Author's Note

Sorry the chapter is late! Had to deal with some irl stuff, but it should be good now!
I've decided to switch to a one chapter per two weeks schedule, seeing as I'll be quite busy in the future. Don't worry, this means you'll be getting the occasional longer chapter!

Chapter 11/USA: Consequences Pt. 2

"Isn't it dreadful? Here we are, two officers of the German General Staff, discussing how best to murder our commander in chief."

Manehattan Bay. August 7th, 2045. 6:08 PM

"Jobs."

"Yes, jobs," repeated Lieutenant Colonel Jameson, lifting his cap to smooth his hair. Lee had insisted on getting him a proper Admiral's hat, despite how it clashed with the Army uniform.

The HR Manager stared back from down the conference table. "So, let me get this straight. A random, drunk pony said some utter nonsense about jobs-"

"It was a valid concern," grumbled Jameson.

"-and you responded by making a vague promise to employ several dozen ponies on the USS Discord."

"Forty to be exact."

"Sir, I think you'd make a good politician," the HR manager stated with a slight smile, "but there are likely some concerns to be addressed here. Anyone?"

Almost every hand went up.

The small conference table hosted the top twelve officers on board the ship, excluding Lee's right-hand man, a Lieutenant Pat, who was busy organising supplies. Two unarmed guards stood next to the heavy, locked door. A single screen against the wall displayed a record of the conversation so far.

Jameson nodded to a Navy officer. "Go ahead, Quartermaster."

The Quartermaster spoke with a nasally voice, "Well, Colonel, these... ponies... will surely require pay. We have a stash of American dollars, but no Equestrian bits. We simply can't afford to hire them."

"Don't worry about it, Quartermaster. We will have a month or so before we need to worry about salaries. That's plenty of time to figure something out- worst case scenario, we take a loan from the Royal Sisters." Jameson had thought about this in the hour before the meeting had started.

The Quartermaster frowned as if unsatisfied, but kept silent. The Delta Force Captain- whose name he still hadn't learnt- spoke up instead.

"What about security? The Royal Guard officers who I talked warned us of changeling infiltrators slipping in- and the Royal Guard or Nightguard could be trying to get some of their own ponies in too."

"Changeling infiltrators?"

The Delta Captain looked around the room at the blank look on every face. "Changelings. The small, outcast race of shapeshifting bugponies."

"Dear god."

"Aaand they crave love."

"Love?" asked Jameson. These changelings sounded quite like vampires.

"No one really explained it to me, but apparently they kidnap ponies, take their place, and steal love from their partner. Dark stuff," elaborated the Delta Captain, shaking his head. "We should hold another meeting with the Ambassador pony to learn more about the threat each race poses."

"Yep. But, until we can figure out a way to detect changelings or other malicious ponies, let's simply be careful. Captain, I want you to write a modified version of the Visitor regulations that allow for doing essential work tasks on the upper decks and on the apron."

"Yessir."

Another Army officer spoke up. "What about the safety of the ponies? They're either not able to use or are untrained with our equipment and regulations. What sort of work will they be doing anyways?"

Jameson gave a thoughtful nod. It would look extremely bad if a pony was hit by a snapping rope, or a helicopter's rotors sliced a batpony or pegasus.

"The ship does occasionally get contractors on board during peacetime, right?" he asked Lee, who nodded in response.

"They usually help with cleaning, cooking, refueling, loading supplies, and maintaining the electrical systems. We have safety precautions to ensure they aren't in danger," explained Lee.

"Then apply those here. Pretend these are contractors, but make the most of their special skills. Repairing a broken transformer is a lot easier when you can do magic, eh? They can help with educating our men on pony culture, too."

The Army officer gave a respectful nod. "Sounds good, Lieutenant Colonel. Might be worth assigning a squad specifically to deal with the pony workers, though."

Jameson gave a slight grin. "I have a plan for that. Now, if no one else has anything to say about the ponies, let's address the bits issue. How can we raise funds before the end of month?"

The room was silent for a moment. Captain Emma, the air wing captain, stood up suddenly from near the end of the table. "The ponies don't use any heavy machinery for transport, right?"

"I believe they have trains and such," said one of the Army officers.

"I mean for aerial transport. All they have are pegasi and batponies, who aren't particularly strong. They simply can't transport heavy or large objects by air- at least, not cheaply."

Jameson frowned thoughtfully, trying to figure out what she was getting at. "What are you suggesting?"

With a smug grin, Captain Emma explained, "We have a Starlifter on board, sitting around and gathering dust. This thing is capable of carrying several hundred tons of goods without breaking a sweat, and it only needs two pilots. What if we use it to transport goods for the ponies?"

"What about fuel costs? Can we even procure fuel here?"

One of the Navy officers spoke up, "The on-board distillery can produce more than enough required to keep a Starlifter operating. We just need a consistent supply of seawater- and I don't think that'll be a problem."

It seemed like a solid plan. Jameson wasn't sure who they could deliver for, especially if they were charging a high price, but he could ask New Horizons about it later. "Sounds good. Captain, talk with the Lieutenant Commander and the Ambassador after the meeting is over."

Captain Emma gave a small fist pump as she sat down. "Yes, sir!"

"Isn't she too young to be a Captain?" whispered one of the Navy officers sitting near Jameson to another officer.

"She technically isn't. She's a Lieutenant here from the Air Force-" The responding officer was silenced by a glare from Jameson.

"Ah, Lieutenant Colonel, if I may contribute one of my own suggestions," said the Quartermaster.

"Go ahead, Quartermaster."

"We know the ponies have access to a limited quantity of poor-quality firearms from the griffons, but they are far inferior to what we can produce with our on-board workshops."

"You want to... sell them guns?" Jameson didn't like where this was going. The Americans didn't know anything about the fighting capabilities of the ponies, so he didn't like the idea of giving them more toys to kill humans with.

"Correct, sir. We can modify them to be suitable for ponies- perhaps by adding a mouth trigger- after consulting them about possible designs. They can't even copy it- only we have the right equipment and knowledge to produce the weapons." The Quartermaster's expression was entirely bland and impossible to read.

Jameson picked up a pen, inspecting it while he thought about how best to turn down the proposal. He simply didn't feel comfortable with the idea of selling weapons to the ponies. Worst case scenario, they were used against the Americans in the future. Best case scenario, they disrupted the balance of power in Equestria and caused a major headache for the local government.

"Yeah, Quartermaster, uhhh... I think the Royal Sisters would frown upon us coming over and selling small arms to anyone who can afford them. We should focus on proving that we're not a threat to the ponies before securing our own interests. How about we talk about it in a couple of weeks?"

The Quartermaster smiled coldly. "Of course, Lieutenant Colonel. I have nothing else to say."

Jameson returned an equally cold smile. He wasn't sure if the Quartermaster disliked him, or if he was simply that way with everyone.

"So... when should we begin hiring, sir?" asked the HR Manager.

Jameson collected his documents from the table, sorting them into a neat stack and passing them to Lee. The meeting was just about wrapped up, and he wasn't eager to see the manager's reaction to what he was about to tell him ."Oh, I'd say... tomorrow, preferably."

The HR Manager made a strangled sound. "To-tomorrow?"

Smoothing out his jacket, Jameson began hobbling towards the door using his crutch, with Lee close behind. The rest of the table began getting up too.

"Good luck, officer."

"You- I can't-"

The two guards saluted as Lieutenant Colonel Jameson and Lieutenant Commander Lee left the room. The other officers filtered out behind them, heading towards their various workplaces, leaving the HR Manager alone inside.

Jameson slowed down as the duo arrived on the flight deck. It was unusually quiet and calm, considering the time- normally the apron would be full of technicians and flight crew preparing for the day. He supposed the crew was getting their due rest after having been kept awake for nearly a full day. There was the occasional guard patrol and crewmember passing by, but it was otherwise deserted.

"Lieutenant Colonel?" asked Lee as they watched a Little Bird being lazily polished by a trio of Navy crew. Only their solemn expressions indicated the disaster of the previous day.

"Yes?"

"Do you think..." Lee paused, reconsidering his words. "Maybe it would... We should start thinking for the long term, sir."

Jameson raised a questioning eyebrow. "The long term?"

"Yes, sir. Our crew are still running this ship like an aircraft carrier- giving out salaries, organising leave, preparing to receive regular supplies. We can't go on like that forever, though. We need to modify the entire way this ship functions; this is no longer simply the USS Discord, it is an enclave of American territory far out of reach of the mainland, and we modify our systems to prepare for everything."

He honestly had not thought of that. Jameson had simply assumed that the crew would adapt to their new situation, that there would also be spare men to carry out whatever tasks were needed to run the ship in this wildly different scenario.

"What are you saying, Lee?"

"I just told you. We need to make-"

Jameson interrupted, "No, I meant, what are you saying we should do. Where do we start?"

Lee blinked. "Well, we can assign a team to go through the administrative branch of the ship and iron out unnecessary tasks, then compile a list of needs we have to address."

"Good man, let's start now. Get to it, and report back on the progress with replacing the lost officers and the status of the wounded, too. Make sure the supplies the ponies provided have been distributed."

Lee saluted, disappearing back into the island structure on the flight deck.

"Ah, there ya are! Sir! Ah've been tryin' to get through to ya for ages!"

Jameson turned to see Ambassador New Horizons half-cantering, half-flying across the flight deck towards him. He took an involuntary step back. Behind her, a light-yellow pegasus he didn't recognise followed her more sedately, with two worn-out Rangers trying to catch up.

New Horizons stopped in front of Jameson, saluting. The yellow pegasus also saluted as she stared at Jameson.

"Hello, New Horizons." Jameson watched, slightly amused, as the exhausted Rangers jogged across the flight deck towards them.

"Hiya, Jameson. Ah've arranged something important for you, but those gentlemen tried ta stop me when I came to tell ya, so ah gave em the slip."

"The perimeter guard? They must have recognised you, or else you'd be dead right now."

New Horizons didn't seem to be too bothered by that fact. "And this is Private Glint, the Royal Guard assigned to... guard me, I think."

Glint gave Jameson a small wave. "Hello," she said pleasantly. The Rangers skid to a stop just behind her, saluting almost simultaneously.

"Sorry, sir, they're quite fast," said one of the Rangers sheepishly. "Should we escort them back off the ship?"

Jameson shook his head. "This is the Ambassador, she's supposed to have guarded access to the ship. Let her in next time."

"Yes, sir." The soldiers moved a respectful distance away, but kept a close eye on the pegasi. Jameson supposed that they were there to guard him.

"So, Ambassador, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, right! Ya aren't busy or anything, are ya, sir?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. Not for the next two hours or so. Why?"

New Horizons beamed widely at him. "Well, there's some important news ah have to share, but first- ah've been talkin' to the Guard, and we decided that we should take ya on a tour of Manehatten, seeing as ya couldn't experience much in the night." She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "They're rather proud of their big city. Ah don't think it's too pretty maself."

Glint narrowed her eyes slightly. "Well, I think it's quite-"

"What were you thinking?" interrupted Jameson. He had no desire to watch the two ponies bicker.

Giving Glint an apologetic glance, New Horizons pointed towards the Little Bird being polished. "An aerial tour! Ah've arranged for a pegasi escort to show ya all the best places. Might be a lot of tourists, though. They're on standby now, so whenever yer ready."

Jameson had a sudden, fleeting vision of families of pegasi being torn to shreds by the cruel rotors of the fast-flying helicopter. He blinked it away, hoping that the Little Bird pilot was skilled enough- and the tourists sensible enough- for there to be no accidents

"Maybe we should ask Captain Emma first..."

"Captain Emma? Who's that?"

"That'd be me. Captain of the USS Discord's air wing."

Captain Emma Stone was standing just a few meters behind them, having exited the island with a Navy technician in a high-vis vest.

"Hello, ma'am," greeted New Horizons, raising her front hoof for a shake. Captain Emma bent down slightly to accept it. "I'm the Ambassador to the Americans."

"I heard something about an aerial tour?"

"Yes ma'am. Ah assume yer in charge of the heli-cop-ters?"

"Yep. And yes, you can take one. I'll have a pilot and a couple of Rangers to you soon, Lieutenant Colonel."

Jameson nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Captain. Get to it." He watched as Captain Emma disappeared back into the island, leaving the technician to inspect the condition of the temporary door. "In the meantime, you said you had some news, Ambassador?"

New Horizons stared blankly at him for a moment. "I did?" Glint tapped her lightly on the shoulder, and she blinked. "Right! I did! So, yesterday morning, the Royal Castle accepted a group of humans- part of the Oor-apeans! Humans, just like you guys!"

Jameson froze. The ECA? In the Royal Castle... that would be in Canterlot, the capital of Equestria.

There were other humans. Just a couple days' train ride away, and a few hours by helicopter. Jameson had accepted the idea that they were entirely alone in this strange world- that no help was coming-and here were their sort-of allies going through the same confusion that they were.

He didn't want to process the implications of this new information just yet.

"Soldier, get me Lieutenant Commander Lee. Now." Jameson spoke aloud to one of the Rangers. He had guessed that they had been eavesdropping. The Ranger left immediately, understanding the severity of the situation.

New Horizons stared at him confusedly. "What's wrong, sir? You told me that you were allies with the Ooro-peans."

"It's a bit more complicated than that Ambassador. I think we may have to cancel the-"

"No." said the other pegasus firmly. "The Royal Guard really wants you guys to go on the tour. We've kept the pegasi squad waiting for too long." She paused. "Please?"

Jameson made some quick calculations in his head. If the tour took less than an hour, he could be back in time for Lee's briefing.

"OK. Ok. New Horizons, can you talk to Lee? Tell him what you know about the ECA? It's quite vital information."

New Horizons wore an uncertain expression. "Ah dunno, we need someone to co-ordinate with the escorts..."

"I can go instead," suggested Glint. "I'm familiar with the city too, so I can provide some extra info."

"Yeah, that works! And ah think those are your men, sir. Enjoy!"

Jameson glanced over to see that there was indeed a flight crew doing pre-flight checks. "Thanks, Ambassador."

He led Glint to the helicopter. "Will you fly yourself, or do you want to sit inside?"

"Sit inside? Oh, no, thank you, Lieutenant Colonel. I wouldn't trust such a heavy thing to carry me into the air." She shuddered. "No offense, though. Your machines are quite advanced." Glint looked around the small interior. It featured a space for the pilot as well as four seats facing out towards the doors, and a weapons rack at the very back.

"Suit yourself. Lead the way, and tell the other pegasi to keep a safe distance from the rotors. You don't want to see what these things can do a body at full speed."

"Don't worry, sir. We're good at dodging things."

Jameson nodded and climbed inside the helicopter. A pair of Delta Force operators got in with him, armed with light machineguns. He wondered if the Delta Force Captain had heard of his impromptu tour.

"Pilot, tail that yellow pony."

The two pilots were already in the cockpit, and the Little Bird smoothly started up and lifted off the ground, with the doors still open for a better view. Jameson put on the pair of headphones attached to the seat and listened to the calming hum of air traffic control radio.

Following Glint, who was flying a safe distance ahead, the Little Bird flew in a curve around the beachside park, which was lined by high rise apartments that blocked the view of the interior city. In the distance, Jameson could see huge, glass skyscrapers, much taller than the ones back in the USA. It was remarkably similar to the coastal side of New York City.

Jameson tensed up as about half a dozen pegasi flew up to form a loose sphere around the helicopter, but relaxed when he saw that they were dressed in Royal Guard armour.

The Little Bird came to a halt just half a kilometer away from the USS Discord, hovering in place above a more rocky beach. Ahead of them, Glint was motioning towards the narrow gap between the tall highrises lining the city street. It was mostly empty, with only a few pegasi and a couple of batponies flying through.

Jameson lowered his headset mike. “Pilot, can you fit in there?”

“Not sure, sir. A gust of wind could blow us into one of the buildings. We could go over, instead,” came the crackled reply.

“Understood. Give me a second.” He checked that his harness was properly tied before standing up and leaning out the side of the helicopter. The rotors spun uncomfortably close to his head. Jameson made an upwards motion with his remaining arm, shouting, “Can we go above?”

He wasn’t sure if Glint had heard, but she nodded and darted upwards, a few dozen meters above the rooftops of the apartments. Two members of the pegasi escort followed, keeping civilian pegasi a distance away from the helicopter. Jameson leaned back in and sat down, much to the visible relief of the Delta operator sitting next to him.

“Sir, with all due respect, please don’t do that again.”

Jameson didn’t reply, too focused on the sights below him.

There were the mundane scenes that he’d expected to see- ponies sitting on the rooftops, chatting or eating or just generally relaxing, and the early morning rush pushing their way through the streets of Manehatten. But there were other scenes which reminded him of the differences between the two worlds. Chariots pulled by duos of pegasi flew beneath them, seemingly weightless, unicorns materialised onto rooftops with flashes of magic, and earthpony children play-duelled each other with wooden sticks.

Some of the rooftops were covered with an impossible amount of greenery. Jameson spotted entire forests and flower gardens, and even what seemed to be a rabbit habitat in the distance. The buildings themselves were highly varied too, in both height and architecture. He shook his head in disbelief at an office building that looked like a series of huge, mossy rocks haphazardly stacked on each other and hollowed out.

They were interspersed by the occasional park or pond or patch of woodland, which didn’t seem to obey any sort of city planning or design, and were unbothered by the heavily developed, urban landscape around them. Jameson couldn’t see an end to the city from here.

It was an insane, impossible, cartoonish fantasy world, and here they were in it. Jameson felt incredibly out of place in the noisy, heavy helicopter, wearing an American military uniform and Admiral’s cap, missing an arm and leg.

The helicopter picked up speed as Glint changed direction, heading for the city center instead of following the coast. As they drew inwards, the buildings became taller and more haphazard, forcing the helicopter upwards. It became harder to make out the ponies in the streets below them, and there were less civilian pegasi flying at such a height. The escort drew outwards, allowing more space for the Little Bird to manoeuvre.

Far ahead of them, Glint had stopped and turned around, pointing her front hoof downwards.

Jameson leaned slightly out of the side to see a massive raised park on the joined roofs of several, shorter buildings. It was rectangular in shape, and big enough to comfortably allow for the terrain to curve and slope, forming small hills and valleys. There was even a decently sized stream running through the center, falling off at the close edge into another, smaller park below.

Jameson wondered how the stream was fed. He suspected magic or technology had something to do with it, but he couldn’t be sure.

The helicopter was guided by the escorts to a large, flat-ish plain in the park that was empty of any ponies. The pilots skilfully touched down the Little Bird, and shut off the engine. Around them, the Royal Guard pegasi landed, seemingly not tired out by the quick flight.

Jameson and the armed Delta Force operators got out, leaving the two pilots in the helicopter. He looked around, wondering if the ponies wanted him to see this park.

One of the Royal Guards- a fit, blue-furred pegasus- approached Jameson. She took off her helmet and shook her rainbow-coloured mane.

“That’s a neat toy you have. Couldn’t fit in that large gap back there, though.”

Jameson immediately disliked her smug, self-important tone. “It’s not made to. We have drones and wingsuits for that.”

The pegasus smirked. “You can nerd out about your tech later. We’ve got some work to do. I….”

She struck a dramatic pose.

“Am Rainbow Dash, the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty, one of the Mane Six.”