Chapter 49: Megan

A sinking feeling began to overcome Captain Swordstorm as he sat back on his haunches, staring at the empty bed where he knew Celestia had been at one point. Where she was now, was anypony's guess. In the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the feeling that his mission was already lost before it had even begun. But all of his years as a Royal Guard had taught him not to let those thoughts get the better of him.

His thoughts returned to the woman he had seen when he first arrived at the burned out accelerator. She had been looking for something. That much had been obvious. Perhaps she was connected to Eric? Maybe she had been checking to see if Equestria had sent any more packages? After all, someone had collected the original package they had sent to Earth. Or at least, he assumed they had, given he hadn't found it lying among the debris. Maybe she would check again tomorrow? It was a long shot, he knew. But right now, he was short on options.

The thought of returning to the ruined accelerator was not one he relished. He remembered that the construction workers had said it was due to be torn down the next day. With that much activity around the site, the risk of being spotted would increase dramatically. But it was a risk he might have to take. He'd have to get back to the lab before sunrise, or he would be seen flying back there. He also dismissed the idea of waiting until dark the next day. If he waited that long, he would miss the woman he had seen if, in fact, she did return to the ruined lab.

It had only been dark for a couple of hours, and he estimated he probably had eight hours or so until first light in the morning when it would become too bright for him to fly. He could use the next few hours to look around Eric's apartment for any clues as to where he and Celestia might have gone.

He reached into his saddlebag, taking out a lantern and lighting it, then adjusting the baffles so they only cast a small amount of light in the direction he pointed it. Even though the shades were drawn and the curtains closed, he didn't want to risk someone in the building across the street seeing any evidence of activity. After all, he didn't know who Eric might have told that he was leaving, and activity in an apartment that the neighbors thought was supposed to be empty might raise suspicion. When he moved, he stepped lightly on his hooves so as to avoid waking the neighbors on the floor below him.

Looking at the wall next to the bed, he saw a bookshelf. A few magazines were still sitting on it, but others had been rather carelessly scattered onto the floor. The bed had not been made, the sheets and blanket thrown on top of it in a wrinkled mess. Both observations gave him some cause for worry. Had something forced them to leave in a hurry? He felt a slight twinge of fear go through him at the thought that they might have been forced into hiding. Had Celestia already attracted unwanted attention?

Stepping out of the bedroom, he pointed the lantern down the hallway towards the kitchen, scanning the counters for anything that might be of some value in attempting to locate where Celestia might be. They were clean. Of course they were, he realized. Given the magnitude of the secret that Eric was hiding, he probably told few, if any, where he was going, and would have been very careful to leave no trace of evidence that might suggest where they were. He pointed the lantern toward the small living room now, but as expected, found nothing there either. Drooping his ears slightly, he carefully walked back toward the window he had entered from, opened it, and flew back out into the night, following the freeway lights back to the burned out accelerator. He'd be safer outside in the wooded area he had been in before as he'd have more warning of anything approaching him than he would in the apartment.

It wasn't long before he was coming back up on the burned out lab site. Even at night, it was impossible to miss. Flood lamps placed around the area by the construction crews lit the ground at the site as bright as if it were an overcast day. He circled carefully, looking for any signs of activity before flaring his wings and landing gently. Then, he returned to his hiding spot in the forest, and waited.

What am I doing here? James thought to himself as the armored Pegasus Guard chariot he rode in carried him ever closer to the Sea of Tears; ever closer to the battle against the griffins. A jumble of conflicting emotions ripped through him, like rapidly changing channels on a television, not stopping on any channel long enough to make sense of what is being shown. Adrenaline kept him on edge, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. A dark feeling of being in way over his head threatened to consume him like an approaching storm. He had never even seen a true battle before. Only the aftermath of one when he had visited Ponyville after the griffin attack. He was no military commander, no defense tactician or strategist. And yet, here he was, about to lead an army of thousands of changelings into battle against a force of at least ten thousand griffins. One thing he knew for sure: He had absolutely no business being in the position he was in right now. He only hoped that once they actually joined the battle, one of the Royal Guard commanders would be able to relieve him and take over command of the changeling forces. But would they even be able to find the existing Royal Guard forces when they got there? After all, the coast of the Sea of Tears stretched on for over three hundred thousand strides. He suspected that with a force of more than ten thousand, the griffin commanders would probably split up their forces and attack at multiple points, thus splitting the Royal Guard defenses and forcing them to defend multiple entry points at the same time. But was that really what the griffins would do? Again, he knew virtually nothing about military strategy. What am I doing here? he asked himself again.

His thoughts returned to Twilight Sparkle now, and his desire to be with her. He thought of her interrogating a fully grown dragon and a twinge of worry jolted through him again. At the same time, he found it difficult to believe that Ambassador Firewing had betrayed Equestria. He had been a very loyal friend to Princess Celestia for almost four thousand years. It made no sense that he would betray her now. Something else must have happened that prevented him from reaching Canterlot sooner.

The feeling of the chariot slowing down and pitching forward slightly brought him out of his thoughts. He had no idea how long they had been flying, only that it had been a long time. Looking out the window, he could see nothing in the darkness. The chariot slowed further, then pitched back up, and he felt the  wheels make contact with the ground, bouncing over the rough terrain as they came to a stop.

He opened the door and climbed out, only now noticing the driving snow and blizzard like conditions in the light of the lanterns. Scanning around, he spotted Lieutenant Swift Wing walking towards him, fading into view like some kind of ghostly specter in the driving snow.

"Where are we?" James asked.

"Approximately six thousand strides outside of Trottingham, Councilor," Swift Wing responded, pointing with a hoof. "It's just over that ridge. We can't fly any further in this snow. We're picking up too much ice. We'll stop in town and rest."

James raised an eyebrow. "Rest? Can't we travel by ground the rest of the way if we can't fly? The griffins are--"

"The changeling soldiers have been flying for fourteen hours straight, and so have my guards. And it's been hard flying because of the snow and wind. There's no way any of us can go into battle that exhausted. We'd be worse than useless. We'd be a liability to the forces that are already there."

James nodded, reluctantly conceding the point. The thought of stopping to rest when he knew there were ten thousand griffins inbound and the existing Royal Guard forces were badly outnumbered gnawed at him with guilt. But the Lieutenant was right, he knew. Going directly into battle after fourteen hours of unbroken flying would be disastrous.

"You're right, Lieutenant. Although I don't think the ponies of Trottingham are going to appreciate us bringing thousands of changelings into their town."

"They'd appreciate the griffins overrunning their town even less. I'll send messengers ahead to notify the town that we'll be coming so they don't panic."

"The'll likely panic anyway."

"Probably. But at least not as badly."

"Alright. Make it so."

"We'll travel by ground the rest of the way to make sure the scouts have at least a few minutes to notify some key ponies in town. Even by ground, it will only take us about fifteen minutes to reach Trottingham if we move at a fast pace."

James briefly considered walking the rest of the way into town, but decided against it. If the Royal Guards were going to be moving at a trot or canter, it would be difficult for him to keep up without being winded when they arrived. Given he was probably going to have a lot of talking to do when they got there, it would be best if he wasn't out of breath.

"Sounds good, Lieutenant. But stop at the town limits so I can get out and walk the rest of the way. Hopefully, seeing a Council member among the changelings will help ease the fears of the ponies in town a little bit."

"We'll do so, Councilor," Swift Wing responded before turning and walking back towards his guards. James climbed back in the chariot, pulled the door shut, and they started moving over the bumpy terrain.

It wasn't long before they came to a stop again. He opened the door and stepped out, immediately being assailed by snow and the biting cold wind that flowed in off the Sea of Tears, which was very close now. Even in just the last fifteen minutes, the snow had gotten worse. Now, he could barely see anything other than a glowing aura caused by the town's street lights.

He had never been to Trottingham before, and as they walked on the snow covered cobblestone street towards town, the silhouettes of buildings began to become visible. Unlike the spectacular Greco-Roman style architecture of Canterlot, or the charming vintage small-town style of Ponyville, Trottingham had a much more stereotypical medieval style to it. Like the port cities of old Europe.

The streets were deserted, no doubt a combination of the weather and the knowledge that the changelings were coming. Looking up at the windows of the houses, he saw that most of them were dark. The ponies probably wanted it to look like they weren't home, he surmised. After all, historically, changelings were not interested in stealing physical possessions. Only in stealing love. For all appearances, it almost looked as if the town had been abandoned. James pulled his robe tighter around himself, fighting off a shiver from the cold. Already, his ears were starting to ache from the assault of the icy wind. Lieutenant Swift Wing turned to him again and spoke.

"Trottingham has a large armory--it's the main base for Equestria's coastal defenses, a school with a gymnasium, and several warehouses that serve the port. Most of the guards from the armory will have deployed to the coast by now, so we should have the run of the base. But even that won't be enough space to house all of the changelings. We're going to have to commandeer all of the inns in town."

"We're at an official state of war with the griffins," James responded. "Emergency war authority applies and we can lay claim to any resource we need."

"That's true," Swift Wing responded as he scanned the area around them, looking for any activity, especially on the decks of second and third floors; his Royal Guard training had taught him to constantly be on the alert for threats that might not be obvious. "But I don't know that the inn owners will be particularly eager to allow changelings to stay in their inns, despite the fact that the law doesn't give them a choice."

"I'll deal with that if it becomes a problem," James answered, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt. "And besides, they'll be paid by The Crown for every resource we use, including the rooms. I doubt they have a lot of business right now given that not many ponies will be traveling and their are no ships running."

"No doubt, some travelers got stranded in Trottingham, though, and have been staying at the inns ever since this crisis started."

James frowned. "Yes, that's probably true. We might have to ask them to leave the inns and ask resident home owners to take them in ... the changelings did bring their own food, I hope? We can't possibly ask the town to provide food for fourteen thousand soldiers. They'd run out very quickly and wouldn't have enough food to feed their own ponies."

Lieutenant Swift Wing nodded once. "They did. As much as they could gather quickly, anyway. It should be enough to last for several days. After that, we're going to have to get more resourceful in finding ways to feed them."

"Hopefully by then we'll have hooked up with the rest of the Royal Guard defenses and can figure it out with them."

As they neared the center of town, more signs of life began to become visible. Snowflakes danced off the faint yellow glows from the windows of restaurants, inns, and tea houses. The smell of wood smoke from fireplaces called to him, the aroma as inviting as that of freshly baked bread or brewed coffee. He stopped in front of one of the inns, a three story rustic building with a wooden sign hanging near the door, dimly illuminated by a frost covered lantern. The sign creaked like an old rocking chair as it swung back and forth in the blowing wind. It was too covered with snow to make out the name of the establishment. The light from the lantern flickered and writhed, as if locked in a struggle against the constant efforts of the wind to snuff it out. James tried to look through the windows, but they were completely covered with frost. All he could see was the occasional silhouette of a pony walking across the room. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage, trying to brush the snow off his feet before entering, although that proved difficult given that the mats in front of the door were already buried in snow.

"Lieutenant, take two of your guards and come with me. The rest of you, wait out here with the changelings."

"Councilor," Swift Wing acknowledged before motioning two of his Pegasus Guards towards him. All three of them fell in next to James. Then, he opened the door and the four of them stepped inside. The warm air instantly started to remove the chill from him, and the inviting glow of the fire combined with the smell of hot cider was very welcoming indeed. But the cold expression on the face of the gray furred unicorn innkeeper was anything but. He narrowed his green eyes, glaring at James and his guard escort, speaking before James even had a chance to make a proper greeting or request.

"I'll not have any changelings staying in my inn!" he said loudly, the hostility clear in his voice. The sounds of chatter from the ponies gathered at the tables quickly hushed. All eyes turned towards James and the innkeeper, and the confrontation that was sure to follow. James did his best to respond in a confident, polite, yet firm tone of voice.

"Sir, Their Majesties' Royal Guard has need of your facilities. Under the emergency war authority given to me by Their Majesties, you are required to comply. You will be duly compensated by The Crown for--"

"I said no!" the innkeeper shouted harshly, has tail flicking angrily and with an air of finality.

"... You will be duly compensated by The Crown for all resources that we use."

"Didn't you hear me? I said that I will not have changelings staying in my inn!" the unicorn shouted again.

"Sir, the law requires that you--"

"I don't care what the law says! the innkeeper shouted back, stomping his hoof in defiance.

James felt anger rising inside of him at the innkeeper's stubbornness. But he worked hard to keep it in check and maintain his calm demeanor.

"Sir ... If you don't comply, I will have no choice but to charge you with obstructing a Royal Guard operation, and interfering with national defense."

"I will not stand for those insects overrunning my town or inn!" the unicorn shouted, stomping his hoof again. This time, James responded more assertively, raising his own voice.

"Those insects, as you call them, are serving under Their Majesties' Royal Guard! And they may be the only thing that's going to stop ten thousand griffins from overrunning your inn and your town!"

"Then take your Royal Guard and get out! And let the griffins overrun the town! I'd rather have griffins than changelings. Even if they are part of the Royal Guard!"

"Your words are treason, sir!" James said back, loudly and assertively.

The innkeeper said nothing in response, only standing defiantly and engaging James in a staring contest. The room was completely quiet now, the only sound the hissing and crackling of the fire. James kept his eyes locked with the eyes of the innkeeper, but he could feel the eyes of the rest of the room boring into him. After a minute, he spoke again, this time in a calmer, but still assertive voice.

"Sir, I'm giving you one more chance to comply with Their Majesties' law, I don't want to have to take this to the next level."

The innkeeper looked away for a moment, as if giving it some thought, but then returned his gaze back to James and shouted again.

"I will not allow those blood-sucking termites to sleep in my inn!"

James looked at the ground for a few seconds, then returned his attention to the innkeeper. "Very well. Lieutenant, Sergeant, to me," he called out, the two Pegasus Guards coming to attention and falling in on either side of him.

"Councilor," they both said in unison.

"Take the innkeeper into custody. He is charged with obstructing an operation of Their Majesties' Royal Guard, interfering with national defense, and violating the emergency war authority provisions. Confine him to one of his rooms until we no longer have need of his facilities. At that point, he will be released. Make sure you keep track of what we use, as despite the problems he has caused us, The Crown will still reimburse him the normal rate for his rooms, food, and anything else we use."

"Councilor," the two Pegasus Guards acknowledged again before approaching the innkeeper. Then, they placed iron restraints around all four of his legs, the innkeeper glaring at James the whole time. James simply watched, maintaining an emotionless expression. Once the innkeeper's legs had been restrained, one of the Pegasus Guards slid a magic blocking ring over the innkeeper's horn, locking it in place. Then, they started leading him towards one of his rooms, walking passed James, the innkeeper shuffling slightly since the restraints on his legs prevented him from taking full-length steps. James stood for several moments once they had passed, then spun around and addressed the innkeeper, letting his anger out now.

"While you are confined to your room, ask yourself, sir ... If you had given the griffins the type of trouble you have given us, would they have been as lenient with you as Their Majesties allow me to be? Or would they have thrown you off the roof of your own inn with a rope tied around your neck!"

The innkeeper said nothing in response, but James thought he noticed a slight wince and a hesitation in his step. Then, he simply continued walking, the two Pegasus Guards leading him to one of the rooms in his inn and closing the door.

Changelings don't even suck blood. They suck love, James muttered under his breath as he returned his attention to the rest of the room, noticing that all eyes were on him, some looking at him with bewilderment. Others, with fear. He addressed the entire room now, trying to keep his voice sounding confident and authoritative.

"We need to claim all of the rooms in this inn for housing Their Majesties' Royal Guards. Those of you who have houses in Trottingham, I'm going to have to ask you to provide room and board for any ponies who are currently staying in this inn, as we will need to commandeer their rooms. I know I can trust all of you to do this, as this is our way of life in Equestria. To help those who need it, and to come together as one in support of this great nation and of our Princesses. I thank you for your cooperation on behalf of the Royal Guard, the Royal Council, the Regent of Equestria, and Their Royal Majesties."

When he finished speaking, the muted sound of chatter returned to the room as the ponies started to talk among themselves, making arrangements for those who had homes to take in those who were guests staying at the inn. James turned his attention back to Lieutenant Swift Wing again.

"What of the inn staff?" Swift Wing asked him.

"Send them home," James responded. "I don't want any changeling soldiers mysteriously dying in their sleep, or having their food poisoned, or any other such thing." Then, he sighed and shook his head once. "It's gonna be a long time before we get any sleep if all the inns give us as much trouble as this one did."

Swift Wing nodded once. "I suggest we split up the Royal Guards and have a few of them lead the majority of the changelings to the armory, the school gymnasium, and the warehouses. None of those will give us any trouble. Then, we can take the remaining changelings to the rest of the inns."

"Make it so. And rotate your guards through guard duty at the inns. Once again, I don't want any changelings mysteriously dying in their sleep."

"It will be done, Councilor. When my guards reach the armory, I'll also have them draft some of the guards from the Trottingham city defenses to rotate guard duty at the inns."

"Good idea, Lieutenant," James responded as he started walking toward the door, forcing it open against the wind and stepping back outside along with Lieutenant Swift Wing.

Immediately, the cold started biting into him again. The walk to the next inn seemed longer than it probably was, but soon, he was standing in front of another door, looking through another frosted window at the warm, inviting glow inside. He only hoped that unlike the last inn, the innkeeper at this one would also be inviting ...

Several hours later, James finally sat down at a table in one of the inns with a mug of hot cider. He felt exhausted, his feet aching from walking so much. His ears felt numb, and he was certain they had been frostbitten. Some of the other innkeepers had been hesitant, but none had been quite as stubborn as the first, and he hadn't had to make any more arrests. He took another sip of the hot cider, the cinnamon and nutmeg infused drink warming his throat as he swallowed. Once again, he let his thoughts start to drift.

"Thinking about Lady Twilight Sparkle?"

He blinked and looked up from the table, seeing Lieutenant Swift Wing standing next to it. He nodded once, and then motioned him to sit. He did so.

"She'll be fine, Councilor. The Royal Guards accompanying her will make sure of that. Besides, given Ambassador Firewing surrendered without incident, I strongly suspect he didn't betray Equestria. Something else is going on."

James nodded once. "You're probably right, Lieutenant ... How far are we from the coast of the Sea of Tears?"

"An hour if the weather clears up enough for us to fly. About four hours if it doesn't. You should have the medic look at that ear, Councilor. It looks pretty frostbitten."

"I'll have him look at it before we leave," James said, taking another sip of his hot cider as he thought for a moment, then looked at Swift Wing again.

"When we go into battle tomorrow, I want every effort made to capture griffin officers alive so they can be interrogated. I know it's probably a long shot, but maybe one of them will know where Princess Luna is."

"We'll try our best, Councilor."

"I know you will, Lieutenant," James said, trying to force a small smile. He tipped the mug of cider, finishing the last swallow before standing up. "We should both try to get some sleep, Lieutenant."

"As you say, Councilor," Swift Wing responded before turning and walking toward one of the rooms in the inn. James followed him--the two of them were sharing a room to make the best use of space possible. Fortunately, the stove in the room had already been lit, so it wasn't freezing cold. James climbed into one of the two beds and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep. But the horrors of battle that he knew would come before the next time he slept made it impossible. Some part of him wondered if he would ever be able to sleep again. Thoughts flooded his mind. Thoughts of battle, Twilight Sparkle, dragons, griffins, and bloodbaths.

Captain Swordstorm watched as the last support girder of what had been Lab 49 creaked, swayed, and then fell like a giant tree, a cloud of dust flying up from the ground as it hit. The sky color had become a deep orange as the sun neared the horizon. The workers would be going home soon.

The machines that had been destroying the lab turned off now, the ceasing of the constant drone that had pounded his ears all day a very welcome relief. The men stood around the destroyed lab now, looking at what was left, one of them occasionally kicking at a piece of random debris. He swiveled his ears forward to try to make out what they were saying, but they were too far away for even his sensitive ears to make out any words. The men patted each other on the back, apparently congratulating each other on a job well done. Then, they dispersed and went to their motorized chariots in the parking lot. One by one, he heard them start up and drive off. The silence left behind was almost surreal after the constant drone of construction equipment all day. All he could hear now was the sounds of crickets chirping, and the occasional roar of an aircraft flying over. He waited for a few more minutes, making sure the men were gone for good and none would return. Then, he stood up, and began to make his way down to the debris pile, constantly scanning for any signs of activity. Once there, he took up position behind it, making sure no one approaching from the parking lot would be able to see him. The sun continued to dip lower on the horizon, the orange hues giving way to shades of pink and gray.

Nervousness flooded him as he waited. If the woman did show up, would she panic and run as soon as he revealed himself to her? And if she did, what would he do?

He didn't have much more time to think about it as a sound in the distance caught his ears. He swiveled them towards the parking lot as he heard one of the motorized chariots pull in to it and stop. Carefully, he peered around the debris pile. It was the same chariot he had seen yesterday. Conflicting emotions wrestled for dominance as the same woman he had seen yesterday stepped out of the chariot and began walking towards the debris. He felt a surge of hope just from the fact that she had returned. But at the same time, a sense of fear over the fact that he was going to have to reveal himself to her.

As she continued to approach the debris, he noticed her expression change to one of concern, and then to one he thought looked like dismay. Reaching the pile, she kicked at a few spots with her boot, looking down at the ground. Occasionally, she squatted down to examine something more closely, but always came up empty-handed. After several minutes of this, she frowned, and turned, starting to walk back to her chariot. It was now or never. He took a breath, feeling his heart rate increase, then called out to her, trying to sound as calm and non-threatening as possible.

"Ma'am?"

The woman jumped slightly, then turned around and scanned the debris. "Who said that? Where are you?"

"I'm a friend of Doctor James Peterson, ma'am. I'm looking for a man named Eric Thompson. It's very important that I find him. Do you know him?"

"I ... I might know him ... Show yourself," she said, scanning the debris nervously and backing up slightly.

She's gonna bolt, he thought to himself, then responded quickly. "Please don't be afraid ma'am, I'm not here to harm you. I'm going to come out now. But I must warn you, what you are about to see is going to be very hard for you to believe. But please believe me when I say that I mean you no harm."

"O ... Okay," she said nervously. The wind shifted slightly and brought her scent to him, and it was abundantly clear she was afraid.

Carefully, he stepped out from his hiding place, revealing himself to her. Her eyes went wide, her jaw dropped, her mouth moved a few times as if she were looking for something to say. She took a step back, almost tripping over herself. Then, she spun around, and started running.

"Shit," Captain Swordstorm said to himself as he gave chase. It didn't take him long to catch her. He reared up on his hind legs, wrapped his forelegs around the fleeing woman and as carefully as possible, pulled her to the ground, doing his best to break the fall and protect her. His forehoof was over her mouth before she had a chance to scream. She struggled violently, looking at him with an expression of pure fear, but he kept her pinned easily.

"Ma'am, please, you have to believe me. I have no intention of harming you. I just need to know where Eric is. I have something very important I need to deliver to him."

The woman struggled for a bit longer, making muffled screaming sounds through Swordstorm's hoof. He continued to keep her pinned, pleading with her to stop struggling and repeating that he meant no harm. Eventually, she seemed to realize the futility of the struggle and stopped, now just looking up at him, breathing heavily, panic in her eyes.

"Ma'am, I'm going to take my hoof off your mouth now, and I'm going to let you up. But please, don't scream. And don't run. I just need to talk to you. That's all."

She whimpered slightly through his hoof and nodded as best she could. He slowly took his hoof away from her mouth, then stepped off of her, offering his hoof to help her stand back up. She declined however, pushing it away, and stood on her own, staring at him and breathing heavily. But this time, she didn't try to run. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, as if she were looking for something to say. But no words came out. He took the initiative.

"My name is Captain Swordstorm. I'm the Supreme Commander of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's Royal Guard. I'm from another world. A world that Doctor James Peterson has traveled to. My Princess, Princess Celestia is stranded in your world. She is with a man named Eric Thompson. It's critical that I find them and deliver information to them. It's a matter of life and death for my entire world."

The woman continued to say nothing, simply staring at him and shaking slightly. Occasionally, it appeared as if she were thinking of running again, but apparently she thought better of it each time. No doubt, she was aware that he could easily catch her again. When several seconds had passed with no response, he frowned and looked at the ground for a moment, before returning his attention to her, this time speaking in an almost pleading tone.

"Please, ma'am ... I desperately need your help, if you are able to offer it."

"What you say is impossible. James is dead. He was killed in the earthquake three years ago," she finally responded in a timid voice.

"I know it's very difficult to believe, ma'am. But James is alive. The accident at the particle accelerator when the earthquake happened sent him to my world. He's been living there, alive and well, for the last three years. But please, if you know who Eric is, I need your help."

"I ... I know Eric Thompson ... yes ... He asked me to visit this site every day and look for anything ... strange ...  But this is definitely not what I thought he meant by 'strange.' He did tell me he was working on something that was highly secret ... but this ..."

"I'm very sorry I frightened you, ma'am. Please tell me where I can find Eric, if you know. I wish I had more time to explain to you, but I don't. Time is the thing I have the least of right now."

"He's ... he's at a cabin in a remote area of Montana ... It's a long way away. West of here," she responded, some of the nervousness seeming to have left her voice now.

"I'd be greatly in your debt, ma'am, if you could tell me how to get there."

"Fol ... Follow me," she said, turning and starting to walk back towards her motorized chariot. "My name's Megan, by the way."

"I'm honored and pleased to meet you," he responded as he followed, and she opened the door when she got there. Then, she opened a small compartment inside the chariot and pulled out several pieces of folded up paper. Searching through them for a minute, she unfolded one, which turned out to be a map. She motioned him closer, then pointed at it, more of the nervousness seeming to have left her voice when she spoke.

"You ... You're currently here. Eric and this ... Princess Celestia I think you said her name is, are over here."

She spent the next several minutes explaining more to him about where they were before stopping and looking at him, speaking more with a sense of awe then of fear this time.

"This ... This isn't a dream this time, is it ... It's real."

"Ma'am?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"When I was a little girl, I used to have a dream about a talking, flying pony. She didn't look like you though. She had pink fur and her name was Firefly."

"I'm ... afraid I don't know anypony named Firefly, ma'am."

She only nodded briefly, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. "So ... So am I your prisoner now?"

"Excuse me, ma'am?" he said surprised, wondering if he had heard her correctly.

"Am I? Am I your prisoner now?"

"Of course not, ma'am ... You are free to go whenever you like. I'm very grateful for your help and I'm sorry I had to tackle you like that. I wish I had more time to talk with you, but I must find Eric and Her Majesty as quickly as possible."

Her expression changed now to something that he almost thought looked like ... disappointment?

"Did I say something wrong, ma'am?" he asked, confused.

Her expression changed again, this time to one of firm resoluteness. "I'm going with you, Captain."

He blinked once. "Ma'am, I really don't want to drag you into this. This could end up getting ugly if I'm spotted. Or if Her Majesty is spotted."

But it seemed she was not to be deterred. "I'm going with you. I'm not about to miss out on this. And besides, it would be very difficult for you to find the cabin on your own, and a very long flight for you to make. It's more than twenty hours away."

He allowed himself an internal sigh, making sure she wouldn't see, but then responded in a slightly resigned tone of voice. "If you insist, ma'am. But we need to leave immediately. As I said, time is of the essence."

She nodded. "I'll have to take the back seats out of my SUV. I think you should fit if I do that, as long as you lie down. You won't be able to stand up."

"That's fine ma'am. I just want to get there as fast as possible."

"If there's a specific message you need to get to Eric, I can call his cell phone."

"Is it possible for anyone to intercept that communication?"

"Unlikely, but not impossible."

Captain Swordstorm thought for a moment. Any risk that the communication could be intercepted is not a risk he really wanted to take. But perhaps they could at least let Eric know they were coming without saying anything suspicious. He nodded once.

"Please let him know we are coming, and tell him they only have thirty-six days. He'll know what I mean. But don't tell him anything else. I don't want to risk saying anything that might attract unwanted attention."

She nodded once, still seeming slightly nervous, but she had definitely calmed down in the last several minutes. "I need to run back to my house so I can take out the back seats. I'll call him on the way. You should stay here and hide yourself."

"I will. And thank you, ma'am" he responded as she got in her motorized chariot, started the engine, and began to drive off. He watched her leave for a few moments before turning and walking back to his hiding spot in the woods, lying down once again and making sure he was concealed. He knew it was a risk letting her go off alone like that. After all, once she was 'safely' away from him in her chariot, she might decide this was all just too weird and not return. But trust had to be mutual. If he wanted her to trust him, he had to trust her.

It wasn't long before his fears proved unfounded as he turned his head back towards the road, swiveling his ears towards an approaching sound and seeing her motorized chariot approach again. Just to be on the safe side, he waited until she came to a stop and got out. When he was certain she was alone, he stood up and walked back towards her. She opened the back door of the chariot and motioned for him to get in. He found it a bit awkward since there wasn't enough room for him to stand up. He had to put his front legs in, lower his front, and then pull the rest of his body in. But his constant physical training as a Royal Guard gave him a great amount of forward body strength, and it wasn't difficult for him to pull himself inside. Once he was in, she closed the door and walked around to the front, climbing in herself. Then, they started on the long drive to the Pryor Mountains in Montana.

"I tried to call Eric several times, but I couldn't get a hold of him. His phone reception is probably spotty up in the mountains," she called back to him.

If only I had a dragon here and could deliver a magic scroll to Her Majesty, he mumbled to himself before responding.

"Thank you, ma'am ... And ma'am, despite the fact that time is of the essence, I don't expect you to drive all the way through. I know you've probably been up all day, and it wouldn't be safe for you to drive all through the night. I understand the need to stop and rest at some point."

"I'll try to make it at least half of the way tonight. Then we can stop for a few hours. I packed some food for us to eat. I ... assumed you probably don't eat meat, so it's all vegetarian."

"Thank you ma'am. And it's much appreciated."

The sun continued to set as they reached the limits of Chicago, and before long, night had set in. Occasionally, he made small talk with Megan, but for the most part, he let her focus on driving, and he concentrated on what he might be able to do to help Princess Celestia get home once he had actually delivered the information to her. One thing he was almost certain of and not looking forward to at all. Before this was over, there was sure to be a much larger confrontation with humans. It seemed inevitable, since they would probably need access to a large, advanced, and likely well guarded, science lab in order to get back to Equestria.

After about five hours, they stopped to refuel. Captain Swordstorm covered himself with a large quilt when they did and kept as still as possible. He didn't really know what gasoline was, but he understood that the mechanical chariot needed it to run in the same way that trains in Equestria needed coal and water to run. A few minutes later, they were back on the freeway.

Several hours later, they exited from the interstate again, and Megan turned on to a back road. She drove down it a little ways before pulling off into a wooded area, explaining to him that they'd be safer than they would pulling off at a rest area where someone might see him if they looked in the windows. After eating, Captain Swordstorm covered himself with the quilt again. A multitude of thoughts rushed through his mind, and he found it difficult to relax. But eventually, he was able to drift off to sleep ...

Suddenly, he awoke with a start. He'd heard something. He was certain of it. Instinct took over as his Royal Guard training kicked in and he went into alert mode. Looking forward, he saw that Megan was still asleep. Swiveling his ears, he listened carefully.

Crack. There it was again! There was definitely someone, or something moving outside of the motorized chariot, to the front, and to the left. He ducked down as low as he could, carefully making sure the quilt obscured his entire form. His heart beat faster and he felt adrenaline start to flow.

Suddenly, the front left window exploded inward, shattering into thousands of pieces. Megan screamed loudly as a gloved hand through the broken window and opened the door.

"It's dangerous for a pretty young lady like you to be out here alone in the middle of the night," a male voice growled, accompanied by mocking laughter from a second male. A flash of cold steel glinted from a knife blade as two gloved hands grabbed Megan around the chest, yanking her through the door onto the ground.