"We have a problem." Paul tapped at his cellphone, back to being human, as he'd largely gotten used to. "I'm very sorry, but this is a national security concern." He didn't want to call them, ever. He had lied into presidency. He was perfectly happy to be forgotten about. "Yes, I understand the consequences for lying about this, on this line. I can't say a further word." That phone of his was far from secure. "I can only say I'm speaking the truth."

The mountain was formidable, trying to turn them back at every turn. "I have a better idea, and a chance to show you what I have in mind." Grogar turned to the small house of a pony who live nearby. "That one is enjoying our struggles. Perhaps he can, instead, help us."

"I tried!" wailed Cozy Glow, throwing her hooves up. "He wasn't listening."

"He should have." He smirked as he stepped down, crunching snow beneath him. "It would have won him a few more days."

Cozy and Tirek both looked nervous at the sinister hint of his voice. "What do you have in mind?" asked Tirek, walking alongside his new employer.

"Ponies are little wonderful pools of magic." Grogar glanced aside at Tirek. "You know this, little vampire. You made copious use of it."

"Sure, sure." Tirek shrugged softly. "How does that help? You want me to suck them dry?"

"You would like that, wouldn't you? No, I have better uses for them..." Grogar charged up to the door of the little abode and brought up a hoof, slamming it on the wood hard enough to make it bend and bounce in response. "Open up!"

"What now?" The door opened to reveal the elderly pony. "What is it? Ah ain't got a thing."

"I disagree," stated Grogar simply. He wheeled about and thrust his horn into Tirek's chest, forcing a loud grunt of pain from the centaur as the horn glowed with power before he ripped it free. "There we are. You'll get better. This will work better with the bell, promise."

"I, uh." The pony was backing away from the violence. "This won't get you up the mountain."

"But this will." A strange swirling mass of darkness with little motes of light emerged from Grogar's horn, encompassing the pony. "Now become more useful, I insist." The elder pony wailed in horror, form lost in the darkness and Grogar's laughing.

Tirek rubbed where he had been jabbed. "That rather hurt... What did you do?"

"Tapping into a hidden bit of your power." Grogar gestured at the dark energy as it began to fade, the building around the pony exploding outwards as what was once an old pony was revealed to be a sizable dragon. "There is a reason I recruited you."

Cozy rubbed her cheek with the flat of a hoof. "I don't want to be stabbed like that, but do I have a secret power like that? What is it?!"

"That was the rainbow of darkness." Grogar pointed up the mountain that had stifled them. "Dragon. You will do as I say. Get us to the top."

What was once an old pony had little choice in the matter, showing them the proper way up. Grogar follower after with a wry smirk. "Did you think I recruited you randomly? Each of you, even that lunatic bug, has a purpose. Hm, she's almost late..."

Chrysalis landed beside them as if called, rubbing the spot she had been shot in. "I'm here. What'd I miss, and when did dragons join this... team...?" She noticed Tirek rubbing almost the same place. "What, did you get shot too?"

"Shot? Grogar ran a horn through me," huffed the centaur. "And he says I have a magic I never saw before." He gestured at the back of the dragon they were following. "Behold the result."

"Swift Swim!" hollered her mother, waving the paper wildly held in her talons. "How could you?!"

"I was protecting a friend," defiantly defended the little satyr, her arms crossed. "I will not say sorry."

"Swift..." She turned to her husband. "She got this from you, um, your people. You talk some sense into her."

He knelt down next to her. "What was that jerk doing?"

"He was picking on my friend, who's a lot smaller. He loves picking on small kids." Swift grinned a little. "He sure got less tough with a good kick. He started the fight though, promise."

"And you ended it," completed the father, glancing at his worried wife and back to Swift. "Just don't forget."

"Don't forget what?"

"It's easy to say you were the good guy here, but being stronger means always keeping an eye out that you don't become the bully."

"I would never!" she gasped out in alarm. "I'm a good guy."

"Thatta girl." He mussed the top of her head.

"That is not talking sense into her!" She waved the paper at him. "We have to sign this."

"And I will." He reached for the paper. "I will not scold my daughter for standing up to a bully. More people should do that."

Her father got it! "Thanks, Dad!"

Said mother danced back with a scowl. "You're not taking this seriously at all." She set the paper down. "If this happened in Seaquestria, this would be a big deal, a huge deal!"

"But this isn't there," he countered. "She didn't start it, and she didn't hurt anyone. She did nothing I'm going to yell at her for."

Her father really got it! Swift started to grin, understanding she had an adult at her side. "I'd never pick a fight, promise."

"I don't understand either of you." She threw up her talons high. "You were in a fight. You were fighting."

"He started fighting. I won it," countered Swift with a firm nod. "Mom, I get it."

"Do you?" She leaned in, peering at her strange child who was very little like her father or mother. "I don't get it."

"That's a parent thing." Swift suddenly darted forward, hugging her befuddled mother. "Love you anyway."

With a slow rolling sigh, she gently held her child, as confused as she was. "I love you too..."

Sunburst sipped from a floating cup of coffee as he watched a screen several of his associates were also watching. Technically, it didn't involve them, not directly. Ships were launched all the time. This one was just a little special. "Think it'll work?"

One of his associates nodded. "Not much reason for it not to." He gestured at the screen. "They got a flock of pegasi to make sure the sky's always clear over a nice dry patch of land."

"And they'll beam power down?" asked Sunburst with some befuddlement in his voice. He had not learned all of the tricks of human science. Even humans didn't learn all of it. They had specialists. Well, so did ponies, really. "How does that work?"

"The specifics are out of my pay grade." He took his own sip of the life-giving brew from his own cup. "Seems 'space air', which is a concept I find hilarious, blocks light differently than 'ground air'. They can get more light through up there, gather it, send it down to us down here." He raised his cup. "I'm more surprised they got the clear from environmental."

"True..." If the pegasi were doing their job, the area would be kept bone dry to keep things moving smoothly. "How big is the clear zone?"

"Small. Probably the only reason it got approved." He shrugged softly. "So, hey, pardon me if this is a rude question, but how are the implants working?"

"It... was very strange at first." Sunburst raised a hoof to nudge at one of the round discs on his head. "Everything sounded strange, but... It's hard to explain. I could hear... Losing that, and getting it back... I didn't care if it sounded odd."

"I bet... You're supposed to be wearing these huge muffs when you shoot that thing." The scientist patted Sunburst's shoulders. "And you went all Rambo on it."

"You... get used to it." He swiveled an ear at his friend. "I couldn't tell you it's much different now. The brain is a wonderfully complex and amazing thing, just... kind of adjusted for it?"

"Here's to brains." The scientist offered his cup and soon they collided, a toast made with coffee. "Let's use ours after this show's done."

"In other news, historians are taking note of a second baby boom." A panel opened up, showing a batch of infants of varying species, right next to a graph going upwards. "It's not just affecting humans, but all races that took part in the first World War of this strange new world. Here's to hoping it will also be the last."

"The race for president is going strong," announced the male anchorperson. "With Democratic Julia Stein aiming to be the first female president."

A window popped open, showing the would-be president shaking hands with a pony, fingers around the pony's hoof, the two sharing a hoof. "As America experiences a new wave of immigrants, we are reminded that such people make us stronger. We are all immigrants to this land. Some of us, immigrants to this entire world. The concentrated efforts of people across the seas, in the air, and on the land are making tomorrow brighter than what our parents left to us. It's up to us to safeguard this." She released the pony, the two sharing a nod. "The strength of America builds from within and without. We will lead the way forward with friends at either side." A great rumble of clopping hooves and clapping hands filling the sound before that window snapped shut.

"Speaking of newly made friends. Elon Musk has signed up several tatzlwurms to work for the Boring Company to dig quickly to allow their boring machines to finish the task in less than half the time!"

A new window appeared, showing a worm digging along. The camera was behind it, watching it retreat away as personnel followed, seeming to take measurements and plant things along the wall.

"In related news, Visas for skilled workers has been officially modified to account for 'natural abilities' or non-human workers who may have difficulty proving work experience. It would be quite a sight to see those worms offering a resume before now. It opens the way to less-privileged workers who still have valuable skills wanted in the United States."

They had arrived at the cave they wanted, the entrance sealed with magic. Grogar tapped against it impatiently. "I see..." He turned to his assembled lackies. "Tirek, want to show off those muscles of yours?"

"I would, but I haven't had a drop of magic in too long." Trirek scowled at the goat. "And someone took a bit of what I had left. Thanks."

Grogar fixed eyes with Chrysalis. "Feed him, now."

"No."

"Feed him or everyone else here tears you apart. Which is it?" His eyes darted. "Yes, even you would get a turn." He looked back to Chrysalis as Cozy pumped a hoof.

"Ugh, will he give it back when we're done?" she demanded, pawing the ground with a hoof.

"He better, or we take a turn with him." He glared at his minions, having clearly no love to spare for any of them. "Go on."

Chrysalis surrendered her magic, not in any moment of solidarity, but in shared fear of her 'employer'. Tirek swelled with her power, vanishing down his gullet. "Yes! This is more like it..." He grabbed the magic and began tearing it open, not that it was easy to do. He could barely work open a little hole.

Grogar fixed Cozy with a look. "Your turn. Go on, get it, get out. Do this and we can advance to the next stage."

"You're kidding me. My super power is being small? That's not a power!" Despite her angry words, she wriggled through the hole provided and scurried into the cave, complaining the entire time.

Soon, Grogar would be able to start things properly.

Author's Note

Happy New Year! Let's get things going...

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