Ballpen

The roofs are gabled, with pointed turrets, covered with red tiles instead of slate or roofing felt. The windows are tall, lancet, with a fancy pattern of stucco, with tiny balconies planted with flowers under each. The doors have an unusual arched curve, like miniature castle gates.

Sidewalks paved with cobblestones instead of asphalt. Curves of cast iron along fences and along canopies. And in the distance, the tops of high-rises of a completely modern appearance are ablaze likeflames.

Okay, if you don’t pay attention to the unusually small size of the buildings and everything, you can imagine that some ancient earthly city is spread out below.

But you'll never get used to this.

Sunlight gilded the east, broke through the gaps between the houses, slid along the streets like a light wave. A golden flash colored the sky. Long shadows fell, shortening with each second. The moon, hanging above the horizon, slid down. A wave of blue slid from east to west, washing away the blackness. The street lights began to dim, the firefly ones - almost immediately and slowly, the electric ones - out of sync and instantly.

And the solar disk hung over the roofs, about forty degrees from the horizon.

Beautiful. Very beautiful.

And most ponies react to this beauty by raising their heads for a couple of seconds.

The air is surprisingly fresh, especially in contrast to Moscow's, which is saturated with gasoline fumes. No wonder - there is not any cars on the streets, only a few wisps of smoke rising into the sky in the west.

More and more multi-colored spots appeared on the streets. They flowed in streams from the entrances, fluttered here and there over the roofs. I moved away from the window.

I can't wrap my head around it. It's like I'm sleeping and having a weird, surreal dream. The alarm is about to go off and I...

No, Zhenyok. You won't wake up.

Be calm. Be calm. Be calm.

Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it together.

The door to the attic was unlocked. As were most of the common doors in this town. The ponies seemed to lock their own doors only occasionally.

The lock, which I had repaired myself, clinked.

"Who's there?" Alyatara's sleepy voice rang out. She yawned, and I heard the sound of hooves landing on the parquet floor.

“Good morning! I thought you were awake long ago.”

Alyatara laughed.

“Today is a day off! I can afford to sleep longer. Why aren't you sleeping?”

“Oh. I'll show you now.”

The unicorn dived into the bathroom and splashed around. She appeared in the kitchen, filled the kettle with telekinesis and placed it on the stove. She struck a match.

“Well?” she said with interest.

I took a cloth bag out of my pocket (feel like you’re in the Middle Ages!) and placed the jingling wallet on the oilcloth.

“I agreed with Josehoof that I would remove last year's leaves from the courtyard. And would drag the boxes from the inner courtyard to the attic. Now I owe you a little less for the rent.”

Alyatara raised her head indignantly.

“Evgeniy! It’s not necessary at all!”

I put out my palm, cutting her off.

“I'm not going to be a burden. Take it. No objections.”

The unicorn sighed.

“Okay, let's put it in a joint budget. Are you sure you don't need them more?”

“I’ve already bought myself a few things,” I stood up and showed Aliatara the bag with pants and a jacket. I was also counting on getting a pair of underpants and boots – even though the ponies didn’t pay attention to it, walking barefoot on the sidewalk designed for hooves was problematic, to put it mildly. But then I was disappointed. The only thing I managed to get from the store was some kind of loincloth.

“In a shop on the next street,” I explained. “Their sign said that they sell clothes for different sapient beings. These were made for a minotaur, I will have to retail it. By the way...”

“Yes?”

“Do they really exist? Griffons, minotaurs... It sounds like I'm in a fairy tale.”

Alyatara laughed. She disappeared into the room and appeared with the atlas in her teeth.

“Look. You know, when the Manehattan World published the article about the human invasion, I had the same feeling.”

The pages rustled as they unfurled.

"That's Griffonstone, and the Dragon Lands to the south," she ran a hoof along the coast east across the sea from Manehattan. "Minos is right here," she pointed to a large island to the southeast. "And there are a few minotaur villages in southern Equestria. Although the southern borders are such a place, it's hard to tell who lives there and who doesn't."

I looked at the already familiar hybrid of an eagle and a lion, at the dragon with its wings spread. And at the figure of a short-legged and broad-shouldered creature with a bull's head. I let out a Very Heavy Sigh.

A few more days in this world and I am guaranteed first place in the Very Heavy Sigh (VHS) Championship.

The kettle whistled cheerfully. Alyatara lit the magic field and began pouring boiling water into porcelain cups decorated with a cheerful picture of strawberries. I took bread and cheese with butter out of the refrigerator (noticing for the first time in days that there were no wires leading to the white cabinet).

The unicorn took a sip of tea. She pulled the purse towards herself and untied the strings with her hoof.

"Josehoof is the landlady's husband?" she asked. I nodded.

“Well... Evgeny, don't even think that I'm greedy, but this is mere pennies for such work. I saw that yard, and those leaves...”

I chuckled.

“I know, Alyatara. He would have paid pony more.”

The unicorn snorted angrily.

“It's not fair. And it doesn't really fit with Harmony.”

“What can I do? For the locals, I'm still an overseas monster that children are afraid of. I'm unlikely to earn more elsewhere. I'll have to start from scratch.”

Alyatara put down her cup.

“Evgeny, what are you going to do? Well, next? - she asked quietly.”

My signature VHS followed.

“I don't know. I don't know yet. The first two items on my list are "Earn money" and "Buy shoes." And then... Then I want to look for some other humans in this city. If possible, get to the capital. Maybe they'll tell me something. It seems like some of us managed to get a foothold here.”

The unicorn sat opposite, rhythmically tapping her hoof on the oilskin tablecloth. It seemed she was deep in thought about something. A shadow flashed past the tiny kitchen window - either a bird flew by, or another pegasus.

"I haven't heard about many humans in Manehattan," she drawled. "If there are, they're only a few, no more. You know, I'll ask around at the office if anyone's heard anything about your kind. Maybe somepony help you earn some money."

“Well, thanks for the offer, of course. But I have a hard time imagining how I can be useful to you there. At home, I was mostly engaged in selling this and that, so I would be good for nothing except delivering newspapers,” I chuckled. “And that's if I don't scare away your customers. Well, plus I did some metalworking in my spare time, just as hobby.”

My attention was attracted by association by a newspaper lying on the windowsill – the same one, it seems, that I leafed through on the second day, amazed by the strange creatures in the photographs. I picked up the rustling sheets, glanced at the first page. (Un)familiar letters began to slowly form words.

"CUSTOMS DUTIES - UNPRECEDENTED REDUCTION!

The people of Manehattan have received with joy and satisfaction the news of the new decree of our glorious and beloved Princess of Friendship on the thirty percent reduction of import duties on goods from Griffonstone, Seaquestria and Abyssinia. There is no doubt that this measure will serve to strengthen foreign trade in every possible way and will benefit the city and the country.

Of course, the Equestrian treasury will not suffer at all from the customs reforms. After all, as the Department of Trade believes, the increase in total taxes from the increase in trade with our foreign partners should more than offset the reduction in tax rates.

Of course, as always, there were skeptics among the city's residents. Thus, a source in the city council who wished to remain anonymous stated:

"I don't understand what Her Highness is counting on when she talks about increasing trade. Griffonstone is as poor as a temple mouse, and Aris is too busy with post-war reconstruction, and it's unlikely that both of them, taken together, will be able to offer the markets of Equestria worthy goods or pay for our products with anything other than promises. On the other hand, now it's not only the treasury that will suffer losses, but also our worthy artisans, when Equestrian flax will have to compete with silk from Hathistan, or the products of our mines - with coal from the griffon mines. Under Celestia, Canterlot did not allow itself such carelessness!"

Well, our editorial board wholeheartedly condemns the whiners and the skeptics. Just as it condemned the pessimists who believed that the kingdom's budget should have been spent on aid to village schools and payments to mage-healers. And not to, to quote these opportunistic statements, "the stolen aid to victims of avalanches in Yakyakistan, unsuccessful attempts to adapt humans to civilized life and investments in Griffonstone eateries."

There is no doubt that Princess Twilight's wise and balanced policy will lead our land to true prosperity. And will also allow us to make new friends outside of Equestria. After all, haven't we already seen how eagerly the yetis of the Storm Islands accept the ideals of Friendship, especially when they are hammered into their skulls with swords and spears? Isn't the Kingdom of Farasi about to realize how reckless it was to close its borders to our merchants? Isn't…"

I put the newspaper down on the table. Local politics, of course. Only "human’s adaptation to civilized life" interested me.

Alyatara looked at the cup of cold tea.

“So you’ve been working since morning?” she asked.

“Yeah. Before the sun rises. So as not to embarrass anyone with my appearance.”

No, of course, Alyatara was not in the cards for competing with me in VHS for a long time. But now there was a good attempt.

"That's not right," she said sadly. "I know you're not an otherworldly monster - you're just not like us ponies. It's embarrassing to think that I was the one retelling those rumors. I don't like that you have to hide from everyone like... like some kind of creature from Tartarus."

My heart warmed. Not only did this simple creature take on the responsibility of caring for a foreigner, but she was also worried about the reaction of her fellow creatures…

“What should I do? I can't go everywhere with a sign that says "I'm a human being, and I'm not a monster."”

Alyatara leaned forward, looking into my eyes.

“Everything will be fine,” she promised, though in a somewhat uncertain tone.

I sighed. I wanted to pat the unicorn on the head, but I didn't dare - who knows if it's considered impolite in Equestria.

Okay. We'll get through this.

The pony sat opposite me, deep in thought about something.

“And if…” she drawled slowly. She picked up the newspaper I had left behind with telekinesis and rustled the pages.

“Yeah, that's it!”

She turned the newspaper towards me.

“The griffonian cuisine café ‘Wing and Hoof’ is once again waiting for visitors,” I read with some effort. “We offer dishes from both shores of the Celestia Sea!”

“Since you're going to save me on rent, maybe we should go out into the city? It's boring to sit at home all weekend, don't you think? I'll show you Manhattan while you're at it. How about that?”

I shook my head. On the one hand, it sounded tempting. On the other…

“Are you sure there is enough money? I don't want to causing you...”

“Well, that's enough! - Alyatara shook her mane. “You're definitely not causing me any pays, and I want to unwind myself. And anyway! Let the townspony get used to your appearance.

I laughed sadly.

“Tell me better, I'll get used to you.”

“Hey, I didn’t say that,” Alyatara laughed. “Although if you think about it… So what?”

Damn. How can you refuse her?

• Well, damn!

That's all I had words for.

The huge machine slowly floated over the sea.

The ship didn't look like Earth's airships at all. Well... as I imagined them.

The huge cigar was painted in blue and purple stripes, the bow was covered with something like metal plating. Below, the entire length of the ship, there was some kind of lattice truss, with something attached by ropes... what was it called? A hull? A gondola? In general, a thing very similar to the hull of a sailboat, if all the masts and sails were cut off.

The lower part, whatever it was called, was almost as big as the upper balloon, at least one hundred and twenty meters. And it looked like it was made of planks. Portholes sparkled in the sun along the sides. The nose was crowned with a gilded horse's head. Huge fins-wings stuck out from the sides, rhythmically raking the air.

A long curved pipe extended from the left side of the airship. Thick black smoke was coming out of it. A soft rattling sound could be heard from the ship.

The airship slowly descended. It passed to the right of the embankment, casting a shadow on the waves of the bay. It glided toward the low stone wall that protected the coast.

Above which some towers similar to power transmission line masts, gable roofs and balloons of the same flying machinesrose.

“Wow. Just wow,” I finally said.

“Looks cool, doesn't it?” Alyatara smiled. “Humans don't have such technologies?”

I laughed.

“We have something better. Enormous winged ships made entirely of metal. They are as big as this thing, but can fly dozens of times faster than it.”

“Great,” Alyatara watched the airship go. “Would you mind drawing what yours airships look like? I’ve got a couple of ideas for a sketch…”

“I will,” I promised. “Listen, I don’t understand something… Is it steam-powered?”

The unicorn thought.

“I don't know, to be honest. I think most of them have both steam and magic engines. But I don't really know much about it, really. I'm not a mechanic.”

The sea space sparkled in the sunbeams before us. Seagulls were screaming, sails were visible ahead – between the embankment and the ridge of islands rising on the horizon. I also spotted a couple of steamships with a trail of smoke behind them. One looked like something out of an old novel – wooden planking, several tall pipes, paddle wheels, a small mast with furled sails. The second looked more modern, no wheels or masts were visible.

The wind ruffled my hair and the unicorn's mane. On Earth, I somehow never got to go to the sea, and I looked at the ships with almost the same interest as the airship. Even forgetting for a while that the ponies I met looked askance and turned around.

“Turn left from here,” Alyatara said, giving me a little nudge in the side. We crossed the road, entering a labyrinth of shops and cafes.

Here I was looked at less sideways. Probably because the people on the streets were more diverse.

The most numerous of all (not counting ponies of all kinds) were griffons. Those same bird-cats whose photo I had stared at in the newspaper. There were also bird-horses, sometimes walking along the sidewalk, sometimes fluttering over it like pegasi. "Hippogriffs," whispered Alyatara in my ear, seeing me watching the creature flash over the street.

Once I saw (and tried my best not to stare, reminding myself that I wasn't actually in a zoo) another creature. It looked like a horse with a lion's mane, a long lion's tail, a curved, forked horn in the middle of its forehead, and snake scales down its back. Then a minotaur stomped down the street - I recognized it without being told. Short legs ending in massive hooves, a torso covered in coarse gray fur with long, monkey-like arms - and a heavy bull head on broad shoulders. The creature's only clothing was a bandage wrapped around its loins.

"This is the port area," Alyatara explained, seeing how interested I was in the crowd. "There are always a lot of foreigners here. Especially these days, when the Princess of Friendship has supported the opening of the borders. Oh, here we are!"

She pointed to a covered platform with wicker chairs. Above the entrance was a griffon with outspread wings, a sign proudly proclaiming "Wing and Hoof."

“What do you prefer?” an earth pony in an apron approached the table. I must pay tribute to her - when she saw me, her gaze flickered for only a second.

"I'd like some Pranch fries with Lucerne sauce, if possible," Alyatara asked. "And my friend would like something from the Griffon cuisine. And two mugs of cider."

I glanced at the menu. It was a mistake – my gaze was immediately drowned in the bizarre names. Desperate to choose, I simply poked my finger at random at an appetizing-looking picture.

Hopefully it won't turn out to be some fresh rabbit intestines with a side dish of undigested grass.

In general, the cafe looked like it deserved three stars at most. Stains on the crooked tables, a fly-specked lamp under the ceiling, unwashed windows... Oh well, let's hope it doesn't affect the quality of the food. The far table was occupied by five people... ahem... griffin creatures, who were enthusiastically discussing something among themselves. Two earth ponies, their heads bowed towards each other, were quietly talking two tables away from us.

However, it is not my position to be picky.

"How do you like Manehattan?" Alyatara asked.

“It’s impressive,” I answered honestly. “Well, like… Our world doesn’t have that kind of diversity, I guess. There are people of different skin colors, but to be like that… Now I really feel like this is a different world.”

I think I said something wrong. Alyatara winced.

“What's happened?”

“No. No, nothing... just more stupid rumors.”

“About humans?” I guessed. Alyatara blushed.

“Ask, don't be shy. I promise I'll answer honestly.”

The unicorn kicked the table with her hoof.

“Well... I heard that at one time you exterminated all other sapients in your world.”

I chuckled.

“It happened a long time ago, Alyatara. Tens of thousands of years ago. So long ago that even the memory of those times has not been preserved.”

“Then how do you know about this?”

“Excavations, genetic research... I don't know much about it myself. But these were, by the way, species very closely related to ours. There has never been such a kaleidoscope as you have here. By the way, scientists seem to have found traces of these species in our own genes, so it is not known for sure whether we exterminated them or merged with them. I'm telling you, it was many thousands of years ago. We do indeed fight a lot... but we try not to allow the extermination of entire nations.”

At that moment the waitress put the trays down on our table and I stopped.

Raised the cold mug.

“Well, how about to drink at the acquaintance?” I belatedly realized that the ponies might not have this custom.

“At the acquaintance,” either it was, or Alyatara guessed from the meaning. The mugs clinked.

The drink tasted like a weak, cool beer, only with an apple flavor. It was not bad. I pulled the plate toward me and cautiously poked at the contents with my fork.

My fears, fortunately, were not realised - the dish most resembled ordinary meat in French. Only the portion was frankly too small, for two bites. And a bit tough, as if it consisted of only cartilage.

“Alyatara,” something suddenly occurred to me and I cautiously put down my fork. “And what do griffins eat?”

“Well...” she moved her ear, “pigs, sheep, cows. Regular cattle, I guess. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, just like that,” I threw a new portion into my mouth with relief. “Just don't laugh, but I thought that maybe it's customary for you here to eat each other?”

Alyatara snorted, cider splattering from her mug.

“Oh!” she magnetized a napkin to her hoof.

"It's a trifle," I waved it off. I started wiping my jacket with another napkin; fortunately, the durable fabric didn't seem to be too damaged by the splashes. The unicorn on the other side of the table thought about it.

"Eating sapients is a crime," she said firmly. "Both here and overseas. I don't know about the half-intelligent, but we don't slaughter animals that understand speech for meat either. Although, like in Griffonstone..." she also looked at my plate thoughtfully.

I set it aside, feeling another wave of culture shock roll in. I let out a VHS.

At that moment the sun dived from the sky and darkness fell. I watched as a wave of shadow glided along the street, and after it, one after another, the chains of lanterns flashed.

I looked thoughtfully at the ceiling.

“Alyatara. Can I ask another question?”

“Of course,” the unicorn leaned back in her chair.

“A light bulb,” I pointed my finger upward at a huge faceted crystal that was emitting a faint glow.

Alyatara followed my gesture.

“A. Yes, I noticed that too. As I said, this is the port area, unicorns are more common here. It must be easier to charge them here.”

She noticed my pitiful look.

“Oh, you don't know. Well, yes, it's magical. A crystal enchanted to glow. Very convenient, no wires or pipes needed.”

“But at your home...”

“Well, I'm a unicorn, of course, but I'm far from a real magician. It will take me two weeks to charge the crystal, even if I figure out how to do it. Firefly lamps are too dim. And with an electric one - no worries. Another thing is that they break down faster, and you need to carefully choose a bulb so that it fits the standards of the electrical network to which you are connected. And in old neighborhoods this is a problem. Not everywhere there is place for a new trench for pipes, and where there is, gas pipes are often already laid.”

“For pipes?” I lost the thread of the conversation.

“Well, yes, for the wires.”

I looked at Aljatara with confusion.

“What does this have to do with...” it dawned on me. I really hadn't seen a single cable line on the street, despite the fact that there were plenty of electric lights.

“Don’t you use electricity on your Earth?” Alyatara asked, puzzled.

“We use it, but we usually throw the wires through the air.”

“Through the air?” the interlocutor now answered with an uncomprehending look.

“Well, yes. Every hundred or so meters we stick in a special support pole and attach wires to it...”

“Isn't it dangerous? What if the support suddenly fails and the insulation gets damaged?”

It seems there is no point in telling her that we do not insulate high-voltage power lines at all. Otherwise, I will not be the only one with culture shock.

“We’re used to it,” I shrugged.

The noise of conversations from the griffin table grew louder. Now they began to sing something rhythmically mournful in their guttural, clucking voices. I winced – the sound resembled a mix of a cat concert and the sounds of a henhouse. Alyatara also twitched her ears in displeasure.

“Oh-ho-ho!” suddenly came from behind me. “What I see here!”

Alyatara's eyes widened. I turned around.

And almost fell off his chair.

The creature on the right stood on two legs and had two four-fingered clawed hands.

No. It stood on one leg. The other was replaced by a prosthesis, lined with some kind of dull green stone. Jade, maybe.

The resemblance to a human being was limited to two-armedness and two-leggedness (one-leggedness). The bird's head, the chest that was visible through the cut of the purple leather jacket, neck and shoulders of the creature were covered with pure white feathers. A dense layer of white and green feathers descended from the back of the creature's head, falling on the shoulders. Above the predatory curved beak, large eyes with scarlet irises looked at me.

The birdman was dressed in a purple leather jacket with gold braid and short puffed pants. His head was covered by a huge tricorn hat. The hilt of a long blade was visible from under the hem of the jacket.

The creature on the left stood on two legs and had two four-fingered clawed hands.

This was the extent of his resemblance to a human. And also the long black hair on his head. Which merged into the smooth black fur of a cat's muzzle. With large green eyes and narrow slit pupils, and sharp triangular ears.

The catman was dressed in a black skirt and a gold necklace with a shiny pendant. A small bag was slung over his shoulder, and a dagger was pulled down from the belt.

The creature in the middle stood on two legs and had two five-fingered hands.

He was dressed in an unbuttoned green jacket, revealing a tanned black chest, and leather pants, he wore a pair of boots on his feet, and a saber on his belt.

And at first glance it was no different from a human being.

“Hola, amigo! Have I finally met a human face in this city?!”

“Uh... Hello.”

"I can't believe my eyes!" the Pirates of the Caribbean character kicked the chair next to him. "Are you really one of those poor wretches that Her Highness deigned to release from the Ponyville lockup? How long have you been in Manhattan, friend? "

“For the second week. Both here and in Equestria,” I still didn't know where to stare, either at the unexpectedly met compatriot or at his colorful companions. The ornithoid made some clicking phrase in a language unknown to me, the cat-man answered in the same language.

“Sorry, skipper!” the pirate jumped up and stood at attention.

“Boy, meet the most fearsome captain of all who have sailed the skies over Zebrica and southern Equestria - Lady Celaeno, commander of Swiftwing! And her worthy third mate, Tabitha Shadowpaw! And your name is...”

“Uh... Evgeniy.”

“Alyatara,” the unicorn decided to take part in the conversation.

The pirate bowed to Aliatara and shook my hand vigorously.

"I am Marco Serrano, Seventh. Second Mate and Supercargo of the Swiftwing," he said. "I am pleased to meet an Earthman in these parts. May I treat you and your companion?"

The ornithoidean clicked its beak.

“Again, my apologies, Captain!” the pirate turned to her. “May I request a short leave for the rest of the day for me and Lady Tabitha? It's not often that you meet a planetmate in the midst of a pony city, and especially one who has just been brought to this world.”

"Have fun," the bird captain said in a clucking accent. "And try not to get into fights. I'll deduct your bail from your share."

“Yes!” the pirate clicked his heels. The cat girl gracefully sat down on the next chair.

"Do you speak Spanish?" Marco asked, looking at me thoughtfully. "I haven't practiced my native language in ages. Well, three and a half years."

I shook my head.

“I'm from Russia.”

“Well then, let's speak Equestrian,” Marco snapped his fingers. “Hey, filly! Be so kind as to have four mugs of your best cider for me and my friends!”

He turned his gaze to me.

“Well, tell me. I won't ask how you ended up in Equestria - we all got here the same way. Tell me how you got to Manehattan and why the princess didn't grab you and send you off to learn about friendship and harmony?”

I scratched the back of my head, collecting my thoughts.

“Well... it just happened. Actually, thanks to Alyatara. She agreed to be my guarantor.”

The pirate chuckled.

“My, my. You have a good heart, lady. And you, my friend, are very lucky. This loophole will soon be closed.”

Alyatara smiled.

“At first I almost rushed to the guards myself. We were told so many dirty rumors about people! Some were even reprinted by my newspaper. I am ashamed to admit, but at that time I believed them in all seriousness...”

"What paper is that? «Manehattan World»?" the cat girl asked. Her voice was low and velvety, not at all in keeping with her slender figure.

“Well, yes. And where are you from...”

At that moment the waitress brought the cider. Marco lifted the mug and sipped the yellowish liquid. He winced.

“It’s not hard to guess,” Tabitha took a sip too. “It’s the only newspaper in Manehattan whose editorial board belongs to a unicorn. And it publishes what the old unicorn families of Canterlot will like. And they’re not too happy about Celestia being replaced by Twilight. So, not openly, but they criticize most of her reforms. Including the human adaptation project.”

Alyatara blushed.

“I... I didn't think...”

“Oh, come on,” I encouraged her. “You’re not responsible for the political games of your bosses.”

Marco sighed.

“To be honest, we gave the pony a lot of reasons ourselves. At the very beginning, when the transfer had just begun, there were... bad things, buddy. Alas.”

“What bad things?” I asked point-blank.

The pirate looked around.

"I could tell you about it - it just so happens that I know the story in detail," he lowered his voice. "But generally speaking, you didn't choose the right place; this is a portside bar after all. That bunch over there," he pointed at the griffons, "are about to get fit and start looking for someone to preen their feathers. I'd be happy to limber up, of course, but we have ladies with us."

I looked around. Yes, the voices from the griffon table were getting drunker and angrier, with predatory growls intertwined every now and then. Alyatara laid her ears back. Tabitha grinned, baring her fangs.

“Are we leaving?”

"Let's just finish the cider," Marco followed his own advice, knocking back his mug. "Since we've already paid for it. Tell you what, if you come with us, I'll not only show you a great place where we can sit in peace, but I'll also treat you to a bottle of real Griojo from South Ardragon!"

He stood up, heading for the exit. We followed him. The griffons turned their heads, seeing us off with dissatisfied clucks, one made a movement as if he was going to get up. Alyatara moved closer to me. Tabitha met the eagle-lion's gaze, bared her teeth and casually lowered her hand to the hilt of her dagger. The griffin withered.

Now I felt myself... no, not in a parallel world. That was already a stage I had passed. In a novel about time travelers.

The semi-basement of the tavern – it was hard to call this place a bar or a cafe – was lit by dim tongues of bluish flame. The gas lamps looked like dragon heads sticking out of the walls, with fire bursting out of their mouths.

Heavy tables made of solid oak planks, narrow lancet windows covered with cast-iron bars. Uneven log walls, a stone floor with hay scattered across it. Heavy beer kegs at the far end of the room, behind the bar.

Of course, I guessed that all this was "antique" decor. But it looked impressive.

The bartender, a barrel-thick earth pony, slowly approached our table. He greeted Marco ceremoniously. He took our order and disappeared into the depths of the establishment.

Marco leaned back on the bench, putting his hands behind his head.

“So, buddy. You want to know what happened when the first humans got here?”

“Yes, perhaps. And at the same time, how did you end up in Manhattan?”

“And why weren’t you detained by the guards and sent to the camp like the others,” added Alyatara, the unicorn’s eyes sparkling with curiosity.

The pirate grinned.

“Because I'm not an Equestrian, buddy. I'm a good subject of their majesties King Gomez and Queen Morticia. And so is Lady Shadowpaw. So Committee has no reason, much less the right, to grab me by the short hair”

“Besides, we rarely visit Equestria,” the cat added. “This time we stopped in Manehattan to recharge the gravcrystals. It’s not cheap as it is. It’s better to spend money on an Equestrian flight than to look for a unicorn with the necessary spell outside of Equestria.”

I leaned forward.

“Grav... what?”

“Oh yeah, they didn't show that in the cartoon,” nodded Marco. “Actually, "gravcrystal" is not a very accurate name, but it has stuck over the last hundred years. You see, all, or almost all, airships stay in the air thanks to magic. The lifting force of pure hydrogen is not enough to lift such a mass into the air. But naked levitation magic is also too expensive. Usually, a spell is used that reduces the weight of the gas in the shell, and another one, related to the aerokinesis of pegasi, which slows the leak. As a result, the carrying capacity increases tenfold with minimal expenditure of magic. So you can fly for a year or two without worrying about updating the spells. Of course, if the master unicorn is good.

I didn't understand anything, but thought it best to put off asking questions.

Marco drove the corkscrew into the cork with a confident movement and poured the wine into the glasses. Tabitha sucked in her breath.

“Ardragon Coast, nine hundred and ninety-two,” she drawled.

“Can you tell by the smell of the wine?” Alyatara’s ears turned forward.

“No. It’s just that this bottle was from the batch we were delivering to Manehattan,” Tabitha laughed. “We weren’t going to Equestria empty, were we?”

I'm not much of an expert on wine, of course.

But it was clearly good. Tart, pleasantly tinged with resin and grape, cooling the mouth and warming the throat.

Alyatara took a sip and closed her eyes with pleasure. Marco emptied half the glass in a long gulp.

"Well," he said, "I can tell you the story of the first isekaied, as it happens, in all its details. After all, as I already said, I am the Seventh."

“The seventh?”

“Yes. There were few of us back then for numbers to make sense. I was the seventh human to die and end up in Equestria. And we, you know, try to pick up rumors about each other.”

He took another sip. Alyatara stared at the pirate with wide eyes. Tabitha twirled the glass in her fingers, it was obvious that she had heard this story before.

“It all started about three and half years ago, before the abdication of the diarchs. If we go by seasons, then at the very beginning of the sixth.”

I didn't quite understand what he was talking about, but I decided not to interrupt him.

“The First,” Marco drew a line with his fingernail on the oak tabletop.

“He's from somewhere in New York, a big fan of the show. They say he could remember every episode by heart. It all went pretty much like a standard fanfic. He got into a traffic accident and came to in the Castle of the Two Sisters. He roamed around there for a while, then managed to get out of the forest to Ponyville. He met the Crusaders, who took him to Twilight.

“Twilight, at that time, if you remember, was only one of the three. She became interested in this phenomenon, tried to study humans. Then she told Celestia...” Marco paused.

“From that moment on, nothing is known about him. Some say Celestia sent him to Tartarus. Or turned him into stone. Others believe that he was drained of all possible knowledge about the series, and put in a luxurious prison cell somewhere under Canterlot. Still others - that he was turned into a pony, despite the fact that this is considered impossible, and he lives peacefully under a false name and appearance somewhere in Equestria.”

A new notch appeared on the tabletop.

“The Second.”

I waited silently for him to continue.

“It was stupid. He was also thrown into the Everfree, and he couldn't think of anything better to do than drink stagnant water. He got out of the forest a week later, already extremely weak.”

“He was discovered by ponies from a small village east of Ponyville. They probably could have helped him now, but the local doctor had no idea how to treat humans back then. Anyway, may he rest in peace.”

Marco made another mark.

“The Third. Killed the pony.”

I felt the warm fur of Alyatara on my shoulder as the unicorn moved closer to me. Her fur stood on end.

“They don't really know what happened. They found tracks and the body of a foal. Perhaps he got scared when the filly ran into him. Perhaps he was mentally damaged by the transfer. Either way, he hid the remains and went into the forest. From there, his tracks are lost.”

The fourth white stripe on the board.

“The Fourth.”

“He still lives in Canterlot. By the way, one of yours, Russians. The ponies were on guard after what happened to the Third. So he was quickly brought before Celestia, where they also squeezed out all the knowledge about the show. Then, having made sure that he was safe, they put him to work.”

“The guy turned out to be a tech savvy guy, so he was included in the commission for the evaluation and implementation of Earth developments. Of course, not weapons - you can imagine how Twilight reacted to the story about nuclear bombs. But they are trying to implement some technical innovations into life. For example, the new radio on the Swiftwing is their brainchild.”

“By the way, he's the only one who made the fans' dream come true - he got a mistress from the show. Not from the Six, obviously. Someone from the secondary characters, either Pie or Apple,” he scratched the back of his head. “I'm starting to forget the details. When the show becomes reality...”

Fifth notch.

“The Fifth,” Marco darkened. “We owe this idiot mainly for the fact that humans are looked at as monsters.”

“I don't know what went through his head after the isekai. Maybe he decided he ended up in one big pony harem. Or maybe he was crazy before the transfer. Anyway... he attacked Fluttershy.”

Nearby, Alyatara quietly gasped.

“Attacked whom?”

“Fluttershy,” Marco stared at me as if I was mad. “Hello, buddy! Of course, I don’t remember the details myself…”

I shook my head.

“You won't believe it, but... I haven't watched this show.”

“What?” the pirate's jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely. Well, I saw a couple of episodes here and there. Until I found myself here, I didn't remember its existence.”

Marco shook his head.

“It's crazy. I didn't think something like this was possible. I can imagine what you thought when you found yourself here...”

“I didn't think anything. Basically, I was just shocked.”

“And what does this mean? Now this thing will swallow those who have no idea about ponies?”

“These guys from the secret services couldn't believe it either. I still have to go to them for a second interrogation. I hope it won't occur to them to cut me open just to be sure.”

Marco chuckled.

“Well, so here it is. Fluttershy. So you understand - she is the idol of a good half of the male fans.”

“Luckily for himself, he didn't manage to do anything serious to her. Discord intervened.”

I felt Alyatara flinch.

“He…” the unicorn muttered.

“I don’t know the details,” Marco held out his palm. “Nobody knows them anyway. After Twilight’s personal request, Discord took pity on him and let the poor bastard go. But by that time… Anyway, this guy is still being held in a Canterlot hospital in a padded ward. He hasn’t uttered a single articulate word in three years. And to feed him, they have to tie him up.”

Tabitha yawned. She began tossing and catching her dagger without taking it out of its sheath. From a close distance, I noticed that the blade and sheath were tied together with thin wire.

Marco's fingernail scraped across the table.

“The Sixth.”

“Everything turned out... relatively acceptable with him. Everything he could tell was already known from the First and the Fourth. He couldn't boast of anything particularly useful for the ponies either. He was kept in isolation for some time, and was released after six months. He wandered around Equestria for a long time, and eventually settled down as a farmhand on some farm near the capital. He lives there to this day.”

“And you were next?”

"Exactly. Well, there may have been a few more before me, but cragadiles and manticores weren't kind enough to tell us about them. So I guess I can lay claim to that title by right," he puffed out his chest.

“How did you die?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Marco's gaze suddenly became very uncomfortable and cold.

“Sorry if I asked something stupid,” I blurted out hastily. “For example, I stepped on some soap in the shower and hit my head.”

The pirate stared at me for another second, then relaxed.

"Trifle," he said calmly. "You know, I was just coming home from a convention where I picked up a Rarity collectible. Now I had all six. I was so excited I didn't notice these guys."

“They showed me a knife. Told me to give up everything valuable. You won't believe it, but I felt so sorry for the figurine...”

“I slapped one and started running. But I tripped. They caught up with me and knocked me down. I saw the knife, but I didn't have time to do anything,” he pulled apart the flaps of his jacket, showing a scar just above his stomach.

“Well, that's it. I came to on the outskirts of the Everfree. At first, of course, I didn't understand what had happened. I decided that they had taken me for a dead man and taken my body somewhere into the thicket.”

“Then... then it was boring. I trudged along the edge of the forest for a long time and hoped to reach the dwelling. If I had gone the other way, I would have reached Ponyville by evening, and now I would probably be gobbling up gruel from the generosity of the Princess of Friendship.”

"You don't regret it?" Tabitha asked. Marco grinned and flicked the cat girl on the ear.

“I walked for two days. I saw rocks in the distance. My stomach was already starting to ache from hunger, although I had fortified myself with berries and a couple of bird eggs. I started to think about what to do next - and then I was caught,” he snapped his fingers in the air.”

“The ground suddenly gave way under my feet. If they hadn't thrown a bag over my head, I would have taught them a good lesson, but at that moment I was a little taken aback. I started screaming and kicking my legs - and in response they started to bust my ribs.”

“Well, that's it. When I came to my senses a little, I saw these creatures. Now I know that they were diamond dogs, but then my heart almost was in my throats.”

“It was another sortie. For gems and, if they're lucky, for slaves and valuables. In general, their clans are wary of entering Equestrian territory, but the dumbest and most reckless sometimes try. The Wonderbolts and the guard chase them when they catch them - but what good are the Wonderbolts underground?”

"They tried before," Tabitha corrected. "They've lost the will to try again lately. Especially since Duke Capper banned the slave trade in Klugetown."

“Yes. But then I had the chance to fully appreciate the advantages of the slave market. And before that - to drag sacks of loot after the pack enough. And to wander through the Desert of Bones as part of a slave caravan.”

He took a sip from his glass.

“So. I was acquired by the Storm King's buyers. They decided to entertain their lord with a foreign curiosity,” he grinned. “Well, in the end I entertained them, though not in the way they planned. They captured Tabby a little earlier, that's how we met...”

"And then," Tabitha continued, "Lady Celaeno decided that she had suffered too much humiliation from Storm's servants to turn Swiftwing into a slave ship. And we have served under her command ever since."

“It’s incredible,” the unicorn muttered. “It’s like I heard a retelling of the new Daring Do novel…”

Marco chuckled.

“Only in novels they don't write about how stinks of a diamond dog's shit. Or a slave hold, especially when you haven't been released for five days in a row.”

“Well, “he sipped his wine. “After that, the number of isekaied kept growing, so soon they stopped assigning numbers. You know, kid, I don’t blame Twilight too much. For every one who could be useful to ponies, there were three or four dead weights. Add those who went nuts after death and transfer. The problem snowballed. This idea with the camp was conceived, I suppose, as a temporary palliative. Ha-ha.”

I took a sip of wine too.

“How many people are there here in total?”

“I don’t even know. Around a couple thousand, probably. The average rate now is one person a day, but it’s picked up in recent years. That’s what I’ve heard. You know, I’ve been keeping a little eye on this. In general, what I mean is that when you throw a few hundred people with rats in the attic into a glass jar and let them suffer from idleness, nothing good can be expected. The ponies probably didn’t realize it right away. They’re not like that, man. A highly social species, low intra-group conflict and all that. They underestimated how quarrelsome we can be.”

“I think you could be like that too,” Aliatara said quietly. “If you really wanted to learn friendship.”

Marco sighed.

“That's what Twilight probably thought too. And she tried to teach. It worked... how it worked.”

“Okay,” I muttered. “Okay. Listen, I wanted to ask you something. I see you’ve gotten used to this world.”

“What is, is,” Marco chuckled.

“What should I do? Since we can't go back, I want to cling to something. To understand how to live in this world. What to do, where to find my place.”

The pirate became gloomy.

"How's your combat experience?" Tabitha suddenly asked.

“No way,” I answered, surprised. “I never even served in the army.”

“What can you do?”

“Well... on Earth I was a small salesman. And I did some metalworking for fun. I studied to be a programmer, but I didn't finish my studies.”

The cat girl shook her head.

“Sorry. We need sapient ones who are either useful in the air or can ring steel during boarding. The captain won't hire a sailor who needs to be taught from scratch.”

“So you... really are pirates?” Alyatara's eyes became like two saucers.

Marco laughed again.

You wonder what, and never how.

I know a little of navigation:

War, trade, and piracy, allow,

As three in one, no separation.

He recited. Probably some pony poetry.

“Actually, lady pony, we are not pirates. We are honest privateers with an official patent of the Abyssinian Kingdom. We do not rob - we provide security services. To those ships that agree to pay for it.”

He grinned wolfishly.

“For some reason, everyone agrees.”

"But Tabby's right," he went on. "Equestria is a utopia in many ways, boy, but the world beyond... Sometimes we intercept slave ships - the slave trade died out after the war, but it didn't disappear. And then we have the work for blades. Sorry.”

“It’s okey,” I spread my hands. Indeed, starting a pirate career… would be interesting, but scary.

"Try to find other relatives," Tabitha advised. "Even in Manehattan, I heard, there are humans, albeit only a few. It's easier together."

“That’s not a good idea,” Marco suddenly objected. “Most humans in Equestria, even those who managed to escape the camp, have achieved little. We are outsiders here, I must admit. Scary ones. Menial work for a handful of bits is the maximum a human can do here. I’m not talking about myself now, of course,” he put his hands on his hips.

“What I would advise you is to remember what from your human past could be useful here. After all, we have an extra hundred years of progress behind us. If you manage to become useful, they will stop seeing you as a monster.”

“Evgeniy is not a monster!” Alyatara stood up for me.

“But many of your compatriots don’t think so,” Tabitha objected. The unicorn winced, but didn’t argue.

“Or try going to the outskirts,” the cat girl turned to me. “The West, the South, the Crystal Empire... they need workers there, and even the ponies there don't care who you are, as long as you want and can work. Maybe even to Klugetown. Life under Capper's rule has started to improve there, although it's far from normal. And against the backdrop of the zoo there... no one there cares, even if you're a draconequus.”

“Maybe I'll try. I'm not allowed to leave Manehattan for now.”

Tabitha drained her glass.

“Isn't it time for us? The captain will give us a good scolding if we're late for the evening roll call.”

“That's right,” Marco stood up and pushed the bench aside. “You know what, buddy? Here you go.”

A small purse fell on the table with a jingling sound.

“Don’t think this is charity,” the pirate interrupted my attempts at protest. “It’s a loan. You’ll pay it back the next time we meet. I hope that by then you’ll have something to jingle in your pockets.”

Alyatara also stood up.

“You know,” she said, looking at Marco, “I think you humans are better than you think you are.”

Tabitha chuckled.

“Definitely. I'll say more...” she leaned towards the unicorn's ear and whispered something.

Alyatara squealed. She backed away, leaning against the table. The fur on her face turned red.

"Excuse me?" I asked, puzzled. Tabitha burst out laughing.

“Uh...” Aliatara drawled. “It was very nice to meet you! Forgive me, but it's time for us to go too!” she moved decisively towards the exit.

“Then - see you later. And good luck to you, my friend,” Marco heartily slapped me on the shoulder. We shook hands, and I hurried after my guide, throwing rustling hay with my feet.

“What did she tell you?” I asked curiously, already outside, having caught up with the unicorn. It was night, or rather, late evening, but here, due to the absence of the usual twilight, it was no different from night. Hooves were clicking and wings were flapping around. A cool breeze was blowing from the embankment.

“Nothing,” she snapped decisively. “Except stupid jokes.”