It was a new day in New Liberty, the ponies living there were gradually easing back into their normal lives. The sun was already heating up the sand, the sky was clear blue as usual, and the POWs were going about their normal routine of sitting around and chatting. The President hadn’t left his office in the last day, not even to retire to the room that had been set aside for him. Little did many know, the man had not had any good nights sleep since he’d awoken in Luna’s bedroom.

Dominic quietly looked over the maps stretched out over his desk, following the lines on them with great care. The windows to his office were all open and his t-shirt was drenched in sweat, he had to make a note to somehow reinvent Air Conditioning. Even so early in the morning Despite all the heat and several reports of Changeling scouts on the horizon, Dominic was in an alright mood. The more he looked at the maps the more he felt his inner capitalist swell with excitement.

It wasn’t what he saw on the map that was building this excitement, it was what wasn’t on the map. The United States would need a flow of currency to survive as all countries do, and it seemed that he’d stumbled upon the solution to his problem. Equestria had no standardized track gauge, furthermore, numerous nature preserves made it nearly impossible to build anything more than a curving railroad from east to west. That meant more fuel and longer travel times, something that the man was sure business ponies would love to cut down on. Dominic saw that if the Changeling’s capitulated the United States would inherit territory stretching from East to West, and that gave him a truly American idea.

His attention shifted from the map to the window, staring out at the POW camp with quiet contempt. It was eating him up that the person responsible for the death of not only a fine military officer but also someone he considered a friend was sitting there in a cushy barracks. Part of him wanted to march out there and drag the Queen in front of the capitol building to shoot her, but the rest of him cried out that he should show restraint. That wasn’t what he was about, and furthermore, that wasn’t what the fledgling United States was about either.

Dominic quietly sighed and stood up, his back letting out several loud pops and prompting him to groan. He cleared his throat as he looked over the map, then reached for a pen that was seated on his desk.

“Sonar-” The man began, his door burst open and the spectacled mare entered with numerous papers gripped in her wings.

“One moment, Mister President.” She laid the numerous papers on the desk. “Could you sign these, sir?” Dominic picked up one of the papers and read it over, they all seemed to be forums for different things.

“What am I signing?” He looked at the spectacled mare, she gestured to a few papers and adjusted her glasses.

“This is a forum requesting a license to begin construction on the school, this is authorizing a survey team to search for mineral deposits, and that one there is the daily duty roster for POW guard patrols.” As Sonar read off the papers Dominic signed the papers and handed them back to her.

“Alright… Could you do me a favor and-” The president found himself once again cut off by the thestral, Dominic didn’t mind though, as Sonar was rather adorable in her mannerisms. He thought this in a completely platonic way of course, how could he not, the ponies were supposed to be adorable after all.

“Why do you want me to send for railway engineers?” Sonar asked, the President looked down at the map and the mare followed his gaze. “Oh! Right! I’ll spread the news around to a couple of my friends back in Equestria. Should have someone here soon enough!”

“Excellent, I’d also appreciate-”

“I’ll see about compiling a list of our current assets as well, sir.”

“Thank you, Sonar.” Dominic chuckled to himself and walked around his desk towards the window again. Sonar nodded and began trotting out of the room. “Sonar, after you’ve filed that why don’t you head down to the tunnels for a bit, alright? It’s hot up here, and with your condition…”

“I’ll think about it, Mister President.” Sonar said with a small smile before exiting out the door and closing it behind her. Dominic quietly looked down at the camp from the window again, staring at the POW camp for what felt like the hundredth time that day. His eyes were aching and his limbs felt oddly distant from his body, signs that he needed to sleep. The man shrugged them off, no matter how hard he tried to relax there was no respite, uneasiness and doubt constantly plagued his mind. It was a strange empty feeling in his heart, as if he’d left part of himself far away.

Dominic closed his eyes and leaned on the window sill as he leaned his head forward, his thoughts were a jumbled and stressful mess. All that seemed to be clear in the maelstrom was Luna’s face, the man took several deep breaths and shook his head. Thinking of Luna only seemed to make the stress worse, knowing that he had no one to truly confide in.Twilight was just as far away, and Dominic didn’t feel right burdening Sonar with his problems when she had so many of her own. The only other pony he could have talked to was Errant, and Dominic bitterly remembered why she wasn’t available.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation Dominic stood up straight and opened his eyes, he looked at the POW camp once more. To his surprise he could see Chrysalis staring at him from inside her barrack, he couldn’t quite place the look she had on her face due to the distance. The two of them quietly stared at eachother for what felt like an eternity, each of them sizing the other up. Dominic finally turned away from the window and walked towards his desk, he sat in his chair with a quiet grunt and began looking over the maps again.

One thing was certain in his mind, building what he envisioned in his mind would take a fair amount of money. Furthermore, it would require him to make several choices about how he wanted to act towards Equestria. From what he could see, the land he stood to gain from the Changeling Capitulation would give him a relative straight shot from east to west, but there was one kink in the plan. Dominic picked up a pen from his desk and circled the small Equestrian town of Appleloosa in red ink before leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers.

He hoped there was a way to build around the town, even though it appeared that the ponies had built inside Changeling territory. Dominic was certain there would be an army on his doorstep faster than he could say filibuster if he didn’t have sort of plan to address the town, but first he had to deal with drawing up plans for the railway in the first place. Dominic felt a twinge of stress in his neck that prompted him to reach towards a wooden box on his desk and withdraw a rather long cigar. It would have been unwise for a president to drink, so cigars had replaced booze as Dominic’s means of coping with stress.

He bit the cap off the cigar and lit up, his eyes still glued to the map as he continued debating what to do next. The smoke wafted up to the ceiling, thick and heavy like an acrid fog. Feeling restless, Dominic stood up once again and walked towards the door. He left the office and descended to the first floor of the capitol building, passing by several thestrals that were working on minor repairs. The man stepped out onto the dirt street of New Liberty a minute later, puffing on his cigar and looking around for something to do.

He honestly had no idea what to do, in all his time in Equestria he’d had Canterlot Castle to explore or nobles to piss off whenever he ran out of things to do in his room. Now that he was in charge of a country he couldn’t piss of nobles and he certainly didn’t have a castle to explore. His gaze shifted from the town to the hills off in the distance, a sad smile passed onto his lips as he remembered all the times he’d gone hiking with his dad.

Dominic felt his feet carrying him towards those hills and he went along willingly, the sound of his boots crushing dirt beneath them was all the sound the reached his ears. As he walked down the main street of New Liberty he felt the weight on his shoulders begin to lift away, Dominic would momentarily look at the buildings around him before he continued moving along. His boots stopped just short of one of the defensive lines that had been built during the battle, the man looked up and down the line for a moment. The trench had been left empty and was oddly orderly, all things considered.

Dominic let out a quiet sigh and turned around to look at the town once again, puffing on his cigar once again. Most of the thestrals were going about their business as usual, occasionally a few would stop and look at him. The American flag fluttered atop the capitol building, in the distance Dominic could hear foals laughing. The man turned around and jumped over the trench, then began walking up towards the hills in silence. The sun beat down on him whilst he trudged up the first incline, occasionally his boots would slip on the sandy dirt but he never once fell.

Each passing moment he felt himself moving higher and higher until finally he had reached the top of the sandy hill, there were desert shrubs and a few cacti spread about there. Dominic took another puff on his cigar before exhaling the smoke through his nose, the sand easily spread out under foot as he turned to face the town. It was below the hill and a moderate distance away, Dominic could still see the flag fluttering away. He silently sat himself down on the ground and closed his eyes, then laid down flat on the hot soil. His cigar met an early end as it was snuffed out by the sand, not that he minded. Dominic let out a soft sigh as he laid there staring at the back of his eyelids, the warmth of the sand made him feel at peace.

As he continued to lay there, Dominic thought back to his life before he’d come to Equestria, before the outbreak. There was once a time where he’d gone to a pretty dark place, he hadn’t let his family see it. At least, he’d tried. There wasn’t much he could hide from his mother though, and without acknowledging that she knew, she helped him. Dominic let out a slow breath through his mouth before inhaling through his nose, mentally he began counting back from ten. He felt the ground begin to melt away from him, his outer extremities felt comfortably numb.

Dominic felt odd that he had to come to the literal edge of nowhere to finally feel a comfortable solitude. It had been so long since he’d relaxed like this that he was surprised he remembered the exercise his mom had taught him, as he continued breathing through his nose Dominic began to lose track of time. For him it felt like an hour or so of complete and utter peace and quiet, but in actuality it only lasted for ten minutes. His absence from town had not gone unnoticed and his security detail had grown concerned, Dominic felt himself slip back into the waking world when he heard the flapping of their leathery wings.

“Mister President?” Asked the familiar voice of Rolling Thunder. “You alright, sir?” Dominic held up his right hand to give them a thumbs up, still not opening his eyes or sitting up just yet.

“Yup, never better. Just communing with nature.” The President chose that moment to sit up and rub his eyes, the brightness of the desert hurt them for a brief moment before they adjusted properly. Dominic looked over to Rolling Thunder and his companion Chipped Blade, both of whom were looking around the area. “What’s the word, gentlemen?”

“A flash message from Equestria came in a few minutes ago, sir. It was sent last night, but for some reason their mages didn’t pop it over until now.” Chipped Blade said in a dutiful tone as he reached into his bag and withdrew what should have been a sealed envelope. Due to the heat however, the wax seal had been heated enough for it to mush and deform. Dominic gestured for Chipped to bring the message over as he scooched back towards a rock that looked particularly comfy. He leaned against it just as Chipped handed him the paper.

“You wouldn’t have happened to have opened it, would you?” Dominic asked in a snarky tone, both stallions shook their heads quietly. “Did Sonar?”

“It’s safe to assume she reads all of your mail, sir.” Rolling Thunder replied in his own snarky tone, Dominic gave him a slightly amused smirk before looking down at the paper. He poked his thumb under the lip of the envelope and slid it along the length, effectively breaking the seal before he withdrew the official looking parchment from within. Chipped Blade and Rolling Thunder discretely moved a bit further away from Dominic, not wanting to appear nosy.

“Acting President Dominic Occisor, this letter is to inform you that…” Dominic quietly read to himself, stopping himself cold as he reached a certain point in the letter. He sighed and rubbed his temples for a moment, then slipped the letter into his pocket and stood up. “Chipped, Rolling, head on back to the capitol building. I’ve got to take care of something…” Both thestrals nodded and took off without a question, Dominic bowed his head and rubbed his neck.

Part of him wanted to take off and go back to Equestria, to deal with the latest development in the human situation himself, but the current hostility between the United States and the changelings made leaving impossible. Dominic looked down at the sandy ground and picked up his dead cigar before slipping it into his pocket, he then looked back at New Liberty. The POWs were out and about as far as he could see from this distance, he was thankful that at least he hadn’t had to deal with any escape attempts.

Dominic sighed and began walking back towards the town, feeling the familiar twinge of stress return to his shoulders. The man’s footsteps became measured and slow, his relaxed self gone and replaced by a mildly miserable leader of micro-nation. There was a soft wind blowing from the south, sand and dust blew harshly against Dominic’s exposed skin. He ignored it as he continued onwards, in what seemed like no time he’d reached the defensive line that he’d first stopped at. Thestrals went about their business as he stepped over the trench and continued on down the main drag.

He stopped just outside a store that had been gutted, there wasn’t much to the building other than it housed one of the entryways into the tunnel system the thestrals had built. Dominic briefly contemplated heading down there, but shook his head and instead started walking again. He slipped his hands into his pockets and walked towards the POW camp next, the guards saluted as he walked past. Finally Dominic came to a halt outside the fence, numerous changelings began crowding around to get a look at him. He took the same time as an opportunity to get a good look at them as well.

He took a few moments to examine the insectoids, some looked as if they were frightened by his presence while others seemed to have looks of anger. That drove home the point that if the Changelings capitulated it would not be an easy transition, there was likely to be animosity between the surface dwelling ponies and their changeling counterparts. After a few silent minutes of staring at eachother the door to one of the barracks opened and a familiar Queen poked her head out.

Dominic put his hands on his hips and tilted his head to the side whilst Chrysalis maintained an almost regal look of contempt, the two leaders staring eachother down in their own silent manner. Though Dominic’s was honest, Chrysalis was actually putting up a front. Deep down she knew that showing weakness in conviction would be the final death knell for her reign. So long as she acted as a Queen, her children would see her as a queen.

“Mister President. What an unexpected surprise! What brings you to my humble abode?” Chrysalis asked in a snarky tone, Dominic responded by clearing his throat and walking towards the fence.

“I’m just checking to see how you’re all being treated.” Dominic said quietly as he rubbed his chin, the changelings looked amongst each other. “Anything I can get for you? More blankets, perhaps?”

“No, we are quite alright.” Chrysalis replied, Dominic hummed and looked her in the eyes for a few moments before nodding. The silence reigned for a few a minute or so before the man finally turned on his heel and began walking back towards the capitol building, his steps slow and measured like those of a predator. Chrysalis sighed as she dropped her mask of resolve and turned to enter her quarters once again, the drone Distortion eventually made her way through the crowd. She too entered the barracks and closed the door behind her, turning her attention to her mother.

“Something about him is different.” Chrysalis said as she sat at her favorite spot near the window and watched the capitol building. Distortion walked closer to the fallen queen and was surprised to see her mother scooch over. “Sit with me, Distortion.” The changeling drone quietly nodded and sat beside her mother, looking out the same window as her mother. “Did you sense the change, daughter? There is something off about him.”

“I did… I can’t quite place my hoof on what it is.” Distortion replied, still somewhat surprised she was sitting beside the Queen, that was something that was usually reserved only for the princess of the hive.

“It was a strong loathing… Some directed at us, but the rest directed at something beyond his control. Couple that with his visit to check on us… I fear Equestria has demanded my extradition.” Chrysalis did not look away from the window, nor did the tone of her voice change. Distortion felt a pit grow in her stomach as she looked upon her mother’s face, fear crept into her mind at what could possibly happen. “There is a chance that is not the case. Speaking from experience I can say a lot is out of one’s control when they run a country.”

“If it is as you fear… What becomes of us? Our hive will not survive without a Queen.” Distortion said as she felt her heart beat begin to rise, she felt Chrysalis’ hoof perched on her shoulder a few moments later.

“I have plans in motion, my child. Smart ones this time, I hope.” The genuine smile on Chrysalis’ face gave Distortion a reason to relax, her fears seemed to ease away knowing that her Queen truly cared for her. “Speaking of which, I want you to begin notifying your brothers and sisters they are permitted to defect without fear of punishment.” Distortion began to open her mouth. “It is noble of you to be so loyal, but your loyalty is also a fault. You must learn to let go every once in awhile.”

“I… I’ll try, mother.” Distortion looked to the floor and let out a small yelp of surprise as Chrysalis pulled her up to her side. She’d not been so close to the Queen since she was but a nymph, it triggered feelings of lost joy in her, as if she were wearing a comfortable old pair of slippers. “M-Mother, why are you… I mean… Not that I’m not grateful, but…”

Chrysalis smiled a serene smile and closed her eyes. “Because you’re my daughter, Distortion. I care for your brothers and sisters just as much, but you… You are my daughter.” The Queen leaned her head back and let out a slow breath. Distortion hesitantly closed her own eyes and returned the embrace, not wanting to let go for she feared she would lose her mother forever. “It is now that I sit here, realizing that my life may soon come to an end, that I see just how foolish I was in the past. I suppose that is only because before I hadn’t faced consequences so dire…”

Distortion didn’t know how to respond to the statement and instead remained silent, assuming that perhaps Chrysalis was speaking to herself. The changeling mare looked through the window and out past the fence, up to the window sill of the capitol building. She could see the human pacing back and forth, his body language indicated he truly was frustrated with something. Distortion found that odd, she’d never really been good at reading body language, but now it felt more natural. She attributed it to the down time she’d had in the POW camp, giving her more time to practice her skills. That seemed to be the most logical solution. With those thoughts she sat with her mother, contemplating the future not only for herself but for her race as a whole.

[♦]

Luna’s bedroom was lit with warm candles, it had been quickly returned to its former glory after Dominic and the princesses had woken up. The tapestries were straightened, the curtains were closed, and Luna’s star charts were organized alphabetically once again. Near the only window with open curtains was a well made oak table. On one side of the rectangular table sat Princess Luna with a dainty plate of greens in front of her, across from her was a freshly showered and shaved man. He wore an ill fitting t-shirt and jeans, coupled with combat boots that were a size too big. Not that he was complaining, fresh clothing was fresh clothing. Luna knew Dominic wouldn’t mind if Johnny took some of his clothes.

He was quietly staring out the window with several empty plates in front of him, all that remained after the malnourished survivor had devoured a breakfast that could have fed a family of four. Luna had tasted each dish herself to prove to him they weren’t poisoned, knowing from personal experience just how damaging that could be. The two hadn’t talked much after he’d been brought in, the media circus was already beginning to form once again, and the royal guards were preparing for what could be a repeat of the Canterlot Riot. What was worse was that now that the news was out there were ponies from all around the country making their way to Ponyville, and mixing curious ponies with what was essentially a predator with a high powered rifle was not a good mix.

Luna adjusted her seat and quietly cleared her throat, but Johnny didn’t seem to notice. His gaze was locked on the horizon as the morning grew older and older. Luna cleared her throat once more, louder this time. She saw his eyes flick around for a moment before he rubbed them and turned his head towards her, the princess gave him a slight smile that the man hesitantly returned.

“So… John. Do you think we could talk a bit? I’m sure you’re very confused.” Luna asked politely, Johnny put his hand to his chin as he looked her over. He chewed on his lip for a moment before quietly shrugging and leaning forwards on the table, the way he did so made it clear to see just how thin he was.

“What’d you want to talk about?” Johnny asked, he watched the princess for any sign of dishonesty or secrecy. He had been a little confused that she had gone from speaking what she called ‘The royal we’ to just normal talking, but he wasn’t about to question a magical talking alicorn princess. Some things were beyond questioning.

“Well, for starters, I’d like to say that we’re not out to hurt you or your friend. I’m sorry you were treated so roughly, my sister’s guards are a tad aggressive.” Luna said sincerely, she was surprised when Johnny leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms as he chuckled lightly.

“Sister, those guys don’t even compare to Newark PD.” Johnny had a slight levity to his voice, but it was clear to Luna he was rather concerned. “As for you not wanting to hurt my friend and I, I guess I can buy it. Hell, I was close to buying it a day ago anyway, if I hadn’t made a rookie mistake when I busted into that house I’d be home free, so that’s my fault too.” The man’s tone shifted to a more serious one and his face became a bit harder to read. “But, can I be honest with you?” Luna nodded. “My concern right now ain’t police brutality, my concern is what Jen is going to think is happening to me, and how she will respond.”

“Jen… I assume she is your mate?” Luna asked, Johnny’s eyes widened and he fumbled over his words, that gave Luna her answer. “What about her response has you concerned?” The man composed himself for a moment and pointed off into the distant forest.

“Jen is a small town girl from bumble fuck Colorado, place called Calahan or something.” Johnny began to explain, Luna sat up straighter at the mention of the state. “Anyway, she spent most of her young years growing up learning to hunt, fish, track, and all manner of other woods stuff that city guys like me couldn’t dream of doing.” Luna nodded and gestured for him to continue, starting worry a tad more about the remaining human. “As you so brilliantly figured out, she and I are close… In the biblical sense. Knowing her, she probably thinks I’m being waterboarded and god knows what else, she’s also most likely very angry.”

“Good to know, but what concerns you about her response?” Luna asked, hoping to get to the point so she could begin taking action, Johnny took her hint and nodded.

“Point is. Jen is out there in the woods alone with a high powered hunting rifle, a grudge, and a bountiful pool of brightly colored targets. It’s unlikely she’ll respond to a pony trying to talk her down.” It was Johnny’s turn to drop a hint, Luna picked up on it and silently lowered her head a bit before sighing and shaking her head. “I’m gonna take that as a no…”

“I’m sorry, but already our guard forces are straining to stop ponies from going after her on their own. If they even get a whisper that there are two humans out there… I shudder to think what may happen. Nearly a year ago there were riots in the streets in Canterlot over the same issue.” Johnny frowned at her answer, but didn’t let it go unquestioned. He’d been wondering for some time how the Princess knew what he and Jen were, and more importantly, why she seemed to be so understanding of his actions.

“That brings me to my next concern.” Johnny leaned forwards and interlaced his fingers on the table, he looked the princess in the eyes and cleared his throat. “You obviously know what me and Jen are, that raises the question as to how. I assume that something I overheard regarding someone named ‘Dominic’ will answer my question.”

Luna quietly eased back into her seat and rubbed a hoof at the back of her neck, she looked around the room for a moment before her horn ignited and she levitated a box from beneath her bed. She felt a slight drain on her magic due to what was inside the cardboard container before she set it down on the table with a thud. Johnny stared at it for a few moments before he reached for the lid and carefully removed it. Inside he found a stack of newspapers, and on the very first page he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.

He was staring at a black and white photo of a behemoth of a man, wearing a black suit and tie, standing in a crowded room that looked oddly enough like the supreme court. Behind him were rows of chairs, one half had what looked like normal ponies while the others seemed to be in uniform. Before he could get a better look at him the princess’ horn glowed once more and the papers lifted out of the box rearranging in the air before settling back down.

“I apologize, I assume you’d want to see them chronologically.” She quickly explained, Johnny looked at the first picture and blinked in confusion. There was the same man, decked out in a ratty looking leather trench coat, jeans, combat boots and an old looking helmet. He was skinnier, Johnny could practically see the clothes hanging off of him, and there was a tired look to his eyes. Next to him was Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, as well as another pony he hadn’t seen before. It looked similar to a press conference, in fact, Johnny was sure that was exactly what it was. The headline was indecipherable though, as it seemed the ponies wrote in a bastardization version of Russian for some reason.

“What does this say?” Johnny asked quietly as he picked up the paper and looked it over, Luna’s horn glowed once more the paper was illuminated. To Johnny’s shock the first words became highlighted before he heard a voice speak.

“‘Human’ revealed to world. Denounces Equestrian Government.” The voice was oddly slow and even toned in its reading, Johnny scratched his head and looked at Luna.

“For the visually impaired, our newspapers are equipped with an auditory aid spell.” She explained simply, Johnny mumbled something about ‘Or the illiterate’ before turning his attention back to the newspaper.

“In a fiery and shocking press conference, the Princesses announced the existence of an extra-dimensional creature calling itself a ‘Human’. The brutish ape-like being is pictured above, moments before it savagely tore into the great Equestrian kingdom.” The voice went on, Johnny noted that talking about a picture when you’re creating something for blind people is a bit of a dick thing to do, but that was the publisher's fault. More importantly he noted the language in the article and compared it to the man in the picture, more of a kid than a man really.

“Brutish ape-like being…? He’s a kid, I could sneeze on him and he’d fall over…” Johnny commented aloud, Luna nodded silently.

“Yellow journalism, as he calls it.” She simply stated.

“The creature launched into an angry tirade that proclaimed his species was superior to pony kind after being provoked by the noble Prince Blueblood.” The newspaper flipped to another page on its own, much to Johnny’s surprise. “Little else is known of the incident other than the Prince proceeded to fire a stun spell at the human. To the shock of all those present, this only served to anger the human, who responded with the retrieval of a weapon referred to as a ‘Firearm’. Thankfully, the Princesses defused the situation before any counter attack was made.”

Johnny set the paper down and looked over at the Princess with a disbelieving expression, Luna’s horn stopped it’s glow as she waited for him to ask a question.

“According to this one of you guys tried to shoot him?”

“The former Prince Blueblood did, yes. He was barred from the conference and any matters involving Dominic from then on.” Luna explained before sighing and looking at the table. “Perhaps we were too hasty in that punishment, it may have stopped him from seeking vengeance.” Luna removed a few more papers before coming to one that depicted the glistening city outside, only it was in shambles. A haze of tear gas loomed over it like a shroud, riot police were marching down the street, and in the foreground Johnny saw ‘Dominic’ being carried off in a stretcher while a unicorn was being dragged off in cuffs.

“Jesus… You guys are nucking futs.”

“In a way I suppose we are.” Luna replied in an honest tone, Johnny put the paper back in the box and sighed, briefly scratching at his chin before speaking once again.

“So where is he? Dead? In a coma? Hiding in a cave somewhere?” He asked, Luna shook her head and the man gained a slightly annoyed expression. “Well, where is he then? I want to meet him.” Luna paused for a moment before her horn glowed again, a moment later one of the guards from outside pushed the door open and stuck his head in.

“Yes, Princess?” He asked.

“Do you have the current whereabouts of Dom-” Luna caught herself. “President Occisor?” The title made Johnny’s head spin, the guard at the door nodded and replied promptly, but Johnny didn’t hear a word he said. With his jaw hanging slack and his mind racing a minute, he almost looked like he was brain dead. Luna put a gentle hoof on his shoulder and gave it a nudge, that brought him back. The guard had already excused himself and closed the door, and he was sure that at least a few minutes had gone by.

“P-P-President…?” He asked in a shaky tone, Luna nodded once again.

“Technically Acting President, he hasn’t had the time to arrange an official election yet.” The princess’ clarification did nothing to help Johnny’s thoughts. “I am sure you’re very surprised, in time it will be made clear. I have a feeling you’ll be meeting him sooner than you think, providing we cannot get… Jen was it?... To surrender herself… As you pointed out, she’s more likely to trust a fellow survivor.”

“I hope you’re right….” Johnny mumbled as he rubbed the side of his head, the conversation ended at that point for the moment, and once again the two of them were plunged into uncomfortable silence.

[♦]

Jen and Smalls silently made their way through the ruined town, weapons at the ready and their nerves on edge. Most of it was burned down or boarded up, the lake and the waterfall nearby that lead to a river gave it an oddly serene feeling. There had been reports of a lone survivor in the town, and the orders from above were now focussed on getting the people out that they couldn’t get out before. Her thought’s briefly went back to the boy she’d left behind all those months ago, but she forced his innocent face out of her head and refocused on the mission.

What surprised her was that there seemed to be no sign of the infected in the area, at least, not as heavily as it had originally been reported. She was worried that perhaps the survivor had drawn the infected away from town for the time being, that meant he was probably skulking about looking for supplies, it also meant she and Smalls could potentially have targets on their backs. Jen quietly took another step before a twig snapped underfoot, she froze as her heart started beating faster.

Jen shook herself awake, she’d only fallen asleep for a second or two, but she couldn’t be too careful. The guards she’d been fearing before were now keeping their distance from the forest, and whenever she saw some random pony coming towards the forest, they were quick to turn them around. That didn’t stop ponies from getting in though. Thrill seekers and poachers no doubt. To the first group she was an oddity, she could probably give a little show and they’d move along if they found her. The second group was what scared her, and that was why she held her rifle so close. She stopped herself. It wasn’t her rifle, it was Johnny’s rifle, and she’d give it back to him when he was with her once more.

Jen sighed and adjusted her hiding place in the underbrush choosing to hide both day and night, she would be able to last two weeks by herself since Johnny… The woman shook her head and went back to watching through the leaves at the plains around Ponyville, a place that she’d once wanted to visit, but now she feared and even somewhat reviled. Her mind focussed on the mission, and that was somehow getting Johnny back.

First she’d need to find a pony or ponies she could trust, and depending on what type of crazy universe this was, that would be a difficult feat. If it was a universe where everything was normal she’d maybe just go into town and wait for someone to talk to her. This Equestria wasn’t normal however. The guards looked tactical, like the kind of soldiers that would ride around in black helicopters and carry out secret missions.

That narrowed down Jen’s options quite a bit, according to the fanfictions she’d read. The woman sighed as she remembered that part of her plan. She was basing all of her planning on fanfiction and other fan based information, and given the varying opinions that accompanied those things, she had to take everything she did with a grain of salt.

“Okay… Think… What normally happens…” She closed her eyes and thought back to try and remember something. “Human ends up in Equestria, in the Everfree forest…” She looked around and nod. “So far good.” Her thoughts went back to the stories. “Human either goes into town and is assaulted and or welcomed, or human saves CMC from early demise and gets their trust… And then goes into town and is assaulted and or welcomed.” Jen sighed and facepalmed. “Fucking wonderful…”

Her quiet mutterings were cut short as she heard something off in the distance, she somewhat prayed it was the three cute, if somewhat stupid, fillies. Unsurprisingly, it was someone who had gotten past the security perimeter. Jen looked off into the distance and saw the bright fur from fifty yards away. Two full grown ponies by the looks of things, one was cream colored and the other was bright turquoise.

“Fuck.” Jen whispered, she recognized those two fur colors together. A simple fake show wouldn’t appease these thrill seekers, she’d need to hide from them. The woman pulled up her camouflage netting and got really small beneath it, quietly doing her best to spread leaves over the disguise. She’d encountered these ponies before, the last time had ended in her running for her life as one of them had tried to catch her in a net. Jen slowed her breathing as she watched the two of them moving closer, from fifty to forty to thirty yards and so on. Her grip on the rifle tightened slowly as she could clearly see the ponies looking around. One of them, the cream colored one, looked annoyed.

“I’m close, I can practically smell them!” Jen heard the turquoise one comment, she closed her eyes and sighed quietly before pushing her rifle out from under the camouflage net. She opened her eyes and looked through the scope, lining up the crosshairs between the two searching ponies. She caught sight of their cutiemarks and her breath hitched in her throat, how had she not put it together sooner? A lyre and a piece of candy. Jen would have facepalmed for having missed that, but now was not the time. Carefully Jen pulled the weapon back into her hiding hole and watched as the two ponies passed her by. For ten minutes she waited before she quickly gathered up her belongings and booked it in the opposite direction.

Jen panted as she continued on, wanting to put as much space between her and the ponies. In her haste however, she failed to notice the oddly clear area ahead of her, nor did she notice a rather oddly bent tree. She let out a scream of surprise as she felt something snap closed around her ankle, that changed to one of extreme agony as she was yanked off the ground and into the air, losing her grip on her rifle and sending it clattering to the ground. Her entire leg was on fire and she was biting back tears as she realized it had been dislocated, hanging upside down she only could make one conclusion. She’d stepped into a snare trap.

“FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!” She swore loudly as she reached for the knife she kept around her ankle, she could hear movement in the trees off to the distance. Her panic grew, she could hear her heart beat in her ears as she grasped the handle of the knife and started trying to cut the rope around her ankle. Her efforts were in vain however, as the rope was too tough for her feeble movements to make any indent. All hope of escaped vanished when the knife fell from her grip and to the ground, just out of her grasp. That left her only one option, she reached to the revolver in the holster as she let the tears run, they ran up her forehead and into her hair, blurring her vision as she started pointing the weapon in the direction she heard the pony coming.

There was a surprised gasp as the bushes parted, Jen pointed her weapon off in that direction. Before she could get a shot off she felt a stone hit the weapon and send it clattering to the ground, with her free hand she wiped her eyes and found herself staring at a very surprised zebra with worn looking saddle bags. Panic and fear began to rise higher in her mind, she was quickly conjuring the worst scenario imaginable, one where she ended up being eaten by the zebra, or worse…

“N-No…” Jen whispered. “P-Please… N-Not like this…” She closed her eyes and thrashed around trying to get free, only leading to her screaming in even more agony.

“What is this that I see? Is there a human in that tree?” The Zebra asked in an oddly calm tone, however when she saw the absolute terror written across Jen’s face her tone changed. “Please! Fear not! I won’t harm a hair, now stop moving so I may get you down from there.” Jen reluctantly stopped as she watched the Zebra approach, she knew very well that this zebra’s name was Zecora, but that didn’t dissuade her fears any.

The Zebra picked up Jen’s knife from the ground and with practiced ease she flung it up at the rope. Jen landed on her back with a loud cry of pain as Zecora moved around to her side and examined the leg. Without much warning she gave it a hard push and Jen screamed as if she were being murdered violently when the leg was popped back into the joint. Jen felt like she would black out from pain, meanwhile Zecora was looking off into the distance as if she’d heard something. Jen tried to move, reaching for her revolver, only for Zecora to look at her and shake her head. The woman opened her mouth to speak but before she could she saw the Zebra give a sad frown and take a bottle from her saddlebag and forced Jen’s mouth open.

“Please, just drink. I must have time to think.” Zecora said in a calm tone, Jen coughed on the oddly sweet tasting liquid before feeling her faculties leaving her. She weakly reached a hand out towards Zecora’s throat and felt the warm fur just before everything began to slow down, the colors of the world around her began to shimmer, it felt like she could taste the colors of the rainbows.

Jen blinked a few times as she felt the world around her beginning to change, she looked down and found herself floating up off the ground. It almost felt like there was no up or down as she levitated into the sky, which was now a neon yellow for some reason. The fear of death faded away as Jen floated higher and higher up towards the sun. She held out a hand to shield her eyes and was surprised to see that her arm now had small cities sprouting up.

“Whoa…” She murmured as she stared at the growing cities, they seemed to turn into countries, and soon enough they were launching space ships to explore her eyebrows. Jen looked at her other arm and was shocked to see other cities, they started launching missiles at her right arm and the right fired back at the left. Jen shook the cities from her arms as she continued floating upwards, reaching a hand out to touch the sun. It was beginning to set, just out of her reach, and as it disappeared from sight she let out a sigh. Jen suddenly gained the sensation she was falling, she looked down and found she was now falling into a constantly changing colorful vortex.

As she swirled around it she saw Johnny as well, he was sitting calmly in a recliner with a newspaper in front of him. Jen reached out to tap him on the shoulder but he was whisked away before she could, moments later Princess Luna and Celestia came into view, they were oddly enough playing chess with pieces that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. As Jen got closer to the bottom of the vortex, all she saw was out of her reach. The woman let out a loud yell as she passed through the event horizon and out into what seemed like time and space.

Jen blinked several times more as she sat up in a desert, in the distance she saw a cruise liner half buried in the sand as well as a crashed helicopter just ahead of her. There was a giant chess piece to her left, contrasting with the colorful blue sky. To her right she saw an odd creature, yet at the same time it seemed oddly familiar. An amalgamation of different animals was reclining in a lawnchair, it had a pair of earbuds plugged in and was tanning itself in the sun with a tanning mirror in its talons and sunglasses over its eyes.

Jen quietly stood up and rubbed the back of her neck, this seemed to catch the creature’s attention. She racked her brain for a few moments, trying to think of its name, in the meantime it lowered the tanning mirror and lifted the sunglasses to reveal a pair of yellow and red eyes.

“My my… It seems they’re everywhere nowadays!” It said in a cheerful tone, Jen scratched the back of her head. “I must say I applaud your work! Plunging the world into chaos and not being turned to stone. Kudos.” Jen blinked a few more times as the creature adjusted his seat.

“Wh-What do you mean?” She asked quietly, the creature snapped his fingers and a newspaper popped up beside him. The name clicked in that instant, it was Discord, a person that Jen was not sure she wanted to meet. Discord looked through the paper for a moment before humming.

“Huh… Guess I had you mistaken for someone else.” The draconequus turned the paper to face her, Jen gawked at the sight of a very muscular looking man in a suit talking to reporters. “Nonetheless, I’m sure you’ll be meeting him very soon. When you do tell him I send my thanks, it’s been eons since I was able to take a holiday!” Discord stretched in the chair, his back eliciting hundreds of loud pops that were followed by him letting out a loud sigh and scratching his stomach with a pleased smile. Jen felt like she was being pulled down into the sand as she watched. “Oh, darn, before we could even chat. Oh well.” Discord took the earbuds from his mouth and wrapped them around what looked to Jen like an iPod, then tossed the bundle to her. “Make sure ol’ sour puss get’s those as well, I ‘borrowed’ that from him when he first got here, been meaning to give them back.”

“Huh?” Was all Jen could say as she clutched the bundle, Discord put his sunglasses back on and reclined back into his seat with a friendly wave.

“Ta ta, my homosapien heroine!” With those final parting words Jen felt herself sucked into the sand and then into darkness.

When Jen could see again, she was laying on her back, and aching pain was running through her entire body. A cold breeze blew over her bare stomach and legs, leading her to realize that she’d been stripped of her clothes save for her undergarments. She then realized that even those had been removed, replaced by white strips of cloth. Jen was laying on a cot in a room decorated with tribal overtones, masks on the walls and odd charms hanging from the ceiling. To her right she heard a pot boiling water and the crackle of a wood fire, the air reeked of something foul.

Jen felt something clasped in her hand, as she looked at what it was she was shocked to see that it was the bundle of wire that the draconequus had tossed her. She had already written that off as some sort of drug trip, but seeing the device in her hand removed that doubt. Jen clenched her hand around the device and sat up, looking around to get a better idea of her surroundings. The hut was small, she’d barely be able to fully stand, all around were bottles and flasks that rested atop furniture that seemed to be constructed from anything that had been laying around.

Jen saw no sign of her clothes or her weapons, nor any sign of the zebra that had brought her here. The woman stood up and gasped as her bare feet met the cold, oddly smooth dirt floor. She remained as quiet as a mouse, adjusting the oddly fitting undergarments and trying to suppress the feeling of unease at knowing someone she didn’t trust had seen her naked. Carefully she stalked over to the boiling cauldron and sniffed the steam coming off of it, to her surprise it smelled fine, so that wasn’t the source of the odor.

It was only when she lifted her arm that she realized that the source of the odor was, infact, herself. That was to be expected though, she’d not had access to a real bath or shower or even soap in months. She quickly put the odor out of her mind as she stalked over towards the wood door of the hut and peered out through a crack. To her surprise she didn’t see much of anything, just trees and the dim light from an obviously setting sun, that gave her an opportunity to sneak over to the various cupboards in the room. She began rifling through them in search of her clothes or some means to defend herself, to her annoyance all she found were bottles and bowls. Some were filled with odd liquids that she dared not try, fearing another strange experience like the one she’d had before.

Eventually Jen resigned herself to go back to where she’d woken up and sit, perhaps waiting would yield better results. Briefly she looked at the device she’d been given by Discord, a rather normal looking MP3 player with some earbuds. It had seen better days, but all in all, it looked like it worked. With a tentative shrug she put in one of the earbuds and tried turning on the device, the screen lit up and there was a menu of songs. There were a lot of songs that didn’t seem to mesh. Opera next to power metal, classical next to pop music. It was quite…

“Chaotic…” She mumbled before leaning back and sighing, she was about to push random before she heard something outside. Jen quickly tossed the item on the bed and stood up, getting into a defensive stance. The door to the hut was pushed open with a slight grunt, unsurprisingly it was Zecora. What was surprising was the basket on her back that had very neatly folded clothes. Clothes Jen barely recognized as hers, mainly because they were so clean. The zebra smiled at Jen and set the basket down on the floor, she took the clothes from within and set them down, beneath them Jen could see there was something else covered with a checkered cloth.

“It is good to see you only slept long, I feared my potion had been too strong.” Zecora mused, she approached the woman with a serene expression. “I was worried I’d given you a terrible fate, after all, the elixir is based on body weight.” Jen felt oddly calm around the zebra, perhaps it was just the adrenaline coursing through her veins, or maybe a lingering effect of the potion. Jen began to feel an ache in her leg as she was able to vaguely recall what had happened before. “I am Zecora, I tend to roam. I welcome you to my humble home.”

“J-Jenna… My friends call me Jen.” The woman mumbled as she extended a trembling hand towards the zebra. Zecora looked at the appendage for a moment before extending her own hoof, Jen hesitantly shook it and let out a pent up sigh of relief. If Zecora had wanted to hurt her she’d had plenty of time to do so, so for now Jen could trust the zebra, if only for a little while. The woman took a few deep breaths, calming herself further and easing herself back into a stable mindset.

“Such a strange name you’ve got, though I’m sure you hear that a lot.” Zecora quipped, Jen was about to point out that for humans it wasn’t that strange, but Zecora had a point in context. The zebra looked between Jen and then the pot of water. The fire had died down and the boiling had stopped. “Not to be rude or mean, but I’ve got to ask you to please get clean.” Jen nodded and looked at the pot closely before dipping a finger into the water. It was a tad warm, but she was sure it would be cooler in time.

“Do you have a tub or something?” Jen asked, Zecora nodded and pointed out the hut door. Jen stood up and walked towards the door, meanwhile the zebra took a bucket from the wall and filled it with warm water. She and the human exited the hut and found the tub outside behind the hut, it was in an oddly pretty setting compared to the rest of the forest. Jen was out of her odd undergarments and soaking in warm water in no time. The tub was large, not like a wash basin or even a regular bathtub. It was more like someone had cut a storage tank in half and stuck it in the ground, the amount of water needed to fill it was something Jen couldn’t believe.

She let out a sigh as she continued sitting there, leaning her head back and closing her eyes she felt like she could relax for the first time. The warm water and soap was something so simple, and yet, it made her feel like she was in the old world. That was, until she heard a twig snap to her right. She opened her eyes and saw Zecora trotting around the hut once more, this time with a towel and a comb. Jen covered herself quickly as Zecora placed the items down.

“Once you’re finished with the tub, come inside and get some grub.” Zecora said in a cheerful tone before turning away, Jen sighed and pinched her nose before dunking herself completely underwater. When she emerged her hair, now clean, was soaking wet. She stood up, pausing as she felt a breeze over her body, before wrapping the towel around herself and grabbing the comb. The woman began combing her hair while she walked towards the hut, for the first time in a long time it started curl. She paused as she saw her reflection in one of the hut’s windows, feeling her eyes tear up as she looked at herself.

The infection had forced her to keep her hair straight and short to minimize the threat of getting grabbed, but now that she had had a real bath and really cleaned it, it was returning to it’s original curlyness. Her mother had always called it one of her best features, but Jen couldn’t dwell too long. With a swift wipe of her eyes she continued walking around the hut and then back inside, the smell of something cooking graced her nostrils. Zecora had already set out two bowls of what looked like meat and steamed rice with some sort of sauce. Jen quickly sat down at the table across from Zecora.

“Thank you for taking a seat, now with gusto we may eat.” Zecora said before she began eating her food, Jen began eating hers as well, the silence that settled was broken only by the sound of Jens’s fork against the wooden plate. The meat was tender, the sauce was spicy with just the right amount of sweetness, and the rice tied it all together. After Jen finished her plate she realized that Zecora was only a quarter of the way done with her own. The zebra was staring at her with a curious expression.

“What?” Jen asked.

“I do not wish to cause you unrest, but I must ask, what are you doing alone in this forest?” Zecora said, Jen was slightly surprised by the question, something Zecora must have picked up on. “The human I have heard of lives far away, imagine my surprise when I found you today.”

“Well, I don’t know how I got here. As for me being alone… The Princesses took the man I was with, I don’t know what they’re doing to him.” Jen replied, then she paused and ran through what Zecora had said through her mind once more. “Wait, what human have you heard of?” Zecora hummed for a moment, as if deciding how to word what she was going to say.

“A human of great stature, some call him a pillar of strength. For him, the Lunar Princess gone to many lengths.” Zecora rhymed, she leaned forwards on the table as she saw Jen’s attention was fully on her. “He’s faced my ridicule and anger, the one they call Globe and Anchor.” Jen’s eyes widened at the mention of those two objects. “I’m unsure of his current fate, though his new title seems to be… Acting President of the United States.”

Jen would have spat out her food if she had any left, a look of shock running over her face. Zecora picked up on that and continued. “He has numerous followers, if papers are to be believed. Though, I take it with a grain of salt, as to not be deceived.” A million thoughts ran through Jen’s mind at that moment. This other human had followers, he had a title, but most importantly he had clout with one of the Princesses of Equestria. Even if his title wasn’t legitimate, his standing was. She could perhaps convince him to help her free Johnny.

There was a slight wrinkle in that plan in the form of not knowing where he was or how she would get there.

“Zecora, do you know where I could find him?” Jen asked in an unsure tone, Zecora paused for a moment to think.

“Somewhere in the desert if news is to be believed, but again, I hate to be deceived.” The zebra said, she raised an eyebrow at the woman. “You are going to try and find him I assume. I warn you not to, you may meet your doom.” Jen sighed and looked around quietly, her expression shifting to one of determination.

“He may be the only one that can help me.” She looked at the table, staring at her empty plate. “I don’t think I can trust the princesses, but maybe I can trust him.” Zecora quietly sighed and looked between the woman and the door to the hut, she briefly considered going to get the guards, but part of her worried that doing so would only make Jen more desperate.

“Think before you take this quest, for your survival skills it will surely test.” Zecora finished off her plate as Jen watched her carefully. “Dying in the desert won’t suit a spirit like you, so training you for the journey is what I must do.”

“Why are you so willing to help me?” Jen suddenly asked, Zecora smirked and twirled her fork in her empty plate.

“Though it may be difficult to see, I too am a traveler and can tell you are like me.” Zecora stood up and gathered the plates together, as she did Jen stood up to help her. “No no, you should rest your legs for the best, tomorrow begins the training for your quest.” Jen awkwardly sat down again, rubbing the back of her neck. She worried perhaps she was rushing into things, but at the same time, the fear of what could be happening to Johnny outweighed those thoughts. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back once again, she heard something set down on the table in front of her.

When she opened her eyes again she found a wooden cup had been set in front of her with an odd orange liquid within, Zecora didn’t seem to have one though. The amount of liquid was small compared to the cup, leading her to assume this was some form of shot.

“Drink that to unwind, I find it helps to free the mind…” Zecora said, Jen carefully looked at the liquid and then the zebra. She slowly picked up the cup and knocked it back, the liquid was sweet and almost as soon as it hit her tongue Jen felt things begin to change.

The world around her began to shimmer and shift, for the second time that day she felt like she was floating. This was different though, she felt as if everything was floating with her. She looked down at her hands and flexed them, watching the digits open and close, on the third opening she saw glowing symbols in the palms of her hands, they snaked up her arms in a very serpentine fashion, odd symbols and shapes.

“Whoa…” She mumbled once again, the neon colors of the world around her beginning to shift around and around. She could see Zecora sitting across from her, the zebra was looking at her with a smile as Jen reached out to touch her nose. To her surprise her hand passed right through the zebra, as if she wasn’t even there. That didn’t deter Jen though, she felt very good in that moment, as if once again she was a person with normal problems. It felt exquisite, almost ecstatic, to just feel normal. “I’m higher than sputnik right now… Aren’t I?”

“I don’t know who that would be, but yes, you are ‘higher’ than he.” Zecora’s voice came from everywhere and nowhere. “Now close your eyes and open your mind, you’re emoties will come in kind.” Jen felt something pushing her back onto the floor, she didn’t resist and instead closed her eyes. The world exploded into colors and shapes she didn’t know existed, as if she were flying through time and space once more. Though this time she actually felt like she was. With the incredible sensations and feeling of euphoria, Jen had no trouble at all just going along for the ride.

Zecora watched the woman relax on the floor, smiling slightly. The Everfree was a perfect place to gather materials for regular potions, but unknown to most, it was also the perfect place to gather the ingredients for substances not necessarily viewed as ‘legal’ by the Equestrian government. The zebra was certain that nothing she made was like anything the human had experienced, the concoction that had been administered was her own special brew. It was something she herself took to take the edge off, but considering how stressed the human had seemed, she’d figured giving it to Jen was the right thing to do.

She left Jen there and went off to begin gathering items that she would need in order to start teaching the woman to survive the journey, she only hoped that the guards would come on their own. Trust was something she regarded highly, and for that reason alone, she would not turn in her new human companion.

Author's Notes:

Here's another one, I hope you like it. Sorry for the delay, as usual, life gets in the way.

Comment, rate, and favorite if you liked it... Though, if you're this far along in the story, I'd assume you like it.