Clair Ree

It was the last engagement before we were due to head back to Earth. With Jeff 's second term almost at an end, big political rumblings were happening. But, before I could spare thoughts for that, I had to deal with royalty first.

The meeting had been a surprise, but it was one Flurry had arranged for me, so I wasn't going to turn it down. I wondered how it would go if she became my opposite number on Earth. Would I come back to find all of the US wearing clip-on pony ears?

"Clair, King Thorax is here to see you." Helen's voice was firm but respectful. This was a king we were dealing with, after all.

A king. We had a few self-styled kings back on Earth, and even a few that actually had history backing up their claim, but this was probably the only king I'd ever meet that—if everything Flurry said was true—had taken his crown by conquest and consensus.

I stood as he walked in, inclining my head a little to show respect, only to have a hoof shoved out to me. I stared a moment before I took his hoof and shook it. "Your Maje—"

"Please, just call me Thorax. Even after all these years I can't get used to all the rigmarole." Thorax's voice was deep, but now I looked at him I could see how different he was from a pony. Somehow, a changeling was even more colorful than any pony I'd met and at the same time was more insectile. His wings looked like those of a dragonfly and he had the horns of a stag beetle.

One thing I'd learned after dealing with a lot of people with a higher station than my own, was that if they asked to be called something familiar, you do it. You also offer them your own name in at least an equal show of humility. "Thank you, Thorax, and please just call me Clair."

His smile at hearing me follow his lead with names was something to behold. Some might consider it weird, but I could tell he was very happy about something. "My niece invited me to visit, then said I had to meet you. She said a lot of good things about your country."

Whereas I knew next to nothing about his. "I wish I could say the same. Not that I'm not grateful for the chance to greet another head of state and broaden our diplomatic ties." He looked to relax. Was he worried I'd make demands?

"That's"—he seemed a little nervous about telling me something, and looked to the side—"one thing I wanted to talk about. I spoke to Princess Celestia earlier, and she said I could extend our services to America.

"There're two abilities changelings possess that are very useful, diplomatically. Curiosity, wariness, love for your family, confusion, lots more confusion, astonishment, and I think you have figured it out."

I stared at him, my mind racing. It was my emotions he'd been reading, and he could pick up on the changes as quickly as they happened. I definitely hadn't felt anything. "You read emotions." He nodded to me. "Okay, that is useful. Very useful, actually. What's the other ability?"

A flash of green fire startled me. Jumping to my hooves, I was reaching to the intercom when the fire stopped and left Princess Flurry Heart, complete in her armor, sitting across from me.

"That's our other ability." He even sounded like Flurry. Every detail was perfect to the point that I was stunned by his use of magic.

"What—How does that work?" I asked.

Another rush of green fire and he was back to his normal self. "We only need to study something for a short while, but it can be literally anything. Non-living shapes take more love to maintain, though." He looked a little embarrassed about something.

"'Love'?"

"Changelings used to be different. We had to feed off love to live, and drinking it from ponies deprived them of it. Now we can—The best term for it is ambient feeding, and we can feed off each other. But, the best thing is that it doesn't drain the love out of somepony." He looked really embarrassed, and I was sure this was the crux of the issue.

"Okay, so you feed on love, and you need it to be able to do your magic?" I asked, and got a nod from him. "From your asking Princess Celestia first, I can only assume that you already offer this reading service to her—no, I don't need you to tell me. Do you have someone in mind to work for us, and do you have any idea what you'd like in return?"

He looked like he was about to ask for something I wouldn't agree to. The funny thing was I wasn't adept at reading his face, but all his emotions were plane to see. That thought carried me to a new one—he could read all my emotions no matter how good I am at hiding them. Was he telegraphing his emotions to help make this an even negotiation?

"Weapons. From what Flurry told me, and what I've seen here, you have compact weapons that don't require any form of energy to use. We're on the edge of Equestria, which means that we guard their border for them." He looked at me with a firm expression that gave me no doubts that he'd seen fighting.

"Normally, and with even Equestria, weapons are not on the table. Our relationship, however, would be different. We'd both be providing security for each other. I'll be seeing Jeff tomorrow and can put this to him." It was the best I could offer him. A security agreement was mutually strengthening. "Do you have someone who could accompany us?"

He now looked a little panicked. "My brother is in Canterlot with me. He is—He is not who would be my first choice as a diplomat." That's when he brightened. "Oh! I know the best way to do this. I will accompany you, assuming I have your word I will be safe?"

Everything just became infinitely more complicated. I tried to think if this could get any worse but, short of him being hostile, things were about already as confusing as I could imagine. "You have my word you will be safe. I will have to contact my people and have extra arrangements made, but I believe we can manage a short-notice state visit."

"Perfect! I'll let Pharynx know. When do you need us here?" His worry had seemed to evaporate and now he wore a big smile. Just how open and free was he with his emotions? Also, what kind of political cesspit was I going to take him to?

"Tomorrow morning we will be doing final preparations. I will contact Princess Twilight Sparkle to ensure that this won't harm you. You'll excuse me, Thorax, but you've given me a lot more work to take care of."

He actually looked apologetic. "If it's a problem I could—?" Was he really this bereft of guile?

"No, sorry. While this is more work, it is work I am trained at. Taking care of these things is my job." It surely had to be bad I wanted to give him a hug and tell him it was all okay. Now that I realized he wasn't bargaining for nuclear secrets or plotting assassination, he really seemed like the nicest ~~bug-pony~~ changeling. "Please, leave everything up to me."

There was something about seeing Thorax smile and prance out of the room that warmed me to my core. He was, apparently, a very nice and open ruler, but also one in a hard situation. I wanted to hug him and growl at anything that might threaten to remove that carefree smile.

The only thing that really worried me was that it might be my own actions that made him frown again.

It had been a rushed communique to let Jeff know what was coming. All I'd sent him was that I had a ruler who wanted to visit to discuss potential military and espionage alliances. I didn't expect and nor did I get a reply. Replies from Earth cost a significant amount of energy.

"You didn't have to come," I said.

"I have two reasons to go back." Saffron stood beside me at the platform and watched as Moon Dancer fiddled with the settings on the control panel. "There's someone on Earth I have to tell, reluctantly, that I can't be her longest-distance-relationship-ever. Dr. Peters' stuff is relevant too."

"So for all you've gone a hundred percent native, you still have a bit of duty to the ol' red, white, and blue?"

We were just waiting for our guests to arrive and then we had already gained clearance to teleport.

"Hey, it's only when they start demanding things that it annoys me. Freedom and all that. In Equestria, I get asked if I want to do stuff. Wearing your dress again?"

It was a jab back about the gone native comment. Saffron was a smart kid—smart guy—and didn't enjoy even joking put-downs. It was still hard to see him as an adult, but by Celestia's decree he was. "The press would have a field day if they could get a shot of me without one on. You've got your cloak, I see."

"Yeah, but what about your friends? Are you really going to show off two male royalty without any clothes?" I could swear he was grinning based off the sound of his voice, but when I looked Saffron was just looking at the platform.

What he described, of course, was a disaster. How would I tell a king and a prince they had to dress up so that humans wouldn't point and laugh at them?

"Clair! I found them!" Flurry's unmistakable voice, in a shout and from right behind me, almost made me jump. "Uncle Thorax, I told you I'd find her."

Wait. Was there a single pony—or non-pony—on this planet she wasn't tangentially related to?! I turned to see Thorax and another, darker colored changeling walking into the room beside Flurry Heart. The real surprise was seeing both the king and prince wearing cloaks and vests. I looked at Flurry with a raised eyebrow.

"I read your reports, you know." Flurry shot me back the same look, but threw in a wink.

"Flurry explained that your world doesn't handle nudity well. I-I can understand that, and while I thought we could just shapechange those bits away, this is easier and less prone to suddenly showing everything if we get startled." Trotting in place a few times, Thorax actually looked excited to be wearing clothes.

Beside Thorax was the changeling I assumed was his brother. By most Earth rules of etiquette, he'd be a prince. Dipping my head a little, I asked him, "You must be Pharynx, you're traveling too?"

He looked a little surprised to be talked to, though he didn't wear his emotions on his sleeve like Thorax. "I do all I can to keep my little brother from getting into huge messes. Your world, from what I've heard, is a huge mess. There's one thing I've learned to trust, though, when it comes to these matters." He turned and looked at Flurry.

"Aunt Celestia gave me permission." Flurry looked like she'd just organized a major political event in her favor. I guess she had.

I turned toward the platform to see Moon Dancer looking at me with a little confusion. "Moon, looks like we have an extra guest. Now, where's Riley?"

"I'm here, Mom!" Well, with Riley pushing her way through from the doorway, that meant we were all here.

Life, it seemed, continued to get more complicated the longer you lived it. I was fifty-six now, and that was something that I'd been told I would need to deal with for another two-hundred years. "This will be a two part transportation. First myself, Flurry, King Thorax, and Prince Pharynx will travel, then Saffron and Riley will come over using the transmogrification setting."

"Mom, I want to be a pony! I can't help my tree as much if I'm not a pony!" I knew this had been coming. Saffron had warned me it would be coming.

"Alright, Riley, you come with us and leave your brother to be the only one going through transmogrification. Let's find a place on the platform." I tried to lead the way, but Riley and Flurry raced forward and spun around to face me as if they'd both just won a race.

I walked forward and took my place on the platform, while the two changelings moved up last. Nodding to Moon, I looked at Saf. "We'll be off the platform in ten minutes. You can come over then."

"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. Leaving pegasi to wait should be against the law." Despite his theatrics, Saffron stood to the side without any sign of annoyance.

My focus on my son was interrupted when I was shoved out of one reality and into another. I might not have seen as much travel time as some of the soldiers, but I didn't stumble on the other side—mostly because four legs made it hard to stumble if you just braced them.

Earth always seemed a little duller, even with big lights around the teleportation platform. I took my bearings as quickly as I could and stepped past Flurry and Riley to dismount the pads. One man stepped forward—dressed in a black suit and with an earpiece in one ear. "Agent Lane. We appear to have an extra escort. Our guests are, my daughter, Riley Ree, Lieutenant Flurry Heart of the Equestrian E.U.P. Guard and Princess of the Crystal Empire, His Royal Majesty King Thorax of the Changeling nation, His Royal Highness Prince Pharynx of the Changeling nation."

Riley poked my foreleg with her own and looked up at me. "I'll wait here, Mom. When Saf gets here, he'll feel really drained if he does turn back to human."

"Ambassador, please follow me. The President is waiting, and he told me to tell you he promises you don't need to give a press conference right away." Trevor Lane gestured to the door. The room looked different compared to the last time I was here, and with good reason. A new building had been erected and the border as it were had been moved to that. When Trevor walked over to the door and opened it, it was a garden path he stepped out on.

Following Trevor, I had Flurry right behind me and then the two brothers behind her. As we all got out into the gardens that were immaculately kept (and didn't look like a new building had been dropped in their midst), I heard Thorax exclaim and start talking about flowers.

We approached the door that led into the oval office directly, and I saw Jeff standing beside it. He didn't raise an eyebrow or even make the slightest twitch at the sight of our extra guests. "Welcome to America. You'll forgive my lack on knowing what titles to accord you all," Jeff said. "My own is president, but y'all can call me Jeff."

I stepped aside to allow the big-wigs to talk it out.

"My title is annoyingly long," Flurry said. "It has princess this and lieutenant that. You can call me Flurry, Jeff."

"Hi! I'm Thorax!" Sure enough, Thorax walked forward and raised his right foreleg and held his hoof out to Jeff—who shook it.

Pharynx stepped up beside his brother. "Thorax, you're supposed to tell him you're the king of the changelings." Looking up at Jeff, Pharynx seemed to study him. "I'm Prince Pharynx, but hold off on the prince bit, okay?"

"I think I can manage that, Pharynx. Please, come into my office and get comfortable. Clair, please, won't you join us?" Jeff's question was an order, plain as day. It was too easy to slide back into Earth politics-speak.

Jeff led the way, followed by Flurry, Thorax, Pharynx, and then I took up the rear. Trevor closed the door behind us from the outside and then walked back toward the portal room. I let him go back and deal with the kids while I took my seat on the couch, climbing up to take a seat beside Jeff. "Sorry for the short notice, but I thought this would be a good time to get everyone together without causing a fuss."

"It's not like I had anything else to get caught up in. You know how the election cycle is now, Clair. The party is looking for someone new to put behind the desk over there." Jeff looked cagey. He looked like he was about to say something and I was going to regret it. "Did you try using the transmogrifier?"

"No. I thought it best if I came through with our guests. Besides, I'm more used to being like this now." He looked even worse now. What was he up to?

"Shame. I'd like you to try using it to see if you could come back here for… about eight years?"

My blood turned to ice. "You can't mean what I think you mean."

"What does he mean?" Thorax asked.

Clearing her throat, Flurry gestured to Jeff with a wing. "Human leaders—at least American leaders—are elected every four years, and can rule for no more than eight. What I believe President Jeff Miller is saying is—he thinks Ambassador Ree could stand to be the next president."

"No. He wouldn't do that because I don't have the charisma or the desire to do that. He knows this." I might have been answering Flurry, but I was definitely speaking to Jeff.

"Would that make Clair a princess?" Thorax asked.

"Jeff," I said, turning to fix a good glare on his smiling, likable face, "this is a topic for later, but my decision won't change."

Jeff leaned back in the couch and smiled in that completely genuine way he somehow managed even when he was lying to your face. What annoyed me was he probably wasn't going to lie and hadn't been lying so far. "I talked her into going to another world. Clair would do anything for this country."

"Fun as it is ribbing Clair, we should probably move to our reason for coming here." Flurry's voice had returned to the kind of seriousness she used when discussing potentially dangerous topics. This was a mare in her 50s who knew combat and diplomacy, and she was applying one to the other. "The Changeling Empire is a strong ally of Equestria not just because they hold one of our flanks against monsters and marauders, but also because they aid in—strained diplomatic situations."

I could see the glint in Thorax's eye that said he was about to give a demonstration. "Jeff, call your secret service guys, tell them there's about to be magic and a light show in here."

"Thanks for the warning. Uh, I don't suppose your kids are here as ponies?" Jeff pulled a phone from his pocket (one of the presidential ones that had more security than sense) and started tapping away on it—but his eyes were fixed on the window.

It was impossible to resist. I turned my head to the window and saw Saffron—still as a pegasus—flying through the sky over the rose garden, and of course he had Riley on his back. "We were testing to see if the key to not transmogrifying was cutie marks. Saffron was the only one of us using the transmogrifier setting."

"And it failed, proving that it is cutie marks that cause the pony form to lock in, as it were." Jeff sounded like he had discovered the secret to immortality. "Clair, I can't help but wonder—is there a cutie mark under that dress?"

The complete and utter bastard. He had me over a barrel and I'd lost one possible defense against his plan. "That's personal." When he opened his mouth, his focus still on me, I jumped in. "And it's probably not what our visitors want to hear."

What exactly was up with Jeff confused me. I'd never seen him acting like this. Climbing down from the couch, I tried to give Flurry as focused a look as I could before I said, "You'll excuse me then. I'll be outside trying to rein in my foals."

I walked to the door that led back into the rose garden, opened it, and stepped out into the crisp Washington air.

"Mom! I can fly here just fine!" Saffron whooshed past me wearing a huge grin.

Looking over to Riley, she seemed far more interested in the gardens. "Sweetie, you're leaking magic all over the place." It wasn't exactly hard to see that—the grass was flaring up several inches behind her each time she took a step, and the roses were growing fresh leaves and buds.

"I know, Mom. I'm trying to just get it on the roses, but there's so little magic here that every drop seems to just explode and go everywhere. I don't know how Dad handled it." A few feet along now, the roses behind her were puffing out and into bloom. "And don't worry. I'm giving them enough magic to last them all through winter."

Trevor Lane was standing not far away. He looked pretty happy with himself about something. When I walked over to him, he nodded to me.

"I organized a seamstress for Riley. They'll be waiting at whatever hotel you wish, though you might want to consider The Velvet. All pony visitors tend to stay there since it is owned by a pony." His words reminded me exactly who would be that owner and how big Twilight Velvet was growing here.

"Thank you. You know, I think we might want to organize things over there, but I might wait for Flurry and King Thorax to be done with Jeff." Curiosity got the best of me on one topic, though. "Jeff seems to be—"

"I can't tell you anything about him professionally, but the president's been more than a little odd lately. He's been looking forward to today." Trevor didn't look anywhere but out across the lawn.

"I got that. He kept talking about trying to have me run for the primary. Could I have a meeting with the VP, do you think?" When Trevor nodded his head to the far side of the rose garden, I realized that Vice President Howards was standing there doing his best to not look my way—and failing frequently. "I see."

A short walk across the rose garden—leaving Trevor behind to keep an eye on the kids—and I walked slowly up to Peter Howards. "Peter."

"Jeff's spoken to you?" Peter sounded worried, and I knew full well why.

"What happened to him? I brought him a foreign leader and the next in line to another leader, and he starts ranting about the next election with some idiocy about putting me forward." When I got to the last bit, Peter seemed to relax slightly. "I take it this isn't news to you?"

"He thinks it's some kind of reward or dynasty. I planned to stand for the primary myself, and I was hoping to have Jeff's support." It was fishing on Peter's part. If Jeff pushed, he probably could have gotten me through the primary just on advertising alone, but I wasn't the right person or pony for that.

"You'll have mine. You've announced?" When he shook his head, I asked, "But you planned to soon?"

"I'd hoped you could talk some sense into Jeff before I did. Making the announcement would be best with his backing right there and then."

It might be a political play on Peter's behalf, but it was a sound one. We had a history of pushing good VPs into the top job in our party. "I'll speak to him tonight. Keep yourself free so I can pull you in at the right time."

Peter, in that moment, looked ten years younger. "It can be hard to accept—sometimes—that you're the amazing woman who pushed the both of us over the line, but when you talk like that, Clair, it's obvious you're every bit as sharp as you were. Loyal to a fault, too."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Don't be too quick with that last bit. I have my retirement planned out when my duty is done."

"Won't stop me from sending you Christmas cards."

"What do you think your chances are, Peter?"

"If I get the endorsements from Jeff and yourself? I like to think I have a good chance. Your kids seem to be enjoying the pony life. Never thought I'd see the likes of this, but a sharp mind moves with the changes." Turning, Peter started to walk away—heading back toward the white house.

What kind of mess had this place become, and all because Jeff has… what? Is he narcissistic? Megalomania? Ego-inflated?

I would need to handle this carefully.

Flurry led the way out of the oval office. She looked bored out of her brain, which meant she'd finally fully grasped the way Earth politics work. Behind her came a happy-looking Thorax and an even happier Pharynx.

"I hope you got more sense out of Jeff than I did," I said.

"It went pretty good. He was quick to realize that sensing the emotions of those around him could enhance the security of any detail. Uncle Pharynx was—and still is—smiling." Flurry turned her head back to look at him and stuck her tongue out.

"It's good to see a leader who immediately sees the potential of changelings. We are strong allies, and are useful in many ways, but we need weapons of our own." Pharynx spoke with the conviction and pride of any patriot. I had to remind myself it wasn't my country he was patriotic about. "Your president acknowledged this and will provide weapons and training in how to use them."

It didn't really surprise me that he would. The US had done more for less return in the past for allies. "I had Trevor call and book us suites at a nearby hotel. Would you like to go there with me now?"

Thorax, with a big smile that seemed genuine, looked around. "Could we maybe go on a tour? I'd like to see how human hives are built." If his excitement was planned to make me feel happier, well, he was good at planning. It was a little odd to accept that aliens might just want to see how our society worked, but it was also a little flattering.

"I'm sure the hotel gets that a lot. We should ask them about how to organize a tour." I turned my attention to Saffron (still flying around) and raised my voice. "Saffron! We're going to the hotel!"

In practically a second he was right beside us—Riley too—and the pair looked as happy as Thorax. "What's up, Mom?" Saffron asked.

"We're going to visit the hotel and then go on a tour of DC. Did you and Riley want to come too?" I asked them.

Saffron looked toward Riley and shook his head. "We kinda need to do some shopping, you know? That and I need to call someone." He finally surrendered to gravity and touched down on the ground. It's strange how seeing him walking always reminds me he's a foal, but when he flies, Saffron seemed much more adult somehow.

"Oh!" Riley bounced along beside Saffron as we all followed Trevor. "Is that Kaylee? What's she doing now?"

"I don't know yet. That's why I want to call her. It's been a while…"

"Oh, right. We should invite her over to watch movies!"

I dragged my attention away from Riley and Saffron to the adults present. Flurry was looking around curiously, but it was Thorax and his head snapping around to look at buildings and gardens and people. It was a shock to see him so thoroughly invested in exploring our culture.

Saffron Ree

Mom seemed upset over something, but I kinda figured she would be with an election coming up. I could still remember the last one she'd been here for—we'd barely seen her for months. "Hey, Riley, do you think Mom will be staying here to help with the election?"

"Nah. She'll make a few appearances on TV in support of whoever uncle Jeff thinks is good, but she won't stay here for months." What she said reminded me of the whole eight years thing. Damn she was smart.

"You didn't see it, but Mom was pretty angry earlier—when she left the oval office. She is getting better at dealing with that kinda anger, but I'm pretty sure months here helping someone campaign would make her way less pony." I looked over at Mom, but she was busy chatting with Thorax and Pharynx. "Hey, Flurry?"

Flurry stepped closer to us. She was taller than I was, but I was kinda used to that. What I couldn't get used to was her wings. I swear, if I wasn't spoken for, her wings would have me chasing her like a lost puppy. "What's up, Saf?" Also, her using my shortened name made me smile.

"You think Mom is going to get stuck here with all this election stuff coming up?" I asked.

"I hope not. At least, I don't plan to stay—and it would get boring back in Equestria without her shaking up the political landscape. You could come back with me if you want?" There was something just awe-inspiring about the way she was always thinking of others.

Riley seemed distracted by the plants we were walking past, so I managed to ask, "Well, I think we'll worry about that when we get there. Hey, do you want to meet this nice human I found last time I was here?"

Mike was ahead of us with a big, black van. It was almost hard to recognize him because he had small gray flecks in his hair. "Hey, that must be our ride. I guess they are used to having ponies need transportation."

"Saf should have to fly!" Riley trotted up to Mike. "Make Saf fly so we have more space!"

"Saf? Riley? Holy sh—ivers. You're ponies now!" He crouched down, but was unable to get low enough to be on the same height as us. "Damn, and you're adorable. Is this your pony girlfriend, Saf?"

I turned to look at Flurry, and she did the same back to me. Did I dare do it just to play a gag on Mike? That was never in doubt. I winked at Flurry and her smile widened a little.

"They're—" Riley began, but I had to get in before she gave the game away.

"Yeah! You got me. But hey, a guy's gotta just stick to his guns and chase the dream—and there's no greater dream than Flurry. She's just so amazing." I sidled across a little so I was pressed against her side. "And her wings…" That bit didn't even need acting.

"Wha—" Riley stared at us.

"And who could resist the best flier in all Equestria here. You should have seen him. He broke every academy record. The Wonderbolts literally couldn't help but invite him to join!" Flurry tilted her head sideways and pressed her cheek to mine.

Mike looked like he'd fallen for it completely. He backed up to the van and opened the side door for us.

"Of course," Flurry said, "that'd be how it was if we weren't both full of horse apples. Saf has a mare back home, but she's not a princess." And, with that, she climbed into the van.

The look on Mike's face, mostly shock, had me giggling. "Besides," I said, "she's way out of my league. She's a princess, heir to the Crystal Empire."

Riley jumped in behind Flurry. "You shouldn't pick on Mike like that."

"He asked for it." I climbed into the van and made room for Mom. It got pretty cozy with Mom, Thorax, and Pharynx in the back of the van. The ride was cramped, but complaining wouldn't help. Besides, I just stood near Riley and Flurry stood near both of us to keep from getting too squashed.

Arriving at the building, at least I hoped it was the right one since I couldn't actually see out of the back of the van, we repeated the process of packing the can with sardines only in reverse. That's when I saw a pony standing at the front door of the hotel with a big smile on her face.

"Twilight Velvet. Why doesn't it surprise me to find you here—at your own hotel?" Mom started walking toward the mare, but Flurry moved way faster.

Rushing up, Flurry tackle-hugged Twilight Velvet. "Gran! What are you doing here?"

"Gran?" I looked at Riley, but it was Mom who turned toward me.

"Twilight Velvet is Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle's mother. She owns a lot of businesses in Canterlot, and it seems she is branching out." Mom gestured to the doors. "You kids head inside, I guess I will be having a talk with our host."

Shrugging, I trotted past everyone talking and opened the door for Riley. Mike followed me in too, and then came Thorax and Pharynx. Inside, the place was like the other big hotel except there were a few little differences—a pony and a human standing behind the front desk, lots more plants around, and there was a general sense of more magic in the air. Literally in the air. "You feel that?"

"Yeah," Riley said, tapping her hooves a few times as she walked. "It's like there's just magic here. Like, Equestria magic."

Testing it a little, I held out one wing and built potential between two feathers until they let out a little snap as energy flashed between them. "Plenty of magic. This is pretty cool. Oh!" I looked around and spotted Mike. "Hey, Mike! Can you call this number?"

"Saf, this better not be a booty call. Wait a sec, how young are you like this? You look tiny compared to the other two, and even the—the princess is bigger than you." Mike reached down and took the note with Kaylee's number on it.

"Yeah, still 20, but in ponies 20s like early teens. Most ponies won't even think of me as adult until I'm in my 50s." I took the phone from him when he passed it down. It was ringing, and when I heard a female voice on the other end asking who this was, I replied, "It's me, Saf. Uh, the pony guy."

"Saf?! You're back? Uh, hold on, where are you?" Her voice sounded incredulous.

"Uh, I'm in the… Ah hell, it's probably just called the pony hotel or something. The one near the white house." Phones were annoying to hold and use as a pony, I realized. There was just so much to them and my feathers had trouble holding on.

She laughed. Literally laughed. "Hold on, Saf, I'll be right down." And with that, she hung up.

I passed the phone back to Mike. "She said she'll be down… Does that mean she's staying here?"

Slipping his phone back into his jacket pocket, Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, though she didn't seem like the type to have the money to stay in one of these places. Maybe she—"

The lift nearest us dinged and its doors opened slowly. Sure enough, Kaylee stood there wearing the same uniform I'd seen on the guy behind the front desk. "Saf?" She looked around, and when I waved, approached us. "I can totally hang, but I gotta let my boss know first."

She walked over to where Mom was talking to with Flurry's grandmother and waited for Twilight Velvet to notice her. Words were whispered back and forth, and Kaylee walked back over. "Okay, I got the day off. With Mrs. Velvet here in person, it's not like I have that much to do but report to her."

I felt confused as all hell. "Wait, what do you do here?"

"Well, Mrs. Velvet advertised for people with any experience with ponies. When I told her I knew you, and we were kinda friends, she wanted me running this place. It's not—I mean I didn't just start there, you know, she had Mr. Hot come over and train me in management, but it wasn't like I didn't know how hotels ran. Anyway, look at you! Sticking the pony life thing now? Hey, you got a cutie mark!"

There was something I'd learned about ponies: if you asked them about their cutie mark, you got an hour-long conversation. I was no exception. "Oh heck yes. You know I got it while trying out for the Wonderbolts? It was so amazing! I was doing this really fancy flying routine and it involved me using a lot of lightning at the end. Well, it turned out my cutie mark is in flight-magic, which includes lightning, so when I did all that it just told me what I already knew—flying is my thing.

"So anyway, there I was, finishing this whole big routine that I was desperately trying not to electrocute myself in, and I land, and it all worked. That's when Commander Spitfire comes down and is all, 'Hey, nice routine, also, congrats on your cutie mark.'

"I was blown away! It was so amazing I ran in like three circles before I realized what I was doing just to look at it. I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"I mean, I did ask about your cutie mark and all. Come on up, I'll show you to your rooms and we can work out what's up next from there." Kaylee had a big grin on her face. She led the way over to the counter.

"You always go on and on about your cutie mark," Riley said.

"Everypony does. Trust me, when you get yours, you won't be able to shut up about it either." I almost—almost—started to talk about my cutie mark again. If it wasn't for the fact I'd told Riley about it so many times already, I would have.

"Princess Celestia said it would be five years at the earliest before I get mine. You're pretty young to have gotten yours—she said." She did the thing she always did to let me know she was a bit upset—she leaned against me. When an earth pony leans on you, you get leaned-on.

Rather than put up with having a little mountain pushing against me, I grabbed her with my wing and, with a jolt of magic, tossed her up and on my back. "Trust me, it'll be worth the wait. Imagine all the amazing stuff that will lead up to you getting your mark?"

She jumped up onto her hooves, still balanced on my back, and did that cute four-hoof-stomp thing ponies do when really excited. It was like having four little bulldozers bouncing on my spine. "I can't wait, Saf!"

Kaylee got the key-cards and led the way to the lift. "You get one of these each, and your mom will get another." She stared at something behind us as we got into the lift. "Mr. Security guy, they'll be safe with me."

"Yeah, but it's my job. Trev, you got the whole party here? I'm escorting Saf and Riley up to their room." Mike stood in the doorway before nodding to something we couldn't hear. "Thanks. I'll let you know what's going on when we reach there."

We rode the lift up, found our rooms (a whole suite), and piled in and onto the couch. There were big planters by the windows with little tiny apple trees and small shrubs and all kinds of plants. Riley seemed drawn to them.

Kaylee, too, noticed Riley's interest. "Please be careful with those, we have a gardener who is very clever with his magic and keeps them just the right height. Says he persuades them to remain small."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll go and talk to my tree then. I wonder how big he got?"

"The one in the park?" Kaylee asked. "It's huge. They made it a monument."

Riley started bouncing up and down in excitement—thankfully not on my back now. "It is? Can you see it from here?" She somehow teleported to the window again. "Aww, we're facing the wrong way."

"So this is the real you now, Saf?"

Kaylee surprised me, since all my attention had been on Riley. "Huh? Oh, yeah. This kinda cinches things now. Once you get a cutie mark, you're a pony forever."

"Can I just…" She sighed. "All the guests here are off-limits, but I'm not on the clock, technically, so…"

"Kaylee, just ask."

"Can I pick you up and hug you?" Her excitement bubbled up and surprised me. "Just for a moment. I've been working with ponies and we have pony guests moving through often enough, but I can never just…"

"Pick me up if it—" I didn't get any further. She grabbed me, startling me a little so that my wings shot out, but I calmed down and just sat there on her lap. "Satisfied?"

"I'll look for a brush!" Riley said.

"In the bathrooms. It's the third drawer on the right. There's a regular hairbrush and a curry comb." Hugging me to her chest, Kaylee let out an excited giggle. "How are you so soft?"

"You think my coat's soft?" Stretching out a wing, I flopped it onto her hand. "Try that out. I preened all those just before ripping my way through interdimensional space to be here."

Kaylee's fingers worked carefully over my feathers. I heard and felt her breath catch in her throat. "Wow. I mean I've seen a few pegasi coming through, and we have one who works as bellhop, but I'd never ask one of them to let me touch their wings."

"Probably for the best. They're kinda sensitive." At least she didn't have it in her brain to try preening them. Of course, thinking about preening reminded me of Sudden.

"I found the brushes!" Riley ran into the room and jumped up on the couch with both items balanced on her back.

The curry comb on my coat felt nice, but I quickly tucked my wing in in case she thought using it on my feathers would be a good idea. "So, what's your title here? Manager?"

"Executive manager. Mrs. Velvet is paying me stupid amounts of money to basically do what I used to, but with about 10 times the amount of people." As she spoke, she sounded like she was relaxing. "To be completely honest, Saf, you and Riley were the best thing to happen to me. Just knowing you two opened a door to something I didn't even know I would enjoy."

I couldn't help it, I gave a laugh. "Sounds like ponies made both our lives better."

"Mine too!" Riley said.

The only answer I had for my sister was to wrap a wing around her shoulders and give her a hug. "You got that right." When Riley giggled, I couldn't help joining in.

Kaylee might have been relaxing just having ponies around, but I found the brushing calming, and Riley's giggles were infectious enough that soon all three of us were giggling. We all froze, though, when Mom opened the door.

"Twilight is taking our guests on a tour of the city. If you want to go with them, you better do it now, otherwise you can do whatever—but Trevor will be going with you," Mom said.

With the magic in the air in the hotel, I literally jumped up above Kaylee's head and flapped my wings lazily. "I think Riley wants to go see her tree, then we might catch a movie." I looked down to see what the others thought of that. Riley's eyes widened hugely and Kaylee seemed to be doing the same.

"Okay. Do some shopping, too. Trevor has an expense card to get you both phones. Love you two." Mom closed the door before we could even reply.

Clair Ree

That was one thing sorted, now I only have to go save a good friend from his own ego and, in the process, save a political party from shooting itself in the foot, leg, and possibly its head as well.

"Trevor, I'll need an escort back to the white house." I waited for him to repeat the words into the concealed throat-mic he wore before I nodded at the room. "Thanks for looking after them."

"No thanks needed, ma'am." He had a half grin on his face that told me he actually enjoyed his job. We are truly living in strange times.

The ride back to the white house was thankfully short. I made my way through to see Jeff's secretary. "Caroline, right?" I asked.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

"Down here. Further down… There we are." There were downsides to being a pony, with an emphasis on down. "I'd like to book an appointment with Jeff, I want you to tell him it will only be me there, but could you contact Peter's secretary and arrange for him to attend as well?"

The look on Jeff's secretary surprised me. She'd been working for him for over a term now and was no longer the twenty-something who'd been struggling to understand her job. "Clair? Clair Ree? I'll get on it right away. He's been—Jeff's been a little odd this last few months." Her hands started racing on her keyboard.

"I know, and it ends today. All I can say is thank our forebears for the twenty-second." There is a saying that I'd only use on Jeff if he stepped way out of line—I hope he doesn't go that far.

"Two terms is plenty, yeah. Okay, you have an appointment in five, Peter will be here for it too. All Jeff knows is you asked for an emergency meeting, and that's what you're getting." Caroline sounded like relief personified. Okay, if his secretary was this strung-out, he's probably been all over the place on this.

It shouldn't have been a surprise that she knew her constitution off the top of her head. "Thank you, Caroline." I didn't have to wait more than a minute to see Peter approaching from the hall leading to the VP (his) office. "Peter. It's time we took things in hand."

He looked stiff. Okay, so he probably wasn't completely appreciative of having to get someone else to intercede for him, but I hoped my position meant I was—politically at least—outside of the sphere of the current situation. At least, I would be if Jeff wasn't trying to implement a dynasty. "Clair. I agree. This has gone on too long."

"You can go in now," Caroline said.

As we walked into the oval office, Jeff looked up from the resolute desk and raised an eyebrow. "Clair, Peter, what's going on?" He sounded surprised, more surprised than he was letting on with his expression.

Peter closed the door and walked with me to the couch. "Jeff…"

I looked at him, but Peter seemed at a loss. "Jeff, this has to stop. I already have a job, and it has nothing to do with running the country."

Jeff deployed one of his best smiles. I didn't dare look at Peter to see if he could pierce this BS, but I sure as hell could. "But Clair, we could—"

"No, Jeff. You already have a far better candidate than me. He's a public figure already, he has been a big part of two presidential campaigns already, and he's sitting in this room." When I finished, Jeff's head turned to look at Peter. "Yes, Jeff, your VP. Peter's had eight years of preparing for this. He has roots down in the country and he holds to the same policies that got you elected.

"He's also the only candidate I will support." I leaned back on the couch and finally looked up at Peter. He looked surprised at something.

But Jeff still looked determined. "Jeff, if the next thing out of your mouth isn't in support of Peter as the new candidate, I am walking out of here, grabbing my kids, going back, and renouncing my citizenship." I had his attention now. Did it really take a threat like that to convince him? "So help me I will. Just try it."

For a moment—one terrifying moment—I thought he was going to push again. He looked at me, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh. It was, in fact, the only defeated sigh I'd ever heard him utter. Jeff leaned back in his chair and just stared at the desk. None of us spoke a word for nearly ten minutes—I know it was that long because I counted the seconds.

"You're right." The words looked like they cost him an arm and a leg to say. He lifted his eyes and looked at Peter first. "I'll back you all the way."

Standing and walking forward, Peter held out his hand to Jeff. "Jeff, I can't say I understand how it feels to sit in that seat, but with your help I might."

That's when it hit me—the pony-effect. I was contributing to their renewed bond. Okay, so I wasn't going to say anything about it, but it was interesting to see. Jeff, for his part, seemed to have his fire completely re-lit. He stood up and walked around the desk to shake hands with Peter.

"What do they say about power and corrupting?" Jeff asked.

"Nonsense. This wasn't power corrupting, you were just trying to do what you thought was best for America. Let's do that together." Peter's little speech, I was sure, was something I'd be asked to repeat. Being a fly on the wall in the oval office would probably get me in trouble unless I reminded these two guys that there was still work to be done.

"Jeff, sometimes you make it hard to be around. If you're both done, I'm going to go watch my kids do some magic in the park. Organize a press conference and I'll attend." Jumping down from the couch, I headed for the door. "And don't make me have to come back in eight years and kick both your butts."

By the time I got to the door, both of them were laughing. That was probably a good sign. Walking past Caroline's desk, I spotted her lean over to look down to me. "It's under control. All I had to do was get them in the same room and make them talk."

"Ugh. Men," she said.

I couldn't agree more, and nodded.

The Secret Service guard who followed me wasn't at all shocked by the tree, but I was. Riley's Tree had a plaque set on a stone at its base and its trunk was thick enough around that it took five people linking arms to get around it. The plaque read: Growing as Mighty as the Bonds Between Worlds

"Is this how big it was before yesterday, or has she been doing more for it?" I asked my escort.

"This is how it's been for over a year now. When she left last time, it shot up into this. Can't say I've ever believed that much in magic, but this is a pretty solid example and hard to ignore."

I paused, looking up at the guy. "Clair. Clair Ree." I held up a hoof toward him.

He crouched down and shook my hoof. "Agent—Sorry, force of habit. Just Simon Cowl is fine. Simon, I mean."

"Stick to Clair, Simon, and we can get along fine. Do you see my children?" There was a crowd around the tree, apparently being warned to hold back by Trevor.

"It looks like your daughter is resting her head against the tree and her brother is spreading his wings and—Wow."

I could see why he'd say that. There might be some pegasi wishing to come to Earth to explore, but Saffron didn't just fly to get from A to B—he flew to show off. "I wonder if he'll put on a show?"

"He does—?" A crack of lightning interrupted Simon. Saffron was in fine form with his wings glowing purple with electricity dancing along his feathers. He flew a huge array of complex patterns I recognized from his performance for the Wonderbolts.

The crowd was completely spellbound by his flying and use of magic, and I almost felt like crying for joy at seeing him doing what he loved. For a moment I wondered where he got enough magic to put on this kind of show, but then I remembered he'd been with Riley.

"Just wait for the ending. He's doing a routine that attempts to mimic the signature moves of the current lineup of Wonderbolts. He can get most of them perfect, but there's always one he can't do—so he goes one better and does it his way." Proud parent—of course I was. How could I not be proud seeing Saffron find that one thing he's not just good at, but amazing at.

Then came his big finale. The blast of lightning on an otherwise clear day was astounding. Everyone stared for a moment, wondering if he was okay probably, before they exploded into cheers. He cut a quick loop before he whooshed over and landed on his hooves in front of me. "Were you watching?"

"Of course I was. You looked to be having fun." I reached out to put a foreleg around his shoulders and hug him, and got a mild jolt for my trouble. "You're still a bit zappy. Might want to avoid touching a human for a little while."

"How'd things go with uncle Jeff?" Saffron asked.

"Better. I think the pony effect helped calm things down. I'm sure there'll be some big news soon." Letting him shrug out of the hug, I gestured toward where the tree was. "What's your sister up to?"

"Talking to the trees again. I told her not to give it any more energy, but do you think she'll listen?" Saffron fell in beside Simon and myself.

The crowd parted for us, though I could see some people would have crowded close if it wasn't for some nice strangers who spread their arms and made a path for us. "Thank you," I said.

Just thanking people put big smiles on their faces. The pony effect again, or just nice people? Or both. Walking up to my daughter, I spared a nod for Trevor before reaching out and touching Riley. The moment I did I was dragged into her conversation.

"Mom! Tree, this is my mom. Mom, this is my tree. Say hi!" I knew the world I'd wound up in was going so slowly compared to the normal world, but I couldn't help but find my daughter just as amazing as my son.

"Hello Tree," I said, barely managing to get that out. This wasn't exactly my specialty.

The rush of warmth that wrapped around me like a cozy blanket was astounding. Tree was huge and strong, but gentle. I leaned into the mind-hug and let my magic flow—the trickle that it was.

"Tree really likes magic, but I promised not to give it too much. Too much magic and Tree would start ripping up the subway. Well, that's what Trevor said. I don't think what you gave it will do too much." Riley seemed like a wild spirit in this slow-moving world. "Tree, we have to go now. I'll talk to you again before we leave, okay?"

The tree seemed okay with that, and only when Riley had extracted me from Tree's warmth did she let her magic fall away completely and dump us back out in the real world.

"Wow," I said.

"See? I told you it would just take a bit." Saffron sounded sure of himself. I could appreciate that he knew how Riley's tree magic worked enough to warn people not to try doing anything silly. "Though Mom doesn't usually dive-in like that."

"No," I said. "I don't. Is that what it's like each time?"

My little girl just leaned sideways against me and nodded.

"I think I'm going to have to stay here a little longer." Reaching my leg over Riley's back, I slowly rubbed her shoulder. "You can go back anytime you want."

"Mom, will it help if I hang around? If we hang around?" Saffron asked me.

Given the amount of pony activity from Twilight's hotel, I couldn't see having a few more around as being a significant thing. Ponies are on people's radars already, and thanks to the widespread improvements to medication, everyone looks positively upon them. "Yes and no. It would be nice to see you once in a while, but I don't think you need to spend months here while we reel-in this election."

"So you're the big guns, Mom?" Saffron asked.

I chuckled, pondered denying it, but it had certainly seemed that way. "On the plus side, if we win, it means I get to keep working for America." Another four to eight years of being ambassador? I kicked the idea around in my head and realized I was okay with that. I didn't have any other plans, after all, and what I was doing helped more than just the two nations.

I needed a backup plan, though. What would I do if/when I was no longer ambassador? Spend ten years learning a new trade? Join Equestrian politics? Public service? Celestia offered me citizenship, so there would be nothing blocking me from doing whatever I wanted.

My promise to Philip wouldn't stop me completely, after all. I could spend some time learning a new career while taking care of her, and be ready to face life anew.

"Mom? You look like you're a million miles away," Saffron said.

I looked at him for just long enough to realize I wanted to grab him and rough-up his mane—so did that. "Just thinking of what I want to do with my life."

Not really struggling, Saffron slumped against me much like Riley was. "So not freaking out about elections and marketing?"

"Of course not. I have almost a whole year to freak out about those."

Author's Note

Flurry: If you could have any stallion, alive or dead, fictional or non, who would it be?

"The right one, obviously. I am in no rush to settle down. Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna both agree that I am most likely an immortal alicorn. Blah blah living forever and all that." Flurry rolled her eyes toward the end, showing how moved on from that she was. "The question I want to ask you is, why are you fixated on stallions?" The corners of her mouth turned up.

So I do this "Ask X" thing. X can be any character within the story. You can ask them anything and they will definitely, hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories, and they will answer the best question in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right character to answer. Try to keep it to one question per post!

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