"Welcome to 'Between the Lines!'" A quick introductory segment began, returning to the person facing the camera. "Here's something for you. Ever notice how everything just started... talking our language? I remember when they didn't. How did that change? Why can they read our signs? More importantly..."

He pointed down as an arrow appeared, ponting at the video controls. "Go ahead, click it. Go to language. Notice all the other ones? Go ahead, enjoy me in Spanish or French. Ha! Psyche. I checked with a friend that knew Spanish, and he forgot it. What is up with that?! I'll tell you." He slammed his hands down on the desk, his camera shaking from the impact. "We're being mind controlled!"

"The only question in my mind is this: Are they talking our language, or are we talking theirs? Whichever way you slice it, it's scary as ten fucks and if you aren't worried, you really should be!"

The man scowled out of the bars he had been placed in. Twilight was standing there, just outside, free. "Here to rub it in?"

"No." Twilight dipped her head, ears going out in either direction. "This is not the person who pushed me."

The man looked baffled, as did the guard that was with her. "No, this is definitely not him," she assured. "You must be confused." She took a step towards the bar. "This is a person who does not deserve to be in jail."

"What are you playing at?" demanded the man, rising to his feet with an angry expression. "You can't buy me."

"Go home." Twilight pointed off. "Go to your family. I don't want you here, rotting. Please."

"You're just trying to look good. You're not fooling anyone."

"Miss Sparkle, we have video evidence, not to mention the testimony of the agents that were at the scene at the time. They're as sure as you can be that this is the guy."

Twilight pointed at the man. "If I'm called to testify, I will tell them this is not the man. He never touched me, and I never met him before today. He's just someone who needs to go home."

"We have his confession," noted the guard. "Miss Sparkle, this is the one that assaulted you."

"I don't care," she barked, face going red. "How long will you have him in there?" A thought suddenly occurred to her and her face cleared, becoming a serene smile. "Besides, when I teleported, there was a flash. It was easy for anyone to lose track of who was who. Even if you had your eyes on the scene."

The guard gestured for the exit. "I'll pass on your message, but it's not my call to make. I think this visit's over for now though."

The two departed the man, leaving him in his cell.

"Sounds like you could get out," noted the person in the next cell. "Sweet deal for you, eh cracker?"

"Shut the fuck up." He sat down with a scowl. "She has an angle, I'm sure of it."

"Let me lay down some 'black wisdom'. If the person holdin' the whip offers to not beat you with it, maybe take them up on the option."

Ocellus arrived at class to find an envelope dropped on her desk. She reached for the envelope and tore it open to find a passport, a visa, and a letter.

Hello Ocellus,

It was nice meeting you. I would like to learn more about you and your people. I understand that you are both a minor and attending school, so if you could, give the other two items to another changeling you trust. We would very much like to meet them and will pay for their time. If you get a school break before you can find someone and want to spend some time with us, we'd be glad to have you back again. We will send you home with rewards and before school resumes.

Thanks,
President Crane

Ocellus tilted her head left and right. The writing was not in English, which she still remembered. They took the time to write it in Ponish, how kind of them! "Professor?" She looked up to Rarity, who was teaching the first class that day. "I have a few questions."

Stream had a lot to learn. She knew how to search, document, and learn, but for humans, that was barely the first step and far even from the last. She had to learn their ways. Fortunately, they started giving her books in Ponish in an act of mercy she could have weeped for, and did, in private. She never stopped applying herself, learning the strange human science words.

They were speaking Ponish at work, despite the words she remembered from the co-owner, which she did not object too either. She started to gain speed and was soon working alongside her new peers.

They still wanted her in the water whenever she consented, but when she insisted on exploring the land, they allowed that, provided she did it right. Notes had to be taken properly and sent regularly. She had to write up her findings and submit them to journals for so many unseen other scientists to see and review her thoughts.

It was all intimidating, but also exciting.

The first time she had a paper approved by a major journal, they threw a party for her and she was all smiles for a week afterwards. She was officially a human-class scientist.

"I'm home!" she sang.

"Mom!" One of her children came scampering in and she hugged them eagerly. "Dad's acting weird."

Stream blinked at that. "I'll check on him." She left her child to find her mate. "Where are you, my mighty sea anemone?"

"Useless and still... how appropriate," came his dejected reply. She entered the room to see him slumped over on the couch as if trying to hide from the world. "Did you win more awards? Good going..."

"I haven't won any awards..." she approached a step, uncertainty in her eyes. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"They can get all the art they need from... anyone but me." He flopped over, almost falling off the couch. "I'm useless!"

"You are not useless," she hissed, clacking her beak as she closed the distance. "You are my loving husband, father of two bright young children that look up to you."

He smiled briefly, but the expression faded. "But I... I was the one that made the money, so you could do what you love. I was... very proud of that. I was a good husband."

"You still are one of those." She poked his beak with a talon. "And you care for the children when work calls me away overnight. You are still my liberator, allowing me to chase my dreams, even if they've become better paying."

He rolled upright, lifting an ear at her. "But is that all I'm good for? I mean... Sure... the chicks deserve to have a parent around, but I don't... do anything besides that."

"Why don't you join me?"

He squinted softly. "I draw things."

"So draw things. You think knowledge seekers do not need things drawn?" She huffed as she hopped up next to him. "They hire people to draw for them, none of them as good as you. If you cannot draw for beauty alone, draw for knowledge."

He hadn't even considered that angle. Perhaps...

Mobile breathed in slow deep gasps, broken by moments of intense spasms that made her thick tail dance. She was in a large fresh-water pool, as was the best for such situations, though salt-water would have worked almost as well. "Nnng." She had read that human mothers could have a really hard time.

Pony mothers also rushed to the hospital, but she was neither of those things. She squeezed Tim's hand firmly. "Everything's alright."

He smiled at that, holding her taloned hand in return. "That's my line."

"Is it? You don't know if things are alright; I dooOooo" A contraction distracted her speech and she bore down, huffing. "Almost... Almost..." A little blood swirled in the water, but not too much for what she was doing. Everything was going just fine.

The time for speech suddenly passed by. Her child was ready to be born. She knew it, and she began to struggle and push. She could feel herself stretching, her very soul, her self, stretching to make room for the new life she had played a part in making.

With a squealing neigh of a sound from her aquatically equine snout, she arched her back, slowly but without pause pushing her baby free into the water. A wave of fatigue rolled over her and she sagged, only to feel something bump into her.

She forced her eyes open to behold her child, that little pony-eared mermaid. "Aw... you're... perfect."

Tim reached for his daughter and the infant, though less than a minute old, swam towards him, bright eyes focused on him. He gently cradled her and lifted her from the water. With a soft shimmer, her legs split, becoming furry instead of a smooth-scaled tail. She sprouted a little horse's tail as her ears became more like a feathery tuft.

He was holding an infant hippogriff-person. His daughter... "She... seems healthy." The little miracle was breathing out of the water, just as she had in the water. She was fully functional, so far as he could tell. "What does she... eat?" Were sea ponies even mammals? He felt sure hippogriffs were, but his daughter was both.

"Milk, duh. Go get the bottles!" She swam up to the edge and reached out with her hooves, soon taking the infant into her caring arms. "Quickly, she has to be hungry."

With some work, and provided a bottle, she filled one beneath the surface of the water and had it ready for the child, who drank it loudly and eagerly, filling her little belly with her first meal. "There you go, drink up and become strong."

"Are you going to tell me how you got milk in that bottle?" He struggled to imagine how that had worked.

Celestia willed a quill across a scroll, writing an important letter.

Good day President Crane,

My ponies have had kind words about your people and your country. It has become something of a fad vacation destination, and your goods are quite popular in our markets. I am not writing you about that, but I thought I should mention it. It is a great relief to have you as an ally and friend instead of the terrible misunderstandings we started with.

Exciting news; a council is coming up soon. The leaders of all the nations of significance meet to discuss matters that impact us all, as well as to negotiate treaties between us. I forwarded a nomination for your invitation, and Queen Novo seconded my motion, meaning that this letter is your invitation.

I have included a map to this year's meeting. I can't imagine you would even dream of missing it. Your people will surely be discussed there, whether or not you attend. It is my hope that, through this, you can meet the other nations in a far better fashion than you had originally met ours.

Let Us Walk With Friendship,
Princess Celestia

She folded the letter sharply in three and stuffed it in an envelope. "I need a mailmare pegasus with familiarity with the humans."

Derpy was soon brought before her, smiling brightly.

"Ah, hello, Muffins."

"Reporting for duty!" Derpy saluted sharply. "What mail do you have for me, Princess?"

"You were always diligent in your duties," complimented Celestia as the envelope floated forward in her magic. "I have a letter that must reach their ruler, President Crane. Can you get it into his hands?"

"The mail never fails," assured Derpy, reaching a wing to snatch the envelope and stuff it in her saddlebag. "Should I wait for a reply?"

"If you would, that would be lovely." Knowing that he was coming, with certainty, would be one less thing to worry about.

Author's Notes:

Population = Population + 1;
Stream tries to be a good wife, is she making a smart move?
And some people squint at this linguistic shift, hmm...
Time to meet the neighbors!

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