Equilibrium, Book 1: The First Human.

December 31, 1000, C.E.
Canterlot, Equestria.
7:59 A.M.

"Final journal entry of the year. Wow. Just wow. It's been one hell of a ride these past six months but I wouldn't change a thing." John looked down at his lost arm and smiled. "Even in the darkest of time's, there was a light shining through to help guide me along the way." He clutched his own locket that he'd gotten from Dash on hearthswarming day. On one side there was a picture of him surrounded by all of his friend's and family. On the other, there was a picture of just him and Dash kissing and hugging one another while they both starred at the camera waiting for it to take the picture. John smiled as he held it close. As his hazy mind got itself back to the task at hand he began to scribble some more.

"Can't wait for the Galla tonight. I've got a tux all ready to go and the other's are all decked out to the max. I can't help but feel excited about tonight. Apparently, an old friend of mom's is going to show up." He thought about it but shook his head. "I have to admit I can't wait for Discord to show up." He smiled at the thought. "If those two are together like I think then that means that I now have one of the coolest dads in the entire universe!" His face flushed a little as he thought about his old home. "Still, I wish I could see them one last time, my old friends and family." His smile faltered as he let out a sigh of contempt. "Even so I still don't think I'd trade this for anything in the world." He looked out of his room and out into the mourning sun cresting the hills to the southeast. "This is John J Allison II Signing off of my first half a year in Equestria." John closed his journal and was about to put it away in his deck when a sudden feeling of dejavu hit him. Shaking his head to clear it away he looked down at his journal and shrugged.

"Might as well let mom look it over." He sighed as the strange feeling persisted. It compelled him to hold on to his journal for today. He just shrugged it off as the magic of Equestria at work so he didn't really try to fight it. Slinging his tux over his shoulder he turned his light off in his room and headed out into the mourning.

8:21 A.M.

John plodded along the dirt road from sweat apple acre's to ponyville proper. He took his time, savoring the cool breeze that blew along on the wind and enjoying the mildly overcast sky. He had a smile on his and a song in his heart as he went over the plans for the day.

"Gotta meet up with Rarity for any last minute adjustment's, then the girl's are going to head off to the spa for the day to get ready on there end." He smiled as he thought of the girl's decked out in there clothing.

"That'll be a site to see." He mused as he walked along. As he did so his thoughts drifted to the rest of the guys.

"Let's see Hot Shot is getting together with some guard friends of his. Spike is going to be hanging out with Shining Armor. Big Mac is chaperoning the C.M.C." As he went down the list he realized that he'd pretty much be on his own with the girls,

"Unless they all had other plans for the night." He just shrugged.

"Eh, maybe I'll make some new friends." He smiled as he continued on his treck to town. Meanwhile, as he was on his way into town the rest of the gang was getting ready.

"Rainbow darling please stop fidgeting." Rarity smiled as the mare stopped twitching her wings giving her friend a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, there Rarity just nervous. You know. About tonight." Rarity smirked at her normally calm and outgoing friends antics.

"Oh, are we perhaps nervous that a certain someone will be struck dumb by your ravenous beauty?" She let out a giggle as Dash turned a few shades pinker than she had already. She let out a strangled garble of stutters and words that had the rest of the group found uproariously funny. She shook her head to clear it and then held it up at there slanderous laughter, the smirk adorning her muzzle didn't help matters, however.

"Oh laugh it up all of you." She looked over to Fluttershy who seemed to be giddy with delight as she flitted about the spa not even bothering to hide her thestral ancestry from anyone present. She seemed to be particularly perky today. As Fluttershy hopped and bounded about she looked over her dresses for the Gala and hemmed and hawed as she went through each one and looked it over as she held it up to her lithe frame.

"No. No. No." She said as she swapped out each dress for another one. She stopped however when a light green dress drifted into her view. It was suspended by a soft blue hue and as Fluttershy looked it over she saw Rarity giving her a smile.

"This will really bring out your eye's." She said as she lifted the dress up to Fluttershy who examined herself in a mirror. She gasped as she looked upon her stunning visage. She really did like the contrast between the simple green of the outfit her friend had made for her. She took it from Rarity's grasp smiling the whole way to the changing room. Rarity smiled as she set her eyes on Rainbow Dash next, who looked from Rarity to her own dress for the night. She let out a huff as she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Ok, come on, let's get this over with." She stated as she trotted over to a giggling Rarity who levitated her friends simple yet elegant ball gown over to her as she began to take her measurements. Rarity had taken in her friend's personality's when she designed their attire for this particular evening and made each one of them a unique piece of art in their own right. For Dash, she went with a simplistic greek design with lace and bow horseshoes for each leg, these were gold in color in order to make her lavish rainbow colored dress stand out a bit more in great contrast to her sky blue coat. Then she restyled her main into a long flowing cascade held together with a single ribbon at the end and a leaf hairpin at the front. As Dash looked herself over in the mirror a fierce blush reached her face.

"D-d-o-d-o y-ou think he'll like it?" She asked as she once again began to fidget in place. As Rarity laced the dress around Dash's wings she gave her friend a smirk.

"Oh, I think he'll be blown away." She smiled as Dash felt a little more confident than she'd been felling as of late. Her blush was still ever persistent but she pushed through her mild discomfort.

"For him." She smiled as the thought passed through her head. she stood as still as possible until Rarity was done. When she was all dressed and ready to go she looked over at the clock.

"Wow time fly's." She said as Rarity to looked over at the clock and held a hoof to her muzzle.

"Oh my, it sure does." She looked around to see the rest of there rather large group all decked out as well. Glancing at the clock once more Rarity let out a soft sigh.

"Well, the show must go on." She stated as lit up her horn. At once her alabaster coat was replaced with a dress of the purest blue any of them had ever seen. Dash smirked as she let out a whistle.

"Wow Rare's. You sure your not looking to impress somepony?" She smiled as she glanced over at Spike who stood there slack jawed while holding his juice glass in a limp grasp. Rarity's blush deepened slightly but her ladylike demeanor never wavered.

"Now now Dash. A lady never kisses and tells." She sent a wink her way causing Dash to blush and let out a soft giggle as she thought of all the time's she and John had kissed both in public and private. Her face heated up as her breath quickened and her heart raced a just a little bit faster. As Rarity looked around she saw the other's all dressed and ready to go. A swift knock on the spa's door got everyone's attention. Rarity looked at the clock and smiled.

"4:45, right on time." She said as she trotted over to the door and opened it to see Shining Armor standing there in his military dress and looking ever the statue as he scanned the room full of mares. He smiled when his wife sauntered over and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"So dear how are things on your end?" She asked Shining chuckled. He waved a hoof as Spike, Hot Shot and John all shuffled inside the spa. All three of them were in similar attire to Shining albeit without all of the fancy decorum. Hot Shot had few medals he felt were even worth showing off and those that he had felt like showing off he kept locked up at home. As the two groups mingled about while their chariot got there John couldn't help but gape at Dash as she stuck to his side. She let out a nervous giggle as she to glanced at him from time to time her cheeks heating up as the two made idle chit chat.

"You look lovely Dash," John spoke as Dash flushed giving him a grin.

"You don't look too bad yourself there stud." She gave him a wink as she lifted herself up to his hight on her hind legs. "I'll have to stay by you all night in order to beat off all the mares that try and snatch you away from me." She gave him a soft kiss that he returned as the two wrapped each other up in a tight embrace. Cadence stood back and watched with unbridled joy as the two lover's continued their public display of affection unabated. Everyone else simply milled about at Prince Armor kept in contact with his troops stationed outside. He looked over to Cadence and gave her a nod. The two excused themselves and went to a private corner.

"So as I'm sure you've heard there was an attack on the Grand Tower not too long ago," Shining asked as Cadance fainted ignorance. Shining however was not amused.

"Honey, just what happened with them to cause a full contingency of royal guards to go out there with I'm guessing an also equal force of your army and so far an unidentified third party?" Cadence gave her husband a sigh as she paced back and forth. She gave her husband a look of pure sadness as she let out a huff of frustration.

"They attacked John, Fluttershy's son in all way's but blood." Shining's eyes went wide as he looked from his wife over to John and then Fluttershy.

"They did what?" Cadence gave him a nod.

"You know that it's bad enough to have Fluttershy pissed at you but to attack her family that is a rage on a whole new level." She shivered as she remembered the battle that had ensued as well as the fury Fluttershy had unleashed upon her foes. Cadence had to put a few out there misery as she went about the fierce battle but none suffered more so than the Chancellor. To be left impaled on a spike but still alive was a fate worse than death. How badly she wanted to give him some comfort in his final moment's but Fluttershy would not allow it. She stood vigil over him all week as she kept him alive as long as possible to ensure that he suffered for the pain he'd caused her son. It wasn't in any way an equal amount of retribution not to her at least but she didn't care. She took great joy in the suffering that the Chancellor endured but it was over all too soon for her. Shining shivered as Cadence regaled him with the gory tail but he soon looked at Fluttershy with a whole new dose of fear and respect. As Cadence got ready to talk a little bit more Shining held up a hoof, his horn glowing for a moment.

"Ok, folks the chariot has arrived." He said as a chorus of shouts and hollers made him laugh. He lead the way outside and motioned for the guys to stay by his side as the mare's entered the carriage first. Dash not really one for decorum simply scooped John up as she passed him by. He looked back and saw the other's all grinning as he simply mouthed how sorry he was for leaving them out in the cold. They all snickered as he disappeared into the carriage but soon they all joined in on the merriment as the carriage was full of laughter and singing as the carriage made it's way to Canterlot.

5:00 P.M.
Road To Canterlot.

The road to Canterlot was long but not unwelcome. Dash had cuddled up with John in a corner of the carriage while the other's all sat and talked. A bout of laughter would rip through the conversation every once and awhile making the journey all the more pleasant and homely. The C.M.C had taken up a central space in the carriage and were now pestering Spike asking if he had any plans for the night. He just huffed as he told them he had planned on spending the night with rarity who gave him a soft blush as she two had planned on spending the night with her knight. Meanwhile, Applejack was fussing over her older brother's plans for the evening.

"So you and Apple Bloom are just going to go out and spend the night on the town?" Big Mac just nodded.

"Yup." He said as he looked over to his younger sister and smiled.

"She hasn't been here in quite some time and we ain't exactly planning on coming back anytime soon." He stated as he smiled. AJ just smiled as she looked over at her sister.

"What about Charrilee?" She asked as Big Mac smiled. "We came to an arrangement for tonight." He smiled as he thought of his marefriend in her long ball gown. His face heated up as he cleared his throat to get his mind back on track.

"So what about yourself?" He asked turning the tables. AJ just blushed as she looked around.

"Well, it would seem that everypony else has a date for tonight." She looked al little solemn. She shook her head and smiled.

"Guess I'll just have to find myself a date for the night when I get there." She smirked as Big Mac chuckled.

"Don't you go and steal all the stallion's for yourself now you hear." He winked at her as she blushed and let out a giggle.

"Yeah, sure thing Mac." Then she thought of it and looked over to Hot Shot who was adamantly talking with Pinky Pie. The two were so lost in there own little conversation that AJ didn't really have the heart to stop them. She then looked over at Twilight who was chatting with her brother and Cadence.

"Do you really think I'll be able to find somepony there tonight?" She nervously asked as her brother let out a soft chuckle. He gave his sister a hug and ruffled her mane.

"Of course you will sis." He even leaned forward and gave her a smirk.

"If you want I can set up with one of my friends in the guard?" She flushed as she looked around and gave her brother a soft grin.

"T-t-th--at--sou--nds--ni-ce." She stammered as her face lit up while her brother and Cadence let out a chorus of giggles.

As this was going on John and Dash were lounging about on their own little piece of the carriage as Aion sat next to them. He looked around and smiled as he saw all of the happy face's and felt the heat of the warm fuzzy atmosphere pervade the ride to the capital. A hand reached over and ruffled his mane. He laughed as he swatted it away and then launched himself at the offending appendage which was attached to his older brother. The two of them hadn't spent that much time together in the past so John decided to rectify that tonight.

"Hey, there squirt." He smiled as Aion crawled on top of the headrest and draped himself above John's head overlooking the two adults and smiling.

"Hey, there bro." Aion looked over the other's and smiled.

"So what are you and Dash planning on doing tonight?" John looked down at Dash and as one they both shrugged. This got a laugh out of all three.

"Honestly I just want to sit back and relax when we get there," Dash said as John thought about it.

"Yeah with all of the preparation earlier and long hectic mourning to boot I'm kind of pooped." Aion's muzzle fell which caused John to smirk.

"But I could muster up a little bit more energy if there's anything you wanted to do when we get their little bro." Aion's muzzle lit up as he looked at the two. Dash just giggled as she rested her head on John's shoulder.

"All right but you two better not leave me hanging for long." She instructed as she gave John a kiss on his cheek and began to work her way across his face eventually making it to his lips. He gladly accepted the kiss's and smiled as Aion made a sick face and leaped off the headrest and trotted over to the rest of his family. As he did so he couldn't help but glance back as that same feeling of wrongness came over him. He felt something in the air, something big was going down tonight and he couldn't help but feel like he was going to lose something important tonight. Glancing back at his older brother and his marefriend he gave out a soft sigh.

"No." He gave a little stomp. "I'm not going to lose my family." He sighed as he sat down. "Not again." He vowed as a tear made its way down his muzzle.