Eyes were on papers and screens, watching a playback of about an hour of activity. "I don't even start to understand this," complained one of the men with a scowl behind his glasses.

"The ionosphere became dense," reported another. "More worryingly, the moon slowed to a near halt."

A woman threw up a hand, the other slapping other papers. "It wasn't just that, as freaky as that is. The sun's slowing. Not as bad as the moon, yet, but it is."

The first man thrust a finger at the screen where the moon was brightly displayed. "Tell me how it accelerated that hard without being torn apart? How are we not being showered with bits of lunar debris?"

"It emitted some form of radiance," noted the female, adjusting her glasses as she tapped a foot. "It's far from proven, but it certainly appeared to come from all sides of the moon at once. What if whatever force is behind this grabbed every portion of the moon at the very same time, negating most of the stress?"

One of the men's frown only grew deeper. "A force that could grab an entire moon from the surface to its core, at once, without variation, or at least with so little variation that it could propel it without it falling apart?"

She shrugged softly. "We're not being pelted by bits of broken moon. We can't argue if it can happen, only how it already happened."

"She has a point there." He gathered the papers in front of himself. "I'm not feeling ready to say much, other than the moon appears to be fine and all readings have returned to something approaching normal. If you can count being on a planet with a moon that slows and hastens by unknown forces with a hilariously small sun that warms it and yet gives off the same yellow light we're used to."

Another smirked softly. "You forgot to mention the more massive planets in this system that seem to be orbiting this, smaller, world."

"Maybe it's more dense?" proferred another. "If this planet was dense enough..."

"We'd be crushed by gravity," spat back another. "We've measured the diameter of the world. If it were massive enough to do that, we would all be dead."

"Maybe they're less dense," countered the first. "We can't prove that isn't a possibility."

"Enough, enough. We could throw around theories all day. Let's gather data and start learning instead of guessing."

A school of seaponies swam through warm tropical waters. Dangling from their ears were earbuds, purchased from the humans with a portion of the money they had earned as a people, and the bounty that had been shared. Music filled their ears as they wove in formation through the waves, happy with how life had gone for them.

Until they struck something that wrapped around them. They had swum right into a net specifically colored as to be nearly invisible to their eyes. Whatever it was, it closed around them quickly, starting to lift upwards.

"Hey," complained one of the seapony mares. "What is this!?" She pushed at the netting, but that did little.

The great net rose from the waves, water pouring free, but the sea ponies were not so flexible, still caught firmly and deposited at the bottom of the trap. With flashes of magic, they became hippogriffs. One of them pointed down and to the side, where a sneering fox person was looking up at them, their hand on a lever. "Hey, you! We're not tuna. Put us down!"

"Afraid I can't do that." The fox tipped his head in false apologies. "We have some questions you need to answer, and after that, maybe... We'll see."

Celestia walked alongside Major Abbott, the two walking back towards the lounge they had started in. "I hope you understand, I do not display this as a threat. It is my deepest wish that all hostility end. You can hurt us. You have hurt us. Please do not think this need be further demonstrated. That hurt will flow in both directions, damaging both our people. Let us not go further down this path."

"I have a question that needs answers. A central question, the root of all of this." He pointed vaguely northward. "Why did your people kill (civilians)?"

"I'm sorry. (Civilians)? I know not that word."

That word was not in the dictionary. It was not a word that had developed in Ponish.

That was an answer, of a sort... "A... (soldier) is a person that agrees to fight wars." He hiked a thumb at himself. "I am one, Basically anyone you see around here is one. The ones you killed were guards, and normal people."

Celestia tilted her head left and right, trying to work through it. "If they fought our people, are they not agreeing to fight a war? Regardless, I would like all this fighting to end. None should be killed, on either side."

"The guards -- (Police) -- are there to protect the others, usually from crime. Not hostile (soldiers). They are not (soldiers). The people who weren't even (police) were even less prepared." The major held open the door for Celestia, permitting her to slip past into the building.

"I have been informed that they fought only those who wielded hand cannons."

"(Guns)," provided Abbott. "That muddles things..." There were laws about that. The people involved were... "I see... You understand, even if we take that at face value, your nation attacked ours."

"Only after our people were killed by yours." She hiked a brow softly. "I do not wish to play a game of faults."

"This is still important." He walked with her through the hallways. "Even if everyone agrees to call it off, knowing what happened is vital, and shapes what we do moving forward. What happened, from your point of view, that incited this?"

Celestia paused there and turned to face him, though the motion was crowded in the limited expanse of the hallway. "Our allies, the yaks, were slain by your people. Guards, not-guards, I could not say. We knew little of you, less even than now, and I can proclaim no great knowledge... Our people attempted to approach peacefully, but hand cannons were used, and they joined the... soon to grow tally of the mistakes of this conflict. Tell me, Major (Abbot), is it legal in your kingdom to kill diplomats?"

Both sides had killed civilians, and humans had been the first. "Thank you."

Celestia reared back a little. "Why are you thanking me?"

"For having a little trust. I can't ... (change the past, but maybe the future?)" He shook his head. "(I can't make any agreements, other than ensuring your safety in this visit. I have all the information I can think to get.)"

Celestia inclined an ear at him. "(Will you release my sister?)"

"(Hey, if I could make that kind of call, maybe, but I can't. All I can do is share along our conversation. Maybe we can save a lot of lives.)"

She lowered her head in a slow nod. "(That would be good... Thank you, Major Abbott. You are a good person.) Maybe we can talk under better circumstances." She spread her wings despite the limited space. "I will go then. Send word by mail if you have need of me, or news."

He was going to ask her how she planned to fly out of a closed hallway, but she vanished in a dazzling burst of golden light. He didn't see it, but she appeared just over the building they were in. Held aloft on great wings, she set off into the night sky towards the Crystal Empire.

Her attempt at diplomacy, a cautiously optimistic success, she decided.

Luna awoke to the sound of the door opening. She tried to shed light without thought, for a small jolt to run through her horn in reprimand. They had placed a band of some sort around it. It jolted her whenever she performed any magic of any kind.

The lights came on, forcing her eyes to contract against the blinding presence. There was a human there, wearing a suit similar to all the others. "You're being moved."

Moved? She perked an ear as she sat up. "Are you releasing me? What of the others?" She had seen them being escorted off the plane they had failed to attack. "Are they well? Are they coming with me?"

"That is privileged information. You are coming with me. " He unlocked a shackle, but only one that attached her to the wall. He took the length of chain in his hand instead, guiding her out of the room. The hallways were narrow. The floors were cement or tile, never soft, always clean and barren.

All the other people she could see were wearing similar uniforms. They all belonged to the same force, against her. If only she had just a touch of magic...

"May I ask where we are going?"

"No. Remain still." He had a bag, and he put that right over her head, blocking what little she could see from view.

She was made to walk, guided by a hand at her shoulder. She sat in something that moved, walked again, than sat. She could hear them fastening her shackles to something. Were they taking her somewhere to kill her?

Movement, fast movement. Faster and faster... They were rising into the air. She could feel her ears begin to fill and the roar of engines. She was in one of their airships! "Where are we going?" There was no reply. "I have answered many questions for you, could you at least answer this one thing."

There was still no reply. She could hear some movement around her. "There is nothing I could see that would change things at this point..."

She was being foalnapped, brought to some place far away. Would she ever see her sister and their home again? She couldn't be certain. She couldn't even visit the dreams of her ponies, not with the painful band around her horn.

Things progressed in sullen silence, leaving her to stew in her thoughts. Soft English conversation occurred over her.

A hand touched her at the chest, making her jump a little. That hand drew the bag up to reveal the face of a smiling young male human. "(Drink?)"

She did not know what he said, alas... "What?" There was an older human to the left of her, watching her and him intently.

"Drink," he repeated in Ponish. "Do. you. want. a. drink?" He said each word slowly and purposefully.

Luna's ears perked up. Was she being offered a comfort, small as it was? "Yes."

"What drink?"

She had a choice?! Surely things were looking up. The fact that such a small thing was a positive made her sag a little on the realization of it. "Something fruity, please. Thank you."

He nodded and went down the aisle, away from them. She looked around, the bag not returned. There were other uniformed humans. Most of them were tense. They knew how dangerous she could be... if she had her magic. If she were permitted to do anything. They were her jailors, but they did not assume she was harmless.

The young one returned with a little cup of purple'sh fluid that he set on a tray that he pulled down from the seat in front of her. "Berry. (Cranberry.)" He gestured at it. "Enjoy." He offered a different cup across her to the man sitting next to her. It smelled faintly of alcohol, but she couldn't place what sort. Did it matter?

A thought did occur to her. "Are you permitted to drink that as you watch me?"

"Drink," he grunted. "You shouldn't either, so be quiet."

They were both breaking a rule. She decided to not press her fortune. She reached for the cup with her magic only to jump lightly in place, a painful jolt running through her horn. Right... She dipped her head and sipped from the cup directly.

Author's Notes:

Things are developing... are they good things? Major Abbot did his part, and will be filing a full report (including recordings, trust you me). Will he change the course of things?

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