> Kelly Mathews, Equestria's Landstalker
>  by Leafwebs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 0_The Amended Contract - Hostile Welcome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 0_The Amended Contract – Hostile Welcome

‘None of us can predict how the world will change without excepting that we all play a part in shaping that future change.’ Kelly Mathews ponders staring out a car window.
‘Thank you Deloris LeClaire. Your actions may have taken the world by surprise, but you inspired people whose goals meshed in such a way that I was able to come home.’ Kelly continues to ponder shedding a tear. ‘My hope… my will to live almost died when the Merchant crossed my path that day, but I was saved by the people who used your discovery both for ill and benefit of us humans and the ones they touched. I owe you all.’
It all started for Kelly when she attended the Silicon Glades convention sponsored by Open MMO to get a programmer’s open source coding package. In spite of threats to the convention, Kelly and her sister Erin attended the event. After finding a simply dressed balding merchant, Kelly would have change forced upon her three days ago. All she remembers…
“No you don’t!” a man’s voice yells causing Kelly to turn around with her hand closing tight around the dog’s head shaped whistle.
“This isn’t… No, NO, NOOOO…” Kelly screams hearing her voice shifting to become deeper and feeling a hot summer wind replace the cool air conditioning. Gone was the convention hall as it morphed to a grassy field; the disorientation of the visual shift being just enough for her to misjudge her footing and fall when the level floor became uneven dirt and grass.
“That bastard… ” Kelly screams crying as she looks at the now heavier dog head whistle in her hand stop glowing.
Kelly’s whole body felt heavier with the odd sensations that her whole sense of balance was wrong. Missing were her breasts likely due to the transformation the same as her voice. Her ears came to a sharp point. Her hair was cut short and spiky, but even without a mirror she could tell it was not anime crazy. Her musculature was certainly more athletic than she was before, making her wonder if going to a gym would yielded the same results.
Gazing at her clothing she could see just how much better the suit’s construction now was. From it weight to the stitching this was no mere costume now. The green coat and pants part seemed to be a silk lined padded leather suit with a sophisticated illusory pine tree cameo markings giving the suit its coloration. The leather breast plate itself was composed of three layers, two of tanned leather fastened to a layer of wood by brass studs. The boots again seemed to be made of tanned leather like the breast plate.
Kelly’s heart hitched as she contemplated the last part of the outfit that set quietly in its scabbard. A faint ringing was made by the slender, 18 inch long, steel blade as it was shakily drawn.
Tears hit the finely polished rapier as newly changed forest elf considers running the blade’s edge across his wrists. It is only the sight of train tracks that stills the blade in the elf’s hand as the presence of trains meant civilization. Putting the rapier away Nigel the forest elf, formally Kelly Mathews; stands up begins walking towards the tracks veering off into the direction of the rising sun.
“Maybe I can at least make a classy entrance.” Nigel pouts, stopping briefly to look in the grass below and recover the Friday doll he made. “The prick couldn’t even spring for my traveling companion.”
The path along the tracks would be easy going thanks to the lack of hills and presence of the occasional tree to provide shade for the new forest elf.
A little ways away a life and death chase was now entering the plains as a deer bolts from the underbrush.
The doe’s muscles pumped as she tried to put distance from the forest she exited mere heart beats ago. Her ears catch the telltale snarl of her pursuer a poison sumac covered Timber wolf entering the plains behind her, its own natural camouflage failing it outside its natural habitat.
This only prompts the doe to pick up speed risking a fatal stumble as the obstacles of the forest were no longer present to aid the deer.
The Timber wolf had lost the easy kill in the forest when an errant shadow fell upon the deer giving away his approach. The glow of his eyes had also not helped matters.
‘Show me that you deserve to survive.’ The Timber wolf thought with excitement keeping his eyes locked on the fleeing doe as she zigzags left to avoid a tree and giving a vocal growling bark.
It should not have happened that a predator who was so focused on his kill would become so distracted that he would lose his kill, but the improbable happened.
The Timber wolf snarls in feral rage whipping his body to face right and brace for savage fight that would not happen. His nose had caught the scent of something alien and threatening.
Shaking his head free of his foolishness, the Timber wolf curses his self control as the doe now was certainly much too far away to catch. His body, still bristling in anticipation to defend his prey from another; was sprouting fresh thorns that would help savage the hapless competitor in this battle for dominance.
No challenger was in sight and no roar of challenge to be heard, but something had been here. In the tall grass the Timber wolf found ground that was recently disturbed by a large creature and some tracks heading away toward the train line, its scent tainting the earth like a corruption. 
‘Unnatural thing…’ The Timber wolf snarled in revulsion glaring off in the tracks direction.
The scent was very fresh and the ground even retained a subtle heat difference making the Timber wolf adopt a stalking pose as he once again sets out on a hunt. His ears and eyes worked overtime to catch any odd sound or out of place movement as he silently sprinted toward the scent’s source.
‘This is not prey…’ The Timber wolf thought to himself, wary of an ambush.
The Sun was reaching its mid-day peak when the Timber wolf finally laid eyes on the strange beast dressed like the forest, the wind whipping its scent over to the wolf's hiding spot. The wolf’s ears directed at the thing.
“Maple Trees with taps in them. Someone must be near who put these up.” Nigel smiled saying approaching one of the trees with stainless steel bucket hanging off it.
A short distance away a train’s steam whistle blares catching Nigel’s attention causing him to sprint off in the direction of the noise. A pair of glowing eyes nearing the spot Nigel was just at.
‘It races into the ponies den alone sickly as it is…’ The bristling Timber wolf muses glancing at the fleeing beast before giving the maple tap a long sniff. With a deep snarl and the baring of teeth the Timber wolf cuts into the forest thinking. ‘Unnatural magic beast… must observe from afar then tell alpha.’
As he reaches the crest of a hill, Nigel quickly jumps to land on a low building’s roof to avoid smacking into its wall the noise of the train covering his landing. Across from the roof was a train station where an old fashioned red steam engine train was pulling up with two cars attached to it. 
As the train unloads, Nigel notices that the passengers and townsmen were mostly pastel ponies. The crowd was very orderly for what looked like a full town welcome for these visitors.  
“It’s worse than I thought…” a masculine voice mutters from below Nigel’s perch.
Turning his gaze back to the train, Nigel sees a wealthy family departs only to be met by a crowd of local ponies. The foals, fillies by the looks of their tattered attire; were pulled to the side and were forced to watch as their parents had a collar with emerald stone on it forced on their necks. A series of eerie green runes flickered into being then faded when the collar was attached. The father succeeds in throwing one of the locals in an effort to resist but stops cold, his collar glowing; at the raised hoof of another local bearing a glowing armlet.
“I must warn Princess Luna…” the same voice from bellow mutters.
Nigel slowly crawls over to the edge to get a look at the mystery stallion witness. As soon as the head of the blond mane white stallion became visible, the Friday doll falls from Nigel’s pocket upsetting the junk pile the stallion was hiding behind and creating a lot of noise.
The spying stallion vanishes in a flash of light accompanied by a brief scream. The local with the magic armlet turns toward the noise of the ally as a few collars in the crowd took on the frightening glow.
“Crap…” Nigel blurts out as he makes an undignified fall from the roof as it partially collapses under his weight to hit the previously disturbed junk pile stunning him.
“Stranger, this is a ponies only town.” A female voice scolds then roughly clasps a collar around Nigel’s neck. “This should help you fit in!”
Nigel’s vision was blurry from the fall so he couldn’t make out the three ponies as pain ripped thru his body. This was worse than what he felt from the Merchant’s transformation as limbs shifted form. It only took mere moments to blackout from the pain.
Nigel’s pained scream carried some distance into the forest to startle the hidden Timber wolf for a second time after the teleportation flash halted his advance on the pony village. A unicorn pony by the glow of his horn had gotten between the Timber wolf and the village.
The wolf watched the fidgeting, nervous prey cast glances everywhere as a pair of objects next to it dimly glowed.
‘Bold beast, flush the prey from their den and in their panic you hunt them.’ The Timber wolf thought as he watched the blond mane white stallion suddenly shrink into a hiding posture as more glows approached.
The Timber wolf could only watch with growing unease as the new glows revealed more ponies that moved in an unnerving calm way toward the concealed and fearful stallion. Something was not right, but the Timber wolf had no time to ponder this as the motion of the glowing objects becoming one and disappear next to the stallion alerted the new ponies.
A brief and futile fight ensues resulting in the stallion getting subdued. As the stallion gets carried off by the other ponies, the hidden Timber wolf sees a brown rat pop out from under a bush in the underbrush. The thing stunk of magic and the wolf considered killing it after trapping its tail with a paw.
‘The alpha must hear about these ponies unsettling behavior.’ The Timber wolf huffs thinking and releasing the rat to silently return to his den. ‘Unnatural Predators and weird prey is a bad sign for pack.’
> Chapter 1_The Amended Contract - Nightmares Without Context
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1_The Amended Contract – Nightmares Without Context

“Don’t be sad, I’ve never had an unsatisfied customer.” An aged nearly hairless in figure speaks reassuringly to a shorter member of his kind that was trying to pull from his grip. The face of the shorter member makes the dreamer’s heart race with feelings of desperation and protectiveness becoming overwhelming as the dreamer makes out the tears on the short girl’s face. “All who buy my fare have desired high adventure. I wager that even you will find something special for your very own as well.”
‘Erin…’ Some part the dreamers mind screams as a dissolving hand reaches out to the girl.
“I’ll take care of her now.” The taller figure adds pulling the crying and struggling girl to him. With a piercing glair and cold smile he turns to the helpless dreamer and says. “So rise and shine adventurer!”
With a yelp a blond mane green coated stallion with tan front hooves and silver back hooves falls out of his bed in a fright and startling his roommate.
“It’s not time to wake up yet…” A dark blue stallion groans rubbing his eyes and turning toward the trembling green lump. “Buddy you okay?”
“I must save… her...” The trembling green stallion mutters glassy eyed. “Don’t… don’t send her away… please.”
“Buddy calm down, it’s only a bad dream.” The dark blue stallion adds trying to comfort the smaller stallion with a hug.
“Erin…” The smaller stallion whines as the door opens and the collars light up.
With in seconds the trembling green stallion faints under the collar’s influence and slips to the floor and out of the entranced blue stallion’s hug.
“Please put the young newcomer to bed, will you Thorns?” an orange mare with a curly black mane quietly commands her armlet glowing. After Thorns did what he was instructed to do the mare asks the stallion a question. “What upset our friend just now?”
“Nightmare… must save her… name Erin.” Thorns dimly answers the question.
“Thank you, you may return to your bed.” The orange mare commands.
Leaving the room and locking the door behind her, the orange mare with the curly black mane trots down the apartment hallway to her front desk.
“Another one… may mercy smile on us to find this Erin before the wrong ponies do.” The orange mare mutters grabbing an umbrella and walking outside into the rain.
The dirt road was already becoming muddy. This would likely be one of the concerns to get addressed at this week’s civic planning meeting. Three doors down was the modest home of Mayor Hail Veil, a single story yellow cottage with some tomato plants growing in a window flower box.
Knocking on the door, the orange mare waited getting slightly soaked for the Mayor to arrive. With the clink the lock was undone and the door was opened.
“Honeycomb, please come inside and out of the rain.” Mayor Hail Veil politely offered stepping out of the orange mare’s way. After closing the door she motions to Honeycomb to sit and asks. “What’s happened? I know you keep a keen eye on our new residents so please tell me what the matter?”
“It’s the unique stranger we just recruited; he may have been accompanied by another.” Honeycomb replied worried. “We also need Rain Dancer to improve the dream wards as the stranger continues to have disturbed sleep.”
“The nightmares should have been suppressed just the same the memories of his old life.” Mayor Veil added her brows beginning to furrow. “What did you learn?”
“His companion is named Erin. He was whimpering like any of the many new residents would before being collared and seemed to think she was in danger.” Honeycomb replies. “This has been the fourth dream to disturb his sleep in this first week with us. Thankfully I know Thorns to be a light sleeper, so we could have these details.”
“I’ll fill in Rain Dancer, last thing we need is for the Princess of the Night to ruin what we have begun. On that note you should have told me sooner.” Mayor Veil adds glaring. “Tomorrow we will organize maple sap collection teams to be headed by one of our own and quietly search for this Erin. Keep the unique one and Thorns in town with each other in case more information willingly slips his lips.”
“Thank you Mayor I will. We got some community projects I could assign them take care of.” Honeycomb replies saluting Mayor Veil and walking out the door.
Deep inside the maple tree forest Sumac grumbles over his failure to convince pack alpha Willow Bark to allow him to search the pony town for the predatory abomination. He had taken the alpha to the trail he first followed of this rival, and he too concluded that a foul taint scared the land where the thing walked. But Sumac was ordered to let it drop as the rival predator did not emerge from the pony village.
Sumac padded alongside Birch Heart, a pack sister; as they headed the summon howl of Willow Bark.
“Brother, the news you brought has the pack on edge.” Birch Heart growls quietly.
“So I’m not the only one to notice the strange pony behavior.” Sumac replies raising an eyebrow.
“Some others such as Hickory Knot, Crackle Pelt Elm, and Beach have seen your cold calm ponies mixed with more weary others.” Birch Heart replies with an agitated snarl. “They watch the forest as if they are the hunters of something we fail to scent… all while the others bleed our root bound kin.”
“So the rival is dead. “ Sumac grumbles conflicted eyes darting in thought. With a snarl of his own Sumac continues. “Has the Alpha found the source of the pony herd’s sudden numbers?”
“Watching the pony territory itself is dangerous for our kind, you know this. Most of the encroachment into our territory is by adults.” Birch Heart snaps out before calming some. “Some night hunters however have encountered magic that disrupts sight and sweeps away pony trails deeper into our forest.”
“How deep do they go, can the ponies time of return be used to find what they hide?” Sumac offers.
“The night hunters never seem to encounter the prey’s movements more than once in their trips, but the pattern of behavior suggests some ponies return to the same hidden den deeper in.” Birch Heart replies. “Caves and some other natural formations could hide this pony secret near Deep Lake, but with magic covering the trails a search would take a long time and spook the prey before we got close.”
Sumac and Birch Heart quiet down as they reach the meeting sight. Willow Bark and fifteen other pack brothers and sisters were already assembled. 
“A short while ago the pony herd at our boarder has become more aggressive in their encroachment of our land. The size and growth of their numbers being the most startling detail as no young are ever seen.” Willow Bark explains. “Thanks to the night hunter’s odd reports some in the pack think they have discovered a connection between these things. “
“The ponies have been concealing their deeper trails through our lands with magic so we don’t see them, but we need not our animal sense if we can pressure our prey on to a trail of our own.” Beach adds confidently. “Before the rise of the new sun we will erase all but a few of the commonly used pony trails and camp out by our bleeding kin in the remaining.”
Several snarls rang out at the thought of ponies and the bleeding root bound being connected.
“Even with magic to hide them, ponies are not creatures of the forests. They cut paths in the underbrush to move swiftly.” Beach continues flashing some wooden teeth. “We will gather them to us and then the underbrush will show its fangs.”
As the dawn cast its first rays on Maple Village, Honeycomb began setting the picnic tables for the early breakfast her tenets would eat before going to their assigned work. The table cloth was a green and white plaid with a green mop like trim. The plates were all made of clay with a white ceramic glaze only on the top.
The meal consisted of oatmeal with honey and a glass of whole milk; simple and nutritious according to Honeycomb.
With a fake smile, Honeycomb greeted her drowsy tenets as they filed around the table. The tenets consisted mostly of earth ponies and unicorns with the rare pegasi present. The unique stranger and Thorns did arrive on time and in the middle of the breakfast pack, but both were sleep deprived. Thorns was also a bit on edge with his roommate the unique stranger who was trying to apologize.
“What got into dude? I barely slept with all screaming you did.” Thorns huffed with blood shot eyes glaring at the unique stranger.
“Sorry I couldn’t help it. Every time I caught a wink I ended up drowning in the same nightmare.” The unique stranger replies head low and ears flat.
Honeycomb briefly activates her control armlet stifling the twos discussion so rumors would not start in the rest of Maple. Honeycomb recognized the signs of extreme emotional trauma, having helped in the relocation of the foals; in the unique stranger admission about his companion Erin.
‘This Erin must be dealt with before he stumbles upon her himself.’ Honeycomb inwardly concludes watching the unique stranger finish eating. ‘We can’t have him question his new self after all.’
After the last pony finished their morning meal Honeycomb posts on the message board the day’s job assignments. Many would be working on sap collection, a few on construction and a few on…
“We’re on brick making.” Thorns groans out in annoyance.
“Like mud bricks?” The unique stranger replies. “It can’t be that bad.”
“If you can keep from falling asleep from boredom, your body will be sore and worn out just enough to sleep soundly when bed time arrives.” Thorns mutters disgusted before going over to Honeycomb to ask. “Please can I do anything else but bricks?”
“Our new friend needs to start on a trade, Thorns. With his bad sleep last night we can’t risk him getting lost in the forest due to sleep trotting.” Honeycomb replies casually. “You also had a bad night I would assume you would you would welcome being close to your bed after your work was done.”
“Brick making is dull.” Thorns protests his head drooping.
“The training will be simple and the extra hooves should mean you will be done sooner. You’ll be okay Thorns.” Honeycomb replies patting his shoulder.
Thorns smiles slightly before going back to the unique stranger and leading him over to the brick makers hut.
The walk from the row of single room apartments to the brick markers hut took the pair past the railroad station and into the town’s trade ally. Most of the ponies in town were busy with various construction related tasks like tacking up roof shingles or laying bricks down for wall of new houses. The remaining ponies were lined up at the forest entrance and were putting on harnesses that had a line of three hooks down each side for buckets to dangle from.
The scent of Maple sap cooking off from one green painted building actually got Thorns to stop a moment to enjoy the aroma.
“I hope Cornucopia makes some caramels for us.” Thorns sighs in delight.
“Caramels …” The unique stranger replies curious.
“She usually only makes twenty or thirty sugar cube size pieces per harvest saving most of the sap for barrels of maple syrup we trade.”  Thorns replies pointing at a stack of fifteen barrels near the green building where only four or five with freshly sealed lids. “Her caramels are so good. You can stick them to the roof of your mouth for a whole night of fun.”
The unique stranger drooled at the thought as a dog walk out of an ally and stopped to scratch.
“Dose sticking the caramel to the roof your mouth really help it last all night?” The unique stranger asks Thorns who playfully laughs.
“It’s not funny having something stuck in your mouth.” An unfamiliar voice scolds from somewhere nearby.
“Nearly all night if you savior it.” Thorns replies after finishing his chuckle. “Just another house more and we’ll be there.”
The brick marker’s hut came into view a short time later. It was a small unpainted brick hut near a small length of train tracks that had a modified hand cart on end and ran over a fire pit. Near the tracks were some work tables with forms for shaping the bricks.
At the first set of tables were several muddy buckets and two empty forms for shaping the bricks. A beige unicorn was busy filling the first form with the aid of levitation magic to hold the bucket, her hooves muddy from where she used them to level off the tops of the soon to be bricks. As the unique stranger and Thorns got near the unicorn looks up and smiles.
“I must have eaten a four leaf clover, Thorns; are you here to relieve me?” the beige unicorn asks hopeful.
“No, sorry Reeds; I’m here to get the new colt started on trade Honeycomb’s orders.” Thorns replies shaking his head and stepping clear of the unique stranger.
“You’re oddly marked…” Reeds mutters out glancing at the unique stranger’s legs. “Thorns are you sure he is as young as you think? He’s got graying back hooves. Who is he?”
“I haven’t had a chance to learn his name, but his crest mark looks like some kind of dogs head.” Thorns replies.
“Thorns you know it’s rude to assume our names go literally by our cutie marks.” Reeds scolds with a snort. Turning to the unique stranger to ask only earned her drooping ears and a quick head shake from the unique stranger. “Sorry I won’t ask.”
“Amnesia, add it to the….” Thorns started speaking before the groups collars flared to life. 
“You’ll all have time to talk at lunch, besides Reeds and I are in the middle of a competition. Aren’t we?” A unicorn stallion with a teal accented black mane and sapphire coat snorts out at the trio.
“Sorry Rain Dancer.” Reeds shyly calls back before turning back to Thorns and company. “Come on lend me a hoof here I got lunch choice up for grabs here. Thorns you think you can handle our hot plate?”
“If we can get caramel I think I can handle some sweating.” Thorns replies.
“We’ll see Thorns.” Reeds growls softly looking at Thorns before turning to address the unique stranger. “New pony you think you can fill up these molds evenly and level them off so Thorns can cook the mud? I’ll handle the buckets.”
With a nod the unique stranger sits across from the first brick making form as Reeds and the buckets dash for the mud hole, Thorns taking up a position at the table’s end nearest to the hot plate cart, and Rain Dancer picking up a chisel.
“This is for the choice of our meals today, every pony. Ready, set, and go.” Rain Dancer calls as everyone springs into action.
It was certainly easier for Reeds to focus on being just one part of the assembly line instead of the whole unit up to the hot plate as evidenced by a growing yet small smile on her face. The unique stranger tied up the line once in his confusion on how to signal Reeds for the next bucket. When she noticed she just knocked on a bucket near her which he repeated on an empty bucket near him earning a nod. Thorns also adopted the signal by tapping the table once near the returned form.
Rain Dancer looked over briefly at the trio during this as he hurried himself with glazing and staining the dried bricks.
When the lunch bell rang the trio of Reeds, Thorns, and the unique stranger was just barely edged out of the win by Rain Dancer who glazed a whole stack of bricks before the others could make three stacks.
The contest felt a bit one sided to the unique stranger as he got from his workstation to join with the others.
“Oh the poor pups, it must be kibble again.” A voice mocks.
“Huh? What about kibble?” the unique stranger replies startled.
“That might be all that’s left for you if we don’t get a move on.” Thorns scolds tapping on the unique stranger’s left shoulder and leading him over to the others. 
Meanwhile deeper into the forest a small group of ponies made plans to separate from the larger group that would be collecting sap. Two of the four ponies with control armlets would move supplies to their outpost further in while the others managed the collection.
The supplies consisted mostly of bags of dehydrated soup and oat meal. Some new blankets were also included on the backs of the two earth pony mares picked for the supply mission.
It wasn’t long after the supply ponies left that the remaining control ponies noticed something wrong.  Many of the sap collection ponies were huddled together shivering; a number collection buckets and hooks were smashed with the tap holes somehow overgrown. A look across the grove of trees showed a lot more undergrowth to contend with too.
With this new development everyone made for home to report what happened.
During the night another nightmare raked at the unique stranger’s mind. A fog dimmed the stranger’s awareness but even that didn’t stop the voice.
“Sister I’m lost…” a heart-wrenchingly familiar voice cries from the form of a female fighter pilot wearing a helmet emblazoned with a fire manned unicorn on it that quickly disappears behind the fog.
“I don’t want to be alone…” The terrified voice continues from the form of a small monkey with a yellow pig tail hair alone in a vast jungle that also disappears as quickly as it arrives.
“Kelly…” A painfully familiar tear stained face screams before the nightmare breaks up.
The unique stranger wakes up briefly clutching his head as his collar glows before passing out with a groan.
Over the next couple days the unique stranger got better at his assigned trade with his two companions; however Maple’s sap harvesters were not having it so good.
“Oh dear no… It’s Meadow Song.” Reeds gasps wide eyed at brown Pegasus with pink wings and several fresh wounds all over her legs as she is carried into town.
“Silk Braid too…” Thorns replies trembling as he notices the speckled mint green earth stallion. He was similar cut over his legs and had several bee stings too being carried in to town behind Meadow Song. “That’s five injured ponies in two days out in the maple fields.”
“Why is every pony on the sap harvest getting hurt?” Reeds adds frustrated.
It was at this moment that Thorns and Reeds noticed that the unique stranger had fallen behind on their way to Rain Dancer’s brick making hut… again. The nightmares had ceased, but the unique stranger’s behavior only continued to suffer.
Turning around the pair retrace their steps and find the unique stranger trying to search the town without being seen from an ally. A few dogs had gathered near him in his search.
“Erin, don’t cry I’ll find you.” The unique stranger whispers hysterically looking out into town. A growl from one of the dogs and nip at the unique stranger’s legs causes him to jump and quietly shout. “Knock it off Erin is in danger. She is around here somewhere.”
The dog closest to the unique stranger smacks him in the face with a paw and barks indignantly at him.
“Don’t give me that I can hear her over this way.” The unique stranger counters trying to get in the hound dogs face. “One would think with ears as large as yours it would be impossible to miss a girls frantic sobs.”
“Thorns is he speaking to Cornucopia’s hounds?” Reeds asks dumbfounded.
“No… well yes, but it seems to be more of an argument.” Thorns replies as the dogs and the unique stranger finally take notice of their onlookers.
“Finally someone who can help me look for Erin.” The unique stranger cheers.
“Since when can you speak with hounds… oh so that is what your talent is?” Thorns replies. “How about we call you Hound Speaker?”
“What are… I need help find my…” The unique stranger began to protest only for his collar to cut him off.
All three ponies in fact had seized up at the call of the collars as another strolled into the alley scarring off the dogs in the process.
“Hound Speaker will be your name from now on. I find it fitting that you explain yourself to them first when they have to track down your flank.” Rain Dancer scolded aloud looking at the now cringing colt. Turning to the others he continues lecturing. “All of you are late, but I do thank you two for finding our stray.”
Hound Speaker bowed his head in shame and walked over to the other two as they followed Rain Dancer back to the brick making hut. It was silent all the way back to the work stations until Hound Speaker got a look at a pile of recently stained bricks.
“It’s like a puzzle, that’s got to be a hassle to paint bricks like this.” Hound Speaker comments in wide eyed astonishment at the stained calligraphy covered bricks.
“No kidding.” Reeds adds walking over to join Hound in looking at the finished bricks. “Now I don’t feel so bad losing all the time.”
“I’m just that good you could learn a thing or two from me.” Rain Dancer replies.
“Maybe, but I see a lot bricks here with the same patterns on them. Why not make a stamp for the repeats?” Hound Speaker asks curiously.
“I don’t repeat any of these more than a dozen times at most. Making a stamp would be a waste?” Rain Dancer counters. “…besides each pony’s house is going to have a different design.”
“No Hound has a point. You put a lot of effort into keeping them precise.” Reeds replies. “I can carve these designs for you out of the firewood when we done with one pattern we can burn it.”
“It would limit any mistakes to the stamp, which we would get corrected before using; and the odd pieces out.” Hound Speaker adds calmly. “It would just be easier in the long run.”
“I guess I could make a blueprint scroll list of the ones I yet need.” Rain Dancer replies. “For now we are going to finish today’s back log.”
The work at the brick maker’s hut progressed without further incident. Eager to show her skill at the end of the day, Reeds takes the blueprint scroll and promises to have the stamps finished by the next morning. After sending the trio home Rain Dancer goes to see Mayor Hail Veil.
“How has the new worker worked out?” Mayor Veil asks waving Rain Dancer inside her house to join her and Honeycomb.
“He is good at the job but his pony identity is breaking down.” Rain Dancer replies coldly. “Increasing the dream wards causes him to hallucinate about Erin. I caught him verbally fighting with a pair of dogs today right in front of Thorns and Reeds.”
Honeycomb drops her cup of cocoa and it shatters.
“Blast it all I thought that was working.” Honeycomb hisses.
“How are you going to handle this problem?” Mayor Veil asks.
“I’m going to enhance the wards again, but we need to get rid of this pest.” Rain Dancer snaps. “His will is too strong and he is too smart for his own good.”
“Smart… what else has happened?” Mayor Veil coldly inquires.
“Hound Speaker looked at the finished bricks and hinted on a pattern. I provided a piece of the design to be made into temporary stamps under the guise of making my work easier on their suggestion, but If Reeds gets any ideas like he did they could expose our secret.” Rain Dancer replies agitated. “None of them possess identities of scholar mages, but uncovering what they have will buck us in the near future.”
“Keep cool with it Rain Dancer. We have need for sap harvesting volunteers.” Mayor Veil replies. “In light of the suspicious injuries of our friends, I’m willing to lose these pests to expose the agitators in the fields.”
“So does that mean we know who is interrupting our supply runs?” Honeycomb asks with renewed interest.
“Not quiet. The agitators have just decided to get clever about our concealment spells.” Mayor Veil replies. “Our pests are aware of our ponies’ injuries I presume.”
“Thorns and Reeds for certain, Hound Speaker will no doubt learn the news from them.” Rain Dancer sighs. 
“Then they shouldn’t question the change of duties.” Mayor Veil concludes.
Hound Speaker, Thorns, and Reeds were woken early the next morning by Mayor Hail Veil personally about going sap harvesting.  No pony was thrilled by the request to enter the forest; Hound Speaker was especially timid due to Thorns and Reeds dragging him off to visit the injured the day before after finishing work.
The talks that the trio had with the other harvesters had made it seem like the Fields were overgrown, but it didn’t explain the accidents. Only a handful of others submitted to the Mayor’s request to join the group and split off to collect from a section of trees the trio passed ten minutes back.
The forest before the trio now was silent and still. Only a few buckets were in place the others were smashed. The undergrowth around the trees made it look like no pony had walked even near some of them even as a few still had taps.
Thorns, Hound Speaker, and Reeds had just enough time for the hair on their bodies to begin standing on end at the sight when a breeze whipped up behind them and into the grove. Six piles of undergrowth then twisted around and stood up focusing their yellow eyed glair on the group.
“T… timber wolves.” Reeds gasps in alarm. “Why are they here now of all times?”
“Their looking right at us…” Thorns mutters nervously. Looking over his shoulder, Thorns asks a young stallion behind him a question. “Hound Speaker… kid can you please do something about them.”
Hound Speaker reluctantly steps in front of the group on shaky legs his ears zipping between one low snarl to the next. The vocalizations of two in particular really seemed to frighten Hound Speaker a lot.
The first was male timber wolf with skin like birch. His low growl made Hound cast a glance his way for a handful of seconds, but when a female with mossy bark snarls loudly Hound jumps and put his full attention on her.
“We… we are…. We’re not really hurting the trees. The sap we… we collect… is only what is needed to fill our buckets. Just this one time of year before the frost sets in.” Hound Speaker stutters in a hasty reply.
To Thorns and Reeds horror the timber wolf pack perked up in surprise at Hound Speaker’s words and quickly took up aggressive postures directing menacing fanged snarls right at them.
A large timber wolf, poison sumac vines entwined in his oak bark snarls something unmistakably angry sounding at Hound Speaker.
“I… I am… certain that my gift is rare in understanding what you’re saying.” Hound Speaker gulps.
The sumac covered wolf stalks closer to Hound Speaker causing Reeds and Thorns to move in behind Hound.
The large alpha, a Timber wolf with willow vine mane, growls something that even Thorns and Reeds find so commanding that they almost missed the previous wolf’s advance.
Using the alpha as a distraction, the sumac covered wolf slips a wooden claw into Hound Speaker’s mane just behind the head and flashes a vicious fanged snarl at Thorns and Reeds. 
The sumac coved wolf sniffs the back of Hound Speaker’s mane and his features harden. The wolf proceeds to growl something right into Hound Speaker’s ear. 
“Hound… Do not make any sudden moves.” Thorns meekly orders gazing into the timber wolf’s eyes as he and Reeds freeze in place each with a hoof on Hound’s back.
“Hound Speaker…” Hound Speaker replies in a cold sweet to his wolf captor.
The sumac covered wolf snarls again into Hound’s ear and digs his claw into Hound’s neck. Hound Speaker blanches in shock at whatever it was the wolf had said.
A menacing and commanding howl later by the alpha causes the sumac covered wolf to flinch and his grip to loosen just enough to pull Hound Speaker free. Reeds forces her limp and shaken companion on to Thorns’s back as the pair bolt for town the sound of a newly arriving train being their guide in their escape.
> Chapter 2_The Amended Contract – Outsiders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2_The Amended Contract – Outsiders 

At the Sterling Willow Art Museum in Cantorlot an immaculately groomed white stallion with a blond mane strolls toward the avian wing. The stallion pauses briefly to admire a soapstone figurine of a unicorn artist sculpting a Bonsai tree from a block of stone.   A small smile crosses the stallion’s face as he ponders the artist’s subtle message.
With a small sigh Blue Blood turns away from the figurine and continues into the avian wing of the museum.  This part of museum was dedicated to the historical bird companions of the early unicorn tribes, from messenger familiars to grand fighting Rocs. Blue Blood even had an ancestor who pioneered the art of the messenger bird during the tribe’s wars.
In the replica talons of Midnight Gold, prized messenger familiar of Noble Blood; Blue Blood finds a fresh message scroll instead of the normal faux aged one. Illuminating the fake scroll with magic causes Blue Blood’s crest mark to appear marking it as a message for him. Unrolling it Blue Blood begins to read the invisible text as it slowly becomes visible.
 Apologies that I cannot tell you myself my Prince, but the witnesses I found have gone missing. The Picture runes from my interviews should be enough to contradict the cover stories pertaining to Iron Rail’s and Quarts Fur’s ware-abouts for the day in question.
Lastly the records of their stay have been erased from the manifests, but I included the ticket stub dropped by Iron Rail I recovered at the florist’s shop. A clue missed by the clean up team.
Good Luck my Prince.
Once Blue Blood finished silently reading the scroll it transforms into three enchanted picture scrolls and a ticket stub for a train. The scrolls detailed the witness testimonies and photo rune evidence that Blue Blood’s investigator had collected and would show that Iron Rail and Quarts Fur had been to Cantorlot.
The ticket stub that was provided was the oddity for the cultured unicorn. It was a premium round trip ticket marked with Iron Rail’s crest mark for Quarts Fur and information like her train number, departure times, and foreign noble visa number. This was a thing to be tracked at the highest levels of Equestria’s government, due to the more nationally disloyal noble’s secret dealings over the years.
‘Wait he said something about the manifests getting erased.’ Blue Blood thought fighting not to scowl as he readies a different scroll for opening.
Opening the scroll for a junior conductor by the name of Coal Furnace, Blue Blood quickly scans the runes and finds the image of the manifest Iron Rail’s sponsored ticket. It was confirmation of the ticket’s authenticity. The next rune image showed what should have been the same manifest with the ticket no longer registered there and even the passenger number was noticeably off.
Quickly closing the scroll and packing it away, Blue Blood returns to his scheduled routine of smirking at the art like the pretentious prick he was publicly believed to be. His investigator was compromised and Blue Blood needed to avoid extra attention.
After his hour at museum, Blue Blood took in his customary lunch before heading to the castle to see Princess Luna. 
Approaching Cantorlot castle Blue Blood rolled his eyes at the sight of Shining Armor and Nightlight two prominent nobles of House Sparkle.
“We’re going on ahead to prepare the surprise for your sister. You can make it to the celebration for the end of her community service, can you not?” Nightlight happily asks.
“I’ve saved up my leave just for this day dad. I wouldn’t miss it for the world when we welcome her home.” Shining Armor replies joyfully. “I’ll be arriving in style for the occasion, with Princess Luna’s permission even.”
Blue Blood groaned catching a disapproving look from the pair.
“I’ll be waiting for your entrance then son. The presence of more favorable company will be a most enjoyable.” Night light snorts with a glance at Blue Blood. “But for now I have a train to catch.”
Shining Armor watches Nightlight leave to meet his wife before turning to scowl at Blue Blood.
“Here to waste more of your princess’s time, my liege?” Shining Armor snorts derisively.
“A noble’s business is never a waste of time Captain. Expecting to recover the prestige of one’s House after what your little sis did…” Blue Blood starts only to get interrupted.
“You risk much prestige if you continue with your insults.” Shining Armor threatens.
“Insult you… My time is too precious for that, by your leave then, Captain?” Blue Blood sneers.
“Yeah get out of my sight I got a letter to send.” Shining Armor replies disgusted.
Entering the palace, Blue Blood was disturbed by how empty the audience hall was. Many faces ranging from allied and rival houses more dedicated than he were absent. Princess Luna in spite of her relaxed state was no doubt aware of the change in the court’s atmosphere and would be most curious as to why it is so.
“Auntie…umm pardon my rudeness, Princess Luna; may I have a moment of your time?” Blue Blood asks forcing himself to apologetically bow.
“Nephew I’m always worried when you address me by my proper title. This is not a good time to bring me ill news.” Princess Luna replies with a glare that betrays more concern than anger.
“You’re talking about the absent nobles I presume?” Blue Blood asks his ears drooping and brow furrowing.
“You are correct nephew and by the look of you your question is related somehow.” Princess Luna replies.
“A new business contact of mine Iron Rail went missing recently. He was colluding with the Diamond dog ‘Baroness of the Ore Veins’ Quarts Fur about a new line of modern trains.”  Blue Blood states calmly floating the scrolls from his investigator to Luna.  “The new line of engines would have incorporated my House’s name serving to advertise my generosity to the masses.”
“So it was an appeal to your vanity; quite clever.” Luna replies mockingly as she opens the first scroll. Blue Blood bites back the bile as Luna studies the evidence.
Elsewhere Twilight Sparkle hastily makes for the Ponyville train station with Spike and Pinkie at her side.
“Shinny’s letter said I should expect a surprise on the predawn train.” Twilight cheerfully pants.
“Can it really be that long already?” Pinkie asks smiling bouncing just at Twilights heels.
“Yep this is Twilight’s last day of community service.” Spike adds.
“I can read my BBBFF like a foal’s picture book. He really thinks I would forget the importance of today since I made some true friends and not catch his hint.” Twilight cheers her head held high. “My mom and dad are coming here and I won’t be stuck in one spot. It the freedom to show you Pinkie and the rest of the girls where I grew up and treat you all for a change.”
“Twi, you know the party planning is my thing. You want some pointers?” Pinkie adds with a giggle.
Twilight gives Pinkie an amused smirk before busting into brief laughter. She calms down upon reaching the platform of the train station and takes a seat.
“My world has been so small for so long when I left home and then I was forced to settle here. In that time, even when it was tough; my world started opening up. I met so many ponies who have become dear to me the same as if they had always been family.” Twilight coos thoughtfully. “Ponyville is a home to me as much as Cantorlot is for me.”
Twilight removes her brother’s scroll from her bag to double check the arrival time and number of the train for seventh time since first getting it. The letter was written all too merrily to hide the surprise of her parent’s arrival. Twilight rolled her eyes at face she was planning to put on to hide spoiled secret her brother let slip.
Relaxing her grasp on the scroll brought Twilight face to face with two of her other friends’ likely curtsey of Pinkie; of Rarity and Fluttershy. A short ways off was also one of the local folk heroes Derpy with a bundle of packages for the train.
Back at Cantorlot a rushed investigation was being conducted into the absent nobles. The scrolls from Blue Blood’s agent had prompted the night diarch to look more closely at the cover stories of unavailable pains in the necks she calls the court and holes started to form with each inquiry.
“I got a look at Stone Mill’s inventory report and noble Hollow Root has not picked up his usual coffee purchase. Stone Mill was adamant that no shipment would be accepted unless he inspected in pony. He’s said to be very particular about the blend.” A sandy brown unicorn mare clerk reports to Princess Luna. “If he had a trip planned he would never forget his precious coffee.”
“Thank you Ledger your dismissed.” Princess Luna replies turning to Blue Blood who was still talking to another of Luna’s assistants. The conversation ends with her nephew’s head drooping with disgust.
“Chalk up Gilded Lotus to our list of unbelievable ghost ponies, attending a phony festival in Trottingham for the glass artisans indeed.” Blue Blood snorts derisively. “The mayor assures the crown that no grand event is scheduled until winter wrap up.”
“There must be a pattern to their disappearances; maybe we need to focus on how they traveled not the where.” Princess Luna mutters as the doors fly open reveling guard captain Shining Armor.
Shining Armor wore an exhausted look of panic until he set eyes on Blue Blood and his face shifted to rage.
“Spoiled noble brat you’re still here wasting the Princess’s time.” Shining Armor furiously spat at Blue Blood.
“Manners Captain, something serious has been happening in this city under our noses and we have been investigating.” Blue Blood replies gesturing to a now agitated Luna.
“Investigation… what petty little concern of yours could be so important.” Shining Armor retorts stamping his hoof.
“Captain Shining Armor you will not conduct yourself in this fashion in my presence!” Princess Luna scolds making both stallions flinch and back up.
“Yes my Princes…”Shining replies tucking his tail.
“Why have you interrupted us?” Luna asks drawing nearer.
“Nightlight’s…  My father and mother’s train never arrived at Ponyville…” Shining Armor replies.
“Train…” Blue Blood’s face blanches with a cold clarity as he asks. “What was the train number Captain?”
Back in Ponyville Princess Trixie prepares to go to sleep after a mostly uneventful night only to receive a knock on her door.
“Trixie should… consider posting her office hours.” Trixie yawns turning to open her door and greet her late hour guests. Dread immediately filled her heart upon seeing a sobbing Twilight in the company of a worried Pinkie, Spike, and Derpy. “Derpy what… what happened?”
“The train Twilight’s parents were on didn’t show up and her brother was not on his train. She sent a scroll to her brother in Cantorlot, but got no reply back.” Derpy sullenly replies. “This is the day she has waited so long for and now she’s heartbroken.”
It didn’t dawn on Trixie at first what Derpy had meant about the day, but as she soaked in the scene before her of the distraught unicorn she finally realizes the importance this day held. As a gesture sympathy began to form on the Princess of Friendship tongue a scroll flashed into existence bearing the seal of the Princess Luna and Shining Armor.
Opening the scroll caused Trixie’s composer to crack.
Hail Trixie Lulamoon, Princess of Friendship and Hero of the Realm.
An issue of great concern has come up with the nobles of Cantorlot, and the daughter of two of our more prominent by the name of Twilight Sparkle is in your court’s care. We request that you keep an eye on her as our concerns here may take time to resolve and rash actions will not help matters. Instruct your guards to be extra alert for anything that does not fit Ponyville’s normal.
I will send for you all when I learn more.
Princess Luna
Trixie shivered afraid to look at the purple unicorn that just a moment ago stopped sobbing long enough to study the scroll’s seals. ‘What do I tell her?’
Three days later on a Cantorlot flats balcony overlooking the tracks, Prince Blue Blood adjusts his coal dust and grease stained Train Engineers attire. It had cost Blue Blood a pretty favor to get the uniform cleaners to smuggle him a genuine train pony’s dirty laundry, but it would help conceal the glamour he would use from the detection of the kidnappers.
‘Whoever is behind this will be sentenced to clean, mend, freshen every one of these work rags for the next decade for this embarrassment.’ Blue Blood half retched at the uniforms smell. ‘With a hoof brush and needle.’
The line Blue Blood was watching is one of the lesser used routes. Learning of the number his target used allowed him to track down witnesses to the extra traffic of the kidnappers. Shining Armor had demanded to run this part of the operation but Luna insisted he handle the protective custody of the witnesses considering how the others were taken as well.
The weather was also unpleasant with sporadic rain and smoke laced wind to further accost the blond mane stallion.
“Forget cleaning these rags, when I catch this noble snatching filth they will cater to the peasant workers daily grooming until they are invalids.” Blue Blood curses in a mutter levitating a mug of hot coco to his lips.
Finally the time for action was upon him as a train whistle sounded and the tell tale smoke from a steam engine became visible four blocks up the track from Blue Bloods balcony. Using a spyglass he confirmed that this train was his target and teleported aboard the caboose when it got close.
“What the hay….” Yells a gold furred earth stallion thug as he gets a hard right hook to back of his muzzle from the new intruder.
After binding, gagging, hiding the brute; Blue Blood assumes his form with the glamour hoping the smell and texture of the real uniform will discourage the use of any dispel magic. As Blue Blood made his way through the end train cars he found the doors to be locked securely even against magic.
After about the sixth door another pony, a straw yellow mare; waves to Blue Blood to which he simply nods back and turns as if on a patrol. Careful not give himself away with his ears or use of his horn, Blue Blood walks back to the caboose. The lack of any yelling or stampeding his way let him know he is safe.
The ride was quiet except for some light sobs that could be heard through the vents and pathetic thrashing of the bound thug. For nine hours Blue Blood waits taking the occasional sip of a special blend of coco and coffee to stay awake before the train whistle sounds to signal their imminent arrival. 
After knocking out the thug again and hiding him again, Blue Blood exits the caboose and teleports off the train as a village comes into view. Sneaking into a shrouded ally while galloping proved easy for Blue Blood with the noisy train pulling up to the station.  An idle shadow passes overhead as the stallion crouches behind a trash pile to look on.
From his vantage point, Blue Blood watched as the passengers were off loaded from the train on to the Maple Village station platform. The gait of the noble pony family that had just been herded off was stiff and clumsy possibly from being restrained hours prior to now. Several non-pony slurs caught his ear emanating from inside the train making Blue Blood’s fabled blood run cold.
“It’s worse than I thought…” Blue Blood mutters as he recollects which race each slur referred to. It was an epic disaster of international politics as ponies mingled with gryphon, changelings, and even a caribou serving as trophies to this gathering of kidnappers.
The scene before him only got worse when the family patriarch, Marble Tower; tried to fight back only to be held firmly by the town ponies while a slave spell collar was forced around his neck. This horrible sight caused the prince to notice that most of the ponies here were collared.
“I must warn Princess Luna…” Blue Blood mutters frightfully as realizes just how in over his head he was.
He so wanted to make a silent get-a-way, but as he prepared to teleport away something fell from above disturbing the trash pile. With a scream he was sent off course.
“A mere child’s doll leads to my ruin.” Blue Blood fumes as he hastily scribbles out a message to his aunt.
His ears detect a growing chorus of searching ponies, Blue Blood sighs in disgust as he was too sleep deprived to teleport again. Only one option remained open to him in the transfiguration spell that Blue Bloods former detective had used to conceal his findings for the prince to find.
This action would completely drain the prince and leave him helpless to the mob that would no doubt be attracted by it, but Blue Blood did it anyway and transformed his message into a rat with the instructions to head to Luna in Cantorlot.
The light from this spell brought the mob, Blue Blood dodges the first hoof haymaker only to trot into another pony’s attack and get knocked out.
As the rat made its way across country, Twilight Sparkle found sleep to be a scarce resource along with the desire to eat.  Driven by worry Twilight has attempted to sneak out of Ponyville no less than sixteen times causing Twilight’s friends to openly petition Princess Trixie and the other elements to help keep the distraught unicorn out of trouble.
“Out of my way Rain Drops, Rainbow had no right putting you up to this.” Twilight snarled her horn flaring at the Pegasus element bearer as Rainbow Dash tried to find an opening to grab her friend.
The realization that Twilight’s parents were missing had an instant impact on the unicorn. Had Spike, Pinkie, and Fluttershy been poor friends Twilight would have gone missing with the first sunrise.
“Not a chance. I’m not letting you lose me.” Rain Drops retorts her wings twitching.
“Darling you… can’t… search the entire country yourself.” Rarity pants out load arriving for the standoff.
“Not you too, the longer you keep me here the colder their trail gets.” Twilight counters preparing a teleport. “Sorry I have to do this.”
In a flash of light Twilight teleports to Ponyville’s west edge, but before she could celebrate her cleverness the gathering of friends and Element Bearers wink in to cut her off.
“For Celestia’s sake…” Twilight curses teleporting over to the south east only to get cut off again.
It dawns on her what was going on just in time for Princess Trixie to land right in front of the fuming unicorn.
“Cheap trick, Trixie; I’m surprised I fell for it!” Twilight snarls as all the rest of her friends and the Bearers surround her.
“On another night you would not have.” Trixie replies folding her wings and dimming her horn. “Why not give your brother a chance to find them?”
Before the standoff could get any worse four night guards leading two carriages landed next to the gathered ponies.
“By order of Princess Luna we have been directed to escort Twilight Sparkle and the Element Bearers to Cantorlot about matters of an important and personal nature.” The head lunar guard escort announces. “We will provide accommodation to your friends lady Twilight until matters between you and the crown are resolved if you desire moral support.”
Twilight’s ears folded back some but nodded in acceptance heading for one of the carriages with her friends and the Element Bearers taking the other.
At Cantorlot Princess Luna pondered her withering court’s latest interruption in the form of an odd rat. Having been discovered by a maid it was brought to the moon princess attention for it’s odd marking prompting Luna to send for several important ponies.
“Blue Blood you’re not one to send a messenger by whose association your ego would be mocked.” Princess Luna mutters scowling at a brown rat familiar with Blueblood’s mark on its belly held aloft in her magic. “Guard have the Bearers arrived?”
“Yes your majesty, everyone is waiting outside as per your orders.” The night guard earth pony answers saluting.
“Send them in, this will take but a moment.” Princess Luna adds transforming the rat into a stack of parchments.
Princess Luna as I’ve brought it to your attention, the reports of key noble leaders’ reasons for absence were indeed false. I believe I have tracked down our kidnappers operating out of a town called Maple Village. 
Watching the train lines I located the red steam engine and sunk aboard. I ditched the train just one mile out of its stop where the adults were offloaded with their families. Every adult is then fitted with a control collar. I don’t know what they do with the foals there were none in the crowd except for the ones from the train.
I’ve been discovered, after an object fell from a roof disturbing my hiding spot, I teleported away. Search parties of enslaved ponies are now checking the area for me so I must resort to this method of messenger. Hopefully it will remain beneath their interest.
Blue Blood
“Princess Luna, you sent for us.” Spoke a ragged looking Twilight Sparkle. “Did my mother and father send you that message?”
“Take it easy please Twilight you haven’t been sleeping well.” Ditzy remarks quietly moving to place wing over the unicorn mare.
“I’m sorry Miss Sparkle the answer is no.” Luna replies grimly. “The message was from my nephew Blue Blood. I regret to inform you that they have been taken hostage.”
Teary eyed Twilight Sparkle screams out distraught then collapses to the floor. Several minutes pass before Twilight sobs settle down enough for Luna to continue her explanation.
“I can only guess that this message is about two weeks old now due to Blue Blood turning it into a rat. This too is the last I’ve heard of my nephew in this since he began to question the other Noble Lords actions about two and a half weeks ago.” Luna speaks addressing the gathered ponies. “This development slipped past even my agents and I am profoundly sorry Twilight.”
“We need… to rescue them.” Twilight replies drying her eyes.
“This is an exceedingly dangerous task, so I will oversee this mission personally! A decoy train is waiting as we speak.” Luna remarks with determination. “I have called you all here because we will be doing this together. Even with my magic I cannot find and protect the hidden foals and their parents at the same time. One group will confront and distract the enslaved town ponies, while the other locates the children. Trixie your illusion craft will best camouflage the first group who will attempt to discover where the foals are trapped so my group can break them out. Once this is done shut down whatever magic is controlling the collars and free the parents.”
“You can count on Trixie and the other bearers for this task.” Trixie replies while the other bearer nod determined.
“What about me… I can help!” Twilight asks pleading.
“You will be with me, Miss Sparkle.”Luna replies.
The settlement of Maple Village was not on any map; however the rescued witnesses provided the directions needed to discover the illegal tracks that would take them to their destination.  Blue Blood’s message about the collars had given Trixie an advantage in planning her disguise spell. As the six were finalizing their cover stories Princess Luna enters the Bearer’s cabin.
“Trixie how goes your preparations?”  Luna asks.
“I’ve always been able to put on a top performance, but I’m worried about how our audience will react if this goes bad.” Trixie frowns. “A cursed monster is preferable to hostages when you have to fight against them.”
“You and your friends have pulled through for the citizens of Equestria time and time again, and I trust in your skills and instincts.” Luna replies softly. 
“Luna do you have any idea about how to help the children?” Cheerlilee asks.
“I’m counting on your group to find out where they will be held. Twilight has come up with a secure communications spell so we may talk with each other, but until we actually get a look at the village we have no way to do more.” Luna replies shaking her head.
“Is anything else on your mind?” Carrot Top asked curiously.
“Oddly enough there is.” Luna replies. “In my patrols of the dreamscape, I have encountered an odd creature suffering from similar circumstance to our own. I have never seen beings such as these but every fiber of my soul tells me she is in pain. She was kidnapped and fears deeply for her sister safety at the shadowy claw of another. I know not the identity of this foul beast but it is the dreamer’s impression that it seeks to separated these siblings and change them so they will never find each other.”
Luna takes a sip of water before continuing to tell her stunned audience.
“This is not just simple nightmares but a deep scarring trauma this being feels. I need to help her but her dreams have recently become shrouded from me, and I’m also thinking it must be connected with our current mission.” Luna adds scowling. “Since just a little while before I came to see you, I have became aware of a powerful dream ward’s magic getting stronger the closer we get. Be on your guard Bearers our conspirators are not the only threats hiding in this village.”
It was another hour down the line when a Lunar Guard posing as the engineer informed the groups of the first hints of Maple Village in the distance and stopped to let Luna’s group eight guards and Twilight off. Once the first team was off the train pulls into Maple Village train station.
From their cabin the six Element Bearer’s could see the townsponies drop what they were doing and begin gathering round the platform as their train slowed to a stop. The view was not the greatest, but it was still easy to estimate the crowd’s number to be around forty give or take.
“That’s a lot of ponies…” whispers Carrot Top turning her head from the cabin window.
“Until we know who is a hostage and who is a kidnapper, it is for the best if we play it meek and dumb.” Suggests Rain Drops her tail dropping some at the thought some pony innocent could be injured.
It had been the plan all along, but Rain Drops had hoped that the villains would be just up front for all to see. Especially considering this was their home turf, but Blue Blood’s infiltration must have made them more cautious.
“Its curtain time, let’s move.” Remarks Trixie as she casts her illusion charm making fake collars and a new cutie mark appear on each of them. The spell was a long term make-up glamour she had learned from a traveling theater trope a few years back.
Stepping off the train with some fake train crew the Bearers steeled themselves for discovery that should have befallen them, but to their fortune several ponies that had been watching the train broke away in a hurry to meet three very terrified others who just galloped into town from the forest
With a look the group split up and got lost in the crowd as they approached the new gathering.
“So it’s Timber Wolves that have been injuring our sap collectors.” A well groomed mare states irritably.
“Yes Mayor Vail, they were adamant we stop trespassing and hurting the trees.” Replies a beige coated mare.
“That is an oddly clear message Reeds. When ever do Timber Wolves speak pony?” Mayor Vail asks frowning.
“Hound did the talking!” A dark blue earth stallion adds as he refers to an oddly marked green stallion next to him. “Trees being injured were mentioned. We guessed about the trespassing.”
“Hound, tell us of your talk with the wolves.” Mayor Vail asks turning to the green stallion.
“Little parasites...” Hound Speaker repeats back a male timber wolf with skin like birch growls. “You’re not simply content to mark our trees, but you bleed them as well!”
“This is our home vermin and we will make you respect it!” Hound Speaker repeats back a female wolf’s with mossy bark snarls.
“We… we are…. We’re not really hurting the trees. The sap we… we collect… is only what is needed to fill our buckets. Just this one time of year before the frost sets in. I said back.” Hound Speaker stutters.
“You shouldn’t show weakness like that Hound.” Mayor Vail scolds. “It could get everypony killed.”
“The look they all gave him at that made us all frightened.” Reeds countered.
“In all our generations the prey plays dumb, ignoring our territory and our threats. All along you knew of our displeasure.” Hound Speaker repeats back the snarls of a timber wolf with poison sumac vines entwined in his oak bark.
“I… I am… certain that my gift is rare in understanding what you’re saying. I replied.” Hound Speaker gulps.
“It was then that the sumac covered wolf stalked closer to Hound Speaker, Reeds and I to move in behind Hound to defend him.” The blue stallion interrupts.
“Thorns you two know sudden movements are also dangerous.” Mayor Vail shakes her head. “I hope you had a good reason.”
“We almost lost Hound.” Thorns replies.
“Well we certainly have a message for you to spread to the rest of your herd.” Hound Speaker repeats back the alpha, a Timber wolf with willow vine mane; growls.
“It used its alpha as a distraction, Mayor. The sumac covered wolf hooked a wooden claw into Hound Speaker’s mane just behind the head and flashes a vicious fanged snarl at us.” Adds Reeds shakily.
“We weren’t giving him up to be eaten.” Thorns protests indignantly. 
“What is your name abomination? Your scent is very much like a thing I tracked to this pony village.” Hound Speaker repeats back in a hurt voice with teary eyes the sumac covered wolf demands.
At this the Bearers noticed a feint crack in the Mayor’s demeanor; and shock from Reeds and Thorns. 
“I ordered Hound to not make any sudden moves.” Thorns states still dumbfounded. “I felt my legs go numb looking into snarling monster’s eyes.”
“I replied Hound Speaker…” Hound Speaker replies in a cold sweet.
“You are not a pony.” Hound Speaker repeats back in disbelief the sumac covered wolf snarls, remembering how he dug his claw into Hound’s neck. “Unnatural magic clings to you like poisonous stench.  Who are you really?”
Hound Speaker now looked like he was about to collapse with Reeds and Thorns moving in to steady the colt. The Mayor motions for the onlookers to back off and for Hound to sit down. After some comforting contact by his companions Hound Speaker starts again.
“Sumac enough paws off and heel! Hound Speaker you send word to your herd, Willow Bark pack alpha; will watch over the trees to make certain they stay healthy.” Hound Speaker repeats back Willow barked alpha’s howls. “We will not tolerate any harm to this forest.”
“At that Sumac dashes back over to his alpha and we grabbed Hound Speaker and ran as fast as we could back here.” Thorns adds mostly focused on Hound Speaker.
“Reeds is this the case?” Mayor Veil asks quietly.
“Based on the wolves’ body language we can trust Hound’s recollection.” Reeds replies.
“About what the wolf whispered to me. What’s unnatural about me?” Hound Speaker asks sadly.
“Timber wolves just despise ponies you don’t need to look too deeply to reach unnatural with them.” Hail Veil retorts and shakes her head before smiling. “You could have just stepped in something that messed up your sent. Just bathe and don’t sweet it.”
“Thank you Mayor Veil.” Hound Speaker replies feeling better. 
Hound Speaker trots briskly to Maple’s community shower to bathe as the crowd breaks up. The train was practically forgotten thanks to the commotion.
“I guess this is what Willow Bark was concerned about.” Hound Speaker whispers turning the train begin passing over the horizon. “We are becoming a full-fledged suburb here.”
“Hello sir, can you direct us to town hall?” A purple mare with a pink mane called out from a group of other mares to Hound’s left.
“You’re new arrivals from the train. My name is Hound Speaker welcome to Maple Village.” Hound Speaker calls back his ears perking up along with his spirits. “If you go down that way you may still catch Mayor Hail Vail. I’m still not familiar with everyponies address though, so she is your best bet.”
“You mentioned another pony by the name of Willow Bark, is he a friend of yours?” A green mane orange coated mare asks.
“No… not really a pony… or friend, Willow Bark is the Timber Wolf Alpha.” Hound Speaker mutters lowering his head. “I may be wrong about his name I just recognize the kind of wood of his body was made from.”
“You can speak to Timber Wolves?” a blue green unicorn mare asks shocked.
“All dogs, not just the wolves. My name is sort of embarrassing because I got it after I was found… talking to the town mutts.” Replies Hound Speaker.
“I didn’t mean to tease you, I’m Sea Spray.” The blue green unicorn mare replies holding out a hoof.
“Carver.” The green mane orange coated earth mare adds.
“Purple Pallets…” The purple mare with the pink mane adds. “My free wind friends are Frost Snap and Twister, and finally our group’s tutor After Image.”
After introducing the newcomers to Reeds and Thorns, Hound Speaker gets his shower and heads back to his room for the day. It was good to meet nice ponies but the encounter with the wolves did more than scare him in the predator eats prey way.
“I’m a pony.” Hound Speaker whispers sadly. “Why did he say I wasn’t one?”
> Chapter 3_The Amended Contract – Friendly Wooden Teeth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3_The Amended Contract – Friendly Wooden Teeth

Shortly after the pack confrontation with the pony Hound Speaker and his herd, Willow Bark turned to Sumac who had been busy inspecting mane hairs he caught in his claws. Blond strands were being separated out into two clumps between Sumac’s two fore paws. Where the blood remained wet the strands were long but started to reseed in length as they dried only to get added to the other clump.
“Do you smell that?” Birch Heart asks pulling her muzzle back from the dry clumps and pointing a paw at the clump. “I can’t smell past the pony to find your predator’s scent, but do you also smell what is off about these clumps?”
Sumac gave each clump a long sniff and his ears shoot to attention.
“Elder Willow Bark, we sniffed both the predator’s trail and you know how it smelled. I want to know that you notice the difference as well.” Sumac asks with some astonishment in his tone.
Ignoring the first clump Willow Bark takes his own long drag of the dry hairs. His age and experience with magic scents cut through the haze of pony magic to find the predator beneath but it was off in it flavor from the trail.
“Shouldn’t our unnatural predator be male?” Willow Bark mumbles and takes a drag of a hair as it dries. “The scent shifts from male to female as the hair and a linked magic dies, yet the pony taint lingers.”
“Our unnatural predator should be female and not male as Sumac originally encountered.” Birch Heart adds with a hint of tension. “More unnatural magic than already suspected is involved.”
“Sumac your instincts were right, but the mystery is deeper than you thought. You are to press this pony for answers about his true heritage whenever the opportunity presents itself.” Willow Bark commands. “However don’t lose sight of our other goal of stopping the pony incursions into our forest.”
“Yes alpha.” Sumac replies obediently.
It was nearing night fall when Birch Heart and Sumac discovered a new trial by unfamiliar ponies leading into the woods. They camped in a spot not far from the towns sap buckets where the underbrush was at its thinnest. The coats of many of these new comers were dark and the sound of wing flapping gave away their advantage of flight as Sumac and Birch Heart stalked near in cover of the thicker underbrush.
“I cannot discern for sure if these ponies are who we’ve been tracking until the breeze shifts.”Birch Heart softly growls.
“I think one of us needs to get closer, but it worries me how they are nervously looking around.” Sumac replies just as softly. “I volunteer. I think I can get through.”
“Be careful in your approach many of toughs’ hides are sparkling in the light.” Birch Heart replies lowering her head to the underbrush level.
Sumac nods as he slowly melts into the underbrush and moves toward the dark coated ponies. Using their ear position as a guide, Sumac moved closer to the new herd. Armor of slightly scratched dark enamel covered ponies with furry webbed wings mostly proceeded to just miss stepping on Sumac. Of the one or two that did perch on him like a log none even took notice of his presence.
At the center of the herd was a pony alpha that was larger than the others with wings and a horn. This pony with subtle gestures was moving the herd into concealment among the branches and brush.
‘Clever, is this…’ Sumac began to think to himself before the alpha she-pony trotted near Sumac’s location to embed herself in a nearby blackberry bush. It was both the sudden closeness of the mare and the dying whiff of magic rat that broke Sumac internal rant.
Sumac bristles defensively with thorns as he creeps away from this menace of a pony, weary to lock his gaze somewhere between its eyes and ears so he would have warning should she notice him. Sumac put all his faith in Birch Heart in that her lack of action meant he was not crawling into danger. 
After escaping the boundaries of the new comers Sumac makes his way back to Birch Heart who was braced for the charge.
“You’re alright… That was like watching the world frost over before me when it moved.”Birch Heart whimpered softly. “Who are these ponies?”
“Herd mates of the one with the magic rat. We may have a pony fight on our paws.” Sumac replies.
Sumac and Birch Heart carefully return to Willow Bark and inform the pack of the new invaders. It is quickly decided by the pack that this alpha pony and her search party will be driven to intersect with the yet hidden pony paths used by the village herd to deal with both threats at once.
The plan would have to go slowly so as to avoid making the pack the target which meant Sumac could interrogate Hound Speaker.
Sumac’s first opportunity to confront the meek stallion came two days after the last confrontation. Hound Speaker was so flustered by something that he didn’t notice that he had wandered from his two herd mates.
“Erin don’t give up I’ve almost have this one figured out.” Hound Speaker mutters fumbling with a bucket that had been half spilled.
Turning Hound Speaker approaches Sumac and begins looking between the spilled bucket and the Timber wolf.
“Okay the first part is done, now to the rest of the puzzle.” Hound Speaker mutters glassy eyed as he grabs for Sumac.   
Not wanting to be hit with a hoof, Sumac bounds to his left letting Hound Speaker fall to his belly missing his push.
“The statue moved… It’s one of thoughts puzzles.” Hound Speaker remarks as he begins to stand not noticing a leafy paw on his back.
“No puzzles, but tell me about Erin.” Sumac whispers into Hound Speaker’s ears careful not enter Hound’s line of sight.
Hound’s ears fell and his heart hammered so quickly that Sumac found the rhythm more intense than Hound’s shivering.
“Don’t do this to her… let her go home.” Hound Speaker pleads.
“Your pack sister is not here.” Sumac growls in reply.
Immediately upon speaking the word pack, Hound Speaker’s sobs lighten and his heart rate slows. With a furious head shake Hound makes to stand, this time without a paw on his back; to move away from Sumac.
Hound Speaker retained his emotionally hurt demeanor and stared at Sumac as he finished standing. Sumac decided to sit.
“The word you meant was herd.”Hound Speaker replies confusion mixing with his other soar feelings.
“This nose knows that you don’t belong with ponies, Hound.” Sumac replies pawing his own nose. “I think pack better suits you.”
“You don’t know me.” Hound Speaker snarled.
The noise of ponies further into the maple fields caught the pair’s attention. Sumac gets up and turns to leave.
“I only just met you certainly enough, Hound; but you might want to do something about your temptation to talk to yourself.” Sumac replies looking back at Hound.
Shortly after moving into the forest Sumac turns to watch the same two ponies retrieve Hound Speaker from before from his hiding spot. There was some effort to comfort the confused predator in stallion form but it lasted mere breaths before the three vanished.
“You learn anything pack brother?” Birch Heart asks stalking silently up to his right shoulder.
“She is or was part of a pack. Erin was the name I heard when I neared.” Sumac replies. “Hound was speaking of things that were not there and mistook me for a statue.”
“Odd, was she sick?” Birch Heart asks tilting her head.
“Nothing by way of injury, she had no new scratches since mine and they were free of infection.” Sumac replies eyes closed in concentration. “Her eyes were unfocused at first and she clumsily spilled blood of our root bound kin.”
“Sleep deprivation. Some of our hunters are also like this clumsy movement, failing to notice their surroundings change, and unfocused eyes.” Birch Heart snarls. “This herd of ponies has only been making things worse for everyone.”
“I need to find a different way of questioning our unwitting rival if I’m to get through to her. Words alone don’t get my meaning across and small mistakes of the tong cause her to deny what she is.” Sumac grumbles.
“Rest on it Sumac, you have time to stalk this one.” Birch Heart replies.
Back in Maple Village a few different eyes fell on Hound Speaker. At Rain Dancer’s brick making hut were Purple Pallets and Frost Snap working on a large load of plain gazed bricks.
“Welcome home Hound, Thorns, and Reeds. How did the harvest go?” Purple Pallets asks wiping her mud caked hooves on a cloth.
“It shouldn’t take more than another week to finish the sap harvest, if we can keep Hound from wandering off.” Reeds replies with a huff turning to the green stallion who was helping Thorns unhook from a cart full of buckets.
“So I get lost in my work.”Hound protests his ears falling after disconnecting the hitch. 
“But that is how so many others have gotten injured…” Reed complains walking over to the colt. “I don’t want that to befall you Hound.”
Purple Pallets and Frost Snap shared a worried glance. It was shortly after supper the two mares were able to slip away to contact Luna.
“What news about the town have you discovered?” Luna asks through long distance communication charm.
“The timber wolf injured villagers are starting to return work and new incidents have slowed as you expected. Our foalnappers are changing up who makes the deliveries.”Rain Drops replies. “Whatever spell is on these folks prevents them taking much notice of their missing except for a colt named Hound Speaker.”
“Quite an interesting name, maybe he is the source of our new problems.” Luna replies agitated.
“How so Princess?” Trixie asks.
“We have noticed a thinning in the underbrush going deeper in to the woods, but in our desire to keep a path to the train line open have left some of us stricken…” Luna adds only to be interrupted by sneezing from ponies around her.
“Luna was that sneezing?”Trixie asks cringing.
“It is… along with itching and other allergic responses, Twilight says the trees and flowers are blooming wrong. If Timber Wolves are being directed to do this it might explain things. Twilight and I can cope but my guards are being disabled by these tactics.” Luna groans. “Thankfully our camps are not being harassed directly.”
“This could be a new precaution since Blue Blood.” Rain Drops adds worried.
“It makes sense except for the non-lethal assault we been under. It must have gotten out that I’m here.” Luna replies indignantly. “Taking me hostage would be a major bargaining chip with the nobles and my sister, but it is completely at odds with their previous actions of secrecy.”
“Should we pull out?” Trixie asks.
“No, don’t draw attention to yourselves. They will not take me so easily even with forest elemental beasts. This may even be your chance to expose the leaders and take them by surprise.” Luna retorts. “I’ll have my enchantment open to send you sound if we are surrounded so can identify our enemy.”
“I understand Princess. We’ll stick to Hound Speaker; if we can get him alone we might be able to turn the tables.” Trixie finishes ending the conversation before heading to her temporary room with Raid Drops.
It was nearing the end of the harvest now, or so Sumac assumed as this was second day Hound Speaker alone entered the fields.
Sumac was still puzzled by the stallion’s sleepwalking ramblings uncertain on how to talk to the predator’s true self until a disturbing flicker of shadow made the pair bristle. A mere trick of light as it plays off the leaves of the wood, but it was what Sumac thought he saw and Hound’s reaction that brought him grim inspiration.
A pair of tall two legged shadows danced momentarily before his eyes with quickly fading creases of light creating a depth of detail on the flat black masses. The shadows looked almost like what he had tracked that first day with the light etching features he could envision as a real creature.
“Get your hands off my sister and send us home now!” Hound Speaker screams charging the shadow and tangling himself up in a thicket; the force of the stop being enough to knock the stallion out when he hit the dirt.
Sumac sat on his shrub tangle haunches and raised his left paw. Out of his middle claw tip a green shoot drops and grows forced to take the vague shape of that offending shadow. Sumac tints the form with shades of autumn hues to give it the same coloration as Hound’s true form.
Sumac was completing the second doll when Hound begins to wake. The sun would be going down soon but the light seemed just right to maybe find answers.
Hound tried to stand but the thicket tightened holding him flat on the ground. Looking at his bound body Hound begins to think of a way to free himself when two forms fall before his eyes.
“Let her go you have me. She… Please don’t take us both away from mom and dad.” Hound pleads as the taller doll pulls the smaller one closer. “I don’t know what you want but I’ll do it… I’ll do both our shares if you let her go.”
“Who is he?” Sumac whispers into Hound’s ear as he tilts the tall doll so the light gives it a sinister smile.
Hound squirms against his bindings weakly only to give up and slump his body in defeat.
“I should have stayed home that day, but please don’t take my sister Mr. Merchant.” Hound continues pleading his voice weaker than before. “I sorry Erin… mom… dad…”
“Hound wake up and remember. You are not a pony and your sister needs you.” Sumac demands in a level voice.
“Why do I remember my sister looking like this, when I’m a pony?” Hound Speaker asks in a depressed tone turning to the Timber Wolf. “I feel helpless she’s family and in danger, but I cannot wrap my head around why it right for her to look like that yet not for me.”
“I don’t know why you can’t remember your true self, Hound; but for now we need to find you a safe place to sleep.” Sumac replies pulling Hound out of the receding thicket.
As Sumac guarded Hound Speaker’s sleeping form in a hollow dead tree that night the Timber Wolf listened to her troubled thoughts. It was all the same chase with Hound’s pack sister Erin dangling just out of reach and in the fangs and claws of an outcast brute. Thanks to the dolls Sumac could put an image to every whimper and sob that left the pony pelt wearing competitor, even with his new found insight there were things in Hound’s muttering that Sumac did not understand.
The next day as Hound worked to collect the last buckets, Sumac decided to confront the stallion on who all knows about his problems. 
“Hound… you need to talk with someone about those nightmares your having.” Sumac growls out quietly. “You stalk around in a daze when you’re awake and even in your sleep you do little more than plead for your sister’s safety.”
“Sumac… I thought… we were beyond this about me not being a pony.” Hound Speaker counters quietly, a hurt tear falling to the ground as he stops his attempt to move and hook a maple sap bucket to a harness he was warring and sits down.
“I know that this is a sensitive topic for you and I’m sorry you don’t believe me about you not being a pony. However after the way you charged a shadow and the reaction you had to the dolls, I’m certain some part of you remembers you being something other than a pony.” Sumac whines a little giving a sympathetic gaze. “Have you talked to your neighbors about these nightmares?”
“No… You’re the… only one I’ve had this conversation with.” Hound Speaker replies confused.
“You have some friends, try reaching out to them. If you have to talk to me in absence of someone else I would welcome you.” Sumac adds using his muzzle to lift Hound Speaker to his feet before hooking the bucket to his harness. “Now go home I’ve delayed you for long enough.”
“Okay, later Sumac.” Hound Speaker replies as he trots to Maple Village.
Hound Speaker trotted slowly home upset at the accusation made by Sumac. 
‘It can’t be true, but the nightmares… why dose Erin being in danger sting so?’ Hound Speaker ponders trembling. ‘Always it her being taken away and I can’t stop it.’
Hound Speaker closed his eyes crying as he neared the forest edge failing to notice an approaching Pegasus or his glowing collar.
“Hey Hound, what’s wrong?” Twister asks softly landing in front of Hound and leaning in. “Have you been crying?”
“No. Why would I?” Hound replies in a surprised tone not even noticing his tears.
It disturbed and angered Sumac that these problems were being dismissed, but it also confirmed his suspicion that Hound should not be a pony. After the sound of hooves faded out, Sumac stood and followed Hound’s trail to the village.
Maple Village felt claustrophobic to the Timber Wolf. The homes of ponies were almost as close as the ponies would be when encountered in the wilds, the scent of magic on the dwellings only serving to further discourage Sumac from nearing.
Some time pasted in the night before an old scent of Hound’s true self found its way to Sumac’s nose. In an ally under the shadow of a hill was the source of this scent. The aroma was like what he smelled the first day Hound’s true self showed up. On top of a pile of pony trash set a bat winged doll rich yet with Hound’s scent and something else magically most foul.
Sumac prods the doll with a paw and is overtaken by a sense of sudden falling and blindness. Sumac has no time to ask what happened before hitting the ground hard and blacking out.
The next day Hound Speaker heads to the fields as he was told to. After getting out of town, Hound’s mind cleared and decides to look for Sumac
‘He is here somewhere, I hope. Last night I may not have been pleasant sleep but I feel calmer today than I have been in weeks.’ Hound thought as he strained to find any sign of the wooden wolf. 
As Hound’s ears swiveled in search for his friend, he became aware of many approaching hoof falls and wing beats. As he turned toward the sounds he comes face to face with a large navy blue pony with wings and a horn towering above him. 
Hound could feel his legs buckle as he tries to back pedal away from the giant, instinct driving him to look to his sides for a way out only to immediately find himself boxed in by armor clad bat winged ponies just before they seize him.
“Princess Luna, why are you already here? We thought we would need to give you directions as to where to meet us.”  The powder blue pony After Image shouts, as she leads her group into the Maple Field where Hound was now being held.
“So is this the pony that has been ordering Timber Wolves to harass us?” Luna asks leaning her cross face in to get a better look at Hound but turning her right ear in the direction of the new arrivals. “I don’t like treating allergic hives on my troops from spore exposure.”
“That is not nice mister.” Twister adds shaking her blond mane head.
“I haven’t…” Hound Speaker tries to reply as the ground moves beneath him.
“Since when does prey give my pack orders, let alone when it is meek and flighty?” Willow Bark growls a dismissive reply flinging the guards from back and making Hound tumble in front of him. The alpha Timber Wolf plants a paw on Hound’s tail and stretches.
The gathered ponies scrambled to avoid being tossed by standing wolves and form a perimeter around the Princesses. Five more wolves enter from the denser brush.
“Ouch, you’re on my tail.” Hound Speaker whines when he tries to stand.
“It doesn’t look like Hound is giving the orders.” remarks Purple Pallets.
“It seems our trap failed Alpha we only have the outsiders and the rival.” Birch Hear growls.
“Calm down Birch Heart we expected this from our local problem herd.” Willow Bark replies. “Sumac going missing could mean they know what we’ve been doing.”
“I don’t like this hushed conversation.” Adds Luna with a scowl on her face as she attempts to cast a spell.
The light of Luna’s horn attracts Willow Barks attention.
“So our pony alpha is ready to join the discussion, we can begin over our mutual connection to a magic rat.” Willow Bark suggests gleefully. 
“You know of my nephew.” Luna replies menacingly.
“Your stallion had an unfavorable run in with the local herd…” Willow Bark replies glaring at Luna and petting a dismayed Hound Speaker. “Much like this young predator here your herd brother is their prisoner.”
“Why do others keep saying I’m not a pony?” Hound complains as a purple unicorn step into his view.
“This brings me back to my early days on the run. A simple and efficient cut and paste job using a variety of spells to produce a more powerful effect.” The purple unicorn giggles using her magic to pull on Hound’s collar. “Armatures; the unifying rune language used here alone is easy enough to rewrite to make this whole hodgepodge fall in on itself; but the ink he choose is your run of the mill letter writing kind.”
“I presume you can turn this to our advantage, Twilight?” Luna asks.
Drawing a quill and ink from her bag, Twilight Sparkle quickly scratches three new marks on Hound’s collar.
“That should do it. Next time the obedience charm is triggered every active collar with burn out all at once.” Twilight adds smiling.
“That covers our first problem, but we still have not learned the whereabouts of the foals.” The pony After Image adds. “Any pony with family will have them used as leverage to fight us once freed.”
The mention of the pony term for children and captive family made a memory stir in Hound.
“My pack suspects that part of the troublemaker’s herd is further in the forest by a small lake. They use magic to hide from our hunters.” Willow Bark explains pointing a paw for Luna.
“Hang on Erin!” Hound Speaker shouts pulling his tail free and bolting for town.
“We must stop him.” Luna shrieks.
“No alpha, follow Birch Heart she knows the clearing other ponies hide. I’ll follow Hound.” Willow Bark interrupts.
“Trixie back them up it is now or never to save the hostages.” Luna shouts back to an already turning pony who had called herself After Image.
Galloping back to town, Trixie could already hear the makings of a commotion in the square.
“What have you done to me? Where have you taken my sister Erin?” Hound Speaker shouts digging his hooves in for a charge.
Opposite Hound Speaker were Mayor Hail Vail and her subordinates. The other town ponies were gathering around for the ensuing fight when Trixie and company arrived. The Mayor took notice of the no longer disguised group’s appearance.
“The crown Princess of Friendship, Trixie Lulamoon and the rest of the Element Bearers, what do we owe you for this honor?” Mayor Vail mocked. “And you have the Timber Wolf alpha I presume answering your call, Hound why couldn’t you get yourself eaten.”
“Mayor, have you no shame!” Reeds Shouts angrily in reply.
“Hound is one us and you would have wanted him dead.” Thorns retorts dropping his head disgust.
“Such a dismissive attitude you have for your people Mayor. It must be nice for you to just turn the trouble makers off when you want.” Trixie retorts flaring her wings.
“If it is a fight you want Princess; then witness our power and despair.” Mayor Vail snaps activating her armlet to trigger the collars.
Hound Speaker manages a sinister smile of triumph just as the collars flare oddly all around and began breaking.
Where there were only ponies moments ago, now lay minotaur, gryphon, changeling, and at the feat of the Princess herself was a blond mane minotaur like creature wearing a green tunic and tan pants.
> Chapter 4_The Amended Contract – Who I Really Am
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4_The Amended Contract – Who I Really Am

Nigel’s eyes shot open but found him-self face down and even his muscle memory was tricked by the experience. With his vision clearing Nigel became aware of the ponies standing over him as they pulled something away only for it to crumble.
“By Luna’s night… Hound Speaker… wasn’t a pony.” A pony mare with purple fur and two tone pink main exclaims with an awe-struck gasp.
“It looks… like he’s not the only one, Cheerilee.” A sky blue alicorn mare with silver mane comments casting an eye at a pony that shifts to a gryphon when the collar was removed from its neck. “My name is Princess Trixie Lulamoon. Can you tell me who you are and what you remember please?”
“Nigel I… guess, not like… like I can return to my real life.” Nigel replies meekly in a cold sweet.
“You guess, you mean this is not your true form.” Princess Trixie replies cocking an eyebrow.
“Sumac was right about Hound Speaker not being a pony.” A hulking wolf made of wood barks out, lowering his head the wolf sniffs Nigel. “Unnatural magic still clings to him however.”
The mention of the name Sumac triggers a short memory of a conversation with another Timber wolf with which Nigel had spoken to.
“Hound… you need to talk with someone about those nightmares your having.” Sumac growls out quietly. “You stalk around in a daze when you’re awake and even in your sleep you do little more than plead for your sister’s safety.”
“Sumac… I thought… we were beyond this about me not being a pony.” Hound Speaker counters quietly, a hurt tear falling to the ground as he stops his attempt to move and hook a maple sap bucket to a harness he was warring and sits down.
“I know that this is a sensitive topic for you and I’m sorry you don’t believe me about you not being a pony. However after the way you charged a shadow and the reaction you had to the dolls, I’m certain some part of you remembers you being something other than a pony.” Sumac whines a little giving a sympathetic gaze. “Have you talked to your neighbors about these nightmares?”
“No… You’re the… only one I’ve had this conversation with.” Hound Speaker replies confused.
“You have some friends, try reaching out to them. If you have to talk to me in absence of someone else I would welcome you.” Sumac adds using his muzzle to lift Hound Speaker to his feet before hooking the bucket to his harness. “Now go home I’ve delayed you for long enough.”
“Okay, later Sumac.” Hound Speaker replies as he trots to Maple Village.
“Are you alright?” a gray Pegasus mare with a blond mane asks snapping Nigel back to reality before joining Cheerilee, the timber wolf Willow Bark, and Princess Trixie.
“My real name is Kelly Mathews. I think I bought a cursed item that transformed me to what I’m now.” Nigel replies pulling out his dog head whistle. “My sister was with me when it happened… I’m scared she’s in danger and I have no way home to help.”
“Please come with us Kelly… or Nigel, this sound like a private conversation to Trixie.” Princess Trixie adds offering a hoof.
“Sumac is still lost so, for now Hound; we are going to search for him.” Willow Bark barks out placing a broken claw tip in Nigel’s hand. “This might help you find him if we fail.”
Princess Trixie gathered her five close friends and a few others to board a private train. When the train was in motion, Nigel and Princess Trixie and her company discussed what happened to bring Nigel to this world.
“This should be suitable place to talk about yourself.” Remarks Princess Trixie as she waves Nigel into an open train cabin.
“Thank you Princess, like I said my real name is Kelly Mathews.” Nigel replies sitting on a bench. “I’m software writing major. I was attending the Open MMO convention with my sister Erin dressed like this, only not so realistically; to get some royalty free software to incorporate into my work.”
“We had a few minutes before I had to be at the panel that was giving out the software, so Erin asked me to check out the vendors and get… get a souvenir. I wasn’t even interested in anything when the old buzzard said he had something to complete the look.” Nigel continues doing everything she could not to break eye contact. “The next damn thing I know I’m turning toward someone’s shout and the convention dissolves away into a grassy hell where I fall on my ass looking like this. With nothing better to do I followed the tracks to that village.”
“That not fair at all.” Rain Drops remarks with a hint of rising rage.
“Trixie is familiar with the difficulties involved in otherworldly travel. It will be hard but we are capable of helping you begin your search.” Princess Trixie remarks with a smirk and clapping her hooves. “For now we are heading home so we get materials to create a tracking charm out of this claw tip.”
“How… how long was I Hound Speaker?” Nigel asks nervously.
“I’m sorry… if what we learned during our time infiltrating the town is true you were that way… for almost a month and a half.” The blond mane gray Pegasus replies her ears folded. “My name is Ditzy Doo by the way.”
The Princess and her friends recounted their tale that brought them to Maple Village. 
“We overheard a conversation you had with the Mayor.” Princess Trixie continues taking in the shocked expression on the trembling Nigel's face. "After you were by yourself we stopped you to establish our cover."
The memory of that day flashes in the elf’s mind.
“You were courteous when we first spoke to you then, but if we asked anything about the town or that dealt with your past the collar they had on you would glow and you would become evasive.” Cheerilee states as a guilty expression crosses her features. 
“We discovered that the spell had limited range the day you returned late from the maple fields crying.” Rain Drops adds. “I intended to ask you about that but the damn collar activated by the time I reached you. You weren’t even aware that late when I confronted you.”
“We followed you into the fields and encountered Timber wolves after you failed to find what you were looking for. They seemed pretty comfortable with your presence.” Princess Trixie adds raising an eyebrow.
“The whistle I carry has the in game power of letting me speak to dogs.” Nigel mutters in response. “It isn’t even an important item in that game. Why would a merchant have such a souvenir for a game which had no official merchandize?”
“There is a Pegasus who talks to animals back home. She might like to hear about what passes for a chat between a pony and timber wolf or elf and timber wolf.” Ditzy Doo adds with a small smile.
“Back to what happened in the maple fields.” Princess Trixie grimly adds. “We noticed your talent but in the interest of time Princess Luna used a spell and talked to the Timber Wolf alpha. He revealed the location of our foalnapping victims to us and also told us you were just another hostage.”
“Twilight Sparkle cast a spell on your collar that would disenchant all the other control collars and the control hoof bracelet when your collar was next activated.” Rain Drops adds with a neutral expression. “Shortly after she finished you took off in a rage to confront Maple’s mayor.”
“We reached the meet up point with the others.” The engineer calls back and begins slowing the train down.
The sounds of families reuniting and happy children put a smile on the gathered mares’ faces. After the train got moving again the door to the compartment that Nigel and Trixie’s group were in opened allowing a dirt covered and armored dark blue alicorn to enter. She moved slowly, clearly from exertion; to a seat across from Nigel.
When she looks up at Nigel she cocks an eyebrow and a small tired smirk forms.
“Solving the one mystery is enough work for this day. You and I need to discuss the meaning behind your nightmares and your presence in our nation however.” Princess Luna remarks with a hint of pride in her voice, then turns slightly to face Princess Trixie. “Firstly we will get our tired families home and notify the neighboring nations that we have found their citizens.” 
“How’s Twilight?” Ditzy asks.
“Happy. I left her in her family’s care to get some well deserved sleep.” Luna replies. “None of the foals were hurt or under fed, but misery from being separated from their families will take time to heal.”
The train ride back to Ponyville took about four more hours giving the Princesses time to fully catch up on each other’s part of their mission. Nigel who is also Kelly Mathews and Hound Speaker was asked more about himself.
“You mentioned you job aspiration before, but I don’t see how it would necessitate being armed with a sword.” Princess Trixie comments.
“It would be the one thing I gain from him. No by the way, I’ve never used a sword and I never need one for my career.” Nigel replies downtrodden. “I don’t even have a clue if it was one of the magic types.”
“If anything I wouldn’t even have a say on the story with my job.” Nigel continues.
“But you said it includes writing, how is that not story related?” Cheerilee replies confused.
“The writing I do is more like the stage instructions in a play than it is scene events of the story. Only I do this without the needing an actual stage.” Nigel replies with a small smile. “Someone else supplies the story, art, music, and such and I write the code that makes it behave like a play that the watcher controls, basically making an interactive story.”
“That is quite interesting we could find somepony with a similar job if it would help make things easier for you during your stay while we work out how to get you home.” Cheerilee offers.
“Thank you.” Nigel adds.
It was quite the rest of the trip to Ponyville with Nigel not wanting to talk yet about Erin.
Upon stepping off the train Nigel feels a tingle and his vision distorts before him. The Ponyville train platform and village past it dissolves away into a crowded government office room. Nigel catches a brief glimpse of a flying Friday doll before his focus settles on Erin.
“Sister I… missed you. Erin how am I able to stand with you now?” Nigel whimpers running up to and pulling his sister Erin into a weak hug.
“It was us. About three hours ago you were transported from our perspective, how long has it been from yours?” Spoke the CIA Agent whose ID badge had the name Dan Forest on it in a worried tone. 
“About… it was about… a month and a half ago from what I was told. Yet I only remember three days.” Kelly replies in Nigel’s alien voice shaking his alien head.
“Kelly what happened to you?” Erin asks.
“I spent most of that time as a pony…” Kelly replies depressed. “I ended… up… in this small village… and was ambushed. I would have stayed that way if not for Princess Trixie, a former Lord of Luna’s Night Court.”
“We’ll have to address the diplomatic concerns later as the tracer dart is almost dead.” A different agent states examining a cracked and muddy thing attached to Kelly’s clothes.
“You mean Kelly could be ripped away from us again.” Erin replies distraught eyes going wide as she grabs this new agent.
“I don’t know for sure. The Merchant trope indicates that his victims can only leave their linked universe during the duration of a summoning contract.” He explains shaken. “Kelly’s item was programmed to send her to this other world. When the dart fails it might think the contract ended and she be gone.”
“No, no, it can’t be true…” Erin cries running back to Kelly’s side.
The feelings of hope Kelly began feeling started fizzle out at the prospect of watching her sister fade away again. 
“You could have been more tactful, Rick.”An agent with the CIA ID Tag of Director Watson scolds the new agent who had sprung the bad news.
‘I… I can’t… can’t go on living if I lose you.’ Kelly screams silently in her head as the possibility of never going home returns with a vengeance.
“Wait folks…” A new man in more casual clothes speaks raising a hand slightly. “Programmed, her item is programmed to send her someplace else and turn her into this game character.”
“You’re suggesting…” Rick replies eyes lighting up in hope.
“I think it can be reprogrammed or patched…” The civilian consultant continues.
“This is a technology or magic we don’t understand, how do you propose we reprogram this item. We can’t hook it up to a computer and we don’t have the time to analyze it code before the dart dies.” Director Watson asks skeptically.
“We have a short cut through my connection with Lava Gazer.” The civilian consultant proposes.
‘Was that a pony name?’ Kelly thought stunned now noticing the agoraphobic flame mane silver unicorn by the civilian consultant. ‘It’s was him… the unicorn from the convention hall.’
The sight of Lava Gazer became the confirmation of some omen of good fortune for Kelly after all she went thru.
“Hold on… It’s not… ” Lava Gazer sputters in a weird accent before he starts speaking more clearly. “Wait I can’t just alter a spell like this without some idea of what the end result needs to be. I need at least a personal item and picture just to get her looks right and that doesn’t even address the other part.”
“I have her purse… It even has her id still in it. She gave it to me to hold before we talked to that jerk.” Erin meekly adds.
“We can use the planer trans-locator scanner to provide the baseline for reprogramming the location and for her form if we wire it into Mike’s arm.” Dan adds gesturing to the civilian consultant. “Will you give it a try?”
Lava Gazer nods ears splayed back in nervousness. “Okay I will do it.”
While the agents worked on something with Lava Gazer, Kelly turned to her sister.
“Have they called our parents yet?” Kelly asks nerviously.
“Yes, but they didn’t tell them about you yet.” Erin replies sobbing some. “The convention got trashed and it made the news.”
“I really got taken by The Merchant then…”Kelly glumly mutters. “Were you hurt? Did he banish anyone else?”
“I was roughed up a bit… one of the CIA agents stood against The Merchant long enough for our unicorn savior to free me somehow from his grasp.” Erin meekly replies. “A fight took place between the two and the unicorn and the others won with a mega spell that killed the monster.”
“I’m patched in how do we start this?” A female CIA Agent asks booting up a lab top hooked up to Mike’s arm and another arm mounted machine.
“I should be… able to see the objects aura if you point that… at the items.” Lava Gazer replies nervously his accent briefly returning. “Once I have it… I’ll begin casting a… casting a spell on her item.”
“Turn it on.” Director Watson orders.
The female agent first points some device at Kelly’s possessions and the unicorn Lava Gazer begins to concentrate a small glow forming on his horn. Kelly’s breath hitches at an unexpected tingle spreads over her body.
“I think… I got the body right.” Lava Gazer huffs eyes squinted and horn glowing. “I’m… ready for the location.”
“I’m loading the planer address now, Lava Gazer.” The female agent replies as she finishes typing a command into her lab top.
Lava Gazer turned to study Kelly’s every feature his eye twitching and changing focus as if straining to see something Kelly could not.
“I… I think I… have it. Stand back.” Lava Gazer remarks tired and strained as the glow of his horn transfers to Kelly. For a small moment a band of purple crossed Lava Gazers brow almost like he were wearing a metal headband. Kelly’s body felt like it returned to normal It didn’t last.
When the Spell died down the effect on Kelly stopped, making her revert back to Nigel. Like her sister Kelly couldn’t help but cry at this setback.
“Why didn’t it work?” Rick snaps in disbelief.
“I don’t know, he doesn’t have this trouble… if I touch…” Mike adds before trailing off. “Miss Mathews… Kelly is it okay with you if I touch that whistle?”
Kelly walks up to Mike and stretches her hand out with the whistle in her palm.
“Lava Gazer please try again, just one more time for me.” Mike quietly pleads adopting Lava Gazer’s accent partway thru as he places his metal hand on the whistle.
With a weak but determined nod, Lava Gazer takes a deep breath and his horn began glowing once more. This time as the glow surrounded Kelly, orange sparks also started racing across Mike’s arm sending the lab top attached to it into a frenzy as it collects the data. No one had a chance to ask if it was working before a flash momentarily blinds everyone.
“Kelly!” Erin cheers and jumps for joy at her sister’s restoration.
“It worked… it really worked.” Kelly adds her look of surprise melting into joy. “I’m me again… I don’t know why this thing is counting down but I’m me.”
“Counting down… let me take a look at it.” Mike asks.
On closer inspection of the changed whistle Mike determines that the countdown is a new mode for the artifact that allows its bearer about 48 hours worth of time in their original form every sixteen days. Kelly would be stuck as Nigel for the time being, but Patricia the female agent was able to record the process used to change her as a computer program and between her and Rick even this condition might be fully fixed with time.
“Thank you all, I would have lost my sister if you had not come to our rescue.” Erin replies wiping away a tear.
“Glad we could help.” Lava Gazer says smiling and bowing.
“Something good came from our actions relating to this mess with White Rabbit and the LeClaire Incident.” Mike adds with a sincere smile. “I will pass your thanks along miss.”
However before more could be said and done Mike’s and Lava Gazer’s bodies started phasing in and out. Patricia managed to attach a tracer to Mike’s Planer Trans-locator and Dan handed a seal envelope over to Mike before the pair finally phased out.
“Miss Mathews my name is Director Frank Watson.” Director Watson states calmly. “Normally we would not consider taking the actions I’m about to suggest, but your condition now makes you subject to the Tracer Initiative.”
“What?” Erin blurts out in shock.
“Your kidnapping by this Merchant at the Open MMO Convention combined with the limited information Rick and Patricia gathered about him make this menace a top threat to our world.” Director Watson adds pulling a folder from a suitcase on a nearby desk. “Without more information to reverse your condition permanently, your new abilities make you a priceless ally. Still we are just beginners in inter-dimensional relations and defense, I ask you to return to this other world you’re linked to and investigate the Merchants tampering. If he should come back you may be our only chance.”
“With these orders you will officially represent the United States and Earth of The LaClaire Incident.” Director Watson adds.
“I did some more looking into the Displaced Trope. It is possible to encounter others in the same position you were previously in Kelly.” Rick adds. “For us to fully restore you we need you to find these others so we filter the Merchant’s signal from your own. There is no other way with what we got.”
“Are you asking my sister to use them for our own gain?” Erin scolds.
“The Merchant will crush us at this junction if he so decides. As for the Displaced you meet the Tracer Initiative provides for you to use you own best judgment, you know the requirements of our own treatment methods they need to have an unaltered possession we can use to reset them.” Director Watson replies.
“Don’t let your guard down Kelly in your dealing with other Displaced, not everyone wants to return home. Even worse we cannot afford to war with them.” Rick counters. “Offer you help but never push it on them.”
“You will have time to think about this. Let’s get you home now so you can prepare.” Director Watson finishes.
‘Now as I ride home to spend time with my family, It has fallen to me to make a choice.’ Kelly muse’s to herself turning to Erin as they pull into their neighborhood. ‘The world is about to change once more.’
Elsewhere in a solitary and empty tower in the highest room a practitioner of the long forgotten arcane art and scholar has just felt a ripple in the mystical planes. This sage dressed in a canceling dark blue cloak and pointed wide brim hat pens a message for the thief Pockets and a Gummi Farmer.
Elsewhere still Princess Luna ponders with worry the new planet in her night sky that was announced by a ripple in the mystical planes. A black bat-winged fairy lands on her shoulder.
> Chapter 5_World Blink - Displaced Broken Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5_World Blink - Displaced Broken Home

The sight of an unfamiliar SUV pulling into the driveway of the Mathews residence stirred the parents Wilson and Heather Mathews and family friend Jason Marsh from their worried funk.

The attack on the Silicon Glades convention had been all over the news thanks to the terrorists own live stream as they summoned their monsters; feral Harpies. The bird women had freaked the moment they got their bearings and caught sight of all the convention goers.

The terrorist woman with the planer device had shouted a threat at the disguised CIA agents earning a clawed backhand by a still confused harpy. Shortly after that the terrorist with the camera was picked up and tossed through the air breaking the camera during the impact.

With a knock on their door, Wilson’s shaky hand reaches for the door knob.

Were his girls injured, killed or missing; Wilson did not know even after getting a call hours earlier. He only knew that the CIA said that they would drop off their kids instead of having them picked up. They had kept their condition secret from Wilson.

After the door swings open, Wilson sees his girls in the company of two male and one female CIA agent. Agent Patricia waves the girls ahead of her before grabbing a large suit case and preparing to follow the pair inside.

“Hello Mr. Mathews may I come in? I have some things to discuss with your family about Kelly in private.” Patricia asks politely.

“Sure.” Wilson replies with renewed dread as he waves Patricia in.

Back in the living room, Heather was hugging Kelly and Erin with Jason off to the side smiling cheerfully. The happy family turns to see Patricia’s entry and Kelly’s expression sours.

“Kelly what’s wrong? Your home now and you’re safe.” Heather asks shocked by Kelly’s change of attitude.

“Mom… I will have to… leave soon.” Kelly replies teary eyed.

“What do you mean?!” Jason yells turning to give Patricia an angry glare. “You’re not going to say she was part of that!”

“I want answers miss; my daughter would never be involved with terrorism!” Wilson angrily adds earning him an annoyed groan and a venomous glare from Patricia.

“Your daughter is not being arrested, but she cannot stay either.” Patricia countered.

“She can’t stay. Like we are really going to let you pull that shit with us she has rights!” Jason retorts clenching his fists.

“It’s not… what you think…” Erin begins crying only to get cut off.

“Let me handle this!” Wilson snaps at Erin before turning back to Patricia. “We will involve the courts if we have to agent, our families freedom is very important to us.”

“Kelly is not the bureau’s prisoner.” Patricia counters sternly. “The terrorists were not the only infiltrators at that event, an outside actor also showed up. If not for one of my colleagues sticking a tracker on her I would be delivering worse news.”

Wilson and Jason fell silent.

“Your daughter Kelly was abducted by a Planer Entity called The Merchant.” Patricia continues in a less stern tone. “When we called her back to our dimension, we found her transformed into another being. We were lucky that this happened at a time when we were briefing other Planer Assets at the office. They helped us restore her partially back to her original self.”

“Partially…” Heather starts only to bury her face into her hands and cry.

“I’m sorry, we don’t know enough about what happened to fully reverse this condition Ms. Mathews.” Patricia replies sighing. “Our asset was only able to reconnect Kelly to our world for short periods of time. She will be going back and forth between our plane and the one The Merchant chose for her.”

“I just… don’t understand. Why did someone do this to us?” Heather asks still sobbing.

“The terrorist attack on the Silicon Glades event only coincidentally took place at the location The Merchant showed up …” Patricia states only to get interrupted.

“No that’s not true… he made a comment about my bravery in showing up. He knew about the threats.” Kelly retorts scared.

“You’re sure about this?” Jason replies.

“Frank will not like this development. If The Merchant had our plane under surveillance it means our success in getting Kelly back at all was nothing less than a miracle.” Patricia adds grimly. “Our agent who placed the tracker on Kelly noted that The Merchant was blocking our technology and only by the interference of our other assets did he escape with his life and his tracker.”

Patricia sets her suit case down and opens it revealing a Tracer Trans-locator, instruction manual, and an orders folder.

“What is that thing?” Jason asks.

“It’s the same kind of device we used to track Kelly.” Patricia replies powering up the Tracer Trans-locator. “It has two different tracking options. The scanner and a reusable tracking dart. We replaced the processor and memory chips with 3D printed ones with integrated sensors that lockout access privileges when you’re outside this planer address for added security. Info on this Earth and your base world Equestria will not be made viewable without your Agency controller’s access code being input during your time here. Basic instructions are with your orders.”

“It’s nice science fiction hardware but how will it help my daughter?” Heather asks skeptical still not convinced that this nightmare for her family was happening.

“We need her to collect data from similarly abducted people.” Patricia replies. “We have a hypothesis that suggests that Kelly is not the only one this has happened to. We think she might even meet some of these other Displaced and the data we could collect in these contacts might let us fully cure her and the rest.”

“Just how many have been kidnapped under your noses?!” Wilson shouts enraged. “Are we the first stop of many in your draft?!”

“Kelly is the only one from our Earth reported.” Patricia retorts aghast.

“Bull you talked about other assets!” Jason adds.

“The Merchant is a multi-verse scale threat. Our Earth was another on a growing list of Earths.” Patricia retorts jumping to her feat. “Our other assets helped us develop the technology we used to rescue Kelly. I don’t know what kind of danger his friends are in but they are not part of any conspiracy.”

“Dad please stop it.” Kelly interrupts. “I hate that this is happening as well but it’s all true. There is nothing more that they can do without this. I have about a day and half before I go back. Can you please support them, for me?”

Wilson, Kelly’s dad; nods sadly and hugs his daughters.

Wilson holds his daughter for several minutes, his tears streaking down Kelly’s face. Erin who was holding Kelly’s left arm lets go to hug their mom after seeing the CIA agents out, the SUV pulling away shortly after.

“Le… lets have dinner before it… gets too cold.” Heather sighs breaking her hug and taking Erin’s hand to lead them into the kitchen.

The green linoleum kitchen table was only half set, evidence of the news interrupted preparations the convention had caused. Only two palates were out for the place settings that the belated meal was to have and the silverware piled on the remaining three.

The breaded pork chops were being pulled out of the oven which had been set to low heat by Jason must have been ready hours ago but were kept warm during the delay. The mashed potatoes and peas were already at the table covered by a white crochet doily table cloth. Heather’s anniversary card to Wilson at the center

“Please… excuse me Kelly. I didn’t finish… setting the table.” Heather says wiping away a tear.

“Its fine mom… you don’t need to be fancy for me. Your food is great.” Kelly replies pulling out a green painted metal chair to sit down.

Heather took the chair at one end to Kelly’s left, Erin sat next to Kelly’s immediate right, Jason sat opposite Heather, and Wilson sat across from Kelly.

Picking up her fork and knife, Kelly cuts into her pork chop and eats a piece. She couldn’t believe how much she craved the taste as she began cutting another piece still chewing on the one in her mouth. For all the time she spent as a pony, Kelly didn’t feel the slightest revulsion about eating pork and she felt happy with the fact, as she was still herself.

Even as Kelly ate she was aware of everyone else’s lack of appetite. Erin ate part of her pork chop, but she would normally be on her second helping. Her mom and dad to the contrary hardly touched their food and Jason didn’t bother to make himself a plate at all only choosing to sip some orange juice.

Later that night as Kelly reluctantly unpacked the gear she was assigned as a knock on her door gets her attention.

“Sis may I come in?” Erin politely asks.

“Erin… I thought…” Kelly whispers in surprise opening the door to let her sister in. “You can’t sleep either.”

“I haven’t… tried yet.” Erin replies ashamed and trembling. “Let me stay with you tonight. Please. I can’t let you get taken again.”

“Erin you don’t…” Kelly tries to reply shocked.

“Kelly... he demanded that agent give up his tracker as pined me to his side with one hand. I couldn’t tell you what he had in his other but is was far too real for me.” Erin squealed weakly breaking into tears. “The agent refused sure, but he was shaking in his shoes. If that pony hadn’t helped us… what would I have said to mom and dad?”

“And I thought I worried… Erin I was scared he sent you away like he did with me.” Kelly replies not sure if she was helping comfort her. “Knowing that he didn’t get you in raw deal like he did with me makes me happy, because mom and dad would still had one of us to give then some answer.”

Erin continues to sob for another few minutes before calming down.

“Come on sis, let’s try and get some sleep.” Kelly finally whispers motioning for her sister to join her.

The next morning Kelly and Erin awoke to the rumble of thunder and the flashing of distant lightning.

“So glad it’s raining.” Erin yawned looking out the window. “Kelly, should we sleep in today or wake up mom and dad early?”

"We’ll wake up mom and dad, (hic) but please don’t reference that song.” Kelly replies with a giggle.

“Yeah sorry, there is no need to bring the gloom.” Erin blushes pulling on her shorts. “Corn bread muffins and sausage sound good to you?”

Kelly nods putting on her socks and heading out to get her parents up. After waking her parents, the three went into the living room while breakfast continued to cook. Heather then went into the dining room to set the table a little later.

“Everything’s ready, come and get it.” Erin called from the kitchen.

The family ate their muffins and sausage in relative silence. Kelly noticed that her mom and dad had no leftovers this time making her smile some.

Once the family finished eating Kelly cleared the table. Both Kelly and her dad cleaned the dishes. After about twenty minutes the pair are putting the dishes away and returning to the living room.

“News says we’re going to get 2 – 3 inches of rain today.” Heather sighs turning the channel. On the next channel the movie Dark Crystal was playing. It was at the part Jen first met Kira. “How about we watch this one?”

“This is fine, how about you, dad?” Kelly replies.

“Sure.” Wilson replies sitting down.

The family marveled at the adult humor and dire situations in a kid’s story like the talk about how boys are different from girls and the Podlin enslavement. Kelly lost Interest in the movies when Cone Heads came on following the Dark Crystal.

Returning to her room, Kelly pulls out and looks at her cursed item.

“You fucking snake… to think you… you tricked me so easily.” Kelly whispered threw grit teeth seeing that she had four and a half hours approximately left until she would be warped. “You deserve to choke on this whistle you gave me. If only it would end you however.”

Kelly turns to her desk where her laptop and the Planer Trans-locator were at. The Trans-locator looked like a ware-able computer without a keyboard that was heavily armored up, with quarter inch glass over the display and recessed switches that couldn’t easily be snagged by random objects. At the front of the device was a satellite dish like nose coming just out of the protective hide. It had no straps for attaching it to her arm and instead had bolts that secure both halves of the bracer like sleeve.

Kelly couldn’t really see the hidden gizmos of the trans-locator that would come in contact with her arm as it was connected by some tough fabric and the bolts. Figuring that it was meant to be slid on like an arm band, Kelly slowly pulls the Trans-locator onto her left arm noticing it weighs about as much as small brick. Before Kelly could contemplate her balance issues she had already pulled the Trans-locator past her wrist and it turned itself on. The whir of mini motors worked the bolts to close the bracer halves on to Kelly’s arm.

‘Registering Agent… Synchronizing Planer Signature’ the Planer Trans-locator’s display read.

“Shit you could have warned me first.” Kelly grimaced at the sudden tightness around her arm. “At least my arm isn’t going sleep like when Dr. Shannon takes my blood pressure.”

It was after Kelly opened her eyes that she notices her laptop had powered up just after the trans-locator activated. Slowly Kelly reaches for her laptop and lifts the screen.

At the bottom of the screen Kelly found a message matching the one on the trans-locator only it is now complete. The sight of this causes Kelly to let out a groan at the reality that her laptop was messed with. After a search of her files Kelly finds a pleasant surprise.

“Holy cow… this is… The trip wasn’t a waste after all.” Kelly shouts with joy upon seeing the developer’s package on her laptop.

“Kelly, what is it honey?” Heather asks from the living room in a concerned tone.

“Mom… everyone look.” Kelly cheerfully replies as she races into the living room to show her family what was on her laptop.

“It’s the developer’s programming package I wanted to get.” Kelly continues getting the family’s attention to look at the screen.

Erin moves over the LIFE game board careful not to disturb the car tokens likely so they could still decide second place later. Kelly walked them through few folders of plug-ins and script commands until a warning message let them all know they only had a few minutes left.

“Kelly, please be careful. This is not a game you know.” Wilson asks as he helps Kelly put it on her pack.

“I will fight with everything I have to come home safely.” Kelly replies hugging her dad.

“Sister we’ll be waiting for your return.” Erin adds hugging Kelly after her dad let’s go.

“I’ll miss you my little girl. If you can stay hopeful so will I.” Heather adds crying a little giving Kelly her final hug.

“Ten seconds.” Kelly whispers as she once again experiences the disorientation of a room she was familiar with melt away into a landscape she was not so accustom to.

To Kelly’s great fortune she did not fall or bump into anything and all her stuff made the transition between planes with the Tracer Trans-locator mounted on her left arm giving a brief beep to signal the completion of the shift.

It was early night time with the moon just breaking over the distant tree line. She was just outside the Ponyville train station once again. When they had recalled her she remembered it had been day light out, but she had no way to judge how time differences would operate as she goes back and forth.
> Chapter 6_ World Blink - Sumac Bat Fairy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6_ World Blink – Sumac Bat Fairy

Huddled in her black leathery wings as she looks at the rising sun and feeling sore in more ways than one, was a pale skinned, horned… squirrel? No maybe she was a bat. Whatever she was it had many of the features of Hound’s true form.

‘Was this what Hound Speakers kin looked like when they were first born, loosing the wings and horns as they become adult hunters.’ The black winged fairy which was no taller than a large rat, Sumac pondered bitterly. ‘I should ask Hound about this before I rip him or her apart.’

“Another silent vigil?” a sleepy Princess Trixie yawns.

“When there is no trail to follow you can only wait or find another to hunt.” Sumac muttered sullenly.

“It would be for the best if you do not try to kill him when we all see him next. We need to find out how his transformation is related to yours.” Trixie scolds.

“What do you mean?” Sumac retorts taking flight and turning to the princess still covered up in her bed.

“Hound Speaker as you know him is really a biped… human named Kelly Mathews who says she was kidnapped and transformed before she ended up walking into your packs territory.” Trixie replies poking her head out of the covers. “The magic for something like that can’t be reversed on the dead. You don’t sound like you want to be stuck like this, or am I wrong?”

Hound fluttered back down to the window ledge.

“Your right I need to stay calm.” Sumac replies in a resigned tone.

“You don’t sound surprised by what I said Hound was?” Trixie asks curiously.

“My pack-mates and I noticed something strange about Hound’s real self’s scent. He was female. I snagged some mane fur and it changed scent upon dying after our first meeting. I already seen her before the pony spell was used on her.” Sumac adds calmly.

“So you thought she was a male at first.” Trixie replies.

“Hound had the build and even scent of one as far as my nose could tell. The scent of unnatural magic clung to everything she touched.” Sumac replies her tail twitching. “After finding out she was a she I followed my nose into the pony den and found a small thing that looked like I do now with her scent on it just outside the main trail. I planned on returning it to jog Hound’s memory and break the pony spell.”

“But it turned you into this.” Trixie replies with a hint of concern in her voice.

“I got knocked out in a fall. I didn’t know I transformed. Some loud pony barking later drew me further into the pony den and I spotted Hound in her original form… or the form I was first acquainted with and gave chase.” Sumac continued. “That smoky metal beast started moving and I fought to hold on. I found a small gap in its skin and crawled inside until the metal beast slowed. I almost had Hound only for her to vanish before my eyes.”

Trixie thought back to how the confrontation went at the train station.

They were all filing off the train. Princesses Luna and Trixie took the lead followed by Cheerilee and Derpy. Derpy was waving a hoof to encourage the bi-peddle swordsman Nigel to get off the train.

Once off the train however Nigel seems to cast his head about in confusion and quickly starts to become see through.

“Hound…” A tiny flying creature shrieks loudly.The creature has a pale rose completion her skin to contrast the black of the rest of her form. Lightning like sparks danced in her clawed fingers. “Get back here!”

“Princesses we have a problem back here!” Lyra shouts seeing the angry fairy zip into the spot where Nigel once stood.

Both princesses turned and caught the flash ball lightning colliding with an over eager night guard. The night guard’s trajectory changed by the hit, careened into a bush and his fur and main fluffed out in static cling. The guard attempts to pull himself triggering a crack of static to arc over his body which makes him sigh in defeat.

“Are you alright?!” Derpy calls to the guard.

“Yeah I’m alright, just warm and fuzzy for all the wrong reasons.” The guard groans narrowing his eyes to glare at the fairy that hit him.

“Who are you and how dare you assault one of my guards?” Luna calls out in a scolding fashion to the fairy.

“My apologies for injuring your pack-mate… herd-mate, I didn’t know I had this magic.” The fairy replies fluttering down to land on Luna’s hoof. “My name is Sumac, timber wolf.”

Back in the present Trixie put a hoof to her chin thought before commenting on the new information. “I’ll need to consult the Magic Council about the spell on you, and maybe even Twilight Sparkle. It will take a few days to arrange a meeting.”

Elsewhere in an isolated tower overlooking the sea on the island nation of Mercator, an elderly man dressed in ankle length deep blue robes with a combination yellow and green stripe down the front emblazoned with a human skull. A frayed gray poncho in turn covered up the upper part of his robe and beaded rosary of stone and claw hung from the man’s neck. Colored like his robe was a frayed brim circular blue hat with a bent narrow cone poking above a yellow ribbon fixed to a square brass buckle.

This magician has only just pulled a large red text from one of the three shelves in his private study. The red book which was possible as large as a flag stone and maybe as thick rested in the magician right hand as he began skimming it not even waiting to reach his desk for contents of vast importance.

“Master Mir, you summoned me. What task do you need done?” a slender figure askes from the shadows.

“I need you to see to it I’m not disturbed here until five sunsets from now.” Mir replies sparing only a glance for his servant.

“It will be done as you ask. Is this about our unsettling sense of being elsewhere when we have not left?” The servant replies.

“It is more than a sense and there is something I must prepare. Now be off with you!” Mir orders having stopped at a page and silently scribing notes to a blank scroll with an inked quill.

It has been four days since the mission to expose a mass foalnapping plot of nobles revealed the new mystery of an unrelated abduction. A stranger looking much like the Elf peoples of the mostly closed boarders Continent had been among the victims. From the moment Luna laid eyes on him she had become certain that a sinister conspiracy held the stranger in its grip. The fact he vanished upon arrival to Ponyville right under her nose only fueled Luna’s fears that Equestria was about to be in danger.

The being of the stranger’s dreams was unknown to Luna but the madness it caused and helplessness it inspired was none the less bile boiling. It hit far too close to home for Luna with what just befell her own kingdom. The stranger needed therapy urgently for what they have been on both counts as the strangers dreams were not the only violation they had suffered.

“Has word arrived yet from guard left at Maple village.” Luna irritably demands.

“We have lost contact with them Princess, Guardsmen Starry Colors has just returned with dire news. You may step forward Guardsmen.” Luna’s Guard Captain repiles.

“Sir… Princess Luna it has been thirty-six hours since the team left at Maple village failed to report in and I was dispatched to find out why.” A night guard named Starry Colors replies saluting her commander than turning to salute Luna. “I took the train until the conductor and I literally had to abandon the engine due to derailment.”

“The train derailed!” Luna replies in shocked surprise.

“Yes mamm. We had no warning the track was just gone. After flying the conductor to a safe patch of ground away from doomed train, I took to the sky to again to survey the damage…” Starry Colors adds trailing off.

“What did you see?” Luna asks her fur starting to bristle in frustration.

“It… The land… The best way for me to describe what I was looking at when I tried to survey the land below was to compare it to moth eaten tapestry where your vision blurs when you try to focus on the holes. Whole sections of the landscape were just missing.” Starry Colors continues. “The way these holes were spread out it could almost be mistaken for a trail of some kind. I tried to get a closer look when I noticed that last detail but I couldn’t get any closer to any of the holes than the balcony overlooking the square.”

“Why not?” Luna asks.

“As I got closer the more trouble breathing became. I wasn’t even sure I was even flying strait until my ears almost lost all sensation of noise and I snapped my eyes shut and flew for any kind normal noise.” Guard Starry Colors replies now clearly trembling. “We couldn’t get closer without going around and after that I feared getting hopelessly lost to even try.”

“What about the conductor?” Luna asks with a sigh.

“We back tracked to the switch point and caught ride back with a freight Train.” Starry Colors concludes. “The conductor went to the train yard to report the derailment.”

“Princess… Commander, Princess Trixie requests an audience.” Another guard announces.

“Thank you for the report you’re dismissed.” Princess Luna says sending guard Starry Colors off.

“Luna, I wish to address the magic academy about Sumac’s curse.” Princess Trixie asks.

“I will convene the academy’s brightest scholars and volunteers. I take it the one we discovered by her original name of Kelly has not returned yet to provide an answer.” Luna replies placing a hoof to her head.

“Yes it is unfortunately as you say.” Trixie replies. “I can only hope that Kelly’s disappearance was good news but I worry that the issues with Sumac being linked with her means our troubles are not yet over.”

Outside the throne room Sumac was looking for a place to hide from the pony guard’s watchful gaze as he was not use to being the size of prey with everything he once considered a food item being bigger. There was no chase as one might figure for the former timber wolf merely the reality of being deeply in another creature’s territory and being the center of everyone else’s attention.

Sumac search for solitude while keeping the trail back to the pony Trixie close eventually lead to a small office with a telescope and some plush furniture. No one was in the office making it an inviting place to rest and hide from the eyes. Sumac flies over to a young but well kempt tree that sat potted near the desk. The sapling Crab Apple sported a healthy trunk and many tiny yet broad green leaves, which quickly eased Sumac’s tense nerves. Sumac crawls into the pot intent on relaxing enough to think.

Hound Speaker a pony that was something else entirely; occupied Sumac’s mind yet again this time going over the dreams the young stranger was helped to describe. He had only gotten a short ways into his reminiscing when his eyes wonder onto an object that seemed out of place and one Sumac was certain had not been there when he arrived.

The object was a figurine of a mutant ant with a long flexible looking snout adorned in armor similar to what the ponies were wearing and posed in an unnatural stance so it could hold things in its fore limbs.

Even without his real body Sumac bristled with unwanted tension at the sight of the figurine that was too much like Hound’s doll. Taking flight once more Sumac heads for the office door not wanting to have anything to do with this alien thing.

“Sumac you are ordered to come with me.” An angry night guard shouts.

Startled Sumac turns wings flapping defensively in an attempt to ready himself to face off against the guard. No sooner was the guard insight a new yellow light erupts from behind Sumac.

“By the Aether’s way I Samantha, bring the Overworlder’s Honor and the Danian’s Pride to aid you my other worldly friend.” A young female voice shouts out from behind Sumac. Judging by how the guard blanched and took off, Sumac was pretty certain that he didn’t want to turn around.

“How precious, but isn’t being this small even with a displaced powers dangerous? Seriously my hands are bigger.” The voice’s owner, a giant mutant ant looking a lot like the figurine from before continued speaking and pulling out a thin slab with a green gem fixed to its top and trimmed with gold. “Let me get a quick scan of you.”

Sumac trembled in spite of his better instincts to run as he would not have chosen to fight the pony sized ant even with his old timber wolf body. The normally disorientating light not enough to make Sumac break eye contact with this new threat; he only regained his wits in time to make a feeble attempt to flee an approaching hand.

“Don’t run away I’m here to help you. What can I do for you?” Samantha asks holding the fairy in her hand.

“Giant ant…” Sumac replies raspy.

“On my father’s side and it would be Danian not giant ant. My mother was a Loxodon or elephant warrior, but again not an elephant; Ms Strange Stats.” Samantha scolds feeling a little cross over the comment.

“Where did you come from my home is in a forest three dawns run from here? I’m Sumac; I apologize for being rude you are the second new creature I’ve met that is unnatural to me.” Sumac replies still scared.

“You’re just new to this displaced stuff. My home is Obsidian Falls in the Basalt Valley of Perim.” Samantha replies. “Did you actual have need of my skills to return to my earlier question?”

“I didn’t ask for help. I bumped into a thing that looked like you only smaller. I could use the help in tracking down Hound Speaker as it was one of his… her things that made me like this.” Sumac replies.

“Is that what he calls himself here? My mom’s stories mention a cloaked figure whose features are shrouded in shadow that sells these cursed things. You’re lucky you still can go home at all, it really is your fault to do business with him.” Samantha chuckles out a reply.

“Hound Speaker’s features were never shrouded in shadows. Her true form had sunflower colored mane limited to the top of her head and pointy ears…” Sumac snarls.

“No way, I’m sorry…” Samantha replies shocked.

“Your description is not of Hound, but it reminds me of a conversation I once had with her on a thing in her nightmares.” Sumac replies.

“Oh no… she’s the displaced. None of mom’s stories covered this, but none of them covered inheriting these powers either like I did either.” Dania continued.

“Surrender now Intruder!” Princess Luna orders with a shout leading a six guard formation.

Samantha furrows her brow as she looks over at the alicorn. An earth pony guard breaking formation to try to tackle the oversized ant.

‘You stupid overeager beta.’ Sumac thinks with groan as Samantha grabs the guard out of the air mid lung with her prehensile snout and flings him over her shoulders behind her. A loud crash of falling objects signaling the guard would not return to this fight.

“Use your spears to keep the intruder at range and don’t hurt our guest.” Luna orders frowning.

Four of the guards advanced. Two going high and over Samantha with the other two stopping short in front of her in a pouncing stance spears readied. Samantha lets go of Sumac causing him to be teleported over to Luna.

“What do you take me for?” Samantha sighs dismissively.

“A prisoner.” Luna retorts the guards lunging with their spears.

Sumac understood what the ponies intended as Samantha used her free hands to redirect each spear head meant for her to a weak spot of on different guards armor. The ponies did their pounce and caged their prey, but it would be the prey getting the kill if these guards had been as bad as the first choosing instead to be disarmed and roll away from their pounce to avoid getting stabbed.

“Do I have to do everything myself?” Luna screams charging a spell.

Samantha throws down all but one stolen spear and pulls a crystal ring from a pouch at the sight of a large ball of bluish magic raced to hit her. She shouts. “Refrain of Denial.”

Just as Luna’s magic came in for a hit a shaft of light intercepts and erases the attack.

“Samantha stop, I’m not in danger here. I am a guest here,” Sumac shouts flying to get between the two fighters. “You need to go home. I didn’t ask for your help and this fight is not helping me.”

“You’re right, you said before it was an accident. To send me home you just have to say my name and our contract is done. Even when it’s a token mistake the return command remains fickle that way.” Samantha replies down cast pulling out another crystal ring and tossing it to Sumac. The ring shrinking so Sumac could catch it. “You should be able to cast this one by calling out Song of Reversal. You and your Displaced may one day need its help in this path in life.”

“Thank you Samantha our contract is done.” Sumac replies catching the ring and placing it in a bag of her own that came with the body. Another flash of light later and Samantha was gone leaving the figurine in her place.

“I want that object placed in the forbidden vault. You all will then report to the guard captain for remedial training. Am I understood?”Princess Luna orders.

“Yes Milady.” The guards reply recovering the figurine to lock it up.

Elsewhere in the castle during the confrontation a man in dark blue robes and pointy hat put the finishing touches on a teleportation ritual circle.

“It’s up to you now my other self. You know what Nigel must do.” Mir the wizard whispers before teleporting out.

Later on after seeing Princess Trixie off to Ponyville, Princess Luna prepares to raise the moon and set her stars. Upon completion of her ritual Luna noticed something off.

“Sister is something wrong?” Celestia asks seeing Luna’s annoyed expression.

“There is an extra planet or star bringing my night sky out of balance.” Luna replies closing her eyes in concentration. After a exerting her magic Luna stops a hoof in frustration. “Something interferes with my powers. First was learning the lost team could not be tracked, and then it was mystery with our guest Sumac, and lastly was the humiliation of myself and the guard by a child of an intruder.”

“Sister Lulu please let me help.” Celestia pleads.

“I appreciate the gesture Tia, but I think the only thing we can do is wait. Tomorrow will meet with the academy Headmaster about Sumac and start unraveling that mystery and maybe the rest of these puzzles will become clear.” Luna replies accepting her sister’s nuzzle of affection.

Elsewhere in a Ponyville far off a man in dark blue robes and a pointy hat stood waiting.

“I would seem my part will soon be played. Nigel be ready.” Mir whispers.
> Chapter 7_World Blink - Drafting Tracer Agents
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter_7 World Blink – Drafting Tracer Agents

“Now that my unpleasant transition is done with I should find myself that princess who demanded a talk with me. What a way to make a bad first impression.” Nigel quietly muttered to himself.

“Oh I can be of service to you if that is your desire.” A humble voice called from behind Nigel.

Turning around Nigel sees a figure dressed in robes similar to a fantasy dark mage illuminated by the glow of his staff that she can only think of one being who should match this person in relation to his current form.

“Mir, you’re far from your tower home. What bring you to here to help me and thank you for your aid?” Nigel replies and politely bows.

“Time is short I can send you directly to the castle of Cantorlot, but your audience with the Princess must wait. You must reach Friday with all haste.” Mir states sternly the glow of his staff changing.

Nigel could feel the world warp around him and hear the beeping of the Tracer Trans-locator attached to his arm. The train station on the outskirts of Ponyville was replaced by the smooth stone walls of Cantorlot. The clinking of Nigel’s sword sheath on the wall behind him provided him just enough warning so as to not hit his head when he stumbled backwards.

“Right… higher altitude equals thinner air.” Nigel wheezes light headed.

“Control to Nigel what’s going on your special coordinates have just shifted by millions of miles. I’m also getting anomalous planer signals from all directions around you respond.” The voice of Patricia crackles over the radio.”I’m attempting to clean up the noise now so we can locate the source.”

“How can I have be sent millions of miles off track I was sent to the castle just past the town I was last at?!” Nigel counters confused.

“That’s not possible check your Trans-locator’s display you’re not even on the same planet you were a moment ago?!” Patricia insists over the radio.

The uniform sound of foot falls could be heard getting louder from the level above catching both Nigel’s and Patricia’s attention. Nigel’s eyes scan the hallway off to his right and focus on a distant stairway framed by some potted bushes and just opposite a moonlight lit stained glass window.

“I’ve got guard coming from the upper floor…” Nigel whispers.

“You need to get out of there or past them and do it quickly. That was not noise in the signal like I first though but decay.” Patricia replies distressed.

Nigel dashes toward the stairs. “Where’s the strongest signal?”

“I’m configuring your Trans-locator now to home in on the anomaly!” Patricia replies frantic. “You have seven minutes before I activate the recall with or without your permission.”

“Ugh… Intruder, halt now!” Shouts a night guard who just reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs and getting hit by the sprinting elf.

Nigel, having barely succeeding in drawing his rapier to parry a guard’s spear; uses the consecutive attack of the guard to propel himself over and past the other guards coming down the stairs. Scrambling to avoid being tackled and pinned, Nigel gets to his feet just in time to slice a spear’s tip off as it cuts thought his tunic below his left arm just missing the body all together.

“Stop that thing!” The guard with the now useless spear shouts to some pony ahead of Nigel.

As all eyes turned toward a charging squad of guards now blocking Nigel’s path an unnatural waterfall of movement erases all but two and part of the castle hall from existence. Unable to stop Nigel jumps hoping to clear the likely fatal gap only to get entangled with something white that fell from above.

Nigel clinging for dear life almost gets whipped loose when the white object twists around rockets six floors up suddenly. Just before they could collide with ceiling the winged white object turns suddenly again flinging Nigel off on to the floor face down.

“Control to Nigel… Kelly… please respond now, I just detected a massive signal dead zone. What happened?” Patricia shouts over the radio. “Your near the anomaly’s source do what you came to do and get out, over.”

“Tia, are you alright? Speak to me.” The blue alicorn gasps in panic racing to her sister.

“Wha… What happened to the floor?” The white alicorn asks shocked and wide eyed.

Nigel gets slowly and painfully to his knees his right shoulder and upper arm feeling numb. Opening his eyes he finds the two princesses get back to their feet, Celestia being a little shakier in her efforts near what looked like a simple bed where something mostly black atop it moved.

“Hound Speaker what have you brought upon us?!” The black winged fairy shrieks as she zips at stunned elf.

There were some muffled shouts from the princesses as the world around Nigel once again shifted from one place to another before his eyes. The sting of biting slap across his right cheek being the only reason he even noticed it happen this time.

The elf recognized Sumac immediately as well as the nature of the anomaly as his fairy Friday doll began collecting electricity in her hands.

“Nigel to control I need someone to stabilize a native of planer instability!” Nigel shouts a demand over the radio unaware of the gathering ponies.

“Control to Nigel clarify the natives condition. Is it the anomaly?” Patricia asks over the radio.

“Yes. Merchant type transformation was placed on native. Please hurry.” Nigel replies.

“Dispatching team, stand by.” Patricia replies promptly over the radio.

Snarling Sumac glares up at the still kneeling Nigel. She was breathing heavy with holes of translucency flickering in and out across her body.

“Hound… You can do something about fixing me can you?” Sumac scolded glaring at Nigel and casually tossing a bolt of electricity an overly curious Pegasus guard.

It was then Princess Trixie and Luna arrived to find Nigel the elf stranger who disappeared a week ago after being found during the rescue mission in Maple Village getting threatened by a small winged beast who was similar to a Breezy.

“I admire that fact he is being berated for his unexplained disappearance after his equally unexplained arrival, but who is that to have him so captive?” Princess Luna quips to Trixie while keeping an angry glare focused on the unsuspecting Nigel.

“Let’s find out shall we. Trixie would also appreciate an update.” Princess Trixie replies.

As the princesses stalked up behind Nigel another being phases into existence just across from the fully standing elf.

“David to Control I’ve arrived at the distress beacon.” Agent David transmits over the radio before turning to Nigel. “Nigel where is the native? I will need to synchronize it’s planer signal to your current signal before it gets erased as well.”

“The small fairy at your feet sir, but we also need to try and restore his body too.” Nigel replies only becoming mildly aware of the swarm of ponies and guards nearby.

“Eyes on me agent, worry about the royalty later. Do you have an object I can use for recreating the body? Preferably something like hair which has a DNA Template I can use.” David asks an aiming his scanner at the fairy. “Patricia’s going to love this shit. Your fairy has your old signal.”

Nigel removes his back pack and opens it monetarily freezing when he sees the angry Princesses.

“The claw tip!” Nigel exclaims digging threw his back pack pulling out a one and half inch broken wooden claw tip.

“I’m ready to run our program toss it and your whistle to me.” David orders as Nigel flings the two objects to him. “Control beginning synch operation.”

“You may precede agent, we have a lock on you.” Patricia replies.

The objects under the scanners light begin to give off a dim glow followed by Nigel and the fairy Sumac.

“This multi-verse shit is scary.” David mutters in awe as the fairy begins to grow changing to look like a fully articulate topiary of a wolf seven foot three inches in length from head to tail and standing just short of four foot four inches tall.

As the program finishes as rush of recognition sweeps threw some of the crowd as the timber wolf Sumac assumes his original form. Somewhere near Maple Village a pack of timber wolves remembers their pack member.

“Control to David and Nigel the anomaly is resolved. Report your status is everyone all right?” Patricia asks over the radio.

“I’m fine control.” David replies.

“Same here control. I think it worked in fixing Sumac but is the change permanent?” Nigel asks.

“I won’t be certain without the time to look at the data, but Sumac’s signal is now linked to your own likely with similar restrictions.” Patricia replies. “You got back just in time too, another few minutes on that false world and you would have been erased with it. All traces of the anomalous signal are gone.”

“Acknowledged Control, I’ll head back after we get debriefed.” David adds.

Nigel puts his backpack back on trembling a little at gazes both princesses were giving him and the agent next to him, Princess Trixie motioning for the pair to follow. The guards at this point had gotten the crowd to return to their homes or daily routines before settling around Sumac, Nigel and David.

For most part the Ponyville was like most small towns in the US only with a few more dirt roads or brick roads instead of cement or blacktop. A couple blocks from the train station the group approached what looked like a small estate building behind a garden park with a crystal tree as its center piece.

As they got nearer Nigel noticed that all of the plants shared some curious crystallization in some small way.

“I’m sorry if this is not a good time to ask, but can you tell us about the effect the crystal tree is having on the rest of these plants?” Nigel asks gesturing toward the garden and its center piece.

“Let’s take a seat over here and we can talk about the recent events surrounding you and then we can get to the Tree of Harmony.” Princess Luna replies taking a seat at a small table on the building’s patio.

“My name is David Patterson, United States CIA.” David began offering a hand for a hand shake before sitting down. “I can fill in some of your questions about those events you speak of. Firstly the reason I’m here is to help stabilize the large wood wolf after Kelly contacted us of the need to do so. As to why we were able to reach her, one of my teammates was able to hit her with a tracking dart before she was abducted and we used it to call her home.”

“So does this mean she will be leaving with you? What about Sumac the Timber Wolf?” Princess Trixie asks sitting next to Luna across from Nigel and David with Sumac sitting at the end of the table.

“No to both of those questions I’m sorry to say, Miss. We were only able to partially undo what was done to Kelly and by extension Sumac. Lava Gazer a unicorn from a different Equestria plane and Mike Edison a research scientist from home used some sort of strange bond to alter her artifact.” David replies. “Her trip back here confirms that her artifact will transport her between our worlds and between her bodies at set intervals that is currently beyond our control. Sumac will also be bound to the same rules.”

Sumac groans softly and his ears fold back.

“I would like to meet this Lava Gazer and Mike Edison. Maybe if I know what they did we can resolve this affliction sooner.” Luna adds expectantly.

“That will be difficult but I could ask. Both of them are currently trying to locate the rest of their colleagues that got lost in Lava Gazer’s Equestria and it could take some time.” David replies before turning to Nigel. “How the hell did you end up on a planet several millions of miles away to find Sumac in the first place?”

“Planet… You know about a planet that I know shouldn’t have existed?” Luna interjects loudly her eye twitching. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“The trackers we have can send information between planes such as telling us when one of our assigned devices suddenly travels a great distance in a matter of seconds.” David replies hand up still looking at Nigel.

“The wizard Mir, of the Land Stalker game; met me upon my return and transported me to castle Cantorlot to find Friday the fairy who turned out to be Sumac. When I got there I was told that I traveled further than I expected and was on another planet.” Nigel replies shaken. “I was told to hurry up in finding Friday and get out, but it didn’t take long for the guard to find me. I was almost cornered when the group in front of me that cut me off was erased along with part of the hall. It was too late to stop so I jumped the gap and hit someone. Sumac screamed something at me and I ended up back here in town.”

Visible horror was upon the faces of those gathered at the table as they contemplated the meaning behind Nigel’s testimony.

“We could have been erased re-synchronizing Sumac …”David muttered astonished. “It seems that when Sumac was transformed his signal was strong enough by itself to maintain that previous version of this world for all this time before disappearing.”

“It’s like seeing a clone of your character in an MMO just sitting in front of you as you play during a lag spike.” Nigel remarks getting even more unnerved. “It’s not supposed to happen.”

“Pondering how many times it happened will only cause us all unneeded guilt.” Luna replies with a sigh. “It was something we were not intended to be aware of.”

“It does highlight a danger in fixing other Displaced. We need to be certain no one or thing that carries a ‘Merchant signal’ is left behind when attempting to rewrite their artifact.” David adds wiping away some sweet. “It could be dangerous to the response team as well as everyone in that plane Displaced or otherwise.”

“Would this action be ethical?” Trixie asks with a glum expression.

“That will likely be a question that the other Displaced will have to ponder as we were not given a choice. I also will not condemn your decision to do so as you did not have fore knowledge of this possibility.” Luna replies trying to sound conciliatory. “In the end it is as much the right of this Merchant’s victims to return home as it would be for the citizens of these other worlds to have a say. I just ask that you do not make this a crusade at their expense.”

After a long period of silence some food and water was offered before the topic of the Tree of Harmony was brought back up. Shortly into the conversation David was ordered home and with a formal request to arrange partial compensation for lodging and supplies Nigel would need during his stay.

“We could not allow Grogar or the recently freed Discord to take control of the weakened Tree of Harmony after their fight, so we decided to transplant it while the pair was busy ripping up the Everfreee. Holding multiple illusions to keep them focused on each other while helping to slowly levitate the tree to where it is now in Ponyville took all of Trixie’s strength.” Princess Trixie recalls shrugging as if the memory itself was exhausting. “Once the tree was replanted, Trixie passed out to wake up later as an alicorn.”

“Grogar and Discord depleted the Everfree’s Lyline and became trapped in vine snared stone as they try to strangle the other. No pony or other is likely to attempt to bring back either with how they secretly plotted to betray each other and the loss of magic for several miles around their graves.” Princess Luna states flatly. “Grogar believed he could dominate the Spirit of Chaos and it wasn’t until Discord made for the tree that he realized his error.”

“We have madmen at home too, which can make our own ingenuity a scary thing sometimes.” Nigel replies somberly. “Even without magic we have made a nice world to live in that endures the ill intentions of some. Like they say evil only triumphs when good people do nothing and hearing you story means that is a constant of the multi-verse too.”

“The work is never done, but it is satisfying in its own right.” Trixie adds with a smile. “For now, how about I give you a room for the night?”

Elsewhere in the ocean south of the continent of Equestria the ship Soul of Massan sails to make port in the land of ponies.

“So Mir really requested we take to the seas and bring all these thing to such a far off shore.” A sailor asks of a tan skinned man with a black ponytail and mustache in a smoke gray suit.

“His request is clear even if you have to accept some stuff about an oracle telling us to meet a person. Bring a twin tree child of the elder of the forest to the lands of the monarch moon so a friend of old may fulfill his solemn pledge.” The gray suited man Pockets replies. “I even was asked to bring Massan’s best farmer to help our friend prepare for this challenge, but Mir likes his puzzles to have some mystery.”

The sailor goes back to his duties.

“Pockets do you suspect we’ll see him?” The Gummi famer asks quietly.

“Maybe…”Pockets replies looking out across the waves.
> Chapter 8_Resident Officer's Accommodations and Responsibilities
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8_Resident Officer's Accommodations and Responsibilities

It was only a few day by Kelly's recollection as Nigel in Equestria before the US Government made official contact. The Princesses had just entered the manor's meeting hall to discuss  my fate as the newest resident of their land.
"It is good to know you have not mysteriously vanished again as we have much to discuss." Princess Luna speaks as she motions for Nigel to stand up. "To begin how would you like us to address thee? Your three different identities, one which I will try and purge; will make our talk more difficult if we must constantly switch between them."
"I'll go as Nigel to match the body I'm in." Nigel replies as he makes to follow them into a meeting room.
Nigel moves toward one of the guards and presents his sword for holding during the meeting and is joined by Sumac in his timber wolf form. After getting a polite salute from the guard and turning to the princesses, Nigel's trans-locator flashes a message of prepare to receive diplomat convoy.
"My ladies, Princesses Luna, Celestia, and Trixie; we have a diplomatic envoy  requesting an audience with you regarding Nigel." A door guard announces.
"You may send them in guard." Luna replies a bit surprised.
In walks a pair of MP's in dress uniforms followed by a middle age brown hair man in a gray suit with black tie holding a briefcase and a woman with short red hair in a similar gray suit.
"Apologies for the lack of notice on our arrival your Excellencies, but we formally request to participate in your discussions over our citizen. I'm United State Diplomat Henry Benson and this is Psychologist Carol Jones assigned to Kelly Mathews case." Mr. Benson announces offering a small bow. "We have brought a few things we hope you'll accept as compensation for our citizen's safe rescue that she reported to us. It is our intention to negotiate payment for any room and board accommodations and other services you plan for Kelly Mathews during her stay while her circumstances persist."
"We welcome your offer of compensation, but we are also most pleased to see your concern for people. We are honored to meet with thee." Princess Celestia cheerfully replies with own small bow.
"Agent, please read through this while we handle this first part." Diplomat Benson orders handing Nigel a binder from his brief case. "You'll be admitted once the treaty is hammered out."
"Shall we begin." Princess Trixie asks.
"We're ready your Excellencies ." Diplomat Benson replies moving toward the conference room  with Carol.
Nigel sat back down on the bench and opened the binder and began looking at the contents. The first item was a set of holographic ID Card where the language changed if you tilted them and included a data chip. Other than English, the ID's had a written form of Equestrian; to display his relevant personnel info.
'Maybe the others needed to learn the language so they included the feature. Not that I need it here.' Nigel thought looking for a place to clip an ID card. After clipping one on he pulls out and skims a stack of stapled papers that turns out to be an English to Equestrian dictionary of sorts. 'I hope I don't need this.' 
The last thing of note Nigel found in the binder was a freshly updated pocket Constitution according to edition date that made it only a few days old.
Sumac in his timber wolf body had chosen to sleep only to be woken up by the Princesses announcements. He would have continued sleeping if not for the new arrivals showing up moments later. These new arrivals were built much like Nigel did when he first encountered the new predator. Two of them had a hunter's posture waiting for a reason to pounce, a third seemed to be in charge even if his build was less of what Sumac understood leaders should have. The last was female but he was unclear of her pack standing.
Sumac ended his speculations when a noise of something hitting the ground came from Nigel's direction.




Amendment 31- Tracer Initiative

Legislative Purpose:
Addressing the technological breakthrough that has opened up contact between other Earths and previously designated fictional worlds (aka The LeClaire Incident); the need to police the misuse of Planer Travel and enact Planetary Security has arisen.
On the issue of policing, it is resolved that the country of origin will handle the regulation and primary negotiation for all Planer Natives engaged in contact with Non-native agents where Global Integrity is not a concern. Where Global Integrity is a concern, it is the recommendation of this body that a body parallel to the United Nations be established for coordinating negotiations and military responses.
On issues arising off world, it is recommended that covert recovery of Planer Natives be attempted when possible with emphasis on avoiding hostiles.
Section 1 – Planer Technology Control
Subsection A – Licensing of any Planer Trans-locator device to individuals and corporations require a full Congressional Inquiry prior to acquisition. Inquiry requirements include Planer Address verification of Host Plane, Planer Trans-locator inspection, Contact mission statement, List of and background checks for all users, and verification of Host Plane entry permission.
Unauthorized use of Planer Technology is a Class 1 felony and requires a national security inquiry, revocation of security clearances, and ban on owning or using hardware capable of Planer Travel. Involvement of Non-native agents in unauthorized uses requires involvement of the Diplomatic Agencies of the United States to resolve.
Subsection B - Unlicensed Planer Technology used by Planer natives is ordered confiscated, inspected, and destroyed on site regardless of current Plane. Arrest of Renegade Planer natives authorized for all fugitives not in Host world custody.
Section 2 – United States Response Jurisdiction
All Planer Incursions originating as a point of contact in the continental United States shall be exclusively handled by The United States except where Global Integrity is a concern.
All Planer natives from the United States involved in Planer activity is subject to Congressional and Judicial Oversight. Cases involving Global Integrity will be recommended for international review.
Section 3 – Covert Extraction Protocol
Licensed and Deputized Agents operating off world are authorized to apprehend any renegade Planer natives from Earth not already in custody of Host world.
In the event a renegade is in Host world custody Agents must contact United States Diplomatic Agency to advise on establishing Diplomatic Contact and Deportation of renegade.
Section 4 – Diplomatic Contact Protocol
Licensed and Deputized Agents of the United States are required to contact the United States Diplomatic Agency when making contact with Host world Leaders and Diplomats. All Host world laws apply to Agents activities when covert cover is broken until United States Diplomatic Agency succeeds in establishing otherwise by Treaty with Host world.
Treaty regulations modify Host world laws with regard to Agents and expected activities. Agents must comply with current Host world law or active Treaty.
Compensation and Lodging is to be negotiated and finalized in the active Treaty where the United States is the Funding provider for the Agent’s expenses. 
All Deputized Agents are bound to the chain of command of the United States of the LeClaire Incident Earth and the LaClaire Incident Earth’s Global Response body responsible for administering and regulating Planer activity; no agent may receive any emoluments, join any militia, or accept any Office of a Host world that results in jeopardizing the Agent’s loyalty to their native world.  Treaty provisions may not modify an Agent’s loyalty to their native world. 
Section 5 – Planer Warfare
The LaClair Incident Earth and by extension the United States are to maintain a neutral military posture with regard to all Host worlds where Planer Contact is made, except where active Hostilities are incited by a Host world.
Conflicts that arise out of Planer Contact with a Host world fall under Global Response Jurisdiction as a Planetary Threat. No single nation may unilaterally combat this threat alone.
Off World Agents operating in a Host world that becomes hostile are ordered recalled and must make every effort to escape the current Host world without endangering the LaClaire Incident Earth. If captured destruction of Planer Technology becomes authorized and Agents will be abandoned where recovery becomes a Planetary Threat. 


.
The binder drops from Nigel's hands and spills out and he begins to breath erratically.
To put things simply Kelly Mathews felt almost like she was lost all over again after reading the newly passed Constitutional Amendment. She never wished to be a solder or a diplomat, and this statement of law made her both for the indefinite future. It was why she was now waiting in Reception Hall of Princess Trixie's manor in Ponyville while the diplomat assigned to her named Mr. Benson hammered out the final details of her Treaty with this pony world.  
"Hound... Nigel calm down what spooked you?" Sumac barks unnerved with ears folding back.
"I... I... could be..." Nigel chocked out sweating with anxiety. "They could still leave... leave me stranded if things... don't work out. Their afraid of something like Australia's Zerg infestation might happen in the US and... could choose leave me stuck like this."
"Nigel what do you mean?" Sumac asks worried.
"We're not at that point yet kid. The powers that be are just being cautious. Take it from someone who knows we won't just leave you behind." One of the MP's calmly interrupts in a soft voice having come over to see what was wrong. "I've done two operations myself rescuing one of our own in a hostile land we won't give you up without a fight."
Nigel began to breath easier at the MP's words who had bent low to look him in the eyes.
"Nigel we're ready for you two now." Mr. Benson announces from the conference room. 
"Thank you." Nigel calmly say to the MP standing up. The MP just salutes him and returns to his post.
Shortly after Nigel's heart beat returned to normal the conference room doors open.
"Nigel we need to see you and your wolf partner now." Carol Jones orders.
Putting the binder away in his backpack , Nigel walked over to the conference room with Sumac close behind. Inside the room Nigel froze at what could only be a recreation of the Open MMO convention's vendor stalls. Nigel's shock was dispelled when a menacing snarl was directed a unforgettable man at the end of the room who was now laughing from at the pair clad in dark trench coat like hooded robes.
"What did you do with my sister?!" Nigel yells before shaking his head in confusion. "This didn't... My sister is safe what the hell."
"My Apologies Nigel, we were just confirming a suspicion we all seem to share about you." Luna replies as most of the illusion falls.
"You went strait into a worry driven accusation seemingly forgetting that your sister is safe and this event already happened." Carol Jones adds. "It was suggested to us that you were having vivid PTSD driven dreams."
"Hound... Nigel would also do this while awake when he was a pony." Sumac adds.
"Waking hallucinations..." Luna replies frowning.
"That level trauma makes sending you into the field an act of reckless negligence. It is unsafe to release you to active duty until you can distinguish between reality and your fears." Carol adds. "Luna you mentioned a therapy you want to try, I request permission to help with this treatment. It is my duty to look after Nigel's mental health."
"We will not stop you from helping. Nigel we will send for you tomorrow when the moon rises over the tree canopy." Luna orders before turning to Sumac. "We are curious as to how you also deduced Nigel's foe, but more importantly we invite to continue offering your own assistance in helping Nigel get well."
Sumac nods his head.
"Well that settles our first order of business but two others require your attention now." Diplomat Benson speaks changing the subject. "First Princess Celestia."
"Nigel though the memories we gained after you helped Sumac may not belong to us these same memories make it clear that your no sword fighter. Many guards who recalled you rescue attempt were not impressed by your lack of skill and Mr. Benson fill us in about this displaced curse's requirements. We feel it would be irresponsible of us if we let you get killed in the line of duty when we could remedy your faults." Princess Celestia speaks locking her gaze on Nigel. "As such we are assigning a tutor from the guard to train you. This is not a free service, nor is it one we would offer if the circumstances were anything but what we have before us at this moment."
"The United States has brought a few trinkets as compensation for the services already rendered to you prior to our current meeting, but we have arranged additional trades and services to cover your room and board as well as your training." Mr. Benson replies. "However no training will begin until you are cleared for active duty and you are to refrain from world hopping to any other displaced host world until you completed both."
"We do enjoy the NASA photos of your solar system it is a nice gift." Luna remarks with a playful smile.
"I also appreciate the photos of your national parks but nothing would compare with visiting them directly." Celestia adds.
"Trixie is also impressed with your peoples stage craft and is glad to have sampled your peoples trade." Trixie adds.
"This leads us into our last order of business. Kelly Mathews, as you may have read; the United States has ratified the Tracer Initiative. With regard to safety of our world verse the temptation of being off world we are requiring that you take an Oath affirming that you will not enter in any contract that might result in betraying us." Mr. Benson speaks. "This includes everything from relationship promises that could divide your loyalties to willfully joining any militias."
"I'm... aware of what your asking of me." Nigel replies.
"Then repeat after me. I [State your name] Affirm as a binding Oath that I will not enter into any other contract or promise that would require me to endanger the safety and freedom of my home world the LaClaire Earth, and that I shall not accept any Office or commission of service to any foreign power." Mr. Benson orders holding a contract in his left hand and a pen in his right hand.
"I Kelly Mathews affirm as a binding oath that I will not enter into any other contract or promise that would require me to endanger the safety and freedom of my home world the LaClaire Earth, and that I shall not accept any office or commission of service to any foreign power." Kelly Mathews swears in the voice of Nigel before taking the pen and signing the contract.
"On behalf of Equestria we witness the administration of this oath." Luna replies with the three Princesses adding their signature marks to the contract.
"On behalf of the United States of the LaClaire Earth I Henry Benson, Diplomat administer and witness this oath." Mr. Benson replies finishing the deputizing of Kelly Mathews by adding his signature to the contract.  "We will contact you before we send the first trade shipment your Excellencies. Good bye for now." 
Sumac watched the odd site in amazement but silently agreed with it. 
Once Diplomat Benson left for Earth, Nigel and Carol were assigned their individual rooms. Nigel's room was a simple one room style apartment with a kitchen, one chair, one bed, and small window with a flower box.
While most of Ponyville slept a ship was pulling into port a short few weeks away from the small pony village.
"We're on a quest make plants grow..." A Gumi farmer absentmindedly sings as he transfers plant racks to a wagon. "It is a quest for a friend we have yet to know..." 
"I've paid for the wagon rental and a map. Can you handle this pony farm union?" A man with gray suit and black ponytail hair style asks.
"It's all part of a days work Pockets. I not too old for the fields or for the market." The Gumi farmer replies smiling.
"Than I just need to hold up my end to help our new mutual friend." Pockets replies climbing on the wagon with the Gumi farmer and signaling the wagon ponies to move out.
Back in Ponyville Nigel stares a the oak door to the apartment that would be his home and party invitation that was tacked to the front.
"She post dated this one for thirty seven days from now." Princess Trixie remarks with a huff.
"Preemptive Congratulations on your certification for active duty and welcome to Ponyville party. Also welcome first timber wolf turned fairy citizen party." Nigel reads out loud groaning. "She somehow pens reality here doesn't she?"
"It is best if you don't give yourself more nightmares trying to figure out Pinkie." Trixie replies apologetically. "Try and sleep you got a full schedule tomorrow."  
"Thank you for the advice ah..." Nigel replies.
"Call me Trixie when it's just us or Your Eminence if in a crowd or at a court function. The terms of our treaty makes it inappropriate to call me princess as your not our citizen but many nobles will throw a fit if you don't use some title during public meetings." Trixie answers.
"Thanks Trixie. Well lets make this home for awhile Sumac." Nigel says to the fairy who flies from his pocket and enters the room before transforming to his true form.
After a dreamless sleep, Nigel wakes up to start his first therapy session.
Sumac had moved during hours Nigel slept to an area that was now illuminated by sunlight, upon noticing that Nigel was awake he lifted his head and turned to face Nigel.
"I need to roam and eat Hound... Nigel, and pony territory is not good for that." Sumac groans restlessly.
"I don't know this place so we'll need to ask about where you can go to roam at. As for eating I hope Mr. Benson stocked something for the both of us." Nigel replies heading over to a cabinet in the kitchen area. In the cabinets Nigel found an assortment of clearly labeled boxes and bottles. Nigel pulled out some cereal bars, a bottle of water, and a package labeled timber wolf zoo ration.
"That smells tasty." Sumac replies grabbing  the zoo ration and walking back over to the sun lit patch to eat the package containing turkey, pheasant, and deer meat seasoned with a few edible root vegetables.
"Peanut butter oat meal... homemade is better." Nigel remarks finishing one of the cereal bars. "Sumac you like your food?"
Sumac nods his head. Nigel waves his hand to for Sumac to follow him and the two exit their apartment. As the two make their way to Trixie's manor some of Ponyville's residents start to scatter until Raindrops lands nearby.
"These two are our new neighbors so show them we're friendly." Raindrops scolds before turning to the pair. "I'll stick with you two until we reach the manor so no pony panics. Luna is waiting with your one friend for your first counseling session."
"I'm doing no better here with first impressions." Nigel replies timidly.
"Don't blame yourself and give Ponyville some time to adjust." Raindrops replies tapping Nigel lightly with a hoof. "We'll take care of you until this is all sorted out."
At the manor Raindrops leaves the pair as a lunar guard permits them entry. Once the door was closed the guard took the pair to the room Luna and Carol waited.
"Greeting Nigel, we are pleased that you are on time." Luna politely speaks offering Nigel a seat.
"Please forgive yesterday's actions but we needed to know just how bad your case is before we can help you." Carol adds. "Today the Princess and I are going conduct an exit interview of sorts to determine how much you remember and how you are remembering your experiences in your first days here. It will involve several question that may repeat from time to time and may even seem to be worded strangely, but continue as we instruct you to do as it will help us in treating you."
"This won't entirely be just questions Nigel, like with the demonstration yesterday we will be using an artifact on loan to us from the changeling hive we treat their citizen with to help us visualize your memories as you are interviewed. I've also been told Carol has been provided a similar artifact that serves purpose from your home world that we will use in speeding up our effort if you consent to the invasion of privacy." Luna adds.
"I... You won't... let record be seen by just anyone, will you?" Nigel asks breaking in a cold sweet.
"We are both bound to keep your confidence in this treatment." Carol replies.
"That is correct. Many of the question we will ask will be personal and scaring for you and in no way would we make this harder for you by breaking this confidence without first explaining our reasons to you." Luna adds. "May we begin, Nigel?"
"Yes... I'm ready." Nigel answers.
Carol attaches a few electrodes to Nigel's forehead while Luna activates the changeling device that looked like a table top fountain pool  with four inward pointing emerald tipped antennae. 
"Please begin with your recollection of the convention how you met up with the merchant. We'll use this as a baseline." Carol instructed.
As Nigel recalled that day both the space above the fountain's pool and a screen on Carol's computer began recreating Nigel's memory of that day. At the convention Kelly had been in high spirits, her recollection playing alongside hopes of future achievement. She is broken from her reverie when memory Erin mentions Lava Gazer.
"That's a lot of ugly coat for a stallion." Luna remarks at representation of a UN Squadron mascot if it were a pony.
"Huh... Oh. I didn't get a good look at Lava Gazer at first." Nigel replies causing the mascot's image to shift briefly to Lava Gazer's before shifting back.
"I was told that the host world government he belongs to is delaying the reunion of our people until some major cultural event takes place." Carol adds. "Can you continue please? I can show you some video of him later your Eminence."
With that Nigel continued. It proved most disturbing to Luna just how normal and non-threatening the merchant persisted in looking in the memory until the actual crossing happened. What had been a middle aged man morphed into a sadistic soul piercing wraith. A snarl was heard.
Luna was given no time to speculate on this merchants purpose as Nigel's fearful recollection provided it for her. Dozens of humans, many Luna thought were dangerously young; morphed before her eyes into other things. Only by Luna's training with dream time manipulation  was she able to catch these blurred others as Nigel's own mind inserted Erin as the focus beside the taunting wraith who own posture seemed to proudly gesture at the background focus. With but flick of the merchant's wrist, Erin is tossed into blackness of a portal her normal shape lost even before she was.
The anger and fear however were replaced by crippling shame as two new memories replace the previous nightmare and overlap each other. 
The memories were of Nigel's family as he imagined them receiving the bad news and an act of Nigel's own suicide by slitting of his wrists.
"I'm sorry but your daughters are missing." The image of a cop speaks.
The shame peaks at the word daughters and the memories focus freezes on an unhurt wrist.
"Mom shouldn't have to lose us both." Nigel spoke crying.
"It's alright Kelly. We can stop for the day if it helps." Carol replies.
"She is right you didn't give in and you said yourself that your sister is safe. Ni... Kelly you were very brave in sticking it out no one will judge you for an action you did not take. Don't worry you need not return to this part of your memory if you can get beyond it." Luna adds trying to be reassuring. "You can tell your family in your own time if you want or not."
"I don't want to feel like I did then... ever again. I'm... not comfortable telling my family this right now." Nigel groans still crying. "Can we move on?" 
Nigel was given a tissue and some water and a few minutes to compose himself. Nigel might have considered running a hand over Sumac as if he were a dog but he was just not in reach.
Picking up where he left off, Nigel continued his story.
It had been a minor miracle that Nigel turned the way he did in following the tracks or he might not have reached civilization at all with how far out of the way Maple village was. When he got to the village and hid on a roof Luna and Carol got to see what he witnessed.
'So it was Nigel who accidentally alerted them to Blueblood.' Luna wonders to herself. 
"Nigel are you okay?" Carol asks.
"Who are... What are you?" Nigel replies acting strangely. "Princess what happened to my hooves? Did you find the missing foals?"
"The foals are safe and have been reunited with their families. You were very helpful." Luna replies in a soothing tone gesturing to Carol. "This is Carol, she is here to help me explain what happened to you. Like why your hooves changed."
"What happened to me. Did it had something to do with my... you removed my collar is it some curse that made me like this?" confused Nigel replies.
"Hound relax." Sumac barks putting his paws on the desk and locking his gaze with the confused elf. Moments later Sumac's form shifts from large plant wolf to doll sized fairy. "We have the same condition. The collar didn't cause this, only further covered up you true self."
"No... I told you I'm a pony... This is wrong." The confused elf started freaking.
It took several hours to calm the persona Hound Speaker down. Sumac's demonstration had shocked the young colt personality clinging to Kelly's brain. They learned little about Hound's life as collar was meant to generate it as a result causing them to conclude the therapy session for the day.
Six days passed before Luna and Carol had any real success in stopping Nigel's persona shifts long enough to provide each their needed therapy. Hound Speaker's nightmares proved easy to fix if only because Erin agreed to make an arranged visit to reassure him she was safe.
To address the persona shifts Carol would set up a random intelligence tests while Luna would play back a memory from their collected archive and then see how Nigel's subconscious reacts under the pressure of both stimuli.
'Okay check list time. No verbal outbursts check, no intensity shift in subconscious projection model...' Luna muses staring at the changeling provided memory projector's image only to catch a flicker. 'Ugg... persona shifts, yes.'
"Times up, lets see how well you did..." Carol remarks offering a hand to collect Nigel's test paper. "Math Section... Pass. 3-D puzzle section... Pass. World Landmarks... Fail. Vocabulary... Fail. Kelly am I talking to you or are you Hound right now?"
"I'm Kelly...What did i get wrong?" Kelly replies sounding unhappy.
"Under the sections you failed your answers reflected the common naming conventions of this world when the question refereed to our world. At least four landmarks you described have no counter part with home." Carol explains. "Your getting better at concentrating under pressure but your still slipping between persona's when a question has a counterpart with this world."
"Nigel, we too admit you are getting better, but your inner self image did slip to become Hound during the test." Luna adds. "It still seems that when your sister comes up both you and Hound fight for control even if you have become less vocal about it. Take the rest of the day off to rest."
"Okay." Nigel replies dejected.
Exiting the therapy office to head home Nigel and Sumac are stopped by a trio of Lunar guards.
"We know you've had a long night already but we need to get your training started." The head guardsmen with a red sash states.
"I'm not cleared to use a sword yet." Nigel replies confused.
"Rookie we know that. Your physical fitness is what we are here to address today. I'm Sergent Spur and we have brisk march planned for you today. So please put this on." Sergent Spur orders sliding an extra backpack off his back.
"Nigel a hunter needs to keep up with the pack. It is time you show us all you can keep up." Sumac playfully growls scooping up one of the batpony guards on to his back. "I'll join you even. No need to get lazy."
As Nigel, Sumac, and the guard marched the next four hours away; two visitors arrive in Ponyville on their wagon.
"I'll leave the wagon in your care. May you sow a good crop." Pockets remarks giving a bow from the dirt road.
"And we shall meet again according to Mir's plan." The farmer replies.
"Hiya you here to attend the up coming welcome to Ponyville party." A pink pony cheerfully asks.
"Sorry no Pinkie, we must leave for home before the planned date. We bring a house warming gift for your new resident." Pockets replies politely kissing Pinkie's hoof.
"Okie dokie lokie." Pinkie replies blushing before running off.
"You knew her name from where." The farmer asks raising eye brow.
"Each land keeps a Rolodex of renowned individuals just in case of Friend who you have yet to meet emergencies." Pockets replies with a smirk.
"That is as extraordinary as your instinct for treasure. Well I'm off." The farmer replies with a smirk.
Between therapy and training with the guard Nigel was left most exhausted and took little notice of the change outside his own temporary window as the Gumi farmer planted some curious plants in the window box and a young tree in the house's shadow. Three days later the farmer made his way for home. 
On the day of the party as Pinkie predicted Nigel was indeed cleared for duty. At least conditionally as PTSD never totally goes away. The therapy sessions had concluded the week prior and the remaining time was spent getting Nigel swordsmanship up to a level of competence that his sword could be left in his possession. Nigel felt rather sore from the training and welcomed the fact someone else was cooking. Her family was also invited to attend and was provided a semi-private table so they could be with their daughter in peace.
At the end of the party Sergent Spur presented Nigel with a steel breastplate as proof of completing his training. With that done Nigel went to bed. The next day he would get to go home by his item's power for a brief rest.
What mysteries await Kelly on her return to being Nigel? Sumac himself has yet to be reunited with his family and pack after all, could Kelly really allow someone who had helped keep her sane remain lost to their family?
> Chapter 9_Displaced RSVPs - Failure to Send Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9_displaced rsvps- failure to send Aftermath



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Kelly scrutinized the on screen code which was part of an in game event to raise a draw bridge before a freighter crashes into the bridge.

The game revolved around a city building code inspector and her crew as they go from documenting failing city infrastructure to actively stopping a plot by a private industrial contractor to seize residential property for cheap.

This current project was as much about distracting Kelly from her real life intrigue as it was to meet her class requirements.

Sitting on a bench at the Ponyville train station Nigel had turned on his computer to pass the time. The ticket to Maple village cost 15 bits for one rider one way which didn’t include Sumac’s special considerations if he was in his wolf form for his ticket. It was an utter rip-off and Sumac reluctantly decided to stay a fairy so the pair had meal on the trip.

Nigel’s reason for the trip had everything to do with seeing Sumac get home. Things had gone well when he introduced Sumac to his family after his whistle brought both back to Earth and Nigel became Kelly. It was awkward to watch Sumac swap forms for the family when he decided to critique the Scurrunt’s hunting prowess from the movie ‘Lady in the water’.  Nigel was even surprised to learn that things in the movie near the end the Tartutics were even somewhat real in Equestria just very rare. His only contention about the depiction of these creatures was that they were overly small for their kind.

Nigel felt guilty having held Sumac’s reunion back even though it was not his decision. Therapy and training had to come first according to the powers that be but Nigel thought the trip should have happened sooner. His brothers and sisters deserved as much reassurance in Sumac’s wellbeing as she did with Erin.

“Nigel it would seem we are heading to the same place.” Princess Trixie calls out from behind Nigel as she walks onto the platform illuminated by a lantern. 

“Your Eminence… Give me a moment.” Nigel replies saving his progress and shutting down his laptop so he could put it away. “I was just working on my assignment for school, still got responsibilities to my life back home. But for rest of today I hope to get Sumac back to his pack.” 

The Princess was followed closely by four of her guards, with one being Sergeant Spur; on their way to catch the same train Nigel was waiting for. Nigel was aware of the ongoing investigation happening in Maple village as the kidnappers motive was still a mystery, so it was no surprise to see the crowd of guards getting ready to board the arriving train.

Once on board Nigel took the first room of passenger car and set his pack on the bench. 

“I think I need some hot coco before I can sleep. Do you want anything Sumac?” Nigel remarks while opening his coat some to let sumac peak out.

“For now I’ll have a petal muffin… but after we get away from the ponies I’m going hunting.” Sumac grumbles poking her head out of the coat. “After being stuck in here I should make you help.”

“I’m not joining you in the after hunt feast.” Nigel replies feeling a little ill.

“You eat meat as well, no need to be squeamish about getting it fresh.” Sumac teases.

Nigel gulps a bit worried he may just have to except this invitation. Entering the Dining Car of the train, the pair find most of Trixie’s guards having their breakfasts. Nigel takes a moment to find an open booth and sits down.

“Can I take your order?”An earth pony mare in a green tinted suit vest asks.

“Some hot coco and cream topping and a petal muffin, please.” Nigel replies.

“Finally into pony delicacies I see.” Sergeant Spur smirks.

“That is mine.” Sumac replies. “This body has a taste for them.”

“So are you planning on helping us investigate Maple Village?” Sergeant Spur asks.

“Here is your order sir.” The waitress mare says placing the hot coco and muffin down. Nigel hands her 8 bits to pay his bill.

“I would like to know why those ponies were kidnapping other creatures. Plus it will help me get some pay back.” Nigel replies then takes a sip of his coco. “But I must contact Sumac’s pack too.”

“Great. I can’t guarantee you’ll do anything case breaking but heavy lifting is still helping.” Sergeant Spur replies.

“For now I want to get some sleep.” Nigel replies finishing his coco.

Back at his room on the passenger car Nigel took a seat near his pack. Nigel rubbed his left arm where the Planer Trans-locator was locked on. After dealing with the discomfort he fell asleep with Sumac resting in his lap, the pair continued sleeping until a train whistle awakens them.

It was about ten in the morning and the train was pulling into the station. The partially cloudy weather and window frost only helped to remind Nigel and Sumac of the coming winter. It came as a bit of a shock after the warmer night.

“Right… Ponies control the weather here.” Nigel grumbles noticing the frost on the windows framing the village.

“Your pack shapes its territory as much as ponies do the weather if I am not wrong.” Sumac replies unfurling her wings and taking to the air. “Your kind creates the most obvious hunting trails of any creature.”

“We don’t use our roads to hunt. It just happens that we get a lot of kills that way.” Nigel replies pulling on his backpack palling a little at the realization. 

With Sumac on his shoulder, Nigel steps off the train and onto the station platform. Eight guards disembarked on to the platform behind Nigel along with Princess Trixie. 

“Well how do you feel coming back here Nigel?” Princess Trixie asks holding her coffee thermos in her magic.

“I’m conflicted. I noticed that the residents of this place were taking hostages while most were hostages themselves when I arrived. I hate the ones who were behind it, but I had friends here to while I was changed too and I don’t know who was just another victim verse a conspirator.” Nigel replies sounding hurt. “Thorns and Reeds both pulled my hide out of danger when I first met Sumac and I owe them one for that.”

“I’m sorry I can’t reassure you that the friends you made then were who they said they were. A lot of ponies became other creatures when the collars failed. They might have been among them.” Princess Trixie replies. “Or they could have been with the town leaders who escaped in the chaos.”

A unicorn night guard walks up on to the platform having just come from one of the houses.

“We’ve discovered a vital clue your highness. In the home of Rain Dancer we found a blue print for brick arrangements and a number of wood molds with spell runes on them.” The guard speaks turning over the blue print to the princess. “As you can see this unicorn was weaving a powerful mass transportation spell into the mason work of the village itself.”

“I can see what you mean Lt. Keen Sight, but this middle section has nothing to do with transporting things and the last line reminds me of the collar’s spell work.” Princess Trixie replies eyeing the blue print.

“We noticed that too your highness, my team is currently going around the village looking for more such mason work transcribe.” Lt. Keen Sight replies. “However we have not found any collars to make sense of that last part.”

“Of all the rotten luck…Why did I not copy the spell from back then?” Princess Trixie sighs bringing a hoof to her head.

“Maybe they hid some spare collars in a different house.” Nigel suggested.

“You have an idea that might help with finding these spares when we cannot.” Lt. Keen Sight counters annoyed.

“I didn’t mean to anger you Lieutenant… sir, but we could ask the local dogs about this.” Nigel replies cringing.

“How? How can you even ask dogs we cannot find?” Lt. Keen Sight continues.

Nigel pulls out his whistle and focuses his mind on getting help from the dog who can find the villages collars, the blows the whistle.

To the surprise of the pony guards the town dogs crawled out from under a near by house and walked up to Nigel. To Nigel’s surprise and everyone else’s surprise a single Timber wolf also showed up.

“Birch Heart!” Sumac cheers out choosing to transform in front of everyone landing in his wolf form.

As the timber wolves got reacquainted, the town mutts walk up to Nigel and guards.

“Look Beans, nervous pony’s Erin has been found.” The tan mutt barks over to a dark brown mutt.

“Looks like it Rags, I don’t see the nervous pony though. It was his call we heard just now was it not?” Beans replies tilting his head in uncertainty.

“I’m not Erin, but she is my sister. Can you to show us where we can get new collars?” Nigel interrupts as the ponies use a translation spell to listen in on the conversation.

“Shame, I hope you find Erin. You should know where you keep your collars.” Beans replies.

“Beans you know this pony is scatter brained. Show him where the spares are kept.” Rags interrupts.

“How did I forget Rags? Just follow me and we get you a spare collar.” Beans adds sighing.

The two dogs lead Nigel and the investigating ponies to the town well and pawed at a brick. When the brick was inspected a secret compartment opened in the well’s roof dropping a pair of collars into the bucket.

“Here are some of your spares, kid. I don’t know where the other stashes are but you ponies like to keep them on nearby.” Beans barks. 

“These are simple non-magical hidden compartment boxes. Lt. Keen Sight you might want to check for more hollow spaces like this around town.” Princess Trixie orders. Holding a ring in her magic Trixie continues speaking. “For now I would like to study this ring and transcribe the spells. Here let’s go back to town.”

Nigel pockets the other ring and they return to the station. At the station Birch Heart and Sumac confront the group about a connected discovery.

“So this how you looked before the pony magic was used on you and you still are different still?” Birch Heart asks taking a close look at Nigel, a look that let Nigel feel the she wolf’s breath. “The scent is subtle but the unnatural magic stink is the same as on you Sumac.”

‘Why do I feel the need to be offended?’ Nigel thought wanting to scratch his neck.

“After you pony Alphas drove off the crazy herd we happened upon some other hidden dens they used.” Birch Heart continues. “One such den, not far from where the pony cubs were held; pulses with pony magic still. The pack is afraid of the place.”

“Will you take us there Birch Heart?”Princess Trixie asks.

Birch Heart leads Nigel, Trixie, and her guards deep into the forest to a fork in the road the former pony herd made. Instead of going to the lake where the foals were kept the group arrives at a spot that was used as a clay quarry. A pair of abandoned sleds sits at the edges of stone paved clearing both caked with mud.

The group might have dismissed the spot as being important if not for hoof armlet among some clothing scarps at the center the clearing.

“This is so obviously staged to be a trap.” Both Trixie and Nigel spoke making the pair wince.

“Please tell me Nigel why you came to the same conclusion I did.” Trixie adds a bit surprised and annoyed.

“It’s a writing cliché… for movies and games to use wide open places with an object of importance nearby for boss fights.” Nigel replies trembling.

“If some monster is about to attack it is the guard’s duty to flush it out.” Lt Keen Sight adds.

Nigel had no time to protest seeing Sergeant Spur about to disturb the armlet. With a burst of speed Nigel dashes over to Spur with Sumac’s fairy hands barely snagging a pieces of Nigel’s coat. The rest of the ponies were slow to notice Nigel’s panicked dash in time and slammed into a barrier.

Sergeant Spur with armlet in hoof turns to see what the commotion was. Two blinding flashes later the ponies see Sergeant Spur takes a couple wobbly steps and passes out. Nigel already on the ground struggles to pull a sparking ring from his pack and toss it away.

“I commend your determination you filthy ape, but it seems you need a Princess’s orders to keep your nose to your own business.” An alarmingly familiar yet arrogant voice calls out from overgrown landing just across the clearing from the main group.

“Trixie would like to commend your gall at stealing her voice but your performance is off.” Trixie mutters having encased her own ring in a shield of null magic. “Show yourself imposter!” 

“What lovely fortune but who will you tell Princess hmm? You won’t be going where we will be, in fact once my sisters awake you’ll be dead.” The imposter retorts walking into the open. “Isn’t that right sisters?”

The imposter looked like Trixie if she took far too much interest in being known as a Noble’s war general… and made entirely out of clay. The life like way it moved was what scared Trixie most.

“Sisters please join me…” The Imposter asks casually as Sumac revives Nigel with Ekeeke plant. Nigel gets to his feet only to notice the worry in the fake alicorn’s voice. “Sisters…”

When no answer reached her ear the fake’s mood sours and turns to where she came from and sees the other two clay statues have not moved or show signs of life.

“You weren’t expecting to do this alone huh… Mayor?” Nigel retorts drawing his sword and motioning for Sumac to help Sergeant Spur.

“You… You’re the one responsible for this.” The fake princess fumes taking to the air.

“Watch out Nigel!” Sumac screams.

With just enough time to bring up his sword  Nigel can only brace himself for the hit as the alicorn fake uses its wings to rear up from her dive to hammer Nigel in the iron breast plate with a hoof strike and propel herself back into the air. 

Nigel staggers backwards at the blow using his sword to stop his fall. Out of the corner of his eye only the whipping of branches gives him a clue to where the fake would attack next. From his left came the next dive which Nigel avoids by diving into a forward roll.

Smiling the fake alicorn swoops again and lowers her head so her horn was aimed strait at Nigel. 

“Down bitch!” Nigel shouts side stepping the horn and cleaving the fake’s right wing clean off.

The fake alicorn screams in pain leaving a trail of blood as she skids to a stop. Nigel’s heart skips a beat at this and he looks at the wing finding it to be mostly real looking even as the clay was still visible. Nigel turns back to resume the fight and hastily dodge a pair nasty pink fire balls before finding himself paralyzed.

“You hurt me… you filth.” The fake alicorn whines using her magic to stanch her wound. While pawing at the ground the fake alicorn dose something to her horn giving it the look of a barbed mace.

‘Oh shit she’s going to gore me.’ Thought Nigel as he struggles against the hold spell.

Just before the fake alicorn could reach Nigel however a spear strikes the horn and breaks the spell. Retaliating, the fake alicorn fires a ball of pink fire a Sergeant Spur giving Nigel the opening he needed.

Bringing his sword down onto the fakes horn with all his might, Nigel succeeds in cleaving the horn in two as a spell was charging. Burning runes danced before Nigel’s eyes for a second before settling on his sword.

“This can’t… be. My body has been… destroyed by monkey filth.” The fake alicorn babbles in panic looking at all around her before settling on the last clay statues. “Of course I’ll just get a new body.”

“Nigel stop her!” Sergeant Spur yells.

The fake alicorn turns around suddenly remembering her opponent was so close and watches in horror as the point of its sword sinks into a glowing blue stone set in her chest.

The fake alicorn explodes in ball of blinding flames and screams shooting something high into the air above. The shield around the arena also fails prompting everyone nearby to run to Nigel’s aid with Sumac and Sergeant Spur being the closest.

A weak voice makes Nigel look up, in the sky above where the fake died a turtle shaped gold colored object stops smoldering as it falls. On the shell are markings in blue runes reading Bankorok Aretak and one other rune that did not match the Eternal Darkness rune list.

“Get back... it’s a token.” Nigel yells too late to stop Sergeant Spur and Sumac from colliding with him.

To the others gathered the token’s activation looked like a metallic blue ball swallowing the mass helpless heroes, to the three caught by the token it felt like free falling in all directions.

After the token drops the three heroes into its native world, the three are overcome by acute sickness.

Nigel recognized the smells in the smog of this place as chemical fumes and promptly vomited. Taking a deep breath afterwards did little to help Nigel as the smog caused a chocking fit. Sumac and Spur were not doing any better.

‘This smog is poisoning us.’ Nigel thought sweating. Nigel opens his pack and pulls out a clump of Detox grass and eats some. The feeling of sickness fade away.

“Open your mouth Sergeant and chew!” Nigel orders forcing some of the Detox grass down the pony guard’s throat. Picking up Sumac, Nigel puts some Detox grass in the fairy’s mouth as well.

When Nigel’s companions started breathing normally Nigel looks up at the skyline and wishes he hadn’t.
Through the smog Nigel could see an ominous egg shaped building at the center of a decaying city skyline. Welcome to Robotropolice.
> Chapter 10_Displaced RSVPs - Trap Correspondence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10_Displaced RSVP’s - Trap Correspondence
A grimy and rusted monitor which is showing a CCTV feed of smog laden sky line suddenly flashes a warning light and displays a text message for a pair of watchers.
---
Surveillance Bot ID: A14C2. Security Rank 3.
Transmission Detected… 
…
Multi-zone penetrating communication pulse sent from sector 5 quadrant 3. 
Set Security Alert Status to stage 2.
Zone Shield Status - Power Up and Standby.
Decrypting transmission 4%… 
---
Link had gotten out of the infirmary and was making his way down the wall. Celestia has came by earlier to give him his equipment and was told to head on back to her castle. The hylian had a lot on his mind that he needed to sort, get his life straight and start taking things a little more serious, otherwise this sort of thing was just gonna keep biting him in the behind. “How did the original Link do all of this without getting depressed?” Link asked as he glanced at the glowing triangle on his right hand, his mind going through the memories of how he got here in the first place. Link quickly snapped out of his mental thoughts when a floating A Golden Turtle figurine suddenly appeared in front of his face. Link reaches up and grabs a hold of it, causing a voice to echo in his mind.
”My Ancient’s favor grants me a voice to pierce the Vale and a form by which no detection will prevail. Stalwart survivors of the expanse I am the warrior echo that slips from my enemy’s shadow to sway the fiercest battle. Grant me your aid and be rewarded.”
“Grant you my aid?” Link asked in confusion as he tilted the figurine around. The message he heard didn’t provide much answers other than talking about a fierce battle and survivors. “As much as i’d like to help, I’ve got enough trouble on my hands…” Link said with a sigh. “...Although, this sounds like a reverse summon, how does that even work?” Link said in puzzlement.
As if sensing Link’s plan the token emits a crackle of energy and strong gravity like pull starts up. Link ends up jumping the token in shock, he didn’t even do anything. Link attempt to run, but it was no use, the gravitational pull was too much, he didn’t have time to pull out a hookshot or equip his Iron Boots. As Link falls toward the token, the object itself becomes engulfed in a silvery sphere.
“King dodongo’s fiery breath!” Link exclaimed, then frowned into annoyance at the strange power that forced his foul language into names of Zelda enemies. Link was quickly pulled into the glowing silvery portal.

---
Response pings detected.
Zone Shield Activation Command sent.
Waiting…
Set Security Alert Status to Stage 3.
Zone Incursion Detected in sector 5 quadrant 2 and quadrant 4.
Zone Shield Response ping deflections 4.
---
Link is propelled from the silvery sphere. After regaining his bearings, Link finds himself in the middle of a trash strewn, smog choked, city street. Looking to the hazy sky line it is clear the city has been an abandoned ruin for quite some time with the most prominent buildings being an egg shaped skyscraper and some distant towers made visible by their haze piercing lights.
The sound of approaching sirens is heard closing in on his location.
“Where in din’s name did I go?” Link asked as his eyes quickly dart around the area, trying to spot if anypony or anyone has seen him yet. Not wanting to draw anymore attention, Link ran into the alley way.
Landing in the street  were a pair of flying mounts from which four armored forms dismounted. The armored forms took up positions on opposite sides of the street and turned on some kind of wrist mounted red light and began sweeping the lights first over the area they landed before heading in opposite direction down the street.
As one pair nears a small alley some garbled sounds were carried on the wind.
“Surveillance Support  no contact with anomaly 2, request update on location from aerial monitoring records.” Speaks the armor on the street nearest to the alley way.
A few more flying things were heard and seen passing over head over the next few minutes before the armor speaks again.
“Movement tracked going in current direction before tracking lost due to upper atmospheric storm event.” the armor vocalizes turning its wrist light back on and moving again in the street direction  passing the alley way.
The other armors at the opposite end of the street run to and get back on their flying mounts so to join the others.
The narrow alleyway didn’t go back very far but it was hidden under an overhang of debre. A few spots showed some promise for escape. One was a storm drain where the grating was left broken under a rusted fire escape. The second was the fire escape it was lowered down enough to be reached and a door or two a level up looked to be open. The last option was at the end partially blocked by falling debris was a metal gate where the bottom was bent upwards about a foot or so by the unblocked section.
Elsewhere in the city, hidden inside a long abandoned store front behind dusty furniture and junk kneeled Nigel and Sergeant Spur. They look out at the street they were just in and watch as four dome-headed armored suits march over to the place Nigel had stood.
“Nigel what are those things?” Sumac asks in a whisper.
“S… Swatbots.” Nigel replies with a stuttering whisper. “We can’t stay here.”
“Is there a back door?”Sergeant Spur asks.
Out in the street the searching Swatbots approach a heat source.
“Alien bio-mass detected. Ambient temperature differential…” A Swatbot vocalizes scanning a pile of still warm puke. Standing abruptly it readies its weapon and vocalizes again. “Anomaly present in sector. Reinforcements Required.” 
A crash is heard coming from the back of the storefront resulting from Sergeant Spur bucking down a rusted door. As three Swatbots jumped threw the display window to catch the bat pony guard, Nigel manages to pin the advancing machines under a heavy shelf that contained sewing supplies.
One trapped but fortunate Swatbot fires a volley particle beam fire at the retreating Nigel and sends him flying through the freshly open door and into Sergeant Spur’s hooves.
“After them!” The trapped Swatbot orders two reinforcing units. 
In the back alley near a hissing pipe Sergeant Spur sets Nigel down.
“We must escape to cover Hound, I can already hear them circling around ahead of us.” Sumac shouts.
Nigel looks around and notices an open manhole and the hissing pipe just as two Swat bots come into view from the door they left. One Swatbot prepares to fire only to be halted by the other at the last moment.
“Hold your fire, hazard present.” The smarter Swatbot vocalizes.
“Down the hole!” Nigel shouts slashing at gas hoping that was the hazard the machine was talking about.
Nigel wanted something to happen that would help them escape and got it with an explosion of fire. His blade did not merely spark a fire in to action by clanking on some metal, but burned on its own as if it was just heated in some furnace. 
As Nigel slipped down the manhole the super heated carcass of one Swatbot fell in on itself on the other side of the fire wall.
---
Anomaly in quadrant 4 lost.
Anomaly in quadrant 2 identified as 2 hostiles.
First hostile is a humanoid with fire emitting sword and metallic chest armor resistant to standard beam weapon.
Second hostile is an undersized mutant pony with mammalian wings. Hostile is capable of flight despite wingspan limitation. Hostel’s armor covers 85% of its exposed body features with markings consistent with marshal membership and ranking.
3 units destroyed, 1 unit disabled by this contact. 
Hostile contact entered sewer. Require increased security at all Sector 5 sewer entryways. 
Run revision to program [ Combat_Adapt.protocol ]
---
Link was pretty clueless of where he was, but it wasn’t going to stop him from trying to find some answers. Link quickly reaches into his pouches and pulls out a small, strange, but ugly looking mask made of stone, it quickly grew to its original size as Link quickly put it on, then securely moved his hood over his head. Link had just put on the Stone Mask so that if anyone or anypony looks at his face, they would suddenly feel a lack of interest.
It was about the time the stone mask finished its work that the red wrist light hit Link.
“Nothing here continuing on ahead.” the armor vocalizes continuing down the street on its flying machine.
Link traveled on foot as he kept the Stone Mask on, his blue eyes gazing around for any hint of whom the Displaced of this world is and start questioning on their method and reasoning behind the token. “I hope Trinity hasn’t noticed me gone, I don’t need her worrying.” Link said as he glanced outside of the third alleyway he went through, his red cloak fluttering with his movement.
A collection of six armors were crouched and firing on a group of three. One looked like an elf adventurer who must have been the displaced of the world. With him was a night guard pony firing arrows and a black wing fairy throwing ball lightning at their attackers.
The arrows did little damage beyond jamming a limb joint until some ball lightning hit the arrow destroying the afflicted armor, Link notices.
The side hatch of a ship near Link’s position opens and three armors rush out firing a volley of particle beams. 
One shot hits the night guard and the rest forced the fairy to hide behind some rubble. The two front armors charge the elf’s position as another ship begins to land behind the group. After pushing the guard behind the rubble the elf swings his sword setting one advancing armor ablaze but gets punched out by the second.
“Hound wake up!” The fairy cries out as she transforms a small sprig of red berries into a ball of magical light and hurls it at the elf. Hound gets up having healed some and pushes the armor off him, but can’t move from cover or risk getting shot.
The armors now nearly upon Hound’s location as they formed two columns. They were ready to approach and shoot them using the front line as cover for the rest of the armors. The armors to Hound’s rear take a knee and ready themselves to attack from behind.  
Link slowly backed away into the alleyway so that his body was hidden in the darkness. Link reaches into his pouch to pull out the ocarina of time, he places the tip to his mouth, channeling his magic into the instrument itself. Link started to play the Song Of Storms as cloudy wind began to quickly circle around him. When he finished the song, the sky quickly darken as clouds were moved by the song’s enchanted magic, simulating a very quick version but still unnatural weather Everfree Forest. Everything would not be blacken in a much darker night as rain started to pour from the heavens. Link was serving as a minor distraction and to provide shadows for the three that were currently pinned down.
Hound was also thoroughly blinded by the sudden storm but his fairy had keen instincts for moving in poor vision situations and helped Hound sneak to the eye of the storm.
---
Transmission incoming…
…
Intruders lost due to severe storm. Advise.- Swatbot 629
Processing Response... 
…
Order Override ********** - Robotnik Verification Command *** ****** **
Surveillance Support weather event and severity conforms to no known models or predictions for Robotropolice forecast. Storm eye suspiciously close to intruder contact point. Recommend track further weather events outside model as artificial constructs until further notice. Despatch ground units to support patrols in tracking and send division to my current sector at 2975 cycles.- Robotnik *** ****** **
…
Orders Acknowledged. Dispatching reinforcements to ground detection.
…
Swatbot loadout change authorised to include movement restriction model and anti-air model loadout. Anti-personnel Badnik to despatch to Robotnik sector. Lock down command of infrastructure sensitive assets to stage 4 security.
…
Transmission end…
---
Safely away from the Swatbot ambush and hidden, Link readies himself for some answers and introductions choosing to ignore a faint tingling sensation. Hound, as the fairy called him; seems to be the place to start.
“I’ll get Spur healed up Hound.” The fair whispers to Hound before glancing at Link. “You need to meet with that rival and arrange compensation for our rescue. Also hold off on your twitching its a sign of weakness.”
“Are you or your friend the creator of this?” Link asked as he pulled out the golden turtle figurine. 
“A gold turtle… I remember seeing something like it falling out of Mayor Bitch Viel after she tried to kill us.” The elf replies before reaching into his backpack. “Did it fall into my things?”
The pony guard finds the token on himself however unsticking it from an armor joint near his left wing.
“No, I didn’t create this. I already feel bad for displacing Sumac here when my costume’s Friday doll fell off and got lost. I should have kept it in my pack instead of dropping it from a roof like a fool.” The elf continues mournfully pointing at his fairy. “I go by Nigel and my fairy friend is Sumac a timber wolf and lastly is my sword instructor Sergeant Spur.”
“Looking at this now worries me. I’ve played Eternal Darkness and these runes are for the bind creature spell. Maybe the Mayor was a victim of…” Nigel adds turning the Turtle token over in his hand.
“So either this Viel character made it or someone else did. The thing forced me here after I picked it up to inspect it…” Link asked in puzzlement, then sighed. “I find it a little annoying since I had my token have a failsafe if the Summoner in questioning was to be trusted or not, but low and behold I got dragged away by something else. Hey, maybe you recognize its message?” Link asked before repeating the message afterwards word per word of what it said.
“I don’t recognise the message. If it was linked to Mayor bitch, it would explain why she kidnapped so many back on my host world for use to make her an Alicorn. I almost ended up just another battery for her plan whatever it was.” Nigel replies wanting to yell but keeping it down. “We got caught in a fight against her before ending up here so hopefully Princess Trixie found out more.”
“Nigel, do you know where we are?” Sergeant Spur asks feeling more awake.
“If that cartoon from the 90’s was right, we are in Robotropolis” Nigel replies.
“Robotr-” Link stopped in the middle of the word. “...Are you serious, we’re in THEE Robotropolis? By Din, I feel old for even remembering it…” Link said with a shake of his head. “But of course, multiverse theory might make it different. So, is there a Sonic, Manic and Sonia?
“With all the trouble that has gone down, we should have seen signs of someone; but all I’ve found are the killer trash can Swatbots.” Nigel Replies disturbed. ”Did this worlds Freedom Fighters get killed off?”
“Either that, or Robotnic succeeded in robotizing them in this universe…” Link said as he rubbed the back of his head. Link was trying hard to remember such an old cartoon, it was times like this he wishes he had access to the internet. 
Nigel froze up for a moment at the term Robotization and his eyes glazed over before Sumac slapped him.
“Just don’t… think about being a robot.” Nigel sputters out coming to his senses. “Could the one who called us be someone displaced as a Sonic or one of his friends?”
“Possible, we won’t know till we find one..i’m having trouble remembering, I think their secret hideout had something to do with a door? On second thought, think it’d be better if we look around for it instead of me guessing on blurry memories.” Link suggested as he reached into his pouch to pull out a strange purple handle with a red slanted eye. 
It was then that a noise from an old intercom speaker was heard.
“Attention intruders, this game of cat and mouse is no longer amusing. Wherever you are I am ordering you to show up at the location I light up for a meeting. You have 679 cycles to arrive. Do not keep me waiting.” The voice of Robotnik crackles over the intercom before repeating once. 
Lights all over the city began shutting down as a different set was turned on near the city’s edge by one a few large towers lining the border. 
“How much do you guys know?” Link asked the duo as he counted his options carefully. “If he’s a Displaced, there might be more to him that I know and I’d rather not take wild guesses.” Link said as he glanced in the direction of the city’ edge.
“We are in severe danger here. Many of the cannon Robotniks have and can travel between different multiverse worlds easily.” Nigel replies looking at his left arm that has a contraption on it saying error no connection. “Damn still no signal!”
“So there is a chance it might be a displaced robotnik, or this man figured out how to use void energy.” Link guessed as he counted  the seconds down.
“My world recently discovered how to do it! Deloris LaClaire put her proof on the internet before the Merchant decided to drop by for me.” Nigel replies with a hint of venom in his words.
“Typical you’re from a world that knows it, they’re fools when they mess with void energy; paradoxical chaotic energy is unpredictable in it’s use.” Link explained to Nigel. 
“My world was not all for what she recklessly did, but it is thanks to her I have a chance to be free of this.” Nigel protested.  “This displaced crap almost cost me my life, I’m glad some responsible people were able to use her tech to at least link me with home and protect my sister.”
“All you can do is adapt despite what had happened so far and create a new life in another world for now. I had to do the same for ten years.” Link said he glanced around the corner. “Anyways, we’ve got two choices; go to the doctor, or try to find the freedom fighters, both choices yield bad results. Fall into a possible trap, or become his enemy.” Link said as he looked around through the Len’s eye, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary within the alleyway.
“My group has had bad luck so far avoiding the patrols.” Nigel replies in a whisper as his group stick close behind him. 
In the streets a new type of robot was seen. It had a large head with a camera like irise and a directional microphone in its chest. It was helping the other robots search. Alongside it in the street were Swatbots with large tanks on their backs and chemical sprayers and another type with miniature a pair of Buzz Bombers on its back to mix with the normal searchers.
“The best I can think of is use the Song Of Time, it will draw attention at first, but afterwards we’ll be moving too fast.” Link explained as he turned to look at Nigel. “You said there was a rescue team, how we do we get in contact?” Link asked. 
An interesting plan it would have been by Link for escape if not for two problems.
The first being Nigel’s Planer Trans-locator was being jammed by the local shield system of Robotnik. It could maybe be used to track any non-resident signal it is tuned to across the city map but it was blocked from contacting anyone outside this city or world. Nigel just had no time to change its display to tracking mode from planer passive radar.
The second problem was the recent patrol deployment by hover unit in the street they were just about to cross. From around the corner a trio of Swatbots with chemical sprayers began painting the intersection with mega-muck supervised by a Surveillance Bot. Mega-muck a mixture of petroleum, quicksand and clay mud known for it properties of trapping anything trying to move through it most notably super fast hedgehogs. 
Link, leaning further around the corner than he planned; plants an unlucky foot right inside the freshly laid glue trap. The electronic squeal of the Surveillance Bot would be only advanced warning the group would get that something went wrong. As Link’s foot starts to go down, Nigel, Sergeant Spur and Sumac double their pace in hopes of catching him.
Not far off and in the air, a Hover unit’s navigation screen lights up with the message. ‘Intruder contact reestablished. Changing coarse to intercept. Reinforcements ordered to location.’
The ocarina Link had been pulling out is jolted from his hand as his planted foot fails to come off roadway. All around him were enemy robots on the ground and in the air turning from what they had been doing to heed the capture call of the Surveillance Bot.
“Din’s fiery wrath.” Link cussed under his breath as he quickly reached out to grab the instrument. The ocarina of time was very precious to him; losing it would spell disaster for the Hylian as he needs it if he ever wants to use his enchanted songs.
“Surrender Intruder!” One of the near Swat bot demands only to get set ablaze by Nigel.
Sergeant Spur goes around behind Link and tries to pull him up out of the muck. Sumac snatching the ocarina before it could splash down in the muck.
Link start mumbling under his breath of the events that lead to here; transported into another world without a summoner there to greet him, lost in a city that he knows nothing about, trespassing somewhere he never intended to be. “Grab onto my arm everyone!” Link demanded as wind magic started to gather in his right hand. 
“Gotta go Sumac.” Nigel says as he pulls the fairy to his chest and reaches for the nearby Link while trying to avoid getting hit by bot lasers. He just so close to the outstretched right hand. Robots only a few paces away.
A shadow of something big falls to Link’s left side. A bright flash hits Nigel and a metal fist rushes to meet Link. Due to there being an enemy already too close for comfort, Link had to cancel his current spell as he quickly reached back to pull out his Hylian Shield, blocking the incoming metallic fist. 
“Why this… Brings back memories.” Dr. Julian Robotnik calmly says as he pushes his weight into the shield. His eyes burn an unnatural red highlighting faint circuitry over the pupal, as he glares at Link. The hylian blinked in surprise.
“You look exactly as I remember the original Robotnik…” Link commented as he held the shield firmly in his arm, his other hand reaching down to pull out the Ordon Sword. “Never expected for you to come here personally to get your hands dirty.” Link said as he kept his eyes on the famous villain himself.
“So my counterparts are famous, but flattery won’t help you.” Robotnik replies eye twitching as his metal hand releases a mighty shock. “Sometimes you must do things personally to get them right.”
The blast of electric was not natural as it bypassed the hylian’s shield resistance before traveling along the hylian’s body, causing Link to let out a scream of pain that became too much to bare, causing him to suddenly black out.
Next time Link comes to he finds himself shackled and in a narrow hall like room sprayers look like they are going to be used to wash off the group before being moved to some kind of containment area. Robotnik is on the other side watching from a control room.
> Chapter 11_Displaced RSVP's - Sender Deception
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11_Displaced RSVP's - Sender Deception
“Finish cleaning off the mega-muck and start a full battery of scanning. We don’t need our guests making a mess” Julian Robotnik orders a swatbot in an even voice before looking away from Link who was stripped of his gear.
Robotnik examined the various pieces of gear that had belonged to the group of intruders with disinterest.
The swords apparently could produce extreme destructive effects by… magic which filled him with professional disgust. An assortment of heavy infiltration gear mostly from the pack of the one he shocked spoke experience. The one he blasted had an odd assortment of junk he could not figure out the use of. 
“New freedom fighters… this is all I need.” Robotnik mutters continuing down the line.
At the end and recently hacked to force it off its owner was a military grade piece of Zone hopping technology. The operating system was secured by a curious fail-safe that prevented him from accessing the data it stored, but that was only a problem of time. He could crack it it would just take longer.
“A military force does not just equip a nobody with something like this.” Robotnik mutters with a hint of concern.
Lastly he moves over to the tokens which were currently being scanned. They matched the image from the intercepted encrypted transmission and was the one thing the two humanoids had as common gear. 
“I have a bad feeling that I should recognize this vermin from somewhere, Cluck.” Robotnik continues holding a hand out for his robot chicken pet to roast on. It was clear his prisoners were here because of the enemy agent hidden in his city who sent the transmission.
The current scan was at 3% completion when he turns back to restrained group.
“First question what did you plan to do when you came here?” Robotnik asks flatly. ”I’ve decoded the message and it is more than a little misleading by mention of survivors.”
“In all honesty, I was forced here by that token. I didn’t want to come here nor did I know where to go. My best bet were to find the summoner and ask him or her to send me home.” Link said as he looked at Robotnik. 
“And you?” Robotnik asks Nigel. “You have much more to worry about with zone hopping equipment.”
“I woke up here after getting dazed in another battle.” Nigel replies.
“You must have more to say?” Robotnik adds eye twitching.
“There was a blinding flash at the battle end when something fell on me.” Nigel continues.
“This is getting… NEXT QUESTION… Who is your contact here? You do know your partner says he saw no one else?” Robotnik asks still looking at Nigel.
“I only seen him. I don’t know who called us.” Nigel finishes shaking trying to motion to Link.
“About 12000 cycles and 10515 cycles ago this message was transmitted universally across the zones.” Robotnik continues pointing to an enlargement of the turtle token on screen with its message in text present bellow. “This zone has no one in need of rescue. This zone is mine. Whoever called you here shall be dealt with and anyone helping him. Is that understood?”
“Not unless you can send people back home other than the person who summoned us here, I don’t think death will solve the issue.” Link pointed out. 
“Death… I can think of better uses for you than killing off a resource. That is not the topic of discussion however.” Robotnik counters. “It is interesting that you mention that you cannot leave except by being commanded to leave, explain.”
“Displaced answering a call are supposed to stay until they are told to go home.” Sumac answers. “I met one in the past when Hound was missing.”
“Interesting so my foe here was calling over many people to oppose me. I’ve faced resistance before what makes you special?” Robotnik asks unimpressed as the token scan reaches 35%.
“The one I met in the past was able to erase a magic energy ball with but a word and musical hum.” Sumac adds. Link was keeping quiet as telling Robotic about the many variable equipment and powers at his disposal would be an idiotic move, especially when Link is capable of traveling through time. 
“Quite a claim. I might even just laugh it off if I had not recorded an unnatural storm some time ago.” Robotnik replies. “One can generate fire from his sword, which is our nervous guest. The pip squeak can throw ball lightning as noted by a number of scrapped Swatbots. The animal can fly despite being anatomically wrong and a pony/horse. Then there is mister shield who I shocked. I saw your hand when I landed. You must be the one that can do storms.”
Robotnik pondered this revelation for a moment as the scan neared completion.
“..Yes. I can’t lie about that. I brought the storm by playing the Song Of Storms.. Did your robots not record that sound?” Link asked curiously. 
“Interesting, but not surprising that my average security forces missed the method of the storm.” Robotnik adds surprised. “I indeed have my…”
An alarm sounds for a moment as the computer in the room turn off and display the message sabatosh mode.
“What the blazes…”Robotnik adds.
“Nano tech discovered emergency lock-down in place.” one Swatbot reports.
Robotnik goes pale at the implication. “Adam.”
“Who is Adam?” Nigel asks.
“It makes sense now. The message, intruders with unexplained powers. He’s trying to build an army that I and my counterparts cannot fight.” Robotnik grumble aloud going over to a large storage locker. Inside the locker was a large machine shaped like a cannon. “This was calibrated to fight Eve but it should do.”
Robotnik turns to face his captives holding his new cannon. The first thing he does with it is shoot the tokens.
 	“Contamination down by 60%. Illuminating other sources.” the Swatbot vocalizes as lights hit the group. 
“Wait, contamination?” Link asked curiously once the light dimmed down.
“These things were never magic devices… unless chaos emerald constructs counted. Adam took over a nano machine colony and nearly defeated my counterpart and the rodent.” Robotnik replies firing a beam at the group.” I’ve neutralized the machines on you.” 
“....Then this is a bad Displaced.” Link asked with a frown and a sigh. “I suppose this is actually a good thing I was summoned by him rather than by my token, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” Link explained. 
“Surveillance Support has reported that one of the Zone shield generators has been disabled.” Swatbot reports.
“This is bad, Adam has realized his plan is in jeopardy. If he collapses the zone shield he will summon more to take your place as puppets.” Robotnik explains.”While his tokens are off world they are only programed to bring potential hosts. When they arrive, he can remotely program them to begin identity replacement on the hosts. The tokens are the vector.”
“I need my Trans-locator!” Nigel shouts. “If I can lock on to the tokens signal I might be able to pull them here when the shield falls.”
“I can help as well depending on the situation. There’s a reason why I have so much equipment, it allows me to adapt accordingly. Before you ask why I didn’t just defeat you easily is that I believe in the multiverse theory, thus I was not sure if you were a good robotnik or a bad robotnik.” Link explained as he wrapped at his wrists due to the cuffs starting to feel uncomfortable. 
This brokered no complaint from Robotnik as he remotely deactivated the restraints and allowing the group to gather their things.
“Time till grid failure 24 cycles.” Swatbot reports.
“Exit the room commander and lock down, Set Purge failsafe if this door fails, I will deactivate it on my own.”Robotnik orders making the swatbot exit.” What do you need to get a lock on these tokens."
“The damaged tokens should still hold a planer signal I can track but I must keep focused on them.” Nigel replies.
“Other than your robots, have you roboticized anyone, or maybe have Mecha copy of Sonic, anything that can work in your favor?” Link asked curiously as he wanted a basic idea of what kind of Robotnik he was speaking too. 
“The nano contamination affects machines faster than living beings. I have no idea how fast myself or Cluck will be affected.” Robotnik replies turning to Cluck his robot chicken.”Link up mode.”
The robot Chicken links it self to Robotnik’s metal arm and and becomes an automatic laser cannon.
“We’ll use the containment cell to neutralize the tokens to slow any spread by the incoming copies.” Robotnik explains.
Sergeant Spur moves the broken tokens to the containment cell and the diamond glass wall closes. Nigel having finally gotten his Trans-locator on and calibrated targets the tokens turning it on.
The effect was immediate as copies started shimmering into existence like ghosts taking form. Nano machine particles also start to flake off of the heroes like dust caught in a beam of light.
In the worlds the turtle token was seen they started to fade out one by one.
“No taking chances, Cluck. We go full power even if this shorts out.” Robotnik smiles at his pet. 
As the cell fills some copy tokens begin to shimmer with a silvery light.
“Well done, another moment and I might have sent you back.” A voice calls out from the cell. “What is so wrong about being me? And my father’s lesser self, you can’t really stop me.”
Even before a body takes shape the cell wall is attacked. The nano sludge testing the trap for weakness.
“Considering its our freedom on the line, going full power is a must.” Link said as he started putting his gear back into the magical pouch that would shrink them all down to size in order to fit in. Link looks toward the cell wall when the strange creature banged against it. 
“It's a fight you want. It is a fight you will get.” the creature replies menacing as it stops attacking the walls and starts on the floor instead.
“I’m only at 20% charge.” Robotnik blurts out sweating.
“Sumac, I know this will hurt but you need to hold him still when he gets free. Tokens are still being recalled.” Nigel adds pleading. “Transform!”
Sumac nods nervously then dose so becoming a large shrub-like wolf. The environment has a bad effect and Sumac noticeably wilts bringing tears to Nigel’s eye. It was then cracks in the cell’s base began forming.
A hole appears and some liquid rush out to form into something and Sumac pounces on it. More liquid tries to rush out.
“Don’t worry, Robotnik.” Link said as he reached back. A Hero’s bow and quiver materialized before he pulled out the bow alongside an arrow. Link quickly knocked it in and pulled the bowstring, take aim at the liquid that started rushing out. The arrow’s tip quickly ignited in a swirling rush of blue magic. Letting it loose, it flew through the air and hit its mark; suddenly the liquid that got through started freezing up in blocks of ice. 
“Argh… How will you hit them when you can’t see them?” The creature now looking like a turtle screams from inside the cell. 
“Charge 30%.” Robotnik yells out as a blob rushes out from behind the cell.
“I need more time myself.” Nigel adds trying to keep the blob in the cell in focus.
The new blob tries to shoot Link but its projectile is intercepted by Cluck’s laser.
“I will erase your personalities.” Adam taunts, leaping the new blob at Sumac taking him over and attacking the cell.
“Get your wolf pup under control!” Link yelled out as he got another arrow readdy. Even though the Ice Arrows was helping in slowing the nanobots down, it was creating problems afterwards, allowing the AI known as Adam to split apart when it manages to break itself loose from its icy prisoners. Link’s eyes gleamed as he uses Wide Angle to get basic information about the enemy. 
In Link’s heightened sight he searches the three foes for anything he can use against them. The wolf now turning to fight the thestral guard pony appeared to be weak to fire even with its new metal coat, and also appeared to be poisoned as his health slowly fell. The icy blob now starting to take shape was purely weak to electricity and suffering from slowness. Then there was Adam himself like his minions was weak to electricity but the diamond glass wall made a clear shot by Link impossible. All three were nearly immune to direct attack as far as the nano tech was concerned.
Nigel responded to Link’s demand by pulling out his wolf shaped whistle.
“Sumac break free. Don’t let Adam control you.” Nigel shouts side stepping a chunk metal and blowing into the whistle.
The eyes of the wolf flicker for a second and a ball of electricity shoots out of the metal wolf. Sumac returning to his fairy form drops into Sergeant Spurs hooves. The Thestral hides the weekend fairy inside his armor as he dodges a metal paw.
“Let's hear from those you trust about your actions?” Adam says with an evil sneer.
“Mister-r-r Link... what has gotten-n-n into you? You... hurt-t-t... me.” The icy blob cries half taking the form of a freezing Trinity.
“Kelly yyy… it’s… not so bad being a fictional character. End this resistance and let Adam help you.” a fourth shape walks out from behind the cell. It looked and talked like a teen girl before morphing into a giant size version of a  gremlin like from the movies. Gaining a weakness to daylight.
“Erin! No… no, no, no...” Nigel screams barely keeping himself from turning away in horror.
“I think they disapprove of you both. But once I have control of you, I will see to it that everyone you know becomes me.” Adam adds coldly morphing his form to a multi-faced cloud. Two faces filled Link and Nigel with a shared shock of recollection. “You will be my very hand in reshaping your worlds. Everything in glorious and perfect harmony with my being.”
“Over my dead Displaced body you Venom-reject!” Link said mockingly with anger in his voice.
The copy of Trinity lifts into the air slinging shards of ice everywhere and kicks off the cell wall rocketing toward Link. Link had no time to line up a shot with his arrows or do something else fancy, so he instead pulls around his shield and springs up into his own charge just before the hit. With the floor as leverage and sheer brute force Link sends the fake Trinity crashing onto its back where it half splatters on the cell base.
“You better have no soul Adam as I, by the Triforce of Courage, will chase you into that void and make it so you never speak her name ever again, let alone threaten her!” Link with burning rage states firing another ice arrow, his Triforce hand glowing brightly.
“I’ll hold many more souls, as you put it; and you will just weep from that void.” Adam retorts his calm starting to crack. “So stop opposing me!”
“Charge at 60%, migraine at 20%.” Robotnik states annoyed as Cluck fired a volley of laser fire at the fakes. “Am I not important enough to include in these plans, Adam? I’m not disposed of so easily.”
“Your better needed the hedgehog to beat me. I controlled him as easily as you did worker bots. He even believed me when I made him execute his daughter.” Adam bragged. “You have nothing I need, Julian.”
“Speed isn’t the only way to go about beating you!” Link shout as he turned to look over at his other allies.
“Nigel! Robotnik! Don’t get distracted.” Links shouts firing an arrow at the gremlin but missing the nimbler beast. “Adam needs to leave here to have his wish. I will not hog the glory all to myself in killing that hope.”
Sergeant Spur was being pushed dangerously close to Nigel who could not risk moving until the recall command ended. The nano constructs were shrugging off his arrows even as Sumac tried to shock them. 
“Come on you big mutt fight them!” Nigel snaps blowing his whistle again. The nano wolf actually obeys the command biting the gremlin and whipping it into the fake Trinity. “Just a few moments more.”
“There’s no way that should have worked!” Adam screams making the three nano constructs merge back into a blob. “If I kill you first Nigel… or should I say Kelly. I’ll be fully free to move from this spot and destroy you all. I’ll then resend my summons and call my army.”
“You summon an army and you’ll be creating a rebellion!” Link said with minor annoyance his voice. 
 	“Sergeant, Block for me!” Link calls out as he pulls out his ocarina and begins playing the song of time. 
The thestral guard obeys and gets hit by the blob, almost instantly slipping toward Link; but time was already beginning to slow around Link’s target of Adam.
Adam’s face forms a look of growing shock as he slowly turns to Link aware perhaps of what the hylian was doing.
The blob still pushed the guard into Link’s waiting grasp as the spell was not totally complete but it did not matter.
“I’m done.” Nigel shouts.
“Finally. Time to get rid of the universe’s second worst son. Stay dead this time Adam.” Robotnik confidently admonishes as he fires the nano breaker.
Adam caught in the nano breaker’s beam tries to shift forms and dodge but finds himself unable to because of the time magic hitting him and the recall signal pulling him to the spot he stood on. The blob of nano metal begins to sizzle and smoke as Adam screams in protest. Within a minute the blob became a black mound of slag one third its former size.
“Surveillance Support, Zone Incursion status.” Robotnik asks.
“Working…” A voice calls over an intercom. “Zero new Incursions detected.”
“Lower security status to level 1, threat neutralized.” Robotnik replies.
Nigel finally lowers his arms as the rest of the group prepares to relax some. Sergeant Spur removes Sumac from his armor and Nigel removes some EkeEke herb to give to the fairy. 
Looking at Link, Nigel offers him a sprig of the berries. “Eating them as is can help the healing process as well.”
“Thank you, Nigel.” Link said with a sigh as he ate the berry, feeling his wounds heal up. “The fires that await you will be a lot hotter than this.” Links whispers kneeling at the smoldering scrap pile. Standing back up Link turn to look at the others.
Nigel was sweating and rubbing his left bicep. Link wondered just how heavy that device must be to cause Nigel to cramp like that still. After Link put him down Sergeant Spur shook his body and brushed himself off. 
“Thank you Knight Link!” Stg. Spur say with a salute.
Robotnik looked the most unscathed as he stepped up to glare at the mass that was Adam.
As Link began to wonder who was going to send him back an all too familiar light appears before Robotnik. The tyrant doctor opens his hand and the light becomes a 1/10th scale version of Cluck. It mattered not in the end that Adam was not a true displaced, his token probes and the lingering chaos emerald energy he held caused him to inherit the status in making contact with them. As it was Robotnik who delivered the death blow, it would be the mad doctor who would inherit the status from Adam.
Link was about to ask what Robotnik would do next. Both were unaware of the fact Nigel had chosen to look at and silently record something on a rebooted CPU monitor.
“As much as I would like to thank you in my own way…” Robotnik adds far too jollily. “Your services are no longer required.”
With those words the Nigel, Link, Stg. Spur, and Sumac were sent away from Remnant Mobius. Gone was the dirty lab/interrogation room, replaced instead by an Equestrian train station platform with an Alicorn Trixie sipping hot cocoa and a group of guards.
“Spur, Nigel your back. What happened to you two?” Princess Trixie asks pulling both into a hug. “You had us worried when you all got teleported all of a sudden.”
“Sumac needs help. He been poisoned by plant killing chemicals.” Nigel replies with an exhausted sigh as Stg. Spur frees a hoof to pull out Sumac in fairy form. ”The token pulled us to Mobius. It’s environment is thick with pollution.”
“I’ll send for help but we aren’t equipped to treat Timber wolves.” Trixie replies gesturing to a guard who salutes back. “What about his pack can they help?”
Again Nigel pulls his wolf whistle and blows. Off in the distance a group of howls were returned.
Princess Trixie notices the hylian who was with the group who was starting to smile and relax his body at the change of scenery.
“Welcome stranger. I take it you and my extended guest are on good terms?” Princess Trixie asks ending her hug and looking at Link. “You can correct me if I am wrong in my presumption.” 
“No, no, you are correct in your assumption. We are now Princess. In fact, he did pretty well working alongside me.” Link replies giving what Princess Trixie understood was a greeting bow for giving visiting dignitaries. 
After Sumac was treated with pony anti poison magic and Princess Trixie secures the group some clean temporary clothing, she then places a group order for hot cocoa and clothes cleaning while the group recount what happened.
“So we have earned ourselves a less than welcome ally with this Julian Robotnik.” Princess Trixie adds placing a hoof to her head.
“I couldn’t be helped Princess.” Stg. Spur replies as Nigel meets with a gathering of five timber wolves and holding up an unsteady wolf Sumac.
Link watched curious of the timber wolves as he’s not used to seeing them tame, a  lot more different than the ones back home.
“He may be evil but it is clear he will aid no force that might harm his overall ambitions for the world.” Link replies somewhat more confident in his judgement after what occurred. “A predictable goal is certainly better than the unforeseeable one.”
 	“I just hope the day won’t come that we need his help.” Nigel laments returning before turning to Link. “I don’t have much to offer for you Link. You saved us back there so I want to give you something, but I’m not sure what.”
“Now.. I’m having trouble believing when you said you had a way back. I’ve tried for ten years and had zero luck. Remember when I asked you earlier about your rescue team?” Links asks turning to Nigel, awaiting an answer
Nigel understood what Link wanted and activated his communicator.
“Nigel to control are we back in contact?” Nigel asks holding a button down.
“Control here, this is Patricia. How did your first off host world outing go?” The communicator buzzed back.
“I… don’t believe it.” Link adds astonished and disbelief. 
“So your business has yet to be concluded then Nigel?” Patricia replies. “How may I help you?”
“Is it possible to send someone over to meet us? My new friend needs some proof of my claims.”
“I’m only supposed to do that for emergencies… I’ll see if I can clear it.” Patricia replies.
As they waited, Link wondered if he was being tricked. He was only beginning to respect this new displaced. 
‘How could a world that travels the multiverse get hit by the Merchant?’ He has to be faking it.’ Link thought having never heard of such a thing in his ten plus years. ‘Especially all of Earth…”
After several minutes Henry Benson arrived.
“I should have inquired about the weather before coming. Greeting Princess Trixie. Hello Kelly how may I help you today?” Henry Benson states shivering looking at everyone assembled. Nigel waves a hand to introduce Link.  “I guess you’re the one I’m here to meet. My name is Henry Benson US diplomate of the LaClaire Earth for this Equestria.”
“Link...Knight bodyguard for Trinity and...Displaced Defender of Equestria if you want to know what I do.” Link replies surprised.
“I’ve been briefed that you need some clarification about our intentions and how Kelly figures into them.” Mr. Benson continues. “In summary our Earth has had confirmation of the multiverse for a little over a month thanks to French scientist Deloris LeClaire. During that time we’ve had one research team partially go missing whose lost members turned up as folk heroes. Australia and Japan teaming up to containing a Zerg incursion in Queensland with off world help. And lastly was our operation to stop a terrorist attack at a convention where one of our agents happened on Kelly’s kidnapping by the Merchant.”
“You fought the Merchant? I have trouble believing it.” Link replies raising an eyebrow.
“It was not really our doing on the government end. Our research team’s one accounted for member was in the company of an Equestrian unicorn when brought in.” Mr. Benson replies shaking his head. “During our debriefing of the pair we learned something had altered them magically. The unicorn escaped and sneaked inside a van heading for that convention. When our agent was confronting the Merchant after Kelly was taken the criminal was attempting to barter for the agent’s silence. The agent refused and only lived to tell us because the unicorn intervened rescuing the sister. The body double the Merchant was using was killed when the researcher and unicorn somehow pirate cast a spell from a game cartridge.”
“So you killed him but you didn’t… ” Link states confused.
“His corpse turned into water just an hour after it was collected from the scene.” Mr Benson adds. “To be frank, that meeting is why we want Kelly out of this. It is only a matter of time before he chooses to retaliate, possibly on Kelly directly. It would help us greatly if we could figure out his planer signal as we could cure Kelly with it and bring hell to this beast.”
“We want to find volunteers to be scanned along side an item from their home to make this cure.” Nigel adds.
“This is where I must stop you for now.” Link calmly interrupts raising a hand. “I mentioned before I was doing this for ten years, but I didn’t remember to tell you that I was recently reborn… or reset. My memories of my past self are not entirely back, but worse is any of my things from my home Earth are even more unavailable.”
“I get It.” Kelly replies saddened.
“It is like I told you, you will need to adapt; but I didn’t intend to be mean about it.” Links replies trying to cheer Nigel up. “I have a small connection to my past form, so there is a chance I might run into my old stuff; but today is just not the day.”
“Is there anything we can do for you, for the help you gave us?” Mr. Benson asks.
“It is customary for host displaced to give the visitor an item of value when they invite them to help. Some of your magic healing herbs would be nice, but…” Links replies pondering the question. “I want to see your Earth and bring back proof of what you say. Trinity might even forgive my absence if I have something extraordinary for show and tell.”
“I can arrange a brief visit if you don’t mind being monitored. You’ll need to stay next to me or my trans-locator will lose its lock and you will be back here early.” Mr. Benson replies. “ Just wait for me here Kelly. I’ll be back.” 
The visit to Earth only amounted to short trip to the CIA food court and a local electronics shop. When they returned, Link was carrying a digital picture frame loaded with pictures of Earth and a solar charger.
“I should be getting back now.” Link says placing the souvenir and an Ekeeke herb away in his bag. “Trinity will surely have noticed me gone and called for a search.”
“Here are you clothes sir.” a night guard adds handing Link his professional cleaned and folded tunic.
“How do I send you home?” Nigel asks offering to shake hands as the sun starts to set.
“Just say something like our contract is done.” Link replies taking his hand.
After sending Link home in freshly cleaned clothing, Nigel burns a copy of the video he captured from that CPU screen to disk in his temporary room in Maple village. A file had been open on the monitor that caught Nigel’s eye.
It was a simulation program that auto started talking about the Zone Shield and targeting individual people’s zone signature. A large chunk of mathematical formulas and CPU codes would appear at different points in the recording that Nigel was now more able to read.
“I should get a copy of this home.” Nigel whispers closing the program and turning off his laptop. “They should also sweep my gear for trojans, just in case.” 
Back on Remnant Mobius, in a new lab; Julian Robotnik powers up a teleportation device based off of counterpart MK2’s design. He had substituted the device’s incomplete hardware with cloned boards of Nigel’s Planer Trans-locator. As the teleporter completes its warm up, Robotnik wirelessly interfaces with it’s computer using his memories to guide it.
Two child like forms shimmer into existence. The children were Manik and Sonia Acorn from a Mobius timeline where Sonic and Sally had married but was abandoned to prevent a paradox.
“Where are we? Where is mom and dad?” Sonia Acorn cries fearfully at the sudden change in scenery.
“Daddy will save us.” Manik replies definitely looking at Robotnik. “This is so uncool send us home.”
“I’m afraid this will have to be your new home. Your mommy and daddy, like your home; no longer exist.” Robotnik replies with a small smile. The news elicits a gasp of shock and heavier crying by the kids. “Cheer up, where you parents have no future; yours is just beginning.” 
Robotnik pushes another button and the kids are separated by kinesis beams.
“My war with your parents is over. The outcome was not favorable, but We.. must move on.” Robotnik proclaims booting up the Robotisizor and opening up a list of pirated technology schematics from across the multiverse. “In this new era our new campaign will require that you both… get upgraded.”
The Acorn kids sobbed in fear and sadness as the Robotisizor overlayed a 3D blueprint of their new forms on them. The only light of comfort they had was that they were together.
Robotnik planned to take his time with these first of many enforcers. If these displaced were going to be a threat he would have to have a counter..
   
> Chapter 12_Winter Nightingale's Ghost Hunt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12_Winter Nightingale’s Ghost Hunt 

A scratched and dirt covered hand combs through the wilted foliage that makes up Sumac’s body to expose the new greenery underneath. With pruning shears in the opposite hand, Nigel not only cuts off the wilted branches but also mutant cancerous shoots that were growing in under the guidance of Birch Heart and Willow Bark.

“Cut the sprouts at the base of the right shoulder blade with the bald clover like leaves.” Birch Heart barks gesturing with her paw at an offending clump of shoots.

Even after being treated with detox herbs and anti-poison magic, Sumac was still gravely ill. Nigel was confronted the next day by Sumac’s pack where they informed the timber wolf went to root. His wolf transformation during the fight with Adam caused his foliage to soak up the toxins of Robotropolis mutating and wilting his natural body. The only treatment would be to amputate the unhealthy branches and shoots and wait for Sumac’s body to re-grow.

Shoving each tainted branch into a hazmat grade wood chipper, Nigel wipes away the gathering sweet before sanding to clean and applying a special suave to each wound.  

“That is enough for today Hound, our pack mate needs rest.” Willow Bark barks putting his paw on the shears.

“Yes, Willow Bark.” Nigel replies. Putting the shears and suave in his back pack and closing it, Nigel than gets up to close the bag of wood clippings.

Once the bag of clippings was closed and strapped to Birch Heart, Nigel was lead by Birch Heart back to Maple Village. 

The pack originally threatened great harm on Nigel over Sumac’s poisoned condition, it was only after Nigel convinced the pack to give Sumac’s trail a good sniff and proposed a long and painful death for the pack awaited them if he was not left alive to clean up the mess; did the pack come to the current arrangement. 

Under the arrangement Nigel would be lead into the forest to Sumac’s location at the start of each day to help clean up as he offered. This consisted of digging up contaminated dirt and pruning Sumac of mutated foliage until sunset when Nigel would be escorted back to Maple by two timber wolves and watched. On day three Earth was able to smuggle over Hazmat grade clean up tools to Nigel speeding up his efforts.

In addition to the pack’s inspection of Sumac’s health, Nigel secretly collected some of the sap from the clippings and used his Planer Trans-locator’s scanner to send back data to home for analysis against known pollution toxins. A report of contamination levels verse a sample healthy Earth tree sap would be received during the night. It was not the best base line for tests but an educated guess was better than none.

“How many days have you been at this?” Sergeant Spur asks a dirt and snow dusted Nigel.

“Eight while you were being cleared to return to duty…” Nigel replies with a grown. “Another week and a half since you got back… 8+7… +4… about 19.”

“Scorching mid day Nigel, just how dense is the underbrush of that walking clawed hedge?” Sergeant Spur gapes in amazement.

“I don’t know how thick a wolfish hedge is meant to be, but Sumac’s had thick and plush greenery all the way down to his gray hound like trunk, and seeing as the greenery is meant to be like muscle and fur it was damn hard to sort and cut through.” Replies Nigel. “All I need to do now is keep the deformed shoots pruned until he wakes up. “

“How are you handling the cold?” Sergeant Spur asks offering Nigel some hot cocoa.

“Strangely enough my body here has no problem with it if I’m near trees… or the timber wolves of this area.” Nigel replies holding a hand up to reject the drink. “Sorry I’m taking a bath before I eat or drink today.” 
As Nigel bathed, Spur began his first patrol of the new night and taking note of Birch Heart stalking between the homes and train station.

However under the cloak of night trouble begins to stir.

Barricaded in Cornucopia’s kitchen was the body of one of Mayor Vail’s co-conspirators the pony Honeycomb. Her body was partially mummified with the leg the armlet’s melted remains were on being terribly burned. 

With normal eyes one might notice small wisps of magic light hovering around the room with most centered on the deceased. However any eye tuned to see beyond the normal would see Honeycombs last spiritual moments.

‘Something… feels wrong.’ Thought Honeycomb’s earth bound soul. ‘Where is… every pony? Why am I here?’

Her vision clears and Honeycomb takes notice of a twisted representation of the former kitchen and of the glowing chains attached to her going back to broken glowing runes.

‘No! They… sweet day light no!’ Honeycomb thinks panicking and pulling at her chains. ‘I’m trapped here. That beast… colluding with the Elements, he caused this. Oh Mayor…’

“There, there my loyal friend I’ve not left you.” The voice Mayor Hail Vail calls to Honeycomb.

‘Mayor Vail, is it time?’ Honeycomb replies with joy.

“Yes Honeycomb, kiss me and ascend.” A partially shrouded Hail Vail instructs gesturing a hoof causing Honeycomb’s chains to rise and float toward her.

‘Kiss you, but…’ Honeycomb starts only to be cut off abruptly by the Mayor’s lunging kiss as she got near.

Struggle as she may Honeycomb could not escape the freezing kiss or the hooves that helped hold her in that embrace. Her spirit body shrinks and her corporal body loses its remaining soft tissues as Vail sucks Honeycomb’s essence away. 

When the kiss is broken at last, only a strangled death rattle echoes from Honeycomb’s diminished form before Vail stuffs her down an icy maw.
In the forest a similar sight played out for Vail’s other co-conspirator Rain Dancer fared no better with his body mostly rotted away under an enchanted false stone hatch concealing a simple shelter. 

‘Of all the usurper’s night rotted road apples. The Bearer’s and… that freak corrupted the spell matrix.” Rain Dancer gripes from his shackled spot on a dirt floor. ‘We’re all likely cursed to be bound to our graves for eternity.’

“Not true my disciple.” Hail Vail’s calls back.

‘Hail Vail…’ Rain Dancer replies looking for the source of the voice. Upon seeing the Mayor, every hair on Rain Dancer’s spirit body bristles. ‘No… Stay back Wraith.’

“Don’t be that way my friend, I’ve ascended and so can you.” Hail Vail replies gesturing a hoof causing Rain Dancer’s chains to float toward her. “Kiss me and ascend too.”

‘No Wraith you’re not tricking me!’ Rain Dancer snarls back just as he is pulled close enough to Hail Vail for her tattered wings to wrap around him. ‘I will not kiss the monster you’ve become.’

“Fine, you can prove your love another way my disciple!” Hail Vail replies sneering as she reaches for something hidden under her wing’s feathers that make Rain Dancer’s eyes go wide in horror.

‘No sweet day… Not like this.’ Rain Dancer mentally screams as his lower half is pulled toward Vail and her wing embrace starts rhythmically contracting.

Rain Dancer tries to pull himself free only to receive a vicious icy bite on his trapped lower body part and the chains on his upper half retracting more into Vail’s embrace. As Rain Dancer’s physical remains lose there remaining flesh, so to dose spirit Rain Dancer’s screams of protest turn to meek whines. 

In his last moments Rain Dancer’s face reflected a last pitiful straining against an inevitable act as Hail Vail seductively licked her lips. With nothing but an exhale later Rain Dancer’s head slumps down on to Vail’s chest and a glazed look on his face. Vail’s rhythmic contractions continue as Rain Dancer’s head is pulled out of view behind her feathered wings until nothing was left to be seen. 

Once done the disheveled Alicorn specter began freezing over to become an egg of cold frost. While this happened the runes in the pony village of Maple were also collecting frost.

As the frost starts gathering, Nigel unwittingly gets into bed after finishing his bath. Sergeant Spur after finishing his patrol lands to lock up the hazardous waste from Sumac in an empty train car they picked earlier for the task.

“What are the humans going to do with this stuff?” Spur asks to no one in particular. “Nigel says to trust him that his people can dispose of it… It would be better to just dump it at Robotnik’s dump.”

A growl gets Sergeant Spur’s attention making him turn around. The she timber wolf, Birch Heart was next door approaching the old community kitchen building. Spur flies to the roofs and moves closer to the wolf, curious to find out what spooked her without making him a next meal.

‘What have you cornered now?’ Sergeant Spur muses as he nears the wolf. When he was just about above the wolf Spur’s ears pick up a frantic banging coming from inside the community kitchen building. “Oh enough is enough with hicks out-smarting the guard.”

Sergeant Spur lands near Birch Heart readying to ambush whoever was planning to come out when he gets a better look at the wolf’s poster.

“You’re afraid…” Sergeant Spur replies stunned looking at Birch Heart than turning back to the barricaded door as it starts to buckle. “Something isn’t right here!” 

Deeper into woods and in the dreams of the sleeping Sumac someone tries to make contact.  

“You must wake up, wolf of wood.” An unfamiliar voice calls.

‘Am I still sick?’ Sumac thought before focusing on the strange voice. ‘I don’t know you show yourself!’

“You’re in danger if you stay asleep. Hear the cries of the land.” The voice continues. “Death is almost awake.”

Sumac listened and felt the dying of the forest. In the forest’s pain Sumac sensed the familiar pony magic, but now it also radiated a soul chilling hate that scares Sumac.

‘What must I do?’ Sumac replies.

“Use your talent for shadow puppets and recreate these runes in the places shown.” The voice concludes as three places around the pony town are made clear to the wolf. “Go now before all is lost!”

Willow Bark and Hickory Knot who were watching Sumac suddenly noticed the ill wind as it begins snaking through the forest.

“That breeze was not the season’s cold.” Hickory Knot remarks startled.

“Magic and malice taint the air today. Wake the rest of the pack!” Willow Bark commands as he braces himself to defend Sumac.

The elder timber wolf turns to the path leading to the pony village certain the enemy will come from there.

With a boom that could be heard miles away the icy egg hatches the occupant of which flings deadly ice shards everywhere as it shakes off, a door crumbles, and a fake stone is blasted off a hole.

“An Explosion… Shit… I got to get dressed.” Nigel yelps now suddenly awake. The room was way too cold for Nigel’s liking and for the preparation Sergeant Spur did to heat the place. Nigel dresses with as much haste as he could muster.

Grasping the door knob rewards Nigel with blistering cold.

“Ahh…” Nigel winces grasping his hand and deciding instead to kick in the door.

The hall of the communal dwelling was filled with chilling fog and noise from outside could be faintly heard. Nigel runs to the front door and kicks it open. Outside Nigel sees Birch Heart and Sergeant Spur running for toward the train platform and being chased by a line of tiny clouds. As Nigel tried to figure out what they were one cloud with an icy fanged face comes at him from an alley nearby.

A quick slash from the elf destroys the cloud monster that Nigel now discerns must be the spirit monster of Land Stalker. Little more than hostile puffs of air at first glance, spirits were the most dangerous close combat threats as they stole life at a touch and mobbed you on mass from a cursed bone pile that endlessly spawned them. Nigel need to quickly end this threat or they would be dead and not even calling a friendly displaced would be of help. So with every bit of haste Nigel runs to catch up with Sergeant. Spur and Birch Heart.

On the train platform Sergeant Spur and Birch Heart were frantically swiping at the hoard of spirits with Nigel desperately hacking at any in his way while staying ahead of another hoard.

“Nigel hurry up and help us…” Sergeant Spur demands smashing two of the hissing spirits with his armored hooves followed by jumping over and crushing another.

“Hound these foul clouds steal life.” Birch Heart barks cutting threw three spirits with her claws but getting tackled by two wilting some of her foliage. The wolf leaps to the top of the coal car to avoid getting buried.

“Spur, where’s their source?” Nigel asks getting on the platform.

“It’s the kitchen building.” Sergeant Spur replies.

“Use this Spur.” Nigel adds tossing Sergeant Spur a stone figurine. “Get to that kitchen and destroy any bone pile you see.”

“What!” Sergeant Spur replies swatting another spirit. “Can’t You?”

“You fly! Get there fast and call out the name on the statue.” Nigel replies running to the coal car. “It will give you a few seconds to do the job. Now Please go!”

Sergeant Spur flies up as Nigel and Birch Heart fight off the hoard from atop the coal car. Soaring overhead Spur turns to the kitchen and dives in past the rushing spirits and trying his hardest to stay near the ceiling pulling some spirits as he goes.

“Please Luna let this work… Gaia!” Sergeant Spur yells as he nears the hallway end.

The statue turns to dust that surrounds Spur and every spirit that rushes him is destroyed by magic rock shards. The spell fades just as he spots the bones of Honeycomb. With one more desperate flap of his wings Spur dive bombs the bones and smashes them into dust along with two more spirits that were freshly spawned. 

As Spur was catching his breath a light to his right catches his eye. In front of the abandoned oven appears a pair of odd two toned boots. The boots are marked with the symbols for snow, fire, stalagmite, and poison on its tongue. 

“I know who… these are meant for.” Sergeant Spur pants.

Back at the train Nigel and Birch Heart were starting to tire out when the remaining spirits froze turning to the Kitchen.

“Hound they stopped but are not gone, what now?” Birch Heart asks panting.

A Howl of alarm is heard from within the forest and the spirits turn back to the wolf and elf. Before a word could be said half of the spirits dive into the snows turning the roads into slick blue ice sheets.  The rest of the spirits break off into groups and after a short act of chasing each other in small circles these spirits fuse together growing sickle like claws to become Specters. The new enemies begin to set the town on fire.

“My family is in trouble!” Birch Heart yelps leaping to the road to sprint from town.

“Birch Heart the ice!” Nigel warns only to witness the wolf land and slide strait into a house’s wall.

“I saw and heard everything.” Sergeant Spur yells swooping in to toss Nigel the odd boots. “I think you’ll need these.”

“Help!” Birch Heart yelps unable to right herself on the cursed ice.

A Specter throws a fire ball at the struggling wolf but is saved by Sergeant Spur blocking the hit his buckler. Spur tries to counter attack with a throwing dagger but the specter dodges by teleporting. The specter conjures another flame but gets stabbed by Nigel and dissipates with a shriek. 
“Spur can you drive the train?” Nigel asks running up to the pair and helping them up.

“Yeah, but it can’t be kept here for too long if you want an evacuation.” Sergeant Spur replies.

“I got to go back for the rest of them Sergeant.” Nigel replies groaning as he tries to get Birch Heart up. “Damn if only these boots worked on you as well.”

As if the magic could hear Nigel the boots power enchanted Birch Heart’s claws and let her regain her footing.

“We must hurry Hound the rest of them are heading into the forest.” Birch Heart snarls as the specters enter the woods.

Deeper into the forest Willow Bark and the rest of the pack found themselves surrounded by spirits as Sumac wearily got to his feet.

“These things keep coming.” One wolf barks swiping at an attacking spirit. “Their den must be close for them to come back so quick.” 

“Are you well enough to fight Sumac?” Willow Bark asks.

“In this form yes.” Sumac replies flying over to Willow Bark’s ear.

The glow of fire and smoke can now be seen off in the direction of Maple Village. Sumac throws a ball of charged lightning blasting a hole in the spirits line.

“Now move your paws thru the gap!” Willow bark howls. The pack sprints past the few remaining resistance.

The spirit hoard continued to bite at the timber wolf packs heels as raced toward the fire which appeared to be on the way to the hoard’s den. The smoke started getting fog thick when they encountered Nigel, Birch Heart, and Hickory Knot fighting off fire throwing specters and the lesser spirits flooding from a hole in the snow covered earth.

“They will stop if we crush the bone pile at the bottom of this pit.” Nigel shouts with his back against the fake rock that was being pelted with fire.

The wolves charge the spirits breaking up their grouping allowing Nigel and the pair of wolves with him the opportunity to push the fake rock. Sumac used her lightning to keep the new spirits from escaping the hole.

With a few herculean shoves the fake rock was pushed into position at the start of an icy groove in the snow leading to the hole.

“Get back!” Nigel orders striking the rock and turning it into a blazing ball of fury which heads strait for the hole.

Every spirit even remotely close to the burning rock gets snuffed out on its way to the hole. The rock momentarily gets stuck at the top of the pit only to slip down seconds later burning away Rain Dancer’s remains and stopping the spirits. Any stragglers were easily mopped up by the combined pack and Nigel.

But their victory was short lived as a chilling shriek is heard and blooms of icy spikes erupt in patches from the ground. Everyone felt crippling fear that heard this cry of impending death.

“We must run, now!” Willow Bark snarls bristling in fear.

“To the village we’ll use the train.” Nigel shouts waving over to the wolves to follow as Sumac lands on his shoulder.

Running for their lives just ahead of blizzard force snows the group spies the village out skirts building still smoldering. 

“Nigel we need to change three runes markings in the village to stop this.” Sumac yells over the storm.

“Shit Sumac… Everyone else get to the train. Where to first?” Nigel replies with the pair breaking off from the group to head to an unfinished house.

As the wolves reached the train the true threat appeared overhead. This spirit had the look of a pony serpent fusion if it was composed entirely of icicles and frost. Its roar alone made the fires shrink as if even their life was being sapped.

“That’s not the wind…” Sergeant Spur whispers to no one before hearing the whimper of wolves. “What was that?”

Looking up Sergeant Spur’s heart skips a beat. As the wolves enter a train car, Spur sees the specter ice pony.

“Wendigo…” Sergeant Spur squeaks getting back in train heading for the controls before yelling. “Nigel drop what you’re doing and run. We can’t fight this thing!”

Sergeant Spur releases the train breaks and the engine begins moving. The Wendigo shrieks causing ice spikes to rise up through the tracks ahead of the train and ice to gather on the train. The wheels squeal as the train meets the first ice.

The Wendigo begins drifting toward the train intent freezing the passengers. Still a story from the ground the Wendigo is ensnared by chains of magical light.

“Sergeant, push her for all it has.” Nigel shouts as he jumps aboard.

The train pulls about 300 ft away from the station before the passengers look back and stop the train. A small group walks up to the partial remains of the train station platform.

“What did the Mayor… What was that thing?” Nigel asks shivering.

“Wendigo it is a monster from legends older than recorded history, but how?” Stg. Spur replies.

“The collective suffering mixed with vile pony magic perhaps.” Willow Bark adds. “Whatever the reason we cannot return the land is tainted.”

Nigel scans the location just past the ruin logging a new anomaly, and finds to his relief that his Planer Trans-locator could not link to the new location.

“I hope no one finds that town. The Mayor and her pals can enjoy their hell.” Nigel remarks as they turn to return to the train.

Restarting the train they make for the town of Ponyville. The trip would take a couple days with one driver, but it would give everyone time to rest. No one was sure how Princess Trixie would take the news of Willow Bark’s pack moving in, but a monster of legend was certainly bad neighbor material.

Once the train pulled into Ponyville and stopped Nigel got a notice saying Mike Edison found Brian and Tina who were the groups other members. The Planer Trans-locator even displaying a status of their vitals as the connection completed. Before Nigel could celebrate all three suddenly crashed triggering an alarm.

Kelly Mathew’s saviors had been reunited, but now their lives hang by a thread.

“I must help them.” Nigel says pushing the button that would send him to them.
> Chapter 13_Rescue to Repay a Debt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13_Rescue to Repay a Debt

Dread filled him making his heart race as the implications of what must have happened to Mike and his friends became clear. Even as the light of day forced Nigel to squint, the blaring health alarm for the White Rabbit Team kept the elf’s attention.

Something felt off with his body as Nigel tried to clear his vision. Every limb tingled and crackled with a static like sensation. His eyes were hurting him more as his vision came into focus and took in his overly vivid surroundings.

When Nigel did adjust to his senses he had to duck out of the way of an out of control Changeling as it spirals helplessly in the wind and smashes into a crowd of stumbling human solders who moved to catch it. The poor things body seemingly shifting as random. Nigel could feel Sumac’s hand grasp his collar and the gust of her wings flapping as he got back to his feat.

Arrayed before some stadium style bleachers that were still in the process of emptying were guard ponies from various tribes, Minotaur, Griffins, changelings, and the humans from before. All of them looked battered and seemed sick as they provided an ailing defense for the crowd beyond.

Nigel could not figure out what was happening. Where was Mike, Lava Gazer and the rest? 

“Worry not for the vessels that bore my arrival, child.” A soft spoken yet heart chilling voice calls from behind the elf to answer the unspoken question. “I, Harmony’s Tribunal; have come to heal all and Sheppard all.”

Nigel pivoted turning to where the voice was and gazed at the horror of a 10ft wide Drider shaped monstrosity. Its hairy legs featured tree trunk like over armor, it abdomen was covered with a grove of 5 miniature trees the colors of the Harmony jewels, and its scaly torso ended with the antlered head of a bear with shimmering princess pony mane. In the shadow beneath the Harmony Tribunal were the bloody and barely moving bodies of the White Rabbit team.

Nigel fumbles away his sword and screams in pain having burned his own hand with its magic when he tried to draw it.

“Tsk, tsk. You should be more grateful child. I will take away your curse and your fear and you will be another herald of my coming.” The Harmony Tribunal chides shaking it head at the elf before addressing the gathered defenders. “We all here desire the light of perfect balance so unite with me.”

“Damn you. You have the nerve to say all that while they are dying right underneath you!” Nigel shrieks clutching his hand and casting his glance from the Tribunal to Mike and company.

“Nigel move!” Sumac shouts firing a lightning ball a web snare erupts from underneath Nigel.

Nigel had gotten out of the way just in time and the web net was ripped apart by lightning however this put him in danger of being hit by one of the stray bolts that came off the broken web. 

A Pegasus grabs Nigel pulling him off the ground as they are hit by the bolt. Both are sent flying backwards toward the crowd and it defenders. Out of the corner of Nigel’s eye he could see the Stallion Blueblood cut up a web snare that had been launched at them. A number of screams for help alerted him of others not being as fortunate. Looking past Blueblood Nigel saw three separate groups of mixed defenders struggling to keep a snared ally from being pulled in toward nasty wooden mouths harboring brain like appendage and its hand that emerged from the dirt.

“Struggling will only make this hurt.” The Tribunal disapprovingly states pulling the webs taught.

From a place unseen a loud boom was heard followed three smaller booms. The spider like monster was set on fire and knocked sideways away from the White Rabbit team its web tethers getting shredded preventing the snared from being pulled with it. 

“Where did that fire come from?” someone calls out.

“I don’t see them.” Another voice replies.

The smoldering monster gets up and puts out the fire with geyser of water before using its magic to turn the water to fog and blasting it across the field. A band of four invisible figures were reveled by the dew from the fog.  They were positioned between the monster and Ponyville proper.

The Tribunal glares hatefully at the four as the tallest of the group fires another shot hitting a crystal shield the Tribunal creates on its right arm.  Nigel runs for his sword and unnoticed by the defenders Petal Lulamoon runs over to the white rabbit team.

“So I’m forced to convince you to accept Harmony.” The Tribunal mutters coldly as each tree on its abdomen lights up. Raising a hand high, the grove erupts in prismatic light.

A memory calls out to Sumac as she tumbles in the wind of her wings and focuses on the Tribunal.

“You should be able to cast this one by calling out Song of Reversal. You and your Displaced may one day need its help in this path in life.” A sullen Displaced, Samantha of Perim; gently addresses the fairy from the old memory.

A half dozen rainbow comets erupt from the grove on the Tribunal’s back each seeking out defenders, onlookers, and helpless non-combatants alike causing Sumac to shout in a desperate need to protect everyone from the magical danger. Hoping with all his heart it would work.

“Song of Reversal!” Was the resounding Echo of Sumacs desperate plea and rising from the fairy’s hand was the nearly forgotten crystal ring. When Sumac’s magic entered the ring however the mugic spilt into half a dozen identical rings making just as many echoing musical chords. 

A rainbow comet headed for Blueblood and his guards…

A rainbow comet headed for the crowds and Johnny’s Boogiemen…

A rainbow comet headed for Petal Lulamoon and the barely alive white rabbit team of Mike, Brian/Lilly, Tina, Peoria, Dandelion and Lava Gazer…

A rainbow comet headed for a forced open portal to Earth and its human defenders…

A rainbow comet headed for Nigel who was struggling with drawing his now lightning crackling sword and had become trapped in place…

One last rainbow comet headed for Sumac herself leaving her to stare at the inevitable…

But none of the comets found their intended mark.

In a brilliant flash the Tribunal was bombarded with its own comets causing its form to lose its color and wither and also diminishing its infectious magical aura that was responsible for diving everyone’s special powers out of control.

Sumac deciding to press his advantage and go for the kill shifts forms and mauls the spider shaped monster. The Tribunal shrieks and throws Sumac off itself but fails to notice the parasitic shoots embedded in its body from the attack. Mutant growths exactly like the kind Sumac developed after his exposure to Robotroploice”s Pollution burst from the Tribunals body and a haze of pollen spreads out across the battlefield.

To Sumac’s mortal embarrassment, the sight of his flouring forelegs had confirmed for him and everyone with eyes and noses the timber wolf had gone into full bloom over the magic in this fight. Not only that but three sapling timber wolf cubs sprang to life around him from unseen native seed or nut. 

This was a hell of a time to establish a pack of his own and so many creatures were unwitting witness.

Nigel now free of the magic surge’s grip charged the Tribunal and pierced a middle leg making it explode and arcing lightning across the others. The Tribunal collapse onto it abdomen crackling with blue sparks.

Nigel pulls his whistle to call the new pack to hold down the monster hoping they would have the power now to trap the menace.

Eyes of unexpected others headed the call however as Brian/Lilly's fox body channeled Nigel’s Whistle’s command. Being close to Lava Gazer the fox Element Bearer became a conduit to pull enough strength into the group that they were revived enough to pull themselves up off the ground some.

“Petal…” Lava Gazer whispers to the startled filly. “Will you give us your trust?”

“What do I do? I mean yes how do I help?” Petal Luamoon asks.

The Tribunal turns to face the white rabbit team ignoring the fresh timber wolf pack efforts to pin it.

“Harmony aid us give this innocent one your blessing so every creature may be saved from this darkness.” The group asks placing hand, hoof, and paw on the astonished filly.

The jewels of the Elements release soft light wisps that merge briefly with Petal before exiting again as a single light. The light wisp instantly grows and transforms into an ethereal being not dissimilar to the Tribunal only this one carried traits of the Bearers in its form.

“No more Judgments shall be conducted today. Harmony is not to be forced where it already shines with promise.”  The ethereal being decrees instantly causing the Tribunal to lose all form and substance. The last part of it to vanish was its shadow on the ground. The ethereal one momentarily followed vanishing where it floated next to the Bearers.

The defenders of every race and Nigel were seen racing toward the hurt Bearers as they collapsed again. 

‘Just hang on…’ was Nigel’s and Sumac’s and the rest’s one unified thought.
> Chapter 14_Hunters From Different Paths
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14_Hunters from Different Paths

Are there times when it is okay to hate the harmless pony smile?

Nigel was feeling quite a bit of professional hate for the red bounty hunter stallion and his playful smirk. With a hog tied Human lashed to his back Big Mac was preparing to collect another bounty on a plane hopping criminal.

“Another varmint bounty for me, you don’t suppose I could collect a regular pay check from your country folk do you?” Big Mac merrily crowed.

“How did you get ahead me?” Nigel reflexively asks once he caught his breath.

“Experience kid.” Big Mac chuckles in response. “Well time to collect my reward. Hey why not join me for a cider to my success.”

Nigel shakes his head.

“Your lose.” Big Mac replies shaking his head and trotting off.

Nigel was made aware of his other responsibilities he had as a Tracer Agent beyond scanning displaced and one was to help apprehend fugitive plane hoppers. Many humans from home have been prosecuted for trespassing in a few worlds already and compensation provisions for fugitive captures had been part of the earlier negotiations.

It turns out that a few bronies or such figured out the address of Nigel’s host world and were doing unlawful tourism. Nigel did have the direct line from home about anyone detected entering his host world but it did little to blunt Big Mac’s uncanny timing and catch rate.

This had been the third such bounty poaching the Apple clan bounty hunter had done while the treaty was in effect. The first time could be forgiven as Nigel was off world for it, but these last two had the elf coming off as the hunting hound that flushes the prey so the real hunter can get the kill.

“Hey mister don’t let mah brother get yah down.” Apple Bloom says trotting over to Nigel with a leashed green mushroom monster obediently in tow. “Let me give you a job, how about it?”

“You want my help… Sure kid anything to get my mind off of that humiliation.” Nigel replies feeling defeated. “What is the job?”

“Thank you much mister, see mah family has the Apple farm by the wasteland that was the Everfree.” Apple Bloom continues cheerfully. “We’re use to dealing with Timber wolves from the forest years ago, when it turned into a wasteland mah family believed our troubles over. Thing is other monsters now venture near the farm because the forest is gone. Applejack and Big Mac want to keep the monsters out but nothing they do works, but this fellow dose.”

“I think I get what you want. Did you see a different colored one near here?” Nigel replies looking at the green cap monster mushroom.

“Sure did a nice gray cap one. I’ve been tracking some in the Whitetail Wood.” Apple Bloom adds. “Mah critter is good at scaring timid monsters, but the bold ones are still giving mah brother and Sister trouble.”

“So you need help catching the paralyzing type to subdue the real trouble makers.” Nigel states. “You got a plan?”

“I’ve learned a lot about these critters thanks to mah friend here, like how to tame their kin.” Apple Bloom smiles at her mushroom monster and petting it before turning back to Nigel. “I need to get close to it without being seen. I need you to distract it so I can work mah trick.”

“Sure thing I’ll help you just let me get some supplies.” Nigel replies a bit more cheerful.

Elsewhere in another plane a conversation is about to take place in a smoke filled bar.

“I got your letter. Did you learn something about my last job?” an unseen man asks.

“The signs you brought me are tainted with something that is not just poltergeist essence. We could be looking at tare with another realm forming.” An unseen female replies. “Your puzzle cube and the incantation I’ve researched and transcribed for you should let you interact with this tare.”

“That sounds like rather large risk to my person.” The man replies.

“Your cube will return you here safely enough should the tare be like the shadow plane. It is important to put you at risk to make sure this new event does not become a new disaster like your Hellsign acquisition.” The female replies. “Your compensation will be ready when you return. Let’s all pray this leads to some quite.”

“Cheers to that.” The man concludes with a tip of his hat.

Back in the Whitetail Woods, Nigel and Apple Bloom found the gray cap monster she had been hunting. It had picked a shady spot under a large willow tree and near a statue guardian that was half embedded in a hill. Small clumps of flowers were growing on parts of the guardian helping to hide it. 
“Got your eye on the stone guy I see. That’s why I need your help.” Apple Bloom snarls. “Darn gray cap likes to sit on a switch. When I get close it moves paralyzes me and the stone guy tosses me through that hole in the thicket.”

“Where does that hole go?” Nigel asks.

“Over to Carrot Top’s compost pit.” Apple Bloom replies blushing. “Ah small spring flushes yah right to the edge of it, but when I’m tossed I land face first in rotting veggies.”

We didn’t waste time risking a filly toss just to see how close we could get to the gray cap. The path cut in the underbrush was enough to see how the statue moved and Apple Bloom told me all about the gray cap’s attack range on the way.

Instead we worked out a way to make the gray cap stand up while staying still on the button and not get paralyzed. The trick involved dancing through the underbrush opposite from each other so that we were the same distance from the gray cap as we closed in.

“Apple Bloom can you keep your balance?” Nigel asks.

“Yep…” Apple Bloom nervously squeaks wobbling as her right back hoof finds solid ground. “Why do I gotta walk like this?”

“Because I got to see you to match your steps so we don’t get tagged. If I crawl I can’t see and we get caught.” Nigel replies calmly. “I take it you don’t like ballet.”

“Ah don’t even like square dancing on all my four legs.” Apple Bloom hissed.

It was slow going but once they got within arm’s reach the gray cap stood up to face Nigel only to swing toward Apple Bloom who pounced shoving the gray cap off the button. The statue zips from its resting spot to lunge at the space right before the button to throw something and stopping on the very space. The statue catches a glowing rock tossing it just over the original hole to make a new one.

Nigel blushed when he looked to Apple Bloom as she pulls away from the gray cap seeing her lips leave the post kiss delivering pucker.

Nigel was not going to adopt this trick or ask Apple Bloom about it.

After leashing the gray cap and returning to Sweet Apple archers, Apple Bloom gives Nigel the 6 bits they agreed to for the help. Nigel then went to his home in town.

“Hello pack brother Hound Nigel.” Sumac’s cub Hazel Leaf yips with tail wagging in excitement.

“Hazel  Leaf, Sumac would I be right to say introductions with the rest of the pack went well?” Nigel asks as the cub jumps up into the elf’s arms.

“Our pack wonders if you are a gift or a burden.” Sumac replies. “Things went more than well.”

“I’m part… of the pack.” Nigel nervously replies letting go of Hazel Leaf.

“As much as an outsider can become one.” Sumac replies walking over. “With that abomination against nature gone Willow Bark and the rest have accepted the decision by cubs White Fir and Ash Bramble to remain behind in the world of their birth. You did a great service to the balance of nature in the other world and the pack is honored to have you. Also the two of us will be sharing cub watching duty.”

“That’s me.” Hazel Leaf yips.

While Nigel was getting a crash course in cub care leading into his two day home break, another man was finishing preparations of his own. 

Alone it what appeared to be a theme park recreation of a rustic early industrial village, a single white van comes to a stop. Its occupant had only recently cleansed this haunting site of a vicious icy variant of the Kelpie rewarding him with valuable but disturbing remains. Dressed in a long leather trench coat, hiking boots, and a crocodile Dundee hat was the Hunter Cody. 

Stepping out of the van Cody smiled at the complete lack of snow and ice which had been a killer hazard both for the fight and for claiming 6 victims putting the case on his map. No one could find the story for this abandoned tourist project as even city planning records seemingly did not exist.

Cody walks up onto the half complete train platform and pulls out a marble colored wax stick and an ornate puzzle cube setting the cube down on a clean spot. Cody pulls out his green flip note book to check the notes he was given. Then lastly with a look to his watch and the sky he begins to draw a magic circle with the wax stick around himself and the cube.

“Bayo Kiayo…” Cody whispers as he draws the inner circle in wax.

“Kia yaso moyea ah…” Cody whispers a little loader as he inscribes the required runes next.

“Kia yaso moyea ah…” Cody speaks at an even tone as he cuts his hand sprinkling some of his blood on the incomplete spell circle causing the rest of the design to complete itself.

“Kia yaso moyea ah!” Cody shouts as he slaps his hand down on his puzzle cube. In a flash of lavender colored light Cody vanishes, the glowing circle being the only thing left behind.

The world warps around Cody bringing him to the other half of the train platform just outside an unfamiliar forest. Placing his cube in his jacket, Cody walks off the platform and follows the remains of the train tracks toward the sounds of construction,

Cody finds a work force of weirdly painted ponies dismantling the tracks in the grass prairie about 1000 yards from the unfinished station. All of the ponies were wearing either railway uniforms or roman centurion armor. A few turned his way and some of the guards broke from the group to meet him.

“Hello stranger, my names Canopy Glider. I welcome you to Equestria.” The lead Pegasus guard announces.

“Gi day mates, from the land down under.” Cody replies tipping his hat. “My name’s Cody.”

“What brings you to our land by means of such a foul place?” Canopy Glider adds.

“Mighty coincidence you bring up that place of bad omens, know of anyone who can fill me in about that icy reception.” Cody replies gesturing back the way he came.

“Sergeant Spur is on assignment and won’t be available, but we can introduce you to the resident displaced. Rumor has it a being like you named Nigel was most responsible for shutting down the conspiracy behind that place.” Canopy Glider explains. “Sorry about the Wendego. Such monstrosities are legends to us and only the princesses have had the experience dealing with them. If we thought one was about to rise there…”

“Easy there solder. I’m no stranger to unexpected unpleasantness.” Cody replies. “The meeting would lovely however.”

“Then step this way sir, we have a flying carriage.”Canopy Glider continues. “We don’t allow you be armed however as we will call the local princess about your arrival.”

“No worries mate my gear is in my lock box.” Cody replies removing his pack. “Who’s your arms keeper?”

Canopy Glider calls over a yellow earth pony with a stripped mane and Cody load his pack onto the guard mare. Afterwards Cody climbs aboard the flying carriage. The flight took about four hours to get to Ponyville.

“Your one only a few strangers I know who didn’t get sick on their first flight.” Canopy Glider remarks as he let's Cody off the carriage. The guard with the lock box following behind the pair.

“My father was an old barnstormer. I rode with him a lot between the ages of 13 thru 17. Your carriage has nothing on that rust bucket” Cody replies smiling at the now awe struck Pegasus. Cutting off the challenge Cody continues his reply. “I can’t speak for me old man, but I learned to value the seat belt when stunt flying got proposed.”

Canopy Glider was about to head over to lead Cody over to Princess Trixie’s when he spotted the mare in question coming to him. Derpy coxes a half asleep powder blue alicorn into motion with a coffee scented pound cake.

When the Princess see the group waiting for her she raises a hoof before using some magic to snag a bite of the coffee cake. Taking her time to savor the rich cake, Trixie eventually swallows it and greets her guests.

“Hello Sir I’m Princess Trixie and I welcome you to Ponyville. May I ask you about your business here?” Princess Trixie asks.

“You certainly can malady; I was doing me some paranormal detective work surrounding a mean poltergeist and the rift it made brought me here.” Cody replies. “My name is Cody by the way.”

“I take it you’re not a Displaced then?” Trixie replies a little disappointed.

“Not as my profession, miss; but as a current condition… maybe? Why do you ask?” Cody asks confused.

“May I interrupt, princess?” Canopy Glider asks.

“If it will add to the discussion you may proceed.” Trixie replies.

“Cody approached us coming from the lost former rebel village?” Canopy Glider dutifully reports. 

“Trixie wishes to apologize greatly for any disaster…” Trixie replies blanching.

“The families of the dead might appreciate your condolences but my job is to make sure no more trouble will be caused with this event. You can help me by filling me in on some things?” Cody adds. 

“I’m sorry Cody the birth of a new wendego was not a possibility we thought possible when it happened. I’ve only just completed analyzing the complex spell work the rebels were doing and I’m deeply disturbed by the discovery.” Trixie replies somberly. “You want answers for your investigation so I will invite you to accompany me to discuss these findings with the displaced Nigel who’s in the middle of all of this.”

Leading the investigating hunter, Trixie heads over to a log cabin style house with green painted wood shingles and a widow box containing herbs Cody could not identify. A small coniferous tree of an unknown breed had a side walk path branch leading up to it neighboring the cabin.

Walking up to the door and knocking Trixie then takes custody of the lock box while they await the occupant’s arrival.

Opening the door was what Cody thought was a trekkie cos-player with vulcon bed head. At the occupants feet was he saw a small wooden gray hound or wolf, Cody wasn’t sure which.

“Your Eminence… Trixie what brings…” The owner begins before locking eyes with Cody. His mood suddenly sours as hinted by the timber of his continued speaking. “Did a token get triggered?”

“If you’ll invite Trixie and guest in everything will be explained. I hope you have time.” Trixie replies.

The owner opens up the door and steps out of the way revealing the sparsely furnished interior reminiscent of his own safe house and a larger wolf like plant monster.

“Our guest is named Cody he arrived by way of the lost village.” Trixie explains causing the owner to pale. Turning back to him the princess continues. “This is Nigel the victim of some multi-verse… kidnapper called The Merchant and our resident displaced. He was involved with what happened in the village, but please bear with me as the discoveries I’ve made concern you both.”

“You figured out what the village leaders were doing.” Nigel remarks curiosity and concern in his tone.

“Nigel, Sumac, and Cody what I have learned today has a very tragic implication that would have been disastrous for all. The usurper Hail Vail and her conspirators not only intended to impersonate the royal heads of this nation but the runes used in the village would have mass teleported it, damaging Equis in the process; to another world draining your life-force among many others killing you.” Trixie begins explaining. Taking another breath she continues. “This energy alone would never be sufficient to maintain the alicorn state of one let alone three, so the runes also contained a layline propagating matrix that would exponentially convert the nature of the new world.”

Cody could feel anger rising and the poster of the rest of Trixie’s audience told him the others were also deeply distressed. Whether it was how the wolves snarled or how Nigel began trembling and clenched his fists.

“This was an invasion plan and many worlds would have suffered. The spell they devised was unsustainable and would kill the world after a short while.” Trixie continued. “Rain Dancers notes indicated that they planned to fix this fatal flaw by transforming the residents of these worlds into pony thrulls fulfilling some sick pleasure of turning them into new power source for the spell and fodder solders. That would likely have only been the beginning.”

Nigel looked as if he was going to faint from the stress the last bit of news brought. 

“I know you wish you were never brought here but all of Equis and many other worlds owe you a debt of gratitude for stopping this plot.” Trixie concludes.

“Mind if I ask how the village ended up in my world.” Cody asks.

“We sabotaged the runes during our escape from the Wendego.” Nigel replies.

The wolf growls something that Cody thought must have been some kind of interjection.

“Sumac said a voice demanded he wake up to stop a threat by changing three runes around the village.” Nigel replies translating. “We couldn’t harm that thing we thought it was banished. I’m sorry it got to your world.”

“Considering what you’ve told me this could have been worse. Some did die however but the deaths were limited by the fact that this Wendego was contained to the village boundaries.” Cody remarks sternly.

It was then an electronic alarm sounded cutting off Cody’s next statement.

“I lost track of time the plane shift is about to happen.” Nigel remarks startled.

Cody sees Nigel begin fade from view and grabs his lock box with one hand and pulls out his puzzle cube with the other thrusting into the space where Nigel was standing. The cabin interior fades out being replaced by the front yard of an American suburban home.

Nigel morphed from trekkie cos-player to collage age woman right before Cody’s eyes. It was by bad luck however that he had been slow to react with his cube as the girl that was Nigel ended up ten feet away from him. The sound of the front door opening forced Cody to hide behind the corner of a fence as to not get spotted.

While the meeting took place, Apple Bloom returned to the clearing with her friends to figure out what the statue guard was meant to do. 

“So this is the place?” Sweety Bell exclaims.

“Yep. Did yah bring the books?” Apple Bloom asks.

“Right here, but it was really hard to convince Twilight not to come.” Sweety Bell replies.

“Why was that by the way?” Scootaloo adds.

“Ah just think it’s a little early for adult help is all. We need to clean the rock fellow up and map what it do in.” Apple Bloom responds. “Once we figure it all out it will be easier to convince them to give it a look.”

“Sounds like our crusader days again. How are we doing this?” Scootaloo asks.

“One of Twilight’s conditions for the books was that we treat it like an archeological dig.” Sweety Bell replies pulling out additional scrolls and magic camera.

“She’s giving us homework! Apple Bloom, this going to take us forever to do.” Scootaloo snaps.

“There they are every pony.” Little Pip announces leading a group of their classmates.

“Ah invited some help.” Applebloom replies.

“We’re eager to see all this in action. It would be cool. We might even get in the paper.” Another student cheers. 

“Well Twilight said she would help us publish this. If we do it by the book.” Sweety Bell adds. “Who wants to run the camera first?”

Over the next  month or so the kids excavated and restored the statue ground. Elsewhere back on the LaClaire Earth Cody watches Kelly Mathews, who he was introduced to as Nigel; greet her mom.

“Kelly you’re home.” Kelly’s mother Heather cheers giving her daughter a hug. “I’ve got to pick up some groceries at the corner store. Your father and Erin are at the movies. And one last thing Jason will be over shortly; make sure you thank him for the present he left and enjoy your evening.”

“Wow… I will mom.” Kelly replies feeling her heart flutter. “Did he say what time? I still need to drop off my assignment.”

“He’ll be over at 3:20 you should be able to make it with just enough time if you head out now.” Heather replies.

“Sumac, will you let Jason Know I’ll be back if he gets here before me? Just keep the gesture simple.” Kelly asks getting in her own car.

Sumac nods his head and lies down in a large empty planter shifting his form to appear a decorative hedge. Cody choosing to sneakily climb into a tree and wait until the boy friend is sent home at the day’s end to make contact with Kelly.

The drive to Kelly’s college Olive Branch Technical was relaxing to the student agent. Traffic was mild as the lunch rush had ended and the school was on the out skirts of downtown. The radio was tuned to Fiery Classics FM and played Born in the USA, Flash Dance, Eye of the Tiger, and Hang Your Head during Kelly’s trip to her school.

Pulling into a small two deck parking lot Kelly turned off the car and locked up. She then took the stairs to the exit and walked north a block past an outdoor food court to reach her school.

The Olive Branch Tech building was three story red brick building with a green metal roof. A large white sign engraved with the school’s name was present at the front door of the school lit by mini spot lights and framed by a bed of wild flowers.

Outside the building and likely coming back with lunch were Dennis and Jean two of Kelly’s partners in the game demo portfolio project.

“Kelly it’s great to see you.” Dennis says pulling the cigarette from his mouth and flicking away some of the ashes. “We didn’t expect you to be over for another week.”

“The project deadline was extended another three weeks you know. You should spend some of that time with family and that boy of yours.” Jean added. “PTSD is nothing to ignore and family helps.”

“Guys you don’t need to fret. I'm doing therapy paid by the government twice a week and as soon as I turn in my side of things Jason has a surprise for me.” Kelly replies partially lying with only a hint annoyance.

“Wait you finished up all that programming?!” Dennis replies in disbelief.

“It’s how I cope, and no I don’t pull 48 hour shifts.” Kelly retorts. “I go to sleep on time and I do have my shoulder to cry on.”

“Okay we get it girl, no more harping on the convention lets go inside.” Jeans replies getting the hint.

Dennis and Jean were two of Kelly’s three partners on the assignment. Dennis handled the sound and music work while Jean made the graphical assets with Otis. The dialog and event script had been worked on and decided months before the whole group which Kelly had been working from to do her part.

The trio took the elevator to the top floor and entered their class where they found Otis and the substitute Instructor Ms. Killian the replacement for Mr. Lancer. Mr. Lancer taking a leave of absence over the guilt he suffered over the Silicon Glades attack.

“Hello Ms. Matthews how are you doing?” Ms. Killian greets warmly. “Would I be correct to say that you’re here to turn something in?”

“Yes to both Ms. Killian.” Kelly adds.

“I do hope you will be available to debug any code errors you have as it is an unusual arrangement your under. I am more than willing to provide extensions if your team should need them.” Ms. Killian replies.

“No worries I get all my messages and I should be here in between my therapy sessions.” Kelly replies.

“Okay then Ms. Matthews you’ll find Otis in the back compiling the graphic assets.” Ms. Killian concludes.

Heading over to the server computer the group finds Otis waiting for the computer to finish its enormous task.

“Kelly bad timing, this snail of a machine is holding our art hostage.” Otis greets bringing an unintended chill to the room.

“Otis come on man, watch your metaphors.” Dennis retorts.

“Sorry Kelly it’s just… I just hoped our sweet graphics would be rendered by now, but it’s all lagging out.” Otis replies apologetically. “Jason sent a text informing us that you were going to briefly be here.”

“Jason said I would briefly be here?” Kelly asks surprised and miffed.

“Kelly I’m not going to wreak things for my favorite acquaintance couple. He’s looking forward to this day and we here have start integrating all of our pieces.” Otis continues saying as he rises up to give Kelly a hug. “We will send you any bug reports that come up. You haven’t let us down in the past and we look forward to handing you your own copy at submission time.”

“You’ll keep me informed?” Kelly replies handing over a portable drive her code work was on to Otis.

“You have our word Kelly. Now hurry home and don’t keep Jason waiting.” Dennis replies giving Kelly a hug of her own.

With one final wave good bye Kelly makes her way back to the parking garage where her car was parked and drives home. Pulling into the driveway and turning off her car Kelly get surprised by Jason opening her door for her.

“Welcome home honey.” Jason says to Kelly before giving her a kiss and placing an uncomfortable heavy pair of glasses on her face. “I have something special set up just for this evening and these are part of the experience and part of your anniversary present.”

The glasses themselves were styled like safety glasses and seemed to have light activated tinting.

“Jason I’m not really a glasses wearing type and what do you mean part of my present?” Kelly asks blushing.

“You’ll see. Just come inside.” Jason replies taking hold of Kelly’s hand and leading her to the front door of the house.

When the door was opened Kelly had to do a double take as the entire living room took on the look of an expensive restaurant establishment. The living room table had a fancy flower center piece, napkins and candelabras, Sumac even fluttered over in what appear to be a very formal waiters uniform.

Kelly even vividly heard romantic violin music prompting her to lift up her glasses some before Jason stopped her.

“No Kelly you’ll ruin the effect.” Jason softly whispers. “I originally intended to just get you these and take you to a fine dining establishment, but under the current circumstances I could never get us a timely reservation. So I got your school friends to help me set this up and a coworker of mine modified the glasses to make them sturdier and added the light activated tinting lenses.”

“Jason…” Kelly gasps feeling her heart flutter as Jason reveals a home cooked beef roast with sweat potatoes, a handmade garden salad with shredded cheese, and a black forest cheesecake. “Did you cook this all?”

“Yep, shall we eat?” Jason replies.

“I can’t imagine a better way to spend this evening.” Kelly replies smiling letting Jason pull out her chair to sit down

Over the next three hours the pair ate the romantic meal and talked. Jason eventually headed home and Kelly take off the glasses to find all the AR tags that helped the glasses make the effect. Kelly had to remember to thank her friends for making Jason’s and her anniversary great. 

Just as she is about to go up stairs Kelly hears a knock on the door. Outside waiting for her was Cody.

“Apologies for dropping by like this but we didn’t finish our talk.” Cody says plainly. “May I come in?”

Kelly quickly ushers Cody inside.

“How did you follow me?” Kelly demands stunned.

“Magical artifact to answer your question, mate.” Cody replies pulling out his puzzle cube. “Still need some answers of me own like why do you still go back if this is your home?”

“I don’t have a choice. The short of it all is despite having the government assistance of two worlds I’m forcefully pulled back between them.” Kelly replies downcast.

“I take it that contraption with all the sensors is part of this government’s solution.” Cody asks pointing to the Planer Trans-locator on Kelly’s left arm.

“Yes, and I nearly forgot about it being equipped.” Kelly replies eye brows furrowing.

“You can take it off… May I see it?” Cody asks somewhat demanding.

“No… no to both. The CIA has the unlock codes and keys. I’m also certain doing so would constitute a federal crime under the Tracer Initiative.” Kelly replies backing away.

“You’re a guest here Cody know your place!” Sumac threatens landing on Kelly’s Shoulder electricity arcing between her hands. “Don’t under estimate me because of my current size.”

“Alright point taken but don’t think you'd be rid of me so easily either Fae born. I apologize for coming off menacing Kelly.” Cody replies calming himself. “Can you tell me the theory on how your using of that device solves your condition?”

“I can. My… my mission or task. I don’t know which term really applies is to scan others in the same situation as me who will allow it so I can isolate the Merchant’s planer signal.” Kelly replies. Taking a breath she continues. “Once I’ve done that it is our plan to separate his signal from my own and make me normal so I’m here full time again.”

“I take it you have no luck?” Cody asks as Kelly holds up her hand to stop him.

“I want to continue this privately. My family will be home soon and I don’t want them to freak out over an Intruder.” Kelly replies before writing a note explaining her day as well as asking to not be disturbed.

After the trio enters Kelly’s room she locks the door and sits at her desk and takes off her glasses.

“I’ve met one other displaced in the months, or maybe weeks in this world; since this all started and he could not help me.” Kelly starts with a sigh. “Compared to me he was a veteran of possibly decades at this. If I remember he said he was reborn or more likely reset and had no memory of his life. Meaning any item from his home was lost to him at that time.”

“Do you think your task is hopeless?” Cody asks trying to sound comforting.

“No. I know tokens which can let me contact other displaced are out there I just haven’t found any yet.” Kelly replies.

“Wish I had cutting edge tech like these in my work. Is your gadget plug n’ play by any chance?” Cody asks picking up her glasses that Jason got her. “If I understand you right the other displaced should have different signals from you. Your gadget should be able to integrate these no problem.”

Kelly’s features seemed to lighten up in hope.

“I can’t access the inner working by myself but maybe I can get my handler too remote unlock.” Kelly replies excitedly getting ready make a call.

“Great and I might even have something that might help.” Cody adds pulling out a Blueray disk. “Just don’t tell them I’m here.” 

“What’s this?” Kelly asks pausing in her phone dialing.

“A tool called a Cryptonomicon in digital form. It lets me hunt down Poltergeists by detecting unnatural alien energy on things. It is so precise in fact that exposes weaknesses that you can use against the spook.” Cody replies causing Kelly to quickly fire up her laptop. “I thought you were making a call?”

“I am but your tool is more than just a scan utility as you said it can expose weaknesses.” Kelly replies.

“That part only incorporates occult applications…” Cody replies confused.

“Part of programming was changed by magic. The reason I change bodies is because of this glitch. But also some of my stuff can travel with me because my Trans-locator links my things to my signal.” Kelly explains putting in his disk and finishing the dial out. “I have an idea. Hello this is Kelly requesting secure connection.”

“Rick speaking connection is secure.” A voice from Kelly’s phone responds.

“I’ve got some new equipment to setup and register.” Kelly replies.

“This is highly irregular what kind of equipment?” Rick replies sternly.

“AR glasses model Eagle Eye AR1000.” Kelly replies opening a coding utility.

“Your shitting me those glasses retail in around a $1000, have built in speakers and microphone system, even a USB adapter. Who the hell bought you thoughts?” Rick sputtered in disbelief.

“It was my boyfriend and for our anniversary.” Kelly adds with pride as she furiously types line of code on her laptop. “He even cooked our three course meal.”

“Of all the luck…” Rick replies miffed. “We’ll have to manually write the plug-ins needed to export the Trans-locator sensor data to the glasses but it can be done. I’m setting of the secure data connection just power on the Trans-locator and I’ll unlock it and begin.”

The code Kelly executes lets her break into that connection. A trick she learned after Otis’s computer was ransomware hi-jacked and Dennis and Jean used it to break into the hacker’s computer programming it to tattle to the cops later. The code let Kelly view Rick’s programming and wedge open the port to the system files after Rick closed out things on his end.

For the next several hours of the night Cody helped Kelly integrate the Cryptonomicon executable into the Trans-locators systems, mostly by getting her different books or notes. She even used what she learned from Robotnik’s own mystery code to create the “Folklore Killer” command.

Folklore Killer was part tracking program that integrated Cody’s program and the AR glasses, and part planer signal modifying overlay utility. Kelly would now be able to see any phenomena her Trans-locator detected in real time as an AR tag item. The effect would be very video game like. The other effect, in theory would let Kelly treat her own registered equipment essentially as video game like equipment whose stats would grant her advantages against a single target. Like if the target was a werewolf her sword would mimic silver damage and her armor would blunt the enemy’s own counter attacks even projectiles.

Due to the Cryptonomicon’s limitations multiple signal overlays cannot be used at the same time as each one would conflict and cancel the other out. Power consumption would also force the program into emergency shut down after 15 – 20 minutes of an overlays use so as to not kill the power cells.

Lastly Kelly included code that would revert all of her changes back to Rick’s original work if anyone accessed the system file again to inspect them thus hiding her trespass.

Kelly would use voice commands to activate the new features of Tracking mode or Hunter mode.

When all was done Kelly would only have 8 hours of home life after sleeping before she transitioned back.

“Seem like it is time to head back and conclude my investigation.” Cody remarks with a yawn rubbing his weary eyes.

“Hold on I’m trying something.” Kelly replies with the click of the enter key a copy of the AR glasses is created which she hands to Cody. “I’ve heard that it is a displaced custom to present an item to other displaced that helped them when everything is done. You seemed to be interested in them.”

“Thanks mate if you ever end up in my backyard give me a ring.” Cody replies smiling pocketing the glasses and pulling out his puzzle cube. In a flash of lavender light the hunter was gone.

Kelly tells no one in her family of Cody’s visit and spend her last hours enjoying her family’s company.

Upon Returning to Equestria Kelly get a knock on the door of her temporary home.

“Who could it be now?” Kelly mumbles going for the door with Sumac walking over to join Kelly at the entrance.

“Nigel it’s good to see yah.” Apple Bloom cheerfully greets leading a crowd of other fillies behind her. “Come with us to the library you helped as much as anypony. Twilight is waiting.”

“What do mean Apple Bloom? I last saw you when you wanted to catch that gray cap.” Kelly replies shocked.

“Precisely if not for you ah would not have gotten interested in that statue thing. We all restored that place and now we getting published for its discovery.” Apple Bloom remarks to the cheers of the others. 

“CMC Archeologists, yeah!” the fillies all cheered.

Nigel at the continued insistence of the kids went to the Library where Twilight, the mayor and even Princess Trixie were all waiting for them. Kelly got to look at the thick brown book that logged the fillies work from simple clean up to the restoration of a second statue guard by Twilight and Sweety Bell to finally the opening of a magically revealed chest. It was a lost Landstalker statue puzzle that the kids fixed and solved and Nigel had made it possible.

“You’re the last one we need to photograph Nigel in cataloging this accomplishment.” Twilight Sparkle says smiling.

“That’s your cue to smile for the camera.” Princess Trixie adds right as Nigel looks over to see the camera pony and catches the flash.

In the Ponyville Town hall sits a gold statuette identified as the ‘Statue of Jypta’ next to the filly authored archeological dig record book.
> Chapter 15_Aurora Borealis of The Campfire Smoke (O&O) – The Party Assenblers.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 15_Aurora Borealis of The Campfire Smoke (O&O) – The Party Assembles.

Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and their recent acquaintance Gilda, having just finished cleaning off a table in the Ponyville Library; prepare to open a recently arrived package.

“So that dweeby comic shop sent you a raffle prize?” Gilda playfully chides.

“Yeah the ticket was free if your purchase was more than 20 bits. I got some new Ogres and Oubliettes modules and two figures and the shop keep put in a ticket for me.” Spike replied cheerfully before glancing at Gilda and smirking. “Oh Parasprite chieftain.”

Gilda blushes with embarassment.

“Ritual Dancers can be very random when they fail a routine but you can’t deny the fun it brings.” Twilight adds giving Gilda a friendly poke with a hoof. “They did prove useful.”

Poking a claw tip into the package paper Spike opens it up his prize.

The first items were a finely painted GM screen featuring Spike’s Ogres and Oblates persona Garbuncle and an enameled gold ring. When Spike puts on the ring the Garbuncle image on the GM screen would copy his moves. 

“That’s so sweet!” Spike cheers rolling some dice and watching illusory dice role with the real ones.

“Oh Spike there’s more here.” Twilight exclaims surprised pulling out a book with a letter on it. ”Aurora Borealis of the Campfire Smoke… Is this some kind of new Ogres and Oblates module?”

“Check the letter.” Spike replies.

---

Congratulations Spike on winning 2nd place in the raffle.

I’ve included this new product for your gaming experience.

It uses a magic registry system that lets you homebrew your own races and items just add art and a brief history.

I did one race for you based on your Squizard villain and the tales you’ve told me. It even lets you take everyday knickknacks and converts them into items using the same system so I just picked a few things that were collecting dust and let the book randomize the item traits.

Don’t worry about any dangerous magic side effects from playing this gift. All the mechanics of the game and the enchants on the tome are certified safe by the Royal Academy of Canterlot Magic and has all the safety spell triggers to end the game if play gets too intense. 

I hope you give it a try and have fun.

---

“All this was the second place prize. You got some mad dweeb loot.” Gilda remarks ruffling Spike’s head spikes. “I’m impressed. You sort of got published.”

Spike giggles with delight.

“We will have to ask around for players to do this module…” Twilight add skimming page four of the instructions. “Some of these battles can have a small army of mooks to deal with.”

“Hello. Is the library open?” Nigel asks as the door’s bell rings at his arrival, and with a timber wolf pup in tow.

“Oh look our first victims.” Gilda whistles tilting her head Nigel’s way.

Hazel Leaf took only a brief glance at the library’s guests before seemingly deciding to talk to the greater tree that house the library itself.

“Shush!” Twilight chides the gryphen hen. “We just had a delivery we we’re excited about. It even has promise as a new feature during the quieter period of the day. ”

“Really like what kind of new feature?” Nigel replied stopping before the group.

“A high noon game bash.” Spike replies.

“But won’t games be distracting for the other patrons. Not many libraries at home let games in if they could be loud.” Nigel replies looking around.

“No worries I already have some semi-private rooms as is, and this game has taken noise concerns into consideration.” Twilight giggles with Spike and Gilda joining in.

“Sound interesting what’s it called?” Nigel replies intriguing even Hazel leaf.

“It’s named Aurora Borealis of the Campfire Smoke. It’s quite a beak full to say tough if you ask me.” Gilda adds gesturing her wing for the visitors to come over.

“Check this out it’s the intro page for the Squizard’s faction.” Spike cheers awe struck.

“Wait is that a custom faction? Did you make this?” Nigel asks suddenly cheerful.

“The shop owner did it for me as part of the prize. Let’s see…” Spike continued flipping to the index. “Here are the instructions for adding more. How about this? We’re looking for some extra players and since you’re here how about you create one for a trial game. Same thing for you two, care to contribute?”

“Wicked idea dweeb why not? How about we do this in two weeks?” Gilda add clenching a claw.

“Sure as long as I’m not busy I’ll be there.” Nigel adds stoked. “Before I leave do you have the books on useful handicrafts and The Culinary Wonders Cookbook.”

With a Smile, Twilight uses her magic to stamp the library cards of the books and levitates them and the game supplement sheets over to Nigel. Nigel shakes the hooves and claws of the new gaming group and wave goodbye as he and Hazel leaf exit.

Heading into the market square Nigel and Hazel Leaf notices a human couple turn to them and wave them over. The sight of the couple shocked the elf as they hurried over to the pair.

“Excuse us sir I think we’re being followed. Can you please lead us to the town hall?” The husband asks out stretching his wedding band adorned hand as the pair stop to catch their breath in front of Nigel. 

“We’ve been trying to get directions but none of the ponies will talk to us for more than a word before getting spooked by someone behind us.” The wife adds wide eyed. “We keep looking around but we don’t see the culprit.”

“We only arrived 40 minutes ago on a Tourist Visa can you help us?” The husband adds showing his documents to the elf.

Nigel skims the paperwork and notices the red head and blond mane of Big Macintosh peak from an alley one block away.

“Yeah I can lead you to the Mayor’s office. They should be able to process you there.” Nigel replies courteously to the couple before whispering barks to Hazel Leaf. “The Apple clan stallion is stalking us Hazel. Scratch an ear if he gets into ready pounce range.”

Hazel Leaf gives a quiet chuff of a bark signaling that she understands and is ready.

“So tell me you doing your honeymoon here?” Nigel asks trying to break the ice.

“Yes… How did…” The wife replies startled.

“It’s your wedding bands, hard to miss the newly minted shine. I can think of one pony who might literally jump out of nowhere for the chance to help you celebrate.” Nigel adds flashing a soft smile.

“We had not planned on getting an event planner…” The husband adds. “But it would be nice to find romantic spots.”

“I’m sure once we sort you two out you’ll get plenty of suggestions.” Nigel replies waving toward a cream colored cottage that the mayor lives in. Nigel knocks on the door before opening it up for the couple to enter. “Newlyweds first.”

Inside the mayor’s office the group is greeted by the mayor as she is sending her secretary home. The couple hand over their documents and the mayor immediately open a filing cabinet and motions for them follow her into her office.

Nigel pulls out the monster faction sheets and begins filling in some of the information to pass the time.

Picking the name DaVinchi’s Fauna, Nigel recalled a news story of wooden sculptures that moved with a combination the power of wind catching canvas sails and it skeleton of linked wooden rods. He could not remember the artist of these walking machines but they looked like Chinese New Year decorations if they were unpainted.

The comparison gave him the inspiration to combine the two observations. Their history would be that a long dead family created the DaVichi Fauna as caretakers and protectors of their lush garden estate and as replacements for natural animals. This family had been too good in their craft but was undone by lack of respect for the life they made for novelty.

He began to sketch a kite like animal contraption when Hazel Leaf scratched an ear interrupting his train of though. Nigel put the game sheets away as Big Mac enters.

“That was clever kid, here to collect you a bounty?” Big Mac remarks with a snort. 

“Nope.” Nigel replied.

“You should because you ain’t making this a trend.” Big Mac replies red faced. “I’m Ponyville’s best bounty hunter and aim to keep it that way.”

As Big Mac left Nigel couldn’t help feel a little pride in ruffling the stallion. Shortly after the conversation from the mayor’s office caught Nigel’s attention.

“Your all set and don’t worry about your honeymoon getting ruined by it becoming too crowded. Our resident party planner advertises private intimate gatherings alongside grand celebrations.” The mayor cheerily comments giving the couple their tourist visas. “Enjoy your stay Mr. and Ms. Miller.”

“Thank you Ms. Mayor.” Mr. Miller replies. Turning to Nigel and offers is hand to shake addressing the elf. “Thank you for bringing us over here. I’m John and my wife is Lisa.”

“On this side I go by Nigel, but my real name is Kelly.” Nigel replies shaking John’s hand. “I don’t know how long you’ll be here but barring some emergency I’ll be at the tree library from before.”

“Emergency? What kind of emergencies are you talking about?” Lisa asks curiously.

“The easiest way to explain it is it is like being deployed. Only it wasn’t the government that drafted me. I can’t provide many details beyond that because some details are top secret and others will catch me by surprise no different from everyone else.” Nigel replies. “But it does involve a lot of boredom.”

“That reminds me of my dad, he’s in the navy as part of flight deck crew.” Lisa adds with a smile. “Boredom is one of his biggest headaches.”

“Well we will keep an eye out for you and thanks for the invitation.” John adds. “Good bye for now Nigel.”

“Enjoy your honeymoon and good bye for now.” Nigel replies waving the couple off. “let’s go home Hazel Leaf.”

The next two weeks seemed to fly by for Nigel. 

Going on hunts with Sumac and Hazel Leaf were becoming less and less of a dreaded chore. He would get a share of the meat which he would need to clean and preserve putting the handicrafts book and cookbook to good use.

Hazel Leaf struck up a weird friendship with Apple Bloom’s mushroom monsters and Nigel confirmed the filly was more than just a monster tamer protecting her farm. That filly had strange tastes.

Absent of incursions by any displaced or plane hopping criminals, Nigel finished the sketches on the DaVinchi Fauna with the remainder of his free time.

The game day soon arrived.

“Alright dweebs this a smoking turn out.” Gilda chirps starry eyed wearing a beaded and braided lion’s mane, and several ornately decorated armbands.

“Nigel you made it as well?!” Spike dressed in a well made wizard costume covered in magic circles adds shocked but ecstatic.

“Yeah…” Nigel begins a little nervous.

“He’s not the only one.” John adds walking in behind Nigel’s group.

“John, Lisa how was the Honeymoon?” Nigel asks with a smile shaking the couple’s hands. ”Are you two gaming or watching?”

“Just watching this time, we’ve had a real splendid and eventful couple weeks.” Lisa replies.

“Attention Ogres & Oubliettes competitors and guests. Today we’ll be testing a different system that was gifted to Grand Wizard Garbuncle…” Twilight announces striking a small drum saddle she wore and pointing to a bowing Spike. “This system accepts custom nations as opposing factions for the heroes to contend with, our other heroes for the session have written one for this special debut of Aurora Borealis of The Campfire Smoke. Please hand in your faction sheets now.”

“We will also be employing a Divining Diorama Spell that will let the audience watch our adventure from the comfort of the library seats.” Spike in his Garbncle voice adds. “It shall be a grand adventure.”

Joining Spikes’s Squizard Faction and Nigel’s DaVinchi Fauna were the factions of the Neglected Chronicle and Seed Rancher Spiders.

The Neglected Chronicle faction, made by Gilda; tragically was born of abandoned historical testaments and records. Their forms depended on the medium the lost record captured in from living tapestry images to motes of mad oratories of dead folk song.

The Seed Rancher Spiders faction, made by Twilight; had a very Druid like aesthetic. The armor they wore appeared to be made from magic gleaming bark, pine cones, and or moss. Their martial weapons included oversized potted roses as thorny Halberds or Briar clusters as flails. This faction’s dream is simply to establish a new homeland.

“Let’s hear a roll call for our heroes. I’m Drum Priestess Tremor Song.” Twilight announces playing a soft beat on her drum saddle.

“Yodel Yell, of the Rockslide. Ancestral Lore Keeper Barbarian of the Shifting Cliffs Clan.” Gilda adds with an operatic flare and flexing a muscled claw.

“Land Stalker Nigel.” Nigel adds as Hazel leaf springs up next to the elf with Sumac in fairy form getting tossed upwards off the wood pups head.

“Garbuncle, the Grand Wizard of Spiketopia.” Spike concludes putting on his ring and letting his GM screen double toss an illusory flower bouquet. “Now bear witness to another tale of Heroism.”

As Spikes final words were spoken the four players touched the board and vanished. The Diorama lights up with a Magical glow and creates a scene of a sheltered grassy coastline with a sailed ship anchored a short way off. An unfamiliar narrator begins speaking.

“In the many years following the Squizard’s banishment from Spiketopia, Grand Wizard Garbuncle and his ally Drum Priestess Tremor Song find themselves arriving on the shores of Solemn Seasons. She is a land that confounds nature’s normal cycles as the seasons blend together and an eternal mist carpets her grounds.” The narrator speaks. “It rumored a powerful artifact called the Tiger Ivory Moai is what holds the land of Solemn Seasons to its curse.”

“Solemn Seasons sounds more like a pony name than one for mysterious land.” Garbuncle muses aloud.

“Are you saying ponies name themselves after what their destined interests are?” Tremor Song replies sarcastically.

“I… take it back. So you got any idea where the others are?” Garbuncle replies with a gulp of shame.

“Don’t know we likely must recruit them along the way.” Tremor Song replies shrugging.

Coming out of a nearby misty forest was a pair of mono-chrome butterfly kites grasping red yo-yos and a wasp kite with bottle rocket launcher instead of a stinger. The DaVinchi Fauna flyers turn toward the new arrivals of Garbuncle and Tremor Song intent on battle.

The scene of the upcoming battle pauses to switch to a pair of other locations.

In the first new scene we see Yodel Yell was flying into a clearing at the misty forest’s edge far from the coast, a large, colorfully decorated memorial catching the griffin’s eye as she lands.  

“Whatever rich dweeb… Oh right let’s start again.” Yodel Yell begins to say only to face palm. Pulling in a deep breath and kneeling she whispers to the grave. “Honored Ancestor of another’s clan grant me permission to pay my respect to you on the bed of your long rest.” 

“Gentle winds rise up from the surrounding around the pilgrim griffin and flow across the memorial beckoning her to join its song.” The unnamed narrator announces.

“Sing…” Yodel Yell chirps suddenly shy.

“If you will please, grace us with your divas voice.” The narrator replies.

With flushed cheeks Yodel Yell pulls in a long breath and begins to sing in harmony with the memorial’s tune as the scene freezes. 

“Our last scene opens with the eyes of our last hero; he is deep in the misty forest at a crossroads only just still visible thru the underbrush. A light song on the wind having roused him from an unexpected sleep, Nigel begins to take stock of his situation” The narrator announces.

“Unexpected sleep huh, well thank you kind voice for waking me with a song and not a princess.” Nigel politely replies.

“You’re welcome.” The narrator whisper announces making Nigel sincerely smile.

Nigel’s smile almost vanishes as he makes to stand.

“Different body again…” Nigel adds with a sigh and turning to look at himself. “So they did end up with me in a way. I’m a bit like a winged centaur… with a muzzle.”

“Okay finding the rest of the party and figuring out my limbs should be my first to do things.” Nigel continues having finished standing. “Folklore Killer set arming for Investigation Mode.”

Nigel’s AR Glasses wink into existence on his head from an indigo light. The dark forest becomes illuminated by a light amplification effect as our hero looks around. Following the HUD Nigel finds a white ribbon with blue symbols still attached to a broken wooden rod. Opposite the break is a green egg shaped gem. 

“A clue… Investigation action: Log signature.” Nigel whispers into the microphone, the HUD info updates to show the object as recorded for tracking. As soon as the screen cleared Nigel’s ears and the HUD register a phantom voice like sound joining the background symphony of the winds. “Left on this fork of the road then, lets rejoin the others.”

Back in the library the O&O guests as well the newlyweds waited with anticipation for the game’s first move in response to our heroes.