Chrysalis strode into the halls of the vast hallway. If they wanted, they could have killed her. They knew that, and she knew that. It was their confidence in that fact that allowed her to walk calmly to the podium, and not even alone. Several drones were just behind her, struggling to carry a clearly heavy object with them with little grunts and heaves.

She smiled gently to the assembled crowd. "Members of the TSDI." She licked over her lips, taking in the view of the many races gathered in many rows to watch her. "I present to you, what you have so desperately wanted."

Krowa stood up. "Enough posturing. You said you had something big. That hardly looks terribly large."

Heavy, sure, but it fit between the four changelings that were hauling it in.

"Don't let its size deceive you..." She threw a hoof wide, her horn glowing as she ripped free the cloth that covered it. "Behold, the secret weapon the humans think they can use to lord over you all." She stepped towards it with a little grin. "Can you imagine, so much, from such a small thing."

What they had was one nuclear bomb, misplaced and reported as casually missing, as others had before it. "This is but a taste, a tease, of what we can do for you, if you allow us."

Astonished gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd, gaping down at the five changelings and the terrible weapon they claimed to have. Krowa snorted softly. "An easy claim. Surely anything that would--"

Chrysalis span around, a flash drive floating beside her head. "Get with the times. Miniaturization is everthing in their eyes. Smaller, better, stronger, faster. Mmm, the humans love their toys, even their deadly ones, and the more they can fit in their hand at once, the better of a toy it is."

One of the drones bowed his head low before meeting eyes with Krowa. "Permission to begin the demonstration?"

Krowa sat as if mollified with the drone asking him instead of its queen. "Go ahead."

"I was hoping you'd agree." Chrysalis turned away, spreading her hooves as a glowing image of the world appeared before them. With a twist of her hooves, she turned it on America. "This was a long time in the making, one broken human, then another... We had to work deep and hard to put on a little show for you. Let us bring the humans down a notch." She could feel their adoration. Their desperate hope. They were so scared that she, offerer of hope, became the center point of so much delicious emotion.

The drones around her began to buzz softly, supping on the runoff. She would share... some... later... For that moment, she luxuriated and glutted herself. "Let the humans know true fear."

President Crane returned from the summit and had to give an address almost immediately. Between the media coverage and the public's nervousness about... basically everything... he had to say something. "Good morning, America. I visited a gathering of global leaders and I am pleased to report that they wanted a peaceful world as much as we do."

He clasped the edges of his podium. "Have you ever heard 'they're more scared of you than you are of them?' Never has this been more true. The people of this world are scared, but, many are ready to offer a hand towards us in brotherhood. In fact, I will be pushing for a new people to be admitted as the Seaquestrians are, vetted by them. They will have to follow the same procedures as any other individual seeking to find employment or live within our borders, of course."

"I understand that Americans are still working hard to adjust to this unexpected and dramatic upheaval. I am proud to report that unemployment numbers are on the decline. More jobs are appearing every week and they are being filled by deserving Americans looking for work. The transition has not been an easy one, but I am proud of you all, of America, for being strong through this."

A sudden shout emerged from the gathered crowd, "when do we get home?!"

Others rose with it, the crowd easily turned towards such thoughts of escaping the strange new world and a return to normalcy. The president made lowering motions with his hands. "We are exploring every avenue. At this time, I have nothing new to report concerning the condition, or how likely we could, or could not, return to the world we once knew. For the time being, we should assume that the world we live in is the one we're stuck with. Just like always. Let's make the best of it, together."

"This is going to be rough," noted an assistant, crashed near where Crane was sitting. "Your numbers are low, really low."

"I knew that." As if he didn't know where his approval numbers were... With the election coming up relatively soon... "Nothing to do about it." It wasn't as if he could suddenly fix all the problems, just keep trying to minimize them and maybe squeeze in a brighter future. That'd be nice... "Any word on the aid package?"

"They've gotten the briefing." He threw a folder up onto the president's desk. "They're working over the numbers to propose something."

"Good thinking." A new man entered the oval office. "If you had come back with a finished treaty, the senate would have thrown it out on the spot." He gestured for the first man to leave and was obeyed instantly, soon taking the vacated position. "You've given them the leeway to put their own marks on it, get them behind it. Good."

Crane nodded to his Secretary of State. "I wanted you to get your hands on it along the way. If they had allowed me to bring you along, I would have."

"I know that." He put up a placating hand. "I'm not here to yell at you taking my thunder away. So, alright, before we arrived... here... this 'Storm King', what a name, showed up and left his country in a shambles by the time he was taken out, like most crazed dictators are eventually."

He extended a pointer and tapped it with two fingers from the other hand. "First point, his people aren't armed with improvised explosives." He extended another finger for a fresh tap. "Second point, they don't immediately hate Americans on sight, a positive for sure." A third finger joined the party. "Third, we have considerable assurances for assistance. For once, we're basically the transportation. Equestria will be providing most of the food. It falls on us to provide medicine, but nothing that much more glamorous than painkillers and other such sundries."

"That's a fair summary." Crane hiked a brow. "Now why did you repeat all that? We both know that. Do you have something new on your mind?"

"I am proposing we keep the military out of this." He clasped both hands together and leaned forward, his chin resting on the ball of his fingers. "Not a single military vessel. Not a single military arm. Keep this civilian, all the way down."

"You sound quite convinced. Walk me through your thoughts."

"Gladly." He separated his hands and stood up. "Every gun -- every weapon --" He threw a hand aside with the word. "--we allow to leave the country is another chance for foreign interests to see, study, and learn from. We are in a unique position. Our technological advantage is more than we could have ever dreamed of before, but we could lose that quickly if we don't play our cards very carefully."

"I don't like how paranoid that sounds."

"It's not paranoia when they actually are out to get you, Crane. We have the TSDI forming up ranks as we speak. Now, we have allies, sure, don't get me wrong. What's not to like about having a magic pony princess on your side, especially when she happens to have control over what we call a sun."

"Have they figured out what it actually is yet?"

"I expect to die in a world that still has not a clue how its sun works anymore." He turned towards the window, walking towards it. "But forget that. We have allies and enemies, nothing new there. The goal is to keep the enemies in the dark while assisting our allies. If the people we're helping are basically unarmed, we don't need to send in the military. Let civilians handle the aid efforts."

"That would keep the costs down..."

"We have people chomping at the bit. It'll give people something to do that's good. Maybe they'll stop focusing on... everything else." He pivoted to the president. "I have your approval?"

"Just so long as we're ready in case something does require our boys to keep our people safe." He offered a hand, and the secretary met it. A deal had been struck.

"Tag!" The young hippogriff pounced at the toddler and touched her with both taloned hands, giggling wildly.

The toddler was no human, and no hippogriff. She was a little of both, and she ambled after the young hippogriff on equine legs, doing her young best to play the game, as awkward as she was.

Watching them were their parents. Stream sat besides Mobile. "Your kid has it easy."

Mobile perked an ear towards Stream. "Why's that?"

"They're human, mostly."

Mobile blinked softly. "You're crazy."

Stream sat up at that. "What do you mean? She's at least... 65% human from the way I look at it."

Mobile shook her head. "She could be 90% human and that'd actually be worse. I've been reading." She put a hand on her chest, looking mighty proud of that fact. "When humans look at you or me, they see a not-human. That's easy for them. Hippogriff, flighty friendly thing. We all fit in a little bin. We're great at parties but don't expect much out of them when it comes to serious stuff."

Stream groaned loudly at the summary. "Oh wow, you're describing my everything right there... I had to fight uphill to get past that. They kept assuming I just wanted to play... I mean, I like playing, sure, sure, but I'm here to learn." She slapped her talons together with a clack of her beak. "They're getting better, at least my coworkers."

A sharp squeal distracted them. Swift Swim had failed in the act of running, as expected of many toddlers, and flopped artlessly to the ground. The others were helping her up, and they were all laughing about it. There didn't seem to be any hard feelings about the tumble, and the play resumed.

"Aren't you worried about your kids?" asked a sudden human presence. A woman was looking between the children at play and their parents, a considerable distance away.

Stream inclined her head at that. "Sorry? I can see them all from here."

"Me too," confirmed Mobile. "Aren't they the cutest things?"

"What if they get hurt?" The woman waved across the distance between the two parties. "You're so far. Someone could snatch them."

Mobile blinked with rising confusion. "Why would someone do that?"

"Besides, children need some space to develop as people. If they need me, I'm right here, and they know it. They can--" She was cut off by a sudden incoming hippogriff chick. She was being hugged tightly by one of her children and she kissed the available cheek. "As I was saying, they know I'm here and where to go if they want some love, but they can also be away and learn themselves."

"Who you talkin' to, Mom?" asked the chick, its big eyes on the human. "Hello!"

The human woman looked mildly confused, but at least she didn't fight the scene of the mother and child's display of love. "I was just concerned. You have fun, little one."

"I will!" cried the bird-colt, hopping away from his mom. "I'm getting hungry, hope lunch is ready soon." He fled back towards his siblings and friend to resume play.

Author's Notes:

In this chapter, we shift around a bit. This is not a A then B then C progression. Can you guess the order these scenes take place in? If you were here, an American, or a foreign born stuck here by the transition, what would your thoughts/actions be?

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