The Epsilon Pegasus

Chapters

Chapter 2. Curve Ball
Chapter 3. Backspin
Chapter 4. Tale Spin
Chapter 5. Loopholes
Chapter 6. Loops and Whorls
Chapter 7. Legal Loops and Corporate Hoops
Chapter 8. Rounding the Bases
Chapter 9. Around the Bend
Chapter 10. Cyclonic Motion
Chapter 11. Rifle Round
Chatper 12. Ballistic Spin
Chapter 13. Tempest in the Desert
Chapter 13.5 A Wing and a Prayer
Chapter 14. Leavetakings
Chapter 15. Feathering The Throttle
Chapter 16. Little Ponies in the Big City
Chapter 17. Coutdown to Spinout
Chapter 19. Learning the Ropes
Chapter 1. Thrown for a Loop
Chapter 18. A Tree Grows in...

Chapter 2. Curve Ball

“Loopy! Don’t leave me!” Nimby calls out.

Slowing down, Loopy looks around, “I’m not, I’m making sure it’s safe.”

Nimby catches up and lands beside the darker pegasus, panting. She moves close to snuggle with Loopy, “I’m sorry, I just get so scared without you.”

Looking up at the shattered sky, it is so hard to tell if it is day or night. They can’t see the stars, or the moon. It’s all just one multicolored splash of random colors washing together, ever changing in form and shape.

“I still can’t believe they are all gone.” Loopy says sadly, “Even Lightning Dust and the rest of the Wonderbolts haven’t been seen.”

“What are we going to do?” Nimbus looked around, the village is empty. Many of the windows are shattered, the ponies here after Discord have apparently moved on, “We haven’t seen anypony in days.”

“Same thing we always do, never give up, keep looking, keep trying.” Loopy ducks her head low as she moves into the house, looking around.

Nimby follows her in, looking around. Like other houses, this one looks like it’s been shaken to pieces. It was probably from one of the earthquakes that has struck Equestria over the last few weeks. Painting, mirrors, and books have all been knocked off the shelves and walls. Glass is on the floor, part of the roof has even collapsed.

“Oh sweet Celestia, it’s a treasure trove!” Loopy says, she sits herself high up on the kitchen counter and opens the cupboards.

Nimby prances in, “Whatcha find? And is any of that stuff still good?”

“Canned carrots, peas, corn. We can have a huge feast tonight.” Loopy smiles, “There’s even some cookies!”

“Canned cookies?” Nimby looks up, confused.

Loopy holds out the can to Nimby, smiling. “See?”

“Loopy.” Nimbus whined, “That’s a cooking can. Where did you learn to read?”

“From you.” Loopy giggles and tosses the can.

Finally the girls find some somewhat safe cover. They make a safe place for a fire and get one lit. They start using it to cook their spoils. “Where to next, Nimby?”

“You’ll think it’s stupid.” Nimby says around the spoon in her mouth as she stirs the pot.

“Nimby, I trust you, what’s the plan?” Loopy leans forward, sniffing the pot and drooling a little.

“The Everfree Forest. It has its own magic, there’s a chance we can find others there, hiding.”

“The Everfree it is.” Loopy smiles.

***

My eyes pop open, something is happening. I breathe deeply, then I hear my phone vibrating on the table. I groan and grab it, flipping it open, “Hi Kendra.”

Her excited voice comes through the speaker, “Check your thigh, I want to know what cutie mark you got.”

I shake my head, rubbing my thigh, “I was born just after one in the morning.” I groan and pull the phone away so I can see the screen, “Kendra, I’ve got like twenty minutes until then. I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

I can hear her pout over the phone, “Okay, Mary, I’ll let you get some sleep.”

I close the phone and set it back on the table, ugh. I lay back down and snuggle into my blankets, I was born too late, the ponies went through the portal just after midnight. Discord had to have been too busy to curse any more ponies at that point. I look at the wall, the poster of the Wonderbolts, based out of Florida is on my wall. The picture is them doing a close flyby with the US Navy Blue Angels F/A-18’s. It’s a spectacular picture, pegasi almost touching the wings of the airplanes as they pass each other at almost seven hundred miles an hour. I smile as sleep once again overtakes me.

***

The Everfree Forest looms all around, dark and twisted. The two foals look at each other and gulp. Taking to the air, Nimby lands on a tree branch.

“What are you doing?” Loopy blinks and flies up, landing beside her friend.

“We are going to tree hop. If we stay high in the trees, then the critters can’t get us.” Nimby says.

Loopy giggles, “We can just fly all the way, can’t we?”

“Nope, this way we can stop and look around. Then we’ll decide where next to go so we can listen for critters or other ponies.” Nimby nods. Nimby spreads her wings and ducks her head as she flies to the next tree. From there she looks around before waving Loopy forward to the next tree, further up in the woods.

Slowly, the pair leapfrog their way through the canopy. The smell of the moss and mire is thick in the air. The sounds of strange creatures are all around. Neither filly really wants to be on the ground around here.

“Loopy, do you hear that?” Nimby perks her ears forward, trying to focus on a new sound.

Loopy perks her ears too, leaning forward on her branch, “Is… is that singing?”

Both girls look at each other in astonishment, after a moment they take to the air and quickly fly to the sound. The sight of the fire catches their eyes, and they shoot towards the ground, landing gently. Looking around, they can smell the food cooking, and hear the singing, but they can’t see anypony.

“Hello?” Nimby calls out, “Were survivors too, we’re looking for help!”

“Hello?” Loopy calls out as well.

A forest doe steps out of the bushes, looking at the two, around her neck is a golden keg. By her side a young fawn also has a keg. “By the great tree, you two are so young. Why are you alone in these woods?” The doe speaks softly.

“Can you help? We’re looking for other ponies.” Nimby asks, with an air of pitifulness in her voice.

“I haven’t but maybe others have. Don’t worry little ones. You’re safe here. You can come with me.” The doe says in a mothering tone.

“Come with you where?” Loopy asks tilting her head.

“My home of course, the Village of Thicket.”

***

My eyes open once again, though it’s morning now. I shake my head and sit up, I pull out my sleep shirt and fan myself with it. I must have sweat a lot last night. Ugh. I stand up and shrug out of my sleep shirt. I toss it on the hamper and pad into the bathroom, I can hear my grandmother downstairs as she prepares breakfast. She always knows when I’m about to wake up. I shake my head in wonder as I lock the bathroom door and turn on the shower.

I spend a long time in the shower, letting the water play over my body, I’m supposed to go to work today. Ugh, it was hard enough getting three days free so I could fly Dustie to South Dakota, but I have to get to work today. I put a dollop of shampoo into my hand and start washing my dark hair. I keep it shoulder length, though Kendra keeps saying I should let it grow out, down to my rear. I always laugh about that, she says hair that long isn’t that hard to take care of. Though she should know, hers is below her rear end, I’ve helped her braid it from time to time. But I like my hair the way it is.

I rub my thigh, scratching an itch, and finally move my head under the shower head to rinse out the shampoo. Blindly I reach for the conditioner and work it into my hair, I really don’t know how I would handle having long hair like that. Though I have to admit, Kendra does look good with long hair. I stop working the conditioner in for a moment as I think of Kendra with a pixie cut, then shake my head, that look wouldn’t work for her. Once again I put my head under the shower head, using one hand to work the conditioner out as the other rubs my other thigh, the mosquitoes must have made it inside again, and boy, do they love the taste of my blood. Ugh, I use both hands on both thighs as the last of the stinging conditioner is rinsed from my hair. I keep my eyes closed as I turn off the water and reach past the shower curtain to grab the towel on the bar.

I apply the towel to my face and finally open my eyes. I step out of the shower and move over to wipe off the mirror. I’m greeted by my own eyes, I don’t think I slept very well, either that, or I need coffee. Coffee is always brewing at my house, my Grandmother makes sure of it. I find myself reaching down and scratching my outer thigh once again, I look down at the offending spot, expecting to see a large welt, what I actually see is a light orange swirl with four stars.

Huh?

I rub the mark on my thigh, it doesn’t come off. I shake my head hard, then look at my other thigh, it’s got the same mark. I growl and slam open the bathroom door and stalk to my room. I grab my phone, flip it open, and hold down the two button on it, after a moment it dials and I hold the phone up to my ear.

A groggy voice answer, “Hlo?”

“It’s not funny Kendra!” I nearly scream into the phone.

“Huh, wha’ now?”

“You made sure I would go back to sleep by calling me last night, then you snuck over here and put a mark on both of my thighs.”

Sounds of confusion on the other side of the connection, then she yelps, “Oh, Mary. I would never do that!” Her volume increases as she talks, “Oh my God, you got a cutie mark!”

I shake my head as I hold the phone away from my ear, I shout into the phone, “It’s impossible, Kendra, I can’t have a cutie mark!”

She stops screaming, and over the phone I can hear what sounds like frantic movement, “Don’t move, don’t even breathe, Mary. I will be right there.”

I roll my eyes, “Okay, whatever.” I growl and close the phone. I look around, noticing my nudity. If she’s coming over, I had better at least get some clothes on. She’s going to want to see it, so I grab a black skirt long enough to almost get to my knees, and a t-shirt to go with it. I look at myself in the mirror before I put the shirt on, I had better put on a bra too.

Ten minutes later, I can hear the scream of tires as Kendra makes the turn to my place. The tires screech again as she slams on the brakes. I’m walking down the stairs as she slams through the door, “Show it to me.”

I sigh and lift the side of my skirt, showing her the mark. She squeals, “You are going to become a pony!”

“What is all of this?” My grandmother turns from the stove, looking at me, “A pony?”

Kendra bounces over to her and gives her a hug, “Mary is going to turn into a pony. She was cursed by Discord twenty five years ago, on Equestria’s Independence Day!”

Grandma looks at me, then at Kendra, then back at me, “Is this true?”

I look at my thigh, then at Kendra, then I look down, “It looks like it.”

I get hugged by two people at the same time, Grandma murmurs in my ear, “I’ve had to live in a world without ponies, and you two never have. They have been a blessing for all of us. To hear you are becoming one, that is wonderful.”

Kendra simply squeals as she hugs me tighter.

I sigh, “What did I do to deserve this?”

***

An hour later, breakfast is done. Kendra and I are sitting on the large porch in a swinging chair. She’s giggling from time to time, though I’ve had to fend off her attempts to lift my skirt to see the mark again. Finally, she huffs and turns to me, “Mary, you need to go to New Beginnings.”

“I have to go to work.” I say, looking down at my feet, “I’ve got bills to pay, remember?”

She looks at me like I’ve grown a second head, “To work? You are turning into a pony. People have tried to stop the changes. They’ve tried medication, surgery, all kinds of things, nothing worked. Once that cutie mark appears, in three days, you’ll be a pony. You need to accept and embrace it.”

“I still don’t understand how I could be a pony, I was born during the invasion.”

Kendra pokes my hip gently, “Cutie marks don’t lie.”

I sigh as she gets up, she grabs my hand and draws me to my feet, “Go preflight the Widgeon, I’ll pack you a bag, we can be there late afternoon if we leave now. You just need to file a flight plan and you can fly higher, and go a bit faster. So get on your tablet and file one, and let’s get going!”

“But…” I try to protest, but there’s no arguing with Kendra when she’s like this. Stubborn as a…

I look at her for a long time, then mechanically start walking to my plane.

***

As I walk, I remember when I got my plane. I had just finished and gotten my license. I had been looking at Cessna’s or Piper’s, I saw a few Diamond’s that I really liked. Then I saw an ad for a Grumman Widgeon. I remember walking down the tarmac, heading towards the hangar. The woman was standing there, waiting for me.

“Mary Chan?” She asks.

I nod, and she puts an arm over my shoulder, “I’m so sorry to hear about your parents.”

I look at her, stunned. She chuckles, “I do background checks on everyone who wants to buy the planes I’m selling. My husband had several, and before he died, he told me to make sure his planes go to those who deserve them. That’s why I finally called you back.” She took five days from my initial online inquiry to call me back a second time, the first was for my information, she had said to see if I was really interested.

I’m standing here with half a million dollars, burning a hole in my account, the first half of the settlement from the trucking company after my parents were killed by one of their drivers. He was texting while driving, and survived the wreck without a scratch. So, I’m twenty years old, forced to move in with my grandmother, and now have a large volume of cash. I had always loved flying, so I got my license. And then I finally decided to buy a plane. And here I am, she leads me through the door of the large hangar, and I see half a dozen planes sitting there. In the center, in front of the open hangar doors, is a Grumman Widgeon, I walk up to it, enraptured.

I can hear her talking, “She has pretty new engines, they are Magellan Aerospace CS-225’s put in in 2035, in 2017, she had a full refit, which included semi modernization of the instruments, my husband didn’t like the glass cockpits in the new planes, but he did have them modernize the instruments, and they added a new transponder, TCAS, HF and VHF radio’s, hook ups for external displays for GPS, and new nav lights.”

I turn to her, a huge smile on my face, she smiles sweetly, “You don’t have to say it, I can see it in your eyes, you are in love.” She looks at the plane, then at me, “I’ll let her go for…” She pauses for the longest time, staring intently at me, “A hundred fifty thousand.”

I immediately stick out my hand, I had done some research myself, and the best price I could find for one after I first looked them up was a quarter million. This is a steal.

After setting up the wire transfer and signing all the paperwork for the plane. I flew it once, and took it to a unicorn I had talked to online. Her name was Gull Wing, and had a typical pegasus cutie mark, a cloud with a purple lightning bolt. She did a mending spell on the entire airframe, certifying it for twenty five years with checkups every five years. I was a very happy camper when I landed the plane for the first time in El Dorado.

***

Walking around my plane I sigh softly. Moving the elevators and rudder by hand, I look at the paint on her. “We’ve been together for so long, girl. I don’t want this to be our last flight.”

I finish my pre-flight inspection and climb in the side hatch looking around at the interior. Leaning over I close the breaker for power to the instruments, then take a seat. Looking up at the panel above me I flick the switches and power up the engines. Soon both engines are idling smoothly. Kendra bounces in, “All set?”

I nod and hand her a set of head phones, she bounces up and down in her chair, “Oh, this is so exciting!”

I look at her, “What am I going to do, Kendra? I’m turning into a pony.”

She looks at me, “Well, if you are lucky, you’ll be a pegasus and you’ll be able to keep flying. Though I do suppose a unicorn might have an easy time flying the plane too. Can you picture a unicorn using their magic to work the controls?”

I run my hands over the controls, would I have to give my plane up? I shake my head, “I’m not giving up my plane, even if I become an earth pony, I’m going to keep flying.”

She giggles as I reach up to push the throttles forward, “As if you would stay out of the air, Mary.”

***

I switch to the local control frequency for New Beginnings, I’m about ten minutes of flight time away from their airspace.

“This is N-1M6Y to New Beginnings control.”

After a few seconds a female voice comes over the com, “This is New Beginnings control, N-1M6Y, are you aware that New Beginnings is a pegasus only area? We don’t have provisions for landing private airplanes here.”

I look at Kendra and smile, then I key my mic, “This is an amphibious plane, and I’m transporting a human that is turning pony. All I need is a decent size lake, or a river with enough straight length for me to land, about half a mile will be good.”

Silence from the radio for a long moment, then finally, “N-1M6Y, you are cleared for a southerly approach to New Beginnings, and you can land on Lake Luna, it should be sufficient for your plane.”

I look at the GPS map and alter course, “Thank you, New Beginnings Control.”

Soon I can see the city of New Beginnings, with a population of nearly a hundred thousand ponies and about ten thousand humans, it’s the second largest city in Montana. Lake Luna is on the southern side of the city, so I’m gathering that they want me to approach as far away from where pegasi would be flying as possible. Soon it’s time to start my approach, I reach up and crank down the flaps half way as I lower my air speed.

I look over to my side, a pegasus, in some kind of uniform, is pacing next to me, Kendra squeals as she sees another pegasus on the other side, “They take air security serious here, I guess.” I call out quietly, and get a nod from Kendra. Soon we have the lake in front of us, it’s several square miles in size, and I was told that the ponies made it. Very impressive. I crank down the flaps all the way as I get my airspeed down as I get over the shoreline and slowly bring the plane down, we touch the water and finally start really slowing down. As we get to cruising speed, I head over to docks on the north side of the lake. Looking at them, some of them are obviously private, so I pull a bit to the east to where the apparent public docks are. I don’t bother with rotating around, I just pull in. Kendra grabs the tie down ropes from their storage spot and hops out as I shut down the engines. In moments, we are secure and I reach up to shut off the power.

***

I step out of the plane, one of the pegasi comes forward, I see the conformal head set inserted in her large ears, she’s got a throat mic as well, she looks at Kendra, then at me, “Welcome to New Beginnings, who is changing?”

Kendra points at me, I offer a small smile, the pegasus smiles brightly, “You don’t look like you are very far, when is your birthday?”

I look down, “Today.” I whisper. The pony smiles in confusion, I’m guessing she didn’t hear me.

Kendra pipes up, “Oh, today is her birthday. She’s twenty five.”

The pegasus tilts her head, “On Equestrian Independence Day, that’s special.”

I nod, and turn to the side and lift my skirt a bit, showing the mark, the pegasus clops her hooves together, “Oh goody, that’s a speedster pegasus style mark! Congratulations.”

I frown, “Huh?”

The mare chuckles, “Pegasi have different classes, based on their flight speed. Most pegasi top out at about two hundred or so miles per hour. Some can approach the speed of sound. Then you have the true speedsters. To them, breaking the speed of sound is nothing, and some are capable of several times the speed of sound. You have a mark that’s similar to many speedsters, so you likely will be a fast pegasus when the time comes.”

I look at my Widgeon, and then back at the pegasus mare, “Thank you. Is there anywhere I need to go?”

She cocks her head to the side, “Well, I would suggest that you get to the hospital and get some shots, to keep yourself healthy. Then you are free to do what you want. Since you are likely a pegasus, and a speedster, I would talk to Lightning Dust, she owns a couple of companies that are always looking for speedsters.”

I look at Kendra, and reach out and grab her hand, she may be super energetic, but she’s my anchor to reality, “I’ll go to the hospital.”

***

“I believe in you, Dash. I believe in you, Dust.” I’m able to choke out with the paw squeezing my neck.

His fetid breath is blown into my face as he starts his spell, and everything goes dark.

Where am I? I look around, I look down at my hand, it looks the same as it always does. I hear the clop of hooves, causing me to turn around, a pegasus is sitting there, she’s midnight blue, with a light gray mane. Bright green eyes blink at me.

I look at the mare, “Uh, hello.”

She cocks her head to the side, “Dust is alive?”

“Uh, yeah. I think.”

She shakes her head hard, “I thought Discord killed them all.” Her ears fall, her eyes filling with tears, “I had to fight him, I felt it deep inside me. I had to do something.”

I kneel down and hug the pegasus, “We found out as the ponies started appearing in our world, he cursed us.”

She sniffles, “As he held me, he said he doesn’t kill ponies.”

I squeeze her, letting her know I’m here, her forelegs wrap around me, and so do her wings, I hear her sigh, “And now I’m going to come back.”

I furrow my brow, “Huh?”

She pulls back, looking into my eyes, “You are me, I am you, we are Loop De Loop.”

I shake my head, “My name is Mary Chan.”

She giggles, “Not anymore, you can call yourself Mary, but you are Loopy.”

“No.”

“You know I’m right. You’ve talked to other ponies that were humans before. Some have told you what it was like to become a pony, a lot of my personality has been in you all along. Where do you think you get your love of flight from?”

I shake my head, but my heart isn’t in the objections anymore, she’s right. I finally moan, “I don’t want to lose myself.”

Hooves touch each side of my face, forcing me to look deeply into her eyes, “Oh, that’s impossible, you are me, I am you. You can’t lose what is already there.”

“Mary!”

I blink several times, Loopy becomes Kendra, I blink again, and look around, I’m sitting in the chair at the hospital.

Kendra giggles, “Leave you alone for five minutes and you fall asleep.”

“Huh?”

She snaps her fingers in front of my eyes, getting me to flinch, “Mary. Wake up.”

“Loopy.”

She looks at me, her eyebrows climbing, “What?”

I shake my head hard, “Loopy, that’s my name. My full name is Loop De Loop.”

She giggles, “Okay, Loopy it is.” She grabs my hand, drawing me to my feet, “But until you are on four hooves, I’m calling you Mary.” She looks back down the hallway, “They are ready for you.”

I follow her into the exam room, and sit on the table, Kendra takes the chair. In moments a unicorn walks in, “Mary Chan?”

I nod, she smiles, “Happy Birthday, and congratulations on your change. We’ll have you out of here in five minutes, apparently not very many equestrian diseases have made the jump to this world, and as Equestrians, we are immune to most terrestrial equine diseases, so I only have to give you two shots, and you’ll be protected.” Her horn lights and two plastic covered syringes float up, the plastic falling off, and they hover by my hip, “Could you lift your skirt please?”

I reach down and lift my skirt, the syringes dart in and away, the mare smiles, “And we are done.” I drop my skirt and stand up, “What do I owe ya?”

The mare looks at me oddly, “Initial inoculations are free. Don’t worry about it. It’s a pleasure helping those becoming ponies, and Happy Birthday!” She trots from the room.

I look at Kendra, “We need to see Lightning Dust.”

***

I walk up to the house, it’s enormous! I’ve known a bit about Lightning Dust, with her talking to the press from time to time, and all the other things she’s been in the public eye pretty much my entire life. Though now, I finally get to meet her. Something about all this is familiar, I knew Dust, before I was cursed. I had to have known her. I wonder if she would remember me.

I reach out and grab Kendra’s hand, she gives it a comforting squeeze. I look at her gratefully and smile. Then I reach out and knock on the door. After a few seconds, the door opens, and a stallion is standing there, he’s very similar in color to Lightning Dust, but I don’t know him.

I gulp several times, “I’ve come to see Lightning Dust.”

He looks at me, “Does she know you?”

I glance over at Kendra and back at him, “I think I knew her back in Equestria.” I know the fact that I’m changing isn’t very obvious yet, so I pull the side of my dress up, showing him my thigh.

His eyes widen, “I don’t know that cutie mark.” He leans forward, and reaches out a wing, gently brushing up against it, then looks up at me, “It’s real.”

I snort, “Well, of course it’s real.”

He chuckles, “You would not believe the number of people that have shown tattoos, trying to pass them off as cutie marks.”

I look at him, blinking in confusion, he smiles, “There are a lot of humans that desperately wish they can become ponies, but to permanently change, you have to have been touched by equestrian magic, it has to have had a permanent effect on you. Though that’s not something we’ve advertised. Only a few dozen have had that, some chose to become ponies, some didn’t.” He backs up, gesturing with a wing, “I’m Star Shine, I’m one of the stallions in Dust’s herd. Come on in. I’ll let Dust know you are here.”

We step into the large living room, slate tiles on the floor, a staircase off to the side heading upstairs, and the entire room is enormous, two stories in height, but changing lightbulbs as a pegasus is probably pretty easy. Star gestures to the couch and I sit down, Kendra joining me. I’m excited, but I’m also terrified. I watch as Star disappears down a side hallway.

After a few minutes, I lean over to Kendra, “I know I’ve said it about a million times, thank you.”

She squeezes my hand, “You know I’m here for you, girl.”

“Ma’am?” Comes Star’s voice, “Come over here, Lightning Dust is waiting for you.”

I slowly get up and walk towards Star, he’s at the end of the hall, and as I get close, he gestures to the open doorway, I can see her, Lightning Dust. I almost bounce in excitement, I almost pee myself in fear at the same time. Kendra and I get through the door and Star pulls the door closed with a wing, leaving us with Lighting Dust.

I stand there for a moment and look at her, she’s a lot how I remember seeing her in interviews. Though looking closer, she’s got more lines on her face, she looks older than I remember. She’s not facing me, she’s working the pony friendly keyboard on her desk, her wing is on the mouse. Though there’s a tightness to her eyes, she’s in pain. I finally clear my throat, “Hello.” I’m able to squeak out.

Dust looks at me, “Since you aren’t too far along, happy birthday. June first, hmm?”

I nod, then sit as the other pegasus gestures to the two chairs in front of her desk. “Happy Equestrian Independence Day.”

She nods, “I didn’t go to Equestria, but thanks.”

That makes me sit forward, “I saw the video, Lightning Dust, you were instrumental in defeating Discord on Earth.”

She sighs, “That was a long time ago. How can I help you?”

“Well, I’m changing.”

“I know that, but why are you at my house? Most ponies, when they first change, go to the hospital for initial inoculations and then to city hall to get help finding a place to live. Barracks until they can buy a house, or they rent. Not very many ponies come to my house when they are changing.”

I look down, “I think I knew you in Equestria, before…” I trail off. But I’m watching her reaction.

She looks at me expectantly, “Have you gotten your equestrian memories back?”

I shake my head, “Only a few bits and pieces, but the biggest things that stand out are my name, and that you told me that I was special, before I was cursed, your name, and Dash’s name, was on my mind.”

She smiles, “Well, I’m glad you remembered your name. What is it?”

“Mary Chan.” I say automatically, then I realize what I just said when Kendra suppresses a snort, I glare at her then look back at Lightning Dust, “Loop De Loop.”

Her eyes go wide, I can see she’s searching through her memories, after a moment she comes back to herself, “From junior speedster flight camp, less than a year before Discord happened.”

I nod, her smile gets wider, “You were special, Loopy. I don’t remember everything, but I do remember a little pegasus who really wanted to be the best flier. Had a good turn of speed, and also reminded me of myself at that age.” She lifts a foreleg, and I can see a phone strapped to it, she taps on the screen a few times, “I’ll have Moon Shadow get over here, she’s a dream specialist, she can help you with your memories.”

I look at Kendra, who’s smiling hugely, “Thank you. But I remember flying, I love to fly.”

Dust looks out the windows of her office, my plane is at the dock, less than a hundred feet away, “I watched you land, I’m assuming that was you.” She continues at my nod, “that’s a pretty nice aircraft you have there.”

I open my mouth, then shut it, I could spend hours talking about my baby, but that’s not why I’m here, “Well, I’m glad to have met you, Lightning Dust, my wings will reappear in a couple of days, maybe when I’m full pony, I’ll be able to come by, we could go flying?”

I watch several emotions pass over the older pegasus’ face, then she shakes her head, “We have ponies that can help pegasi get used to their wings after the curse lifts, one of them would be well qualified to help you relearn how to fly.”

There is a soft knock at the door, and a dark gray unicorn pushes in, she looks at Dust, then at me, “Dust, you texted me?”

She nods, “Loopy here needs help with her memories.”

The unicorn steps forward, a smile on her face, “Hello there, I’m Moon Shadow. I am a Dreamer, memories and dreams are intertwined, would it be okay with you if I were to attempt to help you, maybe shake some memories loose?”

I look at Kendra, who smiles and nods, then back at Moon Shadow. I gulp and nod my head jerkily. Moon Shadow comes up and her hoof reaches out and touches my hair, “Looks like your mane is starting to grow.” She says with a smile. I pull my hair to where I can see it, interspersed with the black is gray.

I groan, “I’m too young to go gray.”

Everyone else chuckles, Moon Shadow lights her horn, “This is going to feel very weird.” She touches her horn to my forehead.

Time stops as years of memories crash into me, I remember junior speedster camp, being yelled at by Spitfire, I remember going to Spitfire and Rainbow Dash later and thanking them for what they do. I remember them disappearing, I remember Nimby. Oh Nimby! She’s got to be over fifty years old now! I remember living in Thicket, in the Everfree Forest. Getting my cutie mark, years and years of living under Discord’s rule cause my face to crumple, tears flowing freely. “It was horrible, living under his rule.”

“We know, we’ve talked to a lot of ponies over the years that lived there.” Dust pipes up.

I look at her, then at Moon Shadow, “Thank you, Moon Shadow.”

I look at Kendra, she’s sitting there, unblinking, “Kendra.” I call quietly, she doesn’t respond. I reach out and tap her hand, no response.

I look at Moon Shadow, “Something is wrong with Kendra!” I moan.

Moon Shadow’s horn lights again, she moves over and touches Kendra, who shudders. Though Moon Shadow shudders as well, she pulls back, “Now that was different.” She peers into Kendra’s eyes, and after a moment, she blinks and smiles uncertainly.

“What?”

Moon Shadow glances at Dust, then back at Kendra, “Kendra, may I scan you again?”

Kendra looks to me, it’s my turn to nod with a smile. She looks at the unicorn and smiles as she nods, once again, Moon Shadow’s lit horn touches her forehead, and in moments, she gasps, “You have magic, Kendra!”

Kendra blinks slowly at Moon Shadow, “What?”

“You have magic, you are a human magic user. My using magic around you actually woke up your inborn ability.”

Kendra looks at me, her eyes wide, then back at Moon Shadow, “Seriously?”

Moon Shadow nods.

I smile at Kendra, “That is so cool!”

She smiles at me, Moon Shadow giggles, “We need to get you trained, it will be a while before your strength can be gauged, as well as any special abilities, but we are going to have to enroll you in school to get trained.”

Kendra looks at me, panicking, “But I’ve got a job, and I help out at my parent’s farm, I don’t have time for school.”

I giggle, “I had a job, until you made me quit to come here.”

She pouts, “That’s different, you are turning into a pony.”

I shake my head, “No, it’s not! You are turning into a magic user!”

She sighs, “Got any job openings?”

Dust chuckles, “I think I know a few places that can use a magic user. But you do need training.”

I look at Dust, “Please, Dust, I need you to come with me, for me to fly again, you were my hero.”

Dust’s face gets wooden, she turns back to her computer, “I’m sorry, but there are far better qualified pegasi who can teach you how to use your wings again.”

“No, and it’s time for you to go.”

Kendra stands up and walks to the door, she grabs my hand, but I don’t move, I don’t even stand up, “Please, Lightning Dust, you are the one I want to teach me.

Moon Shadow clears her throat gently, “Loopy, I would strongly suggest that you get going.”

“But why?” I wail.

“Because I can’t fly!” Dust shouts at me as she jumps up on her desk, her wings spreading in anger. She looks shocked, her wings folding to her sides, “Not anymore.”

“I don’t understand, Dust. You taught me to be a speedster, you taught me how to use my potential.”

Dust looks at her me, “Please leave.” She says quietly, it sounds like she’s barely holding back tears.

I shake my head vehemently, “Please Dust, how long has it been since you lost your flight?”

Moon Shadow looks at Dust, then at me, “It’s a long story, little one. I’m sorry.”

I stand up and jump at Dust, hugging her, “Oh, Dust, I’m so sorry.” I whisper into her ear. She’s trembling, her wings don’t know whether to flare in rage, or droop down. They simply flutter.

She sobs into my shoulder, then it’s like a dam has broken, she starts to bawl. Her body shuddering with every sob, I squeeze her tighter as she cries. It’s eerie though, she makes almost no sound, just the occasional hiccup when she sobs. The shoulder of my shirt is soaked in moments. She rears up and puts her forehooves around me, and then her wings.

For a long time I stand like that, us holding each other, while she cries herself out. And finally she pulls back, she reaches over with a wing and pulls out a tissue, which she uses to wipe her face and she blows her nose. Finally she sits back down in her chair, her emotions warring on her face, she sighs, “I haven’t cried about that for quite a while.” She looks down, “I’m so sorry, I don’t usually make it a habit to cry on a stranger’s shoulder fifteen minutes after meeting them.”

I look at her, “Don’t worry about that, but I have to know, how did it happen?”

She looks at me for a long time, then gestures to the seat, Kendra sits down quickly, and I settle myself into the chair again, Moon Shadow moves over next to Dust and hugs her as well, Dust puts a wing over Moon Shadow and starts to talk. “About twenty years ago, there was a clone of Twilight Sparkle in this world.”

I look at Kendra, her eyes have gone as wide as they can go, we both look back at Lightning Dust, she clears her throat, “We were in Florida, and the clone appeared, she had a very unhealthy obsession with Irony.” She sighs again, “We fought, and she was able to teleport my entire herd back here to Montana. I made the trip in twenty three minutes, fourteen seconds, according to the radar records of the 520th pegasus squadron.”

I look at Kendra, my eyes wide, my expression mirrored on Kendra’s face, we look back at Dust, “How fast were you going?”

She shrugs her wings, “I don’t know, mach seven or eight, I think, when I finally got here.” She looks down, “I died.”

I shake my head hard, did I just hear that right? “You died?”

She nods, “I gave my life to protect my herd, to protect my family.” She stops talking for a long time, her emotions flashing across her face, then she looks up at me, “I was brought back by Discord, he told me that I wasn’t done here yet, and he restored my body.” She reaches over and gently touches her left wing, “I didn’t know at the time, I thought it was a horrible case of magical exhaustion, but it turns out, I had snapped my connection to my magic at the end of that flight.”

“Oh Dust, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have pressed you.”

She raises a hoof, and sighs, “I’ve made peace with it, with never flying again, never to feel the wind beneath my wings, never to feel that wonderful feeling of using my magic the way it was intended.” She stops, her eyes filling with tears, “But…” Her face crumples, “It does still hurt, I do cry about it, from time to time.” She glances at Moon Shadow, “I don’t tell them, given the choice of my ability to fly or you, or Irony, or anypony in our herd. I would still choose you every time.” She slumps back into her chair, using a hoof to rotate the chair around to look out the windows at the setting sun, “But I do miss it.”

“I’m sorry, Dust.” I murmur.

She chuckles, “It’s okay, Loopy. As I’ve said, I made peace with it.” She sighs, “It was worth the price.”

Kendra again gets up, pulling me to my feet. I look at the unicorn and pegasus sitting there, and once again move over to them, hugging them both, “Thank you so much. For opening up to me.”

Chapter 3. Backspin

I close Dust’s front door as I exit, “So, where to now?” Kendra asks.

I walk mechanically, just putting one foot in front of the other, Kendra joins me, walking next to me, her hand reaches out, catching mine. I almost stop as I look at her hand holding mine, I look into her eyes, “Kendra, I think I would fall apart if it weren’t for you.”

She brings me into a hug, “I’m here for you, no matter what your name is, no matter what you look like.”

I finally hug her back, holding back tears, I don’t want to cry right now, I sniff hard, and pull back, “Let’s get our stuff out of the Widgeon, we’ll have an easier time running around town on the bikes.”

She giggles and leads me towards the public docks. We walk quietly until we get close to the docks, then Kendra sees something, and she squeezes my hand. I look up, “What the…”

A pegasus is lounging on the wing of the Widgeon, the door is open and two of the seats apparently have been unbolted and set on the dock. I break into a run down the dock, “What the hell is going on?” I shout.

The pegasus on the wing looks at me for a long moment, then looks inside the plane, “I told you, Zed, you were going to get in trouble.”

There’s an electronic sizzle from inside and a yelp, and more than a little banging. I look inside and see an earth pony in the space where half my seats were, his forward half is underneath the control panel. “Give me a second.” He shouts out.

“Ya know, Zed’s an absolute genius when it comes to electronics. He noticed something, so he wanted to fix it.” The pegasus calls from the wing.

I look at the pegasus, then at the plane, “It’s not your plane, it’s mine, what the hell?”

The pegasus launches off the wing, and does a short loop in the air, ending up landing on the deck in front of me, “Zed’s my brother, he means no offense.” She moves forward, crowding me back, away from the door.

I look at the pure white pegasus with a bright metallic silver mane, “And you are?”

She smiles and holds out a hoof, “I’m Mischief!”

I look at her a long time, some movement happens inside my plane, finally a gray face pops up, he’s got a shocking multicolored mane, not like Rainbow Dash’s, he’s mainly a midnight blue, but he has streaks of half a dozen colors all throughout his mane. And the most beautiful blue eyes, he backs out to the door and steps out, “It’s all fixed, your altimeter had a short in it.”

I look at him hard, “I know, I was planning on getting it fixed when I got to an airport.”

His ears fall, “I smelled the short.” He looks down, “It was an easy fix.”

I look at the earth pony, “I would have handled it.”

Mischief’s voice is right next to my ear, “He’s the best at electronics for a thousand miles. Should trust him.” I look over, and she’s gone. She must be a speedster herself. I look at Zed, then at Kendra, thinking furiously.

“You know, he just wanted to help, Mary.” Kendra says, putting an arm around me.

“Oye, are you changing?” comes Mischief’s voice, she’s hovering upside down right over me, she flicks my ear with a hoof, and I clap my hand to it. Wait a second, my ears aren’t on the top of my head. I feel the triangular ear, touching the soft fur, feeling it twitch in response to the touch.

“My ears have moved.” I say in wonder.

Kendra giggles, “It happened just after we left Dust’s house.”

“You were at my house?” Mischief says, landing in front of me, “Do you know my mom?”

I furrow my brow, “I was talking to Lightning Dust. I remembered her from Equestria.”

Mischief cocks her head to her side, her ears falling the same direction, “Yeah, my mom. Why were you meeting with her?”

I shake my head, this is Lightning Dust’s daughter? “I knew her in Equestria, I was about eight when most of the ponies were taken by Discord. Nimby and I had to survive and hide for most of the twenty five years until I was cursed.”

She looks me up and down, “You aren’t very far along.” Her ears fall as her eyes get huge, “You were cursed on Equestria’s independence day! That’s so cool.” She leaps into the air, doing a short loop, landing back on her hooves.

Zed comes forward, apparently while we were talking, he had bolted the seats back where they belong. Now I get an idea of this pony’s size. He’s huge, with a barrel chest and massive muscles, he’s almost horse sized going by height, but he’s built like a truck. He gently offers a hoof, “Your plane is ready to go, it’s beautiful, by the way. Who is that supposed to be?” He points at the picture of the pegasus on the nose of the plane.

I take a long look at the picture, looking at the mane color, the color of the coat. I move forward and trace a finger along the picture, then look back at Kendra, “You captured her perfectly.”

Kendra frowns, “Who?”

“Nimby.”

“Who?”

I smile as I touch the paint again, “Nimbus, my best friend in the whole of Equestria. We were together for years, we grew up together. After Discord, during the chaos. Until I fought the chaos.” I feel tears fall down my cheeks, “She was left alone. She probably think’s I’m dead.”

I find a white pair of forelegs wrapping around me, along with a set of wings, “I’m sorry.” Mischief murmurs in my ear, then she brightens, “We can send a message to Equestria, see if somepony knows Nimby, maybe you can go back and be with your friend.”

I look at the picture for a long time, “She’s twenty-five years older than I am now.” I look back at Kendra, “What if she doesn’t remember me?”

I find myself getting hugged by two ponies and a human, Kendra murmurs in my ear, “If you were as important to her then, she’ll remember you.”

Mischief giggles, “Remember, she’s been in Equestria, she has to know about the curse now. She probably has been counting down the days until you were back.”

I feel my ears fold flat, “I hope so.” I’m able to murmur as I move away from the plane. I reach over to Zed, I grab his ear, pinching hard, getting a gasp from him. I bring up my hand, he follows slowly, his eyes wide. I bring my face close to his, my voice hard, “If you ever start taking apart my baby, you had better make sure I’m there, or I will geld you. Understood?”

He nods and gulps. I let his ear go, Zed flinches back, and Mischief whaps him upside the head with a wing, “Told ya.” She growls at him.

He’s back on all fours, and he walks towards shore, looking back at me several times, his ears flicking. But I catch a smile from him as he gets on land. He gallops off, Mischief flying next to him.

A hand waves in front of my face, causing me to blink, “Loopy is a good name for you.” Kendra chirps.

I look at her in confusion, she giggles, “He’s cute, isn’t he?”

Huh? “What are you talking about?” Is what I say.

Kendra flicks my ear as she turns back to the Widgeon, “If you had your wings back, I’d swear you’d have a wing boner from hell.”

I turn and look at her, “What are you talking about, Kendra?”

She giggles, “You were blushing, the last time your face was like that, you were looking at Chris Scott.”

My face flames anew, I had a huge crush on him for two years, and he doesn’t even know I exist, I turn and open the door of the Widgeon, “Let’s see if we can find a place to stay for the night.” I grab my motorbike, pulling the charge cord off and hanging it up. I walk the bike down the dock, ignoring the smirk from Kendra as she pulls her own bike out of the plane and walks it down the dock herself.

***

Lightning Dust looks at the closed door and shakes her head, letting some memories loose. She hops off of her chair and heads downstairs to Mindy’s server room. One other part of the downstairs complex is record keeping. The shelves have business records from Lightning Electric, along with many other ventures that Dust has had a hoof in since her change. She trots to a storage container. She bites the handle and shifts the container onto her back. Extending her wings slightly to steady the container, and ignoring the stabbing pain that rewards her every time she uses her wings, she heads back upstairs to her office.

Two hours later, she finally finds the paper that she was looking for. A transcript that Princess Twilight Sparkle had sent to Princess Luna, who had given it to Dust and the pony colony in Montana. She scans the paper.

Sitting in the castle, Nimbus keeps her head low. “Please Princess.” She murmurs, tears leaking on the floor.

I hug the morose pegasus, “Look, it’s not good idea, there’s no guarantee it would even work. There are billions of humans over the entire planet, you could end up anywhere.” I say as I shake my head.

“She gave up everything for Equestria, for us. Even if there is the smallest of chances, I’ve lost so much.” She wilts, “I can’t lose her too.” Nimbus looks up, tears continuing to stream down her face, “I don’t want to go on without her, She’s all I have left.”

Applejack comes up and hugs her too, “Sugar cube, there are better ways than this.” She sighs, “Ah know what it feels like to lose family.”

Wings quivering as she sobs, Nimbus looks down at her hooves, “I’ve never asked for anything, I’ve never hoped for much, because I never had much to hope for.” She looks up at me, her gaze clear and steady, “Please, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I beg of you. Use Discord’s curse on me.”

“Talk about meticulous record keeping,” Dust murmurs as she finishes reading the page. She flips the page over, then looks at the folder of communications sent through the portal that first opening, two and a half years after the fight with Discord. She finally dumps the entire storage container out on the floor of her office, spreading around the papers as she searches.

She hears someone humming, and looks, “Mindy, I was just about to call for you.” Mindy is laying on the floor, a crayon in her mouth, she’s drawing on one of the papers. Dust rolls her eyes.

Mindy giggles, “I know, Dustie.”

Dust picks up the communique and shows it to Mindy, “Where is the rest of it?”

Mindy giggles, “How should I know? It was your paperwork that Princess Luna gave you before she went back home.”

Dust growls, “I’m not a diplomat, I’m not a secretary. You know me. I just sorta…” she sighs, “glanced at it and tossed it in the pile, it ended up in the folder, in the storage container.”

Mindy levitates the paper, showing the torn edge, “Well, Dustie, if you had paid attention, it was stapled to page two.”

“Well duh, I’m looking for page two. It was two and a half years after the fight with Discord, the opening where so many ponies went home. I was kind of busy, and I was still getting the hang of hooves and mouth for paperwork.”

Mindy glances at the papers on Dust’s desk, “You know, Dustie, we have a wonderful invention. They are called computers. They make record keeping a lot easier.”

Dust huffs and rolls her eyes, “I know, Mindy. I’ve got plenty of the paperwork on computer, but even now, some paperwork is still on paper.”

Mindy’s magic gathers all the papers from the floor, along with pictures and flash drives containing videos and recordings, and files them into the box, “Dustie, I don’t know where the rest is. But it looks like there might be another pony out there waiting to turn back.”

Dust shudders, “Dear Celestia, I hope not.”

***

“Loopy! Dinner!” The doe calls out, “Bring Nimby down too.”

Jumping off the top of the stairs, Loopy spreads her wings and glides down to the landing. It’s her favorite way to go down stairs. It does, however, get a stern look from the doe.

“What have I said?” The doe says as she puts the bowls on the table.

“Walk, don’t glide. If someone comes around the corner I could crash into them.” Loopy says just as the fawn comes around the corner, she looks at Loopy then at her mom, blinking.

Nimby bounds down the stairs and skids to a stop, lining up with the fawn and Loopy. “Ready ma’am.”

“Hooves up.” She giggles.

All three children hold out their hooves for inspection before she nods. “Good, tonight were having forest stew.” She says with a smile.

All the kids cheer as they take their places at the table. There is nothing better than a doe’s fresh cooked meal on a cool day. The thick broth, the hearty bread, was all enough to make a pegasus drool.

***

My eyes pop open. The small inn here in New Beginnings was insistent that I stay here for free, a courtesy to those starting their changes, I was told. Kendra even was allowed to join me, new ponies need their friends, be they human or pony, was the response. I have to smile at that. I shift in my bed, and reach down, I find what woke me up. I actually am able to smile, I reach up and turn on the small LED reading lamp next to my bed, I’ve got a tail now. It’s gray, just like my mane. I shift a leg, looking at my feet, I’m going to have hooves in a few hours, my middle toe is wider, it looks like my other toes are fusing together. I try to wiggle them, getting no response. I sigh and put my foot back under the covers.

A soft snore interrupts my thoughts, Kendra is completely out in the next bed, this room is nice, two queen sized beds. I look at her sleeping soundly, I feel hollow, cold. It’s the middle of summer, and yet…

I finally make up my mind, I throw the covers off of me, and use the mutant feet I’ve now got to move to Kendra’s bed. I slide under the covers with her, and snuggle up next to her.

“Mfff, guh, huh?” She murmurs.

“Can I lie down with you, please?” I ask as I hug her tightly.

“Mfff, uh huh.” She groans, an arm snaking around me, pulling me close.

I snuggle into my friend, that’s what I was missing. I sigh happily and close my eyes once again.

***

“Are you coming to class Loopy?” Asha chirps at the foal pouting on the bed.

“Why?” Loopy moans, “What’s the point?”

Sitting down on the floor the fawn puts her forelegs on the bed. She places her chin between her legs, looking at the moping pegasus.

“What do you want?” Loopy growls.

“You to stop moping.” Asha said. “Come to class, we are learning potions today.”

“Asha, they’re all gone.” Loopy says with a sigh.

“Nuh uh.” The fawn says softly.

“What do you mean Nuh uh.” Loopy says, lifting her head and looking at the fawn.

“I’m looking at one right now.” Asha giggles, “As long as you and Nimby are here, then they are not all gone. And with you, there’s hope. So find that hope in your heart.”

Loopy looks down at her chest.

“You are hope. Nimby is hope. And I can’t just let hope wither and die in this room.” Asha says, putting her hoof square on Loopy’s chest. “Now then, let’s get going before Nimby has a panic attack.”

***

Sunlight streams through the window, okay, I’m awake now. I stretch a bit, minding the still sleeping Kendra. I slip off the bed and stand up, looking down, yup, I’ve got hooves now. They are a dark plum color, identical color fur is starting to creep up my leg. I feel my tail twitching. I walk as quietly as possible, though I’m very pleased with the thick, luxurious carpeting in this hotel room. I twitch my tail aside and sit to do my morning business. Brushing my teeth is quickly taken care of, and I look at Kendra, she’s still sleeping. I smile as I pull my backpack onto the bed. Rooting through it, I smile. Kendra packed me some sweats. I grab my utility knife from the front pocket of my backpack and make a slit in the back of my sweat pants, a moments work has my tail threaded through the hole, and I pull on a shirt. I take a quick look in the mirror.

Then I stop, looking at my face, the face that I’ve had for twenty-five years, and now I’m going to have a new face. Then I look at my eyes again, they aren’t their normal brown. Bright green eyes are staring back at me. I close my eyes and shake my head, “I’m going to have to get used to all these changes.” I murmur. I pull my small purse from my bag, loading it up with my wallet and cell phone. I usually wear jeans, and just put my wallet and cell in them, but I think those days are now over. I sigh as I open the door. I close it gently, Kendra doesn’t get to sleep late very often, living on a farm, I’m going to let her get her beauty sleep.

Stepping outside, I look around, ponies, ponies everywhere. A bat pony is walking by, I clear my throat to get her attention, she looks at me politely.

“Um, excuse me, I’m changing into a pony. I know I need supplies, where do I go?” I look down.

“Oh, you poor dear. That Discord has cursed so many of us.” She says, her wing extends, resting under my chin and bringing my face up to look at her, “they have a couple of stores in New Beginnings with all the things you’ll need. A foreleg case for your cell phone, Bluetooth pieces that fit comfortably in your new ears, food, all sorts of things.” She smiles, “Even some pony clothing if you want some. Most of us don’t wear much, if any clothing, except for special occasions. But some of the ponies, when they first change, find they are self-conscious. Have you arranged for housing yet?”

I shake my head, “I just started changing yesterday, I got here yesterday afternoon, and I’m looking for a place.”

She cocks her head to the side, “What tribe are you?”

“Umm, pegasus, I think. I’m Loop De Loop.”

A big smile, “Well, Loop De Loop, if you feel adventurous, you can build your own cloud home.” She points to several cloud homes dotting the landscape, “Or you can live at Rim of the Sky, a lot of pegasi are living there. Or if you really want to be ground bound, you can get a house here. Prices are reasonable, and I know a few that are renting out houses.”

I smile, “Thank you.”

A card is passed to me, a phone number written on back, I look at the front, “Night Wing, EUP Recruiting.”

She nods, “I am a recruiter, the EUP is officially part of the US armed forces. We are pony led, and comprised of ponies, but we train with, and deploy with, human military members. Once you finish your change, you can certainly check out the options we have available. Do you remember what you did in Equestria?”

I nod, “All we did, mainly, was survive. We had shelter for years in Thicket, in the Everfree Forest. I never had a real job, we did find some ponies after some years. But we had to live under the chaos of Discord.”

Her wing brushes the side of my face, “You are sweet, young one. If you want, we can certainly use all the pegasi we can find. The 520th always is looking for speedsters. If you are fast enough, and good enough in the air, you could become a Wonderbolt. There are always options for ponies in the EUP.”

I thank her and follow her directions to get to one of the stores. I find myself walking up and down the aisles. My cart quickly gets a phone case, a Bluetooth, a set of saddle bags, with a plain metal clasps. I look at the food options, for some reason, I find myself grabbing a brightly colored box of alfalfa pellets, the pony on the front of the box looks pretty happy. Her smile getting a smile out of me as I put the box in the cart. A few more snack foods make it into the cart and finally I walk through the clothing. Panties designed with ponies in mind, I look at them a long time, I finally grab a pack of them, along with some pants and other clothing. What memories that Moon Shadow was able to stir tell me I didn’t wear clothing, pretty much at all, in Equestria. But right now, the thought of me walking around naked, that makes me want to shudder.

I get all my purchases and make my way up to the front, the unicorn quickly passes the items over the scanner.

“You changing?” She chirps.

I nod, “My birthday was yesterday.”

She smiles, when she gets to the saddle bags, “Can I see your cutie mark?”

I frown and look around, not very many ponies are here this early in the morning, finally I lower my sweat pants a bit so she can see, her horn lights and the plain metal clasps turn to replicas of my cutie mark, she smiles, “You have a very pretty cutie mark.”

I nod in thanks as she finishes ringing me up. I reach to swipe my debit card, only to have it encased in magic and put firmly back in the wallet, “Call it a late birthday present.” She says with a smile.

I look at her, “You really don’t need to.”

She giggles, “It’s not only store policy, I’m glad to do it. You had to go through the curse from Discord, and while the first ponies to transform back had it hard, we try to make the transition as easy as possible for ponies that are changing. We know what you are going through. Especially when one of the dreamers is able to help get your memories back, it makes the process both easier, and harder.”

I think about that moment when Moon Shadow opened the flood of memories into my head and nod, I’m still trying to make sense of everything. Though it’s nice to know some of the things I remember from Equestria. It’s all overwhelming. Finally I smile at her, “Thank you so much.”

She smiles brightly again, “Don’t mention it.”

I pack most of my purchases into my new saddle bags and throw them over my shoulder. I walk back to the hotel and grab my bike, Kendra’s is still there. She must still be snoozing. I laugh a bit as I throw a leg over the bike. Then I discover something, my hooves don’t fit on the pegs correctly. While I don’t have a transmission lever on the electric bike, my rear brake is foot operated. I don’t have feet anymore. I frown for a moment. I can put a hoof on the peg, but it will take a deliberate action to hit the rear brake. I look around, I don’t see many ponies riding motor bikes around here. Though they have walking and running endurance that boggles my mind.

I finally am able to twist the throttle and get balanced on two wheels. While New Beginnings is primarily pony, they have provisions for vehicle traffic, and there are always semi-trucks around making deliveries or picking up freight. Most of that is handled in a big distribution center to the west of town, though. There are roads for vehicle traffic in New Beginnings. I tool towards the docks and finally make it to the Widgeon. I load up my stuff into the front storage compartment. I hang my bike and set it to charge. A quick pre-flight, and I power up my baby. I check the altimeter, it looks like it’s working consistently now. No need to guess my altitude.

I smile as the engines spool up, reversing the propellers, I push the throttles forward to back away from the dock. Pulling back the throttle for my port motor allows me to rotate as I continue backing, finally I’m orientated the way I want. I inform New Beginnings control that I’ll be leaving and that I’ll be back soon, I finally push the throttles for some serious power, the shape of the hull lifting a bit as I speed up, I bounce across the water and finally am able to get off the water. I’m in the air, something that always brings a smile to my face.

I climb out to the south and after I get out of the New Beginnings control area, I turn west. Miles City is a short flight away, and I’ll land there, they didn’t have fuel for me in New Beginnings. Less than an hour of flight time has me on approach. Soon I’m on final, when I remember, I’m landing on land this time. I reach up and hit the switch, a hydraulic whine announces my gear descending. Being a tail dragger, I have to land differently than most planes. Something that was pretty hard to learn as a newbie pilot. But now I’m an old hand at landing my baby on land.

My front wheels touch the tarmac at the small municipal airport with a short screech. I pull back further on the throttle, allowing my rear wheel to touch the ground. I keep at the recommended taxi speed as I head off the runway towards the private plane area. I sigh happily as I am able to power down the engines. I pull my bike off its rack and heave it onto the concrete.

A throat is cleared behind me, I turn around, an airport employee is standing there, I smile at him, “Good morning.” I smile as I dig out my debit card, I hand it to him, a fill up of Jet A-1 is in order this morning. And my engines need oil changes. I toss off a salute to the mechanic as I hop on my bike, a quick twist of the throttle heads me towards the gate and finally off the airport property.

I head down the road, keeping my head swiveling, I’ve never been to this city before. My stomach growls, I think I’ll satisfy it. Ah, that place looks pretty good. I turn into the parking lot, I wish this town has an IHOP, but I guess Four B’s will have to do.

The waitress looks at me as her jaw drops. Then I remember, I’m half way between human and pony. I feel my tail twitch, I look down, “I’m sorry, I’m in the middle of the change to pony, I was cursed.” I murmur, my ears twitching.

She smiles, “Oh, I was wondering. As far as I know, only Irony is able to walk on two hooves, but she’s really tall.”

“And I’m short.”

She smiles, “You aren’t as tall as she is.”

I giggle, “She visit here?”

She shrugs, “Once in a while, when her family comes to town.”

I nod as she leads me to a booth. The restaurant is about half full. I start looking at the menu, my ears twitching, I’m starting to realize that these new ears are very sensitive, I can hear the conversation in the booth behind me as though I’m sitting with them.

A male voice, “I don’t know why those freaks have to leave their city.”

Another male voice, “We’ve been trying to get legislation to confine them to their settlements and force them through the portal when it opens, but they’ve got ponies in the House and Senate now, any attempts goes nowhere.”

The first voice, “Every time we protest, that damned Lightning Dust is in our faces, along with her damnable herd.”

My eyes are wide, protests? Legislation? What’s going on? These people sound like they hate ponies. I’m just starting to change into one. I feel tears starting to leak down my face.

The second voice chimes in, “Well, we are going to protest again, we’ve got the ABC affiliate to cover our protest this time. Maybe we can get some press this time?”

I shake my head hard, both my ears are rotated back, so I can hear them better, I can’t believe what I’m hearing!

“So, have you decided?”

I blink a few times, looking at the smiling waitress, her smile falters as she sees the tears on my face. I shake my head, “A few more minutes?”

She looks at me, concern on her face, she tries a smile, “I’ll be back in a few.” She puts a hand on my shoulder, “I’ve talked to a few ponies just after their change, it’s a scary time sweetie. But it’s also a happy time, you are becoming what you were. It’s okay.”

I sniffle and shake my head, “It’s not that.” I look back at the other booth, I lower my voice to a whisper, “Those people.”

She furrows her brow, I continue, “They hate ponies.” I’m able to moan.

She surprises me by sitting next to me, she puts her arm around me in a hug, “Oh, sweetie, I had a cousin change, she lives in New Beginnings now, ponies are just fine. Don’t worry about what people say, there is nothing wrong with you.”

I sniffle a couple of times, she finally pulls away, a smile on her face, “You know what you want to eat?”

I shake my head, “I need to go.” I say, pulling out a ten dollar bill and setting it on the table. I stand up, walking past the booth, there are four people in the booth, and they all give me baleful looks as I walk past. I rush out the door and head to my bike. I leave a strip of rubber as I twist the throttle hard and head onto the road, ignoring the angry honking of a semi-truck as I streak down the road, heading for the airport. A matter of minutes has me at my Widgeon. I load the bike onto my plane and rush over to the office. I sign the receipt for the fuel and oil change and rush back to the Widgeon. I do my pre-flight in record time and finally settle into the left seat.

Shortly both engines are wailing as I power down the runway, my tail lifts and I pull back gently to gain altitude, keeping the throttles all the way forward as I head back towards New Beginnings. I keep my airspeed up and in record time, I’m landing on Lake Luna. I get to the dock, backing the plane into position and powering down quickly. I throw the main switch and clamber out of the Widgeon, I don’t worry about my bike. I simply run flat out, in moments I’m at Dust’s front door.

My frantic knocking finally gets the door to open. I look up, and then up some more, a massive earth pony is standing there, on two hooves, she’s midnight blue and I stare into her big eyes, “Irony?” I ask.

She nods.

“I need to see Dust, right now.”

She frowns but she backs up, gesturing for me to enter. I brush past her, and rush down the hall, I stick my head in the office, nopony is there, I moan and turn around, the heavy tread behind me shows Irony has followed me. I turn to her, “Where is she?”

She gestures with a thumb behind her, “She’s in the kitchen. Something wrong?”

I nod and she turns, I follow her to the kitchen, Dust is sitting on a stool with other members of her family, apparently finishing her breakfast, the smell has my stomach lurching, somepony can really cook. She looks at me curiously, I take a stool and tell her what I heard. Her face getting darker with every word.

“Thank you for telling me what you heard, Loopy. We’ve had to deal with these people before, they believe Earth is for humans only. They try to be bible based, but the bible doesn’t address the fact that there is a multiverse. We’ve been accepted by most of humanity.” She sighs, “But humans wouldn’t be humans if there weren’t those who believed different than the norm.” She shakes her head, “It sounds like they are coming here. I’ll call the guard, let them know some trouble makers are going to be showing up.” She hops off the stool and comes around the table, rearing up on two hooves to give me a hug, “Thank you for telling me.” She murmurs into my ear.

She pulls away, “You hungry?” She asks.

I shake my head and my stomach growls loudly, I look down at it, “Traitor.” I growl.

Dust giggles, then looks over at the massive earth pony, “Irony, you’re up.”

She walks over to the stove and starts cooking, Dust settles back into her seat and pulls a mug full of steaming coffee over to her. In moments a mug magically moves over to me, Sunset Shimmer smiles as her horn quiets and she hops herself up into a chair.

Dust glances back at Irony while she’s cooking, then back at me, “So, do you have any plans?”

I was in the process of taking a sip, I am able to get it down before I set the mug down, “Plans?

“You know, what you want to do, now that you are becoming a pony.”

I look down, “I haven’t been thinking ahead.”

“That’s understandable.” Intones Sunset Shimmer.

Dust smiles, “Well, you could join the EUP over at Fort Inkwell. They’ll find a place for you.”

I shake my head, “I don’t know, don’t know if I’d like uniformed service.”

She smiles, “Too independent to accept orders?”

I look around, “Well, no. I’ve never had anypony give orders, it was Nimby and I for years, until we found the other ponies living under Discord’s rule.”

Dust looks at Sunset and smiles, the other mare smiles back, leaving me clueless.

A knock at the door gets Dust to perk up. She hops off of her stool and trots to the door. A few moments later, I’m hugged by Kendra, “Oh, Mary, why didn’t you wake me up?”

I look down, “You were sleeping so peacefully.”

Kendra rolls her eyes, “You need someone with you, and that’s me. But guess who I brought with me?”

She steps aside, revealing a pink unicorn sitting there, with wide eyes, “You’re changing, Mary?”

I jump over to Dustie and hug her, “Yes, can you believe it?”

She hugs me tighter, “Are you moving away from Kansas?”

I pull back, looking her in the eyes, “I think I’ll move to New Beginnings, Kendra needs training by a unicorn.”

Dustie looks wide eyes at Kendra, who shrugs her shoulders, “Oops.”

I look up at Kendra, “You didn’t tell her about you, but you told her about me?”

“Well, she started screaming when I told her on the phone, and she said she’d get to New Beginnings as soon as she could. She’s never mastered teleportation, so she ended up renting a car. She got to the hotel room, we’ve been trying to call your phone.”

I pull my phone out and flip it open, the display is dead, “Must have forgotten to charge it.” I get whapped upside the head by Dust’s wing. I look at her.

“Your phone is how people can reach you when they need to.”

I shrug, “It’s never been a priority.”

Kendra giggles, “She always reminds me to put on my helmet, yet always forgets to charge her phone. That’s Mary for you.”

Dustie looks at me, “I can only stay a day, I told my professors that I had a friend changing into a pony, they were understanding, but I still have classes.” She puts her hooves gently to each side of my face, “Are you going to be okay? I can blow off classes if I really need to, until you are done changing.”

Dust steps forward, “Your education is important, we will make sure Loopy is looked after.” She looks at Kendra, “Where are you two staying?”

“The Hampton Suites in New Beginnings.” Kendra says.

Dust makes a face, “It’s a nice hotel, but I should have offered yesterday, and for that, I apologize.”

I look at her, confused, “What?”

Dust shakes her head and sits down, “It’s been weird, I think you should be here, I’m glad you have Kendra, the invitation is good for both of you, even you, Dustie, if you want to. But I think you should get back to school.”

I cock my head to the side, “What are you saying, Lightning Dust?”

Suddenly a magenta unicorn is bouncing in front of us, “Well duh, sillies. Dust wants to you spend the rest of your transformation at her estate. With all of us. We will all support you.”

I look down, “You don’t need to do that, hundreds of thousands of ponies have transformed. You don’t need to do that.”

Dust slams a hoof onto the marble floor, shattering the tile. The magenta unicorn lights her horn and the tile is repaired, Dust looks at me, “I try to help where I can, Loopy. Over the years, I’ve had many ponies complete their transformation here. I want to help, I’m offering my home to you.”

I look at Dust then over at Kendra, who nods, “If you really want me to.”

Dust comes close and leans against me, “It’s a pleasure, Loopy. This home is so empty with many of the kids having moved out. I always like more here.”

I look at Kendra, then I kneel down to Dust’s level, hugging her tightly, “Thank you, Lightning Dust.”

She squirms a bit in my grip, “Dust will do.” She giggles.

Irony sets the food down on the table, Kendra and Dustie look at the French Toast and all the fixings, then sit down as Irony sets out plates for all of us. I hug Dust tighter one more time before standing up and moving over to a stool.

As we eat, I sneak glances at Dust. She seems to be watching us eat with a huge smile on her face. I don’t think she was exaggerating when she said her house feels empty.

“So, Loopy, it’s going to be hard for you to walk soon, what are you gonna do?”

I sigh, “I’ll probably try to sleep through that part.”

Dust nods, “You’ll be fully pony by tomorrow night. We’ll get you in the air.”

I nod as Moon Shadow comes into the room, she looks mournful, “Dust, they are here.”

“Already?”

Moon Shadow nods and Dusts hops off the stool. I stand up, “No, Loopy, you should stay here.”

I look at Dust seriously, “I want to come, Dust. I’m going to be a pony, I need to see this.”

Dust sighs, “Unfortunately, it is all too common. Ponies have been a fact of life here for twenty-five years. Some people just can’t accept change.”

***

I follow Dust’s family, the turquois mare firmly in the lead. Our social customs have been completely uprooted by Discord, so I’m not certain how things are supposed to work, but watching her with her family. It’s amazing. She is the glue that keeps some very different ponies happy together. In the short time I’ve known this mare, I’ve found out she is one I want to be friends with, not just because of when we were back in Equestria. Soon we make it to the westbound road on the outside of town. It has traffic controls, and a guardhouse. A large wrought iron fence stretches into the distance.

I edge over to Irony, “A guardhouse? A fence?”

She chuckles, “We’ve had enough people trying to come in uninvited and they want to make trouble. If you are human, you must pass through the guards. And those mares mean business. We have a visitor’s center for people who want to visit New Beginnings. But you can’t barge into our city uninvited.”

I look around in wonder, I flew in, so that wasn’t a worry for me. But controlling visitation, that’s pretty smart when you think about it. If some human wants to do something to ponies, the guard will intercept them.”

One of the guards trots over, “Lightning Dust, they said they would follow the rules. They are setting up so they don’t impede traffic. The news crew has also agreed. They understand that those humans are barred from entering New Beginnings.”

Dust looks at the group of humans, about forty in number, signs are being brought out. They all look hand painted, most saying some variation of ‘ponies go home’. I look at Dust as she watches the people continue setting up. I sidle up to her, “Aren’t you going to make them go?”

She looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head, “Why?”

“They are protesting our very existence. They want us rounded up and set back to Equestria.” I look down, “All I remember of Equestria scares me.”

Dust rears up and hugs me, “Oh, Loopy, Equestria is far better now than you remember it. It’s actually much back to how it was before Discord. But nopony is going to force you through the portal.” She pulls back to look at me, “There are laws in this nation, we are people, just like any human. We have the same rights as they do. They can protest all they want. It won’t change anything.”

“Then why are we here?”

She smiles, “I was asked to come by the guard, I own the land the city is on. Despite my attempts to sell the land to the city, I’m a city founder, they say. They want my input.”

“Oh.” I look at the group of people. An older man comes up, he fiddles with a small portable bullhorn and puts it to his lips.

“Oh, he’s back.” Dust growls.

“Who?”

“See that guy with the bullhorn?” I nod, “His name is Richard Willard. When we first were becoming public, he was part of a group that was trying to outlaw us, trying to make us go home. In our shouting match on CNN, he basically said I was a sexual deviant.”

That gets me to giggle, her, having sex? Nah. Though I’m one to talk, I had one boyfriend, and we never went all that far.

The shouting from the other humans is starting, mainly some variation of ponies go home. Dust chuckles and sits down. I look over at the guards, most of them have amused expressions on their faces as they watch the humans chant and shout.

The guy with the bullhorn seems to have noticed Dust and her herd sitting there, I see him smile, “And here we have the head of the deviancy, Lightning Dust herself.”

Dust stiffens, Irony places a hand on her withers, I hear Irony murmur to Dust, “He’s just trying to rile you.”

The fat man on the other side of the fence smirks at us, “One man and one woman isn’t good enough for her. Oh, no. She’s got mares aplenty, and stallions too.” He directs a long look at Lightning Dust, then he turns and addresses the camera, “She even has drawn her former wife from when she was a human man into this perversity. And then she’s drawn another human man into her abomination that she calls a herd.”

Dust looks at the camera, her wings extending in rage. Irony casually leans down and puts her arm around Dust, holding her tight, Dust’s hooves are making impressions in the ground as she tries to move forward. “Dust, he’s trying to rile you up.”

Dust growls even louder, “It’s working.” She strains forward, and Irony’s hooves skid on the ground, trying to keep her back.

“What’s amatter, Dust? Can’t take the truth?”

Dust shrugs out of Irony’s hold on her and gallops through the gate, Irony and Moon Shadow hot on her hooves as she tears towards the human. I follow, a bit slower as Dust starts screaming at the man, “You son of a bitch!” She shouts, “In case you didn’t notice, we aren’t human.”

He shrugs, “You are in our world.”

Dust rears back on her hind legs, her wings extending for balance, “Not by choice. You know we were sent here by Discord.”

He rolls his eyes, “And yet, you are still here, twenty-five years later, why haven’t you gone home?”

“So, by your logic, we should uproot our entire families, the lives that we have forged on this world. The lifestyles we have built, all because you don’t approve of the way we live?”

“You are ponies, you belong in your pony world.”

“You are right, we are ponies, but we live here, there is nothing that says this world belongs to humans only.”

“It doesn’t matter, we were here first. This is our world.”

Dust smirks, “Your world? I sincerely doubt that. This is a human world, and ponies will likely never be more than a minority here. The vast majority of humans accept us, and want what we offer. The weather has been tamed, food is plentiful, life is good here. With our help. We are not competitors with humanity, we are friends, countrymen with humanity.”

“Lovers?” The man smiles evilly.

Dust heaves a huge sigh, “In some cases. Our way of life is different than humans. Some people are attracted by the different, the strange. Some stay, some leave. A human leaving a herd is a sad thing. Anypony or human joining a herd is cause for happiness. As ponies, we love harmony, we love happiness. We work for our common dreams. We are not rugged individualists as some humans claim to be. Once again, that is our nature.”

I can see Dust giving sidelong glances towards the camera, I’m guessing she would like to use quite a bit saltier language with him, but is restraining herself. Dust continues to plead her case with the human, but soon Irony comes up next to Dust and picks her up bodily, “That’s enough, let these people have their fun, love.”

Apparently the human isn’t done, “Yeah, let others finish your fights for you.”

Irony freezes for a moment as she’s walking way, she holds Dust tightly to her chest, not letting Dust look over her shoulder at the man, then she continues walking. A slow, deliberate, measured tread back inside the fence, as she passes by, “Let’s go home.” She growls.

I look at her face, I think I should be afraid of that massive mare.

***

“I’m a pegasus! Why should I have to learn about plants?” Loopy protests.

Nimby giggles, “Cuz I don’t want to have to learn about them alone.”

Bramble, a young stag, walks over and nuzzles Nimby, “Why should I learn about the clouds or rain? I won’t ever fly or shape the weather right?”

Loopy blinks, “Young prince, why are you here?”

“Because after the plant course is a class on cloud formations and types. I’ve always looked up at them, but never knew their names.” Bramble says with a chuckle. “Beside unlike clouds, you eat the plants. It’s always good to know what’s safe to eat, right?”

“I guess.” Loopy pouts.

“There’s also some fun to be had with plants.” Bramble says, taking out a single seed and dropping it on the ground.

Loopy giggles and hops back. She’s seen him grow full trees before, so she knows to give him space. “What’cha doing this time.”

With a little bit of water, the bush grows, taking the shape of a rearing pegasus, its wings spread wide. “Sometimes, you can learn the unexpected.”

Loopy looks at Nimby smiling bright. “Ok that’s cool. You have GOT to teach me that.”

***

Moon Shadow walks through the dream as it ends, Loopy hasn’t complained about bad dreams, but the transformation sometimes produces horrible dreams for the pony involved. She always wants to make sure this pony has pleasant dreams. Though the feeling she gets, watching the dreams of Loopy with Nimbus, she finds herself feeling a longing. Loopy misses her friend. Moon Shadow smiles, another dream is coming.

***

“That tickles!” Nimby giggles.

“Not the hooves, not the hooves!” Loopy says, pulling her hooves back as she laughs.

“Sit still. You’re young mares, not little fillies.” The doe says, but can’t help giggling herself, watching the two pegasi.

Bramble and Lord Blackthorn chuckle softly as they apply the paint to the two pegasi. They are getting traditional markings that show the sun, air, wind, and water on their coats. Each is getting their face and legs painted as well.

“It’s the first day of spring and we are honoring the woods that keep us safe.” Bramble says.

“I know.” Loopy giggles, “I have the ritual memorized.”

As the two young mares stand up, each of them has a water flask put around their necks. “Remember, concentrate Loopy, you have to keep your mind focused.”

“I know Bramble. Are you ready for this Nimby?” Loopy is almost bouncing with excitement.

“You bet, the first ponies EVER to participate in the ritual.” Nimby is grinning so wide she squees.

Walking out, the two young mares join the ranks of the does. They walk down to the sheltered grove where the fireflies dance and play. They listen to the music, the song of the deer, and they even sing along, keeping their time.

Stepping forward, Loopy drops her seed into the ground, and carefully pours water on it from the flask. Concentrating, she stops singing, as she holds the picture of how she wants the tree to look. Slowly the seed takes root, growing into a beautiful cherry tree.

Nimbus follows suit with her seed. and soon the second cherry tree starts growing. Looking to Loopy, she reaches out to touch her wing to Loopy’s, their feathers intertwining.

As the cherry trees grow, their branches intertwine, to stand as a bond of friendship that can never be forgotten.

***

It’s getting on towards the evening, though my nap was very nice. I wish I was able to remember my dreams, all I have are vague feelings from them. Dustie and Kendra have already checked us out of the hotel, and I’m laying down, it hurts to stand upright right now. My hips have changed shape. I’m lying on the couch, enjoying watching television, the first time I’ve watched TV in a while. Some stupid comedy is on, I’m laughing but I’m not really into it, just mindless entertainment.

Dust comes up to me, hooking her forelegs over the couch and clearing her throat to get my attention.

I look up at her, and she smiles, “I’ve got to confess, there is more than one reason why I wanted you here. The main reason is what I said earlier, but also, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

I cock my head to the side.

“Loopy?” Comes a voice that I never thought I would hear.

Chapter 4. Tale Spin

I poke my head over the couch, a human is standing there, Moon Shadow is with her. I frown in confusion, the human is short, slim, with bright blonde hair and big blue eyes. She looks to be about forty. I think she picks up on my confusion, she lifts up the side of her sun dress, revealing a nimbus cloud cutie mark.

My eyes widen, “Nimby!” Ignoring everything else, I leap over the couch, right at Nimby, my hands are between human and pony right now, I throw them around her as I hug her as tightly as I can.

A tear splashes onto my shoulder, she pulls back and cups my face in her hands, “At first, I thought Discord had killed you. Then the ponies defeated him. I found out about the curse. I’ve been waiting twenty-five years to find you again.” She pulls me back into a hug, I sigh happily and hug her back.

After a long time, I hear a cleared throat behind me, I pull away and look back, Dust steps forward, “When you told me who you were, I went through my records. Nimby here talked to Princess Twilight Sparkle. At first she begged to be cursed the same way, so she could turn back with you. Princess Twilight refused. But once the twenty-five years were up, she came through the portal.

I look back at Nimby, she smiles, “Why didn’t you get a unicorn to cast an aura around you? So you could be a pony?”

Nimby giggles, “I was too excited, once my doctor cleared me to go through, I just galloped through the portal, I didn’t even wait. Princess Twilight was there, calling for me to slow down, but I didn’t. Then I had to spend a while figuring out how to balance on two legs. I brought some gold through with me, though I didn’t need it. Lightning Dust here had a chariot waiting for me when I finally got out of the portal complex. I never even rode in a chariot in Equestria.”

“Oh, I don’t care, you are here!” I throw my soon to be hooves around her again.

“So, you can come back home. My herd wants to meet you. I’ve been talking about you for twenty-five years.”

I pull away, a frown on my face, “Back to Equestria? I barely remember most of it, and most of those memories are scary.”

She shudders, “I know, Loopy, I was there with you. But the last twenty-five years, Equestria is back to how it was when we were foals. Harmony reigns again in Equestria.”

I look down, “I wasn’t planning on going back just yet. I have things pretty good here. I have my own airplane, I have friends here, what would Grandma say?”

Kendra comes over and kneels down, hugging me tightly, I smile, “Nimby, may I introduce you to my best friend on this Earth, Kendra.”

Nimby blinks a few times, looking at Kendra, then she leaps over and joins the hug, “Any friend of Loopy is my friend too.” She says.

“How long can you stay, Nimby?” I ask.

She looks unsure, “Well, the portal closes tomorrow at midnight. But they can open the portal when needed.” She runs a hand down her arm, “I miss my wings, though.”

Sunset Shimmer comes forward, “Well, if you want your wings back, there are two options, you can go back through the portal then have an aura cast around you as you come back here. Or the magic of your cutie mark can be used, you can go through the same transformation that Loopy is going through here. You are welcome here, Nimby, for as long as you want to stay.”

Nimby’s face falls, “I want to stay, more than you will ever know. But my herd will miss me. And most of all, my little Loops will miss me even more. I really have to go back.”

I cock my head to the side, “Loops?”

She giggles, “The reason I wasn’t the first through the portal when it opened. I just gave birth, a little pegasus colt. I had to wait to be cleared by my doctor first. One of my herd-sisters is taking care of him, but he needs me.”

I nod, then hug her tighter, “You’ll come and visit then?”

She giggles, “I’ll visit every portal opening, Loopy, I promise. Maybe we can get you to come through the portal sometime.”

Dust comes forward, nuzzling me, “Well, since she’s only staying the night, let’s have fun.”

I look at her quizzically. She smiles, “I knew it would be big for you when she showed up, though I was hoping she would be a pony. Moon Shadow told me how much you missed her. So, we are going to have a party.”

I hear a party horn, and turn around. Mindy is bouncing there, all the furniture is gone, and the room has been decorated, and several tables laden with food have been set up in the last five minutes. How, I have no clue.

Ponies and humans are now starting to show up, Mindy is a party unicorn, parties with no notice are her specialty. Mindy comes up to me, “I know you don’t know most of the ponies that are here. But a party isn’t a party without guests. So, I hope you’ll be able to make friends with some of them.

I reach over and hug Mindy, “Thank you, Mindy.” I murmur in her ear.

***

My eyes pop open, I’m warm, and comfortable. I feel a body on each side of me, Kendra on one side, Nimby on the other. Both are still out. That gets a warm smile from me. Then I notice something, I’m fully pony now. I glance at the wall clock, it’s four in the afternoon! I flop my head back onto the bed and think, the party went on until past two in the morning, then Nimby, Kendra, and I talked until well after the sun came up. Then we decided to sleep. We slept the day away! The good news is I slept through the hardest part of the change. I wiggle my way from between my friends and move to the end of the bed.

I whisper to myself, “Okay, I’ve got wings now, and four legs. How does all of this work?”

I search through the sensations in my head, I can feel these new wings of mine. I couldn’t last night when they were budding, but apparently the wiring is now in place. I use my new, more flexible neck, to look at a wing. It’s comfortably folded at my side. Experimentally I try to get it to move, and am gratified to see it dutifully move away from my body. I keep pushing and the wing fully unfolds. That gets a smile. I turn my head the other direction, and soon both of my wings are extended. I flap them slowly, trying to find a rhythm and how to keep them in synch. I like these new wings!

I’m interrupted by a chuckle from the open door, I look over, Lightning Dust is sitting there, “Typical pegasus, working on the wings before you try to walk.”

I give her a sour look, “I’ve always liked flying more than anything.”

She nods, “I know, and tomorrow, we are going to get you in the air, Loopy.”

I frown in confusion, “I thought you couldn’t…” Then I trail off, I was going to say that she couldn’t fly.

She moves a bit into the room, “I can’t fly, Loopy. That’s why I said we. Irony, Mischief, and I are going to get you in the air. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.”

I furrow my brow, Irony is an Earth pony. I shake my head to clear it. I look back at my sleeping friends, “I wish she could stay.”

The bed shifts as Dust lightly hops up on to it, her wing folds over me. I watch her suppress a gasp as she does so. She brings me close, “She’s got a foal, and a herd. You can see her when she visits. Unless you decide you want to go back to Equestria.”

I shake my head so hard my ears flop, “And leave Kendra? And Grandma? And all the ponies here?”

She murmurs in my ear, “That is an option. Though immigration might let Kendra through, as a close friend of a pony.”

I look at Kendra, she’s already got to learn earth magic. I don’t know if I can ask her to do that. But I don’t want to be without either of them. “Discord was an ass.”

Dust sighs, “Yes, he was. And no, he wasn’t.”

I look up at her, “Huh?”

She moves away, keeping her voice low in deference to the sleeping humans, “Discord was ultimately a creature of balance. Ponies were too orderly, humanity too chaotic. He had to restore the balance.”

“By screwing up our lives.” I growl softly.

She cocks her head to the side, “Your life was made harder, but you weren’t sent to a horrible place. Despite what you saw yesterday, humanity actually accepts us. In fact, our relations with the humans has created a tech boom back in Equestria. And humanity is flourishing as well. A full three percent of the population is showing magical potential. That is a lot of humans, Loopy. Ponies are accepted wherever we go, even in some places that were traditionally very against change. They have accepted ponies and our way of life. In fact, there is only one country that still does not accept ponies.”

“China, I’ve heard.”

She nods, “Yes, China. But on the whole, ponies are a fact of life, Loopy. Some have gone back, well, a lot have gone back to Equestria. But a lot are staying. We are having our own children, we are making lives here. Discord sought balance, and we are all benefitting from it.”

I look back at Nimby, she’s snoring softly, a little bit of drool hanging from her mouth, “I lost her, for twenty-five years, he took away my friend.”

Once again, the wing is put over me, “He took away Nimby, but you have Kendra. Would you give up Kendra to have those years back with Nimby?”

I can’t talk, I feel the tears wanting to fall. She smiles and her other wing comes around and brushes against my cheek, absorbing the tears, “That is a decision you wouldn’t want to make, right?”

I sniffle and shake my head.

I’m pulled tighter into the hug, “We need to wake them up, I’m assuming you’ll want to fly them in your Widgeon to Dubuque?”

Again, I sniffle, “I can’t.”

Dust giggles, “I’m afraid I took some liberty, Loopy. Your plane has already been modified. I had the crew work on it most of the night last night. You can still fly your baby.”

I pull away, “Really?”

She nods, I smile, “Normally, I would be really upset at you for touching my baby without permission.” I hug her, “But in this case, you are forgiven, Lightning Dust. Thank you!”

***

Nimby walks with Kendra and I out of Dust’s house, apparently my plane has been moved to Dust’s dock as well, berthed next to a large pontoon boat with Dust’s cutie mark on the back. I look back at Dust, she was patient and helpful while I had to relearn to walk. Ten minutes of face planting and my legs tangling up. But now I can walk, prance, trot, gallop, all of that. A couple of ponies are sitting by the door to my Widgeon, two of them I recognize from before, Mischief and Zed. A set of identical twins are sitting with them, they are the same color as Princess Luna, a dark, midnight blue, with violet manes, and a single brilliant gumball pink stripe in both manes. Though both have odd color eyes, one bright blue, the other cerise.

Mischief bounces over to me, “Some of our sisters, this is Rinoa.” She says, pointing to the pony with her left eye that is blue. “The other is Rydia.” Indicating the pony with a blue right eye.

“A pleasure.” Both of them say in unison. Though both speak completely monotone.

“When Momma Dust told us to convert your plane for pony use.” Rinoa says.

“We were unsure as to why a pegasus would want an airplane when they have perfectly good wings.” Rydia takes up for her sister.

Rinoa continues, “But after Zed, Mischief and us started, we found that your plane is actually a joy to work on.”

Rydia looks at the Widgeon, “I hope you enjoy our modifications.”

Mischief hops into the air, “You get used to them.” She bats Rinoa’s ear, then Rydia’s, their only reaction is a flick of the ear that is hit, “But if you need help, they are the best.”

“Sister, Please…” Rydia says.

And Rinoa takes up for the other unicorn, “Don’t do that.”

Mischief giggles. Zed walks forward very slowly, his eyes downcast, “I know you didn’t want me to do anything to your baby.” He starts.

I narrow my eyes, “I believe I said something about gelding.” Causing him to flinch. Then I jump at him, flinging my forelegs and wings around him. “I’m sorry for that, I overreacted.” I murmur in his ear, nuzzling his ear. I pull away, and both of his ears are twitching, his face is positively glowing. Then I realize what I did, and my face starts to heat up.

Kendra giggles from behind me, “Loopy, your wings.” I look back and then facehoof.

I hear Mischief giggle, “Oh yeah, I told you Zed. She’s totally got the hots for you.” She narrowly avoids a swap from her brother by flying straight up. She does a loop in the air and lands on the wing lightly,

“So, ya gonna see what we did?”

I cock my head to the side, “In a minute, I want to know something first.”

Mischief frowns, “Okay, what?”

“I’ve heard Zed talk, you call Rinoa and Rydia your sisters, yet you are the only one of your family that talks with a British accent.”

Mischief giggles, “That comes from spending two years in the pony colony in the UK.” She raises her forehooves in air quotes, “Cultural exchange, you need to learn how ponies live elsewhere.” She blows out her breath in a huff, “It was fun, and I love the way they speak, I found myself talking like them within about six months. Zed here,” She flashes down and bats one of his ears, “Can talk the accent even better. But he can turn it off like a switch. I can’t.”

“And you two?” I look at Rinoa and Rydia.

“We didn’t find the accent appealing.” Rydia says.

“So we never really talked like that.” Rinoa finishes.

“It would do you two good to have a little inflection in your voices.” Mischief snarks. Though she wilts at a look from Zed.

Zed brightens, “Let’s look at your plane.”

We are interrupted by a gasp, I turn, Nimby is touching the picture on the front of the Widgeon, “You remembered me.” She whispers.

I move over to her, putting a wing around her, “I had Kendra paint her, my ability to draw can be rated in the negatives.”

Kendra smiles, “I just drew what Loopy told me to draw. I’m okay at drawing.”

Nimby looks back at Kendra then at the plane, “You did a beautiful job, Kendra. Thank you.”

Kendra hugs Nimby as Mischief opens the door to the plane, she doesn’t need to talk, she just points. I move through the cabin, and hop into the new pilots chair. It’s been reshaped for my new anatomy. I fiddle with the controls a bit, figuring out how to fit my hooves into the new wheel, it’s actually pretty natural for me with this, I reach back with a wing and close the main power switch.

I hear a voice next to me, and I have to fight to keep my wings limber, “Grumman did a really good job with the Widgeon, I read up on it after I fixed your altimeter.” Zed says, “The plane is very rugged, designed for rough field landings, and it’s really good on water. The new engines you put in have a lower center of gravity, meaning less chance of porpoising. I did take a couple of design thoughts from some other amphibious planes. You now have a water rudder, and it’s controlled by that new control on your left.”

I put my hoof on the small twist joystick, my hoof fits into it, and I can feel resistance as I try to move it. Zed continues, “Your tail wheel is also controlled by that, it should make taxiing a bit easier. Your hydraulic system is more than adequate for the task.” He smiles, “I also added a small electrically operated trolling motor, it has its own battery pack, and it’s charged off the same system for your bikes. You can go fishing with your plane, any time you want. It’s far more maneuverable in the water than it was. The joystick controls it electrically. It has haptic feedback so you can feel what you are doing with it. I was able to get my hooves on a watertight case and put the computer under your dash. Since you didn’t already have a glass cockpit, I didn’t put one in, though if you want one, I can certainly install one, if you like.”

I look at everything, then I kiss the earth pony on the cheek, he flinches back, his ears twitching, I find my face is glowing, “Thank you, Zed.” I murmur into his ear. He backs up between the seats, his face red.

Mischief bounces over him and comes up next to me, “So, you like it?”

I nod, “Very much so, thank you so much.”

Mischief giggles, “I didn’t do much, I just held the tail up for an hour while Zed installed the rudder and the tail wheel controls.”

I gasp, “That couldn’t have been easy.”

She giggles, “Nah, it was easy, and a lot easier than pulling the whole plane out onto the shore to work on it. Rydia and Rinoa could have moved the water, but they were busy following Zed’s instructions. So, it fell to me.” She smiles at me, “Anyway, I’ll get us out of here, and let you get Nimby to Dubuque.”

I nuzzle the white pegasus. And to my surprise, her face glows as she backs herself out of the plane. Kendra hops in and sits in the front passenger seat, indicating for a hesitant Nimby to sit next to me. I pat the seat with a hoof, letting her know it’s okay. She finally sits down and fumbles with the restraints. For a moment, I’m at a loss. How do I put on a seatbelt with no hands. I hear a voice from outside, “Press the restraint button.” Zed calls.

I find the button and press it, restraints snake themselves over me and hook where they belong, not impeding my freedom of movement, but keeping me securely in the seat. That gets a smile out of me. I check around my plane then reach up with a wing, “Starting one.”

***

It’s after sundown when we land in Dubuque. There is a small airport next to the portal complex. The massive building is bustling with activity. While the portal can be opened at will, it’s not done very often, most business is handled during the regular two and a half year cycle of the portal. Some are coming back to Earth, some are heading back to Equestria. I look at the large marble statue, Nimby is standing next to me.

“You’ll be back, right?” I sniffle.

She nods, “I wish I had remained a pony. I’ll do that next time. But yes, I’ll visit you any time I can.”

The thought of staying pony if I come back, I don’t know. Part of me likes the idea of walking through the portal and coming back human. I think for a long time as Nimby stares at the portal with me. Finally, she breaks the silence, “I’ll miss you.”

I turn and rear up, putting my forelegs and my wings around Nimby, “Exactly as much as I’ll miss you, my friend.”

She sobs a bit, but finally pulls away, “I need to see how Loops is. How my herd is doing. They will want to get back to Cloudsdale.” She kneels down and looks me in the eyes, “I’m so glad you were okay. I hope you’ll come home, sooner rather than later.”

I watch as she walks slowly to the portal. I can feel the magic of the portal, it permeates the room, I could feel it when I landed. This portal represents very old magic. I can feel that in my cutie mark. “Love ya, Nimby.” I whisper as she steps through the portal with a deep thrum.

I turn and walk slowly out of the complex, Kendra catches up to me when I finally exit the complex, “Guess what.”

“What?” I’m able to moan, though when Kendra puts her hand on my head, rubbing my ear, I have to admit that feels pretty good.

“I know you are sad about Nimby. But if you want to visit, I can join you as your guest. So, if you want to visit Equestria, I’ll be there with you. I talked to one of the Equestrian representatives. All you have to do is sponsor me, and I can go with you.”

That actually gets a smile, “Awesome, from what Nimby said, Equestria is far different than I remember it. I think you’ll like it there.”

“Well, Dust said to make sure we fly home tonight. So, let’s go.”

My smile actually wides, “I’m going to fly tomorrow. Without a plane.”

Kendra kneels down and hugs me, “And you’ll do wonderfully, Loopy.

***

Our trip back home doesn’t take us to New Beginnings, we end up landing in Bozeman. I finally land, very early in the morning, at the airport there. A car is sitting there when I taxi up to my parking spot. Irony is on two hooves, and leaning up against it. I have to stop and look as I finally shut down the airplane.

“Wow, it’s pretty.” I say.

Irony smirks, “Dust gave it to me, it’s a 1971 Mustang.”

Dust comes around the car, “It’s not time for gawking at the pretty car, Loopy. Let’s get moving.” She opens up the passenger door and folds down the front seat.

Kendra and I hop in, and get a surprise, “Hi, Mischief.”

She grumbles at me a few times and lies her head back down.

“You’ll have to forgive my wayward daughter, she’s not a morning pony.” Dust says with a chuckle.

Irony sits down in her seat and turns the key. The engine roars to life and we sedately drive out of the airport and south from the city. I’m tired from flying most of the night, so Kendra and I just nod off in the back seat.

A couple of hours later, I notice the engine has been cut off, I pop my head up, looking around. Dust opens the door and once again folds the seat forward, allowing me to emerge into the bright sunlight. We are parked well off the road. I can see the trail we apparently followed in. Irony opens the trunk and pulls out a large duffel bag, along with another bag that clinks a bit. Dust grabs the duffel, but Irony fends off Dust trying to grab the other bag. “I’m here to help, love. Let me.” She says softly. Dust huffs and leads us in between the trees. After about ten minutes of walking, we make it to the edge of a sheer cliff. A long and wide valley is in front of us, pine trees everywhere. It’s so beautiful that I almost can’t believe my eyes.

Dust fearlessly steps to the edge of the cliff, looking down, “Many years ago, I was severely injured. After months of recovery, I was finally cleared to fly again. This is where I took my first flight after my injuries.” She looks at me, her eyes boring into my soul, “And this is where you are going to fly, Loopy.”

I look at the cliff edge and back at Dust, “How?”

Irony shrugs off the bag as Dust sets down the duffel. She opens the zipper and various bits and pieces are pulled out. Dust slowly goes about assembling… whatever it is.

After a few minutes, “Ohhh, it’s a hang glider.” Kendra says.

Dust nods as she fits an aluminum tube into another piece, “I can’t get in the air the usual way. So I fly with this.” Her voice turns mournful, “It’s not the same, but it helps me.” She looks at me, “A bit.”

She gets the fabric covering for the glider, and starts to stretch it across the frame. I move forward to help after it slips off one side for the third time. Before I touch it, I can see Dust’s face. I back away from the venomous glare she’s directed at me.

“I can handle it myself, Loopy.” She growls, then continues her work. In a few more minutes, everything is tightened and ready to go. Dust finally smiles. “Mischief.”

The white pegasus takes to the air as Dust proceeds to strap herself into the glider. Mischief hovers over to me, “Now, you’ve figured out how to move your wings, now let’s see how you can connect your magic with your wings, allowing you to fly.”

Over the next ten minutes, Mischief instructs me how to move my wings, how to feel my connection with the power inside myself.

“Okay, give it a shot, just a gentle lifting off the ground.” Mischief says. I feel that power, and finally flap my wings in unison, feeling that power move through me. My hooves lift off the ground. After a moment, I let my hooves touch the ground again. I look at Mischief, a big smile on my face.

“Okay, that’s good.” Mischief says, then she pushes me.

Right. Off. The. Cliff.

My scream rings through my ears as panic overwhelms me. I flip over to see the ground rushing towards me, and my fear fades as I spread my wings and use my magic. I flap furiously and check my fall. As I rise up, Dust’s hang glider makes it over the cliff edge. I angle to follow her.

“Why is it so tiring to fly?”

Dust pushes on the handle, changing her course, she smirks at me, “The Loopy I remember could fly for hours without breaking a sweat.”

I look down at the trees, “I don’t remember all of that.”

“Moon Shadow is an amazing dreamer, but shaking loose all your memories.” She sighs, “That is beyond anypony. All it takes is time.”

I pull up, Mischief just buzzed us. Dust chuckles as she handles the wake produced by her daughter.

I sigh as I follow Dust as she spirals in an updraft, “I remember flying. But just the flying, not how I did it.”

“Balance, young pegasus. That was a problem you had in junior speedsters camp.”

I shake my head, and almost lose control as my wings lose coordination. I flap furiously to keep up.

“You are soaring gracefully, and I can barely keep in the air.”

“I have good, and expensive, equipment. You have your own wings.” She looks at me, “You just have to figure out why they aren’t doing what you want them to do.”

I think furiously, though I can’t really focus on much other than keeping my wings in rhythm.

And I lose that rhythm as Dust says, out of the blue, “Did you ever take anti-depressants?”

I scramble to get back into rhythm and think furiously, “After my parents died, I was in a very dark place. But I didn’t go to the doctor. I had to move to Kansas.” I look over at her, “I started taking classes to get my pilots license. I found that flying was something that I needed to do.”

She looks at my wryly, “Something you are struggling with now.”

I smile, “No kidding.”

“Oye, are we gonna fly, or what?” Comes Mischief’s voice. She’s right over me, she reaches down and flicks my ear, then takes off, the report of a sonic boom coming back to us as I watch her leave a bright trail behind her.

Dust laughs, “I miss that, go ahead, push yourself. See what your magic is capable of.”

I can feel the connection, but it feels tenuous. I sigh, I can do better than this. I remember flying against Discord. I wouldn’t last ten seconds against him right now. I push for a bit of altitude as Mischief buzzes her mom again. I dive to follow the white pegasus. I feel a tug against a rear hoof as I pass Dust’s glider. I look back, one wing has partially collapsed, she’s spinning down towards the trees.

“Oh no.” I moan as I fold my wings and dive after the stricken glider. I watch her impact with the trees as I follow her.

I get to the ground, and quickly gallop over to Dust’s glider. She’s lying there, she’s moving, that’s a good thing. I grab part of the glider and back up, pulling it off of her.

She rolls over, emitting a wheezing laugh. Tears are rolling down her cheeks. I move over to her and snake a hoof under her head, pulling her up. She continues to laugh, she opens her eyes and focuses on me.

Continuing to chuckle, Dust reaches out a hoof and touches my face, “Thank you, Loopy.”

I try to suppress my tears, “I caused you to crash, I’m so sorry.”

She gasps in pain, nuzzling her left foreleg, “I think it’s broken.” She looks at me and smiles, “It’s alright, Loopy. That was exhilarating.”

I furrow my brow, “But you crashed.”

Her golden eyes focus on me again, “It was fun.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Comes a shout as Mischief slams to the ground. Her wings extend in rage as she stalks towards me, “You hurt my mom. I’m going to kick your…”

“Mischief.” Dust shouts, checking her daughter mid scream.

Mischief wilts at the tone of voice, “Yeah, mom?”

“It was an accident, Loopy had zero desire to hurt me. How about you make yourself useful and help me get back to the car?”

Mischief directs a poisonous glare at me as she picks her mother up, I help by fully disconnecting her from the ruined glider.

“You can help at least by taking the glider back to the car.” Mischief growls as she streaks off. I look around, and slowly gather the parts. Soon all the parts are all within the fabric, which I pull up, with my wings straining, to Irony’s car. When I get up there, Irony pulls the makeshift bag from me gently. She puts it in the trunk and opens the driver’s door so I can hop in the back with Kendra. Mischief is nowhere to be seen.

I look at Dust, “I’m so sorry.”

She looks back at me, a smile on her face, “Don’t be, Loopy. You need to get confident in the air. I know a couple of unicorns that can help with your magic.”

Irony starts the car, “Do you want to go to the hospital here, love?”

Dust chuckles, “It’s a long drive to New Beginnings. Perhaps Bozeman might be a good idea. I’ve heard a couple of pony healers are working there.”

I shake my head vehemently, “Oh no, I’m going to fly you to New Beginnings.”

Dust looks back at me quizzically, “How?”

I cock my head to the side, “My plane, of course.”

Author's Note

Chapter 5. Loopholes

“Dust, I’m really sorry.” I moan as we get to the general aviation terminal in Bozeman.

Dust glares at me, “Loopy, if you apologize one more time…” She leaves the threat unfinished as Irony’s hand closes around her muzzle.

“Love, accept her heartfelt apology.”

Dust grumbles.

Irony gets out and lets Kendra and I out. Irony simply opens the door for Dust, who rolls herself out, landing on three hooves. Her left foreleg was splinted before I had even made it back to the car. Irony keeps a pretty well stocked first aid kit in her car. A holdover from when she was a human Marine, before her change. Dust and I walk slowly to the Widgeon, Dust shrugging off my attempts to help her.

I turn and look back, “You coming, Kendra?”

Kendra smiles at me, then looks at Irony, “I don’t want her to have to do the entire drive alone.”

I look at Irony and at Kendra, then I sigh. I rear up to open the door, only to get a sharp bark from Dust, “I am going to get you flying the way you were in Equestria, Loopy. Use your wings if you want to get higher.”

I look back at my wings and giggle, then take unsteadily to the air as I open the door to the Widgeon. I land inside, folding my wings, then I turn and look at Dust, “Coming?”

She takes a flying leap, nearly landing on top of me, she smiles as I move to the front of the airplane. I flick the power switch with a wing as I move to sit down. Dust waits until I get settled before sitting down herself. She uses her wing and her mouth to get her seat belt on. I wouldn’t dream of helping her unasked now. She finally is ready as I push the button for my own restraints. Soon, both engines are humming as I ask for clearance and receive it. The new tail wheel control working very nicely.

“You know, your kids are pretty awesome, I love what they did.”

Dust is looking around as we bounce across the tarmac, “Yeah, they are.”

I look down, “I’m going to have to apologize to Mischief.”

Dust looks at me, “Why apologize to her? You didn’t do anything to her?”

I sigh, “I hurt her mom.”

Dust inhales, I think she’s about to bust a blood vessel, then I continue, “I wish I had my mom back.”

Dust chokes a bit and starts coughing, I’m able to smile as she uses her good foreleg to hit herself in the barrel, she finally recovers, “I’m sorry Loopy, I’m assuming you are talking about your human mom.”

I nod, “Yeah, there are times I miss her, and I wonder what she would think of me turning into a pony.”

Dust smiles at me, “I have to hope she would be proud. I’ve talked to Kendra, and Dustie. I’m certain she would be proud of the pegasus sitting next to me right now. That gets a smile out of me.

I look up, it’s time to turn onto the runway, I turn the joystick and my plane turns with it, getting a smile out of me, a lot easier than using uneven thrust to turn, I push the button on the wheel, “N-1M6Y, ready for takeoff.”

After a moment, “Roger N-1M6Y, you are cleared for takeoff.”

I push both throttles forward and the Widgeon leaps forward. After a few hundred feet, my tail is off the ground, I lock one eye on Dust as I gently pull back on the wheel, her attention is fully on what is happening. The rough ride of the tarmac stops as the wheels lose contact with the earth, I wait a few seconds and reach up with a wing to retract my landing gear. With a hydraulic whine, the gear tucks itself into the body of the plane.

“Magical, isn’t it?” I murmur.

Dust nods as she watches the ground slowly recede as we climb, “It’s amazing, I used to be able to go a hell of a lot faster than this…” She trails off as I bank slightly to get on course for New Beginnings. She shakes herself, “But this little plane is very responsive.”

I nod, “If you’re not careful, you can get in trouble easily, she’s a bit touchy, but flying her is a lot like being a pegasus, you have to feel the wind, work with it. If you try to fight it, you will be in trouble quickly.”

“Amazing.”

I smile as we fly in silence for a while. Finally Lightning Dust speaks up, “You know, you will be an awesome flyer.”

I look down, “I hope so, I remember some of flying, I remember flying against Discord. I could feel my magic then.” I look over at her, “I can’t now. Why?”

Dust reaches out a wing, “Loopy, you just changed back. You can’t expect to be where you were before instantly.”

I look out at the horizon, it’s a sunny day, actually quite beautiful, “I’m finding I miss what I barely remember, I want to get flying.”

She smiles, “I know a few unicorns that can help you balance your magic. Mischief said she can feel your magic, for her to feel it, she knows you are going to be fast, and strong.”

I sigh, “She hates me now.”

Dust shakes her head, hard, “No, Loopy, she was mad. She probably calmed down once she got home. Her temper is quick, but she will cool off quickly.” She sits back more comfortably in the chair, “I know my Mischief.”

I look down, “I’m sorry, Dust.” Only to get a wing whapping me upside the head, I look sharply at Dust.

She grins, “Loopy, if you keep apologizing, I’m going to keep hitting you upside the head until you understand, I’ve forgiven you.”

I look at her, my ears down, tears in my eyes, “Really?”

She puts a wing between us, laughing, “Yes, Loopy, don’t use the eyes on me.”

***

New Beginnings Control is getting used to me coming in now, apparently. I know the track they want me to take into town. I line up on my approach to Lake Luna, and I steal a glance at Dust as I get over the shoreline, “Water landings are a lot different, hold on.” I warn.

The hull gently touches the water, then the water bites, slowing us down as I bring down the power. Soon, we are coasting towards Dust’s dock, I’m enjoying the water rudder. It makes water navigation quite a bit easier. I pull up and twist the stick to turn so my tail is towards the dock. I reverse the propellers and gently glide to the dock. Sunset Shimmer gallops from the house, along with a brown unicorn with a black mane, Dust huffs as she sees the brown unicorn.

“Ray can’t wait for me to get inside, can he?”

I furrow my brow as I kill the engines, Dust sighs, “Ray is the resident doctor for the family, though he has a practice at the hospital. I was just going to go there, he should be there now…” She watches as ropes magically tie down my plane.

“They care about you, Dust.”

She sighs, “I know.”

She looks at me as she unbuckles, “Well, I’ve already got a tank for fuel for the boat, it shouldn’t be much trouble to add another tank and fuel station.”

I look at Dust as she walks slowly towards the hatch, “Dust, you don’t need to do that.”

She looks back at me, “So, you want to fly to Miles City for fuel every time?”

I shake my head as I flip out of the pilot’s chair to follow her, “That’s not it. I’m going to get my own place. I plan on visiting my own home, too.”

Dust looks crestfallen, after a moment, she sighs, “Loopy, you will always be welcome here.” She hops out the door.

I’m at a loss for words as I follow her, the unicorn stallion is sitting there, his horn alight, his aura around her leg. The splint drops off as he continues working.

“Dust, what have I told you about overdoing it?” He says in a scolding tone.

“It was my fault.” I say quietly, stopping his rant. He looks at me, his blue eyes blinking.

I look down, “I was clumsy, and I accidentally caused one of the wings of her glider to fail.”

Dust opens her mouth, I override her, “Dust says she’s forgiven me, but you need to know.” I crouch down, “I am responsible.”

I find myself getting hugged, by three ponies, I’m nuzzled by Sunset Shimmer and Dust, “Loopy, you need to stop blaming yourself, it was an accident.” Dr. Ray says.

I look at him, “If this were the first time I’ve had to mend Dust after a crash, I would be cross with you. But since this isn’t, I’m saying Dust needs to be more careful, and maybe give up on the hang gliding.”

Dust looks at Ray, “Not going to happen, Doctor.”

He sighs as he pulls away, “How did I know you were going to say that, Dust?”

Dust giggles, getting a giggle from me.

We start walking back to the house, “So, you’ve crashed before, and hurt yourself?” I ask.

***

“Are you sure you want to leave?”

Loopy smiles at the doe, “Yes, Aunty Thistle, we love it here.” She puts a wing around a trembling Nimby, “But we need to find the ponies. Discord couldn’t have taken them all, could he?”

Thistle comes up and nuzzles Nimby, “You two are welcome to stay, as long as you want.”

Nimby steps up, “I’m terrified, Aunty, but Loopy is right. We need to find the ponies that Discord didn’t take.”

Thistle smiles, “You have lived here for ten years, I’ve watched you two grow up into wonderful young mares.” She looks out at the Everfree Forest outside the boundaries of Thicket, then back down at the two young mares, “Keep low, and don’t attract his attention.”

Loopy runs up and hugs the doe, minding her saddle bags, “We won’t. We know Ponyville isn’t what it used to be, so we are heading south, away from Canterlot and Ponyville. Maybe we can find a place that the ponies are.”

“Hold up a moment.” Thistle says softly.

Loopy looks at her curiously as the doe pulls out a small barrel with a strap, she gives it to Loopy, “It’s my old water carrier, may it bring you luck.”

Loopy smiles as she puts it in her bag, the way the deer enchant water to help grow things, in some ways they are better at it than Earth ponies.

Thistle sighs as the plum pegasus moves away, she watches as the two walk sedately into the forest. “May the great tree protect you two.” She murmurs.

***

I open my eyes, was that an engine I heard? My thoughts are confirmed as I hear the sound of car doors closing. I leap to the window, and pump a hoof. Irony’s car is there. I gallop out the door and down the hall, getting to the stairs at a dead run, I spread my wings and leap over the railing, into Dust’s expansive living room. It’s pretty late, so the room is deserted. I use my wings to assist my turn as I head to the entry way. The front door lever depresses as I get close, and I spread my wings again to act as brakes as I skid on the tile.

“Kendra!” I shout as she becomes visible, I leap at her, bowling her over. We end up on the porch, I’m hugging her tightly, she hugs me back.

“I take it you and Dust had a good talk?” Kendra says as she ruffles my mane, I nod. She smiles.

“Ahh, Kendra, did you think helping Loopy fly would stop your training?” A soft voice calls. Kendra looks up.

Moon Shadow steps outside, “I know you have to wait on the next training course, but that’s no reason to not start training.”

Kendra cocks her head to the side, “Already?”

Moon Shadow smiles, “Did you get a good sleep in Irony’s car?”

Kendra furrows her brow, “How did you…”

“How did I know? I’m a Dreamer, Kendra. I watched your dreams, they’ve been rather turbulent, and I think I know why.”

Kendra shakes her head, then looks at me, my ears fall, what did I do?

Moon Shadow comes close, “I think you are a dreamer, Kendra. I’ll be starting you on fundamentals tomorrow, but right now, I need to see if you can walk the dream.”

Kendra looks scared, “I don’t know.”

“What have your dreams been about?” The gray unicorn asks gently.

Kendra shakes her head, “Equestria, Loopy, the Everfree Forest, Nimby. Discord.”

Moon Shadow smiles warmly, “You are attuned to your friend, have you had the same dream as her before?”

Kendra looks at me, then at Moon Shadow, “Sometimes, Mary would tell me about a dream she had, she doesn’t remember many of them, but the ones she does remember, I remember them as if they were my own.”

“You may have untapped abilities there, I thought I had felt that possibility.”

Kendra stands up, “So, what do I do?”

Moon Shadow walks forward, “Follow me, I will show you an easy trick to close out the outside world and feel the world of dreams. Let us see what we can see.”

I frown, “Does it have to be tonight?” I look at Kendra, sleeping next to her has helped me stay sane throughout all of this.

Moon Shadow chuckles, “You’ll miss your friend?”

I nod.

She sighs, “Very well, I’ll show you both how to fall asleep at will, but I will ensure you stay in your own dream. The world of dreams can be dangerous to those who are untrained.”

I smile, “Let’s go to our room.” I gallop up the stairs, Kendra walking slowly behind me.

***

“Loopy, it’s been weeks, are we ever going to find anypony? Maybe Discord killed them all?”

Loopy looks forward as they both fly low, they’ve had to evade about the hundredth patrol of dragons. They found out the hard way that the Dragons are solidly on Discord’s side. They barely made it away, and it’ll be months before Nimby’s tail will grow all its hair back. “Why would Discord kill ALL the ponies, Nimby? It doesn’t make any sense. How can he rule if he doesn’t have anypony to rule.”

Nimby doesn’t answer as they weave among the trees.

They found the remains of Appleloosa. Then they went east and north and found Manehattan. It was also deserted. They knew where Discord spent most of his time, around what was left of Canterlot. They found that out by listening to two dragons talk to each other.

Now they are near Baltimare, you can’t tell time by the sun anymore, it rises and sets randomly. The clouds aren’t pink like cotton candy now, they are purple and spiked. The young pegasi know to stay away from the spiked clouds. For a change, the ground looks actually normal, grass is growing. Though staying on the ground isn’t an option for the pegasi either, some of the creatures that Discord has mashed together tend to roam and think ponies are tasty snacks.

“Loopy, look.” Nimby says as she points forward, Loopy looks the same direction, while a good number of the large buildings of Baltimare have been demolished, she sees something that makes her heart soar, a small garden, that looks well-tended. They both streak towards the small patch of normalcy among the chaos.

“Hello?” Loopy calls out as they land.

“Who’s out there?” Comes a voice.

“Two hungry pegasi.” Calls out Nimby.

A tangerine earth pony pokes her head out of a hole in the wall, she focuses on the two pegasi and shakes her white mane, “Come in, hurry. Discord’s patrols don’t bother with the garden, but if they see a pony…” She shudders.

Loopy and Nimby streak to the hole.

“So, this is Loopy’s dream.” Moon Shadow says softly, the human and the pony are walking among the ruins of Baltimare.

Kendra looks at Moon Shadow, “And I will have the ability to do this? Walk dreams like this?”

Moon Shadow nods, “Yes. You will be the first human that I’ve found with the ability. Dreamers are rare, Kendra. Not Star Crossed rare, but very rare. Luna finding me was a transformative day for me.”

Kendra looks at the ruins all around, “This is Equestria?”

Moon Shadow sighs, “Yes, during Discord’s reign, he upended everything. I’ve walked the dreams of many ponies that have had to live under his rule. I know what Dust says, he was acting as an agent of balance by upsetting our lives, and sending us to Earth.” She looks down, “I don’t know if I agree with her, chaos reigned here. I don’t know why he did what he did.” She finally sits down on the ground, looking up at Kendra, “Though one thing I know for certain, Lightning Dust was dead. Her body was ruined from her flight, and from crashing another twenty miles after hitting the clone of Twilight Sparkle. We took her body home. I delved her body, hoping against hope that some magic might be used to bring her back. She was gone.” A few tears drop on the ground, then she looks up, fire in her eyes, “But a few hours later, she comes trotting in the living room, a big smile on her face, with a story that I had trouble believing at first. Discord brought her back, because she had deduced what he said was the purpose to his curse.”

“Balance, for two worlds?”

Moon Shadow nods, “That is what she said.”

Kendra crouches down to look in Moon Shadow’s eyes, “He did bring her back. That has to count for something.”

Moon Shadow snorts, “Yeah, he did. But again, he did it for his own ends. Who knows what else he has planned for Dust, or for anypony.”

Both are silent for a long moment, then Moon Shadow stands up, the dream fading from around them both, then both of them are standing together, among infinite stars.

Moon Shadow brings the human along as the stars swirl around, she stops them in front of a dream, it’s roiling and clouded, not the pristine light of the other dreams.

“And this, is a nightmare.” She puts a hoof to it and closes her eyes, “And a pretty bad one too.” She gasps, “Oh dear, I think this one is living a nightmare, those are her memories.”

Kendra steps forward, only to be waved off by the gray unicorn, “This is a little intense for you in your current state of training. This little one is being abused horribly, I need to find who she is, and some idea of where she is. Then we can help her far better than just her dreams.” She vanishes.

Kendra wills a comfortable chair into existence. One of the first things Moon Shadow has taught her this night was to control her mind, and her thoughts. Time is subjective in the dream, it has seemed like many hours that Moon Shadow has taught Kendra before they went to find Loopy’s dreams. She thinks about her friend, “I hope you fly the best you can soon, my friend.”

After a few minutes, Moon Shadow appears, a grave look on her face, “We need to wake and get somepony to help her.”

Kendra cocks her head to the side, “A pony? Or a human?”

Moon Shadow looks at Kendra seriously, “Does it matter?”

***

Kendra opens her eyes, Loopy is peacefully snoring on her shoulder, Moon Shadow was curled at the end of the bed. She gets up and stretches, then looks at Kendra, “You wanna join me? I need to tell Dust.”

Kendra looks at the wall clock, “It’s three in the morning.”

Moon Shadow sighs, “It wouldn’t be the first time, Kendra. Trust me on this. Dust will want to know about this.”

Moon Shadow gets off the bed, and Kendra extricates herself from her friend. She looks at the sleeping pegasus, and runs her hand along Loopy’s cheek. She’s so cute. Finally, Kendra follows Moon Shadow.

Moon Shadow starts down the stairs, Kendra walks next to her, “Dust isn’t asleep?”

Moon Shadow shakes her head, “She hasn’t slept much in a long time. She has excuses, but I think it’s a component of what she lost.”

Kendra thinks for a moment, “Her magic?”

Moon Shadow nods, “Losing her magic was traumatic for her.” She looks sidelong at Kendra, “The effects of it are apparent even today. She deals with it, she doesn’t complain.” Moon Shadow sighs, “But it’s obvious.”

Kendra furrows her brows, “Really?”

Moon Shadow smiles, “Oh, certainly. She smokes like a chimney now. For a long time, she only smoked about a pack every week or two. Now it’s at least two packs a day. Ray has cleared out her lungs a couple of times. She doesn’t drink very much, but when she does, she does to excess. I think she’s in constant pain. But she refuses pain medication.”

“Why?”

“I believe she thinks the pain meds will dull her mind, have her in a fog. She would rather deal with the pain.”

Kendra’s voice gets very quiet, “How much pain?”

Moon Shadow sighs, they are close to Dust’s office, she puts a hoof on the door handle, “More than you would ever believe, Kendra.”

She opens the door, and smiles at the pony working by the light of the screens in front of her. Dust looks up, “Moon Shadow, what do you make of this?” She turns her screen and Moon Shadow takes one look, and blushes.

“Dust, what you do in private is for you.”

Dust looks at the screen, then at Moon Shadow and Kendra, then blushes herself. She shakes her head vigorously, “No, it’s really not what it looks like. Let me turn up the sound.”

Dust reaches and turns up the volume on the computer, and cheesy music starts playing, along with the sound of bodies slapping together.

Moon Shadow covers her eyes, “Oh Dear Celestia, it’s worse with sound.”

Dust frowns, “Listen to the pony.”

After a moment, “Oh no, we have to help her.”

Dust growls, “No kidding. I’ve got some messages out. I had Mindy track down where it was uploaded from, and she’s downstairs analyzing the video frame by frame. We’ll get a team going by dawn, we’ll find the poor pony.”

Kendra looks at the two ponies, “All I heard were horse noises.”

Both jerk in surprise, “Oh, Kendra, I forgot you were here.” Dust says. She moves the mouse and the video restarts. “Within months of us coming about, pony porn went from animated and drawn pictures, to real ponies in both pictures and videos. And that’s both professionally produced, and amateur. This video is amateur.”

The video shows a man having his way with a pegasus, she’s on her back, and she’s rhythmically making pony sounds during the video. Kendra looks at the video, then at Dust, Dust smiles, “You don’t know our language, apparently she was told to make horse noises as he was doing what he’s doing to her. She took the opportunity to tell anypony who watches the video what’s going on. Let me translate.”

She restarts the video, “Please… help…me… I’m…kept…in…a…dirty…stall…very…little…food…I…feel horrible….please…somepony…help…me.” Dust finishes with tears in her eyes. She traces a hoof on the screen, “She’s got some old bruises on her. She needs help.”

Moon Shadow sighs, “I actually came here for a similar reason. I was walking the dream…”

Dust sighs, “And you found somepony in need?”

Moon Shadow shakes her head, “A human girl, she’s about six. What is being done to her…” Moon Shadow shudders.

Dust comes around the desk and hugs Moon Shadow, “Always more in need. Do you know where she is?”

Moon Shadow gulps and nods, Dust smiles, “Well, we will just have to rain on their parade too.”

Dust looks thoughtful, “I’ll take Irony, Flash, and Mindy. We’ll get that mare. I think Trixie and Star should go with you. Though I would think you would want Ray with you as well, in case she needs medical help.”

Moon Shadow nods and stands up, Kendra smiles, “Where are we going?”

Moon Shadow turns and looks at Kendra, “Oh, no. You have just started to learn your magic. And Loopy needs help with her magic.”

“But…” Kendra starts.

“No buts, Kendra. Sunset Shimmer will start you on your fundamentals in the morning. I don’t know if helping ponies the way we do is for you. But either way, you need training.”

Kendra looks down, Moon Shadow comes close, then rears on her hind legs, giving the human a hug, “If you really decide to help, we will welcome you with open hooves, after you’ve been trained. You have years of training ahead of you, Kendra. You might find something else that is best for you. Now you head upstairs and get some sleep with your friend. We should be back in a few days.”

Kendra walks slowly to the door, looking back at Moon Shadow and Dust then finally opens the door and walks upstairs.

Chapter 6. Loops and Whorls

“Wake up, sleepy head,” comes a voice. I snuggle further into my covers. I don’t want to get up yet.

“It’s time to get up, Loopy.” The voice seems gentle, but it sounds like a temper is being held in check, “Kendra.”

I slide an eye open enough to recognize the pony, Sunset Shimmer, and groan, “Give me another hour.”

The chime of magic sounds and my warm covers are yanked off of me, earning the mare a dirty look. “Please?”

“No, it’s time to get up. Helen is making breakfast, and I want to work on both of you today.”

I groan, then my stomach gurgles. I look over at Kendra and see that her eyes are slowly opening as well. “Fine,” I grumble. Sunset turns and heads out of the room. I look over at Kendra, “Five more minutes?”

She sits up and rubs my ear, “It will turn into fifteen or twenty, then we’ll have Sunset up here. I have a feeling she won’t be as nice if she has to come back here.” She puts her feet on the floor and finally stands up, stretching. I stretch all four legs and flip onto my hooves. I find my wings extending, but I don’t feel the energy to fly...Maybe after breakfast.

I follow Kendra and soon, wonderful smells hit me right in the nose. I flare my nostrils, bringing in the delicious flavors. “Mmmmmmmm,” I murmur. We get to the kitchen, and I hop onto the bench as Kendra takes a stool.

“Morning,” I grumble, and a coffee cup slides over to me. I inhale the aroma, “A latte?”

Sunset smiles, “Yeah, we’ve got a good coffee maker, so you can have drip, or we can make espresso. I thought you would like a latte.”

I take a sip, then smile, “I usually have just regular old coffee. This is awesome.”

Sunset smiles, then a plate of food is sat down in front of me. I look at the waffles, sausage and scrambled eggs. I look at the woman who just set down the plate, “Thanks, Mrs. Shaw,” I murmur and grab the fork, fitting the strap around my hoof.

“Loopy, I’m Helen. No need to be formal here.”

I look down, “I’m sorry. You guys are just so nice. It’s too much.”

Kendra nudges me, “Your Grandma made you breakfast like this all the time.”

“She’s family,” I say softly as Kendra digs in.

Sunset levitates a fork, “You know, Kendra, after this morning, you aren’t going to be touching any utensils to eat. We’re going to get you proficient in your telekinesis.” Her fork spears a piece of waffle and floats it into her mouth, after she swallows, “Even if I have to tie your arms to your sides, I’ll get you using your TK like it’s second nature.”

Kendra pauses, looking at the food on her fork, “What are the fundamentals? Moon Shadow has talked about them a couple of times.”

Sunset smiles, “Fundamentals are exercises designed to get a unicorn proficient in their magic quickly. You will have to learn to sense with your magic, along with doing multiple tasks at once. I’ll start you on easy ones, but they will get progressively harder.”

Kendra smiles, “Oh, that’s awesome. I thought teaching would be all boring lectures.”

Sunset grins impishly, “Oh, you are going to have to listen to a few lectures too.”

Kendra groans, all through school, she hated lectures. Her favorite class was shop. She can weld better than most of the guys in her class could.

Sunset and Helen keep the conversation flowing as we eat. But finally I have to push my food away.

Helen stands up, “I had better start making some sweets… and doughnuts… and all the yummy stuff that magic users need.”

Kendra looks at her, “Sweets?”

Sunset hops off her seat. “Magic can be very taxing to the caster, especially a new magic user… one who hasn’t developed her magical reserves. Trust me, you are going to be craving high calorie foods for the next couple of weeks.” She walks out of the kitchen; Kendra follows, and I come along too, curious as to what’s going on.

“Now, as a magic user, you are a conduit. You control the energy flowing through you. Until you get used to it, you’ll find you use your reserves quickly.”

Kendra furrows her brow, “If I’m a conduit, then how do I use reserves?”

Sunset smiles, “I keep forgetting, you didn’t grow up around magic like the ponies. What would be basic education for a unicorn or a human magic user who was found a lot younger than you were is all new to you. Let me start at the beginning.” She turns and walks down the stairs to the basement.

“A pony can make a shield that can stop bullets, or even a rocket. With a basic understanding of physics, you know that no biological process can produce that much energy. And you also know the law of conservation of energy, right?”

I know this one. “Energy cannot be destroyed or created. It can only change forms.”

Sunset smiles, “Right, the first law of thermodynamics. And magic does not violate it, completely.”

Kendra furrows her brow, “Completely?”

Sunset giggles, “We know that magic is everywhere around us. We tap into the energy around us when we use magic. The thing is, there is no known way to measure or quantify that energy, except with magic users. So, we can’t prove that the magical energy exists, but we know it’s there because we can tap into it.”

“So, for the last twenty-five years, unicorns have been driving the scientific community bonkers?”

Sunset nods, “I have personally been told that what I do, what is part of me, is impossible. Then I levitated a pencil out of his pocket and transformed it into a hummingbird.”

That gets a laugh out of me, “And what did he do?”

“His eyes bugged out, and he walked away very quickly.”

That gets laughter from all three of us, then Sunset quiets down. We are now in a large room, devoid of furniture, with thick concrete walls and ceiling, “This is a room for magical training. The concrete has been enhanced, by myself, to be able to take anything you can throw at it. It is a safe place for up to a mid-level unicorn to practice casting without worries about damaging anything important. Even the lights are protected.” She points to the strip lights on the ceiling, “Kendra.” A plastic storage container is levitated over and the lid pops off. “Time to learn your telekinesis.”

After about an hour, Kendra is able to pick things up with her new magic. Finally, Sunset pulls out a steel ball and sets it in front of the human, “This is not a ball, Kendra, it is a puzzle. Over a hundred pieces of steel are here.” Her magic causes the ball to fall apart, then it puts itself back together. “You need to feel each individual piece. Feel where each part connects with its neighbor, then show me when you have it fully apart.”

Kendra encases the ball in her magic as Sunset turns to me, she pulls me over to the side of the room, “The first time I dealt with that particular puzzle, it took me an hour to get the first piece out. Now, I want to help you.”

I look down, “I don’t know how a unicorn can help me fly.”

She giggles, “You would be surprised, Loopy. Magic is a basic component of all ponies. Take Lightning Dust, for example. Before she lost her flight, she was actually a lot brighter turquoise than she is now. We didn’t understand how she had grayed out after fighting the clone. It wasn’t until we found out that she was unable to fly anymore did we understand fully.”

My ears fall as I cock my head to the side, “Her color changed?”

Sunset nods, “Yes, she did.”

“Wow.”

Loopy looks back at Kendra, who is concentrating, the ball encased in her blue aura, then back at Sunset, “How can you help me fly?”

Sunset lights her horn, “Both Mischief and Dust said you have strong magic, to the point you are likely a speedster, but you are clumsy in the air. Dust said you had the same problem as a foal in Equestria, so I’m going to see what’s going on. May I touch you?”

I nod and she brings her horn close, finally touching my forehead. After a moment she murmurs, “Looks like your magic is centered on your cutie mark and your head. Not your wings. It will take training to channel your magic where it belongs.”

I frown, “I don’t understand. How does where my magic is centered matter?”

Sunset extinguishes her horn and sits back, “You are a pegasus; you have inborn magic. You don’t really notice it, so you haven’t learned how to feel it again.”

“I know I have magic, but how does that help?”

Her horn lights again, and my wing is extended from my body. I look back at it. “Loopy, these wings are way too small to get your body off the ground. You fly with your wings, but also with your magic. You use it to lower your weight, to provide lift, and for propulsion. In the case of speedsters, you even use it to dissipate the heat of flying at extremely high speeds.” She looks wistful, “And in extreme cases, like Lightning Dust, it is used to assist breathing at extremely high altitudes… and to provide protection against impacts. If it weren’t for her magic protecting her, she wouldn’t have lived at all through her crash. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have been able to destroy that barn in the TV show without her magic, either. Your magic should be centered on your wings, Loopy.”

“How do I fix that?”

“It’s simple, Loopy. Training, lots of training. I will show you how to feel your magic, how to push it into your wings, and how to feel the connection.”

“How?”

She smiles, “First, close your eyes.” After a moment, “Good. Now, feel your body.”

I think for a moment, “What am I feeling for?”

“Your magic.”

I concentrate… she told me my head and my cutie mark. I open my eyes, “What does my cutie mark have to do with anything?”

She reaches out and touches it. I’ve been concentrating so hard on my body, her touch sends electricity throughout my body, and left behind is a strong warmth, “You have a very special cutie mark, Loopy. One of magic: strong magic. I don’t know if you are a magic user pegasus like Dust was, but you have very strong magic. I could feel it sitting next to you. You could be like Rainbow Dash, and your magic be geared for your speed, but only time will tell.”

I look down and finally close my eyes again, concentrating. She touches my cutie mark again, “You have a very similar, if not identical, mark to Starswirl the Bearded. And you know what kind of magic user he was.”

“But I’m a pegasus.”

I get nuzzled, “Oh, Loopy. All ponies have magic.”

I finally find the energy inside me; I feel myself reaching out for it.

“Ah hah!” Comes a voice, breaking my concentration. I look over and see that Kendra is smiling; she has the first piece of the puzzle out. I smile at her as she concentrates again.

I shake my head as Sunset moves over to Kendra, talking to her softly. I keep concentrating. And I feel my wings, feel my magic. She said it was in my head as well. I can feel the warmth there. But how to connect all of that to my wings?

I slowly extend my wings. They are where the energy needs to be. I feel the magic, but how? I can feel it. I crouch down, keeping my wings extended.

Kendra calls out, “Try arching your back!” Only to be admonished by Sunset. I think for a moment… can’t hurt. My eyes go wide when I do. I feel that connection. It’s there, I can make that warmth flow into my wings. I straighten out, I can feel how the power is supposed to go. The magic is making my feathers hum. I’ve got to fly. I push my wings down, I slam into the ceiling, then all goes black as I hit the floor.

***

“Loopy, wake up.”

I slowly open my eyes, blink, and look at the golden face in front of me. My hazy memories take several seconds to assign a name to that face.

“Sunset.” I’m able to murmur.

She smiles at me as my vision finally clears, “I wasn’t intending you to fly down here; I just wanted you to feel your magic. Once I had Kendra going well, I was going to take you outside.”

I rub my head. Wait a moment, shouldn’t it hurt? I look at her in confusion.

She chuckles, “Loopy, you did a hot takeoff with less than ten feet to fly up. I could feel it over there. You hit the ceiling, then the floor, face first. You had better be glad I worked with Doctor Ray and Star Crossed. I’m not as good as either of them, but I can heal broken bones and chipped teeth.”

I rub my head, “I broke bones?”

She nods, “Your hard head isn’t that hard, Loopy. You cracked your skull, and broke three teeth on the landing. Good job on the face first landing there.”

She floats a mirror over to me, I look at myself for a second, and feel my teeth with my tongue, everything feels normal. I look at her quizzically, she smiles, "as I said, I healed you, Loopy."

I feel myself blush, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, Loopy. You figured it out. Now, can you do it again?”

I look down, “I think so.”

“Good, let’s head upstairs, and you can show me.”

I follow her upstairs and presently we are in front of Dust’s house. I look around, “Is this enough space?”

Sunset giggles, “It should be. I don’t think you need as much space as your Widgeon to take off.”

I look at her as she backs away, “Okay, try what you did before.”

I crouch down and arch my back. I can feel the power, the energy inside me. The magic. I spread my wings, it takes a lot of effort, but I can feel the power, and it moves with my will. I push it to my wings, and once again my feathers are vibrating with energy. Like before, I push my wings down and take to the air.

Only to do a short forward loop, landing face first in the grass.

“Oh, Loopy.” Sunset groans as she rushes over to me, her horn lighting again as I spit out a mouthful of dirt and another tooth.

In moments her magic grows a new tooth and she steps back, “I’m not really certain how…” She trails off as the sound of raucous laughter reaches us.

“Oi! Now you are a pegasus, Loopy. You’ve tasted dirt!” I look up and see that Mischief is fluttering down towards us, “I was taking a nice nap, and I hear Momma Sunset talking. So I take a peek over the cloud and see that you’ve got your balance off.”

Sunset nuzzles me, “I think Mischief can help with this. I’m not really good at teaching actual flight. I can help with magic, but that’s about it.” She turns to Mischief, “You be on your best behavior. Teach her, don’t tease her. Got it?”

Mischief salutes, “Of course, mum. Better get back inside, don’t want hot takeoffs to give you a migraine.”

Sunset moves off as Mischief comes up to me. I close my eyes and cringe. To my surprise, I’m nuzzled by the white mare. I open my eyes and look at her in shock, “I’m sorry for flying off the handle, Loopy. I overreacted.”

“I hurt your mom. I know I’d be mad if you hurt mine.”

She chuckles, “Oh Loopy, me mum is a tough ole bird. She probably laughed it off, and grumbled about getting healed.”

I remember how Dust acted. “That about covers it.”

She smiles, “I love her with all of my heart, but she isn’t the easiest pony to live with. I actually moved out at sixteen. She threatened to cut me off financially. I told her to go the fuck ahead and took off, leaving a crater.” She looks back at the house, “Fire and ice we are, Loopy. I know she loves me just as much, but we’ve been butting heads since I was a foal. Around the time I got my cutie mark is when it started.”

I look at the Mobius strip with rainbow stripes on one visible side to it, “How did you get it?”

She chuckles, “That’s a story for another time, Loopy. Let’s get you flying.”

It turns out, Mischief is actually a patient teacher. She shows me how my balance is important when it comes to takeoffs. She shows me a hot takeoff, and after a while, I’m able to perform one myself. Combined with Sunset’s lessons on focusing on my magic, and getting it where it needs to be, I’m in the air consistently in a matter of hours.

“There we go, Loopy. You can feel your balance, you can feel your magic.” She gets close and nudges me with an elbow, “How does it feel?”

I let my wings work automatically, staying in the air is nearly effortless now… just have to keep in mind my magic. I smile at the white pegasus, “Wonderful, Mischief.”

She comes up and nuzzles me, “Flying is truly the best thing in the world, for a pegasus.” She does a loop around me, “Unicorns can do all the magic they want.” She flips on her back and hovers upside down, “And the earth ponies can do…” She stops, looking at the ponies walking on the street, “Whatever they do. But I’ve got to say, pegasi have it best.”

I giggle, “I’ve been told by some earth ponies that being an earth pony is the best.”

She comes up next to me, “Oh really, what earth ponies?”

I blush, “Zed.”

She powers away, doing a short loop once again, “My brother? Are you sweet on him?”

I shake my head violently, “Oh, no.” I stop for a moment, thinking about Zed. For some reason, my wings stop listening to me, and I have to fight to stay in the air. “He’s nice, and all. But I don’t know how I’m going to land.” I finally force my mind away from thinking about him and my wings start to work correctly again. I get back up to Mischief’s level, I smile at her brightly.

She looks at me, “So, are you going to sell that plane of yours? You understand your wings now, don’t need it anymore.”

I look over Dust’s sprawling house, where I can just see the wing of my Widgeon. I shoot up to get a better view of the plane, “I don’t think so, Mischief. She’s been my baby for a few years now. She’s sheltered me in the worst weather. She’s been my constant companion. A home. A place of shelter.” I chuckle, “An she’s got a lot more cargo space than I could ever carry.”

Mischief is above me. “But it’s so slow,” she moans, looking at the plane.

I nod, “By your standards, she is slow. But for most pegasi, she tops out about the same speed they do.”

I get an ear thumped by the white pegasus, “You are a speedster, Loopy.”

“I know.” I look back at Mischief, then at the plane, “She’s my baby. I’m not giving her up.”

Mischief looks at the plane, then at me, “Well, it’s your decision. Just don’t expect me to ride with you anytime soon.”

I look at her slyly, “Even if Zed, Rinoa, and Rydia are with me?”

She looks thoughtful as I streak off to the south. Heading over the water as I pump my wings furiously, I look down, and Mischief is on her back, keeping pace with me with her forelegs behind her head. I go vertical, powering for some altitude, only to hear Mischief call behind me, “You had better get a lot of experience in the air before you try to beat me, Loopy!” I streak higher, then turn north. I can feel my magic, it’s exhilarating. I keep accelerating, and soon I can feel the resistance as I break through the sound barrier. Mischief is keeping by my side, a big grin on her face. I do a loop at over the speed of sound, then streak towards the ground blasting through a couple of high clouds on my descent. Then I land on a big fluffy cloud about a thousand feet above the ground. I hold my wings out for a moment as Mischief lands beside me.

“It’s okay, Loopy. You are a pegasus.”

I shudder a bit. “In Equestria, under Discord, you didn’t land on clouds.” I take a moment to fold my wings, “You would never know what would happen. Some would just disappear… some would be sticky, and it’d be horrible to get away from them. Or they might’ve had spikes in them that would strike when you landed.” I shudder again, a few tears dropping.

Sitting down on the cloud, I look around, Mischief comes up to me and folds a wing over me in a hug. I find myself snuggling into her side. She murmurs in my ear, “I can tell you are pent up. It’s okay, Loopy. I won’t tell anyone.”

I let out a sob. I’m trying to control myself, but the tears keep coming, “We were starving, scrounging for anything to eat. Avoiding his dragon patrols. Life was scary.”

She pulls me tighter and I sob in her grip, memories surfacing. Nimby and I on the run from a dragon patrol. Nimby and I helping earth ponies harvest the food. Visiting the zebras and the unicorns, trying to keep Discord from noticing us.

I cry for a long time before I am finally able to sniffle and pull away from Mischief. I look at her, “I’m sorry.”

She nuzzles me, “I’ve gotten to know a few ponies that lived what you went through before Discord got them. Don’t worry, a lot of tears have been shed because of him.”

I nuzzle the white pegasus, “Thank you, Mischief.”

She backs away a bit, sitting down and folding her wings at her side, “So, what are you going to do?”

I shrug my wings, “I don’t know.” I look around at the town below, “Do they want a weathermare that needs a lot of training?”

Mischief giggles, “I don’t see them saying no. Pegasi are always asked if they want to join the weather service. The pay is good. And controlling the weather for the entire nation is a big task. We have enough pegasi to do the job, barely.”

I cock my head to the side, “Why aren’t you in the weather service?”

She chuckles, “Oh, I’ve got a lot of me mum in me. I’ve started a couple of businesses. Sometimes I’m super busy, other times…” She gives me a sly grin, “Not so much.”

I furrow my brow, “And it’s slow right now?”

She nods.

I move forward and hug Mischief, “I’m going to explore New Beginnings for a while. Thank you so much for helping me.”

She nods and takes off. Her takeoff is hot, so the cloud dissipates underneath me. I let myself fall for a few seconds before I spread my wings and fly towards the town, finally landing in the open air marketplace. There are ponies everywhere! Back in Equestria, I remember a lot of ponies, but they weren’t happy like these ponies are. Smiles are everywhere. They are haggling over prices, over quality, over everything about what is being sold. Ponies are running around, and foals are in abundance, too.

Something runs into me, causing me to trip. I end up on my back, “What the?” I moan.

“Oh, sorry, we didn’t see you there.” I turn my head to see three foals there, a strawberry colored pegasus is rubbing her head. Two other foals are sitting there. One of them, a purple unicorn with a light green mane, comes over to help me to my hooves, “We should watch where we are going.”

“Oh, it’s okay, I’m just getting used to all of this.”

“Used to all of this? Are you from one of the other pony towns? Or one of the cities where a lot of ponies live?” The strawberry colored pegasus chirps.

“Oh, oh, oh,” A third pony chimes up, a yellow pegasus with a red mane, “You’re from overseas.”

The strawberry colored pegasus whaps the yellow foal with a wing, “No, Zap Apple, she doesn’t have an accent.”

Zap Apple rubs her head, “So, where are you from?”

I look at all three of them, “I just finished changing. I was from Kansas.”

The unicorn moves forward, “You just changed? But I thought the twenty-fifth anniversary of Discords defeat was just a few days ago.”

I nod, “I was hit by his spell on June first of 2020.”

“Oh, that’s cool!” The unicorn sticks out a hoof, “I’m Dizzy Twister, that’s Zap Apple, and that’s,” She points to the strawberry colored pegasus, “Berry Breeze.”

“Loop De Loop.” I smile, “Call me Loopy.”

“Hiya Loopy!” They all three say in unison. With a good approximation of the Royal Canterlot voice.

“Know any good places to eat?” I ask, my stomach grumbling.

They look at each other, then at me with matching smiles, “Cutie Mark Crusader Tour Guides!” They shout in unison, slapping their hooves together in a three pony high five. Something catches my eye. When the girls shouted, all the ponies nearby flinched away. I look at the three youngsters.

“I’m vaguely aware of the show, are you saying you three are…”

Berry Breeze interrupts me, “We got the idea from the show, we are as much on a mission for our cutie marks as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were for theirs.”

Zap Apple spreads her wings, “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, New Beginnings Chapter. Because when life gives you apples, make lemonade!”

I shake my head. Hard. What did I just hear? I find myself being drawn into town by the three energetic youths. All three of them keep up chattering as we walk. I find myself taking to the air to hover, remembering the lessons that are fresh in my mind. Zap Apple takes to the air too, herding me forward and keeping up a running account of New Beginnings as we move along.

Berry Breeze points her hoof around, “When New Beginnings was being set up, they first wanted the town to be laid out like Ponyville from the show. But with the addition of the Chinese ponies back in 2022, the population grew like crazy. Nopony wanted high rises like you would find in Chicago or New York, so it was decided that no building would be over twenty stories.” She smiles, “But we have a lot of sprawling neighborhoods here. Ponies do like living close to each other, but not like some of those urban designs.”

“What are you, an encyclopedia?” Zap Apple says sarcastically.

I suppress a giggle as Berry whaps Zap’s ear and streaks off. The other pegasus hot on her tail. Dizzy Twister runs along with us, “Those two.”

I smile as they cavort in the air, wrestling and playing. Nimby and I did that as foals.

“And, here we are.”

I look at the sign, “Cookies and Cream Sweets.”

I look down at Dizzy, “Is it good?”

Dizzy nods enthusiastically, “Oh, yes. Best around. I mean, if you want to go to Hayburger, you can. But if you want the best sweets in the US, you’ve gotta go to Cookies and Cream.”

I let myself land, feeling a wistfulness as my hooves touch the ground. I’ll fly more later. Now that I can do it when I want, I want to do it all the time. I look back at the two pegasus foals, “You going to join me? I’ll pay.”

No more words need to be spoken to them, and we all enter the large eatery. The building is shaped like a large, ornate cake. I look around inside; there are bright colors everywhere. There are wait staff moving among the tables and about the hundred or so ponies here.

I look up at the main counter. A unicorn mare is standing there, watching the staff do their jobs. This place is crazy busy today, apparently.

The foals take up three chairs around a table and I hop into the fourth one. Menus are in a metal holder in the middle of the table. I grab one and open it.

“Oh dear Lord… all the sweets you can eat.”

Dizzy giggles, “They have great sandwiches here, even ones pegasi seem to love. With meat and all that.”

I look at her, “Meat is good.”

She chuckles, “For a pegasus… unicorns, however, not so much.” She sticks out her tongue, “Zap tried to get me to eat a tuna fish sandwich. I almost puked.”

I giggle and she looks at me, “Well, if you just got here, you need to get a place to live.”

I smile, “I’ve been living at Lightning Dust’s home for my change.”

Zap Apple and Berry Breeze just stop what they are doing and look at me, their jaws hanging loosely, “You were staying with Lightning Dust?”

I nod.

“She’s cool! She was the fastest flier on Earth! She made it from Florida to here in under half an hour.”

I look down, “I know, she told me. Twenty-two minutes.”

Both of them look at me, eyes wide, “Wow.” They say in unison.

“And what can I get you?” Comes a voice. I turn and look. The same unicorn is standing there; she’s light tan, with a brown and blonde mane. Her cutie mark is three cookies, one with a bite taken out.
I sit there stupidly, just looking at her. Zap Apple finally speaks up, “I want a monster muffin, ultimate chocolate!”

The mare smiles and looks at the other two foals, who order the same thing, then she looks at me again, I look down at the menu, “I think I’ll have a turkey pastrami sandwich with Swiss on rye.”

“Excellent choice.” The mare says, jotting everything down on a notepad suspended in her magic, “If you need anything, I’m Cookie Crisp.”

I smile as she walks away, then turn and look at the three foals, “So, how many are in your little Cutie Mark Crusader club?”

They look down, “Just the three of us. Most ponies that are still blank flanks are younger, and can’t go out as much as we can.”

“So you three are late bloomers?”

They all nod sadly, so I flag down a passing waitress, “Four milkshakes, please,” getting all three of them to perk up instantly.

I look at them, “It’s a good day, no need to be down.”

Soon our shakes are set before us. I have to laugh as they bob up and down as they drink. I know I saw something like that before. Something on YouTube, but for some reason, the Oreo commercial comes to mind when I think about it.

They tell me about their adventures until our food shows up, then they keep telling me the things they’ve tried. I vaguely remember getting my cutie mark, I keep hoping I’ll remember more of it as more memories shake loose. Moon Shadow said it’s a process, and it’s good for me to be around ponies.

***

As we exit Cookies and Cream, my phone goes off. I pull it out with my teeth and set it on the ground, look at the ringing phone for a moment, then use my hooves and mouth to open the clamshell phone, thinking I need a new one as I put my head on the phone laying on the ground.

“Hello?”

My grandmother’s voice comes through, “Mary?”

I smile, I probably sound different, “Yes, though I know my pony name now. It’s Loop De Loop, or Loopy for short.”

I can just picture my grandmother smiling bemusedly in response, “Well, a lawyer just called, about your settlement. He wants to talk to you. You are needed here, tonight.”

I gasp, my Widgeon can’t go fast enough. It’s early afternoon right now, then I think. I’ve got wings, I’m a speedster, I can make it. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I take gently to the air, then spiral up to gain some altitude. I can feel north… I can feel my route better than I ever could as a human pilot. I streak to the southeast. El Dorado, here I come.

I am well into South Dakota, and I’m actually above the speed of sound. I can feel the strain, and keeping the mental focus to keep my magic where it belongs is a little difficult. Why is the lawyer coming? I know one of the conditions of the settlement has to do with completing college. But I’ve got a couple of years for that. And being a pegasus now means I can go to a university pretty easy, if I want to. I’m still not certain what I want to do.

My musing is interrupted by a pony cutting me off. I blink and shed my speed as I pass through their wake. What’s going on? I see a mint green pegasus, wearing what looks like a Wonderbolt uniform. She points to a cloud and heads that way. I follow her, curious. Finally we both land on the cloud. I hold my wings out for a moment, unsure about the cloud, then I fold my wings and look at the pegasus. She tosses her white mane.

“Cloud Drifter, 520th.” She says.

“I’m Loopy.”

“Do you know why I cut you off to stop you?”

I shake my head.

She grumbled, “Dear Celestia, what are they teaching pegasi at Rim of the Sky these days?”

I furrow my brow, “Rim of the Sky?”

She huffs, “Rim of the Sky, the pegasus settlement at New Beginnings!” She nearly shouts.

I shake my head, “I’m sorry, I just finished turning a couple of days ago.”

She does a double take, “What? Really? You just turned into a pegasus? That’s cool!”

I smile, “My birthday was June first.”

Her jaw drops, “Seriously? You were born as a human on Equestrian Independence Day? That’s amazing. You must be one of the last of the five score ponies.”

I look down and nod, “I guess so. I remember fighting Discord.”

She smiles, then it fades, “I actually did pull you over for a reason. You were speeding.”

I frown, “Speeding?”

She nods, “You were exceeding the speed of sound below ten thousand feet. You could be mistaken for a cruise missile at that altitude. And you don’t have your transponder squawking at all.”

I shake my head, “I don’t have one.”

She huffs again, “Well, you need one. If you can’t afford one, the US FAA offers them at reduced prices for pegasi. It’s a basic model, not very many bells and whistles. But it’s nuzzle friendly, meaning you can operate it with your snout. If you want to purchase one on your own dime, they do sell them in New Beginnings. They also have com gear that is integral with goggles. You have natural protection for your eyes, but it’s nice to have a good set of goggles for high speed flight.”

“Huh? Natural protection?”

She chuckles, “It’s all new to you, isn’t it?”

I nod.

“Well, all pegasi have natural ways to protect ourselves from the stresses of high speed flight, even at fifty or sixty miles per hour, you can hit a bird and it would be pretty painful. So we have a natural healing factor. It helps if we crash too. You can break bones and be back up and going in a matter of hours to a couple of days. Your eyes are protected by a third eyelid. You don’t consciously control it, but it’s tougher than most leather, and slides over your eyes in flight. You’ll notice your vision changes when you fly, it gets sharper. It’s the third eyelid. It’s structure provides limited magnification. And naturally, the faster you are able to fly, the better your protection works.”

I think about it for a moment, “So that’s what Sunset Shimmer was talking about.”

She giggles, “You know Sunset Shimmer?”

I nod, “She helped me to understand my magic, between her, and Mischief, they got me flying. I haven’t had time to learn the rules of flight as a pegasus. I know about planes. But I figured since I’m a pegasus, I don’t have to deal with transponders.”

“They are wearable, Loopy. And since you are a speedster, you definitely need one.”

I nod, “I’ll get one once I get back.”

“Where are you heading?”

“El Dorado, Kansas.”

One of her ears flicks, “Damn, I’ve got another call. Apparently some pegasus is pranking commercial flights about a hundred miles south of here. I’ll forgo a ticket this time. But keep your speed subsonic when you are under ten thousand feet. You may not make the large sonic boom that larger planes will, but if you are low enough, you can still break windows and seriously piss off humans. If you are going to fly above ten thousand, make sure you file a flight plan and use your com gear as well as transponder. Not all that many pegasi can exceed the speed of sound.” She smiles, “Follow the rules of the air for pegasi, and then you won’t be a pain in the flank for the 520th.”

She stands up and spreads her wings, then she tosses off a salute as she lets herself fall off the cloud. I move over the edge to watch her streak to the south. Then I take off myself. Keeping my speed barely subsonic. As the sun is setting, I finally land in El Dorado, right at my grandmother’s back door.

“Grandma, I’m home!” I shout.

“Oh, Mary, you are just in time. Mr. Litt has been here for about ten minutes.”

I look over, a man in a very expensive looking suit is sitting there.

“Well Miss Chan. It’s a pleasure to meet you again.”

Chapter 7. Legal Loops and Corporate Hoops

I look at him, “I was Mary, now I’m Loopy.”

He smiles, “Got any proof of that?”

I reach back into my saddle bag. Now I know why they had Kendra take pictures of me during my change. I pull out my tablet and bring up the gallery: a series of pictures, starting with my cutie mark, which I follow up on by pulling down my pants a bit so he can see the mark on my flank. He flips through the pictures. After a few minutes, he leans back and smiles.

“Good to see that the standard practice in New Beginnings is still being applied.”

I frown, “Huh?”

He chuckles, “Believe it or not, we had identity thieves try to take the identity of ponies, especially ones who went through the gate back to Equestria. Mayor Mare—well, we should call her Senator Mare now—enacted a rule in New Beginnings that was adopted in all the pony colonies. The rule is, when a pony is changing, documentation of their change needs to be done to prevent fraud. Along with that, financial rules apply having to do with ponies that decide to leave Earth, for good. A hold has to be placed on assets for a number of years in case those ponies decide to come back, whether they assume human form once again or stay pony.”

I look down, “That’s pretty smart.”

“Which brings me to the reason I’m here today. I had to come here from New York. Something when the settlement was drawn up, was not considered likely considering your birth date. May I ask, why did you quit your job?”

Confused, I answer, “I turned into a pony, and I went to New Beginnings. I didn’t think Quizno’s would keep on a pony.” I look down, thinking, “I guess they would keep a unicorn… they don’t actually have to touch the food with their hooves.”

He writes for a moment in his note book, then looks up at me, “Are you planning on staying unemployed? Do you have college plans? You know the rules of the settlement.”

I look down, “I don’t know. I do plan on getting a job, but what I’ll do, I’m not certain. I’ve talked to an EUP recruiter. I was planning on taking a tour of Fort Inkwell.”

“Potential EUP Military service.” He murmurs as he writes.

I brighten, “I was told that the weather service always needs pegasi.”

He nods as he keeps writing. I look at my grandmother. She smiles gently at me.

After a few moments he flips his papers closed, “Well, I’ve got what I need, Loopy. I can assume the ponies you were with would comply with a subpoena if there is any objection?”

“I think so.”

He smiles, holds out a hand, and gently grasps my hoof when I offer it, “Sorry to put you through the rigmarole, but legal requirements must be met. This is a lot of money we are talking about.”

I furrow my brow, confused. “But it’s supposed to be the same as the first payment after the settlement was reached.”

He smiles, “You had a good lawyer, I should know: he hired me. And it was known that turning into a pony was often times a severe financial hardship. Lofting Trucking was aware of your birthdate, and how unlikely it was that you would turn since your birthday was on Equestria’s Independence Day. So they agreed to the additional payment. With this documentation,” He taps the tablet, then pulls out another one, setting up a file transfer, “The additional payment becomes mandatory for them from the trust.”

I frown.

He smiles hugely, “All I need is a signature from you, then I can hand you a check. This will complete my duties under the settlement trust, and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.” He pulls out a thick stack, “This is the entire terms of the trust. Since you turned into a pony, some parts were voided, while some other parts are now in effect. And with your signature…”

He offers a pen, which I take in my mouth and use to scrawl out a signature. He looks at it, “And your pony name as well.” I sign a second time, then he takes the papers back and sets a check on the table in front of me. I look at it, stunned.

“The original settlement was a million dollars, payable in two installments; half upon agreement of the settlement, and the other half on your twenty-ninth birthday, ten years later. With the provisions that took effect when you became a pony, this final payment makes the total settlement two million dollars.”

I stare at the massive amount of money sitting there, represented by a small slip of paper. I look up at him, “I had no idea.”

He smiles, “Well, if you had read the entire document, you would have seen it. But I don’t blame you. You were struggling to come to terms with your parent’s very recent death and were not thinking very well. Still, your grandmother insisted. That’s why she paid so much for my firm’s services. She called us yesterday, letting us know that the pony clause, as it was called, is now in effect. I simply had to verify that fact and I could finish my job.”

My grandmother stands up, “Thank you, Mr. Litt.”

He smiles, “And thank you. I much prefer to give people and ponies good news. In fact, my firm handles a few ponies: Fancy Pants, Lightning Dust, and Sapphire Shores, among others. And finalizing a settlement is far better than handling custody issues because mom turned into a pony, or some of the other crazy things that have happened since ponies came to this world.” He picks up his briefcase and moves to the door.

“Are you sure you won’t stay for supper, Mr. Litt?” Grandma asks.

He turns and smiles, “I’ve got a flight back home waiting for me, but I do appreciate the offer.”

The door gently closing announces his departure. I sit there, looking at the check.

“Grandma, how much did you spend on the lawyer?”

She flicks my ear, “As if I’m going to tell you. My poor son died in that wreck. I had to deal with a young lady who was broken, and my own grief as well. We had hundreds of letters from lawyers once the police report was filed, all wanting a bite of any settlement. I didn’t want that, so I hired a reputable firm out of New York. According to the police report, the driver’s phone still had the unsent message on the screen when the police officer picked it up. It was a slam dunk case. It cost some money, but I’ve always kept a nest egg. I had started it as a college fund for you when you got old enough, and I didn’t want some shady lawyer only looking out for himself to help you.” She reaches over and pulls back part of my mane, her nimble fingers pulling the hair into a pony tail; then, she reaches behind her and opens a drawer. I can feel her wrapping a hair tie around the pony tail to keep it in place.

She kisses my cheek, “Be you pony, or human, you will always be my little Mary.” She sits down next to me, “You have so much of him in you, even as a pony.” Her eyes are bright with unshed tears, “I know both of your parents would be very proud of you… how you turned out. You got a pilot’s license. You were trying to figure out what you wanted to do with your life. And then you got a cutie mark.” She smiles, and sniffles, “I love you, Mary.”

I reach over and hug her, wrapping my wings around her. “Oh Grandma. I still miss them.”

She holds me tightly, “It’s been six years, and I do too.”

We both cry for a long time. Finally she pulls away. “Wings are nice for hugs,” she says with a sniffle, getting a bark of a laugh from me. She picks up the check, “I’ll deposit this in your bank account tomorrow.”

“Grandma, I want you to have half of it.”

She looks at the check, then at me, “This is your money, dear.”

“You’ve been living on Grandpa’s pension for a long time. You need the money.”

She chuckles, “Your grandfather left me with more than just a pension. I told you I had a nest egg set up for you. He set one up for me. I’m not worried about money.” She gently touches my nose, “And you don’t need to worry about money either.”

“Please?” I drop my ears, giving her the best eyes that I can. She chuckles and rubs a finger along my ear, “You’ve been trying that trick, thinking you were cute, for years. It didn’t work as a human. It won’t work as a pony, Mary. I’m putting the money in your account in the morning.” She closes her fingers over my muzzle, “No more objections. Understood?”

I nod and she lets me go, “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, hours ago.”

“After flying all this way, you must be starving. I made vegetable stew.”

I find myself drooling, and rub a fetlock along my mouth, “Sounds wonderful.”

***

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay, dear?”

I look out at the rising sun, then back at my Grandmother, “I kind of do, but kind of don’t. I want to be around other ponies. I want to do things.”

Grandma smiles, “And not be stuck in the back end of nowhere. I knew that about you.” She sits down on the porch swing, “For a while, you were horrified to move to Kansas when we lost your parents.”

I move up, putting a hoof in her lap, she takes my hoof in her hands, “Then you met Kendra. And you two were inseparable from then on. And now you are a pony. You have the ability; do what you want. Just remember, there will always be a home for you here.”

I sniffle a bit, “I love you, Grandma.”

She pulls me into a hug, “I love you too, Mary. My little Loopy.”

After a long time, I pull away, “I will visit, when I can.”

She chuckles as I spread my wings, “Bring Kendra too. She’s been talking to her parents on the phone, but they miss her.”

I feel my magic. It takes effort, but I’m starting to get a handle on it… connecting it with my wings, putting my magic where it belongs. “I will!” I call out as I take to the air. I slowly fly over the lake and finally accelerate as I gain some altitude. I need to keep where I’m allowed to navigate without a transponder. After I see Kendra, I need to go buy one. A few hours pass as quickly as the land does underneath me. Soon, I’m fluttering to a landing at Dust’s house.

I open the door, and Mischief is laying on the couch, watching TV, “Oh, hey Loopy, where ya been?”

“Kansas.”

She comes over and whaps me with a wing, “Ah, you find your wings, and next thing, you're flitting all over the country. That’s the speedster in you.”

I look down, “I had to take care of some lawyer business.”

Mischief giggles, “Oh goody. Well, you can come with me, because you just changed. In case you didn’t know, you don’t look like the picture on your driver’s license anymore.”

I sigh, “I know.”

“Well, let’s get you a new ID card. Or do you plan on getting a modified car so you can drive, too?”

I think for a moment, “Just ID, I think, for now. I got on the computer last night and put through the name change for my pilot’s ticket, so I should get the new ID in the mail in a few days.”

Mischief comes closer, “Oh, Loopy. This is eastern Montana. You won’t see it for at least a week. Mail service out here sucks. And the state doesn’t use Pony Post.”

“Oh.”

Mischief smiles brightly, giving me a hug, “Let’s go get your ID.”

The flight takes only a few minutes. Mischief leads me in, “I hope you don’t mind, I took the liberty of calling ahead for your license. They had open appointments for today.”

I furrow my brow, “When did you do that?”

“Three days ago. Signed you up.”

“How did you?”

She taps my ear with a wing, “Mom said to make sure you were taken care of. I do what my mom says.” She giggles, “Most of the time.”

I roll my eyes as I sign in. And in a matter of minutes my eyes are tested, I’ve paid the fee, and I’m sitting on my haunches in front of a neutral background as my picture is snapped.

“Turn to the side and lower your pants, please.” The employee of the state of Montana behind the camera says.

I look over at Mischief, uncertain. She smiles, “They need a pic of your cutie mark, Loopy. Duh.”

I roll my eyes and pull the Velcro closures apart and lower my pants, making sure my cutie mark is visible for them. A quick snap and I move over to a small waiting area. Mischief comes up, “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

I shake my head, “I need to call Kendra, let her know what’s going on.” I reach into my small satchel, and after a moment, “Where’s my phone?”

Mischief hums, “I dunno, maybe you left it at my place.”

I frown. I didn’t take it out there. After a moment, a DMV employee comes out, “Here is your new license, Loop De Loop.”

I look at the plastic card, gender is female; race, pegasus; it lists my coloring for my coat, and my mane. I look at the pictures, my face, and my cutie mark.

“I now have ID for the 520th.”

Mischief giggles, “You’ve already had to deal with them? What a bunch of pricks.”

“Well, I don’t know the rules for pegasi.”

“Mum has set up a training course up on the Rim, you’ll learn the rules of the air. Let’s get home.”

As we land back at Dust’s house, Sunset Shimmer is smiling as Kendra is laying on the floor of the living room, obviously out of breath.

“Kendra!” I say as I flash to be by her side, “Are you okay?”

She gulps and nods, then slowly lifts a hand and points a finger at Sunset, “That mare is…” She breathes heavily a couple of times, “Evil!”

I furrow my brow as Sunset comes over and nuzzles Kendra, “Oh, you big baby. I just wanted you to work on a few gears.”

“A few gears!” Kendra shouts. Then she flops her head back, “With two other unicorns being trained, we had to put gears together and keep them spinning!”

Sunset whistles softly, “At least I didn’t have you do a five thousand piece puzzle while blindfolded. Though that’s coming quicker than you would like, Kendra.”

Kendra moans and brings a hand up, rubbing my ear. I nuzzle my friend.

“Oh, Loopy! Glad to see you are home. Dust wanted me to give something to you, once you got in the air.”

I look at her, curious, “Mischief had to give me your old one so we could transfer all the data…”

I look over at Mischief, “I said you must have left it at my home.” She looks down, with a smile on her face, “I didn’t say that I made sure you left it here.”

Sunset looks at Mischief with a frown—which causes the white pegasus to wilt a bit—then Sunset's horn lights and a package is brought over to me. “This is a new phone. Since you are a speedster, it is also a transponder. It’s a bit bigger than you are used to, but there’s a foreleg strap for it and a Bluetooth headset designed with ponies in mind. You’ll find it to be pretty comfortable. And a good week of battery life on it too.”

I open the package as Mischief comes close, “Just after the change, Mum got pulled over by Fleetfoot. Fleet told her to get a transponder and showed her the one she had. Mum hated it. I mean seriously hated it. She had one custom manufactured for her. She had to wait like a month for it to show up, but it was still a bit of a prototype design. Well, she talked to a few manufacturers, and once the ponies seriously went public. She got them to start a line of speedster pegasi phones. Look at the screen.”

She pulls the phone away and tilts the screen so I can see the glass, “This is made by a spell a few unicorns know. It was developed by a unicorn who worked in the Army at the time. It’s essentially sheet sapphire. It’s scratch resistant, UV resistant… Hell, it’s bullet resistant.” She flips the phone a bit, “She contracted a company, Setec Astronomy, to build in a mini projector with the ability to read hoof gestures. You can file flight plans on it without a stylus. It will give you necessary alerts and whether your plan will violate any restricted areas. It’s called the PonyPod 4c.”

Sunset giggles, “I was an Apple devotee, and once this came out, they tried to come out with a pony friendly design. They called it the iPony, but it never took off.”

“This is amazing.” I murmur.

Mischief, “Yeah, we had to set you up new service. You don’t have Verizon anymore.” I look up at her, she smiles, “You are now in our family plan for P-Mobile. You aren’t limited to cell towers anymore. This puppy switches between cell towers and satellite connections smoothly. It’s pretty smart.”

Sunset puts a hoof on the phone, “This is designed for extreme use. It’s made from space age carbon fiber, grown crystal glass, and high strength plastics and rubber. It’s rated well past 25G's, able to operate in temps from 50 below zero to 120 degrees, and is good to a depth of 20 meters.”

Mischief pipes up, “That means even the worst rainstorms won't damage your phone.

I furrow my brow, “P-Mobile?”

She smiles, “P-Mobile is an upstart carrier. Been around five years or so. They have a lot of towers around most of the pony towns, but they have agreements to share bandwidth nationwide. And they are building new towers quickly. Pegasi are good for building tall things.” She finishes with a roguish grin.

Taking a moment to power up the phone, I find the phone is already programmed. Someone had set a picture on the screen, a selfie that I took before my change, showing Kendra and I inside the Widgeon. I smile at that picture.

“I know how much you like that pic, so I chose the background photo for you, Loopy.” Kendra says. I reach over and hug her.

***

The door crashes open and three foals stumble inside. All three of them seem to be glued together somehow. Pine needles adorn their coats as they try to coordinate walking, with only three legs available to be used at any one point, the ponies’ progress is very slow.

Strawberry Sunrise hears the commotion and peeks down the stairwell. Seeing the foals in that condition causes her to scream, “Gold Dust, Dylan, I need you!”

In a matter of moments, Gold Dust’s magic has all three foals in the tub. She starts scrubbing where she can, trying to lessen the grip the tree sap has on the little ponies. Along with a generous amount of soap and near constant use of magic, she eventually separates the three. Strawberry Sunrise and Dylan both have big towels ready for each foal as they are cleaned up. Soon, all three are swaddled in big white towels and are sat down.

Dylan sits down in front of all three of them, “We live in eastern Montana. How in the hell did you three find enough trees for this?”

Berry Breeze shuffles forward and collapses in her father’s lap, “Oh, we were at the orchard.” As in the orchard owned by the resident Apple Family members. Which happens to also have a large patch dedicated to growing… “We were trying to see if we would be good at Christmas tree decorating.”

Strawberry huffs and picks up her foal, snuggling Berry in with her wings. She nuzzles Dylan and then Berry, “You three.” She giggles.

All three of the CMC giggle too.

Gold Dust sits down with them, “You know, I’m going to have to call your parents.” She says to the other two. Getting big sighs out of both of them. Then Dizzy Twister looks up, “But Mom is deployed. She won’t be back for months!”

Gold Dust looks at the unicorn, “You have two more herd moms, and your dad is in town. I talked to him yesterday. Don’t think you are getting out of it.” Dizzy wilts.

After a few minutes, Gold Dust and Dylan leave the foals to Strawberry Sunrise.

“You know, in the show, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had a lot of adventures before they got their marks.”

Gold Dust sighs, “I was lucky. I found I had my talent pretty young. These three though…” She looks back at the closed door and sighs again.

Dylan puts a hand on Gold Dust’s withers, “Honey, just be patient, they will find their talents soon enough.”

“Yeah, but can New Beginning survive the process?”

Dylan chuckles at that, “Remember Mischief, Zed, Rinoa, and Rydia?”

Gold Dust shudders, “I’m surprised Dust is still alive after that.”

“And that was just the first wave. Dust had two more foals, Irony had one, Mindy had four more, and Moon Shadow had three.”

“Your home was stuffed for quite a few years.”

Dylan smiles, “Sometimes I wonder how she is handling empty nest syndrome. The youngest moved out about six months ago.”

“She makes do. Our oldest have moved out too."

Dylan kisses the end of her horn, “ I know, and don’t worry about Dust. She’s one of the toughest ponies I’ve ever met. Though I think Mischief was trying to drive her nuts.”

Gold Dust walks towards her office, “I know. I was very happy for your sisters getting their marks. Too bad Zed took longer. I think he felt cheated that it took him longer.”

Dylan sighs, “But Momma Irony was always supportive, she never let him give up. Hell, Mischief kept at him. They made sure that he never gave up.”

Gold Dust smiles, “The party for him getting his was a wonderful affair. Mindy went all out for that one, didn’t she?”

Dylan chuckles, “I remember the after party more.”

She hip checks him, “You naughty boy.”

He runs a finger down her horn, getting a shiver from her, “One who loves you very much, Goldie.”

She rears up and gives him a proper kiss, then she finally pulls away, more than a little weak in the knees, “With oil prices down again, my services are more in demand than ever. I have work to do, love.”

He smiles, “I’ll help Strawberry with the foals. Have fun working.”

She sighs, “I’d much rather be spending time with you.”

***

“How much further?” Mint Leaf whinnies to the pegasus.

Sunshower looks back at Mint Leaf, “China didn’t want us. Vietnam let us live in peace for a few years. I pray to Celestia that Japan will take us in. We have no home.”

Crafty Crate moves closer to Sunshower, “Need a break?” He whickers.

“No, I’ve got her.”

Mint Leaf looks at the other earth pony of the group, “Caboose, you okay?”

Caboose is holding onto Rainbow Swoop for dear life. He shakes his head tightly, “I hate flying.” He murmurs. Rainbow Swoop looks back at the earth pony on his back and smiles.

The other two pegasi, Blueberry Muffin and Helia, stay in formation with their friends.

Only a few more hours to Kagoshima. Maybe they can get some refuge there.

***

I look at the prices for all the pegasi specific equipment, then look at my phone. “This stuff is expensive.”

Picking up a set of goggles, Kendra looks at the price tag, then at all the features, “This one will link with your phone and transponder. It’s got a built in heads up display, showing your air speed, your altitude, and direction.”

I smile, “So will a lot of these, but I want something I can communicate with.”

Kendra sets down the basic setup, “You know, I was with you when you were searching for stuff for the Widgeon. I said the stuff was expensive.”

I look at her, “Well, of course it is. I need it to last a long time in a rough service aircraft.”

Kendra picks up a model with an integrated throat mic, “Same principle here. It has to be comfortable on you and allow you to communicate. Buying quality now means not having to replace as quickly.”

I nod, “Okay.” I grab the box underneath the display model she was holding, “I like this one.”

We continue walking through the speedster pegasi section of Wings and Caps in New Beginnings. “When is Dust coming back?” I ask.

Kendra looks back, “Oh, she should be back in a day or two.”

I smile, “I hope her mission went well.”

We walk towards the front of the store. Wings and Caps. The best place in New Beginnings to get pegasus-specific equipment, along with the best selection of custom ball caps that I’ve ever seen. I stop and look at the team specific selection of caps. “I would love a Cubs cap.” I say, looking at the blue cap sitting there.

Kendra smiles and pulls me along, “The Cubs haven’t won a pennant since 1908. They aren’t going to start anytime soon.

***

“I’m home!” I hear from the front of the house. I peek my head over the couch to look at the front door. Mischief is already there, hugging Dust. The rest of the ponies that went with her smile tiredly.

“Where’s Moon Shadow?”

Dust sighs, “She has to handle some legal complications. The girl is safe now, but the parents are fighting for custody. She’s having to testify as to what she witnessed. She’s done it before, and she’s an accredited witness regarding her dream abilities. But every time a defense lawyer tries to find some way to discredit her, she’s always ready for that.”

I frown, “So, you are going to get her put in foster care?”

Dust shakes her head violently, “Hell no. In every case, where we’ve helped a child be freed from horrible circumstances like hers, we’ve brought them here and gotten the child placed with a family that’s vetted and looking for children. We aren’t going to make a child the ward of the state.”

I look down, “So, she’ll live with pony parents?”

Dust shrugs, “I don’t know. Some families are pony, some are human, and some are mixed. The happiness and welfare of the child is what’s important. And state services have never been up to the task. The children we rescue go to homes that know what problems they may have and are equipped to deal with their situations.”

I smile at the turquoise pegasus, “You always have a solution, don’t you?”

She shrugs again, “I try. I hate the feeling of, ‘Out of the frying pan, into the fire,’ so I try to prevent that from happening to anypony else.”

I smile and sink back into the comfortable couch as Dust trots to her office.

***

Something grabs me from my nap. I poke my head up. A voice is raised. I hop off the chair and head towards Dust’s office. The shouting continues as I walk down the hall. I hear something behind me. Irony is standing there, a look of concern on her face. If she’s concerned, there is something big wrong. I get to the half open door to Dust's office as I hear a loud bang. I push into the office. Dust has her wings spread, a grimace of pain on her face. She’s panting as she holds her hoof over something on the desk. The glass covering the desk is smashed.

“Oh, Dust! What happened?”

She doesn’t respond. She’s looking off into space, still panting. A few tears are dripping down her face.

“Dust!” I shout.

She jerks and focuses on me, then looks down at her desk. She picks her hoof up, looking forlornly at her phone, which looks to be smashed as well.

I look at the phone, then up at her, “Upsetting phone call?”

She nods.

I hop up in the chair, “Wanna talk about it.”

She looks at me for a long time, “Someone wants to do a damned foolish thing. I told him in no uncertain terms, no.”

I look down at the desk and the phone, “Looks like you need a new desk covering… and a new phone.”

She looks at the shattered glass and the smashed phone, then up at me and smiles, “The wonder of having a level five unicorn in your family.”

Chapter 8. Rounding the Bases

“Kendra, it’s time to wake up.” I hear Sunset say.

I open an eye, looking at Sunset, “C’mon, let her sleep.”

Sunset giggles, “Oh no, she agreed to have me train her. I’m going to get her to where the standard training is like a breeze. She has a lot of potential, and I want her to use it.”

I snuggle forward and nuzzle Kendra, who tries to push me away, provoking an extra nuzzle from me. “Kendra, wake up, don’t want Sunset to bring out the puzzle first thing, do you?”

Her eyes pop open. “No, I’m not ready for the big puzzle yet!” she moans.

Sunset nuzzles her too, “It’s okay, Kendra. When you are ready, you will be able to do it.”

Kendra rotates and puts her feet on the floor. Sunset looks at me, “What are you planning on doing today?”

I shrug my wings, “I dunno, look for a job.”

Sunset smiles, “Loopy, I know this may sound odd, but don’t look for a job. Look for something you want to do for a long time. In other words, look for a career.”

I look at her, puzzled. She tilts her head a bit, “Before the change, Dust was an electrician. She had found a career. She started out as an apprentice, earned a journeyman’s license, then a masters license. She owned her own company by the time she was thirty-three. Then, the curse lifted on her thirty-fifth birthday. She became Lightning Dust.”

I hold out a hoof, “Wait a moment, thirty-five? I thought the curse was twenty five years.”

Sunset sighs, “Lightning Dust was able to use time magic. She was using it against Discord on the night she was banished, and his magic merged with hers and then hit her. It sent her back ten years in time and made the curse last ten years longer.”

I furrow my brow, “Time magic? She’s a pegasus.”

Sunset moves towards the door, “Dust was a very special pony: she was one of very few magic user pegasi.” She puts a hoof on the door lever and her voice lowers a lot, but I can still hear her, “She gave up a lot to save us.” She murmurs as she exits the room.

I look at Kendra, “I think we had better go down to breakfast.” I say, flaring my nose at the smells wafting up.

Kendra rotates out of bed as I hop off the bed, I head to the door, Kendra pipes up, “Aren’t you going to get dressed? You didn’t pick up some new clothes.”

I look back at my flank, and at my pair of panties for sleeping. I look at Kendra, “Most of the ponies go naked… I might give it a try.” I flick my tail, “Of course, my tail covers up the important bits.”

Kendra giggles, “Maybe I should walk around without clothes.”

I look at her in horror as she starts to lift her night shirt. First it shows her panties, then her midriff, and just as it’s about to expose her breasts, she drops it, looking at me with a smile.

I poke her with a hoof and smile as I head to the bathroom to start my day.

***

I push the button next to the door to open it. After a moment, I walk in.

“Um, hello?”

An Earth pony stallion is sitting in the reception area. “Can I help you?” he asks sweetly, getting a blush out of me.

“Um, I don’t know.” I pull out the card I got a few days earlier and show it to him.

He looks at it for a moment, “Ahh, Night Wing. I know she’s in. Hold on a second.” He fits a headset over his head and dials a number as I find a pillow and sit.

A few minutes later, the bat pony comes out and looks around, blinking. She trots over to me, “Can I help you?”

I smile, “I look a lot different than you saw me last.”

Her eyes narrow for a moment, then she smiles hugely, “Oh, you were the young woman going through the change!”

I nod, “I’m Loop de Loop.”

She moves forward and hugs me, “I’m glad to see you here. And not just in a professional role! I always like to meet new ponies.” She pulls away and starts walking, “Come along to my office; we can see if the EUP can do anything for you.”

I sit down in her office as she takes the pillow in front of the low desk. She smiles, “So, have you gotten the hang of flying yet?”

I nod, “Lightning Dust and Mischief helped me, so did Sunset Shimmer.”

Her eyes widen, “Some of the founders of New Beginnings. Wow.”

I look down, “Dust helped me in Equestria, as a foal. I was at junior speedsters and was trained by her, Spitfire, and Rainbow Dash.”

She smiles, “That is awesome.” She looks thoughtful for a minute. “You don’t have any training in military matters in Equestria. For your whole life, the EUP was destroyed.” She sighs. “You don’t have any idea what it means to be an EUP member.”

I shake my head.

She smiles, “Well, let’s fix that.” She stands up, “I’ll take you over myself. You can see what we do, training with the humans, deployments, everything as a member of the US Armed Forces.”

I smile as she leads me from the room. We head outside and she takes off, I spread my wings and join her, getting even with her in the air, “So, where is Fort Inkwell?”

She chuckles, “We are flying northwest, so I would guess…”

I laugh as we start angling down towards the base. She continues talking, “This is a military base, so non-military pegasi are not allowed to fly over it. We have wards all around the base to warn ponies to keep out. We are a couple of miles away from New Beginnings.” She points down, “After some humans attacked the farm that was eventually to become New Beginnings, the U.S. President, whose daughter turned into a pony, had a National Guard post set up here. That post was eventually christened Fort Inkwell.”

“Inkwell? I’ve heard it referred to a couple of times. Who was Inkwell?”

Night Wing looks at me, “Inkwell was an advisor to Princess Celestia, and a teacher at Celestia’s School. She taught Twilight Velvet, who helped christen the base. It was named in her honor.”

“Twilight Velvet?”

Night Wing giggles, “Before Discord, we knew her as the mother to Twilight Sparkle. But when Discord’s curse fell, she was a U.S. Army Ranger. She continued to serve, and was eventually stationed at Fort Inkwell before she eventually retired. She trained U.S. military unicorns that changed to control their magic. She had a couple of foals with her husband, Rainbow Blaze.”

I look ahead, “Where are we going first, if I’m not allowed to fly over the base?”

She points, “See that area there? Looks like a helicopter landing pad?”

I nod, “That is the reception area. It’s for anyone and anypony to stop and sign in. They get escorts if needed.”

I look around, “How big is this base?”

“Over a hundred square miles, Loop De Loop. It’s a large combined forces training area. We have an EUP guard post in town directly, but primary training has been moved here as of 2030.”

Looking around, I can see an obvious US Air Force section with long runways and hangars for aircraft. There’s a section that looks like it’s for the Army and other ground forces. The area where we are heading has barracks and office buildings everywhere, and Night Wing brings us down to land in the reception area.

I fold my wings after landing and follow the batpony mare. We get inside and are met by a pegasus mare poking her head up, “Hey Night Wing! What brings you out to Inkwell?”

She smiles, “We might have a new recruit here, if she wants to join.”

The cyan pegasus with a brown and purple mane hops over the cubicle dividers with a wing assisted jump and lands in front of me, “Nice to meet ya!” She offers a hoof. I extend my hoof and get it shaken like there’s no tomorrow. I’m still vibrating as I pull my hoof away. “I’m Butterscotch Apple!” she chirps, “1st Lieutenant Butterscotch Apple, that is.”

“I’m Loopy. It’s a pleasure.” I say, looking at my hoof, is it all there?

She looks over at Night Wing, “Are you going to give her the tour? Or do you want me to?”

Night Wing smiles gently, “I’d love for you to do that, Butters.”

I look at Night Wing, a little concerned. She comes up to me, “Loopy, I’m a recruiter. I don’t know as much about this base as a pony that’s stationed here like Butterscotch does. If you do decide to join up, I’ll be happy to help, but this pony here knows everything about the base, it’s history, and what’s going on.”

Butterscotch nods vigorously, “And you’re in luck, Loopy. We are in the middle of a stand down… maintaining tools and equipment before a big exercise.” She smiles brightly, “In other words, it’s a training day!”

I look back at my wings, “Including the pegasi?”

She flares hers, “Oh, I can see what I’m saving for last.” She turns, beckoning me to follow as Night Wing turns and leaves the way we came in.

We get outside the office building and she takes to the air. I follow her quickly as she calls back to me, “We are going to start with the Army side.”

We land near a large open area where tanks are lined up. She leans over to me, speaking over the noise, “Armored Calvary. We not only have ponies operating some of the large equipment, like the retrofitted Abrams and Bradleys, but we also have ponies in the infantry platoons. We even have several Army Rangers that are ponies. Follow me.”

We end up landing on a tower, with a good view of a course laid out. Ponies and humans are moving through the faux buildings carrying paintball guns. I watch them clear a room, shooting several humans and ponies posed as defenders.

Butterscotch leans over, “They are training in the hardest type of warfare: urban combat. As you can see, the earth ponies have modified weapons that they can fire despite having four hooves.”

I watch as an earth pony lines up to buck down a door. With a massive kick, the steel door flies across the room as two unicorns and a pegasus join the eight humans working through the rooms.

“Earth ponies are great for a lot of urban combat. They aren’t as tall as humans, so typically opposing fire will go right over them. Add in the strength they get from their connection to the earth, and they can bull in and take care of belligerents that would be more dangerous to humans. With the newly designed body armor we have for them, an earth pony is a miniature tank at times. We have unicorns that specifically enchant armor for both humans and ponies… you would be surprised how well the armor fits. A pony can take hits that would disable us in the old armor when we were in Equestria. Human ingenuity along with pony abilities make a wonderful combination. Unicorns are typically good with shields and telekinesis, so they can hold unmodified weapons, though that’s not guaranteed. It’s all dependent on the unicorn’s strength and telekinetic abilities.”

I look at all the training going on. I see ponies and humans milling around the tanks and other equipment, which Butterscotch notices, gesturing for me to fly with her. We land near the tanks. A unicorn notices and trots up, smiling at us and saluting Butterscotch, “Hi there, I’m Bugle.”

I notice the rank insignia on his shoulder: two stripes. Butterscotch returns the salute, “This is Loopy. I’m bringing her around to see if she wants to join the EUP.”

He smiles, “We always are looking for ponies to join up. The US military has set a goal for two percent of the force to be ponies by 2050. We aren’t there yet, but we are trying. Recruiting is always going on.” He looks at me, “Loopy, right?”

I smile and nod. He chuckles, “You’re a shy one, aren’t you?”

I look down, and again, he chuckles, “Ah, I get it. I hope you choose to join up. The pay isn’t great, but the job is fun.”

I finally find my voice, “What do you do?”

“I’m a bugler.” He chuckles, “And I also am battalion clerk here.”

“Sound fun.”

He nods, “I love it. Service is very rewarding, I think.”

Butterscotch leans over and whispers in my ear, “Watch your tail.”

I look back. Behind me, my tail is fanning from side to side. I make it stop, wondering why it’s doing that. I look at Bugler, “Thanks for talking to me.” I say as Butterscotch draws me away.

She giggles, “You’re like a puppy right now, that tail won’t behave.”

I look back, it’s once again waving back and forth. I still it, and once my focus leaves my tail, it’s waving again. I shrug my wings, “I guess I’m happy then.”

She narrows her eyes and looks at me for a moment, then shrugs her wings in return, “Well, we can fly to San Francisco to look at the Navy and Marines, but I think you’d rather see what’s going on with the Air Force.”

“What’s going on with the Navy?”

“Pegasi have been invaluable to the Navy since we changed.” she says. “We perform search and rescue. Quite a few ponies have endured hell week and become Navy SEAL’s. We are now well integrated.”

I look at her as she continues, “Imagine this. On a covert insertion, a half dozen pegasi streaking ahead of the rotary aircraft, getting to their destination before the choppers are even heard. They can take out sentries or secure valuable real estate. Ponies are helpful there.”

I nod as we take flight, ears swiveled toward her as she keeps up a constant stream of chatter. “The earth ponies, we have quite a few that are able to do Rolling Earth. They can really bring down the house in a fight. The pegasi, we have the speed advantage, and the unicorns have magic. Well… you know, all ponies have magic, but the unicorns really can do amazing things. Bugle, back there, has some spells he’s amazing at. He can even do the Royal Canterlot Voice with a spell he knows!”

I grin at her, “That’s amazing.”

She giggles back at me, “I know!”

Soon we are near the hangars on base. Several ponies are in flight uniforms, and not all of them have wings, either. I point that out.

Butterscotch giggles, “Well of course we have ponies who can fly without wings. It doesn’t take much modification for an earth pony to fly a plane. A unicorn can fly a plane unmodified, though the seats in a fighter jet aren’t all that comfortable for a pony for long periods of time. I’ll tell you, though, not many earth or unicorn types really desire to fly. Most of the wingless ponies around here are ground crew. And they know their stuff, I’ll tell you .”

I smile, then stop dead. A trio of Wonderbolts are walking up to a trio of humans in flight suits, helmets in hand. The humans kneel down, and it looks like they are talking. I look over at Butterscotch, who checks her phone and smiles. “Perfect timing. The Wonderbolts and the Thunderbirds are going to be doing some flying today.”

“Really?”

She nods as the ponies move away and the humans head towards F-35 fighter jets. They are painted the distinctive red, white, and blue motif of the Air Force Thunderbirds. I find my ears flattening back as the engines whine to life, nd in a matter of minutes, the pegasi take to the air and hover interspersed with the jets as they taxi down towards the runway. The jets are soon powering down the runway, the pegasi keeping in form with them as their wheels leave the ground. In unison, ponies and planes burst out in different directions, though always up. I get a whap to my ear and I look over at Butterscotch.

“Fold your wings; they are training.”

I look back. I’m crouched down, my wings extended and ready to fly. I fold my wings and stand up, my face glowing, “Sorry.”

She smiles, “It’s okay, I’m not a speedster, so I don’t have those instincts the way they do, but they are training. You need to stay out of it. Wouldn’t want you causing a spinout, or a crash.”

Two pegasi along with a F-35 cross each other’s flight path with all of them flying at nearly seven hundred miles per hour. The roar of the jets is deafening as they pass by. I turn to look at Butterscotch and smile. She’s watching the planes and pegasi in the air with a faint smile on her face. Her wings are slightly extended as she rocks back and forth, following the feeling of the wind.

I smile, “Like watching them?”

She blinks a few times, “Yeah.” She smiles sheepishly, “C’mon. Let’s keep looking.”

We walk through more of the complex, “You know, New Beginnings has contracts with NASA.”

I look at her, “Huh?”

She nods, “Some of the pegasi special abilities may be adapted to space travel.”

“Cool.”

She hip checks me, “And our big project, it’s a couple of years away from completion, but if the propulsion system works as planned… Earth to Mars in twenty-four days, depending on where they are in their orbits.”

“Amazing. How would somepony get involved with that?”

She shrugs her wings, “The project isn’t really hush hush. Hell, they are publishing papers on the drive and some of the other systems involved in the ship, but I’m not certain how to get in on it.”

“Maybe I should show up in Houston and ask to join.” I giggle.

She hip checks me again, “It’s being built in Florida, near Cape Canaveral. Once it’s complete, it will be sent to orbit, and final assembly will be done there. But we’ve got a couple of years for that. The ion engines are still being built. And it takes pegasi to run them.”

“Wow.”

She nods, “And finally, we have the Royal Guard.”

Ponies are training with other ponies. Not really many humans are in evidence here. I get a good look at the armor the ponies are wearing. Not the golden armor that you would see in the old show, but Kevlar and carbon fiber armor, conformal, strong. The unicorns have holstered side arms, and the earth ponies are carrying weapons as well. I watch as several earth ponies spar with each other. “Unarmed combat drills. For the Guard.” She murmurs to me as ponies are grappling and throwing each other. One or two, with officer’s ranks visible on their armor, are watching the other ponies work. Though one thing gets me: all of the ponies are pure white, with blue manes and tails. I mention that to Butterscotch.

She giggles, “No, they aren’t clones or anything like that. They are just as diverse as the rest of the ponies, but their armor is enchanted. The enchantment makes them all look the same.”

“Why?”

“They have a very special duty. They are the visible guards of the pony cities. Do you know anything about the Vatican and their protection?”

I frown for a moment, I remember reading something about that a long time ago. Finally, I shake my head slightly.

She smiles, “The Swiss Guards are the protectors of the Vatican. What you see is a group of soldiers that are very visible, extremely well trained, and ready for anything. Yet they are seriously backed up by regular units with heavy weapons. The Royal Guard does something similar… while they do walk the streets in their armor, and they are more than just a pretty face, they are well trained. When the princesses visit, they are the royal guard force. But most of the time, they are among the ponies. They are the public face of the Crown.”

I frown, “But we follow the same laws at the humans, right?”

She nods, “Yes, but the Royal Sisters still exist. They do visit from time to time. Legally, they don’t really have much power here on this world, but the ponies still remember them and do still look up to them. And the Royal Guard is still there as a symbol.” She giggles, “Any one of those ponies is as well trained as any of the other ponies in the integrated units, but remember, the Army has ceremonial duties as well, like at the tomb of the unknowns. The ponies’ job, walking among the population, is just as important. Ponies are very peaceful, they don’t really have to do anything. But they are ready for anything, it’s their job.”

I smile, “That’s pretty cool.”

***

Looking around the apartment, I smile at the earth pony mare, “I’ll take it!”

“Wonderful! I’ve got a lease drawn up. How long do you want it to be?”

I think for a few moments, “Can I pay by year?”

She blinks several times, “You want to pay for an entire year at a time?”

I nod.

After a few moments, her smile comes back, “I don’t think that’s a problem. Though it’s a bit unusual.”

I smile, “I like to take care of things in advance where I can.”

A little more than half an hour later, I’ve got a new set of keys sitting in my small day bag. Most ponies have one; it holds cash, credit cards, ID, and various little things, replacing the pockets that we had as humans. I take to the air. It’s a short flight back to Dust’s house. After spending some time in New Beginnings, while pretty much all the houses are what I would have considered upscale before my change, Dust’s is in a league of its own. Her nearest neighbor is a good block away from the house, and all around her house is a large lawn. And of course, behind the house is the massive Lake Luna. As I’m coming in to land, I see something that I haven’t before. A brand spanking new Dodge Ram. As my hooves touch the grass, I see it’s a three-quarter ton, with a topper on the back.

“Wonder who owns that.” I murmur to myself as I open the door. In the entryway is a human, and it’s not Kendra. My wings spread in surprise as she looks at me. She has brilliant purple eyes and blonde hair, pulled back in a ponytail. After a moment, I see Dust is there as well.

“Hi there, Loopy!” Dust crows. She bounces over to me, “I want you to meet my oldest daughter, Hannah.”

The woman walks over to me, extending a hand. I fold my wings and offer her a hoof.

She grasps my hoof and shakes it gently, “Hi there. Dad has told me a bit about you… the last of the five score ponies, right?”

I shrug my wings, “I guess.”

She smiles and looks back at Dust, “She’s pretty.”

I feel myself flushing.

She turns back to Dust, “Dad! I can’t wait to tell you, I think I’ve gotten a line on another cache.”

Dust frowns, “Like the one in the UK, and that one you found in France?”

Hannah nods, “But the Bolivian and Peruvian governments are not really pony friendly. They would not look kindly on a sky chariot landing.”

Dust sighs, “I know. The US has tried to put some pressure on them to recognize pony rights, but it’s been an uphill battle. Most countries recognize ponies as people, the way the US does, but there are still holdouts.”

Hannah giggles , “You turn into a pony in some of those countries and you are given a one way ticket out.”

Dust snorts, “It’s better than when we first emerged. Ponies were being used as beasts of burden… common animals.” She sniffs a bit, “Quite a few ponies blanked out during that time.”

I look at Hannah and then at Dust, “I’m glad things are better now.”

Both of them nod.

Dust checks her phone, “Moon Shadow should almost be done making lunch. Wanna join us, Hannah?”

She smiles, “Of course.”

We move into the kitchen and sit around the large kitchen table. Moon Shadow’s magic brings a plate full of sandwiches and several bowls of soup onto the table.

I smile, “Grilled cheese and tomato soup! Yum.”

Moon Shadow giggles, “I like them too, but the request was from Dust.”

I look at Dust, who blushes. “A favorite of mine growing up.”

We all dig in. Two sandwiches are levitated over to my plate along with a bowl full of soup. I fit the strap over my hoof so I can wield my spoon.

After a few minutes, Hannah pipes up, “When did you buy a plane, Dad?”

Dust shakes her head, then looks at me, “It actually belongs to Loopy here.” She takes a sip of some iced tea, “Speaking of…” She smiles, “Any luck on apartment hunting?”

I nod, “I signed a lease. I got a two bedroom. It’s nice too.”

Dust’s smile freezes on her face for a moment, then it widens, “Good for you. I hope you like it there.”

I smile, “I found a place that Kendra can spend as much time as she wants at.”

“Still looking for what you want to do?”

I sigh, “It’s only been a couple of weeks since I changed. I don’t know what I want to do.”

Hannah looks at me, “You own your own airplane?”

I nod.

She jumps up and down, “Oh, it’s perfect!”

I furrow my brow, “Huh?”

“Getting to Peru! We can fly there.”

I shake my head, “What?”

In a flash of light, both of us are standing on the dock next to the Widgeon. “I need to get to Peru. I’m certain there is a way I could persuade you to fly me there!”

I shake my head, trying to clear it from the sudden teleportation, then I look up at Hannah, “You can do magic?”

She giggles and kneels down to be eye level with me, “Yes, didn’t Dad tell you?”

I again shake my head, “No.”

Hannah rolls her eyes, “I swear with that mare.”

I look at the Widgeon as Hannah walks up and down the dock, looking at the plane, “Oh, this is perfect. Can we go for a flight?”

I frown, “To Peru?”

She shakes her head, “Oh, no. I’ve got classes coming up. I’m a professor at Cornell.” She puffs out her chest a bit, “Director of Magical Studies and Artifacts.” Then her smile turns sheepish, “That means I’ve got a fancy title and teach a few unicorns that are going there. But for the most part, I’ve got a small office and no staff.”

I shake my head, “Well, we can go for a flight, if you want.”

She jumps up and down, clapping her hands, then stops, “Hold on, I’m going to go get my truck.” She turns and runs off.

“Wait, that truck won’t fit on my plane!” I shout as I gallop after her. For a human, she’s fast. I catch up to her at the driveway. She’s standing in front of her truck.

“It’ll just be a moment.” she murmurs, and a magical chime starts in the air. Her hands glow and the glow surrounds the truck. Before my eyes, the truck shrinks down to the side of a Hot Wheels car. When it gets to that size, she smiles and her magic subsides, “There.”

I move up to the tiny truck, looking at it.

“Don’t touch it, when shrunk it’s extremely fragile.” She calls out. She comes over and crouches down, again enveloping the truck in magic. She brings out a small case, then opens it and floats the truck into it. Closing the case, she secures the latches and puts it in her purse. She looks at me, “Okay. Let’s go!”

I look at her for a long moment, “You are amazing.”

The woman actually blushes heavily. “Thank you.” she says as she stands up, “About that flight?”

I smile, “I think we can have fun with that.”

***

The ponies are standing in the waiting room. Blueberry Muffin looks at her friends, then at the door to the immigration office. She takes a deep breath and opens the door.

The ministry official looks at her, then down at his list, “The minister will see you now.”

The group of ponies slowly follow Blueberry Muffin through the door into the office. The minister stands up and walks over to the ponies. Bowing slightly, he starts to speak, “I am sorry about the delay, I have been talking with my superiors about you ponies. They still don’t know what they want to do with you.”

Blueberry is the only one able to speak enough Japanese, “I don’t understand the delay. Japan has thousands of ponies already living here.”

He shakes his head, “It’s not about you being ponies, I’m afraid. It’s about where you came from. Some are Thai, some are Chinese, some are even from Vietnam. You are claiming political asylum, but there has to be a case. I have been unable to build one.”

Blueberry translates for the other ponies, and Crafty Crate steps forward, “Those countries have forced us to leave. They don’t want ponies.”

The minister sighs, “Once again, I am sorry, but there has to be a compelling case to grant asylum from such countries. While our relations with them have been cordial, us granting asylum to their citizens might be considered an unfriendly act, so my superiors are hesitant.”

Sunshower snorts and slams a hoof into the floor, “Don’t be cowards! They banished us! We need a home.”

The minister glowers at Sunshower, who refuses to back down. He looks around at all the ponies, “I’m sorry, but you must remain patient. I am doing what I can. Perhaps in a week or two.”

Sunshower growls and turns towards the door. “Thanks for nothing.” she grumbles as the rest of the ponies exit the office.

Helia comes over and nuzzles the jasmine-colored pegasus, “We are trying. Maybe if they say no, we can go to America. They have lots of ponies there.”

Sunshower grumbles for a long moment, “They do have a pony colony in Hawaii.”

Caboose shudders, “That will mean days in the air, right?”

The pegasi all nod sadly, and Caboose shudders again, “I hope we can find a home here then. I’m tired of being off the ground.”

Mint Leaf comes over and rubs up against Caboose. “Don’t worry. We will be with you.” she says, getting a smile from the stallion.

“Thank you, friends.” he murmurs as they leave the office building.

Chapter 9. Around the Bend

The dreamscape is someplace that Moon Shadow loves to go. She can see all of her loves here, when they are asleep, but most of all, she is in her element here. Her cutie mark resonates with the world here. This is where she is happiest; this is where she’s at peace. And she’s finding something else out: an apprentice makes a night among the dreams even better.

Kendra looks around. Weeks of intense training during the day by Sunset Shimmer and during the night by Moon Shadow have been bringing her abilities out. She’s pretty good with magic in general now. She had the five thousand piece puzzle put together in under ten minutes, but here… She sighs as the dreams swirl all around the pony and the human standing together in nothingness. After several minutes, one dream ends up between the two.

Moon Shadow looks at the dream, then at Kendra, “Kendra, this is Lightning Dust’s dream.”

Kendra reaches out and touches it gently, “I know. But her dream is calling me for some reason. I don’t think it’s a nightmare.” She trails off as she feels the emotions of the dream.

Moon Shadow smiles sadly, “Sometimes somepony dreams their memories.” She reaches out and touches the dream, “Like now.”

“What’s going on?”

A long sigh from the unicorn, “This is from about twenty years ago, soon after her flight to save all of us.” Moon Shadow is silent for a long moment, then continues, “I think it best for you to find out by watching it yourself.”

With a gesture, both of them are in Dust’s office. Kendra looks around, then at Dust and at the pink unicorn sitting with her. His horn is lit and he is touching it to her forehead. After a long time, he finally sits back, panting a bit.

“I’m so sorry.”

Dust looks at him in confusion, “Star, you’ve regrown lost limbs. You’ve even regrown wings and a broken horn.”

He sighs, “I know, Dust. Your problem is a lot different than those.”

Dust looks through us as the door to her office, then at Henry, “I can only refuse flying with Star Shine so long. We loved flying together. He’s missing it, and to be honest, so am I. Please, Star Crossed?”

The pink unicorn sighs again in frustration, “Dust, this isn’t that simple. When you flew across the nation, at the speed you were going, you overloaded your connection to your magic. In the end, you snapped that connection. I’ve been able to heal unicorns that have burned themselves out in a similar way, but theirs was merely a break in the magical flow. Yours actually produced considerable blowback.”

Dust furrows her brow, looking confused.

Star looks around in thought. Finally, he smiles, “You are an electrician, right?”

She nods, a little unsure.

“Picture this: your connection to your magic is like a thick cable, and I can feel both ends. With other overextended pegasi, I simply connected both ends back together. But in your case, you were pushing yourself as hard as you could. You used even the very last remnants of your magic, unconsciously, to protect your body as you crashed through trees and rocks to very unceremonious reunion with the ground. In other words, you actually burned that cable back towards the source.”

She is starting to look alarmed, “So you…”

He overrides her, “I can’t simply regrow that connection, despite my best efforts.” He puts a hoof on her shoulder, “Your body knows that connection should be there; it’s looking for it, and the pain you feel is because of its lack.”

“So you can’t help with the pain, either?”

He shakes his head. Tears are starting to drip from his cheeks, “I’m so sorry, my friend.” Dust suppresses a gasp as she brings him closer, wrapping her wings around him. Tears start to leak from her eyes as well.

“So, what can I do?” she murmurs.

After a moment, Star Crossed pulls back and softly says, “You need to tell your family.”

She shakes her head, “No. I will deal with this.”

Star Crossed cocks his head to the side, “You were always in the air, before all of this. I guarantee they notice.”

Her tone is firm, “I will deal with this, Star.”

He looks at her for a long time, then sighs, “For the pain, I hate to recommend them, but there are painkillers in the opioid family that might be helpful. Perhaps some of the new synthetics.”

Dust looks at him, “Drugs?”

He nods and explains, “Unfortunately magic, like everything, has limits. Your body is trying to come to terms with serious trauma that it can’t heal. The pain is the body trying to tell you that something is wrong.” Star Crossed sighs, “But it’s something that can’t be fixed, Dust. The most I can do is refer you to a pain management clinic.”

She looks bleak, “And go through life in a drug induced haze?”

Star moves away, around her desk, and hops into the chair, “I’m afraid so, Dust. Unless you want a prescription for marijuana. That actually might help you function better than opioids.”

Dust looks at him for a long time, then shakes her head, “My days of being a stoner are long behind me, Star Crossed. I’ll deal with the pain, then.”

Star Crossed smiles, “I will keep researching, and maybe send a message or two to the princesses back in Equestria. Perhaps they know something I don’t.” He sighs, “But I don’t think simply applying more power will fix this. It would take something else.”

Dust chuckles, “It’s not as though you could use the Elements of Harmony to help.”

Star Crossed barks out a laugh, “I think they actually could heal you, Dust, but I wouldn’t bank on it.”

Moon Shadow looks at Kendra as Star Crossed hops out of his seat and starts to leave the room. In an instant, they are back among the stars, among the dreams.

Kendra wipes her face, “She’s in pain?”

Moon Shadow nods, “Yes, all the time.”

“Did she do any of that? What he suggested?”

Moon Shadow shakes her head slowly, “No, she would rather remain clear headed, even at the expense of the pain.”

Kendra furrows her brow, “And it’s the most when she uses her wings?”

Moon Shadow nods.

“I hate to ask, but would removing the wings surgically help her?”

Moon Shadow’s eyes widen and she takes a step back, “I don’t think she would consent to that even if it meant no more pain at all, Kendra. Dust is a pegasus. While she can’t fly, her wings are as much a part of her as my horn is to me. It would kill her emotionally, if not physically. She wouldn’t be herself anymore.”

Kendra looks down, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Moon Shadow steps up to Kendra, then rears up and hugs the human, “It’s okay, Kendra. Our customs, our way of life, is different than yours. We are ponies, you are human.”

Kendra hugs Moon Shadow back, “I wish we could help her.”

Moon Shadow looks at the dream, “I do too.”

***

The three little ponies are sitting in their clubhouse, though it’s not in the middle of an apple grove or on an Army base. This clubhouse is still in a tree, but that tree is in Berry Breeze’s back yard. Berry looks out the window at the house, then at her friends.

“We could try tank driving again.” She sighs.

Dizzy looks at her, “Seriously? We snuck onto the base and got into a tank, but I couldn’t figure out how to start the engine. Then Bugle had to find us.”

All three foals sigh.

After a long time, Zap Apple speaks up, “I know, we can go see Irony at the smithy.”

The other two look at her, both blinking, then all three smile, “Cutie Mark Crusader Blacksmiths!” they yell.

The three foals head into town and before long are sitting in front of the smithy. Irony has a smaller setup at her house, but the bigger and better stocked one is in town. They can hear hammering inside. Dizzy smiles at the other two Crusaders.

They get into the small office and find Irony sitting at a desk, a pencil in her mouth.

All three foals’ ears drop, and their eyes widen and they adopt sad expressions, Irony looks up, “Please Miss Irony.” Berry says softly, “Can you help us get our cutie marks in metal smithing?”

Irony looks at them for a long time before Dizzy adds in a little sniffle, getting a chuckle from Irony, “I’m immune to unbearable cuteness, you three. I had to deal with Zed, Mischief, and—worst of all—Dot and Fidget.”

The three foals start leaking tears while Zap Apple moans, “But how are we going to find out our special talents if we don’t try them?”

Irony stands up, then shifts onto two hooves and crouches down before the three, “Just because I said I’m immune to your cuteness, it doesn’t mean I won’t help.” she says softly, “Metal working isn’t easy, but it’s very fun. I’ll be happy to show you the basics. I’ve got some orders I was going to work on today.”

They head into the smith proper, the sound of hammering assaulting their ears. Dizzy looks around, “Why is it so dark?”

Irony chuckles, “It’s so you can see the glowing metal better and gauge its heat.” She moves over to a propane forge and a soft whoosh announces it coming to life. Irony smiles as she pulls out a piece of square stock, “The first thing you need to know about working metal is the metal itself.”

***

Blueberry Muffin stands before the minister. Judging by the look on his face, she’s bracing herself for the worst.

“I’m sorry, but I was unable to convince my superiors to approve your application.” he says softly.

Blueberry freezes for a long moment, then she steps forward, “Excuse me?”

“Your application for asylum is denied. I’m very sorry.”

She translates for the other ponies. Sunshower looks down, “What does that mean?”

The Minister answers, “It means you must leave our nation.”

The ponies all look stricken. Caboose says, “Where can we go, then?”

Blueberry comes over and nuzzles the large earth pony, “We can try Taiwan?”

Mint Leaf steps forward, “Taiwan isn’t very pony friendly, but we can try.”

“Oh yeah, you were a citizen there.” Blueberry says softly. “We will try there. If everything fails, we’ll try the US. Lightning Dust will take ponies in.”

***

“Are you sure you’ve got the spell down?” I ask.

Kendra looks at me, “Yes, Loopy, I can do it.”

I flare my wings a bit as Kendra climbs on my back. “You know, I’ve learned teleportation,” She grumps.

I giggle, “Yeah, but Sunset doesn’t want you trying more than a football field length yet.”

She huffs as I take a moment to feel her weight on my back and how it affects my center of balance. It wouldn’t do to eat dirt with her on my back. I take a deep breath and gather my magic, centering it on my wings, and with a few flaps, I’m off the ground. I look back at her, “See? Easy!”

She grabs my mane, hard, “Loopy, look where you are going!” she calls out. I turn my face forward and go for some altitude. The ponies have established a true Cloudsdale, floating all over the nation, but Rim of the Sky is anchored to the largest hill in the area. I take a slow, roundabout course to get to the level of the clouds there. If Kendra had wanted to spend a few hours climbing the hill, she could have, but she decided to fly with me. After a few minutes, I’m coming in for a landing.

“Now, be careful.” I say as she shifts her weight to swing a leg over. She places one foot on the cloud, then the other as she stands up fully.

She smiles as she bounces a little on the cloud, “I never thought I would ever stand on a cloud.” She murmurs as she looks at the white fluff around her.

I giggle, “I know, right?”

I finally get a look at the city before me. Over fifteen thousand pegasi live here, rather than on the ground. I turn and look back at New Beginnings, then back at the city. It’s amazing.

“How do they…” Kendra starts, then looks at me.

I look at what she was looking at, then giggle, “Fountains, full of water? In a cloud city?” I murmur.

The Grecian columns are how I remember seeing Cloudsdale in the show, but this is amazing. Well defined streets criss-cross throughout the city, along with buildings all over the place. But nearly every intersection has a fountain, or a pool, or some kind of basin full of water, all made of clouds. I start walking down the street. Cloud formed signs are everywhere, advertising all kinds of things pegasi would want.

“This is amazing.” I murmur.

Pegasi are everywhere, walking along the streets, flying slowly around the city, and even playing in the water of the fountains. I watch a mare duck her head under the falling water of a fountain, drenching herself, then shaking the water off and smiling. A stallion jumps in with her, and the two fly around, splashing each other as they get close to the stream of water.

I look back, “Can you believe it?”

Kendra just watches, “If I didn’t see it with my own eyes.” She shakes her head and looks at me, “Pegasi, where they are happiest, in the sky.”

I feel it in my chest: this is where pegasi belong. Among the clouds, up high, away from the trouble of the ground. I sit down heavily. This is why I bought my plane, this is why I was happy finding out I was turning into a pegasus. I am a creature of the air, of the sky. The only way I am truly happy is up here. I find myself sniffling.

“Loopy, what’s wrong? You’re crying.” Kendra murmurs as she kneels down next to me.

I sniffle again and rub a fetlock across my nose, “That miserable bastard.”

“Who?” she asks, her face concerned.

“Discord.” I moan. I point to the pegasi, playing, laughing, “This is how we are supposed to be. I don’t have any memories of this, because I had to live under his rule.”

I’m pulled into a hug, and I wrap my wings around Kendra as I cry, “Life was unending terror. We were afraid to fly because his dragons would attack. We were afraid to land on clouds because they didn’t act how they should.” I moan.

She holds me as I cry for a long time.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” says a quiet voice.

I sniffle and look up. A mare is standing there. She’s pink, with a two tone magenta and pink mane. She comes closer and nuzzles me. “Can I help you?” she says softly.

I paste a smile on my face, trying to make a brave face of it, but Kendra speaks up first, “Loopy here was cursed last. She just finished changing a couple of weeks ago. This is her first time on the Rim.”

The mare nuzzles me again, “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She says, she joins the hug, putting her wings around Kendra and I. “I’m Feather Pinch.” she says, nuzzling me again, “It’s okay, this is how pegasi should live. I hope you spend more time here.”

I sniffle again, I think the tears are abating for now. I pull back, nuzzling Kendra and then Feather Pinch, “Thank you, Feather.”

She pulls back and folds her wings, then winks, “I know how hard it could be. My life just after the curse would have been horrible if not for Mom and Star Crossed.”

I look at her, “You are young, how old were you when you were cursed?”

She giggles, “I was still a blank flank, about six, I think.” She sighs, “Then I grew up in Arizona, until I changed. And after everything, I’m happy now, but it took a long time and some help.” She smiles brightly, “And now I can help others. I love helping others.”

I smile at her, “Like you are helping me, right now?”

She nods, her tail wagging back and forth, “Oh yes. A pony needs help, Feather Pinch is there to help.”

I finally stand up and she comes over and hip checks me, “Well, since this is your first visit to the Rim, let me show you around!”

***26.713014, 124.239605***

This area is known as the Ring of Fire for a reason. Around 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 81 percent of the largest earthquakes occur along this region. This day is no different.

Deep underneath the surface of the ocean, in the subduction zone, a large volume of magma shifts, stressing the surrounding rock and causing the two massive plates—the enormous Eurasian plate and the Filipino plate—to shift slightly. The amount of energy released, however, is gigantic. Seismographs in Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines record a quake in excess of 8.5 as the entire planet quite literally rings like a bell to the sensors. Magma is released upwards, and when all said and done, a new island is formed here. A bit over two square miles of volcanic rock is heaved up above the surface. This is not an unknown occurrence, though. Islands have formed and disappeared in this area all throughout history. This quake generates the usual tsunami warnings for nations all over the area, and scientific vessels are prepared to check out the epicenter of the warning. All of that is routine, though this time, it’s a bit different.

“What the hell was that?” Mint Leaf calls out over the roar assaulting all the ponies’ ears.

Sunshower looks down to see an expanding wall of water that is heading away from a dark spot in the ocean. Steam is rising from the source of all the sound.

Blueberry Muffin banks and gestures for her friends to follow. The pegasi carrying their earth pony friends slowly turn as well. And in a matter of minutes, they are hovering above the ground.

“What is it?” Caboose asks.

Helia looks at him, “It’s an island. It just formed.”

Blueberry smiles at her friends, “This is perfect.” She says as she moves forward to land on it. She prances around a bit, “It’s not really that hot… I guess the water must have cooled it as it rose.”

In a few moments, the other pegasi land and the earth ponies clamber off their friends. Caboose trots around, “It’s firm, and isn’t volcanic soil good for growing crops?”

Mint Leave smiles, “It’s the best. Lots of minerals.” She strikes the ground with a hoof “When it rose, it must have had the soil that was the sea floor. We can work with this. Give me a week, and we can start growing food here.” She looks at a couple of the pegasi, “Can you find some seeds? We can grow food here. We can build homes.”

Rainbow Swoop looks around, “You know, this land just formed. It’s not owned by anypony.”

Helia giggles, “Yes, it’s owned. By us! We discovered it.”

They all smile, “We have a home now.” Blueberry Muffin says softly, “We can fish all around here, and we can grow food, make homes, and not have to worry about stupid immigration policies.”

Caboose slams a hoof into the ground, “This is wonderful! Thank Celestia!”

***

I get through the gate for the decorative fence around Dust’s property. A quick trot has me at Dust’s front door. I raise a hoof to knock, then I think for a moment. Dust gripes when ponies knock. I push down the lever and open the door, finding Sunset Shimmer sitting in the living room with Kendra. Both of them seem to be using magic. Sunset smiles brightly at me and I smile back as I move through the living room towards Dust’s office. The door is closed, but not latched. Once again, I hesitate. When it’s closed, usually she has company, and I can hear voices on the other side. I finally decide on a compromise, I knock and open the door at the same time.

Sticking my head through the door, I see Dust sitting at her computer, but nopony else is there. A voice comes over the computer speakers, “Well, satellite imaging shows it’s occupied.”

Dust’s eyes widen, “Ponies.”

The voice on the computer continues, “Mh-hmm, they apparently are the first to find it, but given its location, all three nations really want possession of the island. It’s in a disputed zone and there’s a massive undersea gas field, so mining rights are in play here. Whomever gains permanent control of the island will get a twenty-five mile control zone around the island itself, and in the case of China, they would be able to legally extend the economic exclusion zone all the way from their mainland to the island, cutting off a huge swath of ocean for their exclusive use. So naturally, they have laid claim to the island. Japan and Taiwan have laid counter claims. Normally we would let them fight it out in the World Court, but the ponies are a complication.”

Dust perks, “How so?”

“Satellite imaging has been able to give preliminary identity of the ponies. Japan was considering a request for asylum as they are a mix of Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese citizens. As you know, none of those nations are particularly pony friendly. It’s very likely they are asserting their own claim to the island, and in such cases, finders keepers.”

Dust cocks her head to the side, “So, why do you want my help?”

“While ponies have well integrated into the US Navy and other branches, it has been thought that military ponies directly affiliated with the US Military wouldn’t be appropriate for talking to the ponies there. So this is an official request from the Pentagon, given your work with us in the past, to help those ponies and see if we can assist them.”

Dust chuckles, “So, the US is going to be a referee, and wants to appear as impartial as possible, so they want non-military affiliated ponies to talk to them?”

“Exactly.”

Dust looks at me, “Hiya Loopy!” She chirps, then she turns the screen, showing me a pony, dressed in navy fatigues with a cap on her head and a gold eagle on her shoulder. “This is the captain of the USS Ronald Reagan, Blue Lagoon.”

Blue looks at me and smiles, “Hi.” Dust turns the screen back to face her, “New friend? Or herd mate?”

Dust smiles, “She’s a friend. She just finished changing almost two months ago.”

“That’s awesome!” After a moment, “So, can you come? I would consider it a personal favor.”

Dust smiles, “I’m happy to join you, but I want to bring some friends too.”

“The more the merrier. I’ll have the 912th airlift wing get a Gulfstream to Baker field.”

“Good.” Dust manipulates her mouse for a moment, then she looks at me, “Wanna join us?”

I nod, “If Kendra can come.”

Dust grins, “Blue did say the more the merrier.”

***

Trixie blinks at the pink face and bright blue mane on her screen, “Oh, hi, sweetie. How are you?”

“Awesome, Mom! You’ll be so proud of me.”

Trixie smiles, “Oh, my little Stormy, I’m always proud of you.”

Lightning Storm rolls her gray eyes, “Funny, Mom, but we are going to have the ion drive working without constant input of power from a pegasus! We have to set up the reaction, but now, once it starts, it can be throttled and doesn’t require constant input.”

Trixie looks thoughtful, “So pegasi magic along with human tech makes it work?”

“You know it!”

Trixie smiles, “I’m so happy, and since I’m supposed to be proud, I’m guessing you figured it out?”

Storm giggles, “Exactly! It will mean pegasi will have to be part of the mission, but less of us than originally planned.”

Trixie looks unsure for a moment, “So, are you applying to go when she actually flies?”

Storm smiles, “Mom, you know this has been my dream. My application has already been approved. I’m going to be aboard for her maiden flight to the moon and back.”

“That’s awesome, sweetie. Have they named the ship, yet?”

Storm shakes her head, “There is a lot of internal fighting about the name. I’ll let you know when it’s figured out.”

“Stormy, you are needed in the high energy test lab.” comes a voice over the speaker.

Storm looks over her shoulder and nods, then back at the camera, “Well, duty calls. Call ya later. Love ya, Mom.”

Trixie smiles, “Love you too, my little one.”

Storm stands up, “And say hi to dad for me, ‘k?”

“I will.”

The connection ends and Trixie puts a hoof on the screen gently, “Be safe, my little one.”

***

Dust leads the way to the Gulfstream G970ER sitting on the tarmac. I look at the brand new airplane, “It’s pretty.”

Dust chuckles, “Back when ponies first appeared, the US Military needed a method to move ponies around the country, especially the 520th, but also pony members of NCIS, CID, and other branches of government. They had a few planes modified to be more pony friendly, stocked them with pony friendly food, and the unofficial Pony Air was born. It’s grown over time, and official transport for ponies and non-ponies alike has been shifted to the 912th airlift wing. This is Pony Air, all grown up.”

I look at the Air Force personnel exiting the plane, two humans and a unicorn. We trot up to them, and Dust speaks up, “Hi there, I’m Lightning Dust.”

One of the humans pulls out a checklist, “Lightning Dust, check.”

She looks at me, “And you are?”

I smile, “I’m with Lightning Dust. I’m Loop de Loop; call me Loopy.” I point over at Kendra, “That is my friend, Kendra, she’s going with us.”

Moon Shadow steps forward, “I’m Moon Shadow.”

The human with the clipboard checks off the last box, “Three ponies, two pegasi and a unicorn, and one human. Fits with our orders, and the cutie marks match. Climb aboard.”

Chapter 10. Cyclonic Motion

It turns out we aren’t alone aboard the Gulfstream. Two men stand up once we board. The older man steps forward, extending a hand to Lightning Dust, “Miss Dust, I’m Dustin Trent. I’m your State Department representative.”

Dust frowns as she shakes his hand, “State Department?”

He nods, “Yes, you are going to be talking to foreign ponies on behalf of the United States of America.”

Dust shakes her head, “I don’t need any official capacity here, Mr. Trent. They are fellow Equestrians.”

He smiles, “If this plane is to take off, you must. The State Department doesn’t currently have any ponies in ambassadorial positions. You have had a good relationship with the US government and come highly recommended. You will have an advisor,” he points to his chest, “in me. All I need is for you and your companions here to sign a confidentiality agreement.”

Dust cocks her head to the side, “What about vetting us?”

He smiles, “You have already been fully checked out. Your previous interactions with the US Government have led you to be considered a trusted resource. As for your friends here, all you have to do is vouch for them. Due to the time pressure here, we are bending a few rules.”

Dust looks back at Moon Shadow, Kendra, and I, then back at the human, and shrugs her wings, “Okay, Mr. Trent.”

She takes a pen in her mouth and signs where indicated. While she’s doing that, I can hear the engines of the plane start up.

A voice comes over the PA, “This is your pilot. We will be flying to Okinawa. The trip is estimated to take a bit over ten hours, barring any pegasi problems. As some of the passengers are pegasi, we have taken the measure of disconnecting the seat phones for the pegasi, due to the fact that we don’t really care to have our flight abilities criticized. And also, for the pegasi, please don’t decide to open the emergency exits, which are clearly marked, mid-flight. While you don’t have much problems with high altitudes, we humans and other pony tribes aboard tend to lose consciousness without sufficient air pressure. So, please be considerate. We do have a galley aboard, so we will be feeding you, though we keep a limited amount of hay aboard, so I hope you like actual food.”

Dust snickers as she grabs the seat belt in her teeth and takes a moment to buckle in. I copy her as Kendra and Moon Shadow use their magic to strap in as well.

I watch the unicorn service member light her horn, and the door closes and latches. I smile. I fly myself. I can enjoy this. Even though, I would prefer to be flying this plane myself. I look out the window, “Hey, Dust. What are these windows made out of?”

Dust taps her window, “It’s pretty thin, so I’m guessing these new planes have a lot of the innovations that Sugarberry came up with. The windows are probably transparent aluminum. I do know they have a lot of composites in the structure of the new planes. I think Sugarberry is one of the richest on the planet because of her work on materials sciences.”

I look at the window. It’s nearly perfectly transparent, so it’s hard to gauge its thickness, then I put my hoof against it. Yes, it’s really thin. I look back at Dust, “This is the same kind of glass as the phones?”

“Yeah, your phone. I don’t need a ponypod, and that glass is nearly indestructible, but it’s also pretty expensive to produce. Not all that many unicorns have the abilities to make it. From what I’ve heard, Sugarberry is still working to simplify the spell so more unicorns can use it, but it’s not easy to simplify such spells.”

We are all pressed into the seats as the plane accelerates, bumping over the runway. After a surprisingly short time the plane rotates and everything gets smooth as the wheels leave the runway. I can hear the doors underneath the plane open and feel the landing gear clunk into place.

Less than an hour later, my hell begins. Dust looks at me, “You poofed up, Loopy.”

The plane shudders, causing me to look out the window. The wing is flexing nearly four feet up and down as the turbulence bounces the plane around. After a moment of this, the pilot comes over the PA, “Sorry bout that, folks. Found some turbulence there. We should be through in a few minutes.”

I grumble, “They could have…”

Dust cuts me off, “I know your flight senses are going nuts, but you have to remember, the humans can’t feel the air currents and go with them. These planes have to bull through them.”

I look at Dust, “How come you are taking it so easily?”

Dust looks mournful, “The weather and flight senses are part of our magic, Loopy.”

I feel myself deflate, “Oh, sorry.”

She reaches out a wing and touches my cheek, “It’s okay, Loopy. I am living with my disability.”

Kendra, who was sitting behind Dust, reaches out a hand and touches her withers, “Thank you, Dust.”

Dust looks back at her with a quizzical look, Kendra looks at Moon Shadow and smiles.

Dust looks confused for a moment at Kendra and Moon Shadow, then looks at the smile on Moon’s face, then she blushes slightly and mutters, “You are quite welcome, Kendra.”

I look at all of them, confused.

Dust smiles, “Loopy, Moon Shadow and Kendra are able to walk the dream.”

I look down for a moment, then I look back at Kendra, “All of our dreams?”

“Oh no, Loopy. We are bound by the same rules that doctors are when it comes to patients. I’m not discussing your dreams in front of Dust, nor am I discussing Dust’s dreams in front of you.”

Moon Shadow smiles.

The PA system activates again, “For you pegasi aboard, if you look out the left of the plane, you’ll see the Calgary Stampede: over two and a half million humans, two hundred thousand horses, and Celestia knows how many ponies. If you don’t have pegasi sight, we have pony-friendly, one hundred power binoculars aboard at two hundred dollars each.”

I look outside my window. It’s July, so the cloud cover is fairly sparse, but I can see it. Squinting slightly enhances my vision, a speedster capability. I whistle softly, “That is cool.”

I look back at Dust, hastily refocusing, to find her smiling at me. “I was involved with that a few times over the years. It was a learning experience for Fidget. Mischief and most of the others weren’t interested.”

I smile, “Fidget? I’ve heard the name a few times. Who is she?”

She grins, “You know I had two more foals after Mischief, right?”

I nod.

“Well, Fidget is the youngest, actually the last born of the herd. She only moved out a couple of months before you changed.” She smiles fondly, “I think she was the hardest. She is a unicorn… strong willed… and there are times I thought that Mindy was her mom.” She sighs, “She’s very special.” Tears are starting to form, “It was hard on me when she moved out, but she’s in college on the other side of the nation.”

“Where?”

“Cornell.”

I grin, “Where Hannah teaches?”

She nods, “She’s got Hannah for one of her classes, and is a headache for her. If you ever get over there, you should meet her.”

I look down, “As a human, I grew up in New York City.”

Her ears perk forward, “Really?”

I nod.

“So, when your parents were killed, that’s when you moved to Kansas?”

I nod again, “With my grandmother.”

“Mom’s side? Or Dad’s?”

“Dad’s side. My mom was born in Kagoshima; she was an exchange student when she met my dad.” I smile, “Her parents were very traditional, and they were not at all happy when they found out she was going to marry an American. But they were happy, and it was wonderful growing up in the City.”

Dust sighs, “I’ve never been much for big cities. I was born as a human in Corpus Christie, Texas. It’s not a small town, not like some towns in Montana, but even when I worked in the DFW Metroplex, I still lived out of town, in the country.” She chuckles, “It’s funny, since I grew up in Baltimare as a pony, which was as big city as they come, next to Manehattan.”

“And you are a master electrician?”

She nods, “Yes, I still own Lightning Electric, though my staff does almost all the day to day duties of the company, I still show up from time to time.” She chuckles, “I’ll still go out with a crew every so often, to help.”

“You like being an electrician?”

She extends a wing slightly, looking at it, “Yes, I love it. It’s a bit harder to do without flight or my magic, but helping with a wire pull, carrying conduit, or troubleshooting a PLC… it’s all fun.”

I lean back in my seat and push the button to lean my seat back, which surprises me by going back much further than an airline seat. I look back at Moon Shadow, who is curled up in her seat, sleeping. “I guess I had better get some sleep.” I glance out the window, deep blue water is easily visible among the puffy clouds. I suppress the desire to be flying out among them.

Dust leans her own seat back, “Good idea.”

In minutes, she’s snoring, and I finally let sleep claim me.

***

Sunshower lands heavily on the island. She carefully folds her wings over her large saddle bags and trots over to the two earth ponies working the rocky soil. “I’ve got seeds.” she whinnies as she shrugs off the bags.

Mint Leaf smiles, “Wonderful! We can start growing pretty quickly; we’ve got about a hectare ready to be planted. We should be self sufficient when it comes to food pretty quickly. Seaweed isn’t really all that agreeable for me. Did you find any hay? Or vegetables?”

Sunshower noses open the saddle bag, “I did. I couldn’t carry much hay, but I also got some vegetables.”

Caboose comes over and pulls out the seeds, “This is awesome!”

Rainbow Swoop slams into the ground. “Ponies, this is going to get rough.” he growls.

Blueberry Muffin trots over to Rainbow, “What’s going on?”

He sighs, “Well, Japan and China sent research vessels to check out the new island. When we buzzed them, and let them know that the island was occupied, they backed off… Though I think they are waiting for reinforcements. But Taiwan already has their reinforcements here.”

Blueberry pales a bit, “Their Navy?”

He nods, “Looks like a warship. I'm no expert on the type. It was big, and looked mean.”

Blueberry looks at the other ponies, “Should we just abandon this island? Let them fight over it?”

Crafty Crate slams down a hoof, “No! We found it. It’s ours.”

Helia comes over from the small structure they have built, some salvaged wood and mud, not much more than a place to sleep out of the elements. “I agree with Crafty, this is our home now.”

Blueberry looks around at the other ponies, “We have no way to defend it.”

Crafty looks out at the shape on the western horizon, “We will find a way, I’m tired of hopping from home to home. We need to keep our home, here.”

The other ponies nod, and Blueberry sighs, “We can hope and pray, but right now, that’s all we’ve got.”

***

I’m awakened by the short scream of the tires as the plane touches down. I look out the window as the plane slows down and finally turns off the runway. In moments we are stopped and the unicorn steward opens the door. I follow Lightning Dust down the stairs and look around, “Oh, that’s cool.”

She smiles at me, “Yup, we are flying in style. Gonna take an Osprey over to the Reagan from here.” She trots towards the rotary winged airplane, and soon it’s taken off. Three hours of flight time is all it takes and I can feel as the nacelles of the plane rotate as we slow down. I look out the window and can see the decking of the aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan. The Osprey gently sets down on the deck and the rotors start winding down. The rear hatch is opened and we are escorted to the island. In a matter of minutes, we are on the bridge of the enormous aircraft carrier. A pony is sitting in a large seat. I remember her, she was on the video with Dust.

“Lightning Dust!” She exclaims as she hops off the chair and trots over to us, then hugs Dust enthusiastically.

“Blue Lagoon, I know you’ve met her on video, but these are Loop de Loop and her friend, Kendra. And I know you’ve met Moon Shadow.”

Blue Lagoon smiles at all of us quickly, then her face darkens, “I wish this were under better circumstances. There are three nations that want that island, and they are all aware of the pony presence there. China has deployed several vessels towards the island, as has Japan. Taiwan already has a destroyer there with two more on the way. We are three days out, ourselves.”

I look around the windows and can see three vessels around the Reagan, “How many ships are there here?”

She smiles, “This task force is twelve ships, counting the Gipper.”

“The Gipper?”

“This ship is named after a former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. Before he was President, he was the Governor of California. And even before that, he was an actor in movies.” She giggles, “Well, long story short, he had a line where he said, ‘Win one for the Gipper’ and it stuck. The official nickname of the Reagan is the Gipper, the nickname of the Theodore Roosevelt is the Big Stick, and other ships have nicknames like that.”

Dust chuckles, “You squids are weird.”

Blue laughs, “Don’t get me started with the submarine traditions, Dust. You think us surface dwellers are crazy, but those that go underwater, they are the weird ones.”

Before long we are shown two staterooms. Moon and Dust take one, Kendra and I take the other. It’s been a long day, and Kendra is stretched out pretty quickly. I look at her sleeping, but the bunk is rather small to crawl in with her. I’ve had trouble sleeping alone since the change, so I’d much rather sleep close to a friend. Dust has told me it has to do with our herding instincts as ponies, and Kendra doesn’t mind it. I walk slowly out of the stateroom and head down the hall.

Soon my nose starts to twitch, and I find I’m hungrier than I thought I was. I follow the smells down the surprisingly narrow corridors of the aircraft carrier. I turn and find an open hatch into a large relatively open space. Tables and chairs are everywhere, and delicious smells are wafting through the room.

A pegasus pops his head up and looks at me, “Hi!” he says, waving a wing. It looks like several ponies are all sitting together around the table.

I start to thread my way between the tables, then I see the look on the pegasus’ face. I facehoof and extend my wings. Hovering over the tables, I make it to him quickly.

“Duh, you are a pegasus! Think over, rather than through.”

I shake my head, “I’m sorry, I’ve only had about a month to get used to this.”

He cocks his head to the side, “So, you aren’t Navy?”

I shake my head, one of the other pegasi sitting there looks at me, “You were aboard the Osprey from Japan today?”

I nod.

She nods, “The civilian specialists for the mission.”

I furrow my brow, and my unasked question is answered. “It’s a small ship, even with nearly five thousand aboard. Everyone knows everything about everybody.”

“And everypony.” The first stallion says softly.

The ponies all laugh.

“So, how many ponies are here?”

The stallion smiles, “We’ve got forty-five pegasi, nineteen unicorns, and eighty-three earth ponies aboard.”

That produces a low whistle from me, “When I visited Fort Inkwell, I was told a lot of ponies joined the Navy.”

The stallion nods and extends a hoof, “I’m Crescent Moon. I was Equestrian born, but a lot of the ponies aboard were born here.”

I shake his hoof, “I was told pegasi mainly do search and rescue.”

Crescent shakes his head, “That’s only a small part of what we do. Today’s Navy has ponies integrated wherever we can be of benefit. A pegasus is excellent for combat roles. We may not be able to carry thousands of pounds of munitions, but we can designate targets faster than any drone ever could. We are also more survivable in heavy combat situations. Radar can see us, but hitting a pegasus, especially a speedster, is pretty hard. We’ve lost a couple in engagements over the years.” His ears fall for a moment, then he perks up, “But we do what we can to protect our home.”

I look around, “Anypony here from New Beginnings?”

About half the hooves are raised of the ten ponies sitting here.

I smile, “I just moved there. It’s awesome.”

The smells intensify and I look around, four stewards are coming towards us, large pans in hand. All the ponies watch intently as the pans are set down.

“Pizza.” I breathe.

Crescent leans over to me, “Over in Quantico, there’s a pizza joint. It’s pretty much the official restaurant of the 520th. Well, when a lot of ponies started being assigned to the Reagan, the quartermaster went to them and got a lot of their recipes.” He takes a moment to wipe his mouth, “Since the pegasi of the 520th liked them so much, they make a lot of the same pizzas here. Most of them are human and pegasus friendly. They even have a few that the other tribes really enjoy.”

The steward sets a plate in front of me. Two large slices are sitting on it, and I find myself drooling. Crescent chuckles, “That right there is the pegasi special. It has anchovy, barbecue chicken, and green peppers with caramelized onions, topped after baking with fresh diced alfalfa sprouts and spinach.”

“Oh, I’m not a big fan of anchovies.”

He grins, “As a human?”

I nod, “Never tried them as a pegasus.”

“Remember, you're a pegasus now. Your tastes have changed a lot, and I guarantee you’ll like this.”

I sniff the slices before me, inhaling the aromas as I close my eyes. I take a bite.

I feel a hoof poking me in the side. “See, what did I tell you?”

“This is amazing.” I murmur as I quickly down both slices. I look around, “Any more?”

Another slice is slid over to me, “Oh, you’ll like this one, it’s called the shredder…”

***

Dizzy Twister walks through the gate and finally can see their destination. Her tail clamps to her rear and her ears fall. She looks at her two friends, “Are you sure this is a good idea, girls?” She moans.

Berry Breeze hip checks Dizzy, “Oh, it’s easy. We’ll be with you the whole time.”

Zap Apple giggles. “This will be fun!” she says as she prances.

Dizzy snorts, “So says the pegasi. Who can fly.”

The foals make it up to the old bi-plane. It has extra wires and other equipment on the top side of the wings. Dizzy looks on as a human closes the cowling around the engine and turns and looks at them.

“Hi there,” Zap Apple says, “My maw said that you are the best crop duster around here?”

He reaches behind himself and pulls a rag from his back pocket, he wipes his hands on the rag, “Yeah, since the ponies do most of their own pest control, a lot of smaller crop dusters have had to fold. But I’m still here, because I’m the best.”

Zap smiles, “I know, that’s why we hire you.” She looks down, “I love watching you buzz the trees with that plane of yours.”

He smiles and looks over at the crop dusting plane. With low wings and a large body, it’s custom built for crop spraying, “Yeah, she’s fun to fly.” Then he kneels down, “So, what can I do for you?”

Berry and Zap push Dizzy forward, “Our friend here wants to learn how to wing walk.”

He blinks a few seconds, then looks at Dizzy, who blushes and looks down. But after a moment, she nods.

“Scared?”

She nods. He reaches out and strokes her cheek, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Your friends had me get a harness sized for you. I won’t be flying fast enough to actually blow you off the plane, and you’ll be perfectly safe.”

“Yeah, Dizzy. As Berry said, we’ll be up there with you.”

Dizzy grumbles, “Yeah, the pegasi who can just cling to anything flying, and can fly themselves.” She turns and gives Zap the biggest eyes she can, “But you can’t fly fast enough to catch me if I come loose.”

“It won’t happen, trust us.” Berry says.

The two pegasi clap their hooves in a high hoof, “Cutie Mark Crusader wing walkers are a go!” They shout.

Dizzy waits a few seconds, then puts her hoof up with the other too, “Yay.” She grumbles.

***

“Reactor is operating at fifteen percent.” The lab tech calls out.

Lightning Storm looks at the readout and adjusts a dial, “Excellent. We’ve got the plasma injectors set. Let’s see if we can start the reaction without my magic.”

The tech smiles, “Cross your fingers.”

Stormie looks at her hooves, “I don’t have any.”

He growls as he pushes the button.

The pegasus and the human look intently at the readout, watching for the needles to twitch.

A high pitched whine starts to build. Getting twin smiles from the two scientists.

“It worked!” He crows, “One percent, three… eight.” He watches the readouts, “We are holding at eight percent.”

Stormie pushes a few buttons then pushes the throttle forward a little bit, “We’ve got the ion drive working. Human physics say it’s impossible, but it works. Let’s see if we can push a little more out of this.”

“Wait, this is just the testbed, we need to…”

A loud bang echoes throughout the small building, Stormie groans and sits back in the chair, “Damn, I thought we could get her more efficient, Steven.”

Steven stands up and opens the door into the bunker where the experimental engine is, he looks back and gestures for Stormie to come to him. She hops off her chair and walks into the bunker. As she looks around, she gives a low whistle, “That was, what? Ten percent?”

The walls of the test bunker are three feet thick. There is a system for the plasma exhaust of the ion engine to be cooled and evacuated, but the cradle that held the test engine is empty. She looks where the engine was pointed, seeing a large hole is in the concrete. Steven pulls out his phone and shakes it to turn on the LED lights. He points it into the hole, “Damn. Stormy, the engine is eight feet long, right?”

“Mhh-hmm.”

“Well, ten percent was enough to break loose the mountings, drive it through three feet of concrete, and push it through another six feet of earth. Take a look.”

She extends her wings and looks at the smoking metal of the test engine. Then she lands and howls in delight, “I was right!”

Steven looks down, “Looks like I owe ya.”

She whaps him with a wing, “I told you the reaction would be at least four times what your math predicted.”

They both look at the ruined engine, “How long to build another?”

“Six weeks, maybe more. Most of it we can fabricate here on site, but the lead time on the compressor disks is something like four weeks from Crystal Dynamix.”

“Well, better get ordering. We’ve been able to start the ion reaction without magic, and now we need to build something to actually fly with it.”

Stormie looks at the hole in the concrete for a long time, “This is going to put the entire solar system within our reach. You know that, right?”

He nods.

Stormie walks out of the room, “Now all we have to do is unlock the stars.”

Chapter 11. Rifle Round

The bi-plane floats gently in for a landing, carrying all three foals safely on its top wing. The tires screech as they touch the ground, and in moments the plane finally settles. The pilot climbs out of the pilots seat and gets up on the wing, unlatches the harness from the wiring, and finally releases Dizzy from her torment.

Dizzy jumps to the body of the plane, then to the ground. She kisses the runway under her hooves crying, "Oh sweet Celestia! I'm never leaving you again!” She turns and shoots a venomous look at the two pegasi. "I'm serious, no more attempts at flying cutie marks for me.”

The other two's ears fall as they scuff their hooves on the tarmac. "Okay, Dizzy." Berry says.

Zap perks up, “All you did was hold onto the spar and scream that you wanted to land.”

Dizzy glares at her friend. “Because I was terrified! Flying isn’t for me.” Her ears fall, and tears start to form, “Please, don’t make me do that again.”

Zap moves forward and nuzzles Dizzy. “I’m sorry, we just thought that if you could see how much fun flying is, you would love it as much as we do.”

Dizzy shudders. “Girls, this pony’s hooves need to stay on the ground. Flying’s not for me. The whole time, my ears buzzed and I was horribly dizzy. It was horrible!” She stamps a hoof on the runway.

The two pegasi of the CMC New Beginnings wilt in front of their friend. “Okay, Dizzy.” they say in unison.

***

After following the directions of a couple of sailors, I finally open a hatch and a familiar smell greets my nose.

“Hi Dust.”

Dust blows out a cloud of smoke, which is quickly blown away in the wind. “Hi Loopy. What’s up?”

“Blue Lagoon wanted you on the bridge, we are getting close to the island. We’ll be loading up on an Osprey in a bit so we can visit the ponies there.”

She taps the ashes off the end of her cigarette. “That’s nice. I can’t wait.”

Something in her tone gets me, and I move closer, leaning against her. “What is it, Dust?”

She turns her head and nuzzles me for a moment, then she sighs, turning her head back to look at the waves. “Sometimes I just wonder, why me?”

I frown and shake my head. “Why you… what?”

“When there is a problem, and it involves ponies, I’m the one that’s called. Why can’t they call somepony else?”

Ahh, I smile. “Because you are the one that stepped up, in those first days after the change. You gathered the ponies together. You are a hero to us.” I’ve been learning more about New Beginnings and the lives of the ponies in the last month or so. Plus, Sunset Shimmer is an amazing teacher.

Lightning Dust huffs, “Mayor Mare moved on. She’s a senator right now. Diamond Tiara is now the governor of Montana, and I’ve heard she’s eyeing a run for president in a few years. Lots of ponies have become great leaders here in this world. Hell, I still get calls from them, wanting my advice.” Her ears fall. “I’m just a country pony. I want to spend as much time with my family as I can, run my companies, and just live my life.” She sighs, “And yet, ponies are in trouble… let’s call Lightning Dust.”

I nuzzle the older pegasus. “Ponies need leaders. Our instincts are to herd together, and we need a strong leader. You are a strong leader.”

“I’m a failure.” she says vehemently and stamps a hoof.

I flinch. “No, Dust. You aren’t.”

She turns and looks at me, tears in the corners of her eyes. “I wasn’t able to save ponies. Ponies have died right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. We fought Discord and won, but at such a horrible price. A true villain from Equestria showed up, took one I loved and kept her from me for too damned long a time, and in the end, I died trying to save my family from her.”

I nuzzle her again, more aggressively. “But you are here, now.”

She growls, “Yeah, because of the whims of a chaos spirit. I have been lucky, Loopy. Nothing more.”

I move to where she can see me easily. “Lightning Dust, I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you. You aren’t perfect, I know that, but you have done your best to help. I’ve talked to quite a few ponies. Most of them, when I mention your name, are amazed that you are my friend. You are revered among them. When all seemed lost, when life was scary, this Wonderbolt came and saved them. You and your team helped hundreds of ponies. You’ve sheltered thousands when they turned. They all found out when life throws them into disarray, ‘Look to Lightning Dust, she’ll get you through it.’”

I step forward and wrap my hooves and wings around her in a big hug,.“When I changed, I knew of you from watching you on TV and such, but I came to your house because I didn’t fully understand what was going on. You helped me, you and your herd. New Beginnings exists, and the ponies are together–and happy–because of you.”

She sobs, “But…”

I squeeze harder. “Dust, just trust me on this, you are the one that is called because you are the one who answers that call, without fail. You are trusted because of all that you have done.”

“I’m tired, Loopy. So very tired.”

I find myself chuckling. “Yes, but you are here. You could easily have simply said no, but you didn’t. You are helping even now. Wanna bet that those ponies on that island have heard of you?”

She giggles, giving a wan smile. “They probably have.”

I pull back and smile back at her. “Let’s go meet them.”

***
“Absolutely not. It would violate our neutrality in this.” Dustin Trent says, folding his arms across his chest.

Dust stamps a hoof, her ears back as she practically snarls, “I’m not asking, I’m telling.”

“I can’t allow that.”

Dust huffs, frowning at the human. “These ponies need supplies. Weapons, armor, food, building supplies.”

Dustin shakes his head. “Then it would look like we are favoring them over the other nations.”

She sighs, “Look, Mr. Trent, I don’t know what rules the high and mighty US State Department plays by, but these are people, just like you and I. They need help.”

He lowers his hands to his sides. “I’m sorry, Lightning Dust, but we have to remain neutral in this. Taiwan and Japan are allies, and China has been a pain diplomatically for a long time. We can’t favor any side.”

Dust whirls away from him, growling, “Come on Loopy, we are going to have a talk with the Captain.”

***

I look out the window as the Osprey tilts its rotors and starts to come in for a landing. The island is small, but apparently the ponies have been busy. The pilot of the tilt rotor aircraft brings it in softly, rotating it to where the rear of the plane is facing the ponies on the island. Dust is sitting in the cargo bay, along with Moon Shadow and myself. Kendra elected to stay aboard the Reagan; Dust wanted only ponies to greet them. I watch the doors slowly open. Dust takes a moment and steels herself, then, as the cargo doors fully open, she walks slowly out towards the six ponies watching us. After a moment, Moon Shadow and I follow.

One of them walks towards us, her ears splayed back from the spooling down rotors of the Osprey behind us. She’s light blue, with a dark blue mane and a tornado cutie mark. She comes up and talks. My ears fall—I don’t know the language.

Dust steps closer to her and whinnies. I concentrate on the sound. I’ve been remembering Eponese. I make out, “I’m Lightning Dust, this is Moon Shadow and Loop De Loop.”

The mare shifts to Eponese herself and whickers back, “I’m Blueberry Muffin.” She introduces the other ponies.

Crafty Crate comes up and stamps a hoof. “Are you here to take us off of our island?”

Dust shakes her head. “No. Even if I was told to, I wouldn’t. You found it: it’s yours. I’m offering my help.”

The other ponies all look at each other, then at us. “The humans want to fight over the island.”

Dust nods. “I know, the Reagan and her task force are here simply to keep the peace.” Her ears splay back. “But I can’t guarantee your safety here. None of them want to recognize your claim to the island. It’s pretty important strategically, given its location. Three nations want this little patch of land.”

Blueberry looks bleak. “It’s ours. We found it first.”

Dust sits down. “I know that. And we’ve come to help. Inside the aircraft are materials, tools, and food. I had to do a long gallop around the US government. They wanted to take you on their ship and let them talk it out, but I talked to the captain of the Reagan. She agrees with me. This is your island.”

Blueberry looks hopeful. “So, you’ll tell the other ships to go away?”

Dust shakes her head. “The US Navy may be the biggest colt on the block, but sea navigation is free for all. We can’t tell them to leave. We can only control the area around our ships for defensive purposes.”

“So, they can just bomb us off the island?”

Dust again shakes her head. “No. Right now, we’ve got them to agree to try to persuade you. The Thai are aware that at least one pony is a citizen of Thailand. They want to use you as a claim to the island.”

Mint Leaf looks bleak, neighing softly, “They weren’t pony friendly. When I changed, I was told to leave.” She paws the ground and growls, “But since it’s advantageous to them, they want me back.” She tosses her mane, practically spitting, “Well, they can go hang, for all I care.”

Dust grins. “I thought that would be your answer. Nominally, if you decide you want to get on the plane with us, I will welcome you and we can go back to New Beginnings.” The ponies look at each other, shifting their hooves. Dust continues, “You don’t have to make the decision immediately. There is a long-range radio in with the supplies. Use it to speak with the Reagan if you choose, and we will get you evacuated.”

Several of the assembled ponies give relieved sighs, except for the two earth ponies. Mint Leaf shakes her head. “This is our island. They aren’t taking it away from us.”

For the next couple of hours, they show us the work that they’ve been doing, and I help unload the supplies off the Osprey: bags of food and tools. Blue Lagoon drew the line at weapons, over Dust’s objection. The satellite radio is a simple affair to set up. Moon Shadow tells them about getting thousands of ponies away from what was essentially a concentration camp in China. Finally, we board the Osprey again.

“Dust. What is going to happen to them?”

She looks back as the ramp finishes closing. “They want to take their chances. I hope we can keep things from getting violent, but we have only so much we can do.”

The Osprey lifts off the ground and accelerates. “I wish we could do more.”

She sighs, “I do too.”

***

Soon after the Osprey lands back on the Reagan, we make our way back up to the bridge. Dust and Blue Lagoon sit and talk, with Dust updating Blue on what is going on with the ponies on the island.

“Captain!” yelps the radar operator, “I have a new contact bearing two-five-five, speed three-two-two knots, distance three-five-zero miles, altitude two-eight thousand, designating target intruder one-two-alpha, coming from the China mainland.”

Blue Lagoon turns and looks at the radar track. “Damn,” she murmurs, than she looks at the coms, “Vector an F-35 pair on CAP to intercept.”

Sixty miles to the north of the task force, two F-35 fighters turn and head towards the radar track.

In a few minutes the coms squawk to life. “Doghouse, this is Guarddog-4. We have a visual on the intruder.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s a Shaanxi Y-8. Must be doing sig-int.”

“Roger.”

I look at the speaker, then at Blue Lagoon. She’s tense. I sit down and try to make myself smaller.

Blue Lagoon looks down for a moment, then she huffs, “Warn it off. It’s too close.”

The com operator keys his mic, “Guarddog-4, warn them off.”

“Roger.”

***

The pilot of the lead F-35, a Navy LT—call sign “Hustler”—looks out at the track. He’s coming up next to it. The large prop-engine aircraft looks like a Y-8JB, the electronic intercept version. It’s got extra antennae on board to catch the electronic noise of the task force.

He keys his radio to the guard frequency. “Unidentified Aircraft, this is a US Navy fighter aircraft on your port side. You are in our control zone. I am ordering you to change course.”

Silence from the other aircraft.

After a few moments, “Unidentified Aircraft, this is the US Navy. Change course now, or we will be forced to take aggressive measures. You are in US naval airspace.”

After a moment, a voice comes over his coms. “Navy, this is international water and part of the contested zone, we have every right to be here.”

Hustler growls as he keys his mic again, “I say again, this is US Navy controlled airspace. Change course or we will act.”

Again, there is silence.

Hustler changes his com frequency, “Doghouse, this is Guarddog-4, they are refusing to change course.”

After a moment, “Force them.”

“Roger.” He sighs. He brings his fighter closer to the larger craft. He fights the buffeting from the turbo prop engines of the larger plane.

“Damn guys, time to turn.” he murmurs as he edges closer. Most pilots, in this type of situation, would adjust course. These pilots, on the other hand, are stubbornly keeping their heading.

“Ah, damn.” he groans as the rear of his plane collides violently with the tailplane of the Y-8. He banks sharply to get away, but the damage is done. Alarms are starting to go off in his cockpit: hydraulic damage; his rudder is unresponsive.

“Uh, Doghouse, we’ve got a problem here.”

“Please clarify.”

“There has been a collision.” He looks back and down, where a smoke trail shows the other plane’s path. “I think she’s going down.”

“Roger that, what’s your status?”

Hustler looks at the status displays in his cockpit, then growls. “I’m heading back, but it’s bad, I think I crunched my tail a bit. Rudder isn’t working, and I’ve got multiple warning lights here. I think I’m going to declare pan, pan, pan.”

“Roger that, Hustler. Pegasi are being dispatched to help you in. Head back as best as you can.”

***

On board the Reagan, Blue Lagoon orders one of her Arleigh Burke destroyers to head towards the crash site to look for survivors.

I walk to the window and rear up, looking down at the flight deck. There, six pegasi trot from the island, adjust the helmets on their heads, and streak off into the cloudless sky.

After a few tense minutes, Blue’s ears perk forward as one of the pegasi radios back, “Doghouse, this is Rescue-2, I have Guarddog-4 in sight.”

“Rescue-2, what is the condition of the aircraft?”

“Hold, please.” comes the response. After a few minutes, “Doghouse, the damage is pretty bad. Tailplane damaged. She’s leaking fluids.”

“Can the plane be brought back safely?”

Again, a pause, “That’s an affirmative.”

Blue sighs, “Thank Celestia.” She breathes.

***

On board the USS Michael Murphy, they are steaming at full speed to the reported crash site. Her radar is searching for wreckage from the downed aircraft.

The captain of the Murph is standing in the combat information center, watching the displays.

The radar operator looks at him, calling, “Captain, we’ve got a pair of surface contacts coming in. Heading two-two-three, speed twenty knots.”

The captain looks at the tracks. “They are going to be in the task force’s path.” He looks down. “All ahead flank.”

The twin screws of the Arleigh Burke destroyer accelerate her towards the incoming craft.

After a few tense minutes, the sonar operator looks up, reporting, “Those are Type 37s, sir.”

The People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 37s had heard the panicked calls from the crashing Y-8. Unaware of the US destroyer in the area, they are rushing towards the downed airplane.

“Twenty-six thousand yards and closing, sir.” the radar operator calls.

“Warn them off.” the captain says.

The radio operator touches his screen a few times. “I’ve identified their carrier frequency, sir.” He keys his mic, “Unidentified craft, this is a US Navy destroyer. Alter course now.”

After a few moments, he looks up. “No response, sir.”

“Try again.”

The operator bends to his task, and in a moment, he looks at the captain and shakes his head. “Everything here says they should be receiving.”

“Could they not have their radio manned?”

“Possible, though unlikely during such operations.”

“Twenty thousand yards now, sir.” the radar operator says.

“All ahead half, left full rudder. Fire a warning shot.”

On the forward half of the ship, the five inch gun rotates towards the incoming craft. The gun barks once, sending its seventy pound shell on its way. The shell lands near the path of two craft.

“They are changing course, sir.” the radar operator says, then his voice rises. “Sir, they’ve turned towards us and have accelerated.”

The captain looks at the displays, frowning. “Damn.” He grabs the headset from next to the radar operation. “Doghouse, this is Murph. We have incoming surface craft. They responded to a warning shot by turning towards us and accelerating. We need air support.”

“Roger Murph, vectoring in support.”

***

I look over at Blue Lagoon, seeing that she’s obviously tense but projecting calm. She is keeping her voice controlled as she gives orders. She looks over, steadily ordering, “Fire off the plus fives and get four eighteens up and ready for launch.”

Dust moves over to me and sits down. I look at her. “Are things going bad?”

Dust sighs and I lean against her, getting a wing around me. “I don’t know, Loopy. But it looks like it.”

***

The two Type 37 Corvettes received the warning shot’s intent. As they are attempting to rescue Chinese citizens, the captain in charge decides to attack the US Navy ship in their way. As the ships get close, they let loose with their weaponry: Four 37mm Type 76A guns and a volley of anti-ship missiles.

***

“Aw, hell!” the radar operator shouts, “Tracking incoming shellfire… wait, new target, on tracks… 4… 5… 6… damn it! VAMPIRE, VAMPIRE, VAMPIRE! They've launched everything they've got at us!"

The Murph’s captain steps forward. “All ahead flank! Set point defense weapons to automatic and launch the countermeasures.”

The gunners mate calls out, “Aye aye, Captain.”

***

Four missiles, two from each craft, streak a mere ten meters above the surface of the ocean at nearly the speed of sound. In seconds, the two point defense laser cannons on the fore and aft of the Murph punch through the bodies of the oncoming missiles, killing them and they splash into the water.

***

“They are still coming, Captain.” the radar operator says. “They’ll be inside minimum radius for our missiles in fifteen seconds.”

The Captain growls, “Fire four harpoons. Sink them.”

On the aft end of the Arleigh Burke destroyer sit two harpoon launchers facing port and starboard, each with four missiles. Two missiles burst forth from the starboard launcher, riding on the flames of their rocket booster packs. In a few seconds, two more emerge from the other set of tubes. After about a second, the rocket boosters burn out and the turbojet engines of the harpoon anti-ship missiles take over. The missiles skim along the surface of the ocean towards the Chinese corvettes. Both ships notice the incoming missiles and start to maneuver to avoid them, while spraying chaff into the air.

A loud bang, quickly followed by a second, announces the demise of one of the corvettes. A plume of smoke rises from the water as the burning ship starts to break apart.

“Captain, the second volley got confused by the chaff.” the radar operator calls. “They are now inside the minimum radius for the missiles.”

“Damn, fire the five-inch.”

The turret rotates and fires, the shell splashing harmlessly into the sea a hundred meters past the corvette. The gun fires again, and a third time, the shells also missing as the smaller craft dodges as best it can. Exhausted of missiles, the Type 37 comes in with it’s Type 76A 37mm cannons firing. The rounds are armor piercing high explosive with a two hundredths of a second delay fuse, and they stitch along the side of the Murph, blowing through the outer steel hull and detonating in the interior. Electrical conduits and water pipes blow apart as the personnel quarters are hit. More rounds impact towards the rear of the Murph, causing a terrific explosion as one of the two Seahawk helicopters is hit and its fuel detonates.

Alarms sound on the bridge. “Captain, we’ve got damage all along the starboard side. Damage control is on its way. And we’ve got a fire in the hangar; one of the Seahawks is down.”

“F-35 incoming!” the radio operator interrupts.

Two F-35s from the Reagan streak in. From one of them, the doors to the internal bay open and two Naval Strike missiles leap from their frames. The missiles slam into the corvette, breaking it in two and igniting its fuel load. Another plume of smoke rises from the ocean.

The captain of the Murph stands up. “Launch the Seahawk. Have it look for survivors while we head to the downed aircraft. And prepare the RIB’s for launch when we get to the crash site.” he says as he watches the two F-35’s circle around his ship and head off back towards the Reagan for refuel and rearm.

He turns to his CIC crew. “How bad is it?”

After several minutes, a tablet is handed to the captain, who looks at it for a moment, then sits down in his chair. “Three dead, thirty-eight wounded. One chopper is barely good enough for spare parts, though the fire is contained and will be out within the hour.” He sighs and looks out towards the plume of smoke he is approaching. “All for a few ponies.”

***

Crescent Moon isn’t having a good day, though he’s happy for his helmet—at least he can see right now. Two of the other pegasi with him are standing by, one at each wing, and the other three are keeping close in case they are needed. Crescent is trying to affect some sort of repairs on the tail of the damaged F-35.

He touches the pad on his chest, “Rescue-2 to Doghouse.”

“Doghouse reading.”

A damaged section of the fuselage right in front of the tail strips off in the slip stream, causing Crescent to dodge the metal as it careens toward him. “Ah, hell!” he cries into his radio, then thinks for a moment, “Sorry Doghouse, she’s shedding parts as she flies. I’m going to need a wash down when I land. She’s blowing fuel around like nopony’s business here. I’m soaked.”

After a moment, “Roger that Rescue-2, do you have an ETA?”

Crescent checks his GPS display. “Four minutes, Doghouse.”

“Roger that.”

Finally, the hydraulic hose Crescent was fighting with snaps onto its fitting. He smiles as the rudder moves a little from side to side.

“Rescue-2 to Guarddog-4. Have restored some rudder functionality.”

“Got it, Rescue-2.” comes Maveric’s voice.

***

I hear the air boss call out to prepare for a crash landing and move over to the large windows. I extend my wings and hover, watching the rear of the ship as I hear the damaged plane being brought in. Crash barriers are extended to catch the plane as it lands. After a few tense minutes,I can see the plane coming in with pegasi flying alongside the plane as it gets closer.

I watch his landing gear extend, and I hold my breath as the plane gets closer and closer.

“Loopy.” Dust murmurs.

“I thought I recognized one of the pegasi that went out to help the plane.” I say softly, shooting a glance at Blue Lagoon, who is reading a report brought to her by one of the crew members.

I turn back to watch the incoming plane as it finally lands hard on the decking of the ship. It gets caught up in the webbing stretched across and quickly comes to a stop as the pegasi with it peel off. One of them, the pegasus stallion I met a few days ago, lands near the aft end of the ship and in moments, a high pressure water stream floods over him. He shakes himself a few times as the human holding the fire hose plays the water over his body. The water is turned off and he shakes himself a few times, then pulls off his helmet. That gets a smile from me—Crescent Moon is safe.

***

The Chinese Defense Minister slams a fist onto the table in front of the President of the People’s Republic of China, snarling, “They shot down one of our aircraft! They’ve fired on and sunk two of our corvettes! It’s time to show them that the island belongs to us. We need to get that aircraft carrier out of our way!”

The president looks at the tablet in his hands: data from the two destroyed ships and a roster of the soldiers of the surveillance plane are being displayed. He looks up at his defense minister, somberly. “That is a grave escalation.”

The minister whirls away, shouting, “They are the ones that have escalated! They shouldn’t have shot down our plane! They shouldn’t have fired on, then destroyed our ships! They are the ones to have declared war on us.”

The President looks down again, thinking furiously, then back up. “Sink the carrier.”

The order is relayed east to Zhoushan, where a small military base gets their orders. The truck based missiles are raised on their launcher and a missile emerges on a tongue of flame.

***

In a polar orbit above the earth, a US spy satellite—one of many in varying orbits to keep a satellite over known tensions spots at all times—takes note of the launch and its location. The information is beamed to a communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit, where it is sent to its ground station. After a few moments of computer analysis, the message is sent back to a geosynchronous communication satellite and bounces down to a receiver in the East China Sea.

Aboard the bridge of the Reagan, the coms officer swallows hard as he hands a tablet over to the XO. “Captain, flash traffic from PACFLT.” being called out by the XO gets everyone on the bridge of the Reagan to quiet down and the XO continues, “A missile has been launched from China. Based on its location and launch profile, it’s the Chinese DF-21D”

Blue Lagoon pales immediately. “Their carrier killer missile.” she breathes.

Chatper 12. Ballistic Spin

“All ahead flank! Thirty-five degree left rudder!” Blue Lagoon screams.

The helmsman calls out, “Thirty-five degrees left rudder, aye sir. No course given, sir.”

Blue looks out the windows, directing, “Bring her into the wind; course, one twelve.”

“Bearing one twelve, aye!” the helmsman replies, his eye on the compass.

Blue Lagoon moves over to the ships phone and her magic envelopes the handset, which she brings to her ear. “Engineering, I need a hundred fifteen percent on the reactors right now.” She listens for a moment, nodding to herself. “When you can, give me everything you can, I want a hundred thirty percent on both reactors.” Again, she listens to the phone. “Very well.” She hangs up the phone and looks at the helmsman, ordering, “All ahead emergency flank.”

“Sir, my rudder is at thirty-five degrees left.” the helmsman calls out. The ship lurches as the two twenty-nine foot tall rudders turn the ship. The acceleration of two hundred sixty thousand horsepower pushes my flank to the deck plate. All over the bridge, crew members hold on to their seats or convenient rails at their stations. Soon, the ship straightens out.

Blue hops off her chair and heads towards the air boss, barking, “Chappie, I want every plane that is capable to take off, off this ship. We can’t launch everything in the time we have, but priority will be to the greyhounds. And get the ospreys up and moving, too! I want to clear as many crew off this ship as possible.” She looks at the radar operator, who shakes his head. “It’s not visible on radar yet, but we have less than thirty minutes to get everything off.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

Around the ship, klaxons start to wail, and I can hear a voice over the loud speakers saying, “All non-essential personnel to flight and hangar decks. This is a ship-wide evacuation.”

I turn around and Blue Lagoon is standing before Lightning Dust. I move over and sit next to Dust as Blue Lagoon directs, “I want you three off this ship. One of the Ospreys, one of the Greyhounds, I don’t care, but get off the ship.”

Moon Shadow trots onto the bridge quickly sitting down next to Dust, who huffs, ears falling flat as she brusquely neighs in Eponese, “I’m not leaving. Let your crew-members get off on those ships. Moon Shadow can teleport us if we need to.”

Blue Lagoon stamps a hoof, snorting, “No, Dust. I want you off this ship. Now.”

Dust shakes her head, flaring her wings and nickering, “Blue Lagoon, I met you when you had just changed. Do you honestly think you can get me off this ship without having your security drag me?”

Blue sighs and turns away, switching back to English. “Fine. I have work to do.”

Dust leans over to Moon Shadow, nuzzling her and quietly asking, “Do you have a place in mind?”

Moon Shadow nuzzles Dust and smiles. “Of course! I know where the island is. I can teleport us all out of here.”

I look at Dust, “Kendra!” I moan. I gallop off the bridge and barrel down several flights of stairs. The ship vibrates as the steam catapults shoot off two aircraft, and seconds later, another two planes take off. I slide on the decking as I make a wing-assisted turn and end up at Kendra and my stateroom. I slam through the door, seeing Kendra sitting at the desk and looking very pale.

“Loopy, what’s going on? I don’t know where to go.”

I smile at my friend, quickly nuzzling her. “I’m going to get you on a plane getting out of here.”

She nods and I turn a bit. “Climb on!”

She looks unsure, eyeing me dubiously. “I’ve ridden plenty of horses, but you are my friend, Loopy. I can’t ride you.”

I grin, shaking my flank at her playfully. “Sure you can! Then you can say you’ve ridden a genuine pegasus!”

She hesitantly throws a leg over and I flare my wings a bit so she can get her knees right behind the shoulder joints. Her fingers grasp my mane gently and I push through the door. I take off as quickly as I can down the deck—I can’t fly inside the corridors of the ship, but I know where the hangar bay is.

A few minutes later, I follow a stream of humans into the hangar bay. A quick glance around shows a C-2 Greyhound being fueled up, so I flare my wings and fly over to the loadmaster standing at the back of the airplane. He turns and looks at me, and I ask, “Are you getting ready to go?”

He nods, looking at his tablet. “Kendra Bustos, part of the civilian team. You are on the priority list to be evacuated. Go ahead and board.” He looks at me, “Loop de Loop, you are also on the priority list.”

I shake my head. “I’m not going, yet. Use that spot for another crew member to get out.”

I see tears well up in Kendra’s eyes. “Loopy, get aboard. We need to get out of here!”

I rear up and nuzzle Kendra’s cheek, softly telling her, “I’ll be okay. Something tells me we’ll all be okay. But I want you off this ship. I’ll catch up with you later.”

She looks at me for a long time, then finally turns around and finds a seat. I move back as several other humans get aboard and strap in. I stand there as a trolley hooks to the nose wheel of the airplane and pulls it slowly towards the midships elevator. As it slowly ascends towards the flight deck, I turn and spread my wings. I’m going back to the bridge.

One of the enlisted men comes up to Blue as I get back to the bridge. “One Osprey and a few fighter aircraft won’t be able to launch, either due to technical problems or we simply not having enough time.”

Blue Lagoon nods. “Have the planes that won’t be able to take off lashed down tight. We don’t have much time.” She looks at the engineer, asking, “What are the reactors operating at?”

“A hundred thirty-two percent, Captain. Chief Engineer Scott was able to get a little more than you ordered.”

She smiles at her crew. “That means all the planes able to take passengers are getting off now.” Her words are punctuated by the sound of the catapult shooting off a C-2. I wonder if that’s the one Kendra is on. She continues, “There are a few unicorns that can do teleportation, so anyone here who wants to join the rest of the non-essential crew being teleported away from the danger zone, go now.”

I look around at all of the bridge crew, who are at their posts and looking silently at their captain. She sighs. “Thank you,” she murmurs, then stands up straight. “How long?”

The radar operator looks at his screen, replying, “Eight minutes, Captain.”

“Very well. All ships need to power up the jammers; we need to create as much electronic noise as we can. Those projectiles are just about a ton each and they have terminal guidance, but we need to confuse that as much as possible.

“Captain, I’ve got the Chinese president on the line.”

Blue Lagoon jerks, incredulously questioning her coms officer, “You were able to break their internet security?”

The com operator chuckles, “I had some help from the mainland. She’s a consultant; a pony… I think you know her?”

“Thank Celestia for you, Cipher.” she says as she trots over to the screen, which shows a late-middle aged man in a neat western suit.

He’s blinking at his screen. “Who are you? How did you get on my systems?”

Blue Lagoon squares herself, fixing her screen with a steely glare. “I am Captain Blue Lagoon of the United States Naval Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan. We have been targeted by the DF-21D missile that you fired not very long ago.”

His expression turns guarded. “And?”

“If my ship does not survive your unprovoked attack on US strategic assets, I can guarantee you that what remains of my task force, along with more US naval units, will react accordingly.”

“The attack was not unprovoked. You attacked our plane. You sunk our ships.”

“I think you were misinformed. The plane crash was caused by an inadvertent collision brought about by your plane’s refusal to veer away from US controlled airspace. This can be corroborated by both radar and communication transcripts, which will be sent to you. The corvettes, regrettably, were in the pathway of the task force, and the captain of the US destroyer not only ordered them to change course, he fired a warning shot to let them know it was time to turn. They instead turned towards our destroyer, firing their weapons and killing my crew members. The destroyer acted to defend itself from attack. We are currently using our assets to locate and save as many of your crew members, both air and naval, as possible.”

“And yet, even now, you are responding with threats.”

“No, I’m simply telling you what will happen. And if, by some miracle, this ship survives, I want to lower tensions. Our nation does not want war, and I’m quite certain that your nation does not either. So, here is what I propose.”

The man shifts in his seat, and folds his arms in front of him. “Go ahead.”

“Provided the Reagan survives this attack, Chinese warships will withdraw from the area. You may still assert your claim to the island, but your willingness to use force will not bode well in the decision.”

“You ask a lot.”

She stamps a hoof on the deck, her voice rising. “My ship is under attack from your nation. My ship, which happens to be a United States strategic asset, is the one under the gun. I am doing everything I can to save the ship, or failing that, to minimize casualties. Assuming my ship survives, we will not be retaliating for this attack. That is what you get from me.”

“I must think this over.”

Blue huffs, “In less than four minutes, we will find out if this ship survives. If we survive, I would much rather begin aircraft recovery operations. But if Chinese war vessels are still heading towards us, I will assume you must prefer war to peace.” She looks at her com officer and growls, “Get him off my screen.”

The Chinese president’s face disappears from the screen as Blue Lagoon turns around and down heavily. Lightning Dust steps up to her, nuzzling her withers. “That was awesome.”

Blue looks at Dust with a soft chuckle. “I may very well get court martialed for what I just said, but damn it, I don’t want a war. If this ship is lost, with over a thousand souls aboard, though… I don’t see a way to stop it. I just hope we can make it through this.”

Dust nuzzles her again, smiling gently. “I have faith in you.”

We all turn and look at the display. A countdown timer is flashing on the screen.

The radar operator turns and looks at the captain, calling, “Captain, the incoming track has broken up. Now reading five projectiles.”

“Tell the unicorns to teleport to safety now!” Blue calls.

Dust leans over to me. “Blue told me about this: the missile breaks into several independently maneuverable vehicles. They don’t have explosives… they are simply a ton of steel moving at hypersonic velocities. If one hits this ship, it will punch right through, and the energy release will be like a nuclear explosion… but no nuke, no radiation. And it allows them to say they didn’t use nuclear weapons.” She glances at the timer. “If Blue can’t get the ship moved out of the way of this scatter shot, Moon Shadow will teleport everyone she can to the island at the very last moment.”

I look around at the crew. “The humans too?”

She nods. “She can’t get everyone here, but she’s going to try.”

I nuzzle Dust as the timer approaches one minute. My thoughts are interrupted by Blue Lagoon’s voice barking, “Thirty-five degree right rudder, new course two nine two.”

“Thirty-five degree right rudder to course two nine two, aye, Captain!” the helmsman calls out.

“Damn, this boat can’t turn a hundred and eighty degrees at this speed in less than a minute.” Dust murmurs. Once again, the ship leans as she starts to turn, then I hear a grunt. I look over at Blue Lagoon and see her horn shining brightly. Her entire body is glowing, especially her cutie mark. I gasp as she blinks and her eyes glow white. What is she doing?

The ship shudders and I look forward. The ship is turning faster. I watch the crippled F-35 that landed earlier slide off the deck of the ship and into the water. A loud groan becomes audible… the ship itself is groaning from the strain.

“Come on old girl, I know you can do it!” Blue grunts through clenched teeth. “Make this turn for momma.”

Moon Shadow comes up close, speaking to Dust, “She’s using the ocean itself to help turn the ship, and she’s using her magic directly on the structure of the ship. How powerful is she?”

Dust looks at Blue, who is now hovering off the deck a few inches. She’s whining softly as she pours more and more of her magic into the ship and the ocean around it. “Near Twilight Sparkle levels, I think.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Moon Shadow says.

I look at the timer… less than thirty seconds left, and we have turned almost all the way around. Blue Lagoon starts to pant. “It’s too much!” she moans.

Moon Shadow steps closer. “You’ve almost got it, Blue! You are doing it!”

The helmsman turns the wheel again. “Captain, my rudder is amidships. New course two nine two.”

The ship continues to groan but now I can feel acceleration. “Just a little… more…” Blue Lagoon pants. Moon Shadow walks toward the back windows, watching the froth created by the cavitating screws of the massive ship.

I look behind the ship as the timer approaches zero, then everything shakes around me. Behind the ship, a tremendous plume of water explodes into the sky.

Dust is screaming, “She did it! It missed us!”

“Blue!” Moon Shadow shouts as she gallops over to the blue unicorn. The aura around Blue Lagoon vanishes and she lands on the decking. She smiles at Moon Shadow, blood pouring out of both nostrils, then her eyes roll back and she nearly collapses to the deck, only to be caught in Moon Shadow’s aura. “I’m taking her to sick bay.” she calls and teleports away. The executive officer steps forward and calls out commands behind me as I follow Dust, galloping toward the door.

***

The sickbay of the Reagan is like every other part of a carrier: surprisingly small, despite the ship being so big. When I arrive, Blue has already been lain out on one of the beds inside the compact space, lit by the harsh fluorescents above her. She is quiet and deathly still, her muzzle still stained by the blood from her nose. I watch as a needle floats over to her, a vein pops up, and the needle is inserted with no reaction from her. Clear tape floats over and attaches to the needle’s puncture site; in moments, an IV bag is hung, all without any human touching it. I look over at Moon Shadow, but her horn is quiet, so I look around. Moon is the only unicorn around other than Blue Lagoon.

“Moon, how is it…” I say softly.

A human walks forward as the work completes, an amber aura fades from his hands as he opens Blue’s eye and flashes a small flashlight at her pupil. He smiles gently at his patient, seemingly pleased by what he saw. “Welcome to sickbay, Captain.” he murmurs as again his hands glow and a blanket floats from a supply cupboard and unfolds itself over the prone unicorn.

“You are a magic user.” I breathe.

“We actually like the term weavers, as in elemental weavers.” he says offhandedly as he continues examining Blue.

“Oh,” I murmur, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Most humans haven’t met any weavers either. There are quite a few of us, but as a percentage of the population… not so much.” His magic attaches a blood pressure cuff, and a clean cloth floats over, then proceeds to gently wipe the accumulated blood and tears from Blue's snout.

“Well, if you are magic, and you are a doctor, why don’t you just…?”

He looks at me, a smile on his face. “Why am I not just healing her? She has a case of extreme magical exhaustion. She can’t be healed that way, though I’m very good at magical healing.” He runs his glowing hands over Blue. “After I got my doctorate, I spent five years working with Star Crossed. And the Navy paid for my education, so I decided to do my hitch where I can do the most good.” He stops for a moment and looks at Dust and I, bowing his head slightly. “I’m Schorsch.” He notices as Blue’s eyes flutter a bit, turning his full attention to her. “Oh good, the glucose IV is bringing her around.”

Blue’s eyes open, and she looks around, blinking several times before finally focusing on Schorsch. “Oh, Dr. Gundlach… nice to see you.” She says softly.

He smiles. “Captain, what have I told you about overdoing it?”

Blue Lagoon grins, still softly speaking, “The ship was in danger. I had to get her out of danger.”

He looks at her sternly. “But at what cost to you?”

She cocks her head to the side. “All of your lives… I’m glad I’m still alive after that, but my first priority is this ship. You know that.”

He sighs, “Yeah, Captain, I know.”

Another man comes into sickbay. I’ve met him before, the Executive Officer of the Reagan. He steps up to Blue Lagoon, eyes full of concern, but focused on his duty. “Captain, you did an amazing job saving the ship, though there was damage. Damage control parties are being dispatched to do a full inspection of the hull. Your turn actually popped some welds throughout. She’s taking on water, but the pumps are able to keep ahead of it. The chief engineer suspects some actual structural damage to the ship from that, so dry dock is advised.”

Blue sighs, looking at the doctor, then at her XO. “We’ll head to Pearl after we are done here.”

“That’s not all, Captain, the incoming projectile hit the top mast as it came down. It missed the stern by less than ten feet. We’ve lost our AN/SPS-48E 3-D, the AN/SPS-49(V)5 2-D air search radar, and our AN/SPN-46 air traffic control radar. They were all ripped off by the incoming projectiles.”
Blue groans, “So, the entire upper third of the mast is gone?”
He nods.
“It’s better than a direct hit. Have you begun recovery operations?”
He nods. “And I’ve radioed PACFLT. The Enterprise is being sent to replace us; she’ll be in the area in eight days.”
Blue lifts her head heavily off of the bed, giving the XO a shallow nod. “Very well.”
The PA system crackles to life, calling, “Bridge to Captain Lagoon.”

Blue tries to sit up only to be restrained by the doctor, who wags a finger back and forth as he shakes his head. She sighs and the XO brings over a com device, it’s set down on the table next to the unicorn. “This is Blue Lagoon.”

“I’ve got a very angry Chinese president on the line right now. He’s demanding to talk to you.”

Blue glances over at the doctor, who grabs a tablet and powers it up, handing it over to her. “Send me the call.”

I sidle next to the bed so I can see the screen. The same man from earlier is on it, though he does look as angry as described. Blue taps the screen a couple of times before putting on her best game face. “Yes, Mister President?”

“We have adhered to our agreement. Your ship survived the attack, and our ships turned around. When, then, have you stabbed us in the back?” he growls.

Blue Lagoon furrows her brow. “I’m sorry, I’m not certain what you are talking about.”

He rolls his eyes, his voice raising as he nearly shouts, “As if you didn’t know! The Thais have grounded a landing craft on the disputed island!”

Blue’s eyes widen as her eyebrows raise. “This is news to me, Mister President. I will deal with the situation immediately.”

“You had better, or our ships will turn back, and damn the consequences! Understood?”

Blue nods and ends the conversation. She sets the tablet down, looking at her XO. “Send some speedsters to the island, especially anypony than can speak Thai. Emphasize that they are not to actually touch the land. They can hover, but not land. We are not trying to make a claim to the island. All Thai military personnel are to leave the island immediately.” She stops and thinks for a moment. “No uniforms, no insignia. They are simply to go there and let the Thais know they are violating agreements by landing military there.”

Dust growls, “Those ponies need support, right now.” She turns and starts to gallop towards the door, only to check herself, sliding a bit on the decking. “Celestia damn it!” She looks at her wings, then at me. “Loopy, you get to the island, right now. And when you get there, give Mindy a call. Let her know the ponies need support. Understood?”

“Okay Dust.” I say, only to be stopped by a scream from Blue Lagoon.

“We have to remain neutral in this, Dust!”

Dust growls at the Captain, “My first priority is to help the ponies.”

“I know that, Dust. But we don’t want to start a war.”

Dust comes forward, her wings ruffling agitatedly. “Those ponies need help. We can only have Royal Guard ponies help. They are Equestrian.”

“They are part of the US armed forces.”

“The Royal Guard isn’t. They are actually under the command of the princesses. The EUP is US Military, but not those that keep the peace in pony cities.”

Blue Lagoon thinks for a long time, then nods. “But remember, if they get in a fight with the Thais, we are treaty bound to defend them. So, no more escalation.”

Dust nods. “Understood. Did you hear that, Loopy?”

I nod and start again for the hatch.

“You know,” Dr. Gundlach pipes up, “Since you can’t fly, I can cast a cloud walking spell on you and have you brought to the island on a cloud.”

I wince as Dust looks stricken, then she turns and walks towards the hatch. “Loopy, get going. Now.” she growls.

I gallop past Dust and down the hall, heading up the stairs and finally finding the hatch to head out to the flight deck. I turn and gallop across the non-skid decking of the ship, leaping off the side as I spread my wings. I’m in the air. No plane around me, just the sky. I accelerate and do a loop, then turn and take off towards the island.

Only about ten minutes of flight has me landing. I fold my wings as Blueberry Muffin comes up to me and points at the landing craft, telling me, “They just got here a little while ago. They were polite, and simply said they were security for the geology team.” She starts to whine, “But they won’t leave! Mint Leaf has been talking to them, and they are firm. They said they are going to do their surveying, and the soldiers are there for safety, since the US aircraft carrier was attacked.”

I tap my phone, and after a few moments, the satellite phone connects. “This is Mindy. Hiya, Loopy!”

“Mindy, Dust told me to call you.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve already talked to her. Hold on a moment.” A moment later, “You are on speaker. Can everypony hear Loopy?”

“What?”

“Now go!” Mindy shouts into the phone. Suddenly, the pop of teleportation comes from all around me. I look around to see that Royal Guard ponies of all tribes are standing there. In full armor. With weapons. “Thanks for giving us the lock, Loopy. Hope they can help you.”

“Wait! What am I supposed to do?” I call out, but the phone connection is closed.

One of the guards, a unicorn, steps forward. “Loop de Loop, we are your support. What do you need us to do?”

I look over at the humans and the ponies from the Reagan. I think for a moment and tell them, “Follow me.”

The ponies get in formation, the pegasi of the guard taking to the air. I simply walk over to them.

I can hear the pegasus in charge from the Reagan. Its Crescent Moon again, telling one of the Thais, “It looks like you have made a claim for the island, and China is furious about it.”

“All we are here for is to protect the scientists.”

“With all of that hardware? You don’t need two armored personnel carriers and two tactical vehicles, along with twenty-four troops.”

I think for a moment, then come up next to Crescent Moon, addressing the Thai gentleman. “The Equestrian Royal Guard will guarantee your scientists’ safety.”

The soldier looks at me. “Equestrian Royal Guard?”

“Yes. They aren’t part of the US military, while they do train with them. Their command is the Equestrian princesses: Twilight Sparkle, Cadance, Luna, and Celestia. In their absence, the mayors of the pony cities are their commanders.” I point to the guards all around. “This island belongs to the ponies here.”

“That is under dispute.”

“That is the fact as of right now.” I snarl, “Whether things change is best left to the politicians, but if you want your geologists to be able to do their work in peace, this is the only way. Otherwise, we will have to force you all to leave.”

“Hold on, we didn’t say they could do a geological survey.” Mint Leaf whinnies.

I silence her with a look and a quick whinnied, “It’s better than fighting.”

“You’ll guarantee their safety?”

I nod, thankful that this conversation is going on in English. “Yes, and we will handle transportation back to your vessel when their job is complete.”

The soldier looks at me for a long time, then at Crescent Moon. “We are not trying to escalate anything, but if any harm comes to our people, we will retaliate.”

Crescent Moon cocks his head to the side. “Against allies of Taiwan?”

The human looks flustered as he turns around, calling to his men. In a matter of minutes, the landing craft is reloaded and is backing away from the island.

Crescent Moon offers me a hoof for a high five. “You did good. Gotta get back to the Reagan.”

***

“Cutie Mark Crusader pastry chefs!” the three foals call out, slapping their hooves together as several ponies in earshot shy away. Cookie Crisp, though, is unfazed.

She smiles at the three foals before her. “I know some of the adventures you three have had, and I remember quite well the shenanigans of a previous generation of Cutie Mark Crusaders, but today is going to be work.”

Dizzy sits down, her ears flopping. “Previous generation?”

Cookie Crisp chuckles as she directs the foals to sit before her. “In the last twenty-five years, there have been a lot of different foals to call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Growing up with the show, watching them finally get their cutie marks, those foals all wanted their marks just as much as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. And their adventures were just as fun, I think. I can’t tell you how many foals I’ve hosted in my shop over the years, wanting their own cutie marks.”

The three foals look at each other and smile. “That’s awesome. Did any of them get a cutie mark in pastry cooking?”

Cookie looks thoughtful for a minute, then she nods. “I was witness to two ponies over the years getting their cutie marks with me.”

“Awesome!” the three say in unison.

She smiles at their enthusiasm. “But the foals I’m talking about were when we all first changed in this world. The three of them were named Feather Pinch, Cotton Cloud, and Cotton Candy. They were taken in by Twilight Velvet, and they set up their own Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse, first at Fort Bragg, then over in New Beginnings.”

They are interrupted by Dizzy’s phone going off, she taps it and holds it up. “Hi, Dad!” she says happily.

As she listens, her face falls and her ears splay back. “Is she okay?” She visibly deflates at the answer. “Oh, thank Celestia.” she moans, “I’ll be home as soon as possible.”

She hangs up and looks at Cookie. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. My mom is in sick bay on her ship. We are going to Hawaii.”

“Your mom? What happened?” Zap asks, nuzzling her friend.

“They were fired on… Mom moved the ship out of the way, but she passed out. Once things settle down, she’s going to be airlifted to Pearl Harbor.” She stands up, only to be stopped by Berry.

“Can we come too?” she asks, her eyes big.

Dizzy giggles at her friend. “Let’s ask my dad. He can never say no.”

Cookie smiles, telling the foals, “Go ahead, see what’s going on with your mom.” and the three foals gallop out of the kitchen, heading towards Dizzy’s home.

Chapter 13. Tempest in the Desert

“I need to stay with my ship! I order you to take me to the bridge!” Blue Lagoon weakly shouts with all the strength she can muster, squirming on her stretcher as it is carried by two enlisted sailors.

Doctor Schorche Gundlach chuckles, shaking his head at his captain. “You are ordering the one person on this ship who can legally give you orders, Captain. And the answer is no. Your XO can handle the situation until the Enterprise shows up. You trust Admiral Morris, right?”

She grumbles for a few moments, giving Schorche a glare full of venom. “You are full of yourself, aren’t you, Doctor?”

He rubs her cheek for a moment as he walks next to the stretcher. “Yes, when I have to be.”

Blue sighs, closing her eyes and composing herself, then leans over and looks at me. “Loopy, thank you.”

I frown, ears folding back. “What did I do?”

“By guaranteeing the protection of the science team, and getting the ponies on the island to consent to actual talks with those contesting it, you have helped defuse the situation.” She leans back on the stretcher. “With luck, they’ll either be admitted to one of the nations as citizens, or they’ll sign a treaty and ponies will have their own little part of Equestria on Earth.”

“You mean other than the portal complex.” Dust chimes in.

Blue nods as the sailors bring her onto a C-2, then take a moment to secure the stretcher. Moon Shadow and Dust find seats and get comfortable. Blue gestures to me, asking, “So… which way do you think they will go?”

I shake my head. “I’m not certain. Japan had just deported them, they know the Thais want them only for the island, and China… who knows what they’re thinking.”

She nods again. “You have a pretty good grasp on things, Loopy.” She looks at Dust with a soft smile. “Better watch out for this one. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

I look at Dust, who is nodding, and back at Blue, who’s smiling at me. “I didn’t do anything.” I whine.

Kendra comes up and hugs me with a smile of her own. “You did awesome, Loopy.”

I find a seat and look around. The Greyhound is slowly lifted up to the flight deck and I watch through the windows as it is taxied over to the catapult. The engines spin up as everyone holds their breath for just a moment before the catapult launches us into the air. I watch Dust as we get airborne, who relaxes into her seat as the wings take over.

Dust catches me looking at her, and she turns her head curiously. “Dust, you need to go flying more often.” I say.

She flares out a wing, then she shakes her head. “You mean in your plane?”

I nod.

“That might be fun. We’ve done it a couple of times.”

I nod again. “I know, but watching you… you are most comfortable in the air.”

***

“Daddy, I really don’t like this.” Dizzy moans.

He puts an arm around the little unicorn. “Sweetie, it’s the fastest way to get to Hawaii, and we are flying with the 912th airlift wing. They fly ponies all the time! You don’t need to worry.”

“Yes, she needs to worry! This is all wrong!” Zap Apple moans. She and Berry both have their wings extended a bit. “It feels so wrong! We need to go with the air currents, not bull through them!”

Admiral Peter Morgan (retired) reaches over and ruffles Zap Apple’s mane. “Don’t worry, little one. The Air Force has been flying ponies around for years.” He leans back and closes his eyes. “They have an excellent safety record.”

Dizzy hoofs at her ears, both of them twitching madly. “It’s like an insect has crawled into my brain and is buzzing around inside my skull.” She mutters.

***

“You are an animal.” Lightning Storm pants.

“I’m not the one on four legs, you know!” Steven replies, his body covered in sweat.

She leans over and kisses him, then she pulls away with a soft smile. “You know what I mean.”

He wraps his arms around her and brings her closer. She lays her head on his chest, enjoying the rapid pace of his heartbeat.

After a long time, he speaks up. “So, what are we going to do?”

She lifts her head and looks at him. “This isn’t some government funded thing. We don’t have a lot of government restrictions here. We can have a relationship… nobody will care. We don’t have to fill out any forms. We don’t have to follow any rules imposed by our bosses.”

He sighs. “It’s so different from university work… or government projects. I remember having to fill out so many forms to get anything done. It’s kind of refreshing.”

She giggles with a gentle smile. “I’ve never done any government jobs, but I was hired on not just because of my magic, but because I had ideas to take things in new directions.”

His arm tenses as he hugs her tighter. “And you have. We are so close to actually getting flying with the new engines.”

“The proving tests with pegasus-controlled engines are in four days. The test ship is in orbit now.” She looks down for a moment, then hesitantly asks, “Want to come up to the ship with me? You can stay on the station during the test flight.”

Steven looks unsure for a moment, then wistful. “You mean I’ll be able to ride the sky hook?”

She nods. “Yes. It’s been in operation for three years now. They took the pieces of the test ship up on it. They’re the older engine design, so about a dozen pegasi will have to be on board. We are going to go to the moon, set down at the base there, spend four days offloading supplies, then head home. It’s just a cargo run.”

He snorts, looking away from Lightning. “A cargo run for the most capable space ship humanity and ponydom have been able to produce.”

She hoofs him in a sensitive place. “The chemical rockets used to set up the base took three times as long—and cost a hundred times as much—as this trip is.”

“What did you mean, opening the stars?”

She looks at him, confused.

“After the test of the new prototype engines, you said all we need to do is open up the stars?”

She looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles. “To visit the nearest star system, even with the prototype engines working perfectly, would take decades, if not centuries. And that’s not counting time dilation! We need to go faster than that.”

He furrows his brow. “Faster than light drive?”

She nods excitedly. “You’ve looked at the math. Scientists have been speculating that it should be possible to exceed the speed of light, because we would be manipulating space itself. The math says it’s possible… we need to work towards that!”

“I agree the math says it’s possible, but do you actually think there is a way for us to do it?”

She nods and hugs him tighter. “We need to explore. We need to open up the stars.”

***

“Momeeeeeeeee!” Dizzy calls as she launches herself forward, her aura enveloping her small frame as she lifts off the floor and streaks to Blue Lagoon. Blue catches her daughter and nuzzles her warmly, unable to stop a huge smile from breaking out across her muzzle.

“Oh Dizzy, I’m so glad you’re here!” She looks at the human with her foals, her eyes turning gentle. “Hi, honey.” She smiles weakly.

“You’ve been a little rough with my ship, I hear!” he says with mock bluster as he plants a kiss next to her horn.

She huffs, her eyes sliding away from his for a brief moment. “The Reagan is my ship now.”

He raises his hands. “I know, I know… but apparently not for long. I’ve been talking to some friends at the Pentagon. You did the impossible, and while the Reagan is damaged, you prevented a total loss, with no casualties on your ship. Though some guys got banged around a bit.”

She nods. “I know.” Her ears fall. “I had to. You know that, right?”

He nods as he gently smooths her mane with his hand. “From what I’ve heard, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a medal or two out of it. And a promotion.”

Her eyes shrink to pinpricks. “Take me away from the ocean?”

He laughs. “I think they’ll station you at Pearl. Don’t worry, love. They won’t take you away from what makes you special.”

She breathes a big sigh and tightens her hold on Dizzy, enjoying the feel of her foal. After a few moments, she looks up. “What about the rest of the herd?”

“They’re here, but we wanted to see how you were before everypony came in. Are you ready?”

She nods. “Always, for my family.”

***

The tires of the Gulfstream squeal as the plane sets down, waking me from what little sleep I’ve been able to garner during this flight. I pop my head up as the plane slows, and before long we are at the general aviation terminal. Dust heaves herself out of her seat and slowly walks to the door. She gets off the stairs before a silver light trail impacts with her. I look over, seeing that Mischief has her mother pinned and is hugging her tightly, with tears in her eyes. “Oh Mom!” she moans, “I was so worried about you.”

I smile at Mischief when a voice pipes up next to me, “They didn’t tell us much. Just that the ship was involved in some kind of incident. Do you know what happened?”

I look at the pony next to me, remembering what we were told on the flight back, “I’m sorry, Zeddicus, but I can’t tell much. They pushed the rules pretty hard there.”

His ears fall and he looks over at Mischief, who is busily nuzzling and hugging her mother. He smiles wistfully. “Momma Irony wanted to go, but Momma Dust only was allowed a couple of guests.” He taps me gently on the withers. “Though I’m glad you and Kendra got to go.”

I nuzzle the large stallion, telling him, “Thank you for thinking of me.” which elicits a blush from him.

***

It’s a lovely, bright summer day in my plane, though after a couple of hours in the air, it’s time to land. I line up, visualizing my glide slope. As the shoreline of Lake Luna passes underneath me, I quickly feel the plane gently touch onto the water, then pull back on the throttles and let the water claim my speed. I push the button to deploy my trolling motor, shut down the engines, and let the trolling motor take over. I push the left rudder pedal to turn left. I did like the original design for controlling the rudder and the tail wheel, but I think it works better with the rudder pedals for control. I turn next to the dock and reverse slowly into my spot, sparing a glance at my fuel gauges along the way and seeing that I’ll need a fill up soon. Dust came through on her promise about the fuel tank for my plane, and it’s right next to the one she has installed for her boat. As I climb out of the cockpit, I briefly consider filling up, but I wonder if Dust would want to do some flying with me, so I trot down the dock and walk through the back door. When I get to her office door, I see that it’s closed. It’s very rarely closed—usually only when Dust has visitors—so I raise my hoof to knock.

“No, No, No. The danger is too much.” I hear Dust’s voice, causing me to pause.

Another voice responds quietly and, feeling curious, I shift closer and put my ear to the door. I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but I need to know what’s going on. “Little one, you haven’t been able to walk the sky for twenty years. It’s time.”

“I can hang glide!” comes the savage retort. “I can fly in an airplane! In fact, one of the newest ponies to change… she’s modified her airplane for ponies to fly it. She said she’ll take me up anytime I want.” That gets a smile from me.

The voice gets even quieter. “That’s no substitute for your own wings.”

I hear a bang, and guess that Dust slammed a hoof onto her desk. “I am not going to be manipulated by you, old man.” A moment of silence passes, then she continues, “I know what you have done for many ponies, even ponies that have nearly been lost, and I thank you for it.” More silence. When her voice resumes, it sounds like she’s holding back tears. “But I will not ask you to sacrifice your own life. Not for me; not for anypony.”

Once again, silence falls over the other side of the door. After what feels like minutes, I bring my hoof up to knock before hearing the voice say, “Think, Lightning Dust.” I silently put my hoof back down. “In a very short time, I will be gone, and nothing can change that. I can die peacefully in my sleep, or I can die helping you. My choice is to help you. Either way, I will be dead. One way, you will fly again; the other, you will not.”

Dust’s voice is very quiet. “There is no guarantee it will work. What if you do that? You sacrifice yourself for me… and yet, I’m still unable to fly?”

The other voice speaks up. “At least I will have tried; I will have done my best. I count it worth the cost.”

A long sigh. “Is it okay if I think about it?”

“Yes, please think about it. Talk to your family. Talk to those that the magic has touched… but think quickly. I return home tonight, and I would like to have the spirit fire tomorrow night. I have the preparations done. All you have to do is show up.”

Another sigh, and I hear movement before Dust’s words turn a bit muffled. “Thank you, Grandfather.”

I knock on the door, which opens at my first tap—it must not have been securely latched. I see Dust up on her hind legs, with her forelegs and wings around a very old man. His long white hair and dark skin jump out at me, and I smile. “Uhh… hi?”

Dust clears her throat, but doesn’t move. “Hi, Loopy. How long have you been there?”

The old man speaks, “Long enough to hear what we were talking about.” He looks at me with a slightly impish smirk, not a trace of anger on his face. “What do you think, young one?”

I feel myself blush, though I try to look innocent. “I think you should make the best decision for yourself, Dust. If he’s willing to help, perhaps you should accept his offer.”

The older mare drops onto all fours and the old man comes over to me, kneeling down and peering into my eyes. After a long time looking into my soul, it feels like, he speaks. “This one loves you… reveres you. You are very special to this one, Lightning Dust. She must be there.”

I wilt, my ears flatting as I look at Lightning Dust, but she smiles fondly. “Loopy here was a student just before Discord took us. She is very special, and I told her she was.”

The old man looks at me, his eyes squinting ever so slightly. “Would you risk yourself for her?”

My eyes go wide. I look at Dust, then back at him. “Of course.” I find myself saying, “I’d do anything for her.”

He smiles as he stands up. “We fly out tonight. Blaze has gotten a chariot for us to fly home. We can have the spirit fire tomorrow night.”

Dust’s ears fall flat. “Hold on, Grandfather. I haven’t made a decision yet.”

He steps over to her, running a finger along her left ear and getting it to twitch. “Yes, you have, Dust. You just have to make your peace with it.” He walks slowly out the door and down the hall.

I watch him leave then turn and look at Dust, whose ear keeps twitching in the silence. The reason I was coming to see her is forgotten, so I ask, “How does he do that?”

Dust smirks at me as she moves over to her desk. She hops up in the chair, and tells me with a shrug, “He’s Grandfather.”

I sit up in the other chair, eyes wide. “He’s going to give you your flight back?”

She flinches, her ears twitching wildly. “He says he can with the help of many pegasi. He’s convinced that it can be done.”

I look down. “Do you believe him?”

She shrugs her wings. “He’s done things that I think are flat out impossible before, so…” She looks at the empty doorway for a long time. “Yeah, I think he can.”

I look at her, holding an even gaze. “Then you should, Dust.”

She turns and looks out the window. “The last time he did his magic, it very nearly killed him. He called on the magic of harmony… maybe not the elements themselves, but you never know. His spirit fires open to Equestria, but it was very hard for him. He will likely die in the attempt.”

I think furiously. “He said that he was dying anyway.”

“He’s nearly a hundred, Loopy.”

“If his dying wish is to help you, Dust, you should let him.”

“What if it doesn’t work? What if he gives his life for nothing?” She folds her wings around herself. “I don’t think I could live with that guilt.”

I cock my head to the side, still holding my gaze at her. “He said the attempt is worth it.” I furrow my brow. “I think he is happier with the attempt than he would be if he didn’t try.”

Dust looks thoughtful, and I add, “Dust, he wants to help. You should let him.”

She looks across the desk at me at me, her ears down and her eyes huge. I nod in response to her unasked question.

A knock interrupts. Dust shakes her head for a moment, then looks up at the door. “Come in.”

I watch her face brighten as the door opens, then I turn to look at the new arrival, only to be tackled before I see anypony. After flipping over, I end up on my back with a pony on top of me. I look at the brilliant white face with its halo of silver mane. “Hiya, Loopy! What you doing here?” Mischief calls out happily.

I look into her gold eyes, then up at Dust. She shakes her head slightly, so I smile back at Mischief. “I actually came over here to invite Dust to go flying with me.”

“Oh, that sounds awesome. For mom that is.” She smiles, then spreads her wings. “I’d rather fly with my own wings.”

I shake my head. “Most of the time, I agree with that, but that plane is fun to fly. Even as a pegasus, I love flying it.”

Mischief sighs and pokes at my wings. “Are you sure you’re a pegasus, Loopy?”

I swipe her hoof away and shift out from underneath her. “Yes, Mischief, I’ve got the wings and everything.”

She takes to the air and swipes at my ear. “But I’ve never heard of a pegasus that actually likes being inside a tin can.”

I flick my ears a few times, then stick my tongue out at her. “Only if I’m flying it.”

Mischief settles into a seat and looks at Dust. “Fair enough.” She looks at the other ponies, who have filtered in behind her. They are all of the foals of the herd, at least the first wave: Mischief, Rinoa, Rydia, Zeddicus, Dot, and Cloud Burst. A human steps in as well. I look at him, trying to remember his name.

“I guess you are wondering why I called you all here.” Dust says, eliciting a chorus of groans as she leans back in her chair and clops her forehooves together like a movie villain.

“Seriously, Dad? That old joke?” the human says.

Dust giggles at him, dropping the awkward pose. “It works, Dylan, but where’s Hannah?”

Dylan shrugs. “She said she might not be able to get here. She’s got a class going on. She said go ahead.”

Dust grumbles a bit in response. “I wanted all of you to hear this at the same time.”

I hop off the chair. “This is family business. I’ll go.”

“Stop, Loopy.” Dust says, her eyes boring into me, “You need to hear this too.” The look on her face brooks no argument, so I hop back into the chair and sit, watching her.

She sits there for a long time then puts both hooves on her desk. “When Discord hit us, I was twenty-two years old.” She looks around at all of us. “Then I spent thirty-five years as a human, and now, another twenty-five years as a pony once again.” Her ears fall. “The last twenty or so, I’ve been unable to fly.” She goes silent for a long time, then sighs and continues, “I’m old, and I’m tired.”

Her children all look at one another, then at her before Zed speaks up. “Mom, you aren’t all that old. You’ve got a lot of years left.”

She smiles sardonically. “Well, that may be true, but I feel old.” I see a few tears drop from the corners of her eyes. “I’m so damned tired.”

Dylan looks around, worry in his eyes. “So, what are you going to do? Go to a nursing home?”

Dust stares back at Dylan, and it looks as though she’s about to get angry, then she notices the smile on his face. “Oh, you scamp.” She chuckles, then looks at all of us. “I’ve been talking to the rest of the herd. We are going back to Equestria, and you all have a choice: come with me, or stay behind and take up the burdens of what I’ve been doing for the last twenty-five years.”

Mischief speaks up. “The burden?”

Dust smiles. “As you know, I’ve had to set up a holding company to keep track of all the companies that I’ve started over the years. I am hoofing the reins of that company over to you all.”

Mischief’s ears fall. She looks at Rinoa and Rydia, then over to Zed, then back at her mom. “But I’ve got my own pots boiling… sixty hour weeks are a norm for me. I fly all over the world, and I certainly don’t want to have to handle everything you do as well.”

Rinoa, Rydia, and Zed all nod, with Zed adding, “We are busy already, Mom.”

Dust narrows her eyes. “You are aware that I’m hoofing over an empire to you worth literally billions of dollars?”

Mischief growls. “And that much responsibility! I know that for years you’ve been the one to answer the call when you are needed. I’ve helped with that… we all have! But for Celestia’s sake, Mom, I don’t want that to be my life full time. I’ve got enough going on.”

Cloud Burst speaks up. “I was wondering why Momma Mindy went through the portal yesterday.” He looks at his sister. “Dot and I are going through the portal with you. We’ve wanted to visit Equestria for a long time.”

Dust looks at all the ponies and humans. “Dylan?”

Dylan smiles, gently shaking his head. “Gold and I aren’t doing as well as you have been, but we are more than comfortable. I’ve got enough going on that I don’t want any more responsibility, especially without consulting Gold and Strawberry.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

I look around at all the ponies there, then I look at Dust. She looks at a loss for words, just sitting there shaking her head. Finally she says, “I’m not going to leave this in the hooves of a stranger, but I am going. Nothing is stopping that.”

“Let Loopy do it.”

I look around. Who said that? Eight pairs of eyes focus on me, causing me to wilt. “What? Me?”

Dust smiles, casting her gaze on me. “You know, that just might be a good idea, there.”

“Huh?” I gasp, “Me?”

Dust looks around at all of the ponies, then focuses on me. “How about this: you will all be on the board, and you will all debate the big decisions that I’ve been doing for the last twenty-five years, but Loopy here will make the tactical decisions. She’ll make all the day to day decisions that you don’t want.” She smiles. “So my company will stay in the family, but we will have somepony that is trustworthy to take up for me.”

Mischief launches off her seat and does a loop in the air above us all. I hear her hooves clatter on the ceiling at the apex of her stunt. “That’s brilliant, Mom! Absolutely brilliant!”

I look at Mischief, then at Dust. “But…”

Zeddicus hops off the chair and comes up and hugs me. “Oh, Loopy. You’ll do great.”

*pomf*

I look back at my wings, then at Zed, who is blushing furiously. “Oh… sorry.” He murmurs, then looks at me seriously. “You really are perfect for this, Loopy. Mom took on the role because she didn’t see anypony else stepping up. She did it because she was the best one to do that job.” He smiles. “Just like you are perfect for this.”

“But…” I’m able to whisper.

Zed nuzzles me. “Loopy, you can do it. And we will be here when you need help.”

I look at Dust, who is smiling at me, and ask her, “Are you sure, Dust?”

She nods.

***

The chariot lands with members of Dust’s herd, followed promptly by the flock of pegasi joining in the attempt who have flown over from New Beginnings and elsewhere. I trot around, swiveling my head all over. There are a lot of pegasi here! Then I see one who I never thought I would ever see again. I flash forward, bowling her over in my excitement. “Ohmygosh! Rainbow Dash! How did you get here?”

The cyan pegasus looks at me blankly. “Do I…” she starts.

“Loop De Loop, from Junior Speedsters Camp! Just before Discord!” I shout happily, tail thrashing back and forth behind me.

She looks befuddled, then her eyes brighten. “Loopy? Discord got you too?”

My ears fall and I nod. “Yes, on June first of 2020.”

She looks confused. “But we went through the portal…” Then her ears fall. “It was you! You distracted him.”

I cock my head to the side. “Huh?”

She puts a hoof to my chest cueing me to get off of her. She stands up onto her hooves, then hugs me tightly. “I’ve always wondered… he was so powerful. I never understood how he didn’t immediately start in on us when we went through the portal! Now I know why!” She pulls away, only to put both forehooves on my cheeks. “It was because of you, Loopy! You distracted him! You kept him busy so we could get through the portal and be ready for him!”

She again pulls me tightly into a hug. “Oh my gosh, thank you, Loopy! Without you, we would never had succeeded in taking back Equestria!” I find myself being whirled about in Rainbow Dash’s hooves. All I can do is grin.

“Rainbow, who is that you’re twirling about?” comes a deep masculine voice.

I’m rushed down to the ground and all I see is a huge red stallion. “Oh, Big Mac, this is Loop De Loop. She distracted Discord when we went through the portal the first time. She was cursed like we were.”

The earth pony looks thoughtful then holds out a hoof. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Loop.”

I tentatively shake the proffered hoof, telling him, “Loopy is fine.” and get a smile in return. My ears fall. “But I thought you were all in Equestria.”

Rainbow supplies the answer, telling me, “When we got the message that we could help Lightning Dust get her flight back, I wrote back, saying I was so in. And then Twilight did her magic on the portal and it opened…” She smiles. “Then she put a magic field around all of us as we went through so we wouldn’t change. Then we dashed over here! I had to help my old wing pony.”

I turn around, seeing the assembled crowd of ponies that had come up behind us as we spoke. “Oh, all of you are here!”

Twilight Sparkle is there, along with Fluttershy, Rarity, Shining Armor, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Even the young drake, Spike, is standing there, his eyes wide as he looks at all of the assembled ponies. I was a casual watcher of the show and I know who they are, though I can’t believe I’m sitting there with all of them. Rainbow Dash flits around, telling them of what I had apparently done, and soon I’ve got them all around me, smiling at me, giving me hugs, and thanking me for what I had done.

Finally, they move away. I can see a fire has been built, and drummers are getting ready for whatever magic that Grandfather will be making happen soon. I turn away from the fire, seeing that the sun still well above the horizon, so I know that I’ve got a little bit of time. I move around, looking at all the ponies here… and it hits me. They are all here for Dust. That is amazing. I move up to one pegasus and introduce myself with, “Hi! I’m Loop De Loop!”

The pegasus looks at me, then cocks his head at my enthusiasm and offers a hoof. “Twilight Bolt.”

“How do you know Lightning Dust?”

He chuckles. “Mom and Dad. That’s Twilight Velvet and Rainbow Blaze. Dust has been a friend of the family since before I was born and Dad’s going to be helping in the ceremony. My sister would love to help, too, but she’s a unicorn, so she can’t.” He smiles at that.

I must look dumbfounded, but he continues, “I’ve been talking to a lot of the ponies going.” He points to one. “That’s Strawberry Sunrise. She was saved by mom, and ended up going to New Beginnings before the city was even founded. In fact, she’s herding with Dust’s human son, Dylan.”

He shifts his stance, pointing to another pony. “That’s Ginger Crisp. She met Dust in the early days after the ponies changed, and helped her set up the New Pony Express. That mare is a millionaire because of Lightning Dust.” He gestures at another pegasus, some yards away. “And that’s Feather Pinch. She was raised by Twilight Velvet after she was put here as a small foal by Discord. She feels about Dust the exact same way I do. She’s a member of our family, almost.”

“I’ve met her.” I say quietly, getting a smile from him.

Twilight Bolt nods. “Every pegasus here has had their lives changed, for the better, by Lightning Dust. When we found out she needed help, we answered the call.”

I look around, seeing that pegasi everywhere are moving up to Dust, though she looks extremely uncomfortable with all the ponies there. I move closer and see that she’s talking to a white pegasus, with two other pegasi crowded up with the white one.

Dust is smiling. “White Lightning! I’m always glad to see you! And you as well, Jet Streams!” She smiles, then waves at the other pegasus. “Hi, Drizzle!” She gets a wave back.

The pegasus who Dust had called White Lightning flicks her tail, then pokes Dust on the snout gently. “Dust, when we were contacted, telling us the possibility for us to help you fly again, you know we jumped at it.”

Dust hugs herself with her wings. “You really didn’t have to.”

White Lightning waves a hoof dismissively. “That is utter nonsense, Lightning Dust. Look around—a lot of ponies came here for you. Hell, even Surprise showed up. All the ponies that know you have come. We have to help you, and you know it!”

I move up next to Dust, putting a wing over her. She’s wilting under White Lightning’s words. “It’s dangerous to you. I shouldn’t have come.” Dust moans.

I nuzzle her. “Dust, these ponies have some knowledge of what you are going through. You lost something very special, something nopony here could really, truly understand deep in their bones. You need this. You are a creature of the air. I saw your face as we took off from Lake Luna. I saw how you were helping me relearn to fly with my own wings… you lost a big part of yourself. We are willing to do what is necessary to help you get it back.”

I look over at the three pegasi, who all are nodding at my words. I smile at them. “I’m Loopy.”

Drizzle moves forward, addressing me. “That was a very nice thing you said, Loopy.” She looks significantly at Dust. “And you should take her words to heart. We are here for you.”

I get a nuzzle from Dust. “Thanks, Loopy.”

Star Shine comes up and puts a wing over both of us. “They are getting ready. They need you, Dust.”

Dust gets up, kissing Star Shine briefly, yet intensely. “Then I will get going.”

Star Shine sits down, his wings fighting to stay at his sides. We watch Dust amble slowly away. He leans over to me, saying, “She tried to hide it, you know.”

I frown in confusion.

He smiles. “At first, she said she had magical exhaustion, but after about a week, I asked her to go flying with me, and she said, ‘Maybe another time.’ It took us about a month to figure out that she hadn’t gotten off the ground once. Add in that Star Crossed showed up a couple of times but didn’t talk to us much. Then, we noticed that she wasn’t in the air at all, even travelling someplace. Before she died, she usually flew herself, but when she was brought back? She was always on the chariot with us. She had stopped flitting around.” He laughs. “You should have seen her reaction when Irony asked if she could fly.”

“She blew up?”

He chuckles again, shaking his head. “Oh, yes. Tears… shouting… sobbing. She was trying to get healed, before she had to accept that it couldn’t be done. She had to fully accept it herself before she could admit it to us.”

That gets a giggle out of me. I’ve only known Dust for a couple of months in this world, but her personality—her drive, the pony she is—has sucked me in. It helps, too, that the kids of her herd have become good friends so far. I look around, finally telling him. “There are a lot of ponies here.”

Star nods. “Dust has been a very busy mare. She’s helped a lot of ponies, many times risking herself in the process.”

I find myself leaning against the older stallion, and getting a wing over me, I snuggle closer. “Thank you, Star.”

He leans his cheek on the top of my head, and says with a small chuckle, “No problem, Loopy. We are always here for our little ponies.”

“Oy, there’s a lot of pegasi here.” Comes a familiar voice, quickly followed by a feathery hug assault. “Heya, Loopy!” I look over at the brilliant white face.

“Mischief!”

She smiles. “When I found out about this, I talked to mum. She expressly forbade me from coming.”

Star Shine glowers at her. “She was right, Mischief. This is dangerous. The ponies here know the risk, and came anyway…”

Mischief interrupts him. “All the more reason for me to be here, Dad. I don’t really remember any time where mum was able to fly. I was too young when she lost her flight.” Her normally ever-present smile is replaced by a serious look. “I am… at home in the air. So are you, and so is every pegasus here. Mum hasn’t been able to fly in about twenty years. She needs this, and if I can help? I will. So it’s dangerous. It’s worth it if it helps her.”

Star looks at her a long time, then he shifts a bit to look where Dust was taken, then back at Mischief. “You have a good point, but I guarantee you that your mom isn’t going to be happy about this.”

Mischief snorts. “I’m helping my mum, and nopony is going to stop me.” She fixes him with a steely glare.

Star sighs. “I know, Mischief. I’m just letting you know.”

She smiles brightly, suddenly back to her usual, smiley self.

Some yards away at the ceremonial circle, a drum starts to be beaten. Star stands up, folding his wings at his side, and motions toward the group with his head. “They are starting. Time to get in position.”

All the pegasi move slowly to surround the fire as just a single drum is being beaten. I can see the drum: it’s enormous, and more men are moving into position to beat it as well. We all end up in a loose circle around the fire.
The other drummers start, pounding out a slow beat—the other humans have smaller hand drums they start to work. They are making the rhythm, the harmony, that will drive the ceremony. The heartbeat of the ritual, powerful and true, gives the magic the energy that it needs to live.

As more humans join the drummers, the tempo starts to level out and grow in intensity. I find myself shifting a bit in time with the drum. Its energy is affecting me, and seems to be affecting everypony else around, too. A few hooves are starting to beat to the drum. Finally, Lightning Dust is brought out, looking very different than I saw her last. On her face is a painted mask, making the turquoise fur of her face brilliant white. Other colors—red and blue—are painted in circles on her withers. One big circle is around her cutie mark, with marks touching where her wings attach to her body. She sits down next to the fire, roughly in the center of the circle. She looks around, her eyes wide at all the ponies and the humans gathered together. I watch her sniff; her eyes are bright with tears.

The chanting begins. It’s an ancient song to the great spirits: a song of hope and rebirth, and a song of sacrifice both personal and epic. Its words are in the ancient language, and I can’t understand them, but at the same time, I can feel them… I recognize them on a primal level. I swivel my head, looking at the humans singing. Each of the singers knows the words, calling them out as they call for the spirits to aid them.

The Hopi dancers come out, dressed in the ancient costumes. Representations of the spirits of air, of the great animals. They parade around the group, their feet slamming into the ground in time with the drum beats. Many of these dancers have done the same dance for decades, handed down for generations and kept alive in the face of ever-growing technology.

As the beat grows, I find myself starting to respond to the music, and a quick look around tells me I’m not the only one. My hooves are moving of their own volition—more than simply shifting with the rhythm, my hooves are now drumming in time with this ethereal beat. My ears flick as I hear more sets of hooves drum in time as well. We are all pounding out the beat on the ground with our forelegs. A charge of energy begins to fill the air, and my feathers puff out in response. I can see Rainbow Dash, one of the strongest pegasi here, magically. Her wings snap out, but she doesn’t seem aware of it. I can feel my wings slowly extend, too, and soon all of the pegasi are stomping, their wings held wide. I can feel my magic—the aether crackles between my feathers—and wide eyes from all of the pegasi around tell me they are experiencing the same things I am. Our magic is resonating with that of the ritual.

Grandfather slowly moves over to Dust, next to the fire. He taps his rattle and throws some herbs into the fire, causing it to roar to life to life. The flames carry images of the Everfree Forest… of Cloudsdale and the pegasi… of Baltimare, and other great pony cities. Then, out of the flames, an image forms: a pegasus, dark blue with a yellow mane. She spreads her one wing and looks at Dust, her head held high in pride.

I can hear Dust gasp as she sees the figure. “Mom.” I hear her murmur.

Closing his eyes, Grandfather throws another handful of herbs into the fire. The image of a great stag spirit takes form in the flames. Head high, the image looks around at all gathered as a wind builds up, pulling air towards the fire. As the wind feeds them, giving them more strength, the flames grow higher and I feel a slight prick as a single feather is pulled from me. The plum colored feather joins other feathers, one pulled from each pegasus present: a single feather with a small charge of energy from each pegasus here.

The feathers swirl and dance into the fire. This gets gasps from all assembled, I can feel why. A connection has been made: we are all connected now, magically. I can feel Dust in the middle, and feel tears fall down my face. I knew she was in pain, but the magnitude—the utter, grinding enormity of it—stuns me. Dust looks around at all of us in wonder. I think she knows we can feel her, feel each other. As she looks around, I see a green flow of energy travel towards the rattle in grandfather’s hands and envelope the old man. The heart seed inside the rattle is calling to the energy, gathering and channeling it before releasing it back out.

The area is filled with light. An explosion of rainbow energy flows from the zap apple seeds and from the heart seed inside the rattle. The rainbow fills the air with aether as it flies to Lighting Dust, wrapping around her like her own mother’s wings and lifting her off the ground, dancing within her feathers. As we all stare in wonder, we see each and every feather in Dust’s wings glow with lights of their own. I have to gasp… the connection is being used, and I feel my magic being pulled from me, through the rattle, and into Dust. I watch intently as the magic courses through her. Her color shifts, from the faded turquoise that I’ve always seen known her coat to be to a brilliant hue. Something snaps in my head, and I realize… this is how she was back in Equestria. This is how she was meant to be. The pressure builds, grows, and becomes almost painful. With one last powerful blast of light, the energy begins to fade, slowly setting Lighting Dust back down onto the ground.

I blink a few times, then I hear Dust gasp. Grandfather lay motionless on the ground on the other side of the fire. Dust flashes forward with unreal speed to his body, tears running down her face as she tries to sit him up into her forelegs. The image of a pure white stag stands over them. Powerful and strong, the stag glows with silver and white light. In the distance, the screech of an owl fills the air as the fire dances with images of deer, elk, and caribou. With one nod to Lighting Dust, the stag turns and bows his head to Rainbow Blaze. No words are said… none need to be. The stag turns, walks into the fire, and is gone, leaving only embers behind.

I fall to the ground as the hold on me is let go. After a long moment, I look around. Everypony is down, panting.

I struggle to my hooves and move over to Lightning Dust. Her sobs tear at my heart, and I say the only thing I can. “It was what he wanted, Dust.”

“I know.” she moans as she hugs the body tighter. She kisses his forehead. “Thank you, my friend.”

Mischief comes forward out of the circle, hesitantly stepping forward before frowning and tightly hugging Dust. As more of the pegasi recover, they step closer as if to join in the hug, but hang back, giving space to Grandfather’s sacrifice. I find myself moving away from the crowd. I take flight and end up on the ridgepole of the two story house. I sit there for a long time, watching the ponies come forward hesitantly to congratulate Dust. She’s laughing and crying at the same time, and I shift a bit as I watch a couple of the elders pick up Grandfather’s body. They fend off Dust’s attempts to help as they bring his body into the house. One of them picks up that rattle and takes it inside as well. Dust takes a deep breath, hugging Mischief tightly and composing herself ever so slightly before looking back at the crowd and meeting Rainbow Dash’s eyes.

I smile as Dust is suddenly rushed by the mass of pegasi swooping forward to hug her with cries of joy.

Finally, I close my eyes, feeling the air currents around me. I had thought that after this, I would be too tired to fly, but I’m not. I streak into the sky, doing a tight loop, and take off to the north, leaving the reservation behind me. I break the sound barrier and power my way back towards my home.

Author's Note

http://sta.sh/0l73n2674fq

Many thanks to Alkarasu for his art!!!

I'd like to say thank you to a couple of you out there. First off, to Kitsy-chan, who framed the basic scene and let me go hog wild with it, making it into a beautiful and powerful, and even somewhat haunting part of this story. And secondly to Purple Pegasus, who has been smoothing my pony words for the last several chapters. Without both of their input, this story wouldn't be happening. Thank you all. And I all also need to thank my pre-readers, Phenrys and Alkarasu. In addition to Kitsy and Purple Pegasus. The insights and thoughts for these chapters have been incredibly valuable. Thank you all!

Chapter 13.5 A Wing and a Prayer

Henry sits in the bar in New Beginnings, nursing his Applebucks whisky. The stuff isn’t too bad. Local ponies had actually started making it a few years back. It is based on Equestrian recipes and the stuff can easily knock some earth ponies flat.

“Rough day at the office?” Dust asks as she eases herself beside the pink unicorn.

Henry blinks and looks at Dust, she is certainly the last pony he expected to see, “Umm, what brings you here?”

“Well when I hear about a friend of mine hitting the salt licks and whisky.” Dust says as she takes a drink of her Whisky. Coughing a few times, she looks at it. “Single malt this isn’t.” She coughs a few more times, using a hoof to pound her chest a few times.

“Oh I’m fine, just fine, everything’s perfect.” Henry says and knocks back his drink.

“Well that means something’s horribly wrong. Are people pestering you again for healing?” Dust asks. Over the years, she’s filtered a lot of the requests. So has Mindy. Especially the worst of the requests that involved threats or trying to buy him, Dust knows Henry doesn’t need that kind of stress.

“No Dust, I’m fine.” Henry says softly, propping up his muzzle.

Dust tilts her head, looking concerned, the old stubborn streak kicking in, “Problems with Sugarberry?”

“She’s a little stressed but…she’s fine. We’re having no trouble.”

“Foal trouble?” Dust asks with a smile, “Cutie Mark Crusader New Beginnings edition?”

“The city couldn’t survive that, and nope.” Henry gestures, and another drink is slid before him, he gulps it down.

“Nightmares? PTSD?” Dust asks, growing more concerned at his tone.

“If I did, I’d talk to Moon Shadow. Dust, I already send business her way for that.” Henry says with a sigh.

Rolling her eyes, Dust is running out of things she could think of, “Flying problems?” She asks jokingly.

“I haven’t even tried the wings since I…” Henry starts, then he stumbles to a stop, looking at Dust, panic in his eyes.

Dust drops her glass, staring at Henry for a long moment.

“Umm… Joke? Ha ha?” Henry says quickly…

“Henry… my office… Now…” Dust says, grabbing Henry’s foreleg and dragging him out of the bar.

A couple of patrons laugh and cat call… Seeing a mare dragging a stallion out of a bar isn’t all that unusual in New Beginnings.

Seeing Lightning Dust, though, drag a poor stallion half way across town, is an unusual sight around New Beginnings. Most times the stallion is going willingly. Not that Dust has a regular habit of dragging stallions around, other than those in her herd. She has dragged them around a couple of times, though. Usually getting laughs from the ponies around town.

“Umm Dust?” Loopy says as Dust and Henry burst through the front door, startling everypony inside. Then she notices the look on Dust’s face, and thinks better of what she was going to say, she mutters, “Never mind.” She turns quickly and heads downstairs to find Kendra.

Henry retains the presence of mind to keep his muzzle shut as she gets into her office. She slams her office door and whirls to face him.

“Wings?” She very nearly screams at him, causing his ears to fold back.

“I…” Henry starts and tries to look anywhere but the mare.

“How long!” Dust says firmly, tapping a hoof on the floor.

“But I…” Henry starts and fidgets with his forelegs.

“Henry, this is me you are talking to, Star Crossed! Let’s see it.” Dust says, slamming her hoof down on the floor.

Henry gulps and shifts to princess form and spreads her wings. “Princess Star Crossed?”

Dust covers her face with a foreleg and groaned. “How long?”

“It sort of happened three weeks ago… After that train accident…”

“The one with that school bus and all those foals?!? That was you?” Dust shouts, fluttering her wings.

Star Crossed shifts back to stallion form quickly. He looks down and rubs his foreleg with his other foreleg, “I just couldn’t let them all… and they all needed attention, some of them were already… so I just did them all at once…”

“Sugarberry knows?” Dust says, looking at Henry.

Lowering his head, he nods, “I went back to her the first night and she was the one that suggested using magic to be male again. Hiding that way, it’s no big deal.”

“No big deal? No big deal! Henry you’re an alicorn princess, that’s the definition of big deals.” Dust says, walking back and forth before him.

“It’s not like I’m going to advertise it or tell anypony.” Henry says, “And it’s not like I want to be one.”

“Henry, you’re buckin royalty… you’re like THE princess of earth, right now…” Dust says, turning face to face with him.

Whining, Henry shakes his head. “Come on, I didn’t even want to be a unicorn stallion. A Pretty Pink Princess Pony is just right out there.”

Mindy opened the door looking into Dusts office. “Oh, hi Henry.”

“Bad time Mindy.” Dust says as she continues to pace, a wing over her face as she mutters to herself.

“Oh come on, it’s never a bad time. I’m actually looking for some paperwork though.” Mindy says as she pogo bounds across the office.

“This is private though.” Dust says, “Between Henry and I.”

“Really, you’re going to keep secrets from your herd.” Mindy says, digging through Dusts in-box. “So he told you about the wings?”

Dust blinks looking at Mindy in shock, “Yes but…”

“And you freaked out?” Mindy says, pulling out some papers. She glances at them, then discards them onto Dust’s desk.

“I didn’t…” Dust started to protest.

She stops and looks at Dust, “He showed you his, you need to show him yours Dustie. It’s only fair!”

Dust looks at Mindy as she continues to ruffle through the papers, she huffs and moves to a storage tote marked ‘to storage’ and starts going through the paperwork there. After a moment, Mindy looks up at Dust, “So…”

Dust sighs and looks at Mindy, “How long have you known?”

Mindy giggles, “Since the day it happened, silly. I didn’t tell anypony else, so show Henry.”

Dust sighs and looks down, her body starts to glow and she gains nearly a foot in height and a horn grows from her forehead, Henry gasps in surprise as his control disappears, he ends up letting his wings come out too.

Dust scuffs a hoof on the floor, “I guess you aren’t the only one that wanted to hide this.” She reaches up and touches her horn, “I have enough responsibilities, I don’t need any more” She smiles at Star Crossed, “And I can see why you don’t want to show off.”

Henry feels a hoof on her chin, then notices Mindy moving away, she had closed his mouth, which had dropped open, seeing Dust as an Alicorn, “So…you couldn’t fly?”

Dust looks up, “If I fly, flying uses magic. And I could lose control, and then everypony would see this. So, I have to stay on the ground, it’s better than ponies knowing I’m a buckin princess myself.”

Henry laughs, “So, nopony but us knows?”

Dust looks at the magenta pony, yet only the tip of her white tail is showing from inside the storage tote, papers are flying all over the place. Dust lights her horn and the papers stack into neat piles as she looks at Henry, “Yeah. Except for Mindy.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ve Pinkie Promised to not tell anypony.” Mindy chirps.

Henry shakes her head, “Wait a moment, how long have you been like this?”

Dust blushes heavily, “When I died, and Discord brought me back. I had to conceal it when I noticed the horn after I was brought back.” She sighs, “I shouldn’t have bitten your head off. I’m sorry, Henry.” She moves forward and nuzzles him softly, “Only Mindy knows…” She glances at the tote, which now looks empty but papers are still flying from it.

Both alicorns startle at the sound of a muffled shout, they both watch Mindy climb out of the tote, Dust looks into the tote, its about a foot deep, just like all the other totes she has, she looks at Mindy quizzically, who giggles, Mindy waves a few sheets of paper, shouting, “Found it!”

Blinking Dust walks over to look at the paper floating in Mindy’s magic, “Should I ask?”

“Oh I hacked Sparky’s Skype account, let me see all his posts. Found this one logged in under April Fools jokes.”

Author's Note

Happy April Fools day. Hope you all enjoy.

The idea came from Kitsy-Chan, and the art is by Alkarasu. I thought it was funny, so I've included it. Enjoy.

Chapter 14. Leavetakings

Hands pressed against the large pane of transparent crystal, Steven looks out, up, and around, taking in the breathtaking view outside. “You said it’s over six hours to the top?”

Lightning Storm chuckles at her boyfriend’s amazement and smiles, gesturing with her snout. “Yes, sweetie. Look at the screen.”

He looks at the display. “Wow, forty-five thousand feet.”

“Yes.”

She turns and walks over to the massive windows, gazing outside into the distance. Steven walks up next to her, dropping a hand onto her withers with a gentle smile. “Thank you for having me come with you, love.”

She smiles up at him and leans her cheek onto his arm. “Glad to have you here.”

They stand and watch for a long time as the sky gradually gets darker. Soon, a small ding announces their deceleration, and they watch the globe around them as the elevator takes its time stopping.

“This thing is enormous!” Steven says as they step out of the passenger compartment and into the main cargo compartment of the sky hook. The big loading doors line up and finally open.

“Ever since they finished building it, they’ve been expanding the top. It’s several levels, and a lot of research is going all around us. The controls for the debris collection system are up here, too.”

He furrows his brow. “Debris collection?”

She nods and says, “All around the earth, in various orbits, is debris… everything from lost gloves, to bolts, to entire sections of satellites.” She huffs, scrunching up her face. “It was getting to be a danger, and during the initial construction of the elevator station, they decided to clear all that stuff up. There were a few collisions, and a bolt traveling at orbital speed can be catastrophic. So now, there are mini satellite drones with their own thruster systems that circle around and gather up the debris. If it’s ferrous, a magnet works just fine, and some of the drones have graspers to grab onto large objects, or even net-style systems to pick up the small debris. It’s not perfect, but most of the large junk has been grabbed and recycled aboard the station.”

Steven looks at his gushing companion dryly. “You know a lot about this, don’t you?”

She nods, blushing slightly. “Before I came to work on the new engine development, I was part of the team deploying the first minisats. It was funny, a cloud of four-pound-each minisats worked together to bring back a discarded stage of a launch craft. We couldn’t fit it in the bay, so ponies and humans had to go EVA and actually dismantle the rocket for recycling.”

He nods distractedly, seemingly captivated by the deck plating under his feet as he bounces on the balls of his feet. “Uh huh… that’s cool. But how are we walking around?” He looks at her, cocking his head.

Lightning Storm facehoofs as she taps the deck with one of her back hooves. “Oh come on, you know about gravity generation. We’ve done it in the lab.”

He nods, but looks unconvinced. “But it’s energy intensive.”

She nods back at him. “The current reactors on the ships don’t have enough generating capacity; but remember, we are connected to the ground. That means we have power from sea level.”

He stops for a moment, taken aback. “That’s twenty-two thousand miles.”

She looks back at him. “And some change. That’s the magic of diamond nanothreads with graphene conductors, and it’s been stepped up to a really high voltage.” She points around at the high voltage labels that are plastered on several exposed conduits. “We step it down up here. The graphene is superconducting, so we don’t have voltage loss up the elevator, but this allows a lot more current to be available up here without the conductors being too big.”

Steven quirks his eyebrow. “Fascinating.”

She rolls her eyes, nods, then trots towards a hatch in the massive cargo area, with Steven following her. They go up a couple of staircases, then finally make it into a large lounge with expansive windows that give a gorgeous view of the ship.

“And here we are… be back in a few days. You can stay up here if you want, and we can ride down together!”

She rears up and gives him a kiss, then extends her wings and flutters toward the air lock connecting the station to the ship.

Lightning Dust’s home, New Beginnings

I haven’t seen Dust for a while. The sun has just gone down, though being early September, the sun goes down fairly early. I poke my nose in her office, but all is quiet. I had eaten supper with the herd a little while ago, then watched a movie with Feather, Mischief, Rinoa, Rydia, and Zed. Now I’m wondering around Dust’s expansive house… where the heck is that mare?

I trot upstairs, just to find that knocking on her bedroom door produces nothing. Even though the lights are off, I know that the eternal night owl Lightning Dust would never be asleep this early. I turn and pass the other bedrooms on the second level, trying to resist the urge to start knocking with my head instead of my hoof. I don’t know where to go, but finally end up wandering down to Dust’s library. It turns out that consummate athlete and business mare Lightning Dust is also a voracious reader and has thousands of books—everything from dusty manuals dealing with her time as an electrician to fiction books by authors who I’ve never heard of. She told me once that her online library is even bigger, and she gave me a password to read anything I want without a problem.

Trotting up to the door, I push my way into the library head first, the stop dead as I hear the sounds of everypony inside. Lifting my gaze and blinking through the dim light, I see that Dust is there, along with Sunset Shimmer, Moon Shadow, and Irony Shieldbreaker.

Blinking hard at the bright light at the door, Dust takes a moment to focus her eyes before slurring, “Hiya, Loopy.”

I smile at her wanly. “Hi, Dust.” I say quietly.

Dust beckons wildly at me, sloshing a small amount of whatever she’s drinking out of the tankard that she is holding—through the large handle—with her hoof. Quickly realizing what she’s done, she starts, pulling the tankard close to her chest before calling, “Come join us.” awkwardly loudly. “We are celebrating!”

I look at all the ponies, noticing that there’s not a sober face among them, then I smile a little and step the rest of the way in, letting the door close behind me.

Sunset Shimmer seems to be concentrating, her horn shine flickering slowly to life as she stares daggers at a bright blue bottle of some liquor. The bottle shakily lifts up and is poured into a cup, then the cup floats over to me, spilling only a little bit. Sunset smirks at Dust. “Told you I wasn’t that drunk!” she says.

I take a sip, and it’s like lightning on my tongue. I reflexively swallow, then start to cough.

Dust laughs uproariously at my scrunched up face. “It’s pretty strong, Loopy. It’s my favorite spirit. It’s inspired by that Star Trek show. It’s called Romulan Ale.”

I look at the light blue liquid and take another sip. “It’s strong.” is what I’m able to croak out.

All the other ponies laugh.

“Am I interrupting anything?” comes a voice.

I turn towards the door and look, then freeze. What do I do now? Two of the most famous ponies in the world are standing there. Dust struggles to her hooves and unsteadily walks towards the two before slumping into an awkwardly abrupt hug with the pink pony. “Cadence! Velvet! Come to see me off?”

Twilight Velvet steps forward, her horn lighting. “We were in town. Cadence is here from Equestria, but I told her you were going through the portal soon, so she wanted to say hi.”

Dust nuzzles the pink alicorn shamelessly. “We’ve met a few times.”

Cadence nuzzles back, then looks at Dust, finally picking her up and hugging her tightly, “You’ve helped me through some tough times Lightning Dust. You’ve long since lived up to your oath as a Wonderbolt. Thank you.”

Velvet nuzzles Dust as well. “Doesn’t look like you’re in any shape to fly right now, but how is it having your wings back?”

Dust huffs. “I’m a better flier than anypony, even with as much as I’ve drank… drunk… had to drink.” She spreads her wings and zips into the air, crashing her head onto the ceiling, then crashing to the ground and landing heavily on her hooves, then her face. Velvet’s horn lights, but Dust waves her away, mumbling into the floor, “’m okay. I’ve crashed worse than that before.” She rubs her head a few times, flipping over and looking up at the hole in the drywall of the ceiling. “Not a smart move, Dust.” she murmurs.

Twilight Velvet looks at the hole with a frown and an eye roll before her horn glow intensifies and the hole is repaired. She glances back down at Dust telling her, “Know your limits, Dust.”

“Oh you spoil sport. I’m going home! I’m happy!” is the reply she gets.

“I know.” She smiles and looks at Sunset Shimmer benevolently. “Have you spoken with Princess Celestia since the five score mess?”
Sunset cringes a bit, then shakes her head.

Velvet steps forward and nuzzles the golden unicorn. “You have accomplished so much here. You’re going with your herd… you need to visit her. She’ll be so happy to see you after all these years.”

Sunset hugs herself as her eyes moisten. “I said some really nasty things the last time I saw her. I don’t know…” She looks away.
Only to have magic force her to face Velvet. “Sunset Shimmer, I’ve taught you. Princess Celestia taught you. You were her protégé. You were forgiven before you left the room. Please, Sunset, just talk to her. I guarantee you that she’ll welcome you with open hooves.”
Sunset looks thoughtful as Velvet turns back to Dust with a wan smile. “I’m sorry we couldn’t stay very long. We have a summit to head to in DC, but I wanted to see you before you went home.”

Dust smiles and ambles over to Velvet again reaching out to hug her. “You’ll visit me in Equestria?”

Velvet smiles. “I certainly will. The biggest house in town, right?”

Dust smiles and nods. “I’ve got a big family! I try to take care of them.”

“I know you do. I’ll have Blaze come by, maybe he can fly with you…” she pulls back, looking at Dust, “When you are sober.”

“Deal.”

I stand there gobsmacked, watching them leave. Finally, I turn to Dust. “You’re friends with them?”

The skies above Montana

It’s a day for beautiful, clear skies as I’m heading southwest from New Beginnings. The sun is bright in the air, and even the clouds seem cheerful, somehow. Of course, the peace never seems to last very long in this particular part of the sky.

Winds suddenly buffet me, forcing me to flap hard to correct my flight. “C’mon, slowpoke!” I hear a second later, the sound following behind Lightning Dust, who has just buzzed me well above the speed of sound.

“Dust!” I scream as I turn to follow her. Damn, that mare is faster than I ever would have imagined. I see her giggle happily as she doubles her speed and blasts away, nearly knocking me from the air again with her mach cone.

My Ponypod comes to life over my earpiece, with the digitized voice telling me that Lightning Dust is calling. I answer the incoming call with, “Dust, what the hell?”

Her voice rings in my ears, “You said you wanted to fly with me one last time before I left, and you aren’t using your full potential.”

I narrow my eyes and find her light contrail… there she is. I streak forward, creating a silver blue trail as I accelerate. This is fun.
“Fun, isn’t it!” she howls as she suddenly turns one eighty and blasts past me in the opposite direction.

“You read my mind,” I growl as I turn to follow her. She’s not bobbing and weaving for once, and instead has settled on a straight course, though she’s flying a lot faster than what I normally feel comfortable at. I feel my magic and push it into my wings, bringing my limbs closer to my body as I pour my effort into speed.

“Yes! You are a conduit for your magic, Loopy! I’m slow enough right now that you can catch up if you try hard enough!”

I growl through my teeth as I accelerate further. Soon I’m getting close to her, leaving me huffing and puffing as I finally pull alongside the extreme speedster pegasus.

“How… can… you… keep… this… up?” I puff.

She looks at me, a big grin on her face. She isn’t even winded. “I’ve been unable to fly for over twenty years, Loopy! I’ve been dying to do this.”

I smile back wryly, unable to resist the shot. “Literally.”

She scowls at me a moment, then blows a raspberry into her microphone. “Yeah, but Discord brought me back.” She does an aileron roll, and I match her with a barrel roll around her as she rotates in the air.

“Yes! Very good, Loopy.” She says, then dives towards the ground with me hot on her trail. She pulls up hard and flares her wings. I follow suit and we both land, hard, rings of dust spreading from our impact points.

She taps her phone a couple of times with her hoof, closing off the connection, then smiles at me. “Enjoy your flight?”

I look around, suddenly realizing where she’s lead me. “The portal complex…” I’m able to pant.

Dust steps up and nuzzles me as I catch my breath. “Always be aware of your surroundings, Loopy. You need to know where you are, no matter how fast you fly. No matter how many times you change direction. You are a pegasus, which means you have built in navigation. You need to use it.”

I find myself blushing. “Sorry, Dust.”

She rubs against me as she walks through the courtyard. “Pay attention, Loopy. You’re already able to do what 99% of pegasi can’t.” She waggles her hips as she walks. “With time and practice, you can be one of the best.”

I find myself watching her, she looks back at me. “You’re blushing, Loopy.”

I feel the heat in my face as she gets close to the door and start to contradict her with, “I’m just flushed…” when a loud bang interrupts my excuse. A second bang comes as I turn around, “What the…?”

Two pegasi are standing there in uniforms. I look at them a moment, then it dawns on me… the 520th. “Lightning Dust, Loop de Loop.” One of them calls as the mare steps forward. She looks like she has a pure white coat with a periwinkle blue mane and tail. She sounds young.

Dust stops mid-step and looks at the mare. “Can I help you?”

She steps closer, folding her wings to her sides. “I’m Captain Star Flash of the 520th Pegasus squadron.”

Dust cocks her head to the side, unimpressed. “Yes?”

I sigh. “I think we were violating flight laws, Dust.” At least my breathing has slowed down to a dignified rate.

Dust looks at me, blinking, then chuckles and shakes her mane. “Damn, I forgot! Haven’t been in the air in too damned long.”

Star Flash looks at Dust. “I remember hearing about the spirit fire a few weeks ago. Colonel White Lightning told me. Congratulations on gaining your flight back.” She looks back at her wings and ruffles them, obviously suppressing a shudder. “But you can’t gain your flight back, then go ahead and break the law. You went through a federal no fly zone. And you two were certainly exceeding speed laws—you were just over mach two, and nopony could keep up with you. That’s why we had to catch up with you after you landed.” She stomps a hoof. “And to top it off, you didn’t file a flight plan, and you were certainly flying above ten thousand feet.”

Dust holds out a hoof. “I’m sorry. Calm down, young filly.”

I look at Dust, she’s got a sarcastic grin on her face.

“Don’t call me a filly.” Star Flash snarls, “I’m twenty-two and a Captain in the United States Air Force.”

Dust smirks at her. “Child, I’ve got quite a few years on you. I was enjoying my last little bit of time on Earth before I move back to Equestria.” She sighs. “And you have to ruin it.”

I find myself crouching down. I’m not that much older than this mare.

Star Flash shakes her head, sighing in resignation. “I’m going to have to write you a ticket, Lightning Dust.”

Dust frowns, “Can I pay it here?”

Star Flash shakes her head, sits down, and starts tapping at the screen of her leg-mounted Ponypod, then lifts her hoof up to aim the device and take a picture of Lightning Dust with it, before finishing up with her ticket. “You’ll be able to pay electronically.”

“But I’m going to Equestria. Like, right now.” Dust gestures in the direction of the portal.

Star Flash smirks back at Dust. “Well then, I guess you’ll have to take care of it when you get there. There are full communications between the worlds now.”

Dust jerks in surprise. “I’ll admit I haven’t been paying attention to such things, but really?”

Star Flash nods, continuing her work on her tablet. “Yeah, it’s been about a year, as far as I know, but they’ve got it all worked out.” She taps a couple more times. “And… done. If you’ll verbally state your name and understanding of the ticket for the video record…” She holds up her hoof, aiming her Ponypod at Dust again.

Dust sighs and says, “Yes, I understand. My name is Lightning Dust.” A code shows up on the Ponypod screen, which Star Flash holds out. “If you’ll scan the code with your phone, you’ll have a copy of the ticket.”

Dust does so, looking at her own phone screen. The process is repeated for me, and I quietly take my ticket, groaning inwardly as to how much of a sum it adds up to. Dust comes over and whispers in my ear, “Your salary as my new CEO will certainly allow for paying that. Don’t stress about it.”

The two pegasi bid us good day and streak off into the sky. Dust watches them for a minute, then turns, smiling. “Ahh, perfect timing!” she crows as she prances towards the two chariots landing nearby. I smile as Dust’s family piles out of them and Irony immediately shifts and picks up the brilliant turquoise pegasus.

Irony sniffs loudly, her eyes misting over as she squeezes Dust. “Love, I can’t believe it… home. At last.”

Dust wraps her wings around the big pony and says, “Yes, I know you’ve ached to get back there. A couple of visits were never enough.”

Irony puts Dust down and turns to all the rest of her family, gesturing toward the portal. “Well. Are we ready to go?”

A chorus of agreement is her reply, and everyone heads towards the big stainless steel and glass doors. I follow the herd sedately, just taking it all in.

It’s impossible to grow up in post-pony America without learning about the portal complex in school. Once Princess Twilight learned how to open the portal at will and stabilize it, the area has changed dramatically. The building itself is huge, a good ten stories in height, and is of modern steel and glass construction. Throughout the structure, I can see crystalline structures built by Crystal Dynamix, which serve both as tribute to the Crystal Empire and as magical support structures for stabilizing the portal. It’s not just functional, either. The Princess has a royal apartment here, for when she’s hosting Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, or Twilight Sparkle, though she spends much of her time in Washington, DC.

The entire complex covers nearly a hundred acres, all the way to the Mississippi river on the east, though a proper town has sprung up around it. A whole economic renaissance has happened in this area because of the gateway to Equestria, transforming what was once a quiet area into a commercial and political nexus. Hotels, shopping, and fine dining have moved into the area thanks to the influx of cash from research and commerce. Of course, any center of commerce would be incomplete without an industrial center, which has taken the south side of the town along the river. New warehouses have been built with access to the highway and the Mississippi to support the trade going through the portal on a regular basis.

I follow Dust’s herd into the entry foyer of the complex. Dust takes a pen and signs a few documents while I sit there, marveling at the polished marble floors and cleverly hidden lighting all over the place. Dust smiles at her herd and they troop off. Show our IDs to get through a security checkpoint, and shortly we’re walking down a long hallway toward a set of stainless steel doors. As we walk, the door opens and a butter yellow unicorn trots out, a big smile on her face. I turn to watch her leave as Dust pauses at the doors, a hoof on the metal.

“This is it. Does anypony have second thoughts?” She looks back at her herd.

Helen steps forward, getting to one knee and hugging Dust. “Love, we have talked about it. Remember, we aren’t leaving this world behind. We can come back any time we want.”

Dust chuckles, pressing into her wife’s embrace. “Yeah, but I’m going to stay a pony, I really don’t want to be human ever again.”
Helen smiles back, glancing at the others around.

Hannah comes forward. “Gonna miss you. Dad.” she says as she hugs Dust, her eyes bright with tears. Dust sniffles a bit as her daughter lets her go. Mischief comes forward, hugging her mom as well. After a long time, Mischief breaks away and rushes out the door. I don’t think she wants anyone to see the tears falling from her face right now. Finally, Fidget comes forward, hugging her mom as well. I look at all the ponies hugging and crying together.

I start to move away, then. “Loopy.” Dust calls me quietly. My tail tucks under my rear as I slowly step forward. She smiles at me, saying, “Take care of my company.” She wraps her wings around me, bringing me into a hug. “Take care of the ponies, as best as you can.”

I find myself starting to cry. “But I don’t know what to do?” I’m able to moan.

She chuckles softly, squeezing me tighter. “Neither did I. To start with. Have trust and faith. You now have the resources, you have some friends… you’ll find more. You can do it.” She pulls back and cups my face with her wings, bringing me close, “I know you can, Loopy.”
I look down, only to have her wing force my face up. I’m looking directly into her golden eyes. “Loopy, you have a lot of potential in you. Sometimes it takes a lot to bring out that potential, but I know it’s there inside you.”

A throat being cleared breaks the spell, and a unicorn mare steps up, a smile on her face. “I’m Piña Colada. I’ll be operating the portal for you today.”

Dust smiles at the unicorn. “We are ready to go.” She looks around at her family. “More than ready.”

Piña Colada smiles warmly. “Understood.” Her horn lights, and the golden medallion that has been installed above the portal itself glows. In moments, that glow slowly envelopes the entire statue. The blank face of the marble glows briefly and I can feel the air currents in the room change.

Dust looks back at me and smiles. “Skype me or something from time to time, ‘k?” She winks.

I nod and she pushes through the portal, slowly followed by the rest of the herd.

Before I have a chance to think too much about it, the ripples in the surface of the marble settle, then stop. Piña Colada’s horn lights again and the gateway snaps shut abruptly, leaving the air feeling strangely still and heavy.

I sit down hard on the floor. They’re gone.

***

Around the portal room, business continues as usual for several minutes, with ponies checking the magical equipment and tidying up. I sit there in the unnatural stillness until Piña Colada steps over to me, a gentle smile on her face. She bows her head slightly and I nod, so she moves forward and gently nuzzles me before asking, “So, you’re friends with Lightning Dust?”

I nod, taking a deep breath and standing up onto my hooves.

She chuckles and gestures back toward the door. “Have you been through the complex before?”

I shake my head no.

She smiles, then winks at me. “Then you’ll have to have a tour. Please follow me.”

I smile back thinly. “Thanks.”

I nod and she heads out the double doors. In a matter of a few minutes, she scans through another set of doors that I hadn’t noticed before, her magic holding them open as we walk into what looks like an ordinary office corridor. She talks as she walks with me, “All in all, we employ a little over a hundred full time staff. Some are from Equestria, some are from Earth.” I rotate my head around, looking at all the people and ponies working. “International relations is a full time job around here.”

“What do they do?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Various jobs; dealing with currency fluctuations, managing data, diplomatic paperwork… it’s all very exciting.” She turns a corner and I follow her towards another set of doors. Quickly we get scanned through, and Piña Colada looks back at me. “You a tech geek?”

I shake my head. “Not really, but I do like computers.”

I look around; what stands before me is a massive server room. Racks of machines are lined up in neat rows. Cables snake up into cable trays all along the ceiling. Everything seems to be color coded. Yellow cables come out of the top into the cable trays, along with green and blue sets.

“The power for the system comes up from the floor; all the data is on top. Now take a look at this.” At the far end of the room is a large device, and a thick cable comes out of it and goes a short distance into a mirror.

“Hannah Shaw has been wonderful for us.” Piña Colada explains.

I frown. “Hannah, as in Dust’s daughter?”

She nods. “She found a Starswirl Cache, and from the information that was there, she was able to construct a portal mirror, just like the main one you saw. But this one stays open all the time.”

“Amazing.”

“That mirror right there connects to another mirror in Equestria, and that cable is a bundle of fiber optic links. This is the Internet backbone that connects Earth to Equestria. Cipher could explain it far better than I could; she’s the one who spearheaded the data center design. As the infrastructure is built back home, ponies and people will be able to communicate online as easily as anyone else on Earth.”

I nod at Piña Colada. “Where has it been built in Equestria?”

“Ponyville and Canterlot to start with, though lines have been laid to Manehattan and Baltimare. The rest of Equestria should have service within a decade.” She smiles. “And the deer in the Everfree are reluctantly joining in as well, along with the Yaks and the Griffons. Communication is getting easier by the day.”

“Amazing.” I murmur as she brings me slowly towards the exit.

***

The man gets up at the sound of the knock. He wipes the sweat off of his hands onto his dress pants as he walks to the door. The opening hotel room door reveals a tall, blond-haired woman, dressed in an expensive evening gown. Her smile is beautiful as she flashes it for him.

“Hi,” he stammers nervously.

After a long moment, her eyes flick past him into the room, then her gaze rests back on his eyes. “Are you going to invite me in?” she asks in a melodious voice.

He flinches and backs away, gesturing into the room. She steps past him, and he closes the door as he watches her rear sway as she walks. “Beautiful,” he murmurs. He follows her into the room proper.

She stops partway into the room looks around. “So, as we discussed, three thousand.”

He reaches over and picks up a stack of bills, which she puts into her purse. Setting the purse down on the dresser, she turns to him and purrs, “Now that that unpleasantness is over with, we can focus on your pleasure.”

He sits down on the bed. “Not that I’m complaining, but I thought I was asking for a…” He’s stopped by a finger to his lips.

“Yes, you asked for a pony, and I will deliver. But it’s so much easier to walk around town without being noticed, looking like this. Do you have a preference on the pony?”

His eyes go wide. “I’ve got a choice?”

She smiles seductively. “Oh, certainly you have a choice.” Violet fire envelopes her form, and a white alicorn is standing there with a flowing mane and royal regalia. The flame envelopes her again and a dark blue alicorn is standing there with a crescent moon cutie mark. Her voice matches her new, lunar form. “I can be anypony you wish.”

Her horn lights with violet light and his clothes disappear. He reflexively covers himself in surprise.

She giggles. “Any preference?”

He stammers a few times, managing to get out, “I kinda like the Wonderbolts from the show.”

She smiles and once again the violet fire envelopes her form. Instantly, in her place is a golden pegasus, her wings spread wide, with a wing made of flames on her flank. “So, you like ‘em feisty?”

He nods.

She moves forward to accept a kiss from him. The kiss deepens, and soon they are locked in each others’ embrace.

A little while later, he’s holding her in his arms, fighting the sleep trying to overtake him. “So…” He says quietly.

She looks at him. “What?”

He looks away from her, quietly asking, “You can change forms… are you a unicorn?”

She smiles demurely and shakes her head, pressed against his skin.

He furrows his brow, rolling over to look into her eyes. “Huh?”

“I’m not a traditional pony, nor am I an alicorn.”

He looks confused, then it dawns on him. “A changeling?”

She smiles. “The best.”

He hugs her tighter for a moment, then she wiggles a bit. He lets go and allows her to get off the bed and stand up. The same violet fire washes across her features, leaving the human female shape she had when she arrived. “Thank you.”

“Wait,” he calls out, stretching out a hand. She stops in the middle of picking up her purse.

“What?”

“What do you really look like?”

She cocks her head to the side, her expression souring slightly. Very rarely is she asked this question. She’s fed pretty well off of his lust for her, and though it’s funny to her, his physical lust has been sated quite well. She’s very good at that, but his mind still burns with desire. She considers for a long moment, then responds, “Well, I don’t usually show off to clients, but…” Once again, the violet flames wash over her form, leaving her true form. She has black carapace, and violet bug wings, along with violet coloring on her back. She has a purple streak around her waist, and her feathery mane and tail are a deep purple. Pink eyes compliment her face along with an extra long horn, for a changeling.

He breathes a long gasp.

She looks down. “I know, I’m a bug.”

“You are beautiful.” The earnestness of his words gets her to pause.

She stares at him for a long time, then she changes form again, and her slim hand reaches out to grab her purse as she rolls her eyes. “Sure. Thanks anyway.”

She ignores his protests as she primly walks out of the hotel room, trying to control the tears that are trying to form. She gets into the elevator, and as the doors close, she lets out a small sob. “Nobody really wants me for what I am, they only want what I can do.” She opens her purse and looks at the stack of cash… bills would get paid. Her phone rings. “This is your fantasy.” She says into the device as she answers. She listens for a moment. “I’ll be glad to see you. My website has the costs; have you seen them?” She pauses to listen, then replies, “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

Chapter 15. Feathering The Throttle

Honeysuckle trots happily down the street, a bunch of flowers she had picked up in Equestria held in her magic. She finds herself staring around at the towering buildings around her. This is her first time visiting the Earth, and the twenty-year-old unicorn is taking in the sight of all the humans on the street. She had heard about New York, and she thought that living in Manehattan would be similar, but this was amazing. It’s dusk as she enters an apartment building, though she stops and takes a moment to watch the orange glow of the sun as it finally disappears from the sky, marveling at how the cosmic body moves on its own. She shakes her mane a bit as she trots up three flights of stairs. She knocks on the door.

“Who is it?” comes a masculine voice.

She smiles. She was talking to him online, and to hear his voice just behind the door sends a thrill through her. “It’s Honeysuckle, love.”
She can hear movement inside, and a couple of clicks indicate the sound of the door latches unlocking. The door opens and she looks for the orange unicorn she was supposed to see. Instead, she sees a pair of blue jeans. Confused, she looks up. “You’re not…” She isn’t able to finish as a small spray can sprays her in the face. She gasps reflexively and inhales the drug into her lungs. In moments, her vision goes gray as she finds she can’t stay on her hooves. She weakly tries to kick, or do anything, as the man picks her body up. Everything narrows down to a point as she hears the door slamming closed and everything goes black.

***

Mischief giggles as she leads me into the building for Dust’s first company, Lightning Electric, an electrical contractor that has been servicing the oilfield in the area for over sixty years. The building is enormous. Trucks are lined up outside this morning, and several electricians are working nearby, getting their job orders and getting ready to head out into the field.

“Okay, Loopy, you just need to get your hooves wet. Mum did a lot of work from here; it’s always been the headquarters. As she founded and bought other companies, she kept her main offices here.” She gestures with a wing to a set of stairs. “That leads up to her conference room; safety meetings for all the crews are handled up there.” She steps through a set of doors and down a long hallway. “The shop has been added on to a couple of times, up these stairs.” She says as we get to a stairway off of the hallway, “Mum had her corporate offices put here when I was a filly.” She sighs. “I’ve spent a lot of time here with her. First I was playing, then I was learning. She’s taught me a lot.” She stops for a long moment, her face conflicted. Finally, she brightens, “And now you are going to be in charge.” She looks at me and smirks. “You’ll have to meet the staff, though.”

I frown as she opens the door. She heads through the reception area, waving to the human sitting at the reception area as she heads through while she keeps talking. “There are two entrances to the corporate offices: the main entrance through Lightning Electric, and the side entrance, which brings you here easier.”

“Then why did you bring me through the electrical shop?”

She giggles again. “Because you’re going to be in charge of them.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know the first thing about being an electrician.”

She looks at me and shrugs. “That’s what the manager is for. You’ll be meeting him later; he’s busy with the guys right now. First, but you need to meet Mum’s assistant.”

“Hello, Loop De Loop.” comes a new voice.

I turn and my eyes follow my ears to point at the door. An earth pony mare is standing there—one with a dark tan coat; a blonde mane and tail; and big, blue eyes. She smiles gently at me, ducking her head in respect. “Nice to meet you. I’m…”

“Miss Harshwhinny.” I’m able to breathe.

She chuckles, looking into my eyes. “Yes. Lightning Dust hired me on quite a while ago. I’m good at organizing things, something Miss Dust always had a problem with.”

“Oh.” I say, then look around the office. A large L-shaped desk is against the wall, with a computer and a pony-friendly keyboard on it. There doesn’t seem to be much paperwork here, which I mention to the earth pony.

“When Miss Dust informed me that she was going back to Equestria, I insisted on her getting everything that she’s been working on closed up, so as not to burden her successor with a heap of unfinished projects.” She smiles at me. “It was certainly a challenge, but she was able to persevere. She got everything done, despite her constant flitting about.”

I’m able to smile, Dust had her wings back, so she was certainly distracted by the desire to fly. I find myself shifting my wings a bit as I look around, soaking in the responsibility hanging in the air. My ears fall flat against my head as I rub my hoof over the edge of the desk, where Dust once sat.

Mischief steps up to me. “It’s both easier than you think, and way harder. You’ll do fine.”

I turn and look at her. “But… what do I do?” I wail.

Mischief grins. “Your job. You will be organizing, is what you’ll be doing. Mum hired good managers for the various interests; you just have to get their input and decide what needs to be done.”

We are interrupted by a knock on the door. I turn and look at the human standing there; he looks native American from what I can see. Then it dawns on me: he was at the spirit fire.

“Looks like you’ve got something you’ll be able to do, Loopy. Have a good day.” Mischief says as she nods to the human and walks out the door. Ms. Harshwhinny gestures to the desk, and I go over and hop into the chair.

The human comes in, looking around nervously. I gesture to the guest seat as Ms. Harshwhinny leaves, closing the door behind her.
I decide to break the awkward silence with, “Hi! Is there something I can do for you?”

He lifts his eyes from the surface of the desk, meeting mine. “You were there when Running Thorn passed, weren’t you?”

I nod solemly, doing my best to put on a kind smile. “I was part of the spirit fire, yes.”

He smiles back at me. “Well, in the last several weeks… we have been getting everything ready, but our calls have been ignored… and we need to bring our new spiritual leader home.”

I furrow my brow as my ears perk forward. “Spiritual leader?”

He nods, gesturing across the desk in front of me. “Grandfather was our leader; he guided and directed us. Without him, we can’t communicate with the spirits. He has named his successor, but we have been unable to find her. Her family refused to talk to us. Since you are connected to the spirits of the Everfree yourself, I’m here to ask you to find her and bring her to her home, to join us in her role as spiritual leader of our people.”

I tilt my head at his question, asking, “What if she doesn’t want to?”

He sighs, folding his hands in his lap. “Then we have no hope. She carries his abilities in her blood… she is his great granddaughter. She is more important than she knows.”

I look at him, reading his face for a long moment. He looks uncertain, but hopeful. “I won’t force her to join you. If she’s happy in her life, she won’t be happy with you.”

His eyes open wider and he clasps his hands in front of himself. “Please, at least help her understand her heritage. An entire people need her.”

I look down at the desk, and then up at him. “I’ll do what I can.”

He smiles, exhaling the breath he had been holding as he fishes a small flash drive out of his pocket and places it on the desk in front of me. “This has all the information that we have on her.” He stands up. “Thank you.”

I look at the computer, then reach out a wing to pick up the flash drive. I boggle it a bit trying to get the cap off, but I get it into its plug in the monitor, which springs to glowing life. I’m greeted with a list of baby pictures—from the background, they were taken at the house. The first one in the list shows me a cute baby with dark hair and piercing brown eyes in the preview, but I quickly close that window and pull up a text file to take notes on.

“Hmmm, Maria Castillo,” I murmur as I type… I’ve gotten pretty good with the pony type keyboards already. I continue typing for a few moments, then I hit print and grab the sheet of paper as it emerges from the printer. Exiting the office, I see Ms. Harshwhinny at her desk.

She looks at me curiously. “Going somewhere?”

I nod back at her. “To Texas, apparently.”

She tilts her head as her brow furrows. “All by yourself?”

I stop for a moment to think on that. “No.” My realization puts a smile on my face, and I head down the stairs, taking to the air as I exit the building. Very soon I’m at my home. “Kendra!” I call out.

After a few moments, I hear her responding, though my ears don’t make understanding her through several walls any easier. Huffing softly to myself, I trot into her bedroom, finding her sitting at her desk with a tablet in front of her. She looks a little frazzled, and seeing my concern, explains, “Sunset Shimmer and Moon Shadow have both given me a lot of homework.”

I move up and nuzzle her. “We have some other work to do.”

She drops her tablet onto to the table and pushes at my head with her hands. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I can’t! I have too much to do!”

I decide to bring out the big guns: my ears drop, my eyes are wide, I sit down and curl my tail around my rear, and I engage the pouty lip. “Please?” I murmur, letting tears leak from my eyes.

She looks at me for a long time, then rolls her eyes and sighs. “You don’t have to do those eyes on me.”

I tremble my lower lip for a moment, earning a giggle from her. She pats me on the head and says, “Okay, okay, I’ll do it,” getting an immediate smile from me.

“I’ll preflight the Widgeon.”

***

The silence surrounding her is deafening.

Honeysuckle opens her eyes, immediately trying to lift her head, only to discover that she’s been strapped down. She tries to shift a hoof, but that’s no good, either. All four are tied tightly, and she can’t move them. Her heart races.

“What’s happening?” She moans, blinking the haze out of her eyes and seeing a human man sitting across the room from her. “What are you doing?”

The only answer is the soft rustling of cloth as the man stands up. His tread is light as he walks over to her. Her eyes flick wildly around at the metal walls of the room as her situation sinks in.

“Please, let me go,” she murmurs softly. She tries to use her magic to open one of the straps restraining her—she’s never been really good with magic, other than using it to grow pretty flowers. Another moan is all she can manage as she discovers some kind of block preventing her from lighting her horn.

The man’s hand grabs her horn. She looks up at the grasping, alien appendage as panic swells in her. “Oh, please! Let me go!” she cries, “I won’t do anything! Just let me go!” Her eyes widen at the metal tool that moves into her vision. “What are you going to do with that?!” she finds herself shrieking. The hand shifts a little and the serrated blade touches her horn, right at the base, eliciting a loud scream. “Please! Don’t!” she howls as the blade starts to move. Her screams turn to loud howls of pain, and blood starts to run freely as the blade does its work. One final scream echoes into the room as the pain reaches beyond what she had ever believed possible. “Dear Celestia, noooooo!”

***

I adjust my headset. It’s been a long flight, with a fuel stopover in El Dorado and a quick visit with my grandmother. My heads up display is displaying my glide path at the moment—I may not have a fully modern cockpit, but I put in the HUD to make getting necessary information while flying a lot easier, and the new system synchs with my PonyPod and my tablet. I flick a wing over to my tablet, pulling up its gesture based input. I twitch a wingtip, bringing up the information on the airport I’m about to land at, and key my mic. “This is N1M6Y on final approach. I am two five miles from outer marker.”

The controller responds, “Roger N1M6Y, you are cleared to land on runway three-one left. Wind is two-three-zero at eight.”

“Roger.” I respond, then reach back and crank down my flaps halfway as I let my airspeed drop off. I hit the switch for my landing gear and keep my eyes peeled. This airport is in the city, so it can sometimes be pretty hard to see if you don’t know what you are looking for, but these pegasus eyes make spotting details like that much easier than it used to be. Finally I can see the runway, and I smile as I glance over at Kendra, who is snoozing in her seat. I waggle the wings a bit but don’t get any reaction from her. My grin widens as we float over the outer fence for the airport. In moments, my front wheels screech on the pavement, jerking her awake. A few hundred feet later, my rear wheel touches ground and I bring back the throttles. I’ve used less than a quarter of the length of the runway for my rollout and I turn left towards the general aviation area. Keeping at the taxi speeds is sometimes difficult, but finally, I am able to power down the engines at my parking space. Kendra levers herself out of her seat and steps back. I trip the breaker for the main power and hang my headset on its hook, then grab my saddle bags and shrug them onto my back as I get to the back door. Kendra is waiting for me, looking at the bike hooked there.
“We are going to rent a car, Kendra; we don’t need the bikes. If all goes well, we’ll be driving back here.” Kendra hops out of the door and I flutter to the ground myself. A quick walk has us at the rental office, where I pull out a credit card and my ID. The employee looks at my ID, then at me, then back at my ID. I smile at his befuddlement. “Don’t get many ponies here?” He shakes his head and I continue, “I don’t suppose you have very many cars that are modified for pony use?”

Again, he shakes his head, and I look over at Kendra. “Looks like you’re driving!” gets a giggle from my friend. He silently hands the key to the little SUV to Kendra and soon we are loading up. I pull up my phone and am greeted by a blank screen.

“Did you forget to charge your phone?”

I find myself blushing as I nose my way into my saddlebags and pull out the charger, I get everything plugged in and watch the screen start to light up to show it’s charging. The large battery in this thing means it lasts forever, unless the transponder is in use, which takes a little more than a day to kill it. I hit the button once it’s got enough juice to start up and I watch the OS logo pop into the middle of the screen before fading away. In a few seconds, it has connected to the phone network and is chiming away with messages. I pull up the first one and smile. “Ms. Harshwhinny is apologizing that she wasn’t able to reserve a pony friendly car, the rental company said they needed 24 hours notice to get a car moved to where we needed it.” The next message chimes in. “Mischief wishes us luck on our first mission.”

Kendra quirks an eye. “Mission?”

“Well, it kinda is a mission… we are going to find this girl and hopefully get her to her people.”

She turns off the airport road onto the highway. I pull up the map on my PonyPod and direct her to the address. We arrive at a middle class home, a little older, but well maintained. Kendra follows me as I get onto the porch, then knock on the door.

After a few moments, the door cracks open. “Can I help you?” comes a female voice.

I put on my best friendly smile and reply, “I’m looking for Mary Castillo.”

The reply is a curt, but confused, “Who?”

I look at Kendra, then back at the crack in the door, smiling brightly. “I’m sorry if the information I have is old, but is this the Castillo residence?”

The door opens and a dark human face pokes out. “The Castillos? Sorry, not anymore.”

I find myself sighing and my ears fall flat. “Would you happen to have any information on where they moved.”

“Oh, they didn’t move… they died. Car wreck, I think. Their little girl was sent away to live with relatives.”

I find myself sitting down heavily. “Her parents were killed in a wreck?”

She nods. “I’m sorry, but that’s what I was told when I bought this place.”

Kendra comes up and kneels down next to me, resting her hand between my wings. “Like your parents, Loopy,” she murmurs. I sniffle a few times. I don’t usually think about what happened, but there are times I find my thoughts returning to them. I finally shake my head and smile at the woman. Kendra speaks up again, “Thank you for your help.”

“Don’t mention it,” she says and closes the door.

“What are we going to do?” I murmur.

“We just have to track down the wreck and what happened.” Kendra says.

I sigh. “Library?”

She nods.

***

“Rocky Road is the best! It’s got chocolate and marshmallows. And don’t forget the almonds!”

Zap sticks out her tongue at the sole unicorn of the CMC:NB. “Caramel Apple Swirl is the best. It’s so sweet, and it has apples in it.”

“You two are crazy! Black Raspberry Chip rocks. It’s by far the best. Tart and sweet, along with those chocolate chips.” Berry Breeze snarls at her friends.

“Ewww, raspberries? Ugh. That’s nasty.” Dizzy says, “If I wanted something sour, I’d suck on a lemon.”

Zap nods at Dizzy in agreement. “Yuk! Dizzy’s right! Sweet and sweet, that’s the best thing for ice cream.”

“What’s going on in here?” comes a new voice.

All three stop arguing and look at the newcomer. A carnation-colored pegasus mare is standing there, a befuddled smile on her face.

“Oh, hi, Feather!” Zap says, “We’re just trying to get our arguing cutie marks.”

All three fillies look at their flanks in unison, then droop upon seeing the usual blank coats. Feather Pinch suppresses a laugh, but is unable to stop smiling at the three. “Okay girls, I think every generation of Cutie Mark Crusaders goes through an attempt to get a cutie mark with arguing, but you have to think, do you really want a cutie mark about arguing with one another?”

All three foals look at their hooves in silence. Finally, Dizzy scuffs her hoof on the floor and grumbles, “I guess not.”

Feather turns to leave,.“Besides, everypony knows strawberry is the best.”

Chapter 16. Little Ponies in the Big City

With a final puff from the forward thrusters, the ship eases its bulk back towards the elevator. The docking clamps extend from the station and make contact with the airlock on the ship, pulling it closer and securely sealing the lock with the station. A hiss of air announces the equalization of pressure between the station and the ship, and in a scant few moments, the airlock doors open, disgorging the crew of the ship. A half dozen ambulatory robots stand up from their resting spots and walk towards the disembarking crew, only to be passed by pegasi heading in the other direction, their wings drooping in exhaustion, with the exception of one. Lightning Storm pronks along, humming a happy tune, stopping only when she finally spies the human she’s been looking for. In a flash, she spreads her wings and zooms forward, knocking him onto his back as she sits on his chest. “Hiya!” she says.

Steven laughs, grinning at his feathery attacker. “Hi, yourself.” He reaches up a hand and cups her cheek, earning him a long moment of quiet nuzzling on his palm. His smile widens. “Missed you.”

Lightning Storm wraps her forelegs around his torso and hugs him tightly, wings spread behind her. Turning her head to the side, she rests her face against his chest, nuzzling him. “Missed ya’, too.”

After a long moment of their quiet embrace, she rolls off of him and he stands up, placing a hand on her withers as they walk. He can’t hold his curiosity back any longer. “How did things go?”

She giggles, grinning as widely as he’d ever seen. “It was awesome! The engines performed flawlessly. The pegasi were able to start the reaction, and it was fully controllable. It completely validates our theoretical models! This design is solid, love.”

He smiles as they walk up a flight of stairs, taking his hand off her withers for a few moments so that he can grab the hand rail. “So, your innovations will work for our newest design?”

She nods, carefully making her way up the steps beside him. “Oh yeah, they definitely will. Once we get the new test engines validated, we are going to be putting the design in the Celestia.”

He stops for a moment, mid-flight, and cocks his head at her. “You’ve decided on a name?”

Lightning Storm nods and nudges him back into motion as several humans and ponies try to navigate past them. “You didn’t listen to the radio traffic, did you?”

Steven shakes his head, nearly tripping over a pushy pegasus making his way around the two of them. “No, I didn’t spend any time in the control room.”

“We spent a lot of time debating it. In fact, most of the humans were pushing for the Celestia, in honor of the great advances that have come about because of the ponies. Her name, though, means something special to all of us. It took a lot of convincing, and an actual video conference with the princess herself, to get it cleared, but in the end, it’s the only thing we could call her— the only name that fits: The SIV/R Celestia. As you know, she is listed as a Space Ion Vessel Research, not because she’s a research vessel, but because she is the test bed for the new engines. The engines that take a pegasus-created ion storm to start the fusion reactors that make the plasma used for thrust. But we aren’t just using Newton’s third law with them… electromagnetic energy created by the engines is being used to push against space itself.”

“Love, you’re expositioning again. I already know all of this.”

She smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, have to explain how it works so often that it’s to the point of an actual speech now.”

He shrugs and pats her on the back. “So, when do you want to go back?”

She scrunches up her face and shrugs her wings in return. “Probably tomorrow? The elevator is at ground level right now, so we’ll have to wait anyway. I think it’s scheduled to come up late tonight, so we can get on it in the morning.”

He looks down. “Oh… I was hoping to have a couple of nights up here with you.”

She looks at him, cocking her head and perking her ears curiously. “Seriously? It’s pretty expensive to stay up here in the hotel. You were staying in the crew bunks while I was out on the ship, right?”

He nods.

“Well, the hotel is pretty premium, but having a space view is very nice.”

He grins at her. “You know I can cover it.”

She rears up and puts her hooves on his chest, her ears suddenly pointing forward aggressively. “Oh no, the mare pays.”

He reaches up and rubs her ear, getting it to flick around. “You know this is Earth. I want to pay for once!”

Her wings spread a bit and a genuine frown starts to creep onto her muzzle. “Love, we’ve gone over this: I’m going to pay for such things. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

He leans forward and kisses her snout. “But I will. I’m human, I want to pay.”

She lands on her hooves, snorting and looking away. “Humans. Don’t know why I like you so much.”

“Because I’m a panic in the sack.” He says, getting a giggle from her.

***

Deep in the dark heart of the city, Night Tide types softly on his keyboard, his midnight blue coat shining in the glow of the monitor before him. He’s working his beat… the life of a police officer in the Big Apple is lots of paperwork—though most of it is now on computers and tablets rather than him having to hold a pencil in his mouth. It’s a living.

“Detective Tide.” Comes a voice through the darkness, getting Night Tide to look back as a shaft of light splits the darkness of his commandeered office. The light flicks on, and the detective blinks in the sudden glare. “I don’t see how you can stand to sit in this room with the lights off. It’s like a tomb in here!”

The newcomer shakes his head as he steps toward the pony at his desk. Night Tide looks up at the man walking towards him, “What is it, Lieutenant?”

The lieutenant frowns. “We’ve got another body. SVU doesn’t want it, so they bumped it to homicide.” He steps forward and crashes heavily down into a chair beside the desk.

Night Tide’s ears flatten and he narrows his eyes at the lieutenant, turning in his chair. “SVU bumped it?”

The lieutenant nods his head softly. “No evidence of sexual assault, and they don’t see enough to qualify it as a hate crime.” He pauses a moment, then continues, “Look, I know that…”

Cutting off the lieutenant, Night Tide cocks his head dubiously and asks, “And why are you giving it to me?”

There’s a long pause before the human speaks, “The nature of the victim.”

Night Tide looks at the man for a long moment, then bares his fangs with a snarl, “A pony?”

A nod is his answer.

“Damn it!” Night Tide shoves his hooves against his desk, jolting his chair backward as he jumps off and lands on his hooves. “That’s the second one in as many weeks!” He extends his leathery wings and takes to the air, streaking out the office door and over the desks in the nearly empty squad room, heading towards his partner. “Roland, we’ve gotta go. You wanna drive?”

Roland Espinoza stands up, his coffee cup in his hand and a confused look on his face. “We got a case?”

Tide just huffs and flicks his tail while walking towards the exit, getting a roll of the eyes from the human. Passively watching his sour partner stalk towards the elevator, Espinoza looks at his coffee and finally takes a sip, shrugs, dumps his mostly-empty mug by the coffee machine, and hustles to follow the batpony. He finds Tide waiting at the bank of elevators, his hoof tapping impatiently, and gently nudges him on the withers. “Another pony?”

Tide just grunts, getting a grim chuckle from the tall human. “You know, there are about ten thousand ponies living in the New York metropolitan area. There’s bound to be some crime involving them.”

Night Tide’s tufted ears flick in annoyance. “I was never this busy as a royal guard. You humans are so uncivil.”

“Now now, that’s not fair,” Roland says, familiar with this ongoing argument between the two, “Humanity certainly has its share of nasty characters, but your population of ponies, worldwide, wasn’t much more than just the population of the metro area. You’re saying that among about thirty million ponies, there weren’t any true scumbags?”

Tide looks up at his partner, swishing his tail. “I didn’t handle the entire population.”

“That’s my point, my friend. I mean… it’s easy to see that you ponies are generally more peaceful than humans, but you definitely had bad elements as well. Given your population, I would think that the numbers here would be higher, but at least somewhat comparable…” He drifts off the topic with a shrug.

Tide stares at the doors of the elevator for a long time, before the elevator finally dings softly and the doors open. Tide takes to the air and hovers slowly enough for Roland to keep up. As they get into their car in the precinct’s underground garage, the pony finally speaks. “You may have a point.”

Roland presses his key against the car’s ignition switch, enabling the motor. He puts it into gear and pushes the pedal gently, and the electric motor obediently starts the vehicle rolling forward. He turns to head up the ramp outside the building, and in a matter of minutes, he’s turned down the street and has directed the car to follow the GPS directions that Tide had inputted. Traffic is light at this time of day, and they soon make it to the area of Manhattan known as Hells Kitchen.

Roland pulls in and cuts the motor, turning to look at his partner. Tide is sitting in his seat, stock still and breathing shallowly, but very fast, almost panting. Roland reaches out his hand, placing it on his partner’s withers, getting a flinch in response. Tide looks down. “Sorry.”
Roland smiles and pats his partner’s back. “Don’t be, Night. It’s always upsetting to deal with death, but we are homicide detectives… let’s go do our job.”

Tide opens his door. “Well, since we are investigating the death of a pony, I would call it simply murder,” He huffs.

Roland rolls his eyes as he gets out of the SUV himself. He follows his hovering partner as they make it around the building into the open lot between two buildings. The space is marked off with caution tape and several other police vehicles are sitting there, their lights flashing brightly. Tide holds up his badge. “Detective Night Tide, Manhattan Homicide.”

The uniformed officer grimaces. “It’s not pretty, detective—she was found a few hours ago. The morgue has been called, but they’ve been delayed, so they'll be here pretty soon. The lab boys just got here, and have taken their initial photographs.”

Tide nods tightly, steeling himself. “Thank you, officer.”

Roland follows as they make their way through the trees to the body.

Tide lands next to the crime scene and somberly looks at the tail that is visible from the roll of carpet sitting there. Roland kneels down next to him. “So, it’s good to see no one disturbed the scene. Might get some usable trace here.”

Tide nods, and Roland pulls on his gloves. He reaches out and pulls the carpet off the body. Tide reaches into his day bag and pulls out his tablet. He takes a moment to enter in the information, and takes a picture of the visible cutie mark.

“Okay, let’s see what pony this is, given her coloring. Light yellow with a blue and white-streaked mane and tail. The cutie mark is a bunch of flowers.” He continues with his work, and after a few moments, he sighs. “We’ve got another Equestrian native here, and a unicorn to boot.”
Roland hmms and frowns. “That’s becoming a pattern. The pegasus was a native of Equestria, too.”

“Her name was Honeysuckle. She came through the portal two days ago.” Night continues working on the tablet, “From there, she flew to JFK, and apparently went by hoof to wherever she was killed.” He looks down at the body, spreading his wings so he can get closer without disturbing anything else. He reaches out a hoof and parts her mane. “Ah, damn.”

Leaning forward, Roland asks, “What?”

“Her horn. It’s gone.”

Roland parts the unicorn’s mane further to see. “Damn, it’s cut off right next to the skull.”

Night Tide looks to be turning slightly green. “Before or after death?”

The human sighs. “Can’t tell. That will have to be determined at autopsy.”

“The pegasus had her wings taken pre-mortem. If that is the case here…”

Roland growls under his breath, looking around suspiciously, as if the murderer is just lurking behind a nearby bush. “Two isn’t truly a pattern, but it’s shaping up to be one here.”

Tide looks intently into the eyes of his partner. “That means we likely have a serial killer… one who likes ponies.”
Roland nods as he stands up to gesture for the morgue workers to approach.

***

It’s another beautiful day in the sky above the Gulf of Mexico coast as Kendra and I glide into the airspace of the Houston Metropolitan area. Even the air traffic controllers seem laid back as I radio in to make a landing at Galveston Island’s small airport. Too soon, really, my wheels sing as they meet the tarmac, and I reach up a wing and pull back on the throttles, letting my rear wheel kiss the concrete as well. A quick push on the rudder pedals directs my plane towards general aviation, where it takes only a few minutes to my Widgeon tucked in for the night. Stretching our legs as we walk away from the plane, I follow Kendra as we head out of the airport to the parking area, where our rental SUV is waiting for us. We have to deal with the traffic of Galveston, but we end up making it to our destination, a large campus, and park to hoof it to our destination. Along the way, the humans all end up slowing down as they are walking, watching the pony in their midst.

“They have a pony settlement just a few hours from here.” I muse, waving my hoof at a little boy who’s pointing at me with a huge smile on his face.

Kendra looks around at the gawkers. “I guess they don’t visit here very much.”

I shrug and we trot on, eventually heading into a building and looking around the reception area. My hooves ring on the granite floors as we head to the large desk. I rear up and put my hooves on the desk. “Good afternoon!” I say to the distracted receptionist.

“Welcome to Holy Family Catholic School,” the young woman sitting there says casually, then looks up, noticing me. She blinks owlishly a few times, then leans back and asks, “A pony?”

I sigh, scrunching my muzzle at her. “Yeah, like the ones from the show.” I spread my wings a bit. “I’m a pegasus; my name’s Loop de Loop.”
She looks at my wings for a long time, then sighs. “I’ve heard about ponies, but I’ve never seen one in real life before, just on the net. Is it true that you can all sing?”

That gets a smile out of me. “I wouldn’t really know, and I’m sorry, but… I’m here about a student. Can you help me find her?”

She cocks her head to the side, folding her hands on the desk in front of her. “Really?”

I nod. “Her name is Maria Castillo. She’s sixteen and a student here.”

She reaches over and pulls up a computer. The screen glows as she does a quick search. “I see a student by that name in our directory. I usually wouldn’t, but you hardly look…” she pauses, eyeing me before continuing, “threatening….”

I look at Kendra with an eyebrow quirked, then back at the receptionist. “We really need to speak to her, it’s in regards to her maternal great grandfather. It’s important.”

Her face takes on a guarded look. “I’ll have to clear it. Could you wait over there, please?” She gestures toward a line of chairs against the wall, facing the reception area. I shrug and, with a quick flap of my wings, glide over and settle in on one of the larger chairs as Kendra walks over to join me.

I fidget anxiously in my chair as the receptionist speaks softly with someone on her computer, occasionally looking up as if to inspect us. Kendra rests her hand on my withers, gently pressing downward, which makes me feel a little calmer. “Patience, Loopy. Not of all of us fly at the same speed, you know.”

I sigh, giving Kendra a frustrated scrunchy face, look at the woman talking on her computer, then look back at Kendra. “We really need to talk to her. You know how important this is.”

Kendra nods and pulls out her tablet. “I’ll get started looking for her home. Worst case is we wait until school is done with and meet her there.”

I nod, then, “Miss?” comes from the woman. I hope off of my chair and trot up to her.

“I’m sorry, but all I am able to do is put you in contact with Miss Castillo’s guardian. I’m sure you understand. This is a high school.”

I paw anxiously at the floor, then cock my head to the side and ask the woman, “Can’t you call her guardian?”

She smiles at me. “I did, and she wants to talk to you first. I told her what you told me, about Miss Castillo’s maternal grandfather. She understands, and asked me to relay her invitation to join her at her home. She said for me to give you her address, and to tell you that you should visit before Miss Castillo is done with school.”

I sigh, thank the receptionist, and follow Kendra out to the SUV. It only takes about twenty minutes for us to drive to Maria’s home.
As Kendra parks, I exit and bound up to the door, practically quivering with the frustration that comes from a day of waiting for things. I knock as Kendra slowly walks up to join me. A moment later, the door cracks open, revealing a woman who immediately looks me right in the eyes. “Loop de Loop?”

I nod excitedly and she opens the door, beckoning for us to come inside. I wipe my hooves on the mat, which gets a small, gentle smile from her. “I’m Rosa Alvarez, Maria’s aunt. The school said you wanted to talk with her?”

I look around at the modest home of Ms. Alvarez. She directs us into a living room and motions for us to make ourselves comfortable. I hop up on the sofa and sit, folding my wings at my sides. “It’s about her great-grandfather.” Kendra takes a seat next to me, placing her hand on my back.

Ms. Alvarez sits down on the loveseat and takes a breath, clearly steadying herself. “I don’t share my brother’s rather…” she looks down for a long moment, then at me, “extreme views on magic.” She wipes away a tear from the side of her eye. “But he did not let Maria be taught the ways of her people. She’s half Navajo, you know. I visited Gallup a few times before they moved to Corpus Christi.”

I nod, feeling Kendra’s grip on my back tighten slightly.

“He did love her, fiercely.” She says softly.

“I understand.” I murmur as my ears flat in understanding. “I didn’t know him very well, but he did something… miraculous for a friend of mine. He was full of love.”

Rosa smiles at this, tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffles and wipes her face with a tissue from a nearby box, then asks, “Would you tell me about it?”

I bow my head solemnly. “It would be my pleasure.”

***

To the front of the house, the door rattles and we hear it open and close. Rosa, Kendra, and I have been talking for over an hour about Running Thorn, first sharing the story of Dust’s recovery at the bonfire, then hearing some about his younger years in return. In a moment, the sounds of socked feet softly head into the kitchen, and a young woman calls, “Auntie, I’m home! Do we have guests?” After a moment, the source of that voice appears, my first view of Maria and her after-school snack—an apple. She’s not tall, about as tall as I was before I became a pony, and she’s thin, with the dark hair and brown eyes I remember from Lightning Dust’s photographs.

Kendra tenses up slightly beside me, looking at the young lady in shock, but Rosa promptly gets up and hugs her niece. She looks at Kendra and I and then walks out of the room, leaving Maria standing at the counter, looking into the living room at us.

I look back at her, trying to give a friendly smile, but my ears betray me and fold back. “Hello, Maria. My name is Loop de Loop, and this is Kendra.” I gesture toward my sofa companion with my wing. “I’m here with news for you. Would you like to come and sit down?”

She cocks her head to the side a little and doesn’t budge. “News?”

I fold my wing back at my side and sigh. “A few weeks ago, your great-grandfather held a ceremony. That ceremony restored the ability to fly to a pegasus who had been unable to fly for over twenty years. It was… a miracle, but unfortunately, he died while doing so.”

She furrows her brow. “My… great-grandfather?”

I nod, unsure about her utter lack of response. I perk myself up a bit to try to get her to open up. “Yes. I’m so sorry for your loss. I want you to know, he was a great man, and…”

“I’ve never met him.” She stares at me impassively, her expression impossible to read.

That seems to pull Kendra out of her shock, and she pulls out the tablet, bringing up the pictures that I had been given by Dust. She holds out the tablet, offering it to Maria. “Would you like to see? You spent time with him as a baby. Your mom and dad should have told you about this.”

She steps into the living room, taking the tablet from Kendra and sitting down in a chair across the room from us. She’s quiet for a moment, swiping between the pictures and taking a bit of her apple. After a moment, she seems to have gotten her fill of both. “I’m sorry, but I was a baby. I don’t remember any of this.” She looks up at me. “I barely know who my great-grandfather was. I never knew him.” Her voice shakes slightly as she stares at me intensely. “What’s going on here? Who are you?”

I start back and my ears fall flat again as my tail thumps against the back of the sofa. “Well, his will was read shortly after he passed, and he named you as his successor.”

Her face sours as she sits back and quirks her head at me. “What are you talking about? Successor? What does that mean?”

“He was the spiritual leader for his people. And when he passed, he wanted his duties to fall on you.”

She stares at her hands in her lap. “Is this some kind of sick joke? I don’t know what’s going on here!”

I know that feeling all too well. My wings ruffle in frustration. “Well, we need to get you to New Mexico, and they can tell you what you need to know.”

Instead of standing up, she just looks at me. “If you think I’m going anywhere, you’re nuts, Miss Pony.”

I look at Kendra, then back at Maria. “Obviously, I can’t make you go. But the people there need you, Maria. You’re an important part of their culture, even if you’ve never met them.”

She shakes her head, gesturing with her hands. “I’ve never met these people, so how can they know that they need me? What makes me important to them?”

“Because you are a descendant of the deer of the Everfree Forest in Equestria.” Kendra pipes up.

I glance between them again as Maria blinks owlishly and deadpans, “What.”

Kendra stands and walks over to an ottoman, next to Maria’s chair, sitting on it and taking both of the teenager’s hands. “You are directly descended from a tribe of deer, shamans, from Equestria. I can see the power in you. You have powerful magic, Maria.”

She shrugs off Kendra’s hands and stands up to start pacing through the living room. “Oh, no! That’s impossible—I know about the weavers.” She holds out her hands to me. “See, no magical markings! I’m not a witch! Daddy always said, ‘Only unicorns and witches have magic!’ and I’m not either one.”

A moment of silence hangs over the room as Maria plops down into the loveseat that Rosa had been sitting in. I breathe for a moment, thinking, then softly say, “I have magic… all ponies have magic, Maria. I couldn’t fly without my magic. Earth ponies couldn’t do what they do without their magic. Magic is a part of our world—Equestria—and it’s a part of this world, now, as well. Humanity lost their magic long, long ago, but with everything that’s happened in the last twenty five years, that magic has started to wake back up inside of them. Inside of you.”
She scrunches up her face—It’s kind of cute, but I can tell she’s struggling. “But humans that have magic are marked. I don’t have that mark.”
Kendra holds out the back of her hands for Maria to see. “I don’t have any marks but I have magic now.” she says.

Maria looks on in rapt confusion as Kendra’s hands glow softly and the tablet is lifted off the coffee table. Kendra looks steadily into her eyes, saying, “The marks do come in, and I’ll get one, but I have magic already, and you wouldn’t be able to tell unless I used it in front of you. I’m not all that good with it yet, but I’m learning to be a dreamer.”

“But I can’t do any of that!” Maria nearly screams. She jumps out of her seat and sets off pacing around the room.

I smile reassuringly at her, trying to get my traitorous ears to stand up. “Yes, you can! I grew up with the deer of the Everfree Forest in Equestria. They taught me how to do their magic. It’s not the same as unicorn or weaver magic, but it’s amazing! They use the elements of nature to make nature work for them.”

“And, Maria, you have that magic, too.” Kendra adds with a smile.

Maria continues her pacing, putting her hands to her temples. “No, no, no, no, no! That’s not possible! Normal humans don’t have magic.”

I look at her, repressing the urge to roll my eyes. “Surely your mother would have taught you the old ways; she was full blooded Navajo! She must have taught you your culture.”

She shakes her head. “No, my father forbade all of that mumbo jumbo. My mom never really taught me any of that stuff.”

“It’s not mumbo jumbo!” I say, stomping the sofa with a hoof. “Your culture was important, it was, and is, a part of you. How could he give it up?”

She looks at me, lifting her arms in exasperation. “Because I didn’t grow up with it!” She sighs and walks slowly towards the hallway. “I really wish I could help you,” she looks back, “but you have the wrong person.”

I watch as she disappears around the corner, then hear steps going up the stairs. I look at Kendra, who smiles at me. “We can get her to join. I know it.”

I frown, resting my head on my hooves. “How?”

“She has the power of the deer in her. The magic of nature that they possess. It’s in her blood, and she’s already conflicted about it. I could feel how powerful she is… she may be more powerful than Running Thorn was.”

“Huh. How could you know that? You never met him.”

She gently places her hand on my back, between my wings. “I saw his dreams, Loopy. I think her nature will draw her toward a life of magic, but I don’t think she’s going to understand why, or what to do about it, without help.”

“But how do we….” I think out loud. After a few moments, I smile. “Follow me!”

I hope off the sofa and gallop out of the house, realizing on the way out that we’ve neither seen nor heard from Rosa in quite some time. Kendra’s feet pound as she hustles to follow me. I do a ballistic arc to land next to our rental car, wings spread wide as I grin back at Kendra, who is giving me a very droll expression from the front door. She rolls her eyes, grimaces, and in a flash of light, teleports directly into to the driver’s seat of the car. I blink at her in shock, and she giggles back at me. “I’m getting better with site to site transporting. Beam me up!” She pushes unlocks the doors and starts the motor. “Where to?”

Ancient science fiction? I can do that. “The airport, of course, Miss Sulu. We have some shopping to do in Dubuque.”

Kendra looks at me for a long moment. “Shopping? For what?”

“Stuff that can only be bought in Equestria, of course!”

She smiles and presses the accelerator. The car leaps forward.

***

Night Tide pushes his way through the door into the medical examiner’s office. “So, Wade, what do you have for me?” He calls to the human working on the body on the stainless steel table.

The deputy medical examiner for the state of New York looks up. “I’ve got a lot of similarities with the pegasus that came through last week, Night.”

Night Tide sighs. “Yeah?”

Wade nods. “Sorry to tell you this, but I’ve found an injection site on her neck.” He pulls the mare’s coat back a little bit, showing a small puncture wound. “Just like the last one, and her bloodwork is identical. She was incapacitated with an inhaled drug, too, the same as last time.”

My ears flat and I look away from the poor mare’s body on the table. “What was injected with?”

He covers her with a sheet and steps away from the table. “A MAOI inhibitor. This guy knows his stuff, about how those drugs have a negative effect on pony magic.”

Night Tide growls. “It’s not something that is commonly known.”

“Well, this guy knows that, and he uses it to his advantage. Without her magic, she couldn’t untie herself.” He points at her hooves. “She was tied down quite effectively. I guess he learned from the pegasus how strong ponies are. She wasn’t able to slip out of her restraints this time.”

Tide sighs. “So…” He looks up at the human. “Cause of death?”

“Shock, due to her horn being sawed off.” He shakes his head. “She was alive, and likely awake, as it was removed. I can’t imagine what that would be like, but she couldn’t have lasted long at all.”

Tide’s hoof slams on the floor. “Damn.”

“Yeah, just like the pegasus.”

Tide whirls around and slams through the door, his wings powering his reckless speed away from the morgue. He skips under the ceiling to avoid a couple of humans walking along the corridor, leaps up the stairs, and ends up on the roof of the precinct building. He sits there, looking out at the City for a long time. He jerks as a hand lands on his withers.

“Oh, Roland.”

“Hey.” Roland says, taking a sip of his coffee. “Bad news?”

Tide scuffs at the roofing material for a moment, then looks up at the human. “It’s just like the last one, the pegasus.”

Roland sits down next to the pony, and they both watch the sun heading for the western horizon. After a while, Tide stands up. “I’m going to head home.”

“See ya’ in the morning. And don’t worry, Tide…” The thestral takes off hot, powering away from the building as fast as his wings can carry him. “We are going to catch this mutt.”

Author's Note

As always, a big nod to Purple Pegasus for her smoothing of my pony words. This chapter was a bit more than her usual fare when it comes to the work. And as you can see, she did an outstanding job! Thanks to her, and to all of you for enjoying this story!

Chapter 17. Coutdown to Spinout

Dubuque, Iowa — The Trans-Equestrian Portal Complex

Twenty-five years ago, when the world was shocked by the discovery of the first-ever inter-dimensional portal baked into a horse statue, Dubuque was a small, depressed town with not much to do. Since then, the portal has brought commerce, industry, and especially diplomatic concerns into the area, transforming it into a major hub with its own airport. The best part is, all of the construction is new, and usually shows off the best mix of magical and technological innovation from both sides of the portal. What does that mean? Robot airport! It has never been easier to land, park, and refuel my Widgeon than at the Dubuque International Airport.

The shuttle ride was painless, as well, though somewhat more mundane. Nopony drives into Dubuque on portal business, so the portal complex is easy to access via public transit. I stop for a moment to look around—pegasi have obviously been at work, along with earth ponies and unicorn artificers. The grass is perfectly grown, the bushes around the structure are shaped to compliment the crystalline design of the building, and a variety of crystal pylons are floating in the air alongside the path in, apparently acting as street lamps.
Kendra and I are looking at the building in a bit of awe today. The sun is catching the crystals and… are those rainbows? Somepony put a lot of work into making this place look magical. Shaking off the daze that I find myself in, I take a step forward and nudge her in the knee with my flank. “You coming?”

Taking her cue, she falls into step beside me. “Last time we were here, I was a little worried you’d dive through the portal after Dust.” She rests her hand on my head. “Are we actually going to Equestria this time?”

I stop and look at her with a grin. “Well, technically the whole complex is Equestrian soil, but no… we’re not going through the portal today. I’m keeping you in suspense for that!”

She stops, too, and bops me lightly on the head. “What are you talking about? What are we doing here, then?”

I smile and gesture for her to follow, trotting happily up the path that leads to the welcome center. We quickly pass through the parlor and security, heading back out into the open-air courtyard that stands between the various buildings that make up the complex. Off on its own, a large building with tall, glass doors houses our destination. The doors open on their own as we walk up, and I gesture inside with my hoof. “Welcome to the inter-dimensional shop.”

Kendra stops dead as she enters. “Amazing.”

I turn and look at the large, well-lit space. It’s arranged somewhat like a large department store, having been built during the days of their final decline. There are sections for clothing, manufactured goods, and even foods and natural goods imported from Equestria. Like the department stores before it, the accessibility of online shopping and same-day delivery of goods has taken its toll here, though. I lean over to Kendra, “This was a lot bigger when the portal was only open for three days every two and a half years, but ponies have been selling stuff to humans pretty much since the portal was reactivated after Discord. They also have smaller stores like this in every pony settlement. New Beginnings has one… you’ve probably seen it? It’s a couple doors down from Cookie’s shop.”

Kendra’s eyes are gleaming as she takes in the selection of goods for sale, both exotic and mundane. “Wow,” she says as she picks up a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider. She looks around and her hands glow as a shopping basket floats over to us. She picks up a six pack and puts it in the basket. “I’ve been told this is the best there is.”

I nod as I start walking up and down the aisles, casting an eye over the other clientele here. Two minotaurs are walking around with baskets, along with some pegasi, a unicorn, several earth ponies, and two deer. A griffon is at the register, arguing good naturedly with the unicorn and the human checking her out. Several humans are also here, going through the shelves. Two of the humans, a man and a woman, are wearing pants with cutie marks embroidered on the hips. I guess ponies are in fashion!

Kendra breaks me out of my reverie with a poke on the wing. “What are we going to get? I bet they have some great Wonderbolts memorabilia!”

I shake my head. “I’m not here for that… besides, you can get all that stuff online if you want it. You see the deer?” I say, flicking an ear in their direction.

She nods. “Yeah.”

“Well, their magic is based on nature. They make potions to do their magic. I was trained in that as a foal in the Everfree, and Moon Shadow was able to unlock lots of my memories from that time, and it turns out that I was actually pretty good with deer potions.” I grin at her.

She looks over at the natural goods section of the shop. “So… we’re here for potion stuff? What are we getting? I didn’t know you knew alchemy!”

“Stuff that’s only available in Equestria. I won’t rule out a trip there, if I have to, but much of what I need is probably available here. There’s a small population of Equestrian deer in the United States, mostly around the native reservations. Apparently a couple of deer got stranded during the thirty-month cycle of the portal a few thousand years ago.” I look at the deer again. “They didn’t know that the portal would re-open, and let’s just say… their offspring, their blood, is deep within the natives here.”

Kendra frowns. “Like Maria, right? How do you know all of this?”

“Dust taught me about it. She met Running Thorn right after the curse was lifted, and they became close friends over the years. She learned their history, and after she got her wings back, we ended up spending quite a few evenings talking about it. Remember when Sunset and Moon Shadow were teaching you? Dust took that time to tutor me on Equestrian and human relations, too. She told me a lot of things that aren’t really widely known.” I look up at Kendra. “Including who actually originally built the portal.”

Kendra rolls her eyes at me. “You don’t need to pretend to be so mysterious, Loopy. Everyone who read the comics back then knew that. It was Starswirl.”

I nod. “But the comics don’t give the whole story. Hannah Shaw is as close to an expert as there is on the portals, and she’s told Dust a lot about them. If you like, we could grab a cup of coffee at the coffee shop in the welcome center on our way out, and I’ll tell you about it? There was a griffon behind the counter… I bet they make some amazing drinks!” I suck in air to stop the line of drool threatening to slip from my mouth. “… I’m kind of hungry.”

Kendra shakes her head at me with a chuckle and bumps me back into motion. “Sounds good,” she says as I trot over toward the deer, spotting what I’m looking for. I pick up a small barrel that has a strap connected to it. Kendra looks bewildered. “It’s a barrel, Loopy.”

I look at her and shake my head. “It’s a neck flask. Many of the deer carry them.” I reach over and pick up a package of some bark, dropping it into Kendra’s basket. “This is darkwood bark. It is used to stabilize potions. It’s pretty helpful in a lot of different brews.” Trotting past, the next aisle over reveals a motherlode of goodies. I smile hugely as I pick up a large glass bottle of clearwater and a small pack of heart’s desire, adding those to the basket, as well.

Kendra blinks. “Is this some of the stuff Zecora used in the show? That sounds familiar.”

I nod and snout around in a big pile of random herbs and flowers in small pouches, finding nothing of interest. “From what I’ve learned, zebra magic and deer magic are very similar. The heart’s desire can be dangerous on its own, like what happened to Apple Bloom in the show, but it’s a very strong ingredient for potions when used right.” Looking at the remaining items on the shelf, I can’t find the last thing I need, and take off to trot down the next aisle.

Kendra doesn’t seem to be paying too much attention to my alchemical scavenger hunt, but that’s okay. She’s lagging behind me, staring across the shop floor into the clothes section. “Loopy, look at this!” She takes off over to a rack under a sign bearing a certain, unmistakable three-diamond cutie mark. “There’s clothing from Rarity’s shop! It has her cutie mark on the label!” She starts flipping through the rack. “Some of these gemmed skirts are absolutely beautiful!” She picks a dress off the next rack over and just about squeals. “This is shaped for a human! When did she start making human fashions?” She’s practically vibrating with excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “And did you see they have a kiosk where you can get a cutie mark embroidered onto anything you want? Since when is that a thing?”

I shake my head and smile at her. “Kendra, you’re rambling… it’s okay!” I rub my wing over the fabric of the dress she’s pulled out, admiring its softness. “Do they have it in your size?”

She blushes a bit and looks at the various hangers, finally pulling one out. “Yeah. But…”

I cut her off, bumping her leg with my snout. “Go ahead and try it on. I’ll grab the basket.”

She looks at me, then at the price tag with a small shudder, then back at me. “I couldn’t.”

I scrunch my snout and use a wing to push her towards the dressing room. “Kendra, if it fits you, I’ll buy it for you. It’s very pretty, and would look great on you.”

She sighs, but relents, finally giggling at the look on my face. I nudge her on her way, then trot back over to the small section with the Sweet Apple Acres sign, thinking that they might have the last thing I need. They are! I jump forward as soon as I spot it, picking up the small packet of seeds. “Zap apple seeds! Perfect!”

I drop the packet in the basket, then pick it back up in my mouth and trot back over to the changing rooms to wait for Kendra, stopping to grab a few other things on my way. As I get there, the door opens and Kendra steps out. That stops me dead in my tracks as I drop the basket onto the floor.

I find myself giving a low whistle. Kendra smiles shyly and giggles. The dress is absolutely stunning. The bodice is a deep purple and the skirt is dark blue, with small diamonds—or some other type of gem—sewn all along the hem. Stars and moons adorn the edging of the dress, shaped out of tiny, glimmering gemstones. The whole dress clings to her body yet moves with her perfectly. I’ve never seen anything like it. “Yeah, get it.”

A new voice speaks up from beside me, “Oh, that’s a Rarity Special!” getting both of us to turn. The human that was at the register is standing there, smiling. “She makes the most beautiful and functional dresses. That one is perfect for you!”

Kendra twirls, looking down at how the skirt moves around her. “It… it is very pretty.” Her hands glow softly and a mirror floats from a table over to her.

The woman gasps. “You’re a weaver! That’s amazing! I miss my magic on this side of the portal!”

Kendra nods as the mirror floats around her, “Yeah.” Then she stops, looking at the woman. “Wait, you’re a pony?”

The woman nods, turning to the side and showing off the cutie mark of two needles with a blue thread dangling between them. “Yep! I work on this side of the portal, but live in Equestria. I never quite got used to being a pony full time… but I do miss my horn when I’m here!”

Kendra smiles. “That’s great! Are you a seamstress?” She looks at herself for a long time, then looks at the two of us. “I really like it. It’s so much, though!”

The woman smiles. “It looks really incredible on you, and I am! You just caught me on my break… I work over where we do the embroidering for cutie marks.” She nods toward the kiosk we spotted earlier. “Speaking of which, I should get back!” She waves and takes off.

I nudge Kendra’s leg with my wing. “We should get it. The dress, I mean. You look amazing. Can I buy it for you?”
She blushes heavily, looking down at me. “Are you sure, Loopy? It’s really expensive.”

I think for a moment, running a few numbers in my head. “Kendra, I got the rest of the settlement, and I’ve now got a pretty big salary with this thing for Dust. I’ve got it.”

She giggles. “And here I am, unemployed.”

I stop for a moment and blink. “You’re right! I’ll have to get you a job! You’re going to be helping me with these missions, so it makes sense that you should make a living doing it, right?”

She frowns. “Are you sure, Loopy? You’re my friend.”

I take to the air and hug her, being careful of the dress. “Oh, yes, Kendra! I need your help with this stuff. Dust told me to gather a team, and that’s what I’m going to do. You need to have money for IHOP, after all.”

She laughs softly and hugs me back. “Okay. I’ll figure out where to study everything that Moon Shadow and Sunset Shimmer gave me to do.”

I nod. “You’ll figure it out. We can’t always be busy with missions… right?

She smiles as she heads back into the dressing room. “You are wonderful, Loopy.”

***

The changeling sits in her first class seat, her seat is leaned back as far as it will go. Atlanta to New York is a relatively short flight, and she’s looking forward to the clientele that she’s gotten in the Big Apple. Her current form is of a human female—she likes looking like a human, especially this look, since it attracts the eye of every human around her. She doesn’t really understand what it is about this form that they find so appealing, but she enjoys the attention and she certainly likes to feed on the lust that permeates the area when she’s in this form. She had even decided to understate the look today, to great effect. Apparently dressed in skin tight yoga pants with a sports bra, she is exposing a lot of skin. She’s learned that humans like that, and her look is also accentuating the curves of this body, which is also popular. She’s spent countless hours studying the human form, looking at what is considered sexy by human standards.

The culmination of all her research is two forms, both of which she has paid quite a bit of cash to acquire fake identities for. It’s not usually difficult for her to blend into groups—it is always hard for humans to tell if a changeling is in their midst—but that is only a small comfort, as the consequences of being found are high. Usually, when one of her kind is discovered, Princess Celestia is contacted and the unfortunate changeling is sent to Equestria without delay or any opportunity to defend themselves. She sighs. At least she’s been able to keep her existence in this world a secret, for the most part. The one or two clients who have seen her true form have kept their mouths shut.
She looks out the window at the setting sun. She’s been up since before the sun rose, and exhaustion is well past set in after her busy day. She breathes deeply and sighs, thankful that it won’t be long until she can get out of this damned metal tube. Leaning back in her seat with her tiny, awful airline pillow, she finds her eyes closing.

“Experimental subject…” She can understand them, but all she feels is pain.

*shift*

She pushes hard. It’s time. She needs to leave the dark. She pushes her horn against the hard wall of shell. She can feel it getting weaker. She hears muffled noises through it. She’s at the edge of her endurance. She pushes harder. She pushes as hard as she can. It gives. Light banishes the dark. She pushes a hoof through the small hole. The cool air invades. She hears cracking. She’s free. She’s gasping her first breaths. She opens her eyes. She tries to comprehend her surroundings. A figure reaches towards her. Two hands lift her away from the shell. She is picked up and carried.

She has no comprehension of what is happening to her.

*shift*

Learning to speak the words of the humans was difficult, as the English language is a confusing and disharmonious staccato of sounds that should be much more smooth than it is because there are others somewhat like her here and though they lack the extra stripe of color around the middle and are much smaller than she is, she feels that they probably understand that words and thoughts and feelings should flow so much more freely than the plucking, pricking tones of the human speech but she has to try so she turns and looks at the front of the room where the large screen is displaying letters and words that she has to try to say and she dutifully speaks, “A is for apple. B is for ball.

*shift*

“Now, Rainbow Dash.” Comes over the loudspeaker.

She forms a mental picture and breathes as violet flames wash over her form, turning her into a cyan pegasus with a shocking, rainbow mane and cerise eyes. She looks at the other changelings. She feels like she could almost see herself through their eyes, but something is… missing.

“H074, you have the mane colors wrong,” comes the voice over the speaker. She jerks to look at him, and the speaker was right. The bright blue and green colors of the mane and tail of the Rainbow Dash beside her are transposed. The other changeling cringes—he knows what is coming. A small click is audible as the implant activates, and the changeling is bathed in green fire as he falls on his side, shrieking in pain.
She shudders, watching another of her kind in pain.

*shift*

It’s a rare day; they are out in the sun. They can exercise their wings and they can actually see humans up close, rather than just hearing them over a speaker. She runs around with her other clutchmates, though they are all smaller than her. It’s nice to have others to play with, and the humans seem to be nice when she approaches them. Suddenly, she’s flattened by a loud boom. She looks around, dazed, at the ponies coming through the wall of the compound. The mare leading the charge is pure white with a bright silver metallic mane. The beautiful white pony flashes forward, knocking down a couple of humans. The other changelings are all crying, not understanding. She gathers herself… she just watched a magenta unicorn teleport to the top of the wall, turning the guns of the humans into wet noodles, but she doesn’t stop to consider how impossible all of that is. She knows the shield around the place that prevents teleportation is down.

She knows it’s time to go.

Closing her eyes, she gathers what magic she can. Her horn shimmers with violet light and she’s suddenly far away, tumbling as if falling. Righting herself, she takes a moment to look around and clear her head—she can hear the crashing booms from the compound, but she’s in the jungle now. Smoke is rising from the building she had lived her whole life in as the ponies and humans make war on one another.

She turns to leave and stops. There is a human woman there with very long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and porcelain skin with freckles everywhere. The human steps forward, but the changeling chirps, vanishing in another teleport before the woman can say a word.

*shift*

The city is a wonderful place for changelings to live. The press of other creatures around her, the dark apartment she lives in… it’s perfect. Her landlord thinks she’s an equestrian native, an earth pony, but that’s on the outside. Inside, she can relax as her black-shelled self. Today, she is idly turning the pages of a magazine and looking at the photo shoots inside. “So, this is what human men want?” she murmurs as she looks at a woman, her bared breasts and other private parts quite visibly displayed. She flips the page; the woman is being penetrated by a pegasus. “Hmmm, ponies like those women, too,” she murmurs softly.

She concentrates on the face of the woman in the picture, then lets her eyes rove along the entire form in the photograph. In moments, she closes her eyes tightly as violet flames envelop her body. Now, instead of a changeling, a woman is laying on the floor with bright brown eyes and shoulder-length dark hair. She inspects her new hands. “I wonder what I can do with these,” she ponders, looking over into the mirror.

Instead of her new form, the same woman is there, looking at her. She steps out of the mirror.

She wakes up with a loud scream, flailing her limbs.

“What the fuck?” comes a male voice.

The changeling looks down, noting her black, hard leg, then flutters her wings. “Oh, damn,” she whines as she looks around frantically. She feels the plane slowly pulling up to the gate—she missed the landing in her slumber. Thinking fast, she lights her horn and teleports. As she materializes in the terminal, she staggers a bit and hundreds of voices rise in alarm. She starts to gallop, trying to compose herself. After a few moments, she changes into the human female she was in her dream and frantically teleports into the bathroom. She sits in the stall for a long moment to calm herself, and finally the panic fades.

She composes her face and assumes the right clothing, looking older and less attractive. All the crowd will see is a random older woman grabbing her bags from the carousel. She opens the door and straightens her clothing, muttering to herself, “Some master of disguise I am.” A few airport police head towards the gate her plane was at, but she turns the other way and walks innocently towards the baggage claim.

***

Brightly colored spheres of ethereal presence bob and flow like motes in a river as Kendra walks the dark, starry night of the dream. Rarely, she finds herself in the company of another dreamer from Equestria, but experience has quickly shown her that no such ally will appear tonight—she is the only dreamer on Earth for now. Often on nights like these, she wanders the dreamways until coming across the tell-tale signs of a potential nightmare, but tonight is different. Tonight, she has a mission. Finding her target, she reaches out, cradles the undulating troubled dream in her hands, and closes her eyes.

***

It’s always slightly jarring for Kendra when she manifests in a dream. As her feet come to rest on the ground and she fades into opacity, she breathes deeply and closes her eyes, shaking off the slight headache that has become her nightly routine. Muttering to herself, “Just got to remember, Moon Shadow said it’d get easier…” she casts a view around the vista she has entered, coming to realize that she’s standing on a mesa near Gallup, where Running Thorn lived.

Off in the distance, Kendra hears a cry in Maria’s unmistakable voice of, “No, it’s not possible! I’m not a deer! I’m no shaman!” She sets off toward the source, willing herself into invisibility as she travels. She takes a moment to smile and congratulate herself… she knew it. She could see it when she first saw the girl; her power positively radiates through her aura. The blood of her deer heritage runs exceedingly strong through her.

Invisibly approaching Maria, Kendra hears another voice amongst the trees. “That girl with the pony said so herself. You know you’ve had affinity for deer magic.”

Maria absolutely explodes at the voice, the logic of dream world casting a light into the shadows and revealing a deer in front of her. “It’s NOT potion making!” She narrows her eyes at the white-tailed doe standing before her, her aura radiating off of her in waves of heat. “It’s science. It’s called Chemurgy. It’s the use of agricultural and herbilogical COMPONENTS to replace PETROCHEMICALS for agricultural uses!”

Her shout is so loud that it’s echoing across the mesa on each accented word, but the deer seems unimpressed, snorting derisively at the girl’s fury.

“It’s potions, just like every other deer of the Everfree.” The doe paws the ground. “You know your true name. Your mother told you. You are not Maria Castillo. You are Lilac Running Deer, so named by your great grandfather. The same great grandfather who saw the power inside you, and who knew your destiny before you were out of diapers. Your father…” the term was nearly spit by the deer, “Insisted that you be called Maria. Your mother tried to compromise with him and made your middle name, ‘Lilac.’” The deer huffs, blowing a snort of cool air out of her nose that instantly fogs in the heat pouring off of Maria, “But no changing names—no denying your identity—can erase the fact that you have my blood in you. You are of the Equestrian Deer. You cannot deny it any further.”

Maria whirls away from the deer with a jerk and the scene shifts around her. She’s running, now, through the mesas and and across the baked earth. Panting, she looks over her shoulder with tears in her eyes to see the doe easily keeping up with her.

“No…” Maria pants, “Keep away from me! I’m not a freak!”

“Those that try the hardest to run from their destiny,” the deer calls, “are most likely to run into it on the paths they take to avoid it.”
Kendra tenses. This is turning into a true nightmare, and she needs to intervene.

Turning, Maria sees the large slab of marble in front of her. She tries to stop, but it’s too late—all she can do is put her arms up before she hits the marble and splashes into it, her form reshaping as she travels through the portal. Suddenly, the mirror is behind her and her hooves skid before she tumbles to the ground.

Kendra concentrates, applying the mental pressure to materialize fully in the dreamscape. She blinks as she looks at Maria’s rich brown fur with white trim. The newly-transformed doe is terrified, as evidenced by her tail and ears sticking straight up.

Maria gasps and gets to all fours. She unsteadily lopes towards the mirror, hurling herself through it, only to land back as a deer on the mesa. She whines loudly as she realizes that she’s still a deer, before once again rising unsteadily onto her hooves and throwing herself through the mirror. And again, and again…

Kendra stands in the dream next to the doe, who doesn’t react to the dreamer next to her. Shaking her head sadly, Kendra rests a hand on Maria’s withers and says softly, “Maria, look at yourself in the mirror.”

Maria shakes her head, the panic retreating a little bit, though her ears and tail still belie her anxiety. She staggers slowly to the mirror, sobbing as she sees her reflection. “That is me, that’s what I want to be.” She points at the human face in the glass as bitter tears run down her muzzle. “That is me. Not this.”

“You may not have been born a deer like many of the ponies were originally born ponies, but you were cursed. You possess the blood of the deer, Lilac Running Deer.” Kendra says, getting both deer to finally look at her, realizing her presence.

Kendra smiles at them. “As I told you today, I’m a dreamer. Your dreams were troubled, so I came to help.”

Maria looks at Kendra, then leaps at her, wrapping her hooves around the human. “Oh, please, banish this horrible nightmare! Banish her from my dreams!” She sobs, pointing at the other doe.

Kendra wraps her arms around Maria. “I’m sorry, but I can’t banish what’s inside you, and neither can you. This,” she runs her hands down the doe’s back, “is a part of you, screaming to get out. You can run away all you want, but you are bringing her along as you run.” She reaches and puts a hand on each of Maria’s cheeks, forcing her brown eyes to meet blue for a long moment. “Maria… Lilac… you went through the mirror. Yes, I know it was in the dream, but there is a lot of truth in dreams, and this?” She smiles. “The mirror doesn’t lie. It doesn’t choose your form, it recognizes it. The form you have here, this body… this is you.” She points into the mirror, showing her holding Maria’s human face the same way. “Both parts, they are both you. You are a very special girl.”

Maria looks at herself in the mirror, then at Kendra as she is released. “I don’t understand.”

Kendra smiles back at her, and hugs her gently. “In time, you will.”

***

Steven blinks the sweat out of his eyes. He’s not in the best of positions for doing this. He reaches forward.

“A little tighter.” Lightning Storm moans as she pushes hard.

“It’s not easy.” He murmurs back.

“No, it’s not. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing. Now pull! Harder!”

He grabs ahold and yanks hard, getting a yelp from the pegasus. “Not that hard! You’ll break it!”

“So, which is it? Harder? Or not?”

She giggles as she pushes the disk into place. “Just enough there, love.”

They both relax and lean back. “So, the compressor disk assembly is done.” He looks at her. “Can this be automated for future manufacturing?” He picks up the assembly they’ve been fighting to get the last of the disks into and sets it in its housing, then takes a moment to flip down the clamps and tighten them.

She cocks her head to the side, her ears flicking. “I think so, but then think, we’d have to design an entire manufacturing facility. These engines are going to truly open up the solar system to ponies and humans alike.”

“What about…” he looks around, “Your other ideas?”

She giggles excitedly. “Oh, I’ve been working on that. Let me show you.” She hops up and shakes herself, then trots to her office. Steven grabs a towel and wipes his face as he follows.

She sits down in her chair, and gestures for him to sit in a more human-friendly chair as she fires up her workstation. The graphical system lights and the traditional screens darken as the 3D virtualization system mounted around her desk comes online. The lights in the room extinguish as wire frame designs appear in mid-air. The frames fill as the computer crunches the numbers and generates a fully three-dimensional image. She hops off of her chair, flapping her wings and flying towards the model. A hoof gesture causes the model to expand, focusing on the engine room and the engines themselves. A flick of the hoof makes everything else disappear, and she expands the engines themselves.

“So, you remember how the ships of that show, Star Trek, got their power?”

He nods as he stands up, looking at the reactor in the middle of the engine bay. “A matter and anti-matter reaction.”

“Well, we haven’t been able to produce enough anti-matter to try anything like that, but we have been working on controlling pegasus-created ion storms.”

He nods and reaches out, manipulating the reactor and expanding it. “Yeah, you’ve been able to find a way to start that reaction without a pegasus doing it. That was your biggest contribution to make the new engines.”

She giggles and presses together her hooves, causing the core and engine bay to compress back to normal size, then she flicks a hoof and focuses on the engines. “While we can get quite a bit of power from that system, we need to do more of the pushing on space bit, rather than relying directly on Newton’s laws of motion.”

He looks nonplussed. “So, like they do in the TV show?”

She nods. “Yeah, there were some really smart people involved in making the show. NASA did some good work in the mid 2000’s and 2010’s, but they weren’t really able to get anywhere with actually manipulating space itself.”

He tilts his head as the implication sinks in. “But you have?”

She chuckles. “They hadn’t figured out how to make gravity at that point, but now I can use that technology. And look at this.” She reaches over to the physical keyboard and does some inputs, changing the model a bit. “Electromagnetic energy, along with gravitational energy. We can do it. We just have to ramp up the power by a lot.”

He sits back in his chair, looking at her. “How much power are we talking about?”

She shakes her head, “In excess of a gigawatt to start. And to fully realize what this new design can do? We might be talking terawatts.”

He almost chokes. “Well, the planet only uses about thirty terawatt-hours of power a year. Let’s just get all the world’s power plants to send power to Southern Florida.”

She gives him a sour look. “We can generate it, I think, but it’s going to take a lot of work. We can do it, love. The math says it all. We can go faster than the ultimate speed limit of the universe.”

Author's Note

Once again, Purple Pegasus has been going over and beyond the call of duty when it comes to editing! I'm trying to adjust my writing so it stays at this kind of quality without so much work for her. But either way, send a shoutout or two her way. And keep a look out, she's got some writing of her own she's working on.

Chapter 19. Learning the Ropes

Why didn’t Dust tell me that there was this much paperwork? Granted, almost all of it is on the computer, but come on! I was right when I told Kendra that we wouldn’t be doing missions all the time, but this is ridiculous. After we got Maria up to New Beginnings, she’s been spending a lot of time with Kendra, and a few of the native elders from New Mexico. Six months have passed since she’s come to live with me. It’s been pretty nice, but I’ve had to learn how to deal with Dust’s company. Mischief is no help, any calls are met with laughter, and a quick, “You can do it, Loopy.”

I look up at a knock at my office door, “Come in.”

A large human walks in, he pulls his cap off of his head, “Sorry to bother you, Miss Loopy. I’m Randy, with the electrical contractor division. Well, I manage the division, and have been since I worked for Miss Dust.”

I nod, “I’ve been meaning to meet with you, I’m sorry, I’ve just been so swamped.”

He smiles, “I know, Dust told me I would have to deal with most things until you are fully dialed in. But I need your help.”

My eyebrows raise, “I’m not an electrician, I don’t know anything about construction.”

“Oh no, it’s not that, we’ve got staff handling the work, and getting the jobs. What I need from you is not something you would do from the office here.”

I frown, “Okay?”

He sighs softly, “Well, one thing Dust has done the entire time she’s owned the company, she’s gone on job sites and helped. Pulling wire, setting poles, helping with conduit runs, she made herself visible to the troops.”

My ears flatten, “But I know nothing about the electrical field. I’m not qualified.”

That gets a chuckle, “You just need to go to a few jobsites, help pull wire, just do things that require strength. You are a pony, you should be strong enough.”

I look at the computer, all the work I’ve got going on, “I’m working on the quarterly report. I have to make reports for Mischief and Dust’s herd’s kids.”

He nods, “I know, I had to prepare the report for my division for you to send to them. But I’m telling you right now, keeping morale of the employees high was important to Dust. She showed herself quite often. You need to do the same, Miss Loopy.”

My ears flick, “Well…”

He smiles and sets the tablet on the desk, “Here are a few places you can visit where our crews are working. In addition to places fairly close, we have a few crews that are all around. We have nearly a hundred ponies working for us. Dust pushed really hard to get ponies into the skilled trades, and she was successful. I would suggest you check out the job in Sidney, and a few places in Williston.”

That gets a smile from me, I get out and fly daily, but I never get more than a hundred miles from New Beginnings. My wings itch for a good fast flight. I look at my computer, and back at Randy, then I smile, “She did say to take care of the company.”

He smiles, “Good.”

A glance at the time on the computer gets me to hop out of my chair, “Well, no time like the present, right?”

He nods as I walk past him, I glance at Miss Harshwhinny, “If anypony needs me, they can call.”

“Very well, Miss Loop.”

A quick walk has me in the electrical division’s main offices, I walk around, looking at the various office staff doing their work. Randy walks past me towards his office. He’s only in it a moment before walking towards the shop, he smiles, “I do the same thing, I’ll be checking out a new substation being built over in North Dakota.”

I nod as I follow him into the shop, he gets in a truck and pulls away, one of the newest trucks in the fleet here, it’s all electric, with enough battery power to go over four hundred miles on a single charge, even with as large as the truck is. I turn and look at a group of younger guys, they are all working on a large piece of equipment. I trot up, “Hiya!”

One of the turns and looks at me, “Hi there.”

“I’m Loop De Loop, I have zero knowledge of being an electrician. Wanna show me what you are doing?”

He smiles, “Sure. I’m Alex. We are getting ready to install a VFD at a transfer station up north.”

I perk my ears forward and he starts explaining. The entire setup is quite fascinating as I’m given a novice explanation of the work, finally I look at him, “This is a lot of information.”

He chuckles, “We have a tendency to start apprentices with more than just sweeping floors and carrying water jugs. It helps weed out the ones that don’t have the aptitude. That’s how they trained me, and all the other journeymen here.”

I nod as we continue looking at the various equipment through the shop in various stages, he points, “Over there, they are installing the equipment into the PLC controllers. One thing we get apprentices working on pretty quickly is the computer controls that are the backbone of the facilities we work on.”

I smile, “Well, what Dust has been doing seems to work, so I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got to get to Sidney.”

He smiles, “Don’t be a stranger, Dust was around quite often.”

I smile as I turn to walk towards the door, and I can hear them talking as I walk slowly away, the one electrician, Alex, seems to be getting ribbed for sucking up to the new boss, but then I hear something that stops me in my tracks, “Well, she is really cute.” I flick my ears, and look back at him, he’s stealing glances as I resume my slow walk. Though I’m pretty sure my face is burning. He thinks I’m cute! That gets a giggle from me as I spread my wings and look to the sky. I take a moment to concentrate my power in my wings and I shoot off into the sky, doing a tight loop in the air before settling down on a northerly course.

***

It’s not long before I’m landing in Sidney, Montana. It’s not as big as Williston, but it’s still got nearly fifty thousand people in it. And the pangs of that rapid growth are evident in the relatively narrow streets of the old town. I’ve flown past here a few times, but never decided to stop, until today. I follow the GPS information I had loaded before I took off and I flutter down into the parking lot of the plant that I’ve been directed to. There’s a guard shack and I trot over to it. I rear up to the guard’s window, “Hiya! I’m Loop De Loop with Lightning Electric.”

The guard, an enormous earth pony, hoofs over a clipboard, “Contractors sign in here, you have a lanyard?”

I shake my head as I take the pen gently in my teeth, I scribble my name and the company name in the lines, then a lanyard with a badge is passed to me, the earth pony continues, “Keep the badge with you at all times, this is a food processing plant, so unless you have a spell placed on you that prevents any errant hair from coming off, you need to stay out of the finished products area.”

I nod, “Got it, I’m just here to check on the electrical workers here with Lightning Electric.”

He nods, “Well, we are ramping up intercampaign, so there are contractors everywhere. Your guys have two trailers set up, but at this time of day, they’ll be in the factory, working.”

I nod and smile, “Thanks!”

He smiles back as I push through into the facility itself. I take a few moments to chat with the plant operations head, letting her know what I’m doing here. She leaves the office for a few minutes, then comes back with a pony designed hard hat, she places it on me gently, “I know you pegasi are pretty hard headed, but a good hard hat is very helpful, it also can get pretty noisy in here when everything is operating.”

I shake my head, “They mentioned intercampaign, what is that?”

She smiles, “Well, during much of the year, we are producing sugar from the sugar beets that grow around here in the Yellowstone valley. That is the campaign. When we run out of beets, we pretty much take the entire factory apart, clean all the relevant equipment and upgrade what can be upgraded within that yearly budget, then we put it back together, test everything, and get everything spun up by the time the first beet drops in August.”

“Amazing.” I breathe.

She nods, “We’ve had Lightning Electric come here for over a decade, you guys bid pretty well, and we get some good crews, our E&I staff like having you guys here.”

I nod, “Where would I find them working?”

“Oh, they are all over, some are in the diffusor tower, they are replacing all the motors for it this year, and the lime kiln is also getting some new equipment. So, I’d check both places, do you need someone to guide you around?”

I shake my head, “Just point me in the general direction.”

She walks with me out of the main office onto the factory floor, I watch two humans with hoses washing down the concrete, “That’s our remelt area, if you look in that direction.” She points at a doorway with plastic flaps, “That’s the lime kiln.”

I nod and walk in that direction, electric motors are everywhere, along the ceiling power conduits run all over, along with much bigger piping for the different fluids in the plant, I push through the plastic flaps and look around. I hear grunting, but I don’t see anyone.

Then I look up, a pegasus is flapping her wings, she’s upside down, her rear hooves on the concrete ceiling, her forehooves have a hold of a rope coming out of a conduit.

I clear my throat, and the pegasus mare looks at me, she stops struggling, then she keys a mic of a radio hooked to her tool belt, “Hold on, Mel. I’ve got a visitor.”

“Roger.” Comes over the radio as she folds her wings and looks at me.

She cocks her head to the side, “Can I help you?”

“How are you…”

She looks at her hooves, her rear hooves are still on the ceiling, yet her wings are folded at her sides, she giggles at me, “My special talent. You know how pegasi can latch onto anything that’s flying?”

I nod.

“Well, I can pretty much maghoof to anything. And spare me the spider mare jokes.”

I suppress a giggle, she launches from ceiling and flips to land on her hooves on the floor, “I’ve been working to pull this wire. The electrician who ran the conduit was a dumbass. Put the junction box where it’s a pain in the plot to get to it. He couldn’t get to it with a lift and do anything meaningful with it, so I was asked to come and help.”

I look up at the box on the ceiling, it does look rather hard to get to with other conduits under it, making access pretty hard.

She turns and looks at me, “I’m Starry Dreams. I’m a fourth year apprentice here. And somehow, in charge of the wire pulling crew here.”

I nod, “When somepony, or some human, has the skills, Lightning Electric tends to push them hard. Or so I’ve been told.”

She huffs, “Tell me about it, they told me on day one that we are dropped in the deep end, but we can ask the more experienced for help when we need it. I’ve had some really good teachers.” She stops and smiles at me, “So, what brings our new CEO here?”

My ears fall and my tail clamps tight, I take a couple of steps back, “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to do what Dust did.”

She cocks her head to the side, “Still trying to figure out what to do with all of this? You’ve only been here about six months,

I nod, “I don’t know why I was chosen to do this.”

She chuckles, “Yeah, I have an idea. You showed promise, and Dust saw it. She is a very perceptive pony. She has done it quite often in this company.”

“Huh?”

“Lightning Dust has an instinctive ability to see the potential of those around her. I was too young when I first applied and interviewed with her. She told me to wait two years and reapply, that I would be a great electrician. And when I got into the trade, I found it was definitely for me. She said she’d have to watch out for me, I’d be gunning for her job.” She blushes a bit, “I don’t want the big company she’s got, but I’m going to get my masters and build my own company.” She looks up at the rope hanging from the conduit, “Well, I’ve probably bent your ear enough.” She walks over to the wall and places a hoof on it, and walks up the wall.

My mind takes a moment to reboot, “How are you…?”

She looks at her hooves on the wall, then giggles, “Oh, I forgot, yeah, my special talent.”

“I heard you, but how did you figure it out?”

She moves over to the conduit, “Well, when I was about eight nor nine, I wiped out in a landing, broke my wing. So I was out of the air for a while. Well, my family’s house is a typical pegasi only ground house. Not a single stair or ladder. If you can’t fly, you are stuck on the first floor.” She smiles, “My herd parents were so helpful, they made me a nice place in the living room, but I wanted my cloud bed. So, in the middle of the night, I…well…just walked up the wall.” She giggles, “My herd sire found me in my room, passed out on my bed. I had given them a huge scare, not only had I disappeared from the living room, but I’d gained a cutie mark while half asleep.” She points to her flank, the twin lightning bolts crossed over a field of stars. She smiles as she keys her radio again, “Mel, now you feed that wire or I’m going to fly over there and apply hoof to ass, got it?”

Apparently Mel is used to such outbursts, his response, “Roger.”

She starts pulling and the rope starts to move slowly, I leap into the air and grab the end of the rope, my wings flap furiously as we keep pulling.

After a few minutes of pulling, Starry calls out, “I’ve got the head.” She yanks hard, and I see the duct tape clad set of wires hanging from the conduit. She smiles at me, “Thanks for your help, I think we can get the rest.”

A few more hours of work at the sugar factory and I finally wing my way farther north. I follow the GPS directions on my ponypod and as the sun is getting low in the sky, I flutter down towards an oil transfer site. I can see the distinctive Lightning Electric trucks parked on the property, one of the larger ones, with a built in crane, is in position, it’s engine running as a few guys are working on a large piece of equipment. I walk over to a guy with a white full brim hardhat, which indicates supervisors, I smile, “Hiya, I’m Loopy.”

He stops, “Hi there, we are busy right now, would you wait in the motor control building?” He gestures with a chin as he takes a long bar and shoves the equipment over a few inches. One of the other guys, in a red ballcap brim hardhat reaches out with a tape measure. I turn and move into the indicated building. For a few minutes I watch them through the window in the door of the small building. They keep shifting the big enclosure a little bit at a time. I turn around and look, there is a set of switchgear in the building. I extend my wings and hover up to them, nearly all of the doors are open, and I’ve never seen the inside of all this equipment. Wires are all over the place. My ears flick as I can hear relays click, and the soft white noise of several cooling fans are clearly audible as well.

There are breakers in some of the buckets, fuses in others. I move over to one that’s up high, it has the wires coming in through conduits on the top. I guess that’s the feed for this entire setup. I lean a little closer, one of the fuses is solidly in the bottom, but not on the top. I know enough about things to know that isn’t right. I reach in with a hoof and push the fuse into place.

“What the hell, stop!” I hear a scream, causing me to jerk, my rear hoof taps the bare metal, completing the circuit.

ZAP!

My wings take over and recover from me being blasted back, I turn to look at the human, he grimaces, “This MCC is in operation. There is exposed power in here. What the hell were you doing?”

I shake my head, a little dizzy, “Huh?”

“Thank God you are a pegasus, and can survive direct lightning strikes. The problem is, you are carrying a big charge right now.”

I look down, and all my fur has poofed out, I can feel power running through my body, and crackles among my feathers announce the electricity bouncing around, “Oh, sorry.”

He backs up and opens the door, “Find someplace that is metal sunk into the ground. And ground yourself, with all that fur you are a big capacitor, and you’ll zap anyone around here, then we can talk.”

I follow his instructions and move over to one of the truck loading stations, a clip is marked vehicle grounding, and I hover over to it. A touch of a hoof causes the charge to drain from me with a soft pop and my fur lies back down how it’s supposed to. I take a moment to pull my ponytail back where it belongs and blow my bangs out of my face. I land and walk over to the control room again, where he’s standing there with a clipboard and a sour expression on his face, “Look, if you worked for me, you would be fired for violating safety rules. But since I work for you, I’m kicking you off the job site. I know you mean well, Miss Loop. But you need training before you are out in the field with the other electricians.”

I nod, feeling the tears starting to well up in my ears, “I’m sorry, one of the fuses wasn’t fully seated. I was just trying to help.”

His face softens and he kneels down to be the same height, “Well, at least you didn't say, I don't know what went wrong." He chuckles, "The rules are in place for your safety, we have them so everyone on this crew will head home at the end of the day in the same condition as they arrived. You may have experience in office work, but you don’t know what’s going on out here. I was told you would be doing what Dust did, helping the various crews. And I really do appreciate it, but until you’ve completed the necessary training, you are a danger to myself and my crew. Do you understand?”

I nod, reading his name on his hardhat, “I understand Mr. Rehm.”

Then he smiles, “We’ll be heading out for supper in about an hour, why not join us there. And since you are the boss, why not pick up the guys meals. They always appreciate free food.”

“Pizza?”

He chuckles, “I know a really good place in town, we will meet you there, okay?”

I nod as I take to the sky again.

***

Night Tide nearly breaks his door as he slams it shut. He shrugs out of his day bag and places his phone on its charger. He sits down in the entryway and sniffles a few times. He can hear his wife in the kitchen, even with his unpredictable hours, she always has supper ready when he gets home. He looks at his phone, she probably has something on it that alerts her that he’s getting close. That gets a smile out of him, he takes a moment to compose himself before trotting into the living room.

“Daddy!” comes a scream, he braces himself as his daughter crashes into him, he spreads his wings to wrap them around her as she crashes into him. No matter how bad a day he’s had. No matter how much crap he has to deal with, an enthusiastic greeting from his little girl always makes it better. Even if she’s fifteen now.

He holds his daughter close, “My little Typha.” He murmurs into her mane as he hugs her.

“Hey Honey!” His wife’s voice floats from the kitchen, “Have a good day?”

He growls, “No.” He squeezes his daughter tightly, getting a cute squeak from her, “But home is always better.”

The light gray unicorn with a much darker gray mane trots out of the kitchen, nuzzling him, “New case?”

He shakes his head, “No, continuing another one.”

She stops, “The one you talked about, the pegasus and the unicorn?”

He growls as he lets go of his daughter and spreads his wings, “Yeah.” He takes to the air and heads towards his room, “I need a shower.”

Apple Polish watches her husband as he retreats towards their bedroom. She looks at Typha, “Sweetie, get the table set.”

She bounds into the air herself, “Sure thing, Mom.” Her wings take her into the dining room.

In the shower, Tide lets the water play over his body. Steam immediately fogs up the mirror. He reaches out a wing and grabs the soap. He closes his eyes as he rubs the soap over his body, letting the suds work into his fur. After a long time enjoying the water, he sighs and turns it off. A good hard shake takes care of most of the wetness of his fur, he touches a pad and a blower roars to life, steaming him dry. Five minutes later he slides open the glass door and steps out into the bathroom proper. He takes a towel and clears off the mirror, looking at himself. He stares into his eyes for a long time, then he flaps his long ears a couple of times and puts on a smile. He opens the door and walks to the dining room, he takes his chair and looks at his family. While the norm in Equestria and with most earth bound ponies was a herd with multiple adults, Apple Polish and he have always preferred just the two of them. He keeps his pasted smile on his wife as he slips a spoon’s strap onto his hoof and digs into the vegetable stew. He takes a bite and the flavor spreads across his tongue, “So…” He looks at his wife, “How was your day?”

She shrugs, “It was normal. Spent all day on the computer, had two video conferences with clients, and just in general kept busy.”

“New clients?”

She nods, “Yeah, might turn into some pretty big accounts.”

He is able to make his smile genuine at this point, “I’m so glad to hear that, love.” He turns to his daughter, who is busily spooning the stew into her mouth, “How was school?”

“I can’t wait to graduate!” She growls.

He smiles, “You are pretty close to having the credits, aren’t you?”

She looks down, “I should have enough credits by the end of this semester.”

Apple Polish looks at her, “So, you are still planning on graduating early?”

She nods, “Yeah.”

“College plans?”

She looks unsure for a moment, “I was thinking of spending some time in Manehattan. There is a good university there.”

“So, you are going to Equestria?” Tide says softly.

She nods, “I think so. I’m not certain, though. I’m still trying to decide.”

Apple Polish sets her drink on the table and looks at Tide, “So, when are you going to tell us what’s eating you?”

He sighs, “This is an open investigation, Pol…”

She cocks her head to the side, “And you know I never discuss what you tell me with anyone at all. You know it helps you to tell your family.”

He sighs, and the rage he has been feeling for hours now bubbles to the surface, tears start to stream, “We had a third victim. We’ve had to notify the portal complex. A safety briefing is now required for all ponies coming through the portal to Earth. There is a serial killer on the loose, and they are after ponies.”

This get gasps from Typha and Pol, Pol reaches out a hoof and touches her husband’s hoof, he shudders as he continues, “This time, we got an earth pony mare. It was a body dump, just like the other two.”

Pol looks intently at her husband, “An earth pony, the first was a pegasus with the wings removed, the second was a unicorn that had her horn removed, what was removed from the earth pony, her hooves?”

Tide shudders and shakes his head, “She was ten months pregnant. The mutt cut her foal out of her, while she was alive.”

“I would love to get my hooves on him.” Typha growls, getting Tide to come back to himself.

He looks at her a long time, “Typha, this person is dangerous. I want you with friends any time you are outside.” He looks at Pol, “And Apple Polish, you need to stay home, do your telecommuting where you have to. But if you are outside, I want you with someone you trust.” He smiles a bit, “Like me, sometimes.”

She pushes his wing with a hoof, “I always like to be out with you, love.”

He pushes a tomato around the broth, “This person.” He slams a hoof on the table, “No… This animal, needs to be found and stopped.”

“Has anything been sent to the Princesses?”

He nods, “Yeah, they’ve been appraised of the situation, and the response was simple, ‘We have the greatest trust in the New York Police Department to catch this evil individual. Any and all requested help will be provided.’”

Pol’s ears flatten back, “That is pretty heavy, they’ll send you Royal Guards, either from New Beginnings, or from Equestria itself. You will catch him.”

He sighs, “That’s the problem, we don’t have any evidence, any clues, any leads to follow. This person is meticulous, he doesn’t leave any hair, any fingerprints, anything to allow us to identify him. We have no clue where he’s accessing the dating websites he is finding these ponies on.”

“Huh?” Typha says, “Dating websites?”

He looks at her, “Quite a few dating and matchmaking sites specifically designed to have ponies and humans, or equestrian ponies and ponies here be able to meet up. We found dozens of profiles that could be him. But our attempts to trace the IP address have been met with so many twists and turns, our best computer analysts couldn’t make heads or hooves of the results. We are essentially at square one, with three dead bodies, and more to come.”

Typha looks at her meal, “I’m done.” She announces quietly, “Can I go?”

Tide looks at her, “Of course, sweetie, but I want a hug first.”

She moves around the table and hugs her dad tightly, putting her wings around him and holding him tightly, “You’ll catch him. I know you will, you always catch ‘em.”

He squeezes her tightly, letting her know he heard her. Then she drops onto all fours. She trots up the stairs, two levels, to her room. She closes the door. Her homework beckons, but she has most of it done already, and she could always finish it up during study hall tomorrow. She pulls up the lid of her laptop computer, and takes a moment to log in. Her wings deftly typing on the keys, “Best pony dating sites,” She murmurs to herself as she types. The search engine automatically brings up a list of results. She scrolls through the results for a few moments, then one catches her eye, “Ponyfinder.com” She finds herself giggling, “Whether in Equestria or on Earth, ponies and humans can find love with each other.” She starts clicking, “Pony…mare…age…” She figures a little white lie would be okay, she adds three years to her real age, “eighteen…” A couple more clicks and she enters in her debit card information. She’s had her own bank account for several years now, money from her chores, as well as money for foalsitting and other odd jobs she has had over the years has her with enough for this. She enters in her tribe, and a few other bits and pieces of data. She has to laugh as she fills out that she’s looking for a human male. She likes humans, for the most part, but in an adult context, just ewww.

She scrolls through the results of her search, “I wonder if he finds them, or they found him.” She murmurs as she goes through the results. Quite a while of clicking around really yields no results. She finally pushes her chair back from her desk. She looks out her window, noting the sounds of the city that never sleeps, and she finally huffs and trots from her room, instead of down, she trots up the stairs, to the attic storage room, she slips out the door onto the large flat roof of her home. She looks at the garden her mother has been growing up top here, her mom really likes to spend time up here during the day, taking care of the vegetable plants she’s been growing.

She closes her eyes, remembering a conversation she had with her father. It was a few months before…

He looked at her, “Sweetie, you are aren’t batmare. You don’t solve crimes in the night.” He rubs her mane a bit, “You are a filly, and my little girl.”

She growled and pushed his hoof away, “I can help, I’m good at helping.”

Only to get gathered into his wings, he nuzzled her, “Sweetie, wait to grow up. You’ll have plenty of time to help. When you are ready.”

She opens her eyes, “I was ready then, Dad. And I’m going to help right now.” Night time isn’t ideal for pegasi to fly, they usually only prefer to fly during the day, so the skies are pretty clear of fliers right now. She spreads her leathery wings, her eyes widening to let more light in, her tufted ears flicking, noting every sound around her, she leaps into the air, her wings getting into a strong rhythm, not like a pegasus, but like the pony she is, a thestral, or bat pony. She scans the streets underneath her as she flies, “I’ll find you, you son of a bitch.” She murmurs as she heads towards the upper west side. Her dad is upset about ponies getting killed, well, she’ll help, wherever she can.

Chapter 1. Thrown for a Loop

***Just after Midnight, June 1st 2020***

“You’re crazy! What can you hope to do?”

Struggling into the Wonderbolt uniform is more of a chore than she thought it would be. It’s not hers to begin with. She found it in the ruins of the old barracks. Pulling the hood on, she spreads her wings and looks to her side.

“I know you won’t understand this Nimby, but I need to. I had a dream.”

“We all have dreams Loopy, but they don’t involve suicide.” Nimbus says as she shakes her head, her deep blue eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Looking back at her flank, Loop de Loop shakes her head. “You don’t understand. Something tells me this is my time. It’s my purpose, my chance to make a difference. I can feel it in my cutie mark.”

“Look you’re just one pegasus, maybe if we go find some of the other unicorns…” Nimby pleads, “What if I go with you?”

“There isn’t time Nimby, and you’re not fast enough. I have the potions from the zebra’s and the deer. I have to do this.” Giving one final hug to Nimby, Loopy smiles, “You’ve always been there for me, I love you with all my heart for it, but this I have to do alone.”

Turning, she spreads her wings and shoots off, she has to act. She has to, right now. The dream told her this, her cutie mark is telling her this. Something about today is important, more important than any day, ever.

Her wings pump hard as she flies as fast as she can. Twenty-five years, it has been twenty-five years since the fall of Equestria. Twenty-five years of chaos, torment and torture. Twenty-five years since Rainbow Dash and Spitfire taught her to fly, taught her how to be a speedster, how to be the kind of pegasus she is. Twenty-five years since they told her someday, she would be as fast as them. Twenty-five years since Lighting Dust had told her she was special.

Diving hard, she reaches into her satchel, pulling out a black bottle. She knows where he is. He is near, she knows it. Her cutie mark is warm, this time is special. The zebras did what they could in secret, they gave her several trinkets, for protection they said. They gave her potions, chaos for the chaos bringer. It won’t be enough to stand against the Lord of Chaos. But she will stand against him, she has to.

There he is, she knew he would be there, right now. There is her target! She swoops towards the ambling draconequus. As she gets close, she throws the bottle at Discord. As the bottle smashes at his feet, she breaks into a hard spiral. The smashed bottle erupts, filling the air with green smoke. Discord lowers his dark sunglasses and tilts his head as the pegasus spirals away. Moments later, she turns and throws another bottle.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” The draconequus chuckles as his head splits in two, letting the bottle pass between. “Bored with your existence?”

The bottle shatters on the ground behind Discord.

“Yep, so I’m bringing some chaos to the world. It’s gotten too predictable.” The pegasus laughs as vines explode up from where the bottle landed and wrap around Discord.

“The insolence, do you realize who you’re messing with?” Discord calls out, ripping free of the vines just as anther bottle explodes at his feet, covering him with plaid goo.

“Yep, someone who preaches chaos, but really only wants order of their own making.” Loopy does her best not to fly in any straight line. She lives up to her name; loops, spirals, spins, and turns. She keeps her movements as random as she can. She buzzes him at full speed, “Tag, you’re it.” She calls as she slams a hoof into one of his horns.

Turning and shooting straight up, she begins playing, dodging between and around the crazy clouds. She keeps changing her direction. Every time she loses sight of Discord, she’d pick a new direction to spiral in. He is chaos incarnate, but even chaos has patterns, if you know how to look.

The draconequus screams in frustration and several clouds explode into fireworks. One cloud turns into a very confused whale, before it falls to the ground. Several others turn into fluffy white sheep, who scream like hyenas as they fall, though one does a scream that Loopy remembers from movies, when she was little, she remembered that one of the adults called it a Wilhelm scream. All the while, Discord’s mocking laughter fills the air. “Here little pegasus, you can’t hide forever.”

“I’m not hiding! I’m out in the open. It’s not my fault all your silly junk is in the way.” Loopy calls out.

Snarling, Discord snaps his fingers, making all the clouds vanish. “AH! There you are.”

“What? You have to bring order to the sky to find me? So much for you enjoying your chaos, huh?” The pegasus taunts, panting. She’s been giving it her all, and flying for a while now. She doesn’t know why, but she knows she has to keep him focused on her. She must keep him occupied. It’s what the dream had brought her, she doesn’t know how much longer she can keep this up. But every minute she does, it makes her feel she’s doing exactly what she needs to do.

Shooting off, she flies away from him, zigzagging and dropping potions, all the while laughing, she can’t control herself, she just has to laugh, especially seeing Discord getting so angry from her antics.

“If you weren’t so annoying, this would be fun.” Discord says, appearing in front of her in the air.

Spiraling around him and away she giggles, “Says the expert in annoying.”

“Why are you wearing a Wonderbolt uniform? You were never one of them.” Discord says as he appeare in front of the pegasus again, only to have her dive below him.

“I wear this in their honor, I learned to fly from them.” Twirling around, she finds herself facing Discord again, this time though, there is no escape. His lion paw flashes out, and grabs her by her neck. “And I will die with them.” She struggles out.

“Oh don’t worry, I don’t kill ponies. Your little games offered nothing more than a distraction to… a distraction.” Discord looks off into the distance, she watches his face intently, a dozen emotions flash over his features, then his face smooths out, “A distraction… You little cur. You thought you could buy time for them. How did they reopen the gate without me? The potions, well no matter. This is my world now. I will deal with them.”

Gasping for breath, the mare looks up at the sky. Even through the chaos, she can see the stars. “I believe in you Dash. I believe in you Dust.”

“But first, you.” Discord growls.

“Five Score divided by four”

***Almost twenty five years later***

The alarm clock is blaring, I blink sleep out of my eyes and reach for the offensive object, I slap the end table, my fingers barely brush the clock, then I adjust my aim, hitting the big snooze button on the top of it, though it doesn’t feel like hard plastic.

“Ow.” Comes the voice from the other bed.

I look at the alarm clock, Kendra still has her hand on the alarm clock too. I must have hit her hand. I smile, “Sorry.”

She grumbles at me then flips the covers off, “I gotta pee.” She mumbles as she stumbles to the bedroom. I flop back onto my back, and look up at the ceiling.

I hear water running in the bathroom, and Kendra’s voice floats out of the bathroom, “You ready, Dusty?”

The pony laying at the end of Kendra’s bed pops her head up, she tosses her two tone blue and white mane, “Heck yeah.”

A grumble from the bathroom, “I need to get some more sleep, talk about crazy dreams.”

That causes my eyes to go wide, “Crazy dreams?”

“Mh hmm.”

“Care to tell me more?”

“Nuh uh.”

“Oh, come on, Kendra, give.” Diamond Dust pleads. Only to get a groan from the girl in the bathroom. Dustie looks at me, “What, did you have a bad dream, Mary?”

I nod.

“Want to tell me about it?”

I flush and shake my head, I don’t remember much of it anymore, just a vague feeling. I don’t know what it means.

Dusty hops off the bed, trotting in place, “I can’t believe we are here!” She stops after a moment, then bounds over to me, giving me a hug, “Thank you Mary. You rock.”

I hug her back, “Love ya, ya pink pony.”

Shortly, we switch places, and I get to relieve the pressure on my own bladder. I can hear Kendra picking up our packs and placing them on the bed. She wants to get moving. We are heading into Rapid City today. All this for our friend, Diamond Dust. She’s heading to the South Dakota mining school, with her cutie mark of three brilliant cut gems, she’s a natural gem finder. So she wants to do what her cutie mark is telling her. She’s twenty, an earth born unicorn, with a father who’s an earth pony, and her mom is a unicorn, both of them live in Texas, at the pony settlement there, but she and Kendra were friends when they both were younger. Then she shows up at Kendra’s door a few years ago. We’ve been fast friends since.

Soon we’ve made it downstairs, Kendra handles the checkout while I grab our bikes. Fairly new dirt bikes, though they are street legal. Both have 50 kilowatt batteries connected to a forty horse electric motor. With them, we can cruise through the streets at a pretty rapid clip. I pull my helmet onto my head, and put my key in, engaging the drive. Soon Kendra bounces out of the hotel and hops on her bike. She puts her key in.

“Kendra, helmet.” I say, for about the thousandth time.

She giggles as she puts hers on, “You never forget it, don’t you?”

I chuckle as I check the small trailer attached to my bike, DD’s magic chimes as her helmet floats off the trailer onto her head, and she hops up into the trailer. She takes a moment to get settled into the trailer. She giggles, “Just call me Scootaloo.”

That gets a grin from me as I mount my bike. With a quick look behind me, to make sure Dustie is ready to go, I accelerate slowly, I get my feet onto the pegs as I hear the whine of Kendra’s bike accelerating.

The trip takes most of an hour. During the trip, I look up, noting the three pegasi that are flying, pushing clouds around. The weather channel at the cabin said there would be a scheduled rain shower today. We need to be back here before the rain starts. It’s always nice knowing when it’s going to rain, with certainty.

We end up in Rapid City, and soon we are at the School of Mines, Technology and Magic. The last parts is because of an outreach started from New Beginnings. As the pony population has grown over the last twenty-five years, they’ve been active in training the thousands of humans that have manifested magic themselves. And the school of mines here is the best for a thousand miles.

Dustie steps off the trailer and pulls off her helmet, she sets it back in the trailer and straps it down as I lower my kick stand and lean my bike over. Kendra has bounced over to Dustie, and the unicorn has reared up for a hug, I hear her murmur into Kendra’s ear, “Happy birthday, and thanks.” Getting a blush from the blonde woman.

Dustie comes over to me and rears up once again, “Thank you, Mary. And happy birthday to you.”

I hug the pony tightly, “Have fun.”

She lands back on four hooves, “I’m only going to be here for six months. I’ll be back home before you know it.”

The rest of our good bye’s go quickly. I stand there for a moment, watching the mare with her saddle bags, walk into the school. I turn to Kendra, “Well, our birthday is in two days, how do you want to celebrate?”

She giggles, “Let’s go to Red Lobster.”

I roll my eyes, “You go there every birthday! I mean seriously, every year, it’s Red Lobster and a movie.”

She puts her arm around me, “You love the crab too, Mary. And you love the movies I choose. I’ll spring for the hotel tonight, okay?”

I sigh, “Yes, I do. On to crab!”

We take off.

***

Loopy hugs her pillow tightly and she just bawls, streams of tears flowing from her eyes. She hugs her pillow as tightly as she can and she trembles as she cries her heart out.

“It’s okay, Loopy.” Nimby climbs up on the bed beside her. “She’s just a big bad meanie.”

“But… she… said…” Loopy gasps for air through tears as she speaks, “I should… drop… out…”

Nimby cuddles up tighter to Loopy, “Dash didn’t, and we both like her.”

Loopy nods slowly, sniffling. “I like Dash.”

“Please don’t give up on flying. I may never make the junior speedsters, but you might.” Nimby gives Loopy a huge hug and snuggles closer to her.

“Maybe it will be just Dash tomorrow.” Nimby looks up at the pictures of the Wonderbolts on Loopy’s wall.

Nodding slowly Loopy sniffles again. “Maybe.”

“So you’ll come back tomorrow? For me? So I don’t have to be alone?” Nimby hugs her tightly again.

“I… For you.” Loopy nods slowly.

***

I don’t need the alarm this morning, the sun streaks through the hotel room window. I slowly get to my feet, Kendra is mumbling in her sleep, I swear, both of us are having odd dreams of late. I look at my friend, sleeping on the other bed. She’s six feet tall, eight inches taller than I am. She’s got that midwestern US look, big boobs, bright blonde hair, and enough freckles for ten people. She’s pretty to my plain, I just have dark hair, and dark eyes, thanks to my half Chinese ancestry.

I sit down on the bed, cross my legs and close my eyes, I very rarely remember dreams, and this last one was no different. I just have a feeling of uneasiness. I sigh, it’s now May thirty-first. One day before my birthday. One day before Kendra’s birthday. We were both born too late to be ponies, Discord was defeated on June first, twenty-five years ago. This world has gone through a massive upheaval with the ponies appearing. We now have diplomatic relations with Equestria, and with Equestrian help, our climate has been tamed, even the Sahara is becoming a lush jungle. The ponies in the project point out that the Sahara used to be like that, and they are simply restoring it to how it used to be. The first colony on Mars has just been set up, and there is a colony on the moon that has been up and running for nearly ten years now. Ponies have helped the humans more than we will ever realize. Though some humans still don’t see that.

Kendra sits up abruptly, “Nimbus!” She calls out. I look at her, cocking my head to the side. She blinks several times then looks over at me, “That was an odd dream. I wasn’t in my body. That is so weird.”

That name triggers something inside me, “Nimbus?”

Kendra shakes her head, “I’m sorry, Mary. I can’t remember more than that. It’s already fading.”

I cock my head to the side, “That name seems so familiar.”

She nods as she tosses her covers and stands up, I feel a pang of jealousy, I look down at my chest, I don’t even wear a bra most of the time, I don’t really need it. My grandmother says I should, but I hate those things. Kendra has to wear boulder holders, I move over to help her get her bra on.

“Thanks, Mary, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

That gets a chuckle from me, “You’d go around without one, and end up having them hang down to your knees.” That gets me a whap upside the head, and I tickle her ribcage in response.

Soon we are back on our bikes, back to the Pactola reservoir. As we are driving, we come around a bend in the road and pass a slow moving motor home. I glance in the window of the home and see an earth pony, his hooves on the modified controls of the RV. I smile. Ponies are absolutely everywhere. After about a half hour, we turn off of 385, and end up turning into Bear Gulch campground. We head over to the docks. She’s there. My baby is floating right where I left her yesterday. She’s backed up to the dock, ready to go. I get off my bike and roll it to the door, my key opens up the door and I roll the bike inside. Kendra pops her bike over the small gap between the dock and the door.

“Latch the bikes down, I’ll free us.” I call as I duck out the door. A few bills pass between me and the proprietor of the campgrounds, a full tank of fuel, a night in a cabin, and berthing for my baby. I rush back and untie two ropes. I get the ropes secured and hop inside, slamming and latching the door.

“Can’t wait to get going?”

Kendra smiles at me as I sit down, she hands me my headset. She’s already closed the breaker to get power to the instruments, I check the fuel/air mixture and call out, “Starting one.” I push the button and the port engine whines a bit as it starts. The fifteen year old engine catches quickly and roars to life.

I smile and call out again, “Starting two.” Soon both engines are idling happily. I goose the throttle a bit and my 1954 Grumman Wigeon idles into deeper water. I’ve got over a mile of lake ahead of me.

I push the throttles forward and the relatively new engines surge the plane through the water. Water has a lot more drag than wheels rolling on tarmac, so I accelerate slowly, but soon I’ve got enough lift, I pull gently back on the wheel and I’m out of the water. The grin on my face widens as I climb out. Flight, I love to fly, more than anything else in the world. I glance over at Kendra in the co-pilot’s seat, she’s got the same smile on her face that I do.

I switch my radio to regional control and request an update.

After a few moments, the voice comes back, “N-1M6Y, you are clear for your run, though be advised, there is a flock of pegasi heading south from New Beginnings, they are heading south for tornado season.”

I smile, “Copy that.”

I look over at Kendra, “Pegasi, a whole flock.”

She out the windows, “I wonder if we’ll actually see them.”

I chuckle, “I doubt it. They would have to be really close.”

My Wigeon has an unusual paint scheme, the underside is a dark purple, and then she’s the original sky blue, with purple accents on the engine nacelles and leading edges of the wings and the underside of the pontoons. Add to that, Kendra had painted a figure on each side of her nose. We are heading home, I was happy to give Diamond Dust a lift for her school, though I’ll admit, I can’t wait to have her back. I adjust our course a bit, checking my GPS. I’m about eight thousand feet above the ground. It’s a beautiful VFR day. I keep my eyes scanning the instruments, A good amount from my first settlement payment went into buying my baby, she had been refurbished three times, the most recent was by a unicorn who cleared all the metal fatigue and certified that the frame is as good as new, she cost me a pretty penny. But she’s all mine. I glance back, “Kendra, did you plug in the bikes?”

She looks at me for a moment, then giggles, “Oh, sorry.” She climbs out of the co-pilot seat and grabs the cords off the wall charger, the engines produce enough electric power for a full glass cockpit, but the instruments on this plane are of the older, traditional, variety, enabling me to have a charger for the bikes on board. Along with other little things that make my plane awesome. Kendra plugs in our bikes, and finally sits down again.

“They were only down to sixty percent with all the riding we did.”

I roll my eyes, “Keep the batteries charged, that makes our lives easier.”

She scans the sky, “I know.”

About an hour later, Kendra leans forward, “There they are!” She shouts as she points.

I look in the indicated direction, about a thousand feet below us, though on the same heading. Hundreds of pegasi are in formation.

“They are so beautiful!” Kendra murmurs as she watches the pegasi, we are going a bit faster than they are, so soon we are ahead of them.

Kendra looks at me, “You ever think of doing the three day spell?”

I look at her sharply? “To be a pony for three days? Isn’t that usually used for procreation within families?”

She nods, “It’s pretty easy to get a unicorn to change you, temporarily at least. But if you aren’t in a herd with ponies, they charge a lot.” She plays with her phone, finding the ad, then shows it to me.

I gasp, “I could buy fuel for three months at that rate.”

She nods.

I shake my head, “The unicorn doesn’t determine what tribe you are, they say it’s something about you that determines what you end up being. What if I end up being a unicorn, or an earth pony? That would be such a letdown, I would want to be a pegasus.”

She nods, “I dunno, unicorns are pretty cool, but I agree, pegasi are awesome.”

We are interrupted by a pegasus buzzing the plane. I look around, to each side, I’ve got pegasi everywhere. One is right on the edge of my wing, she seems to be pointing at the nose. I nod and wave, she rocks back and forth, so I tilt the wheel a hair in each direction, rocking my wings as well.

I look at Kendra, who’s face is glued to the other window, “There are a lot of them!”

Several streak straight up. Then I hear a thunk behind me, one of the pegasi has landed on my plane. I hear the hoof steps and the pony’s head pops down, and smiles at me. I look at the mare in shock, she’d have to have nerves of steel to be that close to the props on this plane. The mare climbs onto the nose of the plane, turns around, and sits down, looking at us.

I look at Kendra, who looks at me, “She’s got balls, doesn’t she?” Kendra says.

I shake my head, “She’s a mare, she doesn’t have…” And get a punch to the shoulder from Kendra.

“Well, let’s see what they want to do.”

Kendra looks at me, “Don’t you dare.”

I grin hugely and roll the plane slowly in an aileron roll. I keep the interior of the plane meticulously clean, so nothing bounces around, my charts and my tablet are securely strapped down. Kendra wails as I get back to level.

“What’s amatter, scared?”

I get another punch to the shoulder, a bit harder this time, “No.”

“Well, I guess I should scare you then.” Without waiting for a response, I dive the plane, keeping an eye on the pegasus on my nose. She’s got a huge smile on her face as I approach my never exceed speed, then I pull back on the yoke, my plane is now vertical, I rotate the plane as I climb, laughing. The pegasus laughs as well, and she gathers herself and jumps off my plane. Then four ponies streak from behind me, passing me at nearly the speed of sound.

I look over at Kendra, “I think the ponies like the artwork you put on the nose.”

She looks at me, “I’m not drawing another pegasus on a plane again. I was just following your directions.”

I giggle, “Don’t worry, I’m not changing the color scheme for my baby any time soon.”

I get a wave from the apparent lead pegasus as they change direction, which is fine with me, because I have got to turn more east myself.

***

Ahhh, home sweet home, El Dorado, Kansas. I moved here to live with my grandmother, after my parents were killed, I moved from New York City, where I could see ponies every day, to this tiny town in Kansas, the only ponies I regularly saw, until Diamond Dust came to town, were the earth ponies that help the local farmers. In fact, with earth pony help, farms around here are producing more food, at less cost, with higher profit margins than farmers have seen in generations. I bust through some low clouds on my approach, El Dorado Lake is in front of me. And soon I’m gently setting my baby down in the lake. I’m actually very lucky, my grandmother owns lakefront property, with a dock, so I can park my plane here any time. I coast slowly through the water and get to the dock, I turn and then reverse the propellers, using the throttles to direct me up to the dock. Kendra hops out and grabs the ropes, she ties my plane to the dock as I power down the engines. I look at my fuel gauges, I’m going to have to fuel up, though that is easy. When I bought the plane, my grandmother asked me where I planned on keeping it, I told her at the dock, so she made me put a tank in, with a pump and hoses so I can fuel up at home without a problem. I thank her in my head all the time when I’m fueling up at home. And once in a while, I thank her in person too.

I flip the local switch for the fuel pump and climb up on the fuselage so I can access my fuel tanks. I take the cap off and shove the nozzle where it belongs. I squeeze the handle and fuel streams into my tanks. My plane has capacity for a hundred and eight gallons, this time, I’m going to use about eighty, she may sip fuel, but she still needs to be fueled up. I make a mental reminder to call the fuel company to deliver another five hundred gallons of JP4 for me.

Kendra bounces out of the plane and runs to her truck, “Seeya tomorrow Mary.” She calls over her shoulder, her pack on her back. I smile as she fires up her Ford, she backs out of her parking spot and pulls away, I can hear her turning down the dirt road and accelerating towards her family farm. I smile as the loud pipes of her diesel truck fade from my hearing.

Finally the tank is full, I pull out the nozzle and hang it in its place, flip the switch on the pump, and reach in and grab my pack. I bounce to my house, “Evening Grandma!”

She turns from her stove, “Have fun up north?”

I nod, “I’m really tired.”

She holds out a hand, “Not until you eat, child.”

“I’m twenty-five years old, Grandma.”

“Not until tomorrow, and even then, you’ll still be a child, to me. Now eat.”

I sigh and settle down, how she is always ready to feed me I’ll never know, but I always love my grandmother’s cooking.

Chapter 18. A Tree Grows in...

New Beginnings, Montana

The door to the playground of the elementary school in New Beginnings, Montana opens to disgorge over a hundred foals and a few humans. Happy cries sound out, showing that some free time is now available. Some earth ponies grab a hoofball and set up an impromptu hoofball game like they’ve done nearly every day during the school year. Behind the rest of the crowd, Dizzy Twister trots out with her friends, not really all that worried about cutie marks today; math and science are the subjects stressing them out at the moment.

But forget all that, it’s time to blow off some steam. Zap Apple and Berry Breeze both spread their wings and streak off; at the same time, Dizzy’s horn glows softly, her aura expands around her body, and she streaks off with her friends. She’s not very good at flying with her magic—if she gets too fast or too high, her ears start to hurt—but she can play with her friends with that.

One of the few humans catches the ball that was just thrown to him. His hands glow a bright purple, and the ball accelerates towards the pegasus that had tossed the ball to him. He looks up and drops to the ground with a yelp as Dizzy nearly crashes into him. Jumping up, he snarls at her and shouts, “Watch it!”

Dizzy lets her magic fade, dropping lightly to the ground and turning towards the human. “I’m sorry, Alex. I’m still working on controlling this.”

Berry comes up and nuzzles her friend. “You are getting a lot better at controlling your magic flight, Dizzy.”

Alex crouches down in front of Dizzy. “You can actually fly with your magic? No wings?”

Dizzy nods happily. “Oh, yeah! It’s fun!” She looks off to the side. “It’s kinda hard to do, but it’s fun!” She giggles and surrounds herself with her aura, zooming around a little bit. She skids a bit as she lands but she smiles at Alex. “See?”

“How do you do that?”

She giggles. “It’s not easy.” She starts to describe the spell to him, and after a few minutes of her explaining, he finally is able to envelope his body with his aura.

“Now comes the hard part,” Dizzy says once he is entirely glowing with a purple aura, “You don’t just lift yourself. That’s impossible. You have to push on what’s around you.”

He looks confused. “On the ground under me?”

She shakes her head. “Not really. It is a component, but if you are a couple of thousand feet up in the air, like if you were on a cloud and it got busted underneath you? Knowing the cloud walking spell won’t do anything there. You have to push against everything around you. Against space, against the air around you, against everything.”

He looks thoughtful. “So, you are essentially pushing against everything? Even empty space?”

She nods excitedly. “Exactly!”

He frowns. “But how do you do that?”

She giggles and starts to explain. At first, his face is clouded in confusion. Then, after a short time, he finds himself nodding. Again, his aura slowly envelopes his body and he lifts off the ground, slowly… shakily… but he manages it. Dizzy giggles as she glows herself and streaks off, her pegasi friends flying behind her. Alex frowns and concentrates, and after a moment, he jerkily moves forward. A little more, and he’s actually starting to get some speed. He smiles and looks ahead, noticing he’s heading towards the brick wall of the school. He panics and puts out his hands, trying to cushion his landing, but he’s built up too much speed. Dizzy stops in shock as she sees the human crash into the wall. She streaks down to the ground to see Alex holding his arm, writhing in pain. Tears are leaking from his eyes. “I think it’s broke.” He gasps.

Dizzy jerks her hoof back from trying to touch him. “I’m so sorry.” She moans.

Two teachers are galloping over, promptly picking up Alex with their magic. To Dizzy’s surprise, he looks over at her and, despite the pain, smiles at her. “Thanks. I’ll have to work on my landings, though.” He chuckles.

Berry puts a wing over the unicorn foal. “He’ll be okay. They’ll have him at the hospital and they’ll fix him right up.”
Dizzy looks at her friend, unable to speak. Zap comes up and nuzzles her friend, as well. “You taught him so easily, you should be able to get a teaching cutie mark.”

Dizzy looks at her flank—it’s still blank—then sighs. “I guess not.”

***

Ahh, I’ve always loved Saturdays. I’m driving the car this time, thanks to some work by Ms. Harshwhinny in making a reservation for a pony-friendly car. I turn onto the street that Maria is living on and find a parking spot. Looking around, there seem to be quite a few cars parked up and down the street in front of Maria’s home.

“There are a lot of cars here, Loopy,” Kendra says worriedly, “I wonder if something is going on.”

I push the door open, immediately taking to the air. On the ground, Kendra walks next to me as we head towards the house. Worry is written all over her face as she leans over to me, quietly saying, “I think something is going on here.”

I nod. Both of us can easily hear the sound of music, and lots of voices are quite audible as well. Kendra knocks on the door, and after a moment, Rosa opens it. Her initial smile falters as she sees us, “Oh, you’re back?”

I nod. “I’m sorry to be so insistent, but she really needs to understand what is at stake here. A lot of people are depending on her—on what she can do.”

Rosa looks back into the house, then at us. “This really isn’t a good time; we’ve been planning this family party for months.” She looks back again. “I don’t know how many here would be happy having a pony and a witch come here.”

Kendra huffs, and Rosa puts up her hands. “Sorry. A weaver, right?”

I nod. “Please? It’s really important.” I pat my saddle bag. “I have some stuff here that will go bad soon. I grew up with the deer of the Everfree, so I know what’s possible for them, what she can do. I really need to show her.”

She sighs. “And you’re certain you can’t come another day?”

I sit down and curl my tail around me, let my ears flatten, and put on a full on pout. She looks at me for a long time, then smiles. “Okay, that cuteness could be considered a lethal weapon.” She giggles. “I know how conflicted she is. She didn’t sleep very well at all last night.” She sighs. “Maybe this would be good for her.”

That gets the beginnings of a smile from me, but then she crouches down and looks me straight in the eye. “I want Maria to be happy. If you upset her too much, you are gone. Do you understand me?”

I nod as she stands up and moves away. Gesturing for us to come inside, she points towards the back of the house and we walk through to the sliding glass back door. It’s shut at the moment, but I can see about a hundred people in the expansive back yard. I look at Kendra.
“Ready?” I ask softly.

Kendra nods and pulls the glass door to the side, allowing us to step out. At first, no one really notices us and I’m able to look around. Lots of humans are standing around, many with the ubiquitous cheap plastic cups. I can smell the various drinks all around, everything from soda and beer to some much stronger fare. The voices all seem pretty happy, especially the group of young children, who seem to be mostly running around and laughing. The older children are standing and talking as well, though quite a few seem to be paying attention to their mobile devices more than anything else. I find my ears perking forward—there’s Maria.

“What the hell is a pony doing here?” Comes a voice. I turn and look, seeing a man standing several feet away and staring at me with a very sour expression on his face. “This is a family gathering. Go away.”

I shy away from him, though his initial outburst has caused almost all the conversations to stop. I find my tail clamping to my rear as almost every eye focuses on Kendra and I. In a group of mostly darker skinned humans, Kendra’s pale skin sticks out like a sore hoof, and me being a pony is definitely more so. Kendra puts a hand on my withers and speaks up. “Rosa said we could visit Maria. It’s very important.”

Another voice calls out, female this time, “We don’t need ponies here. Go back where you came from.”

I steel myself and walk slowly towards Maria, who is watching us warily. I plaster a smile onto my face. “You remember what I was telling you?”

“Listen, I told you, I can’t help you.”

I look back at the humans. So far, they seem to be content to stand and look at me, then back at Maria. “Kendra told me about your dream. I can prove the truth of it.”

She flinches… yes, she remembers the dream vividly. That turns my smile much more real. I pull out my purchases out of my saddle bags and hold them up to her. “Do you know what all of this is, Maria?”

Something must have switched in her head, she actually steps forward, running a hand over the zap apple seeds. “These are equestrian, and they can be hard to get.”

I nod. “All of this is Equestrian, and you just have to know where to get it. All the pony settlements have stores that have this stuff. But this stuff specifically is special.” She frowns as I continue, “You said you are interested in chemistry…”

“Not Chemistry, Chemurgy. I’m replacing traditional chemistry with a more nature based substitute.”

That causes my smile to widen. “How very Equestrian of you, Maria.”

“I’m not Equestrian,” she says flatly.

I actually giggle. “Not in the way I am, but you have the blood running in you… and the power.” I pull out the flask. “I’ve already done the work for this. While Kendra was talking to you in the dream, I was doing some potion making last night.” I look at the flask. “Getting the heat right was crucial, but you would know that, now wouldn’t you…” I finish with a smile.

She looks confused as I take a small acorn and push it gently into the ground. “I learned potion making, but to use the potion? That’s where the magic truly comes in.” I balance on my rear hooves as I use my front hooves to open the flask and pour it onto the acorn that I just planted. I look at Maria. “This is the tricky part. When I was in the Everfree Forest, and around the deer, I was able to use their abilities because their magic suffused the entire area. I don’t have that here, but the important part is that I know how to do it. Come, join me and I’ll guide your abilities to do this.”

She steps forward hesitantly, my welcoming smile apparently working. Finally, I reach out a wing and touch her hand, gasping as the magnitude of her potential ability slams through me. Loud gasps erupt, not just from Maria and the other teens, but from the adults behind me as what I envision happens. I draw on her power and a couple of leaves sprout in seconds, then more. In moments, a tree is rapidly growing before us.

“You can feel it, can’t you?” I say softly. Maria jerkily nods. “I am the conduit for you, Maria. Make the tree grow.”

Suddenly, rough hands grab me and pull me away. I end up tumbling away from a human, hitting the ground hard. I shake my head and look up to see that a human male is restrained in Kendra’s magic. He’s jerking a bit as he tries to fight against the magic holding him, though Kendra’s magic isn’t holding his mouth shut.

“Get away from here! Your filthy magic has made this world worse. You aren’t wanted here!” he screams, only to have Kendra notice her oversight as her magic gags him.

I look at Maria, who is holding her elbow with her other hand and looking at the tree that continues to grow. I’m out of the magic now, and it should have stopped growing, but it isn’t—Maria is continuing the growth on her own. Her untrained abilities cause the tree to rapidly grow as another man pushes forward, yelling, “You fucking ponies, making the weather work! But it doesn’t work perfectly, does it? You missed the hurricane! You let it hit us while you were stopping the one that was going to hit Florida!” He spits, “I had a cousin die in that storm!”

I look at the tree growing, snaps and crackles announce its continued growth, I look at him, “I’m sorry about all of that, but I hadn’t even turned to a pony then.”

He snarls back, “You’re sorry! It doesn’t bring back those that shouldn’t have died because of you ponies’ negligence!” He shakes in Kendra’s tenuous grip.

I look at him and the other humans, but something else catches my attention. I step forward, raising my wings in alarm. “Maria, you’re doing too much! You need to stop!”

She doesn’t seem to hear me as the bark of the tree splits, showing living wood that rapidly turns gray. Leaves start to fall as I move forward, and the other humans close ranks, keeping me away from Maria.

“No… you don’t understand!” I find myself whining as the tree slumps over and splits, then a new shoot of fresh, live wood bursts upward out of the hump. I take to the air in alarm, only to watch Rosa charge over and tackle her niece. Finally, the tree settles to some sort of quiescence.

I zoom over the humans and land next to Maria. “Are you okay?”

She grips her head with a hand. “Yeah, I guess.”

“We’ll be having no more of that, Maria.” Rosa picks herself up slowly and turns to me. “She can’t go with you. Not after this. She’s my responsibility. Look at the tree! She’s not ready for the world or those abilities.”

I sigh and let my wings lift me off the ground. “Rosa, I’m serious here. She’s unlocked a part of herself. If you don’t let her be taught, by me and some of the Everfree deer that are here on Earth, her abilities will run out of control. She won’t be able to help it.”

“She won’t use her abilities if she’s told not to.” Rosa retorts, looking at the young lady who is watching the exploded tree slump under its weight as the magic fully fades from it.

“I want to go with them.” Maria says softly, then she turns to me. “This is what magic is?”

I nod. “Just one aspect of a whole world of magic, Maria.”

She looks at the humans all around. Many are looking at the tree in shock, though some are looking upset at the one man that is still held by Kendra. The rest are looking at Maria. She looks at me. “Yes, I will come with you.”

“No, she isn’t. Not without me.”

I look at Rosa. I really don’t have a problem with her coming along, but Maria shakes her head emphatically. “You’re needed here. You told me that patients will die. There is already enough of a nursing shortage.”

Rosa growls, “I need to take care of you, Maria.”

“I’m two weeks from turning seventeen, Auntie. I can do this. I’ve got a phone. I can talk to you whenever I want.”

I chime in, “I can cover for her to travel back here any time she wants. Gallup to Galveston isn’t all that bad.”

“No, she stays with you. I’m going to hold you, miss pony, personally responsible for her safety. Not some natives in New Mexico.”
“I’m not ready for that yet,” Maria says. She looks at the tree, then at me. “But I do need to learn. Can you teach me, Loop de Loop?”

I suppress the panic trying to rise, though I do land on my hooves as my wings snap to my sides. “I don’t know how much I can teach you, Lilac. The deer will want to teach you, and so will the elders in Gallup.”

“Maria. I think I want to stay Maria. That is my name, after all. And I’m going because of you, Loop de Loop—not anyone else.”

I smile. “Maria, I will do anything I can to help you.”

Kendra growls a little and walks over to the man. “Now, can I let you go?”

He nods frantically, still captured in her aura. She smiles and releases him. “Loopy, Maria, I think we should go.”

***

I smile at Maria in the rear view mirror as I tap the signal button, turning on the right turn indicator. In this area, the automated traffic systems are not really reliable as they are in some of the larger cities, so I am controlling the car directly. I glance at Kendra and wait for traffic to pass. In moments, I’ve made my turn and accelerate to the speed for Seawall Boulevard. Kendra turns back in her chair to chat with Maria, while I focus on the driving. One nice thing about being a pegasus is that my reflexes are a lot faster than they were as a human.

This drive to the airport feels like it’s taking way longer than it should as I pull up to a traffic light and wait. The traffic making the turn onto Seawall is quite busy, though it is interesting to look around and see the mix of older and newer styles of vehicles. As I look, I find my ears flattening and I gasp. A car in the northbound lane isn’t slowing down to stop. Kendra turns, hearing my gasp, then she shouts, “Watch out!”

The driver of the car doesn’t heed her warning as it’s slammed into by a large dump truck. The smaller car is flipped on its side and thrown onto the beach. Chaos ensues as the truck panic stops and snarls up all the traffic around. I push the transmission control to park and flip open the door. “Call 911!” I shout.

“Loopy, what are you doing?” Kendra screams as I spread my wings. I don’t bother answering as I take to the air and streak towards the stricken car. I land on the car, looking at the damage. The door is crushed into the frame, but I can look through the shattered window to see someone moving inside.

“Hold on, I’m gonna help you!” I call out as I hop off the car. It’s on its side, so I check the roof quickly—no access. I move around to the back window and quickly shatter the glass with a strong hoof strike, then use my hoof to clear enough glass away. I worm my way inside the car, immediately noticing the wailing of a baby next to me in the back passenger-side seat. I nuzzle the baby a bit, and he thankfully seems unharmed. I reach down, and get the buckle to his car seat into my mouth. Using my tongue and teeth, I manipulate it around a few seconds and it pops open. I wrap my wing around the baby and draw him away from the car seat.

“Loopy, are you okay?” I hear Kendra’s voice behind me.

I turn and pass the baby to her. “There’s someone else in here! Take the baby!” I shout as I worm back into the car. I check the driver and sigh—his side took the brunt of the impact. I put my back against him and look at the passenger seat. A young woman is there with her eyes closed and blood pouring down her face.

“Ah, damn,” I mutter as I press my fetlock against her throat. In a few breathy seconds, I relax a bit. She’s still alive… for now. I reach down and push the release for her seat belt, thanking Celestia that she was wearing it. It doesn’t release.

“Is she okay?” Comes a new voice. I look up—a young man has wormed his way inside the car with me, but his larger size is making it hard for him to move. He reaches forward.

“She’s alive, but the seat belt is jammed.”

He blindly reaches for the buckle, telling me, “The battery pack might have shorted out. The other side is smoking and might catch fire. We need to get out of the car.”

I shake my head. “She’s alive, and she’s going to stay that way if I have anything to do with it!” I grab the seat belt next to the buckle with my teeth and give an experimental tug. It doesn’t move, so I brace a hoof against the chair and pull a lot harder. The material stretches a little, but doesn’t break.

I spit it out and turn my head to the human. “Do you have a knife?”

He shakes his head. “I’ll see if I can get one.”

“Loopy!” I can hear Kendra’s voice, “The battery is on fire! I’m trying to stop it, but you need to get out!”

“I need a knife!” I shout, “The seat belt is jammed!”

A welcome sound greets my ears: a police car must have been nearby when the call went out. I look around. I don’t think I can drag the woman backwards, and I’m going to need help to get her out of the seatbelt anyway. I hit the glass of her window with a hoof without success. Glancing at the driver’s side I can see that the glass is only damaged where the frame is deformed. In front of me, the glass is pristine.

“What did they make this glass out of?” I murmur as I hit the glass several more times, not getting any result. Finally, I squirm enough to bring my hind legs to bear. A hard buck makes some progress, though the noise is deafening. I rear back and slam the glass again. A quick glance over my shoulder shows that it’s coming off its mounting.

“One… more… time!” I grunt as I balance on my front hooves and give one more hard buck to push the windshield out most of the way. I put a wing against each seat, push hard, and finally the windshield clatters to the ground. Move over, I feel the woman start to stir.

“Wha’ happen?” comes her muffled voice. Her eyes slowly open and she tries to focus on me. The car is starting to heat up.

“It’s okay. I’m Loopy,” I say, “I’m going to help you get out.”

She looks at me, then her eyes go wide. “Johnathan!” she screams.

“Your baby?” I say forcefully, keeping her attention on me. She nods, getting a smile from me as my ears perk forward. “He was the first gotten out. He’s safe, away from the car.”

She looks at her lap, then feels her body a bit, which I notice. “Are you in pain?”

She nods, so I put a wing out, pushing her head against the head rest. “Try not to move. We have to get this seat belt off, and the catch is stuck.”

I feel someone beside me. “This car is going to be fully on fire. We need to get her out,” comes a new voice. He’s wearing a blue shirt, and I can see a badge on his chest. He reaches out a hand to touch the neck of the driver, though the way the man’s head is hanging, it’s a lost cause.

“Do you have a knife?”

He nods and flicks open a pocket knife, then reaches in.

The woman looks toward the driver’s seat. “Oh God, Andrew!” She starts to sob.

I move forward as the police officer starts cutting the tough material of the seatbelt, putting my forehooves on each cheek and forcing her to look at me. “I know, but we need to focus on you getting out of this car. I’m not leaving you.”

“Almost... got… it!” the officer says triumphantly as the seat belt goes slack. I wrap my hooves around the woman and spread my wings behind me. I don’t have a good angle here, but more of my flight comes from my magic than from my wings directly, anyway. I start with short flaps and start to bring her back, then bring her closer as I get fully out of the car. I get high enough to keep her from being dragged until I get her a safe distance.

“Loopy!” comes Kendra’s voice.

I focus on the woman. “It’s going to be okay. You’re out and your baby is okay.” The woman is sobbing uncontrollably. “Look at me,” I say forcefully, getting her attention. She blinks slowly, looking at me with tears continuing to stream. “I know, this is very bad, but we don’t know how injured you are. We need to get you to a hospital.”

“Chopper is on its way,” the police officer pants. He looks at Kendra. “What were you doing?”

Kendra sits down heavily. “I’m not good with shields. I tried to snuff the fire by removing its oxygen, but I couldn’t keep the shield big enough.” She falls back into the sand, panting.

Maria comes up with the baby cradled in her arms. He’s just under two years old, I think. He’s squirming—he saw his mommy, and wants her. His howls are adding to the din.

“Maria, sit down and hold the baby. Until his mom is checked out, you take care of him, okay?” Maria nods and sits on the sand, putting the baby to her chest and patting his back at he continues to howl.

Another emergency vehicle screams to a stop and three paramedics hop out. I sigh as they start working on the woman, so I move over and help Maria trying to distract the baby as they do their work. One of them runs back and quickly retrieves a back board.

“Where’s the pony? She’s got my baby!” the woman screams out.

I get to my hooves and walk slowly over with Maria trailing behind me. “I’m right here. Your baby is safe.”

My ears perk as I watch the woman. Her eyes are plaintively moving side to side, but she focuses on Maria with the baby. “Is he okay?” she asks, getting a nod from Maria, which relaxes her a bit. My ears flick to the side; the rhythmic thump of a helicopter is getting close. I glance around and watch the chopper flare as it prepares to land.

“Damn! Not on the beach!” I shout as I get in front of the humans and spread my wings. My third eyelid slides over my eyes as the first grains of sand pepper me. More and more sand blows at me from the blades of the helicopter as it settles onto the beach. The sandstorm rapidly subsides and I turn, calling, “They are going to…”

“Please don’t leave me!” The woman screams, getting me to look at Kendra and Maria. I smile and say, “I’ll stay with you as long as you need me.”

Kendra nods and moves up next to me. “I’ll get the car to the hospital. Meet you there,” she says as a paramedic takes Johnathan, with renewed screams from him as he’s loaded into the ambulance. I look at Maria, and tell her, “Stay with the baby, okay?” She nods and sprints off towards the white county ambulance. I smile at Kendra as I trot with the air ambulance paramedics. It takes a few minutes, but soon, they have her loaded on board the ambulance.

The pilot turns to me. “Sorry, no passengers.”

That gets me to grin as I spread my wings. “I’m not a passenger.”

He looks at me for a long moment as his co-pilot closes the door and runs around the machine to hop in. The blades start to turn once again as he continues to look at me, and I smirk as he finally opens his door and climbs in. I crouch and brace myself against the wind as the helicopter takes off, then it rotates and the nose drops as it starts to accelerate. I leap into the air and follow it. Only about ten minutes of flight has us coming up on a large building. I streak ahead and land near the doors facing the helipad, then watch as the pilots extract the woman and run towards the entrance. I move aside as they run by me, calling out all sorts of information to those inside. I don’t know enough medical terminology to be able to understand it all, but I trot behind them as she’s brought through the hospital and finally am stopped by a strangled scream.

“No animals allowed!”

I look at the woman running towards me. “I’m not an animal,” I say acidly, getting her to skid to a stop.

She looks at me. “You can talk?”

I nod. “I’m a pony. I noticed most don’t visit here very often.”

She kneels down, pulling out a handkerchief. “Oh, sweetie. I know about ponies, but you should see yourself in the mirror. You wouldn’t blame me for thinking you were some cur off the street.” The cloth comes away quite red, raising my alarm.

The look on my face must be enough. She gets to her feet and guides me to another door, then down a hallway for a bit, and then to another door. “This is a locker room. I think you’ll be in here for a while.”

I rear up and look at myself in the mirror, then gasp. My gray mane is matted with blood, there’s salt and sand all over my body, and my face looks like I’ve been through the wringer. I grimace and look at myself closer, spreading a wing. Apparently the husband was still bleeding, and since his side was on the high side, his blood ran all over me. I find myself suppressing a gag as I frantically look around, suddenly feeling very glad that she brought me to a locker room. I dash into a shower and use a wing to turn on the water full blast. After a few moments, I adjust the temperature and look around for shampoo. A dispenser seems to have something useful, so I place a hoof underneath and it dispenses a thick gel, which a quick sniff tells me should help. I get quite a few more squirts of the stuff and start working it into my fur. It foams up properly and I slowly work it through my mane.

I spend about twenty minutes in the shower, a few tender places showing I did not escape unscathed. I’ve got a few cuts myself, which are oozing blood on their own—one on a hind leg feels rather bad. I nose it a bit as I get my tail clean. Well, nothing to be done about it in the locker room. I shake my body hard, spraying water everywhere, and slide the curtain back.

“Oh, thank Celestia,” I moan upon seeing a stack of thick towels sitting on a bench. I wrap one around my mane and then look at my wings. After all that activity, a good preening is in order. I extend a wing and start to work on my primaries as the door opens and the same nurse enters.

“Oh! You’re injured!” she says, looking at the bright red running slowly down my leg.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I say as I continue with my wing…

Only to find myself bodily lifted up by the nurse. “Oh no, miss pony. I can’t have you bleeding to death in this hospital. It wouldn’t be right. Let me get you seen.”

In a matter of minutes, I’m in the ER, myself. She disappears, telling me she’ll get a doctor, while I try to get my wings back in some semblance of order.

Soon, my ears flick as I hear the door to the exam room open. I glance over and see a human there, but his vision of me is obscured by the clip board in front of his face.

“So, well, you have an interesting name… Loop de Loop.”

“Uh huh.” I respond. He still hasn’t even looked at me, apparently absorbed with his clipboard.

“Any pain, numbness?”

That gets a smile from me. “I dunno, doc. I can’t feel my fingers or my toes, and they won’t move at all!” This earns me a chortle from the nurse who had picked me up.

He looks up, finally seeing me. Everything stops for a long moment as stares, then he glances at the nurse, then back at me. “I’m guessing I don’t need to ask you to disrobe and get a gown?”

I shake my head, a smile on my face.

He comes forward and inspects my wounds. “Looks like you’ve had a rough day,” he looks at me severely, “Miss Loop.”

I can tell the dry sarcasm in his voice, and something inside me snaps a bit. “I dunno. Wiggling through a broken window to help someone inside, I guess I didn’t notice the glass cutting me.”

“You came in with the car accident victim?”

I nod, and he looks back at the nurse, who is gathering bandages and a small electric shaver. I speak up, “How is she?”

“As you are obviously not related to her, I cannot tell you. Rules are rules,” he growls and takes the shaver, clicking it on, “Would you extend your right hind leg, miss pony?”

I balance on three legs and extend the leg, my wings extending fully for balance. He looks at my posture for a long time, then he shakes his head and gets to work shaving a portion of my leg. Once it’s clean of hair, he takes cotton patches drenched in iodine to clean the wound, forcing me to suppress gasps at the pain of what he’s doing. After a moment he looks at me and says, “These are pretty severe, but I don’t think stitches are necessary… nurse.”

A small tube is opened and placed in his hand. “This is a distant cousin to super glue, and it will seal up your wounds quite easily.”
Twenty minutes later, I’ve got both wings preened properly and spread my wings to exit the bay. In addition to the glue holding my wounds closed, I’ve also got bandages around my right leg and a large bare patch covered by another bandage just up from my cutie mark.

I push into the waiting room and hear Kendra shout, “Loopy!” I turn and am tackled by my friend.

“Oh, I was so worried about you! When I got here, the nurse said that the pony was being treated! I didn’t know you were hurt!” She moans as she sees the bandages. “Oh Loopy, are you okay?”

I smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Kendra, I’m okay. I just got a few scratches. The doctor fixed me right up.” I glance back at the doors to the ER proper. “Though he was a bit of an asshole.”

She giggles as she leads me to where her and Maria were sitting. We pass the time talking, and after a couple hours, my name is called by woman in a white coat. I trot up to her and she stands there for a moment, looking dumbfounded.

“I was told there was a pony here, and I really didn’t believe it. I thought she was hallucinating.”

I spread my wings. “A pony, in the flesh!” I say with a smile.

She looks unsure. “Well, one Jaclyn Prescott is asking for you.” I smile and she continues, “She was in surgery, but the first thing she said after she woke up was she needed to talk to Loopy the pony.”

She points and I gesture for Kendra and Maria to follow me. I trot through the halls, using my wings to control my speed on the slippery floors. Finally, I push my way into the room.

The woman is laying on the bed, holding her sleeping baby on her chest. She brightens as she sees me. “Loopy!” she says softly, but I can hear the enthusiasm.

“Hi, Jaclyn,” I say.

She pats her baby’s back softly. “I owe you one. You saved my little boy here.” She looks at me. “And you saved me, all of you. Thank you so much.”

I cock my head to the side. “What happened? Why did he run the light?”

She shakes her head. “I really don’t remember. I think we were fighting about something, but I really don’t know what.”

My ears flatten to the side and I find myself wilting. “I’m so sorry about your husband.”

She sighs, tears starting to form. “I know, thank you, but you kept it from being an entire family wiped out today. Thank God for you.”

She sighs and holds her emotions as she continues holding her son. “The doctor said I had three broken ribs and a lacerated liver and kidney. It took some serious surgery to get me all fixed up.” She lifts an arm, now clad in a cast. “And my arm was broken, too.” She lowers her arm as though it weighs a ton as she starts to sniffle.

“Excuse me,” comes a voice. I turn and two officers are standing there. “We need a few minutes for a statement.”

I turn to Jaclyn and find a piece of paper. A bit of scrounging for a pen and I write down my phone number, then pass it to her. “If you need anything, give me a call,” I say and turn. To my surprise, one of the police officers follows me from the room.

“Miss pony,” He says, getting me to stop in my tracks, “Were you a witness to the crash?”

I nod, and the next ten minutes are spent describing what I saw and what I did. Eventually, he bids farewell and heads into the room with the other officer.

My stomach growls and I find myself blurting out, “I’m hungry.”

Maria giggles and pulls out her phone. “Directions to the nearest IHOP,” she says into the device.