Equestria in Conflict - Discovering Home

Twilight woke up slowly, her dreamless sleep fading away quickly. She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her hooves, ready to begin another day in the war. But, too her surprise, she was sleeping on a massive couch. She looked around for a moment, at the gilded room surrounding her, before facehoofing. She wasn’t on Earth anymore. She was home.

Looking around the couch, she saw the forms of the humans and several ponies around it. After everyone – and everypony - had left the room, they had all migrated to an area set aside for their group, each cluster of people and ponies claiming up a space. John and Wesley were both sleeping on the floor, with Rainbow Dash curled up next to Anton halfway across the room. Fluttershy and Twilight’s other friends were all together, sleeping on a small spread-out blanket.

Slowly, everyone began to wake up, slowly picking themselves up and standing. Idle chatter flowed between the groups.

John was completely awake now. The white unicorn, Rarity, slowly walked up to him, staring at his clothes.

“Why are you even in these… rags?” She asked.

“They are a uniform.” John responded. “They aren’t meant to be fashionable, they are meant to blend in to a surrounding forest, and protect me. They fulfill that function perfectly well, thank you.”

Rarity persisted. “You must have a need for other clothes, after all.”

John gestured towards his duffle bag, which he had picked up and slung across his back. “I have all that I need in here. Why don’t you talk to your other friends? Surely Twilight could use your company.”

Rarity huffed and walked away, with John sporting a small grin after the encounter.

Twilight watched Rarity walk up, apparently pissed off at something – or someone, as she noticed John grinning in the background.

“Twilight, dear.” Rarity said. “I don’t know how you can find friendship among these… Creatures.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Listen, Rarity. You don’t know the half of what we have been through together. I have watched friends of theirs – and mine – die in front of us, and we have all gone through the fighting the only way we can: Together. If you don’t respect our bonds of friendship, that is fine with me, just don’t go around calling them ‘monsters’ or ‘creatures’. They have names, you know, and they happen to be MY friends. Got it?”

Twilight hated being so direct with her friends, but she needed to get the point across to Rarity, whom, she knew, was extremely stubborn, however generous she was. She saw Rarity’s eyes widen, and then narrow.

“I thought we had an understanding, Twilight? You should know that only monsters would ever wage war, and therefore they are monsters. They don’t even deserve names!”

“You must be deaf, Rarity. They were the ones who invaded, and they were fighting to protect their country, like we did against the Changeling invasion. Can’t you see it? You’re being a major bigot right now, and you should give it some thought. Now, please go way, I doubt you have anything more to say after all.”

Rarity stomped away, leaving Twilight behind. Twilight was sad to see her friends forming lines like this, but she knew that Rarity would eventually warm up to them. She had to, right?

Wesley watched the exchange from afar with a grim face. Sure enough, the first opponents of their presence here were forming ranks. It would be a long fight, but Wesley knew they would win over the ponies eventually. Not all of them would act like Rarity, at least he hoped.

Pinkie Pie walked up to Wesley with a serious express. Her mane was back to normal, but she didn’t seem to radiate the same aura of randomness right now.

“For what it’s worth,” She said, “You have my sympathy. I know what you have gone through. You should know about how, right?” He nodded, aware of her constant breaking of the 4th wall, as well as Twilight’s failures in fighting out how – Twilight had told him it all when they were retreating from Pinewood Valley. Suddenly, he was aware that Pinkie was back to normal, at least, as normal as she could be. “Then you should know that the best way to get more ponies to like you is to have a super-duper big party! I’ll set it up once we get to… Wherever we are going!”

Wesley watched as she bounced off, defying the laws of physics with each consecutive jump. He shook his head, slightly amused with the conversation.

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a light blue pony with a suit on. Why he needed clothes, Wesley couldn’t figure out, since no other pony he had seen seemed to wear them. Probably a servant of some sort, then.

He cleared his throat, gaining their attention. “The Princesses cordially invite you to an early morning breakfast, along with your… Friends.” He quickly walked out, apparently doing his best to stay calm when confronted by three unknown creatures and the Elements of Harmony.

John smirked a bit, before motioning for Wesley and the others. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash quickly responded, moving quickly to join them, with Anton following a split-second behind. Together, they walked out the door, with Twilight leading the way. The other ponies trailed behind, apparently unsure of what to make of the display. Applejack quickly left them and trotted up, forming their own group.

“Howdy, John.” She said, apparently in a good mood this morning. “How are ya’ll doing?”

“Good enough, at least.” John responded, earning chuckles from Wesley and Rainbow.

Wesley looked to his left, looking at the Russian, Anton.

“Hey, Anton.” He said, causing the Russian pilot to glance over. “Mind telling me how you and Rainbow met?”

“She blew up my airplane.” Anton responded with a smirk, “And then, when I ejected, she dragged me over the American lines. That’s the story of how we met.”

“How’d you get to know English?”

“Four years at Kiev University and five months of talking to Rainbow Dash tend to sharpen you language skills.” He replied, his accept showing through at only one or two words.

“Then,” Rainbow said, picking up the story, “After I dragged him over American lines, and after the battle, we got to talking. We had flying in common, anyway, even if he used a machine to do it for him.” He gave her a look. “Don’t give me that! At least I can fly!” She said, sticking her tongue out at him, causing both Wesley and Anton to laugh.

“Anyway, we talked and talked, and over five months it developed into friendship.” She said.

The rest of the walk went in silence, the other ponies eventually catching up to the group. It seemed, Twilight thought, that there was a line between them now – the people (and ponies} who were in the fight, and the ponies who were not. She didn’t want it this way, but she was sure that, in the end, they would be brought back together. They always were.

They reached the dining hall within five minutes, entering to see Celestia and Luna assembled with the Canterlot nobles.

“Ah, here they are.” Celestia said. “Nobles, please welcome the Elements of Harmony, and my personal friends John, Wesley, and Anton.”

“What are they?” One of them, a white unicorn with a blond mane, asked Celestia, fear obvious in his eyes.

“Blueblood, they are Humans, and you WILL treat them with respect. A full story will be given at some point, but until them, treat them as you would the Elements.” Celestia said coldly.

The humans and ponies sat down in spots next to the Princesses. Anton managed to find a seat next to Princess Luna, practically the only one left at the table. As the meal progressed, completely silent, Anton was slightly unnerved by the stares he was getting, especially from a certain white and blond unicorn.

“Excuse me,” He said, directly his attention to Blueblood, “But why do you keep continually staring at me? It is slightly unnerving, and we would be grateful if you would stop.”

“And why should I stop, beast?” Blueblood replied.

“For one, I am not a beast, and I do have a name. It is Anton, and you will use it if you expect to this conversation to be civil, as you should. For my second point, it is impolite to stare. Nobility should know that.” There were snickers around the table at this. Apparently, Blueblood must not have many friends. “And for my third and final point, I am a close friend of several ponies at this table who would love nothing more than to see me use my military training on you.”

The tables were mostly silent after that last remark, save for some laughing from several ponies at Bluebloods expense. Flustered, he jumped up and ran out of the hall, quickly making his exit.

“Thank god,” John said, “I thought that guy would never stop staring. Thanks, Anton. You’re OK, for a Russian.”

“My pleasure, American.” The Russian in question replied, causing another round of giggles at the table.

After a short break, where John ate pancakes until he was sure he was going to burst, they finally finished. Sitting up, John looked over at Celestia.

“What’s next on the schedule, Celestia?”

Several nobles glared at him for referring to her so casually, but he simply stared back at them, causing them to flinch. Smiling at his victory, he turned his attention back to Celestia.

Luna spoke up. “John, we both have decided the daily plan. John, Wesley, and Anton will brief the guards on the training grounds over military subjects. Twilight, you and the other Elements will return to Ponyville. John and the others will join you as soon as they are through.”

Celestia was next. “Wesley, John, Anton, each of you will be made a member of the Equestria military, with your permission.” They nodded. “Good. Your base salary will be 46,000 bits per year. I have studied the currencies in your world, and that would be equivalent to around 80,000 of your American money.

“A house will be provided in Ponyville for each of you. They are situated right next to one another, so you do not have to worry about being kept far from one another. That said, because of your association with the Equestrian military, we expect you to be able to help defend out kingdom in times of trouble.

“Is everything satisfactory?” She finished.

“Perfectly, ma’am.” John said.

Wesley did a small salute. “Just fine for me.”

“And I am content.” Anton finished.

Celestia smiled. “Perfect. Twilight, you know the way to the train station. John, Wesley, and Anton, you follow Shining Armor. He will lead you to the main guard training area. Good day.”

They each split up into their groups, with the ponies going towards the train station and the humans heading towards the door. Outside of it, Shining Armor waited.

“You’re here? Good, now follow me and try to keep up.” With that, Shining started to run down the hallways. What was a run for him, however, was only a jog for the humans.

When they arrived at the training area, five minutes later, Shining armor was panting. He looked over, expecting to find the humans dying of exhaustion, only to see them hardly fazed. They were only breathing slightly faster, but other than that, nothing betrayed any signs of exhaustion.

“How… Are you not… Tired?” Shining slowly put out.

John replied first. “Eight months of intense training and six months of combat build you up. I expect that you don’t have to walk dozens of miles at a stretch, or run six?” He shook his head. “There you go.”

Shining took a longer look at the humans. They were obviously tougher than he expected. “Very well, follow me to the training area.” They emerged quickly into a large courtyard, where various ponies were engaging in different drills. To their left, various unicorns were shooting small combat spells at metal targets. Pegasi and Earth ponies were conducting various types of fighting in front of them. All of this stopped the moment they entered.

“Attention!” Shining yelled. “These are the ‘Humans’ that arrived early last night. For those of you who have their heads stuck up their flanks, they arrived here last night in the company of Celestia and Luna. While the specifics will be released soon, we know they are a part of their country’s military. We will be questioning them today on what they know, and they will give us a demonstration of a new weapon. Clear?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” They all replied in unison.

John stepped forward. “Alright, any questions?”

One of the pegasi raised their hoof, and John pointed to him. “Have you ever fought in a battle?

John nodded. “We’ve been fighting a war for the past six months. So, yes, we have fought. Except for Anton there, he flew a jet.”

“What’s a jet?”

“An artificial flying machine made out of metal. Since we cannot fly, we build machines to do so, armed with projectile weapons and explosives. Some can break the speed of sound, and we battle using them.”

Anton stepped forward. “I flew a Su-25, a ground-attack aircraft. It was armed with explosives rockets and bombs, as well as an advanced version of what we are about to show you.”

The ponies leaned forward in interest, waiting to see what they would show.

“Shining,” Wesley said, “Can you move a large wooden target in front of one of the metal ones?”

Shining nodded, and concentrated his magic. A wooden target three inches thick was moved in front of one of them. Wesley walked twenty feet away from it, his Sa-58 cradled in his arms.

“What you are about to see,” Wesley said, “Is a gun. It’s the primary weapon of choice on our planet. This particular gun is called a rifle, or more specifically the Sa-58. This is what it does.” And with that, Wesley raised it up, flicked off the safety, and fired one round at the target. The bullet hit dead-on, quickly blowing through the wood to leave a large dent in the metal on the other side.

Shining and the other ponies gaped at it. There was a one-inch wide hole in the wood, as well as splintering around it, plus a dent in the thick metal behind it.

“H- How?” Shining finally managed to blurt out.

Wesley jumped into science mode. “A firing pin inside of the gun strikes a bullet. This,” He said, pulling the clip of his rifle out, slinging the rifle, and pulling a bullet out of the magazine, “Is a bullet. The firing pin strikes a primer, which detonated gunpowder inside of it. This sends the bullet flying out of the muzzle of the gun at speeds that can go past the speed of sound. The casing of the bullet is ejected. The bullet strikes a target with large kinetic force. That explain it to you?”

Dead silence filled the area. Finally, John spoke.

“Any other questions?”

A mare guard in back raised her hand. John pointed towards her.

“You.” He said.

“When will we get our own guns?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will we ever get our own guns?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will you give us your gun?”

“No. And no for every other question you will ask next. Any others?”

Nobody spoke, so John assumed this was over. “Shining, are we done?”

Shining took a moment to collect himself before replying. “Yes. We’re going to get you down to the train station pretty quickly here, so we don’t miss it. Just ignore any stares and you should be fine.”

The group quickly walked through the halls, their duffle bags continually shifting on their backs. They formed up right before exiting through the gate to gather guards together.

“Ok, listen up.” Shining said to the guards. “Priority is to get the humans on the train with minimal fuss. The conductor has been notified, so we won’t have difficulties. Now get moving.”

The large gates slowly opened, letting them out into the city. The three humans stood in a circle of guards, every single pony’s eyes turning towards them. As they walked towards the train station, they drew plenty of stares. John was uncomfortable with them, but he assumed he didn’t have to like it.

They quickly reached the train station and entered their assigned car. Unsurprisingly, it was empty. Shining bid them farewell at this point, and led the guards back to the castle. Inside of the car, Wesley, John, and Anton settled down for the ride.

Half an hour later, the wheels screeched as they slowed down. John looked out the window to see a sign flash past that said ‘Welcome to Ponyville’.

“We’re here.” He said to the others.

It was about noon here, and they quickly exited the train. Rainbow and Twilight were there waiting for them.

“There you are!” Twilight said. “We’ve already announced your coming to Ponyville, so you shouldn’t get that many looks. We’re going to show you your house, and then you are free to do whatever you want with the day.”

“Sounds good to me.” Wesley said.

“Then let’s go!” Rainbow Dash impatiently added, grabbing onto Anton. “Hold on!”

She quickly lifted off into the air, dragging a slightly stunned Anton with her. John watched in amusement as she settled down several blocks away.

“What are we waiting for?” Wesley said, starting them off. They quickly walked through town, drawing a few stares, but even more looks of either curiosity or hostility, with curiosity being dominant.

Several minutes later, they finally reached the housed. They were near the edge of Ponyville, side-by-side. Each seemed to have been built VERY recently, so John just assumed that Celestia had ordered the houses specially constructed for them. The houses were on the left side of the street, the side, oriented towards Canterlot at north, with the doors facing south. Wesley had the house in the middle, with john having the one of the right, and Anton the one on the left.

“Well, here are your homes. Have a nice day, guys!” Twilight said, turning around and heading towards the library. Needless to say, her homecoming would be eventful. She hadn’t even had time to greet Spike yet, or visit the library. She quickly ran to it and threw open the door. Spike was there, standing in the center of the room.

“Spike! Did you get the letter from Princess Celestia?” She asked.

“Yeah, I did. Did you really right in a war?” He asked.

“I did!” She said, embracing him in a hug. “And it’s good to see you again! Apparently, four hours here was six months there, so I feel like I’ve been gone forever!”

Back at the houses, John was exploring his. He had already tested it, and apparently, the lights, the sinks, and everything else worked. Why they had both electricity and running water here, when the entire place looked like it was out of the Middle Ages, he didn’t know, but he didn’t presume to question it. Lying down on a nice, comfy bed, he quickly took off his clothes and went into a long, deep sleep, finally glad to be on a real bed for the first time in half a year.

Wesley had quickly went through his house and found everything in order. He, too, made a beeline for the bed, but for a different reason. Taking a book out of his duffle bag, he quickly absorbed himself, feeling safe for the first time in months.

Anton was racing his friend Rainbow Dash down an empty road, kicking up dust with every step. HE had said ground only, and she had grudgingly agreed. Suddenly, she shot past him, taking the finish line by two feet. Coming to a stop, he and she both panted from the effort.

“Ok… That’s the last time we race each other across the width of Ponyville, forward and back.” She said.

Anton smiled. Here he was, far away from any war, and in a new land with the only friend he had left.

He was finally happy.

And he was home.