Author's Note

I'm aware Wash never spoke a word of Spanish, nor showed any understanding of what Lopez ever said. But then, looking back, he never really said he didn't either. Yes, it's true he didn't know Dos-Point-O helped fix the radio in Season 11, but he never paid attention to him like all the rest because he was busy trying to get a message through. So, I took the liberty of having him bilingual to allow for a casual Dos-Point-O reference, and a joke to Shannon voicing both Freelancer and robot.

Anyway, whoever's following this story, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it while I've been getting it out of my head. And again, for those few reading this to the end, I currently have no ideas cooking up to further extend this plot. So, feel free to try it out yourselves if you want. Or maybe, if you know the original author, find out what the person thinks. So take care, and God bless.

Postscript

Dear Celestia,

I know this is something not to talk about via messages from Spike. In fact, I'd like to have this discussion face-to-face. But with the Celebration happening tomorrow morning, there's just so many things to do that it can't be held right away. So, I'm thinking we can talk over the Summit at the Crystal Empire. Share this with Luna, Shining and Cadence maybe.

But to name the subject of the matter, there's something I'd very much like to understand. It's not about the Disciples, the Mantle, Tirek, or even Chairman Hargrove. I'm sure most of those things will come to light at the Summit, as they are need-to-know as well. No, what I need to learn is this: Tell me everything you know about David.

"Hello, and welcome to our homeland Equestria! I can only imagine what you might be wondering concerning us and our world."

"Blarg."

"Oh," Twilight cringed slightly at the teal-armored Sangheilli with blue trim, "Hold on, give me a sec."

After a bright glow of magenta dust from her horn to his throat, mandible-like jaw and mind, she said, "There. Can you understand me?"

"Blarg honk, honk honk blarg."

"Well, at least I can understand you now. Guess I need to tweak that spell a bit later on. So, how would you like to be called? Ambassador Tucker Junior? T'Lakka Tucker Junior? Or, just Junior?"

"Ah, honk!"

"Dubstep-T?"

"Blarg blarg!"

"Well, okay then. You can call me Twilight if you want. I do hope this is the beginning of something wonderful between the two of us."

"Bow chicka honk honk."

"Ugh, I see you have your father's wit."

"Har-har-har-har."

“That was an extraordinary, collaborating spectacle, Princesses,” enthused the Chairman, as her former faithful student and new friend walked on, “We are most fortunate in having this chance and bear witness to a momentous celebration.”

“We are glad, Chairman Hargrove, to share such a joyous occasion with you and Ambassador T’Lakka Tucker,” her sister replied evenly. “It’s not every millennium we encounter those from beyond our stars, let alone offer them a splendored taste of our culture and prowess.”

Celestia glanced at Luna knowingly, as Malcolm spoke. “Quite so, Your Highness. This is indeed so rare an opportunity for us not to squander.”

“On that,” said Celestia, “we couldn’t agree more. And we most surely anticipate, with much optimism, to whatever lies before us.”

“No matter the challenges,” Luna finished, “we’re sure to face.”

“And I'm truly glad, myself, in knowing we’re on the same wavelength. By the by, I trust those communication satellites have been of good help to you thus far.”

"Okay, so how'd it go?"

"About as well as expected," the ivory mare answered the shimmering, miniature human in black, "He's surely well aware of our hesitance to move along with further arrangements."

"Yeah, like you said," shrugged Allison, "that's expected. But I wasn't talking about Hargrove, y'know."

"Same," she sighed, "Luna and I made sure to fill them all in on the Disciples, Hargrove's surveillance...and him."

"I'm guessing Twilight's big bro didn't take that real well."

"Again, to be expected. Until Twilight stood up for him. Then the only consolation he found was the distance between them before and after the vines."

"Sounds like those boys are gonna have a nice talk here soon enough. What'd he say in that journal?"

"He gave it to Twilight before leaving the Everfree. It was my one chance to know if anything were to happen right away. Now he's gone to check in with Changeling and Cockatrice."

"Guess he knew the best place to keep that info if he's been made, huh?"

"Perhaps. Doesn't soothe my nerves, however."

"Damn, I knew you got a motherly side toward ya. Never realized you adopted the guy."

"What else have you uncovered, Allison?"

Now it was the construct's turn to sigh, "'Fraid not much. Nothing on the guys, or even Church's whereabouts. Only that Hargrove's got a similar gig going on someplace called Chorus, some file attached labeled Operation: Siren, profiles and psych evals for some guys named Wu, Gates and Ortez. Couldn't access any of them, though. Not without alerting FILSS to my converted, flawed programming. Even inside Pinkie's head didn't help with that, you can imagine."

"Anything else?"

"I've been trying to find others for help. Working to get ahold of an investigative journalist and another program hiding at Blood Gulch, without Hargrove listening. Trying to get as much help as possible. Also, I'm seeing if Kaikaina's dental records and DNA match the decomposed body wearing her armor and tags. Can't be too sure with that girl."

"You wish to incorporate another simulation soldier as a potential asset?"

"Eh, world's best swordsman, can't predict the idiot, you get the gist."

"Chrysalis' Hive?"

"Still having trouble locating that. Maybe if we got that Discord guy to help out, we'll have better luck."

"And what word from Commander Sunny Side?"

"I just got back from Our Town, actually. She concluded, and I agree, that Starlight Glimmer's little socialist reform experiment is just that. A personal agenda. No ties to the Disciples yet, from what we've gathered."

"However...?"

"She's been sending fliers and messages openly to the public, including foals, about her little crusade. We intercepted a couple for further analysis, just in case."

"Something to be extra mindful then. Redundant to alert the public at this point, seeing as no laws were broken, nor the peace has been disturbed yet. Hopefully, we'll learn how to better address it after stopping Tirek."

"Yeah," Allison hissed from beneath her projected helmet, crossing her arms, "'bout that. Seeing as how this could prove lethal to those of my persuasion, how do you feel about converting a certain smart A.I., loosely speaking, to augment his lifespan and capacity to help us before he goes rampant?"

She could not even ponder a sound response at this time, for Celestia sensed a great amount of energy coming from the mirror against the Crystal Palace wall. The glass glowed and rippled like a lake, prior to a figure in cyan immediately diving out and somersaulting before the solar Regent. The figure she recognized from long ago knelt with both fists on the floor, the narrow glint on the visor tilted slightly to notice the Alicorn.

A filtered, female voice huffed from inside the helmet, "Thirty moons. They couldn't come sooner."

"All the more reason for me to watch this room as it happened," Celestia responded, readying herself in case she was wrong, "Identify yourself."

"Hey, hey, hey, relax!" At that, a cobalt glowing human appeared after that male voice spoke up too. "Chill the fuck out, Les. Carolina's with me. And it's been barely five months when we found out. Still not grasping the concept of pacing yourself, are ya?"

"It can't be," breathed Allison in a stupor.

"Hey there, Beta," the female greeted grimly as she stiffly rose. "I've been wanting that rematch for a long...long time."

"Hey, come on," said Church, "Let's keep it civil, ladies. Okay?"

"Carolina? You..." The magical spectra could not recover from seeing her second worst failure, of all time. "You're alive?"

"Don't sound so disappointed."

"Yeah," Church broke the tension sharply, "also the guys are with us too."

"What," Celestia asked.

"Well actually, they're on this planet called Chorus, though I'm guessing you prob'ly knew that by now. No? Well, okay. Looks like I finally got one over you, Tex!"

"That makes two of us," Carolina muttered. "Also, now who's getting impatient?"

"Oh, and we used these teleportation grenades to another magical, pony mirror thing that's being kept in the care of Hargrove's fucking psychotic lapdogs that were running a fucking civil war on Chorus for his personal fucking enterprise. And there are these half-horse, half-shark bitches causing trouble down there. And did I mention the guys are caught in the dead-fucking center of that?"

"So much for civility," Celestia huffed in bemusement.

"Oh, and you think maybe you could do that thing that Sunset chick did for Tex way back? Yeah, I'm getting some sort of algorithm or software equivalent of a migraine going on. God. Also, how's Twilight by the way?"