Astral Aegis

Chapters

Chapter II: Questions
Chapter III: Cute-ceañera
Chapter IV: Alien
Chapter V: Diamond
Chapter VI: Teleportation
Chapter VII: Lyra
Chapter IX: Recruits
Chapter X: Interviews
Chapter XI: Rocks
Chapter XII: Canterlot
Chapter XIII: Containers
Chapter XIV: Blueblood
Chapter XV: Trip
Chapter XVI: Bones
Chapter XVII: Mission
Chapter XVIII: Mirror
Chapter XIX: Growth
Chapter XX: Maralus
Chapter XXI: Yticalnizk
Chapter XXII: Xartik
Chapter XXIV: Dream
Chapter XXV: Rant
Chapter XXVI: Demonstration
Chapter XXVII: Robots
Chapter XXVIII: Maud
Chapter XXIX: Session
Chapter XXX: Birthday
Interlude I: Winter
Chapter XXXI: Change
Chapter XXXII: Changelings
Chapter XXXIII: Chance
Chapter XXXIV: Chrysalis
Chapter XXXV: Biology
Chapter XXXVI: Project
Chapter XXXVII: Equality
Chapter XXXVIII: Supervision
Chapter XXXIX: Complaints
Chapter XL: Politics
Chapter XLII: Preparations
Chapter XLIII: Pinkie
Chapter XLIV: Yaks
Chapter XLV: Nightmare
Chapter XLVI: Creature
Chapter XLVII: Imprint
Chapter XLVIII: Portals
Chapter XLIX: Field
Chapter L: Expectations
Chapter LI: Hearth's Warming Eve
Chapter LII: Hearth's Warming
Chapter LIII: Scapegoat
Chapter LIV: Tear
Chapter LV: Sunset
Chapter LVI: Aegis
Chapter LVII: World
Chapter LVIII: Colony (unedited)
Interlude II: Plots
Chapter LIX: Communication (unedited)
Chapter LX: Disguise (unedited)
Chapter LXI: Hobby (unedited)
Chapter LXII: Land (unedited)
Chapter LXIII: Destiny (unedited)
Chapter LXIV: Disturbance (unedited)
Chapter LXV: Contact (unedited)
Chapter I: Reveal
Chapter VIII: Plans
Chapter XXIII: Chase
Chapter XLI: Ambassador

Chapter II: Questions

Sweet Celestia, I hope my ears aren't bleeding, I thought to myself as I felt my ears ringing after Pinkie's scream. It was so loud that I was even willing to bet that everypony in Ponyville felt it. To make things worse, Pinkie was running her mouth off still. That until she suddenly vanished, not even leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. All the while I just sat there blinking until the ringing in my ears slowly faded away.

"Did... anypony hear what Pinkie said after she screamed?" I asked as I looked at Twilight and Fluttershy, only to see them rubbing a hoof against their ears as well.

"Sorry... I didn't hear a thing..." Fluttershy answered.

"No... though I never thought Pinkie could be that loud," Twilight replied.

"...Should I scared then of what Pinkie might do?" I asked as various scenarios went through my mind.

"What could Pinkie do that you would be scared of?"

"Well, she... has a kind of devotion to parties that few ponies have... and since she screamed that loud..." I answered as I waved a hoof around inviting speculation.

"I see your point, but I'm sure Pinkie wouldn't do anything to hurt yo—"

"She nearly choked me to death a while ago."

"...to hurt you on purpose."

Sighing, I replied, "I know... just, we both know how carried away she can be... and remember when she planned on giving me a birthday party that is like fourteen of them combined? That alone sounds like it could be massive... but if she plans on a party to make up for my entire former life..."

Twilight was about to respond when she stopped herself, her face taking on a contemplative look. "You have a point there, but something like this occurred during Rainbow's birth-iversary party. I'm confidant that Pinkie won't do anything over the top to you."

"I'll take your word for it then... though I would feel better if somepony kept an eye on her. I have a distinct feeling that I may be shot out of her party cannon tomorrow."

"Umm... well Fluttershy, can you go check on Pinkie to make sure she doesn't go overboard?" Twilight asked.

"Try to get Rainbow to help you, you might need her speed," I dryly commented.

Fluttershy looked nervous, probably due to having to deal with a crazier than normal Pinkie, but she replied, "I... I'll try."

As Fluttershy took off, I realized that this meant that I was alone with Twilight. Turning my head towards her, I saw that Twilight already knew that I would figure this out as she gave me a sheepish smile. I sighed, "Fine, teleport us to the library."

"Eeee!" Twilight squealed to my discomfort as we were engulf in a flash of light, appearing in the library where I spotted Spike sweeping the floor.

At our appearance he instantly dropped the broom while giving us a look of relief as he said, "Twilight! You're al...right?" His look of relief turned to confusion as we both watched Twilight quickly move around the library, grabbing various quills, scrolls and notepads for the upcoming questioning. "Aether, is this related to your culture?"

"That and more. You might want to take a seat for this, for what you will hear will be surprising, disturbing, and outright strange," I answered as I walked over to a table to wait for Twilight to be done.

"Umm... okay?" Spike said as he took a seat on the side.

"Though I will tell you something important first, but I want you to remain calm. I don't want you running off in a fright, fainting, or setting me on fire," I announced as I gave him a serious look.

"I don't think anything you can say can get me to freak out, and why would I set you on fire? We're friends Aether, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

I kept up my expression, remaining silent for a moment before I replied, "Spike, I'm an alien."

At first, Spike just stared at me. Then he started to laugh as he said, "That's a good one Aether." He continued to laugh until he finally noticed that I wasn't laughing with him. He looked at my face to see that I still held my serious look, which caused his eyes to widen as his breathing began to quicken. This led to me changing my look to a deadpan one, though after a moment his breathing slowed down as he began to calm down.

"Good... for a moment there I thought I was going to need to run into the kitchen sink," I dryly commented.

"Eh heh... sorry about that, but why did you think I would set you on fire?"

"Because I told the Crusaders about that truth earlier, and they panicked first before charging at me."

"Oh... wait. Does that mean my idea about aliens invading was true?"

"Eh, half true. More like aliens and alien stuff was accidentally showing up, though there might have been an alien invasion. Before you freak out though, that was prevented."

"That's... a relief? Wait, why didn't you tell anypony that you were an alien."

"No pony asked," I answered with a shrug, which Spike gave me a deadpan look in response.

"Okay... hey, if there are alien ponies, are there alien dragons too?"

"Um... I wasn't a pony before I... well appeared here Spike."

"Oh? Then what we—" Spike started to say before Twilight dropped a stack of notepads on the table, taking a seat across from me.

"Yes! You didn't tell anypony what you were before!" Twilight shrieked, her eyes showing her unrestrained excitement.

"So... I take it you want me to tell you what I looked like before..." I cautiously said, to which Twilight gave an excited nod in response. "So you want me to draw upon my memories of the species I belong to, one that is dying out. One that lost its world to interdimensional organizations, forced into the bottom of society. A species that lost all hope to survive."

As I said those words, Twilight's face became more and more downcast at each fact I brought up. After I finished, Twilight said, "Okay... you don't have to think about that... but can you still tell me other things about your past life?"

"Eh, sure. Just don't ask me about my past life for now. All I want to say about that is that for the last fourteen years, I ate paste and had a terrible job."

"Oka— wait. Can you tell me what that... 'paste' is made of?"

"No idea."

After a long pause, Twilight asked, "You... ate something that you had no idea what could be in it?"

"Yeah... but remember I was poor. So it was either paste or garbage."

Twilight suddenly turned a bit green, putting a hoof over her mouth to hold back her breakfast. "Um... could it be possible that... there was meat in the paste?"

Shrugging, I answered, "Maybe, maybe not. Depends if it was cheap enough for whoever made it to include meat."

Spike gagged a bit at what we were talking about, even sticking a finger into his mouth as some gesture that caused Twilight to say, "Spike, don't be rude." That caused me to chuckle, the other two looking at me in confusion.

"That wasn't rude to me Twilight. The paste tasted terrible, barely above the taste of rotten food. Anyway, Spike, feel free to do the sort of things you were doing. Odds are that you'll probably even show the feelings I had on that matter."

"Okay..." Twilight said, her face still a bit green. "But why would anypony let so many... species be so poor?"

"Cause the ponies on top don't give a... well they just don't care. I think they only see things for the money and see the poor as a cheap answer to some problems they have to deal with."

"But you mention probes... wouldn't it be cheaper to use probes than paying ponies per trip?"

"Probes are normally used for quick scans of a world, and aren't cheap to produce. Honestly... it's probably due to the public not being comfortable with just... hey Spike, mind getting me a glass of apple juice? My throat's a bit dry right now."

"Sure Aether," Spike replied as he got up and headed to the kitchen.

Once he's out of earshot, I quickly said in a low voice, "My thoughts are that the public don't like seeing species being randomly wiped out. It's something the Venanites do regularly and nopony wants to be associated with them. So instead they pull some news stuff as they take over worlds, taking over all the world's' resources while forcing natives onto terrible land they can't survive on. This forced them to change their ways, or fight back and get killed. Anyways, I think the organizations use the large labor pool of poor for dimensional exploration to get rid of us."

My suspicions caused Twilight to look at me with a hint of horror on her face as Spike made his return. Giving him my thanks for the drink, he took his seat as he gave Twilight a confused look. "Twilight, what's wrong?"

Shaking her head, Twilight put on a fake smile as she said, "Nothing Spike, nothing at all." Lighting her horn with her magic, she began to take notes, albeit with a grimace on her face. "You mention the 'Venanites' before, and by the sounds of it they are another species. Can you tell me about them?"

I gave Twilight a wary look before taking a deep breath. "Fine, you might as well know now since they might be relevant in the future. Though for our sake I hope that never comes to pass. Venanites... are true monsters. They have no remorse, no care, only hate. Whenever they appear on a world... it either takes the entire dimensional community to stop them, or the world is lost forever. What's worse... is that they spread through their bite. Once a pony is bitten by a Venanite, they turn into one. The process is very painful, to where it drives a pony insane to the point they are nothing more than a mindless animal once they fully become a Venanite."

"You mean they are like zombie ponies!" Spike shrieked in fear.

"Spike, there's not such things as zombie ponies," Twilight scolded.

"Um... what's a 'zombie' pony?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"They're ponies that walk around real slow, groaning and saying 'brains' as they hunt down ponies to eat their brains. The worst part is that when you get bitten by a zombie pony, you become one too!" Spike explained.

As Twilight facehoofed at Spike's explanation, I could only raised an eyebrow at the absurdity of it. "Okay... as weird as that sounds, you do have a point about the bite though."

"Wait, if the Venanites are feral, how could they know how to travel between dimensions?" Twilight asked.

"No idea, they just do it somehow. There are many ideas on that, like maybe there's smarter Venanites behind it, or maybe another species are using them, to even they just have some natural ability to do it. Nopony really knows much because we only got our hands on those that got turned into Venanites. Sorry Twilight, but beyond that they are an interdimensional menace, nopony knows much else about them."

"Okay..." Twilight said as she bit her lip in frustration from the lack of information. "Can you tell me about the other species that exist out there then?" Groaning to myself, I prepared myself to answer Twilight's questions. Though I had a feeling that I won't be able to satisfy her curiosity anytime soon.

This is going to be a long day...

Chapter III: Cute-ceañera

Twilight really needed to stop being so bucking obsessive, I thought to myself; heading home just as the sun was about to set. At first, I tried to explain the most common interdimensional species as best I could to Twilight. However, this didn't end well due to her desire for accurate statements. It started with her pulling out a dictionary that she used to give me a better vocabulary to work with, to insisting that I draw accurate diagrams of them that also included their anatomy. It was at that last part that I finally threw a book at her, though she caught it and gave me a crazed hungry look. At that point I asked her to get me some drawing utensils then if she wanted those pictures, only for me to start pelting her with books the moment she turned her back. Twilight was unable to stop my pelting when it consisted of pulling a book from a random spot each time so that Twilight had a hard time seeing where the books were coming from.

Eventually Twilight put a stop to my assault, but I quickly countered by declaring that if she didn't remain calm and collected she wouldn't get a single fact from me again. I also put in that I would be telling both Princess Luna and Celestia that she was going completely crazy over what I know. This led to her freaking out again and apologizing over and over for her actions until I had to shove a hoof into her mouth. I told her that we will continue this discussion another day, and that she should be ready for it instead of jumping on every little issue. Calming down an obsessive Twilight was draining, hence my mood was in the pits as I arrived home. I opened the door to suddenly see the Cakes springing to the front with wide smiles that I could tell were forced.

"...Pinkie told you two that I'm an alien, didn't she," I stated. Looking around quickly, I could see that the twins were nowhere near.

"Pinkie did, but we didn't believe it at first. But after hearing some stuff about you from her... we started to believe that she wasn't imagining things... and..." Mrs. Cake started to say before trailing off as her face became nervous.

"Let me guess, you think if I am an alien, I could be a danger to not only yourselves, but to the twins. So I'm going to settle a few things now I am an alien I'm not going to hurt either one of you two, nor the twins. If somepony is going get hurt, odds are it's going to be me," I calmly said before noting that I hadn't seen Pinkie yet. "Hey, where's Pinkie right now?"

"We don't know actually. After she told us about you being an alien, she just mentioned a party and disappeared. She wasn't here for longer than a few minutes," Mr. Cake answered.

"Okay... can we talk about this alien matter another day please? I just want to have dinner and go to bed. I had a long day and Pinkie is throwing this party for me to make up for... not having any parties when I was an alien due to how my past life was. So I'm getting a feeling that it's just going to be crazy, so I need all the rest I can get for that," I requested with a sigh.

Thankfully the Cakes fulfilled my request, but it may have been due to the realization that Pinkie may be throwing a massive party for me and that they may need to be ready for that as well. So, after a short dinner, I went straight to my room to collapse on my bed. I was tempted to barricade the window and door, but remembering the incident with the box I knew that it was pointless as I drifted off to sleep.

Once again, an old enemy brought me back to the waking world. Lying a foreleg over my eyes, I groaned in frustration from the rays of the sun once again landing on my closed eyes. "I wonder if the Cakes would let me board up the window," I grumbled as I turned my head away from the window. Letting out a yawn, I cracked my eyes open, only to see a pair of blue eyes staring right at me.

"Gah!" I shrieked as I swung a hoof at whoever had those eyes, only for them to suddenly dash away to reveal Pinkie’s smiling face.

"Good morning Aether!" Pinkie yelled with glee, as I spotted that she was wearing a party hat... and what looks to be a pair of green antenna.

"Pinkie, you remember that I don't like surprises... and what's with the green... thing on your head?"

"Well you're an alien so I thought to put something 'alien' on. Do you like it?" Pinkie said with a smile.

"...Let me guess, you think I had that in my former body," I dryly replied.

"You mean you don't have those?" Pinkie asked as her smile flattered a bit.

Facehoofing, I answered, "No Pinkie, I didn't have green... whatever that thing is called here. A few aliens might, but I didn't."

Grinning sheepishly, Pinkie tossed away the antenna as she grabbed me. "Time for you to enjoy your cute-ceañera!"

"Wait, I just wo—what are you doing‽" I squealed as Pinkie opened my window before jumping out, bringing me along for the ride. I shrieked in shock as we fell from the second story, landed on a trampoline, that caused us to—against all semblance of physics—bounce into the air even higher than before. At the height of the bounce, instead of falling we reached a mass of balloons. Poking my head out of the balloons, I spotted that they had somehow gotten tied to Pinkie's barrel as we floated towards the center of town.

As we glided through the air, I could only stare at Pinkie as I felt my left eye twitching constantly. She then looked down at me as she was about to say something, only to smile sheepishly as she saw my stare. "Too much surprise?" Pinkie asked, which only got my face to twitch as well.

"No, I think it's just the right amount of surprise," I dryly answered as I gritted my teeth in irritation. Before either one of us could say anything further, I felt us landing on something. Turning my head around, I s— Oh sweet Celestia that is a lot of ponies.

All around me, was a massive crowd of ponies that made me feel like everypony in town had showed up. Among them was also various party games, tables lined with food, and even a table stacked with presents. However, before I could say something, I saw everypony taking a deep breath. Oh no... I thought to myself as I folded my ears down before placing both hooves over them.

After the deafening roar of whatever the ponies yelled at me (who's suppose to be able to make out what is being said when you're in the center of yell done by everypony in town?), Pinkie started bringing me to everypony so they could give me their own congratulations personally. Thankfully with Pinkie's hyperactive speed it only took half an hour to do, led to Pinkie pointing out every activity she prepared for my party. After the mind-boggling number of games she prepared, I was about to have a panic attack at the thought of being dragged to each of them. However against my expectations, Pinkie just let me loose and told me to have fun. Twilight quickly revealed to me, after Pinkie ran off to keep the festivities going smoothly, that Pinkie learned some restraint from an incident that occurred during Rainbow's birth-iversary. I was skeptical at first but she told me it was an important lesson that Pinkie took to heart.

After some games it was lunch time, at which Pinkie decided to to reveal a banner to my horror. On the banner it said 'Happy make-up party for all the parties you missed before you came to Ponyville!' This of course caused many ponies to give me bewildered looks, which in turn caused me to give Rainbow and Fluttershy an irritated look after I did a quick look for them. Fluttershy eyes widened before she hid behind her mane as Rainbow averted her eyes while whistling some tune. Before I could approach the duo however, Pinkie presented to me one of my few weaknesses, a rather large chocolate cake.

Let's just say that after the cake, some ponies began to wonder if I'm actually some long lost relative of Pinkie's. However after I indulged my desire for chocolate, Pinkie decided to unleash another banner. One that stuck me with more horror than the last.

"Welcome to Equus, first alien visitor party?" some pony asked as they read the banner. This immediately got all the ponies the stop what they were doing to stare at the banner, before turning their eyes to me. As they looked at me with eyes wide with horror that were matched by my own, I noticed at the edge of my vision that Diamond Tiara instead had this evil sneer on her face.

"Now everypony, there is noth—" Twilight started to say till Diamond interrupted her.

"Aether is an evil alien! We need to get her before she can hurt anypony! She might have already hurt us foals, like when she hit me a couple weeks ago! Let's put a stop to her before she hurts anypony else!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

This of coursed produced mix reactions from the crowd. Some ponies decided to panic and run around screaming their heads off. Other ponies, some who I think may be parents, instead gave me a murderous look as they... charged at me. Fortunately I knew what to do in situations like these.

"Oh sweet Celestia!" I screamed as I ran away from the crowd as fast as I could, dashing in between any adult's legs that were in my way. At least this wasn't the first time I had to run away from a crowd of angry natives that wanted my blood. Due to that, I knew what I had to do to get to safety as I headed to the closest buildings as I could. As I ran past a pony that was cowering on the ground into an alleyway, I could hear the mob behind me screaming and hollering at me. Until they reached the alleyway opening, where they encountered a problem. While it is easy for a couple ponies to get into these alleyways, the same can't be said for scores of ponies that want to get through at once. So naturally the mob clogged up the entrance to the alley as too many ponies tried to get in at the same time.

I started to grin to myself at seeing one of my old tactics working until I was suddenly covered in shadow. Looking up, I saw quite a number of rather angry pegasi looking down at me. "Oh... yeah... forgot about the ones with wings," I muttered to myself as I came to screeching halt.

"Ummm... I come in peace?" I said with a wave, only for the glare to intensify.

"Get her!" one pegasus yelled, causing the entire group to dive at me. I was about to say my prayers until I suddenly saw a purple flash of light before my eyes, before being engulfed in another one. Blinking in surprise, I looked around to see that I was in the library. I also noticed that the elements were there as well before I was grabbed by Pinkie.

"Aether! Are you okay?" Pinkie exclaim in fear as she began to inspect my body for any injuries, though in a rather comical fashion.

"Yes Pinkie, I'm okay," I said, letting out a sigh of relief that I wasn't going to be turned into a pancake. I then locked my eyes on Pinkie as I asked, "What made you think letting the town know that I was originally an alien is a good idea?"

"Well, you did tell the us and the Crusaders outright when you had to, so I thought you rather get it out sooner than later," Pinkie explained as her mane deflated. "I'm sorry if that wasn't what you want."

"Pinkie, it's okay... What done is done. Besides, it did had to come out some way..." I replied. "I'm not mad at you Pinkie, you just did what you thought would be best."

As Pinkie brighten up on the fact that I wasn't mad at her, I only looked out at the window to see all the ponies running about in absolute mayhem. At that moment, I could only think of one thing.

I'm going to make Diamond pay for this.

Chapter IV: Alien

"Who would have thought that everypony would freak out like that?" Rainbow said as she looked out the window.

"I blame Diamond Tiara, she was the one that made things worse," I replied with irritation clear in my voice. "If she didn't say anything, we would probably only have panicking ponies running about. Now we have a mob that wants to turn me into a rug."

"Now Aether dear, I think you're overreacting. Surely they won't go to such extreme measures," Rarity declared.

"...And now they are bringing out torches and... long sticks with sharp pointy things on the top of them."

"Aether, this is not a time for joking."

"Umm... sugarcube, she's not jokin'. They really do have pitchforks and torches."

"...Oh dear."

After seeing how things were going outside, I quickly distance myself away from the windows to avoid being seen. Looking at Twilight, I said, "I think we might want to write a letter to either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna."

"I don't think we have to resort to that yet, I am a princess after all. Just give me some time to calm everypony down," Twilight requested.

"...They're burning anything that has Aether's name on it now..." Rainbow replied.

"...I'll write the letter."

"Everypony here is taking this rather... calmly. Is this something that happens time to time?" I asked.

"Well, normally ponies would be panickin' and runnin' about sugarcube. I reckon this may be the first time we had an angry mob included," Applejack answered.

"I think Discord actually had a good point about me, I just seem like a bundle of chaos just waiting to happen. Also, buck; there goes all my presents."

"Don't worry Aether, I have them all stashed away safely," Pinkie chipped in with a grin.

"Wait... when did you ha—nevermind," I started to say before I facehoofed, remembering that I shouldn't ever question what Pinkie can do. Sitting down on my rear, I simply watched as all the mares in the room kept an eye on what was happening outside while Twilight was telling Spike what to write. I was then abruptly broken from my watch as I felt something breathing on my shoulder, causing my face to pale at the thought of one of the ponies from the mob somehow getting into the library, and was ready to end me there. Turning my head around slowly, I laid my eyes upon the face of a teal-coated unicorn that was mere inches away from my own. What disturbed me the most was her yellowish orange eyes that were staring at me with an intense hunger in them.

As I was about to open my mouth to scream for help, the unicorn exclaimed, "Are you a human‽"

Instantly my brain stalled, as this was far from any reaction I expected. "What?" I squeaked out, my brain still recovering from the question.

"I asked, are you a human?"

"I... err... don't know what that word means..."

"Lyra! What are you doing here?" Rarity asked as the other mares came over; the exception being Twilight as she was still talking to Spike. Seems like she was trying to put the news about a mob that is out for my blood in a graceful way, which I knew was an impossible task.

"Oh come on Rarity, you think I'm not going to pass up the chance at meeting a pony that could have been a human?" Lyra answered with a roll of her eyes. Turning her attention to me again, she grabbed my shoulders with her forehooves as she said, "And how do you not know what a human is? Wait! Maybe you spoke a different language before you came to our world! Humans are these tall, hairless apes that walk on their rear legs while they use their forelegs to handle things. Their forelegs don’t even end in hooves, they have hands!"

I dumbly stared at her before I answered, "Err... I don't know if there is such a thing as a human... but I never was one..."

Lyra's face quickly turned from one of excitement to one of utter disappointment, until it brighten up as she asked, "Well, did you have hands before you came to our world?" Thankfully Rarity came to my rescue as Lyra was engulfed in a light blue aura, her body being lifted off as she struggled in the air. "Hey, what's going on! I just wanted to know if she had hands or not!"

"Now Lyra dear, Aether already has enough problems on her plate, with the brutish mob out there wanting to do her harm," Rarity chastised as she carried Lyra to the front door. "You'll have to ask her at a better time. For now, it may be best that you go home and calm down."

"No! I must have my answers, it's for the greater good of cross-species culture!" Lyra screamed as she struggled to get out of Rarity's hold.

Is that even a thing? Augh, she looks like one of those crazy kind of folk that will never stop until they got what they want. Somehow I have a gut feeling that if I just let her go, she'll stalk me until she finally got what she want. Still, I might be able to use this to my advantage, for now, I thought to myself as I watched Lyra hanging onto a bookcase with her forelegs while the others watch in amusement. As comical the sight was, it only proved to me just how fanatic this Lyra was.

"Hey, wait a minute Rarity. I need to tell Lyra something," I said, causing the two mares to stop as look at me. "Lyra, if you're so interested in cross-species culture, how about you help me out then. Maybe I can give you some answers since everypony knows I was an alien, so I see no harm in giving you some information. However, I will only give it out if you help me."

At my offer, Lyra squealed with glee before she suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes at me. "Wait a minute, how do I know that you're just lying to me?"

"Cause you seem to be the type that will do anything they can to get what they want," I deadpanned. "Also, judging by how you were behind me, breathing into my ear, I think you'll be following me around as well. So to avoid having you over my shoulder all the time, better give you something sooner than later."

Blushing at me bringing up her 'entrance', Lyra asked, "Okay, sounds fair. So what do you need me to do?"

"Well, considering that there's a mob outside that want to get me, it might be best if they are kept away from my current location for my well-being. Besides, how can you get your information if they chase me out of town?"

Gasping as her eyes widen, Lyra exclaimed, "You're right! I need to keep them away from you! Rarity, let me go, I have a job to do!" As soon as Rarity's aura vanished, Lyra was out the door in a flash.

"It's a bit underhoof of you to take advantage her like that," Rainbow said.

"Better that than having her pounding on the front door, drawing everypony's attention. This way she helps us instead of causing us more trouble. Though... I'm going have to deal with her after this mess is done," I replied, rubbing a hoof against the side of my head.

"All done!" Twilight declared as a whiff of smoke flew past Spike and out a slightly opened window.

"...You didn't notice what was going on, did you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Twilight asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Nevermind... so how long will it take for Princess Celestia to get here?"

"It may be a while, a pony can only fly so fast after all," Twilight answered.

"Unless you're the fastest flier in Equestria," Rainbow boasted, to which I just gave her a deadpan look. Spotting my look, Rainbow just folded her hooves over her chest and grumbled.

"Well, now we play the waiting game. Unless they find me and decide to break into the library," I dryly said as I moved over to a less visible spot to wait the mayhem outside out.

A hour or so later, after playing some little game with Pinkie that didn't make sense, Princess Celestia arrived. The best part was it wasn't a quiet, peaceful one either.

"Ponies of Ponyville, cease your rioting!" Celestia yelled as rays of light came off her. The sheer volume of her voice matched the level Luna used when she was vanquishing a monster in my first dream on this world. After talking to Twilight about how loud Celestia was, she mention it had something to do with the Royal Canterlot Voice as she called it.

Minutes later, after Celestia’s entrance, a knock on the door was heard. As Twilight opened the door, we saw that it was none other than Princess Celestia, though I wasn't expecting a pegasi member of the Royal Guard to be with her as well. Twilight was about to greet Celestia when I just strode right up to the door as I said, "Thanks for cleaning that mess up Celestia, though it wasn't... expected by me at least."

Raising an eyebrow, Celestia said, "I know, Twilight was quite thorough with her letter on this matter. Though I'm sorry that the residents of this town had to react in such a manner towards you."

"Eh, it's the norm for most cultures. So don't feel bad about it, it wouldn't be the first time I was chased by a world's natives. Besides, this time there was an extra push to cause the mob. At least nopony got hurt."

"Yes, well I decided to take some cautionary measures in case an incident similar to this one were to occur again. This here is Silver Shield, and he will be your protec—"

"Now wait a second, I don't need a protector!" I protested, stomping my hoof down in annoyance.

"Now Aether, Silver Shield isn't here just to protect you in the physical sense. He's here to help prevent incidents such as this 'alien' incident from occurring again. Also, wouldn't the recruits find it hard to believe that a filly is training them? By having a member of the Royal Guard supporting you, that should prevent that problem from happening. However, it would be best that you two know each other before the recruits arrive, that way you two can become an effective team."

"...Fine, you have a point there, though it's kind of creepy that all of the Royal Guard look alike, no offense," I said, only to have both Celestia and Silver Shield smirking at me. "What? What are you smiling about?"

At a nod from Celestia, Silver Shield took off his helmet. With its removal, his coat and mane changed, his coat turning from white to silver while his mane changed from blue to white. Looking at me with his topaz colored eyes, he asked, "You honestly thought that every member of the Royal Guard looked alike?"

Furrowing my eyebrows together, I answered, "Well, considering that I’ve seen a few species that have millions that look exactly alike... yeah, it wasn't so hard to believe." This caused the both of them to rear their heads back in surprise.

"...Really?"

"Yeah, really. If this surprised you, then oh sweet Celestia, the next few months, or years, are going to be a grand time for you."

Chapter V: Diamond

Shortly after the reveal that the Royal Guard wasn't some massive cloning project, Celestia returned to her duties in Canterlot; leaving the rest of us with damage control. Apparently the mob really liked playing with their torches, because they burnt a large portion of the party decorations. How they managed to avoid burning down the town though, escaped me. Even with magic it was pushing the limit for me; since, Pinkie wasn't involved this time.

However, all this didn't matter to me at the moment as I was trotting down a street with Silver Shield while the Elements and some members of the Royal Guard were cleaning up the mess. I could have lent a hoof but they insisted that I should have the day to myself, since the party was ruined. Pinkie seemed to be finally affected by how the party went, judging by how her mane was partly deflated. This only served to give me more of a grudge as I tried to find my target. It wasn't long before I caught sight of Diamond Tiara with her lackey. "Silver, see those two fillies?"

"Yes madam... err... I mean sir... I mean..." Silver started to say. Since he was going to be aiding me in training the recruits when they arrive, Celestia debriefed him on my true nature, which apparently included my gender change.

"Just go with the proper terms for a mare, seeing that I am now one anyway," I dryly replied. "Anyways, just make sure those two fillies don't get away, or do anything stupid. I have a score to settle with one of them."

"While I have given my word to protect you, I can't just let you harm foals on a whim."

"Oh I'm not going to harm them, unless they throw the first punch. Just stay here, that's an order." Sadly, the short chat with my new 'protector' drew the attention of the terrible two as Diamond glared at me; though, Silver Spoon had some common sense as she looked at me with terror.

Trotting up to them, I was about to open my mouth when Diamond beat me to it. "What are you doing here, you evil alien! Shouldn't you be halfway across Equestria right now?"

Giving her a deadpan look, I replied, "Do you really think it's a good idea to taunt an alien when she's less than ten feet away from you?"

Turning her nose up, Diamond said, "Well, since that guard is behind you, it seems to me that you've been caught and are being made to apologize to me for hurting me. Maybe if you grovel to me enough, Celestia won't banish you to the moon."

Tilting my head with my jaw half opened, I wondered just how much of an ego this filly has. "Silver Shield, come over here and explain to this idiot whatever Celestia wants the public to know me as."

"Hey, I'm not an idiot, you're the idiot!" Wow, nice comeback for an ignoramus, I thought to myself as Silver Shield joined us.

"Due to the word about Aether's origins being partly revealed, it is true that she wasn't a resident of our world, Equus. However, in light of certain events, Aether has proved herself a valuable source of information and experience that Princess Celestia desires to be utilized to its fullest potential. Henceforth, Aether is given a role of both an instructor and a leader of a newly created squad of ponies meant to defend Equestria from threats we never encountered before. In laypony terms, this means that Aether technically holds an officer position in the Equestrian military," Silver Shield explained.

As Diamond Tiara blinked in surprised at the unexpected news, I simply smirked at her. "You do realize that since you were a major factor in the forming of a mob that was practically calling for my blood, that you are partly responsible for an assault on a member of Equestria's... err..."

"Government, madam?"

"Yeah, that. Furthermore, Princess Celestia is highly interested in my well-being, so she wouldn't like anything bad happening to me, and much less the pony that is responsible for the harm. You could potentially be imprisoned for a long time for your actions Diamond."

At this little revelation, Diamond was starting to sweat. "T-there is no way you can prove that! Even if you bring me to court, my daddy will hire the best lawyers in Equestria to prove my innocence!"

"That's assuming that Celestia just doesn't find you guilty herself and skip the whole trial process to imprison you in her dungeon," I said, keeping my grin as I started to walk around her. "That is if she doesn't turn you to stone or banish you to the moon. Wait, she might not do that last part, ‘cause then everypony will have to see your face on it and nopony would want to see that."

At this point, Diamond was shaking in fear, her eyes widening with horror of the thought of being turned to stone. Problem with foals, they're just so gullible, I thought to myself as I held back a chuckle. Before Diamond could regain her composure, I continued, "Thankfully, for you. I managed to keep Princess Celestia from knowing that you're responsible."

This caused Diamond to look at me with a disbelieving look as she squeaked out, "Why would you do that?"

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you were imprisoned or turned to stone, how will I get you back for the mob myself? Besides, I rather be the one dishing out the punishment, and you already saw the kind of revenge I prefer to do," I answered as my grin took on a more manic look. "Besides, what caused you to think that angering an alien was a good idea? You have no idea what I am truly capable of, do you?"

This caused Diamond to whimper in fear as her eyes began to shrink in horror. Silver Spoon was also fearful, but not as much as her friend, having not being the cause for the mob. Poking Diamond, Silver Spoon said, "Diamond, are you alright?"

"Oh, relax you two, Diamond isn't going to get hurt... for now. Though you might want to check under your bed before you go to sleep now, Diamond. Because for all you know, I could be right underneath it, ready to get my revenge on you!" I declared with glee, though some of the adults turned their heads towards me. Apparently whatever Celestia told the ponies wasn't enough for a few of them were giving me suspicious looks, but at least it wasn't outright hostility.

Just as I was about to fully enjoy the sight of Diamond shivering in fear from my 'threats', Pinkie suddenly showed up between us as she exclaimed, "Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon! There you are, I was looking for you two. It was sad that not everypony gotten their cake from Aether's cute-ceañera, so I baked cupcakes to make up for it! enjoy your cupcakes!" Putting a cupcake down for both the fillies, Pinkie gave us a large smile before bouncing off.

Bearing a smug grin after seeing my bewildered look at Pinkie's departure, Diamond said, "Well well well, seems like Pinkie Pie doesn't see me at fault for the mob. I guess that means you can't do a thing to me after all, you stupid alien." As I gritted my teeth in fury, I watched the two fillies grab onto their cupcakes and take a bite out of them while Diamond kept sneering at me. Before I could say anything to wipe that sneer off her face though, her eyes suddenly widen as she dropped her cupcake.

Noticing what Diamond did, Silver Spoon asked, "Diamond? What's wrong?" Instead of getting a response, Diamond started to shake as she began to sweat. Even I was getting a bit curious till her face started to redden as her shaking gotten worse.

Silver Spoon was about to ask a question again when Diamond abruptly jumped into the air, her face now completely red as she screamed, "Hot!" She then started running down the street, steam actually coming out of her nose and mouth.

As Silver Spoon simply gaped at the scene, I quirked an eyebrow as I said, "Hmmm... guess Pinkie is mad with Diamond too. So Silver Spoon, are you going to finish your cupcake or are you going after your friend instead?"

After watching Silver Spoon chase after the brat, I led Silver Shield to the Sugarcube Corner due to needing to pick up something. As we were heading up the stairs, I asked, "So, how far is Princess Celestia with... government stuff she has to take care of for this squad I'm going to train?"

"While I have been informed about the necessity of the squad and my role in regards to it, I regret to say that I wasn't informed about anything else on that matter."

"What a disappointment," I replied as we reached my room. Opening the door with my magic, I went inside while Silver stood outside, looking conflicted.

"Madam, judging by the bed, I take it this is your room. Do you wa—"

"I'm only here to pick up some stuff, so just wait a moment." Grabbing my saddlebag, I opened my toy chest to dig up the Maralus shards that I kept at the bottom. Placing them in my saddlebags, I turned around only to see Silver staring at me with a shocked expression.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Oh, good, the princess saw fit to inform you of that as well," I replied with a roll of my eyes as I walked out of my room.

"How did you got your hooves on them, and why were they in your... toy chest?"

"Oh, I just snuck into the forest when the first probe explosion occurred. Hey, were you among the guards sent to search the forest?"

"No, that was a different detachment."

"Ah, good. Hopefully you're better trained than the others, since I was able to slip by all of them with ease," I nonchalantly said as I led Silver out of the bakery. "Hey, keep an eye out for Twilight, I need her for something."

"Yes madam," Silver replied as he took a serious look as he scanned the ponies around us, until I let out a snort of amusement that caused him to look at me. "Something the matter, madam?"

"You guards are way too serious about your work aren't you?"

"We have to be, we serve an important role in Equestria."

"Doesn't mean you have to take on such a serious expression. Even if other ponies say I'm too serious for my age, I don't go taking on such a serious expression when I'm doing something like looking for a pony. Besides, from where I come from, looking that serious all the time means you have something very important. That usually ends up with you becoming a target for certain... ponies."

Silver's eyes lost focus as he thought about what I said, before replying, "Understood madam. Also, I believe I spotted Princess Twilight Sparkle." Pointing a hoof, I followed its direction to see Twilight cleaning up one of the games that was destroyed by the mayhem earlier.

Trotting over to her I said, "Twilight, can you stop cleaning for a moment? I need you for a few things."

"What do you need Aether?" Twilight asked, stopping her cleaning, only for a member of the Royal Guard to take over.

"Well, a couple of things. First thing though is I retrieved my Maralus shards. I think it's best that we stash them in your lab, safer in the long-term if they were there then where I had them."

"Alright, but where did you have them in the first place?"

"Like I'm going to tell you that," I answered, only for Twilight to pout a bit as we headed to the library.

"So what else do you need from me?"

"Well, since I was nearly attacked by the mob due to not being able to escape them fast enough, I think I need a faster way of escaping danger. So why not ask you to teach me how to teleport?"

At this, Twilight stopped to turn at me as she yelled, "Teleport! Teleportation isn't a simple spell Aether! You have to have years of tra—" before I shoved a hoof into her mouth. This caused Silver Shield to gasp at what I done, but before he could said a thing I shushed him.

"Twilight, remember that you said my special talent is related to magic? Also remember how well I grasped the other spells? It may take time, but it would be best if I learn how to teleport for my own protection. You can't be near me every time I need some saving Twilight. Besides, it wouldn't be fair if I teach you so many things and you refused to teach me some magic in return. Just remember, I was an adult before I came to this world, so don't always think of me as a mere foal."

After looking at me for a minute, Twilight sighed. "Fine, you do have a point there. However, I don't want you to try teleporting on your own until I say you're ready. You have a tendency to jump ahead with things, but this is something that is too dangerous to do without being sure. You understand?"

"Of course I understand Twilight, teleportation isn't something to take lightly. I know the consequences of someone not being careful about teleportation."

"Wait, consequences?"

"Twilight, dimensional nations may not have magic, but some do have the means to create devices to allow teleportation. As for consequences... it can get really messy for the poor pony that had a bad teleport," I answered, as I watched with amusement at Twilight going green at the thought.

Though, I can't wait till I can do teleportation. Oh the things I can do to Diamond Tiara with that spell on hoof.

Chapter VI: Teleportation

A pony would normally think that teleportation is a great ability to have. That pony needs to meet me so I could ram their head through a tree. The reason for that desire is simple; while teleportation is nice to have, learning how to teleport is a horrible experience. What makes it worse was that Twilight was able to pick up on it from observation. Though her special talent is just magic after all, if I understood her properly. Guess it gave her a greater edge in learning magic, maybe. Not like I knew how these cutie marks and special talents should be involved in dictating a pony's life.

It has been a few days since the mob was out for my blood, which were mostly spent on telling Twilight more about the various species out there, and my teleportation practice. Turned out that I can actually teleport myself from one place to another without me getting inside something or missing a few parts. The issue though was the destination; I never actually teleported to where I wanted to. My first try was suppose to be short ranged, but I ended up in the branches of Twilight's tree. The rest afterwards were progressively worse, to the point that Silver Shield was in the air whenever I tried to practice underneath Twilight's supervision.

However, this was nothing compared to teleporting objects. After the first few attempts at teleporting myself, Twilight suggested we try teleporting objects to see how that worked for me. Thankfully, we started with a few oranges in the kitchen, for my tries were... quite messy. If you consider showering the entire kitchen with bits of oranges messy, it was just an absolute disaster in reality. For while I was able to cast the spell on the orange, the orange ended up being teleported all over the place in tiny pieces. Or so Twilight said, I was pinning on it teleporting then exploding like a grenade. After that fiasco, Twilight said that I should just stick to casting the spell on myself until I mastered it first before we go back on practicing on objects.

While it was annoying to have Silver shadowing me every time I went outside, it was beneficial due to some ponies still giving me the stink eye from time to time. It didn't help that I learned that the Crusaders were grounded again for trying to check out the dimension rift. Though, it was a miracle that Pinkie saved all my presents, though she never told me where she stashed them. However, now my toy chest that was only half-full instead was now overflowing with toys, while the rest of the presents that weren't toys were piled up in one corner. Odd though that nopony came over to demand their present back, though now I rather give some of them due to the pile being four times as large as I am.

There was one thing that was bothering me those past few days though. Lyra hadn't showed up to ask me more questions about anymore alien stuff, and I wasn't inclined to tracking that weird mare down. This resulted in me getting a gut feeling that something won't end well when Lyra finally showed herself to me.

"Are you certain this a good idea?"

"You haven't teleported into the air yet, so it stands to reason that this will minimize the spots you may teleport to," Twilight explained as we were standing in an open field at the outskirts of Ponyville. Right beside us Silver stood with his uniform on, with the exception of his helmet that he left at his room in the local inn. After appearing in some pony's living room, Twilight reasoned that it was better to practice my teleportation where there isn't any nearby buildings for me to pop up in.

"That doesn't mean it won't happen," I replied, my voice thick with skepticism.

"Look, just concentrate on teleporting right next to me," Twilight ordered as she pointed a hoof at the desired spot.

"Whatever," I muttered as I poured magic to my horn as I pictured myself appearing in that very spot.

As I was just about to release the spell, my concentration was sadly broken when Twilight said, "What did y—"

I didn't hear the rest of her words as my spell went off, engulfing me a flash of silver light. After the flash, instead of seeing the open field or Twilight herself, I ended up staring right at a white unicorn mare with blue mane streaked with cyan stripes. I blinked in surprised as the mare stared at me with her cerise colored eyes before I realized that most of my body below my head was wet for some strange reason. My eyes looked down for a moment, allowing me to catch sight of that I was in a bathtub.

...I'm in a bathtub... a filled bathtub... with an adult mare... that I don't know... I thought to myself as I looked at the mare, my face turning red from a furious blush that I was probably baring. I tried opening my mouth to say something, but the sheer awkwardness of this moment prevented a single word from coming out.

"You're that alien filly, right?" the unicorn finally said, to which I could only give a stiff nod to. "You're not here to abduct me or anything like that?" After I gave her a quick shake of my head, she shrugged as she resumed her bathing. "There's a spare towel on the rack, you can use that to dry yourself before you leave."

Looking at the rack for a moment before I returned my attention to the mare, I slowly climbed out of the tub as I asked, "Why aren't you bothered by this?"

"Are you really asking me that question? We live in Ponyville. Weird stuff happening from time to time is the norm," she said with a shrug while I dried myself. "Just be happy that my roommate is out of town for the day."

"Okay... thanks for not getting mad at my... 'interruption' then," I replied before I left the bathroom. After I closed the door I was able to catch sight of the room, which caused my jaw to drop. The room was almost like two ponies designed half a room, stuff it with their stuff, then stuck them together. The only thing common between the two was most of the stuff was musical in nature. Shaking my head from the mild shock, I went to what appeared to be the front door as I wondered what possess two ponies to design their house in such a fashion.

After stepping outside the house, I closed my eyes as I was about to let out a sigh of relief from not having a pony chasing me out of their home. Before I could release my sigh, I heard two hooves slamming onto the door behind me, one right next to each ear. Opening my eyes quickly, I saw Lyra's crazed face as she was literally breathing on my face. There was only an inch between our muzzles to boot.

"...You better not kiss me," I stammered out, causing Lyra to rear her head back in surprise.

"What? Kiss you? I'm here to finally get you to tell me about your species and hands," Lyra relied. "And there's nothing you can do to keep me away from you."

"Keep you away? What are you talking about?"

"That guard that's following you everywhere. I know you got him just to stop me from asking you more questions, but now you're all alone. No way that guard can get to you in time before you spill all your secrets to me!" Lyra shrieked, one of her eyes twitching.

For a moment, I just stared at her as she kept that manic grin of hers before I just sigh at her antics. "Lyra, that guard wasn't there to keep you away from me."

"Oh really? Why was he following you then?"

"To keep me from being harm by anypony or to prevent another case of a mob forming."

Lyra's eyes instantly went wide, backing away from me as she sat on her rump. This enabled me to be able to see the saddlebags she was carrying. "That... makes sense."

"I was honestly wondering when you would show up after Celestia scattered the mob."

"Well, I saw that guard an—wait a moment, why didn't you just go and find me instead?" Lyra asked as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"I'm a busy pony, that and I don't know where you live," I dryly answered. "Look, as long as you don't harm me, my 'protector' won't stop you."

"So... can I ask you my questions now?" Lyra said, to which I just gave her a deadpan look before nodding. She then squealed with joy, causing me to plant my hooves over my ears in an attempt to block out the noise. Her squeal though drew attention, as I spotted both Silver Shield and Twilight flying toward to us.

"Aether! There you are!" Twilight yelled as the two landed near us. "Lyra? What are you doing here?"

"Don't you know?" Lyra asked before she felt me tapping her leg.

"She... wasn't paying attention to you while you were in the library," I answered, causing Twilight to look at us both in confusion.

"Lyra was in the library with you? When?" Twilight asked, which tempted me to facehoof.

"It was after the mob Twilight, while you were trying to send a letter to Princess Celestia. Look, Lyra's just here to ask about my alien species since she thought I was human. So I so—"

"Lyra, why are you on that thing again? There's no such thing as humans, there hasn't been any evidence that they ever existed!"

"How can you deny their existence when we have aliens that exist! Maybe humans are aliens like Aether here! Did you consider that as a possibility?" Lyra countered.

Rubbing her hooves against the sides of her head, Twilight replied, "I'll settle this issue now then. Aether, have you seen or heard of a human?"

Frowning, I replied, "Well... no b—"

"See, so now you can drop this 'human' obsession of yours," Twilight said with a frown as she looked at Lyra.

"Well, I'll drop it in regards to Aether, but I'm still certain that they exist! So Aether, were you always a pony or did you invade a foal's mind when you came to this world?" Lyra asked.

Instead of answering, I just gaped at her for even coming up with that idea. "What... what makes you think I did that? Why did you even think of that in the first place‽"

"Well, I thought aliens did that kind of stuff."

"Aliens don't do that! That's just depraved!"

"They don't?" Lyra asked with wide eyes.

"...How many questions do you have that are messed up like that?"

"Err..." Lyra simply replied as she gave me a wide smile, causing me to facehoof this time.

"Augh, rethink your questions then. Twilight, I think your idea of practicing teleportation at the outskirts of Ponyville didn't work either," I informed Twilight as Lyra pulled out a notepad and a quill from her saddlebags, crossing out what could be some of the depraved questions she came up with.

Looking at the house, Twilight said, "You didn't... appear inside another house?"

"Yes, in a bathtub as well."

"Oh... wait... don't te—"

"Yes, there was a mare taking a bath at the time. Thankfully she didn't chase me out with a broom like the last one."

"...We'll practice in Sweet Apple Acres, on the far side away from the farmhouse."

"Now that sounds like a good idea."

"Can I come along?" Lyra asked before she pouted her lips at us, her eyes taking on a watery look.

"Augh, fine but you better not ask any more disturbing questions!"

"Yes!" Lyra squealed before she put her notepad away as she started trotting towards the farm.

This is going to be one long day.

Chapter VII: Lyra

"So you weren't a pony before you came here right?"

"Yes."

"And you weren't a mare either?"

"Yes again."

"Doesn't that make things weird for you?"

"Only when somepony brings it up!" I shouted at her. During the entire trip to Sweet Apple Acres, Lyra was trying to make certain that I hadn’t seen anything like a human, by giving me a thorough description. After saying no multiple times to the mare, I was about to scream her head off till I noticed that Twilight was averting her eyes for some strange reason. That made me wonder if there was such a thing as humans, though I would pity them if they ever had to meet Lyra.

"Okay... sorry... So, did you have hands before you became a pony?" Lyra asked, her grin widening as my ears folded back due to the potential fallout my answer could bring. I was tempted to lie to her, but considering how much of a psycho this mare is already, I really don't want to see how she would react if she found out the truth.

As I was about to answer, somepony else spoke out instead as I heard, "There you guys are!" Turning my head to the direction of the voice, I smiled as I saw Spike running over to us, a scroll in his claw. "I got a letter from Princess Celestia!"

"Oh? I wonder what it's about," Twilight said as she grabbed the scroll with her magic, only for Spike to not let go of it.

"Sorry Twilight, but the scroll is addressed to Aether," Spike said, walking to me as he handed me the scroll. While I was opening the scroll, I saw that Twilight was a bit confused by the situation. It seemed like all mail that Spike had ever mentioned goes to her, so somepony else getting it may have been out of the norm for her.

Opening the letter, I spotted everypony looking at me like they were... oh. "You all want me to read the letter aloud, don't you?" Receiving sheepish grins and a couple nods, I sighed before humoring them, as I read the letter aloud.

Dear Aether,

After much deliberation with the nobles and my personal advisers, I was able to establish the necessities for a team of ponies for you to train. As we receive volunteers for this team of yours, I have sent a pony who will lead in the construction of the barracks needed for your recruits. I have informed the pony to listen to any suggestions that you feel will be proper for the housing. Furthermore I have prepared the monthly funding that you may need for your training purposes.

In light of the recent assault and the possibilities of future interaction between you and the nobility, I am granting you the title of a Dame of Equestria. Hopefully this title will help further smooth over any future grievances ponies may hold towards you upon learning of your origins. Furthermore, having a title will aid you in any future endeavors you have that requires the support of the nobility.

Currently, due to no discussed requirements for recruitment beyond being a young recruit, we are drawing volunteers from any pony, regardless of their background. Please inform me of when you are able to start training the recruits, as well as any objections you may have about the method of selection for them.

Yours Truly,

Princess Celestia

P.S. Luna has been trying to contact you in your dreams, but you seem to have a mysterious lack of them. Hence, tonight she will construct a dream for you, so do not be alarmed of what you may see.

After I finished reading the letter, I oddly heard some clapping. Looking up, I saw that everypony was smiling at me and clapping. As Twilight was about to open her mouth to say something, I asked, "Why is everypony clapping?"

They all looked at me in confusion until Twilight said, "What do you mean? Celestia made you a dame. We were clapping to congratulate you."

"Twilight, did you forgot that I haven't mastered Equestrian yet? Do you really think I would know what a dame is?" I deadpanned. "I only partly understood the letter."

"Oh... this may take a while then."

After half an hour, Twilight was able to explain every single word in the letter that Celestia wrote to me. While it sounded like good news to me, somehow it felt like Celestia was messing with me as well since she should have noticed that my limited vocabulary during our short time together.

"Aether, I don't think Princess Celestia has anything against you. She's kind to everypony in Equestria."

"Technically I'm not really a pony, since I was an alien."

"I don't think that really matters, and why would Celestia even had a grudge against you?"

"Well, there's the chair that I tried to smashed to pieces with her face, and then the fact that I wanted Princess Luna to drop a statue on her."

Staring at me, Twilight's right eye twitched before she brought a hoof to her chest. Taking a deep breathe, she released it as she straightened her foreleg. "Aether, it sounds like you're the one with the grudge, not Celestia."

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Twilight, damaging a world's natural dimensional barriers is not something to be taken lightly. On some worlds, the punishment for that is... rather extreme. I just want to make sure that Celestia really learned her lesson. Otherwise she may just end up as another one of those uncaring rulers that just do things on a whim."

"You're still being too harsh on her, Princess Celestia will never become that kind of pony. Princess Luna told me that this started some time after her banishment, so Celestia was in pain during that time. It would be natural for her to find a way to relieve that pain she bore for so long. Besides, didn't the weakening of the barriers lead to you coming here and having a happier life?"

"My happiness isn't worth the risk of everypony suffering some horrible fate. Even more so with a world this peaceful. I would gladly return to eating paste if this world is left in peace from other dimensions for a thousand years," I answered, waving a hoof nonchalantly.

Twilight went silent after that, just blinking at me for a while before she actually was able to speak again. "That is... rather profound for you to say."

Shrugging, I said, "I may be mean at times, but that doesn't mean I'm completely self-centered."

Lyra suddenly leaned in between us, startling Twilight as I raised an eyebrow to that. "If you're not completely self-centered, mind telling me if you had hands?"

This caused one of my eyes to twitch, which was matched by Twilight before she lowered her head as she let out another sigh. Knowing that Lyra will probably figure out the truth and that Twilight was about to berate her for butting into our conversation, I steeled myself as I answered, "Yes."

This caused Twilight's jaw to drop as I saw such a wide grin normally only Pinkie could make on Lyra's face, her eyes widening to an impressive scale. For a while, there was only silence, to the point that I saw some weird yellow round plant rolling by behind the mares. Which was weird, since I never seen any plant like that around Ponyville. After more time passed, I was about to get up and head home when Lyra... screamed her head off. Not literally of course, but it looked like she was trying hard to accomplish that.

"Oh sweet Celestia I knew it! What was it like having hands? Can you describe to me what it felt like to have them? Do you miss having hands? Can you tell me what it is like to feel things with them? How many aliens have hands too?" Lyra shrieked off, with more questions following them in such a surge that it was impossible for me to keep track of them all. However, one question stood out when I heard it, one that was a bombshell to me.

"Can you tell me if there were any ways your parents used their hands to show you affection? How many fi—" Lyra continued before I rammed a hoof into her mouth. She was about to give me a look that expressed her displeasure when she saw my face, which stopped her cold in her tracks.

While I was capable of casting a Death Glare at things to freeze them in their tracks, the look I was giving Lyra was nothing compared to it. I was glaring at her with intense rage, my fury so evident on my face that I can even felt one of my veins twitching. "Do not, ever, mention my parents and their affection for me ever again," I coldly said, pulling my hoof out of Lyra's mouth as she looked at me in fear. Noticing that everypony else was looking at me with expressions that was a mixture of fear and concern, I closed my eyes as I took several deep breaths to calm myself down.

Opening my eyes, I saw that Lyra flinched since my glare downgraded to a hostile stare. "Having hands lets me hold things in ways that allow me to feel it better than what I can with my hooves. I don't really miss losing my hands 'cause I have magic to make due and the trade-off was worth it to me. There are many other species with hands as well, but I don't think it is a good idea if you want to try to make contact with them, for a large number of them are.... mean. I didn't catch the rest of the questions, so just write them down on something and mail it to me. I'll answer them the best I can when I'm in a better mood and send it back to you."

Lyra just replied with a nod before she hesitantly backed away from me, causing me to sigh and say, "Look, I'm just... upset. I won't hold what you said against you. There are just things I don't want to hear." Giving me a nod, Lyra began to head back to Ponyville as I felt a hoof being placed on my withers. Looking behind me, I saw Twilight bearing a solemn expression.

"Aether, I know you don't like to talk about certain aspects of your past and that you were an adult before you came to our world. However I think you need to talk about those aspects, it's not healthy for anypony to keep something that could upset them so greatly to themselves, especially since you're a foal now."

"Look, Twilight, I'll be fine. I may have lost control of my emotions there for a moment, but overtime, I'll get better. I kept it in for fourteen years, I can still keep it in now. Besides, we have more important matters than my well-being, like preparing for the inevitable true discovery of Equestria to the dimensional nations. Which we can get started on by sending a reply back to Celestia," I firmly said, keeping a calm expression on my face.

Sighing as she took her hoof off me, Twilight replied, "Alright Aether... just don't be afraid to talk to Pinkie or me. I'm sure the rest of the girls would be willing to lend you an ear if you need to get anything off your shoulders."

"Noted. Though, I have to admit something."

"What is it?" Twilight asked, her ears perking up a bit in curiosity.

"One of the reasons that I hold a grudge with Celestia is that her actions could led to Equus being discovered by the dimensional nations before it is ready. This could have led to all life on this world facing the same fate as my original species," I replied, my voice void of any emotion. "I don't know much of my species' past, but ponykind is too kind and naive to face such a cruel fate."

At the end of my little revelation, I saw both Twilight and Spike glancing at each other as they thought about that possibility while Silver tried to keep his composure. Turning around, I started heading back to Ponyville as I said, "I think it's time we get back to town and send that letter to Celestia. I need to tell her how soon I want the recruits to be here."

Chapter IX: Recruits

After my little dream session with Luna, the next few days passed by without much to make mention of. Though I heard a story from Pinkie Pie about Fluttershy overcoming her shyness to sing, to a degree. Yesterday the Crusaders were released from their latest grounding. Since they were my friends, I told them about my training of recruits for the defense of Equestria. Being their natural Cutie-Mark-searching selves, they wanted to be a part of the program. Silver Shield denied them, of course. Though, to cheer them up, I told them that I had an idea on how they could help me train the recruits, at least on day one. They cheered instantly at the thought of another chance to get a Cutie Mark, which, sadly, Silver wasn't ready for. I think his ears were ringing for a whole hour afterwards, judging by him constantly rubbing a hoof against an ear.

Also, it turns out that my unique former life and my previous education was enough to warrant me skipping on most of my schooling, especially since I needed to focus on the recruits. I still had to practice my writing and learn about the history of Equus, but that quickly became home-school assignments that I could do at my own pace. Apparently I was trusted enough to keep on top of my necessary studies without oversight; beyond Cheerilee grading my work. The biggest plus to that set-up was that I didn't have to see Diamond's face anymore in the morning. As a parting gift, I snuck into her room during the middle of the night, a couple days ago, to stuff her personal bathroom's toilet and break its handle. I wonder how long it took before she noticed her room was flooding.

I was grateful that I was able to see Discord shortly after seeing Luna, though I suspected she might have contacted him. After hearing my plan, he laughed at the sheer amount of chaos it could wreak on my recruits: He was delighted to do me a favor. Before he disappeared, he patted me on the head for the mayhem that occurred on my cute-ceañera. Though, he left me a parting present in the form of some weird dress, which I later learned, from Pinkie was a maid's outfit. This caused me to look the word up before developing the sudden urge to find Discord's home to throw a brick at one of its windows.

On another note, I met with the pony that was going to lead the building of the barracks. He was first resistant to the idea of me giving him demands on how the barracks should be built, though Silver Shield convinced him to listen. Apparently, the pony thought I was going to want ridiculously grand building designs. He was only right on the ridiculous part, for I really wanted to put the recruits into cramped settings. Upon seeing what I considered cramped, Silver said that a small prison cell would be more roomy in comparison. Eventually we settled on somewhat smaller housing portions for the barracks than what the builder originally planned.

Moving on, today I finally got the news that my recruits would be arriving today shortly after noon. After getting permission to use the town hall as their meeting point, I went over and got Sweetie Belle to gather the Crusaders after I told her what I needed them to do. After that, I just waited for my recruits to arrive.

Maybe I should have given more requirements, I thought to myself as I watched Silver Shield lead the recruits into the room. It seemed like only the weird or bored ponies from all of Equestria signed up for this spot the moment the word got out. Of course there were unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi coming through the door, but I was surprised by the sight of a pony with bat wings coming in. Well, that is officially the weirdest pony, not counting Pinkie of course, I ever se—scratch that, she's the weirdest, I was thinking to myself before I saw a earth pony that was sparkling, literally sparkling. Seriously, it was like she was made of crystal or something.

While some of the ponies were a weird sight to me, I was probably wasn't what they expected; based on the looks they were giving me. In the end, there was roughly two dozen ponies sitting in front of me; from all sorts of backgrounds.

I was sitting on the stage in the town hall, with Silver to my right, where I was about to open my mouth when some unicorn in fancy clothing said, "Is this some kind of joke? What is a filly doing here?"

I gave the unicorn stallion, that was probably a member of nobility, a half-lidded stare as I replied, "This filly is going to be your trainer, your leader, and your boss."

"Preposterous! I demand to see whoever orchestrated this farce! In addition to our actual trainer!"

"Recruit, she is the pony you are looking for. Now I suggest that you pay her your pro—"

"Nonsense! I can't believe a member of the Royal Guard could be so easily convinced by a me—" was all the unicorn was able to say as I opened one of the room's windows and picked him up with my magic via his clothes. "How dare you, I demand that you unhoof me at once!"

Grunting, I tossed him as hard as I could out of the window. Thankfully, based on the sound of the crash shortly after I had thrown him, I think he may not be coming back. "Anypony else have a problem with me being a filly?"

Sadly, my shock and awe tactic failed miserably as a few of the recruits rushed to the window to see how that unicorn was doing as the rest were screaming at me, though I couldn't make out a single word due to them screaming different things at me.

Thankfully, I had Silver to help stop the situation from getting worse by yelling, "Silence! Everypony back to where they were!"

This cowed the recruits enough to return to their spots, while I was making a mental note to sent a thank you note to Celestia for Silver Shield. After anypony was seated, I leaned over to Silver, "Hey, mind making sure that they take me seriously?"

Nodding, Silver turned to the crowd as he said, "Now everypony, listen up. This filly here is Aether Aura, an alien turned pony that has volunteered to become an agent for Princess Celestia. You are all here for the same reason, to learn how to protect Equestria from a new threat. Currently, Aether is the only pony who knows what we may face, and how to best train ponies for it. Hence, Aether is in charge and you will follow every one of her orders, understood?" Everypony literally nodded, causing me to cock an eyebrow at how easily authority figures can impact the normal pony.

Coughing, I stepped forward to announce, "Yes, as Silver Shield said, I am in charge, placed by Princess Celestia herself. You all here could be the first ponies to serve as defense against... interdimensional threats." Before anypony could even get a word out, I raised a hoof for Silver to give all the recruits a quick look over. This silenced any potential interruptions as I continued, "Now I know that you find such a matter to be hard to believe. However, there is enough evidence to support the existence of this threat, even if you don't take myself to account. Now, I know many of you have many questions, or statements to declare. However, I will only address them after I weed out any ponies not meant for this role.

"But before we start that, how about we have a lunch break?" I declared, surprising everypony as the curtains behind Silver and me parted to reveal a buffet with various covered plates, complete with dining tables and chairs for the recruits to use. Right beside the buffet table, was the smiling faces of the Crusaders, though their smiles may have seemed a bit strained.

The recruits looked upon one another, some of them mumbling among themselves as they displayed mixed reactions to the announcement of lunch. Though there was one pegasi mare that just patted her belly, but that might be related to the fact that she did look to be a bit filthy, along with the fact that the recruits kept their distance away from her. Eventually one brave unicorn decided to take the lead, causing the others to follow as she ventured forward to one of the plates. Lifting the cover with her magic, she quickly brought the lid back down after getting a peek at the meal.

"Is this some kind of joke?" the mare asked with an annoyed expression, turning her head towards me. Cocking an eyebrow in a mock attempt to be confused, I strode over to the table to lift one of the lids with my own magic. As expected, it was a burnt... something. I proceeded to take off all the lids, seeing other types of food that were completely burnt as well, till I paused at a pitcher of some black gunk.

"...Okay, what is that?" I asked as I pointed at the gunk.

"That's orange juice!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as her cheeks start to redden, causing me to do a double take at the pitcher. For while I recruited the Crusaders to prepare the lunch due to stories about Sweetie Belle's cooking, I couldn't believe that she manage to burn the orange juice... or turn it into some horrible otherworldly goo.

As the recruits looked over the food, with one of them covering their mouth with a hoof at the pitcher, the unicorn mare asked, "You can't expect us to eat this..."

Turning my head to her, I smiled widely as I answered "Of course I expect you all to, I'll even join you!" Grabbing a plate, I took a sample from each of the dishes prepared by the Crusaders, along with a glass of 'orange juice'. Sitting down, I began to eat the 'meal', much to the horror of all the adults present. Except for the dirty mare who already filled up a plate for herself. Downing some of the juice, I paused to say, "Now, if a little filly like me can handle this, then you all should be able to do the same, right? Also, if you don't eat, then leave. There is a reason for this meal."

As the recruits all gave me a skeptical look, an earth pony stallion turned to Silver Shield, asking, "She can't be serious, right?"

Looking at me, Silver saw my irritated look before he replied, "I'm afraid Dame Aether is indeed serious."

"She's a noble‽" a couple of the recruits exclaimed, causing me to facehoof at Silver's slip.

"Thanks a lot," I mumbled to Silver, for I wanted to keep my new noble status under wraps for as long as possible. "Ignoring the, now revealed, fact that I'm a member of the nobility, I'm still expecting you all to have a meal. So get started before Silver or I have to kick you out."

"It's ain't as bad as you think," said the pegasus mare as she munched down on her meal. The recruits looked at one another for a moment before they started grabbing their own plates, with an exception of a few that decided to call it quits and left the room in a huff.

Taking their seats, the remaining ponies looked upon one another before reaching a silent decision to try the food at the same time. The first bite quickly turned into a race to the nearest trashcan, which I had the foresight to provide a few of them, on the far side of the room. The sight of them pushing each other out of the way was so hilarious that I had a hard time controlling myself, though the Crusaders, with the exception of Sweetie Belle, were laughing at the sight.

After the group was done expelling their stomach contents, they were all giving me agitated looks as I said, "Alright, everypony take a seat in front of the stage again for the second 'test'. But, I know you're all wondering why you had to go through that 'meal' deal. The answer is simple: if you can't stomach horrible food, you won't last long in situations where the only available food is something that horrible, or worse."

"Oh sweet Celestia, do you honestly think we would believe that!" one pony shouted out, a few other grumbling in agreement.

"Well, yeah.” I responded neutrally, “I managed to down each one of the meals myself. Besides, I lived off worse stuff than that for thirteen years. Even had to resort to garbage a hooffull of times."

Some of the recruits stared at me in shock, while others had to put their hooves to their mouths. "Anyways, like I said before you could always leave. For now though, I will be moving onto the second test, which will help determine those who will make the cut." I used my magic to pull over a small box, reaching my hoof in to pull out a small rubber ball while I indicated to the Crusaders with my other foreleg to put the lids back on the dishes.

"Okay, this is some kind of grand twisted joke! We're not going to play catch with you!" an irate pegasus stallion said as he took into the air in anger.

"Oh, you're not playing catch. You're going to be trying to not get hit by the ball instead," as I pulled my foreleg back a bit before I tossed the ball with all my might at the pony yelling at me. The stallion was certainly surprised when the ball zipped right across the room to bounce right off his face. As the pegasus was knocked backwards a few feet, the ball bounced around, not losing its momentum. This caused the entire group to scatter to avoid the bouncing ball of pain, though few were unlucky enough to be hit by it, making a very painful 'whamp' sound each time a pony got hit.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders ducked underneath a table while Silver spread his wings in shock. Rolling my eyes, I said, "Relax you guys, we won't get hit by the ball."

"What are you talkin' about? Don't you see that thin' hittin' ponies at random‽" Apple Bloom shrieked.

"That ball must be enchanted," Silver said as he kept his eyes on the ball as it knocked over a pony. "The question is, who provided the enchantment?"

"Simple, I went to Discord and asked him to make a ball that will bounce around like crazy, while it can't leave the room nor hurt anything or anypony that has been in Ponyville for at least a day," I said with a smirk.

"Why would Discord even agree to provide you something like that?" Silver incredulously asked, only for me to wave a foreleg at the sight of the recruits scrambling for cover, or dodging the ball. A unicorn tried to catch the ball with her magic, only for it to bounce off the side of her head, sending her to the ground. "Oh..." Silver dumbly replied.

After five more minutes of watching the ball, I decided the group had enough as I stopped the ball with my own magic. Looking over the group, I could see them lying down on the ground, nursing whatever parts of their body got hit as they groaned in pain. Putting the ball back in the box, I said, "Well, this test is to see if anypony get's knocked out by the ball, though looks like no pony failed." Instantly all the ponies glared at me with expressions of hatred, to which I simply continued, "Now now, I know you all are really angry at me, but this is another lesson for all of you. Odds are if you're going to stay in the team, you might as well have some experience in regards to dodging projectiles. Which is probably going to happen a lot if Equestria is ever threatened by interdimensional forces. Hence this was a practice of your reaction speeds and your ways of dealing with incoming projectiles. Now, if you don't want to deal with such things, which will be part of my training system, then I suggest you leave now."

Grumbling, a few more ponies left the room, as the remaining recruits gathered at the center of the room again. As they all looked at me with angry looks, I simply smiled as I said, "Well, I guess you all will be Equestria's first interdimensional trainees. Congratulations. The rest of today will be yours to spend, for we will begin the real training first thing tomorrow!"

One pony raised his hoof, as he asked, "Where are we going to be staying?"

"Oh, about that, the barracks isn't complete yet. So... you'll all be camping for a few days! Think of it as more training!"

Chapter X: Interviews

"Are you trying to get all of your recruits mad at you?"

"Hey, I was just presenting some training the hard way."

"You mean the way that you find the most amusing."

"It's called tough love... let me guess, Equestria doesn't have it?"

"Oh we have it, but not as harsh as the way you did it."

"Oh, boo hoo. Sorry that my way was harsh because that was how my old life was," I said as I looked at Silver with a scowl on my face.

"I still don't approve of your ideas for testing the recruits," Silver said as he did his best to keep a stoic expression.

"There is only one other method for getting skilled ponies in this line of work, but I don't think the princesses, or anypony for that matter, would approve me sending thousands of ponies to another dimension and picking up the survivors the next day," I bitterly replied.

"Is everypony from where you came from so cold?"

"So cold?" I asked as I looked at him in confusion.

"I mean harsh, uncaring."

"Oh, well considering that most ponies are either rich and uncaring to those beneath them, or poor and barely capable of feeding themselves that they don't have time nor effort to spend helping others, I think that it's pretty common to find that from where I came from."

The two of us were at Twilight's library, where I was looking over the paperwork of the remaining recruits. Though it was nothing more than name, gender, age and tribe on the sign-up forms. On the other hoof I did learn that the weird pegasi were called thestrals, and the shiny mare was a crystal pony from some place called the Crystal Empire. "Celestia really made it easy for anypony of a young age to sign up for this squad," I finally comment before tossing the last form with its brethren. "For all I know, one of these ponies could be a distant relative of Diamond Tiara."

"Wait, don't you... dislike her? Why would you use her of all ponies as an example?"

"Because this job is already going to be a major pain, and only she can make it so much worse," I dryly answered. "The training I can do, but the paperwork? Not a drop of experience in that matter since I'm just use to reporting in what I found on my missions from my former life. All I had to do was speak into... something that records my words. No writing at all."

That's when Twilight decided to pop in on our conversation as she asked, "Wait, do you need some help in learning more about your recruits? May I suggest a questionnaire?"

"A... what?"

"A questionnaire, where ponies answer a series of questions about themselves or a particular topic."

"Okay... though since it is apparent that I never done that, can somepony help me with making that?"

"I'll gladly help!" Twilight exclaimed, as she summoned a stack of papers and a quill before she started writing whatever a questionnaire is suppose to be.

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, "You're doing this way too of your own free will... what's the catch?"

Grinning awkwardly, Twilight rubbed her front hooves together like some child that was caught doing something bad as she said, "Well... since you're using a style of training that no pony ever saw before... I was wondering if you let me observe that for a few days?"

As I was about to make a rude comment on Twilight's need to study as much as she can about me, a rather nasty idea came to mind as I asked, "Do you know any spells that can prevent noise from leaving an area?"

"Well, I do know a silent barrier spell, but what's that have to do with anything?"

"You'll see, just come over at five in the morning tomorrow, and I'll let you observe as much as you want. For now, let's go Silver, I have some preparations to attend to," I said as I started heading to the front door. Grabbing the knob with my magic, I sta—thwack.

I felt pain all over the front of my face as I felt like I was floating or something, before my face felt pain again, only to give way to a feeling like my head is being crushed by something. I could feel my eyes spinning in my head as I tried to figure out what just happened.

"Hey, I'm throwing a big party for all the new ponies that arrived today! It's down b—Aether? Why is your head in a bookcase? Only books go there, silly!" said a voice that I knew was Pinkie's. So that explains the crushing feeling on my head, I thought to myself as I struggled to pull myself out of the bookcase. This lasted only a few seconds before I felt something yank me out of the bookcase, only for me to end up being placed on Pinkie's back as she started to bounce out of the library.

"Got to have you there since you're why the ponies are here!" Pinkie exclaimed, as we left with Silver and Twilight in tow to head to the party while I was checking my head to make sure it wasn't deformed.

Kaboom!

"Gah!" screamed one pony as multiple others hopped off the ground, a few running around panicking while the ponies with wings jumped high into the air. I simply watched this scene unfold as I took my hooves off my ears, while I stood next to Pinkie's party cannon that I borrowed for the day. While firing off the cannon while it was still dark would've woken up many of Ponyville's residents, Twilight's silent barrier spell allowed me to get away with it.

"Isn't that a bit excessive for a wake up call?" Twilight asked as we watched my recruits run about like a bunch of idiots.

"No, I really need to know how they would react to something like this," I answered. Twilight furrowed her brows as she turned her head to look at me, only to raise them in surprise at the sight of my annoyed look.

"Why would you need to know how they would react to something like a cannon?" Silver asked.

"Simple, if on a dangerous mission, there is a possibility of something loud occurring nearby that could wake a pony from slumber. So I needed to know how this lot would react if such a situation occurred, which I have to say their reactions are quite poor."

"And what kind of reaction would you do then?"

"Well, I would wake up in a panic too, but only for a few seconds before I try to identify the source of the noise or take preparations for whatever may be heading to my position. This however... only attracts attention." Sighing in disappointed, I ordered, "Silver, turn on the hose."

"Yes madam," he calmly replied, as I grabbed a hose. Seconds later, water was surging out, which I used to spray every single darn panicking pony. Well... cept for the dirty pegasus, I kept the spray on her for a bit longer to clean some dirt off her. After hosing down every pony, Silver turned it off as I looked at the group of ponies that were currently giving me a look that said 'I'm going to kill you for this'.

"Alright everypony, it's time to get training started. For the first part of the day, we will be doing laps around the town's edge till the break of dawn. Then we get to do the one thing no pony will like: interviews!" I said with an obviously forced grin as the recruits groaned at me. "Now everypony, follow me."

Normally, when ponies do a lap, they think it's simple running, like how my recruits may have suspected it to be. I completely proved that idea wrong when I made them follow me as I jumped over and slid beneath obstacles while making them have to attempt to do the same. From how the recruits were doing in their attempt to follow me, I figured that a lot of them were going end up sore before they get to bed tonight.

Regardless, when dawn broke I had everypony head over to the library, where I decided to give them a quick break. At first I told all of them to get as comfortable as they could, then once they had done so I informed them that nopony will be moving unless I select them for the interview. During this 'exercise' Silver Shield will be watching over them and reporting any failures committed, to which I mentioned that there will be punishments to those that failed too many times.

"So... Midnight Breeze, why did you decide to sign up for this squad?" I asked, looking at the questionnaire that Twilight prepared for me. Though... some of the questions were ridiculous in my point of view so I had to cross them out, much to Twilight's annoyance.

"I thought it was a good chance to see the world. We thestrals don't normally go out of our homelands much, with the exception being Princess Luna's Lunar Guard," the grey coated mare with a short dark blue mane replied as she looked at me with her slitted purple eyes.

"Well... I can assure you that you will be seeing many sights that nopony had ever seen before. Next question; are you willing to put your life on the line to protect your fellow pony?"

"Of course, that is another part of the reason I joined," Midnight said as she performed a mock salute.

"Good, good. So, can you handle being repetitively shocked?"

"...What?"

"So... Dusty Skies, why have you decided to become a part of this squad?" I asked an orange pegasus mare with faded grey mane, eyeing the dirty hoofprints she left behind when she came into the library. When was the last time this mare took a bath? I hosed her down and she's still dirty...

"Well... I just think this could be a new opportunity for me," Dusty answered with a sheepish smile.

Cocking an eyebrow, I pressed on, "Meaning?"

At first, her eyes darted left to right, until she let out a sigh as she replied, "I... was out of a job. I used to be a weather mare, until I lost my job to another pegasus. I couldn't find a job for over a year now, and with no bits to spend I was forced to... eat stuff that no pony would normally even touch. Please don't kick me out of the squad, I need this chance!" as she went down on her knees, begging as tears ran down her face.

"Umm.... I wouldn't throw you out for that..." I replied.

"Really?" she asked, her ears starting to perk up.

"Yeah... cause I was in the same situation that you had, though a bit longer. So... in a way you might be better suited for this job than some other ponies."

"Oh thank you thank you!" the mare said as she came over to me and started to kiss my rear leg's hooves.

"No problem... but stop kissing my hooves. Now."

"So... Golden Sword... why did you want to join my squad?"

Clearing his throat, the grey coated unicorn with a carefully groomed golden mane answered, "It is the duty of nobility to help protect and lead lesser ponies in times of danger, and, hence, I felt it was my duty, as a member of nobility to join your cause."

"Right..." I deadpanned, finding his tone to be grating. "You do realize that this is going to be one dirty and messy career choice for you. By the end of your first month, your mane isn't going to remotely look like it is right now."

Golden took on an aghast look, before calming himself by taking a deep breath. "As much of a tragedy that would be, my mane's condition is a small sacrifice for the greater good of Equestria."

"Okay... just warning you."

"So... Citrine Lemons... you were a farmer back in the Crystal Empire... why did you came from so far away to be a member of my squad?" I asked a pale yellow crystal earth pony with an aqua colored mane.

"Well... since Equestria has done so much to help us crystal ponies when we came back... I thought that helping to defend it would be a good way to help return the favor," the mare said meekly.

"I see... now I have an important question to ask you, and I need you to answer it as best as you can."

"I will d-do my best madam," Citrine nervously replied.

"Are you crystal ponies' bodies as hard as crystal or is it just for show?"

"...Are you joking madam?"

"No I'm not, cause I've seen many... monsters made out of crystal before. Ponyville was even attacked by a crystal machine over a week ago. If you are as hard as crystal, then that would be good to know."

"...There's monsters made out of crystals?" Citrine asked as she began to shake out of fear.

"Yes, which is one of the thi—and you fainted," I commented as Citrine's eyes rolled up in her head before she passed out. After a moment of silence passed, I walked up to Citrine to poke her in the side. "Oh wow, she is harder than a normal pony after all."

Chapter XI: Rocks

Eleven recruits. That's all that left so far after another one decided to give up before his turn came up during the interviews. With just barely over half the original amount gone in just one day, some ponies would consider this to be a major problem. I, on the other hoof, considered this to be a great success of weeding out those that wouldn't make it in the long run.

With my potential squad assembled before me outside the library, the majority of them scowling at me, I said, "Congratulations everypony. We got rid of the ponies that would only have dragged us down. So far, you lot seem to be the ponies best suited for this squad. So weeding time is over, it's time for me to give you all some actual details on the line of work you're signing up for. Which we will discuss inside the library, don't need everypony in town to know... yet." Judging by how everypony's ears perked up and their faces bore less hatred towards me, I think this lightened up their moods a bit as we headed inside Twilight's library.

They're not going to like what's coming then, I thought to myself as I took a seat in front the group.

"Okay, I personally don't like speeches, so I'll keep this short. I'm an alien that came to Equus by accident while I was traveling from one dimension to another. This occurred do to an incident that caused Equus' natural dimensional barrier to be damaged. After a period of time, I aided the princesses with my limited knowledge on dimensions which resulted in the barrier being repaired. However, some things have come through, and odds are some interdimensional organizations that have taken notice of these events. Hence, Equus will have future dimensional issues, and this squad is being made in case those that contact our world are hostile or intend to take advantage of this world. Which I have to say is quite probable, though I don't know when Equus will be truly discovered. Could be months, years, or centuries before an interdimensional force discovers us. Regardless, the princesses and I believe that we should be ready for the worst."

With my speech finished, I was catching my breath as I looked at the typical reaction from anypony hearing this. All of them were staring wide-eyed at me, a few with slack jaws. Before any of the recruits could gather their wits, I continued. "Now I know some of you are wondering why my 'training methods' are so... well, abnormal and, what some may be thinking, cruel. In reality, it is better than facing what I have faced without any experience. It was not pretty. So, to make clear how important each part of my training is to you all, each part is meant to teach you something or train you in a way that will help keep you alive in the various kinds of... problems we may encounter in the future. Does everypony understand?"

Receiving blank stares from the lot, I simply sighed before I turned to Silver to say, "Once their brains start working again, bring them to that large hill outside the northern outskirts of town. I have something set up to finish up today's training."

Huh, surprised that little revelation stopped their brains for that long. I wonder how long Silver was out when he first heard of this, I thought to myself as I saw Silver leading the small group to my chosen hill. Indicating for the recruits to stay at the bottom of the hill, Silver took his spot beside me with Twilight off to the side, observing us still as I said, "Well, seeing that you recovered from knowing the true purpose of this squad, does anypony have anything to say about that before we continue with training?"

Only receiving confused mumbling from a couple of them, I decided to move on. "Alright then, time for the next phase of our training. I'll give you all to the count of ten before we start. One. Two. Three. Four. Ten!" before I lit my horn up with my magic as my recruits tried to scramble in an effort to be ready for whatever I was going to toss at them. Which... in this case was literal as I levitated up a few watermelon sized rocks. Turned out that after getting my Cutie Mark, I somehow got a boost to my magical power, making levitating so much easier for me. However, just as I was about to toss them down the hill, a lavender aura grabbed hold of them, causing me to shoot a glare at Twilight.

"What do you think you're doing‽" Twilight shrieked as she glared back at me.

"It's called a training exercise where I throw rocks at my recruits and see how they react. Besides, I thought you were here only to observe, not to interfere," I bluntly replied, noting that Silver was just darting his eyes back and forth between us. Apparently he couldn’t choose whether to back up a princess or his boss that a princess assigned him to.

"Because I don't see the point in a training exercise that has to involve throwing rocks that can break bones!"

"There is a point. This shows me how they react to large incoming objects, and how they would react to a pony being injured or suffering a broken bone!" I yelled back as I stomped a hoof. "Interdimensional travel is too random to predict without probes being sent first, which is often not done for folk like me. Everything that I throw at my recruits is relevant to their training and is a softer... copy of what I have faced!"

Ears folded against her head, Twilight was cowed by my anger as she replied, "I'm sorry... I just thought you were being... needlessly mean to them like you were in the morning."

Sighing, I dragged a hoof over my face as I said, "Twilight, no matter I do to my recruits, it is not my intention to be mean to them. Sure, I can be too harmful to them, but I need to judge how they react to it, and I'm not going to hold back due to just how dangerous this squad will be for them. Ponies will get hurt, so it is better that they deal with it now when they're training early on so they can decide whether to stay or not instead of the future and potentially waste everypony's time."

"So... you planned things to be as efficient as possible?"

"That's the whole point, otherwise I'll be wasting time. So do you still have any issues in regards to my training methods?"

Looking down with shame plastered on her face, Twilight answered, "Yeah, I won't interrupt them again like that."

Sighing, I replied, "Twilight, I'm not angry with you. Annoyed that you interfered, yeah, but not mad when you just have the best intentions at heart." This cheered Twilight up as I turned my attention back on the recruits, whom for some strange reason grouped together again.

At the lead of the group, Golden Sword asked, "Does this mean this training exercise is over?" Instead of even giving him a response, I just engulfed the rocks again with my magic and tossed them at the clumped together group.

These ponies never learn, I thought to myself as I kept tossing rocks at the scattering group from a rather large pile that I hid behind the hill.

Well, I don't think the staff at the Ponyville hospital will like me anytime soon, I thought to myself after leaving the place with about a third of my recruits, which consisted of unicorns and pegasi. Apparently earth ponies are built to be tougher, or something. Regardless, those who ended up with serious injuries were protesting like foals, to which I simply offered them a simple deal: they can break one of my legs if they so truly desire. With the fact that I said it in a dead serious tone and that no pony would really want to harm a filly, that pretty much shut up the whiners. Though part of the reason they complained so much was the fact that I forced them to go to the hospital without any aid from anypony. My reasoning though was, since I had to deal with injuries on my own in my former life, odds are they will face the same issue too.

Moving on, turned out Twilight can't show up for tomorrow's training session. It seemed that the Crusaders are now having private lessons with Twilight now, which is actually a better idea than having them trying to follow in my own hoofsteps by trying to learn what skills I possess. Though I wondered if they are just following my hoofsteps on how I got my own Cutie Mark, which started out with me learning magic from Twilight.

Anyways, it was afternoon when I let the remaining recruits have the day to themselves as I was making note of any positive aspects that any of them had shown, which was pathetically few. This led me to start planning tomorrow's training schedule when Spike ran down the stairs, carrying a letter as he said, "Aether, you got a letter from Princess Celestia?"

"Really? It's been barely past a week now," I replied as I grabbed the letter with my magic.

Dear Aether,

While I know that you have just started training your squad, your presence in Canterlot is needed. The Royal Guard has finally found and gathered all the material that was expelled from the portal, and we have furthermore gathered and stored all the Maralus shards in a safe place. Due to the unknown dangers the material could possess, I have determine that without your advice, we can't be certain if they should be kept in Canterlot or stored in some region far from population centers.

While you are here, I have to inform you that there is a possibility that you may meet some members of the nobility. Hopefully this warning will help you prepare for any possible interactions you may have with them. Hence, in order to attract less attention from them, you will be traveling here by train instead of chariot. I have manage to set up tomorrow's morning train to have a private car for your needs.

Princess Celestia

"Well, this is a short letter and an annoyance," I commented after reading out loud its contents. "I don't want to give my recruits a day off so soon."

"Well, while the injured recruits would be released tomorrow, a day off would help ensure that they are fully healed. Though if you want them to be training still, I could oversee your planned exercises tomorrow madam," Silver offered.

Rubbing a hoof against my chin, I was pondering my options when an idea came to mind. "Hey, would a private train car have enough room for my recruits?"

"Yes... but why are you as—wait, you're going to bring the squad along with you‽"

"That's the plan, I rather keep my eye on them when they're training so I can see what each pony can do."

"But what's the point of bring them to Canterlot if you can't train them?" Spike asked as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Oh, it's just so I can get to know my recruits better. It also helps to show them some of the stuff they may come across," I calmly replied. "Lastly, I want to see if I could have them beat up any nobles that annoy me too much," I added with a grin, to which the two just groaned and facehoofed, or in Spike's case facepalmed.

Chapter XII: Canterlot

"I still don't think this is a good idea madam."

"I never said it was a good idea."

"That... doesn't inspire confidence."

"Good, being overconfident is a bad idea, tends to get ponies killed," I dryly said to Silver, causing my recruits to all look at me in alarm. We were all sitting in the train car in the morning after I gathered all my recruits, which involved whacking anypony that didn't wake up at the crack of dawn with a stick. Oddly enough, the train car Princess Celestia reserved for me had enough seating to nearly fit in the original amount of recruits, alerting me that she probably expected me to drag the recruits to Canterlot with me.

Thankfully with all the available space, some of the ponies that still had injuries were given an entire seat to rest on, while I assigned seating for the rest. This resulted in Silver and I taking a seat together with Dusk Cloud, a dark blue coated thestral stallion with a short black mane, and Orange Spring, a green coated earth pony mare with an orange mane and a overly cheery smile. As I observed them, Dusk took on a hardened look, probably due to my training style.

"Hey, don't give me that look. Like I said, if you can't stand the training, then just leave," I declared, to which Dusk just flicked his ears in annoyance.

"I can not just simply leave, madam. It would shame my family if I were to simply leave on my own accord," Dusk replied in a gruff manner.

Oh... one of those 'honorable' way types. Gotta crush that line of thinking now, I thought to myself. "You're worried about shaming your family? 'Cause odds are, you're likely to shame yourself if you stick to this team more than just giving up now." This drew Golden Sword's attention, who was sitting across the aisle with Dusty Skies opposite him.

"I highly doubt that madam, as much as I doubt an alien pony like you would understand anything about honor."

"Please, there were many kinds of aliens from where I can from, and I met some aliens in my line of work that was so... obsessed with some honor code of theirs. It tended to get them killed," I nonchalantly replied while waving a hoof around. "Besides, you'll going to be having to do things that you would consider dishonorable in this line of work."

"Such as?"

"Hitting an alien in their... well, that," I answered as I pointed a hoof down there.

Blinking, Dusk took on an offended look as he did the predictable thing 'honorable' folk would do. "I would do no such thing. Taking such action would tarnished my honor. I rather die than commit to such an act."

"Yeah yeah, but think about this scenario. There are lives of innocent ponies on the line that depended on you completing your mission. However you ended up in a situation where you have to commit that 'act' on an alien or you will die. Which would you choose, your 'honor', or their lives?" I asked as I stared him down.

Scowling at me for a minute, Dusk finally answered, "I would choose to sacrifice my honor instead of innocents."

"Good, cause if you said the other choice, I would have tossed you off the train instantly," I said with a mocking grin.

"You would stop the train just to kick somepony off madam?" Silver asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who said anything about stopping?" My response of course caused everypony to just stare at me, to which I just shrugged before turning my attention to Orange Spring, who had her usual smile turned into a shocked look. "So, Miss Spring, can you really stay so optimistic throughout the training? Like I said in the interview, this job is not pleasant."

"Are there really going to such situations as you described?"

"Pretty much, or worse. Before you say anything Silver, I truly wish that was a joke, but it isn't," I replied as we were all getting off the train, taking a look around. I was only in the Princesses' castle when I first came to Canterlot, so I was intent on ge—wow, there's a lot of unicorns here. I wonder if there is a species thing going on here in this world too.

"Madam, do you know where the castle is?"

"Sadly no, so take the lead Silver, I have some rather important questions to as—don't give me that look. I'm getting information on some of the ponies here." Giving an annoyed look at Silver, I let him head to the front of the group before he started to lead us toward the castle as I took position next to Golden Sword.

"Is something the matter madam?" Golden said in that 'noble' tone of his.

"Why yes, there is an important matter. Can you tell me the general views the nobility of Canterlot normally hold?"

"I beg your pardon? Aren't you a noble too madam?"

"Only recently, so I didn't get to meet any nobles yet. Just tell me what you can before we reach the castle," I ordered. "I’d rather know some things before I encounter any of them. 'Cause I have a feeling that these nobles are going to be similar to some ponies I meet, and if this feeling is true, I'm going to have to resist the urge of throwing a chair at their face."

Gasping in shock, Golden asked, "What in the sweet name of Celestia would cause you to do that?"

"Let's just say that I had a few bosses that I really hate."

It wasn't long before we arrived at the castle and were escorted to some facility, which gave Golden Sword time to inform me that while some nobles may be somewhat like my former bosses, but most of them actually aren't that bad after all. However, shortly after entering some tower on the outer edge of the castle grounds, I spotted Princess Celestia, some members of the Royal Guard, and some other unicorns that I assume must be scientists or something like that. Can't be sure with this world of magic.

Just as Celestia was about to greet me as my recruits began to bow their heads to her, I stopped her in her tracks when I said, "Greetings later, let's check the debris now. There wasn't any incidents in their recovery?"

While everypony was staring at me in shock with the exception of Silver Shield, Celestia just gave me an amused smile as she answered, "Thankfully there weren't any, and while we were able to identify some of the debris as harmless rocks or inert material that was similar to the probes, we did find three objects that appeared to be some kind of container."

Raising my eyebrows, I kept my mouth shut as I contemplated on what potential scenarios we could encounter. "Princess Celestia, take me to the containers, now. Also, bring in the best objects you got for piercing or smashing purposes."

Her expression shifting to concern, Celestia began to lead us to wherever she has stored the debris. "Do you think we may have something dangerous inside these objects?"

"Can't say for certain, though I know that there could be anything in them. Depends if I could identify what organization those containers may belong to, but regardless I rather have us prepared for anything."

We soon reach a portion of the building where the rooms have glass walls to view through in order to see the room's contents, which gave me relief when I saw that these containers were put into separate rooms. Sadly this relief was short-lived for I saw that these containers was something I hadn't encountered before. Though there appeared to be some markings on the side of the containers, they were too deformed from the portal incident to be legible. They were made of some metal alloy, and appeared to be twenty feet long, seven feet wide, and five feet tall. Right next to the containers was a series of raised platforms, probably for any non-pegasi ponies to use in over to view the container without touching it.

"Not good, I don't recognize them, which means that these are more of the private kind of containers. So either they use to belong to some government force or to a high-end organization. Celestia, can you still use magic if you're outside the room?"

"Yes, we can. I take it you want me to remain outside the room?"

"I want everypony to remain outside the room until I say otherwise, I'll be the only pony going into the room. For now, I want two barriers, one surrounding the entire room, and one covering over me. Now Celestia, if I open a container and suddenly fell over, do not enter the room, no matter what. Just teleport the container into space and myself out of the room. Understood?"

"Wouldn't it be better for a Royal Guard to just follow your directions?"

"Perhaps, but they may not be able to react properly, just do what I say," I said before I opened the door, approaching the first container. Instantly, I could see the walls, floor and ceiling of the room covered with magic, along with a golden barrier surrounding me, as well as some spears, hammers, even a giant boulder teleporting into the room. Getting on the platforms, I was able to see that the top of the container had some kind of double door with a damaged keypad that was probably a result from falling out of the unstable portal. Taking a deep breathe, I gripped the lids with my magic, grunting as I began to pull at them.

Thankfully, either the design of the container wasn't built to handle magic or the damage it sustained weakened it, for I was able to pry the lids open. Unfortunately, the moment I pulled the lids open, an eight foot long, three foot wide and two foot high object flew straight up out of the container. I quickly saw that it was made of a familiar white crystalline design, its body in a sleek angular shape that narrowed down to its rear end.

"Shit!" I said in my native language, for I recognized the thing to be an aerial Dixian war machine as it opened two small panels, taking aim at me. "Celestia! Smash that thing! Smash it now!" Thankfully, before the machine could fire and test whether or not Celestia's barrier could resist its firepower, the lone boulder crashed into it, sending the both of them into the wall.

Looking to the glass wall, I yelled, "That boulder won't be enough! Grab something made of stro—" only to hear a familiar pop of the teleport spell, causing me to see a large sheet of metal engulf in a golden aura to appear. The boulder was moved aside, revealing that it didn't even harm the machine, only for the sheet of metal to smash into it, over and over until it exploded. Small jagged pieces of crystal rain around the room, bouncing off the barriers harmlessly till everything settled down.

Planting my rear end on the platform, I started to pant as I felt my panic fading away as the Royal Guard rushed into the room. A couple came to my side as the rest surrounded the remains of the machine and the container, before Celestia herself strode inside. Joining the guards at my side, Celestia lowered her head to my level as she asked, "Aether? Are you okay."

"I'm okay, though I want to hit you in the face now."

This caused Celestia to rear her head in surprise as the guards glared at me, probably for my rudeness to her instead of gratitude for keeping me safe. "Why do you want to do that?"

"Remember that I told you that nopony should come inside until I said otherwise? You all could have gotten... augh I wish I had finished that dictionary. Just, we're all lucky that there is nothing here to make anypony sick with something that we may not be able to cure." Looking over to the container, I saw that there was nothing inside. "Seemed that the machine was… off… until after the portal event which may have turned it on, and was waiting to attack the moment some pony opened the container. Well, time to move onto the next two."

"Next two? After what just happened?" Celestia asked, her face expressing some shock.

"Yeah, better get it over with instead of waiting for something else to happen. Besides, we still don't know what is inside the other two containers, could be bad, could be good, could be junk to us. Also, the sooner we know, the sooner we can figure out if magic can cause it to react badly or not," I said as I got off the platform, heading to the next two rooms as the guards just blinked at my willingness to continue despite the danger I just faced.

Chapter XIII: Containers

"Aether, you just came out of a near-death situation!"

"And your point is Princess?" I asked, heading out of the room while Celestia's jaw dropped a bit. Guess she's not used to a pony being rude to her.

"M-my point? Aether, how could you treat something like that as some kind of game?"

Stopping to turn around, I sat on my rear as I gave Celestia a serious look. "Well, let's see then, Princess. I’ve been to over a hundred worlds where most of them I ended up struggling to survive. I had to live on the streets of interdimensional cities when I was young, which wasn't pleasant. I survived being hunted, angry natives wanting to cook me alive, a swarm of baby insects that wanted to eat me, freak weather conditions, catching alien diseases where I was lucky to survive since I ended up in a bubble to be studied, not cured, studied. If I paused each time I faced a life or death scenario, I would have died already. So excuse me for learning how to brush something off so quickly that already happened so many buckin times, Princess. And shut it everypony!" I said, finishing off with a yell to keep all the ponies looking at me from gasping at my rude language towards the princess. "What's with everypony, is there some law that prevents ponies from being rude to the princess?"

"Well... umm... just that she's Princess Celestia..." Silver tried to say as his eyes darted around.

"So?"

"She's a princess..."

"Your point being?" I countered, leaving him speechless until Celestia let out a small laugh, causing everypony to turn their attention to her.

"Oh my, it's actually refreshing to have a pony treat me like that," Celestia said in an amused tone. "Very well Aether, if you believe that it is best to check the containers now, I will defer to your judgement."

Cocking an eyebrow, I simply shrugged as I headed to the next room, with Celestia following suit as the rest of the ponies tried to regain their composure before following as well. Like the last room, we proceeded with the same safety precautions, except this time Celestia brought the sheet of metal along, which caused me to ask, "Hey, why didn’t you summon this thing in the first place, Celestia?"

"It was part of the debris from the portal. I theorized that since it wasn't naturally formed, it may have some use against anything from the other dimensions that could be dangerous as well. Though while on that topic, what was that thing that came out of the container?"

"Long story short, it's another machine similar to the one that attacked Ponyville. I'll explain the details later, let's just get this container open already," I answered, grabbing the lid with my magic as I braced myself for another possible hostile entity. Once again the lids opened without too much effort while I backed away, waiting for something to jump out only for nothing to occur. Inching closer, I cautiously took a peak, only for my jaw to drop at the sight of the container's contents.

"Aether? Are you alright?" Celestia finally asked after a few minutes passed, which snapped me back to reality. Well, maybe partly brought me back, for I instantly engulfed something that I actually recognized inside the container, hugging it like it was some precious family heirloom.

"Oh... I always wanted something like you. Pap—err... mama is going to take good care of you," I said to myself as I hugged a gun. Specifically, a four foot long rifle that shot plasma bolts from its plasma battery core at either a semi-automatic rate or a concentrated shot for some real damage. I was stroking the gun with my hoof for a while when I finally heard some pony saying my name over and over, causing me to look at the glass wall to see everypony giving me a weird look. That's when I realized that I was hugging some unknown object to the uninformed... with probably a feral grin plastered on my face.

"What... hasn’t anypony seen another pony hugging something that they wanted to get their hooves on for a long time?" I said in my defense, though I could feel my cheeks heating up.

"And what per say, is that thing you wanted for so long?" Silver asked, tilting his head while a smirk on his face.

"I for one can't believe that aliens would have a container full of foalish toys," Golden said, as the rest of my recruits began to mutter to each other at the scene I just made.

"Hey, it's not a toy! It's a dangerous weapon! Wait... nevermind!" I yelled before I realized my mistake.

"A weapon!" several ponies exclaimed as a golden aura engulfed the rifle, tugging it away from me.

"Hey, that's mine!" I shrieked, before I realized that I sounded like a whiny foal.

"Aether, I don't know why you would want a weapon, even less why you would hug such a thing," Celestia said.

"Simple, it's a... very good weapon, and when you're on a hostile world, you would want to have a very good weapon with you."

"I still find that to be an abhorrent reason for such a desire, though I have to say I never seen any weapon like this before," Celestia said as she turned the rifle around while inspecting it, until its barrel was pointed at her.

"Don't point that end at anypony!" I shrieked, causing Celestia's eyes to widen a bit before jerking that end towards the ceiling. "How about... you give the gun back to me, before anypony gets hurt by accident?" Nodding, Celestia carefully floated the gun towards me, till I grabbed it with my forehooves and held the rifle pointing up still.

"Considering your... reactions, I assume that it is safe to enter the room then?" Celestia asked as she eyed the rifle with worry.

"Yeah, as long as nopony touches this weapon or the other ones in the container," I idly replied while inspecting my new gun.

"Other weapons!" everypony exclaimed, looking at each other in shock as Celestia decided to be the first one into the room. When her head was able to view the remaining contents of the container, her pupils literally shrunken to the size of dots. Inside the container was a small armory's worth of guns, and not the cheap kind either. Pistols, railguns, fully automatic weapons, heavy one-pony artillery guns; there was enough to make a small group a rather large nuisance to any mid-tier corporation.

"By the sun and stars," was all Celestia said as she stared at the contents, other ponies slowly coming in and expressing the same level of shock when they saw all the weapons.

"I know, a lot of weapons. If only I had all this in my former life, would have made my job a lot more safer for me," I commented.

"Why would anypony even have this many weapons?" Silver asked.

"Hmmm... good question. My guess, either this was part of some shipment for some... organization, or some... bad ponies where breaking the law while transporting this."

"Breaking the law? You mean something illegal? Perhaps smuggling?"

"Maybe, can't be sure since I don't know those two words, but you may be correct about them. Makes me wonder what's in the third container though."

"Well... we can attend to that matter after you return that... weapon Aether," Celestia finally spoke up as she eyed the rifle in my forelegs.

"What? No I'm keeping this one. There's two others like it in the container, go study those two. Though I recommend that you do it in some place away from... innocent ponies and behind much more protective barriers than a glass wall."

"Aether, have you forgotten about the potential effects that can be caused on the weapons from the magic of our world? Remember the probes?" Celestia said in a stern tone.

This caused me to pause for a brief moment as I remembered that rather loud explosion near Ponyville over a month ago. "Fine... but please try to keep this one safe, I still want it. Also, on another note, I doubt that the technology of Equus will be able to reproduce something like these weapons. It would take decades, if not centuries, to get near... this level of these weapons." Levitating the rifle with my magic, I was about to put it back into the container when I realized something. "One more thing, see this part here?" I said as I pointed a hoof at the trigger, "This is what... makes the weapon fire its... well it's how to make it hurt ponies."

"Duly noted, though I suspect that you want to investigate the final container now?"

"Yeah, hopefully it's another box of weapons, but for all we know it could have some horrible monster that wants to tear my face off," I replied, jumping down from the platform as we went to the last room. Following the same set-up for the third time, I pried the lid open, hoping for another weapon stash instead of something nasty. What I saw instead was... well...

"Aether, is something wrong?" Celestia asked, her concern evident in her voice.

"I... can't say for sure cause... I don't know what is in the container," I answered, looking at a bunch of six foot long rods, their coloration a mixture of blues while somehow having an texture that looked crystalline yet metallic in nature. Whatever these things are, they must be durable since they weren't secured like the weapons were, just literally stuffed into this box. "I don't know if what I'm looking at is dangerous or not, so I guess we need a volunteer to come in a get a look themselves before we close the lid."

This led to a short discussion among the scientists till one volunteer came into the room to make his own observations. I even let him try to hold one of the rods up with his magic, which thankfully didn't cause it to blow up in our faces and test the strength of Celestia's shield. Eventually we closed up the container, deciding that it was best for it to be sent to another isolated location for study.

As we left the facility to let the scientist ponies do their work, Celestia asked, "Do you have any suspicions on what those rods are for?"

"Maybe, but nothing for certain. Could be some sort of fuel for a power source or components for a large weapon. It could also be rare valuable material for some decorations, or just something weird. All I can say for sure was that it's something of worth, if the last last two containers were anything to judge by."

"I see, hopefully they're not any danger to this world or its inhabitants," Celestia replied as she looked over the recruits that were following us. "Hmm... I believe there were more ponies that volunteered for your team than this. What happened to them?"

"Oh, they didn't like my training methods, so they left," I nonchalantly answered.

"Aether..."

"Hey, I gave them serious training situations and if they couldn’t handle it, then they won't be able last on the field either. Why are so many ponies giving me grief over this? I'm giving them the closest things to a dangerous scenario without literally putting them in it!"

"Calm down Aether, I didn't mean to offend you. I understand that you're only doing what you think is best for your recruits. While some ponies may object to your training style, I suppose that you are the only pony in this world that would be able to come up with the proper training regiment."

Eyeing Celestia, I let out a huff of frustration as I simply gave her a nod. "Well, with that container issue out of the way, I guess my recruits and I can head back to Ponyvi—"

"There you are Aunty! I was looking all over for you. There are some importa—Aunty, why is this rabble even near you?" Looking to the direction of the origin of the voice, I saw a white coated unicorn stallion with a golden mane coming over. Instantly, I narrowed my eyes as I thought, Rabble? I don't know what that means, but I'm fairly sure that's an insult.

Chapter XIV: Blueblood

"Hey, what does the word ‘rabble’ mean?"

"I don't think this is the best time for you to learn new words, madam."

"Oh just tell me its definition already, Silver."

"I'll tell you later, for now I sug—"

"Citrine, tell me what rabble means or I won't be so nice to any of you recruits for tomorrow's training," I ordered, pointing a hoof at her, causing her to let out a squeak.

Citrine tried to answer me, but could only let out a bit of nervous nonsense till Dusty piped up, "It means a mob, madam. In a rude way..."

This caused me to turn my head towards this stallion that insulted all of us, who was talking to Celestia after she distanced herself from our group to speak to him. "Okay, I don't like him," I finally said after a few moments of silence.

"Madam, while his choice of words are poor, I must inform you that the stallion speaking to Princess Celestia is Prince Blueblood, her nephew," Golden Sword said.

"Do you think I honestly care about the relation this 'prince' has with Princess Celestia? Did you forgot that I wanted to hit her face earlier?" I countered with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I was assuming that it must be some kind of jo—"

"Not a joke."

"You can't be serious about intending to harming the pri—"

"Already threw a chair at her face," I declared, receiving the mute silence from everypony around me. "Yeah... so nopony is safe from my temper." Before anypony could gather themselves to respond, the two members of royalty returned to our little group of gaping mouths.

While Princess Celestia was giving my recruits a curious look, Blueblood cantered toward me as he said, "My apologies Dame Aether, I wasn't aware of your status; nor that of the ponies accompanying you in their future role in the defense of Equestria."

Tilting my head, I was speculating on just what those two were talking about as I replied, "Umm... apologies accepted, I guess?"

For a moment, I saw part of his cheek tensing before Celestia asked, "Aether, while I understand your desire to return to Ponyville to continue the training of your recruits, I would like it if you and your recruits were to accompany Prince Blueblood and I for some lunch? I believe we have much to discuss."

I was about to open my mouth when my stomach decided to betray me with arumbling of its hunger. With most of the ponies casting me an amused look; with the exception of Dusty, who was had a vague look on her face as a bit of drool slipped out of her mouth, I gave out a huff. "Fine, we can stay for lunch, but I demand that I have chocolate cake for dessert."

"I have no objections to that," Celestia courtly replied.

Lunch was looking to be an interesting one, if only to judge by how everypony is reacting to having lunch with the princess. With Celestia seated at the head of the table, Blueblood and I flanked her sides while Golden Sword was seated next to Blueblood with Silver Shield to my left. As for the rest of the recruits, they took their own seats, though Dusty was a sight to see with so much food piled on her plate. Though I was still surprised at Blueblood's sudden politeness, there was still something off with him to me that I couldn't figure out. There was something to the tone of his voice, as well as something wrong with his eyes.

"So, I have heard that Twilight is teach you how to teleport. Has the spell been troublesome for you?" Celestia asked as she sipped her tea.

"Spectacularly... awkward. I may have a knack for magic, but teleporting... is quite a problem for me," I solemnly replied as I munched on some lettuce. Celestia simply hummed her acknowledgement, to which I assumed she drifted off to think on something.

"Dame Aether, there is something of which I am curious. What was the cause for your particular... selection for your initial military force?" Blueblood asked.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" I replied, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Well, wouldn't there be other ponies more... qualified?" he asked, his eyes darting in the direction of Dusty, where he briefly flashed his disgust at her somewhat dirty appearance.

"Can't say if there are others... everypony here are the volunteers that have chosen to stay after my first set of training exercises. At least those tough enough to make the cut though," I replied, only for him to nod with a strange look in his eye. There goes that eye thing again, but there's something familiar about it... I just can't remember what it is. "I have to ask though, what did you mean by more qualified ponies?"

"Well, wouldn't you search for ponies more like yourself?"

"I don't think that is possible," I dryly said before I tilted my head with curiosity. "Just what did Princess Celestia tell you about me?"

My question shook Celestia out of her thoughts, but before she could respond, Blueblood answered, "Why, she told me that you were instrumental in preventing a horrible tragedy from occurring to our fair nation. That despite your age, you have shown a valued insight into unknown matters that no pony has ever dealt with before, hence why you are part of a new specialized branch in the Equestrian military."

"You don't say..." I simply replied, my eyes drifting to Celestia as she averted her own eyes away from anypony. "I have to ask then, do you believe in aliens?"

"Aliens? I have never heard of this 'alien' thing before, would you care to explain?"

"I... that is tough to expla—"

"Aether, I do not mean to interrupt, but there are some things I would like to make sure you are informed of, concerning your duties. Though this is something that must be kept secret from most ponies. Blueblood, my nephew, would you be a dear and entertain the rest of our guests?" Celestia interrupted.

"As you wish Aunty," Blueblood answered, glancing at my recruits before a slight shiver passed through his body.

"Wait, what is goi—" I tried to say before I was suddenly whisked away via Celestia's magic.

"This is not yet the time, Dame Aether. We must attend to these matters immediately," Celestia replied as she carried me out of the dining room. Once outside, she gently lowered me to the floor, casting a spell on the door once I had a moment to balance myself. "Aether, I'm sorry for my interruption, but there is something we need to speak of in regards to my nephew," she said as she turned her attention back to me.

Looking at the glowing door, I figured it was some kind of silence spell that was placed upon it. "Okay... so... what's the issue with your nephew, and why didn't you tell him everything?" I asked as I gave Celestia a bit of a hard look.

Celestia sighed,"Blueblood means well when he applies himself, but he often doesn't think his way through things thoroughly. As to prevent an issue, I chose to inform him pieces of the truth that would put you and your squad in a better light for him. It's just a matter of making this experience with him more pleasant for both parties."

Scrunching my muzzle as I thought about Celestia's explanation, my eyes brightened as something finally dawned on me. Now I know what's wrong with his eyes, they were the eyes of an empty-headed fool! This realization caused me to narrow my eyes at Celestia as I replied, "So... basically Blueblood is an idiot."

"Aether! Don't insu—"

"Blah, blah, don't care. His eyes had a look of the stupid fool, though it took me a while since I hadn't seen those kind of eyes since my former life. Anyways I get your point, I'll play nice with him to avoid hurting his simple feelings," I nonchalantly said, waving my hoof around the entire time I was talking. "Let's just get back in there, I want to get to my cake so we can get this lunch over with."

Turning around before Celestia could say a thing, I opened the door, which canceled out her silence spell as I caught the end of some conversation that was going on. "—your commander to be a unicorn, for no other pony from the other tribes would be able to lead as effectively as a unicorn could."

Looking at the scene, I saw some of my recruits were obviously miffed at whatever Blueblood was saying to them, but what I caught was enough for me to simply just stand there, staring at the prince with shocked eyes that slowly turned into ones filled with rage. Blueblood then noticed that Celestia and I had returned, turning his head to greet us only for the sight of my fury to stop him in his tracks.

"Princess Celestia, my recruits and I are leaving now," I grunted, as I opened the door wider. "Everyone, say your thanks to the princess and head out, I want to be back in Ponyville as soon as possible."

"Dame Aether, why are you leaving so soon? And what has caused you to be so angry?" Blueblood asked with a look of confusion on his face.

Taking a deep breath, I said through my teeth, "Before I answer that, can you repeat to me what you were telling my recruits moments earlier?"

"I was only saying that unicorns are the best natural leaders out of all the tri—" was all Blueblood manage to get out before a chair engulfed in a silver aura smashed into the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

My actions of course caused everypony to gape at me as usual with the exception of Celestia staring at the scene with shrunken pupils. "Stop staring and get moving now everypony!" I yelled, causing all of them to scramble and run for the door else risk facing my wrath. Turning to Celestia, I said, "I don't care what you think about what I have done. Just fix those ideas that your idiotic nephew has or next time I meet him I'll smash a table on him instead!" I then stormed out of the room, snapping my tail in anger.

It was when I was finally sitting down on the train as it was heading to Ponyville that I was able to calm down somewhat from the lunch incident. During the entire time, none of the recruits said a thing, just following behind me in fear that I might smash something on their heads for the slightest annoyance.

"Madam, are you alright?" Silver finally dared to ask, noticing that my mood was finally lightening up. Though, I only gave him a grunt, causing him to pursue his concerns. "Madam, your recent... outburst... has me worried. I never saw you that angry before."

"What, do you expect me to react kindly to a pony who's a... err..." I finally replied, as I tried figure out how to explain racism to these ponies.

"I think the word you may be looking for tribalist? Is that why you're so mad?"

"Pretty much. Don't know how it is like here, but from where I come from, most high end aliens are rather... 'tribalists'. Few species on top, many species on the bottom dying out. Blueblood's kind of thinking is the sort that can lead to a similar fate, when he should realize that in the end, all ponies should be treated the same with no regards to what... tribe they are from," I answered before turning my attention to one of the train car's windows. Though, from the corner of my eye, I saw that some of my recruits were looking at me differently. Hmm... guess they like having somepony in charge that doesn't think in such a narrow minded way.

Chapter XV: Trip

"Okay, I think I can understand the rock dodging, the climbing a cliff without wings or magic, and that weird test where you had us stuck in a pit full of whipped cream."

"Better that than the alternative," I replied.

"But there is no way I expect this training session to have a point!" yelled Stalwart Jack, a brown coated earth pony with an orange mane.

"Oh really?"

"Yes really, I bet you wouldn't even do it yourself."

"...Challenge accepted," I simply said as I put on a pair of goggles as I turned my attention to another pony. "Do it."

"Are you certain that you want to do this? This is dange—"

"I'll toss in thirty more bits if you just do it."

"Alright miss, but I did tried to warn ya," said the earth pony in a beekeeper's outfit, who let out a whistle. At his cue, a swarm of bees covered my entire body instantly, buzzing all around me as I just glared at Stalwart for his disobedience.

"...What is wrong with you?" was the only words he could mutter out, as all my recruits stare in horror at what they will be experiencing soon.

Two weeks had passed since the little meet and greet at Canterlot, which were spent in a highly productive fashion, for once. The morning of each day was spent with exercises devoted to make the recruits fit; the thestrals and pegasi had to do wing ups while the earth ponies, due to their innate strength, had to do triple the effort. Though, to keep the ponies from toppling over when they pretended to be exhausted, I had to keep walking around the lot while holding a stick with my magic, smacking any pony that started to slack off.

At noon we had our lunch break, though it was more of a lunch for me and a challenge for the ponies to endure their meals. I asked Twilight to come up with a nutritious meal that would give my squad the energy they need to continue their work out, along with the requirement that it had to be edible. I even told her that if it came out as some sort of paste in a tube, it would even be better. This turned out to be a delightful project for her, which resulted in the recruits trying to force a rather nasty paste down their throats. Incidentally, the paste tasted a lot better than the kind I had in my former life, which made me wonder what was actually put into it.

The afternoon was spent on either dodging exercises, parkour training, fighting drills that Silver oversaw, or the occasional weird scenario that I manage to come up with. It's rather hard to come up with scenarios that simulate the experiences I had to go through that would end up without some recruit being horribly maimed, traumatized to the point that they are babbling nut jobs, or killed. Though Stewart Jack was starting to show that he was a stubborn whiner, to the point that he wanted me to break my leg to prove that I can handle it a few days after the Canterlot incident. Which I nearly did if the rest of my recruits and Silver didn't stop a lead pipe that I borrowed from the construction worker before I could smash my left foreleg with it.

Ponyville was interesting as normal as usual the past two weeks, if you call seeing a mob of foals running by chanting Twilight time normal, and some kind of mini-ponies called Breezies flying by the town. Seriously though, how could something so small and so darn dependent on help from other ponies avoid extinction? You think somepony would do something to fix that problem. Though, I myself received a letter from Celestia that she was going to send me to the Crystal Empire to meet with one of Equestria's finest military commanders for a week. Apparently she thought we could trade notes on training or something, though I found it odd that I received it via the local mailmare instead of through Spike. Though, I wondered what kind of place this Crystal Empire would be, since I haven't reached it in my studies yet.

Thus on the day before I was going up north, I gave my recruits the 'bee session' before handing off training to Silver Shield and some unicorn drill sergeant that was told to follow my training procedures. As per the norm, he laughed at the idea of a filly like me being able to come up with actually training, till he saw my instructions upon which he called me a 'psychopath'. Though, before I could make my trip, Pinkie insisted on me writing her a letter everyday, after throwing me a small party and giving me one of her bone-crushing hugs. While Pinkie normally cares for me like she had from the beginning, due to my reveal of my past, she was willing to let me go off for a week alone, but not without giving me a week's worth of 'affection' during the little party.

Hence, I was sitting alone on my seat looking out the window at the snowy landscape that was giving me the idea of dumping my recruits here for a week when I saw the climate shift to a warm grassland almost instantaneously. Huh, guess magic can be used for some level of terraforming the area, I thought to myself before I caught sight of the Crystal Empire itself. Damn did they put emphasis on the crystals here to the point that it was an eyesore. Unless they did it as a tourist attraction, then it made sense.

After the train came to a halt, I walked out to see a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane with a light blue streak in it, wearing some kind of uniform. Must be some Equestrian ambassador that is here to greet me, I thought to myself as I went over to him as he gave me a smile.

"So this is the alien filly I heard so much about from Princess Celestia," the stallion said as he extended a hoof, to which I just cocked an eyebrow before bumping it with my own.

"Well, since you already know who I am, mind telling me your name then?" I asked, only for his jaw to drop a bit as his eyes widen a bit with shock. Dear lord, if this is another noble pony with an inflated ego, I swear...

"You... don't know who I am? How could you... didn't Princess Celestia tell you about me? Not even Twily?" the unicorn stammered out.

"Twily? Are you talking about Twilight Sparkle?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I scratched the back of my head, while storing that nickname of sorts for Twilight in my memory for future use. "Sorry, but nopony told me much beyond the Princess telling me that I was going to meet some military commander for an exchange of military tactics and advice."

The stallion open his mouth for a bit before closing it, his eyes telling me that he was lost in thought. As I was about to find the nearest object that I could use to poke his face to get his attention, he finally said, "While I'm dismayed that you don't know me... I guess it can't be help. I'm Shining Armor... well Prince Shining Armor. Though you don't have to address me by my title, I don't really like using it that much."

This caused me to tilt my head for a bit, before I suddenly realized something. "Wait, if you're a prince... and with that nickname you used... are you related to Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yeah, I'm her older brother... though I can't believe she never mentioned me."

"Well... in her defense, she was mostly preoccupied with learning my language and teaching me magic. With my reveal of my origins... that only fueled her desire to learn more from me," I deadpanned as I remember all the damn questions she asked me.

"Heh, that's my sister. At least that explains why she didn't say a thing about me," Shining said with a chuckle as he turned around and started to lead me through the city towards... a massive crystal castle.

"Yeah, between the lectures and the never ending questions, there wasn't much for anything else. Regardless though, mind telling me about this commander that I'm suppose to meet? I'm curious since I heard that he's one of the best military minds on Equus."

"Well... you're looking at him," Shining said with a grin that could have been a smirk if he wasn't being so friendly with me.

"Oh? That's... surprising to say the least, though it's nice to meet a prince that wasn't a fool."

"You're talking about Blueblood, aren't you."

"Yeah, guess news got out about that."

"Not really, I only heard about that from the letter Princess Celestia sent. She's trying to keep it under wraps for now, she didn't even say what you did to him."

Cocking an eyebrow, I said, "Really? That's awfully nice of her to do. Though it makes me wonder if I hit Blueblood hard enough that he forgot about that incident."

"You hit him‽" Shining exclaimed with a look of utter shock.

"Yeah, with a chair... I guess the Princess didn't tell you about that part judging by your response," I answered, only for Shining to stand there, his mouth still open. "Can we get a move on already? I swear, everypony I meet always ends up gaping at me at some point."

Crystal crystal crystal. Damn this place went way too far with the crystal motif. The crystal guards were wearing crystal armor, there was crystal furniture. Even crystal produce! What next, a crystal alico— and there's an alicorn here too. Of course... at least she's not crystal too, though she's almost as pink as Pinkie Pie.

It didn't take long for Shining and me to reach the castle, where I started to question why royalty lived in castles that had very poor foundations after getting a closer view of the lower portion of the place. Though I did see that there were crystal unicorns and pegasi on the way to the castle, which made me wonder if I could recruit some of the locals here onto my squad. Ponies with a tougher hide would be quite useful in some harsh environments.

Moving on, we entered some hallway within the castle where I caught sight of this pink alicorn with a mane composed of a pink, purple and white strip. When she saw me she gave me a warm smile, which started to falter as I just responded by eyeing her with suspicion. "Another alicorn? And before anypony asks why I never heard of her, I only gotten so far in my education of this world's history."
This caused the alicorn to blink at what I said, before regaining her composure. "It is nice to finally meet you Aether Aura. My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though I prefer if you call me Cadance."

"Glad that you want me to call you that, your full title is a mouthful," I said, which caused all the guards to do a double take at me while Cadance just looked at me in surprise. "What? Aren't there other ponies besides me that are this informal with royalty and nobility?"

"Well... most ponies tend to address us formally most of the time... though I think Princess Celestia would enjoy your... bluntness."

"Oh... well, nice meeting you Princess Cadance, but I’d rather get to work now. Time isn't on my side... maybe... well I can't be sure, I might have weeks, months, or years. But better safe than sorry," I said as I turned my attention to Shining for him to move on, only for him to just stare at me.

"Okay, you may be a busy pony, and it is nice that you're not as formal as other ponies, but maybe you can treat my wife with a bit more respect," Shining said, causing me to raise both my eyebrows in response. So they're married... grand...

"Shining, please, it's not a problem. This is one of the reasons Aether is here," Cadance replied, causing me turn give her my full attention.

"Wait, one of the reasons? What are you talking about?" I asked, to which Cadence only gave me a nervous smile.

"Well... while you are here to discuss military tactics with Shining Armor here... Celestia also wanted you to spend some time with me to help you with your... temper issues."

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, "Oh really? Why did she want you of all ponies to help me with my temper?"

"Well, I did help Twilight with her stress, and I'm good with foals. With Shining here to help you learn some things about Eqeustrian military, I guess Celestia thought you could get two things done at once," Cadance answered with a weak smile, only for me to tilt my head a bit.

"Did you just said you're 'good with foals'?"

"Well... yes... I was a foalsitter once, I even foalsa—"

"Celestia just sent me here cause she wanted to punish me since you two would make an excellent way of keeping a violent, scheming filly like me in line."

"I wouldn't sa—"

"Oh cut with the... nice words. I can see it as clear as day, and you both know it too," I countered, only for the couple to look at each other before Cadance slumped a bit as she let out a sigh.

"This is going to be a long week..."

Chapter XVI: Bones

Celestia is so getting the chair when she's not looking next time we meet, I thought to myself as I sat on a cushion with Cadance sitting across from me. She was nervously smiling at me, due to the scowl I was giving her after finding out that my first order of business was with her due to Shining needed to take care some other matters first.

"You know, there is something I don't get about this situation," I finally said to break the silence.

"Huh?" Cadence replied, showing to me just how prepared she was in regards to handling me.

"Why did Celestia think it was a good idea to send me here for you to help me with my 'anger issues'. I mean, you're a princess. Don't you have some duties that you must attend to that is more important than me? Why couldn't she find another pony who's job is to handle ponies like me. This is just a waste of everypony's time."

"Aether, you have to remember that you're a... 'special' case."

"...Are you saying that she's thinking I'm messed up in the head? Like, what was that word... oh! Does she think I'm disabled‽" I asked, my scowl deepen as my anger grew.

"No! It's cause you're an alien!"

"Big deal, either pay the pony to stay silent or just have me lie. Besides, after the mob that tried to kill me at my cute-ceañera, I think the alien issue is already going to be well known soon, if not already," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

Exasperated, Cadance folded her hoof over her chest as she took a deep breath, which reminded me of Twilight's breathing exercise as Cadance followed it exactly like Twilight did. "Aether, while there are ponies that do help other ponies with their anger issues, your past might complicate such a treatment for regular professionals. While I don't have the expertise of a psychiatrist, I seen my fair share of crazy things to be better able to handle this than most other ponies."

Rubbing a hoof against my chin, I simply shrugged as I replied, "Fine, if that's the way you want it."

This caused Cadance to blink for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes at me. "What are you planning?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that? I know when a mischievous foal is planning something."

"Regardless, I know little about you nor Shining. Nor do I know this place so there is no way for me to make any complex plans," I said, only for Cadance to narrow her eyes even more. "That said, you do have a filly that has the calculative mind of an adult, stronger than normal magic for a filly, and violent tendencies. Add to that list that I have a teleportation spell that is still random in destination, and that since I was raised by Pinkie, I willingly admit that she has influenced me a bit. So you could say that I could just pop up randomly around the city, causing mayhem that Discord believes that I have a knack in. Which I don't need a plan to pull off, just have to do things on a whim." Ending with a smile, I watched as Cadance eyes widen in the horror of what I just said.

Sadly I couldn't enjoy the scene for long, for after a moment, Cadance shook her head as she shoot me a glare. "Not funny Aether, you really need to work on that attitude of yours."

"Depends on your point of view though. In my eyes, I find my attitude to be perfectly normal."

"And what makes you think that hitting ponies with a chair is normal?"

"Simple, when you're on the mean streets of a city, everypony is hostile. If you're not ready to knock out a pony at a moment's notice, then you yourself are going to be knocked out or left dead in some alley."

Cadance once again took on a shocked look, before it quickly dissolved into a skeptical one. "I just realized something. While you are an alien, and I can't argue against your level of expertise due to your role in fixing the barriers, you may be pushing your recent gains to your advantage."

"You don't say? So what's your point?"

"My point, is that you may have been an adult, but you are in a body of a young filly. For all we know, you may be acting out your age, and possibly exaggerating some things from your life. Not that I would belittle what you faced after being... alone, but still, I find it hard to believe all that."

Cocking an eyebrow, I watched as Cadance had a small smile that had a bit of smugness to it spread over her face. "So you're thinking I'm just one of those foals that wants to be spoiled or push their luck? That I'm telling tales to get what I want? Well, how about I tell you a little fact about how hard life is for the poor of dimensional society."

"I'm listening," Cadance replied, taking on the air of a parent that caught their foal stealing from the cookie jar.

"Well, one fact is that you don't show weakness if you can. Like, if you were to break a bone, if you were to voice your pain, everypony will take advantage of the fact that you are injured to do what they want with you. So, to those that know better, no matter how bad an injury is, it is best to keep your mouth shut and not show any hints of pain. Want me to demonstrate that by breaking my own leg?"

"You're not going to break your leg. No pony is foolish enough to do that to prove a point," Cadance declared, not knowing that I was going to take her up on that challenge.

Eyeing a nearby crystal nightstand, I pointed my left forehoof at Cadance. "Very well then, I will defeat you in this battle of wills." As Cadance tried to figure out what I meant, I grabbed the nightstand with my magic, and brought it down on my left foreleg.

CRACK.

"What possessed you to break your own leg‽"

"Your wife thought I was just a foal acting out to get what they want."

"How is breaking a leg even related to that‽"

"It proves a point that can't be so easily denied."

"Not when it causes her to faint!"

"Not my fault that she's so... weak to the sight of a wounded pony."

"A broken bone was sticking out of your leg!"

"Well, I sort of underestimate the strength of my magic on a crystal nightstand. Lesson learned," I replied, as a doctor tried to push the bone protruding from my leg back into it. Which was hard based on how both the doctor and the nurse helping him were trying to keep their lunch down from the sight. Turned out that instead of the nightstand smacking against my leg, causing the bone to break, it just bent part of my leg in such a way that it resulted in not only the bone breaking, but literally bursting out of my skin from the sheer force that I used. This of course caused Cadance to scream in terror from the sight before she fainted, causing the castle guard to come into the room only to scream as well. Thankfully it lasted for a short moment before they grabbed me and rushed me to the infirmary.

"You know, since I'm not flailing about in pain nor screaming my head off, I think it's a sign that you can be much more forceful in fixing my leg doctor," I said, growing impatient at the pace of the doctor's work.

"This is delicate work, and I don't want to cause you any more pain than nece—" the doctor try to said before I got tired of his excuse, grabbing the forearm of my left foreleg with my other one and snapping the limb back into place. This finally caused the nurse to lose all control over her stomach as she rushed to the nearest trash can.

"Doesn't... that hurt?" Shining finally asked after calming down a bit, though it looked like his coat somehow got paler than normal.

"It actually does, but I was trying to keep my mind off it. Though since the doctor has yet to do anything to numb the pain, and that you had to bring it up... ahhhhhh! Somepony fix my leg already! It buckin hurts like Tartarus!" I yelled, flailing my other leg around to emphasized the point that this really hurts. This got the doctor to finally cast some spell that numbed the pain, as both he and the nurse started working on fixing my leg up as best they could.

While the doctor was bandaging my leg, Shining let out a sigh before taking on a somber expression. "Aether, Cadance was only trying to help you."

"Oh, I know, but her approach was just terrible. She really think I was just being like a foal."

"Well... you can't blame her, since you are a foal," Shining replied, only for me to deadpan at him. "I read some of the stuff you did. It's not the kind of stuff an adult would do."

"It's not the kind of stuff an adult pony would do Shining. Everypony really needs to stop placing their ideas of what 'normal' would be on me. Besides, since Pinkie is raising me, you can pretty much toss out that idea from the start. I'm pretty sure that I'm getting a bit more... friendly and creative with how I react to some things."

"How is hitting a pony with a chair friendly?"

"If I was still the same pony as I was before I came here, I would have done something more... harmful. Where I came from, if you don't do something that sends a message to other ponies when they do something to you, others will eventually do it again."

Shining was about to open his mouth to say something, when his eyes lost focus for a bit, like he just came upon a sudden realization. "Your action of breaking your foreleg, it was to send a message to others than just Cadance and I, right?"

"Right you are. Hey, can you get somepony to take a picture of this and all the blood I spilt on the floor? I really want to show this to my recruits, especially that whiner Stalwart Jack. Maybe then they'll stop questioning everything I tell them to do," I said while the doctor placed a cast on my foreleg.

My response led to Shining placing a hoof over his face, groaning as he replied, "Based on some of the stories I hear from Twilight, you really are like Pinkie in some ways."

"Thank you for the comparison. And no, I'm not being sarcastic. I honestly take that as a compliment."

That caused Shining to lift his hoof off his face, only to stare at me with a somewhat confused look. "Really? But I thought you were prefer to be serious... due to how you want to get things done and over with like when you met Cadance."

"Oh, I do want to take serious things on as fast and possible so I can get it out of the way, but Pinkie is unpredictable to the point that she almost fried my brain with her antics. However, I pride myself on my adaptability, and Pinkie seems to be able to adapt to a lot of things instantly. That and if I'm unpredictable, that makes it harder for the enemy to figure out what my end goals would be if Equus ever has to go to war. Which I hope is never, but better safe than sorry."

Sighing, Shining just turned away from me as he started to leave the infirmary. "I'm... just going to check on my wife now..."

Waving a hoof to him, I cheerily said, "Hope she's okay, and tell her my leg is fine. Didn't lose any parts of it on the way here!" only for Shining to release a shudder before he left the room.

Chapter XVII: Mission

My first day at the Crystal Empire was productive, in terms of getting very little actually done in my point of view. It wasn't long before Cadance recovered from her fainting spell, which allowed Shining to finally have that military discussion with me. While I did pick up some of Equestria's military tactics, as predicted they would just crumble when faced against organized dimensional forces. This became apparent when I just tossed out random scenarios, ranging from a Dixian war machine, waves of insectoid soldiers, to a swarm of robotic drones. So the discussion ended up with Shining teaching me Equestrian and other species’ military tactics as I wrote down various battle situations to give him something to think about in his spare time.

After the discussion, I didn't talk to Cadance again, which probably meant that she may be rethinking her approach towards my attitude. Which is good, because I personally don't want to take more drastic steps, nor do I want to figure out how thick-headed ponies can be. Though sitting in a wheelchair since I couldn’t walk on my broken leg anytime soon is boring as can be, even if I had some pony pushing me around.

Anyways, at the days end I was given a room at the palace to stay in. After spending some time to prepare a letter to send to Pinkie tomorrow, I decided to sleep in the bed that was not only non-crystal, but it was the softest bed I've ever been on. I wondered if I could bring this bed back to Ponyville.

"You know, I expected a few things... but nothing like this."

"Well... after yesterday's 'incident', I thought that maybe I should try approaching you as one adult to another."

"About time somepony figured that out," I said, as I eyed the room Cadance and I were in. This time around, there was pair of chairs, with the one that I guess was for me designed to allow a pony to lounge on it while Cadance's didn't have the same luxury. While I was suspicious of the chair at first, I eventually shrugged and took my seat.

"Aether, before we start, I have something to say to you," Cadance calmly declared, causing me to tilt my head at her.

"What is it?"

"It's about how I treated you yesterday. I apologize for treating you like a foal that just wanted to get her way only. I should have approached you as an adult from the beginning, yet my past foalsitting experience prevented me from giving you that respect."

This caused me only to raise an eyebrow at her humility. "Okay... I guess I can accept your apology."

"Good, so let's try to start all over with a clean slate," Cadance said as she levitated a notepad and a quill over to her. And now I feel like I'm with Twilight again... "So Aether, can you please tell me why you've been so angry lately?"

"Finally somepony said the magic words," I answered dryly, only for Cadance to deadpan at me. "Where to start, where to start... let's see: Princess Celestia basically alerted the dimensional community that there is something odd in this dimension, I'm the only pony that has any knowledge of what this world will have to face so I have to be the one to train a bunch of recruits from a species that is way too peaceful for war, I just learned two weeks ago that some ponies do judge others based on what tribe they're from, oh and that since I'm a foal, it is very hard for anypony to take me seriously unless I take drastic measures to get them to listen."

"I see..." Cadance said as she took down some notes. "How about anything from your past life? Would that have any baring on your anger?"

Tapping a hoof against my chin, I answered, "Well, my past life was horrible, so I hated it. I also hated the fact that I was a member of a species that was dying, and I was generally shorter than most... ponies in my line of work. They always wanted to taunt me for that, especially the new ones. Though after their first mission, they're normally too shocked to say anything else, or they're dead. Mostly the latter case."

Biting her lip, Cadance took a deep breath before continuing with her questioning. "Aether, in order to get some kind of understanding of your... emotional state, do you mind telling me about the... worst mission you've experienced?"

"Hmm... only if you're certain... though I'm not going to tell you about the one were I almost had a run-in with the Venanites, I really don't want to think on that unless I really have to. Now let me think... oh, I could tell you about one of my few joint missions. Those tend to get real nasty, real fast. Though I recommend that you keep a trashcan nearby, in case you can't stomach what you're about to hear." Taking my advice, Cadance whisked a trashcan to the side of her chair.

"Now then, from what I can recall, there were ten of us hired for the job. We all had jobs with this employer, so we were hired for actually surviving and succeeding our first mission with the... employer. Anyway, it was some sort of retrieval mission, where we had to gather some kind of mystery material at a specific location that normal probes couldn't extract by themselves. So once the portal was up and ready, we all head in at once. Big mistake.

“Apparently our boss had forgotten to tell us the exact location we were heading to, only telling us it was a cave in the middle of an alien jungle. He didn't mention that we would be appearing right above the jungle, sweet Celestia that wasn't fun falling down for us. I was lucky to land on a branch, though I nearly broke a rib due to landing on my chest. Six others made it safely, one broke their arm, another ended up with a branch going through her stomach, and the last one... made a mess on the jungle floor." The vague description was enough for Cadance to start to pale as I wondered just what she could be imagining.

"The eight of us didn't mourn our dead; we didn't know each other, nor had the luxury of time to do so. We all rather get the mission over with so we can be in a more familiar and safer place. So we made our way through the jungle, which follows the typical cost pattern of encountering the native predators, where one of us was eaten, and then losing another one to some plant that preys on animals. Eventually we reached the cave, where things turned from bad to worse."

"Bad to worse? How can thi—" Cadance asked before I lifted up a hoof.

"There were six of us left at that point, figure it out. Moving on, we entered the cave, only to find out why a probe wouldn't be able to extract the material. The cave turned out to be the home of some insect hive... that consists of giant bugs," I said with a shiver at that memory. "Another one of us fell to the bugs when we first encountered them, leading to another mad dash for our lives. We eventually hit a fork in the cave, causing us to split up, which was the last I saw of the other two as three of us went the other way. Luckily we found the so called mystery material, some kind of orange metal that we had to retrieve, which thankfully our boss gave us the means to extract some. Sadly, turns out this material was some kind of decoration for the hive's queen, if I'm right about it being the queen, who promptly ate one of us.

But that wasn't the worst of it, for the queen had to block our way out, causing us to have to flee in the other direction. We reached a point where the queen couldn't fit, in a place where there were some worker bugs that for once didn't bother us. Sadly, that part of the cave... was were all the eggs were, which were either somehow sensitive to the presence of foreign life, or it was just their time to hatch, for the eggs cracked open to reveal hundreds of hungry and fast larva. The other... pony and I ran for our lives, sadly she tripped and ended up as a meal for the babies. Thankfully, I spotted a light from the outside via a small air shaft, that I crawled through to make it to safety, though I... knocked my shoulder out of it's place in my arm, back when I had an arm.

After fixing my shoulder, I went back to where the portal was, and waited till it reappeared, where a rope was somehow lowered. I know what you're about to say, if the boss knew about the fall, why didn't he warned us? Simple, he didn't care to. Anyway, I climbed up the rope, to which the portal closed behind me, pretty much dooming any survivors from the group that broke off. In the end; nine folk died, I started to develop a fear of babies, and I was paid enough... bits to last two weeks. Naturally, I took another job the next day, cause I needed more money for basic living expenses in case there was a drop in dimensional jobs."

At the end of my story, Cadance's face was so pale that it looked like she dyed her coat, her mouth shut tight for a moment before she finally gathered the composure to speak. "That... is horrible... for a pony to be sent somewhere... where they could be eaten by anything... even plants."

"Tell me about it, I made a note to avoid jobs that involved underground since then, if I had enough money to last to the next job. But eh, there are untold numbers of folk like me that have to deal with that for a living. Which is also why I didn't like the fact that Celestia sent out a message that alerted at least a few species that something exists here."

After my last words, Cadance remained silent, to which I just kept my mouth shut as I waited for her next move. She then finally took a deep breath before she said, "Aether, after hearing that part of your past, I can understand how... detached you can be about some matters with ponies. However, I still see your hostile reactions and angry issues as an unhealthy thing for anypony to have, regardless about your past. So... I suggest that we seek some way for you to let your aggressiveness out in a peaceful and constructive manner."

"Okay... and how do you intend to do that?" I asked as I tilted my head, wondering what her plan was.

"Well, one possibility is for you to talk about your issu—" Cadance started to say before I deadpanned at her. "Umm... how about get a hobby?"

"...like what?" I asked, still deadpanning.

"Well, since you live with Pinkie, how about baking?" After receiving a flat stare, Cadance gave me a sheepish smile before continuing, "Is there anything you're interested in doing?"

"Magic and living," I simply said.

"Um... nothing else?"

"Can't really say, most of my life was spent worrying on living, and the rest was focused around magic. Makes it hard to find any other interests."

"Well, try something Aether, being angry and frustrated all the time isn't healthy for you."

"Well, I know one way for me to feel a whole lot better."

"What is it?"

"It involves what you're sitting on and the back of Princess Celesia's head."

"What's with you and chairs‽"

"Closest thing on hoof. If we were in a training room, it would be any weapon I can use," I said with a cruel smile as Cadance just facehooved at my antics.

Chapter XVIII: Mirror

After the little 'therapy' session I had with Cadance, I was thankfully back to doing business with Shining, where he told me more about the sorts of combat styles ponies would employ in the middle of battle. While talks about what formations would be used was boring to me due to being completely useless because of the weaponry wielded by other species; knowing how a pony can fight was something that I could incorporate into my training style. Though after I asked for paper and a quill, Shining made a snide comment on how I seemed like Twilight with the sheer amount of notes I was taking, only for me to throw a notepad at his face.

The next day proceeded like the last one, with Cadance now asking about my 'foalhood' from my original life. I told her it was fine, my parents did their best to raise me right by keeping me fed and managed to afford to send me to school in the hopes that I could actually get a better job than most folk from our species could. Then it ended with my parents' death. That pretty much ended that little session, for my mood turned sour and Cadance didn't want to tread any further, probably for fear that I would have caused bodily harm to her when she least expected. After that, it was another discussion with Shining, though this time around we decided to add some magic to the mix.

"It's pink."

"Yeah... what's wrong with that?"

"Why's it pink?"

"Cause my Cutie Mark has pink in it?"

"...Let me guess, Cadance's magical aura is blue," I said, since I never actually paid attention when Cadance was using magic.

"Yeah? Do you have a problem with that?"

"No... but I guess you two are really made for one another," I dryly commented. "Moving on, so how strong is your shield?"

"Strong enough that I can cover the entire city of Canterlot with it," Shining said, puffing out his chest with pride till he deflated when he saw that I wasn't impressed.

"That only tells me how much you can cover, not what kind of attacks it can withstand. Also, I noticed that most personal shields that I saw tend to be... spherical."

"Well, they are meant to defend a pony from harm from any direction."

"Good point, but is it possible to only create a partial shield then?"

"I suppose a pony can... but why would any pony do something like that?"

"Oh, I can think of a few reasons," I answered why rubbing my chin in thought. While I have seen barriers on walls, I think that was a different kind of shield spell, and I even remembered that Celestia's shields were also spherical in nature as well.

"While we're showing off some magic... what spells has my little sister has taught you?"

"Not much so far; Come-to-life spell, a light spell, simple transmutation, and some grasp on teleportation."

"You know how to cast the teleportation spell?" Shining said with a shocked look.

"Somewhat... I just never end up where I want to be. And teleporting other stuff is... messy to say the least. So far I only finally managed to cut back the random locations to a smaller area," I replied, remembering how glad I was at not appearing in somepony's home anymore.

"Well, that's still impressive for a filly like you to use. Why not show me the spell? Maybe I can see something that Twilight might have not seen."

"Are you sure? For all I know, I might end up on top of the ceiling or in the next room."

"Relax, I'm sure a tough filly like you can handle whatever happens. And besides, I can just catch you if you do end up on the ceiling."

"Okay... I'll just try to teleport from one side of the room to the center. Better a short distance to an open area would at worst have me in the next room than other longer teleports," I said as I hopped off my wheelchair, hobbling to one side of the room. Lighting my horn with magic, I focused on the image of me appearing in the middle of the room. Releasing the spell, I saw a bright flash of silver before seeing... that I was in a completely different room. "Figures," I muttered to myself, as I scanned the room to see what was inside the place.

In comparison to the other rooms I saw in the castle, this room was a bit dark, like nopony was supposed to come in here. It was decorated to be sure, but what really attracted my attention was this odd mirror situated near the middle of the room. The mirror was highly decorated, perhaps too decorated for even royalty, unless Cadance had some obsession with her image. This caused me to wonder if there is some magical purpose with this particular mirror, as I hobbled over to the mirror for a closer inspection. Closing in on it, I only saw my reflection, even when I tapped the mirror with a hoof, to which nothing happened.

"Huh... weird to have a mirror like this being pla—" I started to say to myself when I saw something above my reflection. Looking up, I saw an eerie smile, with two purplish blue eyes staring at me. Before I could say anything, my vision started to darken until I blacked out, the last sensation I felt was the side of my head hitting the floor as my body collapsed.

"-key wakey already. How long does it take to wake up someone's mind? I mean, seriously, I've been saying 'wakey wakey' over two hundred times!"

"Huh.... what?"

"Oh good! You're awake! Well, your mind is awake, or is that their consciousness? Oh well, I never paid attention to the mind-related stuff to know. Anyways, I was wondering if you hit your head on the floor so hard that your broke your brain!" exclaimed a feminine voice, causing me to open my eyes, to only see utter darkness. Before I could react though, the voice said, "Freaking out already? My my, you're way too paranoid."

"Who the buck are you‽" I yelled, looking around while on guard to either buck whoever was talking to me in the face or to teleport out of the place. Better anywhere than in the clutches of whoever had me.

"Hmm... good question, but I'll answer what may be your next one first. We're in your mind silly! So stop freaking out, cause I can't hurt you here. Though if I break your mind, would that count as hurting? Eh, who knows."

"...Is that you Discord? What game are you playing now?" I asked, thinking that he just changed his voice to mess with me some more.

"You think I'm Discord? That's so amusing, I feel like it laughing like a maniac. Anyways, sorry to spoil your fun, but this isn't Discord speaking."

"Then can you buckin tell me who you are already?"

"My my, already wanting answers so quick, you need to get a grip on that temper of yours. Though, I'll let you figure out what I am. Maybe I'm just a voice of somepony messing with your head, though do you know anypony that can do that? Or maybe I'm your subconscious, where I'm finally able to communicate with you since you mysteriously blacked out. Oh maybe you're finally going insane!"

"...I find the latter two hard to believe," I said, hostility apparent by the tone of my voice.

"Oh really now? After all you've been through, you think you're still be sound of mind? You know perfectly well that those that experience some of the things you've been through have gone insane. Maybe you’ve just managed to hold off your own descent into insanity till your anger issues finally push you to the breaking point. You know that one moment a pony might be perfectly fine, then the next moment the same pony becomes a raving lunatic. How do you know that the stress of your life hasn't finally broken you."

"Simple, I'm still thinking logi—"

"Oh please, logic is often seen in the point of view of the user. You know that a pony's logic can be flawed. Do you really find it so hard to believe that you went insane while being raised by a pony like Pinkie Pie?"

"She's not crazy," I countered, wishing that I could scowl at this presence. "So insanity is out of the picture, what would make you be my subconscious of all things?"

"Hmm... inner insanity? Repressed feelings? You have to admit that you're just caught up on being all serious and angry as Tarturus. Face it, you have issues. Though it's incredibly funny for you to lose your temper, who can imagine a filly like you causing so much mayhem?"

"Still thinking that you're somepony that's just messing with me for their own sick reasons."

"Do you have to be so darn skeptical? You're in a world of magic, how hard is it to believe that your mind was affected by exposure to magic as well? Even your own horn reacts to things most ponies don't detect! So face reality, Miss Silly. You're not right in the head, and deep deep down in that cruel, messed up brain of yours, you know it to be true." Before I could utter out a retort, the voice continued, "Sadly, I think our time is drawing out to a close, so I'll just tell you a couple things for you to be aware of. Prepare to have some 'fun' with your magic soon, and also, beware the one that bears cold, empty dark purple eyes."

"...Now I know you're somepony just messing with me."

"Seriously? You have a horn that can detect things and you didn't pay any thought to the few dreams you had on your own? You really need to relax before you pop a blood vessel. Sadly times up, so nice meeting you!"

"What ar—"

"—er, are you okay? Please wake up," a feminine voice said, as I felt somepony shaking my body.

"Huh... what?" I muttered, opening my eyes to see the concerned faces of Shining and Cadance looking down at me. "Wha... what's going on?"

The couple looked to each other before returning their attention to me as Cadance said, "We found you on the floor near the Crystal Mirror unconscious. What happened to you?"

"I... don't really know... I just went up to that mirror... and saw above my reflection something smiling at me. That's when I blacked out... I think..." I answered, as I rubbed the side of my head before trying to get up.

"Whoa, hold still Aether, we need to have a doctor take a look at you to make sure you're okay," Shining said while Cadance was lost in thought.

I was about to protest against me lying down on the floor like some sick filly when Cadance broke her silence. "Aether... are you certain that you saw that in the mirror?"

"You know I don't make up stuff like that for fun," I answered with a frown before I thought on what I experienced some more. "Though... after that... I actually ended up talking to something in my mind..."

This caused Cadence to be alarmed as she asked, "What‽ It didn't harm you in anyway did it?"

"No... though it was rather annoying. I don't know what it was... it never gave me an answer when I demanded to know its identity. Though, it said that I would conclude that it was either somepony that was messing with my mind, my subconscious, or that I was going insane. All I could tell for certain though that it wasn't right in its own head, though when I accused it of being Discord... it just laughed at me."

"Do... you have any clues to its identity?"

"No... just that it had a feminine voice. Though... it told me that something was going to happen with my magic... and to beware some cold purple eyes... though that smiling face had purple eyes too," I replied, frowning as I wondered just what happened to me before recalling the mirror. "Hey... is there something special with that mirror? Because I would like something that says that I'm not going crazy."

The couple's reaction was to simply look at each other briefly, but long enough for me to narrow my eyes in suspicion at the two. "It's just an old mirror, gone out of style but still an anti—"

"Yeah, not going to believe that story. Just tell me already."

With a sigh, Cadance answered, "Alright, just stay calm though. The mirror is... a gateway to another world similar to our own."

Blinking, I glanced back at the mirror before looking at the royal couple again. "This is another dimensional breaching thing, isn't it," I declared, only to receive a hesitant nod from the duo. "Why hasn't Celestia smashed this mirror then after knowing the potential consequences of damaging the barriers?"

"Well... it's because one of Celestia's former students is still in the other world. We wouldn't want to leave her stranded there if she ever desires to come back to Equestria," Cadance said, only for me to groan and place my hooves over my eyes
.

"Why is it that everything in this world that is messing with the barriers is related to Celestia? I swear, if something is going to drive me insane, it would be her."

Author's Note

For the first time ever, I have a piece of art commissioned for a chapter:

Artwork from reynaruina

Chapter XIX: Growth

After the whole incident with the Crystal Mirror, I was taken to the infirmary where I was scanned for any traces of magic being used on me. Besides my own teleportation spell and the levitation spell, there was no residual of any other spell being cast on me. Even the entire room the mirror was in was examined as well, only for nothing else to turn up. With no evidence that somepony was influencing me, this of course led to one conclusion; that I was starting to lose my grip on reality, or so Cadance thought.

Regardless of what I thought, the next day Cadance brought in several books on psychology that she used to test how sane I was. Even after I insisted for her to stop with all the tests, she pressed on anyway until I had enough and teleported out of the room. Which I immediately regretted when I appeared on the roof of one of the castle's towers. This left me stuck there until a guard found me, for I didn't want to risk casting the spell again and end up several hundred feet above the ground. Though I did learn never to teleport when I'm buckin angry.

During my next meeting with Shining, he wanted to directly observe the differences my training style would have from the standard one for the Royal Guards. He quickly changed his mind when I told him that I would be lobbing boulders at his troops till only one pony was standing. Instead, I observed Shining putting some of the guard through a training run on battle formations, which I took notes on due to never actually knowing how to lead a squad during battle. While Shining and I were getting along for the most part due to mutual exchange of information, Cadance on the other hoof was starting to reach her limit with me, which became really apparent the next day.

"Are you okay?" I mockingly asked as I observed Cadance struggling to keep a smile on her face.

"I'm fine, just peachy. Let's just focus on helping you."

"Alright then, so which are we going to handle today, my anger issues or your belief that I'm going crazy?" Grinning at Cadance, I saw that her smile quickly turned into an annoyed frown, until her eyes brighten.

"Aether, just how old are you?"

"Errr... in pony years, I'm closing on my twenty-eighth birthday," I answered, my eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I see. Tell me Aether, have you felt anything odd with your body the past few weeks?"

"Considering that I've only been a pony for a few months, I wouldn't know if something is odd or not."

"Then have you been experiencing unusual feelings for any ponies recently?"

Keeping my suspicious look, I began to recall that I was feeling odd around some mares and a couple stallions I came across from both the Ponyville residents and my squad a week ago, though I had no idea why I was getting those feelings. "Well, I had some weird feelings about some ponies a week ago, but I don't see... how..." I started to say before Cadance's muzzle split into a wide grin.

"I think I know another reason why you've been so angry Aether," Cadance declared.

"Oh, and what is it this time?"

"You're going through puberty," Cadance answered, folding her hooves over her barrel, her smug smile growing wider.

"...What's 'puberty'?" I asked, causing her to almost stumble out of her chair.

"You don't know what puberty is?"

"I'm still learning more words Cadance, I'm not going to know every word in the Equestrian language in just a few months," I deadpanned.

"Okay... well, puberty is the time where ponies tend to develop more feelings for the other gender and this is when their bo—" Cadance started to explain before she stopped due to seeing the growing look of horror on my face.

"No... no just no, I can't be, I just can't..."

"I know you hate to hear it, but it makes the most logical sense. While it may be a bit early for your age, it's not unbelievable that you're an early bloomer. Further more puberty would also help to explain some of your anger issues."

"But I just... what... no..." I started to say before I shook my head clear of my confusion and pointed a hoof at her. "You! There must be a spell to fix this!"

"...You want a spell to fix puberty? Do you know how crazy that is?"

"I don't care! Just cast the spell or do something!" I shrieked, flailing my forelegs around in a panic.

"Aether, there's no spell that can fix this. There is nothing anypony can do about it. Besides, didn't you go through puberty? Judging by your... reaction, I think you kn—" Cadance said before I rushed over to her and clamped my hooves onto her shoulders.

"I am not going to deal with heats!" I screamed at the top of my lungs while shaking Cadance back and forth. "I don't want to have feelings for stallions, nor do I want my head being influenced every time I'm in heat! I especially don't want to ha—"

"Aether, calm down!" Cadance yelled, breaking my hold on her as she grabbed my own shoulders with her hooves, holding me still. "Why are you so bothered by this?"

"Hello! I was a male before I came here Princess, do you think I'll be comfortable with something like mating with another male‽"

"Aether, you need to calm down!"

"How can I be calm about something live-changing like puberty? Wait, I know the answer, I can't!"

Frowning, Cadance pulled away from me as she said, "Aether, do what I do. Trust me, this will help you." She then proceeded with a breathing exercise that I saw Twilight do a couple times before. Considering that my mind was going all over the place after hearing that I might have hit puberty, I actually followed her instructions to the letter, repeating the exercise until I realized that it was working as I started to calm down a bit. "Now Aether, can you please tell me why you were panicking about puberty? Of all reactions, I didn't think you would react so badly to hearing the news that you're starting to mature into marehood."

"Hello, 'puberty' means I'll be getting feelings for colts and stallions, I don't want to have feelings for them since I was male in my past life!"

"How about fillies and mares?" Cadance asked, causing me to close my mouth for a minute as I stared at her.

"Huh? You too? Why... oh forget it," I replied, my exasperated tone showing just how frustrated I was getting.

Cocking an eyebrow, Cadance pressed on. "What's wrong with having feelings for the same gender? Was it inappropriate from where you came from?"

"Well... for lower class species like my original one... yeah. Though the reason for that was trying to preserve the species when possible. Regardless, I do not want to deal with romance!"

"Why do you have such an aversion to romance?" Cadance asked, her look not only taking on one of shock but of hurt for some reason.

"It's just a mess; there's the showing of one's love, the things that ponies do in private, and oddly enough the judging of other ponies. Oh, and the pain of losing your mate if they die. Which is high in the job I used to have, which may be my future job too when I get old enough," I explained, my tone becoming sour at the end with the thought of leading a team into another dimension in the future.

"Aether, did you actually have any romantic feelings for anypony before you came to our world?"

"...No, I didn't had any of those feelings."

Her face taking on a sad expression when she heard my answer, she started to say, "Nopony shoul—" before I decided to cut her off.

"I was a part of a dying species Cadance, to the point that I had no potential mates at the city I once called home. And before you bring that up, the need to survive, the distrust all the poor class aliens had for one another, and the differences every species had with one another served to really prevent anypony from having feelings for a member of a different species. You could say that I was raised in an environment that discouraged any romantic feelings from arising. Also, yeah I know, it sounds horrible, though I know much more worse than you think since I lived through it."

During my little explanation, I had my head in my hooves due to remembering what my life was fated to be before I came to Equus. The best I could ever hope for was to get enough money that I could live in a cheap home eating paste for the rest of my life without having to be sent to another dimension to make some more money to survive. At that point, I realized just how hopeless my life was, where no matter what, I would have died alone, either being killed on some unknown planet, or wasting away in a heartless society.

That was when Cadance placed a hoof on my right foreleg, drawing my attention to her calming face. "Aether, I think, barring the effects of puberty and a couple other things, that all your anger is from your past. I know you may not like what I say, but you need to let go of it. Talk to somepony about it, get it off your chest, but you shouldn't let it weigh on your mind all the time. You're in a better place now Aether, a place where you can be happy, enjoy your time with your friends, maybe even find that special somepony that you could live with together in peace."

For the first time, I didn't have some smart retort to toss at Cadance because I just couldn't stab my twisted view of everything into her attempts to make me feel better. That or I was still in shock from the realization that I was probably going through puberty. Letting out a sigh, I admitted, "Fine, you have a point... I'll... try to find somepony I feel that I can fully trust to be able to handle my past." As Cadance was about to say something, I held up a hoof to stop her in her tracks. "Not you cause you will probably faint, you did at my broken leg. I just need to find a pony that handle all the horrible things I have experienced in my past life."

Cadance pouted at being denied the opportunity to help me better myself further, though she did manage to compose herself. "Then we just have to figure out the right pony. Maybe Twil—"

"No, she will turn it into a research project."

"How about your foster pare—"

"I really don't want to risk giving her disturbing images that will haunt her for the rest of her life."

"Well, maybe one of the other Eleme—"

"I highly doubt it, they have some sort of... naivety to them, like most ponies do."

My refusals caused Cadance to release a grunt of frustration, as she tapped a hoof against her chin before her eyes brighten up. "How about Auntie Luna‽"

"...Isn't she... I don't know, busy with princess duties like Princess Celestia?" I asked with a tilt of my head, only for Cadance to let out a sheepish chuckle at first.

"I'm sure that she has time to lend an ear to your past. Also, she has seen enough nightmares and horrible things in her own lifetime to be able to withstand whatever horrors you have witnessed."

Scrunching my muzzle in thought for a moment, I finally replied, "Well... I guess she could do, especially if she does have time on hooves for me... but if you think she would be ideal to listen to my past, why didn't Princess Celestia send me to her first instead of you? No offense."

My inquiry caused Cadance to tap her hooves together nervously as she answered, "Well, it's because you two have some similarities..."

"Like what? And how would that prevent her being the pony Celestia would turn to first in this matter? And just say it, I really don't like ponies dodging around the issue if they have a tough time saying it. Even if you have to insult me."

"Well... alright, you both have a temper issue, yours though is worse than hers. She also may be too... sympathetic to you due to both of you having to adapt to Equestrian society, you from an alien one while Luna from an archaic one. Also... you're both more prone to more blunt methods."

Sighing, I simply rubbed a hoof against my forehead, before saying, "Fine, there may be a point to having Luna being my... 'therapist'. But since you admit that it's less likely my age and... puberty and more of my past bearing down on me, I guess there is no other choice but for her to be the next solution to this matter. So are we finally done with this therapy stuff?"

After shuffling for a while, Cadance said, "Well, I would like to discuss with you about your desire to avoid romance. I really think you shouldn't avoid it completely. Just give it a chance, you may end up liking it in the end."

"Oh sweet Celestia, why is it that every time anything that is love-related is brought up in regards to me, that everypony needs to lecture me on it? And why are you more determined about it than other ponies? Are you the Princess of Love or something like that?

After a moment of silence, Cadance just blushed as a disconcerting smile spread over her face. "Actually... I am the Princess of Love."

"Oh, you got to be buckin kidding me."

Chapter XX: Maralus

The past few days at the Crystal Empire passed by smoothly; well, as smoothly as one can after they learned that puberty had finally struck them. The sessions with Cadance changed from dealing with my anger to... dealing with the joys that puberty brings with it. She even asked if I ever had any feelings from when I was a male, only to be disappointed to learn that I didn't due to not seeing another member of my species, as well as no attraction to the other ones I see on a day to day basis. This led to her of course asking why I have a problem with inter-species relations, only for me to request for her to get a book on animals. She decided to drop the subject when I asked that if under the same conditions would she love an octopus.

Discussions with Shining Armor finally became a mutual talk about what Equestria could potentially be facing. While ponykind and their allies may be able to handle a few possible scenarios, the fact that most conflicts will involve long range combat on a level that nopony had experienced before caused him to admit that he would be spending a lot of time thinking on that matter. He was especially bothered when I tossed in homing explosive projectiles as being a high probability if Equus is finally discovered and invaded. The only advantage this world had was magic, but I was skeptical on how effective overall it can be when there exists materials that have proven to be resistant to it. Such as the Dixian war machine that attacked Ponyville.

Regardless, the week came to a close with me on the train to return home with a pile of notes and my leg fully healed. I was astonished to hear that it healed so quickly, which made me wonder just how effective Equestria medical practices were or if it was a biological trait that ponykind possessed. Moving on, I gave my goodbyes to the royal couple, giving Cadance my thanks for alerting me to my coming puberty and setting up a schedule with Luna for therapy sessions. I was also thankful to Shining for what he taught me, which included a simple shield spell that I was hoping I could modify with Twilight in hopes of adapting it for various purposes.

When I finally returned to Ponyville, I was greeted in an expected manner, a party thrown by Pinkie Pie. Though it was after she grabbed me the moment I got off the train, inspected my leg since I told her in one of my letters that I broke it, hugged me tightly when I turned out to be fine, placed me on her back and dashed to Sugarcube Corner. The party was rather private, consisting of the ponies I knew and my recruits. Maybe Pinkie knew I would like a small party this time around, or maybe after the fiasco Diamond caused most of the town folk wanted to avoid me. What really surprised me though was when Twilight asked if Cadance taught me some song and dance routine, only for me to deadpan at her for a while before I told her no.

During the party, the Crusaders told me about their latest attempts at getting their Cutie Marks. I learned that some species called Breezies came over to town; along with the fact that they are so darn dependent on the aid of ponies to survive, that I questioned how such a species could even avoid extinction for as long as they have. Celestia also apparently decided to repair a second Maralus core that she sent to Twilight for study. I had to spend a whole minute doing that breathing exercise after hearing that.

I learned that my troops were doing well after a quick meeting with Silver Shield, with morale finally rising with the completion of the barracks. Though Golden Sword was appalled that the sleeping quarters were bunk beds that only had four feet of separation from each other. When he heard that I wanted even less space than originally planned, and gave him the option of taking a small closet instead, he quickly withdrew his complaint. No pony left the squad in my absence, they kept to the exercise routine, and the drill instructor stuck to my dodging exercises. However, when they heard that Shining gave me a few ideas on where to take their training, they just paled a bit as their imaginations did my dirty work for them. Tomorrow was going to be a fun day for me.

Thwack. "Ow!"

"Don't make the bushes shake so much, get back to the starting radius!" I ordered, watching Midnight Breeze come out of a bush that I threw a small rock at, grumbling to herself as she rubbed the spot where the rock struck her. After the morning exercise routine, I led the recruits to Whitetail Woods for the day's training scenario. Starting at a marked circle with a radius of fifty feet, I told my recruits that they have to try to sneak up at me through any means necessary. But if I discovered them, I would hit them with a rock and send them back to the starting point. So far, I typically discover them at around twenty feet at least, even if some tried to take an aerial route or worked together to get at me.

Hearing some twigs crunching from behind me, I quickly turned around, about to toss out another rock when I saw that Twilight was the one approaching me. Her wings flared in alarm when she saw that I was about to hurl a rock at her. Stopping my rock before accidentally assaulting royalty, I asked, "What are you doing here Twilight?"

"Umm... I was going to ask if you could spend some time helping me study the Maralus core?" Twilight replied with a nervous smile.

"You do know that I don't even approve of Princess Celestia repairing a second one without my say," I said in annoyance.

"Well, we do need to learn more about them when they aren’t in pieces... and if we have two, we can respond faster to a dimensional rift!"

"That would only make sense if the other one isn't at Canterlot, which is only a few hours away!" I yelled, before turning my head to peer at a couple of bushes.

"Well... the other one is actually secured at an offsite location, safely away from any population centers along with the other things that came from your dimension."

"...And why can't some other ponies experiment on the core?"

"Well, since the cores react so differently with magic, and my speci—"

"Okay okay, special talent and whatever comes with it. Why do you need me though?"

"Well, while I have recorded various reactions, there may be some others that I haven't encountered, some that you might recognize. If you think they're a danger we can stop that experiment."

After a moment of silence, I released a sigh before replying. "Fine... I'll come along then. Just let me wrap up this training exercise." Engulfing a few more rocks with my magic, I sent them all over the place, receiving painful shrieks from my recruits. "Everypony, gather up! Silver is going to finish up your day of training!"

After telling Silver what I wanted the recruits to do for the afternoon, Twilight and I headed back to Ponyville, specifically her library as we went down to her lab. Standing out from everything else in the lab was a metal box placed in the center of a table. "I take it that box there is where the core is stored. At least Princess Celestia was thoughtful enough to put something that is potentially explosive into a safe container."

Letting out a sigh at my flippant remark about Celestia, Twilight asked, "Do these cores have the tendency to explode?"

"Normally, no. My guess is that the cores just get explosive when exposed to magic under the right conditions. Which makes me glad that your brother taught me a shield spell."

"Shining taught you a spell?"

"Yeah, after a short discussion with him, I got him to teach me the spell so I could try some ideas on it. Hopefully you can help me with those ideas."

"Oh, I love to he—wait, you're not going to use it for some violent purpose?" Twilight questioned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion until I let out a snort.

"Of course not. I was hoping that maybe the shield spell can be adapted to used in different defensive manners. Besides, while we all know I have violent tendencies, that doesn't mean I want to turn everything I see into a weapon." Seeing that Twilight was giving me a sheepish smile, I sighed. "Don't bother saying sorry. I do have a reputation that suggested that thought in the first place. Let's just get on with whatever you have planned on the core."

Giving me a nod, Twilight removed the metal casing to reveal the core on a simple stand. Grabbing the stand with magic, Twilight started to lift the core when the door to the lab suddenly slammed open.

"Twilight! I need your help quick!" Rainbow said as she dashed into the room, startling the two of us, with Twilight having a far more extreme reaction as she jumped into the air. This unfortunately had the consequence of sending the core flying when the stand received a sudden jerk from Twilight's magic. The worst part was the core's flight path ended with it bouncing off my head, the core ricocheting off my horn.

"Buck!" I yelled as I fell onto my back from the impact.

"Aether!" Twilight shrieked as she quickly came to my side while I had my hooves over the part of my face that the orb smacked against, only to let out a gasp.

"What, please don't tell me that the orb broke or my face is horribly scarred now," I replied in an annoyed tone, only to see that my horn was glowing after I removed my hooves from my face. "Umm... what's happening with my horn?"

"You're having a magical surge!" Twilight exclaimed, her wings flaring out now in alarm. Meanwhile Rainbow hovered above us with a concerned and guilty look on her face.

"Umm... is that a bad thing?" I said before my eyes start to widen as I spotted the core that was nearby us, where it was making a humming noise that was only increasing in volume. Before Twilight or I could do or say anything else, my horn released a flash that blinded me. I then felt my entire body being jerked around before a brief feeling of weightlessness was interrupted when I hit the floor. Letting out a moan, I tried to blink my temporary blindness away, as I felt like something with my horn was off while my ears caught the groans of Twilight and Rainbow nearby. Eventually my eyesight returned, only to see a something that caused me to gape in shock.

"Augh... my head..." Rainbow moaned after a while, rubbing a hoof against her head as Twilight had both of her forehooves gripping the sides of her skull.

"Ummm... Rainbow... Twilight... I'm have to warn you two. No matter what you see... remain calm."

"What are you ta..." Rainbow started to say still she finally opened her eyes, only for them to widen and her jaw to drop. Twilight opened her own eyes afterwards, only for strands of her mane to randomly pop out, before she started a breathing exercise.

As for myself, I just let out one long sigh before saying, "Why must life be so cruel to me?" as I looked at the metallic buildings surrounding us, along with the various aliens that just stared at us. Unlike the other two, I knew that we were in one of the worst places for a pony to be, an interdimensional city.

Chapter XXI: Yticalnizk

When one is living among the downtrodden in a city, one must always try to avoid drawing attention to oneself. However, it is pretty hard to do when you're a pony appearing out of nowhere in the middle of a walkway in a big silver flash, and are accompanied by two other ponies. Oh, and the coloration of our fur really turned us into a giant eyesore. While Rainbow showed the perfectly acceptable wide-eyed expression I knew any other pony would have in this kind of situation, Twilight on the other hoof was torn between fear, shock, and excitement. I'm guessing that she was curious about all the things she saw around her, which I needed to put an end to before she did something to get us all killed. I was about to use my magic to do so until I noticed that the tip of my horn was smoking.

Okay... gonna have to ask Twilight about that before I try something, I thought to myself as I did the next best thing, which was grabbing their ears with my forehooves and yanking them to get their attention.

"Ow! What the hay‽" Rainbow shrieked in pain along with Twilight, only for me to hang onto their ears. However, as they moved around I spotted the Maralus core nearby, causing me to release a sigh of relief at the possibility of being able to use it to find a way back home.

"No time, you two are going to need to stay focused and follow every single little thing I tell you two to do unless you want to end up on a dinner plate!" I exclaimed, keeping an eye on the aliens that were surrounding us.

"{Why, look at what we have here, some fr—}" an insectiod alien that bore similarities to a spider from Equestria started to say before I let go of Twilight's ear to point a hoof at it.

"{Think about eating us and you'll be nothing but paste on a wall!}" I hollered, causing the alien to back up in surprise before I turned my attention back on my two companions. "Twilight, Rainbow, snap out of whatever you're dealing with and get ready to move! Questions later Twilight, I rather not be in some alien's stomach!"

Picking up the core, I shoved it into Rainbow's forehooves before jumping onto Twilight's back while the aliens were still in shock from me knowing the common tongue.

"Into the air, now!" I ordered, Rainbow immediately becoming airborne but Twilight was still in a state of shock; that is till I bit her on the shoulder causing her to jump into the air in pain. Turning her head to look to give me an angry glare, I simply jabbed a hoof into her mouth as I said, "We'll talk about that later, just find some spot where we won't be harassed!"

"Found a spot!" Rainbow yelled as she flew to a small ledge on a building, with Twilight landing on it shortly after. Due to the building's design, the ledge was only two feet wide with a cover just four feet above which was repeated every two stories. Seeing that we were all finally at a safe spot, Rainbow decided to tackle the main issue. "Alright, where the hay are we?"

"Ain't it obvious? We're in a city full of aliens in another dimension, since I seen some of the species down there before. Since most of the aliens down on the streets tend to be poor, that means that some of them are going to be hungry. Which I'll leave it to your imagination on how an encounter between a small pony like us with a hungry carnivorous alien would end," I said, causing the duo to blanch at the thought.

"You don't think they would actually eat us?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"Well... only if they don't know we're sapient; however, due to how we could look like rather large exotic pets to some of them thanks to our coat's bright colors. Also, before any of you two ask, the poor never have pets... so..." I explained before I looked around, my eyes widening as I recognized some of the buildings. "...I think I know where we are exactly."

"You do?" both of them said at the same time.

"Yeah... this city is called... Yticalnizk... where I spent most of my former life at," I answered.

This caused the two to give the city another look around before Rainbow broke our brief silence. "As cool as this sciency-looking city is, it also looks like a dump."

"Rainbow!" Twilight shrieked, only for her ire to fade as I just burst out laughing.

"Rainbow's right Twilight, this place is a dump. I mean honestly, after hearing how bad my life was, do you suspect anything less?" I said after my laughter calmed down.

"But how can this city be a dump? Look at the buildings, the flying vehicles, all the technology around this place!" Twilight exclaimed, pointing at the air where scores of aerial vehicles flew about, before pointing at a massive screen bolted to the side of a building.

"Yeah... technology that praises the rich and oppresses the poor, especially that last one."

"But the things that are projected o—"

"Are just advertisement for cheap products and the occasional open job listing which I'm pretty sure has a high death rate attached to it. Twilight, a quarter of this city's population lives in the alleys and the other half is crammed into low rent housing. You're lucky we didn't appear in an alley or you would see the wastes left behind by its inhabitants, or their remains..." I dryly said, causing Twilight to pale at the thought, Rainbow just gagged a bit. "Anyways, right now is not a good time to start asking me questions. We really need to get somewhere safe before some alien decides to make us their pet, dinner, or their next experiment. Though the only safe place I can think of is my old home, assuming no one decided that I died and took over the place. Though before we get there, I need to lay down a few rules."

"Ah, come on, why do we need bori—" Rainbow started to complain before I cut her off.

"Cause somepony decided to slam a door open that resulted in us being stuck in a dimensional city!" I yelled, cowing Rainbow into silence before continuing. "Anyways, here's the ground rules: don't touch anything unless I tell you. Don't interact with anypony, no matter how bad they look, unless I tell you to. Never leave my sight unless told, and if I tell you to buck somepony in the jaw or blast somepony with magic, do it. Don't hesitate, just do it or somepony is going to die. Got it?" Getting a quick nod from them, I hopped onto Twilight's back before pointing a hoof to her left. "We're heading that way, and the sooner we're at my place, the better."

"This is your place, i—"

"Rainb—"

"Was the word you're looking for cramped, tiny, crowded, cheap, poor, or small? Honestly Twilight, my past life sucks, so stop trying to defend what few pathetic possessions I actually own," I said, as we went inside my humble abode. Which consisted of a small room with only enough space for a table with a small device on it, a chair, a box full of tubes filled with paste, and some blankets with a pillow on the floor. The only other features in the room were a simple light on the ceiling, a door to my rather small bathroom, and a closet. Even though ponies are smaller than most aliens, the room was pretty cramped for the three of us.

The trip to my home didn't take long since we flew most of the way there Though upon entering the building, I had to yell at any alien that looked at us funny. Thankfully, the door to my home had a key code and a password that didn't rely on my voice, that would have been hard to fake. Though for added security I gave it a rather long winded password, because I didn't want to match my voice due to the dangers of my career occasionally altering it. You try speaking normally after getting toxic pollen into your lungs.

After we settled in, I looked at my horn to see that it wasn't smoking anymore. "Hey Twilight, is it bad when the tip of your horn is smoking?"

"Only when a unicorn uses too much magic at one time, there's no lasting side effects," Twilight explained before grimacing at the blankets on the floor. Before I could say anything, Twilight engulfed them in her magic and folded them neatly. Rainbow just let out a groan as I gave her an amused look recieving a sheepish smile in return. "Ehh... I just don't like it when things are disorganized."

"Well... make yourselves at home, I guess. Though don't try the paste Rainbow," I said after spotting her looking at the box with some curiosity. Hopping onto the lone chair to use the device on the table, I noted that Twilight was watching me. I activated the device with the tip of my hoof, making a holographic screen appear in the air above the box. Twilight's eyes widened before she rushed to my side. She was about to open her mouth to release a stream of questions but I stopped that with a quick hoof stuffed into her mouth.

"Questions when we're back in Equestria. However, right now you should figure out what caused us to be here in the first since you're the magic expert," I explained before pulling my hoof out of her mouth.

"Shouldn't you be the one to figure that out? You are the dimensional expert after all," Rainbow asked.

"Well, in my opinion, since this happened when a Maralus core hit my face and caused me to have a magical surge, then the solution is to repeat that again or fin—don't you dare throw that!" I exclaimed as I saw Rainbow about to toss the core at my head.

Eyes shifting between the two of us, Twilight did a breathing exercise before saying, "Aether is right, we need to figure out exactly how we came here. Though clearly the core and some magical resonance is involved. I just need to think on this for a moment."

"And in the meantime, I'm going to use this device to catch up to speed on some matters," I nonchalantly replied as I returned my attention to the hologram display, only to feel the presence of a pony looking over my shoulder. Twisting my head around, I saw Rainbow hovering behind me. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering, you kept saying you were poor, but you have that doohickey thing that I don't think is cheap."

"It was a gift from an employer who liked my odds of survival. It lets him send me private jobs that he wanted to let more experienced... aliens do. Not that we still don't die in mass from it, but I guess I was just lucky."

"Oh... so what are you using it for now then?"

"Looking up some news, and mes—huh? That's weird."

"What is it?"

"Well, according to the date given by this device, it's only been—" I paused to do some quick conversions "—nineteen days since I came to Equus, but that can't be right..."

"Wait, interdimensional travel is sometimes believed to be a relative displacement in space and time. We could hypothesize that when magic is used with a Maralus core, not only are we moving from one dimension to another but possibly from one point of time to another as well!" Twilight exclaimed, her hoof seemingly drawing figures only she could see in the air..

"Could be possible, but not like I would know that much. I, at best, only know what major factions involved in dimensional travel along with some of the methods to travel safely," I replied before returning my attention to the display. "Huh, now this is really weird."

"What?" Rainbow asked, once again trying to see what I was looking at, even though it was just alien writing.

"Another one of my employers is sending her... sympathy. But why would..." I answered before trailing off from seeing what the message is about.

My sudden silence attracted the attention of the other two mares in the room, as Twilight asked, "Aether, what's wrong?"

Chewing on the inside of my mouth for a bit, I took a deep breath before turning towards the two. "While the interdimensional community can be cruel... there are some groups in it that try to be... morally upright in some manner. One such group is one that is devoted to recording the discovering of new sapient species, as well as their... end."

"But what wou... oh..." Twilight said, before her eyes widened at what I was hinting at, her ears drooping down against her head.

"What? I don't see how this is related to Aether," Rainbow replied, looking at the two of us in confusion.

Sighing, I deadpanned, "Rainbow, one of my old employers sent me a message that I'm the last of my 'kind'. But since I'm a pony now, that means my old species is truly extinct."

Chapter XXII: Xartik

"Oh..." Rainbow mumbled before silence took hold as I just turned to look at the screen again. I wasn't sure how much time passed as I just stared at the screen with a neutral expression, but I soon heard the sharp tap of hoofsteps and then felt a wing gently wrap over my back. This broke me out of my stupor to look at the owner of the wing.

Letting out a sigh, I said, "Okay, we spent enough time being sad about this—" Twilight was about to open her mouth in protest before I shoved a hoof into it "—but we need to get home. We can spend more time on this... new piece of information when we're safe again. For now, we need to figure out a way home."

After pulling my hoof out of her mouth, Twilight gave me a cross look before saying, "Fine Aether, we'll do things your way. But you will talk about... this when we get back."

"Glad you see things my way. Now since you're the only one that can figure out a way back home with magic, Rainbow and I are going out to get some... presents," I said with a grin.

"Presents?" Rainbow asked with a tilt of her head. "Why would we be going out now if you say it's so dangerous to even be near an alien?"

"Oh, just getting our hooves on as much technology as we can before we go. Every little bit can help Equestria advance and be more ready when it's truly discovered." As Twilight's eyes started to shine at the implications of my plan, I pointed a hoof at her. "Hey, more thinking and less daydreaming."

With a huff, Twilight started muttering to herself while pacing about as I ignored her in favor of heading over to my closet. Opening it up, I pulled out a few belts, one with a holster on it that included an energy pistol. "Here Dash, put this on," I ordered as I tossed a couple belts her way. Pulling some clothes out of the closet, I turned to our local princess. "Hey Twilight, can you use your magic to turn some of my old clothes into some saddlebags? I don't think we'll be able to find any for sale in this world, or any bags that a pony can use."

After finding a spare card that had a link to my credit account, I did the one thing ;I never thought I’d see myself doing, spending all the funds that I have gathered in one day. Though the shopping trip didn't go the old, typical burn all your earnings for the moment that I saw some naive idiots do after surviving their first job and getting paid. There was so many damn aliens that watched us, with some surely thinking that we were going to be their meal for a few days. Some yelling and pointing the pistol at their heads quickly deterred that line of thinking quickly.

Rainbow was resistant to the idea of going on a shopping spree, citing that it was something Rarity would enjoy but not awesome enough for her. Her grievances quickly came to an end when I told her that her speed would help us get this matter done at a much faster pace, as well as being more useful in a fight if one were to break out. My little bout ego of stroking helped cut back Rainbow's complaints, but that didn't stop her from being incredibly curious about anything that looked 'awesome' to her. Thankfully, the vendors didn't care that they were selling goods to a pair of colorful ponies, all that mattered to them was that we were able to pay for it in the end.

Hours later, our packs filled with various tech, weapons, tools, and enough paste meant for herbivore species for a week, we returned to my humble abode to see Twilight mumbling to herself. Well, it was more like she was in her own little world, for she looked like she was writing something on a chalkboard based on how she was gesturing with her hooves. "Umm... Rainbow, is Twilight okay?"

"Yeah... I think. She has her moments, but normally she has a lot of her egghead stuff with her too."

"Okay... as long as she's still alright in the head," I said as I set my bags down. "Hopefully she finds a way back to Equus soon, I only got us enough paste to eat for a week or two."

"Wait, that wasn't toothpaste? You actually expect me to eat paste‽" Rainbow yelled.

"Fine, you can go outside and eat garbage, or risk going to the outskirts of the city to eat some of the wild plants that could possibly be toxic to ponies. Or maybe you find some yummy plant that turns out to be a sapient... 'foal' of some plant like alien. Or y—"

"Okay! I get it, I get it!" Rainbow replied, crossing her forehooves against her chest as she hovered around, grumbling to herself. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed one of the paste tubes to give it a try.

"Well, figures it's just as bad," I commented before force feeding myself the rest of the gunk. Rainbow just took one look at it before grimacing at the thought of eating it as she landed on my pile of blankets.

"Hey, could you just, I don't know, do what you did before that got us here Aether?" Rainbow asked, to which I rolled my eyes at her.

"That was pure random chance and we were actually lucky to arrive here in one piece. I’d rather not risk being in pieces if we can find out an alternative way," I answered as I tossed aside the tube. Heading over to my closet, I began to take out the rest of my weapons that I had stored and stuffed them into whatever spaced remained in our bags. When living in a world where every... alien is looking out for themselves, it is best to be armed at all times with something.

"Is that all... weapons too?"

"Pretty mu—don't give me that look. This world is downright hostile compared to Equus, so when I could afford it I got myself some weapons just in case I needed them. And yes Rainbow, I actually had to use them a few times," I nonchalantly replied as I continued to pull out more weapons. I was only able to get a small stash of cheap weapons, making sure that I had a couple spares due to losing some during a few of my jobs.

"How can anypony stand to live like this? What you eat looks like it tastes like dirt, and to have everypony ready to attack you at an—"

"I suggest you stop right there Rainbow. All I can say is that those of us in the poor class just endure it, we can't physically escape the system short of living in the wilds or... well it's best not to think of that alternative. Which, I have to say, the last option had been used quite a bit by some aliens." Rainbow was about to make a reply when her face paled, indicating that she figured out what the alternative. That left me free to make my way to my table, jumping onto the chair so I could check my messages for any possible news that I missed. But before I could do that, I heard the click of the door opening.

My old instincts quickly kicked in the first thing I realized I was doing was using my magic to pull out my pistol as I spun around. The next thing I was aware of was sailing across the room and impacting the far wall, a cry escaping my mouth as some of my ribs cracked from the brutal treatment. I heard both Rainbow and Twilight shrieking my name as I turned my head to see what hit me, only for my eyes to widen in shock as I recognized it. Shit... not a Xartik hunter...

In the doorway stood a bluish grey robot, its five green eyes staring dispassionately at us from its simplistic hexagonal prism shaped head. Standing six feet tall, one of its digitigrade legs pulling back, indicating that the leg was the thing that hit me. Its feet ended in three grasping claw-like toes, its arms also ending in hands with four manipulatable talons. The robot had a sleek frame, with glowing blue lines running down its shoulders to its arms.

Rainbow was the first one to react, charging at the hunter only for it to swing an arm at her, knocking her to the side to crash into a wall. The robot took a step inside only for Twilight to finally make her move as she fired a magical beam at it, only to have the beam splash over a personal shield, absorbing the entirety of the strike. It quickly charged at Twilight, only for her to teleport behind it to fire off another beam.

Damn it all, those two don't stand a chance against it in such tight quarters, I thought to myself as I tried to stand up, only to fail as I felt a burst of pain in my chest. That was when I saw the Maralus core rolling nearby, causing me to make a split second decision. Reaching out with one of my hooves, I grabbed the core, quickly moving it to the front of my horn as I ignored the fight occurring in front of me. Concentrating as hard as I could, I pictured the library basement, with the three of us and all our stuff appearing in it. I then smashed the core against my horn; my magic immediately ignited, brighter than ever before it released a silver flash as I closed my eyes.

A short moment later I opened them, only to puzzle at the sight of Ponyville, specifically some random street filled with a few ponies that were doing their day to day business. I was able to spot Rainbow, Twilight, and even all our stuff that was in my room. However, to my dismay, the Xartik hunter had also come along for the ride, its head quickly turning around as it viewed the area, before its view came onto me. The robot charged at me, and before I could try to move or cast a spell, it grabbed my body with its right hand, its talons squeezing me slightly as I saw its other hand picking up the Maralus core.

I struggled in its grasp, only for it to send a surge of electricity through its arm, making me spasm and cry out in pain. Meanwhile, I saw that a panel on the hunter's side pulled away to reveal a small compartment where it stashed the core. I then saw a beam hitting the robot's back, causing it to turn around only to be bucked in the head by Rainbow, though its personal shield withstood the punishment, remaining active. It swung an arm around in attempt to drive Rainbow back, which I took as my opportunity to cast a spell. Sadly, ability to quickly cast anything was lacking as it spotted my horn lighting up. Before I could even get the spell off, the hunter’s other hand closed into a fist, the armored talons being driven into the side of my skull. The moment the fist made contact with the right side of my head, I felt a surge of pain as my vision immediately blacked out, my last thoughts being, Well... I didn't expect to go out this way...

Chapter XXIV: Dream

I awoke to see that I was sitting on a small boat, drifting in a sea of apple juice. Looking up at the sky, I watched the sight of bears swimming in the heavens while wearing various kinds of dresses that Rarity would likely make. Looking over the edge of the boat, I could see cupcakes that had sprouted legs somehow walking around, even though they were not even on some sort of solid ground. Raising my head, I just looked around for a moment before I said the first thing that came to mind.

"What the buck is going on here?" I asked, only to be answered with silence. "Discord! If you're messing with me again, I swear, I'm going to shove... something down your throat and fire it till your insides are nothing but melted goo!" Still receiving only silence, I just pace around the boat, muttering obscenities to myself until the boat started to rock from something else besides my own actions. Looking around, I saw that the apple juice sea was starting to become turbulent in nature instead of its peaceful calm from earlier. Gripping the edge of the boot with my hooves, I tried to hang on only for the sea to become more chaotic, till a massive wave appeared.

"...Buck me," I groaned as the wave overturned the boat, plunging me into the sea of apple juice. I tried swimming my way back to the surface, only to find that I was sinking like a rock. Holding my breath, I struggled to keep myself from sinking to no avail. Eventually, I couldn't hold my breath anymore, letting out bubbles of my air as apple juice rushed in to replace it. However, instead of drowning, I realized that I wasn't even really breathing. This led me to come to the realization that I was dreaming all along.

Well, never thought I would dream up of something that Discord would do, I thought to myself as I looked around in a daze. The cupcakes once again caught my attention and I watched them as they walked past me. The scene only kept my attention for a moment before I landed on some flat surface, causing me to look down to see that it was some massive mirror.

"Not another buckin mirror," I said to myself, only to see that the surface begin to distorted, the mirror morphing and shifting as figures started to come out of it. Looking around, I saw that the figures were all Xartik robots, ranging from the smallest models to the ones that stood over twenty feet tall. "I really wish I could control my dreams right now."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" a feminine voice called out, and suddenly all the robots disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"...Oh please don't tell me it's another voice that is trying to convince me that I'm going insane," I groused as I looked around for the source of the voice. It didn't take long for me to find it, which turned out to be a black and white version of me. "...Really?"

"Well, what did you expect? Princess Celestia?" my copy said with a voice that was much higher than my own. I buried my face in my hooves, causing my copy to giggle at my expense. "You know you don't have to be so serious all the time."

"...You're the nutty voice from the mirror before, so stop trying to convince me that I'm crazy and show me your true form," I replied, only for my copy to gasp as she planted her hooves on her face.

"How could you accuse me of such a thing‽" she responded, only for me to deadpan at her. "Fine, you're naturally skeptical after the mirror, but honestly I'm not that voice."

"Then who are you suppose to be, hmm?"

"I really don't know, but do you remember the last thing that happened to you?"

Eyeing the copy, I thought back to the last thing that happened to me before I found myself dreaming again; only to recall that I was bashed in the side of my head by the Xartik hunter. "Buck..."

"Eeyup, you might have brain damage, which would explain why I'm here!" the fake exclaimed cheerfully, spreading her forelegs wide.

"I... really doubt that my mind would be trying to alert me that I have brain damage, at least not this fast," I countered, glaring at the copy as her cheery expression started to fade. "Something is up, so tell me the truth already."

Sighing, the copy just wore a stoic expression as her eyes bore into me. "Fine, I was just hoping to mess with you a bit. You really need to stop being so serious and angry, even if I have to make you panic a bit. For what I am... it's more of your mind trying to... how should we say, a figment of your imagination."

"...Still doubting what you're saying."

"You doubt everything, but fine, have fun being alone," the copy said with a huff of frustration before fading away. Shaking my head, I could only wonder why my dream was inane instead of... being weird. Letting out a sigh, I turned my head around, only to end up with a pair of dark purple eyes in front of my own, so cold and emotionless as they stared into my eyes like they staring into the depths of my soul.

"Bu—"

"—ck!" I shrieked, as my eyes slammed open in shock. Sitting up in alarm, I scanned my current environment to see that I was in a hospital room. Unfortunately, I immediately regretted my sudden movement as I felt a sharp pain on the side of my head. Hissing in pain, I placed a hoof on it to find that it was bandaged, causing me to wonder what happened till the memory came to me. That damned Xartik hu—

"Aether, you're awake!" shrieked Pinkie, her face suddenly appeared before mine, along with the sound of something being inflated. I was about to let out a shout of surprise when Pinkie interrupted it by giving me a bone-crushing hug, shaking me around which also caused my head to hurt. "I'm glad that you're okay!"

"Pinkie... you're... crushi—" I squeaked out, my forelegs flailing until she finally let go, allowing me to breath again as I gripped my head in pain. With one eye closed, I gave her a glare as I said, "Was that really neces—" only to have a chocolate cupcake stuffed into my mouth.

"Oh course it was, I was so worried about you! I was so sad when I saw you were hurt... but I knew deep down that you're a tough pony! And now that you're up, I can throw you 'Congratulations on Get—" Pinkie started to explain, until I stuck a hoof into her mouth as I swallowed down the cupcake.

"Pinkie, I'm glad that you're happy that I'm... okay. But I need you to calm down for a moment and let me think for a bit please." Getting a nod and some muffled response, I pulled my hoof out of her mouth as I tried to think things over. "Okay... I need to know what happened while I was... out."

"Oh! After you were... hurt, the mean alien robot ran across the town, like it was trying to get away! We tried to save you, but the mean robot was too tough for us to hurt, till Princess Luna came and was: Wham! She beat the bad robot hard, then Princess Celestia saved you and shot magic at the meanie, that made it blow up! Then I hugged you since you were safe now, but we had to take you to the hospital, where the doctor said that you weren't hurt that bad. But he said that you may be sleeping for a few days, and he was right, it took you two days, six hours, forty two minutes and thirty three seconds to wake up!"

At first, I was blinking at Pinkie's rapid retelling of what happened, only for me to gape at her when she gave me either an estimate or the accurate amount of time I was out. However, the aching pain on the side of my head knocked me out of it. "Okay... other than what happened to me, I need to know some more things. Like what happened to all the stuff that came back with us, and what the princesses are doing in regards to this? Also, what were my recruits doing during all this?"

"Oh, all the stuff that you got is in Twilight's lab for safe keeping. Twilight thought it would be best to keep it there till you wake up cause we don’t know what they are since you got them all. The princesses are super worried about you and what happened and have been visiting to check up on how you're doing. Princess Celestia is even at Twilight's library right no—oh I have to tell her and everypony that you're awake!" Pinkie said before she tried to leave in a mad dash.

"Wait Pinkie!" I shrieked, causing her to stop and look at me in confusion. "I need you to get me something first. It is very important—" to me "— for me to get it first."

"Of course I will get it for you!" Pinkie said as she zipped over me. "What is this super duper important thingy you need?"

"Okay, it's with the stuff that I brought along... when Rainbow, Twilight and I returned. It's a small metal box, about half a foot long and three inches wide. Also, make sure that I get it before anypony sees me... besides a doctor."

"I'm on it Aether, you can count on me!" Pinkie declared with a salute before she finally left the room in a flash. It wasn't long before she made her return, bouncing about as she said, "I got it!" as she gave me the item I requested.

"Thank you Pinkie, this means a lot for me," I replied, before hearing the hoofsteps of somepony else coming. Stashing the metal object in my mane, I glanced at the door to see the rest of the Elements coming into the room, with Celestia, Silver Shield, and a doctor coming in behind them. As I expected, the Elements fussed over me, with the exception of Rainbow who said I was a tough filly to wake up so soon.

After all the fussing, Celestia made her way past the Elements as she said with a smile on her face, "Aether, I'm happy to see that you are awake and well."

"Heh, if having a head injury is well, I don't want to know what is unwell in your point of view," I replied with a chuckle, only for some of the Elements to give me a disapproving shake of their heads at my comment.

However, my retort only gained me a mild smirk on Celestia's face."After what I heard of your actions when you were at the Crystal Empire, I'm sure that my remark is in line with your own judgement on a pony's well-being. Regardless, I do care about your health and I am overjoyed to see that you're awake."

Blinking, I looked aside as I rolled my eyes at her sentiment. "Eh, all that matters in the end is that every other pony is okay, and that I'm not seriously injured. Though... I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot of explaining thanks to the... unexpected trip that occurred."

"While you are correct, I would rather you do that after you have fully recovered."

"Good to hear... though I do have to tell you something important," I confessed as I rubbed a hoof over my mane.

"Oh? What is it?" Celestia asked as she and everypony else came closer in anticipation.

That proved to be a mistake when I said, "It's... this!" I withdrew the metal device from my mane, activating it to open up its top to show two small metal rods, electricity arcing between the rods as I jab it against Celestia's neck. I smiled as I saw that the taser did its intended job, sending waves of electricity into Celestia's body. Her body slightly spasming as her legs locked up from it as I yelled, "Don't fix another Maralus core without asking me if it is a good idea or not!"

Chapter XXV: Rant

Often times, some ponies have no regret when they do something that other ponies would considered foolish or insane. Currently, I'm one of those ponies with no regrets as I heard a collective gasp of shock from everypony around me as they all stared at me in unadulterated horror. However, to help my case, Celestia was the only one not giving me that look, but that was due to me electrocuting her with a taser. Her mane and tail to stood on their ends with little arcs of electricity jumping about, which reminded me a bit of Pinkie's fluffy mane. Celestia’s wide eyes stared simply at the tip of her muzzle, the rest of her face mirroring her surprise.

"Aether!" all the horrified mares cried in unison, including Fluttershy.

"What? Why are you all so shocked by this? It should have been obvious that I would have done something like this eventually," I muttered as I gave them all an angry look. "Besides, the princess deserved it anyway."

As predictable as always, Twilight was about to open her mouth, probably to scold me, before Celestia raised a hoof to silence everypony. Looking at me with stoic expression. "Aether, have you worked out the issues you have against me?"

"Not really, but I can say that my urge to hurt you has finally been satisfied," I said with a wave of my hoof, only for Twilight to glare at me before Celestia let out an amused laugh.

"It is good to hear that your aggression has finally been dealt with, my little pony," Celestia replied, as she used her magic to fix her mane. "Though, I am surprised and disappointed that you have kept a weapon on you."

"Hey, it's a... well it's not one of those dangerous weapons, it's actually one of the safer ones. At worst it would have left a pony twitching on the ground. Besides, it's better than having me smash things on a pony's head," I countered with a huff.

"How is shockin' a pony suppose to be safe?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it doesn't do any lasting harm compared to other weapons. It's often used to capture any... alien alive, and is also used as a safe way to recover any pets owned by the rich aliens that gets loose from time to time."

"Regardless, it is still a weapon and I think you should turn it in over to me for safekeeping," Twilight said as she held out a hoof.

"...So I take it you want me to instead beat on ponies with whatever random object that is closest to them?"

"What? No, I didn't even said th—"

"Then let me keep... the electric thing. It's better than me breaking things on a pony's head, right?"

Twilight's left eye twitched a bit as Celestia spoke up to prevent an argument from occurring between us. "I think letting Aether have something like that device may be the wise choice to adhere to Twilight. As long are you actually use it with more control over your temper, Aether."

"Yeah yeah, that reminds me. Why did you have another Maralus core fixed without even letting me know‽" I yelled while pointing a hoof at Celestia.

Blinking in shock, Celestia said, "Didn't Twil—"

"That's besides the point! You just don't go messing around with interdimensional stuff like they're some kind of foal's toy! Even if you think Twilight would like to work with one and may help speed up your research projects, it's still a big risk! Which turned out to create a mess in the end when Rainbow, Twilight and I ended up in another world! We're just lucky that the only harm done was me being injured!"

Apparently, nopony wanted to agree with me as they just stared at me in silence, with the exceptions of Rainbow who's eyes were darting around while Celestia looked at me in shock before she took on a hardened expression. "Aether, I'm not some naive pony like you think of most ponies you have met. I have been ruling Equestria for over a thousand years, and while I admit that I made mistakes in the past, I know that I have to take risks in order to better protect Equestria from harm. Furthermore, I don't want you to be advising me on every interdimensional matter, I do have my own experiences in such circumstances as well."

After hearing Celestia's counter, I was a bit speechless at her sudden reprimand that she used against me. This gave the perfect opportunity for a pony to add to the argument, which Twilight took to her advantage as she said, "Princess Celestia is right Aether. If you think Equus could be invaded at any moment, naturally she would need to take steps to help better defend everypony. However... I think there is more to your anger than what happened."

Nodding, Celestia replied, "Indeed, for Twilight has brought to light something rather... horrible that may be influencing your temperament."

Giving Twilight the stink eye, I simply answered in a low tone, "Twilight... don't tell me that you told them the 'news', did you?"

Instead of Twilight answered, Celestia had chosen to press on. "Aether, this is something that you shouldn't just bottle up and try to forget about it. I know it's a horrible thing to hear, but you ha—" Celestia started to say before I finally had enough of hearing her prattle.

"I have to what, talk about my feelings? Hello! I'm an alien that has been through so many horrible experiences, there is nopony, or even an alien, that can help me through this! I am sick and tired of hearing all this talk about me needing to let my feelings out, to talk to a pony to feel better, to get help! How can you get help when you live a life where you to put your life on the line just to make enough money to eat? How can a pony relate to me about the fact that I had to bury my parents, alone? News flash Princess, there's nothing you or anypony can do to help me through this!

“Buck, I already have enough on my plate trying to train a squad of ponies to help protect Equus from an invasion from who knows what! There's dozens of interdimensional organizations that could threaten the world, and I have to figure out the best way to prepare a world that doesn't have a military force that can stop them! To make things worse, I have to deal with puberty on top of this! And don't anypony dare bring up the idea of going on a date with another pony! I am not in the mood for any of that romantic stuff!

Before anypony says a thing, yes I know I'm acting like a brat! And here's my answer, I don't care! I don't have the time to play nice with everypony, nor do I even have the patience for it! I got enough stress with all this stuff going on, enough paranoia from my past life, puberty that I have to go with, and dealing with ponies that think they know what is best for me! And to put the cherry on top, not only did I learned that my original species is gone, but I nearly died on same day I learned about it! Can you find me a pony that can relate to me on that? I don't think so! Instead, I have to make sure that the same thing doesn't happen to ponykind!" Pausing on my rant, I simply look at everypony in absolute fury, all of them wide-eyed at my outburst, unable to say a thing at the moment. This gave me enough time to catch my breath and calmed down a bit before I continued.

"I know... that I'm not a nice pony. I know that you think maybe by trying to help me, that maybe you could make me happier. But... it's not as simple as you think. I seen things that only maybe you might have seen Princess Celestia, and only because of your age. None of you can fully understand the... sadness my species and many others have experienced. It takes a toll on a pony like you can never believe. It's so great... that I literally seen aliens... simply going to a high spot somewhere and... just jump to their ends. Tarturus, even I was tempted to do that several times in my own life.

“So everypony, stop telling me to go to talk to somepony about this! I'm sick and tired of that, and... and everything! I... I just want a break from all this craziness! I... I just want to be able to live in peace again..." Finally, I finished my rant, panting a bit as I looked at everypony, only to be engulfed in a hug by somepony.

Turning my head, I saw that it was Pinkie who hugged me, rubbing a hoof against my back as she said, "Everything's okay now Aether, you're safe now." I was about to let out a retort when the rest of the Elements suddenly decided to give me a hug, which surprised me considering that I was yelling at them not but a moment ago. That's when my past fourteen years of bitterness and pain finally came up to me, as I started to cry a bit, until the dams let loose as I bawled into Pinkie's shoulder. I cried out all the pain I had accumulated over the years, the years of loneliness, years of enduring dangerous mission as I saw many others around me perishing in horrible ways. I cried out the stress of trying to keep on living, and I finally cried out the pain of the knowledge that my original species has gone extinct. I didn't know how long I cried, but I kept crying until I finally passed out.

Letting out a groan, I awoke to see that I was still in the hospital room. Turning my head to my right, I saw that Pinkie was sleeping on the bench, letting rather loud snores that somehow didn't wake me up earlier. I then turned to my left, I saw Princess Celestia standing still, watching over me. Letting out a sigh, I simply said, "You're still mad about my outburst earlier, right?"

Instead of saying something in anger, Celestia just took on an amused smile as she answered, "Now why would I be mad at you finally letting go of some of your pain."

Cocking an eyebrow in surprised, I replied, "Alright, I finally let some it out, but I still doubt that I'll be able to talk away the rest of it."

"It's still progress to say the least, though I hope you realized that you're not alone here. You have so many friends now that care about you."

"True... so what's going to happen now Princess?" I asked, shuffling a bit in my bed at the awkward memory of the Elements all hugging me.

"Hard to say, I know that your current role as a training instructor is causing you some stress, but I don't think you'll let any other pony take over your role."

Sighing, I averted my eyes as I said, "You're right there. I doubt that anypony will be able to come up with anything close to the experiences I had... and I'll regret doing what I can to save lives. I'm tired of seeing... well aliens dying from just being sent unprepared to another world, I don't want the same to happen to other ponies. It doesn't help that we may have even less time since there are at least a few interdimensional organizations that now know of our existence. Bright colorful ponies really attract attention."

"Are you certain about that? You did say that there are many species that are among... the poor classes like your former one. Couldn't they just assume that you were just another one of them?"

"Some might have, but remember that alien... machine that showed up when we returned from that world?" I asked, to which Celestia gave me a nod in response. "That machine belongs to a rather big and powerful organization. I hate to say it, but I don't think they're going to sweep the loss of that machine under the rug, particularly since that one is designed for a special role. We might be seeing them again the future, maybe even the near future."

Chapter XXVI: Demonstration

The rest of my talk after my little revelation came out far smoother than I would have thought. After a little discussion, Celestia agreed to take back the second core, where she would keep it safe in some vault in Canterlot, only bring it out when it is truly needed. I in turn have to reel in my tendency to hurt ponies that annoy me, especially with throwing stuff at ponies. Celestia then clued me in that all the stuff I brought from the other world, along with the remains of the robot, was moved to a secure location in some remote part of Equestria for study. Though the core took some time to find, for the thing went flying after Celestia blasted the robot with her magic. It was later found near the edge of the Everfree forest, where it was sparking off electricity for a couple hours before anypony dared to pick it up. Before Celestia made her leave, she also informed me that some ponies may be coming over soon, to present me with some recent inventions they came up with after studying the weaponry that was in the containers.

Afterwards, Pinkie woke up, only to engulf me in another hug as she tried to comfort my pain, only for me to sit there until she realized that I was okay. She then went on to talk about throwing me that party she was planning, but I told her that I’d rather not have a party for my return, considering all the things that had happened. She looked a bit depressed about it, that is until I saw a sparkle enter her eyes and a disconcerting grin spread over her face. Sadly she didn't tell me what cheered her up, though I suspected that she had some sort of plan in the works. Of course, she went off to get the rest of her friends, who all tried to comfort me as well when they arrived; except for Rainbow, who laughed after seeing that I was getting a bit sick of all the attention. Then I received the typical scolding from them on how I treated the princess, to which I just simply nodded and replied that I wouldn't do it again. Thankfully no one made me do a Pinkie Promise.

Silver was the next pony to come in, who told me that despite me being incapacitated, he knew that I would want to keep the recruits on their training regiment. Thus, he kept the recruits going, and asked me on what training exercises they should do that he could have them perform. I told him to simply tie up the wings of the winged recruits, and then have them climb the trees of White Tail Woods and jump from branch to branch. I also told him to make sure that the unicorns didn't use their magic to help themselves out, everypony had to do it the hard way.

In the end though, I was stuck in the hospital for a few more days. When the researchers finally made it to Ponyville, I managed to get the doctor to let me out, or I would have just left on my own accord. It helped that Silver was there to help get me out of the place, citing that the researchers were here on behalf of a government project set up by Princess Celestia herself. After getting out of the hospital, Silver took me to a field far off from Ponyville proper that had been roped off from the public by the Royal Guard. That was where I met up with my recruits, the researchers, and Twilight, who of course showed up due to wanting to see these new inventions herself.

"So... these are the researchers..."

"Yes madam."

"...Is there a reason why every time I met a scientist or a researcher, they're a unicorn?"

"Huh? Aether, you know only unicorns, and alicorns, can actively use magic," Twilight answered.

"I really don't see how that applies to math and science. Cause if you think that being able to use unicorn magic is a requirement for those fields, I'll like to point out to you the various interdimensional species that are far more highly advanced than Equestria and completely lacked access to magic," I countered, my look clearly indicating I thought she said something stupid.

"I... err... because only unicorns can enchant jewels and objects to have magical effects?"

"...Good point," I conceded, as the three researchers finished up setting the field for the demonstration. That was when the head researcher, a green coated pony with a dirty yellow mane, came over to our little gathering. Looking over to where the pony was coming from, I saw that a series of targets were set up which really started to get me excited at what these ponies could have come up with.

"Greetings Princess Twilight," the researcher said as he gave her a bow, before turning to me and giving me a respectful nod, "And good day to you Dame Aether. My name is Light Pulse, and my colleagues and I are here to present to you the fruits of our labor of intensive research into the gifts your... 'world' has given to us."

"Nice choice of words there Light," I simply replied, before noticing the wide smile on Twilight's face at the thoughts of new scientific discoveries. "Umm... don't get too excited Twilight. I think I know what they may have come up with, and you may not like it."

"What do you mean I do—wait... it's something violent, isn't it?" Twilight asked, to which I simply answered with a nod that caused her to let out a disappointed sigh.

"It's from the society I once belonged to, so what do you expect?" I smirked up at her before returning my attention to Light. "So how about you show us what you and your... 'colleagues' came up with?"

"Gladly, if you three will please follow me then," Light replied as he began to head back to his fellow researchers.

"Um... Aether, on the topic of objects from your world..." Twilight started to say, to which I rolled my eyes before I gave her a response.

"You want to know about all the stuff I gotten from the world, along with just what is that thing that attacked us. I'll tell you about them sometime after this demonstration, though I'm surprised you waited so long to ask."

"You were hurt and upset, Aether. I would be a terrible friend if I just asked without giving you some time to recover," Twilight replied, to which I gave an appreciative nod to before Light told us to stop.

"Now, I know what you're all wondering, what did we come up with after studying the alien weapons. I will te—" Light started to say before I shot a hoof into the air. "...What is it Dame Aether?"

"I need to know, what safety... measures did you and your fellow researchers take as you studied the weapons? I personally would like to know how many weapons are still left intact as well."

"Oh, I assure you that we took every safety precaution, as ordered by Princess Celestia herself. I'm proud to say that no pony was harmed during the examination of the weapons, though I have to admit that we lost a few of them due to possessing some kind of volatile nature. I however can say that we at least still possess one intact unit of each kind of device. Do you have any further questions Dame Aether?" With a shake of my head, Light continued with his explanation, though I noticed that Twilight had a notepad out as she listened intently.

"Very well then, where was I... oh! I remember now. After studying the purposes of the alien weapons in general, we came to a conclusion that your former society preferred to using ranged weaponry. In comparison to Equestrian weaponry, our military forces wouldn't be able to last in a prolonged conflict with any of the alien species. Even with our advantage in magic; that would only have a third of the population having any sort of advantage while the other two tribes would be left helpless to any alien aggression. Hence, my colleagues and I have came to a conclusion that we needed to create a weapon that would allow non-unicorns to be more capable of defending themselves. After studying the basic mechanisms of some of the alien weaponry, we were able to come up with this."

At his cue, one of the researches reached into a nearby crate to pull out what look like a simplistic gun. It was similar in design to a rifle, though the trigger was composed of some lever mechanism. "This was our first prototype, where we successfully enchanted a gem along with a firing trigger that anypony could use. For safety, we enchanted the gem to fire a stunning spell, though the gem could only fire a few shots before the enchantment was depleted. Of course we knew that this wouldn't suffice, but we once again looked into the nature of the alien weaponry. Due to their design incorporating some kind of removable component that seemed to fuel the device, we modeled future prototypes on that designed. We instead enchanted a gem to cast the spell while drawing upon another gem which would serve as its power source. After some trial and error, we came up with a weapon that relies on a removable magic capacitor!"

At that cue, the other researcher pulled out another 'gun', this one similar to the last one, though it had the addition of a cartridge that I figured was the magic capacitor. Looking at Light, I asked, "Guessing by the targets you set up, you also desire to demonstrate your new weapon?"

"Naturally, my colleague Volt Switch will show you," Light said as he pointed a hoof at the red coated unicorn as he carried the gun over to the firing range. Volt sat down, using his left foreleg to support the rifle while the end of the weapon was placed underneath his right foreleg as his right hoof was on the lever. Taking aim at one target, any guards that were near the general vicinity of the painted wood scurried for cover, Volt depressed the trigger. I saw a green orb with a trailing stream of green sparks come out of the barrel, which traveled to the target, hitting it on one of the outermost rings.

As everypony let out some kind of impressed response at the sight, as the other two researchers patted Volt's back at some apparent success of hitting the target, I asked, "Good to see that we're one step closer to being able to defend ourselves against an alien invasion, but can you show us how fast that weapon can fire?"

This quieted everypony down as Volt said, "O-of course Dame Aether!" After his colleagues stepped back, Volt took aim and began firing the weapon as fast as he could. I watched as he let out nineteen more shots,I could see that the gun could only fire one shot per second. On top of that, his aim was horrible as only three of the nineteen shots hit the target, the rest missing it and zipping off into the distance. I was glad that Ponyville wasn't behind the targets, or we would be dealing with any fallout those stray shots would create.

"Hmm... a decent starting firing rate... you can change out the stun spell for a more... dangerous spell?" I asked as the three researchers looked at me prospectively.

"Oh course! It would just take some time to make the enchantment work with a power source!" Light answered.

"Hmm... how many working prototypes of that weapon do you have with you?"

"Well... we only have three so far, dame."

"I see, then I would like you to leave those three here, and later send at least twenty more copies."

Giving me a bewildered look, Light asked, "You want more of the prototypes?"

"Yes, I need to get my recruits practicing their aim with them as soon as they can. As good as a weapon is, it doesn't matter at all if they can't hit their target. Though, I would like them all to be the stun variety, don't want to get anypony hurt from any accidents that could occur. Also, I do recommend that you continue your experiments, if you can somehow match the destructive power of the 'alien weapons' as well as their firing rate, then I can say that Equus stands a chance of defending itself from interdimensional aggression."

As the trio look at each other nervously due to my expectations, I simply said, "Oh, relax. The work done so far is quite impressive by itself. Though... can I get a closer examination on one of the prototypes?" Smiling to themselves after getting some praise from me, Light levitated a rifle towards me, which perked my curiosity. "Hey, would holding these with magic affect the weapon?"

"No, gems are shielded from outside interference to prevent any problems. We just used our hooves to better demonstrate how other tribes would be using it," Light explained as I grabbed the gun, though since it was longer than I was, I had a hard time holding it up. I ended up having to hold the lower end of the rifle with my magic as I held the rest of it with my hooves, upon which I turned around and aimed the barrel at my shocked recruits. This instantly sent them into a panic, as a third of them simply jumped to the ground and shielded their heads with their hooves, while others ran off in random directions; the winged recruits simply took to the air in fear.

Before anypony could do a thing, I simply lowered the barrel as I addressed my cowering recruits. "This is why I kept throwing stuff at you all, to improve your ability to dodge and your reaction time. Though... I'm really disappointed at how you all reacted to me pointing the weapon at you all. You all really need to take more aggressive action instead of panicking like a bunch of idiots."

Chapter XXVII: Robots

After the demonstration, I sent Silver and my recruits on a running exercise while the researchers, Twilight, and I headed to Twilight's lab so I could explain the various tech I luckily managed to bring back with us to Equus. Though when I asked Twilight on how I managed to pull that off, she believed that in this case, my teleport spell might have acted with an area of effect, based on how I even brought along the table, my old clothes, and the box full of those paste tubes. However, Twilight wasn't able to find out why that happened, which led me to start thinking that Pinkie may be rubbing off me more than I thought.

After that short discussion, we arrived at Twilight's home. As we headed downstairs to look at all the 'toys' I brought home, Twilight decided to rain on the parade. "Aether, just how much of the stuff you brought are... weapons?"

"Umm... I think a third of them are that... Light, you need to make up a name for the weapons in general, it gets tiring to not be able to have a... name for the group of them," I said.

"A third! Don't we have enough weapons based on how you and Light talk all those alien weapons we already have?"

"Twilight, here's a lesson for you, there are so many weapons, with so many different kinds of the same weapon type, that what we have is just barely scratching the surface. I’ve just gotten a few more of the basics along with a couple different kinds to help give the scientist ponies more ways to understand how the weapons work," I calmly said as we entered the lab. Looking around, I saw that most of the stuff was neatly placed at one side of the lab, while the remnants of the Xartik hunter was placed on a table at another side. "So... what do you want to know first Twilight?"

"Well..." Twilight started to say, as her eyes drifted to the remains of the Xartik for a second before snapping back on me. However, that one second was enough for me to know what was going on in her mind.

"Sometimes your curiosity is too big for your own good," I dryly commented before making my way over to the broken robot. "Well, come closer so I can answer questions that I know the both of you would have after I give you the basic explanation." At this, everypony came over in excitement, though the researchers looked at the remnants with more confusion compared to the glee Twilight had. Guess knowledge alone was enough to excite this alicorn, even if it is about something that attacked her a week ago. "To start things off, this is a... machine tha—"

"Wait, is that thing a robot?" Light asked, only for me to frown at his interruption before I tilted my head in confusion.

"Robot? Twilight, what does that word mean?"

"Well, it's science fiction... but with all things considered lately maybe it's not fiction anymore. A robot is a mechanical construct that can act like a living being and perform tasks," Twilight explained.

"Okay... that word applies quite well... so yes Light, this is a robot. Specifically a Xartik robot."

"Xartik?" Volt asked.

"That's just a name, so no translation for that. This robot belongs to the Xartik Empire, which mostly relies on robots for physical operations. Don't know what exactly controls them, so we only see Xartik robots for the most part. However, they come in different types, built for specific roles, though I don't know the name for this particular machine, though it's a word that one might use for the predators in the Everfree forest," I said as I rubbed my chin in thought.

"Oh? Maybe I can help you figure out a word for it," Twilight declared.

"Can't hurt to try, and we will need names for them in the future... though I hope not."

"Why is that Dame Aether?" Light asked.

"Well... simply put, the Xartik Empire is one of the more aggressive interdimensional forces out there. I don't know if that robot was the only one that found us or if there were others along with it. Odds are it either attacked due to... certain 'matters'—" I gave Twilight a quick glance as I said that "—or they may have spotted us and sent that robot to retrieve one of us for... study."

"Study? What kind of study do these Xartik's do?" asked the one sole researcher whose name I didn't know.

"The kind with a knife and your belly," I deadpanned, causing the three scientists to blanched at the thought.

"Aether, that was just mean of you to say," Twilight reprimanded. "These ponies are here to le—"

"I wasn't joking Twilight," I countered, causing her mouth that was previously open for the purpose of talking to just widen further as she gaped at me for a moment in shock. "For future questions that involve how aliens would study, majority of them would do it in rather painful and lethal ways, understood?" Receiving jerky nods from the group, I continued, "As I was saying earlier, Xartik robots come in different kinds, to suit different purposes. Some are built for various roles in war, some are built for chasing down aliens in cities like the one right before you all. Its specific role is finding and capturing targets."

"I'm surprised that you know this much about this Empire and their robots..." Twilight commented.

"It's more common knowledge than anything else really. One way to avoid getting stomped on is to know who the big shots are and do your best to avoid them."

"Sounds like whatever this thing is, it's like a hunter," Light mused as everypony took notes as they examined the machine.

"'Hunter'? Twilight, mind telling me what that means?"

"It means something that hunts other beings, like a predator hunts prey for food. Oh! Could that be the word you're looking for, Aether?"

"Probably, sounds close enough that it might be right. I'll look it up in a dictionary later." I stepped away from the robot, making my way to the pile of tech. This drew everypony's attention as I start rummaging through it.

"Aether, we don't need to see how some of the weapons you brought back work. I'm sure Light and the oth—" Twilight started to say before I found what I was looking for, a brace that I carried over to another part of the room. "...That doesn't look like a weapon..."

"That's because it's not a weapon Twilight," I replied as I rolled my eyes at her. After awkwardly placing the bracing around my leg, even though it's a too large for it, I held it up as a wave of blue washed over my body.

"Aether! What are you doing‽"

"Relax Twilight, it's just a personal shield."

"A personal shield! That's... amazing!" Twilight exclaimed as she and the researchers rushed over to me. Smiling in delight, she did an experimented poke at me, only for her hoof to literally poke me. "Huh?"

"The shield is designed to react to certain kind of threats. Anything energy base or coming at me with enough force would trigger the shield. For everything else, the shield doesn't activate. Let me demonstrate," I explained as I used my magic to grab a random notebook, tossing it as hard as I could at myself. The shield activated, spreading a blue barrier over my body, the blocked notebook bouncing harmlessly off it.

"Interesting, that allows ease of interaction with others in noncombat situations, but any unexpected assaults would be blocked by the shield," Light noted with awe in his voice.

Looking at Twilight, I gave her a smirk. "A third of the stuff I brought back is weapons, but another third is various shield devices." Seeing Twilight's eyes sparkle even more at my little reveal, I pressed on. "This is why I wanted to work with you on developing different kind of shield spells, to see if we can recreate the same abilities that those shields possess."

"Just how many kinds of shields can there be?" Volt asked.

Shrugging, I answered, "Oh, all sorts of shields really. Some are more geared to withstand physical forces, others are built to either handle energy-based attacks or deflecting them. Some are partial, while some are meant to cover only portions of your body. I couldn't bring in the more high end stuff though. I just hope you can use these as a basis to design something that anypony can use to shield themselves."

"So, what is the rest of the stuff you brought back?" Light asked as he looked over the rest of the pile.

"Oh, just various other objects that have differing uses. It'll be complicated to explain them all, but they're not dangerous... unless you use them in a foolish way. That and I don't know enough words to explain all their functions."

Light then looked back at me as he said, "So... beyond the shielding device and more of the prototype weapons, is there anything else you want us to come up with?"

"Hmm... yeah, can you create a trigger device that we attach to an alien weapon's trigger?"

"Why?"

"Simple, if a pony runs out of shots with their weapon, and they can get their hooves on an alien weapon that the trigger device can attach to, then the pony can use that weapon to defend themselves."

"That's ingenious!"

"Not really, it's more of a common thing that happens in battles from what I heard. Though we need the trigger since most weapons are made for creatures that have fingers or talons," I idly replied, before a thought crossed my mind that caused me to let out a chuckle.

"What's so funny Aether?" Twilight asked as everypony looked at me in confusion.

"Oh, just imagining the sight the aliens would have at small colorful ponies fighting back with ranged weaponry and magic. I mean, we all look cute and adorable compared to most alien species, and I did mention we could be seen as pets for that reason. Short of robots or the like, any hostile aliens would be absolutely shocked by that idea," I explained with a mild grin.

It was almost dusk when I left the library, after having more discussion with Twilight and the researchers along with some demonstrations of the devices that I could still use in my new body. It was amusing to see how they reacted to the magnetic boots, along with the hologram device. The latter was a non-moving one since the more complicated ones were a lot more expensive, but I did explain the existence of other kinds of holograms, to which they said that 'illusion' spells are similar to them. This caused me to wonder if Twilight could teach me to how to use an illusion spell to make a copy of me; I was already thinking of all the things I could do with such a skill.

Arriving home, I found Pinkie far more excited than usual. Curious about what could have put her in such a mood, along with the desire to avoid any Pinkie Plan that I could, I asked, "Pinkie, you're more... cheery than usual. What's going on?"

Pinkie just looked at me in confusion. "What are you talking about Aether? Don't yo—" A short gasp of shock cut her off. "I forgot to tell you!"

"Forgot to tell me what?"

Her expression of shock quickly returned to her original look of excitement, as she said, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, I was just so busy and excited and you were in the hospital. I can't believe that I didn't tell you about this super du—" before I stuffed a hoof in her mouth to stop her from going onto one of her usual ramblings.

"Just tell me what you forgot to tell me please," I asked as I pulled my hoof out of her mouth.

"My sister Maud is visiting tomorrow! But since you're my foster child, does that mean she's your foster au—" Pinkie blurted out before my mind tuned her out as a shocking realization came to mind.

Oh sweet Celestia, one Pie was enough, but two! I have a hard enough time not cracking from Pinkie's antics! With two Pies... I'm going to lose what's left of my sanity tomorrow...

Chapter XXVIII: Maud

After a chilling night of me worrying about the level of mayhem two Pies could create, I rolled out of bed early in the morning. As I was making my way down the stairs to give Silver the training plan for the week Pinkie noticed me and dragged me into helping her with some rock candy problem.. After seeing the sheer amount of rock candy in her room, I politely excused myself stating that I needed to talk to Silver about the week’s training so I could have free time to spend with Pinkie and her sister. Pinkie accepted my reasons with ease, since I was trying to be able to spend as much time as I could with her sister. While I’d rather not deal with the antics of two Pies, I didn't want to hurt Pinkie's feelings; hence why I was doing all this in the first place.

So after telling Silver to have the recruits set up a firing range and start practicing with the three prototypes the researchers left for us, along with telling Silver to have a tree to duck behind for any stray shots, I was waiting with the rest of the elements at some kind of picnic. While I would have been understandably nervous about meeting another hyperactive pony, I was instead distracted by the hat that Rarity chosen to wear today. Either ponies have some weird tastes in fashion, or Rarity is sometimes off in her taste of hat wear.

There was some idle chatter on what their expectations for Pinkie's sister would be like when Pinkie finally showed up. "We're heeeere!" All out heads jerked to see Pinkie happily waving to us from up the trail, as I braced myself for... nothing.

"Where's Maud?" Twilight asked, as I rubbed a hoof against the back of my head in confusion.

"She's coming!" Pinkie exclaimed, causing me to cock an eyebrow at her before I returned my attention to the trail.

After some more time waiting, Rainbow glanced questioningly at her pink friend., "Uh... you sure?"

"She's not quite as fast as me. I asked Gummy to stay with her in case she got lost!" Pinkie explained. To which I tilted my head as I wondered, how can Gummy help anypony find their way? That was when I finally saw Maud, as she slowly came over the hill. She was, really not what I expected, with her sedated pace and her flat mane. Even her expression was dull. Huh... maybe this won't turn out as bad as I thought. I guess Maud is normal like other pon—

My line of thinking halted when I saw Maud lower her head as she sniffed a rock, saying, "Hm. Sedimentary."

"Huh?" Rainbow voiced out her confusion, along with my own.

"This is a sedimentary rock," Maud answered with an emotionless voice. Okay... scratch that on Maud being normal... I guess every Pie is weird in their own way... maybe... still, better than two hyperactive ponies, I thought to myself, before realizing that everypony was looking at me. That's when I realized that we were doing introductions, and it was my turn.

"Oh, uh... sorry about that. I sort of blanked out... Anyways, it's finally good to meet you since your my... foster aunt as Pinkie put it," I said, putting on a smile as I blushed at bit at my awkwardness. The introductions moved onto Rarity, upon which, it started to get a bit more weird.

"Pinkie Pie tells me you share my love for fashion," Rarity mentioned, as she put on a smile.

"I'm really into expressing myself through my wardrobe," Maud replied, to which I only wondered how that simple clothing she has on is suppose to express anything.

"A-and what is the delightful frock you're wearing now saying?"

"It doesn't talk. It's a dress," Maud answered, causing me to suppress a mild chuckle as Rarity simply backed away flabbergasted.

"Oh, yes, of course, I-I just meant, the frock is, just..." Rarity sputtered out, upon which I decided that everypony's expectations were going to be ruined, to my amusement. This is turning out way better than I hoped, I thought with glee as I watched everypony else try to make small talk with her.

Aunt Maud was hilarious, in my point of view... when she was interacting with other ponies that didn't know a thing about her. I had to resist the urge to burst out laughing at the awkwardness of everypony trying to interact with her, though I was shocked when she ate a rock. I could even hear her chewing it, causing me to wonder just how hard earth pony teeth are. Anyways, unlike everypony else, I just sat there, quiet and smiling, avoiding being drawn into the conversation in preference of just observing Maud. Hopefully, when I made my own attempts at connecting with her, I wouldn't be doing it on false expectations.

After the picnic, we ended up playing a game Maud called 'Camouflage,' which was just finding Maud's 'pet' Boulder among a pile of other rocks. This led to the predictable result of the elements getting frustrated with the exception of Pinkie, ending with me actually laughing as Maud revealed that Boulder was in her pocket the entire time, to Rainbow's ire. That was when Pinkie, Maud, and I left to go home, with Pinkie doing most of the talking.

The next day, Twilight apparently had the idea for everypony to connect with Maud at a more one-on-one approach, which to my amusement, failed spectacularly. Rarity's attempts to connect to fashion fell apart when Maud displayed an interest in a dirty rag that she wanted to use as a scarf; Fluttershy's showing of Ponyville wildlife ended with Maud observing the rocks instead; Twilight's own attempt through poetry further showcased Maud's rock obsession; Applejack's cooking only got Maud to say it tastes like apples. Rainbow's own session with Maud was the most interesting. It involve a distance throwing game, to which Maud just hurled a rock off into the distance, producing some sort of nuclear explosion! My jaw dropped as low as it could as I watched the mushroom cloud her throw created; I was so shocked that I barely snapped to my senses to throw up a shield as the resulting shockwave created a massive wave that moved over the lake to drench everypony else.

After spending some time trying to figure out how a thrown rock could create a mushroom cloud, I learned that it was finally time for me to spend some alone time with Maud and Pinkie in my own 'session'. Thankfully, I had a better plan than everypony else.

"So... the three types of rocks are sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic?"

"Correct."

"Hmm... interesting to note," I said to myself as I looked at a book about geology with Maud at the library. This caused Twilight to shoot me some weird looks as Maud taught me a bit of her knowledge on rocks.

"I didn't knew you had an interest in rocks too Aether," Twilight finally said.

"Well, it's more of just something that involves my past," I dryly said, not revealing a single emotion. That caused Twilight to do a double take. Pinkie already informed Maud about my past, to which it seemed like it didn't matter to her. She didn't treat me any different from any other pony she had interacted with.

"And that would be?"

"Well, various things really. I had to extract minerals for some missions before, and I spent some missions stuck in a cave as I waited for the return portal. Gave me a lot of time to study the rocks," I replied, keeping up a neutral expression. "Hmm... if I end up having to go to another world, I'll make a note of picking up some rocks for you to study Maud. I know for certain that some worlds would have rocks that is never seen before on Equus."

"That would be nice," Maud simply said, before we moved onto the subgroups within the three main rock groups. All the while Pinkie sat nearby us, a wide smile on her face thanks to the bonding moment that Maud and I were having. Though I began to feel Maud and I were starting to disturb Twilight to some degree, since we both kept emotionless expressions throughout the lesson. Regardless, I was learning some new words and facts, and making Pinkie happy by actually connecting with Maud, which is a win in my book.

After the geology lesson, Maud and Pinkie went off to return to Sugarcube Corner, while I opted to remain in the library as I was making note of the various minerals that Equus possessed. Since Maud was out of the way, Twilight apparently took this as an opportunity to ask me something. "Do you really have an interest in rocks Aether? It seems... out of character for you."

"I wasn't making up what I said Twilight. I really did end up sitting at a cave where I either stared at rocks all day or made sure no predator came in to eat me," I dryly answered as I flipped a page. "Though, come to think about it, I really should have taken a look into this earlier."

"How come?"

"Well, knowing what minerals Equus has to offer would be a good idea to gauge some… ideas. With the apparent mass supply of gems to the point that Spike can eat away at them without you going into debt, it makes me wonder if there are other rare minerals that are... plentiful in this world."

"Wait, gems are rare?" Twilight asked with her head tilting in confusion.

"Yeah, for the most part in other worlds. This tends to put a high value on them as a result, though I’d rather not let other alien species know about Equus’ supply of gems. They would be more motivated to take this world just to get rich off the gems alone. Regardless, I might want to talk to Maud to see what she knows about the metals of this world if her studies included them."

That was when Twilight narrowed her eyes at me as she said, "So... you had an ulterior reason to talk to her about rocks. You wanted to use her knowledge for your plans to defend Equestria."

"Eh, not really," I replied, causing Twilight to be confused. "From what I saw from the demonstration two days ago, it seemed to me that gems is the way to go for Equestria in terms of warfare. It would take too long to try to actually use materials to recreate the alien weapons instead of making magic copies off them. At best, metals would be used to create physical armor, but I won't be surprise if the Royal Guard's armor is reinforced with enchants to make them stronger." Facing Twilight, I gave her a hard glare as I said, "You know, it's rude of you to accuse me of such a thing. I'm just trying to use my past as a means to connect with Maud, not to use her. Even if our interests in rocks is different in purpose, at least we can bond over something."

My scolding resulted in Twilight lowering her head and laying her ears back."I'm sorry Aether. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything... it's just th—"

"That due to my tendency to have something violent be related to all the things I talk about, you couldn't help but jump to that conclusion," I cut her off, causing Twilight to look at me in confusion as I dropped my glare. "I can't really blame you for thinking that way, but next time try not to jump to that conclusion when I do things for Pinkie. I really do care about her, so I don't want to mix anything that I do for her with my work."

"That's very thoughtful of you Aether," Twilight responded with a smile.

Shrugging, I simply returned to my studies before I asked, "Hey Twilight, there's something I'm wondering about that I can't find in this book. Are there any rocks that are naturally green or greenish yellow in coloration?"

Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin as she thought for a moment before saying, "Hmm... I don't think I’ve seen nor read about any green rocks before, why you asked?"

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about," I answered, as I made note of asking Maud that question the next chance I got.

Chapter XXIX: Session

The rest of Maud's visit ended abruptly after some incident involving an obstacle course that Pinkie put together, though I was amazed on how Maud was able to pulverize the boulder that was bearing down on Pinkie. That mare can move faster than Rainbow when she felt like it. Anyway, it turned out that Maud opted to return to the family rock farm for the rest of her time off, which of course gave me a headache as I wondered what purpose a rock farm actually served, with Pinkie going along with her. However, before they left, I went and did the sisters' tradition of exchanging rock candy necklaces with Maud and I managed to ask her a few more rock questions. Thankfully, there weren't any radioactive rocks in Equus… that is unless they weren't discovered yet. I really didn't want to see what magic and radiation would produce when mixed together.

With my week freed up again, I decided to do a secret observation of how my recruits were performing without me. I was expectedly disappointed by how shoddy their aim was, but at the very least they didn't insult me when I wasn't around. Though, I did cause Citrine Lemons to panic when I grabbed one of the guns with my magic; while those that were lounging got spooked by her scream. After that, I proceeded to give them all some tips,; though, I couldn't figure out how since I couldn't even hold a gun properly due to my size. I still somehow managed to improve their accuracy so that they could hit a two foot diameter target from an embarrassingly close distance. At least none of them were being knocked off their hooves by the recoil anymore.

It was nine days after Maud's departure when Luna finally started her sessions. Though, she could've pick a better time and place for them.

"Can you do anything about this Princess Luna?"

"I could... but it may be better for you to confront this aspect of your dream. In your case, your mind is probably trying to send you a message subconsciously."

"...And just what is the use of Applejack's barn as a boat as we drift in a sea of chocolate milk suppose to mean then?"

"I did say probably..." Luna answered, looking a bit unsure as she stood on the roof of said barn, as it rocked and bobbed in the chocolate sea.

"Yeah... short of me going crazy, I don't think my mind is trying to tell me anything useful... unless it's telling me to cut back on the chocolate," I replied.

"You eat a lot of chocolate?"

"In my defense, I live in a bakery with Pinkie Pie. So excuse me if I overindulge on chocolate more than a normal filly should. At least I'm making sure I don't get fat from it," I said with a serious expression, to which Luna only cocked an eyebrow in a disbelieving look at me.

"I see... now it is time for us to attend to more important matters," Luna declared, a quick sigh clearing her expression to one of indifference. "At my niece's recommendation, it is decided that I would be the best pony to address your 'issues'. Hence, I promise you that I will help you overcome the pains of your pa—"

"Excuse me princess, but I already know why you're here, can we move onto this 'therapy' session? Also, why are we doing it while I'm sleeping?"

Frowning at my interruption, Luna explained, "Very well, it may be best just to proceed onto this session, as you put it. As for being held in your dreams, it would make it easier for you to express any troublesome memories that are afflicting you."

This caused me to blanch a bit. "Is it really necessary for me to talk about every memory that bothers me?"

"Yes young Aether, for if you don't, those memories will continue to torment you. Now, what events of your past would bo—"

"The news of my parents' death," I dryly said, cutting Luna off for a moment as she looked at me in shock before she quickly snapped herself out of it.

"Good point... I won't press you for memories of that kind, though I still think it would be best if you were to talk to me about them some time in the future."

Rubbing a hoof between my eyes, I groaned. "Fine, whatever... let's just move onto any other topic than that please."

Luna gave me a disapproving look with narrowed eyes for a moment before she replied, "Very well. We will start out with your anger issues." Her horn lit with her magic, changing the scenery to that of a grassy field with a pair of chairs for us to use.

"So which part are we going to tackle first? My violent tendencies or my constant frustration?" I asked as I took a seat, only for Luna to give me a mild glare. "Sorry. It’s just after Princess Cadance's attempt, I'm sort of sick of this therapy stuff."

"I see. While I myself agree that this may be a nuisance for you, it is in everypony's best interests that you overcome your problems and relieve yourself of your anger."

"More like everypony wants me to calm down before it's their turn to be hurt by me," I deadpanned. "Honestly, I grew up in an environment that encourages my anger, since every alien is normally frustrated with their place in life."

"Ah, but now you're in a world where you have found a better place, with a new family that cares for you."

"Which is countered by the fact that I have to train a bunch of ponies to at least be ready to do something about any future interdimensional invasions, all because of the mess your sister has made," I countered.

"While I disapprove of her actions with the mirror, remember that it was her very actions that brought you to this world and gave you a better life."

"Which isn't worth it when you weigh the potential of all life on this world being devastated by some interdimensional force. Like I told Twilight once, I’d rather be back where I was, eating paste and dealing with my horrible life if it meant that this world would be spared for hundreds, if not thousands of years more."

My response caused Luna to pause for a moment before replying, "An admirable desire. It is a delight to know that even in the kind of world that you came from, there are still... creatures that can possess righteous hearts."

"I wouldn't call myself righteous, just not completely self-centered and cruel," I said, amused that somepony actually thought that about me. She should see what I do to my recruits every time I'm there to train them.

"Do not think so little of yourself, for I have seen ponies that are far below you in how they treat others."

"Let me guess, is Prince Blueblood one of them?" I asked, causing her to grimace at the name.

"Indeed... his arrogance in his position and his tribe is unbecoming, however after your... 'response', my sister saw fit to have somepony instruct him in respecting other ponies. It may take a few years for him to learn, but for now, he is showing some improvement."

"Good, because if he still shows that attitude around me, I'm going to shock him for it," I declared, eyeing Luna's reaction only to see her hide a chuckle behind a hoof.

"That would be amusing to see, I do hope to be there for it," Luna said with a grin.

"I take it that you want to see him hurt for his disrespect?" Getting a nod from her, I asked, "Okay... but I need to know. Do you have anything against my actions of shocking your sister a couple weeks ago?"

With a neutral face, Luna answered, "I do not, but from what I heard, you have a habit of assaulting royalty. Do you have any plans for me?" before she gave me a suspicious look.

"In all honesty, not really. My attacks are more of the spur of the moment kind... ‘cept for the shocking, I planned for that after your sister had a second Maralus core restored. So... it's just another one of my frustration issues, though in your case I haven't got anything for me to be angry with you."

"All the more reason for us to rid of that issue. You were lucky that you didn't get any retribution for your actions, but one day you may end up hurting a pony that is powerful enough to cause you problems in the future."

Snorting, I replied, "That is implying that I have to interact with nobility, which I rather avoid. I have enough headaches trying to train my recruits."

"Sadly your wish will never be granted, for you will interact with them in the future. You are part of a new branch in the Equestrian military and eventually some nobles will be curious enough to investigate it. It is part of the reason why my sister made you a noble. So that you could be at more of an even level when you have to meet with them."

"Great... just what I always wanted," I snarked, my voice thick with sarcasm. Eyeing Luna, I continued, "You know, half of my frustration comes from your sister's actions. From this whole interdimensional issue, to the secret reasons for my trip to the Crystal Empire, to the making of the second core, and all the problems that came with it."

Grimacing again, Luna wasn’t able to meet my gaze. "Well, I can't say that she won't do more actions similar to those in the future; for she likes to make plans to help protect everypony... but I will remind her of your frustration with her. Now, as to your other iss—"

"My past memories also making me angry and frustrated? Not going to be easy since some of those memories are horrifying. I don't want to be giving you nightmares if I have to tell you about them, much less show you," I interrupted her.

"I believe that I can handle anything you have experienced. I have combated many nightmares before, so do not doubt my ability to handle horrendous monsters," Luna declared, which made me want to take her up on the challenge.

"Mind if I give you an example then?"

"By all means, please do so. I would like to demonstrate to you my capabilities with dealing with nightmares."

"Alright, but remember you asked for it," I replied, before concentrating on a particular memory. The scenery quickly changed from being a peaceful grassland to a dark, dank cavern, with the floor littered with some rather large and disgusting eggs.

"This is it? Is this suppose to be horrifying?" Luna said as she curiously poked at one of the eggs. Meanwhile, I just clambered up onto the highest rock I could find before casting a shield spell.

"Only if you caused the eggs to hatch."

"Eggs? Wait, these thi—" Luna started to say before all the eggs suddenly started to hatch, as rather large larvae began to emerge. Luna only stared wide-eyed at the scene, before the insect babies did the same thing as the last time I'd seen them: rush at the nearest source of meat that isn't a member of their kind. To her misfortune, that nearest piece of meat was Luna. I listened to her cries as the larvae slithered up her long legs, their slime rooting her to the cold, rocky floor.

"Now do you believe me that my memories may be horrible to see?"

"Perhaps you are right in your description, although I am still capable of handling any monstrosities that you have to show me," Luna answered while patting down her coat after having to blast all those larvae into oblivion. She certainly held up to her claim, for instead of reacting in horror to the larvaes’ attempts to eat her, she just responded with violence. At least some ponies knew better than to panic when placed in a dangerous situation.

"So, what kind of memory do you want me to show you next? I could show you some more of my 'adventures', or I could demonstrate more of how life was when one has to live in the slums of an interdimensional city?"

"As much as I would like to challenge more monsters from your past, I'm afraid that dawn is coming, and you will be waking soon." Luna said, causing me to tilt my head in confusion. It only felt like an hour has passed, but I guess Luna decided to visit my dreams after taking care of her duties. "Hence, we have to end this 'therapy' session for now."

"Alright then. See you in the next session Princess Luna," I replied with a wave.

"Oh, we will be seeing each other sooner than you think," Luna responded with a mischievous smile, causing me to be more confused as my dream faded away and I awoke.

Letting out a yawn after leaving the dream world, I opened my eyes to see... a pair of blue eyes right in front of them.

"Happy bir—" Pinkie shouted into my face before my fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. Thankfully, my instincts decided to go with flight instead of whacking Pinkie's head. To my dismay, though, my flight consisted of a quick casting of the teleport spell, and I found myself sitting on top of the town hall.

Well... at least I didn't end up in another world... but how am I going to get down now?

Chapter XXX: Birthday

Sitting on top of the town hall, I simply chosen to wait until some pony came looking for me. Which didn't take long as I spotted Rainbow Dash heading towards me, a wide grin plastered on her face. "Who would have thought big bad Aether would be scared enough to telepo—" Rainbow started to say when she reached me, only for me to stuff a hoof into her mouth in response.

"I was surprised, and that triggered my fight or flight instincts. So it was either me hitting something, or fleeing," I replied with a huff as I pulled my hoof out of Rainbow's mouth. "Can we go now?"

Still bearing a grin, Rainbow answered in a teasing tone, "Sure thing, whatever you say," before she grabbed me and placed me on her back. "Hold on tight!" Rainbow announced before she zipped off at top speed. Instantly this caused me to cling to her as hard as I could. Instead of stopping, I saw that we bypassed the bakery, causing me to wonder what Rainbow is planning. I didn't had to think long, because it only took a few seconds before we arrived at Applejack's barn, where Rainbow promptly dropped me off on my rump before bucking the barn doors open.

"Happy Birthday Aether!" everypony in the barn shouted as Pinkie suddenly appeared with her party cannon, firing it at me to shower me in confetti.

"Sorry about surprising while you were waking up, I was just so excited I couldn't resist," Pinkie said with a giggle. After giving her a nod, I looked around to take in stock of who was here, since this party was much more smaller than the last one Pinkie threw for me. Of course the elements, the crusaders, and my recruits showed up for the party. However, Cheerilee and half my old class along with some of the town's residents have showed up as well. Even Princess Luna showed up, which caused me understand what she meant about seeing me soon. A small group compared to the last party, but a sure sign of the ponies that have accepted me after hearing the truth.

"I wanted to throw you another big party since you missed so many birthdays, but after the last one I thought you would rather have a smaller party. But I still wanted to make it special for you, so I said to myself, 'What can I do to make this party super-duperific for Aether?' Then I realized I could just making you a lot of chocolate sweets!" Pinkie exclaimed, before reaching out and somehow bring over a rather long table filled... with...

"...So much chocolate!" I shrieked in joy as I charged the table. Ever since I gotten a bit fat, Pinkie had made certain that I didn't had too much chocolate sweets in a day, since I developed a sweet tooth for them. Sure, I brushed my teeth and made sure to work off the fat that the chocolate would give me, but both she and the Cakes were firm on limiting my intake. But now, there was a table covered with chocolate cupcakes, muffin, candy, and cake. At the corner of my eye, I saw that there was another table filled with more average party food, but buck it, there was so much chocolate and it's my birthday.

"Wow, I never saw a pony eat so much chocolate before," Apple Bloom announced.

"Doesn't your stomach hurt?" Sweetie Belle asked. "If I ate that much chocolate, I know mine would hurt."

"Yeah... it hurts, but it's so worth it," I answered as I laid down on my back, patting my bulging belly.

The Crusaders backed away from me as Scootaloo said, "You better not puke on me."

"Oh, I'm not going to puke on anypony."

"And how can you be sure about that?" Apple Bloom said.

"Simple, if I puke, I'll just keep it inside my mouth and swallow it back down." This caused Apple Bloom and Sweetie to gagged as their face turned green, while Scootaloo just gagged and looked at me like I was crazy. "Hey, where I came from, food is sometimes hard to come by, so I had to learn to keep everything I eat down in my stomach instead of having it on the floor."

The Crusaders just nod as I looked around the room, seeing everypony talking with each other, while the other foals were getting their share of whatever left of the chocolate goodies that weren't eaten by me. As much as I wanted to just eat everything on the table, I did had limits. So instead, I had four muffins, six cupcakes, half a bowl of candy and a full chocolate cake. This caused some ponies to stare at me while I was feasting, and Twilight's left eyelid started to twitch a bit halfway through my meal. Maybe I was taking after Pinkie a bit too much for the poor mare to handle.

After lying down long enough for my stomach to settle, I finally got up to mingle with the rest of the party goers. My former classmates questioned me about my past, since they never gotten the chance to do so since I've been busy after leaving the class. Lyra also came to mention that she finally wrote down all the questions she wanted to ask me, to which I told her to just send it over to the bakery so I can work on them there. Which I instantly regretted saying when I remembered that it was almost a whole month since I last encountered her, meaning that if she just recently finished, it mean that she had a massive stack of paper for me to look over. Maybe I can get her to share the answers with Twilight, since she was still wanting to drain me for every bit of information she could get.

I had a short discussion with my recruits, with all of them giving me their birthday greetings along with some teasing at my chocolate-filled gut. I countered that remark with the option of them joining me on a few days of exercise runs as I worked it off, on top of their usual training regimen. That ended the teasing instantly, though a couple of them muttered how cruel I could be. After exchanging some pleasantries with the elements and later the rest of the adults, I found myself sitting right next to Luna. It made me wonder if she was using her magic to orchestrate that when she finally spoke to me.

"I see that you're enjoying the party."

"And I see that you're enjoying your playtime with the my former classmates, Princess Luna," I said with a smirk, causing Luna to raise an eyebrow at my jab. Not like she could deny it, since I spotted her playing around with some of the foals earlier.

"True... though I was surprised that instead of joining our merriment, you instead chosen to talk to your recruits."

"Well, since I have an adult mind in a foal's body..."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun with your old friends. From what I heard, you didn't have a proper foalhood, so maybe you join in some of the games they are playing right now."

"...Maybe later, my stomach is still working off all the chocolate I ate. I wonder though, why isn't your sister here?" I asked, which caused Luna to raise an eyebrow at me again. "What?"

"Is my presence not to your pleasure?"

"What? What are you talking about? I was just being curious. Didn't you forgot that out of the two of you, you're the only one that haven't gave me any headaches?"

After blinking for a second, Luna shook her head before saying, "My apologies, I thought you might be uncomfortable like some ponies are with me due to my... past."

This caused me to stare at her for a moment before I remembered my history lessons, in particular the Nightmare Moon incidents. "Oh... you're talking about that. No, I'm not going to judge you on that, since it sounded like what happened to you wasn’t entirely your fault. It's in the past, so best not to bring it up, that and you certainly aren’t acting like how the stories portrayed you. Besides, you did save my life, so it would be very ungrateful of me to not want you around."

Luna just looked at me with a surprised expression, before she just smiled at me. "It is... nice for you to not judge me through my past," she said, as I just shrugged at her like it was nothing big.

"Hey, since you're here, do either you or Celestia have any plans for me? While I am training a squad... it's too small of a group to make any large impact if we end up in a war."

"That hardly seems like the appropriate thing to discuss during a party, much less for you to bring it up on your own birthday."

"It may seem wrong, but to me, it would be nice to know that there is more planned out. Knowing that either of you two have something big plan would get rid of some of the stress I have over this dimensional issue."

Looking around, Luna made certain that no pony was close enough to overhear us before she leaned down and quietly told me, "We are planning to have another round of recruitment for you, as well as having those weapons the researchers have developed be mass produced for the E.U.P. We also hope that you can train a few instructors for those weapons, since we heard that you think they would help us fare better against the aliens should they ever discover us."

"Good, though they really need to think up of some high explosive weaponry, and a name for them. It's getting tiresome of just calling them weapons," I whispered back.

"Do we really need explosives?"

"Yes, we really do, a lot of them and different kinds. Remember that crystal alien war machine that you fought? Any interdimensional force would bound to have a lot of things that are of that size, if not bigger. So we need them to take those kinds of things down instead of having you and your sister flying all over Equus to take them down personally."

"Hmm... you have a go—" Luna started to say before we were interrupted by Pinkie hopping over to us.

"What are you two doing here? We're playing pin the tail on the pony! Come and join the fun!" Pinkie said, and before I could say a thing, I felt myself yanked halfway across the room before being blindfolded. Even though Pinkie is rubbing off me, I doubt I will ever be able to do the crazy things she can do. Regardless, I decided to roll with it, since like Luna mentioned, I shouldn't be talking business in my own birthday party. So for the rest of the day, I decided to let go of my worries, and just have fun with everypony. Though I got to say, I never expected myself to be so loose and carefree as I am right now. I might not show it much, but Equestria is changing me, bit by bit. Yeah, I'll never be 'normal' as some ponies would like me to be, but maybe in the future I'll end up being a lot less violent and rude than I am now.

I'm still keeping my taser though. There are still some ponies that deserve it out there.

Interlude I: Winter

My birthday ended well, no angry mobs crying for my head, no bratty Diamond Tiara showing her face to put a downer on the whole thing. Then things returned to a more regular pattern: I woke up, trained my recruits, studied magic with Twilight, and finished by going home to spend time with Pinkie and the Cakes before I turned in for the night. Oh, and spent a week answering Lyra's questions; who, upon upon receiving them, was ecstatic on a level comparable only to Pinkie. Otherwise, literally nothing special really happened to me; besides getting a crate of guns, which the researchers finally came up with a name for. Though as I heard it, it was more of the one weird researcher who had an epiphany of some kind and proved to be a large enough nuisance that the rest of the scientists let him be the one to handle the naming process. Celestia also sent over a few ponies to learn all the basics one would need to fire the guns, as well as general safety precautions so that no pony accidentally shot somepony in some fashion. Though I expected that it would still occur a few times before they truly set up some safety guidelines.

Weeks passed as things continued on as normal, well as normal as it gets for Ponyville. A pair of con artists passed through the town that Applejack had to handle; Pinkie and her friends went off to some town to trade some stuff; and later the Elements, the Crusaders, and some other ponies went to the Crystal Empire for some kind of national competition or something like that. I declined when invited, citing that I didn't have an interest in that sort of stuff. Though I was kind enough to let my recruits attend it, though when they came back I decided to pit half of them against the other half in a shooting match.

Things became mildly interesting when Celestia had me head over to the research facility to inspect some things. Turns out she really put some serious thought in keeping the place safe and secured. It was located in some underground bunker of sorts in the Badlands, with a good number of Royal Guard assigned to the protection of the facility. They were even armed with the guns instead of their archaic weaponry. Moving on, the researchers were making progress with shielding, creating enchantments that produced basic spherical protection and coverage like the one I showed them weeks ago. Though, they were wondering if they could perhaps start working on creating dimensional rifts with the Maralus core that they had on site, I emphatically told them no, even if they had an isolated room that was far away from and the rest of the facility. Turned out somepony had the same line of thinking, for they already built one such room in case I actually gave them permission to start the experimentation. It was designed so that if something happens, the contents of the room would be vaporized with magical fire, while everypony left the adjacent rooms before they and the testing room are filled with concrete. That last part was Luna's idea, which I whole-heartily approved of. Though, I would rather have something fire the room into the sun if possible, but I doubt they have anything close to a rocket in this world, much less a mass accelerator.

However, I quickly became aware that the trip was another one of Celestia schemes. While the trip took a few days, I learned that while I was gone some kind of magic stealing monster appeared from wherever Equestria gets its monsters and created havoc for everypony. The worst part was that her idea of fixing the problem was sending Discord to deal with it, only for that idea to go downhill in a hurry. She should have asked me and I would have picked up a railgun from the facility and blown the fella's head off, problem solved. Instead, most of Equestria ended up losing their magic and Cutie Marks for some time, along with some property damage occurring, which included Twilight's library. Though she was compensated with this giant eyesore of a crystal tree castle instead. I literally said 'what the buck' when I first spotted it and some other choice words which none of the ponies around me could understand.

Turned out it was only the start of a series of asinine things to occur. It wasn't even a week when Twilight ended up having to go to that other world through that mirror which so happened to be transported to her new castle. I was so tempted to find a sledgehammer and break it, except Twilight went into it before I could have found out about it. Though shortly after I heard she came back, I went ahead and tried that idea. Sadly Twilight caught me and made me Pinkie Promise not to harm the mirror. Though she had to make a Pinkie Promise to never use the mirror without letting me know first, along with some owed favors for giving me a new headache to worry about. Don't know what the consequences are if one breaks that promise, but it really must be bad if ponies took it seriously enough to sweat about the idea of breaking it. Thankfully, after getting into contact with Discord, it turned out the barriers were still standing strong. So there wasn't going to be an end of the world invasion for the latest dimension hopping incident, for now.

The next insane thing to occur was the Elements left on some adventure to some place cause a stupid map in the castle told them to go to some remote location in Equestria. As Pinkie was getting ready to leave, I voiced my skepticism in the wisdom of following this map without at least doing some research into its nature, but Pinkie said it was probably a friendship thing and that it was their duty to help ponies out. So I gave her my goodbyes and wished her the best of luck on her trip. Turned out she needed it since they came upon a village with an unicorn that can literally rip a pony's Cutie Mark off their flanks. Thankfully things turned out for the better, and I was relieved that Pinkie was fine after all that happened. However, I really want to meet this Starlight pony, since I need to know how well a pony can handle a stabbing; it is very important knowledge. Though, it only took me a few seconds of wringing my hooves to change my mind on that idea, as I instead settled with her being tied up in a closet for future target practice. A moving target would certainly help the recruits with their aiming, and she could always be caught and stabbed later.

The last crazy thing to occur was the onset of winter, which occurred with a bang. No, seriously, it happened with a mushroom cloud that made me freak the fuck out again. It also caused me to wonder if magic is somehow radioactive in some way, since this is the second time that cloud has been made. Also, I learned that the seasons were controlled by the pegasi; which really made me wonder just how much control the ponies have over, well everything. Pretty disturbing to learn that nature is mostly controlled by ponies, instead of nature dominating all that enters its domain.

Anyways, with the arrival of winter, I could go with a whole new plan for the my recruits. I'm just hoping that nothing crazy occurs anytime soon, but knowing my luck, something is bound to happen next week.

Data Log Recording: Species 3249 Investigation Report 19

Date: 14782 Sy. C. 212 So. C.

Report: No encounters have been made with Species 3249 since first contact on 14782 Sy. C. 109 So. C. in last known dwelling of Species 2782, which has been declared extinct on 14782 Sy. C. 142 So. C. Unknown Radiation samples taken at site has not been found in any other known location, suggestion that Species 3249 is capable of interdimensional transit. No transmissions received from Capture Drone 8472 since disappearance after contact with Species 3249.

Spy Drone Network has found an anomaly that was detected by the Kzalat Federation. Federation under unknown circumstances lost thirty eight exploration probes total due to said anomaly. Time of first drone lost during an exploration expedition was 32 Solar Cycles after encounter with Species 3249. Analysis indicates there is a possibility that the species and the anomaly are connected.

Species 3249 appears to be a quadrupedal species, with unusual bright coloration. All three observed species indicate possible subspecies based on physical differences: one possessed a horn, one possessed wings, and one possessed both. Smallest member mysteriously displayed knowledge of common language. Further observations indicates that the species knows about current economics and weaponry. Due to this observation period being the first recorded observation of Species 3249, only conclusion is Species 3249 have been observing other interdimensional species for an undefined amount of time. However, due to last observation of Species 3249 was in the dwelling of Species 2782, there may be a link between both species.

Report complete. Command Unit 924 awaiting new orders.

"What do you suggest sir?"

"...I am uncertain, there has never been an occurrence like this before. Every time a new species is discovered, regardless of them possessing the means of interdimensional transit or not, it results in established contact in some form as well as a means to track them to their point of origin. This is the first time we encounter a species that we can't track."

"Could this species interfere with our plans?"

"...Possibly. We need to take action."

"What are your commands sir?"

"Order Command Unit 924 to continue to monitor other species' communication networks for any hint of this species. Also order it to obtain the data from the Federation on the last destinations their probes. Once obtained, we will continue their explorations into that territory. We must find this species before anyone else does or before they make another 'appearance'."

Chapter XXXI: Change

"Move it you slackers! It's just snow!"

"Except you're burying us with more of it as we try to go up that crazy snow mound you had made!" Stalwart Jack complained. It's been a couple months and he still whines whenever he can. He should know better.

"Fine... I'll stop with the snow," I replied, causing most of the recruits to look up at me in surprise. The smarter ones, though, looked up with dread. "Open Skies, switch to the hail clouds!" I could hear the collective groans as I watched from my perch on a cloud as the small team of pegasi that Cloudsdale was able to lend me along with the clouds for this exercise switch the pelting snow for hail. While I'm not one for flying, sitting on a cloud via my cloud walking spell was fine for me, since it gave me an excellent vantage point to watch the recruits below. The past couple months had caused them to finally shape up, as they were gaining muscle while improving their fighting and survival skills. It won't be long before we start making expeditions to the Everfree Forest. Maybe we can get lucky and encounter a hydra on the first trip.

Moving on, I kept being as harsh as possible with the recruits’ training to push their limits, though when I see a pony about to break, I pull them out so they can recover before going back into the exercise. I even let them wear their padded winter clothing, when I was just wearing the scarf that Rarity made for me. I guess my sessions with Luna were achieving results, since I’ve slowly but surely reigning in my temper. That doesn’t mean I don’t still want to buck Celestia in the jaw, though, although that’s improving due to not dealing with her as much. It turned out Luna and I got along so well that I'm going out of my way to process any requests and get news through her now, much to Celestia's annoyance. She and I both favor decisive action, and she agreed with me that we need to develop some large scale weaponry and defenses for Equestria and the world as a whole. I wonder if Luna can partake in the putting a weapons platform in orbit when the researchers finally come up with the means to make one.

Eventually, Dusty Skies was the first pony to make it to the top of the hill. That mare really puts in the effort, though since she went through being poor for a time, I guess it gave her an edge in life like it did for me. As to the others, Golden Sword was losing some of his royal demeanor, Dusk Cloud dropped some of his honor idea, and Citrine Lemons was developing a much-needed backbone. Most importantly, every single one of my recruits were getting used to my backbreaking and unorthodox training method, and complaints about how some of my exercises would have any real relevance to their future jobs ended when they heard of some of my past missions.

Still, they had a long ways to go as I got down from my cloud with Silver's help so I could lead them to where the next exercise is located after the rest reached the top. "Alright recruits, this next exercise is going to be an important test of everything you’ve been taught so far."

"What, you're going to chuck us into the Everfree?" said a blue coated grey maned male pegasus by the name of Drifting Clouds as he chuckled at his own joke.

"Nah, that's next month," I replied, causing some of the recruits to half-heartedly chuckle as they thought I was just going along with the joke. "Why are you lot laughing? I'm serious about that," I said, causing all of them to pale slightly at the thought. It didn't take long for us to reach another snow covered field, where a squad of Royal Guards that was equal in size to my squad, were waiting. They were fully armored compared to the winter clothing my recruits were wearing.

"Ummm... madam? Why are there Roy—" Midnight Breeze started to say until I interrupted her by giving the guards their own order.

"Royal Guard, attack!" I shouted, causing my squad to scream in shock as the guard charged at them.

"Hmm... looks like my training is finally paying off."

"I admit, while it is unorthodox, it does have it's effectiveness," Silver commented as he looked at the Royal Guard lying about the ground after being taken out by my recruits. While the guard fought in their archaic style that favors the use of their equipment, formations and teamwork, my recruits fight the way folk should fight if drawn into a brawl: by playing to their advantages, and as well as playing dirty. The pegasi recruits broke the guard formation by crashing into opposing pegasi guard that took to the air, knocking them down into their fellow guard while my unicorns set up shields right in front of the guards' charge. This was done almost immediately after my recruits let out their short scream of surprise at the unexpected battle, my training kicking in as they took initiative before the Royal Guards could reach them.

After breaking up the charge, my recruits pressed their advantage with the earth pony and unicorn recruits charging into the front of the enemy, while the pegasi went from behind. Sure, what they did seemed to have no honor, but I drilled into them that chivalry was obsolete in what Equus would face in an interdimensional war for its existence. When facing brutal opponents, you fight as ferociously as possible. This also served to show that the Royal Guard performed as I expected them to, incapable adapt new rules on their own.

Looking at my recruits, while they have won, they didn't came out unscathed. Some were using snow as improvised ice packs, while in general everypony was worn out from the previous exercise and the fight itself. Sitting in the snow, I clapped my forehooves together slowly as I said, "Good work everypony. You all did quite well, that maybe we can push the Everfree expedition to next week!" This of course caused my recruits to stare at me in alarm, causing me to add, "Just kidding, I don't want to start losing some of you so soon to the dangers of this career path!" before giving my troops a big smile. Unsurprisingly, all I got was deadpan stares.

"I don't think your joke went well madam," Silver commented.

"It actually did Silver."

"Huh? No pony is laughing?"

"I'm laughing. On the inside. At their reaction," I answered, only to have all the stares turn into glares as I kept on smiling. "Come on everypony, it's noon time, so that means we get to meet the next batch of recruits the princesses managed to scour up."

This drew their attention away from whatever murderous thoughts they were plotting as Golden asked, "New recruits? Why didn't anypony told us we getting new members?"

"Simple: the letter that held this information was addressed to me, and when do I ever give you guys warning?" I answered with a smirk before turning around to head to the town hall.

At the town hall, I could only keep one eyebrow raised in surprised as I came out to meet the fresh batch of volunteers the princesses sent my way. I gotten a letter a week before alerting me of this fresh group, which led to me prepping up 'thinning the herd' tests, though I didn't expect this turnout to be over a hundred ponies. With Silver and my recruits behind me, I cleared my throat to get everypony's attention before I started my speech.

"Hello everypony, I would like to thank you for signing up to be part of this new military branch devoted to protection not just Equestria, but all of Equus from interdimensional threats," I announced, glad that this time the volunteers were briefed about all the specifics of the job as well as my own nature. Unlike the last time, Celestia told me through her letter that she assigned a pony to debriefed the basics of the role to any volunteers that signed up, which help turned away those that decided that this wasn't the job for them. "Now, I know that some of you are ready to start, in some sense, but first, I have to put you all through a series of tests to determine if you can make the cut. The ponies behind me were part of the first volunteer group. Not many, but the test was made to weed out the undesirables, since they are just half of the original group. So since you all now know a bit of what to expect, if anypony doesn't want to undergo these tests, leave now."

Seeing that nopony was going to leave, I gave them a shrug as I said, "Well, don't say I didn't warn you then," before giving a nod to Silver, who brought out a little box. The crowd just gave me a weird look as I pulled out a ball with my magic, though their attention shifted to my recruits who flinched and started to back away from me. "Oh please, the spell on the ball is designed that only newcomers can get hurt, you lot will be fine," I told them, causing them to relax before I launch the ball with all my might. It seemed that my magic had gotten stronger since the ball was thrown even faster than the first time, which was unfortunate for the pony that got hit right between the eyes, knocking him back into the pony behind him.

Similar to last time, the ball started zipping around the room, bouncing off walls and ponies. The difference this time is that there was such a large crowd of ponies that there was no practical way for the non-flight ones to avoid the ball with their comrades in the way. This resulted in ponies pushing and shoving as they tried to flee for safety, only to get ponies to shove them back, which ended with the majority of them stuck in the same spot. The ponies with wings tried to take flight, though that didn't save them since the ball was bouncing around too fast for them to be able to avoid. So every so often, a pegasus or thestral got hit hard enough to be knocked out of the air, falling into the crowd below them.

"Heh, this is much more entertaining than when you guys had to go through this test," I commented with an evil grin on my face.

"I don't see how you find this amusing," Dusk Cloud said as he tried to keep his eyes on the ball. Some of my recruits freaked out when the ball flew by them, though after seeing that our group didn't once got hit by the ball, they started to relax and just watch the scene unfold before them.

"Eh, some stuff are funny to some ponies but not to others. Anyway, I bet you guys are wondering why you're here."

"Could it be that you intend for us to be some sort of leader to the ponies that pass your test madam?" Golden said, causing me to shift my attention to him for a moment as I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah... you're right on the mark on that there. You guys are probably going to be squad leaders when we get enough ponies, so getting started now at leading them is better than waiting for later. Besides, you can also mentor them and teach them any tricks you may have picked up from our training sessions," I explained before I resumed watching the mayhem before me. As before, some unicorns tried using their magic to catch the ball only to be beaned by it. I kept grinning throughout it all, until suddenly the ball bounced off the side of one unicorn towards the front hard enough that it knocked him out. While I would just let out a chuckle at that sight, instead my grin dropped as the pony was suddenly engulfed by green flames. Before my eyes, I saw the unicorn’s fur burn away to chitin, into an insect-like pony that I recognized to be a changeling.

Chapter XXXII: Changelings

Silence reign over the entire room as everypony just stared at the changeling among them. The bouncing ball itself was stopped by my magic as I stared at the changeling, my mind running over various ways to approach this situation. Finally I made a decision as I yelled, "Nopony is leaving this room! If anypony dares, I will stun them and have my recruits beat the living daylights out of them!" Glancing at Silver and my recruits, I continued, "Silver, go find the Royal Guard detachment if they haven't left Ponyville already. If they're still here, bring them over pronto. Midnight Breeze, Golden Sword, go find Twilight and alert her of the situation. Dusk Cloud and Stalwart Jack, you're with me, everypony else, form a perimeter around the volunteers."

As my recruits and Silver followed orders, I eyed the ponies in front of me, who were staring at one another with pupils the size of pinpricks. I just stared for a couple more minutes before all the ponies started to panic once more, causing me to scream, "Shut up or I'm going to shock you!" as I pulled out my taser and activated it. The ponies quickly quieted down when they saw the taser sparking, allowing me to address them in the ensuing silence. "Okay, since we found one changeling here, there is a possibility that there are more changelings among you. So... if you're a changeling, reveal yourself and you will face less severe consequences. However, if you stay in disguise until we discover the truth, well... let's say I'm one of the meanest ponies that you don't want to cross."

At first, everypony just either stared at me in fear as I glared at the entire group, or at each other in fear. Eventually though, one pony was suddenly engulfed in green flames, revealing their identity as a changeling. As everypony started backing away, the lone changeling raised its hooves up in the air. "I surrender."

As ponies just looked at the changeling in shock, I asked, "Fine, is there any other changelings that are here that want to give up as well?" Receiving no answer, I simply returned my attention to the changeling to say, "Well, since you have surrendered, would you give out your fellow comrades? Or are you loyal enough to keep your mouth shut for them?" With the changeling choosing to remain silent, I gave out a sigh as I ordered, "Just head over to your fellow changeling and stay still. Any funny business and we will get to see how well changelings react to being repetitively shocked."

Eyeing my taser, the changeling did as I commanded, moving over to its unconscious fellow. The resulting awkward silence was almost palpable. It didn't take long for another changeling to crack; a pegasus tried to flee via crashing through a window, only for Dusty Skies to intercept the disguised changeling. She impacted it before it even had a hope of touching the window, instead slamming the creature into the ceiling to knock it out. Afterwards, it didn't take long for the Elements to arrive along with Silver and the Royal Guard. It was at that point that we encountered a problem.

"What do you mean we have no way to check if a pony is a disguised changeling or not?" I furiously asked. The Elements, Silver, and I were in another room while my recruits and the Royal Guard were keeping an eye on the volunteers.

"Well, nopony ever came up with a spell that can expose them besides physical harm," Twilight answered frowning slightly.

"So you're telling me, after they invaded Canterlot and even somehow took out Princess Celestia... that we don't have the means to screen for them‽" I yelled.

"Madam, there have been efforts made into discovering a safe means for exposing changelings, but sadly despite the best efforts of our top researchers we haven't discovered the means yet," Silver said, causing me to rub the sides of my head with my forehooves.

"Okay, fine, we have no safe method. So what are we going to do about my volunteers then? Cause the only plan I have is to line them all up and let me zap them," I replied. Both Silver and Twilight didn't answer, with the latter appearing to be lost in thought.

"Isn't there a less painful way to expose them then zapping them?" Fluttershy meekly asked.

"Maybe, but my taser is less likely to cause any permanent damage and is better than bucking them in the face or something like that," I explained. My taser had received its Equestrian name after meeting up with that weird pony that kept on demanding the right to come up with the general names to the tech that was being developed or found. Not wanting to hear him whine about his stupid self-appointed job for the entire visit, I decided to go with it. "So... are we really going to just line them all up and zap all of them?"

"Well, like you said, your taser is the least damaging means we have," Twilight said, causing me to run a hoof down my face.

"This is going to be a long day..."

"So... you eight wanted to infiltrate my squad," I said as I looked at the changelings sitting in front of me, their hooves in chains as we sat in the same room where I had the meeting with the Elements. After the meeting, we had to set it up so that the ponies didn't get mixed up as I zapped each one. Throughout the entire ordeal I had two of my recruits on either side of me just incase one of the disguised changelings decided to attack me. So while Twilight is dealing with telling Celestia about this incident and the Elements dealt with where the volunteers that stuck around were going to stay for the night, it allowed me time to question the changelings.

"Like anyling would tell you anything!" one changeling said with a sneer. Thankfully, while we lacked anything to prevent the changelings from casting magic, I had my entire squad with me just in case they decided to try any funny business.

"Do you really want to test that statement?" I said with an amused expression.

"You don't scare me! You ponies don't have the stomach to really torture us! What are you going to do, read me a boring story? Tickle me with feathers? I'll take on anything you can come up with!" the changeling declared as it gave me an over-confident grin.

After giving the changeling a deadpan stare for a few minutes, I finally replied, "Okay then, your funeral." I spun on a hoof to face the door, annoyed with the creature’s defiance. Earlier, I had sent Silver out with a list of things that I would need for my questioning, which thankfully he didn't second guess any of the objects I requested. The idiot kept its foolish grin while the others began to squirm a bit at my choice of words.

A moment later Silver arrived, carrying a bag on his back that he promptly put down. "I got all the ‘tools’ you requested madam."

Grabbing the bag, I rummaged through it while the changeling decided to egg me on. "Hah! What would a foal like you have gotten? Teddy bears? Itching po—is that a hammer?" the changeling asked, the tone of its voice changing when it saw me pulling a hammer out of the bag.

"Eeyup!" I answered before engulfing the hammer in my magical aura. Before the changeling could let out a word, I brought the hammer down on a nearby table, smashing it apart. "Were you going to add anything else to that list of yours?"

The braggart changeling only stared at the broken table, until another one blurted out, "You can't do this! We're your prisoners! We have rights!"

Tapping a hoof to my chin, I replied, "Hmm... you may have a point, if I knew what rights prisoners had. Not only that, but I have been known to be quite violent, enough to attempt to harm the princesses. Along with the fact that Pinkie is my caretaker, I think we can toss out any abuse I do to you lot on me being mentally unstable." A manic grin slowly etched its way over my face complete with pinprick eyes. While it is normally a good thing that Pinkie is rubbing off me, sometimes I can use that influence in a disturbing way. Turning my head, I gave each of the changelings a good look at my expression till it landed on a changeling that finally broke.

"Queen Chrysalis wanted us to find out all the secrets of this new military branch!" the changeling screamed in terror, before the others gave it a glare for cracking.

Frowning, I said, "Well, that is pretty obvious, don't you have more?" before pulling out a rather large knife from the bag. "Hmm... I wonder if anypony ever dissected a changeling before… Or is the word ‘vivisected’ when they are alive?"

The changeling that cracked once again proved to be the weak link. "The queen is also concerned about how Equestria and Equus itself could be in danger!"

"How come? I don't think the queen would be that concerned about the well-being of ponies as long as she can drain us of our love," I said with an eyebrow curiously raised, though I kept my eyes on the knife as I put on a show of inspecting it.

"We... were able to inform her of our debriefing. Learning that there are dangerous forces that could endanger all life on this world, she wanted a means to help keep our kind alive in case Equus does get invaded."

"Well, has she considered, well, asking if she could participate in defending the world with us?" I asked while putting the knife away. "What better defense is there then preventing an invasion if possible?"

"Bah, like you or anypony would actually allow us to be part of this military branch," another changeling said, only for me to laugh at him.

"Really? You think we wouldn't accept allies if it could mean the difference between victory or defeat?" I replied with an amused grin, that grew a bit at the shocked looks of the changelings, till one of them narrowed their eyes at me.

"Yeah right, why should we believe you? For all we know, this could be some big trick," the changeling declared, causing me to sigh before approaching it so I could stare it down.

"Look, I don't give a damn if you're a changeling, a pony, a griffon, a zebra, a minotaur, or Discord himself. What I need is recruits that can handle my training and be ready to fight and kill when necessary. From what little we know of your species, your kind is predatory in nature, which would be of a benefit in your training if you were one of my recruits. What lies out there could be a very hostile and aggressive force, so we need to be able to answer their aggression with our own. The more natural fighters we can get our hooves on, the better. So even if I have to scream into Celestia's ear for hours on end, I will not pass up on any serious volunteers for my team. So tell me, do you think your queen would be willing to make an effort to end hostilities between our races and work together to safeguard our world?"

The changelings looked at each other in uncertainty, until one of them finally nodded. However, Mr. Loudmouth decided to press the issue when it said, "But how is she going to know about that?"

"Simple, I'm letting that changeling go," I replied as I pointed at the weak-willed one, causing all the changelings and everypony to gape at me in shock.

"Me? Wait, you're letting me go? Why?" the changeling meekly asked.

"Well, I don't know if we have a means to contact the queen, but I think letting one of you go to deliver my proposition might send her the message that I'm serious about this," I answered, before turning around to point a hoof at my recruits. "And I don't want to see any of you protesting or preventing this from happening. Equestria can't take the burden of fighting this war alone, we're going to need allies eventually, better sooner than later. Now, Silver Shield, Citrine Lemons, go free that changeling and escort it out of the town hall. If anypony tries to stop you, tell them that you're just following my orders."

The two gave me curt nods before following my instructions, but based on their expressions they rather just let that changeling remained in chains till somepony else came by to take care of them. "I hope you know what you're doing madam," Dusk said, eyeing the rest as the trio left the room. "You do know what the changelings have done, right?"

Shrugging, I answered, "Yeah, peace won't be easy to achieve, but we can't afford to be choosy about this. When war comes, and odds are it will come, we need as many soldiers as possible to just survive it. Besides, the changelings are the lesser evil compared to some of the interdimensional forces that exist out there."

Chapter XXXIII: Chance

"What were you thinking‽"

"I was thinking that maybe I could get my hooves on another pool of recruits."

"They're changelings!" Twilight screamed at me after learning that I let one of the changelings loose. With the exception of Pinkie and Fluttershy, everypony was pretty miffed over my release of one of them while the other changelings were stuck in one corner. Okay, they were furious, and Twilight was about to go into angry rant/lecture mode when I shoved a hoof into her mouth.

"Jeeze Twilight, here I thought this world was supposed to be about friendship and harmony, but if you hate changelings that much, it makes it seem that I was wrong about that idea. Or maybe it's just for ponies?" I commented, causing Twilight's anger to simmer out at my words before I pulled my hoof out of her mouth.

As Twilight pondered my words, Applejack spoke up "Sugarcube, you just don't know how dangerous these changelings are. Their queen actually beat Celestia once while they were invadin' Canterlot."

"You know that means we could potentially have an ally that has somepony, or someling I guess, that is strong enough to match one of the princesses. Why not have them as an ally instead of an enemy if war comes to this world?" I countered, causing half of the Elements to facehoof till Twilight came out of her funk.

"Aether, do you really think Princess Celestia or Princess Luna would just let you have changelings in your squad?" Twilight finally asked. Before I told the Elements of my plans, Twilight had sent word to the princesses on the changeling matter in order to get advice on what they should do next. So the Elements were waiting for some response from the princesses, that is, till they were informed of the recent changes.

"Not sure on that part, depends on what the changelings do on their end. If they're genuine about their intentions, then these seven could be the first changelings to work with ponies openly," I answered, causing the changelings to just look at me in surprise.

"Why us?" a changeling squeaked out, before flinching when Rainbow shot it a glare for speaking out.

"Well, since you seven already been through the debriefing, it saves some time," I explained.

"And what if this didn't turn out like you hoped?" Twilight asked.

"Then you and the princesses figure out what to do with them. They're only my problem if I have to train them." Receiving an exasperated stare from most of the Elements and my recruits, I just rolled my eyes before walking over to and fixing a glare on the changelings. "So... is there anything else you changelings want to tell me while you still have a chance?"

"Like they'll tell you anything that isn't a lie," Rainbow said as she flew over to me, keeping an eye on the changelings the entire time.

"Yeah, well it will only hurt them in the long run if they try to lie to me. I already showed that I'm fine harming ponies without a second thought between my first test and the fact that I literally electrocuted all of the volunteers to find them," I replied before turning my attention to the changelings again. "So, is any...ling going to speak up, or are you going to wait till either your queen comm—"

Before I could finish my question, the pop of a teleport spell rang throughout the room. Turning around, I saw that both the princesses have arrived. Unfortunately, the changeling that I guessed was the loudmouth decided to make its move, lunging at me only to receive a buck to the face. Instantly two of my recruits were on the changeling, pinning it down as I turned around just to look it in the eyes as I said, "Do you really think I would let my guard down when so close to something that may want to hurt me? You're dumber than Stalwart."

"Hey!"

"Oh shut it Stalwart," I nonchalantly replied before turning my attention back to the princesses. "Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, it's good to see you again. I take it you two wanted to handle the changeling matter personally?"

While Celestia frowned at the order of my acknowledgement of the two, Luna on the other hoof kept her eyes on the changelings as she said, "Indeed Dame Aether, we will not let any harm come to thou whi—"

"Excuse me Princess, but the situation has changed," I interjected, causing the two to look at me with slight confusion on their faces. After explaining what had happened after the letter was sent, the look of confusion was replaced with shock and anger.

"Aether, while we don't agree on what approach we should do on these dimensional matters, trying to make negotiate with the changelings after they just infiltrated your volunteers is just... crazy!" Celestia reprimanded, only for me to roll my eyes.

"Jeeze, everypony is really being so uptight about what I have done. How about everypony calm down, take some deep breaths, and listen to the reasons for my actions?" I asked in irritation. While Luna's sessions have improved my control over my anger, it still doesn't take that much to push me over the limit, and I was just a few comments about from reaching that limit.

Thankfully, Pinkie recognized that, chiming in. "Maybe we should do what Aether said. I'm super sure she has a really good reason for this."

As everypony just looked at Pinkie in surprised for a moment, I decided to back her up. "She has a point, nopony really asked me for why I have chosen to do this. So is everypony going to calm down and listen?"

Receiving begrudging nods, I continued, "Look, I know changelings are untrustworthy after the last three incidents with them, and that you Elements have more than enough reason to... despise them. However, since they are a species that is capable of being more aggressive than ponies, that can be employed in my new military branch since if we are dragged into an interdimensional war, we will be facing aliens that are much more aggressive than anything Equus has even seen before. Face it, Equestria's long periods of peace had render ponykind soft, having a tough force like the changelings would help to give the military a stronger backbone.

“Now I know that you're going to say that it would be a horrible idea to incorporate them into our military, for reasons like they would get early access to the new tech and that they could betray us at any time. However, we could do something to prevent it; make some restrictions or some deal with their queen on this matter, as well as make them pay reparations or do something to make up for their actions in the past. We can also try to find a way to satisfy their love eating problem without putting anypony in danger. If we can pull that off, wouldn't they be more willing to stay as allies with us than betray us?"

Everypony looked at themselves with a mix of various expressions ranging from anger, annoyance, confusion, surprise, and thoughtfulness. Twilight was the first to speak when she said, "As idealistic as your reason is, I don't think it would be that simple. Changelings are already viewed in a bad light with pon—"

"Can't be worse than how they reacted when they learned that I was an alien," I deadpanned, interrupting Twilight as one of the changelings just gave me a skeptical look.

"I think you're mistaken, surely no ponies would react as bad as what had just happened," the changeling said, causing me to cock an eyebrow at it.

"It was during a party for me, and once they learned I was an alien, one pony succeeded in whipping up the crowd into a frenzy where I was chased around for a bit as ponies tried to attack me, luckily Twilight teleported me to safety. Then they brought out pitchforks and torches and were burning anything that had my name on it while searching for me. I think that if they caught me, they would have tied me to a stake and lit me on fire."

This caused the changeling to gape at me for a moment before turning its head to the other ponies. "...And you thought we were evil, she's just a foal!"

"Yeah, all I would do if I had my hooves on her was use her as a hostage to get me out, but I wasn't planning on doing any harm with her. You ponies make me sick," said the loudmouth changeling in disgust. "Even our Queen didn't harm the fillies she foalnapped, no matter how much they annoyed her."

As everypony was left sputtering after what was said, I decided to cut in. "Well, that shows that there are bad sides and good sides to both ponies and changelings. I guess the changelings will just have to do some service to Equestria to put them in a better light, or maybe the Princesses could make a speech that presents the changelings as some misunderstood species."

Twilight finally recovered from the interruption to say, "There's still the matter of the crimes they committed! As well as personal feelings that everypony would share! Chrysalis almost ruined Shining and Cadence's wedding, along with their attack on Ponyville!"

"Look at it this way, two warring species, so of course there will be bad blood between everypony... we really need a better word that we can use on non-ponies... anyways moving on. If their queen is willing to give you all a formal apology, which would just be a start, can't you give the changelings a second chance?" I declared, causing all of them to look at each other in uncertainty.

Luna was the first to break the silence as she said, "Dame Aether has a point. It would be wrong of us to deny the changelings a chance of redemption."

"Indeed, if we give Discord a chance, we must give Queen Chrysalis and the changelings a chance," Celestia added in.

Turning my attention to the Elements, I asked, "So what do you girls think?"

"Aether's right, we should give them a chance! I bet they would be great at parties with all the disguises they can take!" Pinkie said, jumping in glee at what I assumed to be more party plans that would involve changelings.

"Well... we could give them a chance... I mean, it wouldn't be nice of us if we didn't," Fluttershy answered in agreement.

"While I don't trust those varmints, I reckon we should at least give them a chance."

"I agree dear, it would be barbaric if we don't try to take a step forward in the right direction."

Eyeing the others, Rainbow let out an exasperated sigh as she declared, "Fine, I'll give them a chance—" until she flew right up to the changelings' faces "—but any funny business and your faces will meet my hooves!" She pounded both her forehooves together for emphasis.

With all eyes now turned on Twilight, who's face was scrunched up in thought until she let out a sigh."As much as I don't like this, I didn't like it when we tried to reform Discord, but in the end he was reformed... to a degree. I suppose we can give the changelings a chance too."

"Does that mean you will take our chains off?" asked the loudmouth changeling.

Before any other pony could say a thing, I answered, "Of course not. It's one thing to give you all a chance on redemption, but it's another thing to give you outright trust from the start. You'll just have to wait till we have a talk with your queen." This caused everypony to eye me for what could be called accusatory stares like I was some kind of hypocrite. "What? Everypony here should know that I advocate caution and that I claimed that ponykind is still naive. I may want the changelings on our side, but I'm not going to be stupid about it."

As everypony gave me an acknowledging nod, Celestia replied, "Oh, before I forget, there is a word in Equestrian that could be applied to all species, it is 'everybody'."

This caused my left eye to twitch as I asked, "You mean to tell me that there was a word for that? Are there other words like that too, and why didn't I find it in the dictionary Twilight gave to me?"

"There are more words that can be used for all species, and I believe that the word fell out of favor due to majority of ponies normally interacting with other ponies most of the time. So it was simply viewed to not be necessary to be... included... are you alright Aether?" Celestia answered as well as questioning my well-being, due to the fact that I could feel my left eye twitching badly.

Ponykind is trying to advocate friendship and harmony but have tendencies to have tribalist and possibly specist views! What is wrong with these ponies!

Chapter XXXIV: Chrysalis

After fuming for a bit at the revelation that there was a set of words that would apply to all species, and learning each one of them from Celestia, a changeling arrived to inform us that their Queen actually agreed to a meeting that would occur tomorrow. However, the arranged site was at the edge of White Tail Woods, along with the requirements that all the changeling prisoners would be present while the princesses and the Elements were not allowed to bring their own guard. This set-up reeked of suspicion, so I had my recruits hold a position nearby the meeting site, due to the fact that I could claim that they were doing so under one of my exercises. I also kept the changeling in their chains, though everybody was against it till I said that I had ulterior motives for it.

Hence, it was noon the next day when Chrysalis finally arrived, with about twenty changelings. Landing in front of us, she held an impassive expression until her eyes fell upon me. Cocking an eyebrow while bearing an amused expression, Chrysalis said, "I'm surprised that you actually brought along that foal I heard of, princesses. Wouldn't it be wi—"

"Oh stop the mocking, I thought we all came here to negotiate," I interjected, causing Chrysalis to glare at me.

"How dare you interrupt me! No pony dare's to int—"

"Except for me, apparently. Honestly, can you stop with the 'arrogant ruler vibe' thing already? It gets annoying quick and it just puts you in a bad light... well more in a bad light," I nonchalantly said, causing Chrysalis' face to redden in rage. As everyone else gaped in surprise at my rude interruptions, Celestia decided to step in before Chrysalis lost her temper.

"Aether, I thought you wanted the changelings as our allies? Why are you antagonizing Queen Chrysalis?"

"Well, she came here with a high and mighty attitude and was treating me like some weakling," I answered before returning my attention to Chrysalis. "I'm not one for political small talk and I'm the only pony here that is unbiased currently. So unless you want hostilities, let's just get down to business, shall we? Besides, I have a pretty abrasive personality to new faces, so unless you have excellent temper control, you may end up wanting to hurt me before this is over."

Blinking, Chrysalis just stared at me for a moment, upon which Celestia tried to say something only for Chrysalis to suddenly start laughing. "It's so refreshing to meet a pony that is as impertinent as you. Normally they are cowards or act all noble and such when I encounter them, but you are definitely a pleasing change to that," Chrysalis said before turning her attention to Celestia. "Since the filly is making sense, how about we cut the pleasantries and just cut to the chase?"

Shifting her gaze to me, Celestia replied, "Very well, it may be best with Dame Aether being impatient currently. At Aether's suggestion, we're only holding this peaceful meeting in hopes that both our species can come to a peaceful accord in hopes of leading to an alliance to protect Equus from potential dangers that may come from interdimensional forces. However, given the history between our two races, efforts must be made in order for our species to coexist peacefully."

"Efforts? Are you telling me that you expect us to pay some sort of reparations fo—" Chrysalis started to say till I decided to cut in.

"Yes and no. You have attacked several pony settlements in the past, including Ponyville and invading Canterlot during a wedding. But history says that Princess Celestia... left her mark on your species after one invasion. So we do expect some kind of reparation, however if we can come to an agreement, the princesses will make some effort to, how shall we say, present the changelings to ponykind in a better light. Maybe we can pull off that your kind just were misunderstood and desperate, or something," I said, causing Chrysalis to glare at me for a moment for interrupting her again. "Hey, just trying to get all the information out before we get a shouting match between everybody."

"Yes... as Aether promptly said..." Celestia replied as she gave me a look before continuing, "I'm simply have to say that regardless of what is done, all of Equestria will still be viewing the changeling species in a negative fashion. However if you and your changelings put in the effort to show that you are changing, then that view may begin to shift for the better."

Staring at us, Chrysalis appeared to be mulling what was said till her eyes landed on the changeling prisoners. "Forgive me for having a hard time believing what you say when you have some of my own drones in chains right in front me," Chrysalis said with her voice full of venom. "Care to explain that?"

"Simple, I'm cruel in my training methods," I answered with a grin, causing everypony to groan as Chrysalis and everyling just looked at me like I grew a second head.

"How... is that even training?" Chrysalis croaked out after she shook her confusion off.

"Various reasons, though we aren't here for me to explain my reasoning. But I will say that my training includes bees, cannons, hoses, giant rocks, and lots of pain," I explained, while keeping my evil smile.

As Chrysalis tried to process what I just said, Celestia decided to salvage the situation. "Aether's methods may be unconventional, but she is the only being on this world that knows of dangers we face. As harsh as her training regimen is, she only intended for it to prepare the volunteers for anything that could potentially happen, as well as the means of deterring... anybody that may not be up for the role. In the end, Aether means well with her strange ways."

Stepping forward, Luna decide to pitch in her bits as she asked, "Since you have heard of our initial proposal, is there a possibility of an agreement between our species?"

Biting down on her lip, Chrysalis narrowed her eyes in thought as she remained silent. Finally, she broke the silence. "Considering that the entire world may be in danger... it may be best that we do make an effort to end our conflict and finally make peace. However, I must make sure that all my changelings are still being fed."

Before either princess could say a thing, I interrupted; this was becoming a thing. "Oh, you have to explain that to me first. Having recruits that feed off emotion would be very valuable on long term missions, though everyone will be jealous of them since they would be eating paste in the same situation."

Sighing, Luna just looked at me as she replied, "While you have the least biased viewpoint here, maybe it is best for you to step out of the negotiations. I believe we are capable enough of reaching an agreement without your help."

"Fine, I'm not one for politics anyway," I responded as I headed over to the prisoners. "You lot, follow me."

Blinking in surprise, the changelings only stared at me before the loudmouth said, "Uh... why?"

"Why? Cause I said so... oh right. Hey Queen Chrysalis, mind if I bring this lot with me? I really need to test them out if they end up being my first set of changeling recruits. And I also need you to order them to follow my orders in the meantime."

Rolling her eyes, Chrysalis answered, "Fine, whatever gets you out of my mane. You seven, just do whatever she says."

"Thanks, now let's get going everybody. Oh, and you're coming too Rainbow."

Giving me a double-take, Rainbow asked, "What do you need me for?"

Cocking an eyebrow, I just answered her question with one of my own. "Do you really want to be here, listening to all this political talk?"

Looking at the princesses and the changeling queen, it didn't took her long to make a decision. "Yeah, you're right, let's get out of here."

It took a couple more hours for the meeting to come to a conclusion. Peace was finally achieved between ponykind and changelings, with all the matters of how to slowly change the changelings' image as horrible monsters to a misunderstood species taken care of. Though that peace was tested when Chrysalis saw Rainbow bucking clouds to send lightning down at the potential recruits, who were running around screaming for their lives while I was chucking large rocks at them. Thankfully it didn't phase her as much as it did everybody else, where instead of taking action, she just volunteered three more changelings to join my squad. I think I heard her chuckle as the ones with me groaned upon realizing that they were stuck with me. Though before she made her leave, I requested a favor from her. Since I was an important factor in achieving this peace, she agreed after taking a written description of a pony that I wanted her to find.

After Chrysalis left, I learned that the royal sisters were going to be real busy for the next few weeks. The process of going to every major settlement in order to start changing public opinion in regards to the changelings was going to take some time. This put Twilight in charge of administration over my military branch during the meantime, though that only filled her with glee at having something to make her mentor proud of. That joy didn’t last a week. Thankfully Luna was still able to keep up with our sessions since they only took a few hours a week, and I'm was going to need them after I finished sorting through the pool of volunteers.

"Do you really need a room? Don't you have one in the barracks?"

"Not really, it's mostly just built as quarters and storage for my recruits, and I'm not going to have an office in a closet."

"Couldn't you get one in the town hall?"

"I don't think the town folk would be comfortable with an alien pony interviewing changelings in the center of town. Besides, don't you have plenty of spare rooms anyway? It's not like you're going to need them all since it's just you and Spike in the castle. Also, think of this as a way to get more comfortable with the changelings." I countered, causing Twilight to let out a sigh in exasperation. Thankfully, the changeling recruits were far enough behind us that they couldn't hear this conversation. I didn't want to deal with more whining till the I started the interviews. "Third, aren't you curious about the nature of the changelings? Don’t you want to know more about their biology?"

Stopping in place for a bit, Twilight blinked for a moment at the realization of what I brought up. It didn't take long for her to start walking again, this time with a smile on her face and a skip in her trot. "You're right, I didn't think of that! I can't believe I almost passed up on that opportunity!"

"I find it surprising that you didn't think of that already. So does that mean I get a room to serve as my office?"

"Well... I don't see why not. Just don't do anything dangerous in there though."

"Now that's just silly. Why would I do something that could potentially destroy any paperwork that I may have to do in the future, which would only give me more work to do? Also, can I have another room for personal projects."

Narrowing her eyes, Twilight glared into mine. "I'm not going to give you a room for you to make explosives."

"Hey! I'm not going to make explosives!"

"And why I should believe you? You were the pony that suggested making explosive weaponry to the eggh—researchers."

"You just stated the why. There's no point in making explosives when someone else is going doing that for me," I answered while rolling my eyes, this princess would just not listen to reason.

"Then care to tell me what you’re planning to do?"

"Oh, just make some things with magic that would help my recruits with their training and make some stuff for personal use. Just really some surprises that I would like to keep to myself until I can reveal them, but nothing dangerous enough to cause any damage to the room."

"...Fine, you can have that room as well."

"Good, then we can start interviewing the changelings tomorrow."

"Wait, don't you need to test the new volunteers first?"

"Don't worry about that, I have in mind a few ponies that can take care of that. They'll be overjoyed to hear the job I have for them," I answered, while I suppressed my laughter at the thought of what the volunteers may face tomorrow. Twilight frowned out the side of her mouth.

Chapter XXXV: Biology

"...Did you just said your name is Windbag?"

"Yes... madam," answered Windbag, the loudmouth changeling, with a tone full of spite. It was early morning when I picked up the changelings, who were staying in the barracks with the volunteers and the recruits. Thankfully, the design of the barracks permits it to fit enough beds for all three groups, though it resulted in relatively cramped quarters for all of them. The news that the changelings would be bunking with everyone else caused the volunteers to freak out, until they learned of the current situation. Five of them did leave afterwards, which I was fine with; speciest prejudice would only cause problems.

So here we were, the other changelings waiting outside the room while Windbag, Twilight, and I were in my new office with some furnishings of some chairs and a desk. The only reason I chose to go with the loudmouth changeling was due to the fact that Twilight brought in a variety of equipment for tests, that she was currently using on the annoying fool. The loudmouth was the changeling that I'm most willing to traumatize or lose, even if I had to explain how it happened to Chrysalis.

"Okay... so are you a male or a female?" I asked, since like most insectoid species I encountered, I couldn't find anything that would suggest a gender differentiation, if one existed.

"I'm a male changeling," Windbag said before narrowing his eyes at Twilight when she brought over that weird head device of hers; the look did nothing to deter her from putting it on him. "Why is she doing this again?"

"Oh, she wants to learn all she can about your kind now that she has an opportunity to do so. And trust me, it's better just to let her have her way instead of resisting. Mind telling me how changelings feed exactly? No one told me yet, so I rather know now in case it's something that can turn ponies into zomponies."

"That's biased thinking madam."

"Not if you’ve seen half the things I’ve seen," I countered, causing Windbag's eyes to widen a bit. "You can daydream your worst nightmares later. Just tell me in detail about your feeding methods."

"Fine, normally we feed via a direct siphoning of a creature's love, which is usually drawn out from their mouth and into that of the changeling’s. This however leads to ponies being easily drained of their magic and stamina in cases when excessively siphoned, and the amount that can be safely siphoned varies significantly between ponies. We can also draw upon ambient positive emotions, though it takes much longer to meet our daily needs, and love tends to be the most potent positive emotion. However, it would only take a few hours in a friendly environment for a changeling to be fully fed for a day."

"Oh? Then why did your species invade cities when just hanging around would be sufficient by itself?" I asked, as I watched Twilight just muttering to herself while taking notes on some of the readings her machines were outputting.

"Well, it's a combina—" thump!

Twilight and Windbag jumped at the sudden noise, while I just looked to the source of it, which was a pegasus that somehow crashed into my window. One that I recognized as one of the volunteers.

"What the hay?" Twilight squawked out in utter surprise, as Windbag just stupidly blinked as the pegasus started to slide down the window, producing an annoying screeching noise.

"Looks like the Crusaders are doing a good job at testing the volunteers," I commented, causing the two to snap their heads toward my direction.

"Testing‽ How could a pegasus hitting the castle's window be testing‽" Windbag shrieked.

"Well, it shows the recruits just how... unusual my training is. Also, if they can't handle the pain and discomforts that the tests are putting them through, then they won't make it through my training. Now back to what you were saying in regards to invading cities," I said.

"But what abo—"

"Ignore how they're doing for now."

"Are we goi—"

"Yes, you changelings will face the same hardships."

"But that isn't fa—"

"Are you blind? When have I ever been nice to recruits? I already insulted one of my own volunteers, so get back to the explaining already," I ordered, causing Windbag to grumble to himself for a bit before he let out an exasperated sigh. He then looked at Twilight, who only shrugged; she long ago conceded defeat on the subject.

"As I was saying earlier, it was a combination of the the fact that our queen wanted us to remain at full strength, which normally means we need to have an excess of love and other positive emotions. She was also impatient at times during her early life, so instead of general gathering, she wanted invasions to gather as much love as fast as she could."

"So another short-term thinking ruler, at the beginning at least. Though if she doesn't betray us, that means she's thinking long-term now. So tell me about your species’ physical and magical capabilities, but don't bother with the transformation magic bit."

Tilting his head, Windbag asked, "You're not interested in our ability to disguise ourselves?"

Looking at me as well, Twilight said, "But Aether, their transformation magic could have so many uses! They could be used to interact with aliens without causing alarm at first so we can lea—"

"Or the aliens either have senses that can pick them out or the technology to detect the transformation magic in some fashion. Until we know whether or not the aliens at least don't have the technology to expose them, I rather not waste thought on a slim possibility until it is assured," I replied.

"Oh... I didn't think of that..." Twilight said, before resuming her observations.

"Now... back to those traits... unless you want me to find out via physical observations?" I asked, an evil grin on my face as Windbag gulped.

Ten changelings, with seven of them being trained as infiltrators while the three Chrysalis left me were soldiers. From the entire volunteer group, I was amazed that fifty six of them stayed after what the Crusaders put them through. Catapults, fireworks, some construction project that in the end toppled over and landed on a few poor prospects; were just the tip of the iceberg of the stuff the Crusaders had them do. Giving them the idea of getting a Cutie Mark as a drill instructor along with near limitless freedom on what they could order the volunteers to do resulted in some really good 'thinning the herd' tests. It’s a shame that they probably won't do it again after not getting their Cutie Marks. Still, even knowing that, it is nice to get my hooves on more recruits, especially with a few more crystal ponies joining, including a crystal pegasus.

With my newly enlarged force, I had to delegate some of the basic training instruction to the original recruits. I set them up in pairs overseeing a mixed group each when we're running our usual drills, though once I had to test my recruits or teach them more-advanced stuff, I'll be stuck with informing the whole lot of them personally. Hopefully this will help me figure out which ones would be good at leading groups, which ones where the glory seekers, and the ones that are just absolute idiots in regards to leading. I have my money on Stalwart being part of the last one, though I do need to get a few of them to be some kind of instructors. I have a feeling that this branch is just going to keep on growing that it might hit a thousand recruits before a full year has passed.

A couple weeks had passed since the inclusion of the changeling recruits, when I finally got the news of the princesses starting their changeling public-relations campaign to the general public, which also introduced the alliance that was made with them. It was met with mixed results: some towns and cities calmly accepted the declaration, while other ponies were protesting on the streets, with Canterlot being the worst. Thankfully, in Ponyville, Twilight and the elements were able to prevent any backlash when the remainder of the town learned I would be including changelings in my training,, though I'm certain that it still negatively affected more than few ponies’ opinions of me. Regardless, there were at least some places where changelings can be openly and safely gather positive emotion, without which this alliance would possibly fall apart.

With my military branch growing, Luna sent me a letter that it was about time that I decided on some kind of uniform for my troops. I objected on grounds that the researchers were still working on personal shielding and discovering new alloys based on the samples they have on hoof, there was no way I could have my recruits armored for combat anytime soon. Luna countered that I could have some kind of uniform just to distinguish my troops from the rest of Equestria's military forces, and that it was essential to have something available if needed. Begrudgingly, I handed over the uniform designing project to Rarity, though I told her no dresses or flair, the uniforms had to be designed for the best efficiency for what I hope would be a highly mobile force. She accepted of course, though she said she will still have the uniforms look fabulous in the end. I told her that I needed uniforms that wouldn't stick out from the landscape, since camouflage is one of the tactics that I have to teach them in the future, but Rarity insisted that she will still be able to make them look like the best uniforms in all of Equestria. The fashionista also proposed some designs for an officer's uniform that she wanted to create, which caused me to shiver at the implications of that.

Anyways, several days later after the conversation with Rarity, it was the seventeenth day after the changelings arrived as I watched the new recruits being taught how to hold and fire the guns. It was completely amusing to see all the recruits trying to hold up the guns, and hilarious when some of the older recruits have to stop the ones that held the guns backwards. Good thing they were still the stun variety, otherwise I would be freaking out too instead of laughing at the scene. However, my laughter came to an end when Dusty spotted a few changelings flying toward our group. After telling Dusk and Golden to take over the lesson, I trotted a bit away from the group with Silver at my side as the changelings landed in front of me.

The changelings landed in front of me, the lead one giving me a short bow before saying, "Dame Aether, we come bearing news from our Queen."

"Good news or bad news?" I asked, causing Silver to cock an eyebrow at me. "What? I hope for the best but expect the worst, you'll live longer that way."

"I can not say for certain, but our queen has sent us to inform you that we have captured your intended target."

"Then it is good news!" I said with a wicked smile on my face as I sat on my haunches, rubbing my two forehooves together with glee.

Silver however only looked at me with confusion as he asked, "Target, capture? What are you doing madam?"

"Oh, making sure that some much needed justice is served to someone that really deserves it. Nothing to worry about Silver, I'm not doing anything illegal," I answered before returning my attention to the changelings. "So... you are going to bring her to me?"

As Silver mouthed the word 'her' in more confusion, the changeling nodded as it said, "Yes, she will be brought here tomorrow, though I have to warn you that she is very dangerous. She injured five changelings before she was captured, and our Queen is willing to have four changelings guarding her until they're no longer needed."

My grin growing wider, I replied, "I'm starting to like your queen. Anyways, meet me at Twilight's castle just before sunrise. I have a 'special place' in mind for her during her 'stay' with us."

Chapter XXXVI: Project

It was half an hour before sunrise when the changelings arrived at the front of the castle; I was waiting there with the door slightly opened. Silver was there too, though I told him that he was forbidden from telling anyone about what he is going to witness. There were four changelings, as expected, two of them carrying a large bag with one in front and behind them. Before they could land, I whispered, "Stay quiet and get inside now."

The lead changeling nodded, and they flew inside before landing as I closed the doors quietly. Well, as quietly as one can do with a pair of bucking giant doors. Turning around, I signaled them to follow me before making my way to the room Twilight gave to me for my personal projects. A room that was conveniently next door to my office. If you haven’t noticed, this castle has so many empty rooms that Twilight could just turn this castle into a hotel or something.

Once inside the room, I closed the door before looking at the group, who was situated in the middle of the room as they looked at the various stuff I had set up around the room. In one side, there was a table and various metal parts and gems that were supplied by Twilight. Next to it was a chalkboard where I scribble down any ideas that come to my mind while I'm tinkering on my projects. On the other side of the room, were a few folding screens, a chair, and a pile of rope.

I cast a silence spell on the door before turning my attention to the bag as I said, "Alright, no one is going to hear what is going on in this room. You can let her out of the bag now."

Nodding, the changelings opened the bag before unceremoniously dumping out its contents, which turned out to be an unconscious pink unicorn mare with a purple striped mane, which reminded me of Twilight a bit. She was already tied up, though I eyed her horn due to knowing that this unicorn is above the normal magical average if she is a threat to Twilight herself. "This is the right pony, Dame Aether?"

As Silver gawked at what he was seeing, I simply nodded as I answered, "Yes, this is the pony that I wanted. Tie her to the chair and set up some kind of watch, but leave the original bindings on and just use the rope next to the chair. I want two pairs with twelve hour shifts unless Queen Chrysalis has a better way."

Receiving a nod, I simply watched as the changelings tied up the unicorn, until Silver broke out of his stupor when he said, "Just what is going on‽ Did you just have some changelings foalnap a pony‽"

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Not really, it's more of finding and apprehending a cri—"

"Don't you dare try to twist what you have done wi—" Silver said before I stuffed a hoof into his mouth.

"This pony has assaulted Princess Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements, including Pinkie. Not only does that make her a criminal, but I think you can figure out some of my motivations behind her capture," I explained while giving Silver a glare before pulling my hoof out of his mouth. "So, do you still want to get in my way?" It didn't took him long to shake his head, since he knows how I get violent when a pony crosses me, especially if they hurt somepony I care about.

"We're done madam," the lead changeling said, causing me to return my attention to the mare. "Do you want us to wake her?"

"No, I'll do that part myself," I said as I moved a stool from my work area to just in front of the unicorn with my magic. Hopping onto the stool, I just gave the mare a long hard look before I slapped her face. "Wake up Starlight Glimmer!"

"Gah! What the bu—"

"Wakey wakey!" I shouted before slapping her again.

"Ow! How da—"

A third slap interrupts the unicorn again. "Rise and shine!"

"I'm awake you fo—" the mare tried to scream before I gave her a fourth slap.

"Oh I know. I just wanted to slap you some more," I replied while giving her a fifth slap before I finally lowered my foreleg.

Starlight just glared at me for a moment, before she realized she was tied up, causing her to look around to see her surroundings and, most importantly, the changelings that were standing guard nearby. "What is going on here?" Starlight finally stammered out as her pupils shrunk as she started to figure out what is going on.

"As Silver would put it, you've been foalnapped, though would I say apprehended, since you’re a criminal for magically assaulting and abducting Princess Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony."

"By changelings and a filly? Just who are you?" Starlight asked.

"My name is Aether Aura, the foster daughter of Pinkie Pie; one of the ponies that you tried to steal their Cutie Marks from, if you don't remember her name," I answered, my voice laced with sheer rage. With the knowledge of who I am, Starlight paled a bit before shaking her head.

"You, a filly, hired changelings to foalnap me for revenge? Hah, what are you going to do to me, torture me by tickling me with a feather?" Starlight taunted, with a small smirk.

"Nah, not my style, I prefer using something like this," I replied as I pulled out my taser out from my mane.

"What is th—" was all Starlight could say before I tased her, causing her to spasm as she shrieked out in pain. I kept the taser on her for a few seconds before pulling back, letting her to recover as she said, "What the buck was that‽"

"It's called a taser, a neat little device that I can use to cause pain to a pony without causing serious harm to them. Which is fortunate for you, because if I didn't have this, I would be using a knife instead," I answered, causing everyone in the room to stare at me in shock, even Silver. "So yeah, you're dealing with a filly that is fully capable of torturing you, and more than willing to do so."

Rearing her head back in fear, Starlight started to say, "I didn't do anything wrong! I was just trying to make everypony equal so that we all could have peace and harmony! What is wro—" before I stuffed a hoof in her mouth.

"Simple, you take Cutie Marks away from ponies against their will and imprison them in a building where you try to brainwash them with your 'equality' propaganda. Not to mention that by making every pony equal by making them have no special skills is one of the dumbest things I ever heard. I mean, think about it, would you want a mediocre doctor taking care of you? Or have your home be constructed by mediocre carpenters? Buck, if all farms were run by your mediocre farmers, Equestria would starve. Not to mention that if we end up in any form of conflict, we would only have a mediocre army defending us."

After I pulled my hoof from her mouth, Starlight fumed a bit as she countered, "Not if there is equality in all of the world! That would create everlasting peace for everypony!"

"Maybe, if you actually succeeded in pulling that off for everyone... but there is one other big problem that will prevent that peace from being everlasting," I replied with a smirk.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Starlight asked with an annoyed look on her face.

"Aliens."

"...Aliens."

"Yup, aliens."

"That is the most buckin stupid reason I ever heard."

"Yeah, I know it's hard to believe, but in my defense, all the princesses believe me since we already had a couple alien intruders in this world, that and I accidentally brought Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash to a world full of aliens. Even all of Ponyville knows that aliens existed, since one ran through it a couple months ago. Now, before you denounce my reasons, we're in a room with changelings that are following my orders, and an advanced piece of technology, so do you really think what I just said is so far-fetched to believe?" I said before leaning back as I folded my forelegs across my chest before giving her a smirk.

"You're just a changeling too, aren't you," Starlight countered, smirking when she saw my own smirk turning into a frown.

Pulling my taser out again, I lifted it with my magic as I said, "Good theory, except changeling magic is green, while my magic is quite silver, so there goes your idea."

"Regardless of what you say, I'm not going to believe you. Equality is the answer to everypony's problems, and the sooner you accept that into your heart, the sooner you can achieve true happiness," Starlight replied, to my annoyance.

"Okay, Silver, stay here and keep an eye on her. If she tries to use magic, punch her in the face hard enough to knock her out," I said before leaving the room. I came back moments later carrying a customized gun that I stored underneath my desk in my office, upon which I quickly took aim at Starlight with. It was a good thing that the researchers managed to come up with one that I can use without having to hold it up with my magic, otherwise I would have trouble doing this.

"What the bu—" was all that Starlight could get out before I fired the gun several times, all the shots whizzing next to her horn due to a last-second aim adjustment.

Pupils wide with shock and fear, Starlight only looked at me as I said, "This here, is called a gun. It is based on alien guns that we were lucky to get our hooves on. I lead a new military branch that is devoted to preventing or stopping any alien invasions if possible, and both my branch and later the rest of Equestria's military will learn how to use this type of gun. This is a massive change, and I believe it would be supportive of my claims."

At first, Starlight just stared at me in silence for a moment, before she finally squeaked out, "You almost killed me..."

Waving a hoof off like it was nothing, I replied, "Nah, it was stun shots. It would be stupid to have my recruits shoot at each other with shots that can kill."

Silence ensured once more till Starlight looked at Silver, who commented, "If you're going to be here for a while, get use to it. At least she's not covering you in bees."

Silver's answer of course caused Starlight to start looking at me like I'm some maniac, to which I decided to add, "To let you know, yes, I'm currently having therapy." With her eyes widening and a bit of sweat building on her face, I decided to get back to business. "Alright Starlight, here's the deal. I'm going to keep you here until I see that you have reformed... somewhat. Try to use your magic, and your changeling guards will knock you out. So don't try anything funny unless you want some brain damage. The guards will feed you, clean you, and help you to the bathroom." As the guards started to give me surprised looks of their own, I continued, "So, in the end, it is up to you if you want your stay here to be long and... uncomfortable."

"You... you can't do this... I still have rights..." Starlight started to croak out.

"Not when you're under my custody. Furthermore, if you do somehow escape, and if you hurt anyone, I will hurt you. If you hurt anyone that I care about..." I warned before pulling a switchblade from my mane with my magic. Taking off the safety I placed on the blade, I unfolded the blade so that I could place the edge of it against Starlight's neck. As her pupils started to shrink and her breathing began to quicken, I continued, "I will kill you. Without hesitation."

Pulling my switchblade back and securing it before stashing it in my mane, I started to walk towards the door as everyone in the room just looked at me in fear, or just pure shock. "I hope you enjoy your stay in Ponyville," I said before opening the door. "Let's go Silver, we have some recruits to train," before shutting the door to let Starlight rot.

Chapter XXXVII: Equality

"You would think being tied to a chair, with two changelings guarding you all the time while dealing with a filly that had threaten to kill you would make you reconsider your life choices," I said to Starlight as I was eating my lunch in front of her.

"I don't regret making the much needed action Equestria needed for everypony to achieve equality and harmony, you sadistic filly," Starlight countered, before grumbling as a changeling held out one of Twilight's nutrient tubes for her. It was the next day after her arrival, though from the changelings' testimony, she was already getting on their nerves. She started out by screaming, to get someone's attention, although I don’t know why she thought it would get her anywhere. Then she started to preach her ideals of equality to the changelings, which ended when they mentioned that her speeches seemed to apply more to ponies than any other species.

"You keep saying everypony, how about the other species? Griffons, dragons, donkeys, zebras, changelings?" I asked as the two changeling guards eyed Starlight. It seemed like she didn't had an answer for that, as her eyes just darted between her guards. "Hmm... such a shame, maybe your equality isn't as equal as you thought."

"And what do you know of equality? Hmm? Having changelings as your lap dogs doesn't seem to speak well on your part," Starlight countered as she glared at me.

Cocking an eyebrow, I replied, "They're just here to guard you, not be my 'lap dogs' as you put it. I don't know why you think they're some kind of servants off the bat, they could be just as easily be hired mercenaries, for example. Instead, you made an assumption, one highly unflattering of them. Do you think of this for anyone, or is it just for the changeling or non-ponies?" I smiled as Starlight’s jaw opened—and closed—without a retort, opening the path for me to push my argument even further. "So far, you’ve preached equality, but it seems like it’s only intended for ponies and no one else. I mean, I'm more for true equality than you are at this point."

"What are you talking about?" Starlight asked, her tone filled with indignation.

Waving a hoof around as I took a bite from my meal, I replied, "Well, for starters, I'm not bothered by these changelings, at all, unlike most ponies who aren't comfortable around them, and if you read the news, there were mass protests against the peace treaty made with them. I, on the other hoof, was partly responsible for the peace, since they had a vested interest in Equestria’s safety that coincided with my own role, even though it was for their own reasons. Another example is that I've harmed... a rather important pony for being tribalist. So I feel safe in saying that I’m very-much against anyone who judges based on race or species."

"You do realize that I'm not going to believe a word you just said, right?" Starlight deadpanned, eying the tube in disgust before her stomach let out a groan, to which she forced herself to eat more of the nutrient paste.

"Yeah, but hey, it's your choice not to believe what I claim about me, but you can’t deny the truth about what you’ve been preaching. The odds of you escaping are slim, and the most reliable way of leaving is getting me to let you leave. Which your current mindset is not helping you in achieving that possibility," I answered before I finished up my lunch. "Anyways, I have to tend to the recruits, enjoy the rest of your meal Starlight," I said before leaving the room as Starlight responded with a hateful glare.

"I won’t give in."

"You will soon enough."

"What makes you say that?"

"Cause you're not going to like this," I responded, pulling out a syringe from the bag that I brought with me. It had been four days now, and the mare wasn’t showing any signs of cracking.

"What... what is that for?" Starlight stammered out.

"I need some blood samples from you so I could get your blood type."

"...Why do you need my blood type?"

"You don’t need to know. Also, I never done this before," I dryly answered, before approaching Starlight as her pupils shrinking in fear.

"Can you get off my head now?"

"No, your mane is very comfy," I answered, as I sat on top of her head while reading a book. It was the eighth day by now and by the occasional twitching of her left eye, I think Starlight is starting to lose it. "And don't think about trying to shake me off or something like that, unless you don't mind losing chunks of your mane." I smirked to myself as Starlight just replied with a loud groan.

Glaring up at me as best she could, Starlight demanded, "Why don't you listen to my ideals? Equality will ensure happiness for all ponies!"

"Cause I will never be 'equal' to other ponies," I dryly replied as I waved a hoof around.

"Do you really think you're above everypony?"

"No, it's just that since I was an alien, it's really going to be hard for me to be considered a true equal with the rest of pony kind. Along with my past, I'm doomed to be outside the norm," I said as I lean back, imitating Rarity’s melodrama to the best of my ability.

Starlight on the other hoof just deadpanned, "You're an alien."

"Yup, though you're reacting better than most of the town did. They were, quite literally, calling for my head," I replied, only to smile as Starlight let out another groan.

"I bet you're getting tired of the paste by now Starlight. I mean, you've been eating it for fifteen days now," I commented as the disheveled Starlight just gave me a frown. "I'm betting you want something else for a change?" Seeing her eyes lit up with hope, I turned to one of the changeling guards as I asked, "Do you happen to know any recipes for cooking meat?" I smiled as the hopeful look on Starlight's face turned into the familiar look of nausea as her face started to turn green.

I was flipping a page on a book on enchanting when Starlight finally snapped. That or she got tired of me sitting on her after I laid her on the ground. "Why are you doing this to me? I just wanted to help ponies have better lives!"

"Cause you're a misguided fool that took on a horrible belief without taking into account the possible long-term consequences of all of ponykind having no skills," I idly replied. "Also, because I think you can be useful."

"Wait, useful?" Starlight asked as she looked at me with a confused expression.

"Well, yes, from what I heard you have a lot of magical talent. And probably a vicious streak based on your actions, namely ripping away ponies’ Cutie Marks against their will. So I thought that you could be useful if you stopped with the extremist tendencies. And conventional methods would both be less effective and take time that I don’t have."

"You think you can use me‽" Starlight yelled in anger.

"Yeah, cause the other choice is hoofing you over to the princesses to face their judgement. Do you like spending time in prison? Assuming that they don't do more drastic measures for what you did to the Elements. And you’ve more-or-less committed treason, since Twilight is a princess, which makes me wonder what the punishment is for that? Banishment to the moon? Petrification? Tartarus?" I mused out loud, causing Starlight to pale at the thought. "Hmm... it has been twenty two days... and I don't have forever to try to reform you myself, might be time to cut my loses and tu—"

"Please don't turn me in! I don't want to be turned to stone!" Starlight’s resolve broke under the weight of her fear. It was good to start making some progress.

"Oh? Are you sure? Because that means you have to actually start making the effort of abandoning your misguided ideals, as well as agreeing to be my subordinate. Though, I wouldn't mind having a statue in my office, with the right pose you would make for a great piece of decoration!" I cheerfully replied, causing Starlight's fur to pale even further.

"Yes! I’ll change! I’ll change! Just don’t give me to the princesses!!" Starlight begged desperately, I had to restrain myself from laughing at her plight. Whether or not their fear of the princesses' wrath is justified, it is a useful tool.

"I don't know... I just can't trust you yet... but with a magic-suppressant and a shock collar, there would be enough to ensure your compliance, and punish you if you were to... misbehave. I also suppose the Elements would also like to confront you over your past actions. I also suspect that they may make some actions to reform you as well, which you will have to agree to, or they’ll hoof you over to the royal sisters regardless of what I do."

Her eyes darting back and forth, she let out a groan before closing her eyes as she faced up to the facts. "Fine... I concede to all your demands."

"Good! Though I was hoping that you gave in earlier before I had to use force, that normally means that I won’t be able to trust you for a few months, or years, or perhaps ever," I replied, before spotting something passing by the window. "However, before we continue, we might as well get the next part over with," I informed Starlight before trotting over to the window.

"Get what over with?" Starlight asked, warily.

"This," I answered before opening the window and taking a deep breath. "Rainbow! I have Starlight Glimmer, tied up in this room! You know, the pony that stole your Cutie Mark!"

"No no no n—" Starlight stammered out before Rainbow charges into the room, yelling out a battle cry as she tackled Starlight. "Why‽"

"Well, Starlight, something like this was going to happen no matter what, that and you sort of deserved it. Now stop punching her face Rainbow, I don't want to end up having to cover her trip to a dentist."

"So let me get this straight: You got Queen Chrysalis to send some ponies to foalnap Starlight Glimmer, who you kept tied up in your 'project' room for twenty two days straight, without telling me or anypony besides Silver who you had swear to secrecy... because you wanted to recruit her‽" Twilight shrieked, causing me to rub a hoof against an ear as I looked at the shocked faces of the rest of the elements, excluding Rainbow who snickered at what is probably in her opinion Starlight's comeuppance.

"Sounded like a good idea to me. Otherwise you'll just have a pony that can steal other ponies' Cutie Marks running around, and this is better than just letting her rot in prison or something like that?" I countered, causing Applejack to raised an eyebrow at me.

"Is that all you wanted out of this sugarcube?" Applejack asked, which caused me to let out a huff.

"Fine, I also wanted some payback," I mumbled, only to get some disapproving looks from the mares. "Hey, she hurt you all, I couldn't just let that slip by without some kind of punishment."

"You should have left that up to the authorities dear. Vengeance is unbecoming for a filly to do," Rarity scolded.

"Not to mention that it's illegal," Twilight added with a frown.

"What can I say, I have plans for the mare, unless you want to shake her out of that equality nonsense yourself. Besides, I did get some results," I countered, only to get a few disappointed shake of the mares' heads.

"Aether, we're going to have a talk about this," Pinkie declared, which caused my ears to drop. While I could shrug off the scolding from everyone else, but somehow when Pinkie does it, it always seems to make me feel horribly guilty for actions that should be right considering the circumstances. Darn the peaceful nature of this world for making everyone so soft.

Chapter XXXVIII: Supervision

"Aether, you know what you did was wrong."

"Yes Pinkie..."

"While Starlight is a mean pony, that doesn't mean you can be a mean pony too."

"Yes Pinkie..." I answered again, looking down at the ground, though occasionally my eyes drifted upwards a bit to see Pinkie's straight mane hanging in front of me. After my short meeting with the Elements, they went over to my project room to have a chat with Starlight. Afterwards, Pinkie and I went home, where she promptly took me to my room where she started to scold me as her mane deflated. This was the first time I saw her mane all flat like that, which, while showcasing the family resemblance between her and Maud, but the Pinkie that came with it wasn't something I wanted to see.

"It's not right to be mean to other ponies, no matter what they've done. We should be nice to them, and help them be nice to others."

"Yes Pinkie..."

"You're not going to do a mean thing like that again, right?"

"Yes Pinkie..."

"You Pinkie Promise?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," I answered, before I heard some noise that sounded like something was bouncing. Looking up, I saw that Pinkie's mane had returned to its normal style. That was before she engulfed me in a bone crushing hug, though I manage to position my forelegs last second in a way that I could still breath.

"I'm so glad that you learned your lesson," Pinkie said as she shook me around like some doll before setting me back down. "Now tomorrow, you're going to apologize to Starlight for what you done."

"Really? After what she did to you?" I asked in surprised, only to receive a stern look from Pinkie that caused me to lower my head in shame. "Alright... I'll apologize to her."

"Good. Also no chocolate for you for four weeks since you were being a mean pony."

"Four weeks!"

It was morning when Pinkie and I were heading to Twilight's castle, though I was trying to keep myself from grumbling since I didn't want Pinkie to see my frustration. After receiving my punishment, Pinkie told me that Twilight was going to get in contact with the royal sisters to discuss what will be done with Starlight Glimmer. Even though she was a criminal, my actions and my desire to recruit her this made her situation a bit more problematic for the princesses. Thankfully it turned out that she wasn't being turned into a statue for my office, based on the fact that she and the rest of the Elements were waiting outside Twilight's castle. It also seemed that my collar idea had some validity, since Starlight was currently wearing one.

"So... by the look of things... am I getting a new recruit?" I asked, to which Starlight scowled at me, though everyone else had a displeased look on their faces.

Twilight was the first one to speak out as she said, "After talking with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... they agree to have Starlight be placed under your supervision, provided that you don't have any other ponies foalnapped."

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Which has been taken care of, is there anything else that needs to be mentioned?"

"I would say that you should be careful of what you reveal to Starlight, but I think you already know that," Twilight answered, before pointing a hoof at Starlight's collar. "The princesses agreed with your idea of having something keeping Starlight in check, so we have a magic-suppressing collar on her, that only I or one of the other princesses will be able to remove. This collar will effectively prevent Starlight from casting any spells besides the basic telekinesis spell."

"Are there any other features?" I asked, only for Twilight to give me a disapproving frown.

"We’re not giving you a shock collar, Aether," Twilight said, to which I replied with a mocking pout, though I overheard Starlight letting out a small sigh of relief.

"Alright... is there anything else I need to know or can you turn Starlight over to me now?"

"Since Starlight is going to be under your command for now, she will reside with the rest of your recruits at the barracks. However, you have to bring her to the castle after your training exercises, we doubt that she's abandoned her 'equality' ideals," Twilight explained, to which I gave a short nod to.

"Yeah, I'm expecting that she'll try to do something within the next week," I replied before turning my attention to Starlight. "Alright Miss 'Equality', it's time for us to head out to the Fields of Agony."

Starlight was about to make a retort when she stopped and simply asked, "Fields of Agony?"

"I didn’t chose it; it's a name Stalwart Jack, one of my recruits, came up with. The name sort of stuck when everyone else started calling the training fields that," I replied before I hopped onto Starlight's back, which caused her to turn her head around to shoot a glare at me. "Hey, no one here trusts you, even me. I won't be surprise if you tried to run off if I wasn't on your back the moment we're away from the Elements. So get moving already Starlight, the fields are that way," I explained before pointing a hoof to give Starlight directions. She glared at me for a few minutes before letting out a huff as she started heading towards the town's outskirts.

After leaving the town proper in utter silence, I decided to end it by asking, "So... still hung up on that 'equality' idea of yours?"

"This is just a mere setback, but my message is true. Starting with your 'recruits', everypony in this town will soon see the true path to harmony," Starlight replied in a smug tone.

"I like to see you pull that off, since ten of my recruits are changelings. How will you preach your 'equality' to them?"

"It doesn't matter, for with true equality, the changelings can finally be equals with everypony else," Starlight answered. "All species will see that equality is the true way to achieve harmony."

"Oh? What about the aliens that could invade Equus in the future? Think you can convince them to join up with your cult?"

Turning her head so she can glare at me, Starlight countered, "It is not a cult! And once these so called 'aliens' see the peace and happiness achieved when everypony is equal, they too will re—" before I did a gagging motion with my hoof, which caused her to sputter out in a mix of anger and surprise.

"Please, if you actually succeeded, to which you won't, all that will happen is that the aliens will see a very docile Equus that would be much more easier to take over. You'll just be making it easier for every species to adapt to being the bottom of the lot like most species. Unless a more militarized organization or force comes across Equus first, like the Dixians or the Nzugins, then it would be utter slaughter."

"Now you're just making up names," Starlight said with a flat stare.

"Hey, if you don't believe me, just ask the town's residents. Some of them will tell you the story of a robot that ran through the town with me in its claws, or of a crystal monster that almost attacked the town months ago. Besides, the Nzugins would be last alien species to accept your ideals."

"And why is that? Hmm?" Starlight asked with an expression that told me that she was humoring me. So I just responded with a deadpan stare for a few minutes, which caused her to drop the act. "Do you really expect me to believe this alien nonsense? I don't know how you got it past the princesses, but to me, you're just a filly with an overactive imagination."

"Oh? Would a filly imagine an bipedal insect species that has a caste system that not only affects a Nzugin's position in their society, but their overall physical shape? Would a filly imagine that members of this insect species would stand between six feet to twenty feet tall? Or the fact that the majority of them are carnivorous and would see you as a meal? Buck, if you would to meet one right now, instead of listening to your preaching of 'equality', it would just bite your head off your neck. Or it would just take you alive to spit roast you, depends on how appetizing a pony would be to them."

Instead of denouncing my words, Starlight stopped in her tracks as her face took on a mortified look. "Sp... sp... spit roast‽"

Nodding, I replied, "Yeah, but that’s in case they don't just eat you on the spot. It is a confirmed fact that they sometimes eat their prey raw if they like the taste. But hey, it's better than having some egg implanted in your body, where it hatches and starts eating you from the inside out. Good thing the Nzugin doesn't do th—" before Starlight turned and lowered her head as she vomited up her breakfast. "Still think I'm making this all up?"

After emptying the contents of her stomach, Starlight panted for a bit before returning her attention to me. "What is wrong with you‽"

"Eh, can't say exactly. But hey, that's what happens when you're stuck in a society where you either eat garbage or risk your life and limb just to get some food and a warm blanket. Oh, remember that paste you were feed the past few weeks? I had to live off a paste that tastes worse than that for about half my life. So, tell me, you think your 'equality' would have any hold on a society like that? I say no since if there is an uprising of the general public, the big shots would just have everyone massacred. The big universe is a eat or be eaten kind of place, sometimes literally." All Starlight could do at this point was give me a horrified stare, to which I just placed a hoof on her face and turned her head around. "Get back to walking, I don't want my recruits to have too much time off this morning."

Starlight just stared off into the distance for a moment, until I started poking her. That finally caused my order to register in her mind, for she started walking again, albeit slower than before. It didn't took long for us to reach the shooting range that was set up for my recruits, where they started to stare at Starlight since she was a newcomer and I was sitting on her. Silver however came to our side as Starlight stopped to stare back at the recruits, letting me hopped down and take a few steps forward.

"Hello everyone, you're probably wondering who this mare is, so I’ll cut to the chase. Simply put, her name is Starlight Glimmer and she's a criminal." This got everyone to give Starlight a look of surprise, while she became aghast as she shot me a look that said 'what in Tartarus are you doing?' Shrugging it off, I continued, "Now, you may all be wondering what she did, but all I will say for now is that it was enough to warrant the need of a magic-suppression collar. Regardless of her past, she will be training alongside you all, for I believe her skills would be put to great use in our future role. Though, do keep an eye on her and report any suspicious activity, but otherwise treat her like she's one of you. Now get back to training before I use you lot as target practice!"

Looking at Starlight, she just had an expression of utter confusion before she shook her head to clear it. "Why did you have to tell them that I'm a 'criminal'?" she asked as she glares at me.

"Cause you are a criminal, remember? Besides, this way you won't be able to sneak out of the barracks at night so easily, and yes, I expected you to try that at some point. Now, it's time for you to get some training as well before it's time for the reflex training exercise."

"Reflex training? What is that?" Starlight replied.

"Oh, it's when I start tossing giant rocks at everyone," I answered, to which Starlight just stared at me in horror. "It's a great way to improve one's dodging capability, and it helps build character. Now, go find someone to help you use a gun or I will use you for target practice!"

Chapter XXXIX: Complaints

“You subject your recruits to things like this on a daily basis‽" Starlight stammered out while she panting from exhaustion, as she collapsed in front of me. Twenty two days of little movement hadn’t done any favors to her physique, which showed when she participated in the reflex training exercise. While the rest of the recruits have developed some skill in dodging the rocks thrown at them, Starlight was sent flying with the first rock sent her way. Yet, somehow, she didn't break any bones, no matter how many times she got hit. Afterwards, it was sparing practice, and which it was hilarious to see her blanching when she was paired with a thestral. The mare might be skilled in magic and maybe running away, but close quarters combat was, unsurprisingly, clearly not her forte. The following parkour course didn't serve to help her apparent competency, since most ponies, when given a choice, prefer to just choose clear paths instead of dealing with obstacles.

"Pretty much. They only get days off if something requiring my attention turns up and I can't get someone to oversee the training. Nobody knows when the aliens could finally locate Equus, so we have to get as much training as possible done in the shortest amount of time possible. Anyway, it's time for you to go to the barracks, I think you'll like your new home," I replied.

"And what makes you think that?" Starlight asked as she slowly got back up on all fours, groaning out of pain.

"Because everyone has the 'equal' living quarters," I answered with a cruel grin, to which Starlight just groaned at.

"Everypony but you," Starlight countered as she saw that all the recruits heading towards Ponyville as the sun starts to set.

"Of course, would you want to sleep next to me of all people?" I responded as I followed her, my sinister grin still plastered on my face.

After taking a good long look at me, Starlight let out a huff as she admitted, "You have a point there. You're the most messed up pony I ever seen."

"That's why I'm undergoing therapy, so that I'm less inclined to hit the nobility with whatever is on hoof." I replied with mockful glee, while Starlight looked at me with an expression that screamed 'just how crazy are you?' "Now, get moving, you don't want to miss your supper and spend the entire night with an empty stomach. You're still going to have to go to training, regardless of how hungry or tired you are."

It was morning, well before the break of dawn to be precise. I was standing right next to the bunk bed that Starlight had chosen to use, with Pinkie's party cannon in front of me. I haven't used it since the first wake up call, but I decided now would be an excellent time to use it again. I fired the cannon. Naturally this caused everyone to jump out of bed and panic, with the exception of the first recruit group and, oddly enough, Starlight too. She just sat up in bed all wide-eyed, till she turned her head towards the origin of the noise to see me.

Starlight's expression of confusion turned into bitter hatred, as she declared, "I hate you so much."

"Join the club," Stalwart commented as he stretched before hopping of his bed.

"You may hate me now, but if an invasion does occur during your lifetime, you'll end up loving me for all I done to you," I replied with a mocking grin, to which Starlight just gave out a snort. "Besides, what's the big deal? You're a recruit just like all the other recruits, where I treat you all the same. Isn't that like the 'equality' you wanted?"

"It's not equality since you're in charge!" Starlight yelled.

"Eh, technicalities, besides wasn't it the same for your case?" I countered, causing Starlight to blink. Though before she had a chance to make a retort, I continued, "You were the only one still with their Cutie Mark, from what I heard, and you dictated every decision, forcing everyone else to conform to your ideal of equality. Sounded like you didn't want any sign of individuality, so much so that you were basically trying to make everyone act like robots. I wouldn't be surprised if you actually turned them into robots to create even more equality."

"That is utterly ridiculous!" Starlight retorted. "The equality I'm striving for is one where nopony has an advantage over another! Where nopony is better than their neighbors!"

"Advantage? How about the unicorns that have magic? The pegasi that can fly? Or the earth ponies with their stamina? Unless you can get rid of those traits, your 'equality' will never be achieved. Now, time for you to get your breakfast, unless you want to be hungry all morning," I replied, noting that the older recruits have finally calmed down the newer ones. I think Starlight was about to make another retort, though I just turned away to yell, "Everyone! Get your breakfast now, we're leaving in thirty minutes!" before walking off. From behind, I could hear Starlight fuming as she muttered something to herself, but I shrugged it off. She'll have bigger problems to worry about instead of staying angry at me soon.

"Why... are we... doing this?" Starlight panted, as we were making up a rather steep snowy hill on our way to White Tail Woods, with saddlebags and packs on our back that were filled with rocks.

"Endurance training, what did you think? When on the field, you may be carrying heavy packs for a long term mission. This also will help if you have to travel lengthy distances if necessary. Besides, quit your whining, I'm carrying more than my fair share," I shot back. Like everyone else, I had saddlebags and packs on too, though I had an extra pack on.

"More than your fair share?"

"I'm still a filly Starlight, and most of the packs on me are weighted for adults. Yet I'm doing fine, see?" I answered as I pranced around Starlight for a few times, the rocks in my pack jiggling about. "So quit your complaining, at least I'm not tossing rocks at you. Unless... you want everyone to have the same fair share, which means more rocks for everyone!" At my declaration, all the recruits give Starlight a glare, to which she just gulped and kept her mouth shut. "Thought so."

"What the flying buck are we climbing these trees for‽" Starlight complained, as she looked up while others have already started climbing.

"Well, you could either learn how to climb a tree, or risk dealing with a swarm of flesh-eating insects on a future mission. Your pick," I answered with a shrug. "Personally, I would be at the very top by now if such a thing happened."

"Please, there're no flesh-eating insects, that just sounds like a tale to scare fillies," Starlight retorted, to which I just gave her a long flat stare, one that made her nervous as I kept it up. "What?"

"I’ve seen and ran from a few species of flesh-eating insects. But since you don't believe me, maybe I should just have Princess Luna pay you a visit in your dreams and show you some of my memories? Though it might mentally scar you," I simply said, staring straight into her eyes until she finally averted them. "Hmph. Now go climb that tree already, or would you prefer I just toss rocks at you, instead?" Sighing in defeat, Starlight started to climb the tree, only to fall after getting all of four feet. "You really have a long way to go with this, but it’s better to fall now than when you actually need it."

"You expect me, to jump from one tree, to another‽" Starlight shrieked from her branch, her legs wrapped around it.

"Well, yeah, it's a parkour technique, can help you stay above your enemies in a forest," I answered.

"I'm not going to do some stupid stunt that can send me to the hospital!"

"...You're only ten feet in the air, the worst you can get is a bruise. So stop being a foal and jump already!"

"No!"

"Fine! Midnight Breeze! Shake that branch until Starlight either jumps off or falls off!" I ordered, to which Midnight started to comply to, until Starlight changed her mind.

"Okay, okay! I'll jump! Just don't shake the branch!" she screamed, as she started stand up on the branch, her legs wobbling. She eyed the branch across from her, and taking a deep breath, she made her jump. While she did landed on the branch, she, unfortunately, didn't know how to stay on it after jumping landing on it, evident in how she immediately started to slide off. She let out a brief shriek before crashing into the ground, all the while I just shook my head at her.

"And you're suppose to be the pony that almost escaped with the Elements' Cutie Marks," I simply commented as I went to her side. "Now get up and try it again."

"Again‽" she shrieked in shocked as she raised her head to look at me.

"Yes, again. You're going to learn how to climb trees and get from one branch to another. And don't whine, I had to learn it too the hard way. As did everypony else here. Just be glad I'm not making you do it forty feet above the ground."

It was the late afternoon when we finally arrived at the barracks, everyone panting from carrying the rocks on the way back. After shaking off all the packs we had to carry, I gave Starlight a pat on the back while she laid down on the ground exhausted. "You made it past the second day Starlight, I knew you had it in you all along."

"You… You're... a slave driver..." Starlight simply said, too tired to add anything else.

"Eh, time is of value here, so the more training you lot get, the more ready you are for any interdimensional thing that comes to Equus. As an added benefit, once I get some people trained up enough, I could get them to be full time training instructors. Have the princesses send them all out across Equestria, or to other nations, if the princesses can get them to come on board with the program. The more troops we get trained up, the better prepared Equus can be for the inevitable first real contact, whether it be with friendly or hostile forces.

However, Equestria, and Equus as a whole, need to be united and at peace with each other first, Starlight. Getting the changelings to ally with us is a major first step, and may serve as an example to other nations or species to ally with us, or at least figure out what can get the two of us to finally make peace with each other. You and your 'equality' junk, on the other hoof, is a threat to the peace. Your way of thinking will cause chaos to the land whether you succeed or fail. No one can afford to have that happen. That is one of the reasons why I had you brought to me, to stamp out that problem."

Eyeing me, Starlight said nothing for a moment, before breaking her silence when she asked, "And what are the other reasons?"

"To get some payback for Pinkie, of course," I answered with a grin, to which Starlight rolled her eyes as she let out a groan. "Also, from what I heard, you have a lot of magical potential. Maybe instead of trying to continue with your path of fanatical equality, maybe you could just fight to protect this world's freedom and prosperity from those that want to take it from us. Who knows, maybe you'll leave your mark on the world this way instead. It certainly has to be better than trying to shove your ideals down a person's throat." My words surprised Starlight, for her eyes widen a bit as she looked at me in silence. Chuckling to myself at the sight, I simply said, "Well, it's time for you to get some rest for the day. Maybe tomorrow can be a better day for the both of us," before I made my leave.

Hopefully, if I give Starlight a possible incentive to her new role, she might just stop with all her complaints. Who knows, maybe she'll change her way of thinking. Or she’ll just continue to hold onto her beliefs, and simply wait for the best opportunity for her to take action. Oh well, I guess I just have to wait and see. And maybe have a bit of hope...

Chapter XL: Politics

It had been a rough start for Starlight, since she was highly reliant on either her magic or controlling other ponies, but eventually she started to shape up a bit to the training exercises. However her ideology still stuck with her, though thankfully she's not spouting it as often as she did during the first few days of training. I would say that she is figuring out that none of my recruits actually care about that 'equality' stuff she kept going on about, but they would say the real reason was that it was getting on my nerves, to which I vented my frustration by making her my primary target during dodging exercises. I insisted that it was just pure coincidence.

It was a week after Starlight's recruitment when Rarity finally called me over to her boutique. While it has been a long time since I hoofed over the designing of the casual uniforms to her, it turned out that since she didn't have an opportunity like this before, she ended up creating so many sketches of potential uniform designs. However, after seeing the first two designs when Rarity gave her sketchbook, I just dropped the book as I just gave Rarity a flat stare. She of course argued about how 'fabulous' my troops would look in these uniforms, and that since they were casual, there wouldn't be any harm in having them look the part of a respected soldier. I didn't bother to give her a reply as I instead just continued to stare at her, until she finally let out a huff and mentioned that she thought this would happen. She promptly flipped the pages of the sketchbook before showing me some other designs that she said may suit my tastes better.

Looking over these designs, I saw that she did took my requirements to heart for these, though made the other designs in the off chance that I might be willing to take them. I ended up choosing a grey uniform with black lining that Rarity said it was a bit drab, but would still appeal well enough for a proper soldier of Equestria. With the design chosen, Rarity wrote down all the specifics and additional diagrams needed so it could be mass produced. She however told me that she would be making me a 'formal' uniform, though she promised me that I would be getting a officer one that would be similar to the original design. Since she was doing this out of the desire to be generous, I decided to not make any protest to that. I did got what I wanted in the end after all.

Nine days after that, I got a progress report from the scientists at the research base. The shielding enchantment project was making some successful headway. They so far have came up with a regular shielding gem enchantment that draws power from another gem that served as the magic battery, that was able to withstand about a dozen stun shots before running out of power. They also were making headway in developing the personal shielding that covers the body, though so far they only manage to get it to cover their hooves. They were also developed a new series of rifles where one can interchange the firing enchantment for either the magical blast spell or the stun spell. In the end of the letter, they said they were going to ship a score of the shield armlets so I can personally determine the best way they can be applied through the training exercises, and as a means to get the recruits acclimated to such a device.

However, two days after that letter, I got a letter from Celestia, who requested my presence in Canterlot for some political meeting with some of the nobles and a griffon ambassador. The idea of meeting with Blueblood again didn't appeal to me, along with the fact that after informing Pinkie of this trip, she had to spread the news to the rest of the Elements, including Rarity. This resulted in my afternoon wasted on me being fitted for the formal uniform that she wanted me to wear, which was a tunic that had the black lining replaced with gold trimming and a gold collar that reminded me of Shining Armor's military uniform. While she thought that I finally look like a respectable military officer, when I looked at my reflection, I was reminded of Prince Blueblood in how he dressed to look at his best. I was, however, able to avoid getting a mane styling from Rarity, which would have made me look like an idiot.

"Why the buck did Rarity think this tunic would be a good addition to the uniform? Wouldn't a shirt of some kind suffice?" I said as I tugged at my collar with a hoof.

"It is customary to have uniforms that aren't armor to be a tunic of some kind madam," Silver replied. He and I were the only ones on this trip this time, as I left the original squad with instructions on the training exercises for the week. Though I don't expect to remain in Canterlot for that long. Odds are Blueblood will do something to tick me off, which will result in me causing him bodily harm and Celestia ushering me out of the city before anyone else got hurt.

"Bah, the military is too damn formal then. It's an utter waste of time and materials," I complained, before noticing the rest of the ponies in the train car we were in staring at me. This time we had to go with a public train car, which resulted in me being the center of attention due to how I dressed and the fact that I won't hesitate to curse if I feel like it.

"Look at it this way madam, with your uniform, you would appear more appealing to the nobility when you meet them," Silver countered.

"And what makes you think I would care what they think of me? I have enough headaches already, I rather just deal with the princesses and let them take care of all the political stuff involved," I retorted.

"You can't avoid the political arena forever. You're the leader of a brand new branch of the military, that is sure to draw the interest of some ponies. Some of the nobility would seek you out eventually, so instead meeting them with the princesses in presence would be a more favorable situation then they showing up in your office."

"No, if they show up in my office, I can buck them out the window," I replied, to which Silver just gave me a flat look. "Alright already, maybe Princess Celestia has a point in having me meet the nobility like this," I muttered, before I felt the train coming to a stop.

We were disembarking the train when a pair of unicorns came over to us. One was a white stallion with a blue mane that was wearing a coat and a monocle, who was accompanied by a thin white mare with a pink mane. "Greetings Dame Aether, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," the stallion said, which caused me to look at him in suspicion. I wasn't in the mood to deal with nobility right after I got off the train.

"And you are?" I simply asked, not wanting to be polite in case this stallion was another bigot like Blueblood.

"My name is Fancy Pants madam, and my good companion is Fleur De Lis," he replied, which upon her introduction the mare gave me a short bow. I, on the other hoof, just take a brief look at the fact that Fancy Pants wasn't wearing any pants. "We're here to greet you and accompany you to the castle, at Princess Celestia's requests."

"I didn't know that I needed an escort, last time Silver Shield here just guided me to it," I said. Silver shot me a look due to how rude I was being, but I didn't give a damn since I'm detecting a whiff of Celestia's machinations coming into play again.

"Oh, it isn't a matter of escorting you to the castle madam. It is more of a response to your last visit to our fair city," Fancy explained, causing me to tilt my head a bit.

"Wait, Princess Celestia told you about what happened the last time I'm here?"

"Why yes, and I'm sorry that you have to deal with Prince Blueblood's foppish behavior. On the behalf of the city, I would like to apologize for your experience with his misguided ideals. I assure you, however, that the rest of nobility don't share in the line of thinking that Blueblood has."

"I hope you're right, I doubt Celestia would want to replace all that broken furniture otherwise," I commented, causing Silver to gape at me before Fancy let out a chuckle.

"Do not worry Dame Aether, that old way of thinking is in the past. We strive to look towards the future, and not cling to the past, for the betterment of our fellow ponies. Though I have to say, from what I heard about the changeling peace treaty, you would be an excellent example on how ponies should be thinking of everypony. Surely peace between all races would only led to prosperity for both Equestria and Equus itself," Fancy said, while Fleur just smiled and nodded.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "You heard of my part in that treaty? Wouldn't that be a sore point considering Canterlot's past with the changelings?"

"I admit, much of the nobility was... less than pleased with the idea of making peace with the changelings after the invasion of our city. I, and many others, however, believe that this peace would serve to help prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. And in light of these new issues that you are doing your best to attend to, all the species of Equus needs to work together more now than ever before."

This caused me to raise my eyebrow even further as I replied, "Just how much does the nobility know about my line of work."

Fleur was the one that answered this time as she said, "The princesses informed the entire nobility of this matter. I have to admit, many nobles were doubting of this new threat, considering the primary source of information came from a filly, no offense. However, in light of the recent changes to Equestria's military armaments, those that originally doubted the princesses are starting to realize that this matter is a real and important issue that we need to address. Hence why you are, for many of us would like to finally meet you."

Eyeing the two for a moment, I let out a sigh of relief before I responded, "If the majority of nobility are like you two, then I can say that maybe this trip won't be as unpleasant as I thought it would be." Silver just gave me a flat stare, to which I replied, "What, what do you think I would be expecting after my last trip to Canterlot? Blueblood really gave me low expectations after all."

As Silver let out an exasperated sigh, Fancy asked, "The rest of the nobles, along with Celestia's personal advisers, are still in the castle, waiting for you to arrive. We don't want to keep them waiting for too long, do we?"

"Well, if they aren't like Blueblood as you claim, then I suppose we can head straight to the castle. But I still reserve the rights to bludgeon any tribalist bigots that I come across," I answered, which caused Silver to finally break his somewhat stoic behavior as he facehoofed at my comment. "Oh come on, Silver, you of all ponies know that I won't hesitate to apply righteous justice on those deserving of it," I said to him with a grin, which only caused him to groan as Fancy and Fleur just bore amused expressions at my antics.

Chapter XLII: Preparations

After the discussion with the griffon ambassador, the meeting proceeded with me regaling the nobles about my interdimensional exploits. Well, they asked to hear my exploits, I just gave them my near-death experiences I had over my career. Which, by the way, were numerous, since, as a grunt-for-hire, I was considered expendable on almost every mission. By the end, I believe the nobility's opinion of me being an 'adorable filly' had shifted to 'horribly disturbing filly who belongs in a mental hospital'. In my defense, they did asked in the first place.

Blueblood was possibly showing a growth in his intelligence, as throughout the meeting and any other matters that involved the nobles and I, he just kept his distance and didn't say a word to me. He didn't even protest when the majority of the nobility came to the consensus that my military branch was an essential addition to Equestria's defense, along with expressing their desire to strengthen ties to the Griffon Kingdoms. Though I had noticed that most of the nobility tend to follow the most outspoken ones, which meant that if those few were to suddenly disappear, than the nobles would likely be utterly useless in a time of crisis.

Much to my displeasure, I wasn't thrown out of Canterlot, and had to spend the rest of the day and most of the next one interaction with the nobility. While none of them were cruel or bigots like Blueblood, they never talked about anything I found interesting. They spent too much time talking about public events or latest fashion trends or some other matter that only wealthy ponies could indulge in. Best part was, that since my title of Dame means that I'm part of the nobility as well—if only the lesser nobility—they insisted on calling me either 'Dame' or 'Madam', much to my annoyance. It left me wondering if Celestia truly gave me that title to have better standing with the nobles or as a kind of joke where she was inferring that I belong with a bunch of idiots. She's lucky that her sister is helping me with my temper, or the castle staff would have a lot of cleaning to do.

Moving on, after returning from Canterlot, I resumed the supervision and drilling of my recruits as normal, until seventeen days later, I learned that the Griffon Kingdoms have agreed to the alliance with Equestria. Irritatingly, I only learned this when about seventy griffons showed up on Twilight's doorstep. Which, after weeding out the undesirables, ended up as twenty-nine griffons who had the guts and humility to stick with the program. Though Twilight did end up being delighted at successfully creating a nutrient paste for the griffons to eat, to their misfortune.

The next day the uniforms finally arrive, fitted to all species including the griffons—evidently I was the last one to be informed—with plenty to spare for future recruitment. Along with the uniforms, the first batch of shield armlets arrived, though it only totaled at forty armlets. The training only became more complicated due to the armlets requiring manual activation, so after the first round of training with them a third of the recruits wearing them got stunned. It seemed like it would take some time for them to get used to activating shields, or they just froze in panic when a few stuns shots were fired their way.

Starlight, meanwhile, is proving to be the most stubborn creature I met in terms of hanging onto foolish ideals. So in an effort to counter her beliefs, I require her to explain the 'righteousness' of her ideals to the changeling recruits, and and the griffons too when they arrived. I even got a cow or a mule to show up time to time, while giving everyone that attended Starlight's 'speeches' bags of popcorn that Pinkie helped to provide. In the end of every speech though, Starlight returned to the barracks, rejected and grumbling in annoyance as she pulled popcorn out of her mane. Thankfully, Pinkie never caught wind of that daily occurrence, or she didn't care due to what Starlight did to her in the past. However, I believe it was more likely the former, she never seemed to be the kind to hold a grudge.

Moving on, spring eventually came around, though I just sat there in disbelief and gawked at all the ponies rather than participating in an event they called 'Winter Wrap-up'. This made me wonder if magic had a side effect of ruining a world's natural cycles to the point where it is completely dependent on outside intervention in order to continue operation. Regardless, training proceeded as normal, though Celestia and Luna had started questioning me on how long before I have any recruits that would finally be done with my training. My response was only if they can pass a certain test, which if I gave it to the first batch now, odds are they all will either die or be traumatized. They were shocked by my answer, but I did explain to them afterwards that I have to harden them up enough to the most extreme scenarios till I could believe that they could withstand the trauma of war. For if an interdimensional war came upon Equus, it would likely be the most brutal war they ever seen, so this new branch had to be as prepared as possible for it.

After spring, a couple more weeks idly passed by, with the most notable event being Applejack and the Crusaders going off to Appleloosa for some rodeo. Though a couple days after that, I received some very important news from Twilight that forced me to make some ‘special plans’, along with the surprise that I had some ticket to an event called the ‘Grand Galloping Gala’, with the option of bringing someone with me. Due to me not wanting to play favorites with the recruits, this left my choices to be Silver since he was still serving to help reinforce my authority, or Starlight if I could use the Gala as a means to fix that crazed belief of hers. At least I still had a couple more weeks to think that out as I plan on something much more important during the meantime.

"What... what is the meaning of this?" Starlight asked, as she eyed a desk that should belong in a schoolhouse with a stack of papers on it. It was early morning, and I was making some preparations when I decided to order Starlight to come to my office instead of training for the day, which would be overseen by Silver and the first recruits. They didn't really need my presence this time around, since it was another round of bee training for the entire lot.

"It's some basic military tactics," I idly replied, while reviewing a recent weapon design the researchers sent me. As effective as they are with their work, sometimes they come up with ideas that are more likely to be lethal to our own forces than the enemy. It makes me wonder about their common sense from time to time.

"Military tactics?"

"Yeah, though it is more of a mixture of Equestrian military tactics, and common interdimensional firefight tactics. I'm trying to get some basic instruction booklet started, so you're going to review it for me. And no complaining, at least you're having a semi-break off from training, unless you want another friendship lesson from Twilight," I answered, before hearing a tapping on my window. Looking towards it, I spotted the town's mail mare, Derpy, hovering in front of it while holding an envelop in one of her forehooves. Opening the window with my magic as I made my way to it, I said, "Thanks for the special delivery Derpy." She simply gave a short nod before having me the envelop, before flying off to continue her mailmare duties. I was opening a drawer in my desk when I spotted Starlight staring at me. "What?"

"What is that?" she simply asked with a neutral expression.

"None of your business," I replied before stashing it away in the only drawer that I put a lock on. With the fact that I could pick-lock with just magic, I normally kept the sole key buried somewhere around Twilight's castle.

"Oh rea—"

"Yes, ‘cause even if you knew what it is, all you can do with it is cause me a minor annoyance. One that may tempt me to throw you out a window, but overall it endangers no one and has absolutely no real benefits to you," I replied, causing the two of us to enter a short staring contest before Starlight let out a huff as she take her seat at the desk. Rolling my eyes, I was about to return to my paperwork when Twilight came into the room.

"Morning Aether," Twilight said, as she cast a glance at Starlight, who in turn gave her a flat stare. Even though it had been months, those two were still on odds with one another due to differing opinions. At least their hostilities ended a couple weeks before winter ended, because as amusing as it is to see those two arguing, the fun ended after the fifth fight.

"Morning Twilight, is there something you need?" I asked, as I reviewed a modified stun gun meant for the griffons. Since they did have thumbs, or opposable talons, that meant that they can use the standard trigger, which would also be useful whenever they had to use alien weaponry.

"Oh, I just wanted to ask you about something important, mind if we discuss it somewhere else for a moment?" Twilight asked, causing Starlight to look at her in suspicion.

"Um... sure?" I answered before I followed Twilight out of my office while giving Starlight a glare that told her not to get any wise ideas.

Once in a room that wasn't adjacent to my office, Twilight took on a slightly more serious expression as she said, "Aether, I have to inform you that in a fe—"

"Wait, I think I know what you're trying to tell me Twilight," I replied, interrupting her when I figured out what this short meeting was for.

"You do?"

"...Yes I do, and quite frankly, I'm offended. Do you really think I would be so distracted to notice that day of all days?" I asked as I gave Twilight an annoyed look.

"Oh, sorry... so does that mean you have something planned?"

"Yes, I actually do," I simply answered.

Narrowing her eyes, Twilight pressed on with her questioning. "It's not somethi—"

"Really now? I know I may be cruel, and sometimes apathetic, but cut me some slack. I can be nice too at times, besides, it's her," I replied, before we both quickly glanced around to make sure that no one else was nearby. "I'm perfectly ready for that day."

"Okay... I just wanted to make sure that everything goes as planned. You do have over a hundred recruits and Starlight to keep track of, so I took into the possibility that you may have forgotten," Twilight said, her forehooves idly rubbing against each other like she was caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

"Relax Twilight, I won't be causing you any problems for whatever you have planned," I responded, causing Twilight to let out a sigh of relief. "Though... don't get mad at me if there is a need to go to the hospital," I added, causing Twilight's pupils to widen in terror.

"What‽ I thought you said you were going to be nice‽" Twilight shrieked as anger became apparent on her face.

"I did and I plan to be, but don't blame me if I ended up being with my ribs crushed. I'm fairly certain that there is nothing anyone can do to prevent that from happening if it does occur," I answered, which caused Twilight to facehoof.

"That's not funny Aether."

"Who said I was trying to be funny? I honestly think that could really happen. Don't tell me you don't believe that may come to pass?" I asked, causing Twilight to drop her hoof as she thought about it for a moment.

"You're actually right about that... depending on whatever you have planned."

"Yeah... just be ready to teleport me to the hospital when I finally reveal it, I like living after all."

Chapter XLIII: Pinkie

After the little meeting with Twilight, I returned to my office to see Starlight trying to yank the locked drawer from my desk. She only had three seconds to giggle in shame before I tazed her and threw her out the room. She should have known that Twilight would have gotten me a sturdy desk considering my violent tendencies, but I guess everyone is affected by the nativity of this world in some way. Though after a few minutes I opened the door and dragged her across the floor before dumped her on her seat so she could go back to her original task. This resulted in her calling me a slave driver, which I retorted by asking if she was volunteering to be my slave. It only took two eye twitches before she screamed in agony.

A week had passed without incident, though I was bugged by Rainbow since she kept questioning on my plans. It only lasted three hours, cause I decided to sic my recruits on her, with the one that captures her getting a day off. I guess they really hate my training methods, and yet I haven't come up with the obstacle course that suit my needs. I was tempted to go to Discord for help, but I didn't want to risk traumatizing my troops, or having some of them being turned into a slime creature or something like that. I had to be very specific with my ball of pain's properties, I would need Twilight to help me get the right obstacle course from Discord. That however would entail dealing with Twilight's excessive planning as well as giving her a chance to question my plans before I can implement them. It's not worth it.

At the end of the week, Twilight's plans come to fruition as we all were waiting in the castle dining room, while Twilight went out to retrieve the guest of honor. Though that also meant that I have to deal with anyone that didn't have any patience, namely Rainbow. Why did she had to have such a short attention span?

"So, you actually came up with something?"

"Yes Rainbow."

"And you think she will like it?"

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten it."

"I don't think a gun would be a good present," Rainbow suddenly said, causing me to cock an eyebrow at her.

"Why in the world would you think I would think a gun would be a good present?" I asked, as I observe Fluttershy and Rarity doing some last minute checks to some decorations.

"Because when you got your hooves on one, you hugged it and treated it like it was your baby," Rainbow answered nonchalantly, which caused me to give her an incredulous look.

"What are you talking about?" I replied, my voice a bit strained. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"Beats me, but it doesn't surprise me since you're such a weird pony. Besides, one of your recruits told me you did that when you went to Canterlot, when you bashed Blueblood's head with a chair," Rainbow said as she idly waved a hoof around.

"You did what‽"Rarity shrieked before she just gaped at me in shock.

"Now wait a minute, I have a perfectly go—" I started to say before she interrupted me as she rushed to my side.

"Why didn't you tell me about it‽" Rarity exclaimed. "Please, don't leave any details out!"

Instead of giving her the story, I just gawked at her for a moment before my voice found its way back home. "...What?"

Applejack, who was watching the whole scene, rolled her eyes, before she decided to pitch into the conversation. "Rarity here is still a wee bit upset at Prince Blueblood for how he treated her and how he used her as a shield to protect himself from a cake that was sent flyin' to him."

Upon hearing that, I gave Applejack a double take before showing her my understanding of the situation. "What?"

"It's a long story sugarcube, I'll tell you about it later," Applejack replied, leaving me in utter confusion, disrupted when I heard the telltale sound of a teleport. Turning my head towards the source of the noise, I saw Twilight and Pinkie had finally arrived. This forced me to drop whatever questions I had as I joined the others for our greeting for the guest of honor.

"Happy birthday Pinkie!" we all announced. Everyone was baring a wide grin as Pinkie gasped at what she saw, though I only had a mild smile. Though that wasn't a problem since everyone knew that I'm not one for those giant smiles unless I was acting like a maniac.

"Ah, you shouldn't have!" Pinkie exclaimed, and I was about to let out a chuckle when I suddenly find myself and everyone else being hugged by her. This caused my brain to halt for a moment, which normally happens whenever Pinkie does something new that defies logic. I think that mental tic developed in the effort to keep my mind from experiencing a meltdown. By the time my brain returned to working order, the party has started and everyone was starting to give Pinkie her gifts. Shaking my head, I let out a grunt as I watched Pinkie open her gifts, until she finally came across the one from me.

"You got me a gift, Aether?" Pinkie asked, joy in her face as she held up a rather thin box.

"That's your gift? Why is it so flat? Did you sat on it or so—" Rainbow said before I clamped her mouth shut with my magic.

"Size doesn't always matter Rainbow," I grumbled as Pinkie ripped apart the wrapping and open the small box to reveal its contents to everyone else.

"Is that an envelope?" Rarity asked, before giving me a look of confusion. "I don't think you need to put it in a box if it’s just a letter or a birthday card dear."

"Just wait for it," I simply replied, though Pinkie remain excited regardless of Rainbow's and Rarity's comments. Pulling out the envelope's contents, which were just a few papers to the casual viewer, but after her eyes ran over it once her face quickly took on an expression of a level of joy I never seen on her face before.

Before anyone could ask what she was reading, Pinkie simply asked, "Do you really... really want this?" as tears start to appear in her eyes. Everyone else was now utterly confused, as they look upon me for an explanation. This caused me to cock an eyebrow at them for a second, for I didn't really think that they wouldn't be able to figure out what the gift was. Or they thought that I was too mean and cruel of a pony to actually do such a thing.

"Yes, I want this. Even though I was an adult before, I was alone. I didn't have a family, not until I came to this world and you treated me as a member of your own. No matter what I did, you cared for me so much that only two other people could match it. As much as I missed them, I know that one of them wouldn't mind you taking over. You did help me get a more brighter outlook at life after I came to this world, so I believe they will naturally approve of this if they could. So... happy birthday, mom. That is if you want to be that."

"Mom‽" Everyone else shrieked in surprise, as Pinkie simply dropped the paperwork that was adoption forms to pull me into a hug. A hug that, as predicted, was far stronger than any other she ever gave me.

"Of course I'll be your mom, you silly filly!" Pinkie declared, shaking me around as I felt my ribs trying to resist being shattered in her vice-like grip.

"Too hard, too hard! I need air!" I yelled in a strained voice, which caused everyone to finally come to my aid.

After everyone manage to pry Pinkie off me, she instantly signed the forms, before it was sent to the town hall to be processed. Oddly enough, the adoption process was rather quite simple, but that was due to the very small occurrence of a foal becoming an orphan. Even if something happened to a foal's parents, they normally have plenty of relatives to turn to. A pony who didn't had a family was apparently a rare thing to find these days.

Everyone was still rather surprised that I would actually have Pinke adopt me. I responded with a shrug and told them that Pinkie grew on me so much that I didn't want to do anything to hurt her feelings or disappoint her. That eventually grew into a feeling of love that I only felt for my parents, which told me that Pinkie becoming my mother was meant to be. This land did ran on destiny quite a bit after all.

Moving on, the party went well, though Pinkie mentioned that she can't wait to bring me to her family's rock farm to introduce me to the rest of the family. Twilight asked how I was able to get the adoption forms, to which I replied that I asked Luna for some help. She then asked why I didn't went to her for help, and I answered that she might go for normal procedures while no one would defy Luna if she wanted the paperwork now.

Time passed on normally after the party, or as normal as it can get for Ponyville. Discord threw some kind of tantrum on the day of the gala, where I took Starlight with me so I could keep an eye on her. Which instead of actually being a negative, turned out quite well for me in the end. She was terrified when she saw Celestia, mostly in fear due to her past, which I simply chosen to laugh at her torment. Starlight later served as a makeshift raft when Discord's guest, which was a slime creature, flooded the ballroom. Overall the gala went fine for me, and I even met Maud again who was fine with Pinkie adopting me, I think. She didn't smile or anything, but she did give me a hug. I think that has to have some kind of important meaning or something.

After that, Pinkie and Rainbow went on another friendship problem for the map, which I was adamantly against considering the last time. They still went regardless of my protests, and Twilight even stopped me from sneaking aboard the train. Thankfully in the end no one got harmed, so I guess the map wasn't going to send them to deathtraps. At least not all the time.

A couple weeks after that, Ponyville was attacked by some bugbear that came from Tartarus. Sadly the Elements forbid me from sending my recruits after it, citing that they should handle it along with the fact that my recruits weren't battle tested. I was about to protest, but after noticing some of them going pale at the idea of facing a monster from Tartarus, I had no choice but to agree with them. I didn't want to have them fainting or soiling themselves on their first mission, it would leave this new military force with a terrible image that might take years to get rid of. Though it did gave me a few ideas that I sent over to the researchers to see if they can do something about it.

After the wedding though, I learned from Twilight that there was going to be a diplomatic party coming to Ponyville from a nation that was out of contact with Equestria for 'hundreds of moons'. This forced me to make some adjustments to my recruits' training, since this party would most likely want to see my troops in action. Having another nation on board would help in protecting Equus, so putting put a show for a day wouldn't hurt. Hopefully they would be a species that are like the changelings or griffons, for the more natural fighters, the better. I just hope that no monster decided to visit the town on the same day and scare my troops witless. I really need to start tossing them into the Everfree soon, that should help toughen them up.

Chapter XLIV: Yaks

"Hey, Starlight, what do you know about yaks?"

"Why would I of all ponies know anything about yaks?"

"Simple, if you're going for equality, then you have to have some plan for the yaks in that ideal society of yours. Hence you should know at least something about them."

"...You are the worst pony I have ever met," Starlight said, as she glared at me so intensely that I would be surprised if she wasn’t imagining me suffering some horrendous fate.

"Though since I was an alien before, would I still count in the running for worst pony?" I asked, which caused Starlight to deadpan at me instead. She and I were waiting at one of the castle's entrance hallway, with my first recruits and Silver beside us, as we watched Twilight greeting the yaks. Who were big, and hairy, and loud. "Wait, did their prince just sa—"

"This no taste like yak food! Fake pony food make yaks mad!" the lead yak yelled, before he and his companions started to trash the place.

As the Elements simple stared in horror, as I just gawked at the scene for a moment due to being surprised that not only were the yaks destroying the place, but the Elements weren't doing anything to stop them. I looked at Twilight as she was about to panic as I asked, "Is this a regular thing for ambassadors to do in this world?" Receiving silence, I just frowned at her before saying, "Alright troops, we're leaving."

"Wait, what?" Twilight said, her voice finally finding its way back to her.

"Look, Twilight, as much as we need other nations to support a global defense initiative, we don't need... that," I replied, pointing a hoof at the yaks who were tearing up the place still. "They're acting like a bunch of brutes, which typically gets themselves killed in my line of work at a breakneck pace. Besides, there's a second reason for me leaving, that you should have realized by now."

"A second reason?"

"To put it simply, I have a feeling that if I hang around these yaks long enough, someone is going to be tased. Do you actually want to take that risk?"

After rushing my squad out of the palace, I sent them and Silver to the rest of the troops with the plans for today's training. I, however, kept Starlight with me, dragging her to Sugarcube Corner where we just sat down on a table as I tried to keep a headache from popping up. "All that preparation and in the end I just get to see another bunch of idiots," I said as I rubbed my forehooves against the sides of my head.

"Tell me about it," Starlight commented, as she looked over a menu that the Cakes provided.

This cause me to give a good long and hard look as I asked, "Are you trying to imply something about me?"

"Please, we both know that neither one of us are fools," Starlight replied. "I was talking about those recruits of yours. I already gave up on getting you to understand equality, but those imbeciles sti—"

"Whoa, wait, you're tired of trying to convert me to your way of thinking?" I questioned. "Now that is something I would really want to hear."

Giving me a flat stare, Starlight answered, "I finally accepted that you're an alien. There is nothing anypony can do to make somepony like that equal with everypony else. That and you're the most messed up pony in existence."

"Congratulations, you’ve finally come to the same conclusion that everyone else that spent at least a week with me came to: that I'm a twisted and cruel filly that won't conform to anything that I don't agree with," I responded, clapping my forehooves together slowly.

"Oh shut it already," Starlight snapped back, resuming her glare for a moment. I just smirked at her, causing one of her eyelids to twitch.

"Honestly though, I have no idea what makes you think that having no Cutie Mark and no special talent is supposed to help anyone. It just sounds like something that will make folk miserable, unless you think that when everyone is miserable, then they finally can get along."

"It's Cutie Marks and special talents that are the very thing driving ponies apart! When ponies don't have to focus on following their 'destiny', then they won't be ignoring their friends or thinking they're above others on the grounds that they're special! When everypony is equal, things like that won't come to pass!"

Looking around, I started to see that some of the customers were staring at us, or shaking their heads due to hearing this stuff before. "Yeah, I kinda see your point there," I said, causing Starlight's eyes to widen before I raised a hoof to stop her from saying anything. "However, I really think you're getting the wrong message from things like that if that's why you're so high up on your equality bit."

Narrowing her eyes, Starlight asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I see it like this: if a pony decides to follow their destiny, but in the process leaves their friends behind or starts getting a superiority complex, than that pony is a jerk. All in all, it seems like this destiny thing or their Cutie Marks may just help show what kind of pony they really are. Not that they should ignore their calling in life, but they really should have put an effort to remain connected to their close ones regardless of the path their destiny takes."

Starlight just stared at me for a moment, before blinking a bit as she replied, "Well… I never thought of it like that before..."

Shrugging, I responded, "It's all a matter of perspective. One person may see things differently than another, so I can't blame you if you only saw something in that kind of light. Though, by the sounds of it, there's a story behind your reasoning." Biting down on her lip, Starlight just stare at me before letting out a huff. "Eh, suit yourself, though I really recommend that if there is really a story behind all this, that you should talk to someone."

"Like who, Twilight Sparkle?" Starlight shot back.

"That's your call, though with her, I have a feeling that it would just turn into some long-winded lecture on friendship. Still, better to find someone to talk about it instead of letting it all build up until it finally explodes. I mean, look at me, I'm going to therapy for my anger issues."

Deadpanning at me, Starlight replied, "I don't think it's working for you."

"That's what you might think, but honestly it is working. Without it, odds are when I went to Canterlot a month ago, I would have broken some nobles' bones out of sheer frustration. That or zapped them enough that their coats would catch on fire."

"Oh really? Then what about the fact that you seem to single me out of all your recruits when you do your Tartarus-damned rock dodging exercises‽"

"Simple, you're a mare with a lot of magic potential, from what I’ve been told. It would be a waste to have you be a simple recruit in this new army. So I decided to raise the difficulty for you in the hopes that it would toughen you up sooner," I nonchalantly replied.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that? When you threatened to kill me?" Starlight countered as she glared at me intensely.

"Eh, I'm just being honest to you. Up to you if you want to believe me or not," I said with a shrug. "If you weren't a threat to my family and friends, I say there might be a possibility that we could get along."

"Now that I don't believe. I won't be surprised that you'll toss me aside the moment I'm not of use to you."

That caused me to cock an eyebrow at her, as I replied in a leveled voice, "Don't mix me with those kinds of folk. I dealt with enough of them that I despise people like that." Starlight's pupils shrank, as she realized that she stepped on a nerve as I placed both hooves on the table to lean a bit closer to her. "I'm not a pony that is just going to abandon others on a whim. Buck! The only reason I'm even pushing my recruits so hard is so they have the best chance of surviving what may come! I could have simply live a simple life as a normal foal, but instead I'm putting up with all this stuff!"

I was taking a few calming breaths as Starlight stared at fear of the possibility that I may just attacked her for what she said. Her ears were folded down against her head, as she said, "I didn't know you would feel so strongly about something like that."

"You have your issues, and I have mine," I answered with a sigh as I got off the table. "In all honesty, you really need to abandon that equality idea, or at least rework it. It might have some value in the past, but with the changes that Equestria is going to face, it's an ideology that's not relevant anymore. Equestria can't afford to have everyone to be equal, it needs its people to be at their best. Besides, removing a pony's Cutie Mark won't change who they really are. If you lost a friend due to a Cutie Mark, then, no offense, but they weren't that good of a friend if they valued their perceived destiny over their friendship with you. What you need is friends that would value you regardless of what their destiny says. No matter what, everyone will be different from one another, but that shouldn't get in the way of friendship. Hay, I'm different on so many levels, yet I manage to make some friends in this world. Just cause you may have lost someone that may be close to you, that doesn't mean you should simply give up. Sometimes you just have to stand up and try again, instead of seeking what may seem like an easy way out. Friendship isn't an easy thing to achieve, but it's worth it in the end when you have true friends."

Starlight then bite her lip as she sat there, lost in her own thoughts. "I just... don't know if I can do that."

"It can't hurt to try. Better than being alone or driven to a path that put so many at odds with you."

Starlight looked down on the table for a moment, before looking up at me as she asked, "Do you really think we could be friends?"

"By the sounds of things, we’ve both felt the pain of loneliness, and hence we put our own special value on what friendship means to us. We have a sort of common ground to work with. So, hay, short of one of us doing something horrible to the other, I think we can eventually be friends."

"...How about everypony else? Like the Elements?"

"Well, if they can forgive and then befriend Discord of all people, than I suppose you can be friends with them too if you take the right steps."

Once again, silence returned as Starlight resumed her silent thinking, until I stick a hoof into my mane before pulling out a key and tossing it onto the table. That brought her out of her stupor as she asked, "What is that?"

"What do you think?" I answered, before pointing a hoof to my neck.

Her eyes widening, she replied, "You're really giving me that?"

"Sure, why not," I responded with a shrug. "If you're going to take a risk, I might as well. It's only fair after all."

Starlight hesitated at first, but she eventually took the key with her magic, levitating it to the lock on her collar. With a twist of the key, the collar popped off her neck to land on the table with a thud. Running a hoof over her neck, in a quiet voice she mumbled out, "Thank you."

"Yeah yeah, but don't expect me to start hugging you and stuff like that. We may become friends, but I'm not one for all that touchy stuff," I said, which probably killed the mood, if the frown Starlight gave me was any indication.

She then rolled her eyes as she replied in a frustrated voice, "No, I suspect that you'll still be the cruel psychotic filly that you are. And I won't be surprised if I find you blowing a trumpet into my ear tomorrow morning, you sadistic foal."

That caused me to give her a confused look at the sudden change in tone, until she smirked at me. I let out a chuckle as I said, "Heh, maybe we will be friends before long." I then spotted a bunch of angry yaks heading down the street outside. "Huh, the yaks look angry... well angrier than normal. I certainly hope that Twilight didn't do something to tick them off enough to declare war on us or something."

"Do you honestly think she would make a mistake that big?" Starlight asked as she watched the scene as well.

"Well, knowing her and based on how the yaks reacted earlier, I say yes. Come on Starlight, let's go round up the recruits. Maybe we can get some live target practice before the day ends."

Chapter XLV: Nightmare

As predicted, one of Twilight's schemes backfired so badly that the yaks actually declared war. Sadly, Twilight stopped me from setting up a firing line near the train station, yelling at me that they were trying to achieve friendship with the yaks. I responded that they will be our friends, after we show them what would happen if they weren’t. It was amusing to watch her facehoof before she went off to Sugarcube Corner in hopes of finding some of Pinkie's party plans, since she mysteriously disappeared for some weird errand she went on. That got some gears turning in my head, for if Pinkie threw them a party and they instead ruin it along with hurting her feelings... let's just say that I might not go with stun shots. Thankfully, Pinkie was able to return and threw a party successful enough that it caused the yaks to declare friendly relations with Equestria. Still, though, I wasn't going to ask them anytime soon to join my squad, due to their loud and impulsive tendencies that would not only attract everything within five miles, but would also be a huge liability in almost any operation.

After the event with the yaks, the Elements finally took notice that Starlight was without her collar. After a short explanation, they were glad that I managed to reform Starlight, though I just waved a hoof off, since all I did was convince her to take a new approach to things. Though Twilight wondered why her friendship lessons didn't work out with her, I just told her that sometimes a different approach is needed. While afterwards there was still some tension between the Elements and Starlight, the two groups were able to finally put aside most of their hostilities.

Regardless, with the collar off, I was finally able see Starlight flex her magical might. She didn't disappoint. That mare certainly had a large repertoire of spells that she demonstrated, though I was particularly attracted to the spell that encases its target in a block of crystal. If that spell can be used on enemy aircraft, it may provide Equestria with an effective anti-air defense. Especially if we can get a set of weapons that pegasi could carry. I almost started drooling at the thought of enemy ships falling onto their own soldiers, though I quickly shook that thought off when I remembered that I had very little information on how resistant shields are against magic, yet alone specific combinations. I really need to get those researchers to start testing that after they learned how to replicate the various kinds of shielding that exists.

Things went by nicely for the next couple of weeks, with Starlight now more motivated than ever in her training. Now that she knows that I hold high expectations for her, she's putting in a greater effort. With her magic and new found motivation, it won't be long before she catches up to the first batch. Sadly, at the end of the second week, Ponyville was yet again visited with another of its 'normal' events.

"Well... this is a strange dream," I said aloud, as I stared at all the ponies milling about. Some of them looked fearful, while others looked a bit deformed, like that mail mare, who was the size of a house.

I was about to question what part of my mind came up with this when I suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out. "Ponies!"

"Princess Luna!" the dream ponies yelled, rushing towards Luna before bowing down to her, who was oddly contained in some kind of sphere.

"There is no time for bowing, my friends! There is something coming, something terrible! No, it is already here!" Luna cried, causing me to realize that these ponies weren't figments of my mind. However, before I could figure out what was going on, something wrapped around my chest. I let out a gasp as it yanked me backwards, pulling me into some random house before its door slam shut, leaving me in utter darkness. I struggled to get free, bashing and even gnawing on whatever had latch onto me, but it kept its grip as it continued to pull me towards something. Even a stun spell didn't phase the thing, until the darkness started to become pure white. That was when I was released, dropping onto some kind of floor, though I couldn't tell since it was white as the surrounding.

"Jeeze, you didn't have to bite me," said some voice that sounded like a blend of many others. Turning my head around, I spotted what looked to be a pony, though it was almost more a silhouette, since it was as black as space itself. There was no visible features, like it was some kind of mannequin, until it eyes opened. Purple eyes that had a maddening look to them.

"What the buck are you?" I asked as I got to my hooves and started to back away cautiously.

The thing then smiled at me, though the smile wasn't comforting due to how wide it was along with the sheer amount of teeth it showed. "You don't recognize me? That makes me a very sad pony."

"How can I recognize something I never saw before?" I shot back, as I charged my horn with my magic.

"Don't bother with your magic, it's not going to help you at all," the creature said, as it slowly walked towards me. "I have to admit though, it would be hard for you to remember me if you only saw a part of me, I suppose. Nevertheless, it is finally nice to see you face to face."

"Can't say the same, since you dragged me here!"

"Awww... why must you be so mean? I just saved you from facing a nightmarish monster. One would usually be grateful for such a thing."

"Not when the saving is done by something that could be another monster!" I yelled before shooting off a stun spell. Sadly it just went right through the thing, as it just kept its crazy grin through it all.

"I told you that it wouldn't help. And do you have to be so rude? I'm no monster."

"Could have fooled me," I replied, causing the creature to laugh at me. "Assuming that you're not just a figment of my imagination, or some kind of representation of some repressed trauma within my subconscious, then what are you?" I asked, deciding to humor the thing for now.

"I'm cute!" the creature answered, to which I just deadpanned in response. "You're such a grouch. Let's just say that I'm a fragment of something and go with that! Wouldn't be much fun if this mystery was solved already!"

"Fun for you, maybe, annoying as buck for me."

"Don't be such a spoilsport. At least you're not involved with trying to stop a nightmarish creature from escaping the dream world into the real one," the creature replied as it started to prance around me.

"That is one of the most ridiculous things I ever heard."

"Oh really? In your world of magic, where ponies control the weather, the seasons, even the moon and sun, you find something like that ridiculous?"

"...Point taken. So mind telling me why you foalnapped me?"

That caused the creature to stop and gasp at me. "Why the never! I was rescuing you, not foalnapping you!"

Looking around at the white void we were in, I replied, "Yeah... rescuing me to bring me to some creepy place. I feel so safe now."

"Oh? You need a change of scenery? Why didn't you say so!" the creature said before standing on its hind legs while waving its forelegs about like a crazed idiot. However, as promised, the scenery did change, shifting into to a flowery field.

"Better, though I'm still going to say that you're more of a threat than a friend."

"Aww... you’re hurting my feelings."

"Really? Cause you're still smiling at me," I dryly replied, since the moment I met the thing, it hasn't dropped that eerie smile the entire time.

"Smiles make everypony feel better. Ain't your mother a pony that wants to spread smiles? Are you telling me that you dislike what she loves to do?"

"Oh shut it, you're just trying to mess with me. Your smile is completely different from the ones my mom spreads. Those are ones of joy, your's just creepy."

"Hehe, you're such a silly filly," the creature said, leaning over to ruffle my mane.

Knocking its hoof away, I let out a huff as I declared, "I'm done with this. I'm not going to give myself a headache by dealing with you," before I started to trot away, only for the creature prance around me again.

"Aww... come on. Why won't you just loosen up a little and have some fun with me? Where's the harm with having some fun?"

"I don't think any foal should have fun with a stranger, much less something like you."

"Well, you're going to play with me sooner or later, because I'm not leaving anytime soon."

"Like it matters, all I have to do is wait until I wake up. Problem solved."

"Oh... you're right," the creature said when it came to a stop in front of me, its ears folding down, though it still kept that eerie smile. However, it ears perked up when the creature continued, "That is if you do wake up."

That caused me to stop, as I narrowed my eyes at it. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you actually wake up, which you're aren't going to do anytime soon."

"I hate to ask this, but how do you know that?"

"Simple! I'm not going to let you wake up!" the creature said with glee.

"Bah, if I don't wake up on my own, I'm sure someone will wake me up for me," I countered, before resuming my trot. "And if that doesn't work, either Twilight or Princess Luna will have something on hoof that can wake me up from whatever you have on me. Problem solved."

"Or so you think," the creature replied. "I say, it could work, if they know how to deal with things from another dimension." With just one word, the creature had managed to stop me in my tracks.

"What did you just say?" I asked in a level of volume that reminded me of Fluttershy.

"What? 'Things from another dimension'? Are you starting to become hard of hearing already?" That was when a bit of fear started to take hold, until the creature closed the distance before us, placing its grinning face before my own. "You silly, silly filly. Do you really think that one such as you, a creature from one world that changed into another, magic-wielding species, would go unnoticed? As experienced as you are, there are so many things out there that you know so little of."

I started to back away from the thing, thought it moved along with me in a fashion that the distance between our faces didn't change a single inch. "To be honest, I didn't suspect that I would be able to contact you like this. That mirror was the only way for me to talk to you. But suddenly, boom! That princess who thinks she’s the protector of dreams had to connect everypony's dreams together. Now that takes a lot of power, so much power, that I was able to piggyback off it to get to you. Now I know what you're thinking, what would a thing like me would want with you? Well, I'm not going to spoil the fun just yet, so we’re going to play a little game in the meantime. Might as well have fun while you're still around, right? It's not like you're going to be going anywhere anytime soon after all," the creature said, before it started to giggle in such a way that only a psychopath could do.

"...Buck."

Chapter XLVI: Creature

It was a sleepy morning for the inhabitants of the Sugarcube Corner, as Pinkie Pie came into the bakery after dealing with the Tantabus. She was far more cheerful than normal, elated that she and her friends were able to help Princess Luna to overcome her guilt. Though she was surprised to learn from the Cakes that Aether was still in bed, she shrugged it off when she came upon a great idea on how to greet her adopted daughter today. Quietly, Pinkie headed upstairs and opened the door to Aether's room, sneaking right up to her daughter with a gleeful grin that faded away to worry when she saw Aether's face. While from the doorway it looked like Aether was simply sleeping in, but up close, Pinkie could see her daughter's face contorted in fear.

"Aether!" Pinkie yelled in surprise, shaking her to no avail. She tried every method she knew of to wake Aether, without any results to show for it. As fear started to set in, she realized that Luna she nearby, and that she, more than any other pony, would be able to help.

"Strange... I detect no enchantment on her," Luna said, as she scanned Aether with her magic, with Pinkie and Twilight at her side. While she was slightly annoyed to be woken from her first pleasant dream in a long time, upon realizing that something was wrong, she and Twilight returned with Pinkie to the bakery with utmost haste.

"What does that mean?" Twilight asked.

"I am uncertain, for normally a pony would only remain in this deep of a slumber while under some manner of magical duress," Luna explained.

"Is there anything you can do?" Pinkie questioned, her concern growing greater at the news.

"There is one way. I have to enter her dreams, and find the cause of matter." Seeing Pinkie's concern, Luna laid a hoof on her shoulder before continuing, "Fear not, for no monster born from a pony's nightmares has ever bested me."

"But Princess Luna, what about the things that Aether have seen in her previous life?" Twilight countered.

"Do not worry Twilight, for I have seen many of the monsters that Aether has confronted in the past. I can assure you that I am ready for whatever nightmare she may be having," Luna replied before lighting up her horn with her magic, as a thread of light extended from her horn to Aether's head.

Upon entering Aether's dreamscape, Luna quickly saw that it have became utter chaos compared to the last time she visited it. Floating in the sky were giant rocks, rivers of water flowing between them. Gravity seemed to be completely ignored in this dream, based on the fact that the floating rocks have trees growing at their sides or even bottoms. Luna was about to ponder the meaning of this when her musings was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Just bucking leave me alone already!"

Turning her head, she saw Aether off in the distance, jumping from one rock to another while being followed by something that Luna presumed to be a nightmare shaped as an earth pony. "Dame Aether, do not fret, for I ha—" Luna started to cry out before a hoof covered her muzzle.

"Tsk tsk tsk, didn't your mother tell you not to go to places you're not invited to?" asked a mysterious voice that sounded like several voices speaking at once. Quickly Luna used her magic to grab onto the being, pulling its hoof off her mouth as she brings it before her eyes. This caused her eyes to widen, for it was the same beast chasing Aether, except she can now see its eerie smile along with the purple eyes that seem to be boring into her own.

Shaking a head clear of the momentary confusion, Luna declared, "Begone, nightmarish beast!" as she used her magic to will the creature away. However, instead of vanishing like other nightmares that Luna had faced time and time again, the creature just laughed at her, while Luna gaped in shock.

"Wow, two ponies in a row that mistook me as some kind of nightmare. Is this going to be some trend?" the creature said, as Luna gathered her wits about her before bring the creature right up to her muzzle.

"Creature, what are you and why are you tormenting this young filly's dreams?" Luna demanded, a look of fury coming upon her face.

"Wow, you don't have to get so grumpy, unless it's your time of the month!" the creature shot back, causing Luna to blink and sputter in response. "Besides, what makes you think I'm tormenting her? We're just having a simple game of tag."

"I highly doubt that, for she is screaming for you to leave her be. Now leave this filly be or suffer the consequences!"

"What consequences? Are you going to bake me a cake?" the creature asked, causing Luna to just give it a deadpan stare. "Or are you going to give me a giant teddy bear that I can hug it so hard that its head pops off?"

This creature is as mad as Discord! Luna thought to herself before she announced, "You were given a chance, foul creature. Begone!" Luna declared before firing a blast of magic at both the creature in front of her and the one chasing Aether. However, both creatures vanished, causing the second ray of magic to strike Aether instead.

"Argh!" Aether screamed in pain, the magical blast sending her crashing into another rock.

"Aether!" Luna cried out, as she tried to fly over to the filly, before the creature again appeared before her.

"Wow, you sure are one mean princess. Blasting the poor filly like that, I should report you for foal abuse!" the creature said, before Luna felt two pairs of hooves grabbing onto her forelegs. Looking at the owners, she saw it was two copies of the creature, dressed as police officers as one of them declared, "You have the right to remain loud! Everything you spit out will be held against you in a courtyard of bananas!"

"Let go of me, fiends!" Luna yelled out before bringing her forehooves together, smashing the two creatures together, causing them to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"You're resisting parole? Does that mean princesses are allowed to abuse their subjects?" the creature asked, irritating Luna as she shot another ray of magic at it, only for it to dodge it by skipping to another rock. "So, do you have some closet where you tie up foals and feed them pudding that you regurgitated?"

"Enough of your nonsense!" Luna shot back, as she covered the creature with her magic before swinging the creature with all her might into a rock, causing it to dissipated into smoke upon impact. She then returned her attention Aether, only to find that she had disappeared. She frantically looked about until she heard a pained groan beneath her. Looking down, she spotted a half-dazed Aether sitting at a table with three more of the creatures, dressed in different outfits.

"Want a cup of lemonade, Mr. Fluffybottom?" asked one that was wearing a bonnet.

"Why thank you! I sure don't want some milk, Mrs. Lemon Tart!!" yelled another one with a cape on, as it held out a spoon.

"Here you go, Sir Dance-a-tron! One spicy cup of jello!" hollered one that had a fake mustache as it poured what looked to be hot soup from a coffee pot onto Aether's lap. That broke the filly out of her dazed as she screamed out in pain, jumping from the chair with so much force that she almost could've shot past Luna if she hadn't caught the filly first.

"Why, Professor Willy Sticks! It's the foalnapper!" cried the one with the cape.

"Don't not fret young colt! The librarians will kick the foalnapper to lollipops!" screamed a creature that suddenly appeared before the duo, grabbing onto Aether and disappearing with her in a puff of smoke.

"Come back you fiend!" Luna shrieked in rage, before hundreds of the creature appeared all around her, dressed in funeral attire, as they lifted their forelegs towards Luna.

"Frolic with us!" they said in unison as they began to shuffle towards her. "Join us in everlasting kickball! Head towards the cake!"

"Enough!" Luna finally declared in the Royal Canterlot Voice, sending out a magical shockwave, that not only destroyed the creatures, but shattered the dreamscape itself. Gathering the surroundings with her magic, Luna willed the shattered dreamscape into a grassy meadow. Looking about, she found to her dismay no signs of Aether.

"Jeeze, you don't have to be such a spoilsport," the creature said as it appeared before Luna, lounging on a cactus while sipping a tin can filled with lava.

"Enough of your games, monster! Release Aether at once!" Luna demanded while pointing a hoof at the creature.

"Sure! I'll let her go!"

"...You're not going to do that, aren't you," Luna deadpanned.

"You're catching on, Prince Artemis!" the creature cried out in joy, before tossing the tin can aside. Despite the can landing and becoming a giant candy cane, the creature continued as if nothing happened. "There is no way I'm letting the filly go that easily! And by now you should know that there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

"I am the guardian of the dreamscape! You can't not defy me forever!"

"Oh, you're right about that, but the solution is, I don't need forever," the creature replied in a menacing tone, causing Luna to start to worry. "Try as hard as you can, call upon all your resistance, and you still won't win. Accept the lie, Aether is mine! So how about you return to your world of muffins and chicken nuggets, for there is something you can do!"

Luna gathered her resolve before declaring, "No matter what you claim, I will not surrender so easily!"

This caused the creature to laugh as it clapped its forehooves. "My my my, I love it when the bystander decides to resist the unmovable facts. I despise it so much if fills me with moths!" The creature then coughed out a few wasps before continuing, "So, I'll give you a rock."

Eyeing the creature, Luna carefully asked, "Are you saying you're giving me a chance to save Aether?" Despite the nonsensical nature of the creature, having to interact with Discord in the past had provided her some experience with dealing with such nonsense.

"Didn't I just spill that? If you want to spank Aether, you just have to play a little game with me," the creature answered as it hopped around the princess.

Narrowing her eyes, Luna replied, "What are the rules of your game?"

"Oh, not much, for we're playing a guessing game! You have one hour find the right answer, or I will win! Unlimited guesses to boot? That's fair, right?"

"That depends on the question," Luna countered.

"Well, we could play my game, where you have a chance of saving Aether, or we return to our fruitful dance! The choice is yours!" the creature said in glee, causing Luna to close her eyes in thought for a moment before opening them again.

"What happens if I lose?"

"Then you have to dress as a maid for a month! Oh, and Aether is all mine!" the creature answered, its grin growing wider.

"Very well, I will play your game. What is your question?" Luna asked, raising her chin resolutely.

The creature giggled for a moment, its eyes drifting off to stare at two separate directions before it replied, "What am I?"

Chapter XLVII: Imprint

"What you are?" Luna asked in confusion.

"Yup, what I am. If you can figure that out, then I'll let Aether go, otherwise she's all mine," the creature said, its eerie grin never once flattering.

As simple as the game sounds, I highly doubt that this creature would be something I'm familiar with. However, it needs Aether for some reason, so that may be a hint to its very nature, Luna thought to herself, before she finally spoke. "Are you a spirit?"

"Nope!"

"Are you a projection of somepony's, or someone's, mind?"

"Nope again!" the creature said as it laid down on its back, but kept its gaze and eerie smile at Luna.

"Are you perhaps a draconequus?"

"Funny, but nope once more!" the creature answered with mocking joy, causing Luna to narrow her eyes at it.

"Are you even answering me truthfully?"

"Well, duh I'm answering you truthfully. Otherwise it wouldn't be fair and hence it wouldn't be fun!"

"But why would you even play this game if it could result in you losing?"

"Simple, I can just wait for my next chance. So even if I lose, that just means I have to wait a bit before I can try again," the creature explained before sticking out a tongue at Luna.

As I suspected, Luna thought, though now I know that with certainty, it would help with figuring out its nature. There is no enchantment on Aether, so the creature wasn't created by a spell, at least directly. Nor is it a mental projection, hence it is most likely acting alone in this matter instead of being sent by another. Hmm... perhaps I should look upon why it would want Aether. Even though she is a filly, her past means she's more strong-willed than other fillies her age. So it must have targeted her due to her position... or her nature itself... Wait! The creature has the same eyes and smile as the one that Aether saw in the mirror! It might have came from another world, which means the possibilities of its nature only grows even more.

Still, it is obvious that this creature is tormenting Aether, but I don't know why it choose now of all times. Yet it wants Aether, and her nature might explain why she's the target. Hmm... Aether's suffering would weaken her mentally, which may allow the creature to assume control of her body if she is sufficiently weakened. If I'm cor— Luna thought to herself before she was mentally interrupted when the creature said, "Tick tock, tick tock. You don't have forever, duchess. Unless you're giving up already."

"I was simply contemplating on your nature, so leave me to my thoughts," Luna replied as she tried to remain calm. It was hard for her to control her temper when Aether was in danger along with the creature's attempts to provoke her.

"But that's boring. Wouldn't it be better to keep guessing every five seconds?" the creature asked.

"It would be a waste of breath," Luna shot back as she finally thought up of a plan. "However, I will continue with my 'guesses'. Are you a demon?"

"Nope! Though I think you will call me that eventually."

Frowning at that snide comment, Luna responded, "I believe that I have figured you out then."

"Oh really?"

"Indeed. Prior to entering Aether's dreamscape, I detected no sign of an enchantment. Along with your confirmations, this means that the odds of you being sent by an outside force is unlikely. However, by your statement that you want Aether, that means you need her for something. While there are a few reasons for you to attempt to take her, giving that Aether had told me about what she saw when she encountered the magical mirror in the Crystal Empire, it seems to me that you are the creature she saw in it. That eliminates further possibilities, narrowing the most likely answers. Given that you came to Aether due to her unique nature, then it is likely that you seek to possess her body for your own use."

"Wow, you're actually smart, or spouting off nonsense. I'm going with the latter," the creature replied, causing Luna's frown to turn into a scowl. "But that's not a guess on what I am."

"I'm simply making sure that my guesses aren't random and are instead based on the evidence I have. Are you a split personality?"

"Wrong again Count Bluey!"

"Then perhaps you are a mental imprint of another's mind, from another dimension?" Luna asked.

"Wrong ag—wait, what did you say?" the creature replied, getting onto its hooves as its smile faltered for a moment.

"I said, are you a mental imprint of another's mind, from another dimension?" Luna repeated.

"...Darn, I was hoping that you never came to that," the creature answered as it sat down, folding its forehooves across its chest while it pouted at the princess. "How did you figure that out so soon?"

"Like I said, I simply thought about your nature carefully. Your attempts to torment Aether could be out of simply amusement, or as an effort to weaken her mentally until you can take control. Along with my other conclusions, that narrows my choices to just a few that included that answer. Now, since I won this little game of yours, will you be setting Aether free, or were you just lying for your own pleasure?"

"Eh, I'm a... imprint of my word," the creature said with a shrug before clapping its hooves together. Luna suddenly felt a weight dropping onto her back, where, upon turning her head around to look, she saw that a dazed Aether has be deposited onto her. Using her magic, she scan Aether to find that she is indeed her dream self instead of a false copy.

"I'm pleasantly surprised that you actually kept your word, considering your nature," Luna replied as she returned her attention to the creature.

"You won the game, and it wouldn't be fun if I cheated all the time. Besides, you are only delaying the inevitable."

"Is that so?" Luna asked, though her horn remain alight with her magic.

"Yeah, cause I have all the time in the world. I can simply try again another time," the creature said with a grin as it leaned against a giant pear that suddenly appeared.

"Do you really think I would let you try again fiend?" Luna countered.

"Like you can get rid of me, you already tried, Mister Protector of Dreams."

"You forgot one thing creature," Luna shot back.

"Oh, and what is it, Miss Emo?" the creature asked, its grin taking on a mocking look.

"That dreams are a window to one's mind."

"And your point is?"

"You are a mental imprint, meaning that you reside in Aether's mind. Now that I know what you truly are, I finally have the means to put an end to you."

"Oh please, I'm not going to accept that blu—" the creature said before it felt odd. Looking upon itself, it saw that it was fading away. "What the buck‽ What are you doing‽"

"Purging your presence from Aether's mind," Luna calmly, as she held her head back high. "You will no longer torment anypony ever again."

It was at this point the creature finally dropped its smile, as it frowned at Luna before replying, "This isn't the end you know. Things just don't end all peachy like some fairy tale."

"Do not take me for a fool. Neither you nor the one that you're based upon shall not get to Aether again as long as I breath."

Letting out a chuckle as the creature is almost completely faded out of existence, it responded, "Then better hope nopony comes by and chokes you to death," before fading away. Luna then turned her heads towards Aether to carefully inspect her. Despite being in the dreamscape, Luna could see that Aether was a bit frazzled after her ordeal. While the creature annoyed Luna during her short time in the dreamscape, who knows how long Aether was with the mental imprint. Though it is time to finally end this dream, for Luna knows that Aether had her fill of dreaming for the day.

"Aether, you're alright!" Pinkie cheered when I finally started to open my eyes, as she engulfed me in another one of her bone-crushing hugs. Though this time, I was too mentally worn out from my ordeal to put up any fight.

"Indeed, Dame Aether is safe once more," Luna replied as she stood up after ending her spell.

"But what kept Aether from waking up, Princess Luna? Was it a nightmare or something caused by the Tantabus?" Twilight asked as she looked upon me in concern. I didn't know if it was concern over what happened to me, or the fact that Pinkie is getting really close to crushing my bones.

"It was neither Twilight, for it was a mental imprint that I believe may have originated from another dimension," Luna answered, while Pinkie finally ended her hug which let me put my two bits in.

"It... it might be... it hinted that it might be from another dimension... but I can't tell if it was serious or just messing with me," I said.

"Hmm... but did its eyes and smile resemble the one you saw in the magical mirror?"

"Umm... yeah, it did matched perfectly... though I hope I don't come across it again."

"There is one thing that worries me," Twilight said, as I rubbed my head to help clear my head. "If the creature is a mental imprint, who is it based on?"

"She has a point... though the odds of us figuring that out is nigh impossible considering that it could have came from so many other dimensions or even alternative dimensions. However, the weird thing about the mental imprint is that it took the form of a pony..." I added.

"It may be possible that over time as the imprint resided in your mind, it was beginning to adapt to your body structure, or even other elements of equinity. However, we can't be certain unless we finally meet the mind the imprint is based on," Luna answered.

"Yeah... though considering how insane it was, I rather not meet that person. Still, what did that thing want with me?"

"The imprint desired to take over your body, via weakening you until it either can possess your body, or get rid of you entirely," Luna explained, causing both Twilight and Pinkie to gasp in surprise. Though the latter also decided to pull me into a protective hug.

"That's... not a pleasant thing to hear, but at least there are worst ways to go." I idly commented, only for everyone, with the exception of Luna, to give me a skeptical stare. "What, there are worse ways to go. Like being infected by a Venanite: the Venanite virus causes incredible pain that it drives a person insane, leaving them a broken feral shell that runs on what most people assume to be the basic instincts a Venanite runs on. There has never been any record of anyone actually remaining sane through the infection."

"The more and more I hear about the nature of other dimensions, the more disturbed I get," Twilight commented as she shook her head at what she heard.

"Then be thankful that you're not her therapist," Luna added. "She has shown me enough things through our dream sessions that I have started to become accustomed to the potential horrors that exist beyond our world."

"Well, if no one minds, I think I would like to have a day off from thinking about all that stuff," I said. "So can we save this talk for another day?"

"What about your recruits? Are they getting a day off too?" Pinkie asked, surprising me since she was so silent throughout this conversation.

"Let me think for a second... no. I'll just have Silver put them through the usual exercises. It won't be long before I start tossing them into the Everfree anyway," I answered with a shrug. As bad as things was for me, I'm not going to lighten up on my recruits. I'm sure they would understand that I needed a day off, for medical reasons, anyway. That or they know what will happen if they cause me to completely lose my temper.

Chapter XLVIII: Portals

Time passed by after the incident with the imprint, as we’ve taken to calling it, though the first week involved Luna bringing me into the dream realm on a nightly basis, in order to examine my mind for any traces of the imprint. I would have normally voiced some kind of objection to this, but considering Luna’s expertise and what that thing did to me, I opted to trust her judgement and let her do as she see fit. The Elements also expressed their own concerns, most of which I shrugged off with the exception of Pinkie's, since I'm her adopted daughter, after all. Even Silver, Starlight, and some of my recruits were partly worried about what happened to me. Though I did overheard some mutter that I might have deserve it based on some kind of karma. They ended up being target practice for a couple days.

Nine days after the nightmare issue, Rarity opened a boutique in Canterlot, which I heard from the other Elements was a long-time dream of hers. However, after a few days, she finally returned with the story of her having to ceaselessly reproduce copy after copy of the same dress. She said it was a dreadful experience for her, to which I replied that conditions like that are commonplace for the lower classes of interdimensional society, if they were lucky. That, of course, caused her to gasp dramatically at the horror of such a thing, before going off on a tirade about how horrible that would be. It was weird to me, though, since I'm fairly certain that Equestria employs some form of mass production on a regular basis, it’s not like everything could be hoof-made, even considering the effects of everypony’s special talents.

It was only a few mere days later when I got wind of some kind of scandal that involved Rainbow, the Wonderbolts, and Rarity of all ponies. Apparently some old pony tried to frame Rainbow for something that would get her banned from the Wonderbolts. Since it turned out well in the end, I didn't care much for it, since the Wonderbolts sounded like some kind of pegasi show, with me mainly just noting that it was entirely too easy to manipulate the palace guards. However, the attempt did demonstrate that at least some ponies had no qualms crushing other ponies for the pettiest of reasons.. I guess ponies aren’t as naive as I thought..

It was a couple days after that when Pinkie mentioned that an Equestrian holiday called Nightmare Night was coming up. I at first just stared at her in confusion, considering all that happened a couple weeks back. She laughed it off before explaining that it mostly was about ponies getting scared for fun and foals getting candy. She asked if I would want to help in the scaring, to which I commented that if I helped, someone was going to be traumatized. She half-heartedly laughed at that, before admitting that I was probably right on that matter. I didn’t even want to try that on my recruits, since I had no desire to send some of them to the asylum. Sometimes ponies are way too sensitive for my liking. At least the changelings and griffons come from a tougher stock, though.

In the meantime, the researchers were making strides in their work. They finally came upon proper laser technology, due to a few of the guns I brought back being of the laser variety. At first they reported that they doubted the practicality of the use of lasers, perhaps due to a misguided notion that, compared to what magic or projectiles could do, simple things like light or heat were harmless, but I simply countered that lasers were capable of melting through armor and burning anything organic. They were surprised by the last one and asked why would we even need that at all. I answered that there are some alien species that you simply need to burn out if they appeared, or we would have to sacrifice unknown numbers of lives to dig them out. I also told that that some aliens employ scorched earth tactics, dependant upon the use of lasers. The result of that was an epiphany amongst the researchers, which I was informed of through a response letter, though I personally hope that they don't accidentally reduce the facility to glowing slag.

However, it was only a day after receiving the reply letter when I had an unexpected visitor waiting in my office. Someone whose presence foretold many headaches in the near future for me.

"Hello, Princess Celestia," I said after I took my seat behind my desk, while I indicated for Starlight to take a seat at foal's desk that is off to the side, although hardly looked pleased with the arrangement.

Sitting on some rather large cushion that only she would have a practical use for, Celestia replied, "Good morning Aether, I'm surprised that you have gotten yourself an assistant," as she glances at Starlight, who only blanched a bit at the attention. Being near Celestia at the gala was one thing for the mare, since there was ponies around for her to use as cover, but being in the same room with just me as company was another matter. I guess she's still nervous about the fact that she tried to steal the Element's Cutie Marks, and feared possible retribution from the princesses.

"She's not an assistant, she's another recruit."

"A recruit who is the only one in your office currently?" Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"One with great magical capabilities that I have plans for," I snapped back. "And on the topic of plans, I think you're here ‘cause you have some plan in the works, right?"

"Guilty as charged," Celestia answered with a smile, which only served to irritate me. The smile then faded away as Celestia took on a more serious expression. "It is a matter involving the Maralus cores."

"Okay, here's my responses. One: if you made another one, I swear by Luna I will toss you out my window with your wings strapped to your sides. Two: If the research base somehow blew up, then I'm just going to sit here and say 'I told ya so' all day long."

Celestia just deadpanned at me for moment before replying, "Thankfully, neither scenario happened, Aether, and you need to stop being so pessimistic. I know you think that it will help prepare us for the possibility of war, but you don't have to be like that every moment of your life."

"I'm not pessimistic all the time, just around you or anyone that wants to mess with the dimensions," I shot back with a snide smile that caused Celestia to let out an exasperated sigh.

"I see you're in a mood to be difficult today. I'll just move onto the matter on hoof, the scientists have made great strides with the Maralus cores, to the point that they have the means to create a stable rift for a short period of time."

Cocking an eyebrow, I responded, "Well, I would say that was surprising, based on this world's current technological level, but with magic added to the mix, I’m not terribly surprised, especially considering what happened last time I encountered one. Nothing short of Starlight suddenly sprouting feathers and a growing beak before turning into a chicken would surprise me."

As Starlight paled at the additional attention I brought towards her, Celestia ignored her as she continued, "The researchers have started sending objects through the rift. Now I know you will have grievances against that approach, but all we simply sent cameras tied to a rope that was on a timer. So far we haven't encounter any sapient life, but the researchers discovered that simply having a stable rift doesn't mean that its end location is going to be the same."

"Since that you know that I have nothing I can do to help advance the researcher's progress, I'm fairly certain that you have a proposal to make. So spit it out already Princess."

"As you wish, the researchers came up an idea in regards to Starswirl's own research. It invo—" Celestia started to say before I interrupted her.

"And here comes the headache. Are you really going to try something that involve that nut job's mirrors?" I said. After dealing with the imprint that used one of the mirrors as a conduit to get to me, I finally made an overdue effort to learn all I could about their nature and origin, instead of opting for them to be destroyed or sealed away. That quickly turned into a rather lengthy lecture from Twilight since she had some kind of borderline obsession with the mirror's maker, Starswirl the Bearded. Personally, I wish I could find that unicorn so I could stick my taser where Celestia's sun won't shine.

"Can you be more respectful of my old friend? He accomplished many things during his time that benefit all of Equestria," Celestia replied with a frown.

"His efforts does not outweigh the fact that his mirrors were one of the reasons why Equus' barriers were weakened. So I'm sticking to my opinion. Now, how about you just go on and tell me whatever risky idea your scientists have came up with."

Letting out another sigh, Celestia knew it was better than to argue against me on that manner. "Very well. After looking at what notes we have on Starswirl's research into other dimensions, they come to a conclusion that they may not only be able to create a stable rift that not only would last longer than the current ones, but hopefully be able to create an end portal that would stay in the same place."

Instead of shooting back my usual retort, I simply rubbed a hoof against my chin. This caused Celestia to be slightly surprised at my reaction, but I ignored it as I thought over this matter. "Hmm... are you certain that they would be able to do that? I must say, it is something that actually could be a boon to us, if we don't accidentally destroy the world in the process. This whole thing is really just one big gamble in the end. So just what are their plans for this 'stable' portal? It's not another mirror is it?"

"I assure you that Starswirl's research will only be of aid to our cause, however it will not be another mirror. Instead, they desire to make an arch with enchantments on it that will help to ensure that the portal will only have one end destinations," Celestia explained.

"Could work, I mean that similar to some cheap, yet standard, means to create a portal for individuals. Though I don't know much else on how those work either. However, I do want to set some guidelines if you truly want to take this path."

Celestia smiled, probably due to the fact that I'm actually being more reasonable towards her, as she said, "That is perfectly acceptable. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, first, I don't want them to start opening and closes portals on a whim. Once they open a portal, they have to go through a clearance process before trying again. We're mixing a lot of magic into the matter this time, so it is best to be more cautious on how we approach this matter. Second, we're going to need Discord's help." I explained, causing Celestia's eyes to widen at the last part.

"Why do we need his help? I know you saw him open that rift to another dimension at the gala, but I believe it would be more risky to mix his chaos magic with regular magic."

"I know that Princess, it's more of the fact that he is capable of detecting any changes or damage to the dimensional barriers. Hence, every time a portal is opened then closed, we have to contact Discord to learn if the barriers are safe. Let's hope that he doesn't find this tedious and decides to mix things up."

"Ah, that does sound like a reasonable precaution, now that you’ve brought it up. Well, as reasonable as we can get with Discord involved, at least. Now, about these clearance protocols you want in place?"

"Simply put, the researchers will have to report to me before even thinking of altering this planned arch of theirs or opening the same portal again. Since you mentioned that they are sending out cameras for basic photographs, I would like a set of my own so I can examine the results. Since I have plenty of experience, I would like to see the worlds they are discovering. It would be of great benefit if we find a hospitable world that lacks a sapient species claiming it."

Cocking an eyebrow at me, Celestia commented, "I take it that if all goes well and we do find such a world, that you would have plans for it?"

"Yes, I do. A few plans since we do have access to magic, something that no other known species possess. Considering the unique potential magic possesses, there are multiple practical uses for such a world, in addition to a possible colony for Equus. As much as I hate the fact that I have to prepare this world for a war in our future, I do try to think up of ways to better protect us all. Let's just hope that some of my ideas work out if we ever get to apply them," I replied, while rubbing my forehooves together.

Raising her eyebrow further, Celestia countered, "You do know that actions like what you're doing now are typically associated with villains?"

Deadpanning at Celestia, I simply responded, "No I don't, actually, and thank you for ruining the moment."

Author's Note

Finals, what a bother they can be. Hence why so many chapters are unedited lately.
Another note, yes, I'm not going to follow Season 5 episode order. I rather align the holiday episodes with the originally timing that Season 2 established.

Chapter XLIX: Field

After the meeting with Celestia, timed passed by, as usual, which is to say that I kept dropping any new scenario on my recruits I could come up with. I wanted to work them up to the level of being able to go into the Everfree, until I got news that recently it seems that the part of Everfree nearest to Ponyville seemed to be getting safer. That threw my plans off for a bit; I guess I have to send someone deeper into the forest to determine what parts of it have become safer. Either the Everfree is less of an option, or my recruits will dislike their future expeditions there more than previous expectations.

Weeks pass once more, though there was a bit more of excitement during them, in a sense. I got whiff of Big Mac trying to dress as a mare, which I found hilarious since the odds of him fooling anybody were nonexistent. If only I didn't had to put the recruits though a new, harder dodging exercise, composed of them trying not to get hit while I fired like a maniac at them. They were finally getting used to the rock dodging, so I had to step it up.

Anyways, shortly after that, I was suddenly invited to the Crusaders' cute-ceañera. Even I was surprised that they actually got their Cutie Marks all at the same time, and that they're alike. I was even more shocked when I found out that Diamond Tiara had become their friend. She even came to me and apologized for bullying me—not the term I would have used, though I learned from the Crusaders that Diamond acted the way she did due to her mother's expectations. With all things considered, I couldn't really keep up my private feud with Diamond anymore, so I guess I'll just hold my grudge with the source itself, instead. Moving on, I was really happy that my friends finally found their callings, along with the fact that it meant they wouldn't be trying anymore insane ideas anymore. Until they said that they are going to be Crusaders forever and help other ponies find their Cutie Marks or figure out what their Cutie Mark truly means to them. I shudder to think of the horrors other ponies will face when the Crusaders come knocking on their door.

The gate project is going along as I expected, which is to say that they actually made a gate, only for it to explode instead. Thankfully, no one got hurt, though it meant that the researchers will probably going to have to go through more trials before they can get a working gate. Meanwhile, Celestia seemed to be trying to get more nations on board with my military operation. She made contact with the zebras and minotaurs, who sent some representatives to gauge whether or not they should join in on the effort. While my meeting with the zebra representative caused me to ponder if they have the same level of bravery as the ponies had, the minotaur ambassador actually made me pause for a moment.

The minotaur ambassador was on the big side, but, not only that but was bipedal and had hands. I was about to be impressed about how fit the ambassador was, until he started talking about his kind's experience with battle. While the minotaurs would have served as good shock troops thanks to their size, the ambassador was talking a bit about glory of the battles his kind experienced, specifically the fact that he believe that any aliens would cower at the mere presence of a minotaur warrior. I responded by laughing at his face, much to the horror of Twilight who was there on the basis of friendship between our species. Offended by my laughter, the minotaur declared that he is able to handle anything the aliens could toss at him. I answered back by tasing him.

That nearly caused Twilight to faint, but instead the minotaur expressed his surprised that a little thing like my taser could cause him to drop to the ground so easily. I then inform him that if other minotaurs were going to enter any future conflict with aliens with that kind of view that he held, they would be slaughtered with ease. I told him about how the warfare Equus had is considered archaic compared to the kind that interdimensional nations engaged in. Upon learning that strength and sheer toughness had become nearly obsolete in the light of weapons that could tear apart hundreds in mere seconds, the ambassador replied that he now had much to think about and would have to relay this news to his leaders. I was glad that I was able to enlighten him on the matter, until Twilight smacked the back of my head for taking such a blunt maneuver.

Shortly after the meetings, I manage to spot Discord for a moment, and I was able to catch his attention in order to give a request. Upon hearing it, he laughed at the idea I had and joyfully granted me my request. After setting up one of the training fields along with sending Luna a request for some pegasi help, I was ready to put my recruits through what may be one of their hardest training exercises to date.

"Hello everyone, today, I’ve got a new exercise for you lot!" I said with a smile, only to be met with a universal groan from my recruits. Ignoring it, I continued, "Oh, it's nothing like you expect, and it's rather simple! I have placed three flags in the middle of this field. All you have to do is bring them back to me, simply enough, right?"

"When is anything simple with you involved?" Stalwart shouted.

"Yeah, your idea of simple is like trying to take a tooth from a hydra!" Windbag joined in, others murmuring in agreement.

"Fine, I'll go back to my office and get my guns. I'm sure that a do—"

"No!" my recruits shouted in response.

"Oh? Am I going to hear any more complaints?" I asked, only to see the group glaring at Stalwart and Windbag to keep their traps shut. "Good. Well, you know what to do, so get moving already."

Turning around, they eyes the field, till a few brave souls decided to take the risk and slowly ventured towards the flag. After the first few steps, they get a little bit braver and speed up, until the ground beneath them suddenly exploded, sending the poor sap flying into their sky. This caused the rest just to stare at that, until they turn their heads towards me.

"Yeah... I didn't say how hard it would be to get to the flags. But don't worry, the explosions only sends you flying, so no real damage beyond the collision you make with anything you crash into. However, just sent into the sky will be caught by some pegasi. So no one is going to get seriously hurt by this. Now mo—"

"How the buck is this even training! This is the most asinine thing you ever came up!" Stalwart yelled, causing me to turn my attention towards him.

"This is training, cause we're both simulating a... field filled with explosives—" I started to explain, as I made note to send a list of concepts to the researchers so they can come up with Equestrian names for them, "—or when the enemy is firing explosive rounds at us. This case is likely going to happen if the enemy gotten a strong enough foothold to set up weaponry like this. Hence, you need to learn how to handle such a scenario, even if there is a high chance that you lose many of your comrades in the process. Yes, I know this is dangerous, and probably going to leave a few of you defecating yourselves, but this is absolutely necessary. Not only that, but I think it is high time that I start taking your training up a notch. Having you lot as target practice and running from bees will only do so much. I want to have you all be at your absolute best, ready for anything to happen. Because when you deal with interdimensional aliens, anything can happen."

"Now, I know many of you really don’t want to do this, but I suddenly remembered something. I have Silver carrying my gun for me. Silver, would you kindly pass me my gun?"

"Very well, though I'm curious on how you manage to get one of the fields set up like that," Silver replied, while pulling my personal gun from his saddlebags before hoofing it to me.

"Discord," I simply answered as I took the gun, while the recruits' faces took on a look of horror. The last time time I fired at them, there was a lot of screaming and pain, thanks to a special modification from the researchers that added excessive pain to the stun spell. I always felt that pain was a good learning tool. Literally, in most cases.

"Ah, of course," Silver responded as he took a few steps back.

"Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I remember now... Everyone get moving now or I'm just going to shoot you all!" I ordered, firing a shot at one of the pegasi that took to the air in fear. "All pegasi, changelings and griffins can't go more than five feet above the ground, unless sent flying by an explosion. Now run already!"

Faced between the explosive field and my wrath, they took the lesser evil of the two and ran into the field. In mere moments the field rang out with the sounds of explosions and the screams of the unfortunate ones that triggered one of the magic simulated mines.

"Are you certain about this change in the training, madam?" Silver asked as he looked at the troops in concern.

"It's not so much a matter of being certain, it's more of possible time constraints. I rather give them a few more months at least, if we knew we had years, but we don't know if we have that. So it is high time I started to give them more intense exercises that help simulate what they could face in war," I answered, while raising a shield onto to have a changeling crash into it.

"I see... it is a shame that war from where you originated from have grown into this," Silver commented as he watch the changeling slide off my shield.

"Oh, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait till we hit the chemical and biological weapon simulations. Good thing we got the researchers looking into means to protect the troops from that kind of stuff. If we're lucky, maybe magical shielding can protect us from that," I replied, before spotting something among the chaos. "Huh, Starlight is actually faring well."

"On the mention of her, I see that your interest for her has risen to the point that you taken her under your wing. Mind sharing me your reason for that?" Silver asked, as we watch her raising shields just in time to defend herself from an explosion. The mare's instincts and reaction times were better than most of the recruits based on what I'm seeing so far.

"Well, I'm hoping that I can groom her to be my potential replacement in the future," I explained.

Cocking an eyebrow, Silver turned his head as he said, "Potential replacement?"

"Yeah, cause if Equus does end up in a war during my lifetime, odds are I'll be involved in some way. If that comes to pass, I'm not confident that I'll even survive the war. As much training as I could try to give to these guys, someone is going to have to do the high risk, dirty missions. Missions that I'm most likely be one of the few qualified to do them, given my past experience. So if I do end up dying in battle or something like that, I would like have someone capable of leading these guys in my place."

"That's a rather pessimistic view of your future, madam," Silver replied as he eyed me with a cautious look.

"Don't give me that look, I'm just trying to be realistic. I'm trying to get Equus ready for anything as best I can. So having someone to replace me would be on that list. Better safe than sorry," I responded, before returning my attentions to my recruits' suffering. "While Equestria have manage to come out of so many things with little harm, that won't hold true when war comes for us. So for now, we have to hope we can be ready for it when the time comes."

Chapter L: Expectations

Apparently, when faced with a horrible situation, my recruits would eventually break and give up. In this case, I simply watched as all my recruits just were strewed across the field or dumped at a safe spot by the pegasi catching those sent flying. Even Starlight didn't made it that far, since I was cruel enough to included a second kind of magic mine that threw her off. As skilled as she was, a series of timed explosions wasn't something she was ready for as evident by the fact that she's still inside a smoking crater.

"Well, that went as expected," I commented, as Silver gave me a skeptical look.

"You expected something like this?" Silver asked.

"Yes. I had absolutely no hope of anyone making it," I answered, that caused some of my recruits to lift their heads and glare at me.

"If you expected that we were going to fail, why did you make us do this in the first place‽" Stalwart cried out.

"Simple, you lot needed to face a situation that you were doomed to fail. When war comes about, some of you might be faced missions where there may be no chance of success, and only degrees of failure. Where failure will probably mean death."

"Why would there be a mission like that in the first place‽" Windbag whined, causing me to wonder why I had to deal with two folk like them at the same time.

"Simple, sometimes there is a mission that, while you will neither win nor survive, still serves an important tactical purpose. For example, some of you may be assigned to delay the enemy as long as possible. That typically means you fight to the death to buy time for your planet," I explained. As Stalwart started to raise his hoof to object, I continued, "Don't whine about the thought of a suicide mission. I've been sent on many trips that are suicidal by nature, just so I could feed myself. Besides, those kinds of missions are common only when the war is going terrible for us. Which, I have to say is our job: to make sure that any war Equus may have with interdimensional forces never hits that point."

Seeing that no one was going to put up any more protest, or they were too worn out to do so, I announced, "Now, all of you, drag yourselves to the barracks to patch yourselves up. It's only noon, so we have more training to go through later." Windbag, like he was on some kind of cue, was about to open his mouth before I shoved a rock into it with my magic. "No more whining! I said I'm going to take things up a notch, so we're taking it up in as many aspects as we can. That includes increasing your workload. Now you have forty five minutes to clean up, eat, and rest before you get back here for the next session. Anyone that tries to ditch will be tied to a tree and be my personal punching bag for a hour."

As my troops groaned before dragging themselves onto their hooves, I trotted over to Starlight's smoking crater as I asked, "Hey Starlight, you're still alive in there?"

"...I really hate you so much right now," Starlight wearily shot back.

"Aw, I care about you too. Though I admit that I didn't expect anyone to get this far."

"Then why did you have different explosives here?" Starlight asked as she started to climbing out of her crater, her coat dirty and still smoking slightly. "There wouldn't be a reason if you honestly didn't expect anypony to get to this point."

"It's a part of my ‘better safe than sorry’ policy. Having a bit of insurance in making this scenario unbeatable on the first try doesn't hurt. Well, hurt me at least," I explained.

Raising an eyebrow, Starlight pressed on with her questioning by saying, "You have a ‘better safe than sorry' policy?"

"Yes, yes I do. Got a problem with that?"

"I say you're paranoid."

"Say that when you go to worlds filled with hostile life, hostile environments, or horrible situations. Having some preparations help increased my pathetically slim odds of surviving the missions I had to go through. I still remember a cocky idiot that thought he could handle anything. The last I saw of him, he was half eaten in a nest of giant avian lifeforms," I countered, causing Starlight to blanch a bit at the last part.

"Point... taken," Starlight muttered out.

"Good, now go along and get yourself ready for the next exercise. Remember, I still have high expectations of you, which was validated by your further progress," I said with a smile, causing Starlight to cock an eyebrow at me before she followed her fellow recruits.

After the rest of the recruits have left the fields, Silver commented, "You really shouldn't aggravate your recruits so much, madam. It's starting to look like you're a sadist."

"No, I don't take pleasure in their suffering," I answered, causing Silver to deadpan at me. "What? I'm telling the truth. I'm just acting this way in the hopes that they would try harder to succeed, all in the effort to spite me in some way."

"Spite you? Why in Equestria would you want that?"

"Why not? If they would actually go that far, that means they aren't a bunch of passive idiots that just follow the person that can scream the loudest. We really don't need that kind of folk in the military. Besides, if they try to spite me, then that means they are trying to be at least a bit creative. Which would be very important in an operation, cause being creative could mean the difference between accomplishing a mission or a horrible death."

"I see... so what do you have in mind for the next part of today's training, madam?" Silver asked, causing me to cock an eyebrow at him. "I'm just curious, since you did mention that you're going to change things."

"It's a rather simple one. I'm going to have them carry saddlebags that are filled with about fifty pounds of rock up a very steep hill. No flying or magic allowed."

"That sounds... rather simple. What's the catch?"

"The catch is I had Discord change the side of the hill to be extremely greasy," I explained with a grin as Silver just rolled his eyes at me.

"Another exercise where the recruits can't succeed in?"

"Buck no, that's just excessively cruel. I just want to see if they can come up with a way to succeed in the exercise. This exercise would also serve as a means to test their creativity and possibly their teamwork. I even have some junk and stuff placed discreetly around the bottom of the hill so I can see if they would do anything with it. Though... if they fail, I'm going to end up yelling at them for being a bunch of idiots since the junk should give them some ideas on what to do," I answered. "Now let's go get a snack at the Sugarcube Corner, before I have to whip the squad to the fields."

"Are you really going to whip them?"

"Once again, buck no. I'm just going to tase the stragglers. It's more effective and takes less work," I replied, causing Silver to facehoof as he responded with a groan.

Things proceeded along as well as one would expect, as weeks passed by once more with few significant developments. Some of the recruits complained at first at their hardships were taking such an huge increase, to where I finally got annoyed enough to taser Stalwart and later Windbag. After those two were zapped, all protest quickly died down. Apparently those two whiners serve as good examples of what I would do to insubordination, though I'm surprised that, despite the change to the training, no one left the squad. I guess that at this point, they put too much time and effort to give up now.

Four days after the change in training was when Nightmare Night finally came around. The recruits were shivering that morning of the thought of what horrors I could bring down on them, if I decided to join the festivities. Upon hearing that I wasn't going to do anything on that regard, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Though a few of them were offended when I mentioned that if I did try anything, it would traumatize them so far that they might spend the rest of their lives holed up in their parents' house. After the training, the Crusaders came to me wondering what costume I had in mind for the day. I told them that I didn't really care for the holiday, since it's all about sweets and scaring one another. They were aghast at what I said, until I explained to them that I get plenty of chocolate treats from Pinkie and the Cakes that my sweet tooth is satisfied, and that thanks to my past life I doubt there would be anything here capable of scaring me. They were a bit downcast at me not joining them, though I mentioned that I volunteered to help the Cakes pass out candy tonight and that I would give them extra candy when I see them, and that quickly cheered them up.

It was eleven more days of calmness until another event occurred. This time it started with Pinkie, who was zipping around town in an unusual way as she tried to avoid everyone. It concerned me enough that I gave my recruits an hour break so I could confront her about this, though at first she was dodgy about what is causing her to act like this. Eventually she cracked a bit and she mentioned that she knew a secret that she was supposed to keep to herself, and that it was extremely hard for her to not reveal it to anyone. Upon hearing that, I simply advised her to not try to think about it, and instead focus on something completely different. That cheered her up a bit and caused her to give me a smile as a thank you before she bounced off with more of her usual cheer.

I later learned that the secret was that Cadence was pregnant, which I learned after the day's training was over, when Pinkie dragged me to the party the Cadence and Shining threw as a surprise for Twilight. I put a smile on my face throughout the rest of the party, though Cadence's pregnancy reminded me of that my own body was maturing. My first heat wasn't all that pleasant for me, or anyone, for that matter. Though the solution I found to keep my mind off my body's 'needs' was quite simple, but terrifying for anyone else. After my first heat, everyone now knows to avoid me or to not press any of my buttons, for my solution was just being angry in general. Though Stalwart was a bit late on that remark, after I broke some of his bones when he started to complain. It was a horrible experience overall for them, though after that I decided to make any training sessions in the future that occur during my 'cycles' just survival exercises that involve them fleeing from my wrath. At least that way they have a chance of avoiding my rage.

A couple more weeks passed by until I caught news that another holiday was coming up, which I found out about when Twilight approached me to tell me about it. She then informed me that I should give all the recruits a week off on the grounds that they would like to be able to spend the holiday with their families. I asked her why is this holiday is so important, only for her to be elusive, only telling me I would find out when I spend it with Pinkie Pie. That only caused me to be skeptical about it all till Twilight mention that Pinkie would love it if I would spend the week with her, and that Pinkie actually had some big plans for that upcoming holiday. That caused me to cave in, since I really do care about my new mother, though when I asked again about it, Twilight still wouldn't reveal it, on the grounds that only Pinkie should tell me, and it would be a pleasant surprise for me. I decided to not press it further and just wait it out for a pleasant surprise, since Pinkie now knows the things I wouldn't want to take part in. Maybe this Hearth's Warming Eve of theirs would be an enjoyable holiday for me... I hope.

Chapter LI: Hearth's Warming Eve

As I stared out the window, I questioned the decision that ponies should decide the day to day weather as I saw yet more snow coming from the skies. Pinkie Pie, the Apple family, and I were seated in a train as we were making out way to Pinkie's family rock farm. Apparently due to the possible that Pinkie might be a distant cousin to the Apple family, they decide that it was a good idea for both families to spend Hearth's Warming together. I was just half-listening to the story behind the holiday, eventually tuning out the discussion as I questioned the wisdom to make it snow just for a holiday, when I felt someone poking my side.

Looking at the source, I saw Apple Bloom looking at me as she asked, "Hey Aether, did you have any alien holidays like Hearth's Warming?"

Silence overcame our part of the train car, as everyone in our little group had their eyes shrinking as my eyelids start to lower slowly at Apple Bloom's question. Apple Bloom's innocent smile slowly faded as her eyes darted nervously from side to side. "No, there weren’t really any holidays to celebrate back from where I came from. Or, at least, there were none that those of my wealth could afford to celebrate."

That caused Apple Bloom to let out an embarrassed chuckle before replying, "Oh. Sorry for bringin' that up."

"Oh, don't be sorry, everyone's reactions was enough to make up for the bad memories," I countered before smirking at everyone, only for them to let out their own chuckles. "Because I really like being the center of attention in regards to my past."

That stopped the chuckles as everyone just froze, while I just stared at the lot for a second before a Pinkie stick out a hoof with a muffin on it. "Chocolate muffin?" she simply said with a wary smile.

I just eyed her for a moment before grabbing the muffin and stuffing it into my mouth. "Thanks mom," I simply replied after I swallowed my treat, before resuming watching the landscape through the window as everyone let out a sigh of relief. Still, it was surprising that one of the Crusaders finally asked me a personal question about my past life, though maybe they were more interested in the various alien things I knew than my own life.

After our little train ride finally came to an end, we came out, greeted by Maud, before she led us to the rock farm. I had some ideas on what a rock farm would work in this world, only for it to be blown away by the sheer amount of crystals on said 'farm'. I then wondered why someone would call this a rock farm, when a crystal farm would be more appropriate. The only thing that make it seem like a ‘rock farm’ was the giant egg-shaped rock.

"This place looks amazin'!" Applejack said, as the two Pie sisters were approaching the farmhouse's front door, before opening it to let out an elderly couple that I assume were my adopted grandparents. Following them was a greyish purple mare with a grey mane that had a look that... rather reminded me of myself when I looked in a mirror on one of my off days. I spotted another mare somewhat coming out of the house, one that had a grey coat and a dark grey mane, but she stopped from either nervousness or shyness before Pinkie dragged her out.

"Come on, everypony! Meet my super-mega-fun-derful family! Everypony, meet everypony!" Pinkie exclaimed, as we all started to approach each other, with the exception of the mare who was evidently fairly shy, since she instead ran away from us to hide behind a crystal. Granny Smith and couple, who I overheard were called Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz, were talking to each other when the purplish grey mare came up to Apple Bloom.

"Gaze into the eyes of Limestone Pie. Ma and Pa may own this rock farm, but I keep it running. Cross me and—" the mare started to say before Pinkie got in front of her.

"Aye aye, Captain Grumpy! No one's gonna mess with your precious mine!" Pinkie said as she pushed Limestone away.

"Or Holder's Boulder," Limestone said as she knocked Pinkie's forelegs off her.

Letting out a sigh, Pinkie zipped over to the giant rock before announcing, "Everypony stay away from Holder's Boulder." She then return to Limestone's side as she asked, "There, you happy now?" who responded by looking away.

"She kinda reminds me of you when you're angry, Aether," Apple Bloom whispered to me.

Giving her a look for a moment, I replied, "Gee, thanks Apple Bloom," before spotting Applejack approaching the shy mare, only for Pinkie to suddenly zipped to the mare's side.

"This is Marble Pie, my baby sister who's only a few minutes younger than me, but she'll always be a baby to me, isn't that right? She's so excited to meet everypony! Oh, and she wishes you all a happy Hearth's Warming!" Pinkie exclaimed, as I tilted my head at the thought that Pinkie had a twin sister. While she told me many things about her family, or rather, our family since she adopted me, it was sort of hard to keep track of it since she only told me once and said it in a mad rush. I watched as Apple Bloom headed over to join her sister, before looking over the rest of my adopted family before I heard Pinkie letting out a whistle.

"Attention!" Pinkie announced, causing me to turn my head in the direction of her voice to see her standing on top of Holder's Boulder.

"What'd I say about the boulder‽" Limestone said as she rushed forward with the rest of the Pies.

"I'll just be a second. Everypony get settled in! There's plenty of room upstairs. And then it's time for Hearth's Warming Eve dinner!" Pinkie declared, before I shrugged as I join everyone as we headed inside.

While the Apple family went upstairs to unpack, Pinkie decided it was a good time for me to be formally introduced to the Pie family as they were preparing dinner.

"So, thou is the filly that our daughter Pinkamena has adopted," Igneous said, while Quartz was working on rock soup. I hope it was just a name and not literally rock soup, else I would feel sorry for the Apple family.

"Yes, I am, so that would make me your adopted granddaughter and you my adopted grandfather, right?" I replied, inwardly hope that they accept me instead of kicking me out into the cold to Pinkie's probable dismay.

"I am uncertain, for thou is an alien, too, if what Pinkamena wrote to us and what Maud told to us is correct," Igneous responded, which explained to me why Limestone was giving me a stink eye while Marble was hiding behind Maud.

"Um... yes it's correct? Though biologically, I'm entirely a pony, and there's no chance of me returning to my former species. Ummm... is this going to be a problem?" I asked tentatively.

Instead of replying, Igneous just stared into my eyes for a moment, before finally stating, "I trust in my daughter's judgement, and hence I welcome you to the Pie family."

I was about to let out a sigh of relief at the proclamation when Limestone added in, "But you better not be up to something. If one hair was harmed on Pinkie's mane, I swe—"

"If someone actually harmed mom, they would be facing my wrath," I said as I interrupted Limestone, causing her to scowl at me for that before raising an eyebrow at me.

"Your wrath?"

"Yes, my wrath. And while I may be still a filly, I am capable of punishing ponies that dare try to harm my mom. Just go to Ponyville and ask Starlight Glimmer, she'll give you a full account on how vengeful I can be," I answered, causing everyone to stare at me before looking at Pinkie, who only let out a mild giggle.

"Aether is a bit... overprotective with me," Pinkie explained, causing everyone to stare at me again.

"Hey, I was an alien pony that was an adult prior to coming to this world, and I'm experiencing a more proper foalhood than the one I had before," I announced, only to be greeted with more silence, before Quartz finally spoke up.

"Umm... oh, dinner is ready. Pinkamena, would thou kindly inform the Apple family that it is time for dinner?"

Well, I feel sorry for the Apples for sure now, I thought to myself as I looked down at a bowl of rock soup, which consisted of a green liquid and a rock. The Apples were seated at one side of the table with the Pies on the other, with Igneous and Quartz at one end while Pinkie and Applejack was on the other. I was seated at the edge with Maud to my right and Pinkie to my left. Applejack was voicing out her family's apprehensiveness towards the meal served, while I only raised an eyebrow at Pinkie who was remaining cheerful, while she downed her meal in one go. That was when Applejack gave me a look, to which I only shrugged and down my soup in one go too, though I didn't eat the rock. It really wasn't that bad, but I guess it was terrible in Applejack's opinion, based on the look she had after drinking her soup. That only caused the rest of the Apples to look at me in surprise at how I wasn't affected by the taste. They had clearly never tried the paste.

"Are you sayin' that rock is a Hearth's Warmin' doll?" Applejack asked, as we were all in the bottom of some quarry, chipping away at some rocks that we were suppose to make into our Hearth's Warming dolls. Considering that the Pies were an earth pony family, I decided to hold the pickaxe given to me in my forehooves, which raised quite a few eyebrows but no one really said anything. Sure, this would take a while for some of us, but at least we end up with dolls that have a much greater chance of long-term survival. Though, I don't think the Apple family would agree with me.

Right after the doll making session, Pinkie started the game of finding some weird rock that was hidden away somewhere. Everyone was placed on teams, with the exception of Limestone who was judge and me, since Pinkie cited that the missions that I have been on in my past life would give me an overwhelming advantage. I had to agree, I was well practiced in finding my objective as fast as possible, so I could spend the rest of the time in hiding till the return portal appears.

"So... how are you the judge when everyone is just trying to find the 'weird rock', Aunt Limestone?" I asked, causing Limestone to turn her grumpy face towards me.

"Cause I hid the rock," Limestone explained in a gruff tone. Whelp, that tears it, if she's going to be grumpy to me, I'll be grumpy to her, I thought to myself as I scowled back at Limestone, who in turn deepened her own scowl. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean?" I replied in a dry tone.

"Are you trying to copy me to annoy me? You better not," Limestone answered as her glare hardens.

"No, I'm not copying you. You're not the only pony with a foul temper."

"Oh really? You think I have a foul temper?" Limestone shot back, her face taking on a more angry expression.

"Yup, but before you get more mad, I just like to speak out my mind in a honest way. Besides, I should know about foul tempers, since a lot of folks have claimed that I'm meanest pony they’ve ever met. Though that's mostly my recruits... did mom tell you about my current career?"

"She did, though I still find it hard to believe. So what do you do, tickle your 'recruits'?" Limestone asked, to which I know that she's just trying to provoke me.

"Bees," I simply answered, causing Limestone to be confused.

"Bees?"

"Yes, bees. Where I have my recruits covered in bees while only wearing goggles, to protect their eyes," I explained, causing Limestone to recoil in horror. "Then there's throwing rocks at them, rocks that are usually my size or bigger; zapping them with lightning, to even shooting them with stunning, painful magic as an educational supplement. Need I go on?"

"Okay, you're a sadistic pony," Limestone said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes, a sadistic pony that will strap anyone to a chair and torture them if they so much as make my mother, or others that I care for, feel sad," I replied.

"Well, I'll give you that at least," Limestone muttered.

"Hey, I would like it if I get along with the rest of my family, if you would accept me, that is," I declared, causing Limestone to looking at me with a judging look.

"You don't seem to be that bad for an alien pony, and if Ma and Pa accepted you into the family, than I guess I could accept you too. But no touching Holder's Boulder, even with your magic," Limestone said as her grumpy expression soften a bit.

Giving Limestone a mock salute, I replied, "Thank you for accepting me into the family, and I will follow your orders, madam," causing her to shake her head in disbelief.

"You really do take after Pinkie, even if you're adopted."

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you very much."

After Pinkie Pie found the rock, which was oddly a drawing of a rock, we all went to bed. Which, in my case consisted of me going to bed with all the Pie sisters, where I ended up being hugged by Pinkie Pie like the first night I spent with her, to Limestone's amusement. In the morning, Pinkie jumped out of bed with so much joy that I ended up hitting my head in the ceiling. Which also included my horn, resulting in it being comically stuck in the ceiling for a bit, before Maud pulled me down, since Pinkie ran off to wake the others before noticing my predicament. However, her joy came to a screeching halt when we came outside to see the farm covered in decorations that reminded me of the ones at Ponyville. Apparently this was Applejack's plan when she declared that we're having Hearth's Warming, 'Apple family-styled'. The Pies were less pleased though.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie! Truly thou cannot favor this madness!" Igneous said.

"Well, I wanna be one big family!" Pinkie replied, looking conflicted that bothered me deeply, though I couldn't do a thing since this was a family issue.

"But what about what we usually do‽" Limestone respond, more angry than usual.

"I, um, well, I-I don't know!" Pinkie cried out, tears coming to her eyes. "Don't make me choose!" she said before actually starting to cry.

Applejack was starting to show regret for her actions, though she seem to want to go along with her plan when she explained, "I didn't mean to cause a fuss... Why don't we just open presents around the flag pole? It'll be fun, you'll see!"

"Excuse me. You planted your pole on a fault line," Maud declared as she was inspecting the flag pole, when suddenly a crack appeared from it, spreading right over to Holder's Boulder. To our mutual shock, mine included, we watched crack cause the land to break apart, which led to the boulder falling off the cliff side. The entire Pie family, me included again, went over to edge to see that the boulder had landed at the bottom of the quarry. After the sight, I think Limestone voiced out what most of the Pie family was thinking.

"Nooooooooooooooo!"

Off behind us, I could hear something else breaking and falling down, before Applejack croaked out, "Oh boy."

Author's Note

Well, here's something a lot of people wanted to see, somewhat. Happy Hearth's Warming everyone! Happy Holidays!

Note: Some lines come directly from the Hearthbreakers episode and hence are copyright of Hasbro.

Chapter LII: Hearth's Warming

Sometimes, ponies make me wonder what’s going on inside their heads at times. Cause I was curious about what the buck possessed Applejack to go through with what she did, when it, in the end, only angered most of the Pie family. To the point that Limestone was about to boot all of them off the farm. I couldn't really say anything, since I'm not an expert on neither family matters nor equestrian traditions, along with the fact that, when I go for punishments, what I normally go for is, by equestrian standards, cruel and painful. At least I wasn't in danger of being kicked off the farm, since I didn't show any apprehension to the Pie's traditions. However, that meant I was stuck as part of the clean-up crew instead.

"You didn't have to ask them to leave!" Pinkie cried while Limestone was tossing a wreath into a trash can.

"They wanted to go! We don't need anypony forcing their way into our family!" Limestone shot back, causing me to pause as I gave her a look. "Pinkie adopted you, so you didn't force yourself in," Limestone said in response to my look.

"This was all a misunderstanding, everypony! I know Applejack, and she'd never do anything bad to anypony!" Pinkie replied.

"Look around, Pinkie Pie!" Limestone responded as she waved a hoof around at the damage to the farm. "It's gonna take me ages to get this rock farm back on track! And how are we gonna lift Holder's Boulder?! This is all her fault!"

"Then it's my fault too..." Pinkie said, lowering her head as she sadly walked away. That really bothered me, as I chewed on my lip, though I had no idea on how to fix this situation. Dealing with ponies that cause harm to those I care about is one thing, but dealing with a conflict within a family wasn't something I have much experience in. So I did the only thing I could, and continued with the clean-up, using my magic to pick up another broken candy cane.. Even though the Pies were an earth pony family before I came into the picture, they didn't mind me using my magic to help.

After Applejack returned from some private discussion with Pinkie, who returned alongside her, the Apples left the farm, while we moved onto the task of moving Holder's Boulder. Which is a task I wish I had my recruits around for.

"You think you can lift Holder's Boulder with your magic, Aether?" Pinkie asked, as we all were staring at the rock as we tried to come up with ideas on how to get it out of the quarry.

"I may be stronger than the average unicorn filly, but this is way past my league. Sorry mom," I replied.

Pursing her lips a bit, Pinkie didn't say a thing for a bit before she lifted her hoof into the air. "How about you teleport the rock! Can you do that?"

As the Pies looked at me for my answer, I replied, "Mom, I still don't have a handle on teleportation yet. I only recently reached any degree of accuracy with my own teleports, but everything else that I teleport tends to end up in pieces." While I was glad that I finally wasn't going to appear in some mare's bathtub again, I was still leery of teleporting onto places, like the branches of a tree. Neither Twilight nor Luna herself could figure out why I had a hard time with the spell, especially since I could cast it in the first place, when many ponies are incapable of doing the same feat. Twilight even had a thorough examination of my horn’s flow of magic, yet she found no abnormalities that would interfere with how I cast my magic.

With no options on how we could easily move the rock, both with and without my magic, we were left with the joint effort of pushing the rock up the ramp. I couldn't use my magic there, either, since there is no reliable way for me to use it while everyone else were pushing without, damaging the rock, so I contributed by pushing with all my might as well. Which in hindsight, was incredibly silly since I was a unicorn filly, and we had ponies like Maud trying who were several leagues above me in the strength department, in addition to their natural earth pony affinities, they’re also full-grown ponies.

Thankfully, the Apples decided to return, with Applejack apologizing for her mistake of trying to force Apple family tradition onto the Pies, without considering the reason behind the Pies' traditions. Oddly enough, after the apology, Limestone was quick to accept it and have them help push the boulder with us. Pinkie then said that this should be a new Pie family tradition, where we have to push Holder's Boulder out of the quarry, after Applejack sets off an earthquake knocking it down. I responded with a look that told her that I hoped she wasn't serious about that. To my pleasure, it was just a light-hearted joke, though I was hardly amused, since we were still pushing a massive boulder up a couple hundred feet.

Once we finally got the boulder out of the quarry, the holiday festivities resumed. Everyone was getting along, with even Limestone having some fun this time, as she had a smile on her face, instead of her grumpy look. Overall, the rest of the day went fine, with everyone bonding and having fun. It was nice for me to be accepted into the rest of the Pie family, though I know that I still have a long way to go. They’ll probably still a bit cautious around me for a while, but it was understandable, since this was only the second day. Though I wish I could get Marble to talk, she’s like a cross between Big Mac and Fluttershy. Overall, it was pretty nice in my opinion after all the drama was over.

After we returned to Ponyville, things started progressing smoothly once more. With with one notable exception: my observation of the winter weather disappearing shortly after the end of the holiday. It made no sense for ponies to initiate such drastic weather changes, just for a holiday that was just the unison of the three pony tribes. Though my non-equestrian recruits still used the holiday as a break from my training. Bunch of slackers. While I didn't receive any gifts beyond the memories made, I ended up getting one a few days after our return. However it wasn't hardly what I would consider a pleasant gift, it was news that the scientists finally got the gate working.

The news, however, was a bit mixed, for while the scientists were initially cheering when the gate opened properly, only for it to stop when lava began surging out like water coming from a faucet. Thankfully they followed my advice on taking precautions, due to the fact that there could be anything on the other side of any rifts made in the foreseeable future. There was a bit of silver lining to the situation besides the working gate, Celestia had the foresight to question Discord about if there was any harm to Equus' dimensional barrier, upon which he simply informed her that no harm was done. He didn't even notice any changes, which showed that that using a Maralus core with magic wasn’t a risk to the barriers. Still, I wrote a letter back to still approach the matter with caution. For all we know, this could have just been a fluke, and if we start playing around too much, we may end up destroying the barrier completely. At which point I emphasized that, if it occurred, everyone would most likely die a horrible death. Though I didn't include a list of possibilities, since Celestia already had enough stress from this issue that I thought I shouldn't add any more to it. Unless she decides to plot behind my back again.

Military R&D was yielding ever more results, as the scientists made some serious headway into the shielding department, where they finally managed to create a true personal shield. It only lasted a few seconds due to the complexity involved, but it was still a step in the right direction. With such progress being made, I decided to give them a new field to pour their efforts into: I recommended that they start looking into developing vehicles suited for war, though that resulted in my presence being necessary for a discussion on the matter. They were a bit abhorred with the idea of mechanized warfare, but I told them that if we didn't start developing our own military vehicles, then no matter how effective our troops are, they would get crushed by the enemy war machines. The example of the Dixian war machine that attacked Ponyville helped to turn some opinions in my favor, along with the fact that it was just a basic one intended for melee combat. This finally caused them to acknowledge that they had to start developing Equestria's tech for mechanized warfare. Though, to soothe their discomfort at such a prospect, I mentioned that it could lead to advances in transportation that could one day lead to ponykind exploring space itself. This resulted in the a few scientists giving me incredulous looks that reminded me of when the Crusaders and I were in a candy store.

Training went on as planned, though I decided to make the first day after their return extra special. I had the Crusaders help me out with the set-up of an obstacle course at White Tail Woods, which I decided to bring on the pain and suffering with. Nets covered with tree sap, bushes filled with itching powder, trees filled with rock traps, and a few bouncing balls enchanted by Discord were just some of the things I put them through. To make matters worse for them, I had them clean up the entire mess afterwards. Which didn't end well when some pegasi dolt tried to clean the bushes by flapping a breeze to blow the itching powder off. I nearly died from laughter after seeing bunch of recruits ended up in the resulting cloud. This caused the Crusaders to doubt if I had actually gotten the right Cutie Mark, since I'm too good at creating misery for my troops while also taking pleasure in it. My response was that it was another lesson for the troops, for if Equus was conquered and not wiped out, then everyone had to learn to dealing with rulers that would most likely make me seem merciful in comparison.

Starlight Glimmer was also showing much more improvement in both her skills on the field and her standing with the Elements. With the misguided 'equality' idea mostly out of the way, or shelved at least, she was able to finally have a decent conversation with the Elements. Rainbow was still an exception though, as she maintained her suspicions about the mare still, claiming at she would back stab us all when she finds the best moment to do it. Twilight, meanwhile, was a bit confused and concerned with the relationship Starlight and I had, due to our constant nitpicking. I replied that not all friendships are full of kindness, there are some where ponies make fun of each other, if only in jest and not intentional. Her response consisted, predictably in hindsight, of her going to the library to look it up in a book. That mare and her research, it makes me wonder how she's suppose to be a friendship expert when she relies on books more than experience at times.

My own magic skills were developing too, as Twilight continued to instruct me on various spells for me to use. Even Starlight and Luna herself tossed in a few ideas and pieces of advice, as I really wanted to be as effective as I can. Already I was moving onto using a magical blast to cause actually harm to my enemies, though due to my age, it lacked the strength to do any serious harm. Funny that a stun spell is so completely different from an damaging spell. I also tried to see if Twilight has anything on a spell that would be similar to a laser, but the only one that was truly comparable was a heat-ray spell Celestia had, linked to her connection with the sun. Hence why I was stuck with the researchers and their developments for the time being, though that didn't stop me from toying around with the light spell in my workshop. Eventually Twilight had to put a couple of fire extinguishers in the place. As much things being set on fire bothers her, she really couldn't stop me, since I was doing it for the sake of research. That mare loves science way too much.

Chapter LIII: Scapegoat

"Just how bad are you lot at st—" I started to say when I spotted a bush shake too much, drawing my rifle fire. "As I was saying, just how bad are you at staying undetected? Some of you are going to be sent on stealth missions, and he— wait a second."

Firing off my gun again, I watched as an assigned flight group retrieved their fallen comrade as fast as they can. Today's exercise consisted of my troops trying to move through an outer portion of the White Tail Woods, from a start point to an end point, using whatever cover they can to avoid my watchful eye. The field length was two hundred feet long with a width of fifty feet, while I was in an eight foot tower set five feet away from the edge, giving me a better view of the area.. While not part of the dense forest center, I chose the region we were in due to the fact that we would be operating in even this much cover were unlikely at best. Meanwhile, the flight group was practicing troop recovery in regards to both speed and handling of their package. They would get their turn under fire after they get some practice. To my irritation, the flight group was getting a workout today.

"I'm surprised that you can spot their movement, even if they're on the edge of the assigned area, madam," Silver commented as he watch me fire yet another shot.

"Well, when you don't want to be eaten by the local fauna—or even flora—on whatever world you end up going to, you have to learn to pick things out quick. That, or enjoy being torn to bits and going for a dip in a pool of acid," I replied, before firing off two more shots.

"Why must you be so descriptive of potential consequences of failure all the time?"

"Cause my former life sucks, and I like to get it off my chest from time to time. Oh, and sometimes fear can be a good motivator," I answered, before picking off Dusk Cloud, who was around thirty feet from the end. Even my first group of recruits couldn't reach the end, which caused me to reconsider what future actions I would need to take.

"My dear, aren't there other ways to motivate your minions? Maybe with a little bit of chaos?" said a familiar voice from behind me, causing Silver and I to turn around.

"Discord? What are you doing here?" I asked while I looked at him lounging on a giant banana. Some idiot popped their head out of the bush when they heard Discord's name escaping my lips, earning a shot for being distracted.

"Oh, I was just roaming about today, hanging with all my friends. Except for Twilight, she's busy with organizing her books. Can't tell for the life of me why that mare does such things," Discord explained, while I just nodded in turn. I couldn’t fathom a reason Twilight would spend three whole days on reorganizing her books, when they're already sorted out, but sometimes it’s just best not to ask too many questions when Twilight was involved. "And since I spent time with the rest of my friends, I thought to drop by and spend some good old quality time with my dear friend, Aether."

"Well, that is thoughtful of you, but I'm a bit busy trying to whip these poor saps into shape," I responded. Since Discord was always fine with fulfilling my request, due to the fact that they tend to cause chaos to my troops in so many ways, we were getting along just fine. As long as he didn't trap me in anything or send me off to parts unknown.

"Oh, let me help you that," Discord said, snapping his talons to teleport all the recruits into a nearby clearing, trapped in a giant green transparent block of gelatin.

After giving the block a double take, I yelled, "Discord! I want to train my troops, not suffo—"

"Relax, they're fine. I made sure that they can still breathe," Discord replied with a roll of his eyes.

After eyeing him for a moment, I turned my attention to my recruits before I shouted, "Alright, change of plans, we’re switching to escape training! Your job is to get out of this... glob before sundown. If you get out early, you can have the rest of the day off to clean yourselves and your uniforms. Oh, and no magic! Everyone has to rough it out the old fashion way."

"My my, you're being awfully nice today, Aether. Normally you like to push your troops to their limits."

"Nice? Look at that Discord," I countered as I pointed a hoof at the gelatin block. "Even if they make it out early, they're going to be busy washing that gunk off their themselves and their clothing. It could take hours for all I know, depending if the uniforms aren't ruined."

"Don't worry your adorable head, you need to relax more or your head just may come off!" Discord said, patting my head before his head fell off his body. I just kept a stoic expression as I waited till he retrieved his head. "Sometimes you're a spoilsport like Twilight, even though I thought you were taking after Pinkie. Now that mare knows how to have fun."

"You're the one interrupting me while I'm at work. What did you expect?" I asked, tilting my head before I narrowed my eyes at him as I realized something. "Wait a minute, you never come and see me while I'm training this lot. Why are you here?"

"Why I never, how dare you accuse me of not wanting to spend some time with a dear friend. Why, at this rate you'll be a miniature Twilight if you keep it up. All you need is to have her mane and tail and you'll be a darker, grumpier version of her. In fact..." Discord replied, before snapping his talons. I just deadpanned at him when I felt a presence on my head, till I grabbed it with my hoof and threw a filly sized wig at his face. That only caused him to laugh before he said, "I was wondering if you ever were going throw something at my face."

"What are you talking about?"

"For an observant filly, you can be so dense about some things. Didn't you notice that you have a habit of throwing things at people's faces?" Discord answered with a grin before he started to walk around me, though his head remain in place. "From what I heard, it started with Twilight, but I had a real laugh when you threw a chair at Celestia. I wonder who's next on your list? Queen Chrysalis?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I replied, "Hey, it's just me letting out my frustration in a somewhat violent way. It's not like something I planned, it just happens to people who make me mad."

"And that, my dear, is one of the things I like about you," Discord responded, causing me to tilt my head in confusion. "You act on your whims, being spontaneous with your actions just like Pinkie Pie, though not as much as her. Combine that with your given nature, and you're just a bundle of chaos that gets unleashed over and over again, each time just as amusing as the last."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Of course you like me for that, I could tell after we first met. Though I'm surprised that you actually like me for things other than that."

"Oh don't be so silly, you're one of the few ponies that accepted me for who I am. You didn't even bat an eye at my antics, you just took it like a pro."

"Okay... but, you're bringing us off topic. What is your real reason for being here?" I asked, stomping a hoof down to emphasize that I was tired of Discord's redirection of the conversation.

"Fine, you killjoy. I'm here because I find your desire to use another world as a scapegoat for Equus to be quite fascinating," Discord finally answered, placing his claws on his hips while turning his head up like he was some noble snob.

I, on the other hand shouted, "How in Tartarus do you know about that‽"

"Simple, I read your notes," Discord explained while waving about a folder that I instantly recognized to be the one I normally kept in the locked drawer of my desk.

"Another world... as a scapegoat? What is he talking about?" Silver finally said, causing me to roll my eyes at the two.

"Basically, since we have access to magic, and whatever Discord us—"

"Chaos magic my dear, the best kind of magic around," Discord cut in, wearing a foam finger and a shirt with a big number one on it.

Give him a flat look, I continued, "Moving on, with regular magic and chaos magic, maybe we could set up some kind of system that funnels dimensional intrusions that are aimed at Equestria to another world. If successful, then we can force an invasion on our terms more than we previously could, or even avoid it entirely. It would be a better use anyway than having the world serve as an evacuation point, and I don't plan to use some other species' world as the target. Best if we just use a world that uninhabited by any sapient species for that goal."

"That is actually tactically sound, has that been done before?" Silver asked.

"There's nothing that I know of that is similar to that idea, but remember that I was just a grunt in interdimensional affairs. I wouldn't be surprised if some organizations have something like that already set up or at least were capable of doing so. If not, then, if we can achieve that, we'll have an edge that they probably wouldn't know how to counter for some time," I answered, before looking at Discord. "Seeing that you already know my plan, is it actually possible?"

"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't this be a question for Twilight? She is the science-obsessed one, after all," Discord replied.

"Cause I doubt she would have the answer and probably would drive herself nuts trying to find the means to create such a set-up. From what I heard, that normally won't end well. You, on the other hoof, would be more likely to know if you can do it, even instantly. So please, give me a serious answer this time, Discord, it is something that both of us would be truly benefit from having, after all."

Rubbing a claw through his beard, Discord answered, "I can't say for certain, chaos magic is unpredictable after all. However, it may be possible. Starswirl did punch holes that lead to other worlds after all, so figuring a way for your plans to work wouldn't be as far-fetched." I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get a confirmation, but it was far better having a chance of something than having no chance. I was about to open my mouth to ask something when Discord continued. "And I know what you're going to ask next. Yes, I will lend a claw to whatever plans you ponies come up with. Like you said, I don't want to see a war coming to Equestria either. Sure, it has some chaos, but not the sort that I find amusing."

Nodding, I responded, "Good to have you on board at least, that certainly would help in the long run, possibly." Looking at my troops, I saw that they weren't making any progress in their new task. "Hey, do you have any other ideas that I could use to train my troops with?"

"Are you suggesting that I should keep tossing your minions into chaotic situations?" Discord asked, a wide grin appearing on his face that my own muzzle was starting to mirror.

"That's the plan," I simply answered, while Silver simply shook his head at us.

"I feel so bad for your recruits, madam," Silver commented, causing me to cock an eyebrow at him.

"Do you want to join them then? Or do you have anything else to say?"

"...I'll shut up."

"Good, I don't need more whiners, I’ve already got Windbag and Stalwart for that role."

Chapter LIV: Tear

"Why do we keep that thing around? Why not just have her come back, shatter the thing and bury the pieces all over Equestria?"

"Cause our friends are over there, and if there’s a magic problem, we have to take care of it."

"Hey, I don't know anyone over there, and didn't the magic problems begin when you and her went over there?"

"..."

"See? I got you there. Hence my point is valid; just taking her back and breaking the mirror would probably end the magic problems in that world once and for all," I said as I point my hoof at Twilight, while keeping both a box and twenty feet between me and the magic mirror. It was a couple weeks after my talk with Discord, after which he was kind enough to give me a list of ideas he had that I could draw upon just by sending him a letter. He even sent up some kind of inbox in my office just for that so it can be sent instantaneously. Before he left though, he watched as I looked over the list, which was actually a stack of papers. After viewing the first few sheets, I told him that odds are I'll probably incorporate most of them. Only Silver heard of our plans, although he kept his mouth shut, besides muttering that the recruits would suffer horrendously over the next few years.

Things were highly uneventful in the meantime, with just some kind of concert going on that I didn't bother to attend, and Discord showing up to fire wads of cotton candy from a battery of cannons at my recruits while they race through one of the training fields. However, the momentary peace came to an end when Twilight received a message from Sunset about the magical occurrences that were happening in the other world. This led to her confronting me about it in order to go over to the world, but after reading the entry, I told her to just send over advice and not risk using the mirror. However, when she received a second message the next day, Twilight was insistent on going.

"Even if Sunset left, the other girls are displaying magic, so I have to be there to fix the problem," Twilight replied as she approached the mirror.

Shaking my head, I responded, "If only these mirrors were never made in the first place. That world wouldn't have a magic issue, and Equus wouldn't have to prepare for a possible invasion."

"But if there mirrors were never made, then you wouldn't be here."

"My statement still stands," I countered. Twilight just gave me an odd look before shaking her head.

"Regardless, what done is done and I have a duty to help my friends. Hopefully this will be quick," Twilight declared as she started walking into the mirror, only to smash her face against it.

Blinking, I asked, "Is that supposed to happen?"

Instead of getting an answer, Twilight frantically backed away from the mirror as she pressed her forehooves against it. "No no no no no! This isn't supposed to happen!"

Tilting my head, I pressed on with my questioning. "Is the mirror broken or something?"

"No! This hasn't happened before!" Twilight shrieked as she started to check the various devices connected to the mirror before pulling the book off the top.

While she was flipping pages around, I replied, "Okay... I'm just going to leave you to that as I return to my own business," before turning around to go on my way.

However, Twilight had other plans in mind when she yelled, "Aether, wait!"

Letting out a sigh, I turned my head around as I asked, "What?" before seeing that Twilight had that eerie smile of hers, which caused me to fold my ears against my head.

"Maybe you can help me fix whatever is interfering with the mirror! Your special talent is related to dimensions, after all, and we think your horn may be in tune with dimensions too!" Twilight declared, all while maintaining her smile.

This caused me to narrow my eyes at her as I simply responded, "No," before turning my head around to make my leave.

Sadly, that was prevented when Twilight teleported in front of me as she said, "But Aether, we have to help Sunset! The mirror not working is a bad sign! Who knows what’s going on there, we have to do something!"

"I am doing something: I'm walking away!" I snapped back while sidestepping Twilight, who, instead of acting like a responsible adult by letting me go, grabbed me by my shoulders before turning me around to face her.

"I'm being serious here Aether!" Twilight yelled into my ears, loud enough that it threatened burst my eardrums. Narrowing my eyes in fury, I did the same thing anyone would do in this situation. I took out my taser and zapped the crazy pony. Twilight shrieked and spasm for a moment before dropping to the floor, which also demonstrated that Celestia must be made of tougher stuff than Twilight, since they're both alicorns. Unless there are multiple subgroups to the alicorn tribe.

"Twilight, you need to calm down," I simply said as I stashed my taser back in my mane.

"You tased me!" Twilight shrieked after recovering from the shock.

Knowing where this could be going, I took my taser out again as I asked, "Want me to tase you again?" Receiving a wide-eyed shake of her head from Twilight, I decided it was high time to get some rational logic into her head. "Twilight, do you really want to mix my magic with a magical portal to another world? Despite the fact that my magic is a bit unpredictable with other dimensions, such as when it brought us to the world I lived on? Where we were so close to being eaten? Or when my first interaction with the mirror caused an imprint to invade my mind?"

Blinking for a bit, Twilight got to her hooves as she answered, "I… You have a point... what was I thinking‽"

"I say you were thinking like a maniac," I replied, causing Twilight to glower at me. "What? Have you ever looked at yourself when you're freaking out like that? Tell you what, next time you're freaking out that bad, I'll get a camera and take a picture, so you can see what you look like."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Twilight just shook her head at me before turning around to face the mirror as she declared, "I guess I have to figure out what's wrong with the mirror. Maybe Sunset knows something about it."

"Yeah, you get to that, while I put as much distance as I can between me and that thing. We don't want more interdimensional problems to show up, we already got enough on our plate already. Good luck Twilight," I responded before I left.

"Why aren't you worried about the mirror?"

"Simple, there is nothing I can do about it, short of shattering it with a hammer. Which, for the record, I still really want to do," I replied, as Silver and I look up into the sky to see one of my recruits parachuting down. It's been a couple days since the mirror stopped working, and while Twilight was frantically trying to figure out what is wrong while communicating with Sunset, I opted to just ignore it and focus my own work. While a good portion of them are handling it fine, there is the occasional screamer that I'm marking down for more parachuting practice. After watching the recruit land forty feet shy of the marked landing zone, I waved a hoof for them to get out of the way so the next recruit can have their turn.

"Are you certain that breaking the mirror is a good idea in itself?" Silver asked.

"There was another like it, and it was broken into pieces. Since nothing bad came from that happening, it probably means we can safely break this mirror, too. Besides, it's better than keeping it around to cause more problems in the future," I commented, while watching a recruit having a panic attack as they fell down from the sky. As I was about to mark something down, my horn started to feel weird. "Oh, what the buck now‽" I yelled as I dropped my notepad to rub a hoof against my horn.

"Something the matter, madam?"

"My horn is bugging me, which means something must be going on with the mirror," I answered, as I tried to rub the pressure away from my horn.

"Are you certain it's something to do with the mirror?"

"Yes, because the last time my horn acted up like this, it a dimensional rift was forming. Since Twilight is messing around with the mirror, that is the only prob—what the buck‽" I started to say before a tear in the sky appeared. As the both of us stared into the tear, I saw that it lead to another world, based on the fact that some creatures I never seen before were staring back through the tear at us.

"Madam... aren't we supposed to do something about that?" Silver tentatively asked.

"...I'm so going to get Twilight to drag Sunset back to our world, so I can tie them to a flagpole and tase them repeatedly," I just muttered back, as my face took on a scowl.

"Madam, did you hea—"

"Yes I heard! This is something that just doesn't normally happen with dimensional travel though, so this is out of my area of expertise! All we can do now is hope that either Twilight or one of the princesses figure out someway to fix this mess! Dear Luna, I hate those mirrors! They're nothing but a disaster waiting to happen!" I yelled, as I felt one of my eyes twitching in irritation.

"Are you certain madam? What if some of those... things come through the... portals?" Silver asked, as my troops started to gather around me.

"We either round them up if they present no hostile actions, or we get out the guns and start killing," I simply replied, causing Silver and any nearby recruits to widen their eyes a bit. Thankfully the training and knowing that something like this may happen prevented any of my troops from protesting what I declared, since it was part of the job anyway. "In fact, Dusty Skies, Dusk Cloud, round up some troops to get us our armaments. Might as well be ready for anything that might occur at this point." Giving me a salute, the two proceeded with my orders, taking about a third of my troops as everyone kept an eye on the sole tear in the sky.

"Madam, what if there are other portals appearing in other places of Equus?"

"Then let's just hope that nothing bad happens, or we may start losing people really fast depending on the nature of the species on the other si—wait... what?" I started to answer before the tear suddenly disappeared. "Well... that problem is solved... for now..."

"That's relaxing to kn—what are you doing madam?" Silver said, as he spotted me heading off.

"I'm going to Twilight to give her an earful for this mess. I’ve told that mare so many bucking times that mirror is only going to cause problems in the future, but instead she had to keep the thing around for the sake of 'friendship'. Hopefully she'll change her mind and also bring her friend Sunset back to Equus, or so help me, I will shove my hoof up where Celestia's sun won't shine!"

Chapter LV: Sunset

"Twilight! You better come down here fast!" I yelled after I bucked the castle doors open, only to see that the Elements have just barely arrived before me.

"What in tarnation are you doin', Aether‽" Applejack demanded.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm blowing my top off!" I yelled, forcing her to back up due to the sheer volume of my voice. "I knew that bucking mirror was going to be a problem one day, but does Twilight listen? Nooo! She thinks it’s better to keep it open and have Sunset there to hang with their 'other world' friends. Nevermind the fact that it's introducing magic to a world that doesn't naturally have it, it's alright if it's for the sake of friendship. I swear to Luna, I'm going to beat Twili—"

"That's enough Aether," Pinkie calmly said as she stuffed a hoof into my mouth. That actually caused me to blink, since it was a reversal of our normal roles in this kind of situation. This even caused Rainbow to snicker, while I gave her a deadpanned look in response. "I know you're angry over the weird thing in the sky, but I'm sure Twilight has a super-duperific reason."

"Indeed darling, Twilight isn't one to simply not let things like that happen without good reason," Rarity added in as I pulled Pinkie's hoof out of my mouth.

"Except last time I checked, Twilight couldn't get to the other world because the mirror stopped working," I replied, though none of the Elements looked surprised by that. "Twilight already told you all, didn't she?" I deadpanned.

"She did, and I think she doesn't mean for any problems to happen," Fluttershy meekly answered.

Facehoofing, I responded, "It doesn't matter, what matters is that I told her that keeping the mirror around and messing with it will only cause problems. Right now, I have to make sure that the mirror isn't going to do something crazy, while sending a letter to Discord so he can check if Equus' dimensional barrier is still intact. I would rather not have us be a sitting duck if that tear in the sky caused serious damage or even it’s destruction." Dragging my hoof down my face, I continued, "Look, can someone get Twilight and bring her to my office? I'm going to send a message to Discord now. Odds are by the time she arrives, I'll have an answer that will either cool my temper somewhat, or give me a valid reason to beat the living daylights out of her," before heading off to my office.

Sometimes, I wonder if this 'destiny' thing is looking out for Twilight's welfare. After sending a letter to Discord, I learned we were lucky enough to have our barriers miraculously unharmed. While it was a relief to learn that we won't have a horrible end, yet, I hoped that Twilight didn't take it as a sign that the pursuit of friendship wouldn't cause problems for Equestria. Though, I could argue that Celestia's own 'friendship' with some pony from another world had endangered Equus in the first place. Regardless, Twilight learned that, whatever problem that caused the dimensional tears, it was solved by 'friendship' again. Sometimes this world makes me want to gag.

Moving on, rather than telling me the source of the tears herself, she insisted going to this other world in order to bring back Sunset so she can give me a first-hoof account. I didn't put up a fuss this time, confusing Twilight as a result. However, I was planning on trying to convince her and Sunset of the foolishness of interfering in another world. Hence, I was sitting in my office as Twilight open the door.

"Aether, I would li—" Twilight started to say till I slammed a hoof down on my desk.

"This isn't some kind of personal meeting for the sake of friendship, Twilight. This is a purely business one, focused on the matter of Equus' safety from dimensional threats. So just bring her in already," I snapped, causing one of Twilight's eyes to twitch.

"...Fine, Aether, meet Sunset Shimmer," she replied as the door opened further to reveal an amber coated unicorn mare with a crimson mane streaked with bright yellow stripes. The mare walked into the room with a forced smile on her face, but when she open to speak, I raised a hoof to stop her.

"Ms. Shimmer, as I told Twilight, this is just a meeting about the safety of Equus. However, I will inform you that while you will be explaining the situation that caused this matter, I would like you to take into consideration of the possibility of staying in Equestria for the safety of both worlds," I announced, causing Sunset to stare at me in shock before she collected herself to finally reply.

"Stay In Equestria‽ Do you honestly think I will abandon my friends? From what Twilight told me, everything turned out fine!" Sunset replied, causing me to sigh as I rubbed a hoof against my forehead.

"Yes, fine this time. But do you really expect that both worlds will turn out fine every time a magical issue occurs? It hasn't even been a year since Twilight came into the picture and yet there had been three magical occurrences in this other world. Since that world completely lack magic of its own, that means any magical issues stem entirely from contact with our world. Hence, instead of placing your friends in danger, maybe leaving would help to serve to protect them? Have you considered that possibility?" I countered, causing Sunset to just stare at me with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, I have considered that possibility, but it’s too late for that now. My friends possess magic, meaning that even if I leave, there still would be magic affecting that world. Not only that, but not having someone that understands the nature of magic around means there is a greater possibility of things going wrong and far worse," Sunset responded, causing my own eyes to narrow back at her, while Twilight just nervously looked back and forth at the two of us.

"Just how much do you know about me?" I simply asked, causing Sunset to blink in surprise.

"Everything that I needed to know, why do you ask?" Sunset replied.

"Well, I do have to admit that I glossed over the details of the first two magical incidents, due to the fact that just talking about them irritates me greatly. I also have a feeling that Twilight is not informing me about some matter of great importance, judging that she wanted you to explain the whole situation to me. So please, tell me everything, I want to hear every single detail of this dimensional affair," I demanded as I placed my hooves together, causing Twilight to gulp for some reason.

"I can't believe no one told me about this‽" I hollered at the top of my lungs as I flipped my desk for the fifth time. It only took three minutes before I learned that this world is a parallel world to Equus, to the point that the Elements, with the exception of Twilight, had counterparts there. At that point I just sat quietly there, my face not showing a single emotion as I listened to Sunset's story. Things got real 'interesting' when I learned that Twilight's counterpart finally came into the picture, and that she was the source of the dimensional tears. Both ponies were starting to trade looks of confusion and concern due to the uncharacteristic response I was giving them. However, when Sunset finally ended her story at Twilight arriving to pick her up, only for both Twilights to encounter her, before the real one brought her to this world. At that point I decided to vent out my feelings on the matter: by trashing my office.

"Aether, calm down!" Twilight pleaded behind her shield, the debris of Starlight's school desk beside it as I threw another chair across the room.

"Calm down‽ Why would I bucking calm down when you and everyone else was hiding this load of horseapples from me‽ This is the second most asinine thing I heard since coming to this world!" I raved, pounding a hoof against my fallen desk.

"Second?" Sunset asked from within the safety of Twilight's shield.

"I mean, come on, is there some kind of ulterior plot going on that Celestia is hatching or is everyone on this world that dense and naive? Not only that, but you have to actually meet your counterpart, Twilight? What next, Sunset will meet her own, touch each other by accident, resulting in the end of that world‽"

"Can that actually happen? It sounds highly unrealistic," Twilight commented.

"How am I supposed to know? No one knows what happens to worlds that mess with alternate dimensions beyond the fact that they dropped off the grid completely!" I yelled while bucking my desk even further. "Now everyone shut it for five minutes!"

After five minutes of venting my rage, I finally calmed down enough to have Twilight drop her shield and start repairing all the damages I caused to my office. Sitting behind my desk, my mane somewhat disheveled, I waved a hoof as I asked, "So tell me Sunset, is there any chance of us just draining all the magic in that world so that no more problems can show up?"

Sitting across from me again, Sunset simply shook her head as she answered, "No, the nature of magic like this isn't something we can just suck up with a vacuum. I'm afraid that magic is now a part of this other world."

Sighing, I hit my desk with my face as I replied, "Dear sweet Luna, that means I have no justification for denying you your return, as long as magic can go out of control without anyone to keep an eye on it." Lifting my head, I eyed the two as I added, "However, the moment Equestria has a working dimensional rift portal that is safe and stable, I'm going to have one somehow connected to this world so we can get rid of this mirror and all the headaches that come with it. At least that way we can remove one possible threat to both world's dimensional barriers. Just one thing though, Sunset."

At first, Sunset was pleased that I was actually coming around to her position, but she frowned at my last words when she asked, "What is it?"

"I want you to keep any magic that occurs to your world to a minimum, or even prevent it from happening. I don't care what these counterparts think about that, we have to keep both worlds safe—and undetected—until Equus is truly ready for first contact. If they put up any protest to the idea, just ask them if they want to be enslaved, eaten by giant alien insects, or worse," I answered, causing two the look at me with skeptical looks before Twilight spoke up.

"Aether, you kept talking about giant insects either chasing you, or being aliens that want to hurt or eat you. Are you being serious about that, or are you making some of that stuff up?"

I glowered at Twilight for a while before replying, "No, I am not making it up. And before anyone ask, yes, there are insectoid aliens that are capable of interdimensional travel possessing a hostile disposition. One prime example that comes to mind is the Nzugin race, a bunch of cold-hearted creatures that would probably view us as a delicacy." Upon hearing that, Sunset greened slightly, to which I addressed by adding, "Yes, I know it's disgusting to bring that up, since so many people already complained about it to me. But just take it as how dark interdimensional society can be, if we end up meeting the wrong species. Now, since you're so inclined to returning to that other world, get your plot moving and go through that mirror now. I would like to have those counterparts supervised before some new magical threat crops up. It would be nice if I could live to see my thirtieth birthday instead of seeing Equus being destroyed by recklessness."

Chapter LVI: Aegis

After the incident with the parallel world, things actually entered a period of calm, which after being in Ponyville for so long, made me feel nervous about the possibility of an imminent major disaster. About eight months passed where the only things of note were the Elements being sent on more 'friendship' trips by the map. Ponyville even had a lull in regards to the weekly madness that seems to strike it, with the exception of my troop's training and Discord's antics.

Speaking of my troops, they were making great progress and faced further growth. More representatives have came over to inspect my military branch, which resulted in more volunteers to join our little crew. Some species, however, were still on the fence, such as the diamond dogs and the highly-autonomous dragons; but eventually, as more species joined the fold, they too will see the utmost importance of the cause and join up as well. The zebras were easy to incorporate into the program, the minotaur volunteers were a different matter due to sheer size and unique stature. In sparring matches, I couldn't really put them against anyone in a one-on-one match, however, I ended up with a great idea instead. Good training for the normal recruits in regards to dealing with larger opponents, and swarming enemies for the minotaurs. As a downside, though, the influx of volunteers strained the housing capacity of the barracks, forcing the construction of a second one. I would say that having a military district in a village like Ponyville would be an eyesore, but with Twilight's towering over the entire town, I didn't think anyone would mind in the end.

The original batch, and a good portion of the second batch, was getting far enough along with the training that I was getting ready to give them a final test of their abilities. While it is only a year of training, I was running out of things to toss of them beyond more chaotic situations from Discord. If they pass the test, I would be sending the ones with the most potential to officer school, while a few would serve as drill sergeants that would either aid me in training larger groups, or serve as instructors at other locations. This would help to expand the military branch, which Celestia and Luna finally decided to name it as the Aegis Guard. It was a fine name, until Celestia told me the reasoning for the name, since my forces would be like a shield for Equus against interdimensional forces. Hence the name Aegis, which meant shield, which caused me to facehoof in response.

In the meantime, the scientists were making leaps and bounds in the research department, advancing several technologies or reverse-engineering some new ones. Personal shielding was moving along well enough that my troops finally got their own shields, which was incorporated into a piece of chest armor. The chest armor was also a new advancement into personal armor, drawing less in the design of the royal guard and built more for a much more mobile force. They also develop a new line of guns, with the advent of semi-automatic and long range rifles that sadly were too bulky for sniper use. Though they are trying a hoof in miniaturization due to the creation of an actual stun pistol, so it will be a matter of time till we have legitimate sniper rifles.

In the vehicle department, it started with a major disappointment when I saw one of the flying chariots armed with a cannon designed to fire magical blasts. It was a step in the right direction, except it was horribly inefficient and just a large shiny target. After telling them that they needed something heavily armored that didn't rely on ponies pulling it, they put it under development for a few months before showing me a real mechanized vehicle that was armored, using four-wheeled design that was propelled by a magic-based engine. The only flaw was that, due to the inability to support the weight of the canon, it was armed with dual-mounted semi-automatic rifles. There was still more progress before the scientists could develop a fully-automatic weapon, but better some progress than none.

On the dimensional portal issue, the project took on more and more safety protocols every time they opened a portal to another world, only to encounter some kind of obstacle that preventing them from simply taking a few photos. Regardless, after the lava incident, each discovery of a new world sent the scientists into a wave of excitement, even though we haven’t found any worlds that had an habitable atmosphere. This also led them to start taking air samples along with ground samples, if possible, as they started trying to determine the nature of each world, even if they are of no use to Equestria in the present.

My therapy sessions with Luna went well for a few months, until she decided to set up a meeting with the Elements in order to help me reign in my attitude. I was forced to keep my temper in check by the presence of Pinkie and Luna, the former causing me to try to behave better around her, the latter being more than capable of stopping me from tossing stuff around. Hence I was forced to sit through the meeting, enduring the talking about my feelings and Twilight's lecture on how to be a calm and rational pony. The next day wasn't a good day for my recruits.

"This round goes to Team Gamma," I yelled, as my troops started to shake off the effects of a low-powered stun. For today's training exercises, I had the troops divided into ten teams and set them against each other. As with most firefight exercises, we were at the edge of White Tail Woods to minimize the chances of any collateral damage or stray civilians getting shot. Thanks to some scientist's clever tinkering, we now had practice guns that fired off much weaker stun shots to allow my troops the capacity to return to training minutes after being shot instead of having a spasm while on the ground for a half an hour. The shots still caused enough pain to motivate my troops to avoid them. The new personal shields were incorporated into training exercises like this one, through the ones in use were also low-powered to match the weaponry. This way, the troops would learn how to react to being hit but not being harmed.

As I watched my troops return to their positions, I kept an eye on how each team leader gave out orders so I could gauge their performance today. In line with the need for more officers in the Aegis guard, Shining Armor sent over a bunch of guards’ officer books to me which he believed would help me both lead and train my troops more effectively, while improving my eye for anyone that had excellent leadership potential. Starlight, of course, was one of the team leaders today, with half of them being selected from the first batch and the rest from the second. I so far have selected just about forty potential candidates, which included a couple of griffons and even a changeling.

"Your training exercises have been more tame as of late, madam," Silver commented as we kept off to the sidelines with an erected shield generated from an enchanted gem.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a mock tone of curiosity.

"Lately, your training sessions mostly consisted of traversing obstacle courses or firefight scenarios such as this one. There even hasn't been an exercise set up by Discord for the past couple weeks now. It's like..." Silver started to say before he spotted the smirk I had on. "You planned this... didn't you?"

My smirk turning into a wide grin, I answered, "Eeyup, need to teach the troops another harsh lesson."

"And what is that lesson, madam?"

Still grinning, I kicked at a patch of grass to reveal that it was just fake foliage, revealing a chest that I opened with magic to reveal a set of colorful spheres. "The lesson is, in war, there can be a calm before a storm hits," I answered as I gripped onto a green sphere with my magic before tossing it into the sky. The moment the sphere reached the peak of my throw, it exploded with a massive force that the trees shook from it. My troops however simply braced themselves upon hearing the noise, as the magic of the sphere caused a rather powerful storm to appear in the sky.

"Madam! Wouldn't having a storm of this power be a danger to Ponyville‽" Silver shouted as we heard the winds of the storm kicking up.

"Relax, this storm is controlled. It only has a range of a mile from its center, and won't be able to spread any further than that," I replied as lightning started to strike the ground.

"Isn't lightning a bit too much?" Silver asked.

"Nope, cause I'm still going easy on them with this," I answered.

"Easy? This is easy?"

Nodding, I responded, "I was planning on using a hurricane, but I didn't really want to have my troops blown off the battlefield," only to have Silver gaped at me. Closing his jaw with a hoof, I continued, "Really, you still get surprised by me? I thought you knew me better by now, Silver."

"How can anyone not be surprised by you? Your randomness in how you set up your training scenarios can only be matched by your mother herself," Silver countered, as we watch the recruit's reactions to the sudden change in weather. The team leaders are already barking out orders, having their fellow teammates take shelter from the rain and wind, while keeping their distance from the trees due to the lightning hazard.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I countered while keeping up with my grin, watching my troops before I heard the telltale sign of a teleport going off. A familiar flash of purple caused me to look up just in time to see Twilight appearing, only to be hit by a lightning bolt. "That's going to leave a mark," I idly commented as Silver just looked at the scene in outright horror.

"We have to save the princess!" Silver shouted as he was about to charge forward till I held a hoof out in front of him.

"Sheesh, relax Silver. She's fine, it was just a lightning bolt. See, she's flying towards us right now," I said, watching as Twilight flying in a somewhat shaky manner. I temporary lowered the shield to allow her in before erecting it again to keep the rain off us.

Her coat and mane singed and wet, Twilight gave me one of those long-suffering looks as she asked, "Why do you have a thunderstorm going on?"

"Another hazardous scenario, with the added bonus of surprise," I explained, before tilting my head a bit in curiosity. "The bigger question though, is why you're here? Normally you just fly over here instead of teleporting, considering that the last time you ended up getting hit by so many stun shots that you were out cold for ten minutes."

Shivering at that particular memory, Twilight shook her head to clear her mind of it before she replied, "I came because I received important news from Celestia about the portal project!"

"Please don't tell me that the scientists open the portal to a hostile world and we're now being invaded," I asked, causing Twilight to roll her eyes at me.

"No, they finally found a habitable world!" Twilight said with her trademark smile, the one she gets whenever something of scientific importance occurs. Which is also a sign for me to barricade myself in my office.

"Well, that's good news then. We now have a world to either colonize, or use for that little idea Discord and I had," I started to say before noticing that Twilight's smile twitched a bit, along with the fact that there was a nervous look in her eyes. "There's something else you have to tell me, isn't there?"

Letting out an awkward laugh, Twilight slowly said, "Well... since this is a world that we think ponies can safely go to... but no ponies actually have experience in exploring a brand new world..." before I interrupted by letting out a groan.

"Which means that they want me to be the first one through the portal, or at least part of the group that goes through," I replied, only to have Twilight still have that awkward smile on her face. "Oh dear Luna, sometimes I hate this destiny thing that my Cutie Mark has given me."

Author's Note

Well, here we go, the first major timeskip in the story. At least some of you were warned.
On another note, someone actually wrote a side-story to this storyline: Clockwise Aspects, written by FlutterWitch. This means that I finally have a valid reason to start a group, which for now will be called Auraverse.
...please don't form a mob and lynch me...

Chapter LVII: World

"Is that all you really know?"

"Yes madam, we could only get so much with that sole camera," Light Pulse answered, as we looked over a series of pictures of the world discovered. After receiving the news from Twilight, I quickly selected a team made up of some of my best recruits, but not all in case something horribly goes wrong. Thankfully, I had the foresight to write down all possible training instructions I could think of into a notebook in case I met an early demise. The next day, a group of carriages arrived to take us to the base where we were going to be outfitted with environmental suits that the scientists designed.

As my chosen squad, which consisted of Dusty Skies, Golden Sword, Citrine Lemons, Starlight Glimmer, a changeling named Driftwing, and a griffon named Godfrey, were suiting up behind me as I waited for the custom suit made just for me to arrive. Eyeing the pictures of some kind of grassy landscape under a night sky, I spotted no significant signs of potential carnivorous plant life. However, I knew that pictures can only get us so far. For all I know, the plants could be ten feet below the surface, just waiting to spring a trap on their unfortunate prey.

"What are you plans for our first mission madam?" Golden Sword asked as he came over after he finished suiting up. The environmental suit looked like some kind of loose rubber suit that covered the entire body, with only some kind of glass front for the face. The suits also had an oxygen tank on the back, enough to provide sterilized air for twelve hours, even if the used engaged in vigorous physical activity during that time period. There were suits ready for earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, but there weren't any designed for griffons, so Godfrey was only partly suited up until the scientists could come up with a suitable replacement.

"There's not much of a plan really, just explore a two-mile radius around the portal, gather up soil, air, and plant samples while observing the general environment. We will also be taking any readings the scientists deem necessary. Duration is unknown, since we're going to have the portal open at all times. That means we have a quick means of escape if we encounter anything dangerous. However, Dusty Skies and Godfrey will be going up into the sky to take some long-distance photos so we can get a better understanding of our surrounding area," I answered.

"Is there any possibility that we will encounter something that wants to hurt us?" Citrine asked. While the mare was building up some backbone after about a year of training, she's still prone to being a bit fearful when a situation gets rough.

"There's always a possibility, hence why we're going in armed with the latest rifle models and personal shielding. But look at it this way, you're more prepared for your first foray into another world than I was," I replied, causing Dusty to look at me with some curiosity.

"Just how prepared were you when you went on your first mission?"

"I wasn't. No weapons, no defenses, no training. I just went through and got lucky enough to not get killed," I nonchalantly replied just as another scientist came into the room, carrying a crate with her magic.

"Your gear is ready, madam," the scientist replied before setting the crate down. Nodding my thanks, I started to suit up while Godfrey was finally provided some gloves for his claws.

"Remember one thing troops: none of us is ever going to be truly ready for everything that could happen. So if you think something’s off, or even if you are just confused, do not be afraid to report to me or anyone else. We need to stay aware of everything around us at all times, and we can't drop our guard for even one moment. Caution is our friend today, so if you think you're being paranoid about something, you're probably just right about it. Anyways, if anyone wants to back out now, speak up." Getting no responses, I continued, "Very well, it's time to see if all your training will pay off or not today. Let's get moving."

"That was... disorientating," Driftwing said as he held his head in his hooves after going through the gate.

"I would call you a weakling, except Golden and Cirtine are feeling the same effects," I dryly replied as I scanned our surroundings. So far, I have only spotted rolling hills covered with green grass that was a little over half a foot tall, but I wasn't going to take any chances since the native wildlife could be invisible or crawling on their bellies for all we know. It appeared to be daytime, considering that everything is brighter than what was presented in the photos.

"Ummm... madam... I think we may have a problem," Dusty said, drawing my attention to her.

"What is it?"

"It's awful bright... but I don't see a sun, only moons..." Dusty answered, drawing the attention of everyone.

"Moons?" Godfrey asked, looking up into the sky along with everyone else.

"Stop sightseeing people! We have to keep on our guard!" I shouted, forcing everyone to return to standard procedures, which were to view everything with suspicion. I shot a glance up at the sky, seeing that Dusty was right since I only saw a rather large blue moon with a smaller red moon beside it. "It's bright cause of the amount of light reflecting off the moons. Remember, this isn't Equus. We don't know what kind of day cycle this world has, besides how seasons work on this world. But that isn't our concern right now, so focus on the mission on hoof. Starlight, start setting up the equipment the scientists sent us. Dusty, Godfrey, into the sky now. Golden, you stay with Starlight so you can keep an eye out while she's working. Driftwing, Citrine, you're with me. We're going to explore the desired area as a group, so stick close and no wandering off cause you found something shiny. The sooner we get the mission done, the better."

Giving me a nod since I find salutes ridiculous, Dusty and Godfrey shot off into the sky as Starlight started to unpack the crate of gear that we brought through along with us. Citrine came over to my right side, while Driftwing took to my left. Sadly, he couldn't hover since the scientists haven't came up with something that could properly protect changeling wings while allowing them to fly, so Driftwing had to use a unicorn suit instead.

"So... this isn't the first time you went onto a world that had moons as a major source of light?" Driftwing asked in a hushed voice, knowing that we had to keep quiet as to not attract any potential threats to our position.

"A few times. One is bound to come across weird things if they live the life I have," I answered while taking a few plant samples as we moved along with my magic, placing them in special saddlebags that we were all carrying that had an airtight seal on them.

"Are we bound to do things like this again in the future?" Cirtine meekly asked as she gathered a soil sample from a particularly odd looking patch of ground.

"Most likely. If this world suits our purposes to serve as the front line for any possible interdimensional war, then any other potential world could serve as a colony for Equus in the future. It would be good to have all of Equus's sapient species to populate several worlds, so that if something happens to Equus, the species can live on still."

"You think something may happen to Equus?" Cirtine asked with a bit of fear apparent on her face.

"Eh, it's a possibility, but don't ask me for the odds. It's just better to be safe than sorry," I simply replied. "Now stop with the yapping and focus on the job. I would like all of us to survive this mission."

"You know, for our first mission, it wasn't that bad," Dusty said while we endured as we returned from that world before entering a decontamination room. We spent about eight hours exploring the area and making observations, but strangely didn't come across any wildlife, nor anything else that wasn't grass.

"Yeah yeah, you lot just got lucky," I replied as I eyed the automated devices that surrounded us as we entered the room. "What is all this stuff for?"

"It's for you and your team to be checked for any harmful toxins, parasites, bacteria or potential viruses. Haven't you been through decontamination before?" Light Pulse asked from behind a window.

"Never have been, but to be honest, I rarely saw my employers face to face. I guess they didn't care if something came along with me that could be dangerous, mostly cause it would just affect the lower classes," I answered as we all were being scanned.

"Sweet Celestia, the more I learn about your past and the society you belong to, the more grim things sound to me. Is there anypony that is benevolent from where you came from?" Light asked while taking on a slightly disturbed expression.

"Well, there is a species that call themselves the Deviations. They tend to be friendly and have a preference to help other species, though they are only a small faction in the scheme of things. So they could only do so much, while the rest were either apathetic or just downright cruel," I replied while we stepped into an area to be sprayed down.

"That's... good to hear, though that is a strange name to hear. Is that a translation or is that their direct name?"

"A translation, no one knows their species' true name."

"Hmm... peculiar. Do you think they use that name to showcase that they are unlike the other factions?"

"Can't say for certain, I even heard a rumor that it was in relation to how their species came to be. Though they are certainly a weird species to encounter," I idly replied as we were being dried off by heated air before we walked into an area that is closed off by the rest of the room by a plastic wall of sorts.

"They are?"

"Yeah, I actually saw one once, all covered in either a kind of powered armor or cybernetics. Never saw their organic forms, if they actually possess one. They just look like large, bipedal metal lizards that glow from some parts. Though a former acquaintance of mine said they met one that was large and a bit hostile, and had fire coming out it's back for some reason."

"Former acquaintance? What happened to them?"

"They died," I dryly answered, causing Light to blink in shock before averting his gaze. "Eh, don't worry about it. Like I said, the person was just an acquaintance."

"Well, have you observed anything of significance during your mission?"

"Well, it appears that the world doesn't get any direct sunlight," I answered as I set aside the saddlebags in a marked area. "Somehow, a moon or something is blocking the sun, however there are two other moons that reflect enough light to sustain some life, at least." I elaborated after seeing the expression of confusion on Light's face.

"How did you know that something might be blocking that world's sun?"

"Simple, we were there long enough for nightfall to have occurred, and saw in the middle of the night sky a circle of darkness that moved across the sky. I don't know how a system like that works, but I'm thinking that the odds of that world being used regardless of potential hostile wildlife has increased," I explained while I took off my suit.

"What makes you say that?"

"A world where the moons are the primary source of light? I'm pretty sure that Princess Luna will be ecstatic upon hearing that news, so it's obvious that she's going to insist on us using that world in the end," I replied, causing a couple of my recruits to roll their eyes at me for that comment. Though I really hope that we do get to use that world, the two or three moons that world has would be excellent for placement of orbital defense structures, if we can pull it off.

Chapter LVIII: Colony (unedited)

Sometimes, I wonder if the inhabitants of Equestria are favored by the forces that control luck, cause I swear that this world has to be one of the luckiest ones to have ever existed. After the first foray into the new world, more were conducted to expand the area of observation, with no dangers occurring. It was till a couple months later when we finally encountered some sentient lifeforms, but they were very calm herbivores when approached that seemed to indicate that there was a lack of predators on that planet. Furthermore, after all the samples were tested, it was discovered that there was no sign of any potential dangerous bacteria. Which I learned that they tested by actually sending a few volunteers without any suits into the world, with a team of my recruits protecting them of course.

Due to having such a potential world taking up the use of the portal, I had to oversee the reformation of five more Maralus cores, since we couldn't use the spare since it may be needed to stop interdimensional rifts if needed. The scientists were also able to learn a way on how to mark a world, where they told me that each portal has some kind of unique frequency. Though, I didn't bother to ask what kind of frequency they were checking, since at this point they knew more about dimensional rifts than I do. I'm mostly hired for military reasons, not scientific ones.

However, the luck thing isn't always constant, for after four months after the discovery of that world, which was named Selene, we discovered another world. It seemed that it could be inhabited by ponies, till we had a team assembled and was about to go through the portal when a rather large alien predator came through instead. Thankfully my recruits didn't panic at the sight of it, instead after stopping the beast with a shield, we shot the creature with our stun shots until if finally gave in to unconsciousness before we shove it through the portal. After that, we decided that it was best to avoid that world, unless we get bigger gates and can send a tank through. Regardless, the discovery of a world that was currently safe to travel to proved to be the selling point for the dragons and the diamond dogs. By taking the ambassadors to Selene, it was enough to finally get those races to commit to our cause. Though, the dragons are sending in their more younger and small kin, since I have no idea how to train a giant dragon.

Weapons development took a back burner as the scientists moved onto upgrading Equus' transportation technology. While helicopters existed, they were mostly a curiosity and some were powered by pedals. The curiosity status ended when I told them that if properly armed, a helicopter could provide excellent air support since it would be able to hold larger weaponry that would be difficult for a squad of pegasi to move around. This spawn a desire to improve air transportation, which only became worse when I mention that the aliens possessed aircraft that are faster than Rainbow Dash herself.

Ground base transportation was making progress as well. After finding that simple wheels, or even reinforced ones, could only hold so much, the scientists were stumped until I brought up the possibility of either walker weapon platforms or track-based transportation. They questioned me on why I didn't mention them sooner, but I simply answered that I thought they would learn that for stronger and tougher vehicles, there has to be a trade-off somewhere like speed for instance. I guess the scientists were devoted to just improving every aspect of whatever project they were working on. At least now they are more accepting of taking away from one area in order to add to another.

A couple months after the first portal trip, I finally sent the best of my recruits to officer school. Some were determine to be full-fledged officers, while a few were more incline to get enough before becoming drill instructions. Starlight however stayed with me, due to her magical prowess along with the fact that I started making her my future second-in-command. It confused her at first when she wasn't sent to officer training like the others, but she quickly caught onto my bigger plans since I kept dumping officer training books on her along with a few scenarios I wrote down for her to study.

As the year went by, Ponyville started to change, due to the exploits of the Elements. Due to the map sending them all over Equestria and sometimes other nations, it helped to spread word of the Elements and what they stood for. This in turn drew enough attention that some ponies have started to immigrate to Ponyville. It was a slow growth, but one that I think would only increase overtime as long as the map kept sending them on 'friendship missions'. Making note of that, I had the barracks moved a couple of miles away from town, which was rather easy when you have magic to help.

On the topic of the Elements, I was picking up word that they were becoming more active in the search for a 'partner'. I personally didn't care, short of making sure that whoever Pinkie gets interested in treated her right. I myself was staying out of the romance market that was starting to take a hold of ponies my age, though I had to make sure that the Crusaders didn't have any bright ideas on that matter. I still remember that story of the love poison they fed to Cheerilee and Big Mac.

Things progressed normally till ten months after the discovery of Selene, where we found another potential world, one that was once again similar to Equus, except it had a larger sun that was white. After a few forays that led to the discovery that the world only had predators that were too small to cause ponies serious harm and didn't form deadly swarms, it was marked down as the first world that could serve as the first true colony for Equus. This created a brand new problem for Equestria, for which four months after discovery of the world that is now called Magus, I was called to Canterlot for a meeting with the princesses.

"You know, while I agreed to training a new military branch, I didn't agreed to taking on a more political role than getting support from other nations," I replied while sitting at a table with Celestia, Luna and Twilight surround it. Even though Twilight had her own castle, the political matter of a new colony was important enough that Celestia deemed it necessary to hold the meeting at Canterlot castle instead. While I still have to look up at all the princesses due to my age, I had a small growth spurt during the past two years, gaining an inch in height.

"I know, but because of your interdimensional experience, you are the only one that would most likely one to know the various path this endeavor could take," Celestia explained, causing me to let out an annoyed grunt.

"Why must my 'destiny' vex me so?" I complained before I started to rub my head with my forehooves.

"I don't understand though why we need Aether to help us. There has been cases of colonies established before on Equus, what's the difference with establishing one on another world?" Twilight asked, to which I just shifted my attention to her.

"Simple, there is only one way to the world currently, which places stricter control on transit between Magus and Equus. It would be more easier to control who can leave or enter Magus, especially when we come up with the means to detect the appearance of a dimensional rift. This makes it easier for a young colony to declare independence and isolate itself from Equus, since we're still new to the interdimensional scene."

As Twilight mouthed a silent 'oh', Celestia added, "Not only that, but there are political matters involved too. All nations that has contributed to the Aegis guard would also want to have a presence on the new world. This complicates matters since we currently control the portal. Not only that, but ponies would be less incline to immigrate to another world than they would to another land, at least without some kind of incentive."

Catching onto the last part of Celestia said, I commented, "Which means that how we approach this matter would further dictate the kind of role Equus may take in regards to future colonies. If taken the wrong way, it could lead to a bunch of independent worlds that would have a harder time uniting against a common threat. Or Equus could become another society that dominates other worlds, to where it could even just strip-mine them for resources like a few interdimensional factions that I know of."

Nodding, Celestia replied, "Correct Aether. I suspect that if we don't tend on this matter carefully, we could even have some corporations take advantage of this situation to where they grow powerful enough to even challenge other nations, based on how you mention the presence of corrupt corporations from where you come from."

"Indeed fair sister, this is truly a fragile matter. The amount of factors involve would determine future relations with other nations, and future colonies. Our roles of caretakers of the sun and moon has less meaning on worlds where the suns and moons don't need anypony to guide them on their paths. This would give more cause for any colony to rebel if they see Equus as a burden instead of a faithful ally," Luna said.

"Well said, Luna. I do believe though that to make matters less tense with other nations, we should move the portal to a new base that would be position on neutral ground. We could invite other species into the maintenance of the new portal site, creating a potentially diverse population that would serve to bring us all closer together in harmony," Celestia commented, though I have to fight the urge to stick my tongue out in disgust at the last part. "Do you have any recommendations, Aether?"

Eyeing the princess of schemes, I replied, "Well, all I can say is that maybe the colony should be regulated to some degree. Being more isolated from Equus, it leaves the colonists more valuable to anyone that managed to take a position of power there. I also believe that Magus shouldn't become a world that has its resources sent to Equestria. Instead, any mineral wealth found on that world should be devoted to setting up the colony, at least for the first few initial years. I'm uncertain on if we should offer incentives, but we should allow a corporation to take advantage of this matter."

"A sound idea, though we must be careful with how much we regulate the colony. Too much would result in it being oppressive to the colonists. Maybe we could get some government representatives from each nation to establish a presence on the colony, to make certain that all nations share equal control during the colony's beginnings," Luna said, to which I could only shrug to.

"Hmm.. that's a solution that could serve us for the initial stage, though we need to find somepony that would be willing to spearhead the colony in our stead," Celestia responded, before she eyed me in a way that caused me to narrow my eyes in suspicion. "Though, maybe we ha—"

"Buck no," I said, interrupting her causing Twilight to blink in shock while Luna just rolled her eyes.

"Aether, don't jump to conclusions if you didn't he—"

"No, I already can figure out your little game. Either you were going to propose that I should be the representative, or you were going to say something completely different to make me look like an idiot for rudely interrupting you," I countered, causing Celestia to take on a slightly disappointed look.

"Are you really that suspicious of my intentions? We could get along better if you approach me with less hostility and were to trust me more. Besides, wouldn't you want an elevated position in the nobility?"

"Not when it includes extra baggage and interaction with the rest of the nobility. Which everyone here knows what my opinion on at least half of them are," I answered while crossing my hooves over my chest. "Sweet Luna, I wonder how they manage to hold onto their positions in the first place."

While Luna held a bemused look on her face due to me using her name instead of Celestia like most ponies do, Twilight said, "But Aether, wouldn't training your troops in another world confer some benefits? I also think Celestia wouldn't place you in such a position till you're of age, it may just be a plan for the future. Why would you consider that possibility now?"

"No, cause Ponyville is still better in the long run," I simply replied.

"How is Ponyville an ideal choice over another world?" Luna asked, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Simple, consider Ponyville's history. Enough crazy things happen there that it is considered the norm, while only things like Tirek being beyond the usual standard. Randomness practically is the rule for that town, which is way better than being in another world. And that's not counting the assistance Discord lends me from time to time. I highly doubt that there's a place that is just as crazy as that place."

Giving me a deadpan look, Twilight said, "Aether, that's a demeaning thing to say about the town we both live in."

Shrugging, I responded, "Hey, it's the truth. Try to get Applejack to disagree with me with a straight face. Also, I don't think you would like me lying to your face instead," causing Twilight to just facehoof while her peers just let out a mild chuckle in response.

Interlude II: Plots

Sometimes I wonder why other ponies enjoy doing things that is related to their Cutie Marks, while mine just caused me to have stress. Sure, I might take some amusement at the ridiculous reactions my recruits have when facing my training exercises, but it doesn't really offset dealing with the training, the scientific development, and the politics that my 'destiny' had laden myself with. Hence, it was a relief when three months after my meeting with the princesses that I received word that my recruits were finally done with their officer training. This led to me having two of them as full-time drill instructors with me, while a few more serve those roles in other areas, such as bases set up near Las Pegasus, Manehatten, and the Crystal Empire. It also helped that I now have a griffon instructor that will be training recruits in the griffon kingdoms, while the changelings will have their own as well. This will hopefully led to massive growth for the Aegis Guard, along with it being seen as more of an international military force than it was right now.

The project to make Selene the front line for Equestria has started when it was deemed the right time to start setting up military operations on the planet. As a military outpost was being constructed, Discord arrived at the research base to do his part on the project. The initial results were sub-par based on the reports, though it was mostly due to Discord's antics, for half the time he was there, he just spent it messing around with the scientists. Thankfully he didn't touch any of the more dangerous research projects that was going on, and overall this project, now called Project Sinkhole, was a vital component of the plans for defending Equus. Henceforth, the scientists will just have to suck up to the mayhem Discord causes.

On the matter of the military outpost, it was being manned by equal portions of the Royal Guard, the Lunar Guard and the E.P.U., though Golden Sword was being assigned there to help oversee management of it. Since this was the first base that wasn't only being used to safeguard the gate, but as a potential testing site for Project Sinkhole, both princesses felt like assigning their own guards to keep a careful eye on what happens in the base. It was planned that as more recruits finished my training program, they would be sent over to replace the standard troops there. Even though all of the Equestrian military was starting to be trained with the use of guns and other new military equipment, my troops were the only ones properly trained to handle any interdimensional incursions.

Five months after the meeting over the colony matter, enough of Magus was explored, and had been tested enough to determine that there were no harmful contaminants in the air, that it was finally ready to be colonized. This led to the first wave of colonists, most being ponies, but a fair share of the other species came along as well. As a result, the guards that were sent to protect the colonists from any potential threats that we might have not discovered, were drawn upon all species to help foster unity. Celestia hoped that this colony would be a sign of the people of Equestria finally uniting as one people, but I wouldn't be surprised if in the future the colony ended up having different states that were just the extension of their original countries. Back from where I came from, alien species tend to gather with their own fellows, with the exceptions being those that are already dying out. Regardless, the portal to Magus was relocated to a neutral region, which resulted in a small town called Journey forming around it, due in part of the government contracts that attracted ponies and other species to Journey.

It was around this time that I finally learned that while there were many species inhabiting Equus, there was at least a two to one, or perhaps even a three to one ratio of ponies to other species in regards to overall population. It seems that when the three pony tribes had finally settled their differences, to a degree, this led to a massive spike in population growth that allowed Equestria to become one of the largest and most powerful nations, along with the rise of other pony nations that outnumbered their counterparts of the other species.

The researchers were making strides in their own work, as they kept coming across new ideas and concepts by studying the alien weaponry and equipment they had on hoof. Already, new experiment alloys were being used in conjunction with new magical enhancements for the personal armor of the Aegis Guard. Meanwhile, some new designs and enhancements were being passed onto the rest of the Equestrian military, as I observed the growing changes occurring to the gear of the Royal and Lunar Guards. Though on the mention of the two guards, there was a movement to change the name of the Royal Guard to the Solar Guard and just calling the two groups together the Royal Guard. The only reason this hasn't happened yet was due to the fact that the Lunar Guard was only brought back with Luna's return, hence it would take some time and training before that division could grow in enough size and skill to match the current Royal Guard. Thus the Royal Guard kept their name if only to make it seem like they follow both princesses instead of just Celestia.

As to the Aegis Guard, troop recruitment exploded after I finally finished with my current batch, a month after Magus was colonized. A third of them were sent to Selene while a tenth was assigned to Magus, the rest being sent to a military outpost that was built near the research base. This led to a new batch of recruits for me to train, though thankfully with my new drill instructors, I'll have some more free time to myself. That was until Celestia saw fit to start sending me more books on how to be an officer for me to study, as well as a request on how to adapt it to interdimensional warfare. Guess I will never get a break after all.

"To think, Anomaly 413 covers such a wide range of dimensions. Four system cycles have passed, and yet we have not found this mysterious species. How much of the target has Command Unit 841 covered?"

"By current estimates, seventeen percent sir."

"Such a disappointment, a shame that we cannot order more units to this search without attracting unwanted attention. Has there been any recent sightings of Species 3249?"

"No sir, but there has been an odd occurrence that some species have been noticing."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"According to gathered observations, the Nzugin have been less aggressive with their actions as of late. Some are speculating that they have finally worn themselves out, which could mea—"

"A bunch of fools they are if they think the Nzugin are spent."

"What do you mean sir?"

"The Nzugin have claimed too much territory to be lacking resources, and the odds of them running out of troops are unlikely, based on how much of a military presence they carry into every war they engage in. The only explanation for this odd behavior is that they are preparing for something... Were there any signs of them in the records of Species 3249?"

"No sir, there was no creature that resembled a Nzugin."

"Hmm... keep an eye on them nonetheless. We cannot allow them the opportunity of finding the homeworld of Species 3249 before us."

"Yes sir. However, there is one thing to mention sir."

"What is it?"

"During a planetary check of a planet that had sapient life within the target area, while we found no evidence of Species 3249 nor the unknown radiation linked to them, the probe was destroyed after mere moments of contact with the planetary surface."

"Interesting, was there any recording of what destroyed the probe?"

"Yes sir... it was destroyed by... another anomaly... specifically Anomaly 17."

"Anomaly 17? Are you certain?"

"Yes sir, Command Unit 814 was able to get a match on the eyes of the probe's assailant. It was a perfect match."

"...Mark that planet so we don't send anymore units to it. We don't want to attract its ire."

Chapter LIX: Communication (unedited)

Nine months after Magus was colonized, the colony went as expected. That is if you were a pessimistic pony that often accepts the possibility of worse case scenarios occurring, which in this case was the population starting to clump together with their own species. Oh wait, I was the one that thought about that possibility. Moving on, while some of the ambassadors and the princesses were hopeful about a diverse colony, cultural and species-related differences eventually took their toll. The princesses were disappointed, but overall odds were that Magus would developed into a colony with species-related regions, with a few cities where members of all species that could truly get along would live in. I also think that Equestria's use of 'somepony' and like words didn't help either in the long run in regards to their own colonists.

Regardless, this led to another issue that came up when the princesses met up with the ambassadors, which was them demanding worlds that their nations could have to themselves. This led to some debates between the princesses and the ambassadors, until they called me in to see if I had anything to contribute since I was the only interdimensional expert that had on hoof. When I arrived, I promptly informed them that if they had their own private colonies, it may be harder to get other nations to reinforced them should an alien invasion occur. However, with Magus not showing a bright picture, the ambassadors was less incline to continue with more diverse colonies, so I actually offered them an alternative: they get their own colonies but the entire Aegis Guard has to forsworn all ties to any nations until they are discharged from the guard.

Reactions weren't pretty, with half the ambassadors showing outrage while the princesses were shocked by my suggestion. That came to an end when I lifted a chair and threaten to smash the next person that whines about my offer. That brought about silence in the room, which told me that they heard about my violent tendencies at some point. After shutting up the entire group, I told them by having the Aegis Guard as a military force that holds no allegiance to any nation, it would serve to help keep them separate from any possible wars between any two species' nations. This would allow the Aegis Guard to fully devote their efforts to protecting all species of Equus from alien threats, since even if all nations were to have their armies weakened, the Aegis Guard would still be at top condition to fight a war till the other nations' military can recover. One of them questioned about if I could remain impartial while I was overseeing the force, which I simply responded by asking if they want to see me smash a chair over Celestia's head. The sheer audacity of my offer seemed to convinced the fellow, as no one else questioned my commitment to my idea.

After that, the meeting ended with everyone making the decision at a later time, while the princesses berated me for my behavior. I simply responded that they should have expected me to be brunt and crass in my interactions with the politicians. They then question my stance on not having all the colonies be devoted to Equus as a whole, to which I answered that there would be too many cultural and physical differences for everyone to get along. Odds were that we would only have a few diverse colonies, with the rest owing allegiances with one nation. It's better just to make sure that all worlds are at least united against alien threats, which would be partially accomplished if the neutrality of the Aegis Guard was secured. This left the princesses uncertain about my reaction, though they excluded me from the next meeting, which was fine by me since I'm not a fan of politics in the first place.

Training with the new batch was an easier process than the first batch, partly due to the help of Dusty Skies and Dusk Cloud. I also received reports that the other drill instructors were following as close as they can to my original style of training, though they toss in some of their own ideas in order to make things harder for their own recruits. It fills me with joy that they get the message that untold suffering now will help cut back on future suffering for the volunteers.

Some of the Elements were making progress with their romantic lives, for instance Pinkie was actually seeing some stallion. I personally didn't care who they were as long as they treated her right, since I had a job and was pretty independent for a thirty-one year old filly. My own romantic pursuits consisted of a flat zero, since I was still uninterested in finding love. It helped that my aggressive attitude help to put off any colts that may display interest, with the exception of the two idiots, Snips and Snails. Thankfully, they were easily distracted by any pretty face, though I wonder why they would be attracted to me in the first place since I put no effort whatsoever to my own appearance.

Since Pinkie was out dating and the fact that I actually have more free time regardless of my officer studies, I ended up babysitting with the Cake twins. Though even after spending a few years in the same household with them, I was still cautious with young foals in general, so I made sure to have at least two recruits with me to help with babysitting duties. That move benefited me in the long run, since I just ran supervision while the recruits dealt with the twins. Though before any recruit helped me with babysitting duties, I made certain to inform them that they better keep the twins safe and happy or I was going to tie them to one of the targets at the shooting range.

After the colony talks, things settled down for the next three months, with only the news that the princesses and ambassadors settled down on some variation of my idea. While the princesses accepted the fact that the other nations should have their own colonies, they were to allow any other species to settle down due to the fact that they may be interested by the colony's environment. They cited that some of the immigrants to Magus came due to the fact that the world had a white sun that wasn't controlled by magic, instead the world was rotating while circling the star itself. I was thankful that the scientists came to that understanding on their own instead of having to try to explain that thing to them. Though, no other habitable worlds were found, hence Selene received more military develop while Magus ended up with a small amount of immigration. Still, it was progress in the end.

"Why exactly do I need to learn a voice amplification spell?"

"Are you serious? Wouldn't that help you address your recruits more easily?"

"Twilight, I'm a short-tempered filly that yells a lot. If my throat couldn't handle me hollering at my recruits, I would have lost my voice a long time ago."

"Well, wouldn't it be useful on the battlefield?"

"Yeah, I want to be yelling all my orders loud enough so that the enemy can hear it too... that reminds me. I need to give the scientists another research project now," I replied, ripping out a piece of paper from my notepad so I can write a letter to the researchers. Due to my training duties and later my officer studies, my magic lessons with Twilight was cut down a lot to just a couple lessons a week. This also cut back on Twilight's studies on my first language and all the knowledge I possessed about interdimensional nations and societies that I encountered. It also didn't help that it took me ten months to get a handle on teleporting myself, and another five months before I mastered teleporting other objects safely. Though, even after a couple years, I'm still hesitant about teleporting ponies other than myself.

"But wouldn't the aliens be unable to understand you?" Twilight asked.

"At first they wouldn't, but I don't think it will take them long to get Equestrian translated since they're currently far more advance than we are," I answered while I continued to write my letter.

"Then how will you be able to communicate to your troops on a battlefield if they're not close?"

"By getting the scientists to create a device that can transmit messages through a method that will keep the enemy from hearing. I don't know if you have a technology that is similar, but think of it as like sending messages via dragonfire. Except this case, it would be sent on a... kind of wave that is invisible to sight, and can be worn on one's head. That way an officer doesn't have to be yelling, yet all soldiers under their command can still hear the officer's orders."

"That's... amazing!" Twilight exclaimed as her eyes widen at the thought of such a device. "A device like that could have so much potential too! Can it be used for long-ranged communications?"

"Umm... yes it could with the right equipment," I answered as I braced myself as Twilight hit another maniac episode.

"Oh sweet Celestia! That technology could revolutionized all of Equestria! Just imagine if anypony can communicate with another pony in a different city! It would save so much time! Ponies like Applejack could keep in touch with their entire families no matter how large they are! Not to me—" Twilight said before I finally tuned her out to work on something else.

However, before I could, Spike just came over to me and asked, "Wouldn't this device make dragonfire obsolete?" As the years went by, Spike grew a bit as well, though since dragons live far longer than ponies, his growth was just a tad bit slower than my own. Though his crush on Rarity hasn't ended yet, even if she was out dating other stallions. Anyways, it seemed he was nearby and that he overheard our conversation, so odds are he might be afraid that this device could threaten an important aspect of his job.

"Depends on how developed it is. I think it would be vocal at first, so for written messages dragonfire will still have the same importance as before. Odds are dragonfire will still be around for some years or decades, depending on how developed technology becomes in the future," I replied before I looked at Twilight to see that she had become oblivious to the two of us. "I really hope she doesn't decide to teleport to the research base."

"What's wrong with her going teleporting to the research base?"

"Well, besides the fact that I had a rule made that no teleportation of any kind was allowed within three hundred feet of the base, Twilight could end up appearing in the middle of an experiment, which could cause an accident that might result in the entire base blowing up," I answered, causing Spike to look at me in horror before turning his view towards Twilight, who was scribbling something on a chalkboard. Seeing that she was still in rant-mode, I asked, "Hey, how's Twilight's love life going?"

"As well as you can expect for her," Spike simply responded, before we turn our attention to Twilight to see that she's still not paying attention to her surroundings.

"Let me guess, no one wants to approach her since she's a princess except for the nobility who are specist snobs? Which causes her to be clingy to her friends and books, while gorging on ice cream since her alicorn metabolism helps prevents her from getting fat, all due to not finding anyone, or anything, remotely close to her ideal mate?"

Before Spike could answer, Twilight snapped out of her trance as she said, "Hey! I'm right here you know!" while glaring at us as the coat on her face turned red.

As we both turn towards Twilight, I replied, "Yes, we noticed. But thank you for finally noticing that we're here too," to which Twilight realized what she was doing, causing her to blush in embarrassment. Spike simply chuckled at her while I just gave her a wide grin. Sometimes it's just way too easy to fluster that mare.

Chapter LX: Disguise (unedited)

Time proceeded as normal, with more months passing by as Equestria changed as time went by. Two months after my suggestion of a new form of communication, the scientists were able to develop one, though it turned out that there was work already being done on such a thing. Four months after that, a new gun design was made, at which the princesses thought it was high time to start mass-producing them since the rest of Equestria's military had developed enough experience with the limited supply that was currently out there.

The result of the mass-production led to drastic changes to Equestria and possibly other nations. Not only were new weapons factories were spouting up at a few cities, but due to the need of metals and gems for the guns construction lead to a larger demand for the materials. This results in an increase in mining along with a raise in value for the commodities. The Equestrian military was also going through new changes in regards to their armor, to where the Royal, now Solar, and Lunar Guard's old armor would be purely ceremonial while they were receiving armor that would only be used for battle. This in turn also resulted more military production, hence increasing the need for gems and metals.

With the spending coming from the coffers of the government, this is causing a bit of a economic boom for Equestria, though the princesses made certain to regulate the booming economy. While some wealthy ponies are taking advantage of the new opportunities to start up their own companies and factories, it was possible that they could hire workers for low pay for what may be an unsafe job. Hence regulations were passed along with inspections so that the common workers would receive fair pay, health benefits provided by their employers, and the workplace conditions would be safe. Furthermore, the princesses passed regulations to prevent the factories and the mining from harming the environment. These regulations caused an increase in government staff, opening even more new jobs to the point that despite the immigration to Magus, some ponies from other nations along with other species were immigrating to Equestria to take advantage of the new labor demand. Regardless, Equestria's economy was growing, while other nations have taken to just purchase the finished weapons instead of constructing them since they were magic based. They however did increase their metal and gem mining to take advantage of the rising demand for them.

Ponyville didn't directly benefited from this situation, since the town opted out of the mining and factories, however due to the troops that I was training, it slowly held an effect along with the immigration to the town due to the popularity of Princess Twilight. For instance, the Cakes were starting to take on too many orders that they had to hire another pony to keep up with the growing demand. The new employee, a stallion named Cinnamon Sticks, who seemed like an okay guy, though he eyed me in surprised when the Cakes introduced me. Then Pinkie threw him a party for being a new employee, to which I just stuck around long enough to stuff some chocolate cake into my mouth when Cinnamon was staring at me. Which was half a cake, to Cinnamon's surprise. Hopefully that teaches him not to stare at me for being an alien pony.

Twelve more months passed by before the scientists developed mechanized vehicles that finally got me to believe that they would hold during an actual battle. Called tanks by the same pony that was naming everything else, the scientists have chosen to go with track methods for the vehicle's locomotion. Its design was certainly familiar to a few I seen in my past life, with a large tracked body with the main gun placed on top. Since it was designed for heavier weaponry, the scientists had install a dual magical cannon turret on top of the tank. While the tank looked effective, in reality it was still a prototype due to the scientists needing to work out the kinks in the design. Namely the fact that the tracks sometimes breaks apart, or the cannon occasionally explodes due to some defect. Luckily no one was hurt due to all the safety precautions the researchers take.

Moving on, nothing out of the norm happened for Ponyville. Which included the occasional monster attacks that I tend to tossed my troops at if the Elements don't arrive fast enough to stop it. I however had the troops be fully armed with the personal shield generator prototypes, since a lot of hard work would go down the drain if I lost even a single volunteer. Even with a growing town and her position as a princess, Twilight still refuses to form her own personal guard. Either she's over confident, still naive as Tartarus, or she doesn't want anyone hovering in case she finds the right pony to date. Though I'm uncertain on the last one, since I haven't heard of Twilight finally finding a romantic partner, that and Spike was still making the occasional trip to pick up more ice cream. I sometimes felt bad for the poor guy having to lug tubs of ice cream that he wouldn't be able to eat, especially that one day where Rarity was dumped by her special somepony. Sweet Luna, that mare can stuff down ice cream like there was no tomorrow.

"Keep moving maggots, we just have one hour of this, so I better see none of you giving up now!" I yelled, as I ran behind all my recruits as we were making a lap around the training fields. It was eleven in the morning as my troops and I were almost done with our running exercise, with Dusty and I in the rear while Starlight and Dusk were in the front. It was another endurance exercise, with only half the recruits being use to it, while the other were recent volunteers. I already cleared a bunch of recruits half a year ago, only to have twice the amount of volunteers to show up. This was starting to create a need for a third barracks to be built, or an enlarged one to be made while I had the troops tear down the old barracks as a training exercise.

Regardless, I was a bit glad that I grew large enough that I could keep up with my troops while they were trotting. Even though the fresh recruits would want to whine about having to trot for six hours straight, I doubt they would actually do so when a young mare that is half a foot shorter than them can handle it while shouting every few moments. However, unlike the second batch of troops, my new volunteers now mostly consist of Equestrians with a few changelings. With drill instructors for the other species, it became unnecessary for other nations to send volunteers to Equestria. Thankfully, it was decided that all recruits that passed the training would be assigned to the military outposts that were developing on Selene. This helped to foster more unity between the soldiers from separate species.

"You heard the captain! Move it!" Dusty shouted, causing a few stragglers to pick up the pace. With the Aegis Guard having a few hundred soldiers and over a thousand recruits, Celestia saw fit to finally give me the rank of captain over the guard. While I still had more officer training to do, I was still the only person that knew what to expect still, even though I had been writing down all the knowledge I possessed about the military forces that aliens possessed along with standard military tactics. The princesses found it odd that I knew quite a bit about military tactics since I was a civilian, but I simply told them that sometimes dimensional agents like I were sent to worlds that was in the middle of a war. When they asked why couldn't the organizations or nations send their own forces, I simply replied that by sending agents like myself, if caught they could simply deny having any relationship with them. This of course leads to agents being fired on sight, or executed when captured, depending on who catches them.

I finally gave the troops a break when the timer I set up rang to let us know that the six hours are up, as I ordered, "Dusty, Dusk, you two take over for the rest of the day. Starlight, you're with me to take care of some business." Receiving a salute, Starlight and I set off towards Twilight's castle.

"What's the plan today, Aether?" Starlight asked from my side. Even though she now knew that she was going to be my second-in-command, we kept our relationship informal for the most part since I wasn't one for formalities.

"Just getting together with Twilight to run some more tests on the changeling's disguises," I answered back. Even though I was skeptical about the changelings ability to adopt a disguise having a use against aliens that might be able to detect them, Chrysalis and the princesses still wanted to explore that possibility. In my opinion, odds are that the changelings would only able to use it to hide as the native wildlife, since odds are they wouldn't be able to infiltrate opposing military forces since not only would they need to know the alien's language, but have an in-depth understanding of their military jargon.

Arriving at the castle, we made our way to Twilight's lab, were we spotted a few changelings that Chrysalis probably sent over since I wasn't going to risk any changelings in the Aegis Guard. "You arrived just in time!" Twilight exclaimed as she was hooking up some wires to some pony that I assumed was a disguised changeling. While Twilight had run these tests before years ago on Windbag and was unable to find anything that would help expose him, with recent technological advances and exploration into other fields of magic and science, Twilight believed that she could give a more thorough screening this time around. Even though the scientists could have collaborated with the changelings to run these tests, it was believed that Twilight's in-depth knowledge of magic and the sciences along with my own presence may give us a more thorough screening.

"Which is good, since I doubt the changelings would like being test subjects without having a more rational person around to keep the test from being too invasive," I replied as I sat down on a nearby chair. While relations with the changelings were improving as the years went by, and there was news of some changelings getting into real relationships with ponies, there was still a bit of distrust between the two species in general. Due to the Canterlot wedding, some changelings were suspicious of Twilight due how the invasion caused her a lot of issues which would led her to most likely having some kind of grudge against the species, even though I personally knew that she doesn't have one. Regardless, the suspicion exists, and hence I had to be present for these tests since I was one of the few ponies that the changelings could fully trust to not be biased towards them.

Twilight glared at me for a bit before turning her attention to her lab equipment, saying, "Well, with you here now, we can finally get these tests started. Though I think I did a thorough job last time."

"She has a point, why can't we incorporate the changeling's ability to disguise themselves into our tactics?" Starlight asked.

"Cause I just rather be sure about this. I rather not spend the time and effort to train changelings if they just end up getting caught and executed, if they're not sent to some lab to be dissected," I answered, causing a couple changelings to shiver at the idea.

"You're just being a bit too paranoid, Aether," Twilight responded as she took notes on the readings.

"All it takes is one little thing, Twilight. That's all that matters," I simply replied, before I started to relax as I simply watch Twilight run through every test possible.

It took a couple hours for Twilight to run the tests on every changeling, as well as through different disguises, before she finally announced, "Well, that's that. I ran every test I could think of, and the changelings' disguise held against every single one of them."

"Are you certain about that?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow as I wonder if the Chrysalis and the princesses were right about this matter.

"Yes, their disguises are so thorough that even their thaumic radiation ma—"

"Wait, did you just said radiation?" I said, interrupting Twilight, who blinked at me in surprise.

"Yes, thaumic radiation... you do know what that is right?" Twilight replied, only to receive a shake from my head that caused Starlight to raise an eyebrow at me. "Aether, that's the radiation that is given off by all magical beings, which comes in different wavelengths and strength depending off the being in question. Li—"

"Okay, that's enough Twilight. I gotten all the information that I need to know," I responded.

"Wait, you do? What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I now know that there is no way we can use the changeling disguises," I simply answered, causing everyone to look at me in confusion.

"What? Didn't you hear what I was saying earlier? I couldn't detect any physical or magical dif—wait..." Twilight started to say as her pupils started to widen to show that she realized something. "Since you said that aliens don't have magic... that means they might be giving off thaumic radiation... which means that they could just find any changeling, or anypony for that matter, by picking up on their thaumic radiation!"

"Indeed, and if we're being invaded by a hostile alien army, I'm pretty sure that they would have all the equipment needed to detect this thaumic radiation that we give off. Buck, this could mean that they could use it as a means to detect us in any place that lacks magic."

Sighing as her ears folded against her head, Twilight said, "All these tests, and it just take a simple thing like that to ruin such a promising prospect. It even means we can't hide once the aliens can detect our radiation... wait..." before her pupils widen suddenly along with her ears raising up. "Maybe it can be used to our advantage!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, an eyebrow cocking in curiosity at whatever Twilight was thinking of.

"We might be able to find something that could contain our radiation! Then when the aliens learned about thaumic radiation and uses it as a means to detect us, we could equip ponies with some kind of thaumic radiation containment that would allow them to sneak behind enemy lines!"

"Which could mean that for part of the war, we could sow chaos by disrupting supply lines and destroying any military fortifications they could build in any territory that they have taken control of. Good thinking Twilight!" I exclaimed.

"I'll send a letter to the scientists right away then!" Twilight declared as she teleported a quill and scroll to herself. She was about to write her letter when one of the disguised changelings interrupted her.

"Umm... Princess Twilight?" the changeling asked, causing Twilight to turn her attention to it.

"What is it? I was about to write a letter?" Twilight snapped back, only for the changeling to point a hoof to itself.

"Can you get this stuff off me first, please?" the changeling asked as she pointed to the helmet, the suction cups with wires connected to them and other stuff that the changeling still had on.

Blushing while I just chuckled at her mistake, Twilight replied, "Oh... sorry, let me take of that." Even after all these years, I still found Twilight's occasional mishap to be highly amusing. Guess some things will never change.

Chapter LXI: Hobby (unedited)

It's surprising to see just how much of a role war can have on a society. Which became apparent from looking over the history of a world that had very few periods of war. Due to a lack of conflict, Equus had little to no reason to develop their military, which left carried an effect on their research. Compounded with the fact that magic had prevented the need to further research into technology, it left the world in a period of stagnate development. All that changed when the princesses decided to pour funds into military research, which this time around magic helped to accelerate it instead of interfering with it.

It's only been two years after the knowledge that thaumic radiation would be the means for aliens to detect any creature from Equestria, the world has started to change from the result of new technologies that started to hit the markets. The advent of radio technology not only helped speed up government communications when needed, but found a role in the entertainment industry. Developments into vehicles and the magical engines served to create new means of transportation for Equestria, though so far it is only something the rich currently has an interest in. However, with the princesses around to guide the nation, hopefully Equestria won't go the path of the cities I once lived in.

Moving on, the researchers tackled the idea of thaumic radiation shielding with gusto, yet it proved a challenging prospect, evidenced by the only results was a device that was the size of a room that only partial damping thaumic radiation. Regardless, they advanced the vehicle department to the point that a small-scale production of tanks and armed helicopters was called for, which in turned led to increased employment. Even better, the scientists figured a way to get the shield generators to work on the vehicles while providing a much stronger shield, which hopefully would allow them to last in battle against alien weapons. Though, the scientists are still working on aerial propulsion, meaning that for now pegasi and griffons would be the fastest things in the sky.

Project Sinkhole is making some progress, with some prototypes finally hitting the development phase. There were multiple ideas that was thought up between Discord and the researchers, upon which it was decided to just employ them all to see which ones succeeds along with finding out how effective they were. It was uncharted territory after all, so regardless of the resources spent, having at least one working prototype done as soon as possible would be in the best interest for everyone.

After my latest batch of recruits passed my training, it was decided that my role as a drill instructor has finally ended, due in part not only the large amount of troops available to serve for the role, but I managed to write down enough of possible military scenarios, training exercises and past interdimensional experiences, which would the drill instructors would fall back on when necessary. This would have given me a lot of free time, though half of it was taken up by more officer training and political business that Celestia wanted me to take part in. Still, I had an increase in free time that I spent with my friends and family whenever I can.

Even though I didn't have an active training role, the training facility at Ponyville remained, though a new base was made over twenty miles away from the town in order to have no impact on the town's growth, where the base was expanded to hold three times the amount of recruits than before. This led to even more money flowing into the town itself, which of course led more growth for the town. At the current rate it was going, it may become a small city soon, though Twilight made certain that the town's growth wouldn't spread onto land owned by the Apple family.

Among with the economic growth, there was also a spike in population growth, with the amount of foals being born increasing with each passing year. The princesses took this as a sign that the prospect of colonies on other worlds served to cause ponies to have more children since there was plenty of space and opportunity for them in the future, but I could easily attributed that to the growing popularity of Princess Flurry Heart. Even since her birth about half a decade ago, she became the talk of the town for the young couples in Ponyvilles. I personally kept my distance, since if the Cake twins were bad, I can't imagine the mayhem an alicorn foal could cause. Though I don't like the growing population of newborn foals in Ponyville. I swear, sometimes their eyes just follow me whenever I see one of them. It's like they're plotting my demise, which pretty much helped reinforce my desire to not meet the new princess. I'm pretty certain that if I met Princess Fluffy Heart, she would have a magical surge that would leave me splattered all over the walls.

"Bills, bills, bills, bills, letter from parents, bi—"

"What the buck are you doing in my house?" Starlight asked as she walked into her living room with her mane disheveled.

"Reading your mail," I calmly replied while sitting on her couch.

"Why are you rea—wait. How did you even got a hoof on my mail? It's the crack of dawn," Starlight said as she took a look of utter confusion.

"Simple, went into post office and had them hoof over your mail to me on the basis of Aegis Guard business."

"...You shouldn't be abusing your position as a captain," Starlight replied as she sat down on the other side of the couch. "And give me that!" she ordered as she swipe her mail from me with her magic. Shrugging at that, I just pulled out more mail from my mane. "Is... that more of my mail?"

"No, this mail is for me," I calmly answered as I looked through them. "List of potential sites for another military base, letters from nobles that obviously want to bribe me or use me for something, rejection letter to my proposal for Tirek to be dissected or at least executed."

"Wouldn't having him dissected make us no better than the aliens when they come?"

"Maybe, but I made the proposal with the advice that Celestia should put all the blame on me. That would make people think that this dissection is just a holdover from my past life, so more public support for military defense against alien invasions. Besides, finding out how he steals magic may help us prevent that from ever happening again," I replied before stashing the letters back in my mane.

Eyeing at me, Starlight responded, "I don't know how you're taking after Pinkie so well since you're not her biological daughter. It is one thing to say 'it's Pinkie' when she does something... like what you just did. But for you to do it? How did you even pick up on that stuff?"

Shrugging, I replied, "No idea, though when I saw magic being used, I started to throw out all thoughts on trying to make sense of this world. Combine that with the fact that I'm living with mom, that may explain why I picked up a few strange quirks. Though I doubt I'll ever be able to do the things she can do, like pulling her party cannon out of nowhere. Though I wish I could do that, imagine the look at an alien's face if I pulled out a tank from my mane," before smiling at the thought.

"I think both the aliens and all of Equestria would shiver in fear if you ever do something like that," Starlight dryly replied. "Now, can you tell me why you've broken into my house?"

"I was up and had nothing better to do," I simply answered, causing Starlight to groan in response. "Also, you should think about locking your windows. Unless you want a burglar to pay you a visit, then by all means leave them unlocked."

"Sometimes I wonder why we're friends," Starlight muttered to herself as she got off the couch to head to the kitchen.

"Because we both can be jerks to each other yet still enjoy each other's company," I replied as I continued to be an obnoxious house guest.

"Oh joy. Also, you seriously need a hobby," Starlight shot back from the kitchen. "You spend too much time hanging around with other ponies during your free time."

"Hey, cut me some slack. After Celestia had me stop the training, I just have too much free time. And with Ponyville growing, Twilight doesn't have as much free time to spend teaching me magic as she once use to. Though I don't know why she just doesn't hire someone to help the mayor in her stead."

"Didn't you had any hobbies that you do between missions in your former life?"

"Nope, it was just eating, buying food, and sleeping. Hobbies cost money, hence I couldn't afford to have a hobby," I answered.

Starlight returned to the room with a glass of milk and a sandwich, sitting down at her dining table as she said, "Well, some ponies would suggest for you to look for a nice handsome colt then, though I know better since I know you so well," before she started eating her breakfast as I chuckled at her comment. "Can't you find anything that you would enjoy? Maybe something that goes with your special talent?"

"Hard to do when speculations on what my special talent seems to result in either magic or something related to dimensions. And I already spend enough time practicing my magic."

"Well, you need to find something other than bugging your second-in-command in the break of dawn, or hanging around your friends nonstop. It gets a bit creepy after a while."

Raising an eyebrow, I looked at Starlight as I asked, "Wouldn't being an alien-turned-pony that have above average violent tendencies already qualify for creepiness?"

Rolling her eyes, Starlight shot back, "Fine, more creepy than you normally are, happy?" Starlight then frowned as she took an expression that told me she was lost in though, until she broke it when she said, "Though if you don't do much, what do you do with all the bits the princesses pays you?"

"I just stick it in a bank," I said with a shrug, causing Starlight to tilt her head at me.

"You just left it in a bank account... several years pay right?"

"Yes... is that a problem?"

"Aether, you're a captain of the Aegis Guard, which is a high paying job. If you have nothing you want to do with the money, you should invest it in something. Purchase stock from a company, buy some land, anything then just letting it sit there when I think the princesses will have you set for life," Starlight explained, while trying to keep herself from having an exasperated tone.

"Well, don't get mad at me for not having any understanding of Equestrian economics," I shot back, causing Starlight to facehoof at my words.

"Maybe you should ask Twilight for suggestions on what kind of higher education that would suit a pony like you. That way when you retire, you won't be a crotchety old mare that spends her time tossing boulders at anypony that gets on her lawn," Starlight countered, laughing at me as I just grumbled at her remark.

Chapter LXII: Land (unedited)

After Starlight suggested that I do something with all the bits I've been saving along with seeking some kind higher education so that when I retired from my job, or more likely quit when I am certain that I'm no longer needed, I would still be able to do something with my life. Raising foals wasn't an option, since I still show no desire to find a romantic partner regardless of the storm of hormones that puberty is putting me through. Which was amusing when Cadence paid me a visit to help get me on the path of finding my 'one true love'. It ended with her almost practically pulling her mane out with her forehooves out of sheer frustration.

On the topic of love, is was only a four months after my house visit when I had to go to Applejack's wedding. Go figure the more stable one was the first to find 'true love'. Though Pinkie wasn't having such a good time, for after about five months after the wedding she was dumped by her coltfriend. I spent about a hour comforting her, my heart arching as I tried to suggest things we could to cheer her up. When I finally suggested baking a cake, that was when she finally perked up. Then forty minutes later she was rolling all over the kitchen floor, laughing hysterically at how I caused the cake we were baking to blow up in such a way that I somehow ended up being buried in the majority of the cake's remains. The odd part about it was that I didn't use magic when we were trying to bake the cake, just my hooves.

Nothing exciting happened as time passed by till two months later, when the scientists finally made a breakthrough with Project Sinkhole. After many hardships, along with Discord occasionally pushing the limits of their sanity, they were finally able to come up with a device that could draw in dimensional travel to Selene. This was tested on Magus after closing the primary gate, and then they tried to open a gate from the planet to Equus, only for them to end up on Selene instead. Furthermore, it was shown that the device made dimensional portals a bit unstable, which caused them to have a limited lifespan, yet thankfully Discord was able to tell that both Selene's and Magus's dimensional barriers weren't harmed by the experiment. Though we finally have the means to prevent a direct invasion of Equus, unless the aliens find a way to bypass it, the researchers wanted to improve on the device, such as seeing how much of a range it possesses at certain power levels. As long as Discord is there to let us know when the scientists have finally doomed us all to a horrible end or a life of slavery, I guess they can fulfill their curiosity if it could help us out in the long run.

Moving on, it wasn't till three month later, when I received some annoying news from none other than Princess Celestia on what my future may be, regardless that several months ago I was stocking up on various textbooks that Twilight recommended for me that would suit my natural talent with magic. Somehow, she caught word of Starlight's suggestion of purchasing land only for me to reject the idea, cause Celestia decided to grant the title of Baroness, along with a parcel of uninhabited fertile land north of Canterlot. At first I was wondering what she was plotting, till I started to get mail from various nobility that were congratulating me on my rise in nobility, along with an increase of invitations to some parties or social gatherings. Normally, I only get one every other month or so due to my position as the captain of the guard, but now I'm getting one or two a week now. While this made me wonder if the nobility are just a bunch of idiots that sat around spending their money on pointless social events, I can certainly tell that Celestia only grant me this new title to cause me more torment.

As a result, I decided it was time for some retaliation, which consisted of sneaking some laxatives into some of Celestia's cakes that were chocolate, though I was tempted to just devoured them. After that, I learned that Twilight was the one that informed Celestia of my boredom, due to a conversation she had with Starlight. In turn, I emptied out her library before spreading all her books all over the castle one night. They thought that Luna's therapy was able to bring me to a level of tolerable stability, at least in the anger and violence department. I guess I proved them wrong.

After my revenge episode, which involved Luna having to put a few extra sessions for me on Celestia's request along with some future plan to punish me for my actions, two months passed before the scientists discovered a third habitable world, which was given to the griffons in line of the treaty that they and the other species agreed to years ago. As part of the treaty, the Aegis Guard was a neutral military force that was supported by all nations as I suggested. Seven months after that, Equus was hit with another stroke of luck when a fourth world was discovered, which was Equestria claimed. A world that like Selene, received its light from a moon. Difference is the world had six moons, to Luna's delight.

Two months after the discovery of the fourth world, which has been named Nocturne, Celestia's revenge plan finally came into play. Apparently, even though I was willing to let the land she gave me sit unused, it turned out that there was some fertile land and valuable resources that can be used. This I found out when a letter arrived that bore the names of some ponies that wanted to settle on the land, which also came with a letter attached to it written by Celestia. Apparently, some of the ponies were poor farmers that needed to move to fertile land, but couldn't afford to immigrate to Magus nor Nocturne. However, they were interested in my land due to some government subsidies that Celestia apparently set up. The other ponies that wanted to settle were some poor miners, that learned that there was some rich mineral veins underneath my land. So, since Celestia clearly set things up so that I had to personally handle the matter, and that I couldn't refuse since that would be putting these ponies on the streets instead. I should've just went over to Canterlot and buck her teeth in instead of the laxatives.

"This is a buckin waste of time," I commented to myself while I was heading towards Twilight's castle. According to the letter, today the farmers and the miners were going to arrive at the castle so we can meet and discuss the nature of them being residents on my land.

"Now darling, I don't think it is a waste of time to hear to the appeals of these ponies who simply wish to make a living on your land," Rarity replied, who was accompanying to help me out in this matter. Though I personally think it was more of either Celestia ordering her to come with me, or Twilight requesting her to keep an eye on me. Regardless, I wasn't going to be rude to Rarity since either she was being sincere, or was just forced into this.

"Celestia only did this over the cake incident. I'm not like most nobles, so I would just be fine with them just settling on it and doing what they want as long as they don't wreck the place."

"But darling, if they are living on your land, then you have a responsibility to take care of them. Even if other nobles impose restrictions or taxes on their tenants, they make certain that the tenants are happy with their arrangements," Rarity explained.

"Which is still something that Celestia can take care of. This is just going to pull me into the political world more than I already have. Dear Luna, I'm tempted to start a bonfire with all the letters the nobility have sent me lately," I responded with a huff. Before Rarity could make a reply, we arrived at the castle to spot a group of wagons with some ponies that looked rather down on their luck. Though what stuck me odd the most was the fact that there was some foals with the group. I stopped as I saw a pair of earth ponies approaching us, though Rarity grimace slightly at the amount of dirt they had on their coats.

"Greetings Baroness Aether, it is an honor to have you hear our reque—" said a green coated stallion before I decided to interrupte him.

"Cut it with the pleasantries, I just rather get straight to business," I interjected, causing Rarity to eye me in annoyance. "You'll probably expecting me to be like the other nobles, but I'm not. Just give me your requests and ideas, and I'm likely going to approve of them unless they harm the land."

Upon hearing my words, the two ponies muzzles took on some mild grins as a yellow mare said, "Thank you Ba—" only for me to hold up a hoof to single her to drop the use of my title. "We just plan to raise our family and some crops on the land, but we will respect it and make certain to preserve the land."

Nodding, the stallion added, "My family and I will do the same, we'll keep our mining from damaging the landsc—" before I tuned him out as I eyed the families of the two ponies. That was when I noticed just how poor they were, with the adults being rather thin, while the foals were just playing with sticks and rocks. Just as the stallion finished with whatever he was saying, Rarity was about to respond when I raised a hoof to silence everyone.

"Big question, how are your families going to pay for all this changes? I know Celestia is offering subsidies, but something tells me that it may not be enough," I asked, while pointing a hoof at their wagons, only to cause the two to become nervous. "Relax, just tell me what you and your families may need to get yourselves set up properly." Apparently, other ponies aren't normally kind to them, based on their pupils widening with hope at what I told them. Rarity, on the other hoof, was smiling at my declaration, which only caused me to roll my eyes at her in response. "So how about we head inside and work this over in my office. Rarity, mind taking their families to someplace where they can get a meal?"

After dealing with the two ponies, I ended up drawing some funds from my bank account to cover all the materials the families would need to set up their livelihoods, while hiring a contractor who would be building them homes and whatever structures they needed. Shortly after the two ponies left, Rarity arrived in my office as I just sat there rubbing my forehead with a hoof.

"That was quite generous of you, Aether," Rarity said with a smile as she look at me, which quickly turned into a frown when she saw my expression. "Though I'm surprise that you're putting up such a fuss over it now since it didn't seem to bothered you earlier."

"It's not a bother for me to help those in need, Rarity," I said with a sigh. "I was in the same position as they were in my past life. I wouldn't be any different from those that caused so many species to live on the streets if I deny them help when I can afford to. I'm just annoyed by Celestia. And before you ask, yes I will get Celestia back for this."

"Do you really have to be so petty, Aether?" Rarity asked with a scowl, to which I just smirked at her in response.

"Of course, Rarity. Do you really have to ask?"

Chapter LXIII: Destiny (unedited)

Following the new responsibility of dealing with tenants on my land, I proceeded to have revenge on Celestia. Though instead of putting something in her cakes, I just went over to Canterlot and took all the cakes the castle kitchen had. As a precaution, I stayed in the kitchen, specifically on the ceiling. The chefs panicked when they realized that there was no cakes left, so they proceeded to bake one, during which I sneaked in a special surprise when they weren't looking. After doing so, I went to one of the castle towers to spy on the dinning room, where I waited till Celestia was served her cake. Just as she was about to lick her lips at the prospect of eating the cake, I triggered the surprise, causing it to blow up in her face. I was surprised her screams of agony didn't shattered the windows, and I was also surprised that no guards bothered to check the ceilings. At least something productive came out of this in the end.

Time proceeded along normally, with the researchers making further advancements. After much testing and research into dimensional rifts along with the dimensional sinkhole devices, the scientists have discovered the means to detect and locate dimensional rifts. However, it is currently short range, prompting more military expansion into Selene. Though this time, the other nations were devoting additional military forces to help militarize Selene in order to spread the coverage of the detection of dimensional rifts. With the incentive of keeping any interdimensional conflicts on Selene, the other nations were more interested in doing their part to keep Equus safe, or just to keep their own lands safe.

Military advancements continue to progress along, with the scientists getting close to a breakthrough for air propulsion engines. With higher energy demand needed by the corporations and the cities undergoing new technological developments, the scientists developed new magic generators to output more electricity, while making advancements into solar, wind and hydro generators that are being used for clean energy. There was no use of other potential energy resources due to me mentioning that resources such as oil could produce pollution if not carefully used. This of course led to some entrepreneurial opportunities for some ponies to experiment with ideas or inventions that require large amount of electricity, which is now more available due to the new generators.

The Aegis Guard had been expanding quite well, with several of Selene's new military bases' garrisons being composed of the Aegis Guard alone. Already, with more and more volunteers flowing in due to an increasing amount of drill instructors and officers, the guard has grown to almost having half a hundred thousand troops available. Over half of the Aegis Guard was stationed on Selene, though it's a small amount compared to the other military forces stationed on Selene that were trained to use the new weaponry available. Over two hundred thousand troops have been stationed on the world, though plans indicated that the number will rise to five hundred thousand, which would be just enough to man all the necessary bases to cover the entire world based on current estimates. Exploration of the planet was being done at a breakneck pace, with pegasi and griffons being the primary explorers while drawing upon the old blimp airships as mobile exploration bases. On the mention of airships, the scientists were also looking into a more heavily armored airship, one that may incorporate the engines under development along with new metal alloys and shielding so that it could serve as an effective mobile military operations platform.

All this occurred as twenty eight months passed by, with nothing interesting going on beyond the usual dating game for the Elements and my management of my land. Due to the government subsidies promised by Celestia along with my own financial support, the two families are flourishing on my lands, which drew in more settlers that resulted in the creation of a small village. This resulted in them asking me on how it should be handle, to which I just told them to elect a fair mayor. However, I did told them that if any kind of corruption would occur, that they should inform me immediately so I could come over and stamp it out. I was content with them living on my land, to where I didn't impose my own taxes on top of the ones they pay for the country. Though I did insist that if they ever want to show my appreciation, that they shouldn't erect any statues or paintings made in honor of me.

My personal life has fallen to officer training, studies into economics, mathematics, magic, and sadly politics. This still left me with some free time to spend with family and friends, along with some bonding time with Pinkie most of all. Though baking turned out to be forbidden for me in the bakery on the account that I'm not a good baker. Hence it was put on hold till one of owners of the houses near the Sugarcube Corner decides to sell their houses. In regards to the endless invites to parties by the nobility, I was eventually convinced by Rarity to attend a few parties. Of course she came along for the ride, though at least I was able to find a few of the more intelligent nobles to chat with. The rest talked about asinine things like taxes on the rich or bragging about their own assets and properties. Though a few found it odd that I was wearing suits despite being a mare, and I hate it when someone called me 'Baroness Aether'.

"And that's when I realized that the native hunting me was wanting to mount my head on their wall. I saw about forty mounted heads in the entrance room alone. I really wish my employer actually bothered to check that world to see if there was sapient life or not before sending folk like me there. Not really a fan of having a crossbow pointed at me," I said, as I sat on a dream couch as Luna was seated on her own in my dream. Even though it has been over a decade, I was still getting therapy to help get off all the trauma I accumulated over my past life as a dimensional agent. I've been absolutely honest about my experiences as I told my past to Luna, even the times when I spent a few times in a fatal position for various periods of time. Not like one could blame me, since things like barely avoiding being eaten by a giant worm while seeing a fellow agent being consume or when I saw one poor fella who was infested with some kind of insect-like parasite that resulted with maggots coming out of their eyes while they're still breathing.

"No reasonable pony would," Luna simply commented, choosing to just let me rant on. Unlike my first few therapy sessions where my dreams environment was random in some fashion, we were just in the family room of the Sugarcube Corner. Luna had taught me how to control my dream, which eventually led to more stable and familiar environments where my therapy sessions were held.

"So I spent thirteen hours hiding in what I assumed to be a closet, before sneaking out to return to the rift site. However, I found out that the hunter set an ambush right at the spot, and that the only reason that I didn't fell for it was that one of my fellow agents fell into it first. Though imagine the surprise both the hunter and I had when I stumbled onto the trap while they were packing their kill. We stared at each other for a couple minutes before they pulled out their crossbow. Spent the next twenty minutes running for my life again before the rift finally open, where I made a dash for it. Obviously I made it, but not before the fucker manage to hit my leg," I said. Overtime I picked up some curse words from the more dirtier speaking folk, though I find it amusing when mom or some of the Elements heard me use those words. Turned out that they made a bit of an effort to prevent me from picking up on that profanity, since it was rarely used and only by rather small portion of the population. "To make matters worse, I was only paid enough credits to feed me for a month, so obviously I didn't have the funds to find some sort of medical aid. So I had to find a rag and lank the bolt out of my leg before covering the wound. Though I was lucky enough for it not to become infected."

"Hmm... maybe luck didn't play a role in your survival," Luna commented, causing me to tilt my head at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Based on your accounts, majority, if not all, of those that participate in your line of work tend to find an early grave. You, however, manage to survive over a hundred missions. Perhaps it was destiny to survive all those missions," Luna explained, which caused me to give her a deadpanned expression.

"Really? You think I was destined to survive? I find that utterly ridiculous."

"Yet you live in a world where a pony's Cutie Mark is a sign of their special talent, and yours is most likely linked to dimensions. Do you still find this idea far-fetched?" Luna asked.

"Yes, I do. From what I heard, Cutie Marks are connected to our own magic, and I didn't had any magic prior to coming to Equus. So this magical destiny thing isn't going to be a factor when I had no magic during the entire time. I rather just say that I was lucky enough to be one of the few lucky fellows to survive all that shit out of the millions, if not billions, that took on the lifestyle of a dirt-poor dimensional agent."

"I see, you're going by statistics and luck. But what are the odds that you, a highly experienced dimensional agent, are the one that ended up on Equus instead of the many agents that are on their first mission?" Luna countered, causing me to narrow my eyes at her.

"You do realize that meant my destiny wanted me to suffer for twelve years before I was finally 'ready' to come to Equus, right?" I shot back, causing Luna to widen her pupils at what I pointed out.

"I didn't mean it to be that way, I was just pointing out a possible explanation," Luna replied, causing me to roll my eyes in return.

"I rather not think about an arbitrary whims of a magical force that we call 'destiny'. I rather just say that sometimes a person can be lucky, and that we are all in control of our fates instead. Besides, I already have enough bleakness in my past life to fulfill the bleak quota for my new life where its lifespan is almost four times the length of my old one," I responded, putting a damper on the conversation as Luna didn't had a response to what I said. Eventually, I decided to turn the conversation around when I asked. "So... how's your sister's cake addiction going?"

Letting out a sigh, Luna answered, "As you would suspect. Even your little stunts a couple years ago didn't phased her desire to consume cakes. Even your cravings for chocolate pales in comparison to her own cravings."

"Go figure. Not to be too rude, but if Celestia didn't have that alicorn metabolism, I bet she would be so fat that instead of walking, she'll be rolling," I replied with a laugh while Luna rolled her eyes. Throughout the years of therapy, Luna and I developed a more casual relationship, to where I can sometimes make what Rarity calls my 'crude attempts at humor'. Still, Luna and I get along easily due to our similar stances on how Equestria and Equus should be defended. Celestia always preferred diplomatic routes to finding peace, but both Luna and I knew that when our species are finally truly discovered, we'll be fighting a war that only through military force would we be able to find true peace.

Chapter LXIV: Disturbance (unedited)

"Aether, wa—"

"You're not taking me alive!" I yelled as I swung a hoof at whoever was waking me up.

"Gah!" said my unknown assailant as dodged my hoof. "Aether, it's me!"

"Twilight? What are yo—nevermind that, what made you think it is a good idea to wake me up within striking distance?" I asked, as I turned on a lamp before checking what time it was. Seeing that it was barely two in the morning, that meant something big was happening.

"Normally a pony doesn't strike somepony for waking them up," Twilight replied, causing me to just raise an eyebrow at her considering that she's talking to me of all people. That caused her to blush a bit before she said, "I got a message from the scientists: they need you on Selene, it's urgent."

Hopping out of my bed covers, I stretched a bit as I asked, "Alright then, when will the chariot or copter get here?"

Shaking her head, Twilight answered, "No, we're teleporting straight to the base."

Cocking an eyebrow, I replied, "What. Don't you remember the last time you teleported there?"

"The scientists had requested that I teleport you there," Twilight explained, causing me to nod. If the scientists asked for it, then they probably shut down all experiments to ensure the safety of the teleport. Nodding, I just stood next to Twilight as she cast the spell. It's been a while since anything interesting occurring since the issue with my land that occurred fifty nine months ago. I was forty two years old, only barely an inch shorter than Pinkie now, though Twilight grew a few inches over the same time period. Along with her growth, her own magic was growing stronger as well. A shame though that Celestia probably wouldn't let Twilight onto the battlefield, she would've been a great tactical asset. With a flash of purple light, we arrived at the base, only to be assailed by the scientists.

"Captain Aura, you're here!" Light Pulse exclaimed as he rushed over to me.

"What's the situation Light?" I asked, while noticing that one scientist was running around in circles.

"We detected a dimensional anomaly near Outpost Delta Sigma, we're being invaded!" he explained, causing his fellow scientists to freak out more.

"Calm down you idiots!" I shouted, causing everyone to stop and turn their attention towards me. "We're not going to act like it is the end of the world unless we're certain of what is going on. For all we know, it could be another dimensional agent like I was for all we know. For now, we will take all the necessary precautions as we can, but first I need to get on Selene, now!"

"Captain Aura, it is good to have you here madam," Golden Sword said as he gave me a salute. He was the commander of the Aegis Guard station at primary portal base on Selene. As a safety precaution, along with new developments in dimensional portal generation, several bases built at different portal sites so that military reinforcements and supplies could still be sent to Selene if the primary base has fallen during an invasion.

"Good to see you too, Commander Sword. I take it that you have transportation to the site of the disturbance prepared?" I asked, while tugging a bit at a shoulder plate that felt a bit loose. Prior to being sent to Selene, the scientists geared me up in the latest combat armor, which was composed of armor plating and a new personal shield generator. Its design was for maximum protection possible without compromising the mobility of its wearer. While Twilight wanted to see whatever came to Selene due to her scientific curiosity, she knew better than to actually come to the world in case a worse case scenario occurred. Hence she just stayed behind, content with just studying whatever came if we were able to retrieve it.

Nodding, Golden answered, "Yes madam, we have a light transport airship readied and supplied for the investigation of the disturbance," as he led me through the base into a hanger. Looking up, I saw the airship mentioned, eighty feet long and fifty feet wide. The scientists finally made a breakthrough with the engines about seventeen months ago, allowing for faster aerial vehicles while using larger versions to support large scale airships that would either serve as mobile bases or assault platforms. So far, only about about a dozen airships were produced, with the most of them stationed on Selene.

"Good, how many troops and equipment we have on board?" I asked as I started up a ramp to the airship.

"There are currently forty soldiers, four transport copters and two assault copters on board the Skyhawk, madam," Golden answered, before taking a look around. "Excuse me madam, but shouldn't your second-in-command be here too?"

"No, because if this mission goes south and we all get killed, she has to take over," I replied, causing Golden to blink at my blunt statement.

"Okay... what are your orders then madam?"

"We're going to the site, where the Skyhawk will stop a few hundred feet from the site and drop off us along with a squad. We don't know what we're going to find, so it would be best not to alert them to our presence until we have no choice on that matter. I rather not alert a hostile alien that has enough firepower to shot this airship out of the sky."

"Understood madam," Golden said as we entered the airship, where he led me to where the troops were stationed.

Clearing my throat to get everyone's attention, I said, "Alright troops, listen up. Today could be the most important day in this history of Equus. As you all should know by now, we detected a dimensional anomaly near Outpost Delta Sigma. Now, I know you're trained for this, but how we handle this situation will play a crucial part for the future of all our species. So while I want all of you to be on guard at all times, do not shoot or commit any hostile actions unless you're fired upon or I say so, understood?"

"Yes madam!" they all shouted in unison. Looking at each any every one of them, I could see that none of them were showing any signs of fear or nervousness. Everyone here were a member of the Aegis Guard, so they were trained for any potential horrible situation that anyone could thought up of. They were to be the first soldiers on the ground for any situation, to serve as the front lines for Equus. I hoped they would be enough.

It took a few hours to reach the general vicinity of the disturbance, upon which the Skyhawk powered down its engines till only enough power was used to keep it where it was, behind a few clouds. The area was a forest region, similar to Equestria's forests, except some of the trees had blue leaves and a few trees look like a giant balloon. The site of the disturbance wasn't that hard to pick out due to smoke coming from its area, alerting me that whatever came had at least some machinery with them. My squad was moving slowly, with me taking point. Golden remained on the Skyhawk in order to coordinate the rest of our forces if necessary. I ordered my troops to approach the disturbance with extreme, caution, so only two soldiers were moving forward while the rest was keeping an eye out so they can provide cover fire if necessary.

It took about twenty minutes for us to reach visual range of the site, where we saw the smoking remains of some kind of metallic construct the size of a train car. "Squad, everyone form a perimeter around the site except you two," I started to order as I pointed at a thestral and a changeling, "you're with me, I'm going to check it out." Receiving quiet nods, I waited till the squad spread out around the site before I began my approach to the wreckage.

"Is this much caution necessary, captain?" the thestral mare asked.

"There are multiple reasons for this object to be a smoking hunk of scrap. It could be just another probe that just happen to come by our dimensional region and exploded like the ones fifteen years ago, or whoever or whatever came here blew up the probe to hide their secrets. There is no way we can be certain till we know all the facts," I answered, as I got close enough to better inspect the wreckage. Upon a closer inspection, it was clear that whatever it was, it definitely crashed into the air, hence it was airborn when it came to Selene. That didn't bode well for my hope that intruders end up being buried or partly buried if they were to invade the world.

"Do you detect any emotions?" I asked the changeling with me. Since they're a species that feed off emotions, either directly or from ambient emotions, that led to them to develop the ability to sense positive or negative emotions.

"Beyond our own squadmates, I detect nothing madam," the changeling replied while shifting his head around to keep an eye on things.

"Hmm..." I simply responded, a I looked around. I saw bits and pieces of the wreckage littered around the site, though something seem off about the situation. Approaching a fragment, I could see that it was deeply embedded into the ground. Upon a closer inspection, I could see that the angle at which it embedded into the ground showed that whatever the wreckage was, it exploded after crashing down. This meant that it could either have simple blown up upon impact, or that something triggered an self-destruction device on the object.

"Everyone, be on your guard," I said into the radio set into our helmets. "There is a possibility that something is out there. Golden, have two squads dropped down to sweep the outlying area. I rather not have anything running around loose in this forest." Receiving a conformation from him, I turned to two soldiers next to me as I ordered, "You two, keep some distance from the wreckage unless I say so, I'm going to see if there is an opening so I can investigate the interior. It may be rigged to blow up again for all we know, so better safe sorry."

"Why not send one of us, madam?" the thestral asked.

"My armor is the latest version and has better shielding, so I stand a shot at surviving whatever trap may be in place. Furthermore, I can teleport out if necessary," I answered while checking the exterior, where I found a safe opening for me to use. Climbing inside, I could see that the interior was as mangled as the outside was. Looking around, I was checking everything I spotted till I noticed there was a pressure on my horn. That caused me to jerk my head around as I scrambled to inspect the interior, where it didn't took me long to find some kind of armored container hidden in some of the wreckage. Pulling out a magical charge, I set it onto the device before teleporting out of the object.

"Everyone, move away from the object and prepare for a potential engagement," I said into my radio. After insuring that everyone had reach a safe distance from the object, I triggered the explosive. Fortunately, the object wasn't full of explosives seeing that we only heard the charge going off.

Triggering my radio again, I said, "Golden, alert the base, someone or something was sen-" before something opened fire at us. "Everyone, get to cover!" I shouted before taking out my rifle and ducking behind a tree. Peeking out of my cover, I screened the area as I saw my troops rushing to find cover as well, before I finally spotted the hostile.

"Oh sweet Luna," I said, as I recognized the hostile to be a Xartik drone.

Chapter LXV: Contact (unedited)

After spotting that the Xartik were the source of the disturbance, I wished I had time to have a mild panic attack. Sadly I didn't had the time as I pulled my head back behind cover, just to see a few rounds of hot plasma zipping past the spot where my head was. Activating my radio, I ordered, "Golden, we have Xartik forces on us. Tell every base to be on high alert and send over an assault copter now!"

"Yes madam, the copter will be there in five minutes, do you need the two squads on the ground to come to your position?" Golden asked.

"No, but make sure that their squads are together. We might need them to help prevent any hostiles from escaping. However, bring in the fourth squad if you can, but don't drop them here. I don't know what firepower the hostiles have, so I rather not have a transport copter shot down if I can help it," I answered, while hearing one of my recruits firing back at the drone.

"Understood madam, they'll be dropped off approximately two hundred feet away from your position," Silver replied, allowing me to turn my attention to my troops.

"Anyone, report to me any hostiles you find, and someone get some suppressing fire on the hostile that is already shooting us!" I ordered, as I took my rifle off my back, setting it to single shot mode. The scientists had made several kinds of rifles for the military to use, but most people either prefer to use a semi-automatic rifle or a rifle that can shift between single shot and burst fire modes. I always preferred the single shots since while they lacked the spread that a burst fire could offer, they make it up with a stronger impact.

I was just about to return fire when someone said, "Contact, two o'clock!" Jerking my head in that direction, I spotted a pair of drones making their way through the trees as they raised a their own weaponry and fired at us. However before they could fire, some magical shots hit them, causing their shields to flare up while forcing them into cover. Thankfully since my troops were spread out, the first drone could only pin down a few of us at a time. Still, I wasn't certain if our current numbers would give us an advantage over them, but if there were more, than we would definitely be overwhelmed fast.

Whatever the case, I didn't have time to waste, so I jumped to my left, firing a few shots at the general direction before I duck behind another tree, while using a third tree as cover from the pair of drones. With a bit more cover, I peeked over the right side of the tree, taking a moment before I spotted the first drone using a fallen tree as cover while it fired at one of my soldiers while another one was trying to suppression it. Taking this as my opportunity, I pulled a magical grenade from my belt, triggering it before using my telekinesis to send it over to the drone. It immediately recognized what it was and tried to jump away from the grenade, but unfortunately for it I still had it in my magical hold so I just tossed it at the drone before finally letting go of it. Thankfully, it seems that Xartik shielding wasn't enough for a magical grenade, based on how the resulting explosion sent parts of the drone flying through the air.

My satisfaction over the destruction of the drone was short-lived when several shots came my way, forcing me to get behind cover once more. "Anyone that isn't pinned down, try to flank the two drones now! Everyone else, try to suppress them whenever you can!" I said before ducking out of cover to fire a few shots before returning back to it. Occasionally I see a few soldiers firing back, but otherwise the drones kept us suppressed with their own fire, until from above shots came down at them. Looking up, I could see the aerial-capable members of our group weaving around the trees while firing down at the two drones, chipping away their shields while the drones try to fruitlessly fire back.

This allowed the rest of my troops to open fire at the duo, which I was about to do when a mare cried out, "Captain! To your left!" Jerking my head towards that direction, I saw a rather heavily armored drone charging right at me. I barely had enough time to roll out of its path, causing it to hit the tree. To the dismay of any of my soldiers that were watching, the drone simply teared right through the tree before coming to a halt, the tree crashing down behind it.

"Just my luck, why do I always get the 'fun' stuff?" I muttered to myself while firing a few rounds at it. While the shots did no real visible effect on the drone's shielding, I knew it was better than trying to duck behind cover if it can just barrel right through it. The drone just stared at me with its cold mechanical eyes before a blade came out of its right forearm, causing my eyes to widen a bit at the sight before it charged at me again. Off the bat I knew that it was going to try to keep me in melee range, which would give it a major edge since it could grab me with its other arm that would result in my death. However, magic gave me a major advantage over it since it was likely that the Xartik knew nothing about it. So instead of jumping out of its way, I simple jumped and latched onto its head. This surprised the drone, long enough for me to pull out two more grenades as I charged up my horn with magic. I activated them before sticking them into the drone's shoulder joints, before jumping off it as I release a teleport spell, teleporting thirty feet away just to see the drone blow up in a magical explosion.

Turning my head towards the other two drones, I could see that my squad was able to take them down judging by their broken bodies nearby. The nearest soldier came towards me while the rest remain on guard in case there was still more hostiles out there. "Captain, are you alright?" an earth pony stallion asked while giving me a salute.

"I'm fine, but now we, or I at least, know who came over here, I need to get back to Equus. Sergeant McColt, are you capable of holding this position in case there's more hostiles till reinforcements arrive?" I asked as I looked at a blue earth pony mare.

"Yes Captain, we are capable of holding this position as long as necessary," McColt replied, to which I nodded to before activating my radio.

"Golden, things seem to have calm down here. Send a transport copter here for pick up. I need to get to Canterlot as fast as possible."

"Are you certain about this, Aether?"

"Without a doubt. The intrusion was related to the Xartiks, and odds are they know where we are now," I answered as I sat at a table with Celestia, Luna, and Twilight present. It was right after sunset when I arrived at Canterlot, though I did picked up news that there weren't any more hostiles in the area after a thorough search of the forest. Though to be certain, he called in two more airships to screen the greater area.

"But how can you be certain that we were discovered? There could be a possibility that the Xartik will passed it off as a lost probe?" Twilight replied, only for me to shake my head at her.

"No Twilight, the drones made the effort to send a transmission to wherever they came from to alert their creators. I found a hidden device that was transmitting messages to another dimension. Odds are they were purposely looking for us, and had made preparations to increase the chances of sending a message back in case some malfunction occurred upon arrival," I said, while Celestia and Luna were taking on grim expressions.

"Is there any possibility that this could be a misunderstanding? Could we establish some form of communication with the Xartik?" Celestia asked.

"No, the Xartik aren't prone to peaceful first contact. They tend to just takeover anything that can be of use to them, or eliminate any potential threats. Only when facing opposition of similar strength would they avoid open conflict. Since most sapient species on Equus is strongly connected to magic, odds are we are considered to be either one of those cases."

"Could your skirmish with the probe's forces be enough to make them to consider us a force that is as strong as them?" Luna asked, only for me to shake my head once more.

"Not likely. Even if we go into full-blown war, they won't consider us a large enough threat unless we bring the battle onto their own turf. Which won't be easy unless the scientists have a way to retrieve the frequency of the Xartik invasion forces."

"So what can we do to win if we enter a war with the Xartik?" Celestia asked, causing me to pause to think for a moment.

"Best I can offer, is that we find a way to reach a Xartik world, where if we can commit enough counter-attacks, it might get them to give up on the possibility of conquering us. The other choice is that we hold them off long enough for other species to learn of our presence. That has mixed results though, for all we know we could end up with another hostile species that want to take over, or a species like the Deviations will come to our aid, which should put an end to the war."

"What kind of forces should we expect the Xartik to field against us then? Perhaps if we can make their loses tremendous, they may forego the idea of war with us," Luna said.

"Sadly that won't work so well with the Xartik since they rely on robotic armies to fight for them. That means they can simply rebuild their armies despite the loses, and the only way they would pull out in that case is if they lost millions or even billions of drones while not gaining back any raw material from the battlefront. That would mean that we have to prevent them from gaining any foothold on Selene," I explained, causing the royal sisters to look at each other for a moment before Celestia turned her attention back to me.

"Then we have no choice but to make preparations for war. I will contact the other nations so we can mobilize all our armies," Celestia announced.

"And I will make way to Selene with you, Aether, so that I can participate in the battles to come. The enemy will tremble against the might of the Princess of the Night!" Luna declared, shooting a hoof into the air as I just cocked an eyebrow at the sight.

"I take it there's an alicorn battle suit just made for you, unless you have something else that would make due," I responded, to which Luna gave me a nod.

"Indeed, both my sister and I have commissioned our own armor for this possibility, though we were the ones to cast the enchantments on them," Luna explained, while Twilight was looking uncertain about the situation.

"What role should I play?" Twilight asked. Over the years, Twilight made great strides in learning on how to handle her position of being a princess, though I'm was betting that she didn't poured much thought on the military aspects on that matter, which her answer just confirmed.

"You, along with Cadence, will remain on Equus to help manage things while Luna and I will participate in the war effort," Celestia answered, causing Twilight to droop a bit.

Before Twilight could make any protest, I added, "With you and Cadence here, we will have some major firepower in place just in case the Xartik manage to bypass our sinkhole effort. Furthermore, your connection with the Tree of Harmony, along with Cadence and the Crystal Heart, may be end up being a powerful defensive measure if such a situation were to occur. So tactically it would be best for the two of you to remain on Equus," causing Twilight to nod to that line of logic. "Though, you could try to get in contact with Discord and see if he wants to help. I don't know the limits of his magic, but if he could cause enough chaos to the Xartik forces, it would go a long way in saving lives."

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Celestia asked, only for none of us to give a reply. "Then this meeting is over. For the good of Equus and all of its species, I hope that we are ready for this war," Celestia said, only for me to roll my eyes at her. "Something the matter, Aether?"

"You had to add that 'good for everything' thing in the end. It's too sappy for my tastes," I commented, causing everyone to groan at me, to which I simply gave them a shrug in response. If I didn't adopt the generally happy and cheerful tone most ponies have even after fifteen years here, then odds are I'm always going to be the grumpy mare that I am.

Author's Note

With that, Astral Aegis comes to a close. While some people may be surprised by this, the reason is that Astral Aegis is a slice-of-life and comedy focused story, while this upcoming war is going to be more action and adventure, hence the need for a third book to match the proper themes.

I'll be taking a short break before releasing the third book, so that my editors can catch up on Astral Aegis. I also hope to get an edited buffer ready before the third book comes out, so we don't end up with the same problems we had with Astral Aegis. So see ya in the third book.

Chapter I: Reveal

Well, the past couple months of my life was... unusual to say the least. From being changed from a bipedal creature to a quadrupedal being (plus the added bonus of a gender change and a longer lifespan that left me as a child) to learning a new language and a strange ability called magic. I had befriended some of the natives, gotten a new family, and possibly disturbed the natives, which were called ponies. To make things better, this all happened right before I had to reveal that I was actually an alien from another dimension to the ponies, after which I helped prevented an interdimensional disaster.

Anyways, Princess Celestia and I were making our way to Ponyville while Princess Luna was returning to Canterlot in order to send word to the Royal Guard to search White Tail Woods again. After giving out so much information, I thought it was time for me to get some in return. "So, Princess Celestia. Since I'm training a team of ponies for... some very violent work, can you tell me just how much violence ponykind experienced?"

"Is that really necessary?" Celestia asked, grimacing at the question.

Cocking an eyebrow, I answered, "Yes, cause this would help me figure out the training methods I have to use."

"Truth be told, Equestria has had few wars; which fortunately have been short. Overall, my ponies live peaceful lives, so violence is... unnatural to most of them."

Frowning, I said, "Oh joy, it'll be a grand time for me in training a bunch of... I wish I knew that word..."

"Pacifists?"

"...I'm going to assume that's the word, for now. So, since Luna brought up that Canterlot would have the best place to train the new recruits for this team, I take it Ponyville lacks a place for the recruits?"

"It's a peaceful town, most of the time. There's never been a demand for a guard, so naturally there's no quarters for any sort of standing force."

"Ah... then I would like to... gah I need to check my dictionary again. I need to be there for the planning of the building of the 'quarters'."

"Thinking of having a large section devoted to you?" Celestia asked with a teasing smile.

"Wait, you thought I was going to live with the recruits?"

"You're not?"

"No, I'm living with Pinkie and the Cakes still... I hope. I don't know how the Cakes are going to react to the truth of me being an alien originally. Anyways, I was thinking of the opposite for where the recruits are living."

"The oppos—don't be cruel to the recruits, Aether," Celestia said with a disappointed frown.

"I'm not going for cruel, just realistic."

"Just be reasonable, Aether. No pony would be use to what you have been through, so be more lenient."

"Fine... but then I reserve the right to toss anypony that whines too much out on their rump."

Celestia only sighed as we finally spotted where the Royal Guard and the Elements, along with the Crusaders, had stopped. Thankfully it appeared that they didn't manage to find anything beyond their angry guardians who were currently yelling at them. They were all looking guilty until Sweetie Belle spotted me, causing her to nudge the other two as she pointed at me. The trio then rush past their guardians as Apple Bloom said, "Aether, why are you here? We were lookin' all over Ponyville for you after the alien attacked."

"And why are you with the Princess instead of having Pinkie mad at you too?" Scootaloo asked as she shot a look at the other mares.

Taking a deep breath, I took on the most neutral expression as I could before I said, "Simple, I'm an alien."

Instantly the mares and Sweetie Belle looked at me with shocked expressions while Apple Bloom gave me a skeptical look. Scootaloo instead deadpanned, "Very funny, now can you tell us why you're here?" I simply cocked an eyebrow at her, causing her to say, "There's no way you can be an alien." My continued flat look caused both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to widen their eyes.

Silence continued on for a moment before the Crusaders huddled together in fear as they screamed, "Alien!"

They then rushed behind their guardians as Rarity asked, "Aether dear, did you have to tell them that?"

"What, it's true. Besides, isn't it better to be honest to them instead of lying to them?" I replied as I gave Applejack a look.

"She has a point there, sugarcube," Applejack said before Apple Bloom stuck her head out at me.

"Why are you just standin' there for sis, there's an alien in front of us!"

"Yeah, go show it your awesome skills Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo added in.

"Maybe the alien is mind controlling them!" Sweetie Belle yelled, causing the other two to gasp as everypony else gave them an odd look.

"I'll save you sis!" Apple Bloom roared as she jumped from behind her and charged at me, the other two Crusaders following suit.

"I'll get you for messing with Rainbow Dash!"

"We're going to save our sisters and Aether, you evil alien!"

As everypony tried to stop the Crusaders' charge, I simply sidestepped out of their path. This caused them to try to correct their direction only to bump into one another before crashing into a heap behind me.

"Can you three stop freaking out? I'm Aether, and yes, I'm an alien... or was since I'm a pony now. Depends on your point of view," I dryly said as I turned around to face them. "Besides, if I was mind controlling ponies, why would I tell you three I'm an alien then?"

The trio got up to their hooves and tried to say something, but they ended up closing their mouth due to a loss of words. Apple Bloom finally asked, "So... you're not goin' to hurt us?"

"Of course not, we're friends."

They started to nod till Sweetie Belle gasp as she pointed at my rear. "Aether has her Cutie Mark!" she shrieked, causing the trio to swarm to my side to get a better look at my Cutie Mark. First they were scared by the fact that I'm an alien, and now they're all excited over my Cutie Mark?

"How did you got your Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later," I answered, giving a sigh when one of them was about to protest.

Thankfully my sigh stopped them in their tracks, before Scootaloo exclaimed, "She must have gotten it from that weird thing in the sky!"

I quickly shot a look at Celestia that spoke 'stop this or this won't end well', causing her to approach us as she said, "Now young ones, I think it is time for you to go home. Right now the forest is very dangerous, and we can't have you three running around where you could get hurt. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, would you three kindly escort them home?"

This caused the Crusaders to let out a unified 'aw' as the trio herded them out of the forest, till when they were out of earshot Twilight asked, "Did you really have to tell them the truth?"

"Hey, I've been honest for the most part so far, so best to keep that up. Also, the truth had to come out sooner or later, best now instead of having a lie straining our relationship," I explained, only to be embraced into another hug by Pinkie.

"I'm so proud that you're being a honest pony and caring about your friendships!" Pinkie exclaimed as I struggled to get some room to breath.

"Air, air!" I gasped.

Turning to the Royal Guard, Celestia ordered, "Form a perimeter between Ponyville and White Tail Woods. Do not let anypony in. You will have new orders once you get reinforcements." After the Royal Guard gave Celestia a salute before going off to follow her orders, Celestia turned to Twilight as she said, "Since the possible crisis has been prevented, I must return to Canterlot to start the paperwork needed to form a team to defend Equus from any future dimensional threats. So I'll leave things in your capable hooves Twilight. Aether here will be able to give you all the details." Farewells were quickly given before Celestia took flight to return to Canterlot.

Twilight turned to both Pinkie and me to ask something, only to spot that I was turning blue from the lack of air. "Pinkie! You're hugging Aether too hard! She's suffocating!"

After Twilight prevented me from passing out, I told her all about the plans Celestia, Luna and I came up together. "You really expect to be able to train ponies to do what you can do?" Twilight asked incredulously.

"I can try. Besides, what other pony can teach them what I know? Also, sounds like Celestia expects you to lend me a hoof in this matter," I nonchalantly replied.

"But isn't it dangerous to have ponies going into the Everfree to train?" Fluttershy meekly questioned.

"Of course it's dangerous, but that's why I'll be sending them there after they get enough training. It's safer than tossing them into another dimension. But right now we might want to leave White Tail Woods." With those words, I started making my way to Ponyville, with Pinkie bouncing beside me.

The other two mares quickly followed suit as Twilight asked, "Why do we want to leave White Tail Woods now so suddenly?"

"You think I was kidding about some of the stuff coming out of the portal being dangerous? For all we know, we could have some alien monster egg out there, ready to hatch at a moment's notice. There's a reason why I insisted on Celestia blocking off the forest and having the guard comb it through."

Fluttershy let out a small cry of fear before getting closer to the rest of us. Twilight on the other hoof was thinking to herself, before her eyes brightened to my misfortune. She was about to say something as she opened her mouth, only for me to stick a hoof in it. "Twilight, can your questions wait till we're at the library? I’d rather be able to relax then deal with more stress, and we all had enough stress for today."

"Can I ask a question?" I heard Pinkie say, causing me to turn my head towards her as I gave her a look of confusion. She had this innocent smile, though her eyes spoke of some crazed excitement contained within them.

Taking a deep breath, I responded, "Um.... sure?"

"Since you're an alien, can you tell me what things aliens do at their parties?"

Instantly my ears folded against my head as I eyes narrowed in horror of what she asked. While the temptation to lie my ass off was there, I didn't have it in me to lie to Pinkie of all ponies. So in the end, I had no choice but to tell the truth. "Pinkie... remember that I was poor? Well... my parents were poor too... so we couldn't... afford to have any parties... ever... so... I don't know if any species actually threw parties beyond the rich ones..."

Pinkie pupils instantly shrank to dots as she stared at me, and I think I could see a bit of foam coming out of the side of her mouth. Everypony stopped at that moment, as I reached over with a hoof to poke Pinkie. "Pinkie, are you ok—"

"You never had a party in your former life‽"

Chapter VIII: Plans

Ponies would be under the impression that it would take a lot of time to prepare a training system for those that would be the future protectors of Equestria from interdimensional threats. They would think it would take weeks, or maybe even months before anypony could be ready for that. I instead, as some ponies would say, threw that idea out the window.

"As soon as possible‽" Twilight and Silver Shield screamed together.

"That's the plan," I calmly replied as Spike finished writing the, rather short, letter with a skeptical expression.

"Are you sure about this?" Spike asked, only for me to give him a nod in response. Shrugging, he lit the letter with his magical flame before any other pony could do a thing to stop him.

"Aether! You can't honestly have a plan for this already! Training a team to do something nopony has ever done before would take a rather complex schedule and resources!" Twilight shrieked.

"I agree with the princess, you can't simply train ponies without some drills prepared. Do you even have any practice courses ready for them?" Silver commented.

"No, but seeing that you two aren't going to stop anytime soon, I'll explain some things. Under normal conditions, most ponies in my former line of work are sent on the job with very little information to work with, if any. So we have to do things on the... run so to say. So I'm going to start tossing them things to do, to teach them to stay on their hooves. Besides, there is really no way of setting up unpredictable cases for the recruits to take... short of having Pinkie and the Crusaders plan some together. Though I don't think that will end well for Ponyville," I replied as I rubbed my chin with a hoof, thinking about how that would turn out. "Regardless, the letter is sent, so we just have to wait for the recruits to show up. For now, I'm heading home, I had more than enough excitement for one day."

"Well, this is new," I said to myself, as I found myself on the ceiling of the Carousal Boutique in my dream. While unusual, I did find this change of scenery to be hopeful news that I was done with my funky dreams. Though it was odd that my last one was close to becoming true.

My thoughts shifted to realization that this dream wasn't of my own making when the front door opened to reveal Princess Luna walking inside.

"Aether? Art thou here?" Luna asked, looking around in confusion before I alerted her with a cough. Looking up, she tilted her in confusion as she said, "What art thou doing upon the ceiling?"

Cocking an eyebrow, I replied, "Shouldn't you know? The letter said that you'll be the one making the dream for me this time."

Blinking, Luna let off a light-hearted chuckle as she said, "Thou art right, let us amend this matter." Lighting up her horn, I found myself being levitated off the ceiling and onto the floor.

"Okay... going from upside-down to normal by magic is... an unusual experience. Though, can I ask you a little favor Princess Luna?"

"Verily, what dost thou asks of us?"

"Well... do you mind talking to me like most ponies do? I admit that your way of talking... well as Rarity would say, has a bit of flair. But it makes things a bit harder for me to understand... since Equestrian isn't my native language."

Luna looked at me for a moment, causing me to rub a hoof against one of my forelegs till she spoke, "A reasonable request. I only stuck to that due to a large number of foals finding the archaic way of speaking enjoyable. Regardless, do you find your current environment comfortable?"

"Well... better than the usual destruction of Ponyville... which is actually disturbing to hear myself saying," I answered as my ears folded down.

"Yes... those dreams are perplexing. Though we have more important manners on hoof to discuss."

Shrugging, I replied, "Discuss away then, and don't be afraid to go with a formal, uncaring business approach. Dealt with that enough times to be used to it."

Blinking in confusion at first, Luna furrowed her brows in anger as she asked, "Why do you even suggest that I would address you in such a manner?"

"Cause I'm pretty certain that we will be talking about various unpleasant things that are best dealt with in an uncaring approach. Which I can't blame you for using in a way to help shield yourself from what I may have to say."

"That... is insightful, but I will not resort to such methods. Though, I seek to sate my curiosity first. Why are you so hostile to my sister? The damage to the barrier is repaired and we are making preparations to defend Equestria."

Frowning, I answered, "I could explain, but I think that would instead lead to us debating that matter. So how about I just show you my memories as before? I must warn you though, what you will see is going to be quite a horrible sight."

"I have witnessed countless nightmares from the dreams of ponies, I can handle what you have to show me."

I was about to cock an eyebrow before I stopped myself, remembering that Luna had to deal with the nightmares about the Venanites that were spawned from the damage on the barrier. Closing my eyes, I focused on my memories as I tried to remember the details of a specific one. Opening them, I looked around as I beheld a familiar sight of small cliff that overlooked a small city built by the natives of a newly discovered world. Luna however had her eyes focused on the city itself, for towers of smoke billowed from one side of the city. We could even hear the screams of horror from the populace; accompanied by the roars of horrible monsters, roars that I am certain Luna was familiar with.

"Say hello to the worst case scenario, a Venanite infestation. Venanite invasions have occurred enough that we actually categorized the size and danger of an infestation. This one here is a stage six infestation, where many cities like this one and much of the world is ravaged by the Venanites. When a world is this heavily infected, standard protocol is to wipe the world clean of all life, otherwise the infestation could reach stage seven and would take direct military involvement. That would of course results in millions of lives being lost in the process."

Looking at Luna, I saw that her face was full of disgust, probably at the sight of what Venanites would normally do to a world they come across. Before she could comment on the memory, I changed it to another one, this time placing us in one of the various interdimensional cities that I have been to. This caused Luna to pause as she observed the new environment, where she once again saw the tall buildings she beheld the first time I showed her my memories. Unlike that memory though, I brought us to the worse part of town. Here in the alleys and any other available places sat small shelters made out of scrap, where hundreds of people of various species milled about.

"Here's the best case scenario if your world is discovered unprepared by a dimensional nation. Ponies would be just another species here all looking for work and food, just trying to survive in a society that only cares about greed. Your culture will be forgot as ponies are forced to spread to all other cities to look for work, as Equus would be taken over and turned into some colony. It won't be long after being discovered that all sapient life on Equus would be dying either from dangerous work or starvation," I commented, pointing a hoof at the shrunken corpse of some poor soul that gave out from hunger.

Banishing this memory, we returned to the Carousel Boutique. Turning to face Luna, I continued, "This is why I was still hostile to your sister. It may have been an accident, but it was still a grave mistake. Equus has been given the possibility of facing a bleak future, so it is up to those in charge to do everything they can to prevent that from happening."

Luna at first didn't say a thing, her face devoid of any emotion. She eventually broke her stoic trance, looking at me as she said, "I understand the stance you have against my sister, but you must forgive her for her actions. She did not bear any ill desires in her own travels to the mirror world. She was in grief for my... banishment, and was turning to a different source in an effort to lighten up her burden. Even I forgave her when I learned that she was spending time with that world's Luna, for she only did so due to missing me so greatly."

Staring in Luna's eyes, I could see in her eyes that her statement was genuine. Looking away from her, I grumbled for a moment before saying, "Fine... I'll try to lighten up. I admit that she sort of looked like a grief-ridden mess after I confronted her about her actions. Though if she is blaming herself for my species change, please smack the backside of her head for me."

Luna reared her head back as she asked, "Why should I do that?"

"Because that would be foolish of her to blame herself for that. Sure I didn't expect the gender change, but I'm experiencing actual happiness that I didn't feel since... " I began to answer, before pausing for a bit. "Point is that out of this entire mess, my change and coming to Equestria is something that I would actually thank Celestia for... if I wasn't so frustrated with the mess we're in. Though, I blame the ones in charge of the interdimensional nations more than her. So... I don't bare any true desires to cause her harm in any way, nor do I dislike her. I'm just working off my frustration right now."

"That is... somewhat good to hear. Now in response to the reply you have sent to my sister, she believes that within a few days the first wave of recruits will be ready and at Ponyville to begin training.

Cocking an eyebrow, I replied, "Hmm... Celestia is certain trying to get our defenses ready in a hurry."

"I take it that their arrival is too soon?"

"Not at all, I'll be ready for them when they arrive. I have some training in mind that will get rid of those not suited for the job. Though I hope to see Discord before they arrive, he can help a bit in regards to the initial training."

Frowning, Luna replied, "I thought you said you won't torment the recruits."

"Oh, it's not torture, since they can quit anytime they want. Further, what I'm doing is going to be the basic stuff. If they can't handle that, then they really shouldn't be here in the first place."

"I highly doubt your intentions since you need Discord's aid."

"It's just a small thing, I promise you that nothing will be broken by it. At worst it will cause some pain to the recruits only, but this squad isn't made for soft ponies. There's going to be a lot of pain so that they can be at their best." Rubbing a hoof against the back of my head, I looked to the side as I said, "Besides, it's better than experiencing it on the job."

Looking back at Luna, I saw that her face looked a bit sadder as she replied, "Very well, I will place my trust in your judgement. Though there is one last matter we need to address."

"What is it?"

"Your new status of a member of nobility, even if it is a low ranking one, no offense. I just want to know you won't abuse the few privileges that come with it," Luna explained as she looked at me with a somber expression, awaiting my answer.

Instead of answer, I just started to laugh at the idea, causing her to look confused before I began to explain. "Luna, I barely know what things I could get from being a 'Dame'. All I know for sure is that it will help stop ponies from setting me on fire. At best, I might use it to shock the nobles who are annoying me about something silly."

"Shock them?"

"Well, how do you think they will react when they find a 'fellow noble' that once had to eat garbage?"

At first, Luna's face was a mixture of shock, disgust, amusement, and sorrow, until I let out a chuckle. This allowed her to relax and laugh with me for a bit, as she said, "They would certainly be shocked to hear that. I am glad that you will not be abusing your title. Sadly, I have to make my leave, I must return to safeguarding the dreams of ponies."

"Good luck with that Princess Luna. Though... no pony is having those nightmares anymore, right?"

"Thankfully no. I have not seen any of those horrid things. I take it that it is a sign that the barrier is truly repaired."

Smiling in relief, I said, "That's good to hear princess. It was nice talking to you."

"Likewise," Luna replied before she disappeared from my dream. Looking around, I saw that my dream didn't disappear when she did. Hence, with nothing to do, I decided to go wander around for the rest of the night. Thankfully, for the rest of my slumber, dream-Ponyville wasn't devastated for once. This caused me to hope that this is a sign that things are turning around for me for once.

Chapter XXIII: Chase

For a moment, time froze for everypony at the street. After the split second of shocked silence passed, screaming echoed up and down the street as ponies ran from the metallic alien; some recognizing it as a robot from popular fictional stories. A few ponies paused in their panicked run to watch the metallic machine grab the purple filly from the party a week or so ago that was supposed to be an alien. Some were beginning to think that this new incident was the filly's fault; that is, until their suspicion came to a screeching halt when they saw the metal alien punch the side of the filly's head, the wet crack noise that nopony wanted to hear. The ponies could only stare in abject horror at the sight, until the screams of rage from two ponies grabbed the crowd’s attention, as well as drawing the attention of the alien towards the source.

"You buckin monster!" Rainbow screamed as she flew at the robot as fast as she could, only for it to nimbly jump aside.

Twilight on the other hoof was about to fire a more powerful spell at the Xartik hunter when it held Aether's limp body up as a shield. This caused her to cancel out the spell as she thought, That monster is willing to use Aether as a shield‽ However, before either mare could make another move, the robot quickly took off in a mad dash, heading down an alleyway as it jumped over a shocked pony in the process.

"Come back here you buckin coward! I'm going to buck your head to the moon!" Rainbow yelled as she chased after the machine. Twilight was about to do the same, but a familiar voice stopped her.

"Twilight! What in tarnation is going on?" Applejack shouted, running down the street with Pinkie Pie and Rarity in tow.

Twilight's eyes darted toward the alleyway for a moment till they turned their gaze onto her friends, focusing on Pinkie in particular. Hesitating in guilt, knowing that Pinkie wouldn’t react well to what she will hear, Twilight took a deep, steadying breath. "It's a long story, but right now, there's an alien, which I think is a robot based on how it looks like similar to the last one, in Ponyville. The robot... has Aether, and she's hurt..."

Rarity and Applejack were about to let out some kind of response when they were stopped by the sound of a balloon deflating. Everypony turned their heads to Pinkie, only to see that her mane and tail had become completely flat, with her pupils having shrunk to pinpricks. Applejack was about to say something when Pinkie jumped into the air, screaming in a demonic voice, "No one hurts my Aether!!!" before dashing off so quickly that she left behind a cloud of dust that sent the trio into a short coughing fit.

"Oh my, I never seen Pinkie so angry before," Rarity commented, waving away the dust with a hoof.

"Even when she thought I broke a Pinkie Promise, she wasn't as mad as she is now. I might be feelin' sorry for the alien if I didn't know it harmed Aether," Applejack added.

"No time for talking girls, we need to rescue Aether!" Twilight declared. "Even with Pinkie this mad, that robot isn't going to be easy to beat, and it's even willing to use Aether as a shield!"

This caused the other two mares to gasp as Applejack said, "Why that no good buckin alien! We better find it quick! Where did that alien run off to Twilight?"

"It ran down that alleyway, Rainbow's chasing after it," Twilight answered To which Applejack nodded to, dashing down the alley. Rarity was about to do the same, but Twilight stopped her when she held a hoof in front of her. "Rarity, you need to go to the library and send a letter to the princesses. We don't know what this robot can do, but with Aether out cold, we might need the princesses help to stop it. I'll go follow the others and try to get Aether away from the thing." Giving a nod of acknowledgement to Twilight, Rarity took off as she headed to the library, while Twilight took to the air, hoping to catch up to Rainbow and Pinkie.

"Stop running you coward!" Rainbow screamed, as she made yet another attempt to ram the robot, only for it to simply dodge the charge by side stepping once again. It was frustrating for the mare, for beyond all her awesome skills, she couldn't lay a hoof on this thing. All the while, the hunter was getting closer and closer to the edge of town, since it just continued heading in the same direction from the moment it fled. That it is until a cannon mysteriously appeared in front of the robot, with a very irate flat-maned and unhinged Pinkie behind it.

"You let go of Aether now you meanie!" Pinkie cried as she aimed the cannon at the robot's head, causing it to back away in surprise. However, the robot’s grasp remained firmly on Aether’s head despite Pinkie’s demand. With an upside down smile, Pinkie fired her cannon at the robot, the barrel spitting out some kind of glob at the hunter; which the machine casually ducked under. The glob zipped past Rainbow, splattering against a nearby wall.

"Hey, watch whe—whoa!" Rainbow yelled as the hunter leaped into the air, landing on a rooftop. It took a step to resume its flight when it saw that Pinkie has somehow gotten onto its arm, valiantly trying to pry its fingers off to free Aether. The robot first tried to shake Pinkie off, then pull her off, ducking as Rainbow charged at it again. It was at this point that Pinkie pulled out a sledgehammer from her mane and swung at the hunter's head as hard as she could, only for steel mallet to bounce off its shielding. It finally had enough as its body charged with electricity, shocking Pinkie enough that she fell off it, allowing it to flee once more.

The two ponies continued to try to stop the robot, Rainbow trying her best to tackle it, while Pinkie fired or threw various objects at the mechanical monstrosity, even somehow setting up traps that only delayed it for a moment. Regardless, the robot either dodged whatever the two threw at it, or its shield protected it from harm. Nothing seemed like it was going to stop the robot, until a lavender barrier sprung to life in front of it, causing it to come to a halt. It was at that moment a lasso shot from the ground, its noose getting around the machine’s free arm before tightening.

"Got ya, ya varmint!" Applejack shouted from the street, her teeth gripping onto the rope, only for the hunter to turn its head to her direction in a bird like manner. She tried in vain to pull at the robot, only for her hooves to slide over the ground. Instead, the hunter grabbed onto the rope, to which Applejack moaned out, "Whoa nelly..." With the whine of servos, Applejack was yanked into the air, the robot swinging her around like a flail before slamming into Rainbow Dash. The two ponies cart wheeled through the air before slamming to the ground. However, after ripping the rope off its arm, when the robot tried to move, it found its feet stuck to the ground. Looking down, it observed that some kind of sticky material had covered its feet completely, trapping it.

"You let go of Aether now or else!" Pinkie cried, as she along with Twilight, who flew down to land on the roof, slowly walked towards the robot. Pinkie's eyes were full of fury, and she dragged her sledgehammer menacingly across the roof. The hunter just looked at them, before opening its left claw's talons wide, holding Aether out while placing two of the talons right on her neck. "No!" Pinkie cried out, as both she and Twilight came to a stop. "Don't hurt her!" It was at this time that any of the Elements were able to get a good look at Aether since she was captured, and to their horror, they saw that the right side of her head was covered in blood.

Eyeing the two, the hunter lifted one of its legs with as much strength as it possessed, taking a few mere seconds to pull it out of the sticky gunk it was trapped in, doing the same with the other leg afterwards. While it was doing that, Rainbow and Applejack was able to get onto the roof, Applejack getting some help from Rainbow. Only to be shocked as well at how the robot was ready to take Aether's life at a moment's notice.

"Twilight, why don't you use your magic to grab onto it?" Rainbow croaked out, keeping her eyes on the hunter.

"I tried, but my magic can't get a grip on it for some reason," Twilight answered, sweat drops coming down her forehead as she tried to think up of a way to save Aether. Applejack was about to ask her own question when the robot jumped off the roof, landing in an empty street since the residents of Ponyville heard the screams from earlier and took it as their cue to hide, a few grumbling at how often these disasters happened. As the Elements moved to follow after the robot, it turned towards them once more, its two talons against Aether's neck, pressing hard enough that they could see specks of blood starting to appear. This caused the Elements to take a step back, until they heard a familiar voice calling out in anger.

"How dare you hurt a filly like that!" Fluttershy screamed, coming down in front of the hunter as she stared into its eyes. While the rest of the Elements knew that Fluttershy was giving the robot her Stare, it ultimately had no effect on the soulless machine. It just swung a claw at her, causing her to duck in fright. This caused the friends to gape in shock while Twilight covered Fluttershy with a shield. There was an extended pause as they tried to figure out a way to rescue Aether while keeping the robot from harming her further. That was until they saw Aether engulfed in a golden aura that forced the hunter's talons away from her neck. This caused the hunter to turn its attention to its hostage, creating a distraction for a dark blue figure to crash onto its back.

"Thou shall release that filly, thy heinous metal monstrosity!" Luna declared as she bashed the robot's head with one of her hooves. Unlike the blows from the elements, Luna was not only fast enough to hit the agile robot, but her attacks were strong enough to cause the hunter to stagger back, thanks in part of the magical might that she possessed. Meanwhile the glow around Aether strengthen in brightness as it grew larger, slowly becoming a spherical shield that forced the robot's talons open. This allowed the golden aura to carry Aether over to Pinkie while Luna proceeded to pummel the robot, the aura depositing the filly in Pinkie's forelegs. Immediately, Pinkie started to cry at the sight of her injured foster child, while Fluttershy rushed to Aether's aid.

The loss of its hostage appeared to anger the hunter, as jolts of electricity came off its upper torso as it finally swiped a claw at Luna, only for her to block it with a hoof. Even with the electricity coursing into her body from the contact, she only gave off a smirk as she gave the robot an uppercut, which proved to be the final blow that broke the hunter's shield. The blow knocked its head back causing it to struggle to remain balanced. Before the alien construct could steady its stance, two hooves slammed into its chest tossing it into the air like a toy. As the hunter twisted in the air a golden beam of concentrated magical energy fell from the sky, punching a hole through the machine’s armored and out its back. The robot’s delicate internals instantly vaporized from the heat shredding its chassis, the hot plasma blowing the construct apart.

Flying down from the sky, Celestia landed among the Elements as Luna came to their side. Upon seeing the state Aether was in, Luna’s face took on a look of worry along with a twinge of guilt mixed in. "We must get Aether medical aid." Pinkie only could nod as Celestia lit her horn up with her magic, causing the group to disappear in a golden flash as she cast her teleport spell.

Chapter XLI: Ambassador

It didn't took long for our little group to reach the castle, though Fancy Pants spent a good portion of the trip regaling me about Canterlot's past. Thankfully, he went with the general history of the city, instead of retelling various glorious moments that the nobility experienced. Nor was there any mention of the changeling invasion, which hopefully indicated that at least some folk are trying to put that event behind them. Still, due to fact that I didn't see a single undisguised changeling roaming the streets of Canterlot, I knew there was still much more work that the princesses and the changelings have to do before this peace could be fully realized.

Upon entering the castle proper, I started to spot some of the nobility that were waiting for us. I simply raised an eyebrow at all the clothing they were wearing, noting that for a species that is normally in the nude, the nobility certainly like to show off their status through the sheer amount of get-ups they had on. That was also when I wished I didn't arrive in my uniform, for once they spotted me, they instantly swarmed around me and made comments on how I look. Which, differed between how 'fabulous' I looked, to just how adorable I appeared in my foal-sized officer's uniform. Thankfully, for the nobles, Celestia have chosen to come out of the castle instead of waiting for me to arrive. Otherwise, I would have gotten frustrated with their antics and started zapping the nearest ponies with my taser.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Aether," Celestia said with a smile on her face that I felt like it was secretly mocking me.

"I would say the same Princess, but my choice of wearing this uniform has backfired on me," I replied, giving the nobles a flat stare before returning my attention to Celestia.

"Oh? So you didn't intended to disarm the nobility by looking adorable?" Celestia asked, which caused my left eyelid to twitch.

"I'll answer your question with one of my own: just how much of your budget should go into replacing furniture?" I countered, causing Celestia's smile to fade into a frown. "You know I will hold up on that threat if necessary."

"I know, though it would be nice if we didn’t have a violent incident every time you came to Canterlot."

"And it would be nice if something didn't attempt to drive me crazy each time I came to Canterlot, too," I replied, eyeing Celestia as her frown grew deeper. "With the fact that I have been getting therapy, that means I did what I could to prevent an incident from happening. How about you with a 'certain' member of your family? I didn't spot him among the rest of the nobles."

"I assure you that Blueblood had learnt the error of his ways. Now, shall we head into the castle so we can meet the rest of the nobility, and the griffon ambassador?" Celestia asked, which caused my eyelid to twitch again at the thoughts of even more ponies calling me adorable.

Taking a deep breath, I let out a sigh as I answered, "Might as well get this over with then, before I lose my temper at something else." Nodding, Celestia led us inside the castle why the nobles trailed behind us. Once inside, I spot a larger group of nobles waiting inside. Like the first group, they immediately commented on my appearance, much to my disdain.

Celestia thankfully put an end to it when she said, "Alright everypony, I think we spent enough time observing Dame Aether's appearance. Ambassador Gerhard is waiting for us at council room, best we don't keep him waiting."

Hence we continued moving through the castle, though the nobles continue to make comments on my appearance as well as voice out their skepticism until one mare asked, "Dame Aether, I'm curious about something. Did the other alien species possess an aristocratic class as well?"

Darting my eyes towards the noble, I simply answered, "Well, there is an upper class of wealthy aliens..."

"Then may we perhaps try to negotiate with them? Surely they'll be willing to listen to reason?"

"Not really, they are more like to find a pony as an exotic animal, take it to some personal preserve, and hunt it down before killing the pony. They might also keep the pony's hide as a souvenir," I replied, causing the poor mare to green at the revelation.

"Madam, it may be best that you don't... disturb anypony today," Silver commented.

"Hey, she asked, I was just answering," I said, before we finally went through a doorway into a massive room. It was a large, circular room, with three fourths of the room filled with seats, the other area having a throne and a few desks and boards which I believe would be used for any presentations that would take place. As I inspected the room, the nobles took their seats, with Celestia taking her own seat.

"Please take a spot on either side of me, Aether, the ambassador will be here shortly," Celestia said, to which I nodded to before taking a spot to her right.

"So, what should I be expecting when I meet this ambassador?" I asked.

"Gerhard is a representative of the Griffin Kingdoms, though not in their full entirety. After the news of the changelings alliance with Equestria, the griffins were curious about what prompted such an unlikely alliance. Upon learning the global threat that Equus may face, they decided to send an ambassador over, to determine whether they should also enter an alliance for mutual protection against an interdimensional invasion," Celestia explained. "It won't be long before he arrives."

Nodding, I looked over all the nobles, until I spotted Blueblood in the bunch. He was staring at me with a frown, which caused me to raise a hoof that I used to point at my eyes before pointing it back at him. He took on an offended look before turning his head away in annoyance.

"Aether. don't tau—" Celestia started to say, when a griffin, who was rather large compared to the average pony, strode through the large doorway. Turning my attention to him, I noted that he had a few scars running over his body, which spoke that unlike most of the ponies in this, he knew the dangers of battle in some fashion. As I watched him, he came right up before me as he eyed me with scrutiny.

"So you're the filly that I heard so much about. I have to admit, you don't look like much," Gerhard said.

"Looks can be deceiving, and you wouldn't be the first to underestimate me," I replied back.

Cocking an eyebrow, Gerhard responded, "Oh? I read the reports of your past, but the fact that you're a filly doesn't help to lend credibility to your claims."

"Do you need me to do something no filly, or anyone normal for that matter, would do? Like... break my leg?" I asked, which caused the nobles to stare at me in shock while Celestia scrambled to get in front of me.

"There's no need for that Aether, I don't think anypony will need you to go to such extremes," Celestia said with a forced smile.

"What is going on?" Gerhard asked, his face only showing a bit of confusion.

"Long story short, Princess Cadence made such a claim against me. I proceeded to drop a crystal nightstand on my leg. I sort of underestimated the amount of force I used, which caused the bone in my leg to poke out," I answered, a small sneer coming onto my face as many of the nobles' faces either paled or turned green as their imaginations ran rampant based on my description. Blueblood himself though was making a hasty exit as I saw that his face was far more green than any other pony.

Celestia could only let out a tired sigh, though it ended quickly when Gerhard let out a small chuckle. "I have to admit now, while you still don't look like someone that should be leading a military force, your attitude—the way you carry yourself—speaks differently. No pony would willing harm themselves in such a fashion just to prove their point, but based on Princess Celestia's reactions, I'm incline to believe that you would. It is rare for me to see such a pony that may take whatever means necessary to accomplish a goal," he said as he scratched his chin in thought. "I think with a leader like you, maybe the Griffon Kingdoms may consider joining Equestria in this endeavor."

"Yet you said maybe, is there something else we need to discuss?" I asked.

"Yes, I wonder what role any griffons would play should we send over some to join this interdimensional military force that you're putting together."

"Nothing special, they would just be more recruits, nothing more, nothing less. The only thing that makes me differ one set of recruits is the amount of training they received from me. Otherwise, they're just soldiers in my eyes," I replied.

This caused Gerhard to rub his chin in thought, before he finally asked, "So you don't play favorites?"

"If anything, I’ll probably just be harsher to those that disappoint me or get on my nerves."

"Hmm... then I believe that, perhaps, our two species could come to an alliance after all. While it is hard to swallow down the idea of a species from another dimension invading our world, based on the evidence Princess Celestia has shown me, this is not a threat that I can simply ignore," Garhard started to say before turning to Celestia. "Princess, while I can't not make such an alliance on my own, I will however do my best to convince the monarchs of the Griffon Kingdoms to come together and ally itself with your nation. Hopefully, we will be able to work together to protect our world together."

Watching this conversation going on, I had some questions that I decided to voice out. "Now wait a minute, you're already on board? Just like that? I thought there would be more to this, like first-hoof accounts of the various forces we could face, or of me informing you of the kinds of fate that the people of Equus may have to deal with if we were to be conquered?"

"Considering that you were always up for saving time, I decided to inform Ambassador Gerhard of all the knowledge that we know of in regards to this matter. Your presence however was to enlighten Gerhard of the kind of pony that would be training any griffon volunteers we would receive if this alliance would to be created," Celestia explained.

"Alright then, though I should tell you something, Ambassador Gerhard. If Equestria and the Griffon Kingdoms do end up as allies, you must be ready to inform any volunteers that they would be facing rather unorthodox training methods that some of my recruits would call pure evil."

"Oh? And what would your training methods me?" Gerhard asked with an amused expression.

"Oh, tossing giant rocks at ponies, having them climb trees than jump branch to branch without magic or flight, being covered in bees, to eating horrible food. Some of the folks in my first batch of recruits ended up with broken bones. I also will be testing any volunteers you send over to weed out the undesirables. So if we just summed it up, it will just be pain and the testing of their sanity," I nonchalantly replied, which caused the nobles to stare at me while Gerhard just blinked in surprise. "Hey, just being honest with you now, don't want any griffons to come over for nothing. I don't think anyone would like to do a two-way trip for nothing."