As my group of 6 and I continued to follow along behind Captain Hammer and his group of Pegasai Scouts and MP's, I still had this uneasy feeling that we could be walking right into a trap. Yes, if there was a trap the Texas would take vengeance, but what about the 9 of us sent ashore? We could all die, or be held as POW's/used as bargaining chips, and that would leave Captain Bob without his XO. In that moment, I genuinely began to wonder if Captain Bob was still fit for command. Yes, he was only 58, but he'd been out of the Navy for a while, and had been in the oil industry before taking a quick break to work on the Texas. Now he was in command of the ship, and had sent his XO, and 8 other men to an unknown beach to meet with Rear-Admiral Sky Seas, who could very well be an enemy, instead of meeting in a neutral spot between the Texas and the shore, such as on one of the tugboats.

"If this doesn't pan out, and I manage to escape alive, I'm gonna remove him from command myself." I thought angrily. "I mean.....I don't hate the guy by any stretch of the imagination, heck, I look up to him as a great leader just like the rest, but his decision to send us out here is gonna get someone killed! But on the other hand, if it does pan out, and we all get out of this alive, I'll still put in a few stern words about this situation. I may only be an Ensign in the US Naval Reserves, but even I can see that this is a potentially dangerous move."

To try and lighten the mood, and possibly probe for more information, I began to talk to Captain Hammer. "So, how long have you been in the Equestrian Navy?"

He smiled. "Well, I'm 36 now, and I joined the Navy when I was 24 once I'd graduated college, so about 10 years now. I've been at the Filly Naval Yard for about 4 years now, though at more of a desk job. I'm STILL waiting for a shipboard position to open up so that I can take command of a vessel, but there haven't been any, and still won't be for another few months while more ships are being built. And you?"

I sighed. "I've been in the Navy for a few years now. I joined when I was 20, though at the same time I was also trying to finish my 4-year degree. Once I did, I became an Ensign, and my first deployment was on the Texas, and so far, I've been getting WAY more than what I've bargained for!" (I didn't mention that I was only in the Naval Reserves, as I wanted to make it look like I was a bit more experienced than I actually was).

I also asked a question that finally cleared something up. "And Captain, how do you spell the name of this city? Back home in my home nation of America, we also have a 'Philadelphia', but I have the feeling that your's is spelled differently."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Wait. You said that your home nation was the 'US'."

"It is. Its full proper name is the 'United States of America', often shortened to 'America', 'USA', or just 'US'."

Captain Hammer's face softened. "Oh. I guess that that makes sense. I'll have to ask more about that in a few minutes, but 'Fillydelphia' is spelled F-I-L-L-Y-D-E-L-P-H-I-A. How's your city spelled?"

I was surprised. "Ours is spelled P-H-I-L-A-D-E-L-P-H-I-A."

"Hmm. So it appears that while we share a 'Delphia', our respective nations disagree on the 'Filly/Philly' part. And where is your city located?"

I thought for a second. "It's located on our nation's East Coast, though a bit inland, and along the Delaware River. It's not directly on the coast like your city."

Captain Hammer and I continued to talk as we walked. I explained a bit more about how the US was broken up into 50 States, and that it was controlled by a democratically-elected President, and a Congress, and he told me a bit more about Equestria, and how it was ruled over by 2 Diarch Princesses. We learned a lot from each other during our conversation, and I could only hope that I would live long enough to share this information with others on the Texas.

Eventually, we were a ways away from the little beach where we landed, and were walking towards what appeared to be an outdoor sitting area near what I guessed was a command building of some sort. There was a table set up with chairs on both sides of it, and it was surrounded by MP's, and other Equestrian sailors. As we continued to walk towards it, the rest of the Texas crew and I were still looking around in wonder. All around us we saw not only Pegasai, but also Unicorns, and what looked to be Ponies with neither wings nor horns, which Captain Hammer identified as "Earth-Ponies", and said that their skill was immense strength.

"It feels like we're walking through the pages of a history book." One of my guys said in wonder.

"Yeah, no kidding, Caleb. It's clear we ain't in Texas no more, but dang! This is one heck of an amazing naval base! Heck, they've even got actual BATTLESHIPS here!" He was pointing to a pier where what appeared to be an Indiana-Class Battleship was moored.

"That would be the ENS Destiny, my good Texas Sailor." Captain Hammer informed him. "She's been in service for almost a decade now, and these are our most powerful warships here at the Fillydelphia Naval Yard. However, these aren't as powerful as they get. If you think that the battleships here are impressive, you should see the Sea-Knight, and Seaboard-Class Battleships up in our sister naval bases in Manehattan and Baltimare!"

In my head, I ventured a guess that those other classes of battleships translated over into the US Kearsarge-Class, and Illinois-Class respectively, though they also could have been like the earlier USS Iowa BB-4, or even of the later Maine or Virginia-Class, but I wasn't sure, and may never be able to find out, so I had to leave it at guesswork for the time being.

While I was still pondering this, we reached the table where the meeting would be held, and were told to sit. We did so, while Captain Hammer and some of the Pegasai scouts took seats on the opposite side of the table, and the MP's remained standing. All of my guys still had their weapons close at hand, or still in their hands, and the group's radioman sat next to me so that I could report to Captain Bob when necessary.

"Yes, we made it to the Naval Base just fine, Captain. We're sitting at an outdoor table outside of a command building; us on one side of the table, and the Ponies on the other. I'm sitting across from Captain Hammer, and it appears that the Rear-Admiral himself is coming over to the table. But still keep the kettles warm. We still might have some need for some good ol' Texas coffee here before too long."

Captain Bob understood my coded phrase about keeping the guns manned and ready. "Understood, Ensign. And a few of the guys are still taking videos and pictures, right?"

I looked over, and I saw 2 others in my group holding cameras. "Yep, they've got them. Is the video feed coming through yet?"

"Yes, but the signal isn't the best. It's somewhat grainy, and laggy, but it's better than nothing."

"Roger that. And here comes the Rear-Admiral." I then put the radio down, and Captain Bob went back to watching the live video feed from a laptop with a few other officers on the Texas.

When the Rear-Admiral approached the table, all of my guys, and the Ponies stood up, though while they saluted him, we did not. He was not our superior officer, however, if he saluted us, we would salute back, and if he offered his hand, we would shake it. I saw that he was an older Pegasus stallion with white fur, a green and black mane cut somewhat short, and purple eyes, wearing a dark blue Navy officer's uniform with the insignia of a rear-admiral. He saluted when he saw us, and we did salute back, though as I did so, I saw that in addition to several sailors behind him, there was also a group of 6 mares, as well as what appeared to be a small Dragon, but they weren't dressed like sailors, and were instead wearing normal civilian clothing.

"I wonder who they are, and what they're doing here." I thought. "Are they family of the Rear-Admiral?"

Before I could ponder this any further though, the Rear-Admiral spoke. "Greetings, sailors of the US Battleship 'USS Texas BB-35'. My name is Rear-Admiral Sky Seas, and like Captain Hammer, I would like to welcome all of you to Equestria, as well as the Fillydelphia Naval Yard. I only wish that our meeting could be under more favorable circumstances. Now then, which one of you is the Texas's XO?"

I raised my hand. "I am, Sir. Ensign David Gardner, USS Texas, US Navy."

The Rear-Admiral turned to me. "Hmm. Eh, no offense Ensign Gardner....I was just expecting someone a little bit older, and I always thought that being an XO was a lieutenant's job."

I smiled a bit. "Eh, none taken, Rear-Admiral. And normally it is, however, my duties on the Texas are a special case. She was my first at-sea assignment, and I was being tested as her XO to see if I was worthy of the rank of lieutenant or not. As far as I know, I seem to be doing well in my role as her XO, and I'll hopefully find out soon if I'm ready or not."

"Oh. I see. Well that would certainly explain a few things. And I know that you are from the 'US', but what part of it?"

I smiled proudly. "Well, Sir, myself, and everyone else on the Texas come from a VERY special place in the Southern US, known as the 'Great State of Texas', from which our ship was named. Every single one of us were born and raised there, though we all came from different parts of it. I for instance came from the coastal city of Corpus Christi."

"And you believed that Fillydelphia was the coast of this 'Great State of Texas'?"

"Yes, Sir. As I told Captain Hammer, and as Captain Hogan told you over the radio, we come here in peace. We have no quarrels with you, and are not here for war, or conquest. We simply got lost in a storm while trying to make our way back home, and somehow wound up here. That's what I sincerely hope that this meeting can accomplish today; an end to hostilities before they begin, or escalate any further. All we want is to be able to go back to Texas, and we'll leave you all be."

The Rear-Admiral seemed to be pondering this deeply. To buy himself a bit more time to think, he asked another question. "And if you do not mind my asking, Ensign Gardner, what is your species?"

"No, Sir, I don't mind at all. We're Humans, which is the most dominant, and most advanced species on our planet, Earth. We were once at the bottom of the food chain, but over the course of millennia, we crafted weapons and tools, banded together, and slowly rose to the top of the food chain, and now we fight to remain there, though unfortunately, Human nature is so warlike, and we're always looking for a fight with somebody. I guess that that's why we invented weapons before any other species did. Thankfully though, some of us learned to keep our warlike nature in check, and built instead of destroyed, enabling Human Civilization to thrive."

During the course of my little speech about Humans, some of the guys gave me terrified looks. I had just admitted that Humans were the most warlike species on our planet, and that we were always looking for a fight......right after I said that we came in peace. Had I just derailed the talks? Even I myself realized that I may have screwed up big time with what I said, but I was hoping that the Ponies would take the whole "some of us learned to keep our warlike nature in check, and built instead of destroyed" part of it to heart, and not judge us right off the bat.

"I see. Well, Ensign Gardner, I need to take some time to speak with Captain Hammer, as well as other officers as we discuss what we've seen of you so far, and where to go from here. In the meantime, you can converse with Princess Twilight, as well as the other Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and their Dragon friend Spike. They'll be able to find out your true motives quickly enough."

The Rear-Admiral then took his leave, as did Captain Hammer, and then the 6 mares and the Dragon that I'd spotted earlier began to come over to the table, and now they sat opposite of all of us. 2 of them, a blue Pegasus mare with a rainbow-colored mane and tail, and an orange mare with a blonde mane and tail were glaring at us, a Pegasus with a pink mane and tail looked terrified of us, a pink mare with a curly pink mane and tail looked like she either was going to explode, or she really had to use the bathroom, a purple mare with a purple mane, who I also noticed had both wings and a horn on her forehead, and the Dragon seemed to be studying us intently, while the last mare, a Unicorn mare with white fur, and a curly purple mane and tail was looking more intently at our uniforms than us.

"Oh man." I thought to myself as I tried to keep all my emotions in check. "What the heck have I just gotten all of us into?"

Yes, what indeed did I just get us all into? For the next unknown amount of time, I and all the rest were being bombarded with more questions that we knew what to do with, while at the same time also fending off some of the mares who either didn't seem to know what personal space was, or they just didn't care.

From what I could piece together from the few milliseconds that my brain could function normally without exploding, the 2 mares without wings or horns (which I learned were called "Earth-Ponies"), were Pinkie Pie and Applejack, the 2 Pegasai were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, the Unicorn was Rarity, and the one with wings and a horn (which the mare herself said was called an "Alicorn"), was Twilight Sparkle, and the Dragon identified himself as Spike. However, all while I was trying to compute all of this, Pinkie was bouncing around all over the place, jumping on us, saying how excited she was to meet all of us, and she kept throwing streamers and confetti everywhere, Rarity was trying to climb all over us while she inspected our uniforms, and asked questions about them, Twilight was doing the same thing, except she wanted to know more about Humans as a species, Rainbow Dash kept getting in our faces, yelling about how Humans were dangerous, and we needed to be killed, Applejack was upset with us as well, but for getting Rainbow Dash all riled up, and for showing up without any warning, Spike wanted to know all about the Texas, and Fluttershy.....well....she just stayed behind her friends, and didn't really say anything.

Finally though, I had enough of all the chaos, and moments before I flew off the handle, and either slapped somebody, threw hands with Rainbow Dash, or choked out Rarity or Pinkie Pie, I finally slammed my hands down onto the table in front of me.

"ENOUGH!!!!!!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs.

After my outburst, not only the table, but the entire area around the base that it was in went completely dead-silent. It was so quiet that aside from the distant sounds of the ocean, and some seagulls overhead, you could have heard a pin drop. All eyes were on me, and everyone and everypony looked scared out of their minds.

I then took a deep breath, and looked at everyone and everypony at the table. "Enough, please! This meeting won't be getting ANYWHERE if we're all talking over each other, yelling over each other, trying to throw hands, bouncing around like a maniac, constantly inspecting our uniforms without asking permission from the person who's wearing it, poking and prodding the person who's trying to answer all your questions, asking a million questions about our ship, the whole shebang! However, if we all calm down, take a seat, and start this over from the top, and with everyone talking one at a time, or a few at a time if need be, I think that maybe we can get somewhere. First though, I think that we should restart with proper introductions."

I then saluted. "Hello, my name is David Gardner. I'm a US Navy Ensign, and the XO, of the USS Texas BB-35."

The other 6 guys with me also reintroduced themselves. Once they were finished, it was the Ponies's turn.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm the Princess of Friendship, and the bearer of the Element of Magic, one of the Elements of Harmony."

"Hello, Darlings, my name is Rarity. I'm the Bearer of the Element of Generosity, owner of the Carousel Boutique, and a fashionista extraordinaire!" She then gestured down to the dress she was wearing, which was indeed very stunning. "And I must say, your uniforms are absolutely stunning, Darlings! Such a nice shade of navy blue!"

"Hi everypony! I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm the Bearer of the Element of Laughter, I work at Sugarcube Corner, and I love to bake! Ooh, ooh, ooh! And I REALLY love parties! I'm gonna have to throw all of you a 'Welcome to Equestria!' Party!" Pinkie then pulled a party cannon seemingly out of thin air, and blasted confetti everywhere with it.

I looked at Twilight in confusion, and she responded with a quick, "You'll get used to Pinkie's antics pretty quickly. Even I myself have long ago given up trying to explain how she does anything, including breaking the Laws of Physics!"

"Oh.....well ok then."

The next mare then took her turn. "Howdy, Y'all, Mah name's Applejack! I'm the bearer of the Element of Honesty, and I work on Sweet Apple Acres, the best apple farm in all of Equestria! I've lived there my whole life, and so has some of the rest of my family. Yee-haw!" She then whipped off her Stetson cowboy hat, flung it around for a moment, and then placed it back on her head.

"Aw yeah, my turn! The name's Rainbow Dash, and I'm the fastest flyer in all of Equestria! I'm also a soon-to-be Wonderbolt, and the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. I'm also the most AWESOME-EST Pony in all of Equestria!" Dash yelled as she flew a few loops above the table.

We all then looked at the other Pegasus, Fluttershy, who seemed really shy.

"Oh....uh......M-my name is F-Fluttershy. N-nice to meet you all. I'm.....I'm the Bearer of the Element of Kindness, and I love to take care of animals."

"Really?" One of my guys asked, trying to make her feel a bit more at ease. "What kind of animals?"

"All kinds." Fluttershy replied. "From birds, to bears, to insects, and all others in between. There's hardly an animal in all of Equestria that I haven't seen before."

"Wow, that's amazing."

"And I'm Spike." The Dragon finished. "I'm Twilight's assistant, and a lover of war stories, Orcs and Ogres RPG, and comic books. I'm not an Element Bearer, but I'm a close second!"

I then looked at Twilight again. "And if you don't mind my asking, Twilight, what exactly are the Elements of Harmony? I know that you bear them, but what exactly are they?"

Twilight smiled. "No, I don't mind at all. The Elements of Harmony are a collection of 6 Elements that were created from the Tree of Harmony way back when Equestria was very young.........."

".............And after we used them to defeat Nightmare Moon, and later Discord, Chrysalis, and Tirek, we hoped that we wouldn't have to use them again, but we feared that we would when your ship arrived off the coast of Fillydelphia, Ensign Gardner." Twilight finally finished.

I quickly glanced at my other guys, and then back at Twilight. She'd been droning on and on about the Elements of Harmony, and while I still didn't fully understand them, I did get the basics.

"Well, thank you for the explanation, Twilight. And you can just call me 'David'. And now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, is there anything else that you guys would like to know? I know you had a LOT of questions for all of us, so now we can take the time to answer them."

The Girls and Spike then got all of their questions ready, and we all got ready to answer them.

I'm not sure how much time passed after this point, but none of us noticed, as we were all in such deep discussions. Rarity got to learn all she wanted to know about our uniforms, as well as inspecting them up close with permission from those wearing them, and she also got to examine our life jackets, shoes, and metal helmets.

"So fascinating, Darlings. They're like Equestrian Navy uniforms, but yet they have their own flare to them too. It's so exotic! But you said that these uniforms are no longer the standard for the US Navy?"

I nodded. "Yes, that is the case, Rarity, at least to some degree. Sometimes updated versions of what we're wearing right now are still worn for formal events, but uniforms like this haven't really been fashionable since WW2, which ended almost 75 years ago. Which is kind of a shame, as these uniforms were so cool. But yet, I can see their impracticality at times, as they are wool, and wouldn't fit so well in a hot/tropical environment, such as the Pacific during WW2 when the Texas served out her final years in service. This is why different, and much lighter/more breathable uniforms were worn." I then went on to describe what those uniforms looked like.

"Yes, that is a shame, David, but I can see why they weren't used all the time. But with all of the information I've written down today, I'll simply have to develop a new clothing line from it! I'll call it the 'Texas Line', after all of you!"

Fluttershy got to learn a lot about the animals that we had back on Earth, a lot of which seemed to be very similar to what she was used to there in Equestria.

"And the Texas really did have mascot animals at some points in her service career?" She asked.

"Yes, that is the case, Fluttershy. Details are a bit sparse, but it appears that over the course of Texas's service career, a number of animals were her mascots, with them being a few dogs, a cat or two, a goat, and even a bear cub! However, the practice of animal mascots was phased out during the 1920's, as there aren't anymore records of Texas having an animal mascot after that point."

"And does she have a mascot now?"

I shook my head. "No, she does not. We did briefly consider having a mascot animal, but ultimately decided against it, as it didn't make sense for the mission at hand."

Fluttershy did seem disappointed, but she understood our reasoning for not having a mascot.

Twilight also eagerly soaked up all of the information that we gave her regarding Earth, Humans, as well as some of our history.

"Thank you SO MUCH for all of this information! It'll take me a while to fully go over it all, and even when I have, I'll most likely still have a lot of questions that I'll have to come back to you for answers for, but in the meantime, I'll still have the information at hand to look over, and I'm really going to enjoy that!"

I smiled. "You're welcome, Twilight. I'm glad that we could provide you with such good information about ourselves, our species, and where we came from."

We also got apologies from Rainbow Dash, as well as Applejack for yelling at us, and trying to fight us.

"Yeah....sorry for yelling at you all, and trying to throw hands like that. It's just...well....whenever there's a threat to Equestria, I've always been the one to rush out to try and fight it first, and that's led to some pretty painful lessons in not only patience, but also working with a team to deal with a problem. And when you guys just showed up out of the blue with your warship, and in a threatening manner, not to mention your mentioning that Humans are so warlike, David, that kinda set me off. Can you forgive me for being so rash?"

I then looked at the other 6 guys, and they all nodded, and said that they could. I then looked back at Rainbow Dash. "Yes, I think that we can, Rainbow Dash. We Texans may be a bit easy to rile up as well, but we're also known to be forgiving towards those who deserve it, and you seem to deserve it, so we forgive you, Rainbow Dash."

"Thanks!" She then high-fived all of us, which we happily returned. "You're all so awesome! Are all Texans this cool, or is it just you all?"

We all laughed. "I dunno, but we are pretty cool!"

Applejack then spoke up. "And I'm sorry too, Y'all. I was yellin' at y'all too, and more likely than not said some things that I'm already regretting, so can you forgive me too?"

"Yes, we most certainly can, Applejack. And I meant to say this before to Rainbow Dash, but I'll say it now. If the tables had been flipped, and you showed up off the coast of Texas with a big warship, I think that we'd all be pretty pissed off too, so I can understand completely where your anger is coming from. Yes, we forgive you too."

"Yee-haw! Thanks, Partners!" She then shook hands with all of us as a thank you for forgiving her.

Next, it was Spike's turn once we were finally done explaining all that we were allowed to explain about the Texas to someone outside the US Navy.

"Wow, thanks for sharing all this information, Guys. Your ship sounds so cool! Even though she's the last Dreadnought-Era Battleship on Earth, and her 14in guns are out of date there, the same can't be said here in Equestria, as she's bigger, more heavily armored, has bigger guns, not to mention her radar, and....fire-control radar was it? Whatever you guys use to track targets before you shoot at them."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's fire-control radar. And you're welcome, Spike. It's nice to be able to talk to someone outside the US Navy, and Navy enthusiasts who not only understands warship specs like this, but also appreciates them as they deserve to be appreciated."

"I could say the same thing about some of the comic books in my comic collection. You guys should see it sometime, it's pretty awesome!"

"Maybe some other time, Spike." Twilight broke in. "We still need to focus on the matter at hand."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, Twilight."

"Maybe once this is all over, then we can see your comic book collection, Spike." One of the other guys added.

Spike was maybe about to say something, but before he could, there suddenly came the sound of a party-cannon exploding, and before any of us knew what hit us, we were hit with streamers and confetti.

"SURPRISE!!!!" It's time for your 'Welcome to Equestria!' Party!" Pinkie yelled.

Once I finally got all of the confetti out of my face, I looked around us, and to say that my jaw dropped would be the understatement of the century. Where before there had just been a large wooden table that we were all sitting around, now not only that table, but the entire area close to it was completely decorated with party streamers, balloons, there was a huge cake on the table with a picture of the Texas on it, as well as plates for all of us to eat the cake on, cups for each of us filled with punch, as well as a large "Welcome to Equestria Texas Crew!" banner behind us, complete with not only the faces of the 7 of us at the table, but the faces of the 2 sailors who were still sitting back on the beach with the rafts. My mind was still in shock. How could Pinkie have POSSIBLY decorated this entire table with such oddly-specific decorations in a span of literally less than 3 seconds?

I looked at Twilight, but once again, all she could say was, "It's Pinkie Pie. Don't question it." Though this time she added. "Enjoy the Party. She really worked hard to set this up for you all."

I then looked at the cake. For a fleeting instant, I was afraid that it was poisoned, and I turned to warn the others, only to be greeted by the sight of them eating slices of the cake that Pinkie cut for them, as well as Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Spike, and Rarity also eating slices from that same cake.

"Well, if they're eating it too, then I guess that it's safe." I thought. I then ate my slice of cake, as did Twilight and Fluttershy. When I did, I instantly regretted it. Why? Because eating that cake made me hate EVERY other cake that I'd ever eaten back on Earth, because NONE OF THEM, not even the cakes that my Mom made on occasion, could even REMOTELY compare to how good that one tasted!

"Holy cow, Pinkie. What the heck did you put in this cake to make it taste so good?!"

Pinkie giggled. "Sorry, Guys, it's a secret! But I'm glad that you all like it though."

"This must have taken a lot of work to prepare for, so you have my thanks, Pinkie Pie, as well as the thanks of the rest of us." I then looked at the other 6 Texas Crew at the table. "Right, Guys?"

"Yeah!" They all agreed. "Thanks for the cake, the punch, and the party, Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie giggled again. "Glad that you all liked it, Guys! And don't worry, I'm saving 2 pieces of cake, and 2 glasses of punch for your other two crew that you left at the rafts."

"Thank you for that too, Pinkie Pie. I know that they'll really appreciate that."

As we all continued eating, we kept talking about various things, and all the while, I was getting the feeling that the more we interacted with the Ponies, the more the situation at hand was cooling down, and the truth that we really were just lost was becoming more believable. I was hoping to find that I was proven right soon.

Eventually, Rear-Admiral Sky Seas and Captain Hammer came back to the table, though instead of talking to us, they instead quietly asked Twilight if she would speak with them for a moment. Twilight then left the table, leaving the rest of us wondering what was going to happen next.

"What's going to happen, Sir?" The sailor to my right whispered.

"I'm not sure." I whispered back. "If I had to guess though, I'd say that Princess Twilight, and the Rear-Admiral are comparing their notes about us. I also have a feeling that the Rear-Admiral, and Captain Hammer were watching our interactions with Princess Twilight and the Elements very closely, so as to try and determine our true motives, while Princess Twilight and the Elements were doing the same from the inside. Now they're comparing notes, and our futures ride on what happens next."

"Let's hope that this situation cools down permanently." Someone else whispered.

"Yeah, me too. I think that we all do." Just to be safe, I radioed the 2 sailors that we'd left with the rafts, and they confirmed that they were still alive and well.

"Yes, we're doing fine, Sir. And be sure to tell Miss Pinkie that we really enjoyed her cake and punch. They were phenomenal!"

"I'll be sure to do that." I then looked up, and saw Rear-Admiral Sky Seas, Captain Hammer, and Princess Twilight returning to the table. "I have to go, the Ponies are returning to the table."

"Roger that, Sir."

I then put down the radio, as Princess Twilight took her seat, and Rear-Admiral Sky Seas, as well as Captain Hammer, and other Equestrian Naval officers stood behind the table, seemingly waiting for the Rear-Admiral to speak.

The Rear-Admiral then looked at all of us. "Ensign Gardner, other sailors of the USS Texas?"

"Yes, Sir?" I asked, a slight hint of nervousness in my voice.

"After much deliberation, discussions, and watching your interactions with Princess Twilight and the Elements, we have reached a consensus about you, as well as your motives."

"And what have you all decided, Sir?"

The Rear-Admiral remained silent for a few moments longer. Then he looked first at me, and then at the rest of us.

"We have decided.......that you have been telling us the truth, and that you really are exactly as you have said that you are, and that you are not a threat to Equestria. You were simply swept up in a storm, and somehow transported here by mistake. And now that we know for sure that your intentions are entirely peaceful, let me be the first to say with absolute sincerity; Ensign Gardner, other crewmen of the USS Texas, welcome to Equestria, and the City of Fillydelphia, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy your time here during your port-of-call!"

When the Rear-Admiral said that, we all looked at each other for a moment. Without realizing it, some of us had been holding our breath, and now we could finally let all that air out again. I then looked up at Rear-Admiral Sky Seas.

"The pleasure is all ours, Rear-Admiral. We're glad to be here, and that we don't have to fight anyone. However, before we do anything else, I need to speak with Captain Hogan for a moment."

"Certainly."

I then picked up my radio again. "Did you get all that, Captain?"

"Yes, loud and clear, Ensign Gardner. There were guys here on the Texas also holding their breath, but now we can all breathe normally again. It seems that we're all friends now, and I'll sound the All-Clear."

"Yeah, it was tense here too, Captain. The fates of all of us, and all those out there on the Texas were in the balance, but luckily for us, God was smiling down on us today, and we avoided any and all bloodshed, and possible conflict. And for that, I for one say that I'm entirely grateful!"

"I can agree to that!"

I then looked towards the Texas again, and using my binoculars, I could tell that the Texas's gun were being lowered, and the turrets then moved back into their original positions, while the gunners on the 5in, 3in, 40mm, and Oerlikon cannons were also standing down as the All-Clear order was given. At this same time, Rear-Admiral Sky Seas also gave the All-Clear order to the Fillydelphia Naval Base. All of the gunners of the shore batteries, and on the warships all stood down, and the lockdown order that had been in place on the City of Fillydelphia was lifted, though security around the naval base was still really tight. In that moment, everyone on both sides breathed a collective sigh of relief that we would all live to see another day, and that no fighting would have to happen.

As we were celebrating the stand-down orders, Twilight looked at me. "Ensign Gardner?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, Twilight?"

"I was wondering, would it be possible for us to see your ship? It's a very impressive vessel, and I would like to be able to study it."

I thought for a moment. "Well, I would have to ask Captain Bob first, but I think he'll say yes." As I reached for my radio again, there was a slight twinge at the back of my mind that said to still be cautious of the Ponies wanting to see the Texas, but at the same time, the technology on the ship wasn't too much further along than where they were right now, and if the Ponies had been hostile, I think we would have sensed something by that point. However, it never paid to be too cautious.

"Captain?" I asked over the radio.

"Yes, Ensign Gardner?"

"Sir, I have a request from Princess Twilight Sparkle. She, her 5 friends, and Dragon assistant wish to be allowed to board the Texas for a tour."

"Actually, we would just like to see the ship up close, and save the actual tour for when Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna arrive." Twilight clarified.

"Oh." I then relayed that information to Captain Bob, but then froze. "Wait. Did you say 'save the actual tour for when Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna arrive?!" I looked at Twilight in shock.

She nodded. "Yes. They've been watching this situation unfold with great interest, and are awaiting my latest report. I know that they'll be very interested in coming down here to meet you, as well as the rest of the Texas crew, and see your ship."

When the full weight of what Twilight had just said hit me, I was too stunned to say anything. Up until that moment, the highest-ranking authority figure I'd met back on Earth was my superior officer in the Naval Reserves. That had already been surpassed today by meeting Rear-Admiral Sky Seas, and then Twilight, but now to meet the Princesses who ruled all of Equestria, and then give them a tour of the Texas?! It was almost inconceivable!

Once I'd recovered, I relayed that information to Captain Bob as well. When he heard that the Princesses of Equestria were coming to visit, he too was in a state of shock.

"What?! Oh no, oh no this is bad! This is very bad! We're NOT prepared for a Royal Visit! We have to clean the ship, make everything perfect, get the crew showered, and then into their Class A's.........oh darn it all, we don't even HAVE Class A uniforms! We just have the standard Class B uniforms! I have my Dress Blues, as I'm the captain, but no one else does! Oh Sweet State of Texas, this is a DISASTER!!!"

I glanced over at Twilight to gauge her reaction to this situation, and she seemed sympathetic to our plight. She asked to speak with Captain Bob, and I handed her the radio.

"Captain Hogan, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle. I just wanted to let you know that you need not fret about such things. This is merely an unofficial visit from the Princesses to see you, and your ship; it's not an inspection. I mean, you do what you feel is necessary, but this isn't a big deal."

"NOT A BIG DEAL?!?!?! We're meeting the PRINCESSES of Equestria, and you say that it's not a big deal?!?!" Captain Bob then seemed to take a few minutes to collect himself, and calm down. If Twilight, another Princess of Equestria, said that this visit was unofficial, and therefore not a major event (relatively speaking anyway!) then he was worrying about nothing. "If you say so, Princess Twilight. Nevertheless, arrangements still need to me made, and actions carried out. I will be ready to meet you when you and your group of friends arrive here on the Texas, and then we should only need a little while longer to prepare for the Royal Visit."

Twilight agreed. "That sounds reasonable. We shall be heading to your location very shortly. I very much look forward to our meeting, Captain Hogan."

"As do I, Princess Twilight." He then put down the radio again, and I was pretty sure that he was making himself presentable for Twilight and the Element Bearer's arrival.

I then looked at Twilight, and asked if she was ready to start heading towards the waterfront again, and she said that she was, but first had to send her report to Princess Celestia. I and the other 7 Texas crew at the table, as well as the other 5 Element Bearers and Spike all patiently waited for her to finish.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

It is with great relief that I write to you that the crew of the unknown battleship are indeed friendly, and not a threat to Equestria. It turns out that they were en route to the city of 'Galveston', located in their home state of 'Texas' (their ship's namesake), in their home country of 'America', when they, and the 3 tugboats that were with them, were caught up in a fierce storm. Sometime during this storm, they were hit by a black wave, and the next thing they know, they wake up in the Celestial Sea, not knowing that they were now on Equus. They approached Fillydelphia, thinking it to be Galveston, but soon realized that it was not when the Fillydelphia shore battery fired a warning shot, which they responded to in kind, followed by them going to Red Alert Status. They believed that they were in home waters, which was indeed why they were at Condition Green until that warning shot was fired. They also wanted to know more about the city they had stumbled across, so they launched a scout craft, called a 'Kingfisher Seaplane' from the top of the ship's 3rd gun turret, and sent it to scout the City of Fillydelphia, until it was chased away by teams of Pegasai who were defending the city. Eventually, communications were established with the unknown battleship, and the ship's commanding officer, Captain Robert Hogan, identified his ship as the battleship 'USS Texas BB-35', as well as the 3 tugboats, and after some negotiations, 9 crewmen from the ship were sent to a meeting with myself, and the other 5 Element Bearers, as well as officers from the Fillydelphia Naval Base, led by the ship's second in command, Ensign David Gardner.

We learned so much from Ensign Gardner, and the rest of the Texas crew. They're of a race called 'Humans', and they are bipedal like us, and highly intelligent, but they lack fur, only having hair on their heads, and some light hair on the rest of their bodies. We also learned that they are omnivorous, and they are a warlike species, but that they only fight if threatened. I will admit, it was very intimidating at first, but as the talks progressed, it was soon clear that I think we will become great friends with these Humans during their stay here in Equestria. As of now, the Element Bearers and I will be heading out to the Texas to meet with Captain Hogan personally, and arrangements are also being made for your visit as well. The Humans seemed very surprised that you and Princess Luna were so eager to come down to Fillydelphia and meet them, but they seemed interested at the same time. I will await your reply, as well as when you will come down to meet the Humans

Your Faithful Former Student,
Twilight Sparkle"

Twilight then gave the report to Spike, who breathed his Magic fire on it, and sent it on its way. Twilight then awaited a reply from the Princesses.

Back in Canterlot, ever since Twilight and her friends had left for Fillydelphia, and the report from Rear-Admiral Sky Seas about the encounter with the flying machine launched from the unknown warship, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had been eagerly awaiting anymore news. Eventually, Twilight sent a brief note that she and her friends had arrived safely in Fillydelphia, had met with Rear-Admiral Sky Seas and his staff, and were going to see about contacting the unknown warship again, though this had been some time ago, and there hadn't been any word from anypony in Fillydelphia since.

Princess Celestia was getting worried. "This is a bit concerning, Luna. Shouldn't we have heard from Twilight, or the Rear-Admiral by now?"

Luna thought for a moment. "If they truly were in trouble, I think that we most definitely would have heard from somepony by now. Your former student and her friends are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony after all, so I'm confident that they would have handled the problem if there was one. And even if they had been killed or captured, I know we would have heard about it by now, either by a survivor from the incident, or from the party responsible announcing their actions. No, I think that maybe progress has been made, and everypony has merely been too busy to report it yet."

Celestia sighed. "I....I feel that you are right, Luna, but still, I just wish that we could hear it for ourselves."

Luna agreed. "As do I, Dear Sister."

However, before Luna could say anything else, a message suddenly appeared in the air in front of Celestia. She then quickly caught the letter, and opened it.

"My word!"

Luna looked at her. "What is it, Sister?" She asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"It seems that the crew of the unknown warship, the battleship 'USS Texas BB-35', are indeed friendly, and were sent here by mistake. Twilight, her friends, the Rear-Admiral, and his staff have all met with them in person, and have concluded that their intentions are peaceful."

"Can I see the message?"

Celestia handed it to her sister, who then read it over. Once she finished, Luna read the note again, before looking back up at her sister. "Well then, Sister, it seems that we must make immediate preparations for a visit to Fillydelphia to meet with the crew of the USS Texas BB-35, and get to know them better."

"Yes, I agree, Luna. Preparations must be made at once."

Then, while Luna began to give orders for her and Celestia's servants to begin immediate preparations for the Princess's trip to Fillydelphia, Celestia began to write out a reply to Twilight.

"My Dearest Twilight,

I have received your message, and both Luna and I breathed a sigh of relief when we read it, and realized that the crew of the Battleship USS Texas BB-35 were non-hostile, and were not going to be attacking Fillydelphia. Luna and I are making preparations for our trip there right now, and we will be leaving soon. We very much wish to meet with Captain Hogan, Ensign Gardner, and the rest of the ship's crew, as well as be given a tour of the ship. It should prove to be a very enlightening experience, and I hope that we can remain friends with these Humans throughout their stay in Equestria. You, your friends, Rear-Admiral Sky Seas, and his staff, all have my highest thanks for resolving this situation before it escalated into any further violence. We should be arriving in Fillydelphia by the mid-afternoon, and I will send you another message when we arrive

Your Former Mentor,
Princess Celestia

Celestia then used her Magic to send the message on its way, and then she joined Luna in supervising the packing, and other preparations for their trip to Fillydelphia.

A minute or so later in Fillydelphia, Spike burped fire, and soon a message appeared in the air in front of him, which he caught.

I turned towards the source of the noise once I heard a loud burp, and I was about to start laughing once I saw that it was Spike (yeah, I still laugh at loud burps. Sue me), but then I saw that he burped fire, followed by what seemed to be some sort of message rolled up. Then my urge to laugh died away almost immediately, and I became concerned.

"Whoa! Spike, are you ok? What was that?!"

He turned to me. "Yeah, I'm fine, David. This is just how Princess Celestia sends messages to Twilight. Twilight writes a message, then gives it to me. I then blow my Magic fire on it, and send it to Princess Celestia. Then, once Princess Celestia has a reply, she uses her Magic to send it, then I burp fire, and the message appears."

I blinked. I couldn't fully tell if Spike was joking, but he didn't seem to be. However, once Twilight, and the other Element Bearers confirmed what Spike said, I nodded.

"Oh, I see. I guess that you guys use this method of long-distance communication, rather than radio?"

"Eh, sometimes. Some Ponies, such as those here at the Naval Base use radios, which was how Rear-Admiral Sky Seas communicated with Canterlot when you first arrived, though others still use the Equestrian Mail Service, but using Magic, and Dragon Fire to send messages is pretty much exclusive to the Princesses of Equestria." Twilight explained as she took the message from Spike, and began to read it.

"What's it say, Twilight?" Applejack asked her.

"Well, Applejack, it pretty much just says that Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna are relived that everything is ok, and that the crew of the USS Texas aren't hostile, and that they're coming here to Fillydelphia to meet them in a few hours."

I then relayed this information to Captain Bob, who was hard at work giving orders for the crew of the Texas to scrub the decks, make everything look nice, and make themselves presentable for the Princess's arrival. Yes, it was still an informal meeting, but that was no excuse for things to look poorly, especially among those who were now considered ambassadors to their home nation!

"We should be ready on time, Ensign Gardner. And when will the Element Bearers be coming out to the Texas?"

I looked back at Twilight for a moment. "We'll be leaving here in a minute or so, Captain. I'll radio you again once we get close, and then someone can lower the 'boarding ladder'."

"Copy that, Ensign Gardner."

I then looked at Twilight and the other Element Bearers. "Now that the message from Princess Celestia has arrived, are all of you ready to head out to the Texas?"

They all nodded.

"Yes, I'm ready, Ensign Garder."

"Yep! Born ready!"

"Ooh! Ooh! I'm ready!"

"Ready, Sugarcube!"

"Now that I have my sun hat, I'm ready too, Darling!"

"I'm ready too."

"I'm ready, Guys!"

I then looked at my group of 6 crewmen who'd come with me. "Are you guys ready?"

They nodded. "Ready, Sir!"

"Good. Alright then, let's go. We'll head back to the rafts, check on the two sailors we left behind there, load up, and then head out. However, we won't all fit on 2 rafts, so would there be another small boat that you and your friends could use, Princess Twilight?"

Twilight then asked the Rear-Admiral.

"Yes, there's a small motor launch that I could lend you, Princess Twilight."

Twilight nodded. "Yes, that would work."

"Ok then, off we go." I then began to lead the way back to the waterfront.

The rest of the 6 sailors, the Element Bearers, and Spike all began to follow, though just before she left, the Rear-Admiral put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "While the Humans may be friendly, Princess, keep your wits about you. If they try anything funny, just give me the word, and I'll have the shore batteries blast them, and the USS Texas, right out of the water!"

"While I don't think that that will be necessary, Rear-Admiral, yes. I will most definitely keep my wits about me. But I appreciate your concern for my well-being, and the well-being for the other Element Bearers."

"You're welcome, Princess Twilight. It's my duty to serve after all."

Twilight smiled, before following the rest of the group towards the waterfront.

As we walked, I was hoping to still find the 2 sailors I'd left behind guarding the rafts alive and well. Yes, I had heard them over the radio when they told me to thank Pinkie for the cake and punch, but at the same time, that could have been a trick of "Magic", as the Ponies called it. I didn't want to believe that they would do something like that, especially not after we'd gotten to know them better, but at the same time, it still never hurt to be cautious. However, my fears were put to rest when we reached the beach where we arrived at, and found the 2 sailors alive and well. They were sitting on one of the rafts with the 2 Pegasai scouts, seemingly deeply engaged in a game of cards with them.

The 2 Texas sailors stood up when we approached, and saluted when they saw me. "Sir!"

"At ease. I see that you've been getting along well with your new friends?" I gestured to the 2 Pegasai Scouts.

"Oh yes, Sir, we have. Bay Winds, and Fly High have been really good to us, and they've proven amazing Texas Hold'em players too once we've shown them how."

I smiled. "That's good to hear. Though sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you guys are gonna have to postpone your card game for now, as we need the rafts again, and we're all needed back at the Texas. Captain Bob is expecting us, and we have to transport these 7 VIP's there to meet him."

"7 VI......." The sailor trailed off. He looked behind me, and saw the 6 Element Bearers, and Spike. "Oh, I see. Hello there, I'm Brandon Winters, gunner on the USS Texas."

"And I'm Daniel Hollis, also a gunner. Nice to meet all of you."

The Ponies and Spike all introduced themselves.

"Nice to meet you both, too." Twilight told them.

Brandon and Daniel then packed up the cards, said goodbye to Bay and Fly, and promised to meet up with them again later to finish their game once I said that we'd be docking the Texas in Fillydelphia a bit later on that day. Once we were ready, we got into the rafts, while the rest got into the motor launch from the nearest pier. It was also set up so that 2 Ponies would be in each raft, while 4 Texas sailors were on the motor launch with the other 2 Ponies. Spike then asked where he would be sitting, and after debating for a moment, I agreed with Twilight's request for him to be in the raft that she would be in. This means that Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy were in the raft that I was in, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were in the motor launch, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack were in the other raft.

"Everyone all ready?"

"Yes, Sir!" Everyone in my raft called back.

"We're ready too, David." Twilight also informed me.

"Yep!" Spike added.

Fluttershy didn't say anything, but she did nod.

"You all in Raft 2 ready?" I asked the guys in the other raft.

"Yes, Sir, we're ready!"

"We're also ready, Sugarcube!" Applejack called.

"Yep!" Rainbow Dash added.

"And what about all of you in the motor launch? All set?"

"Yeah, we're ready, Sir!"

"All good here, Darling!"

"Ready, David!" Pinkie also called over.

"Ok, good." I then grabbed my radio again. "Captain, this is Ensign Gardner."

"Go ahead, Ensign."

"We're all loaded up onto the rafts, Sir, and there's a 3rd motor launch joining us, as we all were unable to fit onto the rafts. We're heading out now, and will be there shortly."

"Very good, Ensign Gardner. We're all ready for the arrival of the Element Bearers here, and we have a visual on you all now."

"Ok, roger that, Sir. Ensign Gardner out."

I then put down my radio, and once we had the 2 rafts away from the beach, we all began to motor back towards the Texas, followed closely by the motor launch.

As we made our way back to the Texas, the sun was shining, the air was warm, the wind blew the salt air into our faces, the sea was calm, so luckily there weren't very many bumps. Nevertheless, Fluttershy still looked really nervous.

"Are you ok, Fluttershy?" I asked her gently.

"I.....I've n-never been on the ocean before." She quivered. "It's.....it's so big....and....k-kinda scary."

I was about to reply, but before I could, Twilight wrapped her arms around her friend. "It's ok, Fluttershy. The ocean isn't very scary at all. It's a large body of salt water, with waves and tides, full of all kinds of unique animals."

Before Twilight could say anything else, a large fish with a huge blue sail-like fin, and a nose like a spear suddenly jumped out of the water next to our raft, flipped over, and then dove back in!

"Whoa!" Everyone in our raft was shocked. "What the heck was that?!"

"It almost looked like a sailfish! And if it was, did you know that those are considered to be the fastest fish in the ocean, reaching speeds of up to 70mph?"

Fluttershy looked at me. "Really, David?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I studied the ocean, and fish a lot while I was still in school. It was my favorite subject next to military history, and it came so naturally to me, as I lived so close to the ocean, or at least fairly close, as my hometown, Corpus Christi, TX, is on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, which eventually meets the Atlantic Ocean near the southern tip of Florida."

Fluttershy looked amazed, and then the fish jumped back out of the water, and Twilight was able to confirm that it was indeed a sailfish. Fluttershy got to see the sailfish a number of times more when it jumped out of the water, and she was happy.

"Wow. I guess that the ocean really isn't so bad after all. There's so many amazing creatures to see and enjoy here. I see now why you like the ocean so much, David."

I smiled. "I'm glad, Fluttershy. The ocean is such an amazing, yet very mysterious place. We Humans have only explored maybe 9% of the 5 oceans on Earth. There's so much more out there to discover, and we've only just begun to scratch the surface. Heck, we've even explored Earth's Moon more than we've explored our own oceans!"

I then realized that I made a VERY serious mistake mentioning that Humans went to the Moon, because this caused Twilight to go ballistic, and ask HUNDREDS of questions about that! The others in the raft looked at me with either traces of laughter on their faces, or extreme pity, as once again, I had to deal with Twilight, and her incessant questions about Human History, and life on Earth.

"Man!" I cursed to myself. "Why did I have to mention that Humans went to the Moon? Why couldn't I have just left well enough alone? Why?!"

I just prayed that the trip back to the Texas would be over before I went completely insane, and "accidentally" knocked Twilight overboard!

Once we made it to about the 3-mile mark from the Texas, the Ponies could begin to see the ship more clearly, as well as for the first time begin to really get a feel for just how big the ship really was.

"Wow, the Texas already looks huge, and I know that it's just going to get bigger from here, right, David?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's right, Spike."

"So amazing. And what were the basic stats again, David? Just the length, width, gross tonnage, things like that."

I thought for a second. "Well, like I said before, Texas is 573ft. long overall, has a beam of 106ft., a draft of 31ft., a full displacement of 32,000 long tons, is powered by 6 Bureau-Express oil-fired boilers, powering 2 triple-expansion steam engines, which turn 2 screws, a top design speed of about 20 knots, and a compliment of 1,810 officers and men. Does this help?"

Twilight nodded. "Oh yes, it does. I wrote all the stats down, but I just wanted to hear it again. And normally I would ask about the armament again, but I'll wait until we're on the ship for that, so as not to overload your brain, David!"

"Thank God for that!" I thought. Out loud, I said, "Thank you, Twilight."

Once we passed the 2-mile mark, my radio came to life. "XO, XO, this is Texas. We see you, Raft 2, the motor launch, and your VIP's. What's your status, over?"

"Texas, this is Ensign Gardner. We're doing fine out here. Are we cleared to approach?"

There was silence for a few moments. "Yes, you're cleared to approach, XO. We're lowering the starboard 'boarding ramp' now."

"Roger that, Texas. We'll be there shortly. Ensign Gardner out." I then put down my radio.

A few minutes later, we reached the Texas, and the Ponies and Spike were in awe at its true size. At Twilight's request, I asked Captain Bob for permission to circle the Texas twice with the rafts, so that the Ponies could see the ship on all sides from the water. Permission was granted, and we made our 2 laps; Twilight, Pinkie, and Spike all snapping pictures with their cameras that Twilight teleported in for her and Spike......or seemingly pulled out of thin air for Pinkie! I tried to ignore it, but it still bothered me.

"How does she keep doing that?" I wondered. "Defying the Laws of Physics, not to mention seemingly pulling things out of thin air, and then making them disappear again. This is really starting to freak me out!"

I then tried to push these thoughts out of my mind, and instead focus on getting the rafts, and the motor launch, up to the Texas's starboard "boarding ramp" so that the Ponies, and ourselves, could disembark, and get back onto the ship.

Once we finished our second and final lap, I ordered the raft pulled up next to the starboard "boarding ramp", or at least, that's what we called them. In reality, they were nothing more than 2 large cargo nets that we used to get onto our 2 rafts to begin with; they weren't even ramps at all. By the time we pulled up to the starboard side of the Texas, just below where the bridge was, the cargo net had been lowered, and my raft pulled up first, and a line was tossed up to the sailors on deck so that they could secure the raft while we disembarked. Then, once the rafts were empty, a small crane would then be used to haul the rafts back up onto the deck of the Texas.

Just as I was about to start telling Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy about how to safely climb up the cargo net, from behind me, I could hear, "Where are the boarding ramps, Darling? I don't see them anywhere!"

"They aren't actual ramps, Rarity!" I called back to her. "That's just what we call them. In reality, they're just 2 large cargo nets, one for the port side, and one for the starboard side. It'll be just like climbing a ladder."

Unfortunately though, this was NOT the answer Rarity wanted to hear. "What?! I have to climb up a dirty CARGO NET?!?! I just finished moisturizing my hands, and this is on top of what the sea spray did to my mane! And let's not even mention my hooves......." And on and on her whining went.

"Is she always like this?" I whispered to Twilight, all while pretending to nod in agreement with whatever Rarity was whining about then.

Twilight sighed. "Pretty much, unfortunately. Rarity's not only a fashionista, but also a total diva, and a bit of a drama queen sometimes, ESPECIALLY when it comes to her mane, fur, or clothes getting dirty." Twilight paused. She could hear Applejack and Rainbow Dash also yelling at Rarity, and she knew that she had to take control of this situation right now.

"Rarity?" She yelled back to her friend.

"Yes, Twilight?" Rarity asked, seemingly taking a break from her endless whining.

"You could always just levitate yourself up onto the Texas's deck you know. You don't have to use the cargo net."

There was a long silence as Rarity seemed to be contemplating that.

"Hey, what's the holdup down there?" Someone on the Texas's deck called down to us.

"Nothing. We'll be up shortly." I called back.

Rarity then realized how foolish she was being, though without saying another word, she looked up at the Texas's deck, and then levitated herself up there with her Magic.

"FINALLY she's done whining!!!!" A sailor who'd been on the second raft with Rarity cried with relief. "The ENTIRE trip she wouldn't shut up! I wanted to hang myself!" The others in the raft, except Pinkie Pie, agreed with him.

"Let's just forget about that right now, and get up on the ship ourselves!" I called.

Moments after this, a few of the sailors in my raft started climbing the cargo net, followed closely by Twilight and Spike. Fluttershy was too scared, and despite offers from Texas sailors to carry her up the net piggy-back, she opted to have Twilight teleport her up as well.

"I appreciate the offers though." She told the sailors who had offered just before Twilight teleported her. "It was a nice gesture on your part."

It still took another few minutes, but once the raft was empty, I attached the hook from the crane to it, and and while I was climbing up myself, the raft was hoisted up onto the Texas's deck. Then Raft 2 pulled into position, and everyone, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack, all got out, climbed up the cargo net, and were back on the ship. Then Raft 2 was hauled back up as well. Finally, the motor launch pulled up, and the sailors who'd been on it with Pinkie Pie began to disembark. Eventually, everyone, everypony, and Spike were all onboard the Texas, as were the 2 rafts, though the motor launch was attached to a rope tied to a bollard on the ship's deck, as there wasn't room for it on the deck.

Once the Mane 6 and Spike were on the Texas, they began to look around them in awe. They were standing below the bridge, near the starboard side of the 2nd gun turret, and all around them were uniformed Texas sailors either standing in rows, or at the railings on the upper parts of the superstructure. All of them were also looking at the Ponies in awe, and some were seemingly whispering among themselves. At this same time, those of us who had gone ashore were taking off our improvised life jacket-flak vests, slinging our guns over our shoulders, and swapping out our helmets for our sailor hats.

Twilight then saw me walk over to an older man, who was wearing a uniform different than the rest of ours. His was a dark blue tunic with gold striped cuffs, a white shirt with a black tie, dark blue pants, black shoes, and a dark blue officer's cap. Twilight could also see that the man was sweating nervously, and she guessed that he must be the Captain of the Texas. I then stood next to the older man, who then walked over to Twilight and her friends.

"Greetings, Ponies of Equestria. I am Captain Robert Hogan, of the USS Texas, though you may hear the crew call me 'Captain Bob'. You may call me that, or you can stick with 'Captain Hogan'. And which one of you is Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight stepped forwards. "I am, Sir. It's an honor to finally be able to meet you in person, Captain Hogan." She then held out her hand, which Captain Bob shook." And I can tell from the looks that your crew are giving you that they look up to you, and respect you very much. That's a good thing to have. And I can tell that you're really nervous, Captain, but you need not be. Like I said before, this is merely an informal visit. Though I must say, your ship's decks are certainly very well scrubbed, and the crew's uniforms are certainly well washed and ironed, and you all look amazing!"

"Thank you, Princess Twilight."

"You can just call me 'Twilight', Captain."

"Ok then. Twilight, the other Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and Spike the Dragon, let me be the first to welcome you all to the USS Texas BB-35, the last of the Dreadnought Battleships!"

The crew of the Texas cheered, and the Ponies began to look around the upper decks of the ship, wondering what cool things that they were going to get to see prior to the official tour once the Princesses arrived.

Author's Note

And, that was Chapter 5

I'm SO SORRY that this Chapter took 1 year, and 3 months to get out to you all, but I had a lot on my plate, ranging from simple writer's block, to being too tired to write from my factory job, to having busy weekends, busy holidays, working on a few side-projects, and a handful of other unforeseen events. But I also thank you for bearing with me through all of this, and I REALLY hope that you all enjoyed Chapter 5!

So now the Ponies know for sure that the USS Texas was sent to Equus by mistake, and that the crew are harmless, or at least, harmless enough, just as the crew of the Texas now know that the Ponies are not their enemies. So where will they all go from here? Will the Ponies see anything interesting on the upper decks of the Texas? And what about when Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna arrive for the full tour of the Texas? How will that go? And what of the Black Baron? When will he find out of the Texas's existence, and how will he react to it? Well, you all know the drill, stay tuned and I'll tell you!

In the meantime though, as always, comments, questions, feedback, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 6!

ScarFox out for now!

And yes, it will be a while until Chapter 6 is ready. I have 2 other commitments that I have to finish first; one being my part of a VERY LONG overdue RP story (thank you for bearing with me during all of this Dusk!), as well as those awaiting "Cabin of Love", but "Cabin" is already 100%, it just needs proofreading, and the RP bit hopefully shouldn't take very long. And then I'll start Chapter 6, which hopefully won't take nearly as long, but we'll play it by ear. This story WILL be completed, you have my word on that. It won't be "Cancelled"; I'm not one of those authors who leaves a good story hanging (or at least I'm trying not to be)