The Gate: A Strange New World

Chapters

Chapter one- It Appeared
Chapter two- The Ambassador
Chapter three- And so it begins
Chapter five- The Elements of Harmony
Earth Pony Tape
Unicorn Tape
Pegasus Tape
Chapter six- Comforting The Night
Chapter seven- The Grand Summit
Chapter eight- A Whole New World
Chapter nine- Ponies Herd Round the World
Chapter ten- The Times we Have
Chapter eleven- Truth and Holidays
Chapter twelve- Home if where the hoof is
Chapter thirteen- Christmas who?
Chapter fourteen- Of Their Own Accord
Chapter sixteen- The Memory Orb
Chapter seventeen- The Apple and The Moon
Chapter eighteen- What must be done
Chapter nineteen- The Grand Galloping Gala
chapter twenty- What the future may hold
Prologue
Chapter four- the Return of Nightmare Moon
Chapter fifteen- A Battle Between Life and Death
Epilouge

Chapter one- It Appeared

I was riding my bike down to the now empty and desolate strip on Hampton Beach. I decided that a bike ride would help me get some fresh air and not sit at home playing the same video games I’ve played 100 times. I didn’t normally ride, but today, I thought I would get in some exercise. The day was Sunday, October 3rd. Nothing major was happening in my life; I just started my senior year in high school, and I just wanted it to be done and over with. I tried not to think about school as I rode past the hotels and condos. I could feel the cool breeze pass through my hair as I rode past the walkways toward the sandy beach. The air smelt salty from the sea as I whizzed past a restaurant mixing with the smell of food it was weird but pleasant. It also made me hungry and I wished some of the food stands were open so I could grab some Blink's fried dough. Usually, everything on the beach closes around September after the Seafood Festival, with no fried dough until Memorial Day. I slowly made my way up the ramp leading to the Casino Ballroom which would be playing concerts and some shows but nothing I would want to attend. The only thing I would like to do is play some games at Fun-O-Rama. So, after passing some of the more casual restaurants and bars I came to the edge of the strip. I turned and looked out towards the beach and listened to the sound of the waves splashing against the sand. I thought about my life and my future, like what was I gonna do for the rest of my life when I got out of high school, was I ever gonna leave my parent's basement and find a place of my own? I hated thinking about it sometimes, so I just kept on riding. The strip itself was like a small island that you would drive around to find a good parking spot. Most people either rent or live down in some beach houses behind the strip and there are a lot of parking spots. I kept on riding down the sidewalk and I thought to myself

“Man, I wish something would change, my life is boring as hell”

As I was riding down past some houses, I was coming up to the massive parking lot behind the Casino Ballroom. This is also where the performers would park their tour buses and trucks for all their musical equipment. Something caught my eye and I stopped to focus my sight on it. It looked like a section of the parking lot was moving, like clear water moving in thin air. It was bizarre and I decided to get a closer look. As I drew close it looked like an object or rather a large object was trying to form itself into existence. It looked like a house with a triangular roof, the whole structure was see-through, like glass. As I continued to watch the structure slowly became opaque like a stone until the whole thing was visible. At first, I thought I was dreaming, I whipped my head and closed my eyes, but when I opened them back up the object was still there. I pinched myself a couple of times just to make sure. The opening of the structure was pitch black inside, I looked, and it was just high enough to fit a decent-sized vehicle through. I slowly walked up to it with my bike and gently touched it, it was cold and it felt like stone. I looked behind it and saw the surface of a flat wall. I went back to the opening and wondered what the hell it could be.

“HELLOOOOOOoooooooo” I yelled into the abyss

No response, I looked up at the top where the corners of the roof angled and saw a circular stone disc, and carved into the stone was a winged unicorn. I thought it was interesting since I had never seen or heard of one. I looked around to see if there was anyone else in the area who might have seen what I was seeing, luckily, I saw no one. A thought occurred to me, maybe I should go through it and see what happens, but then another thought came, what if I die when I go through it as I stood there looking into the nothing at the entrance.

“Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained,” I said

I left my bike leaning on the side of the structure and I slowly began to walk into the black nothingness, I stopped when I realized I still had my iPhone with me, so I turned on the flashlight and continued. I walked very slowly still thinking that I might die but part of me was very curious. I kept walking for what seemed like hours, the humidity was strangely high as I walked deeper, and I started to sweat a little. I continued onward down this strange gateway when all of a sudden, a bright aura surrounded me blinding me momentarily. When I opened my eyes, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I kept walking thinking it must be the exit, as I got closer, I could make out some buildings stretching down on both sides of the gate, I could make out a sky and some clouds and what looked like beings, but not people. I slowly crept out of the dark and saw a sun in the sky. I looked and saw what looked like a horse or equine of some kind, but it had a light blue coat and a grey mane. It had a pair of horseshoes on its flank for some odd reason. It looked right at me and their eyes went wide with fear. It slowly started to back away maintaining eye contact and then it turned and screamed.

“AH Monster” as it trotted down the road

“Okay Rude,” I thought to myself

I stepped further out of the stone gate and looked to see what was behind it. I saw a pathway that led to some grassy hills. I looked off into the distance and saw a grand mountain and attached to the mountain was what looked like a castle. It reminded me of Minas Tirith from Lord of The Rings

“I wonder who lives there, maybe a king or queen perhaps,” I thought

As I continued to look past the castle, I could see flying dots coming closer to me, at first, I thought they were birds but as they drew near I could make out the shape of a pony, but with wings.

Several winged pegasi in armor flew down and surrounded me as they pointed their spears directly at me.

“Halt Intruder” one said “You are trespassing, and are hereby under arrest”

I was frozen in fear and honestly didn’t know what to do, part of me wanted to run but considering that they fly I couldn’t get two feet without being speared to death. Two pegasi grabbed my arms and one clamped a pair of iron shackles around my wrists. The shackles were cold and very durable, they were also attached to a chain that one pegasi was holding, as he began to walk, he pulled the chain making me follow him.

“What have I gotten myself into!?” I thought

Behind the gate was a grand golden or brass chariot that had a cage on the back of it. Attached to the chariot were two more armored pegasi. One pegasi poked my back ordering me to get into the cage. I did as I was told as they locked the door behind me. The two pegasi began flapping their wings and soon we began hovering into the air. It was amazing and soon we were flying towards the castle I saw a moment ago. I still didn’t say anything for fear of being yelled at or worse hit. I looked down and saw small houses, a river, trees, and what looked like a farm of some sort. The view and height started to make my mind go all woozy. I sat down in the cage and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and counted to four, exhaled, and counted to four. I did this a few times until my head calmed down. Truth be told I’m scared of heights, but soon the castle came into view as we slowly floated down to a pair of large wooden double doors. The chariot landed softly as a Pegasus came up to the cage door and unlocked it.

“Follow me,” he said as he grabbed the chain and headed toward the doors

I followed close behind him and there were more pegasi with their spears pointed at my back. I wondered who ruled this caste, what that person was like, were they evil or nice, whatever the case may be I was their prisoner. The doors opened up and we walked into the castle. The walls were faded and pale purple with intricately carved columns that supported the roof. The floor was laden with a red carpet. It was soft to step on and I wondered who maintained all of the architecture. We kept walking past several stained-glass windows until we arrived at a set of white doors. The lead pegasus knocked on the door and another pegasus opened it and peeked out seeing him and me, then opened the door wider for us to enter. As we entered, I looked up and saw her, the princess. She was an alabaster white horse with wings and a horn, her mane was several colors that seemed to flow in the wind as if it were alive, she was just as tall as I am. She had a golden crown and necklace with golden shoes on her hooves. I wondered if she was the winged unicorn on the gate I saw when I entered it. She looked right at me expressionless but rather curious.

“Kneel before the Princess !” the lead pegasus said
I did as I was told and knelt on one knee in front of her. The Princess slowly approached still looking at me. One pegasus knelt before speaking

“Your Majesty, we have captured an intruder at the gate that appeared earlier this morning”

The Princess looked at me up and down humming to herself curiously

“What shall we do with it, Your Highness?”

She looked at him and back at me

“Leave him with me,” she said in a firm but gentle tone

The pegasi guards were shocked by her response

“It that wise your Highness, what if he were to attack you?”

“I believe I can handle one being, now leave us” She waved at the guards

“Of course, your majesty”

The guards soon left, and I was all alone with the princess, I stood back up and tried to say something.

“I….. did not mean to…. trespass your Highness” I was shaking like a leaf as sweat rolled down my head

She looked right at me with a smile on her face as if she knew who I was or I was like a long-lost friend

“Are you alright, they didn’t hurt you did they?” she said

“Uh well no not at all”

She looked down at my wrists and saw I was still shackled

“Oh my, let me take those off for you” Her horn glowed, then my shackles shimmered, and then in a flash they were gone.

“I do apologize about the introductions; stranger things have happened in the past; my guards were just being cautious”

I rubbed my wrists and said “It’s alright”

“What is your name good sir?” she asked

“You wanna know my name?”

“Of course, if we are to form friendly relations with one another we must be able to be formal, shouldn't we?” she chuckled

“Oh uh, yes, of course, I did not mean to be rude”

I cleared my throat a bit before speaking

“My name is Rommel Lago Panzo Jr”

“Hm, quite an interesting name, sounds royal”

“Oh no I’m just an ordinary being like everyone else”

“What is your name?” I asked

“I am Princess Celestia, ruler of all of Equestria, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance”

“Uh it’s a pleasure to make yours as well” I bowed my head slightly

“So, you rule over all the lands?”

“Well, most of the lands anyway, some are ruled by others”

“I see, but if you’re the princess, is there a king and queen?

Celestia hesitated with a slight frown for a moment before answering

“There is no king nor queen, for as long as I can remember we…I mean I have kept watch over Equestria for the last 1000 years”

I wondered why she hesitated but then realized she was that old

“Wait you’re 1000 years old!”

“Why yes, Alicorns do not age like normal ponies”

“Oh, well looking good”

Celestia chuckled at my comment

“Why don’t we go somewhere more appropriate, I am very interested about what lies beyond the gate?”

“Please after you your highness”

Celestia walked past me and used her horn to open the doors. She and I walked past her guards and down the hall. We soon came to another set of doors. Celestia used her horn to open the doors and inside was a shiny wooden oval-shaped table and inside was another pony. She was a white unicorn with a brown mane done up in a bun. She had huge stacks of blank paper and lots of ink at one end of the table. Celestia walked over to her and sat down.

“Please have a seat,” she said

I pulled out the small chair, it was made of carved wood and had a red cushion on the seat. As I sat down it was a little low or maybe I was just too high as my legs were a little uncomfortable. The white unicorn used her horn to grab a quill and a sheet of paper preparing to write down our conversation.

“Can I offer you a drink?” she asked

“Yes please”

As soon as I said that the door opened and another pony in a maid outfit came in with a cart that had a teapot and teacups on it. She used her horn to levitate a cup and saucer over to me as well as Celestia. She then levitated the teapot over to my cup and poured some tea into my cup and then Celestia’s. I wasn’t a huge fan of tea I don’t remember the last time I had it, drinking warm liquids was something I never really enjoyed but Celestia did offer and I didn’t want to be rude. I gently picked up the cup and took a sip. The warm feeling and taste were different, but it was good, nonetheless.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” I said as I put the cup on the saucer

“I’m Glad you like it; so shall we begin?”

“Of course, Your Majesty, I’ll try my best to answer anything you ask to the best of my abilities”

“Well first off, who rules the lands beyond?”

“Well like this place there are other nations that have their rulers, but on the immediate side of the gate is a group of states called the United States of America and we have a president that runs the country”

Celestia was intrigued by my answer

“So, it’s a democracy run land”

“Why yes, the free people of the country vote on who should run for office”

“Interesting, how many states exist in these United States?”

“About 50, 48 of them are connected while one exists far to the north past another country, and the other is of the west coast which consists of a small group of islands”

“Hm, so you live in one of these states?”

“Yes, I live in New Hampshire, which is located in the northeast section of the country which is also where the gate appeared”

“Hm, I wonder why it appeared there and not some other place?”

“Your guess is as good as mine your majesty”

“Now this President what does he do?”

“Well politics is not my strong point but as far as I know he makes big decisions when it comes to running our country. Whether it’s to send troops to fight or to help the people it’s all up to him”

“Does the President help the people that vote for him?”

“Sometimes he does sometimes he doesn’t”

“You seem to refer to the President as him, has there ever been a female President”

“Oddly enough there hasn’t been, there have been women who run for office but were never elected”

“Hm, does this President run the country by himself?”

“No, he has supporters who help make decisions, you see there is an executive branch of our Government that is in charge of making sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed. The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch. The President gets help from the Vice President, department heads, called Cabinet members, and heads of independent agencies”

“Interesting, and I take it that you work with the President as well?”

“Uh excuse me?” I was unsure how to answer

“Well, I assumed you were an ambassador sent by your president to start forming friendly relations with us”

“If I’m being honest Your Majesty, I am not an ambassador, I’m just a civilian who stumbled through the gate just to find out what was on the other side”

Celestia gave me an odd look but then smiled

“Ambassador or not you are indeed the first of your kind to make it through and make first contact, therefore I will consort all future peaceful negotiations and meetings with you”

“That’s a very serious undertaking, I’m not sure if I’m qualified, I’m only seventeen for Pete’s sake”

“Everything will be alright you have me to help you with whatever you need, and I hope that one day we will see each other as equals”

“I hope so too your highness”

Celestia and I continued for hours as her assistant jotted down everything, I spoke about, the country, what kind of people live there, agriculture, architecture, infrastructure, finances, and other stuff I was vaguely familiar with. I pulled out my phone just to check what time it was and Celestia perked up curious as ever

“What is that in your hand?” she pointed her hoof at me

“Oh, this is my phone, it allows us to talk to other people even if they're not in the same room”

“Really, how is that possible?” she asked

“Well, if I want to contact someone, I dial their number which sends a signal to a satellite in space, and the satellite sends it back down to the person, I mean the signal might not work since I crossed the gate”

“Wow, that’s fascinating what else can it do?”

“Well, it can tell you the time, it can also take pictures, it has a calendar, it’s got an alarm clock, it can play various games”

The more I explained Celestia's eyes grew wide with excitement

"Hold still for just a moment," I said as I quickly snapped a picture of Celestia

“How can it do all that if it's so small?”

“Years of science and engineering,” I said

“Hm sounds very complicated but I won’t ask any further”

“What other things exist in your world that you can tell me about?” she asked

“Well, we have automated carriages, flying machines, televisions, video games, to name a few

“Wow, your world sounds amazing! tell me about these auto carriages?"

"Well It's a vehicle that runs on an internal combustion engine which is run off of gasoline to make the car move"

"Wow, how do your flying machines work? do they flap like a bird or are they carried by balloon?"

"No, an airplane has two turbines on each wing that suck in air to take off and fly"

"Amazing the technology from your world is so fascinating"

“Yeah, it can be cool at times”

Celestia let out a small yawn and so did I

“Perhaps we can continue in the morning”

“That would be nice”

Celestia looked and saw a couple of piles of paper that her scribe wrote down.

“That’s a lot of information about your world but I can only guess that this is just the beginning, we’ll transcribe these into books so the others may learn about the gate and the world beyond”

"That’s nice of you”

“Thank you,” Celestia said as she stood up

“Come with me I would like to show you something”

We both got up and I followed Celestia out of the room and down the hall. We soon came upon a balcony overlooking the rest of the castle. Celestia stood proud as she looked over her land

“This here is Canterlot, home of the unicorns and the royal princess, we have many wondrous things, including a library, various shops and restaurants, venues for various get-togethers, a garden with a hedge maze, and my school for gifted unicorns”

“You run a school?”

“I watch over it more or less and make sure everything runs smoothly, in fact, I have an up in coming pupil who might find you just as interesting as I do”

“Well, I can’t wait to meet her”

“Perhaps you will, one second”

Celestia raised her horn and it started to glow very bright. I looked up and saw the sun slowly go down and the moon was raised high in its place. I could not believe what I had just witnessed

“How in the world did you do that?”

“I used my magic to lower the sun to make way for the night, Alicorn magic is very strong, stronger than most unicorns”

“You just moved a gigantic ball of gas away from the planet and put up the moon, that’s like god-tier power”

“Oh, I am not god, I am merely the watcher of this land and I make sure everything is right”

“Do you do this every night?”

“Every night for the past 1000 years”

“What happened before that?” I asked

Celestia turned sad for a moment before answering

“A long time ago, I had a younger sister named Luna, and it was her responsibility to raise the moon at night, but over time she became jealous at how much ponies liked me more than her, so one day she conjured the powers of darkness and became a wicked mare of night, Nightmare moon”

It was indeed a sad story and now I understand why she didn’t mention her before

“What happened to her?”

“Well I did not know how to save her at the time, instead I used the most magical powers I could, the Elements of Harmony, and banished her to the moon all those years ago,” she said as she looked up at the moon

I looked up too and saw the shape of a pony on the surface of the moon

“I am sorry for your loss Princess”

I could see the conflict in her eyes and it almost made me tear up

“Tis fine, I just hope someday I’ll be able to see her again”

Celestia wiped a small tear from her eye before speaking

“Now then, let me show you to your room,” she said

Celestia and I walked back down the hall until we came upon a single door. Celestia opened the door and inside was a bed, an armoire, a couch at the foot of the bed, and a small window.

“You can rest here if you would like”

I stepped in taking in the room, it smelled like lavender

“It’s nice, until tomorrow your majesty,” I said as I bowed my head

“Until tomorrow,” she said as she headed out of the room and closed the door

I stood there for a few minutes trying to grasp the reality that was happening right now, not only did I discover a strange new world I got to meet with royalty and have tea with her, not to mention I am now an ambassador and must attend peace summits and things like that. It was like the biggest change of my life and I did not expect it to happen right then and there. I wanted to cry but I was also happy and excited for once in my life. I then thought about my family, my friends, and of course, what was going on back beyond the gate. Had the military arrived and quarantined the area to further study the gate, would they send scientists or soldiers through to spark some war? I tried not to think about the latter, but it did make me wonder what I was going to say to them if I ever got back. I took my shoes off, sat on the bed, and looked at my phone again it was 7:16 pm. Usually, this is when I would go to bed to get up early to go to school, I then thought

“Hey, I don’t have to go to school anymore”

It was a small comfort, but I will miss it, somewhat. I took off my shirt and socks and got into bed. The bed was soft and gentle as well as the blanket and pillows. I rested my head and closed my eyes only to realize that I had a hard time falling asleep. My mind was racing 100 miles an hour, my anxiety was through the roof and I was also scared. What if she decides to keep me like some sort of weird entertaining slave or worse her pet? What if this place isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and deep down there’s something evil going on? I then thought about her sister and how she might come down from the moon and claim my soul or something.

It was a sad story, and I would have loved to have met her. I thought about her student and how she and I might get along. I thought about tomorrow like what’s gonna happen? I took a deep breath and counted to four, exhaled, and counted to four. I had to clear my head if I ever wanted to get some sleep. So, I rolled over and saw the blue night shine into the room. I closed my eyes thinking about these new beings that I had to make an impression on because I didn’t want to make America look bad. I thought about Celestia and how beautiful she was soon I drifted off into sleep with Celestia in my mind to keep me company.

Author's Note

This is very exciting I've had this story in my head for a long time and now im finally uploading to here I hope you guys like, there is lots more to come

Chapter two- The Ambassador

I was woken up by my phone alarm, I reached over onto the nightstand to grab it, I turned it on, and the time was 7:00 am which is when I was supposed to get up to get ready for school. Since that wasn’t happening, I shut it off and put it back down. I rubbed my eyes a bit and everything was blurry

“Oh yeah I’m blind,” I said reaching for my glasses next to my phone

I put them on and I could see again. I looked out the window and it was still dark. The sun had not yet come up; therefore, I can only assume that Celestia was still sleeping and had not lowered the moon to raise the sun. I laid my head back down on the pillow to try and trick myself into falling asleep. A few minutes went by and then I was woken up by the light of the sun hitting my face. I turned toward the window and saw the sun come up.

“Huh a few minutes late but close enough,” I said as I got up out of the bed

I stretched a little bit and put my clothes back on. As I was putting my shoes on, I heard a knock at the door.

“Are you in there Mr. Ambassador?” a female voice said

“Uh yes, yes I am!”

The door opened and in walked a unicorn maid, she had a light brown coat, with a dark brown mane, and her eyes were light brown

“Celestia wanted to know if you were awake?”

“Oh uh, yes I am awake!”

“Celestia extends her gratitude for your generosity and openness”

“That’s wonderful, and also to her,” I said

“I’ll be sure to tell her, but first a bath has been drawn for you sir if you would be so kind as to follow me”

As she turned around, I realized she wasn’t wearing anything underneath her outfit, truth be told when I was following Celestia yesterday I tried not to look at her that way. I blushed a little bit and looked away as I followed her very closely so I wouldn’t be directly behind her. I followed her to another room when she opened the doors, inside was a large stone bathtub built into the floor

“If you require any assistance, I would be more than happy to?”

I blushed a little bit picturing a pony washing my naked body

“I think I can manage”

“Very good sir I’ll be outside if you need me”

She turned and walked out the door, I was finally alone. I suppose I should get myself cleaned up before I meet the Princess. I took off my clothes and set them on the sink. I slowly got into the tub and the water was nice and warm. I then grabbed some soap and a cloth and started to wash myself. As I was, I heard a knock at the door

“Sir, may I take your clothes to be washed?”

I submerged my body into the tub, so I guess it was fine

“Sure, I guess” as I made sure I was deep in the water where she couldn’t see my body

She came in, took my clothes off the sink, put them on a cart, and began to walk out

“These will be ready for you when you're done sir and please take your time”

“Thanks again,” I said

Right before she left, she put a towel on the sink. I laid back and rested for a moment letting the water warm my skin.

“Never in all my life would I ever travel to another dimension and get treated like royalty, but I guess they just want to make a good first impression, just like I need to for the sake of the world and our species”

I thought about how my government as well as the world would react if they ended up meeting these multicolored talking ponies, and what would they do to them. I hoped nothing bad would happen and hoped that a war between us would not happen. After what felt like an hour, I finished washing my hair, as I got out of the tub and dried myself off with the towel, I wrapped it around my waist. I then heard another knock.

“Sir your clothes are ready”

“Okay you can just hand them to me through the door,” I said

The door opened slightly, and the maid handed me my fresh clean clothes.

“Thanks again”

“The pleasure is mine sir” as she looked at my semi-dry body

“Just give me a minute and I’ll be out shortly”

“Oh please, sir take your time there is no rush,” she said

After a few minutes, I was clothed and was ready for what came next. I opened the door and saw the maid pony standing by the door.

“I’m all good now,” I said

“Wonderful Celestia would like you to join her in the dining hall”

“Oh, alright then lead the way”

“Very well sir”

I followed her down some stairs and then into a grand hall with a long table and on one end was Celestia.

“Good Morning Mr. Panzo”

“Morning Your Highness”

“Please have a seat”

As she said that another maid came and pulled out a seat for me. I sat down and the maid pushed my seat in for me. The maid from before used her magic to wrap a white bib around my neck.

“Breakfast is served,” another maid pony said

Out from a couple of side doors came carts loaded with various fruits, breads, bagels, muffins, donuts, pancakes, waffles, french toast, milk and various juices

“Oh, my Lanta, that’s a lot of food!” I said

“Indeed, I could never decide what to have in the morning so I have a buffet made to help me decide,” she said as she looked at all the food

“Hm Pancakes with fruit sounds nice,” Celestia said

One maid pony levitated her food onto a plate and gently placed it in front of her

“Uh I’ll have French toast with it, Cranberry juice please”

Another maid levitated the food and beverage in front of me as neatly as possible

“So, did you sleep well?” Celestia asked

“I tried my best, it’s just a lot of stuff to take in at once, my anxiety was hard to shake”

“Understandable how was your bath?”

“It was good,” I said as I began to eat my meal

“Good to hear I made sure that my maids washed your clothes for you”

“I appreciate it your majesty thanks,” I said

“You welcome, I hope everything is to your liking”

“It’s delicious your highness” as I took a bite of my French toast

“I have wonderful chefs that can cook all kinds of food”

“Well, I hope not every food”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I’m kinda on the fence about saying and please don’t be alarmed, but on the other side we ….um eat meat, well a good portion of us do”

Celestia was somewhat shocked upon hearing that

“You mean you eat ponies?”

“Oh no no no no of course not, we eat things like cows, pigs, chicken, lamb, and duck that sort of thing”

“Oh, you had me worried there, do the animals offer themselves to you, like a sacrificial thing?”

“No, we just raise them and when the time comes, we process them and get them ready to be eaten”

“And they enjoy this way of life?”

“I’m sorry I don’t understand?”

“Well do the animals know that this is the way their lives are”

“I’m not sure; animals don’t talk like we do”

“Oh, I see,” she said

“Perhaps another subject?”

“Very well, let’s see why do you wear clothes, is there a job associated with those particular garments?”

“No, every being wears some form of clothing to cover their….um how you say private areas, out of common decency”

“Oh, I see, most ponies don’t usually wear clothing unless there’s a special gathering”

“Yeah, I noticed that” as I turned away and blushed

Celestia saw me and realized what I was referring to, and she looked away and blushed also

“I’m very sorry your highness”

“It’s quite alright I should have known”

We ate our meal and after a plate or two, I was full, Celestia on the other hand was still eating. I leaned to the side to check on her and wondered how she could eat as much as she does, maybe these ponies have larger stomachs or maybe two. After a while, she finally gave up, and the maids started cleaning off plates.

“Shall we go for a walk Mr. Panzo?” she said with a smile

“Sure, Your Highness” as I took my bib and placed it on the table

We both got up and headed out of the room. I made sure to follow beside her as we headed into a grand hall with a large staircase. We went out the front door and walked along a stone walkway.

“So, can I ask you some questions, Your Majesty?”

“Oh but of course, anything you need”

“How does magic work for you and unicorns?”

“Excellent question, for most unicorns magic, comes from within and can conjured by using their horns, however learning magic takes a lot of studying and practice some are just contempt with basic levitating and teleportation spells while others strive to enhance their magic for other reasons”

“Fascinating, so has Canterlot always been here?”

“Oh no Canterlot was a place that I had built after my sister was banished, I needed to find another place safe away from the creatures of the Everfree forest, after the castle was built others flocked to in need of protection, and little by little it turned into quite a community”

“Huh, what’s the Everfree forest?”

“It’s a forest filled with dangerous creatures and plants, the weather there seems to run by itself, it’s also where our old castle used to reside”

“Sounds scary,” I said

“Well, most will not venture in there”

“What other beings exist in this world?”

“Well aside from ponies, we have griffons, hippogriffs, minotaur’s, buffalos, yaks, dragons, but mostly ponies. Now that you’re here maybe we can add your kind to our ever-expanding races”

“I hope so, that would be nice”

We continued walking down a pathway that led to an ivory tower with a winding staircase that went up. Celestia and I ascended the stairs that soon led to a pair of white doors. Celestia gave the door a knock

“Who is it,” a female voice said

“It’s your mentor Twilight”

a ruckus could be heard from inside the loft and then the door opened

“Sorry Princess I was in the middle of trying to figure out more about the gate that appeared yesterday, but I have not been able to find anything here in my library, perhaps there might be something in the Archives”

“All in good time then, I have someone here that you might be interested in meeting”

“Who?” Twilight asked

Celestia turned to me as Twilight fully opened the door. Her eyes went wide with excitement and joy as she looked at me and blinked a few times

“So, you must be Celestia’s pupil,” I said

“It’s nice to meet you” as I held out my hand to shake

Twilight was unsure of what to do so she held her hoof out and I grabbed it gently and shook it. she cupped my hand with her hoof as she began to look intently at me like a scientist. It’s as if she had never seen a hand before.

“Wow you have five digits on your hand”

“Uh yeah most humans do,” I said

“What’s the extra finger for?” she asked

“Well, the ring finger is for holding your wedding ring, when you get married”

“Wow, you wear clothes too, interesting”

“Twilight this is Ambassador Panzo from Beyond the Gate,” Celestia said

Twilight's eyes were glowing with excitement

“Wow an ambassador, here, that’s amazing, tell me what’s it like over there?”

“Uh well it's big and heavily populated”

“Mel says they have auto carriages and flying machines over there”

“Wow, I have to write all this down and maybe do some research if I ever go over there”

She left to go find a piece of parchment to write her newly found discoveries

“She seems, enthusiastic”

“She has always been thirsty for knowledge ever since she got accepted into my school”

Celestia and I entered the loft, and it was filled with bookshelves, books and notes, a fireplace, a large desk, and a kitchen. As Twilight was scribbling her findings, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. All of a sudden, a baby purple dragon came out with a small plate of nachos

“Here are those nachos Twilight,” he said

Twilight looked up saw her snack and walked back over to us

“Thank you, Spike I was getting hungry from all the research and studying,” she said as she levitated a nacho into her mouth

“Oh, by the way, we have a very special guest here today”

She then pointed at me

“Spike this is Mr. Panzo, he’s an Ambassador from beyond the gate”

The tiny dragon looked up at me with the same expression as Twilight

“Whoa he sure is tall”

“Heh I’m only 5’11”

“Cool, my name is Spike, I’m a dragon”

“Cool I’ve always wanted to meet a fire-breathing dragon”

“Well, your dream has now come true,” he said as he took a breath and blew a small green flame out of his mouth

“Now that was awesome”

“Thanks, you want some nachos?” as he lifted the bowl up

“I think I’m all set I had a big breakfast with the princess”

“You had breakfast with the princess?” Twilight said

“Yeah, she offered, I mean I don’t usually eat much in the mornings when I wake up, but I didn’t want to seem rude”

“Wait you slept in her castle too?” as she raised an eyebrow

“Yeah, we had a lengthy conversation about my world and we both got tired and she let me sleep in one of her spare rooms”

Twilight ran up to Celestia “You have got to let me read your notes Princess please”

“In due time Twilight, my scribes are making copies as we speak and when they're done, you’ll get to borrow a copy”

“Yes, I can’t wait”

“Mel would you mind staying here while I go and check on things”

“Of course, Your Majesty, I think I can entertain your pupil for a while”

She giggled “I’m sure you can”

Celestia turned and trotted back to the castle

“Please have a seat on the couch,” Twilight said

I walked over and sat on the couch as she trotted over to her desk and tidied up, her place wasn’t too messy she seemed pretty organized

“So, have you read all these books?”

“Well, a vast majority of them, most of them are just reference material”

“I’m pretty she’s read most of them at least two or three times,” Spike said

“Well sometimes I forget something and it is hard to remember which book I forgot the something from”

“It’s understandable, are all these books to do with magic?”

“Indeed, I believe studying unicorn magic is the most important thing in life”

“What about other things, like sports, drawing, outdoorsy stuff”

“I.... never got into any of that stuff”

[So basically, you’re a basement shut-in that reads a lot that has no friends, I’m not surprised] I thought to myself

“Celestia said you were good with magic perhaps you could show me a thing or two?”

Twilight was shy but excited nonetheless

“I suppose I could,” she said standing up straight

“This is a simple teleportation spell”

Her horn glowed bright and, in a flash, she was gone, then another flash could be heard in the kitchen, and out she walked

“Wow, does that hurt at all?”

“No, but it does take a lot of concentration and magic to do so multiple times”

“Huh, cause usually when you teleport you have to dematerialize yourself down atom by atom and then rematerialize yourself somewhere else”

Twilight was shocked to find that I had such knowledge of this science

“Hm I’m impressed, you must study a lot too”

“Nah, I just read a lot of science fiction”

“I love science fiction, you ever heard of the Power Ponies?” spike asked

“Can’t say that I have”

“Well, they are only the best superheroes ever, every issue they have to stop the evil maneiac and her inventions”

“Sounds cool”

“Yeah, if you’re into that sorta thing,” Twilight said

“So one thing I’ve noticed is that you guys all have different pictures on your…. flanks, what’s that about?”

“Oh, you mean our cutie marks, well cutie marks only appear when you discover your special talent, it’s what makes everypony unique”

“interesting, so I guess your special talent is sparkles?”

“No, it just means that I’m good with magic”

“Do you have a cutie mark?” Twilight asked

“No humans don’t have those, usually if we want to be good at anything we're either born with it or it takes years of practice”

“Sound rough”

“Eh I can’t complain”

“So, what are you good at,” Twilight asked

“Well, I do have this uncanny ability to repeat certain things that I hear a lot”

“Wow that’s interesting”

“I wonder what my cutie mark would be, perhaps a tape recorder?”

Twilight, spike and I had a blast sharing questions and stories all the while eating snacks. I decided to check the time, it was 5:34 pm

"Wow is that the time"

"What's that?" Twilight asked

"It's my phone, it's also my clock"

"What's a phone?"

"It is a type of communication device but it needs a connection to cell towers to get service"

"Can it do anything else?"

"I can take pictures, here spike get close to Twilight"

Spike walked over to Twilight and put his arm around her. I quickly snapped a pic of them and showed them on my phone

"Wow, how does that work?"

“Digitally anyways it’s getting late, I should probably get back to the gate and see if anything’s changed”

“You’re going back?”

“Well I need to check and see if my government has arrived on the other side of the gate”

“Can I come with you?”

“Sorry Twilight my government is not as nice as I am, I just hope they don’t shoot me when I get back

“Why would they do that?”

I didn’t want Twilight to know that I’m not an ambassador

“Well, they kinda don’t know I’m here and more than likely will think I’m a shapeshifting alien of some sort”

“Oh, I see”

“Do you think you could help me get back to Celestia, I’m still trying to figure out her castle and all the rooms get confusing”

“Of course, follow me,” She said getting up and heading out the door

I followed Twilight back down to the stone walkway and back into the castle. We headed back into the main foyer, up the large staircase, and back to the door to her throne room. We both entered and saw Celestia talking to some guards. She then noticed Twilight and I and her guards trotted back out the door

“Hello Twilight, Mr. Panzo how was your time together?”

“We had fun and got to know some more info about ponies and what not”

“Excellent so what brings you back here?” Celestia asked

“Well I was kinda hoping to get back to the gate”

“Leaving so soon?”

“It’s not that I just need to check back in with my government people”

“I see,” she said as she slowly walked up to me

“I can have an escort fly you down if you’d like”

“Thanks, if it’s not too much to ask but, would you accompany me back across, I think my President would like to meet you also if they try to shoot me, I’d like it if you have my back”

“Very well then, I’ll make sure you make it back safely”

“I appreciate it, your highness”

“Follow me we can use my special chariot”

Celestia trotted past Twilight, as I stopped for a minute

“It was nice meeting you Twilight I hope we shall see each other again”

“I hope so too”

I followed Celestia out of her throne room and down the hall. On the opposite side of her castle was a special balcony with a golden chariot sitting in the middle.

“Hop on Mel,” she said as she sat down

I jumped on and sat down next to her, soon a couple of pegasi came and hooked themselves up, flapped their wings and soon we were hovering. They bolted over the balcony and back down to the town where the gate stood. As we flew in closer, I noticed several guards pony standing vigilant with their spears held tightly, wooden spiked barricades were placed near the entrance as well. We flew in and landed perfectly right in front of the entrance. Celestia and I got off and stood before the Gate.

“Your Majesty,” the guard's pony said

“Any changes while I was busy”

“None at all Your Highness, some of the guards here keep hearing strange noises coming from the gate but nothing has come through”

“Thank you remain on guard until we get back”

“You’re going through your majesty, is that wise?”

“Mel has already made contact with us so now I must contact his people to continue our friendly relations”

“Of course, Your Majesty but will you be safe on the other side”

I stepped up right beside her

“Don’t worry I'll make sure no harm comes to the princess, you have my word”

The guards nodded and let Celestia and I pass. Celestia and I looked into the black opening of the gate

“Well, are you ready your highness?”

“I’m a little scared and worried but I think I can do it”

I put my hand on her shoulder

“I’ll be right beside you okay”

She nodded as we slowly walked into the darkness until we disappeared. We continued to walk very slowly in case we got separated. We got a good portion of the way when I decided to stop

“Celestia wait,” I said

Celestia stopped and turned to me

“Is something wrong Mel?”

“No, I just wanted to say that I’m glad I got the chance to meet you and to help start peaceful relations with your world, in the unlikely event that I get arrested and or die, I just wanted to you know that I’m glad it was me that made your acquaintance first

Celestia now put her hoof on my shoulder

“I feel the same Mel and I want you to know that you are the kindest, friendliest being I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I want you to know that you are always welcome in Equestria anytime”

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity Celestia”

“You’re welcome Mel, I’m very glad it was you”

We continued down the way until a bright aura surrounded us and then a light at the end appeared, except the light was only peering through the cracks of what looked like a couple of doors. I walked up to them and put my ear on them. I could hear men yelling, trucks moving, and footsteps.

“Well, the military has indeed quarantined the area and blocked off access to the gate just like I thought they would”

“Is that normal?” Celestia asked

“Well, whenever something weird happens in our country the military and the government like to blow the situation out of proportion”

The sound of a helicopter could be heard on the other side

“Oh boy, I think I know what to do, but you might wanna stand back so they don’t see you”

Celestia nodded and stepped back into the darkness. I slowly walked up to the doors and banged my fist against them. A yell was heard, a siren rang, and footsteps gathered around the entrance. Rifles could be heard cocking and orders being barked and I knew I was walking into a lot of trouble, but I didn’t care I knew I had to turn myself in. I waited for a little bit and then the doors started to slowly open. On the other side were dozens of soldiers all with their weapons drawn on me. A helicopter was hovering nearby with a spotlight on me. Without a second thought, I got down on my knees and put my hands above my head

“Well, this is it,” I thought to myself

Author's Note

Well I have turned myself over to the military what will they do to me, not sure yet

stay tuned

Chapter three- And so it begins

Celestia watched in horror as several men with their weapons drawn on me slower came closer to me. I remained as calm as I could be, not flinching as I began to sweat nervously. Two men came up to me, one of them grabbed my hand and put it behind my back, slapped a pair of handcuffs onto my wrists, and pushed me to the ground. My face was facing sideways as I looked out and saw a couple of large trailers. I wondered if one of them was their command center

“Suspect is secured,” one soldier said

They kept their weapons on me and a short time later another soldier came out of the trailer, he wasn’t wearing any heavy gear except for his sidearm. He was a tall man; with a mustache, his face was old and worn as if he had been through hell. Well because he was probably the one in charge I couldn’t complain. He walked over and looked at me for about a minute

“Bring him in for questioning,” he said

"Yes sir” the two soldiers replied

They picked me up by the neck of my shirt and dragged me over to the trailer

“Seal the door, I don’t want anything else coming through, not until we’ve questioned our…. guest”

“Yes sir”

Soon a noise could be heard, and the doors started to slowly close. Celestia watched as I was brought into the trailer just as the gate doors closed in front of her eyes. The two men dragged me toward a different trailer, this one was white, not black, maybe it was a good thing or not. They opened the door and inside were men in lab coats, Lab equipment, and a big plexiglass box possibly for what I can only assume was for test subjects. The men walked me into the center of the room

“Stand up straight, arms out, don’t move”

I did what I was told, and they began to pat me down for whatever was on me. All they found was my wallet and my phone

“Have someone check this out”

He handed my wallet to the other guard and walked out of the trailer.

“Here, pull whatever data you find” as he handed one of the scientists my phone

He then hooked up my phone to his computer and he began hacking into it.

“Do what you gotta do boys” he said

When he said that the other scientists began their evaluation of me. They checked my eyes, my body, my blood, and my hair. They made me take off my clothes and gave me a thin patient gown to wear. I stripped down and put the gown on

“Alright in the cell,” the guard said

I got into the cell as the door closed behind me. There was nothing to sit on which was a bummer and I hated standing. I decided to sit in the middle facing away from them. Then the corners of the box turned on what appeared to be lasers, they slowly came down on me and scanned my body for what purpose was beyond me. After about an hour they got some test results, and they were not pleased. I turned around to see what was going on and I couldn’t hear what they were saying, the box seemed soundproof. They kept arguing with each other. The one scientist who was digging through my phone kept staring at his screen, he was probably looking at the pics I took of Celestia, Twilight, and Spike. Soon a guard came into the room and said something to the group. They all looked at me weirdly then the guard came over and opened the cell.

“The Commander would like to have a word with you”

He grabbed my clothes and handed them to me

“Here change quickly”

I did what I was told and when I turned around, he grabbed my hands and put them in cuffs again. He led me out of the trailer and towards the black trailer where the Commander came out of a while ago. He brought me into the room and there was an office space, a table, a coffee setup, and a water cooler. He brought me over to the table and sat me down. I was uncuffed as he left the trailer. There was a clock on the wall slowly ticking away. I was starting to get anxious, what were they gonna do to me? I tried not to think too much about that, then the door opened up, and in came the head commander and another guard with a tape recorder and a video camera. He placed the camera down, so it faced me, he placed the recorder on the table with the microphone pointed at me as well. The Commander sat down in front of me as the guard stood by.

“I am Major Bennington; this is Sargent Haynes, we're gonna ask you a few questions if that is alright with you?”

“Not at all,” I said

“We know you're human, that’s obvious, especially from what we got from the tests, so first off tell us why you would do something so reckless, not to mention dangerous by going into that thing”

“Well, I just wanted to know what was on the other side, curiosity got the better of me and as you can see, I am still alive”

“You know curiosity killed the cat?”

“Ah but satisfaction brought it back”

“Hm, tell me what exactly is on the other side?”

“Well, there’s a whole other world filled with beings that are how you say different, to say the least”

“What do they look like?” he said

“They look like small horses, ponies from what I’ve gathered, but they are sentient in nature and have similar brain functions like us, like thought and speech”

The major looked at me thinking I was crazy

“They also come in a variety of mane and coat colors which I thought was weird, there are also three unique species of ponies, earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. And they are ruled under a great being called an alicorn”

The major still looked uncertain at me, in all his years he had never heard of such utter nonsense

“I saw the proof on your phone”

He pulled out my phone, went through my pictures, and pulled up the Pic of Celestia

“You mean to tell me this is what they look like?”

“Yes, sir that’s their leader and she is waiting for me right behind the doors of the gate, I could introduce her to you if you so desire”

“Their leader is a she?”

“Yes sir, her name is Princess Celestia”

The major's mind was racing with a lot of my questions more than answers. Could this civilian be telling the truth or is he telling me this so we can open the gate so his kind can invade Earth?

“What makes you think she wants to see us?”

“Well considering I already made first contact with her it’s only right for her to make contact with us if we're gonna form friendly relations between her world and ours”

The major looked at the table and thought about the information that had been brought to him

“Very well then”

As we waited the major asked me more about the lands beyond

“How did they treat you when you showed up?”

“Well very much like you, they captured me and brought me to their higher-up for questioning, except Celestia was at least nicer about it, she didn’t treat me like an alien”

“Well, when something strange and bizarre happens like this you can never be so cautious”

He turned to the guard by the door

“Alright we’ll open the gate and let her come through”

He turned back to me

“If you’re lying by any means you can kiss your freedom goodbye”

“Trust me it won’t come down to that”

The soldier came over to me and we walked out to the door with the major ready for the next important part. The major and I went outside and walked in front of the doors, several men were still standing there waiting for new orders.

“Gentlemen open the gate”

Several men looked at each other

“Sir is that wise?”

“There’s a being on the other side that wants to talk, this man here says that she is right behind those doors so open them now and let her in”

The men were confused and dumbfounded but they did what they were told. Soon the doors to the gate slowly opened. The men surrounded the doors weapons ready. When the doors were fully opened all that was there was the pitch blackness. Everyone was talking to themselves questioning my sanity, so I yelled into the void

“Celestia it’s alright you can come out now”

From the black void Celestia slowly started to trot out from the dark. Everyone then started chatting amongst themselves as the majestic winged being stepped into our world. The men were at a complete loss of words. What they saw before them was an alabaster mare with wings and a horn. Celestia looked around at the men with their weapons close to their chests.

“Stand down, now, and back away men”

The men did what they were told and moved aside to allow Celestia to meet the major. She walked up and stood before the major as they both looked at each other.

“So, you must be Princess Celestia”

“Yes, that would be me”

“I am Major Bennington, I’m in charge of the operations and study of the gate here. This young man here says that he made first contact with you is that correct?”

“Yes Indeed”

The major looked at me with a disappointed look

“Told you,” I said

“Hm, alright well let me be the first to welcome you and it’s an honor to have you here Your Highness,” he said as he bowed his head down

Celestia nodded “Thank you Major however your introduction seemed a little bit intimidating to me”

“I do apologize for that Your Majesty; we were just being cautious Given the circumstances we were uninformed of what exists beyond the gate"

“I understand major, I hope this young ambassador was not hurt in any way”

“Not at all, we just asked him some questions,” the major said

“Good to hear, I’ve been told that a President is in charge of this America am I going to meet him?”

“I’ll have to contact him and let him know you’re here, it may take some time as you can imagine he is a very busy man, why don’t I let this young man show you around while I make a call”

“Very well then”

The Major Saluted her and went back to the trailer. I decided to show Celestia around the area.

“So, let me show you around, that is the Casino Ballroom, and beyond that is the Atlantic Ocean, across the street is the Police station and the fire station, behind the Gate, is a water slide, a church and all those are just houses”

“Do people dance in this ballroom?”

“It’s more of a small theater for musicians and comedians to perform at”

“Oh, so those big green wagons, are those the automobiles you’ve told me about?”

“Indeed, that is a deuce and a half truck that runs on diesel, it’s meant to carry a lot of supplies or troops, whichever they prefer”

“So that hovering machine from earlier was an airplane”

“No that was a helicopter, that’s a different flying machine that uses blades that spin at a high velocity and help it hover in the air”

“Interesting I see that area around the gate is walled up I don’t suppose we can leave the wall”

“I mean I wouldn’t until the major comes back, I know my government can seem intimidating at first glance, but I assure you they just wanna get to know what’s beyond the gate”

“I understand all I want is for our worlds to coexist peacefully”

I looked and saw the major wave at us from the doorway of his trailer

“I think he wants to see us now,” I said

“Very well then”

I led Celestia to the trailer, as we walked, I wondered if the president wasn’t as busy as I thought he was and wanted to meet the princess. I always wanted to meet the president at least once in my life, I guess being Celestia’s escort had its perks. I opened the door and let Celestia in. The major was standing behind a table facing us. Celestia saw the chair but decided to stand, and I stood by her side.

“I just got off the phone with the president, he indeed wants to meet you, if you would like to meet him, it’s up to you your highness”

“I would be honored,” Celestia said without hesitation

“Alright then, you'll be meeting him at Reagan National Airport, we have a private jet at Pease International Airport, the only thing is how you get there, no offense your highness but I don’t think you can fit in a car”

“Well, what about those truck wagons they should be big enough”

“We could do that if you're comfortable sitting in the back that is”

“No problem, as long as Mel is with me, I’ll be fine”

“Alright then”

He stepped outside to alert his men

“Men, get that truck fueled and ready to go in ten minutes, the princess will be meeting the president soon and I don’t want any hang-ups

The Men did as they were told and got the truck ready for our trip up north

“I’m a little nervous Celestia”

“It will be alright Mel I’ve got your back”

“Same here”

A soldier came and ran up to me holding some gear

“Sir if you’re traveling with us, you’ll need to put these on”

He handed me a bulletproof vest and a helmet

“Thanks,” I said as I put them and

“What’s the armor for?” Celestia asked

“Well because you’re such a high-value target there’s a slim chance that we might be attacked but the chance is still slim so having a layer of protection against bullets and explosives is just a precautionary measure the military has in the unlikely event that we do get attacked”

“Oh, I see”

We both headed to the back of the truck. I pulled the tailgate down and jumped on board. As I did, I saw two men who were sitting in the back to which I could assume they were our backup in case things got dicey. I turned around and held out my hand to help Celestia up. Celestia flapped her wings and she hovered a bit into the air and gently landed in the truck.

“Have a seat sir it’s going to be awhile” one of the soldiers said

I sat down on one of the folding seats and Celestia sat down in the middle, soon the truck started up and we hit the road. The gate slowly opened, and a crowd of people could be heard outside the truck.

“I guess people are curious to see you and the gate, but I didn’t think there would be this many people,” I said

“To be honest I kind of expected that instead of armed soldiers”

“That would have been better”

A police car was waiting for us as we drove onto the main road and soon, we were on our way to the airport. These seats were not the most comfortable and I can only imagine how uncomfortable Celestia was for sitting on the metal floor. As we rode down the highway, I was starting to get bored.

“So, how are you liking your time here in America so far”

Celestia looked back at me

“It’s very interesting, although these wagons aren’t as comfortable as I thought they would be”

“Would you like a blanket to sit down on”

“That would be nice”

Luckily there was a lone rolled-up blanket of some sort attached to the truck. I pulled it off and folded it while Celestia moved out of the way. I placed it on the floor of the truck bed, and she sat back down

“Ah much better and soft”

“Wanna Listen to some music”

“Sure”

I pulled out my phone, went to my music app, and hit shuffle and the first song that came up was This Love by Maroon 5. Celestia listened and started moving her head to the music and so did I. We continued down the road until we finally made it to the Airport. The truck stopped at the gate and the driver showed his I.D. and we rolled onto the airfield. We pulled up to the jet which was waiting for us on the runway. We stopped and Celestia and I hopped off as we walked up to the jet.

“Oh, so this is one of those airplane things you mentioned”

“Yes, indeed this one is a bit smaller meant for rich people or government officials and stuff like that”

“Climb aboard we’ll be taking off shortly” one soldier said

We climbed on board first and the jet was very open with a few seats but had enough room for Celestia to either stand or sit. The floor was carpeted which was nice, there was a small bar, a kitchen, and a widescreen TV. I took a seat as Celestia climbed on, she looked around amazed at everything. Celestia came over and sat next to me, she seemed a little nervous

“Are you okay your highness?”

“I’m just a little excited and nervous”

“First time flying is a little nerve-racking, just close your eyes and I’ll let you know when we're in the air okay”

Celestia nodded and closed her eyes. Soon we were making our way down the runway, I heard a ding and the plane started to move faster and faster until it lifted off the ground and into the air. Once we gained the right altitude in the air, I gave Celestia a nudge and she opened her eyes. She looked out the window and saw we were flying.

“Wow we're flying”

One of the flight attendants came over to us

“Can I get you anything?” she asked

“I’ll have a coke please”

And what would you like Your Highness

“if you have any wine I'll have a glass”

“Okay I’ll be right back”

She left us alone with the soldiers and it was rather quiet again.

“What if something bad were to happen while were up so high”

“Well, Your Highness in the case of an emergency we have parachutes, to help us if the plane goes down, you don’t have to worry I mean you have wings, so you’d be able to fly down to safety easily”

“Okay, you guys seem very equipped for all types of situations”

“Well, it has taken years for us to figure things like that out”

“When will we reach our destination?” Celestia asked

“We should arrive in a couple of hours Your Highness,” one soldier said

“Wow this is just as fast as our trains”

“You have trains in Equestria?” I asked

“Indeed, we also have zeppelins to help us get around to different countries”

“Fascinating”

The steward came back with our refreshments, I took a sip of my soda while Celestia enjoyed her wine

“Mmmm, sweet but tart, I like it”

“I never knew you liked wine, your highness”

“Oh yes only on special occasions”

We flew for about an hour when the plane started to descend onto the runway in D.C. The plane hit the tarmac causing the princess to stumble a little.

“You okay your Highness?” I reached out to see if she needed a hand

“Oh, I’m quite alright, just wasn’t expecting that”

“So, what’s the President like?”

“Not sure, I’d like to think he’s charismatic, I wouldn’t say he’s full of himself, but there must be a lot of pressure when you’re the leader of a country”

The jet pulled into a hangar and the hangar doors began to close. The jet doors opened, and the two soldiers escorted us out. I got out first and, in the room were more soldiers and Secret Service agents everywhere. Standing in the middle behind a table was the President, he seemed eager to meet the Princess, but he seemed not to care about me.

“Who is he?” the President whispers to the soldiers

“He’s the one that made first contact sir”

“Is he a scientist, journalist or is he an agent working with us”

“No sir he’s just an ordinary civilian sir”

“I see.... very well let’s get through this,” he said with a fake smile

I walked up to the President

“It’s an honor to be here Mr. President, I’m here with the Princess of Equestria"

“The winged unicorn, yes the major informed me of the one that wants to see me”

Some of the DC soldiers and Secret Service chuckled and laughed

“Celestia it’s safe to come out now”

Celestia slowly poked her head out of the jet and everyone in the room gasped. She slowly walked down the steps and over to the table.

“Mr. President this is Princess Celestia, Celestia this is the President of the United States”

Celestia and the President just looked at each other as if they were trying to read each other. Celestia bowed her head and extended her hoof out

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said

The President slowly reached out and shook her gold-plated hoof shoe

“Likewise”

The President let go of her hoof and sat down. Celestia just stood where she was but I decided to take a seat.

“So, your Highness I take it you’re here to negotiate some form of peace?”

“Yes indeed”

“Very well what are some things you’d like to start with”

“Well, your soldiers have done a good job of keeping the gate safe from outsiders, well except for this young man” Celestia pointed at me “And my soldiers are doing the same”

“So, can we send a team through to your world to explore and study?”

“Too many of your kind might scare my ponies and might send the wrong message”

“So how do you propose we go about learning from your world then Your Highness?”

“Well Mel has already learned quite a lot about us why don’t you send him”

“Well, I would prefer I send someone a bit more qualified”

“Mel has already learned quite a lot and I think you should give him a chance, if not then I'll just leave”

The President looked at me, apprehensive he rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh of annoyance.

“Very well, Mel Panzo” he looked into my eyes “You will be our new researcher and ambassador. You will travel through the gate and you will learn all that you can from this new world and its beings. You will be representing America in this endeavor; I wish you luck in this task, I hope you won’t let us down”

I was a bit nervous, but I stood up and reached out to shake his hand

“I won’t let you down, sir”

“Good Sargent Haynes will have you do some paperwork and then you can go back through”

The Sargent came up to me

“If you’ll come with me, sir”

I sat up out of my chair and looked at Celestia

“Feel free to ask the President about anything, I’ll be right back okay?”

“Very well then,” Celestia said

I followed the sergeant as he led me to a door on the side of the Hangar. The room looked like another office more likely where the manager kept records of all the aircraft. There was a table with some papers on it, the sergeant sat down and so did I.

“You know you are very lucky to have this opportunity, I hope you don’t screw it up by doing something stupid”

“I understand, so where do I sign my life away”

“Just sign these and we should be good to go”

I did what I was told and signed my name on several documents. After a few minutes, I was done. I handed them to the sergeant, and he looked them over.

“Alright, just so you know when you're done being debriefed from the other side, we have set aside a place for you to live in while you’re on this side of the gate” he began flipping through some of the papers, “Says here you be staying at the Century House on Ocean Boulevard unit #10”

“Sounds nice I’ve always wanted to live on the beach”

“Well with all your paperwork signed you should be good to go, do you have any further questions?”

“Will I be given any personal equipment when I go over there”

“If you would like to bring certain things with you write them down and I’ll see what I can do”

I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the following:

9mm Pistol with an underarm holster
3 spare magazines
Survival knife
Steel woven line
Quick attach grappling hooks
Waistband flashlight
Portable First aid kit
Wind/waterproof matches

I handed it to the sergeant, and he looked it over.

“Are you planning on an expedition to Spain or something?”

“Well from what Celestia said they have an insane forest littered with god knows what, I just wanna be safe is all”

“Very well then I’ll see what we can do, and I’ll be sure to give them to you before you leave”

“Thank you I’d appreciate that”

The sergeant led me out of the room and back into the hangar. Celestia and the President were laughing as we came back to the table

“Oh, Mel how did everything go?”

I looked at her with a bit of a smile

“Well, it’s official I am now an ambassador and researcher for the United States Government”

“Well Congratulations,” Celestia said

“The Sargent will be responsible for taking you both back, now if you'll excuse me, I have a country to run”

The President stood up and shook my hand again before walking towards the exit with his agents. I turned to Celestia

“You ready to go back your highness”

“Absolutely”

Celestia and I got back on the jet and flew back to New Hampshire. We sat in the back of the truck as we rode down the highway. While we were riding, I looked out at the world I knew and tried to take in the scenery. I was about to embark on a journey that might change the world. Would this be a good or bad change, well I guess it’s up to me as we headed back to the gate

Author's Note

Well looks like i got a new job, btw remember Sargent Haynes he might show up again later
all in all im glad with this chapter

Chapter five- The Elements of Harmony

I watched in horror as Nightmare conjured a magical storm within the town hall. I kept filming as all of this was going on. I was starting to get concerned for the ponies around me as well as myself, because this was starting to get dangerous

“Seize her, she knows where Celestia is” Mayor mare yelled

A couple of Pegasi Guards flew toward Nightmare in an attempt to stop her

“Stand back, you foal’s” she said as lighting came from the storm and struck them down.

They fell down to the floor defeated as steam emanated from their bodies.

“Ow that’s gotta hurt” I said to myself

Applejack who had been holding back Rainbow while this was going on lost her grip and Rainbow dashed toward Nightmare. Nightmare Moon turned into a purple mist and flew out the door. Rainbow flew out as well but couldn’t keep up with her

“Nighttime, Forever, that’s, way too long”

As I was filming, I noticed that Twilight ran out the door with Spike on her back and so I gave chase. I followed her all the way back to the library and went in. When I entered, she seemed to be flipping through various books.

“Twilight are you okay?”

I looked over and saw Spike on the staircase half asleep

“Uh we gotta stop night-” he said before falling asleep

“He’s been up all night; I mean he is a baby dragon after all”

“Quick I need you to skim through these books” she said frantically checking books on every shelf

I checked one of the bookshelves “what are we looking for exactly”

“Anything related to the Elements of Harmony”

Unexpectedly Rainbow Dash came through the door and got up in Twilights face

“And just what exactly are the Elements of Harmony, and how did you know that Nightmare Moon would return, are you a spy aah!”

Rainbow dash was stopped again by Applejack

“Pipe down sugar cube, she’s definitely not a spy, but she does know what going on, Don’t cha”

“Yes, I read all about the Prophecy of Nightmare Moon, some Mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don’t know where they are, where to find them, I don’t even know what they do?”

As Twilight was talking, I found the book she was looking for

“Ah the Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide”

“Where’da find that” she said as she pushed me away

“UH, it was under E” I said

“oh” she took the book out started skimming through the pages

“The Elements of Harmony: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity and Loyalty are the five known elements, however the sixth has yet to be discovered, it says here the last location of the Elements was the castle of the two sisters which is located in…”

==========================================**=============================================

“-The Everfree Forest!” We all stood in front of the foreboding forest looking into the darkness

“whoo-hoo lets go” Pinkie said

“Hold up” as I held out my arm

“This is the point of no return huh, very well then”

I took off my jacket and placed it on a nearby rock, I took my tie off as well. I pulled out my gun and chambered a round and put it back. I checked my belt light and it worked I also unbuckled my knife

“Let’s do this”

The girls all looked at me in surprise

“It’s almost like you knew something like this would happen” Rainbow dash said

“I like to be prepared”

“Look I appreciate you guys coming but I’d rather do this on my own” Twilight said

“Nice try partner, we’re sticking to you like bark on a tree” Aj said as we entered the forest

I took point as my light showed the only dirt path deep into the forest. The trees were very tall and scary, blocking out most of the moonlight. I walked slowly and stopped at the edge of a steep cliff to let the others catch up.

Twilight asked “So, none of you come in here?”

“Absolutely not, is downright garish” Rarity said

“why is that” I asked

“Nopony knows” Rainbow said in a scary tone

“You know why” she said creeping up to the group

“Rainbow stop it” Applejack yelled out

“Cause everypony that’s come in here, has never, come OUT!”

When she said that the cliff suddenly gave way, and we all were sent sliding down. I quickly pulled out a hook and attached it to the spool of wire and flung in back up an attempt to stop myself from falling down. Luckily it caught a loose root. I looked back and saw as Applejack grabbed onto another root that was sticking out. Twilight was sacred as she slowly slid onto the very edge. I slowly walked down the cliff in an attempt to help her

“Give me your hoof”

Twilight reached out and grabbed my hand. I slowly pulled her up and threw Twilight onto my back. All of the sudden the weight of Twilight and I was not enough for the hook to hold on and let go. We slid towards the edge as I whipped out my knife as quick as a flash and drove it into the dirt to help keep us grounded. I used my arms to keep us on the edge. I tried to pull us both up, but we were to heavy

“No offense Twilight, but your kinda heavy”

“Just hold on” she screamed

Applejack saw us both and slid down to try to help us

“Hold on Sugarcube, I gotcha”

“What do we do” Twilight said

“Let go”

“Are you insane” I said

“No sir just let go and you’ll be fine”

“No, we won’t” Twilight yelled

“Now you listen here, what I’m telling you is the honest truth”

Twilight thought about it for a moment but then let go screaming but was ultimately caught by Rainbow and Fluttershy.

“Whoa that was close”

I hooked another one of my hooks onto the edge and slowly repelled down to meet the others. Once on the ground I whipped the steel line so the hook would pop off and reel back to my hip.

“Everypony good” I said

“Yeah, for now” Twilight said a little winded

“We should keep going”

I took the lead as we headed up to a small mountain

“And as soon as Rarity and Pinkie were on the ground, I did a little loop de loop around and wham caught you just in time”

“Yes, Rainbow and I’m very grateful but we just need to-”

Suddenly a roar came in front of us and a large beast blocked our path

“A Manticore!”

“What the, those things real”

“Yes, all manner of beasts live in the Everfree Forest” Applejack said

I whipped out my camera to document the beast in its natural habitat

“We gotta pass him”

“How”

Just then Rarity ran up to the beast and kicked it in the face with her hind legs.

“Take that you rapscallion”

The Manticore Roared in Rarity’s face that it messed up her mane

“wait” Fluttershy said as she hid for cover

Applejack jumped on top of it and tried to bronco bust the beast but was then knocked off

“All yours partner”

Rainbow Dash started to fly around the monster in a whirlwind in order to stop it.

“wait”

The Manticore flung its tail and smacked Rainbow as she crashed in front of us. Twilight looked and snorted, ready to charge. The manticore did the same soon they rushed the manticore. Just when they got close, I fired a round into the air.

BANG!

Everypony including the manticore stopped dead in their tracks as they looked at me. I put the gun away and tapped Fluttershy who was hiding behind my legs. Fluttershy stopped shaking and slowly walked up to the manticore unafraid and smiling. The Manticore show her its paw and it had a thorn in it

“Oh, you poor little thing you”

“Little” I said surprised

“Now this will only hurt for second” she said as she bit the thorn and pulled it out.

The Manticore roared at her but then started to lick her. We seize the opportunity and walked past him.

“That was Mighty brave of you” I said

“But how did you it had a thorn in its paw”

“I didn’t sometimes we all just need to show a little kindness”

We continued deeper into the forest. The trees were starting to completely block out the moonlight. My light was the only source keeping us on the path.

“Eck, my eyes can’t handle any more of this muck”

“That castle could be right in front of us and we wouldn’t know”

Just then my light went out. I tried turning it back on, but it was no use

“Mel where’s the light” she said smacking into Applejack

I started to panic just a little standing very still in the dark as Applejack bumped into me

“I can’t see anything OW!”

“That would be me darling”

“Oops I think I stepped in something” Applejack said

Just then I heard Fluttershy scream. I looked back and saw a tree with a nasty looking face staring at us. I looked and all the trees were looking at us. I took a few shots at the trees to no avail as everypony screamed. All of a sudden, I heard pinkie laughing and making faces at one of the trees.

“I think she’s lost it” I said

“Pinkie what are you doing, run!”

“Oh, girls don’t you see”

“When I was a little filly, and the sun was going doooooown”

“Oh lord please tell me she’s not-” I said

“The darkness and the shadows they would always make me froooooown”

“She is” Rarity said

“I'd hide under my pillow, from what I thought I sawBut Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all”

“Then what is” Rainbow said

“She said, Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fearsYou'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear”

“HA HA HA” when she said that the face on the tree disappeared before my eyes and everypony gasped

“So, giggle at the ghostly, guffaw at the grossly, crack up at the creepy, whoop it up with the weepy, chortle at the kooky, snortle at the spooky”

One by one all the faces on all of the trees began to disappear and the moonlight started to shine out once again

“And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna...hahahaha....heh...Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!”

We all fell to the ground laughing and having a good time. I joined in too and laughed a little, but we were still on a mission.

“Whew, this is the most fun I’ve had not gonna lie”

We all picked ourselves off the ground.

“Hahaha, I say we should head this way” Pinkie said trotting down alongside the riverbank

“Betcha can’t catch me”

“Oh, it’s on” I said running after her

The race was on as the other girls followed close behind me. I kept following pinkie’s lead until she came to a halt at the edge of the river. I stopped right behind pinkie and the girls came and crashed into me which led me to fall on top of Pinkie. We all looked out at the river which was flowing rapidly.

“How are you gonna get across this” I said

I then heard someone crying and I looked over and saw a sea serpent wiggling his whole body in the water causing it to flow like crazy.

“Oh, what a world, what a cruel cruel world”

Twilight walked up to the edge of the river

“Sir why are you crying”

“Well, I was minding my own business when a tacky purple cloud came and zoomed past me and cleaved half of my beautiful mustache clean off, no I’m hideous”

He then splashed into the river causeing a wave to collide with us soaking us.

“Seriously”

“That’s what this is about”

“Of course it is, where’s your sensitivity, look at him, his luxurious scales”

“I know”

“His coiffed mane”

“I know, I know”

“That fabulous manicure

“Oh, so true”

“All ruined by your mustache”

“I know I’m horrendous”

“I cannot stand by while a crime against fashion goes unchecked”

Rarity then bit down one of the serpent’s scales and ripped it off.

“Ow what was that for”

Rarity held the scale in her mouth ready to strike.

“Rarity what are you-” I said looking shocked at her

Slice

The serpent fell back into the river fainting all the way. Rarity had sliced her tail; she tossed the scale and used her magic to merge her tail onto the cut side of his mustache.

“OOOH my mustache, it’s amazing”

“You look divine darling”

“Rarity your tail”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it will grow back, besides short tails are all the rage right now”

I went over and picked up the scale. It was flexible and very sharp, I put it along with my other stuff for later. I looked over at the river and it was calm enough for us to walk across

“Come on girl lets go” Twilight said

Just then the serpent sprang out of the water and used his body as a bridge

“Please, allow me”

We all hopped onto the serpents back as we made our way across to the other side. We soon saw a structure in the distance as we got closer the ruins of a castle started to take shape.

“The Castle of the Two Sisters we made it” Twilight said before running towards it

“Twilight wait” I shouted

Twilight kept running into the fog unaware of what to expect next

“the Elements of Harmony are near WAA-”

Twilight got to a rope bridge and failed to realize that it was in disarray and almost fell down into the dark chasm below. I quickly grabbed her by her tail and yanked her back. Almost falling onto me

“What is it with you and falling today”

“How are we gonna get across” Rarity said

“Ahem” Rainbow dash fluttered her wings as she flew down and grabbed the bridge and brought it to the other side.

Soon a thick fog came and covered the bridge and Rainbow Disappeared from sight. A few minutes went by and Rainbow came back and cleared the way for us.

“What took you so long” I asked

“Some ponies wanted me to join their team, but I couldn’t abandon my friends for something silly like that”

We gently crossed the bridge and made it to the other side. We soon found the entrance of the castle we had been searching for. The castle itself was falling apart and was covered in foliage. I slowly walked up to the big wooden door pistol drawn and slowly pushed it open. I checked inside and the place looked abandoned. We all huddle in and in the center of the room was a stone statue with round orb stones that had jewel spaces carved into them.

“Wow” I said filming our discovery

“Come on now Twilight this is what were after right”

“The Elements of Harmony at last”

Rainbow dash and Fluttershy gently picked them up and placed them in front of Twilight

“One…Two, Three, Four and Five; where’s the Sixth” pinkie said

“I’m not sure, the book said that when the five are present a spark will reveal the sixth”

“what in the world’s that supposed to mean”

Twilight looked determined

“I have an idea, but I’ll need to concentrate”

“come on yall lets give her some space”

The girls left and it was just me and Twilight. She concentrated on the Elements as I kept watch when all of a sudden, a gust of wind came, and Nightmare Moon appeared in front of Twilight

“Hahaha” she laughed

“Twilight”

“The Elements”

We both jumped toward Nightmare and then we all vanished in a bright light. A few seconds later Twilight and I reappeared a few yards away from Nightmare Moon.

“Grrr”

“You can’t be serious” she said

Soon Twilight started to charge at Nightmare, and she did the same. I watched from a distance and just as they were about to collide Twilight disappeared and reappeared in front of the Elements.

“One spark, come on” she then used her magic sent a current through the orbs.

Nightmare Moon turned to mist and wisped her way towards her. Twilight’s magic was charging when it backfired sending her back towards me. I ran to see if she was alright, Nightmare Moon puffed into the middle of the orbs as the magic kept spinning within the orbs

“No, it can’t be”

Then the magic just stopped

“Well, that’s not good”

“Where’s the sixth Element”

Nightmare Moon laughed as she raised her front hoofs and slammed down causing the orbs to shatter. Twilight looked on in shock as her hopes of stopping Nightmare Moon were destroyed.

“Foals did you really think you could stop me, now you'll never see your precious sun princess, the night shall last forever”

BANG!

Nightmare Moon stopped and looked straight at me with a surprised look as my gun was aimed directly at her as smoke came out the barrel. The empty casing clanging on the stone floor. Nightmare turned her head and saw a hole in the wall.

“You may have destroyed the Elements, but you can’t destroy me, and I will do everything in my power to stop you”

“You dare threaten me, puny mortal”

“Your Goddam Right”

Just then I heard the girls coming up a flight of stairs right behind us.
Twilight gasped as her eyes grew wide and a sparkle glistened for a split second

“You think you destroyed The Elements of Harmony, well you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here”

“What!” Nightmare moon shouted

The pieces of the orbs started to levitate and started to fly past me and hover around the girls

“Applejack, who reassured me when I was hanging from the cliff, represents the spirit of... honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us”

“You still don’t have the sixth Element your spark didn’t even work”

“But it did a different kind of spark, I felt when I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I care about you. I felt the spark inside when I realized that you all…are my friends”

Just then gleaming from above the sixth orb came and floated down to twilight

“You see Nightmare moon when those Elements are ignited by the spark inside of us all it creates the sixth Element, the Element of Magic”

The shards started to turn into colors and form into necklaces around the girls, the light was so intense I covered my eyes. The magic of these fillies glowed and turned into a magic rainbow that engulfed Nightmare Moon and then a flash. I opened my eyes and saw the girls laying on the floor exhausted

“You guys okay” I said running over to them

“I think so partner” Applejack said rubbing her head as I helped her up

“Oh, my head”

“It’s beautiful”

“I know darling, I’d never thought I see my tail again” Rarity said to Fluttershy

“Oh, I was referring to your necklace, it looks just like your cutie mark”

Rarity looked at her necklace and then noticed that they did

“Well so does your dear”

“Look at mine, look at mine” Pinkie said bouncing towards us

“Well gee whiz Twilight I thought you were spouting a bunch of hooey, but I reckon we do represent the elements of Friendship”

“Indeed, you do” I heard a familiar voice coming from the window outside.

A ball of bright flew into the castle and a flash revealing Princess Celestia herself. Everypony bowed down including me.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight ran over to her mentor to hug her

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful pupil, I had a feeling you would get the job done” she said lowering her head to hug Twilight

Celestia looked and saw me roughed up and covered in dirt

“It seems you had an interesting night Ambassador”

“Oh, you know, falling off cliffs, fighting manticores, laughing at scary trees, helping sea serpents and all that good stuff, when the smell of adventure calls you must be prepared” I said as I put my pistol back into my holster

“Wait a minute, you told me that the Mare in Moon was just an old ponies’ tale”

“I told you, you needed to make friends nothing more, I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon returning but I knew it’s was you and your friends magic that could stop her, but it wasn’t until you let true friendship into your heart Twilight”

“Now, if only another will would turn” Celestia looked where Nightmare Moon stood

Laying on the floor was a young dark purple alicorn which I guessed was Luna

“Princess Luna” when she called her name she immediately woke up and looked up to her sister

“It has been a thousand years since I have seen you, we must put aside our differences for the future, we were made to rule Equestria together my sister, will you except my Friendship”

Well stood by waiting for her to say something

“I am so sorry” she said as she hugged her sister

“I missed you so much”

Celestia hugged her back “I missed you too”

The moment was very touching, and I tried to hold in the feels, as I shed a single tear

“I’m not crying I just got something in my eye”

Pinkie pie was so moved she cried buckets of tears

“Waaaaaa, hey you know what this calls for”

“Wait let me guess uh……” I said

“A party”

“Yes, you read my mind, a Princess reunion party”

==============================================**=======================================

We all headed back to town square where a rather spectacular party was taking place. I returned to Equestria in my suit as ponies gathered by the gate. They all waved and cheered at me and my newfound friends on. Up high in the sky was a flying chariot carrying Celestia and Luna. They landed off to the side as Luna received a lei of flowers. She smiled as she looked at Celestia. I walked up to both of them and bowed

“Good to see you again Mel”

“Likewise,” I turned to Luna “Your highness”

She looked at me curiously and bowed her head

I looked out at all these ponies and felt good inside. I finally made a good impression and maybe our worlds can coexist. I looked over and saw Twilight looking depressed. Celestia saw it too and we walked over to her

“Why so sad Twilight aren’t you glad that your mission is complete, and you can return home?”

Twilight was still downtrodden

“That’s just it I finally realized what it’s like to have friends, and now I have to leave them”

“Spike take down a note: I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville.”

All her friends gathered round her and cheered

“Thank you Celestia, I promise to study harder than ever before”

“And perhaps you can share notes, I think America could learn a thing or two, when it comes to friendship that is”

“I suppose that could be arranged” Celestia said

Everypony cheered all of us on

=============================================**======================================

In a secret undisclosed location, I was sitting in a room with the President as well as some other government officials. Monitors were displayed on a wall showing everything that I filmed in Equestria

“Equestria seems like a dangerous place”

“It can be at times Mr. President”

“And you seemed to be well adept to these dangers”

“I did my best to protect myself as well as my friends”

“Yes, indeed and doing so you helped bring the Princess’s long-lost sister back”

“Yes Mr. President”

“Hm, we’ll have to meet them both at some point, here in America”

“I’ll ask them if they are ready, but they still seem rather nervous about our world Mr. President”

“For now, I want to learn more about the different races over there, these Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi”

“I’ll be sure to interview a few for you”

“And considering the potential dangers, I would like for you to take Sargent Edward Haynes and his team with you for protection”

“Not sure if that’s wise, it might scare a lot of ponies and send the wrong message”

“That’s an order, they’ll also need a place to stay”

“I suppose they could stay at the place I was given, and I’ll sleep at Twilight house”

“You make it sound like she’s your girlfriend” Haynes said

“Seriously, my job is to observe them not fornicate with them you sicko”

“Gentlemen please, Mel you have your orders I suggest you do them”

I was slightly annoyed, but this is my job, and I will do it to the best of my abilities

“Yes sir”

“Excellent I looked forward to seeing your progress as well and the Princess’s”

I got up and walked out of the room with everyone else. The President and Sargent Haynes stayed behind

“Sargent, we have potentially stumbled onto a resource goldmine the only question is what do we do with it?”

“Not sure sir, but if we get across, I think America would benefit greatly from it”

“Maybe so”

Author's Note

Seems Mel had a good time, The President is up to something and Sgt. Haynes will be going over what will happen next?

Earth Pony Tape

Earth Pony tape

Video log- EQ101
Location: Sweet Apple Acres
Date:10/15/10
Time: 8:50am
Subject: Applejack

[camera opens up upon Sweet Apple Acres, camera pans sideways and focuses on Applejack as she bucks her family’s trees, as apples fall into bushels below]

“Hey Aj, you got a minute”

“Whew, I suppose I can spare some time for ya” [AJ wipes the sweat off of her forehead]

[Aj looks right at the camera]

“Is that your fancy photo camera thingy you make movies out of?”

“Why yes in fact I’m making a movie for my superiors”

“What for?” [Aj gets close to the camera]

“Well, they wanna learn more about the different races that live in Equestria, and having a good visual is better than word of mouth”

“Oh, I getcha” [Aj winks at the camera]

“Alright, so first off what does being an earth pony mean to you?”

“Well long-ago Earth ponies were given the ability to grow crops in order to share with the other races and in turn the Unicorns provided us with magic and the Pegasi gave us the weather, so I guess farmin’ is in our blood”

“Fascinating, so do you enjoy farming?”

“Well, its honest and hard work but I don’t mind it” [Aj begins to load bushels into the back of a wagon]

“How did you or your family get into farming?”

“Well, it all started when Granny Smith and her family came around these parts long ago. Back in the day my family collected and sold seeds for a living and my Great Grandpappy had been collecting seeds far and wide. They traveled a lot and soon came upon the great city of Canterlot where they met the Princess Celestia herself. Being generous she gave my Grandpappy a plot of land right next to the Everfree Forest and that’s when he started planting his apple seeds. Ever since then we’ve been harvesting and selling apples as well as other vegetables”

“Wow, so does your family run the farm by themselves?”

“For the most part, but you know if we ever get far behind my friends will be there to help”

“Indeed, I’ve also heard you sell cider as well”

“Eeyup, every fall we make and sell our own home made cider to help us get through the winter”

“Nice, so have you always wanted to be a farmer?”

“Well, when I was a filly I didn’t, I wanted to live a more sophisticated life like my uncle and aunt orange”

“What were they like?”

“Oh, you know fancy city folk living in fancy house’s, eatin’ fancy food talking fancy like Rarity”

“So, I take it wasn’t for you then”

“Rightly so, it wasn’t till I was sitting in my room when a beautiful rainbow appeared that went all the way back home and I knew I was destined to be an apple, coincidently that’s when I got my cutie mark”

“Nice, so when harvest time comes around, I take it you sell a lot of fruits and produce”

“Well, we sell most of our stock to Filthy Rich, he owns barnyard bargains in town, and we get a good deal every now and then, but we try to sell most of our apples right here”

“So, what is your favorite Apple food, I mean with your family being apples and what not?”

“Well, you can’t go wrong with one of Granny Smiths Apple Pies, they’re to die for”

“What about non-apple foods?”

“Wait do they even make food without apples…. Ha gotcha I usually eat just about anything after a hard day’s work”

[Applejack hitches herself to the wagon and starts heading to her house]

“So, tell me about your siblings?”

“Well, I’ve got an older brother Big Macintosh and a little sister Applebloom, I’m sure you remember them”

“Indeed, do you ever get embarrassed by them at all?”

“Well, if we did, we’d put it behind us, I love my kin just like any other family”

“What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten from your family?”

“huh let’s see…oh never look a gift apple in the eye, cause a worm might come out and spit in it, your eye that is HAHAha”

“Good one, so which family member is your favorite?”

“Come on partner that’s like telling me what my favorite apple is I like them all”

“Fair enough, so what up with that hat, have you always worn one?”

“This old thing, I won it bobbing for apples at the Ponyville Faire, and I didn’t always wear one, I tried it once and I just kinda stuck”

“Would you ever wear any other type of hat like a fez?”

“Is that some sorta fancy type hat, something with feathers, let me talk to rarity and get back to you on that one”

“Okay, last question if you weren’t born an earth pony would you be a unicorn or a pegasus?”

“Well Granny Smith use to tell me that the only things that matters is a pony’s character and I couldn’t agree more”

“Nice way to end the video, I believe Pinkie pie is up next, so until next time Applejack”

“See ya around partner” [Applejack waves goodbye at the camera]

=======================================**===========================================

Video log- EQ102
Location: Sugar Cube Corner
Date:10/15/10
Time: 10:25am
Subject: Pinkie Pie

[Camera opens up in front of Sugar Cube Corner as the view makes its way inside as Pinkie Pie is manning the register]

“Hi Pinkie”

“Hi Mel” [Pinkie looks at the camera] “Hey are you making a movie, oh what part do I get, will I get to watch it” [Pinkie grabs hold of the camera looking straight into the lens]

“I’m just here to ask you some questions, and this is for my superiors”

“So, you want an interview huh” [The lighting changes and a random spotlight shines on pinkie and I, as a desk with a mug appears before my eyes in front of me]

“Okay that was random, but I suppose I can work with that”

“Alright Mel Lay it on me” [She sits weirdly in her chair]

“Okay so is Pinkie Pie your real name?”

“Well, my full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie”

“Huh I never would have guessed so a little existential here, what does being an earth pony mean to you?”

“Oooh, good one well to me it just means I’m good at making things whether its parties or baking”

“What about farming I heard earth ponies are good at agriculture?”

“Well, when I was a filly, I worked on a rock farm if that means anything”

“What’s a rock farm, does that involve things like gravel or stone countertops?”

“Not really, every day we would move stones form one field to the other, but sometimes we harvest or mine them”

“Huh sounds interesting, but I take it, it wasn’t for you then?”

“Not particularly, one day while I was out if the field a huge rainbow blew past our farm and it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. It made me smile like never before, but rainbows don’t last forever so I decided to throw a super-duper special party so I can share the happiness I felt from that rainbow. I showed my family and dare I say they loved it and that’s how I got my cutie mark”

“That’s when I knew deep down, I had to share my gift with everypony, so I moved to Ponyville where I got a job making treats here at Sugar Cube Corner”

“Have you always had a knack for baking, or did it just come natural to you?”

“Hm I guess I always had an interest but working on a rock farm you never got to do things that you really liked”

“Do you feel the cakes as your boss’s or your family?”

“I guess you can say both, when I met them many moons ago, they tasted my treats for the first time then knew they had to hire me, plus I’m really good at throwing parties”

“So, what is your favorite dessert to make?”

“Oh, that would be Homemade tutti-frutti sherbet sugar bark sundae cupcakes! Oh! They're the super-duperiest and also tastiest!"

“Hm so how you keep your mane so frizzy and bouncy all the time?”

“I use the best bubble shampoo in Equestria…..and I hang upside down a lot hehehe”

“What color best be-hooves you the most?”

“Uh, is glitter a color, if not it should be, Sparkle hooves are happy hooves in my opinion”

"Okay so I’ve heard you have a pet alligator, what made you choose one?”

"Oh, that’s because Gummy is the most cutie-patootie-licious pet in Equestria. Plus, he's a great conversationalist."

[Camera pans over to gummy on a table, his eyes stare into the camera]

“Huh, I couple ponies in town also mentions you have a, party cannon what do you use it for?”

“Well, I use it to shoot confetti or to setup parties in an instant in case of a last-minute party”

“How many do you currently own?”

“I’ve got about Three” [Pinkie pulls out her three party cannons and fires them off as confetti showers the camera]

“Quite” as I brush confetti off of my suit

“So, you seem to be a pony that likes to relax what you’re your thoughts on bean bag chairs?”

“Best. Chairs. Ever” [Pinkie jumps into the air than lands onto a bean bag underneath her]

“How the hell does she do that” I said to myself

“You love to make promises from what I heard but have you ever broken one?”

[Pinkie Gasps] “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! No way Jose!"

“You seem to be a mare of many colors but what is your favorite?”

[Pinkie looks unamused at the camera] “is that a trick question”

“Movin on, you also seem very generous when comes to making ponies happy. what’s the best gift anypony has givin you?”

“Every single hug I’ve ever gotten” [Pinkie proceeds to wrap her arms around herself multiple times and then unravel them like it was nothing]

“I starting to think that maybe she’s not a pony” I say to myself

“Do you have any hidden talents?”

"Well, I can predict the future sometimes. Well, the immediate future really. I call it my Pinkie Sense” [Pinkie begins to shake a little]

“Uh-oh. We better wrap this up soon."

“Okay last question what the best advice for throwing the perfect party?

“Party advice oh I’ve got lots of party advice in fact I should through you a party advice party and I’ll tell you everything you need to know”

“Well, I think that should wrap things up here, thanks a bunch Pinkie”

“You’re welcome come again” [Pinkie waves goodbye]

Author's Note

This chapter is a little different, expect the Pegasi and unicorn tapes to follow
I might do one for the Princesses as well as the many creatures

Unicorn Tape

Video log- EQ103
Location: Carousel Boutique
Date:10/16/10
Time: 9:32am
Subject: Rarity

[Camera opens up in front of Carousel Boutique, the camera moves through the door as the bell jingles]

“Be there in one moment” [Rarity’s voice echoed from behind a slew of curtains]

[After a few minutes Rarity trots from behind the curtain]

“Oh, hello darling it’s good to see you again”

“Likewise, I hope you’re not too busy?”

“Oh, of course not darling” [Rarity notices the camera]

“May I ask what that’s for?”

“Oh, I’m gathering information about the different pony races and I doing one on Unicorns and I thought who better than Rarity to start”

“Well, I am flattered, why don’t you have a seat on my sofa, and we’ll get started”

[Rarity leads us into her house portion of her boutique and sits on a lovely made couch]

“Okay so my first question is what does being a unicorn mean to you?”

“Well, I suppose it means that we are gifted with magical abilities that are special to our own, each unicorn uses their magic the way they want to”

“Interesting I see you use your magic to make dresses?”

“Yes, indeed I do say it’s a lot better than hoof stitching them, magic just has a certain way of getting it perfect every time”

“So, when did dress making become your full time job?”

“Well, when I was a filly, I got the task of making costumes for our school plays, at first it was rather time consuming and I wanted to make them more spectacular but for some reason I couldn’t. I did wonder if making outfits was right for me. Then my horn glowed and the magic within carried me all the way to the farthest part of Equestria where it led me to a large rock. I thought my horn made a mistake but then an explosion happened, and I looked up and saw a rainbow fly past me, and the rock cracked in half and inside were the loveliest gems I had ever seen. I added them to the costumes, and they glowed and sparkled. Everypony was in awe of how well they turned out and that’s when….”

“You got your cutie mark”

“Why yes”

“Sorry to interrupt but it seems to be a reoccurring theme”

“Anyway, do you make custom dresses for anypony or just famous ones?”

“Well, I guess both I just love making one-of-a-kind dresses that’s unique to the customer, I would love to open up more stores in other cities and expand my business”

“Well maybe someday you will, I’ve also heard you’re a fashionista”

“Oh, but of course making dresses is one thing making yourself look fabulous is another”

“So, do you have any personal tips to make one’s self fabulous?”

“Well keeping your mane stylish is one of my favorites, I always brush, brush, brush, thirty strokes per strand of hair makes any mane look great without a care! Well, it works for me anyway.”

“I see I tend to keep mine short but high and tight, anyways what happens when you have a bad hair day”

“Well, I don’t have any personal experience, but the best course of action is to wear a dazzling hat, anything short of that will just not do”

“Judging from the shine on some of your dress’s you seem to like gems a lot, but do you have a favorite type of gem?”

[Rarity giggles] “Oh darling I love them all”

“Okay, so out of all the types of outfits you’ve made which one would you say is your favorite?”

“Well, the outfit must match the occasion, darling, and I have a favorite outfit for every occasion!”

“So, I understand you have a younger sibling?”

“Oh yes, Sweetie Belle is my younger sister I believe she’s friends with Applejacks sister”

“Does she ever embarrass you?”

“Oh, I could never be embarrassed by my sister. Though she might be a bit enthusiastic for my tastes sometimes, but I love her like any sister would”

“Okay last question, would you ever consider wings?”

“Hm I’m not sure, I would think they would be just a nightmare to accessorize. But they do look ravishing on Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy though."

“Alright then, thank you Rarity for your time”

“Oh, anytime darling”

=========================================**===========================================

Video log- EQ104
Location: Golden Oak Library
Date:10/16/10
Time: 12:46pm
Subject: Twilight Sparkle

[Camera opens up in front of Golden Oak Library. Camera strolls up to the door and enters]

[Camera pans and zooms in on Twilight who seems to be in the middle of a good book]

“Whatcha readin?”

“Huh” [Twilight turns around and seems me with my camera]

“Oh, hi Ambassador, I’m just scanning through some magic books”

[She rubs her eyes from reading for so long]

“Ooh is that your camera, you gotta let me play with it sometime so I can do some research about your worlds technology”

“All in good time Twilight, I’m here to ask you some questions”

“Well, I am indeed knowledgeable on just about everything”

“Everything?”

“Uh, well no not everything but a good portion of it”

“Well then this should be easy”

[Camera is set up in front of Twilight]

“Okay so what does being a unicorn mean to you?”

“Hm well to me it means that I’m born with magical capabilities and can use magic to help myself or the lives of others”

“How so?”

“Well, I use my magic to help organize my books, help me eat but I use my magic to help ponies lift objects large or small, light or heavy”

“What other types of magic can you perform?”

“Well, I can levitate stuff, alter gravity, fire magical beams from my horn, project force fields, telekinesis, teleportation to name a few”

“That’s incredible, remind me not to fight you, so when it comes to magic do most have a limit as to how much they can do?”

“Yes, depends on how much training and usage, I’ve been using my magic at a young age and have been practicing so I can use mine a lot more than most”

“Well, you must be special if you attended Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns”

“Oh yes ever since I was a filly, I went to the Summer Sun Celebration and saw Celestia raise the sun in front of all of us and it inspired me to learn more about magic. My parents signed me up for her school, but I had to pass an entrance exam which I was not prepared for. I had to hatch a dragon egg!”

“I take it you weren’t prepared”

“No, I tried so hard but just couldn’t, but as I was about to give up a loud crash came from outside as a rainbow flew over Canterlot and it made my magic strong enough to hatch the egg, but it also made me unstable. I was able to calm down when Celestia came in and granted me to study under her”

“Hm, I’m definitely noticing a pattern here, so tell me about your brother?”

“You mean Shining Armor; well, he was always there for me whenever I was alone, we played and always had each others back. He was BBBFF”

“Uh what?”

“Oh, that’s Big Brother Best Friend Forever, even when he got older and wanted to be a guard, he always had time for me”

“Well, he does seem to do a good job of it, since you seem gifted can you read and walk at the same time?”

“Well normally if it’s a good book I can until I crash into somepony”

“So out of all the subjects you’ve read what’s your favorite?”

“Oh magic, reading and reading about magic”

“Weirdo” I thought to myself

“So, what’s your favorite book?”

“Oh, I don’t know I love them all how can I possibly pick just one”

“Super Weirdo” I thought again

“okay here’s a sci-fi question, if you could time travel where would you go?”

“Hm I would love to go back and see Celestia and Luna as young fillies”

“Do you have a favorite food?”

“Well spike does make the best nachos, there hoof licking good”

[In walks spike with a plate of nachos]

“I think my nachos speak for themselves” he said

“Okay, do you have any good luck charms, or do believe In that sorta thing?

“The Elements of Harmony, or course”

“Well, they are very magical not to mention powerful when it comes to evil beings, so what other hobbies do you enjoy?”

“I love spending time with my friends also this pony can never read enough about the bold and brilliant Star Swirl the Bearded”

“And for those of us who don’t know, who is Star Swirl the Bearded?”

“Oh, he was a great and powerful unicorn wizard, who made a lot of spells and defeated mighty enemies back when he was teaching Celestia and Luna how to use magic”

“Dang he must have been old”

“Indeed, his accomplishments were so legendary that he even has his own section in the Canterlot Archives”

“Whatever happened to him?”

“Nopony, knows”

“Huh that’s usually the case”

“He probably did some magic spell that sent him to another world or something” spike said

“Yeah, sure spike” Twilight added

“Well Twilight I think I’ll call it a day, thanks again for taking the time to chat”

“Anytime Mel”

Pegasus Tape

Video log- EQ105
Location: Fluttershy’s Cottage
Date:10/17/10
Time: 10:45am
Subject: Fluttershy

[Camera opens up on a lovely cottage, animals of all shapes and sizes converse outside, camera moves up to the small wooden door as I softly knock it]

“Coming” a voice could be heard from inside

[The door opens to reveal a yellow pegasus with long pink hair]

“Oh, why hello Mel you're right on time, I was just making us some tea. have a seat and I’ll be right over”

Fluttershy went into the kitchen to prepare our drinks for the evening. I stepped inside and saw birdhouse’s and cubbies for little animals. I walked up to the couch and saw a little white bunny sitting of the other end of the couch. As I sat down it looked at me with a confused look.

“Uh hey there little guy” as I waved at him

He looked at me with a stern look, just then Fluttershy came out with the tea

“Now, now angel bunny, he’s new to this land so be sure to be kind and courteous to our guest”

The bunny gave a huff and slowly hopped over to me and gave me a quick hug before sitting back down.

“Now the tea is hot so be careful” as she poured out some into teacups

I leaned in and picked up the saucer with the cup and took a gentle sip. It was indeed hot, and it tasted very good, I might start drinking tea from now on. Fluttershy also took a few sips and set her cup down on the table.

“So, you said you wanted to ask me some questions?”

“Yes, my superiors want to know more about the races of ponies and pegasus's are last on my list but not least, I’m curious about what you know”

“So is that what that camera thing is for” [Fluttershy looks at the camera setup]

“Yes, indeed no need to worry it’s just me and the camera watching you”

“Okay I’ll do my best”

“Great, so my first question is what does being a pegasus mean to you?”

“Well, I suppose were gifted with making and helping out with the weather”

“Interesting, so the pegasi are responsible for literally making the weather?”

“Oh of course”

“So, the weather doesn’t form naturally like on its own?”

“oh gosh no that would be terrible, not knowing what kind of weather is gonna happen sounds scary” Fluttershy shuddered at the thought

“That’s how it is over on our side”

“Really how does everypon…I mean everyone prepare for the weather like that?”

“Well, we either watch the news channel or our phones for weather reports, but usually we just look outside and see for ourselves”

“And these weather reports are they accurate?”

“Most of the time they are, on very rare occasions they might be wrong”

“Can you tell when the season’s change?”

“Absolutely, Spring happens in April, Summer happens in June, Fall if in October and Winter in December”

“Wow but how does everyone know how the weather comes and changes?”

“Well, we have Meteorologist’s, they’re a branch of scientist’s concerned with the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather.”

“Oh, that’s interesting I’m sure Twilight would be more into that than me though”

“Okay, so do you help with the weather at all?”

“I help out whenever I can, I’m mostly tend to animals though”

“I see you care for a lot of animals?”

“Oh yes I love making sure that all the animals are well taken care, if they ever need any assistance”

“So, tell me how that started?”

“Well, it all began when I went to flight school, it was my first day, so I was very nervous, and a lot of ponies knew about it. I was teased a lot by a couple of bullies, that’s when rainbow dash saved me by challenging those bullies to a race. When the race began rainbow zipped past me that I fell out the clouds and started falling towards the ground luckily, I was saved by a large swarm of butterflies who helped me land safely. When I saw all the creatures, I couldn’t help but sing about it. Just then a large rainbow flew past me and…”

“It scared them, and you helped by comforting them and that’s when you got your cutie mark?”

“Wow you knew exactly what I was gonna say”

“I had a feeling anyways; do you own any of the animals that you take care of?”

“Oh no they all live here because it’s the safest place in Equestria”

“How do you take care of all of them, that must cost a lot?”

“Well, when you really think about it maintaining all the animals is very cheap once you get to know them a little. By the way I know you just got here and all but maybe there’s a pet here for you to take care of”

“I appreciate the offer, but I have got a lot on my plate right now, perhaps in the near future. I noticed your mane seems very neat and tidy. I asked Rarity, but do you have any tips for hair and mane styles?”

“Well Hedgehogs are really good at brushing oh and I also know a trio of robins that can make a perfect Ariel braid”

“Now from what I noticed you seem very shy and timid but what’s your biggest fear?”

“I’m afraid of a lot of stuff so I can’t pick one right now…sorry”

“Perfectly fine, so I know you very kind also, but do you have any good luck charms?”

“Well angel bunny had always brought good things my way, he says it’s all in the paw”

“I see, because of your shyness do you get stage fright?”

“Yes…a little bit right now”

“It’s ok Fluttershy we’ll be done in just a moment, so out of all the animals you take care of what’s you dream pet?”

“Animals are individuals, I don’t treat them like pets”

“Very well, do you have any special talents?”

“Rainbow Dash say’s I’m a great at cheering, yay”

“Now what’s your favorite color?”

“a baby chick in spring I find it lovely”

“Who would you say is your best friend?”

“Pinkie Pie? Oh, no, wait. Rainbow Dash. Oh! And-and Twilight too! Rarity? Applejack?! Ohhh, I can't decide! ...Angel?”

“You love to give but what the best thing you’ve ever gotten?”

“A big warm hug from Harry the bear”

“What’s the best place to go if anyone visits Ponyville?”

“Well, if you want a relaxing spot to go to, I suggest my Butterfly Grove”

“Do you enjoy flying if so what’s the best part?”

“When I’m…back safely on the ground”

“Any hobbies you enjoy?”

“Spending time with all my little critters friends, and my pony friends too”

“Do you have a favorite clothing designer?”

“Well, my good friend Rarity makes the best dresses, it would be sad if she wasn’t my favorite”

“If you could go anywhere on vacation where would you go?”

“An animal shelter on a tropical island with all my pony friends and a…you”

[Fluttershy begins to blush a little]

“Well, I appreciate that, and I think were done. I’m proud of you that you were able to do this for me”

“Thank you, so are you going to interview Dashie next”

“Yeah, I asked around and doesn’t she live in a cloud in the sky?”

“Why yes”

“I wonder how I’m gonna accomplish that?”

“Well, I can talk to her for you and have her meet you somewhere in Ponyville… if that’s alright with you”

“I’d appreciate that”

====================================**==========================================

Video log- EQ106
Location: Ponyville Fountain
Date:10/17/10
Time: 4:13pm
Subject: Rainbow Dash

[Camera opens up in Ponyville square, camera turns and looks at the fountain with a stone pony in the center. A soft swish could be heard from the sky. Camera points up and a light blue flash could be seen doing all kinds of aerial tricks and loop de loops until landing on the ground in front of me]

“Aha, hey Mel did you see all those awesome tricks I was pulling up there?”

“Why yes I have it all on film”

“Cool, so Fluttershy told me that you wanna interview me, and I couldn’t say no I mean I am the best flyer in Ponyville”

“I don’t doubt that, so you ready?”

“Absolutely”

“Okay my first question is, was does being a pegasi mean to you?”

“It means I can fly and also maybe help with the weather when it gets serious sometimes but mostly flying for me”

“I’ve seen you fly and do tricks a lot”

“Yup and maybe one day I’ll get to fly with the Wonderbolts”

“I remember you mentioning them when Twilight and I first met you, tell me more about them?”

“Well, they’re a highly trained aerial acrobatic team of pegasi, only the best of the best get to fly with them”

“When you say trained do you mean like eating healthy and exercising or like military training?”

“The second one”

“Whoa, I mean I thought Celestia’s guards kinda were her army I didn’t think the Wonderbolts were part of it”

“You bet if Celestia ever needs assistance from the sky the Wonderbolts are the ones to call”

“How long have you been training?”

“Pretty much my whole life, ever since I was a filly, I always wanted to fly and be the best”

“So you and Fluttershy went to the same junior flight school”

“Yup Fluttershy was being bullied when she arrived, and I knew I had to help her that’s when….”

“Hold up let me guess, you were gonna race the bullies to defend her and at the last minute you unleashed a Rainbow so powerful that is could be seen from miles away, ultimately winning the race and getting your cutie mark”

“Whoa, how’d you guess that”

“Well from what I gathered from the others; it was your rainbow that helped them get their cutie marks as well as yours”

“Wow I didn’t know that”

“I had a feeling you were the one that made the rainbow”

“I call that move the Sonic Rainboom”

“Sounds cool”

“It’s pretty awesome and also very hard to pull off”

“I see, so you seem to say certain words a lot, do you have a catch phrase?”

“I’m working on one right now, but it needs to be 20% cooler before I can bust that one out”

“So how does one do a Sonic Rainboom?”

“Well, you gotta be me first of all and second it usually helps if one of your friends is falling from the sky”

“Do you have any hair/mane style tips?”

“I like to do some fly-by through some clouds and let my awesomeness speak for itself”

“Do you have any particular color you like?”

“Uh, is Rainbow technically a color?”

“I’ll get back to you on that, so you have a lot of friends but which one would you say is the best?”

“Uh all my friends are the best…next”

“Okay what’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten”

“My awesome wings of course” [Rainbow flutters her wings]

“What’s the worst?”

“Ugh one-time pinkie gave me a muffin with worms it, took my days to get the taste out of my mouth blech!”

“Who do you think could beat you in a race?”

“Well in the air I’m unbeatable, on land I think Applejack could give me a run for my money”

“Any pet peeves?”

“Ugh I just can’t stand slowpokes”

“Since were at this landmark here in Ponyville what’s your favorite spot to go?”

“Well, I have this awesome spot in the sky that can see everything, but you’d have to be a pegasus in order to get there”

“Do you have a dream?”

“To be captain of the Wonderbolts”

“Favorite food?”

“Peanut butter and zap apple jam is the best”

“Any other cutie mark you would rather have?”

“Why would I give up my cutie mark, I mean it’s pretty awesome”

“I’ve noticed you nap a lot, what’s the best spot to sleep”

“Any good tree branch works just fine as long as I have a pillow and a blanket”

“The worst?”

“I once dozed off on a thundercloud, big mistake on my part”

“Well I think that’s it, thanks Dashie”

“Heh, any time dude” [Rainbow then takes of like a rocket and zooms into the sky]

Author's Note

this is the last one I swear, next chapter we'll continue Mel's journey

Chapter six- Comforting The Night

So, at this time the US Government and their scientists were reviewing the footage of all that I had taken from Equestria in the past few months. As they watched they debated on their next course of action. I wondered how they were going to proceed with the negotiations with the Princess’s. Lately I have been filming and documenting other aspect of Equestria like the flora and fauna as well as other creatures. I tend to move around between Twilight’s house and Canterlot depending on what I’m researching. With the help of my security detail led by Sargent Haynes and his men they help me get around a lot faster than a flying carriage or a train.

Meanwhile, I was staying in Canterlot after having a wonderful meeting with Celestia. I was in my room typing up our latest encounter on my laptop.

My Latest findings have led me to discover that the weather patterns that happen in Equestria are not natural but artificial. All the weather that happens from rain, to snow are manufactured from a factory in Cloudsdale apply named the Weather Factory. I must get some footage of the factory and its inner workings if Rainbow ever gives me a ride up there. Princess Celestia is ever more fascinated by our world from the conversations I have with her. All of the technological advancements fascinate her, and I believe she may want to visit at some point. Curiosity about our ways is always on her mind but like any new race she is ever cautious about the dangers of our world. I’ll try to convince her but, in the meantime, I will be learning more that I can from her world

I had been at it for hours and didn’t realize time flew by without me noticing. The sun had started to set outside as I looked out the window briefly. I continued when I heard a knock at the door

Knock, Knock

“Huh, come in”

The Door opened and in walked Princess Celestia

“Still up I see”

“Yeah, I gotta make sure these reports are ready for my superiors”

“Oh, is that one of your technologies you told me about?”

“Uh yes this is a laptop, it can help write documents, play games, and use the internet, unfortunately I can’t get any service while I’m over here otherwise Id show you more”

“Fascinating, well I hope you don’t stay up too late now, someone who is as important as you needs rest”

I couldn’t agree more

“You’re right your highness”

“Please, call me Tia”

“Alright then, I’ll see you in the morning Tia”

She bowed her head and left the room; I went back to finishing my report.

Ten minutes went by and I was finally done, my hands were a little sore from typing for so long. I saved the file and closed the laptop. I stretched myself a little before going to bed. I switched out of my suit and into some more comfortable clothes. That’s when I noticed a shadow pass my door. It was a little creepy and wondered who could be up at this late hour. Curiosity got me again, I grabbed a small flashlight out of my suitcase and went towards the door. I opened it slowly and peaked out. All I could see was the dark halls of the castle. I opened the door all the way and turned on my flashlight. The light didn’t reveal much other than the carpet. I looked down and saw hoofprints in the carpet. At first, I thought maybe they were Celestia’s, but they were facing the opposite direction.

I decided to follow the tracks and see where they led. I followed them to another part of the castle that I was unfamiliar with. As I was nearing a corner I stopped and pressed my back against the wall and slowly crept towards the corner. I slowly peaked and saw what appeared to be a dark pony facing out on a balcony. I looked closely and realized that must be Princess Luna. Truth be told I never got to fully know Princess Luna when the Elements of Harmony changed her back. I wondered what she could be doing this late at night. I then realized that she was in charge of the night whereas Celestia was in charge of the day. I slowly came out from behind the corner and slowly walked up behind her.

“(Ahem) your Highness” I said softly

Luna’s head moved ever so slightly; did I scare her? She then slowly turned to face me. We both made eye contact; her mane was dark and light blue the flowed in the air like Celestia’s. Her coat was dark blue as she wore a silver crown, necklace and hoof coverings. Her light teal eyes stared at me.

“Ambassador!” she said

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn't mean to startle you your highness” I bowed back

“No, I just was not expecting you is all” she said

“Why art thou up this late?”

“Well, I was going to hit the sack when I saw something pass my door, I had no idea it was you. figured I’d get an evening stroll before I sleep”

Luna looked at me confused

“Why would thou hit a sack?”

“Oh, it’s just a term for going to bed”

“Oh, I see we are not familiar with these new words”

“I see, I don’t think we’ve properly met before” I said

I bowed my head

“My names Rommel Panzo, American Ambassador”

“Tis an honor to meet you” Luna bowed her head

I looked out at the night sky and back to Luna

“May I join you on this fine night?”

Luna blushed a little

“Um of course,” she said turning out towards the balcony

I walked up beside her and rested my arms on the stone railing looking out at the dark blue sky filled with shining stars

“The skies are beautiful tonight wouldn’t you say; the stars and constellations are bright and stunning”

Luna blushed harder at the compliment, no one has every complimented her on her night sky before

“I did not know thou liked the night”

“It can be rather peaceful to gaze out on the dark beautiful horizon”

Luna smiled at my compliment and she got a little bit closer to me

“Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” I said

“Oh of course, what wouldst thou like to know”

“I’d like to learn more about you if that’s alright”

Luna’s face turned bright red

“You…you wish to learn more about thee?”

“Why yes, I’ve learned a lot about Celestia, and my superiors would love to know more about the sister Princess of Equestria”

She seemed all flustered by my request but I’m sure she just seemed nervous

“I am charmed that thou would like to know more about me, we have had very little experience with this”

“I understand, if I may, you are in charge of the night, yes?”

“Indeed, thy duties are to make the night sky comfortable for my subjects, I work hard to make the perfect landscape to form a beautiful way to help my subject sleep and have happy dreams”

“You do an amazing job?”

Luna smiled again getting more closer

“Is it true that you can enter other peop…ponies dreams?”

“Why yes as the Princess of the Night I know each pony in Equestria, their hopes and dreams, and I give them guidance in order to help them sleep better”

“Interesting that must be a serious undertaking?”

“indeed, but I do not mind it is my duty after all”

I could tell she was a little sad when she said that

“Do you ever get lonely at night?” I spoke

“I do, I find it comforting to help others, it is indeed a solitary task, I do not have time to let others into my life, but thou are unique, I can tell there is something special about thee”

Luna turned to look at me

“There is something in you I cannot ignore, when I look at you, you do not feel threating or make me anxious, thou art pleasant to be around”

I stared to feel fuzzy myself

“Thank you, your highness,”

I looked away and tried to change the subject

“So, the moon is rather bright and full, does it change”

“Change?”

“You know like half full, or crescent”

“Oh, I see I change it whenever I feel like it to make my subject happy. The moon, yes, it is the best part of my night sky, it also holds a special place in my heart”

Luna moved her flank closer to me

“See my flank, thou can see, the moon and I are connected in more ways than one”

I started to blush a bit

“Why art thou blushing, I am merely showing you who I am, there can be no shame in that”

“I understand it’s just that but…”

“Oh, I sense that this can be promiscuous, my apologies”

“If thou will examine my cutie mark from a comfortable distance, you can see a bit of silver

I looked at her mark and could make it out

“I see” blushing a little

Luna looked back at the moon

“You know already of course; I was banished within the moon for many years. I look upon it from time to time and remind myself what I had done to be trapped within it. it sometimes hurt to remember but it does help keep hurtful thoughts out, it also helps me see the beauty in everything as well”

I could see in Lunas eyes as they started to tear up

“At times it’s like a friend, the moon to me is my guide with an illuminating face that shines a light to help me on my path of life”

Luna wiped her eyes and I too couldn’t help myself feeling emotional. I walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. When I did, she looked at me and could also see and feel my pain as well. Something came over me, for a good reason, as I reached my arms around her neck and gave her a warm hug. Luna was shocked by my comfort, but she smiled and put her hoof around me

“I too wish to be closer to you mind and body alike, if you would permit me may I see your memories” Luna asked

I wiped my face “What for?”

“Well dreams are created from memories; they are the map of our imagination by seeing your past will allow us to be closer to each other”

I nodded

“Very well hold still” Luna then pressed her horn on my forehead as it started to glow

There was a flash and Luna pulled back away from me. Luna was in a state as tears formed in her eyes once more

“My goodness, what a poor and miserable life thou hast lived, your childhood ruined by a horrible and despicable being, living a miserable life day in and day out without a moment of peace, with hardly anyone to hear you and your problems

Luna wrapped her wings around me

“Thou have done more than the ponies of this world; they do not know of the cause of trouble thou have experienced making your far less disillusioned yet more lifeless”

We both embraced each other tears streaming down our faces

“Be not weary Ambassador. Thou art laying the pathway of great work. You and Equestria are connected now. You may very well be the most important and special creature in Equestria now”

I wiped my eyes as I gazed back at Luna

“Yes, you are indeed special your appearance doth declare it, but I didn’t say you look special, you are special you are an entity of great stature. You are also very special to me as well, for I shall give you sweet dreams tonight and I shall every night, it is thy duty, will you permit me”

I gave her a soft nod

“Thank you very much Ambassador” Luna smiled

I looked back at her

“You may have done some bad things in your life, but I am here to tell you that you are never alone, I am here, I will always be here for you here or in my dreams”

“Then it shall be so, I have never felt this way before, to tell my troubles to someone who also has troubles like thee”

“Likewise, your highness”

“if I may when day come what do you do in the meantime?”

“Well, I am usually awake when my sister brings forth the sun, we see each other beforehand when I retire for the day, but I do not do much I either read or sleep for the most part”

“You must get very bored then”

“I will admit that when my task is done there is not much for me to do”

“Hm I might have something for you”

Luna looked back at me curiously

“What is it?”

“Follow me” I said as I made my way back to my room

“I opened the door and began rummaging through my suitcase”

Luna looked ever more curious. I then found what I was looking for, my 3DS

“Here you can have this, to remember me by”

She looked at the case confused and puzzled

“What is it?” she asked

“This is a portable video game system; you can play a variety of games on this little handheld console”

“Video games?”

“Oh it’s like playing a story but more virtual and hands on”

I took the device out of the pack and showed it to her. Luna used her magic to levitate it closer to herself.

“it is rather small”

I plucked it out of her magic bubble and flipped it open, when I did, she looked surprised. I then turned it on, and it lit up and made the turn on noise. Luna was now transfixed to the device in my hand. I booted up my Legend of Zelda game.

“In this game you play as the valiant elf hero and must save the Princess from the evil wizard Ganondorf”

“Fascinating, how does it work though”

“You use the circle stick to move around and the letter buttons to use certain objects”

“My what amazing devices your world has, are there other games to play”

“Well, I have Smash Bros, Luigi’s mansion, Star Fox, Scribblenauts”

“Oh, I would love to play them all” she said excitedly

“Certainly” I then handed the bag to her

“I cannot thank you enough, you have done so much for me tonight, I hope that we can continue tomorrow or perhaps in your dreams”

“I definitely would like that your Highness”

“Please call me Luna”

“Very well Luna, oh by the way it may need to be charged, but I don’t know how to charge it without an outlet, the castle doesn't have running electricity”

“Oh, I see perhaps I can charge it with my magic”

“It’s worth a shot”

“Well Ambassador I must attend to my duties soon; I will play this game and see what its like”

“Very well Luna, oh before you go, I should tell you that I have a hard time falling asleep perhaps you could help”

“Oh of course Ambassador I shall help you reach the dreamscape peacefully tonight”

I got into bed and made myself comfortable. Luna came over and her horn glowed. I could feel her magical aura around my head, and it felt like it was massaging my skin and it felt great. It was a feeling that i had not felt in a long while and I started to slowly pass into a deep sleep. Luna watched as I closed my eyes in slumber. She smiled at me as I rested. She gently rubbed my hair with her hoof.

“Sweet dreams my little human” she then leaned in and kissed my forehead

Luna left my room 3DS in hoof as she gently closed the door behind her

Author's Note

such a touching moment luna and I have maybe she'll visit my dream later on

Chapter seven- The Grand Summit

The next day came as I was getting dressed, I felt great having a decent night sleep for once, thanks to Luna no doubt. I recalled having a very pleasant dream where I was laying on a soft bed that was shaped like a flower and I could hear the sound of a babbling brook, it was peaceful and I’m sure Luna made it that way.

I then heard a knock at the door. I quickly buttoned up my shirt as I heard Sargent Haynes on the other side.

“Sir there’s a pony here to speak to you” he said

I finished getting dressed and I stepped towards the door. I opened it slowly and what stood before me was a pink alicorn with a blonde, pink and purple colored mane, but it did not flow in the air like Celestia’s or Luna’s

“Oh, hi there I don’t think we’ve met before” she said

“Uh I don’t think so”

“Oh Well, let me introduce myself, I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadence”

“Oh, uh it’s nice to meet you” I said as I bowed

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Ambassador, Celestia has told me a lot about you, all good things mind you”

“Huh, that’s funny she never mentioned a third princess, are you related to her?”

She looked and gave a small chuckle

“Oh no, I too was also a student of Celestia’s until I earned my own wings and became a princess myself”

“That’s a thing?”

“Oh yes, when a talented unicorn accomplishes a great and magical deed, they’re transformed into an Alicorn”

“I just thought that alicorns were just born that way I didn’t realize you could become one, huh you learn something new every day”

“Well, I was informed to let you know that a grand summit is taking place here in Canterlot today and that you are welcome to attend it”

“Oh well as Ambassador I feel as though I must attend”

“It’s your decision, you don’t have to attend”

“May I ask what the discussion will be about?”

“Well, it is about you as well as the gate”

“Oh, I see”

“All the rulers and leaders from all across Equestria will be attending to determine how to move forward”

“That’s what my government is doing as we speak; I wonder if they have decided on what to do”

“Well, I won’t be there I have other matters to attend too and in a year’s time I will be married”

“Oh congratulations, who’s the lucky stallion?”

“I believe you’ve met him before; he is captain of the royal guard”

“Shining Armor?”

“The very same”

“Well, he does seem like a capable husband”

“Indeed, he is so handsome and charming, well I have to go good day Ambassador” she bowed her head and walked down the hall

“Well, she seems nice” I said

“You really think we can trust them sir?” Haynes spoke

“I believe we can, this summit sounds important and I am certain to attend it”

“You’re the boss, shall I gather the men sir?”

“Yes, if they want us to leave, we should be ready just in case”

Haynes saluted and left to gather his squad and get their things in order. I decided to make my way around the castle in search of Celestia. I looked all around the castle but could not find her, I checked the conference room where we first delegated, even the dining room. I walked up and down the stairs, all the through the halls hoping I would find her eventually. I went outside the castle looking at all the buildings that were connected to the castle itself. There were so many, so I turned to one of the guards standing at his post.

“Excuse me but where is the summit taking place?”

He turned to me with a sullen look

“The Grand Summit will be taking place in the dome over yonder”

He pointed to the big round building to the east.

“I see and what time will the summit be happening?”

He looked over at the small garden and in the middle was a sun dial telling the time

“The Grand Summit will begin at 2:00pm”

I pulled out my phone to check the time and it said 11:27am

“I’ve got some time to kill”

I looked down to Canterlot and wanted to go for a walk. I walked down past the garden and through the gate towards the town. As I made my way down, I came across Haynes and his men loading up their Humvees with the equipment and weapons. When they saw me they all stood at attention including Haynes

“Is there a problem sir?” Haynes asked

“No problem, the summit isn’t for a few hours, so I figured I’d go for a walk around town”

“I should come with you sir; in case anything happens”

“No, I’ll be fine I assure you, just make sure were ready to leave”

He looked frustrated but then relaxed

“Very well sir but do be careful” Haynes said as he saluted me

I walked past them down into town. Canterlot was rather unique with its stone made stores and cobblestone roads. There were many restaurants, clothing stores, cafes. I could smell the cooking from outside. I did wonder what kind of food ponies eat besides vegetables and sweets. Several unicorns in fancy clothes passed by all looking at me and whispering amongst themselves. I can only imagine that they were talking smack about me. It didn’t bother me as much again I’m trying to be friends with these beings, so being nice was a must.

I turned the corner and I soon came across a building with a giant donut mounted to the side and I could only assume this was Donut Joes shop that Twilight mentioned to me. I walked up to the door and ducked my head to enter. Inside were tables, chairs, and what I can assume was Donut Joe behind a bar-like counter. Off to the side of the shop were three ponies talking to one another. I took a few steps in and all three looked at me. To be honest It felt like I was being judged.

“Well, well if it isn’t the Ambassador, here in my shop” Joe said

“Come on over and have a seat” he motioned to me

I walked over and sat down on the stool. The stool was a little small for me as I loomed over the bar.

“So, what can I getcha?” he said

“Uh can I get a glazed donut?”

“Absolutely” he turned to the display and pulled out a donut and put it on a plate. He then grabbed a cup and put it under a tank and filled it with a warm liquid. He then dropped a few marshmallows in the drink.

“Here, something to drink with your donut, and don’t worry about paying it’s on the house”

“Thank you” I picked up the donut and took a bite, it was fluffier than I realized, and the glaze was sweeter. I guess handmade is better than what I usually get. I took a sip of the coco and it was not too hot but delicious

“Well?” Joe said

“It’s good, very good”

“Glad to hear it, I’m Donut joe by the way, and may I say it’s an honor to have you in my store” he bowed his head at me

“You’re welcome”

“You mind if I get a picture?” as he reached under the bar and pulled out a camera

“Uh sure” I said as he made his way behind the counter and stood next to me. He held the camera back at us and clicked as a flash nearly blinded my eyes and out popped the picture like an old polaroid. He held the picture admiring the shot

“Excellent” he said going back behind the bar and putting the picture in a frame and putting it up on the back wall amongst a few other pictures

“Now that’s a conversation piece, ponies will be taking about it for years”

“Do you do that every time someone famous comes in?”

“Oh yeah this place has a lot of history and I have met a lot of famous ponies in my time working here, like those ponies” as he pointed to the three ponies from before

“Oh, I had no idea”

“Oh yeah they are very well known in Canterlot”

One pony with a very coiffed mane and fancy glasses waved at me

“Excuse me Ambassador can I trouble you for a moment?” he said

I looked back at joe and he nodded his head towards him. I finished my snack before heading over

“Pleasure meeting you joe” I said wiping my face

“Anytime pal” as he took my plate and cup

I walked over to the three ponies and sat down as best I could.

“Good evening Ambassador” one female pony said, she had a short grey mane, she also wore big black rimmed spectacles with purple lenses.

“Allow me to introduce myself, I am Photo Finish, fashion photographer, the most famous here in Canterlot” she said

“Huh you look just like Anna Wintour”

She looked at me confused

“Who?”

“Oh, she’s the editor-in-chief for a fashion magazine from my world”

“Ah somepony who shares the same eye for fashion, I must meet this Anna, but enough about that” she pointed to the stallion across the table

“This gentlepony here is Hoity Toity”

“It’s quite an honor sir, I am a major representative of the fashion world here in Canterlot and might I say that the suit your wearing is very well made”

“Oh, uh thank you”

“I’m Sapphire shores, Canterlot's best pop singer, and I got to ask who made that suit for you hun”

“Oh well believe it or not a pony friend of mine made it for me”

All three of them were astounded

“Really?”

“Oh yeah her name is Rarity, and she owns her our boutique in Ponyville, she very generous and very good at making dresses as well as other clothes”

“Ooh I gotta meet this Rarity and have her make me a dress for one of my upcoming tours” Sapphire shores said

“I too will have to visit this Rarity and see these dresses of hers” Hoity Toity said

“Perhaps I could get some new photos myself for my next fashion show” Photo finish said

“I’m sure she’ll make time for all of you”

As we were talking my phone rang

“What is that thing?” Hoity Toity said

“It’s a phone, just one second”

It was a video call coming from Sargent Haynes. I pressed answer and Haynes appeared on screen

“Ambassador” he said “The summit is happening soon its best if you leave now if you want to make it Haynes out” then he hung up

“Well, I hate to cut my time short, but I have a summit to attend” as I stuffed my phone in my pocket

“Well next time we meet, you be sure to tell us all about it hun” Sapphire shores said as she got up and trotted out the door

“I too must be going, until we meet again Ambassador” Hoity Toity said

“Another time Ambassador, you must visit my studio and do a photo shoot for me”

“I’ll see what I can do” I got up and left as well

I hurriedly made my way back to the castle where Haynes and his men were waiting for me

“Good to see your in-one-piece sir” he said

“Yeah, Canterlot is not as dangerous as you would think, I even made some new upper-class friends”

“Very…nice but the summit is starting soon please after you sir”

I took the lead and led them to the dome shaped part of the castle. We walked up to the doors where two guards’ ponies stood watch. When they saw me and my soldiers, they quickly opened the doors for us.

“Welcome Ambassador” they said

“At ease gentlecolts”

We passed them as we entered the outer part of the rotunda where a long hallway stretched around the building. We walked along the hall until we ran into Celestia and Luna.

“Ah, good afternoon ladies” I said as I bowed my head

“Oh Mel, good to see you I was hoping you would make it” Celestia said

“Yes, we are very and deeply honored to have you attend the grand summit” Luna said

“I am humbled to attend” I noticed under Lunas wing was my 3DS

“Have you gotten far Princess?”

Luna blushed a little bit

“Oh, I’m still learning how to play in thee… oh kokiri village I’m just about to enter the great deku tree” Luna then pulled out the ds and starts playing for a little bit

“Nice”

Celestia leaned in towards me

“Luna seems to have taken a liking to you” she chuckled

“We may have bonded a little bit last night and I may have shown her the wonderous world of video games…hehe”

“That’s good, my sister doesn’t have a lot of friends and the fact that you and her bonded and share a common interest might be good for her”

I looked at Luna, who was immersed in the game and smiled. Celestia looked up on the wall and looked at a clock that had a sun and moon on it.

“Well, the Summit is about to start now sister”

Luna put her game away and composed herself

“Ah yes shall we sister?”

Both of them walked into the round room as I followed close behind. The room itself was filled with ponies in seats with built in tables with names of various world leaders on them. Celestia and Luna’s seats were in the middle of room. The seats were crafted to suit each one’s cutie mark. I stood next to Celestia as I watched many ponies gather in and sit down. The room was filled with chatter as I looked around sweating thinking about what was about to happen. Soon Celestia used her magic to levitate a gavel and smacked it onto the table. When she did the room went quiet.

“Oh boy” I thought to myself

“The Grand Summit shall begin now” she said rather loudly

“The topic of this summit is to determine how Equestria shall move forward with the peace negotiations with the humans across the gate and about the gate itself. As you all known the gate magically appeared in our world only a few months ago with no explanation of how or why but what we do know is that it connects us to another world that we still know very little about except for this young man here” Celestia stopped and turned as the spotlight was on me

“Way to put me on the spot” I thought to myself

As I stepped forward, I was feeling scared and shaky, but I know I had to be brave for America and Equestria. I thought about Twilight and her friends and the memories we shared to help me.

“Ahem, good evening everypony, my name is Rommel Panzo Jr, I am an Ambassador sent by my government to study and learn about Equestria so that we may in turn learn from one another so that peace between our worlds can be achieved”

The chatter continued until once pony spoke up

“And what exactly have you learned from us human?” he said

My mind was muddled, and I couldn’t think straight

“Well. Uh I uh learned about friendship, that’s important…ha-ha”

I turned to Celestia for help she then used her magic, and I could hear her voice in my head.

“Calm down Mel, breathe in and out and just be yourself I’ll handle the harder questions” she said

“I apologize everypony I’m not used public speaking; I will say this.
you ponies are unique from us, we don’t have magic or wings to help us in our day to day lives. But what we do have is our imagination and that helps us invent things to help us. For example-”

I pulled out my phone and showed it to the summit

“This device allows me to communicate with any number of people from across my world, I can even show my face and see their face in return. I can also jot down a note without paper or pen. It has a calculator, a camera that can take still or moving pictures, it can also tell you what the weather is for the upcoming day or week, it can record your voice and play it back for you. It has maps that can help you navigate, and it can also play music”

I skimmed through the various songs I had stored and played Beyond the sea by Bobby Darin. As it played some of the ponies listened and some started to move to the music. I could also hear various ponies question the device while others are fascinated by it

“And this is just a small piece from a world fueled by bright minds who can build and create wonderful things like carriages that run by fuel, flying machines that can take you great distances, Televisions and the programs that people create to keep you entertained”

The chatter continued until a different pony stood up

“That all seems nice but what about bad people who build dangerous things like those firearms mentioned by the princess?”

I clamed up and went back to being nervous

“Well, uh yes there are dangerous things built by us, but we would never use them on you”

“How do we know that; how do we not know that you’re here to invade our lands and take what’s your?”

Celestia stood up to speak as she stood by me

“Please everypony, it is true their weapons are powerful, but our magic is just as strong as there’s and we have the means to defend ourselves if we must, but please don’t judge him for things he has not committed. When Mel was first brought to me, he was not here to threaten me or my ponies he came here because he was curious, and I showed him kindness and in turn he was kind to me. I have seen their world full of people some of them with firearms, but they were only used by their military and guards to protect their president and his associates like Mel here”

Celestia looked at me with a smile and I smiled back

“We are not here to judge him the only thing we are here to do today is what to do with the gate and what lies beyond”

“Then let us decide your majesty” he sat back down

“Very well then we shall continue to cooperate with the other world and maybe we can coexist or shall we say no and lock the gate forever and deal with a possible invasion, we must decide” Celestia said

The chatter amongst them continued as they began to write down what they think they should do. The tension was almost unbearable as the fate of my future and the future between our worlds now hung in the balance. I nodded to Celestia and went back into the hall where Haynes was waiting

“Well, what did they say?” he said

“There deciding now about what to do, but I need some air and maybe some water”

Haynes escorted me back to his Humvee outside the castle wall. He pulled the tailgate down for me to sit on. He grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to me. I almost chugged the entire bottle as I sat down. I tried to calm myself down but at that point it was hard for me to do so.

“I’m sure whatever happens it will be for the better”

“Yeah, and if they choose to close the gate, what’s American gonna do!” I yelled

“They gonna roll on in and all-out war will happen and kill thousands” I put my hand in my face trying not to think that

Suddenly Haynes phone began to ring. He quickly answered and had a lengthy conversation with the person on the other side. After a while he hung up and turned towards me

“That was my men standing by the gate, they have informed me that America is on board for peace and that Congress wants to meet these ponies firsthand”

“Finally, some good news for a change but does Equestria want the same thing”

Hayne’s didn’t speak and just stood by. A half an hour went by when I decided to head back to the castle. I walked up the stairs and stood in front of Celestia’s castle examining it one last time. The white hoof carved stone and the fancy stain glass windows that accent it as well as the purple roofs. It truly was a sight to behold then out of the corner of my eye I saw something move. I turned to face the garden and saw Celestia standing proudly.

“Something wrong Mel?” she said

“No nothing at all” trying to make myself feel better

“Well, I was hoping you would join me for a stroll through my garden, there’s a lovely little spot where we can have some tea”

I took a deep breath thinking this might be my last time with her

“That sounds Lovely please lead the way”

I Followed Celestia into her garden. Her garden was filled with beautiful and exotic flowers as well as a plethora of birds and animals. As I walked through, I felt calm and peaceful it’s as if the garden was imbued with magic that made me forget my troubles.

We soon came to a small clearing. In the middle was a lone tree with a table and a tea set. Celestia went and sat down and urged me to sit as well. I walked up to the table and sat down. I looked back at the clearing and the animals came out and watched and gazed at Celestia as if she were their leader or god. Celestia poured tea for the both of us. She then levitated her cup and took a sip. I gently grabbed mine and took a couple of sips.

“I hope your relaxed now” she said

“I am now your highness” I said as I put my cup down on the saucer

“I trust you’ll want to hear what the summit’s decision was?”

“Very much so”

Hear it is the moment that I’ve been waiting for, the fate of Earth and Equestria now comes crashing down, peace or war

“The summit has decided that the peace negotiations will continue”

When she said that a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I could finally breathe

“That is wonderful news. Whew and here I was thinking that Equestria wanted to close the gate for good”

“Oh, nonsense we are very curious about your world still and with your leadership I think we can coexist” she said

“Oh, I’ve also been giving word that your presence was requested again but this time in front of Congress”

“I see”

“I believe it’s going to be like an interview but live for everyone on earth to see”

“Oh well I don’t mind as long as your there”

“Also, I was kinda of hoping to bring some ponies for them to see, you know for them to get to know the three major races”

“Hm I don’t see why not; do you have any particular ones you want to take?”

“Maybe Twilight for unicorns, Applejack for Earth Ponies and Fluttershy for Pegasi. I know Fluttershy is indeed shy when it comes to large gatherings, but I hope that if I’m there maybe she’ll be okay”

“That sounds lovely, I’ll have to pack for a long trip”

“Wait who’s gonna be in charge while your away?”

“Oh, Luna can handle running things while I’m gone”

“Well then” I held my cup into the air “Here’s to the Future”

Celestia raised hers “To the Future” and we both gently banged our cups together.

Author's Note

so peace will continue as Celestia and some ponies make there way to DC
sorry this one took awhile

Chapter eight- A Whole New World

I was waiting patiently inside Twilights library-home as she franticly ran around the room stuffing her saddlebags with ink and other things to bring with her.

“Twilight we're gonna be late do you really need all that stuff?” I spoke

Twilight then stuffed her bags with quills and rolls of parchment

“Of course, I wanna document everything beyond the gate as much as possible and judging from what you have told me there’s a lot of stuff over there, I wonder if I can get some of that technology that you mentioned”

I looked over and saw spike with his arms crossed waving his head in disappointment.

“You’ll take care of her, right?” spike said

“Of course, spike don’t worry”

Twilight levitated her saddlebags onto her back and was ready for her journey

“Spike don’t stay up too late and don’t eat too much ice cream while I’m gone”

“Come on Twi, I can take care of myself you know”

“Alright next stop is Applejack” I said

Twi and I made our way to Sweet Apple Acres when we saw Aj leave her house with her own saddlebags. As we approached the rest of the apple family came out to say their goodbyes

“Now you be careful youngin’ you don’t know what’s beyond that confounded gate”

Applejack reassured granny

“Don’t chu worry granny, I’ll be back in a couple of days”

“Take care now” Big Mac said

“Will you bring me back a souvenir?” Applebloom spoke

“I’ll bring something back, there’s got to be a lot of shops over there from what Mel was saying”

I walked up to Aj and knelt down

“You ready to go?”

“You bet sugarcube, I even brought my winter hat and scarf on account of it getting colder now and I betcha that it’ll be colder on the other side”

“Yes definitely” I said as I stood up

“Fluttershy is the last one so let’s head on out”

We headed down the path as the cold wind brushed up against me, I looked up at the sky and the dark clouds blocked out the sun. Winter was indeed on its way. We headed up to Fluttershy’s cottage, as we passed over a small creek, I gave the door a couple of knocks.

“Be right there” Fluttershy said

We waited awhile as I looked at my phone. It was 11:19, our flight was slated for 1:00 so I hoped we would make it on time. Soon the door opened and Fluttershy emerged with her bags.

“Hi there” she said softly

“You all set to go?” I spoke

“I think so, I’ve got somethings to keep my mind off of the potential meeting” she said nervously

“Don’t worry Fluttershy I’ll be right by your side when that happens, and I’ll make sure you're ready okay”

Fluttershy nodded and turned around to face the inside of her cottage

“Now you all be good and behave while I’m gone okay. I’ll be back in a few days and then we can have a tea party and I’ll tell you all about it”

The animals all nodded and went about their day, as Fluttershy closed the door. We all walked back to the gate as fast we could. Sargent Haynes and his men were standing by waiting to pick us up. When we got closer, he and his men snapped to attention.

“Sir are you ready to travel?” he spoke

“Not yet sir, we’re waiting on one more pony”

As I said that from up over head, I saw Celestia’s chariot heading towards the gate. Her pegasi guards came and swooped right down in front of us. Celestia got off with her bag.

“Thank you, that will be all” she said

The Guards then flew off with the chariot back to Canterlot.

“Well looks like everypony’s here are you guys ready?” I said

They all nodded with excitement

“Let me take your bags and put them in the back” Haynes suggested

The girls took their bags off and handed them to Haynes and I as we loaded them into the back of the Humvee as well as Celestia’s. Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie were all waiting by the gate to say goodbye

“You guys have awesome time” “Take care darling” “Bring me something back please”

“By the way Mel why can’t we all come?” Rainbow said

“Well, this meeting is very important for both sides of the gate Dash, it’s not exactly a vacation”

“Yeah, I guess”

“You’ll watch over them wont you”

“Absolutely” I turned to face the girls

“Alright let’s get you guys inside” as I walked over to the side of the Humvee and opened the door. Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy all climbed into the backseat.

“Celestia you get to ride in the front one, is not as big as the truck from before but I hope you won’t mind”

“I’ll be fine” she trotted over to the back of the Humvee as I opened the door.

Celestia got in and knelt down in order to get comfortable. We had laid a blanket so her knees wouldn’t hurt as much.

“A little Cramped but it’s only for a while” she said

I nodded as I got into the front seat of Celestia’s Humvee and Haynes Radioed us to move out. We then drove into the dark abyss of the gate. A few minutes later and we made it to the other side. Haynes honked the horn and soon the gate opened up and we pulled on through. I got out and helped Celestia out first. I then went and let the girls out. They all looked around in awe and wonderment at their new scenery, Twilight most of all.

“Well girls welcome to Earth, more specifically the US, even more specifically New Hampshire”

“Wow they’re so many buildings” Twilight said as she scribbled her findings down on a piece of parchment.

“Welcome back Ambassador” Major Bennington said

“Your Highness, I see you’ve brought some ponies with you”

“Why yes, it was Mel’s idea, he wanted to show the different races to Congress”

“Excellent, as always it’s good to have you again” the Major turned to face two gentlemen

“This is the Governor of New Hampshire John Lynch, and this is Jamie Sullivan the town manager of Hampton”

Celestia bowed her head to them

“It’s nice to meet you”

“We hope you enjoy your stay here Princess” John said

“If there’s anything you need just let us know” Jamie said

“I appreciate your hospitality”

“Well, your flight will be leaving soon, we have a bus that will take you straight to the airport” the Major said

“Thank you Major, now come along now everypony” Celestia said as she boarded the bus

The girls, Haynes and I all boarded and got situated. The bus was built different from ones that I have been on. The seats were lined against the cabin and the back had a bar and a bathroom. There were several tv’s mounted to the tops of the cabin. The girls got up on the seats and sat down. Celestia was a little too big so she sat in the middle. Soon the bus pulled out of the contained area, when it did, there were tons of people with camera’s trying to catch a glimpse of the ponies inside. We passed all of them and drove towards to airport. Twilight was very fascinated by the bus and was curious about everything.

“What are those black squares?” she asked

“Those are flat screen televisions Twilight that’s what we watch special programs on as well as the news”

“Wow” her eyes glowed with excitement

“Hey Mel” Applejack asked, “What did the major mean when he said our flight will be leaving soon?”

“Oh well in order to get to Washington DC at a faster rate we’ll have to board a plane and fly down”

“We get to ride on one of those flying machines with the turbines that fly up in the sky, that’s is so cool” Twilight was now even more excited

“I hope we’ll be okay” Fluttershy said

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, Celestia and I have been on one before so its safe”

“I sure hope so, ain’t one for flying” Applejack said

“But you’ve been on an air balloon before, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, once or twice but I prefer staying on the ground”

“The flight won’t be long I assure you, also the meeting isn’t till tomorrow, so we have some time to sightsee”

I Assured the girls that this wouldn’t be all business

“DC is a big place girls, but I didn’t get to look around much while I was there but it is safe” Celestia spoke

“Doesn’t the President live in DC?” Twilight said

“Yes, while the President does his duties, he resides in a big place called The White House. Where he makes all the important decisions”

“Are we going to meet him?” Fluttershy spoke

“More than likely, he’ll want to meet the Princess again before the meeting happens”

“So, what is there to do around this DC area?” Fluttershy said

“Well, there is a lot of buildings and memorials of historical significance, there’s the Smithsonian museum as well as the aerospace museum”

The minute I said museum Twilight’s eyes sparkled with joy again

“But will we be okay, you know being out in the open?” Applejack said concerned

“Don’t worry, the US Government has a lot of people whose sole job is to protect important beings like us”

“The Secret Service is their name if I recall” Celestia retorted

“That’s them, they’ll be with us every step of the way”

“Whew, that’s comforting” just then Applejacks stomach began to rumble

“Didn’t realize I was that hungry” she rubbed her belly

“Don’t’ suppose you got any food on this here bus?”

“Now that you mention it Aj I asked Haynes to get us something for the road and they were able to procure some food” I got up and went to the back where the bar was

“We have a tray of vegetables as well as fruits since you guys don’t eat meat” I pulled them out of a small fridge under the bar and brought them out to them

“Oh, that’s right isn’t your world full of people that eat meat?” Twilight remarked

“Yes, and not to worry we don’t eat horses or ponies, also there was one thing I was able to get that I really enjoy that doesn’t have meat well not usually”

I went back to the bar and grabbed a familiar flat white box on the counter and brought it back. The girls were already munching on what I had already put out.

“This is called pizza” I opened the box and showed them the square slices with extra cheese on top.

They all looked at it like it was the most fascinating thing they had ever seen. Twilight used her magic to levitate a slice out of the box and take a bite. When she did her eyes went wind as she smiled happily at this new treat

“Mmmm it’s so sweet and crunchy”

AJ and Flutters grabbed a slice and tasted it and were just as amazed. Celestia tried it as well and she was pleased.

“It’s so good I ain’t never had anything like this before”

“How is this made, its so delicious?” Fluttershy said

“Well, they start out with this special dough that they stretch out into a rectangular pan, then they put the tomato sauce on the dough then they sprinkle the cheese on top. This one has extra cheese which they put a slice of provolone on top”

We ate our food together as we neared the airport, a short time later everypony including me was full.

“I gotta say that was one heck of a meal Mel” AJ said

“I’ll have to try making this pizza at home maybe spike would like it” Twilight reviewing her notes on the matter

Haynes got up and looked out the window

“Alright were here”

We cleaned up as best we could before we passed the gate onto the runway. We then pulled up next to a familiar jet as the bus came to a halt.

“Alright girls you ready?” they all nodded at me

The door opened as I let Celestia out first then the girls. Haynes and I grabbed their bags and made our way to the cargo hold. We made sure the bags were secured before boarding.

“Your Highness” I said

Celestia walked up into the plane cabin and Twilight quickly followed behind her. Applejack slowly took one step at a time shaking a little as she climbed into the plane. I looked and Fluttershy disappeared but then I felt something grab my legs from behind. I looked down and saw Fluttershy shaking in fear at the giant metal beast.

“Sir we have to leave now” Haynes said as he boarded the plane

I knelt down and put my hands on Flutters head. She looked like she was about to cry

“Fluttershy look at me, look at me” Fluttershy opened her scared eyes at me

“There is nothing to be scared of okay, I know your nervous so listen closely okay, close your eyes”

Fluttershy nodded and closed her eyes

“Now take a deep breath”

Fluttershy inhaled as best she could

“Count to four in your head okay”

Four seconds went by

“Now exhale and count to four again”

She did and they seemed to help calm her down

“I don’t know if I can get on”

“Let me help you okay” I gently picked up the little yellow pegasus and held her in my arms

“Keep your eyes closed and keep doing the counted breaths”

She blushed a little bit and did what she was told. I carried her on the plane and set her down in a seat. Haynes ordered for take-off and we slowly moved towards our destination. Soon the plane started moving faster and faster until we were airborne. Once we reached the right altitude, I turned to Fluttershy who still had her eyes closed but was more relaxed.

“Okay you can open your eyes now”

She did slowly and saw that we were okay, she even looked out the window and saw that we were in the air.

“Wow I thought it was going to be scarier than that”

“Me too I guess we were frightened by nothin’” AJ said

“See!”

We all got settled and I was starting to get thirsty

“I’m gonna request a drink, anybody want anything?”

“Water” “Apple juice” “Tea?” “Wine for me”

“Not sure if we have tea but I’m sure they’ll have something for you” I said

A short time later a flight attendant came out with everybody’s drinks including mine. I grabbed the can, opened it and took a good swig

“Hey Mel, what’s that your drinking?” Twilight asked

“Oh, it’s just some soda”

“What flavor is it?”

“Lemon-lime soda”

“Oh, like lemonade”

“Kinda”

“Does it always come in a can?”

“No Sometimes it comes in either glass or plastic bottles”

“Oh, we have soda in Equestria but never it never comes in a can”

“Hm Constance and variables”

Twilight was suddenly astounded by my response

“So, you know about those?”

“Well, if were talking about the multiverse as a whole there’s bound to be some similarities as well as differences between our worlds”

“Very well said”

Fluttershy sipped her tea, she seemed to like it considering it was from another world. She then scooched closer to me

“So, Mel mind if a ask you a personal question?”

“Sure, what’s on your mind”

“What do you think about Equestria?”

To be honest, since I’ve been rather busy to even think about the world that I’ve been tasked with understanding

“Well, it is a wonderful place, with lots of friendly ponies”

“How does it compare to this world?” asked AJ

“Well, there are friendly people here you have to find them though, like imma a big fan of anime and when I learned that they had conventions for it I was stoked to find like-minded people that shared a common interest”

“What’s anime?” Twilight said

“Anime is short for Japanese Animation, they animate there characters more human like but not all the time and the subject matter can range from cute for kids or violent for adults, I might show you some when we get to the hotel”

“Do you believe that Equestria is better than this world?” Celestia asked

“It’s hard to say, I mean we have more technology but Equestria there’s just something about it, it’s like the world itself is covered by a magic spell and it makes you feel good about yourself and it makes you want to be friends with everyone”

“Are you talking about pinkie pie, because that definitely sounds like her” Twilight said

We all laughed at the comment

“What’s your family like?” Aj spoke

“Well, my mom and my dad got divorced when I was young”

“Oh, sorry to hear that sugarcube”

“Eh I mean it happens to some poeple, my mom went on and married someone who was much worse unfortunately, I don’t like talking about it that much”

“It’s okay Mel, how bout siblings?” AJ said

“Well, I’ve got an older sister and a brother”

“Huh we got the same number of siblings”

“What about your dad?” Fluttershy retorted

“Well, my dad did the best he could to provide for his children eventually he married someone nicer”

“That’s good to hear”

After a while It got quiet as everyone relaxed as the plane neared our destination. I got bored and decided to turn on the tv. The screen popped up with the local news

-In other news the mysterious New Hampshire gate has opened a second time as officials are still wondering what came from the other side and are the beings from the other side friendly. Here we see footage of a large bus on its way to the airport presumably carrying its mysterious passengers. Report from Washington says that the President will present these beings before congress to solidify the peace negotiations between our worlds and to answer our concerns. There have also been report of protesters in DC stating that these beings don’t belong in our world and that the government should send them back and close the gate

“Geez everybody’s crazy over the gate, you got people that want peace and the people that hate things that they can’t explain to go away and stop interfering with their lives” I said exhaustingly

“It’s not your fault Mel we're here to make a good first impression and peace. True there maybe be others that may find us intimidating but we will do our best to make sure that peace is our only goal”

"Were in this together partner and so are you” Aj came and put her hoof on my leg”

“Me too” “And Me”

The plane slowly made its descent onto the runway. We pulled up next to a squad of Lincoln Navigators with secret service agents waiting for us. The door on the plane opened as we made over to them along with our luggage. The service men took them from our hands and put them into the back of the armored SUV.

“Ambassador” one said as he escorted me to the front along with Celestia. The girls were again put into the middle vehicle. Celestia was more cramped inside this one than the last. I sat in the front seat and we took off the runway and onto the road. As we drove to the hotel I was getting concerned about the girls as I kept looking back behind us. We drove past the white house as protesters were voicing their opinion out front. As we drove past them they didn’t seem to notice us until it was too late and that’s when my heart started racing. My mind was going

"What if they retaliate, what if they get their hands on them, what if I can’t protect them”

I was sweating and wiping my forehead as Celestia noticed. She then communicated inside my head like she did during the summit

“Relax Mel, everything will be fine”

I started to do my breathing again and it slowly calmed me down. We then pulled up to a Four Seasons Hotel. We pulled around the back so no one could see us. The Back was completely covered in black tarps to prevent spies from seeing the girls. We all piled out of the SUV’s and made our way into the hotel. The inside was fancy with white stone and maroon carpet. As Celestia walked in she couldn’t help but admire the hotel. The girls were all wide eyed seeing the massive crystal chandelier and waterfall in the lobby. We all stopped, and the Manager and all the hotel staff were present to witness their new arrivals

“Let me be the first to say welcome and we hope you enjoy your stay” he bowed as so did everyone else.

The service men then led us up to our rooms. As we walked up the stairs to the elevators which the girls were not accustomed too. Celestia barely fit inside one with me very close by her side along with a service man. He hit floor 7 and we ascended. We got off and waited for the girls. The door opened and Twilight was writing down more notes. The service men then brought us to our rooms. One room had three beds for the Princess and the girls and the room next door from theirs had two beds. The girls got comfortable as their luggage was being brought up too them. I went to my room to change into my pajamas and relax a little. A half an hour went by and I opened my laptop to call the major. The skype call took a few minutes to get through but then the major popped up on the screen

“Ambassador, I trust your trip to DC went as planned”

“Yes sir, everypony made it to the Hotel safe and sound”

“Well, that’s good to hear, listen I know there’s a lot riding on this meeting going well, if there’s a chance however slim I want you to be on high alert and if you’re willing to lay down your life for them, I trust you’ll make the right decision”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I will protect them with my life that I can promise”

“You may not be a soldier, but I hope you’ll make America proud”

He signed off leaving me with the imminent feeling of death. I closed my computer and turned to my shiny metal case. I opened it up and saw my pistol that I brought with me to Equestria. I’m surprised the secret service let me bring it with me, but then again, I am very close to them, maybe they think I’m the girl’s best chance at keeping them safe. I went back to the case and pulled out my gun and just held it in my hands. I sat on the edge of the bed looking at it knowing full well I could take someone’s life with this pistol.

That’s when I heard a knock at the door

“Come in”

Twilight, Aj and Fluttershy all walked in

“Hey there partner” AJ looked and saw the gun in my hand

“You uh doing okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine”

Twilight was getting concerned

“Are you sure you should be holding that, isn’t that a dangerous weapon?”

“It’s only dangerous if you don’t know how to properly handle one”

I kept my finger off the trigger while I held it and the barrel facing down and not pointed at anyone. I dumped the magazine out, racked the slide and out flung one round as I caught it midair. I racked the slide forward and put the slide safety on. I put the round back into the mag and set them both aside.

“You seem to be a little on edge”

I was but I wasn’t sure how to deal with it what with everything that’s going on

“It’s just a huge responsibility protecting you guys over here, Jesus I might die from it or I could be taking another person’s life. That kind of pressure is a lot for someone like me, hell I’m only 17”

“I understand your concern Mel” Celestia said as she stood in the doorway

“You are not alone, I too am afraid that something might happen, but as long as we face them together, I think everything will turn out fine”

“We're afraid too Mel, but you can count on us in times that you feel like you’re alone, that’s what friends are for”

I felt a little better but still if anything were to happen to them, I don’t think I could live with that guilt

“Come on girls let’s get some shut eye” Aj said as she was leaving the room

Twilight followed behind her but Fluttershy stayed behind

“Um if it’s alright, I um would like to keep you company for tonight, if you want me too”

“Uh no I don’t mind”

Fluttershy smiled as she climbed into my bed. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and took a Melatonin pill. I went back and laid next to Fluttershy who was blushing a little bit. I rolled over and looked out the window still thinking about tomorrow. Fluttershy wiggled closer and put her hooves around me and whispered in my ear.

“It’s okay, I’m here for you if you need me”

I started to blush a little feeling her warmth on me.

“Sleep now and let me take away all your troubles, there’s nothing to worry about, I got you”

Author's Note

Soon ponies will be revealed to the world but what will happen next

Chapter nine- Ponies Herd Round the World

I was woken up the next morning by the sun hitting my face. I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window. I felt like I always do, great yet nervous. I turned and saw Fluttershy still asleep by my side. She’s was such a sweetheart for looking after me considering. I quietly and gently got out of bed and went to the bathroom. I washed my face to kinda wake myself up I then looked in the mirror staring at myself thinking

“This is it”

It was still early for the ponies, but I could hear someone was awake next door. I slowly opened the door and saw Celestia looking out the window while Twilight and AJ snored in their beds. She noticed the door and turned to see me.

“Morning Mel, did you sleep well?” she said with a smug-like smile

I blushed as I looked back at Fluttershy in my bed

“It was pleasant to say the least” I said laughing a bit

“Did anything happen last night?”

I turned bright red

“No, actually I’m more surprise by your insinuation”

She chuckled softly

“I’m just kidding, so are you ready for today then?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be”

Then I heard a knock at the door. I quickly grabbed my gun and went up to the peephole. I looked and saw a service man standing at the door. I put my gun behind my back and opened the door.

“Morning sir I trust you slept well, there is a complimentary continental breakfast downstairs waiting for you and your friends”

He then turned and walked towards the elevators. When I closed the door, that’s when the girls started to wake up

“Good morning starshine” I said

Twilight looked at me funny yet still half awake

“That’s was joke Twilight”

“Hooey’ I slept like a brick” Aj said as she stretched her forelegs

“Wait a minute where’s Flutter-” Twilight then recalled that she slept in my room last night

“So, you slept with Fluttershy last night” AJ chuckled

“Anything exciting happen?”

“No nothing happened, just get ready for breakfast please” I stormed into my room.

I decided to take a quick shower before I got changed. I went into the bathroom and got naked. I was about to enter to shower when the door opened and in walked Fluttershy.
We both locked eyes as she saw me nude. I jumped behind the curtain and she quickly closed the door. It was an awkward moment and I tried to block out what just happened as I washed myself.

After a few minutes I dried my body and wrapped a towel around my waist. I then opened the door slightly to see if anypony was around. I then turned to see Fluttershy on the bed facing the window. She turned slightly and then covered her eyes. I think I heard a few squeaks come from her which was cute to say the least, but I could tell she was embarrassed. I grabbed my clothes and went back into the bathroom. I got into my suit and went to check on Fluttershy.

“You okay?”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean too-” Fluttershy blushed

“It’s okay Fluttershy these things happen”

She then buried her face into my chest still uncomfortable. I pet her head and she looked at me with those cute cyan eyes. I smiled at her and she smiled back. I got up and opened my suitcase. Inside was a vest that was given to me by the Secret Service. I put the cumbersome vest on and put my shirt over it.

“What’s that for”

“It’s to block bullets, ya know in case I get shot”

She gasped when I said that, just then the girls came into my room

“Do you plan on getting shot?” Twilight asked

“No, but it’s a risk I’m not willing to take, not in this day and age”

“Why is that?” AJ said

“Well, I'd already mention that there’s a possibility of an attack on you guys or me and I want to be prepared in case a terrorist tries anything”

“A terrorist?” Celestia said

“Yeah, America takes terrorism seriously ever since 9/11”

“Wait that’s a date, what happened?” Twilight asked

It was kinda of a tender subject that I feel I shouldn’t tell them but since they asked

“You might wanna sit down for this one cause you’re not gonna like what I have to say”

They all sat down and listened carefully

“On the early morning of September 11th, 2001, 4 airplanes were hijacked midair by several groups of Terrorists, they all threatened the people on board that they would blow up the planes if they didn’t do what they said. Anyway around 8 I believe one plane purposely crashed into one of the world trade center towers killing all those on board and possibly hundreds that worked on that floor of the crash”

The girls including Celestia were horrified upon hearing this

“Soon after, another plane crashed into the second tower, Around the same time a third plane crashed into the Pentagon. The Pentagon is where our nation’s military makes important decisions.

The fourth plane was supposed to crash into either the US Capitol or the White House, but the passengers fought back against them and they crash landed in Pennsylvania, all of them died”

I could see tears forming in their eyes

“After the two planes that crashed into the twin towers an explosion possibly from the plane caused both towers to collapse, before the collapse people were trying to escape but it was too late. In the aftermath of the towers falling, the streets were filled with panic and nearby buildings were destroyed and lead our economy into a recession”

The girls were crying softly, Celestia fought hard to hold her’s back

“It’s been estimated that almost 3,000 died that day including the plane passengers, those working in the towers at the time as well as policemen and firefighters working the streets and about 25,000 were injured from this attack alone”

“That’s quite enough Mel” Celestia said firmly

She wiped the tears from her eyes and approached me

“I can’t quite fathom what you have told us, how could something like this happen?” Twilight said crying lightly

“I believe it had something to do with us supporting a country that hated a certain group of people and so one man told his people to rise up and attack us”

“That’s just awful?” Aj said

“Now we know why terrorism is very serious threat now”

“Did you guys ever recover?” Fluttershy said through tears

“We did, we rebuilt, we got stronger, we tightened our security we went to war over this”

“How Terrible”

“We have built memorials honoring those that had died, I’m sorry about telling you guys”

“You shouldn’t be sorry for telling us about events that happened in the past, the only thing you can do is to make sure that it doesn’t happen again” Celestia said

“That’s why I’m a little on edge”

There’s was a moment of silence as the ponies all looked at each other

“Why don’t we get ready for breakfast” Celestia walked out the door along with Twilight and AJ.

I went back into the bathroom to brush my teeth and freshen up. As I was putting the rest of my clothes on, I heard the television turn on. Fluttershy must be trying to find something to watch to take her mind of the attack. I could hear the channels flipping and then stop and that’s when I heard a familiar voice. It was Fluttershy’s voice but it was from when we traveled to a mountain to tell a dragon to move because of its snoring smoke.
I walked out of the bathroom and saw the girls and Celetsia, mouths wide open as they watched the animated cartoon about themselves on the television.

“Huh I remember when we did that” I said to break the silence

“How is this even possible?” Twilight yelled

“How can that be us if we’re right here?” AJ said

“To be honest, I’m not sure”

I quickly grabbed my phone and began googling like a motherfucker to understand what was going on. I brought up Wikipedia and apparently, it’s a new show put out by Lauren Faust as a reboot of the original show.

“Okay says here that you guys exist as a cartoon developed for television by Lauren Faust for Hasbro’s new channel called the Hub”

Celestia’s eyes were taken back by my statement but she composed herself

“But how can this show exist if our world exists beyond the gate?”

“Like I said before the multiverse runs on parallel dimensional planes so it’s possible that your world exists in our world just slightly different than yours”

“But how can this Lauren person know what were gonna do before we do it”

“Now that’s a good question” I went through my phone again and I immediately called the major for help.

“Major it’s Mel”

“Mel how’s everything going over there aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the meeting?”

“Yeah, something has come up”

“Are you in any danger?”

“No, I just need you to look into something”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Did you know there’s a cartoon about the world of Equestria on the Hub network?”

“Huh no but how can there be, everything that you’ve told and shown us has been kept secret and away from the public eye?”

“That’s what I’m saying do you think you could look into Lauran Faust and see if there’s something fishy?”

“I’ll have my men look into her but for now proceed with the peace negotiations”

“Yes sir” I hung up the phone and everypony stared at me

I could tell they were starting to get nervous

“We are going to be okay right?” Twilight asked

“Yes, Twilight I will make sure of that, now let’s go eat”

We left the room and went down to the dining area of the hotel. I looked and noticed that the area was empty more than likely for the girls to eat in private without people in the way. There was plenty for us to eat, well except for meat which I feel was left out intentionally. The girls grabbed pancakes and waffles as well as fruit and sat down at the table. I grabbed some cereal and milk. We all sat together and ate quietly. I kept looking around the room and at the ponies. Celestia ate some muffins beside us. I wanted to say something to break the tension

“After the meeting I was thinking about taking you guys to the Smithsonian and check out some the art and history”

They all looked at each other and nodded, Twilight was most excited

“I’d love to learn bout how you guys started out back then” AJ said

“Yes, I would like to know too” Celestia interjected

We continued to eat until the time was getting close, then several service men came into the dining area

“Ambassador it’s almost time”

“Alright right ladies, the moment of truth is upon us”

The girls all finished their food and was escorted to the back of the hotel where our armored vehicles were waiting for us. The girls hopped into the back one and Celestia rode in front just like last time.

“Are you prepared Ambassador?” he said tapping his chest

“Yes, I made sure to put it on before breakfast” I said as I hopped in

“Very well sir” as he closed my door

We soon drove off toward the Capitol Building. We were coming down a road that had a lot of protestors on it. They held signs and were screaming- hey hey ho ho aliens have got to go.

They started to swarm our vehicles, luckily, they couldn’t see them through the two-way windows. They continued to chant as one man came up to our vehicle

“Send the abominations back your government pigs!”

“Can you drive around them?” I yelled

The service man as well as the vehicle behind us were able to drive away from them and continue on our way.

“Whew that was scary” I said wiping the sweat of my forehead

“I never knew your people hated us so much”

“It’s not you, they’re just scared people that want to feel safe”

“Let’s just focus on the meeting sir” the Service man said

Fairly soon we pulled up to the Capitol Building, there were special coverings for the girls so prying eyes could not catch a glimpse of them as they entered. All us got out as I stood by Celestia.

“Please follow us inside” as the service men led us in

Truth be told I had never been inside the Capitol Building; I’ve only ever seen it on television. When we entered, the floors were layered in mosaic tiles, and the walls were white marble just like the outside. The girls were looking all around at Pictures of the past. Soon we were led into the back rooms where the President was waiting for us.

“Ah Ambassador” he said as he went to shake my hand

“Your highness” he bowed to Celestia

“Mr. President, good to see you again”

The President looked and saw the girls walking in

“I see you’ve brought some ponies with you”

“Yes, this is my pupil Twilight Sparkle, That’s Applejack and the pegasus is Fluttershy”

“Well, it’s nice that you all could make it, we’ll be starting shortly. I’ll go up, introduce the Ambassador and he will call you to come up one at a time”

We all nodded as the President left us. Fluttershy went to peak out from behind the curtain and saw a lot of people and news crews all watching. She then started to hyperventilate. I ran over to her and told her to do the breathing trick. After a few seconds she calmed down.

“I knew she was gonna behave like this” AJ said

“There must be something we can do?” Twilight said

I thought about it, and it seems she gets scared when she notices them looking at her but, what if we block her sight. I went into my bag that I brought with me and took out a sleep covering. I knelt down in front of Fluttershy and put it over her eyes

“Can you see them now?”

Fluttershy with her covered vision tried to look out from behind the curtain and her reaction changed

“No, I can’t” she said

“Then you’ll be okay just for now” I gave Fluttershy a hug and whispered into her ear

“I’ve got you”

I stood back up that’s when I could hear the President call my name. I stood in front of the curtain and took a deep breath. I stepped into the room I knew from tv and took to the podium as camera’s began flashing and chattering amongst the people present. I could feel myself get tense knowing I was now on live television.

“Hello everyone, I am ambassador Mel and I have been to the other side of the gate and have learned a lot about the beings there”

“Excuse me” one reporter said

“What’s it like over there?”

“Uh, well it’s very colorful, the beings thereare very friendly but not quite as advanced as us, but they get by using (ahem) magic”

The crowd started to chatter again

“Ambassador, when you entered to gate why did they not attack you?”

“Well, I was taken prisoner but when I was brought before the Princess, she wanted nothing more than peace”

“Ambassador is it true that you brought some of these beings here?”

“Well yes and I would like to introduce them to you now”

The crowd got quiet and waited patiently.

“I would like to bring the ruler of the lands beyond: Princess Celestia”

When I called her name Celestia slowly revealed herself from behind the curtain and slowly walked over next to me. The crowd went nuts and cameras were flashing, and the chatter picked back up. She stood next to me and addressed the crowd.

“Hello people of America it is quite an honor to meet you all”

I could only imagine what was going on online. I quickly checked my phone and Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram were all blowing up.

“The beings are indeed equine of some form and there are many ponies that live beyond the gate that I would like to also present to you ”

The chatter picked up as the waited

“First up is a unicorn known for using magic, by the name of Twilight Sparkle”

Twilight popped out from behind the curtain and the crowd roared, she then sat next to Celestia

“Next we have an earth pony, don’t be fooled though earth ponies are tougher than they look and are well adverse in agriculture, Applejack”

Applejack came out and sat next to Twilight

“Lastly are the Pegasi, who are known for controlling the weather, Fluttershy

Fluttershy stumbled out from behind the curtain and slowly made her way next to AJ.

“These ponies are very excited, to be here and to learn about us”

“Excuse me but why is the pegasus wearing an eye cover?”

Fluttershy was getting a little shaky

“Well, Fluttershy as her name would imply, has extreme levels of anxiety so the covering is help her”

“Now up to the stage is Twilight the unicorn” the committee said

Twilight got up on stage and stood on her hind legs to get up to the microphone.

“Miss Sparkle is it true that magic, in the context of casting spells and turning invisible, that would be impossible without proper study, exist but only in unicorn horns?”

“You would be correct I can demonstrate for you if you’d like?”

Twilight’s horn began to glow and then she vanished from the podium and reappeared at the back of the room by the double doors. Everyone was shocked and amazed by her magical capabilities. Twilight then teleported back to the podium. Everyone was freaking out a little bit that magic is possible in their world.

“How about something else Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight’s horn began to glow, and papers and pens began to fly into the air and then float around in unison. Before long the papers and pens all landed neatly on a nearby table.

“Up next is Applejack”

Twilight went to sit down and Aj took the stand

“Now Miss Applejack, do you have any special talents?”

Aj thought about the question but answered it honestly and to the best of her abilities.

“Well, I can knock down a 40ft tree with my hind legs if that helps, I’m also good at bucking apple trees and working on my family farm”

Not a lot of chatter came from Aj but there was a lot of writing going down

“Now would you say agriculture is all you know?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that I’m also good at baking, good with a lasso, and a wide variety of instruments”

The chattering commenced again

“Fluttershy is up next”

I walked down to help Fluttershy reach the mic without bumping into things

“oh, um hello everypony…I mean everyone” saying so cute and quietly

“Miss Fluttershy how do pegasi control the weather so easily?”

Fluttershy was a little nervous but she answered nonetheless

"Uh well the pegasi are responsible for making and distributing the weather that is needed for the land”

“What do you mean by make the weather?”

“Well, the weather factory is responsible for making all types of weather from clouds, to rainstorms, to heavy winds, to rainbows, even snowflakes”

More chatter ensued Fluttershy sat back down as best she could as Celestia took the stand

“These three races all act as one nation, pegasi make weather for the earth ponies and in turn the unicorns use magic to help all three in their daily lives”

“What about you your highness? You’re a Princess ruling over the all the lands what about the king or queen?”

Celestia was stunned considering I asked her that when I first met her

“Me and my sister know nothing of our father and we only have faint memories of our mother but when Luna and I were born we were destined to watch over the ponies of Equestria”

So Celestia did have some memories about her mom, I wonder why she didn’t tell me.

“Is it also true that our ambassador was brought to you bound and treated like a threat when he first came to your world?”

“Well, I personally didn’t do that to him my guards were responsible for bringing him to me. That’s why when he was brought before me, I treated him like I would any new being”

“Do you have any plans on ruling over us considering your title and magic status?”

“No of course not, as intimidating as your military is I would not want to risk others getting hurt and vise verse”

The President interrupted and took the podium

“Yes, these mystical beings are indeed powerful, and I believe that we can be equals”

As the President continued his speech, I looked out at the crowd of reporters with microphones pointed towards the podium as camera’s continued to flash. I looked at one in particular as it didn’t look right. The foam on the end looked like a lint ball and not foam and the stem had a weird slot on it. Something in me clicked and in that moment, time seemed to slow down for me. All the noise seemed to fade as I slowly got up towards the man with the mic.

I went for my gun as he then pointed his mic directly at Celestia. I pulled out my gun and aimed it at him while walking towards him. He then saw me, spun his mic and pointed it at me instead. He flicked his finger and-

Bang!

The device went off and hit me right in the chest. I felt the force hit me hard as I stumbled back a little bit. I turned back to face him then returned fire on him

Bang! Bang! Bang!

All three hit him in the chest as he fell backwards onto the floor.

I stood there for a moment looking at his body as blood trickled from the holes in his chest. His body flinched a few times as service men came and pointed their guns at him. He looked up at me and then simply passed on. I felt great remorse as my gun fell gently out of my hand and onto the floor. Celestia and the girls were then escorted behind the curtain as I stood there motionless until a service man tapped me on the shoulder. That’s when everything went back to normal

“Sir we have to get you out of here” he said as he guided me backstage.

An hour went by as a nurse was finishing checking on me as she held a cold compress on my bare chest where the bullet hit me.

“Just hold here and I’ll check on you in a bit” she said as she walked away

A service man as well as the President came up too me

“Are you alright young man” he said

“Yeah, I mean I’ve never been shot before, but luckily I had that vest on”

“You did the right thing son and I won’t forget it if there’s anything you need?”

“Perhaps another time Mr. President”

“Very well” he then left with his service man

I laid my head back as I heard approaching hoof steps. I looked and saw Celestia and the girls walk towards me.

“It’s all good, im fine I just got some light bruising is all”

Fluttershy hovered over and sat next to me. She looked like she was holding back tears she then gave me a hug as she buried her face into my neck.

“I so glad you’re okay” she said as a few tears ran down her face and onto me

Celestia looked at me

“How did you know Mel?”

“I’m not sure it was just a gut feeling it all happened to slow and yet so quick”

“I’m just glad you not injured sugarcube” Aj said as she put her hoof on my leg

“I was so scared I thought for sure you were a goner” Twilight said as she put her hoof on my other leg

I hugged Fluttershy back and rested my head

“I’m just glad it’s over”

Author's Note

an assasination who could have done this

Chapter ten- The Times we Have

So, after the failed assassination attempt on Celestia, the Secret service moved us to a secure location. Where the location was, was beyond me and the girls. They had us blind folded as they escorted us to the vehicles. By the time we stopped and brought us to a new building is when they took them off. The building looked like an abandoned empty warehouse. The only comfort they provided to us was an old tv, a couch, and some food. The girls all sat on the carpet next to the couch. I sat down as well trying to take in the last moments that happened. The girls were quiet as well as Celestia. Celestia walked over to me as I stared off into space. I thought about the man I shot and killed. I had never done anything like this before in my life and I took someone else’s life. I don’t know who this guy was, he could’ve had a normal life with a family and I just snuffed him out. I thought about my upbringing being a Christian and all and I thought about was my soul going to hell for killing a person. As I stared off into nothing, I couldn’t help but shed a tear for that poor lost soul that I killed.

“Mel” Celestia called my name softly

Celestia’s voice helped break me from my small trauma, as I turned to look at her wiping my face as I did.

“Yes”

“I understand what you’re going through, doing what you did must not have been easy for you”

“Well, it’s not every day you take someone’s life”

The girls could also see what I’m going through

“How do you cope with that?”

Celestia looked at me as she put her hoof on my leg

“You just have to learn to live with it, I know that might not help but remember I have lived for thousands of years, I have fought in wars and many of my brave soldiers have died as well as watching the ponies that I’ve come to know and respect wither away”

I guess it helped a little, this is just one of those things that happen

“I know things may have taken a turn for the worse, but I propose we try to look towards the good times and not dwell on past events”

Granted this event only took place like several hours ago. However, I can see where she’s coming from, she wants the girls to have a good time and not focus on the negativity. I turned to one of the Secret Service men.

“Hey how long will we be couped up here?” I asked

“Until the Secret Service deem it’s safe to go out again”

The girls all came up too and sat down with me, AJ sat the furthest away from me, but I couldn’t figure out why.

“I must admit Mel I am grateful that you saved us and all, and seeing that is not easy on us as well and we're all coping with it in our own way”

“It was rather scary seeing you do what you did and I’m glad that you’re not hurt I just wish there could have been another way though” Fluttershy said

I turned to Applejack and she had this look like she was going through some turmoil herself

“You wanna talk AJ?” I asked

“I don’t wanna talk about it” she said as she turned away and went to go lay down on her cot

“It’s okay Mel maybe she’ll open up later, she can be pretty stubborn” Twilight said

“I’m glad some one of you understand, but like I said before something like this was bound to happen, I just wasn’t expecting it so soon, I mean you guys are rather alien in our world and there are people out there that don’t like you”

“Do you think those protesters from before had anything to do with it?” Celestia said

“Well, it’s more than likely, but the Secret Service are looking into the matter as we speak”

I laid back on the couch and took a deep breath, the pain on the side of my chest still hurt a little from the impact.

“Does it still hurt Mel?” Fluttershy said worryingly

“It does a little, but it will get better over time”

Time was getting late and I figured it was time to turn in.

“Why don’t we rest on it and we will pick up on it in the morning?”

“Very well Mel” Celestia walked over to her cot and so did Twilight and Fluttershy.

I went over towards Aj to say something as my hand reached out, but I withdrew it and went over to my cot. I laid in bed and tried to sleep, I pulled out my phone and put some asmr’s on and closed my eyes.

8 hours later

I woke up and turned my phone off before checking on the ponies to make sure everypony was accounted for. I decided to get my things and get some air. A Service man stood by me as I went outside but I didn’t go far. The area around us was run down and filthy not the sort of place we should be in. Rarity would have a fit and probably start whining. I went to check on the girls who were fast asleep. Celestia was just waking up, knowing her she’s probably up this early to raise the sun. She looked up and caught herself when she looked at me

“Mel how does the sun rise and set in this world?”

“Well, it’s complicated without using visuals”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if I had some balls of different size and some wire, I might be able to map out our solar system”

“I see perhaps you could draw it for me” Celestia’s horn lit up and then suddenly a large piece of paper and a pen appeared out of thin air

“Whoa how did you do that?”

“Well, I do have magical abilities where I can conjure whatever I imagine out of thin air”

“Wow that’s incredible!”

Celestia then chuckled

“I’m just kidding, I teleported some things from the hotel we were staying at”

“Oh” I said disappointingly

“Gotcha”

Anyhow I took the pen and I begin mapping out our solar system using my phone as a guide onto the paper

“Okay so the sun is actually the center of our solar system and all the other planets rotate around it”

“So, the sun stays in place while the others just float around it?”

“Yeah”

“What keeps them floating”

“Well in outer space there’s zero gravity and certain planets have some gravitational pull that allows them to orbit the sun”

“Well in Equestria the Sun and Moon are present and they do rotate but we have to offset them, so day and night happen in certain areas”

“Seems like a lot of work” I said

“Well back in the day before my sister and I, there once Existed a group of twelve unicorns and based on their magical abilities and devotion to their study of magic would spend their years maintaining the rising and setting of our sun and moon only for them to be replaced after 12 moons. It truly must have been a tragic time for all their magic to be snuffed out in mere moments”

“Sheesh times were tough back then”

“Indeed, to be fair I only just recently started reading some of the ancient scrolls from the restricted section in Canterlot library”

“Wait there’s a restricted section in the library?”

“Yes, but don’t go telling Twilight about it, you know how she gets when she’s thirsty for knowledge”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye”

At this time the girls started to wake up. Twilight yawned as she looked at us

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Oh, just science stuff” I said

When I said science, she lit up like the fourth of July and rushed over and sat down next to us

“Oh, tell me, tell me, tell- oh wait” she then levitated a scroll and ink out of her saddle bag

“Okay start over from the beginning”

So, after telling her everything I had just told Celestia she went all wide eyed just like she did when we first met

“Wow there’s so much about this world that’s just so fascinating” she said scribbling her findings down

Fluttershy came over and sat down as well

“Are there a lot of animals here?”

“Most assuredly I have seen my fair share of the wildlife”

“Oh, tell me” she said all cute like

“Well, I have seen various birds like sparrows, crows, hawks, seagulls, vultures. I’ve seen deer, moose, coyotes, wolves, bears, mountain lions, bobcats. But other types and various species live in other parts of the world”

“Wow!”

Aj was starting to wake up and she looked at all of us and still had the expression on her face when she looked at me. She still got up and sat near us.

“So…The moon in your world, has anypony been there besides Luna?”

They all just looked at me funny

“I don’t believe so there’s not much up there” Celestia said

“So, you’ve been there?”

“Once, I had to make sure the moon could hold Nightmare Moon I don’t like to talk about it that much”

“How could you breathe there’s no oxygen up there?”

“I used a magic bubble that kept some of the air trapped inside”

“Interesting”

“Has any human ever been to your moon?” Twilight asked

“Why yes let me tell you all about it, in 1969 we sent a crew of six astronauts into outer space on the ship Apollo 11, and they successfully landed on the moon to quote Neil Armstrong- it’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. As he walked across the surface on the moon”

Twilight went wide eyed again

“Hold up now sugarcube, how did they get into this outer space on a ship without water, it be impossible?”

I was dumbfounded by her question, but I answered as best I could

“Well, they didn’t use a sailing ship to do it they used a spaceship attached to a pair of very large rockets”

Twilight was scribbling her new findings down

“Well then how could they breathe up there without using magic?”

“Well, the scientist’s at Nasa, that’s the National Aeronautics and Space Administration built specialized suits that would protect them from the vacuum of space as well as provide oxygen to them as they did their mission”

I could see that Applejack found that to be ridiculous meanwhile Twilight was writing everything down. I could see Twilight looking back and forth at me and her paper as she jotted everything I said down

Soon some Service Men came up to us with breakfast

“Here you are Donuts and coffee, I also have some tea as well” he said

I grabbed the bag and coffee’s and put it on the table in front of us

“Take your pick girls” I said grabbing a donut and shoving it in my mouth as I got up to talk to the Service Men.

The girls started to eat and drink as I went and talked

“Any news on the guy?”

“Well, our suspicions were correct the radicalistic group based in DC were behind the attack however there are several of them hiding everywhere and their leader is pretty hard to find, but once we find him, he will be punished for his crimes”

“So, what happens next?”

“Well, were in the process of changing location preferably closer to the airport so our visitors can be flown back before any more interruptions happen unless there a place that you’d like to take them?”

I thought about it and I wanted to do something nice for them, like take them somewhere safe and simple.

“I was hoping to take them to the Smithsonian”

The Service man looked at me funny as he raised his brow

“Are you sure that’s wise being out in the open is just begging for another attack”

I looked back at the girls as they ate and wondered what they’re going through

“They have experienced enough and I just want them to see something nice that America has to offer”

He seemed a little conflicted but ultimately gave in

“I’ll see what we can do” he turned to talk to his superiors

I looked over at the girls who seemed to be having a conversation about me

“Well, I trust him” Fluttershy said

“How?” Applejack yelled “He killed one of his own how long will it take before he kills one of us!”

“That’s enough Applejack” Twilight scolded

“Mel has been nothing but kind to all of us he wouldn’t do something like that”

“How would you know, all of us have only known him for like a couple months” Aj yelled

“Enough!” Celestia yelled very loudly that it almost me jump out of my own skin. That must be her royal Canterlot voice she mentioned to me

“Yes, we’ve had some hiccups here and there, what matters is that we get through them together”

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other and nodded, AJ was still apprehensive, she folded her forelegs nodded too. By now the Service agent came back over to me.

“We can bring them after hours so nobody will be there, the security at the Smithsonian is top notch and we will also be monitoring you as well”

“Excellent” I then walked over to the girls to tell them

“Hey good news, our next stop will be the Smithsonian Museum”

I could see Twilight get all giddy for once she was going to see human art and not the pony art she was used too. Fluttershy smiled but Applejack just looked the other way still mad.

“I think a Museum would be an excellent place to take our minds off recent events” Celestia said

Pretty soon the big Vehicles came into the warehouse and the girls got into one and Celestia and I got into the front one and we soon were on our way. While we were driving, I looked back at Celestia and we locked eyes and I could hear her voice in my head

(Talk to Applejack she’s been through a lot since her folks died)

I nodded and faced forward as we soon came upon the museum. All of us got out and I led them into the main building named the Castle. The girls entered and were immediately amazed by the art with visual exhibits and maps. Celestia walked in behind me as looked in Amazement as well. The castle didn’t hold much but the girls, except for Aj wanted more so we walked across the Mall and into the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden where some of the more contemporary art was housed. The girls were astounded by the weird and abstract. I watched them have a good time Celestia seemed a little bored perhaps she wasn’t a fan of art or perhaps museums. I looked over at AJ and she seemed to be transfixed on one particular piece. It was an old painted titled American Gothic it was a well-known painting by Grant Wood in 1930. Applejack just seemed to stare at it for a while.

“You like it?” I said

I broke her out of her trance and she just brushed me off again

“No, it’s just I have something similar back at home except their ponies”

“Ah well our worlds are same in some areas I guess”

Applejack just turned and walked away towards the girls. She really does not like me

The next exhibit was the Aerospace Museum, and I could tell Twilight was going to love this one. As soon as we entered her eyes went wide again at all the planes from different time periods

We soon came to the space section and here I showed them how we got into space using rockets, computers and science. They were all so amazed at how far humanity has come. I looked and Applejack was nowhere to be found. I got concerned and decided to go look for her.

“Why don’t you guys check them out I’m going to use the bathroom” I said before slipping away.

I started to search for Aj, I know she couldn’t have gone far, and she couldn’t have been kidnapped, there were Service Men everywhere. I checked the bathrooms and some of the Exhibits. I then got to the second floor and found her sitting on a bench all by herself in front of the first plane made by Wilbur and Orville Wright.

“It’s not good to wander off Aj I was really concerned”

“Why do you care?” she shouted

I could feel the emotions in her tone, she seemed sad and mad at the same time

“Because it’s my job Applejack, it’s my job to make sure nothing happens to you”

“BUT WHY?” she yelled “You killed someone, you could have stopped him by some other means but you just killed him and now he’s dead because of us!”

Aj began to cry a little “And we almost lost you too” tears began to stream down her face.

I walked over to her, sat down and pulled her close to me. She didn’t expect it at first, but she just buried her face into me. I took her hat off and began gently stroking her blonde mane

“You lost someone didn’t you?”

She looked up at me with those green emerald eyes of her’s, tears dripping down, and she continued to cry into my chest. She nodded her head the best she could. I held her close to me and whispered to her

“I’m here you for Aj, I’ll always be here for you. I am truly sorry for what I did, and I am sorry that you had to witness it. if I hadn’t done what I did, Celestia would not be with us. I am more than willing to lay down my life for you and I’m sorry you may not like the way I do things, but I will not harm you or let anyone else harm you ever”

Applejack may have her own ideals, but she knew I was telling the truth. She then wrapped her forelegs around me.

“I don’t like to talk about it much but I’m glad you’re here for me sugarcube”

“Who did you lose?”

Applejack sniffed and wiped the tears off her eyes

“My mom and dad”

“I’m sorry to hear that” as my heart cracked for her

“I was just a little filly when they passed, I just miss them so much, I’m so sorry for acting this way I just didn’t want to lose you too”

I let go of Aj and gave her a tissue from my coat.

“It’s okay Aj I forgive you” I said as I picked up her hat and placed it back on her head.

“Do you think you could not tell the others bout this?”

“Don’t worry sugarcube what happened between us will be our secret” I then pulled her hat down her face

“Hey that’s my line” she said smiling and laughing

Applejack looked up at the plane above her and pointed

“So, what’s that doohickey?” she said

“Well, that’s the very first plane made by the Wright Brothers a long time ago

“How did it work?”

“Well, they spent months trying and perfecting it, making it out of spruce and canvas equipped with a small engine, granted it didn’t fly for very long or very far but it was a start”

“Hm I’m not quite sure how it works but it is pretty cool seeing how folks used to fly back in the day”

“Come on lets go catch up with the others” I said

We both got up and went back to find the others. We ended up finding them in front of Amelia Earhart’s plane.

“Applejack come check this out” Twilight said pointing to her plane

“It’s says here that she was the first women to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo, isn’t that amazing?”

Applejack just smiled and nodded her head

“Sure, is Twilight” Aj looked up at the figure of Amelia

I stood up and watched as Aj was now having a good time with the girls and I was glad that she opened up to me. Celestia came up from behind to speak to me.

“I take it you talked to her?”

“I did Indeed” I said

“Thank you” she said as she gently put her wing on my shoulder

After looking at the exhibits we soon found ourselves in the gift shop. I had a feeling now would be a good time for them to get some souvenirs to take home.

“Alright girls feel free to grab a keepsake before we go”

The girls looked around at all the tacky stuff the museum sells to tourist. I figured I'd grab something for the girls that didn’t get to come. I grabbed a fancy bonnet for Rarity, a presidential cookie recipe book for Pinkie and a wind-up balsam wood glider for Rainbow.

“Mel how are we gonna pay for these things?” Twilight said

“Don’t worry the Secret Service will cover us so don’t be afraid to get something expensive”

Twilight’s eyes went wide again as she gleefully looked at the model airplanes.

“This stuffed eagle looks really cute; it reminds me of the one I have back home” Fluttershy said

“You have a pet eagle?” I spoke

“Oh yes I have lots of pets, I love animals and I do enjoy taking care of them” she said as she hugged her fluffy companion.

It almost made my heart explode. I turned to look at Aj as she seemed conflicted on what kind of souvenir to bring home.

“Need help finding something?”

“You think Applebloom would like this?” as she held a snow globe of the white house

“I think so, as long as it’s from you I think she’ll love it”

“Well, Alrighty then”

Everypony gathered there stuff as we made our way back. I noticed Celestia didn’t grab anything.

“Not a fan of keepsakes?”

“Not particularly” she said

“Nothing for your sister?”

“My sister is hard to get sometimes”

“I might have something that you could give her”

I then gave her one of my gift bags to her

“You can give this to her as a surprise”

“Hmm thank you Mel i'm sure she’ll like it”

We were then escorted by the Secret Service to a new undisclosed location supposedly near the airport.

===========================================++=======================================================

After an uneventful flight we soon found ourselves back in familiar territory. As we were riding on the bus back to the gate, it was rather quiet as the ponies just either looked out the windows or made small talk amongst each other. I decided to break the silence in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“So, what was your guy’s favorite part of the trip?”

They all thought about it for a moment

“I definitely love the museums” Twilight reminisced

“You humans have such a wonderful imagination when it comes to making things”

“I mostly liked seeing all you humans, well one at a time anyway your species seem so fascinating, you're just like us except you wear more clothes and walk on two legs”

“I liked those trees they had in that park we passed, I ain’t never seen ones like that”

“Oh, you mean the cherry blossom trees? Interestingly enough the planting of cherry trees in Washington DC originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan. In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or "Sakura," is an important flowering plant. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a symbol with rich meaning in Japanese culture.”

“Huh they just looked pretty to me” AJ smiled

I turned to Celestia as she remained quiet amongst us

“How about you Celestia?”

“Oh well it was certainly interesting meeting and understanding how your Government works”

“It can be overwhelming but I’m glad that we got through it together”

Everypony smiled as we pulled into the secure area in front of the gate

“It’s good to be back” I said looking out the window

Chapter eleven- Truth and Holidays

As I got off the bus first, I was glad to be back safe at home and be able to traverse back to Equestria. I turned and was greeted by the Major who looked rather annoyed

“Mel good to see you’re in one piece”

I could only assume he saw the attempted assassination live on national television

“Yeah, so am I and as you can see no pony was hurt.”

When I said that the girls and Celestia began to exit the bus and stand by me.

“Major good to see you” Celestia bowed.

“Your highness, I’m glad you’re all safe and I hope that your trip was eventful but now let’s get you back home”

The Major waved his hand, and the Gate began to open again. I looked back at the major who’s face just seemed off

“Mel, I need to talk to you in my office privately, something has come up that demands your attention” he turned and walked to his office trailer

I looked back at the girls who seemed concerned.

“Don’t worry it’s probably nothing” I said uncertainly.

Celestia stepped forward towards me.

“Does it have something to do with that Lauren Faust person?”

I remembered back when they watched the show for the first time in the hotel room.

“It’s possible but it’s something that the major and I can handle.”

I bowed, turned and walked towards the trailer. As I walked in and closed the door behind me, I turned and saw Lauren sitting at the table as the major stood off to the side from her.

“Ms. Faust this is Ambassador Mel, Mel, I take it you know Ms. Faust.”

I pulled out a chair and sat down as well.

“Yes, I know her.”

Lauren looked a bit confused as to why she was brought here.

“So, why am I here sir?” she said as she looked at the major

The major then turned to me.

“Do you wanna tell, or should I?”

“I’ll do it” I said as I made eye contact with her.

“It’s seems the world of My Little Pony and Equestria that you created for Television is real and it exists on the other side of the Gate.”

She looked dumbfounded and even more confused.

“Excuse me?”

“Equestria, the world of ponies that you created lies just beyond that Gate there” I pointed my hand towards the door.

“Wait so what you’re telling me is that thee Equestria I came up with exists beyond that big stone structure?”

“Yes, I have been there, and I will say it is a wonderful place.”

Again, she looked at me still dumbfounded.

“That’s not possible” she looked at the major and then back to me.

“Is it?”

“I assure you Ms. Faust that its possible, I don’t know how but it is”

Lauren held her head in her hands trying to process this new information.

“So, everything that I made up is over there?”

“Yes indeed, Ponyville, Cloudsdale, Canterlot and of course the characters that you put a lot of thought into exists, I mean did you even see what was going on, on national television.”

“I’ve been rather busy working on my latest show that I haven’t had time to see the news, but for some reason my characters were trending on Twitter, and I had no idea why?”

The major went to one of the tv’s on the wall and turned it on

“Perhaps you would like to see for yourself.”

The screen flickered and the scene being shown was the President talking and then Celestia came out to address the nation. Soon Twilight, Fluttershy and then Applejack came out as well. Lauren was transfixed to the television as the meeting went on. When Celestia was back on the stand you could see me approach the would-be assassin as he shot me, and I shot back as a panic ensued. The major then turned the tv off.

“So, you see Ms. Faust a lot of our information from beyond the gate has been brought to us by Mel here. He was the first to visit there and has been gathering intel about their world. That information has been a closely guarded secret and then he tells me that all of his research exists as a cartoon show made by you, that’s a weird coincidence.”

“I don’t know what to tell you I’ve had these ideas in my head ever since I was a little girl”

“Perhaps were being too hard on her sir, I mean there’s no way either of us could have known.”

I looked back at Lauren.

“When did your show premier anyway?”

“I believe on October 10th”

“Hm what was the first episode about?”

“Well Twilight goes to Ponyville to make new friends and Nightmare Moon returns and she finds the Elements of Harmony and defeats her.”

I could not believe what she had just told me because I was there when it happened.

“That’s also an odd coincidence, because I was there with Twilight and I helped her with the summer sun celebration preparations, and I was there when she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon.”

Lauren was taken back by my story.

“Wait so what you’re saying is that everything that you are experiencing right now beyond the gate is also happening in the show” The Major said.

“I guess I would agree, but their seasons are off, either that or time moves differently in their world.”

“Hm you’ll have to look into that, in the meantime continue with you research, Ms. Faust you're free to go now.”

Lauren definitely was in a state of sorts as she stood up. I figure that maybe seeing proof of them in real life would help.

“Hey, would you like to meet Celestia?”

She was shocked again and just nodded her head. I went to the door, moved the blinds and looked out and saw Celestia standing in the gateway probably waiting for me. I opened the door as Lauren followed me out and we both walked over to the gate. Celestia was transfixed on Lauren and so was she, gazing back at her. They stared at each other like they knew one another and yet they didn’t.

“Ahem, uh Celestia this is Lauren Faust, Lauren this is…well you know who she is.”

Lauren nodded as she stared at Celestia. She then reached her hand out and cupped Celestia’s cheek. Celestia remained motionless by Lauren.

“It’s like I’ve know you my whole life and yet I feel as if I haven’t.”

Celestia’s eyes went wide and began to tear up.

“I feel the same way, for some reason” Celestia said.

Twilight leaned in towards me.

“What's going on?”

“I’m not sure, anywho I do believe it’s time to get back beyond the gate your highness.”

My comment broke Celestia out of her trance as she looked back at us. She then nodded and walked towards the gate with the girls following close behind.

“Is there a chance I might visit Equestria?” Lauren said.

“Maybe, just not right now”

The Major then escorted Lauren out of the enclosure. Lauren and Celestia’s encounter definitely aroused my curiosity. Was there some inter dimensional energy/shift happening when they got close. Perhaps when I go back, I’ll have a more in-depth chat with her about it.

The Major then came back to speak to me.

“Mel, keep doing what you’re doing and if you find anything else about those two let me know.”

“Yes sir”

I Quickly followed behind the girls as we all passed through the gate.

When we emerged from the other side a lot on the ponies from Ponyville were waiting for us.

“Yay Mel’s back” Pinkie yelled as she jumped into the air and hugged me. She latched on tight and squeezed me, I felt like my eyes were gonna pop out of my skull.

“Good to see you to Pinkie” I said as I pulled her off of me and set her down on the ground.

I wiped the wrinkles out of my suit and then addressed the other ponies.

“It’s good to have you back Mel, I trust you trip with the girls went as planned” Rarity said.

“Yes, there was a minor hiccup, but we persevered.”

“Oh, what kind of hiccup, was it a dangerous one with explosions and fighting and action!” Rainbow said.

“I’m sorry but what happened is between us and the Princess Rainbow.”

“Aw fine” she said disappointedly.

“However, I did manage to get you guys souvenirs.”

When I said that their eyes grew wide with excitement. I handed them their gifts and they all accepted them gleefully.

“Thank you, Mel,” they all said.

Just then Luna stepped forward to talk with her sister.

“It is good to see you return dear sister how was the human summit?”

Celestia looked at me and I looked at her and shook my head ever so slightly.

“It was different than what I’m use too but was eventful nonetheless, once we get back, I’ll go into more detail.”

“Perhaps we should get some rest. We all had a long trip as it were” I said.

“Okay but were gonna talk about what happened over there, no secrets shall be kept from me” Pinkie uttered to me.

“Well, I better mosey on back home, Applebloom probably gonna chew my ears off about the other side.”

“I’d better get back too, Angel’s probably angry that I’ve been gone for so long and all the other critters miss me.”

All the ponies went off back home as Twilight and I were left alone.

“Shall we” I said.

Twilight nodded as we both head back to Golden Oak Library.

“Hey Mel” she said as I turned to face her.

“I forgot to say thank you by the way.”

“Thank you for?”

“For taking care of us and protecting Celestia of course, I know that must have been really hard for you to undertake and I know it’s been rough with everything going on over there and us, I hope that your people can see us as friends someday.”

“But we are friends, but I get what you mean, The Gate is still relatively new to a lot of people, so I think it’s going to take some time before people start accepting it.”

“Thanks, it’s good to have a close friend, even if you aren’t a pony.”

We both walked up to the door and we both entered to find Spike passed out on the floor with a pile of comic books by his side.

“Looks like a certain dragon tried to stay awake for my return but couldn't keep his eyes open, I’m gonna put him to bed, I’ll see tomorrow Mel” she said as she levitated a sleepy spike to his bed.

I nodded and closed the door and began walking back to my place. I soon made my way back to my place where Sargent Haynes and his men were waiting.

“Ambassador how was your trip?” Haynes said.

“It went well, aside from the failed assassination attempt.”

Haynes and his men were shocked.

“Someone tried to kill you?” one soldier said.

“Well, they were aiming at Celestia, but I managed to take the bullet, I’ll show you my bruise once I get inside.”

“I commend your bravery sir” Haynes said as he saluted me.

“Oh, something came up while you were away, a schoolteacher pony came by to ask if you could donate some time and visit the children tomorrow morning.”

I often wondered when I would get the opportunity to make friends with the fillies at some point

“Sure, I can manage that” I mean I was still in my senior year of high school when I became ambassador so waking up early was not something new to me? now that I mentioned it did the government ever have me graduate early in order to uptake this position or not Either way, I figured i'd get some rest for tomorrow.

=====================================**==========================================

The next morning, I woke up early, got dressed and made my way over the Ponyville Schoolhouse. I walked down the path and soon saw in the distance a red building with a bell housed at the top. As I walked closer, I could see the pony teacher standing in front of the door.

“Hello Ambassador welcome I’m Ms. Cheerilee and I’m so glad you could take some time out off of your busy day to spend some time on the kids.”

“It’s no problem I take it the little fillies wanna know more about me and the other side.”

“Oh, absolutely they’ve been asking me if the human is gonna stop by and low and behold here you are, now let me introduce you to the class real quick.”

Cheerilee opened the door and went inside to address her students.

“Now class we have a very special guest today, please be polite to the Ambassador from beyond the gate!”

the door opened and I ducked my head into the classroom and saw all the fillies at their desks.

“Good morning everypony” I said.

“Good morning ambassador” all the students said in unison.

“Here, have a seat” Cheerilee said as she pulled out a stool.

I looked and the stool was rather small. So, I decided to just sit on the floor.

“Now does anypony have any questions for the Ambassador?”

Some of the fillies raised their hands.

“Yes Snails?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if they have more of the auto-ma-whatsits over there.”

“Um yes we have a lot of automobiles from big to small to fit certain needs.”

“Alright yes Scootaloo?”

“I heard they also have flying machines over there that can go really fast.”

“Indeed, we have commercial planes for carrying people across the country very quickly as well as jet fighters that can even break the sound barrier”

“Wow”

“Alright who else, yes diamond”

“As an ambassador do you make a lot of money?”

“I think my government pays me well considering the job I was given; I don’t consider myself a millionaire by any means.”

“Wonderful, if you don’t mind me asking Mr. Ambassador how would you compare your world to ours?”

“Oof well Equestria is a wonderful place where everypony is nice and kind and have their own lives to live, my world, there’s not enough kindness and a lot of mean people who have their own opinions about the way the world should run but we also have other countries that we live with and sometimes we fight.”

“oh, I see well I’m glad you’re here to make peace now class say thank you to the Ambassador.”

“Thank you, Ambassador,” they students said in unison again

“You welcome everypony, now if you’ll excuse me” I said as I headed out the door. I walked down the path back home when Sargent Haynes and his men were waiting for me.

“How’d it go?” He said.

“It went well.”

“Excellent on that note I just got word from your *ahem* dragon friend that Celestia would like to see you.”

“You mean spike, yeah he’s kinda like an instant messenger.”

“Hop in sir and we’ll be on our way.”

I wiped my suit as I climbed into the back of the Humvee and we took off up the mountain side. As we drove along the winding road, I looked out the window and saw Ponyville as well as the many rivers leading away from it. It made me feel calm and I had no idea why, perhaps this world has some sort kind of aura that makes you feel good. We soon found ourselves back in Canterlot after a lengthy ride up the Mountains. I walked up the steps towards the castle doors with the guards standing by.

“Ambassador” they both said as they opened the doors for me and began escorting me to Celestia’s throne room.

“Celestia is expecting me” I said.

“Yes, right this way sir” one old guard said.

I followed behind the two closely as they led me to the Royal Throne room. We soon came to the double doors I knew all too well as they opened them revealing the shiny stone throne room where Celestia and Luna sat in. They let me enter as they closed the doors behind me. I walked towards Celestia and Luna and stopped before them and bowed

“Your Highness’s”

“There’s no need to bow to us Mel” Celestia said.

I looked confused as Luna stepped forward.

“Celestia has told me about her time beyond the gate.”

I looked at Celestia and could only assume that she told Luna about the assassination attempt.

“Yes, well I… did what I had to do” I said nonchalantly.

“Indeed, and it is something that has never happened to Celestia nor I, yet you were willing to sacrifice yourself for my sister and that is also something that neither of us have seen before.”

“Yes, that is why I called you here to commend your bravery and to give you a gift for your actions” Celestia said.

Celestia rang a small bell and in walked two guards’ ponies pushing a cart with what appeared to be a large rock on top of it closer to me. As it got closer it got more shiny and less rocky. I stared at it wondering if this was silver or platinum.

“May I ask what this is?”

“To our knowledge and what we know, is that it is a strange ore that can negate unicorn or even alicorn magic. It is quite dense as our miners have had a hard time breaking it apart with their tools”

“When we do mine for resources this ore, on very rare occasions can be found. We personally don’t have a particular use for it since we know its properties but considering its rarity, we figured giving this to you as a thank you for saving my life” Celestia said.

I looked at the ore on the cart and humbly accepted their gift.

“Well, thank you your highness” I said.

I walked up to the ore and touched it. it was rather cold but felt like a mangled metal in its current state. I put both hands underneath it and tried to lift it not knowing how much it weighed and to my surprise it was very light. It probably weighed no more that 16 pounds. A lot of ideas went through my head on what to do with it, but I set it back down on the cart.

“Is there’s anything else we can do for you Mel?” Celestia asked.

“I can’t really think of anything, oh I will be taking some time off to go see my family.”

“Splendid when was the last you saw of them?” Luna asked.

“I believe right before I found and entered to gate.”

“My that is quite a long time and I believe you deserve to take some time off; I wish you luck Mel.”

“Thank you again your highness’s.”

“Ambassador before you leave” Luna stepped forward closer to me.

“When you go back do you think you could bring back some more of those video games, they are quite fun.”

“It would seem that my sister is quite fond of those virtual games that you gave her, she spends a lot of her nights playing them.”

I chuckled at the thought.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

That made Luna all the more happy.

“Before you go Ambassador my sister also told me of a female human that somehow knows about our world?”

“Oh, you mean Lauren Faust.”

When I said that Luna made the same face that Celestia did when I first mentioned it

“I feel as if that name reminds me of somepony”

“Maybe she reminds you of your mom?”

“Interesting that you mention that; me and my sister have no recollection of what our mother looked like yet when I saw her, I felt something deep and meaningful” Celestia said

“Well, she did create a show that centers around this world so maybe there’s a connection?”

“Indeed, we shall have to conduct some research in the meantime, I bid thee farewell Ambassador” Luna said.

“Farewell” I said as I walked to the door along with my ore.

As I got closer to the door the two guard’s ponies picked it up for me and helped carry it out with me

“I must say it is quite an honor to receive such a gift from the Royals” one said.

“I’ll say you could make a lot of different things with this, like uh spear or a nice set of armor” the female guard said.

“Maybe so I’ll probably make like some tools with it or something” I said.

“Hm, that’s a smart idea, the tools we make with our steel is no match for this ore but if one makes a tool out of it that could be ingenious.”

“Yeah, I suppose you could, but it wouldn’t be nearly as cool.”

We made our way to the outside of the castle were Haynes and his men were waiting for us. I then loaded the ore into the back of the Humvee.

“What is that Ambassador?” Hayne said.

“A gift from the princess’s”

“Yeah, but what is it?” one of the soldiers said.

“It’s some kind of ore that’s very rare.”

“Oh, so it must be valuable.”

“Yeah, I do have a few ideas and if there’s anything left, I’ll be sure to give it to the major for testing.”

“Alright let’s get you back then.”

We all got into the Humvee and drove on down back to Ponyville

“Where to Ambassador?” Haynes said.

“Sweet Apple Acres, I’d like to pick up a pie to bring with me to Thanksgiving with my family.”

“Alright then”

We made our way back to Ponyville as we passed the gate and headed on down to Applejacks place. Haynes pulled right on up to her house as I got out and knocked on the door. A few seconds went by when Applebloom opened the door.

“Oh, howdy Mel what brings ya hear?”

“I was hoping to pick up an apple pie.”

“Really well you’ve come to the right place, come on in, I’ll let Aj know you’re here.”

Applebloom led me inside the house as she went upstairs. Truth be told I had never been inside Aj’s house until now. It felt very country and homey with all the old-style furniture and cooking utensils. A short time later Applejack came down to greet me.

“Howdy Mel I heard you’s was looking for an apple pie?”

“Yes ma’am”

“Well, I just so happen to have one still warm in the oven for ya”

Applejack went to the small oven and opened it to reveal the fresh pie. The aroma alone was enough to make my mouth water. She gently pulled it out and set it on the table.

“Thanks Aj I hope my folks will like it”

“What’s the occasion if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s Thanksgiving and I wanted to bring something for everypony…I mean everyone.”

“Huh sounds interesting is it a special kind of holiday?”

“You could say that it’s an old tradition from way back when settlers came to American and befriended the local natives and had a great feast to celebrate. Now we celebrate with our family members and eat a lot food.”

“Sounds like a wholesome holiday.”

“I like to think so, thanks for the pie Aj.”

“Anytime sugarcube”

I left Sweet Apple Acres and got into the Humvee.

“To the gate please” I said.

We then drove towards the gate on the way I then began writing down things I plan on making with the ore that I was given by Celestia. In no time at all we slowly passed on through and back to the other side. The Military made gate on the other side slowly opened as we pulled into the guarded facility. Haynes and his men got out along with me. The Major came out to see what was going on.

“Mel good to see you, your back so soon.”

“Yeah, I was hoping to spend Thanksgiving with my folks” as I held the pie in my hands.

“Hm, I see very well Haynes will escort you there and will be there with you on standby.”

“Thank you Major also when I get back, I need some smelting equipment, belt grinders and these items.”

The Major took the list and looked it over.

“Seems like common tools what do you plan on doing with these.”

“Perhaps when I get back, I’ll explain.”

“Very well enjoy your time Mel” he said as she saluted me.

“I will” I said as I got back into the Humvee and headed out to my family’s house.

Author's Note

Mels got plans for that ore but first some family bonding time

Chapter twelve- Home if where the hoof is

Sargent Haynes and his team were escorting me to my parents’ house as we drove down the road. It had been months since I had last seen my parents ever since I’d become an ambassador. Granted everything happened so fast, however I do remember when the government brought me to their place to discuss what had happened and what I was to be doing. They were a little confused but happy that I had some form of job, and I wasn’t living with them anymore. My parents always wanted what was best for me and wanted me to succeed in life. I don’t think being an ambassador for an alien world was on their mind.

Haynes pulled into the driveway and there were a lot of vehicles already there. Most were from my dad’s side of the family, and some were from my stepmom’s. Haynes got out and opened the door for me. I jumped out with pie in hand.

“Thank you, Sargent” I said.

“My pleasure we'll be out here if you need us” he said as he got back into the Humvee.

I walked up to the side door and opened it and inside was a lot of my family including my sister and her fiancé and my older brother and his two kids. My dad was cooking like he always does, and my stepmom was making sure everyone was comfortable. As I closed the door, my movement caught my dad’s eye.

“Hey, the big hero is here” when he said that everyone turned to see me like I was a ghost.

“Hey guys” I said awkwardly “I brought pie.”

“Hey Junior” My stepmom came over and gave me a hug.

“Hey Shannon”

“I’ll set this on the table by the desserts” My stepmom said.

As I walked further inside to see everyone, they all thanked me on a job well done and then proceeded to bombarded me with questions.

“So, where’s that from?” my sister said pointing to the pie.

“Oh, one of my (ahem) friends made it.”

“One of your pony friends, I hope they washed their hooves before making it.”

“Oh, shut up” I said putting it on the table.

My older brother then leaned in

“How did feel gettin shot?” he said.

“Andrew!” My stepmom yelled.

“It’s okay I mean It did hurt a lot.”

“How much money are you making?” my uncle said.

“I don’t have the exact number, but it is sizeable.”

“Enough to get your own place by the beach I see” he said.

“So, Junior what do you do over there?” my grandpa said.

“Well, I can’t divulge much cause it's mostly classified but my main focus is researching everything.”

“They seem too friendly, how are we supposed to just trust them?” my sister said.

That one felt like a stupid question and I honestly wanted to yell at her because she knew nothing about them or how they live over there.

“If they wanted too, they could very easily destroy us, but they choose not too because they’re not barbarians” I said slightly annoyed, “Can we just eat and not talk about me, for five minutes.”

We all sat around the table and ate our thanksgiving food. My dad makes the best turkey and ham with a mustard glaze. Along with the side dishes like mashed potatoes, parmesan carrots, bread rolls it was all good. I began stuffing my face with a little bit of everything. Being over in Equestria where there’s not a lot of meat to eat, eating turkey was a nice reward for myself.

“I take it they don’t eat meat over there?” My dad said

“Not really” I said chewing.

“Well, what do they eat over there?” My sister retorted.

“Certain flowers, grass, hay, and baked goods for the most part”

“Heh they really are horses.”

I wanted to slap her for that, but I just let it slide.

“They’re a lot more civilized than you think” I glared at her.

“Okay no more questions” My stepmom said.

After a pleasant meal we all helped by cleaning off our dishes and I helped clear the table

“Okay who’s got money for Mahjong” my grandpa said.

Truth be told I have never played mahjong before but this time I was just gonna watch.

“C’mon you don’t wanna play?” My dad said.

“I’d rather watch.”

“Afraid to lose money?” as he furrowed his eyebrow at me.

“No, I just don’t feel like playing, I don’t even know how to play”

“Here just watch me” he said all confident

The tiles were placed on the table upside down and shuffled around, then the tiles were stacked on top of another to form four walls. Then someone picks a tile to determine who was going first. Then each player get sixteen tiles except for the person who’s it, they get seventeen in order to threw a tile away to start. The goal was to get five sets of three and a pair. A set of three could either be three of a kind or an up and down meaning they must be in sequential order and the same suit.

It was interesting watching my dad, my uncle, my grandpa, and my sister play. It almost made me wanna play but I had better things to do.

“Well, I’m glad you’re doing alright you’ve got your own place and a good job” my stepmom said.

“Thanks” I said.

“Okay who wants dessert?” My dad said.

When she said that I knew I had to try out the pie. Everyone got up to get a piece of something whether it was my dad’s cheesecake, my sisters trifle, my uncles carrots cake, or my pie. I got a piece of the pie and took my first bite and holy moly was it good. The apples were so soft and not too crunchy the cinnamon mixed with the melted sugar and the crust was to die for. My sister tried a piece, and I could tell that she liked it as well. Even though she didn’t want to admit it.

“Not bad for a horse pie right” I said.

She rolled her eyes at me and went to eat her piece in private. After a day of food and family even though I didn’t really interact with much aside from catching up on what I was doing it was a pleasant thanksgiving. I then got a text from the major saying that all the pieces I requested were ready for me. I put my phone away and went to say my goodbyes.

“Okay that’s my cue, I gotta go, it was nice seeing everyone.”

“Hold one let’s get a picture before you go.”

My family was obsessed with taking pictures and posting them on Facebook like a family tradition. We all lined up against one of the walls as the camera was set up on a tripod and my aunt set the timer and jumped into the photo before the flash went off. I said my goodbyes, and everyone hugged me as I made my way to the Humvee. Haynes got out and opened the door for me. I looked back to see my stepmom and my dad wave goodbye one last time as we pulled out of the driveway. We headed back down towards the beach which wasn’t far when Haynes chimed in

“How’s the folks?"

“They’re fine, they asked me nonstop questions, and I made sure no to tell them much.”

“Good to hear”

It was a little cloudy today as we slowly pulled in as the security gates closed behind us. I looked out and saw the Major was standing there waiting. I got out of the Humvee, walked over, and saluted him.

“Major”

“We have everything you requested now if you don’t mind me asking what you intend to do?”

I looked and saw the shiny ore that Celestia gave me sticking out of the crucible ready to go.

“I was hoping to make a few things out of the ore, like a sword, some armor, tools and maybe a few bullets.”

The major nodded and waved his hand at the soldier by the smelter and he turned it on. The smelter furnace was set ablaze as the crucible heated up melting the ore in a matter of a few minutes. During which Haynes and I made some molds out of sand to cast my objects in which took a couple of hours. One by one we filled the molds with the molten metal and set them aside. We soon waited for them to cool down to a point where we opened the molds and pulled the objects out. The sand fell apart around the semi-hard metal. We then dunked them in water to cool them down quicker. The style of sword I went with was a set of samurai swords ranging from a katana, a wakizashi, and a tanto. For the armor I made a chest and back piece, two shoulder pieces and two thigh pieces. I also made a set of tools for building and construction. Finally, I made a bunch of 9-millimeter rounds as well as some .44 rounds.

After several hours of grinding and polishing everything, I was left with some shiny new toys as the sun began to set on the ocean. The metal dust and remaining ore was poured into bars and giving to the Major for testing. All three blades were given sheaths and a holder for all three. The armor was attached using leather straps and the bullets were then pressed into the respected cartridges, put into boxes, and placed into a metallic case. The swords, the armor and tools were all wrapped up and placed in metallic crates. The major watched me work all day with the soldiers making sure everything was up to my standards as we packed everything up, he walked over to me.

“Thank you, ambassador, for the research material.” As he held the shiny metal bar

“You’re welcome” I said with a smile.

The major looked at the crates as they were loaded into the back of the Humvee.

“What do you intend to do with all that stuff?” he said as he furrowed his eyebrow at me.

“Well, there are a lot of magical and yet dangerous creatures over there and are extremely tough this stuff is just for my protection.”

“Hm glad you’re thinking ahead just don’t go and get hurt asking for trouble.”

“Yes sir”

“Oh, and before I forget” the major produced a plastic bag from one of his soldiers, the label on the bag was all too familiar.

“This is for…. well, you know” he leaned his head towards me.

“I’m sure she’ll love them” as I took the GameStop bag.

He saluted me and I saluted back I then went to the Humvee where Haynes was.

“We all set to go Sargent?”

“Just about, you ready to go back?”

“Yes sir”

Haynes then opened the door for me as I got in. The Humvee pulled up to the gate as the doors slowly opened. We drove into the abyss slowly and headed back to Equestria all the while I looked back at the crate in the back seat. When we emerged from the gate Twilight and her friends were waiting for me with Pinkie jumping with joy. Haynes quickly stopped and jumped out to let me greet them. He nodded and they headed back to their base.

“Yay Mel’s back!” Pinkie jumping with joy, ran to hug me tightly again just like last time a little to tightly.

“It’s great to have you back Mel” Twilight said as she stepped towards me as pinkie slowly let go.

“How was your…. uh giving thanks with your folks?” Aj said.

“It was normal, a little weird, but everything went okay.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight said.

“They…well are still weirded out by you guys but it not your fault like I said humans take a while to adjust to this new reality and They kept asking all these weird questions.”

“Well I for one am glad you're back and that you enjoyed yourself darling” Rarity said.

I unwrinkled my suit from Pinkie's hug.

“Hey what’s in the bag?” Rainbow asked pointing to the GameStop bag.

“Oh, this is for Luna I promised her id get her more video games.”

“Yeah, I heard from Celestia that Luna has developed a taste for your video games and that she's quite addicted to them” Twilight exclaimed.

“So…. did everypony…er I mean everyone like my pie.” Applejack said

“Oh, that pie was to die far and yes they loved it.”

“Well, that’s good to hear sugarcube.”

“Also, we all got together and did something special for your return…um that is if you want it or not” Fluttershy said all cute like

“Oh, really I wasn’t expecting anything, thank you guys what is it?” I spoke.

“Well first you have to cover your eyes” pinkie said as she leaned closer to me.

“It’s a surprise” Pinkie then pulled a blindfold out of nowhere and wrapped it around my head to cover my eyes.

“Okay now follow us” she said as she happily bounced off.

I stood there for a second with the blindfold still on me.

“Okay how can I follow you if I can’t see?”

Applejack and the girls chuckled a little

“Don’t worry partner we’ll guide you there.”

Rarity used her magic to hold my hand and help guide me. We walked for a few seconds and if my memory was correct while I was walking, they guided me in right in front of the mayor’s office and stopped. I stood there and I could smell all kinds of delicious foods. The blindfold came off and I was standing at the end of a long stretch of tables with everypony in town waiting for me on both sides with food placed all along the tables.

“What is all this?” a little surprised.

Twilight then walked up behind me.

“We talked to the mayor and decided to make a new holiday so that everypony can celebrate thanksgiving just like you guys do.”

She then looked and nodded at Mayor Mare who was walking towards us.

“I declare that on this day we celebrate a new holiday that I dub The Giving of Thanks in which families get together and share their food with each other and tell each other what their thankful for.”

I was so impressed I almost shed a tear; It did make me feel good inside knowing I was celebrating a human/pony holiday with everypony like I was part of their family.

“Here Mel, have a seat” AJ then pulled out the chair.

I sat down and began sampling a lot of dishes. Some of the veggie dishes were not that bad. Some of the hay and flower ones not so much. However, the desserts were plentiful and delicious. I sat around and enjoyed everypony’s company until it was time to clean up which I also helped.

I helped hand wash most of the plates by using a wash bucket and then I dried them off with a hand towel. By the time the dishes were all clean the sun was just about set. I wiped my hands off with a towel when Twilight and her friends came over.

“So, what did you think Mel?”

“To be honest I liked it more than when I was with my folks.”

“Really?” Applejack said shocked.

“Yeah, my family is still uncertain about this whole ordeal” I put the towel into a laundry bag along with the other dish rags.

“Well, we are here for you Mel, you’re like family to us.” Twilight said.

That made my heart explode and I couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s nice of you to say.”

I got up to stretch a little

“Heh with all the cleaning you must be exhausted I’ve never seen anyone clean dishes for that long” Rainbow said.

“Just a little, I gotta get some stuff sorted when I get back to Haynes’s base.

“Oh, anything new from your world I can do some research on?” Twilight said with wide eyes and a smile.

“No, it’s the gift I got from Celestia.”

All six of them we shocked and confused at the same time.

“Celestia gave you something?” Rarity chimed in

“Yeah, it was a big piece of ore that can negate magical properties and its quite tough to break.”

Again, they were all shocked especially Twilight.

“You mean Alicornium!”

Then I looked at Twilight all confused

“Say what?”

“Alicornium is a rare type of ore that is six times stronger than steel and weighs significantly less, along with its ability to withstand any magic.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing” Rarity said.

“Well, you only learn about it from either reading a lot of books about minerals and ores or from Celestia.”

“So, what’d ya end up doin with this Alicornium?” Aj said.

“Oh, I made some tools like a hammer, an axe, a pickaxe, a couple of planes, some chisel’s, some drill and boring tools, some armor ya know that sort of thing.”

“Huh I wish I had some of those tools I can’t tell how many times I’ve used a tool for years on a project only for it to break when you need it”

“Is that all?” Twilight looked at me curiously.

I didn’t want to say about the other things I made but I knew I couldn’t lie to them.

“Yes, I did make some bullets and some swords.”

They all looked shocked again.

“A sword made of Alicornium could easily take down Celestia!”

“Easy Twilight it’s just for my own protection besides I would never use it one any you guys.”

When I told them that they all calmed down a bit

“I know Mel, after saving Celestia the way you did I know you would never betray us” she said as she walked up to me and put her hoof on my leg.

“I mean, I kinda wanna see the swords anyway” Rainbow said very excited fluttering in front of me.

“Yeah, me too” Pinkie yelled as she leaned in

“Okay then” I begin to walk towards Haynes base as the girls all followed me.

Author's Note

been sitting on this one for a long time figured I upload it now

Chapter thirteen- Christmas who?

December 19th
5:34pm
The Pentagon

I was standing in a room private with the president and several other military leaders as I was presenting my latest findings on Equestria. I had never been to or even seen the inside of the pentagon, I do know that it’s where the more strategic planning takes place and the fact that it to was also attacked by terrorists on 9/11. Getting in was no short task, they have every security measure known to man that I had to go through just to get in. its not like Celestia had this sort of thing back in Equestria unless you count her royal guards. There were several screens behind me as I went through my findings.

“As you can see dragons are real in this world and they are a force to be reckoned with, from steel-like scales that can deflect bullets, large wing spangs for flying long distances, not to mention their fiery breath.”

“Unless of course you’re a yellow flying pony of course” as one commander chuckled.

“Her name is Fluttershy and she’s far braver than you think.”
I chimed in, “These ponies have the means to defend themselves if there are ever threatened.”

“Yes, the white magical princess horse who can move the sun and kill us all, when are we gonna get to their resources and wealth.”

“I was getting to that” I said bringing up my next slide.

“Equestria wealth runs with her Majesty’s Royal Treasury which holds vast quantities of gold and possibly gems, I myself have never seen it, but I’ve only been told it is vast. I do however have been given a few bit coins that they use every day as their centralized currency.”

“Wait they use bitcoin as well?” one commander said.

“No, they have coins that they call bits” as I placed the bits on the table.

The men looked at them as one coin made of copper that held a relief of a horseshoe, a silver coin with a relief of a crescent moon, and a gold coin with a sun relief.

“And she just gave these to you?”

“Yes, she said I could hold onto them or spend them.”

“You also mentioned gems?”

“Ah yes” I pulled a small red gem from my pocket and placed it on the table.

“Gems have worth as well however they aren’t commonly used however they are tradable and come in many different sizes and colors.”

“Well, where would one find gems then?”

“Well, if you’re a unicorn you would use a spell to find them, hell the use gems for everything like clothing. On a side note, dragons as you may know have an affinity for gems for which they also consume not sure why?”

They all looked at me funny.

“Wait, dragons eat gems?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why maybe to them they just taste good.”

“And that’s it?”

“Well, there’s a possibility that there’s (ahem) oil over there but I would have to ask.”

“Well, I think that will conclude our meeting if there’s anything else you would like to add Rommel,” said the President.

“Uh, no I don’t believe there is, oh I do have a scroll for you from the princess herself” as I pulled it out of my briefcase and handed it to him.

“How old fashioned are they?” one commander said jokingly as the other members chuckled.

“You’d be surprised” I said, “Believe it or not if you set it on fire, it will magically wisp off into the air to the princess like sending a text message.”

They all looked surprised by that.

“They may not have fancy tech like we do but they manage to get by with what they have, they don’t have guns but if you’re a unicorn you can just shoot a magical laser beam from your horn to attack someone.”

The President read through the scroll and nodded. He then rolled it up and handed to his secretary.

“Let Celestia know that an accord is being written up as we speak, and we will present to her when it's ready.”

“I will let her know sir.”

“Good, after you’re done, be sure to hand over your findings over to the CIA before you leave.”

“Yes sir Mr. President”

I handed my laptop over to an agent who took it and left without any emotion whatso ever.

“So, Rommel any plans from the holidays?” the President asked.

“Well, I’m more than likely going to be spending it over in Equestria but I don’t mind though. I’ll probably swing by and see my family beforehand and give them something before I go.”

“Well, you do have an important job son.”

“Yes Mr. President I know I’m not complaining.”

“Well take care” as he shook my hand as we both went our separate ways.

I headed back through security again which was a nightmare to deal with a second time. Agents patted my whole body down and used a fuzz buster to make sure I didn’t take anything that I wasn’t supposed to.

“Alright you're free to go.” They spoke

I collected my belongings and soon found myself back into the parking lot where Hayne’s was waiting for me.

“Ambassador” he said, “Your plane is waiting for you.”

“Alright let’s get a move on.” I said as I sat in the back of the armor car. We drove through DC, as winter was fast approaching, we drove down the road passing all the sites I had seen before and it reminded me when I took Celestia and some of the girls to, it brought back some good memories especially the one where I got shot.

I rubbed my chest where the bullet impacted it didn’t hurt now but the memory made it so. We soon pulled into the airport where a private jet was waiting for me. Haynes and I boarded and took off back to my hometown. We soon made it back home as Haynes drove me to my parents’ house to drop off my gifts all the while listening to Christmas music. I got out and went up to the door and gave it a couple knocks and was greeted by my stepmom

“You made it” as she gave me a hug.

“Yeah, I can’t stay though, I’ve got to go back so I wanted you guys to have these.” as I hand her some envelopes.

“Thanks, I wish you could stay though.” She said as she took the presents.

“I know I’m a very busy man, Merry Christmas” I said.

“You too, have fun” she said as she closed the door behind her.

I hopped back into the car feeling rather empty for some reason.

“You good sir?” Haynes asked.

“Yeah, I’m good” I said unfulfilled.

We drove off back to the gate where the major was waiting for me as I got out of the Humvee.

“Ambassador, I trust your meeting went well.”

“It did or at least I hope it did.”

“You ready to go back now?”

I nodded as the doors began to move to allow Haynes and I passage to Equestria. Just then I noticed it began to snow lightly. Seeing snowfall in December was rare occurrence but it felt nice. I could only imagine that it was snowing in Equestria given the time of the year. I imagine that the pegasi were busy making clouds and snowflakes for the upcoming winter. When I left last it was starting to get rather chilly but there wasn’t any snow.

The doors opened and we soon drove on through again as the snow blew away as we did. When we emerged, lo and behold there was snow everywhere. Guess the pegasi at the weather factory were in full gear. We kept on driving until we stopped at Sargent Haynes camp. We left the vehicle as Haynes was about the open the door, I heard a familiar voice call out to me..

“Mel your back” she said.

I looked and saw Twilight wearing yellow boots, a scarf, and earmuffs. She looked kinda cute wearing them to be honest.

Hey Twi, Merry Christmas” as I waved at her.

Twilight then looked at me puzzled when I said that.

“Christmas who?”

“Oh right sorry, it’s a human holiday that we celebrate around this time a year.”

“Really wow so is it a lot like Hearths Warming Eve.”

“Wait, let me guess it centers around family, giving gifts and also has and intricate backstory.”

Twilight looked at me stunned.

“Why yes, actually the girls and I were about to have a Hearths Warming party at my place if you’d like to join us?”

“Sure, why not” I said, “I don’t have any gifts with me unfortunately.”

Twilight smiled at me “That’s okay having you with us is more that we can ask for.”

“Alright then” as I looked back at Haynes.

“I guess I’ll be experiencing some cultural exchange then.”

Haynes looked at me and shook his head.

“Very well sir don’t stay out too late.”

I nodded as I began to follow Twilight back to hertreehouse/library. We began to walk along the snow laden path.

“So how was your meeting with the President?”

“Everything went well I did present my latest findings to them, but they were seemed more so interested with your resources.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, America can be rather greedy at times, but we mean well, we are in the process of making an accord that will hopefully be signed soon.”

Twilight disregarded that first bit I said because the second bit sounded way more exciting to her.

“Really, that sounds exciting what will happen if Celestia signs it?”

“Well, it will solidify the Humans and the Equines together so that others may also experience the unique cultures and lifestyles you guys have, that I’m getting to know more about each time I visit.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide with excitement.

“Wow, does that mean I could visit your world at any time?”

“Something like that but it may take a while and also you’ll have to get a passport in order to do so.”

That somehow made Twilight even more excited.

“Yay, I can’t wait, I’ll have to talk to Celestia about a passport, oooh I bet I could learn a lot from your libraries and-.”

“Twilight, your geeking out very loudly”

“Oh oops sorry I just get too excited, you know when it comes to these sorts of things”

“I know, all too well.”

We soon found ourselves at Golden Oak Library. When Twilight opened the door a rush of warm air hit me as I entered. I looked and saw Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike who were all waiting for us.

“Yay Mel’s here!” Pinkie Shouted

“Good to see ya again sugarcube” as Aj came up to me.

“It’s wonderful to have you darling.” Rarity remarked.

“Are you here to celebrate Hearths Warming Eve with us?” Fluttershy smiled at me.

“I am, I unfortunately do not have any gifts with me, so I guess my company is my gift to you all” I said jokingly.

They all chuckled at me.

“That’s fines come on in” Rainbow said.

As I made my way inside of the library, I took off my snowy shoes and placed them by the door along with my coat. The place was nice and toasty considering the snow outside. I looked and saw Fluttershy sitting next to the fireplace. I chose to sit down next to her to warm myself up as well.

“Oh, are you cold?” she said.

Fluttershy then wrapped her warm wing around me as best she could. Her feathered wing was soft and gentle like cuddling with an eagle, or an albatross.

“Thanks flutters” As I gently rubbed her feathers.

Fluttershy began to blush heavily as she looked away. Applejack went and got a small glass and poured something warm into it. She trotted over and handed it to me.

“Here ya go, this will warm you right up.”

I took the small glass from her hoof and took a small sip; it was warm apple cider. Like I said before I wasn’t a fan of hot drinks but being with the girls and the princess’s I was starting to like it more.

“It’s delicious Aj.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it” Aj then sat down next to me as well.

“So how you holdin’ up over there?”

“Ah you know, work is long and boring as usual but it’s my job.” As I took another sip of warm cider

“I just hope they’re not working you to hard” Fluttershy retorted.

“No, it’s just they expect to do more and more which is fine but I’m only one person, and they expect me to do it all.”

“I know that feeling all too well sugarcube.”

Rarity then joined in on our group by the fire.

“Come now darling let’s not talk about work, after all it is Hearths Warming.”

“Yeah, besides I’d like to know more about this Christmas you mentioned” Twilight added.

“Christmas what?” Rainbow Dash said scratching her head.

“It’s a holiday that some people celebrate during the winter season.

"Wait you mean not all humans celebrate it?”

“Well depending on what your religion is, like the Jewish celebrate Chanukah, which is kinda like Christmas just slightly different. If you're African, then they celebrate Kwanzaa.”

“That’s neat so there’s like more than one holiday so that anyone can participate in.”

“Yeah, in a way”

Twilight began writing down her new discovery.

“Don’t mind her too much, so tell us about this Christmas then.”

“Well Christmas wasn’t a jolly holiday like it is today. You see back in the day people would party heavily and drink during this time of the year to celebrate either the birth of the sun or the end of the Harvest. Then Christians decide to transform their holidays to incorporate their religion. However, during the back when times in England they would violently celebrate the holidays by drinking way too much and threaten people with violence"

“Geez that doesn’t sound like a holiday to me” Pinkie interrupted.

“True but when our American ancestors came over from England to get away from Great Britain’s rule, they banned Christmas because they were afraid of all the violence and drinking and if you were caught celebrating anything Christmas related you would get fined.”

“Sounds like a horrible time to be in” Twilight muttered.

“I agree, but when immigrants came over during the 19th century, they brought with them they own traditions and a love of Christmas which overtime became the norm of Christmas that we all love and celebrate today.”

“And that’s the story of Christmas?” Applejack said.

“Pretty much, our winter festivities had pagan roots with drunk traditions that Christian straight up hated for a long time.”

“Isn’t there a nicer story of Christmas you could tell.” Fluttershy said.

“Well because Christians tried to integrate their religion into the holidays I could tell you the story of the birth of Jesus, but that’s kind of a long one.”

“Hey, would you like us to tell you about how Hearths Warming Started?” Twilight said.

“Sure, give me one sec” I went to get my camcorder set up and hit record “Okay go”

“It all started a long time ago before Equestria became the great nation it is today. The Earth ponies grew food, and in payment for providing weather, the Pegasi demanded some of the food. The Unicorns also demanded payment for magically raising the sun and moon. None of the tribes cared what happened to each other. This fragile relationship continued until a large blizzard came along causing a food shortage. And without any food, the leaders of each pony tribe decided to meet up to discuss what to do. The meeting however went poorly, as each of the leaders continued to argue with each other. After the assembly, three ghostly horses appeared overlooking the Earth below from a passage in the clouds; they would later become what we know as the windigos. Each of the leaders returned to their second-in-command and explained that the meeting went poorly because the other leaders refused to cooperate. The leader of the Earth ponies decided that they need to grow food somewhere else, and each of other leaders concludes that they too must find new land to inhabit.”

“Wow that sounds riveting.”

“I’ve read all about hearths warming in an old book in my old library anyway Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy of the pegasi flew through clouds, while Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever of the unicorns traveled through the forest, and while Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie of the earth ponies traveled across a gem-encrusted mountainside. Each tribe leader found their ideal land and claimed it for their tribe. Commander Hurricane named her land Pegasopolis Princess Platinum named her land Unicornia and Chancellor Puddinghead named her land Earth as a recommendation from Smart Cookie to replace her first choice of Dirtville. However, they soon discovered that each tribe had claimed the same land, and of course more arguments ensued about who gets to own the land. Commander Hurricane calls for a fight for the land, but each of the advisers votes for everyone to just calm down. Chancellor Puddinghead throws snowballs at Commander Hurricane and Princess Platinum, causing everyone to realize that the blizzard has once again returned.”

“You make it seem like the blizzard is alive and that its following them”

“You’ll see why in a minute, so to escape the blizzard, the ponies made their way into a cave. Once in the cave, they continued to argue over who gets what part of the cave. Due to their constant arguing, the windigos once again returned, causing an ice blizzard, which froze each of the leaders solid. Clover the Clever identifies the creatures, saying her mentor Star Swirl the Bearded taught her about them.

“Starswirl the Bearded?”

“Oh, he was a famous Unicorn and conjurer of the pre-classical era I’ll tell you about him later, back to the story. The advisers, however, manage to hold good relations with each other, regardless of the different tribes they hailed from. They deduce that the leaders' arguing is what caused all of this, and told stories and sang songs, songs of which became the carols that are still sung in Equestria today.”

“Wow”

“And with their continued display of friendship, Smart Cookie, Clover the Clever and Private Pansy managed to melt the ice surrounding their leaders and incinerate the windigos through the magic of the Fire of Friendship. In the end, all the tribes learned that the warmth of harmony and love with each other can conquer over the coldness of hatred and grief. After the leaders settled their differences, they all finally lived in harmony with each other while founding the new land, Equestria. The ponies then raised a banner bearing two Alicorns, which bear a resemblance to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, depicted flying with the Sun and Moon.”

“That’s one hell of a story, so if the secretaries didn't console with one another then Equestria would have just been a frozen wasteland.”

“Now that you mention it yeah.”

As we continued to enjoy each other’s company Rainbow Dash got a sneaky idea.

“Hey why don’t we take some pictures to remember this day” she said.

"That’s a great idea but who or what should we picture?” Twilight asked.

“How about-” As Rainbow looked around the room “Mel and Aj.”

“Us?” Applejack said.

“Yeah, you two stand by the kitchen opening” as she got the camera set up

I looked at Aj and she looked at me and we both got up to go stand in the opening. I stood next to Aj as she kinda blushed a little and truth be told so did I. Rainbow looked through the lens and focused it on us.

“Okay now kiss.”

I straight up went full red when she said that.

“Excuse me?” Aj yelled.

“What, you guys are standing under the mistletoe.”

It wasn’t until we both looked up and saw it hanging in the opening.

“Rainbow, you did that on purpose” Aj screamed.

“Oh, come it will make a great photo.”

“Normally I wouldn’t agree with Rainbow, but I think it will make a nice picture” Rarity said smiling.

I looked at Aj as I knelt down to her eye level.

“We don’t have to kiss if you don’t want too” I said my face fully red.

“No, its tradition and I will do it, even though I was goaded into doing it.”

Everypony watched with their eyes staring on us. Aj closed her eyes and brought her lips close; I did the same and soon we locked lips with other as Rainbow captured the moment. She proceeded to laugh hysterically rolling on the floor.

“Seriously Rainbow, I thought the moment was beautiful” Rarity said as she looked at the photo. She then trotted over and handed it to me for Aj and I to see. I looked and saw Aj and I kissing under the mistletoe, and it was making me all red still.

“I think you looked pretty good their sugarcube.” Aj said as she blushed some more.

“If you wanna keep it I don’t mind” as I handed it to her.

I could tell she wanted to as she kept blushing but then she pushed the picture back towards me with her hoof.

“You keep it I don’t want the apple family knowing about it if I go and hide it.”

She then looked towards Rainbow with a scowl.

“And I don’t want you flying around town telling everypony either Rainbow.”

“Okay fine your secret is safe with us.”

“We promise” Pinkie pie interjected “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“You know it’s a secret when you pinkie pie promise it” Fluttershy said

We all laughed together.

“Hey why don’t we do a group photo” Twilight said.

Everypony gathered around Aj and I as Rainbow pushed the timer and zoomed over to us in a flash and posed. We all smiled as we celebrated this moment. Inside I was happy, for once I had friends that really care about me and will always be there for me even though they were ponies it didn’t matter to me. I hope that this will continue into the near future. Then the camera flashed, and our Hearts Warming Picture was forever immortalized.

===========================================**======================================

Meanwhile….

The President was sitting in the oval office doing some paperwork when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in” he said.

“Mr. President we might have a problem.” A Cia operative said as he came into the office.

The president stopped with what he was doing to listen.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Well, it would appear that certain nations are furious with us right now.”

The president then shook his head.

“What’s new” he said jokingly.

“Well, it has to do with…the gate.”

The president then became more composed and serious.

“The gate, what about it?”

“Well, it would appear that because we found the gate first and made contact with the ponies on the other side, the other nations are angry that we are currently sitting on a monumental amount of untapped resources.”

“Well, that does raise cause for concern, what are the dangers?”

“Some of our operatives have info that say that they are planning to strike at some point, but we don’t know when or how?”

The president thought long and hard about this new information. He smiled as he thought up his own idea.

“When do you think the Accord will be finished?” he said.

“There should be a copy on your desk to go over sir.”

The president looked and saw the small book on his desk labeled: The Homosapien and Equine Accord.

“I’ll give this a once over, you keep monitoring the situation and let me know if there are any new developments.”

“Yes sir” he turned and walked back through the doors.

The president sat in his chair looking at the accord.

“Best way to defeat your enemy, draw them out into the open.”

Author's Note

oh boy something bad gonna happen something big and nasty

sorry this one took awhile

Chapter fourteen- Of Their Own Accord

“Good Morning New Hampshire in world news a Civil war in Libya has erupted between Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups seeking to oust his government. In more recent news the Royal Princess’es from Equestria are set to meet today in DC to sign the Homosapien and Equine accord in an effort for diplomatic peace and exchange of culture. I can only imagine what lies beyond that gate let me tell you”

“I’m curious too Amy my daughter won’t stop talking about it, since they appear to be ripped directly from a cartoon called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and in case you didn’t know there is now a group of grown men on the internet who are also obsessed with the cartoon as well calling themselves bronies”

“Well, the internet is a strange place, but what this accord does mean is that maybe in the future more people can traverse to Equestria more on that later”

The day could not come any sooner for I soon found myself back in DC walking alongside Celestia and Luna this time as we made our way to White House. The White House was like you’d expect is was big and furnished like it was back in the day. It was also filled with Secret Service Agents as well as the staff to clean and look after the President and his family.

“This White House certainly lives up to its name” as Luna gazed at the architecture.

“And this is where the President lives?” Celestia said

“Indeed, him and the first family as well, the oval office is where he works and where we plan to meet him”

We soon made our way into his office and truth be told I had never taken a tour inside the White House and saw the oval office myself; I’ve only seen it on tv or in movies. As we stepped into the room I felt secure and safe as the president sat behind the Resolute Desk.

“Your Royal Highness’s welcome” as the President bowed his head

“Wonderful to see you again Mr. President”

The President turned to face Luna whom he had not met before

“You must be Princess Luna it’s an honor to meet you at last”

“I have been informed about you Mr. President you are in fact a very important being, ruling a nation this grand must not be an easy task”

“It comes with its challenges which is why we are here” The President sat down on the couch as he was handed a copy of the accord to give to Celestia and Luna. They both using their magic took a copy and began reading it. I watched from the sideline as their eyes darted every paragraph with an occasional hm or oh. What felt like hours Celestia and Luna were finished reading as they set the accord down onto the coffee table

“Your terms seem fair enough however I do expect direct supervision if you decide to bring more humans through the gate and In turn, we would like the same for over here” Celestia spoke

The President nodded with understanding

“Very well, shall we then” The President was handed the actual accord as he scribbled his name at the bottom. He then gave it to Celestia and Luna and they in turn signed the bottom.

The President stood up and held out his hand

“Princess let me be the first to welcome you to our fair world as equals”

Celestia looked and reached out her hoof for the President to shake in solidarity

“From this moment on Equestria is now part of this world and this world is now part of Equestria”

“It is a noble day, and we thank you for giving us the opportunity Mr. President” Celestia said

So, after the signing we soon found our way back at the gate. When we entered the perimeter, we could see Royal guards posted just outside the gate ready and waiting as well as government researchers loading up there equipment on the back of their trucks to take with them through the gate.

“Is all this really necessary sister?” Luna turned to Celestia

“It is what we agreed to sister, like I said they will be heavily supervised” she looked at one of the guards and nodded at him and he nodded back with understanding

“How are thou feeling about this ordeal Mr. Ambassador” Luna turned to me

“I feel nervous as usual but I’m glad that ponies have the opportunity to visit here as well, However if civilians start coming through they may need a passport in order to do so.

“My finest are already working on a special passport for ponies to cross over as we speak, if you don’t mind me asking are there any ponies that you would recommend?”

“Well first ones that come to mind are Twilight and her friends since half of them have not yet seen the other side”

“I will make it happen as long as you watch over them”

“Yes ma’am” I turned to face Luna “You know, Luna has not spent much time over here if she would like to join us as well”

Luna looked shocked when I offered

“OH, MOST WONDERFUL! - I mean oh most wonderful, yes, I would be honored”

“You’ve made my sister’s day it would seem.”

Soon the major came over to see us off again

“The Scientists and equipment are loaded up and ready to go if you’re ready?”

“Yes sir” as I nodded

“What sort of research will these scientist be conducting in Equestria?” Celestia asked

“Well from what I understand they’ll be surveying the land and taking samples back here for analysis”

“As long as they don’t steal anything that not there’s” I said

“We’ll make sure, alright let’s move out!” The major waved his hand in the air

Soon the gate opened, and the trucks rolled in, Celestia and Luna followed behind with me and Haynes behind them. The research team set up shop right next to Sargent Haynes encampment and began setting up their equipment as Celestia’s Royal guards watched intently. One scientist set up a theodolite and began looking out at the vast hills and mountains in the region. Another began taking soil samples to analyze. A couple others began chatting with the local ponies to learn more about the physiology and biology.

“They certainly know what they are doing” Luna said

“Yeah”

Pretty soon more ponies from town gathered around to watch the scientist’s do their work being astounded by more humans in Equestria even attracting the attention of Twilight. Twilight watched as they worked with glowing eyes of bewilderment. She wanted a better look but couldn’t get too close without being in the way of their work.

“Oh, hey Twi”

“Mel, good to see you, I see that the accord was signed otherwise there wouldn’t be this many humans here”

“Yup this is where it begins”

Twilight looked on pointing out exactly what field of science each of the scientists were doing

“So, are they surveying the land, why?” Twilight asked

“Probably so they can create an accurately map out the lay of the land”

Celestia was dumbfounded

“If they wanted a map they could have just asked”

When Celestia said that all the scientists just looked right at her stupefied. One of the Royal guards stepped forward and offered a map of the region to one of the Scientist. He picked it up and unrolled it revealing all of Equestria and its neighboring lands, he began looking at it more closely

“For beings of science, they aren’t very bright” Twilight said

“Yeah”

Celestia and Luna went back to Canterlot as the scientist’s continued their work. Twilight then looked back at me.

“So does that mean that ponies can go through the gate now?”

“Only a certain amount for now however you’ll need a passport to cross over”

“Yay I’ll have to ask Celestia for one right away”

“She’s already been made aware of and has also made some for your friends as well”

Twilight’s eyes went wide again

“So, we're all going!” she said excitedly

“Yes, Luna is coming along as well as our chaperone”

Twilight then jumped with joy

“Yay I’m gonna go pack right now!”

“Whoa there, it’s not gonna be immediate, also I should probably let your friends know about the trip as well”

“Oh, right of course” as she hurriedly ran back to her treehouse to plan

I decided to let the girls know about the trip, so I headed over to Fluttershy’s cottage first.

“So, um you want me to go beyond the gate again?”

“If you’re willing however, this time we’ll have more fun”

Fluttershy smiled so cutely

“Oh, so it’s like a vacation?”

“You could say that”

“Oh, wonderful I would love to have some fun and see more your world again”

Next up was Applejack

“You want me to go to your world again?”

“Yes, if you want”

Applejack seemed uneasy when I asked

“I’m not so sure sugarcube you remember what happened last time?”

It’s a day I definitely won’t forget. I rubbed my chest where I got shot it didn’t hurt anymore but just the memory made it feel hurt. I then knelt down in front of Aj and put my hand on her shoulder

“I promise nothing bad is going to happen, if this trip does take a turn for the worst, I assure you Aj I won’t let anything bad happen to, you have my word”

Applejack closed her eyes and exhaled

“Alright then imma hold you to it”

Next up was Rarity

“I get to see whats on the other side?”

“That’s right”

Rarity jumped for joy letting out a high pitch squeal that almost seemed unladylike

“Oh, I’m so excited to see what clothes you humans wear over there I might have to pick some up to show off here or better yet get some fresh new ideas for my next wardrobe collection

Rainbow Dash was next

“I get to go on Vacation with you and the girls?”

“Eeyup”

“That is so awesome!” as Rainbow did an ariel flip “I have to see those airplanes you mentioned and see how fast there are I mean they can’t be fast as me obviously”

“A Jet going Mach 1 might, but we’ll see”

Last but not least and probably more excited to go was Pinkie Pie

“Yes, I wanna go with you guys” as she got right into my face

“Wait how did you know what I was going to ask?”

“Just a hunch anyway I’ve been so excited to party with you guys over on the other side for so long, ever since I first met you, I’ve always wanted to throw a party with you over there and the girls and all the new people that I haven’t even made friends with” she said almost out of breath

“Please contain yourself Pinkie”

“Oh, sorry just got a little nervicited”

“I see”

So, after a week or so the scientists were done analyzing the land, gathering data from ponies and collected enough samples to keep them busy for a while. I could only imagine where they were going once they got to the other side, probably Area 51. Haynes, the Royal Guards, and I waited by the gate to make sure they got everything they had and needed, also to keep an eye on them as they left. In no time at all I could see Celestia and Luna flying down from the sky to join us at the entrance

“Good to see you Mel, I trust your people have everything they need?”

“Indeed, now they can go back to their secret labs in gods knows were and test the samples of whatever they acquired”

“Your people seem rather eager to learn more about this world Ambassador” Luna spoke

“Well to us it is quite…Alien, we just wanna make sure it’s safe for everyone ya know?”

Luna nodded with understanding as Celestia turned to face her

“Keep a close eye on them sister and have fun” Celestia smiled

“I’ll try dear sister”

Celestia then handed me six little light blue books. I looked and they were special Equestrian passports. Each had a picture of each of the girls with information about them as well. They almost worked similar in fashion to ours.

“They’ll need these”

“Yes, thank you your Majesty”

Celestia chuckled “You can call me Tia you know”

“Sorry it’s just a force of habit I guess”

She smiled as she flew up into the air and back towards Canterlot. Soon the girls all started to come by packed with their own saddlebags

“So, you guys ready?” I said

“Absolutely I can’t wait to see your world again” Twilight said

“Well, the best part from what I heard is you guys greeting the town of Hampton first and checking out the beach”

They all got very excited by that

“Well, it’s a good thing I packed my sun hat and towel just in case” Rarity announced

“I curious about that Apple farm you mentioned” Applejack uttered

“I too am eager to see your home world Ambassador” Luna blushed a little as she averted her eyes and looked away “And maybe see more of these video games” as she held her 3DS

“We'll make sure to check out some while were over their”

“Will there be food for us?” Pinkie said

“Non-meat food will be provided”

Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow all looked at each when I said that

“Wait you guys eat meat over there?” Rainbow said

Twilight walked up to Rainbow to assure her

“It’s okay Rainbow they don’t eat horse’s they have this really delicious food called pizza that’s like square with provolone on top”

“Okay I’ll admit that does sound good”

We all gathered behind Hayne’s Humvee as we followed close behind him through the Gate. When we emerged, we were greeted by the major as well some other government officials. One stepped forward to address the newcomers

“Welcome to the United States ponies, before we proceed, I trust you have a passport of some form?”

The girls all lined up and presented their paperwork to him. One by one they were given the okay to continue on.

“Welcome back Princess”

Luna turned to face the major

“Thank you major I look forward to spending more time over here”

“Well then let’s get started all of you will be escorted to the bandstand on the beach where you will present yourselves to the public”

“What exactly for major?”

“It’s just to make the people more comfortable with ponies and it also helps with the town and tourism”

“I see”

I saw a familiar bus as I hurried the ponies along with Luna to get this show on the road. The girls made their way to the bus while I stayed behind to talk to the major.

“Hey major, I’ve got this feeling in my gut”

“What kind of feeling?”

“Like something bad’s gonna happen I don’t know when I but know somethings gonna go down”

The major closed his eyes and huffed

“Do you require anything?”

“I have a list” I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to the major.

He glanced over it quickly and looked back at me

“I’ll have my men procure this for you”

“Thank you major”

I shook his hand before heading over to the bus. We didn’t travel far, just up the road and onto the beach where the bandstand was. I looked and saw by the stage was a large gathering of people along with many photographers. The mayor was on the stand next to the microphone. After we stopped, I got out first and directed the girls one at time to stand by the door. They all gathered by the door along with Luna. I slowly opened the door to see the mayor as we locked eyes and he gestured that we were ready

“Alright ladies and gentlemen let’s give a big round of applause as we welcome the ponies of Equestria”

The crowd roared, clapped, and cheered on for the girls. I opened the door, and they slowly made their way on stage. Luna followed close behind me as I stood by the girls as they all waved at the crowd. I started to feel anxious as I looked out into the crowd. My breathing got heavier as my eyes darted from face to face. Suddenly it all went quiet for me as my right hand started to shake a little as sweat rolled down the side of my head. My eyes kept darting back and forth at all the faces. It felt like time was moving slowly as I could hear my own heartbeat. My eyes locked with a familiar face in the crowd. I remembered it all too well it was the man I shot and killed back in DC. He looked alive but his chest was covered in blood. He slowly turned his head, and I gazed back at him trembling. He spoke but I couldn’t hear his voice as he mouthed

“You will die”

I started to sweat even more as I was completely spooked. It wasn’t until Luna came up behind me and nudged me that I snapped back to reality

“Ambassador, are you alright?”

I got my breathing under control as I looked back out into the crowd and saw the dead man was nowhere to be found. Was I hallucinating or was it a premonition?

“I’m fine” I wiped my head with a handkerchief as I composed myself for the crowd. I walked up to the mic to say a few words

“Thank you everyone for making these ponies stay more comfortable, if there are any kids that would like to meet the ponies, please line up over here”

A lot of little girls and a few boys raced to the front of the bandstand and slowly began to approach the girls. They all were stunned and excited to meet their favorite cartoons ponies in real life.

They asked the girls all sorts of questions about Equestria and about them as characters. They all seemed to like the attention non the least Rainbow Dash. She was thrilled performing acrobatic stunts for them. Fluttershy was giving hugs, Applejack was giving them rides on her back. Rarity was complimenting their outfits; Twilight was levitating them with her magic even Pinkie was thrilled to meet them making them laugh and smile with her goofy antics. Soon came time for the girls to explore the beach.

“Alright kids say thank you and goodbye to the ponies”

The children all waved and said their thanks as the girls all waved back and headed out the back door one by one. The girls all gathered by the bus while I closed the door to the bandstand behind me.

“Well, that went well”

“I would have never guessed the children over here like us so much” Twilight spoke

“If you recall there is a cartoon about you guys over here”

“oh right”

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie looked confused

“Wait, wait, wait there’s a cartoon about us over here?”

“Oh, that’s right you weren't with us last time” I turned to face them

“Yes, there is a cartoon about you girls that exists over here called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”

“That sounds absolutely wonderful darling, oh I’ve always dreamt of being a star”

“Yeah, its very popular amongst younger children especially young girls”

“That makes sense” Twilight said

“Alright shall we explore the boardwalk?”

They all nodded and said yes.

“Wait what about all those people?” Applejack said

“Oh, they only came out to see you guys, this area has been locked down for us to enjoy without any…interruptions”

Luna came up behind me to speak

“I see, are there any places that you would like to show us Ambassador?”

“Follow me”

We walked along the sand which felt different for the girls, but they liked the feeling beneath their hooves. We soon found our way onto the sidewalk right in front of the Hampton Casino Ballroom.

“Ooh what’s in there?” Pinkie jutted

“Oh, that’s the Ballroom where concert and comedy acts take place, but there’s also food and games underneath”

“Food now yer talkin” Applejack said

It was nice that the arcade and food stand was open, even though the summer hadn’t officially started. Usually, the beach was fully open by Memorial Day. Perhaps the government wanted at least one thing open for the girls to enjoy. We all walked up to the food stand to place our order. I got the girls a couple a cheese pizza’s some ice cream for pinkie and some sodas. I got myself some cheese fries, and we all sat down as I passed out the food.

“Cheese, on fries?” Rainbow said

“Yeah, it’s really good” as I tossed one into my mouth

“Want one?” as I present the gooey basket to her

She seemed hesitant but gently grabbed one using her wing which was baffling at best and took a bite and instantly fell in love

“MMMM you weren’t kidding”

“This pizza is simply divine, yet simple” Rarity using a fork and knife to eat her pizza

“It’s so good” Pinkie stuffing her face with a slice

“It’s not nearly as good as that square pizza but its good” Twilight said

“This pizza is quite tasty with so few ingredients, we must bring this delicacy back to Equestria” Luna said nibbling on her slice

“Maybe I’ll open up a pizza shop one day”

We all laughed as we finished our meal.

“Oh, Mel can we play some games while we're here?” as Pinkie looked around at the number of arcade machines

“I suppose, wait here while I get some change”

I walked over to a quarter dispenser. I pulled out my wallet and I felt like someone was watching me. I looked back towards the beach and saw nothing. I turned back towards the girls and the back exit which was wide open and looked at the buildings. My first thought was someone is spying on us, but I just couldn’t see them but who? I put money into the machine and took the quarters.

“Alright let’s play some games”

The girls went around and played various games like Skee-ball, Cruisin USA, claw machines, coin pushers and air hockey. By now the girls were getting pretty tired.

“Whew-ee I haven’t had this much fun since Pinkie’s last party that she threw”

“You said it, hey Mel where are we staying exactly?”

“Oh, were staying up north in a really nice hotel”

They all cheered as we headed back to the bus. Haynes and his men were also waiting for us.

“Sir, are you ready to go?”

“Yes sir”

The bus doors opened, and the girls climbed on board. I let Luna on before me as I held onto the railing of the bus. I looked back out to see anything as the sun began to set. I figured it was just my paranoia and soon we all drove away from the beach and headed up north.

We soon made it to the hotel which was much bigger than I expected. Haynes men helped us with our luggage as we all gathered into the hotel lobby. We walked through the revolving door to get to the lobby. The interior of the lobby was white with electric lamps on the walls to emulate old candles and red carpet.

“Now this is a hotel darling” Rarity spoke

“It’s seems nice and cozy” Fluttershy uttered

We made our way to the concierge to get our rooms.

“Ah yes the ponies from beyond the gate, we’ve been expecting you, I have two full sized rooms for you if you would be so kind as too follow me”

We followed him into the elevator and went up a couple of floors until we stopped at floor 5. The doors opened as we walked down the hall and to the right were our rooms 111 and 112.

“Here are yours keys and we hope that you’ll enjoy your stay here”

He left as we entered our rooms both rooms were connected via a door to allow access to both. Both rooms were spacious with two queen sized beds, a couch a tv and a full bathroom.

“Alright Aj, Rainbow, Pinkie and Rarity get this room, Fluttershy, Twilight, Luna and I will take this room”

The girls didn’t seem to object as I assigned them to their rooms. I put my suitcase down beside the bed closest to the balcony window. Just then I heard a knock at the door. I almost felt a chill down my spine and I slowly approached the door and looked into the peephole and saw one of Hayne’s men standing there. I slowly opened the door to address him as my nerves called down

“Sir your requested items” as he handed me two long silver case’s

“Thank you” as I took them

“We’ll be on the lookout, have a good night, sir” he turned as walked back towards the elevator

I walked back into the room and placed the case’s on the floor

“What are those?” Luna said

“Oh, it’s for emergencies”

Luna then walked up to me

“Are you feeling okay you seemed anxious when we first got here”

“I’m just a little on edge is all, I cant shake this feeling that we’re being watched but not by the government but by someone else”

“And you think that something bad will happen?”

“I don’t know, I just wanna be prepared”

“I understand”

Pinkie then broke up the conversation by yelling from the other room

“Hey Mel, we found that cartoon of us on the TV you wanna come watch with us?” Pinkie yelled

“I’m good Pinkie I’m just gonna turn in for the night”

“Okay then”

I took my shoes off and my jacket and set them on the couch. Luna went to join the girls in watching My Little Pony. I picked up the cases and opened them. The first case had a CQB Rifle complete with a mounted foregrip, red dot sight and duel mags. It had some spare magazines as well as a few frag grenades. The second case housed a Benelli M4 with an upgraded ejection port and charging handle with textured grips. It too had some extra shells as well as couple of flashbangs. I looked at them both as I checked under my shirt to see I was wearing the Alicornium armor underneath. I went over to the window to see the darkness outside and the streetlights were lit. I looked at the trees and foliage in the distance and for a split second I thought I saw a glint of glass. I quickly closed the curtain and took some deep breathes. The girls decided to turn in for the night as they all got into their beds. Luna climbing into her bed saw me sitting on the couch staring off into space

“You should get some sleep Ambassador, tomorrow will bring about a new day” as she pulled the covers up to her chest

I just nodded as I laid down on the couch and closed my eyes. I waited until everypony was fast asleep. I then pulled out the case’s grabbed both weapons, I placed the rifle on the couch while I held the shotgun under my arm. I propped one of the extra chairs facing the door and sat down with the shotgun pointed at the door. I made sure the safety was off as I slowly fell into a deep sleep. Unbeknownst to us several unidentified groups of armed men were converging on our location. One from the road. One from the opposite side of the hotel and one from the air.

Their purpose unknown

Author's Note

Looks like I'm in for one hell of a firefight

Chapter sixteen- The Memory Orb

I felt awake even though I was for sure asleep, maybe I was awake. Everything around me was darkness except me I felt like I was glowing or perhaps there was a light shining down on me. I could hear screams in the distance, but nothing was out there. The screams sounded like the girls crying out for help. I started getting concerned when all of a sudden shadowy figures rose from the ground and were pointing what appeared to be guns at me. I looked down and saw my own rifle in my hand, I was about to fire back at the figures when it clicked telling me that it was empty. That’s when the figures began firing at me and the pain I endured felt exactly like when I got shot. The pain started to course all around me and I screamed out.

Suddenly the shadowy figures were all wiped out in a single blow and the pain had subsided. I looked over and saw Luna, her horn glowing as she began to approach me.

“It would appear that your fears have seeped into your dreams”

I looked at my body to find no holes in me whatso ever

“I had a feeling this was dream otherwise you wouldn’t be here”

“I am the Princess of the night, guiding ponies through their dreams is part of my job even if they have nightmares”

It was nice of Luna to come save me despite me dealing with the trauma from last night

“Well, I can’t thank you enough Luna”

Luna began to blush slightly

“You are most welcome; most ponies would fear me if I entered their dreams”

“Why is that?”

“Most ponies still see me as Nightmare Moon and still carry that fear within them”

I walked over to her and hugged her closely

“Like I said last night, that’s not who you are anymore”

Luna was comforted by this as she hugged me back

“I just wish the ponies would see me the way you do” as she shed a tear

We both let go as Luna turned to help me with my nightmare

“It would appear that you still carry over the trauma from last night?”

“Yeah, it was rather crazy, and truth be told I honestly thought I was gonna die”

“That may be why this trauma resides within you, you believe you should have died, and it seems your mind thinks that should have happened”

Luna looked me in my eyes as I gazed back at hers

“If you had died, don’t you think the girls would be devastated at losing you?”

“Well, I’d like to think that they would, but your guys-is safety is far more important…”

Luna then interrupted me

“And how can you protect them if you're dead?” she said slightly angry

I hadn’t taken that into consideration. I was solely thinking about their wellbeing rather than their feelings.

“I’m sorry this job has put a lot of pressure on me that I…”

Luna wrapped her wing around me

“I understand, in tough situations we tend to make rash decisions, I know I did”

I almost wanted to cry but I held it in.

“Thank you for the comfort, Luna” I said all teary eyed

“It is my pleasure, your dream is fading, you will awaken soon remember to think about your friends they feel the same way about you”

Luna disappeared and I felt myself awake. The sunlight was beaming out of the blinds in the windows, and I soon found myself with Fluttershy resting on my stomach and Applejack was resting against my head. I felt a little awkward as I tried to move without waking them up. Applejacks eyes soon began to move and blink. She moved over and let out a big yawn before rubbing her eyes as she looked back at me.

“Morning sugarcube” she said quietly “I trust you slept well” as she looked at Flutters sleeping on my stomach

I began to blush heavily as I looked down at her

“It’s not what you think”

Applejack chuckled at the thought

“I’m only teasing” she walked over and moved Fluttershy gently back onto her sleeping bag so I could get up.

I stood up and stretched a little before realizing that Luna was nowhere to be found, where did she go?

“You all right there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I just noticed that Luna is not in the room”

Applejack looked around the room and started to ponder

“Well, she couldn’t have gone far, maybe she’s outside”

Right when Applejack said that the door opened and in walked Luna as she looked right at me

“Ambassador the Major would like to see you”

“He probably wants to hear from what happened last night I bet”

“I’m just glad you’re still with us sugarcube, I don’t know what I’d
do if you had passed on”

“I know and trust me I don’t plan on dying anytime soon”

I got myself ready to see the major as I walked out of the trailer and closed the door behind me ever so gently.

I walked out and saw several men talking amongst themselves, their probably talking about how I survived last nights attack. I headed into the Major’s office as instructed. The Major was talking on his laptop with Haynes by his side. When I entered, he turned the computer around and on the screen was the President himself which I wasn’t expecting.

“Mel” he said “I’m glad you could join us please have a seat”

I then sat down in front of the majors desk waiting for what was to come

“The major was just telling me about how you survived the terrorist attack last night please regale me”

I did what I was told and told the President my first-hand account of last night’s events and how I defended the ponies.

“That’s quite a story, Luna came in to advocate for you and said that you fought valiantly, even getting wounded in the process”

“Correct sir I was injured” I took my shirt off and removed the bandages to show my wound and much to their and mine surprise the wound was almost healed.

“Wait how long ago were you shot?” The major asked

“8-10 hours ago”

“Sweet Jesus, it looks like it’s been healing for over a month”

“Well, you can thank Twilight for that she had some magic salve that must have some fast-healing properties”

“Well, I congratulate you on a job well done, normally id give you a medal but I’m very busy so the major will present it to you, good day Ambassador” The President ended the call and the major stood up and walked over to me and I stood up as well

“Mel what you did last night was probably one of the most heroic things I had ever heard in my time in the military. If you were a soldier you’d be awarded the medal of honor, however seeing as your still a civilian working for to Government I hereby award you, in the name of the President of the United States, the Presidential medal of freedom”

The Major pulled out a small box and handed it to me. I took the box and opened it and saw the medal inside.

“Mind you that this isn’t something that we just hand out to any civilian”

“I understand sir, thank you for this” as I reached out to shake his hand

“Now that that’s out of the way I want you to take the girls home, I believe Celestia wants to see them”

I was a bit confused when he said that, but I could imagine why

“Yes sir” I then walked out the door and was greeted by the girls and Luna all standing by the gate ready to go. They didn’t seem excited to go home in fact they looked like they wanted to go like yesterday

“Come on girls let’s get you home” I looked over at the operator “Open the gate!”

Soon the Doorway began to open, and we all rushed in quickly as the door closed behind us. We soon found our way back to Equestria and even though I was back in this bright, colorful and pleasant world I still felt out of it, and I could sense the girls were feeling the same way.

“Come my little ponies Celestia is waiting for us” Luna spoke

We all went to the train station and boarded a train bound for Canterlot. On the ride there everypony was rather quiet as they looked at each other or at the ground that when I decided to break the ice

“So how you did you all like the trip?”

Pinkie was the first to speak up

“I had real fun time meeting the children and playing all those game and eating pizza”

“I thought seeing more humans was nice, also the show bout us was very nice as well”

“Being with you and everypony else was good enough for me”

I could see some smiles again as they all chatted about their new experiences. I looked over at Luna and she gave me a small smile. I thought about what she said I thought in my head that I wanted to be there for these ponies and hope that I don’t upset them any further. As we pulled into Canterlot Station we all headed up to the royal throne room. As we entered Celestia was there to greet us. She seemed happy to see us but changed when she saw our expressions. Luna walked up to speak to her as she whispered in her ear for a good long while. Celestia’s eyes went wide as she looked back at all of us. Celestia then came to talk to us directly.

“Everypony come with me” she said as she led us out of the room

We followed to a different room within the castle. Celestia and Luna’s horn lit up and the doors were magically opened. Inside were various artefacts from weapons to scientific instruments, to statues, to weird mirrors.

Celestia turned her attention to a row of what appeared to glass orbs. They looked like the ones that fortune tellers gaze into to see the future. Celestia took a rather large one and brought it to us

“What are these your highness?” I said curiously

“These are called memory orbs”

Twilight’s eyes went wide again upon hearing that

“I’ve read about these, they supposedly have the ability to contain memories from a living pony within them, granted you need a device or a unicorn in order to do so, and they can be played back as if you’re the pony in them”

“What do you plan to do with it Celestia?”

“I believe that what happened last night was to traumatic for all of you so if you would like, I would like to take your memories of last night and place them in this orb”

The girls were shocked and so was I

“What will happen if we do?” I asked

“Your memories will revert back to moment before the event happened as if it didn’t happen in the first place”

“So, we won’t remember it at all?” Applejack said

“No however Luna and I will bring you up to speed so there’s no confusion”

The girls all looked at each other to decide to go through with it or not.

“May I opt out Celestia”

The girls all looked at me with shock including Luna and Celestia. Celestia turned to look at Luna and seemed to understand.

“Very well Mel its your choice”

Celestia walked over to the girls with the orb hovering in front of her

“Are you girls ready”

They all nodded as Celestia’s eyes began to glow as threads of magic sprung from her horn and floated towards the head of the girls. Soon what looked to be film reels of memories began to fly out of their heads and float into the orb and in a bright flash the extraction was over. The girls all rubbed their heads wondering what had just happened

“Wait why are we here, weren’t we in a hotel…” Twilight looked up and saw Celestia with the memory orb

“Wow is that a memory orb I’ve only read about those they supposedly can contain memories of whomever” Twilight looked intently at the glowing orb “Who’s memories are these, Princess?”

I stepped forward in front of Celestia to tell the girls of last night’s events.

“There yours, Guys” I said as a lump accumulated in my throat

They then all looked at me with confusion

“What do you mean?” Applejack uttered

“Well, something bad happened at the hotel, something so traumatic that it the memory itself would be terrible to even remember an injury so mental it would be just as bad as physical”

The girls eyes went wide upon me saying that

“What ended up happening is that we were attacked by several groups of armed individuals with the intent of killing me and taking you all away”

“For real?” Fluttershy whispered shaking a little bit with fear

“Yes, you guys would have been, if not for Luna taking most of them out”

They all turned to Luna

“Indeed, young ponies, there were indeed a great number of them to many for the Ambassador to handle, however it was mostly the Ambassador who held them off with his weapons and tactics”

“And after upon Luna telling me this, I sought fit to have these terrible memories erased from your minds” Celestia said

“That does sound awful princess I definitely wouldn’t wanna remember that”

“But maybe I could have used that trauma in order to learn from it and use in the future”

“Aw come on I wanna remember that sounds so cool”

“It’s okay Dashie I forget stuff all the time but that does sound cool and scary”

“It was in fact not as cool as you’d think”

“Wait a minute how come you remember?” Twilight said glaring at me

“Because humans deal with trauma all the time Twilight and this trauma is something I need to work on myself, I don’t need a magical spell for everything that’s wrong with me”

Twilight nodded softly as she seemed to understand

“What will you do Ambassador?” Luna said concerned

“Well, I will most likely spend several weeks with a therapist in order to cope, you guys have therapist’s right?”

“We do, but not for this sort of trauma”

“Understandable”

As the girls contemplated on this development Pinkie saw me holding my medal box. And in an attempt to break up the sour mood she brought it up

“OOOH what’s that Mel?” as the girls all look

“Oh, this is a medal I received from the President for my valiant effort” as I opened it showing them the medal inside, they all gawked over it

“Why aren’t you wearing darling?”

“Well, a lot had happened I just didn’t think about it”

“Nonsense you should wear it proudly after all you are a hero”

I took the medal out of the box and tried to figure out where to put it on my jacket. Rarity then used her magic to grab it and place it on my lapel.

“Oh, you look smashing”

“Does make you look heroic”

“It just screams I’m awesome”

Celestia came and looked at the medal as well

“The President gave you this?”

“Yes, he did”

“Well perhaps you’ve earned an equestrian medal too”

I was quite shocked upon hearing that then Celestia then pulled out a medal and handed it to me. The medal was round and featured Celestia and Luna flying around a sun mixed with the moon to symbolized yin and yang. I was taken back by this gesture.

“I don’t know what to say your highness”

“There are no need for words, for your actions speak for themselves Mel”

Celestia then levitated the medal and placed it next to my other one.

“What do you call this medal?”

“Let’s call it, The Equestrian medal of Harmony”

“Sounds fitting your highness” I was unsure about receiving this medal to be honest considering the alicorn medallion I got when I first came here and the Presidential freedom one. Celestia could see that I needed help from this trauma.

“If you’re feeling unwell Mel, you can stay here if youd like”

“I just might your highness”

Twilight and the girls all came up too me to offer their comfort

“Maybe we should stay too” Twilight suggested

“I appreciate it Twilight, but I think I just need to be alone for this one” I then gave the purple unicorn a head pat as thanks

“Well, if you do ever need us, we’ll be more than happy to be there for you” Fluttershy said

“We’ll I don’t know bout yall, but I’ve got to get home soon”

“Me too, Opal is probably wondering where I’ve been”

Soon the girls gave their goodbye’s as they began to leave, and I was alone with the Princess’s.

“Shall I show you to your room?”

“I think I can manage your highness” I gave them a bow as I headed down the hall to the room I once stayed the night in when I first came to Equestria. I came upon the door and stepped inside.

After closing the door and standing in the middle of the room for what felt like forever. I could feel myself getting teary eyed and soon tears began to stream down my face. I feel to my knees and I wept softly as I couldn’t hold it in anymore. My emotions were finally escaping from within me, I almost died, I literally would cease to be if not for Luna coming to my aid. I could only fathom about what would happen if I did die would Equestria and earth still be at peace or would there be more death and destruction? I thought of the girls and how sad they would be if I passed and yet here they were all there ready to comfort me and it pierced my heart so bad that I just had to cry. After crying my eyes out, I heard a gentle knock on the door and it made me briefly stop. I picked myself up and wiped the tears and snot off my face as I approached the door. I opened it to find Luna standing in the hall.

“Art thou alright Ambassador?”

Composing myself and swallowing my sorrow I answered

“Yeah, I’m fine”

Luna took one look at me and just shot me a look

“It tis awfully rude to lie to a Princess you know” Luna said all coy

I guess there’s no pulling the wool over her eyes as if it wasn’t evidently clear.

“I’m sorry its just-”

“There’s no need to Apologize” as she interrupted me

“I understand that you’ve been holding a lot of emotions within yourself and so have I”

I could see in Lunas eyes that they were on the verge of crying

“You and I are both are feeling the same, perhaps if we talked about it, we could work through it together” she said

“How!” I yell out loud and walked away hysterically “I’m only an insignificant human while you’re a goddess who’s been around a lot longer than I have; you’ve seen death more than I could imagine” I begin to cry again

“Today was just a drop a rain in a vast ocean compared to what you’ve seen”

Luna could feel how messed up I was as she trotted over and wrapped her wing around me and brought me close to her.

“It’s not your fault, it was never your fault, you did what you had to do in order to protect your friends, and no one is shaming you for it” tears streamed down her face

“It’s true, I have seen many ponies come and go over a thousand years and feeling ever more numb to it, but this was something that I have never witnessed before”

I could tell by her voice that she was just as traumatized by this as much as I was

“Seeing death come so abruptly is scary and then being the one to take another one’s life is also harrowing and it’s something that no pony should ever experience not even a human as brave as you”

I took comfort in her words, and I calmed down a bit.

“Well, how do I work through this crap?”

“Then we do it together” as she leans into me

I reach my arm around her and hold her close as we embrace each other

two traumatized beings worlds apart side by side

Chapter seventeen- The Apple and The Moon

“Are you calm now Ambassador?”

“For now, perhaps we should do this when I’m asleep that way we’re alone”

“That sounds splendid”

We both let each other go as Luna looked out the window and the sun was still in the air.

“Forgive me Ambassador but I must attend to my royal duties”

“Very well have a Goodnight Princess”

“You as well” as she began to leave the room

I took my shirt and pants off and slid into bed. As I lay there knowing that Luna would be there for me, I slowly nodded off.

My mind wandered and I soon found myself again in darkness, but I could feel a dark presence around me that I couldn’t shake. I looked all around me, but nothing was there. I deduced that my trauma was trying to frighten me again just like last night. Then a shadowy figure appeared this time with a sharp object in its hand as it tried to stab me. I darted out of the way narrowly missing it. It then began to chase me as I tried to run away but that thing was gaining on me as it drew closer, I tripped and fell. I looked back at the figure, and it was about to stab me when a bright light appeared, and the figure dissipated. Then I looked and saw Luna float down to save me yet again.

“There thou art, thou art rather difficult to find in the astral planes of the dreamscape but we have found thee now”

“Thanks for that I thought I was a goner for sure”

“Worry not, the dreamscape may be a scary place if traversed alone but it can’t harm you”

I stood back up and dusted myself off, which seemed odd is there dust in the dreamscape or am I just imagining that?

“Art thou feeling scared come follow me”

I followed Luna into the light and soon found myself in what looked like a room complete with a fireplace and comfy chairs. There was even a coffee table as well.

“Thou seemed surprised?”

“Kinda, I mean I don’t usually feel awake like this at least not in my dreams”

“What do you normally do when you dream then?”

“Well, it almost feels like I'm watching a movie made by my mind and sometimes I’m the main character”

“I see, the way you humans dream almost seems barbaric but I’m not judging”

Luna then sat down in one of the comfy chairs

“Here, have a seat”

I went over and sat down in the chair, and I will admit it was quite comfy

“Seeing how this is the dreamscape we may conjure any image or scenario we like, just as this room was crafted by my imagination alone”

I was rather impressed by the room she had made. There were even walls and carpeting beneath my feet. It was rather spacious for a dream.

“We may also view dreams thou hast have in the past”

I immediately thought about it and spoke up

“Nope no need I'm perfectly fine” I blurted out

Luna gave me a coy smile when I said that

“Ah, thou must have dreams that wish to remain unseen?”

I give her an attentive nod

“Very well perhaps we can just enjoy each other’s company, wouldest thou like some tea?”

I looked down and a teapot and some cups magically appeared on the coffee table.

“Thank you” as I took the pot and poured some tea into my cup

“We are aware of my sister’s propensity to drink it and also the propensity to indulge in its consumption, We prefer coffee actually, but I’ve come to understand that tea is your preferred drink”

I took the cup in my hand and began to sip it; It wasn’t too hot or too cold. After taking a sip and sampling the flavor it was indeed chamomile.

“Thank you, your Highness”

“You're quite welcome, so how art thou?”

I honestly couldn’t give her an answer.

“I’m doing okay for now”

“I see, it would seem that your mind still holds a grudge against you”

Luna took a sip and then stood up and walked over to me

“I want you to know right now Mel” as she looked me in my eyes

“You are loved, cherished, and worthful, and do not lie and tell me that you are not”

When she said that my heart almost broke and I got teary-eyed

“I love you, for I would cherish you, care for you, comfort you, embrace you, I would even hold you closely and hold you throughout all that may come in your dreams”

“That’s lovely and all, but what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like I feel like the shootout that happened ails in comparison to your years being in Equestria”

Luna was saddened by this, and she then sat back down

“I would like to tell you a story, a story that I haven't told anypony”

“If you would like me to keep it a secret I swear I won’t tell a soul”

Luna took in a long breath before she spoke for I knew this story was gonna tear my heart to pieces

“When I was very young and Celestia and I ascended to the throne, I thought that being a pony of power was my ticket to appreciation. I thought that being a princess would mean that I would command the total respect of all around me. That I would possess unparalleled affection from all that I led, to finally be wanted.”

“Well, to make a long story short I was wanted but…for the wrong reasons. Thou could not imagine the number of suitors I received weekly was astounding. A great number of stallions (and even a few mares believe it or not). They all approached me seeking my hoof in marriage. It was exciting because I finally thought that this was it, that I would finally know the embrace of another pony that I had dreamed of for many moons”

“Except?” I said

“Except Celestia prevented those marriages from coming to fruition. I was thoroughly confused and even mad at my sister for she dared deny me the happiness that I dreamed of for a long time. I did not understand why she did this to me her sister and for a while I was in a place where I hated my sister almost as much as I did when I transformed into Nightmare Moon. What I did not understand at the time was that Celestia was protecting me”

I was shocked knowing when Luna said that

“Everyone one of the suitors that presented themselves to me did not love me as I thought. All of them only played their part for their prospective gain. Celestia saw this in all of them…younger me did not. I believed that being a pony of power meant that everypony loved me, and wanted the best for me, and that they truly cared about me. What I soon learned is that many ponies only care for themselves”

I felt sad for Luna when she said this

“I’m sorry that happened to you”

“Tis alright, needless to say when I found out I was…well, I suppose heartbroken does not fully encapsulate what I felt. I was bitter, anguished, angry, depressed… I was many things. The truth I held within me to be my whole life was a lie. It was just a fantasy I conjured up to distract myself from the reality that everypony had my best interests in mind even if I had their best interests in mine”

I drank my tea as I let Luna continue

“It was this idea that I held onto for a long time. Too long in fact and it was this idea that led to me turning into Nightmare Moon that ultimately led to my exile. When I returned Nightmare Moon had been cast out and I was soon overwhelmed by the amount of love and care from my sister whom I once thought to be my hated enemy. It was one if not the best feelings I had ever experienced, to be loved again after being hated for a thousand years. Which now brings me to you”

I perked up when she mentioned me

“Me?”

“Indeed, for you have suffered through so much in your own life Ambassador. When I first met you I thought for sure that you were just like everypony else another wandering soul to look after in their dreams like so many other ponies…but you turned out to be very different than them”

“How so?”

“Well, we ponies know our destiny from the moment our cutie marks appear on our flanks. It is written in stone what we are to be, what we are to do, what we are to be good at, and for most this brings them a sense of comfort but you… you do not know like we do. You were never told by the stars, your leaders of your nation, the markings that may appear upon you, nor the circumstances of your birth, usually, what you are destined to be or perhaps skilled at. You must find and make something of yourself by yourself always and that must be scary in and of itself”

I put my cup down on the coffee table

“You are correct Your Highness, truth be told I was never sure that I was cut out to be an Ambassador and that scared me for a time…but meeting you and Celestia alongside Twilight and her friends made my job more comfortable to do”

“Yes for hear you are sitting next to me in the dreamscape of course, but still despite everything all the hardships you’ve faced, all the obstacles that have happened from the moment you became an Ambassador here you stand. For you kept seeking purpose despite all the times you felt scared and alone you found it”

There was some sense of comfort when Luna told me this

“You are a warrior in the truest sense even if you don’t think so and that is why I feel a connection between us. For I care not about what mistakes you’ve made in the past. How much you have fallen and have been hurt. Those are the things that make up you and it is one of the reasons that I like you so. You have grown a lot since the first time I laid eyes on you”

I began to blush as Luna complimented me

“Don’t ever think that you are not loved or cherished, for these thoughts will only make your dreams worse, Think of us and your friends for they will guide you to happier times.”

The world around us slowly began to shift and fade

“Your dream is fading, and you will awaken soon. Please promise me that you will go easy on yourself today for I don’t expect you to be perfect but choose to love yourself in some way whether it is me or your friends is up to you. Do that every day and when night comes I will be waiting”

The dreamscape faded quickly, and I soon awoke as the sun was beginning to rise over the mountain. I thought about what Luna said and took her words to heart. I got dressed and soon made my way to the Throne room. When I entered I saw Celestia there on her throne like always as she smiled at me

“Greetings Mel I trust you slept well?”

“I did actually” I stretched my arms and back for a moment “Probably one if not the best sleep I’ve had in recent days”

“Wonderful” Celestia got up and trotted down to meet me “Would you like to join me for breakfast?”

“Of course,”

Celestia and I walked out of her throne room and into the dining hall and were served a lustrous breakfast similar to the one I had when I made first contact. As I ate my breakfast Luna stepped in to grab something real quick before she retired for the day.

“Ambassador good to see you,” she said

“Always a pleasure to see you, Luna, if I may have a word?” I stood up to speak with her privately

“Of course, Ambassador” as we both got out of Celestia’s earshot

“About last night?”

“Yes?” she said curiously

“We got very close, and I just wanted to be upfront, since I'm not good at reading certain situations, but do you like me?”

“Of course I do”

“Yeah but like me”

“I don’t follow” as she furrowed her eyebrow

“Like, like like like like me”

Luna’s eyes went wide

“Oh, oh forgive me I feel like I may have given you the wrong impression I care for you greatly but you must understand I am a being of many years and will most likely never pass on so being in a relationship is not in the cards, so they say, does thou like me?”

I turned beet red when she asked

“I like you as a friend is all, I just wanted to be sure is all”

“Okay I understand you are a close friend to me, and I appreciate that”

“Likewise,”

I smiled as she gave me another hug and I blushed again even though I wished I hadn’t. Celestia could see us and she began to giggle a little. Luna let go as she went to her bed chamber. I went back to my seat and tried to eat again

“You and my sister seem rather close” as she shot me a look

“She’s just a really good friend,” I said avoiding eye contact

“Oh I tease Mel, truth be told I’m rather curious, is there a pony that you fancy?”

I blushed again and I tried to avoid the question, but I felt compelled to answer

“Well... maybe... Applejack” As the words left my lips I immediately regretted that I said it in the first place

Celestia’s eyes grew wide, and she seemed excited

“Tell me what do you like about Applejack?”

I was too embarrassed to answer but the words slipped out of my mouth again

“She’s honest and hard-working, she has nice blonde hair and those big green, emerald eyes” I soon began to picture her in my mind

Celestia chuckled at my comment

“My, it seems like you like like her”

I turned as red as a tomato

“It’s alright Mel I won’t tell anypony” She then got up from her chair to walk over to me “There’s nothing wrong with liking one of my many subjects”

“I know it’s just that she’s been through a lot and I wanna be there for her”

“Then perhaps you should”

“Wait like for real?”

Celestia nodded her head “Go”

After thanking Celestia for the meal I bowed, got up, headed down to the train station, and boarded a ride back to Ponyville.

=========================================++====================================

As the train pulled into Ponyville station I sat up and stepped off onto the platform. I proceeded to head to Sweet Apple Acres when Haynes stopped me.

“Sir are you okay?” as he stood at attention

“Yeah I’m fine I just spent a night in the castle to clear my head”

“I trust your visit was productive?”

“Yeah the trauma I experienced was dealt with and I hope to continue”

“Very good sir we are here if you need us” he saluted and went back to his post

I finally made my way to Sweet Apple Acres. I looked and saw Applebloom pulling bushels out of the barn.

“Oh, hi Mel how are ya?”

“I'm doing alright, say where’s AJ?”

“She’s out in the orchard loading bushels of apples”

“Thanks,” I said as I headed out into the orchard

As I passed many an apple tree it didn’t take long for me to find her. I could hear her bucking trees so the apples would fall. I saw her loading her wagon when I caught her eye

“Howdy Mel, what brings ya hear?”

“Oh, uh I was in the neighborhood and wanted to make myself useful,” I said blushing so slightly

“Well, I could use some help believe it or not”

“Just tell me what to do”

“Ya think you can load these here bushels and put them into the wagon”

I nodded after removing my jacket and rolling up my sleeves I loaded the bushels into the back of the wagon. The bushels when full were a little heavy but I didn’t mind and soon built up a good sweat. I looked at some of the trees that still had apples on them. I walked over to an apple tree to see if I could try bucking or rather kicking it so the apples would fall. I gave it a good kick when I heard a crack. The next thing I knew I got hit in the head by a large branch as I fell to the ground almost knocked unconscious. I could hear Applebloom in the distance as I lay on the ground holding my head as it throbbed

“Sweet Celestia, are you okay?”

I waved my head in pain

“Applejack, Applejack come quick”

I could hear hoofbeats closing in the distance

“I watched him kick that tree but then a big ol’ branch came down and clocked him on the head”

“Oh, pony feathers I should have warned him about the dead limbs left over from winter”

As I held my head in pain Applejack put her hoof on my arm

“It’s all right sugar cube, you still with us?”

“Hope that branch didn’t hurt ya too much”

“Not so close Applebloom”

I removed my hands from my head, and I looked and saw blood and my hand. Granted my hand was all wavey like and Applejack and Applebloom were too.

“Your eyes look kinda foggy there, how many hooves am I holding up?”

Both of them then noticed the blood on my head

“Applebloom go get the first-aid kit and a bag of frozen peas from the ice box”

“Alright, wait what do we need peas for?"

“For their head! whoops sorry sugar cube” Applejack spoke

“For their head, a good cold compress will help ease the pain”

Applebloom did as she was told as Applejack laid down next to me to keep an eye on me

“Don’t worry she’ll be back soon, I'm gonna look after ya till then”

I tried to sit up as I worked through the pain

“Whoa hold your horses, lay back down, I’m sorry about that, I should have warned about those dead limbs, you came out here to help me and you just end up on your back, I take it this wasn’t how you were expecting to spend your day huh”

Even though I was in pain I waved my head, Applejack looked to find a small cut above my forehead.

“Huh looks little but you're gonna live”

“Still in pain though”

“Sorry I was just making jokes to make you feel better, Pinkie always says a good laugh can heal anything, I just can’t help it at times sugar cube I often wonder what my ma would’ve done in a situation like this, ‘m sure she could have you feeling right as rain, she might have noticed that branch way before you bucked that tree”

“Applejack I got it,” Applebloom said carrying it in her mouth

“Pytoo, I got the kit and the peas here”

Applejack took them both from her and she handed me the peas as I placed them on my head, the cold stung a little bit but helped with the swelling

“Now hold still while I get your wound all cleaned up”

Applejack took some gauze and began wiping away the blood from my head

“Hm, looks a lot smaller than I thought Applebloom hand me the cream”

“Yeah mean the antibiotic cream” as she pulled a small bottle out of the kit

“Yeah that” Applebloom handed to Aj as she tried to get the cap open

“Okay hear I'm gonna put this on your wound to disinfect it and help stop the bleeding”

“Are they gonna need stitches?”

“No, it’s up under their hair ya see, once we seal the wound we can have ya sit in the barn till you got all your faculties, Applebloom can you clear a spot in the barn for him to sit in”

“Okay, you gonna be able to manage him all by yourself?”

“Yes, now get moving”

Applebloom scurried down toward the barn

“Don’t mind her, silly filly, she’s always seeing things for nothing as I suppose she likes the idea of having more help around here, Celestia knows we could use it”

“Alright the bleeding’s stopped now, it had been a while since I played nurse to anypony well anyone, it feels nice to be needed sometimes, that’s why I was kinda happy that you came out to help us well one of the reasons I guess, I was hoping to teach about the farm if I ever got around to it that is”

“I think I'd love to learn more about your farm”

“Well, that’s mighty generous of ya, it puts a smile on my face when folks learn about where their food comes from, I suppose I never grew out of playing mom to folks, teachin em things, looking after them, tending to them when they get hurt, that always sorta fell to me, you know not having ma or pa around, listen to me yammer on sound like pinkie”

I chuckled at the thought

“Okay hold your hair out the way for a minute while I put this cream on ya”

I held my hair so Aj could apply the cream as it made contact it started to sting badly

“Oh don’t be fussy I use this stuff all the time, ya think I don’t get hurt on the job, can’t tell how many times an old branch has cut me open, now sit still”

Applejack dabbed the cream and gently rubbed it into the wound

“Ah there we go, got you done up all nice a pretty, how’s your head feeling?”

“Better with the peas” as I held it on my head still

“Good your eyes look a lot more focused too, now you think you can stand?”

I slowly rose as Applejack helped me get my balance

“Come on now, let’s get you into the barn” as Applejack slowly guided me back

Applejack opened the barn doors just enough to get us through

“Alright get you set over her, watch out for that bucket now” as she quickly threw it into the corner

Applejack then sat me down on a bale of hay

“There ya go now you just sit here while I go through the bushels”

Applejack picked through the apples separating them by look and smell

“To be honest I thought you’d have better things to do, no I didn’t mean it like that I just thought that you’d have, oh I don’t know more interesting things to do besides work”

“What can’t I like apples as well?”

“No, I mean, I like apples as interesting as anything, I was just shocked that you were interested in them too, I figured you'd be busy with whatever Rarity had you roped into”

“Rarity is a nice lady, but clothes don’t interest me all that much”

“Yeah me neither I'm just a simple country girl through and through, I mean I like talking to ya and spending time with ya helping me with the chores, I mean that’s not the only reason”

Applejack was starting to get nervous

“Uh by the way you should come around to the next Apple Family Reunion I’m sure my relatives would love to hear stories from ya, I would introduce them to ya, don’t worry I'm sure they’ll love ya I certainly do, no not like, I mean I didn’t mean it’s not that I don’t like ya I mean no no no no that’s not what I meant”

“Just kiss already,” Applebloom said through the crack in the door

“APPLEBLOOM!”

Chapter eighteen- What must be done

I woke up the next morning to the sun once again shimmering down on my face yet again. I felt that Celestia was watching over me, ensuring I woke up and knew that Applejack and I were together. I didn’t mind it, but I found myself sleeping in a bed for some reason. I last remembered helping Applejack sort the apples from harvesting yesterday. I felt tired and hurt and I recall Applejack insisting on having me stay the night. As I looked around the room I could see that I was in her room. I rubbed my face and as I did I remembered that my head was injured. It didn’t hurt nearly as much thanks to Aj. I then felt something move on my chest and I looked down and found Applejack sleeping on me sound asleep. She seemed so cute and peaceful as she slept with her blonde mane undone and slightly scruffy.

I ran my hand down her mane as she slept, feeling her soft hair. The slight movement of her hair seemed to make her move and wake up. She rubbed her eyes as she looked right at me.

“Morning sugar cube How’d yasleep?”

I began to blush heavily.

“Well, to be honest, it was one of the better nights of sleep I’ve had in a while”

Applejack hopped out of bed and began to stretch her legs a bit.

“How’s your head feelin’?”

“It’s better” as I gently rubbed my small wound where Aj put that cream on

“Good to hear” Aj went over to her small dresser, pulled on one of the drawers, pulled out a hair tie, and set it on top of the dresser.

She took a brush that was also on the dresser and began brushing her mane to make it less frizzy. I watched as she brushed her long-flowing mane to make it more normal like it always does. After she was done brushing she tied the bottom into a ponytail. Her tail was another story though, she took the brush into her mouth and walked over to me as she sat on the bed next to me.

“You feel like brushin’ my tail for me?” she said with the brush still in her mouth.

“Um sure I guess,” I said blushing a little bit.

She dropped the brush onto the bed, and I picked it up. She lay down with her tail pointed at me. I took her tail in my hand gently brushing it trying not to tug on it too hard and I gently began to brush out her frizzy tail.

“You’re pretty good at this partner’ Are you sure you’re not some sorta a hairstylist?”

“Not that I know of” I brushed a bit more until it looked smooth

Applejack wisped her tail back towards her and she put a hair tie on it.

“Thanks, sugar cube would’ve taken a while if I did it by myself”

“No Problem”

“Come on now let’s get you out of bed,” she said as she began pulling the covers off.

Luckily I was still wearing my clothes from yesterday though they were a bit wrinkled and messy. I moved off the bed and stood on her cold wooden floor. I did my best to rub out the wrinkles and get some of the dirt and grime off as much as possible. I looked somewhat presentable as Aj giggled a bit.

“Sorry, I figured you would’ve wanted your clothes on when I put you to bed last night”

“Naw, it’s okay, wait a minute how did you get me up the stairs I don’t remember?”

“Oh yeah you were lookin’ pretty tired after a while, probably due to your head, so I helped you up the stairs and you just done plopped down on my bed and passed out”

I scratched my head a bit cause I honestly had no recollection.

“Well, if that’s what happened I ain’t gonna argue, I half expected that you dragged me or lifted me”

Aj did laugh

“Well, I did a little dragging but to be honest you ain’t too heavy”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, you know I'm just teasing, come on now there’s breakfast downstairs” Aj went over to the door “You coming?”

I followed Aj downstairs to the kitchen where Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applebloom were all sitting at the table with a big ol stack of pancakes. I felt slightly awkward as they stared at me as I sat beside Aj. Aj could see what was going on.

“Alright, yall nothing happened last night okay”

They all kind of looked at each other and began eating.

“You say nothing happened, so what did happen?” Big Mac asked

I turn to look at him “Wait, you can talk?”

“Eeyup”

“Huh you learn something new every day”

“Nothing Big Mac he was plum tuckered out, so he fell asleep, in my bed, with me”

“Well as long as that’s all you were doing” as Big Mac glared at me

A plate was given to me by AJ, I grabbed a few pancakes and placed them on my plate. They were pretty good and tasted like Cinnamon and Apples.

“Did you put cinnamon applesauce in the pancakes?”

They all look at me with shock.

“Well, I’ll be darned, he done guessed it on the first try,” Granny said

"Most ponies just assume I put mushed-up apples and cinnamon in the hotcakes, but you got a good mouth there son”

“Uh, thanks”

“Wow I bet you could taste all sorts of things just from eaten’-em”

“Well, I have eaten a lot of food”

After a somewhat awkward breakfast, I helped clean up by doing the dishes.

“I appreciate the help sugar cube; you didn’t have to do all this and that from yesterday”

“I just wanted to help and to you know, see how you were doing”

“Well, that’s mighty kind of ya”

“If you need any help today I might be able to”

“Huh starting to sound like Rarity being generous with all this helping around, But if you gonna help you might wanna get some work clothes”

I took a good look at my current outfit and realized that my suit might not be the best option.

“Speaking of Rarity I might have to see her about my outfit for the Galla”

“Oh, that’s right I gotta pick mine up from Rarity before we go, thanks for Reminding me, why don’t we go there together?”

Aj tilted her hat as she headed out the door with me close behind. We walked down the dirt roads into Ponyville. As we walked I was getting noticed by some of the townsfolk. They probably think that I'm dating Applejack or something. I did get a little embarrassed and blushed a little

“You alright Mel?” she said as she looked behind her.

“Everypony is staring at us”

“Oh, I see let’s just get to Rarity’s then”

Aj and I quickly made our way to the Carousel Boutique. As we entered the door made a jingle as Rarity called out to us.

“Just a moment” After a few seconds Rarity came out wearing red-rimmed glasses and had measuring tape around her neck.

“Oh, hello I didn’t expect the both of you here, at the same time”

As she looked at the both of us with a grin

“Are you two….”

“No Rarity, Mel hurt himself and I was just taking care of him”

“Oh my, what on earth happened?”

“A branch fell on my head” as I show her my covered wound.

“Oh, Darling you must be more careful”

“Well, I just came by to pick up my dress,” Applejack said

“Oh yes, I have it right here” as she used her magic to lift the box containing Aj’s dress.

“Thanks, Rarity but Mel here-” as Aj nudged me

“Oh yes I was hoping to get a suit made for the Galla, I know you must be super busy with making the girls theirs in all”

“Oh, darling of course I can come follow me”

Rarity turned to her workshop.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you at the Galla then Aj”

“Me too, take care now” As AJ left I walked into Rarity’s Workshop.

Her workspace was filled with rows of thread, ribbons, and rolls of fabric, pony mannequins, and a sewing machine.

“Nice setup”

“Thank you dear now let me get you measured” as she used her magic on the tape around her neck.

“Hold out your arms for me”

I held out my arms like I was t-posing as Rarity took my measurements.

“Hm, uh-huh, okay, got it” The tape flew back and was placed on the table.

“I’m glad to be making this for you darling I’ve always wanted to make human clothes for a while and now I have the perfect model, I've made jackets for those attending the Gala, but I've never made trousers before”

“Well, there’s always a first time for everything eh”

“Oh yes, indeed would you like it to be for day or night?”

“Night since the Galla is in the late afternoon and will continue into the night”

“Okay, and what style would you prefer?”

“Um not sure something original I suppose my knowledge of suits is rather limited”

“Hm, I think I have an idea of a style that I know you’ll like, know how many buttons for the jacket?”

“I’ll go with two I know three is also an option”

“Of course, and what about the trousers I could tapper them for you if you’d like?”

“Sure”

“How about the lining, I can do light, so it won’t be too hot for you I have this fabric that’s perfect for cool nights”

“Sounds lovely”

“Alright I think I've got everything down and I’ll have it done for you just in time for the Gala”

“Thank you so much Rarity, I believe the Government will compensate you for your troubles”

“Oh, Darling you know I can’t accept money from you and besides you being my model works out perfectly for me anyway”

Rarity began working on measuring and cutting out patterns of fabric. She used her magic to levitate them up to me to make sure they were correct and to adjust accordingly.

“So, you were with Applejack yesterday?”

“Uh yes I was”

“What were your intentions?”

“I wasn’t busy and wondered if she needed help”

“Ah, I see you helped her?”

“With her chores that is and that’s when the branch fell on my head”

“Pardon me darling but, why did you?”

“Well, I was checking on here since the hotel fight and all”

“Oh yes that, even though I don’t remember exactly what happened it must have been traumatic for you as well”

“A little bit but being with you guys gives me something to take my mind off it”

“Well, Equestria does have its magic I suppose”

“Rarity can I tell you something?”

“Of course, darling”

“But like something like super-secret, like something that only me, you, and maybe Luna know as of right now”

“Absolutely”

“I may have a tiny little itsy-bitsy crush, on Applejack”

Rarity’s face just dropped “Oh my”

“Yeah I know it’s weird and different, but there’s just something about her that I like ya know?”

Rarity gave me a look to insinuate that she was very interested.

“I mean she’s strong, honest, hardworking, dependable, and her flowing blonde mane and those green, emerald eyes she’s just…. (ahem) looks beautiful to me”. I said blushing

“I understand darling and don’t worry your secret is safe with me”

She gave me a wink as she went back to her work.

After a few hours of cutting and measuring Rarity had gotten the pieces ready for sewing.

“Thank you again for modeling for me dear”

Just then I heard I knock at the door, and Rarity tilted her head in that direction.

“Who could that be?”

“Wait here I’ll be right back”

I walked up to the door and opened it, and the sergeant was standing present.

“Sir you didn’t make it back last night and several (ahem) ponies saw you coming in here with that orange pony”

“Her name is Applejack, and I was at her farm helping when I got tired, and I fell asleep there”

The sergeant gave me a look like every pony else.

“Well, when you’re done here the president would like to see you, my men and I will be waiting at the Gate when you're ready”

“Thanks for the heads-up sergeant”

He gave me a salute as he headed back to his men. I closed the door as I made my way back to Rarity.

“Is everything okay darling?”

“Yeah the Sargent was just wondering where I was last night, also the President wants to see me again”

“Oh, whatever for?”

“Not sure the Sarge didn’t say, I hope I'm not in trouble I haven’t done anything wrong I don’t think”

All this paranoia was rushing through my head I started getting anxious.

“Oh, darling please I'm sure whatever it is I'm sure you’re going to be fine”

“I don’t know, you don’t know what it’s like working for the President the man runs a country and can order people to do whatever”

The thought started to weigh on my mind and I started having flashbacks from the first assassination and the raid at the hotel. I plopped down on Rarity’s sofa and started to hyperventilate when Rarity rushed over and put her hooves around me to calm me down.

“It’s okay darling I’m here shhhhhh” she began rubbing my head as it helped control my breathing. After a few minutes, I calmed down as we both looked at each other.

“It seems you’re under a lot of stress dear and I am going to make you less stressed, follow me please”

Rarity got up and I followed her to one of her changing rooms. Rarity went up to a big wooden dresser and pulled out a couple of robes. She walked back over to me and handed me one.

“Please get changed and come out when you’re ready”

I did what I was told, I took my suit off and changed into the very soft, plush robe that she handed me. I was confused as to what she had planned but I just went with it. I came out with the robe on and saw Rarity had hers on.

“Alright let me just put my mane up and I’ll light a few candles”

Rarity used a scrunchy to put her mane up using her magic, after that she took out some matches and began lighting candles and placing them around the room. The fragrance smelled of lilacs and lavender which made me feel at peace.

“Okay now that the atmosphere is set up we can begin”

“With?”

“For your spa treatment of course. Whenever I get overwhelmed and stressed I find a spa treatment works wonders for me. It helps me reset and be more focused so I'm giving you one today”

“That’s very nice Rarity but doesn’t the spa have a sauna and everything”

“You’re quite right but you need treatment regardless of a sauna”

Rarity went into the kitchen and came back with a pitcher and a bowl. She poured warm water into the bowl and waved for me to come sit down.

“Now I'm going to drape this towel over you and the bowl, that way the steam gets trapped inside and helps open up your pores”

“Just like a sauna!” I said

Rarity nodded as she draped the towel over me. The steam filled my face and felt rather nice. I could feel my nostrils clearing up and my face getting damp.

“Feel free to come out it gets too much for you”

After a few minutes, I pulled the towel off of me as my face felt good.

“Alright now it’s time for the mask” Rarity levitated a bunch over to me and let me pick one.

“I’ll take Hydrating Amethyst”

“Good choice”

Rarity walked over to a lounge chair and had me lie down as she applied the mask. She grabbed a silicone brush and dipped it into the cream and began smoothing it on my face evenly. She put the cream and brush off to the side after covering my face. She then put cucumber slices on my eyes to help with puffiness and the bags.

“There we go, now wait here for just a moment I'm going to apply a mask of my own, just sit back and relax”

Rarity grabbed the cream and brush and went into the bathroom to apply some to her face. After resting for a while I could hear the sink and thought she must be washing her face before applying and after a few minutes, she came back out.

“Alright now let me remove your mask, it can irritate the skin if left on for too long” Rarity grabbed a damp wash cloth and began gently wiping it off my face in one direction and patted it down to dry.

“There, you look amazing darling now I'm going to use this facial serum and smooth it onto your skin with this rose quartz roller”

Rarity dropped the serum on my face with the eye dropper and began smoothing it into my face with the roller. It felt nice having the smooth quarts roll across my face coupled with the serum.

“Now I'm going to use this aloe vera face spray to rejuvenate your complexion”

She gave my face a few spritzes of the spray, and I could feel my face tingle a little bit.

“I feel like I've done enough to your face for now, would you like your nails done?”

“Okay as long as you don’t paint them”

“Oh of course, here place your hands into this warm bowl to let them soak”

Rarity dumped out the old water and filled it with warm water again as I dunked my hand into it. Rarity then went to grab some things from the bathroom. She came back with some nail grooming stuff.

“You can take them out now”

I took my hands out of the water and dried them off with a towel. Rarity took my hand in her hoof and began filing them down. She then used a tiny plastic pick to scrap all of the ick under my nails.

“There we go your hands look much better now”

I looked at them and she did a very good job.

“How about some lotion I have this stress-reducing lotion that would be perfect”

Rarity grabbed a small jar applied some to my hands and began rubbing it in thoroughly.

“Ah now don’t your hands feel nice”

They did feel nice and smooth as I rubbed my hands together.

“Now do you feel more relaxed now darling?”

“I do, thank you so much Rarity”

“The pleasure is all mine”

I then heard a small ding coming from the back.

“Oh, your clothes must be done wait here”

Rarity went into the back to grab them; she came back with my outfit all clean and fresh.

“Here you go” as she levitated over to me.

“If you'd like to change now I don’t mind”

I nodded as I went into the changing room and put my suit on, it was nice and warm from getting out of the dryer. It felt smooth again after she ironed it down. She even cleaned my shoes for me. I walked out looking sharp as ever as I rejoined her.

“Say, would you like some tea; I also have some biscuits too?”

“Sure, all this relaxation has gotten me a little hungry”

“Oh, I also have some sandwiches as well”

“That sounds wonderful”

Rarity and I went into her lounge area, I sat down on the couch as Rarity went into the kitchen. I could hear her getting everything she needed ready and a few minutes later she came out with a tray of tea, cups, biscuits, and some sandwiches.

“Voila my favorite blend of tea, and some cucumber sandwiches as well as some biscuits”

“Oooh I don’t think I've ever had a cucumber sandwich before”

“Give one a try darling”

I picked one up and took a bite.

“mmm is that humus?”

“Indeed, I had no idea you had such a refined pallet”

“I’ve eaten a lot in my time”

We continued to drink tea and food together as the sun was getting low.

“Oh my, time does fly when you’re enjoying yourself”

“Yeah the Sargent’s probably worried”

I sat up and brushed my pants.

“Well thank you Rarity for your time”

“Your welcome dear, I'm glad I was able to help you relax before your big meeting”

“Until next time” I gave Rarity a small bow as I made my way to the door.

I walked down the road towards the gate and saw the Sargent waiting like he said

“Sir you look better”

“Yes sir I feel a little better shall we go?”

He nodded as he got into the driver’s side, and I got into the passenger side. We drove through the gate and back to my world. We made it through and saw the major waiting for me. I jumped out and went to greet him.

“Major”

“Mel good to see you so-” he gave me a weird look.

“Oh, I got a spa treatment from a friend of mine”

“I see well the president is waiting for you in my office” The Major turned and started walking as I followed close behind. Even though I was relaxed the thought of what was coming crept into the back of my head. The Major opened the door and inside sitting at the Major’s desk was the president himself. Now I'm starting to panic since up until now I've always communicated with him over the computer. I could only imagine what he was doing here personally.

“Mel come in sit down,” he said

Nervously I sat down in front of him.

“Am I in trouble?”

“No of course not, the reason I'm here is that I have an important task for you to handle, whatever happens in this room is confidential, no one knows about it understand?”

“Yes sir”

“Good, let me get straight to the point we need you to collect DNA from those ponies beyond the gate”

I was completely dumbfounded when he said that.

“Excuse me?”

“We need DNA from the ponies beyond the gate preferably blood samples and we need you to do it”

“But why?”

“I’m afraid that’s classified above your pay grade son”

The idea of this began rushing through my head as to why

“The only reason why you would need DNA is either you plan on making ponies to send over there to spy on them or you create some sort of countermeasure in case they decide to invade tell me I'm wrong”

“Like I said it's classified which means you can’t tell anyone about this and to make sure you don’t the Sargent will be with you at all times to make sure”

“And if I say no?”

“Then we’ll fire you and find someone else to do it”

“Do you think Celestia is going to be okay with that I’m the only one she trusts”

“Exactly all you gotta do is grab some DNA and bring it back no one has to know”

This whole thing just makes me sick to my stomach. On one hand, I betray the ponies that I’ve come to know and never see them again, or lose everything and never see them again regardless.

“Fine!”

“Very good why don’t you get some rest the Gala is coming up and you need to look presentable”

I got up out of my chair and walked out the door. I began getting furious and started swearing as the major walked over to me.

“Look son I know you care about those ponies, but you have a job to do”

“Betraying an entire race of beings just because were afraid of them was not part of the job description!”

“Look they have an entire world full of resources”

“Yeah cause that’s what it all comes down to right, fucking money”

The major dipped his head in distress.

“Look why don’t you sleep on it, maybe your dreams will be more pleasant,” he said as he gave me a nod as he headed back into his office.

I walked to the barracks with the sergeant following close behind me. We walked into the bunk area, and I took my shoes off and laid down on a bunk. I looked and saw the sergeant staring at me as I rolled over to my side. I wasn’t sure what the Major meant and just as I was about to close my eyes I began to drift off into sleep.

What do I do, betray the ponies or betray the government?

Chapter nineteen- The Grand Galloping Gala

A few days passed, and it was getting closer to the Grand Galloping Gala. It had been a long time since I had brought my ticket from Celestia, plus I remember that whole fiasco with Twilight getting hers. I didn’t know much about the Gala besides what Celestia told me about the Sky Council and whatnot. I was eating my lunch outside by the tents when I heard a knock at the Gate door. I signaled the watcher, and he opened the Gate just enough. I looked inside, and it appeared that Rarity decided to stop by. The only reason was probably to drop off my suit, which she said she would make for me. I was in the middle of eating, and I was still in my normal clothes. I hoped Rarity wouldn’t think less of me if she saw me like this. I walked over to the door and saw Rarity levitating a box, presumably containing my outfit.

“Oh, hi Rarity”

“Hello, darling.” She took one look at me as she raised her eyebrow

“What on earth are you wearing, darling?”

Called it as I looked at myself

“Oh, sorry, this is what I usually wear when I'm not with you guys”

“I see. Well, I’ll have to make you some better clothes than that for you at some point, but for now, here is your suit, dear,” as she levitated it into my hands.

“Thanks again, Rarity”

“No problem at all, darling, I'll see you at the Gala”

With that, Rarity turned and disappeared into the darkness as the doors to the Gate began to close. I brought the box with me to the barracks and dropped it onto one of the bunks. At that moment, I could feel the presence of the Sergeant waft over me like a ghost.

“Who was that, sir?” he asked.

“Rarity, she just dropped off the suit she made for me,” I said without looking directly at him.

Even though I wasn’t facing him, I could sense him rolling his eyes or mouthing something terrible about her. The Sergeant walked away, and that’s when I began to undress, I opened the box to get my suit. The suit was black and made of a smooth fabric of great quality. I started to put it on one piece at a time. I didn’t have a mirror, so I couldn’t tell if I looked good, but I thought I did. That’s when the Sergeant came back.

“Sir, the Major would like to see you for the briefing”

“Great, he probably wants to know how I’m gonna steal this DNA”

After finishing up, we both headed towards the Major’s quarters. We stepped inside to see the Sergeant’s men and the Major sitting at his desk like usual. The Sergeant and I saluted him.

“Alright, Mel, tonight your mission begins perhaps you’d like to go through it with all those present step by step?”

“Well, if I recall, Celestia has a nurse station inside the Castle for her guards as well as other ponies that work for her, so if we need DNA, they might have some blood samples in there that we can acquire.”

I had to think hard about this whole ordeal, considering I was about to betray Celestia's trust as well as my pony friends. This whole thing felt like I was about to pull off the heist of the century or like those Ocean’s Eleven movies.

“Alright, step 1: we arrive at the Gala like normal. We mingle with the guests, and then we slip out into the courtyard. Step 2: we make our way back inside, going around, bypassing most of Celestia’s guards on the inside. Step 3: Once inside, we make our way to the Nurse’s station henceforth, the Sergeant’s team will create a Distraction, leaving the entrance open for me and the Sergeant. And finally, we’ll slip in, grab the blood, and make our way towards the exit.”

They all looked at me like I had just said the dumbest thing ever. That’s when the Major chimed in.

“Well, if that’s your plan, then I suggest you stick to it and try not to draw any attention to yourselves.” he then stood up from his chair.

“Good luck, Mel,” as he reached out to shake my hand

The Sergeant’s team and I all headed outside towards our Humvee. I used the window of the Humvee as a temporary mirror. I straightened my tie and made sure the laces on my shoes were neat. I looked pretty sharp, almost like a super spy, like that one British guy.

“Sir, are you ready?” the Sergeant asked.

“Ready as I'll ever be”

“How do you feel?”

“Like I'm about to commit a crime against Equestria”

“Very funny, sir, shall we?”

I nodded as we all piled into the Humvee and headed through the Gate towards Canterlot. I sat in my seat, contemplating my predicament as we drove along the side of the mountains. I thought about how well my plan for stealing this blood was going to be.

“Do you think stealing blood is gonna help us?” I turned to the sergeant

“It’s not my place to say, sir, however, if the President says we need it”

“Yeah, and if the President told all of us to jump off a cliff, would you do it?”

“Sarcasm aside, sir, if the Princess has an infirmary within her castle, that would be the obvious place to obtain some DNA.”

I vaguely remember Celestia bringing it up that she had an infirmary, but I don’t recall.

“If I do this and they find out, I’m not gonna be responsible if Celestia torches you all by bringing the sun closer to Earth”

“If we have their DNA, we’d be able to fight back and ensure that that doesn’t happen”

“AHA, I was right”

“I can neither confirm nor deny what we plan on doing with the supposed DNA if we obtain it”

“Ah, the Government always counts on plausible deniability”

As I stared out the window, thinking about the girls and how they wanted this night to be the best night ever, I hoped that they would. I thought about how disappointed they would be in me and probably hate me for stealing blood from Celestia. We drove on, and I could see Canterlot in the distance, I took a good look one last time, considering I was never going to see it again. We drove right up to the gate and parked off to the side. We all got out and headed towards the castle. Before we entered, we all put our weapons and gear into the Humvee since we weren’t going to be needing them.

“Gentlemen, we’re going in. Just take it slow, and we should be fine.” I took a deep breath as we headed up the stairs and into the castle. By the door was a stallion in a fine suit, he took one look at me before he headed into the foyer and announced me to the other guests.

“Announcing the Ambassador from beyond the Gate,” he then stepped aside.

All of a sudden, every single guest was staring at me, so much for keeping a low profile. Soon, they all gathered around to greet me and shake my hand.

“Ambassador, how splendid it is to see you,” one said

“How are you liking Canterlot so far?” another said

“What a stunning suit,” a mare complimented

I was getting overwhelmed and hot as I tried to focus on the task at hand, I looked up and saw Celestia and Twilight at the top of the stairs. Twilight seemed relieved that she and Celestia could have a moment together. So, I just continued to mingle and try to make our way outside.

“It’s wonderful to be here among such admirable ponies”

I took a glass of champagne from a maid that was standing by.

“Canterlot is a wonderous and magical place to be in, and to be here at this luxurious party tonight, I couldn’t be happier”

“And to answer your question, a good pony friend of mine made this suit for me”

Some of them were stunned to hear.

“Who, I would love for them to make me one?”

“Oh yes, can she make a dress for me?”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if Rarity could handle all these potential future orders.

“Well, she does have a shop in Ponyville you’ll have to talk to her”

I mingled and answered as many questions as I could as my team and I slowly worked our way towards the outside. We were nearing the direction of an exit when I heard Twilight.

“Hey, Mel,” she said, slowly approaching.

“Hey, Twilight.”

Some of the guests were shocked to see me and Twilight conversing.

“You know Celestia’s star pupil?”

I looked at her and gave a smile.

“Why yes, I do, me and her and very good friends”

Chatter started immediately when I said that.

“Mel, you didn’t greet me or Celestia”

“Yeah, sorry I was-” I looked at all the guests “Preoccupied at the time”

“Well, I wanna thank you. If you hadn’t shown up, I probably wouldn’t have had a moment to talk to Celestia at all”

“You're welcome, why don’t you join me I could use some friendly company tonight”

“Sure,” she said as we made our way outside.

Haynes came right up beside me and leaned in.

“Sir, we’re supposed to be focusing on the mission!”

“Calm down, I'm freaking out as it is, just roll with it!”

We soon made our way into the courtyard with my entourage. The courtyard was laden with grass and had long stone pillars with vines wrapped around them.

“I love your dress, Twilight”

“Thanks,” she blushed a little. “You look rather dapper in that suit; I take it Rarity made that too?”

I nodded my head as we continued down the path. I looked back at all the ponies still following me and was getting worried that my main mission wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. Soon, we came to yet another familiar face as Applejack had her cart set up with all sorts of delicious goodies available for purchase.

“Howdy Mel, glad to see you here”

“Likewise, Aj, how’s business?”

“Well, it ain't been booming like I had hoped,” she said as she grew a small frown.

I looked at her display and decided to give her a hand. I reached into my pockets to pull out some bits.

“My men and I will take some of those fritters and some cider,” as I placed my bits on her cart.

“Thank ya kindly, Mel,” she said as she handed me and my team her treats. That put a smile on her face, knowing that I was helping her cause

My men took them and started to eat them, and as they savored them, they soon realized that they were the best thing they had ever eaten. I could soon hear ponies chattering amongst themselves again, and soon, a lot of them stepped right up to Aj’s cart demanding treats as well. Before Applejack knew it, her cart was sold out within a couple of minutes. She could hardly believe it herself.

“Well, look at that, I hope you spend that money wisely, Aj,” I said

“Land-sakes because of you, I sold out everything”

“Way to go, Applejack I'm proud of you”

“Well, since my cart is empty, I don’t suppose I could join you?”

“Not at all”

Applejack joined in as we continued to walk through the courtyard, hoping to find a way back in. We continued walking, and we soon came to Celestia’s garden, which Fluttershy mentioned held beautiful flowers that would bloom tonight and housed critters of all sorts. The flowers were amazing and smelled of sweet floral hints one would find in their perfumes. Suddenly, some of the critters and birds zoomed past me in what seemed to be an attempt to hide, and soon Fluttershy came out from the side, trying to get their attention to no avail.

“Oh, I'm sorry I—” Fluttershy looked up to notice me. “Oh, Mel, I didn’t expect to see you here. Well, I mean not here at the party, but in the garden…. It’s nice to see you.” She tilted her head and saw Twilight and Applejack.

“Hi, girls.”

“Fluttershy, what are you up to?”

“Oh, I was just trying to make friends with the garden critters, but it’s been a little difficult, I thought it would be easy since I'm so good with the critters in Ponyville”

“Well, that is peculiar,” Applejack uttered

I thought about Fluttershy’s predicament and looked around the garden. I have been in this garden before. I knew what needed to happen. I walked over to the bushes and picked some berries. Once I had enough, I walked back over to Fluttershy.

“Sit on the grass for me,” I said

Fluttershy was confused, but she then sat down on the grass as she was told.

“Close your eyes and breathe slowly”

As she did, I moved her hooves out and placed the berries on her hooves.

“Stay like this, and I'm sure you’ll meet some new friends”

I urged Twi and AJ to follow me out of the garden to give Fluttershy space. We waited at the edge of the garden and watched as Fluttershy stood very still.

Then, a few birds landed on the ground and looked at Flutters. They hopped closer and closer, sensing food was near. They flew up to her hooves and started to inspect the berries. When they felt that Fluttershy was not a threat, they began pecking at the berries. Fluttershy slowly opened one eye to see them. Remaining still, she whispered.

“Hello, little friends, I won’t harm you”

Soon, more birds and creatures came out from hiding and slowly approached Fluttershy. She opened her eyes fully, and finally got to know the critters more, and had conversations with them. I couldn’t understand what exactly she was saying, but I'm glad that she got to have her moment. When she was done, she trotted on over towards us.

“What did you end up talking about?” I wondered

“Oh, They were just wondering if I was an intruder or not, and once I explained myself and said I was sorry for chasing them, they opened up”

“You always find a way to make new critter friends, don’t ya, Fluttershy?” Applejack spoke

Fluttershy blushed, and she, in turn, joined our group, and we all headed towards the patio. The patio housed a great number of guests as they all gathered around another group of ponies. I looked over and saw the Wonderbolts in their blue and yellow uniforms. I remember Rainbow mentioning them as the greatest aerobatic flying team. When I got close, the crowd all looked at me like they did before, and soon, the Wonderbolts came forward to meet me.

“Hey, you’re the human Ambassador everypony has been talking about, well, sir, it’s an honor to meet you,” Spitfire said as she and her team all saluted me.

“Likewise, captain, I’ve heard you guys are the best of the best when it comes to flying and stunt performing”

“You bet it takes a lot of practice to do what we do,” Soarin said

“Well, I just happen to know a pony who’s very good at flying with insane stunts and wants to be a Wonderbolt”

“Really, who?” Spitfire said

Before I could answer, I could see Rainbow off to the side, waiting to talk to them. I waved and motioned her to join me. Without a moment of hesitation, she flew and did a few twirls and flips before landing perfectly next to me.

“This is her, Rainbow Dash.”

“You know her?” Soarin said

“Why, yes, she’s a close friend of mine, you should see her, she can do all sorts of stunts, she’s really good”

Rainbow blushed a little, and soon, the Wonderbolts all gathered around her to chat about stunts and training.

“That was nice of you, Mel,” Twilight uttered

“Well, she is my friend, after all, and we help each other out from time to time”

After the Wonderbolts exhausted all their questions, they went to mingle with the other guests. Rainbow then came over to us.

“Hey Mel, thanks for helping me with the Wonderbolts I've been trying to hang with them for a while now”

“Eh, no problem”

I looked and saw an entrance leading back into the castle. As Rainbow joined our group, we soon found ourselves in the dance hall. Live music was being performed as guests danced in the middle of the room. The music was very calm, almost soft and graceful, like a swan. Out of all the ponies in the room that caught my eye, Rarity stood out as she was standing by herself next to Prince Blueblood. Blueblood, from what Celestia told me, was very full of himself, and Rarity was not having it. I felt bad for her since she was busy standing instead of dancing.

“Wait here a minute, girls,” I said as I headed over to the musicians.

I leaned and asked them if they knew a particular waltz. They nodded and began to play it slowly and softly. I then walked over to Rarity and held out my hand.

“May I have this dance, miss?”

Rarity’s eyes went wide, and she blushed a little. She looked back at Prince Blueblood and looked away in distaste as she took my hand as we moved to the middle of the room. I held Rarity in both my hands as she stood on her hind legs, and we danced to the music.

“Mel, I had no idea you were such a good dancer,” she said

“I may have watched a YouTube video on how to waltz properly”

We both giggled and danced as the guests and the girls all looked in awe. When the song was over, everypony began clapping their hooves. It was nice being the center of attention, even if it was for a moment.

“Thank you, darling, for such a wonderful night”

“My pleasure,” I said

I then looked over and saw Pinkie Pie all alone at a table, looking rather disappointed. I walked over to check up on her.

“Hey Pinkie”

My presence made her smile a bit.

“Oh, Hey Mel”

“Why the long face?”

That got a chuckle out of her.

“I just thought that the Gala would be the best party of all the parties I've partied at, but it just wasn’t what I had hoped,”

I felt bad for Pinkie and looked back at the girls all standing together. I knew something had to be done. So I went back over to the musicians and requested some more upbeat music. A grey pony with black hair holding a cello nodded and whistled for her friend. In a flash, a white pony with a blue and light blue mane wearing purple shades came up on stage with a high-tech sound system. I pulled out my phone and picked a song that I knew was not just appropriate but also perfect. I handed my phone to her, and she plugged it into her console. Soon, Safety Dance was playing, and everypony could hear it.

“Come, Pinkie, let’s dance.” I grabbed Pinkie as we headed to the dance floor

We can dance if we want to
We can leave our friends behind.
Cause your friends don't dance.
And if they don't dance
Well, they're no friends of mine.

Say, we can go where we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come.
From out of this world
Leave the real one far behind.

And we can dance
Or sing

As we sang and danced, everypony started clapping to the beat, and some joined in dancing like they never danced before. Twilight and the girls also joined in, and soon, the Gala wasn’t so bad.

I say we can dance, we can dance.
Everything's out of control.
We can dance, we can dance.
We're doing it from pole to pole.
We can dance, we can dance.
Everybody look at your hands.
We can dance, we can dance.
Everybody's taking the chance.

Oh well, the safety dance
Ah, yes, the safety dance
Oh well, the safety dance
Oh well, the safety dance
Oh yes, the safety dance
Oh, the safety dance, yeah
Well, it's the safety dance.
It's the safety dance.
Well, it's the safety dance.
Well, it's the safety dance.
Oh, it's the safety dance.
Oh, it's the safety dance.

As the song concluded and everypony was almost exhausted, I slipped away when no one was looking. I caught up with Haynes and his men as they were waiting for me.

“What took you so long!” Hey asked.

“I was busy now we can get the damn blood”

Haynes’s team and I walked through the halls, trying to find the nurse’s station. As we came around the corner, I saw the station with two guard ponies standing outside the door.

“Alright, you men, create a distraction,” I said

They looked at me, puzzled and confused.

“What should we do?”

“I don’t know, just get their attention away from the door.”

The men looked at each other as they rushed towards the guards.

“Help, there's an injured pony in need of help.”

The guard’s ponies left their post and followed the men down the hall. Haynes and I crept towards the station. Haynes stood by the door while I entered. Inside were beds, IV stands, spacers, medicine cabinets, and a fridge. That must be where the blood is stored. I walked over slowly and tried to open the door, but it was locked. I pulled out one of my knives and tried to shimmy the lock. After a few seconds, I was able to open the door. Inside were vials, syringes, and bags of various natures, but I looked and saw a set of blood vials. I grabbed three of them, placed them in a special metal case, and put the case in my suit pocket. I closed the door and made my way back towards the major.

“Mission complete”

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Haynes said as we made our way back to the Gala.

We left as we tried to regroup with the men. From the shadows of the castle, a dark figure stood vigilant, watching. Haynes and I made our way to the dance hall, where our men were hiding amongst the guests. I waved at them as they all converged on me.

“Let’s go, gentlemen,” I said when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Where are you going, Mel?” Twilight said

I looked and saw the girls all gathered behind me. Just what I needed right now.

“Oh, sorry, Twilight, I didn’t see you there, I…just got word that the President needs to see me right away”

I felt bad lying to them as I knelt.

“And I probably won’t see you guys for a long time”

They all were shocked and disappointed upon hearing that.

“Why not?” Rainbow yelled

“The President will have me working on something important on the other side, and I won’t return for quite a while”

That all made them sad as they looked at the floor.

“Hey, don’t be sad you guys just had the best night ever, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose, and we have you to thank for that, Mel,” Twilight said

“Thanks, Mel,” The girls said as they gathered around me and gave me a hug

“I’m gonna miss you guys a lot,” I said as a tear formed in my eye.

They let me go, and my team and I headed towards the exit. I looked back one more time and saw the girls as they all waved goodbye, and it hit me right in the soul.

Author's Note

almost done sorry it took so long and i will be finishing this story by the end of the year

chapter twenty- What the future may hold

After leaving the girls, we returned to the foyer. There were fewer ponies here, but luckily, they weren’t interested in me then when I arrived. As we walked, I still couldn’t stop feeling emotional about this whole thing, yet I couldn’t do anything to stop it now. Part of me wanted to tell Celestia about it, but then I would endanger my family and my position.

“What’s with you?” The Sergeant asked

I wiped the small tear from my eye

“It’s nothing let’s just get out of here as soon as possible”

As we made our way through, the ponies waved and complimented me. We were almost at the door when, out from the side, Celestia right up to us

“Mel”

Dammit, not now, I turned to her with a fake smile

“Celestia”

She looked at us with a look of curiosity

“Where are you off to?”

I had no choice but to make up a lie on the spot to the ruler of Equestria, and possibly the last being that I wanted to piss off at this point.

“Oh well, I just got word that the President requests my presence”

“Well, I know you’re a very busy person, but I was just informed that someone has stolen something from the nurse’s station”

“Oh well, that’s weird,” I said sarcastically

Celestia raised an eyebrow at me

“Yes, well, it would seem that they stole some blood from the cooler,” she trotted closer to me.

“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” she said, looking me in the eye.

“Red alert, get out of there now,” I thought.

“Uh, no, I do not. Anywho, I had a wonderful time here, and I hope to do it again soon, bye,” I said rather quickly as I pushed my way out the door with my team.

We promptly walked down the stairs out of eyeshot and hoofed it back to the Humvee. We all piled in as Haynes put the pedal to the metal, and we zoomed out of there faster than Rainbow Dash. As we headed down the mountain, I was hyperventilating.

“Holy shit, that was too close,” I said

“You’re telling me, thank god we got out of there alive,” Haynes said

“I just hope she doesn’t start chasing us; I'd rather not have to kill their leader all for some damn blood”

“Just remain calm sir”

As we rode down the mountainside road at night, we returned to the Gate all in one piece. It was dark out, and not a single pony was around in Ponyville. More than likely, everypony was fast asleep at this time of night. Luckily, they didn’t hear our loud Humvee driving towards the Gate at full speed.

I’d like to think we may have woken up a few ponies, but we didn’t stick around long enough to find out. We soon zoomed right into the darkness of the Gate. A moment later, we soon saw the other side as Haynes slammed on the brakes, and the screech echoed in the Gate entrance loudly. Soon, the Gate started to open up as we pulled out slowly. I got out as quickly as possible to get some air. I was breathing quite heavily, and that’s when I looked up and saw the Major standing next to the President. Of course, he would be here to oversee the blood experiments or whatever. I composed myself, and that’s when he walked over to me.

“Well, Mr. Panzo, good to see you’re alive and well, I see, I take it your mission was successful?”

I wanted to punch him in the face so hard, so badly, but I didn’t want to go to jail at this time, so I gave him what he asked for. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the small metal case containing the blood samples. I then handed it over to the President. When he took it from me, he opened it to make sure the vials were in there.

“Excellent work, Mr. Panzo, you’ve done a great service for your country.” he then handed the blood viles to the scientist.

“Start analyzing these samples so we can start the next step”

They took them as they headed toward their research trailer. The President turned back to me.

“I know this wasn’t an easy task, I'm sure, Mr. Panzo, but I commend you for your bravery nonetheless”

The amount of anger flowing through me was so unbearable that I had to say something, anything at this point.

“Thank you, Mr. President, and by the way,” I said, gritting my teeth, I then pulled my American flag pin from my pocket and threw it on the ground in front of him.

“I QUIT!” I turned furiously and walked away toward the barracks.

I didn’t want to do this anymore or even be involved with what I can only imagine was going to happen when Celestia found out that it was me, of all people, who stole from her, betrayed her trust, and lied to her face, what she was going to do and how the US was going to respond with some kind of bioweapon. This whole thing just pissed me off I took my jacket off as my anger was raising my blood pressure. I sat down on a bunk and just tried to calm myself down, to no avail. I was probably never going to see Equestria or the girls, for that matter, ever again. The thought itself made me think of Applejack. I could just picture her in my mind: her blonde ponytailed mane, her orange coat, her brown Stetson, and her green, emerald eyes. I had hoped that we could have formed a relationship even though I was human, but that soon faded away. All of a sudden, I heard a yell coming from the research trailer.

“PANZO!”

The fact that the President was yelling at me didn’t make me feel any better. I got up, wiped the wrinkles out of my pants, and walked over to him.

“WHAAAAAT!” I yelled

“Don’t get snippy with me, young man; the blood you gave us is no good”

Well, that certainly wasn’t what I was expecting him to say

“Wait, what, what do you mean it’s no good?”

“We began analyzing the blood, and it’s contaminated with ammonia!”

How and why was beyond my comprehension

“Well, I don’t know what to tell ya, Haynes was right there with me the whole time”

The President turned angrily toward Haynes.

“It’s true, sir I was watching him there’s no way he could have contaminated them”

The President put his hand on his face

“So, you mean to tell me that you brought us already contaminated blood!”

“It would seem that way,” I said

I could see the President getting furious; that’s when we all heard another yell.

“MEL!”

This time, it was from the Gate. The Gate was magically and forcefully opened, and out stepped Celestia, looking quite livid as she trotted on over to us.

“I want an explanation, mister, I was told that somepony saw you take something that didn’t belong to you from the nurse’s station,” she said to me.

I looked at her and then back at the president. I knew I had to tell her the truth.

“It’s true I took it, Celestia”

“What did you take?”

“I took some blood viles”

She was taken back by what I said

“Why on Equestria would you need blood for?”

I looked towards the President again.

“Because the President ordered me to do it, and if I didn’t, my family and my job would be in danger”

The President then looked all innocent

“Oh, please, Your Highness, I said no such thing”

“That’s a bold-faced lie.” I turned back to Celestia “They wanted your blood so they could create some sort of bioweapon to use against you,”

Celestia was shocked to hear as she sternly looked at the President

“I thought we had an understanding, Mr. President, I thought we signed an agreement. I thought humans and ponies could be friends, but I guess I was sorely mistaken,”

“We are Your Highness; I assure you we have no intention of whatever this young naïve boy says”

Upon hearing that, Celestia got angrier as she slammed her hoof down hard enough to dent and crack the pavement

“Mel Panzo is not any of those things he is a kind and caring person, unlike you.” She turned to face away from the President

“Perhaps I will close the Gate permanently, and no one will be allowed to enter ever.”

That made the President pretty anxious.

“Well, hang on now, let’s not be so hasty, I'm sure we can do something to make up for our little mistake, besides the blood we did take wasn’t useable anyway, so no harm, no foul”

She looked back at him with a mad frown and then turned back to me.

“I want Mel Panzo to continue being an Ambassador and to continue his work as we had agreed. I will, in turn, be keeping a close eye on him as well as you, Mr. President.” She then began to trot toward the gate.

“Mel, I wish to speak with you alone privately, please. If anything bad should happen while Mel is in my care, you will know my true power, and I will not be so forgiving next time,” she continued toward the Gate.

“Well, Mr. Panzo, it looks like you get to keep your job for now”

“It would appear that way”

The President then turned and walked towards the Majors office. The Major came out a short while to talk to me.

“I’ve been updated on what happened, Mr. Panzo, so I will be seeing you soon with further data, I take it”

“Probably”

“Well, good luck and Godspeed,” he said as he saluted me and then turned around and headed toward his trailer.

I then walked over to the Gate where Celestia was still waiting patiently for me. As I passed through the doors, they began to close, leaving Celestia and me in the dark. Celestia then used her horn to light the way.

“Well, that went better than I expected,” she said

“I know, I was scared of you for a moment”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I was unsure if Luna was able to alert you about the President’s plan”

“Oh, Luna told me the minute you woke up, by the way, how did you enjoy the Gala?”

“It was like I knew exactly what it was going to be like,”

Celestia chuckled as we headed back to Equestria

“I heard you helped Twilight and her friends?”

“Yeah, it felt nice since the Gala wasn’t what they had hoped for.”

“Well, I, for one, I'm glad you're okay, are you willing to continue your work?”

“How can I say no, Equestria is just so fascinating to me I wanna learn all that I can”

“Well, maybe now you can,” she said with a smile.

We soon made it to the other side, and look who was waiting for us: Twilight and her friends, who were still wearing their Gala dresses.

“Mel, you came back, but I thought that-” Twilight uttered

I knelt to greet them better

“Yeah, I had to lie a little bit to stop the President’s plan, sorry about that, I hope you guys can forgive me”

“Oh, of course, darling, you’re our friend after all”

“Does this mean you get to stay?” Fluttershy said

“For the time being, besides,” I turned to Twilight, “There’s a lot more about Equestria that I'd love to know more about.”

Twilight smiled and blushed a little

“We can certainly help you out with that, Mel, and I'm glad you’re back, Equestria just didn’t feel the same without you,” Twilight came up and hugged me.

“Yeah, it’s almost as if you’ve got something special about ya,” Applejack spoke.

“Does this mean I get to plan all your future parties from here on out!”

“I guess, Pinkie”

“Yay”

“Hehe, come on, Mel, I think there is one more person that you can help with,” Rainbow uttered

==========================================++===============================================

Back in Canterlot, Spike was sitting at the counter at Donut Joe’s, enjoying a cup of cocoa and a donut.

“Hey, Pony Joe, another one”

He walked over to the tiny dragon, worried

“You sure spike”

“Another one, extra sprinkles,” he growled.

Before he could argue, he looked, and the doors opened, and in walked Celestia, the girls, and I

“Hey hey, there’s my favorite customer and the Ambassador this must be my lucky night”

Spike looked and jumped from his seat and ran over to hug Twilight

“Good to see you guys, so how was the Gala?”

After everypony sat down with a fresh donut in hoof, we all began to tell Spike about the night that the girls had.

“Wow, I gotta hand it to you, Mel you’re quite the charmer,” Spike said

“Well, I just happened to bump into them and decided to help them, isn’t that what friends do?”

“Well, yeah, but the whole blood-stealing thing was the coolest,”

“Yeah, staying in character for that whole thing was pretty hard”

“But what I wanna know is who contaminated the blood, though?”

“Well, I assume when Luna told Celestia, she must have had one of her nurses do it,” I said

“You are a clever one, Mel,” Celestia spoke

“I’m just surprised your Government would do something like that”

“Yeah, well, they can be sneaky for the most part,”

“Well, the good news is that Mel’s gonna be with us for a while now,” Twilight said as she put her hoof on my shoulder.

I took a bite of my donut.

“I’ve got a lot to learn about you guys, and I know you’ll be very helpful in the future”

“I think you have a bright future indeed, Mel, as long as you keep your friends in mind”

“Don't worry, Celestia; I’ll take good care of them”

“And we, in turn, will take good care of you, Mel,” Rarity spoke

“Shucks, you’re just like one of the family”

“Do you think your government will try something else to get what they want from Equestria?”

“It's hard to say, but if they do, I’ll be sure to stop it if I can,”

“Let us hope that it doesn’t happen,” Celestia uttered

“Yeah, you might have to melt them by bringing the sun closer”

Even though that sounded grim, a few of them got a chuckle out of it. I looked at all of them, and I felt that peace and tranquility again. These ponies were beings that I truly cared about, and I would soon rather die than see them in harm’s way again, even if the government tried anything.

Afterward, the girls and Spike all headed to the train station and headed back to Ponyville.

“See you soon, girls have a safe trip,” I said as I waved goodbye

The train whistled as it hustled and bustled its way down the mountainside. Soon, Celestia and I were alone as we returned to the castle.

“Well, Mel, how are you feeling after all this,”

“A little nervous, but I guess if I just keep doing what I’m doing, then I hope everything will run smoothly”

“I hope so too say would you care to join me, I've got some paperwork that needs to be done, and I could use some company”

“Well, I suppose”

“Lovely, come follow me”

As we entered the Castle, we went to the western corner. As she opened the door, there was a large wooden desk with stacks of parchments, two large chairs, and bookshelves that lined the walls; there was even a fireplace.

“You look a little drowsy here. Have a seat and get cozy.” Celestia turned to the fireplace and, with a wave of her horn, cast a fire spell to light the logs. The fire glowed red hot, and crackling sounds began emanating from the hearth. I took a seat in one of the chairs as Celestia walked behind the desk and sat down herself as she began to look over the vast amounts of paper.

“Do you do this every day?”

“More or less, being a princess is mostly two things: hosting ceremonies and making new laws, as well as watching over future students of mine”

The thought of Twilight immediately popped into my head.

“However, new developments can change certain laws sometimes, but having to go over a decree from over two centuries ago to make sure the guidelines for the production of extra chewy taffy are not contradicting anything that can be a bit much”

“Yeesh, that must be a lot of work.”

“Also, it doesn’t help when the scroll is from 400 years and was,” Celestia held the parchments up high “Written by somepony who wasn’t completely awake at the time”

“They must not have had their morning coffee,” I laughed

Celestia chuckled at the remark as well

“Well, now that you mention it, I recall not feeling well, something about a stomachache from too much cake that previous evening”

“That’ll do it, too much sugar all at once can make anyone queasy, well, except maybe Pinkie Pie”

“I knew I'd regret throwing that party at some point, but the heavy load of paperwork takes away my certain privileges”

Celestia began writing and checking papers one by one. The chair I was in was getting rather comfortable as I took my shoes and my jacket off. As I listened to the fire

“I did try to change that, by the way, putting some excitement if the quill work however, it always came back around to the same tedium.” She said with a frown

“Eh, at least you tried to make fun, I mean, when I try to file things, I always look back on what was being researched and messing up in some way”

Celestia laughed at my remark.

“Sorry if I seem sad There are times when deciding on new laws can be fun, just not when you're studying a taffy recipe from ages ago.”

“Without any to eat for oneself.” As I looked back at her

“I should try reinstating a law by allowing me to create a new ruling by trying something first hoof”

“That sounds like it could be fun”

“You’d think I was particularly useful when dealing with matters that you could try for yourself”

“Hm, all the taffy and cakes you could eat,” I said

“Well, I had to abolish sometime later after…ahem, after a certain incident, let’s just say not everything was made for an Alicorn, and a particular poor water had to learn that the hard way”

The thought of Celestia in swimwear sliding down a small waterslide soon entered my mind

“Of course, all the damages to the slides were covered under the crown’s budget, but freeing myself from one using magic, I’d rather not do it again, even if I had a great time beforehand”

“Well, as one who does a lot of work, it helps to take breaks once in a while”

“Believe it or not, I think that waterpark is still open even to this day, Princess’s Escape by the Horseshoe Bay”

“Aptly named, it would seem”

“Some names have quite a story behind them, and not all of them can just be found in some dusty old book, or at least not a full one”

“Something tells me you’ve said that to Twilight at some point”

“Most assuredly, for instance, there was an interesting ball that they used to hold annually in Canterlot many moons ago”

I laid back into the chair, ready for what I could guess was going to be an intriguing tale.

“It was an ancient tradition as old as the city itself, even older than me if you can imagine”

To be honest, I had almost forgotten just how old Celestia was

“Its origins are lost to time, but it was most likely related to the yearly re-election of the sky council”

“I think you mentioned it before”

“Indeed, The council was a group of twelve unicorns that were selected based on their magical abilities and devotion to their studies, as they would spend their next year guiding the sun and moon. Making sure that the natural order remained unaltered. So it seemed fitting that a celebration should be held to mark the eve of their new task”

“Something to lift their spirits cause I can only imagine it was a difficult task to move celestial bodies like that.”

Celestia nodded her head.

“They, in turn, would sacrifice a full dozen moons from their lives in constant service to the land and the varying folks living in Equestria. Not only that, but they paid a higher price once their duty was over, and their replacements came they would be completely devoid of their magic”

“Jesus, is that something that can happen to any unicorn?”

“Yes, a terrible fate for even the most talented magicians of their era, to see the sparkle of their youth snuffed out in mere moments, but they knew it had to be done, and when the call was made, they volunteered despite the cost”

“I’d like to think that they sacrificed themselves for the betterment of Equestria”

“Yes, because of their bravery, every pony and creature would sleep soundly under the moon and play and work in the sun”

“At least the celebration was around to help, I suppose”

“It was always symbolic to me in a way, a peaceful existence assured by the sacrifice and the vigilant watch of others, oh you don’t have to move bodies across the sky or watch over ponies in their dreams to some pony's guardian. Likewise, you don’t have to look as far to see someone watching over you”

“Like you and Luna”

“Maybe, That’s what the foundation of Equestria is, after all, Harmony and joint effort Anyway, the ball got a whole lot more cheerful once the need for ponies draining their magic every day was taken away, and all it took was a pair of dashing princess’s from outside the land to set things right, and after their magic was given back to them and the council disbanded some ponies put forth a crazy idea to do away with the annual part”

“That sounds unfair”

“Well, needless to say, those claims to change all became nothing more than a bunch of ill advice, and all that happened was a certain change in mood and a bit more cake.”

I turned to give Celestia a look.

“Don’t look at me like that; it was my moment After all, I didn’t even ask if it was someone else’s idea, Regardless the celebration has lost its grim past, and everypony could just be themselves; it was mighty successful in the first year and the event to look forward too”

“Let me guess, it got boring and stiff as time went on?”

“Well, you would think, given the origin, it would be a party for everypony, but as always, some nobles had better plans on how to run the world”

“Like how?”

“They started pushing restrictions calling on the fact that the ball was based on invitations only. At the time, I couldn’t dismiss them outright, the party itself was quite a sting on the crown budget, and having it stay that way only to celebrate me would have been selfish, so I met them halfway, they would fund most of the celebration and in turn would gain a large share of the tickets to give away as they saw fit.”

“Sounds somewhat reasonable”

“Well, the last few remaining tickets would either be sold to cover any last expenses or given away to any ponies who deserved, in my eyes”

“So that’s how the whole ticket thing started”

“Agreed, the solution was not ideal as there were quite a few who could not afford to attend, but it was the best option at the time, and so it came to be, I’m sure you can guess the shift in attendees, how they dressed and acted, while the ball at the time of its conception was a distinguished and noble occasion the newer version was pushing it a bit too far”

“You must have found a way to make it more enjoyable”

“Well, since you mentioned it, there was this young and talented unicorn who approached me not long before the first ball with restricted attendance”

“Sound a lot like Twilight”

“Of course, she was a traveling show pony with magical art for conjuring illusions and images, and her dream was to perform at the ball. Ugh, I can still remember the look on her face when she couldn’t attend due to those new changes. That’s why she came to me directly to try and bargain for a ticket”

“Did she?”

“Well, as luck would have it, she was able to attend, but with a simple request I made of her, sometimes the only thing holding us back is ourselves it can be hard to chase your dreams, but it’s even harder to wish you did for the rest of your life in the end what’s the worse that could happen”

“I know that feeling”

“In the case of the young unicorn, it was part of a small yet funny joke I came up with, you see, her show was spectacular and entertained all but the staunchest of noble ponies”

“I like where this is going”

“Shortly after everypony came back to their seats, the last trick I asked of her happened to the table with the most uptight stiff nobles cause, of course, they had to have their table started shaking, and out of nowhere, a large dragon appeared fuming, clouds or ethereal smoke from its muzzle started marching towards them”

“Oh, dang,” I chuckled.

“It was yet another brilliant illusion from the talented mare, but it just so happened that some ponies were a bit too chatty amongst themselves to connect the dots. The panic in which they ran away was just priceless; napkins were flying, dresses were being dragged across the floor, and I cannot forget when councilor golden hooves used a full stalk of celery as a weapon against the beast”

Celestia began to laugh.

“And when Luna started tossing apples at the dragon,” she said, giggling, and so did I “Oh my, the celery”

“Ahem, and ever since that day, this ball was forever known as the Grand Galloping Gala”

“Ah, now everything makes sense”

“Yep, and all I needed to do for decades to come was to remind that story to any noble who tried to out princess thee princess, which is a perfect happy end, wouldn’t you agree?”

I nodded my head as my eyes began to close slightly.

“You looked tried before, but now you look like you're about to pass out right in that chair”

I yawned a bit

“Well, I did a lot this night, and I could…use some-”

Celestia stood up and walked over to me as I began to fade into sleep

“Here!” Celestia produced a blanket and draped it over me

“Sleep well, Ambassador.” Celestia turned towards the window, and she began to lower the sun and bring up the moon. She went back to her desk and continued to finish her work. A short time later, Luna entered

“Sister, is everything okay,” she looked and saw me sleeping as Celestia shooshed her lightly

“I was rather worried that something terrible had happened when the son came down is Mel…”

“Yes, he had a long day and needed some rest”

“And so you lowered the sun to help them sleep better”

“Maybe”

“You could have used curtains, dear sister”

“I don’t believe I have had them installed in this study”

“I take you do not need anything then”

“No were quite alright”

“I suppose I can tend to my duties earlier than usual”

Luna trotted toward the door

“Oh, sister” Celestia called

“Yes”

“Could you make sure he has pleasant dreams tonight?”

Luna smiled as she looked at me

“I’ll see what I can do”

“Thank you”

Author's Note

and thus ends the first gate story. It's been a long ride, and its finally done
the next story will be made it may take some time, and i appreciate the support from you guys, as well as my friend Mister Horncastle, who proofreads these chapters

Prologue

It was a pleasant day in Equestria; the birds were singing, and the hustle and bustle of ponies living out their day-to-day lives filled the streets of Canterlot. Canterlot was a huge settlement seated on the side of a mountain. An imposing castle nestled atop the city like a guardian watching over its citizens. Inside resided Princess Celestia, ruler over all of Equestria. She was a regal white Alicorn with a magical flowing mane and massive wings. She sat in her throne room, going over paperwork with her assistant. After signing it, all her assistants left immediately to deliver or file them. Celestia got up and trotted out to see her number one pupil, Twilight.

She crossed a long stone bridge that led toward a small tower. She knocked on the door, and when it opened, a small dragon greeted her.

“Oh, Celestia.” he ran back inside to inform Twilight.

Twilight then came rushing to the door.

“Hi Celestia, is something wrong?”

Celestia chuckled

“No, no, Twilight, I just came to check up on you and your studies”

“Oh, it’s going great. I’ve learned so many new magic spells,”

Twilight and Celestia walked into her place, which was filled with books and papers. Spike was picking them up and placing them back on the shelves.

“Yeah, she sure has”

Celestia was proud of her student but felt that something was missing.

“OOH, I found something particularly interesting,” Twilight said

She then rummaged through piles of books until she found what she was looking for.

“Look here,” as she held up a book with a cryptid image on it.

“It says here that many moons ago, a mystic creature magically appeared out of nowhere to help the ponies fight an ancient evil that plagued the land. The creature, they say, was hairless, tall, and walked on two legs. He was adorned with a long dark cloak and armor, and his eyes glowed red from his helmet, they referred to him as the Regnar, and after the battle was over, he was never seen or heard from again”

“Come on, Twilight, all that stuff is just a bunch of hooey nonsense there’s no way a creature like that exists”

“Say what you will, Spike; however, this creature was well documented by first-hand accounts”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” as Spike picked up the books again

Celestia knew that perhaps Twilight had been cooped up in her studies for too long.

“Why don’t you take a break, Twilight you seem to have been studying for quite some time, rest is good for a young mind like yours”

Twilight knew Celestia was right.

“Okay, come on Spike, why don’t we go to Pony joes”

“Sounds delicious”

They both left Celestia alone; she picked up the book containing the image of the creature again. She took a good long look before placing the book on the counter. She turned to the door as she looked back at the book.

“Someday”

Chapter four- the Return of Nightmare Moon

6 days later

My phone alarm went off by my nightstand, I reached over looked at the time and shut it off. I laid in bed for a few minutes trying to wake myself up. It felt a lot like waking up to go to school, like I said I’m not usually a morning person but today was a big day. Today I finally go back through the gate to meet Princess Celestia. After I escorted her back all those days ago, I had more to do if I am going to be Americas ambassador as well as researcher. The US Government had me sign a lot more paperwork, go through some sort of orientation, get me a tailored suit, a security detail, as well as some camcorders to vlog my time while I’m in Equestria. I also got to see my parents one last time before I leave, and the Government also took care of my high school by giving my diploma early which was nice I hated my senior year anyways. I got up out of bed and turned on my tv to the local news.

“Good Morning New England we have an exciting morning today, gosh it’s been a week since the appearance of the strange structure that appeared in the parking lot behind the Hampton Casino Ballroom, Several pictures were taken by strangers before the Government quarantined it out of sight. Many of these pictures have flooded the internet and the world wants to know what the structure is and why it’s here more on that in bit. The Weather today is pretty fair in the 60’s low into the 40’s in other news……”

I turned off the tv and rubbed my eyes.

“If they only knew” I said sarcastically

I decided to take a hot shower to help wake me up. The place I was now living was rather small, but I couldn’t complain. I even have all my stuff moved out of my parents’ house. After my shower I looked in the mirror and decided to give myself a shave, I at least wanna look presentable for the Princess after all. After my face was clean, I grabbed my suit and put it on. I looked in the mirror in my bathroom and I gotta say I looked pretty good. I brushed my teeth before walking out the door where a car was waiting for me. A service agent got out and opened the passenger door for me as I walked up to the car.

“Morning Ambassador, we have your breakfast in the car.”

“Thank you” I said as I got into the car

The Agent jumped in the driver side and we took off. A brown familiar bag was sitting next to me. I opened it up and inside was an onion bagel with cream cheese as well as a bottle of cran-ras-apple juice. I ate the bagel and the juice as quick as I could before we got to the checkpoint. I scarfed the bagel as we pulled up to the checkpoint to enter the area. The guard checked and the doors slid open and we pulled in. Nothing much had changed since the last time I was here, but it was still so new to me as we pulled up beside the gate the Major and the Sargent were waiting for me. The Agent got out and came over to me and opened the door. I stood up adjusted my suit and walked over to them. I stood in front of them and saluted them both.

“Ambassador” they said

“Major, Sargent” I said

“Welcome back Ambassador, today is a historical day, are you ready to begin negotiations with the Princess”

“Yes sir”

“Very well then” the Major turned to the operators “Open the gate!”

The Gate opened up slowly unveiling the dark abyss.

“Before you go, I have your equipment that you requested” the Sargent handed me a metallic case.

“Thank you I hope I don’t run into any trouble over there”

“Also here are some spare clothes and some essentials for you as well as your video equipment” he handed me a small suitcase on wheels with a collapsible handle

“Thank you”

“I think that’s everything, are you ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be” I said

“Good luck and safe travels” he said as he saluted me again and walked off

I began walking into the dark and warping my way to Equestria. After a while I was on the other side and a Guard pony was waiting for me. He was a big stallion with a white coat, purple and gold armor, his mane was two different types of blue.

“Welcome Ambassador, I am Shining Armor Captain of the Royal Guards, I’m here to guide you where you need to go. I hope you had a pleasant trip”

“Wasn’t too bad, but I’m glad to be back”

“Wonderful can I get your bags?” he offered

“I think I can manage, so what’s on the agenda today?”

“Princess Celestia wants you to make your acquaintance with the mayor of Ponyville”

“Alright lead the way”

Shining turned around and we both headed into town. We soon came to a large circular building made of wood and stone. It was several stories high and had windows circling the entire structure. There was a stage and a large gathering of ponies. Shining took me around back, I guess I get to address myself at this assembly apparently. As we headed around, I saw an older female pony with a tan coat and gray mane. She was wearing a white collar with a green frill and glasses with a brass trim. I could only assume this was the mayor as Shining walked up to her

“Mayor mare, this is the Ambassador Panzo”

She looked up at me and her eyes grew wide.

“My my, I have never had the pleasure of meeting an Ambassador before, especially one like you”

“Yeah, I get that a lot”

“Well, let me be the first to welcome you to my fair town of Ponyville, the local ponies are rather eager to meet you”

“Huh, the first time I was here they were all afraid of me”

“Well, that was to be expected, but then again they didn’t know you were an Ambassador at the time” she said

“So we're going to change that, that’s why I figured gathering everypony together so they can see for themselves. So, I’ll address them, and you’ll come out on stage when I call your name”

“Sounds like a plan” I said

Mayor Mare went past the curtain and got up to the podium.

“Fillies and Genltecolts I have gathered you all here to explain current events, as most of you are aware, a strange gate has appeared in our fine town. Some of you find it intimidating and scary. Some of you have even seen a strange figure appear from it. Well, I am here to tell you that, that being was not a monster. That being was an Ambassador sent by his people to make peace with our world. He has traveled far and would like to introduce himself to you all. Now without further ado please welcome Ambassador Panzo from beyond the gate”

When she said my name, I parted the curtain and I slowly made my way up to the podium. When I revealed myself a lot of small talk could be heard as well as camera flashes. I wasn’t one for public speaking with my anxiety and all. I was nervous but I knew I had to do it for the sake of my country and at least make a good impression on the local populace. I got to the podium, but it was a bit short for me. I bent down to speak

“Hello, my fellow ponies it is an honor to be here and I hope that my world can learn a lot from you and vice versa. My Government has tasked me with researching and understanding your world, and I hope that someday we can be friends”

There was a bit of chatter but some clapped and soon everypony clapped. I was off to a good start but how long will it last. The Mayor came over to the podium.

“If any of you have any questions for the Ambassador, he will answer a few before he gets to work”

A few ponies were talking and some of them raised their hooves

“Ah yes you” I pointed to a young filly

“Do you people have cutie marks?”

“Ah no we do not have cutie marks; everyone has special talents, but some try very hard to get better at them”

“Excuse me how do people get around in your world?”

“Well, we have automobiles, airplanes, as well as trains”

“Are you planning to bring any more of your kind from beyond the gate?”

“We have no plans as of right now, I’m only here to negotiate peace with Celestia in addition to researching”

“do you have any plans to enslave us”

“Uh no, I think that’s enough questions for now, thank you for your time” I said as I left behind the curtain

“Wow they really are afraid of me”

“Oh, they just need time to warm up to you, would you like me to show you town hall?”

“A tour would be nice”

Mayor mare brought me around the back of the town hall to another door. We both walked up the steps and into the inner workings of Ponyville. Inside were filing cabinets and paperwork everywhere. There were desks where ponies were typing important documents.

“I take it your office is in the back?”

“Yes, it’s not much but I enjoy it”

I took out my camera and started recording

“It seems they function very similar to us, when it comes to paperwork that is” I said for the camera

“How about the market district next” she said

“Lead the way”

Mayor lead me down the road as I recorded the way glancing at the housing situation.

“They live in what appears to be timber-framed house's with thatched roofs reminiscent of houses from old England times”

“That over there is the train station if you need to get to anywhere in Equestria the train is the way to go” Mayor Mare pointed out as she walked past

I pointed the camera and documented that as well

“They also seem to have steam powered trains to aid in travel”

“And over there is the Ponyville Post office”

"They also have a postal service as well” I said for the camera

We soon came to a rather open area with booths and tents where ponies could sell their wares.

“And this is our market district, its closed for now, everypony closed up shop for today to catch a glance at you, you are becoming quite the mane attraction around here”

“I see what you did there, what else does your town have”

“Well, we have a schoolhouse for the young fillies, a hospital, a retirement home, a movie Theater, a spa, a library, a clothing boutique, a costume shop, a bookstore, a bowling alley, a joke shop, a quills and sofa store, a fan shop, a jewelry store, a toy store, a tea shop, a china shop, a party store and I think an antique shop as well”

“Wow you guys got everything but the kitchen sink”

“Hm, Im fairly certain we have a shop for that”

“Besides the marketplace where else can I get food?”

“Well, we have a couple of cafés, there’s also Sugarcube corner, there’s Filthy Rich’s Barnyard Bargains and I think there’s a hay burger around here somewhere”

“Wow this town seems to have a lot offer”

“Oh, I almost forgot about Sweet Apple Acres”

“I take it that’s an apple orchard”

“Oh yes, it was founded before Ponyville was a town and has been owned and maintained for generations”

“Wow, that’s impressive”

She and I both headed back into the streets of Ponyville. We walked for a little bit until we came to a building

“Well, here we are, it may look small but it’s very spacious”

The place was about the size of a sideways rectangle with two windows. Mayor mare opened the door and inside was very nice. The den/living room had a couch in front of a fireplace, a staircase ascended behind the fireplace up to the second floor, a kitchen was in the back with a table for eating.

“Upstairs has a bathroom and a bedroom, I hope it’s not too small”

“This is actually an improvement from my current residence”

“Really!” she said

“Yeah, the place that I’m living in is only a 250 square foot room with a bathroom and a closet”

“Well, I’ll let you get settled, I'll be waiting outside till your done"

I bowed my head as I stepped further into the house. I went upstairs to check the bedroom. The bed was large considering my size, I put the metallic case on the bed and my suitcase by the nightstand. I went back downstairs and Mayor Mare was waiting for me

"Now that your all settled I have a gift for you"

“That’s sounds wonderful”

“Excellent follow me”

Mayor mare led me through town again until we came upon a building that looked like a couple of tents. Mayor mare opened the door and we both entered. One thing worth noting is that the doorways over here are designed for ponies which, from a rough estimation are about four feet tall. So, I had to duck under the frame in order to enter the spa. Inside was nice, there were chairs, a desk and doors that most likely led to other areas of the spa. Mayor Mare walked up to the desk

“The Ambassador is here, give him the special”

The pony behind the desk turned and saw me

“Oh, no problem miss mayor, Aloe, Lotus”

When he said their names two ponies came out that looked like twins. One was pink with a blue mane and tail; the other was blue with a pink mane and tail.

“This is the Ambassador from beyond the gate, give him the special and make sure he’s comfortable”

“Of course, follow us please”

I followed them past one of the doors into a hallway filled with rooms for massages. They led me past them to a set of changing rooms.

“Here are our changing rooms, you’ll need to change if you are getting a massage”

“Uh don’t suppose you have any robes fit for a human, would you?”

“Oh, I see, we should have been prepared for something like this. Well, we do have some extra-large towels that might work. I’ll go and get one while you change” one said

“I’ll go and make sure the sauna is ready for you” the other said

Soon I was left alone, so I got into the small changing room and took off my clothes. I folded them neatly so they wouldn’t get ruined. A short time later the pink spa pony came back with a large towel. It was just the right size for me considering. I wrapped the towel around my waist and gathered my clothes

“If you would like we can hold onto those for you?”

“Thanks”

She took them from me and placed them in a cubby on the wall.

“Now follow me and we’ll get started”

I followed her down the hall. It felt a little weird walking around in a towel as I passed by other ponies who were also there for the same reason as I was. Soon we came to a room that had a temperature gauge on the side.

“Here is the sauna its very good for the skin, so step in and we’ll come back and get you”

“Thanks” I stepped into the hot room and sat down on the wooden bench. When I sat down the room started to fill up with steam. I had never tried a sauna before I just knew they were hot; I then began to sweat, as condensation started to form on my body as well. I sat in there for about thirty minutes letting the heat exfoliate my skin. Then a knock came from door. I got up and opened the door to see the pink spa pony waiting for me.

“Now that you skin is exfoliated, we can start the massage, please follow me”

I followed her back down the hall until she stopped by another door and inside was the blue spa pony and two tables connected to each other.

“I apologize for the inconvenience were not used to having tall customers in our spa before”

“Now then, lie down on the table and the massage will begin”

I climbed up and laid down on my stomach, as I did, I heard the tables creak a little.

“I hope this can hold my weight, not that I’m heavy or anything”

“Oh, relax dear and lets us ease your body”

First, they gently poured and spread some kind of liquid on my back.

“what is that your using?”

“Oh, this is grapeseed oil, it helps with the massaging plus it moisturizes your skin as well”

They then began rubbing my skin with their hooves and I gotta say it was a different experience. Their rounded hooves massaged better then fingers. It felt wonderful and soon I began to doze off. It felt like forever, I had never fallen asleep that fast and stayed asleep, if only I could do that when I go to bed. Then I heard one of them say something.

“Hello, don’t get sleepy yet silly, we still have much to do” the pink one said

“Fellow us to the lounge” the blue one said

I got up and followed them out of the room and down the hall into a large area with lounge chairs and a large tub and a mud bath. They led me to a chair with other stuff next to it

“Have a seat”

I laid down on the chair as they adjusted so they can work.

“Close your eyes now”

I did just that and they put cucumbers on both my eyes. They then began to smear some goop on my face. It smelled kinda funny, but I didn’t mind. I always dreamt about getting a treatment like this back home but never got around to it. having cute ponies do it just seemed better for some reason and I gotta say everyone's or should I say everypony's been very nice to me since I got here.

“There now relax while we take care of you” they said

One pony grabbed my hand and started to work on my nails while the other worked on my feet. They had to be super gentle, this was something that they were not use too as my nails were not as big as hooves, but they did their best. I think I dozed off again while this was going on and some time went by when I heard them speak again

“Alright Mr. Ambassador your all set”

They then began cleaning my face and removing the cucumbers.

“Wow I feel pretty good” I looked at my hand and they were flawless.

“I’m glad that we could help, if you ever come back just ask for us, we would love to take care of you, I’m aloe and that’s my sister lotus”

“Well thank you ladies for the spa treatment”

They bowed their heads and I headed back to change. I put my clothes back on and went back to the lobby where the mayor was waiting for me.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long”

“Oh, not at all, how was your special massage?”

“It was good I feel rejuvenated and fresh”

“Glad to hear, let me escort you back to your living space”

When I got home I went back upstairs, I then opened the case and looked at my equipment. The first thing I did was put the holster on. I took my jacket off first and slid it over my shirt. I stretched my arms to get it in place, after that I could barely feel it. I looked back at the case and there were three magazines loaded with 9mm fmj’s. I pulled the handgun out and looked it over. I recognized it; it was indeed a Beretta M92fs. I liked these pistols for their reliability and stability. I took a mag and slid it into the gun, I pulled the slide back loading one in the chamber. I then put the safety on and slid it into the holster. I put the other mags in the holders on the right side of my holster. I pulled out the utility belt and it had a small spool of steel wire, grappling hooks, and a flashlight. I put the belt on and adjusted it to fit me. I checked the knife; it was longer than I expected. I rubbed my finger on the edge and it was sharp as a razor; the spine of the blade had serrations for cutting. It also came with a sheath which I put on my belt. Inside the case was a portable field surgeon kit and a vial of storm proof matches. The kit had belt loops so I added it to the belt, I also put the matches in the kit so I wouldn’t lose them and slid it behind me.

I gave myself a once over and thought damn I look better than Leon Scott Kennedy. I pulled out my gun and pointed at the mirror on the wall

“You talking to me, YOU talking to me”

I then heard a knock at the door, so I put the gun away and put my jacket back on. I rushed downstairs and opened the door and saw Shining Armor standing outside.

“Ah, Shining Armor”

“Good evening, I take it your settled in?”

“Yes, I just got unpacked, I take it that Celestia wants to see me now?”

“Yeah, about that I just got word from her highness and she regrets that she’s very busy as of right now what with preparations for the summer sun celebration”

“What’s that?” I asked

“Oh, right well it’s a special holiday that we celebrate to commemorate the defeat of Nightmare Moon 1000 years ago”

“Oh yes Celestia told me about her, sounds kinda sad to celebrate a day for banishing your own sister”

“Yeah, but if she hadn’t all of Equestria would have been shrouded in darkness forever”

“Ah, Okay”

“Celestia instead would like you to help her student with the preparations here in Ponyville”

“Oh, you mean Twilight, yeah that sounds fun”

“You know Twilight?”

“Yeah, Celestia introduced me to her when I first came here”

“Really what do you think about her?”

“She seems, eccentric”

“Yup, that’s my sister alright”

“Wait she’s your sister!”

“Yeah, she should be arriving soon just head that way and you’ll be able to catch her as she lands, right now I have to get back to Canterlot” he said as he bowed his head and left my door

I ran back upstairs to grab the camera, I left my place and made sure to lock the door before heading off to find Twilight. I headed back towards the center of town when I looked up and saw a flying chariot slowly descending down to me. The two guard stallions came to a gentle halt a few feet away and Twilight and Spike got off.

“Hey Twilight”

Twilight looked around and saw me waiting for her

“Oh, hi Ambassador”

“Please, Mel is fine”

“Well Mel what are you up too?” Spike said

“Well, I was just getting to know the ponies of Ponyville, they seem nice but cautious which is understandable”

“Well, me and Spike have a busy day to helping with the Summer Sun Celebration”

“I heard I just got word that Celestia wants me to help you”

“Hm, I suppose having more to help out would get things done quicker”

“Hey as long as I’m with you I might get some more footage for my superiors”

“Better yet maybe there are ponies here with interesting things to talk about” Spike said

As he said that a pink pony walked up to both of us

“Here give it a try Twilight”

Twilight looked shyly at her

“Uh hi”

When she said that the pink pony let out a long gasp before bolting past us

“Well, that was weird”

Twilight, Spike and I headed down the roads towards a farm.

“Summer Sun Celebration Banquet Preparations: Sweet Apple Acres”

“I’ve heard of this place, it supposed to be as old as Ponyville”

All of a sudden a “Yeehaw” could be heard as an orange pony with blonde hair came rushing up to a tree. She turned around and kicked the tree with her hind legs causing the apples to fall into the bushels below. I couldn’t help but stare at this pony for some reason there was just something about her I liked really much but I couldn’t figure out why. Twilight walked up to the orange pony.

“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle-”

The orange pony bolted up to twilight, grabbed her hoof and shook it violently.

“Well, howdy-doo, Miss Twilight, a pleasure makin' your acquaintance. I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin' new friends!”

She stopped shaking her hoof, but her hoof continued to shake until Spike stopped it. That’s when I decided to introduce myself

“Hello Miss Applejack, I’m Ambassador Panzo from beyond the gate, me and Twilight are here to check on preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration” I said

Applejack looked up at me and her eyes were glowing

“Wow I gotta say ain’t never seen anything like you before”

“Yup I get that a lot, my names Mel by the way”

“Well welcome to our farm Mel, Since your helping out for the festivities would y'all care to sample some treats for tonight”

“Well as long as it doesn’t take too long” Twilight said

Applejack went and rang a triangle and yelled “Soups on everypony”

When she said that a stampede of ponies came rushing in from our side and the next thing we knew, we were sitting at a table under a gazebo made out of branches.

“Well then, why don’t I introduce you all to the apple family”

Twilight did not seem to have the time for this

“Hold up” as I pulled out my camcorder and hit record “okay go”

“Sorry but we-” before she could finish Some of the apple family were presenting their food for her

“This here's Apple Fritter. Apple Bumpkin. Red Gala. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp...” Applejack took a deep breath “Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. Up'n'attem, Granny Smith, we got guests”

An old green pony was sitting in a rocking chair when she heard her name being called, she woke up

“oh wha… ah oh imma commin” she said

“I’d say your already part of the family, everyone this is Ambassador Mel, no don’t be frightened y'all, he’s here to learn about us so be sure to give him some apple family hospitality”

The apple family were all looking at me and talking amongst themselves then one by one they all came up to and shook my hand

“Wow do you think you could visit our school sometime” Applebloom said

“I might make an appearance at some point”

That seemed to make her happy. Twilight was getting antsy

“Well, I can see the food situation is handled but we must be going”

“Aren’t ya gonna stay for brunch” Applebloom said giving Twilight sad but cute puppy dog eyes

“Sorry, we have an awful lot to do” Twilight said

“Come on Twilight what’s wrong with sampling the local flavor”

“Ugh fine”

The apple family cheered for us

“So, Mr. Ambassador what would you like to try first”

I looked at the table of treats, all of them seemed tasty

“Uh I’ll try the apple fritter”

“Good choice” as Applejack handed me one

I took one bite, and I was in apple heaven, it was moist and warm like it just came out of the fryer.

“Mmmm delicious”

“Ya hear that yall, he likes it”

I continued to taste a little bit of everything while Twilight slowly ate a slice of apple pie. After a while we headed out thanking the apple family for making the food for us and the celebration later tonight. We headed back past the town while Spike took the lead.

“Those apple treats were delicious” he said licking his lips

“Oof, I never thought you could make that many desserts out of apples”

Twilight followed slowly behind me grumbling

“I ate too much pie” she said as her stomach was a little distended

Spike went over the checklist for the next item

“Hm there’s supposed to be a Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds”

I looked up and saw that there were still clouds in the sky

“She doesn’t seem to be doing her job very well”

Suddenly a crush came from behind me, I quickly turned and saw Twilight face down in a large mud puddle with a cyan Pegasus on top of her. The Pegasus got up and chuckled a little while Twilight was less than amused

“Let me help you” she said as she flew over and grabbed a cloud and brought it down to Twilight.

It was amazing how the Pegasus were able to control the weather like that, if only they could do that in our world. She then began bouncing up and down on the cloud as rain poured all over Twilight drenching her.

“Oops over did it a little, um how about this” she said as she began to spin around Twilight very fast like a tornado

“My very own Rainblow Dry, no need to thank me”

She looked at Twilight after the fact and her mane and tail were floofed up and messy. She chuckled and then burst out laughing, Spike then joined in and I kinda laughed but tried to hide it.

“Let me guess, you’re Rainbow Dash” Twilight said

“In the flesh, why have you heard of me”

“Well, the checklist says that you supposed to keep the skies clear” I said

Rainbow dash looked up at me

“Whoa you must be that Ambassador guy everypony’s been talking about”

“Yes indeed”

“I bet your pretty fast huh”

“Not at running or anything like that, quick on the draw maybe”

“What’s that?” she asked

“Another time perhaps, now about those clouds”

Rainbow flew up to a cloud and laid back on it like a lawn chair

“That’ll be a snap I’ll do it in a jiffy, as soon as I’m done practicing”

“For?”

Rainbow dash turned around and pointed to a poster on the wall

“The Wonderbolts, the greatest ariel acrobatic team ever and they’re gonna preform at the ceremony tonight, and I’m gonna show’em my stuff”

I looked over the poster with curiosity

“They kinda look like the Blue Angels”

“Who?” Rainbow asked

“Never mind”

Just then Twilight joined in on the conversation

“Please, they’d never accept a lazy pony who can’t even keep the skies clear”

“Hey, I can clear the sky in ten seconds flat”

“Prove it” she said looking at Rainbow

In a flash Rainbow started kicking and busting through clouds faster than my eyes could perceive and in exactly ten seconds flat all the clouds were gone

“Ha see ten seconds flat, I’d never leave Ponyville hanging”

I looked down and saw that Twilight was still in awe

“Ha-ha you’re a laugh Twilight, I can’t wait to hang out again”
Rainbow said as she flew away

“Wow she’s so fast” Spike said turning to Twilight and me

“Definitely”

Next, we headed back into town towards the town hall for the next thing on the list. We walked inside and saw a wide array of colored ribbons wrapped around posts and support beams that were sparkling in the light

“Decorations” as Spike looked around the room “Beautiful”

“Hm yes the décor is coming along nicely, and soon we can get to the library”

“Not that, her” as he pointed to the white mare hanging the ribbons

She seemed like she couldn't decide what type of ribbons to put up

“No, no oh heavens no, hm ah here we are”

“Good afternoon miss” I said

“One moment, and there, sparkles make everything better wouldn’t you say, now how can I help yo-ahhh” she said as she looked up at me

I knelt down to her level

“Hello, I’m Ambassador Panzo, it’s a pleasure to meet you”

She looked up at me and blushed a little

“Oh, um hello I’m Rarity ha-ha”

I took her hoof and kissed it

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss”

Rarity looked like she was about to faint

“Oh, my you’re quite the gentlemen” she said composing herself

“what brings you here?”

“Well, me and my friend are checking on the preparations for the summer sun celebration”

“Your friend?”

“Oh, uh Twilight Sparkle” as I presented her

She took one look at Twilight and gasped loudly

“Oh, my stars, what ever happened to you coiffe”

“It’s a long story, were just here to check on the decorations and be out of your hair”

“Mine but what about yours darling” she said as she pushed Twilight out the door

Next thing I knew we were at Rarity’s Boutique where I can only assume, she makes clothes and dresses for a living.

“These outfits you made are stunning miss Rarity” as I looked at the various displays

“Oh, please darling call me Rarity” she said as she was fitting Twilight with an outfit”

“Let’s see no….to green…to poofy…. not poofy enough…to frilly… Aha there it is, now you were telling me where you’re from” as she pulled on the corset cord

“I’ve been…sent from…Canterlot to-”

Suddenly Rarity Let go and she flew back

“Canterlot, the glamour, the sophistication…. oh I’ve always dreamed of living there, you and I are going to get along just fine” she looked down at Twilight's outfit

“EMERALD, what was I thinking, let me get you some rubies”

When she left Twilight decided to make a run for it

“Quick before she decides to dye my mane a new color”

So, we bolted down past the gate past to the open fields

“Wasn’t she pretty” Spike said all lovey dovey

“She seemed nice”

“Come on you two what’s next on the list”

Spike went over the list one more time

“Oh music, it’s the last one”

As we were walking, we could hear the sound of birds chirping a merry tune. We followed the tune to a tree by the road with a yellow Pegasus at the bottom directing the melody.

“Let me handle this one” Twilight said

As she approached the pegasus, she startled her, and the birds flew away.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to scare your birds, I was just checking up on the music and it sounds wonderful”

The pegasus fluttered down to the ground not saying a word

“I’m Twilight Sparkle, What’s your name?”

“Um I’m Fluttershy” she said softly

“Sorry, what was that”

“um my name is Fluttershy” she said even softer

“didn’t quite catch that”

The pegasus was becoming super shy at Twilight. Suddenly the birds all came back to the tree.

“Oh, I see your birds are back, well everything seems to be in order so keep up the good work”

The Pegasus made some sort of cute squeak as Twilight trotted back to me.

“Is it me or did she seem scared of you”

“Not sure”

Just then the Pegasus jumped and pushed Twilight out of the way

“OH, MY I’ve never seen a creature like you before” she said as she fluttered around examining me”

“Oh, I’m from the gate, it’s nice to meet you miss-”

“Oh, I’m Fluttershy, its very nice to meet you, do others live on the other side of the gate?”

“why yes”

“wow I can’t imagine how many

I had to think about that for a moment

“About 7 billion”

“oh my that’s a lot of um…what are you called exactly?”

“Well, we refer to ourselves as humans”

“Oh, I see”

She then noticed Spike walk up behind me trying to help Twilight up off the ground

“A Dragon” she said as she got closer “I’ve never encountered a dragon before let alone a baby one, he’s so cute”

“Well, well, well, well” spike said

“Oh, he talks I had no idea that dragons could talk”

Twilight then interrupted the conversation

“They sure do now we must be going” as she levitated Spike onto her back

“Oh, what’s your name?”

“I’m Spike”

“Hi Spike, I’m Fluttershy so what do dragons talk about”

“Well, what would you like to know”

“Everything”

So, as we headed to the library Spike regaled Fluttershy with his entire life story. It was at this moment, while he was talking, I thought a lot about this world, the way these ponies live is very interesting and that I was glad to be a part of it even though I’m a different species but seeing these ponies live their lives without a care in the world was inspiring and honestly it was something that I wanted in my life, but I suppose doing researching on them was still cool.

We headed back into town and soon came upon and oak tree that had been converted into a library and housing. The sign next to the door read:

Golden Oak Library

“And that’s my life’s story, well except for today, wanna hear about today”

“Absolutely” Fluttershy said

Twilight stopped in front of the door and interrupted her again

“Well how did we get here so fast, it’s was nice meeting you, but my dragon needs to sleep”

“No, I don’t-”

Spike was then tossed off of Twilights back and landed on the ground

“Ah he’s so tired, he’s all wobbly now”

“Oh, you poor thing let’s get you to bed” Fluttershy said as she carried Spike into the House

Twilight rushed in and pushed Fluttershy out

“Thank you, Good night” and the slammed the door in her face

“Huh not sure what that was about” I said as I entered the library

It was pitch black inside when I closed the door; I rubbed the walls trying to find the light switch.

“Well, that was rude” Spike said

“Sorry Spike but we only have a few hours until Nightmare moon returns, and we have to find a way to stop her before it’s too late, now where’s the light”

I rubbed the walls until I found what felt like a switch

“Found it” I said as I turned the lights on the whole room was filled with ponies and they all yelled

“SURPRISE”

Not gonna lie I nearly jumped out of my skin; I was not expecting a surprise party in a library of all places. Soon that pink pony from before jumped in

“Surprise, Hi I’m Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you guys, well were you surprised, were you, were you, were you” she said engertically

“Uh yeah I guess” I said

“huh I thought Libraries were supposed to be quite”

“Well, that’s crazy what kind of party would it be if it was quiet, I mean BO-ring Ya see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all-” pinkie made a loud gasping noise

Twilight then headed over to the refreshment table while pinkie talked

“Remember? Ya see I've never saw you before and if I've never saw you before that means you're new, because I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville, and since you're new, that meant you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, that’s when I got an idea, and that's why I went-” pinkie let out another gasp

Twilight poured herself a drink as pinkie continued

“I must throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville, see, and now you have lots and lots of friends” when she was done Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy came and stood by pinkie

“Jesus Christ, I think this pony had too much sugar this morning she talks fast” I thought to myself

Twilights face went red hot as smoke came out of her ears, literally. She opened her mouth and shot out flames and ran up the stairs

“She’s crying, ah she must be so happy to have friends now”

I picked up the brown bottle that she used and the label said: hot sauce

“Well, that explains the flames” pinkie reached over and poured the contents of the bottle onto a nearby cupcake and then tossed it in her mouth

“What, its good”

“So, Ambassador how are you enjoying Ponyville so far?” Applejack said

“It’s been pretty good, everyone…er everypony has been really nice”

“Well Darling you are new to this world; we most assuredly want to make a good first impression”

“Now let’s get this party started” Pinkie yelled hopping around

“Who wants to try and limbo?” she said setting up the stick

“Ambassador show us what you got”

I was a little hesitant, but I decided to give it a try. I took my jacket off along with my holster and set it off to the side. I walked up to the stick as music played. I slowly bent my legs and my back and slid slowly under the stick. I passed under and they all cheered, the stick was lowered, and pinkie was up next. She got up on her hind legs and slid under the stick bending her back which I didn’t think was possible even for a horse. The stick lowered and I tried my best to bend backwards under it, but I ended up knocking the stick over. I rubbed my back a little bit when Fluttershy came over

“You’re not hurt are you”

“No, I can’t bend my back like she can”

“Well Pinkie has always been a little different from other ponies”

“Different how?” I asked

“She tends to do things that we just can’t explain”

“Oh okay”

“Alright up next is pin the tail on the pony, Ambassador your up”

Oh boy another game. She put the ponytail in my hand and put a blindfold around my eyes and spun me around wicked fast and stopped me. It felt like I just went through a super sonic cyclone.

“Alright its right in front of you”

I wobbled here and there trying to guestimate were the pony was, I got up to the wall and aimed for the right. I pinned the tail and then took off my blindfold and wouldn’t you know it I pinned it right on the spot.

“Whoo-hoo you got it”

Everypony cheered as other tried their luck at playing. I was having so much fun I didn’t realize how much time had flew by, I checked my phone, and it was getting close to midnight.

“Alright everypony lets head to town hall”

As they all left Twilight came down from upstairs looking a little tired yet agitated.

“Did you have a good nap” I said jokingly

“HAHAha, let’s just get to town hall please” saying as she passed me and out the door

We soon made it back to town hall again where the main area was filled with ponies talking amongst each other. I looked and saw mayor mare waving at me. I walked over to see what she needed

“There you are, now that your familiar with the town and everypony, i figured you liked to witness and also be apart of the Summer Sun Celebration”

“Sure, anything to make the ponies happy”

“Wonderful after I announce the Princess you can say a few words if you’d like”

I nodded and followed her to the stage as she trotted up to the microphone. I pulled out my camera and started filming once again

“(Ahem) Fillies and Genltecolts as Mayor of Ponyville it is with great honor to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration”

Everypony cheered as I clapped, I was really excited to be witnessing an historical moment but then something felt off, I could feel my gut clench for some reason, and I looked around trying to find out what could be wrong. I looked over and saw Twilight looking up at the moon. I looked up and the horse face was now gone.

“Very soon we shall witness Celestia use her magic to raise the sun on the longest day of the year, Now without further a due please welcome the one who gives us the sun and moon everyday, the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia”

When she called her name trumpets could be heard, a spotlight was beaming on the top balcony, and the curtain parted, but she wasn’t there. That’s when everypony started to get worried and so was I. Where could she have gone.

“Please remain calm, I’m sure there’s a reason for this”

“Ooh is she in the bathroom” Pinkie said

Rarity checked behind the curtain but nopony was there

“She’s gone”

“Wow she’s good”

Pinkie then shrieked as a blue mist formed on the balcony, the form then took the shape of a dark blue pony which I could assume was none other than Nightmare Moon

“Well, well well, isn’t this lovely, it’s so nice to see all of your sun loving faces after my imprisonment”

“Where’s Princess Celestia” Rainbow yelled

“What am I no longer royal to you, you do realize who I am”

“Ooh uh hokey smokes, queen meanie, pony of shadows that’s-” before Pinkie could say anything more Applejack stuffed a cupcake in her mouth to keep her quiet

“Why no love for you Princess, does my crown no longer mean anything too you after I was banished, do you not recall the legends or the signs”

“I did”

Everypony including me all turned to face Twilight

“You’re the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon”

Everypony gasped

“Well at least somepony remembers me, then you know why I’m
here”

“You’re here too-” Twilight bit her lip

“Now that Celestia is out of the way, the night shall last FOREVER”

Nightmare moon laughed as swirls of dark magic filled the room causing a windstorm. I stopped filming after she was done and watched as this evil pony was going to take over Equestria, I felt scared and honestly did not know what to do except pray for a miracle

To Be Continued….

Author's Note

sorry this chapter took so long, I fell out of it for awhile and I really wanted to get it done

Chapter fifteen- A Battle Between Life and Death

The night was dark and quiet, the moon was not quite full, but it glowed in the sky, nonetheless. The outside was wet and coated with a quick rain shower. Unknown to me and the girls a black van was slowly but surely heading towards the parking lot of the Hotel. Haynes and another one of his teammates saw the van as it pulled up. Haynes slowly approached the vehicle, as he did, he saw two men in the front with a black cloth covering behind them. The man on the passenger side rolled down his window to speak

“извините, сэр, не могли бы вы сказать мне, как добраться до шоссе?”
Excuse me sir, can you tell me how to get to the highway?

Haynes was not sure what he was saying as he stepped up to the window.

“Um I’m not sure what you’re asking but this area is off limits-”

Before Haynes could react, he was smacked in the face with the butt of a gun and knocked down. The other soldier raised his gun, as Haynes fell the driver pulled out a silenced pistol and gunned him down. The driver turned to the back.

“Let’s go”

The door opened on the side of the van and several men armed with silenced AK’s slowly made their way to the revolving door.

Meanwhile several armed men coming in from the foliage and trees behind the hotel slowly and silently crept their way closer. As they hid behind the trees, another of Hayne’s men could be seen standing guard. One of the men aimed his silenced skorpion and took him out.

“向上移动并进入内部”

Move up and make your way inside

Soon they moved in as they pried the door open and slipped in. At the same time a group of individuals were flying in a Skyvan were passing over the hotel. As it drew near, the back on the plane opened and several men jumped out and parachuted down towards the roof. Another one of Hayne’s men was keeping watch when he was hit and knocked down by one the men. The soldier was then stabbed in the back of the head by the man. He then stood up as he waited for his compatriots. They all gathered by the security door as one of them disabled the alarm and pried it open and they made their way down.

The AK men made their way into the lobby guns drawn as they approached the concierge. When he came around to see his next potential customers, he was immediately grabbed and held at gun point.

“Where?” one of them asked

They seemed very direct as the concierge was frightened and horrified but he knew if he tell them that they would let him go

“5th floor”

They all made their way to the elevator but not before shooting the concierge in the face. Some of them stayed behind as the rest of them crammed in as they began to ascend. The Skorpion guys came in from the back after eliminating what was left of the kitchen staff and saw the elevator was in use, so they used the stairs instead. The men on the roof checked every floor to try and find us, as they got to the 5thfloor that’s when they noticed the last of Hayne’s men standing by our doors. They waited patiently to see what would happen next. As the soldier stood by, the elevator door opened and when he turned and looked, he was quickly taken out. As he hit the floor a couple of them slowly crept up to the door while the others stayed out in the hall.

I awoke as I heard a thud, I looked at the door and saw shadows moving behind it. I raised my shotgun to my shoulder and waited. One of the men used the master key to open the door. While the other, gun drawn, looked inside, and was greeted by a load of buckshot right to his chest as he flew back against the wall. The sound was enough to wake and scare the living daylights out of the girls, as well as Luna as, they jumped right out of their beds. The other guy now seeing his comrade dead went in and ended up getting his head blown off. I sat there shaking slightly with the gun still pointed at the door as Luna, Twilight and Fluttershy saw what I had just did.

“What in the name of all that is good is going on?” Luna scream

“Girls, I believe we are under attack” I said nonchalantly

They all looked stunned and scared just then the door where Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity were in slammed open.

“What in tarnation was that?” Aj belted

“Bad guys” as I looked out into the hall “Stay here”

I got up from my chair and slowly made my way to the door. I slowly peaked out from the side and was greeted by gunfire. I jumped back onto the floor as bullets rained towards the doorframe. I looked and saw what looked like bullets coming from both sides. I was a bit confused and had to think quick.

I got up and grabbed my rifle and flashbangs. I slung the rifle over my chest and cocked it. I took a flashbang and tossed it towards the elevator. I waited a few seconds then an ear-piercing bang went off. I raised my rifle and peeked out from the door. And saw two men stunned by the noise. I quickly shot them up good as they fell to the floor. I was then hit in the back by bullets as I stumble foward. I quickly turned around and began shooting at where they were coming from. I looked and saw the stairwell door move slightly and waited for them to return fire. With rifle aimed right at the opening I waited for him to peek out. When he did, I fired at him which made him close the door before the bullets could hit him. I kept my rifle aimed as I went over to the door. I pulled out a frag grenade and pulled the pin. I let the latch go as I pushed the door with all my might in an effort to get it in the stairwell. It opened slightly as I dropped it, as the door was pushed back to close it. I tossed myself away from the door when an explosion went off and blew the door off its hinges. I slowly got back up and looked to see if any more were coming and after a few seconds I decided to get the girls out of here. I went back and saw the dead bodies in front of the door. I couldn’t let them see this, so I went back into the room and saw the girls all huddled up behind Luna as she had her wings open in an effort to shield them.

Luna saw me and immediately let her guard down

“Is it over?”

I didn’t respond as I grabbed some blankets off the bed and went into the hall to cover up the bloodied bodies. I went back into the room to get the girls out.

“Follow me and stay close”

The girls all shaking and full of nervousness did what they were told as they slowly followed close behind me. As they passed the bodies Fluttershy almost threw up from all the blood. We made our way to the elevator and waited for it to return. As it was about to open out of the corner of my eye the stairwell from opposite side opened and out came a man shooting his silenced skorpion at me. I dodged out of the way shooting at him as he dipped out of my way. Luna and the girls rushed into the elevator as I landed on the floor. I took out my other flashbang and threw it at the guy as I jumped into the elevator as it went off. I hit the 1st floor button and soon the doors closed, and we descended. As I lay on the floor my blood and adrenaline were through the roof and there was a slight ringing in my ear. I could faintly hear the girls say something to me, but I couldn’t hear them. At that point I didn’t have time to answer their questions, my only concern was getting them out and back to the gate. I hoped Haynes was still alive so he could help. We got to the bottom as the doors opened and I slowly rose to see any enemies. I slowly walked out with rifle in hand as we made our way towards the exit. I thought we were almost out of here but there were more men guarding the exit.

When they saw me, they immediately opened fire as I dove towards the concierge’s desk and so did the girls. I plopped down hard as I looked up and saw the concierge’s dead body as bullets hailed overhead. The girls as well as Luna kept their heads down. I reloaded my rifle as I peeked around the right side of the desk, I saw men coming in also firing on me. I moved away as more bullets came by. I checked the left side and saw a different group of men shooting at me. I kept crouched as I got the shotgun and began blind firing over the desktop towards the men in front of the exit. I kept doing the same with left and right sides until I was out of shells. I switched back to the rifle as I kept watch and listened. I looked back at the girls and some of them had tears in their eyes and some were shellshocked. I turned to Luna as she just stared back at me. I knew what I had to do, I had to fight no matter what even if I die here right now, I have to make sure their safe. I readied my rifle and I rose up and began shooting the men facing the exit knocking down one of them. I then whipped out my pistol and fired towards the left and aim my rifle at the right. Bullets were flying everywhere tearing up the hotel as I made my stand.

“Fuck you, you fucking fuckers!” I screamed still shooting

All of the sudden one bullet hit me right in the arm and another in my thigh. The pain was too much as I slowly fell back down.

“Aw shit!” I yelled as I held onto my wounds

I laid back against the desk as the gunfire ceased. My rifle was out of ammo and was down to my last pistol magazine. I tried my best to reload, despite the pain as blood began to trickle from my wounds. Soon all the men began to close in on me as they all aimed their guns now at each other

“Who the hell are you?” the group from the sky yelled

“Da it’s none of your business comrade” the Ak guys yelled

“We want ponies now!” the Skorpion guys scream out loud

“Sounds like Russian and Chinese to me men”

“Your accent, you guys must be European Da”

“Enough we all want same thing”

As I kept my head down listening on the conversation, I knew exactly what was going on.

“Huh they all came hear to kidnap you guys, ha that’s rich” I said softly and still in pain.

“But why?” Luna spoke

“Well, it would seem that a few countries became quite jealous that America got the gate, and they didn’t, so they sent their best to try to kill me and take you guys for themselves”

Luna was downright shocked and infuriated by this. I turned to the girls as they all looked back at me

“I had I good run girls, it’s been a real pleasure” I readied my pistol as I was about to make my final effort to fight when all of a sudden, I felt a rush of dark energy waft over me. It was cold as it sent a chill down my spine. I turned to see what was supposed to be Luna, but I looked and saw Nightmare Moon standing in her place.

The men stopped arguing and looked at the wicked mare of darkness. In a dark, grainy and evil tone, she spoke

“Do you foals think you could capture me!”

The men grew scared of her as they backed away from her

“You foals think you know darkness? I will show darkness!”

By then all of them began shooting at her until all their guns were empty. To their surprise the bullets were deflected off of her magical shield

“Hahaha your toys are no match for my POWER!” sounds and gusts of darkness formed around her as well.

Soon she produced a magical black scythe as she began slaying the men one by one without mercy. She sliced and hacked them up into pieces as they tried to fight back but it was no use. All but one man remained by the door trembling with his pistol in hand. The darkness subsided as he looked at all the corpses around him. Nightmare moon stood in the entrance way staring down at him. He slowly raised his pistol up to her and before he could pull the trigger her magic scythe pierced his chest. His pistol still aimed at her and in his dying effort unloaded his gun hitting her magic shield. He kept firing after all the bullets were gone as his mortal soul left.

I slowly got up to see Luna still as Nightmare moon standing there. I composed myself as I walked over to her and put my hand on her back. Nightmare looked at me as we caught each other’s eyes and soon the darkness left her, and Luna was back to her old self again. She almost fell to the floor, but I grabbed her just in time. Luna was out of breath, probably from using that dark magic for so long must have used a lot of energy.

“I did not know I was capable of such things” she said trembling

“It’s okay I’ve got you” As I held her up, I was getting weak from my injuries, so I slowly brought her to the floor. The girls all came out and over to us.

“Is it over now?” Fluttershy said

“For now,” as I got to my knees “for now” I held onto to Luna and almost passed out

“You alright there sugarcube?” Applejack stepped forward

“Honest opinion or theenot so honest opinion?” as I still was bleeding

“Wait!” Twilight yelled

Her horn began to glow and soon she disappeared.

“That never gets old” amazed how magic is still something that unicorns can do

Soon she re-appeared with her saddle bags. She opened it up and began to sift through it. She then pulled out what looked like a roll of fabric and a small vial. She trotted over to me and gave me the vial

“Drink this”

I took the vial not knowing what it was and downed it in one shot. The aftertaste was rancid and bitter. Twilight then rolled up my sleeve to look at my wound and began wrapping it with the cloth. When it contacted the wound, it stung a bit and then began to feel numb. She tied it to prevent the blood from dripping.

“Not sure how to dress your thigh though?”

I took out my tanto knife and began cutting a hole in the pant leg to allow Twilight to wrap it as well. Soon I started feeling better with a boost of energy as I stood up

“Woo, I feel good, what’s in that stuff?”

“It’s a simple health potion that I’ve been experimenting with, its suppose to help with the regeneration of skin and tissue cells”

“Seems to be working”

“Ambassador perhaps we should be leaving” Luna said

“You're right” I turned to the girls “Gather your things as quickly as you can and meet us outside”

They all nodded as they hurried back to the room. I made my way to the revolving door with my pistol and checked outside. I found another dead soldier was well as Hayne’s. I rushed over to him and checked to see if he was still alive. He didn’t seem to have any wounds on him except a bloody nose. I shook and yelled at him to wake up and slowly he began to regain consciousness

“What the hell happened, ow my face?” he rubbed his face and head

“We were attacked, I’ll explain later, get the bus ready to go asap”

Hayne’s got up and stood as he looked at the hotel

“Where’s my men?” he said

I looked at him in with sincerity “They didn’t make it”

“Damn”

Hayne’s knew deep down that he let these men down but that was neither here nor there as he made his way to the bus. I sat down on the steps with my head down trying to process what had just happened. It was crazy thinking that I somehow managed to survive this whole ordeal. It made me think about the dead guy I hallucinated back at the beach, and I almost wanted to cry or pass out. I waited for the girls as Luna trotted up in front of me.

“What you did in there was probably the bravest thing I had ever seen, I was not aware of what you were capable of, where did thou train to fight like a soldier?”

“Eh, let’s just say I’ve played a lot of airsoft back in my day” I said trying to smile

“What’s airsoft?” Rainbow said

I turned around and saw the girls packed and ready to go. I could see they were upset but this would be remedied when we got back to the gate

“I’ll tell you on the ride back”

They all got their belongings and climbed back onto the bus. I went back inside for my weapons, they weren’t technically mine, but I wasn’t just gonna leave them behind. I climbed back onto the bus and took a seat as Hayne’s drove us back to the gate. As we drove along the rode the girls and Luna were all silent not sure of what to say after what had just happened.

“So, what exactly happened back there?” Hayne’s yelled from the front

“Russian, Chinese and Europeans mercs tried to kill me and take the girls”

“Son of a bitch! seems like the gate has made certain enemies”

“Apparently” I said rubbing my wounds

“And you took them all out by yourself?”

“We’ll not exactly, I did have some help” as I turned to Luna

Hayne’s looked back as well but decided to just let it go as he continued to drive. We all looked to Luna for a possible answer.

“How did you do that?” I asked

Luna’s face grew sad as she looked at the floor trying to avoid the question.

“There is still a small part of Nightmare Moon inside of me, the Elements were able to defeat her, but she still resides within, I’m not sure if I will ever be rid of her or the darkness that remains” she held her hoof to her chest as a tear formed in her eye

“Nightmare Moon isn’t who you are any more. She never will and as long as we're here we’ll make sure that won’t happen” I stood up and gave her a hug.

Luna hugged back as we held each other for a few minutes. I sat back down next to Twilight as she looked scared, I could see it in her eyes, I couldn’t blame her.

“Will this ever happen again?” she said

“It’s hard to say but at least these nations know that we won’t be fucked with”

“Damn straight” yelled Haynes

“So, what is this airsoft, is it like some military training or what?” Rainbow asked

I did chuckle at her question which felt good to do.

“Ha no it’s a fun sport I used to play back when I was young”

“Wait you used to play a sport that involves shooting at each other?”

“Yeah, but the weapons we used fired little plastic bbs so none really died”

“Well, it seemed like it paid off, I thought for sure you were gonna die this time” Applejack sadly interrupted

“Yeah but at least, I was willing to go down fighting” I put my pistol in my lap “I am willing to die for you guys I know it’s not what you want to happen but if it ever does I will”

They all nodded along with Luna

“We understand Ambassador”

We soon came around a turn that lead us towards the main road when another vehicle pulled out and slowly began to follow us. It followed for a good couple of miles. Hayne’s looked in his rear-view mirror and saw it had no license plate.

“Mel” he said as he pointed in the back.

I stood up and saw the van following us. One guy leaned out the window with a gun and was about to shoot but Haynes steered away. The girls including me almost lost our balance. Bullets began flying hitting the back of the bus while a few went through the windows shattering the glass. I leaned on the back seat and aimed out the window and shot back at the van. I had to use my last magazine wisely otherwise I would doom us all. I had to wait for Haynes to swerve back around. I held my breath as I timed it carefully as soon as I was aligned with the driver I squeezed the trigger and hit him through the windshield as it swerved and smashed into the guardrail. The fight was official over as I sat back down out of breath. I almost wanted to take a nap, but I opened my eyes and saw the girls all staring at me with worry.

“I think we’re good, no more!”

We soon made it back to the gate, as we pulled in the major and other soldiers came and rushed to see our slightly damaged vehicle. Haynes got off along with me, the girls and Luna looking disheveled.

“What on earth happened?” The major shouted

“We were attacked sir” Haynes said

The Major noticed that I was injured, and the girls were still in a state.

“Mel, head into the trailer along with the girls, medical staff will be with you shortly, Hayne’s I want a full report of what happened”

The major went back to his office, I headed over to the trailer, and soon Haynes headed towards the majors office. We all gathered in the trailer that was once used to house all the scientific equipment that they used on me when I first exited the gate but now it was converted to a storage unit. I set up a few tables and chairs for the girls to sit on. Soon a doctor came up to the door along with his assistant and medical kit.

“Who would like to go first?” he asked

“Check on them, I’ll go last”

The Doctor began examining the girls by checking their pulse, their eyes, their bodies for any visible injuries. Fluttershy had a minor injury, she had cut her hoof on some broken glass. The doctor disinfected the wound and wrapped neatly. I had no idea that she was injured but then alot was happening to us. Everypony else was okay aside from slight tinnitus and some shell shock. The doctor finally turned to me and checked my arm and leg. He looked at them with confusion

“When were you injured exactly?”

“Couple hours ago, give or take”

“Fascinating, these wounds look like they’ve been healing for almost a month!”

“Well, you can thank Twilight for that”

The doctor then turned to Twilight

“Oh, it’s not a big deal Zecora gave it to me just in case, she called it Kaphulia amanzi, it’s a special medicine that she added to some bandages that helps wounds heal faster, that coupled with my healing potion must have worked wonders”

“I’ll say”

“Everyone here seems okay I suggest that you get some well needed rest”

After he left, the girls all got out their sleeping bags from their saddle bags and set them on the floor. A soldier came by with a blanket and a pillow. I took them and gave them to Luna instead

“Eh, it’s not the ritz but it’s the best we got” I handed them to Luna as she laid down on the floor with the girls.

“What about you Ambassador?”

“I’ll be fine”

Applejack was laying down on her sleeping when she spoke up

“You could sleep with me if you want sugarcube”

It was a kind offer to which I gladly accepted. I laid down in between her and Fluttershy. She offered me a pillow which I then rested my head on. Aj then turned to me

“You gonna be alright” she said still worried

“I’ll be fine let’s get some rest now”

I turned and closed my eyes and tried my best to fall asleep. I could then feel Fluttershy snuggle up close to me and so did Aj. I drifted off knowing that the girls were all okay thanks to me and Luna

We had won the battle

Epilouge

Back in the United States, the President was sitting behind his desk in the Oval Office with his hand in his face, trying to figure out what went wrong with the operation.

“There’s no way they could have known, right?” as he turned to the computer screen on his desk as Sergeant Haynes was on the receiving end.

“Right, sir I was with him the whole time”

“So how could they, unless they can read minds?”

“Highly unlikely, sir, according to Rommel’s notes, their magic only works when close to one another. I was with Rommel the entire night and didn’t notice any of these ponies use magic on him”

“Great, we are back at square one with useless blood that had to be incinerated”

“What if we convince the ponies to come here and say that if one of them was injured? I'm sure we could extract blood from them then,”

“But Rommel would be watching them closely, and I hate to have to kill him at such a young age besides, the Princess seems to trust him more than anyone else, if anything happens to him, lord knows what she might do to us”

“I wonder if there was any we could have just one of them for a few hours just to collect everything we need, then we could launch a counterattack”

“I highly doubt any of them would be willing to do so; you’d have to kidnap them if that were the case”

“Well, what do we do in the meantime, sir?”

“Only thing we can do, Haynes, just let Rommel do what he must, and maybe they’ll let us through in a few years, give or take”

“That’s a long time to wait, sir”

“I know, but it’s our only safe option at this point keep me posted.” The President hung.

Haynes sat at his desk, looking at his blank screen as he turned to the major and he was going over reports. He thought about kidnapping one of the ponies, but why stop at one when he could two or even six? He shook his head and disregarded the thought. However, the thought lingered in the back of his mind: just what if?