The Royal 3: Orion’s passage

February 2, 2012 A.D.
Brooklyn, New York.
1:15 PM

It was a freezing, but sunny day in New York City and right now, Atlas was driving over the Brooklyn Bridge in Artemis truck with Apollo and Luna accompany him.

It’s been five days since the changelings and their allies lost LaGuardia airport, and since then, New York City was finally free.

Atlas and Apollo were busy helping the city recover while Artemis was fighting the nationalists in Connecticut.

But since peace return to the city that never sleeps, this gave the Yukon brothers an opportunity to check on their family. While giving Luna the chance to meet her future human in-laws.

If Luna had to be honest, she was eager to meet them, but also really nervous. She was worried that they wouldn’t accept her and won't allow their son to marry her.

She knew these fears were irrational, but this didn’t stop her from worrying.

Attempt to calm her nerves, she looked out the window to see the borough that her fiancé grew up in.

Besides a few damaged roads near JFK, Brooklyn was not affected by the war, just like Staten Island. So the locals were out and about as usual, albeit with a bit of caution.

Finally, they arrived at the Yukon residence after 40 minutes of driving.

“So, this is your childhood home.” Luna said after getting out of the vehicle.

“Yep, this is it.” Atlas said as he walked up the stoop.

“Before you ring doorbell, I need to ask you two something.”

“What is it?” Apollo asks.

“Do I look presentable enough?” Luna asks.

“Of course you do. Why would you ask that?”

“I was thinking that I would change into something nicer before meeting your family. I don’t want to give them the wrong impression.”

“That’s what you’re worried about? Luna, you’re about to meet my parents, not the president of the United States.” Apollo said. “But all seriousness though, you will do fine. Just be yourself.”

“I agree. Plus, I think they would respect you even more since you’re royal in uniform.” Atlas chimed in before he rang the doorbell.

They didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, revealing Stephanie on the other side with a look of surprise on her face.

“Oh my God, my boys are finally back home.” She said as she hugged her sons. “I was worried sick. Wait, where is Artemis?”

“He’s fighting in Connecticut. He should be in Bridgeport by now.” Atlas answered.

“Oh.” Stephanie said with disappointment before she noticed Luna. “Is this one of your soldiers?”

“No, she’s actually a special guess.” Said Apollo.

“Oh really? Well, in that case, come on in.” Stephanie stepped on the way to allow the brothers and their guest and inside the apartment.

They walked into the family room, where Andrew, Douglas and Deborah were at.

“Hey everyone, we’re home.” Atlas greeted.

“Good afternoon boys we’re glad you guys made it back.” Douglas smiled.

“You didn’t get yourselves hurt out there, did you?”
Andrew asks.

“Besides a few scrapes and a little bit of road rash, we’re fine.” Apollo said.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Whose is the alien behind you?” Deborah asked with slight suspicion.

“They said that she is a special guest.” Stephanie said from the kitchen.

“So, who is this guest of honor?” Andrew asks.

“Before we get to that, we need everyone down here, right now.” Atlas said.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get Patrick.” Douglas said before he left the room. A little while later, he came back with his son.

“Everyone we would like to introduce to you, Empress Luna Nova Faust, she is my fiancé.” Apollo explained.

“Hello, every pony, it’s nice to finally meet you all.”
Luna smiled.

“Wait, this is Luna? The same Luna that you were telling us about before everything went downhill?”
Stephanie said shock.

“Yep, this is the same wonderful mare.”
Her fiancé‘s comment made her blush a little.

“Bloody hell.” Andrew chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Luna.” He said, shaking the Empress’ hand. “Take a seat, make yourself at home.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“We insist.” Stephanie said.

“Ok if you say so.” Luna said, as she sat down on the couch.

“Anyway, my name is Andrew, the triplets’ father.”

“My name is Stephanie, I’m their mom. That’s Deborah, my sister and that’s her husband Douglas. And last, but not least my nephew, Patrick.”

“Hello.” Patrick said.

“So, you’re Patrick.” Luna approached the child. “Your cousins told me all about you.”

His eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yep, they even told me about Stefan and BJ as well.”

“Speaking of the little cousins, where is the rest of the family?” Atlas asks.

“Barlow and Maya left a day after the violence ended in Queens, and Grandma Amelia is with your granddad and grandmum.” Andrew answered.

“And we decide to stay with your parents for obvious reasons.” Douglas said.

“Huh, it looks like we have a few more stops to make.” Apollo said in thought.

“Let’s get back to more positive subject.” Stephanie said before turning to Luna. “So how did you and Apollo first met?”

“We met when he and his brothers accidentally crashed my sister‘s birthday party by falling out of the sky and destroying everything.”

Family room was silent for a few moments before Deborah spoke up. “How did they fall out the sky?”

“The portal we were pulled into opened up right above their party for some reason. I landed on top of the cake, Apollo landed on top of the snack table and Artemis landed on top of a large teddy bear on the presents table.” Atlas explained.

“Did you three get injured from that fall?” Their mom asks.

“No, we didn’t get injured.” Said Apollo.

“But I did alert the royal guards, and they were chased around the castle and the city for a little while. That wasn’t my proudest moment.” Luna said, she still felt bad for what she did back then.

“That’s understandable. I mean, I would’ve called the authorities if I found three aliens falling out the sky and landing in my backyard. Sorry, continue.” Douglas commented.

“After we realized they weren’t a threat, we tried to get them back to earth, but the passage was way too dangerous for them to go through. So, we helped them integrate into Equestrian society. Me, my sister and our friends got to know them, and they told us about what it’s like on Earth, especially America. We even learned about your holidays, like Christmas, Easter, thanksgiving and St Patrick day to name a few.”

“So, you weren’t stuck in the wilderness in Canada after all?” Douglas asks.

“Far from it, we were living our best lives. We got high-paying government jobs, made a lot of friends, and we live in a castle.” Apollo explained.
“Well, except for Artemis, he moved to a small town named Ponyville a year ago.”

“Thank goodness. This might be a little embarrassing to admit, but I thought you three were victims of human trafficking for a while.”
Deborah said.

Everyone except for Patrick and Douglas stared at her with wide eyes.

“Why what do you think that?” Andrew asks.

“Because ever since I saw Artemis react to seeing that strange coin, I realize that their stories didn’t make any sense at all. They claimed that they cross the border at Niagara Falls, which is pretty much impossible, and the Canadians did not alert us that the triplets were trying to cross the border. Not only that, everything they had their possession was in really good condition. If they were really in the woods for three years, they would’ve been damage or destroyed.”

“I thought it was a bit outlandish too, until she told me all the things she noticed. We even told Maya about it as well. But we didn’t tell you all about this because we wanted to make sure we had enough evidence to give to the authorities.” Douglas interjected.

“But we have nothing to worry about since most of the things you told us were made up.” Deborah smiled.

“Should we tell them?” Atlas ask Apollo.

“Tell us what?” She asks, confuse.

“Most of the stories we told you aren’t made up they’re actually based off real life events. We just changed them up a bit.” Apollo answered.

“So, the market fights actually happened?” Andrew asks.

“Yes, but instead of a fish market, the fights take place in a large mall. Every pony was trying to get a new book named Saturn one, which is a really entertaining space sci-fi book by the way. In fact, we got the sequel Saturn two back in late November.”

“That sounds a lot like the stupidness you would expect to see on Black Friday.” Stephanie said.

“Because it is. Well, according to your sons anyway.” Luna commented.

“But you guys made up the Mad King, right?” Deborah asks.

“Nope, he is a real stallion. He’s been king of Kemorovo since the late 70s, I believe.” Atlas said.

“There is no way that a nation is allowing a mentally unwell man to be its king.” Douglas stated.

“It’s true, the ponies of Kemerovo love him, they call him the mad king as a term of endearment.” Apollo said.

“So, the only thing that was made up was that you were stuck in Canada for three years.” Stephanie said.

The brothers nodded.

“Ok, good to know. Luna, sorry for getting a bit sidetracked, we have a lot of questions for our boys.”

“It’s ok, Miss Yukon. It was bound to happen eventually.”

“Just call me, Stephanie. You don’t need to call me, Miss. Since you already know about our family, what is yours like? Do you have a photo of them?”

“Yes, I do.” Luna pulled a small photo out of her breast pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Stephanie.

In the photo was the entire royal family, Atlas and Apollo.

“When was this taken?” Andrew asks.

“During the holiday season. The white mare with the multicolor mane is my older sister, Celestia, the other white mare is my mother and last, but not least the dark blue stallion is my father.” Luna explained. “Just like your family, mine also served in the military. Celestia was the one that was supposed to come here to help with the fighting. But she was not feeling very well and asked me to take her place.”

“That’s unfortunate. She always wanted to see New York.” Atlas commented. He knew what was really going on with the solar monarch, but he promised her to not tell anybody about her ‘condition.’

“Maybe it’s for the best, after all, the city is still a big mess. The next time she has a chance to visit the city, things would be much better.” Andrew said.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Is our interview our interview canceled?” Apollo asks.

“I’m glad you brought that up.” Stephanie asks before putting her cup down on the coffee table. “NBC called earlier to let us know that your interview will be postponed to February 4. Is this ok with you two? Since it is happening in two days.”

“I’m fine with it. Give us one full day to pack up before we have to go back to Equestria for the wedding. And we already know how strict Twilight can be when it comes to staying on schedule.”
Atlas and Luna nodded in agreement.

“I’ll be right back. I need to call Artemis real quick.”
Atlas said before getting up and walking out of the family room.

===•••===
Milford, Connecticut.
1:42 PM

Meanwhile with Artemis, he was in a Dunkin’ Donuts with a few military personnel surrounding a table with a large map. He was about to give his opinions on new plans still proposing when he heard his phone ringing.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and said. “I will be right back; I need to take this.” Before walking out of the Dunkin’ Donuts.

Artemis: “Hello.”

Atlas: “Hey, Artemis.”

Artemis: “Hey Atlas, is everything all right down south?”

Atlas: “Besides a few terrorist attacks, everything is all right in the city. The New York is recovering from the violence. You should see how lively Brooklyn is right now. How is everything in Connecticut?”

Artemis: "The war effort doing well, the changelings are surrounded in New Haven. They’re either going to die on U.S soil or retreat back to their empire. There are more than likely going to do the ladder. But I have to tell you they really did a number on this state.”

Atlas: "It’s really that bad?”

Artemis: "Yeah, they were really determined to keep this land. Anyway, what are you doing now?”

Atlas: "Me, Apollo and Luna are at the apartment right now.”

Artemis: "Oh God. Atlas, give it to me straight. How did our parents react when they met Luna?”

Atlas: "It’s going very well right now. The moment she introduced herself, they embrace her with open with open arms and they’re fine with Apollo marrying Luna. Same thing with Uncle Douglas and Auntie Deborah. But Luna hasn’t met our entire family yet since Auntie Maya and her family were back home. And grandma Amelia is staying with our British grandparents. Despite that, I think it’s safe to say that our family will approve of our relationships.”

Artemis: "That’s a relief. Is there anything else?”

Atlas: "Yeah, mom told me and Apollo that NBC did not cancel our interview, they postponed it to February 4. Will you able to make it?”

Artemis: "Yeah, at the rate, Connecticut should be free by tomorrow.”

Atlas: "Good. I’ll talk to you later, bye.”

Artemis: "Bye, bye.”

After the call ended, Artemis put his phone back in his pocket and walked back inside of the small coffee shop.

===•••===
Park slope, Brooklyn.
2:30 PM

Nicholas was in his bedroom, watching YouTube on his phone to pass the time.

Usually, he would be at college right now, but thanks to what was going on in the city he couldn’t go to school for the next few weeks.

To say that he was shocked to find out that his best friends not only had magic, but became royalty of an alien nation was an understatement.

For the first two days of the invasion, he and his family were glued to the TV screen, watching the triplets fighting all over the city.

As much he wanted to confront the triplets about lying to him and their friend group. He understood why they did it.

When he has a chance, he will meet up with them and have a chat with them.

(Translator: ON. Ukrainian to English.)

“Nicholas!”

“Yes, dad?”

“One of the Yukon’s soldiers wants to speak with you!”

“I’m coming.” He replied, confused on what was going on.

After he got downstairs, he saw that his father was standing near the door.

His father is a tall and fit white man with short brown hair. His name is Alexi Donetsk.

Translator: off.

“If anything happens, let me know.” He said in a thick Ukrainian accent as padding him on the shoulder and walking away.

Nicholas opens the door and saw there was a purple Thestral standing outside.

“Can I help you?”

“Are you Mr. Nicholas Donetsk.”

“Yes, who are you?”

“My name is staff Sergeant Lilly Blade of the lunar guard. Emperor consort Apollo wanted me to give you this.” She said, handing him a white envelope that said wedding invitation on its front.

“Thank you. If you don’t mind me asking why did Apollo sent you to give me this?” Nicholas asks.

“Believe me, he really wanted to give this invitation to you in person. But something came up in Manhattan that needed him and his brother’s attention, so he asked me to do it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, I understand. Again, thank you for giving this to me.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you have a nice rest of your day.” Lilly said before turning around and flying away.

‘I wonder if my old suit still fits.’ He thought as he closed the front door.