The Marerainian Affair

by Uncle Knot

Rating: teen
Tags: Sunset Shimmer, Main 6, Lightning Dust, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Octavia, Comedy, Gilda
Length: 6689

A smile and a wave can mean more to a Princess than she would ever guess

Twilight Sparkle may have felt unimportant about doing nothing more than smile and wave. However, the Duke and Duchess were most impressed. They have plans for Twilight, plans that involve a little scouting episode for a suitable Prince.

Published 2014-08-01 07:00:05 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-15 18:25:34 UTC

Waffles

In the Marerainian capital, behind the palace in the garden, 4 ponies enjoyed their coffee and waffles.

“Thank you, Duchess for your invitation to brunch” said Octavia Melody

“Think nothing of it my dear” responded the Duchess “and thank you for that lovely concert last night”

“Yes, yes, it was very nice” said the Duke

“Again, thank you” said Octavia

“Miss Octavia has always preformed splendidly” responded the fourth pony. A large brown and tan pony with a brown and tan mane.

“Of course Mr. Knot” said the Duke

“Ah ha” interrupted a new voice “So this is where you’ve been hiding”

“Good morning your majesty” responded the duke and duchess “Come join us, we still have some coffee left”

“Excellent and good morning to you Mr. Knot and your lovely companion, Miss?” said the new voice

“Good Morning your majesty” said Knot “Allow me to introduce Miss Octavia Melody”, “Miss Octavia, this is Crown Prince of Marerainia; Jorge Fillipi Hapsburg”

“Good morning your majesty” said Octavia

“Call me Jorge” said Jorge “And are you ‘that Octavia’ who preformed at last night’s concert? You are all the buzz, the staff keeps talking about you. I wish I could have seen the show, but my duties kept me up late”

“You’re too kind, I tried my best to match the orchestra. They are very talented”

“Oh don’t be so modest my dear” said the duchess “You were the star of the show. Wasn’t she Mr. Knot?”

Of course Madame, Miss Octavia has shown herself to be more than an envoy, but also an ambassador, at least a musical ambassador” replied Knot

“Oh woe is me” said Jorge “I have neglected my official duty in welcoming the ambassador from Equestria”

“Don’t jest your majesty, we are here on an ‘unofficial’ visit” said Knot “not an official one”

“An ‘un-official’ visit, eh? Maybe I should return the favor” said Jorge

“What have you in mind?” asked Knot

“I could travel to Ponyville, incognito, as let’s say Miss Octavia’s cousin." responded Jorge "That way I could access this Princess Twilight Sparkle that my aunt and uncle so often speak about. She need not know who I am”

“Oh, yes, how romantic” said the Duchess

“Intriguing” said Knot

“Preposterous, what about your official duties here?” said the Duke

“It need not be a long trip, Uncle" said Jorge to the Duke "Just a few days to get away from all these papers and reports”

“And how would we protect and transport you?” asked Knot

“Well, I can trust you Mr. Knot to provide me with the best in silent and invisible security?” said Jorge

“Yes” said Knot

“And I also read a report from one of our patrols about a small airship, nearby, hiding in a cloud” hinted Jorge

“I see” said Knot “I shall not test your military’s observational talents again”

“Wait, please” said Octavia “I have friends in Ponyville, that know me very well. To be traveling with any stallion, especially one from Marerainia, could be difficult to explain, even a …”

“Distant cousin?” suggested Jorge “Is there a stallion there that would express jealousy?”

“Well, it’s complicated”

“I have a solution, since you wish to travel by airship, I know that the crew of ‘that airship’ would like to avoid any involvement with the residents of Ponyville” said Knot “it is a bit embarrassing for them. Having a crew member to go into town to get provisions for them could suit you well as a disguise. It would also minimize your visit and reduce your risk”

“Risk? In Ponyville? Like what could happen? A baby dragon going on a rampage? Parasprites devoring the town? A wild herd of baby rabbits stampeding? ” said the Prince

“Stranger things could happen” said Octavia

“Ah Equestria the land of unicorns and pegasus” said the Duke “ruled by the beautiful witch queens for a thousand years”

“They are our beloved Princesses” interrupted Octavia “Not witch queens!”

“Our apologies” said the Duchess “We in Marerainia have long lived without using magic in our day to day lives. The sun and moon travel across our skies unassisted. Our history is full of stories how we ‘earth ponies’ as you would say, fought off raiding sky pirate pegasus, and hypnotizing unicorns, and marauding griffins, as far back into our collective memories as the evil witch king Sombra, who sold his own ponies into slavery.”

“Times have change my dear Uncle and Aunt” said Jorge “All the more reason for my visit to go well. An alicorn princess as my queen could well dispel (pardon the pun) our nations distrust of all things Equestrian.”

“We can only hope that this potential union goes better than our previous attempts” said Knot

“I am sorry that my daughter refused Prince Blue Blood’s offer” said the Duchess

“Think nothing of it” answered Knot “her refusal only proves her intelligence”

“Really? He did seem quite Princely to me” said the Duke

“He does indeed have the ‘princely’ character, but he is lacking in being a gentle colt” replied Knot “their relationship would have been most costly”

“Tis such a shame that Princess Cadenza choose the path of love” said the Duchess “She would have made my nephew a beautiful wife”

“Ah, well yes” said the Duke “but her consort is most charming, how could she resist?”

“Not at all” said Knot “Mi amore Cadenza has always been a strong willed filly. Even when I brought her to Canterlot, she had a mind of her own. I think that appealed to Shining Armor the most, her selfless sense of justice. My attempts to forestall their union was the vain conceit of a dottering old bachelor”

“I promise you Mr. Knot, upon my oath as a prince” said Jorge “to court this Princess Sparkle with all due respect and courtesy, as a gentle colt”

“Well said your majesty” said Octavia “your sincerity will aid you, but may I suggest you let her make the decision about you”

“Miss Melody speaks wisely” said Mr. Knot “You should expect the unexpected with her, Cadenza was her foal sitter, and Shining Armor is her brother. She is most content reading her books and studying her magic. She has a tendency to hide in her shell, but her close friends ensure her involvement, and this…”

“That is your way” said Octavia “Pinky Pie, one of her best friends, and mine, will throw you a party. There you must give a good impression of yourself”

“I shall sweep her off her hooves with my cleaver dance moves”

“Oh no” said Octavia “Twilight, I mean the princess is a terrible dancer, and worse she doesn’t know it. By all means do NOT dance with her”

Sunset Shimmer's Airship

Aboard the airship, Captain Shimmer welcomed Octavia and ‘Uncle’ Knot with a smile, and immediately began giving orders to her new crew mate – Jorge - to stow their gear below decks in the cabins. Shimmer gave orders to power up the crystals that pushed the air through the turbines. It was a new and highly experimental type of engine, but the ship’s ‘mechanic’, as Gilda was calling herself, tended the engine lovingly. The air ship moved faster than any sail ship on the best of seas. Shimmer kept her crew busy, and Jorge soon learned that once a task was done, either to find a new task for himself or be assigned another by the vigilant Shimmer. Jorge was fascinated by Gilda; he had never met a griffin before.

“Take a picture, it will last longer” said Gilda

“What?” asked Jorge

“Stop staring, it’s annoying”

“Sorry, it’s just that you are the first griffin I’ve ever seen”

“Okay, so now you’ve seen one, get over it dweeb”

The tiny airship sped through the skies. Jorge quickly visited every part of the ship. The upper deck, with rope railings, seemed backwards. The helm was at the wrong end. There was no wheel, as on a ship, rather a pair of sticks and hoof pedals.

“Hey Dusty, show the dweeb how to fly”

“First look over the side” commanded Dusty

“I’d rather not” answered Jorge

“Do it, I need you to see something” said Dusty

“Wow, we are high up” commented Jorge

“Do you see that small wing on the bow?” asked Dusty

“Yes”

“That is called a canard. I use these front pedals to control them”

“I see”

“The back pedals control the flaps on the rear wings over the engines. We call them ducks. This stick here controls them all. We call it the joy stick. These controls adjust pitch and roll”

“Pitch and roll?” asked Jorge

“Pitch, roll and yawl, the three vectors of moving through the air”

“Yawl?”

“Think of pitch as moving your nose up or down”

“But we didn’t just point the ship up and go, did we?” asked Jorge

“No, we used lift to do that. Above us isn’t just a bag of air. It is a special type of air; in fact, there is a bag inside a bag above us. The inner bag we fill or empty with these nobs. That creates lift, as we suck the special air out of the inner bag with vacuum pumps we lose lift, the airship increases in relative weight and we drop out of the sky. We put the special air back in compressed gas cylinders so we can use it again.”

“Do I need to learn that to fly?”

“No, for now just stand on the pedals and move the stick with your mouth”

“Wow, when I tip the stick to the right, the deck tips to the left”

“Correct, tipping the ship to the right, tips the deck to the left, and by tipping the ship you turn the ship”

“So why have these foot pedals?”

“Because sometimes the wind is pushing the ship in a direction you do not want to go, so we change the way the wind moves over
the ship with our ducks and canards”

“So what’s my heading?”

“Do you see those purple mountains straight ahead?”

“Yes”

“You have great eyes for an earth pony." said Dusty "On the other side of those mountains is Equestria, we should be in Ponyville before the sun rises, which is good for us”

“That quickly? It took my aunt and uncle about a month to get to Equestria” commented Jorge

“So you are going to visit family?” asked Dusty

“No, they just returned and suggested I go to see the sights”

“So you did something naughty and are going to hide in Ponyville until things cool down?” asked Dusty

“No, just sightseeing”

“No way, Gilda bet me that you need a place to hide, I bet that you and Octavia are eloping”

“I guess you both lose your bets” said Jorge

“Maybe, Octavia does glance in your direction while she pretends to practice”

“I’m flattered by her attention”

“She must like your fancy talk too, no need for that with me. You got great eyes”

“Thanks”

“I need to stretch my wings. You seem to be handling the controls well. If you need help, just yell for Captain Shimmer, Gilda, or Uncle Knot. You can even ask for Octavia’s, she knows how to handle a joy stick” With that tag, Lightning Dust opened her wings and allowed her wing tip to gently pet Jorge’s ears and mane, before grabbing the air and flying over the side of the ship.

Even at their speed, Lightning Dust could fly circles around the airship, and she did. Sometimes she would fold her wings in, and drop like a rock directly in front of the airship, then open her wings, circle around and glide parallel to the craft. Jorge had begun to suspect she was showing off just for him, when she sprinted ahead, in a blazing dash, to those purple mountains. Octavia’s practice session took on a more mellow tone.

Captain Shimmer’s voice chirped in “I’ll take over if you’re tired mate.”

“No thank you, this is the most fun I’ve had in ages” answered Jorge

“Glad to hear it. You’d make a great crew. We would like to keep you, but Uncle Knot says you got an appointment to keep”

“What else does he say?”

“You got three days, see your sights in Ponyville, with or without Octavia, and then we whisk you back to Marerainia”

“Thanks Captain, that should be plenty of time”

“Make sure it is. This could turn into a nightmare if Rainbow Dash notices us.”

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Rainbow Dash, an old friend of Gilda’s, and the reason Dusty signed on with us”

“May I ask why?”

“Why what? Why old friends don’t always remain friends or why Dusty likes being here with us?”

“I understand about Gilda, but tell me about Dusty”

“Haven’t you noticed, Dusty is a bit reckless, that got her kicked out of the Wonderbolts, and Rainbow Dash is the reason she got kicked. That’s all I am going to tell you. You are relieved, go hit the hay. You’ll be getting off at O’ dark thirty, good luck with your sightseeing”

Below decks Jorge decided to get some hay, before hitting the hay. In the tiny galley, Uncle Knot made Jorge some food, and briefed him about Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Jorge wanted to know more, but Knot said knowing too much would be suspicious and some things are best found out for oneself.

O dark thrity

The brightness of Captain Shimmer’s horn hurt the eyes of the waking Jorge. He squinted and turned his head.

“Wake up sleepy head." barked Captain Shimmer "We are here. You know Ponyville, the place with all the great sightseeing attractions”

“Five more minutes” Jorge requested

“No, I’ll send Gilda to drag you up on deck and then push you over the edge myself if you are not on deck in 10 seconds”

The threat of being dragged by a griffin must have set off some type of inner alarm. Jorge managed to climb up on deck. It was eerily quiet. Octavia stood by the rail in the moonlight. She was a sight worth getting up for. Beyond her the sky was very dark, it wasn’t the sky, the dark was the trees. The airship had found a place to land. Above the trees and below the lift balloon Jorge could see the stars. One could hear the howl of a distant wolf.

Octavia swung her instrument onto her back and stepped off the deck into the air. Jorge gasped and ran to catch her, only to see her walk down a gangplank to the ground.

“Well, come on” said Knot already on the ground

“Where is the town? All I see is this dark forest.” asked Jorge

“We could land in the town square but that might attract attention." answered Shimmer "So we land out here and walk into town”

Before Jorge could turn around, Shimmer had used her magic to withdraw the gangplank and the airship was lifting off. Shimmer’s illumination faded quicker and the three were left in the dark meadow surrounded by the even darker woods. The moonlight now became the chief source of light as the airship’s shadow left the area. Jorge’s eyesight began to adjust; three outlines could be distinguished from the trees; the shapely Octavia, the large Knot and a 3rd. Some pony had come to meet them? No, the 3rd outline was not moving. Some type of statue, a unicorn with wings.

“Be very quiet and follow me” said Octavia. She led Jorge with Knot following, across the meadow to a pathway, which took them out of the forest into the sleeping town. The sky showed just a hint of the rising sun. They headed for the only lite house. Thumping could be heard coming from the inside.

“What’s that noise?” asked Jorge

“Wubs” answered Octavia

“Hey, where did Knot go?” asked Jorge

“I’m still here” said Knot

“Where? I can’t see you” said Jorge

“My brothers call me the pale one” said Knot

“Pale, you’re transparent” commented Jorge

“You did ask for discreet and invisible security” quoted Knot

Octavia opened the door to the house without even knocking. It was immediately apparent that knocking would have been useless, as the wubs poured out the door flooding the street with deafening noise.

“TAVI” came a shout and a white unicorn tackled Octavia in the entrance hallway

“Nice to see you too” said Octavia

“Who is your handsome friend?” asked Vinyl

“This is Jorge, a distant cousin” responded Octavia

“Cousin eh?" questioned Vinyl "Any cousin of Tavi’s is well a close friend of mine”

“How do you do Miss, Miss?” asked Jorge

“Miss Scratch, but you can call me Vinyl”

“I may call you Vinyl” said Jorge

“Please do”

“Vinyl, are you having a party?” asked Octavia

“Yes, I’m having a cheer myself up party because you were away, but now that you’re back, I can have a welcome home party. Come meet every pony Jorge. The two sleeping ones on the couch are Julianne and Caroline Carrot, Julianne has the green hair. This one under the table is Berry Punch, and that is my best party pony, Pinky Pie. Wake up Pinky”

“Ooh he’s gorgeous” said Pinky “Maybe I am still dreaming”

“No Pinky, you are awake, this is Jorge, my distant cousin” answered Octavia

“Hello Jorge – ous, welcome to Ponyville” said Pinky

“Good morning Miss Pie” said Jorge

“Oh so polite, he may not be as distant as you think Tavi” commented Vinyl

“So what brings you to Ponyville Jorge – ous?” asked Pinky

“An airship” said Jorge

“What?” exclaimed Pinky and Vinyl

“Jorge is a crew member aboard an airship” said Octavia “He is in town to pick up supplies and do a little sightseeing”

“Will you be staying with us while you’re here?” asked Vinyl

“No, I think I would prefer to stay in an inn or hotel. Some place private” responded Jorge

“Silly pony, there is no inn or hotel” said Pinky “I know, you can stay at the palace. We got plenty of room there”

“Stay in the palace? In Canterlot?” asked Jorge hesitantly

“No, the new palace here in town." said Pinky "It was built by the tree of Harmony”

Pinky's first kiss

Jorge and Pinky left the wub party as the sun began shinning down the street.

“Oh, I have to get to work." said Pinky "Follow me Jorge”

The two trotted down the street and arrived at the gingerbread house. Pinky left Jorge in the lobby as she dashed into the kitchen. Mr. Cake was already baking. The smells emanating from the ovens pulled Jorge into the kitchen.

“Don’t just stand there, help me with these muffins” said Pinky

“But I don’t …”said Jorge

“Put on these oven mitts and then put them on the table to cool." said Pinky "Then we’ll pop them out of the trays and into these boxes”

“Who is the new help Pinky?” asked Mr. Cake

“This is Jorge-ous. I stole him from Miss Melody. Can I keep him?’

“You’ll have to ask Mrs. Cake, but he’s doing a fine job. I will put in a good word for him. What do you think of that Jorge?”

“But I just, ouch, these muffins are hot. Hey, what are those?”

“Gumdrops, they make me giggle” said Pinky

“Giggles and gumdrops, that fits you Pinky” said Jorge

“Oh that’s nice, but try this” said Pinky

“Mmm, that’s chocolate, what do you call it?” asked Jorge

“A kiss of chocolate” commented Pinky

“Giggles and gumdrops and the sweetest kiss in Equestria” said Jorge

“Good morning Mrs. Cake, Jorge and I just shared our first kiss” said Pinky with a wink

“I thought I smell something burning." commented Mrs Cake "Let’s not waste all this heat. Whip up some more batter and pour it into these tins”

“So Jorge” interrupted Mr. Cake “when are you and Pinky getting married?”

“Married?” asked Jorge

“Silly, I’m not getting married to Jorge." said Pinky "He is a foreign prince, here to spy on Twilight, because his aunt and uncle think she has a nice smile”

“Jorge” said Mrs. Cake “take this box of muffins to the palace”

“But I was going to show him to the palace” said Pinky

“No, Pinky, you stay here with me." interrupted Mrs. Cake "We have a lot more baking to do, and we need to talk”

“But … “

“Don’t worry Jorge, you can’t get lost in Ponyville." said Mr Cake as he showed Jorge the door. "Just look for the big blue tree, that’s the palace”

Outside, Jorge could feel the warmth of the muffins escaping through the box into his shoulders. He wondered if he should be worried, Pinky had unmasked him, but something about the looks on the Cake’s faces convinced Jorge that Pinky was always saying strange things.

“Big blue tree?” said Jorge to himself

“Yup, it is right over there” said a feminine voice overhead. Jorge looked up to see a gray mare floating. She had a nice smile.

“You got muffins, I can tell, I can smell them”

“Yes, I have a box of muffins for the palace” said Jorge

“You better be careful," suggested Derpy "there is a certain pegasus, who might sweep out of the sky and steal them”

“Would this pegasus be gray?” asked Jorge

“Might be” suggested Derpy

“Maybe you’d better escort me," suggested Jorge "since I don’t want to get lost”

“That would be great," answered Derpy "I have mail to delever there, too”

“Hello my name is Jorge”

“Hello Jorge, I’m Ditsy Doo”

“Hello Ditsy Doo, that name sounds familiar. Are you related to Daring Do?”

“No, Daring Do is a fictional character created by A.K. Yearling. Did you think we were sisters or something?”

“Well, the ‘Do’ name and all” answered Jorge

“That would be silly, to be related to a fictional character. Besides A.K. Yearling is my real sister”

“Oh, congratulations," said Jorge "do you get to proof read her books before every pony else?”

“No, but I do notice little things in her books that only family would notice, but I have to be quiet about that, since her books are always in demand at the library.”

“Does Ponyville have a big library?”

“We used to, until one day it was gone, and in its’ place, poof, the new palace”

“What a shame to lose your library and get a palace. I hear stories about lofty aristocratic types doing stuff like that”

“Not at all. Twilight is turning the new palace into a library. She got a lot of books from the old castle and she is still our librarian”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle is the town librarian?”

“Yes, Twilight is doing a real good job at it. She even makes special story times for the little ones.”

“Really?”

“Yes, my little Dinky loves them. But you can asked Twilight yourself, we’re here”

“Should we knock?”

“Nay, Spike doesn’t like to get up early, so we just go straight in”

“Wow, it seems bigger on the inside” said Jorge

“I’ve said that before, but not here” responded Derpy with a grin

“So how do we find out where we are going?” asked Jorge

“The magic in the treehouse/library/palace is still rearranging itself. We have to want to go to a room to get there. Since we have muffins, let’s want to go have breakfast” answered Derpy

“Okay, so I just think that I want breakfast and go through a doorway and poof I’m in the breakfast nook”

“Oh, good morning” said Twilight

“Ah, good morning Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria”

“We brought muffins” said Derpy

“Hi Ditsy, who is your friend?” asked Twilight

“This is Jorge." answered Derpy "He and Pinky have been sharing kisses”

“Chocolate or butterscotch?” asked Twilight

2nd Breakfast

At the palace

“Chocolate or butterscotch?” asked Twilight

“Chocolate” answered Derpy

“Mmm, I like those. So Derpy, may I have my mail?" asked Twilight "Hmm, a letter from the Great & Powerful Trixie. That should be fun”

“Excuse me, Princess, is it my imagination or is this table getting bigger?” asked Jorge

“Yes, it is," said Twilight "and stop calling me Princess, especially at breakfast”

“Okay, Dawn” responded Jorge

“My name is Twilight”

“Yes," said Jorge "Twilight is the period of time between the day and beginning of the night, it is also the period of time between the night and the beginning of the day. You do not strike me to be the end of the day, so I cannot call you Sunset, you are like the beginning of the day, so I can call you Dawn.”

“’Dawn’ I like that, but only you can call me that, so when others are around call me Twilight”

“Good morning Twilight, I smell muffins” said Spike

“Good morning Spike, yes we have muffins. Ditsy is here and so is Jorge”

“How does he do that?" asked Jorge "How does he float into the room without wings? He is a dragon, right?”

“Who is Jorge?" asked Spike Where does he come from? What kind of name is Jorge? Why is he here?”

“Yes, Spike is a dragon," responded Twilight "he is a baby dragon and hasn’t gotten his wings yet. He floats about when some thing or some pony monopolizes his mind, and as long as he doesn’t think about it, he can float. As for Jorge, he hasn’t told us anything about himself yet, but since the table is still growing, I thought it would be wise to wait till every pony else showed up for breakfast, so he would not have to explain himself more than once”

“Howdy”

“Good morning Applejack, this is Jorge." said Twilight "Do we smell apple fritters?”

“Yup, made them fresh this morning, sorry I didn’t bring more, but Big Mac and Apple Bloom got to them first”

“Good morning Fluttershy, come on in, this is Jorge” said Twilight

“Hello Fluttershy, I’m Jorge”

“Please don’t look at me like that," said Fluttershy "unless, you know, unless you want to”

“Your eyes could launch a hundred ships," whispered Jorge "and your tears could sink a thousand”

“Wow, wow, wow, what did I just hear?” exclaimed Rainbow Dash

“Rainbow Dash, good morning” said Twilight, Applejack, Derpy, and Fluttershy in unison

“Confound it! Rainbow Dash beat me to breakfast again”

“Good morning Discord”

“Good morning Fluttershy. Are you blushing?” asked Discord

“Ha ha, you missed it Discord." interrupted Rainbow Dash "This stallion dropped a line on her that could sink a battleship”

“I don’t like the sound of that." said Discord "Who is this stallion?”

“Hello, my name is … “ answered Jorge

“I wasn’t asking you." interrupted Discord "Really Twilight, you must show proper care about who you invite to breakfast. And keep out the rift raft”

“Jorge is joining us for breakfast," said Twilight "and if you insist on being rude, you may leave, Discord”

“Very well for the sake of breakfast, hello Jorge” said Discord

“Hello” responded Jorge coldly

“My, my, my, the décor of this breakfast nook is lacking, but the view is certainly improving. Who is this handsome fellow? My name is Rare – rit – ty”

The wall grew some windows, showing the view overlooking Ponyville. The windows also grew awnings least the harsh light of the rising sun sting the eyes.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Rarity, my name is Jorge”

“Oh, so gallant. I believe we have a gentle colt among us ladies” said Rarity

“I saw him first” said Fluttershy

“Fluttershy!” exclaimed almost every pony at her boldness

“No, you didn’t. I stole him first” said Pinky

“Good morning Pinky Pie” said every pony

“Pinky at least use the door, like every pony else” commented Discord, Rarity, and Applejack

The Librarian is in

In the library

Jorge entered the library expecting to see a library. What he found was something else. Yes, there were rows of book shelves, green, blue, orange and red shelves taller than the mast on a ship. But there were also these little apartments set in the shelves with a writing desk and a small bed or couch. The ceiling had windows to let in the light, and these windows seemed to be following the sun to give the maximum illumination to the room. The shape of the room was indiscernible, since Jorge could not see the far walls. The room was certainly too large to fit in the palace, perhaps even too large for Ponyville. Jorge decided to test this illusion. He placed a few books on the floor to act as a landmark and started his trek into the forest of shelves.

“Hello, is any pony here?” Jorge called out. His voice echoed into the forest.

“Twilight Sparkle, are you in here?” Jorge called out with similar results.

Again Jorge called out “Princess Sparkle of Equestria!”

Jorge looked back; he had traveled further than he had thought. His little landmark of books looked very tiny. His 2nd landmark was suitably more noticeable. He used colored books to give the most contrast in his vertical construct. If he had been a pegasus, he could fly around the library with ease, but as things were he had to walk.

“If only there was a card catalog or reference desk” Jorge said in frustration.

The floor beneath his feet took on a strange color. Jorge was a bit startled to see tiny arrows forming in the floor, callusing into bigger arrows making a path through the rows of shelves. They at first seemed to be insects. Jorge followed them and arrived at a reference desk. It seems very simple, but one thing about it gave Jorge his first taste of hope since entering the library. On the desk was a little sign that said “The librarian is in”

“Okay, where is she?” Jorge asked the floor. Several little arrows appeared and tried to go in all directions at once, then they seemed to give up, and vanished.

“She isn’t hiding from me, she is looking for something. What is the reference librarian looking for?”

Jorge heard the tiniest little click come from the desk. He walked around it and noticed a drawer just a little bit open. Jorge opened the drawer and was rewarded with a list. A check list of sorts;

History of Marerainia by Professor Sum P – check

Tour guild to Marerainia – check

Marerainia on 5 bits a day by Mr. Yew - check

Economic Opportunities in Marerainia by Mr. Yew – check

Ultimate Voyage by William Gilkerson - check

Sightseeing Marerainia – check

The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams – check,

Common Names in Marerainia – check,

The Unschooled Wizard by Barbara Hambly - check

The Royals of Marerainia by S. Shimmer – double check

The Complete Book of Swords by Fred Saberhagen– check

How to Disguise a Pegasus by Prof Sum P - check

Military Adventures in the Marerainian Guard by Lt O’Neigh – check

The History of the Wonderbolts by Lt O’Neigh – check

The Spy who Loved me by Irving Fleming – check

How to Disguise a Unicorn by Professor Sum P – check

Witch Hunters of Marerainia by Prof Sum P – check

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard - check

Professor Sum P - ? Who’s Who in Equestria – check (Prof Sum P no reference?)

Jorge reread the check list again. 2 things were very disturbing; first that Captain Shimmer knew who he was and had just played
dumb. Second that Princess Twilight probably also knew or at least suspected.

“When were you going to tell me?” ask Twilight

“My dear Dawn, this is supposed to be an un-official visit” answered Jorge

“Un-official, all your visits are supposed to be un-official. You’re a spy!”

“Wait, what?” stuttered Jorge

“You’re a spy! You are working with Sum P” responded Twilight

“I’m not a spy, I’m just a sight seer, and I don’t even know the Professor”

“But you know he is a professor, you lie!”

“it says he is a professor right here on your list”

“Oh, but you know he’s a spy” said Twilight

“He seems to have collected a lot of material on Marerainia” answered Jorge

“And you’re a spy too”

“Wait what?” answered Jorge

“What is the name of your airship? What sights did you come to see in Ponyville?” interrogated Twilight

“The airship is called the Argyle, and she is commanded by Captain Shimmer” responded Jorge

“Shimmer?! As in Sunset Shimmer?” asked Twilight

“I don’t know her first name” answered Jorge “but Sunset might suit her”

“What is she doing back in Equestria?” asked Twilight to no pony

“I don’t know” answered Jorge

“You didn’t answer my other question. What sights did you come to see in Ponyville?”

“You” said Jorge

“Me?” asked Twilight “Why?”

“My aunt and uncle suggested it” said Jorge

“Who are your aunt and uncle?” asked Twilight “Have I met them?”

“Twice, both times in the Crystal Empire, once at the Equestrian games” answered Jorge

“Tell me who they are?” demanded Twilight

“Okay, Dawn” said Jorge sheepishly “but you have to promise not to ask any more questions about me. This is supposed to be an ‘un-official’ visit.”

“I can’t promise that” said Twilight

“You will if you think a little about my answer” said Jorge “my aunt and uncle are the Grand Duke and Duchess of Marerainia”

“That means you are related to royalty” said Twilight “You might even be …”

“I will not tell you anymore” said Jorge “I need to go do some shopping now”

“Wait, if you came here to see the sights” said Twilight “then at least tell me what you thought of them”

“Okay Dawn,” said Jorge “the sights are the stuff of dreams, the edge of the shadow, the mist in the mystery that deserves to be solve only when it is ready”

“Er, thanks Jorge” said Twilight “that will be something to think about. I hope someday we get to meet in an official fashion”

“I hope so too” said Jorge

Applejack the school teacher

The smells of something good to eat invaded Jorge’s nostrils. He was hungry and after a long day of gathering supplies, and putting them in a storage room. It was time to eat, which is why he was in the kitchen. That was where Applejack was waiting.

“Hello Jorge” said Applejack

“Hello Miss Jack” said Jorge

“Hungry?” asked Applejack

“Yes, food sure smells good” said Jorge

“Thanks, been cooking all day” said Applejack “been figuring you’d get hungry and come here sooner or later”

“Well, here I am” said Jorge “You’d planning on saying something?”

“Are you makin fun of my accent?” asked Applejack

“A little” said Jorge

“Maybe you would prefer me talkin all prime and proper, like I did when I lived in Manehatten?”

“You in Marnhatten?” said Jorge “that must have been quite the sight”

“Save your flattering for the others” said Applejack “I got something important to learn ya”

“Alright, shoot” said Jorge

“Flirting with mares is okay as long as you COULD mean it, but flirting with fillies is trouble” said Applejack “some fillies might take it real personal like and get hurt”

“You mean like Pinky and Fluttershy?” asked Jorge

“No, I mean Twilight” answered Applejack

“She seems more mature than some” said Jorge

”In some ways she is” said Applejack “but when it comes to a stallion like you, she is over her head”

“Funny” said Jorge “we already had come to that conclusion”

“You did? When?” asked Applejack

“When we met earlier in the library” said Jorge

“You actually FOUND HER in HER library?” asked Applejack

“No” said Jorge “she found me”

“Well shucks” said Applejack “she may be ready for you, after all”

“So can I eat now?” asked Jorge

“No” answered Applejack “you can carry these plates out to the dining room and then set the table”

“Yes mame” said Jorge “right away mame”

With the table set, and the plates steaming, Applejack joined Jorge in the dining room.

“One last thing, I want to say to you” said Applejack

“Okay” said Jorge “Something like promise to never hurt her?”

“That would be nice” said Applejack “but so untrue”

“What do you mean?” asked Jorge

“We were sent into this world to learn to love and to learn to be loved. Learning involves practice, and practice means we’ll make plenty of mistakes. Those mistakes hurt, but that doesn’t mean we can stop practicing. It means we have to try even harder“ said Applejack.

“Sounds like some pony thought otherwise once” said Jorge

“I did” responded Applejack “I got hurt real bad, so I made some pony leave my life and promise never to come back”

“And now you wish otherwise?” asked Jorge

“The mistake we made together turned into something very wonderful” said Applejack “I sometimes wish he was here to share her with me”

“So you learned that the ponies that are easy to love bring us extra happiness” commented Jorge “and the ponies that are hard to
love bring us extra practice”

“Yup, kind of a win/win situation” said Applejack

“Well, for me” shared Jorge “Twilight is a win/win situation. Now or later, easy or hard, she is a win/win situation I could be real happy with for the rest of my life”

“I think we done learning you” said Applejack “ring the dinner bell”

You Will Love Me

“YOU WILL LOVE ME” screamed Flutttershy charging into another room.

“No, I stole him first” responded Pinky

“He’s not here, AGAIN” exclaimed Fluttershy

“We need to keep looking” said Pinky

“There is something wrong” said Fluttershy

“We must be doing something wrong” said Pinky

“You’re right” said Fluttershy “ we have forgotten one of the palace rules”

“What did you say Fluttershy?” said Pinky “I know what to do, we must have forgotten one of the palace rules of operation”

“That is what I said” said Fluttershy

“We have to do more than want to be in a room with Jorge” said Pinky

“We have to want to be in a room that Jorge wants to be in” said Fluttershy

“Oh! Oh! I know” said Pinky “we have to want to be in a room that Jorge wants to be in with us”

“That is what I said” said Fluttershy

“Stick with me kid, we’ll find my Jorge-ous” said Pinky

“You know I’m a year older than you” said Fluttershy

“Hi girls” said Rainbow Dash

“Rainbow Dash!” said Pinky “You have to help me find Jorge-ous before Flutterbat can sink her teeth into him”

“I would never do that” whispered Fluttershy “unless of course, he wanted me too”

“Oh, that’s easy” said Dash “he left the palace hours ago”

“WHAT!” exclaimed Pinky

“We’ve been searching for him for hours” said Fluttershy

“He is in town getting supplies for his airship” said Dash

“We’ll track him down in town” said Pinky

“Don’t do it” said Dash

“Why?” asked Fluttershy

“Because you don’t know why you like him” said Dash

“What does that mean?” asked Pinky

“Why do you like him?” asked Dash

“Because he is charming” said Fluttershy

“Because he is gorgeous” said Pinky “he is so gorgeous, that he is Jorge-ous”

“No, that is not why” said Dash “You like him because he flirted with you. You like him because he made you feel special, but think girls, if he really wanted you, he would be with you now. When he wants us, whichever one of us he wants, he will be with her”

“You said ‘wants us’ “ said Fluttershy

“Oh Dash, is that liquid pride?” asked Pinky

“No, I got too much wind in my eyes flying around” said Dash

“Hugs?” asked Fluttershy

“Hugs, for sure” said Pinky

“Okay, I guess I could spare some hugs” said Dash

Locked in their hugs, their tears turned to laughter and their laughter into tears.