Princess Luna smiled in the early morning air as she rode in her small sky chariot. Her wispy mane caught the early morning wind as she sat, facing the horizon and the flanks of two armored E.P.U. Guards, two flanks she was healthy enough to admire. Her grin was rare and radiant as she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, relishing in the crisp, cool air. The feathers of her wings ruffled in the wind and the tips of said feathers rubbed faintly against the thick cloth saddle bags she wore.

Behind her black chariot, flew nine other golden colored chariots in a 'V' formation cutting a swath through the parting morning clouds. Each of the golden sky chariots were filled with two volunteers from the School For Gifted Unicorns. The Unicorns sat almost perfectly still, staring outward toward the eternal horizon with expressions of peaceful acceptance. Sitting on her right was Arch Magister Catalyst whose robe billowed up around her, animated like living cloth in the breeze. The black Unicorn mare's fiery red mane streaked out behind her head even in its heavy braid. Her piercing eyes reflecting the wing flaps of small birds as they passed, she saw nearly as much as the Alicorn Princess next to her.

Both mares were enjoying the ride to New Humansville immensely, however a heavy weight sat on Catalyst's mind. She was sitting on Luna's right, facing the world below. She had neglected to voice her concerns when she first perceived the problem, but as the minutes ticked by, her worry grew more and more profound. With every League closer to New Humansville, she grew more and more nervous.

Catalyst's worried expression was not wasted on Princess Luna,
"Something troubles you, Arch Magister." Luna stated, it wasn't a question.

Catalyst, normally a stalwart mare, shifted her fore hooves nervously and swallowed hard,
"I'm not calling your judgement into question but," her eyes drifted to the heavy black lacquered box sitting next to Luna, "Do you really think those . . . things will be necessary?"

Luna's eyes briefly touched the black box before she focused on Catalyst,
"My hope is that they will not be needed however, my more pragmatic nature forbids me to take such a chance." she raised her right eyebrow appraisingly toward Catalyst, "Do they unnerve you?"

Catalyst couldn't meet Luna's eyes,
"They terrify me." she said quietly, "They haven't been used on a single Pony in the last eight hundred years. What they represent is considered nothing short of slavery today."

Luna's face registered surprise,
"Speak not such vulgarity, they are a safety measure and a sound one, proven through hundreds of instances for thousands of years. Should I ever so much as attempt to enslave another, Tia would surely disown me and were the situation reversed, she would expect the same of me. These devices should not be viewed as any sort of enslavement, merely a type of restraint to keep everypony safe. I'm going to be issuing one to you and each of your heads of staff."

"I mean no disrespect your majesty, but I won't ever use it. I won't levitate it, I won't even touch it." Catalyst said firmly, "I will not have such control over another, nor the temptation placed in front of me. Think ill of me if you wish, but I refuse to have any involvement with those devices. They are all together evil." Catalyst said emphatically.

Luna giggled behind her hoof,
"You are too much, Arch Magister, you really consider these devices 'evil'?" she lowered her hoof and patted Catalyst on her shoulder in a warm manner, "Tis not the object that is evil, merely the manner in which it is used."

Arch Magister Catalyst shivered as she looked at the black box once more,
"You will still not see me using one of those Princess. They were all supposed to have been destroyed. Where did you even find them?"

Luna blinked in surprise,
"These are from my own chambers, personal belongings. My sister had them sealed until my return." she cocked her head to the side, "Why would anypony destroy such useful devices?"

"Because a group of Unicorn stallions who were being held as breeding slaves were found wearing those things about two hundred years after Nightmare Moon was banished. Princess Celestia named the devices illegal to use, make, or even own." Catalyst said.

Princess Luna pursed her lips,
"I was not aware of the law. After we are done, I'll consult my sister about theses devices." Luna said laying her left wing on the black box in an almost affectionate manner.

Catalyst let the subject drop and turned her gaze to the quickly approaching buildings in the center of a colossal field. She could not yet make out any of the Humans she had heard so much about. Aside from the devices Princess Luna carried in the black box, Catalyst seemed like the perfect embodiment of calm. In truth, she was only barely holding back from jumping around excitedly. She was beyond eager to interact with a new species with new magic. She had been working on an algorithm for the past eighty years and she was close to a breakthrough, she was determined to prove that there were actually thirteen Nouns and seven Verbs. Her hypothesis, 'The Thirteenth Noun' she had dubbed it, was to be her great gift to the world, 'Maybe these Humans are the key, the link in the chain that I've been missing.' despite her raging excitement, she kept her composure and waited patiently for the chariot to land.

The chariot began to descend in a circular pattern above a tall central building surrounded by a spacious courtyard. Catalyst kept herself in check, nearly shaking with anticipation. She leaned forward and looked at the ground eagerly. Movement caught her attention as something emerged from the big building in the middle of the town. She finally caught her first glance of a Human. It was a tall, pale creature. Gangly fore limbs which ended in blunt paw pads hung by its side, its legs were long and slender and its joints bent in the most unusual of angles, it stood erect and alert, its unfriendly, beady eyes observing the descending chariots with obvious intelligence. It looked completely unnatural to Catalyst and her excitement evaporated in an instant, replaced by nervous, cautious anxiety. The Human wore a great deal of clothing, only its head and fore limbs were uncovered and Catalyst wondered why it covered itself so, 'Is it an individual choice or is that common for Humans? I wear my robe because it acts as a Thamaturgic Sink to get rid of all my extra magic, but the Human is wearing so much more and it clearly doesn't act as any sort of sink I've ever seen.'

The Human stepped back into the big building and disappeared from sight, leaving the Town Square empty. The chariots began landing one by one, Luna and Catalyst's chariot landed first. Luna literally hopped off the chariot beaming a smile. She stretched her legs and wings then turned around and levitated the laquered black box out of the chariot and set it on the ground.

She stopped and looked at Catalyst with a bemused expression,
"Is something the matter?"

Catalyst shook her head and screwed up her courage then stepped off the chariot. The other volunteers, nineteen in all, including Catalyst, were already out of their chariots and looking around. The Town Square was empty of all life, but signs of life were everywhere. The sounds of hammers and saws echoed in from all directions, occasional yells of directions cut between the surrounding stone buildings, the left over smells of cooking food wafted into the Unicorns' noses, but of the inhabitants of the town there was no sign. Catalyst began feeling an almost palpable fearful anxiety, as if she had just walked into a trap. Nervously, she looked at the other volunteers, they felt it too, as was evidenced on their faces. They shifted their weight from left to right, shook out their manes, and dug at the ground, all looking ill at ease. Catalyst looked to Princess Luna and couldn't figure her out. The Alicorn Princess seemed completely relaxed with the situation.

Princess Luna levitated the black box next to her and turned toward the entrance of the big building at the same time the Pegasi pulling the chariots took off,
"Come on, let's get settled in and you can meet the Humans." Luna called over her shoulder.

Catalyst looked to the other volunteers, swallowed, and followed Luna. The dark doorway leading into the big building loomed over her like a passageway to Tartarus. Ahead of her, Princess Luna disappeared into the gloom. Catalyst followed her nervously.

She had just passed through the door when a loud voice sounded from the far end of the building. Catalyst's ears instantly zeroed in on the sound. She startled and followed the sound to a dark colored Human who loomed menacingly over her Princess. It was pitch black, like a Changeling, its eyes were tiny but the whites of its eyes made the black pupils more pronounced. It was monstrously large, immense even. Its hulking form was thickly covered in tightly corded muscle and its paws were larger than the bases of even Luna's hooves. It suddenly leaned forward, fore limbs spread wide to attack and . . . gently hugged Princess Luna.

Catalyst and the other nineteen volunteers were all dumbstruck, 'It's so huge but . . . it's so gentle.' she slowly crept forward curiously, watching the huge creature very carefully, 'It's huge and strong, but it doesn't seem hostile at all.' she mused silently, walking up right next to Luna, 'What manner of creature is so . . . physically powerful, but yet so gentle?' She looked at it closely, examining every inch of it, starting with its hind legs, 'Wide foot base and spread toes for balance, legs are well toned and muscle definition is . . . really obvious even through its clothes.' her eyes took it all in, from toes to eyeballs, 'Tightly packed muscles in the abdomen, broad shoulders, thick neck . . . and it's looking right at me.'

Catalyst's pupils shrank to pinpoints and her ears laid back as she lowered her stance and took a step back. The Human standing above her was incredibly large, easily two and a half Fathoms tall. It was difficult for Catalyst not to run, 'How did several hundred Ponies with families manage not to run screaming from the Humans when they arrived?' she wondered, 'I . . . ' she mentally trailed off as the colossal Human knelt down in front of her, 'Just stay calm, it hasn't done anything hostile, it's just really scary and . . . It's holding out its hand to shake?'

Catalyst looked from the massive offered hand back to the Human's face and back again, not certain if she should take it or not. Her eyes slid over to Princess Luna uncertainly. Luna smiled and motioned for Catalyst to take the offered hand. The black Unicorn mare swallowed hard and slowly lifted her right fore hoof. She hesitantly placed it into the Human's huge offered hand. The sicilia of her hoof traced all around the contours of the Human's paw and it shook her hoof with exquisite gentleness. The Human smiled a brilliant white smile, displaying large teeth that were nowhere near as sharp or frightening as Catalyst would have imagined.

Princess Luna spoke a few strange words to the huge Human while gesturing to Catalyst and the other volunteers. The huge Human, Catalyst guessed it was probably male, straightened back up to its full, very impressive height and listened very closely at what Luna was saying. The Human nodded his head and smiled several times over the course of the Princess' explanation. As Luna finished with a bright smile, the Human seemed to laugh then motioned for the Princess, the Arch Magister, and the volunteers to follow him up the stairs, assumingly to the second floor of the building. Catalyst followed behind Luna and the other volunteers followed behind the Arch Magister. They ascended the stairs to the second floor. The medical staff had already removed every scrap of remaining medical equipment out of the second floor and into one of the smaller stone buildings, so the second and third floors had since been designated for sleeping. As the Ponies ascended the stairs they came to a circular open area surrounded by dozens of doorways. Many of the doorways were covered with blankets, set to act as barriers. The Human motioned to the doorways that were not covered and made a, 'go ahead' gesture with his hand. Princess Luna motioned for Catalyst and the volunteers to follow her. The Princess entered one of the rooms, opposite the stairs, and the others followed her. Catalyst examined the room curiously. It was shaped like a long, thin pie slice, the front near the door was narrow but the far end of the room was quite wide and comfortable. The entire affair was bare and utterly unadorned, there were no couches, no beds, no sinks, no toilets and no showers.

Princess Luna trotted to the back of the room and set down the black chest against the back wall, next to the wide glass-absent window that overlooked the town. She removed her saddle bags and set them down on the floor next to the chest. The volunteers decided to mimic the Alicorn Princess and took off their own saddle bags.

Princess Luna turned to the volunteers and cleared her throat,
"We shall be staying with the Humans for some time and some of you will have the option to stay here indefinitely." the volunteers and Arch Magister looked at each other wondering what the Princess meant, "For the moment, we are in time for lunch. This will be a chance for you all to socialize with the Humans and Ponies who live here in New Humansville." Princess Luna began slowly walking around the volunteers, "The Humans are learning how to speak Velensovth, so they may try speaking with you. Be patient with them and try not to become impatient or angry. Believe it or not they are still quickly and easily frightened by magic. It is our objective to not only identify the Mageriums of the Humans but also to teach them to use their magic in a responsible manner. You also need to be aware that some of the Humans may display anxiety about these tests and if so, they may accidentally manifest their magic, potentially in a dangerous way. Some of the Humans may need to be subdued for the safety of all involved," her horn lit up and the lid of the black chest opened, "That is why I have brought these."

The three devices she levitated out of the chest were bright shining silvery in color. Each one consisted of several pieces. The first piece was a silver collar. The collar was two pieces of half moon shaped metal which clasped together and locked. Each metal piece of the collar had a 'D' shaped loop in the side. The second pieces were shiny, five Fathoms long, silver colored chains. The final pieces were shining silver hoof bracelets which had 'D' shaped loops for fastening the chain. Each collar and bracelet had the ancient symbol of the Equestrian flag on them, with Celestia and Luna in a Yin and Yang figure.

The volunteers all gasped and stepped back, away from the three devices, one Unicorn stallion couldn't help but utter a word that hadn't been spoken for generations,
"A'dam."

The 'A'dam' is copyright Robert Jordan. Feel free to leave comments and remember to Like if you like.