Pete Powell's Life as a Pony, and Beyond

The rumbling of a hundred plus ponies shouting to try and get their voiced heard was not a sound Pete was soon to forget. Two days ago his alternate universe human self had passed through, leaving a wave of political turmoil in his wake. It had taken over a full day, both Princesses, and more than half the guard to get Canterlot back into a state of order, this had been followed by an immediate command from Luna to travel to Ponyville and enact similar measures to ensure peace. Apparently the other Pete had been spotted here, though he had stuck to the furthest edges of the Everfree forest. The citizens still had fresh memories of the day the humans attacked, or tried to, and though it had met with incredible failure this sighting seemed to back the idea that Celestia wouldn't keep her word about humans. On top of this, Mayor Mare was NOT helping the situation, rather she was exacerbating it for all she was worth.

Finally getting his fill of trying to silence the crowd Pete sat down, laid on his stomach, then rolled onto his side allowing his body to relax completely. It had been roughly 36 hours since he last rested, being captain of the Lunar Guard during a crisis was not easy, and the shouting seemed as though it would never stop. Of course as he had planned, the moment Pete laid down the crowd slowly lowered in volume until all was quiet. Ponies shot each other concerned looks, and more than a few looked at Twilight, who was also up on stage trying to convince the public that everything was under control, with worry and intrigue.

“Don't mind me,” the laying unicorn said opening an eye half way and looking at the crowd, “You all seemed to be having a smashing time yelling over each other, so I figured I'd make myself comfortable until you were done. ...unless you're telling me you're done now.” He waited, “Are you done?”

No response.

“Fine then,” he said, grudgingly getting to his hooves, “If you're all willing to listen now, the human you all saw was NOT an attempt on behalf of Princess Celestia. He was transported here from his own world against his will and has returned there. Everything is fine, there is no threat.”

“No threat?!” a stallion yelled from the back, “He managed to break through Canterlot castle's defenses and make it to the throne room!”

“Yes,” Pete admitted, as murmurs began to circulate once more, “But that was when he was HERE. He's not any longer and he isn't coming back.”

“How can you be so sure?” Mayor Mare asked, from the head of the crowd, “If he came here on his own he could come back!”

“He didn't TRY to come here,” Twilight rebuttled, “And his means of arrival is currently... in... pieces... being transported to Canterlot under strict military watch. Once it gets there Princess Celestia and Luna will test it, to ensure it's no longer functional, and destroy it.” Her voice strained on the last words. Twilight was still not for the eradication of this ruin, though seeing the outcry from human Pete's short stay had her seeing the necessity of it.

“To help assuage the more realistic concerns that have been brought to our, that is the guard's, attention, I will be transferring to Ponyville by the end of this week,” Pete said, taking up right after Twilight to cut off any more comments. His own being one of such significance that even Twilight Sparkle had to shake her head a few times.

“A-are you serious?!”

Pete looked at her, “Why would I joke about this, Twi? Be reasonable now.”

“Pete, this is HUGE news! Why am I just finding out now? Do the others know?” Celestia's student gasped, “Does Rainbow Dash know?”

“No one knows, I JUST announced it. Well, okay, Dash knows. We've been talking about it for a while now, but the others don't know.”

The other Elements had been busy that day, knowing that Twilight and Pete could handle the typically docile townsfolk themselves they had gone about their usual business. Fluttershy was going to be an obvious no show, her own shadow scares that mare, an angry crowd would turn her into a puddle. The end of Fall was quickly approaching, so Rainbow Dash was working on snow for the clouds, and Applejack was finishing up the harvest along with Big Mac. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were working, on what though had yet to be seen.

With a smile and a small gasp, Twilight's horn glowed then the unicorn herself vanished. There were a few more questions, but not many. Pete answered them with a slight smile on his face, mostly they were general about his move, when, where etc. Nothing that truly bothered him, and he was bound for Canterlot once more. The train took no longer than an hour and a half, the usual, and Pete found himself trotting up the steps of Canterlot castle before sundown. A rather amazing feat seeing how long it took to calm down Canterlot, the guards, and Princesses, had expected the blue unicorn to stay in Ponyville over night at least. Which wasn't a stretch considering he'd left around noon that day, but Pete was far to excited about his move. The only thing he wanted to do now was pack what little he had and get settled into his new home before Winter set in. He was walking down one of the halls, making progress to his room, when Luna came up from behind him and fell in with his stride.

“And how long have you been planning on moving, Captain?” she asked, her voice slightly irritated.

“Ever since I shown up. You seriously didn't expect me to live here for the rest of my life?” Pete replied with a smirk.

“Of course not,” Luna rolled her eyes, “but I would appreciate some warning. Dropping the news in the middle of a crisis does not count. Now I have to rush a lot of paperwork, and I can hardly rescind an order I haven't given.”

“Nor would you,” Luna's student replied with confidence.

“Oh? Do I hear a challenge?”

“Do I hear a two weeks notice being written if you do?”

Luna very slowly closed her mouth. She wasn't usually the one to be intimidated, but Pete seemed to have supernatural 'princess perturbing' powers. There were times when he would joke with serious situations, and then there were serious situations that he cast out AS jokes. Though his last statement was said with a smile, it was the dark kind. The kind that you would see on the face of a man on the edge, blissful in the knowledge that he was laying out the perfect threat.

It was the perfect threat too. Pete had despised his new job from day one. He did a wonderful job, some even compared him to Shining Armor. Which was in itself a very incredible compliment by many of the guards. Celestia's captain had set a new bar for what it had meant to be a guardspony, and Pete seemed to exemplify that. Off the clock, however, and you couldn't get a single word out of him about the job, and the unicorn had told his teacher and Princess that if he didn't need the money he would quit. Initially, Luna had found that absurd and thought that he was joking, or even exaggerating. Then one day, a Saturday specifically, Luna had sent for Pete to take a trip to a neighboring kingdom, the Crystal kingdom specifically. A six hour train ride there and back, a couple hours to look around and see what was happening. There were constant reports from Cadence and Shining Armor, but Luna had wanted first hand reports. Instead she got a very, VERY, angry unicorn storming into the throne room in the middle of the day, renouncing his oaths, tossing his armor to the ground and walking out of the castle. Luna had forgotten that her Captain had taken leave that weekend to spend time with Rainbow Dash, he had not been amused at her forgetfulness.

What had really gotten Luna, her sister, and the other guards, had been his attitude. Though he was very clearly angry he never once raised his voice, he did not falter or curse. Rather he was calm, collected, and methodical. His dead expression and the intensity in his eyes set the tone well enough. It had taken a lot of calming on the part of Luna to keep half of her guard from following. They had no idea what had set Pete off, but they had worked with him enough to follow him anywhere. In the space of a year he had inspired a kind of loyalty that made it obvious why the Element of Loyalty, and its bearer, had chosen him as a mate.

Many saw what Pete had done as an overreaction, it was a simple mistake, could have easily been fixed with a letter. Pete had explained his motivations very simply, and very precisely.

His exact words had been, “I know, but you messed up. I'm not a toy soldier, I'll march when I have to, but when I don't, expect hell. I, and every other guard, jump to you and Celestia's beck and call every hour of everyday. Sometimes you two take that for granted, the others won't say anything. Why would they? They get paid, it makes them happy, keeps their family fed, and for some of them it's their special talent. What would they do if not guard? Now me? I've got options, I can do anything I want. Just because my special talent is in dark magic doesn't mean I'm not qualified for other things. I've a wealth of experience to fall back on. So, when I tell you 'Luna, my princess, I HATE this job,' realize I'm not kidding. I stick around because I love this world, and I'll give it everything I have, but if you're just going to send me to the other side of the planet without checking my schedule, two minutes to look at a list that says 'he's off today,' then I'll quit. I'm not a soldier, by any means. Expect me to question everything, and desire the base level of respect I should get from an employer.”

Luna had tried to explain things, but Pete simply refused, a smile on his face the whole time. There was something about him now, an air like that before a storm. Luna had seen his powers first hoof, he was capable of taking things to her level when it came to the dark arts, and maybe that was it. Her knowledge of his power made it seem as though he were constantly about to slide over the edge, but at the same time she didn't see it always. It was a very rare sight, one that sent a chill down her spine. She was certain he would never do it, certainly he would never raise a hoof against her of all ponies, but he could be that serious. He would walk out of the castle and never come back, he had walked away from his own entire civilization literally, and figuratively before. Quitting this job would be nothing for him, the only reason he still held it was because Luna had asked him to.

She almost NEEDED him in this position now, he was a great guard. Though he wasn't much to look at, well compared to the stallion that Shining Armor had been anyway, he had a very regal sort of air about him when he patrolled. He was firm when needed, and lenient when appropriate. He found a balance that had many of the citizens felt favored them, and many of the rich socialites felt favored them. It was incredible, he was truly made for such a position, and Luna admitted that a large part of that stemmed from his desire to be free of the job. So she herself had to find a balance, with him. Which was easy enough, Pete would tell her to her face what he would accept and what he would put his hoof down over. One of her other guards, Night Owl, suggested once that if Luna didn't have the spine enough to deal with her captain, maybe Celestia should. Luna got there just in time to stop Celestia from giving Pete the treasury.

It had scared the Princess of Night how much they both now relied upon his presence in Canterlot, he was the life of the party in such a way that often the nobility wouldn't even notice the Princesses if Pete was in attendance. Which is why Luna had to stop Celestia from giving Pete every bit in Equestria, her sister hated listening to the complaints of the gentry, their usual inability to see basic reason hurt the Princess of the Sun. Pete however seemed able to converse with them in the same level of seriousness as anypony else. Better than that, he was often able to get them to see reason without threatening action, and had gotten several stupid complaints repealed, or turned into actual working ideas saving both Princesses much time and effort. The whole time he never once seemed to be anypony else, never wearing a 'mask' or putting on a show. He was a born politician made into a soldier with the soul of a lover. Luna felt that these conflicting things should have torn the stallion apart, but he seemed to use them all to his advantage. His advantage now being slipping out from where the Princesses had convenient access to his skills and prowess, to a small town that would inevitably lead to his leaving the guard.

“W-well I don't know why you would. Move that is. I-I mean I understand, it's difficult to see Rainbow Dash with the distance-”

“She can fly here in under half an hour, and does very frequently. I don't tell you EVERYTHING I do, Luna.”

“I see, well there are many more advantages to living here,” Luna said, incredibly lamely. The princess was loosing steam, fast.

Pete rolled his eyes as he threw open the door to his quarters, “Like what?”

“Well,” Luna began, stepping into the room and watching her student pack, “We have many more job opportunities.”

“Are you wanting me to quit?”

Luna's eyes went large, “NO! I-I mean, no, of course not, but were you to, there are many more choices here. We have a much more extensive library for your research.”

“Three hours on a train isn't so bad, and I can nearly teleport to the front door of the castle, even from Ponyville.”

Luna, needed an ace, nothing short of an all out attack would stop him. She fell back on the one thing that no stallion she'd ever met could defend. “We have many more mares for herding. Being a young, attractive stallion as you are certainly this-.”

“I'm taken, Luna. Geez, how much do you want me?”

Luna blushed furiously, “I-I assure you-”

“No, trust me, I know your looks. I'm very much aware that making me part of your harem has crossed your mind before.”

“...I'll admit, you're not half bad. There are many more attractive stallions, but few have your disposition and calm. You're not vain, in any way, you're very sweet to everyone, forgiving... the list goes on. You're not without your flaws, but who is?”

“I thank you for the compliments,” he was serious, his look told her so, “But I'm not going to betray Dash.”

“Pete, herding is a natural thing in our culture. Surely you accept that, and you're going to have an impossible time this estrus season.”

“Well, with any luck Dash and I will be married by then. Of course I'm not sure what you give a pegasus in place of an engagement ring.”

“Thou jest!”

“Not at all.”

“We do not think... I don't think you understand, our views of matrimony are very-”

“'Equestrian marriages began roughly at the start of our Princess Celestia's rule. The style had long been herding, our ancestors traditional mating habit, wherein multiple males and multiple females mated together. It quickly fell into disuse when problems such as birthing pains, spousal cheating, and castrations began running rampant. It is now used mostly by large families, often of royal decent, to solidify the bonds between houses, providing an agreement is reached with the harem clause (see section four on page nine for details).' I believe that's accurate.”

Luna was, again, drop jaw stunned. Pete had just recited, verbatim the opening to a history book thats main focus was on the history of Equestrian mating.

“Pete, you don't understand.”

Pete sighed, “Luna, I'm getting very irritated with that line. I understand, now if there is some new information you would like to bring to light that would make me question the EXTENT of my understanding, please, SPEAK. Do not begin, however, with 'you do not understand.'”

“I know that you and Rainbow Dash have been together for a long time now, but that is by human standards, or rather by our terms, earth pony. And our marriage system is not as weak as yours was, divorce is more than looked down upon, it's outright offensive. If, for whatever reason, things don't work out this is not something you can simply walk away from.”

“...I should have been the one to pack my stuff,” Pete said, suddenly looking around, “I don't think she got my ring...”

Luna blinked, “Are you paying attention?!”

“Luna,” Pete responded with groan, “I just recited the opening passage to a book ABOUT EQUESTRIAN MARRIAGE. I understand, you've changed NOTHING. Dash and I talked about this a long time ago, and while I'm pretty sure the idea is on the back burner in her mind I'm already working on it.”

“Then explain it to me! Make me understand your reasoning.”

Pete stopped tossing dressers and looked at the Princess of Night, “...Five years Luna, five years. My plans for marriage always looked like this, date steady for six months, live together for a year, another six months for wedding planning. Two years total. Dash has done over twice that much, and I've never thought about another mare. Maybe if I was younger, maybe more insecure in my love, then herding would be something I would consider. Right now though it's not, nor will it ever be. I love the idea for what it's worth. I've seen many herds out and about town, and I can see why it's so popular. It's just not for me though.

“I don't want to have anypony distracting me from Dash. When she has a problem I want her to know, to fully realize, that it's mine as well. That we're not simply a 'preferred paring' or anything like that, that we are one, unified by bonds that few others have. That we are together, no matter what happens, forever. ...I won't let anyone come between that.”

“...what was special about this ring,” Luna asked, her voice lowered.

“It was my father's,” Pete said, turning his attention back to the room, “It wasn't anything special really, just a simple gold band. I just sort of made a vow on it, nothing important.”

Luna gave a light chuckle, “Marriage is basically 'just a vow.' Are you saying that's not important?”

Pete turned back around, “Given the context, the vow of the ring isn't. I told myself that I wouldn't fail the way my father had, that I wouldn't rush into marriage and end up swearing to be with the wrong girl for the rest of my life. Eventually leaving her high and dry somewhere. Frankly, I don't need the ring and the only reason I was looking for it was to do something symbolic to prove that I don't need that promise any more. I've found her, and I'm not letting go, no matter what gets in my way. ...I guess leaving it behind sort of did that for me, actually.”

Luna sighed, defeated, as Pete turned back to packing. It was mostly already done as the unicorn owned barely anything. His life as a human had shown him that living in excess had brought him no happiness, and that had reflected well on him here. With his basic needs covered by the status as captain he had been able to save up quite a sum of bits in the span of a year, even with the occasional fee being removed for various things.

“I take it you've found a place to live then?” Luna asked, now looking out the door, prepared to leave.

“Yes, I have to speak with the deed's office in Ponyville to get everything squared away, but I found a nice place. Two stories with a small basement, perfect for keeping my research out of the way and providing a nice living space.” Pete chuckled, “I'm actually getting a nice price break on it because it's up the street from Vinyl Scratch's house, and I'm told she plays music at the oddest of times. Plus, it needs some work done, nothing massive is wrong with it, just a few things here and there. Maybe a couple of weekends worth of work, then of course moving furniture and all that noise. ...I also need furniture... hmm.”

Looking over her shoulder at her student's smiling face as he packed filled Luna with realization. This was the natural eventuality of the situation, there was nothing she could say or do to stop it.

“Clasps,” she said, once more looking into the hallway.

“Excuse me?” Pete looked at her, confused.

“Traditionally, when a pegasus is the marriage partner clasps are made, rather than a ring. They secure to the base of the wing next to the body, gently, and serve the same symbolic purpose. Many pegasi use them for decorative purposes, but what sets it apart is the gem stones. Simple, unadorned clasps are purely for looks, ones set with gems denote marriage. After about a week the two of you can remove them. The ring on your horn, and the clasps will be getting rather annoying by that point, especially your ring. They'll have served their purpose of letting all of Ponyville, and probably Equestria, know that you two are not looking for anypony else.”

“...thanks Luna.”