The Measure of Her Reachby XimerChaptersIt StartsIsabella and the CatSomething CrypticA Name? Umm...Lystra?It StartsThe frontline had bogged down as Impulse Spark had been cornered in the outlands. What was once thought to be a place depleted of its resources was found to be thriving with a populace devoid of law, the perfect place for a fugitive to set up camp and try to take one more shot at revenge. What the unicorn hadn't expected was a group with a bit less mercy than Twilight and her friends to be hot on his tail, this time with a bit of Equestrian military to solve any problems. The fighting had been escalating as unfinished models were forced out of Impulse Spark's make shift work shops, though all of that was starting to come to a halt as more of his "workers" were being arrested. Impulse didn't have to wait long to be reunited with his first creation Zero, and the human that had set him down this path. It was an odd feeling, watching Zero stand shoulder to shoulder with the one that had ruined his family and finances. Both had helped to save Equestria from Flicker and now they were here to do the same once again, even Zero appeared to have skin, fur and facial expressions, though they were most likely a glamor of some kind. "Just give up peacefully before the guards get here Impulse, you know how this will go down." Daniel said as he and Zero started to separate, approaching from two different sides. "I've come to far to just give up to you now." Impulse replied as his façade of calm started to fade away trying to keep track of both of them. "You should be ashamed Zero, helping the human you were built to defeat." Zero stopped and looked at Daniel before looking back to Impulse. "I'm more than what you made me to be. Just like you can be better than this, but you've hurt innocent ponies and have caused a lot of damage...please don't let anger blind you like it did Flicker or your father." "One day you will both know of my pain...maybe not today, but soon..." Impulse smiled as his horn started to glow. "Okay Zero we tried it your way, plan B?" Daniel asked. "Plan B." Zero conceded before both darted towards the unicorn, Daniel catching a blast of magic as Zero slammed into his creator. Daniel was quick to get back on his feet, which stunned and occupied Impulse before he received a muzzle full of metal from Zero as his hoof connected. The human was quick to join in the brawl, wasting little time on grabbing Impulse's horn and gripping it tightly, blocking the flow of magic from channeling through it. Impulse spat and cursed until he felt a solid fist from the human hit his barreled chest over and over. "Ping Pong, go!" Zero shouted before Impulse was flung towards the metallic pegasus. Impulse soon found himself being knocked back and forth between the pair before being bodied against the hard floor by Zero making his gasp for breath as his torture came to an end. It felt as if his entire body was on fire from pain, his nerves struggling to catch up to what the pair of Equestria's defenders had done to him as he lay spasming on the floor. He wanted to know how they were so monstrously strong, how Zero had become what he had envisioned, but only a whimper escaped his throat. "Impulse Spark, you're a wanted fugitive...you're under arrest." Zero said looking down on his creator. Five Months Later. Isabella was resting peacefully after the birth of her twins. While there had been quite a bit of speculation over what the out come would be it was quite surprising when one appeared to be a normal human, while one was a perfectly normal unicorn...well, as normal as appearances go. Very early on, they had found out that this little filly had an odd magic trait. One that nopony seemed to be able to explain. Just one look into her eyes, at random times, could cause instant paralysis, which seemed to get stronger with each passing day. Her human son seemed to be unusually strong for an infant, giving both of his parents a bit of trouble when being held, to the point earth pony maids had to be called to assist in normal activities. Isabella felt sure that it had to be her own fault for going on so many expeditions and joked that she may have picked up a curse or two from Earth. Still, she loved her children and named their son Hercules given his strength, and her love for myths and the past. While Blueblood named their daughter Iris trying to keep both of their bloodlines in mind. Even as she rested she knew her brother and others were dealing with issues related to the lands that lay just beyond Equestria. The brief conflict with what remained of the Storm King's forces, and Impulse Spark's own interference had left them in bad shape. It was a bad situation for all the beings that called it home, and without any form of leadership the area would no doubt destabilize once again and it would be a problem that Isabella had seen time and again repeated from her own world. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who was asked, this hadn't gone unnoticed. The human now found herself in an odd predicament being married to a prince who had been in talks with the leaders of Equestria, trying to come to a decision on the best course of action. Her brother had hero status, of course, but he had turned it down as they kind of predicted he would. Though he did promise to help in any way he could, which didn't solve the leadership issue. It was obvious all the princesses were a bit nervous about Blueblood being put in charge of a project this big, but it was reaching a point that decisive action needed to take place, and soon. The other issue was that some in the court weren't thrilled about Isabella's presence, nor the union or resulting children and heirs that came with it. Some in the court had preferred the cocky, arrogant, and smug Blueblood as opposed to the tamer version that the human seemed to have brought out of the stallion. The old Blueblood was easy to predict, and easy to control and keep in line with rules, but this new outlook that the prince had seemed to stem from the ideas Isabella had or talked about from her old world. In the end the courts that disliked Isabella had little say in Blueblood being put in charge of the Outlands, which would need a new name once everything had been settled and everything was back on track. Thankfully the prince's new outlook on life didn't leave him disillusioned with the circumstances. He was aware that he was being given a problem to solve that the others couldn't manage to shoulder the extra burden of their own leadership responsibilities and take on a new one. Isabella wasn't thrilled with the news either, for different reasons, but she did realize the need to step up in a time of need. Most women from her world could only dream about being a princess, but she was having to start from the ground up with a prince. Isabella had been traveling most of her life, and had seen much of her own world, places that few could ever claim to have seen. Since knowledge was such a valuable tool for a career choice such as hers, she considered herself to be quite smart despite her spit fire attitude. Among the things she had a good grasp on, was the inner workings of politics which she was beginning to realize, she was going to have to utilize one way or the other now. Isabella knew her history was filled with countless examples of leaders who had done well, but failed completely as parents, and the generation to come always seemed to suffer. As she held her children she had already started to map out in her mind what she needed to do. Her brother had helped regain the area, now she had to help do her part that had been asked of her. Author's Note First hi again, and thanks for giving this a once over. I did give Isabella her own story once before but it was kind of a half hearted attempt at it and she wasn't really flushed out into her own yet. So I'm giving it another go. Isabella and the CatIsabella looked around quietly at the destruction that had gone on from the fall out between two major conflicts. Even with time having passed already it was as if recovery had been slowed due to all the red tape that was getting in the way, but the ponies and other beings that called this region home had had just about everything taken from them. Even taking a moment to see how bad the situation was for herself was something she felt uneasy about with all the looks she was getting. This hadn't been like her time in Ponyville when she was the new face on the block, no this was malice and distrust. Yet they had been told by another source that Blueblood and her would be in charge of things. This was not how she was hoping to start things off, in fact this was one of her worst case scenarios. Even if she could defend herself, what would that accomplish if she was trying to win their favor? All hurting them would do would make them more upset and give them a reason to start all of this all over again. Still, she had an idea of where to start now, while Blueblood had been busy with his own issues. Isabella felt something bump into her as she was trying to make her way quickly back home. She looked down to see a rather feline face looking back up at her whose owner quickly fell back in a bit of fear. Isabella laughed to herself as she knelt down offering her hand out to the child that seemed to be dirty and a bit on the skinny side, though she couldn't be too sure since she was really only familiar with ponies, which was something she needed to work on. "I'm not going to bite, you know?" Isabella spoke up, knowing the two guards that were with her were keeping an eye out. "I....I'm sorry." the small cat spoke up, stammering a bit as she spoke. "Hmm, a bit of a tip though-" Isabella said reaching around behind the cat and to the cat's shock producing a rather sizeable bag of bits. "-I've had this trick pulled on me before, maybe be a bit craftier next time." The cat had no explanation for this, save for a few stammering's before giving up. Even as the two guards made themselves known, Isabella didn't see this as something negative. She needed someone who was living this type of hardship to let her know where to start and if she was right. Not only that, but she only had the bare minimum in terms of knowledge of cultures on this world which seemed to be far numerous than she thought. "It's okay, you're not in trouble. You just wanted food, right?" Isabella asked receiving a nod from the kitten. "I'll make you a deal, you give me that back and I'll give you some." "You mean you're not mad?" the cat asked, her tail swishing behind her like she had seen their Earth counter parts do countless times. "No, I'm not. I might have been at one point, but things change. That's kind of why I want to talk to you...will you come with me?" Isabella asked again, taking note of the cat's eyes falling on the guards. "They're not going to do anything, what's your name?" "Hazel, and I guess I can." Hazel replied, though her ears and tail betrayed her true thoughts on the matter making Isabella laugh a bit as she led her new acquaintance towards the compound they were staying at. True to her words once Isabella and Hazel were past the gate the guards didn't bother to follow them in. At first Hazel wondered why, until she saw how many troops there were inside. A vast number were at the two royals' disposal but she had opted to bring her here instead. The feline was more than a little curious now as she looked up at Isabella who was giving assurances that she was her guest to which Hazel nodded. This seemed to appease the guards, for the most part who still kept to their post despite what the human had told them. "They don't stop huh?" Hazel asked. "They do, you just have to catch them at the right time." Isabella replied. "Speaking of the guard, there should be one more guest coming later today, though he may be a bit late." "How many guard do you need?" Hazel quizzed, her tail slowly swishing back and forth. "He's less for me, I honestly don't need as much protecting as one might think....you'd actually be the first one to see them." Isabella smiled, taking note of Hazel's confused expression. "You'll need this though, her magic doesn't seem to work on immediate family, but on others...it can be pretty intense." Isabella placed a charm hanging on a hook near a door around Hazel's neck which started to glow as soon as she opened it. Inside was colorful room filled with different toys, stands, and what looked like normal things one would expect in a foal's room. There in a crib slept a small baby unicorn filly. She was red in color with a yellow mane that matched both her parent's hair. What appeared to be a smaller human slept beside the foal, the two sleeping soundly together. "Not that I don't mind wearing this, but...they're both just babies." Hazel commented making Iris fuss a bit before her eyes slowly started to open as her horn lit up. As Iris' eyes opened just enough to catch a glimpse of who was making all the noise, Hazel felt a chill run through her body, but nothing more. The foal's horn stopped once she felt herself being lifted up by Isabella, her attitude shifting a bit as she cooed and babbled sweetly, leaving Hazel to try and shake of the chilling experience. Isabella looked down at the cat sheepishly. "Sorry, I've been hoping to try and have that under control before taking Iris and Hercules public. I guess you felt why?" "What was that just now? Was that the foal?" Hazel asked in disbelief receiving a nod from Isabella. "Iris was born with a odd magic trait that we aren't quite sure where it comes from exactly, but it can cause parlays in anyone that she looks at. While this little chunk-" Isabella smiled down at the baby just starting to wake up. "-can only have earth ponies deal with his strength, though he has less outburst than his sister." Hazel had a lot of questions but seemed stunned by what she was seeing, until she heard a new set of hooves behind her, to which Iris excitedly reached out before being levitated over in a glowing mist. There, a proud stallion stood, keeping the foal floating with his magic as Iris seemed overjoyed at the sight of what the Cat could only assume was her father seeing as how he didn't seem put off one bit to look Iris in the eye. "I didn't realize we had a guest today." Blueblood said addressing Hazel. "Prince Blueblood, pleased to meet you. I see you've already met most of my family." "I had a little chance encounter with Hazel here, she seems like a well behaved kitten." Isabella said winking at the Cat as she was noticing the signs of stress coming from the feline as her tail twitched a bit from anxiety. "I was hoping to get the chance to talk to her about somethings, since she has been here her whole life and has seen a lot of the area before us." Blueblood nodded seeming to catch onto what Isabella had in mind. While they didn't see eye to eye on everything, after just getting out of meeting after meeting with boorish court upper crust over what could be done, perhaps if he already had a plan and worked to make sure they couldn't raise objections, then he could start to prove that he was more than a pretty muzzle. "Is that why you really brought me here?" Hazel asked raising an eyebrow. "It's one reason, that and you did look like you needed some food, speaking of it should be about lunch time by now. Why don't you join us and if you don't like my idea I won't keep you, no hard feelings." Isabella shrugged. "That's it? You wouldn't be mad or....anything?" Hazel asked confused. "Should I be?" Isabella smiled knowingly, making Blueblood snicker a bit. He could tell something else had happened, and that Celestia may have rubbed off on Izzy more than she would admit to with her antics when she was "negotiating." Something CrypticHazel seemed ravenous as she consumed the food that was set before her. The Feline had assumed that it would be mostly unfavorable vegetables or other pony food, but she hadn't considered that the princess was a fan of all foods, though she seemed to stick to a pretty well rounded diet. Blueblood seemed to be tied up in whatever it was he was doing, two bottles covered in a magic aura as the twins got their fill. "I guess we picked a good time to eat huh?" Isabella asked, getting Hazel's attention. "S-sorry, it's just been kind of hard on my brother to take care of me and himself." Hazel sighed. "He tries to be an adult, but I know he's just a kitten too." "This is your chance to help make things better. The reason why it was important I talk with you is because you have first paw knowledge of what's wrong, what's needed and who has been hurting the most." Isabella explained. "I can walk around all day long, but if no one talks to me I can only form guesses as to what's going on, same as Blueblood." "It's true," Blueblood nodded as a piece of parchment magically rolled up and was placed on a nearby table. "Not only that, but court seems to enjoy coming up with as much red tape as they can in order to keep their own coffers filled. That's it's own infuriating battle though." Hazel thought for a moment. "But...didn't they send you to help?" Blueblood nodded in confirmation. "That they did, and while some in the inner court have good intentions, it's no secret others have other motives in mind with our presence here. So here we find ourselves in a delicate balancing game of trying to do as much good as we can, without causing further harm. Her brother has already dealt with one such noble who...won't be named." Blueblood had seen to it that Flicker's name had been forever scrubbed out for the shame he had brought upon the noble houses, and to serve as an example. While it had worked for the most part, some had informed him that a small number were still bitter about how the royalty had handled the death. Instead of covering it up they had let the world know that nobility had fallen from grace and stained what they considered a near perfect image. Blueblood had hoped that things would get better with time, but that sadly wasn't the case. Fortunately for him none of the other nobles were willing to go to the same dramatic lengths as Flicker, yet. Unfortunately he did have to deal with them in order to push anything through for the region he had been asked to help re-establish, and they seemed determined to make things difficult. It was as if no matter what ideas he had they always seemed to have some sort of counter to. For this reason he had asked for Zero, knowing that the metallic stallion wasn't swayed by bits or favors, if his worst suspicions were correct. "That sounds easy enough, but won't your friends get mad if they know you're keeping a Cat around...especially one like me?" Hazel asked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Isabella asked catching the Feline a bit off guard. "Just that I'm no noble, I'm no one fancy." Hazel replied. "Most noble ponies come looking for trouble here...or that's what my brother says." "I wasn't born a noble, or a princess. I wasn't even born in this world." Isabella said a bit proud of her less than noble heritage. "Oh...so you aren't one of them?" Hazel tilted her head. "It kind of makes sense, you ears don't look the same." Blueblood and Isabella both stopped though Hazel continued. They looked at each other as if trying to figure out if they had heard the same thing from the young Feline. Surely she didn't mean to imply that there were other creatures that had a human like appearance as Isabella, right? That would be impossible and they would have found them by now, or there would have been some evidence of them. Then again stranger things had been found. "Hazel, there are only three humans, and one is a bit complicated." Blueblood said, catching a brief look from Isabella, though she knew that he was right. Her brother did fall into a bit of a grey area. "Despite all that, he's right though, there's me and my brother...but you've seen something that looks like me?" Isabella asked. Hazel nodded in affirmation as she chewed another piece of food. "Mhmm...they have hoods on most of the time and try to look like us Cats sometimes, or some other things, but they're a lot less friendly." Isabella could hide how she felt quite well, it was something she had learned to do with her new life. She had to keep a lot of her feelings close to her chest, and not wear her heart on her sleeve as often as she once had. The one that she couldn't hide how she felt from, was Blueblood, it was obvious that she was deeply unsettled by this news. What would her brother think? After being separated from their own for so long...was there any truth to what Hazel was saying? Worse still, what would the others think? How would the rest of Equestria react? Blueblood was left to his imagination as Isabella spoke up after taking a deep breath, clearing her mind. "Well, I guess I'll have to meet them too, friendly or not. They can't be all bad, right? In the meantime, why do you tell me a bit about the city, what does your brother do?" Isabella absentmindedly listened, doing her best to try and forget about what she had heard, but the nagging thought lingered. Humans had often spoken of mythical creatures, which Izzy had seen and spoken with which she never though possible. Was it so far fetched that some humans had somehow managed to live in a world of magic? She had made her living off the past, a living that may prove useful in time. Author's Note Surprise A Name? Umm...Lystra?Blueblood sat in what some would consider the most powerful, and most boring position of his life, court. Though Equestria seemed to be rid of its problems, most turned to stone, or settled for good in one way shape or form, that didn't solve the rest of the world's issues which some now fell at his hooves. If this was to truly be a world that could be left behind with a banner of peace and prosperity for others, it fell to him. First though, he would have to get the marks of those who he knew held mixed opinions about him and his house. The prince eyed the murmuring stallions, twelve in total. Though their wealth, age and status varied, what didn't was the almost uniform horn on their head which each seemed to buzz constantly with magic as they fussed over papers and bills before, finally their allotted time had ran out. Blueblood had mostly done what he had done best in his youth when he had been forced to sit in and observe this type of business, ignore them for the most part, unless they had something direct and to the point to day, most of their words were fancy flowered nothings. Charms that upon his ears failed to do little more than annoy him. "If you're all quite finished now," Blueblood said flatly, taking a page from his old methods. "I'd like to propose something...different...a bit of an over hall and experiment for region." "Something you've let that human talk you into?" Regal Glow spoke up the unicorn most vocal against him and his wife. "How many times does this make that something new hasn't worked out for you?" Blueblood wanted to smirk, but kept his expression in check. While His wife had taken most of what Celestia had to teach her about being in court to heart, he had taken a bit after Luna and knew the value of keeping feelings in check when dealing with obtuse members of the court. "You may like this one...your patience is to be rewarded in this land once it is restored, though it only comes once you approve of a few things." Blueblood's cryptic response earned the other's silence as the murmurs came to a stop. A copy of the changes the prince had in mind was passed around to each of the other stallions present as he sat and waited, watching their expressions change as they read over the paper. It was only interrupted by a few gasp, while some laughed, though as expected, there was another unicorn to make his displeasure known to all present. "This...this is absurd! You dare to insult the houses in this manner!?" Bronze Frame shouted, his glasses sliding forward as they often did when he was upset. The thin bodied stallion recoiling as Blueblood stood up from his seat. "If you take it as an insult I suppose that's your business. I'm offering you something Equestria can and never will though, a position in the army that you have call over. The ability to help with a census, actually partake and be active as a head of this region." Blueblood replied. "As for the schools, the farms, the things this population will need to stand back up, that gentleponies of Equestria is why we came here. If you are unfit or unwilling to provide aid to another, it does not speak ill of my character, but yours." "The army you offer would not be in an area settled by us." countered one Noble. "No, this is for civil, noble, and royal protection. Each unit would have a bit of independence to make calls on their own. So no one house is above the other at any given time." Blueblood replied, seeming to ease the concern of at least one so far as the unicorn took his seat once more. "And this call for each tribe to have a representative?" asked another, though his tone was much calmer than the one before him. "The princess has done a fair bit of exploring, she has seen much of the world, far more than I have in one way or another, and even in this area she has seen more beings of this world than those that dwell in Equestria. We are not dealing with just Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies in this area. Which since we are on the topic, has still yet to be given a proper name...it's still just a series of outpost and pipe dream drawings, and if things continue to loop around in circles like they have been these past few days it will still be the same." Blueblood vented his displeasure with the group. "You expect us to agree on every single thing proposed?" Regal Glow asked. "That would be foolish, not to mention tyrannical. I am neither of those things." Blueblood sighed. "Hope can either bloom or die in this room." "I have a counter." came a weary, older voice. One that took Blueblood and many others by surprise. Penny Bottle, an older unicorn had been quietly reading over the proposal and had come to the conclusion that some of these changes, while needed, wouldn't get the needed support as a lump sum bundled together. "An edit to the proposal, that the differing points put forward each be their own separate proposal. Some of these, while good in intention, perhaps need more time before being introduced into such an unstable area." Blueblood listened to the murmurings amongst the gathered unicorns resume, before there was a second and a third approval to the proposed change. While this wasn't what the prince had expected, it was better than out right refusal though. He could work with this at least, and he was getting some results after what felt like chasing his own tail with the court nobles. "I'm fine with it as well, as long as priority be put supplying the populace with what they need to be come self sustaining once again." Blueblood relented. "Self sustaining? You sound less like a prince and more like an idealist." Regal chuckled. "The longer this populace is a burden on Equestria's resources the longer the ponies back home will be unhappy, which will breed strife between the two until we're right back to calling in the guards to put down yet another mess...or do you like being the laughing stock of the world out of you own willful ignorance?" Needless to say, Blueblood enjoyed watching Regal's face burn as a round of laughter erupted from his comment. Eventually most of the prince's provisions to the new region did pass, the one for representatives met a bit of a road block until they could come up with a better model from which to decide how a system of government should be set up. Blueblood could see this for what it was though, all nobles, on his side or not, wanted power. He would need something more, something that would unequivocally put the ability to change things in his hooves if he was going to make any impact at all on the freshly dubbed Lystra. He had asked Isabella and she had thought for a moment before coming up with one he liked, though she was a bit cryptic on how she came up with it.
It StartsThe frontline had bogged down as Impulse Spark had been cornered in the outlands. What was once thought to be a place depleted of its resources was found to be thriving with a populace devoid of law, the perfect place for a fugitive to set up camp and try to take one more shot at revenge. What the unicorn hadn't expected was a group with a bit less mercy than Twilight and her friends to be hot on his tail, this time with a bit of Equestrian military to solve any problems. The fighting had been escalating as unfinished models were forced out of Impulse Spark's make shift work shops, though all of that was starting to come to a halt as more of his "workers" were being arrested. Impulse didn't have to wait long to be reunited with his first creation Zero, and the human that had set him down this path. It was an odd feeling, watching Zero stand shoulder to shoulder with the one that had ruined his family and finances. Both had helped to save Equestria from Flicker and now they were here to do the same once again, even Zero appeared to have skin, fur and facial expressions, though they were most likely a glamor of some kind. "Just give up peacefully before the guards get here Impulse, you know how this will go down." Daniel said as he and Zero started to separate, approaching from two different sides. "I've come to far to just give up to you now." Impulse replied as his façade of calm started to fade away trying to keep track of both of them. "You should be ashamed Zero, helping the human you were built to defeat." Zero stopped and looked at Daniel before looking back to Impulse. "I'm more than what you made me to be. Just like you can be better than this, but you've hurt innocent ponies and have caused a lot of damage...please don't let anger blind you like it did Flicker or your father." "One day you will both know of my pain...maybe not today, but soon..." Impulse smiled as his horn started to glow. "Okay Zero we tried it your way, plan B?" Daniel asked. "Plan B." Zero conceded before both darted towards the unicorn, Daniel catching a blast of magic as Zero slammed into his creator. Daniel was quick to get back on his feet, which stunned and occupied Impulse before he received a muzzle full of metal from Zero as his hoof connected. The human was quick to join in the brawl, wasting little time on grabbing Impulse's horn and gripping it tightly, blocking the flow of magic from channeling through it. Impulse spat and cursed until he felt a solid fist from the human hit his barreled chest over and over. "Ping Pong, go!" Zero shouted before Impulse was flung towards the metallic pegasus. Impulse soon found himself being knocked back and forth between the pair before being bodied against the hard floor by Zero making his gasp for breath as his torture came to an end. It felt as if his entire body was on fire from pain, his nerves struggling to catch up to what the pair of Equestria's defenders had done to him as he lay spasming on the floor. He wanted to know how they were so monstrously strong, how Zero had become what he had envisioned, but only a whimper escaped his throat. "Impulse Spark, you're a wanted fugitive...you're under arrest." Zero said looking down on his creator. Five Months Later. Isabella was resting peacefully after the birth of her twins. While there had been quite a bit of speculation over what the out come would be it was quite surprising when one appeared to be a normal human, while one was a perfectly normal unicorn...well, as normal as appearances go. Very early on, they had found out that this little filly had an odd magic trait. One that nopony seemed to be able to explain. Just one look into her eyes, at random times, could cause instant paralysis, which seemed to get stronger with each passing day. Her human son seemed to be unusually strong for an infant, giving both of his parents a bit of trouble when being held, to the point earth pony maids had to be called to assist in normal activities. Isabella felt sure that it had to be her own fault for going on so many expeditions and joked that she may have picked up a curse or two from Earth. Still, she loved her children and named their son Hercules given his strength, and her love for myths and the past. While Blueblood named their daughter Iris trying to keep both of their bloodlines in mind. Even as she rested she knew her brother and others were dealing with issues related to the lands that lay just beyond Equestria. The brief conflict with what remained of the Storm King's forces, and Impulse Spark's own interference had left them in bad shape. It was a bad situation for all the beings that called it home, and without any form of leadership the area would no doubt destabilize once again and it would be a problem that Isabella had seen time and again repeated from her own world. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who was asked, this hadn't gone unnoticed. The human now found herself in an odd predicament being married to a prince who had been in talks with the leaders of Equestria, trying to come to a decision on the best course of action. Her brother had hero status, of course, but he had turned it down as they kind of predicted he would. Though he did promise to help in any way he could, which didn't solve the leadership issue. It was obvious all the princesses were a bit nervous about Blueblood being put in charge of a project this big, but it was reaching a point that decisive action needed to take place, and soon. The other issue was that some in the court weren't thrilled about Isabella's presence, nor the union or resulting children and heirs that came with it. Some in the court had preferred the cocky, arrogant, and smug Blueblood as opposed to the tamer version that the human seemed to have brought out of the stallion. The old Blueblood was easy to predict, and easy to control and keep in line with rules, but this new outlook that the prince had seemed to stem from the ideas Isabella had or talked about from her old world. In the end the courts that disliked Isabella had little say in Blueblood being put in charge of the Outlands, which would need a new name once everything had been settled and everything was back on track. Thankfully the prince's new outlook on life didn't leave him disillusioned with the circumstances. He was aware that he was being given a problem to solve that the others couldn't manage to shoulder the extra burden of their own leadership responsibilities and take on a new one. Isabella wasn't thrilled with the news either, for different reasons, but she did realize the need to step up in a time of need. Most women from her world could only dream about being a princess, but she was having to start from the ground up with a prince. Isabella had been traveling most of her life, and had seen much of her own world, places that few could ever claim to have seen. Since knowledge was such a valuable tool for a career choice such as hers, she considered herself to be quite smart despite her spit fire attitude. Among the things she had a good grasp on, was the inner workings of politics which she was beginning to realize, she was going to have to utilize one way or the other now. Isabella knew her history was filled with countless examples of leaders who had done well, but failed completely as parents, and the generation to come always seemed to suffer. As she held her children she had already started to map out in her mind what she needed to do. Her brother had helped regain the area, now she had to help do her part that had been asked of her. Author's Note First hi again, and thanks for giving this a once over. I did give Isabella her own story once before but it was kind of a half hearted attempt at it and she wasn't really flushed out into her own yet. So I'm giving it another go.
Isabella and the CatIsabella looked around quietly at the destruction that had gone on from the fall out between two major conflicts. Even with time having passed already it was as if recovery had been slowed due to all the red tape that was getting in the way, but the ponies and other beings that called this region home had had just about everything taken from them. Even taking a moment to see how bad the situation was for herself was something she felt uneasy about with all the looks she was getting. This hadn't been like her time in Ponyville when she was the new face on the block, no this was malice and distrust. Yet they had been told by another source that Blueblood and her would be in charge of things. This was not how she was hoping to start things off, in fact this was one of her worst case scenarios. Even if she could defend herself, what would that accomplish if she was trying to win their favor? All hurting them would do would make them more upset and give them a reason to start all of this all over again. Still, she had an idea of where to start now, while Blueblood had been busy with his own issues. Isabella felt something bump into her as she was trying to make her way quickly back home. She looked down to see a rather feline face looking back up at her whose owner quickly fell back in a bit of fear. Isabella laughed to herself as she knelt down offering her hand out to the child that seemed to be dirty and a bit on the skinny side, though she couldn't be too sure since she was really only familiar with ponies, which was something she needed to work on. "I'm not going to bite, you know?" Isabella spoke up, knowing the two guards that were with her were keeping an eye out. "I....I'm sorry." the small cat spoke up, stammering a bit as she spoke. "Hmm, a bit of a tip though-" Isabella said reaching around behind the cat and to the cat's shock producing a rather sizeable bag of bits. "-I've had this trick pulled on me before, maybe be a bit craftier next time." The cat had no explanation for this, save for a few stammering's before giving up. Even as the two guards made themselves known, Isabella didn't see this as something negative. She needed someone who was living this type of hardship to let her know where to start and if she was right. Not only that, but she only had the bare minimum in terms of knowledge of cultures on this world which seemed to be far numerous than she thought. "It's okay, you're not in trouble. You just wanted food, right?" Isabella asked receiving a nod from the kitten. "I'll make you a deal, you give me that back and I'll give you some." "You mean you're not mad?" the cat asked, her tail swishing behind her like she had seen their Earth counter parts do countless times. "No, I'm not. I might have been at one point, but things change. That's kind of why I want to talk to you...will you come with me?" Isabella asked again, taking note of the cat's eyes falling on the guards. "They're not going to do anything, what's your name?" "Hazel, and I guess I can." Hazel replied, though her ears and tail betrayed her true thoughts on the matter making Isabella laugh a bit as she led her new acquaintance towards the compound they were staying at. True to her words once Isabella and Hazel were past the gate the guards didn't bother to follow them in. At first Hazel wondered why, until she saw how many troops there were inside. A vast number were at the two royals' disposal but she had opted to bring her here instead. The feline was more than a little curious now as she looked up at Isabella who was giving assurances that she was her guest to which Hazel nodded. This seemed to appease the guards, for the most part who still kept to their post despite what the human had told them. "They don't stop huh?" Hazel asked. "They do, you just have to catch them at the right time." Isabella replied. "Speaking of the guard, there should be one more guest coming later today, though he may be a bit late." "How many guard do you need?" Hazel quizzed, her tail slowly swishing back and forth. "He's less for me, I honestly don't need as much protecting as one might think....you'd actually be the first one to see them." Isabella smiled, taking note of Hazel's confused expression. "You'll need this though, her magic doesn't seem to work on immediate family, but on others...it can be pretty intense." Isabella placed a charm hanging on a hook near a door around Hazel's neck which started to glow as soon as she opened it. Inside was colorful room filled with different toys, stands, and what looked like normal things one would expect in a foal's room. There in a crib slept a small baby unicorn filly. She was red in color with a yellow mane that matched both her parent's hair. What appeared to be a smaller human slept beside the foal, the two sleeping soundly together. "Not that I don't mind wearing this, but...they're both just babies." Hazel commented making Iris fuss a bit before her eyes slowly started to open as her horn lit up. As Iris' eyes opened just enough to catch a glimpse of who was making all the noise, Hazel felt a chill run through her body, but nothing more. The foal's horn stopped once she felt herself being lifted up by Isabella, her attitude shifting a bit as she cooed and babbled sweetly, leaving Hazel to try and shake of the chilling experience. Isabella looked down at the cat sheepishly. "Sorry, I've been hoping to try and have that under control before taking Iris and Hercules public. I guess you felt why?" "What was that just now? Was that the foal?" Hazel asked in disbelief receiving a nod from Isabella. "Iris was born with a odd magic trait that we aren't quite sure where it comes from exactly, but it can cause parlays in anyone that she looks at. While this little chunk-" Isabella smiled down at the baby just starting to wake up. "-can only have earth ponies deal with his strength, though he has less outburst than his sister." Hazel had a lot of questions but seemed stunned by what she was seeing, until she heard a new set of hooves behind her, to which Iris excitedly reached out before being levitated over in a glowing mist. There, a proud stallion stood, keeping the foal floating with his magic as Iris seemed overjoyed at the sight of what the Cat could only assume was her father seeing as how he didn't seem put off one bit to look Iris in the eye. "I didn't realize we had a guest today." Blueblood said addressing Hazel. "Prince Blueblood, pleased to meet you. I see you've already met most of my family." "I had a little chance encounter with Hazel here, she seems like a well behaved kitten." Isabella said winking at the Cat as she was noticing the signs of stress coming from the feline as her tail twitched a bit from anxiety. "I was hoping to get the chance to talk to her about somethings, since she has been here her whole life and has seen a lot of the area before us." Blueblood nodded seeming to catch onto what Isabella had in mind. While they didn't see eye to eye on everything, after just getting out of meeting after meeting with boorish court upper crust over what could be done, perhaps if he already had a plan and worked to make sure they couldn't raise objections, then he could start to prove that he was more than a pretty muzzle. "Is that why you really brought me here?" Hazel asked raising an eyebrow. "It's one reason, that and you did look like you needed some food, speaking of it should be about lunch time by now. Why don't you join us and if you don't like my idea I won't keep you, no hard feelings." Isabella shrugged. "That's it? You wouldn't be mad or....anything?" Hazel asked confused. "Should I be?" Isabella smiled knowingly, making Blueblood snicker a bit. He could tell something else had happened, and that Celestia may have rubbed off on Izzy more than she would admit to with her antics when she was "negotiating."
Something CrypticHazel seemed ravenous as she consumed the food that was set before her. The Feline had assumed that it would be mostly unfavorable vegetables or other pony food, but she hadn't considered that the princess was a fan of all foods, though she seemed to stick to a pretty well rounded diet. Blueblood seemed to be tied up in whatever it was he was doing, two bottles covered in a magic aura as the twins got their fill. "I guess we picked a good time to eat huh?" Isabella asked, getting Hazel's attention. "S-sorry, it's just been kind of hard on my brother to take care of me and himself." Hazel sighed. "He tries to be an adult, but I know he's just a kitten too." "This is your chance to help make things better. The reason why it was important I talk with you is because you have first paw knowledge of what's wrong, what's needed and who has been hurting the most." Isabella explained. "I can walk around all day long, but if no one talks to me I can only form guesses as to what's going on, same as Blueblood." "It's true," Blueblood nodded as a piece of parchment magically rolled up and was placed on a nearby table. "Not only that, but court seems to enjoy coming up with as much red tape as they can in order to keep their own coffers filled. That's it's own infuriating battle though." Hazel thought for a moment. "But...didn't they send you to help?" Blueblood nodded in confirmation. "That they did, and while some in the inner court have good intentions, it's no secret others have other motives in mind with our presence here. So here we find ourselves in a delicate balancing game of trying to do as much good as we can, without causing further harm. Her brother has already dealt with one such noble who...won't be named." Blueblood had seen to it that Flicker's name had been forever scrubbed out for the shame he had brought upon the noble houses, and to serve as an example. While it had worked for the most part, some had informed him that a small number were still bitter about how the royalty had handled the death. Instead of covering it up they had let the world know that nobility had fallen from grace and stained what they considered a near perfect image. Blueblood had hoped that things would get better with time, but that sadly wasn't the case. Fortunately for him none of the other nobles were willing to go to the same dramatic lengths as Flicker, yet. Unfortunately he did have to deal with them in order to push anything through for the region he had been asked to help re-establish, and they seemed determined to make things difficult. It was as if no matter what ideas he had they always seemed to have some sort of counter to. For this reason he had asked for Zero, knowing that the metallic stallion wasn't swayed by bits or favors, if his worst suspicions were correct. "That sounds easy enough, but won't your friends get mad if they know you're keeping a Cat around...especially one like me?" Hazel asked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Isabella asked catching the Feline a bit off guard. "Just that I'm no noble, I'm no one fancy." Hazel replied. "Most noble ponies come looking for trouble here...or that's what my brother says." "I wasn't born a noble, or a princess. I wasn't even born in this world." Isabella said a bit proud of her less than noble heritage. "Oh...so you aren't one of them?" Hazel tilted her head. "It kind of makes sense, you ears don't look the same." Blueblood and Isabella both stopped though Hazel continued. They looked at each other as if trying to figure out if they had heard the same thing from the young Feline. Surely she didn't mean to imply that there were other creatures that had a human like appearance as Isabella, right? That would be impossible and they would have found them by now, or there would have been some evidence of them. Then again stranger things had been found. "Hazel, there are only three humans, and one is a bit complicated." Blueblood said, catching a brief look from Isabella, though she knew that he was right. Her brother did fall into a bit of a grey area. "Despite all that, he's right though, there's me and my brother...but you've seen something that looks like me?" Isabella asked. Hazel nodded in affirmation as she chewed another piece of food. "Mhmm...they have hoods on most of the time and try to look like us Cats sometimes, or some other things, but they're a lot less friendly." Isabella could hide how she felt quite well, it was something she had learned to do with her new life. She had to keep a lot of her feelings close to her chest, and not wear her heart on her sleeve as often as she once had. The one that she couldn't hide how she felt from, was Blueblood, it was obvious that she was deeply unsettled by this news. What would her brother think? After being separated from their own for so long...was there any truth to what Hazel was saying? Worse still, what would the others think? How would the rest of Equestria react? Blueblood was left to his imagination as Isabella spoke up after taking a deep breath, clearing her mind. "Well, I guess I'll have to meet them too, friendly or not. They can't be all bad, right? In the meantime, why do you tell me a bit about the city, what does your brother do?" Isabella absentmindedly listened, doing her best to try and forget about what she had heard, but the nagging thought lingered. Humans had often spoken of mythical creatures, which Izzy had seen and spoken with which she never though possible. Was it so far fetched that some humans had somehow managed to live in a world of magic? She had made her living off the past, a living that may prove useful in time. Author's Note Surprise
A Name? Umm...Lystra?Blueblood sat in what some would consider the most powerful, and most boring position of his life, court. Though Equestria seemed to be rid of its problems, most turned to stone, or settled for good in one way shape or form, that didn't solve the rest of the world's issues which some now fell at his hooves. If this was to truly be a world that could be left behind with a banner of peace and prosperity for others, it fell to him. First though, he would have to get the marks of those who he knew held mixed opinions about him and his house. The prince eyed the murmuring stallions, twelve in total. Though their wealth, age and status varied, what didn't was the almost uniform horn on their head which each seemed to buzz constantly with magic as they fussed over papers and bills before, finally their allotted time had ran out. Blueblood had mostly done what he had done best in his youth when he had been forced to sit in and observe this type of business, ignore them for the most part, unless they had something direct and to the point to day, most of their words were fancy flowered nothings. Charms that upon his ears failed to do little more than annoy him. "If you're all quite finished now," Blueblood said flatly, taking a page from his old methods. "I'd like to propose something...different...a bit of an over hall and experiment for region." "Something you've let that human talk you into?" Regal Glow spoke up the unicorn most vocal against him and his wife. "How many times does this make that something new hasn't worked out for you?" Blueblood wanted to smirk, but kept his expression in check. While His wife had taken most of what Celestia had to teach her about being in court to heart, he had taken a bit after Luna and knew the value of keeping feelings in check when dealing with obtuse members of the court. "You may like this one...your patience is to be rewarded in this land once it is restored, though it only comes once you approve of a few things." Blueblood's cryptic response earned the other's silence as the murmurs came to a stop. A copy of the changes the prince had in mind was passed around to each of the other stallions present as he sat and waited, watching their expressions change as they read over the paper. It was only interrupted by a few gasp, while some laughed, though as expected, there was another unicorn to make his displeasure known to all present. "This...this is absurd! You dare to insult the houses in this manner!?" Bronze Frame shouted, his glasses sliding forward as they often did when he was upset. The thin bodied stallion recoiling as Blueblood stood up from his seat. "If you take it as an insult I suppose that's your business. I'm offering you something Equestria can and never will though, a position in the army that you have call over. The ability to help with a census, actually partake and be active as a head of this region." Blueblood replied. "As for the schools, the farms, the things this population will need to stand back up, that gentleponies of Equestria is why we came here. If you are unfit or unwilling to provide aid to another, it does not speak ill of my character, but yours." "The army you offer would not be in an area settled by us." countered one Noble. "No, this is for civil, noble, and royal protection. Each unit would have a bit of independence to make calls on their own. So no one house is above the other at any given time." Blueblood replied, seeming to ease the concern of at least one so far as the unicorn took his seat once more. "And this call for each tribe to have a representative?" asked another, though his tone was much calmer than the one before him. "The princess has done a fair bit of exploring, she has seen much of the world, far more than I have in one way or another, and even in this area she has seen more beings of this world than those that dwell in Equestria. We are not dealing with just Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies in this area. Which since we are on the topic, has still yet to be given a proper name...it's still just a series of outpost and pipe dream drawings, and if things continue to loop around in circles like they have been these past few days it will still be the same." Blueblood vented his displeasure with the group. "You expect us to agree on every single thing proposed?" Regal Glow asked. "That would be foolish, not to mention tyrannical. I am neither of those things." Blueblood sighed. "Hope can either bloom or die in this room." "I have a counter." came a weary, older voice. One that took Blueblood and many others by surprise. Penny Bottle, an older unicorn had been quietly reading over the proposal and had come to the conclusion that some of these changes, while needed, wouldn't get the needed support as a lump sum bundled together. "An edit to the proposal, that the differing points put forward each be their own separate proposal. Some of these, while good in intention, perhaps need more time before being introduced into such an unstable area." Blueblood listened to the murmurings amongst the gathered unicorns resume, before there was a second and a third approval to the proposed change. While this wasn't what the prince had expected, it was better than out right refusal though. He could work with this at least, and he was getting some results after what felt like chasing his own tail with the court nobles. "I'm fine with it as well, as long as priority be put supplying the populace with what they need to be come self sustaining once again." Blueblood relented. "Self sustaining? You sound less like a prince and more like an idealist." Regal chuckled. "The longer this populace is a burden on Equestria's resources the longer the ponies back home will be unhappy, which will breed strife between the two until we're right back to calling in the guards to put down yet another mess...or do you like being the laughing stock of the world out of you own willful ignorance?" Needless to say, Blueblood enjoyed watching Regal's face burn as a round of laughter erupted from his comment. Eventually most of the prince's provisions to the new region did pass, the one for representatives met a bit of a road block until they could come up with a better model from which to decide how a system of government should be set up. Blueblood could see this for what it was though, all nobles, on his side or not, wanted power. He would need something more, something that would unequivocally put the ability to change things in his hooves if he was going to make any impact at all on the freshly dubbed Lystra. He had asked Isabella and she had thought for a moment before coming up with one he liked, though she was a bit cryptic on how she came up with it.
