Ethan and Rainbow Dash trotted out to the open field the next day to begin Ethan's pegasus training. Ethan, still getting used to walking, let alone using his wings at all, was still apprehensive.

   "Oh, jeez." Ethan said out loud. He looked at his wings, twitching at the thought of flying, then looking up at the clear sky above them. He could feel the pit in his stomach growing more and more upset with him, the more he thought about flying.

   "So, you ready for your first lesson on flying?" Rainbow said, seeing the fear in Ethan's eyes.

   "Uh, y-yeah. S-sure." Talking about it didn't seem to help the situation at all, much to Ethan's dismay. Fluttershy not being there for moral support didn't help either, since she had to run off and care for her baby animals.

   "Okay, to start things off, open your wings. You kinda need them open in order to fly, you see." Rainbow said, pretending to be her least favorite flight school instructor in the process.

   Ethan stared at his wings as they instinctively opened, showing their full feathered glory. He looked at Rainbow with a toothy smile, now a little more confident he won't crash.

   "Good. Now, this next part is hard to explain." Rainbow thought for a second. "Just start running as fast as you can, flap those wings of yours, and jump. Honestly, that's as simple as I can put it."

   Seeing Ethan's fearful look returning, Rainbow decided to tease the new pegasus. "Hey, you ain't nervous, are ya?"

   "N-no! Not at all! It'll be like r-riding a b-bike!" Ethan stammered back, pulling off the most fake-sounding laugh Rainbow had ever heard.

   Rainbow Dash put her hooves on the sides of her head, massaging her temples, "This is going to be a long day..."

*******

   If Twilight read another word from one of her books, she was pretty sure she would explode. Spending all of last night reading up on humans seemed to have put her mind up in a bunch, and her bed seemed to beckon to her like a muffin to Derpy.

   Twilight closed The Egghead's Guide to Primates and piled it up with the other books to her right. Seeing the desk this empty was a rare sight, so she decided to cease the opportunity by putting her head down on it in frustration, drawing an audible groan as she did so.

   Spike walked in, very much awake, having returned from his morning stroll to Rarity's boutique.

   "Is something wrong, Twilight?" Spike asked, more curious than concerned.

   "Ugh. I can't read anymore." Twilight replied from the desk bluntly.

   Spike gasped, "What?! This is inconceivable! Sound the alarm! Call a hospital!" He shouted, before falling into a heap of laughter. Twilight got up from her seat and magiked Spike up to a standing position again and waited for him to finish.

   "Yeah, yeah, I know. But listen, Spike. This reading is integral to the safety of the pony race. I need to put as much effort as I can to helping Equestria."

   "I still don't see the problem here. Humans don't seem that bad to me. Those two guys seem nice."

   "They are, Spike. But the people we're up against aren't."

   "And who are they?"    

   "I...I'm not sure. I know that it isn't just all humans. It doesn't seem right."

   "But, that's what it seemed like you were saying to everyone last night. You were pretty excited about it, too."

   "That was just to get people riled up. I was tired, I didn't know what I was saying."

   Spike could see Twilight was looking for excuses. "Are you sure?"

   Twilight surrendered, and gave a heavy sigh. "I don't know, Spike. That job at the camp really got me thinking. With the amount of people willing to just out and abandon their former lives like that, you can't help but feel bad for them, you know?"

   "I...think I know what you're saying."

   "I mean...humans aren't all bad. Some just need to be pointed in the right direction, is all. Whatever that direction is, I'm not sure. But I think I need some time to think about this on my own."

   A loud, heavy object slammed into the frame of the library. The crash shook the door open, revealing a disoriented Ethan laying near the doorstep. He wobbled to get up.

   "Did I do it?" Ethan shouted, clearly very dizzy.

   "Almost! Just work on the steering!" Rainbow Dash shouted back, holding back laughter.

   "Got it!" He replied, and flew off.

   Spike walked over to the door to shut it, but was interrupted by a distressed Rarity who galloped up to the doorway faster than either of them have seen the unicorn gallop in their lives. She looked frazzled and annoyed, but at the same time very worried.

   "I've lost Barry!" She shrieked, before collapsing onto the library floor.

   "What?!" Twilight said in disbelief. "What happened?"

   Ethan, hearing the distressed Rarity from outside, galloped inside to listen in.

   Rarity regained her composure, "Well, we were practicing magic near my boutique, and I had mentioned how simply horrifying the Everfree Forest can be. I told him not to go there, because it was filled with horrid, disgusting creatures, and it's far too dangerous for a beginner unicorn such as himself. And then...and then..."

   "Then what?" Twilight said, desperate for an answer.

   "Then he ran into the forest!" Rarity said, having difficulty comprehending the situation at hand. "He said something about 'fighting all of the cool monsters in there', and just...stormed off! He was rather rude about it, too!"

   Ethan chimed in. "'Cool monsters'? That definitely sounds like something Barry would enjoy. He loves putting his life at risk like that." He then turned to Twilight. "What's so dangerous about this forest?"

   "Everything. The creatures in there are unimaginably violent and dangerous, and the forest itself is so dark and big, it's incredibly easy to get lost in."

   Before anyone could say anything else, the group set off into the Everfree Forest. They didn't want to waste any time, because another minute wasted could be another mile deep Barry could be in the forest.

   The forest, compared to the other sights and sounds of Equestria he had seen, was very different. The plant life was overgrown and unkempt, and seemed to want to block off the easiest ways out of the forest. There also was a perpetual fog around the area, and no matter how bright and sunny it was outside the forest, it was dark and spooky inside.

   Twilight, Rarity, and Spike were on foot, trudging through the thorny bushes and tall grass, while Rainbow Dash and Ethan stayed in the air. Ethan was just barely keeping up, but he seemed to be getting the hang of flying.

   Ethan, for one, was elated. While hovering carefully above the ground, flapping his wings slowly like Rainbow showed him, he pictured the potential things he could be doing with these wings. He can soar through the clouds, and travel anywhere faster than most anything else. Ethan loved this feeling of freedom flowing through him, but he was still iffy about the lack of thumbs. Just something else to get used to, he thought.

   "GUYS! CHECK THIS OUT!"

   The group immediately heard the enthusiastic shouting of a certain unicorn coming a short distance ahead of them, and they ran towards the noise.

   Barry was standing near a tall, endlessly steep cliff, and using his magic to fire sparks into the air.

   "Look at what I can do! Now when those weirdo animals come after me, I can zap them with this magic stuff! Isn't this awesome?"

   "Barry, what are you doing?! Let's get out of here before you get yourself killed!" Twilight said, sounding like an overprotective mother.

   "But isn't this cool?" Barry said, totally oblivious. Every sentence he said sounded like famous last words to Ethan, and the thought of Barry falling to his death made him cringe.

   Soon, his visions came to a reality. Barry fired a particularly large bolt of magic onto a nearby tree, causing two massive branches to fall from it. The bigger of the two hit Rainbow Dash, pinning her to the ground. The other hit Barry, whacking him off the cliff.

   Ethan's mind was racing. He just learned to fly an hour ago. Does he have the kind of skill needed to save his friend from dying? Can he still save him in time? What if he doesn't save him? What will happen then? Ethan looked to his new friends quickly, but they were watching Barry falling down the seemingly bottomless ravine, and didn't notice Rainbow Dash at all. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Barry falling, Rainbow Dash struggling to get out from under the branch pinning her down, and Ethan just standing there, watching his friend fall to his doom, all because he wasn't there for him in the first place...

   What happened next was a blur. He felt like he wasn't in control of his body anymore, and the only thing that kept him going was his gut. Ethan hopped off the edge of the cliff and spread his wings. Soaring like a professional would, Ethan put his hooves at his sides, like a bullet, and shot down to Barry. At the speed he was going, he was sure he couldn't have possibly been able to grab his friend in time, but somehow he did, catching him just before he hit the ground below. As he carefully flew back up, friend in tow, he realized that they both had been screaming the entire time. Ethan was just as afraid for his friend's life as Barry himself was. The ponies cheered as the hyperventilating pegasus carried his friend to safety in the grass.

   "I...I d-did it!" Ethan finally said, taking short, staggered breaths. He set Barry onto the ground.

   Barry slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his savior.

   "You alright, buddy?" Ethan said nonchalantly.

   "...I can be such an idiot sometimes." Barry joked.

   Twilight and Rarity worked together to magik the branch off of Rainbow Dash, who looked particularly relieved to finally be able to move. She then looked at Ethan with the biggest smile he's seen her give him all day.

   "You know, I thought you were pathetic when you were learning to fly this morning."

   "I thought so. I'm still pathetic, I just got lucky." Ethan said humbly.

   "No! Don't say that! Listen, you have the potential to be a great flier, you just need some practice."

   "I'm sure. Thanks for teaching me, Rainbow."

   Twilight trotted up to the two pegasi with a smile, "Alright, everypony. We need to get back soon. It's getting late, and I don't want to get attacked by the Everfree Forest's nighttime creatures."

   As Twilight and the gang trotted back, Ethan couldn't help but realize how much more peaceful it was in Equestria. Living 17 years in the hustle and bustle of a suburban ghetto he called home, he wasn't used to the hushed silence that fell upon Ponyville when night time started setting in. The environment around them was much cleaner, and it felt like one of the few places Ethan had known of that he wasn't afraid to drink the tap water. In town, the ponies were talking calmly about the events of the day, making idle chit-chat with their friends, and there wasn't a frown in sight. While some may see it as inhuman, Ethan saw it as perfect.

   Barry could see Ethan drifting off into space, as he always did. "Earth to Ethan! Do you read?" He said, putting his hooves up to his mouth to put a walkie-talkie effect on his voice.

   Ethan didn't reply. He was too busy staring at the moon.

*******

   Princess Luna sat at her balcony, concentrating on raising the moon with her magic. As the moon casually listed it's way into the sky to begin the night, Princess Celestia watched as her younger sister performed her duties as she had done many nights before.

   "Another job well done, Luna."

   "Thanks, sister. I'm glad you like it." Luna said, proud of her work.

   "I love your nights. No matter how many times I had raised the moon, I could never have done it quite like you did."

   "I think the same way with your days. Whenever I see you raise the sun in the mornings, I could never imagine me doing your job the way you do it. Your days are perfect."

   Celestia smiled. Suddenly, breaking the silence between them, the door to the balcony opened with a start to a castle guard.

   "Princess Celestia, there is a visitor from the United States. She says that talking to you now is urgent."

   "The United States? How did they get into Equestria?" Celestia said, remembering the magical border separating the humans from the ponies.

   "She didn't. She wishes to communicate through magic." The guard replied.

   The princess paused, only to think about what to say, "Very well. I will talk to her. Thank you." And sent the guard away.

   Luna looked up at Celestia with a nervous look on her face. "You are going to talk to the humans?"

   "I have to. I think I know what she wants now."

   Using the magic emanating from her magnificent horn, Celestia formed a glowing blue ball in the center of the balcony, glowing with a magical aura. After a few seconds, an image appeared on the other side, acting much like a television being turned on. The figure on the other end of the line was an imposing female human. Her features were hard to make out, and it was as if the lights were turned down on purpose for the sake of her identity being revealed.

   "I thought I told you not to call from this number anymore." Celestia greeted the figure, half-joking.

   "Yeah, well, I just couldn't resist." The figure replied, in a strikingly un-feminine voice. It sounded very dry, cold, and strict, but also very sinister.

   "What do you want?" Celestia said immediately.

   "Listen, Princess. This ponification stuff isn't going to last forever. I know you Equestrians started that whole campaign, but not everyone wants to be a pony."

   "Okay." Celestia said, taken a little aback by the simplicity of the solution, "I never said they had to be a pony. Let them stay where they are."

   "I think you misunderstand, Princess. We still want in. We just don't want to be ponies. I mean, four legs? No fingers? Who wants that?"

   Celestia could tell that the figure had better reasons than that. "You've already done enough damage to the Equestrians, why must you be so persistent?"

   "Because, the human world is dying. We can't go on the way we are now. And the only way we can is to move into your place for a while."

   "What makes you think we'll greet you so easily like that? Your mixed messages a couple years ago made me believe that all humans are evil, and now most of Equestria believes that for a fact." Celestia lowered her guard, remembering her stupidity, "I know better now, and that's why I opened the ponification camps. So that the supporters of ponykind can finally be with their brethren in Equestria."

   "Ah, but your ponies still think we're bad. That is quite a conundrum. That would mean they wouldn't like us invading your territory unannounced like this."

   A silence fell between the two. Celestia thought about what the figure had just said. Would she invade? How would she do it? Can we fight back?

   The figure reached for something off-camera, "We'll discuss this later." And the transmission ended with static, the blue aura faded away. Celestia gave a heavy sigh and turned to the silent Luna, still stunned from what she saw.

   "...now what, sister?" Luna said nervously.

   "I don't know, Luna."

   While Celestia looked like she just wanted to end the conversation there, Luna still had more questions. "Why is she so hurtful to us? Why does she have to be this way?"

   Celestia turned away from her glassy-eyed sister, looking for the right words to say. Turning towards the door, she left the room solemnly, leaving Luna to tend to the moon. Celestia had a lot to think about. Next Chapter: The Thick Plottens Estimated time remaining: 37 Minutes