The Explorer and The Princesses

After a few more moments of watching each other, Jack finished climbing the rest of the way over the crater wall. He never took his sights off of this new purple life form, his eyes continuously going over the curves of its face and body. He stood just a few inches taller than this purple female with a horn sticking out from its head.

There was a gasp and then the sound of something falling over. It was then when Jack noticed the rest of the “things”. The purple one was surrounded by white beings clad in gold armor. Some of them with horns and some of them with... wings?! The one that had fallen over had a horn and was also clearly a female. He could now at least see some physical differences between the males and females. The broader chests, thicker necks, thicker arms, and a more distinct face. The one odd thing he did notice, is that they were all carrying spears and swords, save for the purple one who was just carrying a clipboard.

The purple one gripped its clipboard so tightly that it began shaking, a noticeable smile never leaving its face. Jack turned his head back to look at her and held up a right hand with his palm facing it, trying to seem non-threatening. The purple creature returned the gesture.

“Do you think they’re dangerous?” Vicky asked.

“Everyone is dangerous if threatened, let’s just not give them an excuse.” Jack replied. He could see the slightly confused look on the purple one’s face.

He stepped to the side, heading for the fainted creature, keeping his front towards the others. As he moved, the rest of the white beings stepped forward and closed the distance with him. He heard a sweet voice call out to the rest of them and they stopped moving. He couldn’t understand the words but he was halfway sure that this purple woman just told them to stop.

“Vicky can you do any translating?” Jack asked as he looked down at the unconscious white guard.

“Not with no prior knowledge of their language, nor any context no. What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna scan this thing, maybe we can learn a little bit about what we’re dealing with.” Jack said, holding his right hand up and pointing it towards the guard. He knelt down and held his hand close to its face and from the underside of his forearm a compartment opened up and a small camera like device slid out. Suddenly multiple blue low intensity lasers pointed and traced over the face of this downed guard. Jack could hear the steps of multiple hooves running over to him, and again that same voice saying the same words.

“Best I can tell that’s ‘stop!’ or something. Maybe it’s kill him later I don’t know.” Vicky said as Jack moved the lasers from the unconscious guard’s face to its chest. A chime sounded and the camera system stowed away again. “Scan complete.”

Jack stood up and turned around, suddenly face to face with a rather upset looking male guard. This guard was as thick as a station bulkhead and as pissed as a cat in a bath. Jack looked up and from behind his helmet smiled.

“Well hello precious.” Jack said.

“Please don’t antagonize the locals” Vicky snapped.

This guard said something very commandingly but once again Jack couldn’t understand him. Becoming more upset that his apparent orders were not followed immediately, he used his right hand to push against Jack’s chest.

Jack’s body twisted a bit but he stood his ground as the thing pushed him. He looked down at its arm and then back at its face. “Please don’t do that again. I come in peace, but I’ll leave you in pieces.”

“Jack, don’t.” Vicky said.

Again the guard moved his arm forward to push him, this time Jack grabbed hold of its wrist with his right hand, his armor’s internal machinery spinning up.

“Well don’t hurt him too bad.” Vicky conceded.

Jack then brought his left fist sideways into the gold chest plate of the guard, denting it and hearing a crack from behind it. He let the guard’s hand go at the same time and watched as he staggered back a few steps. Jack’s eyes opened a little wider, taking in the rest of his surroundings and watching as the guard stepped back ever closer to the edge of the new cliff his ship made upon crash landing.

Jack quickly stepped forward, grabbed hold of the guard, who began to fight back, not wanting to be so easily defeated. Ignoring the mostly harmless punches and kicks, he pulled the guard away from the sudden drop he was about to experience and forced him down on the ground next to the unconscious female.

After he released his rescued adversary, Jack could hear the sound of swords being drawn from behind him.

“So much for first contact…” Vicky stated. “Just like you. You meet a new alien race and beat them up. What about all the nobility of the human race and peaceful talks from that fantasy show?”

Jack sighed and put his hands up, turning around and facing the rest of the guard with drawn weapons.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.” Jack said, looking around for the purple female that he thought was in charge. He spotted another white female who had a very determined look in her eye and a set of iron chains and clasps.

“Hmm, seems like they want to arrest you. Well it IS a Friday isn’t it? Standard routine for you right?”

Jack sighed and held his hands in front of him, his head turning to the guard with the cuffs.

“What was that about not doing anything to aggravate them?”

“That was more a guideline. And as far as I know I was just defending myself.”

“Right, with a set of MK IV combat armor against a mostly defenseless being.”

The guard clamped his armored wrists in the irons and looked at the visor in the center of Jack’s helmet. It was then he could see the purple female come from around another guard. She was no longer smiling and something cold ran up his spine as he looked into her narrowed eyes. She walked passed him, her anger seemingly not directed at him, but the guard behind him, the one that was about to take the quick way down to the bottom of the crater.

Jack turned and followed her with his eyes. Now getting a view of her from behind he could see that she not only had a horn, she also had purple feathery wings that were folded against her back. His eyes traveled down and he could see a dark purple tail with a similar pink stripe running through that from base to tip. The purple being bent forward and began to berate the injured guard verbally. Jack however, focused on her more pronounced rear intently.

“If you keep staring you’re going to burn a hole into it.” Vicky said with a hint of anger in her voice.

“Oh I hope so…” Jack whispered.

The female guard next to him slapped the back of his helmet, getting Jack to turn around.

“What? Can’t a man appreciate beauty when he sees it?” Jack asked. The guard however kept her eyes focused intently on the man, her arms now crossed in front of her chest.

Now that he was looking at this guard, he saw that she had brilliant light blue eyes and her face was framed by a golden helmet that almost completely hid a light blue mane. She didn’t have a horn like some of the others, but Jack could see the edges of her wings behind her. He quickly ran his eyes up and down her form. While armor definitely hides a woman’s curves, he could tell she was very well balanced.

“I guess now is as good a time as any to read the results of the scan.” Jack stated quietly. Vicky complied and a screen popped up in his field of view, visible only to him as it projected inside his helmet. There was a transparent model of the female guard he scanned and a few lines of text and some charts.

” Preliminary scans indicated a carbon based life form similar to that of both humans and earth equines. The coloration of their ‘skin’ is actually very fine fur. There are several similarities to the human circulatory system, as well as brainwave patterns. It seems though that they are strictly herbivores and these weapons are possibly only used in self-defense. Unknown chemicals have been found in the brain. The horn is also a mystery. More scans are needed to make a complete file on these beings.”

Jack’s hands were suddenly pulled by the female guard he was half watching and he began walking with her towards a large cart. The guard pointed at the cart, possibly telling him to get in, so he complied. After a few moments, the injured guard and the unconscious one were loaded into the cart with him as well. Jack looked towards the front to see that several of the winged guards were strapping themselves to the cart.

“Huh doing things the hard way eh?” Jack said, turning his head back to survey the rest of the activities.

Just as he turned his head back he was uncomfortably close to the face of the purple female. Her eyes were again soft and full of curiosity. She held a hand out slowly and touched the plates on his chest. As her fingers touched his chest he could feel the electrical impulses from the armor against his skin, just as if she was touching his bare skin. Jack almost remarked that this armor was amazing when he watched as her horn lit up and a soft purple glow surrounded the cart. The cart shifted and began to raise off of the ground. Forcibly Jack pulled his eyes away from the large purple ones that were fixed on him and turned back to the front.

He saw the guards in the front unfurl their wings and begin to fly, pulling the cart along with them. He watched as they were lifted out of the forest. From the air he could see just how much damage his crash had caused. His heart sank as he saw the long line of destroyed trees, upturned earth, and the white shine of his broken ship at the end of the destruction.

“…. Vicky we’re going to be here for a while aren’t we….”

”It seems like it…”

Jack didn’t respond as he continued to look around at the surrounding landscape. Nearby he could see a small town with a rather large crystal-like structure in the center of it. His viewscreen zoomed in so that he could make out various thatched roofed buildings as well as some market stalls. He could see various colored other beings walking around like your standard run of the mill villagers. Jack again looked around to see where exactly they were flying too. Still zoomed in he saw the stone walls and supports of some sort of incredibly massive structure. He zoomed out and saw that there was an entire city suspended on the side of a mountain.

“ That doesn’t seem structurally sound…” Vicky said to him.

“I don’t know if it is or isn’t, but the view from here is remarkable. And if it wasn’t sound, why would it still be standing?” Jack said quietly, the cart drawing ever closer.

The city was a very long distance from them, but the time passed quickly as Jack looked around, taking in the sights from the air. Once they were over the city he could make out the white gleaming streets and buildings that were inside the city walls. Everything seemed so bright and clean. He noticed there were very few open air stands and almost no vehicles. All of the creatures seemed to pull carts behind them and enter and exit various shops. They were all dressed in rather fine garments, all brightly colored that accented their fur colors.

The cart turned abruptly and went behind the most distinct landmark in the city, the large palace. He could see the palace even from the crash site, but now it was even more impressive. Tall spires and windows, decorated with golden and silver emblems of the sun and moon, along with various other natural symbols like leaves and flowers. There was a large garden beneath them filled with hedges and various flowers and animals.

The scenery however, wouldn’t last. Just as they began to slow down, he turned back towards the front with enough time to see them go into a mountain cave. The cart landed with a thud, along with the hooves of the ‘pilots’ in the front and they came to a stop. The sudden shock of the cart landing stirred the once unconscious female that was laying in the cart. The purple one left her spot next to Jack and moved over, helping her up and exchanging some words.

The injured guard slowly moved off of the stopped cart, while two other creatures, this time clad in black armor and grey fur reached over the side and pulled Jack backwards and onto the stone ground with a loud clank.

“So much for prisoner hospitality…” Jack muttered as he was dragged slowly from his spot on the ground. He relaxed and just decided to let them do all the work since they were being the rude ones.

Once the formerly unconscious female and the injured male were taken care of, the purple female returned and began yelling again at the beings dragging the man. They let him go and he fell backwards, looking up at them from his back.

He could see the stern faces from below of the two dark guards and he turned his head slightly to look at his purple defender. He smirked in his helmet as he could just barely peek up her skirt, however it was so dark in this cave he couldn’t see anything. One looked down and saw where his visor was pointed and it kicked him in the head.

A few more words were exchanged and the purple one quickly brought her hands down to her skirt and took a few steps back.

“Good, you got caught finally.” Vicky said cheerily.

“You know that kick hurt right?” Jack said back to her.

“Poor baby…” She responded sarcastically.

Jack was then hefted to his feet by the two grey guards. He was then shoved from behind and began walking down the corridor in front of him. The hallway was lit with several torches, and he could see the metal bars of empty cells.

“Seems like I’m the first visitor in some time…” Jack said quietly.

One of the guards opened a cell at the end of the hallway and the other shoved him into the cell. The door slammed closed and then was locked. The purple one looked slightly sadly at him and her horn once again lit up. He then heard a click and the irons unlocked around his wrists and fell to the floor. She said something as she approached the bars and put a hand on one.

Jack shook his head again, still unable to understand her and she left a few moments later. Taking inventory of his new luxury apartment, he found that he had a cot with a blanket and a toilet in the corner. Well it was more a square seat with a hole in it that led somewhere unknown.

“Is the air breathable Vicky?” Jack asked as he sat down on the cot. The only light came from the torches in the hallway.

“Yes but it probably wont smell too pleasant.”

“Well I guess we can just see where this goes…”

Jack unhooked the backpack from his suit and set it down next to the cot. Whatever these things were, they weren’t very smart. Or at the very least they were inexperienced with prisoners. They let him keep his bag. Jack laid down fully on the cot and looked up at the ceiling. The sound of creaking wood was heard and then he fell directly through the cot onto the stone ground with a thud.

Jack sighed and laid there, wondering if it was worth getting upset or if it was just comical that this happened the way it did. After a few minutes there was a soft “Ahem” from the bars to his cell. He looked up out of the debris of the cot to see the purple female from before holding a salad.

Jack got up, causing a bit more wood to break. He moved over to the bars and then took the bowl of salad that was handed to him. He once again held his hand out and scanned the food.

“Looks safe to me. Surprisingly it seems more nutritious than some of those food packs you like to eat.”

Jack nodded and set the bowl down before reaching his hands up to unlock his helmet. There was a click and then the sound of pressurized air blowing out of the bottom of the helmet. Jack pulled his helmet off, hearing a gasp come from his visitor, along with a slight chime.

Immediately smelling the air, he began to cough. “Holy… shit... that’s rank!” He said between coughing fits. He looked up to see a bit of concern on his visitor’s face and then her look down at her clipboard.

Jack set his helmet down and used his left hand to fish something out of the inside the suit near his right shoulder. He then pulled out an earpiece and fit it into his right ear, allowing him to continue to hear Vicky.

”I told you you wouldn’t like the smell”

“What are you talking about, smells like paradise…” Jack said, smirking and looking with his own eyes into the purple orbs of the curious being that was standing incredibly close to the bars now.

She took a step back and then her horn lit up once more, causing a click to come from the cell door.

Jack raised an eyebrow as she opened the cell door and stepped in. She closed the distance with him soon after and slowly brought a hand up. Jack took a step back, causing her to frown a bit and bring her hand down.

After a moment’s pause he reached out and took her by the arm very gently and brought her hand up to the left side of his face. Her eyes lit up along with her horn as her fingers pressed the temple of his head. Suddenly there was a flash of purple light, causing his vision to blur. He let her go and took another step back, now pressed against the wall with her standing in the center of the room.

“Can you hear me now…?”

“Yes Vicky I can hear you still…” Jack said.

“That wasn’t me Jack."

Jack rubbed his eyes, clearing his vision and looked over at who actually spoke to him.

“Who’s Vicky…?” She said.

“You can understand me?” Jack asked.

“We could always understand you, but it seems like you couldn’t understand us.” She said, never taking her eyes off of him.

“Oh son of a bitch…” Jack said. He could hear Vicky laughing through the earpiece but he just leaned against the wall, raising a hand to his face.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle… what’s yours?” Twilight said after a moment.

He brought his hand down and smiled up at her. “Twilight Sparkle huh… nice name. I’m Jack. Nice to meet you.”

He held his hand out to her. Twilight looked down and gently put her hand in his, beginning to shake it. He quickly brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand, his eyes not leaving hers.

“Oh come on! Not even here a day and you’re already doing this?!”

“Thank you for bringing me food and sticking up for me.” Jack said, letting her hand go.

“N-no problem” She said, a light shade of pink in her cheeks. “I have so many questions!”

Jack moved passed her, picked up his bowl of salad and then back to the wall near his pack, trying to decide how he was going to handle this.

“What are you?” Twilight asked, holding up a clipboard and a quill, ready to take notes immediately.

Jack stared down at the salad and scratched his chin with a finger. “I’m a human male. What are you?”

Twilight scribbled down his answer and returned it. “I’m an alicorn female.”

Seeing no other alternative he reached in with his hand and picked up some of the salad and started eating it, crunching loudly as he watched Twilight.

“Why don’t the other alicorns have horns and wings, why do some only have one or the other?”

“Oh, those are normal ponies. Our species is divided into three main races. Unicorns, with horns, Pegasi with wings, and Earth ponies without either. Then there is a fourth, the Alicorns like myself… Do you like the salad?”

“Best food I’ve had in prison yet.” Jack said after he finished his first mouthful. He quickly replaced it with another mouthful of food.

“Who’s ‘Vicky’?”

“Look if you’re going to be asking me a million questions you may want to get a chair or something. I’d offer you a seat, but unfortunately I broke the bed.” Jack motioned to what used to be his ‘bed’ and Twilight’s eyes followed his movements.

“Oh you’re right, of course!” And with that her horn lit up and she blinked out of existence.

“What the fuck…?” Jack said wide eyed, a piece of salad falling out of his mouth and back into the bowl.

There was another flash and Twilight reappeared with a somewhat comfortable looking chair.

“Okay hold on what the fuck that?!” Jack motioned to… all of whatever that was.

“Oh that was just teleportation magic.” Twilight answered nonchalantly.

Teleportation… magic. There was just something off about how flippantly she said those words, as if anyone would know what that was. It was commonplace. Even humans hadn’t mastered teleportation in all their years of trying. And magic, sleight of hand. Anything else could be explained away by technology.

“Uh huh…” Jack said, still reeling from trying to process this whole thing. “So… you… ponies? Can use ‘magic’?”

“Yes. Unicorns and Alicorns can use magic, although most unicorns can only use a few spells suited to their special talents.” Twilight smiled, sat and crossed her legs. Jack’s eyes immediately went to her thighs and lower legs, then back to her face.

“So, who’s Vicky?” Twilight said a little more determined. “You called me Vicky just now.”

“Oh, she’s my best friend.” Jack said, finding something certain to finally focus on.

Twilight’s quill snapped as it began to write the word and her heart sank, immediately reminded of her best friends. Her face fell noticeably before she forced herself to smile. Jack however, could see through that trick as he’d used it before.

“Hey… Twilight are you alright?” Jack asked slowly.

She stood up and nodded. “I-I just remembered… I have to… check something.” Twilight said, trying her best to keep her voice from wavering. Again her horn lit up and she teleported away, leaving the chair in the cell.

“Did I say something wrong?” Jack asked quietly, standing and looking around.

“I don’t know. Check to see if the door’s open.”

“Good thinking. See Vicky that’s why I like you.” Jack said, standing and placing the mostly eaten salad in the chair and moving over to the cell door.

It was still unlocked and he pushed it open a bit, looking down the hall. He couldn’t see any guards, nor any sign of Twilight. He sighed and went back to the chair, moving it against the wall and picking up the salad. He sat down in the chair and continued to eat.

“What are you doing?”

“Finishing my food. This is actually pretty good.” Jack said with a mouthful of food.

“And why are you not escaping?”

“Because, sweetheart.” Jack swallowed. “If I leave and Twilight does come back, or another guard comes, how is that going to look? Remember first contact?”

Jack laid down on the floor of the cell again, looking up at the ceiling with his helmet facing him. It had been a few hours, or so he thought since Twilight had abruptly vanished and left him alone. That was fine though, it took a bit of time for him to process what happened and give Vicky accurate translations of what was said so that she could form a basic translation matrix.

Jack thought back to the incident in question, wondering why she would just so suddenly change her mood like that. ‘She’s my best friend.’ Was all he said. Was she upset because Vicky was a woman? Or because she was his best friend? Or was it something else completely unrelated.

Just as he took in a deep breath to sigh, there was that telltale flash and Twilight stood outside of his cell, looking in a much better state than she had left. He let out his breath slowly and sat up, wondering if he should say something.

Twilight pushed the door open and found it to be unlocked, then looked at Jack sitting on the floor. “The cell is unlocked… why are you still here?”

“How would it look if I just ‘escaped’ while no one was looking? It would make me look suspicious and untrustworthy, that’s how.” Jack said.

“Oh… right. Well… I’m here to take you to the castle and give you appropriate rooms. I’ve already had the charges dropped from your record.”

“Oh well thank you very much.” Jack said, standing and picking up his pack, reattatching it. “Wait, charges?”

“Assaulting a royal guard.” Twilight stated, opening the door fully and taking a step back.

“Oh… well is he ok? And that other one? Is she ok?” Jack picked up his helmet and made his way out of the cell.

Twilight looked at him, her eyes running all over his face as if seeing someone she hadn’t seen for years.

“… So… this way I take it?” Jack said with a raised eyebrow, beginning to walk away and down the hall. He shifted his helmet so that it was facing forward under his arm.

Twilight nodded and began to lead him out of the cell block, then back out of the mountain itself. The sun had crossed the sky and Jack figured that it was much later in the day, possibly having spent the whole day in that place. Once he was outside he took a deep breath, the fresh air filling his lungs and the sweet smell of the castle gardens not too far off filling his nose. She continued to lead him down a mountain path to an enormous set of wooden double doors reinforced with iron plates.

Jack only had a moment to wonder at the construction of such massive wooden doors, easily two stories tall, before they opened and revealed the interior of the palace. Wealthy didn’t begin to describe what he saw. Marble walls, floors, and columns supporting almost impossibly high roofs. Stained glass windows surrounded by silver and gold tapestries dedicated to the sun and the moon, as well as chandeliers made of what seemed to be crystals.

Jack couldn’t help but have his mouth hang open in awe at the sight as he made his way down the red carpet in the center of the hallway. Twilight smiled as she watched his reactions. The pair made their way down hallway after hallway. Jack could see several other ponies either unicorns or pegasi, but no alicorns. Some were in guard uniforms, some were in maid and butler outfits. As they passed, all but the guards stopped what they were doing and stared at him. He felt slightly uncomfortable at their stares, but quickly reassured himself that he was staring at them in the same way, so everything was fair. Or as fair as it could be.

Twilight reached out and touched his shoulder, causing him to look back at her. “The guest rooms are this way.”

The pair rounded the corner and found themselves in a hallway with doors on either side of them. There were about eight different rooms here, all the doors were shut besides the one at the very end. A maid was walking backwards out of the room, pulling a cart with towels and cleaning supplies. As she turned and began walking towards Twilight and Jack she stopped and gasped, seeing the pair.

“Princess Twilight, I just finished cleaning the room, I hope your guest enjoys it….” She said timidly but quickly.

“Thank you Morning Dew. I’m sure he’ll be pleased.” Twilight said, nodding to her. Quickly Morning Dew moved to the side and passed them, her head turning just before she turned the corner to get one last look at the thing with Twilight.
“Princess huh?” Jack said as they reached his room.

“Oh, yes. I suppose I didn’t mention that did I?” Twilight said after a brief chuckle. “You can set your things here; we have to get to the dining hall for dinner.”

Jack nodded and set his pack down inside the door. He kept his helmet with him however and stepped back outside. “Well let’s get to it your Highness.”

As they resumed their walking, Jack noticed that the sun set rather quickly here. It seemed like it was late afternoon, then suddenly night. Maybe he just wasn’t paying much attention. However, the light never seemed to fade from the hallway. Just as the sun went down, the lights in the hallways illuminated, from the torches on the walls to the chandeliers up above.

“Try not to make a fool of yourself Jack.”

Deciding it was better to not answer Vicky, seeing how it somehow upset Twilight the last time, he just kept his retort in his own mind.

Reaching the dining hall, Twilight pushed open the door revealing a wooden table with a handful of chairs around it. “Wait here” she said. “I’ll tell the chef that we’ll have another guest here tonight.”

Jack nodded and walked around the room a bit as Twilight headed to the kitchen area. Jack spied a window and moved over to it. As his back was turned he heard a door open and shut, along with the sound of footsteps and a chair sliding across the ground. He turned around expecting to see Twilight, but instead he saw the side profile of a different woman. She had white fur, along with multicolored flowing hair. She was an alicorn, just like Twilight but her muzzle was a bit more pronounced and her hair and tail flowed in a nonexistent breeze. Jack’s eyes however went down her slender neck which had a golden chain around it. He could only see the chain as the pendant was tucked down the open top of her white dress that hung tightly to her very generous breasts. Her light purple eyes were focused on a floating scroll surrounded by a golden aura.

Jack smirked and walked over to this new beautiful thing and pulled the chair out next to her, sitting down.

“You know… It hurt when I fell from heaven, but now I’m here to make all your dreams come true.” He said, leaning his elbow on the table and facing towards her, his dark blue eyes focused on her light purple ones.

She smiled and turned her head to look at him. Her eyes blinked and then fluttered halfway shut. “Oh I hope so...” She said seductively.

The door opened again, at the same time the sound of glass shattering was heard from the opposite side of the room.

“You messed up now mister.”

Jack looked over to the sound of shattering glass, finding Twilight standing there with a tray that had slanted forward, spilling its contents onto the floor. Her mouth was agape as if about to speak but unable to find the words. The white female next to him began to chuckle, causing the smile on Jack’s face to crack a bit. She then turned to face who had just entered the room.

“Luna, hehe, Come here.” She said, motioning over to ‘Luna’.

Jack looked over to see a tall, dark blue alicorn female standing in the doorway. Her hair was dark blue and shimmering, as if the stars themselves were sprinkled into her hair. Like the other, it too was blowing in a non existent breeze. Her part of her hair however covered one of her light blue eyes and Jack found his eyes drawn to the silver necklace. It too had a pendant that was tucked away in her dark blue dress that was just as fitting as the other, only her body was much leaner. Her breasts, while not as ample as the one sitting next to him, were pert and pressed against the fabric of her dress. He could see that down to her legs there was a long slit in the sides of the dress, revealing very toned and powerful legs, with the slightest hint of a tattoo at the very top of her thigh.

“What’s so funny Celetia?” Luna asked, approaching her and the sitting man.

“Go on, tell her what you said to me, hehe.” Celestia said, placing a hand on Jack’s thigh.

Jack’s confidence was now almost completely shattered, doing his best to keep a smile on his face. “Uh... ahem... heh...”

He could feel Luna’s deep blue eyes burning into his own, the weight of disappointment all to real even before he said anything.

“It… hurt when I fell from heaven, but now I’m here to make all your dreams come true…” Jack said. He realized it was a lot more horrible sounding the second time around.

Luna looked from Jack, to Celestia who continued to chuckle.

“He doesn’t know who we are, does he?” Luna said, taking her seat next to Celestia.

Celestia sighed and turned back to Jack. “Don’t worry about her she doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

Jack looked over to see Twilight still frozen in place. “Uhm.. is… she going to be ok? Twilight?”

“Oh! I think you should handle that, since it is your fault.” Celestia said, moving her hand from his thigh to running a finger under his chin.

Jack nodded and stood up and walked over to the frozen purple statue formerly known as Twilight Sparkle. He took care not to step on any broken glass or any of the liquid that was now on the floor.

“Uhm. Twilight…? You ok?” Jack said, leaning close to her and asking quietly.

Twilight quickly came too, her ears flicking towards the sound and she turned her head. She quickly brought the silver tray up and across the side of Jack’s face, sending him to the floor.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Twilight shouted.

Luna, Celestia, and Vicky all laughed heartily, filling both the room and Jack’s head with the sound of feminine laughter. It almost eased the pain of the tray connecting with his face, his face connecting with the floor, and the wound he suffered to his ego… Almost.

Twilight huffed and turned back to the broken mess on the ground and lit her horn up. Jack watched as a purple aura surrounded all the pieces and the liquid on the ground, then it all floated up and into the kitchen with Twilight just behind it.

He sat up and rubbed his face, sucking in air sharply through his teeth from the stinging pain.

“Serves you right…"

Twilight returned with a new tray along with new glassware and a teapot. She made her way over and placed it on the table and turned back to the man sitting on the floor. “Jack, please join us.”

He hopped to his feet quickly and moved over to the table. “Yes ma’am.”

He pulled a chair out for Twilight and bowed slightly to her. “Your Highness.”

Celestia again started tittering, a hand covering her muzzle. Luna however continued to stare at him, trying to crush him under the weight of her gaze. Twilight nodded and sat down in the chair as Jack pushed it gently up to the table before taking his place beside her.

“So, Twilight. Please introduce us to your… Guest.” Celestia said carefully.

Twilight looked out of the corner of her eye at Jack and then nodded, still obviously a little upset at his previous display.

“Jack this is Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna.” Twilight held out a hand and motioned to the white female, then the blue one respectively. Jack nodded at each of them.

“These are the rulers of Equestria, who’s castle you are currently in.”

“Oh, sexually harassing royalty of an alien race. Way to reach a new low.”

Jack, now feeling the weight of his actions just sank in his chair, wishing he was part turtle so he could tuck his head into his armor. Celestia tittered again, seeing his discomfort.

“Celestia, Luna, this is Jack. He came out of the fallen star.” Twilight said.

“And it seems he’s just like every other stallion…” Luna stated dryly.

A brown furred male appeared dressed in a chef’s coat, carrying a tray with several bowls of salad and a large plate of crackers. Jack turned and watched as he set the tray down. This pony didn’t have any wings or a horn so he concluded this was one of the “earth ponies” Twilight mentioned. He did however, look as thick as a vault door. The chef then turned and walked away back into the kitchen.

“So, Jack. Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?” Celestia said, significantly less seductively and more… caring.

“Well… I … uh… what do you want to know? I don’t really know where to begin.” Jack said, reaching a hand up and rubbing the back of his head lightly.

“Where are you from? And what are you?” Luna said, directing the conversation now.

“Well… Far far away? And I’m a human.” Jack said after a few moments pause. He looked down and found a fork on the table and reached out to grab a bowl of salad. “These salads are pretty damn good your majesties.”

They all watched as Jack began eating the salad.

“You didn’t answer my questions to my satisfaction.” Luna said, her horn glowing dark blue and pulling a salad bowl and a few crackers over to her.

Jack swallowed and put his fork down, noticing Twilight almost sneak the clipboard and a new quill out onto the table.

“Well, in terms you’d understand, I’m not from Equestria. I’m not even from this planet. I’m from very far far away. So far away in fact that I seriously doubt I will ever get back home. And again, I’m a human. A human is a me. I’m a male of my species. Also, we don’t have wings or magic.”

“Wait, you said you don’t have wings or magic, but what about horns?” Twilight asked.

”Right into the trap… come on girl even I saw that one." Vicky groaned into the headset.

“That’s for later tonight if you’re good.” Jack said, picking up a cracker and eating it.

Celestia laughed heartily as Twilight’s eyes went wide, making the connection. Luna this time also chuckled a bit at Twilight’s reaction.

Jack looked out of the corner of his eye at the extremely flustered purple princess and moved his chair away slightly, lest he risk another strike of vengeance from her.

“What is that thing in your ear?” Luna said, a slight smile forming on her face.

Jack noticed he was no longer being stared down, or at least some of the weight of her expectations had been lifted. He did however, take a moment to look at Twilight and then back to Luna.

“It’s an ear piece. It… uh… let’s me hear things better.” Jack said.

“You have problems with your hearing?” Celestia asked.

“Well, no, not serious problems. But if I take another couple of hits from Princess Twilight here I might.”

Fine, Prime directive time. Jack thought to himself. Better just get it out and over with before any expectations of anything arise.

“Before we go any further let me say something in all seriousness.” Jack sat up and looked sternly at the women surrounding him.

“I am not from this planet. My race, the human race, is a technologically advanced species. That ‘fallen star’ as you call it, was my star ship. It allowed me to travel between stars at faster than light speed. I however am a believer in the ‘Prime Directive’.”

Twilight perked up and began writing down furiously as Celestia and Luna watched the man, their expressions becoming mostly blank. Celestia had a slight smile on her face.

“What is this Prime Directive?” Twilight asked.

“It’s a code that states that in the event of contact with a non-space faring entity that I am not allowed to use my skills to affect any outcome that does not directly relate to my survival. I am not allowed to take sides in a political debate, nor am I allowed to give any advanced technological information that may or may not lead to the upheaval of an already established society.”

Twilight finished writing and slowly looked up at him. “So… you just came down to say hi, attack a guard and then leave?”

“He did what?!” Luna shouted.

“Easy now sister, I’m sure Mr. Jack has a perfectly reasonable explination.” Celestia said, placing a hand on Luna’s shoulder.

“Yes, well, that was sort of self defense. I did stop him from falling off a cliff though, if that counts for anything?” Jack said, then turning back to Twilight.

“And honestly I don’t know. It’s been a dream of mine to meet another species of intelligent life. Humans have never made contact with another species in the 200 plus years we’ve been expanding across the galaxy.”

“So why the impartiality and sequestering of knowledge?” Celestia asked.

“Human history is full of conflict due to the disparity in technological prowess. As I have said before, we do not have magic. Everything we have, we created through science.”

Twilight’s eyes began to shimmer in the light as she wrote. The more Jack told her, the more she wanted to know.

“Human history is a very bloody one, which mostly stems from those with the technological advancements dominating and subjugating those without. I just don’t want to have that happen somewhere else.”

“So you would rather have other humans show up and subjugate us because we are technologically inferior to you.” Luna stated flatly. Her eyes slightly narrowing.

“No, I don’t want that either. I…” Jack trailed off and looked down at the table. He knew full well what would happen if certain factions found this planet first. If it was the Dominion, they would either enslave or completely eradicate these ponies. The Brotherhood however would be much friendlier, but doubtfully it would share any information with them.

“Look, I’m sorry but right now I have a few things I need to get taken care of before I can even begin to think about the actual ramifications of giving you specific information. I can give you generalities, but I can’t give you exact specifics.”

The alicorns looked at each other silently as Jack stood up from the table, grabbing his helmet.

“Thank you for the dinner and sorry for my lack of discretion and poor actions. With your permission I would like to return to my room for the night.”

Celestia stood up, causing the other two to look at her. “Very well, I will escort you there.”

“Celestia I can...” Twilight started, but she was quickly silenced by Celestia.

“No Twilight, I will take him. You finish your notes and enjoy your dinner. I will return presently.”

Jack looked over at Celestia and could now see just how dire any consequences would be. She was at least a head taller than him, and that was not counting the horn. She walked out of the dining room and down the hallway. After a moment Jack followed her out of the room.

One part of his brain was running through what kind of ruler she was. He had basically outright refused to help her and he wondered if she would do anything in her power to get information out of him. The other part of his brain was looking at the rather curvaceous figure in front of him. This was a tall woman for sure, but she looks like she was built to please. Wide hips that sat atop legs that seemed to go on for miles, not to mention the ample flesh he could see peeking out on either side of her chest. She walked very dignified and proper, but she also knew how to sway her hips. This was a woman who know what she had and how to show it off.

The walk to the room was all too brief for his liking, but then again he also dreaded the conversation that awaited. Celestia opened the door and let herself in, moving to the center of the room before turning around to face him.

Jack stepped into the room and shut the door quietly behind him, then set his helmet down on top of his pack.

“Mr. Jack,” Celestia stated firmly. “I understand and accept that you may not wish to help us in political or technological matters. I do however have a personal matter to discuss with you.”

Jack looked around the room and then back up to her. Her face was … saddened? The whole time she was in the dining hall he had only seen her smile and laugh, but now, now he could see sadness in her light purple eyes and a slight frown on her muzzle.

“What’s this about Princess?” Jack asked. “Would you like to take a seat?”

Celestia took a deep breath and shook her head “No, this will not take long. Mr. Jack… This is hard for me to ask this, since I am not one to ask for favors.”

“Alright, well you can be assured that this will just be between us.”

“You said you were here to make my dreams come true? Well I want to hold you to that.”

Jack looked at her curiously and brought his hands together, rubbing them nervously. She couldn’t possibly mean what he thought she meant, could she?

“I want you to look after Twilight Sparkle. It has been too long since I had seen her smile. It broke my heart every day that I would wake up and see her for breakfast, so torn apart by grief and loneliness that I was beginning to lose hope. And then you, quite literally fell from heaven. So I ask you, not as a Princess, not as royalty, but as a mare that cares deeply for her friend. Please. Please, do what you can to make Twilight happy again.” As she spoke large tears fell from Celestia’s eyes onto the ground. Her body shuddered as she fought to keep any sense of regality before she finally sat down on the bed behind her and sobbed.

Jack was stunned, he felt his heart start to crack as he listened to her story. He quickly walked over to her and put his arms around her neck, holding her gently against him. He knew the cold metal of his armor was probably uncomfortable, but he had to do something. He couldn’t stand to see a woman cry, even if she was an alicorn princess from another planet.

“I will try Celestia, I will try. I can’t promise I will succeed, but I will try with every fiber of my being.”

Celestia wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back, her sobs slowly subsiding.

They stayed like that for the next few minutes as Celestia regained her composure. Once she had done so she pulled away slightly and released her hold on him. Jack did the same and took a step back, surveying the remnants of slightly mussed makeup on her face.

“If you want to go wash up you can use my bathroom if you wish Princess.” Jack said, smiling softly at her.

Celestia returned the smile and made her way to the guest bathroom to wash her face.

“I guess that means you have to stop being a dog and actually care about a woman for once.” Vicky said as Celestia was out of the room.

“Hey, I do care… I’m just, not that great at it I guess. So I’ll need your help now more than ever.”

Celestia returned a few moments later, make up fixed and the soft smile on her lips and relief visible in her eyes. “Thank you again Mr. Jack.”

He nodded and she walked to the door, opening it. “If you do a good job, I might have other personal matters that require your attention.” Celestia said with a wink before exiting the room, leaving Jack in a state of emotional confusion.