Chapter 19

"Hello?" I say into the phone, having answered without really thinking about it. I've been in my shop most of the day, working on those wing-blades without stopping. A sense of urgency fills me every time I put them down to work on something else. It's strange, but I have learned to listen to my instincts.

"Irony? It's Flash," came through the phone in an unfamiliar voice.

"Flash?!" I gasp, realizing it's my brother.

"Yeah... Look, before I say anything else, I wanted to tell you how super-mega sorry I am for what I said when I left. I'm an asshole, and I was freaking out, but that's no excuse. Can you ever forgive me?" he pleads, and I can hear tears in his voice.

"Flash, I love you, and you'll always be my brother. I forgave you before you even made it to your truck. We all did. We just want you home with us again," I tell him, trying to convey how much I care for him in my voice.

"Are... are you certain? I've been so worried. I was beyond horrible. I thought you would all hate me for sure. Wait, what about Sherry? How do I talk to her about this? I just left. Oh, Irony, what am I going to do?" he was starting to spin up.

"Flash, calm yourself down. It's okay, I promise. Trixie forgave you, too. She just misses you. She's been lonely and afraid without you," I try to comfort him.

"Is she still staying there with you? Wait, you called her Trixie! She's changed too?"

"Yeah, your girlfriend is now the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie."

"Damn it all, I-- I wish I'd called sooner. I am such an idiot! Dust tried to convince me to call days ago, but I was too afraid. I'm so sorry," I shook my head to myself as he fell all over himself apologizing again.

"Hey! Stop apologizing, okay? Like I said, all is forgiven. And I do mean all, so stop worrying. Just come home to us. How far away are you, anyway?"

"Yeah, about that... I can't come home yet. Actually, we kinda need your help with something..." he says, worry plain in his voice now.

"What's your problem bro? Is it serious? You know that if it's within my power, I'd do anything for you," I reply, trying to remain upbeat. I figure he wouldn't be asking right now if it weren't serious, I only hope that it is something I can help with.

"Weeeellll..." he trails off, evidently not sure how to put it.

"So, I take it that it's pretty serious then. On a scale of one to ten, just how serious is it? And don't you dare say 'eleven', okay?"

"Erm... probably a solid nine, at least to those of us here."

"Who is this 'us', where is 'here', and what's the problem? It's time for you to level with me, okay?" I ask, slightly annoyed at his reticence.

"Okay. I've met some other ponies. I don't think you ever met my friend from college, Maddie, but, well... she and her brother are both ponies now. Soarin and Lightning Dust, respectively. And we have two other ponies that have shown up, Mindy and Cherry Punch."

"Cherry Punch? Don't you mean Berry Punch?" I interrupt.

"No, I mean Cherry Punch, but that doesn't matter right now. What does matter, is the federal agents that came today to try to shut us down!" his voice hits a higher octave at the last.

"Whoa, back up for a second! Shut what down? Why do you have federal agents bothering you?" I ask, confused.

"Sorry, I guess I skipped ahead. Lightning Dust owns her own electrical contractor company, and bought a large farm. She's trying to set up a sanctuary for all the ponies that are transforming. She thinks there will be a lot more, and after talking to her and Soarin, I'd have to agree."

"It's good to know that we're not alone, I guess. Though, that means that Discord was a very busy Lord of Chaos. Damn. Okay, so let me make sure I understand you. This Lightning Dust wants to save all of us ponies, but now the government wants to stop her. Is that the gist of things?" I ask, pretty sure I have the right picture, and that I know what they need from me.

"Not quite, but close enough for government work. They actually wanted to take Dust in for questioning, mostly because she's refused to hide who she is. I don't think they would have let her go afterward, either. She's really shaken up right now," his excitement level is rising rapidly.

"Simmer down now. Now I think I've got the picture, I guess you can put the crayons away. I'm assuming that you're hoping I can use what pull I may have to fix things, right?"

"Pretty much. Is there anything you can do? Do you know anybody who can help?" he asks, and I can tell that he's hopeful, but also afraid too.

I think for a moment before I respond, "I just might have a big enough favor owed me to at least get someone to listen. I'll see what I can do, then get back in contact with you, okay?"

"Please hurry, if you can, I don't think it will be more than a day or two before they come back," he pleads.

"Don't worry, I should know before tomorrow morning. Okay, I'll talk to you soon."

"Thank you, Irony. Tell Trixie I love her, please?"

"I will. She loves you too," I say before hanging up.

I look around, I have an audience, two ponies and a human have been listening to my conversation, not that I can blame them. "So, you guys all heard what's going on?"

Moon Shadow and Trixie nod. Trixie, whispering, asks, "Is he okay? D-- did he ask about Tr-- me?"

I kneel down next to her, wrap my arms around her neck, and speak softly into her ear, "Flash sends his love. I could tell he misses you greatly. You are his biggest concern."

Tears drip down her muzzle as she smiles up at me, mouthing the words 'he loves me' over and over. I simply smile down at her and nod.

Standing up, I address everypony again, "Okay, I have a small op I need to plan. A war buddy I know owes me a favor. I have the beginning of a solution in my mind, but it won't be exactly easy to convince him that I am the one he owes the favor to. Ray, as much as I hate to see you go, I think it would be best if you returned home. At least for now. Things could get a bit dicey, tonight and later, and I would much rather there was no link to you."

The Doc starts to speak in protest, but I cut him off with a wave of my hand, "Please, just do it for me? I couldn't bear the thought of your life being ruined because of something I did, okay?" He nods in assent, though I can see his stubbornness in the set of his jaw as he turns to go pack his few belongings.

Turning back to the two unicorns, I ask them, "What I'm planning to do might be a little dangerous, though I'm hoping to avoid any actual conflict. Would you be willing to join me as my backup?" They both nod and respond in the affirmative. "Thank you. Let me grab a couple of things, then we'll leave immediately."

On my way to my room I meet Dr. Ray. I pull him into a hug, then kiss him gently, "No matter what, I won't ever forget you my friend. I hope that we will be reunited under happy circumstances soon. Please, take care of yourself."

His grip on me tightens, then he pulls me into another kiss. My eyes close as I enjoy the all too brief contact. "I wish we could do more, but I sense your urgency. Thank you for everything," he whispers to me as we part. I nod to him, too choked up at our parting to speak.

I continue to my room, pulling a duffel from my closet. I grab a few items I hope I don't need, and stuff them inside. I change into a set of camo fatigues that are slightly baggy on me now, pull on my new boots, and lace them up.

I open my safe, and pull out the P90 SMG I'd taken as a souvenir from the chop shop gang. Oh, sweet Celestia, I hope I don't need this. If I do, then things are sooo fucked. I tuck it into the duffel too, then I am trotting down the hall to the garage. The girls are already inside, the engine is running, and we're ready to go.

As we peel out of the driveway, me behind the wheel, I wave to Ray. Soon we are merging onto the freeway.

"Trixie, are you ready to try out your new spell?" Moon Shadow asks the other unicorn.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is always ready to help!" she replies, her horn suddenly alight with a pale-purple magical aura. As far as I can see, nothing is happening. I turn a questioning eye to Shadow.

"Trixie is making us a little less conspicuous. She discovered a spell that makes others see us as the most boring thing around, their minds don't even want to register that they're seeing us," she replies.

"What if someone runs into us because they can't see us?" I ask, only slightly worried.

"Trixie has already thought of this. She has cast the spell to only affect the inside of this vehicle. The rest of the car can be seen, though it should seem unimportant," she happily volunteers.

"Excellent work, Trixie," I compliment her. She blushes slightly.

* * *

We arrive at our destination a little bit before sunset. I park about a quarter of a mile away, then continue on foot alone to scope out my old 'friend's' house. I choose to go solo to reduce the risk of being spotted, against Moon Shadow's and Trixie's expressed disapprovals.

Won't Bob be surprised at how I look now... I quietly chuckle as I stalk along. We haven't spoken in a long time, mostly due to the fact that we were never really friends. There was never any bad blood or anything, but he'd pretty much avoided me completely after the incident. I think he was afraid to talk to me. Afraid I'd decide to not keep his secret anymore.

Or, more likely, his dad was afraid I'd spill the beans, so he ordered Bob to stay away. Wouldn't want to ruin his daddy's career advancement, after all, I ponder, taking up position to watch the empty house. Bob lives in a small, secluded, single story house in the back-country. He doesn't have any neighbors close, which I'm sure is just the way he likes it.

I hunker down as the shadows lengthen and start to pool together. I'm hoping he won't be out late, though I am more than prepared to stake the place out all night, if necessary. I've warned the others that this part could take a while. I plan to text them every 15 minutes, and have told them not to worry unless I miss two in a row.

I'm just finishing an apple, core and all, when I feel my phone vibrate. The sun has gone completely down, leaving a purple hue to the horizon. With the trees that surround the area, it is already mostly dark. I shield my phone as I check the screen, not wanting the light to give me away. As I suspected, it's a text from Shadow telling me they've seen headlights headed my direction. I send them a quick acknowledgement, then prepare to accost my former squad-mate.

With anybody else, I could have just e-mailed or texted to arrange a meeting, then proven who I used to be. But, nooo, not with Bob. Of course, the bastard has to be off the grid, no phone, no computer. And he's so damn paranoid, I have to ambush him instead of knocking on the door... I sigh, really hating what I'm about to do. I honestly don't want to scare the shit out of him, but I don't have a whole lot of choice in the matter.

I watch as the aforementioned car comes down the drive, pulling up to the front of the house. It's an old beater, some 90s model Taurus that I don't recognize. The door opens, but there's no illumination from inside, so I can't make out who it is.

Well, this is it. I sure as hell hope it's him, or this... I cut the thought off, moving from concealment to grab him from behind. I snake my left arm around his throat and catch hold of his right wrist with my other hand. I twist the arm up behind his back, forcing him down to his knees at the same time.

"Don't even think about it," I growl into his ear, squeezing his throat a little tighter. His left hand slowly draws the knife I saw sheathed at his side, then drops it. I kick it away, then loosen the hold on his throat in response, but maintain my grip on his wrist.

"Who the fuck are you? What the fuck do you want?" he spits out.

"Now, very slowly, pull that 1911 I know you've got and toss it into the trees."

"Why the hell would I do that? Either you're here to kill me, so I should keep it; or you're not, in which case I won't need to use it. Which is it?" he calmly asks.

I laugh, "You haven't changed, have you Bob? Always to the point. Though, I have to admit, you remaining calm is new. Okay, I'm not here to hurt you, so I'll let you go. But we need to talk."

I release him, backing away a couple steps, raising my hands to show that I'm unarmed.

"Who are you?" he says with a slight tremor to his voice, looking up at me, trying to see my face in the darkness.

"Bob, I'm hurt. You don't recognize my voice? I suppose it was a bit deeper the last time you heard it."

He stares at me, confused, trying to pierce the darkness to see my face. I shake my head, chuckling, "Seeing my face wouldn't help you. I don't look the same anymore, either. You knew me as Henry."

He barks out a cynical laugh. "Yeah, sure, pull the other one. You may be one damned big chick, but you're a chick all the same. Don't know why you'd think I'd fall for that. Guess you think I'm pretty dumb," the last word came out as a yell as he dove at me, catching me around the waist with his arm, his aim to throw me over his shoulder.

Unfortunately, for him, he'd judged me by human standards. His shoulder hit me true, but his momentum was stopped cold. Before he could recover, I took hold of the back of his shirt and lifted him up to eye level, "Are you done? I am Henry, and I can prove it."

I set him back on the ground, though I don't release him, "I know your secret."

"Hah, nice try, but you don't know a damn thing," he retorts.

"Oh, really? So, I don't know how you almost killed your entire squad? How it was your grenade in the foxhole that day, not the enemy's?" I ask him, my voice harsh.

He's trembling, obviously shaken by that revelation, "H-- how do you know about that? Who told you? Nobody knows, except my father and H--"

"Henry. That's right. Like I said, it's me Bob."

"No way. Either Henry told you, or somebody else knew about it," he tries to reassure himself.

"I never told anyone, and nobody else even suspected. I'm assuming neither you, nor your dad, would ever tell anyone either. Tell your old man I said thanks for the medal, by the way. Really glad I didn't die," I snort.

His shoulders slump, "Henry would never have told you. He swore to me that he'd keep it secret, and he never, ever, went back on his word. I know he never even told his brother. So, I have to assume that you are telling the truth, then. Are you sure you're Henry? I just can't believe he'd ever have a sex-change..."

His statement catches me by surprise, and I start laughing; a good, deep, belly-laugh. When I'm finally able to speak, I say, "Damn, I don't remember you being so funny. Yeah, I'm sure of who I am. I didn't exactly choose to have a sex-change, thank you very much. I enjoyed my life as a man very much, thank you. No, this was forced on me, though I have come to accept it, I guess."

"What? You were forced to have a sex-change operation? That is seriously fucked up!"

"Not exactly. Can we take this inside? There's a lot more to explain, and you're going to want to sit down for most of it," I quietly ask him.

"Huh? Oh, sure. Come on in," he replies.

"Hold up, I need to call in some friends that you need to meet," I say, dialing my phone.  He stops and listens as I call Moon Shadow. The conversation is brief, she confirms that they are on their way.

"Who exactly are these friends of yours?" Bob asks me nervously.

"One is my girlfriend; the other is Jim's girlfriend. They were my backup, just in case this didn't go well here."

"Okay, now I'm really convinced you're Henry. You always had a backup plan, just in case. They must be impressive ladies for you to trust them with your back," he compliments.

I nod, "They are indeed."

I turn to watch as my beloved 442 comes rolling up, with the love of my life and the Great and Powerful Trixie inside. The headlights illuminate us as it draws closer. I hear a loud gasp from behind me, and turn back just in time to see Bob level his 1911 .45 caliber pistol at me.

"What in the name of sweet Jesus happened to you, Henry?" he asks, his hands shaking so bad I don't think he could hit me if he had to. Though, that just means he is likely to hit Shadow or Trixie by accident if he fires, so I put my hands behind my head.

I see a green aura wrap around the gun, then it is yanked out of Bob's hand. He stares at it with a look of pure terror on his face. Moon Shadow screams from behind me, "How dare you point that at my Irony!"

The pistol crumples into a perfect sphere of metal, then the aura of magic engulfs Bob as well. She lifts him off the ground. In the glow the headlights have thrown, I can see urine leak out the bottom of his pant-leg, and onto the ground.

"Moon Shadow! That's enough!" I call to her.

"But, he was going to shoot you!" she roars.

"No, he wouldn't have. It just startled him when he saw my face, I'm sure. Isn't that right, Bob?" I turn to the floating human. He nods quickly, whites showing all around his eyes. "Please, let him go."

Moon Shadow sighs, "Fine, I'll put him down." She releases her magic while he's still in the air, dropping him down onto his knees with a loud thump.

"So sorry about all of this, Bob," I say as I lean down to help him up. He has a thousand-yard-stare in his eyes. Oops, I think we broke him...

I help him up the steps to his front door, retrieve his keys from his pocket, and open the door. Leaving Trixie and Shadow in the living room, I sit him down on a chair in his kitchen, then find a glass, and fill it with water. I help him take a few sips, he seems to be coming around.

"Henry? What the hell happened to you? What just happened? Can you use telekinesis? Was it some kind of government experimental program?" I put a hand over his mouth to stop the flow of words.

"No, it wasn't a government experiment. It's a long story, which I'll gladly share with you, but first, I need to know if you can handle another shock right now?"

"I... I think so. I mean, as long as it's not bad..." he replies, looking into my magenta eyes with something akin to awe on his face.

"Okay, here goes nothing. Girls, would you come in here please?" I call to the other room. They come around the corner slowly; Moon Shadow glares fiercely at Bob, a frown on her face. He scoots back in his chair, trying to climb the back of it.

"Wh-- what?" he sputters.

"Bob, I'd like you to meet Moon Shadow," I point, "and Trixie," I point again. "Moon Shadow is my marefriend, and Trixie is Jim's. That really isn't enough introduction for either of them, but it'll have to do for now." They both nod in greeting.

"They... they're... what are they? What are you?" he asks. I can see his brain trying to make the connection, and failing miserably.

"Bob, stay with me now. I'll explain everything, but you need to remain calm, okay?"

He looks up at me, I can see him working desperately to pull himself back together. Slowly, he has a measure of success. He blinks several times in quick succession, then speaks, "I think I'm going to be okay now. Just, no more surprises like that, okay? I have no idea what's going on here, but it's obviously weird as fuck. I'm not dead, am I?"

"No, you're not dead. And you're not dreaming, either. This is all very real," I say gently to him.

"Okay, so what is going on? Where did you come from?" he snaps his mouth shut, realizing he needs to let me answer before spewing out more questions.

"Well, it sort of all happened like this..." and I proceed to give him a Cliff's Notes version of what has happened to all of us.

"That is a truly fantastic story. If you weren't standing here in front of me, there is no way on earth that I'd believe it. But it has to be true. You're living, breathing proof!" he states in wonderment after I have finished the tale.

"I'm glad you believe me," I say, "because I need your help."

"What can I do to help you?" he asks, perplexed.

So I explain to him about the farm in Montana.

"But, how am I going to help you with that? It's not like I have any kind of power, you know."

"You don't, but your dad does," I say, my words heavy with meaning.

"Yeah, so my dad's a 4-star. He could probably help, but why would he?" he asks me.

"Bob, was it your idea, or your dad's, to make up that story about what happened with the grenade?" I ask him, hoping like hell I'm right. Bob wouldn't have wanted to lie, I'm sure of it.

He squirms in his seat, which confirms my thoughts before he even speaks.

"The General thought it wouldn't look good for a U.S. Marine to have lost control of his own grenade. And... since you didn't die..." he trails off, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. So, here's the deal: I don't want to out you, but your dad doesn't know that. He'll know that even a rumor to that effect would hurt his reputation. I need him to arrange for our protection, and for the farm to be a sanctuary. Will you call him for me?"

Bob nods, then says, "For you, I will gladly do it. You were willing to throw yourself on that grenade, even though you must have already known that I was the one who dropped it. You would have died for me, for all of us. You know, even though my dad gave you that medal hoping to shut you up, you really did earn it. And, I know you didn't need bribing to keep it secret. Thank you for that, too."

I grip his shoulder in a silent thanks, and hand him my phone. He quickly taps out a number, and spends the next hour talking to his father, the General.

* * *

Bob finally hangs up, "Okay, my dad is seriously pissed, but has conceded to your demands. He knows that if even a whiff of this gets out, it'll destroy his chance of becoming Secretary of Defense. The official word should go out on the wire today, by 0900. You have your sanctuary, but you'll have to find ponies yourself. The government is refusing to acknowledge what they're calling 'The Pony Problem' publicly. They're also not going to release any they may, or may not, have in custody."

I open my muzzle to speak, but he holds up a finger, "That point is non-negotiable, according to him. And he wants something in return. The FBI gets to interview, and do what he termed 'non-invasive' medical examinations on all three pony races. As well as a demonstration of each of their abilities."

"Damn, he drives a hard bargain, but it's better than I'd hoped for. I just hope it's enough. Thank you for your help," I say in reply.

We discuss a few more minor details, but in the end it all comes down to us getting what we want, at a relatively low cost.

I dial a familiar number, "Hey, Flash, I've got good news..."