Spritelight

I walked up ahead with my horn shining faintly due to the low amount of mana I had in reserve.

Patty Cannon came up directly behind me, followed by her Josey. April and Turkey followed in the princess' footsteps.

Cadance then led Rainbow Dash, with Pinkie Pie coming up at the rear of the group.

We rounded the first of the set of turns and found another light coming up to meet us; a group of royal guards from Canterlot.

They were surprised to find us, but instantly decided to lead us into the mirror room themselves, sending one of their own up ahead to inform Celestia.

So it was that I walked out into the mirror room after three of Celestia's royal guards. I stopped the light coming off my horn as I noticed the bright light of Equestria's sun shining brightly into the room from the mirror portal.

More guards were placed around the room to keep the princess safe in this place, their eyes upon us as we eight emerged from the doorway to the right of the mirror.

Celestia stood close to the portal, clearly being given reports from her guards, with Discord lounging nearby.

"Oh, there's the rest of the fellowship!" Discord chortled as he laid eyes on us.

Celestia turned her head to look our way, shock clear on her face.

"You look like you have gone through an ordeal," the princess offered. "And Cadance is among you? Shining Armor will be pleased to hear that. I will send for some food and drinks to be brought over and you can inform me about what this place is and what has happened here."

She acted upon her words, sending a few of her guards back through the portal into Equestria to get meals made and brought over.

"There's a larger table in the other room," Josey pointed out, motioning in the direction of the door leading to the temple's entrance.

"There is also a large group of humans climbing the stairs on that side of this structure," Celestia informed us. "My guards are keeping an eye on them. They haven't yet made it halfway up, but they continue to make progress."

"You would feel safer with the portal a short distance away from you," Josey realised. "You have the luxury of returning to your own realm, while I am faced with a tough decision to make."

I looked at the taller alicorn mare and the grim expression she had on her face.

"Do I have myself transformed back to a human, or do I remain an alicorn?" she spoke, more as a way to point out what the dilemma was than to ask a question.

"I know how Patty Cannon feels about it, how Turkey feels, even how April doubts herself on this very subject and is frightened of the prospect of leaving Earth behind to see what Equestria has to offer," the princess pointed out, looking at each in turn as she spoke their names.

"I also know what Spritelight thinks on this issue, and how this all started with her assuming, correctly I may add, that Earth and Equestria have a shared history," she decided, now focusing on me.

I felt more ponies looking in my direction and grimaced at the attention.

"Well, I didn't know the details exactly. The murals did help fill in the blanks. I think I know what you are getting at, though," I realised. "You're thinking of staying here, as an alicorn."

"We are on, or near a supervolcano right now, are you aware of that?" Josey told me, then looked back at Turkey. "I'll bet Turkey knows. April as well, considering her school outing here."

"A super volcano?" I repeated, trying to figure out what was so great about a volcano.

"Yes, it's been asleep for thousands of years now, but it is a matter of time before pressure underground will force an eruption. If I am to remain here as an Alicorn, I can keep an eye on things and use magic to stave off the inevitable so humanity won't suffer a sudden extinction-level event," Josey explained, now focusing on Celestia.

"If you give me a day or two to get my strength back, I would likely be on par with you and your sister," she decided. "This is not a boast, this is more an offer for me to set myself up to protect this portal from this end so you can rest assured it won't be used by the wrong people."

"I can confirm Josey's statement as I have had a good look at her abilities and we all have grown stronger thanks to our ordeal today," Cadance added. "Josey would be a good choice for this role; to defend Equestria's outpost here on Earth, so to speak. Another option would be to find a way to break this connection between worlds now it has been established, but I am sure I remember we made it fairly strong."

"We did," Josey agreed, smiling in Cadance's direction. "There's no easy way to destroy this portal now, for better or worse. The mirrors may be moved from where they stand now using magic, but they will continue to be linked to one another for the foreseeable future."

I turned my head to look back at Celestia and found an expression on her face which I had never seen on her in all the time I had known the princess. For the first time since I could remember having seen her when I was a young foal, she appeared distraught.

Celestia was distraught because she had been presented with a situation she had no control over, a situation presented to her with really only one solution; to accept Josey as an equal and have her remain here on Earth. To be the ambassador I had made her, and have her deal with the consequences of what had all transpired.

Given what I had read from princess Cadance's memories while we were a single consciousness, this was a very bad situation for a ruler to be in. Especially for somepony like Celestia, who was revered as somewhat of a God back home somewhat like the one April had been talking about.

Celestia had to maintain the idea that she was in control of things to ensure her subjects would continue to have faith in her and continue to live in peace and harmony with one another.

There had been some scary things in Canterlot's past where Celestia had been caught by surprise, and all of Equestria had felt the shock of those moments. Every one of her subjects had seen at least one of those; either Nightmare Moon returning, Changelings attacking, Discord taking over, or similar events.

Somehow this had always been corrected within a few short days, and Josey and Patty Cannon's memories had shown me that 'cartoon' the humans had made to explain how Twilight Sparkle had been the cause of this.

I knew Twilight Sparkle was behind some of it, but the reports I had read were far more sober than that cartoon had shown them. And in all those reports Celestia had come out on top, as having either planned the outcome or had masterfully maneuvered ponies in positions where they could defeat the threat.

There was a pull of one of the muscles in Celestia's face and she quickly regained her composure.

"I knew you would say that," she spoke to Josey. "The humans on Earth need a leader who can teach them to live in harmony like we do in Equestria. I am glad you have come to that conclusion yourself as well."

"Well, perhaps not Earth as whole," Josey coughed with some trepidation. "But I may at least try to secure this part of the States, and perhaps the idea will spread from here outward on its own?"

Cadance took a few steps toward Josey and gave her a slow nod. "I'm sure you can do it. You have seen how I handle the Crystal Empire, small as it is in comparison to all of Equestria. If you need my help with anything in the future, I am but a messenger away."

"That is good to know," the earthborn alicorn replied.

A number of ponies carrying plates full of food and carafs full of drink walked out of the mirror portal, and all our attention turned toward them.

Celestia motioned to the conference table. "No need to make it fancy, just ensure the table is prepared for eight."

"Yes princess," her servants answered, placing plates and carafs and what-have-you on the table before returning through the mirror to get more items.

It was a back-and-forth of ponies moving around for a brief period, but then the table was set and only two of the servants remained on this side of the portal to keep an eye on things.

"Please, feel free to eat your fill. If anything runs out, we can have more brought from Canterlot," Celestia suggested to us. "Let us continue the discussion afterwards."

Pinkie Pie was at the table only moments after Celestia spoke, followed closely behind by Patty Cannon who sat down on a chair to the other's right side. The two had voracious appetites, Patty even before she had become a pony if I could go by her memories, and it was clear to any in the room that they weren't going to let the offer of food go by them.

Rainbow Dash decided to sit to Pinkie Pie's left, while Turkey offered April the seat on Patty Cannon's right side.

"You're not a guy anymore, Turkey," I grumbled. "Fake chivalry to make April feel better about the choice she has to make is not going to get you far."

"Let me do my own thing already," Turkey threw back. "I'm sitting opposite April, so you can take a seat further away if you don't like it."

I rolled my eyes before walking around the table and taking a seat opposite Patty Cannon, looking over the table and the goods on it at how fast she was making food disappear down her mouth. It was a different kind of magic; the ability to eat so fast without choking on your food.

I grabbed hold of a nearby caraf with my magic and levitated it over, sniffing what was in it. Mother's milk. I quickly put it a little further away from myself and reached for another caraf. This one was filled with sweet smelling cider, and I poured it into the empty cup nearest to me.

Rainbow stopped eating and craned her neck to look at my pouring.

"Is that cider?" she asked, to which I gave a quick nod. "Can you pour me a cup too, please?"

"Only because you said please," I offered back with a tired smile. "Hold out your cup so I don't have to move this thing halfway across the table already."

Rainbow grabbed her cup with both forehooves and eagerly shoved it forward in my direction, so I poured cider into it from the caraf I was still holding with my magic.

"There you go, enjoy," I suggested to her, placing the caraf on the table between us. "Get yourself a refill if you need it."

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou," Rainbow exclaimed, pulling the cup back to her and instantly taking a big gulp from it.

I shook my head at her eagerness, knowing from her memories how much she enjoyed the drink. A little too much if you asked me, but she well-deserved it after what we all did today.

Looking around myself again I noticed April had sat diagonally opposite me in the chair Turkey had held out for her, with Turkey directly to my left.

The Pegasus had a sheepish grin on her face and motioned her right foreleg toward the caraf I had just put away.

"Could I bother you to," she started.

"No," I decided. "Get it yourself. You said you wanted me to let you do your own thing, didn't you?"

"You know that's not what I meant," Turkey protested, her wings lowering slightly. "I just think April deserves some kindness after all she's been through. It's not an easy decision to make."

"Sure it is!" Patty Cannon interjected from across the table, then motioned around with her left forehoof to point at everypony sitting at the table and the two princesses walking up to join us. "We're all gonna be ponies, of course."

"And what makes you say that?" I had to ask as I turned my attention to April instead of looking at Patty for a reply.

April had very carefully levitated a sandwich over from one of the platters between us and was tentatively taking a bite out of it, trying to ignore the discussion.

"Because she's going to get her mind blown in three... two... one..." Patty Cannon counted down, looking sideways at April.

Once the taste hit her tongue, April's eyes widened and a shiver ran down her body from her ears down to her tail. The sandwich was gone in an instant after, devoured as if the taste of Equestrian food had awakened something primal within her.

She instantly reached out for another sandwich with her magic... and exploded it in her eagerness.

"Focus!" I pressed to her, noting her cheeks darkening under her fur.

She more deliberately took hold of another sandwich after my admonishment, and quickly stuffed her mouth with it. I saw her revel in the taste, wriggling a little on her seat.

"See?" Patty Cannon pointed out, reaching out to wrap a food-covered right foreleg around April's neck and pull her in for a hug. "We're all going to be BPFF's!"

April swallowed her food, then looked curiously at the Earthpony hugging her. "BPFF's?"

"Best Pony Friends Forever!" Pinkie Pie and Patty Cannon shouted in unison.