A man and a woman casually strolled down the streets of the city. It was all charmingly quaint, as cities outside America tended to be. Despite the quaintness, it was also very clean and mostly filled with friendly people. It wasn't a pony town. Most of the residents of that nation were big cuddly bears.

That only made the vacation more fun. It was like a strange little dream, being waited on by a panda bear before a black bear with a top hat guided them around town.

It was charming.

Sure, they had to carry cash with them. Most native nations had no infrastructure to accept plastic. It had to be local funny coins to pay local funny fees. That was the life of a traveler.

That was barely an issue in the end.

A silky furry hand clasped firmly around the mouth of the woman as something sharp jabbed into the male's back. An unkind voice growled, "if you make a single noise, we will end you both."

Despite his threat, the female squeaked into the hand that held her and the man made a similar grunt. It was, apparently, quiet enough as they were shoved along off the small street they had been on.

Rason had taken the stand once more. "Thank you, both of you. One unsung victim of this were the first, brave, ponies that had tried to approach alongside the yaks they saw as attacked allies. The lack of communication, and the tense nerves of the isolated people who lived there, saw to their end, quickly, and without ceremony. It is never acceptable to kill another person, but to lay the peacemakers down? It was a low point for us, and I extend apologies for it." He dipped his head towards Celestia and Cadance.

Soft applause rippled through the crowd. "Another reason to be glad that these communication troubles have moved past, allowing us to come together, as allies."

"You're welcome." Discord sipped softly from the gentle tea Fluttershy had prepared.

Fluttershy was looking around nervously in her home. "You... We... We thought that was harmony?!"

"Harmony? That's just insulting... Really..." He polished a few claws against his chest. "Why would you think that?"

Fluttershy rolled a hoof softly. "Well, it did make things a lot more... harmonious?"

"Alright, fine." He rolled his eyes hard enough that they tumbled to the ground. "I cheated." He extended a hand and a helpful squirrel put his eyes into it, allowing him to slap them back into place.

"How did you... cheat? Discord..."

"Don't look at me like that! So there's this little... ugh... harmonic tag, just waiting to happen. Normally it's all slow and subtle; but who has time for that?! Not us, that's who. So I just... sped it along." He walked two fingers across the air. "Hurried it up, and things happened. Poof, like that, problem solved."

"But won't they be... mad?" She reached for a cube of sugar and dropped it in her tea, swirling it with a spoon held in her mouth.

"They don't even know it happened, best part really. They just walk around talking Ponish, thinking they're talking the same language they always did." He snorted softly with a half-smile. "It's like a prank I played on them that they don't and never will know. Like someone walking around with a 'kick me' sign, forever. Delightful, really, and it let you come home. That nasty war was interrupting our tea times."

Fluttershy took a deep drink of her sugary tea before letting out a slow sigh. "Yes, well... That..." Was it 'not nice'? She wasn't sure how to place that deed in the grand scheme of things. "It is nice being able to talk to them."

"See?" He looked quite vindicated in his nefarious act. "It would have happened either way, dear Fluttershy, this just made it happen before you had any wrinkles to worry about."

"Wrinkles?"

He shook a paw. "Something I hope we can avoid, dear."

"That wouldn't be very chaotic." She smiled gently. "Chaos demands it."

"I... Well, maybe, but for every rule there is an exception, and that is also a delightfully chaotic thing, don't you think?" He set his teacup and saucer down. "Enough of such dull things. Tell me how things have been around here."

"It isn't genetics." Stream tapped a talon on the table, the others, her peers, nodding with her. "Genetics, as you know it, isn't even involved."

It was strange, and yet hard to argue. The CEO leaned back on his ball-like chair. "Alright, not genetics, toss that out. It seems to still work when two creatures with it get together, and casually go out the window in other cases."

"Like Mobile Coral," added Stream. "But she isn't the only one..."

Other cases had begun to spring up, and not even just Seaquestrians.

The CEO's wife lifted a hand. "Why was it considered a big deal when we hybrided with your people if we can apparently hybrid with other things. For that matter, why can't, say, a pony and a griffon hybrid?"

A younger man raised a hand. "Maybe they could, but just don't. Maybe the species of the world are species more due to a lack of desire to breed outside their lines than any actual force preventing them from doing so."

Stream nodded softly. "I could see that being the case. Many species have very distinct homes, and they are seperated from one another. Ponies live with ponies. Griffons live with griffons. Seaquestrians... We're all isolated, even if we trade openly. It's only recently that this has started to change in any major way. Silverstream, for instance."

"Who?"

"Young hippogriff currently enrolled in school in Ponyville," offered Stream. "Hon!"

"What is it?" came the distant call of her mate.

"Get a picture of Silverstream, class picture preferably."

Spring Zephyr came hurrying in with the clip-clop of his hind legs, his forelegs clack-clacking with talons against the ground. "Here you are." He dropped a print out onto the table.

There was a picture of the attending body of Twilight's school of friendship. A circle had been drawn over the hippogriff. Stream gestured at it. "To be blunt, this world is pretty, as you'd call it, racist."

With his return from the monument's grand display, he had gotten right back to work. He grabbed for the next bit of papers, only to find his inbox was empty. Had he... finished his duties?

"Sir?"

"Just in time." He smiled at the aide. "I was about to declare an emergency. A president shouldn't ever be idle."

The aide smiled back, but it was an uncertain one. "Er, yes, sir. Urgent letter." He hurried up and put the envelope on the desk before retreating as if it would explode at any moment.

Rason hiked a brow but his attention was more on the letter than the aide who had delivered it. He had it open quickly.

It was a ransom letter. It had plenty of intelligence briefings attached, of course, but there was the letter, demanding America, as a whole, bend to certain demands or some tourists, American citizens, would meet extremely poor ends. It listed off times that certain actions had to be performed by, and some of them were technically feasible, while others were impossible.

Not that he would be doing any of them. America did not negotiate with terrorists. Kidnapping tourists to send political messages? That was pretty cut and dry.

As if they could 'go away'. As if they could undo the cultural changes they had prompted with their presence. As if they would consider doing any of those things by threat of violence. Rason slammed the paper down and began reviewing the intelligence reports far more diligently.

They were still struggling to learn who had been taken, or even what country it was in, or if it was all a lie, it seemed. There were many possible candidates listed as potentials.

Chrysalis was on the list. She wouldn't do that... This did not play into her plans, nor won her fame or accolades. No, it wasn't a changeling action, he felt certain. If changelings had kidnapped anyone... there would be no note, and the person would re-emerge at some point, as if nothing had happened.

He was John Rason, president, and also changeling.

He reached for the intercom. "Time for the CIA to earn its checks." They needed so much more information before acting, but action seemed impossible to avoid. Even if it was all a ruse, someone had to be taught a lesson in even trying such a stunt.

"We need the launch codes," hissed one bug towards Chrysalis. "Without them, nothing will happen; unless we wish to build our own... Theoretically possible."

Chrysalis hiked a brow. "Is it now? Tell me more..."

"We have the most difficult parts, My Queen." He dipped his entire front low before her. "The magic stones they use to create the explosion. The rest of the bomb is not so difficult."

"Mmm... Investigate that, yes... I would prefer not to. It would be better if it were a human bomb that did it. The less that points back to us, the better. See it is done!" She pointed away, dismissing the drone who scampered away as quickly as he could.

Tempest strode towards the relief camp. With half-open eyes she cast her shrewd gaze over the gathering, quickly finding who seemed to be in charge. They were a biped, as most of them were, with barely any fur at all, save for the top of her? His? No, her, from the way she was speaking. The top of her head.

Tempest approached with her head held high. "I am informed that you have been assisting the people of this region."

The woman looked down at the serious-looking unicorn mare with a broken horn. "We're doing our best," she assured. "Nice to meet you, miss...?"

"Shadow. Tempest Shadow," she introduced with a hoof raised over her chest and a light dip of the head. "I once served the ruler of this land before he was defeated, and have been dedicating myself to helping them and spread the word of his defeat."

"Then we have the same ideas in mind." She turned as someone else tried to get past her. "That way." She directed the needy person back towards the right line. "Nice to meet you, really, but we're a little swamped. There are a lot of people who need a lot of little things."

"Is it not customary to give a name when one is offered?"

The woman folded the clipboard in front of herself. "Yes, right. My apologies. I'm Sally, or Director Reggis by most people here. Tempest, do you want to help?"

Tempest's ears went up. "Help how?"

"You look like a pony that is good at getting people into lines." She pointed to the rough line that wove and winded. "Get them to keep organized, and no cutting, and you'll have my thanks, and we can get through them faster."

Tempest seemed to consider it for a moment, hoof at her chin. "This is... a thing I can do. Very well. Peons!" She shouted as she approached them. "These people are trying to assist you! Show the minimum of care by getting in a straight line and not making noise!" Her horn flashed and sparked dangerously, magic flaring in uneven ways. "The Storm King is gone, rejoice... quietly."

The disorganized crowd began forming up into rigid lines, cowed by the presence of one of the Storm King's right-hand ponies. Attempts to fight and cut in line dropped quite abruptly. Under her caring glare, things started to go much more smoothly.

"Excuse me." A little colt was standing there, looking at Tempest with huge eyes. "Are you gonna hurt people?"

"What? No! Why would I do that?" She huffed softly. "The very idea."

"You look really angry..."

"This is how I usually look..." She reached back for a mirror and held it up to view herself. "I look composed and purposeful..."

Author's Notes:

Hey look, it's a Discord. Also a kidnapping and some Tempest to round things out.

I will be flying to Texas tomorrow, whoosh.

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