Chapters Part 1: "Celestia Shrugged" Chapter 1
Lisa stepped out of the shower after a good practice. She really enjoyed working up a sweat, and her teammates were pushing her harder than usual. If they continued to gel, they might even make a run at the local championship. She walked over to the mirror, but then realized that her hairbrush was still in her locker. She reached over and emitted a purple glow from her hand. The locker, already slightly ajar, swung open and the brush floated across the room.
Over the course of the month, she had worked hard to control and expand her magic. All she had done so far was telekinesis. She hoped to add teleportation at some point, but before she got to that, she wanted precision on moving objects the normal way. She considered long-distance movement of an object she couldn’t see a positive step, but she had further to go. Soon she would have to try putting in the combination from across the room.
“Um, could you not do that?” It was Jessica, the shooting guard, a skinny blonde girl with an exceptionally good jump shot.
“What? Brush my hair? You think I should let it go wet and ragged?”
“No, could you not pick things up without, you know, picking them up?”
“Why not?” Lisa asked.
“Because it might be dangerous. We don’t know what the side-effects of. . . what you do. . . are.”
“Do you want to bring in a Geiger counter?”
Jessica decided to try a different tack. “You know, it wouldn’t be good for the team if they decided that you were ineligible to play.”
“My grades are fine.” Better than yours , Lisa thought.
“That’s not what we mean.”
“We?”
Lisa looked around the room. One of the forwards was giving her the evil eye, and the center and the backup guard were huddling together and keeping their distance.
“It’s just that,” Jessica said, “you’re making us all uncomfortable with. . . “
“You can’t even say it! Magic, OK? It’s my magic.”
“No one knows what it is.”
“I do.”
“Well, whatever. If you want to call it that, fine. Just don’t do it here.”
“I don’t use my magic on the court, either in game or in practice. That would be cheating. Except once it happened by accident, when I didn’t know how to control it.”
“No,” Jessica said, “but if anyone finds out, they’ll assume you are.”
“So, what? Are you asking me to quit the team? Or just stop being who I am?”
“Lisa, we’re not asking you to do anything—“
“But you’d like it if I did. I’m going home. I’ll see you here tomorrow. Don’t worry, no one’s getting turned into a frog before then,” she said. The two girls in the corner moved further away.
Lisa packed her things and ran out into the parking lot. Her anger was compounded by the fact that she couldn’t quite staunch her tears.
“Hey, wait up!”
She turned around. Olivia, the power forward, her hair still wet, was running after her. She was a tall, black girl who had been a particular friend of Lisa’s on the team.
“I was in the shower. Did something happen? I thought I heard you arguing, and Jessica said something about you wanting off the team.”
“I’m thinking that I’m the only one who doesn’t want me off the team. They want me to stop using magic around them. They’re all angry or afraid.”
“Come on, let’s hang out at my place for a bit. You shouldn’t be alone when you’re upset.”
“Thanks, Olivia. Let me just text my folks.”
Lisa sat in Olivia’s bedroom eating snacks. She was curled up on the bed, letting Olivia take the desk chair.
“Don’t let them get to you,” Olivia said. “I mean, I don’t know how you do it, but I think it’s cool.”
“It’s more than just them. If I lost the team, I wouldn’t like it, but I’d move on. I just thought that we’d moved further in the four hundred twenty years since Salem.”
“You can’t worry about them. It’ll rot you from the inside out. I’ve seen it. You’ve just got to embrace it. Your magic is a part of who you are.”
Lisa laughed. “That’s exactly what AJ said to Twilight.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind, it’s from a show.”
“That pony show?”
“Friendship is Magic , yeah. Twilight’s this brainy unicorn, and when another unicorn comes into town showing off, she’s afraid that her friends won’t like her.”
“Sounds pretty good. Can we watch it?”
“Sure. Just search for “My Little Pony Boast Busters.”
Olivia cued up her laptop and they watched as The Great and Powerful Trixie got her comeuppance. Lisa had seen it several times, but still enjoyed re-watching any episode. Honestly , she thought, it’s a net plus if I lose a bunch of false friends while gaining a pega-sister.
When it was over, Olivia said, “That was not bad. You want to stay for dinner? I’ll ask my mom.”
“No, don’t go to the trouble. I have to be getting home soon. I feel better, anyway. Ponies always do that,” she said with a smile. “Especially watching with a friend.”
Olivia’s phone vibrated on her desk, and she picked it up and read. “Hey, this says to come early on Friday for a team meeting.”
“Really?” said Lisa. “And yet my phone has no messages. How strange. Well, maybe I just don’t have enough bars in here. I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for it, though.”
“You could show up early anyway.”
“Then they’d just jabber about motivation or something, and save their gossip for another time. No, I won’t go.”
“OK. I’ll be there for you. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about me.”
***
“You wanted to see me, Coach Haslet?”
“Lisa, come in, sit down.” The coach looked as though she had swallowed something nasty. “I know how much you love playing basketball, and that’s why this is so hard.”
Lisa knew that her part in the conversational dance was to keep quiet and let her coach finish. But she wondered what the point was when she already knew the rest.
“If it were up to me, I’d absolutely let you stay on. But my job is to think of the team first. Really, that’s everyone’s job.”
Does that include the girls who want to get rid of a good point guard? she thought.
The coach was still droning on. “And the fact is that I have to either lose one player or risk fracturing the team. And you know, there are plenty of private leagues you could join, so long as you agreed not to. . . “ she trailed off.
“To use magic!” Lisa said. “Why does everyone have the inability to say the word?”
“We don’t really know what’s happening to you. Calling it something it’s not—“
Lisa tuned out again. At least she had her answer. They couldn’t say the word “magic” because they didn’t believe in it. She could put it right in front of their faces and they still refused to believe their own eyes.
“And listen, if you need someone to talk to, my door’s always open,” the coach said.
“By which, you mean that it’s open now, and you’d like me on the other side of it. All right, I’ll make this easier on you,” said Lisa, and she walked out.
She ran all the way home without stopping. After spending the weekend with at least the hope that everything would work out, now she realized that she would be coming home after her last class every day.
Before then, when she had troubles or wanted to think, she practiced on the hoop her father had bought for her. She didn’t see much point to it now, but it was still her outlet.
She enjoyed the rhythmic bounce of the ball on the asphalt. She took a shot, missed the rim entirely. She started to run after the ball, but then realized there was no point in holding back anymore. She reached out with her magic and brought it back to her.
She started taking shots and directing them in magically. She started with simple free throws, then sank some three-pointers, which she had never been able to do. She played around with trick shots, sinking a bounce shot and hitting one over her shoulder without looking.
“Nice sky-hook you’ve got there, Kareem.”
Olivia came walking up the driveway with her own basketball in hand.
“Kareem was a center,” Lisa said.
“I know that. Played for the Lakers, right? If only they had had a point guard with an appropriate nickname I could apply to you,” she said, grinning.
“Shouldn’t you be at practice? The team’s going to need everyone pulling together now that they’re down a player.”
“Down two players,” Olivia said. “I walked off the court when Coach Haslet made the announcement.”
“You didn’t have to do that for me.”
“I didn’t. I did it for me. I can’t be a bad friend, it’ll hurt too much. You’d be calling me Gilda.”
“You went back and watched more?”
“Yeah, I think I got through half of season one on Saturday. You got me hooked. Speaking of hooked, how about trying that shot in some one-on-one?”
“Are you sure? If you let me use magic, it’s not fair.”
Olivia checked the ball to her. “Sure it is. Come on, bring your game.”
She stepped between Lisa and the basket and guarded her. Lisa dribbled easily, not needing magic to avoid Olivia’s steal attempts. She got separation and launched a shot with her left hand, then sent out a purple glow with her right to guide the ball to the net.
A red glow on the far side of the ball sent it flying the other way. “Blocked it!” said Olivia.
“You can do it too?”
“Just started yesterday. I don’t know how I got it, but I woke up and my hands had that same red glow to them. I pointed at a pen on the table and it floated up. I spent most of yesterday trying to get that block down.”
“You could go back on the team, you know. They don’t know you can use magic, and you could help them win. Once that happens, maybe they’ll be more accepting,” Lisa said.
“I could, I guess, but I won’t. You weren’t at that meeting.”
“They really laid into me?”
“Jessica did. I defended you. If the other girls said two words, it was a lot. But they didn’t step up. They swam with the current. Now, if they want two players who can hit any shot they want to, they can come back and ask us. Until then. . . “ She summoned the ball from where it had rolled and floated it in. “More one-on-one? Or head inside and you can show me the rest of the first season?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Alex’s first instance in the garden, his mother tagged him more often to help out. He found that he liked it, so long as it did not conflict with his schedule. He was assigned a quarter of the yard for whatever he wanted to plant, as long as he worked on the rest. Against the fence he had sown a row of tomatoes, then one of carrots farther out. Beyond that he planted potatoes, and he was still undecided what would go in the last row. He had stood there a few weeks back, eating an orange and considering what to do. He remembered idly spitting seeds on the ground.
Now, with the growing season barely underway, and with his mother’s part of the garden showing only the first shoots, the fence was nearly tipping over with vines that bore ripe tomatoes shining in the sun. Carrot tops had arranged themselves in perfect rows, and when he pulled on one, a bunch came out with almost no resistance. The potatoes had made their own way out of the ground, and he did not even have to dig them out. Most amazingly, three small orange trees, still only saplings but growing more every day, were showing their first small fruits. In Alex’s estimation, the next-closest thriving orange trees were a thousand miles to the south.
He watered when he thought they needed it. He hadn’t pruned yet. No weed had yet had the gumption to invade his space. Alex had thought about setting up a vegetable stand to make some money off his good fortune, but it had seemed to him that that would be like selling a personalized gift. Instead, he filled a few wicker baskets with his early harvest and asked his mother to give them out to the neighbors. Since they were already a small, close-knit community, they had accepted gratefully, and Alex’s mother had been rewarded with a tray of fresh-baked cookies and an invitation to dinner. Alex didn’t think that accepting those was wrong.
Now his mother had agreed to let him expand his plot to half the yard, and he again stood on the porch considering what to add. He heard the sliding door opened behind him and turned to see a man in a smart suit stepping out next to him.
“Hi, Alex,” he said. “My name is Mr. Perry.”
“Morning, Mr. Perry. I’m Mr. Stevens,” Alex said with a smile. “Going to be awfully hot wearing that.”
“Well, I don’t plan on staying long. I’ve got to get back to work soon. You probably don’t know me, but you know Emperor Supermarket I’m sure.”
“I’ve been there once or twice.”
“Well, I run it. I came round to see this, because I’ve heard you had quite a vegetable patch. You using any particular chemicals?”
“Just good old h-two-oh and sunlight,” said Alex.
“Mmhm. You know that you need a permit if you’re going to sell produce?”
“Didn’t know that, but since I’m not going to, I didn’t much care.”
“Oh, yes. We have to make sure that what people are eating is safe.”
“I’m sure you do. I’d think the best way to do that is have it as fresh as possible.”
“Sometimes. But like I said, I’ve got to get back to the market. Oh, any future plans for this?” Perry asked.
“I was just wondering if wheat would grow here. There are a lot of things you can make with flour.”
Perry headed back through the house without saying good-bye. He definitely planned to keep an eye on this place. In his head he saw the report from his produce department of sales down five percent for the last week.
Alex kept his eyes on the yard. He had picked up on Perry’s hints, but didn’t particularly care. He was thinking about where to get seed for wheat.
***
“So tell us, Alex, how did you do it?”
Alex and his mother sat at the Swennson’s table, finishing a fine meal. Ian Swennson had made a delicious roast, but Alex felt a little pride at the how his potatoes complemented it, along with the cold tomato soup.
“Well, sir. I don’t really know. I’m always afraid that if I look too closely, it won’t work.”
“Ha! Got a clever boy there, Mrs. Stevens,” he said.
The neighborhood was old-fashioned enough that people still used last names. Alex and his mother had gotten a look or two for being a single-parent, single-child family, but their reputation was growing.
“Anyway,” Alex said, “However it works, it works. If you need more, I’ve got plenty.”
“You think that you could put in some peppers?” Mrs. Swennson asked.
“I don’t see why not.”
“Ian, this is a real savings on our food bill. We should do something nice for the Stevenses.”
“Don’t see why not,” said Ian. “Better than doing something nice for Emperor Market.”
Alex’s mother put down her fork and said, “It’s better for us as well. I’ve lost five pounds since I started eating so many of Alex’s vegetables. They’re quite filling, and they taste better too.”
The two families continued to eat and banter. Though Alex was only a teenager, he felt as though he was becoming a man, invited to the dinner table and treated as an equal. Maybe farming could be his life’s work. He’d always thought of going to the big city and college, but small-town life had its appeals.
But he was forced to reconsider the next day when Mr. Perry returned to the house. His mother called Alex in and asked him to sit down.
“Mr. Perry has an offer for you,” she said. “He wants you to start supplying produce to Emperor Market.”
“It’ll be a tidy sum for your family, Alex. You’d probably be able to move into a nicer house. We can talk over the exact numbers later, but I want to know that you’re on board.”
“Mom, what do you think I should do?”
“It’s up to you,” she said. “It’s your work and yours to decide what to do with it.”
“Mr. Perry,” Alex said. “Weren’t you saying something the other day about permits and safety?”
“Well, that’s the best part,” said Perry. “Emperor has quality-assurance people and lawyers to handle all of that. All you have to do is supply the food.”
“And all you have to do is mark it up. Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll keep on growing for myself, my mother, and our friends.”
“Are you sure, son?” Perry asked. “It’s an awfully big opportunity you’re throwing away.”
“No, it’s money I’m throwing away, and there are other ways to get that. The nice part about money is that no one dollar is different from any other. If I took your offer, I’d be throwing away friends, and each one of those is unique.”
“You know, son—“
“I’m not your son.”
“Alex, then. You know, the market sells a lot more than produce. We have meat and dry goods as well.”
“Of course you do.”
“You take my meaning?”
“I don’t think I do. Unless you mean that we have to sell to you, or you’ll cut us off from all the rest.”
“Now, I didn’t say that,” said Perry.
“No, you didn’t, but you didn’t exactly not say it either. I think I should ask you to have a good night, Mr. Perry.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to reach me,” he said, as he walked out of the house.
Alex watched him go, and felt anger building inside him. Why did such a great thing have to have a downside? Was it a gift or a curse?
“Mom, what do you think I should have done?” he asked.
“I honestly can’t tell you. You haven’t just grown food, you know. You’ve grown yourself.”
“Would you be willing to go completely without anything but what we can grow ourselves?”
“You mean ‘what you can grow.’ I admit there are things I’ll miss. Maybe I can drive to the next town over once in a while. But if you want to take a stand on principle, I’ll do it with you.”
“But what if he doesn’t just cut off us? What if he does it to the Swennsons and everyone else, and basically says that it’s our food or theirs?” Alex asked.
“Why don’t we ask them? Maybe they’ll want to join us in protest, or maybe they don’t. But Alex, listen. I said that if you want the money, we can consider his offer. On the other hand—I’ve had to be both mother and father to you, and now I have to give you a father’s advice. Don’t give in out of fear. No matter how much money he has, he’s just one man. Burn the garden down before you do that.”
Alex looked at his mother. For a long time, his feelings toward her had been ambiguous. She was the woman who told him to do his homework, clean his room, and brush his teeth. But now she was talking about fighting alongside him for something important. He had the answer to his question. This was definitely not a curse.
“Thank you, mother,” he said. “I love you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Luke lay back in his hospital bed and brooded. During his time in the hospital, he had alternated between bored, hungry, tired, and in pain. At the moment, boredom reigned.
The doctor he had gone to had been unable to give him a diagnosis for the growths on his back, and when he attempted to stick a needle into them, Luke, normally a tough guy, had winced and cried in pain. He was sent to a hospital for further tests, which began again with a needle. When the hospital doctors there were stymied, they mentioned something about an epidemic, and he was transferred to his current location.
Naturally, the first thing they wanted to do was to stick a needle into the growths. Luke explained that he had had that test twice before and in neither case was the benefit worth the cost. The doctors insisted. He endured. The next step, they had said, was exploratory surgery. No chance of pain there, they had assured him as he would be out cold.
The surgery was scheduled for the next day. He had finished dinner and was sitting with Julie.
“Not a whole lot to do during the waiting but wait,” he said.
“I brought you your laptop.”
“Thanks, but there’s no wi-fi here. Wish I could at least see a newspaper. I feel rather out of touch.”
“I saw one today, I’ll have to try to find it for you. There was nothing much interesting in it, though.”
“There never is, that’s why I like the online news.”
They sat for a few minutes in silence.
“Are you worried about the surgery tomorrow?” Julie asked.
“A bit. Not about what they’ll find, or it being bad. Jule, did you ever read any of those stories about people who still feel pain even though they’re out? There’s no reason to think that’ll happen, and I know they monitor for it, but. . . if you knew how bad it felt, those needles, I just don’t think that there’s any drug that can block it off. It was worse than being kicked in the groin, and that’s saying something.”
“We can always call it off.”
“And do what?” Luke asked. “Could be cancer or an infection or anything. I can’t be dying and leaving you alone.”
“Oh, Luke, don’t talk like that.”
He smiled. “Talking about it won’t make it true or not. I’ll just have to endure and then they’ll fix it. It’s just good to know you’re here. Give me a kiss.”
“They said I shouldn’t, in case it’s contagious.”
“Well, that’s a fine thing. Come here and watch video with me.”
“Ponies?” she asked.
“What else? We’ll watch the one where Rainbow Dash is in the hospital. Maybe you can find me a Daring Do book to help the boredom.”
***
“He’s spiking!”
“Ten CCs!”
“Defibrillator?”
“Not yet! Stabilize him, dammit! And close! We’re not going to get anything out of this.”
In the surgery theater the doctors had the intensity of action typical of a medical emergency. In theory, every contingency was planned for and had a method to deal with it. It was just never known when the contingency would hit.
For Luke’s exploratory surgery, it happened early. The first attempt to probe the unusual growths had been cut short when his heart started to beat rapidly and go into arrest. Switching to their training saved his life, but denied them the information they were trying to obtain.
Two days later, out of recovery and back in his room, Luke was trying to take stock of his situation. The one factor that didn’t fit in was that he didn’t actually feel ill. In fact, he felt energized and happy, and having nothing to do with that energy was frustrating. The doctors assured him that that was no indicator of health, and he believed them, but was starting to get irked by the change in attitude. To make matters worse, Julie had not been in to visit him.
Finally he lost his patience and accosted one of his nurses, who was attending to him with an older colleague. “Listen, what’s going on? The surgery didn’t work, and no one’s been in to talk about the next step. I haven’t seen my wife, I’ve barely seen the doctor, and I’m going stir crazy in here.”
“Now, sir, you just need to be patient. We’re doing everything we can to treat what’s wrong with you.”
“Just tell me straight out: is the reason that my wife hasn’t come to see me because she’s sick too? She caught it, right?”
Both nurses paused, and the elder one said, “Yes, it’s true.”
“Marian!” said the younger. “The doctors said we’re not supposed to bother the patient with anything not related to his case.”
“But this is related,” said Marian, and Luke was happy to see that he had one defender.
“I think I should report this,” the other nurse said, and left the room. Marian followed after.
The next day, Marian did not show up. The nurses who did show up to give him his meal said nothing, not even exchanging pleasantries. But when Luke looked in his meal, he saw a note and a small package. Once he was alone, he flipped open the note.
“Dear Sir. After thirty years on the job, I was given my notice yesterday. Whatever it is they don’t want you to know, find out. –Marian.”
Luke opened the package to find a cellular-network adapter for his computer. He’d heard about such things, but had never had occasion to buy one. He picked up his laptop and plugged it in.
The setup was user-friendly and smooth. It required him to sign up for two years, but under the circumstances he was willing to dip into his savings. Once he had access, he searched for any news regarding diseases or epidemics, but found nothing. After more frustration, he decided to check his bookmarks. Minutes later, he understood.
He saw the pill next to the dinner. The pill that was keeping the growths down. There were no cameras in the room. No one would see. He took the pill into the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet.
The next day, he did not need to measure to see that the growths were larger. He tried to will the growth. The morning pill followed the previous night’s down the drain. Luke had never felt better, and he wasn’t sure if it was his condition or the thrill of rebellion.
That night, a doctor came in with the nurses and watched, not saying anything, as Luke took the pill. He ate half his meal with the pill secreted in his cheek. When they finally left, he was free to spit it out. He knew that it would have to be tonight, or tomorrow they might well check his mouth to make sure he swallowed it.
Night fell. Luke could see the street lights illuminating the parking lot. He went into the bathroom and removed his shirt. Trying to look behind him, just in his peripheral view he could see the growths. He pressed and strained. Finally he felt one of them split.
Working muscles he never knew he had, he shoved and pushed. Finally, after a minute, two feathery, peach-colored wings spread out behind him.
Now Luke had a choice. He could try to plead his case with the hospital staff, or take the direct approach. He walked to the window and forced it open. He wasn’t quite so foolish as to jump. He pumped his wings until he was in hovering above the sill, then leaned forward. Shifting his weight forward was enough to give him forward progress.
His wings were still sensitive, but they were toughening up in the night air. After circling the building a few times, he started to peer in windows. He hoped that the difference between light and dark would not only make the difference in finding Julie’s room, but avoiding frightening anyone else.
Finally he saw her, seven stories up. She was just finishing her own dinner, and she had the white pill in hand. He rapped on the glass.
“Julie! Don’t take it!”
Her eyes went saucer-wide as she turned to the window.
“Luke? What? How?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Open the window.” She did so, and he came in the room.
He was breathing heavy. “Don’t take the pill. We’ve got to get you out of here to give your wings time to grow in.”
“My wings. Luke, I’m so confused.”
“That’s what these are,” he said, pointing to her back. “How this started, I don’t know, but we can fly. We’re leaving now, and we’re not looking back.”
“Oh, I don’t know about this.”
“But I do. Please trust me. Now, I don’t think I can carry you out of here and stay in the air, but I can manage a glide.”
He scooped her up in his arms and stepped back to the window. She smiled at him. “Still a romantic, aren’t you? Carrying me over the threshold.”
“Always,” he said.
He spread his wings and jumped. Their descent was slow and long, and they traversed the entire parking lot before coming to a landing in a forested area. Luke stumbled as he landed, but he did not drop Julie.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“Long-term? Who knows? But right now we find a hotel and check in.”
“To stay hidden?”
“No, because I am, as you said, still a romantic.”
They stayed three days in the hotel. After that, they flew home.
“And tonight we take a deeper look concerning the outbreak of so-called ‘enhanced’ people, folks from all over the country who, for no apparent reason, have been developing new abilities. Eric Parker has more.”
Parker walked down a sidewalk toward the camera with people crossing the street behind him. “Thank you, Paula. Throughout the country, and indeed all over the world, reports have been coming in of people doing things once thought impossible. They speak of ‘birdmen,’ people with telekinetic powers, extraordinary strength, and more. Is it happening? What are the causes? And how,” he stopped walking and paused for effect, “will society react?”
The picture switched to sepia-toned stock footage of evolutionary charts, and Parker’s voice sounded out with increased clarity. “What some are calling an unexpected and radical series of mutations has begun to intrigue scientists and observers, who tout the changes as further support of their biological theories.”
A young man appeared, sitting in a brightly lit room. There was lots of glassware in cabinets and on desks behind him, some containing fluids. “This is exactly the sort of thing that advocates of the punctuated equilibrium view have been predicting all along. If anything, human evolution is overdue, and we’re not surprised to see it playing catch-up.”
The camera lingered on the man for a moment, letting the narration cross-fade into the next shot. “But others say that we need to look outside the realm of biology to find our answers.”
A gray-haired, portly woman was shown standing outside an office building. “Of course, you’re always going to have those who believe they can trace everything to DNA. But we’ve seen plenty of evidence of paranormal phenomena throughout history, and it’s all been ignored. The only question now is whether, with it staring them in the face, are we still going to stick our heads in the sand and say that this is genetic?”
“There are still others,” the reporter said, “who contend that what we’re dealing with might be no more than an elaborate hoax.”
The report segued to a bearded man in a plaid shirt and tie, who was sitting in an office wallpapered with bookshelves. “Every claim we’ve every investigated concerning supernatural abilities has been able to be explained away as either a natural occurrence or the work of hucksters. From the crop circles to the alien autopsy, we know how easily people are fooled.”
Without any transition, there was a cut to a virtually identical office, only the person being interviewed sat camera left instead of right. “I for one don’t believe in any of it. We all know how easy it is to fake video. I mean, we’re talking about re-writing overnight the laws of physics, biology, aerodynamics, and so on. What’s easier to believe: that we’ve been dead wrong about everything we understand about the world, or that a few pranksters have pulled the wool over our eyes? Come back in a few weeks, we’ll probably find out that this has been some sort of advertising stunt.”
Yet another face appeared on screen, a young girl with glasses in a university classroom. “Suppose it is happening. What does that mean for the average person? The fact is that the modern world doesn’t work by events, only by trends. Natural disasters depress the economy temporarily, but everything regresses to the mean in short order. And that’s exactly what's going to happen here, just in the opposite direction. A minor boost to production before we re-integrate.” As she finished, her face was covered up by a series of unlabeled line graphs that might have referred to what she was saying.
“Clearly, more hard facts are needed,” the reporter said. “When we return, a look at the early returns of researchers who have attempted to study the phenomenon.”
There was two minutes of ads, then a studio shot of Parker looking serious for the camera. “More now on the ‘enhanced people.’ I had a chance to speak with a doctor who has treated some of the people afflicted by the condition.”
The report faded to a dark room with nothing in the background, as if the only things in existence were the two chairs. In the one sat a balding man with a round head. On the close-ups, it was clear that the network’s make-up artist had not been successful in covering up the ravages of acne.
“It’s difficult to make any definitive statements at this time. Most of the patients who have these conditions don’t want to waste their time on experimentation. What we need is greater participation.”
“How do you get that?”
“Well, it’s a matter of arranging wider and deeper studies. I had one patient come in to see me who bore no outward signs of change, and who couldn’t do anything a normal person couldn’t, but whose skin was so tough that I couldn’t get a scalpel through it. For someone like that, I need to do a full workup over a week or two. But she didn’t return after the initial visit. It’s like that with almost all of them.”
“What are the attitudes you’re encountering, Doctor? Are they uncooperative?”
“They’re perfectly civil when you talk to them. They just don’t seem to recognize that anything could be wrong with them. More concerned with getting back to their own lives and being happy than contributing to science. And they all seem happy.”
“Indeed, happiness is one factor that runs through the enhanced people,” Parker said in voice-over as more charts appeared. “While, demographically speaking, they are mainly young and middle-class—the very segments of the population most likely to be affected by the economic downturn—they show more income and affluence than average, key indicators of happy life. This is the only group for whom health-care costs have started to come down. And even those who are unemployed or underemployed have shown surprising resistance to the malaise and despair that have otherwise gripped the nation.”
The report cut back to a studio with a blown-up newspaper on display, and Parker sitting on a stool next to it. “In our final segment tonight, we’ll go inside the communities where enhancement is most prevalent, and speak with a few of the enhanced people themselves.”
More commercials were shown, then another introductory segment essentially repeating what was said. Parker appeared next in front of the camera in a rural suburb.
“Here on the Eastern Seaboard, we find one of the greatest concentration of enhanced people. Almost every town in this area has someone who can do things that regular people can’t.”
The camera cut to a man outside a house. A paintbrush moved by itself across the outer wall, occasionally stopping to dip in a bucket.
“How has your life been affected by your enhancements?” asked Parker.
“Not as much as you might think,” the man said. “I’d still be out here painting the house, but now my arm isn’t as tired and I don’t have to worry about getting my clothes dirty.” From inside the house, a muffled television could be heard with some character asking for something to be made cooler.
In a shot of another town, Parker asked a young Hispanic girl with tanned wings, “Do you find it easier to get around now that you can fly?”
“A little. I always liked to walk around town, and flying’s a bit faster since you can cut corners. Oh, excuse me,” she said as her cell phone rang, the ringtone saying something about the day being perfect.
Then another shot of a young man carrying a heavy grocery bag balanced on one finger. “What have you got there?” the reporter asked.
“Oh, just some fruit. Cherries, mostly. For a while now, I just haven’t gone for much meat. I’m going to put these in taco shells and deep fry them.”
Parker broke away from the interview and faced the camera, as if pretending that the three vox pops were one segment. “All of the enhanced people I talked to were pleasant, though most said they were too busy to talk. Very few were willing to speculate on the causes of their enhancement.”
On a university campus, one of the students in a T-shirt bearing the college’s name spoke into the microphone. “I guess I’ve always been into magic in stories, games, and TV shows. Most of my friends who can do magic or fly now watch what I watch. I guess it’s just something we picked up.” As he exited, a shot of his backpack revealed stickers and pins saying, “Love and Tolerate,” “Support the New Lunar Republic,” and “Twilightlicious.”
The report went back to the studio. “While the enhanced people have thus far been peaceful and integrated well with the society that created them, it remains to be seen how those who don’t have these abilities will react on the larger scale. For now, this is a story with more questions than answers, but we will keep our fingers on the pulse as it develops. For NPS News, Eric Parker, good night.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“And we’re out.”
“You really think that’s a good use of our time, Parker?”
“Yeah, why not? Advances in human evolution, singularity—geeks and intellectuals love that stuff.”
Pamela Burns sighed. She brushed some dust off her unflattering pants suit and altered her seating to a position that she thought of as dominant. It was her fourteenth year producing segments for the TV news magazine. Those fourteen years also saw three husbands come and go, improving her bank account each time. Eric Parker was a little afraid of her.
“How long have you been out of Columbia?” she asked.
“Five years.”
“Another five and you’ll know to spike a story like this. If you’ve ever got a spike to do it with. You’re still green and you want to change the world. That’s good. But you haven’t learned how to do it.”
“Isn’t getting a story like this out there going to do it?” he asked.
“Getting it out to whom? The people watching us are the least important people. More important are the opinion-makers who get it digested for them. But the real focus of a story is the people in it. In this case, your so-called ‘enhanced’ people. You made them more important than they are.”
“But for heaven’s sake, Pam! Magic and flying aren’t important?”
“What does that do? Does it change the economy? Politics? Entertainment? In the twenty-first century, our lives are functions of the culture we live in. Nothing more. I don’t care if they can fly to the moon. Unless they can bring everyone else with them.”
Parker looked at his shoes. He had worked hard on the piece, trying to get all sides and maintain a healthy skepticism toward something that would probably be considered pseudoscience. He had hoped for better.
“Well, when we do the follow-up—“
“That won’t be for a couple of months, and you can bash it out in an afternoon. Here, dig up something on which Supreme Court Justices are too old.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So how many volunteers did we get?”
“Five. Three of which turned out to be fakes. A stage magician who tried to sell his sleight-of-hand as the genuine article, and two jokers who had hot-glued wings to their back.”
“And the other two?”
The two scientists sipped coffee in their break room. They worked out of a professional building that had most of its offices vacant, which they liked. Not having people around gave it more of a feeling of a lab. One of them had written, half-jokingly, that the problem with sociological experiments was that the subjects were far too social.
“Apparently they met in the waiting room, got to talking, and decided to ditch the study and go have a drink.”
The other scientist rolled his eyes. “Typical. Just explain this to me: I can advertise a study for the most obscure psychological conditions out there, stuff that most people can’t even pronounce, and get a phalanx of people in. But when we’ve got actual telekinesis, levitation, and everything else under the sun, and nobody wants to help explain it.”
“Maybe what we need is another method.”
“What other method? You run a study, you compile the data, you publish. That’s our job.”
“What if we got down in and lived with some of them? They’re all friendly enough, according to reports. Find a community, move in, and see what it is that they do different.”
“Forget it. You’re never going to get a grant for something like that.”
The first scientist gave up. On a personal level, he was fascinated by the phenomenon. He wished that he could bring that fascination into his work.
“But you might have something there after all,” the other scientist said. “See what they do different. Spread questionnaires, see what they eat, where they vacation, what TV shows they watch. We might find a trend, and if not. . . “
“If not?”
“There’s nothing grant committees love more than big stacks of statistics. Come on, let’s write the proposal.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a small resort community in Florida, the town board passed a tax on flying. The only winged resident of the town was present at the meeting in which they discussed it, and she chuckled as everyone in the room avoided her eyes. She had enough money to pay the tax or move to the next town over, but she wasn’t sure yet which she would do.
At an intersection in Bangor, Maine, a cop sat in his patrol car and watched as a yellow hybrid pulled up to the light. The window rolled down, the driver stuck his hand out and waved, and the light turned green. As the car proceeded through, the cop started to put on his lights and sirens, then thought better of it. He wasn’t sure if anything illegal was done, or, if it was, how to write it up.
The state legislature of South Dakota organized two committees to deal with the issue of enhanced humans. One was put to the task of determining if the existing legal language was sufficient to adjudicate any disputes that involved enhancements. The other was charged with assuming that the first committee would fail, and come up with catch-all terms to cover any such eventuality.
In southern Oregon, just across the border from California, a former hippie commune opened its arms to all comers and made a public declaration of equal rights for enhanced persons. The declaration carried no legal weight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Washington, DC, Marine One touched down on the White House lawn bringing the president back from Camp David. President Walter “Wayne” Steuben had succumbed to the premature aging inherent to the job before he was even inaugurated. The economic stagnation that had begun under his predecessor hadn’t let up, and every day in the press the latest pet issue of some columnist was blamed on him. With only a few months till the mid-term elections, his advisers were already talking about the re-election over two years away, and wondering whether the “October surprise” concept had been gone long enough to be recycled.
When he reached his office, Steuben picked up the digest of all the daily papers prepared for him daily by some overpaid flunky with a pair of scissors. In among all the job loss news and recaps of the chat shows, an article was highlighted about a county in Michigan that had passed a law clarifying magical means of committing crimes as still illegal, without defining the term magic. This is all I need , he thought. Kooks in local government pretending it’s still the Middle Ages. Magic indeed. Then a connection closed in his brain. Didn’t he see something the other day in a report from the FAA about setting aside air space for people who flew without the aid of aircraft? Great, I’m presiding over the end times .
The article did not have the asterisk next to it that meant he should take a position on the issue. Nonetheless, he made a mental note to prepare his press secretary in case the question arose. Being a states’ rights advocate, even an inconsistent one, was a wonderful tool for avoiding a tough issue.
The intercom on his desk buzzed, and he looked at his schedule. He had a briefing session with the head of the Army. There were no conflicts in progress at the time, and the country would be hard-pressed to afford one anyway, but Steuben wanted to forestall any news stories about how few times he had met with his generals. The receptionist’s voice game through. “General Wallace to see you, sir.”
Justin Wallace could not be mistaken for anything but a Texan. From his hat, which he took off, to his voice, to the belly he had begun working on the moment he had left basic training, he epitomized the toughness of his home state. Among the other four-star generals, he was talked about for being the only one to enlist before going to West Point. He considered his job description to be simple: keep in perfect preparedness the greatest military force in history. And he thought that any failure in that job was tantamount to treason.
“Justin, take a seat,” said Steuben.
“Mr. President. I have a report for you on the bases in the Mid-west.”
“Well, dump it on my desk and I’ll get to it. Let me ask you something. You read anything at all about these enhanced people?”
“Something, I think.”
“Considered the military aspects at all?”
Wallace hadn’t, but thinking on his feet was one of his skills. “There might be an advantage to a soldier who had perfect control in the air for observation, and for staying a small target. As for the rest. . . Mr. President, it’s not the abilities that make a good soldier. It’s the ability to work as a team and accomplish a mission given, no matter what it is. Telekinesis or whatever could only be icing on the cake. I don’t know if there’s cake out there.”
“Interesting take. Think on it. Write a report. I’m sorry that I have to cut this short, so many things to do you know.”
“Of course, Sir.” Privately, Wallace remembered an anecdote about a cadet who had a theory that one of the instructors graded solely on word count. The cadet had handed in a fifty-page report detailing the challenges faced by Eisenhower in being confined to a wheelchair, and had received top marks. Wallace wondered if he might not do the same thing in this case. Magic in combat , he thought, what a joke . Now, if he had to fight against that. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the human resources department of a factory, the director looked over the latest stack of resumes submitted. One in particular drew his eye. Its author claimed to be able to lift and carry over five hundred pounds in any bulk, and maintain such activity for over twelve hours. A year prior, he would have thrown in directly into the trash for being an obvious lie. But now, after seeing similar feats performed, it was quite possibly true. If it wasn’t, that was testable and nothing more than a waste of time. If it was true, that he certainly needed to consider the hire. He decided to consult with his boss, the executive director.
“Suppose we had this guy on the floor,” the director said. “We might be able to do away with a forklift. That’s savings.”
“Yeah, but it raises a lot of questions,” the executive director said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how are the workers who can’t perform at that level going to interact with him? How is their morale going to be? What if there’s a fight on the floor? That’s more likely to turn into major injuries and lawsuits and worker’s compensation claims and all sorts of stuff that we don’t want to get into. What happens when this guy determines that he’s not getting the money he deserves for the extra production we’re getting out of him?
“Any time you make a change like this, there are always teething problems. And we don’t want to be the first to deal with them. When some other comparable business has an employee like this, and some rules are in place, then we’ll consider it. Until then, why don’t you go ahead and lose his resume?”
“Are you sure? Wouldn’t he have an Equal Employment or affirmative action claim or something?”
“I don’t think so. In the first place, I’m sure we can find some other cause to prefer another applicant. Also, to the best of my knowledge, there are no regulations forbidding discrimination against someone for being too able. And even if he tried. . . “
“Yes?”
“This conversation never happened.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hi, Mrs. Chang,” Olivia said as she entered the house. “Lisa’s up in her room?”
“Yes, studying or practicing or something. I think she’s expecting you, though, so go on up.”
When she opened Lisa’s door, she found her friend was indeed practicing. She had a pen, a bottle of vitamins, a notebook, and an alarm clock all suspended in the air surrounded by her signature purple glow, and was moving them around in a pattern like a juggler.
When Lisa heard the door open, she let all the objects drop onto the bed, then was a little relieved to see Olivia. “Hey, you!” she said.
“Hey, yourself. Going for multiple objects, huh? I haven’t tried that.”
“Yeah, trying to get precision. I hold two with each hand. I can cross them back and forth easily enough, but what I’m working on now is trying to get one hand to move two things in opposite directions.”
“And how’s it going?”
“I can do it, so long as one of the directions is down.”
Olivia put down her bag. “I’ve been going for speed myself.” She stuck out her hands and the notebook glowed red. It whipped around the room fast, then came to a dead stop right in front of her face. “And acceleration and braking too. Oh, and this was something else I found.”
She let the notebook drift onto the desk, then stood at the foot of Lisa’s bed. Reaching under the box spring, she stood up and held it up at an angle. “This is tiring if I just use my hands, but magical strength doesn’t sap physical strength.” She made her hands glow, and raised the angle of the mattresses even higher.
“I can hold it like this all day,” she said.
“Cool,” said Lisa. “I’ll have to try that. I haven’t tried to lift any heavy objects.”
“What have your parents said about your magic?”
“I’m sorry to say they’ve been completely stereotypical. They’re fine with it so long as I keep my grades up.”
“Pretty much mine too. My brother, on the other hand. . . “
Olivia’s brother John was five years younger than the two girls. He had frequently annoyed them when they hung out at Olivia’s house, and they found it awkward to hold private conversations around him.
“What did he say?” asked Lisa.
“I think he’s a little scared of me, like I’m going to magically beat him up or something. But he figured out that I learned it from watching My Little Pony , so he watched it too.”
“Oh? So he’s learned magic now?”
“No, that’s the thing. He hasn’t. Nor has he grown wings or developed any other powers. He’s still plain old John.”
“So it’s random, huh? That’s too bad. I mean, I’m glad that we can do magic, but I wish everyone could. Or fly or something.”
“Maybe it’s not quite so random. You see, he said he didn’t like the show.”
“Wow. Are you sure he’s really your brother?”
“Heh. Yes, I am. I was in the hospital when Mom had the little squirt.”
“Anyway, show me how you moved the notebook so fast. I think we should definitely teach each other when we can.”
The two girls continued to practice their magic and talk ponies. Olivia switched to the pen while Lisa was floating the notebook. Olivia was still moving her object much faster. Lisa had an idea.
“You said that you could use physical and magical manipulation separately. What if we went outside and you tried throwing the pen or something as hard as you could, then pushing it away with magic as well? Then we could really see how fast you could get it.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Wait! I’ve got just the thing,” said Lisa. She dug out an old softball from her closet. “Not our usual game, but if magical basketball doesn’t pan out, maybe you can win the Cy Young.”
They went out to the yard. The driveway faced a long cross-street, so they had plenty of room. Olivia stood at one end, wound up and fired the ball. Right at the moment of release, she put out the red glow.
“Ye-ow!” she said, and Lisa ran to her. A spark had burst by her hand right as she let go.
“Are you OK?” asked Lisa.
“Yeah, but check out the ball!”
The girls looked. It was still visible, bouncing away down the road. Olivia reached out her hand and it headed back toward them.
“I’m sure that it jumped out of my hand and came out down the road. Lisa, I think we figured out teleportation!”
“Huh? Maybe so! Maybe teleportation is just really fast movement. That’s a breakthrough!”
They hugged each other. Practicing on their own was fun in itself, but they both wanted to compare notes as often as possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Bailey University, the law school announced a new addition to its student ethics guide. “Any student who, in preparing a report or sitting for an examination, uses any means of determining his or her response which circumvents the normal physical interactions of matter-energy; or any student who uses advanced an advanced biological nature to gain an unfair advantage in any class setting, shall warrant investigation into such activity. If the investigation determines that the student has not answered the assignment solely through the use of his or her own knowledge, the student shall receive discipline up to and including failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and expulsion from the University.”
When the first investigation under the new policy was launched, the college officials were in a quandary. Was simple telekinetic control of a pencil sufficient to warrant discipline? If that was the case, was there any way an enhanced human could take a test and not fail? By strict reading of the language, even eyesight that was better than 20/20 would seem to trigger an investigation. It wouldn’t matter if it had anything to do with being enhanced.
The disciplinary committee was divided on how to proceed. Some of the members seemed genuinely concerned with making sure that academic standards were maintained. Others were more forceful. After several hours of debate, one administrator threw down his pencil and said, “Hell, kick all the freaks out now! If they’re going to fly overhead and perform witchcraft, the least we can do is keep them from getting degrees!”
A break was called for after that remark, but when they reconvened, they took a vote, and the student was expelled. There were a few mutterings about resigning in protest, but when all was said and done, nothing further happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex found his schedule increasingly full based on his newfound powers. School and chores took up plenty of time on their own. Then between growing his oversized food, distributing it, and enjoying it, he barely had enough time to dedicate to the watching of My Little Pony , let alone talking about it.
So he was significantly behind the times in concluding that his green thumb derived from watching the show, and that he was the human equivalent of an Earth Pony. It took him even longer to believe it.
When he did spend some time on the Internet and heard about other bronies gaining power, his first thought was the spread the word around to people he knew. There was no reason that anyone else should be deprived.
The first person he approached was his mother. Before she had stood by him in the face of Mr. Perry, she would have been the last person he would talk about a girl’s cartoon to. Now, they had grown closer. But she managed to surprise him when she refused to watch it with him.
“If that’s what got you your amazing powers, I’m sure it’s a good thing,” she said. “And I wouldn’t mind if you sought out others like you to be friends with, or to spread them. But it’s not for me. I’m too set in my ways to want to change. It’s enough to know that the next generation is going to go further than I have. That’s all any good parent wants.”
Alex had given a lot of thought to that. On the one hand, he hoped that once everyone found out that My Little Pony had the key to solving hunger and making humans into supermen, they would all want to watch, and it would be wrong for his mother to be left out. But then he realized that there would be many other people like her, who would not want to become bronies.
And he saw that it was right to be that way. So long as no one actively interfered with them, bronies might remain a subculture. But his mother had said it was right for him to seek out his fellows. . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was around this time that terms like “pegasus person,” “earth human,” and “magical brony” began to supplant “enhanced people,” as it became clear that no one who had grown wings, learned magic, or developed innate abilities was not a fan of My Little Pony . It was hoped by some who had been affected that this would lead to a greater understanding between bronies and non-bronies.
A pegasus woman had been walking through a park at dusk when she entered a long tunnel underneath a footbridge. She saw the three young men at the other end, but didn’t think anything of it until one of them pointed at her and the other two stood blocking the exit. It was then that she noticed two more youths behind her, and that all of them wore leather jackets. The low tunnel prevented her from taking off. They closed a circle around her and began the assault. Shouting epithets like “bird-bitch” and yelling, ”Why don’t you stay home with your little cartoon show?” they shoved and kicked her to the ground. The gang leader motioned to the other boys and said, “Hold them out!” The boys turned her face-down and stretched her wings out. She heard the flick of a switchblade, then she screamed in agony. One of the boys, either out of mercy or to stop the screaming, kicked her in the head. She blacked out.
The hospital had patched her wounds, but it wasn’t until she found two magical bronies who had developed healing spells that she could fly again.
She went to the police and told them that she could positively identify all five of her attackers by face and clothing, but she could hear the reluctance in the detective’s voice. Arrests were made, and she waited for the trial. A week before it was scheduled, she received a letter from the district attorney saying that the case had been settled. It was the first offense for all five boys, and they had pled out in exchange for fines, probation, and community service.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Julie ran into the restaurant and saw her two friends waving to her. She ran to the table and threw her purse down. “I’m sorry I’m late, couldn’t find a parking spot!”
“I’m surprised you even bother with a car these days,” said Madison. She planned most of the lunches that Julie and Elizabeth came to.
“Don’t you start in too.”
“Hey, I think it’s cool to have wings! I’d like a pair for myself,” said Madison.
“Me too,” said Elizabeth. “How did you get them?”
Julie tried to find a waiter to order a drink. “You girls are going to laugh. Have you ever heard of My Little Pony ?”
Her companions shook their heads.
“Well, obviously it’s about ponies, and some of them are pegasi. Pegasus ponies. Horses with wings.”
“You’re not a horse, though,” said Elizabeth, who had a talent for stating the obvious.
“No, I’m not. But from what I’ve read, a lot of people who are into the show are growing wings. Or learning magic.”
“Why magic?” asked Madison.
“There are unicorn ponies as well”
“And?”
“And they do magic with their horns, of course.”
“OK, that’s not exactly obvious. There are plenty of stories about unicorns that don’t have them doing magic,” said Madison.
“You’re right. I guess I’m so used to the ones from the show that I think of all unicorns as magical.”
“Still, I want to watch that! Especially if I get a pair of wings out of it,” said Elizabeth.
“I don’t think that everyone who watches gets them automatically,” said Julie, “but even if you don’t, it’s a great show anyway!”
She finally felt the presence of a waiter at her side.
“Oh, there you are. Could I please have a diet cola?”
“Actually, Miss,” the waiter said. “I came over to let you know that you’re bothering some of the other customers.”
“I’m sorry? Were we talking too loud?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that you’re. . . distracting people.”
“How am I doing that?”
“Please just go, Miss,” the waiter said. She couldn’t tell whether his expression was nervousness or personal affront.
Julie folded her wings to her body and started to pick up her purse. Madison put her hand on Julie’s arm. “We want to speak to the manager,” she said.
“I am the manager,” the waiter said, now becoming visibly more belligerent. “We do reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. And in this case, I’m going to have to insist on exercising that right.”
Madison opened her mouth to continue the argument, but Julie stopped her. “No, it’s all right. If he wants me to leave, I’ll leave,” she said, then turned to face the waiter. “I’ll just do so in my own way.”
She pulled her phone out of her purse, and texted the other two women to meet her a few blocks away in five minutes. Then she closed her phone and opened her wings as wide as she could, drawing the eyes of everyone in the restaurant. She flapped them and sent a gust of wind into the waiter’s face, causing him to flinch. She calmly flew to the door at ceiling height. Outside the restaurant there were tables set up for outdoor dining. She walked into the middle of them and repeated her wing spread to draw attention. She leaped in the air and pumped her wings, going for maximum height and speed. As she rose, she was just low enough to hear the surprised gasps of the customers sitting outdoors.
When she met Madison and Elizabeth a few minutes later, they were still indignant. “I can’t believe they made us go!” said Madison.
“Technically, they didn’t,” said Elizabeth. “They made Julie go. We just wouldn’t stay after they did.”
Julie was smiling and laughing. “Don’t worry about it. I half enjoyed it. I think I showed him a thing or two. Just one thing. Please don’t tell Luke. He’s the type who’ll want to come down and cause a scene or make a stand on principle.”
“It’s fine,” said Madison. “So tell us more about this My Little Pony.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A drunk man stepped out of the back door of a bar in Detroit, staggering into the alley. Ahead of him on the street, an attractive couple in evening clothes was walking home. The man was amusing his wife by holding up his hands and playing music on instruments that were nowhere to be found. The drunk just stared for a moment, then he ran up to them.
“What’s that you’re doing there? You’re one of them magical pony people, right? Lousy fargin’ people—yer’ what’s wrong with the country!” he said, his words becoming slurred. “Sittin’ home with yer cult shows instead of gettin’ out and fixin’ problems.”
The couple tried to walk past, but the man continued to accost them. Finally the woman had enough. “Why don’t you head right home, dear?” she said. “I’ll be along soon enough.”
“Are you sure?” the man asked.
“Don’t worry, I can take care of myself,” she said, and they both chuckled. The man gestured with his hands and disappeared.
Seeing a more visible use of magic set the drunk off even more. He attacked the woman, swinging his fists clumsily. The first few blows were weak and off-target, but even when he tried to punch her full in the face, she didn’t even budge.
“What’re you made of?!” he screamed.
“The stuff of the earth, in fact. I’m getting out of here. You’re annoying me.” She started running, and the drunk gave up the pursuit. Soon she was outpacing the cars on the road.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rate of attacks increased sharply, then tapered off as bronies learned to defend themselves and assailants found themselves frustrated. Earth people were naturally immune, and pegasus humans were instructed to stay out of places they could not take off from.
A magical brony was nearly the victim of one attack in El Paso, perpetrated by the same people who spent their time watching the Mexican border. He defended himself with a repulsion spell that wound up slamming one into a wall. The police arrested the brony over his protestations of self-defense and took him to jail. When he was told that he would have to stay overnight until a judge could set bail, he spent two hours working out a spell, then released himself on his own recognizance by teleporting home. He still planned to defend himself, but hoped that it would be clear than any jail time would be served only if he, not the justice system, thought it was warranted.
By that time, groups for the sharing of useful spells had already begun to spring up. The defensive and escape spells made the list that all magical bronies were advised to learn first. The curve of attacks was bent even further down.
Bronies had been through the confusion and the first reaction by the rest of the world. They settled into an uneasy stalemate. They were allowed to live their lives.
Bastian walked up Broadway. He had a lot on his mind, which had been the case for several weeks running. A manager always had to be thinking of his job. That was the job. A thousand questions would have to be answered at any given time in order to make sure that the whole enterprise didn’t collapse. Bastian had taken that challenge in his professional life. Now he was volunteering. He was the executive director of FCE, LLC. Most companies were concerned with day-to-day operations. FCE was dedicated to two days of the year. Its sole purpose was to run FimCon, the premiere My Little Pony convention.
Organizing a convention and having it be successful is an impossible task for any person without a dedicated and competent staff. Bastian took a moment for gratitude as he entered the lobby of the hotel next to the convention center. His staff was some of the best. They almost never missed the meetings, and they worked hard between them.
During a convention, the executive was lucky if he got two hours of sleep a night. Bastian had run conventions for gaming and science fiction before, and usually did not sleep at all. He knew that during the next FimCon, he would once again be awake for the whole thing.
In fact, he had not slept for two months.
When the wave of pony powers began to make the news, Bastian was paying close attention. He figured out that it was pony-based before most bronies had, and he kept checking his back for wing buds and trying to move things with his mind to no avail. But every night he found himself going to bed later and waking up sooner. Then the two ends met and he suffered no ill effects. When he realized that boundless energy was his power, he considered it a suitable and useful gift.
The banquet hall was supplied every week with water glasses and carafes and with stationery and pens bearing the logo of the hotel. A moving wall separated it in half to create a cozier atmosphere. Chairs were set up to make it like a lecture hall. Bastian wished they would follow his instructions to arrange them in a circle.
When he arrived, the staff members who were already there were discussing some of the issues that were in the news. All of them had obtained pony powers in one form or another. As he stood aside and observed the room, Bastian smiled at what he did not see. He always expected pegasus people to be clustered together talking about wind patterns, and magical bronies in their own group sharing spells, and earth humans showing off whatever hidden talents they had developed. Instead, they were a mix. He walked up and listened to one of the conversations.
“I’m telling you, the law is on our side. Not one of these convictions has stood up on appeal, and the local judges are starting to listen to magical self-defense arguments,” one magical brony said.
“Maybe, but I’m worried about the cases where there wasn’t self-defense. They still refuse to treat anti-brony violence as a hate crime,” a pegasus person replied.
“That’s a legislative thing. They have to wait until they write that into the law.”
“And when will they get around to that?”
“When it’s politically profitable, of course. That’s why we need more publicity. But trust me, in a year, we won’t even be talking about legal issues.”
They had noticed Bastian and let him in to their standing circle. Now he spoke up. “I think you’re putting the cart before the pony. The problem isn’t the legal reaction to hate crimes against bronies. The problem is that they’re occurring at all.”
He waited for reaction, but got nothing except nods and mumbles of agreement. “Come on, let’s all sit down and get started,” he said.
Bastian was a veteran of meetings and had some set ideas about their purpose. Some managers put out an agenda and stuck to it without alteration. They banged the gavel as soon as anything off-topic was brought up. There was no point to those meetings. Everyone just said what they knew, no one learned anything, and if a vote was taken, everyone’s preference was known beforehand. Useful for recording, but horrible for generating ideas.
Then there were managers let things go too far the other way. Engrossed in the digressions themselves, they set up agendas for thirty minutes and ran four-hour meetings. Those invariably degraded into one or two blowhards telling their life stories.
In Bastian’s mind, a meeting had a threefold purpose. The first was the informal discussions before the meeting. Those were brainstorming sessions where ideas were generated in people’s heads. They might not be on paper, but they were where it counted. The second was the informal discussions during the meeting. That gave a chance for the ideas to stand up to scrutiny.
The third purpose for a meeting was simply to exist. It was to be a deadline that would spur people to do their own work. Bastian didn’t care if a report was sloppy or poorly presented. He cared that the work underlying the report was done well. He was skilled at reading which were merely bad reports and which were good reports of bad work.
A three-meeting cycle for any idea. People brought it up on their own, then it was chatted about at the next meeting, then it was integrated into the structure. It worked.
Bastian called the meeting to order, and he stuck to the agenda for a good while. He changed up the order of the departments’ reports every meeting, but always put his own at or close to the end. In his mind, there was a separate item for open discussion, but he never wrote it down. He wanted everyone to relax, get their reports done, and then shoot the breeze. His own part of the meeting was the least important.
The idea that had percolated up through the people, and which would be talked about at this meeting’s open discussion, was one of debate. The con had a deal in place to show a special “inter-season” episode of My Little Pony . The production company had made no promises in terms of quality, length, or whether or not it was “canon,” as was so important to bronies. They would be live-streaming it at the same time. But since just about every brony would be paying attention to this, some people wanted to accompany it with a panel, a statement of purpose that would address how bronies should deal with their new powers and the society around them.
The head of registration was talking on the subject. “We’re not a movement. We’re not a society. We don’t have a purpose, so we can’t make a statement of it. Not only is it incredibly presumptuous for us to think that we can somehow be leaders of a movement that isn’t, but if bronies become their own society, they’re just asking to be put in a ghetto, literal or metaphorical.”
The guest liaison responded, punctuating her sentences with an occasional sparkle from her fingers. “Like it or not, we are a society. Or at least a sub-culture. We chose to watch the show, but we didn’t choose what happened to us. Now, I could pass if I wanted just by not using magic, but you can’t hide your wings, and I don’t want to pass. So we’re going to have to deal with the people who don’t watch. We’re going to need a unified voice, and that means we need leadership.”
“But a leader can’t speak for every brony. Anyone who tries is going to be hit with so many arguments and complaints that it will drive him right out of the job.”
“All right, so we need strong leadership.”
The public relations director spoke up. “Even if we do, that’s a double-edged sword. Even if we had real leadership, and every brony listened to them, that would be problematic. We should think of ourselves as people who happen to be enhanced bronies, not bronies first.”
“But that still leaves us with the problem of dealing with haters, and with those who just don’t understand us,” said the guest liason.
“I don’t see the problem,” said the head of the art department. “Just make everyone watch the show, bronify them all, and then we won’t be unique and alone.”
“It’s not that simple,” said Bastian. “Researchers and governments have tried to just force the show on people to make them into supermen for their own purposes. It hasn’t worked. Even if we could make people watch—and how can we force it on them?—most of them would end up the same way they started, and quite irked about it.”
“So what do we do?”
For a minute, no one spoke. The question echoed through the room as everyone just thought about it. Then Bastian stood up.
“I think we’re making a mistake here. It doesn’t have to be either-or. There is a problem with sub-cultural leaders, and it’s the same problem with any leader: power corrupts.
“The reason we won’t have that problem is that we don’t have any power. We can’t tell any brony what to do. We could try, we could go for money and influence, but that’s exactly the road that we don’t want to go down.
“Let’s have the panel. Let’s put it before the episode so that people stick in. Take suggestions from people at the con, people on the live-stream, and anyone who wants to send something in. But add some restrictions.
“No one, and that includes us, suggest anything that can’t be done on the individual level. We’re not trying to change the world. That’s already happened. We’re looking for how to react to the change. And that’s a personal thing. No suggestions for laws to be passed or projects that we all have to be in on. No running off to an island to start Bronytopia. But anything that I can do on my own, or that you can do, or the average brony on the street can do, is welcome. That’s the only way I can see to get through this.”
No one applauded, but they wanted to. The rest of the meeting was moot. Their course was chosen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Did you put in for the time off?” asked Julie.
“I did. Earlier this week,” said Luke.
“I can’t remember the last time we had a vacation.”
Luke and Julie sat overlooking their backyard. They often liked to relax in the evenings with a glass of wine. Their plans for the summer had included a patio or deck to sit on, but they had decided against it. Instead, Luke had gone into the garage and modified some lawn chairs and a table so that they could be bolted to the roof. Since they could get up so easily, they figured it was worth it to save the money on the home improvement and go to FimCon instead.
“You realize that we’ll probably be the oldest people there?” said Julie.
“No, I don’t think so. Among the older, but I imagine we’ll see people fifty or sixty. Besides, ever since we started flying, I’ve only felt younger.”
She smiled. “It doesn’t matter, I suppose. Wild ponies couldn’t keep me away.”
They clinked glasses and just watched the breeze in the trees for a few minutes.
“You know what’s going to be really annoying?” said Luke.
“What?”
“Flying to the convention. On an airplane. It just seems so. . . “
“Beneath us?”
“It could be, I think. I’ve never gone up to thirty thousand feet,” he said. “We could probably make it there on our own if we didn’t have any luggage to carry. But I’m sure we’re going to load up on merchandise as well as having our clothes and toiletries, so coming home would be a strain on our wings.”
“You’re right. And yes, it’s going to be annoying. Waiting on line for security. Having to show our licenses half a dozen times. Ordered seating. Bad food. And all the time we’ll be looking at each other thinking, ‘We could step outside the door and meet them there.’ But we’ll do it anyway, and we won’t grumble.”
“Of course not. When do you want to pack?”
“It’s not for a while yet. But let’s start tomorrow.”
***
Luke looked at the large wheeled suitcase that Julie had laid out on the bed.
“Honey, the trip is for four days. You’ve got almost two weeks’ worth of clothes here.”
“Actually, I was going to talk to you about your packing. You’ve got enough books to stock the library.”
Luke’s suitcase was in the closet and out of the way, but he went over and opened it anyway. “I like these books. I don’t want to lose them.”
“Why would we? We’re going away for a long weekend, and then we’ll come back to them.”
“That’s right. Although, for some reason I wasn’t thinking of that when I was packing. I felt like something inside of me was saying to gather everything that I couldn’t bear to lose.”
“I didn’t feel like that,” said Julie.
“It was unconscious. And if you didn’t feel anything, then why did you pack our wedding album.”
“I. . . I don’t know. I thought of it like the old lady from Titanic , who said she always took her pictures when she traveled.”
Luke had picked up a habit of reaching over his shoulder and scratching between his wings when he was nervous or thinking. He did this now.
“Julie, I think that after the trip we should plan to move.”
“Why? No, wait. Don’t answer. I’m feeling it too, now that you’re talking about it. Like this house is somehow tying us to our old lives, before our wings.”
“That’s right. That’s what it is. We can’t stay here any more than we could stop them from growing. We’ll start house hunting as soon as we get back. Agreed?”
Julie put the wedding album back in her bag. “Agreed. Although, maybe we’ll see something we like while we’re at the convention.”
“In New York? You must be planning on winning the lottery while we’re out there.” He gave her a kiss.
“Just a thought. You never know what you’re going to see when you travel,” she said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa sat on her bed with her monitor blaring the latest in the series of re-dubbed My Little Pony episodes. The breaks between seasons were always trying, but at least the brony community put out plenty of new content to tide her over. As the video finished and the credits rolled, she saw one line that said, “Meet the cast and crew at FimCon!”
“What’s FimCon?” she said.
One Internet search later, she was on the phone to Olivia.
“Did you hear about this convention thing in New York?”
“Um, yeah,” said Olivia. “It’s been announced everywhere. Don’t you read the pony blogs?”
“Not carefully enough. Between studying and magic practice, when I do get free time I want to watch ponies, not read about them.”
“They advertised it during the commercial breaks on the live-stream of the season finale!”
“I watch it on TV,” said Lisa.
“Well, yes, there’s a convention. What about it?”
“Let’s go! And if you knew, why didn’t you ask me to go?”
“Because of simple arithmetic,” said Olivia. “Four hundred dollars for a round-trip flight plus one hundred dollars a night for a hotel times three nights plus fifty dollars for the convention itself—close brackets—times two people equals ‘we’re not going.’”
“No, it means we have to raise fifteen hundred dollars! Wait, don’t double the hotel. That’s three hundred dollars less. See? Not ten seconds into the project and we’re already twenty percent of the way there!”
***
“Why do they even bother printing new newspapers?” said Lisa. “They have the same job listings as yesterday’s!”
“That is to say, none that we’re qualified for,” said Olivia. “Tell me again how we’re supposed to fund this trip when we don’t actually have any funds.”
“I don’t know. I thought it would be easier. Walk in and say, ‘Hi! We’re two girls with magical powers looking to earn money. What do you have for us to do?’”
“The problem is that people don’t want magical employees. They want hard-working ones. Not to mention the fact that all we’ve got is telekinesis and teleportation.”
“And my teleportation is inconsistent,” said Lisa.
The two of them had split their time away from school between continuing to practice their skills and hunting for jobs. They were walking home from school as they discussed their strategy.
Lisa smirked at Olivia. “I still say that if you would only—“
“No. I’m not going around betting people that I can lift more than them. We don’t have the money to put up, it’s not honest, and if we lose, we’re cooked.”
“All right, I guess. I just can’t help thinking that there has to be a way to use magic to make money. Honestly.”
They strolled past the library. Lisa was deep in thought and didn’t see the notice posted on the free-standing bulletin board. Olivia did, and thought long and hard about ignoring it, but couldn’t do that to her friend. In any case, it was serendipity.
“Take a look at this! A city-wide talent show with cash prizes! Five thousand for first! We don’t even have to win. Even third prize is twelve-fifty.”
“Haha! This is how we’re going to do it! Who can put on a better magic show than us?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex ate his cereal slowly, as he had a lot on his mind. He concentrated on putting just the right amount of nonchalance into his voice.
“So, Mom, I’ve been thinking,” said Alex, “that it’s been a while since I’ve seen Aunt Toni and Uncle Marty. What do you think about me taking a trip out there this summer?”
“This summer, huh? Any particular week?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll look at the calendar. See which I’d like to go.”
“And it’s because you miss your relatives?” his mother asked. “And not because their home is convenient to New York when FimCon is running?”
“Heh. You knew?”
“Of course, dear. And it’s perfectly natural for you to want to go. It’s just a question of the money.”
Alex said nothing. In a single-parent household, money was always tight.
His mother said, “You could still sell some of your produce.”
“I won’t say I’m not tempted, but it would be wrong. But listen, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. All I would need is the transportation. If Uncle Marty and Aunt Toni will let me stay with them—and I do want to see them, that wasn’t just an excuse—and I can volunteer at the convention itself to get admission free, and I won’t take any spending money more than I have to, can’t I go?”
Alex’s mother looked at her son making puppy-dog eyes at her. She had had so few opportunities to give him what he wanted, as opposed to what he needed. She was starting to wilt. “Well. . . “
“You can make this my birthday and Christmas presents.”
“All right, I’ll figure out a way to get you there.”
“You’re the best, mom!” he said, and kissed her.
“You’d just better tend your garden before you go. I don’t want everything shrinking or disappearing or something if you’re not around to make it grow.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Is this your card?” asked Lisa.
“Yes, it’s my card. It was my card last time. It was my card the time before that. It has been my card every time you’ve tried this trick. We know it by heart now.” Olivia stamped her foot.
“We’ve got to practice though! The magic is easy, but the showmanship, that’s what we need in order to win the contest!”
“And that is what we don’t have, nor are we getting,” said Olivia. “We need to face facts. Magic shows have a high learning curve. There’s the good stuff that makes it on television, and there’s the really amateur high-school shows. If people are entertained at all by that kind, it’s to laugh at it. And getting people to laugh isn’t going to get us to FimCon. We’re not the Cutie Mark Crusaders; we’re not getting an award for comedy.”
Lisa threw down the pack of cards. She wanted desperately to argue with what Olivia had said, but couldn’t think of anything to say. They had been practicing in Lisa’s back yard by the new shed that her father had put up a month ago.
As the cards hit the table, they slipped and flew everywhere. Lisa was able to grab most of them magically and put them back on the table, but a few went into the shed itself. Since she had not yet mastered moving objects she couldn’t see, she went in.
“I guess you’re right,” she said to Olivia. “I was just sure that this was the right path. Now we’re not going to get to go to the con.”
“It’s all right. We’ll find a way to make it next year.”
Lisa found the last of her playing cards. It had fallen among some of the outdoor games that the Changs kept for summer parties. There were lawn darts, horseshoes, and a bocce ball set. Lisa held out her hand and summoned the card. It flew right past her.
“That’s it!” she said. “We’re not going next year. We’re going to win this talent show and go this year!”
“What are you talking about?”
Lisa came out of the shed carrying the bocce balls. “We’ve been completely on the wrong tack. No one wants to see a magic show with real magic. But they’ll go ape over our juggling act!”
“Juggling?”
“Sure! You know how good I am at precision telekinesis. I’ll be able to keep these eight balls in the air in a moving pattern easily!”
“You think that will be impressive?” asked Olivia.
Lisa wore her sneaky smirk again. “It will. That’s the best part. We won’t tell anyone we’re using magic. You’ll be the one juggling the eight balls, but I’ll be doing the magic from the other side of the stage.”
“That’s dishonest. I told you, we’re not going to lie to get the money.”
“We won’t. If anyone asks, we’ll tell the truth. But if they don’t, we’ll stay mum. Come on, girl! This is our chance!”
“I suppose.”
“And since you have the pure physical power, you can use your magic on me. I’ll only juggle three, but they’ll be bowling balls!”
“Lisa, you are crazy. Absolutely nuts. But I’ll do it, because I want the challenge of magically holding up three ten-pound objects.”
Two weeks later, Lisa and Olivia were twenty-five hundred dollars richer, having come in second. They were on their way to New York.
Bastian had heard of a rule that the location of a meeting determined who was in charge. In other words, if someone came to you, they came acknowledging that you held the power, but if they made you come to them, they were claiming an advantage. Bastian didn’t like to think in those terms. He happily went to the offices of vendors, customers, or anyone when the convenience of travel dictated. When his contact at the convention center asked him to come to her office, he didn’t see any reason not to go, nor did he have his guard up.
So he was blindsided when she began the appointment by saying, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to cancel the reservation you have with us.”
“We have a contract. There’s no cancellation clause,” he said.
“No, but there are several termination clauses, one of which says that if you alter the purpose of your event, we can back out.”
“We haven’t altered our purpose.”
“You’ve added a panel that we both know is going to be a political rally.”
One of the side effects of Bastian’s unlimited energy was that it took far more than it once had to frustrate or annoy him. He calmly said, “It’s not political. It’s educational.”
“We don’t think it will be. At least, that’s our official reason for doing this.”
“What’s the unofficial reason?”
“You’re courting controversy,” the representative said. “Hell, you are controversy. The convention center doesn’t want its name dragged through the mud by association with anything that might happen to you. Or caused by you.”
Bastian looked the woman in the eyes, and she looked back. He guessed that she personally had no prejudice against enhanced bronies, though she might not speak for all involved.
“OK,” he said. “That’s the official unofficial reason. Now let’s talk about the unofficial unofficial reason. How much?”
“It’s not a matter or money.”
“Which means that it’s a matter of an awful lot of money.” After watching her struggle to find another way to deny it, Bastian smiled. “I honestly don’t mind being squeezed for more money, or rather, I mind the money, but not the idea. But my time and my sanity are precious, and I can’t keep them if you don’t get to the point. So I ask again, how much?”
She choked out, “Twice as much.”
He whistled. “Pretty steep. As is, we’re only using half the building. So we’d be paying for the whole thing. Can we have the full run of the center if we pay for it?”
“The other half has already been booked.”
“I’m sure it has. And whoever has it, they’re probably looking to get out of their contract because of us too. We’re just so popular, aren’t we?”
The representative fiddled with some pens on her desk. Bastian was still smiling at her. He was enjoying the psychological back-and-forth.
“If you paid for the whole center,” she said, “the other party would probably back out. But they might not. So we couldn’t put it in writing. But if the time comes and they’re not there, we won’t say anything if you have a little sprawl.”
“It sounds wonderful. Everything under the table with no protection. We should probably start filing the lawsuits now to save time afterward. So here’s where we stand. I’ll go back and look to see if we can afford to pay the bribe you’re asking. Oh, don’t be shocked at a word. We’re going to be good friends from now on. You see, I honestly don’t know if we can pay it. We have a treasurer who takes care of the budget. And if we can’t, then we can’t have our convention, which I don’t want, and you won’t get paid, which you don’t want. We’re working toward a common goal.”
He got up and walked out of the office.
***
The treasurer, Micah, was an Earth human like Bastian, though he still required sleep. He had a special insight for how to pinch pennies, an ability that was only heightened along with his strength and speed.
“Are you insane?” he said. “There’s no way we can pay that much. Why did you agree to it?”
“Because it was going to happen whether I agreed to it or not,” said Bastian. “And because it happened that way, we may be able to cheat. Assume we only have to pay, let’s say, ninety percent more. They probably won’t quibble over that much.”
“I would. But even if you’re right, I still don’t know how to do it.”
“Well, cut my salary in half for one.”
“In half? I wasn’t planning to pay you at all.”
Bastian laughed. “Then cut yours in half.”
“I don’t make enough for that to make a difference. Even if you include what I’m skimming off the top.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something to cut.”
“Bastian,” Micah said, “I’m good at what I do, and I know what’s possible and what’s not. There’s no way the convention makes money if you do this. And I’m not going to sign off on a con that’s a guaranteed failure. I won’t lie to the backers.”
“You’re right. We can’t do that. But we can’t give up either.”
“Then clear your schedule and get me some coffee. I’ll print out the budget and we can sweat our skulls until we figure out how to do the impossible.”
Two hours later, they had worked their way through every line item on the expense side, and were still coming up short. Bastian threw away his fourth cup of coffee.
“The shame of it is that we’re popular. People want to come to this con. We just need a way to turn human capital into actual capital,” he said.
“Ask some of the magical bronies on staff. They’re the ones who turn things into other things.”
“That’s it! You’re brilliant!”
“I know. You’re seriously going to try to use magic to raise money?”
“No, but Jack in the Registration department is. He’ll find a way to get everyone who’s coming to pony up some more money. I know he can do it. He’s every bit as nice as you aren’t.”
“Well, at least my first question is answered. You’re definitely insane.”
***
Jack had a printout of the e-mail that Bastian had sent him detailing the situation. He leaned back in his chair and looked at Bastian.
“So what’s your plan?”
“I was hoping you’d come up with something.”
“Well, we have basically one revenue stream, and that’s the price of admission. We can raise that, but the problem is everyone who’s already paid,” said Jack.
Bastian had brought his copy of the treasurer’s report. It was wrinkled and had a coffee ring at it. He stared at the paper, his enemy.
“Maybe we’re looking at this from the wrong angle,” he said. “We could be underestimating bronies. What if we simply asked for more?”
“Donations? That gets real complicated.”
“It probably will, but let’s try it anyway. Call the web site guys and have them put up an update asking. Let people know that there’s nothing in it for them except our gratitude. Let’s just see what happens.”
***
Bastian’s professional office was small and cluttered, and Micah had to move some folders off the chair before he could sit down.
“Well, what did you come up with?” he asked.
“We’re asking the convention-goers to voluntarily pay more.”
“That’s it? That’s your big plan? I’m not going to sign off on that.”
Bastian slid his chair over to the computer. “Don’t you even want to know how it’s turned out so far?”
“It’s only been three days. ‘So far’ is not that far at all.”
“Good phrase. I’ll have to steal it. Anyway, you can read the whole thing on the message board if you want.”
“Why don’t you give me the short version?” Micah asked.
“Everyone is complaining and moaning. Half of them are threatening to tear up their tickets. But no one has actually done so, and around five thousand dollars has come in.”
Micah’s glasses slipped off his face. Bastian laughed, not thinking that could really happen.
“Then you’ve done it! We’re going to be all right,” Micah said.
“Yes, I thought so as well. That was yesterday. Then I slept on it—metaphorically speaking—and made another post this morning. The gist of that one is that everyone who paid double can invite a friend for free.”
Micah recovered his glasses. “So you essentially reversed it. Now we’re still screwed. You are an utterly stupid man, Bastian. Forget it. You can dupe everyone else, but I’m not going to approve this and that means the con’s not happening.”
“You don’t have to approve it. But the con is going to happen.”
“You’re not willing to take people’s money, but you’re willing to lie to the owners?”
“I have never lied to the owners of FCE,” said Bastian, with a knowing smile.
“Not telling them is just as duplicitous.”
“They already know.”
Micah just stared.
“All right, I’ve had enough fun,” Bastian said. “Time to let you in on the joke. I bought out the old owners. Enough of them, anyway. A few are remaining as silent partners, treating it as a lottery ticket that could still make money. Which I hope to.”
“How on Earth can you afford that?”
“Oh, that’s easy. I can’t. I’m mortgaged to the hilt. I can’t even afford this office any more. I’ll probably have to move into the closet. You know what I realized last night? Money just sits there. It doesn’t do anything. Even the things you buy with it don’t move. And that means they don’t matter. Only experiences matter. And FimCon is going to be an experience to remember.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The detective had only recently been promoted, and wore his slacks and sport jacket in the same way as he had worn his uniform. He had too much bulk for the suit, and was used to backing people down by the sheer power of his clothing.
Bastian had a smile for everyone, even for the detective as he laid out the reasons why they would not allow the convention to open.
“You’re attracting a lot of undue attention. We’ve had an awful lot of applications for gatherings, protests, marches, and whatever on the days that you’re operating. Some have been denied, but some haven’t. And some people are going to march even without a permit.
“It’s not like we haven’t seen this before. Political party conventions, the G-8 meetings, and whatever. And when that happens, we have procedures in place to keep order. But we have to specifically initiate those procedures, and as yet we haven’t been told to.”
Bastian just sat there with the same smile. The detective was starting to get annoyed.
“And of course, all those events were run by a bunch of bigwigs for important purposes. Your convention is about a television show.
“So, for your protection, as well as that of the city”—and my bosses’ rear ends , he added mentally—“we’re going to have to pull the plug.”
The detective had issued edicts many times on patrol, and he was used to reactions of anger or compliance. He looked at Bastian still sitting, smiling, and not reacting. He wondered if this was how things were done at this level or if Bastian was just an oddball. He had to break through the shell, and asking a direct question was the only way to do so.
“Is this really that important? It’s just some ponies.”
Bastian didn’t respond immediately, and the detective thought that he was going to stonewall until he ended the conversation. But he was just gathering his thoughts, as he said, “Yes, it is that important.
“I could tell you why. I could tell you that happiness is more important than money, politics, and all the things that make the newspapers. I could introduce you to people who would probably be dead by their own hands today if not for ‘just some ponies.’ I could also introduce you to married couples who met because of ‘just some ponies.’ And that was before the enhancements happened.
“I could tell you about a gathering of Earth humans who believe that, in another ten years, they can end world hunger. Or perhaps you’d like to meet the pegasus people who are forming a search-and-rescue team to patrol dangerous areas where people are camping or hiking or mountain-climbing. All volunteer, no one gets paid, and they’re completely at the disposal of any existing rescue team that asks for help. Magical bronies, I’m sorry to say, have no particularly grand plans. I could only give you anecdotal proof of what they’re doing. One stops a house fire here. Another conjures clothes for the poor there.
“This is that important because for all of us, we have to know we’re not alone. We have to know that we’re not going to be caged because of our differences.
“But none of that matters. Because the fact is that this event is going to happen, and it doesn’t matter whether you approve or not. You say that you’re concerned about our security, but you’re not willing to stop the protests and such that threaten it. As I see it, if you don’t have enough backbone to remove the people who are interfering with a peaceful gathering, you certainly don’t have enough to remove the people who are the peaceful gathering.
Now it was the detective’s turn to say nothing, though for a very different reason. He tried to read Bastian’s face for any hint that he was bluffing. He saw none.
Giving in was not in his nature. He said, “If that’s your position, if you go through with this, then people are going to get hurt. Your people, the people that you were talking about—“
Bastian interrupted. “I was talking about friends, but they are certainly not my people. People aren’t something to be possessed.”
“Whatever. Everyone’s going to know that they have no protection and they’re going to take advantage of it. And we’re going to be out there in the public eye, making sure it’s known that you were told to shut down, and you didn’t. Blood is going to be on your hands.”
Bastian burst out laughing. “In the first place, that’s a moot point, because we’re not going to let anyone get hurt. You don’t have confidence in people. I do. Most are good people, who want nothing more than to get along. And the snakes in the grass? They always have a rattle, an easy way to tell them apart.
“But even if there were to be a problem, and one person hurts others, how on Earth can you think that that’s anyone’s fault but the one person?”
The detective walked to the door. Refusing to let Bastian have the last word, he turned back and said, “You’ll regret this, you know. You think you’re the first group to defy authority? Plenty have, and they’ve all either come back into line or collapsed on themselves.” He left.
Alone, Bastian said to the air, “But they didn’t have the magic of friendship.”
Bastian wrote the next post for the web site himself.
Everypony:
When we first planned FimCon, we thought it would be an even exchange. We show all our guests a good time, and they in turn provide us with a few dollars. Then the enhancements happened, and we began to draw attention. Since then, we have had to come to you, cap in hand, and ask for money. You responded with more generosity than I could have hoped. Can we depend once more on you? This time we need something more difficult than money.
I’ve just gotten official notification that the government plans to offer us no protection at the convention. What this means is that if anyone from outside decides to cause a scene, we’re on our own. So the first thing we need is strength. We know that among you are some who are super-strong, super-fast, or impenetrable. There are others who have powers that can serve to protect us Can we count on you to help watch over those who have not been enhanced? It means having both the bravery of Rainbow Dash and the patience of Fluttershy. If we have enough volunteers, no one from outside can stop us.
But the second thing I have to ask is not voluntary. Everypony coming has to agree. You will need to police yourselves, and I don’t just mean each other. I’m counting on you, if there’s any sort of confrontation, to resolve it without any higher authority than our volunteers. What that means is that if you’re a vendor, you need to not cheat people, and if you’re a customer, don’t take advantage. If you have a short temper, don’t lose it. Not this weekend.
For two days, we need to be the people we were meant to be. We need to be as friendly as the ponies of Equestria. Only if we are will we pull off the miracle we need to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the detective had left the office and returned to his precinct, he wrote a brief account of the conversation in his notebook. A day later, he included the web site post and made it his report. His lieutenant called him in for a rundown on his open cases, where he went into further detail on Bastian’s reaction.
The lieutenant had an expense-account lunch with the Chief of Detectives over which he mentioned that FimCon would be bucking their authority. The Chief relayed it to a congressman over a round of golf. On the flight to Washington, the congressman told it as an anecdote to a senator from the same state. By the time the senator re-told it to President Steuben, the game of telephone led the president to understand that the bronies had an active policy of thumbing their nose at anyone in power.
Steuben was a cautious man, whose first recourse in any situation was to look for his second recourse. He called the attorney general and had a few marshals sent to New York strictly to observe. Then he met with one of his party bosses.
“I’ll tell you privately,” Steuben said, “that I don’t like this. This is the kind of thing that gets precedential. We’re either going to have problems at this even or we’re not. If we do, it gets in the paper and makes us look bad for not doing anything. If we don’t, they start to get swelled heads. At some point, we’re going to need to take a position on this whole magical-flying thing. I, for one, think the position should be, ‘Toe the mark, stop acting like the rules don’t apply to you. And if you don’t, we’ll make you stop.’”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With three days until FimCon, the first counterdemonstration arrived in New York. They consisted of the congregations of eight different sects, some of which had previously protested against one another. They filled some of the same hotels that the convention-goers would be staying at, and had plans to leave the rooms in some disarray when they left. Some dressed in expensive clothing, others in the traditional garb of their religion.
Their protests were not flashy affairs, being based largely around sermons preached by speakers who would raise their tone of voice just enough to bring the crowd near a frenzy, then pass the microphone to another who would start over again.
The main theme of the sermons was that whoever was running the world, he, she, or it was the only one who had the right to control nature, and that mankind’s proper role was to exercise humility in the face of that control. Any person who was so presumptuous as to manipulate the laws of nature had to be in league with the devil.
The nightly news spoke of a spiritual revival meeting, and emphasized the need for moral guidance in a confusing age. They mentioned nothing about bronies at all.
Bastian tried to arrange meetings with the leaders of the protests to ensure safety, but only one was willing. The preacher had the highest rated program in his Pennsylvania county, and he wore gold rings that had turned his fingers green.
“We’re not asking you to stop your protest,” Bastian said. “All we’re asking is that you tone down the rhetoric, remind the people that there’s no call for violence, and to give us the space we’re entitled to over the weekend.”
The preacher retreated in his chair a bit, as if afraid that Bastian would infect him. “It’s quite reasonable to ask all that, but you may overestimate my abilities here. I’m not in charge of these people. They’re just here because they’re passionate about something.”
“I can understand that. I’m in the same position as you. We’re both trying to help people pursue their passions.”
“Indeed. You should come on my show some time. We could use some of your abilities to show folks that they can be used for godly purposes.”
“With all respect, sir, I’m not a follower of your faith.”
“No, I guess you aren’t. Son, you really don’t understand what we’re doing here, do you?”
“I would like to,” said Bastian.
“All of us here, even the heathens, can function just fine when we’re all equal. But history tells us that it gets bad when one group is placed ahead of another. This is not just a march of protest. It’s a march of survival. So long as you exist as a group, we can’t.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There were two days until FimCon. The streets that day were occupied by a mixed group of political protestors. Ramshackle booths were erected in the park and along the avenues, selling literature and paraphernalia. The people who sold at the booths wore ragged clothes and hair as a statement of solidarity and for marketing purposes. The people who bought wore ragged clothes and hair because they didn’t care how they looked.
There were fewer speeches given in these protests. They preferred to send their message via the one-sentence sign. Pieces of hastily painted cardboard were stapled to wooden beams, reading things like “Clip the wings of pegasus people,” “Earth humans have rocks for brains,” and “Public service is the real magic.”
One protestor who seemed to have Bastian’s gift of unlimited energy kept up an endless torrent of invective through a bullhorn.
“At one point, we were taught that everyone was made equal! Well, I’m looking across at people who think they’re better than everyone! If they were really the nice and pleasant people they say they are, they’d share their secret with the rest of us! I’ve watched the show they talk about! I didn’t grow wings, did I? So don’t try to feed that crap to me!
“Those who have powers also have a responsibility to the rest of humanity. We’ve heard about their charitable efforts. That’s not charity! That’s what they owe the rest of us for their privilege! It’s not giving when you’re just doing what you can. You’ve got to give until it hurts! But they never hurt.”
Bastian did not try to these protestors. He sat in the hotel’s banquet room and listened to the ranting. I never hurt? he thought. I hurt every time I read about one of you attacking another person because they’re different. I hurt when a lady saw me as nothing but something to extract money from. I hurt when a stuffed suit told me I wasn’t worth protecting. I hurt plenty. I just don’t cry about it.
Anyone passing by the room would have heard a faint singing. “Cause all I really need’s a smile, smile, smile. . . “
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the day before FimCon opened, the media finally noticed that something was going on. A wire service sent a cameraman and reporter to interview Bastian.
“How do you answer the charges of your critics that you’ve obtained your abilities through nefarious means?”
“I can’t answer the charges of critics when they won’t discuss things rationally. What nefarious means are they referring to? How did we discover these means and why can’t everybody do it? That’s what I can’t answer because the questions are ridiculous.”
“What about the accusations that you should be doing more for society?” the reporter asked.
“I think we’re doing an awful lot. But I wasn’t aware that we had any obligations to society beyond those that any regular person does.”
“We’ve heard that there’s going to be a big meeting during this convention that could determine the course of your people. What do you hope will come out of this meeting and how are you going to control the destiny of enhanced people?”
Bastian breathed in heavily. He was losing patience, but he knew that this was important. “I don’t control any of these people. They’re all free agents, and they’re all responsible for themselves.”
“Are you concerned about safety?”
“Of course I am. Not nearly as much from our attendees as from the outsiders. All we want to do is get together, have fun, and live our lives. Why is that such a problem?”
“OK, I think that’s good enough,” the reporter said, removing the professionalism from her tone. “Thanks for appearing on camera.”
“Not at all. I’m glad to get my side on the record. Can I have a copy of the tape?” asked Bastian.
“Well, we’ll send you one after it broadcasts. We can’t let you scoop us by uploading it on the internet or anything.”
Bastian chuckled. “All right.”
That night, Bastian and some of the staff were handing out the badges to the early arrivals. The director of registration had a tablet computer, and they watched the interview on the local news.
“How do you answer the charges of your critics that you’ve obtained your abilities through nefarious means?”
“I can’t answer the charges.”
“What about the accusations that you should be doing more for society?”
“I wasn’t aware that we had any obligations to society”
“Are you concerned about safety?”
“I don’t control any of these people. They’re all responsible for themselves.”
“What about potential violence?”
“Why is that such a problem?”
“She never even asked me that!” Bastian said.
There was a tense silence. Everyone, staff and con-goers, stared at Bastian.
“I—“
Bastian had a moment. The weight of all his meetings, all the money issues, all the drama, and all the politics hit him at once. They combined with the faces. He desperately wanted to put his head in his hands. For the first time in months, Bastian felt tired. Then the moment passed.
“Everypony. I’m not going to tell you that your journey here wasn’t difficult. Whatever happens over the next two days, it’s going to take everypony. But that includes me. I can’t tell you how many people have tried to make this convention not happen. In a couple of days, we’re going to get together at a panel and talk about our future. It’s going to seem very complicated, but it’s really very simple.
“People are going to try to stop us, no matter what we do. And all we have to do to beat them is to not stop. All of you, you need to keep flying, keep casting, keep growing.” He looked at his watch. “In about twelve hours, FimCon is going to open. It’s going to open because I’m not going to stop. I couldn’t do it without you, but I know that you’re going to be there. You’re not going to stop either. And I know that. . . because I need you.
“That’s what separates us in here from them out there. We can give help when we need it, and we can ask for it when we need it. I’m offering and I’m asking. So what about it? Are we ready?”
The crowd cheered. Bastian picked up the next badge and moved the line along.
New York City changed so much on Sundays that a song had been written taking note of the fact. For Luke and Julie, the buzz of the traffic and activity they had seen over the past few days unnerved them a little, and they kept to the hotel. On Saturday, of course, they went to the convention center, and had enjoyed that sort of traffic, since it was all bronies like them. Then they woke on Sunday to see three of every four stores with their security gates down, parking lots that had been stuffed to bursting now empty, and sidewalks they could actually see.
“Luke, since we’re here for the first time,” said Julie, “let’s see some of the city.”
“But the con’s re-opening soon.”
“I know, I don’t want to miss any of it either. But we can’t come to New York and say that all we saw was two buildings.”
“No, I suppose not,” Luke said. “But we’ve definitely got to be back by noon. I don’t want to miss the new episode premiere.”
The skies in Manhattan were clear, since even the native pegasus people stuck to the ground. The tall buildings meant that flying wasn’t much advantage over walking. Luke and Julie reached an intersection where they thought that their wings would at least help them cross when the “Don’t Walk” sign was lit, but it turned out that the New Yorkers did that on foot anyway.
They walked uptown and emerged from the maze of skyscrapers to the southern edge of Central Park. Here at least, a few pegasus people were in the air. The couple shouldered their bags and took wing.
They tried to fit a day’s worth of tourism into an hour. Rapidly heading north, they took a few moments to observe points of interest. “Ooh, look at the reservoir.” “There are a lot of playgrounds in here.” “Let’s at least take a few minutes for the zoo.”
They were engrossed in the view, and didn’t notice the sun rising toward its peak. Julie noticed that they were the only two in the air, and she looked at her watch. “Luke! It’s twenty of twelve. We’ve got to get back,” she said.
They started flying back south, but didn’t get far before they heard a voice from below. “Hey! You two heading for the con?” It was a young man in a Fluttershy T-shirt, but whether he was an earth human, or a magical brony, or hadn’t been enhanced at all, they couldn’t tell. By his accent, they could tell he was a local.
“Yes, we are,” said Luke.
“Well, you won’t make it flying. One of those protest groups has got people stationed on the upper floors of buildings trying to take out any pegasus person flying by.”
“Great,” said Julie. “I guess we’re walking.”
“That’s no good either,” said the youth. “Another one has a human barricade on the avenue.”
“So we’re going to miss it. I can’t believe it!”
“No need for that, miss. One way still open left. Come on.”
*******************************************
Luke and Julie ran up the stairs, keeping their wings closely folded so as to not snag them on anything. Breathing heavily, Luke said, “Does this count as ironic? We’ve got to get somewhere, we can fly, and we wind up taking the subway.”
“I think it does, but some people are awfully fussy over that word. Let’s keep moving.”
They emerged onto the street and ran into the convention center. Flashing their badges to the security personnel at the door, they slowed to a fast walk and found the central theater. There was another brony in the red security shirt. “Are we too late for the panel and the episode?” Julie asked.
“Not quite. There are still a few seats left in the last row. I’m just heading in myself.”
“Great! We’ll sit together. My name’s Luke and this is my wife, Julie.”
“I’m Alex. Nice to meet you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the extra money she had from the talent competition, Olivia was trawling the vendor hall and loading up on swag. When she had entered the convention the day before, Lisa had handed her the panel schedule and a highlighter. Together they had marked out the ones they wanted to see. The only problem, as Olivia now discovered, was that there had been no time to visit the artists or the merchandisers. They had barely managed to eat.
She had just put another art print in her bag when she got a text from Lisa asking her to meet up in front of the central theater. Hurrying up to the front of the hall, she was stuck behind a small crowd in front of a table. From what she could gather, there was a raffle about to be drawn. She tried to maneuver her way around and found herself close to the table itself.
“You want a ticket?” the lady behind the table asked.
“Huh?” Olivia said. “I’m just trying to get past.”
“You sure? Only four dollars a ticket, and you can win this life-size Rarity plushie!”
Olivia was about to wave the vendor off and keep pushing through, but she stopped at the phrase. “Life-size?” she said. “How can you have a life-size of a cartoon pon-ooh!” She saw the plushie. It was big enough to ride. “Well, for four dollars, I’ll give it a try.”
She filled out a slip with her badge number and put it into a drum. “Last call! Anyone else want a ticket?” the vendor shouted.
No one else said anything, so the vendor continued. “OK, we’ll have the draw now!” She spun the drum to mix up the tickets, pulled one out, and read the number.
“That’s me!” said Olivia. “I won!”
“Are you sure?” asked the vendor. “Let me just check your badge. . . Looks good. Congratulations! Come on back and pick up your prize.”
Olivia went in behind the desk. The vendor was still addressing the crowd. “OK, everypony else, let’s get going! The big panel’s starting in a few minutes!”
Olivia realized that she had a problem. She was never going to be able to carry around the giant plushie without knocking people over, to say nothing of seeing around it. She turned back to ask the vendor if she could pick it up afterwards, but she had joined the people hustling for the exit.
She had to act quickly. She pointed at the plushie and concentrated. Muttering to herself, “I hope it doesn’t blow up,” she worked through how to cast the spell. She had gotten quite talented at improvising her magic.
Slowly the plushie began to shrink. Olivia focused harder and the magic sped up. It got down to about a foot long and she grabbed a hold of it. She ran out to meet Lisa.
Halfway there, she thought, Wait, if I can do size-change magic, why didn’t I just buy a regular one?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa closed her cell phone after sending the text to Olivia and floated it into her handbag. She had long since gotten used to taking small actions magically. It was like having an extra set of hands. She was about to go wait at the central theater door, when she felt someone watching her.
She turned around to see a girl who couldn’t have been more than six years old staring right at her.
Lisa looked around, trying to see if the girl had anyone watching her, but couldn’t tell. She knelt down.
“Hi,” she said. “What’s your name?”
“Kim. You do magic!”
“Yes, I do. Where’s your mommy, Kim?” she asked, looking then for con security as well.
“She’s outside fighting,” Kim said. She pointed to the glass doors. Lisa saw one of the protest groups yelling at the few bronies who had ventured outside the building. Kim wasn’t much interested, though, and kept looking at Lisa. “Can you show me how you do it? I want to magic too!”
“You have to practice a lot, and you have to watch My Little Pony first.”
“Mommy won’t let me watch ponies.”
“No? Well, when you get older, you can watch them on your own. Then maybe you’ll learn magic.”
She dragged Kim off by the arm, and Lisa was left alone. She thought that she had done a good deed for the little girl.
“Hey, come on, let’s get going!” It was Olivia, running up to her with a bag from the vendor hall.
They went inside the theater just as the doors closed and sat in the back row. Olivia struck up a conversation with the two pegasus people sitting next to them.
“Hey. I’m Olivia and this is my friend Lisa.”
“I’m Julie, that’s Luke, and down at the end is Alex. You guys ready? This should be pretty exciting.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So go out, have fun, be safe, and enjoy the con!” With those words, Bastian had concluded the opening ceremonies of FimCon. No one decided to go to a con for the opening, but it was important for the organizers. It let them gauge the number of attendees and their attitudes, answer some common questions—even if they had been answered dozens of times already—and occupy everyone’s time while the more popular exhibitions were being set up.
Since his speech the previous night, Bastian’s spirits had been high. The problems particular to this convention having been, if not solved, dealt with, made the problems inherent to any convention seem easy by comparison. Video equipment wasn’t working, or was missing in some cases. But he knew this was going to happen and had spares. One guest missed her flight and would be coming in late. Easy enough. Send one person to pick her up at the airport and another to sharpie a new time on all the posted schedules. There had been a mixup and some staff that had been promised hotel rooms weren’t booked. He went to the front desk and had them make four copies of his key. He wouldn’t be needing the room at this point.
Then, late Sunday morning, a miracle had happened. He had stood in the middle of the hall and no one came up to him. He looked into the staff room and there was no line out the door of people with complaints. He reached for his cell phone and found that there were no text messages screaming, “Urgent! Get to Panel Room 5 now!” He had a moment to breathe, a time to not hurry.
He took the opportunity to stroll the convention. All around were people in costumes, people listening to lectures and participating, people playing music and reciting memes. And all the people were smiling. At the front door, the people outside had angry faces, but they were out, and all the important people were in. It was as if a bubble had formed around them, and all of the good and happiness had floated into the bubble.
He ducked into a room. This was not for panels or discussions. When the staff had chosen their exhibits, they found that this closet of a room didn’t fit anything else, so someone had suggested that they set up a wide-screen TV and just run the episodes on repeat. By his estimate, they could get through the first four seasons without any repeats.
Few people were interested. They had all seen the episodes many times. The people who were in mostly used it as a cool-down room, a place to sit in the dark and sip some water before moving on to something else. Bastian put his phone on vibrate and sat down.
It was the episode where Rarity and Applejack slept over Twilight Sparkle’s house during the rainstorm. I haven’t seen this one in a long time, thought Bastian. What was the title? ‘The Sleepover’? No, they’re always punny or joking names. ‘Look Before You Sleep,’ that was it.
My Celestia, how long has it been since I’ve watched any episode, let alone an early Season One? It was so different then. Nopony was streaming it over the internet, there were no immediate post-broadcast discussions, no memes based on particularly funny lines.
There was an innocence about that. The show grew without people helping it. It was something special, something magical. Perhaps, in all the hoopla that surrounded the show, the show got lost.
I can imagine how this would be received if it were shown today. Did the storm knock out the lights? Does Twilight have electric lights? Electricity is canon, people! And wait, they’re eating s’mores. Marshmallows have gelatin, right? Gelatin is made from animal by-products, but Pinkie sang that their diets were completely vegetarian. Blatant contradiction! Ah, Rarity and Applejack are back together. Must be time for a bunch of fics shipping them.
If only I could go back in time and relive it as it was.
Bastian’s looked at his phone and saw that it was almost time for the big discussion panel. He got up and left the room.
No , he thought as he headed to the central theater. I wouldn’t go back. It was good then, but it’s good now too. I remember when we were convening in a tiny room with dirty windows in the bad part of town. Now we’re in the biggest arena in the city, and we’re national news. Going back would mean not having most of these people here, and we’d be less for that. And the enhancements are important too. Wings and magic, growing and strength, they could help everyone, brony or not. We can’t give that up.
It would be like going to sleep. And I don’t sleep.
Bastian reached the theater and took his position on the dais. The crowd was still chattering, so he turned up his microphone and started the panel.
“OK, I’m glad you’re all here, and I’m sure you’re all waiting for the unseen episode to start, but we wanted to run this panel, which is also going out over the net, to talk about our problems being enhanced bronies. I’ve talked about this with other people, and we’ve agreed that what we need is not any sort of collective action. We’re not a cause. But we want advice for people and families. What it comes down to is this: because of our love for ponies, and because of the abilities we’ve gained from it, we’re targets. How do we deal with that? I want to hear from you. There are microphones set up for anyone who has a suggestion, and we’ll read out some from the chatroom. Get in line if you want to say something.”
A pegasus girl stepped up to one of the mikes. “I know that no one wants to say it, but we all know that people who watch My Little Pony , and don’t become fans don’t get any powers. Isn’t that, like, an evolutionary indicator that there’s something wrong with the person? Ponies should be a litmus test for knowing who’s good and who’s not.”
There was a pause, and then Bastian spoke up. “I don’t know that that’s true. I still have friends who haven’t watched My Little Pony , or who have and didn’t like it, and who are good people. But even if it were, we don’t have the means to say that someone who isn’t good should be restricted from doing anything. Thanks for the comment. Yes, next?”
A magical brony spoke, holding the mike by his powers. “You’re right to say that we don’t have the means, and that we can’t become a movement. But what we need individually is more aggression. Not pre-emptive, but when bronies are being targeted, we need to fight back. Magical bronies have learned defensive spells, but if we knew some offensive spells as well, one or two news stories might put some fear into those who would try to subdue us.”
“So what you’re saying is, ‘When somepony tries to block, show them that you rock’?” asked Bastian. That got a laugh. “What does everyone think? Do we need to take the offense?”
One of the other panelists took the mike and said, “I know there might be a visceral reaction to that suggestion that we can’t do that, that it would just bring us down to their level. But there are going to be bronies who think it’s the right thing to do, so we have to give some thought to the consequences.”
“OK, here’s one from the live-stream chat,” said Bastian. “It says, ‘Pro-active is good, but aggressive is bad. What we need to do is to evangelize. Our powers have done a good job of selling the show, but we haven’t. We need a consistent message of how nice it is to be a brony. Then people sitting on the fence will start to come over to our side, and then it’ll be the other side who’s marginalized.”
Olivia stood up. “You’re going to say something?” asked Lisa.
“Oh, yeah.” She went up to the mike.
“Just from looking at me, I’m sure you can all tell that I know a thing or two about prejudice and bigotry. I know the dangers of ignoring it. . . and I know the dangers of paying too much attention to it. I’ve seen too many of my friends think of themselves as girls first, or as Blacks first, and how it’s kept them back from reaching their full potential. And when I first learned to do magic, I was excited, but I knew that I couldn’t be a magical brony first and Olivia second.
“But at the same time, I think the premise of this panel is wrong. We need each other. We don’t have to become a movement, but we can’t do anything on our own. We need to get together, and I mean live together. We need to find other bronies with whom we can spend all our time, both for protection and for enrichment. Every one of us, whether its flight or Earth powers or direct spell-casting, has been touched by magic. And we know what magic is. It’s friendship. We’ve never needed that more than now. We each need help from outside, not just within ourselves.”
She sat back down, and there was another silence in the room as everyone digested what Olivia had said. Bastian addressed the crowd and said, “All right, I think we have a good start here. We’ll continue the discussion later. Right now, I’m sure everypony wants to stop being so serious, kick back, and watch some ponies!”
A large screen descended from the ceiling, and the projector turned on. Everyone in the theater hushed, but the rustle of their clothing and the sound of their breathing still caused some interference with the sound. Bastian raised the volume. A musical arpeggio sounded as the screen went from black to showing Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle in the library.
“Are you all set, Pinkie Pie?” asked Twilight.
“I sure am!”
“You have your speech prepared?”
“Yep.”
“You have the map?”
“Right here!”
“You have my checklist to check me just like I’m checking you?”
“Yeah. Do I have to?! I know that you’re super-duper-organized and you’ve got everything you need,” said Pinkie
“What’s the rush?”
“Rush? It’s a chance to meet new friends. Who wouldn’t rush? Come on, Twilight, let’s go and meet the humans!”
All through the theater, bronies gasped. The stream chat scrolled with blazing speed as people everywhere typed things like, “OMG humans are canon,” “Pinkie Pie is actually going to come through the 4th wall,” and “Humans? Best ep ever!”
The screen faded and the harp signified that the theme song was beginning. Everyone in the audience was held in rapt attention, so they didn’t notice the doors at the back of the theater opening.
***
A minute earlier, the young girl Kim was talking to her mother about meeting Lisa.
“She was a nice lady,” said Kim.
“No, she wasn’t. She’s one of those horrible bronies. You shouldn’t be around them,” said her mother.
“But she knew magic! She said when I grew up, I could watch ponies and learn magic too!”
However misguided her principles were, Kim’s mother stuck to them. Hearing her daughter declare that she wanted to be a part of the hated enemy, she snapped and acted in what she thought was the defense of her child. She swung the stick holding up her sign, smashing the door to the convention center. She ran in, stepping on the broken glass, and headed for the main theater.
It takes very little to turn a crowd into a mob. All the protestors had thought about it, perhaps even talked about it. But until then, no one had done anything. When one person entered, the next concluded that it must be all right, and he followed. The aggression compounded, and in a moment the entire group was storming the theater.
“They’re coming in!” shouted Alex, and he leaped up from his chair to try to push back against the throng. Olivia used her magic to try to create a shield. She was not accomplished at this spell, and Lisa had not learned it at all, but it kept some of the attackers back, more from fear than from its actual ability.
The pegasus people in the audience were the most vulnerable. They had no way to escape the theater through the air, and those who did take wing found themselves easy targets for rotten fruit and other, more dangerous projectiles.
Amidst all the chaos, the My Little Pony theme kept playing, a sharp contrast in its positive message to the terror being wreaked. The protestors swung their signs as clubs, and swung their fists, as speakers around them cried, “Frieeeeends!”
And then they all stopped.
Literally stopped, as everyone in the theater who was not a brony hung in place immobile, their angry sneers locked onto their faces. One or two people waved their hands in front of the frozen faces to see if there was a reaction. No magical brony had ever showed this much power, so all were confused.
“Oh, bronies? Over here!”
All heads turned toward the screen, where Pinkie Pie was waving her hoof, trying to attract attention, and Twilight was locked in concentration, her horn aglow.
“Twilight is using her unicorn magic to hold off those meanies trying to hurt you,” said Pinkie Pie, “so that gives me a chance to talk to you all. Please, take your seats.”
There were a few awkward minutes as the bronies didn’t know quite what to do. Bastian looked at the video tech, who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. But most did as Pinkie asked, and the overturned chairs were set back up. It was a little unnerving for the bronies, to watch with the angry frozen protestors behind them, but they didn’t want to miss Pinkie Pie either.
She held up a scroll that contained some notes in her hoof and began to speak in earnest.
“A while back, I had a strange, new feeling that was part of my Pinkie sense. I’ve had some strong Pinkie senses before, but this wasn’t just a doozy, it was a willy of a humdinger of a doozy! My sense is always vague, but with the help of my friends and Princess Celestia, we figured out what it meant. It told us that there was a whole other universe out there! And that universe was yours.
“Nopony knew what to do about you. We could see and hear you, but you weren’t aware of us. Some ponies were all for leaving you alone, especially when we found out how mean and nasty you can be sometimes. But others, myself included, thought that that was just because you didn’t have any magic and were at the mercy of your world.
“We had a long discussion that involved a whole lot of ponies, and while it was way important, was also bo-ring! But the result was that we agreed to try to get in contact with you.
“One of the biggest advocates for you guys was Princess Celestia, and I’m sure you know that around here, she carries a lot of weight. Figuratively speaking, of course! She and Twilight put their heads and their horns together and came up with a plan that would be the best for you, while keeping Equestria safe.
“The plan, of course, was to send you stories of our world, and to include magic that would be revealed to anyone who could accept it. Only those humans with love and friendship in their hearts would be able to experience the magic.
“While we’d always hoped to eventually open up travel between Earth and Equestria, we didn’t realize how much of a backlash you guys would have with the meanie-heads. So we’ve had to move up our schedule a little bit. We had hoped to send you a few more years of stories to really let you know what Equestria was like, but now we just want to make sure that you’re all safe. Here’s what’s going to happen:
“In a moment, Twilight is going to release her freezing spell and cast the shield spell. I’m sure you all know that one. It’s the spell that her brother, Shining Armor, uses. It’s going to push all the bad humans out of the room. We could have done that at the beginning, but we want them to know what’s going on too.
“Once that happens, the next thing she’ll do is to cast the spell that will open up a Gate between your world and ours, right where those rear doors are. Everyone should move in an orderly fashion through the doors, and we’ll meet you in Equestria!
“Just a few more things, because we’ve seen some of the ideas that you have about us—Oh, not that we don’t like all the stuff you’ve come up with! I think that some of your music and stories and videos are awesome. There’s one about me doing Gypsy magic that—“
“Pinkie!” said Twilight. “Can we get on with it before my horn falls off?”
“Sorry! I was just going to say that you shouldn’t get any ideas about this being a one-way trip. Once you’re in Equestria, you can go back to Earth any time you want! We do need to set up some more Gates, but that just takes time and magic. And you don’t have to turn into ponies, that’s just silly!
“So, if nothing else, consider this a free passage out of the room past the people who want to hurt you. But we really hope that some of you will stay. We like you guys just as much as you like us.”
From the screen, a sphere of red light emanated and grew. It passed through all the bronies, but to the invading protestors it was solid, and shoved them out the doors. Then the doorways themselves burst into a blinding white light.
Every brony in the room looked at the one next to them. Just as the mob had needed one person to take the lead, so did the bronies.
Julie turned around to the crowd. “Well, come on!” she said. “What are you all waiting for? What, do you think this is some sort of trick? That they’re really going to eat us? That was Pinkie Pie up there! I trust Pinkie Pie as much as anyone! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going through that Gate, and I’m going to be first!” She stuck out her tongue.
“But I’m not going alone,” she said. She held her hand out to Luke. He had never been more proud of his wife. He took her hand in his, and together they flew into the white light.
Without saying anything, Lisa and Olivia looked at each other and smiled. They held hands and walked through the Gate.
Throughout the theater, every brony found someone to hold hands with as they paraded into Equestria. On the big screen behind them, Pinkie and Twilight looked on in approval.
Alex had been the closest to the door, but he had refused to go through. He was still on duty as convention security, and considered it part of his job to make sure that the march didn’t become a stampede. He kept directing the bronies to spread out and not to shove. They listened to him, mostly.
As the crowd thinned, he saw that everyone had found a partner to hold hands with. He said out loud, “I guess I’ll be the only one going through alone.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.” Alex looked up and saw Bastian, hand in hand with Tommy, the treasurer. “The great thing about hands is that we’ve got two of them,” Bastian said. “Which means that there’s no limit to how long we can make a chain of people.” He held out his other hand. Alex smiled and took it. They walked through together.
Part 2: "Brave New Equestria" Chapter 1
Equestria is a land of magic. It suffuses through the very ground. It pervades every tree, every flower, every bush and shrub. The ponies, who are most closely aligned to its power, are also the most knowledgeable about it. They know that it is magic that makes the pegasi fly, magic that makes the Earth ponies strong and fast, and of course magic that gives the unicorns their power. Magic is the soul of Equestria.
But even magic cannot handle the logistics of moving a throng of a thousand people.
Twilight Sparkle had recruited everypony not busy in town to come to the spot where the Gate let out. With cries of “Keep moving, please! This way!” and an occasional prod from a hoof or a horn, the crowd from the convention moved further into the meadow, allowing those behind the room to move.
All the humans shuffled forward with their eyes looking up and around and their jaws hanging down. Most were from the area of the city, but even the rural types had never seen such a clean and verdant world. The most technological object around was the dirt road that led into town.
When the last person made it through the Gate, one of the ponies next to it gave a high sign, and Twilight ran up to the head of the crowd.
“Attention! May I have your attention please?” she said. Everyone was still murmuring and looking, but they focused on her.
“Thank you. Now that we have some time, we can do everything proper and by the checklist. Now, would every human who wants to return immediately to Earth please move to the right of the group—your right, not mine—and step a few paces away.”
A dozen or so people, mostly older folks who had children back home, separated out from the group.
“Thank you,” Twilight said. “Now, what I’d like is for someone who has a home or an office close to the convention center to volunteer their space to be a Gate endpoint. This is as good a time as any to explain how this works. Establishing one end of a Gate is a very complex piece of magic, rather good work if I do say so myself. But once it’s working, the other end can be connected on Earth at any number of points. Yes? We have a question?”
Julie had raised her hand. “I do. What happens if two people try to come through two Gate endpoints at the same time?”
“An excellent question. Technically, there’s no such thing as ‘the same time.’ Time is infinitely divisible, and one event always happens before any other. But that’s some very high-end science that I’m sure no one’s interested in. Suffice it to say that if that were to happen, they’d come through one after the other. There might be a little bump, but that’s the worst that would happen.”
Twilight saw that the explanation satisfied them and was pleased that they were so reasonable. “So, again, what we want is someone willing to sacrifice some real estate close to where we took you from.”
A few hands went up. Twilight pointed at one. “Ah! Yes, you, please come here. Now, for those who are staying, or if you go and return, we’re going to start helping you further get in touch with your powers. And for magical bronies, one thing you’ll need to learn is spell-sharing.” The volunteer had come up next to Twilight, and she cast a spell that made his hands glow. A blank look came over his face. Twilight continued. “What I’m doing now is running the spell in tandem with, er. . .”
“Claude, Miss Sparkle.”
“Claude. Please call me Twilight. I’m the initiator, but I’ve given enough leeway to him so that he can change the location of the Gate. Once we’ve got that set, it’s a snap!”
A bolt of magic came from Twilight’s horn and Claude’s hands and flew over the crowd and into the shining wall of light that was still behind everyone.
The Earth humans and pegasus people looked at each other with confusion on their faces, but the magical bronies nodded their heads as though they understood.
Twilight resumed her announcement voice. “All right, everyone who would like to return, please step back through the Gate and make your way home through normal human travel. I do have one request of you. When you get back, please spread the word to the others that we have an open-door policy as far as immigration or visitation goes. We want you here. Ponies and humans can learn a lot from each other, and we’re eager to get started.”
The small group that had set themselves off filed back through the Gate, and Twilight said, “Now that that’s done, let’s all sit down and talk about getting you acclimated.”
She plopped down easily on the grass, and so did some of the humans, but others did so hesitantly, out of long instinct against getting dirty. Twilight noticed this and said, “The first thing you’ll have to get used to is being close to nature. We know that you wear clothes all the time, and believe me, there are some tailors and seamstresses here who are very excited about that! But at the same time, they’re not that necessary, at least not in Ponyville. For pegasus people who take to the skies, it’s a bit cooler there. But on the ground, even in winter, it doesn’t get cold enough to freeze. Anyway, if you want to go naked, nopony will object—yes? Question?”
Alex held up his hand. “We’ve seen that it gets cold enough to snow, and that’s cold enough to freeze if you don’t have a fur coat.”
“You’re an Earth human, right? Well, I’m not surprised that you haven’t discovered it, but you can withstand temperatures a lot lower than you used to. And for us mages, we have internal heating spells that I’ll show you.”
“Oh, cool! Thanks, that answers my question. . . but I think I’m still going to keep my clothes on.”
The humans tittered, and Twilight shrugged and continued.
“Anyway, talking of buying clothes is a good segue into talking about money. None of you have a bit to your name, but we want to change that. There’s plenty of opportunity to work here in Equestria, and the economics of it work out so that you’ll be able to make a living and put a little aside if you’re prudent.
“But it’s going to be different from the work you’ve done on Earth. You might be on a farm, where your shift is sun-up to sun-down. You might go into a shop where you’re expected to be there every day. Remember that, in technology, we’re several decades behind Earth. It’s similar with our working relationships. There are no mandatory break periods or free coffee. You’re expected to work hard. And you’re expected to be happy in your work.
“But that’s not a threat. If you’re not happy, tell somepony, and we’ll try to figure out why, and more importantly to figure out what would make you happy. Part of being an Equestrian citizen is learning to trust others. That’s something that you might have lost.
“And while we’re at it, let’s talk about getting along. Remember, Equestria is a monarchy. Princess Celestia has the final say on anything. Everypony trusts her and if she makes a decree, everypony is going to back her up. You’d be wise to join in. I know from your history that you don’t have a lot of good feelings about having one person rule. But some of your greatest progress came under monarchs. Your only problem is that they died, and power fell to greedy or foolish offspring. That won’t happen here. Celestia is immortal, and having lived for so many years, she has developed the wisdom to be a benevolent ruler.”
“Ahem,”
Another voice interrupted Twilight’s speech, and she looked around for the speaker. Pinkie Pie was tapping her hoof and looking impatient. “Well, I guess I’ve been going on too long about serious things,” Twilight said. “Let’s take a break and—“
“—have a party!”
Pinkie Pie bounced around among the humans. “Don’t listen to Twilight’s downer warnings. Life in Equestria is all about fun! Holiday celebrations, social events, and lots of good friends. My door’s always open for any human who needs somepony to talk to.”
From her wagon, Pinkie produced drinks, plates of food, and background music. The humans milled around. Most of them were hungry and thirsty, and they welcomed the refreshments. Small groups formed to discuss some of the things they were told. Most people were still optimistic, but a few were having second thoughts.
Lisa huddled next to Olivia. “Why were we not in the return group?” she asked. “We can’t stay in Equestria. In the first place, we’re a couple of seventeen-year-old girls, not exactly the pioneer type. In the second, our parents are going to be worried stiff about us!”
“Our parents weren’t expecting us back until tomorrow anyway, and we’ll figure out what to do to contact them then. And just think about it. In another year, we would have been going off to college anyway, so we would have been leaving home just the same.”
“Yeah, but still on Earth. Still in normal society.”
Olivia sighed. “Normal society may be a bit overrated. It might be a riskier life here, but the reward could be greater as well.”
Pinkie Pie bounced over to the two of them. “Hey, girls!” she said. “What’s with all the serious faces?”
“I mean, come on, Leese!” said Olivia. “This is Pinkie Pie! If you’re talking about risk, who’s safer than Pinkie?”
“Exactly!” said Pinkie. “You want to meet later by Froggy Bottom Bog and tease the hydra?”
Lisa gave Olivia a significant look.
“All right, bad example,” said Olivia. “But here’s the thing. It might not be the best time in our lives to come to Equestria, but it is the best time in Equestria’s life. Success is sometimes a matter of timing. We’re the first humans to come here. That’s got to count for something.”
“It sure does!” said Pinkie. “After all, what’s a party without presents? Let me see if Twilight will let me show you.”
She bounced off, and Lisa said to Olivia, “All right, I’ll give it a chance. But I know that my folks are going to be screaming at me to go right back. I can’t promise that I won’t cave.”
“I’ll try to be there when you talk to them. Meanwhile, let’s have some more of this juice. What is it, anyway?”
“I think it’s carrot.”
“I hate carrot,” said Olivia. “but I love this. Oh, yeah. I definitely want to stay.”
Twilight circled the group at a gallop and got everyone’s attention. “Here’s the first chance to see what I was talking about. Is everyone ready for a hike through Ponyville? It’s several miles to see the whole town, but no complaining about tired feet!”
“Aw, I guess she vetoed the presents,” Lisa said. But Pinkie had a sly look on her face.
High spirits carried them past the strain of walking. When they reached the edge of town, the first of the ponies who hadn’t come to help noticed them. Work stopped and mouths fell open. The ponies might have known that the humans were coming, but it was still a shock to see another sapient species.
Lisa found herself drifting to the rear of the group. As they passed a house, she got the feeling of being watched. She saw a unicorn colt staring right at her. She stopped and knelt by him.
“Hi. My name’s Lisa,” she said. “What’s yours?”
The colt didn’t say anything. Lisa, unsure of what to do, held out her hand and floated a rock up next to him. “See, I can do magic too. You and I are the same.”
He tilted his head. “You’re a u-man!” he said.
She smiled. “That’s right, a human.”
“I’m Gallant.”
“I’m sure you are,” Lisa said, then realized that was his name.
“I can’t do magic yet,” Gallant said.
“You will. Just grow a little bit more.”
Lisa saw a shadow pass over his body, and she looked up. A mint-grey mare, obviously his mother, was standing over and watching. “Er, hi!” Lisa said. “I was just talking to your foal here. I’m new.”
The mare smiled. “Welcome to Ponyville,” she said. “My name’s Lyra.”
Lisa was relieved. She had been worried about the mother being overprotective. “Oh, sure! We all know you. I’m glad I could finally meet you. I didn’t realize that you had a son.”
“You know,” Lyra said, “I’m not upset that you’ve come, but do you really think it’s fair for you to have both magic and hands?”
“Oh, right, you always wanted hands of your own. Here, let me help.”
Lisa concentrated her magic. Lyra’s front hooves extended and grew fingers. “What?! How? I’ve tried everything and that’s impossible!” she said.
“I’m sorry, I’ll change them back.”
“No! That’s OK. But how did you do it?”
Lisa thought for a moment. “I guess I didn’t know it was impossible. If I did, I couldn’t have.”
“Well, now I’m definitely glad you came. And so is Gallant.”
“Thanks. I’d better catch up with the group,” Lisa said, and ran to the others.
When she got back to the tour, everyone was clamoring around to see something. Or, as Lisa found, somepony.
“Hey, it’s Fluttershy!”
“Fluttershy, over here!”
“Fluttershy!”
All the humans were excited to see another one of the main characters of the show that had brought them there, but Fluttershy took to her wings and gave them a wide berth.
“Oh, my,” she said. “I didn’t realize that you would all be here together.”
Bastian ran to the front of the tour. “Hey! Everyone! It’s Fluttershy. The last thing she wants is everyone fawning all over her. Let’s let her go.”
All the humans backed off. A murmur of regret ran through the crowd. Fluttershy came back. Her voice carried over the people, to their surprise.
“Hi, humans. I’m very glad to meet you. I really do want to get to know all of you, and I appreciate that you like me so much, but right now I’m shopping for some of my animals, so if we can do it later, I’d be ever so grateful.”
“You got it!”
“We’ll see you around, Fluttershy.”
“So long, Fluttershy!”
The group turned around and kept walking. Twilight said, “See, it’s not so hard to get along. Just respond reasonably to reasonable requests. I’m sure that you’re all going to be just fine.”
After a long walk, they reached the end of town. Ahead of them was a forest, but they saw something different about it. Paths had been cut into the trees in a grid pattern. Pinkie said, “Can I tell them now, Twilight? Can I? Can I?”
“Go ahead.”
“OK! Friends, humans, Equestrians, lend me your ears! You’ve just been through Ponyville. You’ve seen what we’ve been able to build. We’re in our third generation, and we’ve got something good going. Now it’s your turn.
“All of this land is now yours for the asking. Every one of you can have one plot. If you have a family, you can have more. The Earth ponies have cleared the land into the plots, the pegasi have promised you good weather until you can get shelters put up, and the unicorns are going to lend you tools to build them. Welcome to the site of Ponyville’s sister village. Welcome to Humantown.”
Twilight joined Pinkie at the front of the group. “Now, I’m sure that most of you are thinking that you know nothing about building a house, though I’m hoping that a few of you do know something. I don’t want your homes to be copies of pony homes. But where we can, we’ll advise you on techniques. For example, once you’ve chosen your section, you might start by digging the ground so that we have room for the foundation. Or you could clear the trees, but be careful when they’re about to come down.”
Pinkie and Twilight turned around and walked away. Just like that, the humans were left to their own devices, plus a few that had been left for them. Alex, always the initiator, grabbed the nearest shovel and dug it into the ground.
Once she and Twilight were out of earshot, Pinkie said, “So, do you think they’ll be able to work together to build Humantown? I still don’t see why we couldn’t just tell them to all work on the same building first?”
“They might,” said Twilight, “or they’ll get tired and bored, and they’ll leave.”
”I still don’t see why we couldn’t give them more help.”
“They’re not babies. And they need the challenge. That’s the problem, as I’ve seen it, on Earth. Too much connectivity, not enough connection.”
***
Luke dug his shovel into the ground once more. He had not permitted Julie to do any of the work. She had sat idle and watched as he dug around the trees on the double plot that they had selected near the middle of the forest. He looked up and saw the sun setting.
“We’re all going to have to bed down in a little,” he said.
“It’s going to be cold,” said Julie.
“Not according to the ponies. And it doesn’t feel cold. But if we don’t want to do this night after night, we’re going to have to do things on a much accelerated schedule.”
Julie flew up to the treetops. “I’m going to go visit with some others. Maybe they’ve got some ideas.”
Luke nodded, and she flapped her wings.
Half a mile away, Bastian was pacing himself, figuring that he had the whole night to get ahead of his fellows. He leaned on his shovel and looked up, saw Julie flying overhead, and waved to her. She landed and inquired how the work was going.
“I won’t lie to you, Miss. . .”
“Julie.”
“I’m Bastian. It’s not that I can’t do this, it’s just going to take an awful lot of time.”
“I know. Everyone realizes it, but no one wants to say anything.”
Bastian dug the shovel back into the ground. “Probably because no one has a better solution.”
“Well, from what I read of early civilizations, which we are, the only building worth that they really put any effort into was the church.”
“That makes sense. But we don’t need a church here.”
“But we do need a central building,” said Julie. “We just need a way to put it over.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Well, if you could come with me, maybe what we could do is convince people that we need a new convention hall.”
Bastian stared at her.
“Well, you did do a heck of a job with the last one,” she said.
“And it looks like I’ll never live it down. Come on, let’s go sell some people. Once we have the first few, the rest will join in.”
Fifteen minutes later, they had Luke in tow and were going after the others. They found a magical brony whose plot of land was between the two.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“We’re saying that we should delay building our own houses and build a convention center,” said Julie.
“Really? What’s the point of that?”
“We don’t really need it,” said Bastian. “But we do need a main building to gather and store stuff.”
“Ah, I get it! We’re just pretending it’s a convention center.”
The scene played itself over and over again. Everyone saw the logic in a central building, but they all thought that everyone else wanted a convention center. They gathered at the border with Ponyville and began to dig. The Earth humans were doing most of the work, digging around the trees and pushing them over when the roots had been exposed. Some were assigned to hauling them off. Magical bronies stuck by as safety patrols whenever a tree went down. Some, who had learned the magic necessary for it, worked with the Earth humans.
The pegasus people looked at each other. They felt rather useless. Julie walked away from the scene. Luke stepped up and walked over to the pile of wood.
“We’re going to need to start making this into planks. I think we have some hatchets around. If we can shave off the bark, but keep it in big chunks, we can eventually use it as shingles for the roof,” he said.
Although he worked on roofs, he had picked up the basics of home construction in general. The others recognized him as someone who knew what he was talking about, and they followed his instructions.
A few hours after they began, they had a perimeter laid out and a small hole dug in the ground, but fatigue and thirst were getting to them. That was when Julie flew in carrying two casks with her.
“I got water for everyone!” she said.
A cheer went up, and everyone took a break. “Where did you get it, hon?” asked Luke.
“I flew to Ponyville and asked. I have the feeling that the ponies will be as helpful as we need them to be.”
After everyone had a drink, she flew back and forth, taking other pegasus people with her and bringing food and more water. Once that was done, they borrowed some of the shovels and went off. When they returned, Alex asked them what they had done.
“We went digging,” said Julie. “After all, if we’re eating and drinking, we’re going to need a privy.”
“Good thinking. You don’t realize how many functions of civilization there are until you don’t have them.”
Lisa had been working with the hatchet team, but after they ate, she picked up some of the wood chips that had formed while they were making the planks. She sat on one of the logs and stared at a chip.
While the others worked, she just kept sitting and staring. Nobody wanted to say anything, but Olivia as her friend was able to approach her. “What are you doing?” she asked. “We’re all working our butts off here.”
“I am working,” said Lisa. “I’m trying to figure something out.” She hadn’t stopped staring at the wood chip, and as she finished talking, it burst into flame. She shook her fingers and stuck them in her mouth. “Nope! I guess not.”
Everyone else returned to their job, ignoring Lisa. A few more times, attention was drawn to her when she had a burning chip of wood. At one time, when everyone’s heads were pointed at her, she looked sheepish, scratched the back of her head, and said, “Well, at least we’ll have charcoal for the big barbecue once we get the building up.”
Everyone else went back to work.
Finally, she gave up, threw down her chip and walked away.
“Real winner of a friend,” Bastian said to Olivia.
“You don’t know her. She’s as loyal as they come,” she said.
“We’ll see.”
Walking with purpose, none of the ponies stopped Lisa as she made her way to the library. Twilight was reading when she entered.
“Oh, hey. How’s the building going?” Twilight asked.
“Slow, but steady. I’m trying to make it go faster. I need a book on the basic theory of magic.”
Twilight got up from her own book and showed Lisa the section she needed. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Lisa told her.
“I’ve never even heard of that. I don’t think it’s possible,” said Twilight.
“I’ve already had one pony tell me that I did something impossible. I want to try. If it works, it’s going to make our jobs a lot easier.”
“Well, read through and see what you come up with.”
Night fell over the camp. There were no blankets, no pajamas, and no beds, but the moss was soft enough to sleep on and the temperature was comfortable. Bastian, who didn’t sleep, and a few others, who couldn’t or didn’t want to, were up when Lisa returned.
“What did you come up with?” he asked.
“A book.”
“You’d have been better off going back through the Gate and grabbing some pillows.”
“Maybe so,” she said, looking him in the eye. She picked up another chip of wood and sat back down.
About an hour or so later, he heard her say, “Haha! Got it!”
Bastian came over. “What have you got?”
“I’ll tell you and everyone else in the morning. Right now, I’m ready to bed down. But trust me. Tomorrow’s going to be a lot better.”
All the people got up grumbling and rubbing their backs. Although no one wanted to be the first to say it, everyone was thinking about heading back to Earth.
Bastian still found himself as the unofficial chairman of their impromptu group. “All right, everyone. Lisa here says she came up with something that will help us.”
Lisa was nervous, and climbed up on a log in order to see everyone, forgetting that doing so would make her even more the center of attention. She summoned up her courage and started in.
“So I know a lot of you weren’t too happy with me not pitching in. But I was over at the library trying to see if there’s a way we could use magic to help us. What I found was that there are several stages of magic. You see, it’s a lot different trying to do something that one person could normally do—like carry something or hurl something in the air—than to do something nominally impossible, like turning one thing into another.”
“Get on with it!” someone shouted from the back.
“OK. It occurred to me that we were wasting a lot of wood in chopping. So. . . Olivia, can you lift one end of this log so I can show everyone?”
Olivia shrugged and held out her hands. The log stood up at an angle and Lisa jumped off. She focused her hands as everyone watched. Slowly the wood inside the bark started to quiver and melt. Lisa separated her hands and the melted wood flowed like water into the air. Tunnel-visioned, she moved her hands like she was conducting an orchestra. The liquid wood fell and formed itself into a square. She put her hands down and the movement stopped. The log was a hollowed out cylinder of bark, and there was a wall of wood at her feet.
“If some of us can learn this spell, and figure out how to join pieces together, we should be able to get a building up by mid-morning. We’ve got to anchor it, but there’s no reason to waste ourselves in back-breaking labor, even if our backs are strong.”
Alex spoke up. “Did the ponies teach you that spell?”
“No. Twilight Sparkle—and we all know how smart she is—said that she never even thought of it.”
“I think what we’re missing here is that all the ponies are used to living simply,” said Olivia. “We’re all modern, twenty-first century human beings. We’re used to decadence and comfort. But we have all the problems that go with it as well. What we need to do is meet them half-way. Take our standards of living and the powers that they gave us. Simplify, and then complicate. Our ancestors built a world out of struggle, and it came out one way. We want to build a world out of easy living, and see if we can’t do better.”
“First thing I want to get back from Earth is a box of number twos,” Luke said.
“I beg your pardon?” said Julie.
“Oh, no. Ew. I mean pencils. I like to think with a pencil in my mouth, and I can’t do that with a quill.”
“And what are you trying to think of?”
Luke stood up and went to the window. Three months into its existence, Humantown’s first rainy week had finally ended, and it was rather cooler than it had been, and it was still overcast. “We’ve got most of the basics,” he said, “but I’m trying to think of some modern convenience that we had back on Earth to bring here. I was considering air conditioning, but we don’t much need that now that the rains have come and gone.”
“Do we really need that? For that matter, would the ponies allow it? To me, it seems that one of the virtues of Equestria is how much it’s not modern.”
Luke leaned back. “I understand what you mean, but if we have gone back in time by a century, technologically speaking, then we’ve also gone back to an old way of doing business. I can’t very well join a construction union here. And if I’m going to build roofs, I’m going to have to learn thatching instead of shingling.”
When they lived on Earth, Julie was content to let Luke manage their money. He gave her an allowance for household expenses, and she kept within it. He never spoke about any ambitions beyond what they had. Now, though, she sensed what he was going for.
“You’re saying to want to run a business?”
“Well, put that baldly, it sounds scary. But I don’t want to join the weather patrol or the delivery service or anything that pegasus ponies do. I can’t help feeling that I’d be a novice among experts. I’m too old for that.”
“You’re not too old,” said Julie. He gave her a kiss for the compliment. “In any case, whatever you do, I’ll support you in. And if need be, I’ll join the weather patrol.”
“I don’t want you to have to work. It’s my responsibility to provide for the family.”
“And that’s why I have confidence that you’ll succeed. Here, in a clean world where opening a business isn’t as complicated, hard work is going to be more important than connections, or even smarts. You’ve never been afraid of work. But trying to work for yourself means sacrificing the present for the future. If I can help by lessening that sacrifice, I want to do that.
“Well, it’s all academic until I have something to do. I mean, I could open a bakery and try to compete with Sugar Cube Corner, but I don’t know much about baking, and I couldn’t get up the good will they have in the community if I had twenty years.”
He looked out the window. “I’m going to take a flight. I can’t think with all these clouds overhead anyway.”
He walked outside the melted-wood cabin that he had designed and built. It had passed the test of the rain and showed no leaks, but Luke had felt cramped within it for the past week. He leaped in the air and pumped his wings.
When he reached the top of the clouds, he had to shield his eyes from the sun. It threw him off for a moment, and he sat on the cloud to get his bearings. From behind him he heard gentle laughter.
“Hey, buddy. You want to keep your head down when you break through a layer. You need some flight lessons?”
Luke turned and tried to focus on the voice with his dazzled eyes. He made out a spectrum mane.
“Rainbow Dash?”
“The one and only! I knew that helping out with those transmissions to the Earth would pay off. All the humans know me.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Luke.”
Protocol was still growing between humans and ponies, but a wave of hand and hoof had begun to develop as a greeting when a handshake was impossible.
“So what were you saying about flight lessons?” he asked.
“I give them. I run a flight school now. I figure I’ve got an in to all the pegasus people who come over, even though immigration’s been slower than I expected. And of course, there’s lots of pegasus ponies who want training as well.”
“So you don’t make the weather anymore?”
“Who said I don’t? It’s always good to keep steady income coming in when you’re operating a concern.” Rainbow punctuated this by jumping on the cloud, dislodging a few raindrops.
Luke scratched between his wings. “Funny you should say that.”
“Why’s that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said, but Rainbow had an inviting look, and he felt free to open up to her. “I was just talking to my wife about finding a business opportunity here in Equestria, and she was saying that she wanted to work to help me through it.”
“Sounds like a great plan. What business are you going to run?”
“I wish I knew. Want to teach me everything you know about flying so that I can compete with you?” He smirked at Rainbow.
“Nice try. But I’ll give you one lesson for free, how about that? Call it a promo to get you to sign up for more.”
“Sweet!”
Rainbow directed him to stand on the cloud, then forcibly corrected his posture. Luke wondered if she was really competent as an instructor, or if she was just trading on her reputation. She seemed content, at first, to lead by example, and he was hard-pressed to keep up. Several times she looked back and shook her head, expecting him to understand what he was doing wrong. Twice, she slowed her own flight and let him catch up, only to slap him on the rear end.
“You don’t have a pretty tail like mine to drag behind you, so keep your backside down! It’s only creating drag.”
He was stunned that she finally spoke to him, but listened intently.
“Remember!” she said. “Speed and altitude are your currency. You earn them by pumping your wings, and you hold onto them until you need to spend them. You don’t do work you don’t have to. And they’re interchangeable. A skilled flyer can actually gain height simply by gliding. The way you’re pumping is good for a newbie, because it’ll build your muscles, but it’s completely the wrong technique. Watch! My whole body cuts through the wind, while my wings draw the speed from it!”
She took off and left Luke behind. He was amazed at how much acceleration Rainbow had. As she said, her body was a single, aerodynamic unit, and he could almost see the air moving around her wings. He even dared to hope that he might see a sonic rainboom, but just as suddenly, she spread out into a glide and turned back to him. Spiraling upwards, she called down to him. “Follow me!”
He tried to match her movements as best as he could. His own spiral had a much wider arc, and only got him up a third as high as Rainbow’s, but it was flying as he’d never done before. She came down and they sat on a tuft of cloud.
“If you’re really looking for some way to make a few bits,” Rainbow said, “there are a lot of life lessons you can learn by flying. A lot of the money that flyers make is from fairly new industries. Weather control used to be haphazard and random. Nopony knew when storms were coming, how to balance rain with sun, when snow was needed.
“You see, business is just like,” she looked around “. . . cloud layers! Way down at the bottom, you’ve got the big flat stratus. Those are the things that everypony needs, like farms, houses, and water. Above that, you’ve got the fancy cumulus clouds, things that we say we can’t live without, but technically could, like bakeries and clothing stores. And once in a while, you’ve got the high cirrus. Those are the ones that give you a real chance to make somepony’s life better, and make them a little happier. That’s what I want my flight school to be. We need all three, just like we need all kinds of clouds. Whatever you do, you’ve got to find your layer.”
“I think I see what you mean,” said Luke. “There were theories on Earth like what you’re talking about, trying to set up levels of human endeavor and desires. But they were awfully dry. I think you explain it better. Thanks, Rainbow Dash.”
“See ya round, kiddo!” she said. After seeing a seven-colored streak, Luke was alone on the cloud.
“Kiddo, huh?” he said to himself. “I’m older than her. But I guess in another sense, I’m not. She’s a veteran of Equestria, and I’m a newcomer. Maybe I’ve still got some years left in me.”
Without flapping his wings, he glided for home.
When he related the conversation he had had to Julie, she sat him down with his quill and paper again and encouraged him to try again to find something to earn his living from.
“Pardon me if this is a little What’s My Line , but are you thinking about dealing in a service then, as Rainbow Dash is?” she asked.
“Hmm. . . I’d like to have a stock in trade. Once I got the business up, it would be easier to expand if that were the case.”
“So then it’s a question of finding some luxury item that ponies—and human immigrants—will want to buy.”
“Exactly!” he said, scribbling three columns onto a scroll. “What I need to do is to classify all the things that we buy on Earth into necessity, nice-to-have, and pure luxury, and then I’ll find my business for sure!”
He pored over the paper, filling the columns as much as he could. He mentally pictured their old house and all the things it contained. Julie busied herself making something for them to eat. Since they had arrived, their diet was restricted to what they could find in the forest, but it turned out that natural foods in that part of the village were plentiful. The Ponyville ponies had even accepted some in trade, which was a way for them to help the humans without giving them direct charity.
“There’s a new wrinkle to the problem,” he said as she served them steamed vegetables. “So much of what we had on Earth depends on so much else. What’s the use, for example, of bringing blu-ray discs without the players, the televisions, and the movie studios?”
“I see your point,” she said. “Have you come up with anything?”
“Gold jewelry, for one. If you’ve looked at the ponies when they’re being fashionable, most of their stuff is based around gems instead of precious metals. But the problem there is obtaining the supply on Earth. We have a decent capital if we sell out everything, but gold is ridiculously expensive. I’d probably also need some kind of license to buy it in quantity.”
He kept at it for a long time. Night was falling before he took a break and sat with Julie outside their home. He sighed.
“Tired?” Julie asked.
“A little frustrated. Not even that, just anxious. We’re supposed to be building a new life here. I want it to start sooner rather than later.”
“That’s ‘eager,’ dear, not ‘anxious.’” Julie was a stickler for the correct word.
“It’s both. I’m anxious because of my eagerness. If I don’t come up with any more ideas, I’m ready to dive right in with the gold idea.”
“Really? But you said—“
“Julie, you know what the bane of business on Earth right now is?” He looked at her intently. “Stagnation. You remember when I worked for that guy Rick, right? He was losing money every month. He had all these ideas to make the business profitable, but he never pulled the trigger on any of them. He was always afraid that if the idea failed, he’d have to close. He never even took the actual step of closing. Just stopped making payroll. No, whatever I do, I’m doing sooner rather than later.”
“OK. I can see that. I do wish that we had some coffee. Maybe you should import that.”
He chuckled. “I’ll see if I can’t get some of the earth humans to start some crops. They can probably outgrow anything I can bring in. I do want to get that brass coffee pot that we have in the house. That was one memento we didn’t bring with us. It’s an antique.”
All of a sudden, he stood up and dashed into the house. Julie called after him, wondering if something was wrong. He emerged carrying the scroll he had brainstormed onto.
“Wait a minute!” he said. “That’s something I hadn’t thought of. We’ve got plenty of old tchotchkes, knick-knacks, and antiques around. I bet that ponies would love to buy them, and maybe a few humans too. And it works both ways!”
“What do you mean, both ways?”
“OK, let’s take that coffee pot of yours for example. Sure, it’s pretty, but it also boils water like nothing out there today. Ponies might drink coffee, maybe not. Doesn’t matter, the point is that it’s useful.”
“I don’t want you to sell that!” said Julie.
“It’s just an example. But let’s say it sells. I get some bits and buy some stuff that’s made here in Equestria. Other curios. And back on Earth, they’d fit right in to some of the antique shops there. You see? Each world places higher value on the other’s doohickeys.”
“And it has the added bonus of not making Equestria into an air-conditioned, modern world like the one we left. I knew you would figure out a way to satisfy both your ambition and me.”
He set about preparing for a trip to Earth. The Gate on the other side of Ponyville was still the only way to travel back and forth, but magical bronies, and the occasional unicorn, were always around to orient it to a given destination. Hundreds of spots on Earth now had public or well-known Gates of their own. Luke didn’t mind having to cross town on foot for this trip. He and Julie walked by the shops, as he was looking for something he could buy to start his plan.
He eventually decided on a set of quills and scrolls. “Maybe you can pitch them as like a tablet computer that doesn’t need power,” Julie joked. When they reached the Gate, he kissed her good-bye.
“You know, there’s one other aspect to this to watch out for, and I’m counting on you to keep me honest,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“Don’t let me become a pawnbroker. I’m not doing this to take advantage of anyone, human or pony, who needs money. I’m only going to buy and things that people want, not trade on desperation and misery.”
“I promise,” said Julie. “But I think it’s going to be an easy promise to keep. A gentle reminder, now and then, is all you’ll need. I don’t think you have it in your heart to become a thief.”
***
The most enjoyable part of Luke’s trip back to Earth was the trips he made to the curio shops he found, despite no one buying his quills and scrolls. The business he found success in was more tedious. He travelled to the bank and cashed out the accounts he shared with Julie, over the protestations of the teller and manager. He inquired about getting cash from the equity in his house, but found the loan officer full of prying questions. He went into a few realtors’ offices, but couldn’t seem to make them listen.
“No, I am not interested in selling,” he said repeatedly, “or rather, I am, but not through the whole real estate process of listings, title searches, all that hooey. I want cash, actual folding paper money by preference, and I want it today. Whatever you or anyone else will give me, and I’ll get out of the house. Live in it, sell it, I don’t care. I’ve sunk enough dollars into it that I’m ready to get some out.” It was to no avail.
He had better luck with his car. He took it to a dealer and got the same line about needing a big stack of paperwork, and wouldn’t he prefer trading it for credit toward a new car? On his way out, he met a fellow looking at similar models as his. Over the fuming protests of the salesman, he struck a bargain for a personal check of four thousand dollars.
With cash finally in hand, he hit the same stores that refused to buy from him. He made inquiries about things that they would like to have, and buttered them up by making several large purchases of his own.
After hauling it all back to his Humantown home, he sat down again with Julie. “The next thing I have to do is try to price all this stuff,” he said. “It’s some tricky math. See, I know what I can buy things here in Equestria for in bits, and I have a vague idea of what I can sell it for in dollars. If I play things cool on Earth, that part can be break-even or even make a little. But dollar profits all go into buying more stock. Our end goal is bits.
“So let’s say that on earth they want wrought-iron end tables, for example. I need to charge enough for a plastic lunchbox that I can buy one, plus profit for us to live on. That’s the number I want to charge. The only question is whether or not there are ponies willing to pay that.”
***
After three days, there was no more question. With only a table, a sign, and a cashbox, Luke had sold completely out of his stock. Ponies had paid the prices he had asked without question, and word of mouth had spread. From what he could gather, his sort of business was exactly what most ponies had been hoping to get out of the exchange. They had good, stable lives, and all they wanted were a few more friends and a few more conversation pieces. Luke was planning another trip, and had received several specific orders when he had discussed what he might acquire.
“I’m telling you it was the best half-week of work I’ve had, well, ever,” he said to Julie over dinner. With the bits he had earned, they were able to enjoy dinner out for the first time since they had arrived in Equestria. The restaurant owner had been one of his customers, and proudly displayed an Earth-made lamp in the window for ponies to see.
“I’m glad to see that you like it,” said Julie.
“I wish I could skip the next step, though, and go right to a bit-to-dollar exchange house. Maybe I’ll start up one when I have enough of both and can figure an exchange rate.”
“You’re only a few days into one business and you’ve already got another planned?” She smiled and raised her glass.
“I suppose I have. I feel like I could accomplish anything here, you know? It’s fresh country, in more ways than one.”
“I guess.”
Their food arrived, and, conscious of everyone’s eyes on them, they ate, looking only at each other.”
“What’s wrong?” Luke asked.
“Nothing.”
“Come on, I know you. Open up. No secrets in our marriage outside of birthday parties, we agreed on that.”
“I’m just always worried that it’ll get corrupted. The fresh country, you called it. It just strikes me that every time that sort of country has been found, sooner or later it becomes just like the old places.”
Luke sipped his drink. “You want to know something? You want to know why I’m glad we left Earth and why I’m reluctant to go back? Earth, as it is, is far wealthier than Equestria. But no one owns the wealth.”
“You mean, so few people own it.”
“No, I mean it literally. No one owns it. There are billionaires back home, right? How much do they actually have in the bank? How much can they actually spend? And the businesses they own, how much can they actually control? You see that pony there who owns this place, and was so nice to us?”
“Yes.”
“If he woke up one day and decided that this oat pasta was no longer to his taste, it would be off the menu that night. Nopony would contradict him. Not even Princess Celestia. This is a monarchy, and we were supposed to have lived in a democracy, and yet he has more power over himself than we have. Than we used to have, I should say.”
“You’re really passionate about this,” said Julie.
“You bet I am. Do you know how many contractors I worked for on Earth who were fools? If I could have competed with them on a level playing field, I could have outstripped them all. But they had connections and I had a conscience. That worked against me there. I think it’s going to help here. Honey, if I ever suggest selling a single share of stock in anything I do, have me taken to the hospital and put next to that pony who barks like a dog.”
***
Luke was not free from all temptation. Although he pledged to deal primarily with smaller operations who were more interested in the quality of the artifacts that he was bringing, there were a few large businesses he could not afford to ignore. On his next trip to Earth, after finding most of the special-order items on his list, there were still a few things he lacked. The buildup he had given things like stained-glass baubles and melmac kitchen utensils made him eager to have samples. So it was that he stood in line at a sprawling warehouse-style exchange house. He was grateful for all the security around with the cash that he had in his pocket.
The line that wound through the store promised a wait of perhaps an hour. As soon as he got on, though, Luke noticed that it was all people bringing in items to sell. Everyone had a guitar or some jewelry or some other life-long treasure that they were being forced to part with. He stepped aside and tried to find the line for purchases.
Once he reached the front, he overheard the conversation at the selling line.
“It’s all their fault, of course,” said a man trying to get a loan on a gold ring. “Had two of them at my job. You’d think that since they left on their own, that there wouldn’t have to be more layoffs. But here I am.”
“I don’t see how a few thousand people leaving could cause you to lose your job. There are plenty of people who leave the country,” said the teller.
“Maybe, but they don’t trigger ten more each to give up and start preparing to go.”
“Is it the number of people, or what they did?”
“Hey, we got by for an awful long time without magic and flying.” Luke closed his wings tighter around him. He was wearing a jacket, but anyone who looked could see that his torso was thicker than it ought to be.
“That wasn’t what I was talking about,” the teller said. “We had one here who quit, preparing to leave if he can. Good worker. Kind of guy who always had a smile, even on the worst days, ya know? Look, a workplace is supposed to be all business, but if people don’t enjoy it, they won’t work as hard. Maybe not how it used to be, but that’s how it is now.”
“Yeah, a lot of things ain’t what they used to be. So how about a hundred bucks for the ring.”
Luke found someone to take his money and authorize the removal of the items he had purchased. He made his way quickly out of the store. The line extended out the door by now, all the way under the Medici coat of arms.
Luke was quickly picking up the salesman’s instincts for knowing when there was someone around who might be cajoled into a purchase. As he set up for business, he felt a presence above him.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash! Come down and take a look at what I’ve got!”
“Well, looks like you’re doing all right for yourself,” she said. “Must have been my brilliant advice.”
“It might have been indeed.”
“So when are you going to come around for those flying lessons?”
Luke looked around. “Well, the money isn’t going to be a problem anymore, but there are a lot of ponies who count on me to be around here. They like coming by and browsing if nothing else, but usually they buy. Actually, I’m thinking of hiring someone to help out. Once that happens, you’ll be seeing me.”
“Awesome! So you think that you can make big money with this?”
“Who knows? But so far I’ve made enough to pay my way. And I’m my own boss. That’s what I like the best. Say, do you want to come round to dinner? My wife would love meeting you.”
Rainbow agreed, and Luke closed up his stand for the day. Julie was happy to set another place when she saw their distinguished guest. As the meal concluded, Julie echoed her husband’s gratitude.
“He’s a new man ever since you got a hold of him. Not that there was anything wrong before, but everything’s right now,” said Julie.
“Hey, don’t give me the credit,” said Rainbow. “Whatever I brought out, he already had inside.”
“Am I even part of this conversation?” Luke asked jokingly.
“Hush, dear. Women are talking, so it’s important,” said Julie. “We’re still thankful. Isn’t there anything that we can do for you?”
Rainbow put a hoof to her chin. “Well, Luke did tell you about my flight school, right?”
“No, what’s this all about?”
“You know, maybe you’re right,” said Luke. “This is girl talk. I’ll let you two get better acquainted.” He picked up the dishes and went to the water basin to wash them.
He could hear Rainbow and Julie talking and laughing, and hoped that they were becoming friends. When he finished the dishes, he went back in.
“I’ve signed both of us up for the full course,” said Julie. “We’re going to be top flyers as well as exemplary citizens.”
“Suits me fine. We can afford it. But I agree with you. We should do something more special for you, Rainbow Dash.”
“You don’t have to, at least not now. Maybe someday you’ll have an opportunity. I won’t ask you for it, but I believe in my heart that you’ll have a chance to prove your loyalty.”
Applejack finished sweeping up the path to Sweet Apple Acres. She had done extra work keeping it ready for the guests she had expected. The plan had been to use the farm as an open-air classroom for integrating the humans into Equestrian life. When they came in slower than Twilight anticipated, it had been more one-on-one than general classes. Now, finally, the first organized symposium was being held.
Applejack had joked to herself that, if it had been given a title, the discussion could have been called, “The Food Chain and You: How to Eat and not Get Eaten.” She was pleasantly surprised that no human had yet been killed by any of the native creatures, but she attributed it to them being too busy.
Bushels of apples were scattered around the area. From the rumors around, some of the humans had been barely getting by. Applejack hoped to provide a nutritious meal as well as information. Already humans were filing in and sitting down. She finished inking a sign saying “help yourself” and putting it by the bushels. A few of them took the apples.
“All right, let’s all gather round here,” she said. Everyone was ready to pay attention, having gotten so few chances to see the characters they knew from watching the show.
There were no pegasus people present, and only a few magical bronies who were obsessive about attending every event.
“Now, listen up,” Applejack said, “I can see you all enjoying my apples. Well, they’re not just for the eating. The cores might help you start being self-sufficient. I know that some of you are natural gardeners, but even for those who aren’t, your earth human powers should give you an edge in making sure that you’re always fed, and giving you some cash crops as well.
“If apples aren’t your cup o’ tea, which I don’t see how could be possible—“ She kicked up an apple and bit into it to emphasize her point. “Feel free to hit up just about anypony for seeds, bulbs, or cuttings. They might ask you to return the same after you make your first harvest, but you ought to be able to do that.”
The humans in the audience looked appreciative. They didn’t have any paper, but they made mental notes about what was being said.
“There’s also techniques for tilling, planting, weeding, and harvesting that probably none of you know about. It won’t be quite the same for you as it will for ponies, but if you show me what you’re doing, I can correct you to make it easier. I’ve got a whole field here that’s fallow, and it’s all yours.”
Now the appreciation turned to skepticism. Although no one wanted to say it, they felt like they were being hit up for free labor.
“I’ll pay you well for your work,” Applejack continued. “We’re looking for ways to get bits into your pockets, but we don’t want to just give them to you. When this field is turned over, you’re going to feel that you’ve earned your pay.”
Alex looked around at the other people working. For the first time he felt like an expert. When Applejack came over to him, she found very little to correct. He took it upon himself to serve as an assistant, helping the others with their own plots. He had been farming ever since he came to Equestria, and continuing his practice of giving away anything more than what he could eat.
He saw the girl next to him being particularly awkward with the tiller. What was her name ? Ophelia? No, Olivia. He remembered being near her during the First Emigration, as they had taken to calling it. He started turning over some of her area while Applejack’s back was turned.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Well, I’m mostly done with mine, so it looked like you could use a little help. You’re obviously not a farming earth human.”
“I’m not an earth human at all.” She let go her tiller and kept it going magically for a few strokes. “But I felt that I needed to learn about growing things too.”
“Why?”
“Because I really want to understand the ponies. When we watched the show, we only saw a little piece of what their life was like. We kept trying to fill in the rest with the cues we could see, but the fact is that they have a whole different way of life from ours. They’re not nearly as specialized as we are, I think. Everyone on Earth does one job, and it all fits together in a system, but when one or two people are on their own, they suffer for it. Ponies can each handle things on their own, and ironically that makes them better friends.”
Alex leaned on his hoe. “I wouldn’t know about all that. Where you from, anyway?”
“California.”
“I’m from the Midwest. Well, I guess I was. Now I’m from Equestria.”
Applejack sidled up to the two of them without notice. “Hey, you two!” she said, “Slacking off?”
“No!” said Olivia, startled. But Applejack and Alex looked at each other and laughed.
“It’s all right,” said Applejack. “I know it’s hard work. You can’t just keep repeating the same motion over and over. Your body won’t take it.”
“Yeah,” said Alex. “Humans always figured that you could. Like those Therblig people.”
Applejack and Alex got to talking about some of the intricacies of farming, and Olivia listened as the conversation went over her head. Just as Alex wasn’t used to being the expert, she wasn’t used to being out of the loop.
Alex, meanwhile, found in Applejack a kindred spirit. He walked around with her to some of the other humans working, swapping stories about growing and hearing advice on how to manage the money end of the farm.
“If you remember,” Applejack said, “we were always in danger of losing the farm or not being able to afford something or other. But I’ve really straightened things out around here, and getting paid for doing the show didn’t hurt either.”
“You got paid for that?”
“Not enough to make me rich, but enough to allow me to move in higher circles. And speaking of which,” she pointed a hoof toward the gate where Rarity was making her way onto the farm. Excusing herself, she went over to greet her friend.
Olivia had gone back to work, but when she saw Alex’s reaction to Rarity, she chuckled and said, “Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies.”
Alex blushed. “Was I really showing it that much?”
“Yeah. It’s just Rarity. You’ve seen her dozens of times on the show.”
“I guess it’s different seeing her in person. Er, in pony.”
Meanwhile, the two ponies had moved off to the side and were engaged in private conversation.
“So, what brings you round?” Applejack asked.
“I wanted to see how you were conducting your instructions. I’m supposed to be giving the basics of magic to a group of magical bronies later on, and I’m looking for some tips. I’m not Equestria’s best teacher, you know.”
“Aw, you’ll do fine. All of the humans are eager to learn and they darn near love us too. You’ll have them eating out of your hoof.”
Rarity opened her eyes wide as she remembered something. “Speaking of which, I need to borrow a bushel or two of apples from you. I want to teach them a finding spell and I’ll need objects to hide for them.”
“You’re following the directions about getting some food to them too, huh? I’m a little uneasy about it. They’re not pets after all.”
“No, but they have been pampered on Earth. Too much disconnect between their work and their rewards. If we can teach them a life lesson at the same time that we’re teaching them how to use their powers, so much the better.”
Applejack walked among the earth humans again, offering correction and advice. At the other end she kicked a basket of apples into the air and deftly caught it on her back, sliding it over to Rarity.
“Hey, wait a minute!” she said. “I thought your spell only worked to find gems. How are they going to use it on the apples?”
“See, now that’s exactly the sort of thing they need to learn. My gem-finding spell is for the gems that are just lying in the ground waiting for somepony to claim them. That’s very specialized magic. But finding something that you just left lying around, that you have a general idea of where it is, and that you know what looks like, is magic on the level of moving things with your horn. Anypony can learn it. And I’m hoping that the humans can too.”
Rarity thanked her and went on her way. She passed right by Alex’s work area, and he took the opportunity to sneak one last look at her. He took a deep breath.
Olivia shook her head. “What is it about her?” she asked when they were back at work. “Do you read a lot of Rarity clop or look at her R-34 pictures or something?”
“No!” Alex said. “it’s not like that. I guess it’s hard to explain.”
“Why don’t you try anyway?”
Alex stopped his hoeing again and leaned in. “OK, like I said, I’m from the Midwest. A small town, the kind where people are born, grow up, get married, go on Prairie Home Companion , retire, and die. Kind of the real-world equivalent of Ponyville, you know?”
“What do you mean, real world?” Olivia said with a smirk.
“OK, original world. Don’t interrupt. So when I started watching My Little Pony , I could really connect with Applejack as a farmer, and with Rainbow Dash as a hard worker, and with Fluttershy being around animals. But what really hooked me in and made me a brony was when Rarity had her fashion show. Remember, with Hoity Toity and she made the bad dresses first?”
“Of course.”
“I guess I was fascinated because it was so different. But then also there was the time that she went to Canterlot and got invited to all those swank affairs. When you’re from a small town, you think of the big city folks as snooty or stuck-up. But Fancy Pants wasn’t. And neither was Rarity. But she rose above her station as a small-town pony.
“I figured that if I really tried, I could become a gentleman, the kind of man who could live up to someone like Rarity. For some reason, the idea of hobnobbing at a fancy party like the Grand Galloping Gala really seemed like an unattainable idol, don’t ya know? Of course, with that Minnewegan accent, they’d always know me for what I was. Still, I can dream, right?”
“Well, you can be a gentleman farmer. Then you merit the title at least,” said Olivia.
“Well, that’s the other thing. My family isn’t exactly rolling in dough. My mother’s a widow, and my father didn’t leave her much to live on. A pony like Rarity wouldn’t look twice at someone without money.”
“Now, what’s all this gossip?” Applejack had snuck up on them and injected herself into the conversation. “In the first place, why aren’t you workin’? In the second, what’s this I’m hearin’ about Rarity being all fussy over money? Why, there ain’t no pony in town as generous as her, and no foolin’.”
“Applejack,” said Alex. “Do you never feel the pull of the upper class world? You tried to make it in Manehattan once. Did you really find it all bad.”
“I’ll answer you if you turn that earth while I’m talkin’.” Alex smiled and dug his hoe into the ground hard. “To be perfectly honest, no, I don’t have any desire to go back to that highfalutin part of Equestria. I can tolerate that kind of scene, but it’s not something I seek out. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not keepin’ my eye open for a better life. Wherever you go, you’re either movin’ up or movin’ down. There ain’t no standing still. If you try to stand still, you’re just going to fall behind while everyone else is movin’ forward. That don’t mean that you’ve got to find new friends or even leave your home. But I does mean improving yourself .
She trotted off again to help other students, and Alex and Olivia were left to converse again.
“She’s right, of course,” said Alex. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I want to move up in society, even Equestrian. I just feel like I know all this already, you know? Like playing the same level in a video game over and over.”
Olivia reached into her pocket. “You know, Rarity’s class is invitation-only. Probably any magical brony who wanted to could show up, but I think she just liked designing the invitations. Here.”
She held out an embroidered card with fancy script lettering. It described basic instruction for magical bronies to be held at and around Carousel Boutique at a given time.
“I can’t take this!” said Alex. “If I do, you won’t be able to go.”
“I’ll do catch-up work later on. If indeed it isn’t stuff that I already know.”
“But I can’t participate in that class. I’m not a magical brony. All the wishing and longing won’t make a sow’s ear into a silk purse.”
Olivia got angry. “Hey. Don’t compare earth humans to sows or their ears. I’m no better than you for being magical, got it? I’ve lived the other side of that all my life, and I refuse to be a party to more class differences.”
“All right, but I still shouldn’t go to the class. When they find out that I can’t do magic and snuck in anyway, they’ll all laugh. Rarity will laugh at me.”
“Quit making excuses. You know that’s not the case. If you were the type of person who was afraid of other people laughing at you, you’d never have watched My Little Pony in the first place. You’re going to go and you’re going to have a good time, no matter whether or not you learn anything.”
Alex reached out and took the invitation. “Thanks. And thanks for what you’ve said before. Yes, I’ve known the other side of class differences too.”
“And now you’ve seen both sides.”
Alex started to go back to work, but then a thought hit him. “But so have you now. I mean, magical bronies aren’t an advantageous class over earth humans, and neither are pegasus people. But you thought they were. Or at least, you took offense when I tried to rag on myself. If you’re not careful, there will be earth humans who will assume that you are looking down on them, even if you’re not.”
“I guess you’re right. Class warfare only hurts everyone involved, the top as well as the bottom.”
***
Rarity’s seminar was as welcoming and fun for Alex as Olivia had predicted. No one, human or pony, paid attention to any other’s work, and Alex, working by grid search, was able to find one of the hidden apples before the last magical brony had developed her spell to do so.
Once he was done, he sat with the others and just lounged, munching on the apples. He continued his staring at Rarity, though now it was more out of attempted emulation than awe. He tried to watch her poise and carriage and see how he might act sophisticated in his own way.
“Come now, dears. You’re all doing quite well. And don’t feel bad if you can’t do this spell. That just means that there’s plenty more magic out there for you to discover.”
She turned right to Alex, and he had to blink to hide his stare. But it turned out that she wasn’t looking at him at all. “Is that Princess Celestia?” she said.
“Season two, episode nine, ‘Sweet and Elite,’ used as a distraction for the fancy ponies during her party-switching montage,” Alex said to demonstrate his encyclopedic knowledge of the show. But then he noticed everyone else bowing.
He turned around and nearly smacked face-first into a pastel rainbow of mane. Stumbling to his knees, he lowered his head and averted his eyes, just in time to here Celestia’s mellifluous voice say, “Please, everyone, stand up. There’s no need to be so ceremonial. We’re all just friends here.”
Alex was equally awkward in his rise as he was in his bow. With his mood of looking up to sophisticated ponies, he turned his gaze from Celestia to see that Princess Luna had accompanied her sister on the visit.
When everyone had stood, paying no less attention, Celestia said. “It’s wonderful to see you all at last, and w—but sister, perhaps you would like to explain?”
“Thank you,” said Luna. “We are here to welcome you formally to Equestria as well as to witness your progress and see how we may spread the good ideas you are developing here to other parts of the world as more humans immigrate.”
Alex muttered to himself, “I see she never got over using that royal plural.” He didn’t think that Luna could have heard, but her eyes went right to him, and she continued in a loud voice.
“We—that is to say, Princess Celestia and I—were under the impression that this was an instruction for those adept in the active forms of magic. But we—again, I presume to speak for both of us—are glad to see you being so inclusive. Perhaps you would join me for a private discussion, earth human?”
Everyone’s eyes looked around to see who she was addressing, but Luna just walked through the crowd, no longer singling anyone out.
Princess Celestia remained in the doorway of Carousel Boutique. She was giving a formal welcome speech. “I am very glad that you have chosen to make your new homes in Equestria. And I am also happy to say that soon you will be joined. . . “
Beyond that, Alex heard nothing. He had ducked out of the crowd and followed Luna toward the road. When they were alone, he tried to apologize. “Please, your highness, I didn’t mean to insult you. It was purely in fun—“ He cut himself off. Speaking first was the wrong thing. Stupid , he told himself, you’re only digging yourself deeper .
Luna was glowering at him, but in a flash she changed her expression to one of playful amusement. “I don’t mind the jest. Believe me, far worse things have been said about me over the years. Rather, I admire your boldness, insinuating yourself among the actively-magical when you are not. Are you that impressed with magic?”
Alex half-nodded at the question, before realizing that it was a test of honesty. “No, Princess. Magic I can take or leave. But I really wanted to see Rarity. I look up to her so much, with her sophistication and elegance.”
“Please, feel free to call me Luna.” She trotted ahead and faced him head on. For the first time, Alex realized how much larger she was than him. “We are, I hope, going to be good friends. You see, I have a request for you.”
Alex was a little stunned. What could such a powerful creature require of him?
“A second wave of human immigrants is set to come in to Equestria very shortly, and will settle near Canterlot. We are looking for someone who will liaise with them and ease their transition. Do you think you are up to the job?”
“Huh? Absolutely! Unless this is one of those things where I’m supposed to say that I don’t think I can do it, and you say that that’s proof that I can’t, but if I say that I’m too nervous and inexperienced, then you say that those are the exact qualities you need, in which case, then I can’t do it.”
Luna gave a melodic laugh. “There’s no trickery involved.”
“Well, what do I have to do?”
Two days later, Alex found himself on a stage outside of Canterlot, wearing something similar to a royal guard uniform made over for a human, and giving to two thousand people essentially the same speech that Twilight Sparkle had given to the first batch of immigrants, but adding in more information.
“So much of the wait, at least on this end, for accepting more people, is that the ponies are a little wary of us. Remember that they’ve seen all the major events of our world. Just imagine judging humanity by what you see on the nightly news. But they’ve also given us this chance, because they believe that there’s some good in us, and we don’t want to prove them wrong. We’ve passed most of their tests, in being able to build a sustainable life for ourselves, as well as being willing to give and accept help when needed. So don’t ruin our record.”
He continued, reading mostly from cards. He was not used to public speaking, and was not particularly in the mood to try to picture the crowd in their underclothes. He remembered Luna’s coaching on how to engage when speaking.
“The problem that speakers have,” she had said, “is that they can think much faster than they can speak. So you need something to burn off your excess mental energy. Have something else in your mind when talking. Get a song stuck in your head. Concentrate on your gestures and tone of voice. Then your speech, which will not be your main focus, will sound natural and not be rushed.”
He had the perfect subject to distract himself: Rarity. While he was going on about settlements and acclimation, half his mind was thinking about her. He wished that she had come to see this. Dressed up, addressing a crowd, everyone listening to him. It might be the first step toward the high life that he admired.
“All of you are beginning a new life, and that brings challenges, but the good part is that you have not made a one-way commitment. Any time you want, you can be repatriated to Earth. But the flip side of that coin is that if you want this life, you have to earn it by being true to yourself. If the choice to leave is always there, it means that every day you must choose to stay.”
And wasn’t he in the same situation? The choice to stay in Equestria was easy. He had only been back to Earth for a total of an hour in the months since the convention. Just enough time to talk to his mother and agree that this was the best thing for him. He would have left home soon enough anyway, to college or work, but now he was pursuing the future of his choice. The nature of that future was still at issue.
“You will also have help that we did not. The people of Humantown will be willing to answer any questions you have and will offer techniques on how to build and maintain your village. But you will still have the opportunity to make it your own. Indeed, we’re hoping that it comes out better than ours, since you’ll be residing in the shadow of the capital!”
Might he not abandon his Humantown farm and start over one more time with these people? Couldn’t he join the Canterlot elite, or even that of whatever the human annex was to be called?
“But however you build, and however you integrate into Equestria, I must stress again that everyone and everypony expects you to make us proud of the title ‘brony.’ Thank you.”
That was the answer. However he went with his own quest, he had to make his own name a source of pride. Perhaps it was not yet time to abandon Humantown. Moreover, he was sure he did not want to abandon Rarity.
When the speech was over, Alex shook hands and conversed with the newcomers until it was time for him to take the train back to Ponyville. He was a little surprised to see Olivia meet him at the station.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing, I was just eager to hear news of Earth. Did you talk to the new immigrants?”
Alex sniffed and breathed out. “Yeah, I did. Let’s see. As far as actual headlines, nothing much happened. No major wars, no terrorist attacks, no celebrity deaths.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to hear about those anyway. I left Earth to get away from that. What about the other bronies?”
“Well, Twilight’s spell at the convention really scared the stuffing out of the protest groups, so they haven’t done anything, and are kind of retrenching. And a lot of the bronies themselves are working hard on getting to Equestria, but it’s not that simple. They have families and jobs. Some of them are trying to show My Little Pony to their family members in the hopes that they can all come here together, while others are trying to arrange communication and travel schedules. And there are those who put in their notice, but they work in sensitive areas. You’re not going to have a nurse who takes care of the elderly up and leave just because he has a chance to move to Equestria.”
“No, of course not,” said Olivia. “That would be going against everything we’re working for,”
“But replacements can be found eventually. I think that the immigration is going to start ramping up fast and soon.”
“How many bronies are there now? We may need to know what kind of an influx we’re looking at,”
Alex thought for a second. “It’s hard to say. Maybe about one in twenty in the English-speaking world, a little less in Europe, Latin America, and East Asia. There’s just so many places that the show hasn’t been aired, either because of repression or that they just don’t have the technology.”
“Yeah, that’s a shame. I guess what I’m worried about is what happens to Earth if half the population decides to leave. The ones who are left will be the ones who don’t have our powers, and they’ll be hard put to get by.”
They had walked through Ponyville as they chatted. As they reached Humantown and prepared to go their separate ways, they turned to the west to see the sun set. Alex pointed and said, “We do have the powers, and a leader who we all accept, and we just barely made it ourselves. Don’t underestimate people. We’re tough and we adapt. I have full confidence that Earth is going to stay strong and grow beside us. It’s been around a long time, and it’s not going anywhere. In fact, once the bronies are gone and it’s back to the way it was, it might even be stronger, the same way you prune a plant to make it grow healthier. Once they realize that, they’ll probably want to help all the bronies come to Equestria.”
Lisa looked at her calendar. It was Sunday. She briefly wondered if Equestrians went to church on Sundays, and if she would be welcome. Then she chastised herself for being so silly. There was no need to sing praise to somepony in the sky when you knew exactly where she lived. If a pony wanted to talk to Celestia, they just sent a letter to Canterlot.
Her eye came to rest on the basketball in the corner. How long was it, she wondered, since she’d practiced? She picked it up and dribbled a few times. She hadn’t found any more friends who were interested in the game, and Olivia hadn’t had time to play at all.
She thought about walking over to her and seeing if she was free, then remembered that she was busy with some other friends on some project. She set the basketball down and let it roll to the corner.
There was no getting around it. Lisa was bored.
Her invention of melted wood had been a huge burst for her. Ponies and humans alike had thanked her and shown their gratitude in material ways as well. Steady deliveries of food and supplies were made to her house, which itself was larger and more comfortable than the average. And she had enjoyed it at first. She had spent endless hours organizing her house, sleeping in, and generally having the fun of not working. When that paled, she started walking around Humantown, looking for things to do to help.
The reactions were less than appreciative. It seemed to Lisa that people were quite willing to set her up as a lady of leisure, but when she wanted to work, they were abrasive. Sure, she wasn’t as hard a worker as everyone else, but she tried. Wasn’t that what was important? Wasn’t that better than sitting alone and just watching others work?
She figured it out soon enough. She was a reminder. Even though she wanted to help, she didn’t have to. Other humans worked their farms and their shops because they needed the bits. She did it as a hobby. That was too much to expect people to put up with.
She paced the house in her boredom. A melted-wood chair with a donated cushion faced a melted-wood bookcase. There were a few books there that she had borrowed from the library.
It amused Lisa to think of how easy it had been to give up electronic content. No TV, no Internet, not even a radio. The books were there, and without distractions she had been able to quickly master the written Equestrian language. Being bilingual before she came to Equestria had helped. She sat in the chair and floated a book over.
She had asked Twilight once why the language looked like English through a mirror, or with some parts of letters altered. She had explained that Equestrian characters were based on runes, the language of magic, which was as universal—or multiversal , Lisa thought—as the laws of mathematics. The spoken language of ponies was based on it, making it easy for humans to understand when they spoke. When humans spoke to ponies, they had to do a little mental translation, but they had made the effort.
With her hands aglow, Lisa flipped through to the section she liked. It was an adventure story, a tale of a brave unicorn mare rescuing beautiful stallions from rampaging dragons, but in one part the mare travels to an obscure village and uses her magic to get rid of a plague. The villagers are so appreciative. Lisa had nearly worn the paper out by rereading it. That day, she wasn’t being entertained. The boredom was too deep.
She floated the book up and snapped it closed. She had made her decision. She floated over her jacket and magically fastened it around her. She grabbed a few more books and made a stack of them. With the stack in magical tow, she walked to the library.
She let the books rest on nothing as she knocked at the door.
“Hi, Lisa,” said Twilight, letting her in. “What brings you round? Nopony’s returned any more Daring Do books, so unless you want to read the first one for the fourth time. . .”
“No, thanks. What I’m really looking for is somepony to talk to. Are you free?”
Twilight looked over at her desk laden with work. “Well, I’m sure I can spare you a few minutes.”
“Great. I’ve just been feeling so useless lately.”
“Useless? But you’re a great mage! You came up with a spell that no unicorn had, and everyone’s homes were built on that.”
Lisa sighed and smiled. “Yes, but it’s different here. I mean, everyone on Earth dreams of making something that everyone wants, but to actually do it. . . ”
“How is it different? You have inventions on Earth?”
“Of course.”
“Then what would happen had you made melted wood there?” asked Twilight.
“Well, to start with, it would probably be MeltyWood, with a little TM at the end. I’d incorporate, have a lot of paperwork to do, and sell it to everyone. I’d have people to tell me how best to market it, and we’d do lots of environmental studies to make sure it wasn’t dangerous. And after I got popular enough, some big outfit like Home Depot or Lowe’s would buy out my company and raise the price while I went on my way.”
“That sounds awful.”
“It would be,” said Lisa. “But at least I wouldn’t be so bored.”
“Well, there’s plenty to do around here.” Twilight started walking toward her desk.
“I know, and studying’s nice, but I have to have a reason to do so. I’m not like you. I can’t just read to fill up my head.”
Twilight looked at Lisa and thought about how to help. “Your problem is that you had success too soon. I went through something similar when I first began working with Princess Celestia. But she taught me that you always have to keep pushing yourself and finding a new challenge.”
“Yes, but what?”
“Well, I’m sorry if this sounds cruel, but you made one spell. What have you done since? Make another, and then another.”
Lisa slapped her palm with her fist. “No, I’ll go beyond that! I’ll figure out what’s at the heart of magic so that everyone can understand it. I’ll discover the. . . the Grand Unified Theory of Magic!”
“Whoa, now. Hang on. It’s possible to go too far the other way.”
“No, no. This is perfect. Do you have books on magical theory? You’ve got to, I’m sure.”
Twilight tried to restrain the rampaging human in her library, but Lisa was undaunted, tearing around different sections looking at titles, and floating a few into a new pile. When she had had enough, Twilight magically restrained Lisa and sat her down.
“OK, wait just a minute. If you want to do research, that’s fine. But you’ve got to be organized and methodical about it.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. I just got a little excited.”
“Also, you’re going to need more than books,” said Twilight.
“You’re right. I’m going to need pen and paper.”
“I’ll give you a few scrolls and a quill, but beyond—“
Lisa waved her hand. “Don’t worry about that. There’s an advantage to having provided a service to the community. People and ponies willing to help you out.”
“Yes, I’m sure. But what I really meant is that you need a plan. You have to set out goals and then a series of stages of how you’re going to meet them.”
“Right. As I see it, if I’ve come up with one spell, then the first thing I need to do is to come up with another. Then take one that some unicorn has created and compare the similarities and differences between the two. Twilight, you’ve got to have some cool spells, right?”
Twilight put her hoof to her chin. “Well, I suppose I’m best known for the self-teleportation spell.”
“That’s it. See, when I first started using magic, my friend Olivia—you’ve met her?—did object teleportation by just moving the thing really fast. But you can jump yourself without running at all, so if I can figure out how to do that, then I’ll have a control spell to compare and do experiments with.” Lisa started walking out of the library, still talking. Twilight shut the door behind her. “But what I have to do before that is to. . . “
A few hours later, Lisa’s happy mood had soured. She had organized all her materials and plans, but was now lost and had no idea how to proceed.
“It’s all well to say that I want to make a new spell, but how do I do it?”
She thought about the time she made her last spell, sitting in the wood wishing that there were an easier way to build. Then, there had been a coherent need. Here, everything was vaguer.
Lisa woke up the next morning still at her desk, a thin trickle of drool on her scroll. “Ugh. Too easily distracted. I’ll never get anywhere if I can’t stay focused.”
The morning was no more productive as she first procrastinated by making breakfast, then by washing up, then by cleaning the house. “All right, I can’t do this. I’ll just have to go back to the library and try something else.”
As she left, happy to at least get out of the house, she racked her brain to think of a new angle. By the time she was at Twilight’s, she had something to ask for.
“I want to make sure,” she said, “that I’m not duplicating anypony else’s work. Maybe there’s a lead in Equestria’s history. Do you have any books that were written from the perspective of unicorns?”
Twilight climbed the rolling ladder and floated out a few titles. “These were all written by unicorns, though I don’t think they’re as specific as what you’re looking for.”
“Hmm. I may have to wind up writing one myself.”
“What’s on your mind?”
Lisa looked at the books, then out the window. She paused to choose her words carefully. “All of the books I’ve read—and it’s what Rarity has been talking about at her classes also—have looked at magic from an internal perspective. How to think and how to control your power. It makes it sound like training, and frankly, it’s less fun. As I see it, there have got to be some shortcuts.”
“There’s no shortcut to proper learning,” said Twilight in the lecturing tone she sometimes adopted.
“Yes, but there might be to what you’re learning. If we could get at the theory I’m after, really powerful spells might be possible. What we really need is a new classification of magic based, not on what you do, but on what it does for you.”
With her new stack of books, Lisa went home to try again. As she shut the door behind her, the sound brought Spike, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, to full awareness. “What’s her deal?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” said Twilight. “She’s found her way to a new world, but she’s still searching for something.”
Lisa pored over the new books she had borrowed, cross-referencing two and making notes on a scroll. She was struggling not to admit that the historical angle was something of a bust.
“Why can’t ponies aggrandize their history like normal people? There’s almost no record of good old days. Everything was barbaric, and all these books are about how much better its going to be for the foals of the next generation. Where are the hidden secrets of the past for me to exploit?”
She looked at the quill and the scroll. They would be anachronisms on Earth, but were still in use here. Why hadn’t ponies adopted the loose-leaf? The quill pen she could understand. There were enough birds around willing to part with a feather at need, and it made no sense to waste metal. Idly she directed the pen to copy out another unpromising anecdote.
It brought back a memory. A test in school, one she had studied for and not needed to. She had barely needed her brain to fill in the blanks on the history test, and had wished that she could just stand her pencil up and let it write for her so that she could go have fun. It was exactly the same thing here.
“But it’s not really,” she said out loud. She grabbed the quill with her hand, breaking the spell and flipped over the scroll. As good as her memory for facts was, she needed to write when she was thinking out an idea.
“There’s an actual difference between directing the quill to copy something already written, and to write something new, or even something that’s known but not written down. But suppose I could go even further and craft a spell to make it write down a complete unknown, like who really killed Kennedy or something. It might be impossible, but it would be a benchmark, and that’s what I’m looking for.”
Lisa was ready to jump up and run back to Twilight with her discovery, but held up. “It’s even odds that I’m wrong, or that this has already been looked at and rejected. For that matter, she might say, ‘Of course that’s so. Unicorns know that without being told.’ Well, she wouldn’t say that. She’d be nicer. But I’ll complete it anyway, because at least I’ll have something to be wrong with.”
The second setback was worse than the first. She was still stuck as to how to actually create the spell. “If I actually had the theory I was looking for, I could do this.”
She made her hands glow and picked up the quill. “Come on, write the answer for me.” But the quill just hovered over the scroll. “I guess it was just too much to hope for. It’s such a shame. I’ve got magic, the thing that everyone on Earth is looking for all their life, and I’ve still got problems. It’s not fair.”
After a few hours of this, the scroll still had nothing on it but a couple of random doodles and half-formed formulae. She chuckled and said, “Well, now I need a new scroll. I said I’m sure I could get them.” She went into Ponyville.
Looking around for a shop that would sell them, Lisa’s eye was caught by the curio shop. Luke was outside drumming in customers. A throng of ponies and a few humans were poking their heads in and occasionally reaching for their wallets.
“Hey there!” he said to Lisa. “You in the market for something? I’ll give you a discount.”
“Just need some scrolls. Do you have that?”
“Oh, sure. In the back. I don’t sell many to Equestrians but I always bring them to Earth with me to exchange there. Hang on.”
He came back out a few moments later with a bag full of scrolls. “I’ll take dollars for them if you don’t have bits,” Luke said.
“Actually, yeah. They’ve been burning a hole in my pocket ever since I got here. Wait, you go back to Earth?”
“Sure, all the time. Lots of humans do. You didn’t know?”
Lisa scratched the back of her head. “I’ve been kind of cooped up in the house for a while. Working on a project.”
“Mmhm. Well, yeah, the Gates are always running.”
Lisa thought about that. When she had been through the Gate, it was just to check in by phone with her parents, to let them know that she was all right. But to make a visit was something she hadn’t considered. Even then she was skeptical. What exactly would she do?
As she opened the door to her house the light bulb over her head went on. “Wait a minute! I’ve got a project that I don’t know the next step on, and a visit to Earth that I don’t have a purpose for. These cancel each other out!”
She started packing immediately.
At the Gate, Twilight was waiting for Lisa. “How did you know I was coming here to travel to Earth? Do you have some kind of mind-reading spell?”
Twilight tilted her head. “No, you just talk to yourself too much. Spike was walking by your house on an errand when he heard you say that you were going to Earth, and he mentioned it to me. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you to be careful and to wish you good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I thought more about that,” said Lisa. “I want to go to a library there and do some research. Not that your library isn’t well-stocked, but—“
“Of course I don’t have any human books.”
“Or periodicals, which is what I’m looking for. You see, magic here is a lot like science on Earth, in that it’s what our economies and culture is built on. But there’s a difference. I can’t quite put my finger on it, and that’s what I want to work on. I think if I can get a handle on the differences between science and magic, I’ll be getting somewhere.”
Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. “Well, I hope it works out for you.”
“Thanks. I’ve been down enough blind alleys lately.” She stepped through the Gate.
The library in New York was not like Lisa’s hometown branch, which was closer to the homey charm that Twilight’s treehouse had. It was large and sectioned, but she was able to locate the periodical section quickly enough. She started hunting at random when a young man in glasses came over to her.
“Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”
“Science articles. General science, nothing specific, more like state-of-the-industry publications.”
“OK, I think I can help with that.” He walked her over to a back room where a lot of dusty stacks were kept. Lisa suddenly felt nervous, and a moment later realized why. This was the first time in months that she had been alone with a non-brony human, and a male to boot. He hadn’t done anything threatening, but she was reluctant to use magic around him.
She sat at a cubicle and made notes. It was annoying having to grip the pen with her hands and write it, and progress was slower than she anticipated, but it was getting done. She felt as if, at any time, a breakthrough would come and her tension would be relieved.
The library was nearly empty. As she stretched and went to the water fountain, she wondered why that was. It was a Saturday, and in her experience libraries were usually packed then, but she only saw a few old folks, and they weren’t talking to each other. She thought about magically holding down the button for the water fountain, but saw the young librarian eyeing her.
When she sat back down, she looked at her reading pile. It had dwindled to about half, and an old black and white magazine was sticking out at an odd angle. After checking to make sure no one was looking, she made her hand glow and slid it out from underneath. It was turned to a page with an article about the space program.
Two ideas hit her at once, and she knocked over the stack that she had already finished, barely catching it with her magic.
Lisa was writing furiously, using both her hand and magic. The hand was writing in Equestrian runes; it was the formula for a spell. The magic was writing in plain English; it was an essay. Lisa read it out loud as she wrote.
“The shift in the use of science—a subtle shift, so much so that no one noticed—was not in its method or purposes but in its attitude. Before the shift, science spoke of a wonderful technological future for mankind, a world of gleaming metal and plastic, homes in space or under the sea, unlimited energy and unlimited luxury. Now it speaks of nothing but the risks the world has to mankind and how most of our problems are our fault.”
She didn’t know whether she was writing the essay for her own clarification or to explain it to others.
“Both the popular press and the scientific journals are filled with articles about how are diets are wrong, our environments are killing us, the things we enjoy are poison. And that’s only the physical sciences. The social sciences are even more accusatory, If one were to believe those journals, every single human being is the victim of some neurosis, psychosis, or addiction.”
She took her focus off the essay for a moment to look at her runes. The spell was working the same idea from the other end. She planned to have them meet in the middle like the transcontinental railroad.
“The cumulative effect of all of this is to get us to expect disappointment, convince us that things won’t get better, and when we suffer, to accept it without complaint. Such a goal might be noble except for two drawbacks. One: it makes it more likely that we will suffer. Two: on the chance that we don’t, it blunts our enjoyment of what we do achieve. Science brings a world of miracles, but convinces us that there are none.”
The spell itself was complete, and she was mentally translating it from the runic language to what she actually needed to cast it. She realized that she needed someone else to test it with, and started packing up to return to Equestria.
“The other horn of the dilemma would be to eschew science and technology, and many people on Earth do exactly that, with no better result. Rejecting the blessings of science only brings accusations comparable to those of heresy in ages past. There must be a third way to deal with the problem. Whether it can work for those on Earth, I cannot say, but for Equestrians, particularly unicorns and magical bronies. . . “
From behind her, she heard a voice. “Hey, it looks like you’ve got things coming along, so—“
It was the young librarian. Lisa turned her back and let go the quill, but she could tell from his expression that he had seen it glowing and writing on its own. “Um, yeah,” she said, “Yeah, I’ve actually got something good. Thanks for your help. I’ll start putting everything back in a few minutes.”
“Don’t worry about that, it’s my job.” His voice had a tinge of bitterness to it.
“Look, I hope I didn’t offend you, I know some people don’t like it. In fact, I was just working on—“
He cut her off. “No, if you can do that, it’s none of my business.”
Lisa suddenly decided she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. She hastily picked up her essay and other papers and stuffed them into a bag. She gave the librarian one last thank-you and was on her way back to the Gate.
Back in Equestria, Lisa was smiling, not sure if it was because of the enjoyment of discovery, or the discovery itself. She ran straight to the library where she was pleased to find Twilight there alone.
“Hi, Lisa. How was Earth?”
“Great, just wonderful. Well, I don’t know how they’re doing there, but it was great for me. I got it.”
Twilight was skeptical. “The Grand Unified Theory of Magic? Already?”
“Huh? No, I don’t have that. Maybe eventually, because I did come up with another spell, and I can do those experiments we talked about, but maybe I don’t have to. What I found was the answer to my boredom.”
“OK, I’ll bite, what is it?”
Lisa looked around. “Pick up one of those books, hold it up.”
Twilight shrugged and made her horn glow. A thick textbook floated up from Twilight’s desk and stayed there. Lisa concentrated her own power and held out her hands. Like a candle flickering out in a vacuum, the purple glow of Twilight’s horn faded out into nothing and the book dropped to the desk with a clatter.
“What did you do?!” said Twilight.
“I made a magic suppression spell.”
“Please tell me you can reverse it!”
“Oh, it shouldn’t last long,” said Lisa. “Five minutes at most. I can scale it up to maybe an hour, but that should be enough. You see, what I figured out was that it wasn’t about theories or universal concepts. It’s about me. I’m the only one who can make myself happy. When I first learned to use my magic, it was the best time for me. Now that it’s commonplace, I didn’t enjoy it as much. But if I had to spend an hour a week as a normal human being, then go back to being magical, well, that should let me rediscover the thrill of magic again and again, and never be bored, at least not to the point where I’m depressed.”
Twilight was poking at her horn. “Well, if I had used this during Winter Wrap-up, things might have gone a little better, but I don’t know that it would be all that useful.”
“Oh, come on. Think back to when you first turned a page in a book with magic. How did it make you feel?”
Twilight looked down to her right and was silent for a few moments. Then she said, “Maybe I would like the hour-long version. Just to try it.”
Lisa smiled. “Are you sure? I mean, I do still have my hands, but you might be a little helpless.”
“No more so than a young earth pony. Actually, show me how you do the spell. I’m always interested in seeing how another mage designs something.”
“I wrote it down. Hang on.” Lisa opened her bag and poked through. “Oh, here’s the essay I wrote when I had my revelation. Might make for some interesting reading. Here we go, no wait, that’s not it. Hmm. . . I can’t seem to find it. I’ll just show you how it’s done.”
Lisa and Twilight delved into a technical conversation that no non-magical pony or human, and only a few egghead-type magical bronies or unicorns, could understand. Twilight, being particularly adept, picked up the spell quickly and the two of them recreated the runic version. Lisa got ready to go.
“Listen,” she said as she walked out the door. “I really have you to thank for this. Not just for this, but for bringing us all to Equestria. Heck, I need to thank you for just existing. If it weren’t for you, at best I’d be a regular human, and at worst I’d be just some bullied kid.”
“Don’t mention it. But you’re wrong. There’s greatness inside of you, I know. Someday you’ll be sure of it yourself.”
Olivia looked up at the town clock and set her watch. Since her cell phone’s battery had died the first week she lived in Equestria, she had reverted to an older piece of technology for telling time, and she was constantly forgetting to wind it. She didn’t mind, though. It got her out into town.
“Morning, Olivia!”
She turned around to see who was addressing her. “Oh, Mayor Mare. I didn’t know that you knew my name.”
“Sure I do. A mayor’s got to know everyone in town. I have to keep getting elected, you know.” She smiled.
“But humans can’t vote in Ponyville.”
“Well, that’s only because they live in Humantown. Have you elected a mayor yet?”
“No,” said Olivia. “It’s probably something we should get to, but honestly we’ve been so busy we haven’t had the time to make a government, or to need one. When we have had disputes, it’s always been Bastian who mediated.”
“Perhaps I’d better issue a directive to the ponies to stay out of Humantown. I’d hate for them to see that working.” The mayor laughed at her own jest.
Another pony required the mayor’s attention, so Olivia walked off toward home.
From talking to Lisa she knew that more than one human was getting, if not disgruntled, overwhelmed by their new life, but she couldn’t feel it. There was just so much to do. After attending Applejack’s classes on farming, she had started up a few garden plots that needed attention, and they were yielding food for her table. She spent more time building and rebuilding furniture and fixtures with her magic to improve her house. But even that would take a back seat to any event that the ponies set up to entertain their new friends. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised that the mayor knew her. She went to everything.
Coming up the dirt road that led from Ponyville to Humantown, Olivia heard a clatter and saw a cloud of dust billowing up from the horizon. As it drew closer, she stepped off the road to observe. It was a cart speeding along with nopony pulling, but a magical brony riding in the back. She recognized Claude, who had been Twilight’s assistant at the first demonstration of the Gates.
“Woo-hoo!” he cried out as he saw her. “Just mastered come-to-life spells!”
Olivia wanted to say to be careful, remember how out of control that spell was during the Winter Wrap-up, but he would be out of earshot by the time she finished her sentence. Coming around the town line road of Ponyville, oblivious to the danger, was a pony pulling a cart of her own. Olivia saw her orange coat and the cart and made a guess that it was Applejack, but was more focused on trying to do the math on how two carts traveling at given speeds along certain vectors would miss each other. She wasn’t liking the answers she was getting.
She started running toward them even before the crash. “Look out!” she cried, but it was too late. Claude and Applejack’s carts collided and collapsed into a splintery mess of wood, hay, and bruised apples. The wheels of Claude’s cart, stuck in the air, were still magically spinning and showed no signs of losing momentum.
Olivia reached the scene of the accident and kneeled by Applejack. “Are you all right?” she asked. Applejack just groaned. She had hit her head.
“How about you?” Olivia asked Claude.
“Ow. I tore up my hands pretty good.”
She looked around, but didn’t see anypony. She had hoped that the sound would attract attention, but they were on the edge of town. It was unclear what Applejack was doing so far out, but there was no opportunity to ask.
“Can you walk?”
“Yeah, but I’m in pain here!”
Olivia stood up. “Go and get the nurse, then. Applejack’s hurt.”
“But I don’t know where she is.”
“Just go until you find somepony!” Olivia said, losing her patience. Claude ran off. Olivia had taken some first aid courses, but wasn’t sure how well they applied to pony physiology. She knew that the best thing for a head injury was to not move Applejack. Using her magic, she cleared away as much of the wreck as she could without disturbing her.
It was Nurse Coldheart who came the fastest, and she set to examining and aiding Applejack. Eventually she decided that it was all right to move her, and Olivia used her double-carry technique to do most of the lifting. When they got to the hospital, they laid Applejack in a bed, and Olivia could still hear Claude whining from down the hall. She washed her hands and left the hospital, thinking that it was at least over.
The next day, the knock on the door was unlike any that Olivia had heard, and she was surprised to see a pony on the other side. They very rarely came to Humantown. He said that he had come from the mayor, and that she would have to come back into Ponyville.
The mayor’s office was opulent for the town, and Olivia found it a pleasant change from the clinical government buildings she had seen on Earth.
“Good to see you again, Mayor Mare,” she said.
“I don’t know how good it will be. I understand that you saw the incident yesterday.”
“I did. Not up close, but I was the only one there.”
“Well, Applejack’s understandably upset, and so is Claude. I’d like to hear the whole story from you.”
Olivia recounted what she had seen as best she could. “Is there going to be trouble? Are you going to have to arrest him? Do we have to get Princess Celestia involved?”
“Oh, dear me, no. I wouldn’t be a good mayor if I had to call the Princess for every little dispute. But some ponies have been afraid that something like this would happen, and wanted a procedure in place to deal with it. I’ve been putting it off, hoping that we’d all get along, but now it’s happened. So I’ll have to have a talk with Applejack and with the human who hit her.”
“Yes. Is there anything else I need to do?”
Mayor Mare organized some papers on her desk. “Not for me, but I believe that nice human who runs Humantown—what was his name? Bastian?—wanted a word with you when you got home.”
Olivia left and sought out Bastian. He asked about her conversation with the mayor. She hesitated, but since it was never said to be confidential, she related the substance.
“The problem for me is Claude,” he said. “I’ve tried to explain to him that there doesn’t have to be a trial, that the ponies wouldn’t know what one is or how to conduct one the way we do, but he insists that I defend him. I’m not sure if he thinks he’s going to be accused of something or if he wants to accuse Applejack. If so, I don’t know what he thinks he can get.”
“You’ve just got to reassure him that everything’s going to be all right, and that the best thing to do is just forgive, forget, and move on.”
“Well, just between you and me, Claude’s a little stupid.”
Olivia laughed at the break in the mood.
“I shouldn’t say that,” Bastian continued. “He’s nice enough. Everyone is, here.”
“You know, being smart versus being stupid isn’t the same as being good or bad. I think we sometimes got those confused, which is one of the things that we should get away from here.”
“Interesting point. I haven’t thought of it that way. Anyway, since you’ll be there as the eyewitness, I’m just letting you know what to expect.”
Olivia started to go, but then thought of something else. “If you really don’t want to help him, you could always do the job half-heartedly or unseriously.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“How do you mean?”
Bastian looked out the window. His house had a good view. “I always liked running the convention. I enjoyed having the responsibility, even when it meant awkward times like having to tell someone to get moving and not be lazy. But what I liked most was how it was a project. I didn’t mind settling disputes between two departments that needed the same space or the same money, because it was worth it to make those two days special. It was like playing on a sports team that you know is going to the championship. And then after, there was always some time to unwind before the next con started planning. But here, it’s just an endless job that gets harder all the time.”
“Maybe you need to delegate some of the authority. Get a staff and some assistants.”
“Are you offering yourself up for the job?”
Olivia held up her hands. “Hey, I’m just a kid.”
“That doesn’t matter as much here.”
“Well, maybe eventually. Right now, I’m just enjoying myself. At least, until tomorrow.”
***
Bastian came early the next day to pick Olivia up and take her to the meeting in the mayor’s office. Applejack and the mayor were already there, and when Claude arrived a few minutes later, they wanted to start discussing things, but Claude would have none of it.
“This is supposed to be in public, so that anypony can see what’s going on and you can’t put anything over on me!”
“All right,” said Mayor Mare. “We’ll go outside.”
“Sure, it’s a nice day,” said Applejack.
They found a table in an outdoor café that would seat the five of them, and although Claude clearly wanted a bigger spectacle, Bastian told him not to press the point.
“Now,” the mayor said, “I think we’re all mostly clear as to what happened. Applejack, are you willing to forgive and forget it all?”
“Well, I’d say that that feller needs some driving lessons, but other than that, there wasn’t any permanent damage done, at least not to me. I’d appreciate some help fixing that wagon, though. Big Macintosh can do it, but he’s pressed for time as is.”
“I think that’s a reasonable request. Claude?”
“No! We need to get at the heart of what the problem is. Tell her, Bastian.”
“I can’t tell her unless I understand myself.” Bastian leaned in closer to Claude. “Is it something confidential?”
“I can’t believe you don’t recognize it yourself. Every human here is treated like a second-class citizen, and I for one am tired of it.”
Olivia spoke up. “You’re going to have to explain your position more thoroughly, because I for one don’t feel that way.”
“All right, fine. When I was a magical brony on Earth, everyone understood that I was special, had an ability that wasn’t normal. And because I tried to use it right, most people didn’t hate me for it. There were a few who did, but we saw what happened to them when Twilight took action. But now that I’m here, even Earth ponies and pegasi who can’t do magic aren’t impressed. Now, all that would be fine if we had the same houses and jobs that the ponies do, but we don’t.”
Mayor Mare interrupted. “In our defense, that’s not because we’re smarter or harder working. We were just here first.”
“That’s not a lot of comfort.”
“Ain’t nopony holding you here,” said Applejack. “I’ll run you down to the Gate right now if you want to go back to Earth.”
Claude’s demeanor changed from anger to embarrassment. “I’m not looking to leave. I’m just asking to be treated fairly, and that means letting me practice my magic in peace and make a decent living off of it.”
“All right, I’ve had about enough of this.” Everyone looked at Olivia. “The only reason we’re here in the first place is that you messed around with a spell that you knew was dangerous and that you had no business trying to test outside. And unless you’re the unluckiest person in Equestria, which, you know, you’re not, I’m sure it wasn’t the first time you’ve used it. You’re probably just too lazy to haul your own hay, and too reckless to think of others while you’re doing it. If you want to take shortcuts and get in everypony else’s way, go do it somewhere else. Because frankly, I have better things to do with my time than to sit here and listen to you whine, and I’m sure that the mayor, the farm pony who you hurt, and the de facto leader of the humans are busy too.”
A few ponies had noticed the discussion, particularly as Olivia’s voice grew in volume and forcefulness, but she cleared out before any of them could ask her what was going on. Mayor Mare and Bastian tried to explain as best as they could. Once the crowd had dispersed, the meeting resumed and the mayor laid down her decision.
“From what I can tell, Applejack was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But you, Claude, are forbidden to use come-to-life spells outside of your own home or under the supervision of a unicorn. Other than that, I’d like you to help out Big Macintosh with repairing the cart.”
“Couldn’t I just pay to have it done?”
“If you really insist on doing it that way, though I believe you would learn a better lesson if you did it yourself. And I warn you, if this is going to happen often, you’ll run out of bits sooner than you run out of ponies to injure.”
Claude said nothing, and he cleared out. Bastian started to leave as well.
“One moment, please,” Mayor Mare said. “I’d like to have a word with you. I mentioned this briefly to the young lady yesterday, but I think it’s important for Humantown to have a formal, structured government.”
“I agree with you. I was also talking to Olivia about how we need a panel of people to handle stuff like that. We’d appreciate any help that you can give us with that.”
“Well, perhaps it’s good that Applejack was involved here. Whenever we have balloting here, she and the Apples lend us the ranch to hold the election. It’s a good place for ponies to get in a queue without being too crowded.”
Applejack smiled at Bastian, but he shook his head. “It’s a kind offer, but it’s all the way across town. If we want to include everyone, it would be better to have it in Humantown itself.”
The ponies looked at each other knowingly. “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” said Applejack. “Sweet Apple Acres isn’t the most convenient place for Ponyvillians either. That’s part of the reason why we use it. If somepony’s the type who’s inclined to want to vote in place of working, he usually doesn’t want to trot all the way across town. You get better results when everyone’s allowed to vote, but not everyone’s encouraged.”
Bastian’s American spirit recoiled at such a suggestion. He decided to think more on it before deciding whether to use the ranch.
By the time he got back to town, the news of what had gone on at the meeting had spread. Claude had locked himself in his house and wasn’t talking to anyone. Olivia was being accosted by a crowd and was trying to get away.
“Honestly,” she was saying, “there was nothing juicy about it, no big story. We just talked it out.”
Bastian was glad to have a reason to address the crowd himself. He explained to them what Mayor Mare had said about formally electing a government.
“She suggested holding it at Sweet Apple Acres, but I know that’s rather far away—“
“No, that’s great!” said Olivia. “We’d all love an excuse to go back into Ponyville and get to talk to Applejack or Granny Smith or the rest, right?”
The crowd seemed to be in agreement. Bastian said, “All right, if you’re willing to take the hike, we’ll start planning it.”
Again Olivia spoke up. “How about this Sunday?”
“Well, that’s a little soon. We need time for those who want to run to register and campaign.”
“Nah, let’s just have everyone write in who they want so we get a good idea.”
Again the crowd seemed to assent. From the back, someone shouted, “The sooner, the better!”
Bastian shrugged and resigned himself. “All right, if you all feel that way, I’ll talk it over with Applejack and arrange the details.”
Now that the people of Humantown had something to discuss and plan for, the incident of the day before became, both literally and figuratively, yesterday’s news. They talked about voting, but mostly they talked about how nice it would be to get away from their daily drudgery and have an event together.
“I’m still not sure this isn’t too quick,” Bastian said, more to himself, but Olivia heard him.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a formality. Everyone will write your name down, except for a few jokers who’ll write their own. It’s better than a long campaign where malcontents like Claude can start rabble-rousing. In a few days, you’ll formally be mayor, and then everything will be settled.”
Bastian looked like he had swallowed castor oil, but he said nothing.
Sunday came around before everyone knew it, and they dressed in their best and most comfortable clothes. In Humantown, denim and cotton were formal wear, and there had been little occasion to wear fancier outfits. The more eager pegasus people flew straight to the Apples’ farm, only to find that they were put to work labeling ballot boxes, arranging places to line up, and cutting paper for ballots. No one minded, though.
The ponies had gathered too, happy to see their friends getting together in camaraderie. The whole thing had the atmosphere more akin to a carnival than an election. Even once the first votes were written and put into the box, the folks who wrote them stayed and talked with those still waiting.
They were having such a good time, in fact, that no one noticed when ballots stopped being cast. Applejack and her family took the boxes away and started the tally. But as they piled the slips of paper according to the chosen candidate, one pile grew steadily larger than all the others. When the count was finished, Applejack put her hoof in her mouth and blew a loud whistle.
“All right, you humans. I know you’re all having a good time and enjoying our apples, but listen up, because we got this here voting done, and you’ve got yourself a new mayor.”
A cheer went up from the crowd.
“With eighty-six percent of the vote too! A clear consensus. Congratulations, Olivia.”
Olivia heard her name and focused on Applejack, but was thrown off for a moment. The thought occurred to her that she was supposed to award the title to Bastian for some reason, but then realized what was said.
“Wait, what? No, it’s not me, it’s supposed to be—“
“You got all these votes,” said Applejack. “See for yourself.”
She knocked over the stack of paper and saw her name written hundreds of times. She turned back to the crowd, and saw nothing but smiling faces. In among the faces was Lisa, giving her a double thumbs-up. “I don’t understand,” she said.
“Well, I can’t speak for everyone,” said Bastian, “but since I voted for you I’ll say that I think you’re honest, forthright, and you’re willing to face a problem head on. I can’t think of any better qualities needed in a mayor.”
Olivia stumbled as people came over and slapped her on the back. She shook hands with everyone. The rest of the event was a blur as she was feted and congratulated so many times. All the while, the worries of what she would have to do for the job kept pestering her.
Early the next morning, she tidied her house as best she could, since she assumed that people would be coming to see her and do business. Once that was done, she started drafting a speech that would say, in essence, keep doing what you’re doing, keep being nice to each other, and don’t bother me! The first knock interrupted her when she was fifty words in.
It was Bastian, Mayor Mare, and Applejack. “Good morning, Madam Mayor,” said Applejack.
“Please don’t call me that. Just stick to Olivia.” She welcomed them all in and said, “I suppose I’ll never have cause to complain about being lonely. What can I do for you?”
“Just want to make sure you’re all right,” said Applejack. “We know it was kind of unexpected.”
“I’ll make it. I still don’t understand why everyone didn’t elect Bastian, though.”
“They could see I didn’t want the job,” he said. “I’d been doing it without recognition for long enough. But if you get frustrated or tired, don’t hesitate to ask for help.”
“Although right now we might be more of a hindrance,” Mayor Mare said. “You have another visitor.”
Olivia looked out the window and saw Claude coming up her path. “Go into the kitchen and listen. I’ll call you if I need help.”
As they walked away, Bastian said under his breath, “See, I told you she’d grow into the job. Thinks on her feet, she does.”
Claude walked in the door. “Hi, kid,” he said.
“The proper address is ‘Madam Mayor.’”
“Huh? Oh, if you insist. Anyway, apparently I’ve got to talk to you now if I want anything done. I gave some thought to emigrating back to Earth. I might want to do it, but I haven’t heard much news from there. Do you know if they’re welcoming us back?”
Olivia gave a bored wave of her hand. “I hadn’t heard. Why not just dive in and find out?”
“But what if it’s just like the convention and everyone still hates us?”
“Then don’t go.”
“But no one likes me here either!”
“First, that’s not true. Change your attitude a little and you’ll find lots of friends. But if you can’t find a home in either place, I don’t know what to tell you. Still, it would be a good idea to get some first-hand knowledge of what’s going on Earth-side. I’ll make a trip. You want to come with me?”
Claude shook his head and ended the interview swiftly. Happy to have something to do, Olivia packed a bag and went into the kitchen to explain to the others.
“If we’re going to have problems here, the easiest thing to do is ask the problematic people to leave. But we can’t do that without a place to send them. I’m going to go to Earth as an official representative and see if there are people willing to repatriate Equestrian humans. If there are, that’ll make my job a lot easier.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Mayor Mare asked. “You’re new to the job, and already taking leave?”
“So it’ll be just like it was before. I want people to get used to the fact that not a whole lot will change.”
She went to the Gate and told the others she would be back as soon as possible. Once on Earth, she decided that the easiest thing to find information would be at a newspaper office.
Olivia wasn’t used to poking her nose around and talking to strangers, but if she was going to be mayor, she’d have to learn, and reporters were supposed to be easy to talk to anyway. She found one in the lunch room of the Times building and sat down across from him. When he looked up from his sandwich, she explained to him that she’d been away for a while and needed to know the general picture.
“Where exactly have you been?” he asked.
Rather than answer, she pointed a glowing finger at his tray of food and magically refolded his napkin.
“I see.”
“What I want to know is, would there be a place for those of us who wanted to come back?”
“You mean, jobs and places to stay?”
“Yes,” Olivia said, then thought of something else. “Also protection. I don’t know what the level of opposition would be.”
“That’s the tricky part. The answer to your question is that there are plenty of places to stay—house and apartment prices have crashed again—but jobs might be a little trickier.”
“Unemployment is up too?”
The reporter smirked and sipped his drink. “No, we have full employment. Nominally. Only two percent of the workforce is currently seeking.”
“I don’t get the joke.”
“The workforce itself has shrunk by so much thanks to all of you leaving, that it’s really just a blip in the statistics. The people who were unemployed rushed to fill all the jobs that you left open, and the companies had no choice but to hire them. It’s questionable as to whether they’re qualified though.”
Olivia followed the line of reasoning. “So you think there’ll be another round of business failures and more unemployment.”
“Exactly. I’m just giving you the slant from the economic articles we’ve published. I’m not in that line myself. I do more human interest stories. But I think that gives me a different perspective on the cause of our current situation.”
“And what’s that?”
The reporter took a moment to gather his thoughts, but it was clear that he had an idea for an article that he was reciting. “An economy that loses five or ten percent of its people to emigration is already in trouble, but in theory it shouldn’t damage it that much. You could put part of the problem down to the fact that businesses were preparing to make use of your powers more, and now that you’re not around, they have to go back to doing things the old way. But beyond that, there’s something more.
“If bronies were the upper percentile of intelligence, we would point to that and call it a brain drain. That’s a well-known economic concept. But there are plenty of brains left. On the other hand, you’re definitely the top echelon of something . There’s some factor being taken out and not replaced, and the country doesn’t know how to correct for it.”
Olivia thanked him for the information and talked more about arranging a job for Claude. She was unsure what skillset he possessed, but if magical bronies were a factor that was missing, the paper would be glad to have one back.
She visited a few more places and the story was the same. In the streets, people kept their heads down and did not look at each other. Too many stores had their rolling gates down in the daytime and too many people were out during working hours. Back in Humantown, she settled into the mayor’s job with ease and no longer minded anyone grabbing her attention. Any time it seemed to be a strain, she cast her memory back to earth, and the cold, dead eyes of the people in the streets.
With the candles burning and the moon shining, Bastian finished pouring sugar into his coffee and chuckled to himself at the irony. The only person who didn’t need the caffeine, and he was still addicted to his coffee. Still, he thought, it was good stuff.
The Earth human who developed the new strain of coffee to go along with Arabica and Robusta had naturally called it Equestrica. The first few strains had been even worse than the instant coffees back on earth. But he’d worked at it and finally come up with a bean that tasted almost as good as it smelled. Bastian had been one of his first customers, and was still one of the steadiest.
Everyone’s finances had improved as their crops did. The silos of Humantown were stuffed with grain and vegetables, and finally the farmers were having the time to do something other than work the land and worry that their work wasn’t enough. Specialized offerings like the coffee had been developed, and specialized jobs as well.
For Bastian, of course, time was never a problem. Having an extra eight or nine hours every day had let him speed up when running the convention on Earth. Now it let him slow down. After he no longer had to settle disputes, he had settled into a job helping others plan. Several Earth humans had asked him to set up farming schedules, and pegasus people and magical bronies had frequently called to see what specialization was needed. Humantown now boasted a smithy, a candle-maker’s, and a grain mill, all of which had Bastian somewhere in the planning. In a year or two at the current rate of expansion, the town would be entirely self-sufficient. Even being cut off from Earth wouldn’t be enough to damage it.
He stepped outside onto his porch. Crickets and frogs were making their nightly sounds, and the leaves rustled in the breeze, but all else was quiet, as it had been every other night. Except it wasn’t. The din of activity came to his sensitive ears from across the edge of town. Was something going on in Ponyville? He put down the coffee and went to see.
When he reached the other town, he saw a few young foals running around playing with each other, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Cardboard boxes were stacked next to each of the houses and stores, and Bastian vainly tried to find somepony old enough to explain it all to him. He was on the verge of cracking open one of the boxes to take a peek, when a pony came up behind him.
“Well, hey! Have you come to help set up? That’s great. Do you want to start in the center of town and work your way out, or at one end and work across?”
Bastian knew the voice immediately. “Wait, Pinkie Pie, help with what? What’s going on?”
“What’s going on? Do you think that all the decorations get up by themselves? Do you think they just magically stick to the houses? Well, some of them do if the house is owned by a unicorn, but we still have to put them up.”
“Decorations for what?”
Pinkie ripped open the nearest box and pulled out a long line of bunting with cutouts of spiders on it. “For Nightmare Night, of course.”
“Is that coming up? I haven’t looked at a calendar. . . but wait, I’m sure that it’s past October by now. Halloween’s long over.”
“What’s ‘Halloween’?”
Bastian waved off the question. He had assumed that the holidays, being so similar, would be the same day on the calendar.
Pinkie was attaching the decorations to the roofs without benefit of a ladder, making impressive leaps and taping or nailing each end to the edge. “So,” she said, “grab a spider or a ghost and put it on something.”
Bastian shrugged and started helping. “Nightmare Night is tomorrow, then?”
“Of course! I’m hoping to get a bunch of humans there too. What are you going to dress up as?”
“Honestly, I don’t think any of us knew the day was coming. But even if we had, I don’t think we would have had the time and resources to get costumes.”
Pinkie wrinkled her nose. “Party-poopers!”
“At least we don’t have to worry about Nightmare Moon eating us. She only goes after ponies. We humans probably don’t taste very good.”
“I guess, but I do wish you were coming. I’ve been anticipating having so many new friends since we invited you here, but it seems that all you do is work, work, work, every day!”
“Well, we have to get by.” Bastian looked back toward the town, and thought about how to explain to Pinkie. “We can’t all be partiers. Some of us have to work the rock farms. But it’s getting better.”
“I suppose. Honestly, if it weren’t for Twilight--that is, if I’d been in charge--we’d probably just have you live here in town and help you with everything, and then you’d know everything and we’d all be getting ready for the party.”
“But then we wouldn’t have Humantown. It’s something that’s going to be better for us in the long-term.”
Pinkie finished making an origami-style sculpture of Nightmare Moon in cardboard and faced Bastian. “Speaking of long-term, and of showing up for fun, what about you?”
“Beg pardon?”
“You should certainly be around more. I know that you don’t sleep.”
“How did you know that?”
“It’s hard to explain. But before we brought you here, and we had humans under observation, everypony had certain people that we specifically focused on. You were mine.”
“Is that so? I’m not sure I like that. Kind of an invasion of privacy,” said Bastian.
“An invasion of privacy? Like, say, watching somepony go crazy and talk to lint because she thought her friends didn’t like her?”
“Touché.”
Pinkie mood-swung back from accusatory to happy. “So you should certainly be coming around to Ponyville more often. What’s holding you back?”
Bastian wanted to answer that his work kept him busy, but stopped himself because it wasn’t true. He had plenty of time. “I don’t know,” he said.
“Well, come tomorrow, at least. Maybe if you do have fun one night, you’ll figure out why you’re not having any the other nights.”
“All right, Pinkie. I’ll be there.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Pinkie promise?”
“Has anypony ever actually kept a Pinkie promise?”
Pinkie thought and waved her hoof. “It’s about fifty-fifty.”
“Well, how about I make firm plans to come and, if anything comes up that isn’t an emergency, I’ll tell whoever needs me that I’m busy?”
“Works for me! Now let’s get this inflatable goblin blown up!”
***
With the town decorated and the sun rising, Bastian made his way back to Humantown. On the way to his house, he saw someone flying above. He had gotten used to seeing people in the air, but still had his eye caught by someone else up so early. “Good morning!” he called.
“How d’you do?” The figure descended, and Bastian recognized Luke, the trader. “Up early like me?”
“You could say that. I was helping decorate Ponyville.”
“Right, tonight’s Nightmare Night.”
“You knew?” asked Bastian.
“Well, yeah. Everyone knows. We didn’t really have the time or resources for costumes, though I’ve got a few from Earth for those who don’t want to wear their street clothes. But most people are definitely going for the free candy.”
“How did I miss it? Am I really that out of it?”
Luke didn’t know what to say to that. He tried to change the subject. “Well, I’m going to go open up the store so I can close early. Have you ever been around? We’ve got the finest stuff from back home.”
“No, but I should go. I’d definitely like to see.”
They traveled to Luke’s store, where already some ponies were lined up to buy neckties and utensils. Bastian walked around the store, reminiscing about when it was necessary and useful to have electronics and hardware. He stopped in front of a display of cell phone cases.
“Is there really any market for this?”
“You’d be surprised. A few people still keep their phones with them, even though there’s no service. Maybe they just use them to play games, or maybe they just like the feel of them as a tie to Earth and home.”
Bastian thought about his desk at home, with the phone still secured inside. “I think I’ll buy one,” he said.
He left the store and went home. There were a few chores to be done around his garden plot and then meetings with other people who were running specialized businesses and wanted his advice. He had been looking forward to his usual quiet dinner and relaxing night, but now he felt a twin pull in the back of his mind. The concrete disruption would be the celebration he would attend. The vague disquiet was the feeling that he had nothing to celebrate.
***
There were indeed humans running around Ponyville that night, and Bastian was glad to get the contact high from seeing so many smiling faces. Even the foals were talking with the humans now. Although there weren’t many in Humantown, the word was spread that full families of humans had settled elsewhere, including young pegasus people with tiny wings. Bastian thought about traveling elsewhere to see them.
Desirous of getting some candy himself, he had joined Pinkie Pie’s group and was going from house to house taking his share. Half of it he redistributed to the foals accompanying them. If nothing else he was winning friends.
The time soon came for the candy offering, which went off without incident. Everypony pretended to be scared, and Princess Luna made her appearance disguised as her one-time alter ego. When the event ended, she reverted to her normal form and indicated to Bastian that he should come aside.
“Happy Nightmare Night, Princess,” he said.
“Thank you, fellow night-dweller. I have often seen you out of doors as I patrolled the night sky.”
“I didn’t know you came out to Humantown that often.”
“Oh, yes. Celestia has asked that I be sure to keep an eye on the immigrants.” Luna realized that he might take that the wrong way. “For your protection, I mean. There are dangerous creatures in Equestria, you know.”
“I see. Thank you.”
“You need not keep watch yourself. All may sleep soundly under my watch.”
Bastian explained to the princess why he was up and about at night.
“I see. I wonder. . .” She trailed off.
“Yes, your highness?”
“There’s no need for the title. But it was just an idle thought. Perhaps, if I possessed your skill, I could have remained to see the day and not been consumed by the spirit of jealousy that made me into the monster they celebrate tonight. There were so many ways that could have been avoided.”
“I suppose.” Bastian was in little mood to give Luna advice or comfort, being occupied with his own issues.
“If you are not overly occupied, would you accompany me on my journey?”
“Journey?”
Luna smiled. “Surely you do not think that I give particular favor to this village on Nightmare Night? There are celebrations in every city and town in Equestria.”
Bastian was a little unnerved at the thought of spending more time with Luna, but with everyone else wrapping up their celebration, there was little else to do but go home and not sleep. He agreed to go.
“Excellent. Then I will summon the chariot.”
Luna addressed her guard ponies, and Bastian wondered if they didn’t need to correct for the added weight. He thought of asking some pegasus person he knew, perhaps that fellow Luke who he had talked to that morning. It stabbed at him to think that, while many of them came to him for help, there was none that he could single out as a best friend to ask a simple question of.
They flew to all the cities of Equestria. Bastian got to see Hoofington, Baltimare, Los Pegasus, and in each was a crowd waiting to cheer and fear Princess Luna. At each stop, she levitated the candy they offered into the chariot.
“Princess, do you really eat all that candy?”
“Of course I do,” she said, but then couldn’t keep a straight face. “No, I give most of it away to the underprivileged foals of Canterlot, who don’t normally get sweets. They don’t go through with the running and screaming there. Back in Canterlot I’m much more approachable, but since everypony else likes the scarier Nightmare Moon, at least tonight, I’m happy to give them what they want.”
“Give them what they want,” Bastian repeated. “Yes, I can understand that.”
As they sailed through the sky, Luna looked off into the distance. With her eyes focused on Canterlot Castle, she spoke.
“When I was exiled, I had a lot of time to think. Mostly about revenge, but a thousand years is a long time. There was another idea that started to come into my head, slowly, and always drowned out by my anger and hatred. But it grew and persisted, and, once I returned and the evil was drained from me, I took it out and thought about it. You would probably not prefer to wait a thousand years, though.”
“No, ma’am. I mean, no, your majesty. I mean, no, Princess Luna.”
“All the years that I watched Equestria, both when I crafted its night and when I viewed it from my lofty perch, I saw a land of beauty and joy and plenty, a land populated by ponies who grew and loved and played. What I realized was that it was more than a land. Equestria became a living thing unto itself. No, not even a living thing. A thing beyond living. That which lives can die, but what Equestria has become can never die. Say rather that it is a force, or an entity, or a continuum.
“If I am right in that judgment, then a second realization follows. It is not enough to live in Equestria in order to have that force. One must give of one’s self if one is to achieve it. I raised the moon and filled the sky with stars and watched over Equestria, but what, in many years, had I done to earn Equestria?”
Bastian had been listening in rapt attention. “Are you saying that I too need to earn Equestria?”
“I am not saying anything like that. Merely recounting my own thoughts. You must decide for yourself whether they have any relevance to your own position. We are approaching your village. I will have the charioteers bring us to your house.”
How Luna signaled to her drivers was not made clear to Bastian. Perhaps she did so by magic, or by a visual sign from one of her wings. In any case, they descended and landed gently, and he stepped out.
“Good night, Bastian,” the princess said. “I am sure we will speak again.” She flew off into the waning night.
Bastian looked around his house. It was neat and well organized, and he found it a good place to think. He sat down, looked at the room, and thought. By the afternoon, he knew what he had to do.
Again he had the feeling of needing someone to explain to. Princess Luna was far off in Canterlot. He thought of Olivia, but that would only be an official notification, not a personal notification. It was Hobson’s choice. He walked back to the trading post.
“Hi, Luke.”
“Bastian.”
“Forgive me for imposing, but I’m going back to Earth.”
“Planning a visit? Thanks, but I go often enough that—you mean for good?”
Bastian nodded.
“But why? The people who went back, they’re the ones that we didn’t want around anyway, who weren’t willing to work or who made trouble. Everyone here likes you.”
“Well, maybe that’s part of the reason. If we are going to send back people, it shouldn’t just be our castoffs. But it’s more personal. Always I’m looking back to see what I should do next, because I just feel, deep down, that there’s something I’ve missed. It happened during that convention, when I was able to watch an early season-one episode of the show again, and I almost recaptured the sense of wonder I had before I started running a convention. I got that feeling back in the early days of building Humantown and living with the ponies. But I lost it again. So now I have to go back to where it all started, and try again. I know I’m on the right path, but I just can’t seem to find the end of it.”
Luke was a little overwhelmed, and wished that Julie were there. She was better at handling this sort of thing. But since a fellow brony needed him to listen, he did, and shook Bastian’s hand. “Well, if you ever need anything from Equestria, you know where to turn. We’ll all be waiting for you, whether you’re here or not.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
Bastian put in an appearance at Olivia’s home-office. She was disappointed, and thought briefly of guilt-tripping him by saying that she couldn’t do the job without him, but she had been doing just that, so she didn’t say anything. He went home, packed what he needed, and headed for the Gate.
It was nighttime when he reached it, and the moon was rising. He looked up at it and said, “Well, Princess, I guess you were wrong. We’re not going to speak again. Unless I make it back. Good luck to you all, and good-bye. I will miss you.”
He stepped through.
***
A month later, Bastian was immersed in his new routine. He had found several houses for rent that were impressive, but had settled for a simpler two-bedroom cottage that he could take a mortgage on, since he wanted as much connection to Earth as possible, lest he be tempted to go back to Equestria. He had chuckled at the irony of an Earth human lacking connection to the Earth. But he chastised himself for feeling the temptation. Take the lesser house , he told himself, because you don’t deserve a better one.
The job he had found was at the tail end of the full-employment bubble. The supermarket had taken him on as the assistant night manager. Between the rank and the night differential, he was making decent money and had relative security in a downturn that even he could see was coming.
The crew that worked under him were nice people for the most part, but they were night workers, and had a mentality that Bastian had seldom encountered. There was a fishy-eyed, lanky man who couldn’t find anything better, an ex-bouncer who viewed everything cynically having seen a thousand brawls, and a woman who salivated over every paycheck and lamented her lack of money on every day that wasn’t payday. All of them constantly carried a look of hopelessness on their faces.
If they had a reason for it, it was the manager of the night shift, a beer-bellied, balding forty-five-year old with ulcers. He was a stickler for the rules, except where sucking up was involved. Above all else was the constant pessimism. Every night he predicted that deliveries would be late, people would be calling in sick, and the work wouldn’t get done. When he was proven wrong, there was always shock. The manager’s one redeeming factor was that his own frequent absenteeism, which put Bastian in charge. Those nights were better.
Deal with it, Bastian told himself. Who are you to deserve a better job? You have to work through this if you want to get back.
During the day, he did his shopping at the store and tried to make tasty meals out of ingredients inferior to what he got back in Humantown. He particularly lamented going back to traditional coffee, but always told himself that he would put off writing to Luke for a supply until the next week. When the next week arrived, he put it back one more week.
He spent the rest of his time on the internet, on a half joke of a project he had assigned himself. He had said that, since the tide of My Little Pony -related fan content had finally been stemmed, it was theoretically possible for one person to read every story, look at every picture, listen to every piece of music, and watch every video on Earth. It would be nice for him to be that one person.
He wished that he had someone to tell his joke to.
For the most part, he avoided the news and the media outside of the former pony fandom. It depressed him. Watch it anyway, he told himself. Learn to look at it without being depressed. If you can integrate it in without feeling it, maybe. . .
Even at night, when the boss was gone and he gave tacit permission for the others to play a radio during their shifts, he asked them to keep it to music stations instead of talk. But of course he was listening, and was watching the news, during The Longest Sunday.
***
The US Congress had again extended daylight saving time so that it now ended on the weekend after Thanksgiving, and many other countries had followed suit, so it happened that The Longest Sunday was in fact the longest of the year by one hour. It began with the blackouts on the west coast and the communication line failures in the Midwest. One region had data transmission, but no power; the other had power, but no way to talk to anyone. The problems were soon found and corrected, and preliminary investigations were begun immediately. The investigators at the power plant in California called the network technicians in St. Louis and compared notes. The transcripts of interviews were similar in both cases, and gave the investigators a dull, cold fear.
Investigator: Didn’t you know that failing to institute the procedure would result in loss of service?
Respondent: I guess.
Investigator: Then why didn’t you begin the procedure?
Respondent: Dunno. Didn’t really care.
Investigator: You do realize that this could mean your job?
Respondent: Whatever.
By the time the night shift wrapped up and Bastian was heading for home, he had heard the reports from France that an alliance of the major unions was announcing a general strike for the next week. No demands were issued, no negotiations were planned. They had simply said that they were going to stop working, and revisit the issue next week.
During the Sunday morning chat shows, Bastian watched the talking heads discuss the “open door” policy announced in Brazil and in Hungary, where anyone could basically walk into a business, start working, and get paid in cash. There were plans to spread the policy to other countries.
He went to the internet, where he found the story of the weekend’s movie box office numbers. Barring a late surge that day that no one expected, the movie industry would see only fifty million dollars on the second week of a multi-million-dollar action blockbuster and the opening of a big romantic comedy. The heads of two studios had already been fired.
An announcement was made by a group called “Cancel Christmas” of partial success. It was set opposite a story of retailers announcing a 45% drop in sales from the same weekend in the previous year. On the highways, toll collectors were waving drivers through without taking the money. At a hospital, a man was brought in who had walked out of a second floor window. When asked why, he responded, “I wondered what it would feel like.”
Bastian went back to the TV and turned on the football game. At halftime, it was announced that neither team wanted to return to the field. The game would be declared a tie. The fans shrugged and left the stadium.
When he went to work, he found that the crew was refusing to do anything. Bastian asked one of them why, and they said that they didn’t care for the boss. It was nothing he didn’t know, and no different from any other day, but just then they refused to work. When he asked them about the change, they just shrugged. He explained to the manager, he shrugged and walked off the job. The crew returned to work. The news continued to come in. All over the world, people were stopping their routines. They were just doing nothing.
***
President Steuben sat in the Oval Office and read the reports. He had talked to several economists and psychologists who claimed to know what was going on, or at least how to stop it. The day after The Longest Sunday, most of the people had gone back to normal, but the stock market still dropped by five percent. Steuben had called on the leading psychologist who hadn’t come to him voluntarily, and was asking again for answers.
“Mr. President,” the scientist said, “why does anyone go to work in the morning?”
“For the money?”
“No, not really. In fact, there are other ways to get money, many of which are easier. He could sell possessions, or rob people, or just wait for others to give him some, which we have a structure for through the government. No, a person goes to work because of emotional connection. To the job, to the people he works with, to the customers, to something he creates. There’s an emotional, not a practical or economic, end in sight for the worker.”
“What’s the emotion involved?”
“Satisfaction. Or happiness, if you prefer. Now, all that’s in the textbooks, but what I believe is that there has to be a certain per capita happiness beyond which a society can’t fall. If it does, the most sensitive, the least happy people start realizing, on an emotional level, that there’s no sense at all in moving forward.”
The president put down his drink. “Then we make people happier.”
“You could try, but that’s just treating the symptom. Where are there people who have happiness in abundance, who’ve taken it away from us? That’s right,” he said, seeing recognition in the president’s eyes. “Why do you think they were chosen?”
“But they’re gone now. We’ll recover.”
The psychologist shook his head. “What happened yesterday will happen again. It’ll become more frequent and it’ll get worse. The economy has still suffered a blow, and that’s going to work its grind on people’s psyches as well.”
“What do you recommend?”
“I don’t recommend anything, sir. That’s not my job. But there’s a historical precedent for jump-starting an economy, and we do need back the people we’ve lost.”
“I see.” The president stood up and let the man out. He returned to his desk and pressed the button on the intercom. As always, a voice was waiting for his order.
“Find General Wallace and have him report to me.”
People around town called had given them the nickname Flora and Flutta. While every human could name at least one pony friend, and the majority of ponies could name at least one human friend, no pony-human combination were joined at the hip the way Julie and Fluttershy were. It was a rare day that the two of them could not be found in some part of Ponyville or Humantown, Fluttershy caring for the animals and Julie tending the plants. They would sing songs or share inside jokes between themselves. It was almost embarrassing, but they didn’t mind.
In particular, Luke was happy that his wife had found a filly-friend to occupy her time. There was enough money coming in through the store that she didn’t have to work, and she was an efficient enough housekeeper that she did not have to spend all day cooking and cleaning. Growing flowers was a hobby that she hadn’t had time for on Earth, and now she had the time for it, as well as a fascinating new array of flowers to work with. There were colors and scents that she hadn’t dreamed existed.
Often he invited her to accompany him to Earth on his buying trips. “Not that I don’t like spending time with you,” she had responded, “and if you’re afraid of being bored or need me to help, I’ll be glad to come. But if it’s all the same, I don’t like to leave Equestria. I just always feel happy here.”
“You were always meant to be an Equestrian, you were just born in the wrong world,” Luke had said, kissing her.
For Fluttershy, the arrival of humans was a wonderful gift. She was still nervous around other ponies, and even though she had seen the bad as well as the good in humanity, she was still a xenophile who was fascinated at an entire new world of people coming to meet her. In Julie, she found the distilled essence of what she liked about humans.
When she had first introduced Julie to her animal friends, everything went well until the bears and wolves came around. Julie had backed away scared, and Fluttershy had the rare opportunity to be the brave one. It took a little time to understand why humans were afraid of large beasts, but once she introduced Julie and had her talk to them, the gap was bridged.
Each day they would pick a new area to spend time in. They would prepare picnic lunches and just stay in one spot. Even Earth humans were envious of Julie’s talent in horticulture, but Ponyville and particularly Humantown were more beautiful for their efforts. The other pegasi had even changed their schedule of rainstorms, having more at night and in the early morning so that their plans wouldn’t be ruined by rain. There had even been talks of delaying winter, but no one believed that would occur.
One day, when the sun was particularly bright and the sky free of clouds, Julie and Fluttershy traveled down to the Gate. Julie had an idea of garlanding it with white flowers and having a welcome display for the immigrants that continued to come. As they hung the flowers, the telltale magical glow of an operating Gate appeared.
“Ooh, I wonder who it is,” said Fluttershy. “I didn’t know of anyone scheduled to come in, so maybe it’s a new immigrant.”
They watched in anticipation, but the glow faded out. “I wonder what went wrong.”
“I thought I saw something,” said Julie. “A little ring in the air, almost like a muzzle.”
“A pony wouldn’t be coming through the Gate.”
“No, not that kind of muzzle, a—“ she was cut off as a large man shouldered her to the ground. He was wearing camouflage and a thick helmet. In a flash, a dozen more soldiers had passed through and were pointing rifles at her and at Fluttershy. They were all yelling in deep staccato tones, specifically designed to unnerve and put people off their guard. Some were barking orders and information to their fellows. Others were telling her to stay down.
Julie thought of taking wing, but even if she had the speed and agility to avoid the shots, she had a more serious problem. Fluttershy had curled into a ball, her wings pinned to her side, her front hooves trying to cover her eyes and ears at the same time. She was in panic, and Julie could not abandon her.
A soldier with an additional stripe on his uniform said, “Area secure. See if you can report.”
Another soldier held up what looked like a walkie-talkie. “Comm check, comm check,” he said. They waited, but nothing happened.
“Try the wired,” the sergeant said.
The soldier had another walkie on his belt that had a cord stretching back to the Gate. He spoke into it. “We read you,” said a tinny voice from the device.
“Come on through.”
Two more soldiers emerged from the Gate. Julie saw the rest of the men keeping watch with their rifles trained and looked at the two new ones. One had a silver bar on his shoulder, and the other wore an eagle. She couldn’t remember the ranks, but knew that they were officers.
“Report,” said Eagle.
“One objective target and one hostile in custody,” said the sergeant. “All else looks clear.”
“Right,” he said, looking around for himself. “OK, start hauling in.”
The radio man relayed the order, and more men came through, these carrying barbed-wire barricades which they used to quickly establish a perimeter. Eagle turned to see Fluttershy still covering up and Julie looking at him. “What d’you think? Waste them?”
“Sir,” Silver Bar said, “I do not believe that would be in the spirit of General Wallace’s order. We should just secure the area.”
“I can’t think of a more secure area than one that’s been depopulated!”
“General Wallace is going to want intelligence, Colonel.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” the colonel said. “But watch them. Build a separate barricade and make sure it’s roofed! They can fly awful fast.”
In the span of five minutes, Julie and Fluttershy had gone from playing with flowers to being prisoners of war. They sat and hoped that somepony would come along and rescue them, but for a long while, nothing happened.
When the voice was heard, Fluttershy had a moment where her heart leapt, thinking that it was Big Macintosh, but then she saw that the drawl was coming from a tall human that even she could tell was in charge. He gave her a glance and spat on the ground. He looked longer at Julie, staring at her wings. She folded them nervously. Looking sideways at the colonel, he said, “She have any ID?”
“No, sir. No weapons either.”
He knelt down. “I’m General Wallace. You know me?” Julie shook her head. “Shame. What’s your name?”
Julie said nothing. It might have been from fear or out of defiance.
“All right, don’t tell me.” He turned to his men. “Take her back through.”
“No, please! My name’s Julie, and this is Fluttershy. You can’t leave her alone. Let me stay with her,”
“All right, we might do that. Now, as an American citizen in hostile territory you’re under my jurisdiction. I want you to tell me everything you know.”
Something in the general’s sneer kindled the defiance in Julie. “I’m an Equestrian citizen. And we live under Princess Celestia’s jurisdiction. She’ll stop you, whatever you’re here to do!”
“See, now, that’s why I wish I didn’t have to have such a show of force right at the outset. We’re not here to do anything but bring everyone safely back home. There are tens of thousands of people trapped here, and my orders are to release them from their captivity.”
“But we’re not captives. You have to know that. We all came voluntarily.”
“Were enticed, you mean.” Wallace smiled at her. He gestured to his men to back off, then continued in a low voice. “Listen, lady, I don’t like to BS, and I’m sure you don’t want your time wasted either. Yeah, I know that, but it’s not the official line for the boys. You’re going back, one way or the other, and it’s just a question of how much blood we have to shed before it happens. So make it easy on everyone and let me know what I want to know.”
“And that is?”
“To start, any defenses you have planned against us. Your weapons. Your provisions. Where I can get a detailed and accurate map.”
Julie laughed to herself at the notion that this guy was afraid of ponies with IEDs or such, but the last thing he asked for tripped her up. “A map? You want to conquer Ponyville!”
“No, no. You’ve got me all wrong. I want to get to the capital city. What is it? Candle-lot?”
“Forget it! Just, forget it!”
“All right. We’ll see how long it takes for you to come around.” General Wallace stood up and spoke to his men. “Standard treatment under the conventions. Get them some MREs and water.”
When they were alone, Julie said to Fluttershy, “It’s all right, he’s gone now,” but she still huddled with her face turned away.
“No, he’s not! He’s going to take over Equestria! He’s invading my home!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to escape.”
The soldier guarding them told them to shut up. A minute later, another brought two gray plastic packages and threw them in the cell along with bottles of water.
“What’s that?” said Fluttershy.
“I think they’re food,” said Julie, but she looked at them and screamed at the soldiers. “What are you doing?! Pork sausage and chicken?”
She threw both packages back at the soldiers. She would have eaten either on her own, but knew that it would horrify Fluttershy. She kept the water.
Leaning back against the barricade, for the first time Julie wished that she hadn’t become a pegasus person. If only she had magical powers like some of her friends, or impenetrable skin like others. She'd tear open the wire and wouldn’t care about the bullets. She cursed her wings.
She opened her eyes when she heard some chittering next to her. Fluttershy, still turned from the guard was looking through one eye at a white bunny rabbit with an angry expression. Angel! He might have known where they were going, or perhaps he just got hungry and set out to find his mistress. He hopped in through the barbed wire.
Julie looked back at the guard, trying to read his face. It appeared to her that he had no indication that it was anything other than a forest creature. Through her teeth, and as softly as she could, she said, “You speak bunny?”
“A little,” said Fluttershy. She gave some chitters of her own. The rabbit started gnawing at the wire surrounding the cage. Julie shook her head slightly and picked up Angel. Pretending to pet him, she brought him around until he saw the soldiers. When she put him back down, he hopped back out and started bounding at top speed for town. Now all they had to do was wait.
Maybe a half hour later, she saw her husband flying overhead. The soldiers noticed it too. “Incoming!” one of them shouted, and they started firing their rifles. Julie didn’t know if they were warning shots or really trying to bring him down, but Luke displayed some of the training he’d had with Rainbow Dash, soaring for height out of the range of the bullets.
He was circling around, as if trying to locate her, but he had to be able to see Fluttershy’s bright yellow coat. He had a paper in his hands and was marking it. Julie couldn’t quite figure out what he was doing, but after he flew away, moments later she understood.
She wished that she could have seen the face of the guard after they’d vanished. When the magic enveloped her, she recognized the telltale raspberry glow of Twilight Sparkle’s power. Fluttershy and she popped out of the barricade and zipped at the speed of light to a nearby hill. Luke was waiting there, along with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Lisa, and Olivia.
Luke ran over to Julie with fire in his eyes. Fluttershy ran to Twilight. "Twilight it was awful! We've got to stop them. Send the humans away!"
Everyone stopped. Julie said, "You mean the invaders, right Fluttershy? You don't want to send me away. Do you?"
Fluttershy looked up. The expression on her face said that she indeed wanted to return Equestria to an all-pony world. But she didn’t say it. She quickly calmed down and took a breath. “Yes, that’s what I mean of course.”
“Everypony, listen.” Twilight drew the attention of the group. “The first thing we have to do is inform Princess Celestia. I’ll write her and she’ll decide what to do.”
“No!” said Luke. “By the time that the princess finds out, there could be ten thousand troops coming through the Gate, or that cadre we saw could be in Ponyville. We have to strike back now.”
“How do we do that?”
“Can’t you just teleport all of them back to Earth?”
Twilight looked at him as at a child. Olivia said, “It’s not that easy. Our magic isn’t unlimited. Lisa, can you explain it?”
“Even teleporting all those people at once within one universe would be a task beyond any unicorn or magical brony. And spot transference between Earth and Equestria is also a precision spell. That’s why we have the Gates in the first place. Rather than fight back, can’t we just try talking to them?”
“That might be a wise course of action,” said Twilight.
Fluttershy spoke up. “I-I don’t think that will work. Their leader. . . he’s mean .
“I think that Fluttershy is correct,” said Julie. “At least as far as negotiations not working. We might talk to the general, he’s not that mean, but it would be useless. He said that his mission was to bring all the humans back to Earth, but he can’t do that unless he has a base to do it from, and he can’t do it safely so long as ponies can resist. He’ll muster more troops and invade all the way into Canterlot.”
“Well, let’s just kick his tail back to Earth!” said Rainbow Dash. “Shove him back through that Gate head first!”
Luke shook his head. “Rainbow, I know that you’re not used to things this dark, but those soldiers out there don’t have dark magic, they don’t have chaos, and they aren’t going to affect you in some way that we can fix by next week. All they have are guns. Cold metal that will pierce your skin and make you bleed out. I know you’re brave, but you can be brave and dead as well.”
Twilight had a thoughtful look. “Exactly what can these guns do?”
Luke explained briefly the workings of a rifle.
“OK, here’s the key question,” said Twilight. “How far can they shoot?”
“Can’t say exactly. A couple of football fields, probably.”
At Twilight’s confused expression, he pointed at what he judged was five hundred yards away. She smiled. “Then maybe we can do this. We can outrange them.”
“Wait, shoot back?” said Olivia. “We can’t do that.”
“Oh, yes we can. They have one disadvantage. They actually have to aim.”
***
The spell that came out of Twilight’s horn made it look like a child’s bubble wand. It grew to the size of a baseball, then a basketball, then an oversized beach ball. She released it and a force bubble of pale red bounced on the grass.
“Are you sure it’s safe to handle?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Definitely. It’s completely harmless to all life forms. Of course, they won’t know that, which I’m hoping will help create confusion.”
“How did you come up with this spell anyway?” asked Julie.
“About five years ago, there was a river that was threatening to jump its channel. They asked me to help out. This was what I came up with.”
“And forming it into shells like this?” said Luke. “Why would you need that for a river?”
“We didn’t.” Twilight grinned, showing her teeth. “I just came up with this right now.”
Twilight shared the spell with Lisa and Olivia, and soon all of them were churning out spheres and stacking them like cannonballs.
Fluttershy kept looking toward the camp by the Gate. “Do you think they can see us?”
“Probably,” said Luke, “but they don’t know what we’re doing.”
“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” said Julie. “We’ve got three flyers and three mages, so you don’t have to come with us.”
Fluttershy paused a moment, then said, “No, I want to help.”
Twilight stopped her magic and spoke to the group. “All right, I think we’re about ready to begin. Remember that you might have to hit the same spot more than once. Keep a steady pace. I want one to drop every few seconds to keep them off balance. But for Celestia’s sake, stay high! You see how far we are from them on the ground. Use that as your guide. Fly to a point above them, drop, then come back. Don’t go in close to try to hit something specific.”
Rainbow Dash was first. She picked up one of the spheres. It was awkward to hold, but weighed nothing at all. She had a slightly comical appearance, as if she were hugging a bean-bag chair, but she took off with no trouble. Luke followed in her wake, then Julie, then Fluttershy.
The soldiers in the camp saw the takeoff, and the sergeant quickly picked up the radio to call his superiors. He was cut off by the cry of “Incoming!” and saw the men scatter from the glowing sphere that was rapidly descending. They traced it as it landed on the empty holding pen that had been used for Julie and Fluttershy.
Suddenly and silently, the spell and the pen ceased to exist.
There was a cylinder of emptiness all the way down to the grass. On the edge of where the spell had landed, a post had been severed in half, the grain of the wood showing. On the other end, the barbed wire had lost one support and flapped down. A chair sitting almost entirely within the circle had been mostly obliterated, with an inch of the back and two of the feet being all that remained.
Adrenalin coursed through the veins of the soldiers as they awaited orders and did what they could in the meantime. The next sphere was already on its way down, and some of the soldiers fired a quick burst from their rifles. The bullets penetrated the sphere, but no effect could be seen. The spell landed on a table full of documents and equipment, destroying them.
The third sphere was falling. A young private, seeing his first combat action, panicked and froze as it was on track for his head. A buddy of his tried to pull him out of the way, but his feet wouldn’t move and gravity was pulling the spell down too fast. He was standing right in the center when it landed.
When the private opened his eyes, he saw that he was stark naked. The friend who was pulling on his arm had his sleeves cut off. Some of the others laughed, both at the funny image and with relief that their compatriot was still alive. But the ponies and the bronies now had their system down, and the spells fell without respite.
They tried to get organized, but there was just too much magic being delivered too fast and too unpredictably. Pegasi and pegasus people cycled and hurled the spells that Twilight and the magical bronies kept making. The soldiers watched more of their fellows lose bits of clothing, saw rifles lose their barrels or magazines, rendering them useless, and witnessed thousands of dollars’ worth of military hardware blink out of existence.
After twenty minutes of shelling, there was nothing left of the installation but the soldiers. Fluttershy came back from a run and didn’t take off again, catching her breath. “There’s nothing left there to try to hit,” she said.
“Then lets charge them down!” said Rainbow, coming right after her. The humans all followed eagerly, and Twilight ran along to quickly teleport them out if the army had any other tricks, or if they decided to fight by hand. Fluttershy brought up the rear.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Equestrians racing in led by Rainbow’s angry expression caused the troops to break. A few turned tail and ran for the Gate, the only area where anything other than their own bodies remained standing. The colonel followed suit, and that was enough to start the exodus.
General Wallace saw the line breaking from the corner of his eye, but he had also realized that they were taking no casualties. He was only facing material attrition and psychological warfare, and considered himself immune from both. As the last of the invaders went back through the Gate, he stood with arms akimbo, proudly displaying his body, and laughed.
“All right, I see what you’ve got!” He cried out. He took the time to look each of the charging Equestrians in the eye, then turned and walked back through the Gate himself.
Twilight galloped up to the Gate and focused her horn. The glow of its magic dimmed. “I’ve temporarily disabled the magic here. It’ll wear off in a few hours. We should have somepony guard it though for when it comes up. Lisa, can you stay since you know the magic suppression spell?”
“Of course, but where are you going?”
“We have to get to Canterlot right away and let Princess Celestia know what’s going on. Rainbow Dash, you should stay as well in case Lisa needs a quick ride out.”
“No problem. And if more do come through, we’ll just fight them off the same way!” Rainbow punched at the air with her hooves.
The others ran off. Heading back to town, Julie said, “Can’t we just send the princess a letter?”
“We’re going to want face-to-face conversation,” said Twilight. “When we’re exchanging ideas back and forth so fast, it’s hard on poor Spike’s digestive tract.”
They raced for the train to Canterlot. It was still the morning rush hour, and the trains were frequent and tightly packed. Twilight composed her report to Celestia in her head and exchanged ideas with Fluttershy and the humans.
“They’ll probably try again,” said Luke. “This was probably just a reconnaissance mission, trying to see what kind of defenses we have. The next time they come, they’ll try harder, move faster.”
“We’ll have to make larger spells to wipe out their equipment,” said Olivia. “Although if they try to bring a tank or a jet, even destroying part of it will stop it from working.”
Luke swallowed hard. “Yes, but even if we can stop them, they know how to fight by hand if they had to. I don’t want to be the one to say it, but we’re going to need to do more than strip them and take away their guns.”
Fluttershy and Twilight looked at him, expecting him to follow up, but the humans understood him quicker. “Are you saying that we have to kill them? We can’t do that!” said Julie.
“Definitely not,” said Olivia. “Setting aside the moral consideration, it’s the surest way to get them angry and make them want to kill more of us.”
Luke shook his head. “Unfortunately no, it isn’t. You’re young, and you probably weren’t watching the news over the past decade or so. When things went poorly in wars and Americans began dying in numbers, that’s when you saw the strongest calls to bring all the troops home.”
“But honey, there is a moral angle to it, and we can’t kill our fellow humans.” Julie rubbed his shoulder.
Luke looked at the ponies. He couldn’t see Fluttershy killing anything anyway, but Twilight had had no compunction about using laser spells on changelings for one.
“Let’s all wait until we can hear what Princess Celestia has to say,” Twilight said. “Hopefully it’s a decision we won’t have to make.”
The train pulled into the station, and they dashed off toward the castle. Twilight’s face was easily recognized, and the guards let them through. Both Julie and Fluttershy noticed the worry on their faces. They concluded that the guards could tell something had happened.
Normally, Twilight would expect to have to be announced, but even at the doors to Celestia’s chamber, the guards opened the door without challenge. The princess was standing and writing many letters with her magic, but she dropped them all as soon as she saw who had entered.
“Twilight! I’m so glad you’re all right. What’s going on in Ponyville?”
“You’ve heard already? We came to tell you about the attack.”
“Of course I know. I’ve been getting reports all day.”
Everyone looked at each other in confusion. “But we were the only ones there. Who else?”
“Please come and look,” said Celestia. She led them to a large magical map of Equestria. There were already half a dozen red glowing sparks around certain major cities, though there were none in Los Pegasus or any of the outlying areas. Julie was the fastest on the uptake.
“You mean they came through every Gate at once?” she asked. “All the places that the humans had settled?”
“Yes.” Celestia looked at the humans with sorrow in her eyes. “In Fillydelphia East, they captured thousands of humans and forced them back through before they could be stopped. Down in Baltimare Annex, they’ve had to put a force shield around both the city and the human settlement. And in Manehattan, where the humans have moved into the city proper. . . “
“W-what happened?” asked Fluttershy.
“Nopony knew what to do. They didn’t even try to talk to the ponies, only the humans. When a pony got in their way. . . why did humans ever build things that could kill a pony so painfully?”
Olivia started crying. “How many?”
“Hundreds. And humans as well. They were jumping in front of the ponies. Sacrificing themselves. Finally Luna arrived. I’ve sent her to control all the invading towns, but to go there first. She and I can hold real-time conversations without the use of dragon fire, and she is holding the soldiers there in stasis until we can decide what to do with them.”
“I told you we can’t kill them,” said Julie.
“I’m still not sure we can do anything else,” said Luke.
Twilight recounted for the princess what had happened at the battle of Ponyville.
“It is a pity that you weren’t there in all the towns, Twilight,” Celestia said. “We must teach that spell to the unicorns of all cities for defense.”
Julie looked at Fluttershy, amazed at how well she was holding up in the situation. But she could still see the stress that her friend had suffered. “I don’t want to be the one to say it, but have we considered giving in? It’s better to be alive on Earth than dead in Equestria. I’m horribly afraid of what they’ll do to your land and your ponies.”
“No!” said Olivia. “We can’t surrender. This is going to be my home. I’ve worked so hard for it.”
“I don’t want you to leave either,” said Fluttershy.
Princess Celestia drew the attention of the group. “At this point, the question is moot. You see, I had to stop it from getting any worse. Two hours ago, I asked my sister to spread the word. Every Gate in Equestria has been destroyed.”
Julie, Luke, and Olivia were stunned. They all looked around the room and the castle. It was open and airy, but they all felt trapped. They had no way to leave Equestria.
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Part 3: "Luna is a Harsh Mistress" Chapter 1
Luke nailed the plywood to the door and got out his marker. In large block letters he wrote “Closed until further notice” on the door to his shop. He took off and flapped his wings slowly. He wanted to be home, but wasn’t enjoying the trip.
Julie was waiting for him. “I sold the last of the stock today,” he said. “We’re good on money, at least.”
“There are others who aren’t. No one saw this coming, and a lot of other people in town were dependent on Earth for their livelihood.”
“I know. Amend my previous statement. We, meaning all the people of Humantown, are good on money to the degree that one trader and his lovely wife can provide.”
Julie looked across at Ponyville. “Maybe they’ll open the Gate again soon. They can’t just leave us like this.”
“If they do, buying trips won’t be given priority, which means that we’re going to have time on our hands. We need to figure out what to do.”
“I imagine we’ll have enough to do just helping everyone get by. But don’t worry. You built it up once, you can do it again.”
Luke grimaced. “If I have a chance. And I feel guilty for thinking about it.”
“I know what you mean. We finally had everything we wanted and now it’s taken away from us. Doesn’t seem fair, and yet what is self-pity going to do?”
“Well, if you’re indulging in it, then I guess I won’t feel guilty. You stay cheerful through anything.”
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Rainbow Dash entered in a hurry.
“Good, I found you two together. Now I don’t have to go flying all over. Come on, get your things.”
“What’s going on?” said Julie. “Are we leaving Equestria?”
“No, at least not right now. Princess Celestia gave us a list of people to find. You’re on it, both of you. Let’s go.”
***
Applejack strapped on her saddlebags and kissed Apple Bloom on the head. “You be good, now, and mind what Granny Smith tells you.”
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“Can’t tell. Anything can happen.”
Fighting back tears, Apple Bloom said, “But why are the humans causing problems? I thought they were our friends.”
“They are. Leastways, most of them, the ones that are here. But there’s others that are bad’uns and we’ve just got to deal with them.”
Big Macintosh rubbed Apple Bloom’s head with a hoof. “Our sister’s a real important pony. We’ve known that ever since she helped bring back the day. So we’ve just got to hold the fort until she comes back, and not complain.”
“Not complainin’s easy for you; you don’t talk!” said Apple Bloom, but she was laughing as she said it. They all hugged Applejack, who trotted off.
Alex was waiting at the gate in the picket fence. “When all this is over, I need to think about starting a family. I’ve got no one to hug me good-bye.”
“It ain’t easy, having them at times like these. I’ll be happier when I can hug them hello again.”
***
Lisa sat around the waiting room of Olivia’s office and magically juggled a few of the magazines left on the table. She remembered how juggling got her into Equestria. It wasn’t all that long before, but it seemed like an event of the distant past.
The caller left the office and that gave her a chance to catch a snippet of conversation with Olivia before the next appointment arrived.
“What’s the word?”
“Well, I’ve set up a ration plan.”
“How long can we last?”
Olivia looked at her clipboard. “It’s not that simple. Ideally I’d spread out the protein-rich Earth foods we have for another six weeks, but a lot of it won’t last that long. There’s also some pony food that we can eat, but it doesn’t cover all our diet. We’ve got a month before the important stuff runs out, and maybe another week before we see the effects.”
“Well, I’m willing to go without.”
“That’s nice, but if you do, you’ll die. Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of chances for noble sacrifices, I’m sure.”
Lisa shot a few sparks from her fingers. “If only we could smuggle some food in. But no one can go through the Gate.”
Olivia looked nervous and turned away from her friend.
“Hey, O, is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Yeah, actually. I forgot. Twilight said that we have to go to Canterlot with her soon. That was the last thing I have to do for the day. Well, no, technically, I have another week’s worth of work to do today, but this takes priority.”
Lisa sensed the evasion in her voice, but didn’t have an opportunity to follow up as Twilight came in just then.
“Good morning, Twilight,” said Olivia.
“Morning. Did you tell her what we’re doing?”
“Not all the details.”
Lisa started getting a little steamed. “Yes, someone please explain.”
Twilight paused for thought, then said, “Princess Celestia has summoned us to a council of war.”
***
Thirteen heads looked at each other across a grand table in Canterlot Castle. Eight had muzzles, four had horns. There was no seating order assigned. Humans mixed with ponies. Mages, flyers, and earth folk were all interspersed. Even Celestia and Luna took no position of prominence. The table had no head.
“As much as I regret imposing on you all,” Celestia said, “I’m sure you understand what a time of crisis this is. We must discuss policies and options for the conflict we now find ourselves in.”
Alex raised his hand. “Can I ask something? This is a war council, but I know all my fellow humans here, and unless I’m mistaken, none of us know much about fighting. There are plenty of bronies who serve in the military. Why not ask them?”
Luna shared a knowing look with Celestia. “This is the second incarnation of this council,” she said. “The first was as you suggested. We asked how we could defeat the invading army in an open war, and the people we had invited said point-blank that it was impossible.
“We are not unused to dealing with impossible situations, but recognize that some of you may be. And so my sister and I have decided to try again, but base our selections on character instead of reputation.”
“I don’t much see a way to beat them.”
“In the first place,” said Luke, “they don’t have to attack us again. Now that we’ve netted ourselves in, they can wait us out until we run out of supplies, then we’ll have to surrender.”
“That may not be the case. I’m not entirely sure they know how long we can make it without access to Earth,” said Celestia. The humans were appreciative of her using the word we . “And they may be on limited time as well. Olivia?”
Olivia stood up, blood rushing to her face. “A few nights ago, I was shuttled through the Gate in secret to gather intelligence.” She looked at Lisa. “And before you ask, no, I could not get a message to your parents or anyone else. I wish I could have, but this was more important.”
“Beyond that, you could have been caught, or killed!”
“I know, but we had to take the chance, and we needed to know how things were going on Earth and why they chose now to attack.”
She explained about the Longest Sunday and the work stoppages. Displaying newspaper clippings, she painted a picture of a world on the verge of collapse.
“I’m not sure that it’s as bad as they’re saying, but you have to understand that the economy of first-world Earth is much more delicate than ours. If ten percent of us stop working, our food output drops ten percent. If ten percent of Americans stop working, they have ripples throughout that makes it much worse.”
“So maybe we can wait them out,” said Julie.
“Are you really willing to shatter your home world?” Rarity said.
Twilight’s first recourse in confusion was to reach for her scroll and quill. She diagramed and doodled. “This is mostly a moot point. We expect another attack soon enough, unless we strike the last Gate and trap us all here. And if we tried that, the homesick humans of Equestria would then rebel and we’d have to reestablish one. On the other hoof, Earth might dither and attempt to besiege us. In that case what we’d try to do is establish a ‘consulate’ on Earth. We’d send through people, and maybe a few ponies, and reestablish trade. Then they’d see that they were losing and start the attack. One way or another, the soldiers are coming back.”
“D-does this mean that we have to fight again? And again and again?” Fluttershy’s voice quivered.
“It will, in all likelihood, not be long and protracted. When two cultures so different from each other meet, their differences will come out quickly. According to all the books I’ve read, the longest wars are wars between two sides mostly equal.”
“I think she’s right,” said Luke. “The US has no taste for long wars. If they don’t conquer us within three months, they’ll be surprised and stop. The only problem is the if .”
Pinkie Pie had been rubbing her hooves together and looking down. Next to her, Applejack noticed her discomfort. “Are you all right, there? You haven’t said much.”
“I’m not so good in situations where everypony isn’t happy and laughing. I don’t see why we can’t just all sit around a table like this with the Americans and talk it out.”
“That applecart’s left the barn, I’m afraid.”
“Maybe not so much,” Olivia said. “At some point, there will have to be talks. The problem is that if it’s now, they’ll be intransigent. They won’t compromise. Compromise is seen as a sign of weakness. They’ll just demand that we go back in exchange for not attacking Equestria again. That’ll be their idea of a give-and-take. If everypony had known about Twilight’s matter-destruction spell and been able to use it, if we’d really beaten them back all over, it would have been the perfect time to negotiate. When they come back, all we need is one clear, decisive victory to put them off their guard. Then we talk and try to help them, on the guarantee that they stop attacking.”
Luke chuckled. “And so the mice agreed to bell the cat.”
“I beg your pardon?” said Rarity. He had to explain the fable to the ponies.
“I hate to be the one to say it,” said Rainbow Dash, “but I know that everyone else has thought about it. Why do we have to be so passive? I don’t want any humans to die, but maybe we can scare them or hurt them a little to make them leave? And if they are killed, well, it’s them or us, right?”
“That won’t work, Rainbow,” said Princess Celestia. “Such a victory would be hollow.”
“It might be the only way to make them stop. And I don’t think they would come back if they did.”
“But even so—“
Luna interrupted. “Forgive me, dear sister, but I do not think that you and they are communicating properly. And the rest of you will forgive me if I say that Celestia and I are more long-term thinkers than you.”
“In the long-term, we’ll have to deal with Earth one way or the other,” said Luke.
“That is not the long-term I mean. We are used to thinking in terms of many generations.”
She stood at the table and raised her voice in clarity a little.
“Let me explain how it will play out. We use our superior abilities to cause injuries and deaths to the non-magical and unenhanced people of Earth. They, as you say, back down and surrender. For a while they are cowed, then as the pendulum of politics swings, eventually a radical faction demands another attempt, which fails worse. At last, Earth and Equestria must deal as equals, but we are the younger land, and the more dynamic. Our star is on the ascendant while Earth continues to stagnate. There is no collapse on earth, no great disaster, only a general malaise sets in that condemns its people to perpetual mediocrity. The children do not expect lives much better than the parents.
“Meanwhile, we in Equestria are innovating in ways that even I cannot possibly dream of. The conjunction of the two cultures produces all the fruits that we expect, and there is boundless opportunity. Ponies and humans become richer in spirit, in body, and in wealth. Your great-great grandchildren worship you as revolutionaries. A new golden age arrives.
“But the wealth is not unlimited, and neither is the spirit. The eldest inherit, and the second-born are left disgruntled and disenfranchised. The wisest and the quickest rise within the society, but the true radicals find themselves left out. In the first generation of the golden age, this matters not. In each subsequent one, it gets a little worse. Lime forms in the pipeline that moves the world.
“Equestria is not boundless. There are lands untamed, unexplored, and uninhabited. Expeditions would arise, and then colonies. Colonies of people and ponies who found themselves out of place in a mature world, but who fit well in a young one. Such colonies would be funded by Equestrians, and they would expect return on their investment. Eventually, the colonists would decide that they have paid enough.
“At that point, your descendents ten or twenty generations hence will find themselves in the same situation that your immediate ancestors do. Their best have left them, and it is all they can do to try to hold on by force. Far away, the revolutionaries will sit around a table and talk of how to win their freedom.
“They will look to history for guidance and find you. They will look as you are looking now. You see examples where humans took up arms in defense of freedom and think them brave. How much more would you think of them if they laid down arms and still won? For if they choose as you would, then Equestria would follow Earth into stagnation and malaise.
“Such a cycle is not limited to humans. Ponykind has played out the scenario too often. You’ve heard of the struggle of the three tribes and how the windigoes nearly killed them. There is, I regret to say, more strife in Equestrian history. Celestia and I have seen it too often. But because we lived long enough to recognize the pattern, we knew how to stop it. It requires a great deal of strength on your part. It requires you to fight the yoke of the sense of injustice you feel and recognize those who attack you as having a position that, from where they stand, is as important to them as yours. If you can do that, your names will be revered, not merely for ten generations, but for all time.”
She sat down, and no one spoke about an offensive war again.
“That still leaves us with the problem of what to do for defense,” said Rainbow.
“We used the matter-destruction last time,” said Lisa, “and we’ll need it again in the next battle. But if they’re fast enough we’ll miss and they’ll be able to do damage. We need to hit them hard right as they come through the Gate.”
“Twilight,” said Luke, “Can you also use your force field over Ponyville? I can think of nothing more frustrating than facing a wall you can’t go over, under, or through.”
“It’ll be in place. Pegasi and pegasus people will have to serve as scouts also, and we’ll all need to be careful about staying out of their range. We don’t know if they’ll bring longer-range weapons the next time.
“Seems like you’re leaving us out of the mix,” said Applejack.
“Not at all,” said Twilight. “Earth ponies and humans will be valuable, especially the impervious ones, in drawing fire away from those who can be hurt. Or if, like Pinkie, they can move fast enough to never get hit.”
Pinkie still had her lips pursed. “I’m not sure I want to be in any battles. They’re basically the opposite of parties.”
“And you don’t have to be.” Olivia put her hand on Pinkie’s shoulder. “But if one of the soldiers is aiming, and he has to pick between you and Fluttershy, or you and Twilight, or you and me, wouldn’t you want him to pick the one who won’t be there when the bullet lands?”
“There are many other from the affected towns who will want to join you,” said Princess Celestia. “But I concluded that we don’t have the resources for a large garrison. That may be one advantage if we have to force the issue; we can bring in the reinforcements. In any case, the tactics of the next battle may be determined ad hoc. The strategy is what’s important. You have suggested to me that a decisive victory followed by negotiations is our best course of action. I believe that, if any path is open to us, that is it. Let us return to Humantown and Ponyville and make preparations.”
“Will you be joining us, Princess?” Alex asked.
“Alas, we have much to set in order here. We hope that you can handle it on your own.”
Nervous but hopeful, the meeting broke up.
***
For a week and a half, nothing happened. The Gate had been left open, a large and inviting target, and it was monitored at all times. The population of Humantown bulged and shrank as people eager to help came to set up, only to find that their home fires needed tending as well.
After the first week, Twilight and Olivia put the newcomers to work organizing their supplies for a potential incursion.
“If we do have to set up on Earth to draw them in, it’ll be important to be set up ahead of time,” Twilight had said.
“I understand you a little better now. You’re giving them something to do to keep their minds off what’s going to happen, right?”
Tensions ran high, and yet, when it finally began, there was none of the shock and awe that accompanied the first incursion. The Americans quietly and calmly walked through the Gate and began setting up their equipment.
“All right, everypony!” Rainbow Dash cried throughout the town. “This is not a drill! Assemble and follow your assignments.”
The members of the council of war were gathered close together near the center of the line, except for Fluttershy, who was flying back and forth.
“You have an important role,” Olivia had explained to her. “Rainbow Dash will be directing things from above. Twilight, Applejack, and the others can’t move as fast as you. All the other humans will need to see one of you often to boost their morale. Just cheer for them the way you did for Rainbow at the flyers’ competition.”
The troops had moved in, but this time weren’t setting up any camp. They were designed for quick movements, and had a Humvee squad as well as a column of men on foot.
“Do we hit them now?” Rainbow called from above.
Twilight looked at Olivia. They both nodded. “Go ahead!”
The first matter-destruction spheres hit the column, stripping and disarming the men, but not discouraging them. They seemed willing to give up their materials so long as they kept advancing. Humvees were taken out frequently, but the soldiers riding them abandoned the vehicles and joined the foot soldiers.
Soon enough they had formed their own line, and the battle now resembled something from centuries past, when solid lines mattered more than stealth and armor. But the Equestrians had all the armaments, and the opposition was in rags.
Rainbow Dash kept her eye on all the action, making sure that nothing escaped the barrage. “Second wave coming through!” she cried out.
The pegasi picked up another cache of destruction spheres, while the earth folk acted as live catapults. The unicorns and magical bronies dispensed with the spears and just cast the spell as needed.
“Twilight, what’s their plan?” asked Lisa. “Do they think we’ll run out of ammo maybe?”
“I don’t know. But so far things are going our way.”
Rainbow had a sphere in her hooves and spotted another Humvee coming through. As she let fly, some of the soldiers in line broke rank and turned their heads. The sphere picked up speed and splashed right into the engine compartment.
And the four-wheeler kept on going.
“What the—?”she cried out, but was cut off as she had to dodge a bullet fired from the gun mounted on the vehicle. “Twilight! We have a problem!”
The soldiers in the first line had also noticed, and let fly with a “Hooah!”
“Everypony back inside the force field!” Twilight cried. The Equestrians’ line broke and ran for Humantown, while the second wave of Americans reached the first and resupplied them with sidearms and uniforms.
“How did they avoid the spell?” Lisa said as she ran. “And why did it still work on the first troops?”
“I don’t know about the first,” said Olivia breathlessly, “But maybe the first line was sent in as a diversion, or to build up our confidence and let us think we could win easily.”
“You really think they would do that?”
“I would.”
Lisa didn’t have time to react to her friend’s ruthlessness as she was running for her life.
Twilight pulled down the barrier and let the Equestrians through, then reestablished it. The translucent red glow reflected the sunlight for a moment, and looked very solid. Ponies and humans ran for the nearest building and watched.
A sergeant made it to the front of the barrier and held up. Taking off his hat, he swatted the barrier as if it were a fly.
The hat was undamaged, and sticking halfway in. He put it back on his head and stepped through.
Another cheer from the soldiers, but they quickly regained their discipline and formed columns, advancing into town. Julie panicked and tried to fly out the window.
“No!” cried Luke. She was the only target in sight, and a dozen rifles trained on her. Twilight, not knowing what else to do, shrunk the force field around town until it just surrounded Julie.
“Please work,” she said, pouring all the power she could through her horn. The rifles fired, and Julie was unharmed as the shield was solid to the bullets.
“Careful!” came a cry, as a ricochet shattered the window of a nearby house.
“We’ve got to get everyone out of town,” said Twilight.
Lisa peered out into the street. “How do we do that?”
“Well, let’s see. If we first can establish a meeting point—“
Olivia stood up. “Twilight! We don’t have time for a checklist! Everyone run!”
The retreat was on. Once three folks were out in the streets, all the other Equestrians broke with them. Very few of the mages knew the force field spell, and they were counting more on luck and dodging to avoid the bullets.
As Alex ran down the street he saw Rarity coming from a cross street. “Come on!” she cried.
“No. You go! I’ll cover your escape. They can’t shoot me!”
“They can still capture you, you fool! Run!”
But he had already stopped and was waving his arms. Rarity dug her hooves into the ground and turned back toward him at full gallop. Her spells were deflecting bullets, but she couldn’t establish a shield. She reached Alex and grabbed his collar in her mouth, then threw her hoof under his arms and ran off on three legs.
“All right, all right!” he said. “Together.” He got his feet under him and they both ran as the troops closed.
A horrible sound, a pony scream, went right into Alex’s ear, and he winced from the noise. Not daring to think about what he feared had happened, he slacked his step, threw Rarity’s hoof over his shoulder, and pulled. Finding strength he didn’t know he had, he dragged her along, even as she could only use her back legs.
Reaching the field that lay between Humantown and Ponyville, they found others to help them, and Rarity was floated across by several mages.
“Are they crossing the field?” Alex asked.
Luke was hovering above with Julie and Fluttershy. “No, not that I see. They may have taken the town as a base.”
A sight and a smell proved him mistaken. Smoke rose up from the wooden houses of Humantown.
“No!” it was Lisa. She started to run across the field, and had to be held back by Olivia and Twilight. “But they’ll destroy everything.”
The first flames were rising from the town.
Applejack and Alex walked through the streets of Canterlot. Applejack’s back was bending under the weight of the pack she was carrying. Alex used his hands to balance his own load, but he was still straining his muscles. The weather ponies of Canterlot had removed all rainstorms from the schedule because ponies and humans were sleeping in the streets.
After the burning of Humantown, the American army had moved into Ponyville, marching in lockstep. The second retreat of the Equestrians had been more orderly and with no casualties, but they were still depressed at how much they had to abandon. Golden Oaks Library was now an observation post for the military, and at last report Sweet Apple Acres was serving as General Wallace’s headquarters.
“I can’t abide the notion of them bushwhackers holed up in our barn,” Applejack said as she passed a blanket to a stallion and his family.
“Well, they probably won’t be there long,” said Alex. “They moved on quickly from Humantown, and they’ll move on quickly again. I’m just hoping they don’t continue their scorched-Equestria policy.”
“Meaning they probably will, if I hear you right.”
“Not necessarily. They’re trying to get us back on Earth. Burning down our homes furthered that end.”
Applejack stopped in the street and looked at Alex. “You’re taking it rather calmly.”
“I’m so wound up that I’m ready to snap and tear through that army until they kill me. But that’s not useful right now, so I’m pushing it deep down. If a miracle happens and we win, I won’t need my anger. If things go the way they look like they are, I’ll need all of it later.”
They moved on and passed out more blankets.
***
Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy knocked on the door of the room. “Come in!”
The hospital in Canterlot was large as compared to the one in Ponyville, but it was still not particularly impressive to Olivia who had seen tower hospitals on Earth. However, she had never visited anyone for the reason she was now.
“How are you feeling, Rarity?”
“Achy. But on the mend. I’ll be back on my hooves by the end of the day. I never thought about how such a thing would feel. The heat of it was just so intense.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” said Olivia.
“We all are,” said Fluttershy.
“But you were. You got me out of there when I would have died otherwise.”
“Don’t say things like that!” said Pinkie Pie. “Nopony needs to die. Ever!”
“I’m sorry, dear.”
“Forget it. I’m here to cheer you up. Laughter is the best medicine, after all!”
Pinkie was clearly struggling to maintain her smile, but she brought in balloons and streamers and did her cheering routine. But it was abbreviated.
“We will need you in the next briefing, you know,” said Olivia. “So get well soon, because we have such little time.”
As they left, they met up with Applejack and Alex coming up the way.
“How is she doing?” asked Alex.
“Getting better.”
“It’s all my fault. Her getting shot. We were running and neither of us were willing to let the other go.”
“It’s not,” said Fluttershy. “Everypony was running all over. She didn’t want to let you go either. She cares about you, Alex. I hope you know that.”
He blushed, and said, “Come on, let’s get back to the castle and see if we can’t help the princesses.”
***
Twilight and her friends maintained the highest profile possible to keep up the spirits of the Equestrians. The human members of the council of war also put themselves out in the public eye. There was one exception though.
Luke came back in through the upper window of the castle and found the others waiting for him at the table. He was sent to find the missing person.
“Hey, Lisa. Come on, we’re starting.”
“All right, let’s get this over with.”
Everyone had grabbed as much sleep as they could in the day since the battle, but only Lisa still looked like she had just gotten out of bed. She came to the table.
Speaking even before the princesses, she drew the eyes of all present. “So, listen. I’m sure you all have a lot to talk about, and that’s why I want to get my part over with. Do you want me to leave on my own or would you rather kick me off?”
“What?” said Olivia “Why?! We need you.”
“We all know why our spells failed. There’s only one way to cancel out magic that’s ever been discovered, and it’s all because of my selfishness. Heck, we all had crises of confidence, but I’m the only one who went ahead and handed our enemies a weapon to destroy us. Whether it’s because I was insecure or because I was too confident in my own intelligence, it doesn’t matter. It’s my fault, and if I sit around here and try to help you decide what to do next, I’ll only make it worse. Again.”
Protests arose from all around the table, but Lisa would have none of it. “I know you’re all trying to make me feel better, but you can’t. This is bigger than all of us. A whole new society, and it’s going to fail because of me.”
“You’re right,” said Princess Luna, and everyone looked at her. “You’re right about it being bigger than you, bigger than all of us. But again, I think, you look at things from a human perspective, which is a narrower one. Clashes of societies are never pivoted on trivial things. The way we use the tools and powers given to us depends on what’s in our hearts. Whether it be magic or flight or strength, and whether it be electrical power or mechanical power or technological complexity, it’s how you use it.
“The army we’re facing has an awful lot behind it, and it’s not all evil. It has been used in the past for good. Now it is being used to try to take you from your homes. If they did not take your spell and use it against us, there would have been another advantage they would have exploited. Nopony ever said our victory would be easy. But we are not yet defeated.”
Celestia motioned for Luna to stop her lecturing. “We still want you on this council, because we have need of your skills. You were the one who developed the spell to cancel magic, and that means that you understand its magical profile better than anypony else. You can try to find a way to beat it.”
This was something that had not occurred to Lisa. She had been so convinced that their cause was lost and that she would be vilified forever as the brony who lost Equestria.”I can? But we don’t have any time.”
Celestia was at her most comforting. “And that is why you will have to work quickly. You will have help from all of us as you need it, but it will ultimately be you who determines our next step. If you say you cannot do it at all, we may be forced to give in. But right now we still have a chance. And if you can, then no one will ever call you overprivileged again.”
Lisa retired back to her room with a pile of scrolls and quills, and renewed hope. Twilight and Olivia were frequently called in, either to give advice or to serve as a test subject.
“What do you suppose they’re doing in there?” said Julie.
“I don’t know,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t meddle in the affairs of unicorns, lest they turn me into an orange or something.”
“You know they’d never do that.”
“Not intentionally, anyway.”
The mood in the central chamber was one of intense anticipation. A grandfather clock ticked away as everypony else paced and brooded. The only break in the long wait was when the door opened and Rarity was escorted in by the royal guard.
“I’m here, everypony.” She was still limping and favoring her side, but the others wondered if she wasn’t embellishing it for dramatic affect just a little. “What have we decided? How are we going to take back Ponyville from those ruffians?”
Celestia brought her up to speed on Lisa’s attempt to wrest back the magical advantage they had lost.
“I’m just sure she can do it,” said Rarity. “She’s intelligent, she’s inventive, she’s wonderful and coming up with new ideas, she’s. . . “
“Got something.”
Lisa had walked back into the room with the big table.
“Did you figure it out?” said Rainbow Dash. “Are we going to be able to destroy all their stuff again?”
“Well, I’ve got something , as I said. Twilight, use the magic suppression spell on me, please.”
Twilight Sparkle hesitantly checked her memory and cast the spell as lightly as she could. “It’s done.”
“Now, right now I’m trying to teleport you across the room, Twilight, and I can’t. But if my estimates are correct. . . “ She walked up to Twilight with her hands outstretched. As if she were afraid of giving Twilight a shock of static electricity, she gingerly touched the unicorn’s shoulder. Twilight vanished in a spark and popped back into existence behind the table.
“Great job, Leese!” said Olivia. “I knew you could do it. How does it work?”
“Well, I reasoned that, especially the way that the army was using it, the suppression spell isn’t about the spell caster as it is about the cast-ee. It stops the effects of magic, not the use. Magic is very subjective after all. But if a mage can get in contact with her subject, become physically continuous, then there’s no distinction between caster and target. I think that, given further time, I could restore full functionality by having us be magically continuous instead of physically, so I’ll work on it some more.
“We may not have that much time,” said Luke. “I’m sure they don’t intend to stay in Ponyville for that long. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were on the move again tomorrow.”
“And remember,” said Princess Celestia, “We’re still looking for the decisive victory that will shake their confidence and give us the chance at negotiating. Lisa, you have done very well today, and I am proud of you. But please let Luna and me consider how this ability might be used to our advantage. Please retire for a few moments.”
The humans and the ponies all went into the room that Lisa had worked in, patting her on the back and congratulating her. They sat around drinking water and believing, for the moment, that they still had a chance.
Perhaps a half hour later, Celestia opened the door and called them back in. Luna was absent.
“I have sent my sister to gather every pony and human still able and willing to fight.”
“But everyone still wants to fight for our home!” said Julie.
“I know, but this is a different kind of fight. A very serious one. I do not expect everyone to survive.”
An ominous silence covered the room.
“We believe,” said Celestia, “that the only chance is to take the offense. We waited for them and they outthought us. Now we must try to do the same to them. They will be resting tonight, though of course they will have guards. We will invade Ponyville, which we know better than they do, and try to catch them off guard.
“Our goal will be to use Lisa’s workaround to bypass their magical defense and teleport the soldiers to the castle. We will only transport their bodies, so once they are here, they are no threat.”
“Yeah! Send them to the dungeon!” said Rainbow Dash.
“The largest area is down below, but it is not really a dungeon. Unicorns and magical bronies will have to learn its location. That is the easy part. Getting to them will be hard. We think the best means of staging our attack will be to have humans ride ponies.”
Jaws dropped. Eyes went wide. Celestia was suggesting that they break one of the deepest taboos established since bronies came to Equestria. Even before Twilight and Pinkie had decided to open communications with Earth, they had observed humans riding equines, and feared that the people were keeping ponies as slaves. Once they found that Earth ponies and horses were not intelligent, they still determined that they would never be ridden.
“It is the most efficient way to have all of you there at the same time, in one wave of the attack,” Celestia said. “And it will enable those of you who cannot perform the spell to aid in the battle and serve your friends and loved ones. Pegasus people can help carry out the wounded, and Earth humans can help protect others. But the magical bronies and unicorns will be the ones you have to protect.”
The meaning of what Celestia was saying began to sink in. Their only chance to regain their land and have a chance to rebuild what the Americans had burned was to run toward the bullets instead of away.
Lisa and Olivia looked at each other. So did Julie and Luke. Alex looked at Applejack, and then at Rarity. Everyone was thinking the same thing, and wondering who would be the first to ask the question: was it worth it?
It had not even been a year that they had been in Equestria. All the humans still had lives back on Earth that they could return to. Moreover, they were asking the ponies to risk their lives as well, and the humans valued their lives as much as their own.
Rainbow Dash was the one who broke the silence. “Well, what are we waiting for?! We’re not going to let them bully us around, so let’s get this battle started!”
Pinkie Pie laughed, and that broke the tension. “I’m not sure I want to, but we’ll do it anyway. Then, once it’s done, we’ll get back to parties and fun!”
Even Fluttershy was uncharacteristically enthusiastic. “I’m ready to get it over with as well. But, Princess, are you going to be there? If. . . if something were to go wrong, then at least Equestria would still have its princess.”
“I hope you will not think it cowardice,” said Celestia, “if I remain here. I agree with you that my role as leader of the nation outweighs my value as a warrior. But do not be too sure that I will not have a part to play.”
“I, however, intend to be there at the vanguard.”
All heads turned to see Princess Luna return to the room.
“Are you sure, Princess?” said Olivia. “We were just discussing what would happen to Equestria if Princess Celestia were to fall in battle. If the same thing happened to you. . . “
“Then Equestria would be in the same state it was for a thousand years. It is the advantage of having two rulers for our land. Who knows? My recent return and reclamation might have been merely a prelude to this event.”
The humans were a little surprised that Luna could be so fatalistic, having the power she did. But they felt some comfort. Perhaps she was there for them as well.
Celestia approached her sister. “What success did you meet with in recruiting, Luna?”
“I did not make a head count, but most of the ponies and humans who fought in the last battle are still standing. I think that anyone not in the hospital will come with us. Scouts and emissaries from the other human settlements have also come, and I pressed them into service rather than send them back for greater numbers.”
“They still outnumber us ten to one, at least,” said Alex.
“And that is why we will need every advantage we can get. We will need planning, guile, strategy, and tactics. It will be difficult to find sleep until this is over, so prepare potions for wakefulness, speed, strength, and awareness.”
“You sound as if you have a plan in mind already,” said Luke.
“I have the rudiments of one, and we must discuss it. All of you will serve as leaders. We have no ranks in our army, but think of yourselves as the sergeants. I want to pair all of you together in the ride. This is somewhat a paradox, since I want to spread you as well to lead as many others as possible. We also want, as much as possible, to spread our mages. Lisa, will you ride Rainbow Dash? And Rainbow, are you willing to carry Lisa?”
“It might make me a little nervous,” said Lisa, “so no sonic rainbooms, but other than that, I’d be honored.”
Rainbow stomped her hoof. “I just saw a girl who believed she’d doomed her race get up and get back to work. That kind of dedication is always someone I’d want to ride with.”
“Excellent. Twilight, will you carry Luke? I think he is strong enough, and a good enough flyer, that he would help you travel swiftly and even be able to lift you in a pinch.”
“Anything you say, Princess,” said Twilight.
“I won’t let her down,” said Luke.
“Rarity,” began Luna, and Alex looked up. He was sure that the rest of the princess’s sentence would include the word “Julie.”
“I would like you to be ridden by Alex. Your dedication to each other has been made clear, and I believe that you will go through anything to each other.”
Rarity blushed. “I would be quite content.” Her voice belied how much she was happy with the choice.
Alex was speechless. He just nodded.
Olivia stood up. “You’re saving me for last, princess. Let me know. Who am I riding? Pinkie? Applejack? Fluttershy?”
“No, Olivia. In this case I must go with my heart over logic. You will ride me into battle. I want you protected.”
She gasped. It didn’t make sense. It put two mages and two leaders together. But Luna hadn’t asked as she had with the others. She had said, “You will.”
Luna addressed the conference again. “The other three ponies will be given magical bronies from elsewhere to aid and work with. I trust that you will give them the same dedication that you would anyone in here.”
“Um, where does that leave me?” asked Julie. “Am I going to have some other unicorn to ride?”
“Even though he won’t say it, Luke is worried for you. I intend to assuage that worry. I have a separate mission for you. Something secret, that I don’t even want anyone else here to know about. I will discuss it with you in private. It will still be dangerous, but not in the same way.”
Julie winked at Rarity. “Do I get a ‘dangerous mission’ outfit?”
Luna smiled. “If you like, but I will also give you some equipment that might help save your life. I will rejoin you all shortly. We must prepare.”
Luke stood up and looked at his wife. He was not conscious of anyone else in the room. “I love you very much, Julie,” he said. “I’m don’t regret anything that has come to pass or will, because it was worth it. I will be fighting for Equestria, but only because you are in it.”
“And I am proud of you for fighting. It may be an anachronistic sentiment, but I still want my man to fight for me. I will do what I can for you.”
They kissed, and held each other’s eyes, as Julie left the room with Luna.
***
They walked without speaking to the Canterlot archives. Once ensconced in a room filled with scrolls, Luna began her briefing. “Many of these spells can only be used once, like the time-travel spell I believe you are familiar with. But I see no reason to save them now. This one in particular I will use now.”
Luna’s horn glowed, and black and purple light suffused into Julie’s hands.
“What did that do?”
“It is a trace spell.”
“You mean it traces where I am?” asked Julie.
“In a manner of speaking, but it also uses the other meaning of trace. Your hands now have a magical ‘ink’ that will linger where you go. Let me show you. Draw a line in the air.”
Julie complied, and Luna cast another spell. The air hung with light in the shape of a freehand-drawn line.
“So you’ll use this to see my path.”
“Yes, and you can also send messages by writing in the air, and I will see them during the battle. It is key that we find the leader of the opposition, I believe you said his name is Wallace. Part of your task, once you are in Ponyville, will be to determine his location. Once you have, draw the symbol of the crescent moon, and I will know which direction to lead the charge.
“After that, get out of town and down to the Gate. There is something important on Earth that you must retrieve.”
She explained the rest of the mission, and Julie said, “Princess, may I ask a question? Why did you choose me for this?”
“Part of the reason was, as I said, for Luke’s sake. But also, I believe that they will look differently upon you than they would on a man, or even than on a magical brony. You have an innocence about you that I hope will aid you. Once you reach Earth, I estimate that you are also adept at completing the second task.”
“I’ll try to make you proud.”
***
The train was not running from Canterlot to Ponyville, so Julie had to fly, and fly as low as possible to avoid being spotted. She circled around and buzzed the treetops of the Everfree Forest. She silently wished that the Americans would explore the forest and have to deal with timberwolves or poison joke, but then realized that that would be no better than killing them. All she wanted was for the soldiers to go away.
In the twilight, at the hardest part of the day to see, she lit on the edge of Ponyville. Already she saw patrols walking the border, but she knew the town far better than they could. She was able to find a break in the buildings that looked too small to pass by, but widened in the air. Folks bound to the ground couldn’t take into account all the way that the winged could gain access.
From behind a chimney on a thatched roof where she blended in, she overlooked a cadre of the soldiers taking mess. She realized how hungry she was, and wondered if stealing some food couldn’t be added as a mission protocol.
“What are you thinking?!” she told herself. “This is too important. But how am I going to find this guy?”
She clung to her hiding spot and watched the troops. She leaned in closer and could hear some of the conversation.
“What do you figure? Home by next week?” one man said.
“Are you kidding? Once we finish up and occupy the capital, it’ll be the same thing all over again. We’ll be on for our full hitch and more. First we’ll be running food and water to everyone, then there’ll be a provisional government, and we’ll be pulled out one at a time. If we’re lucky, the lumps first.”
“Get up, you guys! You’re supposed to be on patrol.” Julie recognized the colonel who had threatened Fluttershy with death when they were first captured. Her rage made her want to dive at him right then, but she also realized that if she could tail him, he might lead her to General Wallace.
One of the sergeants took him aside and requested that he take a little softer hand with the men under him, but the colonel gave him a response about soldiering by the book. Move on! thought Julie, my wings are going to cramp up if I stay here much longer.
At last he had enough of berating that particular sergeant. He moved on to two other platoons and stirred them up before ducking behind a building and smoking a cigarette. Again, Julie’s anger burned at what was probably the first cigarette to ever be smoked in Equestria, and even more so when he tossed the butt on the ground and stepped on it.
He straightened his uniform and finger-combed his hair, and Julie hoped that was a positive sign, since he didn’t seem the type to care about his appearance for subordinates. He made his way to the center of town, and Julie saw electric lights coming from the buildings where only candles, fireflies, and magic lighting had been before. From across the way, she watched him strut up to the mayor’s office.
“Colonel Stone to see General Wallace,” he said. Julie’s heart leapt. She had the location. The only problem was that it was in the center of town and not attached to any other building. If she was to mark it as Luna requested, she’d have to expose herself, and the general had plenty of guards.
She considered waiting until complete darkness, but time was of the essence. She had to get on to the next phase of the mission as soon as possible. Holding her breath, she decided to go for broke and fly right for the door. She flapped for height and wing-power and turned as if she was diving into a swimming pool. With both gravity and her own thrust pushing her, she reached the door before the guards had a chance to react and chalked the crescent moon on the door with her finger. As soon as she had finished though, the door opened, and she found herself looking right in the face of Colonel Stone.
She kicked off and tried to backstroke away, to get any break, hoping to get away and continue toward the Gate. But he was expecting that and moved quickly, grabbing her by the ankle and hauling her to the ground. Reaching for his sidearm, he held her at bay.
“Very clever, mostly. But I heard you cough from my smoke. I always knew it was a beneficial habit.”
Julie resolved then and there that before it was over, she was going to slap him in the face, but right then she had no recourse but to surrender. She was dragged back into the room where General Wallace and his aide were behind the mayor’s desk.
“Well,” he said, “did you miss me that much? What are you doing here?”
“My name is Julie, I haven’t got haven’t got any rank and we don’t have serial numbers.”
Wallace laughed. “Take her away and find out what she knows.”
Julie’s heart pounded. Her mission appeared to be a failure.
Celestia led the others out into the streets of Canterlot. “We still have much to do to prepare for the battle. Our four mages here must teach the spell to all the others. We should gather food and drink and make sure that everyone gathers their strength and focus for the charge.”
“I’ll get the food,” said Fluttershy.
“I’ll help with that,” said Pinkie Pie.
“Somepony’s got to make sure the dungeons that we’ll be using are secure,” said Applejack.
Rainbow Dash jumped in front of her. “And we’ve got to have maps for anyone not familiar with the town, and who can’t see it from the air. Luke, can you help me with that?”
“No problem.”
Twilight Sparkle flashed a grin. “You’re all going to make my organizational skills obsolete. I’m glad to see that you’ve all learned how to take a role and accept it.”
The ponies and humans all went their separate ways, and Alex was left alone without an assignment.
“I should probably go with Fluttershy and Pinkie,” he said to himself. “Or I could round up everyone and start escorting to the camp site.”
His feet were already carrying him after Twilight and Lisa and Olivia. And Rarity.
They were all gathered in an outdoor café on one of the boulevards. Lisa was giving instructions. “This seems like simple enough teleportation spell, but it’s not. In the first place, you’ve got to be sure of your destination without being able to focus, so you’ve all got to be familiar with the dungeon in the castle. Second, you’ve got to learn the part that will let you pierce the anti-magic shield.”
Unicorns and magical bronies craned their necks to hear what was being said, and Alex got out of the way of as many as he could. Even though so much of the technical details went over his head, he still loved being around magic. He considered that it might be his last day in Equestria, or his last day alive. He wanted to go out being true to himself.
The mages moved from listening to practicing on whatever was available, and word soon came from the castle that they were being overwhelmed with objects used for the tests.
“Now, remember,” Twilight said to everyone, “when we get back to Ponyville it’s going to be intense. Everything depends on your knowing this spell and not having it fail. You should practice as much as you can between now and the battle. But for right now, we should be heading to the camp where Princess Luna is supposed to meet us.”
Alex found himself folded into the crowd as they marched in step. As the Brownian motion moved him from pony to human to pony, he found himself next to Rarity.
“Already you’re here as my protector?” she said. “You don’t have to do that until the battle begins.”
“I was just tagging along. I had nowhere else to be.”
“Well, I do need to stop to pick up something important. You could help me with that if you like.”
They broke off from the troop a few blocks down, and Rarity pointed out a fabric store that Alex probably wouldn’t have noticed had she not. She ducked in, and emerged a moment later with three boxes. He took two in his arms and left her to float the third.
“Goodness knows when I’ll find time to prepare them,” she said, “but they’re very important.”
He peeked into the box. “Fabric?”
“Yes, of course. We can’t be a proper army without uniforms.”
Alex burst out laughing, the first relief of tension he had had in a while. “Uniforms?”
“Well, not proper dress uniforms. I don’t have time for that. Just a blue and white sash. I thought the colors appropriate, to represent the princesses.”
“But, I mean, do we really need them? We’re all going to know which side we’re on.”
She stopped walking and stared at him. “Rationally, yes. But if we were rational, we would have surrendered already. When we all see each other with our sashes arranged in order, we’ll know it in our hearts.
“Military uniforms go back hundreds of years, to when Commander Hurricane of the warlike pegasi had her squadrons wear the same helmets to enforce discipline. I know that Earth has many warriors as well. If we must import the ills of your world, like war, I’m going to make sure that we import the beautiful things as well.”
Alex had a lot to think about as they continued to the camp. From where they stood, Ponyville was just on the western horizon, backlit by the setting sun.
Rainbow Dash had already led the flying contingent to the camp and had set up. From the opposite direction, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were coming with a cart of food in tow.
“Hey, everypony! Pinkie’s here for her first ever pre-battle party! I got whole piles of sugary food to get your energy up, and inspirational music that my human friends recommended. Though I still don’t see how taking some poor tiger’s eye is going to help.”
A few of the humans got the joke, but despite Pinkie’s efforts, no one would get into the party spirit. A few low tables were set up, since it was easier for the humans to sit on the ground at the level of the ponies than it was for them to eat standing up. All the places alternated the species, each pair being one that would ride into battle together.
Any semblance of fun they were having was lessened when Princess Luna returned from having sent Julie on her mission.
She surveyed the camp and nodded approvingly. She sat at the head of the table next to Olivia and tucked into the food herself. When everyone was finished, she stood up.
“Everyone should get some sleep now. I will watch over you in the night and wake you when it is time.”
Silently, they broke up and bedded down, each human with a pony, each pony with a human.
***
They were roused and set to charge so quickly that Alex didn’t have the time to appreciate that he was actually mounted on Rarity’s back before he was directing her to targets. The fury and competence that she had shown with the diamond dogs was on display again. They moved through the streets of Ponyville with blinding speed, running down each soldier and moving on to the next one. A single touch of Rarity’s horn was enough to make one vanish, and she wasted no time on reveling in each victory.
Alex had only a dim perception of the other part of the battle. Out of his peripheral view he saw other spells flashing on and off, and the sound of gunfire was everywhere. His stronger perception was of the enemy. Whether it was part of his innate Earth human abilities or simply being in flow state, he was able to sense which soldiers were tracking him and Rarity, where they were aiming, and the angle and timing of each round they fired.
More importantly, he found that he could communicate to Rarity when to bank, duck, speed up, or slow down with only his hands and his knees. Now he understood why Celestia and Luna had employed the strategy of pairing humans with ponies. There was too much going on for one mind to take in, but so long as he directed her, all Rarity had to do was concentrate on casting her spell.
They were advancing and converging on the center of town. While he could advise her on tactical maneuvers, the objective direction was under Rarity’s purview. She galloped to the square in tandem with many others, but the largest nest of enemy soldiers was camped around the tall building.
Alex focused as strongly as he could. More rifles were being aimed in their direction, and it seemed to him that they were ahead of the pack. His rear was a confused mass of light and sound. A sniper on the roof took aim, and he directed Rarity to veer left, but then saw the infantryman already aiming where they would be. Quickly changing, he yanked Rarity’s mane down and to the right, only to realize that this would take him into the path of the pony next to them, who was also being targeted. With panic taking over, he pulled his entire body backwards, trying desperately to get Rarity to stop without the intervening deceleration.
It was no use. Alex’s perception and distorted sense of time forced him to watch the bullet as it entered just below Rarity’s horn. He felt it travel through her head and heard it come out the back side.
It was almost a relief when he saw the next shot headed for his heart. He didn’t even try to move. And it was almost anticlimactic when he woke up. The battle was still several hours away.
Alex sat up and looked around him. Everyone else was still sleeping, and he was relieved that he had not cried out and woken anyone. At his side was Rarity, wearing her sleep mask and surrounded by piles of fabric that had been sewn into the sashes. She had found the time.
Night had fallen, and it was pitch black. The only light he could see came from two light blue circles set against the sky. He realized in a moment that they were Princess Luna’s eyes.
He got up. Treading carefully, he took a seat next to the princess and talked in hushed tones.
“Did you send me that dream?” he asked.
“Dream?”
“Come off it. We all know that you guide and watch over us as we dream.”
Princess Luna bristled. “There are perhaps a thousand souls sleeping before us. Am I to be expected to know every detail of their minds?”
Alex shrugged. In the cool of the night he overlooked his companions. He kept telling himself not to say it. He said it.
“You’ve got to keep her out of the battle.”
Princess Luna turned to look at him.
“Rarity,” he said. “You can do it, just don’t let her come with us. She’s already been wounded once. That should excuse her, right?”
“Young man, if you wish me to entertain a request, you should speak plain.”
Alex wondered what she meant, but saw that she was perceiving his thoughts. “She was wounded for me. And now she’s going to get killed for me. I don’t want that. I should be the one to die for her, not the other way around.”
Luna sat still for a long time. Alex was afraid that he had said something horrible, and that Luna was somehow going to punish him.
“In the charge we are to make, everyone we can have on our side counts. Would you take her out of the battle if it meant the difference between victory and losing Equestria?”
He knew that the right answer was no. But it was not the honest answer. “I would.”
“Would you do it if it meant somepony else would die in her place?”
“I would.”
Luna turned away again and looked into the distance. It seemed to Alex as if she was not even looking at Ponyville, but at something beyond his perception, as though she was seeing the future.
“Think carefully before you answer this one. If it meant that the two of you would have your destinies sundered from one another, that a bond formed in battle would instead be broken, that you would lose her forever, would you still ask me to remove her from combat?”
Alex closed his eyes and went over her words. He understood. If their destinies were to be sundered, that meant they had to be together first. They could be victorious together. Or he could protect her.
“I’m an earth human,” he said. “Whether or not that means that we can tarry with unicorns is something that I’ve learned not to care about. But I still know one thing: that we don’t let the ones we care about the most get hurt, not when we can save them. I wish that none of us had to fight. But I know that I do. If I’m going to fight, I’ve got to know why. I’ve got to know that Rarity is safe.”
“So be it,” said Luna. “When she wakes, I will tell Rarity that she will serve us in another capacity. You will ride Applejack instead.”
Applejack wasn’t a unicorn. He had no magic of his own. Their purpose in battle would be to protect the ones who mattered more. If he had had a formal rank, he would just have been busted. “I understand, Princess. I accept.”
“Then you should return to sleep. You will still need to be at your sharpest.”
Fitfully, he bedded down between Rarity and Applejack.
***
Julie was kept in a holding cell in one of the houses of Ponyville. The soldiers had found some tacky paper and blocked all the windows, then posted spotlights to illuminate the room. Even with the harsh lighting, the cell still looked homey. She had alternately been questioned and left alone, but she still assumed that they were following set procedures for interrogation and did not consider herself in any danger. Much of that was also Luna’s assurances, and the fact that she had completed the first part of her mission.
Luna had indeed assured Luke that she was sending Julie away to save her from danger, but she had not said anything about saving her from all harm. The interrogation techniques the Americans used were not the physically debilitating tactics once in force, but they hoodwinked her to keep her in darkness, then shined bright light in her face. They brought in speakers and played loud music during questioning, then berated her for not speaking loud enough.
Her interrogators changed frequently, sometimes working in teams and sometimes alone, but the sessions with Colonel Stone were the worst. He seemed to take a personal interest in breaking her resistance, or considered her as having personally insulted him by her existence.
“Stop bullshitting me!” he said, putting his hand on Julie’s hair but not quite pulling. “We know there’s a reason you were sent down, and we’re going to know what it is. It’ll make it easier on you if you just tell us. We’ll feed you and take you back to Earth, and I won’t have to look at those freak feathers on your back.”
Just to antagonize him, Julie spread her wings. It had its intended effect, as he picked up a canteen and threw it across the room, storming out. But he was back a moment later.
“We’ve just started our advance to the capital,” he said. “Whatever you’re going to do won’t be in time.”
“You can get all your men mustered and moving this fast? Don’t you have to even put gas in your tanks?”
“What are your plans?”
She was silent.
General Wallace come in and shut off the music and lights, telling her that she could be released if she told him all about the Equestrians’ plans. Still she held back. Wallace left and two burly sergeants took over, returning to the visual and auditory distraction.
It was the loneliness that was her eventual downfall. She knew from the moment she had been captured that she would probably break eventually, but was determined to hold out as long as she could and make the Americans waste time and effort that would otherwise go toward preparing to hurt her friends. But just being alone, surrounded by people who saw her as someone severed from their species, was trying on her soul.
Colonel Stone was in her face again. “Just give it up. We know you know something. There’s going to be another fight. You know it, and we know it. But if you hold back, I’m going to tell them to specifically go after that friend of yours. The yellow one with the wings.”
A part of her knew that this was only a tactic. That he had every intention of attacking everyone she loved, and that anything she said would have no effect on who would survive. But too much of her just saw the image of Fluttershy surrounded by soldiers training guns on her. She broke.
“All right. We have a way to beat your shield.”
“Bull!”
“Fine, don’t believe me, we’ll win easier if you don’t,” she said.
“If you have that, you’d already have attacked us. It’s a bluff.”
“No, it only works at close range.”
Stone started writing down notes. “How close?”
“Direct contact.”
He kept the questions coming rapid-fire. “How many troops do you have?”
“We didn’t count exactly. Maybe two thousand.”
“How are you planning to get to us?”
“All-out attack. Just run in and get as many as we can before you organize.”
Even through Stone’s tough exterior, the idea of such bravery touched a nerve. He shook it off. “When were you planning to make this attack?”
“At dawn tomorrow. I think the plan was to come in from the East so the sun would be in your eyes.”
“Do you really expect to get us all before we wipe you out?”
“The goal was to capture General Wallace and force him to negotiate.”
Stone stopped his questioning. He was about to leave when Julie thought of one other thing.
“Wait!” she said. “You have to understand that we’re still not going to kill or injure anyone. We’ll be using magic, and it’ll look like people are disappearing, but they’re not. We’re just teleporting them to a safe place where they can’t hurt us.”
“Hm. That’s interesting.”
“So there’s no reason to use deadly force against us. We won’t be endangering your lives.”
He put down his pen. “Well, perhaps I’ll leave that out of my report.”
“What?!”
“You see, General Wallace might believe you, and that makes my job a lot harder.”
Fear crept into Julie’s voice. She hadn’t expected this. “I’m telling the truth, I swear!”
“Oh, I believe you, don’t worry. But fear will be a good motivator for my men to shoot straight. If they think that allowing one of you to touch them means being erased from existence without even a body to send home to their family, their killer instinct will be at its sharpest.”
“But why?! Why do you want to kill us?”
Stone marched up and put his face an inch from hers. “There are always going to be freaks of nature. I can’t stop that. And if the good people of the world want to pander to the freaks and let them parade around and pretend they’re normal, that’s their lookout. But I’ll be damned if I let the freaks start taking over and kicking me out of my place.”
She backed away, and Stone, bolstered by the fear and pain he had seen in her eyes, left the room.
***
In the dead of the night Luna walked through the camp. In front of each sleeping pair she cast a spell that would wake them gently and without alerting anyone else. As humans and ponies came to, they gathered themselves together and got ready.
Each mage went over the spell one more time. Everyone who had wings took practice flights and tested the weight of their companion. Earth humans and ponies stretched their muscles and checked their gear.
It was Luna who suggested that no one put on their own sash, but rather each human would put it on the pony they would ride, and each pony on the human who would ride them. There was a great deal of ceremony and pomp attached, but everyone was serious and dour. When the last of the preparations had been made, they stood in a line, ponies and humans.
Princess Luna trotted from one end to the other, then back to the center of the line. She knelt before the assembled troops and bade them do the same. Adopting the projecting tone she had, Luna spoke.
“My friends. I see you all here and I call you my friends. Each of you sees the one next to you and calls them a friend. And so each of you can look to anyone gathered here and call them a friend. Together, as friends, we are about to do what would be called a foolish thing, if we were not friends.
“Together we shall make our charge, not for victory, but merely for the chance of victory. If fate smiles upon us and we are able to stand and write a history of this night, that history will call none the hero. No one of us, nor two, nor team of twenty shall be able to claim the glory without passing the cup to another. This would be folly, if we were not friends.
“Together we shall risk our lives, not in a clean contest of skill and honor, but in a chaotic cauldron where chance will have as much sway in determining the outcome as right and logic. The fastest among you will be the first to put themselves in harm’s way. The most effective will be the most attractive targets. The largest of you will be the easiest to hit. This would be folly, if we were not friends.
“Together with you I will fight, not from the rear with the intention of using the proper strategy, but in the line with the hope that I may strike at the right moment to save a life or to sacrifice myself to save the cause. Such a position runs counter to every history, idea, and instinct of how to fight to win. It would be folly, if we were not friends.
“Together, my humans, the ponies you ride will be there, not next to you, but below you. They will abase themselves by bearing you as burden. Look at them. If not laden, they could run faster and fly higher, and they might have more chance to survive. But they would not do better for the cause. Such a choice would be folly, if we were not friends.
“Together, my ponies, the humans will be with you, not as interlopers or guests in our land, but as fellow citizens. Do not discount the weight they carry, simply because they are the ones on top. It is oft as difficult to accept power or reward as it is to give such gifts. From the beginning we have granted them abilities far beyond what they had known, and they have not used them selfishly. This unselfishness would be folly, if we were not friends.
“Together, all of you, we shall ride, not for a gleaming kingdom of jewels and riches, but for a plot of land and the right to breathe free. We have magic! We have wings! We have strength and the earth as our domain! And yet we still must toil under the sun to give our lives meaning. This is the best we could hope for from tonight’s endeavor. The simplest among you would know this to be folly. If we were not friends.
“But we are.”
Luna bent her back, and Olivia climbed on. Rising to her full height and spreading her wings, Luna trotted to one side of the line. Luke mounted Twilight, and the entire flank mounted in time.
“We are friends who have sacrificed our wealth and status to a greater cause,” said Luna. She galloped to the opposite end, where Lisa climbed onto Rainbow Dash, signaling the other wing to mount up.
“We are friends who, even if we stumble, always have someone there to pick us up,” said Luna, returning to the middle. She looked at Alex. As the wave of mountings from each side collapsed to the center, he got onto Applejack’s back as the last one.
“We are friends, because true friendship means giving everything you have, even if you don’t get anything in return. Because, in the end, it always works out. Still, this is not the end. It is the beginning. And so, my friends. . . “
She turned her back to the army and started to pick up speed.
”Ride.”
The patrol of the camp in Ponyville was four hours on, four hours off. Two military police stood at the edge of town in each direction and, theoretically, watched the view. In the darkness of night the rolling hills gave but the slightest contrast to the sky. The stars were occluded only by a light haze that would fall as the morning dew. It was a tableau to fill the soul.
In practice, the patrol joked and smoked, taking no notice of their surroundings. Knowing that the attack was set for dawn, they took it easy until the shift change at three AM. The soldiers who took up the duty on the east side did not wonder at the low rumbling coming from the distance. They were too used to camps on Earth where background noise was a part of the landscape, and it blended in with the sounds of crickets and the wind in the trees. By the time the hoof beats were loud enough, the cavalry charge was at full speed and nearly on top of them.
The charge was like a wave of multicolored foam crashing on a beach, bowed in to the center, and with irregularities here and there as somepony or other caught their stride and ran ahead. Right in the middle were Princess Luna and Olivia. Blessed with wings and longer legs, Luna broke with the rest of the wave and crossed the town border first.
She reached one of the guards and made contact with her horn before he could take any action other than turning and trying to run. Suddenly and silently, he ceased to exist in that spot. The light of teleportation was shaded by his fatigues. Right behind her, Rainbow Dash moved Lisa into position to slap the other one. The mages soon realized that they did not have to be gentle, but could follow through with their strikes since there was nothing left to contact but an empty uniform.
The second guard was able to get off a shout before he was cut off and completed his scream in the dungeon at Canterlot Castle. The first few soldiers to wake up and poke their heads out fared no better than the guards, as unicorns and magical bronies made short work of them. Each one had a moment of dread as he saw his comrades, frequently someone he knew well, vanish without even leaving a body, and then a sharper fear as it happened to him. The relief of still being alive and finding themselves merely stripped and imprisoned was small comfort. Soon enough, one soldier was smart enough to call his superior on the wired phone and alert him that the attack was going on, having barely enough time before his building was stormed and he too was transported.
When word climbed up the chain of command, the sergeants and lieutenants mustered the troops into formation and told them to counterattack. Groggy with sleep and unfamiliar with the territory, a ragtag line was formed. They moved swiftly to load their rifles and bring them to bear, but their aim was off, and the targets they did hit were protected by magical shields or by impenetrable Earth humans. The first line of defense was overtaken. As some of them flashed in disappearance, others took to their heels and ran. The retreat was chaotic at first, but sergeants quickly restored order.
Colonel Stone’s first reaction to hearing the news and shaking the confusion from his head was not to join the men or issue orders down. He stormed out to the building where Julie was kept. She was already awake, as if waiting for him. He grabbed her hair.
“You lied to me! They’re here now and you lied to me. Who trained you to do that?”
“Nopony trained me.”
“Talk English!”
Julie smiled. “I never lied to you.”
“Bull! You said dawn, and it’s three in the morning.”
“I told you the exact truth, just as I was instructed to do. It’s not my fault if you made the wrong assumption.”
“What assumption?”
“In this world, the schedule for sunrise is not so rigid.”
***
Far off, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia swallowed. It offended her sensibilities to break tradition, but according to plan, she pointed her horn to the East and cast her spell. More rapid than usual, the sun broke the horizon and painted the world gold.
She turned back to face Ponyville. “I have done what I can. Dear sister, dear friends, please come back safe. The humans look upon me as a goddess. Whom do I pray to?”
***
Just as the soldiers were beginning to organize a second wave of resistance, the brilliance of the sunlight caught them flush in the face. The ponies and their riders were nothing more than dark silhouettes in the brightness that was overloading their retinas. Some actually lost control of their weapons as they shielded their eyes.
The ponies and their riders knew this was coming, but they still needed time for their own eyes to adjust. The second line took more time to disperse, and showed more resilience in refusing to move even when being charged down by unicorns.
An errant shot clipped a pegasus on the wing, and he was reduced to carrying his magical brony as the earth ponies did, but without the protection. First blood was spilled for the Equestrians.
From her position at the vanguard, Luna took off and surveyed the town. It felt like they had fought an entire battle already, but in fact had only established the first beachhead. It was a long way to the center of town, and the Americans had plenty of reserves. Worse, she could see them taking sniper positions in the buildings and organizing themselves by the proper command structure. She had to get her ponies to press faster.
“Clean up this skirmish and move on!” she shouted. Ever eager to take the lead, Rainbow Dash pumped her wings and guided Lisa all over. She didn’t even bother to time her teleportation spell, keeping it running and letting Rainbow guide her.
Lisa spotted the snipers in the buildings and pointed them out. “Fly!” she said, and Rainbow was only too happy to oblige. Lisa’s stomach dropped as they took off, and she needed a moment before she could focus enough to cast the spell.
Visualize , she told herself. This is just like practice with Olivia back in my bedroom on Earth. Just push them where you want them to go. Her hands regained their glow, and they approached a soldier leaning out a window. His sniper rifle was not designed for close-range fire, and he couldn’t get it turned in time. He joined the growing cadre in the dungeon.
Rainbow spotted another one, and banked to strike. He swung the rifle around, and she feared that he would be able to get a shot off. With all her wingpower, she went for speed, leaning forward to get Lisa’s outstretched hand that much closer. They acted as one, and Rainbow thought that it was almost like being a centaur. The bullet left the gun at the exact moment the rifleman vanished, but Rainbow had enough momentum to be out of the way when it did.
A third sniper pulled back from his perch, and Rainbow saw what she thought was an easy target. He was loading the rifle, or perhaps having problems with jamming, but from her perspective there was no danger. The window was at an angle to her left, and she curved around to get a cleaner route. Once Lisa dispatched this one, Rainbow planned to anchor her hooves on the sill, and make a quick turn to head back into the fray.
What she saw made her change her plan. The soldier had not been loading or fixing his gun. He had attached a bayonet. Lisa saw it too, and silently raged at the bureaucratic inertia that told a modern army to still carry a four-hundred-year-old weapon. All of Rainbow’s speed would only impale her faster if she kept flying straight. In crisis situations, her first reflex was to gain altitude. She turned hard toward the sky, grabbing Lisa’s legs with her hooves to prevent a fall. She had too much momentum. The bayonet didn’t pierce very deep, but it snagged on her shoulder and slowed her up just enough for the soldier to fire.
Rainbow felt the impact of the bullet spread through her in concentric spheres. Pain was a frequent companion for somepony who trained as hard as she did, and she knew how to work through it. She had a single goal now: get on the ground with Lisa in one piece.
She took a long arc to get away from the action and save her strength, then banked to start her landing. But the wound changed her pattern and Lisa wasn’t used to it. She shifted her weight and Rainbow had to turn to catch up. The turn sparked a new pain in her chest and caused her to wince. Lisa started to fall. Desperately, Rainbow grabbed for any part of her, but her hooves were soaked with blood and sweat, and she felt Lisa slip off.
Her dive only opened her wound more, and Rainbow felt like ice was forming within her. Black spots appeared before her eyes. She knew she was dying. Slamming a hoof over the wound to try to staunch the blood, she could no longer find the strength to pump her wings. She glided down, helpless to watch Lisa fall to her death.
Twilight Sparkle had taken the same road, but did not see what happened. Luke was acting as her eyes and ears, directing her to targets. When he turned her down an alley, she had no idea why, and was even more shocked to feel him take off from her back and leave her riderless. She raised her head to see Lisa plummeting, and Luke soaring. Her eyeball calculation told her that he would miss, but she didn’t count on the adrenalin rush that made him accelerate more. He caught Lisa and swooped back around.
Depositing her at Twilight’s hooves, Luke took off again to where Rainbow Dash had landed. From the air it didn’t look like a crash, but Rainbow wasn’t moving. He tried to pick her up, but that only caused her to lose more blood.
“Nice flying,” she said, gasping for breath. “You don’t need…my classes anymore. I…”
“Don’t talk. I’m going to get you out of here. Just hang on.”
“I still ain’t scared…whatever’s out there…better watch out for me.”
Her breathing stopped. Rainbow Dash was dead.
Twilight and Lisa raced to catch up, forgetting the battle. A platoon followed them, trying to bring them into range of their guns. As they reached Luke and Rainbow, Lisa broke and collapsed onto her steed.
“Rainbow! Get up!”
Luke hauled her up. “You have to move!” He pointed at the oncoming soldiers.
Their primary target was Twilight. Luke raced to get back on top and lead her away, but the suppressing fire separated them. She had up a magical shield, but the soldiers were advancing, forcing her to shrink it. When they reached close contact, it would be an even match between the horn and the guns. He had to move.
Twilight saw him step up, and her only reaction was to spread the force field wider. She overcompensated, and one of the soldiers found himself inside the perimeter. He aimed, fired, and hit. Twilight had her eyes closed, and opened them to assess the damage.
It was worse than she feared. Luke had jumped in front of her and been hit square in the chest. He landed on Rainbow Dash and did not move.
Rage overtook Twilight and Lisa. Without consideration for their safety, they stood and charged at the platoon. The sheer magical force was enough to stun the soldiers before they could refocus and cast the teleportation spell. It was a dazed bunch that appeared in the cell.
For a moment there was no action. Lisa and Twilight stared at the bodies of their fallen friends. Lisa put her hand on Rainbow Dash’s head and cried. Twilight was more practical. She used her magic to probe the bodies, trying to detect any heartbeat or sign of life. There were better magical medics than her, but she had to exhaust every option. She found it a moot point, as Rainbow and Luke were motionless inside and out. She thought of raising a cairn to them, but a call from the main road jerked her back to reality.
“Rally to me, Equestrians!” Luna’s training in public speaking served her well. “There is no time to weep for the dead. Avenge them now! The enemy has hardened their hearts and will not hesitate. You must not let your grief cloud your vision. Return to the battle! If your partners have fallen, find another. We must fight together!”
Lisa and Twilight looked at each other. Wordlessly, Twilight lowered her shoulder and nodded her head. Lisa swung her leg over and shifted her weight. They galloped back to the battle.
***
Fluttershy was, to say the least, not in her element. Watching her friends fall around her was disconcerting, and she was never the bravest pony to begin with. She and her rider, a young pegasus person named Isaac, had met only hours before. With no mage in the group, they were assigned to duty as relief medics, carrying the wounded back out of the town to relative safety.
Operating on his instruction, Fluttershy had adorned a white hair ribbon with a red vertical cross on it, that Isaac had assured her would keep the Americans from shooting at them.
“No matter how warlike humans are,” he had said, “there’s a rule, or a convention, about not attacking medics. The sign will let them know that we’re not fighting.”
That was small comfort to Fluttershy, who, after hauling out more ponies and humans than she could count, was hunkered down against a wall, pinned there by fire and unwilling to move. No matter how hard she closed her eyes, she couldn’t stop the tears from coming through.
“I don’t want to do this!” she screamed. “I don’t want to be here.”
“Fluttershy!” said Isaac, “everyone’s counting on us. We might make the difference.”
“I don’t care. I just don’t want to be doing this.”
His voice calmed. “All right, then. What do you want to do?”
“I want to be home with my animals. I want to be with my friends. I want to see my friend Julie!”
“She’s the one who went in ahead, right?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“OK. Go to her.”
“But, what about the battle?”
“You’re not doing any good hiding against a wall,” said Isaac. “I’ll cover your escape.”
“But what if—“
“Go!”
Before she could respond, Isaac took off in a random direction, drawing the fire and giving Fluttershy a chance to escape. She had the glasses given to her by Princess Luna that would follow the magical trace. She saw the center of town where everyone would be focusing their attention, but bypassed it for a building on the other side where she saw the end of the trail.
She wasn’t sure whether to fly high to get out of range, or low to be sighted by as few as possible, but since it was quieter the higher she went, up was where she found herself. That was where she noticed another pony skirting the border of Ponyville.
“Rarity? But I thought she wasn’t going to be in this.”
With all of the soldiers focused on the fighting in front of them, Fluttershy was able to watch as Rarity slipped into town unnoticed. Whether she was using the same detection method as Fluttershy, or just knew where to go, she was headed for the same building where Fluttershy knew that Julie was being kept.
“So somepony’s already been sent to rescue Julie," she said to herself. "Fluttershy, you’re useless again. Well, I’ll go anyway. Maybe she’ll need help.”
***
From his headquarters in the center of town, General Wallace received reports and tried to see the battle in his mind. He was used to having satellite imagery and GPS information on the location of his troops, but the systems for GPS had suffered technological nervous breakdowns the first time the army tried to use them. Reverting to his training, he was left with simpler tactics.
From his estimate, anywhere from half to two-thirds of his force was gone, or at least not reporting in. He sent word down the line to form an inner perimeter around the town square. It was a smaller circle to watch, and the Americans were now fully engaged, no longer beset by sleepiness or dazzled by the sun.
The Equestrians were, for the first time, stymied. They had to stop charging forward, which sapped their spirits and made them easier targets. Princess Luna was overwhelmed trying to reform her line and complete the mission.
Like Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie had been introduced to her rider the day before the battle. His name was Rory, and they had, of course, become good friends. During the battle, Rory had had a grand time of it, as Pinkie was one of the fastest ponies in the force. He playfully flitted from soldier to soldier, casting the teleportation spell with no complications, almost enjoying himself. But with the closure of the ranks, Pinkie had stopped, and they too had come under fire.
“This not-fun thing is getting not-funner by the minute!” said Pinkie. “I liked it when it was all ‘charge forward, rah-rah, make ‘em disappear,' but now it’s just loud bangs and friends dying.”
Rory was not a military tactician, but anyone could see the problem. “We’ve got to break through that line,” he said. “If we could get just one breach, push a few of us through, then we could attack them from both sides, and the whole thing would collapse.”
“Just like popping a balloon! A two-dimensional balloon made of mean people with guns that’s not continuous and doesn’t float.”
“Yes, if that helps.”
“Well, what if I open a hole with my party cannon?”
Rory was stressed, but kept his composure. “Pinkie, this is no time to be funny.”
“Every time is a time to be funny. Even at the most tense moments, a laugh still makes things better than they were a moment before. But in any case, I wasn’t joking. Not at that moment, anyway.”
“But first of all, you don’t have your party cannon, and second, it’s not an actual piece of artillery that can do damage.”
“They don’t know that, and yes I do, irrespectively,” said Pinkie. Rory took a moment to sort out her syntax.
“You have it?”
“I never go anywhere without it.”
Pinkie stuck her hoof behind her back and brought it out with a toy cannon perched upon it. As she set it down, it grew to full size. Even though Rory was accustomed to magic, and used it himself, he was still surprised to see her flagrantly flout the laws of physics.
“All right,” he said, “we’ll give it a try. Push it down this alley and we’ll feint by pointing it at them.”
The soldiers scanned past their cordon, but when they saw the cannon, the ones where it was aimed scattered. Pegasi flying above pointed out the breach, and the Equestrians poured through, including Pinkie and Rory.
“It’s working!” said Pinkie. “This calls for a celebration!”
“No, Pinkie, don’t fire the—“
It was too late. Pinkie shot the cannon, showering everyone around with confetti and streamers. The Americans did not even take the time to laugh. They closed the circle again, right on Pinkie Pie. Rory managed to transport seven of them before they were taken down.
***
Twilight and Lisa had been among the first to pass through the opening in the circle. Others followed, and immediately set about attacking the Americans from behind. When she had been astride Rainbow Dash, Lisa had relished having the speed and aerial advantage, even though it had led to her friend’s death. Twilight was far less maneuverable, and they weren’t as coordinated together. But Twilight had her horn, and they were still effective.
Upon breaking through, Lisa tried to bank and turn to join the others, but Twilight continued in a straight line. “What are you doing?” called Lisa. “We’ve got to help everyone!”
“No, we need to stay focused. Completing the mission is what matters. We can take care of the others later. Luna needs us to capture the general. It’s just like chess. You can get so caught up in capturing pieces that you forget to checkmate the king.”
They galloped for Town Hall, leaving everyone else behind. Twilight tried to blast the door from a distance, but the magic-suppression spell was still operative. She ran up to it and made contact, opening the door with her hoof and revealing the spiral staircase along the outer wall that led to the top floor. Lisa poked her head in to make sure that no ambush was waiting for them, then spurred Twilight on.
***
Rarity had been admonished by Princess Luna that, in contrast to the others, self-preservation was a mission protocol. “I have given my word that you should be protected in this battle, and so your role will be as a backup.” She had not said to whom she had given her word, and Rarity had not asked. “It is imperative that Julie reach Earth and deliver her message. If she does not, you must. No pony has ever gone through the Gate, but if it must be so, then it will be you.”
Since her magical trace did not reach the Gate, Rarity knew where she was, and spotted her on the second floor of Carousel Boutique. She charged up the stairs, following the magical smear. As soon as she burst in, Julie cried out, “No, Rarity! It’s a trap!”
Colonel Stone stepped out from behind a rack of fabric, his gun aimed. What he hadn’t realized was that the pony he was proposing to trap was the owner of the building. Rarity could tell right away that the rack was out of place, and she dodged for cover as soon as she saw. Stone’s first shot missed, and by the time he aimed again, Fluttershy was coming through the window, kicking and flapping her wings at his head.
***
General Wallace picked his head up from the crude map, where he had drawn a circle and indicated where the enemy had come through. Hearing the door opening and seeing the swish of Twilight’s tail from below, he addressed his adjutant. “Here we go, Ed. Stand fast.”
“Yes, sir.” He had been the general’s aide for over a year, but this was the first time he was needed as a bodyguard. He regarded Wallace as a dedicated and competent superior, even if he was a little informal. Ed never failed to refer to him as “sir” and wished that Wallace would use his rank. He was proud of it.
Crouching behind the door, he took aim.
***
Julie was tied up, and Rarity’s magic wouldn’t work to undo the rope. She fumbled for a few moments with her hooves before finding her sharpest scissors and slicing away until Julie was free enough to shake loose. But that gave Colonel Stone time enough to kick Fluttershy off of him and reach for his belt.
“Bitches! I don’t care what the orders are. I’m taking you out!”
He pulled his hands back up to reveal a grenade with the pin pulled. Tossing it into the middle of the room, he covered his ears before anyone else could react.
***
Twilight and Lisa paused one last time. As quietly as they could, they each checked that the other was ready. They each ceased all magic, letting it recover, and then activated the spell again. Showing the same bravery as when she had faced the hydra, Twilight charged up the stairs and burst through the remaining door.
Wallace had an automatic rifle leveled at the pair. Twilight quickly canceled her teleportation spell and put up the force field. The rounds fragmented as they hit the wall, and the general had to duck to avoid a ricochet. Twilight saw her chance. Balancing on her front hooves, she kicked with her back legs and flung Lisa toward Wallace. It was about to be over.
Ed fired from the side. Even if her momentum hadn’t been deflected by the bullet, the spell was broken the moment Lisa was killed.
The slightest shock of sympathy that Twilight had as she ran to her friend was enough time for Wallace to fire another three-shot burst. Her half-hearted attempt at reestablishing the shield was too late. She collapsed on top of Lisa.
***
Julie, Fluttershy, and Rarity stared at the grenade, frozen, waiting to meet their fate. Colonel Stone had a gleeful, sadistic smile as he counted. When he hit two, the door burst open, and a figure hurled itself to the middle of the room, tossing the grenade out the window.
“What are you doing here?!” Alex screamed, staring at Rarity as Applejack helped up the others. “Get out!”
Even before the breach of the inner perimeter, Alex and Applejack had tried to circumnavigate, and had succeeded in drawing some fire away from the mages. When they reached the far side, Alex had spotted Rarity, and insisted on following her.
On the top floor of Carousel Boutique, all was confusion. Colonel Stone drew his weapon and the Equestrians dove for cover.
“Listen,” said Julie, “someone’s got to get out. I’m supposed to get to Earth and find Bastian. He’s supposed to be the one who does the negotiations once this is all over. He’s the smartest we have, and it’ll work better if it’s a human on our side.”
“Yes, let’s all get out,” said Rarity. She stood up, her horn flaring with the teleportation spell.
Alex ran after Rarity. Applejack ran after Alex. Fluttershy ran after Applejack. Julie ran after Fluttershy. With his quarry all closing, Stone pulled the pin on a second grenade and concealed it in his clothes. As the only American to be aware that the spell was not a killing one, his only concern about Rarity’s horn was of touching something he considered unclean. He vanished, and his uniform fell to the ground. Applejack went through it to discard the grenade.
“Forget it, Applejack!” said Alex. “Just run!”
Rarity looked, seeing Alex go to his assigned partner instead of her. Remembering Luna’s dictum, she ran for the stairs. The grenade went off. Alone, it might not have done as much damage, but it set off all the others in his belt. Julie was catapulted into Fluttershy, leaving them to bleed out together. Alex fell as well, riddled with shrapnel. His last act was to reach for Applejack’s hoof.
To her credit, Rarity did not consider the damage to her shop at all as she galloped for the Gate.
***
All battles must end, and the quiet as the circle fell was eerie. Luna and Olivia broke through after Twilight, saw her and Lisa reach the building, and heard the shots. Daring not to fear the worst, they followed after.
Luna did not bother with magic. She kicked in the door and bypassed the stairs, flying straight up and blasting a hole in the second floor.
Ed still had his rifle trained, but as he saw the figure that hung in the air, the same that had cast fear of eternal night into ponies, he weighed his loyalty to his general and his country against his fear.
He dropped his weapon and ran for his life.
Seeing no other resistance, Luna turned and soared right for General Wallace, with Olivia leaning forward from her neck.
Wallace was a quick thinker and a quicker observer. In the moment he had, he condemned and forgave Ed for his cowardice, and realized, tactically, that he had lost. Two were attacking, and he had time to shoot one, but the other would reach him.
His next thought was that, if he was bound for hell, he was damned well going to take an escort with him. He reached for his sidearm. The glowing horn and the glowing hand met the sparking gun.
A moment later, there was only one living soul in the room. Amidst victory, the last Equestrian in Ponyville wept.
Celestia stared out the window as pegasi prepared heavy gray clouds to be moved in a system toward Ponyville. She had asked them to set up for a heavy storm, fearing that much blood would have to be washed away.
The princess was so attuned to the nature of Equestria that she could sense magic or Earth pony powers just as she could feel the heavy air of the rainstorm. When a figure entered the castle court, she knew it had done so by magic, but could not dare to hope to who it was.
She took a deep breath and turned. The first thing she saw was Olivia.
Her face had the stillness particular to the dead. There was no question of any chance to save her. She was still being carried by Princess Luna, glued to her back by crimson. Luna looked in Celestia’s eyes, and collapsed to her knees, laying her head on the marble floor.
“What happened?” she asked.
“It is done.” Luna’s voice was without emotion. “At the last moment, the human leader was captured.”
“Then we have the chance we hoped for.”
“Yes.”
Celestia turned away from her sister. “I will make the arrangements.”
Luna nodded. Only when Celestia had left the room did she allow herself to collapse to her knees. She refused to let her tears flow. Not yet.
Celestia was only a moment, and on her return knelt and placed her head on Luna’s neck. “What happened?”
“I would not speak of that.”
“Not even to me?”
Luna took a deep breath. “In the last instant, we had their general cornered. He knew that he would be taken, and determined to bring one of us down anyway. I begged in my heart for it to be me. Even though I am the more powerful mage, no matter will come of our victory, I wished I could have spared the child this pain.
“I wonder what he was thinking in that moment. He could have brought his weapon to bear on me. He had to raise it, and I was the lower target and the larger one. And yet, he instead took the more difficult path. He chose to bring down one of his own. Could this be a sign of hope for our cause? That he did not so shun the species that is alien to him, but had a greater fear of what he saw as a traitor to his race? Perhaps there is room to reach him still.”
“Perhaps,” said Celestia. “But his motivation might have been the simple instinct of self-preservation.”
“I saw his eyes. He knew our spell would touch him
“Nonetheless, he might have had a precognitive survival instinct.”
“How do you mean?”
Celestia turned her eyes away. “You see, had he chosen to shoot you, to murder my sister, then his heart would presently be impaled on my horn.”
***
The appearance of Rarity on Earth should have caused a sensation in the news, since it was the first time that a pony had used a Gate. Unfortunately for the media, Rarity proved to be unflappable in the face of their questions, and single-mindedly devoted to finding her goal.
Her technique was one she had honed when facing the fashion press: keep your hooves moving. She would answer any question, even if it was only a “no comment,” but never would she stop, even to look at a map and ask directions, unless there was no one else in sight.
That she was in enemy territory never even occurred to her.
Bastian did not live far from the Gate’s output point, and Rarity was able to locate him before the American government could react. He had heard of her arrival and was waiting outside.
“Rarity, you shouldn’t have come here.”
“Neither should you. Though it is fortunate you are here. We need you in Canterlot.”
“What for?”
Rarity put on her best pleading face. “To end the war.”
“I can’t do that. I don’t even belong in Equestria.”
“Bastian, from the beginning, nothing has happened as it was supposed to. We were supposed to have reached your entire population. You should have been integrated properly into your own society. When humans did come to Equestria, the right thing would have been to welcome them properly and not make them build their own homes. And most of all, this civil war should never have begun. We must learn to act in the moment, on our own principles, not on what we’re told is right.”
He looked around his house. A layer of dust had settled on the furniture, and Rarity seemed not to want to touch anything. “Have you seen any of what the news is saying about the war? No, of course you wouldn’t. They’re saying I won’t be more than another week before everyone’s back on Earth. Their military isn’t taking any casualties at all.”
“It’s true, in a way. But that’s another reason we need you. You know our cause, but not what we’ve had to go through. You’re the only one who can speak for us calmly and rationally.”
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
“We have the American general ready for a, er, negotiating session,” said Rarity, not wanting to disclose how that came to be.
Sensing her deception, he said, “Well, if nothing else, you can’t stay here, so let’s head back to the Gate and get you back home.”
The trip back followed Rarity’s technique of continuous motion. All along the way, through subways and streets, Bastian ran through ideas in his head. Things he would say to the general. Things to distinctly not say to the general. He even considered the weight of what he was being asked to do and how many people, human and pony, it would affect.
What he did not allow himself to think about was that this could be his chance to return to Equestria permanently. That if he became the man who ended the war, his old doubts might leave him, and he’d be content at last.
He pointedly did not consider those.
The ponies had reestablished a Gate in Canterlot, and it was this one that Rarity took Bastian through. Since the battle had taken place in Ponyville, there was no visual evidence that anything was amiss. Princess Celestia witnessed the return from the tower of the castle.
“Luna, dear, he has come. We have our next hope.”
Luna nodded. She still clung to Olivia.
“Will you not make yourself presentable and greet him?”
“Nay, sister. I would ask you to advise him.”
Celestia turned away from the window. “I thought you had made a connection with him. Didn’t you take him on a night ride once?”
“I have, but still I would ask you to take the lead in this case. I have reasons I would prefer not to discuss.”
“Poor sister. I sometimes forget, with so many subjects to take care of, to give you my full attention. You did an amazing thing today, sacrificing yourself so that I need not be in the battle. And how long you’ve been away, to return and come so close to losing it all again, it must be difficult.”
Luna smiled and gave a small chuckle. “You speak truth, but I am not so selfish as that. I think of our subjects also, particularly our newest ones. And this poor child still clinging to my back holds the first place in my heart. I did not leave her while the battle was fought. And since it is, in one sense, not over, I cannot abandon her now.”
“Then withdraw and hold watch, for our hope enters now.”
“Do one thing for me. Leave Ponyville alone until the final outcome is known. It is hallowed ground, and should not be disturbed.”
Celestia nodded, and Luna retreated to her room. The guards had been dismissed. Alone at last, she allowed herself to weep once more.
Back in the main chamber, Rarity entered with Bastian. Celestia thanked and dismissed Rarity, then brought Bastian up to speed.
“We need you to convince the general to withdraw. Not surrender, for we have no advantage to press. But to agree to peace, and to leave us alone.”
Bastian shook his head. “I’m not sure he has the authority to do that. He’s a general, but not the leader of the military. That’s the president, and there’s no way to talk to him.”
“Then you must convince him to be our advocate with this president. We have done no harm, and that should help make our case.”
He looked at Celestia, and thought about what a large gap existed between their world and that of the general. Celestia herself could never do the negotiations. Even if she had centuries more experience than him, there was no way that Wallace would listen to her.
Gathering he thoughts, he said, “All right, send me in. I’ll do my best.” Then, thinking that to be indecisive, added, “No, I’ll do enough.”
Celestia led him down to the lower part of the castle. “There is one factor I should tell you about now. In order to bring the general here, we had to use magic.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“But our spell was rather…precise. Here are his clothes, which Luna brought back with her. You may consider giving them to him as an incentive to talk.”
The room that Bastian entered was as close as possible to one on Earth. Unlike the quarry-stone castle walls typical of the palace, this was pure white. Ivory? he thought. No, they’d never use that. Maybe pearl . But if he didn’t pay attention, he could pretend it was a plasterboard-and-paint conference room on Earth. He hoped it would put General Wallace in a comfort zone.
As soon as Wallace was brought in, Bastian realized that he would never be able to conduct the negotiations this way. Talking to a nude man would only throw both of them off. He decided to be the bigger man and handed Wallace the bundle, then turned away while he dressed.
Bastian didn’t find the change much better. The tableau of medals didn’t bother him as much as the hat. He so seldom encountered people wearing hats that it put him off. He took a deep breath.
“General Wallace, I’ve been asked by the Equestrians to come here and see if we can’t sort everything out. The US never gave us a chance to talk before they invaded. Even the axis of evil on earth got an ultimatum before the first blows were struck.”
“Not my decision.” Wallace said. Bastian was put off by the drawl, and emphasized his own Yankee accent to compensate. “But what I want to know is what’s going on with my men.”
The briefing that Bastian had been given by Celestia had not gone into detail. He knew there was a battle. He knew that no Americans had been killed, that all were captured and waiting in the dungeon. But he didn’t know the details of how the Equestrians had achieved their victory. “Your men are being well cared-for. I don’t know if anypony has given them their clothes, but I’ll see to it.”
The implications of the situation hit him. If the negotiations were protracted, the army would have to be fed, and given water, and provided with latrines, and all the other logistics. At that moment, Bastian decided to play a hunch. He hadn’t been given specific authority, but he was used to making decisions.
“However,” he said, “It will quickly be a moot point. At the conclusion of this conversation, you and your men will all be released and sent back through the Gate.”
“Excellent. And the rest of you?”
“We’re not capitulating. We know what you want. If you come back, you’ll probably get it. But we’re going to make you come back to get it. You’re going to have to go to the president and tell him you failed. A second attack might well succeed—you know it will—but he won’t know that. First and foremost, though, will be your failure. And it’s you who has to decide what the next step is.
“General Wallace, I don’t know much about you. I assume you fought overseas. I’m sure you fought with distinction and honor. Tell me, honestly. Have you encountered any other enemy more deserving of achieving their aims?”
Wallace hadn’t been given back any jewelry, but he fingered his hands as though used to a ring or a watch. “I’m sure all of them would have said the same thing, had they gotten me in a room like this. But it doesn’t matter. I’m given an order, and I follow it, same as I would expect any of my men to do.”
“That’s the difference here,” said Bastian. “We’re not following orders. We’re all acting on our own impulse. That’s been the case since the first day. Every one of us chose to flip on our TVs or hop on YouTube and watch My Little Pony . You can’t tell people what to like. But from there we grew to a fandom, and a family, and now part of a nation. The territory you’re invading doesn’t have its borders defined by lines on a map, and we’re not part of a fighting force because of where we were born. Hell, I’m just as American as you are. I love the US and all it stands for, when it stands for all the good things in the world. But chief among those is freedom. Freedom and friendship. You can’t be friends if you’re not free.”
“How are we any freer? You took away all the people we need to keep the country going?”
“Where are you from?”
Wallace looked at him skeptically.
“That’s what I thought,” said Bastian. “That doesn’t sound like a Texan talking. This isn’t the same type of conflict as you’ve dealt with. We’re not holding back some resource like energy or workers that we’re planning to sell you later and gouge you for. We’re genuinely saying, ‘Just leave us alone!’ Surely a Texas man can understand that.”
For the first time, he saw the flicker of engagement in Wallace’s eyes. It only lasted for a moment, though, as he went back to scanning the room. “Pretty speeches, but what are you holding out for? You can’t be expecting any reinforcements.”
“We’re not holding out for anything. Look, if I can’t get you to listen to me like I mean what I say, then there’s no point in being here. But if that’s what it comes down to, the proof will come when you’re let go.
“This will be my last word to you. You have the power, right now, to go back, call a news conference, and tell everyone that we’re innocent and should be let go. You could do that. What the result will be, I can’t say. But you could do it. You just have to decide whether or not it’s worth it.”
He walked toward the door, then looked down at his notes. “Oh, there was one more thing I was supposed to mention. You’re aware now that your men were only captured, and never in any actual danger?”
“Yes?”
“Apparently one of them, fellow named Stone, knew that all along. Just thought you should know.”
Bastian left the room, heading back up toward Celestia. On seeing her inquiring look, she said, “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I told him we would let everyone go. I’m trusting to one man’s judgement. But I am going with him to see what happens.”
Wallace wore a skeptical look as he was led from the castle to the new Gate. The men were still stripped and were only handed their clothes as they walked through. They kept the groups to no larger than four. Wallace insisted on watching each of them go and kept a count as they did. To Bastian’s eye, he was deep in thought as he counted.
When the last man had gone through, Equestria was free from invaders for the nonce. The Gate was open to any who had survived and wanted to go back to Earth. Bastian made the first trip and, to his distaste, glued himself to the news.
It didn’t take long. That night, Wallace appeared on all channels. Down in Washington, President Steuben watched with his staff. The initial briefings he had laid out the situation in Wallace’s succinct style: we lost, but they lost worse. He expected a reiteration of that in the conference as he raised the volume.
“Thank you for listening. I’m here to report on our efforts to reclaim the lost citizens known as the enhanced bronies. As some of you may know, they profess a strong desire to remain in their new land, despite all the damage done here at home. And so it is that they fought valiantly and bravely in defense. Nonetheless, our armed forces were able to enter and, without any casualties, destroy the infrastructure. A second incursion will be necessary, but there is no doubt as to its outcome.”
Bastian, watching from his home, swallowed and got ready to head to the Gate with the news as Wallace continued.
“But if that second incursion occurs, I will not be there to lead it. As of this moment, I am resigning my commission in the United States Army.”
Steuben stood up. “What the hell?!”
“While in that other land, I witnessed things I’d never seen before. Not only breaches of the laws of physics, but people acting contrary to every known psychology of war. The Equestrians are not our enemies, and if we make them so, we will find ourselves on the wrong side of history. Still, that is for you to decide, as I am no longer in charge of this.”
In the White House, Steuben reached for a phone to call the networks. “We’ve got to cut him off.”
His chief of staff shook his head. “Can’t do that. Makes you look like the bad guy. And some schmuck with a cell phone will have the rest on the internet in ten minutes. Plus I think he’s done.”
Indeed, Wallace was walking off camera despite the reporters pestering him with questions. He got into his car and drove away, fast enough that none of the reporters could keep up.
The reaction on the news sites was overwhelming, particularly when someone added up the amount of pay the incursion force needed for the time spent and posted it on a blog at the New York Times. By midnight, Steuben’s approval rating was hovering around single digits. He stayed up late with his staff drafting the resolution against further hostilities.
Bastian, of course, knew none of the private details, but he could still tell which way the wind was blowing. With no need to sleep, he continued monitoring the news web sites into the night. He also packed a bag. As the sun was coming up, he headed for the Gate.
In his mind he was putting together what he would say to Princess Celestia, and so he almost missed the hooded figure also heading to Equestria. He was so preoccupied that he didn’t think it odd that another would be returning through that gate, but when the other fellow said, “Excuse me,” Bastian recognized the accent.
“General Wallace?”
“Justin, now. Not a general anymore.”
“What are you doing here?”
Instead of responding, Wallace lifted the waistband of his hoodie and turned around. Bastian could not mistake the two budding wings growing from his upper back.
“Didn’t want to let anyone know,” he said. “In the first place, it might damage the peace that will occur if some people think I’ve gone over to the other side. In the second, the head of the Air Force would never let me live it down.”
They both had a good laugh over that, then walked through the Gate.
Once on the other side, Wallace headed off in a different direction, but he turned back and said, “Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention. Colonel Stone, the one you told me about, was court-martialed for failing to disclose vital information to his superior in a combat situation. He’ll see some time in Kansas.”
“Was that what brought you over?”
“Somewhat. You make a persuasive argument.”
“And you have those as well,” said Bastian, pointing at Wallace’s wings.
“They didn’t start until after I made my decision.”
Bastian nodded, and they went their separate ways.
Back in the castle, he reported the good news to Celestia. “There is still some work to be done. It is now when we must send ambassadors to work out a permanent peace treaty, but we will be able to dictate the terms so long as we aren’t too greedy.”
Grinning, she penned a proclamation to be sent out to all ponies and humans.
“But do not send it yet,” she said to her scribe. “There is one who, above all, deserves to know our good fortune before anypony else.” She climbed the stairs to Luna’s chamber.
Luna had laid out Olivia’s body on her bed, and kept her head with its flowing mane draped over the child’s heart. At hearing Celestia enter, she opened her eye, but did not move her head.
“It is done, and we have won.”
Luna exhaled. “Then it was all worth it.”
“Was it? What cost have we paid?”
“Perhaps less than you think. Tell me, what is the good of having two princesses?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Luna shifted slightly, but still kept her close contact. “Deep within the Canterlot archives, there are spells that are forbidden for most ponies to read. It would do you ill to be aware of them, for nopony who rules should have that much power. But for a younger sister, a regent such as myself, it can be trusted to me, since you will always be there to control me at need. One such spell may let us speak to our friends again.”
“Are you saying you can reverse death?”
“Strictly speaking, no. A pony called Twilight Sparkle died, and a human called Lisa Chang died. But the friendship of Twilight and Lisa is immortal, and can be restored. Same with Rainbow Dash and Luke, and so on. I will return to Ponyville and use the spell, but the consequences afterward…the humans and the ponies will not be able to go very far from each other. They may be privy to one another’s thoughts. But they will be alive.
“And this is why I have asked you to leave the site of the battlefield alone. They could not be separated, and so returning the humans would not be an option. But of course, who among them would want to be resurrected knowing that we would not be free and victorious?”
Celestia was stunned. “Why couldn’t you tell me?”
“It is one of the spells that can only be used once. With all of the friends we have lost over the years, would you have withheld it until now?”
Luna leaned her head down and flashed her magic. Gently, Olivia’s body was lifted onto Luna’s back. Her wings spread.
“You mean to bring back Olivia as well?” said Celestia. “Then that means?”
“Yes. You are quick on the uptake, as I knew you would be. I must return to the battlefield, and die with my people, if I am to be reborn for the new Equestria.”
Celestia watched as her sister, who she had swore to protect and avenge, sought her own end. As she reached the sky, she looked to the East and raised the moon. Then, slowly but determinedly, she flew back toward Ponyville.
A few minutes later, a light the color of Luna’s mane spread across the horizon and collapsed into a point.
As the sun broke over the horizon and the rooster crowed, Alex sprang out of bed. Pruning was his favorite chore around the farm, and he wanted to get to it. By the time he found the clippers and reached the outside, Applejack had already cut the first branch.
“That’s fifty,” she said. “Fifty straight days of me beatin’ you to work.”
“It’s not a fair contest. You don’t have to get dressed.”
Their banter came naturally. It would never do any good to get into a fight, not when storming away to cool off was magically impossible. Applejack had welcomed a new hand on the farm, and with Alex’s natural talent for growing, the output of apples only looked to be growing.
In the morning sun, the work was not tiring at all. By noon, Rainbow Dash or somepony would probably bring over a few clouds so that they weren’t sweltering. The long days always ended with a supper big enough to tame the hunger generated by so much work.
“Mornin’, Rarity.”
Alex looked up and waved to where Applejack was looking. “You’re out early today,” he said.
“Immigration day,” Rarity replied. “Now that it’s safe, we’ve got more people coming through every week. But it’s the ponies travelling to Earth that really need the help. For some reason, everypony thinks that because I was the first to go, that I’m some sort of expert. So I’ve had to become one. And now I’ve got to meet my group. So have a pleasant day!”
Alex and Applejack waved to Rarity, then went back to their chores. Alex gave Rarity a silent thanks. She was constantly trying to play matchmaker for him, bringing new human girls over to meet him. He was in no hurry, since he had his pick. His status as a “bound human,” as the survivors of the battle had come to be called, gave him a certain cachet. And being bound to one of the mane 6, well, who could say no to that?
“Hey! Are you fully awake yet?” Applejack gave him a playful nudge with her hoof. “I know you ain’t still fawning over Rarity.”
“No, I’m not.” He looked over the farm and its bounty, then toward the horizon. At the edge he could just see the Gate. “I’m fawning over Equestria, thinking how lucky I am to live here.”
***
As Twilight took her morning coffee break, she closed out some of the library’s ledgers and slipped into the back room. Lisa was poring over a desk with her hands aglow.
“In behind,” said Twilight. It had become their common practice to alert each other to their presence. Both of them tended to get deep in thought and would be startled by sudden noise. Lisa looked up.
“How’s it going?”
“Fine? Any progress on separating bound humans and ponies?”
“I haven’t really done much work on that. I think it’s a fool’s errand. Besides, it’s not so bad living with me, is it?”
“No complaints,” said Twilight.
“Instead, check this out!”
Lisa handed Twilight a book, but when she leafed through, the pages were blank. “I don’t get it.”
“Remember when the parasprites ate the words out of the books? I thought to myself, what if they could regurgitate them? Voila!” She waved her hand and text appeared on the pages. “It’s now a copy of this other one here.”
“I have book-copying spells.”
“This is different!” Lisa showed the excitement she always had when discussing a new idea. “The book can go blank again, and be recopied over and over. I figure that if everypony has one of these, we can lend books without them having to ever leave the library. I call it an m-reader.”
“Oh, that is different. Sounds like it’ll put me out of a job.”
“No, there’ll always be a place for a good librarian. Besides, I don’t have range of more than a few feet, so there’s still some work to do.”
Twilight trotted toward the front door. “Well, put it away for a while. It’s ten o’clock.
It had, in fact, been Lisa who had first suggested that she and Twilight take exercise breaks daily, but with her customary zeal, Twilight had been the one to remember the schedule.
Lisa found the basketball and joined Twilight outside. After casting the spell to harden the grass in order to give the ball bounce, she levitated it for the tip-off.
A few baskets later, Twilight sipped her coffee and said, “Are you sure it’s exercise if we’re just sitting here taking shots magically?”
“It’s magic exercise. We have to keep our powers in shape.” Lisa chuckled. Her white glow stole the ball from Twilight’s pale red. It was awesome to be magical.
***
As Fluttershy and Julie finished their lunch, they talked over flowers and how they would best decorate next spring. Being bound had not changed their lives much at all, since they were always together beforehand. Julie threw the trash away and checked her watch.
“I think it’s time we got going. You know neither of them is happy when we’re late.”
Julie’s flying had improved since the war, to the point where Fluttershy was the determinant of their flight times. Julie was far too polite to point this out, but she wasn’t above tossing her friend a subtle reminder now and then. They took off and headed for Cloudsdale.
Even though the clock was chiming the hour just as they arrived, Rainbow Dash still tapped her hoof and said, “It’s about time!” Fluttershy let it pass.
Julie kissed her husband on the cheek. “How was business this morning?”
“Slow. Free transit between Earth and Equestria may make me unprofitable.”
“Does that mean you’ll move up here permanently so we can stop these half measures?” said Rainbow.
“I might,” said Luke. “I’m sorry that you had to get bound to a married man, and a businessman at that.”
“Oh, I’m not. I wouldn’t change anything about what happened. I just love taking the opportunity to needle you.”
“But I know that you and Fluttershy lead very different lives, and now you’re forced to be together by us.”
“It’s not like that at all,” said Fluttershy. “We always knew that when humans came to Equestria, everypony’s life was going to get a little more complicated. We just didn’t know how it would happen.”
“Yeah, so don’t sweat it,” said Rainbow.
“Oh, and we were supposed to tell you, Pinkie Pie invited us to a special party tonight. Bound humans and ponies only. Think you’re willing to spend some more time on the ground for that?”
“Yeah, that’s worth it. And then we need to give these two some alone time. But that’s for later. Right now, race you to the weather factory!”
“Hey!” said Luke. “I think she uses her binding to me just to make me sweat.” He took off after her with Julie and Fluttershy following. Luke slackened enough and Julie increased her speed until they could hold hands, and the whole group flew in syncopation. Luke and Julie looked into each other’s eyes and spoke silently. Worth it indeed.
***
As the sun set, Princess Luna moved into her position atop the balcony. Already popular with the humans, she had become even more beloved after her role in the war. Without looking, she called back over her shoulder, “Do you want to try again tonight?”
“Now?”
“It is the right time.”
Olivia stepped out from their shared quarters. Her hair blew in the night breeze, and she idly wondered if someday it might not take on the shimmering starlight of her bound partner. She concentrated and activated her magic.
“Are you sure you want me lifting the moon? It’s supposed to be a full one tonight, that’s got to be heavier.”
“In fact it is easier. You don’t have to worry about balancing.”
She concentrated, and managed to bring it halfway up to the horizon before Luna stepped in and set it continuing on its path.
“You will get it soon enough. I appreciate your efforts. I’ve never had an apprentice before.”
Olivia grinned slightly. “I wonder,” she said, “if we are going on patrol tonight…”
“Certainly.”
“If we might not visit Lisa. I haven’t seen her in so long.”
Luna looked to the south. She did not often visit Ponyville, not wanting to think of the events there. “Very well. I should like to see Twilight Sparkle as well. But perhaps, in the future, we might invite them here.”
“That would be nice.”
Although the practice of humans riding ponies had become unpopular again, princesses are exempt from rules, even unwritten ones, and Luna would frequently bear Olivia rather than having the both of them pulled in a chariot. Whatever skill Olivia lacked in magically raising the Moon, she had in being able to ride without giving it her full attention. As they sailed the sky, she took the opportunity to see herself from the outside.
Her star had only risen since her arrival in Equestria. From citizen to mayor to partner of the princess, any human would envy her. But it was the ponies that she appreciated more. None of them knew that her skin color meant a class difference on Earth. Why would they? Ponies came in all colors. She had an opportunity that she could never win on Earth, to truly be judged on the content of her character.
There was an occasional pang of homesickness, but she wouldn’t give up Equestria for the world.
***
As night fell, Bastian looked over the landscape. His friends would all be sleeping. Tomorrow they would rise again to soar among the clouds, to bring forth bounty from the soil, to bend the laws of nature to their will. He had lost count of how many friends he had, and hadn’t tried to tally. Privately, he felt that more credit than he deserved fell on him for the Equestrians’ victory, but he still felt proud. He had faced down a man who wanted to kill him, and made a friend of him.
Whatever the night or the next day would bring, he was ready. He had earned Equestria.
Luke reached over and shut off the alarm clock, then collapsed back onto the mattress. His wife Julie reached over him and gave a yawning moan. They had stayed up quite late the night before. As the two of them shook off their fatigue, Julie rubbed her husband’s shoulders and back.
It was an ordinary morning, the kind they had shared many of. They had no way of knowing that it was a morning that would change the course of their lives.
“Ugh, it’s too early,” Julie said.
“Yeah, but I gotta get up. Can’t be late to work,” Luke said, despite making no effort to rise as Julie continued her massaging.
“Honey? What’s this?” she asked
“What’s what?”
“You’ve got something here on your back. It’s a big lump. Hang on, there’s another one. Turn on the light.”
The sun was out, but a heavy mist limited vision to shapes and forms. Luke reached for the lamp, which was touch-sensitive. After a few random slaps, the room brightened.
“Oh, honey, you’ve got to get these looked at!,” said Julie. “You’ve got two big bumps on your back here, and there’s like hair growing on them.”
“I can’t feel anything.”
“Well, get a mirror or something, but I’m telling you, make a doctor’s appointment today.”
“All right, I’ll call when I get to the job site,” said Luke.
“And be careful driving too. There’s a very thick fog out there.”
“You know, if I weren’t such a wonderful man and loving husband, I’d interpret this as nagging.”
“But you are so wonderful, and you know it. Now kiss me and go get dressed.”
Luke gave Julie a peck on the lips and headed off, trying without success to reach around his back and feel what she was talking about. Throwing on a flannel shirt and steel-toed boots, he made his way to his comfortable old truck. The truck was rusty and loud, but it was paid-for.
He drove slowly as visibility was very short. Concentrating mostly on the road, he kept the radio off, but he still had his mind on Julie. The early fights of their relationship had long since gone ever since they had found something in common that led them to love each other.
To love and tolerate.
Was that silly? To rekindle his relationship over a cartoon? Maybe so, brother, maybe so. All he knew was that he was happy at home and happy at work, and happy is good.
Luke was a roofer. At one time, he would join the other guys in staying out late and getting drunk, then show up at the job sites in the morning ready to pick a fight with the boss. No way he’d get in trouble, as he was union. But that was then. He hadn’t touched liquor for many years. He had a good reputation. The foreman would understand if he was ten or fifteen minutes late, especially considering the weather.
Rolling up to the house, he finished his coffee and set to work. He climbed the extension ladder and found the first pile of shingles. Ca-lack, ca-lack went the nail gun, over and over. Repetitive work, but it gave him time to think, paid the bills, and kept the rain out of people’s homes.
Slapping down a shingle, the morning fog made it slick, and it started to slide down. Luke made a rookie mistake, turning to grab it instead of just letting it go. He lost his balance and slid down the roof. Panic gripped him as he tried to hang on. It was no good, the roof was too slippery. His feet hit the rain gutter and knocked it loose. Out of pure instinct he spread his legs wide. Some twelve feet down, broken bones and months of lost work time awaited him.
But he fell no farther. He had found something solid to brace himself on, though the fog prevented him from seeing what it was. Flailing his arms, he regained his balance. The leg still stuck in the gutter had worse footing than the other leg, and he leaned his weight onto whatever it was that was supporting him. Then he kicked off and collapsed face-first back on the roof.
The sum total of the damage was a scrape burn to his side and the kicked-in gutter. He’d have to report it, but right then he was more curious about what had braced him. He hadn’t remembered a tree or anything behind him, and it felt more like stepping onto a mattress than something solid. Climbing back down the ladder, he peered into the mist. He could see nothing. When the morning sun started burning off the fog a few minutes later, he had a clear view, and there was nothing that could have stopped him. Luke was forced to conclude that he had been the beneficiary of a genuine miracle.
Either that, he thought, or he had somehow learned to walk on clouds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Come on, Alex, you need to spend some time outdoors, and there’s no reason you can’t help me with this gardening.”
“I have nothing against the outdoors, Mom, and I’d love to help you. I just don’t see why it can’t wait an hour.”
“Because I know you. One hour will turn into two, then four, and before you know, it’ll be dark.”
Alex resolved himself to losing the argument. He had been in his room ten minutes ago, preparing for what he considered the most important half-hour of his week, when his mother called him to come outside. She met him dressed in gardening clothes.
His body was outside, but his mind was still in front of his TV set. It wasn’t a major issue; the DVR would record the show and he’d see it later, even watch the chatroom record on Youtube after that. But he wouldn’t be in the chat, or giving real-time comments on the blog. Oh, well, he thought. There was always next week.
“So how does this thing work?” he asked his mother, who was carrying a long-handled garden tool.
“This is a claw cultivator. You put it up against the ground, step on it and dig it in like a shovel. Then twist the handle back and forth to break up the dirt.” She demonstrated, struggling to loosen the tightly packed earth. A couple of square feet were churned up.
“Go up and down and make rows for the vegetables,” she said before heading into the house. Alex looked at the expanse of the yard. This would take forever.
Before he began, he checked the time on his cell phone. 11:45. Fifteen minutes until he would miss it. Fifteen minutes until everyone else got to watch My Little Pony. He stuck the claw in the ground.
He found it easy to cut through the soil. The claw twisted easily and he looked at the tilled earth. It looked like a crumbled up chocolate cake.
“Just the kind Pinkie Pie would probably make,” he muttered to nobody. Dig and twist, dig and twist, up and down. At least the sun was out and it was a nice day. Alex really did like being outdoors. He just didn’t like missing his ponies.
At last the field was tilled. His mom could plant her vegetable garden. He went in through the kitchen and left his shoes at the door. His objectives at that point were, in order, a glass of water, a hand wash, and the recording of Friendship is Magic.
His mother came back in the kitchen. “Taking a break already? You’d better get to work.” Annoyance crept into her voice.
“What break? I’m finished.”
“Don’t give me that. You’ve only been out there five minutes!”
Alex looked at the clock on the oven. It read 11:50. Confusion came onto his face.
“But the field’s done.”
The two of them went to the back door and looked out. Sure enough the results of Alex’s labor lay before them. “Well, I’ll be. How did you do that?” asked Alex’s mother.
“I. . . I don’t know. I thought it took much longer.”
“Well, now you’ve got time to seed it too.”
“Aw, come on! You said you wanted it turned over and I did it! Give me an hour to relax.”
“All right, go ahead, you can do it later.”
“Thanks, Mom!” He raced upstairs to his room and turned on the TV to see the last few minutes of Strawberry Shortcake. He was still confused as to how he had done the job in time, but he chalked it up to reading the time wrong when he first checked.
It wasn’t like he had some special connection to the Earth.
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Lisa Chang loved basketball. She plastered her walls with posters of stars from the NBA, WNBA, and college. In the place of honor at the foot of her bed was the poster of her countryman, Jeremy Lin. When she went to play for her high school team, she knew that she wanted to play the same position as him: point guard.
Lisa went to Centerville High, which was a small district that would have only a few hundred in its graduating class. There was enough money for the basketball program, but not a whole lot of students to choose from, so essentially everyone who joined got playing time. And that worked out for her, since she had absolutely no talent for the game.
Basketball, the coach had told the team, is all about shooting. All the skills of passing, footwork, positioning, and defense were secondary to getting the ball through the hoop. That was something that each player either had or didn’t. The rest could be taught and coached, but shooting was innate. Lisa had discovered quickly that she didn’t have the ability.
But she could and did bust her tail learning all those other skills, and fortunately for her, the position she chose was the one where she could best cover up her deficiency. She knew the playbook backwards and forwards. She became a superb dribbler. She had, on occasion, committed turnovers by having passes tipped and picked off, but never had an opposing player simply stolen the ball as she was dribbling down court or setting up a play. On defense, though, she caused many such turnovers, and a dozen steals in a game was a good average for her. The ball just seemed to come to her when she wanted it.
When she would look back on the game where she first experienced it, she wished, for dramatic purposes, that it had been a championship game. It wasn’t, but it was a rivalry game. North Centerville had a much larger student body and all their players had height and talent advantages over Lisa’s team.
Packed into the Centerville gym, a crowd of parents and friends watched Lisa and her teammates play their hearts out to keep pace with their rivals. Despite their best efforts, they still found themselves down a point in the final period with the shot clock turned off and only a few seconds remaining. Lisa drew up the play in her head and directed her squad for an open look, but before she could pass the ball, the opposing point guard fouled her. She had two free throws to make. Hit both for a win and get carried off the court. Hit one for a tie and play overtime. Miss both and have to face the team in the locker room in shame.
Lisa had tried every way she read of to improve her free throws. Taking them underhand. Taking them from the back of the semicircle. She was still, at best, fifty-fifty on any given shot. Stepping to the line, she decided to take the first quickly to avoid over-thinking it. Clang went the ball as it hit the back of the rim, the “brick,” and bounced out. One more chance left.
She stood, dribbling the ball, trying to focus. This time she would pace herself. An idle thought came into her head. Wasn’t pacing herself how Twilight Sparkle won fifth place in the Running of the Leaves? Focus, she told herself. This is no time to be thinking about ponies!
She stopped dribbling, set herself, and released. She had the right distance this time, but was off-target to the right. The ball hit the rim and started rolling around. One rotation, two rotations, three. Its momentum was keeping it balanced perfectly on the rim, but it was slowing down and soon would pick a side to land on. Lisa hadn’t moved, her left hand still bent backwards as it had cradled the ball, her right still bent forwards in the follow-through.
The ball came to an almost dead stop on the rim, then eased its way toward the outside. “Oh, come on!” Lisa shouted, audible over the murmurs of the crowd. And then the ball reversed its course and slipped through the rim, so gingerly that it came to rest in the net below and didn’t fall through.
The crowd roared. Her teammates laughed at the shot and hugged her. She stood stunned, wondering if she should tell anyone about what she had seen while everyone else was mesmerized by the spinning ball.
Instead she joined her friends and concentrated on the overtime. It was no contest. The foul from the opposing guard had been enough to take her out of the game, and, facing a backup, Lisa was able to force turnovers and set up plays at will. Centerville won by twelve points, and the team was all smiles in the locker room. They laughed and joked about the tying shot, and Lisa laughed with them, never mentioning how, as she kept her hands pointed toward the basket and put all her might into willing the ball through the hoop, she had seen a faint sparkly glow come from her hands just before the shot went in. After all, it was probably just her eyes playing tricks on her.
Not as though she could do magic.
