Earlier that Saturday in the Castle of Friendship, Starlight Glimmer levitated a page before her, eyes squinting slightly as she carefully read the human language upon it. Even with the translation spell in place, conveying purely Equestrian concepts such as pony magic was still a challenge. It also didn't help that the pony responsible for the text grew increasingly impatient.
"Well?" asked her assistant and student.
"Give me a minute, it takes me time to read their language."
"Hmph. Try writing in their language, if you really want a challenge."
Starlight managed not to roll her eyes.
"Do you know just how difficult it is to express even the simplest magical concepts in their clunky script?"
Starlight lowered the paper and smiled. "I thought nothing was impossible for the Great and Powerful Trixie."
Trixie Lulamoon gave Starlight an imperious look. "I am trying to be the Great and Helpful Trixie, mind you."
"Try a little harder, please." Starlight returned her attention to the paper. "This is a fair lesson plan, but--"
"Fair? Do you know how much hard work went into that?"
"Honestly, I do. It's not easy working under the restrictions humans have put us under." Starlight plucked a quill off the nearby table and pointed it at the page. "Which is why you need to revise this part."
Trixie narrowed her eyes. "You must be joking."
"It's not an allowed rune."
"But that is madness! Here in Equestria, we teach that one to unicorn foals."
"You mean the rune you didn't know until you learned it from me?" said Starlight.
Trixie frowned. "That's beside the point!"
Starlight had to admit she sometimes enjoyed needling Trixie. Taking her on as an assistant had been Twilight's suggestion, but Starlight had balked at first. Yet Trixie was already Starlight's student, learning real magic instead of simple pyrotechnics and sleight-of-hoof. What better way to allow her to learn proper magic than having her break down those spells for another audience, and in a foreign language no less?
While it was conducive to learning, it did nothing to stop Trixie's complaining.
Trixie dropped her voice into a conspiratorial tone. "Why don't we just, you know, leave it in?"
Starlight sighed. "Trixie--"
"Just don't bring any attention to it. I won't say anything if you don't. Who will know?"
"I will," Starlight declared. "Princess Celestia is counting on me to ensure we live up to the treaty, that we don't give the ponies on Earth magic that humans don't want them to have."
Trixie pointed a hoof at Starlight. "This coming from the very same pony who just the other night was lamenting about all these silly restrictions, and who had half a mind to 'accidentally' send an artifact through with faulty protection on the chance some smart unicorn would figure it out."
"That was said in the heat of the moment, heat you generated because of your endless complaining!" Starlight exclaimed. In a lower voice she added, "And the few mugs of hard apple cider I had that night didn't help, either."
"I didn't blame you a bit. Having to deal with these humans would drive anypony to drink."
Starlight hated these discussions not because Trixie was at her most annoying (or, rather, not solely because of that), but because it reflected her own feelings. She, too, was frustrated with how restrictive the humans were and how long it was taking for them to figure out what magic could be considered safe.
Starlight had been back to Earth several times to teach unicorns in person. It had been Celestia's idea to occasionally send ponies who had worked closely with the US government during the ETS crisis in order to put a familiar face on the effort. She had to admit to being tempted to use a mind magic spell on her human overseers long enough to teach something more advanced, especially when the students practically begged her to be taught more.
"You should consider yourself lucky," Starlight said in a stiff voice. She pointed to another rune. "This one was just recently approved."
"Now I know you are not serious," said Trixie. "That is an even more basic one that everypony knows."
"Which you learned only a few months ago."
Trixie narrowed her eyes. Her horn glowed, and she snatched the page away from Starlight. "Fine. I'll redo it."
"I could use an editing spell--" Starlight began.
"Not if I am to be the author of this!" Trixie declared just as a soft chime sounded through the castle. "It must be perfect."
Starlight rolled her eyes. "Fiiiine. I need to see who's at the door anyway."
"I trust everything else is correct and up to your standards?"
"Yes, everything else is fine. It's just that rune that needs to be removed."
Trixie smiled. "Very good. I'll let you know when it's ready."
Starlight shook her head as Trixie trotted away. She headed out of the magic lab and towards the entry hall, where she found Rarity waiting. Starlight composed herself and smiled. "Good morning. What can I do for you?"
"Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I have a matter I need to bring to your attention," said Rarity.
"Ah, no, I was looking to take a break."
"Is everything okay? You seem a bit tense."
Starlight laughed weakly. "When am I not tense, what with having to deal with Earth's fear of magic, problems with rehumanized humans still having magic, and partially transformed with erratic magic!"
"You're not as tense when you're not having to deal with Trixie."
Starlight's smile faded. "Is it that obvious?"
"Are you quite sure you wish to continue employing her as an assistant?" Rarity asked. "I know you two have become friends, but she is still quite a trying pony."
"Only because she's as stressed as I am. I'm actually grateful that she's become more serious about her magic."
"I suppose so long as I hear of no more incidents of the cutie map randomly teleporting somewhere, then that's good news," said Rarity in a diplomatic tone.
Starlight rubbed her hoof through her mane. "Yeah, that, uh, was not a good day. So what brings you here?"
"I was sitting in the cafe this morning when I spotted Fancy Pants," said Rarity.
Starlight drew her ears back. "What the hay is he doing in Ponyville?"
"Technically, most nobles have formal titles even if they don't normally exercise them anymore," said Rarity. "Fancy Pants is Duke of Ponyville, I believe, so he has every right to visit. It is more who I saw him conferring with that has me concerned."
"Who?"
"Filthy Rich."
"Well, I know the Riches are not exactly keen on humans being in town," said Starlight. "Maybe this is just the nobles trying to stir up support."
"Hmm, perhaps."
"And if that's the case, they're not going to get very far," said Starlight. "Too many ponies in town have met Doctor Conner and are good friends with him. They're taking him as a typical human."
"I'm more concerned with any potential trouble they can cause on Earth," said Rarity. "I've heard a rumor that Prince Blueblood is stirring things up in Canterlot."
Starlight hesitated. "That's ... not a rumor."
"Oh?"
"Princess Celestia sent me a letter explaining that he's been organizing the nobles into demanding protectorate status over the ponies of Earth."
"Then I'm glad I brought this to your attention," said Rarity.
"But what trouble could they cause on Earth?" Starlight asked. "The humans have everything locked down pretty tight."
"Humans are not perfect, dear, they can be bribed," Rarity said.
"But we don't have compatible monetary systems."
Rarity smiled. "Gold is still gold no matter what world you're on. It has the same high intrinsic value there as it does here, and Filthy Rich has access to enough gold to make several humans comfortably wealthy."
"But he would have to find a way to get it to them, wouldn't he?" Starlight asked. "That's the part I don't see happening. Maybe there's really nothing to worry about."
"Humans are visiting Equestria in greater numbers these days. That may give him the opportunity he needs. The upcoming summit on weather control, for example."
Starlight nodded. "All right, I guess we'll have to keep a close eye on that. If I don't already have enough to do."
"I am sure our friends will be glad to help," said Rarity.
"I'm going to need it, as I've been busy planning a trip to Earth," said Starlight. "We have to be there by tonight so we'll be ready by their Sunday morning to start our tour."
"We? Will you be taking Trixie with you again?"
"I have to! I can't handle all this myself."
"I'm still wary about subjecting Earth to her, considering the delicate state of affairs right now," Rarity said.
"It's okay, really." Starlight smiled. "She's only now starting to learn advanced magic, so she can do only what I teach her. Her help has been confined to coming up with approved lesson plans and distributing approved magical artifacts like fire crystals. She doesn't control what goes through the portal; all those decisions are made by Princess Celestia."
"I hope you're right," said Rarity.
"This is one case where--" Starlight stopped when she heard approaching hooves echoing through the chamber. She turned to see Trixie approaching, a page held in her magic.
"I have completed redoing the plan," said Trixie in a stiff voice. "I hope this one meets with your approval."
"Let's see." Starlight took the page in her magic and looked it over carefully. "Yes, this is perfect. Thank you. I'll give it the official stamp now."
Rarity looked on curiously as Starlight's horn glowed brighter and a seal was burned into the lower right corner of the document.
"I'll file this with the other papers we'll be taking on our trip to Earth," said Starlight.
"Very well," said Trixie. "If there's nothing else, I have a spa appointment."
"Spa appointment?" Starlight said. "You didn't tell me you were going over to the spa today."
"Ah, well, last minute thing, you see. The letter I got earlier this morning was a coupon for a free hooficure with any spa treatment."
Rarity smiled. "I rather like those deals myself. You definitely should take advantage of that so you can look your best while on Earth."
"Right," said Trixie. "Well, see you all later!"
Starlight waited until Trixie had left before presenting the page to Rarity. "See the spell I cast? It conveys the official Equestrian seal to the document. Only documents with that seal are accepted on Earth, and Trixie can't do that."
Rarity peered at the seal. "I hope you're right."
"Relax," Starlight said in a confident voice. "This is one thing I feel I have completely under control."
"We're so glad you decided to visit us again, Miss Lulamoon," said Aloe.
"We have some new conditioners you might like to try," said Lotus Blossom.
"They're guaranteed to make your mane sparkle in the light!"
"Yes, yes, almost as much as a crystal pony!"
"Especially after what you told us about how a certain stallion--"
"Never mind that!" Trixie said, her cheeks glowing pink. "What I need to know is whether or not this treatment is paid for."
"Oh, completely paid for, Miss Lulamoon," said Aloe.
"You're to get whatever you wish," said Lotus Blossom.
"She simply requests that you share her sauna treatment with her."
"You will both have exclusive use of it for as long as you wish."
Trixie smiled. "Very good. Is she here now?"
"Yes, indeed," said Aloe.
"She's having a mane treatment at the moment," said Lotus Blossom.
"Then we'll start with that as well," said Trixie. "Spare nothing."
"Of course," said Aloe. "Right this way, please."
If this was going to be on somepony else's tab, Trixie was going to make damn sure she milked it for everything it was worth. Certainly a pony of her caliber deserved it. Perhaps she did not have the magical ability of most, but she was part of a vitally important task to help millions of ponies from another world.
And she was willing to do the dirty work that Starlight would not.
Yet she tried not to let her thoughts get too grandiose as the spa attendants pampered her. If she had learned anything during her association with Starlight, it was that sometimes the most important work had to be done behind the scenes. There would be time to claim the accolades later.
By the time she was led to the sauna, she was eager to know what this was all about. After Aloe had left them alone, Trixie's benefactor said, "About time you got here."
"And what did you expect?" Trixie said in a lofty voice. "Did you think I would not take full advantage of your generosity?"
From across the sauna, Spoiled Rich gave her an ingratiating smile. "I suppose I should expect such behavior from you."
"It is fair compensation." Trixie lifted her muzzle. "As the Great and Powerful Trixie does not care to be summoned in such a way."
"Considering how much has gone into financing your ventures on Earth, meeting with me is the least you can do."
"Once!" Trixie cried. "I got help from you once!"
"Which came with certain obligations."
"Which you conveniently forgot to tell me at the time."
"Come now, Miss Lulamoon," said Spoiled. "Surely a pony of your worldly ways understands that one does not simply get something for nothing from those of wealth and influence."
"I didn't even ask for that money or gold, you simply gave it to me," Trixie protested.
"You didn't have to accept it."
Trixie narrowed her eyes. "And you didn't even ask me what I was going to use it for."
"One could guess," said Spoiled. "Given your rather vocal objections to the awful restrictions the ponies of Earth live under thanks to their barbaric human overlords."
"All you have are assumptions. You have no idea what I've been doing in that world, if anything."
Spoiled smiled. "Very well, Miss Lulamoon, let's talk specifics. We know you tampered with some fire crystals so their shielding would fail at a convenient moment."
Trixie's pupils shrank, and she blushed. "I-I have no idea how to do such intricate magic!" And I hate you for making me admit that, she added in her head.
"Perhaps, but considering the mood of many in Canterlot concerning Earth, you would have little trouble finding a mage to do such work for you," said Spoiled in an oily voice. "Perhaps even one of the same mages who provide security for the portal. A stallion whose eye you happened to catch who--"
"Yes, yes, enough of that!" Trixie said, her blush deepening.
"We also know of altered documents and secret letters," said Spoiled. "Shall I elaborate?"
Trixie glared. They had purposely given her that money knowing she would use it to bribe other ponies into working with her, not to mention a tidy sum for a particular human on Earth. The Ritches likely paid an even bigger bribe just to get proof of Trixie's machinations.
"No, I get it," Trixie said sourly. "What is it you want?"
"Ah, much better," said Spoiled. "We need you to help the nobles make contact with a particular faction among the ponies of Earth. Specifically, a pony named Strong Hooves of the Shimmerists."
Trixie's ears drew back. "Are you insane? Do you realize how much the humans distrust the Shimmerists?"
"Do you realize how much trouble you can get into for what you've already done?"
Trixie narrowed her eyes. "Blackmail is not very sporting, now is it?"
"Miss Lulamoon, don't be so harsh," said Spoiled. "We don't need to be enemies. We want the same thing: the ponies of Earth to have magical freedom. What they do with that freedom is their choice, as it should be."
"You're in this with Prince Blueblood, aren't you?"
"What if I am?"
"He wants a protectorate over the ponies of Earth," said Trixie.
"To ensure that they have freedom," said Spoiled. "Do you not feel free under the rule of the Equestrian Diarchy? Do they not rule us wisely and allow us the full expression of our magic? That is the very same goal we have for ponies of Earth, and what better way to accomplish that but to extend Princess Celestia's reign to them? Some already properly recognize Princess Luna as their ruler."
Trixie had spent enough time on Earth to know that was not quite the case. The Lunites did not see her as an Equestrian pony saw their diarchs, but she knew the subtlety would be lost on Spoiled Rich. "And, of course, he wants nothing for himself."
"And, of course, you want no future accolades for your accomplishments."
"At least we understand each other. Except for one thing." Trixie's face took on a disgusted look. "Why the Shimmerists? They actually think that crazy mare Sunset was their savior and want to see the rest of the humans transformed. I thought everypony agreed that was wrong."
"They are unfortunately the only faction open to protectorate status," said Spoiled. "Politics sometimes makes for strange bedfellows, something I'm sure you understand given your recent activities."
"I have lifted my tail for nopony!" hissed Trixie through clenched teeth.
"If you say so."
"What are you proposing I do?" Trixie growled.
"A Farhearing Stone," said Spoiled. "Take one to Earth and see that it winds up in the right hooves. That should be all that is needed."
Twilight had developed the Farhearing Stone as an impromptu means to allow Star Singer to communicate through the portal when she first went through to confront Sunset. After seeing how useful cell phones were on Earth, Twilight had helped the Canterlot mages come up with a better version that more ponies could use. Equestrian ponies who spent long stretches of time on Earth carried them to maintain contact with loved ones. Like any other artifact, however, they were strictly regulated, as they had many runes which were not allowed.
Which an enterprising unicorn could pick apart. Trixie slowly smiled.
"So, I see you understand how all of our interests can be furthered by this venture," said Spoiled.
"I do have one question," Trixie said. "Why me?"
"First of all, you've already done clandestine activity on Earth. You have a network in place. Second, you are scrutinized far less than the average mage due to your status."
Trixie could guess the unspoken third reason: that Trixie could take the fall if things went wrong. So be it. If she wanted any sort of fame, she had to take some risks.
"Very well," said Trixie. "Count me in. I'll do it."
Eileen sat on the sofa of what had been a waiting room for a doctor's office before ETS. Now it saw only occasional use as a small urgent care clinic for humans who fell ill or sustained a minor injury while visiting the pony sector. It did not see the continuous stream of visitors a normal clinic would, its primary physician residing in the human-populated section of Greenwood Village.
Eileen glanced across the room, where the yellow-furred unicorn -- Wildflower something-or-other, though the stallion referred to her as Wildy -- alternated between looking bored and giving Eileen a wary look. At least the stallion -- Ted Miller -- had the decency to look genuinely concerned. Beverly's hooves anxiously scraped the carpet from where she sat next to Eileen.
Eileen caught movement and soft conversation. She saw that Fire had run into the physician while coming back from the bathroom. Eileen stood with the intention to approach and talk to the doctor, but the two parted ways and Fire trotted into the room.
"Jenny is okay," Fire said in a relieved voice.
"Thank God," Beverly breathed.
"I want to see her," said Eileen.
"The doctor said she's fast asleep," said Fire. "All she had earlier was a fainting spell. He contacted a pony healer colleague of his and confirmed it was very much like a foal's magic surge event, and she's just sleeping it off now."
Eileen frowned and sat down. "I still want to talk to the physician."
"He said he'll return shortly," said Fire. "He got back some lab results for another patient that he needed to check."
Eileen glanced past Fire. "Are you sure we can trust this guy?"
"Yes. He's very much against the unsanctioned incarceration of Partials. He believes it to be a violation of their human rights."
Wildy snorted.
Ted smiled and said, "Eileen, I'm very happy to hear your niece will be okay."
"So now can we finally ask the question nopony seemed to want to touch?" Wildy said. "Just what the hell happened back there?"
"All I know is, I wanted to try to stall the feds," said Eileen. "Stupid plan, but--"
"Stupid?" Fire said. "It worked brilliantly!"
"But I have no fucking clue what came over me once I started. I was hearing things that couldn't possibly be coming from my own mouth."
"It had to be that human's magic," Wildy said.
"Yes, thank you Miss Obvious," Eileen snapped. "So what are we saying? Jenny's magic forced us into roles in her fantasy?"
"Or overlaid it on reality," said Fire. "Or augmented reality is perhaps a better way to put it."
"You've lost me."
"At first, I was hearing two sets of dialog until the magic really ramped up," said Fire. "For example, I swore you started going off on how your taxes paid their salaries, but a duplicate narrative had you mentioning coffers and the Crown."
Eileen raised an eyebrow. "Did you say narrative?"
"That's how Jenny referred to it," said Beverly. "It's what's been giving her insights all along, but she can't control it."
"At the start, I was sure I had referred to the feds as shitheads," said Eileen. "I heard something else instead, but I didn't quite get it."
Fire chuckled. "Ah, you called them 'knaves.'"
Eileen rolled her eyes. "Great. I stalled in hopes of magical help arriving, and what I got was bad community theater."
"Eileen!" Fire said in a shocked voice. "This is your own niece's special talent you're--!"
"Stop talking about her like you're about to plan her cutie cutecenara party! Beverly just said herself that Jenny couldn't control it."
"For now, yes, but she'll eventually gain control over it and--"
"You think she actually wants this? She wanted to be done with pony magic, and at this point, so do I."
Wildy sighed. "Great. Another ponyphobe."
Eileen glared at the unicorn. "Listen, do us all a favor and spare us your Shimmerist racist bullshit."
Wildy threw a hoof towards the examination rooms. "You think maybe this is a sign that her rehumanization was a mistake? That she should've been content as a pony?"
"You have no idea what's going on in her head, and frankly, neither do I anymore."
"You also have no idea how magic works. You can't just remove it when it doesn't want to go."
"Oh, come on, you're just making shit up now," Eileen said. "But I should've expected that from someone with a pony superiority complex."
Ted stood. "All right, everypony -- I mean, everyone -- please calm down. Sniping at each other is not going to get us anywhere. We have to figure out what our next steps are."
"Next steps?" Eileen said. "I would love to just take Jenny out of here now that we've delivered Bev to you."
"You can't!" Wildy cried.
"I know I can't, dumbass, not with the feds knowing her ability now."
"I don't mean that." Wildy hopped off the sofa. "She can help protect us with her magic."
Eileen frowned. "Huh?"
"She has a point," Beverly said softly.
"What are you talking about?"
"There's no way any fed is going to be persuaded by mere words into not arresting you," said Wildy. "That human girl affected their minds."
Eileen clenched her teeth. "First of all, her name is 'Jenny' and not 'that human girl.' Second, I love how you're first all 'go away filthy humans' one moment and the next you want to keep us around just because it's convenient for you."
Wildy narrowed her eyes. "Not all. I could do without you."
"Feeling's mutual, bitch."
"We're getting off topic!" Ted cried. "I think we can all agree that none of Beverly's friends can leave right now. Even Eileen could technically be charged with resisting arrest and aiding and abetting a fugitive. We have plenty of ponies who would be happy to accommodate all of you in their homes in the interim."
"And just how long will that interim be?" Eileen asked.
Before Ted could answer, the physician emerged from one of the examination rooms and headed towards them, carrying a tablet PC. He looked over the room. "Who here is Miss Tanner's legal guardian?"
Eileen stood. "I am."
"Are you her mother?"
"Aunt," said Eileen. "Both her parents are ponies. She was relegated to me as part of her rehumanization legal agreement. I don't exactly have the paperwork with me."
"It's fine," said the physician. "Miss Tanner is okay, medically speaking. All she is suffering from is exhaustion. Unfortunately, I can't really speak to her magical condition. You'd likely have to contact an Equestrian mage for that."
Eileen doubted that would be an option. Even if it were, the Equestrians themselves were supposedly flummoxed by things like this. "Thank you, doctor. I don't exactly have the money to pay you right now."
"This is all off the record anyway, so no worries. Mind you, I would suggest contacting the proper authorities about Miss Tanner's abilities."
"Yeah, figures he'd say that," Wildy muttered.
The physician looked past Eileen. "I am thinking of her. She is underage, so they will likely take that into consideration and not press charges against her, and it would allow her access to the proper Equestrian resources."
Wildy rolled her eyes but subsided.
He returned his attention to Eileen. "I recommend letting Miss Tanner rest here for a while before you take her home. I'll be in my office if you need me."
"Thank you," Eileen said before the physician headed away. She turned to the others. "I'm going to make something very clear. Whatever we do next, I call the shots when it comes to Jenny. She will not be forced into using her magic if she doesn't want to, and I'll personally kick the ass of anyone--" She narrowed her eyes at Wildy. "--or anypony who tries to browbeat or guilt her into it. Is that understood?"
"Of course," said Ted. "I can't deny Jenny was a big help, but it sounds like she wasn't in a position to make a choice in the matter."
"We can't ignore it," Fire said in a more subdued voice. "If she is coming into some new form of magic, she might surge again until it settles down."
"I'm not going to ignore it," Eileen said. "When Jenny is feeling better, I intend to have a long talk with her. I just don't want people taking advantage of her."
"And I have to admit, as much as I'm wary of the government right now, the doctor had a point about Jenny. She really needs the attention of an Equestrian mage."
"I thought they were just as clueless about this sort of thing as us," Eileen muttered.
"I've never heard of somepony -- excuse me, someone -- exhibiting a power as strong as hers after rehumanization," said Fire. "Maybe it has something to do with the way Sunset Shimmer interfered with her life years ago."
Wildy raised an eyebrow. "Sunset did what now?"
Eileen frowned. "I'll explain later. Maybe that will convince you that your precious savior was not all she was cracked up to be."
Matthew looked over the reports which had come in over the fax machine as his assistant Kelsey stood nearby. Tonya sat in the chair opposite Matthew, giving him a curious look. Matthew finally sighed and turned the folder around for Tonya to read before leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers. "Sloppy. Very sloppy."
"To be fair, they hadn't expected to encounter such strong magic," said Kelsey.
"Understood, but it seemed they lacked the proper preparation. Had they not thought to bring a crystal pony with them?"
Tonya frowned and looked up. "That wouldn't have worked. They would've needed a team of them."
Matthew turned towards her. "Oh?"
"She's well over a three on the PREQUES scale, perhaps close to a four. Too much for most crystal ponies to handle."
"But not too much for you, I take it?"
"It would be right at my limit, but I still think I could take her," Tonya said.
Matthew considered. "I would have thought her rating higher than that."
"If she had actually warped reality, I would agree." Tonya pointed a hoof at the folder. "But all recordings of the incident suggest imagery and sound overlaid on reality rather than altering it. Technology is just better at separating the two than the human brain is."
"But you still consider her dangerous, I take it?" Matthew asked.
"Definitely. It took more than just illusion to accomplish their escape."
"My magic experts tell me she may have been doing the equivalent of a foal's magic surge."
"Which makes her even more dangerous until it calms down," said Tonya. "Hell, I've seen parents of pegasus kids having to keep them on a damn leash just to prevent them from rocketing all over the place at breakneck speed."
Matthew leaned forward. "And you believe we should keep Miss Tanner on a short leash, so to speak?"
"At least until we can get some Equestrian authorities to look at her," said Tonya. "It wasn't just illusion that convinced the agents to retreat, but outright mind control. She probably even used it on her friends, since they didn't strike me as stupid enough to think they could stand up to federal agents. She likely nudged them into making a stand while she wove her own little narrative into the scene."
"Hmm," Matthew mused. "Interesting."
"Maybe we can't stop most night ponies from doing that sort of thing, but we can sure as hell stop her."
"My understanding is that the night ponies have some sort of controls in place."
"Yeah, tell me another one," Tonya scoffed. "I've already informed more than one night pony that my dreams are off-limits to them. Sorry, but my former career taught me to be naturally suspicious."
Matthew smiled. "Which is one of the reasons I took you on." He turned to Kelsey. "Please arrange for a flight to Denver for Miss Jarris."
"At once, sir," said Kelsey before he headed out.
Tonya watched him go before turning her attention back to Matthew. "If you're including me in an operation to take Miss Tanner into custody, then count me in for the Partial as well."
"You reviewed her case file as I had asked, then," said Matthew.
"Yes, and with that electrical disruption thing she has, she's a danger as well. Maybe her companions think their cell phones and computers going wonky on occasion is harmless, but what if she interferes with someone's pacemaker? She certainly can't be allowed near an airport if she can mess up flight controls. Or a hospital where she can disrupt equipment that's keeping people alive."
"You're thinking along the same lines as I am," said Matthew.
"The problem is going to be getting to them now that they're in the pony sector."
"The pony sector is still American territory," said Matthew. "The military presence there is merely for treaty enforcement. They can assist in the operation."
"What I mean is, ponies are good at hiding people," said Tonya. "I have to admit, the fireworks ploy was damn clever, if somewhat ill-advised."
"Ill-advised?" Matthew asked.
"Never mind that fireworks are illegal in Colorado, but considering the high fire danger this season, you're lucky you didn't start a wildfire."
"I felt it was a necessary risk," said Matthew. "But your objections are noted."
"It's a moot point, I suppose," said Tonya. "Now that she's under pony protection, the same trick likely won't work again."
"I have other means to get to her."
Tonya raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid I can't comment further, as it is an ongoing FBI investigation," Matthew explained. "While you are working for this organization, you are not part of it, so there are matters I cannot quite discuss with you until we get closer to the time of the operation."
Tonya nodded slowly. "All right, I guess that's fair. So long as I know what I'm getting into."
"You will. There is some time, as I am planning to have you there by Tuesday."
"Not sooner than that?"
"I would prefer you be here to coordinate security in preparation for the arrival of Princess Twilight."
"I would think she was her own security considering how powerful she is," said Tonya as she hopped out of her chair. "Okay, please keep me posted of further developments, at least the ones you can share with me."
"Of course," said Matthew.
Tonya paused at the door and turned around. "I do have one more question."
Matthew leaned back in his seat. He could guess what it was. "Of course."
"You mentioned using the military," said Tonya. "Why didn't they get called in to assist with the Partial if you knew there was a chance of magic being used?"
"A good point, though I do need to point out that they have no inherent defense against magic just because they are armed."
"Well, yes, but more people would've made it more taxing on Miss Tanner to maintain her magic," said Tonya. "The report suggested she was at the very limit of her ability. Seems like an oversight to me."
As Matthew had expected, Tonya's insight was keen. It was a risk he chose to accept upon hiring her. She truly took nothing for granted, even the actions of her superiors. For now, he needed to deflect her. "I will personally investigate the breakdown in communication while you focus on preparations for the new operation. I think that is a good division of responsibilities."
Tonya nodded. "Very well. Let me know what you find out if you can."
"Of course."
Tonya headed out, and Kelsey stepped inside. "Arrangements made for Miss Jarris, sir."
Matthew nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Have you received word from Senator Maxton?"
"Yes, sir. He says they have an operative who's willing to provide tracking of the fugitive Partial."
"Did he share a name?"
"Larry Kelton," said Kelsey. "Her brother."
For the first time in six months, Sunny used a computer.
Upon returning from the press conference the evening before, she and Goldy had discovered that they had been both provided with laptops so they could keep on top of media reaction. At first, Sunny had balked at trying to use one, as her anatomy was not conducive to using keyboards. That was until she was presented with something they called the "pony wand."
The "wand" was a device that strapped to her fore hoof. It used motion sensing to allow her to move a mouse cursor on the screen, use gestures to switch between screens or applications, as well as bring up a virtual keyboard and allow her to type at a reasonable speed. It was specifically designed for the range of motions of a typical pony foreleg, which were different enough from that of a human hand and arm to warrant a separate device.
She had no idea such an invention had even existed. When she had inquired as to whether it was made just for them, she was told that it was a product that had been recently released in the southern states.
Even the strap that it attached to was its own separate product, using a standardized means to connect the wand to it. Now Sunny was curious just how many products like this existed.
From her initial searches, the bulk of the items were fur and hair care products and some harnesses for surging foals. Except for the wand, most of those products had been on the market for the past two months. Many used the same standard attachment device and appeared to be enjoying brisk sales.
So deep was she into her investigations that she had not realized Goldy was standing next to her until she spoke, startling her slightly. "It appears we are making an impression on social media," she said with a smile. "Or more specifically, you are."
Sunny blinked. "Huh?"
"It seems your words resonated a little more than mine did." Goldy chuckled. "A few pundits have been pointing to me as proof that ponies have not shed all humanity, as we still have typical politicians like me."
"You're not typical at all," Sunny protested. "A lot of what you said made sense."
"While I don't deny that, the questions that were asked of you are much more the topic of discussion right now."
Sunny sighed. "Not in a good way, I imagine."
Goldy turned to her computer, and Sunny stepped over to it. "As with everything, there is always more than one side to a debate. But there are humans who heeded your words emphasizing a need for acceptance of pony culture."
Sunny had not necessarily intended that. She had simply answered in a way that made sense to her and not in aspiration to a higher goal.
Goldy turned to her. "You seem troubled by this."
"Well, not this specifically, it's just ..." Sunny returned to her computer and nudged the screen around so Goldy could see. "Look."
Goldy scrutinized the screen for a moment. "I'm at a loss as to the significance of this."
"Why would humans be making products for ponies unless there were ponies buying them?"
Goldy turned towards Sunny. "We've always known there are ponies in the country more integrated with human society."
"Yes, but I never realized it was this much. Did you know about this?"
"To some extent, yes."
"I'm no economist, but with things the way they are, I can't imagine a company doing this unless there was a good market for it," said Sunny.
"What are you driving at?" Goldy asked in a concerned voice.
"That maybe I've -- that we've all been missing the bigger picture," said Sunny. "We've been struggling to understand human resistance to our way of life. This may be part of it. They figure that these ponies know how to live in human society, so why not us?"
"Or they're simply accommodating themselves to humans."
"I don't follow."
"There's a difference between integration and being absorbed into another culture," Goldy said. "The reason ponies of the south and east are more accepted may be because they simply don't rock the boat. They act more like they're just humans wrapped in a pony body."
Sunny remained silent as she looked back at her computer, lost in thought that both raced and went nowhere.
"Consumerism is a classic human trait," said Goldy. "If these ponies are engaging in that, is it because they want to, or because they are seeking to win the approval of humans so they can live in peace?"
"I don't know," said Sunny. "Honestly, I don't."
Goldy glanced at Sunny's screen. "Let's accept that these ponies chose this path because they wished it. Far be it for us to be judges of our fellow ponies. Do you believe the ponies of our area of the country wish to follow this path?"
"I don't think so," said Sunny.
"Then your words at that conference still ring true. We have established a culture that we cannot simply subsume into another. It's like you said: we cannot go back to the way things were, we can only move forward."
"I know that," Sunny said in a softer voice. "But I need a better understanding of what that really means."
"And this is how you gain that wisdom, by asking questions of yourself as well as others," said Goldy. After a pause, she added, "In the quest for greater wisdom, there is no shame in not knowing all the answers, there is shame only in not seeking them."
"Is that a quote?" Sunny asked.
Goldy smiled. "Those words were spoken by Princess Celestia at the last Summer Sun Celebration in Equestria. She gave a speech about Equestria's contact with Earth and the trials that both worlds face."
Sunny certainly never claimed to know everything, but she sometimes worried that others expected it of her. She may have projected that expectation onto herself.
"If a pony who has been an alicorn princess and a ruler for many, many years can claim to still seek greater wisdom, surely that can be your purview as well," said Goldy.
Sunny managed a tiny smile. "So long as nopony is expecting me to be a princess."
Goldy chuckled. "Your coronation will have to wait, I'm afraid."
Sunny giggled. The idea of herself as a princess was so silly that it helped break the tension a little. She glanced at her computer screen. "I want to do some more research on just how integrated these other ponies are. It will help me understand the human position better."
"Of course," said Goldy. "Even the Equestrian Diarchy hold court to listen to their subjects' petitions."
Sunny thought it an odd example, but she supposed it went along with the whole joke about her being a princess. She laughed and smiled.
"One more thing before we call it a day," Rainy said to the other pegasi of her wing as they hovered just above the treetops on the edge of Pony Hope. "The last of the harvest is in, and the earth ponies are done preparing their fields to sit fallow until spring. So I had an idea." She smiled. "Snow!"
She heard a few soft gasps, followed by excited murmuring. Thunderburst flew forward and raised a fore-hoof. "I volunteer to help!"
"Me too!" chorused a few others.
Rainy chuckled. "Well, there's certainly no lack of enthusiasm. We'll have to confine this to just a few pegasi, though. We want this to be as gentle as possible, especially considering that we have a contingent arriving from Equestria tomorrow afternoon. We're not looking to create a blizzard, just enough light snow to let the foals have some fun."
"You were planning this, weren't you?" Thunderburst asked with a grin.
Rainy batted her eyes. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"That you had us stop the flow of warmth from the south earlier today the moment the earth ponies said they were done."
"Oh, that," Rainy said with a wave of a fore-hoof, still grinning. "Pure coincidence, I'm sure."
Thunderburst smirked, and a few others chuckled or giggled. "Uh-huh. Right."
Rainy giggled. "Okay, so maybe I've been chomping at the bit to do this for a while. Can you blame me? You've all been doing outstanding work. There's a reason why so many wings in other towns emulate our practices even down to our exercise sessions."
Smiles broke out all around.
"I know Sunny was a little reluctant to try it, but I'm confident we can handle it," said Rainy. "Besides, we're all sensing this might be a pretty cold and snowy winter for the humans in North America. The sooner we understand how winter weather works, the more help we can be if we need to defuse a nasty blizzard."
"If they let us," Thunderburst grumbled.
"I'm putting my faith in the Pony Council," said Rainy. "Maybe by the time we're needed, we'll be more free to act."
Rainy was not at all sure she believed that herself. She had a great deal of respect for her friend Sunny but was still forced to admit that Sunny had been unable to sway things very much. Only after Rainy had been talked into supporting the idea of sending Sunny along with the delegation did she encourage her friend to go.
"We'll start bright and early and take it slow," said Rainy. "The natural weather patterns are supposed to bring a cold front in overnight, so all we need to do is supply the moisture and keep the clouds confined to the settlement."
"Are we going to be managing the weather through the winter like we did through the other seasons?" Thunderburst asked.
Rainy wanted to answer with an enthusiastic yes. It made no sense for the pegasi to sit out an entire season. Maybe the weather was not as critical to raising food during the winter, but she had always loved Colorado in the winter when it snowed on a regular basis. It would be the one season where pegasi could put their magical skills towards pure aesthetics rather than necessity.
But, ultimately, she had to defer. "That will be up to Sunny, but I don't see why we couldn't. Certainly we want to at least prevent any naturally-occurring snow from getting too deep."
"What about Winter Wrap-Up like the Equestrians do?" asked another in an eager voice.
"It would be great having an official end to winter instead of the on-again off-again we get in March and April," said Thunderburst.
"That's definitely up to Sunny, but I'll talk to her about it when she gets back," said Rainy. "If there's nothing else?" She paused, but nopony spoke. "We'll meet here tomorrow morning at five. Dismissed."
She smiled as she watched the pegasi disperse. She had been reluctant to take on the title of wing-leader when Sunny had first offered it to her, but after throwing herself into the role, she thought herself rather good at it.
Her ears swiveled as she heard a voice from the ground. "Rainy? If you're done, may I speak with you for a few moments?"
Rainy's smile faded slightly as she already knew who was calling to her. Perhaps she had herself to blame for tempting fate by thinking of that particular pony just a few moments ago. She turned and dove hard, pulling up just a few scant hoof-widths from the ground and hovered in place. "What is it, Bright?"
Bright Future smiled and stepped up to her. "I just wanted to thank you for helping convince Sunny to join the Pony Council's delegation."
"It really was up to her in the end," Rainy said. "Sunny doesn't do anything that she doesn't think is worthwhile."
Bright's smile widened. "All the more reason I'm happy she went. She's showing the exact qualities we're looking for."
Rainy managed not to sigh. "Was there anything else?"
"I didn't recall seeing you at the gathering where the ponies of town watched the press conference," Bright said.
Rainy ran a hoof through her mane. "Uh, yeah, I was busy that evening."
"I can arrange for you to see it if--"
Rainy waved a hoof. "No, it's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Look, I already know the whole Harmonist position. I don't need to hear it all again." Rainy paused and added in a lower voice, "I'm supposed to be one of you, remember?"
"But you missed how Sunny handled herself when she was asked some rather tough questions."
Rainy gave Bright a dubious look. "I thought Mayor ... I mean First Pony Sunshine was supposed to do all the talking."
"No one can ever predict the American media, and they were true to form." Bright's voice took on a tone of almost breathless reverence. "She was magnificent. Everything we ever could have wanted. She is truly our best hope, and you played a big part in that."
Rainy frowned. "Okay, I have to be honest with you. I'm not sure how much I still buy into the whole alicorn princess thing."
Bright's ears drew back slightly. "But surely you want to see ponies ruled by somepony powerful and wise?"
"Well, yeah," said Rainy, though her voice was uncertain. "I just don't think Sunny is the one. I don't think anypony alive is. I don't think even Twilight knows if any of us can Ascend."
"It distresses me to hear you say this, Rainy."
"I'm being a realist, that's all. We've got problems that need solving in the here and now. We can't afford to wait for an alicorn to come along."
"And if Sunny is the one," said Bright. "We won't have to wait. Not long, anyway."
"I don't deny that Sunny is really good at what she does," said Rainy. "And maybe she does have good leadership skills as well. But she's not gone far enough, and--"
"Only because she is constrained by her current form and human law. As an alicorn, she could transcend both."
"Isn't there something she has to do?" Rainy said. "You told me it involved some great feat of magic. What chance will she have to do that with humans watching her constantly?"
Bright smiled. "I am sure an opportunity will present itself. Maybe even the Great Triss will intervene. She is likely the arbiter of Ascension in this universe."
"She's pledged not to interfere."
"Nevertheless, it is you and your fellow pegasi who say this winter will be bad," said Bright. "Already the humans are tracking a storm set to be the first nor'easter of the season."
"Stop sounding like you want something bad to happen to the humans," Rainy muttered.
Bright's ears flattened. "I don't. If ponies were allowed to help, nothing bad has to happen. Don't you see? Under the benevolent but powerful guidance of an alicorn princess, this whole world could live in complete harmony. There simply would be no more conflict if both ponies and humans shared the same ideals."
Rainy still wanted to believe that. She had joined the Harmonists in the days after her transformation as they represented ideas which spoke to her of a world without war or strife. Yet as time dragged on, it seemed that's all they were: ideas and no action. When they had approached her with their notion that Sunny might Ascend, she agreed to help only because it felt like she was doing something.
Now she felt guilty over having encouraged Sunny under false pretenses. It hadn't helped that she had already been harboring some anger towards Sunny for not pushing the envelope further. Rainy had been eager to help when Sunny encouraged the pegasi to spread their weather control abilities wider over the Homestead lands rather than confine themselves to their settlements as humans preferred.
Yet Sunny hadn't gone far enough. She backed down when humans became too upset every time. Her gains had looked great at first, but paled when there was no follow up.
"Look, is there something you need from me?" Rainy asked in a plaintive voice. "I've done all I can, it's out of my hooves now."
"I was concerned for you," said Bright in a softer voice. "Just this short conversation has proven what I had suspected for a while now, that you're feeling conflicted."
Rainy considered explaining what was in her head, but it would take longer than she wanted to make Bright understand. "I guess I want things to happen a little faster. I'm tired of waiting, and that's all I seem to be able to do."
"Please, have a little more patience," said Bright. "I'm sure we're close to a breakthrough."
Rainy nodded, though patience was something in very short supply.
Jenny sat staring out the window of her room as she had since they had first arrived at their temporary accommodations in the pony sector. She had sat here telling herself she only needed to occupy her time until dinner.
Dinner had come and gone, and Jenny remained.
She looked out over the courtyard of a large apartment complex, a formerly human dwelling that had been adapted by ponies. She would have been grateful to have a room sized for her had it not been in a place that was a constant reminder of her predicament.
Below, all the concrete that had once formed sidewalks and fountains had been broken up in favor of a large garden, tended by earth ponies and still lush as the calendar turned into October. Several pegasi rotated duty keeping the climate more conducive to late-season growth; she had witnessed the changing of the shift as she sat staring and contemplating a life she would never have.
She flinched despite the softness of the knock at her door. She turned away from the window but did not venture from it. "What is it?" she said in a listless voice.
The door cracked open, and Beverly's concerned face appeared. "I wanted to see if you were okay."
Jenny's hands clenched into fists. She forced them to relax and her voice to an even tone as she replied, "I'm not, but there's not a lot you can do about that."
Beverly nudged the door open further. "We were concerned when you skipped dinner. Are you feeling okay?"
"I just wasn't hungry, that's all."
"I know, but--"
"Don't worry about it," said Jenny. "I promise I'll have something for breakfast tomorrow morning."
Beverly nodded. "We're being told that it's better to keep to a regular meal schedule when you're surging."
"Does everything have to revolve around fucking magic?" Jenny suddenly snapped.
Beverly's ears drew back, but she said nothing, her eyes betraying only worry and sympathy.
Jenny closed her eyes tightly for a few moments and let out a ragged breath. "Sorry, I shouldn't be taking this out on you."
"It's all right."
"That's just it, it's not all right. It's never going to be all right."
"You won't be surging forever."
Jenny face-palmed. "I don't mean that. Look, for once, can you forget that you want to be a pony and see this from my perspective?"
Beverly hesitated, then nodded, her tail swishing.
"And you might as well come inside," Jenny said in a lower voice.
"I didn't want to intrude," said Beverly.
"Going into my own little world and sulking because the real world is being so unfair to me is what the Jenny of the past would do, not the present one."
Beverly nudged the door closed behind her and sat on the edge of the bed, drawing her tail into her lap. "I think you're being too hard on yourself."
"How would you know?" Jenny said a little more sharply than intended.
"Eileen has been talking about you," said Beverly. "Fondly, I should add, but she did mention how you sometimes annoyed your parents." She paused. "She, um, feels partially responsible for that."
"Well, she shouldn't," Jenny muttered. "She's going through enough guilt."
"She's worried about you."
"So why isn't she here? Is she ... i-is she afraid of me or something?"
Beverly's eyes widened. "No, of course not! Why would you say that?"
Jenny stared, her hands clenching into fists again. This time they would not relax no matter how hard she tried. "You can say that after what I did today?"
"What you did saved us from becoming prisoners of the FBI."
"It's not what I did, it's how I did it!" Jenny yelled.
Beverly's tail twitched and fell to the side. "You ... you convinced those agents to--"
"Convinced? Convinced?? That was goddamn mind control, Bev! There's no other way I could've accomplished it. FBI agents don't just give in like that!"
Beverly sighed. "Maybe it wasn't quite like that. Maybe you just somehow touched on something inside of them, that they knew deep down that it was wrong to do this."
"Oh, come on!" Jenny cried, her voice cracking. "Stop trying to sugar-coat it. They don't give a shit about what 'feels right,' they only know the law. Everything that was said should've just been so much bull to them."
Beverly's mouth moved as if she were about to say something, but her eyes betrayed her struggle to find the right words.
Jenny knew there were no right words, only those of anger and frustration, and she had no way to hold them back. "I didn't just convince them. I didn't just tell them a good story. I bent them to my will. Or at least I can pretend it was my will."
"Do you mean the Narrative?"
"What the hell else would I mean?"
"Then maybe it's not your fault," said Beverly.
Jenny clenched her teeth, and her vision turned watery.
"The Narrative was working through you. You didn't have control over it. You--"
"And that's supposed to be better?!" Jenny bellowed.
Beverly's ears flattened, and she gave Jenny a stricken look.
Jenny wiped her eyes with her hand. "It means I wasn't in control of my own thoughts and actions. Again! She did it to me AGAIN!"
"What?? I-I'm sorry, I don't understand!" Beverly said in desperation. "Who are you talking about?"
"Sunset Shimmer," Jenny replied with a snarl.
Beverly just stared, wide-eyed, her lips parted slightly.
"She did this to me," Jenny said. "Ten years ago."
Beverly gasped. "You ... you actually met--"
"Don't get all starry-eyed over her, just don't! I didn't know who or what she was at the time. I didn't even remember it until later because she made me forget I ever saw her. She fucked with my head!"
"B-but I've heard about memory charms, they're not supposed to--"
"Bev, shut up. Just shut up, because you don't have a damn clue. She almost destroyed the town I lived in from the tornado she accidentally conjured up. I had the trauma of living through that and Sunset just made it worse."
Beverly was silent for a long moment. Jenny was not sure what made her pause in her rant. All she had wanted to do was let everything out in a torrent. She wasn't even looking for sympathy. Finally, Beverly took a deep breath and said, "Are you saying she's responsible for ... for the way your magic works?"
"What if she is?" Jenny snapped. "What if she caused this to happen somehow?"
"I'm not sure what you want from me."
"I want to know what you think of her now."
Beverly averted her eyes. "That's not really relevant, is it?"
"Bev, I hate Sunset Shimmer," Jenny said. "I'm glad she's dead."
Beverly gasped and met Jenny's eyes with glistening ones of her own. "You don't really mean that."
"Why wouldn't I mean it?!" Jenny shouted. "She changed me to suit her purposes. I don't care what her intentions were. Nothing could have made it right." Her vision blurred with tears again. "And now I can't go back. Not even the Equestrians could fix it. And even if they could take this magic away from me, I still would never know who the real me is supposed to be anymore!"
Before Beverly could reply, her ears swiveled, and she turned her head suddenly towards the door. Jenny's vision was too watery for her to see, but by the time she wiped her eyes, the newcomer had spoken.
"Hey, Jenny," said Eileen. "I, uh, heard you from the living room. Wanted to see if you were okay."
Jenny clenched her teeth. Her attempts to clear her vision were for nothing. She dropped her hands to her sides and let her tears roll down her face. "A-are you scared of me now?"
"What? No, of course not!"
"Maybe you should be!" Jenny bellowed. "I know I am!"
Jenny did not see Eileen approach. All she knew was that in the next second, Eileen's arms were around her. Jenny fought the embrace for only a moment before collapsing against her aunt and wailing her anguish.
She had no idea how long she spent crying. Every time she tried to get herself to stop, the tears would just keep going. She had too much pent up fear and frustration to keep it bottled up. When she finally could speak, she said in a choked voice, "I'm a-acting like a stupid child."
"You're not stupid," Eileen said, her own voice shaken. "But you are a child, Jenny."
Jenny's hands balled into fists. "I'm not supposed to be! I'm supposed to be growing up. I'm supposed to be more mature than this!"
"You can't be expected to shoulder everything yourself," said Eileen.
Jenny drew her head back and wiped her face with her hands. She sniffled and said, "Why not? You do!"
Eileen hesitated, her eyes uncertain.
"You take on everything and never look for help from anyone. I thought maybe that's what I was supposed to do."
Eileen covered her eyes with her hand. "Jenny, I'm sorry. Fuck, I never meant to give you that impression."
Jenny was about to continue when she realized what she was doing. She was just trying to deflect her own feelings again. She didn't want to admit how helpless she felt. Or how scared. She shook her head and wiped her eyes one more time. "I don't know what to do. I've been standing here blaming Sunset for all this, but it doesn't make it any better. It's not going to fix it."
"I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know what will," said Eileen.
Jenny forced herself to look down when she heard a nervous scrape of hoof against the floor. Beverly sat with her hands folded in her lap, her tail swishing slightly on the bedspread, her eyes downcast. Jenny wondered what was going through the Partial's head. Had she seen Sunset as some sort of savior or great benefactor like so many ponies did? The only reason she could deal with most of her family as ponies is because they had rejected that idea.
Jenny took a deep breath and let it go as a ragged sigh. She stepped back from Eileen's embrace. "Crying about it is not going to fix it. I'm just going to have to live with it."
"For now, at least," said Eileen.
Jenny had finally realized that whatever she had thought would come of her life after rehumanization had to be thrown out the window. While her plans had been vague at best, they had been based on assumptions which were no longer valid and never would be. Even if an Equestrian mage could remove all traces of her magic, she would still be a fundamentally different person than she had been before Sunset's interference.
"Do you think you might have something to eat now?" Eileen asked in a tentative voice.
With the worst of her emotional trauma over, Jenny realized just how ravenous she was. "Yeah, I think so. Sorry for all the drama."
"Don't be. You have every right to be upset."
Jenny shook her head. "It won't help anything. I have to figure out what I'm going to do now."
"Unfortunately, I don't have a clue," said Eileen. "The moment we try to step out of the pony sector, the feds will nab us."
"I don't mean legally. I have to figure out exactly who I am, or even what I am." She glanced towards the window. "Again."
Goddamit Trixie, you just had to fuck it up!
Also, what do Blueblood, Spoiled and the others expect to get from all of this? Does the snob Prince think Celestia will put him as regent in Earth?
And Jenny is just another victim of Sunset Shimmers madness, which is depressing when you think about how many people are trying to force others under it. "Led by an Alicorn and forced under the Alicorns ideals.". Trying to turn people into ponies, or trying to force the idea of something that changed their minds and bodies against their will.
Also it seems that the ponies of the west are seeing the southern ponies as traitors as well "Ponies wrapped in human skin". It's becoming clear they really got hit hard by this.. Also Trixie you idiot.
Jenny is growing into such a compelling character, and she's become so interesting compared to what she was in the previous story. She's easily my favourite character.
It's disheartening to see the fallacious assumption that the Western pony communities can't 'go back' as Sunshine put it. They play the victim, but their actions so far have done much to drive a wedge in human-pony relations, and I'm sorry, but they're as culpable as the humans for the current state of affairs. Were they sincerely willing to work with the authorities, they wouldn't have torn up the previous infrastructure just to suit their needs and their needs alone. That behaviour implies a separatist sentiment which makes your pleas to 'just get along' appear dishonest. The ponies have driven humans away at least as much as they have been persecuted/discriminated by the humans, and the contraband artifacts from Equestria's side isn't helping the situation.
All in all, this is what Eileen would likely call 'a proper clusterfuck.'
I hope by the end that Prince Blueblood and the Rich family adults all end up taking the short drop. Either that they get blamed for causing WW3 and Celestia takes Diamond and leaves the trouble causing ponies to the hell they created.
Machinations abound. All seem to have something going on or hoping for. Ponies in the south and east are integrating for their own purposes such as Sunset Blessing in trying to play the long game to convince humans to eventually want to be ponies. As with Sunset Shimmer it’s an means to the end for her. Ponies in the central and probably north want their own culture and territory. Equestrians are interfering for their own purposes to which is still unknown. Both of which won’t go down well with the government so I don’t know how they expect that to simply happen.
And then there’s the prospect of Ascension. Can a transformed ascend? Likely not as Sunset had no plans for that, but right now it’s all up in the air as to what’s possible now. Also, expecting an earth alicorn to be the leader of the world simply because, talk about having your head in the clouds. They’re putting too much faith into a potential silver bullet hoping for a way to have everything done the way they want it to be.
It also seems that most have a starry-eyed vision of Sunset Shimmer and have placed her on a pedestal. Hearing some of the things that she's done that are supposed to be ‘illeagal’ by normal standards is coming as a bit of a shock to them. I hope Eileen manages to knock their ‘savior’ down the ladder somewhat from what she’s been told. I bet they won’t like that, hearing the truth, or at least some of it. I wonder how much the public actually know about what her intents really were?
You expected Ponies to be better in the other world. There going to be good and bad in both worlds. They also forget that the older two alicorns had thousands of years to lear from their mistakes. Sunny if she ascended might be smart and go twilight way. She does not think of herself as a princes. But. As a librarian and a researcher.
Sorry but Trixies selflessness by betraying Starlights trust and risking her position as her student for the betterment of (earth)ponykind seems a bit crazy in my eyes.
9202862
I'd say that Sunrise, Bob and Jenny are all plausible candidates for Ascension. Sunrise and Bob are both establishing reputations as very respected and revered leaders, mostly of Pegasi and Unicorns respectively, which might be important if the process of Ascension normally requires the magic of Friendship. And of course Ascension isn't something that only happens to Ponies, as the example of Triss shows. So Jenny could be the first Human Ascended.
If we are looking for people on Earth who could fill the roles of the Bearers of Elements of Harmony, then Wild Growth, (an Earth Pony who once gave a $50,000 tip), and Phobia (a Night Pony who has mind control magic that can get people to be very honest) would be good choices for Generosity and Honesty. Jenny the Human's Narration magic has enormous comedic possibilities, suggesting she might be Laughter. Bob the Unicorn is rapidly becoming the Earth native who is most knowledgeable about Magic, and Sunrise the Pegasus seems to easily inspire Loyalty. Kindness might plausibly be held by a Kind Crystal Pony.
To echo my last comment: well, shit.
9202685
Would not be surprised, also there is no way a earth born alicorn wouldn't be a threat to the government's of earth. And I don't see how harmonists think they will get humans to want a pony for a ruler other than potential "stability" from a "immortal"
9202967
Why do you think Alicorn's would be a threat to Earth's governments? Is it because you think that over the course of centuries they would have the potential to accumulate enormous knowledge and power? If so, then why shouldn't the Harmonists share your view of Alicorn potential?
9202924
Agreed. Canon Trixie is typically a selfish pony, so taking so much risk this for apparently no reward is somewhat difficult to conceive.
Some are talking about a transformed ascending, what about a rehumanized? Maybe Jenny?
Trixie is going to get caught and the humans will want to procecute her.
Starlight will try to protect her friend and start a political shit show.
I kind of want spoiled bitch to try and tell wild growth about her plans only for her house to be destroyed by a giant tree.
9203124
9202990
Well the 'lead character' among human governments in this story is the United States, who have a... somewhat strenuous history with royalty claiming ownership over their lands.
There are few things more anti-American 'FREEEEDOM' Dream than an immortal monarch.
Not to mention that they're already terrified the transformed will try to create their own government or Equestria will declare protectorate status over the transformed. Hell, Matthew is already convinced the entirety of ETS from start to finish was all an Equestrian plot to take over that is still going on now. An earth-born alicorn would only feed those fears.
Goldie is kind of overlooking that Equestria at least partially operates on a monetary economy too. I'm not sure they are full capitalist but they definitely have capitalist elements. I'm guessing all these nobles and rich ponies in Equestria are at least partly thinking about money to be gained if the west goes as an Equestrian protectorate. You can bet that if they did those nobles would be pushing for them to participate economically just like the US wants them to.
9202951
That's an interesting idea. I could definitely see all those ponies in those roles. The issue is as elements of harmony they'd all need to be friends and Wild Growth and Phobia aren't likely to have much time to interact with the rest--though Wild Growth would be a great element of generosity.
9203383
Matthew I'm actually having a hard time reading. He didn't want to get the military involved in the operation to capture Bev even though Tonya pointed out he had the right to and that she would have done so. I get the impression he is planning something the US government would frown on. He never seems to question Tonya's loyalty to the US; in fact he seems almost afraid she's more loyal than he is.
9202951
The Elements of Harmony are a decidedly Equestrian thing, though. Not even 'Equestria the world', but 'Equestria the nation.' They're Equestrian magic items created by a very specific group of Equestrian ponies. Without those ponies, there's no real way for Elements of Harmony to appear on earth.
9203521
Of course he is. Tonya runs counter to his internal narrative that ETS is an ongoing grand conspiracy of Equestria to conquer earth. Remember his talk to that Humanity First leader? About how Twilight was moving to start a revolution? He is desperately looking for evidence to support his theory that there is a conspiracy going on, and when people want to find evidence for something that doesn't exist, they tend to be very nervous around things that prove them wrong.
9203523
That night pony didn't know that before punching him, though.
9203494
I'm guessing Equestrian economy is a lot like European economy: Capitalist with an equal if not greater socialist swing. I can't imagine Equestria not having government funded healthcare, for example, and ponies like Fluttershy have got to be living of government stipends given that they don't really have a job, but at the same time we've had repeated Applejack episodes that hammer home that money is needed to fund a living, and that there are ponies interested in getting it as fast and easily as possible, morality be damned.
Well, if she gets caught, Earth and Equestria are having another round of fighting for who gets to punish the pony for interdimensional crimes.
I'm sitting here wondering whether some of the nobles actually intend for her to eventually get caught, so they can escalate the conflict to something they can exploit.
Bypassing the cognitive stage is kind of the definition of mind-control, though. Jenny pretty much Professor X-ed the whole lot of them. They're right to be afraid of what she can really do.
9203692
9203702
Midnight Star didn't know that Ryan was using the mind magic when he hit him. But he did know Night Pony mind magic was being used, and believed it was probably being used by either Dream Striker or Moon Racer to weaken Ryan. Moon Racer is a police officer Night Pony, and Dream Striker may well be as well, (since having mind control powers would certainly make it easier for a Night Pony to get hired as a police officer). So Midnight arguably had good reason to believe he was assisting a police officer in the arrest of a potentially dangerous agitator.
If the authors want Earth based elements of Harmony, it's not that narratively difficult to make it plausible. Twilight plants seed from Tree of Harmony on Earth, and Wild Growth brings it to maturity.
9202758
Well I agree about Jenny at least. And having Eileen there with her provides a really strong dynamic.
9203769
You can always wrangle narrative excuses for Elements of Harmony, I'm just noting that it's not a given assumption that just because Equestria has Elements, earth will get them as well.
So far the author seems more inclined to go for an earth-based Crystal Empire. Which I wholly approve off, the Crystal Empire is criminally underused in MLP.
9203725
If so, they haven't thought this true since it'll put them in hot water as well. Though the actual crime on Trixie's part is technically minor at best. Essentially it's just smuggling a phone to the local population. Still a crime, but only because it's smuggling. America isn't North Korea, so communication between Equestria and earth isn't exactly forbidden.
9204201
The Equestrian Empire is more or less an Equestrian protectorate. If an Earth ascended alicorn creates an expy on North America...to which government will it answer?
9204223
Crystal Empire expy pales in comparison of political clusterfuck to an alicorn rising on earth. But to whom it will answer depends on the alicorn.
9204201
It may not be the biggest crime in the world, but she does know who she's working for and (roughly) what they're on about. If she's caught and there's evidence of those two factors, then she's still going to be in pretty deep trouble.
it is just a mater of time till the humans start up concentration camps for pony's or just our right using snipers and blaming it on the pure human moment.
Celestia needs to get off the fence and put the fear of god in the humans before this turns in to a slaughter of pony's and humans with magic.
9204397
Technically they're already doing camps-lite for the partials. Though I'd argue that the rehumanization offices where they browbeat the transformed into being ashamed of themselves to force them to accept the rehumanization spell count as well (seriously, you want to talk about brainwashing? That is a human application of brainwashing).
But Celestia going Sun Goddess on earth is only going to invite worse retaliation. It's a terrible solution to a complicated problem.
9203692 Feh, with what the ponies know already, they can then turn this around that the human government has known the rehumanized are demonstrating all manner of strange powers and have been hiding the truth, but apparently trying to capture those that demonstrate such magic... and then they disappear!
No, the human government has really grabbed itself by the balls here. Any media attention will quickly reveal what the government has been trying very hard to hide.
I wonder if a large enough society of ponies without an alicorn leader causes it to be more likely that one of them will ascend? Does the bar for ascension get lower?
It would certainly be a huge a political bomb going off in the middle of America. No election, just 'boom' here she (he?) is; your eternal benevolent Princess. Can't see that going over well in Washington and it would certainly stir things up on the Equestria side as well. Whew.
I feel like if an alicorn did ascend on Earth, that the southern/eastern ponies would purposely try to distance themselves from the western ponies even more. It'll be a similar situation to Japanese immigrants during WWII. Hopefully, they won't get put into internment camps, but the US government will definitely keep a close eye on them.
9204463
if you look in to history you will find back in the 70es the church ran camps to pry the gay out of people.
so yep nothing new just a different day.
i am thinking more along the lines of daybraker burning dc to the ground.
9205280
That's... not a better solution. That's worse. And also the opposite of what Celestia wants. She wants peace, not war and mass slaughter.
9204835
Well the alicorn would have no political power with humanity. The biggest problem would be the pull it would generate with the ponies, and increase the cry of a separation from the US.
I wonder how Canada is faring in all this crhey must ha w ponies too? I know US. Was the hardest hit but still. I’m curious
With the idea of magic runes it makes me wonder about Earth Runes from the Norse or Germanic culture. If there been earlier contact could some of the Norse runes be Equestrian in origins? I can see Bob trying them and he logically have access to books that could contain that information.
Finally Beverly gets some sense knocked into her! Hopefully Jenny's revelation shows that Sunset's conversion plan was not all sunshine and rainbows. More ponies need to learn the dark side of Sunset, if they would believe it to be true.
And these Western ponies are in hot denial. They are not Equestrian ponies. Even Southern ponies try working with humans. They ostracize themselves and want independence, not wanting to admit that the aeperation shouldn't have happened in the first place!
9205368
I really hope so. That would be really cool
9205304
Which is something I imagine the shimmerists are planning and noting as well.. They want specific ponies to ascend. I mean the other possibility is horrifically damaging, like the idea of a pony who ascends who believes in integration rather then the shimmerist ideals would just shatter the baseline.
The more that we learn about those "controls" and their reach the more I think everyone human and pony should be worried about them.
Spoiling if anyone hasn't been following along with the other story since that's where a lot of the details come from:
Seriously, the Dreamwardens already have all the night ponies effectively under their authority. Not just the American night ponies either, all the night ponies in the world. The only thing stopping them from seizing control of all the ponies in the world is their general say-so that they won't. The idea that six ponies could effectively bully their way to being in charge of every pony on Earth if they wanted to is frightening.
9206242
And just imagine the ****storm it would be if people found out Luna was responsible for their existence. They would be saying that Equestria was already trying to claim sovereignty over all the ponies.
9206242
I just went over to see what ya'll were talking about and holy Christ everything involved with that is just on some level wrong.
Edit: The deletion is because I'm very bad at mobile.
9206242
I doubt Luna is foolish enough to give immortality and global power to six ponies without requiring them to take magical Oaths that will constrain their behaviour. And according to one of the Dream wardens, they are so constrained.
"Her ears slumped as she continued. "I'd persist here though. That's one of the sacrifices me and the others made when agreeing to become a Dreamwarden, we don't get to quit the job. Our vigil shall never end, and we will never learn what lies beyond death. Our consciousness is chained to the dreamscape for as long as anything with magic dreams, and we're prisoners to far greater oaths than the ones you shall give. We will only get our final rest when all the dreams are gone.""
9206685
Said by the pony that's torturing someone into agreeing to the Oaths through nightmares. Given that such things are possible, they are probably restrained against taking over.. hopefully.
9206254
To be a bit fair to Luna, this is one element of pony society where it is completely impossible for humanity to have any oversight. They can send inspectors to schools, officers to houses and agents to magic meetings, but when it comes to the dream realm they can't even enter it, much less govern it. It is entirely the domain of the night ponies.
9207197
I know, they make it clear that they'd have a thousand little Midnight Terrors and Ryan's running around without the Dreamwardens, but that still doesn't mean it won't be an uproar when people find out. Even the Dreamwardens know that with them ordering night ponies not to talk about it. Considering Luna created an unsupervised, effectively immortal governing body of night ponies that use strongarm tactics there will be fingers pointed at Equestria.
Over all, I think I'm liking this even if I'm having some problems with it. The main one is the claim that we can't have sovereign nation(s) within the US. Ummm, we already do. Sure, more would be a problem, but we've got something to start from, one that fits the pony situation fairly well. Sure, it has some issues, but the basic idea would be solid, and the rest of the details can be sorted out easy enough.
9207256
At least it's not as bad as the nobility's plan of declaring ponies on earth under protectorate status. Which is a delusion born out of wine and ignorance,
Apologies for the sidestep, but I've been pondering this at work all day. I mean, let's assume that the nobles' plan goes perfectly. They manage to craft a scenario in which Twilight declares the transformed and their lands a protectorate of Equestria. The USA, obviously, points out that "uh, we kinda signed a treaty saying you couldn't, and even without that this is tantamount to an invasion, so no?" So what's Equestria going to do to actually do the protecting part of having a protectorate? Send troops? That's going to be a losing battle. Not because of any guns VS magic debate, but because the only entry to earth is the portal. All the military has to do is point a lot of guns at it and they have the ultimate chokepoint.
This means that the protectorate is on its own, and has to rely on civilians with poorly trained magic, many of whom have zero combat experience to begin with, much less combat experience as ponies. And a protectorate that can't be protected... isn't really a protectorate.