The trip was uneventful...which suited Civil at this point in his life. He stared silently at the moving clouds and landscape as it all went by, thinking about the figures in human and equine history that were exiled or banished, or should have been. Crispy Crits, Devil Advocate, Herman Lang, Heinz Spanknöbel, Charlie Chapman, Dennis Rodman. Mostly Germans and riot inciters. Mostly for good reasons. Well, okay maybe not Rodman. The country needed him for pure entertainment value to distract the masses from more horrific realities. The flight to the town was quite pleasant. Talking to other ponies that were willing to ignore what had happened to him did set him at ease, as well as staved off the inevitable depression that leaving Equestria was sure to put on him. He still wasn't quite sure how to feel about it, which in turn kept Irony debating with herself whether or not to simply tell him it was all B.S.

She had already made up her mind to give him the scroll before he set off on his own, anyway. Again, screw Celestia for doing this. But he didn't have to know just yet.

They circled the township once as Irony and Dust pointed out different developments. Dust had extensive knowledge of the power grid, her owning her own electrical business helped. Irony chimed in about the industrialization of the area. Neighborhoods extended away from the main shopping complex, with more streets and concrete slabs already awaiting houses to be built. The cloud structures above really caught Civil's eye. It had been a while since he had last seen Cloudsdale, so he knew New Beginnings didn't have near as large a floating establishment, yet it was well on its way. Among the many ponies he saw on the ground, he spotted quite a few humans too. So the community was open to the outside world. He still wasn't sure how to feel about that, given the last time he had dealt with humans before his exodus to Equestria at the first gate opening.

They landed at the part of the town where the strip mall was. While Irony only had eyes for the electronics store, Civil was still in awe of the mall. It was a mix of human and pony stores, manned by both. Irony already knew what to purchase. Civil...well, Civil had initially intended to immediately start his trek south towards Texas, living off the land as he went, though that idea wasn't so appealing as he replayed that Pulp Fiction scene with John Travolta arguing with his partner. The word 'bum' rang quite loudly in his head. As Dust's herd dispersed to go window shopping, Civil stepped off the chariot and merely looked around from a sitting position. Irony raised a brow at him.

"Go pick out some saddlebags and a cell phone holder while I check something out." Irony's voice brought Civil back to reality.

"Huh? How? I have no money and-" He was cut off as Irony swatted him lightly upside the head with several 100 dollar bills. He stared at the money in her human hand. "No, I can't take that. I haven't earned it."

She scoffed at him. "Please, it's not charity. And I seriously doubt you didn't earn it, from what I've read. The princess said to take care of you and that's what I'm doing. Or do you propose I disobey orders and leave you stranded?" He stared at Irony's face for a few moments, trying to get some hint of deception or pity. He only saw the stony face of duty and honor there. She raised her brow again and smirked. "Do I pass muster?"

He blinked and looked away, "Sorry, been dealing with too many ponies that want to put a 'happy face' on things that are anything but."

He heard her sigh and her hand settled on his shoulder. "Don't be so glum. At a glance I could tell how damaged Equestria was after two and a half years of rebuilding. The looks on some of the returning humans told it all. If you prefer the stark truth in all its hideous glory, you'll find more than enough of that here on Earth." He glanced up at her. She smiled and continued, "But...a happy face can make the truth much more palatable. Is that not the pony way, to look at the brighter side of things?"

"I thought this world would have changed for the better with ponies integrating themselves into the society."

She shrugged and beckoned him to follow her to the saddle store. "Some ways, yes, it already has. But we've both been human, me twice. We've seen ugliness and beauty. I prefer beauty." Dust strutting in the background made her roll her eyes. She noticed Civil twitch, "Yeah yeah, me being human twice is true. I know the rumors you guards tossed around in the barracks. Still not going to talk about it." He smiled and said nothing. The military did bring a certain level of comfort and order when so much else was in turmoil. His smile dropped when he thought about the military not working out for him, in both worlds now.

When they reached the store front, she tilted her head toward the electronics store. "I'll be back in a little bit, so you have a look around, get equipped for your flight south. I would pick up a pony-friendly phone holder, the latest Samsung Galaxy style, if I were you." The glint in her eye was obvious.

Civil closed his eyes, already knowing what he was about to say would be fruitless. "Irony, ma'am, I don't have a cell phone, and you getting me one seriously puts me into your debt, like, craploads of debt, you know that?"

She grinned and sauntered away, quipping, "Good! You will be the vanguard in my flourishing empire of those who owe me their souls. Your first task to take over the world is to get into that store."

He shook his head and entered. He wondered if she bossed Dust around. Probably not, Dust was a pegasus mare. Then he spotted Dust hopping around Irony, demanding that she be given special favors in Irony's new empire. Nevermind. A chime sounded when the door opened and closed. It was a generic supply store with a mix of everything you'd need in a pinch. Clothes, canned goods, a smattering of office materials. If you were to toss in a section that prescribed drugs, it would be your typical name brand drugstore. Civil knew he wasn't the only one in the store because he could hear someone or somepony rummaging around on the other end, near the employees only door where the overstock was stored. Shrugging, he grabbed a basket with his mouth and proceeded down each aisle. Some energy products like candy, pastry and sodas caught his eye so he tipped them into the basket with his wings. One section held some velcro items. Spotting the Samsung case hanging there, a pang of guilt stole across him, almost making him skip it. Picturing the towering half-human half-pony woman kicking his plot for not following orders forced his hoof. The case went into the basket. A few aisles later and he was standing in awe of all the saddlebags lining the shelves or hanging from hooks. Eyeing the tags marked them as either faux leather products or feral materials. Feral. The companies made it a point to let the consumer know their were intelligent animals about, now. Spotting a set of black leatherbags as dark as his mane and tail, he grabbed them with both hooves and worked them onto his back, not caring what they were made of. In that last couple of years he'd seen worse than to be shaken by seeing products of tanned hide. Hauling of it to the front, Civil got to the front register and looked around.

"Um, hello?"

"Hi, I'm Saddle Soar!" A spry looking pink pegasus hopped out from behind a nearby stack of unitards and generic flight suits designed for pegasi and human alike. She must have been sorting them when he called out. She hopped behind the register.

Civil blinked, at first not sure how to respond. He finally found his voice and started mumbling until his voice got steady again. "Um, I'm sorry to hear that. I would try IcyHot...or ice. Uh, look, I'm just here to get some stuff. I have a long way to go and this is kind of my last stop before flying cross-country." He was still trying to get used to the openness of others, having led a reclusive life as a human. Ponies seemed to be too forward in his estimation. Other ponies, ok? Put away the mirror.

She smirked and giggled, shaking out her mane. "No, silly! Soar, as in to fly! You're a pegasus too! How did you not get that!?"

Civil chewed his lip. He didn't get that because he sucked at social conversation. And social settings. And social studies back in human high school. You know what, just most things social, leave it at that. Now that he recalled, his return to Equestria and the last 2 years wasn't exactly met with open wings from much of his supposed brethren.

A memory bubbled up, just a small one of him putting his armor on while in the castle armory. Several rows of lockers away, he could hear low talking, his name and the word 'coward' distinctly said in the same breath. Yah, social everything sucked. He knew what emotional baggage he had, he wasn't stupid. And yet at every turn there was another reminder of why others felt the way they did about him. Well, maybe not this pegasus. She obviously didn't know him. She also didn't know his flanks were still barren or she would have made the classic double take everypony else did. To most ponies, no mark meant a foal just needed to keep trying. No mark on an adult meant a slew of failed attempts at trying to figure out who he was, failures he'd just as soon not remember. That was until Civil's last self-initiated assignment tracking down the drug contraband. Something had drawn him to that search instead of walking his patrols like he was ordered to do. Oh how he poured his frustration into those storms above the noble's house. Granted, he had NEVER been that good with weather control, except when he was really emotional, then things would be plain messy. According to his own record file he had read back in Canterlot when he was trying to regain his memories, Cloudsdale had declined his work application due to lack of control in that field. Sooo, no marks for weather control, again...and none for busting drug lords. And ALL reasons not to remember.

Saddle rustled her wings slightly. She had caught him staring off while he internally moped. Her movement caused his eyes to glance at her flank, which she ever so slightly angled for him to get a better look. Right there, a saddle with wings on it. Saddle Soar. No shit. He grimaced, "Yeah, um, sorry. I haven't really taken to the pony names paradigm like most of the others have."

She laughed and hopped back behind the register. She put her forelegs up on the countertop and leaned forward, "At least you are honest! You would not believe some of the things humans have said, running the gambit from 'are you hurt?' to various massage pickup lines and sleazy humor. But you know what?" She lowered her voice and glanced around before speaking huskily, "I kind of like it all."

His eyes went wide and he felt warm, especially in the face and- "Okay! Uh, I have these items to purchase." He quickly pushed the basket up onto the countertop, hiding the disappointment on the clerk's muzzle.

She rebounded quickly and smiled, "The customer is always right, even when we don't think so! Oh, I see you got the latest cell phone holder, nice. High octane foodstuffs, see? Pegasus knows he's a pegasus." She winked and he glanced away. She rolled her eyes and continued, "And you got these, ALWAYS handy. Oh yah, hoovey, right?" She laughed at his discomfort while bagging pen holders and all manner of velcro creations someone had come around to inventing, what with the rise in pony population and thus the need for pony products. "Oh! Your bags! Wait, I have something here." Her head disappeared below the countertop, then sprang back into view, but eyes level with the countertop. "By the way, what was your name?"

He hadn't told her his name, even after she explained hers. He smiled weakly, "Sorry, it's Civil Patrol." She eyed him, those eyes still at countertop level. This was weird. After a split second, he felt compelled to keep talking. "Military family I guess? It's unimportant except as just a label. I've tried going by my human name, but it always feels like it slides off, or belongs to someone else. That make sense?"

Saddle lifted her head and grinned while noddling, "I know exactly what you mean! Like a saddle that even when cinched down was never meant to fit you in the first place!"

He nodded slowly, "Sure, I suppose." He didn't know where to go with that one.

The female pegasus watched him another second, eyes sparkling and disappeared again. She popped back up with a device in her hoof. It appeared to look like a remote control with a single button. "This time it's important." She paused, giving him a curious look. "You know, no matter what, every time is a time your name SHOULD be important. If you were a prior human, well, I guess we each have to rediscover ourselves one way or another. Trust me, your name matters. Just like so!" She pointed the device at Civil's newly purchased saddlebags and spoke into it, "Saddlebags for Civil Patrol," then pressed the button. They disappeared in a flash, causing Civil to raise a brow. She tittered, "Don't worry, I simply teleported them to the manager of the store. She's out with a cold, but she still insists on accessorizing everypony's bags. Her special talent is enchanting. She will mark the buckles and clasps with your cutie mark. The spell also locks the bags so only the cutie-mark owner can open them." Civil became very self-conscious and huddled in a little on himself, looking away. She noticed that and arced her neck over the countertop, "What's wrong? I don't see what the-" She cut herself off when she noticed his flank had no markings on it. "Omygosh! I am SOOOooo sorry, I had assumed, and yes, I'm the ass today." She hopped back and started tapping the remote on the side, "Come on, isn't there a return to sender thing on here? She is going to flip out when it doesn't work!"

While she fiddled with the device, the bags popped back into being on the countertop. Out of curiosity, Civil peered at the clasps and metal fittings. They had a weird swirling color pattern that slowly moved and reformed, like liquid crystal, but no backlight. Definitely not electronics. A flyer taped to the countertop partially underneath the bags advertised custom fittings for every bag purchased at the store. Looking back at the clasps, he noticed they swirled slowly in chaotic patterns, not too quick to make one dizzy, but enough to keep you mesmerized, like watching electric sheep.

With one last smack to the device, Saddle looked up and noticed the bags. "Oh! they came back! And they....oh silly me, she WOULD have thought of outfitting minors, too. AND adults! I meant adults!" She was quick to include him, though he wasn't listening. Them electric sheep, you know.

She lightly coughed and he glanced up. It dawned on him that he hadn't paid yet. "Ah, yes! Here." He shoved a hoof-ful of dollars her way. Saddle smiled politely and picked a few bills out, pushing the rest back at him. He awkwardly put the money and the other items into his new bags and situated them on his back, cinching up the straps.

Saddle nodded and worked the tiller, giving him back the change. "Nice, very nice. I suspect once your mark comes in, the enchantment will settle and reflect your mark on the bags, okay? That's how they usually work with the young ones." She immediately closed her eyes. "Gah, I so did not mean that."

He shrugged, muttering, "Not your fault. Just another joy of being me." She propped her chin on her hoof and was about to continue talking to him, but he quickly shouldered his new bags and quickly stepped out the door. The mare leaned on the countertop, tapping her chin. She felt sorry for him. Not knowing his background, she didn't have to. Having met so many still struggling to come to terms with what has happened the last couple of years, she could almost retell his past, if only in generic terms. With all the confusion in both worlds, reaching adulthood without your mark was like, not knowing what to do in life. She thought of some of her human friends-turned-pony back in her former life that had experienced that. Most ponies assumed they would come into their own far more quickly then they had as humans, something she felt normal humans had a disadvantage in while growing up. Still, she thought to herself with a smile of hope, that left a LOT of exploring to do, something not many adult ponies took part in, unless your cutie mark was all about adventure. She went back to organizing some paperwork, briefly she noticing the awkward stallion meeting some other ponies outside. Good, at least he knew somepony this side of the portal. A lot of semi-lost ponies seemed to have come through town lately, both going to and coming from Equestria. She paused again and silently wished him well, by the powers of the princesses and beyond. He had a long journey ahead of him, and she somehow knew it was NOT going to be boring. Then she grabbed her favorite toy, the price tagger and floated down the aisles, tagging anything that dared to not show a price.

Next Chapter: Last Stop, Mom, Then I'm Coming Home... Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 48 Minutes