Heat. Blurry darkness slowly turning into an orange inferno of flames and metal. Mike Thorne shook his head in an attempt to become clear again. Screams of panic, agony and disorientation filled the air, each hammering inside his ears, aiding in him regaining consciousness. Looking to his side, he noticed an iron bar bent into the passenger cabin. Turning completely left, he saw that the passenger to his left side had been impaled with said bar. Gritting his teeth, Mike tried to stand up, only to remember that his seat-belts were still fastened. After some struggle, he managed to unfasten them and jumped up, away from the corpse. The heat was omnipresent.

Beyond the smoke he could make out two figures, one trying to lift something up from the passenger seats, the other holding one arm in front of their face to at least filter some smoke from being inhaled while waving through the air with the other arm to see better.
“Richard! Richard, get the hell out of there!”

Richard Henson stood above one passenger seat and shook another man. Upon stepping closer, Mike could see that this guy was bleeding from the forehead, seemingly his head was hit by something heavy, which was easy with several loose things in the airbus.
“Bill! Bill, come on! Don't do this to me!”

Feeling for his pulse, Mike shook his head.
“I'm sorry, Richard. He's gone.”

Looking at him aghast, Richard then turned back to the dead sitting in front of him, shaking him vigorously.
“What?!? No! He's not! Bill! BILL, COME ON! YOU-”

Ripping Richard away from the corpse, Mike yelled at him. If Richard wasn't able to listen to reason, then by God he would listen to force.
“FORGET HIM, HE'S DEAD!!! AND YOU WILL BE TOO IF WE DON'T GO NOW!” Pushing Richard out towards the exit, Mike then gave a look around to another man, who was holding his bleeding head. “You're the guy from Virginia, right? You OK beside that cut?”

Looking up, the man nodded, seemingly groggy, but recovering.
“Yeah... Yeah!”

Helping him up from the seat and shouldering some of his weight, Mike noticed the two metal briefcases the man was clinging to.
“Important stuff?”

“Very... If I can't save much, the least I can do is saving my personal belongings.” Mike arched a brow. 'He places his personal stuff over all these people in jeopardy?' Not going into detail, he didn't address this topic further. The plane had just crashed and people were still reeling from the event. He was surprised he himself could think straight, so he didn't blame this guy for saving his stuff before coming to his senses and helping others. His train of thought was interrupted, however, as the man looked up once more. “By the way: Nick. Nick Hopkins.”

“Mike Thorne.” Mike replied with a nod.

Coughing a bit at the biting stench of the smoke, Nick grimaced at the heat.
“You know? That crossing into their world was a bit harsher than I thought.”

A drop of sweat ran down Mike's dirty forehead. How many people were out already? There were so many corpses and the stench of burning flesh was everywhere.
“No one said it would be easy.”

This caused Nick's face to darken.
“No one said our plane would automatically crash-land!”

Outside, the air was chilling and damp, much in contrast to the dry heat inside the plane. Helping Nick outside, Mike let him sit on a tree stump. While the thicker trees seemed to have ripped the wings away from the machine, the body of the airbus had carved a path of destruction into the forest, its cockpit smashed to pieces as it went along.
“Listen! We're alive! That is all that matters. From what I know, we need to get these people into proper shelter and then find out where we are and where the heck civilization is on this world.”

Everywhere people were helping one another as best as they could. Some were simply confused and disorientated from the crash. The ones with just a few bruises or scratches helped those with broken limbs or other more dire injuries. While turning to the burning wreckage again, Mike then overheard a female voice.
“Come on, Clara! You need to stay awake! Speak to me, girl!”

A group of two women and two men sat together, one woman was lying between them. Approaching them, Mike quickly recognized the red piece of cloth being held to her side.
“How is she?”

“Clara was injured by some debris, leaving a nasty cut in her side.” one of the women answered. “We've put some cloth and some pressure on it. She will live for now, but we need proper medical supplies here or several dozen of these folks won't live through the night. Cuts, stabs, concussions, burns, blunt trauma... The list goes on and on.”

“Joey! Can't we improvise something?” Mike then asked.

One of the men shrugged.
“Well, we had a Doctor, he could have done something...”

Aghast, Mike shook his head briefly, unwilling to face the most unpleasant fact of all.
“Had? Where is he?”

“Burning on seat 451.”

“Fuck!” It was a bad situation. Without proper medical staff, the chances of helping the wounded dwindled within their hands. In the back of his head, a small voice asked Mike Thorne if coming here was for the better.

A ray of hope seemed to come, nonetheless, as one of the others pointed over to the back of the airbus.
“The Doc did say something about some medical supplies in the cargo hold, though. I think he wanted to establish a medical station for whatever we wanted to do here.”

“Then we better get some way into that cargo hold before the fire does.”

“And how do you suppose we get inside, Mike? Through the fire? Or the airplane hull?”

“That's an aluminum hull, Hunnigan! I think even a bird colliding into it could damage it. If need be, take some stones or debris and strike the hull until it bends and gives in! We need these supplies or some of these people out here won't live to see another day!”

Then all of a sudden, a loud noise emitted from the woods, prompting one of the women to look at the same direction as well.
“What was that?”

“Nothing, Vasquez. Just the fire cracking.”

But listening closer to the woods, Carmen Vasquez soon heard something for a second time.
“No! No, that was different! That crack was too full and sated to be a short crack of a fire...”

A howl in the distance made Mike Thorne close his eyes.
“God... Why?” Turning towards the others, he looked at the other men. “Arm yourselves! Take some makeshift torches and create a perimeter!”

Nick Hopkins opened one of his two briefcases and took two pistols out of it, handing one gun to Mike.
“Here! I guess we will need these very soon...”

Looking in surprise at the Beretta handed to him, Mike Thorne then looked up.
“Wait! How did you manage to smuggle this on board?” But another howl, closer this time, made both of them realize that this wasn't the time to argue about this.

More and more of the survivors were arming themselves with whatever they saw fit as a weapon, leading to a variety of sticks and pieces of debris as makeshift blunt and bladed weapons. Yet trying as they might, they couldn't make out much in the Everfree.
“I can't see shit in these dark woods. It's almost a jungle out there.”

One man looked at the ground in order to find a weapon as well and upon finding something, he reached down to grab the thin log.
“M-maybe these are alien wolves?” But as he grabbed the log, it didn't budge, yet a low and threatening growl emitted from the bush he was leaning at. His blood froze as said bush began to shift and reveal a massive wooden snout snarling right into his face, before the horror jumped at him.

The scream of agony turned everyone's heads and upon recognizing who was screaming, several of the men rushed to his aid.
“Joey! God damn! NO!!!”

Readying his handgun, Mike Thorne was the first to arrive at the scene. But what looked like an oversized wolf was actually something far worse than that. Something that didn't make any sense to any one of them. This thing consisted of logs, branches and leaves. Approaching with a growl, the Timberwolf eyed the many humans as to decide which prey to snatch first from the banquet table. Aiming the gun now directly at the creature in front of him, Mike Thorne pulled the trigger and three shots thundered through the air. The shots made the beast back away for a bit, before it growled even angrier and approached once again, the bullet holes still in its wooden snout.

Looking at his gun in shock as more and more of the wolf pack arrived at the wreckage, Mike Thorne then turned his sight back to the creature in front of him, before he got hold of a nearby pipe stuck in the ground. It was a mere melee weapon, but if bullets didn't cause these beasts harm, at least it was something to keep them at bay.
“You damn dirty bitch! I'm going to make you work for your meal!”

The wolves began encircling their prey, claws of black bark, fur of leaves and pine needles, eyes glowing in a poisonous yellow, jewels from the pits of hell itself. The biggest one, obviously the alpha animal, approached, sniffing, took aim and leaped right at Mike, before several energy bolts descended from above, hitting it in midair. One by one the timber wolves were dismembered by projectiles that detonated on them, and by doing so reduced them to simple fire wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBiZu6dGfMo

Confusion hit the survivors as the threat that was upon them was eradicated by something even stronger. Suddenly, spotlights were shining down from the skies and blinded some of the humans while the entire site was illuminated all of a sudden.
“Remain where you are!” the announcement began, “Do not attempt to attack or to flee! This is the Equestrian Harmony Ranger First Response. We are here to aid you.”

As the ground was more and more illuminated, several ponies jumped through the woods, clothed in shaped white armor covering their entire torsos. All the different plates seemed to be connected with a sturdy material, giving flexibility to the entire armor, but holding the strong plates together. On the neck and the limbs, where flexibility was more important than impenetrable armor, the material held together a myriad of tiny hexagons. And, if watched closely, the big shaped plates on the torso also glittered a bit, revealing to exist of several hexagon plates shaped together into one smooth plate. The heads of these ponies were wrapped in some sort of white headbands. Mike couldn't make out the material, but it sure wasn't cotton. Resting on their foreheads, these headbands aided in keeping the manes in check and thus helped the unicorns aim the firearms they were wielding within their levitation grasp.

Among them, three humans approached the site, two of them also were also wearing headbands while the third one was wearing a white hood. Orders were overheard. “Keep your distance from them until the Head Ranger has cleared the situation!” and “Be careful not to do anything that might scare them any more than they already are!”

Undecided if they should shoot or not, Nick shot Mike a glance.
“What the hell is happening?!?”

Witnessing the ponies hurling away debris away to make room and extinguishing the first fires, he noticed them securing the area with their guns pointed away from the humans. No, this wasn't an attack, it was a rescue operation here for them.
“I don't care. We need any help we can get now. Go! Go help the others! We need to get them out of there!”

By now two Pegasi approached the figure with the hood.
“Prince Tyler! Sir, we secured the imminent area.”

Nodding at them, Tyler smiled after hearing this.
“Good. Keep an eye out for more Timberwolves! If some show up, show them they're not welcome here right now!” Turning over to three unicorns, Tyler pointed at the airplane. “Get those people out of the plane and stop these fires before we have a full scale forest fire here! Pay attention that none of your magic comes in contact with one of them. The Royal Guard is taking over once we get them out of the Everfree.”

More and more the body of the airplane was pried open with magic and once the fires were under control, the survivors were salvaged one by one out of the plane. Reaching for an older man, Sam stretched his arm.
“Can you get it?”

“Yes... Yes!” Climbing over some luggage, the old man grabbed Sam's hand and was helped out of the debris. A sudden flash made Sam turn to his right, where a young man stood and made a polaroid picture.

This visibly displeased Sam.
“When you're done with your unimportant bullshit, maybe you can lend a hand!” That order was enough to shake the young man awake and in an instant, he helped pull the old man out of the airplane while Sam descended deeper into the wreckage. The smoke was almost everywhere, biting in his eyes and his throat. He could remain here for just a couple of seconds, maybe a minute at most. Hundreds of people rested dead in their seats, Sam could make out several more within the fire, their corpses were already burned down to a crisp,But the fire inside the plane was still raging and grew in intensity. It was then when he noticed movement on the ground. Recognizing a teenage boy grabbing his boots, he helped him up and carried him to the outside and back to safety.

More and more humans were gathered outside, making it difficult to secure the area. Flynn looked over to Rachel and shook his head.
“Do you see this? Hundreds of them. And maybe even more inside!”

Rachel grimaced at the still burning wreckage.
“The worst thing is: Until there's a way to prevent this, there will be more incidents like this. If only they were as lucky as we were.”

Letting out a sigh, Flynn shook his head.
“Well the Betty was way smaller than this plane. We slid through the trees, only losing our wings and our momentum. This machine here was ripped to shreds by the forest. These people here are lucky to be alive at all.”

In the midst of all the chaos, a young girl noticed Tyler. Taking a closer look, her eyes went wide all of a sudden. Tugging at a woman's shirt, she pointed at Tyler.
“Mommy! It's the guys from the news! The ones they saw in Manhattan!”

Overhearing this, Tyler turned to the new arrivals who more and more looked in his direction. They were shaking from the crash, lucky to be alive at all. What they needed now was the assurance that this was the lowest they could have fallen, that things only were about to get better. Taking his hood down, he addressed them.
“I am Tyler Jones, Leader of these Rangers. Your bad luck is over for today. You will be brought to civilization right away. There will be a short flight in these carriages, so best to hold tight. Once outside the forest, your injuries, if present, will all be treated and you will be brought to Canterlot, the nations capital by train. There, Princess Celestia will greet and welcome you in a proper way and you will be given proper shelter after a good meal. If you wish to return back to Earth at any given time, the travel can be arranged, but will need some preparation. As for now, rest assured that we will do everything to ensure your safety and well-being.”

One of the women stroked her little girl through the hair.
“See? No need to worry, sweetie. These nice men and ponies came here to help us.”

One by one the survivors were carefully escorted to the carriages and flown out of the Everfree Forest, even more so if they were injured. On the meadows bordering the Everfree, they landed and came to a halt near an improvised field hospital. Once there, the next hurdle approached the human rangers, as the earth pony doctor seemed confused. Doctor Silver Sting was known to be a competent and trustworthy staff member of the medical staff in the Ranger HQ
“Uh... I'm more a pony and griffin doctor... Humans are relatively new to me.”

Grabbing him by the collar, Flynn gritted his teeth.
“Well you could start with the cuts, bruises and broken limbs! Their treatment would be the same! You know how to stitch them together so they won't bleed to death, don’t you?”

“Ce-certainly!”

Coming along, Doctor Silver Sting began first treatments while Rachel assured the survivors.
“Yes, I know, he's a pony and all, but that is normal here.” Turning over to him, she arched a brow. “Will you be alright?”

Sighing in frustration, Silver Sting nodded.
“My dear... I'm afraid I lack the luxuries or precision of a unicorn doctor. Sadly the one or another scar will remain.”

While the first treatments went along, Sam asked some of the survivors questions.
“Are there any doctors or paramedics on board? A nurse maybe? Anyone with medical expertise?”

Shaking heads were the response. Mike then approached Sam.
“Before these things attacked us, we were discussing that our only doctor bit the dust, but there is a crate of medical supplies inside that airbus.

Moments later Tyler returned with a wooden crate, partly broken at the sides.
“I think this is it. Careful, the sides are broken, there may be some glass shards inside.” Once pried open, the crate was inspected. Several medical supplies that were filled into glasses were lost, yet Mike nodded. “Of 50 glasses of standard medications, 36 were broken. Can't be helped. But, on the bright side, the Doc made a checklist with all items of the crate and their purpose. I think he wanted to train some of us so we could lend him assistance if needed.”

Tyler gave this an approving nod.
“I'll get this crate to Silver Sting. Human medications for human patients, now things look better...”

Three hours passed and after the last stitch, Silver Sting sighed once again, yet this time in relief. “Alright. Cuts stitched, bruises treated, several splints applied. Without magic, that's currently the best I can do. The rest would need to be done in a hospital. I can't inject anything here at the moment. An overdose without proper treatment could turn out fatal.”

Turning over to Rachel, Tyler nodded at her.
“Rachel? You're in command! Bring these people over to Ponyville Station and from there right to Canterlot. I'm informing Celestia right this moment.”

* * * * *

In Canterlot Castle, Celestia trotted back and forth in her chamber, much to Luna's dismay.
“Thou should get some rest and leave this to me, Tia...”

“I can't!” Celestia replied in a troubled tone. “Did you see the size of that thing? That was way bigger than the Betty. We're not expecting a hoof full of humans this time, Luna... We are facing a little community!”

Taking a deep breath, Luna slowly let it out and shook her head.
“Troubling thyself will not help at all, Tia. He is out there for a reason. He does it and took Flynn, Sam and Rachel with him to show them that humans are not threatened here, but respected individuals.”

Giving a deep sigh, Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head.
“You're right. I'm already seeing problems where there are none. Tyler will come right through this door and tell us all about it.”

“No...” Taking notice of Tyler entering the room not from the corridor, but from the balcony door, both sisters turned around. “...actually I'm coming through here.”

When they turned around, they were obviously finding a liking in the Ranger battle armor Tyler was wearing.
“Oh!”

“You look extraordinarily good in that armor, Tyler.”

Rolling his eyes with a smirk, Tyler shook his head.
“I'm happy that you like it, but I'm not wearing it to impress. Right now we are facing more stressing matters. Let's go for a walk, shall we?”

Upon entering the corridor, Tyler walked in the middle, with both mares flanking him. In an instant, their voices became sober and formal when Celestia looked to the front,
“How many of them are there? How bad is it?”

Tyler looked to the front as well, bracing himself for what he was about to say.
“134 survived the crash... Out of 726. 16 children are among the survivors, one boy lost both his parents. Furthermore, four survivors were lost when the Timberwolves attacked them. So that's down to 130.”

Closing her eyes, Celestia let out a silent sigh.
“By the stars, what a catastrophe. I wish to address them. All of them. Are their wounds treated properly?”

Opening a door for them, Tyler then let them walk through first before he followed them and closed it behind. Soon after that, Celestia's secretary Raven joined them while he continued
“Non-magical medical aid, as we agreed. I've expected the children to be far more frightened, but since ponies are something pleasant on Earth, the adults were more wary than the kids. Rachel had to persuade one woman to be treated by Doctor Silver Sting.”

Taking a glance over to her secretary, Celestia's eyes narrowed down.
“Raven, were the welcome gifts dispatched?”

A brief nod was given and Raven held up a sheet of paper.
“As we speak, a warm meal, and supplies are waiting once they arrive at Canterlot Station. However, the clothing may not fit since we only had the measures of three grown human men and a grown woman. Clothing for the children will have to wait until we can ask for measures.

Closing her eyes, Celestia shook her head ever so gently.
“It can't be helped. For the time being, I think this is the best we could do on such short notice.”

* * * * *

After being fed with vegetable stew and multiple fruit baskets. the humans were then escorted through the streets of Canterlot by members of the Royal Guard. The streets were closed for the moment now to lower staring ponies to a minimum. Richard Henson felt his stomach.
“I must say that was quite the best stew I had in a long time. One could taste each and every vitamin out of it.”

Nick Hopkins, still clinging to one of his briefcases after the guns were confiscated for safekeeping, took a deep breath.
“Mike! Do you smell it?”

“Smell what?”

“Precisely! The air is so fresh and unpolluted... Each breath as cleansing as the kiss of an angel.”

Mike Thorne shrugged.
“Well, other than that train they don't seem to have combustion engines or heavy industry.” They were lead into the throne room of Canterlot Castle and were offered seats and pillows to sit down.

Not long after that, a guard stood attention and raised his voice.
“Their royal majesties, Prince Tyler, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!”
Once the door opened, Tyler, Celestia and Luna stepped forth and entered the throne room, bypassing the throne. When Celestia and Luna approached the crowd, the humans were quite surprised. A sight Celestia remembered very well from first contacts. Sometimes she wished we wasn't that well bred of a mare, standing out like this with this divine radiance and the bigger size, yet it was a wish she never uttered out loud.

Stepping forth, Tyler began the introduction. In his mind, a human introducing other humans to the whereabouts of the nation was the best approach although he secretly wished he had more time to prepare for this important moment.
“A beginning is a very delicate time. Know then that it is the nation of Equestria in the year 1089 new calendar time. The nation is ruled by the diarchs Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... Two of my wives.” Several silent gasps became audible. Tyler wasn't sure what surprised the humans more: The marriage to a pony or the existence of polygamy.

However, Celestia stepped forth as well, a warm and maternal smile on her face.
“We welcome you to our planet and nation and hope our gifts are of use.”

Mike nodded and looked over to the other survivors. New clothing for the adults, medical treatment, toys for the children, utensils for oh so many occasions... Some of the survivors already felt spoiled.
“They are indeed much appreciated. We only regret we can't pay your noble race back right now.”

“In time, you enriching this nation with the peaceful cultures of Earth will repay these gestures of kindness enough. As of now, the victims of this dreadful crash have been salvaged. Their bodies will be buried appropriately to the customs of your choice. We do not know much about human faith, but Prince Tyler already mentioned there are dozens, if not hundreds of religions on Earth. Thus, I leave these poor souls in your hands, to bury them as you see fit.”

“Prince?”

“I thought he was just the leader of these rangers...”

Ignoring the whispering behind him, Mike Thorne repaid Celestia's announcement with a nod.
“Thank you for being this respectful.”

Shaking her head, Celestia's smile withered.
“No! It is the least we can do for being so surprised by your sudden arrival. In the future, there will be training sessions to catch a crashing airplane in midair. But since we can't predict the appearance of someone crossing over, our reaction window is awfully small. We did know it to be a door from your world into ours, but we simply don't know how to see when someone behind this door wants to enter, it is a one way crossing.”

This earned her several understanding nods, before Mike shrugged.
“I guess it can't be helped, then. Our arrival took you by surprise, maybe the landing wouldn't be that hard, maybe it wouldn't make a difference. Making a fuss out of that won't bring back those who died.”

Leaning in to Tyler, Luna lowered her voice.
“That little one in the second row... Is that a human child?”

Spotting the little girl behind her mother, Tyler nodded.
“That it is...”

Luna's ears dropped, glum.
“She looks afraid of me.”

“Consider that these people went through a lot in just a few minutes after crossing over. Such things are not to be taken lightly, especially not for a child. Maybe she's afraid, but not specifically of you.” Giving a brief nod, Luna then returned to her former stance, but Tyler saw that was bugging her anyway. That's when he decided to just go and clear the situation. To hell with etiquette anyway if he could help a kid and his wife at the same time. Approaching both mother and child, he then gave a gentle smile. “Excuse me? Who is that shy little lady there?” The little girl hid behind her mother, shying away. Tyler didn't blame her. All was big and new for this little girl and talking ponies were omnipresent. Actually he thought she would go crazy over all the cuteness in Equestria. “Hello there, young lady. Why are you hiding?” Looking up to her mother, Tyler smiled a bit. “What's her name?”

“Linda.” her mother replied with a friendly smile.

“Hello, Linda.”

“Hello.” Slowly coming forth, the little girl seemed to forget her shyness as it was replaced with curiosity. “Are you a real prince?”

While crouching down to meet her face, Tyler then bowed a bit to her.
“Yes, Linda. I am a real prince. Just like in the fairy tales. And my duty is to protect everyone in this nation from harm. This now includes you, your mom and all the others here. Even these big and scary looking men you have with you.” Linda giggled a bit and seemingly warmed up a little to Tyler's silliness. “Tell me, Linda... Why do you look so afraid? You don't have to be afraid of this place, here are a lot of very nice ponies. You know, Princess Luna over there is worried that you might not feel comfortable here. And guess what? She is the Princess of the Night. While we all are sleeping, she watches over our dreams. And when there's a big spooky monster chasing after you, she will come and make it go away for you.”

Linda's eyes went wide upon hearing this.
“Really?”

Standing up, Tyler cocked his head with a smile.
“I wouldn't dare to lie to a fine young lady such as you. Do you want to have an audience with her right now?” Nodding vigorously, Linda then looked up to her mother, who first looked into Tyler's face, and after an assuring nod from him, she agreed.

Taking Linda's hand, Tyler then walked with her over to Luna.
“Luna? May I introduce you to Lady Linda?

By now Luna seemed a bit uncertain herself, not sure how to approach this correctly.
“H-Hello...”

“Will you really come into my dreams?” Linda asked, her eyes wide in marvel.

Slightly baffled, Luna then looked back and forth between Tyler and Linda, before focusing on the little girl.
“I... Why, yes... I can do that. But I mostly interfere if the dreams become nightmares. It's not polite to intrude dreams without very good... reason...?” Once they noticed the silence in the hall, Luna and Tyler looked up, seeing the rest of the crowd looking at them with dropped jaws. Some looked at them in awe, some in surprise, Celestia began to smile a bit. Luna's love and devotion for children had taken the tension in the room and crushed it by a big deal with that little talk to Linda.

The silence was broken when one of the men shook his head in disbelief.
“Wait, are they serious? Can she really do that?”

“Princess Luna is able to do this, yes.” Celestia answered with a nod. “There are things possible in our world that are impossible in yours. While I raise and lower the sun, Luna raises and lowers the moon as well as having her duty as Guardian of Dreams. A duty she takes with much responsibility. Please don't be alarmed by all this. We are telling you this not as a threat, but to inform you. Many things here in Equestria will seem alien to you, odd and outlandish, but we welcome you with open hooves to show us your ways as well, so we can learn from one another.”

“Now you can't be serious. There's no way you could move the sun.”

Cocking her head while arching a brow, Celestia began to smirk.
“Is that so?” Her horn began glowing ever so slightly and the sun moved down to the horizon before rising to her former point in the sky.

This caused most of the eyes in the hall to widen. Some in awe, some in surprise, some in concern.
“OK! I stand corrected.”

Mike Thorne slowly shook his head. It didn't make much sense now and the questions in his mind were in dire need of being asked.
“But how? How can one even hope to move such celestial objects?”

“On this world, a powerful force beside gravity and all other forces of nature is the force of magic.” Beginning to float in mid-air, what alone left several of the humans stunned, Tyler closed his eyes as a slight murmur went through the crowd.“Magic can extend life...” A slow ripple of distortion wave expanded from him as he ever so slightly emitted a short burst of warmth, one could follow it with turning the head slowly. The echo of 'extend life' was slightly audible within that wave as it slowly and gently went through the room, gently tickling the skin as it passed by. “Magic can expand consciousness.” Looking down to the other humans with a gentle smile, he then pointed over to the unicorn guards in the room. “Magic is vital for the daily life of the ponies. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to explain magic to one who doesn't come from this world. It is a force one has to experience to understand. But it is also a force that shall not be forced upon you. I am the first human who ever set foot on this world. I wish to establish a healthy coexistence between ponies, humans and all the other species on Equis. If you are in need of something, anything, feel free to bring the topic to my attention.”

This made another man raise his arm.
“Speaking of force and needs: Will there be special laws for humans?”

Descending down to the ground, Tyler shook his head.
“As of now, there are no laws for humans specifically. Out of respect, the four humans living here, myself included, have decided to live by Equestrian law. Now that there are more humans than us, it is time to lay out laws to protect and order humans and ponies as equals. Mr. Thorne, I wish your group to elect people to work with me and the Princesses on these laws. We want this to be fair and just for every side involved.”

Mike nodded in thought, the more they talked with these princesses, the more he had the impression that they meant well, but were utterly taken by surprise of dealing with such a large amount of humans all of a sudden.
“Yes, I can do that. However, there is one more question on my mind.” Seeing Tyler's nod, Mike then continued. “Why was Manhattan attacked?”

Looking at Mike a bit surprised, Tyler then took a look at everyone present.
“This is a longer story, but to keep it short: Princess Celestia and Luna are alicorns. As of now, there are five alicorns living in Equestria. Put simply, there are Alicorns of Light and Alicorns of Darkness. In the far distant, ancient past, both sides waged war against one another. Manhattan was attacked by two different alicorns calling themselves the Darkness Sisters. They held Princess Celestia hostage and while attempting to rescue her, we opened up a portal. But instead of bringing us back to Equestria, we landed on Earth. It is possible that the Manhattan attack happened as their pursuit for us brought them there. This ancient Alicorn War, it seems, never truly ended.”

A woman raised her arm before speaking up. By the looks of her clothing, Tyler deemed her to be a flight attendant.
“Where are they now? Are we in danger here?”

With a shake of his head, Tyler shot that woman a smile.
“Their armada was destroyed and their armies are scattered across the globe. As we speak, several aid flotillas are sending goods to a nation they almost crippled. As for the Darkness Sisters themselves: I faced them, yet only made them flee. I was unable to defeat them for good.”

Mike Thorne narrowed his eyes.
“So this means they might return one day.”

“That's correct.” Tyler replied. “But as we speak, several ambassadors are working hard to set up an alliance with neighboring countries. The victory over the hostile armada forged former enemies together. And now, with human ingenuity, we might have the chance to defeat them once and for all.”

Now Nick Hopkins raised his arm.
“Will we be allowed to bear firearms?”

Shooting Tyler a concerned look, Celestia gasped a bit, but he briefly shook his head.
“I think every gun should be gathered and stored within a safe and heavily guarded storage area for now. You can form a police force and the royal guard will most certainly aid you in this. I believe it will be most pleasant for everyone, if ponies and humans work in closer partnership, so that acts of specism can't occur unnoticed. Believe me that I will personally hunt down any such case.”

“It's nice and cozy for you to say that. You seem to have a nice place among the princesses. You even have this magic! But what about the rest of us? We only had two pistols and no magic and the pistols were confiscated already. If something or someone wants to take our stuff, shall we call for the guard while they or it has its way with us?”

Tyler's tone grew a bit more stern.
“Equestria is a realm of peace and harmony. There is no evil in it unless one brings evil there with him. And I assure you, all of you: I swore to protect any citizen of this nation. And if anyone dares to wrong any one of you, I will hunt that individual down and bring him, her or it to proper justice.”

Celestia now raised her voice again.
“What my husband is trying to tell you is that with the new laws we will create with your elected representatives, these laws will be enacted by the guard, the only force beside the Harmony Rangers currently being allowed to bear weapons. If you are willing and able to, you can serve your community as a guard or Harmony Ranger and protect those rights of those around you according to the law. And maybe a human Guard for human cities might be an idea worth looking at. But this is something I wish to discuss with your elected representatives...”

Now several whispers were mumbled.
“Husband...”

“I doubt they were joking about this...”

Arching a brow, Tyler cocked his head and looked at the one or another whispering.
“Is there a problem?”

“Well, uh... This might come off odd, but: Are you really married to the Princesses?”

Tyler and Celestia briefly exchanged some glances. This was something that had to come sooner or later. Looking back to the crowd, Tyler held up his hand, revealing the four rings on his fingers.
“Being the only human until the arrival of the other humans you already met, I learned to live by their customs. I thought I was stranded on this world forever, so I moved on. I don't see why I should abandon the relationships I now have for the sake of procreation with my own species, since I already have a daughter here and another foal is on its merry way.

Some people nodded, others grimaced in disgust. One of the women shot the next question.
“So, uh... No disrespect, but: You and these 'wives' of yours... You, uh...”

Making a certain displeased facial expression, Tyler was just about to answer as Celestia stepped in. Raising her right wing in front of Tyler, she signalized him that she wanted to answer.
“Excuse me if I deny you that answer, but whatever royal snu snu happens in the royal chambers, stays in the royal chambers.”

The woman's jaw dropped a bit, but she nodded as if she understood the hint to back off. This nod was replied with a warm smile and a nod from Celestia as well. “Well then: While we plan out the details for a first human settlement, I want you to feel welcome in Canterlot. Each one of you will get some financial means for a startup, so you can order proper clothing or food. You will soon notice that we currently serve mostly the food for herbivores, for something as the experience of meat... Well, our current source for that resides at the outskirts of Ponyville. If you wish for something like that, I am certain we could arrange a little 'shipment'... As for your housing until you can begin and finish your settlement... Tyler?”

Turning over to her, he smiled.
“Yes, sugar lips?”

“I think the rooms around the royal garden would make a decent temporary shelter. Bright, warm, comfortable beds and with access to the garden, they should accommodate all of them and give the children something to play at.”

Giving a nod, he went towards the door.
“I will bring them there at once.”

* * * * *

The crowd followed Tyler in a calm and collected manner as he brought them to . Walking by his side, Vasquez eyed him for a bit.
“I must say it is hard to believe that you are married with some of them. Don't you feel like a sicko?”

Tyler looked over to her. With her dark hair, her well developed muscle tone and her brash personality, she left the impression of someone able to fend for herself.
“I know what you mean and what you are aiming at. They seem more open about this topic than we humans do and frankly I see my four wives as individuals equal to me. There is nothing to it. One gets used to them in a couple of weeks, but you can imagine my surprise when I faced them for the very first time, only that this wasn't in the vague safety back on Earth, but right at the edge of that Everfree Forest.” Turning to the crowd, Tyler nodded. “The best advice I can give to you all: See each one of them as a human, as weird as this sounds. You would be surprised how human some of them can get. They express joy, fear, hatred, anger, all emotions we humans express as well. They can give consent and they can deny it. There are of course some quirks that can make one smirk a bit, but on this world, it's the norm.

This brought the one or another frown.
“Quirks? Like what?”

Giving a smirk, Tyler opened his arms. “For instance? They have this nice looking metropolis out there called Manehattan instead of Manhattan.” As he saw the one or another smile, Tyler nodded. “See? Expect some language alterations to some common words here. Anypony instead of anyone and the such. As for the youngsters: Be careful, kids! Almost everyone of them is many times stronger than you. I know kids love to be wild while playing, but keep in mind that they are used to much more strength than you do.”

Leading them into the western wing of the castle, Tyler approached the suites for diplomats and ambassadors. Opening the first door, Tyler presented it to the others.
“And here we have it. Possibly the best guest rooms in Canterlot.”

Carmen Vasquez shook her head while looking at the room from the door sill.
“Guest rooms? Tsk, that's a good one! These are luxury! If it weren't on the lower floors, I'd say this is a small penthouse apartment!”

Giving it a shrug, Tyler rolled his eyes in slight amusement.
“Well, what can I say? Celestia knows how to treat newcomers...”

Outside in the corridor Linda was running along, pointing outside the window,
“Mommy! Look! There are so many animals in the garden outside!”

“Careful, sweetie! Don't spook them. I think they belong to the princesses.”

“Can we go outside there and play?

“Maybe later... First we'll need to settle down a bit.”

While more and more people went to their own rooms, a slight murmur went through the corridor. Mike Thorne looked at all these people. Still a bit shaken after the crash, yet back in the safety of civilization, even if it was an equine civilization, gave the people time to recover. Overhearing two of the men, he recognized them as Jake Hunnigan and Richard Henson.
“What do you think, Richard?”

“Well, if it's fine with the others, I'm curious about these Harmony Rangers. If some of us are allowed to bear arms, it will give us more than sticks and stones. They carry gear I never saw. Looks either high tech, high magic or whatever.”

“True... It wouldn't hurt to have a deeper insight to this. They have weapons that look like paintball rifles, yet they fire explosive rounds? That doesn't sum up.”

“How do you know, Jake?” Vasquez asked.

“Former police officer, Charleston Police Department.”

This information made Richard arch his brows.
“You're a cop?”

“I was... Let's just say that I...” He paused for a moment. “I had reasons, OK?”

Raising his hands, Richard stepped back.
“Fine with me. Not for me to judge that story of your life. I can imagine how that song and dance goes, but it's not my business. So you know because you're used to guns. That's fine...”

Jake shot Richard a glance and nodded.
“Yeah... a buddy of mine is in that sport as well, and he showed me his gun, so I recognized that particular magazine for the pellets. But what was fired in that forest had to be some sort of explosive round. Like they shot pellets of nitroglycerin.”

In the next moment, Mike was hit in the shoulder by one of the women.
“Mike!!! Hey! Don't space out!”

“What?!? What is it?”

“Well, there are only ponies in this nation, so the women among us are wondering where to get that extra safety for that time of the month.”

His eyes widened all of a sudden.
“Oh! Oh, yes... Right, right, right... I'll have to ask for some proper replacement then.”

“Yeah, you better do. They don't seem to have that problem around here.” Looking behind Mike, she then pointed at Tyler. “That Jones dude is still there, you go and ask right ahead.

But much to Mike's surprise Tyler turned around and approached him as to already expect him or looking for him for his own reasons.
“Mister Thorne?”

“Yes?”

“One a word, please.” Mike nodded and Tyler went with him along the corridor. Seemingly there was something on his mind as well he wanted to discuss.

Wasting no time, Mike addressed the topic he was asked to bring to the prince at once.
“There are concerns among the women. Frankly these ponies seem nice but there will very soon be a hygiene problem.”

Tyler arched both brows as he looked over to Mike.
“Hygiene problem?”

“Yes... Or do the ponies of this world menstruate?”

Now realization came to Tyler.
“Ah... That problem. Frankly, since we had one woman until today, I left it to her and Luna to handle this. But I see this is an urgent matter, so I will brief Ranger Higgins to meet the women this evening. Princess Luna will address them with the solution.” As they went along the corridor, they then got to a two winged door leading to a balcony. Stepping outside, Tyler then pointed downwards to a small town. “Down there lies Ponyville. And 600 meter into the west begin the White Tail Woods.”

Mike arched a brow.
“So?“

“So I am telling you this because right between them I wish you to establish your settlement.”

Shaking his head, Mike shrugged.
“Why are you telling me this?”

After closing his eyes, Tyler gave it a chuckle. Yes... Why was he telling him all this?
“Call it a gut feeling... I feel that you would make a fine leader for these people.”

Mike Thorne's eyes widened for a moment, before he frowned in confusion.
“Wait! What about you? I think you're the one being the prince. Shouldn't you be the leader?”

“My title has nothing to do with this.” Tyler replied, his eyes still closed. “These people know you, they will follow you. For now, it is good and proper that they have someone of their midst they can trust. I am but a stranger to them, they have no connection to me. At least not yet.”

Mike looked over to Tyler, a slow nod following. This man was a lot of things, but nothing the mass media back home depicted him. And one thing was absolutely certain: He wasn't out for power or control.
“This seems to be quite some vision you are having. A settlement? You mean human housing with human technology?”

Tyler rested his hands on the balcony railing.
“For two years I could only tell these ponies about my world. Then recently a hand full of them were able to witness it firsthand. Some took this in awe, some with concern. But it was quite interesting. While we humans seem to be empowered on this world, that very power seem to fade away on Earth.”

“You mean magic.” Mike replied, a frown growing in his face. “But this is contradiction. We saw what happened in Manhattan.”

Turning to Mike, Tyler shook his head.
“What happened in Manhattan was amplified by rips within our two worlds. The magic bled through and became stronger on our side, what made all this possible. But when we traveled back to Earth, we didn't cause such a rip and the opening was closed behind us. That means that the magic within our bodies was slowly dwindling.”

Answering with a glance of his own, Mike frowned.
“There's another thing: Many people, despite being unharmed otherwise, had severe skin burns after that flashing bright light that reversed everything done to Manhattan. The news were full with this. Skin bubbling up and falling of just to regrow within seconds. What's up with that?”

Hearing this, Tyler came to a complete standstill and stared at Mike, before he turned his head away in thought.
“Cutie marks...”

“What?” Mike then asked, a brow slowly arching.

Closing his eyes, Tyler then let a sigh and looked at Mike again, beginning his explanation.
“If a human comes in contact with the magic energies from this world, chances are high that there will be a cutie mark like the ponies have it. This will be one of the laws I will propose once we are in conference. Unicorns will be forbidden to use magic on humans, except for life saving measures.”

Mike Thorne blinked several times, staring with wide eyes at Tyler, confused.
“I must say I find that mark thing hard to believe.”

A smile formed on Tyler's lips.
“In good time, some of you might see this happening. Now, with the aid of your people, I can finally show the ponies mankind's true capability for good, our ingenuity.”

* * * * *

Later that day, in the late evening, the female survivors gathered together in Gala hall B, which was set as the meeting room for the night. Rachel Higgins was in the center of attention as the one woman who was in Equestria for a longer duration.
“How did you manage to keep things together?”

“These ponies don't jump at women, do they?”

“How did you keep in shape like that?”

“Have you been with a pony as well?”

Rachel had to force herself to smile at some of these question, though inside her eyes narrowed at the stupidity of some of them and the thunder of a thousand facepalms echoed in her mind.
“Actually they stick to their kind most of the time. As for the menstruation thing, Princess Luna was very much of help. I think she will hand to you the same solution. We don't have this sort of industry here, so don't expect thousands of articles thrown your way.”

The door opened and a pair of black high heels stepped through. One by one the women turned around, resulting in one jaw after another falling down. Dressed in a black evening dress, Princess Luna approached the gathering, well groomed and majestic black wings resting on her otherwise human body. Her shoulder-long blue hair had a minimal breeze in it, surely a remnant of her otherwise always moving mane.
“Good evening! I greet thou all and thank thee for coming to this late time in the evening.” Recognizing the many stares she caused, Luna stopped in her tracks. “What? What is it?”

One of the women shook her head.
“Excuse us, but... Princess Luna? If not for those angelic wings...you're a human woman now...”

Holding her hand up to her lips to cover the growing smirk, Luna giggled playfully.
“Thy skills of observation serve thee well. Yes, tis possible for a pony to turn human with magic... If only for one night.”

“And what attractive kind of woman...”

“Why I thank thee. I created the spell for this transformation myself. Normally the wings would go as well, but the spell was originally for earth ponies, unicorns and Pegasi. We alicorns seem a bit too complex for a full transformation.”

Clara eyed Luna for a bit before mumbling a bit under her breath.
“I see now why that Jones feller is so gosh darn attracted to them... She looks like a porn star.”

One of the others shot her a glare.
“Shut it, Clara! She's married to him!”

Luna remained calm on the surface, yet inhaled deep once.
“I will only say this once: Prince Tyler courted me before this spell came to be. I will not allow thee to slander his commitment to me. He loves me for who I am, not what I am!”

Blinking a bit surprised, Clara then looked to the ground.
“It was not my intention to insult you or him... I was obviously mistaken. I'm sorry.”

Giving a brief nod, Luna's smile returned at once.
“Then you are forgiven. Now: My husband has informed me that thou have no supplies to aid thee in thy monthly problem and that thou need the same aid as Ranger Higgins. Now, then... Here's the thing.” Holding up a tampon, Luna gently levitated it above. It was a bit difficult with this limited human body, but she made it work. “Each one of you will get one of these from me.”

“One?” one of the women asked. “Well, I was expecting something more... long term.”

Luna looked over to her and smirked.
“Well then! What's thy name?”

“Emily. Emily Watson.”

“Emily, would thou be a dear and dip this tampon into a glass of red wine?” Luna then asked. When the tampon was levitated to her, Emily grabbed it by the cord and put it into a full glass of red wine which was standing with many glasses standing there for refreshments. But while the wine was sucked in, the tampon was still white as snow.

Leaning in, some of the women couldn't believe their eyes.
“Wha- HOW?!?”

Luna chuckled a bit.
“Please don't think I would simply hand thee a piece of normal cotton to toss away after being used. I laid a spell over this, enchanted it so any fluid going into the cotton is transported directly into the local sewer system, currently the one of Canterlot. This of course means that this tampon, other than thy former ones is not just single use only, but self-cleaning and sustainable. Ranger Higgins is using hers for quite some time now and is satisfied with it.”

Wide eyes looked up from the glass with the tampon.
“This is incredibly useful! Thank you, Princess!”

“Tis nothing but a nice new challenge to solve a new problem we ponies usually don't have. No need to thank me.”

“Your husband must be very happy with so many gorgeous women around him...” someone stated in the background.

Giving a smirk, Luna then looked around.
“It appears I must correct thy view on this: This human form spell is only used on special occasions. It only works at night and at the first ray of sunlight the spell is broken. We normally only use this spell to become receptive to our husband's human seed or to drive him crazy. We as well find great pleasure in our husband and this spell seems to multiply his desire for us.” The one or another grin was had among the women hearing this. “However, I chose this form today out of respect. We are, after all, discussing a very intimate problem among females. And I enjoy talking to others. Other than Ranger Higgins we didn't have other women around, so we're actually curious about thy opinions.”

One of the women approached the princess, a knowing smile upon her face.
“You wish to interact with us so you can be a 'better woman' for your husband, right?”

Heat rose up in Luna's cheeks and she harrumphed as she closed her eyes.
“But of course! What wife doesn't want her husband to see her as best as she can be?”

Warm smiles went among the faces of the one or another women and the one that approached Luna offered her hand to her.
“Sarah Hardigan, nice to make your acquaintance.”

Blinking twice, Luna took her hand for a shake, smiling with a nod.
“Likewise!”

* * * * *

Later that night, the women returned to their rooms while Mike was standing at the doorsill to the royal garden. Taking note of the slight murmur behind, he turned around and nodded over to them.
“And? It went well?”

“Well, the hygiene problem seems fixed for now, we got some extra supplies in case our current ones should be damaged or new arrivals come.” Clara replied. “Oh yeah! And Sarah seems to have made friends with Princess Luna.”

Emily passed by them and sneered.
“Yeah... How nice of them to have so much prepared already with their fancy magic, but not the magic to catch the airplane.”

Mike turned around and shot her a glare.
“Excuse me?!?”

But she simply went her merry way.
“No, I won't. It's the truth and you know it, Thorne!”

Watching her go to her room, Mike's eyes narrowed while Clara approached him.
“Give her a break, she lost two brothers in the crash. She just can't handle the loss.”

Closing his eyes, Mike shook his head.
“I hope it's only that. We don't need a poisonous sentiment in our midst, no scapegoat to blame. Whatever happened, happened. No one did this on purpose.”

“Still, it's a mess.” Turning around, Mike saw an older man approaching them. Greg Dillard was one of the older men among the survivors, approaching his 60s and joined their group as an engineer and metallurgist. In case of broken machinery, Greg would have been their man to make spare parts Now with all machinery broken, he was only a better mechanic.

“Greg...”

“I'm with you on this, Mike. No one did this on purpose, yet the damage is done. All plain wrong if you ask me...” Looking into the direction Emily went, Greg shook his head. “An old guy like me is still alive... And two youngsters, barely over 20, with their entire lives ahead of them, bite the dust... Nothing I'm willing to brag about...”

* * * * *

Two days later, the weather around Ponyville was cloudy, and although rain was planned for this day, the princesses had enforced a rescheduling to postpone the rain until later that day. In Canterlot, Sam, Flynn and Rachel stood near the Canterlot Cemetary in their formal Ranger uniforms, which was currently secured by the Royal Guard.
“Did Tyler say anything about why he wanted every human Harmony Ranger around?”

Sam sighed. Pinkie had stuff to do and Lyra was dealing with some things in the HQ while they attended here.
“Today's the burial. 130 human survivors attend the burial of about 600 dead. We are to attend here as well. The princesses will be there also. But where is Tyler?”

Nodding over to Ponyville, Rachel harrumphed.
“There he is!”

“Where?”

“Down there! He's doing his Superman thing.”

Looking below, Flynn soon spotted a blue beam flying over Sweet Apple Acres, a blue orb at its point. Rachel's eyes had become quite sharp these days, one had to look for it to see it that far away. The beam then flew over Ponyville, where a multicolored beam and a third stripe of smoke and thunder strike joined in. A sight Flynn identified at once.
“There are times when I wish I could fly like him with my girls...”

One by one, Rainbow, Spitfire and Tyler landed with Spitfire turning over to him.
“You've improved since your first few flights, your highness. I see that Rainbows lessons were taken to heart.”

Bowing down a bit, Tyler nodded while shaking her hoof with a gentle smile.
“Thank you, Captain. It's always nice to hear that from experienced flyers. ”

Giving a nod, Spitfire then turned around, gave Flynn a knowing wink and trotted half past him.
“Same time as always, Flynn?”

Tickling her chin, Flynn then chuckled playfully.
“Well, somepony is eager...”

Looking up to him, Spitfire then shot him a sultry look.
“Must be the new uniform.”

Rainbow snickered a bit when looking at Spitfire, then got serious and shot Tyler an angered glare.
“Don't think I didn't notice that you were holding back!”

Looking away with faked innocence, Tyler shrugged.
“I don't know what you mean...”

But Rainbow lifted a hoof and poked his chest with it in accusation.
“Come on, T-Man! We both know you were holding back the speed. And I bet it's to preserve my image. Nice of you, but we both know that without magic, you can't fly, so I'm still the fastest flyer in all of Equestria, even when you could 'move' faster.”

Tyler shot Rainbow a surprised look.
“That's right... Interesting...”

“What?”

“Rainbow, since when were you so precise with terms?”

“Come on, Tyler! Cut it out! You don't fly, you 'move' through the air with that force field of yours. You don't have wings, so that disqualifies you from every flying competition. And magic strong enough and teleportation will always be faster than a Pegasus.”

Folding his arms, Tyler gave her a smirk.
“Now you make me feel like being a cheater.”

“Sure! Because I'm so awesome I can even outfly a cheater.”

Laughing in good fun, Tyler nodded.
“Alright, supermare. Next time I won't go easy on you. You'll have your race.”

This statement brought a grin to her face and she took off to catch up to Spitfire. Shooting Tyler a questioning glance, Rachel shook her head.
“You really think you can fly faster than her?”

Tyler could only shrug.
“Frankly? I don't know. Might be possible, might be impossible. Rainbow grows stronger as well, not just me. Now with the Wonderbolt Academy, she has all the access to better training than she had in Ponyville. I don't know. Also, keep in mind that she really flies, I'm limited to the magic stored in me. Sure! I could outdo her with a vast amount of magic. But once that's depleted, she'll leave me in the dust. Only Flynn here can keep up with her in a longer term. But even he will grow weak and hungry due to his faster metabolism. I strongly doubt no human can ever hope to be as fast as Rainbow in the long run. Not even me.” Passing by them, he then got a serious tone. “But enough of that. We're not here because of me or Rainbow. We have a funeral to attend to...”

Out of respect, Princess Celestia had ordered that speaking roles of ponies, if present at all, were to be reduced to a minimum. The losses were human losses and their grief heavily outweighed any sympathy. Taking the partial blame of being unprepared to the recent catastrophe, she already expected tensions between humans and ponies to rise once humans started accusations and ponies being unwilling to take the blame. If the humans were to blame someone, it had to be her and her alone for leaving the nation unprepared. One by one the humans made their speeches, telling their stories about lost friends or relatives.

Listening closely, she already heard the bitterness in the one or another voiced story. More often than once she noticed herself being watched by Luna as she had rested a wing on her younger sister, fearing for her temper to escalate the situation and speak out. But the escalation never came and Luna bumped her sister's wing away ever so gently with an unseen movement of her own wings. Secretly, Celestia was calmed after this. Luna already understood the importance of this and didn't need to be watched. Looking over to Tyler , she recognized him to be noticeably silent during the whole funeral.

Once the survivors had spoken, the royal herd looked at each other. Tyler was willed to address the humans, but Celestia already stood up. 'If they have to blame someone or somepony... Let it be me!' With closed eyes she approached the podium, looking at the crowd once she had reached it. Already she noticed the one or another glance hitting her like a dagger. Giving a heavy sigh, she then began her speech.
“So many hopes and dreams for a better future... crushed and destroyed in one single moment. One cannot lay witness to this tragedy and not be touched. For me, this was only proof that we are not ready yet. Not ready to establish a stable crossing from Earth to Equis. These deaths showed me that we as a nation were and still are so utterly unprepared for the future that lies ahead of all of us. Yet these deaths will not be in vain! They mustn't be! I will see to it that measures will be installed as soon as possible to ensure that such a tragedy is never to happen again. The eyes of Equestria now look at the 130 survivors in front of me. Some of these eyes look doubtful, some concerned, yet some ever so hopeful that you will enrich this nation, for some know what four of your kind were able to achieve here already. I will support any means to give each one of you the opportunity to show your true potential.”

Once Celestia had ended and was about to sit down once again, Tyler stood up, much to her surprise. They exchanged some glances and it was clear to him that she didn't want him to speak in order to be the only one who would be hated, if at all. But Tyler stood at the podium anyway. His hands were sweaty and a mixture of feelings rose up in him. Anxiety, shame, responsibility and anger. Yet his mind fought these feelings and after a gulp he raised his voice.
“It's not easy standing here... in front of just a fraction of those who wanted to come here... I... I wish there were words to say to ease the pain some here are suffering under, yet there are none great or inspiring enough to look over those lost souls. I remember a once great man saying that a nation chose to go to the moon of Earth. Not because it was an easy undertaking, but because it was hard. Well? Starting to establish a stable and safe connection between our two worlds is hard as well it seems and I will make a vow in front of this assembly with the burden of a body count of 596...”

His fist slammed down to the podium. “... that I will not rest until there is a safe way to cross to Equestria and such a tragedy is stopped from ever happening again. If this is an undertaking that needs to be addressed magically or technically needs to be seen. But see to it I will! I can promise you that!” Applause now rose from the other humans. It wasn't a great applause or standing ovations, yet for the moment, the survivors seem to have taken his word and in his mind Tyler already prayed no further airplane would come that quickly again.

When the crowd slowly dispersed and he stepped down from the podium, he, Celestia and Luna made their way to the carriage back to the castle. Celestia had her eyes closed, seemed a bit grumpy.
“I didn't want you to hold a speech, Tyler...”

“I had to, Sweetie. It would look bad if the only human noble in Equestria wouldn't say something.”

“Maybe, but I think it would have been better if only I-”

They were interrupted in their whispered conversation when several men and a women approached them.
“Um... Prince Tyler?”

Slightly surprised, Tyler turned around.
“Yes? What is it?”

“We heard about the Harmony Rangers and wondered: What exactly are these Rangers doing?”

First exchanging a glance with Celestia, Tyler then nodded at them and smiled.
“Basically? The Harmony Rangers are a group aiding the Royal Guard. Ponies with human knowledge taking on enemies otherwise too strong for the Guard, yet our forces act beyond the borders while the Guard acts inside the borders. We already have recruits from outside of Equestria, of the neighboring kingdoms.” Looking to Rachel, Tyler raised his voice to yell over to her. “Rachel? By any chance, is Ranger Garol around?”

“The Griffin? Sure, he should be around somewhere. Why? Do we need him?” Rachel replied.

Looking down in thought, Carmen Vasquez then suddenly looked up.
“I want to sign up!” Shortly others stepped up as well.

“Me too!”

“Yeah, me as well!”

Perplexed, Tyler looked at them.
“What?!?”

“Yes! I think I can take it.”

Shaking his head, Tyler began explaining them the situation.
“Let me be clear there: Physical observation and a thorough test lie ahead of you, if you want to join now. This new test is tough stuff, 79% of the applicants fail it.”

“Well, we at least have to give it a shot.” Carmen countered.

Looking at them, Tyler could see the determination in their eyes. It wasn't long before he nodded with an assuring smile.
“Alright.”

Celestia glanced over to him.
“Tyler! Are you sure that's right? I mean so soon after such a traumatic event?”

Looking at the applicants, Tyler then began to smirk.
“Oh, I am serious. If they pass PO and the Koba Test, they might be Ranger material. But rest assured, Miss Vasquez, all of you: If you pass and become Harmony Rangers... You don't fucking quit on me! I intend to have a sharp eye for troublemakers...”

* * * * *

Three days later, the physical observation test phase was done and two men and one woman stood in front of Tyler and a unicorn. Giving them an approving nod, Tyler smirked.
“Ten applicants entered... yet only three of you stand here before me. Well, you three passed the PO, so I guess that makes you the first three human recruits since the founding of the HQ to reach the second phase of the recruiting.” Big and sturdy vault doors opened and Tyler turned over to the applicants. “Welcome to the Harmony Ranger Headquarter.”

As they followed him into the clean, almost sterile enviroment, Jake Hunnigan looked around in mild awe.
“How far does this corridor go?”

“Several miles into the mountain with several security stations along the way.” Tyler replied, “But for now none of you will see any of this. The observations will take place on the higher levels, the better stuff is stationed below. If you pass the Koba Test, you will one day have the opportunity to see all of this.”

While Tyler made some notes on a clipboard, the three applicants behind him and his unicorn secretary began conversing with one another.
“Perkins didn't make it.”

Carmen Vasquez rolled her eyes. Among the applicants, she was one of two women, but now after the PO, she was the only one remaining.
“Perkins is a fat porker. I commend him for holding out that long for it really showed his commitment to this, but after all, he's not ready yet if they need some specific physique.”

“And that's where you fit in, I presume... Eh, Vasquez? Like it made a difference to Gregson, who was as strong and fast as you are, yet failed at the visual test.”

Showing Jake Hunnigan the finger, Vasquez expressed her disregard.
“Fuck you, Hunnigan! Don't put me on one level with that fat porker!”

That was when Richard stepped in.
“Easy now, you both have good points...” As he nodded towards Tyler, they noticed that, although they were following him, Tyler didn't turn around to listen to them or attempted any conversation with them. He left them unattended and didn't urge them to keep up. “Seriously, folks... What's with that guy?”

Vasquez arched a brow.
“Don't know... But I'm not here to talk about that guy. I'm here to get this test done!”

But Jake shook his head.
“Richard's right, Vasquez... This Jones guy... There's something about him I can't point out. Something that doesn't feel right with all that magic stuff... Keep your eyes peeled.”

* * * * *

The waiting room was tidied up and among the applicants were several races. Three humans, four Griffins five unicorns, six earth ponies and two pegasi. Looking at each other, the humans gazed in mild wonder at the griffins, before Richard broke the awkward silence.
“So... Does anyone know what this 'Koba Test' is?”

One of the griffins shrugged.
“I've overheard some Rangers talking about this. They said the test must be really hard for some. It's not so much that everyone fails, just some pass but concede their application form right after passing.”

A unicorn stallion nodded and looked around.
“Nothing certain is known about that test. Those who partake in it are forced to avoid speaking about it. I heard that this measure is new and serves as a safety measure for this facility.”

A door opened and a blue unicorn mare stepped into the room. Taking a look at the clipboard she levitated in front of herself, she looked up at the five applicants.
“Richard Henson?”

Richard took a gulp and stood up.
“Here goes...”

Following the mare into a corridor and later into a room with a chair and several seats at tables, he was lead directly to the chair and asked to sit down in it. He could see an Afro-american in the room as well as another unicorn, both nodding at him.
“Keep calm, Richard. Everything will be explained to you. The test will endure for exactly one hour. After that, you will know more about Equestria than you ever thought to know in that time and we will know about you as well.”

Richard gulped once again and nodded, nervous and unknowing what to expect. He was sitting in a comfortable chair, so they obviously didn't expect him to fight. The observational training was hard, yet bearable. However, he noticed a certain lack of instruments in the room. There was nothing to measure him there. Not for brain activities, no lie detector, no machinery whatsoever. Where they about to ask him questions? That made the most sense to him and despite feeling a bit sleepy, he braced himself for uncomfortable, maybe rude or embarrassing questions.

* * * * *

One hour passed and the door opened once again, Richard stepping out of it. Jake and the others looked up and approached him at once.
“And..?”

Richard exchanged some uncertain glances with them, before a smile crept over his face.
“Well, what can I say? I passed!”

The reply caused Jake to pat Richard's shoulder at once.
“Really?!?Awesome! And? How do you feel about it?”

“Was it hard? What did you have to do?” asked another one.

But before Richard could answer, the unicorn mare behind him harrumphed loud, arching a brow.
“Ranger Ensign Henson won't tell any one of you about the test. If anyone will go into the test with foreknowledge, he or she will automatically fail and be escorted outside the facility. Next is Green Petal!” An Earth pony stallion gulped and approached her, following her to the test.

* * * * *

On the following day, the twenty applicants stood in one group, yet only three humans, one griffin, two unicorns, two earth ponies and one Pegasus were wearing Ranger stars.
“Nine out of twenty...” Looking into their faces, Tyler began to smile in satisfaction. “Not bad. Not bloody damn bad. You human Rangers will be posted in Horizon Valley and Ponyville as soon as our posts in these cities are standing. Due to the Koba Test, your results should have given you all the knowledge you need in Equestrian society. The rest of those who passed: You will have your posts given to you within the hour. To those of you who didn't pass... Relax. No one will take this against you. Please continue to support your local community in the best way you can. You taking this test means the will to make a difference and in Equestria, that sometimes means the world.”

* * * * *

Two days later, Richard was escorting Tyler in a balloon going down to Ponyville. Freezing a bit from the chilling winds, Richard looked down to their final destination.
“Why the trip down?”

“To fetch up Princess Twilight and a few dozen scrolls.” Tyler answered, “All in preparation for the appointment with the delegates from Horizon Valley. The princesses want to conference what to propose at that meeting, what would be just, what would be too bold to ask and what could be offered for compromises. In other words: We are to collect some paperwork.”

Rubbing his arms, Richard looked over to Tyler
“Diplomacy, eh? I'm sorry if I'm hearing things not meant for me. Uh, your highness, that is...”

Tyler, however, shot Richard a smile.
“Nonsense! Really, it's alright. You are here with me to hear things like that as well.”

“What?”

“I think it's only good and proper if you human Rangers are telling your folks over at Horizon Valley what you hear the princesses and me discussing or what ponies say. Richard, the princesses and I know that the only way to go into the future with mankind is together. And this means earning the trust of the people by playing with open cards. So whenever you're hearing something outside the Ranger Headquarter, feel free to tell others. But retain information from the inside of the HQ. Your fellow Rangers, human or other species, might depend on your secrecy.” Tyler then shot Richard a glare. “However... Don't call me 'your highness'! The Ponies do that already all the time and I don't like it.”

“If you don't mind me asking,...” Richard thought for a moment, before he continued. “...Sir... Why the Koba Test? What's the meaning behind it?”

“The Koba Test is crisis and observation paired with a crash course on Equestrian way of life.” Tyler replied. “Princess Twilight came up with the idea of the crash course, an idea I deem most useful to prepare recruits new to Equestria. Of course, inhabitants of Equestria won't see it as a crash course since they're already accustomed to that.”

Richard thought for a moment. Sure, experiencing three whole months in a simulated Equestria prepared him for his duties in the real life and all this experience only took him an hour to take in. However, realization quickly occurred and he looked up.
“Wait! Observation?!?” Richard began to blush heavily. “B-but... I was with...!”

A sly grin formed on Tyler's face.
“And you won't be judged for having good taste, Richard. It is a character test, its purpose is to evaluate where your loyalties are. The love interest within the test was only to enhance the situation. If you would have chosen otherwise, you would have failed the test and wouldn't have the privilege to wear that star upon your chest.”

Taking a short glimpse at his Ranger Star, Richard then looked up.
“That test was cruel... There was no positive outcome! And you? Did you performed that test as well?”

Looking down with a sigh, Tyler smiled a bit.
“Yes and no. When I was forced into a similar situation as you were in the Koba Test, I experienced over 70 years of dream.”

Richard's jaw dropped.
“What...” he began before clearing his throat a bit, “What happened?”

Chuckling, Tyler shook his head.
“Well... I blew up the planet.” This only left Richard speechless.

* * * * *

Once in Ponyville, they approached the Golden Oak Library, prompting Richard to look up in awe. “I remember this from the Koba Test... But seeing it in the flesh... Amazing!”

Tyler grinned at this statement.
“Yes... Golden Oak... My first and therefore most beloved sanctuary in all of Equestria.” When they entered, Richard stepped in first, his eyes wide in marvel about each and every detail. Behind him, Tyler looked to the upper floors. “Twilight! I brought a guest from Canterlot!”

Coming down the stairs, Twilight shot both of them a welcoming smile.
“Is that so? In that case: Welcome to Ponyville! My name is-”

“Twilight Sparkle!” Richard interrupted her, pointing at her half dazed in amazment. “Princess of Magic and married to Head Ranger Prince Tyler.”

“Eh... yeah... Well, this is awkward. It seems you know more about me than I know about you.” Looking behind Richard, she eyed to Tyler. “What's this about?”

Closing the door behind him, Tyler then joined in and held his hands up calmingly.
“The Koba Test. Richard knows about your vague whereabouts, Twilight. Nothing more. He knows that you're an Element of Harmony Bearer, an alicorn princess and married to me. Not much more...”

Arching a brow, Twilight then looked up to Richard again.
“OK then, you can imagine the oddity of someone coming in to claim he knows so much of your life.”

Richard chuckled a little nervous.
“Well... I imagine that to be quite cringe-worthy. But no worries: I simply know that you're important to Head Ranger Tyler in more ways than one. I'm just... amazed to actually see you in the flesh.”

Reaching out a hoof, she gave him a smile.
“Good! Let's work hard to really learn to know each other better in the real world, not a simulation of somepony.”

“Agreed!” He replied, taking her hoof for a shake.

Patting on five stacks of paper sheets, Tyler harrumphed.
“And we could start with taking all these sheets of paper into the balloon.”

While Richard carried one stack of papers, Tyler and Twilight each took two stacks and levitated them towards the balloon. This made Richard frown a little.
“Wait... Why not carry all these paper sheets with magic?”

Placing her stacks into place, Twilight looked over to Richard, while Tyler placed his stacks into place as well.
“Because levitated weight still has weight to it. Sure, I could have done that all by myself, I've easily plucked a few hundred apples from Sweet Apple Acres at one time and levitated them, but someone here seemingly thought it would be a nice thing for his new Rangers to get into routine...”

Richard shot Tyler a surprised look and once his stacks were in place, he chuckled and levitated the one Richard was holding out of his hands.
“You got me... Just a little thing to show you around.” Once they've filled the balloon with all needed paperwork, Twilight nodded and they took off. During the flight, Tyler looked over to her. “So, why have you called me for?” This question made Richard look up. Didn't they simply come for some paperwork?

While the balloon was on its ascent, Twilight looked over to him.
“It's about the nobles. They're at it again. This time they are attacking Celestia and Luna directly.”

Tyler's eyes narrowed in slight annoyance as he nodded over to Richard.
“And our most recent plan for them no doubt.”

“They will achieve nothing major. As usual. The ponies follow Celestia because she never led us astray. There is no reason to change this well-oiled leadership.”

Tyler's face darkened further as he uttered his warning.
“Be careful of those who lust for power, Twilight. Such individuals can be the undoing of any civilization.”

Looking towards Canterlot Castle, Twilight sighed.
“Well, Celestia asked us to pay them a visit and put some pressure on them.” As she witnessed Tyler grin over to her while cracking his knuckles, she replied with a chuckle and shook her head. “No, not that kind of pressure. If that would have been the plan, she would have asked Luna to engage in a nice brawl.”

Tyler grinned even wider.
“Didn't she tell us about that one time before Luna turned into Nightmare Moon, when she was so fed up with the nobles, she took Luna's favorite blanket and claimed the nobles wanted to sacrifice it?”

Giving in to a hearty giggle, Twilight again shook her head.
“I think she never laughed so much like on that particular evening she told us that.”

“Oh yes, she did. On the day she did that.” That only made them laugh even harder.

Holding her belly, Twilight then gasped for air.
“Ahhh...No. We need some diplomatic finesse this time No violence, we'll persuade them.”

Tyler smiled and nodded over to Richard once more.
“Then it's good I brought Richard here.”

His eyes darting between the two of them, Richard then listened up even more closely.
“What?”

* * * * *

Once landed in Canterlot, they were already greeted by the royal secretary Raven and several members of the Royal Guard
“Here you go, Raven. I think Princess Celestia will be pleased with all the ideas Princess Twilight will add to the discussion.” Seeing the small mountain of paperwork, Raven's jaw dropped slightly as she turned to Twilight, who grinned with enthusiasm, before the earth pony nodded and several unicorn guards levitated the papers into the castle. Tyler almost slipped to laughter at Raven's glance, which had 'She's not making me list all this for the princess, is she?' all over it. Sometimes Twilight was so gosh darn in love with detail that she forgot about others and it was this what made her cute at times.

A few minutes later they approached the mansion, a well maintained and seemingly luxurious estate with wide gardens. Richard was reminded of Earth's french nobility back in the day. At least this had a similar feeling to it. The floor was expensive looking marble, the wood all around them highly processed and polished as in the castle. As they entered the entrance hall and aimed for the stairs to the next floor, they could already hear a male voice from the noble council meeting.
“This plan of theirs is total folly. A fantasy blinded by the 'principle of friendship'. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna let these people into our nation without questioning how many of them will come after them! This might create a national threat and cultural clashes.”

Upon hearing this, Tyler grinned wide in amusement and shook his head as he recognized the voice.
“Good old Evergreen Leaf...” He had some minor confrontations with the noble pony in the past, but he never took it to a personal level. Baron Evergreen Leaf had his personal political agenda, but he knew he couldn't face Tyler on a personal level in a fight, but he had influence among the nobles. So Tyler had the magical prowess and the princesses behind him while Evergreen had the nobles behind him. It was always a stalemate between them two, a thing that Tyler often took to his amusement.

Another voice became audible, belonging to a mare this time.
“The Horizon Valley plan to create and maintain a proper human settlement within our nation is a good plan. Ever since the arrival of the three other humans, we all knew the day would come that there would come even more. We should showcase that we mean them no harm and are willing to set up an alliance with them.”

Standing in the council meeting, Baron Evergreen Leaf addressed the other nobles, who discussed with the old, cobalt gray stallion with white mane.
“It's true that we knew there would come more, but we are not talking about five more or a dozen more. Now they come in the hundreds! We all know from Prince Tyler himself that they have billions of humans on their world! If their intentions were ill-minded, they could easily send thousands, even hundreds of thousands into our world. The Horizon Valley plan is nothing but the aspiration of fools and dreamers! We-” He then noticed Tyler and Twilight and chuckled a bit. “...We were just talking about you.”

Tyler arched a brow with a smirk.
“That's nice of you for a change, Baron Evergreen Leaf. Usually you're screaming about me.”

While the one or another laugh was had among the nobles, the Baron recognized Richard in the background. Pointing a hoof at him, Evergreen frowned at Tyler.
“Who is that? You know the rules, your highness: This house does not allow visitors while a council meeting is in session!”

Stepping aside, Tyler rested a hand on Richard's shoulder.
“May I present? Harmony Ranger Richard Henson, one of our first recruits who just recently passed a test giving witness to their loyalty to this nation. It is my belief that more recruits might follow once more humans cross over.”

“Speculation!” Evergreen Leaf countered,“You yourself gave Princess Celestia the advice to contain humans upon discovering them. This can only mean that you as well think or at least thought that not all humans mean well!”

Tyler knew all too well what Evergreen Leaf was playing for, but he wouldn't let him succeed.
“Yes, but we are pass the total unknown by now. Mankind knows that Equis exists and how to get here. They will come whether or not you like it. It would be foolish to force them away. Rather let them join us by choice.”

Shaking her head briefly, Twilight took a stance, looked around at all the noble ponies.
“Don't you see the opportunity at hoof? Mankind is curious about us and these few hundred seek to live in our midst. Only a fool would shove them away. We have a rare case where we could forge a powerful alliance, not only with other nations, but a whole world.”

Spreading his arms, Tyler then addressed the nobles.
“When I, who was initially brought into this world against my will, could learn to see this nation as my beloved home and decide to defend it, so can others who came here by choice.”

Several nods were had among the noble ponies now, much to Evergreen's dismay. But it was a certain hoof that stomped to the ground. Turning around, Tyler saw the meanwhile familiar face of Earl Draco von Hoofington. Tyler wondered how the vampony was able to move in Canterlot during the day. 'Maybe he used underground tunnels... Looking at his fellow nobles, von Hoofington nodded over to Tyler.
“He has a point there, the three humans that followed him also became Harmony Rangers and defend Equestria today... I say we let them try for the moment and see what progress these humans make. Maybe their efforts can prove beneficial for all of Equestria.”

Evergreen Leaf gritted his teeth, but swallowed his anger. His opinion didn't have the upper hoof, yet this, of that he was certain, was not the end of it.
“Very well, then... Prince Tyler... It seems the Princess of Friendship and the inhabitants of Castle Ensanglanter are on your side on this. But be aware that every good and bad step the humans do falls back to you! And there will be eyes watching you...”

With that Tyler nodded and both the Princess of Friendship and the Prince of Willpower gave their best regards to the nobles, before they went outside again. Richard, until now only a silent observer, finally spoke up.
“ Reminds me of politics back on Earth. Not a pleasant feller, this Evergreen.”

As they walked along the corridor towards the front door, Tyler had his eyes closed, a slight migraine creeping up. Truly these nobles were a hand full of work sometimes. To think that Celestia endured this for a thousand years without going berserk made him wonder about her self-control not to punch them into the face at some point.
“Don't mind him, Richard. He is my problem, not yours.”

Once outside, they headed towards the balloon again. Looking up to Tyler, Twilight arched both brows.
“Tyler? He asks quite some good questions. What will the newcomers do? Do you think many of the humans that will cross over will work as Harmony Rangers?”

Tyler immediately shook his head.
“Not everyone. They don't come here to be a Ranger, they come here to live here. And even then not everyone applying for Ranger membership will become a Harmony Ranger. We'll filter out those unfit to serve in that kind of work with physical examinations and of course the Koba test. But as of right now it is a prestigious career and humans like being seen in such positions. Maybe the Harmony Rangers will lead by example, forging mankind into a better spiritual and physical state.”

“Like Paladins?” Richard then asked.

“Sort of, but without the religious zeal...” Once at the market near the balloon, Tyler pointed over to the Ranger Headquarter. “Well then, if you would excuse me? Twilight, I leave Richard here with you, I got some things to do in the HQ.”

Frowning a bit, Richard shook his head.
“Wouldn't it be better if I'm coming along?”

“I'll show you around later. You will get some work in Headquarters until your post in Horizon Valley is set. And as you can see...” Holding up a single folder, Tyler then waved it around gently. “I have to go through some papers... I also have to make some talks, it would bore you to death. But, you can assist Princess Twilight here with some errands and later on have a trip over to Horizon Valley and back here to Canterlot to tell your folks about your new home to be.”

Giving a frustrated sigh, Richard's shoulders sank down.
“An escort mission? Really?”

With a knowing smirk, Tyler nodded.
“Yes, I know... The most bothersome mission of all, but I think she can handle having an eye on you.” And with that he teleported away.

While Twilight giggled, Richard shook his head in confusion.
“Wait, what?!?”

* * * * *

In the Ranger Headquarters, several ponies and griffins went along the corridors, carrying objects or papers to their distinctive target destinations. After the battle with the Descendant armada, more and more applicants from all over the world wished to offer their services either as Ranger doing indoor service or external work in the field. Whosoever was capable of handling a rifle was aiming for work in that field while lots of unicorns were also interested in research and development possibilities the HQ offered. Taking note of a unicorn mare standing in the busy corridor, Flynn first frowned, then recognized her.
“I remember you. You are one of the new ensigns that passed this morning. That's the Canterlot division, yes?”

Saluting with eagerness, the white unicorn nodded while her magic levitated a cup of hot chocolate.
“Yes, sir! I wanted to put my magic to work where it could benefit others the most. With the victory over Nagohod, I decided that this career would be most beneficial for Equestria. Ensign Lilly Snow Twinkle, ready for duty!”

Chuckling a bit, Flynn nodded.
“Well, that's the spirit. With that attitude you're going to fit in here nicely.” He then pointed at her cup of hot chocolate and shook his head. “But you shouldn't drink that here in the lively corridors. With that much chaos right now, chances are high you'll bump into someone with that or someone bumps into you.”

Lilly looked down to her white cup. It still steamed and the content was still not drinkable without risking to burn her lips or tongue. Giving it a frown, she looked up to Flynn once more.
“You're right, Ranger Marshall. That chocolate is still a bit too hot to take it in one go. I'll better head back to the mess hall."

But when she turned around, she bumped into someone and gave surprised yelp while the hot chocolate spilled all over the place. Her eyes became big as plates as she recognized who she bumped into. Looking up to Tyler, her ears dropped as all sorts of bad scenarios appeared in her head.
“Oh no! How terrible! I'm sorry, Head Ranger! It really wasn't my intention-”

Grimacing at the brown stain on Tyler's white uniform, Flynn took a sharp breath through his teeth and came to the aid of the ensign.
“All of this is my fault, Tyler.”

Arching a brow, Tyler looked over to Flynn.
“Oh really?”

Levitating a handkerchief, the nervous mare grimaced as she tried to clean the stain, only to make it worse.
“I didn't pay attention. You're full of chocolate!”

Grimacing a bit, Tyler tried his best to maintain the smile on his face.
“Yes, Ensign, you got that right...”

In an instant, the white unicorn stood attention and saluted with shaky legs.
“Y-yes! E-ensign Lilly Snow Twinkle, s-sir!”

Flynn sighed and nodded.
“Ensign Snow Twinkle absolved both screening and Koba Test in our Canterlot bureau.”

“Yes... I was there, Flynn. Imagine that. Canterlot Division then, eh? How interesting...” Looking down to her, Tyler again arched a brow. “Now, Ensign Lilly Snow Twinkle? The easiest solution to this situation would be that I change my uniform.”

While Lilly's eyes darted over the uniform, the many stains and her own handkerchief, unable to undo the damage, Flynn stepped in to aid the speechless mare.
“Head Ranger, I have to take full responsibility for this incident.”

Tyler shot Flynn another glare. It had been one of those glares Flynn deciphered as one of those 'I know what you're trying to do here.' glares. Tyler knew Flynn was coming to Lilly's aid out of camaraderie, yet some extra training sessions would have taught her not to be so careless. Tyler was annoyed and angered by this incident now, despite not showing it, but seemed to let it slip for Flynn.
“Yes, Ranger Marshall, I understand.”

When Tyler left, Lilly looked after him, her ears dropping down.
“Oh dear... Now I've done it. They say the first impression is the most important one.”

Giving a smirk, Flynn nodded at her.
“One thing is certain: The prince isn't going to forget you so easy after that...”

* * * * *

Tyler was boiling a bit, yet the anger lowered with each passing moment. It was an annoyance, nothing more. No harm was intended, just the carelessness of an ensign. As he passed by some windows, Sage turned over to him in the reflection.
“Disciplinary measures should be in place, wouldn't you agree?”

Gritting his teeth, Tyler closed his eyes while going down the corridor.
“You shut it! I won't have that now!”

“What? You were thinking it as well, don't deny it!”

Stopping now, Tyler began to smirk.
“Would you rather discuss this with the girls?”

This was enough to cause Sage's grin to wither away.
“Oh... I get it... We're getting cocky now. But you can't deny that you thought it. Not in front of me!”

“I am in control of this mind! Not you and certainly not Rage!”

“Suuure... Then who of us needs the girls to inhibit me?”

Tyler wanted to turn around and smash the glass, only to notice Discord in front of him. Stopping dead in his motion, Tyler looked at the Draconequis, baffled.
“Discord...?”

Giving Tyler a knowing smirk, Discord leaned at the glass.
“Having a little discussion with yourself, I see?” Laying an arm around Tyler's shoulder, the Draconequis looked at all the stains on the otherwise clean uniform. “Did you play with your meal again?” Waving his hand over the stains, he made them disappear. “There you go. No need to thank me, it's nothing.”

Briefly inspecting his cleaned uniform, Tyler nodded and looked over to Discord.
“Oh I almost forgot to thank you for another thing...”

“What is that?”

Pulling Discord in by his goatee, Tyler pulled him close so he could look him directly into the eyes. A furious blue glow emanated from his own as he gritted his teeth.
“Your plunder seeds almost killed everyone in the Ranger HQ, clogging every air ventilation shaft, making us fight for our very lives!”

Grimacing a bit, Discord chuckled nervously.
“Yes, well, ummm...”

But Tyler didn't listen. He let go of the Draconequis and shook his head.
“Forget about it. Just tell me one thing: Are there any more surprises or leftovers you left lying around? Any other doomsday device that might cause some trouble?”

This stumped the Draconequis a big deal.
“Wait, you're not mad at me?”

Going through his hair with both hands, Tyler took a deep breath before turning around to Discord and pointing at him.
“Oh, I am mad at you... But precautionary measures are my jurisdiction now. So if you have anything left, tell me now so we can take action before it escalates.”

“I can't think of anything more...” Tyler's eyes narrowed, causing Discord to shrug and grin. “Honestly!”

Tyler's face remained hard for a few moments, then he began to smirk.
“If you say so... I'm going to have a talk with Fluttershy about that topic. I'm sure she'll be eager to talk about the Draconequii we battled on Earth.”

This immediately got Discord's attention.
“You what?”

“When we were on Earth, we engaged several of them.” Tyler answered. “Do you know something about this?”

Stroking his goatee, the former Spirit of Chaos hummed in thought.
“Can't be... Other than me, only one other Draconequis knows of opening transdimensional rifts and rips...”

Giving Discord a strict glare, Tyler's right brow twitched ever so slightly.
“Who?”

“My sister, Eris. We've been out of touch since... oooh, for eons! I left the family, if one could call it that. We're all little and big brothers and one sister. Big Brother Discord I was called, Eris, being the second oldest in our bunch, was deemed the Big Sister. I think she sent the Draconequis to find a way towards Earth. And after that nice little impulse you created together with Twilight, they were most able to find you two, no matter in what plane of existence.” Nudging Tyler into the ribs, he then grinned. “I never took you for such an exhibitionist, Tyler.”

Arching back a bit, Tyler blushed a bit.
“W-What?!? But we never did it in the open!”

Shrugging, the Draconequis grinned.
“Physically not, perhaps, but magically, it's just a way to send a message throughout the planes: 'Hey! I'm impregnating an alicorn right now!'

A mixture of shame and understanding went through Tyler's mind.
“That explains this odd pulse right after our climax... So this happens each time an alicorn gets impregnated?”

“What do I know? This is something new to happen in a long, long time. I don't know if Celestia knows of other cases, I for once, do not. Why don't you ask your unicorn friend to speed things up a bit with his wife to get a confirmation?”

“Mind your manners, old boy!” Tyler warned with a raised index finger. “You are talking about my best friend here! And Cadance is not due for alicorn heat for the next 500 years, so that story is over! I'm sure they tried, but she's not pregnant now, so that means it won't happen in his lifetime anymore.”

But the grin on Discord's face didn't falter.
“Ohhh.... But it is you who gave these two the means to enter parenthood anyway.”

“What is that supposed to-” Then realization struck Tyler. “The human transformation spell...”

“Precisely! This means that you did the groundwork for mares to choose a partner they deem fit and then enter pregnancy even outside of heat season. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance seem to undergo this procedure right now.”

“A spell with a 100% chance of impregnation...” Holding his forehead, Tyler closed his eyes as he shook his head. “This needs to remain a secret for now. If word came out about this, everyone would want it! What problems could ascent from that...?”

Folding his arms, the former Spirit of Chaos gave Tyler a concerned glance.
“You can hide that fact from the ponies... But what about the others? There are other things that should concern you, Tyler...”

Tyler shot him a glare.
“Like what?”

A heartily chuckle escaped Discord's throat.
“Oh, please... Don't take me for a fool! It's impossible to fool a Draconequis that's out of its first coat to oversee the minor little details like the side effects of time travel.”

Tyler's jaw simply dropped.
“Who told you about that one? Fluttershy?”

“No, and there is no need to. You see, my senses are way more refined when it comes to these teensy weensy details about time and space. And your body is a few months younger than I think it should be. Or rather: By now you should have been a little bit older.”

“Do you mean you can sense when someone traveled through time?”

Giving it a shrug, Discord rolled his eyes with a chuckle.
“Well... Only if I pay close attention. It's easy to overlook for the amateur eye, no doubt. I don't know what you did in that other time window, but whoever you met there... there is the possibility that they as well will recognize this pulse you've created with Twilight.” Tyler now became very silent all of a sudden, what caused the Draconequis to chuckle a bit and bump his lion paw at him. “Come on! It was just a bit of fun. You didn't face anything serious, right?” When Tyler remained silent, the usual joking tone of Discord withered to a worried one. “Right...?”

Heading towards the R&D department of the HQ, Tyler then waved into the air as if saying goodbye to Discord.
“Thank you for your time and precious information, Discord. That nudge might have been one that came before it was too late.”

Hovering there, the Draconequis was a bit puzzled while Tyler went away.
“What...?”