. They will retain their command according to the relevance and effectiveness of their ideas. Our subjects solve their own problems and we can guide and direct them as necessary. The new commanders will foster their mindsets into their troops and thus encourage the kind of thinking we wish to instill." Luna suggested.

"The interviewing process will take some time." Celestia pointed out.

"You said the Human's cannot travel at speeds even remotely close to that of any of our subjects. Our fastest would take days to reach the closest settlement even at a full gallop and given a direct path. We have some time to put our plans into motion. You have the memories of one of their number. Use those memories to predict the path the Humans will take." Luna suggested.

"I've already done that, sister. The most likely path is toward the Northern Basin. They will have the cover of the forest the entire way. We know they fish, the Basin is brimming with fish. We know they eat vegetables and fruits, the land around the Basin used to be cultivated farmland. It was abandoned three hundred years ago due to a plague that swept through the village there and the land was never resettled. That is where they will head. I'm certain of it. The problem is that in order for us to make contact successfully, we will have to barricade them in so they cannot run. That will make the situation tense and Humans make poor decisions when stressed. The best course of action would be to catch them off guard, like when they are traveling and make our point before they can react. If we make our point before panic sets in we have a very high probability of coming to an agreement."

"Hmm," Luna pondered, "We need to begin the interviewing process immediately. I may be able to help at night . . . "

"No Luna," Celestia said quickly, "No dream-walking. The Humans would think they were being manipulated by our magic, if they don't already think that when we confront them. We will have to be careful." Celestia said solidly.

"What other possibilities do you foresee?" Luna asked.

"The other one that is likely is that the Humans attack one of our settlements. If that occurs, we will likely have to take drastic measures. It may end up being a bloody ordeal. If they attack a village or town the citizens will be outraged and our own Royal Guards may be out for blood. Any situation after that point has a much more slim chance of success, and a much more grim likely outcome." Celestia said sadly.

Luna raised her head regally,
"Then let us waste no time in filtering out possible candidates."

Chapter 8: Changes And Plans

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More than seven hundred people lay on the forest floor. They were sprawled out in between the trees and around bushes. The thick forest made for a very uncomfortable place to lay, but at the time no one cared. The nearby stream sung a merry song of gurgling and splashing, but its merriment fell upon deaf ears. Each person was rolling around on the ground writhing in debilitating agony. Their moans, cries, and whimpers coalesced into a pitiful chorus which echoed through the trees. Even through the extreme discomfort, there were people moving about trying to bring comfort to those they could. They piled up leaves for pillows and broke out any and all spare blankets and covered people with them. They passed out water to those who asked for it and gave everyone the comfort they denied themselves for the benefit of others.

The entire Fellowship Of Leadership was doing their best to care for their fellow man and woman. Jewel grimaced in pain as he contemplated what could have caused the sudden apparent sickness, 'What do we all have in . . . *groan* common? We all ate different foods yesterday, but . . . *groan* the symptoms are all the same. Abdominal pain just above and to . . . *pant* the side of the stomach. If it were on the other side, I would say it was the liver.'

His internal diagnosis ended abruptly as the sound of vomiting reached his ears. He raised his head sharply, ignoring the pain for a moment. His concern was for the others. His eyes came to rest on the bent over form of Vacca. The hardy Italian was bent almost double as he vomited loudly into the half exposed roots of a cedar tree away from the main body of the group. Vacca heaved a second time then a third time as Jewel stumbled his way over.

"Hey man, you alright?" Jewel asked wincing as another wave of pain hit him.

"Yeah, I'm fucking peachy, standing here puking my goddamn guts out." Vacca answered hoarsely, "Sure is funny colors though. Don't remember eating anything gold colored and shiny."

Jewel looked down and furrowed his eyebrows. Vacca was right. The only thing he threw up was a shiny gold colored liquid. The liquid was shimmering in the waning sunlight and looked to be liquid gold. Jewel felt his mouth start to water and his stomach knotted up in preparation of purging its contents.

Jewel took long slow breaths trying to calm his stomach but it did no good. He bent double and exhaled everything in his stomach in a long, loud deep yell. He heaved a second time, then a third. Free from the irritant, his stomach settled suddenly as if there had never been anything wrong at all.

"See," Vacca said slapping him on the back, "Peachy right?" he paused for a brief second before adding, "Looks like you puked up the same thing I did. Bet you ten bucks we all do the same thing."

"I think I agree with you. Oh and shut up." Jewel said half joking.

The sounds of dozens of people being sick filled the trees within a few moments,
"Everyone get to a tree and throw up near there!" Jewel yelled.

Vacca and Jewel began running from person to person helping them to move around and keep from throwing up on others. As luck would have it, Vacca ended up covered in vomit while Jewel didn't have a drop on him. Vacca did manage to keep people from throwing up on others though. Calvin was the next to clear up, then Leo, then Masonete, then Richardson, then Eduardo, then Morris, and finally the rest of the Leadership. Once they were good to go, they rushed around helping those who were still being sick. Vomit flowed like water and just as Vacca had predicted, it was all an alarming color of shiny gold.

* * *

It took nearly two hours, but the Fellowship had maneuvered the entire group to the far side of the stream to keep them away from the pools of vomit. The puke was already beginning to settle and no one wanted to stay in the vicinity. Eduardo had stayed on the far side making sure that no bags or gear or weapons had been left behind in the puke.

The rest of the group was lying down, resting after all the hurling. They were almost all asleep. Everyone was tired after such an ordeal. The pain had lasted for an hour before the purging began and they were exhausted. There was a small group of people who were still awake though. They had plenty of things to worry about and take care of while everyone else napped in the warm afternoon.

"Alright, Jewel, Richardson, Leo anybody have any idea why we all came down with a stomach bug that made us throw up liquid gold?" Joyner asked quietly.

"No, but I think we should stay here for a couple of days just to make sure there's no lingering effects. We won't be able to travel very well with sick people. Having folks support the injured while we move is bad enough as it is. If we didn't have a place to wash old bandages we would be screwed. Jason's doing the best he can with making soap from ashes and everything but here soon we're going to need to break out the soaps from the bags. I agree that we need to make everything last but I'm not about to play around and take chances with infection in an environment like this one. I say we stay here for three days, I'd suggest five but we'd be risking discovery at that point." Jewel said.

"We'll be risking discovery every day we stay here. It's not just discovery either. We don't have any safe places to make fires in all these trees so we'll have to be eating cold rations from the bags. Fires would give us away anyway. We should send out scouting parties to look for any source of food. This stream here has fish but there's no way I'm going to ask anyone to risk eating raw fish." Jason said firmly.

"Anyone got any idea what we're gonna do with all the shiny, gold colored puke?" Kaneesha asked, "Leaving that crap all over the place ain't gonna do the environment any good. Next time it rains heavy, it's all gonna wash right into the stream. Maybe someone's usin' it for drinkin' water. That ain't cool."

"Good point," Joyner admitted, "We need to bury it, or as much as we can. The smell might attract predators or give us away to the equinoids."

"I've been thinking about that actually." Hord said rubbing his scruffy chin, "The equinoids should have been able to easily track us by scent or sound, yet we haven't seen a single one since this morning. On Earth we'd have been found within a few hours. They would have sent out search parties with dogs. Something doesn't add up. If they think like the U.S. government does, why didn't they have tighter security around their camp. If Marines were sent to intercept aliens for ANY reason, we would have a Marine on guard, spaced out every twenty feet around a camp that size. Any movement would have been put down on contact. This isn't adding up. Where's the pursuit, where's the dogs, where's the hundreds of military scouring the forest for tracks? We took precautions, but I've looked and we're still leaving a trail I could follow at night while blindfolded. Besides after a week here and nobody having time to wash, we stink to high heaven. Hell, I can smell us down wind."

"I've got a theory about that actually." Jason said, "The equinoids Masonete saw were bright white and the ones Pering described were brightly colored and sung loudly enough to be heard several hundred yards away. At first I thought they might be venomous, like Pering said, but maybe it's more simple than that. Let's say their vision is poor, their bright colors would make them stand out enough to identify at a distance."

"But what about the bows and crossbows and javelins? You need to be able to see well to use those to their fullest potential." Ludwig said.

"I don't have an answer for that yet, but perhaps it's just as simple as the equinoids not being able to use them to their fullest potential. Do remember the very vast majority of the weapons we have are melee weapons meant for short range and the armor Masonete described was thick for close quarters combat." Jason explained, "The crux of my theory is that their senses are not a finely tuned as we are used to seeing on animals and that brings me to my next bit of theory. In nature, if any creature has deficiency in one area, they have something to counteract that weakness, otherwise the creature goes extinct. These equinoids are not extinct, in fact they seem to be the dominant species here, so what strength do they have to counteract their weaknesses?"

"The telekinesis and wings!" Brinsin exclaimed, "They can levitate stuff and fly!"

"Correct, but that only encompasses two of the four types we've seen thus far. I saw a few of the pegasus ones and something occurred to me. Their bodies are much to large for their wings to support in flight, even if they have hollow bones. There's something we're not seeing with those and I'm willing to bet the ones that don't have wings or horns are just as gifted in some other fashion or form, otherwise they wouldn't have been included with the military unit we raided."

"So their senses are dulled compared to ours?" Morris asked, "We see the same thing in Humans. Our senses are nowhere near the precision that's been developed by animals. The animals here seem identical to the ones on our world, so the hidden advantage the equinoids have must be pretty potent in order to allow them to be the dominant species."

"Do yall think it's connected to the stuff we all threw up earlier?" Calvin asked, "I know I haven't thrown up anything like that before, back on Earth. Figure we probably all got here at the same time, we all got sick at the same time. It might be connected."

"The two events of arrival and sickness may well be connected, good observation by the way Calvin. I highly doubt the equinoids have anything to do with that." Joyner said.

"Actually, they might be connected, just not in the way we think." Vacca said, "I know I was feeling crummy before I threw up but I didn't even notice it until after I did. There's one other thing too. I could see the world much more clearly after I threw up. It was like someone had adjusted the prescription on my glasses and I could suddenly see clearly."

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Leo said, "I can hear shit a lot more clearly, but I feel a bit sleepy, like I ain't eaten for a day. You think that's what's affectin' the horse things?"

Vacca nodded,
"Yup. I don't know how we . . . ingested it but I think the equinoids have some sort of way to maybe process it or refine it or maybe that's just the way they're built." he shrugged, " I don't know for sure but it might be our connection. We do know that the Human body can't use it so we throw it up. Remember it's just a theory. It could have just as easily been some new disease that made us puke gold. We're on a new world with new rules, who knows what's different."

"Hey amigos," Eduardo yelled from across the stream where everyone had been sick, "Come see this! Man, this is loco!"

* * *

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were reclining on the soft grass of the field the Humans had been camped in. Celestia had taken the time to address the entire Guard earlier in order to minimize any more misunderstandings regarding the country's newest guests. A pavilion tent had been erected for them in the field and they were enjoying the shade. The tent had been one of hundreds the Pegasus Regiment had brought for the Humans. The Princesses were conducting their interviews of potential candidates when a voice called from outside.

"Princess!" an Earth Pony Guard slid to a halt just inside the tent, "A detachment of fifty Unicorns is missing! They said they were going to scout around to look for tracks but they haven't reported back yet!"

Celestia and Luna rose to their hooves fluidly,
"How long have they been gone Sargent?" Celestia asked urgently.

"They were supposed to have returned once the sun reached the peak of the trees but I was so preoccupied with re-equipping our Guards that I lost track of time." he bowed deeply, "I am so sorry Princess. This is my failure. I'd like to request permission to search for them."

"Who is commanding the group?" Celestia asked.

"Lieutenant Proud Hoof." the Guard said.

"I demoted him this morning." Celestia said quietly, "He was supposed to be relieved of command by Sgt. Just Cause."

"The Sgt. was never informed, your Majesty." the Guard said, "He's been helping me distribute equipment to our Guards since this morning. The Lieutenant never said a anything about his demotion. He showed up to be re-issued equipment but he didn't say anything. I was there."

Celestia's mind began calculating furiously and she came to a conclusion almost instantly,
"Would you like to handle this sister? I neglected to include you before and I regret that decision."

Luna nodded,
"Of course. I assume you will continue with the interviews?"

"Yes, we have to play to our strengths right now. Thank you sister." Celestia said gratefully.

Luna strode briskly past the Sgt. at the front of the tent,
"Come, we have work to do."

She headed away from the tent and gracefully strode toward the mass of equipment that had been laid out for distribution not looking to see if the Sergeant was following or not. The Earth Pony dutifully fell in step with his Princess, eyes forward and face blank.

"Were the unicorns armed?" Luna asked never turning her head.

"Yes your Majesty. They claimed weapons from the pile that was left in the field. Captain Honor ordered the Unicorns to be equipped due to the Earth Ponies' natural strength and greater unarmed combat training." the Sargent said flatly.

Luna's tone betrayed nothing,
"You disagree?"

"That is not my place, Princess. I do as I am told." he replied neutrally.

"Yes and if the Pegasus Regiment had done so, it is highly likely there would be a great many dead bodies to burry by day's end. I am asking for your personal opinion Sergeant . . . " Luna trailed off, waiting for the Guard to finish the sentence.

"Bold Move, your Majesty." he replied.

"What would you have done Sgt. Bold Move?" Luna asked.

"I would have been very selective about who received a weapon after so many of our number expressed such an extreme reaction to the theft last night. The ones who seemed the most volatile would not be issued a weapon immediately for fear of them attempting to seek retribution for the theft." Bold Move said flatly.

"A wise decision." Luna mused quietly, "Tell me, what would you do in regard to the Humans as of now?"

"It's such a strange word on the tongue." Bold Move mumbled quietly, "I would select experienced scouts and ensure they were level headed, then send them out to scour the immediate area to look for a trail. I would select Earth Ponies who have training in Tremor Sensing and have them go without armor for speed and stealth and without weapons for the same reasons. The Humans didn't attack us and they had the perfect opportunity to do so. By that, I doubt they would harm a Pony, especially if they do not present a threat. The scouts would have explicit instructions not to engage our targets, but to report back on what direction they were headed. After that, I would need more information to make a sound decision. I can tell you that I would not engage them quickly though. I would only fight if there was no other option and if I had time to chose the location. I would engage on my own terms, use the environment. I find it's a tactic that is sorely under used. Prince Shining Armor spoke on it often, when he was still Captain, but most didn't listen. He thought tactics were much more important than numbers or even armaments. Most of the Guard scoffed behind his back but I and others like me attended his every lecture."

"Where do you see yourself in the future Sgt.?" Luna asked.

"As a Lieutenant and perhaps as Captain one day if the opportunity presents itself. If not then I will serve until I am called by 'The Need' to begin a family." he answered honestly.

"I believe the opportunity is presenting itself . . . Lieutenant." Luna said, "It has come to the attention of my sister and I that there are a great many problems with our Guard. An inordinate amount of pride has settled over your number and that pride is what blinded your former commanders to order the Pegasus Regiment to attack the Humans on site. Fresh ideas are needed and a fresh perspective to go with them. The position of command is yours, if you accept it."

Bold Move continued walking stoically, never flinching or showing any reaction,
"I will serve, your Majesty."

"Excellent, select twenty Ponies of your choice and carry out your plan immediately. Tell me, who else would you suggest for advancement?" Luna asked.

"Corporal Swift Wind, Private Steady Plod, and Sergeant Peach Pit. I don't much like Peach Pit but he has hidden depths beneath his haughty exterior and abrasive personality, as much as I don't want to admit it, he is probably a better tactician than I am. He sought personal tutelage from Captain Armor." Bold Move said honestly.

"Thank you Lt. I will seek them immediately." Luna said.

"Corporal Swift Wind is a Pegasus. You can probably find him up in the air, he dislikes being on the ground. Private Steady Plod os an Earth Pony. Him you will likely find close to any maps, he loves maps and can generally predict movements. He is somewhat slow to act, but cautious. In our training practice he was almost always right when moving to capture an enemy base. Sergeant Peach Pit is a Unicorn. You will find him getting information from the Guards who were posted on watch last night. He'll be talking to them to try to get a feel for where our weak point was. If he's already finished that, he'll be cataloging the tracks the Humans left so he can understand their methods and mindset." Bold Move explained.

"Who would you recommend for finding and dealing with Proud Hoof?" Luna asked.

"Steady Plod to find them and Peach Pit to lead the party to subdue them and determine what to do with them. He will be verbally abusive to them at first but his judgement will be fair in the end." the new Lieutenant explained.

Luna nodded,
"Very well. Go on about your business Lieutenant. I will see to everypony else myself."

* * *

"So the shiny gold vomit just made these plants grow?" Jason asked kneeling to examine one of the saplings.

The entire Fellowship of Leadership and the entirety of the group of other Humans was gathered in a stand of four foot tall saplings that had not been there earlier in the day.

"Yeah I know, this is some bruja shit man! This is fuckin' voodoo! This ain't natural!" Eduardo said frantically.

"Just calm down Eduardo." Joyner said soothingly, "We don't know what's going on yet and it's not a good idea to be jumping to conclusions." he leaned in close to the young Hispanic man, "Do you want everyone to panic? They look up to us. We have to stay calm."

"Heh," Morris chuckled, drawing all eyes, "At least we don't have to worry about it tainting the water."

"That's true," Richardson said, "Whatever it was we threw up must have been natural. If it wasn't it wouldn't have made these trees grow."

Leo scratched his chin,
"We should save that shit if we throw up again."

"That's brilliant!" Spearman exclaimed, "If we use it on crops, imagine what we could grow! We could feed everyone easily."

"You're right!" Jason said, "The height of these saplings is indicative of half a year's growth! If we could apply it to crops we could . . . wow!"

"Seems like this sin't bad news after all." Ludwig said.

"It could be cyclical too." Vacca said, "We throw it up, it feeds the plants, we eat the plants, we throw it up. It's not a pleasant thought but it could work. One afternoon of stomach ache for all that food? If nothing else our pain tolerance will be good."

His comment caused many a chuckle from the gathered group. Eduardo felt bad for panicking so quickly, 'Man, I was acting all loco over nothing! I coulda caused a major problem. I almost let everyone down. I gotta get my shit straight.'

"Don't you think we might be jumping the gun a little bit here?" Jewel asked, "We don't know if that stuff is safe yet. We can try it I guess but we need to be careful, cause last I checked eating your own vomit wasn't such a good idea."

"We'll just have to wait and see." Joyner said, "For now, let's split up and scout around for food and other resources. Fifty person groups, just like with the raid, get with the Leadership member you were with before and follow their directions. Spearman go North, Brinsin go North-East, Richardson go East, Calvin go South-East, Ludwig go South, Jewel go South-West, Hord go West, and Jason go North-West. The rest of us will stay here and set up as much of a temporary camp as we can. Let's get to it."

Vacca, Leo, Kaneesha, Morris, and Eduardo walked up to Joyner,
"Alright then, Vacca I want you to ruffle through bags and find tarps and anything else we can use for covering. String them up tall enough for people to walk under. Got it?"

"No problem." he turned to the people left that he had led during the raid, "Everyone who was with me, come on."

Joyner turned to the remaining medic in training,
"Leo I'd like you to clear out an area for the injured and make sure they have places to sit and lay. Make spaces for them to sit, eight at a time for the overnight watch facing the eight directions. Collect the medical equipment bags and set them out for you, Richardson, and Jewel. You think you know enough to take care of basic bandage changing?"

"Yeah I got that. I ain't stupid ya know." he turned and waved his hand, "Yo! Ereone who was with me get off yo asses! We got places to clear. Yall that got assigned to someone hurt, stay with 'em till someone comes to get ya. Keep 'em comfortable an' shit. The rest o' yall follow me."

"Kaneesha, can I have you find Masonete and the two of you scout around a fifty foot perimeter. Use those strings of yours and tie up a few tripwires in any place that looks like someone or something could get in close. Make the distances between trees short to maximize the tension in the wires." Joyner instructed.

"On it." she turned and walked off yelling into the thick forest, "Yo, Masonete! We got us a job to do."

Joyner turned his attention to Morris,
"Take your group and some paper. I want you to catalog how many of which types of bags we have. Give me a good inventory so we know what we have to work with exactly. We didn't have a chance to do so earlier."

"Heh, not an issue." Morris said, "Come on everyone, collect all the bags and bring them to the bank of the stream."

"Eduardo do you know how to use a spear or sword?" Joyner asked.

Eduardo shook his head,
"I know how to use a knife and a machete but I got nothin' for spears. I'm sorry man."

"It's better than most others know. Now, I need you to be honest with me. Did you ever learn how to use a machete on a person?" Joyner asked quietly.

Eduardo scuffed his feet,
"I left that life behind me amigo." he said quietly, "But yeah, I did."

"That's actually good." Joyner said.

Eduardo looked up sharply, expression puzzled,
"How is that a good thing?"

"Because almost no one has any idea how to use a blade in a fight. I want you to begin teaching people how to wield short swords. They're about the size and weight of a machete, maybe a little heavier. Show them why they are dangerous and how to use them. Give a few demonstrations and show them the ropes. Can you do that?" Joyner asked.

Eduardo raised his head, but had a sad look in his eyes,
"I don't like what I know amigo, but I'll show 'em how to fight."

"You'll be showing me too. I'm going to be participating." Joyner said with a slight smile, "Let's collect some blades and get to practicing."

* * *

Swift Wind winged about on the currents of wind high above the field as he circled in for a landing, 'Why did Princess Luna ask me to report to Princess Celestia?' he wondered idly. The thermals from the warm field lent him a powerful updraft. He wished dearly to stay aloft but when his Princess commanded him, he obeyed. Swift Wind landed in front of the pavilion tent in the middle of the field. The front flap of the tent was closed but he saw he wasn't the only Guard that had to wait. He immediately saw his friend Steady Plod waiting by the entrance.

"Hey there Steady!" the pegasus greeted the Earth Pony cheerfully, "What brings you here? Get a mysterious order from Princess Luna?" he chuckled.

"Actually, yes." Steady Plod answered, "She sent you too didn't she."

"Yeah she did. Any idea what's going on? You always were better than me at predictions." Swift Wind said.

"I explained it to you before, there is no predicting involved. It's pure logic. I take all possibilities and remove the impossible, then select the most likely by comparing the possibilities to personalities of the individuals involved and choosing the one that fits the best. It is commonly known as the process of elimination. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how unlikely, must be the answer. It's all about knowing ponies."

Swift Wind ruffled his feathers,
"I don't ever use logic. For me . . . "

"I know, I know. You just 'feel' what is right. We've had this conversation before you silly feather brain. My answer then was the same as my answer now. You are what's called 'intuitive' while I'm 'logical'. Those are proper names. I would suggest you learn them." Steady Plod said sourly.

"Aw come on Steady Plot . . . " Swift Wind began.

"Plod." the scowling Earth Pony corrected.

"Whatever." the Pegasus said absently, "Don't get your tail twisted. I'm just playing."

"And the frequency of your efforts in that regard show clearly on your record." Steady said quietly.

"While your complete lack of it doesn't show on yours. In fact, last I heard, I had twice the accolades you did." Swift said haughtily.

"Yes, and twice the negative marks to match. I may not have many marks to my name, but the ones I do have are all positive." the serious Earth Pony replied.

"You're always so humble Steady. How can I be more like you?" Swift Wind said with a sardonic smile.

"Try being serious once in a while." Steady Plod replied with a rare smile.

The two of them had known each other ever since they had enlisted. Despite their polar opposite personalities, they knew that each would support the other no matter what. Swift Wind was literally the only pony who could get Steady Plod to smile, while Steady was the only pony who could get Swift to be serious. The other Guards called them 'The Twins' and both Swift and Steady each wore their half of the title with pride. Their constant back and forth banter was largely ignored by the other Guards as 'just the twins going at it again'. They were as close as brothers and neither would have it any other way. They worked well together despite their differences. Each always seemed to know exactly what the other would do.

During practice training for group maneuvers, every other Guard hated being on the team opposite from the two of them. Steady Plod's plans were well known to be the best and Swift Wind's intuition once the action started was second to none. Working together they had always led their teams to victory and on some occasions even carried their teams. On the single instance they had been on opposite teams the result had been the first ever draw in the history of the entire Royal Guard.

The flap of the pavilion tent opened revealing a Unicorn Guard wearing a confused expression,
"Uh, next I guess." he said before wandering off.

Swift lifted his left wing, gesturing toward the entrance,
"You were here first."

"Thanks . . . Broken Wind." Steady said as he entered the tent.

"What a thing to say." a regal voice said.

Steady Plod turned his head toward Celestia, face white,
"Oh no, not you your Majesty!" he said nervously.

"Who were you talking to Private?" Celestia asked.

"Corporal Swift Wind." Steady Plod replied.

Celestia raised her right eyebrow,
"Insubordination toward a superior officer?"

"N . . . No . . . I . . . Just . . . " Steady Plod stuttered, absolutely mortified.

Celestia laughed lightly,
"Relax Private, it is good to hear such camaraderie between ranks."

Swift Wind poked his head into the tent,
"Pardon me, Princess but Steady Plod and I would be the same rank if not for lack of availability of positions."

"Really? The two of you seem to get along very well. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. The last Guard must have thought me very insulting once I started laughing at the name 'Steady Plot'. In all truth, he was not the type of Pony I was hoping for anyway. You two though, you seem as different as my sister and I, yet you are obviously good friends. Tell me, what are your areas of expertise?" Celestia asked.

The two Guards answered in unison,
"Tactics and plans of action."

Celestia smiled as she crossed her hooves,
"Do tell and please don't leave out any details."

* * *

"Well this was a bust." Brinsin said, his tone disappointed.

He had led his group of fifty people to the North-East through the thick forest, just like Joyner had asked. Brinsin was not a skilled woodsman like Jason, but he had more than enough sense to know what an obviously edible plant looked like. He could easily identify most fruits and berries and he had quickly learned to play it safe. The event with Eric dying from the mushroom had taught him that. Unfortunately, neither he nor a single person in his group had seen any edible plants anywhere throughout the entirety of the afternoon. Brinsin had learned to tell direction by the sun after the first day of exploring around the origin field and after the second day, he could estimate time using the lengths of shadows.

He had instructed his group to drop their bags, spears, and shields back by the stream, in order to free up their hands. He told them to keep their short swords though, just to be safe. They had been following the stream. Since it flowed toward the North-East none of them needed to take canteens. The lack of weight had been a boon to the distance they covered and to the speed of their progress. Even Brinsin had to agree that he was getting good at finding safe footing. The fact that everyone's feet were covered with thick cloth might have helped too. He slowed his pace to a stop then turned and faced his group.

Brinsin cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled,
"Let's stop here for a few minutes yall. Have a seat, take a load off, whatever. Just stay put aiit?"

"And what if I got to take a shit!?" a man's voice yelled back from the group.

Brinsin rolled his eyes
"Then go take one, jeez! I ain't stoppin' nobody from relievin' theyselves. Now if yall aks me to wipe your asses, then we got a problem!"

Brinsin rested his right hand on the hilt of his sword as a thought occurred to him, 'The group shouldn't stay by the stream too long. Erebody gonna get restless an' start fightin' in a day or two an' all these people got weapons now, this could get ugly real fast.' his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of yelling near the stream.

"YO!" he said quickly turning toward the sound, "What's goin' on?"

Two caucasian men stood on the bank of the stream, swords drawn, scowling at each other. The rest of the group had formed a semicircle around the two. Brinsin's lime of sight was partially obscured by the press of people.

"Move yall!" Brinsin yelled, pushing his way through, "What the hell is goin' on?"

"This asshole," one dark haired man said pointing to the man across from him, "Shoved me when I was taking a drink!"

"Bullshit!" the blond man spat back, "I tripped and bumped into him by accident! Then he gets all pissed and draws on me!"

"YO COOL IT!" Brinsin ordered loudly, "Are yall seriously about to kill each other over this . . . THIS? What are yall fuckin' kindergartners? Man the fuck up! Ain't no reason to kill nobody! Put yo' shit away and handle this like adults or I'm about to smack some sense into yall!"

The two men turned on Brinsin,
"Who the fuck put you in change anyway, shrimp?" the blond man asked.

"Yeah," the other man agreed, "Why should I listen to a nig . . . " his sentence cut off as Brinsin's fist caught him in the jaw.

The shorter black man swiftly turned to the other man,
"You wanna finish that word?" he asked menacingly, "You gonna put yo' shit away." he said slowly, "Right now."

The man sheathed his sword petulantly,
"Fine. Don't want my face busted."

"We all had a bad day yall. Erebody's hungry an' cranky. Yall get a good long drink an' then we gonna head back an' get somethin' to eat." he turned to the groaning man holding his jaw, "An' I better not hear nobody callin' nobody else names, especially no racial slurs. Got it?"

"Yeah," the man said darkly, "I got it."

"Good. Now get up, get a drink, an' let's get goin'. It's gonna be gettin' dark soon."

* * *

Peach Pit squinted at the strange tracks, that had been left in the campsite, 'Human.' he thought, 'Thieves they are." he thought sourly, 'Sneaking, robbing, ungrateful thieves. Well, it's time to find out how you work, thieves.' The scene of the raid had been cleared and nearly all the strange tracks had been obscured by hundreds of hoof prints. Peach Pit had scoured the site looking for any intact prints left by the interlopers. He counted himself lucky to have found two sets of intact prints. A piece of charcoal and a sheaf of parchment floated next to his head as he logged his findings and observations.

He stood next to the edge of the forest and spoke his thoughts out loud as he wrote them down,
"Subject One, as indicated by the depth of the prints, weighs between eleven and twelve stones. Height undetermined, age undetermined, gender undetermined, species Human. The spacing of the prints of Subject One are similar to that of a monkey, except the . . . toes are much too short to be capable of being used for gripping. This indicates that the species is ground bound. This in turn eliminates the possibility of the species using the branches of trees for locomotion. This also deepens the mystery of how Subject One and others of its ilk were able to penetrate the camp unseen. The spacing of the prints indicates either an extremely tall quadruped or a marginally tall biped." the Unicorn lowered his head to where his chin touched the ground and squinted along the prints, "Subject One entered the site from a Western direction." he turned and peered around for a moment before his eyes zeroed in on a deep set of hoof prints, "Subject One seems to have come within . . . an estimated thirty paces of a sentry and yet remained undetected." he turned his gaze back to the strange prints and followed them, "Subject One seems to have proceeded into the closest tent. Tent will be labeled Tent One." Peach Pit cautiously raised and lowered his hooves, careful not to destroy the prints as he followed their trail, "Subject One enters Tent One, still unnoticed." he noted no depth difference of the prints, "Subject One, finding nothing of apparent value, then exits Tent One," he continued following the prints closely, "And enters the next closest one, here after referred to as Tent Two. Subject One exits the Tent Two and the prints left by Subject One from that point onward are deeper, indicating an increase of weight." Peach Pit levitated a short string out of his saddle bags and lowered it into the deeper prints, "Weight increase estimated to be between two and three stones." he put the string back and turned around carefully, still following the prints, "Subject One then exits the camp in the same direction initially utilized for entry. The consistent spacing of the prints indicates that Subject One was in no particular hurry to exit the camp." he came back to the edge of the forest and sighed heavily, "At this point the prints of Subject One become indistinguishable from those of others due to the number of overlapping prints."

Peach Pit sat down and continued his thoughts,
"There seem to be several possibilities for why Subject One ventured to a second tent instead of stealing from the Guards in the first tent. Possibility One: Tent One had already been liberated of equipment and supplies. Possibility Two: the Guards within Tent One were light sleepers and may have stirred, thus convincing Subject One to look elsewhere for goods to pilfer. Possibility Three: Subject One may have been searching for a specific item or items."

Peach Pit rolled up his notes on Subject One and levitated them into his left saddle bag. Taking the remaining paper, he trotted across the camp site to a small yellow flag he had tied to a tree to mark the location of the prints of his next subject.

"Sergeant Peach Pit?" a loud feminine voice echoed from the West, Peach Pit's right.

The Unicorn stallion raised his head quickly but couldn't make out the new comer due to the shadows of the trees,
"Don't come into the clearing! You'll ruin any good prints! There's few enough as is!" he barked harshly.

A dark shape took wing and flew over to the Unicorn stallion,
"Will hoovering be satisfactory Sargent?"

Peach Pit raised his head to reply but the rebuke died on his lips,
"Princess Luna!" he executed a swift, deep bow, "Forgive me your Majesty! I had no idea it was you!"

Luna smirked mischievously at the prostrate Guard,
"Do I have permission to land then? Or will I ruin any 'good prints'?"

Peach Pit felt his face heat up in embarrassment,
"You do not need my permission to do anything within your kingdom your Highness."

"I'm glad we have an understanding." she said as she landed in front of him, "Rise Sergeant." she commanded, "Tell me, what do you know of the raid last night?"

Peach Pit rose to attention and saluted briskly,
"The creatures . . . "

"They are called Humans Sergeant." Luna interrupted, "Continue."

"The Humans penetrated the camp of two Regiments of your Royal Guard, without being noticed, and stole a great deal of equipment, including all my personal belongings. They then departed and left behind a large number of our weapons in a field to the West."

"Is that everything you know?" Luna asked.

"I could go into detail on my findings and theories, but it would probably be boring to you." Peach Pit answered.

Princess Luna's expression brightened,
"Not at all. I would love to hear every single thought you have. It it not widely known, but I was the inspiration for all research on mathematics and sciences. Your findings and especially your thoughts may prove pivotal in formulating our response to the actions of the Humans. Please begin."

His face betrayed nothing, but Peach Pit's heart soared. Never before had a single pony taken the time to give even a cursory glance to his methods and insights. The thought that a pony was going to review his findings elated him and the fact that it was Princess Luna nearly made him dance for joy.

He schooled his expression into neutrality and cleared his throat,
"If you will follow me Princess, I can show you my observations. I wrote down my findings," he levitated the rolled up papers out of his saddle bag and offered them to Luna, "On these pages, and my personal observations and notions on the last page."

Luna quirked an eyebrow at the small stack,
"Not much here is there?"

Peach Pit fought not to hang his head to splay back his ears,
"I'm afraid I don't have much information to work with. All I know is what Princess Celestia told us this morning. I have never seen a Human before. I have not secured the necessary information to formulate an accurate likely step by step reproduction of the events that transpired last night."

Luna sighed,
"It seems that my sister had overtaxed herself with the logistics of a swift response and neglected to provide a great many details to the Guard at first."

The two ponies reached the place where Peach Pit had begun his documentation. The stallion opened his mouth to begin explaining, but Luna held up a hoof to silence him. Her eyes were already scanning his notes.

She lowered her head and peered at the prints in front of her, then went back to the notes. She looked up a second time and slowly followed the prints to Tent One, then Tent Two, and finally back to Peach Pit. She read every word and dedicated them to memory.

Seemingly finished with the notes, Princess Luna raised her head, a look of puzzlement spread across her features,
"To both my surprise and delight, I find your notes easy to read and cohesive. Your thoughts are logical and your observations are much more detailed than I would have expected. Are you certain you did not miss your calling as a detective?"

Peach Pit's chest swelled with pride,
"This is merely a pastime for me, your Majesty. My real skills lie in strategy and tactics. I do find though that I can learn a great deal about my enemy from studying their past movements. To me it is like history, we study it to improve ourselves and to 'take the next step', as the saying goes. I learn about our enemy by studying HIS history."

"And what if your perceived enemy is not actually an enemy?" Luna asked.

Peach Pit bristled at the question, but wisely kept his tone civil,
"I would be loathe to believe it, but I have been wrong on occasion. The possibility of the Humans not being enemies HAS crossed my mind due to the lack of deaths during the raid, but I dismissed it. They left our weapons in the field for one of three reasons. One: to taunt us. Two: because they decided not to take them all. Three: because they were trying to intimidate us. I decided that the second possibility was the most logical. These Humans seem to be very light and weapons are not particularly light. Logically they took only what they could travel with at speed and left everything else in the field."

"Sound enough logic, but what would you do if you discovered that a vengeful group of Unicorns had perhaps located the Human's trail and had designs of violence despite my sister's explanation and orders this morning?" Luna asked.

"I would lead a detachment of twice their number to intercept them as quickly as possible. Once we found them I would arrest them and bring them back for judgement. Honestly, it would be very simple for me. I know every Unicorn in the Regiment and I can predict what they would do." Leach Pit said proudly.

"And if it turned out to be, say Lt. Proud Hoof?" Luna asked.

"I would bring three times their number and also bring magic nullifiers. Proud Hoof is, as his name suggests, proud. He loves being in the Guard more than being a Guard. For him, it's tradition. His weapon was stolen last night. It is an unusual one, a trident. He carries it because he was brought up training with it every day. His father used it in the Guard, his grandfather used it in the Guard. He claims he can trace his ancestry back to the first Royal Guards and that the trident is the same one used by all the Guards before him. He also claims that he has achieved the highest rank since his ancestor in the first Guard did. His pride is everything to him. If he feels that his pride has suffered, there is no telling what he might do."

"Gather a contingent of one hundred and fifty Unicorns and go after Proud Hoof." Princess Luna ordered.

Peach Pit stuttered,
"I don't have the rank to arrest him, Princess."

"Proud Hoof was demoted this morning, Lieutenant. Gather the Unicorns and follow him. Keep in mind, the Humans are not the enemy. If there is a fight, the Humans may be acting in self-defense." Luna ordered.

"Yes, your Majesty!" Peach Pit broke into a gallop, ignoring the prints he destroyed with his passing. He had much more important things to worry about.

* * *

Proud Hoof led the way through the forest scowling deeply. His eyes searched left and right for any movement as he followed the wide trail he had found earlier in the day. His head was lowered toward the ground, like a hound. His eyes blazed with fiery hatred beneath his helmet. The trail was as wide as a Pony and his unusually keen nose could make out a certain musk he had smelled in their camp earlier. He knew he was on the right trail and he was out for blood.

His thoughts raged within him, 'How dare they! They invade our land, they use our trees and food, they defecate on our soil, and then they have the audacity to STEAL our things! They insult us . . . US! We are the Royal Guard! We defend the land from invaders! We have the honor of guarding Princess Celestia! We, who have stood proud for generations almost beyond count! They walk in and steal our equipment, our food, and our dignity! THEY STOLE MY FAMILY'S TRIDENT! My pride, the legacy of my family from time beyond time, and they stole it! How dare they! HOW DARE THEY! I don't care what the Princess says! I will reclaim our honor! They will tremble in fear of our wrath! They will pay dearly for their defilement!'

The Royal Guards following him were silent as ghosts. Many of them were furious about the thefts from the previous night. Proud Hoof had told them Princess Luna had given him instructions to find, attack, and route the Humans. Proud Hoof knew that if he had claimed Princess Celestia had given the order they would never believe him. Princess Luna though, had only returned a short five years prior and was notoriously reclusive during the daytime. Her prolific use of the Royal Canterlot Voice had instilled a sense of aggressive dominance in the Royal Guard and most were hesitant to even approach her. An order of aggression was not unthinkable if it came from the boisterous Moon Princess.

Proud Hoof had set a brisk pace and was pushing himself and the other Unicorns hard. They sweated and panted quietly behind him, but the hard march was paying off. The path was flat and easy on the hooves. The ease of the terrain lent speed to their progress. Proud Hoof's nose twitched, the musky smell was growing stronger and more fresh. His finely tuned olfactory sense detected a new scent on the gentle breeze, vomit. He grinned darkly, a sick enemy would be easy for any Royal Guard to put down, especially for Unicorns trained in Battle Magic.

The sun was beginning to set and the light was fading quickly. Proud Hoof's nose picked up on another scent, fresh water. It made sense that the thieves would stop next to a usable water source. His smile broadened. The enemy wouldn't have magic to see with at night.

Proud Hoof chuckled menacingly, licking his lips in anticipation. It was sure to be a slaughter.

* * *

"Attention!" Lieutenant Peach Pit barked, "Former Lieutenant Proud Hoof has gone missing along with fifty other Unicorn Guards. As of yet we don't know why they are missing but the theory is that they mean to take revenge on the Humans for the thefts last night."

His words sparked many angry murmurers, scuffed hooves, and glares,
"Silence in the ranks!" Peach Pit barked, "Our personal feelings in this matter are irrelevant. My possessions were among those stolen, so I know how you must feel, however that does not permit us to arbitrarily ignore a direct order from Princess Celestia. When we locate Proud Hoof and the others we are going to place them under arrest and return them to the Princesses for judgement. It is possible that they may have engaged the Humans in combat. If that is the case, you are to utilize shields ONLY. DO NOT USE WEAPONS. The Humans have no magic and cannot likely break through a magical shield. You are to take any steps necessary to ensure there are NO DEATHS on either side. We are going to retrieve other Guards, not fight. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Lieutenant!" one hundred and fifty voices shouted back in unison.

"We march!" Peach Pit ordered from the front of the column.

Chapter 9: Confrontation

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The day was quickly giving way to night. The various groups sent out to search for food had all returned empty handed. The news of their failure pulled the morale of the group to an all time low. They had the food from the bags but without fires to cook with, dinner was shaping up to be a dismal ordeal indeed. There were only a few bright parts of the evening. One of the most obvious ones were the shelters Vacca and his group had erected and the promise of training the next day for those who were well enough to do so. After more than a week of nothing but work, work, work, the idea of training with weapons was very appealing. Everybody wanted to be a bad ass with a blade.

Morris and his group had a great deal of success in cataloging the equipment that had been liberated. The industrious young man had even gone so far as to make a checklist of appropriate equipment load outs for different people based on skills and cross referenced by physique. Vacca, Hord, Jewel, and Joyner all agreed it was a sound system and that it would be best to alter the layouts to mimic Morris' idea the following afternoon. It was sure to take several hours but the end result was certain to make the journey much more bearable for all involved.

Leo had pulled his weight beautifully. He had arranged a series of Cardinal Directional posts for the injured to use while keeping watch at night. The posts had been cleared of leaves and debris in order to make the injured as comfortable as possible. He had also set up stones from the stream at every post so the injured could simply strike a stone with the flat of one of the many shovels that were available and yet to be used. For the injured who were not on watch, he cleared away the debris from a very large space and set up the injured in a grid pattern so they could be tended to and treated with ease and without the worry of stepping on an injured person while attending someone else.

By far, the brightest light of the day came from Eduardo Ortega. As soon as the small group of one hundred and sixteen people began practicing, it became immediately apparent that Eduardo had been selling himself short. Joyner recognized the movements Eduardo demonstrated as being a rudimentary form of Tameng and Barong fighting he had seen in the Philippines.

Eduardo had obviously been trained, at least to a small extent, in Philippine martial arts. Joyner was only too happy to participate. His knowledge of sword play was no better than anyone else's. Eduardo demonstrated how to use a shield as a weapon and a defensive tool, he showed the various types of strikes and their usefulness in a fight. In all honesty, the group performed like a bunch of clumsy children, but at least no one was injured.

The group gathered around the Fellowship of Leadership that evening for announcements,
"Settle down please." Joyner said loudly.

The group quieted down somewhat so he continued,
"As many of you already know, the scouting parties were largely unsuccessful in their attempts to locate more food. We are going to be eating from the bags tonight. Morris Allmond has been hard at work organizing food for each person. You will receive a certain amount of food. This amount is the same for every person and there will not be any more distributed until breakfast tomorrow morning. Since we'll be staying here for a couple of days we need to make sure we don't leave any permanent damage to the area. Do not chop trees or branches and when you meed to use the bathroom, walk at least one hundred steps away from the camp or any water source. Use a shovel, dig a hole, do your thing, wipe with some leaves, and bury it."

"What if we just have to piss?" a voice asked.

"Walk two hundred steps away from the site or water source and cut loose." Joyner said with a congenial smile, "As you know we are going to be practicing with the weapons we have. I sincerely hope we never have to use them but if we do, we might as well know how. Each weapon category will be taken by a specific person. Spears will be taught by, ironically enough, Mike Spearman. The sword and shield training will be taught by Eduardo Ortega. Now, I realize many of you do not have spears, swords, and shields. For those who do not, Darryl Hord and R.J. Brinsin will be your instructors. Every person who is physically able to, is expected to participate in this training. After training tomorrow, we are going to redistribute equipment to everyone, so do not get clingy with what is in your bags. As a final note, since this our first night with weapons let us give you some rules." he turned to Hord, "If you would."

Hord didn't need to cup his hands over his mouth, he was already loud,
"Do not sleep with your weapons in hand or on your body. You could roll over during the night and injure yourself. Remove the weapons from your person and place them on the ground next to you. Be sure not to lean any of them against any trees. They might fall over and injure you. Remember, these are not toys. These are weapons made for one purpose, to kill. They are shaped for it, they are sharpened for it, and if you abuse them you may end up killing yourself. Any person found abusing or playing with your weapons will have them taken from you permanently, and we will replace that shiny sword with a club. You don't act like warriors, we'll make you cavemen. Got it?"

A murmur of agreement answered him,
"GOT IT?"

The answers were much louder the second time,
"Good, now let's eat."

* * *

"There are a lot more of them than I was expecting." Proud hoof said as his magically enhanced vision pierced the distance and darkness, "They have no magic.".

He was lying down behind a bush, some three hundred paces from the group of Humans. He had his magic keeping the leaves of the bush from obscuring his vision. He began formulating battle plans in his mind, 'We wait for them to fall asleep then we sneak in close and eliminate any sentries. We spread out evenly and on my command, we open with bursts of bright light and loud noise to wake them up and disorient them. We then fire bolts of force and lightning at them. Can't risk using fire in the forest after all. In the confusion, they will end up killing each other for us and I can take back my trident. When we return to the Princess she'll be upset at first, but these Humans are more trouble than they're worth and she'll calm down after a while. I still don't understand why she's so determined to help these creatures, they're not Equestrian citizens, they're not even Ponies. She should have let us exterminate them right from the start and bypassed all this trouble.'

Proud Hoof took careful note of the arrangement of the Human's sentries then slunk back to the fifty Guards who had followed him. He had ordered them to stay hidden while he watched the Humans from a closer distance. Several of the other Guards were beginning to question Proud Hoof's orders. He could hear them as he approached the thicket they were hiding in.

"Are we really sure about this?" one Guard asked nervously, "I mean, I don't know Princess Luna, but it seems to me that Princess Celestia is determined to see to it that these Human creatures are not harmed. Why would she allow Princess Luna to counter her orders?"

"Because the Princesses are as different as night and day, remember? We know that Princess Celestia is passive and peaceful, that means Princess Luna is aggressive and violent. It only makes sense. That's the reason Princess Luna gave Proud Hoof his orders, she knows how to handle these Human creatures the right way. She can do what Princess Celestia is too kind to do. Besides I wouldn't go around calling Proud Hoof a liar if I was you." another Guard responded.

"I'm not calling him a liar, but these orders are the complete opposite of anything we have EVER been told to do. It doesn't feel right to me. I mean, yes they stole our equipment, and food, and insulted us, but slaughtering creatures for theft and insult? It doesn't make sense. Even if it was our orders, why not send more than fifty Unicorns? Why not send the entire Guard? It would guarantee a swift victory and minimize our own possible causalities." some of the Unicorns were beginning to nod their heads and murmur their agreement.

Proud Hoof spoke up as he entered the thicket, his tone was haughty,
"Because it would be too much effort and cost to make that many medals. We were selected because we are the best for the job. Why send six thousand to do what fifty can do? It's a waste of effort and resources. I wouldn't recommend going against Princess Luna's orders, that would probably lead to a long term trip to the dungeon in very short order. Besides why give up the chance to make history?" he said with a fanatical glint in his eyes, "We're going to be forever remembered as the Unicorns who eliminated a unique threat to Equestria. That we fifty faced numbers fifteen times our strength and carried the day for Ponies everywhere. Think about it. How many times, since her return, has Princess Luna given field orders to the Royal Guard? Zero. It makes sense that her first orders would be decisive. She spent five years in near isolation and now she's ready to come back into the spotlight, how better to do that than to give unusual orders that guarantee the safety of the Ponies of Equestria? She is different from her sister, everypony knows that, but she's using us to show that different isn't a bad thing. She looks different than Princess Celestia, she speaks differently too. Don't you see? She's trying to earn the faith of all of Equestria. Sure her orders are different but why does that matter? I'm not questioning our Princess. She want's our help to return to her rightful place next to her sister and I'm going to show her my support by giving her my all."

"Well I won't have any part of it." the first Guard said boldly, "It goes against everything we stand for as ponies. Princess Celestia has been a kind ruler for hundreds of generations and I joined the guard to protect not to slaughter. If we were at war with these creatures it would be different. This . . . this feels more like murder and . . . I won't have any part of it. If I am imprisoned, so be it. I am going back to the Princesses anypony who wants to join me is welcome. If this is the end of my career, then it was an honor serving with all of you. Goodbye."

"What is your name Private?" Proud Hoof asked.

"Sound Mind." the Guard said.

"Very well," Proud Hoof said coldly, "Traitor. Be gone from us."

Sound Mind left by himself and slowly began making his way back toward the field where the Princesses were waiting. Proud Hoof turned toward the rest of the Unicorns with him and began laying out his plans.

* * *

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iu-WAHBbW8

John Turner had always considered himself 'lucky'. He had been born into a wealthy family and raised by two parents who were around often enough to satisfy him. He had done well in school and didn't even need his parents' money to attend college, his scholarship took care of that. He was quick with basic arithmetic and could solve most simple equations in half a second. His skills with math were what landed him his full scholarship. Despite his parents slight disapproval, he wanted to become an accountant and was well on his way to achieving his goal. He had been lucky to have instructors who were both friendly and intelligent. He had been lucky enough to find friends in college who partied, but not to excess and who were willing to include him, geeky as he was to most. He had been lucky to find a beautiful girl in his classes who was as smart as she was pretty. His luck was a wonderful thing, a perfect compliment to his efforts to better himself.

Then the storm happened and his luck had died in spectacular form. First, he was somehow transported to the middle of a field for no apparent reason. Second, he woke up among hundreds of other people all of whom were naked. Third, he had stepped on a sharp stick while distracted, and put a hole in his foot. Fourth, the person in charge of the group had yanked the stick out and smeared some chewed up plant into his wound. Fifth, he was ordered to watch over the group at night, despite his missing glasses. And finally sixth, he had gone hungry since everyone else was too busy eating and forgot about him.

Everyone else had gone to sleep, even that one guy everyone was calling 'Specter'. They were sleeping quietly, sprawled out interspersed between the closely grown trees, while he sat, propped against a tree facing the South-West. John sighed in irritation, 'Am I no longer important because I'm lame? I did my best walking here and it hurt like crazy. You know what, it doesn't matter. Even if they forgot about me they're counting on me to keep watch and that's what I'm going to do. When they come to relieve me, I'm going to just choke it down and deal with it.'

The crunch of leaves coming from behind the bushes ten feet in front of him shattered the pervading silence that had settled over the forest. John's head snapped up just in time to see a gold armored Unicorn come rushing out of the forest, sword drawn and held in its mouth. John opened his mouth to yell but the Unicorn was impossibly quick. The tip of the drawn sword blade pierced his throat, severed his windpipe, and pinned his neck to the tree, just barely missing his spine, in one swift stab.

Without thinking John reflexively grasped the blade of the sword with his bare hands. His fingers gripped the blade and tried to push it out of his neck. His mind hadn't yet made the connection that he had suffered such a terrible injury. His arms proved no match for the Unicorn's strength. John's hands slid down the blade, slicing open his fingers and palms. Blood immediately began seeping out the numerous gashes in his ruined digits. He tried to re-assert his grip on the sword, but the blood from his hands had already begun lubricating the blade. His fingers slipped again and again, slicing them open more and more with each attempt. His movements quickly began to speed up as he began to realize what had happened.

The blood seeping from his hands ran down the blood groove of the blade and intermixed with the blood gushing from his throat. John's eyes bulged as he began to panic. The shock delayed agony finally registered in his brain and John gurgled as his attempted scream was cut off by the blood flowing down his throat. His mind raced through a million indistinguishable thoughts as his body registered it was dying.

His panic took over completely. His legs flailed about frantically trying to kick the Unicorn away while his hands continued trying to grasp the sword blade embedded in his throat. His efforts were for naught. The Unicorn smiled behind the handle of the sword gripped in his maw and he wrenched his head to the side, twisting the blade savagely before slicing outward, sideways. The movement opened John's carotid artery and his vision quickly began to tunnel.

John's hands flopped down against the ground limply and his eyes unfocused. Proud Hoof turned and looked around quickly, checking to make sure none of the other Humans had awoken.

None had heard.

Until . . .

In his final moments, John remembered the shovel sitting next to him. Sudden rage boiled within him as his dimming eyes beheld his murderer. He could no longer feel any pain as the shredded fingers of both his hands closed around the handle of the small trenching tool, gripping it as hard as he could. The Unicorn's attention seemed to be elsewhere as he raised his arms even as his strength ebbed away. He limply swung the shovel downward with the last vestiges of his nearly depleted might. The last noise John heard before he died was the sound of the metal head of the shovel striking the Unicorn's helmeted head with a loud, resounding, metallic clang.

* * *

Peach Pit was nearing the end of his reserves of stamina. He had been tracking Proud Hoof for hours and the Unicorns behind him were faring little better. He had set a furious pace right from the start of the trek and that speed had fully doubled since he had stumbled upon Proud Hoof's trail. He squinted his eyes in the weak moonlight. Sweat ran down his face and into his eyes. His armor rubbed abrasively against his skin, the formerly lubricating sweat having taken on a syrupy texture which stung the sore spots on his muscled body. He blinked in rapid succession trying in vain to shake away the stinging sweat that was threatening to obscure his vision. Finding his efforts useless, Peach Pit shook his head violently, sending sweat flying off his face and into the surrounding bushes.

With his eyes clear once more he refocused on the path ahead, pushing himself ever harder to succeed in his mission. A flicker of motion up ahead made his freeze. Taking a braced stance, he lowered his horn and reached out his magic, feeling for any living thing in front of him.

"Identify yourself!" a commanding voice yelled to Peach Pit.

"Lieutenant Peach Pit, Equestrian Royal Guard. Identify yourself!" Peach Pit ordered.

"Private Sound Mind, Equestrian Royal Guard. What is your assignment?" Sound Mind asked.

"The apprehension of the traitor Proud Hoof and all who accompany him for disobeying the direct orders of Princess Celestia." Peach Pit said, "What is your assignment?"

"To annihilate the Human threat by order of Princess Luna." Sound Mind replied.

"Princess Luna never gave such an order. Proud Hoof has lied to you. Stand down and submit to arrest immediately." Peach Pit ordered.

"Arrest me later! Proud Hoof has probably already attacked the Humans by now. I can show you where he is!" Sound Mind said, "I won't resist, but we need to hurry! Come on!"

Peach Pit's mind recalled what he knew about Sound Mind, 'He's a good Guard. He's always honest and direct. I've never known him to abandon an assignment before. He's likely telling the truth.'

"Hold Private." Peach Pit ordered, "Guards, I'm authorizing the use of the Second Wind spell for emergency purposes! Cast!"

One hundred and fifty horns lit up the night briefly as the Unicorns obeyed without hesitation. The Second Wind spell was dangerous and therefore its use was highly regulated. The dangers inherent to its use was that it could allow a Pony to overexert themselves to the point of death if they strained hard enough. It was normally used only when exhausted troops on a battlefield were nearing the point of collapse and had to continue the fight. Its use was considered, by the Guard, to be a sure sign of a 'last stand' being eminent. Using Second Wind was considered to be signing one's death certificate.

Peach Pit's mind cleared completely even before the light from his horn had diminished,
"Lead on Private."

* * *

Kolo Calvin sat up sharply, 'Huh?' he wondered, 'What the . . . what's going on?'

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out in the still air. All around him others were beginning to wake as well. Calvin looked around owlishly, trying to make out any shapes in the darkness. The moon light revealed little to his eyes as the tarps overhead blocked it out. A shimmer of motion flashed past him in the blink of an eye. He could barely make out the form of a man leaping over people as he dashed away to the South-West.

"Wake up! Everybody wake up!" Calvin recognized the voice as Hord.

Calvin yawned hugely as he tried to reason out what was happening. He slowly reached for his maul. The sound of metal against metal rang out in the night. Calvin immediately came wide awake. His hands pulled the heavy hammer to him as he began to rise.

"They found us!" Hord's voice echoed suddenly from the darkness, followed by another metallic clang, "Everyone wake up!"

Before anyone else could say anything, brilliant, multicolored lights blossomed all around the group from too many directions for Calvin to identify. The lights blinded everyone, as attested to by the screams of panic. The lights were immediately followed by deafening explosions of sound.

Calvin immediately dove to the the ground, not wishing to be injured by panicky people swinging weapons. He landed on top of someone he couldn't identify. His eyes hurt and his night vision was shot. He couldn't hear anything but he could feel the person beneath him struggling around in the darkness.

Calvin's ears rang and he saw spots every time he blinked. He dared not rise completely however he knew the average person would end up crushed under his weight. He shuffled up, onto his hands and knees and took his weight off the poor soul beneath him. The person wiggled out from under him. Calvin yelled for them to stay down but they didn't listen, 'Probably can't hear nothin' cause o' the flash-bangs.' he reasoned.

Half a moment later, Calvin felt a person fall over onto the left side of his back, limply. The smell of singed hair flooded into his nose and the body on top of him felt hot. Warm liquid began flowing down his left shoulder and arm. The big man had no idea what the liquid was but he had a strong suspicion it was blood.

Shaking his head vigorously, Calvin tried clearing his head. His ears still rang loudly. The pervasive sound blocked out all others. He continued blinking his eyes and his vision began to clear.

He raised his head to look around and beheld a scene out of nightmare. People were stumbling around with their hands covering their eyes. Flashes of light that resembled lightning bolts flew out of the darkness at random intervals, striking any person who was making a target of themselves. Some people had apparently, in the confusion, mistaken other people for enemies and were throttling each other. Others were swinging their weapons around wildly, cutting their neighbors open. People were dying everywhere. Calvin watched as one pretty young African-American woman was stumbling about with her hands covering her eyes. A lightning bolt shot out of the darkness and struck her in the back. Her chest exploded outward and her body flew through the air, trailing blood, bone, and muscle until she struck a tree stomach first. Her body wrapped around the tree like a rag doll, a broken branch protruding from her back.

Calvin's stomach turned at the sight, and his mind began filling with anger. Calvin crawled on his left hand and knees, using his maul in place of his right hand. He stayed low and began moving toward the closest people. It was two Caucasian men standing up, chocking each other. Calvin reached out with his left hand and swept both men off their feet just as a lightning bolt crackled overhead. Calvin dropped his maul and grabbed their arms in each hand then held them apart.

The two men struggled at first, but settled down after their eyes began clearing. Calvin let go of them and waved his hands in front of them to get their attention. Their eyes focused on him and he pointed outward, toward the people fighting each other. The men followed his eyes then nodded. Calvin let them go and moved on to the next closest person.

* * *

Darryl Hord was not trained in how to efficiently use a war hammer and shield, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to try. The initial sound of steel scraping against flesh was one he knew very well and it had woken him up almost instantly. By the time the alarm sounded he already had his war hammer and shield in hand. His night vision was just good enough to make out the shapes of people lying down sleeping or just coming awake. He broke into a run, jumping over prone people left and right as his ears registered the alarm.

"Wake up! Everybody wake up!" he yelled.

His blood pumped hard in his veins as his lungs heaved air in and out. He dodged around trees and sleeping people as quickly as he could. He reached the North-West sentry post and his blood ran cold. John Turner lay against the tree he had been positioned at. His throat had been sliced open cleanly. Blood drenched his neck, chest, and lap. Even in death, his hands continued to maintain their grip on the small shovel he had used to sound the alarm. John's head hung limply forward, he was obviously dead.

Hord's attention then turned to the white Unicorn standing just in front of him. The Unicorn's armor had been sprayed with John's blood and its bloodied sword was still held in its teeth. It shook its head several times then looked up again before Hord could take advantage of its momentary confusion. The Unicorn quickly yelled something Hord couldn't understand.

"They found us!" Hord yelled, "Everyone wake up!"

The Unicorn lowered its head and charged at him. Much to Hord's surprise the Unicorn didn't seem to have any difficulty wielding the sword in its teeth. It swung its head around at waist height and attempted to cut Hord's leg. The Marine's shield intercepted the blade just before a bright light behind him illuminated the forest all around. The light was almost instantly followed by the deafening sounds of explosions.

Hord's ears rang but his vision was fine since he had been facing away from the light. He raised his arm and swung the war hammer down toward the Unicorn's head. The Unicorn sprang backward fluidly and came at him a second time. It shifted its sword to the left side of its mouth and sprang into the air, aiming for Hord's shoulder. Hord swung his right arm and intercepted the attack with the shaft of the war hammer. Continuing his movement, Hord brought the edge of the shield up and into the right side of the Unicorn's armored head.

The Unicorn fell to the ground but quickly rolled away before Hord could bring his war hammer down on its head. The Unicorn rolled over and sprang back up to a standing position without its sword. The two held their positions for a moment while multicolored lights began in all directions. The shadows cast from the flashes of light provided brief illumination for the two warriors. To Hord, the Unicorn's face underneath its armor was hideous and misshapen, glaring with gleeful malignancy. To Proud Hoof, the shadowy visage of the Human standing in front of him lent credence to his thoughts of them being monsters.

The Unicorn performed a steady retreat as it lowered its head. Its horn lit up with a golden glow and a shield strapped to its side emitted the same glow. The shield was identical to Hord's. The defensive barrier of sturdy wood and steel floated away from the Unicorn's side and interposed itself between the two combatants. Hord stepped forward, swinging his hammer once more. The shield moved in a blur and blocked the strike perfectly.

Hord took another step forward and tried to pin the floating shield against the Unicorn's body, with his own. The shield floated out of the way in a blur of movement and its steel edge quickly collided with the side of Hord's head with a resounding thumping sound. The Marine staggered back a step and shook his head. A lance of pain against his right cheek made him flinch to his left.

Hord felt blood begin to ooze down his face as he turned his head and looked at the levitated sword that had nearly stabbed him in the back of the head. He retreated several steps, trying to keep the sword and shield in front of him. The two implements of war floated up next to each other, in front of the smiling Unicorn.

Hord crept his way forward and the sword and shield floated away from the Unicorn, meeting the Marine half way. The sword suddenly swung toward Hord's stomach. The agile Human skipped back and knocked the blade away with his war hammer. The sword righted itself almost instantly and shot forward, point first. Hord's shield intercepted the blade and the sword's tip sunk into the wooden grain of the shield.

The Unicorn maintained its mystical hold on the sword and began tugging against Hord's grip with the embedded sword. Hord pulled against the pressure but he was not strong enough. The Unicorn pulled him toward itself and began battering Hord with its own shield. Hord tried his best to fend off the shield, but the Unicorn could move it in ways that the Marine simply couldn't match. Every blow that rained down on Hord left numbing welts and shallow cuts all over his back and head.

Hord decided, in desperation, to ignore the Unicorn's shield turned bludgeon. He brought up his hammer and swung it down in front of his shield. The head of the war hammer struck the sword blade and snapped it cleanly off.

The Unicorn's grip on the wedged tip of the sword evaporated as the half of the blade it was still holding flew backward and struck it on the tip of its muzzle. A smattering of blood flew from the Unicorn's muzzle and its head whipped backward sharply.

Hord rushed in raining heavy blows down on the Unicorn's head, neck, and shoulders. The hits against its armor battered and bruised the Unicorn but nothing gave way or broke. The Unicorn began retreating a step with every hit trying to gain some distance. The Marine pressed the attack and drove the Unicorn farther backward. Hord felt a surge of hope, surely his victory was at hand.

He was wrong.

The Unicorn suddenly sprang forward with incredible force. Its horn struck Hord's shield and pushed him backward with inhuman strength, sending him staggering backward, trying to stay on his feet. The Unicorn's horn stopped glowing briefly and the sword and shield fell to the ground. It lowered its head just as Hord regained his balance. Its horn lit up suddenly, sending a teardrop shaped bolt of force at the recovering Marine.

Hord lifted his shield to block the bolt. The bolt impacted the shield and sent Hord flying backward into a nearby tree. The Marine hit with bone jarring force. His back, neck, and head ignited with fiery pain as his legs gave out briefly. He sunk to his knees and had to catch himself with his arms to avoid falling over completely. He looked up and saw the Unicorn facing him, head lowered. Hord rose to his feet and cracked his neck, 'Hope I can end this quickly.'

* * *

Ludwig was calm.

Ludwig was serene.

Ludwig was empty.

Ludwig crouched in a bush and zeroed in on his target. He could see a white Unicorn briefly every time it fired a bolt of lightning. He estimated it was a good fifty feet away from where he was crouched in the bushes. He had successfully snuck out of the camp to try to spot the attackers. His gamble had paid off.

He crept forward in a crouch as quickly as he could noting things about the Unicorn, 'It's sweating and breathing heavily, it must be exerting itself. I guess the kind of power it's using must be taxing. Almost there.'

He crept forward more and more, he was only six feet from it, coming at it from its left and slightly behind. Ludwig took a deep breath, jumped up, and charged.

The Unicorn noticed him too late.

Ludwig thrust out with his axe tip and pierced the Unicorn's eye. The Unicorn's head whipped away as it emitted a hoarse scream. Ludwig hauled back the axe and brought it down on the Unicorn's neck in an overhead chop. The heavy blade bent the armor and forced the ridges apart on the first swing. The Unicorn cried out as the blow to the back of its neck forced its head into the dirt.

Ludwig pulled the axe back and swung a second time, hoping his aim was true. The axe struck the same location as it had the first time. The blade bit deeply into the Unicorn's now unprotected neck and severed its spine with one clean blow.

The Unicorn screamed long and loud as it tried to squirm around on the dirt only to find its legs unresponsive.

Ludwig ignored the noise it was making and looked around intensely, trying to find another attacker. His eyes fell on a second Unicorn that looked to be close to two hundred feet away through the trees and bushes. He was ready to crouch and move when a javelin suddenly sprouted from the side of its neck.

The Unicorn froze stiff like a statue. Masonete appeared like a ghost from its far side and finished it by cutting its throat. Even from the distance, Ludwig could see the blood spray briefly. He grit his teeth and turned, looking for another attacker, 'At least I'm not out here alone.' he thought with grim determination.

* * *

Peach Pit could clearly hear the sounds of screaming and spells being cast,
"Branch out by twos! Locate all Unicorns! Cut off their magic and arrest them. Take them back to the field! Go!"

He turned to the Unicorn next to him. Sound Mind was sweating heavily and breathing hard. His head was low and his legs were wide to keep him balanced. Peach Pit had to admire him, 'He pushed himself as hard as we did even without the Second Wind spell.'

"Sound Mind," he addressed gruffly, "Stay with me. Do exactly as I say and I'll stand up for you if the Princesses go hard on you. Understood?"

"Yes *pant* sir." Sound Mind replied.

"Good. Let's find Proud Hoof." Peach Pit said.

Sound Mind followed Peach Pit as he began trotting toward the fight, pushing his way through the bushes.

* * *

Richardson had never killed anything before that night, but when one of the Unicorns entered the camp and began cutting down anyone it saw, she knew she had no choice. It had charged into the camp and knocked her onto her back with its momentum then stabbed at her with its sword. Its sword had slid harmlessly between her chest and arm and it became distracted when someone had thrown a spear at it. It seemed to become enraged and the killing began in earnest. Richardson wasted no time.

She grabbed a sword that was lying on the ground and sat up. In the time it had taken Richardson to grab the sword and sit up, the Unicorn had already cut down three people. The Unicorn saw her move and was turning toward her when she stabbed at it with the blade. The blade struck its armor and slid off harmlessly. The Unicorn reached out with its right fore hoof and struck her across the head then lowered its head to gore her.

Her hands caught its head and she locked her arms. The Unicorn was unbelievably strong and began to push her along the ground. She could feel her arms weakening from the strain immediately. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold it for long. Panic began growing in her mind, 'I got my boys at home! This motha' fucka' ain't keepin' me from my boys!' In a move of panicked desperation, she brought her knees up and struck it in the throat, once, twice, thrice. On the fourth hit, Richardson heard a sickening, juicy, crunching sound.

The Unicorn instantly backed off and reared up, trying to pull at its throat with both fore hooves. Its eyes were wide with terror and it began thrashing wildly with its hind legs as it fell onto its back. Not wanting to risk it getting back up, Richardson grabbed a discarded spear that was close to her. She stood up shakily and looked down at the thrashing Unicorn. In different circumstances she might have felt bad for it. At that moment, all she felt was anger.

She raised the spear and brought the tip down on the Unicorn's unprotected underbelly. Its eyes bulged and its flailing intensified as the spear penetrated its gut. Richardson quickly withdrew the spear, but the Unicorn's legs knocked it out of her hands.

The spear spun and struck her in the face with its shaft, knocking her back onto her backside. The spear landed next to her on the ground. She reached over and picked it up then crawled away from the beast.

She could feel a lump growing on the side of her stinging face. She blinked away tears rage as she crawled past the decapitated remains of a young Asian man. The same rage began bubbling up inside her the sight of all the death. Rage filtered through her blood like adrenaline, lending strength to her limbs, 'They're murdering us! They're slaughtering us like animals!' The thoughts boiled within her mind and galvanized her into action.

She gripped the spear with both hands and stood up, face expressionless and calm. She strode with a purpose toward the Unicorn, spear gripped tightly in both hands. She got within three feet of the flailing, gasping Unicorn and stabbed it in the underside of its exposed chest. The Unicorn grunted and flailed even harder. Richardson withdrew the spear and stabbed it again, this time in the side. She pulled the spear out and stabbed again and again and again and again. She gritted her teeth and ignored the tears of agony glistening in its eyes, the expression of absolutely mind bending pain. She didn't care. She stabbed and stabbed and stabbed.

Her mind was blank, but her heart wrenched within her chest. She had dedicated her whole life to protecting people. She had failed and three people were dead because of her failure. She felt tears moistening her eyes and couldn't bring herself to care. She wanted to hurt the Unicorn, she wanted to hurt them all. She wanted them to feel the pain she felt, the helplessness, the rage at seeing those under ones protection brutally murdered in front of you. The tears began to fall in torrents from her eyes. She angrily blinked and wiped them away with her left hand.

A second Unicorn entered the camp to her right and gasped loudly at the sight. Its eyes were wide as it took in the sight of the three dead bodies lying sprawled around its comrade. Its eyes met those of the enraged woman and it took an involuntary step back. Richardson turned and charged it without consciously deciding to do so.

The Unicorn held up a hoof and began trying to speak to her. Richardson didn't care. She leveled the spear and aimed for its eye, tears still streaming down her face. The Unicorn tried to take a step back, the tip of her spear was less than a foot from its face.

A shimmering golden force field halted the progress of her spear. Her momentum carried her stomach into the blunt butt of the weapon, winding her. Richardson fell onto her backside gasping for breath and trying to hold onto the spear. A third Unicorn stepped up to the second one and Richardson felt her will falter.

She took a deep breath, coughed, then opened her mouth,
"Go ahead!" she screamed tearfully, "Kill me! Go on you fucking bastards! Kill us all!"

The third Unicorn looked past her, to the dead one lying on its back and shook its head sadly. Richardson felt her rage boiling up again, 'He only looked at his own dead, not ours!' She scrambled to her feet screaming ferally. She leapt onto the glowing shield and began clawing at it and pounding on it with her bare hands. She had lost all control. The Unicorns looked shocked at her sudden ferocity.

They quickly backed away from the raging woman, leaving the force field in place until they were out of sight.

* * *

Darryl Hord looked up and into the eyes of the Unicorn standing above him. The expression on its face was triumphant as its horn lit up one last time. Darryl had fought with all his might but the Unicorn's magic was an absolute deal breaker for which the Marine had no counter. He was exhausted but the Unicorn looked exhausted too, 'At least I made the bastard work for his victory.' Hord thought, 'I've got nothing left in me. I'm sorry everybody.'

The Unicorn's triumphant expression vanished as Kolo Calvin sprang out from behind the tree Hord was backed up against. The Unicorn's shocked expression was replaced with one of absolute agony as Calvin's maul, swung in both the big man's hands, struck its back. The golden armor caved under the immense pressure. Proud Hoof's legs gave out under the incredible force and powerful tingles shot up and down his spine. Calvin reared back for a second strike and brought the maul down with punching force.

Proud Hoof's mind exploded in fiery agony as his spine shattered under the impact. Calvin raised the maul a third time and caught the dazed Unicorn across the side of the head just as two more Unicorns leapt from the nearby bushes.

Hord valiantly struggled to rise and Calvin held up his hammer and charged the two new Unicorns. The one on the right lit up his horn and absorbed the impact of the maul with a glowing golden shield. The Unicorn holding the shield dropped to his knees under the force of the blow. The one next to him held up its left fore hoof and cried out loudly.

Calvin locked eyes with the standing Unicorn. Its expression radiated sadness and pleading, but also a stalwart determination that would not be ignored. Calvin found himself stunned and unable to move. The Unicorn's eyes were just as expressive as those of a person, if not more so. He slowly lowered the maul, straighten up, and pointed out into the woods with an unhappy scowl.

* * *

"Let's go." Peach Pit said struggling to rise to his hooves, "Proud Hoof is surely dead after a blow like that and we can't stay here."

"What about his body?" Sound Mind asked, still eyeing the huge hulking figure before them.

Sound Mind had never seen a Human before and the one standing in front of him was absolutely terrifying. Its skin was as black as night, blending with the shadows. It's body bulged with corded muscle. It stood more than twice the height of any.pony, it might even stand even with Princess Celestia. It held the maul it had crushed Proud Hoof with, in one hand as if it weighed nothing.

Sound Mind took a step back,
"On second thought, forget his body. They can have it."

"Scum." Peach Pit sneered, "Come on, watch my back so they don't attack us while we're trying to escape."

"They won't." Sound Mind said with certainty, "They're terrified of us. You can see it in their eyes." he finished softly.

The odd statement caught Peach Pit off guard,
"What do you mean?" he asked harshly, "The big one just tried to kill us."

"After Proud Hoof killed how many of this Human's own kind?" Sound Mind shook his head silently, "This Human attacked only out of fear. Look it's not attacking now is it?"

Peach Pit looked at the huge hulking Human in front of him,
"We'll see how they react to us. I'll signal for the Guard to rally right here so the traitors get to see Proud Hoof's body." Peach Pit's horn lit up as he cast a spell, "ALL ROYAL GUARDS ARE ORDERED TO RALLY ON THIS LOCATION IMMEDIATELY!" his voice was amplified by the spell.

Peach Pit lit up his horn for a light beacon. It was a common practice for night operations commanders to use a Flare spell to designate an assembly point. Peach Pit and Sound Mind didn't have to wait long. Royal Guards began making their way out of the forest from every direction. The Unicorns gathered quickly.

"BEHOLD THE TRAITOR PROUD HOOF!" he said loudly, gesturing to the limp body, "HE CLAIMED PRINCESS LUNA GAVE THE ORDER TO ATTACK! PROUD HOOF WAS DEMOTED THIS MORNING! HIS SUPPOSED ORDERS WERE LIES! NOW YOU HAVE NOT ONLY ATTACKED THESE HUMANS BUT YOU ARE TRAITORS AGAINST THE WILL OF THE CROWN!"

Peach Pit gestured to the body and the Guard looked down at Proud Hoof's crushed, crumpled form. Some faces showed sadness, but most expressed anger at the revelation.

Calvin maintained his position while Hord struggled to his feet. The exhausted Marine held up his shield and war hammer at the ready, even though he could barely keep his arms up. As the Royal Guards continued to gather, so too did the Fellowship of Leadership. Joyner and Brinsin were the next to arrive. Brinsin had his spear and shield up, both soaked in red while Joyner's trident had bits of flesh hanging off its tines. Jewel, Kaneesha, and Morris were next to arrive. Leo's sword was bloody and dented in several places and Jewel and Kaneesha were nearly out of arrows. Masonete, Ludwig, Eduardo, and Spearman arrived next. Each was winded and had some blood on them and their weapons. Vacca and Jason trudged into view both looking bruised and exhausted. Their weapons also looked worn and dented. The last person to limp into view was Richardson. She and her spear were both slathered with blood.

She came out from the trees and jumped when she saw the Royal Guards standing around. Her spear came up quick as a striking snake. Her tear stained face told of a broken person, but the wild glint in her eyes spoke of violent retribution to come. Her muscles tensed, ready to spring. She was ready to send these beings straight to hell, until Spearman's right hand gently descended onto her left shoulder.

Richardson jumped and spun around, spear still in her grip. Spearman pulled his hand off her shoulder and lowered it to the shaft of her spear. He gently pushed it downward. In that moment, Sessily Rishardson returned to herself. Her hands lost their grip on the spear and it clattered to the ground. She shivered violently and wrapped her arms around her body then collapsed to the ground. Her mouth was wide open as she screamed silently. She took a deep, shuddering breath and let out a long, agonized wail of despair as she rocked back and forth.

The Royal Guards watched the display silently until Peach Pit spoke up,
"Yes, let's go massacre these beings, that's a brilliant idea." his voice could not have dripped with an ounce more sarcasm, "Those of you who followed Proud Hoof are under arrest for treason and murder. Submit or you will be subdued by force."

Twenty one of the original forty nine who followed Proud Hoof hung their heads, those who did not were lying dead in the forest. Peach Pit turned to the gathered Humans and scanned over them for a leader figure. His eyes lingered on Calvin for a brief moment before Joyner stepped forward.

The two eyed each other for several long, silent minutes. Each was searching the other's eyes, looking for signs that the bloody conflict was not the end of hope for peace between the two species. Peach Pit saw nothing significant, maybe the tiniest flicker of hope and he could only pray that the Human staring into his eyes found something better.

"We return to the field. Three abreast, form up!" Peach Pit barked.

The Royal Guard fell into line,
"Forward Trot!"

Chapter 10: Aftermath

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Twenty one Unicorn stallions stood in a single straight line before Princess Celestia as she strode back and forth in front of them. Off to her side sat her sister. Luna's face was stern and stoic but a single look into her eyes had sunk many a heart hopeful of mercy. The Moon Princess may have been outwardly composed but beneath the surface she was a volcano. Behind them stood one hundred and fifty one Royal Guard, all at un-moving attention. The Princesses had just finished raising the sun and the day was looking to be a hot one, on several levels.

The Unicorns who had participated in the attack against the Humans had their armor and weapons stripped away from them as soon as they arrived the previous night. They had then had their names taken down on a roster and sent to a heavily guarded outdoor holding area which consisted of a circle of Royal Guards facing inward, watching them constantly. They were ordered to lay down on the grass and sleep until they were summoned.

The summons came at dawn. They were roused and marched out in front of the pavilion tent then told to wait. They stood at attention and waited for the Princess to appear. They knew they were in trouble. The raid had been a disaster. Proud Hoof had lied to them and they had swallowed it. In attacking the Humans they had been labeled as murderers. They knew their prospects were bleak. None of them had ever seen either Princess angry before.

Celestia stalked back and forth before them like a predator stalking prey,
"Why?" she asked nopony in particular, "Was your pride worth lives?" she lapsed into a brief silence as she shook her head, "Did you truly think, even for a second, that you would be rewarded for this? Since when has the Royal Guard been an instrument of slaughter? And over such a petty thing?" she shook her head, "I cannot imagine what kind of idiotic . . . "

"Sister," Luna spoke quickly, "May I address them?"

Celestia nodded sadly,
"Please do."

Luna rose to her hooves smoothly as Celestia returned to the pavilion tent,
"Thy pride hath clouded thy judgement beyond reason." she said calmly, "Thou hast committed the most heinous of transgressions against beings who hath offered thee no insult or injury and indeed stayed their hoof when they had thee at their mercy. Now thou hast repaid their mercy with calculated murder. Didst thou truly not see? Were thee so self indulged that thou took their abandonment of thy armaments as insult?" she asked voice rising, "Twas a message!" she exclaimed, stomping her right fore hoof, "The Humans left thy weapons as a symbol of hope for peace! They had the means to spill thy blood, but they chose the way of peace! And now thou hast repaid their hope with DEATH!" she spat the word like a vile taste, she began to pace back and forth yelling loudly, "Madness!" she spat, "Insanity! How in thy hearts could thou have done such a thing!" she looked into a blue stallion's eyes, "Ruthless! Merciless! Is this the good way, the right way!? . . . "

"Something had to be done your Majesty!" a yellow stallion with brown mane and tail spoke out loudly, Luna's eyes found him instantly, but let him speak, "The Royal Guard is not to be taken as a joke."

The irate Princess slowly stalked up to him with her head low and her eyes narrowed,
"The Guard is to make peace! Nopony questions thy skills in battle! Tis a lie thou speakest! A weak defense for weak actions! Where is the strength of character that has been a staple among thy ranks since its founding!?" her hoof shot out, pointing directly to Sound Mind, "Behold thy brother in armor, Sound Mind! Even through his foolhardy pride, did he see the error! He spoke out against the lies of Proud Hoof and did leave thy company alone and labeled a traitor for his morals! Thou had a chance to act in righteousness and thou had an example to follow as well!" she pushed her face against his angrily, "Thou hast no excuse! Still thy tongue lest it waggle thee into a deeper morass." she warned, voice low.

The stallion swallowed hard as Luna continued her pacing,
"Thy pride is too great." she said, calm once more, "Pray, what dost thou imagine thy punishment to be? In the days of old, gelding was not uncommon for murderers. The pony is saved and can yet be a productive member of society. My sister tells me the practice is no longer in use. More's the pity. I've a good mind to reinstate an executioner. They were considered antiquated even in my time, but then again, most criminals had more viable reason to commit murder than wounded pride over a misinterpreted gesture. Perhaps the time has come to go back to the old ways, seeing as thy behavior seems to mimic those of the time."

The gathering of stallions were terrified by that point, Luna let them sweat for several long minutes before she revealed her alternative,
"Nay." she said quietly, "Such would be the ways of Nightmare Moon, not I. My way, despite what thou believe, is a way of peace, just like Celestia. When have I spoken harshly to any of thee before? I may have used the Royal Canterlot Voice at first, but my words were always simply direct. When have I belittled any of you? When have I ever sent Ponies to the dungeons?" she turned to the Guards behind her, "Does Canterlot have a dungeon?"

Peach Pit nodded his head,
"Only for murderers and so forth Princess."

She turned back to the former Guards,
"I did not even know. Why then did you so easily think me capable of giving the false orders?"

Not a single Pony spoke, Luna continued,
"TWAS NOT A RHETORICAL QUERY!" she yelled, suddenly lapsing back into the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"W . . . We almost never saw you, Princess." a brown stallion stuttered, "You were only around at night."

"Tis a weak defense indeed, but there is some truth behind your words. Allow me to show you how 'Loony Luna' as I've hear it, deals with such severe crimes." she stopped in the middle of the front of the line and raised her head regally, "You are no longer part of the Royal Guard. Your service, such as it was, shall be dismissed immediately. Never again will any of you serve in any Guard either Civil or Royal. Furthermore you will report to Trottingham and Flankfurt for service as unpaid, unarmed Conservators Of The Peace. Those two towns are closest to where the Humans will be traveling."

Behind her the Royal Guards in armor shot each other confused looks.

"You will serve in that position for one month for every Human we find that died at the scene of the battle. To show you the kind of helpless desperation the Humans suffered, you will live in the town's homeless shelter and eat only the meals provided there, for the duration of your punishment. You will own nothing and have no contact with your families for the entire time. To all who inquire, you shall remain silent. To all who speak to you, you will not answer unless it is to save a life. Should Humans contact the towns, you will take every possible step to ensure no harm comes to them or the residents. You will use your own bodies as shields to protect others. You will not use magic at all while your punishment persists. And finally, once your punishment is at an end you will submit to invasive yearly probes with Mind magic to ensure you have not committed any violent crimes. This is your punishment. Do other that what has been assigned to you and you will spend the rest of your lives in a dungeon, never again to see the light of day unless I say otherwise. So let it be written, so let it be done."

She turned from the former Guards and spoke to the Guards behind her,
"Take them into custody. Ensure they have magical restraints placed on them and have them do menial labor under the eyes of three Guards each. This is until we determine how many Humans were murdered. Peach Pit and Sound Mind, you stay, the rest of you are dismissed."

The Guards went to the prisoners and began taking them away. There were no snide remarks and no haughty attitudes. Their punishment had been somewhat merciful as opposed to the possible alternatives. Luna had intended it that way. They would learn the values of humility and mercy.

Luna turned her attention to Peach Pit and Sound Mind,
"Lieutenant, tell me of Sound Mind's actions last night, I would hear of them."

Peach Pit never even blinked,
"I encountered Sound Mind on the path to the Human's camp. He identified himself quickly and informed us of his decision to abandon Proud Hoof and turn himself in to you for disobeying what he had been told were your orders. Once I informed him that Proud Hoof had lied, he immediately offered to guide us to his former compatriots to help ensure a minimal loss of life. He followed his word and submitted to arrest when we arrested the others."

Luna's eyes narrowed slightly,
"What is your personal opinion of his actions?"

"He acted in the spirit of Equestria and by the principles of the Royal Guard. He has conducted himself with honor and integrity even in the face of overwhelming pressure from other Guards and a superior officer. His initial actions were questionable but the outcome was that he made the right decision and likely saved many lives." Peach Pit explained.

"Very well." Luna turned to Sound Mind, "Your actions have brought honor to your name and to the Royal Guard. Be proud Sound Mind. Your name will be recorded as a righteous example to all Royal Guards. You are dismissed."

"Come Peach Pit," Luna said as Sound Mind walked away, "My sister and I have need of you."

* * *

"Final tally . . . " Joyner said tiredly.

He and the Fellowship of Leadership had been awake the rest of the night. They had been walking a perimeter patrol of the camp, all except for Jewel, Richardson, Leo, Calvin and Vacca. Jewel and Leo had been hard at work with the former medical students trying to save as many lives as they could. Richardson was inconsolable. Calvin and Vacca had been determined to be the two strongest and so they were tasked with lining up the dead from both sides.

Once the sun rose, they were able to find a total of twenty nine of the equinoids, two of which were still alive. The number of dead Humans had been steadily mounting all night as people succumbed to their wounds. The dead Humans were gently laid in rows four wide. There were more than fifteen rows.

"Sixty two dead, eleven wounded. That number is likely to become sixty three." Joyner finished.

Ludwig, Hord, Brinsin, Eduardo, Kaneesha, Masonete, Morris, Jason, and Spearman stood around in a semicircle listening to the tally with heavy hearts and bags under their eyes. To say they were exhausted would have been an understatement. They were dead on their feet.

A chorus of weeping, sobbing, and crying punctuated by the odd scream was the backdrop of their meeting. The group, as civilians, were woefully unprepared for the mental and emotional repercussions of seeing the night's violence and death first hand. Nearly every one of them was mentally traumatized. Hord had seen combat first hand, as had Masonete, Jewel, and Joyner. They had the advantage of military training and mental preparation. Even with their training and experience they were slightly twitchy.Of those who had never served in the military only Calvin, Vacca, Ludwig, Kaneesha, and Eduardo were still capable of functioning somewhat normally. They often found themselves drifting back to the events of the previous night. Morris and Jason were constantly jumpy and nervous, often yelling or becoming agitated when touched. Brinsin and Spearman were riding on a perpetual hair-trigger ranging between violent rage and sobbing uncontrollably.

Never the less, despite their state of mental upset, the Fellowship of Leadership forced itself to continue to function. The vast majority of the rest of the group were displaying various degrees of mental and emotional versions of trauma and shock. Some simply sat in place not moving and unresponsive. Some were constantly moving, often pacing around or sitting and rocking back and forth while mumbling or crying or both. And some were walking around holding spears or swords mumbling about being ready. Those ones were wild eyed and posed a serious problem. More than once Leo had to knock the heads of people who were trying to 'end the suffering' of the wounded. The group was in serious trouble.

The Fellowship of Leadership was conflicted,
"We have to get some sleep soon, but I don't trust anyone not to do something stupid." Joyner said.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Spearman said loudly, "I'm inclined to do something myself! Those two bastards who aren't dead yet, if I get the chance, I'm going to change that!"

"No, you're not." Joyner said evenly, "We need them."

"Bullshit!" Brinsin yelled, "We ain't takin' care o' murderers! Soon as you let me, I'ma kill them motha' fuckas an' I'ma make it hurt!" his grip on his spear tightened.

"No." Joyner said firmly, "Believe me, I want them dead too, but with them we might be able to learn something."

"Yeah," Brinsin sneered, "We can take 'em apart an' see what they guts look like! See how much they can scream befo' they die!"

"ENOUGH!" Hord yelled, stepping up to his bloodthirsty friend, "We're not murdering them. We aren't them. Leave murder to someone else. Joyner's right." he sighed heavily and began walking around the Fellowship, limping from a deep bruise on his right thigh, "I want them dead, I do, but we can learn from them. They can speak their language, we can't. We may be able to get them to cooperate or something. They were clever enough to attack us and they did it well. They used confusion and surprise. They're smart, I'd say as smart as us, who knows maybe even smarter."

"You gonna let them wake us and start using their magic again?" Jewel asked walking up and wiping his bloody hands, "Add one more to the death toll. Jackie Peterson didn't make it."

"Magic?" Morris asked.

"You got a better name for it?" Jason asked.

"Makes me shiver every time I close my eyes." Masonete said, "Throwing around lightning bolts? What else can we call it?"

"Well in either case," Ludwig said suddenly, "Jewel has a point. We don't know enough about what they can do to hold them safely. They haven't woken up yet but they could at any minute. I'm not going to put more of our people in jeopardy just for information two murderers may or may not be willing to give us. Besides, the people have been listening to us. It's been tricky but they've been doing it. If they find out we've let two of these things live, after the massacre last night? We're going to be split. We gave them something to rally behind and it worked. If we don't make them rally against these creatures we're going to be split, weak, and defenseless. After last night, it's pretty clear what they want with us. I hate to live up to my nickname but I'm afraid I have to open a vote. All in favor of executing the murderers, show your hands."

"And what about the ones who came after the first wave?" Joyner asked, "They had the numbers to finish the job, but they didn't. They didn't attack us at all . . . "

"They weren't on our side, otherwise they would have helped us." Ludwig countered.

"Wouldn't you agree that getting the first wave away from us counts as helping? Calvin attacked one of them and all they did was put up some kind of force field. They could have wiped Calvin and I out but they didn't." Hord argued.

"I didn't know that." Brinsin admitted, "Calvin attacked 'em an' they didn't do nothin'?"

"Nope. One of them called out to the others, they gathered, then they left. Honestly it looked like a type of retrieval." Hord added.

Vacca, Calvin, and Leo walked up,
"So maybe there's multiple factions?" Calvin ventured.

"Probably not." Vacca countered, "Their armor and weapons were identical, same production source. I'd say it looks like a bunch abandoned the main group and came after us, then the main group sent a retrieval team."

"It's possible, but people aren't going to be willing to hear it." Joyner admitted reluctantly, "There are going to be three types of people once the shock wears off. One type is going to be angry and ready to strike back. The second type is going to want to just surrender to them or die. And the third type is going to be reluctant but willing to move on."

"Yeah but most people are going to be pissed." Jason spoke up, "Truthfully I don't blame them." he sat down and cupped his chin in his hands as he spoke to the rest of the Fellowship, "I mean look at us!" his voice suddenly shot from normal volume to a scream, "LOOK AT US!" he took a breath and continued, "We're on some fucked up world where we don't speak the language and half the world is backward! First we try diplomacy. What do we get? Military with weapons, armor, and fucking nets! Then we find out that the person we sent to talk is missing and likely dead. Next we try to send a message and give them some space by moving away. What do we get? A FUCKING MASSACRE!" Jason's face was blood red, "Wake the fuck up Joyner! They aren't going to stop until they have us! We'll all either spend the rest of our lives in cages as experiments or we'll be wiped the fuck out!" Jason shot to his feet, "Wake up! All of you! Even if we do manage to find a place to hide and survive there aren't enough of us to keep the species going! It takes at least four hundred couples with children to keep a varied enough gene pool to perpetuate generationally without significant birth defects! There's barely seven hundred of us now! We're dead no matter which way you look at it! If we survive, we have kids, those of us cruel enough to bring a child into this fucked up world! The kids grow up and after two or three generations they start dying off from still births and physical deformities! It was slim, but we had a chance with almost eight hundred people! Now though?" he planted himself half an inch from Joyner's face, "WE. ARE. FUCKED. We're doomed! There's no hope for any of us! I don't want to be slowly skinned or have needles stuck into my eyes and I'm not going to bring a child into this fucking world!"

Jason took a step back and raised his hands,
"FUCK THIS PLACE! FUCK THE TREES! FUCK THE GRASS! FUCK THE ANIMALS! AND FUCK THOSE GODDAMN HORSE THINGS!" he lowered his hands and drew his sword, "THEY WANT US DEAD? I'M GOING TO GO DOWN TO THAT FIELD AND I'M GOING TO KILL AS MANY OF THOSE MURDERING MOTHER FUCKERS AS I CAN BEFORE THEY FUCKING COME BACK HERE AND FINISH THE JOB!"

Eduardo stepped in front of Jason,
"Cool it man! Runnin' off and gettin' yourself killed ain't like you!"

"He's right Jason." Hord said, "You're still in shock and you will be for several days." he held up his right hand with two fingers extended, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three!" Jason said quickly, "I . . . I mean . . . "

"You're in shock and you're not thinking clearly." Masonete said.

No one noticed Morris clenching his fists more and more,
"It doesn't matter!" Jason yelled, "We're all dead! Every one of us is fucking dea . . . " he was cut off as Morris' fist suddenly caught him in the jaw.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled as Jason fell to his knees, "If we're still breathing there's still hope! Humans are like roaches! We're nearly impossible to get rid of! We made it out of worse situations before! We didn't have shit when we first got here and we survived! We were attacked last night, yes, but how many of them were there?" he asked, "I was pretty out of it but I saw about twenty of them that looked like they were restrained and we killed twenty something of them last night. That means there were about fifty of them in total. They had lightning and flash bang type magic and who knows what else, they had weapons, they had armor, but we killed almost half of them! They had the cover of night and the element of surprise but they only got sixty or so of us! We made it this far and we aren't stopping now, so shut your damn face before I go and rearrange it for you! We're not quitting! We're not giving up hope! And we're sure as hell not attacking a superior force! We're all messed up in the head so just cool it! We need to bury our dead then leave here as soon as possible, so get up, get packed, and let's get going!"

The entire gathering was silent.

* * *

Peach Pit shook his head as he stood in front of Princesses Celestia and Luna,
"I'm afraid I have no idea how many of the Humans fell in the attack. I do know that of the forty nine Royal Guard that participated, only twenty one made it back. Beyond that is anypony's guess."

Princess Celestia turned to her left where an Earth Pony was mulling over a map,
"Where will they go Steady Plod?" she asked.

Celestia already knew the answer but she wanted to ensure her further guidance wasn't needed for the new Sargent. Steady Plod looked up from the map slowly and looked around as if only just noticing everypony else present.

"To the far North-East. To the ruins in the fields of the Northern Basin. There is a substantial lake there so they can fish and the fields were once rich farmland. It's the single most likely place. Two sources of food and endless fresh water, plus ruins to build off of," he said, "It's perfect unless they want to be traveling on into the winter."

Peach Pit nodded,
"That's where we capture them."

"NO!" Princess Celestia did not often use the Royal Canterlot Voice, but when she did everypony listened, "We will leave them be for now. They will expect action from us. We must deny their expectations." she turned her eyes to Peach Pit, "Have you no heart?" she asked rhetorically, "They need time to grieve. They have suffered at our hooves, the last thing we need to do is reinforce the idea that we are their enemies."

"Excuse me, your Majesty, but if we give them time, hatred may fester. We may lose any chance of peaceful coexistence." Bold Move added as he entered the tent, "My Earth Pony Scouts are set to track their movements on a half day rotation."

"Thank you Bold Move." Celestia said before turning her attention back to Peach Pit, "You are not wrong in your assumption Lieutenant, some hatred is unavoidable at this point. Tell me, how would you mitigate that feeling? What action would you take?"

Peach Pit had already assumed that he would be leading a contingent of Guards to capture the Humans, to have the Princess ask how he would appease them gave him pause,
"I would," he began after a few moments, "Leave food and medical supplies in a location where the Humans are sure to find them. I would also prominently stamp the Royal Guard sigil on as many items as I could. Logically, if we left supplies for them, they would either use them and perhaps think better of us or they would not use them, and maybe destroy them thinking we meant to poison them with the food."

Swift Wind cantered into the pavilion tent,
"Pegasi are set and ready to move." he informed.

Peach Pit's mind turned for a moment before he realized what was being set up,
"Ah you mean to watch their every movement. Earth Ponies in the forest to track using Tremor Sense and Pegasi to track from the air, using The Sight."

Princess Celestia nodded,
"To what end, Lieutenant?" she needed to test him.

"The Humans cannot run forever. Eventually they will stop for a longer period of time. You mean for us to follow them at a distance and corral them in place without any threat of violence. We keep our distance but they are aware of us. After a time they will become used to our presence and perhaps we can begin trying to communicate?" Peach Pit ventured.

Princess Celestia smiled warmly,
"Very good Lieutenant. Yes that is the plan. Tell me, where do you see them settling?" she asked gesturing to the map Steady Plod was pouring over.

Peach Pit trotted over and stood next to Steady Plod,
"I need to see the map Sargent."

Steady Plod looked at Peach Pit and actually quirked his right eyebrow,
"Go right ahead . . . Lieutenant."

The Earth Pony's tone bordered on insubordinate, but he stepped away from the map. Peach Pit moved over and began examining the map. His horn lit up as he levitated an arrow pin up from the map set and placed it on the forest where the battle had taken place the night before. He levitated a second pin, this one circular and placed it where the Humans had stayed in the field. He levitated a brown piece of string from his saddle bags and measured the distance from the field to their current position. He levitated a piece of red chalk out of his bags and marked the distance the Humans had covered in a single day. It was a very short distance on the map. Peach Pit played out the string, marking the likely distance the Humans could travel each day.

"Alright, they aren't going to stay where the battle took place, that goes without saying. They have been headed due North thus far, but I locked eyes with one that I believe likely to be their leader. I couldn't tell its gender but I'm going to guess male. He was not a fool. He'll have them change direction and move for a day or two then change direction again. After the confrontation last night, he will likely stay away from fields or any vulnerable location for several days at least. They won't be headed to the field that is due East. They'll navigate around the field but which way?" Peach Pit pondered out loud.

"If they go around the far side of the field, to the East, it will take them half a day. If they go around the West side, it will be a more direct route to the Basin but one of the bags they have has a map." his hoof strayed over to Trottingham and Flankfurt, both of which bordered on the Western side of the forest, Flankfurt more so, "If they use the map, which they're almost guaranteed to do, they'll know for certain that Trottimgham and especially Flankfurt run right up against the forest and there's a much greater possibility of them being spotted and giving away their position. The most simple choice would be to go around to the East as the West side presents more risks and because of that they will go around the field to the West. They will expect us to assume they would take the path of safety after the battle. They'll go on the West side." Peach Pit explained.

"You got it." Swift Wind said, "Not bad Lieutenant. If you had asked, Steady Plod and I could have told you the same thing and saved you some time."

Peach Pit's eyes narrowed,
"Mind your tongue Sargent, you're addressing a superior officer."

"If you treat everypony like inferiors, that's how they'll perform. Just saying, Lieutenant." Swift Wind chimed in.

Peach Pit grit his teeth,
"That's my call to make, not yours."

"Take it easy Peach Pit." Bold Move interjected, "It's no foolish thing to take advice from others, even if you disagree with it. You're starting to sound like Proud Hoof."

Peach Pit raised his head, eyes blazing,
"We do not speak ill of the dead. No matter how foolish their actions in life may have been. Proud Hoof made his choice and he paid for it."

"We shouldn't be arguing among ourselves." Steady Plod said quietly, "The Princesses are going back to Canterlot soon and they're leaving us in charge. We need to be acting in concert with each other for efficiency sake. The lives of the Humans will depend on us."

Peach Pit turned toward the Princesses,
"Is it true your Majesties?"

Celestia nodded,
"We have not spoken of it to anypony yet, but yes Steady Plod is right. Well done Sargent."

"To that end, there are nineteen vacant positions that need to be filled." Celestia began walking around the pavilion tent, "Truth be told, your new positions were merely transitory. Bold Move was the first to catch our attention and it was on his recommendation that we interviewed the rest of you. Bold Move will be in command as Captain since Shining Armor is not present often enough to fulfill the position. Steady Plod, Swift Wind, and Peach Pit, you three will answer to Bold Move as Regimental Commanders since all the former Regimental Commanders have been demoted. You will work together and bring likely officer candidates to Bold Move's attention. The final decision will be his and his alone. I'm sure between the four of you, you can fill fifteen positions. Your overarching goal is to obtain the trust of the Humans and minimize causalities on all sides. My sister and I will hold the ceremony this evening. You will be publicly appointed. You are dismissed. My sister is at rest and needs her sleep. She has done much these past two days. Gather the entire Royal Guard and assemble them at sunset."

Four heads bowed deeply,
"Yes, your Majesty."

* * *

The Fellowship had sat Jason down to sleep while everyone else continued their discussion and planning. They had come to the conclusion that the dead should be buried by the people, in order to help bring them some manner of mental and emotional balance and closure. The people were resistant and distant at first but with some patience and persistence they capitulated. Sixty three graves were dug and filled. The Fellowship was still debating what to do with the two injured Unicorns and so kept them away and unseen, hidden in a thicket of thorny brambles.

It was a very subdued group that stood silently in a circle around the freshly dug graves. Every person had known one of the deceased in one way or another. A full week struggling to survive had brought them all together like a family. Unfortunately that same sense of belonging and family made the pain of each death all the more keen and close to the group's collective heart. They stood silently, remembering the details and how each person had touched every life in small but profound ways.

The Fellowship had placed a small shovel at the head of each grave to serve as a headstone. The names of each of the deceased had been carved into the handles of each shovel. The sixty three graves were set up in lines of eight, so the graves were in an almost perfect square. The chosen place to dig the graves was on the side of the stream closest to the original field the group had arrived in. They dead were laid to rest facing East as tradition mandated.

Tears flowed freely but not a single soul had it within them to break the silence.

The Fellowship of Leadership gathered among the graves and walked among them speaking quietly. Some of them prayed for the dead, others spoke calming, soothing words as if the dead could take some measure of comfort from mere words.

Joyner stood at the center of the mass of graves and spoke loudly,
"We are gathered together today to lay to rest those of us that have been lost. Let us remember them fondly and keep their memory alive. For it is in that way at least, that we keep them with us. I'll not ask that any person do anything due to the varieties of religions present but I will ask for a moment of silence." he bowed his head and every other person present followed suite.

The silence was all encompassing. Tears continued to flow but the silence remained unbroken. Cries and sobs were shut behind clenched teeth. Many a lip trembled but all were kept in check. Some mourned the loss of loved ones, sometimes blood relatives and sometimes boyfriends or girlfriends. Others mourned for lifelong friends and confidants. Most though, mourned the loss of the people they had grown close to only after arriving in the strange, new world. Most were mourning for friends.

A single voice somewhere among the group began quietly humming a nameless, wordless tune. The melody was somber and beautiful. She didn't know why she sang. Maybe it was for the innocent people whose lives had been cut short in the chaotic brutality of the previous night. Maybe it was because she hadn't been able to stop having the flashbacks that left her a screaming, sobbing mess. Maybe it was because she felt bad for those who died so horribly, without any comfort of family or friends. She didn't know and it didn't really matter. Other voices gradually began to join in. Some sang for friends, some for loved ones, and others for their situation. The tune began to slowly grow in volume and intensity as each and every voice contributed. They hummed in perfect unison, every note perfectly timed and expertly executed as if intentionally practiced for weeks. From somewhere no one could identify, slow music began accompanying the myriad of voices as they continued to sing their wordless tune.

The Humans were so engrossed in their emotions and sorrow they all closed their eyes and raised their faces and voices to the sky. Without realizing it, every person subtly and gently grasped the hand of those around them. With hands, voices, and hearts united for that brief moment, something incredible happened.

The dead remained in their eternal slumber but the event had happened none the less.

* * *

Twenty one Unicorn stallions were lying despondently on the grass in the field. They were exhausted from their day of hard manual labor. Their food had been simple hay and water and their breaks had been few and far between. They were surrounded by their former brothers in armor, held until their true punishment could begin. Their former brothers scowled at them, each and every one. The anger was plain on every face, the disgust, the grave disappointment and the condemnation. Every last ounce of it aimed directly at them for their actions. None of them spoke. The true weight of their crime was finally settling over them and not one had the urge to speak. Left alone with their thoughts, they remembered their fallen fellows, many lifelong friends. The enormity of their crime weighed heavily on their hearts. Some sat still in silent contemplation, others wept for those who had suffered because of their poor choices.

One stallion began to quietly hum a wordless, nameless tune. He didn't even know why he did it. Maybe it was for his friends who had been with him for years. His friends who lay dead in the forest. Maybe it was for the Humans who, he now knew, were never enemies in the first place. Maybe it was for himself because of the shame of his over inflated sense of pride and the horrible crime he had committed. Maybe it was for a thousand different possible things. It didn't matter. All he knew was that he felt the need to raise his voice. He knew he didn't need words, his tone would say everything that needed to be said. He knew he didn't need to compose anything with purpose, his heart told him he needed to do it and he obeyed. It had been too long since he had listened to his heart. Looking back he knew that in the hustle and rush of his life he had grown deaf to the call of his heart. His pride had led him astray and his oversight had cost him and many others dearly.

As the first notes left his mouth, everypony around took notice. He closed his eyes and sung as his heart led. His song spoke of sorrow and loss, of beauty and peace, it spoke many things to many ponies and they were, in turn, compelled to join him. The second voice came from a Guard as he mourned the death of his cousin who had perished in the massacre. The third voice came from one of the other Unicorn prisoners, as he sent his sorrowful apology to those who who never see another sunrise because of his actions. Then a fourth voice joined in, then a fifth and a sixth. Within a few minutes every pony in the camp was singing the same sad song, in perfect unison.

The magic of the world had called out to every heart and they had responded beautifully. One soul felt the tug on their heart. They had opened themselves to it and let it flow through them. From them it poured outward to many many more. There had not been such a terrible tragedy in decades and the world had felt the loss. The natural magic of the world was a living thing. It moved with currents like water or wind and it could reach out and touch any individual at any time. Sometimes the recipient was a pony, sometimes it was something else.

Princess Luna was sleeping soundly, curled up on a large pile of thick, soft, warm blankets while her elder sister sat at a small folding desk filling out necessary paperwork, including twenty nine letters of condolence. Slow, wordless music and humming voices seeped into the pavilion tent from outside, through the soundproofing ward Celestia had cast on the tent.

Two Alicorns looked up sharply as the sound of singing voices reached their ears,
"Do you hear that sister?" Luna asked, raising her head from the nest of blankets.

Celestia nodded,
"I do indeed." she closed her eyes and let the music flow through her, "I can feel it too."

"As can I." Luna said quietly, "Something is happening. There is magic at work here."

"Somepony is connecting with the magic of the world." Celestia observed, "We never gave our former Guards a chance to mourn their fallen. There will be many grieving families in the near future."

"There is always cause for sorrow at the needless loss of lives before their time. There would be no cause for sorrow if they had made better choices." Luna said darkly, "However, I am not without a heart. I will tell the Guard to allow them a day to grieve over their fallen comrades before their punishment begins." Luna rose from her position on the nest of blankets, "Come sister, let us join them. For good or ill, they were still our subjects and for at least a time, they were good ponies too."

"Yes," Celestia said moving to join her sister, "Let us remember them as all deserve. Whatever choice they may have made in the end, their deeds were surely not all so misguided and prideful. I will mourn for the good they could have done."

"As I will mourn for the loss their families have to endure." Luna finished somberly.

Chapter 11: Plans And Absolution Sought

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"Are you sure about this?" Joyner asked, "You know we won't come back once we leave."

"We know," Tina Pho said, answering for both her and her two friends, "We need to be sure. One way or the other, we have to know. If they kill us, so be it. I have more than myself to think about." she said absentmindedly rubbing at her stomach, "I'm not risking everything on maybe and could be. With Luke dead . . . " she trailed off for a moment before shaking her head firmly, "I have to know for sure. I knew I was pregnant before all this happened. For all I know the baby is already dead from whatever it was that brought us here. Leave Spectre to watch, if it makes you feel better. Constantly moving and with no maternal medical knowledge, the risk is too great. I don't have any vitamins for the baby and even if they capture us at least they should probably take care of us."

Tina was a very pretty Vietnamese young woman. She stood four feet, six inches tall. Her hair was long and jet black, hanging down to her hips. Her eyes were brown and adorned with luxuriously long eyelashes. Tina had been studying physics, hoping to be a scientist for NASA. The two people who had volunteered to stay with her were Rachel Dobson and David Belerosa. Rachel was an unusually tall, thin blond woman. Her eyes were bright blue and piercing. She stood six feet tall and was slim as any woman could be without appearing malnourished. By all accounts, she was a striking woman. She had been studying to be a nurse and was quite talented. David was a Hispanic man who stood an average five feet, ten inches tall. His hair was cut short, nearly bald, and his build was healthy athletic. His claim to fame was a mastery of Capoera. He had been at The Complex visiting a friend before one of his international, underground matches.

The three young people had already packed some spare food and tools. With so many recent deaths, there was plenty to spare. They had made their announcement the previous evening just before the group went to sleep. People had exploded into angry shouting and it took the Fellowship a good hour to get them to settle down. Tina, Rachel, and David explained their plan but not the reason for it. The group had eventually given its reluctant acceptance. Every one else had already gone ahead with the main group. Only Hord and Joyner had stayed to bring out the two, as yet unconscious, Unicorns and to talk to Tina, Rachel, and David one last time.

"I don't like this." Hord said hotly, "It's more than just your life you're risking. If it was up to me, you'd be coming with the rest of us weather or not you wanted to."

"Well then it's a good thing everyone else respects me enough to let it go." Tina said, "Besides, someone has to stay here and make sure these two Unicorns don't die before they wake up. That really wouldn't look good."

Hord grumbled under his breath. As a father of twins, children were close to his heart and he was loathe to put any in jeopardy. Without a word, he unbuckled the sword he had taken off the Unicorn he had fought. He gazed at it, his trophy, then offered it to Tina wordlessly.

Tina smiled but shook her head at the Marine's gesture,
"I don't use weapons. I'll carry them for someone else but I don't ever want to think back and remember who I've hurt or killed."

"And what about Rachel and David?" Hord asked, holding the sword out to the other two people.

"Not my thing." Rachel said.

"I only fight as God intended." David said holding up his fists, "Sportsman like."

"Yeah, we've all seen The Princess Bride, I know the quote." Hord said lowering the sword and baldric, "Fine." he said moodily, "I hope things work out for you. I really do. Even if the equinoids don't kill you, until we know for certain they aren't going to use us for experiments, no one else is willing to try what you're doing. Good luck."

Joyner took one last look at the three people who chose to stay. He couldn't decide weather or not they were brave or foolish. He decided that he envied them, 'At least they'll know.'

"We can't leave Masonete or Kaneesha, I'm afraid. The chance of them being attacked is just too great and we need them both." he sighed in resignation, "I'm not a particularly religious man, but . . . go with God."

* * *

Steady Plod and Peach Pit stole a look at the 'language specialist' Princess Celestia had sent while they waited for a runner to bring word that the Humans had left. One of the runners from that morning had reported to the Regimental Commanders that the Humans were preparing to leave. The two of them had, in turn immediately informed Captain Move.

Bold Move had mobilized the Earth Pony and Unicorn Regiments and selected one hundred to move into the Human's abandoned camp as soon as they left. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had departed the previous night but had left a magic Mark and a teleportation circle in the field just in case of an emergency.

Princess Celestia had surprised everypony when she teleported in a tan colored Unicorn mare with a fuchsia mane and tail. She had introduced the mare as Razor Wit and ordered that Razor be present any time the Guard did anything involving Humans. The Princess was very clear to all involved that Razor Wit had no authority to command anypony but that it would be in everypony's best interest to listen to her. She was to be given any and all information regarding the Humans and could dictate who interacted with them and in what way. When Bold Move asked the Princess about Razor Wit, the Alicorn had informed him that Razor was responsible for the peaceful trade agreement Trottingham had with the Diamond Dog city-state that lived nearby. His jaw had dropped when Celestia had added that Razor Wit had done so at the age of seventeen and also spoke literally every language in the world.

Steady Plod and Peach Pit had their command at the ready, without weapons. They figured they wouldn't be needed and their Guards needed all the space they could manage. It would make it easier to retrieve the dead. Peach Pit had argued that some of the dead Humans should be dissected for information. Razor Wit had said that it would gain information but it might also offend the Humans if they ever found out about it. Peach Pit had specified he assumed the Humans had already done the same thing for the same reasons.

"Commander!" a Guard shouted as he came running to the two, "The majority of the Humans have left but there's still three there. I think they mean to stay."

"That is an odd move." Steady Plod said looking to Peach Pit, "Why would they do that?"

"A question I'm curious about myself." Peach Pit said, "It doesn't matter. We need to go in and get our dead. We should just ignore the Humans."

"I'll see to the Humans, Commanders. Just be sure to tell your troops not to engage them." Razor Wit said.

Steady Plod nodded,
"That seems prudent. Best not to risk provoking them."

"There's more sirs," the Guard said, "Two Unicorns are with them."

Peach Pit's eyes narrowed inquisitively,
"What condition are they in?"

"I couldn't tell from the distance, but they are alive." the Guard answered.

"Were you able to identify them?" Steady Plod asked.

"No sir. I was given strict orders not to get within visual distance of the Humans and they are keeping the still alive Unicorns with them." the Guard replied.

"We need to move now." Peach Pit said urgently, "We may be able to save two more Ponies."

"Guards!" Steady Plod yelled loudly, "Move in and spread out behind Commander Pit and I. Quick Trot."

"I won't tell you to leave Ponies to die, but please be careful around the Humans." Razor Wit said firmly.

* * *

Tina, Rachel, and David sat interspersed around the two unconscious Unicorns in a small flat area among the trees marking the location of the massacre. Rachel had lit a small fire and the three were watching a small cauldron boil merrily. They had plopped a cube of seasoned cornmeal into it and the smell of cooking food was making their mouths water. Rachel had already set out every bowl they had.

They were all nervous. Despite her earlier outward confidence Tina was scared. Her mind ran through a thousand possible different scenarios, none were particularly pleasant. She firmly squashed her raging doubts. She was tired of living with all the fear and uncertainty. One way or another she would find out, for sure, weather or not the equinoids meant them harm. Rachel and David had the same notion and the three friends had been discussing the possibility since the massacre. Some had said they were suffering from mental trauma, thankfully one of the Fellowship of Leadership convinced the others that the three friends were stable.

Rachel was on her knees stirring the cauldron while David paced back and forth,
"Sit down Dave. You're making me nervous."

"We might be dying today and this might be our last meal, wouldn't you be nervous?" he countered.

"Nope." Rachel said simply, "There's nothing we can do to stop it. Whatever happens, happens."

"It kind of feels like waiting to die." David said with a nervous chuckle, "Heh, it kind of is if you think about it. Like from the movie Titanic, 'Wait to die, wait to live, to wait for an absolution that would never come.' kind of poetic."

"And now you're rambling." Tina said evenly.

"I'm sorry girls, I'm just nervous. What if . . . " David began.

"No!" Tina barked, as she placed her hands on either side of her head, "No 'what ifs' my mind is having enough of a field day as it is."

*snap*

Three heads whipped in the direction of the noise.

Three young people froze in place, listening.

*shuffle*

Tina swallowed hard, her voice was a whisper,
"They're here a lot faster than I expected." she turned to David and Rachel, "They must have been watching."

"That's not very encouraging Tina!" Rachel whispered back.

"Actually it is." David ventured quietly, "That means they knew where we were and could have attacked at any time but they didn't."

"What should we do?" Rachel asked quietly.

"We sit down and wait." Tina responded, trying to sound calm, "We carry on like everything is normal. If they've come to kill us, I don't want to see it coming."

"Dave you need to sit down first. You don't want to look intimidating." Rachel said, going back to stirring the cauldron.

*crunch*

"Alright." David said.

He slowly lowered himself into a sitting position and crossed his legs. He faced forward and gazed into the fire steadily breathing to calm his nerves. His fists clenched and unclenched as the seconds crawled by. Tina began sweating despite herself. Rachel kept her focus only on the softening cornmeal. Her hands began to shake.

The sounds were getting steadily closer, coming from the direction of the stream, to which Tina's back was facing. The three young adults shifted nervously. From the amount of sound, there had to be at least a dozen of them. David raised his head. The thick bushes and chest high plants swayed from the movement of bodies, but the bushes and shrubs all around were too tall and hid the equinoids from sight perfectly. Rachel's grip on the wooden spoon tightened as the sounds drew ever more near. Tina closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to steady her nerves. Despite her best efforts her lower lip trembled. David turned his gaze to the fire once more, forcing himself to think of how good the seasoned cornmeal would taste, if they lived long enough to eat it.

A loud rustle of leaves signaled the arrival of what had been making such a racket. David was facing Tina and would have had a clear view had he raised his head. He simply couldn't bring himself to do so.

A deep commanding voice spoke loudly just behind Tina,
"Piromane, sevahe dulen quellya Kavim ivt pebun raa tunun." and the rustling increased exponentially.

The three people could clearly hear the clopping steps of the equinoids around them. They could hear them breathing, could hear the sound of their armor shifting as they walked. In their peripheral vision, they could see golden glows surround the two unconscious Unicorns as they were hauled out of sight. Not one of them looked up. No one wanted to take the chance.

A soft feminine voice spoke up behind Tina,
"Xaekavim oom entala raa quellya evanine."

None of the three friends could understand the words but they did not sound harsh. David slowly, reluctantly lifted his eyes to Tina. He could see the vague colors of tan and fuchsia framing his friend. He swallowed hard and shifted his gaze beyond Tina.

There, stood an creamy tan colored Unicorn with fuchsia colored mane and tail. Its eyes seemed to be locked on Tina's back. David took the chance to observe how it acted. Its face was as expressive as any Human's could ever be and that expression was a soft smile. David slowly turned his head and looked around just as Rachel scooped some of the seasoned cornmeal into a bowl and held it out toward the Unicorn.

Tina could feel the equinoid's breath on the back of her neck. Her shoulders shook, she dared not open her eyes. The breath left her neck then a soft clunk next to her caused her to jump in surprise. In a reflexive action, she opened her eyes. Seated not two feet to her left was a Unicorn with a bowl of seasoned cornmeal in front of it.

* * *

"Razor Wit," Steady Plod addressed, "What are you doing?"

The three Humans jumped at the sound of Steady Plod's voice. Razor Wit didn't answer at first. Instead her horn lit up, which made the Humans all tense up instantly. She levitated four sesame rolls from her right saddle bag. She smiled to herself, glad that her 'special rolls' might come in useful. She levitated a sesame roll to each of the Humans then set one on the edge of the bowl one of the Humans had filled and offered her.

"I am observing and participating." Razor Wit said, her voice was soft and even, "This is how I learn. Give me some time and I will have found a way to manage the Humans' cooperation without the need for force or violence."

"I can see from the way they're acting, they are at least nervous around us, and it would gain us nothing to further their poor mental image of us by forcing them to cooperate. Simply put, I need a method of dealing with them and I'm trying to learn one. Would you be opposed to selecting two of your Earth Pony Guards and asking them to join us? The Humans seem to be nervous around magic."

"Sure thing." Steady Plod said with a slight nod, "I'll ask if anypony wants to have a really early lunch. I can't join you. I have to get the bodies and our two injured back to the field." Steady Plod said as he turned and left.

* * *

Rachel was flabbergasted. She hadn't expected one of the new Unicorns to actually accept the bowl, she had honestly made the offer merely out of curiosity. When it, she assumed the Unicorn was a 'she' from the voice, actually accepted the bowl Rachel had almost frozen up with shock.

The Unicorn just lay down, like a dog would, as a dinner guest and had even passed out some sort of bread that suspiciously resembled rolls. The Unicorn had levitated the rolls out of her saddle bags. Rachel, Tina, and David had all flinched at her use of magic, but thus far their fears seemed unfounded. A second equinoid had approached and spoken with the Unicorn. The second one had been missing a horn, but sounded male and was wearing armor. The two spoke in their strange language for a few minutes before the second one disappeared into the bushes and left.

Rachel moved slowly as she passed around bowls of seasoned cornmeal to Tina and David. Two armored equinoids suddenly appeared from behind Tina and without any sort of preamble, lay down as well. The seating pattern was even, with the equinoids lying down between every Human.

"They're separating us." Tina said nervously as she held her bowl.

"It may or may not be intentional. I rather doubt they would sit down to eat with us if they had any ill intentions." David said cautiously.

"Do these two want some food as well?" Rachel wondered.

The Unicorn suddenly reached her head over and gently nudged Rachel's right hand with her nose. Rachel shrieked and pulled her hand away from the Unicorn quickly. David flinched but waited to see what would happen. Tina instantly froze up like a statue. The Unicorn froze too, as did the other two equinoids. No one moved for several long seconds.

* * *

"You scared her civilian." one of the Guards said.

Razor Wit's only movement was her mouth,
"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Corporal." her tone was not particularly warm, "I might have missed it if I were blind and deaf."

"Sorry." the Guard said sheepishly, "Maybe they don't like to be touched?"

"I'll take that into consideration." Razor Wit said, "They can't understand our language, let's find out if they can read expressions."

She slowly pulled her head back, away from Rachel while making an exaggerated face. She had widened her eyes as much as she could, laid back her ears, pouted out her lips, and kept her head low.

* * *

"First they're terrifying, now they're adorable?" Tina asked.

"I think you hurt her feelings." David said, "My dog used to give me the same expression whenever I got mad at him. Give her a scratch behind the ears, that always worked for me."

"I am not scratching her like a dog. They can kill us with ease. I'm not going to go around casually petting a creature that can fry me like a chicken!" Rachel hissed.

Tina slowly raised her hand.

* * *

"Don't move." the vocal Guard said quietly.

"I see it." Razor Wit said eyeing Tina's hand.

Her hand slowly descended onto Razor Wit's head. The mare shuddered silently as Tina began gently scratching around the base of the Unicorn's horn.

The two Guards snickered,
"The civilian's getting a horn job from an alien! I didn't know you liked them THAT exotic!"

"Stay silent." Razor commanded softly but firmly, "This is nonverbal communication, not some sexually deviant quirk, one that doesn't exist by the way. These Human's are demonstrating they understand the concept of empathy and communicating that feeling the only way they know how. You can stay and help or you can go find somepony who will."

Rachel dolled out portions of seasoned cornmeal and handed the first bowl to the Guard laying to her left. The Guard took the lip of the bowl into his teeth and reached his head clear over David's lap as he passed it to the one sitting between David and Tina.

"Guards, follow my lead and introduce yourselves the way I do." Razor said.

* * *

The tan Unicorn moved her head slowly away from Tina's hand then placed her right forehoof against her chest,
"Cinlel Duron."

The normal equinoid sitting between Rachel and David mimicked the Unicorn's motion,
"Telvarout Hemoi."

The normal equinoid sitting between David and Tina then copied the other two,
"Juvd Lewyaq."

* * *

Rachel was the first to say anything but everyone understood,
"They're introducing themselves."

"Isn't it polite to do the same?" David asked.

Before anyone else could do anything, David placed his right hand over his chest,
"David Belerosa."

Rachel went next, imitating David,
"Rachel Dobson."

Tina followed the lead of her two friends,
"Tina Pho." Tina then attempted to remember each of the equinoid's names as she pointed to each in turn, "Cindel Duren?"

The tan unicorn shook her head,
"Cinlel Duron." she slowly pronounced every sound, "Cinlel Duron."

To the three Humans it sounded like, 'Seenlel Dooron'.

Tina pronounced it a second time as she pointed to the Unicorn,
"Cinlel Duron."

The Unicorn smiled and nodded then gestured to Tina,
"Teena Foe?"

The Unicorn pronounced the sounds very slowly, her mouth familiar with the sounds but not used to the order of them.

"Tina Pho." Tina said.

"Tina Pho." the Unicorn parroted, then pointed to Rachel, "Raechel Dobsun?"

Rachel shook her head and was about to correct her but the Unicorn held up her hoof,
"Rachel Dobson?"

Rachel smiled and nodded as the Unicorn turned to David,
"Daveed Varamoorsa?"

"David Belerosa." David corrected.

"Da-vid," she said haltingly, "Be-le-ro-sa. David Belerosa."

David nodded, glad she had gotten his name right so quickly. The tan Unicorn smiled and looked very pleased with herself then turned and continued eating as if everything was over.

The three Humans were puzzled but none of them spoke, thinking it best to imitate her.

* * *

"What about us?" Long Stride asked.

Razor Wit looked up from her bowl,
"Try to get their names right. We need to finish our food and leave randomly. Make it quick, trust me."

"The others should be done with the bodies soon." Soil Listener said as Long Stride butchered David's name in the background.

"Good." Razor said, "In and out, nice and quick and smooth." she turned her attention to the fumbling Earth Pony, "Hurry it up Long Stride. We need to go soon."

The Ponies finished eating quickly, bowed in thanks and just up and left with the rest of the group.

* * *

It was an hour later that three confused Humans finally relaxed enough to stand up. There was no sign of the equinoids anywhere. The dead equinoids were gone, as if they had never been there. They had collected their own and just left.

"Well, we're not dead." David said scratching his head, "I wonder what happened? They just up and left after lunch. Do they not want us or something?"

"Who knows." Rachel said as she hauled the small cauldron toward the stream, "They weren't hostile, that much is certain. The massacre was intentional, but what we just experienced was weirdly friendly. The question is, what do we do now?"

"If they wanted us, they would have taken us. I'm not so sure they want us at all." Tina said, "I have to admit, I'm kind of relieved and kind of disappointed at the same time. Here I was hoping to get some kind of medical care for myself and the baby and they just walk in, have lunch, then leave. It kind of felt like they just didn't care."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," David said, "I almost feel cheated."

"You know what it was," Rachel yelled over suddenly from the stream, "We had built them into something specific and we felt let down when they didn't fit that mold. They were really kind of . . . I don't know, almost normal I suppose, considering they were equinoid alien creatures."

"So what do we do?" David asked.

"It seems to me that we need to find the rest of the group and tell them what happened. Maybe we've all just been stressing over what we don't know and demonizing them because of our own paranoia." Tina said.

"Maybe, or maybe they jes trying to lull yall into a false sense o' security." a new voice spoke up.

Three heads simultaneously toward the new voice as an African-American man stumbled out from behind a tree. It was Mario LeBlanch. He had a blanket wrapped around his middle, rolled down just like everyone else. He also had a sword hanging on a baldric he was wearing as a belt. He had a pair of saddle bags hanging over his shoulders. His hands were empty with his left arm tucked tightly against his side and his right hand over his ribs on the left side.

David instantly mover to stand between Mario and the two women with him,
"What do you want murderer?" he asked harshly.

"Tha's gratitude for ya." Mario said as he crumpled next to the smoldering remains of the fire, "I got myself flash fried by motha' fuckin' lightning helpin' folks the other night an' this is the thanks I get?"

Tina spoke up,
"What did you mean?"

"Exactly what I said girl!" Mario spat back grimacing in pain, "If they wanna find the whole group, you playin' right into they hands . . . hooves, what the fuck ever. They been watchin' yalls camp since the attack an' I'll bet they countin' on yall to lead 'em right back to erebody else."

"So what would you suggest?" Rachel asked, "We lead them off in the wrong direction?"

The condemned man lifted his right arm and pointed grandly to Rachel,
"Girl got a brain after all!" Mario said before he groaned and rocked back and forth, hissing in pain, "Yeah," he gasped, "Lead 'em away from the group. It ain't hard to figure out. That's what I'd do if I wanted to find 'em, but that ain't all. Yall already said it don't make sense an' I'll tell ya why. It ain't the way we seen 'em act so far is it? You know why? 'Cause they want yall to go back an' tell ereone they all nice an' shit. Yall drop yo guard an' they rush in an' kill ereone off."

"I REALLY hate to admit it, but he has a logical point." Rachel said.

"Why should we listen to you?" Tina asked, "You might kill us in our sleep, like you did to Kyle."

Mario started to laugh but ended up coughing and wincing in pain,
"That'd be the stupidest fuckin' thing ever." he said, "I ain't never been against the group. Yeah I killed that racist asshole, but yall didn't see 'im talkin' to himself that night." Mario coughed again, wincing in pain, "Talkin' 'bout killen niggers an' shit! That cat weren't right in the head man! Yeah, I made a mistake! I admit that, Kyle didn't never say he was sorry or wrong or nothin'! He was gonna end up killin' someone that didn't do nothin', so I killed 'im first! I became the fuckin' monster so no one else would have to suffer because o' him! Fuckin' send a monster to kill a monster. Yall wanna make me th' bad guy, go right ahead, but you know I'm right. Yall don't want me, fine I'll leave. Just promise me yall won't go back to the group, an' if yall find it in yo hearts to help a brother out, I wouldn't complain."

Rachel tapped David on the shoulder,
"I don't want him around but what he said makes sense. What if he's actually right?"

Tina shot Rachel a deadpan stare,
"You can't be serious."

"I kind of agree with Rachel. Mario's got a point and it DOES make some sense. I don't want him traveling with us, but maybe it would be worth it." David admitted.

"I cannot believe you two!" Tina hissed, "A murderer comes along after we finally get a good break and have a sign of a chance and you want to listen to a MURDERER? Seriously? Are you kidding me right now? Who are you going to listen to, a murderer or me?"

"I'm a person too yall!" Mario said loudly, "Look, I'll cut ya a deal. I'll lose my sword an' shit. Yall can check my bags an' hands an' erething. Ain't no way I can overpower all three o' yall at the same time." he suddenly gasped in pain, gritting his teeth as he threw his head back, "Look yall," he said panting, "I don't care what the fuck yall do right now, jus' help me out! I can't take this anymore!"

"Fine," Rachel said, "David, keep an eye on him while I try to patch him up."

"Fine, I'm watching you." David said pointing at the young man rocking back and forth on his knees.

"I'm telling you guys this is a bad idea." Tina groaned.

* * *

Razor Wit entered the pavilion tent that had been renamed the Command Center. Bold Move, Steady Plod, Swift Wind, and Peach Pit were all gathered, laying down around a short center table waiting for her. They did not look happy whatsoever.

Razor Wit cantered up to the table and sat down wearing a curious expression,
"What has all of you so sour?" she asked.

"You want to tell us why you asked everypony to just leave the first Humans we have a chance to try communicating with? Communication is supposed to be your specialty. We would have thought you would be the most excited to try talking to them." Peach Pit asked.

"That's easy." Razor said casually, "See this is the same way I managed to arrange trade relations with that Diamond Dog city-state. Find a small group of individuals and just walk in and sit right down like it's the most normal thing in the world. Your actions surprise them, throw them off. It confuses them. Any plans they might have had are unusable. They are forced into a role that is purely reactionary and it forces them to react to you, thus giving you control of the situation without them realizing it. Because you have subtle control they will generally respond favorably and with minimal effort behind your manipulation."

"Shock And Awe!" Swift Wind exclaimed, "You used psychological Shock And Awe!"

Razor Wit smiled,
"Yup." she turned her gaze to Steady Plod, "Did you see those rolls I gave them?"

"Yes, I was wondering why you had them. There is no way you expected to sit down and eat with them at a first meeting." Steady Plod said.

"One of the generally accepted nonverbal signs of friendliness is eating with others, especially food you brought yourself. I had the rolls for that purpose and it seems fortune favored me. I chose rolls for two reasons. First, because bread is edible for nearly every species in the world. The rolls themselves are actually a trick I learned from my Mother, it's a common trick used by parents everywhere. That, leads to the second reason, those rolls are commonly known as 'Foal's Rolls'."

Peach Pit's face lit up exuberantly,
"That's brilliant!" he exclaimed.

Three confused faces met his gaze, so he explained,
"'Foal's Rolls' are special rolls made by bakeries, specifically for parents. The parents feed the roll to their foals and the foals eat them, obviously. The rolls have spell crystals baked into the roll as sugar crystals. The sugar crystals themselves are enchanted and the foals digest the rolls, so the spell ends up flowing through their bodies for . . . a month or so. It's absolutely brilliant!"

"So the Humans you encountered today are going back to the main group, obviously." Bold Move said.

"Not only that, but they'll also tell others about their experience, and there's no need to have Earth Ponies out in the woods risking being spotted while they track the Humans." Steady Plod filled in the last gap.

Razor Wit smiled and winked her left eye,
"Nailed it."

"But what if they don't?" Bold move asked, "They might think what we did was too unusual and decide to go a separate direction."

"That's why I'm going to have somepony show me how to track the Humans. I'll follow the main group myself. If they spot me, I'm not in armor so they're much less likely to consider me a threat. They may well think I'm a local who found them and isn't an enemy. If the three we met today do go and join the main group, I can fall back and wait for them to settle down in a single location then appear at a distance. The three will vouch for me since I was with them. In either case, we have the chance to meet with them peacefully on their terms. They will be more at ease and will be more open to the possibility of letting us help them."

"So, how did you know how many rolls to bring?" Swift Wind asked.

"I didn't know at all, how could I? I just bought a dozen from one of the bakeries in Canterlot." Razor admitted.

"What if you hadn't had enough?" Peach Pit asked.

"I don't know. I guess I would have split them as many ways as I could." the mare shrugged, "I wanted to make sure I ate one myself though. That way if I get lost, you guys can come find me." she levitated out a piece of paper and placed it om the table in front of Peach Pit, "This spell will allow you to locate any signal from the batch of rolls I have."

"But how would we know which signal is yours and which are the Humans?" Steady Plod asked.

Razor shook her head,
"There's no way to tell for sure, but if a Unicorn felt three signals together, it's a good bet that I'm not one."

"You really have an answer for everything don't you?" Peach Pit asked.

"No, it's just that I had already thought of the questions you guys have been asking." Razor replied.

"Wow," Peach Pit said in a dreamy voice, "I think I'm in love."

"Sorry big guy." Razor smiled apologetically, "I'm not ready to settle down. I've got plenty of species to bring together before I think about that. The one I really want to have the chance to interact with is the Human who started all this. He took the chance and searched us out to help his kind. I did that once too and I want the chance to work with him. He managed to get the message that his people needed help, across the language barrier that divides us. He nearly died doing that. He's in critical condition in Canterlot because of an infected, injured foot, multiple skull fractures, and a shattered jaw. I already asked Princess Celestia if I could be assigned to him. I think that together, we have a good chance of finding how to communicate." Razor Wit couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.

"Speaking of the Princess, how do you know her?" Bold Move asked.

"I'm her language tutor." Razor Wit said smoothly, "She wants to learn modern Draconic."

"You're one hay of a tutor ma'am." Steady Plod said.

Razor Wit blushed at the compliment,
"Thanks. So do we have any idea of the identity of the two Unicorns you rescued? They were rushed away the second they arrived."

Swift Wind, Peach Pit, and Steady Plod all looked to Bold Move. None of the Regimental Commanders had knowledge of the identities of the unconscious Guards they brought in.

Bold Move nodded solemnly,
"Corporal Quick Spell and Lieutenant Proud Hoof."

"PROUD HOOF!" Peach Pit exclaimed angrily, "How did he live? I saw him take three hits from my own maul that would have liquefied a normal pony."

"I don't know, but his spine was broken. He has no use of his hind legs. The damage was so extensive that even a spell won't fix it. Proud Hoof will never use his hind legs again. As for Quick Spell, the damage to his spine was much less extensive. The blow he received damaged only a tiny portion of his spinal chord. He can't walk right now, but the Medics said they have a good chance of healing the damage completely. He'll need some physical therapy but he should be alright." Bold Move said.

Swift Wind shook his head,
"How could Proud Hoof have lived when so many others died? It's not fair."

"What about the Humans who died?" Bold Move asked, "What were the causes of death and how many perished?"

"Seventy." Peach Pit said, "We scanned every buried corpse with magic. The causes of death range from blood loss to trauma and shock from third degree burns to severed heads. It must have been horrible for the victims." he sighed and continued, "Sixty three were adults.Thirty five males and twenty eight females, seven of which were with foal, very earliest stages though. One of our medics said each one carried a seventy five percent chance of natural, spontaneous abortion. Even so, the laws are very clear about pregnant females."

Swift Wind shot into the air shaking with rage,
"Foals!? They not only murdered adults but pregnant females!"

"Stand down Swift." Steady Plod said evenly, "I feel the same way but what has been done, is done." he turned his attention back to Bold Move, "Princess Luna said they would serve one months for every dead Human, correct?"

Peach Pit nodded,
"Any foal is covered by law from the very moment of conception, so yes, seventy. That means seventy months and thus seven years."

"Yikes." Steady Plod said, "Living like that for twenty four hours a day, thirty six or thirty seven days a month, three hundred and sixty five days a year . . . dang. That's a long sentence."

"It's less than they deserve!" Swift Wind said, "Especially for murdering unborn foals!"

"This makes the situation much more complex." Bold Move said.

Razor Wit nodded,
"Indeed. With so many females pregnant the care of foals is absolute priority. Do any of you know the gestation period of Humans?"

Four heads shook silently,
"Let's assume it is the same length of time as our own then. The first three months or so won't matter but after that point proper care and nutrition become much more important. It seems that we now have a time limit for obtaining the Human's trust."

"And how long is that?" Swift Wind asked.

Bold Move blinked and twitched the corner of his mouth at an itch,
"Three months."

Chapter 12: On The Move

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"I told you I wasn't gonna hurt nobody unless I had to." Mario LeBlanch said, "And I sure as fuck ain't gonna hurt no girl that got a bun in the oven."

"Will you shut up already Mario." Tina groaned, "You've been going on and on about that for over a week now."

The four Humans were cranky. Their canteens were full but their supplies of food were nearly half depleted, they hadn't seen any fruit trees, and no one liked the prospect of eating insects. They had headed directly North after leaving the site of the massacre. They had no idea they were traveling parallel to the main group. The trees had thinned out and more and more bushes and shrubs grew along the ground. Their feet were sore and they smelled of body odor and sweat. Their foot wraps needed to be washed and the blankets they wore were soiled, scratched, and torn.

The three friends had reluctantly decided to let Mario stay with them provided he got rid of his weapon and never picked up anything that could be used as one. Thus far, as far as Tina, Rachel, and David knew, he had kept his word. He had learned the day before that Tina was pregnant and had been offering to carry her bags. Tina was irritated and Mario was getting on her nerves.

"Wish we had a tent." Rachel said, not for the first time.

"It can't be helped. We just have to keep going . . . " Mario began.

"Until what!?" Tina snapped, "Until we starve? Until we get eaten by some animal? Until those horse things find us?" she sighed, "I wish we had just gone to find their camp. Maybe they really are nice."

"Yeah, they so nice after they fuckin' massacre sixty three o' us." Mario grumbled.

The African-American man stopped and shook his head,
"You ain't totally wrong though." he sighed shaking his head and looked at Rachel and David, "Walkin' all fuckin' day like this ain't good for Tina."

"I'm standing right here!" Tina snapped.

"I know." Mario said, "I got an idea. They got to be followin' us an' there's four o' us right? We ain't seen 'em yet so they got to be followin' us by our tracks. Why don't yall three go find some place to hide for a while. I'll lead 'em off o' us an' yall backtrack an' find the rest o' the group. I'ma step real careful an' make it look like there's still four o' us. When they pass yall and yall is backtrackin', only step on yall's own footprints so yall don't make no new tracks."

"What about you?" Rachel asked, "What happens to you?"

"Do yall really care?" Mario asked crossing his arms and shaking his head, "I'm dead either way. We make it back to the group, they gonna execute my ass. I get caught by them horse things, I'ma spend the rest o' my life as some fuckin' experiment. Out here, I got a chance to keep 'em off yall for a while."

"That's awfully noble for a murderer." Tina said suspiciously.

Mario shrugged,
"I got enough shit to answer for when I'm standin' in front o' god. I don't need three more people dyin' pegged on my ass too, especially no baby. Fuck that shit. I'ma make sure yall live."

"Oh yeah, like YOU'RE a believer." Tina said sarcastically.

Mario smiled and bowed,
"Barabus baby." he said, "The murderer that the people let live instead o' Jesus. Now it's my turn to pay that shit back." he straightened up and clenched his jaw, "Now yall go find a fuckin' place to hide."

* * *

"We've got an audience." Masonete whispered to Joyner, "I need to talk to you, alone."

Joyner's nod was so slight Masonete almost missed it,
"Go on ahead. I'll follow you in a minute."

The group was stopped for lunch in a massive thicket of wild plums. Their bags were already set out to receive the juicy fruits. Joyner was worried though. Ever since the attack Jason hadn't been the same. He was still the groups best 'Pathfinder' but something had broken inside him. He was cantankerous and always on edge. He had become aggressive and bellicose in the week since the attack. He never went anywhere without his weapons and he was as jumpy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. More than once Joyner had to talk Jason out of committing suicide. There also seemed to be a division among the people.

Some wanted to venture out and find out where the equinoids lived. They said they wanted to 'give them a taste of their own medicine'. Thus far, the Fellowship Of Leadership had kept them in check but the notion was spreading somewhat. Some people were angry and bitter about the attack and wanted revenge for the unjustified killings. The vast majority of the people had developed night terrors and would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat screaming. Many had withdrawn and seemingly lost their initiative in life. They would only respond when spoken to and not take action to interact with others.

Fortunately, a few of the people seemed to have effectively moved past their memories of the attack and just wanted to find somewhere to stay and build. THAT mentality was spreading like wildfire and it was the hope of the Leadership that it would lead to more and more mental healing and stability. The people were getting sick of running and hiding. Tina Pho and her friends had started something when they left. People had been talking about how they imagined Tina, Rachel, and David were living it up somewhere. The growing consensus was not to seek out the equinoids but to make a home and let 'the natives' come to them. The term, 'the natives' had sprung up the day after Tina and her friends had left and it had caught on quite popularly. Some people had insisted the equinoids be called 'ponies' but the notion had been largely laughed off. People thought it sounded too cute for creatures that could kill with such ease.

Joyner began counting down five minutes in his head as Richardson sat down beside him,
"How far out are we?" she asked.

Richardson had slowly started to come back to herself after the attack. She wasn't fully recovered but she could think clearly again. She could reason and come up with ideas on her own once more. She was, however one of the ones who woke up with night terrors. She was improving slowly but steadily.

Joyner took a bite out of a juicy plum and scratched his whisker laden face,
"I'd say with the rate at which we've been going, we'll reach the big field in about a three more weeks. Baring, of course, any further catastrophes that set us back." he took another bite of the plum.

"Aiit" Richardson said as she proceeded to take a bite out of her own plum, "We need to figure out a way to deal with women issues soon. There's eighty or so women who are in their time of the month and they're startin' to smell. We need more soap an' figure out a way to make pads or somethin' cause these women are stinkin'."

Joyner took a third bite out of his plum,
"I'll leave that in your capable hands. I don't know enough about how women used to do it back in history to give you a solution. Maybe ask Brinsin or Morris, they're more likely to know." he stood up and took the last bite out of his plum, "Nature's calling for me too."

Joyner wandered away from Richardson and began looking for Masonete. He trekked out of the stand of plum trees and found the elusive man waiting for him near the area that had been designated for a latrine.

Masonete was staring out away from the group with his arms crossed. His beard was coming in thickly and the javelins and dagger he carried with his bags were only the icing on the cake that completed the barbarian look. He had slimmed down, every person in the group had. They had shed any fat they had carried before and everyone was looking 'lean and mean' as Hord had put it. Muscles were more evident in every arm and leg and the Fellowship Of Leadership was beginning to suspect that many people were sneaking off at night to enjoy a sexual romp with growing frequency.

"We're being followed." Masonete said quietly.

Joyner's head snapped up sharply,
"One of the natives?"

Masonete didn't move a muscle, didn't even turn his head,
"Yup. Looking straight at him right now."

Joyner tried to follow his friend's eyes but couldn't pick out anything unusual in the forest,
"Where?"

"The trees straight ahead, about a hundred feet. Head is poking out from behind a spruce. Got a fuchsia mane and a tan coat."

Joyner looked again. He counted out roughly what he estimated to be one hundred feet and swept his gaze back and forth. After five full minutes or so, he was about ready to give up when a tiny twitch of movement caught his eye. His eyes focused on the one eye and half a head that was poking out from behind a tree. It was nearly impossible to spot initially but once he saw it, he couldn't figure out how he had ever missed it.

"I see him." Joyner said evenly, "How long has he been following us, Andrew?"

"For at least three days." Masonete said quietly, "Kaneesha and I tried to sneak up and get in close but every time we do he seems to know and just takes off. You wouldn't know it but he's fast, real fast. Being lower to the ground means he doesn't have as many obstacles to navigate around and his skin is pretty thick too. He ran straight through a thorn patch and Kaneesha and I couldn't follow him."

"Do you think he's one of the military types we encountered before?" Joyner asked.

"Doesn't wear any armor and neither of us have seen any weapons, but he's a Unicorn so there is that. At first I thought he might be a local from that one town to the East who saw us, but he's been following us for three days so," Masonete shrugged, "Who knows. He hasn't been hostile or anything though. Seems to mostly be curious. Can't blame him for that."

Joyner scratched his beard, it was almost constantly itchy,
"This could be good or bad. Good if he turns out to be a curious local. Maybe we can try talking to him. Potentially bad if he's a scout for that military group." Joyner scratched his head and dandruff flakes fell from his hair, "What do you think the chances are of him being spotted by anyone in the group?"

"Probably pretty slim. He keeps his distance. We've never seen him come closer than seventy five feet or so and that was at night." Masonete finally turned to Joyner, "What are you thinking, Mike?"

"Should we tell anyone or not?" Joyner scratched his head some more, "Some of them are paranoid and might start looking for our curious friend for very bad reasons." he sighed and crossed his arms, "Then again if someone spots our friend and looses their cool, which is a good chance, we'll have to deny any knowledge of him or lose face with the group."

"Well the Leadership has to know at least. If you don't tell them, I will. We can't make any sound decisions if we don't have all the information. That road leads to distrust and infighting. Honestly, I think we should tell people and let the cards fall where they may."

Joyner nodded,
"Yeah, at least we'll be able to assert some level of control and it would foster more trust if we do." Joyner hung his head, "When did we start deciding what to tell people based on their reactions and how well we can control them?"

"That's the way leadership works sometimes. No point in fussing about it. We have to what's best for the people. Some measure of control is a good thing, it gives us stability and helps us organize. Not enough people have self control to let them self regulate, it would be chaos if we tried."

Without any warning, Joyner's hand shot up and he waved at the Unicorn with a big, goofy grin plastered on his face.

The Unicorn shrank back, behind the tree for a moment, then peaked back out.

It slowly raised its left fore hoof and waved back timidly.

"Do you think he's going to be too skittish to approach?" Joyner asked.

Masonete nodded as he crossed his arms,
"I guarantee it. Kaneesha and I have tried several times. We've tried waving to him and walking out toward him in the open, he ran. We tried sneaking up on him as silently as we could, he ran. It seems like he's only interested in watching for now. He'll wave back every time but he won't get close and he won't let us do it either."

"I guess the only thing to do now is to wait and see what he does." Joyner said rummaging through the bag on his chest, "Here," he said holding out a pair of plums, "You need to eat something."

Masonete shook his head,
"Already ate partner." he reached down and patted his front bag, "Got my pack filled with plums. Head on back. I'll be along in a little while."

Joyner nodded and turned to leave but ran directly into Jewel,
"We got a big problem." Jewel said seriously, "Ever heard of scurvy?"

Joyner lowered his head and rubbed his temples,
"Correct me if I'm wrong but don't the symptoms of scurvy take about a month to show up?"

Jewel nodded,
"Yup. That means about fifteen people had a dietary deficiency before we came here. Now, these plums are going to help, but we'll need a surefire source of vitamin C in the long term. Oranges, cherries, grapefruit, or tomatoes would work nicely but we need a sustainable source. If we're constantly traveling we're going to HAVE to stop for at least a day or two every time we find a grove. I'd recommend staying right here for at least three or four days. I don't like it but people can die from scurvy and I'm not going to expose anyone to anymore risk than I have to."

Joyner groaned,
"Fine." he said sourly, "I'm going to triple the number of people we have on patrol. There's no way we're getting caught with our pants down again."

* * *

Razor Wit withdrew after the tall dark colored Human left, she presumed, to join the rest of his kind,
"How did that one see me?" she asked herself, "Are their senses THAT good? I thought only animals had senses that sharp."

She had been able to see them clearly enough to determine that they were Human but the outlines of their bodies and the finer details of them were blurry to her eyes. Her magic was taxed by the Proximity Ward spell Peach Pit had taught her, it drained her considerably. She had asked how the Humans managed to infiltrate the Unicorn and Earth Pony camp if the Unicorns knew the Proximity Ward spell and the Earth Ponies were trained in Tremor Sense. Peach Pit claimed that due to a mix up in the roster of which Guards were on over-watch, not a single Guard who was on over-watch was trained in the proper spells. A simple error and oversight had cost the Royal Guard their equipment. Razor wondered how the different Regiments of Guards could differentiate individuals with specialty training. There were no outward signs or symbols the she could discern.

She shrugged it off and backed up to a tree to relieve herself. She missed having a toilet. She lifted her tail and held it off to her right, 'Toilet paper,' she mused, 'What a wonderful invention.'

Having finished with her business, she levitated a small shovel off her saddle bags and covered her mess. The Guards had been nice enough to outfit her with a few supplies. Razor would be the first to admit she was not overly fond of camping. She knew it showed, 'I should have dug the hole BEFORE doing my business.' she groused to herself.

She headed back to the tree where she had been watching the Humans but none were present, 'Hmm. I won't be doing any good if I can't see them. Looks like I need to get closer.' She canceled her Proximity Ward and sighed with delight, 'Useful or not, that spell is rough to keep active all the time.'

She bent her legs and began sneaking through the bushes and trees quietly, 'If nothing else this will give me a higher ability level in Comprehend and Spirit. Most Unicorns never use Spirit at all. Hopefully my Spirit will be a level three when I finish this. I know Princess Celestia is a ten in most Nouns and Verbs and I'll bet Princess Luna is too. They ARE the basis for the system of levels after all.' Razor smiled quite pleased with herself as she remembered Peach Pit's reaction to her levels, 'Not bad for a civilian indeed. The Regimental Commander is a three in more than half the Nouns and Verbs, while little old me, a 'civilian' is a two. Heh, he tried to recruit me. Yeah, I'm not a warrior, Commander. I don't know any offensive spells, or I didn't until he taught me one. I wonder if that was legal? Offensive spells are forbidden by law. I'll have to ask Princess Celestia about it. Hopefully I won't have to use the so called Spirit Blade, it sounds pretty nasty.' Razor shuddered, 'The thought of even partially severing a living thing's spirit from their body sounds horrible. What kind of Unicorn even came up with something like that?'

Razor Wit perked her ears, she could hear Humans talking nearby. She froze and channeled her magic through her horn then used the collected magic to reactivate the Proximity Ward spell. She had to put effort into not yelping every time she activated it. The Proximity Ward detected four Humans within a furlong of her. She lowered her ears and head and slowly backed up until she could barely detect them at the edge of the Proximity Ward, which Peach Pit had explained was roughly two furlongs away from the center of the spell, which was Razor Wit.

She lowered her focus on the spell thus reducing the glow to her horn down to almost nothing. She lifted her head above the bush she was in and looked on as the Humans engaged in what looked like a sort of town meeting.

She couldn't identify the one who was speaking, she was too far away, but she could hear him, 'Alright I've been watching and listening for three days now. I've seen and heard enough that I'm gauging from his tone, that tones of voice and inflections are identical to our own. That seems very odd. Why would their inflections, tones, and so forth be identical to our own? We are two different societies that developed on two different worlds, according to Princess Celestia, so why are the inflections and tones identical? The development is aligned along different paths yet there is such a significant similarity. That's so odd. There must be, or must have been something that aligned the development of our societies for a time, then each group deviated from each other.'

Razor shook her head and refocused on the Human who was speaking, 'I really need to be able to see him. I've heard him speaking for three days and I still don't know what he looks like.' she huffed in agitation, 'I need to know what he looks like so I can know who to try to approach when the time comes. I need a spell to enhance my vision, but I'm not good enough at magic to have more than one spell active at a time.' she whimpered at what she knew she had to do, 'I have to drop the Proximity Ward spell so I can use the Sensory Enhancement spell. Oh I hope none of the Humans notice me.'

Razor Wit dropped the Proximity Ward spell and her awareness faded significantly. She licked her lips nervously and slowly channeled magic into her horn so as to keep the brightness of the magic as subtle as possible. She focused her magic into the new spell and it began to settle over her senses. Before it had completely settled, she shifted the focal point of the spell onto her eyes then let it settle completely.

Her vision shifted and sharpened intensely. She could make out every detail of the leaves in front of her. She smiled and lifted her head to try to see the Human who was speaking. The detail she could make out on every Human was absolutely incredible. The man she wanted to focus on was immediately crystal clear. He was speaking still, gesturing around himself. Razor focused on the features of his face, 'The Human in charge.' she dedicated his face to memory then refocused on what was being said, 'Since inflections and tones are effectively identical I can at least try to guess what he's saying.'

Razor listened carefully as the Human leader gestured frequently and she made sure to pay special attention to the reaction of the other Humans, 'He seems to be giving instructions and he keeps motioning to the other Humans standing with him. Perhaps they don't have a single leader but a council which responds to a leader, like the Gryphons. That would make this much more complex.' she cocked her head to the side in puzzlement as the leader pulled back his lips and gestured to his gums, 'Is he making a point about oral hygiene? These Humans are strange. Interesting as hay, but strange.'

* * *

"So are there any questions?" Joyner asked.

The people had taken to sitting down whenever a meeting was called,
"Yeah," a young woman's voice called as she stood up, "What are you going to do about the native that's been watching us? I don't feel safe going to the bathroom now."

"Then go in pairs and have someone keep an eye out while you do your business." Joyner responded, "For now I want everyone to keep an eye out and let one of the Leadership know if you spot the native. Please don't try to capture, injure, or kill him. He's been watching us for several days and he hasn't tried anything, he seems to be curious, so let's let him. Curiosity is a good thing for us. Curiosity means he won't hurt anyone . . . "

"Unless he wants a single specimen to study!" Jason yelled, "What do we do if someone goes missing?"

The gathered people began murmuring to each other, some agreed with the concern.

"Then we find 'em." Brinsin said, "An' we get 'em back. It ain't hard bro."

"And what about the one who took them?" Jason pressed.

"No good researcher would do that." Morris said, Vacca picked up on his thinking, "He's right. The best way to obtain usable data is to observe from a distance. Anything else, any other course of action would taint the findings. We're probably safer with a curious researcher studying us, that way the military will need permission from the researcher to so much as look at any of us."

"How do you know?" a young man asked.

Vacca shot the man a deadpan look,
"How does any military know how to do anything? Simple research. Without researchers and scientists our own military back on Earth would still be using sticks and stones to fight with. Science is the only way to improve so logically, the military would kneel to scientists and researchers." Vacca rocked back on his heels and nodded his head, "We're safe."

Jason sat down grumbling angrily.

"Are there any other questions?" Joyner asked.

No one spoke so he finished,
"Alright then, remember to eat plenty of plums to keep up your vitamin C and go about your work."

Joyner turned to Jason as the gathering of people was dispersing,
"Would you like to tell me what that was about?" he asked quietly.

Jason curled his upper lip,
"What does it matter?" he said, "You guys won, want to rub it in?"

"It isn't about winning or losing," Joyner said emphatically, "We need to present a unified front or else the people won't listen to us. We have to keep them safe."

"The same way you did when we lost over sixty people to those monsters?" Jason spat, "That's what they are, plain and simple. How many more people have to die before you see that?" Jason rose to his feet and stuck his finger in Joyner's face, "I'm not buying it. I've seen it, we've all seen it. YOU just refuse to admit what's right in front of us! We need to make them fear us! We need to strike back and strike back hard! If they're scared of us they'll leave us alone!"

"Either that or they'll descend on us en-mass and wipe us out." Joyner said calmly, "Or did you forget that it only took fifty of them to kill sixty of us?" he pushed Jason's finger back down, "We saw thousands of them in that camp we raided. They have magic, they outnumber us, and they have armor. What, exactly do we have except stolen equipment?"

"We can hit them when and where they're not expecting it." Jason said, a malicious glint in his eyes, "Their civilians."

"You're talking about us becoming murderers now." Joyner said.

"SO WHAT!?" Jason said, "They massacre a bunch of us and we're civilians! I say we fight fire with fire! We hit them back and we make it count! We can see better than they can. We can pick them off at a distance. I'm sure Brinsin or Morris knows how to make slings and this land is loaded with rivers filled with perfectly shaped stones. We have everything we need to make them pay for what they did!"

"And what if we're right and the ones who showed up after the first wave arrested them? Who knows, they might be in prison or executed already." Joyner explained, "How do you think they would react if we attack a bunch of their families after they punished their own for the same thing?"

"They'd understand that we're just making the score even! Whatever happened to Hammurabi's Code? Huh? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? Remember that? We can't let this go! We'd be saying that it's alright for them to bully us! We have to stand up for ourselves! Why can't you see that!?" Jason said loudly.

"Would you let it go if a mistake someone else made got your family murdered? No. You'd go after the one who murdered your family." Joyner lowered his head, closed his eyes, and shook his head sadly, "Listen to yourself, Jason. Do you have any idea how crazy this idea of yours sounds? You're not thinking straight . . . "

"NO!" Jason spat, "I'm the only one around here who IS thinking clearly!" he poked Joyner in the chest, "I'll follow your lead and I'll play nice in public, but I'm through with you guys until you stop seeing those monsters through rose tinted goggles! It's either us or them, there is no in-between and they've already shown that!" he lowered his finger from Joyner's chest slowly, "And I'll make all of you see it too."

* * *

"Prisoner transport for the criminal Proud Hoof, has arrived your Majesties." a Guard informed Princess Celestia.

The audience chamber was empty of both petitioners and nobles. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and their Guards were the only attendees. Once the two Alicorns heard that Proud Hoof had survived the massacre and had been retrieved by the rest of the Royal Guard, they had insisted that he be brought before them for judgement, personally. The two Princesses were seated on their thrones. The only things that moved were their manes and tails, billowing in a perpetual, nonexistent breeze.

Until Princess Celestia spoke,
"Bring them in."

The huge, golden double doors swung open slowly, revealing ten Royal Guards escorting an eleventh who was pulling a steel cage set on the flat of a wooden cart. Lying inside the cage was Proud Hoof. His armor had been removed. He had been washed and his wounds had been tended to, but his once proud overall appearance was pitiful. His mane and tail were a brilliant, fiery orange but matted and unkempt. His coat was acorn brown but lacked any sort of healthy sheen, loose hairs flaked off his body at the tiniest hint of a breeze. His bloodshot lavender eyes peered out from under his disheveled mane with a mixture of fear and malice. His hind legs lay splayed out behind him, clean but completely useless.

Wagon rolled to a stop and the Guards bowed deeply before their rulers. Proud Hoof didn't so much as incline his head. The two Princesses gracefully rose and regally descended from the dual dais of their thrones in perfect synchronicity. They stopped in front of Proud Hoof's cage and simply observed him. The Unicorn stallion never flinched, he merely stared back impetuously. Neither Alicorn's expression gave away a single hint of what they were thinking.

Princess Luna was the first to break the silence,
"So, I gave you orders to attack the Humans?" she asked.

Proud Hoof remained silent.

Luna's eyes narrowed significantly as she lowered her head to speak into Proud Hoof's left ear,
"I asked you a question." she said quietly.

"What would you have me say?" Proud Hoof asked, "That I lied to the others and led them on an attack under false pretenses? You already know what happened. It was glaringly obvious from the way I was treated."

Luna's head snapped up sharply,
"Has he been mistreated!?"

"No." Proud Hoof said blandly, "But the way they looked at me said it loudly enough. Why are you doing this? Why not just sentence me and get it over with?"

"Because we wish to hear your side of the story." Celestia said, "Why did you do it?"

Proud Hoof verbally exploded,
"BECAUSE THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" he shrieked, "FIRST THEY TOOK MY FAMILY'S TRIDENT, THEN MY DIGNITY, THEN MY RANK, AND YOU LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!" he paused for a breath and struggled up onto his fore legs, dragging his hind legs behind him as he yelled at Princess Celestia, "I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS BRAVE ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM PAY FOR IT AND WHEN I DID, THEY TOOK MY ABILITY TO WALK AND MY FREEDOM! I HAVE NOTHING LEFT AND IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT!"

The audience chamber rang with the echos of his voice as he panted for breath.

Neither Princess nor the Guards flinched at any point during his tirade, their calm was perfect.

At length, Celestia spoke,
"The only thing they took from you was your trident." she said, voice silky smooth, "Your dignity could have remained intact had you the humility for it. The loss of your rank was your own doing when you abused your position and authority by ordering other Guards to attack the Humans. You lied to fifty other Guards and because of you ninety two beings now lay dead. Ninety two lights snuffed out all because of your pride. The loss of the use of your legs was the price for your pride and a small one indeed, by comparison to what others suffered. How many thefts in Equestria go unresolved especially where my sister or I are involved?" Celestia paused to let it sink in, "None."

Celestia and Luna began slowly walking in circles around the cage like yin and yang, speaking in turn,
"Do you think we would have let the theft of a family's cherished heirloom go?"

"Surely not. Twas not only a stout tool with years of service left but also a symbol of your family's loyal service to the Ponies of Equestria, a symbol of your family's honor and duty," she lowered her voice, "And righteous pride."

"And now, it shall be remembered as an evil thing."

"A thing that was deemed so important that it cost the lives of ninety two beings."

"It and your name shall be spat as foul words on the tongues of generations to come."

"Your name will be recorded in the annals of the Royal Guard Archives, not as a hero, but as the single greatest liar, traitor, and murderer ever to hold the title."

"Your family already knows of your deeds."

At hearing those words Proud Hoof looked up, panic and pain written all over his expression as the two Princesses began speaking more and more quickly.

"We initially only said you had fallen, so as to spare them the shame."

"They insisted to know, even after we told them it would only bring pain."

"Your Father has declined to be present, such is the shame you have brought him."

Proud Hoof tried to blink away the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Your Blood Mother and Mothers all broke down in tears at the telling."

"No more." Proud Hoof whispered.

"Your Blood Mother cursed her own body for producing such a monster."

"No more!" he cried.

"Your five Sisters wept bitterly at the tale of your betrayal."

"Please stop!" he cried out loudly.

"And your brother spoke of wishing for the right to take your head, himself."

"STOP IT!" Proud Hoof screamed.

The two Alicorns suddenly stopped and spoke in unison,
"Was your pride truly worth so much grief?"

In the quiet that followed, the only sound was of the tears of a Unicorn stallion hitting the steel floor of his cage.

Proud Hoof's forelegs gave out as the full enormity and weight of his crime came crashing down on him.

"And that was merely your family." Celestia said, "The families of the twenty nine other Unicorns that died that night know who it was that lied to their loved ones and led them to their deaths."

"A great many voices curse your name and call for your head. Some of the families have even gone so far as to take up a collection for the victims of this tragedy." Luna said.

The sisters of Alicorn let the silence linger in the audience chamber as Proud Hoof whimpered and sobbed.

"Yet." Celestia began, "The blows that shattered your spine should have killed you outright, but still you live."

"Your continued living can only be an act of magic and indeed we can feel its lingering resonance on you." Luna said, "You still have a purpose, a role, a part to play, but that purpose lies not within this nation."

"We learned long ago that if the magic of the world intervenes in any situation, we dare not work against it." Celestia explained.

The sisters walked around to the front of the cage and opened their wings, speaking in unison once more,
"Proud Hoof, you are banished forthwith from Equestria to wander the world until your purpose has been fulfilled."

"So let it be written." Celestia spoke.

"So let it be done." Luna finished.

The sounds of both Alicorns loudly folding their wings more resembled the slamming of a door. The Royal Guards left the audience chamber, pulling a cage which held a broken, weeping Unicorn stallion in their midst.

"That seemed unnecessarily harsh, sister." Luna said quietly, "Cruel in fact."

"Gold coins must be broken and melted down before they can be reforged into a scepter." Celestia said mysteriously.

Chapter 13: Tracking Humans

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"Tracking Humans: Day 5

I have cataloged what I understand the names of each of the Humans to be, based on how they seem to address each other most frequently. They are: Joyner, Jewel, Masonete, Hord, Vacca, Richardson, Morris, Kaneesha, Jason, Ludwig, Calvin, Brinsin, Leo, Eduardo, and Spearman. These fifteen Humans seem to act as a sort of council and they collectively lead the Humans with Joyner acting as the leader.

Joyner is a medium height, light colored male who every Human seems to defer to in some fashion or form. These Humans seem to have a sort of patriarchal society with males most commonly in dominant positions.

There are two females, Richardson and Kaneesha, that are either part of the leadership council or are the mates of some of the males. I believe they are much more likely part of the council as I have yet to witness any intimate or mating activity between either of them and any other Humans. Perhaps they are older females. I don't know enough about Human society to make any sort of educated guess.

The group began to move again today. I believe the reason they stopped for three days was because several of them were sick. Jewel, Richardson, and Leo seem to be the leaders of the medical Humans with Jewel in the leader of the three of them. Over the past three days, I have witnessed Jewel seemingly force-feed plums to a number of Humans who were lying down and seemed weak. Perhaps there is some sort of medicinal property that the Humans derive from the plums?

The Humans seem mostly recovered from whatever it was that was ailing them but the overall progress of the group was nothing significant. They traveled only about forty-one Leagues over the course of the entire day and seemed exhausted afterward.

I have noticed that the Humans who have identified me seem to take the time to wave their limbs at me every time they see me. It is strange because the motion is almost identical to how Ponies wave to each other. Even if it is a greeting, from what Princess Celestia told me of their violent capabilities I am far too wary to even think about approaching them. For all I know they might attack me on sight. Granted the three Humans I met before did not attack, but I don't wish to take any chances since I am alone and drastically outnumbered.

Speaking of the three Humans I met before: Tina Pho, Rachel Dobson, and David Belerosa; they veered off along a path which was parallel to that of the main group then backtracked and picked up the trail again. I check their progress every morning, noon, and evening. They are moving more quickly than the main group and I estimate they will catch up within three or four more days.

Sleeping in a sleeping bag inside a tent is not the most comfortable thing I've ever done but it's what's necessary. I make my little camps at least four Leagues away from the group. It's certainly quite a walk every day but tracking spells have never been so useful. I am so glad the Royal Guard issued me a Cloaking Crystal otherwise I would worry about being discovered by the Humans. As it stands right now the crystal covers only the tent so I have to go without a fire every night. That means no hot food and no extra warmth. I'm so glad the Humans arrived in the Spring. This is not going to be pleasant but some pony needs to do it.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 7

The group made more slow progress again today, only about forty-two Leagues. Yesterday was more of the same with nothing unusually interesting that happened.

Today there was a new development. Jason spoke with several other Humans and seemed agitated about something. The others he was speaking with nodded their heads in what I believe was an affirmative motion. The number of communication nuances that the Humans use that are identical to those used by Ponies are staggering.

Tina, Rachel, and David made more progress today and should be joining the group sometime with the next two days.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 9

The Humans traveled roughly forty-three Leagues today. Easy trot for me.

Good news! Tina Pho, Rachel Dobson, and David Belerosa caught up to the group today. The group seemed surprised but somewhat saddened to see them at first. The lack of a positive response concerns me. I would have thought the group would be glad to have them back.

Tina, Rachel, and David spoke to the group. I don't know what was said but whatever it was seemed to greatly upset Jason. He never said anything but his expression, now that I have an idea how to read Human expressions, was very unhappy. After the three Humans finished speaking the general attitude of the group seemed split. The majority seemed gladdened but some, perhaps a tenth of the group seemed pensive for some reason.

After the meeting the council took Tina, Rachel, and David aside and spoke with them for over an hour. I believe I can safely assume they were talking about their positive encounter with Ponies. I believe the council made a connection between myself and the way Tina, Rachel, and David likely described me.

Also, there was a four hour period in the evening, after they stopped, when almost all the Humans seemed to become sick. I was nearly ready to use my Emergency Flare spell to call in the Royal Guard to help but then the strangest thing happened, the Humans began vomiting. Not only were they vomiting, they were vomiting into canteens and saving their own vomit. I had never seen shiny, golden vomit before. Perhaps it has something to do with their anatomy or biology. I did notice that Tina, Rachel, and David were the only Humans who did not seem to be sick. I cannot fathom the reason for this. Is it cause for concern? Should I be worried about Tina, Rachel, and David? Should I be worried about the rest of the group?

All these questions I have no answers for.

After the other Humans finished vomiting, they seemed to perk up and in fact seemed happy to have saved the vomit. These Humans have some very strange customs. I did note that the council noticed that Tina, Rachel, and David did not vomit and they seemed very interested in that fact. They had Jewel examine all three of them.

I do believe that Tina is with foal. After Jewel was finished examining Tina he asked her a lot of questions and she had her limbs on her torso the whole time. Unless I am severely off my mark, Tina was holding her limbs is directly over where a mare would be carrying the weight of a foal. I do not know for certain that it is the case but it seems likely.

I am beginning to consider perhaps showing myself to Tina, Rachel, and David tomorrow. I'll sleep on it and decide in the morning.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 10

The Humans continued traveling again today. They covered roughly forty four Leagues. I am seeing a slight, gradual improvement as they go.

I decided to reveal myself to Tina briefly when she was alone. I dropped the Proximity Ward spell just before I approached her. She seemed anxious when she first saw me and tried telling me something but of course I couldn't understand her. After a few moments of her chattering at me Jason sprang out from behind a tree and charged me. He was yelling and swinging a sword at me. I had never ran so fast in my whole life. I decided to stay away from the group for several days. Maybe Tina is Jason's mate and he's just being protective. I am now all but certain that Tina is with foal. It is the only explanation that makes any sense considering the strength of Jason's reaction. I will have to be much more careful in the future.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 14

The group moved forty-five Leagues on Day 11, forty-six Leagues on Day 12, forty-seven Leagues on Day 13, and forty-eight Leagues today. I neglected to maintain a close watch for these past few days for fear of coming under attack again.

My observations today were scarce. I am unsure about approaching closely to the group right now. I did notice that there seem to be many Humans who appear to be upset with Jason. Perhaps he was acting outside of the socially acceptable norm for Humans. I never wanted to be a problem for any of them. I hope it isn't my fault somehow.

I will not be following the Humans for the next three days as I am scheduled to meet with a Pegasus Royal Guard in a clearing to the West. He will be taking down my reports and bringing me some supplies.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 17

I caught back up with the group this evening. The meeting with Swift Wind went well. He seemed genuinely interested in my observations of the Humans. He brought me enough food to last me ten days, twelve if I really stretch it. Since the Humans have a habit of finding wild food I told him that we would meet in twelve days. I can harvest some food when the Humans find a grove or patch.

I was not observing the group long enough to take note of anything of substance. Something did occur to me when I was meeting with Swift Wing: female Humans always have twin lumps set high on their torsos. I figure it is just an easy way to identify them from a distance if I cannot hear them speak. Humans talk a lot. They seem to be an extremely social species. More tomorrow.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 18

The group seemed very subdued this morning and I noticed a good many of the Humans had bruises on their faces and bodies. There was obviously some sort of confrontation that I missed. I don't know for sure what it was about but I believe there is a slight chance it might have had to do with me. I believe it is possible that the Humans linked my absence with Jason's attack and thought he had frightened me off. I truly hope that is not the case but it is a possibility.

Jason, in particular had a large number of bruises on his torso and face, even some cuts too. I took note that the rest of the council was bruised as well but they were much more sparse and nowhere near as severe. Many of the other Humans of the group had bruises too, some seemed quite serious. From the looks and expressions there is no small amount of animosity toward Jason in particular.

I do not believe any of the Humans spotted me today. I will intentionally show myself at a distance tomorrow and hopefully the animosity toward Jason will lessen. On a side note, a red fox seems to have begun following the Humans. Hord spotted it when he went to urinate and offered it several small pieces of fruit. The fox did not approach Hord but the act of kindness was not lost on me. Nor was it lost on the fox, which followed Hord at a distance before Hord got too close to the other Humans and the fox ran off.

The group moved roughly fifty Leagues today.

End of log

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 19

I was not prepared for the reaction I received when I revealed myself to one of the Human males today. I decided on a male because of the apparent strife I caused when I revealed myself to Tina. The male I selected was Ludwig. I chose him because of his calm demeanor and non-aggressive temperament.

I waited until he was alone and I stepped out from behind a tree, roughly fifty Fathoms away from him. I made sure I was directly in his line of sight before I did so.

He froze when he saw me. I didn't know what else to do so I waved my hoof at him. He waved back and I think he smiled. It's a little difficult to tell with Humans. They pull back their lips and reveal their teeth but their ears don't move, their posture doesn't change, and the smile almost never reaches their eyes.

After we waved at each other, Ludwig slowly sat down and placed a dried plum on the ground in front of him. He was offering it to me.

I did not feel safe enough to approach so close to him, but I did levitate the dried plum to me and levitated one of my 'special rolls' to him. He seemed reluctant to take it until I let go of it with my magic.

His reaction solidifies my belief that the Humans are afraid of magic. On the plus side, he ate the roll on the spot and now I can track him too.

I noticed a single dark colored Human stalking around the group this evening. None of the others noticed him. I would have missed him completely had it not been for the Proximity Ward spell. I followed him discretely for a little while and I noticed something different about him. Unlike every other Human, he had no weapons. I had never seen him before. Where had he been? How had he survived?

I would be very interested to know the answers to these questions.

I saw the red fox again today. It watched the group of Humans from a distance and waited for Hord to walk away from the group before it approached him. Hord seemed very happy to see it and offered it some more fruit. The fox ate the fruit but flinched away when Hord tried to approach it.

Group movement: fifty-one Leagues.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 20

Had a highly unusual experience today. I witnessed David speaking with Vacca early in the day. At the time, I paid the event no mind. Later on in the evening, after the group had stopped for the day, Vacca walked out away from the group and began quietly calling my name.

I watched him for several minutes before working up the courage to take the risk and reveal myself. I walked out from behind a bush roughly twenty Fathoms behind him and quietly called his name.

He spun around so quickly I almost bolted. He seemed to realize his mistake immediately and held up his limbs while speaking softly. I did not run but neither did I approach him. I am still far too wary of the Human capacity for violence to take such a risk. One on one, I have a chance to escape without injury. Were I to ever become outnumbered or surrounded by Humans I shudder at my chances for survival.

Vacca and I stared at each other for quite some time. I believe he was trying to become more comfortable with the sight of a Pony, but I might be misinterpreting him. In any case, he eventually offered me a pomegranate, probably from the bunch the Humans stumbled onto yesterday morning. Like I did with Ludwig, I exchanged the pomegranate for a 'special roll'. Vacca tried to approach me after our exchange but for every step he took toward me, I took one back. He offered me another pomegranate and I gave him a second roll. After the third exchange, I figured out what he was trying to do.

Clever male was trying to tempt me forward with food. Vacca seems to be one of the more intelligent ones and he clearly has no problem with taking the initiative but he is far too physically powerful for me to feel comfortable around. He is one of the most well-built males of the group and I estimate my chances one on one with him to be about fifty percent.

I decided to end the encounter with him and darted back into the forest. The event has been replaying in my mind ever since. Why can I not stop thinking about it?

In other observations, Hord seems to have taken to bringing food to the red fox. He left the group and sat down facing the forest as if waiting for the fox. He didn't have long to wait. The fox appeared quickly but this time Hord offered the food from his hand and did not set it on the ground. The fox was very reluctant to approach and I was ready with a Physical Barrier spell in case Hord decided to hurt it. I am glad to say, my worries were utterly unfounded. After more than an hour of Hord patiently waiting, the fox finally worked up the courage to slink forward and snap the fruit out of Hord's . . . paw I suppose. Hord did not move a muscle even though the fox accidentally bit his hand when it took the fruit. I could smell the strong scent from the blood and it nearly made me queasy. The fox seemed to feel bad but dared not approach Hord and left shortly thereafter.

Group movement: fifty-one Leagues. Are they slowing down?

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 21

I believe the Humans are trying to collectively bait me out into the open. I have found no less than four small piles of fruit left in conspicuous locations. Every pile of fruit has at least five Humans hidden nearby, fortunately the Proximity Ward spell alerted me before the Humans could do anything. Thank you Peach Pit.

It is unclear what their purposes are as yet, but the piles of food combined with the concealed Humans seems to indicate that they wish to either capture me or . . . do something less wholesome and more violent. That possibility confuses me greatly and it leads me to question Vacca's motives. Was he planning to capture or kill me? Have the Humans become so frightened or angry at what happened with Proud Hoof, that they would be willing to go to such lengths? And if that is the case, is there any hope of an eventual peace between Humans and Ponies? In my heart I believe it is possible, but a great deal of caution must be exercised in such an endeavor.

I believe I will force myself to confront a single Human, who does not present a danger, and try to get close. It worked well with Tina Pho, Rachel Dobson, and David Belerosa. Perhaps I should choose one of them. Tina, I believe, is being watched and David is male and thus a potential threat. Rachel may be a suitable candidate though. She is tall but her physical power doesn't seem to be anything I can't handle. The difficult part is managing to get her alone. She is almost constantly helping the medical Humans like Jewel, Richardson, or Leo. I will have to wait and see.

Hord left the group again today and fed the fox, fortunately without any injuries this time. The fox seemed less reluctant to approach Hord but only time will tell why Hord is giving bits of his own food to an animal.

Group movement: fifty Leagues. Why are they slowing down?

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 22

The Humans have begun trying to hunt. They have not moved anywhere today and instead have been busy trying to craft. I witnessed Morris and Brinsin giving other Humans instructions on how to make arrows. I was concerned what they were going to try to use for feathers since there are no Pegasi around to donate. They have apparently been collecting dock leaves and found a way to fashion crude arrows out of sticks, twine, rocks, and leaves. I also witnessed Jason giving instruction on how to fashion some sort of trap with strings and wires.

The traps were set out in bushes with fruit as bait. The traps were far too small for any logical being to think they could be used to trap me, so the Humans must be setting the traps for small animals.

This is a huge problem as I can't allow them to kill any animals. Animals are protected under law and if there is to be any hope of Ponies ever accepting the Humans, their paws have to be clean. I spent almost the entirety of my day disarming the wire and twine traps and fortunately none of the Humans decided to hunt using arrows. They have yet to fashion any bows but they do have two bows and a crossbow with them. I am poring over a map to see if I can locate a river or stream that has fish they can catch.

Group movement: nothing.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 23

I was out almost all night trying to find a good stream but my efforts paid off. I located one that was teeming with fish. The Humans did not move on again today so I had to go and find more little traps to disable. I hope I didn't miss any.

I had to take a huge risk today. I revealed myself to Hord when he was out with the fox. The fox seems to be almost completely comfortable with Hord as the fox was letting Hord touch it. Hord was sitting down stroking the fox along its back. Any way, I revealed myself and called his name. He looked surprised at first but he didn't stand up. I dropped one of the wire traps between us then pointed to it and shook my head in a 'no' fashion. Hord seemed to understand fairly quickly but he began chattering at me. I turned around toward the stream and motioned with my head for him to follow me.

I led him to the stream and levitated a fish out of the water and into his paws. He seemed to be overjoyed and ran off with the fish. I returned to watch the group and I was glad to see Hord had gathered the group together. He was standing and talking with the fish in one paw and the wire trap in the other. I saw many confused looks and many more nodding heads and smiling faces. Everything seemed to go very well.

I did notice Jason looked very angry. My actions may have upset him. After approaching Tina then disabling the traps, which seemed to be his idea, he may be quite unhappy. I truly hope his attitude doesn't hamper my efforts to communicate when the time comes.

Group movement: nothing.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 24

Hord led the group to the stream I showed him and they spent the entire day fishing. The fox actually approached the group today. They seemed confused as to what to do about the fox until Hord saw it and tossed it some fish guts. The fox ate the guts happily and even stayed around the group for the entire day.

The smell of fish guts forced me to leave the area for a while. The smell of fresh blood and guts just makes me ill and today I discovered that the smell of those things from fish is especially gross.

I was rather irritated that the Humans built a huge fire on the stream bank but there were no other places to do so, otherwise the forest would have caught fire. I watched as the Humans put the fish on sticks and set them into the pebbles and dirt around the fire to let them cook. I can't figure out any other reason for the Humans doing so. They must have been cooking the fish. Surely they could have eaten them raw but that would have disgusted me far more than the guts.

The fox stayed with the group throughout the entire day and even slept with Hord tonight. I do believe he has found himself a friend.

Group movement: nothing.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 25

The Humans spent the day fishing again. They seem so content, even happy when they have something to do. I don't know for certain wether or not my guess is correct, but from the way they operate and their efficiency when they work together, I believe they may be a somewhat industrious species.

The fox stayed close to Hord all day and seems to have grown comfortable around the Humans. I don't know much about animals at all, but I would have thought a fox would take months or even years to adapt to so many creatures and a new place in life, yet this fox seems to have done so almost seamlessly. Seeing Hord and the fox gives me hope that we can at least get along with the Humans.

I will not be following the group for the next three days. I have to meet with Swift Wind again.

Group movement: nothing.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 28

I caught back up to the group today. The meeting with Swift Wind went very well. He took my notes on the Humans' behavior and we talked for a little while. He left me more food and brought me some toilet paper! I was so happy I thought I might tear up. He said that the Pegasus Regiment has been busy recently and that the Earth Pony and Unicorn regiments have begun to pack up and prepare to move. The Pegasus Regiment hauled the crates that were originally for the Humans to a new location: the huge field where the remains of that old abandoned town are. He says they scouted it out and the lake basin is filled to the brim with fish, the land still grows the same food plants that were left there, and the orchard is still standing. Everything is still wild and untamed, especially after more than two-hundred years, but the Humans have supplies waiting for them there.

I am proud to say the Royal Guard has sent word and Princess Celestia has named the land as the official settlement for the Humans.

I have to admit to being concerned though. The plan the Royal Guard has enacted consists of the Humans moving into the field and the Royal Guard surrounding them at the treeline to keep them in the field. I'll admit the field is absolutely colossal and the Humans will probably never have to move on again, but boxing them into a single location worries me. My observations tell me that boxing the Humans in is more likely than not, asking for conflict. I believe they are much more likely to stay put if they have the option to leave. If they do not have that option, I shudder to think what they may do.

I told Swift Wind of my concerns and he listened. He told me afterward that he, Regimental Commander Steady Plod, Regimental Commander Peach Pit, and Captain Bold Move all agreed with my assessment. He said the Royal Guard will be a presence and not a force. I had to ask him to clarify the difference for me. He said that they would be there just to be there but they had already instructed every Royal Guard not to interfere with or restrict any Humans unless they came under attack. The Humans will be free to come and go as they please so long as they do not break any laws.

That brought up another point: what if Human laws, if they have any, come into conflict with Pony law? Swift Wind did not have an answer for that particular question but he said he would ask around and see if he could check with one of the Princesses for clarification.

On one other note, the dark colored Human who hasn't interacted with the group followed me and I believe he witnessed the meeting between Swift Wind and I. I wonder why he followed me?

Group movement:
Day 26: fifty Leagues.
Day 27: fifty Leagues.
Day 28: fifty Leagues.

The Humans seem to have reached a plateau for travel distance.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 29

Something very unusual occurred today. The dark colored male who followed me approached the group. At first I was sure they were going to kill him. Ludwig had his axe out and Jewel, Kaneesha, and Morris all had arrows pointed at him. I think the outcast male is named either Mario or Murderer. I heard the other Humans use those words a lot when talking to him. Rachel and David came forward and calmed the group down then Mario spoke to the council. They seemed concerned with what he said but Jason, seemed almost happy. He became very vocal at one point and shouted about something for several minutes. Tina, Rachel, and David also spoke to the council. It was when Ludwig, Vacca, and Hord spoke to the council that I figured out they were probably talking about me.

The council seemed split about something and Mario and Jason seemed extremely angry at what was decided. The council seems to have expanded to include Tina, Rachel, and David. They appear to be lesser members but the rest of the council still seems to defer to them for some things.

I believe something almost happened today, but as to the specifics of why, I am yet uncertain. Many of the Humans became ill again, but this time none of them vomited. I also noticed that Tina, Rachel, and David were not affected, but now Ludwig and Vacca have joined them. At first I thought they had kept from eating something the others had ingested, but then something occurred to me. All of them had eaten one of my 'special rolls'. I am growing concerned. Have I somehow altered their bodies' chemistry by giving them the rolls? Also, why did the group become sick again? What is the cause? The first time it happened was on Day 9 and now it happened again twenty days later, but this time with no vomit. What is going on?

Mario left the group while Brinsin, Calvin, and Eduardo followed him. He walked away from the group but stayed nearby and watched them. I have no idea why Mario is being treated this way. There must be a reason for it. As yet, it must remain a mystery.

Group movement: fifty Leagues.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 30

The Humans are on the move again and are they ever moving. They must have traveled sixty Leagues today. That's not equal to what a Pony can do in a day, but compared to their average distance per day of forty to fifty Leagues, it's quite an accomplishment. I am concerned though. Throughout the day I saw many of the Humans look over their shoulders or become startled by shadows or noises. Something is obviously making them nervous. I hope it isn't me, but I doubt it is. I think the more likely possibility is Mario, but why would they be afraid of him? He doesn't even have a weapon. Perhaps he's diseased and they're afraid of catching it? No, they would only keep their distance not act like they feared an attack.

In other observations, Hord seems to have named his fox friend. He calls it Shadow.

Not much else to say today. The Humans seem tired and I'll admit I am too.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 31

I now believe there are two or three reasons the Humans are pushing themselves so hard. They covered a good sixty-five Leagues today. I'm fairly certain they are so nervous because we are passing close to my hometown, Trottingham and we'll be close to both Trottingham and Flankfurt until we reach the field. The field itself is, I estimate, only about twenty Leagues from the town. Thankfully it's a small town and nopony should come out toward the field.

Whew, I am tired and it looks like the Humans are planning to maintain their hard trot until they reach the field. I am supposed to meet with Swift Wind a day before the Humans reach the field. The Royal Guard is going to set up what they referred to as a 'Forward Operations Base' close to the field and they would at least have a cot for me to sleep on. I am looking forward to it. Sleeping in a sleeping bag every night is taking its toll. I feel stiff some mornings and have to stretch. But enough of my whining, it's time to sleep.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 32

Wow. The Humans moved like somepony set a fire under them. We must have covered seventy Leagues today. That's getting close to the maximum travel distance for Ponies in these conditions. I am worn out.

Nothing further to report.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 33

Seventy-five Leagues today and I am pooped! These Humans have officially impressed me.

Too tired to write any more.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 34

I think the Humans have finally reached their plateau. We made it seventy-four Leagues today. My hooves hurt and I'm sore all over. I'm supposed to meet with Swift Wind tomorrow evening so the Royal Guard will be ready to move into position once the Humans are in the field.

End of log.

* * *

Tracking Humans: Day 36

The Humans will reach the field tomorrow morning. I'm quivering with anticipation and anxiety. So many things could go wrong. Swift Wind said that everything is ready and the crates are in the middle if the ruins. The ruins if the settlement, whose name has been lost to time, are almost exactly in the center of the field.

Ooooh, I hope the Humans don't do something rash once they see the crates and realize the Royal Guard has the field surrounded.

I may be forced to intervene if things look like they're ready to spiral out of control. I can only hope it doesn't come to that.

End of log."

Peach Pit set Razor Wit's journal down on the small table and looked to his peers, "All we can do now is expect and plan for the worst and hope for the best."

Swift Wind nodded across the table and Steady Plod, who was between the two mirrored the motion.

Bold Move cocked an eyebrow at the statement,
"Isn't that a rather pessimistic attitude? I can certainly see preparing for the worst, but why expect the worst?"

Peach Pit smiled,
"That way, every surprise is a pleasant one."

Chapter 14: Turning Point

View Online

The group of Humans that gazed out over the colossal field before them was filthy and weary. Their feet ached, their spirits had been wounded deeply, and fear had a full month's worth of time with which to gnaw on their minds.

Before them lay a verdant field filled with overgrown plants and vines. The plants were heavily laden with untended fruits which grew wildly outside the still-visible rows of dirt lining the soil. Off in the distance, close to three miles away, stood rows and rows of trees, all in perfectly straight lines. Interspersed between the trees, the Humans could make out the basic shapes of stone-walled structures.

They stood in awed silence at the sight. Finally, almost exactly five weeks after arriving naked in a strange place, they had real hope. The land before them held too many possibilities to name, it was overwhelming.

Back several dozen yards behind the long line of Humans crouched a Tan Unicorn mare. She smiled hugely at the development. She had found herself steadily growing more and more attached to the Humans and silently urged her friends onward, 'Go on. The Princess already said this land is for you. It's your new home, go claim it.'

As if hearing her thoughts, the leader, Joyner she had heard him called, stepped forth from the line of trees and slowly began walking across the field. The other Humans silently followed him in a single file line without any instruction. Each one stepped cautiously around every plant, careful not to damage any of them.

Razor Wit fervently wished to follow them but she had no chance of going about unnoticed in the field. She sighed in relief and released a Proximity Ward spell she had become quite good with. She could keep it up for days at a time and she was quite proud of the accomplishment. She slowly crept from the cover of the bush she had been crouched behind and approached the break in the trees.

Turning her eyes skyward, she began looking for the telltale signs of a Pegasus overhead. The Royal Guard was supposed to have sent hundreds of crates filled with non-perishable food and supplies by Pegasus before the Humans arrived. Razor was supposed to make contact with a Pegasus set to monitor the field, once the Humans arrived. After a full minute of scanning the clouds, which were all but indistinct blurs to her eyes, Razor decided to use a spell to Enhance Senses.

She gathered the magic and focused the spell on her vision. The indistinct shapes of the clouds seemed to solidify right before her eyes as the world snapped into crystal clear focus. Thusly buffed, Razor Wit continued scanning the clouds for any signs of a Pegasus.

A flash of a brilliant orange wing tip and her focus was immediately centered on a single cloud in the sky. The head of a Pegasus suddenly poked over the edge of the cloud, surveying the world below. Razor Wit knew he would be using The Sight and waved her right fore hoof at him. His head angled to her and she saw him nod. He peered down at the Humans below and waited until they were underneath his cloud then silently swooped down and landed in front of the Unicorn mare.

He shook out his mane and slid into the shadows of the treeline,
"Good to see you civilian." the Pegasus said, just before his left wing came up and covered his nose.

The tan mare spoke while never taking her eyes off the Humans,
"I already know I need a bath. You don't have to be so charming about it." she said darkly, "The Humans have made it, finally. There is one more still out here, in the forest though, the other Humans don't seem to like him." she turned her head to the stallion next to her, "Is it really necessary to box them in like this? Nopony likes feeling trapped."

"I agree, but these creatures . . . " the stallion began.

"Humans." Razor cut in.

"Humans, have the potential to be very dangerous." he shifted his weight and ruffled his feathers, "Until we are certain they won't do anything, we have to take every precaution." the stallion responded blandly.

"How long before the entirety of the Royal Guard is in position?" Razor asked.

The stallion smiled,
"They are closing the gap as we speak. The signal for them to move was me leaving the cloud. They should be here soon. I would guess within an hour."

Razor was surprised,
"The whole Royal Guard already bypassed us?"

The stallion looked at Razor in confusion,
"Us?" he asked, "I was told you were alone."

"I'm the only Pony following them, but I count the Humans as well." she admitted.

"You're growing too attached, civilian." the Guard said evenly, "It's not healthy. These . . . Humans could be all sorts of unpleasant, we don't know. Until we have reached an agreement with them, it's dangerous to become attached."

"You're talking like they might be exterminated at any moment." Razor said nervously.

"That is not the plan, but better to keep one's distance. They're still dangerous." the stallion said with a nod.

"You're not married are you?" Razor asked with a smirk.

The stallion's face heated up,
"I'm on duty ma'am, but no, I'm not."

Razor's smile widened to a devious grin,
"Yes, and I can see why. Cold heart never won fair maiden. Nor did callous disrespect for victims."

The Guard sputtered indignantly and turned to address Razor, but she was already walking away,
"That mare has SOME spirit." he said smiling, as he turned to face forward, "Her future husband is going to have to be quite the stallion to handle her."

* * *

The rows of overgrown plants tapered off to flat ground as Joyner held up his right hand, silently calling for a halt. The Fellowship Of Leadership had already planned out plenty of details. Joyner's right hand shot upward then forward in a signal.

Without a word, fifty people, hand picked by Eduardo and Hord broke off in pairs and branched out, moving through the orchard with spear and shield at the ready. Masonete, Hord, Eduardo, Spearman, and Brinsin moved forward into the orchard singularly, while Jewel, Kaneesha, and Morris turned their faces toward the clouds, watching for any sign of hostile equinoids. Joyner had to stifle a smirk when he spotted Hord's little fox friend following behind him. Deciding to forego the serious face, he smiled anyway.

Hord and the fox, Shadow he called it, were a strange pair indeed. Nobody in the group could explain it, even the people who studied animals. Jason said, with no small degree of confidence, that red foxes were not very social animals and certainly wouldn't effectively volunteer to be someone's pet. Nevertheless, wherever Hord went, Shadow faithfully followed. It was so strange, so unusual, so unnatural. The widely accepted theory was that one of the natives had raised the fox then lost it or died, so the fox found a new 'owner', in Darryl Hord.

The group stood, silently admiring the orchard trees, heavy with ripening oranges. The oranges alone were enough to make mouths water. After eating cold, dry cornmeal cubes and the occasional piece of wild fruit, the oranges looked like mana from heaven. The Fellowship had asked that people save the seeds and pits from all the fruit everyone had eaten and now it looked like that idea was going to pay off. The group was more than happy and beyond nervous at the same time.

Everyone was already aware that out in the open, they were vulnerable. The decision of how to proceed had been tricky after Mario LeBlanch had shown himself. The murderer claimed to have followed the tan Unicorn that had been shadowing the group for the past month. He claimed that he saw her meeting with a Pegasus who wore the same armor as the group who incited the massacre. The Leadership had grown pensive of the original plan and the decision had come down to a vote. Jason flew off the handle after the rest of the Fellowship voted to precede as planned.

Joyner's eyes sought out the young man in question with worry circulating in his thoughts. He found Jason standing back several people behind him with his spear clenched tightly in his hands. His eyes darted all over the place, he was a nervous wreck. 'Jason's become dangerous.' Joyner thought, 'We'll have to keep an eye on him.' Joyner sighed quietly, 'After he tried attacking the Unicorn, we nearly had a riot on our hands. The people were worried his actions would incite another attack. We suffered enough deaths and mental trauma from just the first one, it nearly broke us. I don't want to think about what could have happened the night that Jason got jumped. If we hadn't broken it up he might be missing a few teeth right now. I don't want to take a vote to expel him from the Fellowship but if he doesn't cool down soon we won't have a choice. Every time anyone mentions the natives he flips out. He's been talking to people and I can't imagine it's anything good.'

Joyner's thoughts were interrupted when a loud yell from the orchard grabbed his attention. Hord ran back toward the group, weaving around trees and leaping over small saplings.

The Marine and fox skidded to a halt in front of Joyner,
"We've got dozens of foundations and stone buildings just beyond the orchard, but that's not the problem. There's a bunch of crates strewn all over the place, especially around the old buildings. The structures are old and abandoned, but the crates look brand new." Hord's eyes shifted nervously, "That's not all. The grass growing between the stones of the cobbled streets is undamaged and standing straight up." he clenched his teeth, "These crates weren't dragged in, they were air-lifted. My guess is they were left here for us." the Marine took a breath and finished, "I think we were herded here."

"I knew it!" Jason hissed, "I fucking knew it! Those goddamn horse things herded us here like animals! We have to get out of here!"

The group began turning to each other or looking around in fear. Hands clenched weapons and murmurs began growing. Feet shifted nervously, people were ready to run.

"We were led to the field, why?" one young man asked.

"What are the natives planning to do?" a frightened woman's voice asked.

"Are we going to be attacked?" another woman asked.

Joyner shot Jason an angry glare just as Vacca yelled out to the two of them,
"Yeah, but why? What are those crates for? If they were going to attack us, why not do it when we're out in the open?" he looked to the sky, "I'm not seeing any thing moving around."

"My man's got a point," Calvin said loudly, "We gotta know what's in them crates before we go jumpin' to conclusions. I say we all gather around them buildings an' open a couple o' them crates."

"From a tactical standpoint, it's a sound plan." Ludwig added, "With the buildings as cover, we'll have less openings to watch and we can focus on other things. Right now we're exposed and in the open."

Joyner smiled, 'I couldn't have asked for a better support structure.' his eyes took in the shifting, jittery form of Jason, 'Well mostly.'

He cupped his hands around his mouth and faced the group,
"Alright everyone, we're moving forward and in between the buildings. Do not enter any structure yet, they may not be sound. Keep your eyes peeled and yell if you see anything unusual. Keep weapons pointed upward. I don't want to hear about anyone accidentally spearing the person next to them. Let's move out." he turned to the Marine, "Lead the way, Hord."

Hord smiled and saluted with his hammer,
"Damn right, Rangers only lead the way when Marines aren't available."

Joyner rolled his eyes as the group followed the man and fox into the orchard.

* * *

Razor Wit wearily approached the group of Earth Pony Royal Guards who were walking around the forest near the treeline. She had gone in search of the Forward Operations Base but she had yet to see hide or hair of it thus far. Her weeks of traveling were catching up to her quickly. She had been so engrossed with studying the Humans she hadn't even noticed how exhausted she was. The patrol of eight Earth Ponies already had their eyes on her but said nothing.

"Could one of you give me directions to the Forward Operations Base please?" she asked the Guards.

One of the eight Earth Ponies looked her up and down,
"Who is asking?" he asked in a stern tone.

"I'm Razor Wit." she answered, "I'm a specialist that Princess Celestia sent to study the Humans."

"It's to the North-West, between the field and Flankfurt. Good to see you're safe and smelly, er sound civilian." the Guards turned and continued walking their apparent patrol.

Razor blew a rebellious lock of fuchsia mane out of her face,
"Civilian this, civilian that." she groused, "I have a name."

* * *

The group of Humans was gathered around the crates, which were set in the center of what appeared to have been a small town at some point. The buildings, the ones left standing anyway, were bare and gutted but appeared to be sound, at a glance. The stonework that had gone into their creation and erection was impressive. Each piece of brown stone was cut in such a way as to fit together in a manner similar to the pieces of a puzzle. The mortar that had been used to fill the minuscule gaps between the stones had effectively bonded with the stones instead of decaying, thus giving each structure the appearance of being formed from a single slab with the almost puzzle-like gaps being merely for aesthetic design.

The structures that had been made out of wood were completely rotted away, leaving nothing except their stone slab foundations with piles of rotten debris on top. Any easily identifiable signs of former habitation had been swept away by years of exposure to the elements or were buried beneath the wasted rubble. Where once there might have been wooden doors, picture frames, or window drapes now there were gaping empty doorways, weather stained bare walls, and stone window sills covered with vines and shards of broken glass. The whole scene made the Humans sad for some reason, almost as if the ruin all around told a remorseful story in the whispering wind and shuffling grass.

On the plus side, the buildings that were still standing looked like they might be able to be inhabited immediately. On the opposite side of things, the very vast majority of the buildings had been made of wood. There were only seventeen buildings that were livable.

The layout of the entire town was identical to the design of a giant wheel. One abnormally large, three story, obviously stone building stood in the center of the wheel shape with eight roads branching out in the different cardinal directions. Each road had two, two story stone buildings on it, back to back, one of which faced the center of the town while the other faced outward.

Brinsin admired the buildings and especially their setup, 'You got eight buildings facin' out an' eight facin' in. The buildings back up to each other an' the gap between 'em ain't too far.' he smiled, 'Heh, someone was thinkin' smart.' he looked down the roads, 'Narrow roads, opposite facin' buildings, thick stone walls in them buildings, an' with one big ,round one right in the middle. Defensible as hell an' it ain't a bad setup.'

The stone building in, what was obviously the Town Square, was almost perfectly circular in shape. From the foundation to the roof of the first floor looked to be a good fifty feet while the second and third floors looked to be closer to ten feet. The bottom level of the building looked to be more than six-hundred feet across, the second level was recessed back a good ten feet and sported a short stone safety rail, the third floor was an exact duplicate of the second, only ten more feet recessed from the second.

Cracked and broken glass littered the ground around the buildings and clung to rotten wooden shutters, brackets, and sills. Vines crept up the sides of every standing building, but the workmanship of the buildings was so detailed the plants had no cracks to wedge into and instead only ran up and down the stone walls. The green and brown vines provided a stark contrast to the stone. It was obvious that whoever or whatever had manufactured the buildings had done so masterfully.

The chest high, wooden crates had been left in the wide, two-hundred or so foot space between the center building and the smaller buildings. The Humans crowded the overgrown roads, trampling down the grass growing between the cobblestones as they shifted their feet nervously. The crates sat on the roadway surrounded by tall grass as the people stared at them or more specifically at the symbols emblazoned on them. Some had icons of a hammer with it's handle crossed crossed over the blade of a saw. Some had a sheaf of wheat crossed over a branch laden with some sort of berry. All the crates, each and every one of them, had one identical symbol on them. It was a horn crossed diagonally with a wing and had a vertical hoof behind the two.

"So," Joyner said pensively, "Those are them?"

"Does it strike anyone else as strange that those crates over there," Vacca said pointing to a group of nine crates, "All have a big red cross on them?"

"What!?" Jewel asked.

He followed Vacca's hand and spotted the symbol,
"Huh." he mused, "If we were back home, I'd say those probably have medical supplies in them, but that symbol could mean anything here."

"Or it could mean that Dan's helping us!" Vacca said excitedly, "How else would the equinoids know to put THAT specific symbol on anything? Chances are that the red cross doesn't mean anything to them but someone from home would know it. I'd be willing to put money that it's Dan's influence."

"Huh, could be." Joyner said.

"You mean my man P. is aiit?" Calvin asked enthusiastically, "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"

"It's too early to assume anythin' but it do seem possible." Brinsin said.

"Well then let's crack one o' them motha fuckas open an' see what's in 'em." Leo said, "I'll do it."

Leo boldly stepped out from the crowd but stopped and turned back,
"Yo Marine-man, toss me your hammer, will ya?"

Hord grumbled as he gripped his hammer,
"What's my name first? You get it right, you get the hammer."

Leo blew out an exasperated breath,
"Hord man! Darryl motha fuckin' Hord. Now throw me the damn hammer."

Hord tossed it to Leo with a smirk,
"Remember that you're only borrowing it."

Leo turned and walked toward the crates, while holding up the middle finger of his left hand over his head,
"Whatever man." he turned his head and flashed a smile at Darryl.

Leo walked up to the closest crate that had a red cross on the side and jammed the pick end of the war hammer between the slats of wood. He put his weight on the shaft, and pried. The lid popped right open with a very minor creak. Leo threw Hord the war hammer back and held the lid open with his left hand while rummaging around with his right.

Sawdust covered everything inside the crate. Leo slowly eased his hand into the sawdust and felt around. Feeling something cylindrical, he wrapped his fingers around it and pulled it out slowly. His whole hand was liberally covered with sawdust and he blew the particles off as he withdrew his hand completely. Behind him the group was utterly silent.

He gazed at what was in his hand with sad eyes before turning to the Fellowship Of Leadership,
"I . . . can't read this fuckin' label." he said dejectedly.

The group all let out a collection of disappointed sounds, just seconds before a smile etched its way onto Leo's face,
"Whew! Good thing it's got a picture of what it's for!" he laughed loudly, as he held up the brown glass bottle as high as he could, "IT'S AN ANTISEPTIC WITH PICTURE INSTRUCTIONS!"

Leo put the glass bottle back in the crate and closed the lid. Then he opened it again. Then he closed it. Then he opened it again.

"They got hinges too?" he looked back up at the rest of the group, "Well come on! I don't know about yall, but I ain't wastin' this shit!"

His encouragement seemed to snap everyone out of their stupors. People slowly began to venture toward the crates.

* * *

Razor Wit was tired. She had spent nearly an hour, by her best guess, searching for the Forward Operations Base. She had finally found it sitting in a small clearing almost exactly halfway between the field where the Humans were and the Eastern border of Flankfurt. The clearing looked to be less than a League from one end to the other but it was packed tightly with tents. The Command Center was easy to identify as the top of it rose a good four Fathoms above the others around. Everywhere she looked Ponies were busily going about all sorts of work.

She entered the Command Center tent and addressed the four Ponies within,
"I . . . need . . . a . . . bath."

Bold Move, Steady Plod, Peach Pit, and Swift Wind all turned and stared at her in silence. The mare was filthy. He mane was matted in several obvious places, her tail hairs were set in thick clumps, her coat looked more brown than tan and was dotted heavily with twigs, leaves, and burrs. Her eyes were bloodshot and baggy, her nose looked dry, her lips were cracked and her legs just above her hooves were noticeably swollen.

"Bath . . . now!" she said loudly, "Where can I find one?"

Four pairs of eyes blinked in unison.

Razor Wit clenched her teeth,
"I swear, if I don't get a hot bath within the next twenty minutes, so help me I'm going to CASTRATE SOMEPONY!"

"I . . . I . . . I'll show you where the tubs are." Peach Pit stammered.

He rose from the small table and passed Razor, heading outside. The tan Unicorn mare turned and followed the ice white Commander silently. As the two of them made their way through the camp, Razor couldn't help but notice that the tents all around looked well-used. The paths around each tent were worn in and muddy.

"How long has the Royal Guard been here?" she asked.

"Three or four days. Why?" Peach Pit answered.

Razor's head swung back and forth, noting different things,
"I thought you all would wait until the Humans were close before moving, or did I misunderstand what Swift Wind told me?"

"The main body of the Royal Guard arrived here yesterday afternoon, but the Pegasus Regiment has been here for more than a week. There was a miscommunication somewhere and the original crates the Princess organized were returned to Canterlot by accident. Since they came back, the Princesses decided to be more careful and picky about what would be sent since the Humans wouldn't have any of us for guidance. They had special labels and instructions drawn up so they could be understood without needing to read any language. That wasn't the end of it either. They added rolls of fabric, lots of medical goods, quills, pencils, and paper. That's all in addition to the tools and food and tents and blankets and tarps and everything else that was already prepared for them and then all that land, on top of everything else?" Peach Pit shook his head, "These Humans better be grateful. The Princesses are paying for all this out of the royal coffers and that comes from our taxes. They're getting the free ride of a lifetime."

Razor stopped in her tracks, jaw hanging open,
"Now wait just a moment there!" she spat.

Peach Pit turned around, a curious expression on his face,
"Yes?"

"Who do you think you are, judging them like that? They had nothing. NOTHING!" she stomped her right fore hoof indignantly, "They NEED help! One of them came to us to beg for help! What would you do? Force them to brave the world with no magic and no knowledge? We don't hardly know anything about them and here you are complaining about them getting a free ride?" she shook her head, "How much use was the Royal Guard when Nightmare Moon returned? How about Discord or the Changelings? What did any of you do? You want to talk about a free ride? Let me tell you about free rides!" she shrieked.

Peach Pit noticed that Razor was drawing the attention of every other Guard in the camp,
"Calm down . . . "

"NO! Let's talk about free rides! How about the citizens of every city, town, and village paying taxes which pay for the Royal Guard! You all were useless against the three most serious threats this nation has ever faced, then when some poor souls end up stranded here, you complain about them receiving the bare necessities to survive? YOU HYPOCRITE!" she stomped up to Peach Pit and jabbed her hoof into his chest, "Every one of you gets paid to work, yes, but you receive three free meals every day AND you get to stay in barracks that are paid for by, let me think . . . CITIZENS! You don't have to pay rent, you don't have to pay for your food, you get to pocket everything you earn, which is quite the tidy sum. With how much you all get for free I would think you would be more understanding. I don't want to hear it, Peach Pit! So just," *poke*, "Shut," *poke*, "Your," *poke*, "Mouth."

The shuffling of hooves caught Razor's attention and she looked around. Dozens of ice white stallions' faces showed unhappy expressions and more than one looked ready to argue back. Razor, realizing what she had said, laid her ears back, lowered her head and stalked off.

Once she was out of earshot, dozens of faces turned toward Peach Pit; Bold Move, Swift Wind, and Steady Plod among them,
"What did you say?" Swift Wind asked.

"I said that the Humans better be grateful for the free ride they're getting." Peach Pit said said defensively.

Bold Move looked at the Regimental Commander aghast,
"Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief, "You said that to a mare who just spent a month out in the wild watching the Humans at her own expense? Princess Celestia sent her so she could make some kind of connection with the Humans. She isn't getting paid for this that I know of. To my knowledge, she's doing it because she wants to help. We have the expertise of a language specialist and field researcher at our disposal and you go and insult the beings she just spent a month in the wild studying? What were you thinking? You are going to find her and you are going to apologize to her, right now." Bold Move ordered.

"What?" Peach Pit asked, "I didn't ev . . . "

"Now." Bold Move said plainly.

Peach Pit threw a resigned salute and turned to go find the upset mare.

* * *

Morris rubbed his hands together gleefully as he looked at the piles of supplies in, on, and around the crates,
"Inventory time." he looked around at the puzzled faces that were staring at him, "What?"

"You seriously want to inventory ALL THIS?" Eduardo asked.

"I hate to admit it, but we do." Hord said, "We also need to explore these buildings and make sure they're safe." he turned and looked over his shoulder, "The big building should do. We can fit lots of people in there."

People were admiring the loads and loads of supplies. After over a month of almost nothing, so much of anything was overwhelming for them. Many just looked on in awe, with no idea what to do. Others were looking through everything they could, touching everything like they had to hold it to make sure it was real.

"We need to secure all this before people start trying to horde it, steal it, whatever. We have to secure it and get organized." Joyner said, "Vacca take your group and show them how to test the structural integrity of the buildings, start with the big one in the center."

Vacca nodded,
"Got it."

"Morris and Hord organize your groups and move the crates inside the big building. Morris, you're going to act as Quartermaster for now, I want a list of every speck of dust at our disposal. Hord, after you have the crates inside, coordinate with Eduardo and set up overwatch locations and patrols at frequent intervals." Joyner said, pointing to the two men.

Morris nodded and Hord saluted,
"Will do."

Joyner continued on,
"Ludwig and Jason I want you two and your groups to get started on cooking a dinner for everyone. We've got supplies now, so let's boost morale with a little feast. I want happy civilians after dinner."

Ludwig smiled and Jason nodded sternly.

"Brinsin and Spearman gather your groups and start hauling and chopping firewood, we're going to go through tons of it. Set up a storage location to keep it dry and available but not as a safety hazard. After that form up into crews and begin felling trees, we're going to need building supplies." Joyner ordered.

"Yeah man." Brinsin said smiling.

"Jewel, Richardson, and Leo, I want you three to organize your groups and start settling into buildings that Vacca clears. Set up a medical station inside the main building so it's in a centralized location. Set up blankets and sleeping locations for people." Joyner explained.

Jewel nodded,
"Got it."

Richardson and Leo only nodded.

Joyner nodded back and turned to the next person,
"Calvin, I want you and your group to go around to every building and collect shards of glass, rusted nails, if there are any, and anything else that might constitute a hazard. After you're done with that start pulling the grass out from between the stones under foot. You're our safety man. Old, abandoned structures are riddled with safety hazards, correct them as you come across them. I also want you to begin work on a refuse pit. We need a place to put garbage and we don't have any bags. Find a spot that's away from the buildings and that isn't likely to be used for anything else. One last thing, dig us a few holes for outhouses. It's ugly work but it's damn important."

"Aiit L.T. I gotcha." Calvin said.

"Masonete, Kaneesha I'd like you two to act as calligraphers. Go map out the entirety of this field. I want to know which areas are growing which foods and all of that." Joyner asked, receiving a pair of silent nods in return.

"Tina, David, and Rachel you three have the most experience with the equinoids. If any of them show up, you do your best to see what they want and be hospitable. Mainly, I want you three sealing up windows and doorways. It's going to rain out here eventually and I don't want our supplies to go bad because they got wet. Start with the main building and work your way outward. I'm going to take everyone else and take a look at the lake. Hopefully we can catch some fish. I'm also going to see which rivers and streams are potable. If anyone finds a well, test it. If anyone encounters one of the natives, I expect to hear that everyone acted amicably, Jason I'm looking your way. I don't want any incidents. We've been seemingly given a lot here and I don't want to seem ungrateful. Everybody know what they need to do?" he asked.

A small ocean of nodding heads answered him,
"Then let's get to it."

* * *

"Razor Wit, wait!" Peach Pit chased after the filthy tan mare through the dizzying rows of tightly packed tents.

Razor stopped and turned her head toward the armored stallion,
"What do you want?"

"I want to apologize for what I said." Peach Pit admitted scuffing his right fore hoof on the ground, "It was . . . insensitive. I had no idea you felt so strongly about them."

Razor turned toward Peach Pit completely,
"What I feel toward the Humans is compassion and sympathy. We all should. What you said was more selfish than anything. I meant what I said, they had nothing. What we gave them was very small. They have to literally build their lives from the ground up. Every creature deserves a chance to live as they wish, why not the Humans too?"

"I never said say they didn't deserve the chance. I'm not cold-hearted you know." Peach Pit sighed and hung his head, "Look, I'm really sorry for what I said. Let's just get you a nice, hot bath and a place to sleep. You've got to be tired."

Razor cracked a tiny smile,
"Show the Humans such courtesy and we might just get along yet."

* * *

Vacca led his people toward the big building,
"Alright, the first thing we need to look for are any sorts of cracks in the foundation or stones. Even the tiniest crack can be potentially dangerous if it goes all the way through . . . Hey don't go inside yet! Are you crazy?" he asked one young caucasian man who had stepped into the building, "Get your ass back out here! Do you want to chance the whole thing coming down and crushing you to death?"

The young man shook his brown haired head,
"No."

"Then walk with the rest of us and wait till we take a look at the outside." Vacca said as he began leading the group on a circuit of the building, "Stomp the grass down and pull the vines away so you can get a good look. The vines need to come down anyway."

Vacca drew his sword and used the rounded tip to sever one vine at ground level then began pulling on it. The vine was thick and it clung to the wall with a will. Chris sheathed his sword and applied both his hands to the vine and hauled on it. The vine slowly began pulling away from the wall. Chris had to hold the base of the vine and walk outward from the building, pulling as he went. The vine popped off the building piece by piece until the entire length fell to the ground with a heavy thump.

"And that's how you do it." Vacca said, "Come on, we need to clear all this crap off so we can see."

He drew his sword and began cutting up the vine then piling it about ten feet away from the building. His group drew steel and started mimicking his actions. In just a few minutes the pile of chopped up vines had grown to nearly the size of a person and they weren't even done with a fifth of the building yet.

"Alright, everyone continue clearing the outside of the building while I check for cracks or shifts in the stone." Vacca ordered.

He walked calmly over to one side of the cleared building and began pulling out the grass that was growing between the cobblestones then tossing it away from the building. He knelt down and peered very closely at the visible foundation and connected walls, even going so far as to run his fingers along it as he appraised the solidity of the building. He crept along the perimeter of the foundation very slowly, staying crouched the whole time.

His group toiled and sweated, but they could all see that Vacca himself was not immune. He sweated and worked right along with them. It took quite a while but eventually he and his hard-working group finally cleared the entire outside of the building. Chris Vacca stood up, straightening his back, and nodded happily.

"Great work guys. Take a little break, drink some water and walk with me as I show you what to look for." he began walking around the building and his group followed him, sipping from canteens, "See the foundation is literally the base of the structure. With ANYTHING in life, the foundation, the base is the most important part. Everything else can be useless but as long as the foundation is good," he stopped, turned to face the group, and spread his arms, "Everything else can be fixed." he turned and continued walking, "However if the foundation is uneven, shifted, or improperly built, the entire rest of the structure is going to follow that pattern. The walls and ceiling could be fine at first but if the foundation is shot, the rest of the building is going to be riddled with problems and those problems aren't going to go away until you tear everything else down and fix the foundation." he stopped and pointed to a spot on the thick slab of solid rock the building rested on, "Take a look there, and tell me what you see."

The people crouched or bent and crowded around the place where Vacca pointed. A minuscule crack ran halfway up the foundation before it tapered off into obscurity.

"You see that tiny crack?" he asked, "That is a sign of a good foundation."

The group turned to him in confusion and one young woman spoke up,
"But it's not perfect. You just said it has to be perfect."

Vacca held up his dominant, left hand and extended his index finger,
"Ah-ah. I said no such thing." he said smiling, "This foundation is good, honestly it's damn good. Every foundation is going to have a crack or two. Nothing in life is ever absolutely perfect. The important part is that where the cracks exist, they don't compromise the stability of the structure. This crack," he said pointing with his left hand, "Is an imperfection, but," his finger traced the crack from the ground to the point where it tapered off into oblivion, "The solidity of the structure isn't compromised by it. The crack doesn't go all the way through the foundation so the foundation is still solid. Take a look at the walls." he gestured, "The existence of the crack has no effect on these walls. They are solid, set, and straight." he crossed his arms proudly, "I'd say this building is pretty dang solid. Now we can take a look on th inside."

He led the group around to the large doorway set in, what he guessed was the front of the building,
"Now, when we get inside, look around carefully for any plants growing out of cracks in the floor, those will be trouble spots."

The group stepped into the building and gazed at the interior. Tall stone pillars dotted the inside providing support for the second story. Dead leaves and all manner of plant debris littered the floor inside. Small sticks and twigs cracked and snapped as the group separated and began looking around. Everyone wandered around the first floor but not a single crack was found, frankly because no one could see the floor clearly. Chris noticed a space behind what he had presumed to be the far wall, opposite the entrance. The far wall turned out to be a trick of the eyes, it was actually a partial wall with a twenty or so foot gap between the actual wall and the cleverly made sub-wall. Chris stepped behind the sub-wall and smirked. One single set of stairs led to the second level. They stuck straight out from the wall without a crack between each step and had not a single hint that any sort of guardrail had even been installed. Fortunately the stairs looked to be at least five feet wide.

"We need to get all this crap out of here so we can see the floor better. Let's go back outside and grab a piece of a vine. The vines are nice and flexible so we can use them to scrape off the floor. You guys do that, I'm going to take a look at the second and third floors." Vacca said.

The group headed outside to collect vines while Chris headed up the only set of stairs that led up to the second floor. The ascent was easy. The stairs didn't creak or shift at all. They were as solid as he could have hoped for. He reached the second floor and stepped out onto it. The floor was solid too. Turning in a complete circle, Vacca noticed that the second floor was set up just like the town. It had a circular center room with a ten foot wide walkway around the outside of that. The outer side of the walkway was composed of doorways, each set roughly ten feet apart. He walked around the center room and counted the doors. His final count was thirty two doorways. Out of curosity, he poked his head into each one. They all had an identical layout. The rooms were in the shape of cones with the entrance doorway constituting the narrow end and the room growing more wide the farther in you went. Each roon opened up to a the roof of the first floor. Vacca walked around the wide ledge and admired the view for a few moments before he returned inside and headed up to the third floor.

The third floor was identical to the second floor, only slightly smaller. Deciding to forego looking around, Chris headed up the stairs to the roof. The roof was wide and flat. It had a stone guard rail around the perimeter that stood about two feet tall. The view was spectacular. From his vantage point, Vacca could see the total layout of the town. The two stone buildings which sat at the forefront of each 'spoke' were easy to identify. He shifted his gaze farther outward and began counting the piles of rotten debris which indicated long gone wooden buildings. He counted fourteen rotten buildings in addition to the two stone ones, which made the total number of original buildings one-hundred and twenty-nine. Beyond the rotten piles of wood, the wild-growing orchard spread out for, what he estimated to be close to a thousand feet. Beyond the green treetops heavy with ripening oranges he could see the rows and rows of growing fields and beyond the fields, way off in the distance, he could see the forest. Swiveling his head from one side to the other, he estimated the entire field, including the town, to be around ten miles across. The sight was awe-inspiring.

*thump*

Chris Vacca spun on his heel, his left hand flying to the handle of his sword, at the sound behind him. What he saw froze him in his tracks. A single armored, white coated Pegasus had landed behind him, in the middle of the roof, right between him and the stairs down. The Pegasus scowled and locked eyes with Chris then shuffled its wings and closed them. The two beings stood in place just staring at one another.

The Pegasus made no move to attack so Chris slowly lifted his hand away from his sword. The Pegasus noticed his action and nodded visibly then turned its head to the sky. Chris slowly followed its gaze and stepped back as he realized the clouds were not in fact thousands of feet in the air, but closer to only two hundred. As he watched, dozens of Pegasi poked their heads over the side of one cloud that was directly overhead, 'It practically looks like they're standing on the damn clouds!' As more and more heads emerged Chis began trying to count them, 'That bunch is twenty and there looks to be close to a hundred groups . . . Holy shit! That's two thousand of them!' Chris looked back down to the one who shared the roof with him. The Pegasus continued to scowl but didn't move a muscle except to breathe. 'This is a show. Like they're telling me there are a lot more of them than there are of us and I think they might be trying to intimidate us.' Chris smirked, 'Nice try, but I don't scare easy.'

Deciding to act in complete opposition to what he imagined they expected, Chris smiled as widely as he could and waved to the two thousand Pegasi in a friendly manner. The armored natives merely stared back at him scowling. Undeterred, and with his stomach twisting and turning in knots, Chris casually walked right past the unfriendly looking armored Pegasus and descended the stairs back down to the ground, 'They know we're here alright, and they didn't make any move to attack me or anything. I was alone on that roof but they didn't do anything. The Fellowship needs to know about this.'

* * *

"Chris said the big building is safe except for the roof." Hord said to his and Morris' groups.

In truth, Chris had pulled Darryl and Morris aside and explained what he had experienced on the roof, but also said he thought it was mostly for show. The three of them had agreed not to say anything to the rest of the people until later. The crates needed to be moved and they were burning daylight. Chris said he would go find Joyner while he set his group to clearing off and cleaning out other buildings in his absence.

The people were gathered around the crates, listening to their leaders, Morris picked up where Darryl Left off,
"He even had his people clean off the floor, so let's get going on these crates. We can't risk dragging these things so we're going to work in teams of eight. Two people to each side of a crate. Lift them in unison, walk in unison, and lower them in unison. Remember to talk to each other, some people are going to be walking backward every time we move a crate so keep your eyes peeled and take it slow."

Darryl picked back up,
"Yeah, and if I see anyone being pushy or if someone gets hurt because someone else wasn't being patient, I'm going to pound you into a fine mush. Let's get this shit done. I only want to see two things: assholes and elbows! Let's move it!"

Morris selected Darryl and six other people and gathered them around a single crate while everyone else watched,
"Alright, bend with your knees, not your back. Crouch and get your grip!" he ordered.

Eight people crouched and slid their fingers under the sides of the crate. The cobblestones were a blessing because they provided gaps for people to wedge their fingers under.

"Ready, and lift!" Darryl yelled.

All eight people lifted in unison. The crate rose off the ground smoothly, accompanied by the sound of people grunting with effort.

"We're going to walk toward the big building slowly. Let everyone know if your grip starts to slip. Now step," everyone stepped, "And step," everyone took another step, "And step," they took another step.

The process continued on until they reached the doorway of the building,
"Alright, we're going to have to step up onto the foundation. Do not rush it. Does anyone need a break before we go?" Morris asked.

Seven heads shook 'no',
"Alright, and step up."

The slowly maneuvered the heavy crate into the far side of the building, as everyone else walked with them watching,
"Alright now," Darryl said loudly, "Set her down nice and easy. Bend your knees, aaaaand down."

They lowered the crate to the ground and let go with a heavy thump and a hollow thud.

Morris looked to Darryl,
"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did." Darryl turned to the six other people, "Help us push this thing to the side. I think the floor is hollow right here."

They shoved the crate over several feet and looked at the floor,
"Well I don't see anything there, just bits of dirt." Darryl said.

Morris knelt down and used his bare hands to sweep away the thin layer of dirt and debris that Chris's group couldn't scrape away. His fingers caught a straight line and he followed it, tracing it out. In mere moments he had cleared off the outline of a perfect square, six foot by six foot, trap door. He continued clearing off the debris and uncovered a thick, heavy, rusty, metal ring. He tried to pry his fingers under the ring to lift it but it was rusted tight.

"Hey Darryl, may I borrow your hammer?" Morris asked.

"Yeah sure." Darryl answered as he handed the implement to his friend.

Morris used the pick side of the head and jammed it into the loop of the ring then levered it upward. The ring slowly rose, squeaking the whole way. Morris handed the war hammer back to Darryl and straightened up. He stretched his back then bent over and gripped the ring in both hands. Once he had his grip, he bent his knees, crouched, then lifted.

The rusty hinges squeaked loudly as the young man applied his muscles to forcing them into movement they hadn't seen in nearly two-hundred years. The stone slab lifted slowly until the lip was above the floor. Darryl stepped in and slipped his fingers under the lip, applying his own strength to the task. Between them, the two men hauled the lid all the way open. The hole was almost exactly six feet across in a near perfect square with stone stairs descending down into the darkness below. Neither man could see anything farther than about ten feet down.

"We don't have time to explore it right now." Morris said.

Darryl agreed,
"Yeah, let's close the lid and cover it up. We can take a look later."

The two of them forced the rusty hinges into motion and closed the trap door,
"We don't have all week people!" Darryl said loudly, "I want to see a constant flow of crates into this building until we have them all, now get moving!"

For the next five hours they moved crates from the Town Square into the big building.

* * *

Ludwig and Jason led their groups in the direction of the fields surrounding the town. They had everyone empty their bags and set their equipment aside. They decided that the empty bags could be used for harvesting and carrying food.

They talked as they headed off toward the fields,
"What do you think we should make?" Ludwig asked, obviously in a good mood.

"Hell if I know." Jason replied sharply.

Ludwig tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention,
"Look Jason, I don't know what your problem is but you need to cool down before you end up doing something you regret. Something like you almost did to our Unicorn friend when you were stalking Tina."

"To hell with you, I saved her life." Jason didn't dare raise his voice, the people were too close, he didn't want to embarrass himself.

"No you didn't." Ludwig said quietly, "I had an encounter with that Unicorn too and she never hurt me. I doubt she was going to try to hurt Tina. Hell she probably only chose her because she had seen her before."

"I don't care what you say. Tina was in danger. You can't trust those bastards." Jason said in a low voice.

"You're assuming the worst possible scenario. That Unicorn had plenty of chances to hurt us but she didn't. Come on Jason, she led us to a stream full of fish for Christ sake." Ludwig argued.

Jason snorted decisively,
"Yeah, after she destroyed all my snares. Those things took a lot of work and she just destroyed them like they didn't matter." Jason hissed, "They're out to get us. You know I'm right Alex."

Alex Ludwig shook his head sadly,
"Listen to yourself. You're paranoid. If they wanted to do us wrong why did they lead us to fish? Why did they go through all the effort of leaving those crates in the town? All that stuff couldn't have been cheap." Alex crossed his arms, "Seems to me they're bending over backward to help us. They guided us to a place that seems to be all but specifically made for us. Seriously, we couldn't have hoped for better, much less asked for it. We have land, food, medical supplies, tools the list goes on. Why can't you see what's right in front of you. For crying out loud, they're even leaving us alone after they know exactly where we are."

Jason's eyes scanned the forest in the distance,
"I'll bet the only reason they're leaving us alone is BECAUSE they know where we are. We're trapped here. They've put us into a cage. It's a big cage, but it's still a cage." he turned toward Alex, "I won't be caged like an animal." he said through clenched teeth, "By God if one of those bastards shows his face in our town I'll fucking remove it."

"And what if they just want to talk?" Alex asked.

"I'm not interested in talking to murderers." Jason mumbled.

"If they're willing to talk to thieves, why shouldn't we be willing to return the favor?" Alex asked.

Jason stopped suddenly and poked Alex in the chest,
"The only favor I'm interested in returning is massacring a bunch of them. Then they'll see what it's like to have a taste of their own medicine."

"So you want to be a murderer too? You're willing to give up your humanity just like that?" Alex argued softly.

Jason turned and continued walking,
"Our humanity has been stripped from us. They slaughtered us like animals and I'm not going to open myself up to that ever again. They're the animals and if I ever see one, I'm going to slaughter it like an animal. They aren't Human, they don't think like us. They don't have souls or feelings. They don't feel remorse or fear. They're monsters. Maybe you won't see it until it's too late but I'm not letting them get to me. Not when I can protect our people from them."

"What if you're wrong?" Alex asked.

"I'm not." Jason replied.

"So you've given up any hope of peace? You're willing to become a murdering racist?" Alex asked, "Because that's exactly what it sounds like."

"Fuck off you idiot. As long as we have the same goal of protecting the people, I don't give a shit whether or not we agree on the natives. If they leave us alone, I'm not going to go looking for trouble. If I see one here though, all bets are off. If they just leave us the fuck alone, I'll leave them alone." Jason said rudely, "We've got some zucchini squash here. We can chop it up and mix it with some of those carrots and potatoes we saw back a ways. Add that to the fish Joyner's catching and we'll have a nice stew. It'll be bland as hell, but it'll also be the nicest meal we've eaten since arriving." he turned to Alex with a dark grin, "If the natives included any spices or salt, I might just give them a chance after all."

* * *

R.J. Brinsin was sweating like a pig. He stood up from the fallen tree he had been chopping on and took several steps backward. The man standing behind him moved in and continued his work while R.J. took a short break. Mike Spearman was likewise sweating profusely, but he kept on chopping with his hatchet. The two men had managed to get quite a nice pile of dried, chopped wood for the fires. They knew they needed more though, much, much more.

He took a swig from his canteen and looked around. They had decided to head into the forest a little ways to see if they could find a tree that had already fallen. They had found more than they were looking for. Five huge trees had fallen and had yet to be claimed by the forest. They had spotted the trees easily and began chopping almost immediately. Just as quickly, Mike pointed out that they had an audience. The group had nearly flown into a panic when eight of the natives presented themselves boldly from a few dozen yards away. R.J. had been the one to intervene before anything got out of hand. He had gestured to the fallen trees then to the hatchets the group was carrying. The natives never moved a muscle. There was no response whatsoever. R.J. had reasoned that if they had a problem with the Humans chopping up wood, they would have made it clear.

He began chopping on the fallen tree. The natives did nothing except watch. Mike Spearman decided to follow his friend's example and soon the entire group was chopping at the trees. The natives never moved to stop them so the Humans continued.

R.J. shook out his head and wiped sweat from his face,
"Yall boys want a sip?" he asked, holding out his canteen to the armored natives.

They didn't move a muscle so R.J. just shrugged and took another sip,
"Yalls loss. I ain't greedy."

He wiped his head and tapped a young woman on the shoulder,
"Take a breather. I got this."

R.J. was on directly opposite from Mike and he decided to break the oppressive silence that had settled over the group,
"What do you think they want?" he asked.

Mike Spearman didn't bother looking up,
"No idea. Long as they stay over there and don't pester us, I don't care what they do." he finished off a branch and tossed it into an ever-growing pile, "Do you think they'll stop us from leaving?"

"Don't see no other reason for them to be so close." R.J. said with a shrug, "Then again I don't know. Tell ya what, I got to piss. I'ma walk right past 'em an' take a piss on the other side."

Mike chuckled,
"Already marking your territory huh?"

"Yeah man." R.J. said with a smile.

He straightened up and walked right toward the armored natives. They tensed and widened their stances but they didn't attack. R.J. would be loathe to admit it but they still terrified him. He couldn't get the memories out of his head; the lightning blazing trails through the night as it cut down his friends, the smell of blood, gore, and singed flesh and hair.

The expressions of pure malice on the Unicorn's faces as they massacred his people haunted his dreams. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the mangled bodies, every time he drew a breath he had to remind himself that he wasn't smelling the sickly sweet stench of death all around, and every time he saw a native he had to remind himself that attacking them was not right except in self-defense. He struggled internally as he walked right past them and into some bushes on the far side of their armored flanks.

He pulled up his blanket/clothing and proceeded to do his business, wishing yet again, for a sink with which to wash his hands. He was a very hygienically-minded man before he woke up in that field. He showered twice a day, once when he woke up and once just before bed. He had always kept his beard well-trimmed, he brushed his teeth for four minutes after every meal, he flossed religiously, and he even went so far as to learn to clean his ears with cotton and dabbed isopropyl alcohol on his feet and under his armpits to help eliminate any germs and bacteria. He had always prided himself on being able to maintain a clean, neat appearance. Not only did it look professional but it showed the world that he took pride in himself and took very good care of his body. He never ate pork or any smooth-bodied fish. He would only eat raw vegetables and unprocessed foods and he knew he was healthier for it. He was hardly ever sick and his health was something to be admired and emulated.

'An' now, here I am pissin' in the woods, worryin' about if a bunch of horse things is gonna try to murder my chocolate butt. I gotta find me some time to just relax for a minute. Ever since we got here it ain't been nothin' but work this an' fight that an' march here. I need a fuckin' break man. This shit's gonna end up killin' me.' he thought as he gave himself the cursory 'two shakes'. He lowered his blanket/clothing and stepped out of the bush.

The armored natives hadn't moved a muscle in hours and it was starting to get kind of creepy to him. He decided to ignore the creepiness and got back to work on the fallen tree.

Mike Spearman was lost in his own thoughts, 'What are we going to do here, in the long run? Are we stranded here? Are we supposed to get married and have children here? There's so much that we need to do. We could be working on bettering ourselves until the day we died and we still wouldn't be done. We need to build doors for the buildings we have, we need to build houses, we need to build beds to sleep in. There's so much that needs doing. We have to keep ourselves fed too. How are we going to eat during the winter? I doubt anyone knows how to preserve food properly and we can't grow anything in the snow. We need firewood, clothes, blankets, a well for water.' he hung his head, 'There's just SO MUCH to do.'

Mike took a deep breath and steadied his nerves, 'Calm mind, calm body. Be still within and you will be still without. A man is the master of himself and it is through one's self that true peace may be obtained. Peace on the inside fosters peace on the outside. I am not merely the product of my environment but a living, breathing, thinking, feeling entity of logic and self control. Control of the self is true control of the world, for it is in the control of the self that one alters one's perceptions of the world around.' he finished his mental exercise and felt the familiar calm of self-control wrap around him like a comforting blanket. He took another breath and continued chopping away at the fallen trees, 'I wonder if they made a sound when they fell.' he pondered idly.

* * *

Cessily Richardson was carrying her fifth load of medical equipment up the stairs of the big building. Bobby Jewel had decided that the second floor was absolutely ideal for the primary medical station. He said the center room on the second floor was perfect for a triage and evaluation hub. He wanted the additional rooms on the second floor to house the medical staff and any patients who required extended care. It had plenty of space for storage in every room, the only thing it lacked was beds. He said he planned to ask Joyner about it later on. He wanted to design the beds himself so they could function to specifications he said he needed or would likely need. Morris had done a wonderful job of cataloging the entire inventory of medical supplies. They had antiseptics, bandages, ointments, local anesthetics, systemic anesthetics, laxatives, there was more stuff but she couldn't recall all of it or even what it was used for. Some of the things they were lacking were concerning though. There were no latex or nitrile gloves, no I.V. bags or hangers, no lab kits for diagnosing specific diseases, and no electronic equipment of any kind. There were some strange machines that Jewel couldn't make heads or tails of, even with the drawn instructions. There were also some crystals encased in boxes but no one had even a remote idea how they could be used. The drawn instructions were vague. The crystals were supposed to be used with the machines but the 'how' of it was as puzzling as the 'why'.

Leo had volunteered to take a stab at the machines after all the medical stuff had been hauled up to the second floor. Leo was a conundrum to Richardson, 'That boy don't know what the heck he wants.' she shook her head, 'Naw, that ain't true. He wants to help people, that much is clear. His heart's in the right place but he's so much of an asshole that no one wants him to help half the time. 'He's got a good mind, he pays attention, an' he catches on quick. If he just dropped the attitude he'd be fine. He's got to learn that not erebody's gonna judge him on bein' ignorant sometimes. What he needs to to be teachable. There's so many things Bobby could teach him, if he'd just lose the pride be more teachable. Bobby already said he showed a huge talent for medicine.' Cessily shook her head as she reached the top of the stairs.

She trudged into the center room and set down her bag,
"Got another load for you Jewel. You think we have enough yet?" she asked cracking her back.

Bobby Jewel looked up from the assortment of medical supplies he already had on the floor of the second floor,
"Not even close, I'm afraid. Why? Is your back hurting you?" he asked concerned, "Look Cessily, if you need a break, take one. I'm more than capable of hauling stuff up here. The only thing I'm doing right now is organizing different things by category and use." he stood up from his kneeling position, "Why don't you let me handle the heavy lifting? We don't have any medication for your condition and you could really hurt yourself." he approached Cessily calmly, "I know it hurts." he said, laying his right hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "I'll see about getting you something as soon as I can but right now I just don't have it." he threw his arms up in the air, "Hell I don't know if these horse things can even get Fibromyalgia."

Cessily looked up at Bobby sharply, hurt behind her eyes,
"I ain't gonna tell you again. Don't say it out loud. I don't need ereone coddlin' me on account I ain't as healthy as they are. I'ma do my part. I never went on Welfare or Disability back home. I work an' I do my part. Weather or not I got this disease don't matter none here. We all in this together an' I'm sure I don't got it the worst. What about all them girls who're pregnant? I ain't. I done had my boys already an' I don't plan on havin' no more." her breath caught in her throat at the thought of her two sons back home, "I'm here to work an' help out. That's all I got left right now." she bit her lip to keep it from shaking.

Bobby took Cessily into his arms as she began to weep quietly,
"This is all I got left Bobby." she whispered, "I lost my boys an' my husband."

Bobby had expected her to break sooner or later, 'She's been holding it in since we got here. The stress of the massacre traumatized her really badly. Hell it messed up almost everyone to some degree. We need time to calm down, relax, and just take time to grieve. We've been so busy recently that we're all running on mental and emotional fumes. We have to find . . . no we have to MAKE time to just relax and sit back for a day or two and recharge. We're going to be having serious problems here soon if we don't. Jason's already broken because he hasn't had time to grieve. If we had the chance to breathe, even just for a little while, maybe we could avoid break downs like this one.'

His thoughts were interrupted as Leo walked up the stairs carrying a heavy load. He set his bags down and picked up the set that Bobby had already emptied out. He saw two of the very few people he respected, locked in a tearful embrace, but he didn't say anything or disturb them. If they wanted him in on it, they would uave told him. If it wasn't his business, then it wasn't his business. He slung the empty bags over his shoulders and headed back down the stairs.

'Ereone's all spacin' out an' shit.' he thought, 'Now Richardson's gone all weepy an' shit too?' he shook his head as he descended the stairs, 'That bitch is hard as diamond. She don't never break. If she's breakin' now, we got problems. We all got to be at the top o' our game to keep them fuckin' ponies off our asses. We ain't gonna be no good if we can't even get all the way set up without someone havin' a breakdown. We gotta have a break man. We're Humans not robots, we can only handle so much shit before we go nuts. We got to take a couple o' days an' just do nothin'. We gotta relax an' get our shit together before we do anythin' else. Richardson's one tough cookie. If she breakin' . . . we all in deep shit.'

* * *

Kolo Calvin looked over the huge pile of trash he and his group had collected. It had taken seven hours but the immediate area around all the buildings was clear of both dangerous debris and grass. After Morris' and Darryl's groups had cleared the crates out of the Town Square Kolo had set to work with his group to clear out the obstructions. The grass was surprisingly easy to pull. The cobblestones had kept it from forming particularly deep roots so it had almost nothing to cling to.

Clearing out the grass had been an absolute breeze compared to the piles of vines and glass shards scattered all around the Square and buildings. The glass was the most troublesome problem though. It was nearly invisible in some places and more than once, one of Kolo's people had to run off to get cuts disinfected, or in the case of one poor woman, stitches, 'Man I hate it when my peeps get hurt! If they get hurt, it means I ain't doin' my job right. They lookin' to me to guide 'em an' protect 'em. How can I do that if they always gettin' hurt?' he forced down a grunt of frustration and turned to his group.

"Hey yo, listen up." he addressed loudly, "We got two more things to do. Number one: we got to find an' dig out a latrine so people got a place to do they business. Number two: we got to clear off these other foundations. We can't build nothin' unless we got a clean surface to work with. We can do the foundations tomorrow but ain't nobody gonna wait till tomorrow to do they business. Let's get some shovels an' find us a good place to dig." he turned toward the big building and began walking toward it as he spoke, "It's got to be far enough from the town that ain't nobody gonna smell it but close enough that erebody can get to it when they need to. The orchard an' the fields got food we need an' Human shit ain't good for crops. Got too much nitrogen in it. We got to dig deep but in a place an' direction that ain't gonna taint our drinkin' water." he turned and looked over his shoulder at his group, "I don't know 'bout yall, but I don't wanna go for a drink an' end up slurpin' down no dude's diarrhea." both he and his group chuckled at the disturbing mental image.

They walked into the big building and saw Morris and his group taking record of inventory,
"Yo Morris my man, me an' my crew be needin' a couple o' shovels. You got any?"

Crates were placed all around the perimeter of the interior wall of the huge first floor. The hinges of the crates faced the wall so a person could just walk up and open them as needed. Morris was standing next to a crate writing down items as his group removed them and set them on the ground. One of the things Morris had already put to good use was a set of ten corn-bristled brooms. He and his group had started on the third floor and swept their way down until they had a pile of debris outside the front door. The floors were clean and if Morris had anything to say about it, he would lead the charge to sterilize the entire building, especially the second floor where Jewel, Richardson, and Leo had decided to set up the medical station.

Morris looked up smiling broadly,
"As a matter of fact, I'm proud to say that I DO. The handles are a little short but they'll work just fine. How many do you need?"

Kolo didn't even need to turn and look,
"Seventy-three."

Morris lowered his head and wrote down something on a piece of paper in front of him,
"O.K. I'll need your signature right next to the log out."

Calvin whistled,
"Dang dude, you got a system for that already?"

"It's really easy actually." Morris said, "Just remember, you're responsible for these shovels. One gets broken, it's on you to fix it to my specifications."

Calvin smirked, put the palms of his hands together in front of him, and bowed,
"I heah an' obey mastah."

Morris picked up the piece of paper and walked over to a different crate then opened the top,
"Just sign here and they're all yours."

Kolo walked over to Morris and took the piece of charcoal he was holding. The charcoal was tiny in his massive hand, but he signed the paper smoothly.

Morris withdrew the paper and gestured to the crate,
"This one holds fifty shovels," he turned and gestured to the crate to his right, "And this one holds twenty-five more. Clean then off once you're done with them. One of my guys will be here to log them back in once you're done. I'm going to have people inspect every single tool that gets logged in or out. If a person brings back a damaged tool, they have to fix it. If they don't clean off a tool they have to go outside and clean it off before returning it. These tools can mean the difference between life and death and I'm going to make sure they are treated that way."

"Yall get a shovel each an' meet me outside. I'ma head on up to the roof an' take a look to see where we can dig these things." Kolo instructed.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Morris asked his huge friend.

Calvin crossed his arms,
"Gotta make it quick yo. I got stuff to do."

Morris leaned up to Kolo's ear,
"Chris saw a bunch of Pegasus . . . Pegasusses . . . the winged ones, on the roof earlier. Be careful."

Kolo smiled hugely,
"Ain't no problem Morris."

Kolo made his way up the stairs to the second floor, then to the third floor, then finally to the roof. He stepped out onto the roof and looked around, 'Ain't none o' the winged ones up here. Chris musta been trippin'.' he walked over to the Southern edge of the roof and looked out at the countryside. The mountain in the distance sat silhouetted against the blue sky. A tall castle-like structure rose out of the side of it, facing the East. The view was hypnotic and for a few moments Kolo stood enraptured by its beauty.

Eventually he sighed and began casting his eyes about at the world below, 'Aiit, this building I'm standin' on is the tallest point of the field an' the town be built on a shallow hill. That means erething's gonna go downhill. Only problem is we got crops that can't be gettin' that shit. We can't dig no latrine on the far edge o' the field where it's lowest cause ain't nobody gonna be able to walk that far when nature's callin'.' he stroked the full, scraggly beard on his chin, 'I can't help but wonder what the natives did about that problem? Animal manure is good fertilizer but ain't nothin's urine no good for crops, so where did they go to take a piss?'

Kolo began tugging on his beard in frustration, 'Come to think o' it, I didn't see no place for no bathroom inside the big building either. We know the natives eat, so that means they gotta pop a squat somewhere. Maybe we can find the solution they done come up with and build on it.' his eyes ventured down the the piles of debris, 'I'll bet this building I'm standin' on was a public building an' those piles o' rubble used to be homes. Homes gotta have a bathroom in em. We just gotta figure out what the natives used.'

Kolo smiled and turned to head back downstairs.

* * *

David grunted as he reached his right hand farther up,
"Here?"

Rachel stepped back and closed her left eye, gauging with her right,
"Looks good, tack it up. There's a hole up there, right?"

David held the tarp between his thumb and index finger while he felt around with his other three,
"Yup. Hand me the hammer would you Tina?"

Tina passed David the hammer and stepped back to look at their work. The big building they had finished hours ago and they were working on the smaller buildings. The smaller ones were empty as yet but they still needed their windows covered. The three friends had been very pleasantly surprised to discover that each window had a series of tiny holes in the stone surrounding each window. David had guessed that they might have been where shutter tacks tapped into the walls previously but he knew he was merely guessing. Morris had issued them a load of stout tarps, a hammer, a small step-ladder, and a wooden carton of nails. The tarps were very interesting. Each one was three feet by three feet and had flaps and holes around the outer edges. Morris had explained that it was a clever design because the holes could be linked together to form larger tarps while the flaps over the edges kept them fairly water resistant.

David stepped off the wide, three foot tall ladder and back to the ground,
"How does it look?"

"Identical to every other one we've hung up." Rachel said sourly, "I just wish the Pega . . . what's the plural of Pegasus?" she asked rubbing her temples, "My brain isn't working right now."

"It was originally a Greek word so probably Pegasi, while something describing the entire species would probably be Pegasorum or something like that. Pegasi should be about right for the plural form of the noun." Tina explained.

"Math whiz and you know Greek and Latin?" David asked.

"Both of us do you goof." Rachel said as she pushed David playfully, "Greek and Latin were the basis of almost every language spoken in Europe. I probably know more about it than Tina does but my head isn't on straight right now."

"Und Vhy iz zaat?" David asked in a Freudian accent and steepling his finger tips together in front of his face, "Arch hou havingk deefeeculty formingk zee coherenth toughts?"

Tina snickered at David's antics but Rachel's frown was made of stern stuff,
"I was hoping to get out of doing this when Chris and Joyner told us there were Pegasi on the roof of the big building. Then we go up there aaaaannnnnddddd they're gone." she crossed her arms, "And now we have to work again. It just got my hopes up, you know." she let her arms fall, "I'm being a bitch about this aren't I?" she said.

"Yep." Tina responded, "Cheer up," she gestured to the other buildings, "We've only got twelve more to do."

Rachel rolled her eyes and slumped her shoulders,
"Oh joy, my cup, she runneth over."

Tina accepted the hammer and ladder from David,
"Come on, it's not that bad. Grab the nails and let's get to the next one. You got the tarp pile David?"

"Yep." he bent over and wrapped his arms around the thick pile on the ground and lifted it onto his shoulder, "We need to speed this up," he looked to the sky, "It's going to get dark before too long.

* * *

"When the natives attacked, they could only focus on one person at a time." Eduardo explained to the two groups around him, "That's how Chris and me got 'em. He distracted 'em and I got behind 'em and took care of business."

Darryl nodded,
"Well that's more than I know. I only fought one of them and he pretty much whooped my ass." he turned to Eduardo, "So you're saying that groups would probably work better than one person per patrol?"

"Si, probably two or three. Three would prolly be the best. Two can distract and take down while the third goes for help."

Darryl slapped his thigh,
"Fire Teams then," he began, "Groups of three on a circular patrol of the buildings we're using. Eight Fire Teams out on patrols at a any given time. That's twenty-four people on patrol all day, every day and night. Patrols should last for six hours and, now that we have a couple of hour-glasses, we can know exactly when that time is up."

"So what we need is a type of roster to tell who is supposed to be out and when. We also need a bell or something, you know for an alarm, something everyone can hear." Eduardo pointed out.

Darryl pointed at the young Hispanic man and shook his hand,
"That's definitely true. Good thinking. Alright, let's set the patrol route and walk it a couple of time together, all of us, so there won't be any confusion about it." he looked around and hummed quietly, "How about just the area around the town for now and we can expand it later as needed?"

"Sounds good to me amigo." Eduardo said and turned and spoke loudly, "Let's take a walk."

Darryl and Eduardo took the lead while everyone else followed. They chose a path around the town. There was a break of more than thirty feet between the orchard and the outermost building foundations where the cobblestones still ran. They walked the path, picking the tall grass out from between the cobblestones as they went.

"I noticed that the cobblestone street doesn't end at the edge of the town." Darryl said.

Eduardo nodded,
"Si, we saw that too. We picked on some of the grass while we waited for you. The stones head outward from the center, like the spokes of a wheel. A couple of mi amigos think it's the stone paths that help decide what grows where." Eduardo shrugged, "Makes about as much sense as anything else in this place. Not sure if you saw, but there's more stone streets." Eduardo pointed, "New streets form when the space between the first streets gets too wide. This place was built with expansion in mind."

"Everything makes sense once you've got the right perspective." Darryl said, "This town was built to be defensible, that's why the buildings near the center were all made out of stone. The walls are thick and the streets between them are only about twelve feet wide. If a force, even a civilian force, stood shoulder to shoulder they could block off those streets very effectively. With a defensive line like that they could hold off an enemy for quite a while, not to mention if they put up blockades and funneled the enemy down, they could work it like a meat-grinder." he turned and pointed to the outlying buildings, "See how the wooden buildings are are on the outside of the defensive buildings? That means this place wasn't any sort of military installation because a military place would have walls and such to ensure nothing got in at all. I'd guess this place was a frontier town of some kind. It was one that wasn't necessarily expecting to be attacked, but the possibility still existed."

Eduardo shrugged,
"Yeah, but attacked by what? I wouldn't pick on the natives, they're pretty bad ass amigo. What kind of pendejo got the cojones to attack them?"

"That's a good question." Darryl said.

* * *

Mike Joyner could have hardly been more content with the situation. He was casting his net out and hauling in so many fish that the net nearly broke. The lake was practically overflowing with fish, trout and salmon to be precise. He had a concern though, there was no way that any rivers that held fish also had potable water and the last pure stream he knew of was almost half a day's walk to the South.

The problem puzzled him. He looked around briefly as the people around him worked. Some threw out nets and hauled in fish while others cleaned and gutted the fish, 'This was a settlement of some sort obviously, but it's got more than a few secrets. Where's the fresh water? Are the natives capable of drinking brackish water with no ill effects? If that's the case, we're going to be in for some trouble.' he looked up to the sky and chewed his lip, 'It has to rain here. Maybe we can build a rainwater collection center and use that? Only problem is we haven't seen a single drop of rain since we arrived on this world.' he blew out a breath in exasperation, 'There's something we're not seeing here, something that the natives have that we're missing. Only problem is I have absolutely no idea what it could be.'

He took a break and gauged the amount of fish already prepped for the day, then cupped his hands over his mouth,
"Bring it in everyone. Any nets still out, let the fish go, we have enough."

The people began making their way to the shore as Mike doled out responsibilities. Every tenth person carried ten nets while everyone else carried fish in the burlap sacks. The most simple things, like the burlap sacks, were suddenly very important. Their inclusion in the crates had been one of the many useful things the natives had left. People walked back to the town as the sun began its descent into the horizon. Bright, flickering light from a huge bonfire acted as a beacon for them.

Mike stood on the bank of the river. He didn't need to lead the people back, they knew the way. He smiled at the people, his people. He and his team hadn't signed up to lead seven hundred helpless people through a hostile, magical land. They had done it though, a few of the civilians even proved to be leadership material. His grin grew as he looked up at the setting sun, 'We'll figure out the water somehow, even if we have to haul it by hand. We're tougher than that.'

His smile grew once more as the people neared the town, he raised his head and hands to the sky, palms open. Mike Joyner never claimed to be a particularly spiritual man but he was grateful. Here was a place where his people had a chance. Here was a place where for the first time in a long time, they had hope. Here for the first time in over a month, was a place they might one day call home. He had no idea who to thank so in the absence of an individual, he simply closed his eyes and raised his hands to the sky.

"Thank you." he whispered.

He didn't know who he was talking to. It didn't really matter.

Chapter 15: Point Of No Return

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Night had fallen over the newly inhabited town. The Humans were in the middle of celebrating. People were busy making plans for what they wanted to do in their new home. They spoke of how houses would be built, what kinds of new foods they could make, a few couples even discussed the possibility of marriage. In their hearts, the people knew that it was far too early to hope for any possible solidified future yet, but for the night they could pretend and forget. To them what they needed most was to forget. They had been terrified, hungry, smelly, dirty, and all around miserable for more than forty days. They needed time to forget, even if it was only for a night.

A six foot tall bonfire burned brightly in what had been dubbed the Town Square. Set all around the bonfire were smaller fires which sported no less than forty, twenty-gallon cast iron cauldrons. Each cauldron had been filled with what water had been left in everyone's spare canteens. The people had enough wilds experience to never drain both canteens ever again unless a source of fresh water was close by. The spare water had been enough to allow the carrots, potatoes, celery, and fish to be plopped in for a nice thick stew.

People milled about in the cobblestone streets talking, passing around news and gossip and just all around having a good time. Word had spread about the coming feast and everyone wore their bags with their mess kits in the front pouch. They were used to being hungry after so much time in the wild and the thought of having a full belly for the first time after so long made them more than eager. Eighty people, hand-picked by Jason, stood by the series of cauldrons stirring and preparing to serve everyone else.

Apparently the natives had neglected to pack large spoons in the crates so everyone had to stir with swords and taste test with ladles. The group had the mess kits from the bags so basic silverware, cups, and bowls weren't an issue, thankfully.

Jason casually reached into the front bag hanging over his shoulders and dropped a handful of purple flowers into the cauldrons then stirred and sniffed the aroma with a satisfied look on his face. Alex Ludwig watched him curiously while stirring another cauldron, 'He sure was excited to find those . . . What did he call them again? Oh yeah, passionflowers. I've heard of them before and how people make teas with them.' Alex shrugged, 'Meh, he's the cook here. If he thinks it'll make the stew taste better then more power to him. I wish we had some salt though. The garlic he found earlier was great, but I REALLY want something salty for some reason.'

"Hey Jason." he addressed.

"What's up Alex?" the herbalist responded.

"What kind of flavor are those flowers going to add to the stew?" Alex asked.

Jason smiled a real smile for the first time in weeks, "It's kind of bitter and kind of sweet at the same time and there's another flavor I can't quite identify." he reached into his bag and withdrew two more, offering one to Alex, "Here, try one with me. See if you can figure out the flavor?"

Alex accepted the flower with his left hand while he kept stirring the cauldron with his right, "Sure is pretty." he sniffed it, shrugged, then popped the whole thing in his mouth and chewed.

Jason was chewing too, "See it's good." he said slurping some drool leaking from the corner of his mouth, "Like I said, it's both bitter and sweet at the same time. Can you taste that other flavor in the background?"

Alex could, it was hard to define, "Yeah, I do. It's good, really good but I can't really describe it." he swirled his tongue around his mouth several times, trying to collect more flavor then swallowed, "It's got a bit of a sweet aftertaste to it too."

Jason swallowed his mouthful and continued stirring, "Yeah it does. Now it has a bit of a relaxing effect to it but considering how little of it each person is going to get, it's not likely to be anything drastic." he shrugged, "It's probably a good thing considering how much stress everyone has been under recently. It'll help everyone sleep well tonight so we can be well-rested in the morning."

Alex was a little leery, but Jason was right, besides they both ate a whole flower, "As long as people don't end up comatose or anything, I don't see a problem with it. No offense, but I think you probably need it the most. You've been completely out of sorts for about a month."

Jason nodded, "Yeah I guess I have been a bit cranky."

Alex chuckled, "Cranky? You've been downright scary, but hey if you're trying to do better, we'll all support you. You've been a huge help and we probably would have been in quite a bit of trouble if not for your expertise. If we've seemed upset at you recently it's because we care about you."

Jason smiled sadly, "I know. Don't worry, everything should be better tomorrow. There's no substitute for a good night's sleep."

Alex clanked his sword against the cauldron, "Amen to that. Looks like the stew should be about done. What do you think?"

Jason slipped his sword out of the cauldron and picked up a spoon lying on a cloth next to him. He dipped the ladle into the stew and withdrew a small amount. He brought it up to his lips and blew on it several times. He gingerly sipped the stew and smacked his lips appreciatively.

"Oh yeah, everyone's going to love it." he turned to Alex and performed a flourishing bow, "Would you like to do the honors?"

Alex smiled and cupped his hands over his mouth, "FOOD'S DONE! COME AND GET IT!"

The onslaught was instantaneous. People tried not to push and shove but the thought of something that was hot and cooked was nearly too much. Alex and Jason had their hands full ladling out stew as fast as they could. Once someone had a full bowl they walked away, sat down, and ate with gusto, leaving others to be served.

The line of people took a long time to satisfy. Most went back for seconds, many for thirds, and some even for fourths. The Fellowship Of Leadership waited patiently in the background. They all agreed not to eat until everyone else was finished. The end result was one and a half cauldrons worth of stew left for the eighty servers and the Leadership. The fires under the cauldrons was nothing more than embers by the time the servers and Leadership ate. The stew was still hot though so the servers surrounded the last full cauldron while the Fellowship dug into the one that was half full.

Everyone was so busy with eating the fantastic stew, no one noticed the smile that passed between Jason and the eighty servers. The young man calmly walked into the big building and headed up to the roof. The Fellowship had determined the roof was to be the place they held their daily meetings. Tina, Rachel, and David had been fully voted into the fold and were welcomed with open arms. Everyone sat in a circle and chatted earnestly about the future while they ate. They had taken their bags off and set them aside.

Mike Joyner raised his voice, "Alright everyone settle down. We've got plenty to discuss. First of all, everyone did a fantastic job today so give each other a hand."

There was a smattering of applause and Mike continued, "First off, dissemination of information. What happened today, anything and everything is important."

"I'll go first." Chris volunteered, "First off, all seventeen buildings are solid. We can start using them any time we want. I had my guys clean them up a bit while we checked for structural integrity. Of special note, when I came up here earlier today, I saw a bunch of the natives."

Jason's head snapped up from his bowl, "What?"

"It wasn't a big deal, so don't go getting all crazy on us again." Chris said dismissively, "Now one of them landed on the roof with me. He was one of the armored ones, but he didn't have any visible weapons. He was a Pegasus type and he startled me at first but he didn't make any move to attack me or block me from leaving. He motioned for me to look up so naturally I followed his eyes. He must have had a good two thousand others up in the clouds. Honestly it kind of looked like they were standing ON the clouds. At the time I thought they were showing themselves to try to be intimidating, but now that I've had time to think about it, I'm pretty sure they were just showing themselves to let us know they were there." Chris held up his hands and shrugged, "In either case, they didn't do anything to me and they just let me walk right off the roof."

Mike Spearman raised his hand next, "R.J. and I had an experience like that when we were chopping firewood. A bunch of the ones that don't have a horn or wings just appeared and watched us. They were wearing the same golden colored armor the rest of them have but they didn't stop us or anything. R.J. went to take a leak about halfway through the day and just walked right past them. They didn't move a muscle and they didn't stop us from doing anything." he pointed to Chris, "I think you're right. I think they're just showing themselves so we know they're there. It's more like non-spoken honesty than intimidation."

R.J. added his two cents, "Mike got it right. They was scarry an' erething at first, but after a while," he shrugged, "You just don't notice 'em. They wasn't hurtin' nobody or nothin'. I think they was being so close an' open so we could get used to seein' 'em without flippin' out like my man Jason over here."

Jason scowled, "It's called . . . "

"Alright that's enough." Joyner said evenly, "We're not here to pick on Jason. He's been one hell of a help and he's probably saved every one of us several times over. Show him some appreciation." Mike turned to Jason, "Now I'm not picking on you but I'm going to be direct. You really need to cool it with all the hate talk. The natives have extended us an olive branch here and we can't waste it. So I need you to be calm and collected when we see them otherwise I'm going to have to take a vote that might end up removing you from the Fellowship Of Leadership. I don't want to do that and I'm not trying to embarrass you, but we all have to work together. That doesn't just mean Humans either. We need the natives but they don't need us. They've been helping us out of the goodness of their hearts and we cannot afford to waste it. Understood?"

Jason scowled but nodded stiffly, "Yeah, I got it."

Joyner smiled, "Alright, any other news?"

Morris held up his hand, "Yes, when Darryl and I were moving the crates we discovered a trap door downstairs on the first floor. I managed to open it but we couldn't see what was inside. I'd like to head down there and see what's there. If it's cool enough, we might be able to use it as a root cellar to preserve food. If nothing else we can use it as a storage space."

Darryl raised his hand, "Eduardo and I set up patrol routes and a patrol roster today. He brought up the idea of a type of loud alarm system, like a bell or something and we were wondering if maybe we could use a spare cauldron for one."

Alex Ludwig shook his head, "You could but it would be high maintenance. See the cauldrons are cast iron and they need to be cleaned and oiled frequently to make sure they don't rust."

Jason spoke up, "Speaking of cleaning cauldrons, I need to head back down and supervise the servers when they clean the cauldrons, so can we speed this along? I don't want anyone ingesting rust by accident."

Mike Joyner nodded, "O.K. we need to figure out what the plan is for tomorrow. We can't afford to slack off. We've been generously given provisions and a place to stay so let's not squander it. Tomorrow we need to get started on settling in properly so, at this time I'd like to open the floor to any and all ideas. This is supposed to be a brainstorm. What that means is that no idea, no matter how crazy or strange, is written down as a possibility. Morris would you be willing to act as our scribe?"

"Sure thing." Morris reached into his bag and removed several sheets of thick paper and what looked almost exactly like a Number 2 pencil, "I don't know how or why, but the natives packed us a bunch of pencils that look just like what we have at home. Go ahead Mike."

"First thing we need is fresh water." Kolo Calvin said, "We ain't got any that I saw an' that's gonna be a big problem real quick. Another thing, I figure the natives gotta take a crap just like we do so they musta had a way to deal. I say me an' my crew get goin' on clearin' off a couple o' them foundations an' look for any hints as to how the natives did it. The same goes for the fresh water too. I figure we can prolly build off it an' use it ourselves. It wouldn't make no sense to just stick us out here with all these crates only for us to dehydrate. There's water here, we just gotta find it."

Mike Joyner nodded in the affirmative, "Good point. You want the job of Public Utilities?"

Kolo shrugged, "Ain't no problem to me but I need someone with technical skills. I can handle simple stuff but the more complex stuff I'll want some help on."

"I can do it." Tina volunteered, "I was studying to be a mechanical engineer for N.A.S.A. I'm sure a little water system won't be a problem. You're the muscle and I'm the brain." she winked at Calvin.

"Hey, my man Kolo ain't no dunce." R.J. spoke up.

"I never said he was." Tina defended, "But we each have our strengths. Mine is mechanics but I can't hardly lift anything, especially since I'm pregnant. Don't worry, I'm not about to start treating anyone poorly, no matter how strong they are."

"Aiit then, my turn." R.J. said, "We done used up almost half the firewood that me, Mike, an' our crews chopped up today. We gotta ease up on that stuff or else we gonna be chopin' down trees before the week's out. I don't know how the natives feel about us chopin' they trees down, but we are gonna need to do some lumberjackin' here soon if we gonna have the materials to start buildin' our own structures. We got enough man-power for it between Mike's group an' mine's, but we ain't so sure how to ask the natives if it's aiit. I had the idea to make chopin' motions at a standin' tree then askin' 'em with a thumbs up, but Mike done pointed out that they ain't got no thumbs an' prolly don't know what it means anyway. Mike thought o' makin' the motions then smilin' at 'em, but they might not know what that means either."

"They do." David said, "When Rachel, Tina, and I had our encounter with them, the tan Unicorn smiled at us, so the smiling idea should work. If nothing else just make the motions then stop and look for a reaction. No negative reaction is just as good as permission."

"We need to get going on cleaning up the rows of crops as soon as possible. The weeds and wild-growing plants will strangle the growth of the plants we want. Food should be our single biggest priority. It takes a lot of farm land to feed even a single person. The fish we catch will help to supplement our diet and slightly lessen the strain on our fields but it's going to be a lean winter, I can already tell. We need to start stocking up as soon as we can. Put all the non-perishable food we can into storage somewhere and only use fresh food to eat every day." Alex had a good point, no one argued.

"Along those lines," Jason added, "We should probably save a few of the useful, fruiting plants and start experimenting with the shiny gold vomit we saved in the canteens."

"And that brings up the next concern," Bobby Jewel spoke up suddenly, "The first time we threw up it was seven days since we arrived. The second time was eleven days after that and we only got queasy the third time. The thing is the third time was fifteen days after the second time. We didn't throw up then and we haven't since. I'm pretty sure that our bodies have adapted to whatever it was that was making us sick."

"Yeah an' did you notice, Tina, David, an' Rachel didn't get sick the second time, then the third time it was Chris, Alex, Tina, Rachel, and David who didn't feel bad. Anyone notice a pattern here?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Cessily said, "They all ate some o' them rolls the tan Unicorn gave 'em." she looked at Chris with a smirk, "Chris done loved them rolls." she pointed to him playfully, "This asshole ate three of 'em an' didn't share none."

"Hey," Chris defended, "Those things were good. Anyway, I think we should also get going on something we've been putting off ever since we raided that camp." he reached into his bag, withdrew the wooden box of multicolored crystals, and set the box down in front of him, "I got these from Mike to lighten his load and I've been toying around with them a bit in my spare time." he opened the box and pulled out two five inch long, teardrop shaped, yellow crystals then tossed one to Mike Joyner, "This is gonna sound crazy but try talking into it like you would a radio."

Mike arched an eyebrow at Chris then held up his hand and spoke into the crystal,
"Hello?"

"Hello?" the crystal in Chris' hand spoke with Mike's voice.

The Fellowship Of Leadership was utterly silent from shock, all except Chris who was giggling like a child, "YES! You guys should see your faces." he reached back into the box and pulled out a red crystal and a green crystal, "Now I'm not certain how it does this but it seems to be that if you touch the narrow end of the tips of each crystal together they turn the same color, and you can use them like radios. I haven't had time to work out anything more than that but these things could be seriously useful." he grew somber and let out a sigh, "Honestly these crystals might be the whole reason we were attacked." he held up a purple crystal, "I've heard the natives talking back and forth on this one. The volume seems to be linked with distance but I'd guess the range is well more than ten miles and the signal is, heh, CRYSTAL CLEAR." he set the crystal back in the box and folded his hands, "We know that not every one of their military have these, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been attacked at all. My guess is that only really important ones have them, or maybe they have specific designations for their soldiers to use them." he shrugged, "I don't know, but the way I figure, these crystals are probably worth a lot to the natives. If we end up getting into a bad situation with them we might be able to use the crystals as a bargaining chip. Just a thought." he opened his hands in front of his face, "Can I have it back or did you want to use them. We don't have enough for everyone."

Mike looked at the crystal in his hand and chewed his lip, "Let's use them. These things could be really handy. We normally divide up into groups of us so the Fellowship in the groups can have one per different assignment. Like one for our lumberjacks, one for our medical team, one for the patrol leaders, one for the scouts, one for the field workers, one for the fish harvesters, one for our public utilities crew, and one for provisions." he looked around the group, "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Bobby said, "I need a set staff to help work the medical station. I figure with Cessily, Leo, and I we can handle most small things but we need at least a few people working with every group who know basic first aid. I figure I hold a class with twenty people who can act as field respondents then fill us in if it gets serious."

Mike nodded, "Sounds like a plan. Eduardo, Darryl, I want you two to help Morris with keeping our inventory in top shape. We have very finite supplies and we can't afford to let them get damaged. Morris, select a crew of ten other people to help you with inventory and send the rest to work in the fields. Eduardo, Darryl, you two do the same. Alex and Jason, I want the two of you to begin teaching people how to take care of our crops. You already know how vital they are. Rachel, I want you to get a group together and find out who, if anyone, among the pregnant women know how to sew clothes. The natives gave us a boatload of fabrics, needles, and thread. We need sturdy clothes for everyone. It's light work that pregnant women can do and you can monitor their condition since you have medical training. Masonete and Kaneesha, I want you two to finalize those maps and make a copy for each of the Fellowship. After you're done with that, I want you two to scout around the surrounding countryside and see what other resources we have available to us that we might not know about. Mike and R.J. I need you two to keep chopping more and more wood. Start stockpiling it in one of the empty stone buildings to keep it dry. R.J. do you know anything about woodworking or house building?"

"I know a little, but it ain't enough for me to make straight, flat two-by-fours or nothin'. I could make you a kick-ass log cabin, but as for the finer details," he shrugged, "You got me."

"I appreciate your honesty. Does anyone know about wood working and house building?" Mike asked.

"Chris and I do." Darryl said, "We both worked construction before."

"Alright then, once R.J. and Mike start bringing down whole trees, I need you two to set up a type of mill to refine the lumber as best you can. Unfortunately, our list of tools doesn't include the kinds of things you need so . . . "

Morris raised his hand, "Build me a forge and I can melt down and reshape the metal from our swords and weapons. Calvin's hammer would make a good forge malus."

"No." Jason said, "We need our swords. When we work in the fields we need light-weight weapons that we can hang on our waists."

"I can make you guys a bunch of light-weight trowels and things. You can use those as weapons if I make them right." Morris offered.

"Morris is right." Masonete said suddenly, "We don't need the swords, they use too much metal. Spears are just fine and a sharpened trowel is just as good as a wide-bladed dagger."

"Yeah but those who melt down their weapons to make plows, will plow for those who didn't. Thomas Jefferson." David said, "I think we can make do just fine with the spears but we absolutely cannot take the chance of disarming ourselves completely. I don't feel right about that idea. Spears are great and versatile weapons let Mike Spearman train our patrols and I'll take over lumber-jacking for him."

Joyner looked to Spearman, "Is that alright with you Mike?"

The muscular man smiled, "Oh yeah, I like the sound of that."

"Anything else?" Joyner asked.

There was no response so he stood up, "Alright then, everyone knows what they need to do tomorrow so let's get to sleep and start building tomorrow."

* * *

Jason walked out of the big building and headed off toward the South-flowing river. He had instructed his servers to haul the heavy cauldrons there for washing. As he looked around the Town Square he could see they had followed his instructions. He sighed and shook his head, 'They're all fools.' he thought sadly, 'Those damned natives gave us the crates, yes, but now they think they can push around because we 'owe' them. We need to make them fear us enough to leave us alone. I know why they were watching R.J. and Mike. They're there to keep us in line. I don't have to be a language major to understand that. They're showing us that they control everything we do and everyone else is too ignorant to see it.' a sly smile played across his face, 'Well . . . almost everyone.'

A few minutes later Jason arrived at the river. He could see his eighty servers working hard, washing out the cauldrons and he immediately moved to join them.

He sat down on the river bank and began untying his foot-wraps, "I have news." he said to the people.

One young African-American man with a lean, athletic build straightened up and addressed Jason, "Like what?"

Jason pulled off the wrap for his left foot and set it down on the bank, "A bunch of the natives showed themselves to Vacca today. He said he was on the roof of the big building when it happened." he pulled off the wrap of his right foot and set it next to the others, "One of the armored ones with wings landed up there with him then showed him two thousand more that were in the clouds."

The young black man snorted derisively, "Where the fuck are we, prison? They our corrections officers or some shit?"

Jason waded into the river and bent over to begin washing out a cauldron, "Oh it gets better than that. A bunch of them were watching Brinsin and Spearman today. Apparently they watched all day long."

The young man threw his wash rag into a cauldron, "What the fuck!?" he punched the iron wall of the cauldron with a clang, "Man, I'm about ready to just kill the next one O' them motha fuckas I see! I don't give a shit what fuckin' Joyner or anyone else says!"

Jason smiled in the darkness, "How about a chance to do exactly that?"

Every 'server' stopped washing and listened, "All of you lost someone in that massacre." he pointed to the young black man, "Ron'del, your girlfriend died that night." he pointed to a young Caucasian man, "Eddie, your boyfriend died." his hand switched to one of the nine women with the 'servers', "Ashley," he said sadly, "Your sister was pregnant, wasn't she."

The blond young woman turned her face toward Jason with a scowl that bordered on rage, "You know full, fucking well I did! I lost my sister, my twin sister AND my nephew!" she took a breath and shot Jason a glare, "What do you mean by 'a chance'? What kind of . . . chance?"

Jason looked all around him with a secret smile. The so-called 'servers' had been hand-picked not for their skills at culinary arts, but because each of them harbored a deep, seething resentment of the equinoid natives. He had found them, one-by-one, and slowly pieced together his little band. He kept their hatred under control by using his access to information. For the past month and more, he had been promising them their chance to strike back at the equinoids. When he had discovered the passion flowers, he had instructed his group to pick as many as they could then slip them into the cauldrons of stew when no one was paying attention. They had no idea why he said it, but they were his and they obeyed.

Jason picked up a rag, bent over and began cleaning one of the cauldrons, "Those flowers you slipped into the stew have a sedative effect. Everyone will be out like lights in no time. There's a native village not too far to the West. We snuck past the natives the first time and we can do so again. We leave the field from the North and circle around and head West. I can get us there in no time. Once we're there, we take a good look around before we do anything. If the coast is clear we give them some well-deserved payback then skedaddle. We'll be back here before anyone knows we were gone. We get our payback and no one's the wiser." he straightened up and cracked his back, "The natives shouldn't have any trouble figuring out who did it. Once they see that fucking with us brings them heartache, they'll back off and leave us be."

"What if they don't?" Ron'del asked, "What if they come here and wipe us the fuck out? They got the numbers for it, easy."

"So what if they do?" Jason said evenly, "I'd rather die a free man than live under some alien animal's foot." he hauled the cauldron onto the bank and picked up one of the oil flasks the 'servers' had brought, "We're Americans, but more importantly, we're Human beings. Humans don't enslave very well. We don't cower in fear, we storm the beach. We don't shrink away crying like pussies, we wipe off our bloody noses and put up our dukes. They murdered sixty three of us, so we return the favor." he tipped the cleaned and oiled cauldron upright, "Soon they will respect us as an equal species. Soon they'll know that picking on us means we pick back. Soon they will know our wrath, and suffer like we have suffered." he turned and gazed at his 'servers', "Tonight we taste revenge."

"So," a voice called out of the darkness, "Yall wanna be murderers like me?" Mario LeBlanch walked out of the shadows, he stopped twenty feet from Jason and leaned casually on a staff, "Cause that's the way you're headed right now."

Jason turned toward the outcast, "You could join us, you know."

Mario shook his head and chuckled, "Nope." he said, "I already made my mistake an' I ain't gonna make it worse. Yall cats need to cool your jets a bit. Hard feelin's is one thing, murderin' a bunch o' innocent civilians for revenge is another. Yall are gonna make a bad situation worse. Them innocents never did nothin' to yall. Are yall willin' to make others suffer a worse fate than you did? We weren't totally innocent. We stole they shit. These civies didn't never even lay eyes on yall, hell they prolly don't even fuckin' know we're here. You gonna stir up a motha fuckin' hornet's nest with this shit. They fried our asses like bacon with just fifty o' they Unicorns, whadda you think gonna happen with six fuckin' thousand of 'em commin' down on us?" he pointed at Jason, "You was talkin about them treatin' us like slaves." he opened his arms and looked around, "Where's the fuckin' whips? Where's the collars? Where's the brandins an' beatins? We ain't slaves man!"

He pointed at the 'servers', "They givin' us our fuckin' space an' yall are about to spit in they faces after they gave us a whole shit ton o' useful shit?" he walked up to Ron'del and poked him in the chest with a finger, "You sufferin' because one o' them killed your girl right? Well how do you think ome o' them will feel when yall massacre fuckin' families?" he turned away from Ron'del and pointed his finger at Ashley, "You lost a sister?" he took a step toward her and couldn't see Ron'del scoop up several handfuls of dirt from the riverbank, "Yall gonna murder they kids an' make they families suffer worse?" Ron'del plopped the dirt into a drying rag and tied the end, "Where do it stop? I don't want yall to make the same mistake I did . . . "

Ron'del brought the impromptu blackjack down on Mario's head as hard as he could, the outcast dropped to the riverbank like a stone, "Shut the fuck up!" Ron'del said to the unconscious Mario, "We know what we doin'."

Jason nodded, "We should get going. He might wake up soon."

"What do we do with him?" Ashley asked.

"Leave him." Jason said, "We don't kill Humans."

Even though no one dared to say it, Mario's words had hit home with many of them.

* * *

The patrols of Earth Ponies and Unicorns were as frequent as Bold Move, Steady Plod, Swift Wind, and Peach Pit could manage, but even so, Jason led his crew through the gaps in the patrol route easily.

He had planned fairly extensively. He had memorized the direction of the little village in relation to the field every time Joyner let him look at the map. He already knew what weapons he and his crew would take: swords only. Spears and shields would slow them down and make way too much noise if they struck a rock. He'd taken some time every night to gaze up at the stars overhead, trying to determine which ones were in set locations in the sky and his determination has paid off. It wasn't the North-star but it did point East reliably enough that he could navigate by it without needing the sun.

The trip took well over an hour, by Jason's estimation, but they finally came into sight of the village. Jason had his crew hunker down in the treeline and watch the houses for a good twenty minutes, just to be sure there were no patrols. The pause gave everyone ample time to finally get a good look at what the natives had to work with.

The village was a clearing of flat land with enormous fields of crops to the North and South. It was like the forest just gave up and said, 'I'm done.' The treeline was a straight line as far as Jason could see both North and South. The far side of the village was partially obscured by the buildings but it looked like the flat clearing went on for miles. The distance between the treeline and the closest house was well over a hundred feet, all taken up by a huge playground. The houses were short but very wide and seemed to hold a great many bedrooms, if the number of windows were any indication. Every house had two chimneys, one on either end of the houses. There looked to be over a hundred buildings and the Humans had no basis for telling businesses apart from homes. The roads were made of cobblestone but the village looked to be set up on more of a grid pattern than the wheel-like pattern the Humans had seen before.

The buildings were generally made of stone, just like the buildings in the field. The noticeable difference was that the buildings in the little village were painted in bright colors. Their roofs were slanted and layered with shingles that dimly reflected the light of the waning moon. Most of the houses had dim lights on inside but none of the Humans had yet spotted a single silhouette passing any of the windows. The houses looked just like any other normal home. There were small toys laying on front and back lawns.

Jason turned to the others and forced down the doubts rolling around in his mind, "Alright, it looks fairly clear, but there may be a problem I overlooked. If the doors are locked, we're out of luck. Breaking a window would make way too much noise and none of us have the skills much less the tools to pick a lock." he looked around at the people who had followed him and saw sparks of doubt written across every face, "Let me go first. I'll take care of the first house. If they don't raise the alarm, I'll come back and get you."

The others nodded silently and Jason turned and stepped out of the treeline. He crouched down and moved slowly, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement as he crept toward the closest house.

His mind spun in circles as he made his way across the playground, going from cover to cover, 'Why did I let Mario of all people get to me like that? He's a murderer.' one part of Jason's mind grumbled irritably.

Another part chose that moment to intervene, 'Because it really means something when a cold-blooded murderer says you're going too far.'

The first part of his mind took exception to the rebuttal, 'So what! They murdered a bunch of us!'

The other half of Jason's mind snapped back, 'It doesn't matter! Nothing, nothing gives you the right to murder!'

The first part was not to be denied, 'It's not murder if they aren't Human.'

The second half responded with venom, 'So what, just because they look different means they are inferior? That was a weak excuse for the K.K.K. and it's just as weak for you and you know it.'

The first part responded quickly, 'Shut up! We're here.'

Jason crept the last couple of feet to the rear door of the house. The door was made of wood and even featured a level handle. Jason slowly pressed down on the lever, almost hoping it was locked so he could have an excuse to go back and think about his choice some more. As fate would have it, the handle clicked and the door swung open silently.

Jason froze and strained his ears, listening for any sounds of clopping hooves as he looked around the dimly lit room before him. The room was spacious, probably a good twenty feet by twenty feet square. There was a single low table set in the middle of the room with large, multicolored, fluffy looking cushions set all around. There looked to be close onto a dozen cushions. Spread all around the room were small toys and other objects meant for little ones. An easel stood in one corner of the room with paints of different colors sitting on the lip of it. Five small paint brushes rested in a clear glass jar of water on the floor next to it.

The table in the middle of the room was covered in child like drawings done in, what looked like, crayon. The drawings were of crudely drawn houses and brightly colored, four legged, creatures that were very likely meant to represent the equinoids. Small dolls littered the floor as did several balls of different colors and sizes. Also laid out on the table was a set of building blocks that looked to be made of painted wood.

The house was home to a family and no mistake, 'See how much even their children have compared to the paltry stuff that was in those crates!' the angry side of Jason's mind raved.

The more calm side responded quietly, 'You can be as angry as you want, but even you can't deny that the children here are obviously loved. Come on Jason, what are you doing?'

Jason shook his head and put his focus back onto his task. He had listened for quite long enough. There was nothing stirring in the house. He slowly and carefully navigated the veritable minefield of the room and moved into the room beyond. It was a kitchen. Jason couldn't help but stare at the modern style conveniences the family apparently had. A brown refrigerator sat to his left. It was short but wide and Jason was sorely tempted to open it just to see what was inside.

He wrenched his eyes away from the tempting fridge and looked at the counter tops to his right, which were eye level with him, since he was in a crouch. A cutting board sat upright, resting against the wall behind it. Close by the cutting board were a set of brown earthenware jars with round topped lids on them. They were different sizes and he figured, likely contained different things. A hand crank style mixer also sat on the counter. Just to the left of that was a sink with an easily recognizable faucet. On the far side of the faucet was two more feet of counter then came the stove. The stove looked fairly new but it also had the layout of a wood burning stove.

The bitter and petty side of Jason's mind couldn't help itself, 'What a comfortable place. Very nice. THEY LIVE LIKE FUCKING KINGS COMPARED TO WHAT YOU HAVE!'

The other side shook its metaphorical head sadly, 'I just don't have the words describe how petty that argument is.'

Jason crept through the kitchen and into the hallway beyond. He looked left and right, the hallway ran from one end of the house to the other with open doorways down each direction. On either side of the hallway, Jason could see the fireplaces were not lit, yet the home was almost perfectly comfortable and warm.

The apparent setup of the home was strange to Jason's senses. The front door seemed to lead to a type of 'proper' style sitting area and beyond that was the hallway then the kitchen and finally the den area he had seen on the way in. He looked left and right trying to figure out the logic of the setup. The fireplaces were setup inside of what were obviously spacious bedrooms at either side of the home. Jason shook his head and simply decided, 'First come, first served.'

Jason debated whether to head left or right, there were an almost equal number of doors either way. On a whim he decided to go left. He could feel a thrill of excitement coursing through his body as he contemplated the kills to come. He had felt it every time he thought about the massacre. It was a terrible thrill that made his hands tremble and his breath quicken. It frightened him of course. He knew no one should ever get any sort of thrill out of the thought of killing, but the feeling was addictive.

More than even being addictive it drowned out the terror, anger, and agony that constantly plagued his heart and thoughts. He had to embrace that thrill so he didn't see his sister's dead body every time he blinked. Just the thought made him feel sick. He felt dizzy and his vision blurred almost instantly from tears un-shed for a month. He shook his head violently, flinging tears from side to side. He gritted his teeth and imagined the slaughter to come. His stomach settled and his vision cleared almost instantly as that same old thrill overtook his mind.

'I'll make them pay.' he thought with a bitter, malicious, sort of joy, 'They deserve it.' he ground his teeth together as thoughts of rage ran in a torrent through his head, 'They deserve it. They deserve it. They deserve it! They DESERVE it! THEY DESERVE IT!' he repeated the mantra over and over in his mind. The thrill of the coming kill made him nearly drool with anticipation.

His mind was completely immersed in utter confusion. One half stoked his anger and wrath while the other protested that what he planned to do was wrong, so wrong. He did his best to ignore the second voice and relished in his thoughts.

Jason crept down the left hallway with thoughts of blood and death swirling around his mind. He imagined the feeling of the weight of the sword in motion, the resistance as it bit into flesh, the spray of blood and the looks of agony on his victim's faces as the bled to death with his enraged face being the lest thing they ever saw.

The closest door was a door on the right side of the hallway. It was wide open so Jason silently crept around the corner. The room was dimly lit with some sort of nightlight type device resting on a tiny table beside the single bed.

The room was fairly small, maybe ten feet by ten feet. The one bed was situated so the head of the bed was against the wall opposite the door. The head of the bed lay directly underneath a large, glass window, through which pleasant moonlight filtered. The bed was very short though, maybe three inches off the ground and only another foot after that of mattress. Jason could see a figure in the bed, he didn't much care what it was, he planned for everything in the whole house to die.

He snuck over to the right side of the bed, sword in hand, and slowly rose to his full height. His breathing quickened as the thrill intensified as he gripped the sword in both hands and raised it above his head for an overhead chop. His first victim lay in front of him on the bed, snuggled under the covers and facing away toward the mirror . . . 'Mirror?'

His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and the combined illumination from the nightlight thing and the moonlight gave him all the light he needed to see his victim's face. It was one of the natives sure enough. Its eyes were closed, snuggling into its pillow. Its coat was mulberry blue and its mane was golden colored, framing its face. The luxuriously long lashes on its eyes seemed to indicate it was female. It was tiny, maybe a foot and a half long. It looked so peaceful laying there, safe and secure in its bed.

Jason's mind halted as the tiny creature turned over in its sleep, 'Her.' he was powerless to stop the thought, 'It's a little girl. Someone's little girl.' His eyes shifted without any conscious effort as he began taking notice of the rest of the room. He had merely glossed over it at first, but as took a second look he saw, really saw what was in the room.

A small box lay next to the mirror. Its lid was open, revealing a small mound of dolls within. He pulled his eyes away, 'I can't afford to think. I need to focus on something else.' His eyes wandered to the far wall and his breath hitched in his throat. The wall was absolutely covered with little crayon sketches depicting the little girl with two older natives, 'Her parents.' Jason's eyes began to water, 'What was I doing?' he was confused.

His eyes continued to scan the pictures. His will broke when he saw a picture with the little girl standing next to what he could only assume were her six brothers and sisters, 'Brothers and sisters.' he thought, 'Oh god,' he was powerless against the emotion raging against his heart, 'What am I doing?' his hands lowered and he looked back at the mirror.

The thing that stared back at him was no more a man than an evil, shadowy wraith. His arms and legs were spindly and thin in the dim light. The shadows the moon cast over him obscured his face except for his eyes. His eyes were glassy and red-rimmed. His face was covered with a thick beard and his hair was longer and matted. The towel wrapped around his waist was soiled and tattered and the sword in his hand glinted harshly in the moonlight.

His reflection was terrifying even to his own eyes, 'What am I doing?' his heart and mind warred within him as he looked down at the sword in his hand as if only just realizing it was even there, 'Oh my god, what am I doing!?' without realizing it, his hands loosened their grip and the sword clanged to the floor loudly. He placed his hands over his mouth, his mind felt like it had suddenly cleared and he was disgusted by what he saw.

Motion caught Jason's eyes and he looked down. The little girl was staring up at him with the most terrified expression he had ever seen. Her eyes were huge and afraid, 'I was ready to kill her?' he thought as his hands rose and gripped his hair, 'Oh god, I was ready to kill a little girl!' he felt dizzy and sick.

He stumbled back into the wall and pulled at his hair in frustration, 'What have I become? Oh my god!' his breathing quickened, 'Oh my god!' his breathing sped up even more as his mind delved into its guilt, 'What have I become?'

The little girl suddenly cried out,
"Lamanea!" she paused for a breath then screamed, "Lamanea!" she scrambled back and fell off the bed calling the word a third time, "Lamanea!"

Jason couldn't stand the look of fear in her eyes, it tore at his soul, 'I scared her. She's scared of me.' He let go of his hair and held out his hands toward the little girl, trying to calm her. Seeing such fear directed at him made him almost physically ill.

"Hey, it's alright." he tried soothing her, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The volume of her screaming drowned out the sound of running hooves striking the wooden floor. Before he knew it, Jason felt an impossibly powerful force impact his left side. Jason felt several of his ribs instantly fracture as he and his assailant sailed through the window next to the bed. The glass in the window shattered with a deafening, almighty crash.

* * *

Beacon, former Corporal in the Royal Guard, had chosen to go to Flankfurt as the location where he would endure his punishment. He had been in the village for just over a month. He had seen three others from his group of survivors in the little village. He had never been so ashamed of himself in his entire life. He had spent nearly every day silently watching the goings on of the village during the day and contemplating his crime every night.

His every meal was provided for by the tiny volunteer group for homeless ponies in Flankfurt. He had quickly realized the volunteers had only begun the program BECAUSE of him and the other three. There were no other homeless in the tiny village. The realization weighed heavily on his heart. Not only was he a criminal under punishment, but also a castaway from the most illustrious and elite group in the entire nation, and he had become a burden to the kind residents of a small village in the middle of nowhere.

The volunteers had offered him blankets, work, and places to sleep. Every act of kindness compounded his pain and shame. He could not speak, or use magic, or own a single possession until his punishment was at an end. He felt so terrible every time he had to turn down a warm blanket or place to sleep. To see the puzzlement in the eyes of the kind villagers every time he shook his head, after they offer him so many things out of the goodness of their hearts, it made him feel sick.

He had taken to sleeping right next to the fireplaces on the outside of the homes. It was the only warmth he had. He would wander around all day and watch the village, making sure everypony was as safe as they could be. They always were. The four outcasts had silently agreed to watch the four corners of the village as their own and they had yet to encroach on another's 'territory'. They all had their punishments and they all knew they deserved it.

Beacon had gone through his usual routine. He ate dinner, tonight had been a wonderful bowl of six bean soup and two hefty pieces of fresh cornbread. He had gone to the river secretly to bathe as well as he could, soap counted as a possession after all. He had watched the different families collect their playing foals and herd them inside.

He envied them. They had each other, they had homes, they had jobs, they had love. Every time he thought about what they had that he didn't, he forced himself to remember what he and the others had violently taken from seventy innocent, helpless souls. He silently cried himself to sleep every night. He wept for the innocent people he had killed. He wept for his family who he had shamed so badly. He wept for his brothers in armor who had perished in the massacre. He wept for those who wandered through the forest hurt and alone when they were supposed to receive help, but instead had received death. He always made it a point to think of every other . . . being who had been hurt, before he wept for himself. His final thought before he drifted off to sleep every night was, 'I hope nopony else ever has to go through this.'

His dreams were always the same. Every night he dreamed of that night. The flashes of light, the startled screams, the sudden spasms of the Humans as lightning bolts struck them, the flashes and splatters of gore, bone, and viscera. He saw each and every death in slow motion from his magically enhanced vision, the memories etched into his mind with horrible clarity.

The sudden sound of a filly screaming woke him violently from his disturbed sleep. He raised his head and swiveled his ears, trying to get an exact direction of the source. The little filly was calling for her father, specifically for her 'Daddy'.

Beacon was on his hooves in an instant. The sound of the screams was not from a bad dream or an imaginary monster under the bed, no those cries were not just cries for her 'Daddy', but cries of fear that only her 'Daddy' could protect her from. Foals called for 'Mommy' for comfort but the called for 'Daddy' for physical protection. 'Daddy' was the powerful one while 'Mommy' was the comforting one. 'Mommy' could banish imaginary monsters but 'Daddy' could fight the real ones. The issue was a deadly serious one.

The sudden sound of shattering glass and harsh cries of a stallion accompanied by the juicy thumps of hooves on flesh galvanized Beacon into action. He had a point of origin and he was going to be there as quickly as his legs would possibly allow.

His hooves clopped heavily against the cobblestone street as lights came on in every household in Flankfurt. His ears told of three other pairs of hooves joining alongside his own. He didn't need to look, to know the other former Royal Guards were with him. Exiles or not, dishonored or not, they had dedicated their lives to safeguarding the ponies of Equestria and that was the single objective they still held onto. The safety of the villagers was their absolute highest priority and they had determined to take any action and make any sacrifice to fulfill their duty, whether it had been stripped from them or not.

Beacon rounded the corner of a house and saw a stallion and some creature scuffling around in a pile of glass on the cobblestone road and decided to break his silence,
"Get the stallion to safety! I'll hold the creature!"

The stallion was an Earth Pony who had a bright grass green coat and teal blue mane and tail. The stallion actually looked to be winning. The creature he was fighting with was making loud screeching noises of pain as the Earth Pony's muscles backed the incredible strength of his rock hard hooves. A strange limb suddenly shot up into the air as the creature cried out loudly and Beacon's world came to an immediate halt. He had seen that kind of limb before. The stallion was fighting a Human.

"He's fighting a Human!" Beacon cried and redoubled his speed.

The other three former Guards collectively tackled the stallion off the Human and did their best to hold him down while Beacon stood protectively over the Human. The Earth Pony stallion's muscle mass was easily five times their own substantial builds. As such, he flung the three Unicorns off himself like rag dolls.

He rolled over and rose to his hooves, snorting loudly as he looked at Beacon standing with the Human under his own body,
"Get away from that creature!" the stallion snarled, "It tried to eat my daughter!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that sir." Beacon answered evenly, "I cannot allow this being to be hurt, by order of Princess Luna."

The Earth Pony stallion looked, in shock at the Unicorn stallion standing over the creature that had frightened his daughter so badly. The Unicorn was plain gray in his coat but his mane and tail were a brilliant shade of royal purple. The marvelous effect of his coloring was terribly distorted by the fact that the Unicorn was thin, filthy, and a known vagrant. His mane and tail were thickly matted and his coat severely needed a sound brushing. As the stallion, Plank he was called, stared aghast at the Unicorn, he could hear the hoof beats of the rest of the Ponies of Flankfurt approaching the scene. His racing heart began slowing down. With more Ponies, he didn't have to worry. He hoped he would be able to check on his little girl soon.

"Fine." he said evenly, temper calming, "The Civil Guards will take care of that beast." his eyes took in the form of the creature under the Unicorn, 'I nearly killed it that quickly?', he hesitated for a moment before adding, "Uh, thanks. I . . . probably would have left it as a fine mush if you hadn't stopped me."

Beacon merely nodded solemnly. He turned around to get a look at the condition of the Human beneath him and motion caught his attention. Beacon looked up, just in time to see more Humans come running up out of the darkness toward him, swords in hand. He tried to step away from the Humans but he tripped on the arm of the Human he was standing over and fell onto it. The Humans were only a few fathoms away. He opened his mouth to call out and suddenly felt the blade of a sword sink into his flesh. He raised his eyes to the Human that had stabbed him.

The Human had a long, dirty yellow mane that probably would have been pretty in any other situation. Beacon heard the Human grunt with a mare's tone and realized the Human was female. Her bright blue eyes bulged at the sight of the Unicorn she had just run through. She wore a filthy, partially shredded blanket wrapped around her middle.

The Human looked horrified at what she had done. Her knees wavered and wobbled, threatening to give out as she released her grip on the sword and took several steps back. Beacon looked down at the sword sticking out of the front of his barrel, buried almost to the hilt in his body. A tiny shift of moon light reflected off the pommel of the sword. Beacon's eyes were drawn to it for reasons he could understand. A minuscule letter was carved into the pommel, scratched there as if by a child.

As Beacon's body succumbed to the horrendous wound he had been dealt, he couldn't help but to note the irony, 'This Human killed me with my own sword.'

Chapter 16: The Last Straw

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*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Princess Celestia cracked her eyes open and groaned in displeasure. She had enjoyed a good dinner with her sister, she had snuck a slice of double-chocolate cake from the kitchens, and she had gone to bed on time. Her bed was one of the things she truly splurged on. The entire four-Fathom wide and long mattress was wildly overstuffed with down from her own wings, accumulated over thousands of years. The base of the bed was criss-crossed rope, woven from pure silk, and the frame of the massive bed was hoof crafted ebony. Her mass of eighteen brightly colored, fathom long, plush pillows were, like the mattress, overstuffed with down from her own body. Her sheets and blankets were made of 20,000 thread count Saddle Arabian silk.

She had been enjoying one of the pleasant dreams she occasionally received when SOMEPONY woke her. She grumbled and turned her head toward the cuckoo clock she kept above her writing desk, 'Three in the morning? Oh,' she breathed out in agitation, 'Somepony had better be dead if . . . ' the Alicorn Princess snapped awake as soon as the thought entered her mind, 'Oh please don't be that somepony died!' Grumpy and groggy or not, she chided herself sternly for the errant thought. She did not wish such a thing on anypony, time and age managed that quite well on its own.

She rolled off her luxurious bed and onto her hooves even as she opened the door to her private bedroom,
"Yes, who is it?" she did her best to sound pleasant.

A Pegasus stallion in armor stood om the far side of the door, breathing heavily,
"Message *pant* from Flankfurt *pant* your majesty. There's *pant* been an incident."

Celestia's expression betrayed nothing of her actual thoughts and feelings. Her demeanor was absolutely and perfectly neutral. However her mind was already calculating, 'He's out of breath. Pegasi in the Guard are required to be able to fly for three hours without strain. That means he flew straight from Flankfurt, which means a non-stop flight and no time to set up relay posts to pass along a written message. He also neglected to bow, not that I have ever demanded it, so he's in a desperate hurry.'

"Explain." she commanded softly.

The Alicorn Princess levitated her regalia over to herself and began fastening it in place as the Pegasus explained,
"An unknown number of Humans *pant* infiltrated Flankfurt four hours ago. As yet *pant* we have no idea why they did so, however from evidence Commander Peach Pit gathered at one home," the stallion swallowed, "It seems that they were intent on nefarious acts of violence. A sword has been recovered from a filly's room. The filly seems unharmed thankfully. Her father heard her scream and came to investigate. He saw a Human standing over the filly's bed and tackled the Human through a glass window. We know that the Human sustained several injuries from the stallion, though the severity of those injuries remains unknown. Four Unicorns, four of the Condemned, were present and kept the father from beating the Human to death, however the racket brought out more Humans. They were armed and one of them stabbed one of the Condemned with a sword through the barrel, to the hilt. The Humans ran off, dragging their injured member and the Civil Guard alerted us. Specialist Razor Wit said to alert you and your sister immediately. As of now, the Humans are completely surrounded in their field, but we have yet to act."

With the last piece of her regalia in place, the Alicorn Princess regarded the Pegasus calmly,
"What orders did you receive from my sister?"

"Only to wake you and inform you, your majesty. Princess Luna said she is busy with the Night Court and must remain here." the Guard said.

Celestia nodded,
"It seems we have run out of time. Something must be done immediately." she said, "I will take us to the Humans and deal with this myself. Come."

She turned from the door toward the crystal clear glass double doors which led to her balcony. She channeled her magic and thrust the doors open, striding toward them unhurriedly, 'If the Humans are surrounded we have no need to hurry. I haven't enjoyed a good flight for a few weeks now. I'll let them sleep before we shake their world.'

* * *

Darryl Hord was very light sleeper, it was something he had to develop as a Marine. He was lying on the floor of the big center building along with everyone else. The group were all sawing logs. Sleeping together had become a bit of a common occurrence and Darryl couldn't really complain, especially since no one blamed you if you 'accidentally' cuddled up to a pretty girl in your sleep.

Therefore him being the first one to awaken at the sounds of a distant yell was no surprise,
"HELP!"

His eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet quickly. He took up his war hammer, which was always nearby, and headed straight for the large doorway of the big building in the nearly pitch blackness. His steps unerringly found perfect footing as he stepped over sleeping bodies.

He reached the doorway and halted, listening. His ears filtered out the sounds of people snoring and zeroed in on the direction of a second call for help. He took a deep breath and hardened his face, 'I sure as hell hope this isn't another attack.' He turned his head and yelled at everyone else who was sleeping.

"Heads up!" he bellowed, "We've got someone calling for help! Everybody up! Up, up, up, up, up!"

Bobby Jewel and Andrew Masonete sat bolt upright and grabbed their weapons. The entire group was beginning to stir. People were groggy and sleepy but their response time was, Darryl noted, greatly improved from when they had to wake up during the attack.

He turned his head back to the West as a third cry for help echoed into his ears, he bit his lip and headed out to find whoever it was that was calling,
"Keep yelling! Guide me to you!"

"To the . . . West! We're in the orchard!" the voice was female and sounded frightened.

Darryl broke into a run, careful to keep his war hammer away from his body should he trip. He knew from the time he had spent the day before, the doorway of the big building faced South, so he turned to his right and ran. He sprinted across the Town Square and veered around the empty stone buildings, then made a bee line toward the orchard. The source of the voice was easy to discern in the darkness. Nearly a hundred shadowy, humanoid figures struggled through the orchard. Darryl's intuition got a bad vibe when he saw they were all tired and armed. Four of them seemed to be carrying a person and it looked like they were trying to be very careful about it.

Darryl hid behind one of the orchard trees and yelled out,
"Identify yourselves!"

"Jason's been hurt!" the female voice said in what almost sounded like a tearful tone, "Help us! FUCKING HELP US!"

Darryl recognized the voice and stepped out from behind the tree,
"What happened?" he asked approaching them, "How did Jason get hurt?"

"One o' the natives beat the shit out o' him!" Ron'del answered.

Darryl stopped dead in his tracks, a feeling of impending doom coming over him,
"Why?"

"Prolly cause he was in they house!" Ron'del answered.

"Why were any of you in one of their houses!?" He yelled loudly, "What the hell were you doing?"

"We . . . we were going to pay them back . . . for the massacre." Ashley admitted haltingly.

"Oh fuck." Darryl muttered.

Motion far into the field caught his attention. Natives dressed in armor were emerging from the treeline. Many of them were Unicorns and their horns were lit. They weren't trying to hide this time. Darryl scanned the treeline in every direction as far as he could see. There were glowing lights all over the place. They were coming.

"FUCK!" he spat, "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he placed his right hand on his forehead and pulled it down over his face roughly, "As of right now, you're all traitors, but we'll deal with you." he pointed to the natives, "Us, not them." he turned and began stalking back to the big building, "Bring Jason unless you plan to leave him for the locals."

Darryl broke into a dead run, heading back to the big building.

* * *

Every Human was armed. They stood back from the main doorway, shoulder to shoulder, with shields in one hand and spears in the other. The entire assembly was quietly whispering amongst themselves. Everyone was afraid of what would happen. The Fellowship Of Leadership stood closest to the doorway, the first line of defense. They looked out at the armored natives surrounding the building.

The natives had simply marched up, through the fields and orchard, and stopped just in front of the Town Square. The Humans looked outward and for the first time truly had an idea of how many of their military there were. It was blatantly obvious, if the natives decided to attack, the Humans were done for.

"What are they waiting for?" Cessily asked, shifting her weight nervously from side to side, "They been standin' there for over an hour."

"They're waiting for something." Darryl said, "I'd put money they're waiting for a superior officer."

"Speaking of officers," Mike Spearman said, "I count two obvious ones." he pointed with his spear to Bold Move, "I think that one there is pretty high."

"Yeah, that's him alright." Darryl said, "He's waiting for his commanding officer."

"And uh . . . what happens after that officer shows up?" Kaneesha asked.

"Only two things I can think of. Either they go back or they attack." Joyner said, "I don't see any reason for marshaling themselves like this if they had any reason to retreat."

"That's about the extent of it." Masonete said.

"Why not just have us attack now, before they commander get's here?" Leo asked.

"Because we'd be slaughtered." Bobby responded, "Even if they do attack, our only chance is to stay here and defend this building."

"Not like it would make any difference." Eduardo spat, "We're not properly equipped or trained for this. If they attack us," his shoulders slumped, "We're done for amigos."

Ludwig's eyes roved skyward briefly,
"We've got incoming." he said clutching his axe tightly, "This could be it!" he yelled.

Eduardo took over,
"Everyone, shields up, spears out!"

"We've got our backs to the wall and nowhere to run." Rachel said shakily.

"Steady yall," Kolo said, "We got us a defensible spot. We stay behind this doorway they gotta squeeze through one, maybe two at a time to get to us. We can pick 'em off steady like."

"Remember, let them come to us." Joyner shouted, "If we venture outside we have no chance." he paused then added, "If this is the end, say your goodbyes. Once the fighting begins you won't have the chance."

The air seemed to drop several degrees almost instantly as people came to the conclusion they were about to die. Silently thinking it was one thing, hearing Mike Joyner, their leader, say it out loud seemed to make it a reality. Stomachs dropped out all through the building. People's thoughts drifted to their families back on Earth, friends, family, loved ones, people they would never see again. Many silently prayed to God, a few to Allah, a few to Buddha, and some cursed the fact that they didn't believe in anything.

Despite the seeming certainty the air was silent for several seconds as each heart sunk into acceptance. Denial, anger, bargaining, none of it mattered. They had been through too much. The only thing they had left was acceptance. The assurance that death was coming for them weighed heavily on every heart. In that moment there was little comfort. Few had lived a life they were happy with and fewer still were truly at peace with the knowledge they were about to die. There was little left to say.

The eighty people who had brought down the wrath of the natives said there had been only one death they were aware of. Ashley, fearing Jason being beaten to death, had run through a Unicorn with her sword. They had already decided they couldn't do it but the sounds of breaking glass forced them into action. They had drug Jason's mangled body back to the forest and carried him back to the field. The people had been livid with the eighty once Darryl told them the natives were coming, but in the face of uncertainty no one had thought to throw the eighty out to the equinoids. They all knew each other and the tears of regret had run thickly. The main group was still very upset with the eighty servers, but when facing down annihilation, they needed everyone they could get. The eighty servers were armed just like everyone else. The main group had collectively determined they would decide what to do with the 'traitors' later. If there was a later.

Silence reigned over the gathering of seven hundred and twenty-two Humans.

There was little left to do but wait.

A faint hint of melody hummed from somewhere within the frightened gathering.

It was a slow and mournful sound, deep and full of emotion.

The faint sound shimmered into existence a second time, slightly more audible.

"Na . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hey . . . . . Hey . . . . . Hey . . . . . . . . . . Goodbye."

The voice whispered through the building. People were reminded of a football movie where that tune had been used as a funeral dirge. It seemed somehow appropriate. They were basically already dead to everyone they had known on Earth. Some felt a surge of regret flood them and a few decided to join in.

"Na . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hey . . . . . Hey . . . . . Hey . . . . . . . . . Goodbye."

The second time through there were eight or nine voices singing the mournful tune. More people began to feel the sorrow of the situation. They had put in so much effort to get here and now they had to say goodbye to what might have one day become home.

"Na . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hey . . . . Hey . . . . Hey . . . . . . . . Goodbye."

The voices were growing in number. It felt like its own way of bidding everyone farewell, so more people joined in. They mourned, not as individuals but as a group, unified in their song. All their effort, all their struggles had been for nothing. Their visions of the future, the possibilities, the hope, all of it was gone.

"Na . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . . Hey . . . . Hey . . . . Hey . . . . . . . Goodbye."

More voices joined in the slow singing. Someone lowered their spear and began tapping out the slow beat with the butt of the shaft on the stone floor. It just wasn't fair. They had been ready to work hard to try to build lives for themselves. They had all lost friends to make it so far. Everything was lost to them now, there was nothing left.

"Na . . . . . . Na . . . . . . Na . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . . Na . . . . . . Na . . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . . . Hey . . . . Hey . . . . Hey . . . . . . . . . . . Goodbye."

More voices and spear butts joined in as the tempo began picking up slowly in pace. It wasn't fair. They hadn't done anything wrong. They had been willing to work and live with the constant reminder that they were basically invaders in someone else's home.

"Na . . . . . Na . . . . . Na . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . Na . . . . . Na . . . . . Na . . . . . Na . . . . . . . . . Hey . . . Hey . . . Hey . . . . . . . . . Goodbye."

The voices began slowly speeding up and the tempo increased as the tone and emotion behind the song began shifting. It wasn't their fault, and yet here they were facing down certain death. How much suffering did they have to endure before they had peace?

"Na . . . . Na . . . . Na . . . . Na . . . . . . . . Na . . . . Na . . . . Na . . . . Na . . . . . . . . Hey . . Hey . . Hey . . . . . . . . Goodbye."

Nearly every voice had joined in by that point, spears tapping out the beat in unison as feet began stomping on the floor. It wasn't fair. Even the people who had gone to pay the natives back couldn't go through with it and now the equinoids were at the doorstep, ready to spill more blood than ever. They were willing to slaughter hundreds over the death of one.

"Na . . . Na . . . Na . . . Na . . . . . . Na . . . Na . . . Na . . . Na . . . . . . Hey . . Hey . . Hey . . . . . . Goodbye."

The tempo and tone became more aggressive as the strength of the spear butts against the floor increased. It wasn't right to punish everyone for what a few did. They stopped before they had even done anything very bad. The natives did worse and the Humans didn't react the same way.

"Na . . Na . . Na . . Na . . . . Na . . Na . . Na . . Na . . . . Hey . Hey . Hey . . . . Goodbye."

The voices grew angry and the tempo changed to match it. They faced down death because of a few people who had some version of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What right did the natives have to slaughter them? What made them better?

"Na . Na . Na . Na . . Na . Na . Na . Na . . Hey . Hey . Hey . . Goodbye."

The voices were growing more and more angry. The group was working itself up. How dare they come to take the Human's lives! They weren't any sort of superior species! What right did they have to do such a thing!? They weren't mourning their deaths anymore, they were singing to the equinoids who wanted to kill them!

"Na, na-na, na. Na, na-na, na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye."

The Humans were ready for whatever happened! They weren't about to die, cowering in some hole only to be picked off one by one! If they were to die, they wanted to go out fighting! If the equinoids wanted suffering, by God the Humans would deliver!

"NA, NA-NA, NA. NA, NA-NA, NA. HEY, HEY, HEY. GOODBYE."

Their blood was pumping, they could feel their anger building them up! They were ready to face death head-on! Their spears would taste blood! If they were to die, they would take as many of the natives with them as they could!

"NA, NA-NA, NA! NA, NA-NA, NA! HEY, HEY, HEY! GOODBYE!"

They were ready to charge out the doors and initiate the slaughter themselves! It was time to be done with everything! No more fear! No more uncertainty! No more pain! No more hate! They were done crying and mourning, it was time for blood!

The white equinoid landed in the Town Square and folded it wings. Behind it, the armored equinoids were shifting nervously. They were actually scared. The Humans pounded out a beat reminiscent of a war march. The white equinoid raised its head and gazed at the Humans within the big building.

One Human shouted out,
"We won't die so easily!"
"We're ready for you, you bastards!" shouted another.

One mind had been calculating ever since the situation had begun. It had spun through hundreds of possible outcomes. It took into account the actions and reactions of the equinoids ever since the two species had met. It took into account the mentality and reactions of Humans as a species. It had calculated movements, motions, and possibilities until the person's head hurt, but the person had a course of action that would be absolutely decisive no matter the outcome. The only problem was that death was a possibility.

One pair of eyes clenched for a brief moment, then opened and set their sights on the tall, white native. Two feet stepped out of the building and into the early morning light. Every Human instantly fell silent as the person slowly strode out ten paces and dropped their shield on the ground. The Humans watched in complete suspense as the person walked another ten paces and stopped. The person hefted their spear and slammed it, point-first into the cobblestones. The Humans watched in disbelief as the person drew their sword and simply dropped it onto the ground at yet another ten paces. The person was heading straight toward the tall, white equinoid in the fancy jewelry, completely unarmed. The Humans collectively held their breath as the person stopped directly in front of the tall equinoid and looked it up and down boldly.

Every living thing except for the person and Princess Celestia nearly had a heart attack as the person reached out with their left hand, extended their thumb, then casually polished out a minor smudge on the Alicorn's chest plate.

"There," the person said, "Much better." the person relaxed their stance and looked around at the gathered armored natives and spoke morosely, "Well, if you guys are here to kill us, then get it the fuck over with. Hell, start with me." the person said seemingly fearlessly.

In truth, the person was absolutely terrified.

Princess Celestia smiled at the person in front of her,
"Hello Chris," she said in plain English, "I had hoped our two species could find a way to exist together without my intervention," she sighed, "However it seems that was too much to hope for. In any case, I'm here now and I can assure you that unless your people begin the attack, there will be no blood shed today."

Chris Vacca's eyes could not have been any more wide,
"Y . . . you . . . you talk." he stuttered in disbelief, "You can talk." he took a breath and tried to let it out slowly, it came out as a huff, "You talk, YOU FUCKING TALK!"

"Please calm yourself Chris . . . " Celestia was interrupted by the Human in front of her.

"HOW!?" Chris bellowed, "How do you know my name and how the fuck can you even speak!?"

"If you would let me speak without interrupting, I could tell you." Celestia said patiently.

Chris clammed up his jaw, so the Princess continued,
"I learned your language from your brother in-law. He reached the outskirts of our city but a misunderstanding caused him a severe injury. Do not worry, I believe he will be fine. The misunderstanding occurred when one of my subjects' spells went wrong. She ended up . . . The closest translated comparison I can reason out is that she 'downloaded' all of his memories by accident. The event traumatized her and I was forced to repair the damage. In the process I ended up with his memories, which explains both how I speak American and how I know you."

Chris took a step back in complete shock, mouth hanging open, 'I sure as hell didn't take THAT possibility into consideration.',
"So who are you?"

"I am Celestia. My sister Luna and I rule this land." the Princess explained.

"This land as in what? The field? The region? The world?" Chris asked.

Celestia smiled warmly,
"This nation, there is no possible American or English translation for the name of our nation." she pursed her lips in thought briefly, "The ancient Latin word for horse is Equus. You may call our nation Equestria."

Chris shot her an absolutely deadpan look,
"Equestria? Really?" he asked in disbelief, "Might as well call it Horsyland." he rubbed his hands over his temples, "Alright," he sighed, "So what do we call your species?"

"You have ponies in your world . . . " Celestia began.

"REALLY!?" Chris bellowed, "Ponies!? Really!? Really!? Ponies!? Really!?"

"Your brother doesn't recall you being so over dramatic." Celestia said pointedly, "Yes, Ponies. It is simply the closest comparison. Some of the breeds you already have names for: Pegasi and Unicorns. There are two others: Earth Ponies and Alicorns." she leaned her head down to Chris, "Are you quite alright?"

"Ponies." Chris said in resignation, "Earth PONIES, Pegasus PONIES, Unicorn PONIES, and Alicorn PONIES."

"Just Alicorns, thank you. There are very few of us." Celestia said calmly.

"O.K. so Queen Celestia . . . " Chris began.

"Princess, thank you." Celestia interrupted him.

" . . . Princess?" Chris asked, "Is there a King or a Queen?"

Celestia dipped her head slightly to her left,
"It's complicated. Princess Celestia if you please."

" . . . Queen Celestia, what do we do now?" Chris asked, "You have your soldiers all here for . . . what?"

The Alicorn's eyes nostrils flared very slightly, so slightly Chris nearly missed it,
"Some of your group entered one of our villages last night for purposes we have observed to be hostile."

"We do not condone what they did, just so you know." Chris said.

Celestia raised her head and looked at the big building beyond,
"Yet you protect them."

"Frankly, we need them. We've lost sixty-seven people since we got here and we're down to the wire on having enough people to sustain a population. That plus we don't want any more bloodshed." Chris said.

"You seemed all too prepared for exactly that just now." Celestia commented.

Chris crossed his arms,
"Well what else are we supposed to think? A bunch of our people go off and kill at least one of your . . . Ponies, then your soldiers freaking surround us. Seems like a good setup for a massacre to me."

"Were I so inclined I could simply collapse the Town Hall right on top of you and bury every last one of you. Furthermore I could do it alone and with absolutely no risk to my Ponies." she stopped when she saw the look of disbelief mixed with uncertainty on Chris' face, "You needn't fear. I have absolutely no intention of doing so. "

"That still doesn't answer my question." Chris said openly.

Celestia smiled,
"No it doesn't." she slowly turned and walked a graceful circuit around the puzzled Human, then smiled hugely, "Clever."

"What?" Chris asked.

"You've been hiding a communication crystal in the fold of your garment." she turned and looked at the building again, then back to Chris, "They've been listening to everything we've said.

Chris reached into the rolled portion of his blanket and retrieved the crystal,
"I guess the jig is up."

Princess Celestia lowered her head to the crystal and spoke,
"Would you please come out here? I would much rather talk to all of you at once."

A voice came back over the crystal,
"No thanks, we're happy right where we are."

The Alicorn Princess sighed lightly,
"As you wish, but I need you to listen very closely to what I have to say."

The voice responded on the crystal,
"Go ahead."

"Lieutenant Joyner, I presume?" Celestia asked.

"Speaking." the voice answered back.

Celestia nodded,
"Listen and listen well," gone was the playful, almost innocent quality to her voice, it was replaced with a commanding tone of absolute authority, "There has been more than enough bloodshed on both our parts. You and your people are foreigners in our world. We have attempted to garner your cooperation with gifts and acts of peace. The attack on you was not condoned by either myself or my commanders and the perpetrators have been punished quite severely, I assure you. We have given you a place to stay, food to eat, and land to live on, yet some of your number still saw fit to venture forth and attempt to attack a helpless village the same way you were attacked. I understand there are many hard feelings from the attack your people suffered without just cause, but that does not give you liberty to threaten the lives of my Ponies." she paused for a moment, debating on playing a gamble before she went forward with it, "Because of that infraction, you have proven that you cannot be trusted to self-regulate. Since that has become obvious, I am assigning eight hundred of my Royal Guard to stay here in this town with you. They are to assist you in building your new home but be warned, any attack on them will be dealt with severely. You and your people have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that you are incapable of wielding the weapons you stole with any sort of responsibility. As such, you will collect those stolen weapons and leave them in a secure location. They are to be used only in an emergency situation and only if one of my Guards gives the command. Should you feel the need to protect yourselves, feel free to utilize the hammers, axes, and shovels that were included with the supply crates. This will remain the norm until either my sister or I say otherwise. Is that clear?"

"So we're prisoners?" Joyner asked through the crystal.

Celestia sighed,
"No. You will be permitted to go about as you normally would, however my Royal Guards will accompany and assist each Human on a one to one ratio. Think of them as bodyguards and teammates. They will be with you at all times. I truly hope you manage to prove to us that these measures are unnecessary. Now do you have any questions?"

"Fuck no!" yelled a voice over the crystal.
"Is she serious?" yelled another.
"Might as well serve us up on a goddamn platter!" a third screeched.

Chris and Celestia could hear a heated dispute going on from the raised voices transmitted by the crystal. Celestia had expected there to be fierce resistance so she had intentionally made her 'demands' realistically extreme. She expected the Humans to balk at any sort of authority from her so she made her demands unnecessarily strict specifically in order to make the Humans negotiate for a better arrangement. This had a two-fold purpose: the Humans would see her as fallible and imperfect, and it would make her seem more approachable than most of her subjects saw her. She had reasoned out that the Humans wouldn't be willing to accept such stringent demands and she wanted them to understand that they had a say in their situation even though she had already figured on an extremely likely point of acquiescence.

"The people are feeling . . . hesitant." Joyner said after a few minutes of yelling, "Frankly they're scared of your Guards. The primary concern seems to be that the Guards will simply kill anyone they want to, they feel like they're being disarmed so they can be killed easily. Honestly I can't argue. The track record of your Guards isn't exactly very pretty or peaceful, more... murder-y. The only one most of us are likely to trust is the tan Unicorn . . . woman who followed us."

"I'm afraid she isn't available anymore. How about a compromise? The Guards will not wear their weapons or armor while they are with you. In exchange, your people will agree to try to form, at the very least, working friendships with them. Please know that my main desire is to get our species to cooperate. I detest forcing any intelligent being to do anything and hopefully in the future, it will prove unnecessary." Celestia suggested.

She and Chris heard more talking from the crystal, this time the voices were much more subdued

"That's not good enough!" yelled a voice.
"They could still overpower us with magic!" another bellowed.
"I ain't doin' that shit!" a third voice cried.

"We have a compromise of our own." Joyner said after a few more minutes, "We keep our weapons and your Guards can come without their weapons or armor."

Celestia had been anticipating exactly such a decision and already had a response on her lips,
"That seems awfully one sided. We have to make all the concessions? That hardly seems fair."

"I ain't workin' with none o' their killers!"
"I'm not having one of their males watch me go to the bathroom!"
"We don't have any armor, they have magic!"

After several more minutes of discussion Joyner's voice came back over the crystal,
"The only way anyone is going to be willing to both disarm and accept your . . . Ponies among us is if they are civilians. Bluntly, everyone is scared to death of your Guards."

Celestia kept her face perfectly neutral but she was smiling on the inside, 'Gotcha.',
"Agreed, but there will be a contingent of fifty of the Royal Guards patrolling your town."

More talking from the crystal.
"Fifty o' them plus civilians ain't so bad, I guess. We're gonna need more supplies to sustain a bigger population."
"I don't like it but it's better than what she suggested at first."
"Man, this sucks. I don't trust 'em but I can deal. They gotta make with some goods though."

Joyner's voice came through the crystal again after several minutes,
"Agreed on one condition, we need more supplies and a source of fresh water. We can make a list for you."

"You're asking quite a lot from the coffers. My Ponies taxes fill my coffers and the finances for the supplies come out of there." Celestia said.

"It won't be a huge list, but we need woodworking tools and enough supplies to build a forge, a grain mill, and a lumber mill. Beyond that, we need some seeds and more medical supplies. Many of our women are pregnant and require special foods and care." Joyner said through the crystal.

Celestia gave a mental hoof-pump of triumph,
"Make the list and we shall do our best to fill it."

"I assume these Ponies will be able to speak as you do." Joyner queried.

"I'm afraid not. I do a disservice to your friend by even keeping his memories as is. I would not spread his memories and secrets around. They are his and his alone. I keep them so I can remember how to speak your language. You will have to use body language and creativity to communicate until our language specialist can come up with a translation guide." Celestia said.

"That's going to make things difficult." Joyner said.

Celestia nodded,
"It will keep you thinking. Humans are creative. I do not foresee too many problems. If nothing else it will help acclimate you to our way of thinking and in the process our Ponies will come to understand your way of thinking as well. Our two species are more alike than you may realize."

"Before you go," Chris said quickly, "I want something. I want to see Dan."

Celestia had been expecting that,
"That would be difficult since he's in a coma."

Chris' eyes bulged,
"He's in a coma!? What the hell happened? You only said he was injured!"

"Peace Chris," Celestia soothed, "He was put into a . . . what's the term you Humans use . . . ah, a medically induced coma. I was busy organizing the attempted relief effort and I neglected to oversee his care personally. The doctors had to put him in a coma so he wouldn't injure himself. Unfortunately, due to my oversight, he wasn't fed a proper healthy diet. He was fed only in proportions that a Pony would be and without the proper amount of protein. He lost a great deal of weight before the doctors managed to find a suitable balance of foods to give him. He is recovered enough that the doctors are going to bring him out of the coma in a day or two." she strode up and placed a gentle hoof on Chris' shoulder, "Do not let your heart be burdened. You will see him before long. I believe he will become a very important person before all is said and done. The Unicorn mare who followed your group is going to work with him to help create the translation guide. He is in good hooves."

Chapter 16.5: Waking Up

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I had flashes of brief moments of lucid clarity. The sound of yelling, a loud gasp of surprise, many voices all speaking simultaneously, a flash of light, frenzied motion all around me, a tearing sound, horrible pain, my head being pushed and pulled, numbness over my body, the feeling of floating and drifting, a loud commanding yell, and finally peaceful silent oblivion.

I slowly and gradually became aware of a steady beeping sound, similar to that of a heart monitor. I felt distant, separated from reality almost as if my conscious mind was floating on a cloud but my body was still on the ground. My ability to reason was distorted, like I had just woken up from a deep slumber.

I tried to yawn but my jaw wouldn't move, 'That's odd . . . oh well.' My sense of equilibrium told me I was lying flat on my back and my sense of touch told me I was lying down on a somewhat cushy flat surface. I tried to raise my arms to rub my eyes. My hands only rose about an inch before they were halted by a metallic sound which accompanied pressure against my wrists. I tried to raise them several more times before I came to a conclusion, 'I . . . must be . . . in some kind . . . of restraints . . . RESTRAINTS!'

The realization that I was immobilized snapped me awake. I tried to open my eyes and sit up at the same time. I could do neither. I couldn't sit up, I couldn't even move my head. I couldn't open my eyes either, it was like they were glued shut.

My panic was almost instantaneous. I could not even begin to try to hold it at bay. The incessant beeping sped up dramatically as I thrashed wildly, within the confines of my restricted movement. I strained hard against my restraints as a feral scream tried to force its way free of my throat. I coughed and almost choked, having forgotten in my panicked state that I couldn't even open my mouth. The attempt made the right side of my mouth come alive with red hot agony. The feeling of helplessness combined with the pain tore into my psyche overwhelmingly.

My eyes, still closed, leaked impotent tears of frustration. I could hear myself whimpering pitifully. The pain in my jaw refused to abate and there was nothing I could do about it. I had never felt completely helpless before. It was absolutely terrifying.

I lost any concept of time as I lay there in agony. It could have been minutes, hours, or days. I didn't know and I didn't care. My mind was completely occupied with pain, frustration, and anger.

At some point, long after I had awoken, I heard a door open nearby. I tried calling to whoever was there, but my cries were reduced to frantic, muffled groans as the pain in my jaw became white hot, mind numbing agony. I heard a voice gasp, then the door shut loudly.

My anger and frustration boiled over once more. I began thrashing against my restraints a second time, determined to get free. I felt hard cuffs bite into my wrists and ankles but I didn't care, nor did I stop. If anything the pain from my wrists and ankles spurred me onward. I thrashed my head, pure rage filling my mind. The restraint holding my head in place began to loosen as the entire right side of my head lit up with fiery agony. That tiny spark of understanding led me to new heights of vigor. I pulled against my restraints harder than ever, still moving my head around trying to get free.

My cranial restraint slipped off the top of my head and I put everything I had into pulling against the hard, solid objects keeping my hands immobilized. I could feel my skin tearing, adding to my pain. I could feel a warm slickness dripping down my ankles, wrists, head, and neck. I didn't care. I would die before I let myself be put at anyone's mercy.

I heard the nearby door slam open as a cacophony of voices began chattering loudly. I could hear steps all around me and my panic reached a figurative crescendo. My movements probably couldn't be called anything but frantic. I pulled and strained with all my might. I could feel the skin on my wrists starting to glove as the muscles underneath were exposed to the air but I only thrashed on.

I felt a hard object plant itself on my forehead and firmly push me back down. Struggling against it was futile, the strength I was pushing against was unmovable. The shouting intensified and somehow, over the flaring pain from the rest of my body, I felt a tiny prick in my left thigh. I began to feel drowsy and I hated every second of it. My frustration and rage broke down and reformed into begrudging acceptance as my mind became foggy.

* * *

I slowly came back to my senses. I felt disjointed. I could feel my whole body but I couldn't move anything.

I felt movement and heard a cacophony of voices all around me. I couldn't understand what a single voice was saying. My head felt elevated and I could feel something rotating a circuit around it. I felt pressure ease off my head as it was set down. Suddenly my right eye lid was pulled open.

I could see a bright light but no indication of what had opened it. The bright light shined directly into my eye. It HURT. The light moved back and forth but I couldn't make my eye follow it. The same procedure was performed with my left eye and concluded in the same manner. I could see a small flashlight. It had a strange glowing aura around it but I couldn't see who was holding it.

My eye lids were released and they snapped closed of their own accord. I felt movement around my jaw, but I still couldn't move. I felt movement by my right foot. I finally identified the motion. My foot was being unwrapped.

My foot was lifted and touched around the instep, where I had gashed it open but there was no pain. My foot descended back to where it had been.

The talking quieted down and I could feel someone breathing close to my ear,
"Danyel Puring?" the voice sounded like Insabre, "Danyel Puring?"

I wanted to respond, I really did. The problem was that I couldn't move anything. I tried mumbling, I tried making any sound that would communicate that I was awake. I accomplished nothing.

"Danyel Puring?" I was almost certain it was Insabre.

I felt my left arm nudged by what felt like a cold, wet nose. My arm flopped around lifelessly by my side.

"Danyel Puring?!" Insabre was beginning to sound concerned.

I wanted to do something, anything to let her know I had heard her, but my body just wouldn't respond. A cold, wet nose nudged my head back and forth but I could do nothing. It was maddening.

"Danyel Puring!" Insabre was sounding more and more concerned each time she spoke.

I heard a shifting of movement and felt two, I assumed, hooves press against the left side of my chest. The hooves shook me back and forth vigorously.

"Danyel Puring!" She sounded almost frantic by that point.

It hurt to hear. I wanted to tell her I was here. I wanted so badly so say something. She had been nice to me, as far as I could remember, and I didn't want to upset her.

In the end, all I could do was lie there, like a corpse as I listened to what sounded like soft weeping next to me. It broke my heart. I was powerless to respond, I was powerless to make her feel better, I was just plain powerless.

I wanted to ask if the Unicorn filly was alright. I wanted to ask what hit me in the head. I wanted to ask about my friends. I had so many questions that needed answering but I could do nothing. Nothing except lie there.

Eventually they all left. I had been trying to force my body to respond in vain. I was emotionally spent. I had listened to Insabre try to wake me only to break down in tears that I was powerless to stop. I had cried on the inside. I hadn't wanted to hurt her, I hadn't wanted to hurt anyone but in the end I had done just that. I had hurt a kind kavim who had only tried to help. I felt guilty as hell. Eventually I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I slowly came around to wakefulness again. Out of habit, I reached up to rub my eyes. My arm felt sluggish like it had fallen asleep but my hand rubbed my eyes. It took me a moment to realize what I had done.

I snapped awake,opened my eyes, and instantly regretted it, 'Fuck! That's bright!' I reflexively brought my hands up to protect my vision. I closed my eyes quickly and let them rest for a few minutes before trying a second time.

I cracked them open again and had to squint. It was still very bright to me. I used my weighty, sluggish arms to shield my eyes and tried turning my head. It hurt my neck to move, 'I'm probably just stiff after my panic attack last time. I did strain pretty hard. Way to show gratitude Dan.'

I cast my squinted eyes to my right and saw a large window not five feet from where I lay. The window had bright sunlight beaming through it at an angle. The wall supporting the window was pure white and plain. It bore the weight of no decorations, no patterns, and no pictures. It was boring.

I grunted in pain as I forced my neck to rotate 180° to the left. I could make out a small table set up against the surface on which I was lying. The small table looked to be made of some sort of light colored wood, 'Pine perhaps.' I thought. Sitting on the surface of the table was a small lamp with a button set into its base. It took me a moment to notice something odd about the lamp, 'It doesn't have a cord.'

Shifting my eyes beyond the table and lamp, I saw there was another plain, white wall about fifteen feet away. It was just as boring as the first wall I saw, sans the window.

I moved my head slowly from side to side, trying to loosen up the tight tendons and muscles. It ached fiercely at first but the pain eased up after ten or so rotations. Taking note of the stiffness in my neck and the sluggish movement of my arms, I decided to close my eyes and stretch out every muscle and tendon I could.

I don't know how long it took, but by god everything hurt to move. My shoulders and upper arms were tight. My elbows, wrists and fingers felt like I was moving through thick honey. I flexed muscles and bent joints through gritted teeth, but eventually I had loosened up my arms and hands.

Next came my legs. I decided to start with my toes, wiggling and flexing them was even difficult. Once they became easier to move, I went to my ankles. Dear god they hurt. I gritted my teeth again and kept moving them. I moved them in circles, rotating them as much as possible. Sparks danced along my legs as I lifted my right leg and flexed my knee. I could hear it pop and a jolt of pain shot up and down my leg. The left was a mirror image of the right and brought just as much discomfort.

I opened my eyes again and could see much more clearly than before. I lifted my eyes and looked 'up'. The wall behind me was only a few inches from my head, 'Surprise, surprise. It's white too. Go figure.' I thought sarcastically.

I looked toward the 'foot' of my bed, I was sure it was a bed by that point. I finally saw, for the first time, the white sheet that covered my body from my chest down. The wall beyond my feet, that met my eyes was white, 'Big surprise there.' There were two very important differences with the wall though, it had two wide, wooden doors set into it.

'This is a hospital room if ever I've seen one. One of those doors is almost guaranteed to be a bathroom and the other one should lead out into a hallway.' Each door's handle was a lever but the door on the left had its handle on the right, by contrast, the door on the right had its handle on the left. They both opened away from each other.

I couldn't see the bottoms of the doors so I also couldn't see if there was light coming from underneath one or both. I laid my head back to rest my neck and examined the ceiling. I could see lights in the ceiling, but they didn't look like fluorescent bulbs like normal hospitals use. They were something different but I had no idea what. The ceiling itself was puzzling as well. It looked to be one solid piece. I could see no lines or tiles, honestly it looked like white stone.

It was time to sit up, 'This is going to hurt.' I tensed the muscles in my stomach and tried to sit up. The key word was 'try'. I barely lifted my head before the combined shooting pain in my back and stomach made me flop back in exasperation, 'Why am I so weak?' I wondered. An itch made itself known on the right side of my jaw so I reached my right hand up to scratch it.

The hand and arm that came into view made my breath catch in my throat. I hadn't noticed before because I was still groggy, but my hand, hell my whole arm was bordering on skeletal, it was so thin.

I examined my hand with growing concern, 'What happened to me?' a second thought overpowered the first, 'How long was I asleep?' I lowered my hand to my side quickly and grasped for anything to hold onto. I gripped a cool, wooden bar with my right hand and matched the feat using my left. I tensed my stomach muscles and pulled with my arms, trying to sit up.

I struggled for several seconds but succeeded eventually. The bed I was lying on looked to be almost exactly six feet long. It was covered with a white sheet, upon which I was lying. The bed itself had two dark colored hand rails which rose a good four inches from the level of the rest of the bed. I looked down at my chest in shocked disbelief.

My ribs protruded from my chest garishly. I pulled the white sheet from the rest of my body and gasped in horror. I could see the outline of my pelvic bone clearly through the filmy skin of my stomach and groin. My legs looked like knobby toothpicks, my feet were rail thin and my toes were long with swollen looking joints. Every bone was clearly visible through my skin. I was reminded of some of the pictures of the emaciated bodies of murdered Jews that a friend's grandfather had brought back from World War II.

I was so thin I figured I must have been on death's doorstep or close to it. I looked at the cracks at the bottom of each door. The left one shone light from underneath, but the right one was dark, 'The right door must be the bathroom! Bathrooms have mirrors! I have to see myself!'

I inched my butt across the bed, wincing as I utilized joints and muscles that had lain dormant and unused for, who knew how long. My legs dangled over the end of the bed and I winced at the mere thought of trying to walk on them, 'I'm way too weak to even try that. I'll have to use the edge of the bed for support.'

I shifted my legs to the right and very gradually lowered my feet to the cold floor. The floor was quite close to my surprise, 'Of course it is. It's meant for Kavim.' I slowly shifted my weight onto my stick-like legs and pushed my hands into the bed, trying to rise to my feet.

My legs shook and wobbled but to my surprise they held my weight, such as it was. I took one unsteady step toward the rightmost door and nearly toppled over as my knees practically gave out. I stumbled forward several steps and landed, chest first, against what I presumed to be the bathroom door.

I wedged my hands between my body and the door and slowly pushed myself off and back to a standing position. Taking a single step back on unsure legs, I grasped the door handle with my left hand and pushed downward while pulling it toward me. The door swung open smoothly and silently. I looked inside and confirmed it was indeed a bathroom of some sort. I let go of the door and reached out my left hand, feeling for a light switch. Finding one, I flipped it.

To the right, about six feet back into the room was the strangest damn commode I'd ever seen. The whole affair looked almost exactly like a 'u' that had been turned 90° to the right, with the bottom of the letter sticking into the wall and the top protruding from it. The bottom of it was only about one foot from the floor while the top rose a good two feet above that. The entire affair looked to be made of waxed stone and had water running down from the top to the bottom close to where it met the wall. Directly across from it was a roll of, 'Toilet paper?' I pondered, 'How would a Kavim even reach their . . . you know what? I don't want to know.'

I stepped into the bathroom and saw a mirror right above a small sink that was low to the ground on the left wall. I held tightly, my left hand on the wall while my right gripped the lip of the sink as I lowered myself down.

Long did I gaze at the man I saw reflected in the mirror,
"That's not me. It can't be me." I whispered in disbelief, "What the hell happened?"

The face that stared back at me was gaunt and thin. It had sunken eyes and hollow cheeks. A rough, scruffy beard hung in short, uneven tangles from my face while a full mustache sat on my upper lip like some sort of flat, fuzzy caterpillar. The bones on the right side of my face, from my temple to the bottom of my jaw were misshapen and lumpy. Fortunately the ridge of my right eye seemed to have healed correctly and my jaw worked without any pain. Those facts did nothing to ease my shock or disbelief.

I looked at myself bordering on incomprehension,
"My face." the man in the reflection moved his mouth in sync with my voice, "It isn't me."

I felt tears welling in my eyes as I looked at the hideous, naked, skeletal monstrosity of a man in the mirror.

Chapter 17: The Grapefruit

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I have no idea how long I sat on the floor of the bathroom. The entire right side of my face more resembled a lumpy sack of small potatoes than anything that could ever be called Human. For more than thirty years I had stared into mirrors, secure in the knowledge that the person staring back at me was, in fact me. For the first time I doubted what I saw. The left side of my face looked the same as it always did and the front matched it, with the recent addition of a scruffy beard. From the edge of my right cheekbone, reaching a bit past my ear was hideously misshapen skull and scarred flesh. Whatever had hit me, had done so with the unrelenting and unstoppable force of a speeding train.

I slowly reached my right hand up and lightly ran my fingers across the disfigurement. To my horror, the bones beneath my scarred skin were solid and unmoving. I caressed the hideous flesh, MY hideous flesh as silent tears rolled down my hairy cheeks, 'It's real.' the thought did nothing to help. I felt my anger rising and rising fast, 'It's real! It's real! IT'S FUCKING REAL!' I brought my hands forward trying to shatter the mirror as I vented my anger at the only breakable object I could see. Alas, it was merely impotent action. I was simply too weak to damage the glass.

Exhaustion overtook me with remarkable alacrity. After only a few swings of my arms my energy was spent. My hands fell onto the floor with an audible slapping sound and I found I couldn't maintain my balance. I fell onto my left side, unable to muster the strength to even sit up under my own power. I lay on the floor, helpless until my strength returned. My mind continued its thoughts despite any contrary wishes of my own. With my physical exhaustion, mental exhaustion followed hot on its heels, 'This is real.' the thought was a sobering one. In a very literal sense, I was a different person.

I had, previously in life, always been described as 'husky', 'chunky', 'big-boned', or 'hefty'. In all truth, I was simply just fat. I had been content with being fat. I was comfortable, I was mobile, and I didn't get as cold as other, thinner people. I had always been somewhat stronger than most people and far more flexible than my size normally warranted, but to call me anything other than 'fat' meant that someone was really trying not to hurt my feelings or was being extremely polite. I had always wondered what it would be like to be thin, 'I guess I'll find out.' I thought sourly, 'But being emaciated and weak from . . . atrophy, isn't the way I wanted to do it.' My mind began to clear of anger and I was left with a type of hollow feeling inside.

A random thought brought me out of my inner monologue, 'I'm hungry.' a sharp pain in my stomach drove the point home even further, 'Strike that, I'm starving, and for the first time, literally.' I tried moving my arms. They responded with only weak sluggish motion. I drug my right arm across the floor and planted it, palm down, next to my head. I clenched my eyes shut and focused all my attention onto pushing down. My torso slowly rose and before long I had succeeded in rolling onto my back, thus freeing my left arm, which had been my original objective.

I rested on my back for a few minutes as I let my muscles relax. I stared up at the ceiling and huffed heavily, 'This sucks.' I groaned and balled my fists then tensed my stomach muscles and slowly sat up. About half way into a sitting position I had to brace myself with my arms to complete the task. It was tiring even doing that. I sat upright on the floor and caught my breath for a few minutes. My narcissistic side forced me to look at my reflection in the low set mirror again. I was no prettier than before but at least I could only see my left side. I was still freakishly thin and grotesquely bearded but I still resembled the me I remember.

After a few more minutes of navel contemplation, I decided to try standing up, 'This ought to be rich.' I thought in an Australian accent. I slowly bent my knees and inched my heels toward my thighs as closely as I could manage. I braced my weight with my arms and lifted my backside off the floor. Once in the 'crab walk' position I inched my feet farther under my center of balance. It was awkward as hell. Once I judged that my feet were in position I pushed my arms downward and heaved myself up into a crouch. I very nearly overbalanced and face-planted on the floor but the wild, nearly panicked swinging of my arms somehow stabilized me.

I stayed in the crouch, once more catching my breath and regaining my strength. After a few more minutes I decided to attempt standing. I reached out my right hand and braced myself against the right wall of the bathroom then began slowly bouncing my self up and down using my calves and thighs for momentum. I bounced and bounced and finally, after about the fifteenth bounce, I tensed my muscles and straightened out my legs, 'You are now in an upright position.' I thought, mentally imitating the narrator of an old Disney cartoon.

I panted heavily for a minute or two but I recovered much more quickly than I had expected. My stomach growled loudly and another hunger pang hit me. I groaned softly and clutched my left hand to my stomach, 'Damn. I've been hungry plenty of times before but these things are killer.' I couldn't stop my mind from thinking about food. Images of a juicy steak with sides of broccoli and mashed potatoes flooded my mind and made my hunger worse.

I slowly shuffled my feet along the floor, using the wall for support as I made my way to the bathroom doorway. Once there, I faced a decision, 'Should I try to get back to the bed and use the blanket for some kind of toga, or should I try to find someone to help?' The incessant and increasingly severe pangs of hunger in my stomach made the decision for me.

Slowly rounding the left corner of the bathroom doorway I looked across what felt like an insurmountable distance of four feet. I had to cross the gap to get to the other door and I already knew it would be arduous. I raised my right arm, grasping weakly at the door frame. It was too great a distance to reach yet. I shifted my weight and propped my left hand on the side of the frame I was already leaning against with my shoulder. My knees wobbled as I slowly pushed off one side of the door frame toward the other side. I started to overbalance, fortunately in the desired direction. I placed my right hand against the right side of the door frame and slowed my fall. My arm was still too weak to support my full weight but my right shoulder hit the wood of the door frame and stopped my fall.

Holding tightly to the wooden frame, I inched my feet farther underneath me as my hands slid farther and farther up the frame and slowly came back to a standing position. From there I could reach the lever of the door which led outside the room.

* * *

Razor Wit shuffled her thick piles of lists and flash cards neatly then levitated them into the left side of her saddle bag and closed and fastened the clasp. Her right saddle bag was already bulging from the myriad of educational items held within. It was good to see her apartment in Canterlot again after nearly two months. She had been brought back to Canterlot by the Princess herself when she returned, via teleportation.

Razor shook her head knowing full well that any sort of teleportation was far beyond her skills in magic. Her practice with Spirit magic while tracking the Humans had paid off beautifully though and she knew she could cast the Proximity spell on a whim any time she wanted, not that she was ever likely to actually use it. The Princess had sent a messenger early in the morning with a missive which stated that the doctors were going to wake up the injured Human who had been recovering.

The news had excited the linguist to no end. She had been looking forward to meeting and working with the Human ever since she heard about how he had risked injury and death for his people. In a way, she considered him a kindred spirit. She had done the same thing seven years prior when she was seventeen. She had ventured out on her own to find a local pack of Diamond Dogs that had been harassing her home town of Trottingham. The thefts were significant but nopony had been injured. She had found the pack and, through a long process of daily interactions which spanned nearly a full year, had deciphered their language. She had used her new found linguistic skills to broker a trade arrangement with the pack, which ended the thefts.

Razor had taken her time that morning. She had bathed thoroughly and brushed out her coat, mane, and tail. In truth she was happy to be away from the gruff Royal Guards. They were polite enough but she was an outsider and their habit of constantly referring to her as 'civilian' grated on her nerves, 'That and I was getting tired of every single stallion making polite speeches at me.' She shivered all over, 'They were nice enough but I swear I'm never going to court a former Royal Guard. They way some of them looked at me made me nervous.' She knew she was judging them harshly. There had been no incidents of sexual aggressiveness toward a mare in ages, but it had happened at some point in history. She knew they were good stallions but their demeanor disturbed her.

She had eaten a hearty breakfast of oatmeal flavored and sweetened with peach slices. She had packed a large lunch and was eagerly looking forward to skipping dinner because of the depth of her involvement in learning a new language. She was so happy and excited she nearly danced in place. She had given the doctors until noon to wake up the Human and she was rearing and ready to go.

* * *

I lowered my left hand onto the door lever and pushed down. The lever clicked and opened inward slowly and silently. I gingerly inched my way forward and poked my head out the door. The door led to a wide hallway, such as is to be expected in any hospital. Directly across from my door was another door but it was shut. I inched my way around the door and looked left and right down the hallway. To my right was a dead end, but to the left, the hallway stretched on for hundreds of feet. There were doors set into the walls every forty or so feet, all of them were closed. I peered down the hallway and noticed for the first time that I couldn't hear any of the sounds one would find in a normal hospital.

I listened and listened but I heard nothing, nothing at all,
"Did they abandon me?" I asked no one.

My voice sounded much more smooth than I remembered. I had been a somewhat raspy tenor ever since I had reached adult hood, but my voice suddenly sounded smooth as silk. Puzzled, I sang a few lyrics of the first song that came to mind.

"To hide be-hind, the mask this ti-i-i-m, and try to believe . . . " I was floored, "I guess it COULD be a fair trade. I can finally hold a tune, but my face looks lime I played 'chicken' with a train and lost." I chuckled at my poor joke.

My humor had always been more than a touch macabre and it was good to know my personality hadn't changed. The slight change to my voice puzzled me to no end though, 'Did they try to perform some kind of reconstructive surgery and end up fixing my vocal chords instead of my fugly face? Naw, too far out there.' Another hunger pang brought my attention back to my present circumstances, 'I'm hungry as hell and there is no one around, which means I have to find someone.' The thought was decidedly unpleasant, 'Yay, I get to creep naked down a hallway, stumbling like a crack-head and looking like a starved version of the Wild Man of Borneo until I get something to eat. Joy. Well I'm guaranteed to make a hell of a first impression.'

I gently pushed off the right side of the door frame and caught myself on the left then inched my feet over as I gripped the door frame. I turned the corner and began sliding down the hallway in search of, well anyone.

* * *

Razor Wit stared at the Unicorn mare in front of her in disbelief,
"Catatonic?" she asked, "What do mean the Human is catatonic?"

The Unicorn mare, Dr. Saving Grace, or just Grace to her friends, stared back at the tan mare who had inquired about her most unusual patient,
"As I said, the Human displayed absolutely no response to any sort of stimulation. His pupils dilated when I shined a light into his eyes, but he responded to neither physical stimulation or verbal. We even had the Unicorn mare he had interacted with previously present to ease any possible fear or panic but he never moved a muscle. His eyes didn't open, his limbs didn't twitch, and he never uttered a peep. I haven't declared him catatonic yet, but I'll be checking on him later tonight when his regular nurse goes to feed him."

"Well, may I go see him?" Razor asked, "I spent the last month around his species so I might be able to figure out how to wake him."

Dr. Grace pursed her lips,
"I'm already breaking protocol by telling you about his condition. If you didn't have a writ from the Princess herself I would have denied his existence completely." she placed a comforting hoof on the tan mare's shoulder, "There are two Royal Guards stationed at either end of that entire floor. If the Human wakes up they'll know."

"Is there a nurse up there right now? Shouldn't somepony be feeding him?" Razor asked.

Dr. Grace shook her head,
"You have no idea how much trouble we've had with feeding him. The first few days were fine. We gave him a large quantity of a liquid mush of fruits, vegetables, and hay twice a day, as per normal Pony requirements. On day three he threw up some sort of gold liquid and with his jaw wired shut, he very nearly drowned in it. If it hadn't been for the quick response of a nurse checking up on him he would be dead. We do know that he ended up inhaling a large amount of the liquid but he coughed it all up afterward. Since that incident, we figured that we had almost certainly been feeding him too much so we decreased the amount that we fed him. A bit more than a week later he threw up again so we decreased his food intake a second time. About two weeks later he nearly threw up a third time so we decreased his food once more just to be safe. My only concern is that he has been losing weight. I don't know much about his physiology but he seems to be in rough shape. I truly hope he wakes up soon or else I fear he may starve." Dr. Grace bit her lower lip, "Catatonic or not, he's too thin. If he isn't awake by tomorrow I'm going to increase his food intake, vomiting or not."

Razor Wit cocked her head to the side inquisitively,
"How much are you putting into the food servings he receives?"

Dr. Grace smiled,
"Two stalks of celery, eight kidney beans, one potato, ten raisins, and five cherries. The liquid comes from fresh milk donated daily to the hospital. I measure his meals carefully myself every morning and evening."

Razor Wit felt her eyes widen,
"When he threw up, it was his body adjusting to our world! According to Princess Celestia Humans are from another world where magic doesn't even exist! He wasn't reacting to too much food, his body was adjusting! Humans need fruit, vegetables, and fish! He's losing so much weight because he's starving! His body has been cannibalizing itself!"

Dr. Grace blew out an exasperated breath,
"I know he's not getting enough nutrition, but I cannot simply take the word of a linguistics expert." she sighed and rubbed her forehead with her right fore hoof, "Look, I'm not all that busy right now, if it will make you feel better I can escort you up there and you can try to wake him."

Razor Wit nodded,
"Please do. Let's bring some food with us too. Do you have a bowl of fruit?"

* * *

I reached the end of the hallway and looked back. It looked like, and felt like I had traversed miles. I looked around the immediate area in front of me. Not twenty feet from me was what looked like a nurse's station. I poked my head out of the hallway and looked around farther. To my left and right were two more hallways. At the far end of each, I judged them to be about two hundred feet, were Kavim wearing gold colored armor.

'Where are all the other Kavim? Where am I, and why are there armored Kavim posted here?' I was growing concerned. My musings distracted me from what I was doing and before I knew what was happening, I overbalanced and nearly fell onto the floor.

I managed to catch myself on the corner of the wall but my vocalizing,
"Oh shit!" was clear as day.

The armored Kavim immediately burst into a run, in my direction. Their reaction time was impossibly brief. It was like someone had them resting on a starting line for hours and had finally fired the gun. They were so fast they almost looked like blurs. I already knew I had no chance of outrunning them, so instead I just stood in place and waited . . . trembling in fear.

In less than three seconds they pulled to a stop, not two feet from me. I could see that they had wings, like the first Kavim I met. They stopped and stared at me in silence. The four of them were scowling as if I was some hideous creature . . . ,'Derp Dan. You ARE a hideous creature to them.' the realization did absolutely nothing to make me feel better, 'Well, I was looking for somebody aaannnddd I found somebody. I sure hope they're smart enough to understand basic hand motions.'

I slowly turned and braced my back against the wall, freeing up my hands to communicate. The four Kavim never moved a muscle, hell I wasn't sure they blinked. I opened my mouth and held up my right hand, as if I were holding an apple then proceeded to bite into said imaginary apple. I chewed the false fruit then made an exaggerated swallowing motion. I looked back at the four armored Kavim.

No reaction.

'Great.' I thought sourly, 'Either they are dense, I'm not communicating well enough, or it doesn't translate well.'

"Pebun raa evanin sefnun." one of the armored Kavim said in an authoritative tone.

I could easily tell he was, well a 'he' and I noticed a lot of 'n' sounds in the words, but other than that, I was completely lost. Without even actually thinking about it, I cocked my head to my right. The Kavim must have understood the sign of incomprehension because he raised his right hoof and pointed back down the hallway I had just come from. At least I had SOMETHING to understand. With a slight sigh, I turned and began stumbling back toward the room in which I had awoken. I could hear the clopping sounds of the Kavims' pseudo hooves on the stone floor as they followed behind me.

I reached the doorway to the room and stopped for a breather. Apparently that was not allowed, as one of the Kavim behind me nudged me, none too gently, in the small of my back. The force of the nudge sent me stumbling forward only to fall on my face since I was incapable of maintaining my balance. I impacted the floor before I could bring my hands up to brace for the fall. My head smacked the floor, face first, with a heavy thump and stars danced in my vision. I could feel my nose running and figured it was probably bleeding. I brought up my arms and slowly pushed myself up and rolled over onto my back. I saw a several droplets of blood on the floor where my face hit and touched my nose, 'Yup, it's bleeding alright. Thanks guys.' I thought irritably.

I glared up and to my surprise, the armored Kavim were all looking at each other with what appeared to be worried expressions. I was right next to the bed so I raised my right arm and pulled as I slowly got to my feet. The armored Kavim stayed back as I cruised my way to the bathroom, like a toddler learning to walk.

I inched my way along the wall and sat down across from the odd-ass commode. I reached up and pulled several pieces of toilet paper off the roll, 'Huh, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it looks like Angel Soft brand.' I folded the tissue and plugged up my bloody nose.

* * *

Dr. Grace pushed open the door to the fourteenth floor with her magic and stepped through, immediately looking around,
"Where are the Guards? There are supposed to be two Guards posted on either side of the doors."

Razor Wit followed the doctor through the door and didn't see the Guards either,
"That's odd. Maybe they went to see the Human?"

"They're not supposed to leave their posts . . . " Dr. Grace realized she was talking to herself as the end of Razor's fuchsia tail disappeared around the corner of the hallway toward the Human's room.

Dr Grace shook her head and trotted after the tan mare.

* * *

Razor sped down the hallway at top speed. She could clearly see two golden tails sticking out of the last room on the right. The two Guards, whose tails were sticking out of the doorway, turned and spotted Razor Wit. In a flash of movement they were side by side, wings out, blocking the hallway.

Razor skidded to a halt right in front of them,
"Where is the Human?" she asked.

The two Guards didn't move, nor did they give any indication they had heard her, Razor's blood boiled,
"I have a writ from Princess Celestia!" she said levitating the writ out of her saddle bag, "You WILL let me pass!" she unfolded the writ and levitated it in front of their faces.

After a moment the two Guards stepped aside and folded their wings. They did not nod and they did not say a word. Razor huffed loudly and pushed past them and into the room. The first thing she smelled was the overwhelming stench of blood, the smell made her instantly queasy and nearly made her throw up. She looked around but didn't see the Human anywhere, she did notice two more Guards in the room, standing on either side of the door to the bathroom. The bathroom door was wide open so she slowly crept over to it and peeked around the corner, past the Pegasus Guard.

* * *

I could easily hear the rushing clop of pseudo hooves against the stone floor as, what I assumed to be another Kavim, dashed down the hallway outside the door to my room. The clopping stopped and was replaced by what sounded suspiciously like a female's voice. The voice sounded upset but I couldn't, for the life of me, understand what she might have been saying.

The clop of hooves began again but much more slowly. I could hear them coming closer and turned my head toward the door, just as a fuchsia mane came into view around the right side of the doorway. The mane was closely followed by the tan horn and face of a Unicorn mare. I still had my hands up on my nose but I decided to be polite.

I lifted my bloodied left hand and waved,
"Emooli."

The tan mare seemed to shrink back from my hand so, logically, I lowered it. She lowered her head and slowly stepped around the corner and halfway into the bathroom. I tried to smile through the bloody tissue in my nose but thought better of it once I realized the mare's face was turning a frightening shade of red.

I flinched as she turned to her left and began yelling furiously at the armored Kavim who, I already knew, had taken up position on either side of the bathroom door. Her words were spoken like a verbal machine gun that I had absolutely no hope of following. It was not particularly obvious what she was upset about, but then again I had absolutely no idea who the mare was, or why she was in my room, or why she even had any sort of interest in me in the first place. One thing did become readily apparent though, the armored Kavim remained reactionless despite the mare venting her spleen on them. I couldn't hear a single word from any other Kavim except the one tan mare. In the background of the vocal onslaught, I could hear the distinctive sound of another set of hooves clopping down the hallway to my room.

Since the arrival of at least one more guest seemed eminent, I figured I should probably at least try to make myself presentable. I had already quite forgotten that I was naked until that moment. I briefly debated trying to step past the irate Unicorn mare, but decided that I should probably do my level best to stay out of her way. Instead, I slowly crawled over to the bathroom sink in hopes of washing off my hands and face. The Unicorn mare ignored my movements and continued on her tirade. I managed to attain a sitting position in front of the sink without too much difficulty. The sink was roughly two feet off the ground and, thankfully, was constructed with a lever mechanism set behind the spout of the faucet.

I halted my movements as something occurred to me, 'The Kavim walk on their pseudo hooves, why the heck would they want to wash them? They would be instantly dirty once they touched the floor. Furthermore, how would a Kavim wipe themselves once they're done using the bathroom?' The questions were all but circular. I decided to ignore them in hopes of the facts being revealed in time and decided to get on with the task of washing my, badly soiled, hands and face.

I reached up with my left hand and turned on the faucet. I gingerly released my nose and cupped both hands under the flow of the water. I picked up the small, white bar of soap on the rim of the sink and scrubbed my hands as best I could given my weakened state. I finished with my hands and began working on my face. The lumpy skin of my head felt oily and grimy under my fingertips as I massaged the soap into my pores. I scrubbed my face as vigorously as I could and rinsed.

I reached over to the right side of the sink and snagged the small white towel hanging on a bar nearby. I dried my face and carefully removed the pieces of tissue that I had stuffed up my nose. No blood followed their removal and I smiled, glad that I wouldn't be losing any more blood. I took notice of the silence that had descended and turned to look at the doorway. A second Unicorn mare had joined the first one. The second mare was a peach color in her coat and her mane and tail were mahogany, both looked to have been pulled up in buns. The second mare was also wearing what looked suspiciously, strike that, exactly like a doctor's lab coat. The two mares stared at me silently, it was honestly kind of creepy.

I finished cleaning up the splashes of water I had inadvertently left on the sink before I turned and regarded them. I knew that I was naked and the fact that I had been so in front of hundreds of my own species had absolutely no bearing on how I felt right then. I whipped the little white towel in front of my crotch trying to conceal my genitals.

I decided to try to get back to the bed. I held the towel against my crotch and gripped the sink with my right hand. I grunted with effort but, slightly to my surprise, I did manage to bring myself to an upright standing position. The two mares seemed to understand what I was about and politely moved out of my way. With the tiny shreds of my dignity hanging by a thread, I slowly inched my way through the door and back to the bed.

I sat down on the white sheet and pulled the cover over my lap then folded the towel up and put it on the bedside table. I turned back to the mares. They were both standing in place watching me. My hunger was steadily growing more and more severe so I repeated the 'eating an apple' motion I had used on the armored Kavim.

The tan mare seemed to catch on instantly. Her horn lit up in a light fuchsia glow and a grapefruit floated out of her saddlebags. I skittered across the to the far side of the bed so quickly I nearly fell onto the floor again.

"THE FUCK!" I yelled.

I could feel my heart beating heavily against my ribs. The last time I had seen a glowing horn was from the filly who put her horn to my head just before I blacked out. My mind spun with thoughts of a thousand horrible things that could happen.

The tan mare startled at my reaction and took a step back. The other mare shrieked and practically jumped out of her skin. The grapefruit hung, suspended in the air just within my reach. My initial reaction abated quickly since nothing horrible was happening and my inquisitive side kicked in with a vengeance. I slowly inched forward and examined the grapefruit or more specifically, the aura around it, 'Hmm, fuchsia colored telekinesis.' I glanced back at the tan Unicorn, 'The aura is the same color as her mane and tail. I wonder if that's common?' another thought came to me, 'You know, it kind of looked like she was handing . . . passing it to me.' I slowly reached out my right hand and left it under the grapefruit then looked to the tan mare.

She seemed to come out of her daze when I examined the fruit and so nodded encouragingly when I extended my hand. I smiled and cupped my hand around the levitated grapefruit. The second my fingers came into contact with the citrus fruit, the aura vanished with a sudden, almost violent blink. I saw the ghost of a ripple in the air between the mare and myself just a split second before she cried out loudly, fell to the floor and put both hooves to her horn.

The peach mare in the lab coat, 'I'll just call her Doc.' Doc was at the tan mare's side in an instant, fawning over her. I was puzzled, 'O.K. What just happened?' I began going over the events in my mind, 'There was a fuchsia aura around the grapefruit and a fuchsia aura around the tan mare's horn. That matching colors are likely indicative of 'possession' or 'source' of the aura. When I grabbed the grapefruit I must have disrupted the energy that was maintaining it, like disrupting the electrical current of a circuit. I didn't feel anything though.' I looked down at the tan mare, 'It sure looks like it hurt though. Crud, I never meant to hurt her. I should probably do something to show her I didn't mean it.'

I was so hungry I almost felt sick, but I had literally nothing else to offer. I slowly slid over to the side of the bed that was closest to her and held out the grapefruit toward her with my right hand. Good grief, that damn thing felt like it weighed fifty pounds. Doc looked up at me with an angry expression. That expression faded, however once she saw me holding out the grapefruit. She lowered her head and nudged the tan mare while mumbling something quietly.

The tan mare looked up with only one open eye. She was still cringing at the, apparently painful energy backlash, but her face softened when she saw me holding up the grapefruit. Doc helped her struggle up to a standing position. She was shaky but standing. She moved toward me and gingerly nuzzled my hand back toward the bed. I was confused and offered it to her again, but she merely nudged my hand back a second time, this time with a slight smile.

I might have been tempted to protest but I was too hungry to argue. I set the grapefruit down on the bed and positioned the thumb of my right hand over it to break the skin. I had seen my hands several times already, but that was the first time I really noticed the state of my nails. Each nail looked like it was roughly half an inch long. They had obviously been cut but it had been some time ago. The cuts on my nails were straight across, almost as if someone used a pair of scissors to trim them.

I decided it was something to ponder at a later time and dug my thumb nail into the grapefruit.

* * *

Razor Wit turned to Dr. Grace,
"As you can see, he is certainly awake and obviously hungry. I'm assuming there are quite a few tests you need to run on him and I'm sure to be up here with him all day. Would you be so kind as to show me where I can find food to bring him before you go retrieve your equipment?"

Dr. Grace nodded,
"Yes, but the only reason you're getting access to the kitchen is your writ. Come on, follow me."

"In a moment doctor." Razor said then turned to the four Guards, "Remember what I said. Princess Celestia is referring to this Human as an emissary. As such he is to be protected," she narrowed her eyes menacingly, "Not pushed around. I have no authority over any of you four but know that I will personally see to it that the Princess stations you guarding the catacombs of the Royal Palace for the rest of your lives if he has even one more bruise. Do I make myself clear?"

The four Guards had positioned themselves with two outside the main door and two inside. None of the Guards moved a muscle, but a trickle of sweat down one's face was all the answer Razor Wit needed.

Chapter 18: Meet The Ponies

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R.J. Brinsin straightened up, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and leaned back, cracking his back,
"How long do it take to chop up a damn tree? I'm sweatin' like a fifty dollar hooker on 'nickel night' an' we ain't even halfway done with our tree." he aimed a tired kick at the foot-thick trunk he stood next to.

Mike Spearman looked up, sweating in equal amount to his friend,
"It takes a while. We just have to keep at it. At least we don't have to work scouting out the areas to the North and East. Let Andrew and Kaneesha handle that. I just wish we knew when those civilian . . . I can't believe I'm saying this, Ponies going to get here to help. It's been over a week."

Brinsin shrugged and took a deep swig from his canteen,
"I don't know man, but as far as I'm concerned they can take their time." he paused for another drink before capping the canteen, "I still ain't comfortable with the idea an' the L.T. ain't either."

Mike chuckled in response,
"What, are you afraid of a bunch of Ponies? Civilian Ponies?"

R.J. spun toward his friend intensely,
"Your damn right I am! A bunch o' those Ponies done killed a whole gaggle o' us! Who's to say they ain't plannin' on doin' it again?"

Mike chuckled more heavily,
"You mean after they had the perfect chance to and decided to let us go?"

R.J. picked up his short axe, the larger axes hadn't arrived yet,
"Wasn't no perfect chance," he said as he leaned over to hew another branch off the tree, "They woulda lost a bunch o' they own doin' it."

Mike stopped and straightened up regarding the shorter man,
"How much of a 'last stand' do you think we would have made? Those shields were no bigger than bucklers on us. We don't have magic and we don't have any way to bring down their Pegasi en masse."

"We Humans, man. We damn near impossible to get rid of." R.J. replied.

"Normally, I might agree with you, but here, in this place? Naw, they would have swatted us like a bug." Mike leaved back over and continued chopping, "Besides, if the . . . Ponies are any good, we could use their help."

* * *

"Good God." Ludwig said, it was the closest he had ever come to yelling, "I never imagined these Ponies could eat so much. These fifty Guards eat as much as a hundred of us."

Calvin chuckled heartily,
"Yeah, these cats can really pack it away! Ya gotta remember though, they don't eat no fish or meat. They gotta expend a lot o' energy to keep they brains workin'. Higher intelligence means more energy. Meat packs a lot o' energy, but they bodies can't digest it so they gotta make up for quality with quantity."

The two men were watching the fifty armored Guards eating their second breakfast at what was estimated to be ten in the morning. The fifty were a mix of fifteen Pegasi, fifteen Unicorns, and twenty Earth Ponies. The bunch of Guards were chowing down on some grilled weeds from the fields. The two hundred people set to tending the fields had been horribly concerned that they wouldn't have any place to pile all the weeds they were pulling, but the Ponies had been the answer. The idea had come from Leo, of all people. He had half jokingly said that if there wasn't any place to toss the weeds the Humans could feed them to the Ponies. Jason, who was under constant surveillance and guard, had overheard the comment and added that it was a solid possible solution, albeit a temporary one.

Alex and Kolo had been somewhat enthralled by the way the Ponies ate. They laid down on the cobblestone street in full armor, set down their plates and just lowered their heads and ate like normal equines. The two men had already been surprised when the armored Earth Ponies and Pegasi had picked up their plates with their mouths and carried them. The plates were clean but it had still been surprising. The biggest surprise had been when the Unicorns had used magic to levitate their plates. Alex and Kolo had initially thought the armored equines planned to attack, which had led to a lengthy and unintelligible explanation by one of the Unicorns which, as far as the two men could tell, could be paraphrased as 'it has more purposes than warfare'.

Ludwig had been the one to use the idea of 'grilling' the weeds. He had used a wide, flat griddle, heated it, and just plopped the weeds down until they were just a tiny bit crispy then served them on plates. The Ponies LOVED it. Alex was calling it the 'garden garbage special'. An Earth Pony Guard rose from where he had been laying and trotted up to Alex holding his plate in his mouth.

Alex and Kolo had been making semi-educated guesses as to what the Ponies wanted based on their actions. So far it had been relatively successful. The Earth Pony tapped his plate gently against the griddle, which Alex took to mean, he wanted more of the 'garden garbage special'. He had the weeds in hand when a stern voice from one of the other Earth Ponies suddenly barked out a few harsh syllables. The Guard holding the plate wilted in a way that was ridiculously comical. He looked fierce and intimidating in his armor, but his sad expression and posture lent him a look that was more akin to a Military Working Dog in uniform who was begging for scraps. The effect was so strong that Alex and Kolo nearly reached out to scratch him behind the ears.

The Guard however straightened up and instead carried his plate over to the 'to be washed' pile. The pile of plates and so forth were washed after every meal to keep them clean but the time it took was already becoming evident. The people who had volunteered to serve and clean up breakfast were still down at the stream washing up.

The Guards had been in the town for the past three days, ever since Princess Celestia had made the agreement with Joyner. They had arrived around noon the same day and had been loaded down heavily with equipment. They had chosen one of the empty stone buildings as a sort of 'head quarters' and the Earth Ponies and Unicorns had been sleeping there every night. The Pegasi had jaw-dropped everyone when they took to the sky and began pushing clouds all around then forming them into simple buildings. The Pegasi tended to stay in the sky almost all the time. One thing that Darryl had noticed right away was that the Guards were very lightly armed as compared to the Guards the Humans had encountered previously.

The only weapon any of the Guards had were short shafted, long bladed spears, similar to the assegai spears the Zulu warriors used except the blades were thicker and wider. That was it, there were no other weapons. No one knew what to think. Everybody had expected the Guards to arrive bristling with as many weapons as a porcupine has quills. The Guards had just moved in, they practically ignored the Humans for the entire first day. They ignored most of the Humans on the second day as well. The only time they had even made any sort of motion indicating they were even aware of the Humans was on the second day when two people got into a fist fight. It was on that day that the Humans realized exactly why the Guards had brought so few weapons. One of the Earth Ponies had come upon the two men who were fighting and simply stomped on the ground. The end result had been a literal ripple of rocks and dirt beneath the feet of the two men which sent them face first into the cobblestone road with bloody noses. He then casually walked over and simply stood between the two men. He didn't say a word, he didn't restrain them, and he didn't even glare. He just stood between them silently. Eventually both men picked themselves up and parted ways.

By that evening every Human had heard what happened. No one wanted to mess with the Guards and they all had a new found respect for the Earth Ponies. The Humans had been extra wary of the Ponies after the incident, but once night fell the Guards emerged from their building and began moving about with the Humans at dinner time. They ate with their new 'neighbors' and were honestly rather personable but strictly maintained their silence. Any sort of vocalizations from the Guards was brief and clipped and always directed at each other.

The rest of the Guards finished their meals and Alex and Kolo counted the plates that were left,
"Hey yo Alex, I gotta go check on my peeps down under City Hall."

Alex nodded,
"Go ahead, I can handle the plates."

* * *

Kolo entered City Hall and headed over to the trap door in the floor. He pulled it open and descended down the narrow stairs in the dark. The Humans had received an old blueprint of the sewer system of the town as well as the location of the town's water supply. None had been expecting the well to be buried under a pile of rubble on one of the empty foundations that littered the city. Kolo and his group had excavated the rubble and found the well that same day. The system was an odd pump. It was mechanical beyond any reasonable doubt and Morris had easily confirmed it, but there was no apparent power supply for it. Morris and Vacca had been overcome with excitement once Mike Joyner assigned them the task of disassembling the device and discovering how it worked. The two men had spent the entire day fiddling with it. The tools Morris had in the saddle bags he stole happened to fit the odd screws and bolts that held the pump together. Once Morris and Chris had the machine dissected they found, to their surprise, that its power source was a type of wind-up motor on an incredibly tight spring. They reassembled the machine and found the port that the winding mechanism was inserted into, however they had no device with which to crank it. They spent nearly the entire night pouring over the tools and pieces of metal Morris had been carrying and by morning had a working crank key.

The Humans gathered in anticipation, watching as the two men grunted and strained against the crank. The thing finally popped loose and from that point they wound up the mechanism. They released it and the machine began running. After a full minute water began pouring out of the spigot mouth attached to the side. The Humans had rarely cheered so loudly.

The other parts of the blueprint detailed the sewage system which was accessed from the trap door in City Hall. The stairs led down in a spiral style that the Humans had to crouch to access. Kolo nearly had to crawl. At the bottom of the stairs was a colossal and vast reservoir into which hundreds of pipes drained. Kolo had guessed that the pipes connected to the various buildings and their respective bathrooms. The reservoir was colossal. He guessed it to be at least half a mile deep, but only the last four feet were filled with old sewage. The urine and feces had been there so long it had effectively turned to fertilizer and had solidified. The eighty people who had participated in the attack on Flankfurt had been assigned to digging out the solidified poo and loading it into wheelbarrows. Kolo was in charge of it.

The reservoir was sloped so a person could just walk down to the bottom. It was quite a walk. Torches had been lit after the tops of the sewage pipes had been cleared so the air could circulate enough that the people didn't die from asphyxiation. The big man was mighty proud of his new group, they worked good and hard.

He passed Ron'del pushing a wheelbarrow full of solidified sewage,
"How you holdin' up?" Kolo asked.

Ron'del shrugged as he continued on without stopping,
"Ain't the end o' the world, but it sucks ass."

Kolo laughed,
"Naw man, what you're haulin' got sucked FROM an ass, a horse's ass. Just remember to take it to the orchard before you dump it."

Ron'del grumbled but kept pushing the wheelbarrow. Kolo lapsed into thought as he descended the gentle slope, 'I can't help but wonder what the big cities do when this thing gets filled up. Do they dig a new one?' he admired the dimensions of the reservoir as he kept on heading downward, 'Gotta be close to a quarter mile across and about that long too. These dimensions is mind-blowin', hard to imagine a bunch of colorful Ponies did all this.' On a sudden whim he pursed his lips and began whistling a jaunty tune. It was looking to be a good day.

* * *

Amber Eyes re-read the flier that her Mother had given her. The family of five mares, one stallion, and five foals was packing all of their physical belongings into a heavy cart. The caramel colored and gold maned filly was unhappy. Her family had been looking for a new place to live and her Mother, Long Wind had been close to giving up hope of ever finding any city, town, or village that needed a teacher. They had moved nine times in the past four years and Amber Eyes was just beginning to make friends. They had only been in Las Pegasus for two months.

Her Father, Straight Edge, could always find work. Construction Ponies were always in high demand, especially carpenters who specialized in house framing. Her non-blood-Mothers were also highly skilled Ponies. Quick Patch, her Earth Pony Mother, was a seamstress. Wind Whisper and Gale Force, her Pegasi Mothers, were weather Ponies, and High Note, her Unicorn Mother, was a fabulous singer and actress who could adopt to any style of music and had performed in front of Princess Celestia on two separate occasions.

Amber Eyes frowned down at the flier in her hoof,
"Greetings to all Ponies from their Royal Highness, Princesses Celestia and Luna. A new settlement is being founded in Equestria, to the East of Flankfurt. This Royal Invitation goes out to any and all Ponies who wish to settle in this new town. Please send a written letter to the Royal Census Bureau stating your name, breed, marital status, occupation, cutie mark, and age. The Princesses are looking for adult individuals who are willing to work in this new settlement. Entire families are eligible but discouraged as the community does not yet have a designated teacher nor any location in which to teach. Seven hundred applicants will be selected to be colonists." the filly looked up at her parents, "You sent the letter didn't you Mom."

Long Wind looked away from the abacus she had been stowing and gazed down at her daughter,
"Yes, I did. We all discussed it and everypony was amiable to the idea, so I sent the letter. The Princess responded back stating that ours would be one of the first full families in this new settlement." she trotted toward the rear of the house, "Come along Amber. There are a few things you and your sisters need to know and I would rather tell all of you at once."

Amber Eyes followed her Mother to the rear of the house where the play room was. Amber Eyes' sisters: Rose Thorn, a blood red Unicorn filly, Tender Touch, a dark pink Pegasus filly, Chatter Box, a white Earth Pony filly, and Whip Lash, a sky blue Pegasus filly were all playing in the play room when Amber Eyes and Long Wind entered.

Long Wind cleared her throat,
"Ahem," the fillies instantly stopped what they were doing and listened, they had learned long ago that Long Wind, despite her name, always had something neat to talk about, "Alright girls I have an announcement to make. We are moving again."

The fillies cheered excitedly, except for Amber Eyes. Her sisters were all between the ages of five and seven, whereas Amber Eyes was nine. The younger fillies loved moving, it was an adventure for them. They got to meet new Ponies and see new places. Amber was different, she wanted friends she could play with, friends who would be around for more than six months at a time. She hated moving.

Long Wind continued with a smile, glad to see her daughters so happy,
"This time we're moving to a very special place. It's a secret new community way off to the East. It's so new and secret, it doesn't even have a name yet. We can't tell anypony about it, but we'll be leaving soon anyway, so you should know now." the gathering of fillies all 'oohed' at the statement, "Now here's the exciting part, there's going to be more than just Ponies there." at those words, Amber Eyes began paying attention, "These beings don't look like Ponies though, they walk on their back legs like Minotaurs and Diamond Dogs. They also don't have coats or even tails, they do have manes. According to Princess Celestia, these beings have had a really hard time recently and they're all very sad . . . "

"Why are they sad Mommy?" Chatter Box asked.

"They're sad because they got lost and can't go home. They are stranded in Equestria and some of them got hurt. So we need to remember to be super duper nice to them. They may look strange and act strange, but Princess Celestia says that most of them have good hearts. She said they're lonely and scared so we all have to show them how nice we can be. The Princesses have offered them a home in Equestria and we have to make sure they feel welcomed. The Princess was so happy to hear we were coming, that she sent a private air coach for all of us."

"Tell us more about the . . . the um . . . what are they called Mommy?" Rose Thorn asked.

"They're called Humans. It's a new word. Well, they don't talk like we do, they have their own language. The Princess said she has a really good friend of hers trying to teach one of them how to talk like we do. Oh, and they're really tall, almost as tall as Minotaurs. Princess Celestia also said they're scared of Unicorns."

The fillies looked at each other, puzzled to no end,
"Why are the Hoomans afraid of Unicorns?" Chatter Box asked.

"Humans dear," Long Wind corrected gently, she shifted her weight nervously, "Well, a bunch of Unicorns were . . . confused . . . and scared of the Humans and ended up . . . hurting a bunch of them. That's part of the reason the Princess is asking Ponies to go help them. The Humans are scared and we need to show them there's nothing to be afraid of." a sudden thought occurred to Long Wind, "Oh there is one more thing. The Humans eat the same foods we do, but they need one more. They have to eat . . . fish."

"Eew!"
"Gross!
"Yuk!"
"Poor fishies!"

"Settle down please girls." Long Wind said soothingly, "I know it seems strange to us, but the Gryphons need to eat fish too. Remember, just because somepony is different, doesn't mean they are bad. Almost every time, different is actually a good thing. Different species means variety and variety is always good. Imagine eating nothing but hay for your entire life. It would get boring and dull, but if you add all the yummy foods we eat all together, it gives us a good variety. The Humans bring a different type of variety to Equestria, a world full of nothing but Ponies would get boring, that's why any being can live here. The Humans are as welcome as Gryphons, Miontaurs or any other being."

"So, we're going to go live in a strange new place with strange new creatures who don't even speak our language and they eat living things!?" Amber Eyes asked.

Long Wind shifted her weight from left to right nervously,
"Y . . . yes."

Long Wind was secretly nervous. She had made Amber move around so much and she was afraid her daughter might grow to resent her. She hated hurting her little girl but she had to find someplace to go so she would have a good job. Long Wind was constantly concerned that she was being selfish and that it wasn't fair to Amber.

"That's so cool!" Amber squeaked excitedly.

Long Wind breathed a sigh of relief,
"Alright girls, it's time to pick up and pack your toys. You know the routine. Your Mothers have already packed your things from your bedrooms, so your toys are the last things to go before we start cleaning."

"Long Wind." Straight Edge called from the front door, "There's a doctor and a bunch of maids at the door asking for you."

Long Wind came out of the play room and headed toward the front door. The doctor was an orange Pegasus mare with a black mane and tail, dressed in a white lab coat and there were four identical Unicorn mares dressed as maids standing right behind her. The doctor had a heavy black bag on the ground next to her.

"Long Wind?" the older Pegasus mare asked.

"That's me." she answered, "I wasn't told to expect a doctor or maids."

"No indeed, the Princess wants to make sure you and your family are well taken care of. I'm here to double check the health of every member of the family as well as to provide standard immunizations. The maids behind me are here to clean your home."

Long Wind was speechless,
"Oh my, I had no idea the Princess thought this was so important. I cannot help but to ask, why us?"

The doctor smiled warmly,
"I'll explain, but may we come in?"

"Oh yes of course, how silly of me." she stepped aside, "Please come in."

The maids never said a word. They just entered the house and began cleaning. The doctor looked around the front room. It had already been cleared of furniture along with everything else. She smiled and lay down on the floor.

"I'll explain as I work. Your letter stated there are five fillies and six adults in your household. Two Unicorn mares and two Unicorn fillies, two Pegasus mares and two Pegasus fillies, one Earth Pony stallion, one Earth Pony mare and one Earth Pony filly. All members of the household are in reasonably good health. Is all of that correct? I'm Steady Hoof by the way."

"Yes, that's right." Long Wind turned and called over her shoulder, "Girls, come here please."

A small stampede of tiny hooves rumbled the floor as five fillies more or less tumbled into the front room in a blur of excitement and colors.

"Settle down please, girls." Long Wind said quietly.

The fillies did indeed settle down, well enough so that Steady Hoof could count them,
"Which one is the eldest?"

"Amber Eyes come here please." her Mother asked.

The caramel colored filly trotted up to her Mother,
"Yes?"

Steady Hoof motioned her over,
"Come over here Amber Eyes, I need to check you out and make sure you're healthy."

Amber looked at her Mother for reassurance. Long Wind nodded and nudged her daughter toward the older Pegasus mare with her muzzle. Amber walked over to Steady Hoof and stood in front of her.

"Alright dear, I'm going to be listening to your heart and lungs first." the doctor said as she put on a stethoscope, "Long Wind, the reason for my presence and the presence of the maids is to provide you and your family with as much service as we can. The only ponies to have interacted with the Humans so far have been Royal Guards or the Princess herself. The Princess wants to do everything in her power to ensure the health of every Pony who has volunteered to be part of this new community."

She turned to Amber briefly,
"Breathe deeply in and out several times for me dear."

She then turned back to Long Wind,
"You just happen to be the only Pony out of seven hundred who is a teacher AND the only teacher who applied. Apparently several of the Human females are pregnant so a teacher is going to be a very important position very quickly. Princess Celestia is expecting her linguist to have a method of translation in just a matter of months. That means YOU are going to be teaching more than seven hundred Humans how to speak Equestrian Common. Then when the children grow up enough to go to school, you will be teaching them as well."

She turned back to Amber,
"Alright, everything sounds good so far. Next I need to check your blood pressure. Put your right fore hoof into this cuff please."

She turned back to Long Wind as she began pumping the cuff,
"There is a lot to be done in this new community," the elder mare noticed the other mares and stallion entering the front room, "The Humans need homes. They have been sleeping on the floor of the old stone City Hall. They have no magic at all and they need weather Pegasi for their crops. They need a lot of things. Now it might sound like they are helpless but the Princess is certain they have something to offer us too. She hasn't said what it is, but she is absolutely certain of it."

She turned back to Amber,
"Alright dear, I'm going to be feeling around your barrel and checking out how your insides feel."

She turned back to Long Wind,
"According to the Princess, the Humans are as intelligent as we are, but their society is very different. Be prepared for culture shock. The air coach should be here within the hour." she looked up at the family, "You will be some of the first Ponies to arrive."

* * *

Morris was absolutely giddy,
"So much stuff!"

He was standing in front of a large crate that a group of armored Guards had just dropped off. It was the most recent, but certainly not the first. With the inclusion of the most recent, there were nearly six hundred crates. Teams of eight Pegasi had been arriving for the past three hours in an almost steady stream. Morris had more stuff than he knew what to do with. Axes, awls, old fashioned manual drills, heavy framing hammers, more than a literal ton of nails . . . the list went on.

Mike Joyner, on the other hand was not so happy. Four ponies had arrived within the previous two hours. They were mostly mares, but they were carrying heavy loads in their saddle bags. He had been trying to figure out sleeping arrangements for the Ponies, but the language barrier was just as stubborn as ever. Darryl and Bobby had been pulled away from their duties to assist with trying to figure out a way to communicate with the Ponies.

Bobby had already figured out that the 'tattoos' on the Ponies' flanks were symbolic, but some of them were just outright confusing. The three mares and one stallion had seemed confused and cautious but friendly enough. The first mare who had arrived was a mustard yellow Earth Pony. Her mane and tail were a brilliant shade of grass green and her 'tattoo' was of an ear of corn. Bobby guessed that she probably knew something about corn or perhaps farming in general. She had arrived from the West on hoof and had gone straight to the City Hall. Alex had been the first one to see her so he had sent a runner to go get Mike.

The mare was just standing around outside City Hall when Joyner arrived, 'What, are WE supposed to organize them?' he wondered. The mare, upon spotting him and apparently noticing he was headed right toward her, extended her hoof. Mike was puzzled for a second before he reached out and shook her hoof. She shook back and began chattering away in her native language.

Mike saw the armored Guards out of the corner of his eye. They were continuing on with their patrol as normal, apparently not instructed to interfere. The mare seemed to understand that Joyner had absolutely no idea what she was saying. About that same time, a light purple Pegasus mare flew in and landed in the ground next to the first mare. The Pegasus' mane and tail were turquoise with a dark red streak and her 'tattoo' was of a raining cloud. The other mare and the stallion had arrived shortly thereafter.

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Bobby said, "You would THINK they'd be given instructions on what to do once they got here."

Two more teams of eight Pegasi carrying two more crates flew up from the West, Joyner watched with a grimace,
"Oi. Why do I get the feeling we're about to be overwhelmed with management details?" he turned to Morris, "Get a crew together and haul these crates into City Hall then catalog them. I don't want the natives stealing anything. Bobby, you have anyone in the medical station?"

"Nope, already checked out all the little scrapes and bruises and the pregnant ladies aren't due for any checkups for a week. I got Richardson and Leo up there too, want me to get them down here?" Jewel asked.

Joyner rubbed his right hand down over sides of his mouth,
"Richardson yes, Leo no. We need someone up there who knows enough to get by. Go get Cessily and get back here."

"I'm on my way down, Mike." Cessily yelled from the second floor of City Hall.

Darryl tapped Mike on his left shoulder,
"Hey, L.T. what is that?" he asked pointing.

The object he was pointing to was roughly five times the length of the crates and it had twelve Pegasi pulling it. It looked to have windows set into its sides and a door near the front of the left side.

Mike cupped his hands around his mouth,
"Clear the road!" he turned to the people nearby, "We need to get this courtyard cleared out. Darryl go get the folks in the fields. They're close and we need manpower A.S.A.P. Once they're here, get these crates inside City Hall."

Darryl saluted and ran off,
"Bobby, see if you can round up some of the folks cleaning up those foundations and get them here. We need the crates out of the way or else we're going to have a hell of a mess. I'm going to see if I can figure out where to put all these damn Ponies."

Mike watched the long windowed . . . thing land then groaned in near despair when six more Ponies got out. His groan nearly turned to a howl as five tiny Ponies followed them, 'Families! What, is that three, four families? We weren't expecting families!' he glanced to the side, looking at one of the stone buildings, 'Well, it's not pretty but it's something.' he turned back toward the newest arrivals and shook his head, 'Good grief.'

"Oh my God! They're so CUTE!" Richardson said in the single most girly voice Mike had ever heard.

Joyner shook his head just as something occurred to him. His head whipped back up and he narrowed his eyes, 'Wait a second, there's only one male?' he nearly spat, 'Is Celestia dumping broken families on us?' his thoughts came to as screeching halt as each of the mares nuzzled the stallion, as a group.
". . ."
". . ."
". . ."
"Wut?"

He watched in disbelief as the children circled around the adults making adorable squeaking sounds, 'Dear god. Once the women see them, we'll NEVER get any work done.'

"Woo!" Richardson yelled, "You go player!"

Michael Joyner put his head in his hands and groaned.

Chapter 19: Introductions

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My entire world revolved around that one huge grapefruit from the time I began peeling it until I finished the last piece. It was pure ambrosia. The tan mare and Doc left at some point while I was eating and I had completely missed their departure. I looked around for a trash can. I knew there was one in the bathroom but I didn't want to put forth the effort of moving that distance. The grapefruit peels piled up on the bed in front of me were sure to be a mess I did not want to sleep on any time soon. Granted the citrus smell was a wonderful alternative to the harsh, overly sterile smell of the hospital, but I didn't want my whole body smelling of it.

I failed to spot a trash can and so resigned myself to limping to the bathroom to deposit the peelings. I slid to the right side of the bed and eased myself off. Rising to my feet was much easier than it had been before. I was sure to have sore muscles tomorrow but I was not going to simply wallow in my own refuse like an animal. I bent over and scooped up the pile of peels with my left hand then limped my way over to the bathroom. Once there I realized I didn't have to prop myself up as much to get there. I dropped the peelings into the trash can and limped back over to the bed.

'I need some clothes or something. I can't keep walking around with my junk at eye-level with the Kavim.' The sound of rattling wheels and clopping hooves brought my attention to the hallway outside my room.

A wooden cart came into view, followed closely by Doc. The cart was covered in vials, syringes, and other medical implements. Doc pushed the cart into the room but the little parade wasn't over yet. The tan mare rounded the corner, flank first, pulling a second wooden cart. My eyes bulged at what was on the surface of the second cart. A big bowl of fruits and vegetables sat on top of a small mountain of papers and what looked exactly like normal number two pencils.

The tan mare pulled her cart up next to Doc's, but I could still hear more hooves clopping against the floor. I didn't pay much attention to the other hoof sounds, my attention rested solely on the bowl of fruit. The cart with the fruit bowl was too far for me to reach so I held the pillow of the bed in front of myself and slid off the bed. A sudden, sharp metallic sound drew my attention away from the food. I had neglected to notice one of the armored Kavim had snuck up on my right. His right wing was extended in front of me, blocking my movement.

Movement from the tan mare drew my attention to her. Her eyes were narrowed angrily, but not at me. She was glaring daggers at the armored Pegasus. She opened her mouth to say something half a second before another presence distracted me.

I felt this presence like a palpable force pushing against me and it drew my attention. I looked to my right and saw a huge Kavim standing at the doorway. The other Kavim in the room instantly fell into a deep bow. I took a moment to examine the new Kavim. I couldn't tell if it was male or female but something told me female. She was tall and thin. Her legs were perhaps a third of the width of that of average Kavim. She was adorned with gold shoes, a gold chest piece with a large gem in the center and a golden crown on her head. Her horn looked to be close to thirteen inches long and razor sharp, she also had a pair of wings folded along her sides. Her mane and tail were hugely long and looked like they were caught in a breeze I wasn't feeling. Both her mane and tail flowed with a bright series of beautiful pastel colors.

I had no idea who she was, but power and energy just seemed to flow out of her. She radiated it like the sun radiates heat. Something about her just screamed 'power incarnate'. I knew instantly that I was to her, like a match was to the sun. I nearly fell to my knees in her presence. The force was an almost physical pressure against me, but I fought against it. I was determined not to bow to her. It wasn't a case of disrespect, but if I was going to bow to anything, I wanted it to be my own choice. I fought against this strange force and looked at her face. My focus seemed to slide away from her eyes without me even thinking about it. I refocused on her eyes. It was almost as if there was a barrier of will set against my vision. For a few moments I figuratively fought against that barrier before it fell. I looked into her eyes and she met my gaze with her own pink orbs.

Oh my dear, sweet, loving, merciful heavenly father. Her eyes carried the weight of ages beyond count. She had experienced things, the likes of which would kill any lesser being just to witness. The weight of her gaze was heavy beyond comprehension and as unmoving as the flow of time itself. In that moment I realized exactly how insignificant I truly was in the grand spectrum of the universe. Whoever, strike that, whatever this being was, could crush me like a bug without effort. Yet there was a softness to her gaze. I saw no malice or greed or cruelty, it was almost as if I was looking into the eyes of a being who saw every one around her like a mother would. I had never been in the presence of God and I knew instinctively that I still wasn't, but she was obviously not average or normal. She had the bearing of an unspeakably powerful Arch Angel. You know, the type which strike so much fear and awe into a person that the first words they speak are, 'fear nor'.

I managed to stay standing, still meeting her gaze, despite my first reaction to kneel. She quirked a ghost of a smile and inclined her head toward me by the slightest fraction of an inch. I nodded to her in return, except my nod was much deeper.

She spoke a few brief syllables to the Kavim in the room and they rose from their bows. Doc and the tan mare casually went back to what they were doing, but my focus was still fixed on the tall, white Kavim. That changed when a glowing syringe levitated right in front of me. My eyes were drawn to the syringe like magnets. I have the most severe phobia of needles. I passed out when I tried to overcome my fear of needles and donate blood for the Red Cross and ended up on their 'black list'. Seeing that needle in front of me . . . An instantaneous, overwhelming feeling of vertigo took me. My vision tunneled and I could hear a roaring sound in my ears. I knew I was going to pass out any second.

"Hello Daniel," the tall, white Kavim spoke suddenly, in perfect American, "I've been wondering when we would meet."

* * *

The next thing I knew was that I was lying on my bed again with the huge Kavim standing over me. She had a big goofy grin plastered all over her face. 'Well that's embarrassing.'

I felt a pinching sensation on my left arm and turned just in time to see a syringe needle withdraw from the underside of my elbow. The syringe was filled with blood and it glowed the same color as Doc's horn. It didn't take me long to figure it out; she had taken advantage of my temporary unconsciousness to retrieve a few samples.

I already knew why I had passed out, but it was still embarrassing as hell,
"Oh God, I feel like an idiot." I groaned as I draped my right arm across my eyes.

"Don't feel too bad, Daniel. I know exactly how bad your phobia is." the voice was feminine and soft but somewhat deep in pitch.

I slowly lowered my arm from my eyes and gazed up at her,
"I wasn't imagining what you said then?" I asked in shock.

"Not at all, I'm afraid." she replied.

I took a moment to organize my tumbling thoughts,
"How exactly do you speak American?"

"I have your memories." she said bluntly.

"Oh, o.k. that makes sense." I reflexively, it took a second for me to register what she said, I felt my stomach in my throat, "What? How?"

"The filly who touched her horn to your head effectively downloaded all of your memories. The trauma to her mind was extensive so I had to repair the damage myself. In so doing, I ended up with your memories instead." she said.

She had spoken in a casual tone, but I was afraid for my life. She knew everything I had ever done, everything I had ever seen, everything I had ever experienced. I knew myself and I knew what that entailed. She knew every bad thing I had ever done, that was a very long list. Human beings portray themselves as being good and wholesome but very, very few, if any, are ever honest about who they truly are. Suddenly all my secrets, all my dark deeds, all my wrongs had been exposed to another. It would have been bad enough if it was a normal person who knew, but no, it was a ridiculously powerful Kavim.

My mouth felt dry, I could feel myself shaking,
"A . . . a . . . are you going to . . . kill me?"

The expression on her face was contemplative for a moment before she answered,
"No. No, I'm not. Nor am I going to punish you. In fact, I want to make you an emissary."

I was flabbergasted,
"No offense whoever you are, but I am NOT emissary material."

She laid down on the floor, but she could still look me in the eye,
"I know everything you know, but I don't feel everything you felt. I have witnessed thirty plus years of your life." her tone changed from congenial to deadly serious, "I saw what you did to that blond Nazi boy in your school when you waited for him in the alley, with the baseball bat. I watched from your eyes as you beat him. I heard you yelling at him, while you beat him until you thought he was dead. And I know you only did it because he got off scott-free after beating a Jewish girl to death with a rock. You were afraid of telling anyone what you saw because you thought he would kill you too."

She nodded,
"I know you. I saw you stare at the people around you every day. I heard you curse them quietly because they were born physically attractive and you weren't. I saw through your eyes as you watched your friends in high-school ask out girls and go on dates. I heard the mocking tones through your ears as the girls you asked out laughed at you and told you, you weren't good enough. I saw your disagreement with your brother and when you used hot pepper extract to replace his eye drops. I saw your hands shake when you shot that man who was trying to rob the store with a shotgun. I remember when your brother was angry at you and threw his hand made spear at you, which is how you got that scar on your back. I know you were upset and vented your anger on a depressed friend who called you and I heard the gunshot over the phone line as he killed himself."

I felt like I could die,
"And I also know you." she continued, "I know you worked with your friend's father on drug interventions with his street ministry. I know you had an angry drug dealer shove his pistol in your face and you used words to talk him down. I know you cry every time you hear about a case of human trafficking. I know that you comforted your friend when his mother died. I know you stayed with your wife when she was diagnosed with a severe form of bipolar. I know how hard you cried when she confessed to sleeping with four other men after you had saved yourself for her. I know you have never even kissed any other woman except her. I know you took up security work to protect others even though you could have made more money somewhere else."

"I know you inside and out and I deem you worthy. Do you wish to debate that?" she asked calmly.

"No." I said bluntly.

I was flabbergasted. Not only was she offering me a position, but she was willing to do it even after she knew me as only I knew myself. Words failed me. I could not vocalize my feelings, no matter how much I wanted to. The situation had gone from nightmarish to humbling in just a few minutes and I was struggling to catch up, both mentally and emotionally.

I lay there on the bed, thinking. I wasn't paying attention to Doc puttering around to my left. She was doing odd and random things to me but they weren't invasive so I ignored them. I turned my face toward the ceiling and my eyes followed. I scrutinized the porous stone ceiling for the most fine details while my mind continued to turn.

I realized, after a few minutes, that I was getting nowhere and turned my head back toward the tall Kavim to my right,
"Who are you?" it was the only question that came to mind.

She cracked a small smile,
"I am Celestia, Princess of Equestria. Please, don't let the title get to you, I'd prefer if you were very honest with me. I have been completely honest with you."

I quirked an eyebrow at the statement, something seemed very off,
"Let me get this straight. You're royalty and you're asking me to be bare-balls-blunt with you?"

Celestia snickered behind her hoof,
"I would prefer the term, 'candidly direct'. I know you always edited your feelings when you spoke with anyone, please don't feel the need to do so around me. I know everything about you. In any case, welcome to Equestria."

"Equestria?" I asked without thinking, "Ah, you know what I do about Latin. I take it there's no particularly good translation between your native language and American?"

"Actually the translation is very close. The literal translation would be, 'The Land In Which The Kavim Dwell', so it's not far off." she explained.

"Huh, nice coincidence." a question suddenly sprung into my mind, "Wait a second, if you speak American, why don't any of your Kavim speak it too? Does it take that long to teach?"

"No, I loathe using magic to solve every problem, besides, if I used magic to 'implant' the language, my Ponies would also have some knowledge about things I would rather not have them know." Celestia said.

"Magic?" I thought about the title for their strange power, it seemed a reasonable enough name, "So what happened to my people?"

Celestia's face fell somewhat, which put me on edge,
"Most of them are fine, but some of them didn't make it. They are living in an abandoned town to the North-West." a mischievous glint shone in her eyes briefly before she smothered it, "A number of my Ponies should be arriving today to help your people build."

"You keep saying Ponies, I thought your species were called Kavim." I said curiously.

Celestia quirked a smile at my question,
"We ARE called Kavim, but that is our own word for ourselves. I chose the American word 'Pony' because it doesn't sound as threatening as Kavim. Besides it's a word that Humans associate with things that are cute and it's a familiar word, so it makes us seem less foreign and alien to Humans."

"O.K. I'll give you that, very clever. So what do you need me for? You seem to have everything well in hand . . . hoof, whatever. Actually that brings another question to mind. What do you want me to call the hoof-like structures Kavim walk on?" I asked.

"Hooves will work just fine. As for what I need you for, the answer is simple. My sister and I already have more than enough to deal with, ruling our nation. I want you to act as a 'go-between' for our two species. Don't worry, I have no intention of asking you to rule your people, that would end poorly as you have neither the desire nor the organizational skills or patience required to do so. No, what I want from you is, as I said, for you to execute the position and duties of an Emissary. I also need you to work with one of my Ponies on a translation of our languages." Celestia pointed with her lips at the tan mare on the far left side of the room, "Her name translates into Razor Wit. She's a linguistics specialist and she requested to work with you on this translation."

"Sound's logical enough." I said with a shrug, but not liking the implications, "When do we leave?"

"You don't, at least not yet. You're far too thin to return to the other Humans yet. They would think we were starving you. I'd like you to put on some weight and have a working copy of the translation in the form of a book before you go join your people. I cannot have you walking around Canterlot either . . . "

"Canterlot?" I asked in a deadpan tone, "Like Camelot but with canter in there because it pertains to Ponies?"

Celestia nodded with a trollish grin,
"Oh yes, I'm having quite a lot of fun with puns. Las Pegasus, Flankfurt, Trottingham, Stalliongrad, Manehattin . . . "

"Oh dead GOD, stop!" I said emphatically.

Celestia chuckled while I groaned,
"Oi. No more puns, please, I already don't trust you, don't make it worse."

Celestia's chuckling ceased immediately,
"What? Why?"

"Let's see here," I said holding out my skeletal right hand, I tipped the index finger,
"You have all of my memories so you know all my secrets." I tipped my middle finger, "You are clever and super powerful, which is never a good thing." I tipped my ring finger, "You are capable of manipulating me like a puppet on a string." I tipped my pinkie, "You're saddling me with a position I never asked for nor consented to." I tipped my thumb, "And you know my language yet you're unwilling to share it. It would make the process much faster and much more easy but you don't want to. Am I missing anything? Oh, and I don't trust you. Don't get me wrong, I am eternally grateful for what you did for my people, but I don't trust anyone with as much power as you seem to have."

Celestia seemed taken aback,
"I told you about the position so I could get your input. I never intended to force you into it."

"Alright, thank you for that, but I still haven't accepted the position. You assumed I would take it, and I may, but I need some time to think about it." I said.

Celestia's face was blankly neutral for several seconds before she grinned,
"Ah," she said in recognition, "You're testing me, just like I was testing you. I believe the term is 'feeling each other up'?"

"Out. Feeling each other out. To feel someone up is to attempt to garner a sexual arousal response." I said.

Celestia's troll grin was huge,
"I know." she tapped a hoof against her head, "Your memories, remember?"

"This is gonna be hell, isn't it?" I said morosely.

Celestia smiled hugely and rose to her hooves,
"Only if you make it so. I'm several thousand years old and, as you noted, rather powerful. Believe me Daniel, if I wanted to manipulate you, you would never know it. In time you will come to understand that my sister and I are benevolent. We look out for the greater good of all beings, including Humans." she slowly strode over to the door and looked over her shoulder, "If you really don't want to work on the translation guide, I won't force you to. Take your time. Was there anything you needed?"

"I could use some clothes and a set of weights." I looked at my stickly arms, "I'm impersonating Skeletor here. Oh, and if you're serious about me not being a prisoner you can get rid of the soldiers too."

Celestia shook her head,
"The Guards stay, I'm afraid. The vast majority of my Ponies aren't aware of Humans yet and I'd like to keep it that way until our species share a language." she sighed, "I was expecting some resistance from you, but not with such venom. Can you not trust me to do what is best?"

"I apologize if I came across as rude, but the answer is 'no'. Power corrupts . . . " I began.

"And absolute power corrupts absolutely. I know the saying." Celestia finished.

"Well, here's one more: there is no knowledge that is not power." I said crossly, "You literally have absolute power over me and I can't trust anyone who has that. I'll cooperate if something seems like a good idea, but I'm always and forever going to be wondering if you have an ulterior motive."

Celestia seemed to ponder my statement before she nodded sadly,
"Very well. I'll make the arrangements to have you taken back to your people."

"I'll do the translation then." I said suddenly, "Furthermore I'll do it here while I'm recuperating. I needed to see you were willing to actually do what you said. I'm nowhere near sold on the whole Emissary idea, but I'll play ball for now."

Celestia smiled and nodded politely,
"You're going to make me regret asking you to be candid, aren't you?"

I shook my head,
"Nope, just don't expect me to jump through hoops only because you think it's a good idea. You know me, so you know that if I say I'll help, I'm going to do the best job I can. I may not be a lap dog, but if I agree to something, you're going to get a spectacular effort from me. Just remember, you have my memories, so I'm not going to trust you easily. You asked me for honest, you got it, your majesty."

"Razor Wit is clearly going to have her hooves full. Good luck. If you need anything, just say my name to one of the Guards. They'll come get me." Celestia finished and left the room.

Doc seemed to be finished with me, as evidenced by her quick departure on Celestia's heels . . . hooves, whatever. I flopped my right arm over my face, it was bony and kind of uncomfortable. I sighed heavily and pulled my arm away from my face. A sheet of paper floated in front of my face, about a foot away, I turned my head and saw the smiling face of . . . what had Celestia called her . . . Sharp Mind no . . . Razor Wit. She looked happy and excited, 'Wish I felt the same way.' I silently groused.

I sat up slowly and the paper settled down on my lap. I picked it up and looked it over. There was a list of full-color drawings of various fruits and vegetables. The pictures were about one inch square each and arranged vertically, from top to bottom. There were words written above each drawing and a blank space below each one, I assumed, for me to write the American translation for it. Just to the right of every picture was a pair of boxes. At the top of the page was a smiling Kavim face and a frowning one, right above the two vertical rows of boxes. 'Very nice. It makes identification easy, it denotes whether or not each food is good or not, and it provides a reference point for the pronunciation of each word with corresponding letters. Damn, teachers on Earth could learn a thing or two from these Kavim.' I shuddered at the word Celestia had used, 'Ponies! Ugh! I'm never calling them Ponies.'

* * *

A gray Unicorn stallion with a royal purple mane and tail slowly cracked open his eyes, 'Am I dead?' he drew a deep breath and let it out. He was lying on his back, facing a stone ceiling.

"You are finally awake I see." said a silky smooth feminine voice.

The stallion turned his head to his right, following the voice,
"P . . . Princess Luna!?" he instantly slammed his lips shut.

The indigo Alicorn mare nodded,
"It is I." she was lying on the floor next to the stallion's bed while two Royal Guards stood a silent vigil by the closed door, "What am I to do with you? Can you not keep yourself out of trouble for two months?"

The stallion said nothing, Luna continued,
"Your case is an interesting one." she levitated a clipboard in front of her, "Very interesting indeed."

She tapped her right fore hoof against the parchment on the clipboard,
"No punctured lungs, no injuries to the heart, no injuries to any internal organs," she pulled up the paper, "Not even any major arteries or veins punctured or even damaged." she levitated the clipboard back onto the peg at the hoof of the stallion's bed, "Nearly a Fathom of steel in your body and not a single life-threatening injury?" she shook her head, "You are the second Pony to be the recipient of an Act Of Magic in less than a year. Normally my sister and I only see one per generation, and even that, not always." she looked at the stallion lying on the bed, "You may speak."

The stallion licked his lips,
"I'm going to live?" he asked.

Princess Luna blinked in surprise,
"Is that not what I just said? Thou . . . You are going to be fine."

To say the stallion was surprised would have been a gross understatement,
"I don't understand, your Majesty. I was certain I had seen my death."

Luna nodded and rose to her hooves,
"By all rights, you should be dead. Your wound should have been as fatal as incineration, yet do you draw breath." she leaned over the side of the bed and looked down at the stallion, "Do you comprehend the depth of meaning here?"

The stallion shook his head,
"I've heard of Acts Of Magic, but I never thought I would ever see one. I'm afraid I have no idea what it means."

"It means that the natural, normally latent magic of the world intervened and changed a situation, your situation. Any time that occurs, the recipient always has an important part left to play in the world." Luna sighed and began a slow circuit around the bed, "My sister and I learned long ago that an Act Of Magic is never to be ignored. They are singularly pivotal events and Celestia and I have also learned to read signs that go along with them. You have already seen these signs, but you couldn't recognize them." she stopped, now on the stallion's left and finished her statement, "What is the last thing you remember before losing consciousness, Beacon?"

"I remember the Human stabbing me in the chest looked horrified and I remember looking down and seeing my initial symbol carved into the pommel." he said.

Princess Luna nodded,
"That confirms what we thought." she say down next to the bed, "Allow me to clarify the signs for you. One, you were where you were supposed to be. That means you stay in Equestria. Two, the one who injured you was horrified. That means you have a connection to that being. Three, they were out for revenge, just like you were. That means absolution for you. Four, the sword that pierced you was your own. That means your time wielding that sword is not over. And Five, you were protecting a former enemy when it happened. That means your place is with them, protecting them."

Beacon's face lit up with excitement,
"Does that mean I'll be accepted back into the Royal Guard!?"

"No." she crushed his rising hope with a single word, "Your time in the Royal Guard is over, now and forever. What that means is that you will be granted a Royal Permission to wear and wield your sword. You will join the Humans in their new home and help them build. You will attach yourself to the Humans and you will spend the rest of your life among them. Beyond that, your life is yours once more. I have taken the liberty of bringing your possessions here for you. Your family has already been informed of where you will be, but not who you will be with. If they write you, you cannot say anything about the Humans and tell them if they visit you, they will have to remain until Celestia and I reveal the Humans to all of Equestria publicly. Do you understand, Beacon?"

Beacon's ears wilted,
"I do Princess."

Luna nodded soberly,
"Good. You are well enough to walk. You will ride in the carriage with me. Come."

Beacon scrambled to get out of bed. His stitches weren't completely sealed yet but he powered through the discomfort. He had been given a second chance and he wasn't about to squander it.

Chapter 20: Tense Situations

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It was the end of the day. Nine days had passed since the Ponies had arrived and the Fellowship Of Leadership was having another meeting on top of City Hall, as had become habit after dinner. The rest of the people were sleeping soundly on the first floor, but the Fellowship Of Leadership was still awake.

"Final count, seven hundred and four." Alex reported, "The influx of Ponies has finally stopped. We have three . . . um, family herds and all the others seem to be single. From the families we have fourteen . . . foals?" he scratched his head, "Yeah, foals sounds about right. R.J. recorded the coloration and markings on each one so we at least have an idea of what they can do and who they are, even if we can't hope to write their names."

Mike Joyner nodded,
"What about any incidents?"

"Those are down from the first couple of days they were here. We had four incidents yesterday, as compared to the seventeen we had on the first day, that's pretty good. The four incidents were: a miscommunication between Mike Spearman and one of the Ponies about where to put discarded branches. It ended with hand gestures. The next was a mishap at lunch, we had left-overs and we wanted to give them away but none of the Ponies would touch it, so we had to discard about two pounds of 'garden garbage special'. Not too big a deal. Third was a little more serious, one of the Ponies walked into one of the latrine where Rachel was putting on one of the menstrual cloths and seemed to be staring at her the whole time. She became upset and yelled at the Pony. And finally, we had an incident where one of the Ponies saw two women in a fight and used magic to levitate them apart. The two women were really upset about that and have been avoiding the Ponies ever since." Alex related.

Mike nodded and turned to Eduardo and Darryl,
"How are the field workers doing?"

"The Ponies seem to do very well by themselves and really don't look like they need any supervision. Eduardo had the idea to have them just eat the weeds and it's working like a charm." Darryl patted Eduardo on the shoulder.

Eduardo nodded with a smile,
"We do have an issue though. That pendejo, Jason. He keeps trying to apologize to every Pony he sees. He's all weepy all the time. I'm no shrink, but I'm pretty sure he's depressed or feeling really guilty. Any time he sees a foal, he looks like he's about to start crying."

Mike nodded,
"That's to be expected. He's starting to emerge from his P.T.S.D. but it's a long process. He'll come around in time, we just need to keep an eye on him." he turned to Morris, "Alright, lay it on me, how many tools are we missing today?"

Morris sighed heavily,
"You want the total or an itemized list?"

"Just give me the total." Mike said.

"The total of missing tools is two hundred and eighteen. I'm all but absolutely certain the Ponies have them. Have you come to a decision about what to do about it yet? We're not in dire straights yet, but I'll give us five more days before we start running low. If we could get the forge up and running, I could start producing more, but it's going to take time." Morris reported.

"Andrew an' me got some good news yall." Kaneesha said, "We found a quarry an' get this, its got iron deposits, not just any iron, banded iron."

"Finally some good news." Chris griped, "It's been nothing but difficult ever since those Ponies got here. I don't really have anything against them, but the missing tools are really starting to bug me."

"No kiddin'" Leo said, "We missin' a bunch o' bandages an' antiseptics an' I'm pretty sure them Ponies got 'em." he leaned forward, "We gotta get our shit back or we ain't gonna have enough when a real emergency hits. I done chased out about fifteen o' 'em who got some sort o' medical tattoo. There ain't no way they know as much as we do about medicine. Hell they prolly still use leeches and blood-letting."

"I agree we've got a problem, but we could use the help. I've never delivered a baby and some o' them probably have. But there's another problem," Richardson said, "We're missin' more than just a few bandages, we're missin' a bunch o' pain killers too, the heavy stuff that I . . . we need."

"Bobby, Cessily, and Leo," Mike addressed, "Try to find out how much they know about medicine. I know you don't like it but we need to consolidate our supplies in one location. The tattoos seem to be symbolic of their occupation. Try for a knowledge exchange instead of chasing them off. Who knows, maybe they know something we don't."

"We seem to have run into a bit of a problem with the foals." Tina said suddenly, "Their Mothers are constantly busy keeping them in line and the Mothers can't get much work done. I'd like permission to try to start up a day care."

Joyner shook his head,
"We can't spare the people. We need you to keep working on a permanent system for the toilets. The Ponies need someplace to go that's not so difficult for them to use." he turned toward David, "Do we have an idea of how many more miles of land we need to cultivate before we become self sufficient?"

David nodded,
"Yeah, about eighteen more square miles. It's going to be a really lean winter. We also need to get going on the lumber mill. If we can clear the land maybe the Ponies can help cultivate. The ones without wings or horns seem to have a pretty good grasp on how to grow crops." David smiled, "Honestly, we're growing a lot more with their help and the longer term benefits could be really great. We need to have them poop in one location and use it for fertilizer. They poop a lot too. The weeds go in one end and rich fertilizer comes out the other. If we can harness it, we might be able to grow a ton more food."

"Next issue, vitamins." Bobby said, "The women who are pregnant are in that time frame where they need prenatal vitamins for their babies to be healthy. Once they start breast-feeding, they'll need extra vitamins too. We need specific supplements for them and we don't have them."

"I think I can help," Rachel said, "My major was in pediatric medicine. I can map out suggested foods for before and after birth. We need more though. The expectant Mothers need a clean place to have their babies. Someplace quiet and most importantly, someplace clean. I'd recommend one of the stone buildings, but the Ponies are sleeping in those."

"Is it just me or do most of our problems seem to revolve around the Ponies. Aren't they supposed to be helping us?" Andrew asked.

"The problem ain't them, it's us." Cessily said, "We been thinkin' that it's Humans an' Ponies. If we tried to work with 'em, I'll bet we'd get a lot more done. We gotta think like 'us' as in all of us."

Mike Joyner rested his head on his right fist,
"Go on."

"We got to get them to organize with us, but we don't share a language. How about we draw up a bunch o' cards with pictures on 'em an' use those to communicate. Hand gestures are good an' all but we need somethin' more concrete an' we need to focus on two things mainly. One, harvesting lumber. Nearly everything we need comes from that. Two, growing food. Erebody gotta eat. If we get those two squared away, I think the rest will fall into place. We take half the people from fishing an' have 'em all chopping wood. The Ponies are all stronger than us, let's use it. We cut the wood, they haul it. Eduardo done cleaned up a few o' them roads leadin' out o' town. We make us some sleighs an' get the Ponies to haul the wood back. We'll need some folks to stay in the woods an' actually make the mill too. We got the tools for that, let's use 'em."

"Yeah, but the Ponies are keeping the tools already. If we start handing out more of them, we'll have lost them all in no time." Morris pointed out.

"Well then we use the Guards!" Cessily exclaimed, "They aren't doing anything else." she turned toward Chris, "You think you can draw up somethin' that's sure to get our point across to the Guards? Something that has them going around and collecting the tools we missing?"

Chris didn't even have to think,
"Yeah, I can have it done by tomorrow afternoon."

Cessily settled down and nodded happily,
"Ain't so hard."

R.J. Brinsin spoke next,
"We got another problem comin' up here soon yall. Some o' the people are wantin' to have some sort o' church service, only problem is, we got a lot o' religions bein' represented. We got Islam, Christian, Judaism, an' Buddhist."

Mike Joyner shook his head,
"This was bound to come up eventually. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting people to want to worship so soon. Religion could divide us just as quickly as racism and we cannot risk the division. We can't tell people not to worship, but we can spread the word that we'll get on it just as soon as we stabilize. There's another problem that's going to come us and I want to address it before it becomes a hazard. Once we get stabilized or at least into a routine, people are going to begin mourning their families and lives. That's going to mean a lot of depressed people. We need to keep everyone occupied until we're stable enough to handle it. Everyone keep an eye out so we can squash the problem before it turns into an issue."

Kaneesha suddenly rose to her feet, pointing with her right hand,
"What's that?"

* * *

Straight Edge sat around the communal fire with the families and the other Ponies who had volunteered to join the community. The foals were already asleep so the adults could talk among themselves.

Steady Hoof, the Pegasus mare doctor was speaking to everypony,
"The Humans don't want us here, it's obvious. I didn't come out here to have them stare at me when I'm trying to do my job. I'm a doctor, why won't they let me do what I know? What's their problem? They actually chased me out of the second floor of City Hall where they keep the medical supplies. They're hoarding everything! How are we supposed to do our part when they're withholding what we need? How am I supposed to examine them when they shy away from me?"

Another mare raised her hoof,
"I'm Green Leaf," she introduced herself, "I think we should just keep doing what we've been doing. It has always worked for us so why change anything."

Long Wind blew out an exasperated breath,
"I'm Long Wind," she said, "The problem with that is these Humans obviously have a different way of doing things. I doubt they want us gone, but I do think we have to meet them on common ground. We need to come to some sort of resolution, a compromise. They have a different way of doing things than we do. There's a lot about them we don't know or understand. I saw one of them using the toilet earlier today and she was wrapping a cloth around her 'feminine area' because she was bleeding."

The statement caused a myriad of gasps from the other mares.

"Was she injured?" one asked.
"Was a male too rough with her?" another queried.
"She wasn't in labor was she?" a third asked.

Long Wind shook her head,
"No. I'm pretty sure it was none of those. The pregnant females are easy to identify and she isn't one of them. You see?" she asked emphatically, "We don't even understand why they do many of the things they do. We can't just go on assuming they mean any harm, that won't help at all. We need to try to understand them."

"That's easy for you to say." one yellow Unicorn mare said, "I stopped two of them from fighting and they got mad at ME for it."

"Did you use magic?" Long Wind asked.

The mare nodded,
"Of course I did! I read the report of how fragile they are. I'm not going to risk injuring one of them by using my hooves!"

"Did you also read the part where seventy of them were slaughtered by Unicorns?" Long Wind asked, "They don't have any magic and because of their experience, they're afraid of it. They're scared of us because their only previous encounters with Ponies have been dangerous. They just don't know how to react to us. We need to try to be understanding with them. We came here to help them, not distance ourselves from them. What we need to do is take as many steps as we can to get close to them. We need to go out of our way to help them, show them that we're friends, not something they have to fear."

"Yeah, but how?" Green Leaf asked.

"How about this to start, tomorrow we bring back all the tools," she held up her hoof to forestall any argument, "Whether or not it's less efficient. They're reluctant to meet us half way, let's take the lead and hopefully they'll get the idea. Starting tomorrow, we should take steps to help them specifically with whatever we can. They have strengths and weaknesses just like we do. They aren't as strong as any of us are, but they have very fine precision with their paws . . . hands. If we compliment them and really put forth some effort into trying to work together with them I think we'll do well." she looked at the dozens of faces illuminated by the firelight, "When I first volunteered for this I thought it would be much more easy. I'm betting all of you thought the same, didn't you?"

A small ocean of nodding heads and mumbled affirmatives met her question,
"So it isn't as easy as we thought. I thought it would be easy raising foals," she smiled, "Was I ever wrong!" her statement brought out a few chuckles, "But having already made the effort, I wouldn't change a thing. My filly is a beautiful and amazing young mare and I'm excited to see what she does in life. I think we're facing the same situation here. It's really tough trying to get along with the Humans but I think that if we're willing to try, REALLY try, that the end result will be exciting. I can't teach them any language yet, but we can all teach them about working together. Equestria is a land of harmony, far above all others, let's show the Humans why."

A Pegasus mare swooped down from the roof,
"There's an air carriage coming this way."

* * *

"You really didn't need to take the time to bring me all the way here Princess. I would have come." Beacon couldn't hide the tremor in his voice.

He sat next to Princess Luna in her air carriage trying not to shiver. He found the moon Princess as intimidating as could be. She made him nervous, but he dared not to show it lest he risk her wrath. He had been on the receiving end of THAT unpleasantness once and once was more than enough for him.

"It is no trouble, Beacon. I wish to see this settlement for myself, besides I have yet to look upon even a single Human and my curiosity is piqued." she turned and regarded the former Royal Guard with a piercing gaze, "Or was there a different meaning to your statement that I am supposed to glean?"

Beacon swallowed and Luna wondered if he might actually tell her. She already knew he was nervous, it was obvious. She wanted to see if he felt comfortable enough or brave enough to speak his mind, 'The only Pony willing to speak with me openly or honestly is Tia.' she sighed gently in disappointment, 'It cannot be helped I suppose. Such is the weight of rule.'

"No," Beacon replied nervously, "I didn't mean anything else by it."

Luna poked her head over the side of the air carriage,
"We are descending. Once we land, I will publicly give you your sword, baldric, and scabbard. Keep them close to you, Beacon. You never know when you may need them." she pondered briefly then decided to be direct, "Are you afraid of me, Beacon?"

The stallion went stiff as a board,
"No," he said, "No, I'm terrified of you."

Luna hid a pleased smile,
"Why?"

"You frighten me," he said, eyes shifting to Luna then back, "Badly."

The air carriage began its descent toward the ground in earnest,
"And why is that?"

"You yelled at me." Luna had to stifle a gale of laughter at Beacon's absurd statement, "I know it was all my fault and I deserved it and worse, but it scared me. I faced down the Recruit Trainers, and I fought against the Changelings, but neither of those even come close to how you made me feel. I felt like an insect, worse than pond scum." he lowered his gaze, "And I knew you were right. It made me feel . . . vulnerable."

Luna extended her right wing and patted Beacon on the head, the contact was brief but it was there,
"You learn. There is hope for you yet."

The air carriage touched down in Town Square, observed by many Humans and Ponies. Princess Luna stepped out of the carriage and every one of the Ponies instantly bowed. The significance of the gesture was not lost on the Humans, however none of them bowed.

Kaneesha casually walked over to Mike's side,
"Ain't that one o' the two we saw in the first field?"

Joyner nodded,
"Yep. I'm all but absolutely certain that's Princess Luna, Celestia's sister."

"I wonder what she doin' here?" Kolo asked.

Beacon stepped out of the air carriage after the indigo Alicorn. His bearing was alert but subdued.

"You may rise." Luna said softly.

The Humans only heard gibberish, Leo grunted,
"What the fuck ever man. I don't think she here for us. Fuck it, I'm goin' to bed."

The Alicorn Princess levitated a sword and scabbard attached to a baldric out of the rear of the carriage,
"Kneel." she ordered the Unicorn stallion quietly, Beacon knelt and lowered his head to the dirt, "You are hereby granted Royal Permission to wield this sword for the protection of the residents of this town, who are already known to you." she lowered the baldric over his neck and fastened it to his barrel, just in front of his hind legs, the scabbard and sword followed, "Keep it clean and sharp as you keep your mind and body clean and sharp. Rise Beacon and go on your way. Your possessions are in the back of the carriage."

Beacon rose from his bow and trotted to the back side of the carriage. Princess Luna slowly navigated her way to the gathered crowd of open-mouthed Ponies. They had seen several things which almost never happened. Beacon had intentionally touched his horn to the dirt. It was an ancient sign of the highest form of submission from any Unicorn. Second, Princess Luna had personally and publicly granted a Royal Permission, not only that but the Royal Permission was for a weapon. The gathered Ponies were utterly confused. The show of submission was considered to be both demeaning and debasing, but Royal Permissions were only ever given to heroes and the fact that it was a SWORD was the most confusing of all. Heroes and veterans were allowed to keep their weapons but only as display. ONLY Guards ever carried weapons. If a Pony was found carrying a weapon, the weapon was confiscated and the Pony was fined ten Bits per ounce of weapon weight. Who was the Unicorn stallion that he should be both so humble and so honored?

The Ponies cleared a path for their Princess of the night, all wondering what was going on,
"How goes everything here?" Luna asked nopony in particular.

The Ponies all looked at each other strangely,
"It's not very easy, your Highness." Steady Hoof said, "The Humans have been . . . reluctant to accept us."

Luna stopped and turned to the older Pegasus mare,
"I shouldn't be surprised." she glanced over her shoulder at the Humans briefly, "They have no reason to be particularly friendly toward you. That is part of the reason my sister asked for volunteers. It was guaranteed to be a difficult task, however the end result, I believe, will prove to be more than worth the effort. I trust there have been no injuries?"

Steady Hoof shook her head,
"A few skinned knees and splinters but nothing substantial, certainly nothing caused by us."

Luna smirked,
"I was referring to the Humans." she said, "They have limited numbers and cannot risk any more deaths. I assume they have been uncooperative, then?"

Steady Hoof nodded,
"And abrasive. They don't seem to be hostile though, mainly just wary and greedy. They've been trying to hoard the tools and medical supplies."

"Food as well?" Luna asked.

"No, in fact they've been more than generous with it." Steady Hoof said.

"Do you see the contradictory nature of the situation?" Luna asked, "They hoard some things while they are generous with others. What do you make of that?"

Steady Hoof shrugged,
"I hadn't thought about it."

Luna nodded and began to slowly pace on circles, looking left and right at her subjects,
"They are generous with the food because they respect you as living things and they know well, the pangs of hunger. They keep the tools and medical supplies for themselves because there is a finite amount of it and they have no way to manufacture more. They are concerned that you will waste or damage it. They withhold the tools and medicine because they don't trust you to be responsible with it." she stopped and looked around, "Have any of you validated their fears by taking tools and medicines? Have you gone and made the problem worse because of a poor response?"

Green Leaf spoke up,
"What were we supposed to do, Princess? Work without tools?"

"Most certainly not, but answer me this, how do you intend to gain their trust if you are playing into their fears and validating their paranoia?"

Steady Hoof had no ready answer for that question, she lowered her eyes at the realization,
"I . . . I guess we can't."

Luna gently lifted the mare's chin with her left fore hoof,
"Do not become discouraged my little Pony. Now that you are aware of the problem you can work to solve it." Princess Luna leaned over and softly kissed Steady Hoof on the forehead, "There is always a solution." she lowered her hoof and turned to the others, "Whenever there is a problem we must always look to ourselves first, for we may well find the fault in a mirror. Twas a lesson hard learned for me and I would not see any of my little Ponies venture down the same path." she turned to leave, "Sleep now, for joy comes in the morning and brings hope of a new day. Goodnight."

The Ponies bowed a second time as their Princess' dismissal. Beacon was waiting for Luna by the carriage. He had retrieved his saddle bags and possessions.

"Why do you wait for me?" Luna asked, "Did I not say to go on your way?"

Beacon nodded,
"You did, Princess. I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Luna asked.

"For this chance to correct my mistakes." Beacon replied.

Luna shook her head,
"Twas no decision of mine. I would have left you to finish your sentence. The magic of the world decided your fate. You may curse it before your time is up. An Act Of Magic always works out for the benefit of all, however it does, in no way, guarantee the safety or happiness of the recipient. The Human Emissary is a good example. He is permanently disfigured and may not live a pleasant life. His disfigurement is so severe he may never find a mate. He may very well die alone and unloved, perhaps even forgotten by his own kind. It is not a fate I would wish on any. Go about your life and keep to your convictions. You are dismissed."

Beacon bowed one last time,
"If you ever have need of me in any way, Princess, you need only ask."

Luna nodded,
"Very well." she turned and looked at the Humans who were still watching, "I do believe I should go introduce myself."

"As do I. I intend to attach myself to them. I will sleep among them as one of their own." Beacon said oddly.

Luna was baffled by the stallion's statement, but decided to ignore it. She could see several Humans standing at the entryway to City Hall. She strode toward them in a slow and regal gait. She stopped two Fathoms away from the doorway and inclined her head slightly. The Humans responded in kind, their nods were respectful but not groveling. Beacon trotted up beside Princess Luna and performed a full bow to them. The stallion's actions openly puzzled the Humans.

The moon Princess slowly approached the Humans. When they didn't move aside, she raised her right hoof and prodded one of them out of the way with gentle but firm pressure.

"Why she pushin' me outa the way?" R.J. asked.

"Probably because you didn't move." Mike Joyner snarked, "She wants to come in, move out of the way."

The other Humans followed his directions and let the Princess through. The strange gray Unicorn stallion with the royal purple mane and tail followed her inside. The Princess stopped just beyond the doorway and gazed at the sleeping bodies sprawled all around the floor, 'They look so frail.' Beacon slowly navigated his way around the sleeping Humans, careful not to step on any of them. His eyes carefully scanned the slumbering forms, looking for one specific individual.

The Humans by the doorway watched silently for nearly ten minutes before the stallion stopped. He lowered his head and sniffed a young blond woman's hair for a few seconds before he turned in place and levitated a blanket out of his bags and laid it on the ground next to her. He stepped onto the blanket and laid down. He closed his eyes and stayed still.

"The hell does he think he's doin'?" R.J. asked.

"Leave him be." Cessily said quietly, "He's got his reasons. Leave him be."

Mike looked at Cessily, puzzled,
"What? How do you know?"

Cessily shook her head,
"How do I know what?"

"What you just said, 'he has his reasons, leave him be.' What did you mean?" Mike asked.

Cessily suddenly yawned hugely,
"Sorry Mike, I must be more tired than I thought cause I don't remember sayin' that. Tell me what happens in the morning. I'm going to bed."

Joyner watched Cessily head toward the stairs. The Fellowship Of Leadership all slept on the first floor except Richardson, Leo, and Jewel. The three of them slept n the medical station. The rest of the Leadership watched Princess Luna like hawks as she lit up her horn. Her magic coalesced into sparkling motes that floated down from the ceiling and onto the sleeping Humans. The Fellowship had no clue what she had done but they were honestly too tired to care as long as it didn't cause any problems. The Alicorn Princess turned around and nodded to the Fellowship then took her leave.

Chapter 20.5: Dreams

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Ashley Harvey's sleep was troubled, as it had been for nearly two months. Every time she slept, she dreamt the same two things. Her mind flashed back to the night of the massacre. The blinding lights and the blast of sound that deafened her temporarily. She rolled around on the ground with her eyes clenched shut and her ears covered. Her spear was lying on the ground next to her, within easy reach. She rolled over onto it, cutting her arm on the blade. The shock of the pain made her open her eyes. The world had gone mad. People ran around all over the place in confusion while lightning bolts streaked out of the darkness all around. Ashley watched in slow motion as her sister, Auriana, just beginning to show her pregnancy, was struck from behind with a shaft of lightning. Auriana's strawberry hair framed her terrified face as a full foot of her chest cavity exploded outward in a shower of bone and blood.

Auriana fell over onto her face and moved no more. Ashley could feel the tears running down her face. She had seen it so many times before. She crawled on her hands and knees over to Auriana's body. She turned her sister over and gazed in horror at the empty cavity where her breasts had been before. She could smell the charred flesh, the stench of the burnt fat from her breast tissue wafted into her nose. Ashley covered her mouth with her hands as a scream ripped itself from her throat. She wrapped her arms around Auriana's still twitching body and held her close. She cried with such force and such depth that no sound came out. Her sorrow was beyond natural Human capacity. Her mind and body were in complete shock. Without thinking, Ashley put her hand on Auriana's slightly swollen stomach. Where there had been life developing before, now there was an empty void. The life was gone, cruelly snuffed out before it had any chance. Ashley rocked back and forth even as the lightning bolts continued flying. People died all around her as she knelt in place holding her sister's lifeless body.

Unbeknownst to Ashley, two others bore witness to her agony. Princess Luna was deep in a trance on her air carriage, projecting herself into two minds. She stood silently, passively, almost completely still as she watched Ashley's memories play out before her. She was a stone, unaffected by what she saw. Beacon, on the other hand watched in silent horror at the pain his actions had wrought. His hooves slipped out from under him in his shock and he slid down onto his stomach, silent tears glistening in his eyes.

He watched, unable to turn away,
"I did this." he whispered.

He blinked and the first tears spilled from his eyes,
"It could very well have been my lightning that killed her."

"Them." Luna corrected, "The dead Human female was pregnant."

Beacon coughed but his cough became a hoarse sob,
"Stop it." he pleaded quietly, "Please stop." he could barely see through his tears.

The scene continued playing through his blurred vision. Innocent Humans were cut down in front of his eyes. They died by the dozen, all in horrible ways.

"You will not look away." Luna said firmly, "You will bear witness the atrocity in which you played a part. Let it be burned into your heart and know the face of vengeance for it is a hideous thing. It is a thing which disregards the sanctity of life and causes pain and misery in every one of its forms."

Beacon's eyes cleared up immediately, thanks to Luna's power over dreams. The clarity of the carnage before him was perfect and terrible to behold. Every second of it was indelible, it stained his memory like a red hot branding iron. He tried to close his eyes, tried to deny the truth of the reality. His eyes wouldn't close. He tried to bring up his hooves to cover his eyes but his limbs were frozen in place. Luna's control over him in the dream was absolute. His eyes were perpetually dry, yet he wanted to cry so badly. He wanted relief from the sight. He wanted something, anything to take his mind off the scene in front of him. He struggled against Luna's hold on him but it was useless, the lunar Princess' rule was absolute in the dream world.

Beacon couldn't stand to see any more. He opened his mouth to plead for mercy but no sound came out. He tried to yell. Nothing. He tried to scream. Nothing. He tried to cry. Nothing. His mind was in utter turmoil, it was torture, there was no other word for it. Beacon finally gave in, his will disintegrated and he just watched. His mind cried out for release but he forced himself to watch. It was right for him to watch the horrors he had wrought with his pride, 'It's unforgivable.' he thought, 'It's really unforgivable. How could I have ever been a part of this?' he wanted nothing more than to go back in time and fight the Unicorns he had called 'brothers'. He wanted to stop them. He wanted to tell them what they were doing was wrong on a level they had never imagined. He wanted them to see, to understand the madness of their attack, 'What have I done?' he asked himself sorrowfully, 'What have I done? How could I have been so heartless? How could I have been so cruel? How could I have ever done this? How?'

In that moment his sorrow knew no bounds, 'Never again.' he thought, 'Never again! Not this! Not to anypony else! Never! This should never have happened! Never! NEVER!' his spirit howled, rife with emotion.

The scene froze suddenly, everything except Ashley, Beacon, and Luna. Ashley realized her dream had been literally paused and looked down at the frozen image of her sister. She had very little experience with lucid dreaming. She looked around at the lightning bolts frozen in flight, at the panicked people halted in their tracks. Princess Luna stepped forth from the darkness, startling Ashley. The moon Princess approached the grief stricken young woman with all the composure that she could muster. The scene was one of the most tragic she had ever witnessed. She stopped in front of Ashley and knelt down, laying on the ground.

Ashley gazed at the intruder with tear stained eyes,
"Who," she sniffed, "Who are you?"

In the dream world Princess Luna had power beyond power, language was no barrier in her own realm,
"My name is Luna." she said quietly, "I am Celestia's sister and Princess of the night. Your dreams are troubled." Luna looked down at Auriana, "Who was she to you?"

"My . . . she was my sister." Ashley whispered, "Auriana."

Luna nodded sadly,
"She was with foal?"

Ashley looked back down at the frozen body,
"She was pregnant, yes." her lower lip trembled, "I was so excited." fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, "I was going to have a new little niece or nephew . . . "

Luna unfolded her left wing and gently wrapped it around Ashley's shoulders,
"I am sorry for your loss. It should never have happened."

Ashley violently shoved Luna's wing off her shoulder and turned to face the indigo Princess with a furious face,
"How would you know!?" she spat, "You have no idea what it's like! Get out, get out of my dreams! You have no right to spy on me! How dare you!"

Luna slowly rose to her hooves,
"Very well. I shall intrude on you no longer."

"W . . . wait." Ashley whispered, "I . . . " she paused, sniffed and wiped her nose, "Please don't go." she took a deep, cleansing breath and exhaled slowly, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, I just . . . " she trailed off quietly as the surrounding scene slowly faded to black.

Luna knelt back down,
"The grief is still fresh and you are hurting and confused." she took a chance and gently nuzzled Ashley's shoulder, "Do not let your grief drive away those who may wish to provide you comfort."

"Like you?" Ashley didn't look up as she spoke, "Is that why you're here?"

"Nay. I speak of your friends, the other Humans. Have they not offered comfort?" Luna asked drawing her head back.

Ashley shook her head,
"No. They don't know how to handle it either. Everyone has to deal with it on their own."

Luna shook her head sadly,
"Not any more."

Beacon had been listening to the entire exchange. He had been concealed within the surrounding darkness when the dream faded, but as Luna finished her sentence, his form was suddenly illuminated by a source-less light.

Luna nudged Ashley's head up and the young woman's vision fell onto Beacon. Her recognition of Beacon was instantaneous. Her eyes bulged and her breathing sped up, a cold sweat broke out on her skin almost immediately.

She stiffened up instantly,
"The one I killed!" the exclamation came out as a breathy whisper and Ashley tried to back away, even in her kneeling posture.

"He is not dead." Luna said quietly.

Ashley gained her feet and backed away quickly,
"I killed him." she whimpered, "I killed him." her back slapped against an invisible barrier.

"He is not dead." Luna repeated, "He lives." she turned her head to Beacon and suddenly he was garbed in his old Royal Guard armor, "Do you recognize him now?"

Ashley looked at the armored stallion. His coat was white and his mane was blond. She could no more identify him than she could any other Royal Guard.

Ashley shook her head,
"The only time I saw him was when I stabbed him." her eyes bulged, "He was a soldier?"

Luna nodded as Beacon's armor disappeared,
"He was one of the Royal Guard at one time. His position was stripped from him. He was sentenced, by me, to serve as a physical barrier, to use his own flesh as a shield to protect others. He was to live as a vagrant. His only food came from the generosity and kindness of the Ponies around him. He had no home and no possessions. There was no blanket to cover him in the cold. He was forbidden from speaking unless it was to save the life of another. He was forbidden from using magic. The years of his sentence had only just begun when you attacked the very town in which he was serving. To his credit, he did exactly what he was supposed to and you ran him through. The blade missed every organ, tissue, artery, and vein. By all logic, he should have died almost instantly. His time was not up though. A force far more powerful than Celestia or I decided his fate." she beckoned the stallion over even as Ashley slowly stepped away from the invisible barrier.

"I can't imagine what he must have done to be punished so harshly." Ashley whispered.

"Have a seat." Luna said patting a place next to her with her left wing, "Here in the dream world, my realm, our minds are linked. Language is no barrier. I am one of the only Ponies allowed to utilize any form of Mind magic."

Beacon swallowed hard and very slowly approached Ashley Luna. He reached back and drew his sword in his mouth. Ashley tensed but Luna quickly extended her wing over the young woman's shoulders. Beacon stopped in front of Ashley and laid the sword flat on the invisible ground then laid down in front of it. Ashley could clearly see the stitched wound from where she had stabbed him. Beacon laid back his ears and lowered his chin onto the ground.

"The crime he committed was the very same event you were dreaming." Luna said quietly.

Ashley gasped loudly and grabbed the sword almost without thinking. A heavy hoof descended onto the blade and slammed it back onto the floor with a heavy thump. The weight of the hoof pinned Ashley's fingers under the handle painlessly.

"Is your pain truly so great that you would do violence against one who has already suffered at your hand?" Luna's voice was quiet but stern, "Has there not been enough suffering already?"

Ashley looked down at her pinned hand then at the prostrate form of the stallion in front of her. Beacon hadn't moved a muscle. His eyes were closed but Ashley could swear she saw tears moistening the edges of his eyelids.

Luna spoke up again, her voice was quiet but intense,
"I forced him to watch your memory. He knows your sorrow. He may not speak your language in the waking world, but he is with you. The blade that ran him through was his own."

Ashley's head whipped toward Luna,
"How?" she asked.

"Fate, karma, magic, act of God, call it what you will. Your lives are intertwined. Your loss is great, but here is somepony sent to you. The purpose of this is far beyond me, but I promise you this, he will never hurt you. He has seen the agony of your loss. He begged me to stop because it was too much for him to bear. Look at him." Luna commanded.

Ashley looked back at Beacon. His posture hadn't changed but his head was up and his eyes were open. Her eyes met his and the two held each other's gaze.

Seconds passed.

Minutes passed.

Hours passed and still they held their gaze in absolute silence.

Luna very very slowly removed her hoof from the blade of the sword, careful not to disrupt the event before her. The two individuals that had been brought together were from two completely different worlds. Ashley had been on the road to becoming a brilliant airplane mechanic. Beacon had dreams of retiring from the Royal Guard and becoming an explorer. The paths of their two very different lives had intersected and spun both violently out of control. They had been brought back together and finally, actually met. What they saw in each other's eyes was a person, a living, thinking, feeling being.

That simple truth motivated the next event,
"I'm so sorry." Beacon whispered.

He broke eye contact and looked down, blinking away tears,
"You should have killed me."

Ashley had to blink away tears of her own as she let go of the sword handle,
"There's been enough blood." she slowly slid the sword over to him, "Keep it." she reached up and wiped her eyes, "I don't have any more use for it."

Luna slowly rose to her hooves,
"Sleep now. Let your dreams be troubled no more." she looked around at something Ashley and Beacon couldn't see, "My work is done here."

* * *

Princess Luna blinked and shook her head. She tilted her head back and cracked her neck left, then right. She sighed with relief as the built up tension melted away.

One of the Pegasi pulling her chariot looked over his shoulder,
"Is everything alright, your Majesty?"

Luna gazed affectionately at the concerned tone of the Guard and nodded,
"I can only hope." she looked out at her moon and cracked a small, warm smile, "Though, were I to guess, I'd say, 'yes'."

Chapter 21: Understandings

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"What the fuck!" a woman's voice cried.

The exclamation woke Ashley abruptly from her sleep. She opened her eyes but only saw gray. She was sleeping on her stomach, using her arms as pillows. She raised her head and looked toward the voice.

"What is that thing doing in here!?" the voice yelled.

The voice belonged to the young Caucasian woman Ashley had been sleeping beside, Kayla. Kayla was on her knees with her right hand extended, pointing to something between them. Ashley pushed herself up with her arms and followed the Kayla's pointing hand.

The same gray Unicorn from Ashley's dream was laying right next to her. He raised his head and yawned hugely then looked at Kayla in confusion. He shook out his purple mane and rose smoothly to his hooves then stretched out his back. He licked his lips and looked back at Kayla.

Ashley didn't know what to think. She remembered the dream with perfect clarity but she hadn't actually expected the stallion to be there the next morning, 'What did she call him?' Ashley wondered, 'That's right, Beacon.' she looked down at the stallion as he turned to face her, 'He looks exactly the same as he did in the dream.'

"Hello, Ashley?" Kayla asked, frustration clear in her tone, "I said what is that thing doing here?"

"I . . . I had a dream about him." Ashley said quietly.

"Him?" Kayla asked in dis belief, "How do you even know it's male?"

Kayla's volume was gathering quite a lot of attention. There were seven hundred people sleeping on the floor of City Hall and all of them were suddenly awakened by yelling. More than one grumpy, half-awake face took in the scene and more than one person commented on it.

"Shut up!"
"Jesus man, fuck off!"
"Stop yelling you stupid bitch!"
"Is that a Unicorn?"
"It's too early for yelling!"

Beacon cast his vision left and right, front and back, there was yelling coming from every direction and he didn't understand any of it, 'Are they all yelling at me?' he wondered. He laid his ears back, lowered his head and legs and took a small sideways step to his right, toward Ashley.

Ashley for her part was very confused, 'Why is he here? Luna didn't say why, heck she didn't even say he would be here. What am I supposed to do with him?' She felt Beacon's right shoulder press against her left thigh and she absentmindedly began scratching him behind the ears.

"Is he your pet or something?" Kayla asked.

Ashley blinked in confusion,
"N . . . No, why?"

"You're scratching him like a dog!" Kayla said pointing, "Besides you never answered me, what is he doing here?"

Ashley didn't like Kayla's attitude,
"Who gives a shit, Kayla? He isn't hurting anyone, so leave him alone." she looked around and decided to deflect the attention off herself, "Besides, YOU'RE the one who woke everybody else up."

Ashley bent down and grabbed up the blanket she had slept on,
"It's morning and it's time to get some breakfast and get going."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Joyner said loudly from the stairs, "The sun's rising and the sky is clear. We've been up for over an hour." he gestured outside, "Breakfast is on, fried fish and diced oranges. Do what you need to, everything should be ready in a few minutes." he stepped around dozens of people but stopped at the door, "Just to clarify," he pointed at Beacon, "He arrived late last night accompanied by an Alicorn, I think it was Queen Celestia's sister. I'd leave him alone. Like Ashley said, he isn't hurting anyone. Ashley, I'd like to talk to you, please."

Ashley swallowed hard, 'Last time he talked to me was when he was telling us we had to clean up all those tons of old, hard crap underneath City Hall.' She folded the blanket and handed off to one of Morris' Inventory Collectors at the doorway. She stepped outside and smelled the frying fish clearly. It smelled like fish. It tasted like fish. Ashley hated fish.

"Hey," Mike called from beside the cook fires, "Over here." he raised his hand and made a 'come hither' motion with his fingers.

The sudden nudge of an unexpected, cold, wet nose against her left palm made her jump in surprise. She looked down and met Beacon's eyes. A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed her, 'It's just like in the dream.' She broke eye contact with Beacon and headed toward Joyner.

"What did I do this time?" she asked pessimistically.

"Nothing that I'm aware of. I just wanted to ask about your new friend. Why, did you do something?" Joyner asked crossing his arms.

Ashley shrugged,
"I don't know why he's here, but I think he's the one I stabbed when Jason led us to that town."

Joyner looked down at Beacon,
"And you have absolutely no idea why he's following you like a lost puppy?"

"Well," Ashley scratched her head, "I had a dream about him last night."

"Go on." Joyner urged.

"It started the same way they do every night with me remembering the night of the attack. Last night was different though. There was this Pony. She was dark blue, almost black. She had wings and a horn and her tail and mane looked like the night sky. She was wearing some sort of shoes, a breastplate, and a crown." Ashley stopped for a breath, "She said her name was Luna." she pointed down to Beacon, "He was there too. Luna said he survived after I stabbed him and that he was SUPPOSEDLY connected to me somehow."

Joyner rubbed his chin with his left hand,
"Huh. Did she say you had to do anything different?"

Ashley shook her head,
"No, she never said anything about that. How was she in my dreams?"

Joyner threw up his arms then let them flop down to his sides,
"My guess would be 'magic'. It seems to be the de facto reason for half this world. I don't have an explanation for you, I'm sorry. I guess, until you hear or learn anything different just keep doing what you've been doing. If anything comes up, or if there are any problems let one of the Fellowship know."

Ashley's face fell,
"You mean I still have to haul old crap all day?"

"Well, you never mentioned that 'Luna' gave you a free pass on it, so yes." Mike said.

Ashley blew air out from between her lips and sighed,
"Fine, but he better not watch when I'm using the bathroom."

* * *

Bobby Jewel groused quietly to himself as administered a dose of sedative to his mentally broken patient. It was the second dose he had administered that day. Darryl Hord lay on a spread blanket on the floor in one of the pie shaped sections of the medical station on the second floor of City Hall.

Leo had been the first one to see the stout Marine come stumbling up the stairs. He had been covered in a cold sweat, mumbling about bugs and collapsed at the top of the stairs, screaming about 'seeing everything'. He had been almost completely incoherent for the past four hours. Bobby, Cessily, and Leo had to truss him up and tie him down to keep him from hurting himself.

Bobby pulled the syringe out of Darryl's arm and shook his head as he capped it,
"How is he?" Cessily asked from the doorway.

Bobby stood up and made his way back to the door as Cessily stepped back,
"Still out of it." he shook his head and looked back at Darryl, "I just don't understand it. If something bad had happened, I would chalk it up to Post Traumatic Stress, but this . . . " he shook his head again, "I'm out of my league for this one."

"What the hell do you want!" Leo shouted suddenly from the central triage observation area, "Get out o' here before I kick yo asses!"

Cessily and Bobby exchanged glances and rolled their eyes then went to see what had Leo's pants in a wad. They rounded the corner of the central triage area and both stopped cold.

Eighteen Ponies, all different breeds, colors, and sexes stood gathered in the triage area. Leo looked to be fuming. He stood in front of them with his balled up fists planted on his hip bones. Bobby was about to step in when the one Pegasus who was standing closest to Leo reached into her saddle bag and began pulling out medicine bottles then setting them on the floor.

"Those are the meds we're missing." Cessily hissed in Bobby's ear.

"Yeah, but why are they bringing them back?" Bobby asked.

Leo, for his part was obviously shocked. He bent over and picked up one of the bottles and looked at it. Sure enough, it was one of the ones they had been missing. He looked back down at the Pegasus as she continued placing more and more bottles on the floor.

Leo was fairly sure she had actually brought back more medicines than they had been missing. The Pegasus reached into her saddle bags and brought out a beautiful rose wood case. She set it on the ground then casually walked over to one of the strange devices that even Bobby couldn't figure out.

The device was made of metal, box shaped, covered in buttons with strange symbols, and had what appeared to be a display screen, except it was made of glass backed with metal. One side of it seemed to be completely blank but was concave, rounded like a thick thigh or chest, while the other side had all the buttons and the display screen. Bobby had pressed each of the buttons but the only thing the device did was pop open a spring held side panel, the inside of which was a slot for what looked like it might fit a three inch long, rectangular battery. The device had a handle which had been thickly coated with fabric for extended carrying, but Bobby couldn't even begin to guess at its purpose.

The Pegasus mare bit down on the handle of the device then carried it back to the rose wood case and set it down. She flipped open the case and every Human's jaw dropped as they beheld a series of fifteen rectangular, multicolored crystals held within. The Pegasus mare selected one bright blue crystal and tapped a button on the side of the device. A side panel popped open and she inserted the crystal then closed the panel. She tapped a button on the top of the device. The screen lit up blue and displayed several foreign symbols then beeped loudly.

The three Humans were awestruck. The Pegasus mare looked back at Leo and plopped her backside down on the floor, turned her head, and nodded at the other Ponies. Each one came forward and began emptying their saddle bags. In just a few minutes there was a literal pile of medical equipment lying on the, thankfully clean, floor of the triage center.

The entire gathering of Ponies all joined the Pegasus mare and sat themselves down in front of Leo. Bobby and Cessily walked over, knelt down, and began examining the medical equipment. There were bandages, splints, and medicines galore. The medical paraphernalia was all wrapped in hard covered, waxed fabrics and bore instructions that were written in the Ponies' native language. The three Human stared at the gathered Ponies. The message was clear enough, 'You need us and we're not going anywhere.'

* * *

"Timbeeeeeeeeeer!"

The call had been yelled out loud roughly once every half hour as someone felled another tree. Mike Spearman and R.J. Brinsin had divided their teams up into groups of six people per team. Each team selected a single tree at least fifty steps away from any other team and set to work. Two people would chop at the tree with the new axes.

The axes had been a huge boon to the production rate of the Lumberjack teams. The new axes had a ten inch long, thin, crescent moon shaped blade on one side and a heavy hammer head on the other. The haft of each axe was obviously not ergonomically shaped but they made up for it by being made out of oak. The axes had each been accompanied by splitting wedges, two hundred foot long ropes and colored flags. The adopted method was simple to determine for the well-studied R.J. The flags were tied to the trees and the ropes were set out to mark the safe areas. Four people would constantly circulate the outer area of the ropes and keep others away from a possible falling tree. The people would switch off whenever someone who was chopping needed a break. Once the tree was on the ground the crew would stretch the rope out on the ground and lay the branches on it so they could be tied. The crew of six would take the branches off with hatchets, saws, and machetes then saw each log into sections that were ten feet long each. The smaller branches would be hauled back to the town for firewood or 'garden garbage' (for the leaves). The logs were to be taken to one of the empty foundations in the town where they would be shaped into usable form for houses and so forth.

That day, their plans came to a screeching halt as dozens and dozens of Ponies decided to join them. Not only join them but get in their way. The Ponies had, for the past nine days been content to chop on their own trees with the older, smaller axes. Their production was abysmal, but at least they were out of the way.

The Pony method for felling trees made very little sense to R.J. The Ponies didn't even use the axes except for small trees. For anything over a hand width in diameter, they started with a horizontal band saw. The sawed sideways and used splitting wedges to keep the tree from pinching the blade. The wedges did have a good point in that they helped determine which direction the tree would fall but the Ponies themselves were obviously not used to using saws at a horizontal angle and they had to frequently stop and stretch their necks. Not a single Human had ever stopped their own work long enough to see the final stages of the felling, what was there to see?

Today on the other hand the Ponies had abandoned their own trees and decided to get under foot for the Humans.

R.J. was ready to spit,
"Get the fuck out o' my way!" he yelled, "Shit man, I almost took your fuckin' head off! Get out o' here!"

The blue Earth Pony mare laid her ears underneath her rust colored mane and stalked away, head held low. R.J. had ended up doing the same thing to five other Ponies already. He almost felt bad for it but whether he liked them or not, he was not about to behead one of them by accident. He had finally come to the conclusion that they were people too, just extremely different people.

The frustrated man swung his axe into the tree and left it embedded there,
"Someone else take over. I need me a break."

He watched a young Caucasian woman stopped her continuous walking and took his spot. He took her place and began walking as she started chopping on the tree. The blue mare had stopped outside the line of rope and just watched. R.J. kept an specific eye on her to make sure she never entered the danger zone.

He looked at the mare's tattoo, 'She got the symbol of a rotary saw blade on her butt. That probably means she works with wood and lumber so what was she doin' gettin' all up in my swing zone?'

"Timbeeeeeeeeeer!"

He turned his head toward the cry. The voice was distant and the flowing crash was like the punctuation on the end of the sentence. R.J. saw movement out of the corner of his eye. The blue mare seemed to be mouthing a word, almost as if she were trying to learn it by muscle memory.

"Timbeeeeeeeeeer!"

The yell came from the blue mare, as she charged for the tree,
"Shit! Stop chopping! STOP CHOPPING!" R.J. yelled.

The mare sped forward in a blur of speed just as the two people chopping on the tree stopped and looked up at her. The blue Earth Pony leapt more than six feet into the air and lowered her head like a battering ram. Her forehead impacted the trunk of the tree with an almighty crack of splintering wood.

The Humans jumped back and watched in awe as the tree fell over. They had only chopped half way through it. The mare landed on her hooves and cracked her neck then pulled a small axe out of a loop in her saddle bags and went to work on trimming the limbs from it. R.J. and the rest of the Humans stared in awe at the incredible feat of strength. Never in their wildest dreams had they ever imagined seeing such a thing. By all rights the mare should have pushed her spine into her own skull, yet she seemed fine.

R.J. was the first to recover,
"Let's get to trimmin'." he said loudly, "Looks like we got us a new shortcut. I'ma go spread the word."

* * *

Mike Spearman was heading the construction of the Lumber Mill. He had requisitioned a couple of rakes and spades from Morris and cleared off a square area that was one hundred feet across and deep. He and his crew had spent the first part of the morning raking up leaves and other debris into large piles then they tackled the tree stumps from the previous days.

Chris Vacca had sketched out a number of buildings on a sheet of paper that was the rough draft of a temporary Lumber Mill. There was a twenty foot by twenty foot area covered by a tarp that was supposed to function as a field first aid center. The tarp was held up by a series of eight foot tall poles that had been taken from the branches of the trees the Humans had already felled. A second and third area were covered by identically large tarps and were meant as a place for the Lumberjacks and Mill workers to rest. Some of the Lumberjacks, in their spare time, had taken to carving crude seats out of short logs and had begun to bring them out with them every day. The largest area by far was for lumber processing.

Chris and Morris had drawn up plans for sturdy carts which could haul the lumber around to where it needed to go, but the construction of them was on hold until the Mill was up and running.

Mike had seen the Ponies first thing in the morning and expected what he ended up with. The Ponies had emulated the Human's actions of digging up the stumps with shovels then pulling them out of the ground with ropes. The Ponies were all but useless with their short shovels. The angle they had to hold the shovels in order to dig was ineffective and their progress was pathetically slow. Mike took notice however once they attached a rope to the stump and pulled. Those suckers all but jumped out of the ground, taproot and all. The scene had given him an idea, and he had just about worked up the nerve to try it.

His careful observation had given him two distinct observations. One: the Ponies were extremely slow in the digging of the roots but very quick on pulling the actual stump. Two: the Humans were much faster at the digging but very slow on pulling the stump. The two groups had strengths and weaknesses and Mike was keen on monopolizing those strengths.

Both groups were getting ready to start on new stumps when he stepped in,
"Hey guys, get going on the digging and I'll be right back." the group shrugged and began digging and chopping.

Mike approached the Ponies cautiously. They were already starting on the digging themselves. There were six of them, all Earth Ponies. Their small shovels were in their mouths and the amounts of dirt they pulled up were sad.

"Hey!" Mike yelled at one of them.

The entire group stopped and turned toward him. Mike swallowed hard and began making hand motions. He walked up to one soil brown stallion and pointed at the shovel he was biting on then spread his hands and shook his head. He beckoned for the Ponies to follow him. They all looked at each other oddly but decided to indulge him. He led them to the stump his crew was working on and tied a rope around the top of the stump. He trailed the rope over to the Ponies and pointed to the rope then pointed to them. He picked up a shovel and pointed to himself and the other Humans, then pointed to the rope and the Ponies. He did this several more times before their faces lit up in comprehension. The stallion smiled and nodded. He led his group over to a small pile and they all set down their shovels then came back over to Mike and picked up the rope in their teeth.

Mike smiled and nodded then went to help his crew with digging. The Humans didn't take very long to dig around the entire base of the tree and after about twenty minutes of digging and chopping roots they stopped. Mike didn't even have to yell. The Ponies all picked up the rope and pulled. Their quadrupedal balance meant they could exert more than twice the pressure a Human could and the stump practically flew out of the ground.

Mike leapt into the air with a vigorous fist pump,
"Yes!" he turned to his crew, "Devon, Christie, and Hector, you three take three Ponies with you and get going on the next stump. We don't need six people on any single one. Take the Ponies with you and have them pull the stump once you have the base dug. We can double our speed like this. We'll have this Mill up and running in no time."

* * *

Eduardo and his crew marched wearily back to town for lunch. The crews of Lumberjacks and Fishermen were far enough away from town that they took food with them every morning. Eduardo and his crew however, were only assigned to clear and maintain the cobblestone roads so they came back to town for lunch. They each carried a wrapped and tied bundle of 'garden garbage' ingredients they had pulled from in between the stones.

Alex and his crew of forty cooks were already stoking their cook fires in preparation for lunch. Alex had settled into a good routine of twenty people to prep and serve the 'garden garbage special' while the other twenty prepped and served the food that had become quite the staple in town, soup. Alex already knew a great deal about various edible soups from his time as a vagrant and his set rotation of nineteen soups said that today was Potato And Fish Soup. Tomorrow would be Celery, Radish, Turnip, And Fish Soup and the day after would be Four Bean Soup with a side of Skillet Fried Fish. He reminded himself to tell Joyner to have someone build a chicken coup so he could have fresh eggs to supplement the fish.

Eduardo hailed Alex as he approached the communal kitchen,
"Hola amigo. Got some plant basura for you." he slung the bundle of weeds and flowers over his shoulder and plopped them down on the cobblestones then began untying them, "Found a bunch of dandelions in one section today. Should be a nice change of flavor for the Ponies."

He grabbed a handful of weeds and dipped them into the cauldron of fresh water that Alex set up every day for that exact purpose. Eduardo cleaned off each weed and handed it to Alex as four more of his ten person team settled around the cauldron and began doing the same thing. It had become a routine over the past ten days. Lunch was brought in by Eduardo and his crew and dinner was brought in by the people working in the fields.

"Hey Alex," Eduardo began, "Is that one Unicorn still following Ashley around?"

"Yep." Alex said setting a series of fresh weeds on his wide grill, "I've seen them a couple of times today. He's just following her around when they come topside, although I did see his horn lit up earlier when Ashley was dumping the crusty crap. I think he was helping her dump it out on the fertilizer pile."

"That's just plain weird man. One day she just gets an hombre for no apparent reason." Eduardo said.

Alex shrugged,
"Don't ask me," he chuckled, "I'm just a cook."

* * *

Rachel and David were out in the fields. They pulled weeds out from between the plants, dusted the dirt off the roots, then placed them into the burlap bags everyone wore on fabric shoulder straps. They had been at it since just after breakfast, they took their break for lunch, then went right back to it.

David had been humming some tune to himself quietly all day and Rachel was dying to know what it was,
"O.K. David, what in the world are you singing? It's catchy but I feel like I've heard it before."

David looked up from the tall stalk he was dusting off,
"Take a look at our equine friends." he said mysteriously, "They're the inspiration for it."

Rachel righted herself on her knees and looked at the Ponies. They were chomping down on weeds. Some went into their saddle bags while others went into their stomachs. They were quick at it too. Each weed took Rachel or David a good fifteen seconds while the Ponies could take care of one in about four seconds.

Rachel smiled at the memory of what had happened that morning. Chris Vacca had tried to explain that he wanted the Ponies to defecate in the fields but urinate in the latrines using hand motions. Their reactions were as if their was openly and obviously offended. The Ponies declined obviously and many looked at Chris very oddly. The Ponies had been pleasant enough though. They didn't fight or make tons of noise, and they were anything but intrusive, honestly it was quite peaceful.

Rachel couldn't figure it out and went back to weeding,
"O.K. I give. What's the connection?"

David smiled and began to sing,
"From the day we arrive on the planet," he paused for a breath, then continued, "And blinking step into the sun . . . "

Rachel instantly started laughing while David kept singing,
"REALLY!? The theme from Lion King?"

David nodded,
"There's more to see, than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done . . . "

"SHUT UP!" a chorus of voices yelled from all around David.

"What?" David asked innocently, "It's a good song."

* * *

Chris Vacca scratched his head in bewilderment,
"Who would have ever guessed that freaking Ponies were such profoundly good carpenters?"

He held in his hands an actual two by four, made by hoof, except it was closer to a plank of wood that was two and a quarter inches by four and a half inches. It was perfectly straight and Chris had boggled at their means of measuring. They used measuring tapes, 'They have tape measures made of rolled fabric . . . Why? Wouldn't the fabric stretch over time and with use? I mean, yeah, it's light weight and flexible, but damn, talk about fluffed up measurements.'

The Ponies had arrived first thing in the morning and had almost literally jumped into filing, stripping, cutting, and sanding the logs that R.J. and Mike's crews crews cut down. Chris had been more than a bit miffed at the initial intrusion but when he yelled at them, the Ponies looked so sad he just threw up his arms and decided to let them have a go at it.

It had worked out far, better than he could have hoped. Tina had met him in the morning to finalize his plans for the forge and gave them the 'go ahead'. Chris had shown the plans to the Ponies and they seemed to recognize it right away. One Earth Pony had made a bunch of strange hoof motions that the Humans didn't understand, so eventually he grew frustrated and pointed to one of the small holes in the cleared off foundations. Chris got the idea quickly enough and had his crew clean rotten wood out of the holes. Once that was done, the Ponies had looked like they could use some help, so everyone else went to assist.

In all seriousness, Chris was glad of it. It gave him and Tina a chance to work on the next plan: the mobile log-splitter. Ponies were obviously masters of working with wood the old-fashioned way, 'Get ready to see Human ingenuity at its finest.' he thought.

They stared at the massive device they had sketched out and began writing down new measurements in the Pony units of measure,
"Each wheel needs to be at least two feet wide and have a diameter of three feet for weight distribution. We need to make a steel wrap for the wheels so they don't warp out of shape . . . "

"We should also include metal cleats for traction." Tina added, "How do you plan to calculate out the size of the axle? It's going to be massively heavy."

Chris smiled,
"Oh yes it is, BUT," he pulled the pencil out from behind his ear, "Take a look at this." he pulled out a piece of paper in the back of the sheaf, "Recognize this?"

"A treadmill?" Tina asked, "Why would you want a random . . . " she trailed off as Chris pointed to the drawing next to it, "TWO treadmills? Why in the world . . . No." she turned slowly and looked at Chris in utter disbelief, "SERIOUSLY!?" she shouted, "You want this thing to be powered by PONIES on a freaking TREADMILL?"

Chris smiled and pointed,
"Correction, TWO Ponies on treadmills. Not only could they supply the mobility with their strength, they can also rotate the saw blade. More to the point, they rotate the saw blade and we guide the logs. Their strength matched up with our dexterity."

Tina turned her head and regarded Chris,
"Have you even asked any of them if they'd do it?"

Chris scratched his head,
"Well not ASKED specifically, but they seemed to like the idea on paper."

* * *

Steady Hoof pulled back Darryl's left eyelid and shined her penlight into his eye, then she did the same thing to his right. The tiny crystal that powered the light cut off as she clicked the on/off button with one the prehensile primary feathers on her right wing. She set down the penlight and pried open his mouth then closed it after a moment.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Clean Bill.

Clean Bill was an Earth Pony doctor. She was a auburn coated young mare with a mane and tail that were a very light shade of brown. Her mane was short and spiky but had a shock of vibrant cobalt blue running through it while her tail was elegantly long and the blue was far more pronounced. She was standing on the right side of Darryl while Steady Hoof stood on the left.

The older Pegasus mare shook her head. She used her wing to slip the penlight back into her white coat, "If he were a Pony, I would have a Unicorn specialist check the Magerium levels of his Screfula for fluctuations, but he's a Human. He doesn't even have a Screfula. There's magic flowing through his blood, we already know that, but it has nowhere to go. It looks like the magic in his blood is poisoning him."

Clean Bill cocked her head to the right,
"Thamaturgic Septicemia then? If that's what he has then why aren't any of the other Humans showing signs of it?"

Steady Hoof shrugged her shoulders,
"I have no idea, but it's not serious. I'll put him on a light, steady dose of Thamaturgic Neutralizer, Thamauocillen should do the trick quite nicely. It should clear up in a few weeks."

"Alright, but how should we tell the Humans?" Clean Bill asked.

Steady Hoof turned toward the door of the room, where Bobby, Cessily, and Leo were waiting nervously,
"The same way we deliver any positive diagnosis to a family: with a smile, and a prescription."

Clean Bill frowned,
"That sounds awfully patronizing, Dr. Hoof."

"And it is. Thamaturgic Septicemia is a very simple diagnosis." Steady Hoof began.

"Not in a world without magic." Clean Bill said pointedly.

"True enough, I suppose, but take a look at them. They're dirty and easy to anger, honestly they don't look all that smart either." she chuckled into her left wing, "They probably still use maggots to clean out dead flesh from an injury. Granted it works and works quite well, but there's more hygienic ways of going about it."

The two Ponies smiled and nodded to the three pensive Humans at the door. The Humans smiled back and followed the Ponies into the central triage area. Steady Hoof rummaged around the medicines until she found a glass bottle with tiny white pills inside. She lipped the bottle into her mouth and motioned for Cessily to come forward. Cessily Richardson walked up to Steady Hoof and the Pegasus mare deposited the bottle into her hands.

Steady Hoof gently bit the edge of Cessily's blanket/dress and pulled her to the room where Darryl was laying. She pulled her over to Darryl and pointed at the glass bottle then to Darryl. Cessily got the idea very quickly. She popped open the bottle and selected one pill. She held up the one pill between her fingers, out toward Steady Hoof. The Pegasus mare nodded so Cessily pried open Darryl's mouth and shoved the pill down the unconscious Marine's throat, then capped the bottle.

Steady Hoof smiled and nodded then turned to Clean Bill,
"Smart enough to be taught a few things apparently."

A scream of pain echoed up from the first floor, a voice followed it,
"Stay back! Give us some space!"

* * *

Mike Joyner had decided to join the Fishermen for the day. It was good work and it was hard work. He stood perfectly still, Proud Hoof's trident held firmly in his hands, waiting for a fish to swim by. He had only been waiting for the past four minutes when a nice, big, fat fish swam right in front of the trident. It looked like a two-foot long Grayling. Mike stabbed the trident out like a striking snake and speared the fish right through the side then lifted it out of the water.

Mike was quite happy with his catch. He waded through the water back toward the bank,
"Lieutenant Joyner!" someone yelled.

Mike looked up and saw R.J. Brinsin standing on the shoreline waving his arms about wildly,
"What's up?" he asked.

"One o' my crew, Willard, he wasn't payin' attention and got his leg cut really bad!" R.J. said.

Mike pulled out all the stops and bounded toward the shoreline as quickly as he could,
"Everyone keep working. I'm going to go see to our guy. Stay here and keep fishing." he reached the shoreline and handed the trident off to one of the fish cleaners, "Where is he?"

"We took 'im to the med station. Hauled 'im up the stairs an' erething." R.J. broke into a quick jog heading back to town, "I used one o' the colored flags and tied it right around the cut, but it bled right through. I think it hit an artery or somethin'."

"Bobby's got him now, right?" Mike asked.

R.J. nodded,
"Yeah man." he answered in his playful tone then turned serious, "He'll be O.K. though, right?"

"Bobby was an Army Medic and a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman, of course he'll be alright." Joyner said with more sincerity than he felt, "If he had his full load out, that is." he whispered.

* * *

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Willard screamed as the four people carrying him set him down in the triage area.

Willard was held by his feet, right arm, and left shoulder. His left hand was clutching a blood-soaked cloth against his left thigh, roughly two inches below his crotch. His teeth were gritted in agony and his body was covered with splinters of chopped wood, dirt, and sweat.

"What happened?" Bobby asked sliding on his knees next to Willard.

He pulled Willard's blanket/clothing up and out of the wide wound in his thigh and gritted his teeth. The wound was five inches long and looked to be an inch and a half deep. Bobby was about to ask for iodine when a head appeared on his left and partially shoved him over. The head was followed by a four-legged body with wings.

"Hold him down, so we can work." Steady Hoof ordered.

Five more Ponies moved into position and held down Willard's right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, and head. The one holding bis left leg held it just below the knee.

"Oh hell no!" Bobby spat, "Leo, get me the iodine and alcohol. Cessily get me a suture kit prepped and sterilized." he stood up to his full height and clenched his jaw.

Clean Bill and the other doctors backed away when Bobby tapped Steady Hoof on the top of her head, none too gently. Steady Hoof raised her head and stared at Jewel pensively, scowling. Bobby motioned Steady Hoof out of the way abruptly with his hands then pointed to what Leo and Cessily were doing. Steady Hoof saw the iodine and suture kit being prepped, 'Hmm, those are the same things I was about to ask for. Alright Human, you can give it a shot, but I'll be watching your every move. Just don't put the patient in jeopardy.' she stepped back stiffly and Bobby knelt down next to Willard again.

Steady Hoof took wing and hovered above Bobby Jewel's shoulder as she watched him work,
"Clamp that artery shut so I can wash out the cavity." he ordered Leo.

Leo clamped the indicated artery and clicked the base together to hold it closed,
"Thank god it didn't withdraw into his body. Done."

"Got a second one, quarter inch out from the bone, lot bigger, clamp it quick, it's liable to withdraw or collapse." he never took his eyes off his patient, "Cessily, I need that full suture kit on a tray, sterilized and prepped, and I need it yesterday."

"Still working on it." Richardson said evenly.

Leo spotted the second artery but he could see it already withdrawing,
"Damnit, I can't get to it!"

A veridian glow surrounded the severed end of the artery and pulled it outward and into range of Leo's clamp, 'I'll have to thank one o' the Unicorns for that after we get finished with this poor bastard.' He didn't care who helped, he was just glad they did. He clamped the artery shut and clicked the end to hold it.

"We gonna need to put him under you think?" Leo asked.

Bobby nodded,
"Without a doubt. Quick test, if the patient is awake and requires surgery, but the patient's medical records aren't available, what's the first step?"

"Ask the patient if they have any allergies." Cessily and Leo answered in unison.

"Correct. Cessily, I'm busy over here and Leo's tied up, you ask him." Bobby ordered.

The Pony holding Willard's head had stuffed a fabric-wrapped stick in between his teeth so he wouldn't accidentally bite off his own tongue. Cessily had the suture kit ready on a metal tray. She set it down on Bobby's right and knelt down next to the Earth Pony holding his head.

Cessily gripped Willard's jaw and pried open his mouth then removed the stick,
"Willard." she called.

Willard didn't seem to hear her, as his eyes flew back and forth and he struggled against the Ponies holding him down.

Cessily hauled back and slapped his roughly across the cheek,
"Willard!"

The injured young man's eyes turned toward her,
"Aaaaahhhhh! It hurts! Aaarrrggg!" he clenched his eyes shut, "Make it stop! I don't wanna die!"

"We're trying to Willard, but we need to know if you're allergic to anythin'." Richardson asked.

Willard tried to shake his head but the Pony held him tightly,
"No allergies!" his whole body tensed and he struggled against the Ponies holding him, "Ah GOD! It hurts!" he panted for breath as Cessily pried his jaw open and replaced the stick.

"No allergies Bobby." she said then stood up, "Suture kit is prepped, what do you need?"

"Give me twenty C.C.s of . . . " Bobby began.

Steady Hoof watched with keen interest, 'Smooth, practiced motions, calm yet urgent demeanor, steady movements, obvious knowledge of the circulatory system. Not bad, not bad at all.'

"They're really using those maggots for all they're worth aren't they?" Clean Bill said teasingly.

"Oh shush you." Steady Hoof sniped.

Even if she wasn't inclined to admit it, she was impressed. Steady Hoof was NOT a mare who was impressed easily or often and even she couldn't help the very slight upturned corners of her mouth.

* * *

"Ugh, what the hell happened?" Darryl asked as he tried to rub his head, only to discover his arms wouldn't move, "And why the hell am I tied up?"

He looked around trying to figure out where he was. The room was dark, pitch black save for a beam of moonlight streaming in from the window behind where he lay.

Cessily Richardson stepped into the moonlight that illuminated Darryl's prone form,
"You were pretty out of it." she said kneeling down next to him, "How do you feel?"

Darryl pursed his lips, deep in thought,
"Well, I'm laying down in a dark room, I'm tied up and helpless, and there's an attractive woman standing over me. Honestly I'm kind of turned on." he said with a cheesy grin.

Cessily rolled her eyes,
"You're coherent now, but you were royally fucked up earlier. One of the Ponies gave you some kind of pill and you're fine now, but you were screaming about bugs this morning." she said as she began to untie him, "You've been here all day."

Darryl flopped his head back on the blanket he was lying on,
"Fucking great." he muttered sarcastically, "Here I am lazing around while everyone else is working." he bit his lower lip for a brief moment then spat, "Well shit."

"Don't worry about it," Cessily soothed him, "We got everything covered for ya. Nobody's upset with you." she finished untying him and stood up, "Now," she began with a smirk, "Git yo lazy ass up Marine! What, you think we runnin' some kinda fuckin' daycare!? Get yo ass downstairs an' get you some food and rest up, on the double! HUT, HUT, HUT, HUT, HUT, HUT!"

Darryl sprung up from the floor and threw a smart salute while grinning like a maniac,
"SIR, YES SIR!"

He stopped and hugged Cessily,
"Thanks for taking care of me Cess. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me nothin' Darryl, just rest up for tomorrow. Come get your pill in the morning, every day." she patted him on the back, "We got a lot o' work to do."

Darryl trotted off looking invigorated,
"An' now we got some friends to help." she whispered.

She walked out of Darryl's recovery room and into Willard's. Clean Bill was monitoring the young man, lying on the ground next to him. His leg had been stitched back together tightly and he had stopped bleeding but Bobby had asked that someone stay and monitor him for any signs of infection, since the surgery had taken place in an non-sterile environment. Bobby had managed to relay his concern to the Ponies through hand signs and drawings. The shifts were supposed to last for four runs of the hourglass next to Willard's bed and Cessily was a few minutes early for her shift.

Clean Bill was lying next to Willard humming a quiet lullaby. Cessily couldn't identify the tune but she simply stood behind the mare and listened for several minutes.

"Emooli apo notie vocae liaponat,
emooli apo notie vocae liaponat,
se-riun raa tirum ocee vinto aotat."

"Des seilia raa teena amop ventu rahue,
omae soca unuu softha atu notu nyun.
Delfeethee aut no soca," Cessily scuffed her foot against the floor by accident and it brushed the mare's tail.

Clean Bill's head snapped toward Cessily. The young woman was all but invisible in the dark to Human eyes, to a Pony she actually WAS invisible. That fact was not lost on Cessily Richardson. She knelt down and placed her hand on Clean Bill's back. The mare startled but didn't move anything except her eyes. She could just barely make out Cessily's silhouette in the darkness.

The Earth Pony mare smiled, remembering who was supposed to relieve her. She patted her left fore hoof on a folded blanked next to her. Cessily sat down and folded her knees up to her chest then wrapped her arms around them.

The two of them sat there in the darkness, singing soft lullabies until morning.

Intermission : The Troll Queen Cometh

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As it turned out, the Kavim language, properly named Velensolvth, was similar to American and even English.

"The formation of sentences is identical as is the tone of voice and vocal inflection when stressing meaning. The differences began to become readily apparent when Razor Wit and I began translating simple words. 'Emooli' means hello/greetings, 'heef' means yes/affirmative, and 'xae' means no/negative. However, the pronunciations for each are unusual for an American speaking person to read out loud. For example the Velensolvth word 'visi' is pronounced 'vees-eye'. Thankfully their lettering system is fairly similiar with one huge exception, they have no symbol or use for the letter 'B' or its sound and they have, in its place a sound where you let your lips hang limply and blow air through them. That makes a flapping noise that seems to replace the 'B' sound. Interrogatives are a perfect example of how Velensolvth can be confusing. The language works on an extensive system of suffixes. The Velensolvth word for indicating a question is 'hetl', however, depending on the suffix you add onto it, it can alter the meaning significantly.

Hetlin = who
Hetlar = what
Hetlun = where
Hetleer = when
Hetliru = why
Hetlima = how much
Hetlim = how

Fortunately the suffixes seem to be universal:
In = refers to a person, Pony, or sentient individual
Ar = refers to a thing, an item, or a non-sentient organism
Un = refers to a location, a place, or coordinates
Eer = refers to time or duration
Iru = refers to a reason or explanation
Ima = refers to quantity, length, width, volume
En = indicates to possession
Mane = male
Mine = female
Ix = dead, deceased, not alive, expired
Im = alive, vigorous, vivacious

Other full words are:
En = my (indicating ownership)
Anen = mine (indicating ownership)
Gano = I
Rem = it
Oom = is
Entala = going, go, venture
Raa = to
Evanin = you
Quellya = injure, hurt, damage
Helunti = name
Hundiri = that
Uldin = are
Pesto = here
Pestop = there
Wan = good or acceptable
Awan = bad or unacceptable
Khiri = fertile
Khirim = pregnant
Linvo = sterile
Linvix = dying
Fenovie = species, breed, tribe, race
Eet = with
Ivt = and
Nuvia = over
Nuviu = under
Degnif = read
Degnifa = write
Jemca = speak
Jemces = silence or stop speaking
Fridath = creature, beast, animal
Piramin = Guard
Piramun = civilian
Piramine = Princess
Piramane = Prince
Giramine = Queen
Giramane = King
Kavimane = stallion
Kavimine = mare
Sevahe = retrieve
Semin = them
Tunun = camp
Peb-b-bun = return
Dufen = our
Ostarn = understand or comprehend
Av = one
Ava = two
Ev = three
Eve = four
Ov = five
Ovo = six
Uv = seven
Uvu = eight
Iv = nine
Ivi = ten
Avav = eleven
Avava = twelve
Avev = thirteen
Aveve = fourteen
Avov = fifteen
Avovo = sixteen
Avuv = seventeen
Avuvu = eighteen
Aviv = nineteen
Avaivi = twenty
Dav = twenty-one
Dava = twenty-two
Davev = twenty-three
Dev = thirty
Deve = forty
Dov = fifty
Dovo = sixty
Duv = seventy
Duvu = eighty
Div = ninety
Kivi = one hundred
Kava = two hundred
Kev = three hundred
Keve = four hundred
Ftil = buy or purchase
Ftul = sell
Grut = big or large (size not amount)
Grat = small or little (size not amount)
Keetil = sugar
Keetal = salt
Svandi = circle
Svandit = oval or egg-shaped
Opo = square
Opot = cube or three-dimensional square
B-b-bram = triangle
B-b-bramt = cone
Opa = rectangle
Opat = rectangular box
Otel = apple
Amino = orange
Erlon = pear
B-b-b-onla = strawberry
Denola = blueberry
Amnelo = raspberry
Rajhal = tomato
Tineb-b-b = potato
Agon = red
Agan = yellow
Agyan = blue
Agyoan = black
Aget = white
Ageon = pink
Agayn = purple
Agaon = orange
Agayan = green
Agvad = silver
Agkum = gold
Lamine = blood Mother
Petamine = non-blood Mother
Lamane = blood Father
Petamane = non-blood Father
Pteramine = co-wife
Uldimine = sister (same Mother and Father)
Uldimane = brother (same Mother and Father)
Vindamine = sister (same Father, different Mother)
Vindamane = brother (same Father, different Mother)
Selamine = sister (different Father and Mother / adopted)
Selamane = brother (different Father and Mother / adopted)
Themnia = friendship / kinship / close bond (non-blood)

Now, oftentimes an entire word is merely a mixture of suffixes, 'her's' (indicating ownership) is 'minen' or 'his' (indicating ownership) is 'manen'. Other times a whole word is added to another word as a suffix, 'it's' is 'remoom'."

I put down the pencil and rubbed my eyes,
"Cinlel Duron, " I addressed my tan companion, her name was one of the first things I dedicated to memory.

She raised her head from her flashcards,
"Where is incorrect?"

She meant to ask, 'what is wrong?' but I understood her well enough. She had been trying to understand American and I had been trying to understand Velensolvth. It was slow going. So many small words with so many similar pronunciations but opposite meanings, it was maddening.

I tried to piece together what I wanted to say in Velensolvth,
"Pesto awan. Gano oom entala raa entala ix . . . " I trailed off with a frustrated sigh.

Razor Wit cocked her head to the left,
"Celestia?" she asked.

I nodded,
"Celestia."

* * *

I specifically made it a point to disturb Princess Celestia as little as possible, but this time it could not be helped.

The white Alicorn strode purposefully into the room, accompanied by two of her Guards as usual,
"What's wrong?" she asked concerned, "You said something about death?"

I scratched the back of my head with my left hand,
"Yeah, I tried to use a phrase that didn't translate very well. What I meant to say was, 'if I don't get out of this room I'm going to die of boredom.' I've been cooped up in here for the past three weeks. Cinlel and I have been working from sun up until sun down every single day and I'm losing my mind. I need to get out, I need exercise, and as much as I hate to say it, I need meat. I haven't had a scrap of chicken, beef, pork, or fish since I woke up. I'm going stir crazy in here." I gestured to Celestia, "You have my memories, you should know I'm a kinetic learner, I learn by doing, by practice. Cinlel is doing the best she can, but I need some variety, some flavor. I know I'm being whiny about this, but here soon, I'm going to be trying to climb the walls. I don't mean to sound ungrateful by any means but what if one of your Kavim actually need to use the rooms on this floor? Surely there's a spare room SOMEWHERE in Canterlot. I really do need to exercise too, I'm weak and lethargic. I'd also like the chance to interact with more than Cinlel, the doctor, and the two Guards and besides I really miss my friends. There's only so much I can do at a time, I mean would it really be so bad to just give Razor . . . Cinlel my language?"

Celestia let out a sigh and shook her head,
"You already know I won't do that. I thought I explained last time."

I waved my right hand dismissively as I turned and began pacing,
"I know, I know. You only use those spells in unusual circumstances, yeah I got that part. Princess please, I'm only one man here, I'm not a machine. Besides, Academic learning is my weakest suit, kinetic learning is how I adapt the best. I learn by doing. Why not have Cinlel escort me me out in Canterlot, you know, as a safety measure in case I say something truly idiotic by accident."

Celestia lapsed into a contemplative silence for several long minutes before a creepy smile slowly crept its way onto her features. She turned to Razor Wit and asked her a question too quickly for me to follow.

After a brief conversation between the two mares, which left Razor looking terribly excited, Celestia turned back to me,
"You want social interaction, exercise, and time away from working so you have a chance to learn by action, right?" I nodded and she continued, "How about I throw in the chance to learn about our cultural similarities and differences too?"

She had my undivided attention,
"Your troll-grin is creeping me out something fierce, but you have my attention."

Her grin broadened significantly,
"How about I set you up to interact with say . . . a farmer, an animal specialist, an athlete, a seamstress, a librarian, and . . . a baker so you can put on a few pounds?"

The idea sounded odd to me, it was a strange combination,
"I like the idea, but that's a heck of a wide variety."

Celestia smiled innocently and tilted her head to the side,
"Well you can get your exercise from the athlete and working with the farmer will earn you some money so you can learn about our system of currency. The animal specialist and the seamstress will broaden your social experiences to all sides of life, besides you need some clothes. The Librarian will be there to assist you and Razor Wit with academic learning when you need a reference point and the baker will simply be a friendly face and source of treats." she put her left fore hoof up to her chin and rubbed, "Do you really think it's wise to just jump right into Canterlot, the capital of Equestria? Wouldn't you be a little more comfortable starting out . . . smaller?"

I was still somewhat caught up on the baker,
"I'm not overly fond of sugary foods, but a slice of zucchini bread does sound heavenly." I pondered the idea for a moment before registering what she had said, "Yeah, big crowds do make me nervous actually. I think I'd prefer something a lot smaller, some little village perhaps."

Celestia's troll-grin hit a figurative crescendo that assured me she was up to something,
"I know just the place."

Chapter 22: The Enchanting Scenery

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Cinlel Duron, Razor Wit, had to leave right after Celestia did so I was left with the two Guards who were normally in my room. Celestia had introduced them as Quick Reflex and Brass Stones. Celestia had also left me the means to bathe myself, finally. I had been asking for personal grooming supplies for the past three weeks and she had finally remembered. I was getting tired of having the Unicorn doctor, the MARE Unicorn Doctor gave me sponge baths every three days. My room didn't have a shower or anyplace to bathe myself but before she left, Celestia told me there was a shower on the floor where patients could be assisted. I declined the assistance but I was more than happy to bathe myself for the first time in almost a month.

I opened the stiff, thick, brown fabric bag Celestia had left me and took inventory of the contents as I set each one out on my bed,
"Comb," I chuckled at the next item, "Heh, horse hair brush, toothbrush, toothpaste in," I could understand much more Velensovth than I could speak and I could read it very well, "Chrysanthemum flavor?" I cringed at the thought, "Eew. Shaving powder and a brush and pestle, a straight razor," I cocked an eyebrow, "Oi, that's going to take some getting-used-to, shampoo," I opened the lid and took a sniff, "Mmm, spring lilacs, coat wash with the scent of jasmine, a wash cloth, a . . . very tightly folded towel . . . " I pulled out the final item with an arched eyebrow, "Cologne?" I unscrewed the cap and took a sniff, recoiling in disgust, "Ugh! Otter-musk!? Where did they ever get the idea THAT smelled good?"

I stuffed everything back into the bag and headed for the door,
"I is needing bathing." I said in broken Velensovth.

Quick Reflex and Brass Stones followed me out of the room, wordlessly. I had gained a small fraction of my old strength back in that I could walk around for quite a while without nearly passing out from exhaustion. I walked slowly down the hallway, checking each room to see if it looked like the shower Celestia had mentioned. I reached the end of the hallway without locating it. I looked around the intersection and spotted a door off to the left of the Nurse's Station that was inscribed with the Kavim symbol for bathing. The symbol was easy to spot. A white painted Kavim head sticking out of a blue painted tub is fairly easy to identify on a door placard.

I walked over and opened the door. Personal note, Kavim-made doors are more than twice the height of average Kavim. I had spent some time thinking about that after I first came out of the apparent coma I had been in. My only guess is that a visit from one of the Princesses was a possibility and the builders wished to be as accommodating as possible. In any case, it meant that an average person can walk through most Kavim doors without bending over.

I took a look around the little wash room and I was not entirely displeased with what I saw. There was a toilet, I'll NEVER get used to those, a sink and a cordoned off shower, the roof of which was a bit more than six feet off the ground. I could sit down in the shower and scrub to my heart's content.

I needed to use the toilet first so I closed the door on Quick Reflex and Brass Stones and faced the 'u' shaped commode. I turned around and bent over then bent my knees and lowered myself then backed up to the accursed thing until my thighs touched the edges. It was as uncomfortable then as it had been the first time I used one, albeit far less humiliating. I did my business then headed to the shower.

Hot water is a wondrous thing if you've been bathed in lukewarm water for weeks on end. I scrubbed and washed and washed again and scrubbed some more. I was bright pink and squeaky clean by the time I was done. The water was still running hot so I decided to try out shaving.

Bad idea.

I managed to get all the scruff off my face, but I must have cut myself eight times in the process. I neglected to take into account my ugly-assed, disfigured face so the misshapen formations of bone made for 'rocky terrain'. I wasn't new to using extremely sharp blades for fine work, I studied a bit of Kung Fu after all, but shaving was tricky.

I emerged from the shower stall and knelt down, then wiped the condensation from the mirror so I could see my reflection. It was bad. Without my scruffy beard to hide part of my face, my disfigured head was obvious and hideous. The cuts I gave myself shaving didn't help matters any either. I had put on a tiny bit of weight but I still looked more like a skeleton than a man. I reached into the shower bag and withdrew the Otter Musk Cologne. I looked at the label dubiously. It had a drawn picture of a brown otter leaping from the water into the air with its back curved into the shape of a 'C'. It was very well drawn but I just couldn't see the appeal of the scent. Shrugging away my concerns, I unscrewed the cap and splashed a generous amount into my left hand. I set down the bottle and rubbed my hands together then applied both to my face.

An impressive string of expletives, colorful metaphors, and one great big 'DAMN-IT' later, I pulled myself off the floor and back into a kneeling position. I looked into the mirror and saw Quick Reflex and Brass Stones swiftly withdraw their heads and close the door. I grumbled to myself and took another look in the mirror half expecting to see my face burned off. What I wasn't expecting was to see the cuts were all gone.

I looked and looked and even prodded a few places, but there was no sign of the cuts,
"Magical healing cologne." I said quietly, "Nice."

Two weeks prior, Celestia had sat down and explained a tiny bit about 'magic'. The Kavim proper name translation for 'magic' was Thamaturgic Energy, magic was apparently just a 'common term'. As I understood it, almost everything in Equestria had some measure of magic in it. The Kavim considered the study of Thamaturgic Energy to be a science right alongside Zoology, Physics, and Chemistry. They infused bits of 'Formed Thamaturgic Energy' a.k.a. spells, into some personal products, apparently that included cologne. I was pleased with the result even if it did sting like hell.

I replaced everything in the shower bag and wrapped the towel around my middle then rolled it down to make a type of kilt. I opened the door and walked out of the bathroom feeling like a new man.

Quick Reflex and Brass Stones silently followed me back to my room and watched with passive interest as I put the shower bag on the bed. I sat down on the bed and withdrew the brush then proceeded to brush my hair. It reached down to my shoulders but was thankfully, naturally straight. I didn't have anything to tie it with and honestly I was tempted to just cut it off using the straight razor, but I decided against it.

I sat back against the head of the bed and curled my knees up underneath me. I thought about my friends and I couldn't help but wonder how they were doing. That train of thought unfortunately led me to thinking about my family and especially my wife. I wondered how Mom and Dad were doing. My Mother was a Customer Support Service Provider at a messaging service and my Father was the Computer Networking Administrator for the local school system. My Brother, Brian, was a Mechanical Engineer, a real genius. He had graduated with his Masters Degree in only four years at the technical institute in Virginia. My Sister, Cheryl, was married to a structural engineer and had two boys. I thought about them for a while, wondering how they were doing, what had happened in their lives, and how they were handling my disappearance.

I then thought about my Wife, Danielle Lelani. I began picturing her in my head, but stopped after a few seconds when I felt queasy. I could feel myself tearing up quickly and tried desperately to focus on something else. I picked up the hand-written notes I had left on the bedside table and began pouring myself into them. I focused all my concentration on memorizing my notes and everything else faded into the background.

* * *

It was night time before Razor Wit came back. I was so focused on my notes that I didn't even notice she had come back until she waved her hoof in front of my face. My attention snapped back to the present and I looked out the window. It was night, fairly late at night by my guess. I bit my lip and looked back to Razor. She was carrying a pair of saddle bags that were much larger than those I'd seen her with before. Her normal ones were perhaps half-gallon sized each, the ones she was wearing right then were so big they took up her entire sides. Each bag looked to be two and a half feet long, probably a good nine inches wide, and at least two feet deep. The sides and edges of the bags were too crisp and formed to be simple fabric, I guessed there was wood paneling on the inside to help them maintain their form.

In any case, the saddle bags were absolutely stuffed to the brim. I could see quill feathers poking out of a flap. I had only one possession aside from the blanket I had been wearing when they brought me there. I had asked Razor about it and she said it was too shredded to be useful and they had to destroy it. So it was that I wore only a towel around my waist and had my sole possession, my shower bag, on my bed.

Razor was standing three feet in front of me, smiling hugely. Her horn lit up and from behind her floated a brown fabric bag that honestly looked like an old haversack. It had an adjustable shoulder strap with a brass buckle and the load-bearing portion of the bag was rectangular with at least two compartments I could see, one large one for the main carriage area, and one smaller one in front for smaller things. The term 'smaller' was a bit subjective since I guessed my entire shower bag could fit inside. I held out my hands to receive the bag. I had already learned that my hands seemed to act like a grounding wire for spells. I had no idea why it happened and I kicked myself for forgetting to ask Celestia about it yet again. Needless to say, I knew that if I were to grab the bag, Razor Wit would end up on the receiving end of a nasty magic style backlash. It was so strange. Razor and I had experimented with it a bit and found that levitated objects that touched my skin were unaffected, until they reached my wrists. The only parts of my body that grounded magic were my hands, go figure.

That being the case, I simply held out my hands to receive the bag. Razor's aura vanished and the bag dropped into my waiting hands, and nearly fell off the bed. The bag felt like it was lined with lead. I managed to catch my balance and hefted the bag with an accompanying jingle of metal that sounded suspiciously like coins. I hauled the weighty bag onto the bed and proceeded to open the main pocket. Inside was a much small, purple, felt-covered sack, the mouth sealed with draw-strings, that strongly reminded me of a Crown Royal bag. I pulled open the mouth and dumped out a small pile of coins. The coins looked to be made of gold but some were obviously much more thick than others. I examined the coins carefully and made an interesting discovery. The smallest denomination of coin had a 1 on it, the next step up had an 8, then a 16, a 32, a 64, and a 128. There had to be a couple dozen coins in the bag. I pulled the drawstrings closed and put the sack back in the bag. I stuffed my shower bag into the main pocket and closed the bag then slid it over my shoulder.

I took a moment to examine the bag itself. It was finely crafted, made with thick fabric that I figured would be very difficult to rip, cut, or tear. The main pocket was about two feet deep, about eighteen inches long, and five inches wide. The smaller pocket was about eighteen inches deep, roughly a foot long, and three inches wide. Both featured a pair of straps, each with a buckle to hold the flaps down. I could tell that the shoulder strap had been lengthened substantially, probably a custom job specifically for me. I was truly touched. I looked up at Razor and pointed to her.

Razor shook her head,
"Celestia."

I understood pretty easily and I figured the money was from her as well, probably 'starter money' since I was leaving and would, at least partially, have to fend for myself.

I looked back up to Razor and thought about what I wanted to say very carefully before I said it,
"Where . . . when are we going?"

Razor smiled at me and nodded her head,
"As soon as the Guards have the carriage ready." she answered slowly in Velensovth.

I nodded my head and took the time to organize my notes and pack them away in my new shoulder bag, along with my pencils and spare paper. I kept out a few sheets of paper that Celestia had given me for a comparison cheat sheet. It also had descriptions of different types of Kavim magic. I decided to read over her notes and try to memorize them.

"Equestrian Units Of Measure:

Stone: one eighth of the maximum amount of weight that an average Kavim, no matter what breed, is able to carry without being encumbered or slowed down, roughly 14 lbs. of weight. Most common unit of measure for weight.

Heft: the maximum amount of weight that an average Kavim, no matter what breed, is able to carry without being encumbered or slowed down, roughly 112 lbs.

Hoof: the width of a hoof of an average Kavim, roughly 4.5 inches of length. Most common unit of measure to determine height or length of a living creature.

Fathom: eight Hooves, also the average length of the Kavim body, roughly 3 feet of length. Most common unit of measure for short distance.

Furlong: sixteen Fathoms, roughly 48 feet of length. Most common unit of measure for medium distance.

League: thirty-two Furlongs, roughly 1,536 feet of length. Most common unit of measure for long distance.

Day: 24 hours.

Week: 7 days.

Month: 36 or 37 days depending on month. Half the months are 36 days and half the months are 37 days.

Year: 10 Months

Magic:
Unicorn Magic Levels For Noun And Verb: Add the level of all the Nouns to the level of all the Verbs, then divide by 19 to achieve the Final Magic Level of a Unicorn.

1 Average Adult Unicorn Example: Royal Guard Private or Corporal
2 Casual Practitioner Example: Royal Guard Sargent or Lieutenant
3 Dedicated Practitioner Example: Royal Guard Regimental Commander
4 Specialist Example: Royal Guard Captain
5 Prodigy Example: Princess Twilight Sparkle
6 Arch Magus Example: Starswirl The Bearded
7 Elemental Example: Queen Chrysalis
8 Archon Example: King Sombra
9 Cosmic Manipulator Example: Princesses Celestia and Luna
10 Constructor Of Fate Example: Discord

Unicorn Magic Categories And Levels:

Unicorn Magic Verbs:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through the Unicorn's muscles which can be channeled and utilized. Determines the potency of the Magical Verb or Verbs being used in a spell. Ranges between 1-10 based on development of Innate Unicorn Magic.

Create
Destroy
Change
Comprehend
Control
Repair
Sustain

Unicorn Magic Nouns:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through a Unicorn's bones, and especially horn, which can be channeled and utilized. Determines what amount of each Noun that can be affected by the spell. Ranges from 1-10 based on development of Innate Unicorn Magic.

Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Flesh
Plants
Illusion
Magic
Mind
Spirit
Time
Space

Concentrated Focus:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through the Unicorn's mind which can be channeled and utilized. Used to determine magical dexterity, fine manipulation, the use of multiple simultaneous spells etc. Ranges between 2-20 based on development of Innate Unicorn Magic.

Pegasus Magic Categories And Levels:

Wing Power:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through a Pegasus' flight muscles and feathers which can be channeled and utilized. Used to determine speed, agility, and sustainability etc. Ranges between 2-20 based on development of Innate Pegasus Magic. Also used for special abilities such as Feather Blade and other such abilities.

Force:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through a Pegasus' head which can be channeled and utilized. Used to determine to what lengths a Pegasus can focus on or interact with the world, their own bodies, others etc. Ranges between 2-20 based on development of Innate Pegasus Magic. Also for special abilities such as The Sight and other such abilities.

Body Power:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through a Pegasus' bones and skin which can be channeled and utilized. Used to determine reduction of weight, density of body etc. Ranges between 2-20 based on development of Innate Pegasus Magic. Also for special abilities such as Cloud Walking and other such abilities.

Earth Pony Magic Categories And Levels:

Earth Manipulation:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through an Earth Pony's hooves which can be channeled and utilized. Used to determine sensitivity to and control of soil, stone, metal etc. Ranges between 2-20 based on development of Innate Earth Pony Magic. Also used for special abilities such as Tremor Sense and other such abilities.

Fortitude:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through an Earth Pony's muscles and bones which can be channeled and utilized. Used to determine strength, agility, stamina, bone density etc. Ranges between 2-20 based on development of Innate Earth Pony Magic. Also used for special abilities such as Solid Body and other such abilities.

World Flow Attunement:
Denotes the amount of magic flowing through an Earth Pony's mind which can be channeled and utilized. Used to determine how freely Latent Natural Magic flows around and through the Earth Pony allowing them to experience premonitions and invoke minor bending of reality etc. Ranges between 2-20 based on development of Innate Earth Pony Magic. Also used for (Pony's name) Sense and other such abilities."

I read over the cheat sheet several times, trying to remember all the information while Razor laid down on the floor and busied herself with her own notes. After a while a third Pegasus Guard appeared at the door to my room.

"It is time to go." he said in a deep voice.

I carefully placed the notes inside my new shoulder bag and slipped it on, then stood up. Razor levitated her notes back into her bag but seemed to be having some trouble rising from her spot on the floor. I offered her my hands, but she declined with a shake of her head and struggled into a standing position by herself. I watched the new Guard, he seemed fidgety for some reason. His wings kept shifting slightly and his hooves couldn't seem to stay still, but if Razor Wit, Quick Reflex, or Brass Stones noticed it, they never gave any indication.

I shrugged it off and approached the Pegasus Guard,
"I is ready." in Velensolvth, 'Gano oom mulsu.'

"Den," Razor Wit corrected me smoothly.

"Gano den mulsu." I said quickly, 'I am ready.'

The Pegasus' expression never wavered but his wings ruffled more than ever.

* * *

Swift Wind led the Human, Razor Wit, and his two Pegasi out of the room and down the hallway. He was nervous being so close to a Human. He kept his professional mask up though, he wasn't about to let it be known that the Human gave him 'the willies'. He triple checked the preparations in his mind, 'Hallways have been cleared with Guards stationed at every door along our route, so nopony sees the Human. Peach Pit has his Unicorns maintaining an illusion around the hospital doors and for twenty Fathoms in every direction as well as the enchantment on the chariot to only allow Ponies to be visible. And finally two Pegasi Guards to pull the chariot with Brass Stones, Quick Reflex, and I as escort. Alright, everything should be in place, I just hope this Human doesn't decide to do anything behind my back.'

Swift led the small parade into the main floor and took a right, down the stairwell he had designated on the route. The two Guards at the stairwell doors nodded to him and pulled open the hinged oaken portals. He led them down the stairs at a casual walk, his eyes scanning every direction. Princess Celestia had been very specific about the fact that she did not want the Human to be seen. Let the citizens think what they would, but the Human must not be seen. Swift Wind couldn't argue the directive, Humans could be dangerous.

They exited the stairwell with Swift in the lead. He poked his head out of the doors and looked around to ensure everything was safe. A precisely straight line of Guards standing at unwavering attention in front of every door assured him that all was well. He opened the doors and led the procession through the first floor of the hospital. They passed three Nurse's Stations, all the way to the rear entrance without seeing a single Pony aside from the Guards.

Swift poked his head out of the rear doors and double checked to make sure everypony was in place. Satisfied with what he saw, he led the way to the chariot waiting a mere six Fathoms away from the doors.

* * *

I was nervous as all hell, 'Why is this Pegasus so fidgety and what's with all the Guards? Did they lock down the whole hospital just for me? Why is it so important that I not be seen? What's going on?' I was starting to get scared, 'Did Celestia mean what she said or is she planning something else? Was that why she was grinning like that? If so then where are they taking me?' I realized I was starting to get panicky just as soon as we stepped out of what looked like a back door, 'Back door? When I worked at Meryview Hospital we only ever brought PRISONERS out of the back doors!' I looked around and saw dozens of armored Kavim. They were standing all around the chariot that seemed to be waiting for us. The sight of the chariot calmed me down somewhat, 'At least it's going to be an open ride.' I loomed at the sides of the gilded contraption, 'Oi, those railings sure are small. I'm going to have to duck down in order to keep out of sight.' I shrugged, it wasn't the end of the world.

I let Razor Wit board the chariot first, 'I'm still a gentleman even in a different world, thank you very much.' I boarded right behind her. I hadn't realized exactly how small it was. Razor, by herself, took up more than half the room in the chariot. I carefully inched my way into the back and leaned forward for balance. It was uncomfortable. I used my left leg and gently nudged Razor to the left so I could get a good grip on the front rail. She politely moved aside and let me have my grip. I lowered myself onto my bony knees. That wasn't going to work, so I rolled over onto my behind and sat down facing the open back of the chariot. I looked around and realized my head still rose above the rail so I slouched as much as I could. It wasn't completely uncomfortable so I sighed and rested my muscles.

Razor Wit looked down at me in puzzlement, or at least I THINK that was the meaning of the expression. Kavim facial expressions aren't all that telling, it's their body language that speaks the loudest, or that's my hypotheses at least. In any case, I couldn't easily identify most expressions yet, so I just guessed based on previous experiences and my best estimations.

She shrugged, that expression is easy to identify, and spoke to the nervous Pegasus,
"We're ready."

I really needed to try out some of the Kavim abbreviated words, but I was too chicken to try. They had an abbreviation almost half the words in their language. On the plus side, literally every American abbreviation had a translation in Velensovth, and almost every single one of them was exact.

I felt the chariot start moving, slowly at first, but it quickly picked up speed. Dear Lord that thing was bumpy. The Kavim who were pulling the chariot were moving at a fair clip and the chariot bounced wildly as they went faster and faster. I closed my eyes and reached my arms over my head and gripped the rail. I began to fear my teeth would fall out when the road suddenly became smooth as silk. I opened my eyes and looked out the back of the chariot, 'Huh, looks like we're on an incline.'

I watched Canterlot growing smaller and smaller as the whole city was laid out in front of me. It was beautiful almost beyond words. The hospital alone was a pristine white stone building that rose six stories high. I looked at other surrounding buildings and lo and behold, every single one of them was shining white. The moonlight over the city made the entire panorama shine almost as if the structures themselves emitted the light. High towers with golden peaks gleamed and shimmered in the light. Small windows dotting the city shined down on the world below like glimpses of heaven itself. A waterfall off to my right reflected the moonlight in a liquid prismatic spray so pure and intense I nearly choked up.

And high above it all, looming over the entire city like a colossal guardian, was the Royal Palace. Its towers and parapets rose high above the clouds with gleaming archways draped with colorful flags running between each tower. Huge, wide windows dotting the towers, walls, and main chambers lent the Palace an air of life; and standing regally, silhouetted in one of the highest windows was a pair of Alicorns. One was brilliant, shining white, just like the city, and the other was a darker color with smaller pinpoints of light all around, like the clearest night sky.

I was hypnotized, it was so beautiful. I simply sat in place and stared as the city on the mountain gradually shrank away. A thought occurred to me as we rose level with the top of the Palace, 'We must be on one heck of a smooth . . . and tall mountain.' I screwed up my courage and peeked as far downward as I could. I could see the tops of trees below us and suddenly it clicked, 'Oh we're flying, that makes more sense . . . WUT!?'

I froze, stuck in my seated position as the impossibility bit me, 'We're FLYING?' I thought, 'How?' We had been moving fairly quickly on the ground but nowhere near the kind of speed necessary to get airborne. I watched the trees pass below us almost sluggishly, 'We're going maybe twenty-three miles per hour, maybe. How in the name of Physics are we flying? We shouldn't be flying, how are we flying?'

Maintaining a death grip on the rail, I shakily rose to my knees and looked down in front of the chariot. The treetops were even farther away than they were before. I turned my eyes to the two Pegasi who were hitched up to the front of the chariot. Their wings were flapping and their legs were pumping almost as of they were both flying and running on the air. The wind blowing in my face was strong and icy cold. I hadn't realized until that point that it was freezing, I was freezing. I didn't dare wrap my arms around my body for fear of falling off the back of the short chariot, 'How is this possible!?'

I looked around and noticed three other Pegasi flying in a wide 'V' formation around us. Something caught my eye suddenly, 'Huh, the other three Pegasi have their legs tucked up against their undercarriage.' I looked back and forth between the Pegasi pulling the chariot and the ones flying formation around us, 'Celestia's notes on Kavim magic did mention something about Pegasus magic having three different features. Maybe the ones pulling the chariot have to use two different ones at the same time in order for their magic to affect whatever they're pulling?' It was possible, hell it was the only possibility I had to work with. It seemed just as plausible as anything else in the world that was explained with magic.

I decided to just roll with it and not think about it anymore, 'Forget it. I'll ask about it later.' I resolved myself to try to enjoy the improbable flight as much as I could, given the excruciatingly cold wind. I looked down and all around the world below us. Trees grew thick, tall, and healthy while numerous rivers and streams wound their way across the landscape. I raised my eyes and attempted to spot our likely destination. I saw a few flickering lights in the distance and was about to ask about them when something else ripped my attention away.

Off to our left was a huge, thick forest stretching as far as the eye could see. There was something decidedly different about that forest. The thick woods below us stopped a quarter of a mile away from the new forest. The trees of the forest seemed familiar to me, almost like home. There was something about the place that called to me, like a siren's song. I stared at the forest for a long time. I was staring at it so intensely that the rest of the world just seemed to fade away from my every perception. I lost track of sounds, my body no longer felt cold, my tongue seemed to freeze in my mouth, and the normally prevalent scent of Kavim just faded away like background noise. As I continued to stare at the forest my vision seemed to zoom in, like I was looking through a telescope. The trees began to focus much more clearly. I could see every branch, every leaf, and every glowing, yellow eye that peered out of the inky darkness.

I was curious, I wanted to know more about the mysterious forest. I wanted, no, I needed to know more. I could almost feel myself slowly drifting toward it. I felt something, somewhere on my body. It was distant and unimportant. I pushed against it and continued heeding the inaudible call. I heard a sound, but it seemed to be miles away. I ignored the noise, it wasn't pertinent to the invitation I felt pressing against my soul.

I felt something push against my body and I mindlessly pushed back. I couldn't be distracted. A flicker of motion broke my line of sight. I blinked hard, 'What was I doing?' I couldn't remember. I blinked several more times and my eyes came into focus. One of the Pegasi had his face half an inch from the end of my nose. I pulled my head back and looked around.

I was standing up against the left side of the chariot. Not only that, I was leaning over the side with my right leg already up on the rail as if I were ready to jump. I slowly lowered my leg and eased myself back into a sitting position inside the chariot and lowered my head so I couldn't see the forest. I was freezing cold, shivering and frigid. I looked up and found Razor Wit's eyes staring at me fearfully, 'I must have pushed her out of the way. Aw shit.'

"What . . . was . . . that . . . place?" I asked in broken Velensovth.

Razor Wit's eyebrows knitted together in what I was fairly certain was concern,
"The Everfree Forest." she spoke very slowly so I could understand her, "It is a bad place. Old magic, not natural."

I decided to try an abbreviation,
"Ganden junlei." 'I'm sorry'.

Razor Wit shook her head then leaned over and nuzzled the left side of my face,
"It is alright. Everfree draws in Kavim also." her tone went sad, "It calls them to their deaths linurtenca."

"Linurtenca?" I asked, "What . . . means?"

Razor put her right fore hoof to her chin in thought,
"Occasionally." she said, using a word I recognized, then tried it in American, "S-some . . . time."

"Ah," I said, "Linurtenca means sometimes." I said in American, I repeated the word over and over, trying to memorize it, "Linurtenca means sometimes. Linurtenca means sometimes."

I was so distracted I almost missed the air warming up. We landed as smoothly as I would imagine is possible in an old fashioned chariot. Razor Wit, seemingly untouched by the cold, hopped right out of the chariot and onto the cobblestone road. I had to use my hands to haul myself up onto my feet. Once I did, thinking I was fine and warming up nicely, I stepped off the chariot and face-planted right onto the road. I only felt the tingling in my legs as I was laying there, 'Of course, my legs fell asleep.' I thought irritably, 'Hello cold, hard, unforgiving stone, we meet again.' I heard Razor gasp and quickly held up my right hand to stop her from rushing over. I pushed myself off the ground and sat down on the street, rubbing my legs.

I decided to look around while I massaged circulation back into my lower extremities. There was a very wide, ridiculously wide tree about fifteen feet to my right, 'Fathoms.' I mentally corrected myself, 'Fathoms. I need to get used to using Kavim measurements. Let's see, one Fathom is roughly three feet so the tree is five Fathoms away.' I was pleased with myself until I noticed illuminated windows set into the tree, 'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.' I blinked long and hard the looked again, 'There are . . . windows and a . . . door set INTO a seemingly . . . living . . . tree.'

In my mind I could actually see a picture of a man wearing a t-shirt that had the word 'LOGIC' written on the front. LOGIC was then kicked in the groin, bitch-slapped, chained up in manacles, and sodomized by a flying whale with bat wings, a scorpion tail, and a lizard's head. The tree-house made absolutely, positively no sense. I rolled my eyes, sighed heavily, then turned out the light so I couldn't see what horrors befell poor LOGIC next.

Razor Wit seemed excited to see the tree, for some reason I couldn't fathom. She was nearly dancing in place. Figuring my legs were functional once more, I tried to stand up. I succeeded after only two attempts and limped my way over the the door of the tree-house on pins-and-needles. Razor headed for the door and stopped in front of it, almost as if she was working up the courage to knock. I rolled my eyes and banged my balled fist against the door four time in rapid succession.

A female voice answered from within, in a tone that sounded suspiciously like, 'Just a minute.'. The voice was distorted through the door though, and I couldn't make out what was actually said. In the light of the moon I could make out the emblem of a candle with a lit flame on top, it had been carved into the door.

The door swung open a few moments later and I caught a glimpse of a lavender Unicorn with a purple mane and tail both of which sported lighter purple and pink streaks through them. Razor Wit bowed deeply and I could hear the mare tell her to 'rise'. I was briefly puzzled, 'Why would Razor bow to this mare?'

The mare stepped back, holding the door with her right bind leg, then gestured for Razor to enter. Razor passed the mare then the lavender mare turned toward me. She stopped and slowly looked up, taking in me in all my scrawny glory. I felt terribly self-conscious and could only manage to lift my left hand and wave sheepishly while grinning in the same manner.

The lavender Unicorn mare waved me inside and I had to duck slightly in order to get past the door. The mare spoke a few words to the Guards outside, but I didn't pay any attention to what she said. I looked around the interior of the impossible tree-house. Judging from the plethora of books that were stuffed into the shelves that lined literally every wall of the interior, I guessed that the lavender mare must have been the librarian. From the different doors and personal knick-knacks and so forth scattered around the inside, I figured the mare must actually live in the library. I was impressed with her apparent dedication, I couldn't easily think of any Humans I knew with such passion.

I heard the door close behind me and I decided that it was the best opportunity I was likely to have for a proper introduction. I turned around and froze. The lavender mare had a pair of wings as well as a horn, 'An Alicorn then.' I thought unhappily, 'So much for Celestia trusting me. She sent me to live with one of her relatives.' I was feeling slightly betrayed and more than a bit petulant. The Alicorn mare eyeballed me up and down as she began a circuit of me. She spoke under her breath as she walked around me and I could hear words that meant 'bone', 'muscle', and 'erect'. I sighed wearily as she completed her circuit.

She stopped right in front of me and her horn lit up. A rolled up scroll, enveloped in a lavender aura floated off a lectern in a corner of the library and floated over to me. In my agitated state, I snatched the scroll out of her magical grasp. She squeaked in a way that was probably as painful to hear as the discomfort which caused it.

Razor Wit was at the Alicorn's side in an instant,
"Don't do that!" she yelled, using one of the few phrases in American she had mastered, "It pain-filled is!"

"It's painful." I corrected her hotly in American, "I feel not . . . respected . . . look at being like thing . . . alive not . . . intelligent. Obvious Celestia . . . trust not . . . myself . . . force . . . coerce . . . situation . . . slave feel me similar." I absolutely butchered it but I was honestly hurt, "Princess Alicorn all . . . control not trust! Hard . . . strive me . . . work worth . . . nothing!" the second part was slightly more coherent.

The Alicorn mare's face shone with what I could only assume was restrained indignation.

I ignored her and unrolled the scroll, which was written in American English,

Dear Daniel,
I neglected to mention that the mare you will be staying with, as well as her friends, all have names that would be very difficult to properly translate without help, so I took the liberty of writing down their names post translation. The farmer's name effectively translates into Applejack, she is an Earth Pony. I chose to mix apple and lumberjack because it is a fairly close literal translation, but the connection would have been quite difficult to make due to common gender references in Velensovth. The athlete's name is Rainbow Dash. I very nearly went with Rainbow Sprint but I settled on Dash because the word sprint usually refers to a ground race and Rainbow Dash is a Pegasus. The animal specialist's name was very tricky. The literal translation would have been something along the lines of 'reluctant one who flutters'. That did not sound very good and the translation was far from perfect so I decided Fluttershy was an appropriate name. The name of the seamstress roughly translated into 'uncommon precious beauty' so I decided Rarity would be much more appropriate and less arduous to repeat. The baker's name literally means 'sweet like a warm pastry in the color of child's pink'. That is a mouthful and no mistake, so I decided Pinkie Pie sounded sweet and innocent while keeping the implied meaning. The librarian, whose home you are sharing only became an Alicorn recently. Her name literally translates almost perfectly into Twilight Sparkle but I challenge anyone to get those particular words communicated effectively without both parties already being well-versed in each other's language. Twilight was my personal protege for many years and is quite possibly the single most intelligent Pony in all of Equestria. She is very sweet but can be a bit too scientific and analytical at times. Please don't let her intrusively inquisitive nature get under your skin. Despite the way she acts, she means absolutely no harm and will go far out of her way to help a friend. I'm certain the two of you will be able to get along with far less friction than you and I seem to have.
Best of luck,
Princess Celestia

I lowered the scroll slowly and met the eyes of a borderline irate Alicorn,
"Well shit."

Chapter 23: Culture Shock And Natural Magic

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"Childish lout!" Razor spat in American English, she was getting better, "Princess kind is! Intended not rude being! Intended yes . . hurt Princess you!"

I felt like a heel and Twilight not only looked pissed but embarrassed as well, "I . . . emotion feel . . . regret . . . action repeat . . . never . . . interperate Princess . . . incorrect . . . Forgive?" my Velensovth was worse than normal, give me a break, I was nervous.

Razor's face softened slightly. She knew by that point that I never apologized unless I was sincerely regretful. I couldn't help it, I was sincere by nature. Razor Wit began whispering into Twilight's ear too softly for me to follow. I didn't care to keep staring either, 'Hell for all I know it might make the problem worse.' I turned and decided to peruse the selection of books the library had to offer.

A loud belch echoed around the library, it was accompanied by a green flash of light from an open sided loft up above the main floor. Princess Twilight, seemingly having forgotten about being pissed at me, disappeared in a flash of lavender light. I heard a whip-crack-like sound and spotted an identical flash of light up in the loft, 'She teleported. And I just gave her a magic version of a slap in the face . . . way to go genius. You pissed off a Kavim who is powerful enough to bend space at will and could probably curb-stomp you into a fine mush.' I was not particularly pleased with myself.

Princess Twilight reared up on her hind legs and braced herself on the loft rail then called down to Razor Wit and I, "Clear the floor."

I backed up against the wall behind me reflexively and I could see Razor do the same on the opposite side of the floor.

*SNAP*

A brilliant flash of golden light illuminated the entire library. I held up my arms for protection and crouched on the floor, against the wall. The light ceased as quickly as it began and I lowered my arms. Princess Celestia stood in the middle of the library, 'She just . . . teleported . . . from Canterlot . . . to here. Why do I get the feeling I'm in trouble?'

Celestia turned her head and looked at me, "Is it physically impossible for you to stay out of trouble?" she asked sternly, "Five minutes, you weren't here for five minutes before Twilight wanted to hang you upside down."

I looked up at Twilight and she scowled back at me, Celestia continued, "You heard me. She wanted to hang you upside down for an HOUR. What happened between you two?"

"How do you know what she . . . " I began.

"Answer the question, please Daniel." Celestia said evenly.

I sighed, "I interrupted her magic by grabbing a scroll out of the air when she was levitating it. I thought . . . " I trailed off quietly.

"Continue." Celestia said quietly.

"I . . . I thought the only reason you sent me here was because Twilight was supposed to keep an eye on me because you didn't trust me." it sounded extremely childish when I said it out loud, but I decided to complete my thoughts, "When I went to introduce myself she just walked around me sizing me up like an experiment or a toy or something. I felt like a 'hetlar', not a 'hetlin'. I got upset because she didn't even take the time to introduce herself and I snatched the scroll out of her grip BEFORE I read your message to me." I could not believe how petty I sounded, "Once I read your message, the first thing I did was apologize to her, well, as best I could."

Celestia pursed her lips in a decidedly Human manner then sighed, "I wasn't aware you could cancel magical fields with a touch, we will have to look into that. To answer your question, Twilight told me what she wanted to do telepathically. It is one of the few uses of Mind magic that is allowed by law and even then, only by Ponies that are completely trusted and only by Alicorns. The very vast majority of the time we do not use it because it is so close to breaking the law. Twilight asked about hanging you upside down so she wouldn't end up injuring you by accident."

'Way to go Celestia. I feel bad enough as it is.' I thought.

"I can understand the way you feel though." she began.

'Oh no, don't you dare be so understanding about this!' I thought.

"I can assure you she never meant any insult." Celestia paused briefly and sighed, "It seems that I may need to reevaluate my stance on sharing your language."

'GOD DAMN-IT!' I was silently fuming, 'Don't give in to what I want just because I got pissed!?'

"I am saddened that this is necessary at all, but you seem too irritable to be completely left to your own devices without a shared language between you and at least one Pony around you." she raised her head straight up and looked me in the eye, "I will concede on this point only once and I ask that you do not bring it up again please."

'Wait, what?' I was puzzled, 'She has all my memories, she knows how pissy I can get.'

"I will share your language with only the other Alicorns. Don't worry about your memories, I chose to erase them from my mind. I realized you were right."

'Wut?'

"Holding your memories did give me too much potential power over you. Now I still retain everything you know about Human history and so forth, but your personal memories are gone. All I know about you now is from our interactions, but I remember that I trusted you enough to offer you the position of Emissary. The notion feels off, now that we are here in this situation, but I trust myself. Furthermore, I will only provide others with basic vocabulary, so references to pork and beef and so forth will be omitted. I ask that you not take steps to antagonize Twilight anymore, I truly hope the two of you can learn to get along." Celestia finished, "Besides, I have some things to discuss with you both."

" . . . Th . . . thank you." I muttered, feeling lower than whale shit, 'She forgot my memories?' I was flabbergasted. I sat down on the floor of the library in shock, 'I didn't know she could do that.' I pondered.

Princess Twilight had returned to the main floor of the library while Celestia had been busy feeding me an entire verbal version of 'humble pie'. She turned and spoke a few words to Twilight then touched her horn to Twilight's. Both of their horns glowed for several long minutes while I just sat there mentally kicking myself for acting like an ass-hole.

My attention was snapped back to reality when Celestia and Twilight parted horns. Princess Twilight looked slightly dizzy and she seemed to stabilize quickly. I decided to take the initiative and rose to me feet. I walked over to the pair of Alicorns and inclined my head respectfully before I knelt down in front of the lavender Princess.

"Now that you can understand me, Princess Sparkle, I wanted to properly apologize for what I did earlier." I said quietly.

Twilight regarded me with what I thought was a neutral expression, but I was determined to continue, "When we first met I felt like you were only seeing me as an animal and not a person, but that's no excuse for breaking your magic when I grabbed the scroll you were giving me. I did it to Razor Wit once by accident so I knew exactly what would happen. I wanted to express how I felt but since I couldn't, I lashed out at you. I should never have done that and you didn't deserve it. I misinterpreted what you were about, it's no excuse but it is the reason and I wanted to say I'm sorry I did it."

"It hurt, I'll admit, but I'm not injured. I never meant to make you feel like a thing instead of a person. How about we start over." she said, "My name is Twilight Sparkle." she said offering a hoof.

I grasped and shook her hoof gently, "Daniel Pering. It's a pleasure to meet you Princess."

I could see Razor Wit in my peripheral vision as I let go of Twilight's hoof. She looked vaguely upset and I could guess why, 'She's the only one in the room who can't speak American English. I bet it's killing her.' I felt bad for her and reached out my left arm as I sat down on the floor. I motioned for her to come closer, 'I can't ask Celestia to alter her decision right now, but I don't want Razor to be left out.' I pulled my tan Unicorn friend into a one-armed hug as soon as she was close enough.

Celestia seemed to notice Razor's expression and predicament and smiled warmly, "I am only going to do this once and I better not hear either of you talking about the translation while it's active, but for the next few minutes I'll allow Razor Wit to understand and speak with us." Celestia's horn lit up and a beam of white light lanced out and struck Razor's horn.

Razor shook her head the paused, her eyes growing huge, "Oh WOW!" I have to admit, she sounded very normal speaking American English, "Your language . . . it's so . . . vulgar and expressive!" she practically squirmed with delight, "Oh this is so exciting!"

"Ah-ah," Celestia cut in, "The spell will only last until I go back to Canterlot, it is not permanent and I ask that you do not discuss the translation while it's active."

"Alright Daniel," Celestia began, "I'm hoping to name you Emissary soon. Whether or not your people accept you as such will be up to them. They deserve an Emissary and while I would like for it to be you, it is their choice. In any case, there are things we need to discuss. Twilight Sparkle and Razor Wit," Celestia spoke to the two mares, "You are welcome to join in on this if you wish." she turned back to me, "Now, my sister and I have been contemplating and observing your people for some time now. We have determined that there are some significant cultural differences in the way Humans think as opposed to the way Ponies think. While the vast majority of Ponies self-regulate by virtue of our culture and social structure, Humans never developed that same type of aspect of self-control. You developed differently and despite what I knew, I never imagined exactly how much of a difference there really was. There have been a few instances where the Civil Guards stationed at New Humansville . . . "

"STOP!" I interrupted loudly, "New . . . Humansville?" I asked incredulously, "You came up with than when you still had my memories didn't you?"

Celestia's trollish grin made a brief cameo, "Actually I still know that since it it part of American History."

Twilight and Razor looked at me strangely, so I explained, "Humansville is an actual town in the American Mid-West, in the state of Missouri to be precise, and I just happen to be a direct descendant of its founder, old Judge Human. It's a running gag among my family that each new generation is 'less Human' than the one before." I turned back to Celestia, "We have to let the people decide the name of the town."

"I think it more than appropriate given the circumstances, but very well. This village is named Ponyville, so since Humansville has already been taken, I wrote New Humansville down for the next cartographic update for the region, we can alter it later if your people wish. We are getting off topic though. As I was saying, there have been a few instances where the Civil Guards stationed in New Humansville have run into substantial enough differences in the laws that govern our two species, that they have nearly come to blows on two occasions within these last three weeks. Because of these volatile events I would like to propose a version of the Human Police force . . . "

I held up my hand, palm out and fingers spread, "If I may, Princess."

She nodded, so I continued, "As much as I would like to blatantly say 'yes' to such a proposal, and I do agree strongly with the idea, Human nature would resent the lack of their option, opinion, or input. I cannot, in good conscience, agree to this unless the people are allowed to have their say. Even in your world here, I still believe that any type of governing or regulating body or actions should be the choice of the people. Furthermore I think it might be too soon. Give them time to adjust all the way."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on that latter part. Human history has shone that Human nature is volatile and tends to run rampant when not kept carefully in check despite prime examples to act otherwise." Celestia said.

I opened my mouth, a harsh retort on the tip of my tongue, but Twilight spoke first, "I propose a compromise." Twilight said suddenly, "The people decide on the codified laws as well as the limitations on these... Community Welfare Guardians, but they begin training immediately so as to limit the amount of time and there-by the number of chances for violent confrontation between the Civil Guard and the Humans."

"Um... " Razor began, "Just a thought, I'm not as smart as the rest of you, but were any of the confrontations caused by magic?"

Celestia nodded, "In fact both of them were. Do you have an idea?"

"W . . . well, ever since the massacre . . . "

"MASSACRE!?" I yelled then turned to Celestia, "What massacre?"

Razor Wit covered her mouth with her hooves and Celestia sighed sadly while Twilight just looked lost, "A while back, after you reached Canterlot and ended up in your coma, there was a... misunderstanding between the Royal Guard and your Human friends. A traitorous member of the Guard, who I had already demoted, led a force of fifty Unicorns trained in battle magic in a nighttime surprise attack against your friends. Seventy Humans lost their lives in the attack." Celestia informed me.

"My god." I whispered, I could feel my temper rising, "I assume," I said loudly, "That the perpetrators of the attack were all hanged?"

Celestia drew her head back in revulsion, "No. They were severely punished though."

"Unless it involved tremendous and prolonged agonizing pain, I'd say you didn't deal with them harshly enough." I said tersely.

Celestia looked at me evenly, calmly, her voice was just as deathly calm and quiet, "Daniel, please. Enough lives have been lost over this. Have you witnessed the lives of untold millions from birth to death and the passing of every one of your friends from time beyond memory? Do you claim the moral high ground with calls of death and torture?"

I took a deep, slow breath in and let it out just as slowly, "May I ask for a short break? I need to take a walk and cool off before I say something I don't mean, because it's sure to be something I'll regret as soon as I say it. I don't want to upset any of you anymore tonight."

Celestia nodded, "Very well. Would you like one of us to go with you?"

I rose to my feet, "I'd like it to be Razor Wit."

Without another word I turned and made for the door. I could hear Razor's hooves clopping against the wooden floor behind me. I reached the door, turned the handle, and held it open for my tan companion. Razor headed outside and I bent over and followed her silently, closing the door behind me. I stood back up to my full height and stretched.

Looking around at Ponyville at night hardly painted an impressive picture. It was all dark houses and closed shutters. My night vision had always been a bit better than average and my sense of direction was at least passable so I wasn't worried about getting lost in a tiny village at night.

I picked a direction straight out from the front door and just started walking, "Sorry for pulling you out of there like that Razor, but I have a flash-fire temper and it was about to get the best of me." I paused briefly, "I completely forgot to ask, is it alright for me to call you Razor, or would you prefer me to call you by your full name?"

"Just Razor is fine." she answered quietly, "What you said back there, about torturing, did you really mean it?"

"At the time I did, but after Celestia . . . "

"Princess Celestia." Razor corrected me.

"No offense to either you or her but I'll call her Celestia until she tells me different. I haven't sworn allegiance or fealty to her. I respect her authority and position well enough, but she isn't MY Princess. So I refer to and treat her as an equal until I chose to recognize her as my superior."

Razor shook her head, "If that's how you treat your friends, I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies."

"I don't consider Celestia a friend, she's more of an acquaintance. YOU I would consider a friend." I said.

"Why not Princess Celestia? She obviously thinks of you as a friend. Otherwise she would have had you arrested several times over by now." Razor said.

"Actually I don't think she does." I said, "Let me explain. Celestia is a tactician. She knew me better than anyone ever has. She may have given up THAT advantage but she already knows how I work and that I'll challenge her if she gives me a reason to. She asked me to be blunt and honest with her and I believe she meant it, but have you noticed that every time we are together she continuously keeps me off balance? Every time we meet she reveals some big secret I didn't know before so that I end up taking a strictly reactionary position. If I'm merely reacting to everything I can't form my own plans. It's a game for her. She's constantly trying me, pressuring me, and pushing my buttons to see what I'll do. It's a never-ending test of my character with her. When she stops playing me like a harp from hell, I might think about the possibility of considering her a friend."

Razor was quiet for a few moments before she said something that nearly broke my brain, "Maybe the reason she does that is so you can learn to deal with it and still function."

I stopped in my tracks, stunned at her proclamation, 'Could that be it?' I wondered, 'She's certainly clever enough. Could she be... testing me?' and suddenly it dawned on me, 'The position of Emissary! It's not testing, it's grooming! She's grooming me to make sure I'm competent for the job!'

I stepped up to Razor Wit and wrapped my arms around her in a bear hug, "Razor, you're brilliant."

She froze momentarily but then relaxed and patted my arm with her hoof, "My pleasure."

I let go of her and turned around, "Let's head back."

"What about your temper?" Razor asked trotting up beside me.

"It seems pretty clear that I need the practice. I'll just have to learn to deal with it. I can't do that out here mopping around." I said.

We reached the library quickly and I held the door for her once more. Celestia and Twilight were still in the same positions they had been in when we left. I walked back over and plopped myself down on the floor in front of them. Razor laid down on the floor to my left, closer to Twilight and Celestia was on my right diagonally.

"Are you calm now?" Celestia asked evenly.

I nodded my head, "Yes, I'm fine now." I hesitated on the next part, but I knew I needed to say it, "I apologize for my earlier outburst. What I was calling for was over the top. For the record Celestia, I do trust your judgement."

Celestia nodded, "Apology accepted." she turned to Razor Wit, "As you were saying?"

Razor cleared her throat, "Anyway, ever since the massacre Humans have been afraid of magic. I witnessed it first hoof during my initial encounter with Tina, Rachel, and David and subsequently when I followed the Humans until they reached the location of what is now New Humansville. The first uses of magic they ever saw were lightning bolts, hurled by Unicorns, striking them in the middle of the night. The Humans are afraid of magic so what better way to mitigate that fear than to educate them? Send in a delegation of Ponies to teach about it. You won't so quickly fear what you understand."

Celestia smiled, "That sounds like a most agreeable plan."

"I would like to address something." I said, "The topic is weapons. Humans will craft them, if they haven't already. I understand that weapons are designed to injure and kill but Humans won't feel safe unless they are available." I looked at Celestia and motioned to her with my right hand, "You know this to be true. Humans feel they have the right to defend themselves, even if it isn't necessary all the time. We operate under the mindset of, 'it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it'. I have no idea how you feel about civilians wielding weapons and I don't like bringing this topic to light, but it needs to be addressed."

Celestia looked to Twilight, "Would you like to take the lead in this?"

Twilight smiled, "Certainly." she cleared her throat and looked me square in the eye with laser-like focus, "Pony civilians are not allowed to own weapons of any sort, however each city, town, and village has a cache of weapons and armor for emergency defense. Every adult Pony in every settlement is required to participate in an annual Emergency Preparedness Course. The three day course details the use of weapons and armor among other things. Aside from that, there are martial training courses that any civilian can pay to participate and learn. The courses train Ponies in the use of hooves, horns, and even wings as natural weapons. There is even a strictly Unicorn training house that teaches the use of telekinesis as an extension of the body. Actual Combat Magic however, is very strictly regulated to only the Unicorns in the Guard and even then there are only a few that are widely known. Higher ranking members of the Guard gain access through their advancements in rank. On the opposite side of that same coin however, their use of the spells becomes more and more strict. It seems to me that Humans could easily adopt a system similar to what we use today. There are so many tools that that are capable of being used as weapons that even owning a spear, mace, or sword is punishable by a twenty bit fine and confiscation of the weapon. How does that sound?"

"Like a sure-fire recipe for an uprising." I responded blandly.

Twilight looked at me oddly, I opened my mouth to respond, but Razor placed her right hoof over my left hand,
"I'll handle this one." she turned to Twilight, "Humans are at a perpetual disadvantage over Ponies. Humans are physically weaker and they have no magic either. The Humans as a species use tools to achieve their goals. Without those tools they are as vulnerable as foals. I've witnessed that truth directly when I was tracking them. Without tools there is no possible way they could ever defend against even the weakest Pony. They need to be allowed to have SOME means of self defense."

Celestia nodded, "I agree to a point. Every living thing has the right to defend itself, of that, there can be no argument. Despite that though, Humans do have what they call Martial Arts but those styles of combat are only intended for Humans to use against other Humans."

"How about we present that at the same time as we present the proposal of these Community Welfare Guardians. I would like to propose one additional idea. Once the settlement is up and running, why don't you send it teams of skilled workers there and allow the Humans to decide what type of job they would like to receive training for. Also send out word of a new settlement that needs farm hands . . . hooves to help fill the vacuum. I'm recommending this because Human technology is leaps and bounds ahead of your own and I believe we have a great deal to offer each other."

Celestia smiled warmly, "There are Ponies at New Humansville already to help develop the town. In regard to sending in skilled workers, I had that thought myself and the papers are ready to be sent out."

I chuckled happily, "I'd kiss you if you were a Human."

"On that particular topic, while I understand your culture's stance on zoophilia and bestiality, Ponies do not fall under the category of animals or even true ponies. I have a strong suspicion that before long, it is going to be a topic that will need to be addressed." Celestia said.

I closed my eyes and rubbed the bridge of my nose with the fingers of my right hand,
"Oi, I hadn't even considered that." I looked back up and around at the three mares around me, "What are your thoughts on that?"

"From a moral standpoint," Razor began, "There are no issues with one species marrying another in general, but such cases are extremely rare. Obviously compatibility is the most prominent issue. Social structure, social norms and expectations also have to be taken into consideration and there's absolutely no guarantee that all individuals who hear of it will be understanding." Razor said.

Twilight piped up next, "There are also other types of compatibility to take into account. Basic physical compatibility tends to be something of an issue with interspecies marriage. Not to mention compatibility on a genetic level."

She rose to her hooves and began pacing back and forth on the floor as she began what sounded like a full-blown lecture,
"We know that for Ponies, it isn't an issue for two different breeds to have foals since the base genetic template is identical in both parents and the determining factor of which breed the foal is born as, is based on dominant and recessive genetic traits and background. There are exceptions to those rules though, based on the location of individual development. If a Pony is adopted by a different species, say a Gryphon family for example, that Pony's Magerium will develop to match that of the most common and dominant surrounding Magerium. The Pony's Magerium would match that of the Gryphons. Obviously they wouldn't be able to fly unless they were born with wings, but the alignment and development of their Magerium would allow them to walk on clouds and be as strong and aggressive as any other Gryphon. If the Pony, were conceived in the Gryphon nation and their entire embryonic development also took place there, there is strong evidence that due to the prominent alignment of common surrounding Mageriums, the Pony would be born a Pegasus more often than not, and THAT is because the Pegasus genetic template resembles that of the Gryphons most closely."

Twilight stopped pacing and sat back down across from me, "We know relatively little about such things though, since interspecies marriage is so incredibly rare, but we do know that every species reproduces only at its base genetic template. Ponies can only have foals with Ponies and Gryphons can only have kittens with other Gryphons. There is no way to crossbreed two different species. Despite a common misconception to the contrary, Gryphons are not half-breeds. They are their own species that simply developed physical traits of both predatory felines and birds of prey." Twilight suddenly blushed sheepishly, "Sorry, I got side-tracked. Anyway, interspecies marriage between Ponies and Humans may be possible on a strictly physical level, but on a genetic level they would not be compatible and therefore never be capable of having foals naturally. They would have to adopt."

Celestia cleared her throat, "From a personal standpoint, I have no specific issues with the possibility, however Human prejudice may rear its ugly head very quickly. I think we should bring the topic to bear when we present all these other topics and see what the people think."

I nodded, "I agree."

Razor smiled, "Sounds like a plan."

Twilight grunted, "I suppose."

Celestia beamed happily, "While we are on the topic of reproduction and pregnancy, that brings into play one of the laws that no Pony would ever dream of violating." Twilight and Razor looked lost, Celestia ignored their puzzled expressions and continued, "In our world, in order for any couple to conceive, they must not only complete the physical act, but also want the young to be conceived. Their Mageriums must superimpose and encapsulate on the gametes in order to give the gametes the energy to begin the process of zygotic development. There are literally no young that are unwanted by both parents in our world. Parents may perish, but every birth is a desired event. That is why there are so few orphans." Celestia looked ill but pressed on, "The Human practice of abortion will never be permitted in Equestria."

Twilight and Razor looked at each other, obviously confused, "I don't know that word." Twilight said.

"Neither do I." Razor admitted.

Celestia looked at me, "I'll let you explain it. It is far too distasteful for me to do so."

I sighed heavily, 'This isn't going to end well.', "Some background first." I said licking my lips, "On Earth, the Human world, there is no magic whatsoever. Thamaturgic Energy is an alien concept. Because of that Humans conceive very easily and many pregnancies are unwanted. There is a medical operation Human women can undergo which destroys the fetus."

Razor Wit looked physically ill, but Twilight seemed quite upset, "You mean to tell me that doctors, those who have dedicated their lives to saving the lives of others, voluntarily and intentionally KILL unborn Humans!?"

I scratched the back of my head, "Our government decided that until a child is actually born, it is not considered a living thing and as such is not protected by law if the mother doesn't want it."

Twilight rubbed the sides of her head with her hooves, "So a single parent, not both, a SINGLE parent is capable of deeming her child, her CHILD, something that can be simply KILLED on a whim?"

I bit my lower lip, "That's about the extent of it."

Twilight rose to her hooves and laid her ears back, her face was a thunderhead, "That's barbaric! No," she shook her head, "That's so far beyond barbaric I . . . I don't have any words for it!" she began panting, "How can any culture that calls itself even remotely civilized ever condone such a thing!? It's beyond monstrous! It's incomprehensible! How could any species do such a thing! Do you Humans just walk around murdering each other for fun?" her eyes narrowed at me and she gritted her teeth, "Get out of my library!" she yelled, "I can't stand the sight of you, you disgust me, how could you!?" she stepped forward and lowered her horn right into my face, "Get out of my library this instant!"

I held up my hands against her head, "I didn't make the law! There's tons of Humans who disagree with it!"

"He speaks the truth Twilight Sparkle." Celestia said separating us with her left fore hoof, "Would you condemn an entire species on the actions of anything but the entire people?" her tone changed to matronly and commanding, "Step away from him," she ordered sternly, "Right now."

Twilight slowly stepped back but her expression spoke volumes that even I could understand, "If it means anything, I agree with you Twilight." I said calmly, "I don't agree with the practice, but there was nothing I could do to change it. Some Humans feel so strongly about it that they have killed the doctors that perform the operations. Not all Humans are the same. Please understand."

Twilight slowly calmed down, but she kept eyeballing me dubiously, "I'll listen, but Princess Celestia is right. No Pony would ever do such a thing. Unicorns proved long ago that every living thing that is intelligent has a Magerium. That Magerium, that living magic can be detected at the moment of conception. Any medically trained Unicorn can detect the living magic of a Pony even minutes after conception. Granted, some and thankfully few, miscarriages do occur. When that happens the deceased, unborn foal is buried as if he or she were a living, breathing member of society. Unborn foals are absolutely precious and fully protected by Equestrian law."

"The same will apply here, without argument or exception." Celestia said.

"Well then you're opening one hell of a hot topic. Humans distrust complete control by any entity, Human or otherwise. You might have a riot on your hooves." I said honestly.

Celestia smirked knowingly, "Perhaps not."

"You know something." I stated.

"I do indeed. My sister Luna has been in contact with one of the medical Ponies in New Humansville, Steady Hoof. She has determined that every Human female who is pregnant is al least a month and a half along in their pregnancies. That seemed odd to Luna so she went and carefully read your reports, Razor Wit. The time when conceptions seemingly ceased correlates exactly to the day when the Humans stopped vomiting magic. We have come to the hypothesis that Humans in Equestria now follow the same laws of reproduction that all other species do. The conception must be intentional. Magic is a living entity in its own right and it has seemingly determined that the rules of conception shall apply to all beings in this world." Celestia explained.

"Wait a second," I interjected, "If couples can only conceive when their . . . Mageriums align and give life to their gametes, that means the Humans have Mageriums. If Humans have Mageriums . . . they have magic."

Celestia giggled softly, "Not quite I'm afraid. A being's Magerium is a unique pattern, like a fingerprint, that effectively represents all the latent Magic in their body. It works like a conduit to the Natural Magic of the world and their intention to conceive is communicated through it. The Natural Magic allows for their gametes to be given life in order for them to fulfill their purpose. Yes, Humans have Mageriums, but they lack a vital organ in order to harness, channel, and control Thamaturgic Energy. That organ is the Screfula. Humans don't have magic to use, but they can process it without it poisoning them."

"Oh, I didn't get that before." I said, "So, when should this meeting take place? It's likely to be quite a long one."

"How about in one month, thirty-seven days." Celestia recommended.

"Am I to assume that I'll be there as well?" I asked.

"I would like both you and Twilight to be there, if that's alright." Celestia said.

"I don't see any problems with it." I said casually, "I would like to make a list of different topics to discuss as well."

Twilight seemed to perk up instantly, "List? May I help?"

I was surprised by her enthusiasm, "Uh . . . sure."

I had never imagined any living thing could ever be so excited at the prospect of writing a list. Twilight clopped her fore hooves together like a Human clapping their hands. 'Ohhhhh kayyyyy.'

Celestia rose to her hooves and stretched out her back then unfurled her wings and yawned, "It has been a long day and tomorrow will certainly be exciting in its own right. So with that in mind, I bid everypony goodnight." in a blinding flash of light, she was gone.

I sat in place for several seconds, unsure of what to do, "I'm sure you already thought of this, but where am I going to be sleeping?"

Twilight pointed over to a large sofa in the corner of the library, "I had less than a day of warning before you arrived. I have a spare bed but it's only sized for Ponies."

I shuddered, "Uh, can we stick to Kavim instead of Ponies please? The name makes me shudder."

Twilight's mouth twitched at the corners, "It's appropriate enough." she said also rising to her hooves, "I'll show you where the spare blankets are."

Razor Wit stayed on the floor, looking down sadly, "I miss the language."

Chapter 24: First Impressions

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Razor Wit ended up sleeping in Twilight's only spare bed and personally I wouldn't have it any other way. I slept quite soundly that night. The sofa was wonderfully comfortable and soft. Voices woke me in the morning. I cracked my eyes open and came face-to-snout, fanged snout I might add, with a purple and green reptile of some sort. I reflexively froze, 'Forward-facing eyes, sharp fangs, sharp claws, natural scale armor, so predator. It's also brightly colored so it might be venomous.' I didn't shout, nor did I move, 'Is this thing Twilight's guard dog?' I tensed my arms, ready to grab its neck . . .

"Oh don't mind Spike. He's just curious." Twilight said trotting into the room.

I shifted only my eyes to Twilight,
"Is he dangerous?"

The lavender Alicorn blinked in surprise,
"No . . . Not unless he breaths fire on you."

I could feel my eyes widening,
"Fire?"

"Oh that's right, you've never seen a Dragon before have you." she then switched to Velensovth, "Jemcana emooli Karch."

"Emooli." Spike said, offering me a claw.

I shook his offered claw and slowly sat upright,
"Is he intelligent?"

Twilight giggled behind her right fore hoof,
"I sometimes feel like questioning it, but yes. Spike is my assistant actually. He cooks and cleans, and often finds books I'm looking for, before I do."

Spike apparently became bored. He shrugged and walked away, on two legs, 'Yes! I'm no longer the only biped here!'

Her statement brought something to my mind,
"I heard you say last night that there are Gryphons in this world and now I learn there are Dragons too. How is it that at least two, possibly three sentient species all inhabit the same world and haven't wiped each other out?"

"There's a good deal more than three." Twilight told me, "Ponies, Dragons, Gryphons," she paused and looked at me, "You'll have to give me a second or two, I have to find good translations. Um . . . Zebras . . . Minotaurs . . . Diamond Dogs . . . Donkeys . . . Cows . . . Goats . . . ," she shrugged, "Meh, might as well throw them in there too: Changelings."

I could feel my right eye twitching,
"All sentient?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, we don't know too much about the Changelings, but the most widely accepted answer is 'yes'. More importantly, why is that so surprising?" Twilight asked.

"HOW!?" I nearly yelled, "How have any of you survived? Dear God, your history must be riddled with wars! How the hell do you maintain peace?"

Twilight raised her left fore hoof at my exclamation,
"It's pretty simple actually. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna raise and lower the sun and moon. No species is capable of wielding such power so other nations want to upset them, well except the Changelings. I mean, who wants to anger the beings who determine whether or not your country gets any sunlight? Granted the Princesses wouldn't do something like that even if Equestria were at war, but it doesn't hurt to foster the belief."

Her statement gave me pause,
"Wait . . . So Celestia and Luna control the sun and the moon? Seriously? How long have they been around?"

Twilight screwed up her face in concentration,
"Um, about two thousand years, give or take a century. Before that Unicorns raised and lowered the sun and moon, but we don't actually know how long they've been alive." All records before about two thousand years ago have been either lost or destroyed."

"Two thousand years?" I asked, "Two THOUSAND!? I mean, Celestia mentioned something about that last night, but . . . two thousand years?" I flopped back onto the couch and covered my face with my hands, "Dear God I mouthed off to an immortal."

Twilight's expression sobered,
"She isn't immortal and neither is Princess Luna, they just live very long lives."

"Well that makes me feel a little better I guess." I pulled my hands away from my face, "Alright, enough with all this, we're getting way ahead of ourselves here. Celestia said we were supposed to work on a translation guide then I was supposed to learn about Kavim culture and get some exercise."

Twilight nodded,
"Correct. I got a head start on the translation, but I hit a snag since I had to sleep so I only finished the first forty pages or so. We can work on it after breakfast or we can go meet my friends, whichever you want."

I was floored,
"Forty pages? I was stuck in that hospital bed for weeks and only managed to finish around a dozen pages." I hung my head, "The once proud Human race, the dominant species of Earth, now reduced to being inferior in every way to cute, colorful Ponies." I was being dramatic, trying to be funny, but it backfired.

"Hey, hey, hey." Twilight said comfortingly, "I don't see you as inferior and I'm sure Princess Celestia doesn't either. Besides you're making a poor comparison."

I had intended the over-dramatization to be humorous, but I decided to be a jerk and play along,
"How so?" I asked in my best hurt tone.

"How intelligent are you compared to an average Human?" she asked.

"I'm pretty dim academically, but my intuition and logic are pretty good." I said slowly, 'There's no way I'm telling her my technical I.Q. is in the low 80s. I know my comprehension, creativity, and intuition give me an effective I.Q. of over 150, but she doesn't need to know that."

"That's half your problem. You're comparing yourself to me. I'm not bragging when I say I'm one of the smartest Ponies in this generation, and I never said you were inferior. This is just me expressing my excitement. This is a great chance to study and interact with an entirely new species, learn about a different culture, and compare and contrast traits, thoughts, natures, and mentalities." Twilight explained.

I gave her my most appreciative smile,
"Thanks Twilight. Hey, how about we take a look at those forty pages you wrote last night? If you give me some time, I might just learn enough Velensovth to talk to your friends. Do you have a table to eat on?"

Twilight nodded, now smiling again,
"Yes, it's behind the kitchen. Are you hungry?"

l stoop up slowly and began folding the blanket she had lent me the previous night,
"That I am. Just so you know, Humans can't eat hay, straw, grasses, or most types of flowers. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy we do eat." I paused as I set the blanket down on the sofa and grinned to myself, "I don't suppose you know what bacon is, do you?"

"No, why?" she asked innocently.

"I'll just leave that one alone then." Celestia's warning from the night before came back to me, so I decided to be nice, "Do you happen to have any cantaloupe, bread, and milk?"

Twilight's smile broadened,
"All three are in the kitchen. I prefer Honey Dew myself."

"I enjoy both." I said with a shrug, "Do you know what tomato soup is?"

Twilight shot me a deadpan look,
"Yes."

"Do you have cheese and butter?" I asked.

Looking slightly annoyed, Twilight responded,
"You know, you could go look for yourself instead of asking me, but yes to both."

"Perfect. Would you mind if I made lunch and dinner for everybody?" I asked, rising to my feet.

"Native Human cuisine? Count me in!" she said excitedly, "Just tell me what you need and I'll get it for you."

I scratched my head,
"Um, how much do you know about Human dietary needs?"

"Only what you just told me a minute ago. Why?" Twilight asked.

"O.K. then, I've mentioned four of the five food groups we need to eat. Care to guess the fifth?" I needed to tell her about meat, but finding a good way to do that was going to be tricky.

"That's easy, protein. We need that too." she said.

"Think of a non-plant alternative source of protein and I don't mean milk." I said leading her.

Comprehension dawned on her features, thankfully without any anger,
"Oh, you eat flesh then, like the Gryphons."

"We call it meat. Humans are omnivores. Our most common meats are beef, from cows, pork, from pigs, poultry, which is most commonly chicken or turkey, fish, mutton, which comes from sheep, or shellfish. Some Humans eat insects too. I've eaten a few when camping, out of necessity, didn't much care for it." I said casually.

Twilight looked unsure,
"Here in Equestria, all those creatures are sentient with the exceptions of fish, shellfish, and some insects. I wouldn't go for the insects if I were you. Now unfertilized eggs are just fine, we eat them for breakfast once in a while."

I clapped my hands together,
"Perfect. I'll need a zucchini, a butter-nut squash, about ten olives, two tomatoes, two potatoes, five radishes, half a . . . hold on . . . " I had to think fast for this one and math was my weakest subject in school, "One thirty-eighth of a stone of rice, four leek onions, a few sesame seeds and a full array of spices."

Twilight quirked an eyebrow,
"That sounds unnecessarily complex, but why don't we go together? You can learn about our system of trade. The Princess's letter mentioned you were a kinetic learner."

"Right after breakfast," something important had slipped my mind and suddenly made an appearance, "Where's Razor Wit?"

Twilight's ears flattened and she lowered her head,
"She woke up early and is taking a look at the work I did. She seemed really upset about it too."

I motioned for Twilight to lead me to the kitchen,
"Why?" I asked walking behind her.

"Her special talent is for languages. Surely you saw her cutie mark." Twilight said, "She's upset because she wanted to do the work herself. It's her passion."

"Either that or she has really bad P.M.S." I mumbled.

I had neglected to notice that Twilight's ears were facing me,
"What's P.M.S.?" she asked innocently.

"Prickly Mare Syndrome." I said smoothly, 'Whew, dodged an awkward conversation on that one.'

"Huh," Twilight said, "Are there many acronyms in common Human dialects?"

"Tons," I said stepping ahead and holding the door for her, "Like S.N.A.F.U. or F.U.B.A.R."

"What do those mean?" Twilight asked leading to the old time ice-box in the cramped kitchen.

The kitchen was a long, narrow affair. The width from the work counters and sink on the left to the cabinets and ice box on the right couldn't have been more than five feet. Directly opposite the doorway from the common room and on the far side of the kitchen was an alcove that was maybe eight feet wide and deep. Situated in the center of that alcove was a small, two foot wide wooden table with four bench like chairs around it. Razor Wit was situated on one of the chairs pouring over a sheaf of paper while idly munching on what looked like dried figs or prunes. Spike was seated at the table with a bowl of . . . that had to be the coolest cereal ever, they looked just like little jewels. He was eating from the bowl like cereal with a spoon and milk.

I bent over and pulled open the ice-box door,
"S.N.A.F.U. means 'situation normal, all fucked up' and F.U.B.A.R. means 'fucked up beyond all repair'." I selected a cantaloupe and closed the door with my right hand while holding the melon in my left arm.

"Are all Human acronyms so vulgar?" Twilight asked, "That kind of language is more than a bit repulsive."

I set the cantaloupe down on the short counter behind me and pulled over a cutting board that was set conveniently to my left. Just in front of me, hanging suspended from the wall by tiny hooks was a selection of knives. I selected a wide bladed dicing knife. On a whim, I tested the balance of the knife on my palm. It was well made. I flipped it in my right hand, caught it, and heard three gasps behind me. I turned to see what was wrong, but Razor, Spike, and Twilight were all staring at me.

"What?" I tossed the knife into my left hand and examined my right, "Did I cut myself?" I tested the edge of the knife with my thumb, "It's not even all that sharp."

Their eyes were wide as dinner plates, as if Kavim eyes needed to be any larger in the first place,
"What was that!?" Twilight asked.

"What?" I had no idea what they were talking about.

"That thing with the knife!" Twilight said.

"Oh that." I shrugged, "I flipped it." I tossed the knife into the air again and caught it just like the first time, "It's not a big deal. Anybody can learn to do that." I flexed the fingers of my right hand, "Just good old manual dexterity."

They just kept staring at me,
"Oooookkkkkaaaaayyyyy." they were starting to creep me out, so I just resumed cutting the cantaloupe.

* * *

Razor and I looked over Twilight's work while I ate. Her work was exquisite and her comprehension of tenses was perfect. In a single night, she had completed a full tenth of the total work we needed to complete for the translation guide. Razor Wit was upset but even so, she couldn't argue Twilight's competency. Neither of us could find a single error in Twilight's work and we both learned a great deal about each other's language. Personal note: an entire cantaloupe for breakfast is very filling.

I was washing a few dishes after breakfast, 'Eh, I do need to contribute a little.' Twilight, Spike, and Razor were talking to me in Velensovth while I worked. I could already understand them a bit better.

"Why don't you try out some of your new words at the market? Spike, Razor, and I will go with you of course. It'll give you a perfect chance to learn about our currency." Twilight explained.

I shrugged as I washed off the wooden cutting board,
"Whatever you think is best Princess."

"My friends just call me Twilight." she said.

I smirked, 'So after last night's debacle, I'm suddenly a friend? Strange-assed Kavim. Meh, when in Rome . . . ',
"Then call me Dan, or my friends use my nickname."

"What's your nickname?" Razor asked.

"Crash Course, or just Crash. I prefer Crash." I said casually.

"That sounds like a Kavim name." Razor said.

"Artex Rias." Twilight said.

I turned toward her,
"What was that?"

"Crash Course," she said in American, "In Velensovth, Crash Course translates into Artex Rias."

I silently mouthed the words phonetically, 'Artecks Reeass.' I shrugged, 'Whatever works.'

"Is that how you would like me to introduce you?" Twilight asked.

"It sounds more like a Kavim name, so sure. It might make it easier for them to relate to me since I look so different." I said as I finished drying the cutting board, it was the last item anyway, "O.K. Celestia gave me a bag with some gold coins in it. Let's talk about those while we head out. By the way, who are we going to see first?" I asked.

"Oteliara." Twilight said in Velensovth.

"I caught the word 'otel' which means apple, so I'm guessing you just said Applejack?" I asked.

Twilight nodded,
"Right. I hope you don't mind but I read the scroll Princess Celestia wrote in American for you. Applejack has a sales stall in the market and we're heading there anyway so it made sense."

"Reading someone else's mail in America is a serious crime. People have gone to prison for it." I said.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Twilight squeaked.

"You're fine this time, but for future reference just ask first. I generally don't have anything to hide." I walked over to the sofa and slid on my shoulder bag while mouthing Applejack's name phonetically, "Otel-ee-are-a. Huh, sounds kind of Swedish."

"Remember, try to use Velensovth as much as possible. You are trying to become fluent, right?" Twilight asked.

"Heef, gano den." 'Yes, I am.' I answered her in Velensovth.

(NOTE: from this point onward most conversations are assumed to be spoken in Velensovth. Words that the main character doesn't recognize are going to be presented in their un-translated state.)

The three Equestrian natives headed toward the front door. Twilight and Razor stopped and levitated their saddle bags onto their backs. I was glad to see Razor's normal bags on her again. Those 'travel bags' looked decidedly uncomfortable. Spike, on the other hand, didn't wear anything, clothing, bags, or otherwise. Hell, wasn't even certain whether Spike was male or female, that voice gave very little away, but I was leaning more toward male. I walked up to the door and mentally braced myself, preparing. Many people had called me a pessimist but my mentality was this, 'expect and prepare for the worst, that way, every surprise is a pleasant one'.

I opened the front door and held it for the Equestrians. It occurred to me that the number of identical or nearly identical paraphernalia between my world and Equestria was more than a bit unsettling. One would assume, much as I had initially, that there would be very few things which were shared by our two very different cultures. I could not have been more wrong. Granted, the vast majority of Kavim technology was at least two to three hundred years behind Humanity, but they never had need of it because they had magic. Their most recent mechanical invention was a steam locomotive. In any case, the colossal number of similarities did help me adjust to them and their world so I suppose it was a type of blessing in disguise.

We stepped out, into the light of day and I became instantly nervous. Outside, I finally got a chance to see Ponyville in daylight. It was lime looking at a plethora of different architectural time-periods all mish-mashed together. Stone houses with thatch roofs sat intermingled with houses covered with shingles and modern tiles. Each building was painted in vibrant colors, just as vivid as the residents. The Ponies of Ponyville walked around chatting with friends and going about their business until they spotted me. I figured I was probably pretty hard to miss, standing behind and nearly twice as tall as Twilight and Razor.

Within the span of about twenty seconds, every Kavim within eye-shot had stopped in their tracks and was staring at me, some began whispering too. I had thought I was comfortable wearing the towel from my shower the day before. I thought I would feel confident enough. Nope. I might as well have been naked for all the confidence it gave me. I became acutely aware of my bare chest, my openly displayed ribs, my pencil-this waist, my bare feet, and the fact that underneath the towel, I was 'commando'. My embarrassment and nervousness combined with feeling completely exposed, helpless, and surrounded by unfamiliar beings, none of which looked anything like me, began to make me feel defensive and hostile.

Twilight switched to Velensovth herself, but spoke slightly slower and more clearly than normal,
"Don't let them bother you. They're just curious."

I suddenly felt something cold and wet bump into my right fist. I looked down and met that Razor's concerned eyes. I relaxed my hand and she nuzzled my hand a second time then smiled reassuringly.

"You go . . . first Twilight." I said.

She nodded and set off at a casual trot. I hadn't noticed before, but Spike had climbed onto her back at some point and was riding her like a Human would ride a horse. Had I not been so tense, I would have likely found the image humorous. Twilight led the way out into the street passing by Kavim left and right. Razor and I followed right behind her. My tan Unicorn friend stuck by my side the whole time and I settled my right hand on the back of her neck.

The farther we went, the more Kavim I saw. We had gone several blocks toward and past a tall building with a clock tower then turned right and came into view of what looked like a market/bazaar. Kavim were everywhere. I estimated their numbers to ne close to three hundred in the market alone. The numerous vendors called out their wares and spoke with customers. I took notice of an apparently animated debate between one male vendor and a female customer. The customer seemed to be holding a necklace of some kind and gesturing at it angrily while the vendor seemed to be trying to brush her off casually.

"So much for the customer always being right." I said in American.

Twilight's ears flicked my direction,
"Did you say something?"

I sighed and tried my best in Velensovth,
"One buying . . . unhappy. One selling is . . . evil . . . seller."

"B-b-bern." Twilight said, "Not evil, b-b-bern, it means bad." she finished correcting me then continued in American, "I'll use your language for this. It's not our place to intervene. If the jeweler isn't providing customer service, the customer will spread word about the shoddy service and poorly made merchandise and his business will suffer for it. If we go over and try tp pressure him into providing the service he should, then he might capitulate, but he wouldn't learn his lesson. Likewise if we helped the customer, her feelings about the situation would lessen and she wouldn't spread word as much, about the poor service and product. Her story she would tell others would focus more on us helping her and less about the root of the initial problem, the merchant. The system is in place to promote growth and development both to the community and to the individual. The customer brows in determination and assertiveness while the vendor learns to be more humble and provide better service and a superior product. Individual growth is fostered by trials and difficulty. The system makes itself stronger. The difficult part is determining capability versus willingness. If a Pony is incapable of doing something, others should provide assistance, where as if a Pony is unwilling to do something, others should give them instruction or perhaps an example to follow. In either case personal growth is attained. Come on, Applejack's stall is over here."

I followed her, thinking about what she had said. She trotted up to a stand that was overflowing with apples of all kinds. Behind the stall was a cream-orange Earth Pony with a very long, blond mane and tail, both were tied up with ribbons. On her head was a hat that I would swear probably had a Stetson label somewhere in its history.

Twilight approached her while Razor and I politely stood back. It suddenly occurred to me that the market had gone almost completely silent. I looked around and realized that literally every Kavim eye was locked onto me. Whether or not Razor was with me, my previous feelings came flooding back with interest.

A white male Pegasus Pony stood out from all the rest. He was slathered in bulky muscle with bright red eyes and tiny wings. He was staring at me and not in a friendly way. The mark on his flank was of a set of dumbbells. Thinking fast, I came to a conclusion and swallowed hard. I let go of Razor and walked up to him slowly. The Kavim around him backed away, but the big guy only widened his stance and lowered his head. He was one intimidating dude. Palms sweating, I knelt down in front of him and extended my right hand, smiling as warmly as I could. At eye level, he was even more intimidating. He looked like he could just sit on me and kill me.

He slowly raised his head and took my offered hand with his right fore hoof. He had one HELL of a shake. His muzzle split into a half-grim, half-glare as he withdrew his hoof. I honestly didn't know what to do, so I decided to try talking.

"Hello, I am Artex Rias." I said quietly.

"Kurn Somlin." he said simply.

I had no idea what he said, but I nodded anyway and replied,
"I will . . . meet you . . . more . . . at . . . different . . . time." I stood up and inclined my head respectfully.

"YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!" he bellowed.

I turned and walked away muttering to myself,
"Rather enthusiastic chap, isn't he."

Apparently the scene had caught Twilight and Applejack's attention. They were looking at me very oddly. I had never seen Twilight face-hoof before. It was funny as hell. She motioned me over to the apple stall. Applejack was eyeballing me curiously.

I stepped up to the stall and decided to try out one of my new words,
"Hello Applejack, sirunalya to meet you."

I immediately knew I had said something wrong because Applejack's ears went ram-rod straight up in the air, her eyes bulged, she pulled her head back, she was blushing furiously and looked upset at the same time,
"Twilight," I said in American, "What did I just say? I was trying to say, 'pleasure to meet you'."

Twilight was trying not to laugh, she was failing,
"You said 'pleasure' all right, but you said 'sirunalya', what you meant to say was 'sirunala'." she snickered behind her right fore hoof, "You confused social pleasure with sexual pleasure."

"Sirunala! Sirunala!" I said quickly, waving my hands, "I am so, so, so, so, so, . . . sorry, Applejack."

Applejack shot me a very unsure smirk, but at least she didn't attack me,
"Emooluh." she began.

As she continued to speak I recognized she had an accent. Not just any accent either, she had an honest to God southern drawl. I was fortunate enough to be able to make out most of what she was saying.

"Yall need tuh be right careful with how ya say things. If Twilight here hadn't explained you were just learnin' tuh talkk, Ah'd have done gone an' kicked ya into next year. Heh, better not make a slip like that round Mhirhain Koven, she don't have the kind o' restraint Ah do."

I held up a finger to stop her and turned to Twilight,
"Mhirhain Koven?" I asked.

"Rainbow Dash." Twilight said simply.

I nodded and turned back to Applejack,
"I'm sorry, please continue." I said smoothly, 'Hey, that sounded pretty damn good.'

Applejack nodded with a smile, she seemed to understand,
"Ain't no problem keetilopot."

I processed the compound word carefully, 'Keetil means sugar and opot means a shape . . . uh . . . cube! Aha! Keetilopot means 'sugar-cube'.'

I decided to try my luck with making a purchase, there were some gala-type apples that looked really good; I cleared my throat,
"May I purchase . . . single apples . . . bushel?"

Applejack nodded her head in understanding,
"It's 'may Ah purchase a bushel o' apples', or 'Ah'd like to buy a bushel o' apples'."

I took a moment to dedicate the tenses and variations to memory the tried again,
"I'd like to . . . buy a . . . bushel of apples . . . please Applejack."

Applejack smiled and tilted her hat back with her left fore hoof,
"That was pretty good there sugar-cube. Here's a bushel, plus one more fer creativity." she bit down on the handle of a bushel basket of gala apples and added one to the top; setting the basket down on the surface of her stall she spoke again, "Has Twilight taught ya about ciercerie yet?"

I turned to Twilight again,
"Ciercerie?" it sounded a bit like the word sorcery.

"Haggling." Twilight said.

I turned back to Applejack and said,
"No."

Applejack continued,
"Well you'll always get a fair deal from me, but there's plenty o' folks who would love nothin' better than to gatenfulik ya."

I held up my finger again and turned to Twilight,
"Gatenfulik?"

"Overcharge." Twilight said.

I turned back to Applejack,
"Most o' the vendors have signs up with prices listed tuh let yall know the standard cost, but sometimes they'll charge ya more if yall seem junclen or if ya look putyanz or if ya don't have no sungetarut spine."

I held up my finger again and turned to Twilight,
"Junclen? Putyanz? Sungetarut?"

"Junclen means desperate, putyanz means gullible, and sungetarut means proverbial, or that's the closest translation." Twilight said.

I turned back to Applejack,
"Anyway, if'n they claim the price is more than what's posted then yall can either pay what the vendor says, or yall can try to haggle out a deal. There's plenty o' ways to haggle so ya gotta find one that'll work best for ya. Now, Ah can point out some o' the vendors who'll give ya a fair price . . . " she began singling out various vendors while explaining what they sold, even if they were direct competition for her.

After she finished explaining, I couldn't help but to comment,
"You are very . . . honest. I . . . respect honest."

Applejack smiled and tipped her hat,
"Thanks sugar-cube. Now if'n you'll excuse me, Ah got some customers tuh serve."

I stepped off to the right of her stall but Twilight approached her again,
"Crash wants to get some exercise. Would it be alright if he went to your farm to help you out a couple of days every week?"

"Sure thing Twilight." Applejack said enthusiastically, "It'll give him a chance to earn some bits and we'll feed him too. Just have him at the farm by dawn."

* * *

Twilight led us out of the market about an hour later. My mind was overflowing with information. She had explained about their money and I was still trying to wrap my head around it. Apparently the basis for the Kavim system of currency was centered on the number 8, but the most commonly used coin was called a 'bit'. I had asked Twilight to show me how the system worked. I passed her my 'bit purse' as they are apparently called. She selected out a bit, a 'piece of eight' a 'sixteen piece' a 'thirty-two piece' a 'sixty-four piece' and a 'one hundred and twenty-eight piece'. Once she said 'piece of eight' I made the connection. The 'piece of eight' was an old term for a type of Spanish currency, it was also known as Pirate money. I remembered the old rhyme too, 'in a piece of eight, eight pieces fit, every piece is called a bit, half of a piece is four bits, and half of a half is called two bits' which is where the old saying 'shave and a hair cut, two bits' came from. I couldn't believe it, their entire system of currency was run on a series of exponents. The fact that their most common unit of currency was the bit was also amusing as a pun, 'bit and bridle' ha, lol.

We had stopped to put the apples into my bag while Twilight carried all the other purchases. Our lavender Alicorn guide said the next one of her friends we were to meet was Celipunirea or Rarity. Hell of a difference in translation.

The building we were heading toward should have been straight out of Mary Poppins. It had to stand at least three stories tall and it was round. It was liberally covered in arches, pillars, and buttresses in a series of colors that would have clashed horrible had they not been in the proper order.

Twilight walked right up ad opened the door. A bell above the door rang in a cheerful tone. Razor and I followed Twilight inside. I had to watch my head. The highest part of the door, I could fit through, but any other part of the arch, except the apex would have given me a nasty bump. Fortunately, the ceilings were tall enough for me to stand completely erect, though my buddy Calvin would have had to crouch the whole time. Spike seemed elated to be there, why I couldn't imagine.

I took notice of the substantial number of Kavim shaped mannequins as well as the brilliantly colorful array of pseudo-dresses adorning each one. Rarity could only be the seamstress Celestia spoke of.

A melodious, crystalline voice echoed from an out-of-sight room in the back of the shop,
"Just a moment."

Twilight quickly turned to Razor and I,
"I'm going to go talk to her before she meets you. She can be a bit dramatic and I could see her freaking out the first time she sees you."

Twilight headed into the back of the building, through an open doorway. I heard the seamstress talking to Twilight so I decided to listen in on the conversation.

"Twilight? I wasn't aeruvain to see you today, not that I mind, of course. So what is it that brings you by?"

I took an educated guess that aeruvain meant expecting or anticipating, 'So noted.' I thought.

"Well," Twilight continued uncertainly, "I have a tegharu to ask you. I have someone out front who needs several full sets of clothing."

'Tegharu means favor, I think.' I noted.

"Not a problem girvena, I'm actually not very busy at the moment. Let me just grab my things and we'll go have a look."

'Girvena? Hmm, that one has me stumped. It's not friend, I already know that word. I wonder what it could be.' I pondered.

"Before you do," Twilight said quickly, "He's not a Pony. He's . . . something that looks like a mostly hairless primate. And he's tall, really tall. He's also half starved, so try to give him room to fill out." Twilight said.

". . . You brought a giant, starving, naked, monkey in so I could make clothes for it? Twilight, girvena, are you feeling alright?" I heard Rarity ask.

'Monkey?' I thought sourly, 'So a monkey, am I? Well then, set phasers to 'dumb ape'.' I slumped my posture and rolled my shoulders forward, then plastered the most dense expression I could manage onto my face. To my left, Razor seemed to catch on. She nodded and tried to hide the smile that was threatening to break out on her face.

"He's a HE not an it Rarity. He speaks, thinks, and feels just like we do. Princess Celestia asked me to help him learn Equestrian and he really does need clothes. He doesn't have fur like we do so he probably gets cold easily." Twilight said hotly.

"Wait, so this giant . . . being is the one the Princess asked me to tutor in social skills he was . . . how did she put it? Ah yes, 'So deficient in refinement he may as well be a living version of a rock.' Oh dear, this may be more of a challenge than I originally thought. Very well then, let us go and meet this poor, ignorant oaf." Rarity said.

'A rock? Celestia compared me to a rock? . . . I am pretty crude . . . I'm smarter than a rock though. Rarity won't know that though.' I schemed.

Out walked an ice white Unicorn mare who had a purple mane and tail. She was levitating a clip board next to her head. She rounded the corner and froze like a statue when she spotted me. Her pupils dilated for a brief moment before she regained her composure. I grinned inwardly, 'Showtime.'

"Oh my," she breathed, "Well you did say he was tall. My is he ever tall . . . Twilight, girvena, why is wearing a bath towel?"

Taking that as my cue, I slapped a hand against my chest as hard as I could, then let it flop limply to my side and took a deep breath,
"ME GROG!"

"Um Twilight, girvena, . . . how intelligent is he?" Rarity asked uneasily, "He's not dangerous is he?"

The twinkle of mischief in Twilight's eyes said that she understood,
"Just don't use magic on him."

Encouraged by Twilight's subtle smirk, I decided to up the ante,
"PRETTY!" I bellowed, taking several lumbering steps toward Rarity with my arms outstretched.

"Don't move Rarity!" Twilight said quickly, "You'll only entice him to chase you! Freeze!" the lavender Alicorn shot me a wink.

Rarity froze in place with her right fore hoof lifted off the ground. I strode up to her menacingly and she closed her eyes.

I knelt down, took her hoof and kissed it gently, I had no idea if that custom was practiced by Kavim, but it seemed like a good idea,
"A pleasure to meet you Rarity." I said smoothly.

Rarity's eyes popped open, her face betraying what I guessed was total and complete surprise as she blinked five times in rapid succession. Meanwhile Twilight and Razor were practically rolling on the floor laughing. For some reason I couldn't guess, Spike looked royally pissed.

"I apologize Rarity." I said, trying to keep my own merriment under control, I turned to Twilight and asked in American, "What does girvena mean?"

"Dear one or darling. Darling would be closer." Twilight said.

I turned back to Rarity,
"I do not speak . . . good yet."

Rarity finally seemed to snap out of her shock,
"Well you certainly did give me a davzheroff darling. You seem to already know my name, but I'm afraid you have me at a quendharu."

"Davzeheroff and quendharu?" I asked Twilight.

"Fright and disadvantage." Twilight said.

I nodded in understanding,
"I am Artex Rias." I said performing an eloquent bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Crash. Now, Twilight mentioned that you needed clothing. what types of clothing do you require?"

I knew my vocabulary was not sufficient enough to effectively tell Rarity what I needed,
"May I . . . draw the clothes I need?" I asked.

Rarity looked reluctant but she levitated the clip board over to in front of me. I held out my hands to catch it, but Rarity didn't relinquish her hold of it.

"Are you going to take it, darling?" Rarity asked.

"He can't." Razor said quickly, "If he were to touch it with his paws, your magic would break and it's really painful. Trust me, he's trying not to hurt you."

"Oh." Rarity dropped the clip board into my hands, "So . . . what colors do you want?"

"Brown, forest green, tan, and gold." my knowledge of colors was spot on and the words flowed out of me like water, I was feeling quite proud of myself.

* * *

About an hour later, we were finally able to leave. Rarity had to take measurements from me and some of them were awkward to say the least. She had to measure my inseam and let me tell you, that was embarrassing as hell. I had to wrap the towel around my crotch as tightly as I could, unfortunately the outline of 'me' through the relatively thin fabric of the towel left NOTHING to the imagination. To her credit, Rarity was the epitome of professional. She made no jokes, she didn't blush, she just went on about her business like it was a normal occurrence. Once I gave the matter some thought, it did make sense. Kavim don't normally wear clothes at all so any time Rarity has an order for any male, she has to take identical measurements of their 'undercarriage' so she was likely non-pulsed by the situation. That line of thought combined with the fact that I was walking behind Twilight made me idly curious about certain Kavim anatomy.

Their tails didn't cover that much and I figured that if I put any effort into it I could probably see 'everything'. However, I reigned in my curiosity, 'If I'm going to be around them all the time I shouldn't get into the habit of looking, besides I wouldn't want any of them staring up my kilt.' I had absolutely no concerns about EVER being attracted to any of them. First off, I was married. Second, they looked enough like animals to make those kinds of thoughts squirm. Third, even if the first two were nullified, I'm a 'tail male' and a 'boob man', 'I loves me some breasts, titties, jugs, gourds, bouncing Buddhas, fun bags, love pillows, lung protectors, midget's earmuffs, frost detectors . . . heh, boobs. And ass, mmmmm aaass.'

"Our next stop is Sugar Cube Corner where Kennili Irmneniara works and lives." Twilight said as we walked out of Raritiy's shop and back toward the library, she turned toward me and explained in American, "That's Pinkie Pie in your language. Just so you know, Pinkie can be . . . tends to act . . . is constantly very hyper, energetic, animated, and vivacious. She is a bit overwhelming at first but she means well. Please try to be patient with her and don't feel bad if you can't keep up with how fast she talks. Even I can't keep up with her all the time."

'Way to boost my confidence Twilight.' I thought. We were heading toward a building that looked exactly like an honest to God gingerbread house . . . shop. I was genuinely tempted to try chewing on the siding but I decided to refrain. I was still making Kavim stop and stare everywhere I went, but I was no longer fearing a random attack.

Twilight led up up to the shop and went inside before I could get the door for her, which made me feel like I was falling down on the job. Razor and I followed Twilight into the confectionery. The inside smelled so good, I could only describe the smell as divine. I took one look at the glass display case and began salivate but a sudden and overwhelming silence brought my attention screaming back to the present.

More than nine pairs of huge eyes were silently fixated on me. I immediately felt as out of place as a pork chop at a kosher wedding, or a milk bucket under a bull. I slowly raised my right hand and waved in as friendly a manner as I could. The only response I received was every one of those eyes blinking in unison. It was so quiet I could hear, could actually HEAR them blink. I felt like I was in a bad cartoon. I had no idea how to proceed. In the time it took me to blink, I realized I was suddenly staring right into a pair of huge, bright blue eyes. Startled, I took a step back and examined the new Kavim. She was PINK. Pink covered every inch of her body, mane, and tail. Bright, blaring, loud pink, so pink it almost hurt to look at her. She was an Earth Pony and boy, did she ever look excited.

I averted my eyes and focused on Twilight,
"Pinkie Pie?"

Twilight nodded,
"Pinkie Pie."

I looked back down to the embodiment of all things pink and extended my hand,
"Artex Rias, pleasure to meet you. You are Pinkie Pie?" , 'Hey, that came out really well. Way to go Crash . . . Dan. Give yourself a pat on the back'

Pinkie was shaking as if she was ready to explode. She let loose a loud squeal and leaped into the air, higher than any Kavim had a right to. She landed and began chattering away with such vociferous speed I could imagine her speed-rapping without a problem. She suddenly grasped my right hand and shook it vigorously.

She stopped shaking suddenly and held up her right fore hoof curiously. I followed her eyes and saw a small circular device strapped to her hoof that rather resembled an electric joy buzzer. She frowned at the device and gave it a shake, I thought she looked puzzled. 'Oh so she's a prankster eh.' I knelt down, trying to be nice, and held out my hand, asking with my movement if I could see the buzzer. Pinkie slipped it off and dropped it into my hand.

"Wait! Don't touch it!" Twilight yelled, "It's a . . . "

*POP-FIZZLE*

The small contraption began smoking as soon as the skin of my hands touched it. It popped and fizzled then smoked and began to melt. I dropped the thing with a yelp and stood up and backed away. We watched as the metal outside of the thing melted imto the wood grain on the floor.

"I'm sorry!" I cringed, then turned to Twilight, "What just happened?"

The lavender Alicorn shook her head,
"That model of joy buzzer runs off a Pony's magic. They're supposed to be all but indestructible. We need to run some tests on you. That kind of ability is incredibly powerful.

I turned back to Pinkie,
"I'm sorry . . . about . . . device. Friends?"

With a loud cry of, "Heef!" she leaped up and wrapped her fore hooves around my neck. She caught me by surprise, and by God she's strong, in a big bear-hug. I didn't shift my weight and balance quickly enough. I toppled over onto the floor in what would normally been one of my frequent face-plants, but Pinkie held onto me gamely and took my weight to her body as we hit the floor. As we fell I was worried that I might hurt her, but when we hit, the only thing she did was squeak like a dog's chew toy.

She let go of my head and giggled. I pushed myself off of her and looked down to extend my hand and help her up, but by some strange laws of physics, she was not only already standing but was standing to my right and she was holding out a cupcake toward me. The cupcake was seemingly perfectly balanced on the millions of tiny hairs that made up her hoof.

I wasn't much of a sweets person, but I didn't want to make her feel like I was rejecting anything so I accepted the cupcake. I unwrapped it and took a bite, mostly to please her. I hoped it wasn't too sweet because of my hyper-sensitivity to sugar. Things that were too sweet tended to make me queasy. Well, I quickly took a bite, chewed, and swallowed and then the taste bit me, 'Oh dear GOD!' it was loaded with so much sugar that I was not only queasy but I could feel the chewed cupcake coming back up, and coming quickly.

I looked around in a near panic and spotted a door at the opposite end of the confectionery that had the symbol for a Kavim bathroom. Keeping the cupcake in my right hand I bolted across the floor, bounded over a gray Pegasus mare who was enjoying a muffin with gusto, and yanked open the bathroom door with my left hand. My eyes went straight to the sink in the bathroom and I ignored everything else. Spotting a trash can, I yanked the door closed and fell to my knees, just in time for the first heave to overtake me.

My eyes watered profusely as the vomit practically exploded out of my mouth and nose. It burned my entire throat and sinus cavity like fire. I tried to draw in a breath but ended up choking on my own vomit as a second heave hit me. My body reflexively gasped, taking more vomit into my lungs. I coughed and yelled as a third, longer heave hit me. I was dizzy, gasping for air, had a splitting headache, choking, and I had tears streaming down my face as my throat and nasal cavity kept burning from tje residual stomach acid. I can honestly say that I wasn't exactly feeling 100% at that moment.

I lifted my head from the trash can and leaned on the edge of the sink. I reached up and turned on the water then shoved my head beneath the cool, refreshing flow. I inhaled some water on purpose to rinse the acid out of my nose, then took several long, deep gulps. I stayed in that position for well over a full minute and it was during that time that I came to a realization, 'There's someone rubbing my back.' the realization only made me feel worse, 'Great, I just walked in and threw up while some poor Kavim was using the toilet. You know, just once in my crazy assed life, I wish I could make a good first impression. The two Kavim who gave me the blanket on the mountain-side , I was creepy, ugly, naked, fat guy. I found the family of four Kavim before I went into my coma, I was injured, smelly, ugly, naked, fat guy. I met Razor for the first time, I was bleeding, skinny, naked, deformed guy sitting on the bathroom floor. I meet Princess Celestia, I was the skinny, naked, deformed guy who saw eternity in her eyes. I meet Twilight, I was skinny, deformed, half-naked, tall, ass-hole who hurt her. I meet Applejack, I was skinny, deformed, half-naked freak who said it was a sexual pleasure to meet her. I meet Rarity, I was the stupid, starving, naked, giant monkey. I met Pinkie, I was the . . . oi, I think that one was the worst. Well I have two more of Twilight's friends to meet. Hopefully I won't screw myself over for ONE of them.'

I tried to remember what I saw when I opened the door, 'I think there was a flash of yellow and pink but I wasn't really paying attention right then. I guess I should try to minimize the damage. At least this Kavim is nice enough to feel bad for me. That's well more than I could expect from most Humans.' Needless to say, I felt horrible.

"I'm so, so sorry. I feel . . . terrible for when I disturb you." my Velensovth was broken right then.

A soft, musical voice responded behind me,
"There, there, you just had to get rid of something nasty."

'Damn she's nice.' I raised my head and turned to her,
"Thank you, miss . . . "

The bathroom door opened and I heard Twilight say,
"Fluttershy?"

'Fuck . . . my . . . life.' I scooted the trash can away from me, 'Terrific, make that ONE more friend to make a good impression on.' I thought morosely. I shakily rose to my feet and dropped the squished remains of the cupcake into the vomit-can with a wet 'squelching' sound. I turned around and saw a custard yellow Pegasus mare with a Pepto Bismol pink mane and tail, both of which were luxuriously long. She was the first Kavim that I could say was cute. She was cute in the 'adorable innocent' kind of way. I shakily held out my left hand and held the door for her. She left first and I followed her.

Razor Wit trotted right up to me wearing what I was certain was a concerned expression, I held up my hands,
"Toward sugar."

"Rorsan means too much or excessive." Twilight said.

"Rorsan keetil." 'Too much sugar.' I corrected.

I didn't even have to look for Pinkie. She was standing right next to Twilight and she looked absolutely crushed.

"What word would I use if I wanted to say 'sensitive'?" I asked Twilight in American.

"Zellum." she said, "It literally means sensitive."

"Ganden zellum raa keetil." I said to Pinkie.

The pink mare's expression changed from crushed to what seemed to be more along the lines of sympathetic,
"I'll make you something with less sugar." she said slowly.

I could see Twilight had talked to her while I was busy puking my guts out.

* * *

Fortunately enough, Pinkie was willing to let me select an item from the display case. Since I had little trouble reading Velensovth I quickly zeroed in on a slice of pumpkin bread, without frosting. Pinkie Pie ended up shoving the entire loaf into my arms as an apology. I told her that it really wasn't necessary but she was insistent.

We walked out of Sugar Cube Corner, in retrospect it was a perfect name in every regard, and back out into the light of day. We headed East, if the sun was any indicator and just walked out of Ponyville. We were following a dirt path walking through a flat meadow filled with wild flowers.

I was only set to meet one last friend of Twilight and I was playing out every possible scenario in my head, 'O.K. Rainbow Dash is a Pegasus athlete. Most athletes are well-toned, so don't piss her off or she'll kick your ass. They also tend to be very confident and oftentimes braggadocios, so just let her talk about herself. Don't do anything to offend her, be patient, be polite . . . ' my internal monologue came to a screeching halt as I bumped right into Twilight's flank.

The worst part was that, due to the fact that I was top-heavy because of my shoulder bag, I fell right over onto her back. Fortunately Spike was quick enough to jump off so I didn't crush the poor guy, but in a reflexive action, I grabbed for something, anything to hold onto for balance. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to hand was Twilight's mane. She braced her legs, quadrupeds have remarkable balance and stability, and I stopped falling since I was pressed up against her flank. Without thinking, still operating on pure reflex, I tried to stand up, but did not realize I was pulling on Twilight's mane in the process.

I ended up pulling her head back, which that, coupled with the fact that I bumped into her suddenly, made her scream in a very girly fashion. Her wings unfurled and she flapped them wildly out of sync, still screaming. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Razor and Spike tugging on my shoulder bag, trying to help pull me back on balance. My brain switched back on and I realized I was pulling on a powerful Alicorn Princess's mane. I was just about to let go when the most impossibly powerful force barreled right into my left side, just below the ribs, and knocked the wind out of me.

I felt the sensation of flying and I had to admit, it was exhilarating. I instinctively grabbed onto whatever it was that was accelerating me through the air and we suddenly dropped like a rock while the thing that was latched onto me squawked loudly. I had half a second to look down and lock eyes with the irate pink orbs of a cyan Pegasus who just HAD to have a multicolored mane and tail. The world seemed to slow down but my mind was going its own direction, 'She tackled me? Why did she tackle me? I mean this is obviously Rainbow Dash but why assault me?' and all of the sudden, it dawned on me, 'I was bent half way over Twilight with my front against her back, I was pulling on her mane, she was screaming . . . to an un-informed observer . . . oh GOD! It looked like I was trying to MOUNT HER!'

As the ground closed in I had only one thought, 'Worst . . . day . . . ever.'

* * *

"Well the good news is that he doesn't have any broken bones." the doctor said, "But there does seem to be some swelling in his kidney, stomach and . . . "

The doctor was cut off by Twilight,
"So is he free to go?" she was not in a good mood.

"I'm right here." I said moodily from the hospital bed.

Twilight, Spike, and Razor Wit all had to team up to get Rainbow Dash off me. I silently thanked my lucky stars that the athletic Pegasus mare was specifically trying not to hurt me, she was just trying to dislodge me. She had felt terrible when Razor explained what happened and she had been insistent on staying with me until I was released. I fervently hoped it would be soon because her constant apologies was getting old. Twilight had exhausted herself by teleporting us to the hospital and was in a foul mood, while Spike just sat on the edge of my bed like a little brother, and Razor lay on the floor on my right, almost as if trying to protect her exceptionally fragile charge.

Rainbow Dash had been hovering over my bed since the doctor had put me there and kept examining me for more bruises. Honestly I wasn't really upset with her, she was just trying to protect her friend. By some miracle, everything in my shoulder bag had gone through the whole affair without any damage.

"He's free to go, just make sure he drinks plenty of liquids and if any more bruises develop keep an eye on them and bring him right back if he becomes sick." the doctor finished.

I happily threw off the white sheet and rose to my feet,
"Let's get out of here." I turned to Rainbow Dash, "And for the last time, I'm not upset with you." I began limping toward the door, "Besides," I said grasping the lever, "I hate hospitals."

Chapter 25: Day In And Day Out

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We left the hospital at a brisk walk. Twilight was still in a bit of a mood so I cautiously suggested we go back to the library and I would make lunch. The idea was well received and I even invited Rainbow Dash. Just as we entered Ponyville proper, I heard a sound that was music to my ears: the clang of a smithing hammer.

"Is it . . . alright if I go to . . ." I began.

"Just speak in American, Artex. I have a headache." Twilight said.

"O.K. then, is it alright if we stop by the blacksmith shop? I'd like to commission the smith for a few things." I asked.

"Go ahead." Twilight said wearily, "I'll meet you back at the library."

Razor Wit decided to go with me, for which I was grateful. The blacksmith shop was an open-walled affair with just a roof and support beams covering the work area. The section out front had an anvil that was at least twice the size I was expecting and the furnace in the rear was huge and looked to be fed air by a massive bellows. I saw at least three different types of furnaces, ovens, and kilns. My hopes rose as I got a look at the myriad of finished pieces on display on the tables set up outside of the work area. The smith was an Earth Pony who was slathered with thick, corded muscles. He was silverish blue in his coat and his mane and tail were jet black. there was a tall sign out front that had listed prices for a variety of different makes of items based on method and weight. He also had something I had never before seen in Equestria, leather. The sign stated that the leather was legally imported from Gryphonvalle.

The types of items he had listed were the sorts of things that would make any smith proud. Metal door hinges, springs, nails, and farming tools. I had one single thing in mind though, 'If Celestia says we can't have 'weapons' I'll have to make due with a 'tool' instead.'

The smith had stopped working when Razor and I walked up and he was staring at me with a curious expression.

I waved to him and walked up slowly,
"Hello, I am Crash Course. I would like to . . . ask you to make me something." I had to admit, that sounded really good.

The stallion nodded and placed his fore hooves on the anvil,
"I'm Hard Hitter, what kind of thing do you have in mind?"

"A tool of the finest metal and craft you have." I said.

The stallion whistled,
"That's not going to be cheap or quick. I'll be able to give you an idea in price as soon as I know what you want."

"A tool with a . . . hatchet on one side of the . . . head and a . . . hammer on the other. It should . . . weigh between one fourteenth of a Stone and one seventh of a Stone. The . . . handle needs to be half a Fathom long and made out of . . . Oak." My numbers were sounding pretty good.

The stallion nodded, stroking his chin with his left fore hoof,
"Are you sure you want the finest make and materials? This one tool may cost you more than fifty Bits."

"I need the . . . hardest material that will hold an . . . edge and can . . . withstand hard hits." I said, "It needs to . . . last."

The stallion shrugged his shoulders,
"Alright. I'll charge you sixty bits. It'll be one of my best pieces."

I pulled a sixty-four Bit piece out of my bag,
"Include . . . repairs for life and this is yours."

The stallion smiled and nodded,
"Done."

* * *

"So what's with the guy you were bringing to me?" Rainbow Dash asked hovering in the air in the main room of the library.

Twilight sighed heavily and trotted toward the kitchen,
"Do you remember the letter from the Princess asking you to train somepony?"

Dash's eyes bulged,
"That's him?" she asked gesturing outside with her right fore hoof, "Geeze how am I supposed to help HIM? He looks like the only thing he needs is a good meal and what the hay is wrong with his face?"

Twilight answered from the kitchen,
"He was kicked by a Unicorn stallion. The bones in his face were shattered and that's the way they healed. He's permanently disfigured."

Dash groaned and landed on the floor,
"So, what country is he from?"

"None." Twilight answered casually coming out of the kitchen, "He's an alien."

"WHAT!?" Dash exclaimed, "HE's an alien?" she interposed herself between Twilight and the rack next to the door.

Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed,
"Yes, he's an alien. Would you please move?"

Dash stepped out of the way,
"So he's an alien space monkey? That is SO AWESOME!"

"He's not a space monkey." Twilight grumbled, "His species are called Humans. They didn't come from space either, they were teleported here to Equestria and they don't know how to get back."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. THEY? There's more of them?" Dash asked, "Where are they?"

"This is a big deal Dash." Twilight said rounding on her friend seriously, "They're a secret. As far as I know, the only town that knows about them is Ponyville. You have to keep this quiet Dash. The other Humans have had a rough time and the last thing they need is to be swarmed with curious Ponies. The one staying with Spike and I, Crash, he's their ambassador and his only interactions were when his head was caved in when he was trying to get help for his people. Trust me, you don't want to know half of what I know about them."

"Aw come on, Twilight, just a few things, please?" Dash begged.

Twilight shook her head,
"That's going to be up to Crash when he gets back. End of story." Twilight looked around, "Where did Spike go?"

Dash gestured to the loft bedroom with her right wing,
"He headed upstairs, probably for a nap. Did you see how tired he looked?"

Twilight scuffed her right fore hoof on the floor,
"We must have kept him up all night." she turned her head toward the loft, "I need to make it up to him."

The front door opened and Razor Wit trotted in with me behind her. She stopped to talk with Twilight and Dash while I headed into the kitchen to put away my food and prep for lunch, 'Tomatoes, onions, vinegar, starch, salt, oregano, bread, cheese, butter, knife, skillet, and a pot.'

I finely diced the onions and tomatoes and put them on the stove and that's where I ran into the first problem. I knelt down to turn on the stove and stopped. There were places for an open flame, similar to a gas stove, but there was no ignition peg to make a spark and I had no idea where any matches were.

I raised my head and yelled,
"Twilight, I need some help in here."

Twilight trotted through the door looking curious,
"What's wrong?"

"This stove isn't gas or electric, but there's gas type burners on the top. I use stoves all the time but I have no idea how to start it up. The settings are nearly identical to ones we use back on Earth so that's no issue, I just need to know how to turn it on." I said.

"Oh," she smiled, "That's easy, you just tap the burner knob twice and set it to the desired temperature."

" . . . That's so simple. Why isn't it more difficult to use? If it's that easy, I would imagine foals hurt themselves all the time on these things." I said.

Twilight shook her head,
"Not at all. Parents teach their foals how to use stoves and appliances at an early age. I don't know how Humans do it, but Kavim parents only tell the foal not to touch it once. If the foal does so anyway, which most do, the parents let them get burned then bandage them up. It enforces that the parents won't be there to stop them from making foolish decisions but that the parents know what they're talking about. It's a system that we've used for hundreds of years."

"Huh." something else to think about.

I tapped the knob twice and turned it up to where I needed it,
"Thanks, I should be good from here."

Half an hour later, I plated five servings of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup,
"Lunch time!" I yelled in Velensovth.

The table was too small for all five of us but fortunately Rainbow Dash chose to eat her lunch perched on top of one of the cabinets. I was about to argue and say that I was willing to stand and eat off the counter when I noticed there was a cushion already set up on the cabinets, almost as if it was a common occurrence for her to eat up there.

I shrugged and sat down between Spike, who had just woken up from a nap, and Razor Wit, so that Twilight was across from me,
"Dig in." I hoped the term translated correctly.

The myriad of confused faces staring at me told me it didn't,
"Why would we be digging?" Spike asked, "Is that a tradition for you?"

I shook my head,
"The . . . phrase 'dig in' means to begin eating, or to dig into the bowls with your spoons."

"Oh." Spike said.

I watched Dash pick up her bowl with her teeth and raised her upper lip then tilt her head back so the soup poured into her mouth, she swallowed and looked at me,
"Pretty good Mr. Alien," she crossed her fore hooves in front of her and looked down at me from her perch, "So what kind of cool gadgets do you have on your home world? Space ships? Probes that can see inside somepony's body?"

"Yes to both," I said smugly, "But . . . probably not the kind you're . . . thinking. It's not . . . always a . . . friendly place."

"What are you TALKING about!?" Dash said exuberantly, "You come from a world where . . ."

"Magic doesn't exist." I cut her off, "No magic, no Princesses, no talking . . . animals. Nothing but other Humans. We set foot on the moon, yes, but we also . . . wage wars that kill . . . millions. We have . . . excellent . . . medical . . . science but we need it because there's so many ways to . . . die."

"Woah, take it easy there." Dash said, "I was just excited to learn about your world."

I fixed her with a slight glare,
"How . . . about the part where I never get to see my . . . Wife again, or my . . . family?"

"You were married?" Razor asked.

"I don't want to . . . talk about it." I said.

It was too late. I couldn't help thinking about my wife and that chain of thought brought with it all my regrets from home. My appetite evaporated almost instantly and I slowly pushed my bowl away from myself. My insides were boiling with turbulent emotions and I didn't feel like doing anything. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly then scooted my bench seat back and stood up.

Picking up my bowl, I headed over to the sink,
"I'm going to . . . clean up."

I turned on the hot water and began washing out the pot I made the soup in, then moved on to the skillet and the cutting board. I could hear the Kavim and Spike talking amongst themselves and I was genuinely glad they weren't making a big deal out of my outburst. Once I had dried and put away the pot, skillet, and cutting board the Kavim brought their bowls and put them in the sink. I washed up all the bowls, spoons, and plates then dried them and put them away.

I would have been happy to go have a conversation, but my Wife was still on my mind, I just couldn't stop thinking about her. I missed her so badly I wanted to cry. I couldn't help thinking about her. I idly noticed the Kavim had left the table. I didn't know where they had gone but I needed something to do. I wiped down the table, the counter tops, the inside of the oven, nothing seemed to be enough.

I drained the sink and headed out to the front room. Rainbow Dash had apparently left while I was busy and that left Twilight, Spike, and Razor talking. I walked in, grabbed my shoulder bag, and slung it over my head and left shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Razor asked.

"I need to . . . work. That's how I . . . manage my mind. I need to . . . keep busy." I said, "Where is . . . Applejack farm? I go . . . work now."

Twilight quirked her right eyebrow,
"Now? But the day is half over. Why don't you sit down and just talk to us about what's bothering you?"

I shook my head,
"No. I need to . . . work." why was I having so much trouble with the word for 'work', I had no idea.

"You do realize that Applejack won't be back from the market until six. You'd only have her big brother to work with fir five hours."

I nodded,
"That's fine as long as he isn't a chatter box. I don't feel like doing much talking right now."

"Well THAT won't be an issue." Twilight sighed and rose to her hooves, "Alright, if that's what you really want, I'll take you there."

"Thanks." I turned to Razor and Spike, "I'm sorry to go like this. I need time. Work helps."

Twilight approached the door and I held it open for her then followed her outside, closing the door behind myself. I noticed one big difference in Ponyville right away: foals. There were young Kavim everywhere. They were chasing each other, playing around buildings, and making tons of noise. I needed to move faster, all the little ones were reminding me of the fact that my Wife and I were nearly ready to try to have a baby. I gritted my teeth and walked faster, actually passing Twilight.

"Hey, slow down!" she called before catching up to me, "You don't need to run."

"Too many young Kavim." I said.

"You don't like foals?" Twilight asked.

"My Wife and I were . . . planning on . . . " I trailed off but hoped I was clear enough.

"I'm so sorry." Twilight said quietly.

"Nothing I can do about it." I said in American, "It's just my luck. You've already seen five prime examples of my luck in action when I met your friends." I grumbled, "I'll deal."

My words were confident, but I didn't sound like it or feel it. I felt like my world was ready to collapse down on top of me at any moment. Everything felt like it had the color sucked out of it and I was seeing the world in gray scale. There was no more fun, there was nothing interesting left in life, I felt like I wanted to die. It was a feeling I knew very well. At age seventeen I had been diagnosed with a form of Bi-Polar known as Manic Depression. The depression would come on suddenly and it was so bad they if I wasn't too busy to think, I would get suicidal thoughts. I managed my depression by working until I felt better. My Kung Fu training helped a lot. I knew it was a chemical imbalance and I would remind myself of that as many times per day as I needed. It would fade in time, but until then, I just needed to work. I could never afford my medication so I learned to deal with it by throwing myself into my work until it went away.

Twilight didn't say anything else as we made our way out of Ponyville, heading South. As soon as we left, I caught a whiff of apples on the wind and looked up. Ahead of us, nestled on a series of hills, were acres upon acres of apple trees. Each and every one of them was heavily laden with bright red apples. There was a waist-high fence all around the farm land as far as the eye could see. A gated break in the fence ahead of us displayed the name 'Sweet Apple Acres' above it on an arch of wood.

We passed under the gate and headed up a dirt path which led to a farmhouse and a big red barn. Off in the distance I could see a wrinkly old green mare lounging on a rocking chair on the front porch of the house. She looked to be dozing quietly in the early afternoon sun. A heavy thump off to our right pulled my attention away from the old mare and in the direction of the sound. A massive, muscle bound, red Earth Pony was backed up to one of the apple trees, about eighty feet away from the path. I watched as he lifted his right hind leg and kicked the tree behind him. The tree shook violently and apples fell, filling up wicker baskets set all around the trunk. Many ended up on the ground of course, but he seemed to have the harvesting down to a science and many more that I anticipated, landed in the baskets.

Twilight veered off the path and headed right for the massive stallion,
"Hello Grut Amarentesai." she greeted.

"Big, what-now?" I asked.

"Big Macintosh," Twilight said, "I'm surprised American has an exact translation. But anyway, this is Applejack's big brother."

Big was an understatement. He was huge. He stood almost even with me and could look me in the eye with no difficulty. His legs looked more like the tree trunks he was kicking and his straw colored mane and tail were cut short. He wore a plow harness around his neck that had to weight all of twenty pounds and a sprig of wheat stuck out of the left side of his mouth. His expression was calm and unconcerned, almost bored. He watched up approach with near disinterest while he worked. If he was surprised to see me, he never let slip a single sign of it.

"Big Macintosh, this is Artex Rias. Applejack agreed to let him work out here on the farm with the Apple Family. He wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow but he got upset earlier and says that physical labor is the best remedy. Would it be alright if he worked out here with you for the rest of the day?" Twilight asked.

Big Mac's expression never wavered,
"Eheef."

Twilight nodded,
"Thank you. Now he doesn't speak Velensovth very well yet, so if he needs something he may need you to be patient with him, but he can understand it pretty well. If you need anything, I'll be at the library." she turned to leave, "Bye guys."

I watched her trot away and turned to Big Mac,
"O.K. what do you need me to do?"

* * *

Five hours of work sped by like five minutes. I found that I really liked working with Big Macintosh. He was quiet, diligent, he didn't hover, and he took water breaks every half hour. I worked up a ridiculous sweat, harvesting with him and it felt wonderful. I had a plethora of jobs in my life: pig farming, bagging groceries, construction, kennel attendant, roofing, painting, pressure washing, security work, and stocking at a super center. I had enjoyed the farm work quite a lot. Granted I was working with animals not harvesting fruit, but the manual labor was refreshing. By the time Applejack returned to the farm, I was exhausted.

Big Mac had called it a day at, what I guessed was an hour before sunset. He led me to the West side of the farm and my eyes lit up. They had animals.

They had cows, chickens, sheep, and . . . ,
"PIGGIES!" I loved pigs.

When I had worked on the pig farm, my boss had put me in charge of the farrowing field. The farrowing field was where the pregnant sows went to have their piglets. Farrow is the proper word for when a pig gives birth. Since I was in charge of the farrowing field, I was around protective mama sows and adorable piglets every day. It was heaven.

The owner of the pig farm, Jack Kaine, was a British man who had been around pigs his entire life. We discovered early on that some smell about me set the sows at ease and they never attacked me with any real intent. The only two jobs I had ever really loved were pig farming and security, so when I saw the pigs I was overjoyed.

There were two pens that held the pigs. One was about twenty feet by twenty feet squared and the other was closer to eighty feet by twenty feet. Each pen had an overhang in the rear for the pigs to sleep in. It was bedded down with a thick layer of fresh, crisp, golden straw.

There were five pigs in the first pen one in the second, I pointed out each one in turn,
"These five are female." I said in Velensovth.

I saw one female who had a diagonal line down her side. It started high on her flank and extended a good eighteen inches before it sloped at a steep angle toward her undercarriage. I knew that sign very well indeed.

I pointed to her,
"That one is . . . " I had to formulate the correct word in my head, "In-pig. She's pregnant."

Big Mac looked at me oddly then looked back at the sow and spoke the first full sentence since I had met him,
"An' how do you know?" it was an honest question.

"I . . . raised pigs back where I . . . come from." I had wanted to use the word for 'originate' but my brain failed me in lieu of the bright pink pigs.

Imagine my shock when the sow I had pointed out turned and spoke to me in Velensovth,
"Not that it's any business of yours, whatever you are."

I was absolutely floored. Celestia had spoken of the animals of Equestria being smart, but to hear one SPEAK was a shock of epic proportions.

Recovering quickly, I adopted a more respectful tone,
"I'm sorry ma'am. Back home, your kind don't . . . speak or . . . think. I meant no . . . " the next one was particularly tough, "Disrespect."

She seemed to be placated by my words,
"Well then, I suppose I can let it slide this time."

I was surprised. She had used a figure of speech that I was familiar with.

"If it means . . . anything, I loved working with . . . pigs. Most of my . . . species thinks . . . pigs are . . . dirty, but I think you are . . . nice." I said.

"Well isn't that nice." she turned toward the boar in the next pen, "Did you hear that Boris? He thinks we're nice."

I had to stifle a laugh, 'Boris the boar, really?'. I made my way over to the boar's pen as he yelled back,
"Whatever you say Porcina."

I managed not to guffaw at their names and cleared my throat,
"Excuse me sir," I began, "If I may, would you . . . mind if I fed you this . . . evening?"

The boar had to weight all of seven hundred pounds. The sows were average, around five hundred each, but Boris was a big boy.

"Doesn't bother me any, just don't let me catch you staring at my sows, or I'll gore you, they're mine." he sad in a grumpy tone.

"I . . . understand. You don't need to worry . . . about that. I was a . . . type of doctor for pigs. Are you . . . excited to see your . . . piglets?" I asked.

"Yep." he the look on his piggy face was actually discernible as 'pleased', "My first piglets."

"Well . . . congratulations to both you and . . . Porcina. I'll be around to make sure . . . everything goes . . . smoothly. See you later."

Boris snorted a goodbye and my day was suddenly much brighter, 'They have piggies!'

Big Mac led me back to the farmhouse where Applejack was waiting for us on the porch,
"Boy howdy, you two sure took your sweet time. What was so interestin' about the cows and the rest o' them'?"

I couldn't help the grin that broke through my face,
"The pigs." I had used the word often enough to get the hang of it.

Applejack tipped her hat back with her left fore hoof,
"What's so interestin' about them pigs? You like 'em cause they're pink like you?" her tone was playful.

I shook my head,
"I . . . used to . . . care for pigs back on my world. I like . . . animals. I . . . smell good to pigs. Pigs attack most Humans, but not me, I don't know why." that last bit sounded pretty good.

"Well if you want to slop 'em after dinner, be my guest. Careful around ol' Boris though, he can get a mite testy. Now come on in an' meet the rest o' the family." she turned and trotted into the house.

I followed her slowly. Since I wasn't actively moving around, my fatigue had caught up with me suddenly and I found I was bone weary. The front door was thick and heavy, to me it felt like it weighed a literal ton. Big Macintosh followed me and closed the door behind us. Applejack led us through the front room and into what could only have been the dining room. A large, thick wooden table was already set with five plates but only one set of silverware.

I had never seen Earth Ponies eat before so I assumed the silverware was for me, since I couldn't imagine Earth Ponies using utensils to eat. I stood next to the chair that had the silverware next to it and watched the goings on in the kitchen. The wrinkly old mare I had seen on the porch had been replaced with a much younger mare in the kitchen. She moved about with a spry alacrity she should never have possessed. A tiny orange-yellow filly with a big, bright red bow in her auburn mane scampered into the dining room and came to a screeching halt when she spotted me. Her already over sized eyes bulged to the size of grapefruit and she lowered her head and began to slowly back away with a fearful expression on her face.

'Too much cute.' I thought, 'Must resist urge to hug and snuggle.' She was absolutely adorable in every possible way. The over sized head as compared to the rest of her body, the expressive eyes, the bits of baby-pudge still clinging on in the cheeks, 'I have to have diabetes by now. She is SO CUTE!'

I nearly died when the picture of absolute adorableness was completed as she spoke in a southern drawl with the cutest little girl's voice,
"Uh Big Mac," she addressed her brother, "Wah's there a giant, pink monkey at the table?"

I was trying not to squee, 'Too much cuteness, I can't take it!' my defining adjective for the filly changed from adorable to precious.

Big Macintosh opened his mouth to respond but Applejack beat him to it,
"He's alright there Applebloom." she said poking her head out of the kitchen doorway, "Why don't you introduce yourself to 'em?" she ducked back into the kitchen.

Applebloom looked up at m and waved her right fore hoof shyly,
"H . . . howdy."

I managed not to die from the overdose of cute and cleared my throat,
"I'm Artex Rias, a . . . pleasure to meet you Applebloom." I really didn't want to make the same mistake I made with Applejack.

Applebloom seemed to perk right up,
"Yall sure are tall, Artex. What kind o' critter are ya?"

"I'm a Human." there was no viable translation for that particular word, "I'm going to be . . . working on the . . . farm with Applejack and Big Macintosh for a . . . little while."

Applebloom looked confused,
"Ya sure do talk funny."

"I am . . . learning your . . . language. I'm not from . . . Equestria." I said.

Applebloom's eyes widened,
"Where ya from then?"

"A different place." I was saved by Applejack entering the dining room carrying a steaming casserole dish in her teeth.

She set the dish down on the table,
"Come on yall, have a seat, guests first Artex."

I was about to shake my head and argue but then I remembered back to when I had visited some friends in South Carolina and decided to take a seat instead. One thing I had learned about southerners, never argue house rules on hospitality. I had nearly ended up in a fight because I did argue once before, just once. Southern hospitality or not, I was still a gentleman. I walked around to the opposite side of the table and pulled out Applebloom's bench for her.

Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Applebloom all stared at me like I was crazy,
"What are you doin?" Applejack asked.

"It is not . . . polite for a male to sit before females. The male should . . . hold the seat for a . . . lady." I hoped I used the correct word for 'lady'.

"Well it ain't necessary here." Applejack said somewhat sternly, "You just take a seat an' we'll handle the rest. We ain't too frilly an' proper out here, but I'm sure Rarity would be swoonin' all over ya for it." I was surprised I had caught the word for 'swoon'.

I walked back around the table and plopped myself down on the bench seat. It was hard as rock. The old mare came tottering out of the kitchen carrying another steaming casserole dish in her teeth. Applejack went back into the kitchen and brought out a brown, earthenware bowl filled with steaming green beans. I was surprised to see a small wicker basket balanced on her back. She sidled up to the table and shrugged her shoulders. The muscles under her skin rolled like water and the basket nearly floated onto the table top. Once it was in place, I could see it was filled with one of my all time favorite foods: cornbread. The old mare went back to the kitchen one last time and brought out a thick, wide pie clenched between her teeth and a small tray of butter balanced on her back.

The Apple family slid into their respective seats and got situated. Applejack was directly across from me while Big Macintosh was on my right and the old mare was on my left with Applebloom between the old mare and Applejack. I was expecting to see them say grace for some reason but instead, they all set their hooves flat on the table and stomped them twice, then began serving themselves.

I wanted to be polite and wait so I addressed Applejack, not realizing she had to serve herself with her mouth on a big spoon,
"Why did you . . . stomp your . . . hooves on the table?"

To my surprise, the old mare spoke up,
"That there's somethin' we Apples do to respect our family that ain't here with us. I'm Granny Smith, by the way." she sounded positively ancient, but her mind was still sharp and she never blinked an eyelash at me.

"Pleasure to meet you." I said politely.

Big Macintosh passed me one of the casserole dishes and I was pleased to see it contained something akin to a vegetable pot pie. I took a helping of that and passed over to Granny Smith. The next thing to come my way was a casserole dish filled with broccoli with melted cheese on top. I took a helping of that and passed it on then snagged a piece of cornbread and buttered it.

There was very little talking throughout dinner, apparently eating was a serious business. Dinner was absolutely fantastic. The home cooking was something I had missed terribly. Eating with the Apple family almost felt like it could become a regular thing. They were a bit wary of me and not always talkative but they knew their business and they excelled at it. I could accept that.

And so began a solid month of repetition. I would go to Sweet Apple Acres four days a week and train with Rainbow Dash the other three. Each night, I would go back to the library and work on language wit Razor and Equestrian law with Twilight. I wouldn't have much time for the others until my depression passed.

Chapter 26: Ironing Out Some Wrinkles

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"Alright everybody, muster on the roof." Mike Joyner said to his cohorts in the Fellowship.

It had been another day in New Humansville and with the fall of night and the completion of dinner it was time for the nightly meeting, which everyone had started referring to as 'muster'. The previous nine days since the Unicorn stallion had appeared and clung to Ashley like glue, he had become not only accepted, but somewhat liked. He almost never spoke to the other Kavim, but he was friendly in his demeanor, especially toward Humans. Ashley hadn't said much about him but the Human and Kavim were already fast friends. They were almost never apart. They ate together, they slept side-by-side, and they worked together. The stallion had yet to touch his sword and overall, behaved like it wasn't there. The Humans had been leery of the stallion at first but Ashley's conduct and that of the stallion had mitigated their reluctance.

Alex wiped his hands on his towel and addressed his cooks, "Alright same as always, take the cauldrons down to the river and wash them out then hit the hay." he walked away, toward the doorway of Town Hall.

He walked up the stairs to the medical station just as Cessily and Leo were finishing putting away the equipment for the day, "Muster time guys." he said.

Leo looked up from the box of bandages he was shifting, "Yeah, we know. Tell 'em we'll be up in a minute." he turned back to the box and slid it into its designated niche.

Steady Hoof was carrying one of the crystal powered medical devices in her mouth. She maneuvered around Leo and placed it next to the box of bandages. Leo's eyes briefly wandered over to the strange device and he smiled a rare smile at it. The Human medical staff had only recently learned what the devices could do. One worked like a hand-held x-ray machine. With the touch of a button, it could show the different layers of the body from skin to internal organs. That particular device had already been useful for examining the pregnant women. Leo remembered the tears of joy and expressions of wonder on their faces when they saw their unborn children in real time color images with perfect clarity.

Of course there had been more than a few issues too. Many of the women refused to be examined by anyone except Cessily. She was Human and she was a woman and to many, that's what mattered. Nearly all the Humans refused to be examined or treated by any of the Kavim doctors or medical staff. The same was true in reverse, Kavim refused to be seen or treated by the Humans. Bobby in particular had begun getting very frustrated with the bias. He had yet to say anything at muster, but both Leo and Cessily were waiting for it.

Cessily carefully set down the case of glass syringes in its niche. The syringes had seen more than a bit of use recently. There were no supplies of immunizations for Humans but injections of antibiotics and taking blood for testing had become a common thing. Every syringe and accompanying needle had to be meticulously cleaned and sterilized after every use. It was time consuming but they were thankful for what they had. She thought forward to the next day and the lamaze class she was supposed to be organizing. She had the privilege of being the only Human woman who had any experience with child birth, having gone through the process twice. She was truly grateful that the Kavim medications included a goodly supply of local anesthetics, they would be needed. She had already asked around and there turned out to be only one person who had been studying pediatric medicine, Rachel. Cessily shook her head and rolled her eyes, 'These women need to get over their fear of the Ponies. Their doctors are the only ones who have delivered babies before and I sure as hell ain't lettin' their fear put them or their babies in danger.'

She finished her work and wiped her hands on her blanket/dress then headed up to the roof. Everyone else was already up there, except Andrew.

Cessily sat down next to Mike Joyner, "Did I miss anything?" she asked.

Mike shook his head, "Naw, we were waiting for you." he turned to Morris, "Is that everybody?"

Morris shook his head, "Nope, we're missing Andrew."

"I'm right here!" Andrew said emphatically.

Every person on the roof startled and followed the voice. Sure enough, Andrew Masonete was seated between Tina and R.J., however both of them nearly jumped out of their skin.

"Yo man, don't sneak up on me like that!" R.J. exclaimed.

Tina held her left hand against her chest, "God Andrew! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Andrew, for his part, just looked around, eyes wide and aghast, "Yall seriously need to chill out and pay attention. I was with everybody when we all walked up here." he gestured with his hand, "Kaneesha saw me."

Kaneesha nodded her head, "Yeah, he was right between Darryl an' Kolo." she turned her attention to the two men, "Yall saw him, right?"

Both men shrugged their shoulders, "I wasn't really paying attention." the stout Marine admitted, "I figured we'd take roll-call like we always do, so I didn't concern myself with it."

Kolo jerked his left thumb at Darryl, "What he said. I weren't payin' it no mind either."

Mike waved his right hand over his head, "Alright everyone, that's enough. We've got more important things to discuss." he turned to Kolo, "Where are we on the sewage system and toilets?"

Kolo cleared his throat, "We nearly half way done with shovelin' all that old poop out o' the cistern. Give us about another two weeks an' we'll have it all done an' ready for use. Tina an' I been wrackin' our brains tryin' to come up with some kinda design for the toilets but there's only so much we can do. We ain't got the measurements o' the Kavim body AND we gotta take the little ones into account too."

Mike scratched his chin, he'd need to shave again soon, "Do you have anything to add to that Tina?"

"The single biggest issue we've come up against is the significant differences in the Ponies' bodies and our own. Trying to make a toilet that is usable for both species is tricky. We briefly thought about trying to design two different toilets, one for each species, but our limited resources nixed that notion almost immediately." she brought up her hands and began making motions for visual aid, "Our usual toilet is more-or-less circular, however that design isn't compatible with the Ponies' quadrupedal stature. Humans have to squat to poop but the Ponies do it standing up. Now that's enough of a difference right there, but then we have to take into account the height difference and then, even after all that, we have to think about children of both species needing to do their business. Worse yet, we don't even have base-line models of either toilet to work with so we're having to come up with ideas from scratch. It's a slow process and we still don't know what materials we need to use for it. We could use wood but then we run into the issue of waterlogged wood, stone comes with its own problems too, coarse surface and so forth. The bottom line is that we need more time to come up with a solution." Tina explained.

Mike nodded, "Is there anything the rest of us can do to help?"

"The only thing that can help us speed the process along is to take measurements of the Ponies' bodies, both children and adults, but I'm not about to ask one of them to hold still while I measure out their backsides. There's just no way to ask something like that politely without a common language and even then, how do you say, 'I need to measure your height and your child's height and how wide your butt is.' without sounding like a creep." Tina said.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance." a feminine voice called out from above.

Every eye shot upward and more than one person rose to their feet as Princess Luna landed in the center of the circle.

She looked around the the people she had startled and blushed in embarrassment, "My apologies, I should not have announced myself so suddenly." she looked around at all the confused faces and lowered her head slightly, "May I join in on your meeting, or would you rather I leave?"

Never one to stay surprised for long, Mike Joyner cleared his throat, "Vote." he said loudly, "By show of hands, who wants to let her stay?"

More than half the people raised their hands so Mike nodded and addressed everyone again, "Majority votes in favor of letting her stay. Everyone have a seat." he looked at Luna, "Take a seat wherever you want, just not in the middle. We all need to see each other."

Luna inclined her head toward him and trotted over between Kolo and Eduardo then lay down on the roof. The other Humans slowly retook their places and sat down. There were more than a few shared glances among the Fellowship.

Mike gestured to the Princess of the Night, "Will you please introduce yourself and I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say we want to know how you learned English."

Luna smiled pleasantly, "I am Princess Luna of Equestria, I know you've already met my sister, Celestia. I was here nine days ago when I dropped off Beacon and I believe I saw many of you then. As to how I speak your language, your friend Dan managed to convince my sister to share your language with all Alicorns and I thought that since my duties at night are something I can manage quite well in the back of my mind, I could be of some assistance to you all."

"You said you could help with our toilet design problem?" Tina ventured boldly.

Luna nodded, "I believe I can. I'll ask some of the Ponies to submit to your measurements and I can even provide you with a model of the type of toilet we use. Would that be sufficient?"

"Could you answer one more thing for us?" Tina asked, "What material do you use for them?"

"Stone, specifically porous stone covered with wax." Luna said.

Morris spoke up suddenly,
"So does this mean that you're going to teach us all Horsish?"

"Velensovth," Luna corrected him, "And the answer is 'no'. My sister and I will weed the path for you, but it is up to you to walk it. We would be doing you no favors by giving you everything you want. You, like our own Ponies, must learn and grow. We try to foster a certain level of personal growth among all parties involved. We're willing to assist and expedite a process, which is what I'm here for, but we never just give out answers."

"Begging your pardon Princess," Darryl said, "But you seem to have forgotten one major thing," he gestured around himself, "WE aren't your subjects."

"No indeed, that fact is not lost to me. You do not hail from Equestria, nor have any of you sworn fealty to Equestria, my sister, or I. I am well aware of this. However, while none of you are, by technicality, our responsibility, we would be remiss fools not to offer you aid. None of you are here voluntarily as I understand it, correct?" she asked.

Darryl nodded, "Right."

"Yet we find you suddenly thrust into our midst, effectively helpless. As a civilized species, we are obligated to provide you with some form of assistance. What kind of assistance we chose to provide is our decision. We chose to provide you with crates of food, tools, and medicines. We do not necessarily expect anything in return, but some measure of gratitude would be nice." she said pointedly, "Should you find yourselves stranded in our world, we wish to make it possible for you to co-exist with our subjects peacefully. Were we to simply violate our own laws and just give everyone the same language, Human nature would begin bickering and arguing with our Ponies, however, by forcing you to make do without the language, for at least a portion of the time, fosters trust. I think you will agree that trust between Ponies and Humans is a thing sorely needed."

"And because you couldn't trust us, you had us all put away the only way we can match any of you. Humans use weapons, simple fact." Darryl argued.

"And you misuse them as well." Luna said evenly, "I am of course, referring to the incident where a number of your people moved to attack a nearby village. We simply cannot have all of you walking around with weapons when so many are prepared to use them to massacre innocents. Weapons are bad enough, but they are a necessary evil we have come to accept."

"You're one to talk about massacres." Darryl said sourly, "If it weren't for your own undisciplined soldiers, we wouldn't have the slightest inclination toward violence. You want to talk about the massacre of innocent civilians? Then let's fucking talk about it! Your soldiers ambushed us at night and slaughtered sixty three innocent people . . . "

"Seventy." Luna corrected calmly, "Seven of the women were pregnant."

"Fucking fine, SEVENTY innocent people! And what do you do after that? You fucking herd us, like cattle, to a place you can hold us! This place is nice and all, but a prison is still a prison, no matter how nice it is! We're building our own prison! So EXCUSE ME if I'm a little pissed that you can command your 'civilians' to slaughter us at any given moment! You're stronger than us, you're faster than us, AND you have magic and weapons! What do we have? Our bare hands. How is that fair!? Tell me! I'd really like to fucking know!" Darryl shouted.

Luna regarded the upset Marine calmly, "You say Ponies are stronger," she nodded, "True but Humans are more creative. From my understanding, your world is covered with complex machines. You say Ponies are faster, true but Humans are more agile. You say Ponies have magic, true but Humans have hands and you can twist and move in ways we cannot. Yes, it was our Guards who attacked and murdered seventy of your people and the survivors have been punished severely. You say you are offended that we herded you here, true but considering the most recent encounter you had with our Ponies, we thought it best to guide you through indirect means in order to minimize the chances for further misunderstandings and loss of life. You call this place a prison?" she looked at Darryl evenly, "Have any of the Ponies attempted to stop you from leaving? True, the vast majority of Equestria remains ignorant of your existence, but what would it gain anybody involved to spread word?"

Luna shook out her head suddenly and flexed her jaw before continuing, "Once New Humansville is ready, there will be a public presentation and all of Equestria will know of you. My sister is already planning to bring in skilled workers so each of you will be given ample opportunity to chose your occupation and go wherever you wish to live. We have merely asked, not demanded, asked, that the weapons you have be left in a single location for safe keeping. Have any of our Ponies kept you from them? And finally as far as carrying weapons for self preservation goes, in one month's time Celestia and I are hosting a fully catered meeting here. The meeting will be to determine laws for every being living in Equestria and you will have your say in that. Our law books will be open to alteration and change on that day. This is meant to be a type of peace offering between us. None of us harbor any of you ill will, but we also know that once trust is lost it is very difficult to obtain again."

She looked straight at Darryl and sighed wearily, "The actions of a few of our Ponies caused you to lose trust in us. We are taking steps to try to regain that lost trust, rather extreme steps, if I do say so myself. Even now, you all have tools that can be used as weapons at a moment's notice. How many of our Ponies carry such devices? Furthermore, how many even have the capability? Mere strength and speed and magic do not a warrior make. The Unicorn civilians have no idea how to use their magic as a weapon. The Pegasi can fly but how is that a combat capability? Earth Ponies are strong but none of them could hope to hold down any of you. You would bend and twist and slither out of their grasp like eels. You overestimate their capability and underestimate your own, because your confidence is wounded. Were the situation reversed, during the massacre, the result would have been far worse. Ponies naturally run from violent confrontation unless they're protecting their young or loved ones. If it had been Humans attacking Ponies that night, it's quite possible that you would have slain them all. Truthfully, more than anything, Celestia and I worry that you Humans will become angry for some reason and slaughter the Ponies. You present a potential danger but we're willing to trust you."

The Fellowship was silent.

Eventually Mike Joyner cleared his throat, "Anyway back on track. Tina, would it be enough, what Princess Luna is suggesting?

Tina nodded, "Yes, it should help immensely."

"Good," Mike turned to Chris, "How are things going with building houses?"

"Well I'd say they're going really smoothly. We've got eight house frames already erected and we're looking at about additional one frame per day. The process of actually putting up walls is tricky though. See I'm used to using sheet rock and so forth but the only material we have to work with is wood. That's both good and bad. It's good because we can manufacture the planks we need for the houses and it's bad because we don't have anything to weather treat the wood with. There's no water sealant or siding for us to use so the wood is exposed to the elements and then we have roofs to worry about. A little bit of caulk would do wonders for keeping the rain out or better yet, roofing shingles or even tiles. Simply put, we don't have all the materials we need to finish the houses, not even close. There's water piping and electrical wiring and insulation and then we have to worry about what to put IN the houses once they're finished. Beds, couches, sinks, toilets, light switches, fireplaces, the list goes on." he turned to Luna, "I'm not trying to sound ungrateful here, but we need more supplies."

Luna opened her mouth to respond but Rachel spoke first, "And that's not all either. The women who are pregnant need specific vitamin supplements plus we're going to need all kinds of things once the babies are born. Sleeping on the floor with a bunch of people is going to be a terrible health risk. Some Mothers might accidentally smother their babies in their sleep and having everyone wake up six times a night whenever a baby cries is not going to work either. In addition to that, the women need a clean and comfortable place to deliver. We need diapers, bottles, nipples, toys, infant medicines, baby food, cribs, blankets. We need a lot."

"Alright," Mike said, "Let's not overwhelm the Princess right away. R.J. how is your crew doing on harvesting lumber?"

R.J. smiled, "We got a nice smooth system goin' on right now. I got twenty crews o' five with two Ponies in every group and they can chop a tree down an' have it prepped to move every half hour. I got this down to a science baby."

Mike smiled, "Excellent," he turned to Spearman, "What about on your end?"

Spearman held out his hands, "Smooth as silk. We have a steady stream of trees coming in all the time. The Mill is up and running well. The Ponies use their strength to smooth out the planks we form and me and my guys clip and chop everything they don't have the manual dexterity to take care of. Everybody stays busy all day and I have a one hour rotation going on so everybody can rest and drink enough water to stay healthy."

Mike smiled, "See, this is what I want to hear the most. Alright, next on the list: food. Darryl, Eduardo, David how are we doing on crop usage and regrowth?"

Eduardo spoke first, "The simpler crops like corn and wheat are fine, but the more complex ones like the tomatoes and cucumbers are going to have to be rotated out otherwise we're going to run into the problem of having all this land but it's useless because there's nothing to feed the plants."

David continued Eduardo's line of thought, "Now we've got more than enough people out there working but most of the crop rows are still overgrown with weeds. The Ponies are a fantastic help in regard to the weeds but once the weeds are all gone our usage of food is going to skyrocket like crazy. We need more land to plant simple as that. We have all the tools we need, especially since the Ponies started bringing back their tools in the evenings. We have the raw power to plant and harvest all the time but we need miles more usable farmland, a ton of seeds, fertilizer, and enough glass jars and brine to pickle and preserve what we harvest or we won't last the winter. Plus we need someplace to store it all."

Joyner turned to Morris, "Start up a list of things we need."

Morris held up his piece of paper, "Already did when we started the meeting."

Mike then turned to Luna, "Can we expect more supplies or would that be asking too much?"

Luna covered her mouth with her left wing, "Not at all. It takes a great deal of materials to begin any community. I will take the list with me back to Canterlot and see to it myself."

Mike nodded, "Good and thank you. Next up, medical. Bobby, Cessily, Leo, you're up."

Bobby cleared his throat, "In all honesty, Rachel should be included wit us. She's our resident Pediatrician. But since you brought it up, the only things we really need badly are a fully stocked lab to make pharmaceuticals and beds. We could use some specialized equipment, but I don't know if even half of it even exists. The reason we need the lab is so we can start making epinephrine. The Ponies don't seem to know anything about it. Epinephrine, defibrillators, tracheotomies, they've never heard of this stuff as far as I can tell."

"You are correct." Luna said suddenly, "I know the words and their meanings and I can tell you we have none of those."

"Ever heard of the Cesarean Section?" Rachel asked.

Luna paused and adopted a contemplative expression as she matched the word to its definition in her mind, "Nay, 'tis a useful practice it seems." she turned to Bobby, "You do realize these medical advances will be accredited to you."

Bobby shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, that's cool and all but I'm not fishing for accolades here, I just want to be able to do my job."

"Speaking of doing jobs," Cessily cut in, "We got to get people to let the Ponies diagnose them. Bobby, Leo, and I aren't gonna be available to see to everybody all the time. They gotta get over their prejudice. And the same's true in reverse. The Ponies don't want any of us treat them either. I mean, how hard is it to sterilize and stitch up a laceration? I know it's been bugging the Ponies too, we've all seen it. Now obviously, the more specialized stuff has to be taken care of by doctors who know the most about each species but the simple stuff is just that, simple."

"I can speak with the doctors and have them spread word." Luna ventured.

Mike nodded and moved on to the next topic, "Morris, which plans do we have on hold right now?"

Morris rattled the answer right off the top of his head, "The mobile mill and the forge. We don't need them just yet."

"Alright then, I think it's time to address one of our generously donated resources that isn't being utilized: the dozens of bolts of cloth and fabric that were with the first and second supply shipment. I don't know about anyone else but I'm getting tired of wearing a blanket all the time. We need clothes. Does anyone know who may have some experience with textiles and design?" Mike asked.

Kaneesha provided the answer, "There's three I know of, Sheranda, Kylie, an' Corina. Sheranda was studyin' fashion, Kylie was a functional garment designer student, an' Corina was a historical apparel student. All three o' them know how to make clothes."

"Uniforms," Darryl said suddenly, "We could use some uniforms. The colors would indicate what line of work people are in."

"Not a bad idea." Mike said, "But we need to be cautious. Uniforms can be both a good thing and a bad thing. They'll be great in the short term because they'll foster a sense of camaraderie, of belonging. They'll promote teamwork, but later on it could lead to the ideology of factions and factions are never a good thing. Factions represent fractures in any community and will, inevitably lead to infighting. Uniforms should be only for work and there should be non-uniform clothing for casual wear. The last thing we need is to have people start 'wearing colors' all the time. That kind of mindset leads to disharmony and that has never been a benefit to any society." Mike cleared his throat again, "So we have three skilled seamstress but no one for them to work with. God knows three women can't handle the clothing needs of over seven hundred people. Rachel, we've discussed this before but it didn't happen, get the pregnant women together and have them work with Sheranda, Kylie, and Corina. If those three work out well, we'll include them into the Fellowship. Eduardo, Darryl, and David, you said you have an excess of people, find the people you can do without and have them link up with Rachel and the pregnant women on the first floor of Town Hall tomorrow and I'll send some of the fishermen we don't strictly need as well." he looked around, "Anything else?"

David raised his hand, "How about we use the excess field workers to dig a big root cellar so we have someplace to store food."

"The supplies won't be here for a few more days and you need someone to shore up the walls in a cavern that size." Chris volunteered, "Besides, the Ponies don't need me to supervise them. I had to alter a few of their diagrams to fit Humans, but they adapted to the floor height change like they had already planned on it."

Mike nodded, "Sounds good. After they're done, then send them to Town Hall. Is there anything else?"

"Yep." Andrew said, holding up a rolled piece of paper, "Kaneesha and I finally finished updating the map." he tossed it to Mike, "We got us a nice quarry to the North-East and on the Eastern side of it we've got some lines of banded iron, as we mentioned before, but we also found some other ore veins in different areas of the quarry. There's a smaller field to the North, about a three hour walk, just keep the lumberjacks going that direction and you'll find it. The field is about five square miles of empty land we can use for expanding our crops. To the West, we've got that little village, but to the North-West of that, by about ten miles, is a whole stretch of land that's got no grass on it but tons and tons of holes in the dirt. To the South-West of the tiny village is a much larger town." he clapped his hands together, "We know everything within thirty miles of our little burg here."

Mike nodded happily, "Sounds good. Why don't you and Kaneesha take a day off tomorrow and rest." he clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "I think that's everything. Does anyone else have anything to add?"

No one raised a hand or spoke, "Alright then, meeting adjourned."

Everyone rose to their feet and began making their way downstairs, ignoring Princess Luna as if she weren't there.

"I'd like a word with you, if you don't mind." Luna said to Mike.

Joyner stopped and turned to Luna. Eduardo, Darryl, and Spearman stopped as well.

Mike turned to them, "Go on ahead guys. I'll be down shortly."

The three men looked unsure but decided to continue down the stairs.

Mike waited until they were gone before turning to Luna, "What's on your mind?"

Luna rose to her hooves and gracefully strode over to the edge of the roof, "I heard something tonight that surprised me." she was staring off into the darkened horizon, "You used a word that, as I understand it, is uncommon." she turned her head and looked at Joyner, "Disharmony. Why use that particular word?"

Mike crossed his arms and shot Luna a deadpan stare, "Why should it matter? It was a good point. Would you have preferred me to use the word discord?"

"Not at all. In fact I find that second word to be inviting trouble. No, I ask for a very specific reason, which I'll be more than happy to divulge if you're willing to explain why you used the word 'disharmony'."

Mike shrugged, "I really don't know. It just seemed like the best word right then. If you think about it, harmony is extremely important in our situation. We have to learn to get along with Ponies in a way that is best described as harmonious." he shrugged again, "It just seemed right."

Luna smiled at him then turned back to stare at the nighttime horizon, "I find it particularly interesting that you chose the word 'disharmony' because our nation, Equestria was founded on the principle of harmony. The fact that you used that word is, I believe to be, a good sign. The entire world operates on the principle of harmony and the fact that you used it leads me to believe you are beginning to align with the Natural Magic of the world. Hopefully others will follow your lead."

Mike raised his eyebrows, "Oooookkkkkaaaaayyyyy, that doesn't make sense to me but I'll take your word for it. Was there anything else?"

"Two more things actually. One, would you object to my participation in your meetings?" Luna asked.

"I don't have any issues with it, but it would be decided by a vote. What's the other thing?" Mike asked.

Luna smiled, "Do not use the other word too frequently, as I said, it invites trouble that even my sister and I cannot stop with mere might."

"What word . . . discord?" Mike asked in confusion.

Luna nodded, "I bid you goodnight. Hopefully I will be permitted to join your meeting tomorrow."

The lunar Alicorn spread her wings and leaped off the roof then her horn lit up and she vanished from sight in a brilliant flash of light. Mike stood in place for a few seconds then headed back down stairs to sleep.

* * *

The following morning three young women were asked to go to Town Hall and wait for instructions.

"So why we here again?" Sheranda asked crossing her arms, "I don't feel like gettin' yelled at cause I ain't doin' my 'job'."

Sheranda, Kylie, and Corina were all standing in the first floor of Town Hall while Morris and his small crew rummaged through different crates. The three young women were all standing in a line and Sheranda was not particularly happy.

A noise behind them made all three turn around. Rachel led no less than forty-three women through the doorway of Town Hall and Sheranda's, Kylie's,and Corina's moods all changed instantly.

Sheranda, being the most vocal, spoke first, "Oh hell naw!" she planted her left fist on her hip and pointed with her right hand, "Why you bringin' all them knocked up bitches up in here!? We ain't been skankin' around like them!"

"Cool it." a commanding voice spoke.

All eyes turned to the stairs as Cessily Richardson descended from the medical station, "You can clam it Sheranda." she snapped, "You're here because for some reason, SOMEBODY thinks your mouthy self actually has a few redeeming qualities, so cut the judgmental crap and use your head."

Sheranda glowered at Cessily but she didn't say a word. Cessily had proven herself, beyond any doubt, to be a leader among the women and every woman respected her. She had the complete support of every woman from Earth and they considered her almost as much of a leader as Mike Joyner.

Sheranda reigned in her tone and addressed Cessily with a normal tone and voice, "So what ARE we here for? Did someone find ANOTHER way to waste our talents?"

Cessily stepped off the bottom stair and casually approached Sheranda with her hands behind her back, "Actually, we're here to see those so-called talents for ourselves." she grabbed Sheranda by her hair and yanked her head back then looked straight into Sheranda's eyes, "You're going to lose the attitude." she said calmly, "Now."

"I'm sorry, Ces." she said quietly, "I'm just tired of diggin' in the fuckin' dirt all day. I'm a designer, not a fuckin' farmer."

Cessily let go of Sheranda's hair and began walking around the first floor speaking loudly, "I don't know about you girls, but I'm getting tired of wearing a blanket all the time." she pointed to her covered breasts with the index fingers of both hands, "The 'ladies' need support!" she dropped her hands and continued pacing, "So, the Leadership has decided to give you three creative liberties with designing clothes for everyone. The women behind you will do what you say and follow your directions." she stopped and faced Sheranda, Kylie, and Corina, "But you WILL treat them with respect. Do I make myself clear?" she looked steadily at Sheranda, "If I hear of any name calling or bullying, I WILL address it personally and you will NOT like the result. Understood?"

Three heads nodded silently, Cessily nodded in return and continued, "Not only do we need clothes, we need specific clothes and each of you will be in charge of each specific type. None of these categories is more or less vital than any of the others so don't be talking crap about each other." she pointed to Kylie first.

Kylie swallowed and stepped forward, "Yes?"

Kylie was a small woman who could only be described as mousy or timid. She stood five feet six inches tall with long, curly brown hair, fair skin, green eyes, and a quiet voice.

"Functional garment design student, I believe?" Cessily asked.

Klyie nodded, "Y . . . yes."

"Good." Cessily smiled brightly, "The three categories are: undergarments, casual clothes, and work uniforms. Which one do you want?"

"Um, undergarments are the most complex and they have to be the most comfortable. I can handle those." she said, voice all but a whisper.

Cessily nodded, "Very well. You get first pick of materials and tools. Take an entire crate, we have some empty ones, and fill it with whatever you need. Try not to be greedy."

"Corina, you're up next." Cessily said.

Corina was a round faced young woman with a sweet voice and sweet, but intelligent temperament. She stood five feet three inches tall with light caramel colored skin, soft brown eyes, and a knowing smile that always seemed to say she knew some hidden secret.

"Historic apparel, huh?" Cessily asked, "Alright, you get next pick: work uniforms or casual wear?"

"Casual wear of course." she said with a glint in her eyes, "Not only is it the most difficult one, but I can't have first or second choice in material. Casual clothes need to be scrappy, made with scraps, it promotes creativity. So I'll chose my materials last and I'll reserve the right to snag any scraps Sheranda and Kylie don't need."

"And that leaves the uniforms to you Sheranda." Cessily said, "Let's see you put something together that really makes my eyes pop." she walked over to Sheranda, "Walk with me for a moment will you?"

Sheranda could hardly say no, so she followed Cessily out the front door and around the building, "I'm going to be very honest with you here. The uniforms are going to be judged the most harshly and I'll tell you why. Uniforms serve as a way to tell which work group a person belongs to, but if they're designed poorly they can lead to everyone having a superiority mindset. Your uniforms have to be functional and clearly specify what a person does, but also promote a sense of teamwork and community. How you do that is completely up to you, but you will provide a full demonstration of your design to the Fellowship once one is ready. You were whining about your talents being wasted, here's your chance to shine." she stopped and looked Sheranda dead in the eyes, "Prove this is more than a waste of effort on our part. There are plenty of people who complain about you and those complaints are going to cease completely or else I'm going to find somebody else to head this up. Are we clear?"

Sheranda nodded, " Yes ma'am."

Chapter 27: Unexpected Guests

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It had been almost a full month since Luna had appeared and things were going excellently. The shipment of materials that the Princess of the night had promised had arrived a mere two days later. Everything that had been on the list had been included. Ten crates of stone roofing shingles and twenty crates of stone siding tiles had been a wonder for Chris and the construction crews. Two crates of cloth diapers, safety pins, bottles, fabric nipples, and breast pumps were well received by Cessily, Rachel, and the expectant Mothers. A single 'u' shaped toilet had also arrived and Tina and Kolo had begun working out how to modify the design for use by both Humans and Kavim. Three crates of seeds, glass mason jars, salt, and pickling brine, and canning sugar had made David, Eduardo, and Darryl exceedingly happy. Ten crates filled with medical equipment set Bobby, Cessily, and Leo almost to dancing with excitement. One entire crate that was packed with sawdust was revealed to contain the lab equipment Bobby had requested, and an additional three crates were fulled with various chemicals with which to manufacture medicines and medications. One additional crate had been secreted away by the Leadership for a special occasion. That crate contained several musical instruments and even a few balls for recreation.

The community of New Humansville had become an ever increasing center of production and cooperation. Confrontations were few and far between and those that did pop up were dealt with swiftly and without any Human or Pony coming to blows.

The subterranean cistern had been completely emptied and the people who had attacked Flankfurt had been released from their punishment. Jason, having studied chemistry, received reluctant permission to assist Bobby with the lab equipment, though he was monitored very carefully at all times. Ashley and Beacon were no longer any sort of spectacle but had instead become a symbol of unity for everybody living in New Humansville. They went on to work in the fields gathering crops and they were never apart. They helped each other all the time and had begun to be considered the default ones to ask whenever anyone needed help.

Sheranda, Kylie, and Corina had shown themselves to be brilliant designers. Kylie's boxer shorts, bras, and panties were extremely comfortable and supported every single part they needed to. Corina's casual clothes were functional and modest without any unnecessary pieces or parts getting in the way. Her rule of thumb was 'pants for all' she believed in simplistic functionality and it showed. The women did have the option for dresses or skirts but most chose pants as their staple clothing. Sheranda though, had shown a brilliance rarely to be found. Her demeanor had changed drastically in the month since the founding of the 'seamstress trio' as they were called, and complaints about her had plummeted.

Her uniform designs were marvelous in their 'simplistic complexity' as she called it, and she had even sewn a New Humansville flag which flew on a tall pole just outside the entrance to Town Hall. The uniforms were all made out of the same type and color fabric to promote the notion of unification. Each one was nothing more than a long sleeved shirt with a few nice additions thrown in. Each uniform was light brown, reflecting the most common fabric color, and had a trio of patches, one sown onto the shoulder of each sleeve and one over the heart.

The patch on the left shoulder was an amazing thing to see. It depicted a Human fist bumping a Kavim hoof with the sun set into a clear blue sky above the fist and hoof, and a crescent moon set into a starry night sky below. The right shoulder flew a small version of the national Equestrian flag. The patch over the heart was the one that specified which work group an individual belonged to. Those patches were called 'designation patches' and each one was six inches across. The patch for those who worked with plants was green with a sickle crossing a sheaf of wheat. Those who worked as lumberjacks had a dark brown patch with a silver axe crossing a twig. Those who worked as fishermen had a sea blue patch with a fish crossing a net. Those who worked on constructing buildings had a patch in safety orange with a hammer crossing a saw. Those who worked in the medical station had a bright red patch with a scalpel crossing a syringe. Those who worked with fabrics had a pink patch with a threaded needle crossing a pair of scissors. The ones who cooked had a yellow patch with a knife crossing a spatula. And the ones who worked on the public utilities had white patch with a wrench crossing a pipe.

The uniform shirts themselves were marvelous as well. The long sleeves could have the cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up then re-buttoned on the shoulder. The front of the shirt had four buttons coming down from the front of the neck line so they could be opened up and buttoned back on one side to let in a breeze without hiding the patch. Each uniform was the same size but a small series of buttons on each side near the waist could easily alter the effective size to whatever the wearer wanted without requiring a replacement.

The uniforms were so well-made and had become so incredibly popular so quickly that the Ponies wanted them as well and as a result every single adult, no matter which species, that wasn't a Guard wore one of the uniforms while at work. The effect was beyond what any of the Fellowship Of Leadership had dared to hope for.

And so it was that almost a month after Princess Luna's initial intrusion on one night's muster meeting, that Mike Joyner picked up a communication crystal to send out a message to his people.

"To all personnel who can hear this transmission, come to Town Hall immediately." Mike set down the communication crystal next to him, on a box of bandages, and looked at the young woman in the room in front of him, again.

The young woman looked to be of European descent with hip length fiery red hair and a cute heart shaped face and the most startling eyes any of the Humans had ever seen, brilliant, rich, verdant green. She stood five foot two inches tall, when she was standing and not lumbering around clumsily on her hands and feet. She had a luxuriously attractive body. Silky smooth skin, pert, round breasts in an almost perfect B cup, slightly wide, curvaceous hips. All in all, she was gorgeous, even if she was filthy.

Mike had been out fishing on the East side of the lake, like he was every day, when she had crawled out of the nearby forest. Having spent nearly two months around the same people, everyone knew everyone else and it was blatantly obvious that she wasn't from the group. Mike had slung his trident over his shoulder on its strap and carried her slim frame all the way back to Town Hall.

Cessily was monitoring the pregnant women, who had all been included in the sewing of clothes. On their breaks, she was busy conducting lammas classes. Leo was out with Willard, helping him walk around and maintain the strength in his legs while he healed up. The medical Ponies were milling around the triage area, straightening up the various messes that the young woman's arrival had caused. Bobby had taken the red head into on of the empty rooms to give her a physical.

Bobby walked out of the room wiping off his hands and Mike walked up to him, curious about the woman's condition,
"Aside from the fact that she can't speak, she's apparently been on her own for who knows how long, and the fact that she's not emaciated or dehydrated yet she's carrying no tools or clothing of any sort, she's the very picture of health. She seems friendly, happy, and completely uncaring about the fact that she's beautiful and naked in front of so many people. She's also apparently the 'huggy' type as you found out first hand." he said gesturing to Mike, "She's gone and hugged every single new person she's met."

Bobby stood up from his crouch in front of her and scratched his head in puzzlement,
"There's also a few things that don't add up, I mean other than her remarkably good health. Her finger nails aren't broken, hell there isn't even any dirt under her nails. Her nail growth also seems to indicate she is in unusually good health. I can't explain why that is, but as far as I can tell the rest of her seems perfectly normal. Too normal. She's got no signs of tooth decay, hell her teeth are perfectly straight, though her canines are about half again as long as normal, but that can be chalked up to a physical genetic mutation. She has no cuts or scratches anywhere on her body, and her hair seems to be perfectly clean. It's not greasy, or matted, or tangled. The rest of her is filthy as hell but her hair is perfectly clean. On one final note, and this one puzzles the hell out of me, she's showing no signs of ANY sort of bacterial infection anywhere on her body. Not that I was paying special attention, mind you, but her groin region and hips are also perfectly, I mean PERFECTLY clean. There's no residual urine or fecal matter anywhere around her orifices, like what we had when we first arrived here before we could bathe properly." he put his right hand up to his mouth and sighed, "She's an enigma, Mike. It's like she walked out of a completely sterile environment, intentionally covered herself in mud, then just walked right up to us with not even twenty feet in between."

The young woman in question came walking out of the room, leaning against the wall for support. She looked up and smiled warmly at Mike.

The sound of heavy foot falls on the stairs signaled the arrival of some of the other members of the Fellowship. The first one to emerge from the stairs was Darryl. The doorway of the room in which Bobby had conducted the physical was in a straight line of sight of the stairs.

Darryl looked like he had been sprinting, he still had his sickle in his hand,
"What's going on!?" he asked urgently.

Bobby gestured to the red headed young woman and Darryl lowered his gaze politely and rubbed his free hand over his eyes,
"You know," he sighed, "Showing a pent up Marine a smoking hot naked woman, especially a red head, is a great way to end up in a truly awkward situation."

The young woman smiled brightly at the new face and staggered toward Darryl. As soon as she was within ten feet of him, the Marine suddenly went completely stiff then quickly took a step back and shook his head violently while his hands shot up to his pained cranium.

"Keep her away from me!" he shouted through gritted teeth.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Bobby yelled.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked.

Eduardo, David, Alex, Kolo, Tina, Chris, Rachel, and Morris followed Darryl up the stairs moments later. Rachel and Tina watched with wide eyes at the scene before them. Darryl didn't make any violent movements but he watched the red haired woman like a hawk, his eyes trained on her like an assassin sizing up his mark.

Bobby sprang forward and grabbed the woman by her arms and pulled her away from Darryl. The expression on her face was pouty and hurt. She turned and buried her head against Bobby's chest.

"You've gone and upset her!" the older medic said stroking the back of her head, "And what the hell was that?"

Darryl shook his head again and held up his hands in front of himself,
"I'm sorry everyone but when she got close my head felt like it was going to explode."

R.J. and Spearman came bolting up the stairs, followed by Andrew and Kaneesha,
"Woah!" Kaneesha yelled in alarm almost falling over, "She's all blurry." she peered at the young woman through squinted eyes, "Uh, Andrew, there's somethin' wrong with that woman. I can see . . . it's like a double image . . . two bodies . . . "

Mike narrowed his eyes, 'One person reacting that way was strange, but two people saying the same thing can't be a coincidence.' he looked at the young woman once more then turned to Kaneesha,
"Well, what do you see?"

"I can't make anything out. It's like I'm seeing in double vision . . . I can see her . . . but . . . it's not her." Kaneesha blinked rapidly and turned her head away, "There ain't no problem when I look away though."

"Yeah," Darryl said, "It's like a mirage that's vibrating. No offense guys but I think I need a break or something, I'm seeing things." he held up a hand toward the young woman, "Hey Bobby, tell her I'm sorry, would you."

"Hold on a second," Mike said, "What do you see?"

Darryl rubbed his temples with both hands,
"At first I just saw a really hot red headed woman, but once she was within about ten feet, I saw the same thing Kaneesha saw." he rubbed his head more vigorously with his hands, "And I get a dizzying headache just looking at her."

"You aiit man?" R.J. asked.

Darryl nodded,
"Yeah, I just need to take a load off."

Mike Joyner furrowed his eyebrows,
"You've been awfully quiet Chris. Something on your mind?"

Chris shook his head,
"Nope, I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Well there's something strange going on here. Morris, would you be willing to write a note and hand it off to one of the Guard Pegasi?"

Morris nodded,
"What do you want it to say?"

"We need a Pony who can speak American. Ask for Celestia or Luna. I was content when it was just Darryl and some type of odd blood poisoning, but if it's spreading and that's what Kaneesha has, we need to identify it and take care of it as soon as possible." Mike said.

"Isn't that a little drastic?" Bobby ventured, "I mean, we all know Luna is going to be back tonight at muster, we can take care of it then and until that point we can have a couple of the Pony doctors take a look at her."

"Vote." Mike said loudly, "By show of hands, all in favor of sending for one of the Princesses."

Four hands rose, so he continued,
"All opposed."

All the other hands raised,
"Majority rules in favor of waiting until tonight to address the subject." Mike looked around and nodded, "Alright back to work."

"Hey Alex," Bobby said, "She's probably hungry. Would it be too much to ask if there's anything left over from breakfast?"

* * *

Kaneesha watched the young woman from a distance, her keen eyes picking out every detail. She was situated on the roof, in a crouch, watching everything, especially the young woman whose very appearance made her dizzy, even if she was up in a place where she could fall to her death, 'Now Bobby done gone an' named her. Becky? Really?' she shook her head, 'Alex done gave her a primo spread an' she ain't even eatin' nothin'. Why can't yall ignorant-ass fools see it!?' something caught her eye as a pair of Ponies walked by, apparently deep in a conversation, 'She's lookin' at the Ponies all weird like. She can either understand 'em or she's afraid of 'em.' her attention was piqued when one of the armored Guards walked by, 'She done shrank back. She's definitely afraid o' the Guards.' she looked back down at 'Becky', 'What's yo story lady?'

The sound of foot steps behind her caught her attention and she turned her head just as her best friend, Andrew Masonete stepped onto the roof more than a hundred feet away. Kaneesha turned her attention back to the scene below, ignoring his presence.

"Mind a bit of company?" Andrew asked politely.

"It's a free spot." Kaneesha said evenly, "You still don't believe me do you?"

Andrew had to marvel at Kaneesha. Her speech had improved greatly since their arrival in Equestria, but whenever she became upset, her original accent emerged. He sat down on the edge of the roof and followed her gaze down to 'Becky'.

"I'm sorry about earlier Canny," he said using her nickname, "But what you and Darryl were saying was . . . I'm sorry to say, worrying. I mean, sure she's weird and all but she hasn't hurt anybody and she seems to really be lost."

Kaneesha harrumphed sourly,
"You're just saying that because she's got a pretty face and a nice body."

Andrew couldn't help but to chuckle,
"More like a knockout body," he turned serious again, "But you should know, more than ANYBODY, that I wouldn't be attracted to her." he slowly inched his right arm around Kaneesha's shoulders, "You know that."

Despite her foul mood, Kaneesha scooted closer and snuggled into his embrace,
"I know, it's just that no one believes me OR Darryl. I mean, why would we say the same damn . . . dang thing." she sighed and leaned up against her closest friend, and maybe more.

The two of them had discovered, with the vast amounts of time they spent together, that there was a very distinctive and powerful attraction between them, however out of a mutual respect, neither had pushed the issue of physical intimacy or even kissing. They were both content, for the moment anyway, to just cuddle as often as their time allowed.

"I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, but do you think maybe the reason you don't like her is because we don't have anything to do today? I mean, you and I, we're always busy, off watching everyone, or being amateur cartographers, or scouting out this or that. Maybe we needed this day off more than we know." Andrew ventured.

"NO," Kaneesha said in exasperation, "There's something off, Andrew." she was irritated but she didn't shy away from his embrace, "I can see it every time I look at her. It's almost like she has partially transparent skin and I can see through it like foggy glass. One thing I know for sure, is that there's something wrong with her."

Kaneesha wrapped her arms around Andrew and pulled him close,
"Why?" she whispered, "Why do only Darryl and I see her strangely? It's only ever happened with her. I've never seen anything like that on anyone else before, not Humans and not Ponies, so why now? I mean logically speaking, if I were just hallucinating, I'd be seeing things all over the place, but no. It's just her." she sighed again and nosed into Andrew's chest, "I'm not crazy, Andrew," she whimpered, "I'm not."

Andrew wrapped both his arms around her,
"I never thought you were, Canny. I didn't then and I don't now. I think you might be confused or something, but I know you're not crazy." he said quietly.

After a moment of peaceful silence he spoke again,
"Tell you what," he looked down at her, "Let's both keep an eye on her and compare notes. O.K.?"

Kaneesha twitched a small smile,
"Alright, but not yet." she snuggled closer to her man, "Let's just stay like this for a while."

Andrew leaned over and kissed the top of her head,
"That sounds perfect to me."

* * *

I had yet to spend much time with Fluttershy, or Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy came by the farm regularly to tend to the animals and Pinkie Pie seemed to have an uncanny knack for randomly popping up (and out) of the strangest places, but I had neglected to make time for them. I had spent some time training with Rainbow Dash though. She was an absolute task master. How was I supposed to run fifty laps around all of Ponyville as a warm up? It had taken me three days of building up just to be able to run even a single lap around the town. Dash had nearly thrown a fit on that first day. She was about as patient as a hyperactive chinchilla. I was up to eleven laps by day thirty-six and I thought it was a colossal improvement. Rainbow Dash was far from satisfied though, she still said I needed more muscle. My body hurt everywhere every night, but I had gained nearly thirty pounds.

Thirty pounds in less than a month was an enormous accomplishment no matter where you are. I was still thin, but it was a much more healthy thin. I hadn't gained any fat but thirty pounds of muscle wasn't as much as it sounded like. I certainly wasn't any sort of bodybuilder, but I at least looked more healthy. Twilight had backed off working on the translation guide and her only involvement was with double checking Razor Wit's and my work. We were all but finished with it. We were ironing out the final details of more complex words and their meanings. I did discover a few surprising things about Velensovth though.

For one, their word for 'murder' and 'kill' like killing on the battlefield were the same word. The only difference of meaning was the context in which the word was used. Also their word for 'love' and 'friendship' was likewise contextually based. However they had entire different words for different types of love. The word for 'love' like you love a pet was completely different from the word for 'love' like you would love a good book. They had a different 'love' word in regard to places, things, events, Kavim who were romantic loves, children who you loved, spouses who you loved, parents who you loved, friends who you loved, hell there were even different words for a sister and brother you loved.

My time with Rarity, though heh, rare was always enlightening. She was a proper lady in every possible sense. She knew unusual rules of etiquette that I never would have guessed. For example: if a Unicorn was eating any sort of 'proper' meal with any being that was not a Unicorn, it was considered rude to use magic to levitate your food or even levitate utensils. If you were a Unicorn in any sort of 'proper' scenario you were expected not to use your magic if even a single other being present didn't have an identical capability. You were expected to eat like an Earth Pony if there was an Earth Pony around.

And once she began trying to explain 'proper' courtship, my world turned upside down. All the minutiae of courtship made me dizzy. For example: if a mare and a stallion are in the first stages of courtship, the mare will walk on the stallion's left where as after the bond has been established she will walk on his right. Why . . . BECAUSE! Oi, I ended up just giving up on trying to understand it after that point. When I asked Rarity to stop explaining it to me I ended up really offending her for some reason I could never really understand. She forgave me quickly but neither of us had broached the subject again after that.

In any case she had clothing for me in just four days. When Twilight said she was skilled, I will admit to being skeptical. When she contacted Twilight and told her she had finished the clothes I went along expecting something simple . . . WRONG!

She was truly masterful in her art. The underwear were of a simple drawstring style I could work with. They were basically red briefs that used a draw string instead of elastic. They were sturdy and functional yet comfortable and they let 'me' breathe. The pants were four pair, all in different colors: tan, bark brown, silver not gray, of that Rarity had been very specific (they were gray), and a golden yellowish color. To my surprise, the pants all featured sturdy belt loops and, also to my surprise, she had included the four pockets I had requested. The pants fastened using a series of six buttons right down the front. The bagginess of the pants baffled me until Rarity apologized profusely and explained that she wasn't familiar with how wide a range of motion the Human body was capable. The bottom of each pant leg was as wide as the thighs and featured another drawstring each so they could be tied up as shorts in warmer weather. The material was foreign to me though. Rarity said it would breathe well against the skin, apparently Kavim hated any garment that didn't breathe well, but the material would be tough and tear resistant.

The shirts were slightly more elaborate. There were four of them in teal, aquamarine, turquoise, and drab brown. Rarity explained that the drab brown shirt was for working and the others were for casual wear except for the teal shirt. It was apparently meant to be worn with the yellowish gold pants as fancy attire. Where she really blew my mind was when she brought out a forest green, hooded cloak, an emerald green robe with golden trim, and accessories which included three genuine leather belts imported from Gryphonvale and no less than eight, button closed, rectangular belt pouches made of hard leather and best of all thick, leather boots.

I was amazed until she confessed that she had commissioned the blacksmith to work everything that was made of leather because she found it 'icky', but she did supply the designs for it. To say I was satisfied would have been a drastic understatement. I was ecstatic. After our visit to Rarity we went to the blacksmith and picked up my hatchet/hammer, which was as finely crafted as I'd hoped. It was well balanced and sharpened at exactly the correct angle.

I was wearing the drab shirt, bark brown pants, belt, boots, and my hatchet when I arrived at Sweet Apple Acres that morning. The sun had yet to crest the horizon and the first light was only just barely peeking over the top of the distant mountains. I saw Applejack standing on the front porch of the farm house sipping her usual cup of coffee. I had expected to see Big Mac standing next to her but he was nowhere to be seen. The farm mare was up on her hind legs, leaning her left fore hoof on the railing around the porch while her right fore limb held the mug of coffee in the tiny hairs of her 'hoof'' as she gazed out at the rising sun. A second mug sat on the railing just to her left.

I had been overjoyed to learn that Kavim had coffee and Applejack had absolutely no qualms about providing me with a mug every morning. It had become something of a routine to stand on the porch and sip coffee while we watched the sun rise. The absence of her older brother bothered me a little.

I looked left and right as I approached the porch and spotted a lit lap on inside the barn, 'Ah he must be in there.' I continued my walk right up to the porch and gestured to the steaming mug. Applejack nodded silently and just kept staring out at the approaching sunrise. I took the mug then turned around and leaned back against the porch railing and enjoyed the birth of the new day with a good friend. As one, we lifted our mugs and sipped our coffee then let out a sigh of contentment, 'The storm last night was rough but this morning looks to be the start of a beautiful day.'

A clatter of tiny hooves against the floor of the house heralded the approach of the smallest member of the Apple family. Applebloom tried to apply the brakes just in front of the surprisingly sturdy screen door. As always, she failed to stop in time and impacted the bottom of the door, flinging it wide open. I lifted my left leg casually and Applebloom skidded down the porch steps, unobstructed. The first five times it happened, she had knocked me clean over, but after that I caught onto the pattern and made the appropriate adjustments. I liked that particular adjustment, it gave me a sense of control.

Applebloom picked herself up off the ground and adjusted her saddle bags,
"Bye Applejack!" she said with a wave, "Bye uncle Artex . . . " her tiny hoof dropped and she cocked her head in confusion, "Where's Big Mac?"

"He's in the barn." Applejack said evenly, "Be sure you say 'bye' to him too before yall leave."

Something I had picked up on pretty quickly was that Granny Smith was the legal guardian of Applebloom. Applejack and Big Macintosh never talked about their parents and I never asked, but I was certain they had died some time in the past. The Apple family never seemed to get depressed though, they were always happy and friendly, but one thing was obvious, they ALWAYS said their 'goodbyes' whenever one of the left. That led me to believe that their parents had died very suddenly and unexpectedly and the habit of saying 'goodbye' was one of the aftereffects.

Applebloom scampered away to the barn and went inside. There was one, single thing I hated about working at Sweet Apple Acres: the cows. The bovines were very nice and quite talkative but their sense of humor left me blushing nearly every day. Various comments about how soft my touch was, how good it felt to milked, and why I didn't make a living massaging teats had made me extremely uncomfortable. And then they had started moaning and groaning and slapping me with their tails. It got so bad that I actually asked Applejack to milk the cows. Of course my request had been granted but you should have heard the cows whining about it. They demanded to have me resume my milking and promised to ease up on the joking and ribbing. I did resume milking them, albeit with no small measure of reluctance. True to their word, the cows had stopped harassing me but the occasional moan made my cheeks burn. The ONLY woman I had ever touched WAS my wife after all.

Applebloom emerged from the barn waving behind her and scampered off toward Ponyville. After our initial encounter, Applebloom quickly became very inquisitive and downright friendly. The entire Apple family had become like a second family to me but Applebloom and her two friends Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had taught me quite a bit about Kavim culture. Especially cutie marks. They hadn't discovered their 'special talents' yet and apparently the cutie marks were symbolic of said talent. They were all adorable though and Applebloom had very nearly, literally melted my heart when she started calling me her 'uncle Artex'.

Granny Smith was, likewise a veritable font of information. It had apparently been the Apple family who had founded and settled Ponyville nearly two hundred years prior. Those numbers made my head spin because it meant that Granny Smith was nearly two hundred and ten years old. I asked Twilight about the longevity of Kavim and she said that the average was around one hundred and fifty years but that could vary widely based upon a Kavim's magical power. The more magic a Kavim had, the longer they lived. Her explanation confused me until she explained further. The amount of magic a Kavim has is representative of their cell replication and degradation. Basically, the more magic a Kavim has, the better and more perfectly their cells replicate. I suddenly understood why the Kavim had never even heard of cancer, their bodies and blood were nearly overflowing with magic.

The sun finally peeked over the distant mountains and Applejack and I slugged down the rest of our coffee,
"So," I began, breaking the silence, "What's on the agenda for today?" I was proud, my Velensovth was nearly perfect.

Applejack left her mug on the rail and slid down onto all four hooves,
"Well sir, that there storm last night did a number on one o' the trees. The dang wind blew it right over onto our fence. Ah need you an' Big Mac to head on out to the East field that borders the Everfree an' chop 'er up, then fix the fence." she turned her head toward me and gave me a hesitant expression, "The tree that blew over came from the Everfree Forest."

I had heard tales of the place and apparently it was the same forest I had been staring at when I almost jumped off the chariot when Razor Wit and I were on our way to Ponyville. I had seen it several more times since then but, thankfully had not experienced a repeat of what happened the first time I'd seen it.

I groaned at the thought of using the Kavim's tiny tools to chop up an entire tree. Their saw was fine but their axes and hatchets were nearly too small for my hands and I was suddenly very glad I had gotten into the habit of carrying my hatchet/hammer with me wherever I went. The morning had just gone from 'good' to 'not quite as good'.

I sighed,
"Alright." I said resigned to my fate, "I take it Big Mac is in the barn prepping tools?"

Applejack nodded but a sly smile spread across her features,
"Ayup. Come on."

She headed off, toward the barn and I followed,
"I'm probably going to need the whetstone today. My hatchet is likely to get dull with all the chopping."

"Maybe, maybe not." Applejack said smugly.

She kept walking but spoke as I caught up with her,
"Ya know Artex, you've been here for almost a month an' ya haven't once asked for your pay."

I blinked in surprise at the sudden change in topic, 'Huh, come to think of it, she's right.',
"I guess I just like it out here. You all do so much for me, it just feels . . . right to work here. I don't have anything I have to buy, everything I need has already been provided for me. Honestly, I haven't asked for it because I don't really need the money." I spread my arms, "I'm getting fresh air, good food, a place to stay, good friends, and exercise. What more could I ask for? Really?"

Applejack blushed at the compliment to her beloved farm,
"An' it's that very attitude that made Big Mac an' Ah decide to get you a gift."

I laid a gentle hand on Applejack's back,
"You didn't have to do that for me."

"Well we did, so yall can just 'get over it', as you'd say." she said with mock seriousness.

We entered the barn and I could see Big Mac messing around in the rear of the barn, his backside toward us. He raised his head from a pile of hay and turned around slowly, holding something in his mouth that liked to be three or four feet long. It was covered in burlap so I couldn't make out exactly what it was. He carefully walked over to me and I held out my hands to receive it. He lowered his head and laid it in my palms. It must have weighed four pounds. I unwrapped the burlap and nearly fell over as I gazed at what the Apple family had given me, I nearly cried.

"We saw how much trouble you were havin' with our tools." Applejack began, "The sickle is way too small for your . . . hand and the axes an' such are too small as well, so we went to Hart Hitter an' asked about what he'd suggest for ya, that could be used as an axe, an' a sickle. He said that a curved edge always cuts the best an' it would have to be heavy enough to be used as an axe but light enough to be used as a sickle so he designed . . . that."

The tool I held in my hands was amazing. The handle was a foot long, made of heavy wood with the tang of the blade running all the way through the handle, which was wrapped with leather. The blade itself was awesome. It had the first foot of the blade as a two and a half inch wide, straight blade which was sharpened on both sides. The straight part ended and the nest part was roughly two feet long and shaped like an elongated crescent moon with a triangular tip. The tip was straight out from the handle, as if it had been intentionally made for accurate forward motion. The triangular tip had a one inch lip that swung out over the inside curvature of the blade, like a small hook. In total, the curve of the blade swung roughly a full foot from the invisible line from the handle to the tip and it was two and a half inches wide all the way through.

I nearly choked on my next words,
"You made me a khopesh."

"A what-now?" Applejack asked quirking an eyebrow.

"A khopesh, well it looks similar to a khopesh but with a Kavim flare to it." I hefted it in both hands and smiled, "The khopesh was originally designed by the ancient Canaanites but it was adopted and perfected by the ancient Egyptians and . . . " I looked at Applejack and Big Macintosh who were staring at me like I was speaking in gibberish, "Uh heh, sorry. Human history. What I meant to say is that this basic . . . tool right here was an incredible instrument of . . . chopping and hacking and slashing for its time and is one of the greatest designs for functionality."

"So . . . you like it?" Applejack asked.

I turned to her and lowered the fierce piece of steel,
"I don't like it Applejack, I LOVE it." I set the khopesh down on the ground, turned, and hugged Applejack warmly, "Thank you."

She hugged me back and let go after a moment, I turned to Big Mac,
"You'd probably prefer a hoof bump huh?"

"Eyup." he said.

We bumped fist to hoof and I gave him a hearty pat on the back,
"Alright," I said picking up the khopesh, "Let's get to work. I'm eager to use this baby."

* * *

"That . . . is one BIG tree." I said scratching my head.

The tree had to have been all of ten feet in diameter but only about six stories tall. The arboreal colossus had given up the ghost and collapsed right over, not just onto, but into Sweet Apple Acres. It had stood at the very edge of the Everfree Forest and spanned the entire thirty foot gap between the farm land and the treacherous forest. All of Sweet Apple Acres maintained a constant minimum empty space of thirty feet between itself and the Everfree.

Big Macintosh had pulled a large wagon from the barn out to the felled tree and had enough foresight to pack three buckets of water for us, not to mention a two-handled saw and his own axe. At least I knew what he had been doing in the barn. I set out the buckets of water and the tools while he unhitched himself from the wagon.

I took another look at the massive tree and whistled,
"There's no way we can finish chopping up this monster in one day. I hope Applejack doesn't expect us to."

"Nope." he responded.

"Good," I held the khopesh in both hands, "Let's rock this."

* * *

We chopped and sawed and sweated and hydrated, then we chopped and sawed and sweated and hydrated again. We repeated those steps all through the morning and more than half the afternoon. We didn't know how long we had been at it. We just went to work and developed a type of rhythm. We built up momentum and we maintained it. We had wordlessly decided to start at the end of the tree that was closest to the Everfree and work our way back. I took off my hatchet and set it and the khopesh down on our big wagon so I wouldn't be encumbered by them. I didn't need them since the thick end of the tree had no branches to remove. We worked the saw back and forth to a steady rhythm and the first two foot thick, ten foot wide section of the tree came free. We left it in place and continued on with our routine.

Until Applejack rolled up with a small cart,
"Hey you two!" she hollered, "Take a break an' get somethin' to eat. Yall done missed breakfast an' lunch, so stop an' eat somethin', especially you Artex. You ain't as strong as Big Mac, so get your skinny butt over here an' get a salad."

I couldn't help but to chuckle, 'Salad.' My first 'salad' on the farm, I had been expecting lettuce and hay. WRONG! The Kavim version of a salad was a thing fit for a king. There was a bit of romaine lettuce, but it also had: diced tomatoes, chopped radishes, almonds, cheese, sunflower seeds, walnuts (I hate walnuts), pistachios, bean sprouts, onions, chopped apples, chopped carrots, whole cherries, chopped celery, barley, rice, and the whole thing was smothered in rich, flavorful strawberry yogurt. The Kavim salad was a GODLY meal by itself, even before the turnip, potato, and boiled egg salad with shredded cheese on top, or the hearty loaf of, still steaming, whole grain bread that probably weighed two pounds. Dead lord, those Kavim could eat.

I was content with a big helping of salad and a thick slice of the bread with the Apple family's signature sun-brewed tea to go with it. We all sat down in the sun with our food. Big Mac and Applejack on the ground and me sitting in Big Mac's cart with my hatchet and the fabulous khopesh beside me. My shirt was drenched with sweat so I pulled it off and let my skin breathe. I set the shirt on the rim of the cart so it could dry. I was about to begin eating the salad when Applejack spoke up.

"Ya know," she began, "Yall can lose your pants too if that would help ya cool down. Don't you worry none sugarcube, Ah ain't hankerin' for a gander at your 'apples' or nothin' but it is an option."

"Naw," I shrugged, "I'll keep them if it's all the same. The only ones who ever saw me naked was my doctor and my wi . . . Anyway, this salad is really good isn't it?" I tried to change the course of the conversation, but it was too late.

Applejack's eyes caught and held mine and I knew I was in for it. Applejack had caught me crying once in the orchard and asked me what was wrong. I had told her I was missing my wife but didn't want to talk about it. She accepted it but she said the next time I mentioned it she wanted to know and I had agreed.

I heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed my forehead,
"Look guys, I really miss my wife but talking about it is just going to turn me into a blubbering mess and make me useless for the rest of the day. Do you really want that?" I was making excuses and I knew it but I really didn't want to talk about it.

Applejack looked at me compassionately,
"Yall know Ah don't sugarcube, but you ain't inclined to talk to nopony an' ya need to. It ain't healthy to bottle it all up inside. If'n yall promise to talk to Twilight about it, or better yet your friend Razor, ID let you go on it. You gotta make me that promise though."

"Alright Applejack," I said somberly, "I promise I'll talk to Razor Wit about it when I get the chance." I meant it too.

"Uh Applejack, Artex . . . " Big Mac began.

He immediately had my attention, Big Mac rarely spoke,
"What's up?"

He slowly rose to his hooves, his eyes glued to the treeline,
"Move on back, real slow-like."

Applejack and I followed his eyes and I had to force myself not to jump up. Three pairs of iridescent yellow eyes were staring at us from the darkness of the Everfree Forest. Worse yet, the eyes were high enough off the ground to be chest high on me. I couldn't make out what the eyes were attached to but I didn't want to find out. I slowly slid my hatchet into my belt and reached for my khopesh as I gradually slid off the back of Applejack's cart.

"Artex," the orange farm mare hissed, "Forget the tool, we gotta run!"

I responded evenly,
"I can't run as fast as you or Big Mac. I'd have to defend myself."

I crept off the wagon and slowly inched my way toward Applejack and Big Macintosh. The three pairs of eyes were joined by two more pairs, making five pairs of eyes. I reached the two Apple siblings and together we slowly inched our way back toward the orchard fence and away from the eyes. We were at the fence line when an additional pair of yellow eyes joined the previous five, bringing the total to seven.

We didn't react but I could feel droplets of sweat trickling down my back, chest, and face. The eyes began to move forward and I was greeted with one of the horrors I had heard about from the Everfree. The first things to emerge from the concealing shadows were seven wooden muzzles lined with long, thorn-like teeth. Each tooth looked to be a good three inches long and reminded me strongly of my uncle's stories from Vietnam about 'wait-a-minute' vines, the kind that would snag onto your clothes and go 'wait a minute'. The next parts to emerge were the beast's heads and necks, then their whole bodies. Their bodies looked to be made of thin vines, tightly interweaving into the rough shapes of wolves. I'd heard Granny Smith talk about Timber Wolves but I had never imagined I would have the displeasure of ever seeing one, much less seven of them, all at the same time, slowly stalking directly at me.

"Do they usually come out of the forest?" I asked quietly.

"Not most o' the time." Applejack said softly, "They tend to stay in the forest. There ain't no reason for 'em to be here. We hang helveuin plants on the fence to keep 'em out. It's an anti-magic plant. If they touch it, they fall apart cause they're constructs."

I started to get hopeful when the wolves reached the fence line of Sweet Apple Acres and stopped. The wolves lowered their heads and sniffed at the broken fence very carefully. I had no idea how a magical construct made of vines could 'sniff' anything, but sniff they did. We continued our steady retreat and my hopes rose more and more as the wolves refused to cross the fence.

And then my hopes were dashed to pieces as the wolves began to hop over the fallen fence. I swallowed hard and tried to come up with a solution, any solution.

"Applejack, Big Mac, how agile are Timber Wolves?" I asked.

"In a straight line, they'll run a Pony down, but they don't turn corners very good. Why?" Applejack asked.

I took a deep breath,
"Run back to Ponyville and get Twilight. I think I can keep them occupied until you return."

"WHAT?" Applejack hissed, "Them wolves'll tear yall to shreds!"

"Not if they can't catch me." I said, "I can climb trees and make sharp turns quick as lightning." I looked over my shoulder, "I've been training with Rainbow Dash remember?"

"You're a dang fool Artex!" Applejack hissed.

The wolves began to spread out and speed up their lumbering gate to a trot,
"Aw ponyfeathers!" she said a bit more loudly, "Big brother, head on back to the farm and start bangin' on Granny's pots." I could see her look at me out of the corner of my eye, "I'll run back an' get Twilight."

I nodded,
"Alright, on three." I said.

The wolves were coming. Their thorny maws opening and closing in anticipation.

"One."

Applejack was ready to run. Her legs were flexed and her breathing was light and steady.

"Two."

Big Macintosh shifted the sprig of wheat in his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

"Three."

Applejack turned on a dime, reared up and sped off like a cream orange bullet. Big Macintosh darted off in an almost opposite diagonal angle. I ran straight forward, toward the Timber Wolves. I already knew that any predator would be instinctively (as much instinct as any magical construct can have) drawn to the fleeing Kavim. By that simple logic, the only way to give my two friends a chance to escape was to draw all the attention to myself.

I decided to forego trying to use my hatchet. The khopesh was much heavier and it was already in my hands. My plan was to charge the closest wolf, take it by surprise, take one swing with the khopesh, let the heavy blade go, then it was time to run as fast as I could. I figured the pack would follow me and I could lead them on a merry chase all around the farm. I could turn, practically on a dime and I hoped that Applejack had been right about the Timber Wolves' ability to turn.

The closest wolf was straight ahead of me and a bit to the right, about twenty feet away. I pumped my legs as hard as I could and brought the khopesh up over my head in both hands. Just as I suspected, the wolves were too distracted by the two fleeing Kavim to notice me at first. I was within three feet of the first wolf when I began my swing.

Of course as any military commander knows, 'no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy' and the same was true in my case. The khopesh bit into the wolf's neck like a hot knife through butter, but my aim had been off. I had only cut through the first two inches of the wolf's ten inch thick neck. The blade slid down and threw my balance all to hell.

Thankfully I missed chopping off one of my legs and just ended up spinning around backward. I tried to use my momentum to cut another wolf but the momentum had depleted substantially by that point so the tip of the khopesh sunk onto the cheek of the wolf standing right next to the one I had been aiming for. The blade sunk and stuck. I let go of it and tried to run, trying to get back on track with my initial plan.

Thank you weeks of training with Rainbow Dash, you sadistic Pegasus you. With the absence of the weight of the khopesh, I sped off like a shot through the trees, weaving a figure-eight around each tree. The Timber Wolves had apparently gotten over their shock because I could hear their paws pounding on the dirt behind me and howling to beat the band.

I had a specific spot in mind for a perfect place to switch directions and hopefully throw the wolves off. I could hear their howls closing the gap and I would swear I felt their breath on my still bare back. There was a tree in the orchard that the Apple family had allowed the lower branches to grow out instead of trimming them back. Such a practice made for a tree with very low branches, such as ones I could leap over smoothly but a Kavim would face-plant into the bough. I spotted the tree and oriented myself on a direct intercept course, making a B-line for it.

Thirty feet . . . twenty-five feet . . . twenty feet . . . fifteen feet . . . ten feet . . . five feet . . . I jumped, bringing up my legs and cleared the low-hanging tree limb. I landed, still at a run, and turned off to my left away from the farm house. In my previous life on Earth I would have been out of breath by that point but thanks to one hard-nosed Pegasus mare I was still good to go. I heard a series of yelps and the distinctive crack of timber and chanced a look back. The lead wolf had been close to me and had run head-first into the branch and the other wolves had piled up on it like a car wreck. I knew the Timber Wolves wouldn't take long to reorganize and come after me again.

I sped away and fervently prayed that Big Macintosh or Applejack would return before the wolves made a meal out of me. I continued my serpentine pattern around the trees, running and sweating to beat the band. I drew in ragged breath after ragged breath and puffed out each one in turn. The snap of a twig off to my left brought my attention up and to the sound. I have no idea why I could hear the snapping twig at all with the racket I was making but somehow it registered. I looked to my left just as a wolf sprung at me from not ten feet away. Its jaws were wide open and coming straight at my head. I tripped and stumbled over my own feet, entering an uncontrolled fall. The wolf sailed right over me just as my face hit the dirt. I scrambled upright as the wolf landed and took off again only to be stopped by the sudden onset of agonizing pain in my right calf.

I fell to the ground and pivoted at my waist to look at what had me and I could feel my adrenaline kicking into overdrive. One of the Timber Wolves had taken advantage of my momentary stop, when I tripped, and had hamstrung me. My right calf was clutched in its teeth, the three inch long fangs sunk deeply into my muscle. It raised its head and thrashed its head back and forth, worrying me like a rag doll. I flailed my hands about trying to get a grip to stabilize myself and by luck, the fingers of my right hand closed on the back of the wolf's head.

A flash of agony from my left leg made me avert my eyes. A second wolf had bitten down on my left foot and was pulling on me. The pressure against my right leg abated completely and I reflexively twisted at my waist and brought my right foot up against the muzzle of the second wolf, right against the tip of its snout. The wolf yelped and let go of my left foot. I rolled to my right, only realizing as I did so, I was rolling into the first wolf, 'Damn! What I wouldn't give to be made of wood!'

I rolled and came up into a crouch. I looked around quickly and realized the entire pack was surrounding me. My adrenaline was pumping and I stood all the way up. Had I been able to feel the holes in my legs I'm sure I would have been rolling around on the ground screaming. My 'flight' response having been spent, I fell back onto 'fight'. I was sure to lose, there was no question of that, but I was determined to at least try to give a good account of myself.

I brought up my hands in the best stance I could manage, my legs were getting numb. My hands looked strange and the wolves were slowly backing away yet looking more and more pissed. I belatedly noticed there were only six wolves, but it was my hands that had my attention. They were covered with wood, like gauntlets and they were glowing a hazel color. I then saw a wooden muzzle where my nose should have been. Puzzled to no end, I looked down and saw that my entire body was covered in bits of wood that looked just like a Timber Wolf. A sudden and very loud metallic clanging sound assaulted my ears. The Timber Wolves turned and ran, yelping like they had been wounded.

I watched them go in disbelief, 'What the hell just happened?' I could feel myself calming down slowly and in the wake of the adrenaline I was starting to shake. I felt dizzy and my vision was swimming, so I tried to slowly sit down. The shift of my weight set my right calf and left foot on fire and I collapsed to the ground a screaming mess. I clutched at my right calf, rocking back and forth from the pain as the already gushing blood soaked through my fingers. The damn wolf must have ripped open an artery when he was worrying me. I gritted my teeth and let go of my leg, hands flying to my belt. I fumbled with the buckle but after a few tries I ripped it off my waist and tied it just below my right knee like a tourniquet. It hurt like all hell and, looking down at my leg, I noticed the pieces of Timber Wolf falling off me.

I was growing more and more dizzy with every passing second. I felt nauseous and light headed and the whole world was spinning about wildly. I fell back onto the soft dirt and tried not to move. Everything hurt but I was still worried about my left foot. Worried or not, my body decided it had enough. Once I was lying on my back, I couldn't move an inch. I couldn't raise my hands or move a single muscle. I lay there, staring up through the branches of the tree above me at the clear blue sky. I saw the branches of the tree shuffle in the wind but I couldn't feel anything against my skin, I was numb.

I began feeling distinctly sleepy, 'No! I can't fall asleep! I can't!' I struggled against the darkness encroaching on my vision, 'Why the fuck do I keep passing out! It isn't fair! If I fall asleep I might not ever wake up! I've lost too much blood!' It was no use.

I was powerless against it and my vision dimmed with a loud roaring sound in my ears, like the surf of the ocean, as I lapsed into darkness against my will.

Chapter 27.5: The Warning

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Dirge Caller looked left and right at his fellow Dogs as their short legs and long arms propelling them through the forest steadily. Their claws were sheathed and short, almost invisible in the early evening light. They broke through the trees that bordered the North side of Flankfurt. The Kavim hadn't noticed the one hundred armored Diamond Dogs yet, but they would in a matter of seconds.

Dirge Caller barked out his orders even as the Diamond Dogs began passing in between the buildings,
"Dogs grab little Ponies first! When no more little Ponies left, grab bigger Ponies! Once Dogs have Ponies, run to meeting place!"

The Diamond Dogs loudly barked their affirmatives and every Kavim eye immediately settled on the pack.

And then, the screams began.

* * *

Darkness enclosed the four Fathom by four Fathom room and a single Pegasus sat at a wide oak desk, working late into the night. Swift Wind was working on a small mound of paperwork and he was bored stiff. The quill held between his primaries felt like it weighed a ton. His eyelids felt heavy and his body was slowly relaxing. It was comfortable in his new Regimental Commander's Office. Well, it still felt new to him, even if he had been working out of it for over a month already. His head slumped forward gradually and his sensitive muzzle bumped into the desk.

"YIPE!" with a startled yell, he overbalanced and fell backward, off the bench and onto the floor with a thud.

He lay there for a few moments, groaning, then he tensed his muscles and sprang into an upright position, his internal gyroscope assuring him a perfect landing. He shook his head and licked his lips.

"This paperwork is killing me today. What I need is a snack and a little . . . something." he smiled and pulled open the bottom right drawer of his desk, "There you are." he said in a sing-song voice.

He dipped his head into the drawer and pulled out a steel thermos secreted away in the very back of the drawer. He set the mug down on bis desk and held it in place with his fore hooves while his jaw took care of loosening the cap. He gripped the open mouth of the thermos and tilted his head back as he greedily swallowed the contents. The liquid burned its way down his throat, making his eyes water, but he kept swallowing until the thermos was empty.

Lowering his head he set the thermos back on the floor and heaven a contented sigh. He picked up the lid with his lips and screwed it back on then set it back in the drawer and closed it. He smacked his lips several times, relishing the residual heat and flavor.

"Best batch yet." he said happily, "Note to self: more bay leaves and less scorpion chilies. The onions and celery make for good absorption of flavor but the corn adds just the right hint of sweetness." he licked his lips again, "I'll get that soup recipe perfect yet."

"Commander Swift Wind!" a loud male voice called through the closed oak door of his office, and the loud clop of galloping hooves reached his ears before the door slammed open, revealing a panting Pegasus Guard, "Sir!" he saluted, "Urgent message from Trottingham! A detachment of one hundred Diamond Dogs has brought word that the Diamond Dog City/State of Flame Hall has fallen under a plague that they are calling Mindless Death."

Swift Wind took a deep breath and slowly let it out,
"Inform the other Regimental Commanders and Captain Bold Move immediately."

"They already know sir, they should be on their way to the briefing room." the Guard looked unsure but decided to voice his concern, "Uh, shouldn't we inform the Princesses too?"

Swift Wind nodded,
"Send a flier to Ponyville. Primcess Celestia is there. Apparently the Human Emissary was mauled by Timber Wolves today and she is there seeing to him. We'll already be moving by that point. Come to the briefing room when you finish with sending off the flier."

* * *

"Alright, what do we know about this Mindless Death?" Peach Pit asked firmly.

He was one of four Kavim at the table. The others were: Bold Move, Steady Plod, and the Pegasus who delivered the initial message, Cloud Cutter. Cloud Cutter was a very young civilian Pegasus stallion, barely seventeen, but he was the only Pegasus in Trottingham who could have made the journey to Canterlot in one flight. He had departed about an hour before sunset and had arrived a bit before ten at night, a truly impressive flight to say the least.

Cloud Cutter cleared his throat,
"Well, first of all, the Diamond Dogs are so scared of this apparent epidemic, they ran through Flankfurt and literally carried every Pony from there to Trottingham in one go. Some of the Diamond Dogs were forced to carry a Pony in each paw and one or two on their backs and quite a few of the Dogs nearly dropped from exhaustion when they arrived. According to their leader, Dirge Caller, the Mindless Death makes the infected Dogs go insane with rage. He reported that he and his detachment had been dispatched to Flame Hall because there had been no contact with it for more than a week. When they arrived . . . " Cloud Cutter trailed off for a second before gathering his courage again, "When they arrived, they said the entire City/State was either torn to pieces in the streets or missing. They followed the tracks of the ones who were missing and the tracks led to the South, right toward Flankfurt. Dirge Caller sent one of his pages to inform the other City/States and he led his group to evacuate Flankfurt. He said the dead Diamond Dogs looked like they had been foaming at the mouth and the savagery indicated by the state of the bodies was like they had attacked anything that so much as twitched."

Cloud Cutter swallowed,
"He said none of the Dogs escaped. Dogs, bitches, pups, everything was dead. You should have seen them sir," he said to Peach Pit, "They were terrified. Dirge Caller initially wanted to talk to my sister, Razor Wit, since she was the one to broker the trade agreement and treaty, but they were willing to talk to the family since she wasn't available. The Civil Guard Commander requested that all available Guards be sent to local cities, towns, and villages."

Peach Pit levitated over a map and set it on the table just as Swift Wind entered the room,
"What's going on?"

Peach Pit, Steady Plod, and Bold Move were busy pinning down the map,
"Diamond Dog City/State was destroyed by a plague that makes them go violently crazy. The Diamond Dog friendlies physically evacuated Flankfurt and carried the residents to Trottingham then sent s a report. We're prepping a dispach chart. Come on over." Bold Move said without taking his eyes off the map.

Swift Wind trotted up to the table,
"What are the closest cities to the infected location?"

Bold Move pointed with his right fore hoof,
"The closest is Flankfurt, but the residents have been evacuated to Trottingham." he turned to Cloud Cutter, "What you hear in this room stays in this room. Agreed?"

Cloud Cutter nodded his head nervously,
"Y . . . yes sir."

Bold Move nodded back,
"Did Dirge Caller say what he and his Dogs planned to do? Were they going to stay in Trottingham or leave?"

"He said they were staying until the Royal Guard showed up then they would go back to their City/State and receive further orders." Cloud Cutter said more confidently.

Bold Move turned back to the map,
"Since you've agreed not to speak about what you're going to hear, come on over young stallion."

Cloud Cutter trotted up to the map nervously while Bold Move continued,
"Trottingham's estimated population is three thousand Ponies and the numbers of the infected Diamond Dogs are unknown." he turned to Cloud Cutter, "Did your sister ever mention the average population of Diamond Dog City/States?"

"Yeah, they range between eight hundred and four thousand." Cutter said assuredly.

"O.K. so we're likely facing less than four thousand individuals, most probably not combat trained. What say we send a detachment of three thousand Guards, one thousand from each Regiment, to Trottingham." he looked at the other nearby cities and towns, "Las Pegasus is way too far West-North-West to be bothered, Cloudsdale is completely airborne, Manehattin has a large enough contingent of Guards to handle it but they're way off to the East. That leaves three towns . . . "

"Four." Peach Pit corrected casually.

Bold Move cleared his throat,
"Would you place a blue flag over that town so we don't forget it?"

Cloud Cutter cocked his head,
"There's another town?" he watched as the flag was placed in the field just to the East of Flankfurt, "Wow, that's close. What's that one called?"

"Remember never to breathe a word of this to anypony." Bold Move reiterated.

At Cloud Cutter's nod he continued,
"We may mention it. Keep listening." he turned back to the map, "As I was saying, the infected Diamond Dogs will probably go to one of the towns already on the maps, which leaves: Stalliongrad to the North, Hoofington to the East, and maybe Mineighapolis to the South-West. If the Dogs bypass Trottingham, Mineighapolis is a very likely candidate. Those two are their most likely destinations. What say we dispatch three thousand to Mineighapolis, same configuration as Trottingham and the final three thousand go to New Humansville."

Cloud Cutter quirked an eyebrow,
"New Humansville? I've never heard of it."

"You won't for quite a while yet and we don't want to hear that you've been talking about it." Steady Plod said.

"What is the single most likely target for the attack?" Swift Wind asked, "We should have Commanders in those locations."

Steady Plod pointed to Trottingham and New Humansville,
"These two and if we're basing our estimation on what's on a map, Trottingham. However, we need to take something into account. The Diamond Dogs are calling this disease Mindless Death so the infected may not go by any maps. If that's the case New Humansville would be the more likely, it is closer."

Bold Move scratched his chin with his right fore hoof. The decision was ultimately his and he made it quickly. He pointed to New Humansville and double tapped the blue flag.

"Right here. This is where it'll happen. Swift Wind and Steady Plod, I want you two to take the remaining three thousand to New Humansville and shore up the Civil Guard there. The . . . residents aren't going to like it one bit so keep a somewhat low profile and don't interfere with what's going on. Swift, take one thousand Pegasi and go straight there as soon as you can. We can't count on these infected Diamond Dogs waiting on us. Steady Plod, take the remaining two thousand Guards and move like there's a fire under your tail. Peach Pit take Mineighapolis and I'll take Trottingham. Dismissed."

Chapter 28: Emergency Preparations

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"Alright everybody, time for muster." Mike said clapping his hands together.

The members of the Fellowship Of Leadership began making their way up to the roof of Town Hall. There were many things to discuss and several new people joining the usual group. Sheranda, Kylie, Corina, and 'Becky' were going to join the Fellowship for the first time. Everyone was edgy because a former member was set to join in on the meeting. Jason had asked and after a vote, he was going to join the meeting, but his place on the Fellowship was as closed to him as it was before. He could bring ideas to light, and give updates on his specialty, but he didn't have a vote.

Everyone walked up the stairs and onto the roof, Darryl and Kaneesha keeping their distance from 'Becky'. Andrew took the time to pat everyone on the shoulder so they would know he was present. Every person sat down on the roof in a big circle, Bobby led 'Becky' over next to him and sat her down. She seemed happy as ever but also curious. Kaneesha made a point to sit right next to Joyner.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear,
"Andrew an' I been keepin' an eye on 'Becky' all day. She ain't eaten anything the whole time. She drank a bunch o' water but she had food in front o' her an' she didn't touch it. Ask Jewel."

Mike Joyner turned his head to Kaneesha and furrowed his eyebrows,
"Hey Bobby," he began.

Bobby turned his head away from 'Becky',
"Yeah?"

"Has 'Becky' eaten anything today?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I took her to get something right after we got her into a dress, why?" Bobby responded.

"But did she actually eat?" Mike asked.

"She must have. Alex gave her a plate and a couple of minutes later it was empty." Bobby replied.

"So you didn't actually see her eat?" Mike asked.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders,
"I was talking to Alex." he quirked an eyebrow, "What's this about?"

Mike turned to Kaneesha,
"Can you counter that?"

Kaneesha nodded,
"She dumped the food back into the cauldron when Bobby was talkin'."

A loud flap of wings heralded the arrival of Princess Luna mere moments before she landed outside the circle,
"I apologize for being late." she said looking around, "Ah, the circle has grown I see. Where may I lay?"

All eyes turned to Jason to see his reaction. He simply sat in place watching attentively. Sheranda, Kylie, and Corina had their eyes bugging out in surprise and 'Becky' was shaking like a leaf.

R.J. and Rachel scooted apart and Luna occupied the vacant spot with a nod of thanks,
"Pray, what were you discussing?"

Mike gestured to 'Becky',
"Our new arrival. She walked right out of the forest today."

"Hey," Bobby said to 'Becky', "There's nothing to be afraid of." he said comfortingly, "She won't hurt you." he put his left arm around her shoulders and patted her.

Princess Luna looked at 'Becky' in puzzlement,
"She seems healthy enough. Was she with your initial group and perhaps got lost?"

Mike shook his head,
"No, I guarantee she's never been a part of our group until today."

"She sure did pick up on how to sow easily enough." Bobby said, "We put her with the seamstress trio and Corina said she did a bang up job."

Corina nodded,
"Her comprehension seemed above par."

Mike clapped his hands together and brought the meeting to order,
"Alright first things first." he turned to Jason, who was sitting between Darryl and Eduardo, "Jason is going to be joining us tonight and every night unless he screws up again. He already knows that at the first sign of trouble he's gone. He does not carry the weight of a vote so he's exempt from them. We also have Sheranda, Corina, and Kylie here with us for the first time." he gestured to each as he named them, "They are observers for now but we'll be taking a vote at the end of this muster to determine their status as members or observers. And finally we have the woman known as 'Becky' with us. For you new people there are a few rules: if someone else is speaking let them finish, do not become belligerent or hostile, do not insult others. Infractions of these rules will not be tolerated and we have ejected people from these meetings so behave like adults and you'll be fine. Princess Luna joins us on most nights. She is to be treated like one of us so be respectful. She does not carry the weight of a vote but her opinions are respected and we listen to her thoughts even if we don't always follow them. Alright first order of business" he gestured to 'Becky', "Our new arrival here, has caused quite a stir."

Mike gestured to Bobby,
"She wasn't dehydrated or starving when Mike found her. She was naked and dirty but she didn't seem to have any sense of modesty. She didn't seem to care that she was naked. Her skin was filthy, like she took a mud bath, but her hair was pristine and she didn't have a scratch on her." Bobby said.

Luna cocked her head to the side, eyes focused on 'Becky'.

Mike gestured to Darryl,
"My vision gets blurry and I get a headache whenever she gets within ten feet." Darryl said.

Luna's eyes narrowed.

Mike gestured to Kaneesha,
"Eretime I look at her it's like I'm seein' double. I was watchin' her all day an' she didn't eat nothin' the whole time."

Luna's eyes narrowed further,
"Have any Unicorns examined her?" the moon Princess asked suddenly.

The Fellowship looked at each other, confused,
"Uh, no." Bobby said.

"May I?" Luna asked, "I promise it won't harm a single Human on this roof in any way."

Bobby looked unsure,
"Uh, not trying to be rude but it might scare her. There's no way for us to tell her what's going on."

"She seems unable to understand you? Well then, she understands tones. In that case, everyone hold back your reactions and speak in a friendly, congenial tone." Luna rose to her hooves and spoke in a casual tone, "I'm going to posture like I need to relieve myself but what I'm actually going to do is fly out of sight, turn invisible, and scan her with magic from a distance. Wave to me as I fly off."

She took to the air and everyone waved at her as she flew down and out of sight. 'Becky' followed Luna with her eyes until she was gone then seemed to relax.

"While she's doing that," Mike continued, "Let's go over a few things. Tine, Kolo, how are we doing on toilets?"

Kolo smiled broadly,
"We nearly done. Got us a nice little model for trial. Chris' be carvin' it for us."

Tina spoke next,
"Our new model is taken from the original Kavim model, just with a few modifications. The original base model Kavim toilet was in the shape of a sideways 'u' with the lower portion made for receiving waste. What we've done is modify that model to take on more of a 'J' shape. We widened the lower part so that it can comfortably support the Human buttocks and the Kavim flanks and it's low enough for any individual of any age to use it. It will require most Humans to crouch low, but it's comfortable enough that both Kolo and I tried it out. The water piping and flushing mechanism is based off the model made by William Elvis Sloan, so it does have a back tank that needs to be filled with water. We don't have any way to produce those pieces yet but once the forge is up and running we'll be churning out toilets as fast as we can. Now our current model is made of wood but we like the idea of using waxed stone instead so we're hoping that the quarry opens up soon. We can make the wooden ones but they're going to be breaking often enough to keep us busy for a while."

Mike nodded,
"Excellent work guys."

Princess Luna landed outside the circle and 'Becky' instantly became nervous again,
"Well, my business is done." she said primly as she lay back down, "Remember to keep yourselves calm, especially with what I'm about to say. Keep your voices casual and lighthearted now, and keep your arm around her Bobby. 'Becky' isn't Human, she's a creature known as a Changeling."

"A what-now?" Bobby asked.

"Lighthearted," Luna said in a sing-song tone, "Changelings are parasites. They feed on emotion. They can change shape at will and are the only species in recent history to launch an attack on Equestria. They nearly took over Canterlot in one day. They are extremely dangerous but not so much in a physical sense. They trick and guile their way around a society until they are found out, then they leave. Their native form looks similar to a black Pony with insectile wings and their legs and horns have holes in them. Their skin is tough and leathery but their horns are sharp. They are capable of using magic and flying and they are quite tough but they're physically weak compared to a Pony. Any of you would probably be a match for it physically."

Mike nodded his head, smiling warmly,
"Well how about that. Bobby has his arm around a giant, black, ugly parasite bug."

"I would like to capture this Changeling for study. We know relatively little about them." Luna said pleasantly.

"Are they sentient?" Bobby asked, maintaining his tone and expression perfectly, "And what kind of 'study' are we talking about here? Live dissection?"

"You wound me Bobby," Luna said in a laughing tone, "We'd never do something like that, in fact I . . . " Luna stopped speaking abruptly.

The lunar Alicorn looked off into the distance with a thousand-yard stare. Her body was completely motionless.

"Uh, Luna?" Bobby ventured after a full minute.

Luna held up her right fore hoof,
"This is an emergency." she said urgently, "Gather your people and arm yourselves." she snapped out of her daze and looked sternly at Mike Joyner, "Now." the intensity of her gaze was almost painful.

"Wait, what's going on?" Darryl asked.

Luna sprung up, into the air,
"Make room inside Town Hall for the Ponies. I'll explain in a few minutes. I apologize for ordering you around but the situation is dire." she took off, swooping down to where the Kavim were conducting their own meeting.

* * *

"So things are coming.along very smoothly." Straight Edge said, "We've got nine houses finished and the frames for fourteen more . . . "

"My subjects!" Princess Luna called out from the sky as she descended, "Make haste for the Town Hall immediately. Gather your families and go there, quickly! An epidemic has taken hold of a Diamond Dog City/State and driven them violently mad. They slaughtered each other in their home to the North-West and are on the move. They may very well be coming here!"

Straight Edge queried his Princess,
"Wouldn't it be wise to have the Pegasi fly the foals to safety?"

Luna shook her head sadly,
"Flankfurt is the closest village and it has already been evacuated. The next closest one is Trottingham and it may actually be less safe than we are here."

"But the Humans are packed into Town Hall." Long Wind interjected.

"Forget your reservations my little Pony. Tonight all of us will be together whether we like it or not." Luna said soberly.

* * *

"What the fuck man!" a young Asian man said as he was bodily pulled upright by Kolo.

The Humans started to become boisterous until Chris put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly enough to make their ears ring,
"Listen up!" Mike said into the ensuing silence, "There's a calamity on its way here. We don't know the details yet but it was bad enough to scare Princess Luna. The Ponies are going to be in here with us. Guide them up to the third floor and keep them there. Those of you who are combatants gather the weapons, those of you who are not, form a line and guide the Ponies up there, now! Sheranda you're in charge of the first floor guiding. Corina you're in charge of the second floor. Kylie you're in charge of the third floor. Once you run out of room send them to the medical station. Any Ponies with medical marks go to the medical station, we may need them. Let's move!" he could hear Luna's yelling from inside the building, 'It won't take long.'

Chaos reigned as people scrambled to obey. Morris guided Darryl, Eduardo, and Spearman to the crates of weapons and shields. The cracked open the crates and beheld their armaments, still in the same condition.

"Incoming! Make room!" Kolo yelled as baggy-eyed Kavim began emerging from their buildings and heading for the front door of Town Hall at a brisk trot.

Sheranda stood at the front door, arms and legs crossed with the person next to her, forming a living guide rail for the Ponies. The first one, a Unicorn mare approached cautiously and slowed down, 'It feels like we're intruding.' she thought. A hard push from behind got her moving and she followed the Human guide rail. A Human female and a Unicorn stallion met her at the top of the stairs and helped guide her up to the third floor. Seeing the Human and Pony who were well known to always be together, shored up her courage and she trotted up to the third floor.

Down on the first floor the weapons were being distributed among the more than two hundred Humans who had undergone any sort of combat training or were strong enough. Every lumberjack was present and every one of the people Eduardo had personally trained were there too. Eduardo's people selected their shields, swords, and spears and got out of the way so others could get to the armaments. They lashed on their scabbards to their baldrics and slipped their shields onto their left arms and stood at attention with their spears in their right hands.

Mike Joyner looked at the group, impressed,
"Phalanx work?" he asked.

Eduardo nodded,
"If this is a defensive fight, we should be able to hold off a little bit, but it's far from ideal. See those shields? They're tiny for us. We need bigger ones. The swords are small and she spears are short too. Our gear is sub-par hombre. We'll give it our best, but don't expect any miracles."

R.J. held a sword in his hands and swung it a few times,
"I can't work wit this no mo'. I need me somethin' wit a bit o' weight to it." he tossed the sword back into the crate and walked over to one of the tool crates. He flipped open the lid and retrieved one of the full-length axes.

He hefted it in his hands and smirked,
"Yeah man," he looked up and slung the heavy implement over his shoulder, "If I'm 'bout to throw down wit somebody, this is what I'm usin'."

Princess Luna glided into the building, right over Sheranda's head, and landed among the assembling Humans,
"Oh dear." she said quietly, "These weapons seem too small for you."

"What's this about, Princess?" Chris asked.

Luna turned and spoke loudly,
"My apologies for my lapse earlier, but Celestia contacted me telepathically. It is a link between Alicorns, normally used only in emergencies. She said that a City/State of Diamond Dogs has suffered a strange epidemic which causes them to go violently insane . . . "

"What are Diamond Dogs?" Alex asked.

Luna thought for a moment then shrugged,
"They are roughly as tall as Humans. They walk on two legs, they have fur coats, and their arms end in paws which sport eighteen inch claws that can cut through rock with ease. They can tunnel through dirt and rock almost as easily as you or I can move through water. Their jaws and teeth are hard enough and strong enough to crush bones to dust. The Commanders of the Royal Guard estimate there to be between six hundred and three thousand of them. They are sending three thousand of the Royal Guard here to defend the town but they will take time to arrive. We need to hold out until they get here."

Chris stepped forward waving a hand,
"Hold on here. Why don't you just cast a spell that cures every one of them that's infected? You move the moon, surely you can do this."

Luna lowered her eyes slightly,
"Would that I were able to. I cannot do what you ask, nor could Celestia, or any Alicorn. T'would require a long series of spells. The first to seek out every Diamond Dog in the world, the second to isolate each in turn, the third to detect the disease, and the fourth to cast the correct spell, which I would have to develop while studying the disease. The moon is but a single object upon which I can force my will. Each consecutive spell lessens the effect of all others I have to maintain and so many at a time would kill me almost instantly. If the Diamond Dogs were all touching each other, I could use a chain spell to affect them at the same time, but some magical diseases alter spells. Since I've not heard of this disease before, the likelihood of its source being a magical one is unfortunately high. Were I to attempt to use any spell on the infected Diamond Dogs, it could alter their very bodies." Luna shook her head sadly, "No, I'm afraid I can be of no help in that regard." she looked almost ready to cry, "There has been a great loss of life among the Diamond Dogs already, and it seems as though there will yet be even more." she looked away, out the doorway where the last of the civilian Kavim were heading toward the stairs, "We love all intelligent life in the world and the loss of but one hurts us as though it were one of our own children." her voice softened into a whisper, "None of you know the grief it caused Celestia and I when the massacre happened."

She shook her head suddenly and turned back to the armed Humans,
"I cannot solve this problem for you, but I can help you solve it." she looked around at the small weapons and shields then at the mass of left over weaponry, "Your stores of defensive armaments will be replenished later." she turned to Mike, "What is your battle plan?"

"I was going to say a phalanx with our people holding the doors and windows on this ground floor but since these Diamond Dogs can shear through rock, it's useless. What I wouldn't give for a couple hundred rifles." he said looking off toward the door.

The Civil Guards entered the front doorway and strode up to Luna. The lead Guard began chattering with Luna about something or another and Mike couldn't help but to admire the Guards' armor. It was thickly plated and actuated beautifully, 'Or armor, heck anything would help at this point.'

"Hey Mike." Chris tapped him on the shoulder, "How about we try having each person slide one shield as far up their arm as possible then putting a second one on. I mean yeah the Diamond Dogs could cut right through it but if we keep them far enough away if would help."

Mike nodded his head,
"Do it." he turned to the gathering of people, "Where's Andrew?"

"Gah!" came a frustrated yell three feet in front of him, "I'M RIGHT HERE!"

Now able to see the irritated black man, Mike had to make a decision and it wasn't easy,
"Andrew," he began, "I need you to fight. How well can you hide, do you think, if you were . . . outside with the Diamond Dogs?"

The entire assembly of Humans fell silent. Kaneesha looked between the two men, fearing what Andrew's answer would be. It was extremely risky.

Andrew took a deep breath and his face hardened to stone,
"Well enough." he answered simply.

"I'm going with you!" Kaneesha said forcefully, "Ain't nobody can see like me, you need me!"

Mike turned his head, puzzled,
"What do you mean?"

Kaneesha and Andrew shared a look before Kaneesha said,
"I can see in the dark."

"What?" Bobby asked, "How?"

Kaneesha shrugged,
"I don't know, but it's been gettin' stronger every day. I can hear birds flapping their wings from across town, I can smell when someone's on the rag," she made a gagging motion, "I can taste every spice and plant in every bite I eat an' I can feel vibrations along the ground if I'm facin' the direction they're commin' from. Andrew an' I have been testin' it for over a month now. That's how I know where he is, I can see everyone an' that's how I knew that 'Becky' weren't Human."

Luna's ears perked noticeably and she turned her head,
"Truly?" she asked.

Kaneesha nodded her head,
"Yeah."

"May I test you?" Luna asked.

Kaneesha looked unsure,
"Test me? Will it hurt?"

Luna shook her head,
"Not at all, but it is a somewhat rare spell. Normally only foal doctors know it. It tests an individual's Magerium. It is painless, I assure you."

Kaneesha shrugged,
"Uh, sure I guess."

Luna closed her eyes and her horn lit up indigo for a brief moment before her eyes snapped open,
"Good gracious." she said, "You DO posses a Magerium! It's different from what I've seen before, but you have it!" she turned to Andrew excitedly, "May I?"

Andrew shrugged,
"You know what, go for it."

Luna proceeded to do the same to Andrew,
"You as well!" she looked around at the gathered Humans, "How many of you, I wonder." without further preamble, she lowered her horn and cast out at Kolo, Spearman, and R.J.,
"All of you!" she said excitedly, "All of you have it!" she turned to Tina and cast on her.

Luna's face contorted for a moment before her eyes opened slowly and she backed away several steps,
"Tina, I believe?"

Tina nodded, looking very unsure,
"Y . . . yes?"

"We must speak later, after this is over." she turned back to Mike, "We will deal with this later. For now, we need to give your people what they need." she took a breath, "I said I couldn't help by curing all the Diamond Dogs and that's true, but I can help your people. I can fortify this building to make the stone impervious to the Diamond Dogs claws. I would meld the stone and seal us in THEN make the stone impervious, but the more something is altered by magic, the harder it is to affect with magic. It conducts magic better but it's Thamaturgic dispersal that allows for enchantability and the mass of an object does matter in that case. Thamaturgic conductivity is a natural byproduct of magical altering . . . " she looked around at all the lost and confused Human faces, "Let's just say, 'I can't do that'. There are some things I CAN do with much smaller amounts of material, especially if it's no longer in it's natural state."

"You mean you can manipulate steel easier than raw iron?" Chris asked.

Luna nodded,
"Correct."

Chris practically leaped into the closest weapon crate. He dug around and pulled out four shields and tossed them onto the ground.

"Could you meld these four shields together?" Chris asked.

Luna nodded,
"Into what shape?"

"Um . . . "Chris looked around, "Hey Morris, can I use one of your pieces of paper?"

Morris nodded then walked over and handed Chris a sheet of paper. Chris held it up and bent the sides inward just enough for a curve.

"Like this. Each one needs to be about four feet tall and as hard as you can manage." Chris said.

Luna nodded and lowered her head. Her horn glowed indigo and the four shields glowed so brightly that everyone had to cover their eyes. The glow dissipated after a minute and there lay a tower shield where previously four small round shields had been. Chris walked over to the tower shield and picked it up then looked at the back.

"Hey, you even got the straps right." he slid it onto his arm and and lifted it up and down, "I don't know what the proper balance is supposed to be but it feels really light. I could hold this all night."

Luna nodded happily,
"I did as much as I could to it in one spell series. I reduced the weight by more than half and it's now harder than diamond. It will never break by conventional means. I can make a few more if you like . . . "

"Could you make armor and longer swords using just the materials we have here?" Chris asked, pointing into the weapons crates.

Luna trotted over and rose onto her hind legs then placed her fore hooves on the edge of the crate and looked inside,
"I believe I could. It would take a bit of time though and more than a bit of magic but I could probably make . . . forty suits of armor with appropriately sized weapons to go with them."

"We need to know the Diamond Dogs E.T.A. Kaneesha, could you head on up to the roof and keep an eye out?" Mike said.

Kaneesha nodded and darted toward the stairs,
"Just let me know before Andrew heads out."

"He needs to concentrate when he's out there." Mike called after the young woman.

Chris was busy setting out shields in groups for Luna when Alex chimed in,
"Armor would be too difficult. Ask her to make breast plates, bracers, shin guards, and helmets instead."

Darryl walked around the main floor and counted the windows,
"Hey Mike, there's twenty five windows and each one looks to be three feet wide and three feet tall. What do you say, two or three people at each one?"

Mike walked over and examined the windows with the Marine,
"Ideally I'd put four people at each one but we won't have enough armor for everyone. They'll have to use the fortified walls as protection and use spears and axes for full offense only." he turned to the front main door, "I want a single shield wall with swords right at the door with spears behind them to help keep the enemy at bay. We'll need to keep some people in reserve for any casualties." he looked back at the windows then to the Civil Guard just standing around looking confused, "We'll ask them when Luna's done." he looked back over to the shields.

Luna had already finished four shields so Mike began placements,
"I need four people with shields at the front main doors pronto. Lose the spears and use your swords. We'll come and outfit you as each piece is completed. I need eight people behind them with spears ready to thrust over top of the shields. Those of you who have swords, stab outward between the shields but keep it tight and don't overreach, we can't afford a breech in the shield wall. More than anything, do not retreat. If the enemy gets a foot in the door push them back. Most casualties are accrued when you retreat so stand firm." he looked around as Eduardo's people looked at one another, "Where are my shield-men?"

Four people reluctantly walked over and laid down their spears and shields then took up the new tower shields and headed for the front door. They were followed by eight people who set down their shields and walked over to stand behind the shield-men.

Luna took a brief break from forging armor and turned to the Civil Guards,
"You're certain all the civilians are inside?"

The Civil Guard Sargent, a Unicorn named Searing Light, nodded respectfully,
"Yes your majesty."

"Good," Luna said, "Move some of these crates to the center of the floor so that the sides line up and station all the Unicorns on top of it. Earth Ponies and Pegasi, go gather the cobblestones from outside and carry them upstairs for the civilians to throw down on the Diamond Dogs. Go!" she turned back to the mounds of weapons and shields and sighed, "Back to forging."

The row of shields-men stood aside as the Civil Guards began hauling the cobblestones up to the people and Ponies waiting on the second floor. Bobby, Cessily, and Morris collected their bows and crossbows and headed upstairs. They weren't front line fighters and they knew it, but they could provide support from above. Andrew Masonete collected his quiver of javelins and strapped on his knife. Darryl walked over to the crate of weapons and sighed, 'I really want to use my war hammer but the shield wall needs a commander.' he reluctantly tossed his war hammer down on the pile of weapons and picked up a tower shield.

He looked down at the new swords being forged. They were three feet long, four inches wide at the base and angled down to sharp points at the tips, similar to the old 'Medieval' style swords. He collected five of them and carried them over to the other shields-men, then distributed them among the others. He set down his shield against the nearby wall and took the old swords back to the reforging pile. Eduardo took up a spear and stood with the spears-men behind the shields-men.

"Be careful with those blades." Luna said suddenly, "Their enchantments make them sharp enough to split a hair and they're nearly unbreakable."

R.J. walked over to the spears-men and began giving the instructions,
"Aiit guys, yall be safe cause o' this shield wall, but yall gotta protect them in turn. Them spears got reach so yall gotta reach out an' touch someone like that old phone commercial. Be careful where yall stab. Aim fo' the head, especially the face, eyes, an' neck an' be careful o' the shield guys. Yall protect them and they'll protect you."

Kolo pulled his heavy hammer out of the tool box and hefted it in his right hand,
"Oh man, this feels good in my hand again." he bent over and picked up a shield then slid it on his arm, "Man this thing be light as a feather. I'ma cave me some skulls wit this baby."

Luna took a break from forging and a trickle of sweat ran down the side of her face,
"Please do not be so callous. These beings were once civilized. Their deaths are horribly unfortunate but seemingly necessary."

Kolo took a couple of steps and knelt down next to Luna,
"I know, believe me I know. I'm jes tryin' to psyche myself an' erebody else up so they ain't so scared. The way I see it, these Dogs is sufferin'. We doin' them a mercy by endin' that sufferin'. I ain't no killer yo highness, but morale be important to any fightin' force. The first battlefield be in the mind an' I'm just trying to win that one early." he spoke quietly into her ear.

Luna inclined her head slightly in respect,
"Very well." she turned back to the weapons and armor on the ground, "Back to work."

Darryl and Spearman hauled a small pile of helmets over to the shields-men and helped them put them on. The helmets were shallowly conical and fit snugly on each person's head. Darryl and Spearman headed back to the armor as Chris piled it up. They returned to the shields-men with shin guards and fastened them to each man's shins then strapped them down tightly.

Meanwhile Mike Joyner was positioning people by each window as evenly as he could. He placed at least two spears-man and one axe-man at every window, then gave them instructions on what to do. He had finished about half the windows when Kaneesha ran down from above.

"We got someone commin' from the North! It's just one though!" she darted back upstairs after she delivered her message.

"GUARDS INSIDE NOW!" Luna bellowed.

The Civil Guards retreated inside, most still carrying stones. The Unicorns got into position on top of the crates stacked in the middle of the floor and all turned away from each other, facing outward so they could see every window and the doorway over everyone's heads.

Darryl and Spearman carried the next load of armor to the shields-men, the bracers. They strapped on each one as quickly as they could then Darryl put on his own shin guards, bracers, and helmet. He picked up his shield and stood with the others, right in the center.

"Alright boys," he said loudly, "Shields up and swords out! Stand firm and don't retreat! If you can't get in a good stab just keep your shield up and wait for the right moment! Don't take any unnecessary risks! The spears-men behind us have our backs and they're the ones who are going to do the most damage! Spare shields-men, get behind us and keep a shoulder pressed against our backs to make sure we don't get pushed back! Whenever someone needs a break, sheath your sword and put both hands on your shield! Fresh shields-men, get into position on the sides! Tired shields-men, step back slowly and the shields-men on either side of you will side step to fill the gap! Fresh shields-men, slide in sideways to prevent any breeches in the wall! Grunt all you want boys but keep the yelling to a minimum!" a flicker of motion caught his eye, "BRACE!"

The shields-men's shields clanked against each other and Darryl felt a firm shoulder against his back. The movement flickered again and a sword clanged lightly against a shield. Whatever it was, was running full-tilt toward them. Fingers whitened as the men gripped their weapons tighter. They were nervous and scared but ready for whatever came at them. Fears drifted through their minds. Thoughts of their friends and in some cases loved ones who were waiting upstairs ran through their minds.

"Open up yall motha fuckas, open up!" Mario LeBlanch yelled as he ran, pell-mell at the shield wall.

"Let him in!" Darryl yelled.

The shields-men stepped to the side and let Mario through. He was panting heavily and sweating profusely as he came through the door. He collapsed onto his knees, heaving for breath. His hands were shaking furiously and he was nearly convulsing.

"Close *pant* up." Mario panted.

The shields-men closed the gap,
"Close the gap behind me." Darryl ordered, "Shields at rest but stay alert." he stepped back slowly and the shields-men on either side of him closed the gap smoothly.

Mike Joyner began barking orders as he walked over to Mario's panting, prone form,
"Darryl and Spearman get the breastplates on as many people as you can. Kolo and Chris, start distributing as much armor as you can. Try to have one fully armored person per window." he knelt down next to Mario, "What happened?"

Mario panted, struggling for control over his breathing,
"Motha' fuckin' *pant* werewolves man. I *pant* know it sounds crazy *pant* but it's fuckin' true. *pant* They came from *pant* North. Hundreds of 'em. *pant* They commin' here. Had to *pant* warn yall."

Mike rose to his feet and nodded,
"Rest up for now Mario. We'll deal with you later."

Luna turned and addressed the Civil Guards,
"Spread out and assist the Humans where you can, but do not get in their way. If the Diamond Dogs get inside it's going to be pure chaos. If they get inside, help the Humans push them back out. The civilians have to be safe."

"Your majesty," a voice addressed the Princess from the direction of the stairs.

Beacon and Ashley were walking away from the stairs and the former Guard continued,
"Where may we be of assistance?"

Luna turned to Ashley,
"Do you wish to fight with the defenders?"

Ashley clenched her hands into fists but her face was calm,
"I'll go where he goes." she rested her right hand on Beacon's back, "He's stayed with me and I'll stay with him."

Luna smiled,
"Very well. Select a window and assist as necessary. If the Diamond Dogs break through go straight up the stairs. It will be on you two to cover the retreat. Am I understood?"

Ashley nodded,
"Yes Princess."

Luna then turned to Beacon,
"Listen to me while she retrieves what she needs. Do not act in concert with the Civil Guards. You are not a Guard anymore, you are a partner. You work with Ashley. Where she goes, you follow. If the enemy breaks through, go straight up the stairs and cover our retreat with her. Hopefully it will not come to that but it is a possibility. Understood?"

Beacon bowed before Luna,
"Of course my Princess."

"Guards," Luna addressed loudly, "Go back to retrieving cobblestones until I give the word."

The Civil Guards saluted and went back to their work as Mike walked over to Luna, his trident in his right hand and one of the small round shields on his left wrist,
"We're about as ready as we can be right now." he looked around the people waiting for the eventuality of the attack, "Is there anything else you can do for them or your own?"

Luna looked up at Mike and smiled then looked around the Town Hall,
"They are all my own." she took a deep breath, "The constant barrage of claws against the walls may eventually break through in some places. All of my magic will be focused on fortifying the walls but if they break through . . . I will join the battle myself if necessary. What will you be doing?"

Mike hefted his trident with a resigned expression,
"I'll be fighting right alongside my . . . our people."

Luna peered at his trident,
"That belonged to Proud Hoof." at Mike's curious look she explained, "The Unicorn stallion who led the massacre attack. He did so because his family heirloom weapon was taken. You have it." she looked at the weapons more closely, "Could you lower the head down to where I can see it more closely?"

Mike lowered the tines for her,
"My, my," she said, "This is indeed ancient. Aethersteel if I'm not mistaken. A truly rare thing. The art of forging aethersteel has been lost for centuries. If magic is channeled through it, its unique power becomes active."

Mike looked at his fishing tool oddly,
"Would it be more effective if I let one of the Unicorns use it?"

Luna shook her head,
"Nay, tis yours now. Use it as it was meant to be used, to protect."

"Is there any way you could let your sister know what's going on? I imagine the battle would go much more smoothly with two Alicorns here." Mike said.

Luna shook her head,
"I'm afraid not. Celestia is overseeing Trottingham in case the infected Diamond Dogs split up. Trottingham is much more densely populated and is nowhere near as defensible as New Humansville. Should the Diamond Dogs attack, it would be nothing short of a slaughter. The Civil Guard number less that four hundred and the Pegasi Regiment of the Royal Guard won't arrive for an estimated half hour yet. An hour and a half will pass before they arrive here and who knows how long it will take the main body of the Royal Guard to arrive. We have done all we can for the moment," she smiled at Mike, "Unless you feel inclined to make a speech."

Mike smirked,
"Not just yet, but I do have something in mind. I'm going to wait on the timing of anything inspirational. I've heard that waiting is the hardest part."

Luna grunted thoughtfully,
"It tends to be, especially for those who are not warriors or soldiers. The anxiety builds and makes their imaginations run wild. A rousing song would lift their spirits but I'm afraid nothing comes to mind."

Their conversation carried easily around the well designed acoustics of Town Hall.

Alex Ludwig set down his axe,
"I'll be right back."

He darted upstairs while everyone else just stared at him. He returned a few minutes later carrying an odd looking acoustic guitar.
He took the guitar and plopped himself down on one crate opposite the front main door and began strumming the guitar. He played an acoustic rendition of Citizen Soldier by 3 Doors Down. The tune was easy to recognize and in a matter of moments there were more than a hundred voices joining in on the lyrics.

Luna was impressed with the song. It was what the people needed. She turned her eyes to the Civil Guards as the last of them trickled through the doorway with cobblestones. They were looking nervous. Their training was nowhere near the quality of the Royal Guard but they stood ready to do what they needed to lay down their lives to defend the civilians waiting above. She bit her lip in frustration, 'They need just as much encouragement as the Humans do.' she waged an internal battle with herself and decided to do what she thought best despite what her sister would say later.

"Guards," she addressed loudly, "Gather around me in a circle and touch your muzzles to my outstretched wings."

The Civil Guards moved to obey as the lunar Princess' horn began to glow. The light from her horn flashed brilliantly and the Humans had to shield their eyes from the intensity. Luna's horn dimmed, leaving her wings hanging limp by her sides.

"Would you play that marvelous song a second time please?" Luna asked.

Alex shrugged and began playing the intro again. The Humans were more than happy for a repeat performance. They began stomping their feet to the tune and sung the words loudly. Mike was confused at first but the Civil Guards were obviously listening to the words. They seemed intensely affected by the lyrics. They stomped their hooves adding their own sound to the impromptu percussion section. By the third chorus they actually joined in the lyrics and their intense voices melded in near perfect harmony with those of the Humans.

"On that day,
When you need your brothers and sisters to care,
I'll be right here,
Citizen soldiers,
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair,
Standing on guard for the ones that we shelter,
We'll always be ready,
Because we'll always be there."

As the song finished, the Humans and Ponies looked at each other in a new light. There was a sense of cooperation present that had been in its infantile stages, but suddenly it blossomed forth into something more akin to kinship. Not willing to waste the time or the moment, Alex launched into God Bless The U.S.A. He thought quickly and decided to alter the lyrics for every sentient being who was present.

"If tomorrow everything was gone,
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start all over,
And work hard through pain and strife,
I thank my lucky stars,
I live where I do today,
Because in this land there's freedom,
That no one can take away,

And I'm proud to be in Equestria,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the ones who fought,
To give that right to me,
And I'll gladly stand up, next to you,
And ensure she doesn't fall,
Cause there ain't no doubt about this truth,
We're brothers, one and all,

From the fields of flowers that smell so good,
To rippling stream and brook,
From the forests rich with living wood,
Beauty's everywhere you look,
From the cities, towns, and villages,
Anywhere that freedoms ring,
Let us all stand up together,
Lift our voices and siiiiing,

Every voice joined in on the chorus,
"And I'm proud to be in Equestria,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the ones who fought,
To give that right to me,
And I'll gladly stand up, next to you,
And ensure she doesn't fall,
Cause there ain't no doubt about this truth,
We're brothers, one and all."

Alex smiled and played on,
"From the Unicorns to the Pegasi,
Everypony and Human as well,
Let us all now stand together,
And give these bastards HEEEEEEELL!

Cause I'm proud to be in Equestria,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And now there is another foe,
To take that right from me,
So let us stand up, fight them off,
The right everybody has,
Cause today we won't lie down and die,
LET'S KICK SOME FUCKING AAAAAASS!"

The roar of approval from everybody present was enough to shake the floor. Alex looked around at the cheering mass of brave souls and smiled.

"They're coming!" Kaneesha yelled, speeding down the stairs, "From the North-West."

Mike and Luna looked at each other, someone had to ask,
"How many?" Luna took the plunge.

Kaneesha was already at the armaments crates,
"Hundreds, I couldn't get an exact count."

A distant howl pierced the night and the shields-men took up their armaments,
"Alright men," Darryl said, "Don't exhaust yourselves this may take a while. Remember stabbing motions, thrust hard and aim for stomachs if you can. The more slippery blood is on the ground, the harder it will be for them to press against us. We're on a slight elevation of about six inches so we won't have to worry about slipping as much." Darryl's long absent fox friend, Shadow, appeared at the front main doorway and nuzzled the Marine's leg.

Kaneesha and Andrew slipped out one of the windows as Leo descended the stairs,
"Sorry I'm late yall, but I ain't hidin' up there shakin' an' hopin' somebody esle dyin' instaed o' me. He walked over to the armaments crate and pulled out his Kavim sized claymore sword. Mario pushed himself off the ground and limped over beside Leo.

"Make room bro," he said with a nudge, "You ain't the only latecomer." he pulled out a short sword and discarded it then turned to the remains of the pile on the ground and picked up Cessily's halberd.

Jason Campbell strode down the stairs and selected a spear from the pile left near the crates,
"Don't worry." he smirked, "I know who the good guys are this time."

The time had come and Mike cleared his throat loudly, garnering everybody's attention,
"We stand together today, not as outsiders or natives but as fellow free people joined by the bonds of unity." he turned his head, looking at each individual in turn as he spoke, "We have all had our struggles," he opened his arms wide and turned, encompassing everybody, "Some of those struggles have been more profound than others, but those struggles have brought us together." he closed his arms and wrapped his fingers together, "We have come together through trials of blood, sweat, and tears and look at us now. We stand side by side, united in our goal, one goal, preservation." he pointed to each group at the windows and door as he spoke, "This singular goal is, at its core, the right of every living thing." he placed his index fingers against his head, "It is ingrained as an instinct and bred through the trials of life. This is a first for all of us, this unity of thought and action, but through unification, we are stronger." he twisted his fingers, "Like the strands of a rope, individually we are strong, but together we are indomitable. These Diamond Dogs are a twisted sort of blessing to us, for tonight, for the first time," he threw his arms wide, gesturing widely, "We have the chance to show the rest of the world that it doesn't matter what we look like!" he made a slashing motion with the trident in his right hand, "It doesn't matter how different we are! It doesn't matter that we come from different WORLDS!" he pointed to Luna, "What matters is that if we work together, there's nothing we cannot accomplish! No matter the odds! No matter the struggles! No matter the difficulty! WE WILL GO ON! WE WILL SURVIVE! AND WE! WILL! WIN!"

Luna spread her wings and rose into the air,
"Listen well, defenders of New Humansville." Luna said loudly, "Tonight you stand, united in battle for the first time. The histories will record this battle as the pivotal moment when two different peoples united as one voice and one body and met a challenge heretofore never seen in our world. This was the moment when unity and harmony sung their songs together and overcame their greatest obstacle yet. Tonight has already been a victory in your minds and hearts," she reared back and slammed her hooves against the floor, "Now let us take our victory over all else! Let there be none who doubt our perseverance! Let there be none who stand against our right to live! Let us join together in battle and let us claim victory over the enemy! We fight not against our Diamond Dog neighbors, but against the foul disease that has desecrated their minds and bodies! Let us declare, this day that it will go on taking no more lives! It is finished! The line is drawn and we will end the suffering it has inflicted! The harmony of life has been corrupted and tonight we will set it right!"

Darryl spotted dozens of shifting forms in the darkness, running straight for the Town Hall,
"Here they come! Brace!"

"FOR ALL OF US!" Luna shouted from the air.

They could see the Diamond Dogs slathering, foaming mouths, their blood-stained claws, their beady eyes. They clenched their weapons, forcing their instinctual fear down.

"FOR HUMANSVILLE!" Mike yelled heading over to one of the windows.

The Diamond Dogs could see the defenders and their pace sped up into a near charge. The men braced their legs and leaned forward anticipating the impact. Hundreds of the Diamond Dogs packed the streets of New Humansville. A Darryl's feet, Shadow growled as savagely as any fox ever did.

"IT'S HAMMER TIME YALL!" Kolo bellowed.

Chapter 29: The Battle Of New Humansville

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WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRATUITOUS BLOOD, GORE, AND VIOLENCE IN A BATTLE THAT IS PRESENTED IN AS REALISTIC A MANNER AS POSSIBLE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtpx7U8_qJ0

Bobby, Cessily, and Morris stood on the outer railing of the second floor, directly above the front main doorway, looking down at the Diamond Dogs making their way through the town,
"Morris," Bobby said, "Your crossbow has a lot of power behind it. Pick the lead Dog and put him down when he's about twenty feet from our guys at the door. Cessily and I will put arrows in the ones on either side to slow them down. We need to slow their momentum down because if they break through right away, we're all dead."

Morris wrapped the crossbow sling around his left arm, laid his arm on the rail, and took a knee while Cessily and Bobby fitted arrows to their bows. Morris had been shooting at ranges hundreds of times and he had shot skeet on plenty of occasions. He slowed and steadied his breathing as the Diamond Dogs entered the circular path of cobblestone free dirt that surrounded Town Hall. He selected the lead Dog and led his target, aiming for its head.

The world seemed to slow down as he exhaled and focused on the Dogs sloping forehead. His fingers gently squeezed the long trigger of the crossbow and the bolt flew. It lanced through the air like a scalpel and struck the Diamond Dog right between the eyes. The bolt passed through the Dog's skull, brain, skull and embedded itself into the chest of the second Dog. The lead Dog silently went limp and fell, rolling onto the ground just as one Dog on either side of it received an arrow to their chests. With a domino effect of yelps three Diamond Dogs went down. One from instant death and two others from pierced lungs and unsure footing. The short legs of the Diamond Dogs made tripping a serious hazard and the charge of frothing canines slowed significantly as they hit the shield wall.

Down below, Luna's horn lit up like an indigo sun as her spell wrapped the whole building in a protective cocoon. Her mane and tail stopped billowing and returned to their normal light blue color. Darryl and the shields-men took the impact of the Diamond Dogs like it was almost nothing and thrust out their swords between the shields. The magically sharpened blades sliced through the Diamond Dogs' flesh like a shark's teeth through wet tissue paper and blood and intestines spilled out onto the ground.

The spears-men behind the shields-men thrust their spears over the shoulders of their comrades. Thrusting spear blades met snarling muzzles, beady eyes, and exposed necks. The first row of five Diamond Dogs didn't seem to feel anything. They just kept pushing and swiping their claws and biting anything that presented itself. The shields-men and spears-men stabbed out again and again and the Diamond Dogs finally went down from blood loss or physical trauma they were too far gone to feel. The hundreds more behind them pushed and snarled trying to get at the Humans.

The Unicorn Civil Guard sighted in on the second row of Diamond Dogs and cut lose with a series of ice shards. The shards scattered over the heads of the Humans and struck the second wave of Diamond Dogs like a series of sub-zero shotgun blasts. The second wave began clawing and biting at everything around them, blinded by the splinters of ice. The Diamond Dogs behind them pushed their way forward and against the shield wall and Darryl and his shields-men began stabbing once more.

The second wave was much more problematic for the shields-men than the first had been. The Dogs snarled and clawed and bit and flung their froth all around and the press of their bodies was like an undulating, almost unstoppable pressure. The Dog pressed against Darryl's shield was reaching its head forward and gnawing on the edge of the magically enhanced defensive steel. Pushing against the Dog, as he was, Darryl's face was a mere inch from the foaming jowls and gnashing teeth. Darryl lowered his head right and stabbed forward several times in rapid succession, even as the Dog began chewing on the top of his helmet. Each stab was followed by the sound of shredding flesh. The pressure against him eased for a brief moment before another took its place.

One Dog leaped into the air but was quickly pierced through the chest by one of the spears. The weight of the Dog and its momentum pushed the spears-man onto his back as it sailed through the doorway. The dog struggled to rise but its efforts were cut short by a heavy hoof which crushed its entire head to the consistency of mashed potatoes, courtesy of one of the Civil Guard Earth Ponies.

The spears-men grunted as he rose to his feet and sought his place back in the line, only to find his place already taken by another spear wielding Human being. With a loud clatter of metal, one of the shields-men's helmets went flying backward onto the floor inside Town Hall. The exposed man didn't even have time to scream as the powerful jaws of a Diamond Dog bit into his head. Its lower jaw hooked on the ridge of his eyebrows and its upper jaw came down almost on the crown of his head. The Diamond Dog's jaws snapped shut, shearing through bone and brain like soft butter. The man went limp almost immediately and the man behind him who had been pushing with his shoulder, sudden began pulling the body backward, armor and all.

The shields-men to either side of the dead man stepped together and their shields clanged as they closed the gap and continued the fight. The dead man was pulled back farther into Town Hall, leaving a trail of blood and leaking gray brain matter along the path. The man pulling him let go and stared at the body in shock. The skull from the top of his eyes to the top of his skull was just gone and the body had yet to stop twitching.

"Take off his armor and help somebody else put it on!" Chris yelled from his window.

Chris was having a tough time at the window. The Diamond Dogs were trying to get in and they were determined. His spear was already coated with blood. He and the two other people next to him stabbed their spears forward, impaling a Diamond Dog that was slathering its way through the window. Chris' spear blade pierced its left eye while the other spear blades struck the creature's neck and upper chest. The infected Dog didn't seem to feel any of it and swung its clawed arms out toward the Humans. The spears allowed the Humans a safe distance from the claws but the strength of the Dog was too much. It pushed against the spear shafts and actually pushed the three Humans slowly back. As the Dog's head cleared the inside of the window the lumberjack standing to the side of the window plied his trade to flesh instead of wood. The body fell limply onto the window sill and the three Humans planted their feet on the body and pushed, pulling out their spears. The next Dog wasted no time and began crawling over the body, scrabbling wildly. Chris braced his legs and thrust out his spear blade, thus the process repeated itself.

Kolo had a nice, steady rhythm going at his window. He stood right in front of the window with his shield pressed up against it and wait for a Diamond Dog to hit it. He would step back, bash it with the shield, knock it back, move the shield, and swing his maul down with crushing effect, literally. He figured he could keep it up for quite a while and it freed up the other people at the same window to rest when they needed it.

R.J. was feeling ill. He swung his axe down and decapitated another Diamond Dog. Its blood gushed and sprayed from the suddenly opened arteries and its bowls evacuated in a filthy, slimy mess on the windowsill. He gritted his teeth as the body fell to the floor. And brought his axe back up, ready for the next contestant. He was disgusted.

Mike Spearman readied himself for the next Dog to poke its head through the window. His pike was slick with blood already and that fact didn't look to be changing anytime soon. He thrust the pike forward and he and his fellow spears-men stabbed the next Diamond Dog through the chest. They slowly backed up as it pushed forward and the lumberjack next to the window separated its head from its shoulders.

Leo stepped back and let the Diamond Dog get part way through the window before he cleaved its skull almost in twain with the heavy blade of his claymore. The next Dog behind the previous one pushed it out of the way and began scrabbling through the window. Leo stepped back and raised his blade again.

Jason swore he would never again even think about eating meat. The piles of dead bodies around the window sickened him. He thought about what he had learned in Flankfurt. The lives the Ponies lived were so similar to the lives the Humans had left behind and he couldn't help but to think of all the pain he was causing. These Diamond Dogs had slaughtered their own neighbors, maybe even their own families. The mental image of a little Dog begging his mother not to kill him only for her to ignore his pleas, flashed through his mind. He wiped the tears out of his eyes and speared the next Dog. The ones pushing through the windows were basically dead, their bodies just hadn't acknowledged the fact yet. Too many had died already and if he had anything to say about it, there wouldn't be any more.

David was doing his level best not to use a weapon, but it was tough. He had kicked groins to no effect. He had broken arms that didn't slow their owners down whatsoever. His only useful maneuver had been to snap necks, which made him cringe every time he heard the crackle of breaking bones and tearing muscle. He was determined to do his part though, horrible as it was. Every time a Dog managed to get inside, he was waiting for it.

Alex swung his heavy battle axe and severed a Diamond Dog's spine and his followup swing sliced opened its stomach, spilling its intestines. He kicked it in the chest and it fell over convulsing. He was as calm as ever. He stepped back for a short breather and a young man with a spear took his place.

Mike Joyner found his trident to be perfectly suited for the window work. He and the spears-men with him stabbed each Dog and let them push back bit by bit until the lumberjack finished them off, then it was time to kick off the body and get into position for the next one. There always seemed to be a next one.

Tine and Rachel were side by side, spearing Diamond Dogs,
"You don't have to be here Tina!" Rachel said, "Think about your baby!"

Tina grunted and speared the Dog,
"I am!" she and Rachel stepped back, bringing the Dog in for the lumberjack, "If I wasn't here doing this," she kicked the corpse off her spear and repositioned herself, "There wouldn't be anywhere for my baby to grow up!" she grunted as she stabbed another Dog, "We'd be dead!"

The people on the second floor were busy hurling down cobblestones upon the heads of any Diamond Dog who was clawing at the walls. Stones fell and crushed skulls, splattering blood and brains onto the walls of Town Hall. Infected, suffering Diamond Dogs of all ages and sexes perished under the onslaught of impromptu artillery.

* * *

The Ponies on the second and third floor were terrified. They weren't warriors and they knew it. From their vantage points it was easy to see the swarming mass of Diamond Dogs surrounding every inch of Town Hall. They were frightened for themselves and their foals, there may not have been many of them but every single Pony was concerned. They knew there weren't many of the Civil Guards and there were so many Diamond Dogs it was obvious the armored Ponies would be torn apart if the Dogs broke through, and they already knew exactly how frail the Humans were.

The air was filled with the clash of claws against stone and metal, the yelps and howls of the Diamond Dogs, the grunts, cries, and screams of those who were fighting, injured, or dying. The wind smelled of viscera. The sickly sweet scent of death was all encompassing. The rancid stench of ruptured or sliced open intestines was choking.

Gale Force wrapped her wings around her shaking filly and gritted her teeth, 'I shouldn't be here! I should be doing something!' she rocked her little daughter back and forth, trying to keep her calm, 'The sounds coming from down below are terrifying everypony.' she struggled not to pull on her ears in frustration.

Whip Lash looked up at her mother,
"I hate those noises Mommy." she whimpered, "I wish I could hear your thunder instead." she snuggled against her Mother's down feathers.

Gale Force's eyes widened as an idea began to form,
"Wind Whisper," she addressed her sister/wife urgently.

Wind Whisper looked up from where she was holding her own filly with her wings,
"Yes?" her filly, Tender Touch, poked her head up as well.

"Gather the weather Pegasi and get them to the roof!" Gale said.

She turned to Whip Lash and smiled,
"Wish granted little filly. I need you to stay here with your Father and Long Wind." she retracted her wings and rose to her hooves, "Mommy has to go to work."

The weather Pegasi gathered on the roof within a few minutes. The forty-four Ponies were confused about what was going on. They were scared and talking to each other nervously.

Gale Force, followed by Wind Whisper, trotted up the stairs,
"What are we?" she asked loudly.

The gathering of weather Ponies quieted down and Gale Force repeated her question,
"What are we?" she asked looking around at the confused faces, "Are we Earth Ponies or Unicorns, bound by gravity, or are we Pegasi," she opened her wings and took to the air, hoovering slightly above the crowd, "Born with the right to ride the winds and bring the weather of the world under our control? Are we going to huddle and do nothing while others are injured or killed trying to protect us?" she flew upward and pushed a cloud down, close to the roof, "We have one of the most raw and powerful forces of nature at our disposal." she reared back and brought her fore hooves down on the cloud.

A sudden, nearly deafening peal of thunder boomed out from the cloud as it lit up, blinding every winged Pony on the roof. The Pegasi laid their ears back as their vision began to return a few moments later.

Gale's mane and tail were fluffed out with static,
"We can accumulate and direct lightning in our bodies and with out clouds." she shook out her mane and tail back to normal before she continued, "Why aren't we out there using our magic to help? How many Diamond Dogs can we fry with a single lightning bolt three, four? Whatever it is, we have no right to be huddling here while our town is under attack! The Pegasi have always been the most aggressive and warlike as far back as even the Princesses can remember! We were born to the sky, we live in the sky, what ground-bound creature can touch us on our clouds? What other creature can sustain lightning in their own bodies? None! Well I'm not going to let somepony else do the fighting! I'm going to take my cloud and pound out lightning bolts into the Diamond Dogs until I can't raise my hooves anymore! My filly, Whip Lash, is inside cringing at the sounds of death and her one wish was to hear MY lightning! Well I'm going to grant her wish and I'd sure as hay like some company!"

* * *

*CRACK-BOOM*

A lightning flash illuminated the entire inside of the Town Hall accompanied by an instantaneous explosion of sound and followed shortly by the foul smell of burnt fur. It happened, no Human cared. They just kept fighting.

Luna looked up sharply,
"Lightning?" she turned to one of the Pegasi Civil Guards, "Go see what's going on. The Royal Guard cannot be here so quickly."

The Pegasus stallion took wing and soared up the stairs to the second floor, then to the third floor, and finally out of the Town Hall. He winged his way out over the mass of Diamond Dogs and spotted a single Pegasus mare standing on top of a cloud, fore hooves raised to push another bolt of lightning out of the cloud and she looked mad,
"Threaten my filly will you!?" she yelled as she brought her hooves down on the cloud, "Take this!"

A lightning bolt speared out of the cloud and struck the Diamond Dogs below her, sending four of them flying high into the air like rag dolls. The unfortunate Dogs crashed down with broken bones, dislocated joints, and burns of all three degrees. They weren't dead, but they were tenderized all to hell. The Civil Guard smirked at the mare's spirit and was prepared to say something when a second cloud descended. The Pegasus stallion pushing the cloud leveled out and the Pony reared back onto his hind legs. His wings began to crackle with electricity and as he brought his hooves down a lightning bolt speared out of the cloud and sent more Diamond Dogs flying.

A third cloud joined the first two, then a fourth, a fifth . . . before long there were more than forty clouds spouting lightning down at the Diamond Dogs. The Civil Guard opened his mouth but paused and thought, then closed his mouth, turned around and flew back inside with a shrug.

Luna was waiting inside,
"What is it? There's dozens of lightning flashes outside!"

The Pegasus stallion tried to hide his smile,
"The weather Ponies are testing out a . . . new and uh . . . innovative um . . . slightly less than lethal application for cloud to ground lightning."

Luna paused, horn still glowing, and deciphered what the Guard meant,
"Is it working?" she asked.

The Pegasus nodded,
"Apparently very well."

"Then leave them be." Luna ordered.

The scene continued on, as Humans and Ponies and Diamond Dogs sliced, pierced, crushed, bit, shredded, chopped and electrocuted each other in a veritable meat grinder of bloody chaos. The Humans' and Ponies' bodies ran slick with sweat from exertion and outside, moving stealthily among the buildings and orchard trees, crept two Humans, a man and a woman.

With the advent of lightning-tossed enemies, they began creeping around behind the Diamond Dogs, whose attention lay solely on Town Hall, and finishing off the ones that were too wounded to get away.

* * *

After more than an hour the defenders were flagging badly. The Humans were tiring from their constant fighting and several more of the defenders had perished, bitten by Diamond Dogs, thirteen Humans and Ponies had succumbed to the disease. It was, as they learned first hand, not spread through blood, but ONLY through saliva, but the effect was almost instantaneous. As soon as anybody was bitten they had less than a minute before they succumbed and became a feral killing machine. The infected had to be put down by their friends and the effect on morale had been all but catastrophic.

The situation was growing more and more desperate with every passing minute. Everybody was exhausted and the constant flow of blood and death was wearing on their minds as well. Mike Joyner panted heavily as he and the two others with him stabbed yet ANOTHER Diamond Dog. They were so tired they were nearly ready to fall over. They just. Kept. Coming.

Nobody else was doing any better either Alex was all but dead on his feet. His axe hung from his weakly grasping hands but he forced himself to raise it and bring it down onto the next Diamond Dog.

There were piles, mounds of dead from both sides stacked one on top of the other. The stench was horrendous. Blood, urine, feces, and vomit sloshed on the floor, making for treacherous footing. All those smells combined with burnt fur and flesh made for a nauseating environment.

Spearman held up his hand,
"Break!" a young man ran up and took his pike.

Spearman took two steps and looked around at the filth, and chaos,
"My God." he whispered in exhausted, horror filled disbelief, "Is this hell?"

The wall right next to him suddenly caved in with a loud cracking sound and Diamond Dogs began pouring through. They had whittled away at the wall, even through Luna's spell, and had breached the inside of Town Hall.

Michael Harrison Spearman turned and acted before he even realized what had happened. Drawing on reserves of strength he never knew existed, he pivoted on the ball of his right foot and lashed out with his left leg, heel first. His kick was backed by such force that the side of the Diamond Dog's head caved in with a splatter of blood, brains, bone, and teeth.

Spearman followed the kick through and landed on his toes,
"THEY'VE BROKEN THROUGH!" he yelled as loudly as he could as two more Dogs pushed their way through before he could react, "MIKE! THEY'VE BROKEN THROUGH! THEY'RE INSIDE!"

Mike Joyner turned his head and watched the scene unfold almost in slow motion, even as he began running to support Spearman. The athletic African American man ducked the swinging claw swipe of one Dog and stepped forward. He reached up and gripped the limb with his hands then pivoted at his waist and slung the creature right into the one next to it, knocking both to the ground. Before he could recover the world seemed to stop as four, eighteen inch claws suddenly sprouted from his chest.

Mike Joyner knew he was too late but he kept running,
"No." he whispered.

Spearman realized he was already dead but he wasn't finished yet. His adrenaline spiked and he kicked backward with his right leg. The Diamond Dog that had impaled him practically flew backwards as his heel shattered bones. Spearman felt his body dying quickly and focused his will, forcing it to keep obeying him. He turned and crouched low then sprang, up delivering a punishing kick to the throat of Dog in front of him. The Dog's windpipe collapsed and its spine shattered. He delivered the kick with such force it nearly tore the Dog's head off. A second Dog swiped sideways and opened up four, lung-deep gashes in the left side of his chest. Spearman's body jerked sideways and the Dog finished him off by biting down on the front of his chest, its teeth shearing through his sternum and ribs.

Mike gripped his trident and blinked away the tears blurring his vision. His people were dying all around him, 'It isn't enough! No matter what we do, it's never enough! No more! NO MORE!' He felt energy surge through his body. He brought the trident up and forward and stabbed. The tines sunk into the Diamond Dog's neck and Mike lifted his right foot and pushed the Dog off just as a second Dog swung at him from the left. Mike ducked the swing, gripped the trident with both hands, and spun around, hoping to knock it over with the weight of the tips. He completed his swing and the head of the trident sailed completely through the Diamond Dog's body.

The two halves of the Dog slid off each other and Mike belatedly registered the fact that his trident's tines had changed. Instead of three pointed tines, three, foot-long blades of golden light shone forth. The center one pointed straight out but the other two spread out in curves like there was a scythe blade made of light on either side.

Without thinking, Mike turned and swung his, now activated, aethersteel trident in his right hand. The weapon sailed through the air with a metallic clang. His vertical slice opened up a Diamond Dog from crotch to eyeball almost without resistance. Gripping his weapon in both hands he began swinging it back and forth, cutting a swath of destruction in front of him. He held the breech by himself. Any Dog that came through was cut to ribbons by the swing of his arms.

A second breech in the wall send rubble inward, showering Humans and Ponies alike with small bits of stone. The Dogs tore into the defenders fighting at the window next to the breech before anyone could respond. The Earth Pony Civil Guard rushed forward and collided with the Diamond Dogs. They head-butted and kicked and bucked and Diamond Dogs went sailing through the air, propelled by Earth Pony muscle.

A third breech opened up not ten feet from the shield wall and Diamond Dogs began pouring through. Chris had seen Spearman die. He had seen the window defenders get torn to shreds and suddenly both Eduardo and Darryl and all the men who stood with them were about to be demolished from behind. Chris knew the destruction of the shield wall would be the end of everybody.

He knew he couldn't get there in time, he reached out his hand toward his friends and his fingers seemed to contort by themselves. An almond brown, oval shaped hole appeared at the breech and began spinning like a top. Every Diamond Dog that touched it was shredded to pieces as if they had been stuck in a blender. Blood and bone flew in all directions in a spray of stomach churning gore. Chris felt faint and struggled to stay standing, it felt like somebody was draining out all his blood.

A fourth breech popped up right next to Alex Ludwig. There was no one left to fight in a new location and the Diamond Dogs charged through. A bolt of lightning speared through the first Diamond Dog, then the second, the third, the fourth and by that point it was out of sight. Beacon stood his ground, horn pointed at the breech, firmly planted while beside him, Ashley used his sword to finish off the dying Dogs.

"Beacon!" Luna yelled, still maintaining her spell, "Get to the stairs!"

Beacon fired off another lightning bolt,
"There won't be anyone left to go up the stairs if we leave this open!"

The Diamond Dogs carved a sixth hole in the wall and this time Luna, Alicorn Princess of Equestria moved to fight. She spread her wings and charged the Diamond Dogs, horn blazing. She leaped and gored one up, through the chin, and her horn emerged out of the top of its head. She landed and withdrew her horn, then began swinging her wings. Every touch of her feathers opened up flesh as keenly as a razor blade and she lashed out with her hooves, both front and rear. Bones broke, bellies were opened, and lungs collapsed as she became a literal cyclone of death.

* * *

Swift Wind and his Regiment of one thousand Pegasi soared through the air with every ounce of power they could muster. They had left Steady Plod and the Earth Ponies and Unicorns far behind.

Swift had been hearing thunder for nearly half an hour and New Humansville finally came into view.

And the thunder and lightning strikes stopped.

He gasped at the sight that met his eyes. Diamond Dogs swarmed all around the Town Hall and some through the windows. There were few enough of them left that they all fit into the circle around Town Hall and Swift Wind meant to make use of that fact.

He had to act immediately,
"Flight halt!" the Pegasi stopped almost on a dime, "Wind Blade! Circle around the main host and move inward, I'll lead!"

He turned and began flying toward the town as quickly as he possibly could. The flight quickly passed the edge of the trees surrounding New Humansville and Swift angled his wings upward, ascending steeply. He rose up, high into the air and leveled off, then dove, almost straight down toward Town Hall. He channeled his magic into his wings and formed an edge of air in front of them that he had seen split a hair. A few feet from the ground he flattened out and began flying a tight circle around the perimeter of the mass of Diamond Dogs. The air blades on his wings and those of the thousand Pegasi behind him bit into the Diamond Dogs with atrocious results.

The Diamond Dogs on the outside of the circle were cut open diagonally as the Royal Guard flew past. They were sliced open in every conceivable way and quickly collapsed as the Pegasi completed their first circuit, then came around for a second one.

Gale Force and the other Pegasi who had been pounding the enemy with lightning, lay on their clouds, collapsed and unconscious from the strain of using so much of their magic.

The Royal Guard performed a second pass, then a third, and finally a fourth,
"Land and move in!" Swift Wind ordered, "Assist the defenders and slay any remaining Dogs!"

The Pegasus came in and landed, already in a dead run. They leaped through windows and every single opening they saw. The interior of Town Hall looked as if somebody had painted it red. Piles and piles of bodies lay everywhere in small mountains of death. Their hooves made squelching noises with every step, the floor was three inches thick with blood, urine, feces, bits of flesh, and entrails. The smell was utterly overwhelming and a great many Royal Guards vomited immediately. Swift Wind looked around, more often than not unable to discern who was alive and who was dead. Diamond Dogs made up the vast majority of the bodies, but there had to have been nearly two hundred Humans lying about and at least thirty Ponies mixed in.

They lay in groups, leaning against walls, reclining on piles of corpses, not a single soul still stood tall. Each and every face was liberally slathered with gore. Every inch of every body was splattered with dripping red. Swift Wind could head ragged, labored breathing echoing from all directions of the floor. Somewhere somebody sniffed and wept. He couldn't blame them. The scene was so far beyond mere words like 'terrible' or 'horrifying' the very thoughts felt like ash against his tongue. The place was so utterly chaotic it actually felt bland, and that frightened him more than anything.

Swift Wind had never imagined such horror, even in his worst nightmares. Fearing the worst, he took wing and made for the stairs only to be stopped by a claymore tip that hit the stairs right in front of him, cutting him off.

"They don't need to see this shit man." Leo said, wearily propped up on one knee, half buried under a Diamond Dog, "They fine up there."

Swift Wind couldn't understand the words, but the tone spoke volumes enough.

"Yeah man." R.J. said tiredly from where he sat slumped right next to a window.

Over in a corner, a Diamond Dog growled quietly. An impossibly sharp sword rose from the blood covered form of a Marine covered in other bodies. The sword rose and fell five times, the sound of rending flesh accompanying each strike, until the Dog stopped moving.

"Just . . . fucking . . . die . . . already." Darryl said.

Swift Wind's voice echoed through the first floor,
"Check for survivors!"

Chapter 30: Picking Up The Pieces

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The entire medical staff had been awake the entire night and the better part of the morning. The medical station had been filled to capacity following the arrival of the Royal Guard. He, Cessily, and even poor, exhausted Leo had worked endlessly throughout the night stitching lacerations, administering sedatives, antibiotics, and anesthetics to Humans and Ponies alike and more than one soul had passed on to eternity in the medical station that night.

Each and every individual who participated in the battle had been covered with blood and the medical staff, Humans and Ponies alike, had been excruciating in their detail of cleaning each and every patient. Every survivor of the battle was declared a patient, but Leo never accepted the title, insisting he was a healer first, but he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure he had living patients to treat at all.

The final death toll had been fifty-eight Humans, five Pegasi, six Earth Ponies, two Unicorns, and nearly three thousand Diamond Dogs. Among those tragically lost was Michael Harrison Spearman. He had been long dead by the time the Royal Guard uncovered his body underneath a pile of dead Diamond Dogs.

The rest of the Royal Guard had shown up during the late part of the night and hand been busy moving the piles of dead away from town. The Diamond Dogs were going to be burned en masse, in a clearing miles away from New Humansville. The Diamond Dog Council Of Hounds had sent a messenger Canterlot and all but demanded it. The Humans and Ponies who perished were going to be buried as well, the Humans were to be laid to rest in the township of New Humansville and the Ponies buried in a place dictated by their surviving relatives.

The civilians, both Pony and Human, were slowly evacuated through the night. The bodies had been cleared in one single line, leading from Town Hall to a relief camp the Royal Guard had set up in the open ground around the lake basin. The Royal Guard Unicorns had erected wooden walls to keep the sight of the floor from traumatizing anybody. Wooden boards lined the entire pathway and every single foal had been blindfolded then airlifted to the relief camp site. Upon arrival, the civilians were given a cot, a hot meal, and a blanket.

Princess Luna had been rushed out of New Humansville on a stretcher, surrounded by Royal Guards, completely unconscious but her horn still glowed until one of the Unicorn Guard slipped a Nullifier Ring around her horn. She had fought to the point of exhaustion. The Royal Guard had to dig her out of a pile of eviscerated Diamond Dogs.

Gale Force and her weather Ponies were flown to the relief camp and hooked up to Thamaturgic drips due to Critical Magical Exhaustive Stress, also known as 'Caster's Stroke', the same thing Luna had.

The Royal Guard had been very careful about separating Mike Joyner from the still activated aethersteel trident. They were further surprised that it didn't deactivate until it was ten feet away from him and the Ponies carrying him reported feeling invigorated when they were near him. Tina, due to her delicate condition, was handled with the utmost care, simultaneously carried by no less than four Unicorns.

Even though the battle had been won, there was no cheer for victory, no celebration, no feast. The day had been won but the cost was felt by all whether or not they participated in the fighting. There were no feelings of success, just the resignation to clean up the aftermath. The entire North Western part of the field's crops, which everybody had worked so hard to garden well, had been trampled by the mindless horde. A full eighth of the crops were useless. Without outside help, the Town would be hungry come winter.

Princess Celestia arrived just after sunrise and surveyed the damage. She walked around the piles of corpses and paid special attention to the dead among the defenders, who had been cleaned up as much as possible. She stopped at each and every one, reading the names written on the death notices written out by the medical staff. The notices were held down by rocks and placed on the chests of each body.

She slowly walked through the floor of Town Hall. The stench of viscera was still strong in the air and she wondered if the walls or floor would ever be cleaned of the stench or stains. The gaping holes in the walls concerned her to no end and she had a decision to make.

The Royal Guard had a great deal of difficulty trying to communicate with the Humans but once Steady Hoof intervened, a basic level of communication was established. Steady Hoof and the rest of the medical Ponies were just as exhausted as the Humans and when the Medics from the Royal Guard offered to watch the patients in recovery, everybody had gone into one room on the third floor and collapsed to sleep.

Bobby Jewel awoke to a Royal Guard Earth Pony shaking him none too gently,
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled unhappily, "What do you want?" he asked sleepily then face-palmed, "Shit, you can't understand me can you?" he groaned and eased himself into a standing position, "Fuck it, I'll just follow you."

He followed the Royal Guard out of the room and immediately noticed the distinctive absence of the Pony civilians on the third floor,
"Huh," he mused out loud, "I wonder where they went."

The two of then descended to the medical station and Bobby noticed the absence of any Human civilians. Everything was way too quiet for his liking.

He instantly became wary,
"Alright what's going on here?" he asked suspiciously.

Breaking away from the Guard, Bobby darted into the closest room which had held his patients. The room was empty, clean, as if there had never been any patients inside in the first place. There as no equipment, no beds, not even any used bandages. Bobby stepped back slowly and turned toward the Earth Pony.

"I'm only going to ask this once," he pointed to the room, "Where . . . THE FUCK . . . are my PATIENTS!?"

The Earth Pony only motioned toward the stairs downward with his head, nothing more. Bobby ignored the Guard and headed back toward the stairs that led to the third floor. The Guard stepped in front of him, interposing himself between Bobby and the stairs. Bobby clenched his fists but didn't do anything yet.

"Listen," he said in a dangerously calm voice, "I don't know who the hell you think you are but I'm going to wake everybody else up and THEN we're going to find our patients. Now, get. Out. Of. My. Way."

The Guard didn't move an inch,
"Fine then, you brought this on yourself."

Quick as a snake, Bobby's right hand struck out and jabbed the knuckle of his middle finger into the Guard's eye. The Guard recoiled with a loud yelp and stepped back rubbing his eye. He looked up quickly but Bobby was already up the stairs. The Guard turned and bolted after him.

"WAKE UP!" Bobby yelled loudly, "WAKE UP! OUR PATIENTS ARE GONE!"

Leo and Cessily woke up with a start and the medical Ponies began stirring as well. The Guard chased Bobby around the third floor but couldn't manage to catch him. Bobby turned sharp corners at a run, using his hands on the frames of doors to help maintain his momentum, always just out of the Guard's reach. Around and around the third floor they ran, in and out of rooms, and around the perimeter.

"What the hell!?" Cessily yelled.

Leo stood up and went out to the hallway where Bobby was leading the Guard on a wild chase reminiscent of what a pinball would do,
"Yo," Leo yelled, "I'll stop 'im! Bring 'is ass over here!"

Bobby switched directions and sped past Leo. Leo waited until the Guard was dashing past then suddenly shoved him right into a wall. Being an Earth Pony, the Guard hit the wall and all but bounced off. He put his hooves down and slid to a halt then turned around, toward Leo. Leo just stood in place and leaned against the wall next to him casually. The Guard snorted, lowered his head, and dug at the floor. Leo never moved an inch. The Guard charged at him, but still he didn't budge. When the Guard was only a few feet away, Leo suddenly turned to the side. The Guard tried to skid to a stop but his momentum carried him across the floor and sent him tumbling down the stairs to the second floor.

The noise drew the attention of the medical Ponies. Leo clapped his hands and motioned for them to follow him. Bobby, now recovered from the short chase brought Cessily and the twenty-four medical personnel descended the stairs to the second floor. The Earth Pony Guard picked himself up off the floor and stood at the bottom of the stairs aggressively.

"What's going on here?" Steady Hoof asked.

The Guard snorted,
"The pink and brown Humans are under arrest for assaulting a Royal Guard in the line of duty!"

"What led to it?" Clean Bill asked.

"The pink and brown Humans are under arrest for assaulting a Royal Guard in the line of duty!" the Guard repeated.

Leo, Cessily, and Bobby were lost on the conversation and were having one of their own,
"What do you mean, 'the patients are gone!?" Cessily yelled, "They sure as hell better not be gone!"

She pushed her way past the Ponies on the stairs and tried to get past the Guard at the bottom of the stairs, but he blocked her passage,
"Yall better move your ass before I smack the shit out o' you!"

"Let her by!" Clean Bill said loudly, "You never said she's under arrest!"

"The pink and brown Humans are under arrest for assaulting a Royal Guard in the line of duty!" the Guard repeated.

"This is ridiculous!" Steady Hoof said, "Fine! Where can I find your superior!?"

"The pink and brown Humans are under arrest . . . " the Guard began.

"Oh shut up!" Steady Hoof bellowed, "I'm going to fly down and get to the bottom of this!"

She took wing and flew back up the stairs, then up again and exited out onto the roof. She swooped down the side of Town Hall and spotted Princess Celestia managing and directing the Royal Guards down on the ground.

Steady Hoof descended and landed in a bow right in front of the white Alicorn,
"Pardon the interruption your Majesty, but there is a member of the Royal Guard trying to arrest the Human doctors."

Celestia's face registered surprise,
"What?"

"The Guard has blocked the stairs and isn't letting anypony by. He just keeps repeating that the Humans are under arrest. Clean Bill and I asked what it was about and he just kept repeating himself. He wouldn't even tell us where to find you. Had I not been born a Pegasus, I'd still be up there, blocked by him." Steady Hoof said.

"You may rise my.little Pony. Come, show me where he is." Celestia said quietly.

* * *

Leo held Cessily back from clobbering the Guard and the medical Ponies were becoming quite agitated as well,
"Let go of me Leo!" Cessily screeched, "I'ma kicked his balls out through his nose!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Princess Celestia asked in American, coming up the stairs.

Bobby took point, and boy was he ever mad,
"This asshole," he said pointing to the Guard, "Woke me up and had me follow him down to the second floor and I noticed all of our patients had been fuckin' moved! Well I can guarin-fuckin'-tee none of US ever gave anybody permission to move our patients! Some of those people were in critical condition! Well I go to let everyone else know and this cock-sucker keeps me from heading back upstairs! I'm not a fuckin' prisoner here! I told him to move and he didn't so I popped him in the eye and woke everybody else up! Well he's chasing me all around the third floor so Leo here," he gestured to Leo, "Distracted him and sent his stupid ass tumbling down the stairs! Now this punk is keeping us from our patients and I'm about ready to blacken his other eye!"

Celestia's eyes narrowed and she turned her head toward the Guard slowly, speaking in Velensovth,
"I ordered you to bring one of them down."

"I was trying to your Majesty, but the pink Human was being uncooperative then he attacked me for no reason." the Guard defended.

Celestia's expression never changed,
"And you never thought he might be agitated about something? I don't know, maybe because of the mental trauma he and everybody else here suffered last night?"

"His state was none of my concern." the Earth Pony said simply, "He was being uncooperative. I was merely following orders."

"You were acting like a lout." Celestia said sternly, "These people have been through one of the single most horrible events in Equestrian history. They are exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. They have seen death in one of the most horrible ways imaginable and many of their friends have died within the past day. Have you no heart?"

"I was merely following your orders Princess." the Guard said.

"Well follow these orders, 'report to Steady Plod immediately for disciplinary action due to improper conduct, unlawful arrest, gross misconduct, and flagrant abuse of authority'." Celestia said darkly.

The Guard opened his mouth then thought better of it and hung his head as he descended the stairs.

"I am so sorry for his behavior." Celestia said in American once more, "He's going to be on disciplinary action for a good long while."

"I don't really give a shit about him!" Bobby said, still irate, "I want to know who the fuck moved our patients and where the hell they are! Cause I'm about to ring some necks! I don't get mad very often or easily, but this is one of the things that not only can, but WILL piss me the hell off every time!"

"They were moved by the Medical Corps. of Royal Guard Unicorns, under Stasis spells to prevent agitating their injuries. They are in the buildings in the town along with all the medical equipment. The Guard was supposed to wake one of the Ponies, specifically to inform them of what had happened in hopes of avoiding this exact scenario. Your patients are in a comfortable, sterile environment, resting on beds with constant supervision. You are more than welcome to come oversee their care. These are your patients and the Unicorn doctors know to defer to all of you and follow your lead." Celestia said warmly.

"But why move them at all?" Bobby asked.

"Town Hall needs to be repaired. Its structural integrity is questionable at best and I was not prepared to endanger any lives. I hadn't asked anypony to move any of you yet." she smiled, "Take your ease until the last of the patients is recovered. Every one of you has more than earned a reprieve and I will personally see to it that you receive such a reprieve." Celestia said, "Oh yes, the translation guide has been completed and is being copied as we speak. Everybody should be receiving a copy within the next few days. Feel free to practice with the Ponies. They owe you all a lot and they know it. All of Equestria owes you."

* * *

Deep within the comforting darkness of her personal chambers, Princess Luna groaned and slowly cracked open her left eye,
"Ow!" she put her hooves to her head, "Oh, what happened?"

"You pushed yourself, sister." Celestia said softly.

"Not so loud Tia." Luna groaned, "My head feel like it's going to split."

"You used a great deal of magic yesterday." Celestia all but whispered, "You need to rest. And we need to talk."

"Can't it wait?" Luna whined, "I feel terrible."

"Of course it can wait." Celestia soothed her sister, running a wing through her mane, "We'll talk when you feel better. Now get some rest. You've earned it."

Princess Celestia turned to leave until Luna called after her,
"Is everybody alright?"

Celestia stopped, still facing the door,
"The civilians are safe, yes. Rest Lulu, you need to recover your strength. I'll send in a servant to tend to you."

* * *

I blinked opened my eyes and gazed at a sterile white ceiling,
"Of course, I'm in another hospital . . . "

"Artex! You're awake!" I heard the voice half a moment before a solid weight barreled into me and the bed scooted at least a couple of inches to the side.

The force of the impact nearly knocked me off the bed, I knew the voice of course,
"Hey there Razor," I said hugging her back, "Happy to see you too."

She nuzzled my right shoulder,
"We were so worried about you!"

I couldn't help but to heed my inner snark,
"Sorry about that. Next time I get mauled by Timber Wolves I'll leave a memo."

Razor sat upright like she had been stung and slugged me, square in the chest with her right fore hoof,
"That's not funny! You almost bled to death! We had to give you a transfusion! It was pure luck that you and Big Macintosh share the same blood type!"

I froze at her statement,
"Wait, what?"

Razor blew out an exasperated breath and spoke slowly,
"I said you and Big Macintosh are both blood type B+. He volunteered to donate for your transfusion."

"Um how?" I asked, "By all rights my body should be rejecting non Human blood, violently."

Razor blew her mane out of her face and rolled her eyes,
"I'll go get your doctor. I don't know enough about medicine."

Razor Wit hopped down onto the floor and swished her tail in agitation,
"You are so frustrating sometimes."

As the door closed behind her, I took the time to look around the room. It was almost a mirror image of the first hospital room I had, except everything was reversed. The wall with the window was to my left instead of my right. The doors for the bathroom and hallway were both on the right, as was the rest of the floor space in the room with the exciting new addition of a single Kavim reclining couch right next to the bed. I looked down at myself and grunted. Both of my legs were in casts, lying on top of the bed sheet. The sheet covered everything from my knees up, thankfully.

I tried wiggling the toes on my right foot and received a mild jolt of pain for my effort, 'Memo to self: let the body heal.' I felt sleepy again, so I laid my head back, onto the Kavim sized pillow, and closed my eyes.

I must have dosed off briefly because the next thing I knew, I was waking up to Razor Wit, Twilight, Big Mac, Applejack, and Spike standing in the room, talking quietly.

I yawned and stretched out my arms,
"Oh sorry about that. I must have fallen asleep."

The looks I received were not encouraging, not a single one of them was smiling,
"What's wrong?" I probed feeling ice form in my gut.

Applejack and Big Macintosh exchanged a sorrowful look,
"We're powerful sorry Artex!" Applejack said suddenly, "Don't be mad at mah brother! He didn't mean no harm, he was tryin' to save yall!"

"Uh Applejack," I ventured calmly, "You're starting to scare me. What's going on?"

"The doctors ran a test on your blood while you were asleep," Twilight said pausing for a long minute before she continued, "Because of what they found, they had to come back and take a lot more samples."

I was steadily feeling more and more trepidation about the situation,
"What aren't any of you telling me?"

Twilight shifted her hooves nervously,
"Your body . . . changed Artex. The doctors think it was because of Big Macintosh giving you the transfusion."

I looked down but I didn't see any hooves, I held up my hands, they looked normal too,
"I don't look any different."

"You changed internally Artex." Twilight said quietly, "Your body isn't producing Human blood anymore. The blood your body is making . . . is Pony blood."

I was surprised, but it didn't seem anywhere as serious as they were making it sound,
"Um . . . o.k. so why is everypony so nervous? It's not like I'm dying." I chuckled.

I chuckled alone.

"Wait," I said sitting up quickly in alarm, "Am I dying?"

"We don't know." Razor spoke up for the first time, "You might be."

Twilight took over,
"If the transfusion set into motion some kind of chain reaction . . . we don't know the extent of it. It might just be your blood but it might be much worse. Your chromosomes might have changed, your internal organs might not work right, you might grow a tail, your cells could break down into liquid for all we know."

I held up my hands, waging an internal battle to stay calm,
"Alright, so it COULD be serious. What are the most likely possibilities, just so I can be prepared?"

Twilight shook her head,
"It's too early to tell, but the four most likely scenarios are that your blood and thusly your bone marrow mutated. If that happened then you just have to make sure you don't every try to donate blood. If the transfusion altered your chromosomes, that would render you infertile . . . uh . . . with Humans."

"Not going there Twilight." I said sourly, "Next."

Twilight looked ill at the next part,
"The next possibility is even more extreme. Take the previous two, combine them then add a chemical alteration of your internal organs and brain. You couldn't eat fish anymore and you could digest hay."

I blanched, but she wasn't finished,
"And finally, the most extreme one: complete genetic remapping. You know how your cells die and reproduce all from a pattern, set for each cell?" I nodded and she continued, "With complete genetic remapping, the basic structure of each of your cells would be altered. They would die and then reproduce trying to form into a new format. Your wrist, for example, the bones would break down into mush as your body tries to reform itself into whatever new format had been overlayed." Twilight looked distraught, "It . . . would be a horrible way to die. You would basically liquefy from the inside out, and it wouldn't be a quick process. It would take months."

I swallowed hard,
"So we have four possibilities? And in three of those four, I live, right?"

Twilight nodded,
"It's not ideal, but I'd rather deal with a change than have to make my peace within the next couple of months." I took a calming breath and gripped the bed sheet with both hands as something occurred to me, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but as of right now . . . it's unlikely that I'll . . . ever . . . be a . . . Father."

Twilight, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Razor Wit, and Spike all nodded silently.

"I'm not trying to be mean, but could I be alone for a while please?" I asked quietly, "I really need some time to myself."

Twilight nodded, but Applejack wasn't done,
"Yall made me a promise Artex." she said quietly, "Ain't no time like the present."

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose with my right hand,
"Razor can stay."

Razor looked up sharply and blinked twice. She drew in a slow breath and nodded. Spike climbed onto Twilight's back and shot me a sympathetic look. I nodded to him in acknowledgement. Twilight pressed her lips into a thin line and her eyes flicked back and forth in thought. She looked to me and opened her mouth to say something but closed it after a moment of silence. She raised her head and our eyes met. Her eyes held a lifetime's worth of apology in her gaze, but she just couldn't find the words. I graced her with a thin smile of gratitude.

Big Macintosh gazed at me with an unreadable expression then he approached my bed stoically and stopped at the edge. He raised his right fore hoof and laid it over my heart gently.

He looked at me and shook his huge head,
"Ah never meant for this to happen Artex. If'n yall's blood really is ours now, well, that makes you part o' the Apple family. Yall are welcome to anything we got that yall might need an' yall can call on any member o' the Apple clan anytime yall need it." he gave me a light shove with his hoof, "Ah always did want a brother."

I leaned over as far as I could and hugged him, grateful for the comfort,
"Thanks . . . brother."

He hugged me back and for a few moments, we simply held each other. We both let go and he dropped back to the floor. He gave me a silent nod and left the room, Applejack followed him and Twilight did so as well, carrying Spike on her back.

Now alone with Razor, I rubbed my eyes. I really didn't want to talk with her about everything I'd lost. I had been avoiding it, hoping the pain would go away, but in the back of my mind and in my heart I knew I needed to. I looked at the tan Unicorn mare, regarding her silently. She was laying down on her stomach, looking at the floor and wearing a depressed expression, 'She's a good friend.' I admitted to myself, 'She was there when I woke up out of my coma and she's never left me. Of anypony, she deserves to know.'

I drew in a deep breath and let it out,
"Hey Razor?"

She looked up at me with sad eyes,
"Yes?"

"There's a few things that I . . . " I trailed off, but she just kept looking at me, waiting patiently, "I need to get off my chest . . . " there, in that hospital room I poured out my heart to a tan Unicorn mare who had only known me for just over ten weeks.

* * *

Princess Twilight and her friends slowly walked through the hallway of Ponyville hospital. Resting in Twilight's saddlebags was a letter from her former mentor, Princess Celestia. In the letter, she detailed the attack on New Humansville and asked Twilight to deliver the news to Artex. Twilight had asked her friends to join her and, once they heard the news, they had agreed readily. She wasn't about to force or even ask Spike to go with her.

The hospital staff hadn't bothered to try to stop them. A Princess of Equestria wasn't barred from official business and the staff already knew that if Twilight and her friends were at the hospital after visiting hours, all looking as if they were going to attend a funeral, it was indeed official business.

They arrived at the door to Artex' room and Twilight knocked softly,
"Come in." a masculine voice answered tiredly.

Twilight's horn lit up and the door swung open. I was sitting up in my bed, leaning against the wall behind me. Razor Wit was lying on the couch next to the bed, resting her chin on her hooves.

We had talked for hours. I had poured out my heart to Razor and she had listened intently. I eventually broke down and cried for hours, thankfully Razor climbed up onto the bed and comforted me. She had been wonderfully supportive and after my tears dried up, she had been nice enough to just sit with me for a while. She had eventually hopped down and retaken her spot on the couch. We had been talking for hours and I was feeling much, much more calm and relaxed.

"Hey girls." I said.

I still didn't feel very good about the possibilities I was facing

Twilight walked in slowly, followed by Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie brought up the rear. The six mares formed a semicircle around the bed that included Razor's couch. Razor Wit raised her head sensing something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" I asked, I knew something was up.

Twilight drew in a breath and let it out slowly,
"New Humansville was attacked."

I breathed in through my nose and out again,
"Who?"

"Diamond Dogs." Rarity said bluntly.

Razor Wit shot up out of her couch,
"No!" she cried, "They couldn't, they wouldn't!"

"They did." Rarity said.

Twilight turned to Rarity,
"It's not that simple." she faced forward, back to Razor and I, "There was a disease, an epidemic. It made them go violently insane. The Diamond Dogs lost an entire City/State. The infected headed above ground," Razor's eyes narrowed, "They attacked New Humansville nearly three thousand strong. Princess Luna helped to organize the defense and the vast majority of the population of the town is safe but fifty-eight Humans died in the fighting. They killed every last Diamond Dog that attacked."

"The Humans won?" I asked.

Twilight nodded,
"As much as anyone can win in a situation like that, yes."

I pursed my lips and nodded my head,
"Sounds like they gave a good account of themselves." I said leaning back against the wall, "When are the funerals going to be held?"

Twilight and her friends were jaw dropped,
"You aren't upset!?" Twilight asked, "After the way you exploded when you heard about the massacre I would have thought you'd need some support."

"What massacre?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight turned to the cyan Pegasus mare,
"Later Rainbow." she then turned back to me, "So you're not upset?"

I shook my head,
"I'm plenty upset. My people died. But there's a big difference between an bunch of rabid Dogs and the Royal Guard attacking a bunch of civilians in a surprise attack at night."

Fluttershy crouched down slightly,
"W . . . what's he talking about?"

"I'll tell you later Fluttershy. It was bad." Twilight never took her eyes off me, "So why aren't you angry?"

"I am." I said, "But the ones responsible for the attack are dead, so I'll learn to deal with it. Was the Diamond Dog King . . . "

"They have a Council of Hounds." Razor said,

I nodded,
"Did the Council say they were sorry?"

Twilight nodded,
"It was the actions of the Council that let us know about the outbreak. The one hundred Dogs they sent to the City/State evacuated a nearby town of Ponies to keep them safe then they informed the Royal Guard. The Guard mobilized and ended up relieving the defenders of New Humansville."

I held up my arms and shrugged,
"Then it sounds like they at least tried to do something. I assume there are going to be reparations and so forth."

Twilight nodded,
"Of course. Princess Celestia has funded the full completion of New Humansville and has begun buying lots of supplies so the town won't be hungry this winter. There is going to be an award ceremony for the defenders who fought and the armory is going to be expanded too."

I nestled myself back and yawned,
"Thank you all for being willing to support me. Why don't you explain everything that happened to the Humans so your friends aren't in the dark anymore."

"Yes," she admitted, "Yes it's long past time that I did that."

* * *

Princess Celestia quietly knocked on the ebony door of her sister's private chambers,
"Luna? Are you awake, or do I need to raise the moon?"

The door was enveloped in an indigo aura and swung inward,
"Well I guess that answers my question." Celestia said happily.

Luna was lying on her stomach on her plush bed with her fore hooves resting on a pastel pink pillow. The blankets were disheveled and rumpled, but Luna looked as if she had been awake for some time. She had a large sky blue painted ceramic bowl in front of her and, if the smells wafting off the contents were any indicator, she was eating a bowl of noodles.

Luna nodded in acknowledgment of her sister and lowered her head back to the bowl. She slurped up more noodles and chewed them thoughtfully. Celestia stepped into the room and her horn lit up, closing the door behind her. Luna said nothing and slurped up some more noodles. Celestia casually walked over to the bed and slid in, next to her sister, on her stomach. Neither spoke for many long minutes, the silence said enough. Both of them had been scared.

They both knew that one of them could have perished, or worse. Celestia shuddered at the thought of her younger sister being infected with the horrible disease. Despite how much they loathed spilling blood, neither Alicorn was even remotely foreign to the realities of war and both had personally sent more than a few beings into eternity. They despised spilling blood, hated it, but far in the past, when push came to shove, they had taken the field when necessary and turned the course of pivotal battles.

Luna raised her head from her bowl and licked her lips,
"Thank you for the pillow. It helped a great deal." she kneaded her hooves into the soft pastel fabric, "Stuffed with your own down, unless I'm mistaken." she nuzzled her older sister, "Thank you Tia."

Celestia returned the nuzzle,
"You're welcome Lulu." she cleared her throat and regarded her younger sister, "Are you ready to talk?"

Luna huffed out a sigh and levitated the bowl off the bed and onto her desk,
"I suppose I am." she looked up to her older sister, "What was it you wanted to discuss?"

"You told me the Humans can use magic." Celestia began directly.

"I made such a discovery last night." Luna shook her head and kneaded the pink pillow with her hooves, "Most of the Humans don't know. I only checked a few for Mageriums. Their magic is different than our own, but very similar in some ways too. Of the ones I read, one woman stood out though, Tina. She is with child but her Mageruim was potent, nearly equal to that of Prince Shining Armor in some places, but in others she was completely absent. It will take a little time and study of each and every one of them to determine what they are capable of. I do know I saw two manifest significant power last night. Mike Joyner, the one who has Proud Hoof's old trident, it's an aethersteel weapon Tia. He activated it last night. Once he did, the Diamond Dogs fell before him like wheat before a scythe. The other was Chris Vacca." Luna shook her head, "I don't know how he did it, but he spontaneously cast a spell that . . . " Luna trailed off with a shudder, "It was . . . the effect was . . . gruesome." Luna hung her head, "They're more dangerous now than they ever were before, especially to themselves."

Luna's memory jogged and she slammed her fore hooves down on the pink pillow angrily,
"Blast!"

Celestia recoiled at her younger sister's outburst,
"What's wrong?"

"I should have remembered sooner! Arg! Oh, it's probably gone by now." she turned and faced Celestia, "There was a Changeling among the Humans. It was disguised as a Human woman with long red hair. I had just told them about it when you contacted me and in all the confusion I COMPLETELY forgot about it."

"Long red hair?" Celestia asked, "Pink in color, completely silent, walks oddly?"

Luna nodded,
"Yes that sounds correct."

"She's still there." Celestia said, "I saw her go running to the Human male called Jewel. What do you want to do about it?"

"Capture it for study of course." Luna said, "Can you believe the Humans actually asked me if I meant to dissect it while it was still alive?" she shuddered, "Why would any living creature do such a thing? Why would they even think of it?"

"It's what their own people would do to one of us." Celestia said, "Or at least that's the way the Humans imagine it would go." she sighed, "Who is to say?"

"We would be foolish to let such an opportunity slip through our teeth." Luna said, "We know so little about the Changelings."

"We have more than enough to deal with Luna. Keep an eye on the Changeling, but for now leave it alone. We have to focus on a much more immediate and severe problem." Celestia rested her chin on top of Luna's head, "The Humans have the right to know what they are capable of now, sister. Dangerous or not, they are here and we have a responsibility to them, to teach them how to use what they have. We know the ways of magic, they do not." Celestia became silent for a moment then quietly said, "Tell me, how many of the Humans balked at the idea of fighting for our Ponies? Not many unless I miss my mark."

Luna shook her head,
"Not one so much as mentioned it. They simply acted, no quarrels, no arguments, no reservations. They did what they did as if they were born to it, and I'll go so far as to say, I question if our own could do much better given the extremely limited resources." Luna looked at Celestia's muzzle, overhanging her eyebrows, "They deserve proper armaments though. Had it not been for my own, I will say this politely, extremely strenuous efforts, there is no doubt in my mind that not a single one of us would have seen today."

Celestia didn't say a thing,
"So many died." she whispered, "The Diamond Dogs were just as much victims as any." Luna felt a slight wetness on the top of her head, "They did well sister, the Humans I mean. Better than I could have imagined. After everything they've been through they not only fought for their own but ours too. They were just about to gain their feet and this happens. They were supposed to be safe Lulu. We were supposed to protect them, that's why I chose that field. They are new to this world, don't know its rules, we were supposed to be their guardians. But instead we murder them, herd them, and bully them. It's all wrong Lulu, everything is wrong!" she sounded angry, "Well it is NOT going to happen again!"

"Calm yourself Tia." Luna spoke softly, "They are not so fragile as to necessitate coddling. They are strong sister, very strong. The strength I witnessed last night was humbling." Luna paused, "But even the greatest warrior is nowhere near as effective without their weapon."

Celestia closed her eyes and groaned,
"Luuuuuna," she lifted her head, "We've been over this, they and the Ponies who live with them, get to decide what happens with civilians and weapons, that's part of the reason I sent out that call in the first place. And I agree with you, the armory of New Humansville was very poorly equipped in the first place. That was a significant oversight on my part, and one I fully intend to correct. Their new armaments will be second to none."

"No," Luna said, "I meant for those charged with protecting New Humansville on a daily basis." she laid her head against her sister's neck, "Our Civil Guard was ill prepared for the situation but they performed admirably. We long ago ironed out the enchantments of their armor, but I believe they could do with additional training. I mean to see the Human Civil Guard are properly equipped with appropriate armaments as well."

"Community Welfare Guardians, Luna, or I hope they find the name acceptable. Ponies have the E.P.U. or Royal Guard as we often refer to it, and the Civil Guard. Having seen what the Humans can do in emergencies, I'm going to ask that they be given a place to act both in civil matters and matters of warfare. Their role in warfare, their capability, I hope, will be universal. If we can take the Human killer instinct, which most of us lack, and teach them to control it, they will be a force to be reckoned with indeed. The Guard are well trained and willing but Equestria cannot hold a figurative candle to what Humans can do, and the battle has demonstrated that beyond any reasonable doubt. Should such a situation arise again, they could save many lives." Celestia said.

"I know you don't plan to manipulate them sister, but what you're talking about sounds more like a type of 'secret weapon' than any sort of group intended for protection." Luna cautioned.

Celestia frowned,
"It does, doesn't it." she sighed, "I have a favor to ask of you Luna, I would like to ask you to design the enchantments their armor will have. We balance each other Luna. In the same way, our Ponies will help balance out the Humans. The decision will be theirs, THAT I refuse to meddle with. They will decide it for themselves. I see our bipedal guests as allies not assets. How do you see them?" Celestia asked.

"They are, as you initially said, a near perfect dichotomy of polar opposites. They are capable of great goods and greater evils. Their potential for destruction and depravity is nearly limitless but I have seen their struggles. They fight their own natures in an endless battle, their conscience warring against their selfishness. They try so hard sister, and I have seen their struggles. The best way I can describe them is 'genius, but lazy, problem solvers' they solve any problem thrown at them, unfortunately, often the way they chose to solve a problem is to destroy the cause. They understand the 'hows' of the universe but not the all-important 'why'." Luna ducked her head, "If I am being honest sister, I would not only like the responsibility of designing their armaments, but to also the honor of leading a team from the School For Gifted Unicorns to examine their Mageriums. Many of them are going to be excited and a great many will need to be taught how to use their gifts." she shivered in delight, "I'm going to build a tower in New Humansville. A place where Humans can go to study their unique magic and a place where we can delve into this new and exciting mystery."

Celestia smiled hugely, few things excited Luna at all, and to see her so worked up was an event she had only ever seen on two other occasions,
"Yes," she smiled deviously, "Perhaps you will finally take a stallion too." she teased.

Luna's ears stood ramrod straight as her face heated up,
"Tia! Mind thy tongue and thine own affairs!"

Celestia grinned,
"Oh, I didn't know we were talking about affairs already." she lowered her head next to Luna's ear and whispered, "I want every lurid detail."

*POMF* Luna's wings spread open of their own accord.

The Royal Guards stationed at Luna's door winced as the walls shook,
"TIA!"

Each Guard held out a fore hoof and caught the priceless antiques on either side of them expressionlessly,
"How long till Princess Luna figures out that her sister waits until the moon is full to do that?" one Guard asked.

"No idea." the other said.

As one, the both replaced the antiques they had caught, right back on their pedestals,
"Uh-huh." they said in unison.

Chapter 31: Baby Steps In Magic

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I heard the door to my hospital room open. I was already awake. It was a lovely clear day with the sun shining brightly into my room and I had been keeping myself busy making shadow puppets. I turned my head toward the door and smiled brightly. I was actually feeling happy. Razor Wit entered the room wearing her saddlebags and closed the door behind herself.

"Good morning Razor." I greeted her.

She smiled back at me, "Good morning. I brought your clothes."

I scratched my head, "Clothes?"

She levitated the clothes that Rarity had made for me out of her saddle bags, "Yes." she set them neatly out on the foot of my bed, on top of the sheet covering my feet, "Today is the funeral for those who died in The Battle For New Humansville. It's also the day that we're supposed to have the big meeting about laws."

My happy mood completely evaporated, I placed my hands over my eyes and groaned, "Fuuuuuck." I heaved a sigh and shook my head, "I haven't even eaten breakfast yet."

Even as the words left my mouth, a nurse entered my room with a tray of food in her teeth. She set the tray down on my lap then turned and left. I looked down at the tray and examined my breakfast. Two pieces of buttered toast, half a grapefruit, eggs, a bowl of cream of wheat and a trio of thick carrots with a cup of orange juice on the side. I chowed down with gusto while Razor laid down on the couch.

"So," I began biting into one of the carrots, they were really good today, "Do we need to stop by the library for my notes on laws and so forth?"

Razor shook her head and patted her right saddlebag, "Nope, I have them right here."

I finished off the carrot and picked up the fork to dig into the eggs, "So, how are we getting there?"

"Princess Twilight, you, and I will be picked up in the Royal Carriage. We'll be riding with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor."

I looked up from my eggs and arched my right eyebrow, "That sounds awfully cramped to me. How big is this carriage?"

"I don't know." Razor admitted, "I've never ridden in it before." her horn lit up and my notes on laws floated out of her saddle bags, "Did you want to go over your notes again? Maybe make a revision somewhere?"

I nodded as I sliced into the grapefruit, "Yeah, that's probably not a bad idea. Let's start with the first item."

Razor nodded and read aloud, "Item one: The duties, responsibilities, and restrictions of the Community Welfare Guardians. Pros and Cons to Limited and Unlimited Autonomy, Equipment and Armaments." she looked up at me, "Was there anything you wanted me to change or alter?"

I thought about it while I chewed on the cream of wheat, "No. I think that one will be a long enough debate all on its own."

Razor nodded, "Alright, next Civilian Right To Be Armed. Reference points of contention and list incidents of validity. Extent of technology in regard to weapons."

"That one is probably going to take at least half the day. I'm not adding anything to it, there's going to be enough people talking about it." I said between bites.

"Alright then," Razor looked back down at my notes, "Code of personal conduct and the laws thereof." she read down the laundry list of different things I had written down and whistled, "Wow, you sure did put some thought into this didn't you."

I grunted in affirmative as I chowed down on the toast, "Yeah, need to be sure everything is covered." I swallowed my mouthful, "Especially ones involving magic. It's a whole new area to cover and while you Kavim grew up with it, Humans don't know the first thing about it. Here is one of the areas I need to add something." I wiped my hands on the napkin from the tray, "Would you be willing to write down what I say?"

Razor nodded, "Sure thing." she levitated a pencil out of her saddle bag and held it up to the paper, "Ready."

I cleared my throat, "Laws involving the prohibition of magic being used on others and the limits and punishments thereof."

Razor scribbled down on the paper, "Got it." she said cheerfully, "Anything else?"

I shook my head, "Naw, what's next?"

She looked at the paper and blanched, "Eeh, abortion."

I nodded, "Yep, hot topic, nuf said, next."

"Human and Pony Relationships." she read.

I cringed, "Ooh, that one's liable to spark a riot. Hot topic, next."

"Religious Freedom." she lowered the paper, "You think that one will be a, so-called 'hot topic'?"

"Nope." I said assuredly, "We will have the freedom to worship in any way we want so long as it doesn't involve any sort of persecution to others. End of story. Next."

"Racism, sexism, specism and laws regarding persecution, oppression, and unequal treatment." Razor quirked her left eyebrow, "Do you think this one is even necessary?"

"Absolutely necessary in every possible way. Hot topic, next." I responded.

"Citizenship?" Razor asked.

I nodded, "Oh yeah, big one. Citizenship entails additional responsibilities and privileges. I looked it up. That one is a keeper for sure."

"Medical Science and Practices of burials?" she looked at the paper strangely, "Why are those two linked?"

"Human dies, Kavim doctor wants to learn about Human anatomy. Kavim doctors only available do do procedure on a Human or vice versa. Definitely one to keep."

"Open-Floor Discussion for all at the end." Razor said, "Hmm, not a bad idea. I may bring up one or two of my own."

I smiled at the tan mare as I finished off the orange juice, "That's the idea."

I set the tray aside and pulled back the sheet that was covering me. My legs were still in casts. I decided to try wiggling my toes again. My toes wiggled with very little pain.

"Huh," I said, "That's odd. Two days ago it hurt like all hell to wiggle my toes."

Razor looked at my feet and her eyebrows knitted together when I wiggled my toes for her, "That IS odd, very odd. Let me go get a doctor."

She had left the room before I could say anything, I pressed my lips together, "Thanks Razor."

I was slipping my fancy shirt on when Razor Wit returned with the Unicorn mare doctor, "Ah Artex," the brown mare greeted, "How are we feeling today?"

I finished pulling the shirt over my head, "Pretty good actually. I can wiggle my toes with very little pain."

The doctor looked puzzled, "Yes, that's what Razor was telling me." she trotted over to me, "May I examine your legs?"

I shrugged, "Knock yourself out."

The mare looked irritated, "You could have just said 'no'."

I blinked twice and face-palmed, "It's a Human expression which means 'you have my permission'."

The mare blinked and shook her head, horn lighting up, "Let's see here." she peered at my casts as though she could see right through them.

I pulled my underwear and my pants toward me, they were sure to be tricky to put on while wearing casts, "You're healed." the doctor said, looking up sharply, "I gave specific instructions that none of the doctors were to administer healing spells since we didn't know how extreme your body's changes would be and I didn't want any problems exacerbated by magic." she looked me square in the eye, "Who healed you?"

I blinked in confusion, "Nopony healed me, unless they came in while I was sleeping. But if I'm healed, why does it hurt a little when I flex my toes?"

"Your muscles are stiff. I saw that when I examined your legs. As far as I can tell, you're free to leave but please come back in a week so we can monitor any changes to your body, and come back immediately if you feel anything that could be attributed to more changes." she stepped back and nodded, "I'll go get your discharge papers." she left the room promptly thereafter.

"Um Razor, may I have some privacy?" I asked, holding up the underwear.

Razor's ears stood up straight and her face turned bright red, "O . . . of course. Just call when you're decent, I'll be right outside." she turned and left the room, closing the door behind herself.

I grumbled as I maneuvered my cast encased legs into the leg holes of the underwear and pants, 'Thank you Rarity for wide legs and drawstrings.' I pulled up the pants and reached over and pulled my belt and pouches. I put on the belt and slipped on each pouch between the belt loops. I debated putting on the holster for my hatchet and decided to go with it.

"Well I'm never decent but I am clothed." I yelled at the door.

Razor came back into the room and the doctor followed right behind her, "I have your discharge papers here and I can take off those casts for you."

She set the papers on the bed and I turned and dangled my legs off the side then lifted my pants legs to give her access to my legs. Her horn lit up and a cut formed at the very top of the cast on my right leg then worked its way down to my foot and the cast slipped off. I wiggled my toes again while she cut off the other cast. I stood up and groaned as my legs readjusted and stretched out a bit. I bent double and touched my toes, it felt good.

The doctor levitated over my discharge papers and I signed them and took my copy. The doctor left and I slipped on the gold trimmed robe Rarity gave me. This was official but the fancy robe didn't quite feel right. I was going to a funeral I needed to dress like it. I took the robe off and folded it neatly.

"I'll bring it but only for the meeting, it's not appropriate for a funeral. Let's stop by the library so I can grab my cloak." I said.

Razor looked sad, "I'm sorry there has to be a funeral at all." she looked up at me, "Fifty-eight people. I'm so sorry."

I bit my bottom lip and nodded, "So am I." I stepped up to her and scratched her mane, "Come on, let's get to the library."

* * *

In the depths of Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns a black coated Unicorn mare with fiery red mane and tail entered a packed auditorium. The auditorium was filled to bursting with students, faculty, and even staff, Unicorns all. Every voice fell absolutely silent as the black mare took the stage. She wore a robe in the same colors as Princess Celestia's ever billowing mane and tail. The hem of the robe moved about, as if catching the tiniest whisper of a breeze. The mare looked young, barely old enough to be considered an adult. Every Pony knew who this mare was, and it was not only the fact that she was nearly one hundred years old and still looked to be barely an adult mare, that made them respect her. This was one of only eleven Ponies in history, including the Princesses, who had passed the Trial Solar. This mare had, with permission, moved the sun on her own.

Arch Magister Catalyst walked up to the podium and cleared her throat, "Alright everypony, we have a unique, new, and unusual job to do." she held up her right fore hoof to forestall any words, "I know full well how excited you are, but this matter is much more complex than anything we've done before and I'm afraid I have to ask that anypony who is not a senior student, faculty, or staff member to please leave the auditorium now."

There were hundreds of disappointed faces as Ponies began rising from their seats and slowly departing the auditorium. Arch Magister Catalyst looked on neutrally, 'I'm sorry to disappoint so many of you but I'm afraid the disappointment must continue.'

Once the first group, the vast majority of the Ponies in the auditorium, departed, Catalyst continued, "Any and all Ponies uncomfortable with the idea of keeping secrets from your families and friends for a couple of months, I ask that you depart as well. This matter is to be kept quiet."

A second, much smaller group left the auditorium, this time a greater portion of the faculty and staff went with them. Catalyst maintained her neutral expression as she watched them leave, 'Many more are leaving than I would have liked, but I have to ensure silence for a little while yet.'

As the auditorium doors closed behind the last Pony, Catalyst's horn lit up and she sealed the doors, "Very well, those of you who have decided to stay, are you prepared to undergo an assignment, under the direct supervision of Princess Luna, to discover and document a brand new type of magic? If you are not, rise to you hooves and I'll unlock the doors so you may leave."

Not a single Pony stood and Catalyst smiled, "Excellent!" she leaped down from the stage and levitated a scroll out from under her robe, "This is for all of us!" she cleared her throat and unrolled the scroll, "Come on down here, while I read. Ahem,
Dear Arch Magister Catalyst and all volunteers,
I thank you for your decision to participate in this and I am honored that all of you chose to dedicate your time and efforts. The assignment is to be kept secret but is in no way harmful to anypony or Equestria. Do not be alarmed at the need for secrecy, for the reason and focus of this assignment will be revealed to all of Equestria in time. There live, in our nation, an entire species who have only recently arrived. They have never before been seen by Pony-kind and it has recently come to light that they have developed screfula and their bodies are now infused with magic and have even developed Mageriums. To this end, I wish to lead a cadre of Unicorns into their midst and perform complete readings of each and every one of their Mageriums to determine their capabilities. By hearing or reading these words you have sworn yourself to secrecy until such a time as the new species is revealed to all of Equestria. Be prepared to depart within one week for an extended stay in an area that is not entirely settled yet. You are to give the Arch Magister your names and arrive at the Royal Palace by no later than midnight on the fifteenth of this month.
Thank you for your efforts in this exciting time,
Princess Luna"

* * *

Razor and I reached the library fairly quickly and I held the door for her then entered behind her and closed it. During my time in Ponyville the library had begun to feel like home. I looked and saw the couch with my pillow and sheet neatly folded on top of it. The couch had more or less become my bed and that was fine by me. It was comfortable and cushy, but it didn't 'swallow' me like some. Next to the couch was my shoulder bag, my khopesh, my hatchet/hammer, and the four books I had bought in Ponyville. Underneath my shoulder bag was my shower bag, and the garment bag I had paid Rarity to make during my second week. My bit purse was sitting next to my shoulder bag and it looked suspiciously more full than I remembered.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, "Even though its only been three days, it's always good to get home." the word slipped out before I realized it.

'Home' I thought, 'That's what this place feels like now. In a way, I guess it is.' I knew I wouldn't be there forever but it actually had begun to feel like home to me, 'What I really want is to go to New Humansville and live there. That's where I belong, with my own kind. I'm a Human and I belong with Humans. I'm an outsider here, an invader. The Kavim have been nice enough and the Apple family especially but this isn't where I belong.'

"Hello?" Razor called.

A shuffle of hooves from the second floor, Twilight's room, signaled that somepony knew we had arrived. There were a lot of hooves clopping against the floor and I guessed that Twilight had the girls visiting. Twilight came first, next came Rarity, then Fluttershy carrying a small bundle that looked like a baby, then Applejack, then Rainbow Dash, and finally Pinkie Pie brought up the rear of the procession. Each of them wore saddlebags and Fluttershy's wrapped bundle moved around a bit. The custard yellow Pegasus mare shushed the thing in her fore hooves and rocked it back and forth like a Human would a baby.

I nodded politely to each of them in turn, "Ladies, I wasn't expecting to see all of you today."

Applejack tipped her hat back with her right fore hoof, "Well we weren't exactly expectin' to be seein' yall up an' about Artex."

I shrugged and Razor made with the explanation, "The doctor said his legs and feet were all healed so she took the casts off. She seemed very concerned that a Unicorn had come in and performed a healing spell on him."

Twilight cocked her head to the left and flicked her right ear, "Oops, I must have neglected to tell her about your magic Artex."

My attention was on Twilight like ugly on an ape, "My magic?" I asked, "What magic?"

"You have a screfula, Artex. The doctors found it when they took a look at your insides. It was hidden behind your stomach. That's why nopony found one before, even with the Humans in New Humansville. I meant to tell you about it earlier but you were so upset I just never managed to bring the subject up." Twilight explained.

I spread my arms and looked around, "Well, I'm not busy right now." I walked over to the couch and sat down, "I get the feeling this may take a little while."

Razor hopped up on the couch next to me and I picked up my pillow, offering it to the girls, "Would one of you like to lay on my pillow?"

Rarity's horn lit up and I tossed the pillow to her. She caught it and set it down on the ground then knelt down and laid on top of it. Rainbow Dash flew up to the top of one of the book shelves and made herself comfortable. Applejack simply plopped down on the floor. Pinkie bounced around the library, as I had come to expect from the bubbly mare. Fluttershy nestled down on the ground very gently, careful of her mysterious bundle. And Twilight levitated her own pillow down from the second floor.

"Now, before we begin, are you familiar with Unicorn Magic Nouns and Verbs?" the lavender Princess asked.

I nodded attentively, "Yes. There are seven Verbs and twelve Nouns."

"That's right. Well your Magerium is very similar to that of a Unicorn, in that you also have Nouns and Verbs. There is a significant difference though." her face fell before she spoke the next part, "I'm very sorry Artex but you seem to be 'blind' to some Nouns and Verbs." Twilight said.

I heard the girls gasp and Razor more loudly than the others, "What does that mean?" I asked.

Razor turned her head to me, her expression was sad, "To be 'blind' means that you cannot ever use a Noun or Verb."

"Eee," I groaned, "So which ones can I use and which ones am I 'blind' to?"

"Not only do you have certain Nouns and Verbs that you can use, but also the ones you do have are rather powerful. You also seem to have some Noun and Verb combinations that are passive." Twilight shook her head, "I'm getting ahead of myself though. Do you know how Pony magic works?"

To that, I shook my head, "I have no idea."

Twilight opened her mouth to answer but Rarity placed her hoof over Twilight's own and stopped her, "Perhaps it would be best if the rest of us explain it darling. You tend to be a little scientific with your explanations and poor Artex doesn't have any background knowledge with magic." she turned her head to Razor, "Razor darling, would you be willing to help us in some places if it seems like we are having trouble with the explanation?"

Razor nodded, "Sure. Actually why don't I start?"

Rarity nodded so Razor began, "Alright so magic is literally Thamaturgic Energy that has been broken down for use, but to fully understand it we have to go back to its origin. Every thing in the world has some measure of magic in it. Every rock, every blade of grass, every breath of air, and every living creature. This is magic in its raw state. It is unrefined and completely unusable by most. We call this Natural Unrefined Latent Thamaturgic Energy. Now the more raw the state of the magic in any thing, object or creature, the more difficult it is to affect with magic that we wield. Wielded magic is called Activated Thamaturgic Energy. When we breathe, or eat, or drink we take in the Natural Unrefined Latent Thamaturgic Energy. Out bodies take it in and it enters our blood stream through breathing, eating, and drinking. When it is in our blood stream it is called Ingested Unrefined Latent Thamaturgic Energy. Now the screfula is a very important organ. It functions in a similar manner to your liver in that it filters your blood. Do you understand so far?" Razor asked.

I nodded my head, "I think so."

She smiled and continued, "Well this is where the different species types of magic come into focus. For most beings, their screfula is always active. For Pegasi and Earth Ponies their screfula is constantly filtering the Ingested Unrefined Latent Thamaturgic Energy and turning it into a usable form which is called Refined Unactivated Thamaturgic Energy or R.U.T.E for short. In that state, the R.U.T.E. is flowing all through your body and is ready to be used. For Pegasi and Earth Ponies it is almost always happening. Their flight or strength comes from the R.U.T.E. flowing through their bodies. Now every sentient creature has three categories of Magical Abilities. Each Magical Ability is connected to a part of a creature's body. The three parts are: muscles, bones, and brain. It is always those three. Now . . . um," she turned to Rarity, "I lost my thoughts. Would you please take over?"

Rarity nodded in a lady like manner, "Certainly darling." she turned to me, "Now since Earth Ponies and Pegasi use their R.U.T.E. almost constantly by simply moving about, their Magical Abilities tend to be very strong. Rainbow Dash for example has a Wing Power of, uh thirteen, I believe."

Dash shrugged, "Something like that. More than enough to be awesome."

Rarity gave the cyan mare a deadpan expression, "Indeed. Anyway, the rules are the same for Unicorns. We use our muscles for the Verbs and our bones for the Nouns. Now our third part is our Finesse, that is channeled through our brains. So with than knowledge, how do you think Unicorns use magic?"

I gave the matter some serious thought, 'Hmm, their horns light up and they're linked to their minds but the Nouns and Verbs are connected to blood and bone. The horn is hard so probably bone, that's one part. Their mind controls it through Finesse so that's part two. Well then their horn must be filled with muscle.' I looked up at Rarity and smirked.

"The horn is bone, there is muscle inside the horn and it's controlled with the mind so when you're casting a spell all you're really doing is flexing the muscle within the horn. Am I right?" I asked.

"Yepperooni!" Pinkie Pie cheered, "That's how all magic works. When anypony gets low on magic they pant so their body can take in more raw magic."

I made a connection, "That's why you're always jumping, isn't it." I guessed, "Your muscles and bones are working all the time so your Magical Abilities are always active."

Pinkie winked at me, "You're forgetting one more teensy little thing." she bounced particularly high, "My Pinkie Sense duh!" she landed and resumed smaller hops, "My Pinkie Sense is always going but it takes a lot of magic to keep it going."

I couldn't believe it, there was a method to her madness, "That also explains everypony else. Applejack is strong as can be because she's always working on the farm. Rainbow Dash is a great flier because she's always in the air. But Rarity, you use magic all the time, you should be super powerful."

Rarity blushed but shook her head, "Oh not at all darling. You see Twilight and I are near perfect polar opposites. I use my magic for small things and Twilight is much more capable with lifting larger and heavier objects. My Finesse with my spells is far above hers, but Twilight's Nouns and Verbs are very strong, incredibly strong in fact but my own Nouns and Verbs are only at a one, where as hers are closer to a four."

"Five." Twilight corrected her.

Rarity turned to Twilight with an expression I thought meant admiration,
"Good heavens! A FIVE . . . in . . . EVERYTHING?"

Twilight nodded, "Yep. I had myself checked earlier this year."

Rarity whistled and I took advantage of the silence, "I assume that's a lot?" I asked.

Razor spoke up next, "Most Unicorns are a one in their Nouns and Verbs. I practice a lot so I'm unusually high in my Nouns and Verbs."

Twilight nodded, "I'm surprised you never tried out for Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. You're a two in everything, right?"

The girls' eyes all turned to Razor, my tan friend blushed and lowered her head, "I'm not certain. I haven't been checked in a while."

"I can do it." Twilight offered.

Razor nodded and Twilight's horn lit up, a matching auro surrounded Razor's whole body. They both held perfectly still for more than a minute before Twilight's horn dimmed.

"You're a two in everything except Spirit. You are a three in Spirit." Twilight said.

Razor looked surprised, "I didn't think it was that high yet."

I was feeling kind of excited, "Can you do that to me too?" I asked.

Twilight nodded, "I performed it once before but I was so surprised at the results I forgot, so hold very still please. This will only take a moment."

I sat back and relaxed as Twilight's horn lit up. It was a strange sensation. It felt like someone was massaging my muscles and bones and brain with a very tender touch. It would have been relaxing had I not been both nervous and excited.

Twilight's horn dimmed after a minute and her expression was very sober, "You are completely blind to some Nouns and Verbs. In Nouns you have: Change, Comprehend, and Control, all at a one. That also means you're 'blind' to Create and Sustain. Your Destruction and your Repair are the odd ones here. They're always always active and your Destruction is centered around your hands while your Repair is body wide. Your Repair is a one, but as for your Destruction . . . it's a four."

"FOUR!" Razor yelled.
"Are yall serious!?"
"That's wicked cool!"
"Awesome-sauce!"
"Good gracious darling!"
"Oh my! Please be quiet everypony." Fluttershy said quietly, then again she said everything quietly, "You'll wake her."

"So," I said curiously, "What about my Nouns?"

Twilight looked almost nervous, "The vast majority of your Nouns are 'blind' but the ones you do have are impressive. I'll start with your passive ones. They're linked to your passive Verbs and it finally gives us the reason you're capable of canceling magic with your hands. The passive Noun is Magic and it's a . . . five."

The girls were silent and their normally large eyes were absolutely massive.

"Equal with you?" I asked, "Are you sure?"

Twilight nodded,
"You could cancel out any of my spells with your hands. Your other passive is a three in Flesh and it's linked with Repair so you constantly heal as if there were a healing spell active on you at all times. Your other Nouns and their powers are a three in Earth, a four in Plants, and a one in Spirit." Twilight took a breath, "You may not have much but what you do have is impressive."

"So what does that mean for me then? How do I cast spells?" I asked.

Twilight rubbed her chin with her left fore hoof, "Well your R.U.T.E. is pooled at your hands and we already know that spells are cast using muscles, bones, and mind. I'll bet that flexing your fingers in different ways would cast your spells and that the different positions of your fingers determine the Nouns and Verbs used. As of right now, it's all guesswork but because of the changes in your body we should avoid testing anything right now so we don't make any potential problems worse."

"Well Ah for one, think it's time we gave you what we got for ya as a parting gift." Applejack reached her head into her saddle bags and removed what looked to be a leather harness of some kind, "Blah," she licked her lips in a disgusted manner, "That has got to be the worst taste ever. Anyway, Big Mac an' Ah went back to Heavy Hitter's shop an' had 'im make ya a carryin' case for yer kermapesh thingy."

She tossed the mass of leather to me and I caught it easily, "Khopesh." I said quietly, "Thank you Applejack."

It took me more than ten minutes to figure out how it fit and another five to put it on. One piece, on the bottom, had a belt loop on it so I unbuckled my belt and slipped it into the loop then refastened my belt. A second piece was obviously a shoulder strap so I slipped it on my right shoulder, but it didn't seem right. I switched it to my left shoulder and it fit much better. It took me a minute or two to fit the khopesh into the slot but eventually I figured it out.

It was a very nice sheath. The handle of my khopesh stuck upward, over my left shoulder but because of the curve of the blade when it was sitting in its sheath, the outside of the curve was at the left side of my back. I had to reach my right hand behind my head and pull the handle toward my right shoulder to get it out. It was very nice indeed, even if it did make me feel like a scrawny version of Conan the Barbarian.

Pinkie Pie was next, "Ooh ooh!" she reached into her saddle bags and withdrew a piece of paper and a thick, heavy brown loaf, "I came up with this recipe myself. I call it 'Banana, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Apple Bread' and I even included the recipe so you can make it yourself!"

She bounced over to me and plopped the loaf into my arms. Good God it was heavy. That one damn, twenty-one inch long loaf had to weight all of a quarter of a Stone. I set it on the couch next to me and it started to sink into the cushions so I placed it carefully on the floor.

Rarity was next, "When Twilight told us the entire story about you, I thought about what you would need if you do decide to become an emissary, so I ordered a book for you." Rarity levitated a thick tome out of her saddle bags and left it on my lap, "It details how negotiations work around the world and it also describes different cultures and past negotiated treaties."

I lifted the heavy book onto the floor, "I still haven't decided what I'm going to do, but thank you Rarity."

Rainbow Dash glided down from the too of the book shelf and landed right in front of me, "I'm not much for gift giving, I like to get them instead, but for you," she shrugged, "Meh, I made an exception." she reached her head into her saddle bag and pulled out a thin book.

She set it down on my lap, "It's a dietary manual. It'll tell you what foods to eat and what foods not to. It'll help you stay in shape. Besides, I think my training speaks for itself. You almost got away from those Timber Wolves. Keep it up and next time you'll make it for sure."

"I'm honestly hoping there won't BE a next time, but I'll definitely try to stay in shape. Thanks Dash." I said.

A second, much heavier book plopped down onto my lap, "It's a Young Unicorn's Magical Guide and Spell Manual. I included a few more advanced spells too. Just so you have something to practice."

"Girls." I said, "You do realize that I might die soon. You'll have done all this for nothing if I pass away here in the next few months. And Twilight, I'm coming back here as soon as the burials and meeting are over, so why give me the book?"

"We're hoping that all this might just give you the incentive you need to fight through whatever happens." Twilight said.

I turned as Fluttershy gently lifted off the floor with her little bundle.

She hoovered in front of me and spoke softly, "Applejack mentioned you really like pigs, right?"

I nodded and she continued, "Well, I hope you don't mind but I found this little poor little thing on the edge of the Everfree Forest and I just felt so bad for her. She was trying to nurse from her Mother, but her Mother was... was... " I knew what Fluttershy was trying to say so I motioned for her to continue, "Well she was very weak when I found her but she's gotten a lot stronger since I started bottle feeding her and after I heard what happened with the Timber Wolves, I thought you could use a friend. Animals are known to help sick Ponies recover and you like pigs, so... "

She offered me the little bundle. I took it and it was rather weighty. I held it with my left arm and unwrapped its head. There, inside the bundle of cloth was a little brown snout poking out. I unwrapped it more and I saw it was the most odd pig I had ever seen. It was obviously still a piglet, but it had tusks protruding out from under its jowls and not just one pair, but two. One larger pair in the back and one smaller pair in the front. It also had hard, bony ridges on its snout, head and neck as far back as I could see.

"Fluttershy, I don't recognize this breed of pig. What is it?" I asked truly puzzled.

"Oh, she's a she, and she's a Great Pig. They're very smart. Nopony knows exactly how smart they are because they always hide and nopony sees them most of the time, but they've been known to fight off Timber Wolves. In ancient times, it's said that whole Villages used to raise one Great Pig to help defend them. According to legend, one Great Pig fought off a Hydra all by itself. It died in the fight but the legend says it scared the Hydra away."

"Exactly how big will she get?" I asked in near disbelief.

Fluttershy put her right fore hoof to her chin and tilted her head upward in thought,
"Um, as far as I know, about as tall as my house."

WUT

"Fluttershy," I began, "Your house is more than four Fathoms tall!" I said, voice strained, "Are you telling me you gave me a Great Pig, piglet, that's going to grow to be twelve feet tall?"

Fluttershy looked hurt, "Um, I'm sorry." she said, demeanor sad, "I thought you'd like a little friend. Not that Razor Wit isn't good enough or anything, but we all have pets and I thought you'd like one." she seemed close to tears.

"Fluttershy, you've given me an incredible pet!" a small grunt in my arms made me look down.

Two little brown eyes stared up at me from the cutest little pig face I had ever seen and it absolutely melted my heart, "IT'S A PIGGY!" I said in my best baby voice.

I couldn't be certain, but I almost swore I saw the little pig try to smile. She nestled down into my arms and closed her eyes. She was incredibly cute and I never wanted to put her down.

"So, um, what are you going to name her, if you don't mind me asking that is." Fluttershy asked.

"Suey." I replied easily, "Her name is Suey."

A loud knock on the library door startled me, "I guess that's our ride." I looked around and noticed something for the first time, "Hey Twilight, where's Spike?"

"Oh he's upstairs sleeping again. He's a growing dragon after all." Twilight answered.

"Um, could I ask him to watch Suey while we're gone?" I asked.

Twilight giggled and nodded, "I'll go ask him."

Chapter 32: Laid To Rest: Part 1

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The Royal Carriage was quite large. Pulled by a team of no less than a score of Pegasi Guards, the open faced, gold trimmed affair looked to be at least fifteen feet long and ten feet wide. Princess Celestia along with a white Unicorn stallion and two Alicorn mares I had never seen before. They were all situated on couches inside the carriage that I could only assume were somehow fastened to the floor of the thing. The sides and back of the carriage were a full Fathom tall and I could see a door in the side. I could see a series of eight wheels along the side facing us and I imagined, logically that there must be eight other wheels on the far side. The side door was quickly opened by a valet, wearing a purple vest.

Twilight led the way, stepping onto the carriage first. I was going to let the others board and enter last, but Rarity nudged me into motion, so I boarded next. I took a couch behind the pink Alicorn mare and Twilight sat behind the white stallion.

The girls boarded next and Razor brought up the rear, which I thought was unnecessary, but I shrugged it off. As soon as we were all loaded, the valet closed the door and the Pegasi took off. I shifted uncomfortably on the couch and decided to let Celestia know.

"Maybe next time I ride with you I could get a seat that's built for a Human frame?" I said loudly.

Celestia turned her head and looked down at the couch upon which I was situated,
"Sorry," her horn lit up and suddenly the couch became a cushy chair, "Is that better?"

"Yes, thank you." I replied, "So, are you going to introduce me?"

Celestia, still facing me, said,
"Wouldn't you prefer to make introductions face to face? The carriage is a bit awkward for such things."

I had to concede her point. I sat back in the soft chair and sighed in contentment, 'This is seriously comfortable.' I was glad I had left the khopesh and its sheath back at the library. They would have been awkward to sit with, and my hatchet was awkward enough.

I decided to watch the scenery go by to pass the time. Equestria was as beautiful as it had been the first time. The miles and miles of lush forests stretched on until they merged with the horizon. I spotted a large, white mass off to the left, but I couldn't make it out clearly.

"That's Cloudsdale," I heard Rainbow Dash say behind me, "An entire city made of clouds and populated only by Pegasi."

I squinted my eyes but I couldn't make out most of the details, it was just to far away. I shifted the focus of my vision to the colossal mountain looming ahead of us. If I had thought Canterlot looked beautiful at night, in the daylight, it was awe inspiring. I couldn't help but to compare it to Minas Tirith. High towers, flags flying in the breeze, it was a city of white and gold that reflected the sunlight like a mirror, resplendent in the glory of its architecture.

We passed the mountain all too quickly for my liking and before us stretched more miles of forest,
"How long will it take to get to New Humansville?" I asked nopony in particular.

Celestia answered me,
"About two hours." she regarded me curiously, "Are you uncomfortable?

I chuckled,
"Not at all. If anything I'm ready to fall asleep."

"Be my guest." Celestia said, "I fear this day will be very draining on all of us."

I laid my head back and closed my eyes while the sun warmed my skin.

I was awakened by Twilight nudging me with her right wing,
"Wake up Artex. We're here."

I looked around and rubbed my eyes. The girls were disembarking from the carriage in opposite order as they got on. While I waited, I could hear the sound of many voices and I caught a smell that I knew all too well, death. I heard a number of raised voices as soon as Razor Wit stepped off the carriage, but the sound of whimpering caught my attention. I turned my head and beheld Fluttershy shaking like a leaf. I couldn't say I was surprised, her name did have the word 'shy' in it after all. Rarity stroked her mane gently and whispered something into her ear than seemed to embolden her. The custard yellow mare stepped off the carriage when her time came and a chorus of male voices rose in volume.

Pinkie Pie went next, the Applejack, who was sitting right next to me, then it was my turn. I stood up and stepped off the carriage. The sight that met me was one that burned itself into my memory. Humans and Ponies stood intermingled in front of a tall, white stone building. More stone buildings surrounded us and beyond those was row upon row of trees bearing.orange fruit. The path under my feet was cobblestone but here and there I could see splotches of brown on the otherwise gray stone. The Humans were all thin but muscled. The Humans wore light brown shirts and bark brown pants and many were sporting bandaged injuries. The Ponies had a few injuries among them as well. Every single Human lapsed into silence as soon as I came into view.

I couldn't have felt more self conscious if I tried. The Ponies looked confused and the Humans looked shocked. I picked out a few faces I knew, R.J. Brinsin and Bobby Jewel were the first two I spotted.

A voice bellowed out and the crowd parted neatly. Down the middle of the break strode Darryl, Chris, and Lieutenant Joyner. They looked terrible. Chris had bags under his eyes and he had lost so much weight I barely recognized him. His right arm was in a sling too. Darryl looked thinner but more muscular and the top of his head was bandaged. The Lieutenant looked the worst though. Both his arms were bandaged, from wrist to elbow on his right arm and from finger tip to shoulder on his left. What struck me the hardest though was their eyes. Chris' eyes were hollow and expressionless, seemingly tired of everything, almost a mix of bored and half dead. Lieutenant Joyner and Darryl on the other hand just looked a bit sleep deprived.

I was shocked, 'What the hell could have done this to Chris?' I stepped toward them and embraced Chris, he put his arms around me and patted my back, but it was like he wasn't even really there.

We let go of each other and I held him at arm's length,
"What's wrong?" I asked.

Chris met my eyes,
"Nothing, just tired." he said offhandedly.

I didn't believe him, but I turned to Darryl and embraced him too,
"Good to see you man." I said.

Darryl pushed me away gentle and examined my face with a grin,
"I like the new look." he said, laughter in his voice, "Sure as hell is an improvement." he slapped me on the back and hugged me hard, "We missed you bro."

We broke out embrace and I turned to Joyner,
"Am I going to get written up for being late?"

He cracked a smile and patted me on my right shoulder,
"I guess I can let you slide this time. Just don't let it happen again."

The crowd of Ponies all around us fell silent. The difference in noise caught my attention and I turned around, back toward the carriage. Twilight had just stepped off the carriage and the Ponies were bowing. Twilight stepped to the side and Celestia came next, followed by a Pony I could only assume was Princess Luna and finally the pink Alicorn stepped off as well.

The four of them stood together in a row for a brief moment before Celestia spoke,
"You may rise."

I noticed that not a single one of the Humans bowed to the Alicorns, though many seemed to favor the darker colored one.

The valet hopped down from . . . I couldn't see where and cleared his throat,
"Ahem, presenting Princesses Twilight." Twilight nodded her head, "Celestia," Celestia nodded her head, "Luna," Luna nodded her head, "Cadence," the pink Alicorn nodded her head, "And Prince Shining Armor."

The Unicorn stallion stepped off the carriage and nodded his head as well. I wasn't surprised the valet had spoken in Velensovth, but I was disappointed.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Cadence began softly in American, "I am Cadence and this is my husband Shining Armor. It is an honor to be here with you all today. Even though the circumstances are far from what any would consider ideal or even acceptable, my husband and I felt it was the right thing to do to honor those who fought so bravely." she performed a full bow then rose.

Shining Armor cleared his throat,
"This is an occasion both to celebrate and to mourn," he spoke in American and I shot Celestia a puzzled look as he continued, "A great many live have been lost and for that we weep, but those individuals who perished, did so knowing that their actions, their choice to protect others, was the right thing to do. They were not soldiers and none of the Humans were Guards, but one thing stands tall above differences of species or height. Their bravery and sacrifice will be remembered, not just with tears but with quiet solemnity for their honor, sacrifice, and bravery." he too bowed to the ground.

Twilight spoke next,
"I am afraid I have yet to meet you all, I am Twilight Sparkle. I've been living with Dan for some time and in that time, through him, I have begun to understand a little bit about your culture and people. You are an amazing group and the challenges you've faced have been tremendous, but you kept on and you never gave up. Your valor in putting yourselves at risk defending those around you is to be commended to the very highest degree. Those who lost their lives, did so for the only reason that exists for such a tragedy. Their dedication, bravery, and selflessness will be remembered for ages to come. Thank you. Thank you for keeping Equestria safe." she bowed deeply then rose.

Luna spoke next,
"Most of you know me and I am proud to say I know you as well. I fought with the defenders during the battle and I can honestly say I have rarely, if ever, seen such bravery or dedication. Once the situation became obvious, nobody, Human or Pony among the defenders, said a single word about themselves in concerning any matters of selfishness. You and those who fell have my gratitude, but more than that you have my respect." she bowed as well.

Celestia spoke last,
"I have spent some time contemplating what could have been done differently. What actions could have been taken to lessen the number of lives lost in this, what can only be described as both an unmitigated disaster and a triumph beyond expectation." she hung her head and lowered her eyes, "I have reviewed the actions of all involved and found myself lacking." she raised her head and looked out over the crowd, "Nothing more could have been expected of you! You all performed far above and beyond the call of duty! You have bled and died in the name of self sacrifice! Things might have been different before, they certainly will be now!" she stomped her right fore hoof, "As soon as the town is completed all of Equestria will know of you! Not only of your bravery and your sacrifice, but of your honor! For you you have placed yourselves in harm's way for those to whom you held no allegiance and to whom you owed no obligation! Other things may be overlooked but your actions will not be! By my oath, the names of all who fought in the Battle For New Humansville will be recorded in the Royal Guard Hall Of Valor for future generations to see and bear witness to your honor!" she lowered her voice and finished, "Thank you."

And with that, Celestia bowed and dug her horn through the cobblestones and into the dirt beneath. The Ponies were aghast, the Princess never debased herself in such a way. It was unheard of, unthinkable. Celestia raised her head and looked out over the crowd. Silence stretched for several minutes as everybody processed what had happened. Neither Luna, Twilight, nor Cadence had expected it.

"Thank you Princess." Chris said crossing his arms, "Are you guys all staying for the funeral?"

"And the meeting afterward." I said.

Darryl looked at me confused,
"That was today?"

I suddenly felt like an ass, 'Of course they wouldn't remember it. They've all been in shock from the battle.',
"Is there any way we can reschedule the meeting?" I asked Celestia loudly.

The white Alicorn nodded,
"Of course . . . "

"Bring it on!" Mike yelled, "Otherwise we're liable to get bored and just go home. I could be lounging on a beach with an ice-cold beer right now." he smiled and gestured with his thumb, "Besides, it would be a waste to tear down the stage and have all the caterers go home now. They're already setting up their tables."

Celestia was speechless at Mike's audacity, so Luna stepped for her,
"Are you certain? I would not ask you to make such decisions when you are not prepared for it." Luna asked.

Mike raised his arms,
"VOTE!" he exclaimed, "BY SHOW OF HANDS. DO WE SETTLE THE LAWS TODAY AFTER THE FUNERAL OR DO WE WAIT? ALL IN FAVOR OF DECIDING THE LAWS TODAY?"

Nearly every hand rose.

Mike crossed his arms and turned back to the four stunned Alicorns
"We're in."

* * *

Chris was leading me around the town while Razor Wit and the girls walked around mingling,
"The town has seen a huge influx of Ponies since the battle." Chris said as he gave me the grand tour, "Queenie over there," he gestured to Celestia, "Said she was going to have the town finished and up and running before she turned the place back over. She also said she was going to send in a bunch of counselors who can speak English. A lot of people are messed up in the head." Chris sighed, "If I'm being honest, I'm one of them." he ran his good hand through his hair, "You should have been there Dan. There was blood everywhere . . . so much blood . . . the dead bodies . . . the sounds . . . the smell . . . "

I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed,
"It's over Chris."

He turned to me and shook his head,
"That's just it, it ISN'T over," he pointed to his head, "Not in here." he turned away from me and gazed out at the rest of the town, "Every time I close my eyes I can still see it." he lapsed into silence.

"I know what it's like Chris." I said, "I put a bullet in a man's head remember."

He didn't turn his head,
"Does it ever go away Dan?"

"No." I said honestly, "You just learn to live with it. If it ever goes away, something is wrong with you."

"How do you do it?" he asked.

"You have to force yourself to go on with your life. I'm not saying it's easy, it's not. It's one of the hardest things you'll ever do. Keep yourself busy and it will eventually fade into the background. You'll never be exactly the same, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Once you've killed for whatever reason, you realize exactly how easy it is and if you're wise, it will make you respect life that much more. Those who are weak won't have any issue with killing again, but those who are strong will become much more wise. It's a weight, and now it's one you have to bear, whether you like it or not." I said.

"That wasn't particularly helpful Dan." Chris said blandly.

"Wouldn't you rather know beforehand if you were facing a hard slog up a rough hill?" I asked, "The same is true here." I decided to change the subject, hoping the distraction would take Chris' mind off his memories, if only for a few minutes, "So" I said pointing to a series of buildings that were being constructed by a gaggle of Ponies, "What's with these buildings?"

Chris seemed to all but snap back to himself,
"Oh, those are going to be homes. There aren't enough foundations for everybody to have one yet so the Ponies are expanding the town. They have to uproot the whole orchard of orange trees and move them to make room for all the new buildings. We don't have any foundations large enough to function as a hospital so one of the new foundations is going to be big. It's going to be tricky too since the whole town rests on a shallow hill. We've had a few discussions about how the town will run after it's finished." he stopped and waved all around the Town Square with his good arm, "Imagine this whole flat area filled with vendors selling things: carts, kiosks, blankets on the ground, it'll be like a bazaar." he turned and gestured to the two story tall stone buildings all around, "All these will be bars, taverns and Inns. That way they're all in one place and each business will have to improve themselves in order to generate the sales they need." he gestured to Town Hall, "Imagine this thing filled with offices for various city government officials. Sewage, Zoning, Treasury, all under one roof. They would be on the second floor. Top floor would be the mail center so the Mail Couriers could have a central location to work from. The first level would be for town meetings and the courtroom."

"I could imagine it better if we could go in there." I said.

Chris shrugged,
"Sorry man, the building isn't sound, and I didn't need Queenie to tell me that either."

"Why do you keep calling her a queen?" I asked.

"That's pretty much what she is. Granted most queens are married but I'm not inclined to ask." Chris said with a shrug.

"So when is the funeral supposed to happen?" I asked.

"Here before too long." Chris hesitated for a brief moment, "Did anyone tell you who died?"

I shook my head,
"No, I neglected to ask too." I had a sinking feeling that Chris was about to tell me something I didn't want to hear, "Why?"

Chris sighed and scratched the back of his head,
"It was during the battle . . . of course it was during the battle," he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "We lost Spearman."

I took a deep breath and nodded,
"Alright," I nodded again, "Alright."

My mind began replaying all the times I had worked with Spearman. The first time we met, hearing him talk about his kids and how he never cursed or listened to dirty jokes, even around us, because he didn't want to get into the habit of it and slip up in front of his kids. He had always wanted to set a good example for his five kids and now he was dead. He never had a chance to say goodbye to his own children and now he was dead on some world he never belonged in, in the first place. I closed my eyes and said a short prayer for my friend.

I heard a sudden burst of sound from above and I turned my eyes skyward. A dark blue, almost black flare streamed in the clear blue sky. The direction of the flare seemed to be a signal. Chris wordlessly headed off in the direction of the flare and I followed him.

We made our way through the developing town, weaving around buildings and foundations, toward a destination that was unknown to me. Chris seemed to know the way so I followed him. We headed into the orange orchard and emerged from it on the other side, overlooking a long line of Humans and Ponies filing toward the distant tree line. Leading the procession was Mike Joyner carrying a liter that had a white sheet-covered form on it. More and more liters followed the first, fifty-eight in total. Behind the bodies the Humans and Ponies intermingled in a straight line. Toward the rear of the line were the Princesses. Chris made his way through the growing fields of crops and followed the gathering group.

The procession was slow and somber as was proper for such an occasion. Chris and I took up our places at the very back of the line as we all headed toward the treeline to the South-West of New Humansville. It took quite a while for us to reach the shade of the trees and still, even then, we continued walking.

After what I judged to be close to an hour, we emerged into a clearing. The small field was barely large enough to hold all of us. Chris and I couldn't see what was happening so we moved around and politely pushed our way through so we could see.

There were more than fifty-eight freshly dug graves, though all of them were facing East to West. I wondered who the additional graves were for, since there looked to be just over a dozen of them. A second, smaller procession came from the South-West. It consisted of all Ponies and they carried thirteen liters, all covered with white sheets and was led by a Pegasus stallion in Guard armor. I noticed that every single pall-bearer Pony was dressed in the golden colored armor of the Guard. Unicorns levitated two of the liters with their magic, Pegasi carried five liters with their out-stretched wings, and Earth Ponies carried six liters using poles stretched across their backs.

Following the liters was a line of Ponies, many more than I would have guessed. They were all different breeds, ages, and sizes. Nearly all of them were already in tears. Mares and stallions supported each other, some nearly collapsing from their grief. I saw foals crying, some so hard they had to be carried by their parents, and I earnestly hoped that none of them had lost a father.

A presence close to me made me turn my head to my left,
"Would you do the honors of translating the Pony eulogy for the Humans? Razor Wit already agreed to translate the Human eulogy for the Ponies." Celestia asked.

I nodded, it was appropriate enough. The second procession filled up the remaining space in the field and the ones in Guard armor carried their comrades to the thirteen graves that had not had any bodies set next to them yet. The Pegasus stallion who led the second procession took up a place standing next to Joyner. I walked out of the crowd and approached the stallion. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Razor Wit break off from the crowd and approach Joyner.

I stepped up to the stallion and stood next to him,
"I'm your translator." I said simply.

The stallion did not move or answer, his eyes were straight ahead, focused and intense. We had to wait for the second procession to come to a halt before anybody spoke.

Joyner cleared his throat loudly and Razor Wit's horn lit up,
"I am Michael Joyner and I speak for those who have died. We are here today, to lay to rest, those who died in The Battle For New Humansville. These honored dead committed themselves to the defense of both Ponies and Humans alike. Many of these people did not have the benefit of any sort of military training or mental preparation yet they stood their ground and didn't give an inch. They placed themselves as a shield against a foe which before now we had not faced. This is the truest form of selflessness and should be remembered as such. Let us not remember them in the chaos of the battle, but rather celebrate the lives they lived which led up to that action and strive to emulate that essence in everything we do. They should not only be mourned but also celebrated, for their's is an example to follow, of the highest caliber. Their memory, we honor today. We pray that in death, they will find the peace they fought for in life. They did not fight for war, glory, or recognition, but for peace. Let us all work toward that same goal in our everyday lives."

He turned to the graves and threw a sharp salute,
"Rest well. May you find your reward in that place beyond this life, we have yet to go." he lowered his hand and turned back to the gathering, "In this time of sorrow we may feel angry or bitter toward the Diamond Dogs, but let us not forget that they were victims in this, just as much as we are. They lost an entire city's worth of civilians and it was their soldiers who gave us what little time we had. Let us not consider them an enemy, but a people whose suffering is even greater than our own, for we are all as one in this time of loss.

The Pegasus stallion spoke next, and I began translating,
"I am Stiff Breeze, Captain Commander of the Civil Guard. All Pegasi in attendance, rise on the wind for the delivery of the eulogy, as is tradition any time a Pegasus is put to rest." he said in a loud clarion voice.

There was a stirring within the entire crowd and Pegasi began rising into the air. The multicolored group pulled up, on an even level with the tree tops and provided a bit of shade. Each and every one of them was silent.

The stallion began,
"The families of these thirteen Ponies who perished in the Battle For New Humansville have all agreed to have their lost loved ones buried alongside those they fought with as a symbol of honor to all who gave their lives. Let it be known that these thirteen, along with the rest of the Civil Guard volunteered to be placed here. They received no extra monetary compensation and were not coerced into doing so. They fought and died to protect beings they had no prior knowledge of and toward whom they owed nothing yet their decision was as firm as their commitment and they proved that beyond any shadow of a doubt. The sorrow within the hearts of their families is matched only by their solemn pride at the honor of their actions. That honor is the greatest any being can ever hope to be given: to give their all, the highest price any may be asked, so that others may live. Let them be remembered as dutiful sons, honorable brothers, dedicated uncles, and loving fathers as appropriate. As I call the names of each, would their families please come forward and perform the final rest as you have arranged."

"Stone Wall, Earth Pony, age nineteen." the stallion said.

Eighteen other Ponies emerged from the gathering. They were of all breeds, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns. Mares and stallions of all ages were in the family, as were three crying foals carried on their elder's backs. The Ponies stopped in front of the rows of graves and Stiff Breeze stepped up to one of the covered forms. He bit the white sheet and reverently pulled it down, revealing the still form of a white Earth Pony clad in gold colored armor. Stiff Breeze stood to the side and the adults of the family began carefully removing the Stone Wall's armor. Once it was removed, Stone Wall was revealed to be a bright reddish-orange stallion with a mane and tail of very light sky blue. The family set the armor aside on the grass then formed a circle around him, their shoulders touching.

Every adult in the family gently planted their noses against the body and spoke loudly in unison,
"As you once were, so shall you be once more. Let the dirt embrace you for your time is done, go and be one with the earth. The world has dimmed with your passing and the rivers weep the song of the ages as an eternal lullaby. Go now to your final rest. When you awaken, it will be to the infinite fields of eternity where the souls of your forebears wait to welcome you with rejoicing and gladness. You have made them proud, as you have honored us by joining the gift of your life to ours and making our lives full and plentiful. We thank you for the laughter and memories and we vow to keep you in our alive in our hearts and minds so long as we shall live. Be at peace, child of the earth." with their words spoken, they all nosed their snouts under the body, lifted him up, carried him over the grave and reverently lowered him into the ground.

The family slowly retreated back to the crowd and Stiff Breeze spoke up again,
"Stern Gale, Pegasus, age twenty-nine."

Twenty-two Ponies broke away from the crowd. Just like before, the family was of all breeds, genders, and ages. I noticed many more foals in the second group and, as if only to strengthen my sorrow, I heard three of the fillies cry out, 'Daddy' when Stiff Breeze removed the sheet. The Ponies gathered around the body of a Pegasus stallion and they began removing his armor. Stern Gale turned out to be sea blue coated stallion who had a mane and tail of royal blue. As soon as the fillies saw him, they broke forth into renewed sobbing. I supposed that seeing him as they knew him only made the scene that much more real for them. My heart went out to those three fillies, but I held back my own tears.

The entire family gathered around the body and I initially expected them to repeat what the first family had said. They did not.

"Nose to the wind, wings spread wide, fly now beyond sight and into the sky beyond the sky. Linger not here for your home lies above. A flight of your ancestors is waiting to find you. Join their flight and explore the wind, for the earth is but a speck, but the sky goes on forever. The winds of eternity are wild and untamed and a great gale threatens all. Go and tame the wind once more, as you did in life and may you fight on until all is tame and safe. We thank you for the laughter and memories and we vow to keep you alive in our hearts and minds so long as we shall live. Be at peace, child of the wind." as before, they nosed their snouts under the body, lifted, carried it over a grave and slowly lowered it down into the ground.

The family retreated back to the gathering or into the sky.

"Shiver, Unicorn, age twenty-two." Stiff Breeze said.

The family that came forward was much smaller than the others, only eleven Ponies. None were foals. Same as the first two, they gingerly removed his armor with their teeth and set it on the ground. Shiver turned out to be an ice blue Unicorn with a snowy white mane and tail.

They gathered around him and, just like the others, placed their noses against his body and spoke in unison,
"Born to die, the cycle continues as you knew it would. The time given to every life is different for all and your time has passed. May you join with those who found the highest roads of knowledge and wisdom and may you bring them that which they sought, that it might be added to their own and grow in strength. Join now with the magic of the world that conceived your light brought you forth to us for a time. Let it guide you and lead you on the great journey that lies ahead. Discover the truths of all things and take your rest, knowing all was as it should be. We thank you for the laughter and memories and we vow to keep you alive in our hearts and minds so long as we shall live. Be at peace, child of magic." they nosed their snouts under the body and did as before, lowering him into the ground.

Each and every family came forward and performed the same rite according to the breed of the deceased. After the families were finished Earth Ponies came forward and filled in the graves which held other Earth Ponies. The Pegasi dispersed and landed all around and began gathering sticks then throwing them into the graves which held Pegasi. Unicorns of the families of the dead Unicorns gathered around each of the Unicorn's graves and lit their horns. I couldn't see what they did, but a strange golden light shone from each of the Unicorn's graves. The Unicorns finished and filled in the graves with dirt. The Pegasi stopped gathering sticks and stood back as one Pegasus from each family flew into the sky and brought forth a cloud over the graves. The Pegasi pounded down lightning into each grave, setting the sticks aflame.

Stiff Breeze stood still as a stone as the Guard pallbearers surrounded all the graves in the field. He stomped his right fore hoof and the Guards saluted in perfect unison. They held their pose for exactly ten seconds the lowered their hooves.

A loud, feminine voice echoed up out of the crowd and I recognized Cessily's tone instantly,
"A-ha-maaaaazing graaaaace hooooow sweeeeet thuuuuh souuuuund . . . "

I felt myself immediately tearing up. I had been holding back as well as I could, but hearing Richardson's soulful rendition of my favorite hymn sent me over the edge. I blinked my eyes and the tears fell, staining my cheeks, but I kept my head up and watched as many, many others did the same.

As Cessily continued, I raised my voice and joined her,
"Tha-hat saaaaaved a-ha wreeeeetch li-hike meeeeeeeeee, I-hi ooooonce wa-has looooost, bu-hut nooooow aaaaam fouuuuund . . . " I cried all the harder as a chorus of voices joined in, it sounded like a perfect choir, "Wa-has bliiiiind bu-hut nooooow I-hi seeeeeeeeee . . . "

I could hear more and more voices joining in, not just Humans, but Ponies too. They sung not a single word of the song, but they lent their voices to the tune all the same. It was beautiful and perfect. I blinked to clear my eyes and I beheld a sight as if from heaven itself. The entire crowd, Humans, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, and even the Alicorns were glowing with a bright golden aura. All eyes were closed save mine and I fell to my knees in reverence of what was happening all around me. I closed my eyes and sung out with all my heart, my own voice lost among an ocean, completely joined together for the first time, hearts, minds, and souls in mourning.

"Twa-has graaaaace tha-hat tauuuuught myyyyy heaaaaart tooooo feeeeear, a-hand graaaaace myyyyy feeeeears re-he-leeeeeeeeeeved, ho-how preeeeecio-hous diiiiid tha-hat graaaaace aaaaappear the-he hooooour I-hi fiiiiirst be-helieeeeeved . . . " during the third verse, the voices rose to a crescendo and I would swear I heard music from somewhere, "Throu-hough maaaaany daaaaangers, toiiiiils, aaaaand snaaaaares I-hi haaaaave alreeeeeady coooooooooom, twa-has graaaaace tha-hat broooooght meeeee saaaaafe thuuuuus faaaaar a-hand graaaaace wiiiiil leeeeead meeeee hoooooooooome."

The entire gathering lapsed into silence and something that had long ago hardened in my heart shattered to pieces. I had shed some tears when I told Razor about how I missed my family, but I hadn't been able to actually let out anything significant. When something broke apart inside me, it let loos everything I had kept pent up inside, not just some of it, all of it. I wrapped my arms around myself and rocked back and forth on the ground. I was weeping so hard I thought I might die. I was helpless against the onslaught of emotion. I felt myself begin to tip over, but I could not care any less. I felt a pressure against my right side holding me up and a second pressure against my left. I didn't care who it was, I wrapped my arms around them and pulled them close, unable to see through my tears and unwilling to care enough to try. I cried and cried until I could cry no more.

I slowly calmed down and finally cracked open my eyes. Chris was knelt down on the ground on my left and his arms around my shoulders were a bulwark against my slowly ebbing feelings. To my right was Razor Wit, muzzle burried against my chest as she held me up with her body, pressed against my right side. The rest of the field was mostly empty, save for a few families who were still at the graves of their loved ones.

'Chris and Razor,' I thought, 'You two stayed with me until I was done.' I smiled and hugged them once more, 'Thank you.' I thought, holding them tighter, 'Truly, thank you.'

Chapter 32: Laid To Rest: Part 2

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Chris, Razor, and I untangled ourselves from each other and returned to New Humansville. We walked slowly, saying little. There wasn't much to be said. With pent up feelings and frustrations finally spent, we perked up a good deal on the way back. I felt normal enough once we arrived that I headed to the lunch buffet tables.

When the Princesses cater something, they CATER it. There were literally hundreds of tables set all around the Town Square each with a single dish set out and loads more waiting to be used. Steaming trays sported all kinds various foods, some familiar, many not. Some of the more familiar ones were deviled eggs, ice cold potato salad, and crisp cucumber sandwiches. One of the dishes that absolutely threw me for a loop was something very much like tuna salad except the slightly disturbed looking Unicorn serving the food at the table claimed it was salmon salad. The other dish that really surprised me was steamed shrimp. The Unicorn working that particular table looked positively green, probably because the shrimp had not been gutted or prepped, only boiled and their little eyes were clearly visible.

Of the more unusual foods, I saw the standard Equestrian salad, which was as hearty as ever, a type of fried hay or straw, sandwiches made of flowers, a type of bark laid out in strips with this gray paste dolloped on top that I had never even seen a Pony eat before and finally, the most odd of all, were huge mounds of what looked suspiciously like flame broiled weeds.

Alex Ludwig was manning the table that had the fried weeds on it. He had a fire pit behind the table and seemed to be making plates of the stuff by the order. A small banner hanging on the front of the table claimed it was a recipe that had was a New Humansville specialty called 'Garden Garbage Medley'. I was surprised to see a long line of Ponies waiting for their turn to try some.

After making a plate heaping with food, I took the time to catch up with all my friends and find out what I had missed. There was a lot to hear about. I managed to gather up Razor and Twilight as well as all the other girls and introduced them to all my friends. Razor apparently had already met Chris and Alex at some point and I was thankful she had a solid command of American so I didn't have to translate everything for her.

I made it a point to talk to as many of the family members of the deceased Civil Guard as I could. The conversations were awkward but they were very polite so that made the entire ordeal much easier to handle. I told them how much it meant to me that their loved ones had dedicated themselves to safeguarding my friends and that they would be welcome, if they decided to move to New Humansville. To my slight surprise three of the families said they were already planning on it. They claimed it was so they could watch the town and beings their family had died for, grow and develop. I didn't fully understand their reasoning, but then again, I hardly knew anything about their culture.

After I spoke with the families, I wondered around for a while until I spotted Bobby sitting down next to a fantastically gorgeous red headed woman I had never seen before. That fact struck me as singularly odd, since I knew almost everyone who was with us when we arrived and I was absolutely certain I had never seen this woman before.

The two of them were sitting alone on one of the vacant foundations behind one of the two story stone buildings when I approached them. Both had plates of food sitting on their laps. Bobby was chowing down on his food but the woman's plate looked completely untouched. I examined her as I drew closer to the pair. She was thin, but in a healthy way, her skin was fair, her figure was full, she was clean looking and her hands were delicate and slender. She was wearing a long, sleeveless baby blue dress that went down to her feet.

"Hey Bobby, long time no see." I said jovially.

He looked up from his plate,
"Oh hey man." he set his plate aside and rose to his feet and shook my hand, "Glad to have you back with us." he looked at the side of my head and my thin build, "You know, I have to be honest with you, if Chris hadn't told me who you were, I would never have recognized you."

I smiled at the playful jab,
"And who is this." I asked gesturing to the woman, "I don't believe we've met."

Bobby turned around and motioned to the woman,
"None of us had until she appeared out of the forest and just wandered into town. We can't figure out the story behind her but she's friendly as all get-out. She doesn't talk though. I've taken to calling her Becky." he lowered his voice, "Luna claimed she's a creature called a Changeling, but so far I haven't seen anything but a woman."

I held my tongue, knowing a little about Changelings from hearing Twilight talking about them. They were parasitic creatures that Twilight had described as hideous, cruel, greedy, and morally destitute, willing to do anything because they didn't care about anyone or anything other than themselves. I had never heard her speak with such virulence as when I heard her talk about Changelings. Apparently their leader duked it out with Celestia and came out on top, a very sobering notion. 'Becky' set aside her plate and rose to her feet. She smiled at me then opened her arms as if for a hug. 'She's in disguise so she probably won't hurt me and shying away might make her suspicious.'

Completely forgetting what Twilight had told me about my magic earlier that very morning, I hugged her. The moment my hands touched her, her form shimmered then vanished. She went stiff as a board and didn't move, I wasn't sure she was breathing. I saw her body change color and I kicked myself mentally, 'You . . . IDIOT.' Bobby took a step back but other than that held his reaction. I realized her disguise was gone and nearly panicked, 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! What do I do?' I screwed up my courage and decided to take a gamble, a very stupid gamble. Twilight had told me that Changelings could speak so I went with a quiet tone.

I cleared my throat and spoke in a near whisper in Velevsovth,
"Do not be afraid." as soon as the words left my mouth, she tensed, it was so slight I almost missed it, and would have had I not been prepared, "You're in no danger. I know what you are, but as long as you don't bring any harm to anyone, I see no reason to call you out. Nod if you understand me."

She nodded very subtly into my shoulder, so I continued,
"We already knew. Princess Luna identified you days ago but she didn't do anything to you. Think very carefully about your next move. There are two ways this could end for you and the choice is yours. I'm going to let you go now and if you want, you can attack Bobby and I the way Changelings did in Canterlot, but be warned, if you do we will win and you will not walk away. You have a chance here. We are not of your world and we may well help you. Tragedy or triumph, live or die, make your choice."

I slowly unwrapped my arms from around her,
"Bobby, I've given her a choice. If she attacks, try to take her alive, if she doesn't, let me try talking to her."

Bobby nodded and I saw him slip his right hand behind his back as I let go of 'Becky' completely. I stepped back, ready but refusing to make the first move. I was shocked at her, I assumed 'her', appearance. Her skin looked like chitin but I had felt something more akin to smooth leather under my fingers. Her eyes were the same huge size as a Pony but she had no pupil or iris, the entirety of each eye was baby blue, just like her dress. Small fangs protruded from her short muzzle and a jagged hole-filled horn rose up from her forehead. Her four limbs were Pony-like but filled with circular holes that seemed to go clear through her limbs. She stood on her hind legs for a moment, unmoving. She had a surprisingly expressive face for something that looked almost bug-like. My comprehension of Kavim expressions was far from perfect but the look of fear and trepidation spread across her features was unmistakable. I noticed something else, she was thin, more so than I was. The blue dress hung off her shoulders loosely, attesting to the thinness of her frame. Her build was slight and I guessed she didn't even weigh a hundred pounds. She was a demure, tiny little thing and for the life of me, I couldn't fathom why Twilight had seemed so angry, so bitter, it bordered on hateful. The creature in front of us looked almost like a terrified, malnourished, adolescent.

Bobby didn't move, 'Becky' didn't move, and I didn't move. We all just stood in a triangle, staring at each other for almost a full minute.

Being the impatient one, I broke the silence,
"If you're going not going to attack or flee, you might want to put your disguise back on." I said in Velensovth.

She blinked, I had never seen anything insect-like blink before, before her horn lit up and her disguise as 'Becky' came back up. She didn't make a single move, even after her disguise was in place. Her fearful expression translate over, almost perfectly onto her Human face.

She was not what I would consider 'cute' or 'adorable' by any stretch of the imagination, but her expression was just too pitiful for even me to ignore,
"It's alright," I said softly in Velensovth, "If you don't hurt us, we won't hurt you."

"What are you saying over there?" Bobby asked.

"I'm trying to keep her calm. Bear with me man." I replied in American.

"I have to leave." she said, speaking for the first time, "The Princesses, they'll kill me."

Her voice gave me the impression of a young woman, I turned to Bobby,
"Does she sound almost like a kid to you?"

Bobby nodded,
"In tone and pitch, yeah."

I turned back to her,
"If Princess Luna didn't do anything to you before, what makes you think she'll do anything now?" I asked, "If she left you alone maybe you should take it as an opportunity." I decided to switch tactics, "Why are you here?"

Her large eyes narrowed,
"To steal love of course! That's all Changelings ever do!" she said angrily, it was obviously a sore subject, "We kidnap and kill Ponies so we can take their form and steal love and cause pain and suffering!"

I crossed my arms and pursed my lips,
"Uh-huh. You want to calm down and tell me why you're REALLY here?"

"I was starving alright!" she spat, "We're dying because of the Queen! She promised us food! She promised us no more nights spent staring up at the night sky, waiting to die of starvation! We believed her and we fought and we lost and now we have even less than we did before!" she looked torn between wanting to cry and wanting to fight.

I thought I didn't have control of my emotions, this poor thing was a train-wreck,
"We all fought, every one of us who could fly!" I saw Celestia poke her head around the corner of the building behind 'Becky', "We fought and died! The shield of love that pushed us out, it supersaturated any who touched it! There was too much love! The ones who touched it swelled up and split open like overripe melons! Thousands of us, dead in the badlands! My Mother and Father, my sisters, they're all DEAD!" she looked ready to fight, "The Ponies knew! The Queen told us! She went to the Ponies and pleaded our case!" she took a breath and seemed to swell with anger, "They didn't care! The Ponies knew we were starving and they didn't care! We were too ugly!" she yelled, "They didn't care that we watched our young starve to death! They didn't care because we aren't born as pretty as they are! I don't know why they didn't kill you off!" she pointed toward me, she was nearly hyperventilating, "You're as ugly as I am! Maybe if I kill you, they'll let me live!"

I couldn't tell if Bobby saw Celestia, he was too far in my peripherals. I nearly flinched when I saw Twilight poke her head around the opposite corner from her former mentor, while 'Becky' was still talking. She looked puzzled that this seemingly normal Human woman was so fluent in Velensovth for a moment, then her horn lit up and her face darkened.

As soon as 'Becky' paused for a breath, I held up my hands, speaking to her but also speaking to the two watching Alicorns,
"Let's just calm down and talk about this. Nobody's going to do anything rash. I'm not going to hurt you, and you haven't made a single threatening motion to us either. You're obviously upset, but you need to try to calm down." I said, "I don't know about you," I said to all three females, "But I like to at least TRY to judge on a case by case basis. Making broad assumptions about anybody because of their species doesn't seem right to me." I took a step toward 'Becky', "Just calm down and we can help you."

Bobby stepped in front of me, he did not look very happy,
"I have no idea what you said to piss her off so bad, but you need to back off, right now. She may not be pretty, but she hasn't done anything wrong, that I've seen, so just leave her alone."

Behind him, 'Becky's face registered shock, but she quickly smoothed it over,
"I'm leaving before one of the Alicorns gets me. If one of them knows, it's just a matter of time before they capture me, and I won't endanger the remains of the Hive anymore than necessary. You two are the first to actually give me a chance, but I can't stay, and if you're smart, you'll get away from the Ponies before they turn on you." she halfway turned before looking back, "I can't understand him, but he's defending me isn't he."

I nodded and she continued,
"Tell him," she said gesturing to Bobby, "Thank you for me. I've never had anyone stand up for me before, after they saw the real me. I promise, as much as I am able, I'll try to make sure none of the Hive ever hurts one of you."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Alana." she turned around and froze.

Standing at the mouth of the alleyway between the two buildings was Celestia,
"That's a very pretty name." she said softly.

Alana took a step back from Celestia only to fin herself grabbed from behind by Bobby,
"Leave her alone!" he shouted, pushing her behind himself.

Celestia smiled,
"Did you know," she began, "That Changelings can weave compulsory spells around their victims, often making them turn on their friends, even family?"

Twilight's eyes narrowed as she spoke, but Celestia continued,
"How interesting then, that you chose to defend her when she is threatened, yet she has not used one on you." she said in American.

Alana shifted and Celestia's smile vanished, she spoke to the Changeling in Velensovth,
"We have not been idle since the Changeling attack, we have developed spells to detect that sort of thing, thanks to Twilight. Our counter-spells for Mind magic were extremely limited since we did not use them with great frequency," she added the next part under her breath, "Until recently, thanks to you crazy Humans." she cleared her throat, "I have already seen that you have yet to do anything untoward against the citizens of this town. That being the case, should you wish to leave at any time," she seemed almost reluctant to say the next part, "Neither I, nor anypony else has the right to force you to stay against your will." she let out a sigh that spoke volumes of her difficulty with the statement, "Furthermore, I will halt any who decide to impede your departure. I will ask that if you decide to leave, please do so quietly. We have many emotionally distraught families here and a scene would not be good for them."

Alana didn't move, Bobby spoke up,
"Jesus Princess, she's shaking like a leaf! What the fuck did you say to her!?"

"I told her she was free to leave if she wished. I suspect she believes I plan to fall back on my word as she is terrified of me."

"She's telling the truth Bobby." I said in American.

Alana slowly and gently pushed Bobby away, Bobby looked back to her, realizing what was coming next,
"Tell him I'm sorry." she turned and ran.

Bobby chased after her, but Celestia never made a move, surprisingly, neither did Twilight. I watched the two of them slowly vanish in to distance.

I turned back to Celestia,
"Was there any truth to her accusations?" I asked, "Did you know they were starving?"

Celestia closed her eyes and nodded,
"I did." I opened my mouth to lambast her, but she continued speaking, "Queen Chrysalis sent a messenger to Canterlot with a letter. In that letter she described a food shortage the Changelings had been suffering. Now, mind you, they had been infiltrating Equestria for thousands of years and we knew what they were. Nevertheless Luna and I responded to her letter, saying we would do anything, within reason, to help."

Celestia opened her eyes and looked straight at me,
"She is a proud one, that Queen. She waited until the situation was desperate. She demanded that one Pony per Changeling be sent to the Badlands to serve as food for her subjects. They were to live out the rest of their lives as literal meal factories, cocooned in sacks. Now Chrysalis assured me their dream worlds while in the sacks would be paradise, but we could never send thousands of our subjects to such a fate."

Celestia paused for a breath before continuing,
"I offered Chrysalis an alternative plan in my response letter. I offered to ask Ponies to volunteer to feed the Hive if the Changelings came to Equestria. Chrysalis refused, adamant that her plan was the only way and that there were enough Ponies to repopulate. She accused me of lying to her and said Equestria did not have the right to withhold food that could sustain her own subjects. Luna came up with a second offer to send Ponies to the Badlands to settle a colony nearby to establish a type of trade agreement. She refused yet again and swore revenge against Luna and I and all the Ponies within Canterlot."

Celestia shook her head,
"Shining Armor erected a shield around all of Canterlot for protection. What none of us had anticipated was that Chrysalis herself was already in Canterlot, posing as Cadence, Shining Armor's bride." Celestia huffed moodily and continued, "The rest of the story you already know. I believe that Chrysalis' first letter was genuine, but that her second and third letters were a ruse. She apparently altered events substantially and convinced the Changelings that Equestria was an enemy." she hung her head sadly, "I had no idea that so many of them perished. I was so angry I neglected to send out anypony to investigate. If Cadence knew, it would tear her apart."

I closed my mouth, unable to find it in my heart to condemn her. Chrysalis owed her subjects a great deal it seemed. Twilight came out from her corner and nuzzled Celestia affectionately. I could only shake my head and look at the ground, what a mess.

After a moment I raised my head and sighed dejectedly,
"Alright then, when are we going to get on with this meeting and where is it supposed to be held?" I asked Celestia.

"It will be held in the empty area around the lake." Celestia said, "I need to go check on the preparations."

"You wouldn't be hoping to spot a certain Changeling from the air would you?" I asked.

Celestia looked at me with an expression I had never seen before,
"I do NOT fall back on my word." with that she spread her wings and took to the sky.

* * *

Once I returned to the reception, I was approached by a certain impressively well-built white stallion,
"I've heard a lot about you from Twilight." he said extending his right fore hoof, "Shining Armor."

We were in the Town Square among the Humans and Ponies. Most had finished eating and were simply chatting among themselves. The two groups seemed to stay away from intermingling, the language barrier was still a problem for everyone except Razor and I.

I grasped his hoof, the millions of tiny hairs on the bottom of his hoof tightening around my fingers,
"Dan Pering, but my friends call me Artex Rias."

Shining smirked and lowered his hoof,
"Crash Course huh? Good name according to what Twilight told me. She says you're one tough nut."

"Yeah, you shouldn't believe everything you hear." I replied, "I'm a wimp and my pain tolerance threshold is really low." I gestured to my arms, "Do I look like any sort of tough person?"

Shining Armor smiled up at me,
"Asks the one who ventured off alone to help his people, got his face rearranged, took on a pack of Timber Wolves solo, and is the only Human present who can speak Velensovth."

I rolled my eyes,
"Smart ass."

Shining Armor cocked his head in confusion,
"I'm not a Donkey."

I face-palmed and shook my head,
"It's a Human expression, never mind."

"Twilight said you were powerful." Shining ventured, "You can stop magic with a touch?"

I nodded my head,
"Yeah, that's true. I try not to use it though because it's apparently painful for the Unicorn when I break their spell."

"I'll be sure to remember that. What are your Noun and Verb levels?" he asked.

"Well for my hands, I think Twilight said my Destruction was a four and my Magic was a . . . five I think." I said.

Shining Armor's eyes widened,
"Woah, a four and a five? I'm a three in Destruction and a five in Magic. My strongest combination is Creation and Magic, together any spell I cast with those two is an eleven, which is actually higher than Twilight but the rest of my Nouns and Verbs are threes. I focused on Creation and I was born with a knack for Magic so it's extra potent. I'm impressed."

"Don't be," I deadpanned, " I'm 'blind' in most Nouns and Verbs."

Shining cringed,
"Eesh," he patted my hand, "I'm sorry."

I shrugged,
"I lived my entire life without any magic at all before I came here so I'm happy to have any at all."

Cadence trotted up behind Shining Armor and nipped at his left flank playfully,
"YIPE!"

He turned around quickly and Cadence gave him a peck on the cheek,
"Come on, we need to be going."

He turned back to me and smiled,
"Well looks like it's time for me to go." he offered his hoof to me once more, "Good to meet you Artex."

I shook his hoof,
"You as well." I turned to Cadence, "Maybe next time we can talk too ma'am."

Cadence smiled warmly,
"I hope so. Twilight has such interesting things to say about you."

The two of them departed and I was left standing in place wondering what to do next. A tap on my right shoulder answered that question quickly enough. I turned and saw Bobby standing right behind me. He looked forlorn and winded.

"You couldn't catch her huh?" I asked sadly.

Bobby shook his head, he looked crestfallen and very sad,
"I tried man, but she was too fast. Once she was out of town she shifted into her natural form and took to the air." he hung his head, "She never did anything wrong, Crash." he clenched his hands into fists, "Why did the Princess have to chase her away."

I rested my right hand on his shoulder,
"It wasn't her fault. She never threatened Alana."

Bobby's head snapped up suddenly,
"That was her name?" he shook his head, "She may not have been pretty in her true form but . . . " he stomped his left foot angrily, "She was a nice person."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. Twilight told me just this morning about my magic and I completely forgot." I said.

Bobby looked puzzled,
"What do you mean? Humans don't have magic."

"Yeah we do. That's why her disguise failed when my hands touched her. I have constant effect magic on my hands that disrupts spells. I'm sorry Bobby, if I had remembered what Twilight told me this would never have happened." I said.

He looked at me, face unreadable. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on behind those eyes. What was he thinking, feeling. His right fist connecting with the left side of my jaw spun me half way around. It hurt like hell and I almost fell over. He had one hell of a right hook. I gripped my jaw and turned back toward him but he was already walking away into the crowd. I just stood there, watching him silently as he disappeared from view.

"I'm sorry Bobby." I said quietly.

Princess Celestia landed on the cobblestones amidst the crowd of Humans and Ponies and raised her head,
"Will all residents of New Humansville please go down to the prepared area around the lake for the discussion of rules, regulations, and laws. Those of you who do not live here are welcome to attend if you wish but are under absolutely no obligation to do so. There will be a catered dinner for all attendees during a recess in the meeting and desert will be catered at the conclusion of the meeting. We will see you there."

I sighed and began walking in the direction everyone else was,
"Time to go to work."

Chapter 32: Laid To Rest: Part 3

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The walk down to the area around the lake was a pleasant one. The sun was out and shining but sporadic clouds provided some shade and it wasn't too hot either. I caught a glimpse of the meeting place as it was downhill from the town proper. A short wooden stage had been erected with the back of it facing the lake. Set on the stage were a few chairs and couches as well as a podium which had a microphone stand on the top. There were also three writing desks set up with couches behind them where quills and paper were already set out. The areas to the left, right, and front of the stage were lined with blankets, cushions, benches and chairs with room to seat nearly two thousand by my estimate. Speakers had also been set out around the area with one in each of the corners of the stage, facing outward and a small sound booth directly in behind the stage.

I knew I was supposed to be one of the ones on the stage itself so I headed in that direction. I weaved through the Humans and Ponies who were already seated on blankets, cushions, benches, and chairs. They were still filtering down from the town so I took my time. The arrangement of chairs in the first row struck me a somewhat odd and I spotted pieces of paper dictating seat reservations. I picked one of them up and read the name, which was written in both Velensovth and American, 'Leo Brock', I looked at the one next to it, which was a blanket, 'Gale Force'. The order of seating seemed to be Human, Kavim, Human, Kavin. I shrugged and mounted the stage then took the one chair meant for a Human, obviously me.

I watched as the crowd continued finding their seats and made it a point to wave as cheerfully as I could when I spotted Leo take his seat up front. Leo saw me wave and scowled then gave me the finger. His scowl broke into a somewhat friendly grin a moment later and he waved back then took his seat.

I pulled my shoulder bag off and set it on the ground then opened it up and removed my notes. From the time I had spent in Ponyville, I had taken the steps to learn how law deciding meetings were conducted. One individual would bring a topic to light and from there each individual on the stage would present their opinion of the topic, either for or against. After that point the audience had the chance to rise and be recognized then present their own opinion. After all opinions had been heard the audience and those on stave would either vote the law active or modify it until such a time that a vote was decisive. A full two-thirds of the voters had to agree on a vote for the motion to pass.

I waited and watched as everybody took their seats. A white Unicorn mare with an electric blue mane and tail trotted up to the stage and tapped on the microphone to check it. Seemingly satisfied, she trotted back off the stage and returned to the sound booth. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight landed regally on the stage and took their couches as Razor trotted up and sat down right on the front row. A Pegasus, an Earth Pony, and a Unicorn took their places on the couches behind the three writing desks.

I waited until the last stragglers were seated before I stood up and approached the podium. Thank God I had taken a class on public speaking, otherwise I would have been petrified to see so many faces all staring at me. I looked down, shuffled my notes into order, and set them down on the podium then looked back up again.

I cleared my throat and tilted the microphone toward my face,
"Everyone who can hear me, raise your right hand." I said in American.

Every Human hand rose, so I nodded and continued in Velensovth,
"Everypony who can hear me, raise your right fore hoof."

Every hoof rose and I nodded,
"We are here today because there is a division between our two peoples." I then repeated the same in Velensovth, then switched back to American, "This division is due to the vast differences in our two great cultures and must be remedied." I said the same in Velensovth, then continued in American, "To that end, for the sake of equality, the Princesses have opened the law books of Equestria today for revisions, changes, and the addition of new laws." I repeated the same for the Ponies once more, "This is a Law Tribunal and will be conducted in such a manner. To this end, if you wish to speak, wait for the proper time then stand and wait to be acknowledged. Every voice will be heard, but interruptions will not be tolerated. If you interrupt another while they are speaking, you will be asked to leave immediately. This rule is universal to all, Humans and Ponies alike."

(From this point onward, in order to streamline the process of the meeting, all words are assumed to be translated.)

"The first issue to be addressed is the formation of a uniformed group whose purpose is to act as first respondents in any emergency. This is the first decision to be made and here is my opinion on the subject. These first respondents, these Community Welfare Guardians, will need to be capable of responding to a myriad of emergencies with both Humans and Ponies in mind. I believe that to have the C.W.G. work in pairs, one Pony and one Human, would be for the best and provide for the most balanced and efficient response to save lives. They will be populated only with volunteers and trained by a group of elected representatives. Their pay will be the same amount as the Civil Guard since the responsibilities will be nearly identical. I also believe they will require a centralized facility from which to organize and hold perpetrators who have broken laws as needed. I will now turn over the stage to Princess Twilight so that we can hear her own thoughts on the matter."

I walked back to my chair as Twilight took the podium,
"I agree with everything Artex has said . . . "

A Human woman stood up but said nothing.

Twilight looked slightly perturbed,
"It is not yet time to hear from you."

The woman stayed standing so Twilight motioned with her left fore hoof for the woman to speak,
"Who is Artex?"

Twilight blinked in surprise,
"Oh, you know him as Daniel, his nickname is Crash Course which translates into Artex Rias in Velensovth."

The woman sat back down without another word, Twilight continued,
"I apologize for the confusion." she cleared her throat and continued, "I completely agree with everything Artex said and I would like to add a few ideas of my own. The C.W.G. does need to consist of both Ponies and Humans, however I believe that while many might be inclined to think that the Pony would be the 'lead' as it were, I believe both should be equal in all regards and would like that to be specified in the law. Furthermore, I would like to remind all here that the C.W.G. are going to act as first respondents only to save lives and not property, as property can be replaced. I would like that also specified in the law. I will now turn the podium over to Princess Celestia."

Twilight went back to her couch as Celestia took the podium,
"I agree with both Artex and Twilight, however I believe there should be a stipulation to the 'lives vs. property' clause. The C.W.G. may take action to ensure that life-saving medical equipment, facilities, and medicines are kept safe as well. I also believe that the C.W.G. should be given emergency allowance for acting as defenders of Equestria. I have nothing else to add so I will now turn the podium over to my my sister Luna."

Celestia returned to her bench as Luna stepped up to the podium,
"I agree with Artex, Twilight, and my sister, but it must be a foregone conclusion that the C.W.G. will require specialized equipment to ensure they are capable of responding to various situations. To that end, I believe the Royal Treasury should fund the development of their equipment. I have nothing further to add, so with that in mind, I will turn the podium back over to Artex."

Luna headed back to her couch and I stepped up to the podium again,
"At this time, we will hear from any of you who have any concerns, questions, or comments regarding the C.W.G. If you have a question, comment, or concern please stand up and wait to be called upon."

At least thirty Humans and Ponies stood up,
"Yes, the Pegasus mare on the fourth row. Please state your name and your perspective."

"Triple Filter. Who do the C.W.G. answer to as a check to their authority?" she asked.

"Excellent question ma'am." I gestured behind me toward the three Alicorns, "Would one of you like to answer her question?"

Twilight rose to her hooves and I stepped aside to give her access to the podium,
"The C.W.G. will be required to adhere to all laws that govern Equestria that the Civil Guard do, with allowances for extenuating circumstances. If a grievance is brought against any member of the C.W.G. they will undergo the same process the Civil Guards does in an identical situation. They will answer to Commander Stiff Breeze in the same fashion as the Civil Guard. He will not directly oversee them however the New Humansville C.W.G. Captain will be responsible for that. Does that answer your question Triple Filter?"

The Pegasus mare bowed and sat back down,
"Thank you Princess."

I retook my position at the podium and selected a Human man next,
"Yes sir, in the eighteenth row on the right."

"Jim Flint. So the C.W.G. will be made of pairs of partners, but the Commander is a Pony? That hardly seems fair. Why not have the Commanders share equal authority or just have the Pony as Commander of the Ponies and the Human Commander stay here as Commander of the Humans? Or better yet, just have a single Commander of the entire C.W.G. based here as its own separate entity?"

I decided to field the question,
"While yes, the C.W.G. will be unique to New Humansville, such a division might be seen as a sort of favoritism of Humans over Ponies. Also, having two Commanders when only one is actually needed is redundant and would create unnecessary strain on taxpayers. Is that an acceptable answer sir?"

He didn't look very happy, he crossed his arms but sat back down, so I moved on,
"Yes sir, the Earth Pony in the . . . twenty ninth row, speak loudly please."

"Spearmint, the C.W.G. is supposed to be first respondents, right? Well what kind of specific situations will they be allowed to respond to?" he asked.

"Excellent question sir, we will be addressing that here shortly, please retain your question until that time." I said easily.

I pointed to someone I had been intentionally neglecting,
"Yes sir, in the first row."

"Mike Joyner, I'm not certain if this is a given, but does the Civil Guard have an command structure? And if so, what is it modeled after?" he asked.

"It is based off a military system of ranks that most resembles the ARMY. Does that satisfy your question?" I asked.

He sat back down and I selected a Unicorn mare,
"Yes ma'am, on the twelfth row."

"Cherry Blossom, will mares be allowed to join the Civil Guard or the C.W.G.?" she asked.

"We will be deciding on that later on. Please remember your question for later." I decided to make a small statement, "Does anybody have a question pertaining to the command structure or organization of the C.W.G.?"

Everybody sat down, so I continued on,
"Vote by standing please. All in favor of the creation of the Community Welfare Guardians."

Nearly everybody stood up, it was well more than two-thirds,
"Motion passed. Let the commission be enscribed into law under the title of Community Welfare Guardians." I paused briefly while the three scribes wrote down the new entry, "Next, code of conduct of the C.W.G. First, I will present possibilities and everybody will have a chance to voice concerns then we will vote each one. Once I have finished with my ideas, I will turn the podium over to Princess Twilight, then Princess Celestia, then Princess Luna, then all of you. Item one, the use of force employed by the C.W.G. shall be equal to or less than the level of force used by a given perpetrator. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" I asked.

Not a single soul stood so I continued,
"All in favor of the limitation, please rise."

More than two-thirds of the crowd stood,
"Motion passed. Item two, any member of the C.W.G. will be physically, emotionally, and mentally sound when executing the duties of their station and if found to be unsound in judgement, they will be relieved of duty immediately. Judgement is to be determined by the Captain of the town's Community Welfare Guardians. In short, they will not be sleep-deprived, drunk, or upset while on duty and if they are, they will be replaced by another member who is capable of performing the duties. The Captain will make the determination. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?"

Darryl stood up,
"Yes sir, in the first row."

"Darryl Hord, is this to be practiced in the field or before the C.W.G. set out for their shift? Furthermore, what if a civilian has such a concern about a member? Who do they go to?" he asked.

"Any civilian has the right to approach any member of the C.W.G. and ask that Guardian member to observe the other Guardian member in question. If both parties agree that a Guardian member is in question, the concern is to be reported to the on-duty commanding officer for examination. The on-duty commanding officer will make inquiry regarding the Guardian member in question at their earliest possible convenience and take appropriate steps using their best discretion. Does that satisfy your concern?"

Darryl sat back down so I continued,
"Are there any other questions, comments, or concerns?" nobody stood, so I called the vote, "All in favor of this, please stand."

More than two-thirds stood,
"Motion passed. Item three, at all times while on-duty, every member of the C.W.G. shall conduct themselves in a courteous and professional manner. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" nobody stood, "All in favor, please stand."

More than two-thirds stood,
"Motion passed. Item four, while off-duty a member of the C.W.G. is allowed, in case of emergency, to take action as if they were on duty until such a time as on-duty members of the C.W.G. arrive and take over the situation. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" nobody stood, "All in favor, please stand."

More than two-thirds stood,
"Motion passed. Item five, when affecting an arrest, the arresting C.W.G. is required to inform the suspect of the reason for their arrest. Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?" I asked.

Nobody stood so I continued,
"Very well, all in favor please stand." more than two-thirds stood, "Motion passed." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to add Princess?" Twilight shook her head so I moved on to Celestia, "Do you have anything to add Princess?" Celestia shook her head so I moved on to Luna, "Do you have anything to add Princess?" Luna shook her head so I moved on to the crowd, "Do any of you have anything to add?"

An Earth Pony stallion stood up, I gestured to him,
"Yes sir, on the ninth row on the left."

"Spring Stream, will the C.W.G. be capable of using lethal force?" he asked.

His question shocked me, but I maintained a straight face,
"Yes sir, they will have that capability, but only in the most extreme of circumstances and when there are absolutely no other options. Does that satisfy your question?"

He nodded and inclined his head,
"Yes, thank you." he laid back down.

Nobody else stood, so I continued on,
"Next we have requirements. All members and perspective members of the C.W.G. will be required to meet certain requirements in order to obtain or maintain their positions. Men, women, stallions, and mares are welcome to apply to join the ranks of the C.W.G. These following requirement suggestions are all open for debate. Number one: all members and perspective members must be found to have a secure and unwavering moral compass that is to be determined by the commanding officers of the New Humansville C.W.G. Each member and perspective member will undergo mandatory semiannual reevaluation of all regards to ensure the quality of the C.W.G. is maintained. All members and perspective members of the C.W.G. will be required to undergo a semiannual training regimen that will ensure their capability of continuing their service."

I turned to Twilight,
"Do you have anything you would like to say?" Twilight shook her head, I turned to Celestia, "Do you have anything you would like to say?" Celestia silently shook her head, so I turned to Luna, "Do you have anything you would like to say?" Luna shook her head.

I had been expecting this, 'They're keeping quiet at first so they don't expend all their energies on simple matters. They're staying quiet until we open to topics that are close to their hearts. That's when we'll see them act.'

I turned to the crowd,
"Do any of you have anything you wish to add?"

* * *

The discussion about the Community Welfare Guardians was more or less a walk in the park. I stuck to my notes and continued onward. The final subject about the C.W.G. was not a surprising one.

"Finally, we come to the election of the Captain of the C.W.G. and the individual chosen as Captain will select which Lieutenants and Sergeants will operate under them. Scribes," I addressed, turning toward them, "Notate each individual who is nominated." I turned back to the crowd, "We will hear from you first," I said spreading my arms wide toward the crowd, "Who among you is willing to take up this mantle? Stand and make yourself known. I will call upon you to explain your reasoning and that will be your mission statement."

The very first person to rise was Mike Joyner,
"I'll take this on." he said stoutly, "I've never been a leader of all these people, and I've never claimed that title. I took it on out of necessity, but my skills are best put to use with a smaller group. If elected, I will have the C.W.G. become a beacon of hope, a guiding light to all citizens of New Humansville that they may sleep peacefully at night because we are on guard. The Battle For New Humansville was a horrible thing, but it has cemented our resolve to serve and protect all we are able to the best of our abilities and I would consider it an honor to have the Ponies of the Civil Guard to stand alongside us in our ongoing and continuous efforts to ensure the safety of everybody who calls New Humansville home."

To my surprise, he had no opposition whatsoever,
"All in favor of electing Michael Joyner to be the Captain of the New Humansville Community Welfare Guardians, stand now and be recognized."

Imagine my shock when every, single, solitary person stood in unison. Every Human and every Pony stood to their feet or hooves, a silent testament to their agreement. Hearing movement behind me, I turned and beheld Twilight, Celestia, and Luna all standing as well.

I turned back around and inclined my head,
"Very well. Scribes, let the records show that Michael Joyner has been unanimously elected as Captain of the New Humansville Community Welfare Guardians." I looked back at the crowd, "You may be seated. Captain Joyner, remain standing please." everybody sat back down, leaving the new Captain alone, "Please state the names of your Lieutenants and Sergeants, as well as those who will be assisting you in the training of the New Humansville C.W.G."

Captain Joyner didn't even have to think about his choices,
"I name Alex Ludwig and Cessily Richardson as my Lieutenants. They can chose Sergeants as they see fit. As for the ones who will help with the training I name Eduardo Ortega as the Master At Arms, Bobby Jewel as the Surgeon General, and Darryl Hord as the Fire Chief. All of these will be only for the purposes of training. They will train every member of the C.W.G. in their areas of expertise then designate a single individual to act as their replacement in case they are rendered unable to perform their duties."

I nodded,
"You may sit down Captain." he sat back down and I cleared my throat, "Ahem, now we will begin discussions of laws. The first item is weapons and their allowability to the common citizen. The laws decided upon here today will affect all of Equestria, Human and Pony alike. My stance is for the allowance of weapons by all citizens with a limit of one weapon carried per individual at a time. This does not include tools. For any tool to be considered a weapon it must be specially made or altered in such a way as to be intentionally lethal and must be carried visibly on or in a sheath or holster of some kind." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to say?"

Twilight nodded and rose from her couch to the podium,
"I do not agree whatsoever." she stated bluntly, "The citizens of Equestria have, for time beyond memory, been allowed only to train their own bodies in self defense and I believe it has been, in part, because of that, that we have had so little crime in our cities, towns, and villages." she turned to Celestia, "Do you have anything to say?"

Celestia nodded and rose from her couch to the podium as Twilight returned to her own couch,
"I agree with Twilight. The instances where a weapon has been utilized to facilitate a crime are negligible and I also believe that is due to the lack of availability of weapons. Also keep in mind that foals will need to be protected from playing with these weapons if they become readily available." she turned to Luna, "Do you have anything to say?"

Luna nodded and she and Celestia switched places,
"Members of the Royal Guard and Civil Guard bring their weapons home with them and they have taken precautions to keep their weapons safely away from their foals. To this end, I ask you to consider how often you hear a story of any foal injuring themselves with weapons?" she paused for dramatic effect, "The answer is 'never' for it has not happened in the last three hundred and twenty-nine years." she gestured to the crowd, "Your thoughts before we vote?"

A dizzying number of people stood up, nearly a third of the crowd,
"This is going to take a while."

* * *

There were all sorts of arguments both for and against the allowance of weapons and, of course, magic was brought into the equation, since many Humans were theorized as being capable of using magic to some degree. The arguments ranged from the safety of children to the use of deadly force for self defense and even to the extent of forming a militia, and the founding of training centers dedicated to the instruction of the use of weapons, but the vote finally came in, after three hours of arguments.

The final agreement was that weapons would be allowed but only to a certain degree. Any individual would be allowed to carry any tool that they knew how to use and had used in the capacity of a job. The tool could be altered or crafted in such a way as to make it more lethal provided it was still capable of being used for its original function. Swords, morning-stars, and maces were right out, however modified sickles, machetes, knives, hammers, axes, and even spears (for spear fishing) were acceptable and were carried in a clearly visible holster or strap. In short, my khopesh was likely to become a hot item because of its variety of possible uses.

The idea of a militia brought about an unexpected but not unwanted vote. That vote decided that the armaments in New Humansville were far from adequate and that smiths in New Humansville were to consult historians in the manufacture of weapons and armor to add to the stockpile in New Humansville's armory. Furthermore, every adult in New Humansville was to undergo an annual week long training and preparedness course in case of emergencies.

That vote brought up the topic of firearms, which necessitated another unexpected vote. The Ponies had to understand what firearms were, of course, before they could vote. The explanation did not take as long as I had feared and to my utter astonishment, the Ponies actually voted in FAVOR of adding guns to the list of armaments in the armories of every city, town, and village. The firearms would need to be created from scratch and be usable by both Humans and Ponies alike. Morris was elected as the Arch Magister of Firearms because of his intimate knowledge of their inner workings and a young Marine Scout Sniper by the name of Enrique Edwards was given the newly appointed title of Royal Master Marksman and assigned to instruct every Royal Guard and Militia Trainer in the use of firearms.

With the previous votes taken care of the next topic was sure to be a tricky one,
"We are ready to move on to the next law." I paused and took a breath to steady myself, "This law is not open for debate though. This part is to be informative. The Princesses have decreed that the practice of abortion will never be legally practiced in Equestria." I waited for the eruption of yelling and screaming.

It never came.

I turned to Celestia and motioned her to come to the podium, she rose as I stepped back,
"The practice of abortion is illegal because it is an absolutely abhorrent practice. Any Unicorn doctor can tell you that the living magic inside of an embryo is active and as much of an indicator of life as a heartbeat. Furthermore, for any child to be conceived, both partners must not only engage in sexual intercourse, but they both must also want the conception to occur. Without the intention of conceiving, the sperm of the male and the egg of the female are inactive and effectively dead. It is the magic of the intention that gives the gametes life at all. It is because of this that abortion shall never be practiced in Equestria and doing so is to be considered attempted murder of the pregnant mother and murder of the unborn. Are there any questions?" she asked.

Not a single soul stirred and in fact most folks looked downright happy. Celestia bowed away from the podium and I took my position back up with a sigh of relief.

"Alrighty then, onto the next topic, religious practices. I believe that anybody may chose to worship or not worship as they please however, nobody has the right to condemn, injure, or otherwise cause any distress with either words or actions, any other individual's beliefs, race, species, background, sexual orientation, place of origin, skin color, fur color, eye color, hair color, height, weight, gender, or whether or not they are circumcised. Also, any person may sit in or participate in any religious gathering so long as they are not intentionally disruptive. In other words, worship however you feel but do not, I repeat, do not give anybody else any sort of grief of any kind no matter what your belief states. If you want to believe in Christianity, go for it but leave the gays alone. If you want to worship Satan, then do so, but there will be no burning sacrifices. If you wish to practice Islam, then by all means be my guest, but you're not going to be declaring a Jihad against anybody. If you want to practice Wicca, have-at, but don't dance naked under the full moon unless it is in a place where no one is going to be offended. I realize that I'm not correct on several of these, but you get the idea. Just so you know, if I offended anyone, it was accidental." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to say?"

Twilight shook her head,
"No, I agree completely."

I turned to Celestia,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Celestia smiled and nodded,
"I do actually."

I stepped back from the podium as she took my place,
"I would like to add an addendum. I am familiar with the practice of circumcision. I feel that, objectively, it should be the choice of the individual and only the individual to whom it is done. I believe it should be an option, should the individual chose to undergo such an ordeal. This is not limited to males either, if a female wishes to have it done, then that is her choice also."

Celestia stepped down from the podium and I took up my position once more, turning to Luna,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Luna shook her head,
"No, my sister already said what I was thinking."

I nodded, then turned to the crowd,
"Do any of you have any thoughts on this topic?"

An Earth Pony mare stood up first, I pointed to her,
"Yes ma'am, on the twenty-first row."

"Wild Flower, what is circumcision?" she asked.

"Parents, cover your foals' ears. I'll give you ten seconds." I waited ten seconds before I continued, "The practice of circumcision for males is the cutting off of the skin around the head of the penis. This skin is called the foreskin. For females it is he practice of cutting out the . . . "

I turned to Celestia for this one,
"What's the word for clitoris in Velensovth?"

I never expected to see Celestia blush, but her cheeks lit up like a Christmas Tree,
"Arlduin." she said.

I turned back to the mare,
"It is to cut out the clitoris. Does that answer your question?"

The mare looked ready to throw up,
"Why would anypony want to do that?"

"It is a religious practice. Not everything about religion makes sense. I could explain the belief behind each practice if you like." I offered.

"No thank you." the mare said laying back down.

A young dark skinned man stood up, I guessed him to be Arabic,
"Yes sir, on the seventh row."

"Yuesif Havbinsein, how can you place restrictions on beliefs? If we believe one part of something, we believe all of it." he said.

I nodded,
"I understand sir, however I ask that you keep in mind that not a single religion, belief system, or spirituality has been restricted unequally. All practitioners must abide by the same rules, no matter who or what they worship. All must follow the rules, end of story. Does that satisfy your question?"

"Not really, but it will have to do." he said sitting back down.

"Now hold on a moment there sir." I said quickly, "I fully intend to do my very best to satisfy your question. Could you please restate it so I can try to understand it better?"

He stood back up and rubbed his hands together,
"What I mean is about holidays. What about Ramadan?"

"By all means practice it sir. I only ask that you inform your foreman or boss and let them know what's going on. I see no logical reason to restrict your practice of Ramadan any more than I would restrict someone else's practice of the Sabbath or Christmas or Samhain. Your beliefs are yours and they are a part of what helps define you as a person. This law is to allow you as much freedom to practice your beliefs as you wish. Does that satisfy your question sir?" I asked.

This time, the young man looked much happier,
"Yes, thank you."

"Now for the vote. All in favor of this law, please stand." more than two-thirds of the crowd stood, "Scribes notate that the law has been passed." I said evenly.

"Alright, on to the next law. The allowance for interspecies romantic relationships . . . "I was interrupted by loud laughter.

I waited until the laughter died down before continuing,
"As I was saying," I said much more seriously, "Romantic relationships between Humans and other sentient species are inevitable and I wished to address the topic as quickly as possible." I looked up to see hundreds of disbelieving expressions being directed at me, "To than end," I continued, "I believe that any two beings of consenting age and sound mind should be allowed to form a romantic relationship and marry, should they desire. Such individuals should be free to express their love in every way that more traditional couples would provided they do so in a way that would be socially acceptable were they in a romantic relationship with a member of their original species." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anytbing to say?" I asked.

Twilight shook her head,
"No, I agree."

I turned to Celestia next,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Celestia shook her head,
"Not at all. That was very well put."

I turned to Luna next,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Luna shook her head,
"Nothing. I agree with you."

I turned back to the stunned crowd with trepidation,
"Do any of you have anything to say?" I asked.

At least a hundred people stood up, I pointed to one young woman,
"Yes ma'am, on the eleventh row."

"Sandy Davidson, . . . what the fuck!?" she shouted, "I mean seriously? You're talking about fucking an animal . . . " she fell silent as Princess Luna rose to her hooves, I saw her out of the corner of my eye, but I gestured for the woman to continue, "I'm not alright with bestiality! This is ridiculous!"

I nodded,
"Yes ma'am, I feel the same way, however I would caution you away from referring to Ponies, Kavim by their proper name, as beasts." I turned and addressed Luna, "I will ask Princess Luna to take a seat please." she turned her head straight at me, but I continued, "Your sudden rise might be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate or cower somebody."

Luna laid back down on her couch looking distinctly self-conscious, I turned back the the young woman,
"I understand your reservations, however let us take a moment to list what traits make a beast or animal." I held out my right hand and tipped off my fingers as I spoke, "An animal is not self-aware, Kavim are self -aware. Animals do not speak a language, Kavim do. Animals do not use reason and logic as Humans do, the Kavim use both regularly. Animals do not have society, build buildings using mathematics, or architectural design, animals do not use science or the scientific method to test findings and they do mot make microphones that allow hundreds of others to hear a single voice from so far away without shouting. Kavim are NOT animals. We call them Ponies only because of their basic resemblance to an animal we are familiar with. They are not animals and I would strongly suspect that were we to treat them as such, it would end in a very Human-like revolt. The Kavim are people. They are not Humans but they are people just as much as you or I. As people, they deserve the same respect and consideration as Humans. By that line of logic, why then should we restrict who decides to love whom? We are all very similar and last time I checked, love knew no bounds. Does my answer satisfy your question?"

The young woman crossed her arms petulantly,
"Oh I never really asked a question, so 'no' you didn't. I'm not going to vote in favor of this," she turned to the rest of the crowd, "I don't hate Ponies or anything but this isn't natural and I sure as hell won't tolerate it."

I nodded,
"Indeed, would you then be disrespectful to those who wish for such a relationship?"

"Yeah I would!" she shouted, "It's ridiculous and I'm not only going to vote against it, but I'm also going to make sure they don't live in New Humansville. Whatever I have to do. Bestiality is a sin and I won't condone it!"

"Sin?" I asked, "So you are a Christian then?"

She frowned at me,
"I'm Catholic."

I pursed my lips,
"Uh-huh. Tell me then, what was 'The Great Commission'?"

She gained a smug expression and began to quote directly,
"Go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every . . . " she trailed off and her expression became furious.

"Go on." I urged.

"Go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every . . . creature." she finished.

I smiled,
"Creature, not Human." I pointed out, "Tell me what did Jesus say was the greatest commandment?"

Her face was a thunderhead,
"Love one another."

"And does THAT verse specify Humans?" I asked.

"No." she hissed between clenched teeth, "But the Bible does say in Leviticus that mankind shall not lie with a beast as he does with a woman. And Genesis says that every creature mated according to its own kind."

I nodded,
"Correct on both accounts. Now do you also know why Jesus came to Earth?"

She rolled her eyes,
"YES! To die for our sins so we could get to Heaven."

"Mostly correct. He also came because the Old Testament was exactly that, old. He brought the New Testament and new ideas. According to the same book you quoted earlier, Leviticus, any woman caught in an act of infidelity was to be stoned to death, yet Jesus himself stopped such an event in person. He addressed the Pharisees and said, 'Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.' You have missed one of the points he came for, he came to give us a new way to live. The only thing he really kept from the Old Testament was the Ten Commandments. When he died, the veil that separated the main chamber of the Temple from the Holy of Holies was ripped in two. That was symbolic of the extent of the changes he brought about." I paused to let that sink in, "I'm not saying this to embarrass you, by any means. Were it an actual case of a Human wanting to screw a mindless squirrel or some such, I would be upset as well. We have to remember that our definition of animal doesn't apply to Kavim. They are literally aliens that we live among. I'd like to quote a Bible verse for myself, 'For God did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved.' Does that satisfy you ma'am?"

Her jaw hung open for a few moments before she came to her senses,
"That's . . . How . . . What . . . Where . . . " she plopped down in her seat looking utterly confused.

I noted that none of the people who were previously standing were still doing so,
"Very well. All in favor of this law please stand up."

I couldn't tell if two-thirds stood or not,
"I need a count." I said to Twilight, Celestia, and Luna, "I need to know how many are here and how many are standing."

The three Alicorns took to the sky and began circling the crowd, I decided to make an announcement,
"After the Princesses finish their count we will take a recess and enjoy the dinner that has graciously been provided for us, courtesy of the Princesses."

A few minutes later all three Alicorns landed on the stage, Twilight spoke first,
"I counted one thousand, two hundred and seventy-one. Out of those, nine hundred and fifty-three are standing."

Celestia nodded,
"I came to the same conclusion. I confirm the accuracy of this count."

Luna spoke last,
"I confirm the accuracy of this count."

I turned back to the crowd,
"Let the record show that more than two-thirds voted in favor of the law." I clapped my hands together, "We will now take a recess for two hours to eat and move around. Get the old circulation going again. A bright red flare will announce the continuance of the meeting once the two hours are over. Please feel free to mingle and talk to your neighbors."

I collected my notes and walked back to my seat. I reached down and placed my notes inside my shoulder bag and slipped it on. The meeting had gone MUCH more smoothly than I had anticipated but there were still topics to be discussed. I figured that most of the rest would go by fairly quickly so I felt good about where we stopped.

Turning around I nearly stumbled over Razor Wit,
"Oh sorry Razor, I didn't see you there. Um, weren't you going to go get some dinner?"

Razor tossed her head smiling,
"Of course I was, silly. I just wanted to talk to you on the way." she turned and trotted away from me, "Come on."

I followed her and caught up fairly quickly,
"So . . . what was it you wanted to talk about?" I asked walking on her left.

She kept her eyes forward as we weaved our way through the seats,
"There are only a couple of things left, if I remember correctly. How quickly do you think they will be decided?"

I scratched my chin in thought,
"Well, it's really up in the air . . . "

Razor stopped and looked up,
"What? Where?"

I facepalmed and opened my mouth to reply when I saw the tan Unicorn mare smiling at me,
"Clever." I smirked, "I'm not sure. They might be quick or they might not be. The one I'm expecting to take a while is the open floor session at the end. Humans are frequently overflowing with ideas."

Razor smiled mischievously,
"If that's true, then what's your excuse?"

"Ha, ha." I said playfully, "I was surprised by the ease of this meeting. It's going very smoothly, I'd almost say too smoothly, but I don't want to jinx it."

"Jinx?" Razor asked as we neared New Humansville.

"To call down misfortune by way of arrogance." I said blandly.

"Ah o.k." Razor sniffed the air, "Mmm, smells wonderful!" she said appreciatively.

I sniffed the air,
"Yeah it does. I wonder what it is?"

We made our way to the Town Square. Humans and Ponies were everywhere. The same long serving tables from before had been cleaned off and reset with different foods with one significant exemption, Kavim style salad was still widely available. We followed our noses to the table that seemed to be the source of the divine scent. The table had a long row of heated platters across it with plates at one end. Ponies and Humans were lined up for a lengthy stretch behind it. Razor and I got in line, chatting as we waited.

"So how much longer do you think you'll be in Ponyville?" she asked.

I shrugged,
"I'm not sure. The only thing keeping me there is learning about Kavim culture and the prospect of learning magic from Twilight. Ideally, I'd like to live here with my own people." an errant thought occurred to me, one I had been meaning to tell Razor about, "I've finally come to a decision about the Emissary position Celestia offered me."

Razor's eyes lit up and she turned to face me excitedly,
"Really!? What did you decide?"

I hated to disappoint her but she deserved the truth,
"I'm going to let the people of New Humansville decide. At the end of the meeting I'm going to take a vote on it. Let the citizens decide who they want as their emissary."

Razor's entire countenance wilted, ears, head, eyes, everything,
"Oh." she said quietly.

I sighed but continued,
"I know it's a cowardly way to decide, but Celestia left it up to me and this is what I chose. I will nominate myself and if anyone else thinks they can do the job better, then they have the opportunity."

We reached the front of the line and picked up a white ceramic plate each, I used my hands and Razor used her mouth,
"I wonder what this stuff is?" I asked, changing the subject.

The Unicorn server looked up, smiling brightly,
"Turnip, potato, and beet pie covered with cheese and with the option of sour cream on the side. Would you like a portion or would prefer me to heap your plate with it?" she asked.

"Heap it on, pretty lady!" I said eagerly, it sounded good, "Pile on the cheese and sour cream too! I needs me some carbs!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Razor's face, she looked distinctly unhappy,
"What's wrong?" I asked her as the serving mare piled the food onto my plate.

Razor said nothing but then again she was holding a cracked plate in her mouth, 'Wait a second,' I thought as a realization struck me, 'That plate wasn't cracked a minute ago.' I took a closer look and sure enough, the plate had a spiderweb of cracks branching out from her mouth.

I set my plate down on the table,
"Razor," I said seriously, "Your plate is cracked. Why don't you put it down and grab another one before you cut yourself."

Razor seemed to come out of a daze and her eyes focused on the plate in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed then took on a sad expression. She set the plate down on the table and levitated another one over to her. She looked sad.

I picked up my plate and waited for Razor to join me so I could get some silverware. She had the serving mare pile her plate too then disengaged herself from the line and joined me. Neither of us spoke a single word while I retrieved a set of silverware from a designated table. We then ventured to an empty foundation and sat down together, in a secluded spot, away from everyone. I sat on Razor's right.

I set my plate down to my right and turned to my tan companion, crossing my arms,
"Alright what's wrong? You looked awfully upset a minute ago."

She lowered her plate onto the foundation to her left then turned to face me,
"You have to watch what you eat." she said quietly, "I don't know much about medicine but I do know that cheese and sour cream both have a lot of fat in them and that much fat can be a health hazard." she looked genuinely upset, "I spoke with some of your friends earlier. They told me that you used to be really fat." I tried not to be offended by her statement, "They were worried about your health back then and I'm worried you'll gain all your weight back. It's not healthy Artex!" hell she looked to almost be in tears, "I don't have friends that I get to see very often. I don't have many friends at all! I count you as one of my friends Artex and I don't want to see anything happen to you!"

I was stunned,
"You're really THAT concerned about me?" I asked.

Razor nodded,
"Of course I am. You're a good friend and I don't want you putting yourself in jeopardy just from your diet. Fats are necessary but too much of a good thing is bad. There's a saying I heard once, 'The only difference between medicine and poison is dosage'."

I sat there, contemplating what she said while she looked up at me. I gave the matter no small amount of consideration and in the end I knew what to do. I picked up my plate and scooped the better portion of the cheese and sour cream off to the side.

Razor looked positively elated and it showed in her glowing smile,
"Thank you Artex!"

Chapter 32: Laid To Rest: Part 4

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The rest of lunch was a pleasant affair. Razor and I chatted about a couple of different things while we ate. The turnip, potato, and beet pie was excellent, even without all the sour cream and cheese. We finished eating and lacking anything else to do, we decided to head back down to the meeting area. Once there, I slipped off my shoulder bag and sat down on the edge of the stage. Razor hopped up and laid down to my right.

It was almost time to continue so I opened up my shoulder bag and removed my notes,
"Let's see here," I said reading down the list, "The next topic is racism, specism, sexism and fair and equal treatment. After that we have medical science and burial rites, then laws about magic, then citizenship, and we'll close with the election of the emissary and the open floor."

"I still don't understand about the laws involving magic. Why have them at all? We Ponies have a few laws concerning magic but they are more for the safety of the practitioner than to keep a Unicorn from doing dangerous things. If anypony became a threat, the Princesses would step in and stop them, it's happened before, though it's extremely rare." Razor asked.

"It's a little complex. See Humans have fantasized about wielding magic for as long as we can remember. Stories of powerful wizards, witches, warlocks, sorcerers, and enchanters are all very common among Human literature. These people who could wield magic often did terrible things with it. They would raise armies of skeletons and zombies, level entire cities, call down meteor showers from the sky, toss around lightning bolts that slaughtered hundreds and thousands, and enslave others to their will by taking over someone's mind." I paused for a breath before I continued, "Human beings are very creative, but our creativity can quickly and easily be turned toward selfishness and destruction. Magic represents the perfect opportunity to bring that darker aspect of our nature to the surface and believe me, the LAST thing you want is a bunch of Humans who learned how to toss around fireballs and lightning. I can see the headlines now, 'Fireballs and lightning are raining from the sky, chaos and bloodshed while all the people die.' I don't want that any more than you do and if we're to avoid it, we need very strict laws governing the use of magic."

Razor looked beyond me,
"Well, let's hope the rest of the Humans are willing to cooperate. They're coming back, we'd best take our places."

I followed her eyes and beheld a long line of people heading back down to the meeting area,
"Looks like you're right." I said rising to my feet, "Let's finish this."

* * *

I waited patiently until everyone had sat back down before continuing,
"Welcome back everybody." I said in a friendly tone, "Let's not tarry, these laws won't write themselves." I shuffled my notes one final time then began, "The next item on the list is a series of laws concerning racism, specism, sexism and equal treatment of all persons in Equestria. To make sure I am clear, this law will strictly prohibit negative or unequal treatment of anybody due to skin color, species, gender, sexual orientation, religion, eye color, hair color, fur color, breed, creed, background, place of birth, parentage, financial status, marital status, or social status. This is to ensure that a financially destitute person is treated equally as a rich baron. This will eliminate bowing and scraping as a necessity when in the presence of royalty. It will still be an option, but it will be a choice as opposed to an expectation and there will be no repercussions if you chose not to. It shall be an unlawful act to discriminate negatively against any sentient individual because of any of the things I already stated in reference to employment, election, determining guilt or innocence in a trial, or acceptance for volunteer work." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to say?"

"No, I agree completely." she said.

I turned to Celestia,
"Do you have anything to say?"

"No, I agree completely." she replied.

I then turned and addressed Luna,
"Do you have anything to say?"

"Not at all, I agree." she said openly.

I then turned to the crowd,
"Do any of you have any questions, concerns, comments, or anything you would like to change about this proposed law?"

A Unicorn mare stood up,
"Yes ma'am, on the right side, fifth row back."

"Golden Cusp, this new law would allow mares and stallions completely equal opportunity to work in the same fields together? Wouldn't that be an unwise decision? Everypony knows that stallions are much more prone to act before they think, especially toward violence."

Her statement caused more than a few angry mutters among the crowd.

I leaned over the podium,
"A sexist comment if ever I heard one." I said bluntly, "Then by your own logic, wouldn't it be better for mares and stallions to work together so the mares could instill more self control into the stallions by example? Efficiency and skill are not bound by gender merely by opportunity. Does that satisfy your concern ma'am?"

"No." she said loudly, "History shows that stallions are best suited for specific tasks such as Guards or manual labor where as mares are best suited for more important tasks." she said.

The murmuring in the crowd grew louder.

"Tell me then, which would you rather perform a life-saving operation, a mare surgeon who has a record of fifty-fifty or a stallion surgeon who has a record of ninety successes and ten failures?" I asked.

The mare snorted,
"That question is irrelevant. Only mares are allowed to be surgeons."

"It's a hypothetical question ma'am." I said evenly.

The mare sighed,
"FINE, I would chose the mare, since the stallion would have to be lying. Stallions just don't have the capability of performing the same tasks at anywhere near the same skill level as mares."

The murmuring in the crowd was growing in volume and intensity.

"Are you aware that both male and female Humans fought in the Battle For New Humansville? How about the fact that a group of weather Ponies used clouds to rain down lightning on the Diamond Dogs during that same battle? Those Ponies were both mares and stallions and the original idea was that of a mare? Can you honestly argue that stallions or mares are more suited to only certain tasks with such evidence?"

"Yes I can!" she shouted, "This is ridiculous! It's a proven fact that stallions are inferior to mares . . . "

The crowd exploded into angry shouts as Ponies stood up and began yelling at each other. I noticed that the vast majority of the ones yelling at the Unicorn mare were Earth Ponies and Pegasi while the Unicorns seemed to be siding with the mare.

"SILENCE!" a thunderous voice behind me bellowed, nearly knocking me over, "Thou will still thine tongues to we will remove you from this meeting!"

The Ponies quieted instantly and I turned my head and nodded my thanks to Princess Luna, 'Wow that's some set of lungs!',
"Now, are there any more questions, comments, or concerns?" I asked.

Not a soul stirred,
"Very well. All in favor of the equality law, please stand."

Well more than two-thirds of the crowd stoop up,
"Scribes, let the record show the law has been passed."

"This is an outrage!" the Unicorn mare shouted as she stood up.

"Ma'am," I said calmly, "You are dismissed from this meeting."

"You can't do this to me you male! What authority do you have!?" she shouted.

I felt three distinct presences behind me half a second before I heard the voice,
"He has mine." Celestia said.
"And mine." Twilight confirmed.
"Mine as well." Luna stated.

The mare's jaw worked soundlessly, and Twilight wasted no time,
"You have been dismissed. Now that the law is in effect, should you continue, you will be subject to judgement with more than a few witnesses. I would suggest you leave. Immediately."

The Unicorn mare ground her teeth but turned and stormed away from the meeting.

I breathed a slight sigh of relief as the three Alicorns laid back down on their couches,
"Next is medical practices and burial rites. The laws of Equestria are very specific and stringent on disturbing the dead. Humans have a similar practice breaking that law is called, 'Desecration Of Sacred Remains' oddly enough, the Equestrian law is identical, it's called, 'Desecration Of Sacred Remains'. That law will still be enforced as it was before. The medical practices have been included in this discussion because one of the best ways to learn about any creature's anatomy is to dissect it once it is dead. To that end, Humans have created an allowance for an individual to donate their remains to science for doctors and scientists to use for experimentation. I believe that Equestrian medicine will be able to benefit from this practice and perhaps even learn how to perform transplants. To that end, I propose that any individual may, 'Dedicate Their Body To Science' if they so chose. They will have the option to sign a form stating that they have done so." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to say?"

Twilight shook her head,
"Nope, I think it's a morbid idea, but I can understand the reasoning behind it. I agree with this law."

I turned to Celestia,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Celestia shook her head,
"No."

Her short response concerned me, but I shrugged it off and addressed Luna,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Luna smiled and nodded,
"I do in fact."

I stepped away from the podium and let her take my place,
"I agree with this idea wholeheartedly. I believe it will allow for great leaps and bounds in the fields of medicine and science. I ask that all of you please keep an open mind about this. The idea of dealing with the remains of the deceased is disturbing, however think of all that can be gained through this new course of study. I humbly ask that you allow this law to pass."

She trotted back to her couch and laid down as I took the podium once more,
"Do any of you have anything to say?"

A young blond woman stood up,
"Yes ma'am, on the twentieth row on the left."

"Rachel Dobson, I would like to request an addendum to the law. The form to be signed by the individual who is dying must be witnessed and signed by at least two witnesses of sound mind at the time of signature. I would also like to ask that parents of young children be allowed to determine how their remains are dealt with in the same manner."

I nodded,
"Well spoken, I should have added such a clause in the first place." I looked around again and to my surprise, despite how morbid the subject was, no one else was standing, "Very well. All in favor of this law please stand." two-thirds of the crowd stood, "Scribes, let the record show that the law has been passed."

I braced myself for the next one,
"Next on the agenda is laws concerning the study and use of magic. It has now been acknowledged that at least some Humans are capable of using magic. Equestrian law states that no Unicorn may learn, study, or use Mind magic because of the possibilities of misuse. The law also states that only members of the Guard are allowed to know any sort of offensive spells. I would not only like to keep those but also impose another law. The practice of magical study has great potential to be extremely dangerous to the practitioner, their environment, and others. As such, I believe that the study and development of magic should be strictly limited to a certain, specific location to limit the amount of possible danger to people and things. I would also like to have a law that prohibits using magic on others for pranks, jokes, or other mischief." I turned to Twilight, "Do you have anything to say?"

"I do." she rose from her couch and approached the podium as I backed away, "Magic is the essence of life but it can be used for nefarious purposes as well, however a complete restriction of study and practice, I fear will have two negative side effects. It will stymie creativity and too strict a restriction will be much more likely to be ignored. I believe that personal study of magic should be allowed so long as the prospective student has a license to do so. The license would state that the student has a working knowledge of magic and has been trained in and has the capability of incorporating proper safety measures during their practice and study. The idea has never been to halt progress but to encourage it through safe methods of study." she turned to me, "Is that acceptable?"

I nodded,
"Absolutely. It solves the problem while encouraging independent thought. I approve."

Twilight the turned to Celestia,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Celestia shook her head,
"No, I agree."

Twilight then turned to Luna,
"Do you have anything to say?"

Luna nodded,
"Indeed I do." she and Twilight switched places, "The discovery of the Human capability of using magic is a phenomenal one and one I do not intend to leave untapped. I have already sent word the the School For Gifted Unicorns to have a cadre of volunteers come here and test the Magerium of every Human. In this way, we will be able to determine the individual capability of each person and in so doing, we will improve awareness of power. During the Battle For New Humansville I personally witnessed at least two Humans display impressive magical power. This power, if left unchecked, could be accidentally called upon by an individual and have untold horrifying consequences." she turned her head and motioned me to the podium.

I walked over and stood next to her,
"Yes?"

"I am aware that Twilight scanned your Magerium earlier today. What are you capabilities with magic?" she asked.

I scratched the back of my head nervously,
"She said I was 'blind' to a great many Nouns and Verbs. I don't remember everything I have but I'll relate what I can remember." I took a breath and took the plunge, "Apparently I have two Noun and Verb combinations that are passive, they are always functioning. My hands specifically, have a Destroy of four and a Magic of five. I can cancel out any spell that has a Noun and Verb total of nine or less if I touch it with my hands." Luna's eyes bulged but I carried on, "My other passive is Repair and Flesh, Repair one and Flesh of three for a total of Repair-Flesh of four so I heal like I have a healing spell active on me at all times. I have Change, Comprehend, and Control at a one each and I have a three in Earth, a four in Plants, and a one in Spirit. I'm 'blind' to everything else." I said.

The crowd was unnaturally still, 'Apparently Twilight and her friends weren't exaggerating when they said my Nouns and Verbs were potent.'

Luna cleared her throat and turned back to the crowd,
"As you can see, Humans have a new and very different type of magic. Anybody with so much power has a personal responsibility to learn to control it. As you can clearly see, the kind of power Humans have is nigh unfathomable and I believe a mandatory period of instruction would be for the best. I loathe forcing anybody to do anything, but the potential for a single Human to accidentally do unimaginable damage is far too great." she smiled brightly, "Besides, who wouldn't want to learn about their potential with magic? I will oversee this period personally and I will take every possible step to ensure it is as enjoyable and exciting as I possibly can." she turned to me, "Is this acceptable?"

"I don't have any problem with it, but forcing any Human to do anything they don't want to do will be like pulling healthy teeth from a raging dragon. How about a compromise? The ones who wish to undergo the training have the capability to do so, and the ones who don't will have their magic blocked. It is possible to block magic isn't it?" I asked.

Luna nodded,
"It is indeed. We use enchanted rings called 'Nullifier Rings' to stop Unicorns who have uncontrolled magic, there is also a second possibility. There is a drug that is a Thamaturgic Nullifier. You take the pill once per day and it completely nullifies all the magic in your body. There are also 'Nullification Collars' but those are very rarely used except in cases where the Pony is completely insane. Are those acceptable conditions?"

I nodded,
"They are certainly much more reasonable." Princess Luna nodded and returned to her couch, giving me the podium again, "Alright, do any of you have anything to say?"

More than twenty Humans stood up,
"Yes sir, in the fourth row, on the left."

"Andre Jacobs, what if some of us don't want to be taught or have collars put on us? What if we want to find out on our own? It isn't anyone else's business what we do with our magic." he said.

"So you would risk accidentally giving yourself third degree burns and endanger other people's lives because you were too stubborn to accept the offer of training?" I asked.

The man nodded,
"Yeah, all I see is another way to control people."

"So if you had a stomach full of nitro-glycerin you wouldn't want to know how to live safely with it? You would be a danger to everyone around you and while YOU might be alright with that, everyone has the right to live safely, without fear of setting you off and having you kill them by accident. How would you feel if you saw someone walking down the street with a loaded pistol in their hands pointing at everyone around them and claiming it was fine because they claim they wouldn't pull the trigger? It's the same thing, only less visible. No one is really trying to tell you how you use it, only how TO use it. To a point, it IS a restriction of personal freedom, but only for a very limited time and common sense tells you it is for the best. Murder being against the law is a restriction of freedom, but it's one that benefits everyone. This is the same thing, just from a different perspective. Would you let a five year old drive a car? No, because they would cause a wreck. You teach people to drive, this is nearly identical. Does that satisfy your concern sir?"

Everybody else sat down except the one man,
"It's still a restriction of freedom." he said.

"That it is, but it's one we can all live with." I said, "You are entitled to your opinion sir, but I'm afraid we're going to have to agree to disagree on this matter." I looked around the crowd, "Does anybody else have anything to say?" everyone stayed seated so I continued, "Very well, all in favor of this law, please stand."

Nearly everyone rose to their feet,
"Scribes, let the record show that the law is passed. Next up is citizenship. This is not so much a law as it is an allowance. Since civilians who are not members of the Equestrian citizenry face a great many restrictions, I would ask that all Humans found to be on this world be offered dual-citizenship, both of their native country and Equestria. This dual-citizenship could be revoked by any two agreeing members of Equestria's rulers on a case by case basis provided sufficient evidence is presented to indicate the individual no longer wishes to remain a citizen or that they present themselves to be an unmanageable threat to Equestria or her citizenry. This will finally align us all together as equals in the sight of the law. Every Human who is here now and every Human who arrives from here on out, will be held under this understanding, this pact, that we are all equals and we will work together toward our final goal of a peaceful life for everyone, no matter what species or planet we called 'home'. This is a final declaration of unity for our two great peoples and will be in effect until all the Kavim and Humans decide to formally discard it in a recognized public setting such as this. This is the decision of the Princesses only." I turned to Twilight first, "Do you agree to this?"

She nodded,
"I give my consent."

I addressed Celestia next,
"Do you agree?"

She nodded also,
"Yes, I give my consent."

Since two of the three were already decided I didn't technically have to ask Luna, but I did anyway,
"Do you agree to this, Princess?"

Luna smiled and nodded her head vigorously,
"I do indeed."

"Scribes, let the record show that dual-citizenship has been allotted to all Humans in this world. Label it as . . . The Unity Pact. Scribes, draw up a single piece of parchment to be signed by the Princesses and I, that paraphrases everything I just said."

I took a deep, steadying breath while the Scribes began writing and turned to the crowd,
"Before we continue, Princess Celestia has offered me the position of Royal Human Emissary." I turned to Celestia, "Would you please come up here and explain to everyone what such a position would entail?"

Celestia looked mildly surprised but she quickly smoothed over her expression and smoothly rose to the podium as I stepped back,
"Scribes please notate what I say. The position of Human Emissary will place on the Human holder of the title, the responsibility to act as a mediator between Humans and the government of whatever nation in which the represented Humans are dwelling. The position will allow the Emissary to draw upon reasonable resources from the Equestrian government in order to provide for the efficient accomplishment of their tasks as well as select a small staff, of no more than ten, to accompany them to aid in the completion of said tasks. The Emissary and all subsequent selected staff shall receive a monthly stipend in the amount of one hundred Bits per day while on assignment and thirty Bits per day when not on assignment as well as any bonuses freely donated by the citizens of any given nation. The duties of the Emissary and all accompanying staff will entail all aspects necessary to the successful and peaceful integration of Humans into any given nation. I have letters stating confirmation of compliance and cooperation from the following nations: Gryphonvale, Saddle Arabia, Zebrica, Minotaur Heights, Buffalo Run, and the Diamond Dog City/States of Resin Claw, Keen Tooth, Barrow Downs, Blackenvale, and Glitter Hold. The Emissary shall chose and design a badge of office to be carried by themselves and all staff members while on assignment. The Emissary must select a single individual to represent the best interests of the native people in the same capacity as the Emissary represents the best interests of Humans. The Emissary and all staff members are free to resign at any time and a new Emissary will be either elected by the Humans of Equestria or chosen by the governing body of Equestrian leadership which includes Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna, and myself." she stepped away from the podium and laid back down on her couch as I approached the podium.

I cleared my throat and addressed the crowd,
"The offer of the position of Emissary has been given to me, but I feel it should be the decision of the people who they want to represent them. As such, I will be asking for a vote to decide who bears the title of Emissary. Any other Human may volunteer for the position to be chosen by election if they so desire. Should you elect to volunteer, please stand, state your name, and state your mission statement now."

No one stood, so I decided to wait for a full minute in hopes of that changing. After a full minute, it did not.

"Very well. Humans of Equestria, by show of hands, please elect your candidate. Daniel Pering, a.k.a. Artex Rias." every hand shot up and my fate was sealed, "Very well." I said looking down at the oath of office I had written down, "I, Daniel Pering, will make every possible effort to represent humanity to the very best of my ability, forsaking all thought of self for the preservation of Human life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness until the end of my time as Human Emissary. So help me God."

I ended my short acceptance speech to a standing ovation I knew I didn't deserve.

I waited until the people had sat down again to continue,
"At this time, the floor is open for any and all ideas that any of you may wish to voice. Please form a line to the right of the stage and be patient. Once you are called, please outline your idea as clearly as possible to minimize misunderstandings. After your initial presentation you are free to stay with me at the podium until a vote is taken. Razor Wit will translate your words for the Ponies. Are there any questions?"

A young woman stood up,
"Are we allowed to ask for clarification and information about Equestrian laws that may not have been discussed already?"

I nodded,
"Absolutely ma'am." seeing no other people standing I made the call, "Form a line please."

A large number of Humans and a much smaller number of Ponies began forming a line on the side of the stage. The first one in line was a sandy blond young Caucasian man. I motioned for him to come up onto the stage.

He walked up and I shared the microphone with him,
"Will you please state your name?" I asked.

"Robert Silverman." he said, "How does the Equestrian Criminal Justice System work and what are the maximum penalties for crimes?"

I turned to Twilight,
"Would you please answer this one? I don't know enough about Equestria's Criminal Justice System."

Twilight rose from her couch and approached the podium,
"Certainly. The system works as follows: a crime is reported, the suspect is taken into custody by the local Civil Guard, the local Civil Guard conducts a thorough investigation of the alleged crime collecting evidence and witnesses, the suspect is taken to trial as soon as possible, a trio of Magistrates are presented with the evidence and witness testimonies then confer and determine guilt or innocence based on a unanimous consensus. If the three magistrates cannot come to a unified consensus within five hours, the suspect is released from custody. In rare cases, the Princesses will act as Magistrates and in such a case only one Princess is needed. If the suspect is found guilty of a crime the Magistrates decide upon the appropriate punishment for the crime and the punishment is carried out. Punishments can range from very small fines to banishment. Does that satisfy you?"

The young man nodded,
"It does and I would like to propose additional possible punishments. The additional punishments are being beaten with a whip, public humiliation by placing the criminal in stocks, and execution. The choice of which punishment to mete out will still be determined by the Magistrates and the punishment of execution will only be viable for attempted rape, rape, attempted arson, arson, attempted murder, murder, and treason."

I could see Twilight biting her bottom lip as she turned to the crowd,
"Do any of you have anything to say?"

A Unicorn stallion stood up,
"The practice of executing criminals has been forbidden from Equestria for several hundred years because of the Rehabilitation Program. It's one of the only uses for Mind magic. Why would we slide backward in progress?"

Twilight stepped out of the way so Robert could answer the stallion himself,
"The threat of physical violence is a terrific deterrent against the commission of crimes."

The stallion nodded,
"That may be, I don't know because I've never lived in a land where I could witness it. My point is that it is unnecessary given the success rate of the Rehabilitation Program. We don't need to execute anypony since the Rehab Program has a one hundred percent success rate."

Robert was awestruck,
"A perfect rehabilitation rate?" he asked, "How can that be?"

"In the very rare cases of serious crimes, a designated member of the Rectifiers is assigned to the case to rehabilitate the offender after the three Magistrates decide on the necessity of the Rectifiers. In every instance, the offender decides to devote an amount of time in service to the victim's family. The offender is monitored consistently for ten years but an offender has never relapsed and committed another crime in their entire lives." the stallion said, "The method the Rectifiers use is they retrieve the memories of the last week of the victim's life and transfer them to the offender, including the experience of their death. The effect is said to be extremely profound and none can argue the success rate."

Robert looked surprised,
"Be that as it may, I respectfully maintain my position." he looked around, "I ask for a vote then. All in favor of including whipping, stocks, and execution as options for judging Magistrates, please stand."

I wasn't too surprised to see that only about one fifth of the group stood, Robert sighed but looked as he expected it,
"Motion declined by vote." Twilight said.

Robert walked off the stage but he looked like he was willing to accept the defeat, even if he wasn't very happy about it.

Twilight stepped away from the podium and I took my place again,
"Next please."

The next person was a dark orange Pegasus mare with a mane and tail of chocolate brown,
"My name is Evening Crest, I would like an explanation of why Humans eat fish please. It is . . . unusual."

I knew I could easily handle this one,
"There is a very good reason for it actually. The Human body needs specific proteins and vitamins that can only be found in meat. Now we usually eat many more types of meat than fish, but here in Equestria, we can stick to fish because Humans will never even think of eating any creature that is sentient or even might be sentient. It is simply a necessity of our survival. If Humans stopped eating meat completely, we would grow lethargic and sickly without some very significant vitamin supplements. In the same way, Humans need Vitamin C and a whole lot of other vitamins to stay healthy. Our bodies aren't capable of making the necessary vitamins on our own. Does that satisfy your question?"

The mare looked moderately disturbed but she gave a strained smile and nodded,
"Yes it does."

I leaned against the podium,
"Next please."

The next person was none other than Kaneesha,
"Hey Dan." she greeted me as she walked up to the podium, "I'm Kaneesha Edwards and I'd appreciate some clarification regardin' how New Humansville is gonna be run. Like how independent are we of the Equestrian government an' how much the Princesses can order us around."

I turned to Celestia,
"It's all yours Princess."

Celestia rose from her couch and approached the podium as I stepped away,
"You bring an interesting topic Mrs. Edwards. The autonomy of New Humansville has not been broached yet. I had been operating under the assumption that it would be the same as any other town in Equestria, but now that you bring it up would you like to take the lead on the decision and determine by vote?"

Kaneesha smiled mischievously,
"Aw hell yeah." she inched closer to the microphone and her entire demeanor changed in an instant,
"Now then," she cleared her throat, "The autonomy of New Humansville should be determined not by preference, but by logic. From a logical perspective, the necessity of a governing body of elected officials stems from the prevalent persistence of a constantly fluctuating population and a distinctive lack of income inasmuch as at the moment, New Humansville has no financial legs to stand on at all. As a town, we rely solely upon the donations and contributions of the Princesses."

Kaneesha lightly slapped the podium with her right hand, "We need a solid financial base as a starting point to work from as well as determining import and export on a local level. We've discussed many other things however I have yet to hear any mention of a Mayor, Treasurer, or any other elected official and if we are to run on our own, we will most certainly require such individuals to serve the better interests of the township at large. This is our town and we have a responsibility to ourselves to make it work. We've been given a bit so far but we need to stand on our own. I ask that the citizens of New Humansville consider holding an election for local officials. Once the construction of New Humansville is complete, we need to gather and hold a proper election."

She pointed outward at everyone,
"We can't keep expecting the Princesses to coddle us, we have the capability of working for ourselves and we need to. This is the first step of growth for us as a mixed township and we should take every opportunity to embrace it. Our success will help determine how other cities, towns, and villages see us. If we do well, they will be willing to copy what we do and the acceptance of a mixed citizenry will become all that much more appealing. On the flip side, if we rely on the Princesses too much, others will see us as weak. As such, I ask for the Princesses to withdraw from interfering with the governing of New Humansville and turn it over to the citizens as soon as a Mayor is elected." she stood behind the podium like a queen, "Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?"

A Pegasus mare stood up,
"Gust Rush, who will be allowed to run for Mayor?"

"Anybody." Kaneesha said, "Pony, Human, it doesn't matter. If they screw up badly enough we will reserve the right to impeach them with a majority vote though." she put on a determined grin, "What do you say New Humansville, let's show the rest of Equestria what we can do, together! Stand as a yes!"

Nearly every soul stood up and a great many cheered, 'Well well Kaneesha,' I thought, 'Seems like there are some hidden depths to you.' I was silently proud of her, 'If she runs for Mayor she'll win by a landslide.'

Kaneesha turned to Celestia and said,
"Motion passed your majesty." then turned and walked off the stage, strutting victoriously.

As Celestia walked back to her couch, I approached the podium again,
"Next please."

A young athletic African/American man stepped up,
"Desmond Jennings, I hear Princess Luna can watch people's dreams. Is that true?"

I stepped aside and Princess Luna took my place,
"Yes it is. It is my realm, Tel'aran'rhiod. I guard dreams and share my wisdom with any who are in need. I have NEVER spoken of what I see in those dreams and I never will. A person's dreams are their own even if Tel'aran'rhiod is my domain. None need EVER fear any sort of judgement for what they dream. When I walk in Tel'aran'rhiod, I am drawn to those whose minds are in turmoil and I bring them such peace as I am able. If you wish to ask that I stop doing so, I'm afraid I would have to disappoint you. I can chose to refrain from an individual if they wish it, for I will not go where I am not wanted, but Tel'aran'rhiod was given to me and I will guard my domain jealously. No other Pony in history that I'm aware of has even manifested such an ability and I use my great gift to the benefit of all. Does that satisfy you?"

"Yes it does Princess. You can monitor my dreams, I just wanted to know." Desmond said, stepping off the stage.

Luna headed back to her couch and I motioned for the next person to come up,
"Next please." I smiled when I saw who it was.

The man stepped up to the podium and leaned over to the microphone,
"I'm Alex Ludwig, I heard Princess Celestia say earlier that as soon as New Humansville was finished, the rest of Equestria would know of us. An announcement like that seems to be all but asking for hundreds of Ponies to come here out of curiosity. It seems reasonable to think that the announcement will cause quite a stir, so instead of having hundreds, if not thousands of curious Ponies here potentially getting in the way, how about we make it a type of Cultural Exchange Celebration. It could very well be a wonderful, family-friendly environment where Ponies and Humans could learn about each other."

I was intrigued,
"What did you have in mind, be more specific."

"Stands, booths, example houses, tours, unique foods, small crafts, demonstrations of all kinds, and all kinds of cultural music. It would be a sort of educational, celebratory fair. Something that says, 'Come see your strange new neighbors, talk to them, experience their culture, try some of their food, and talk with Ponies who already live with them.' that kind of thing."

I turned to the crowd,
"Do any of you have anything to say?"

No one did, so I called the vote,
"All in favor of the Cultural Exchange Celebration please stand." I watched the numbers stand and smiled, "The decision seems to be completely unanimous."

Alex smiled and inclined his head,
"I'll be organizing this so if you have any ideas, please come speak with me." he descended the stage to a small swarm of people and walked off talking to them.

The next person didn't even have to be told, she walked up and spoke into the microphone,
"Cessily Richardson, I'd like to know what laws there are 'bout alcohol, drugs, and narcotics."

I smiled, it was one of the ones I had paid special attention to,
"Any drug or medication that could be considered even close to prescription strength is kept in pharmacies and there are no cartels in the known world that make any sort of drug that could be considered recreational, even tobacco. Alcohol is available in the form of wines, some very limited beers, and a few strong spirits. Equestrians enjoy a wide variety of wines occasionally but very few drink heavily. Some bars do exist but they are fairly rare. I have also learned that Equestria imports the Gryphon version of mead regularly. Apparently the Gryphons are very fond of it. The Equestrian legal age for alcohol is twenty. Does that satisfy you?"

Cessily nodded happily,
"Yep. Thanks Crash."

As she walked off the stage, an Earth Pony mare walked up,
"Hello my name is Potato Singer," I couldn't help but to quirk an eyebrow at her name, "I wanted to know what kinds of plans for expansion are in place for New Humansville."

I turned to the three Alicorns,
"Princesses, would you be so kind?"

Luna rose from her couch before Celestia could and approached the podium,
"There are many possibilities for expanding New Humansville, especially regarding fields for growing food. I will make a point to draw up appropriate plans for expansion but as of right now, New Humansville is free to expand to the North and to the East for a distance of an additional twenty-three thousand Leagues beyond the edge of the forest. The original expansion plans for this town list the maximum area covered to be close to five hundred thousand Leagues. Is that sufficient?"

The mare's jaw hung open for a brief moment before she shook her head,
"Yes, thank you Princess."

I did the mental calculations and I was quite impressed, 'Nearly fifteen additional miles to the North and East? Wow, that's a TON more space.' Luna stepped back to her couch and I took the podium just as the next person stepped up.

"Hey yall, my name's Walt River. I was jes wonderin' 'bout slavery an' all that cause we ain't never covered it." he said.

"Good question sir." Twilight walked up without any prompting, "According to Equestrian law, any form of forced servitude, kidnapping, or slavery is very strictly prohibited. If any being is found to have been forced into any sort of slavery, servitude, or kidnapping they are immediately taken into protective custody. The ones responsible for their state are dealt with by Rectifiers. Cases like that are fairly uncommon although you do hear about them from time to time. The Guard takes such claims very seriously and even a rumor of it is enough to spark a thorough investigation. Does that satisfy your concern sir?"

The young man nodded, looking satisfied,
"Yeah, sounds good to me Princess."

Twilight and I both looked, but the line was gone, 'I guess some folks had questions that were already answered. That was much faster than I anticipated.'

Seeing the lack of further petitioners and concerned citizens I turned to the scribes,
"Is the document ready?"

Celestia levitated a length of parchment over to the podium as she and Luna joined Twilight and I,
"Would you like me to read it out loud?" Celestia asked.

I nodded,
"I think that would be for the best. Everyone should understand this."

Celestia cleared her throat,
"Ahem,
'This pact, written and signed, is a declaration that all sentient beings, specifically Humans, found in this world are welcome to live in peace within the nation of Equestria so long as their intentions are peaceful. Their rights and treatment shall be equal in every sense to native Ponies of the same nation. The Ponies of Equestria welcome Humans to work and live among them in peace and harmony, as a unified people bound not by appearance, diet, or belief, but by the infallible truth that to welcome one is to welcome all. Any nation grows stronger as more diversity is infused within it. Equestria always has and will strive to be a shining beacon of an example for the rest of the world to follow. This Unity Pact is the physical manifestation of the strength of such a truth and will hold true for time immortal.
Signed:
Celestia
Luna
Twilight Sparkle
Daniel Pering"

I smiled warmly, holding up the Unity Pact,
"This is a victory and nothing less."

Celestia turned toward the crowd and spoke into the microphone,
"All of you are aware of the trials and difficulties the Humans have faced since their arrival but there is one event that stands out as a debt from Equestria to you, the Massacre. At this time I would like to make a formal, public apology for our negligence in allowing such a thing to occur. There was no reason for it and we feel horrified that our subjects would or even could have perpetrated such an atrocity in the first place. As a final good-will token for the heinous crime, we offer a single boon to every Human present. This boon must be reasonable, however we will take all possible steps to ensure it is done to your satisfaction. In this we humbly ask your forgiveness. Peace be unto you and yours we pray. Thank you."

And with that, the entire field erupted into wild cheering. I looked out over the Humans and Ponies and smiled. The Humans, my people, had been stripped of literally everything that could be taken from them and left in the middle of a foreign land. They had picked themselves up and fought tooth and nail for their survival. Along the way they had suffered a great many trials and tribulations, but now they stood before me spread amongst new allies and friends, stronger than I could have ever imagined, and I could not have been any more proud, 'There will always be difficulties, but together, there's nothing that can stop us.' For the first time in months I felt a powerful surge of a rare emotion: hope.

The End